《Hero of Darkness》


 Chapter 1: A Man at the Edge

    <h4>Chapter 1: A Man at the Edge</h4>


    Winds howled along with the passing cold breeze. At the time of midnight, in the glitter of lights from skyscrapers & malls along with multiple vibrant neon signs; the city life kept running as usual.


    Amongst these sky-touching buildings & millions of people going about their lives, stood a man at the edge of the highest roof in one of such office buildings. He heaved a sigh, looked towards the bright moon & closed his eyes. Thinking & contemting how & why his life came to be this way. Thinking to himself, Elric asked.


    "Man, why am I the only one living so miserably? Will anything for once, go the right way for me? Why am I the only one always getting short end of the stick? It''s as if the world itself is trying to tell me that I really don''t matter at all."


    Reminiscing about his childhood, Elric remembered the young him when he was 12 years old. He was a good kid with a great talent for reading among other kids in his ss. The teachers would always praise him for being quick to answers. He was always good at getting the pronunciation of words correct & could read a chapter from the book without running out of breath easily. But this made his fellow students dislike him at the same time.


    Some started bullying him as the days went on & even when Elric asked for help from his Teachers, no one helped him. Some saying it''s just a small quarrel between children while some intentionally trying to smother the incidents to avoid being used of neglecting the students of their ss by school management.


    So, Elric never got the help he deserved. When he told his father about how the kids at his school were bullying him, and even beating him on some asions; instead of consoling his youngest son, his father reprimanded him to not bring such small matters into the house. His father worked in a manufacturingpany for household appliances and had to spend many hours per day in the office as he was the manager of the department. So naturally, he was always tired & tensed up when he returned home.


    After holding his sobs somehow, Elric told his mother, Sophia about the incidents. She told him that she would talk to his teachers. Elric believed her & decided to wait for tomorrow. But the next day, nothing happened. He still got beat up again, his parents had no time to listen to him. Even his older brother, David whom Elric looked up to told him to ''Man the hell up''. David was 17 years old & part of his school''s baseball team. And due to his growth spurt kicking in, he often tended to be physical with his body & rash with his mind.


    He paid no attention to his younger brother as if it didn''t concern him. Elric couldn''t ask his elder sister Jessica as she would get mad at him even if he mistakenly entered her room. She was very peculiar with her things, clothes & looks. And always spent a lot of time in front of the mirror for God knows what reasons..


    Author : Let''s call her someone with ''Princess Syndrome''.


    So after both his family & school staff failed to help him, Elric had no choice but to endure the harassment at school. Hoping that his bullies would get bored & not target him any longer. He even stopped being active with his studies & interacting with other students & teachers alike to not stand out. Andter when he went to high school, he adapted the same approach.


    But during these times, Elric did find something to keep himself busy with. He no longer held love for historical figures or whatever they taught in schools rather inics that he often read at the Comic store a couple of streets away from his house.


    Somehow, these Heroes fromics gave him a huge sense of belonging & an urge to be a better person. His favorites were Spider-Man & Batman. He would often imagine if getting bit by a radioactive spider will give him powers like Peter Parker or whether he could find a mysterious n of ninjas & martial artists who could teach him how to fight like Batman.


    But as all thingse to end.. So did his interests in Comics. As Elric hit puberty, he became engrossed with the culture of Anime which was reaching a new horizon of poprity throughout the world. He would spend most time of his day watching them than studying for his ss test tomorrow.


    Yearster, he entered the world of Novels and Mangas. And like there are no exceptions.. He got entangled in the web of addictive Cultivation stories, Korean hunter Manhwas, RPG & Virtual Reality game stories and the ones where a good for nothing Otaku gets hit by Truck-kun and gets reincarnated or transmigrated into another world.


    But without realizing that he had spent these years distancing himself from his family & friends; he had be a loner who barely functioned in society. Spending so much time alone made him mentally be someone who liked being in solitude.


    Due to his innate talent for learning & remembering what he read instantly, his grade never fell below what was expected from him. Elric had realized to this point that he had the rare case of having what we call Eidetic or Photographic memory.


    He had the potential to be much more in terms of academic skills but he simply had no interest in them at this point. His parents didn''t care much for him anyway.. Only providing food & shelter out of obligation. He disliked both his elder brother & sister who always had the halo of entitlement around them. He didn''t have anyone he could call a friend at this point.


    Aspared to his brother & sister, Elric was someone without great ambitions and only good enough to live a mediocre life.


    In the uing years, Elric finallynded a job as an ountant in a big namepany & got a good ie sry job. He finally left his house and started living alone. Even when he had any conversations with his family over the phone, it''d be him who initiated the call most of the time.


    4 YEARS LATER.


    Elric was 30 years old today. He stood in a line inside a coffee shop, to get his morning dose of Cocaine.. Erm, I mean Caffeine.


    Today was his Birthday, yet not a single person had wished him Happy Birthday. No one from his family called, he had no friends even in the workce he was heading off to. There wasn''t anyone who he interacted much with if not out of necessity; and barely anyone he could even express his thoughts to. Not even a friend online or a group of fellow Nerds or Otakus. He had outgrown all of them.


    His current state of life waspletely stagnant & uneventful in thest couple of years.


    This hit Elric really hard.. For the first time in his life, Elric had found himselfpletely alone.. both in body & spirit. This was something he yearned for during his teenage days. But now it suddenly felt terrifying and as if he really had nobody in his life.


    He didn''t have a pet because they needed a lot of care & Elric was indeed a man-child when it came to the responsibility of taking care of someone else.


    At the same time in the coffee shop, his turn came & he reached his hand out to grab the coffee cup.


    But he suddenly felt a warm touch in his palm.


    "Erm, excuse me. The coffee is in my other hand". A girl with bright blue eyes, blonde hair and a very slim built body looked at Elric and signaled him to remove his hand.


    "Ah, my bad. I was lost in thoughts." Elric said.


    "Hurry up now. Other people are standing in the line". Elric came back to reality for real at this moment & quickly got to the side. He soon left for the office. He did notice the name on the girl''s uniform before leaving... ''Katherine''.


    After returning from the office & having dinner (which wasn''t just a cup of noodles like standard Japanese Mangas. Our boy knows how to cook.), Elric recalled the event of touching Katherine''s hand.


    For some reason, he just couldn''t help but think about that moment again & again, over & over. Elric being the Virgin guy who never had a girlfriend, female friends or any form of physical connection to women throughout his life, got looped into that moment given how big of a Simp he had be over this point for fictional women. The Ideal romantic partner for people like him only existed in Novelty.


    After overthinking it for a long time, he finally fell asleep & woke up the next morning to follow the same cycle of corporate ve life. His routine followed for the next couple of weeks, in the meantime he''d casually greet Katherine with good morning & hellos.


    He had made himself familiar with her. And Katherine would greet back & sometimes even give him a soft smile; which always brightened up his day. Little did he realize that Katherine was doing it because it was part of her job to be nice to customers. But being the idiot he was, he felt like it only him getting the special treatment.


    A few dayster, Elric stood in the same queue for his morning coffee. But this time, something was different in him. He wanted to make a move on a girl for the first time in his life. Elric thought to himself "What''s the worse can happen? Shepletely turns me down? Or at most, I end up embarrassing myself in front of few people here. Aiyo, why is this so hard?"


    Elric was a total noob in this department. He had already prepared for the worst. After Katherine got free from her shift, which ended only after 10 minutes since Elric got his coffee. He came towards Katherine and asked her..


    "Hey, Katherine. Do you have a moment ?"


    "Yes.. What is it?"


    "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask if you were free tonight."


    Katherine looked at Elric with surprised eyes.


    "And I assume you had some ns which depended on me being free tonight ?"


    Elric was startled [ Have I been seen through ?]


    He gathered his courage and said "Yes. I wanted to ask you out for dinner." Elric said with all his might. He sounded very calm & confident as if this was a normal day-to-day thing for him, but inside he was like [Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! I''m so screwed!]


    But surprisingly in the next moment, Katherine responded.


    "8 PM, pick me up at central city park. I live nearby. Give me your phone number, I''ll send you the addresster."


    Gobsmacked! bbergasted! These words couldpletely describe Elric''s facial expressions perfectly. He didn''t believe what he was hearing at all. He expected an instant refusal but surprisingly he wasn''t ?..


    "Umm.. You''re not joking, right? I didn''t think you''d say yes."


    Katherine looked at him cheekily and spoke, "I was actually waiting for you to ask me out. If you had taken even longer, I would''ve done it myself."


    Was this a dream? Nobody is ying a prank, right?


    "Wait a minute.. You were?" Elric asked.


    "Of course. Out of all these people, many who are regr customers here, only you look at me with puppy eyes whenever we meet each other in the morning. Don''t think I didn''t notice the smile you always have after you greet me. We girls have our own intuition too you know. It was obvious that you like me. So I thought why not give you a chance ?" Katherine said while throwing a smirk at him.


    Outmatched! Elric waspletely Outmatched!


    Why was the girl saying guy''s lines & seemed to be in control of the situation? It was supposed to be his role. For the first time in his life, Elric questioned himself if he was truly a man..


    "Okay." That''s all he coulde up with in response. And as soon as Katherine put her number in his phone, Elric quickly ran off from the scene like The sh.


    Author : Run Barry, run.


    Elric did not believe what happened a few minutes ago was real. He pinched himself a few times and even pped his face twice to make sure he wasn''t dreaming. He finally mentally prepared himself for the first date in his life.


    He knew that he couldn''t afford to go halfway tonight. Because the first impression is thest impression when ites to dates.


    Surprisingly, the date went well. Elric didn''t hold back. He booked a reservation in a nice restaurant, took Katherine to a Zoo before dinner, had fun with her while sharing their life stories so far.


    To his surprise, Katherine came from a poor family. She got the job in a Coffee shop to support her expenses & was also taking some acting sses. Currently, she lived in a shared apartment with a few of her college friends. Katherine was 3 years younger than Elric who lived alone & supported himself. So this earned his respect for Katherine. As to some men, self-dependent and hard-working women are much for reliable & have a strong character than Daddy''s Little Princesses on social media these days.


    After this date, things kept progressing between Elric and Katherine over the next few weeks. But one day, Katherine suddenly disappeared. She didn''t pick up Elric''s calls and even her Roommates didn''t know where she went. Elric, who was infatuated with Katherine at this point felt like something was missing inside of him.


    For the first time in the past 2 decades.. He felt loss & helplessness.


    "Do I really care about her that much? Why do I feel so empty suddenly ?" Elric thought. But he couldn''t put his finger on what was irking him so much.


    Obviously.. He had fallen in love.

 Chapter 2: The End

    <h4>Chapter 2: The End</h4>


    3 dayster, he finally received a call from Katherine at night.


    "Hey, it''s me."


    "Where are you? What happened? Why didn''t you pick up any of my calls ?" Elric asked.


    "I''m sorry. It''s been hectic recently. I just didn''t have time to exin." Katherine replied.


    "Now tell me exactly what happened? I at least deserve to know that, right ?" Elric said.


    "Well.. It''s my Dad. He... He.." Katherine suddenly started sobbing & her words stoppeding out of her mouth.


    "You can tell me, I''m always here for you." Elric said out of genuine worry.


    "My dad has been diagnosed with stage 3 Cancer. We just found out. He didn''t tell me & my mom because he didn''t want to worry us. And we don''t have enough money for the treatment either. That''s why he hid his illness." Katherine said and started crying loudly this time.


    "I don''t know what to do Elric. My Dad is dying and I really can''t do anything to help him. I have no money, no insurance.. Nothing." Katherine''s sobs didn''t stop. Elric was listening to this on the other side of his phone felt as if his father was dying at this moment. Due to his attachment towards Katherine, he felt her pain as his own. He quickly replied.


    "How much do you need ?" Elric asked


    "What do you mean ?" Katherine replied


    "I meant how much money do you need for your Father''s treatment? I can arrange for it. I''m an ountant, remember ?" He said with worry & care in his voice.


    "Around 30 Thousand Dors."


    "Don''t worry. I have some savings. I can help." Elric said with a resolute voice.


    "No, I really can''t ask you to help me. We haven''t known each other for that long. Even our rtives won''t give us that much money even if we begged them. And I have no way to pay you back even in the next couple of years." Katherine said hurriedly.


    "It''s okay. The truth is I really like you, Kate.. I know this ising out of the blue and at the wrong time but hear me.. It''s okay. I trust you enough to know that you won''t cheat me. And I won''t be able to sleep knowing what you''re going through and I could''ve helped. So please don''t refuse." Elric said in a soft and gentle voice.


    After a few moments of silence, Katherine spoke again.


    "Elric.. Thank you. I mean truly thank you. I had no way to get out of this. I knew you felt about me this way. The truth is that I really like you as well. But I never thought we''d be confessing our feelings this way."


    "Yeah, we''ll have that talk again when you''re in a better position. Now send me your bank ount. I''ll send the money." Elric said.


    He wasn''t a dumb guy when it came to money. Aside from his groceries, rent and other taxes, he never actually had to spend much on anything. So in the past two years, he certainly made up some dough and did some side hustles for some private customers as well. If it was someone else, he''d go deep in first to see where his money was going.


    But for Katherine, blinded by his feelings and given the fact that she was the only person he actually felt a connection to in such a long time, he didn''t think much of it and wanted to help her in her worst scenario.


    And appearing out as a Hero who helped her family would also leave a deep impression on her parents if there came a day to meet them.


    Katherine sent him an ount number registered in her name & Elric transferred the money without a second thought.


    Over the next week, he didn''t get any calls from Katherine. He thought it''d be bad to disturb her in such time. On the 9th day, he finally decided to call her again to check up on her & her dad''s condition.


    "The number you have dialed does not exist". Suddenly, thework voice-calldy responded after he tried to call. Elric got curious and tried again. But still nothing. He found it odd and tried from his other number which he barely used. So nobody knew his other number. But the same response came. He didn''t know exactly which Hospital Katherine was at so he could only go to her apartment he once visited. But after talking with thendlord and her roommates, he found out that Katherine came to her apartment the very next day after he sent her the money. Paid her 3 month overdue rent, packed all of her stuff and left for good.


    Elric didn''t believe what was happening around him.. He chose not to believe it.


    HE HAD BEEN DUPED!!


    He asked for an address to thendlord. Andter he searched that address on maps only to find it non-existent. Her other information was obscure as well. Also, he found that her roommates weren''t her friends from college, rather they met through an app used to search for renting apartments. There was really no other way to look for Katherine any longer. He quickly took a cab and went to the coffee shop he always went in. The owner was already familiar with Elric so he offered all the information they had on Katherine. But to no avail, this was bogus information as well.


    "Where the hell did she go ?!" Elric shouted. He found it unbelievable that he was conned. It was one thing if she ran off out of fear of not being able to pay him back. But everything he came to know about her seemed to be a lie.


    Probably, Katherine wasn''t even her real name. Nor did she have a dad with cancer. She seemed more of a professional than someone who did such a thing for the first time. He was nothing but a mark for her...


    After spending an entire day trying to find a clue for Katherine, Elric was exhausted and finally came back to his apartment. He was drained both physically and mentally. He was hungry but didn''t have the willpower to eat something. He was still in shock. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt connected to someone. He''d go as far as to say he had fallen for her. And yet, in the blink of an eye; everything before him crumbled to dust. Everything was a lie to begin with. Finally, he fell asleep due to exhaustion.


    The next day, Elric didn''t leave the house. He was still not over what happened yesterday. All his hard-earned money from the past 2 years was gone. And don''t even talk about the emotional trauma that incident left on him. He called in sick leave for the next few days and contacted the Police and filed a case. But there was barely anything he could offer up for investigation. He didn''t even have a single photo of Katherine. All he could do was to hope for the cops to somehow find her.


    The next week when Elric returned to his job, everyone was sneaking nces at him. One of his colleagues came to him and said in a low voice.


    "Didn''t take you for such a fool Johnson. If you wanted to fuck a woman that badly, could''ve just hired a hooker. Hahaha!" With a smug smile on the face, his colleague made thest part very loud for others around them to clearly hear it.


    "What do you mean ?" Elric asked, astonished.


    He found that one of his colleagues was present at the coffee shop when Elric asked the owner about Katherine. Andter news spread about how she was a con. Which surprised many people including the coffee shop staff. But to have cherry on the top, her scamming Elric for 30K Dors also got leaked. It didn''t take much time for the news to reach his office. And literally, everyone in his department knew about his unlucky story.


    This put a lot of shame & mockery on his head. This was their chance to berate Elric with an excuse. Because Elric had always been a guy who got the job done at right time & never actually refused a major task. He did win the hearts of upper management based on his track record alone & they found him as a promising person to promote in the future.


    In a dog-eating-dog world, even a simple rumor is enough to drag down your name in the mud. And the truth doesn''t even matter when that happens.


    Elric never entangled himself in these office shenanigans but he too had his pride.. He barely made it till the working hours ended. Every breath he took felt like an eternity. After the shift ended, he didn''t immediately leave; he went to the uppermost rooftop of their building which was around 32 floors tall, to get a fresh breath and cool his mind.


    The past week gave him the worst experience of his entire life. This hurt more than the beatings he got from the kids who bullied him in school. This hurt more than the look of disappointment his parents gave him. Never was his mental fortitude & his pride was tested up to this extent. Tears dripped down across his cheeks like a river.. He had finally broken down. He could no longer tolerate how messed up, lonely and pitiful his life had be. He knew very well that his own actions yed a very big part in it as well. He wasn''t a hypocrite to me it all on the world and y as the victim.


    But at this moment, he was simply clueless. He was lost, helpless, alone, desperate, yearning for someone to put a hand on his shoulder and tell him that it was gonna be okay. But there really wasn''t anyone who''de for him at this moment.


    Who''d he call? His parents he hadn''t talked with in the past 3 months? His siblings who never actually had any form of bond with him since childhood? His fictional characters & idols he looked up to in his teenage days? Friends.. What are those mythical creatures?


    A man no matter where he fits inside a society, from someone working as a janitor to a multinationalpany''s CEO had their own self respect & pride. But today, all of it was shattered for Elric. And he asked himself..


    "Man, why am I the only one living so miserably? Will anything for once, go the right way for me? Why am I the only one always getting the short end of the stick? It''s as if the world itself is trying to tell me that I really don''t matter at all."


    At this very moment, he walked towards the edge of the rooftop. And looked down.


    Author : Now we''re at the exact moment where the first chapter started.


    "Is my life worth living at all ?" Elric asked himself.


    The years of unhappiness, escapism, loneliness had brought Elric to this very moment. Katherine teaching him that one life lesson & breaking his heart was just a hole that let out the volcano that was under the ground from all these years. Her act was just an outlet. His state of mind would''ve shown up sooner orter anyway.


    Elric wasn''t an emotional moron who did things based on a fit of rage. He was a very rational person since his childhood. But his desperation took out the best of him. He had 2 choices now. Go back to his Apartment, cry it out. Then continue his mundane life where no one would be bothered whether he lived or died. Where he is receable like a pen. Or do what he thought of doing just now..


    Because even if he went back, what was he gonna do? Find Katherine & get his revenge on her like some movie or novel story? He very well knew that it was no longer possible for him to find her. She probably did this to many others like him. He was a fool not to see through her act.


    And don''t mention the work environment. From now on, no matter what he did or how well he performed at work, he''ll always be used as aughingstock. Even if he quit & went somewhere else to work, his lifestyle would be the same, just a different ce.


    Elric wiped off the final drop of tear from his cheek. He found no way to move past his current mental state. He stood on the ledge and looked up towards the midnight moon. Only now did he realized that he had been crying &menting for nearly 7 hours now. He didn''t even notice the flow of time.


    Elric Johnson took a deep breath & closed his eyes. He could feel the cold breeze trickling on his face and he said,


    "Man, what a pathetic life it was".


    At this moment, he let go of his body and jumped down. As his body descended from the tall building, the pressure of air at such height pushed his body like a kite, his body changed angles few times until it finallynded on the ground.


    THWACK!


    Blood, guts, bones & eyeballs sttered on the side of the street. Apletely gory scene that even horror movies can''t imitate came to be.


    Dozens of people who were walking across the samene of the street were shuddering in fear & shock. Some women among the crowd started vomiting the moment they saw what was next to them. An old man among the crowd started calling 911.


    Quickly the cops patrolling across the street saw themotion and started running towards the scene.


    Over that puddle of meat and blood, lied Elric Johnson who chose to give up on his life than suffer any longer. To him, it seemed like the only way out. A man forsaken by the world & his kin died a tragic death.


    NEVER TO WAKE UP AGAIN.

 Chapter 3: God of Darkness

    <h4>Chapter 3: God of Darkness</h4>


    In the void of nothingness, where the flow of time itself didn''t exist and not even a ray of light could be seen. This ce was neither Heaven nor Hell. It was just an infinite space filled with absolutely nothing as if the concept of life & death did not exist here.


    Suddenly, a crack in space appeared out of nowhere, it kept elongating at an extremely fast speed and in an instant, it stretched around 10 Kilometers and a gigantic figure sitting on a ck stone throne which was no less than a size of a mountain itself emerged from the other side of the void.


    This figure was akin to the height of a couple of mountains,pletely d in majestic ck clothes and had a hood on the head, appearance wise it resembled a lot to the western look of Death God or dealer of souls, like a Grim Reaper.


    Its face could not be seen as if it didn''t exist. It looked around for a moment and waved its right hand and created a space of its own, widening for a dozen kilometers and stabilizing itself like forming a gigantic barrier.


    An ancient voice, so deep that it could reach thousands of miles & decimate cities in into dust filled that entire space.


    "Who should I pick this time?" the being asked itself. Just few momentster, a set of footsteps could be heard from the void crack behind the throne and another being, which waspletely d in a Red & ck Ancient Armor stepped in.


    There were two giant ck swords that were big enough to cleave 5 stories building in two were hanging on its back. The Warrior-looking being''s head was covered by a spikey and horned helmet. So whether it was a living being, an undead or a specter could not be guessed. The other being was half the size of the former who was sitting on the throne. It came in the front and kneeled in front of the gigantic being on its left knee like how a Knight would in front of their King. It spoke in a hoarse yet very authoritative tone.


    "My liege, it''s about time. But I hope you reconsider your decision. We can not make a mistake this time."


    "Kravel, I know what worries you. We can''t afford to have someone like the previously summoned humans like we did so many centuries ago. But do not worry. I have already decided upon a suitable kind of person for this task."


    "But my liege, the one you''ve decided upon do not possess any qualities we need toplete this mission. The ones that were brought from other worlds so far had an incredible talent for leadership, had unyielding willpower and wisdom to ovee any adversity that was thrown at them. And yet all of them failed. So what could the type of person you''ve decided upon even do? They''ll die even before reaching halfway of their objective." Kravel graveled in front of its master, yet the being did not seem to be concerned.


    "I understand your worries but this is the exact reason I''m looking for someone who does not have anything inmon with their predecessors." the being spoke and rested its head on its right hand. The palm of the being looked like something that?was covered?in ck metal and it had no flesh or any bones.


    The being spoke again, "This time we need someone different and very... unconventional."


    "But my liege, this is probably ourst chance. You will no longer have the strength to summon anyone again, not for at least the next one thousand years. And by then.. The other Gods will have their own chosen onesplete the mission. It''ll be a loss we can''t afford at all."?Kravel?said with a?grim?face.


    "My decision is final, Kravel. Sometimes, uncertainty can bring you wonders. This summon will be able to surpass those who came before him." The being said and didn''t stand on ceremony any longer. God of Darkness waved his hand and a rift of the size of a kilometer opened inside the barrier they were in. And suddenly, millions of bright spherical white orbs with a blue hue around them rushed out from that rift. The ancient being simply nced at all these orbs of light and its eyes shone. And a reddish wave of light swam across all the orbs and the being closed its eyes. After few moments, it opened its eyes and waved its left hand again.


    "Now let''s see the most miserable ones with enough knowledge & experience to do our bidding." The being spoke again.


    In the next instant, only around 5 thousand of these bright orbs were left. The eyes of this being flickered again as if it was trying to read & understand what was inside of these orbs. When it opened its eyes again, only around a hundred orbs were left.


    "My my.. So pitiable. Not a single one of these people ever aplished anything in their lives. Well, good for me. Now let''s see if I can find the most suitable person." the ancient being pulled these remaining orbs in its palm and kept staring at them as if it was analyzing something. A dozen secondster, the being seemed surprised and eximed in joy.


    "I found him! I found the perfect match!"


    Kravel?who was still kneeling sighed and shook his head.


    "It''s the end for us." he spoke to himself.


    The ancient being looked at the tiny orb which looked like a tiny moleculepared to its size. He waved his hand again, the rest of the white orbs that came through the rift started?returning at an unimaginable speed and in just 10 seconds, only this one orb was left.


    "I hope you don''t regret this, my?Liege."?Kravel?said and looked at his master.


    "Haha. You have no idea,?Kravel. We''ve struck gold!" the being said and suddenly an archaic pentagram appeared below the white orb. And the white Orb shone brighter and started expanding until it was of the size of a man. And it started shrinking in a vertical direction; four limbs started forming from it. 2 hands, 2 legs, a head and a [#censored#] came?to be.


    There was a human-looking face but the outlines hadn''t formedpletely. The facial structure differed from?a?normal human face and looked more like a mannequin face. This human-looking figure started opening his eyes.


    "Wake up, Elric. I''m the God of Darkness. And I''m here to give you another chance at life." the ancient being dered its identity.


    It was the God of Darkness who ruled over death and eternal abyss.


    The human finally opened his eyes. It was none other than Elric, who hadmitted suicide & ended his own life after suffering through many traumatic, heartbreaking experiences & one big betrayal throughout his life.


    The memories of all the noteworthy and memorable experiences of his previous life starteding back to Elric and he didn''t move a single bit, his bright body was currently floating in the air by force unknown. He clearly remembered that he died because the unimaginable pain he experienced when his body finally hit the ground was stillpletely fresh in his memory.


    He looked in front of him and saw a towering figure his eyesight could not grasppletely. The being calling itself the God of Darkness was so gigantic, huge and vast that even hundred Elric count not even amount to its fingernail.


    He squinted his eyes as if trying to look at something that was ced very far away.


    "Umm.. Can you be any less bigger? I can''t even tell how you look." asked Elric.


    Suddenly, a chaotic burst of deathly aurae from behind him. And he looked back and saw another being half the size of the one standing in front of him, yet still very humongous and staring at him. The gigantic warrior-like entity stared at at the human as if it wanted to cut the tiny being into millions of pieces. The red iris was visible through that giant figure''s helmet and an unimaginably horrifying pressure was exteted on the humanoid figure.


    "You werteched human! How dare you speak to a god like my master in such manner?! You''re nothing but a speck of dust and yet to dare to ask a God to adjust himself to your level ?!" Kravel said angrily.


    "Leave it, He''s simply not aware of what''s happening now. He was dead just few seconds ago." God of Darkness said and quickly shrank his size in the next moment. The resized G.O.D. was still the size of a 10 story building. He looked at Kravel and gestured to resize his appearance as well. Kravel on the other hand still kept looking at Elric with murderous eyes but did follow his master''s orders and be half of his original size. That was his limit.


    Elric?let out a?sigh of relief?and looked at G.O.D. again.


    Author : Let''s shorten God of Darkness to G.O.D. as it''s kind of unnecessary to repeat over and over.


    "What do you want from me ?"?Elric?asked.


    "Elric, I''m the God of Darkness in my world. And I have a task for you. I want you to be my representative in our world andplete a mission. In return, I will give you a chance to live your life again as a Human being. A new start where you arepletely free from your past." G.O.D. said as if he was bestowing the world''s greatest honor on Elric and appeared very Godly and magnanimous in his tone.


    Elric stood rooted on the spot for a minute and took a long breath before replying in a loud voice..


    "FUCK OFF!!"

 Chapter 4: The Task

    <h4>Chapter 4: The Task</h4>


    Silence. Total utter silence. It felt as if even a man''s heart could not beat at this moment.


    Elric''s response left both God of Darkness & Kravel speechless. It struck them like an arrow in the throat and both of them seemed to lose their ability to speak & think at the same time.


    A few seconds passed away, God of Darkness stared at Elric with a gaze so deep and full of wrath, enough to kill anyone just by looking at them. Suddenly, an extremely horrifying aura exuded out of both God of Darkness & Kravel''s bodies.


    BANG!


    Unimaginably horrendous killing intent filled the surrounding atmosphere and covered a radius of few dozen kilometers. Even diamonds would be reduced to nothing but small granules under this pressure. Elric, the one being who was actually at the receiving end of it all shuddered & his soul form flickered again and again as if his current form was simply getting wiped out of existence and brought back to life. To Elric, it felt like he had gone through thousands of deaths. This pressure he was enduring had destroyed his current form & rebuilt him again in a nanosecond, only to carry out the process indefinitely.


    After a minute of such heart wretching scenario, God of Darkness & Kravel finally stopped excluding their killing intent and looked at Elric who was barely keeping up his screams in.. He just didn''t get time to open his mouth & scream or wail. To be precise, he had indeed died few thousand times again in that one minute. But an unknown force kept bringing him back to his previous state. Elric had a hint of exactly what this was.. It was the God of Darkness using his powers on Elric after his extremely rude & disrespectful response.


    God of Darkness retracted his gaze from Elric, it appeared to be extremely dimpared to before. G.O.D ruled over Death & Infinite Abyss. He was a True God who controlled an aspect of reality.


    Then G.O.D gazed at Elric with a look of disappointment and spoke again, "Never had I ever seen such an extremely impetuous human before. Even the other Gods do not dare to talk to me in such a vile & disrespectful manner. Tell me, mortal. What makes you think I really won''t wipe you out of existence or torture you for the end of time ?" G.O.D. questioned Elric.


    Elric, who had finally gained control over his consciousness looked back at G.O.D and responded, "Then why don''t you do it? What makes you think I want to be alive? Just finish the job and end me already!"


    Elric''s answer left both G.O.D. & Kravel speechless. Had their act of trying to put Elric into submission by making him experience death over few thousand times turned him into a fool? Or had he gone senile from the pain & suffering to be a suicidal maniac?


    Kravel who was rendered speechless by Elric since he had said ''Fuck off'' to G.O.D. looked at his master as if he was looking at someone who broke their favorite toy.


    "My Liege, are you sure you haven''t destroyed his consciousnesspletely ?" Kravel asked.


    G.O.D. was startled at this point and refused by flexing his hands around.


    "Oi, what are you waiting for? Just kill me already! I don''t want to spend another second looking at your ugly faces." Elric grumbled in a discontent tone.


    "Ugly your mother!" both G.O.D. & Kravel said in rebuttal. Both of them looked at Elric as if he just killed their dog.


    Elric on the other end was surprised. These two ultimate beings killed him over few thousand times for being disrespectful but now they were suddenly throwing rudements at him for calling them ''ugly'' like little girls? Why was this happening? He just wanted to die again & be done with it.


    At the next second however, G.O.D. decided to end the charade and get back to business.


    "Why do you not want to live again? Is it because of your past life experiences ?" he asked Elric.


    "Yes. Who wants a second chance at life just to get used up by someone else again? I mean whatever you want me to does with a price which definitely won''t be beneficial to me at all. And why should I believe in anything you say? Let''s save us all the trouble, send me back to being dead and find someone else who actually wants to live." Elric said with a bored expression.


    G.O.D. & Kravel were taken aback again. "So you don''t want to live again, Mortal? Do you not understand the opportunity my Liege is offering you? Not everyone gets such a miraculous chance." Kravel who refrained to be part of this conversation decided to meddle in.


    "Are you two morons dumb? Didn''t you hear me the first time? Let me die you, bastards! Pick someone else. Why do you even need to listen to me, just send me back!" Elric gave his discontent.


    "I... I can''t." G.O.D. finally spoke up. He shook his head and was trying to avoid direct eye contact.


    "My powers allow me to control death & things that have no ce in existence. I am a being born out of that very aspect of reality in our world. At most, I can summon the dead souls from other worlds like yours inside this World Boundary and only keep just one of such Souls in my possession as the dead of other worlds are bound to their respective world''sws of reality. And even keeping one soul here takes an immense amount of my power." G.O.D. exined the whole process.


    Elric looked at G.O.D. as if he was looking at a liar. Not satisfied with his answer at all. But then he looked at Kravel who was standing beside G.O.D. ''s throne. And he too looked like that was indeed the truth.


    "And what if I refuse to do whatever you said you wanted me to do? You''ll at least kill me, right ?" Elric asked with an expectant expression.


    "No!" both G.O.D. & Kravel shouted at the same time.


    "Why?" Elric asked


    "Because you''re the only one we can rely upon now. And I can no longer summon anyone again for next few thousand years." G.O.D. said.


    "And why should I care? From the looks of it. It looks like some impossible job for a normal office worker guy like me. I didn''t live a life of wonders & heroic deeds you know. Why would you even pick me of all the people you could''ve picked?" Elric asked curiously. This didn''t make sense to him as G.O.D. could''ve easily brought someone more capable & experienced for whatever job they had to be done. So why him?


    G.O.D. however, stayed silent for dozen seconds and finally heaved a sigh. He looked at Elric and said,


    "Because the task we''re going to give you demands one being extremely aware and not trust anyone. Because currently, all my representatives and anyone who was allied to me has been marked as someone who must be killed in the entire world of Vantrea. Including those who once served or worshipped me in the form of Cults, Temples and Churches." said G.O.D. in a very disheartened tone.


    "I wasn''t even supposed to summon you myself. Normally, whenever a chosen one is brought from a different world into ours, they are summoned by the Churches & the Empire who worship a particr God & follows their Doctrine at the expanse of hundreds of mages working together. But all my followers & anyone who had worshiped me were wiped outpletely more than 200 years ago. And now, no one even knows that I exist. My name is nothing but a myth in our world at this point." G.O.D. exined.


    Elric who looked at both the beings in front of him with a suspecting gaze still appeared to be uncertain and asked


    "So what do you want me to do? Build churches & temples for you, spread your divine teachings to the masses and bring you back to your glory days? Sorry, but I''m not a religious guy."


    G.O.D. & Kravel both nced at each other and gazed at Elric together.


    "No. We don''t want you to do something so arduous & hectic. We just need you to kill the Demon God." Said G.O.D. with an embarrassed tone.


    As if struck by a thousand bolts of lightning at the same time, Elric stayed rooted on the spot. He didn''t speak or move at all. Only after half a minute, he was fumed with anger and shouted,


    "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!!"

 Chapter 5: The Reason

    <h4>Chapter 5: The Reason</h4>


    SILENCE. ANOTHER TOTAL SILENCE.


    Kill the Demon God? What the fuck?! How was Elric going to do it? From what he heard G.O.D. & Kravel say before, even those who came before him and also the Chosen ones of other Gods failed to do so and probably they all died including the previous summon who came before Elric. So how was he supposed to do it? Saving the world sounded good only when it was fictional or somebody else did it. Who would waste their life just so they could brag about it...


    Elric looked at the two ultimate beings who were standing in front of him.. His expression was as if they killed his dog. Even Kravel who was even sterner and stone-faced than G.O.D. looking the other way as if he was thinking ''The weather is very nice today''. Both of them were beings who could destroy an entire country with just a wave of their hand but now they were avoiding eye contact with a single human as they felt embarrassed for making such a request.


    G.O.D. Finally dared to look at him and asked, "So what do you think? Do you ept our proposal?"


    Elric shouted, "No. Nahi. Nay. Nada. Nako. Nie. Ie. Ani. M¨¦iy¨¯u !!" he refused in all the differentnguages he knew.


    He sat on the imaginary ground and held his head in both of his hands. He felt like dying one more time. He started hurling abuses at the two godly existences in front of him again.


    "Fuck you! Fuck your mom! Fuck your sister! Fuck your entire family!" Elric kept rambling as he started cursing G.O.D. & Kravel''s 18 generations of ancestors.


    Unlike the previous time, both G.O.D. & Kravel didn''t exude any killing intent & stood there like little kids who were being scolded by their parents. All they could do was endure with their heads hanging down.


    After 10 minutes of rambling & cursing, Elric finally stopped as he was thinking of ways to escape his current predicament.


    "What if I don''t ept it? You clearly can''t make me ept by force & that''s why you need my approval." Elric said with a smug face.


    But G.O.D. spoke again with a calctive expression on his face. "You''re right. We can''t transfer your soul into our world without your permission. However, it''s not like you have any other choice either. We''re currently inside the World Boundary. Look at the dome around us. It''s a personal space I created when I summoned the souls from your world. Without it, nothing is supposed to exist in this ce." G.O.D. said in a smug tone.


    "Doesn''t that mean I''ll die if I exit out of this dome? Works for me." Elric said joyfully, that was his main objective for now. To die for good.


    The next second, G.O.D. shook his head and replied "That''s not how it works. Nothing is supposed to exist inside this ce. If you exit the dome, you''ll be part of the world boundary itself. And you''ll be tied to it forever. You won''t be able to leave and you certainly won''t die either. You''ll be simply bound to this ce for the end of time.. Why do you think even a God like me had to create this barrier to protect myself?"


    Elric finally came to a realization. It all made sense! He looked around his surroundings again and saw that outside the dome, there really was nothing. No light, nond, no water, not even air, nothing. He thought he might cease to exist if he went outside but after hearing G.O.D. exin it, he found it believable. Why would a literal God like God of Darkness need to create a barrier and protect himself from this ce? If he could enter it, he could easily leave as well. But if he did have the ability, he wouldn''t need to create this dome and protect himself if not ''being tied to this world boundary'' was an actual thing that would happen.


    If Elric went outside the barrier, he''ll just be part of this ce and exist here till this ce was destroyed.. Which was simply impossible & wouldn''t happen in billions of years toe. And Elric would be insane here.. This was literally a fate worse than death.


    Even the core of his soul shuddered with just a thought of it. He heaved a long sigh and came to terms with his current situation. He can''t die, and can''t leave this ce either. The only way out was with G.O.D. sending him to their world called Vantrea.


    It seemed like he really did not have any other choice but to ept their proposal.


    "Fine! I''ll do it. As much as I want to die, I don''t want to be stuck here and wander till the end of time and go insane." Elric with difort spilling out in his voice.


    "Great! It''s good that we''vee to an agreement."


    G.O.D. said cheerily. Even Kravel was nodding his head in joy.


    "BUT..." Elric said and stopped his words. He looked at both of them and looked as if he was thinking about something very important..


    "Let me be straight. I don''t want to work my ass off just to attempt your task. I mean, Demon God is also a literal God just like you, right ?" Elric asked.


    "Not quite." G.O.D. said as he continued. "I and other Gods are beings born out of different aspects of reality andws of existence in our world. We each have perfect control over thews from which we were manifested from. And we will continue to exist as long as our world exists. However, Demon God was born out of thousands of years of malice & hatred. He is an unnatural being and something that shouldn''t exist. If not for the past 10 thousand years of wars and bloodshed that kept happening in our world. Something like him wouldn''t evene to manifest."


    He gave a helpless look at Elric and said, "We Gods can only represent aw of our world and have perfect control over thatw. So we can''t affect the world or intervene in it directly. We''re more like an overseer at this point. And with different species in our world reaching the most prominent time of their civilizations; something like wars for survival, for resources & for the beliefs that were instilled in them by the Gods they''ve worshipped till now, conflict was bound to ur. The past 5 Thousand years were a testament to its greatest impact in the history of our world. And the Demon God, who was born as nothing but an anomaly in our world kept feeding over it and is bing stronger and stronger again. Even though he is still not even half as strong as any of the 12 Gods. At this rate, we think it won''t take him even next 100 years before he reaches to our level and establishes his Law of existence into our world." G.O.D. finally stopped exining.


    Elric, who was a person with actual brains in his previous life quickly understood what G.O.D. was implying. He said,


    "So if what you say is right.. After he establishes his Law of Existence in your world.. He''ll be a literal God like you and the other Gods. And will be an invincible existence. Impossible to kill unless one can destroy the who world of Vantrea itself. Which also means killing the other Gods including you in the process."


    G.O.D. looked at Elric in approval of his intellect. "You were able to infer all that just from few words." he nodded and continued. "But that''s not all. Since he''s an anomaly born out of war, malice & bloodshed inside the whole world. Once he bes a God like us, he will keep getting stronger till the point none of the 12 Gods can stop him. And unlike us, he won''t be bound to follow thews of reality in our world and will be able to interfere in it directly. He can simply wipe out all the living beings and reach to a height where even us Gods would be nothing but ants in front of him." said G.O.D. in a worrying tone.


    "Are you kidding me?! How is that even possible? To reach a level above the Gods? You''re lying." Elric said with a curious manner.


    "I wish that was true. But unlike your world, ours is filled with Magic and Natural energy so vast that even we Gods can''tpletely control or contain it. And since we also represent different Laws of Reality, the world rejects us when we try tobine our powers and treats us like an external being.. Like an Outsider trying to enter your house. We''ve tried and failed hundreds of times already. And that''s why, 3 thousand years ago; we gods made a pact to find a solution to end it. And after decades of research, we found a way... To summon beings from other worlds." G.O.D. finally exined the exact reason why Elric was brought in here. So this was the main reason behind it.


    "But I don''t understand one thing. Why us Humans? Because there must be other superior life forms in the Multiverse, right?" Elric asked.


    "If I had not read your memories, I wouldn''t understand what Multiverse meant." G.O.D. said and continued, "The thing is, you Humans from other worlds have the greatest affinity with the Magic and Natural energy of our world. In other words, you can be indefinitely stronger as you increase your magical powers and experience with time. You lot possess the potential to reach the same level as what you can call a Demigod. Just like Kravel over here." G.O.D. finished his words and pointed towards Kravel, his most trusted servant.


    "So you''re a Demigod ?" Elric asked as he looked towards Kravel with a surprised expression.


    "Yes, I am. But unlike you or the other chosen ones, I''m not from a different world. I was born in our world and reached the level of Demigod by my own efforts. It took me thousands of years to aplish that goal. But unlike the Demon God, I''m bound to thews of our worlds since I was a natural living being in the first ce. So I too can no longer directly intervene in our world''s happenings. If Demon God was born in the same time as me, I could''ve killed him myself but it''s long time past that." Kravel said and shook his head as he was at a loss.


    After hearing someone so stubborn as Kravel, Elric understood exactly how grave matter it was. The world was near to an end, and the most supreme beings in it were helpless to do anything to prevent it. And the world itself was rejecting their intervention. It was a veryplicated situation itself. No wonder even the Gods had to rely on humans summoned from other worlds to do their bidding.


    "Wait, I don''t understand one thing though. You said all the Gods agreed to kill the Demon God together. But then why were your followers boycotted and now dered to be on the entire world''s Must Kill List? You''re not hiding something from me, are you?" Elric asked and looked at God of Darkness with a suspicious gaze.


    At his query, G.O.D. looked at Elric with a helpless expression and said, "It''s because among the Gods, I and God of Light are the strongest. However, I represent death & the end of a living being''s existence. And not many in the entire world would wish to worship such a God who thrives on deaths of world''s inhabitants, right?" G.O.D. said embarrassingly.


    "Out with it! The whole truth! Or you can forget about me epting your proposal!" Elric said in an angered tone. He was no fool. Where there was life, there was bound to be death. But that wasn''t a valid reason to despise death itself as it was part of a natural cycle of any living being. Even the most indestructible thing in the world would cease to exist after a time. So whatever G.O.D. was telling Elric wasn''t theplete truth. Or it was aplete lie to begin with.


    G.O.D. was left speechless again. Why was this human so smart? Was it because of his past life experiences that he found everybody untrustworthy? Or was it because he was simply an overly cautious guy? He had no answer.


    "Fine. I''ll tell you the truth." G.O.D. said with a furious expression.


    "As long as it''s the whole truth." Elric said in a firm tone.


    "It''s because my 8th chosen one, the previous summon and your predecessor... He.." G.O.D. stopped his words and rested his head back on his throne as if he wasmenting on a bad memory. After a dozen seconds, he continued,


    "He killed all the other chosen Heroes."

 Chapter 6: The Choice

    <h4>Chapter 6: The Choice</h4>


    Another pin drop silence. Elric couldn''t believe what G.O.D. just revealed to him. Another mind-boggling plot twist. First, it was fighting against Demon God & now that his predecessor killed the chosen Heroes of the other Gods.


    Just hearing this made Elric regret his decision to agree with God of Darkness''s proposal. Now he understood why the entire world of Vantrea had issued a kill on sight order for those who followed, worshipped God of Darkness & were wiped out 3 centuries ago. It was his predecessor who basically made an enemy out of the entire world and now had implicated Elric as well.


    "Oi. Tell me that''s a lie. That joke is not even funny."


    Elric said as he still had note to ept the truth. It was understandable as every religious branch or empire would cherish the chosen Heroes which were toplete the task ordered by their God & treat them with the utmost care, hospitality & respect. And to have them killed; not just one of them but all 11 of these Heroes by one who was tasked with the same mission as them.. No wonder all the ruling authorities regardless of their qualms & indifferences with each other would be united to massacre the main party responsible & anyone associated with them. And that is why God Of Darkness and his followers have been rooted out of annals of history three hundred years ago.


    "Doesn''t that mean I''ll be killed off as soon as I enter your world & somebody knows my real identity as your chosen Hero?" Elric asked with a pitiful face. He had just reached the peak of the mountain, only to fall straight inside a Volcano.


    "Fuck, my bad luck won''t leave me even in my 2nd life." Elricmented on his extremely disastrous luck. And he had no other choice to do it anyway or he''ll be forever stuck inside the World Boundary.


    "Now what? How am I even supposed to kill the Demon God? You just raised the game difficulty from Hell Mode to Impossible Mode. This is beyond hopeless already. I don''t think that I can do it even if I had 10 more lives." Elric said with a depressed expression on his face. If he wasn''t in his soul form now, he''d already be shedding tears.


    "Naturally you''ll have to conceal that fact. Until you''re strong enough to face the entire world by your own at least." G.O.D. said as if this was something very normal. Elric rolled his eyes. Facing the world by yourself? Does he think it''s that easy? Wouldn''t this entail that Elric will have to live like a criminal, a thief, a prey running away as he would be constantly hunted down by the entire world?


    "Don''t worry. I naturally have the means to conceal your arrival. Neither Gods and nor their followers would be able to detect it. Also, the fact that your original body being destroyed would be our advantage." G.O.D. said, trying tofort Elric who seemed on the verge ofmitting suicide again.


    "What do you mean? What does that have to do with my original body ?" Elric asked.


    "All the Gods & their followers always have to go through a grand ceremony with hundreds of magicians partaking in the Summoning Ritual. Even for our world where Magical energy is flowing in abundance, breaking the World Barrier and summoning a person takes huge amount of magic. That is enough to cause a spike in the magical energy of the world; noticeable even from 10 kilometers. And that''s why every summon is ounted for. On top of that, they alle with their original bodies in our world. Unlike you, whose body was reduced to dust after your death." G.O.D. exined the whole ordeal as Elric didn''t have any knowledge or information on how things worked in the world of Vantrea.


    G.O.D. then continued, "And me being the one summoning you is also the major factor. Other Gods can''t summon the souls of the dead from other worlds at all. I''m the only one who can do it since I''m the manifestation of Death & Darkness. Bringing something like a Soul of someone deceased is not even worth mentioning. Other Gods can at most, open the world boundary & take a peek at the world they intend to summon a chosen Hero from." G.O.D. said with a smug smile as he reveled in the sense of superiority he was feeling because of his specialty.


    "Umm.. Then how do I enter your world without a body? Don''t tell me I''m going there in this form.. Like a ghost or a wraith.." Elric wondered and asked.


    "Naturally, we''ll have to construct a new body for you. Or I can simply put your soul inside of someone who died just a few hours ago. Take your pick." G.O.D. spoke like a true professional and flicked his imaginary sses with his forefinger.


    Author : *inserts Subarashi meme*


    "Wait. You said before that we humans have the highest affinity with Magic in your world. Even if I were to go in a new body or transferred inside someone else''s body; wouldn''t I be just a normal person & weakerpared to other Heroes?" Elric asked, making a valid point.


    "Not exactly. I''ve done my research over decades about this matter. And I found that it''s not the physical body but your Soul. Compared to the inhabitants of our world, your souls are brighter like a midday sun. And not only that; they can also absorb and umte magical & natural energy over time. And hence you can be as strong as a Demigod. The physical body is just a convenient medium." G.O.D. exined, revealing his knowledge-seeking mind when it came to death & souls.


    Elric who hade to terms with his uing fate started thinking about these two options.


    "So can you really construct me a body out of nothing? I won''t be reborn as an undead or a skeleton, right ?" Elric asked. He had to be cautious here, otherwise who knows if he''d be undead or a walking talking skeleton who would be killed at first sight by anyone he met. That death won''t even be worth pitying, rather anyone who heard about it would roll on the floorughing their ass off.


    "Who do you think you''re talking to? Even though I''m not God of Life, I do possess that power. And not only that, I can make you a body of your specifications. No matter what color, height or build you want. I am an expert at that." G.O.D. started flexing about his useless talent as if he was doing a great honor to Elric.


    In the next moment however, Elric who had been mostly curious till now looked extremely shocked and suddenly there was a greedy and evil grin on his face. This whole thing meant that he could finally achieve that ideal body he always dreamt of in his previous life. The body of a Greek God or one of those Superhero movie actors he looked up to for body aesthetics.


    But Elric didn''t show the excitement on his face. Instead, he appeared as if he was giving it a good thought. And asked again, "And what about the second option? Would I have the memories of the person I''m transmigrated in ?"


    At this query, G.O.D. responded quickly. "No. Something like possessing someone''s memories is tied to their soul. Once you die & your soul leaves the mortal body, there is no connection of consciousness left. So you won''t inherit the memories of the previous upant. However, I don''t think I need to remind you about how you''ll be tied to that person''s past and people they once knew. And since you can''t reveal that you''re no longer that person and someone else, you''ll have to y the part. But this does have its advantages. I can transfer you inside the body of someone who was a very influential person in our world. Like a Royalty or even an Emperor if we have the options avable. So think about it carefully." G.O.D. said and left Elric to think about it alone.


    A dozen minutes passed. Elric was lost in his thoughts. Continuously thinking about the pros and cons of both scenarios.


    If he chose to go with a newly made body of his choosing, he will not have any ties to anyone and would be free to do anything he wanted. He won''t have to answer to anyone & could easily fake out his background as well if someone asked him. This could help him in the long run, aside from the most obvious advantage of having a perfectly made body of his own. But on the other hand, he''d be penniless, there would be no one he knows or have any means to get settled quickly. He''d be homeless, background-less, would know nothing about the world, and nobody to help him in his journey to do the impossible task of killing the Demon God.


    The other option however, gave him a lot of advantages. Like if he chose the body of someone very influential or someone who had the ess to a lot of resources at their beck and call; that''d save him tons of trouble. He could simply be reborn in the body of some Prince who died, an Emperor who was close to death, or a great General or an Aristocrat who was respected by everybody. If these choices were avable to them that is. This would enable him to adjust himself very quickly inside the world of Vantrea and also let him focus on his main goal without having to struggle just to establish himself in the world.


    But just like the first option, this one also had a lot of disadvantages of its own. For example, if he were to be transmigrated inside someone who once held a huge authority before their death; naturally there would be a lot of exining to do about how he came back to life. And since he wouldn''t inherit the memories of the previous owner, he won''t know anyone except the people the original owner was close to. And if he feigned some lie or something like losing his memories, that''d also mean that the new body of that person will hold no power for the time being. Rather, others would try to get rid of him on the ords of having him lost all his memories. Or even im that he made a deal with the devil. What''s next will be a grand crucification in the central street of the city.


    Plus there would be issues regarding the health & state of the original body such as old age or any former disease or illness or the body being too weak. Also the connection with other people.. Like if he were to be born in the body of an old man, he''d have a wife, children, and grandchildren to deal with. If he was born as a kid or a teen, even if that was a Prince of a country; the actual power he''d hold will be in the name only. And naturally, Elric will have to deal with the hassle of political issues and drama as the heir or a scion of a King/Emperor. There was too much unnecessary burden that will be thrown at him.


    And because of these advantages & disadvantages, Elric was thinking very carefully about what would be the best choice. And at the same time, he was thankful to God of Darkness for at least offering him the choice. Otherwise, he had read plenty of Mangas, Novels and Manhwas where the Main character just gets thrown inside the body of someone else and has no other choice but to live like them or suffer through the problems they''ve been going through. Elric straight-up hated that scenario even in stories where you just suddenly wake up as someone else and find yourself at odds and have to go through a lot of nonsense.


    Elric, who also had once fallen in this cycle knew the story setting & patterns well. He hade to realize them after years of voraciously feeding his brain about these stories. Like hell he was going to live one of those loosely based storylines only appealing to little children and Newbies who just entered the world of fantasy & fictional stories. To put it in a word, Elric was a goddamm War Veteranpared to these people. He had the experience of a decade and a half living that very life. He had seen through it all, he had lived through it all. Let it be tv shows, superhero movies, reading mangas, manhwas, manhuas, novels and other stuff. He had an Eidetic Memory so he was a walking talking Ancient Archive of all of these stories and the information. What he knew was just beyondprehension.


    After overthinking all the possible scenarios & their consequences, Elric finally made up his mind. He looked towards God of Darkness with a resolute gaze and said,


    "First Choice!" Elric said and folded his arms together.


    "Really? Why not the Second? It is the most beneficial and will save you the hassle. Didn''t you say that you don''t want to work too much and waste your life on it?" G.O.D. asked as he was puzzled by Elric''s choice. He too was new at this because his previous chosen heroes were summoned exactly the same way as the heroes of the other Gods. Although he had the ability to personally summon someone from another world, he never actually had a need or a reason to. So he assumed that Elric would decide on the easy & smoother way. But to his surprise, Elric chose the most unconventional way here. Because there were just too many odds against him in the first choice scenario. If he himself was in Elric''s position, he''d obviously take the second option.


    "Too manyplicated reasons. You wouldn''t understand even if I told you all of them. I''d rather do this whole thing on my own terms. And since when I have been dependent on others or cared about what others think of me? Something like family, friends, lovers or amunity holds no value if you take away the reason for their existence. Only because of responsibilities, need, order or liabilities are these rtionships and bonds formed.


    In the first choice, I''ll be free of it all. And I won''t have to look after anyone else but myself. And I definitely won''t be doing the same mistakes as my past life where I had no choice to begin with. This time, I''ll choose everything on my own ords. This time, I will be inplete control of my own life." Elric said, his expression was oozing out his determination.


    "Strange indeed. If any of your predecessors were in your ce, they would''ve chosen the 2nd option. You on the other hand, taking an unconventional turn is surprising to me as well." said God of Darkness.


    G.O.D. turned his gaze back to Elric and said.


    "Fine. Now time to decide your Divine Abilities."

 Chapter 7: The Selection

    <h4>Chapter 7: The Selection</h4>


    The moment of truth hase. After all the discussion & decisions, it was the most important part of this whole arrangement. Because it will decide exactly how Elric would be able to n his path towards achieving his goals. Because these Divine Abilities were not just going to be his way to gain strength, rather they''d be his Cheat Codes.


    Elric who had the knowledge of a majority of such scenarios where a reincarnated person in Mangas & Novels would be granted such abilities in these stories. But because of his experience, he had read a lot of these stories & knew where would any type of such so-called Divine Abilities lead him in the future. So he had to look through all of these carefully & choose the most suitable ones based on his situation when he''ll be thrown in sooner in the world of Vantrea. Since he had to choose them beforehand, he naturally had to look for the most useful ones with the greatest potential. The ones which would not only help him be stronger but also be his trump card and save his life whenever he was in a situation where he could most definitely die again. Though it would have been most preferable by the Elric of the past but now that he was going to give his life another chance, he had to make it easier & convenient as much as he could. These abilities would not only enable him to aplish the end game. But also shape his future.


    "I''m ready. Show me" said Elric.


    "You''re allowed to choose only two Divine Abilities. Every God gives them to their heroes. And each God possesses their unique Divine Abilities rted to their Law of Existence. However, you won''t get to choose these powers again. So you must think about it very carefully."


    G.O.D. said and waved his left hand, suddenly over 50 huge monoliths as big as a house appeared in front of Elric and started lining up in a queue. Some of them emitted Gold, some Silver and some Bronze lighting out of them as if they were ssified in tiers based on their usefulness. However, there were also 3 dark ones that didn''t emit any light at all. More like they were sucking in the nearby light in them.


    Elric understood that these were the abilities he''d be granted after choosing and his future approach towards his goal will be dependent on them.


    He looked at these portraits and the information about their use and how to use them started flowing in his mind.


    Mind control, Summoning Undead, Teleportation, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Levitation, Integration, Mimic, irvoyance, Sage''s Eye... Around 50 of such random abilities appeared on each of these monoliths and all of them were in their utmost peak grade. They were simply perfect without any ws. Elric started touching each of these monoliths with his hand and somehow, he was feeling an innate connection towards them. He felt like each one of these Divine Abilities were calling out to him & asking him to ept them. But Elric didn''t stop or fell for the temptation; he sternly kept browsing through all of them one by one. He could not afford to mess it up. After some time, he had browsed through all the Gold, Silver & Bronze monoliths. He curiously asked.


    "What''s with the bright lights? Why are they shining in different colors ?"


    G.O.D. simply looked at Elric and said, "Golds ones are the most chosen ones by your Predecessors. Like at least 4 times for the 2 slots they were given. Silver ones 3 times & Bronze ones 2 times."


    "What about those ck ones ?" Elric asked.


    "Not even once." G.O.D. replied.


    "Hmm.. All these abilities are simply amazing & can be used for extremely favorable oues. No wonder my predecessors chose many of these. If used properly, they can even help me create an Empire of my own and reach at the strength enough to fight against the Demon God within a decade or two. Simply astounding." Elric nodded in approval.


    But in the next second, he retorted "However, all of them are bound to certain conditions. For example, Mind control. I will need to keep looking in a person''s eyes for at least a minute & have a suggestive conversation to control their minds to work for me or do my bidding. At the time of fight for Life & Death, it won''t be useful at all because the enemy obviously won''t be interested in settling things with words.


    And the Necromancer ability.. needs me to rob graveyards to make the deceased part of my summoned army. Too useful for the future but also very tedious. irvoyance can only see through a certain time in the future but can''t be used consequently, I''ll need to wait for few hours to use it again. Great potential, it can also save me from being tricked by others & stop my possible death as well. But still, the conditions to use itcks potential as it will only give me a head start but not actually help me change the situation.


    Telekinesis has restrictions on distance or how far my reach is and also how much weight I can lift or exert through it. Would''ve been too OP if I could move a mountain with it. Sage''s Eye only gives out information about everything as long as it''s not of Divine Rank or the information is sealed by the Gods themselves. But what use could I make of it if I don''t have enough skills or means to use such information to get an upper hand. Telepathy needs me to at least once touch the person I want to read minds of or establish a mind link. Will definitely help me look like a creep & a pervert for sure." Elric gave a thumb up to G.O.D.


    And then he started listing out all the bothersome terms & conditions of these Divine Abilities which were subject to market risks.


    G.O.D. who once had a prideful face when he showed these abilities to Elric & expected a face of awe & worship was left speechless. These were the goddam Divine Abilities for G.O.D.''s sake.


    Author : See what I did there. Lol


    And this guy wasining how they were inconvenient & only useful for certain situations with no flexible uses. He had indirectly flipped a middle finger to G.O.D. himself who once presented all these abilities to all his Summons that came before Elric. G.O.D. for the first time in his billions of years of existence felt like crying. Elric was basically kicking him in the face over and over. And each time, the intensity was increasing more than before. Even Kravel gave G.O.D. a look full of pity.


    [Why don''t you create your own Divine Abilities then ?] G.O.D. could only retort in his mind. Saying it out loud would only diminish his image as an almighty God who was triggered just by few words of a dead man''s soul.


    Just as he was about to speak, Elric turned his gaze to the 3 dark monoliths and started checking them out.


    Ability Absorption.


    Dimensional Law.


    Synthesis.


    Just as the information about these 3 Divine Abilities was fully processed by Elric''s mind.. He was out of words. He read through them and an expression of puzzlement appeared on his face.


    The Abilities had details on them such as


    Divine Ability: Ability Absorption


    Allows the owner of the Divine ability to absorb the physical and magical abilities of the targeted being without anyplications or side effects to the owner. However, the owner will still have to follow through with the restrictions & terms of use for these individual abilities.


    Condition: The target whose abilities are to be absorbed must be dead before using this ability on them. Otherwise, the Absorption will be a failure. And the target must not have been dead for too long and the physical body must be in a shape enough topletely extract these abilities should they entail having something such as Blood requirements or body parts. There will be a failure if the target''s body is destroyed beyond measure or the required quantity needed for ability absorption is inadequate.


    Then he read the 2nd Divine Ability


    Divine Ability: Dimensional Law


    The owner of this Divine Ability has ess to all the space & void around them. They can open the void & enter it without any harm to the physical body. Also allows a part of the body to be ced inside the void at the same time while the rest of the body exists in the real world without harming the original body. The distance of travel & time user can stay inside the Void increases with the increase in Mastery of thew.


    Condition: The owner must be extremely efficient in the Space magic &w. This Divine Ability is only essible when the owner has met the prerequisite conditions.


    Then he moved to the 3rd Divine Ability


    Divine Ability: Synthesis


    Allows the owner to recreate two different Physical Abilities and Magic Skills to form a new Variant based on the working principles of the abilities & skills in the synthesis procedure. Abilities created will have no side effects on the owner''s body or mental condition. This ability can also be used to create creatures by mixing different sets of beings and abilities.


    Condition: Certain levels of prerequisite conditions such as physical ability & skills required for the process must be met before synthesis can be done.


    The strength & specialty of the creatures created will depend upon the base subjects they were experimented with.


    Elric was out of words again. These 3 abilities were something he did not expect to be here on the list. He understood why his predecessors didn''t choose these 3 Divine Abilities even once.


    The required conditions for them were indeed very troublesome and hard to achieve. But Elric was different from all of them. Unlike those who came before him, they were all either great tacticians, great leaders, or generals of their respective countries and their era. But none of them had the experience of being an Otaku, a Nerd & a Geek. So naturally, they found these 3 abilities extremely useless and hard to cultivate. From a normal person''s perspective, all of these were not worth choosing at all.


    As they needed a lot of time to be perfected and definitely a lot of time would be wasted just to meet the perquisites of these divine abilities.


    For example, they will always have to kill someone or a monster to absorb their abilities. They will have to learn and understand Space & Time Law which was easier said than done. And Synthesis ability will surely have a lot of restrictions upon it when trying to merge two different abilities & creatures as well.


    So in the long run, these 3 Divine Abilities would give them more trouble, waste their time which would hinder their path to bing stronger and even make thingsplicated as they will have to do their research and spend a lot of time on it as well. So these abilities were the worst options avable.


    But in the next minute, Elric looked at God of Darkness & said, "I want them. I want all 3 of them."


    To his decision, both G.O.D. & Kravel looked at him together and shouted,


    "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMM MIND?!"

 Chapter 8: True Identity

    <h4>Chapter 8: True Identity</h4>


    God of Darkness & Kravel kept staring at Elric as if they were looking at a madman.


    They were out of wits on why would Elric choose these Divine Abilities which were mostplicated, very time-consuming to develop & very difficult to gain mastery over.


    There was a reason why these Divine Abilities were untouched & not even considered by all the previous 8 Chosen Heroes who came before Elric. But not only did he want to choose these oddities, he also wanted all 3 of them. Which was against the rules set by the Gods.


    "What''s there to be surprised about? I have my reasons to choose these 3. You chose me out of those millions of souls because you needed someone different toplete the mission, right? Well, these 3 are the ones I want. There aren''t going to be alternatives & I won''t change my mind." Elric said with a firm & resolved tone.


    "Mortal, why must you choose these 3 abilities out of them all? There are many Divine Abilities that can make you very strong in a short amount of time. Not only will they save you a lot of time, they''ll also help you create an influence in our world to the point where no Empire or Church will dare to dere an open war with you when you reveal your identity to the world. So why must you waste this chance on the most ignored Divine Abilities in the past 3 thousand years?" Kravel decided to ask out of his utmost curiosity towards Elric''s decision.


    "As I said before, if it was anyone else who came before me, they''d definitely choose the other Divine abilities. But I''m not them & my circumstances are different from them. Because none of them were going to hunted down by the entire world. Unlike them, I can''t walk around people openly & dere that I''m the chosen Hero of God of Darkness. There''s no oneing to my aid and no one is going to provide for me or look after me. Unlike the other abilities, these 3 can help me hide, survive & be stronger behind the shadows and no one will notice or try to uncover my identity." Elric exined.


    His reasoning was right as none of his predecessors were in the same situation as him. And this made him consider his options based on practicality than just bing stronger in a short time.


    "Besides, you still don''t know the potential of these 3 Divine Abilities at all. Let me put it in simple words. Though they''re allplicated & hard toplete mastery over, the number of oues I can achieve are simply unimaginable. Not only they can help me get stronger bit by bit without raising the suspicion of the others, but they will also ensure my survival to the most degree. Something I need the most after I enter your world. Trust me, I know what I''m doing." Elric replied, refusing to go into too many details. Only he knew exactly what potential did these 3 Divine Abilities had.


    Ability Absorption was one of the most Meta abilities he had seen in hundreds of Novels, Mangas & Animes. Of course, who didn''t know about a 35 year old guy getting reincarnated as a Slime in another world with a simr ability just like Ability Absorption which helped him get stronger by devouring his enemies & monsters and reach to a level where even the Strongest beings in that new world had to acknowledge him & even slightly be wary of him. Of course, he was thinking about Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.


    So when he saw Ability Absorption, the first thing Elric thought was how lucky he was and he had already hit the Jackpot. But to put an icing on the cake, he saw the 2nd Divine Ability, Dimensional Law.


    Any Anime fan who watched Naruto & had enough information about it knew of one guy who put the entire world at a war just by himself. And he possessed the same ability simr to Dimensional Law which would allow him to have one part of his body exist in a separate Dimension so when his enemies attacked him, he''d simply face them head-on and take hits even straight at his heart just to have enemy''s weapon pass right through him while he used that opportunity to kill his enemies by catching them off guard. Elric thought of none other than Obito Uchiha from Naruto Shippuden.


    But the awesomeness of Dimensional Law didn''t end here. This Divine Ability allowed him to open a crack in the void and hide in it for the time being. And with time as his mastery progressed, he could also travel inside the Void and exit out of it somewhere else.


    So in simple words, there was no actual ce that couldpletely trap him or a ce he couldn''t enter with this Divine Ability.


    For example, he could get out of prison whenever he wanted or get inside a highly protected Castle to kill someone and no one will ever find him.


    Obviously, Elric won''t be able to achieve such results with his non-existent mastery over Space & Time Law, but with time he could envision himself achieve that feat as well.


    And to fill your stomach with delicious food, there was the 3rd Divine Ability, Synthesis.


    Since Elric wasn''t going to have an OP System like many Protagonists who get reincarnated in another world which would guide them, help them be stronger and give them Rewards like Epic Swords or Equipment, create stuff out of nowhere and things that shouldn''t belong in that world based on its setting such as Culture, Technology & Scientific advancement, he needed a way to ensure his safety and find a reliable way that won''t just help him be stronger but rather way too OP.


    And Synthesis was offering him just that. By using Ability Absorption, he could gain both physical abilities and magical skills of his targets. But that''s all there ever will be. He will naturally have to look for way too stronger enemies to learn badass abilities & skills. And they will vary from each other as well.


    But with Synthesis Divine Ability, not only could he merge the abilities he already learned, but he could also use it to merge different beings.


    For example, he could simply kill a monster, gain their abilities and thenter use that monster to merge with another monster to create his own version. Which will not be any weaker than the Former, rather even more powerful. And Elric felt that these creations of his would naturally be loyal to him. Otherwise, Synthesis would not be called a Divine Ability if his own creations tried to kill him instead.


    With this ability, not only he could create a small army of monsters or people for him, he could also create new beings which he may need to do a specific task or job which required them to have a specific type of skills and physical advantage.


    In the future, he could just create an OP army of his creations with time which could beparable to the army of shadow soldiers of a certain Korean Hunter.


    All Elric needed was just time to get stronger and experiment with these Abilities. He naturally believed that this wasn''t the only use of these 3 Divine Abilities. This was more likely just the Cover of the book. And there would be far many more applications and different uses that remain to be explored.


    Compared to the other Divine Abilities, These were not as easy or convenient as other Divine Abilities but the potential was simply unimaginable. And if he were to fight someone like Demon God on even terms, he needed not only just one form of power but everything he could find and make use of in the world of Vantrea.


    If he wanted to stay alive at the end of the fight that is. Because all the predecessor Chosen Heroes of the 12 Gods had already made it obvious that they all failed to kill him no matter how strong they had be.


    Elric didn''t believe that all of them were stupid and ran into a fight to the death with the Demon God without preparing beforehand about every single aspect of the battle & how they were going to emerge victorious.


    At this time, G.O.D. finally decided to speak up.


    "Even if I were toply with your decision, I still need to remind you that you can only choose 2 Divine Abilities. Not more than that."


    To his reply, Elric gave him an expression of pity instead.


    "Are you stupid ?"


    G.O.D. was startled and then the next second, he was enraged.


    "What did you just say? Do you think I won''t torture you for the end of time just because I have no choice but to choose you as my Chosen Hero?" G.O.D. spoke angrily.


    To his spine-chilling voice, Elric replied. "Think about it. You said that this is probably going to be thest chance the Gods have to kill the Demon God before he bes a full-fledged God like you. So do you really believe that the other Gods are going to keep their word and give only 2 divine abilities to their heroes? For all I know, they''d be giving them at least 4 to 5 divine abilities just to increase their winning chances. After all, whichever God''s hero kills the Demon God, He/She would be the entire world''s saviour. And that would bring fame to that God''s name. Fame big enough to have many living beings in the world to start worshipping that God. So obviously they won''t be holding back. Don''t tell me you Gods are bound to keep your word for a verbal pact? Haha"


    Elric exined his reasons for calling G.O.D. stupid. And even the God of Darkness was left speechless suddenly realized that Elric was right.


    Given the fact that this was theirst chance, no one was going to hold back no matter how much they wanted to honor their pact. And like Elric said, the winner would be literally worshipped by the entire world and the God who brought them would be the entire world''s most famous & worshipped God. Even for someone like God of Darkness who was hated and now forgotten by the entire world, this could bring back his former glory overnight.


    He too was tired & irritated by the constant mockery and banters of the other Gods because of the actions of his previous Chosen Hero. He could not kill them just as they could not kill him. So he wanted to say "Suck it!" to them as well.


    This was also a great opportunity for having one up on all the other Gods. But he wasn''t a fool. He looked at Elric and said, "3 should be the maximum amount of Divine Abilities you should choose. Because these abilities will be embedded into your soul and need a fraction of your Soul Essence to keep functioning. With time, your soul will get stronger in our world. But so will the consumption of Soul Essence. Any more than 3 Divine abilities and it''ll adversely affect your soul & your future strength. Since the other Gods aren''t any knowledgeable about Death & Souls like me, I''m sure those idiots will give 4 to 5 Divine abilities to their Heroes." G.O.D. replied as a grin appeared on his face because of the fact that other Gods were going to suffer a huge misfortune. He liked the idea of it.


    "Fine. I agree with you. You can have all 3 of these." G.O.D. said and the 3 house-size monoliths exploded into millions of pieces and 3 Orbs of pure energy came out of them. All 3 of these orbs quickly came in contact with Elric''s soul form and started merging with him.


    In just a minute, theypletely merged with his soul form and no traces of them were left. They all hadpletely unified with Elric.


    "Now, it is time for us to prepare your body. And then you can enter Vantrea." G.O.D. said with a little bit of excitement. But just when he was about to speak again, Elric spoke again.


    "Wait!" Elric looked towards Kravel this time and asked.


    "Aren''t you going give me something as well ?" Elric asked.


    "What?! Why would I give you something, mortal? Hasn''t my Liege already given you 3 Divine abilities ?" Kravel asked in a puzzled tone.


    "That''s not enough. Given the dire situation we''re in. It''ll hardly help me out. Or is it that you don''t want to help me? Don''t tell me all your grand disy of loyalty & respect is just for the show. And you don''t want to help in your ''Liege'' getting back to his glory days ?" Elric asked in a provocative tone. He questioned Kravel''s loyalty with the purpose of riling him up.


    "What did you say, mortal?!" Kravel was angered to his core. Even red fumes wereing out of his glowing red eyes from inside of his helmet.


    "I''m just saying. If it was anyone else in your position. They would''ve offered to provide extra help for their Master without a question. I''m just surprised that you didn''t." Elric said as a look of disappointment appeared in his eyes. He shook his head.


    "You dare?! I''ll show you my loyalty towards my Liege. Don''t look down on me, mortal!" Kravel said as he regained hisposure. And in the next second, 6 different ancient symbols of different sizes & colors appeared in front of Kravel and started moving towards Elric who was in his soul form.


    Quickly all these ancient symbols started entering inside him and one by one, they appeared around different parts of his soul form. As if they were some ancient runes engraved on his body.


    The next second, Elric''s mind received the information about what exactly were these ancient symbols and what did he actually receive.


    [Holy Fuck!] Elric said to himself. He looked at Kravel with the utmost respect for the first time. Because of the information he received also informed him about who Kravel was.


    Elric only knew that Kravel was a Demigod, but nothing more than that. But after he received the information in his head, he finally found out the true title of Kravel. Elric now finally understood that the being wasn''t just someckey of God of Darkness. But a being who would be respected and feared from no matter where he went.


    The ancient symbols were actually blessings that were bestowed upon Elric. And through their description, he saw the name..


    KRAVEL : THE WAR DEITY


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    Author''s Note : I know that few chapters have been stretched far longer than needed but this is the only chance I''ll get to set a proper background for everyone & the ''Why'' so that Readers can understand why would any character act & behave the way they''re going to, such as our Protagonist for example. A lot of details & references were shared on the Divine abilities because I wanted the readers to get a hint at what they should expect or what''s toe on the menu. But no worries, from the next chapter, there won''t be any outstretched talks or reasoning exined for the plots.


    P. S. Donate a Power Stones and Golden Tickets to this poor Author if you liked the story so far. *stares with sparkling puppy eyes*

 Chapter 9: The Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 9: The Arrival</h4>


    Yes, the War Deity. The goddamm mudafriggin War Deity. The being standing in front of him was the one who reached the level of a Demigod by mastering all forms of War, all types of Weapons and all types of Combat Techniques. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have earned that title at all. If there was a Title of God of War, Kravel would be it.


    As soon as Elric came to know Kravel''s real Identity as The War Deity, he started looking at him differently. As someone who grew up reading books about great warriors of their Era on Earth & thenter getting hooked up on War-rted novels & other forms of tforms, Elric had developed a form of respect towards such individuals. These were the real men.


    Elric diverted his attention towards the Blessings he received and he was left speechless again.


    BLESSINGS OF THE WAR DEITY


    1. WAR DOMINANCE [Active]


    Emits an aura of Dominance & Supremacy 5 times stronger than the targeted enemy. No matter how strong or weak the targeted being is. The pressure & murderous aura will be sensed by all those who stand in the perimeter of the host. The area affected will keep increasing with an increase in the host''s personal strength & emotions.


    2. WEAPON MASTERY [Passive]


    Mastery over all weapons and things that could be used as a weapon.


    The mastery over all Weapons existing in the world keeps increasing with the level of host''s strength.


    Current level : A Rank (Master Level) [Passive]


    Example : For Swordsmanship, the host is already at a level of a Swordmaster.


    Mastery Levels : Amateur, Intermediate, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Saint, Deity.


    3. COMBAT TECHNIQUES MASTERY [Passive]


    Grants the user knowledge and experience over all forms of closebat techniques. Also allows user to understand & copy any target''sbat techniques after practicing them.


    Current Rank : Master (In all known Combat Techniques by the War Deity)


    Mastery increases only when the user practices & performs these techniques to meet certain understanding & experience.


    4. SURVIVAL INSTINCT [Passive]


    Grants the ability to sense Extreme Danger & Killing Intent directed towards the user. The range of this ability will keep increasing as the user gets stronger.


    Note : Ability is Upgradable & can be Merged with other simr abilities.


    5. BERSERK GOD MODE [Active]


    Allows user to achieve 5 times the Physical Strength & Stamina for a short time.


    Note : Not applicable to Magical Skills or Mana Capacity. The host will be in a weakened state (only having 30% of the user''s strength) for the next 24 hours after the activation period ends.


    6. WAR DEITY BODY [Passive]


    Grants a body capable of bing two times stronger than the previous stage every time the user goes through long & tiring battles and breaks the threshold of his capabilities.


    After going through the Blessings he received. Elric simply forgot how to speak. Because what Kravel gave him wasn''t just Mastery of Weapons or abilities to dominate his enemies in battle.. What he gave him was the biggest headstart anyone will ever get if they were thrown into an unknown world.


    Elric was born with a weak body & never had physical training at anything. Not even normal sports or self-defense techniques. He could hold a Sword in a video game or in his dreams only. Hell, he didn''t even know how to properly hold a sword either without looking like an idiot or ending up hurting himself instead.


    Unlike what God of Darkness gave him through the 3 Divine Abilities he chose. These Blessings wouldn''t just help him be stronger or help him survive. Rather, they''d be far more useful than just gaining abilities or creating his army who will serve him. With these blessings, he''d save years of time spent on learning & practicing different types of weapons & how best to use them.


    Also learningbat techniques was no joke. It took many people dozens of years to perfect them or reach just the rank of a Master. But not only Elric would already have built-in knowledge & understanding of these, but he''d also be proficient right when he entered Vantrea. He was already at Master rank which was way just unbelievable for a guy like him who never had an actualbat experience or killed anyone in his life.


    Survival Instinct would help him sense if someone was targeting him from behind or following him from the shadows. That way he could be prepared to face a sudden attack or an ambush and might as well dodge a sudden arrow shot at his head. This was just too useful in his opinion. Survival Instinct was something developed only by people with decades of experience in hunting or someone who had been through thousands of battles in their life.


    For someone like Elric who would be hunted down sooner orter if the word of his true identity as chosen Hero of God of Darkness were to be leaked; Survival Instinct would save his life on many asions. Not on just the battlefield, but it will also alert him in random & normal ces if someone far stronger than him was targeting or wanted to harm him based on their killing intent. He''d know whom not to fight with and simply need to run away for his life.


    And there was also Berserk God Mode. Like the description implied, he''d be 5 times stronger for a short time and it could save his life when he was truly in a pinch. Let''s say somehow his Dimensional Law ability didn''t work or he couldn''t escape inside the Void for some reason such as the surrounding area being sealed by Spacial Law or some type of Barrier or Formation, Elric would be left at the mercy of fate.


    But with Berserk God Mode, he''d receive a huge spike in his strength & it could be helpful enough to let him escape or even face his enemy head-on who could be much stronger than him. This was a Lifesaving Cheat Code indeed.


    And let''s not even talk about War Deity Body. This thing would just make him a total T-Rexpared to other heroes of the other Gods. Because whether he liked it or not, Elric would be put in situations where he''d need to fight someone in authority like forces of the empire or even people from the church operating in that Empire given his identity. He could see himself shing against the other Chosen Heroes in the future because they too would be well informed about the act of his predecessor, the 8th chosen hero of God of Darkness. So these heroes will naturally think of him as someone serving the evil or someone they had to exact revenge upon for their predecessors.


    So, with the War Deity Body he''d be Twice as stronger every time he went past his limits, which naturally will require him to fight a lot of battles and go beyond his capabilities and also will be on very rare asions; most likely in the battle for Life & Death. But this can give him an upper hand over the other Heroes in terms of Physical Strength alone. So it will also be extremely helpful in the near future.


    Elric finally broke out of his fazed state and looked at Kravel again. He didn''t hold any of his mocking or disappointed expression and said,


    "I take my words back." after saying so, he bowed towards Kravel with utmost sincere expression.


    Kravel was left with a puzzled expression again (inside his helmet). This mortal was questioning his loyalty towards his Liege not a minute ago and now retracted his statement and bowed half his body in front of him. Kravel, who was of the size of 5 stories building at the moment could see Elric''s way of showing respect.


    God of Darkness humphed slightly without showing the jealousy he was feeling. Because Elric didn''t do that to him so far at all. Instead, he said fuck off, bastard, motherfucker, stupid, moron & many things he forgot to count.


    And because of this, Kravel was happy with Elric again. He said, "Stand up. No need for such formalities. Anyway, did you like my Blessings ?" Kravel asked without masking the smugness in his tone.


    Elric simply nodded like a puppy in response.


    "Well then, here''s something else. It''s not a Blessing but some of my knowledge you will find very useful while venturing inside Vantrea." Kravel said. Soon, a Divine formation appeared over Elric''s soul form and light made of different & bright colors descended towards his head. Elric started processing the gift he received. As he opened his eyes, he was again left with a joyful expression on his face.


    What he received wasn''t any Ability or Skills. For the first time, he received a form of information & knowledge that he would be needing no matter where he went.


    KNOWLEDGE OF ALL LANGUAGES in the world of Vantrea.


    Elric had worries about this from the beginning, just that he didn''t speak about it at all.


    He was going into a different world. Where existed different cultures, races, species, different regions & things he didn''t even know about yet. So naturally, this world wasn''t going to be somece where everybody for some reason spoke in English.


    He was certain that God of Darkness & Kravel weren''t talking with him in English either as their gestures & bodynguage acted very differently in ordance with their words & tone. They were using some type of magic or conversed with him using a telepathic connection.


    Many Manga & Novel Authors always skipped this part in their work. In their stories, even the most ancient civilizations which existed tens of thousands of years ago also spoke in English. As if this wasn''t a different world but a Hollywood movie where even Wakandans spoke in English despite having their own mother tongue.


    What Kravel gifted him had saved tons of trouble as not only he would be able to converse with people inside Vantrea, he''d be able tomunicate with, understand all the residents & species existing that resided in those regions. This also included understanding various types of Languages whether in form of verbal speech or writing. So he won''t be lost in the world if he went somewhere unknown.


    After calcting everything that has happened so far ever since his Reincarnation. Elric found himself extremely lucky.


    He was going to get another chance at life despite him refusing & wanting to die again. Neither was he randomly thrown into a different world without any prior knowledge nor suddenly woke up inside someone else''s body. He was given a choice to even choose in which way he was going to enter inside Vantrea. And unlike hundreds of reincarnated people in the stories he read, he was actually clear on his goal and how he will make his approach. Although he wasn''t given some OP system or someone like Soul Remnant of some heaven defying monster''s will to apany him on his journey, he still had the option to choose his Divine Abilities and had the time to n how he will ensure his survival. He received enough superficial information about Vantrea and how things worked there. And what not to do if he wanted to stay alive.


    Kravel''s Blessings gave him the biggest headstart and also an upper hand against those who will be or already were summoned inside the world of Vantrea. So he can fight against them as well if the situation arose.


    After evaluating everything happened so far. Elric was content & truly happy. It felt like Fate or Destiny, whatever it was called tried to make amends for his Former life which he didn''t find worth living at all. This time, he was given the choice in which way he will live his new life. Elric wanted nothing more than freedom & control over his own fate.


    He looked at God of Darkness & Kravel and said,


    "I''m ready."


    God of Darkness & Kravel both nodded at him.


    "Have you thought of how your new body should look like? After we''re done with that, I can send you inside our world." G.O.D. asked.


    Elric then started giving him specifications of his new body and after 1 hour of going over every minute detail and many redos. Elric''s final physical body was ready. For some reason, Kravel approved more of it while God of Darkness found it verycking. Elric on the other hand was drooling over his new look and the body he was going to live with in his new life.


    "From now on. Elric Johnson no longer exists. From now on, my name is Kahn." Elric dered.


    "A new Name. A new Life." he said with a newfound will to live.


    Suddenly yellow intrinsic patterns appeared on Elric''s body and were ingrained into it. They disappeared without a trace the next second.


    G.O.D. spoke, "This is a link between you & me. Also the way for us knowing that you''re still alive."


    "Let''s do it." Elric said, ready to embark on his new journey.


    Unbeknownst to Elric, Another Red ancient & divine pattern appeared on his back but didn''t emit any light. Both G.O.D. & Kravel noticed it but didn''t speak as if nothing happened and it wasn''t intentional.


    God of Darkness didn''t waste any more time and simply merged Elric''s Soul form with the newly created physical body. And after they were merged perfectly, he opened the very crack in the void from where he & Kravel entered inside the world boundary.


    "I''m sending you somewhere remote and safe. Somewhere other Gods, Archmages of Empires or Popes of Churches won''t be able to detect your arrival. What happens from there will depend on you. And we won''t be able to talk after this unless you find a way to recreate Churches and Temples for me again. And do remember the most important thing..." God of Darkness paused his words and continued..


    "Trust nobody and never let your guard down."


    G.O.D.manded in his firm and majestic tone as if it was his Decree.


    Elric nodded back in affirmation. He understood the importance of not revealing his secrets & relying on only himself more than the beings in front of him.


    The crack exerted a form of gravitational pull on Elric, now Kahn.


    Inside the world of Vantrea, in a deep jungle unknown. A small void crack appeared 5 meters above the ground covered with dark green and lush grass. Suddenly a naked body of a man jumped down from the void crack andnded on his right knee & right fist on the ground. Stabilizing himself in just a second.


    "Finally!"

 Chapter 10: Let the Hunt begin

    <h4>Chapter 10: Let the Hunt begin</h4>


    Who could this be other than Kahn?


    Elric''s new body.. Now Kahn was something he always dreamt of and wanted to have in his ideal standards of a physical body. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall, normal white skin tone same as his previous life. He had an angled but somewhat wider jaw. His face was well proportioned and very handsome. He had bulging muscles and 6 pack abs. Unlike his previous life, this time his hair color waspletely ck and not brown. They were smooth, soft and wavy. His hair was done from the right side from his perspective. They were long but not till his shoulder length long either. His eyes were ck, unlike his former life where they were blue. It was to not stand out or being assumed as someone from a particr region because blue eyes were always the most noticeable part of particr countries or regions. ck hair & eye color was very universal on the other hand.


    Author : Take down notes boys. If you want 6 pack abs without working out, all you have to do ismit suicide and get reincarnated.


    Thanos : A small price to pay for salvation.


    His built was very bnced. His upper body had wider shoulders and big arms, his chest was big enough to align well with his built. His forearms were well proportioned as well while the legs matched that of an athlete.


    From his appearance, he looked around 25 to 26 years old. Someone who would have a bodybuilding background or someone who trained for Gymnastics.


    His facial structure was something that would be very striking no matter where he went. He chose to base it on thebination of both Bruce Wayne aka Batman & Dick Grayson aka Nightwing, two of the most handsome fictional characters he ever came across in his past life. Not too manly but not too handsome either. That way he could look like someone not to be messed with and not too broody or serious either. So both younger & older people could approach him.


    He chose this age & build because of many reasons. Mainly because he didn''t like or more likely detested stories where MC is reincarnated inside a 15 years old kid who somehow can stand toe to toe against adults & people who trained for their entire lives thanks to the almighty Plot Armor.


    He was 30 years old in his former life for god''s sake. Naturally, he wouldn''t want to look like a kid again. And 30 or more would also make him look like a middle-aged person which would stop him from entering some ces or mix in a circle of youngsters. So 25 was the ideal age for appearance in his opinion.


    Kahn was brimmed with life and joy. He could finally feel the sensation of having a body again. He could feel the chill in the air and the breeze going past him. He smelled the earthly scent in the air. This was the time of early morning so the sunrise brightened up his surrounding. He took a deep breath and finally felt alive. He didn''t know how long it had been since he died on Earth. Maybe years or decades, or even thousands of years. But he didn''t care about that now. This was going to be the world he would live in from now on. This was his second chance at Life.


    "Wait, I don''t have a single cloth on my body." Kahn eximed and suddenly shouted looking towards the sky,


    "You damn cheapskate of a God! You couldn''t even give me some clothes? God of Darkness my ass! They should call you God of Beggars instead!" Kahn said furiously. God of Darkness was very pitiful.


    But he quickly came to terms with it. It wasn''t the most important thing now.


    [Well, based on average story pattern of a Reincarnation Novel & Mangas. I will soon find some lone traveler in the jungle who is being chased by monsters or some Princess who is either being attacked by bandits or have people chasing after her. Which one will it be?] Kahn spoke to himself and started looking around.


    But in the next moment, he heard a very grim and deathly growl from behind him. And the Survival Instinct ability kicked in. Giving him goosebumps on his entire body. The growl felt like it belonged to some wild beast.. A predator at that. Kahn turned his head around and saw what was standing just 5 meters behind him.


    3 giant Wolves, around 7 feet tall. Their eyes werepletely red and their pupils looked like they were focusing on their prey. 2 of them had a mix of ck and white fur while the one standing in the front hadpletely Red fur. It looked like it was the Leader of the pack.


    These 3 wolves were prying at Kahn, trying to gauge how strong their morning breakfast was. To their surprise, Kahn was already having beads of sweat falling from his forehead. All he could do is say one word..


    "FUCK!"


    Amidst a vast and dark green forest, a naked man ran without the care of having onlookers like an exhibitionist.


    It''s not like he wanted to but he simply didn''t have time to look for clothes or something to cover him.


    Behind the man, ran 3 golden retrievers, urmm.. 3 wolves.


    Kahn was running for his life as the three giant wolves ran behind with full murderous intent in their eyes and hunger in their stomachs.


    This was not the wee Elric, now Kahn had imagined.


    [Wtf! That''s not how a Protagonist of a story is introduced in a new world. That damn fucker sent me right in front of a pack of wolves!] Kahn cursed God of Darkness for having an extremely bad timing to send him into Vantrea.


    But to no avail, all he could do was run off for his life. Kahn thought it''d be an easy job to kill monsters like they do in Novels & Mangas but damn, these monsters weren''t easy to defeat at all. The three wolves behind him were seasoned veterans. When he tried to run in any direction, one of them would close his way to exit and another one would close off the other possible route Kahn could take.


    And the leader of this trio was even fiercer. The Red wolf didn''t stop trying to go for the kill every time it attacked Kahn. Every move was done in a way to finish off its prey in a single sweep. Kahn was truly cornered because of their excellent teamwork. Now he understood how lethal just a pack of wolves was. Nothing like how they show in Novels, Mangas & Animes where an inexperienced MC easily kills off an entire pack just using someme magic skill or a single swing of his sword. These things knew how to hunt.


    If not for his extremely well-toned body full of muscles and agile built, Kahn would be barbequed by these wolves already.


    The trio kept running after Kahn and Kahn kept running like Usain Bolt. Only when Kahn came near a cliff did he stop.


    [Fuck! No way around it! Wait, did they just intentionally lead me here?] Kahn asked himself. Because this was indeed a great strategy. Because whether the wolves killed him or he jumped down, Kahn was bound to die & Wolves were bound to enjoy a delicious meal.


    Kahn red towards the wolves, mainly at the Red wolf who looked like the alpha. Kahn knew he had War Dominance aura to scare off his enemies thanks to the Blessings given by Kravel, the War Deity. But he didn''t know exactly what was his strength level & the wolves hunting him. There wasn''t any Status window here telling him what his Level & Stats were and how strong his pursuers werepared to him.


    [What do I do? Should I jump down instead?] Kahn asked himself & took a look behind the cliff. Strong winds blew past his naked body and he saw how tall the cliff was above the ground level at the bottom.


    [Damn it! I''ll definitely die I I jump from here.] Kahn had no other way to get out of his current predicament. There were many things he wasn''t sure about. Like what if he even used both War Dominance aura & Berserk God Mode together and even that''s still not enough to beat or even escape from his opponents? These were Wolves after all, not humans who would run out of breath after running extremely fast for some minutes.


    At this moment, the red wolf started walking towards Kahn with a visible mockery on its face. They had already seen that Kahn only looked big for a human but not exactly brave or strong at all.


    [Fuck it! Looks like I have no other choice. Though I don''t know if I''ll survive against these bastards, it''s still better than jumping down.] Kahn finally decided to give it all to his only chance. Forget about killing the Demon God, he looked like he couldn''t even kill a damn wolf here. Kahn didn''t know how to activate his abilities yet but he didn''t feel like there wasn''t something like amand word there either.


    [Let''s give it a try.] He said to himself & thought about him being superior & stronger than his enemy now. Kahn remembered the part in the description of War Dominance that it also depended on his emotions. Since he had been running like a coward all this time, he didn''t think about using it this way.


    Kahn calmed his mind looked at the approaching red wolf. The other two wolves as usual covered his right and left side to not let him escape. Kahn finally cooled down and thought about that one feeling he rarely felt in his past life. Feeling of power and absolute domination.


    [Like bloody hell I''m dying in this unknown ce! I finally got my 2nd chance. Nobody is taking it away from me!] Kahn shouted in his mind and raised his anger towards the approaching wolf.


    Suddenly, a ck aura started exuding out of his body as Kahn raised his will to kill the wolf in front of him to survive. It was kill or be killed for real this time.


    In just the next few seconds, the Aura that covered him dimmed a lot but it didn''t disappearpletely. Rather the tangible pressure around him increased as if gravitational force around Kahn became much more dense and heavier. The red wolf faltered its footsteps and felt like something as heavy as a boulder had been ced on its body. Its hind legs started giving out and its back arched down as well. It looked towards Kahn again only to find him hard to look at.


    The red wolf felt like Kahn was no longer the meek prey but something that was going to hunt them instead. But it tried to defy this pressure and forced itself to walk towards Kahn again. It was just 5 meters away from its prey now.


    Kahn was stunned. [Damn it! It''s not enough!] he yelled in his mind. [What about the Combat Techniques? I can''t find a way to activate them either. Where the fuck is my game system dude?!] Kahn cursed in his head. The War Dominance aura he was excluding wasn''t strong enough topletely suppress the enemy in front of him. He also had the knowledge of allbat techniques given by Kravel but he simply didn''t know how to use or activate them..


    [Don''t tell me that they''ll activate when I try to fight with this wolf for real. Like how real warriors fought in battle.. And there''s nomand or way to perform thesebat techniques?] Kahn thought. If this was the only way, then he had no other choice but to seek out his enemy in a frontal sh.


    [Berserk God Mode!] Kahn shouted and dashed towards the red wolf which was trying to attack Kahn, unlike the other two wolves who couldn''t tolerate the pressure of his aura and has slumped down on the ground.


    Kahn ran towards the red wolf and quickly covered the distance between them, the red wolf bare his sharp ws and swung his left w towards Kahn''s chest.


    At this moment however, Kahn felt like something happened to his own body. The moment he thought about going in Berserk God Mode, he felt like his muscles suddenly gained double the strength, his feet felt like they could move much faster and as the w of the red wolf wasing towards him, he gained a form of perception and his reflexes were twice faster than before. And slid below the uing w and quickly gave an uppercut towards the red wolf''s mouth.


    BAM!


    The red wolf got struck in the jaw and lost its bnce. It was already fighting against the pressure from Kahn''s Dominance Aura and as he was struck hard in its mouth, it lost the bnce. This was just enough to make it fall on the ground.


    THUMP!


    The wolf fell, Kahn on the other hand felt like his fist nearly broke. Even in Berserk God Mode which would make him 5 times stronger for a short amount of time, this barely met the mark to justnd a solid hit on the red wolf. This means he was very weak against these monsters to begin with.


    Kahn quickly hit the fallen wolf on its head and groped its neck in a chokehold. His muscled and veins were popping out of his body and he felt like he was on a huge adrenaline spike but his brain also told him that this was just temporary.


    Kahn mustered all his strength and used all his force on trying to snap the struggling wolf''s neck. The wolf wriggled around with Kahn on its body and tried to bite him with itsrge and long fangs, struggling to get out of Kahn''s arms.


    "Ahhhhhh!!" Kahn shouted and used all his strength to break the wolf''s neck.


    CRACK!


    The wolf whimpered for thest time before its body slumped down on the ground, dead on the spot.


    Suddenly, a ding notification sound appeared in Kahn''s head.


    Kahn on the other hand didn''t pay any attention to it and quickly ran towards the wolf that was covering his left escape route. He came close to the already slumping wolf and joined both of his hands in a joint fist and quickly mmed it on the wolf''s head with all his might.


    A cracking sound was heard from the wolf''s head and blood started leaking out of its ears and mouth.


    Kahn was already on hisst arrow. He knew he didn''t have any more time. He gathered his remaining strength and ran towards thest remaining wolf which was covering his right exit route. Kahn could feel his strength running out already but he kept running and came close to the wolf which was finally somehow started resisting against Kahn''s Dominance Aura.


    "No, you don''t!" Kahn yelled and jumped with all his strength in his legs and performed a downside kick like how they showed in martial arts movies.


    BANG!


    The kicknded right between the wolf''s skull and broke it in half. Blood sttered on the ground and Kahn who didn''t time hisnding & footing properly also lost his bnce and fell down.


    "I did it!" Kahn shouted as his body slumped on the ground and he lost all the strength in his body. Only now did he realize how much toll did the Berserk God Mode took on his body. Currently, he didn''t even have enough strength to lift his head up or change the side of his body. He wasying down in the grass and soil. He could feel the soil in his face and back as small pebbles were hurting his body.


    [Barely made it!] Kahn came to realize how big of a close call this was. Any secondter and he''d be ripped to shreds by thatst wolf which was lying just a meter close to him, its blood still leaking out of its smashed head.


    "Fuck, this hurts!" Kahn could feel his entire body under immense pain. Mainly both of his fists and his right leg he used to kick thest wolf.


    Ding!


    [Congrattions to the host for unlocking the following abilities for the first time.


    War Dominance


    Combat Techniques


    Berserk God Mode


    War Deity Body


    The host has learned Chokehold, Vertical Stomp & Joint Fist Combat techniques.


    Current mastery for these 3 the Combat techniques, 30% on Master Rank.


    War Deity Body will undergo an upgrade after the host is no longer under weakened state.]


    "There you are!"

 Chapter 11: First Ally

    <h4>Chapter 11: First Ally</h4>


    Kahn heard all the notifications inside his head. He already expected something like this to happen when he killed the red wolf and heard the Ding sound in his head.


    To his surprise, Kahn not only learned how to activate War Dominance aura and Berserk God Mode, but he also broke through the current threshold of his capacity & already went past his limits to meet the conditions to unlock his War Deity Body. This means he will be twice stronger when he recovered his strength again.


    The very first encounter Kahn had in Vantrea as soon as he entered was a life or death battle and he barely managed to survive. Who knew if he ended up dying here, would anyone ever know or care? He''d die just a nameless death.. AGAIN.


    Kahn tried to focus his mind again on these notifications in his mind. There was no system panel or screen board for him to check these notifications in a list or scroll through them one by one. It was as if this system was part of his consciousness itself and somehow acted like his mind when he thought about it.


    "Tell me more." he triedmanding it.


    [3 dead bodies found near the host. The host is advised to use Ability Absorption Divine Ability and raise his strength. Also, the host can use Synthesis Divine Ability to merge 2 of these entities to create a subordinate.


    The host must salvage & eat the cores situated near the hearts of these 3 entities.]


    The robot-like voice stopped, informing Kahn about his aplishments & what he could do to recover & get strong.


    "Cool. At least I have some sort of guide for at least basic stuff & reminders." Kahn said as he went to sleep due to exhaustion.


    6 hourster.


    Khan opened his eyes and looked around. He was still in that same ce & the bodies of the 3 wolves were lying in the same ces where they died. Kahn finally felt like he had the strength enough to get up.


    He stood up from the ground and walked towards the Red Wolf. He remembered the notifications he had before he fell asleep. He looked towards the body of the red wolf, he still could not believe that happened just this morning. He nced at the body with a look of exacting his revenge.


    "Well, well, well. How the turntables..." he smirked & gloated about his victory which he barely achieved by a hair''s breadth.


    "Well then. Time to eat."


    He was going to use Ability Absorption on the Red wolf because it felt like the leader of the pack and was obviously much stronger than the others.


    "Absorb!" Kahnmanded as he mentally thought about acquiring its abilities.


    [Host needs to touch the specimen first] the voice in his mind replied.


    "Ah, my bad." He touched the body of the red wolf and imagined absorbing its abilities.


    Suddenly, some sort of suction force was exerted from his hand which was touching the red wolf and in just a matter of seconds, the body of the red wolf looked drained out of the blood and the ws and fangs it had were reduced to nothing as if they were sucked inside something.


    Ding!


    [ Ability Absorption Divine Ability unlocked.


    The host has acquired the following abilities :


    Alpha Wolf''s w


    Alpha Wolf''s Howl


    Long stride


    Hunt Perception


    Predator''s Eyes


    Synthesis Divine Ability unlocked


    Predator''s Eyes ability synthesized and merged under War Dominance to increase its effectiveness. The host will be able to exude a Predatory Intent towards the target when using War Dominance aura.]


    Kahn was truly surprised. Not only did he learn physical abilities like the first 3 mentioned, but he also acquired the innate skills of a wolf like Hunt Perception & Predator''s Eyes. Which would prove useful for him to survive inside this jungle for the time being.


    By now, there was nothing left inside the body of the red wolf but its bones. All the meat and blood was gone. Only its hide was leftpletely untouched and a red orb-like thing which ording to the inner system inside Kahn''s head was the Core.


    Kahn thought of using Wolf''s w and both his hands turned pitch ck. His nails started growing from his fingers at a fast pace, they were no longer just nails but ws at this point. Kahn felt like he indeed turned into something else than just human.


    He saw thising and didn''t waste any more time overthinking about it. He tore through the hide from various ces to use it to cover up enough parts of his body for now. It was already around evening so he needed something to cover himself up. And since these three wolves were very big to begin with, just this red wolf''s hide was enough to cover his waist like a towel and also something he could use to cover his shoulders.


    Kahn took the Core out of the body, it waspletely clean; not even a single drop of blood on it. He remembered the system voice telling him to must eat it to get stronger. Currently, he barely had the strength to walk because he used Berserk God Mode earlier so he had to regain his strength and prepare for the night. He had to keep himself safe so having more strength was a must.


    He gulped down the reddish orb-like thing which sized around a thumb of a grown man. Suddenly he heard more sounds in his mind.


    [Monster core absorbed and assimted with Host''s body.


    Mana Capacity increased by 5 points.


    All Physical Attributes raised by 1 point.]


    Kahn felt a bit of his strength recovered, just very minute at the moment because he was in a weakened state. He wrapped the hide around his waist and leftover around his shoulders like a scarf.


    He walked towards the bodies of the other two wolves and dragged them towards each other.


    "How do I merge them?" He asked the system in his mind.


    [Host must ce his hands on both specimens. Host is advised to keep at least one Core intact in the original bodies to get a better sess rate and stronger specimen.]


    "What if I keep both of the cores during the procedure ?" Kahn asked.


    [In such case, the resultant creature will unlock Evolution ability. And such subordinate can be further merged with another subordinate which also has unlocked Evolution. Both these entities can be used to create a higher variant species and a more powerful subordinate.] The system replied to his queries.


    "Understood. By the way, will the resultant creature of Synthesis be loyal to me or at least won''t attack me ?"


    [Yes. Since subordinates are created for the sole purpose of aiding and protecting the host, they will be programmed to obey the host and will always be ready to die to protect & serve the host.] Kahn got more information about Synthesis Divine Ability now. He needed to learn & know about every advantage he had so he could stay alive in this forest for now.


    "Can the system interact with outside things & aid me in any way?" Kahn asked out his final question as he needed to understand the full capacities of the guide system he was given.


    [No. The system cannot act outside of the host''s body. It''s only created to help the Host to understand the working of his Divine Abilities & Blessings. The system has no control over anything the Host doesn''t have physical contact with.


    The host is advised to rely on himself to be stronger and survive in the world. The system is only an interface created to guide the host through normal procedures & inform the workings of the abilities & skills.]


    Kahn now fully understood the extent of his inner system. Unlike some OP systems in the Novels & Mangas, his system was more of an Assistant than some formidable external entity that could create stuff out of nowhere, help him copy knowledge just by touching a book or had a shop to buy stuff from using some sort of point system.


    This was nothing but a programme left inside his Soul to help him gain a better understanding of his abilities & use them in the most efficient way. He had to rely on his brain & body while wandering in the world.


    Kahn came close to both the dead wolves bodies, ced his hands on both of them and said,


    "Merge!"


    Unlike what Kahn expected, nothing happened for the next few seconds. Kahn wondered if he gave some wrongmand or something. Just as he was about to speak again, a ck shadow appeared under his palms and covered both bodies. And in the next few seconds, both these shadows stretched out and converged together. The bodies of the wolves werepletely engulfed inside the shadow and disappeared as if the bodies were absorbed by the shadow.


    For over a minute, the shadow kept wriggling around and finally, a four-legged creature started appearing. This creature was 7 feet tall, hadplete ck fur over its body and eyespletely red with ck pupils in them.


    [Congrattions to host for creating the first Subordinate.


    The results of the Synthesis are as follows.


    Name : Unnamed


    Species : Dire Wolf


    Abilities : Sonic Howl, Predator''s Eyes, Hunt Perception, Sprinter, Dire Wolf ws, Shadow merge.


    Subordinate has inherited all the physical & mental traits of the specimens used during Synthesis.


    Subordinate has unlocked Evolution skill. It can be evolved further or merged with another subordinate.


    Host is advised to give it a fitting name.]


    "Great! Finally, I don''t have to worry about something attacking me during the night." Kahn said as he sighed in relief. Then he asked the system again,


    "System, can you create an interface or panel topare me and this wolf based on our strength levels and attributes ?"


    [Yes. Commanded adjustments can be made. Butparison can only be done between the Host & the subordinate. To createparisons between external beings, the host must touch them or form physical contact.


    Here are the following Statistics as requested by the host.


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Level : 1


    Strength : 2


    Agility : 2


    Dexterity : 3


    Defense : 2


    Mana : 5


    Name : Unnamed


    Species : Dire Wolf (Variant)


    Level : 10


    Strength : 25


    Agility : 20


    Dexterity : 20


    Defense : 10


    Mana : 15


    Comparison made based on the physical state before the Host underwent weakened state.]


    Kahn was left speechless. Only now did he fully understood how close he was to death. If not for War Dominance aura suppressing the wolves & his Berserk God Mode giving him the strength to kill them, he would be dead for sure. Because all the 3 wolves were at least Level 5pared to him.


    And the new Synthesized wolf was created using 2plete bodies & their cores so it was twice stronger than them and even a higher version of Wolves called the Dire Wolves.


    Just imagining what would happen if Kahn had fought against the wolf standing in front of him instead. This gave him goosebumps with just the thought of it. He was lucky that this wolf was his underling instead.


    He came close to the giant Dire Wolf, ced his palm on its head and spoke, "Since I already killed that alpha wolf and I''m not an idiot to call you Kuro, Wolfy or Feru just because you''re ck and are a wolf; from now on your name shall be Omega."


    Ding!


    [Congrattions to the Host for naming his first Subordinate. The loyalty of the subordinate towards the host increased by 50%] The system voice rang and informed Kahn.


    "What''s this Loyalty increase about? Aren''t they already loyal to me?" he asked.


    [It''s a specific condition to unlock a special skill between the host and the Subordinates.] replied the system.


    "Good. If naming them helps raise their loyalty, then I''ll have to be creative & thoughtful." Kahn said and patted Omega''s head like petting a dog.


    Omega sat down in front of Kahn & bowed his head without looking Kahn in the eyes. It felt as if Omega was submitting himself & acknowledged Kahn as its master.


    The next moment, Kahn felt a sort of connection towards Omega as if the wolf was an extension of his own body & consciousness.


    "Do you understand what I''m saying ?" Kahn asked Omega to check whether his guess was right.


    Omega nodded in response and stood back up.


    "Good. Now go and Hunt something I could eat. Not too big and meat shouldn''t be too hard to chew." Kahnmanded Omega. Since he was under the weakened state as a repercussion of using the Berserk God Mode, he barely had the strength to walk and could not go to find something to eat.


    He thought about having something to eat first because he had no energy left in him and meat was the best source to regain strength.


    After Omega ran off towards the bushes &pletely disappeared out of his sight, Kahn called to the system again.


    "System, can you help me create fire?" Kahn asked curiously.


    [What am I, your mother? Do it yourself.] System replied with banter instead.


    "Wait, say that again?"


    [Host is advised to rely on himself. System cannot help the host in such tasks.] The robotic voice was back again. This made Kahn doubt if System was a living being as well. But he didn''t dwell on the matter and walked towards the close by tree and broke their branches. He found a thin but sturdy branch which he could use to rub on other thick branches.


    This was basically Bear Grylls from Man Vs Wild.


    After failing for an hour and barely managing to generate enough heat on the wood to create smoke and then using dry leaves to fan it out to create fire, finally Kahn managed to create his campfire. It was already evening and the night was beginning. He judged that it would be around 6 PM based on the position of the sun. Thankfully he had a way to keep himself warm and protected for the night.


    In half an hour, Omega finally returned with four Rabbit-like things in its mouth. These things looked more like abination between Rabbits and Mongoose with red & green stripes on their bodies. This was the first unfamiliar creature Kahn saw in Vantrea.


    Kahn could see that these little things had a lot of meat on them so he found that sufficient for the night. Kahn activated his Wolf ws and dissected these little creatures. He had to dirty his hands if he wanted to eat.


    After cutting out the flesh & throwing away the entrails, he walked towards the nearby stream to wash it clean. Omega being on guard duty & keeping an eye around. After they got back, Kahn poked in some thin branches inside the meat parts and grilled them on the campfire.


    Smelling the scent of freshly grilled meat, even Omega started salivating and started using puppy eyes towards Kahn.


    Kahn was stunned. This thing was a damn Wolf, an apex Predator.. But now it was acting like a cute little doggy as soon as there was grilled meat in front of it. Wasn''t this supposed to be some magical creature he created? Did it really need to eat? Kahn sighed and continued grilling.


    When he was finally done, he took the meat of two rabbit-like animals and gave the rest left from the remaining two to Omega. They both needed the food to have enough strength for tomorrow. After filling his stomach till he waspletely full, Kahn went back to the stream and drank the water from the current. He could only hope that the meat he ate was edible and won''t cause him food poisoning instead.


    Kahn returned to their campsite and rested his back against the tree. He finally felt the tiredness wash over his body and felt like falling asleep soon.


    Omega was resting near him and had its ears perked up, ready to react if something approached them during the night.


    Kahn gazed towards the night sky, looking at the clear and bright stars. This was his first day in Vantrea. He already had a near-death experience, made an ally and now enjoying the view of the night he barely saw in his previous life. The whole forest under the Moonlight looked very serene.


    Resting his eyes, Kahn said to himself.


    "Let''s see what tomorrow has in the store for me."

 Chapter 12: The Big Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 12: The Big Hunt</h4>


    In a dense forest full of tall & broad trees, a group of animals that could be called a mixture between deer and a predatory beast were eating grass peacefully.


    But unbeknownst to these creatures, there were 2 sets of eyes looking towards them from a distance. One of them was a giant wolf with a full pitch ck fur on its entire body while another was a man wearing a dark red hide around his waist. Both of their eyes looked as if they were here to kill everything that stood in front of them.


    Kahn & Omega were using their Hunt Perception ability. While using it, Kahn''s pupils dted and he gained a more detailed and zoomed view of his targets. He could see the heat signatures of his prey from 20 meters far and even feel which one of the creatures had all their musclespletely rxed.


    "You take the left and I''ll draw their attention. Attack as soon as I appear in front of them. And take down the one closest to the tree. Understood ?" Kahn looked towards Omega. Omega nodded and left without causing any unnecessary noises which could alert their targets.


    Kahn silently progressed towards the herd by crouching through tall grass on both of his hands and legs like a four-legged animal would. He wasn''t hasty nor clumsy.


    He looked like a tiger waiting for a perfect time to attack. Kahn quickly activated his War Dominance aura as soon he reached near the herd. Strong pressure of gravity was exerted around a 5-meter radius and before these creatures could react, Kahn pounced towards the nearest creature while activating his Alpha Wolf''s ws and swung his right w around the nape of the creature which was caught off guard & couldn''t even move under the pressure of War Dominance.


    Blueish blood started flowing on the ground as soon as his ws pierced through the hide which felt as tough as leather in a matter of seconds.


    This sudden attack alerted the other members of the herd, and they tried to run away the very next second. Kahn had limited reach on the area he could cover under War Dominance Aura so some of them had full control on their bodies and started running off. Only to be attacked by a giant Dire Wolf from the opposite side.


    Omega was very vicious unlike Kahn. He didn''t go for a swift kill, rather plunged his teeth inside their necks and ripped apart the head out of their bodies. Blue blood spurted like a fountain on the green grass but the massacre didn''t stop. Both Kahn & Omega dashed towards their respective closer targets and attacked in a prenned manner. It was as if they hadpletely practiced their coordination. The massacre continued until there were 5 dead bodies on the ground. Out of the 9 of these creatures, 4 managed to escape while 5 went to heaven to meet their maker.


    "Whew! I guess we got lucky." Kahn said and put his right hand on one of the dead creatures.


    "Absorb!"


    [Host has acquired the following abilities :


    Sprinter, Panorama vision, Wilker hide.]


    "Oh, so these are called Wilker ?" Kahn learned the name of the species through the system. He imagined himself having the same tough skin as the Wilkers and his skinpletely turned green like these creatures and small spikes appeared all over his body.


    "Ugh.. I look like Killer Croc now." Kahn deactivated the ability and collected the core. Meanwhile, Omega was tearing out the flesh and entrails of the other bodies with hisrge fangs as if he had been hungry for years. He only left out the cores for Kahn and nothing else.


    Kahn had already recovered and now he was 4 times stronger than when in entered Vantrea through the void. His War Deity Body had alsopleted its first transformation and became twice strongerpared to before. And Kahn also ate the cores of small animals Omega hunted in the morning. And ording to the system, he was now level 2 and his body Attributes & Stats had doubled as well.


    Still, this was no excuse to beid-back and hope things will go in his favor. He still remembered vividly how he barely managed to kill the wolves yesterday and survived by a hair''s breadth. Otherwise, it''d be him who was torn through & gutted down by the pack of wolves. So he didn''t wish to waste any time.


    Somehow, Omega had a proper understanding of which prey they could Hunt with their capabilities and which ones they shouldn''t. It was more like an innate sense of his Dire Wolf species.


    Thanks to that, Kahn didn''t dare to attack various types of animals and predators in the jungle out of his foolishness. If even Omega who was now Level 15 didn''t dare take a step closer to these creatures, it''d be stupid of Kahn to target these monsters.


    Kahn gulped down 2 of these cores after rubbing off the blue blood on them. He was already ustomed to it now and the gory scene in front of him didn''t bother him at all. He kept the other 2 just in case he needed themter to either eat or use for some other purpose.


    Ding!


    [Congrattions to the Host for reaching level 3.]


    Kahn didn''t check his stats and looked at Omega.


    "Let''s go. It''s about time we hunt that damn Snake!" Kahn said with fervor, his eyes looking like they were after seeking revenge against someone.


    Omega who had his fill of meat and innards nodded and arched down in front of Kahn.


    Kahn sat on its back and they headed towards the north where there was a broad valley full of boulders and water streams. After reaching midway, they both stopped and looked towards a big nest made out of Tree logs and branches. Inside this nest which was the as same size as a tennis field/ground, lied a giant snake-like creature sleeping soundly and basking in the rays of the sun. In between its wound-up body were 3 giant eggs with a golden color shell.


    In the morning, when Kahn & Omega started their hunting spree, they made a rookie mistake of not gauging their target''s strength. There was no strategy either, all they did was just waltz in and attacked their target. But unlike the Wilkers they hunted just now, this thing was a true Predator. Before Kahn and Omega even appeared in a 15-meter radius, it sensed them and attacked them instead.


    To make the matters worse, it had greenish acid spraying out of its mouth which melted a tree log as soon it got hit. Kahn & Omega had no other choice but to run off for their lives like chickens running away from a butcher.


    This creature had small horns protruding from its skull to the nape region, fangs & teeth of a snake and blue eyes & ck tongue. Its body had extremely white scales which looked fortified in some regions like a saw.


    This time, Kahn had a proper strategy. It was not like killing this creature was a must but he wanted that Poison ability which was very lethal. He could use it to kill his enemies and even melt some things like stone bs or even a boulder if he needed to.


    He wanted this type of skill because he didn''t think there''d be many creatures like this one in the forest. This wasn''t just some random nobody either. This snake-like creature looked like the boss of this area given how it was wide in the open and there was not a single animal or another monster that appeared near 2 kilometers in this area. This was its turf.


    Even Omega wasn''t strong enough to kill it. The reason why he didn''t sense any threat the first time because this creature could somehow mask its presence and appeared only big in size. But after looking at the giant eggs, Kahn understood that this was a female protecting her eggs and that''s why didn''t exude a noticeable aura or killing intent. There didn''t appear to be any signs of another one like this so he had both advantage in numbers and ways to distract the creature. Kahn & Omega looked towards a big boulder which was sized the same as a house and walked towards it.


    Luckily, this boulder was situated at a slope just in the direction of the nest. If they decide to push it from the edge, it would definitely roll down and hit the nest.


    Both Kahn and Omega pushed the boulder with all their strengths after activating some of their brute abilities and finally pushed and rooted out the boulder. They made sure to not cause loud grunting noises which could alert the creature again. Once they were finally done, both took a small rest while Kahn nned his next move.


    If this was Earth, current Kahn and his physical strength would make him as strong as Colossus from X-men who had aplete steel body. So moving this gigantic boulder with the help of Omega who was already strong enough to destroy a giant truck in a head-on sh was doable for them.


    "Just like we did itst time. But we need to be urate in our timing. I''ll divert its attention and you push down the boulder. Just make sure you don''t do it before ites close to me. Or our n fails and itter hunts us both till our deaths. Understood?" Kahn asked Omega.


    Omega nodded its head inpliance. Kahn activated his newly gained Sprinter ability and ran with very fast and long leaps from time to time. He reached towards the entrance of the valley again.


    Kahn stood there like he was going out on a war facing thousands of people by himself; with his broad shoulders and muscr body standing tall. As soon as he entered the sensitive area of the snake-like creatures, the creature opened its eyes again and looked in Kahn''s direction.


    HISSSS!!


    The creature hissed at Kahn, trying to scare him and telling him to stay away. But Kahn didn''t budge a bit, instead he activated his Alpha Wolf''s Howl ability and howled like a true wolf in the direction of the creature. The intensity & amplitude of this howl was so high that it caused ripples on the water that was flowing nearby.


    The next second, Kahn activated his War Dominance aura and stared straight into the eyes of the creature. This was a deration of War.


    The creature was angered to its core and finally lifted itsplete body out of the nest.


    10 meters tall snake-like monster with giant fangs stared at Kahn, with a look full of rage. It slithered in Kahn''s direction to attack him.


    "Omega, be ready or we both die today buddy!" Kahn spoke in a loud voice, he didn''t expect the creature to be this big.


    The creature kept slithering towards Kahn with a look of contempt and mockery as if an elephant was looking at an ant. It didn''t attack Kahn hastily, rather examined him before making the final decisive attack.


    Kahn then activated his sprinter ability again and ran in the opposite direction, which made the giant snake follow him as every big Predator liked ying with their food.


    Only after running 500 meters away from his previous location did Kahn stop.


    As soon as the Serpent reached 10 meters of his proximity, he shouted.


    "Now!"


    On the other side at the top of the slope, Omega finally received themand. He was already ready, he quickly ran and mmed his body on the giant boulder to give the final push.


    Just as the boulder started rolling and gaining momentum due to the slope, the giant snake finally moved its head towards the direction of the noise and saw where the boulder was headed to... The Eggs!


    It slithered its way across the small boulders and the water stream in hurry and paced towards the nest but it was very far because Kahn had already led it at a distance far away.


    "Hit them from where they can''t see it." Kahn grinned. It was all part of his n. Naturally, he and Omega wouldn''t be able to do jack shit against a creature this strong. So he had no other choice but to use this method. He quickly adapted from their previous encounter, understood the surroundings and used the environment to his advantage.


    The creature paced towards the nest with all its might and finally managed to reach it. But what awaited it was a giant boulder with so much weight and speed that there simply wasn''t enough time for the creature to engulf or wound up and take the eggs away. With no other choice, it had the only option to face the giant boulder with its body.


    It came in between the nest border which was made up of tree logs and put its entire body to stop the boulder or the eggs would be smashed to the bits.


    It sprayed all its acid from the mouth at the iing boulder, hoping that it''d melt just in time.


    BANG!!


    A loud sound of two hard things banging against each other resounded in the area. Sadly, the creature overestimated its abilities and got smashed in the head with the giant boulder before it even started melting. Half of its body was squashed under the gigantic boulder as well. There was a defensive armor-like shell that appeared on its head in thest moment, clearly its lifesaving ability. But even that wasn''t able to protect the serpent. And its body lied just close to the nest. Bearing all the brunt of the boulder and protecting its children at the expense of its life.


    Kahn looked at the eggs, he clearly understood what his actions meant. He chose to use the maternal instinct of this giant serpent to protect its eggs and to force it to face off that iing boulder. It was the only way he could kill it. Otherwise, he naturally wouldn''t dare to do it until he was at least 20 times stronger than his current strength. And he wouldn''t use Omega to fight it out till itsst breath either just to gauge the Serpent''s strength.


    Kahn was sure that given the appearance and aura this creature in front of him exuded, it was definitely many times stronger than them.


    The old him as Elric in his previous life would never do something like this no matter what but in this world in his second life, he had to do whatever he can to survive and be stronger. Just by how his strength grew after he killed monsters and ate their cores, there was a long journey of bloodbath ahead for Kahn. So he had to put aside his feelings & heart and do what must be done.


    It was kill or be killed.


    Kahn took a deep breath and came closer to the dead body. Only now did he notice that the creature was around 25 meters long and the body width was that of a width of a small car. This wasn''t your average day-to-day monster, rather a rare species.


    Kahn ced both his hands on the ginormous body of the serpent.


    "System, tell me about this creature." Kahnmanded his inner system.


    [Scanningpleted. Information unlocked.


    Species : Somir


    Description : A descendant species of one of the 5 ancient Godbeasts, the Basilisk.


    Level : 40


    Abilities : Venom Acid, Acute Sense, Paralysis Gaze, Poison Immunity (Grandmaster/S Rank)


    Note : Host is advised to Absorb the abilities with the bloodline of this monster & must eat the core.]


    To this information, Kahn only stood still like a stone statue. Only after a dozen seconds he broke out of his shock and shouted


    "HOLY FUCK!"

 Chapter 13: The Regret

    <h4>Chapter 13: The Regret</h4>


    Gobsmacked! Kahn''s jaw hit the ground as soon as he heard the information. This wasn''t just some higher version of a species, it was a descendant of an ancient Godbeast!


    Although Kahn had no idea of what these Godbeasts were but given the fact that the word ''God'' was in the name, it was enough to give him a clear idea of how strong that mythical creature might be. Even for a descendant, the Somir in front of him was already a very strong creature.


    If not for Kahn using a despicable & underhanded method like using the kids to kill the mother, he possibly couldn''t have done it unless he had reached the same level as the one lying on the ground.


    "Absorb!"


    Kahn spoke & the Ability Absorption divine ability started working, but unlike the previous times, it took around 4 minutes to finally absorb the new abilities. But at the end of it, there was still 80% of the flesh and blood from the original body was left as it is. The system probably absorbed only that was enough & left the rest.


    Ding!


    [The host has acquired the following abilities :


    Poison Acid


    Paralysis Gaze


    Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)


    Acute Sense


    Somir''s Scales


    Basilisk Bloodline absorbed : 30% purity


    Note : Acute Sense merged under Survival Intent Blessing. The uracy of Survival Intent ability increased by 40% and the range increased to 15 meters.


    Synthesis Divine Ability activated!


    Host can merge Predator''s Eyes & Paralysis Gaze to create a new skill. Would host like to perform the synthesis?]


    "Synthesize." Kahn said without a hitch.


    [Synthesisplete. Host can now divert his killing intent towards a single target and the target will be paralyzed on the spot, unable to move its body for the next 20 seconds.


    Works only on target weaker than the Host.


    The host must name this first Merged skill.]


    Kahn thought for a moment about the most fitting name. With this newly created skill, he could simply make anyone attacking him stop midway through their attack, paralyze them on the spot and simply walk towards them and end their lives under those 20 seconds. This was him simply executing his enemies.


    "Executioner''s Gaze."


    [Congrattions to the host for creating the first skill. The efficiency of Executioner''s Gaze increased by 50% and time extended to 30 seconds.]


    "Bloody hell!" Kahn shouted and startedughing like the Joker.


    This new skill was just too OP. Imagine if he could upgrade this ability in the future and use it on multiple targets at the same time. He''d be able to face any Ambush with ease. Even with just a single target, this could save his life if he were to fight someone who''s attacking from a long distance like an Archer or attacked him from stealth like an Assassin. Kahn would be able to sense the attacker with his Survival Intent and then use Executioner''s Gaze to root them on the spot. This skill will definitely be one of his trump cards.


    After finally stopping his maniacalughs, Kahn activated and tried out Somir''s Scales ability. Quickly, ck hexagonal skin as hard as an iron shield appeared around all over his body. And the best part was that it was very lightweight and didn''t hinder Kahn''s physical movements at all. This was by far his best defensive skill because even Wilker hide skill put a lot of restrictions on his body parts with all the spikes and bulged-out regions which would be a problem if he was wearing any clothes and had to use this ability to protect himself. If he was forced to use it among a crowd, he''d bebeled as a monster or a mixed race.


    Kahn wandered a bit and asked the System,


    "Hey system, this wasn''t listed in the Abilities of the Somir when you scanned it. So how did I get this ability ?"


    [Ability Absorption divine ability can extract all forms of physical & magical abilities, bloodlines of rare species & skills from any targeted being.


    Somir''s scales are its unique & exclusive physical ability. Extremely rare even amongst other Descendant species of Godbeasts. The scales can''t be broken through even with Alpha Wolf''s ws ability the host already has.]


    This gave Kahn another revtion.


    If they had not used the Gigantic boulder''s speed and weight while forcing the Somir to use its body to protect the eggs, they possibly would never have managed to kill it.


    Forget killing it, both Kahn & Omega''s most offensive abilities & skills wouldn''t have even left a scratch on the scales.


    "Is the Goddess of Luck in love with me?" Kahn asked himself.


    First, it was the pack of wolves he luckily managed to kill just in time before his Berserk God Mode ended and now this terrifying creature which he couldn''t have managed to kill even with all his attacking abilities without dying at least a hundred times before he could even make it bleed.


    "Oh my God! Is this the legendary Plot Armor?!" Kahn asked himself, full of awe & disbelief.


    Because given how things were going in his favor whether it was keeping his life in thest moment or gaining abilities suitable and to his advantage given his current situation, there was definitely someone akin to a God helping him from behind the shadows.


    Author : *tips imaginary hat* Yare yare daze.


    "Whew.. Protagonist halo huh.." he spoke to himself and then examined his body again. The scales covered many vital organs on his body such as his heart, his abdomen, neck region and private parts. His shoulders & arms looked like Batman''s Batsuit from The Dark Knight only with hexagonal patterns in his case. His entire body had be a walking and breathing armor.


    Apart from his face, he could cover his entire body in these ink ck yet shiny and lustrous scales which even reflected the sun rays to some degree.


    Kahn finally got a hold on his emotions and tore through the abdomen region of Somir which wasn''t covered by these scales. And took the core out of the Somir''s heart.


    But unlike all his previous encounters with the monster, this core wasn''t red but Violet in color and radiating a faint glow as well.


    "System, what rank would the Somir be atpared to all the Monster species in your knowledge ?" Kahn asked. He wanted to grasp exactly what level of monster did they luckily killed.


    [ording to System''s database, the Somir would be ranked at Legendary level. Just below the Mythical and Godbeast Level.]


    At this point, Kahn grew numb & forgot to even breathe.


    "What the fuck? Legendary Level ? Did I just pick a fight with a Legendary monster and even managed to kill it without dying?" Kahn sat on the ground,pletely out of his wits.


    [For what it''s worth. The Somir in front of the host is only 50 years old. A fully matured Somir would be at least Level 200 and around 500 years old. The host has lucked out.] The system replied trying to console Kahn.


    "Yes, extreme luck. Otherwise even that boulder wouldn''t have managed to kill it, rather the boulder would''ve cracked instead if it was a matured Somir." Kahn finally came to terms with his luck.


    "Hey system, will there be any side effects if I eat it in one go? This core looks extremely high grade & powerful. I won''t explode right after eating it, right?" Kahn asked, he wasn''t stupid to eat out something that looked so powerful & full of magical energy.


    [No. Ability Absorption divine ability will control the flow of the mana absorbed and distribute it inside the host without causing any side effects to the host''s physical body.] System informed Kahn.


    "Truly a Cheat code." Kahn sighed and ate the Violet Core of Somir. A sudden surge of energy emanated from the core as soon as it reached inside Kahn''s stomach.


    Kahn quickly signaled Omega to be on guard and sat on the bare ground with his legs crossed, in a Buddha Lotus position just like those Cultivation Manhuas & Novels. He understood how crucial this moment was. His entire body felt like it was breaking through its limits every second and Kahn went into a meditating state, focusing on the flow of Mana inside his body while trying toprehend how Mana itself functioned in this world.


    From what God of Darkness told Kahn back then, the magical energy in Vantrea was so abundant that creatures here absorbed it inside their Souls which eventually allowed their bodies to adapt to it and be fortified with time.


    And otherworlders like Kahn who were summoned here had Souls far stronger than the creatures living here so their Souls could absorb both Magical & Natural energy in this world far many times faster and process it in a short time.


    During his meditative state, he felt that something inside him was bing morerger and denser as the core was being absorbed at a fast pace.


    Ding! Ding! Ding!..... The notification sound in his head kept ringing more than two dozen times and the aura Kahn was radiating was bing denser and the area covered under it was expanding gradually. Kahn was Leveling up at an unimaginable rate.


    After 2 hours of being in this state, Kahn finally opened his eyes. With mental rity so many times higher than before, the reach of his eyesight bing so sharp that he could even see every single hair on his arm & even count them without losing track. His entire thought process became 3 times faster than before and his demeanor changed from a warrior-like man to a warlord who controlled everything around him.


    This wasn''t just physical or mental change, rather aplete transformation for Kahn. As if he was born anew and lived through decades of life fighting battles and reigning as a King.


    Kahn was no longer an uninformed man. He understood one thing after his body and mind underwent this massive change. He had somehow managed to inherit the will of the Somir.


    "System, give me all the details on my Attributes & Skills. A detailed report." Kahn ordered. Even the way he interacted with the system had changed.


    Earlier, whenever he asked any questions ormanded the system, it was more like him relying on some external being who he needed. But now, the way hemanded the system was more like a Tyrant giving an order to one of his subjects.


    [ Host Attributes and Skills are as follows :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Level : 30


    Strength : 60


    Agility : 60


    Dexterity : 90


    Defense : 50


    Mana : 150


    Divine Abilities : Ability Absorption, Dimensional Law, Synthesis


    Blessings :


    War Dominance (Stage 1)


    Weapon Mastery (Master Rank)


    Combat Mastery (Master Rank)


    Survival Intent (Stage 1)


    Berserk God Mode ( 5 times the physical strength)


    War Deity Body (Stage 2)


    Gifts : All Languages Knowledge known to the War Deity.


    Abilities & Skills :


    Alpha Wolf''s ws


    Alpha Wolf''s Howl


    Long stride


    Sprinter


    Hunt Perception


    Predator''s eyes


    Panorama vision


    Wilker Hide


    Acute Sense


    Poison Acid


    Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)


    Somir Scale body


    Executioner''s Gaze ]


    Finally, after going through everything he possessed till this point, Kahn stopped thinking about his current state and calmed his mind.


    Without wasting any more time, he jumped inside the nest and came closer to the Golden shelled eggs that the mother Somir died protecting.


    Kahn had no regrets for what he did until now, but after inheriting the Somir''s Will. He felt an innate form of connection towards these eggs as if they were his own kin, like they were his own children.


    He touched 2 of the 3 eggs with his hands andmanded the system again.


    "Check their situation. Can they survive?" Kahn spoke.


    [Scanningplete. Both the eggs are in the midway of maturity. However, they have already formed the traces of their bloodline & their cores..]


    At this moment, the system voice stopped as if hesitating to reveal more. But then after a long pause, it continued again.


    [But without Mother Somir managing heat temperature to help their maturity, the embryos will die in 2 days. Only the heat received from the mother Somir can ensure their survival.]


    As soon as the system told him this, he put his hand on the 3rd egg only to receive the same response from the system.


    Kahn clenched his fists and a look of regret was on his face. He knew it was the will of mother Somir making him think this way because Kahn''s action in pursuit of strength & survival led to this moment. So what if this was a Kill or be Killed world? Did he really have to attack the Somir in the first ce? He could''ve gone somewhere else and left the Somir who was only guarding its eggs alone. And these rare eggs would one day breed life of their own. At the end of the day, these were Sentient beings just the same as Kahn was. Kahn didn''t just kill their mother, he also gave these little ones a death sentence.


    There were two conflicting sides in his head, one was justifying his actions while the other one was berating him for being heartless.


    Tears trickled down Kahn''s eyes as he looked towards the eggs and then the dead body of the Somir lying outside the nest. Unlike his own family who were never there for him.. This legendary creature which was a mother itself gave its life for the children without even flinching twice. This motherly love was something Kahn never felt in his previous life.


    "I''m sorry!" Kahn said and wiped off the tears.


    The Somir was indeed a Legendary creature to have its core form a will. So naturally, this will was making Kahn feel guilty for his actions. Kahn understood this as well but couldn''t find a way to justify his doing either.


    "System, tell me. Is there a way I can save these eggs?" Kahn asked.


    [With our current situation & abilities at the host''s disposal, it''s impossible.]


    "Dammit!" Kahn cursed, feeling even more regret than before.


    [System detects that the Host''s mind is being influenced by the Will of the deceased Somir.


    Taking precautionary measures. Would host like to terminate this external consciousness?]


    System asked, there was indeed a way for Kahn to not feel guilty any longer. And he''d be back to being himself before he absorbed the core.


    "Wait!" Kahn said. He did not want to run away from his doing.


    "Can I merge them and create a subordinate?" Kahn asked the system.


    [Yes. Since the embryos haven''t formed a full consciousness, they can be considered lifeless beings. But host will need a dead body to merge them with. Or the resultant subordinate will not possess any physical abilities of this species since the embryos haven''t developed any of them at this stage. With multiple cores and bloodlines that are yet to be awakened, the embryos will not yield a proper form of their species either.]The system gave all the possible oues to Kahn should he choose to use them for creating a new subordinate.


    Kahn understood what this would mean. A being that won''t be useful to him or won''t even have a proper consciousness even after going through his Synthesis divine ability. Kahn had no options avable.


    But then he suddenly saw the dead body of the mother Somir and had an idea.


    "System. Completely terminate the external consciousness." Kahnmanded the system.


    The next second, Kahn felt all the guilt he felt disappear as if nothing happened at all. His innate connection to the eggs was severed as well. And now he was back to his clear & focused mind he gained after he absorbed the core of mother Somir. But this didn''t mean that he had forgotten what he felt just a few seconds ago.


    Kahn wrapped his arms around one egg and lifted it, taking it closer to the dead body of mother Somir. He repeated the same action for the remaining eggs and came close to the head of the Somir. He gently patted on the lifeless head of the Somir and said with eyes full of regret and determination at the same time.


    "I''m sorry. This is the only I can make sure that your children didn''t die in vain. And whateveres out of this procedure, I promise you that I''ll make it so strong one day, that even the Ancient Godbeast like the Basilisk will not be able to stand on even grounds with it... That will be my penance for condemning your children to the fate of death."

 Chapter 14: The Rebirth

    <h4>Chapter 14: The Rebirth</h4>


    Kahn came back to the eggs made a physical touch to 2 eggs with his right hand and thest egg and the dead body of mother Somir with his left hand and left leg. All he had to do was form physical contact with all 4 of these in any way he could.


    "Merge!" Kahn activated his Synthesis divine ability and began the process of merging the eggs and the body together.


    Unlike the previous times, something different happened during this creation of a subordinate.


    Ding!


    [Host has acquired additional 20% Basilisk Bloodline purity through the 3 eggs. Since all the cores and the bodies belong to the same species, the resultant subordinate will inherit all the physical traits with Evolution skill unlocked. Since the host is in the possession of 50% pure bloodline of the Basilisk, host can choose to impart this bloodline to the subordinate being created.] System informed Kahn who was still notpletely over the guilt.


    "Will I lose the chance to use the Bloodline abilities of the Basilisk in the future?" Kahn asked. He had to know this first.


    [No. The Bloodline is already part of the host''s body. So the host will not lose it. However, host is currently not able to awaken the effects and abilities of this bloodline. The subordinate will be able to awaken these traits and skills with time.


    Host is advised to find more samples of this or any other bloodlines of Godbeast to acquire their abilities and even transform himself into these Godbeasts in the future.


    Note : Host will need to absorb a Mythical Rank Metamorphosis bloodline to aid this process.]


    "Do it!" Kahn said as soon as System finished giving the possible oues.


    Unlike the time he created Omega, this Synthesis processsted for an entire hour. This showed howplex and critical this whole process waspared to his previous attempt.


    Beads of sweat were dropping down Kahn''s head. He noticed that out of 150 points of Mana he had, only 5 points were left. This process indeed required a lot of mana as well. Still, he didn''t regret it or budge a bit.


    Finally, all the 3 Shadows that covered the 3 eggs and the biggest one which covered the entire body of mother Somir merged. But this time, another surprising phenomenon urred!


    A fog of dark color spread around 1 Kilometer radius from where Kahn was carrying out the synthesis.


    And an unimaginably chilling aura pressured the entire surrounding of the valley. Even the insects flying in the air fell. This was an aura of dread, anger and supremacy. Only exuded by the Kings of Empires or beings who were of higher forms and standing at the top in the food chain.


    This was the aura of an absolute ruler.


    The dark fog started coalescing together and the giant shadow that was covering the body of Somir was forming a shape that of a snake-like creature even taller, bigger & broader than the mother Somir was.


    Omega who was standing far away and was on guard duty when Kahn was carrying out the synthesis procedure even fell on the ground under this sheer pressure. By no means Omega was weaker, but the creature being created was already on a different league that both Kahn & Omega could notpare to.


    Finally after 10 minutes of adjusting its final form, the creature came to be.


    A giant ck Snake-like creature with two horns growing from the backside of its skull came into sight. Its bright yellow eyes with ck pupils, Two giant fangs and sharp teeth were revealed when it opened its mouth. Its entire body except the abdomen part was covered in dark & sturdy scales which looked like an upgraded version of Somir''s Scales. Even more sturdier, darker and edged with small spikes. When this creature stood with its full body, it was already 25 meters tall. And Kahn could not even see how long its total length was.


    The creature gazed at Kahn with dreadful eyes as if trying to defy Kahn''s control over him.


    Khan activated his War Dominance aura the next second, trying to disy his authority. To which the gigantic snake bared hisrge fangs against Kahn and screeched at him loudly.


    This was a war for dominance amongst those trying to establish their authority.


    Ding!


    The system voice sounded in his mind and the information about the creature appeared.


    [Synthesis sessful. New Subordinate created.


    Evolution skill unlocked.


    Species : Voronir [Variant Basilisk]


    Rank : Mythical ]


    Kahn could feel the pressure which was twice stronger than the mother Somir. He felt the killing intent from the eyes of this new subordinate.


    "Eyes full of wrath, trying to defy those who stand against you.. I have a fitting name for you.


    From this day forth, your name shall be... Rudra."


    After Kahn named the Gigantic Basilisk variant Rudra, the creature finally stopped baring its fangs against Kahn. But it did not budge from its ce.


    Unlike Omega who sat and bowed in submission to Kahn after being created, Rudra didn''t show any signs of acknowledging Kahn at all. Rather he looked like very dismissive of his owner.


    "System, why is he showing such attitude?" Kahn asked the system in a calm tone. Rudra didn''t make him feel threatened at all because he knew it won''t attack him because of the restrictions put on it by the Divine Ability which made him unable to attack or harm the owner in any way.


    What bothered Kahn was even after giving a name, the gigantic snake didn''t show any form ofpliance with him at all.


    [It''s because the subordinate is a being of very high species and rankpared to the host. Since it inherits the traits of its species and the bloodline of a Godbeast, the host is nothing but a weak and lowly creature in its eyes. If not for the restrictions ced by the Synthesis Divine Ability, it would''ve killed the host the moment it came into existence.] system replied.


    "Weak & lowly creature huh? Tell me system, if I were to fight Rudra in a head-on battle. What are my chances of winning?" Kahn asked out of curiosity to understand his new subordinate''s strength.


    [Zero.]


    "What? That strong? You''re not over exaggerating, right?" Kahn found it hard to believe.


    [No. Host barely has a 20% chance of escaping from Rudra if both are to sh in a fight to the death.] The system responded in a solemn voice.


    "Then what should I do? Because he at least has to listen to me or there won''t be any use of creating him at all." Kahn asked in a puzzled tone.


    [Simple. The host needs to be strong to an extent that not only the subordinate acknowledges but also fears the host.] System didn''t mingle any words and gave straight-up facts.


    "Damn it. Show me his Stats."


    [ Statistics for the Subordinate Rudra are as follows :


    Name : Rudra


    Species : Voronir [Variant Basilisk]


    Evolution skill unlocked (Level can be upgraded through eating other monsters. And Rank can be upgraded with higher & purer bloodlines of other Godbeasts or their descendant species.)


    Rank : Mythical


    Level : 62


    Strength : 1390


    Agility : 1350


    Dexterity : 781


    Defense : 1293


    Mana : 800


    Abilities :


    Corrosion Acid (Upgraded version of Somir''s poison acid)


    Hypnosis Gaze


    Imprable Scales


    Shadow merge


    Dominator''s Aura]


    Silence. Another moment of silence.


    Now Kahn finally understood why Rudra hadn''t acknowledged him as its Master. Becausepared to Rudra, Kahn was nothing but an ant.


    Even though there was only 20 Levels of difference between Kahn & Rudra.. The Stats between them were like the distance between Heaven & Earth. There was not even a need forparison.


    Every aspect of Rudra was at least 30 to 40 times higher than Kahn. Even if he were to be on the same level as the snake in front of him, he still won''t be able to cover the distance between their strength even by half.


    This creature was indeed on a whole level above the Legendary rank. Kahn felt worried that he won''t be able to control Rudra at his will at all.


    Because only Strong acknowledges the Strong. Weaklings are not even worth looking at in their opinion. And that''s why Rudra had not acknowledged Kahn in the slightest.


    The gigantic snake could just swat its tail and Kahn would be turned into meat paste. That was their current situation.


    Because no matter what, an ant cannot control a full grown Dragon.. A new born baby cannot control an adult King just because they held the leash. If not for the restrictions made by the Synthesis divine ability, Rudra could kill Kahn with a sneeze. And that''s why he had to look for a different approach.


    Kahn deactivated his War Dominance aura, giving up on trying to make Rudra submit to him. Rather he looked at Rudra as an equal. Because even with the difference in strength, Rudra was still bound to him and Kahn needed him to gain more strength and kill stronger enemies. Their situation was of being codependent on each other.


    "You understand what I''m saying, right?" Kahn asked Rudra.


    To this, Rudra only changed the way he looked at Kahn. From hostility to understanding.


    "Listen, I know I''m weakpared to you and maybe won''t gain the same strength as you anytime soon. However, you''re also bound to me even if you don''t like it. You''ll have to follow wherever I go and I''ll need your aid to kill those who are stronger than me. So I have a proposition for both of us." Kahn said as he gazed right in the eyes of the Mythical Basilisk variant without any hint of fear.


    Rudra slightly tilted his head as if he was saying ''Tell me more''.


    "Look, I can gain strength by absorbing the abilities of others & eating their cores. In your case, you need to eat their bodies and cores to raise your strength as well. So how about we work as partners on equal footing than a Master & Servant rtionship?" Kahn proposed his idea. This was the only avable option.


    Rudra screeched at Kahn again with disapproving eyes. He just wanted to kill the human standing in front of him but something kept stopping him from acting upon his will.


    He was a highly intelligent being so he understood that there was no other option avable. He had to work together with the Human.


    "Good." Kahn said as he understood Rudra epting the deal through their connection.


    "System, I have a question. Why are both subordinates ck? Even the Somir Scales I used were ck ?" Kahn needed some rification as this kept happening frequently.


    [Host is the chosen representative of God of Darkness. You have a very high affinity towards the Dark elements in Vantrea. Whether it''s Dark Magic or any physical ability which involves having affinity to certain elements.]


    "I see. Then what''s this Shadow Merge ability? Both Omega & Rudra have it." Kahn had noticed this same ability appear in both cases of the subordinates he created.


    [This is an exclusive ability for all the Subordinates created by the host which allows them to merge with Host''s shadow and be with him no matter where the host goes.


    Host can use it to carry the subordinate with him to any ce. There are no restrictions on time, space required or size of the subordinate.]


    "Amazing. This helps a lot. I thought I''d always have to hide them somewhere far from people''s eyes. Now I can just carry them with me. And I''ll never be alone either." Kahn let out a small chuckle. He looked at Rudra again and said,


    "Want to go and hunt some food and get stronger?"


    To this question, Rudra only maintained aloofness.


    "Aiyo. It''s like I''m asking a girl ''Where do you want to eat''. I wanted an ally, not a teenager throwing tantrums." Kahn shook his head helplessly.


    "Come. Hide in my shadow. We can''t let your giant body alert our preys. Stronger ones will have wider senses. It''ll decrease our rate of hunts." Kahn said as this humongous body was indeed easy to detect and cause amotion.


    Surprisingly, Rudra didn''t hesitate and turned into a ck shadow and mixed with Kahn''s shadow in just a second. Its building toppling body was nowhere to be seen.


    Kahn with newly acquired mental rity and mindset wasn''t bewildered by this fact. He ordered Omega toe to him, then he sat on Omega''s back and headed towards other directions where they previously avoided going.


    What followed for the next 2 days was a grand massacre and a huge change in the ecosystem as well as the food chain of the forest.


    Kahn & Omega saw how fierce Rudra was in his Combat state. Forget fighting back, many of the strong monsters like some hybrid species of tigers & lions, some odd-looking species which differed from anything Kahn ever imagined fell one by one in front of this mythical creature. Some even melted on the spot before they could even run or fight back against Rudra. Kahn cried tears of regret because sometimes, this new subordinate would not even let him absorb the abilities and even melt the cores. He had to constantly remind Rudra to leave the bodies intact first.


    And Rudra''s Hypnosis sight was even more frightening than his Corrosion Acid. Because as soon as the prey fell in eye contact with Rudra for long, the monster would stop fighting and insteade to them like the trio were its lifelong best friends. And some even died with happy expressions on their faces.


    But thanks to Rudra, they managed to kill monsters who were even at Level 65. Strength didn''t matter to Rudra because he was in a different league altogether. His stats were far higher for his level because of the bloodline & species rank. And with Kahn & Omega distracting the prey or goading it into attacking them and release Rudra out of Kahn''s shadow at crucial moments, they managed to catch their prey off guard and finish the fight in just a single sweep.


    The cores naturally went to Kahn as he needed them the most. He would asionally let Omega chomp on them as well because currently, the Dire Wolf was the weakest among the Trinity.


    Rudra only ate the bodies and left small ones for Omega. He found it beneath of him to eat the cores of these weak monsters which barely helped him raise his strength.


    If not for the Somir''s core, Kahn would be far weaker. But things turned out in his favor in the past two days. The stronger the enemy, the more beneficial the core for him.


    In just 2 days, Kahn went from Level 30 to Level 35. Omega went from 15 to 25 because he was eating both cores and the leftover bodies of these monsters. And Rudra only raised 2 levels as he needed much stronger enemies & cores to raise his strength. And they had killed all the possible candidates. There was nothing left for them in this forest any longer.


    On the 3rd day however, they heard a sound of infighting in the west of the forest. Kahn and Omega followed the noise while Rudra hid in Kahn''s shadow.


    After finally reaching the source of the sound, Kahn let out tears of joy.


    "Finally. Some humans!"

 Chapter 15: Praise thy Savior

    <h4>Chapter 15: Praise thy Savior</h4>


    There was a grotesque battle happening in front of a cliff. Kahn hid among the small trees and bushes and observed the scene in front of him.


    2 groups in a battle to the death, one appeared to be normal merchants & their bodyguards while the other being a group of bandits. And the merchant side at the losing side in this case. Only 2 merchants and 5 bodyguards versus more than 12 Bandits surrounding them. Many of the merchants and bodyguards lying on the ground, their bodies lifeless.


    Kahn who was watching from 30 meters distance from within the nts & bushes could clearly see what was exactly happening. These poor Merchants were ambushed in a well-thought trap. Because on bandit group side, there were only 3 casualties and 2 injured. While the Merchant side having lost more than a dozen men despite having around the same number of people.


    Kahn rejoiced in his head. He finally found a way to get out of the damn forest and also y the hero part so that the losing side will be indebted to him.


    Compared to how Rudra and Omega killed their enemies, the scene in front of him was like children ying house. And he too was ustomed to a lot of killing in the week he had spent in the forest. Plus he had absorbed the abilities of many predators in the forest. And acquired and merged many of their abilities.


    One being Hunter''s Intent he created after absorbing the abilities of a Hawk-like bird and a Scaly Lion-like monster. And this new ability helped him gauge the strength of his enemies like how Survival Instinct blessing from Kravel let him feel the killing intent directed at him.


    And he found that none of the bandits that were attacking the merchants & the bodyguards were nearly half as strong as him. But he decided to wait up a bit more.


    He had to make his entry in the most crucial moment. Otherwise, his help would go under-appreciated.


    Kahn wasn''t hasty to help because he knew that he too will be looked at suspiciously after he saved the poor merchants. Because a half-naked man, wearing wolf hideing out of a deep forest to help out poor travelers worked only in fictional stories.


    As soon as the trouble was gone, everyone would think like ''Red looks SUS''. And would point their swords at him next.


    Among the bodyguards, there were 2 women & 3 men. One of the women having a metal wand in her hand who was conjuring spells and creating barriers to help her allies. The other woman being an Archer who looked very skilled and fast at shooting her arrows every time an enemy tried to make a move.


    Out of three men, two were the Tank & the Swordsman while one looked like the Healer who was in the center of the battle formation. All these five had very a deep understanding of each other and their coordination was a sight to behold. This was a team that worked with each other for years.


    "Ah, ssic RPG stuff." Kahn thought.


    But no matter what, even a strong formation would fall in front of sheer numbers. The merchants were of no help in this case and the bodyguards were simply getting too tired to fight as the time passed.


    Finally, the bandits broke through their formation and attacked the mage and healer of the group. These two had no fighting capabilities at a short distance. Even the archer was forced to use her daggers as she lost the advantage of distance.


    The middle-aged man who was the tank and young swordsman were barely holding two to three enemies at bay by themselves. At this rate, they were all going to die.


    One of the Bandits shouted, "Don''t hurt the women, both are quite exquisite. We can enjoy their bodies for a long time."


    The voice came from a burly and tall man who was wielding a giant cleaver. His wide and strong arms easily managing to hold the weight and swing it without any problem.


    The tank who was already bearing the brunt of 3 bandits fell back after this neer attacked him with a vertical swing of his cleaver.


    "Follow the Boss''s orders. And don''t let themmit suicide! We can sell themter for a high price in the ves market as well. They are quality goods." said one of the bandits who was standing in the middle of their group and nocked an arrow, aiming towards the Healer of the group.


    Lecherous gazes were focused on both the women in the groups, while the men were already dead in their eyes.


    From the bushes across the road, a figure silently walked behind these bandits without making any sound. The figure stood behind one of the archers in the group who was the farthest from the battle.


    Before he could even notice anything, a strong hand covered his mouth while the other one grabbed his neck from behind. Before the archer could even make a sound, an unbearable amount of force was exerted from the hand and his neck was snapped right that very moment.


    The figure slowly put down the dead archer on the ground and looked towards another archer just 3 meters ahead. The figure walked behind this second archer and snapped his neck just like the earlier one.


    "Two down. Ten to go." the figure spoke softly.


    It was none other than Kahn. He decided that it was about time he interfered and saved the merchants and their bodyguards who were close to cross that threshold of life to death. But he chose to do it the silent way because waltzing in would jeopardize the lives of these people if the bandits were alerted and went all-in with their attacks.


    Now they were justughing at the defending side and passing on nders on the women about how they''ll y with their naked bodies.


    These remarks disgusted Kahn, yet he chose to use their diverted attention to his advantage.


    Kahn quickly left the scene and focused on the next batch of targets, the Healers amongst the bandit group.


    Kahn crouched from the bushes and silently appearing both these three healers. He had to be decisive because after this, the bandits would be alerted.


    He grabbed the neck of one of the healers and snapped it the next second! Before the other healer standing close even noticed anything, Kahn focused all his strength in his right fist and sent a devastating punch to other healer''s heads.


    BANG!


    The healer''s head exploded right on the spot, he didn''t even get to react and wail in pain before his head turned into broken eggshells and red blood and the brain sttered on the ground.


    "What?!" The remaining healer shouted in surprise, this made other bandits look behind their backs. What they saw was 4 dead bodies on the ground, while one had his brains sttered like a watermelon.


    Kahn did not stop and dashed towards thest healer in a single leap, his right knee focused towards the sternum of the healer.


    The force and momentum were so strong that as soon as Kahn''s knee touched the rib cage, the sound of bones breaking could be heard.


    "Ahhhhh!!", the healer shouted as his body was flung backward by that forceful attack, dropping on the ground the next second. The man spat a big chunk of blood from his mouth and started choking on it.


    Kahn didn''t waste any time looking at it and he ran towards the closest swordsman who was barely processing what just happened.


    The swordsman grabbed his sword tightly and ran to attack Kahn.


    "You fucker! Die!" he shouted and swung his sword horizontally. To this, instead of running away or trying to dodge the attack, Kahn increased his pace, and before the sword could even touch him, he was already in close proximity of this bandit. He quickly grabbed the wrist of this bandit, stopping the sword midway and twisted it forcefully. Kahn headbutted the swordsman and kicked him in his sacred temple with all the force in the leg.


    Crack!


    Two walnuts were broken that day.


    The bandit who just lost his ability to reproduce wailed in agony and grabbed his crotch.


    Kahn quickly picked up the fallen sword and held it like a long pole in his right hand, then closed his left eye as if trying to aim.


    The next second, he threw the sword with all his might at one of the bandits holding a scepter in his hand.. The mage!


    Before the mage could even react, the sword pierced through his neck, even breaking the bones and exiting out from the other side.


    Up to now, everything happened within just 20 seconds as soon as Kahn was noticed by the bandits. Naturally, they weren''t going to stand there and wait for Kahn to kill them.


    "Kill that motherfucker!" one of the bandits shouted and several of the bandits charged at Kahn, with eyes full of anger and hatred. They wanted to cut him into hundreds of pieces.


    The closest bandits attacked with his mace and aimed at Kahn''s head.


    Kahn who already had his Hunter Intent & Survival Instinct blessing active as soon as he entered in this fight, was already moving like a jaguar. Too agile and quick to react in just a second.


    He sidestepped before the swinging mace could even touch him and kneed the bandit in his rib cage.


    Bones cracked and the bandit caved in, the broken bones piercing his heart.


    "Who the fuck are you?!" the boss of the bandits finally shouted. His eyes were full of rage and killing intent.


    "Your death." Kahn replied in a stern tone and picked up the mace. He walked towards the swordsman who was lying on the ground with his hands holding his crotch after that sudden attack.


    "No! Don''te near me!" the bandit shouted, color dropping away from his face as he saw the murderous eyes of the half-naked man in front of him.


    KACHA!


    The sound of something hard broken could be heard in the area and just like that, another bandit fell. Kahn took out the mace from the mushed head which was lying on the ground like a broken watermelon.


    "Who''s next?" Kahn asked as he gazed towards the remaining bandits.


    Out of the twelve bandits, only five remained as Kahn systematically took out seven of the bandits in a matter of seconds.


    This eased the tension on the bodyguards who were suppressed till now and finally could fight on even terms with the bandits.


    The tank and the swordsman of their group already noticed Kahn when he took down the archers as they were fighting in the front. But they kept silent as they were more focused on fending off the bandits they were dealing with.


    "You''re going to pay for this. I''m going to torture you to death!" The big and brawly bandit boss shouted. The boss looked like a giant bear, had a long brown beard and his entire physique was that of a seasoned warrior.


    "Looks like you don''t get it. It''s not me who''s gonna pay. It''s you who will pay for your sins." Kahn said as he readies himself for a brute sh.


    "You took everything from me!" said Kahn loudly. Enough to reach the bodyguards and the who were fighting against the remaining bandits.


    "I don''t even know who you are." replied the bandit boss as he charged at Kahn.


    The giant cleaver swung around a couple of times, Kahn dodging them by sliding and sidestepping. Both times it looked like he barely missed the attack and survived by hair''s breadth.


    In response, Kahn also swung the mace but was tackled and defended against. The bandit boss was a skilled fighter and had tons of experience.


    Till now, Kahn only fought with his bare hands and didn''t even use a single one of the abilities & skills he gained by absorbing monsters. This would raise suspicion and he''d appear like a monster from the forest.


    Unlike the other bandits, the leader was well geared up and had a lot of his vital body parts covered in either iron or a leader armor. Kahn could easily rip that apart with his Alpha Wolf''s ws but he had to y the part so he wasn''t going to do anything that would arouse unnecessary questions.


    Another powerful horizontal swing came, Kahn squatted down and used a leg sweep to break the body bnce of the bandit leader who was already in motion.


    ng!


    The bandit leader fell on the ground as his entire body was in full momentum.


    Kahn quickly attacked the right hand that was holding the giant cleaver and broke the fingers on the hand with a single attack.


    Kahn''s macended on the chest of the fallen bandit boss and he kept swinging it over and over again till it broke through the chest armor.


    "Ah!.. Stop!.. No!" The bandit boss yelled while getting hit with the mace on his torso again and again. His chest was bleeding, his face was already bruised and blood was flowing from his nose.


    Somehow, Kahn''s hits were getting stronger and stronger and his body could barely retaliate.


    [Was this guy holding back till now?] the bandit leader asked himself.


    Kahn noticed that the remaining bandits were killed by the bodyguards with their impable coordination and timing. He turned his eyes back to the bandit leader and said,


    "Look, none of them are left. Shouldn''t their leader also join them?" Kahn said while acting as he was delivering a death sentence.


    "Let me go please. I''ll do whatever you want." The bandit boss begged.


    "Did you let my friends go?! Did you let all those women & children go?!" Kahn shouted in an enraged voice, hearable to anyone within half a kilometer. His voice contained wrath and despair at the same time.


    "What did we ever do to you?" the bandit leader asked in a deathly ghast voice.


    "The farmers. The mercenaries." Kahn said as he ripped apart the chest armor and clenched his fists. He sat on the upper body of the bandit leader and started punching the bandit''s face with only enough force to let the sound reach everyone''s ears.


    "Who the fuck are you even talking about?" the bandit boss said as he was barely able to stand these punches.


    "You don''t even remember them? You bastard! Were they just nobodies you killed for fun? Your mistake was letting me escape that time."


    Surprised, the bandit leader asked "Are you... One of those guys?"


    Kahn had no idea what this guy was talking about but yed along.


    St!


    The head was cut in two and the blood and brains were out in the open.


    The bad guy had yed his part. There was no more need of him.


    Kahn didn''t stop here, he looked towards the sky as if trying to remember something..


    "Yahhhhhhhhh!!!!" Kahn roared with all his might, his head held towards the open sky as he started sobbing on the ce, his voice trembling with pain & sadness.


    "Elena, Stephen, Pavel, Uncle Vasemir.. I''ve avenged you.. I''ve finally avenged you!" Kahn said as tears trickled down from his eyes.


    Kahn got off from the dead bandit leader''s body and fell on his knees as if a dam of hidden grief had finally broken down. He kept crying and wiping off tears from his face, the angle was good enough to get noticed by everyone from the merchants and the bodyguard''s side.


    This was a very touching scene for anyone who lost a family member or someone they loved.


    Finally after staying silent for a while, an elderly man who was one of the merchants and the middle-aged man from the bodyguards walked in close to Kahn.


    The elderly man spoke in a soft and gentle tone.


    "Thank you, young man. You saved all of our lives today. If not for you, none of us would be alive at this moment."


    "Yes. We would be dead men and the women in our group would be left to a fate controlled by these bastards. And we would never be able to avenge our fallenrades either" said the middle-aged man who had a giant shield on his back. His built was no different than the bandit leader but he looked more of a father figure type of person. He had grey hair strands in the middle of his head and apletely white beard.


    The elderly man was scrawny but had an appearance of a well-off businessman just by looking at his clothes.


    Kahn replied with a solemn voice, maintaining his previous demeanor.


    "I didn''t do it for you."

 Chapter 16: First Dispute

    <h4>Chapter 16: First Dispute</h4>


    Kahn stared at the two old men standing in front of him.


    "These bastards attacking you and me finally finding them at the same time is just a coincidence. Nothing more." Kahn said as he got up on his feet.


    The next moment, the elderly took out a pouch full of coins that were bulging out of it." He said,


    "Lad, take this as a gratitude for saving our lives. I don''t have any other way to thank you at the moment. So please ept this." the elderly man pushed forward the pouch full of coins.


    "Keep it. I don''t want your money." Kahn declined.


    This raised the opinion of him in the eyes of both the men in front of him. Not only did he came in thest moment and saved their lives, even though he did it to avenge hisrades; it was still an unforgettable deed. And then he declined the money as well.


    In their line of work, just hiring a bodyguard demanded an exorbitant price and many merchants won''t do it unless the profits were extremely well paying. But when faced with life and death situation, many of these hired experts often chose to run instead of honoring their deal to protect the employer.


    Kahn''s gesture made it sure that he didn''t appear in thest second just to fork out more money from them as a form ofpensation.


    The middle-aged man nodded at his conduct.


    "Tell med, what''s your name ?" the middle-aged man asked.


    "Kahn." replied Kahn with no other emotions on his face. This helped him maintain his image of someone grieving but trying to control it on the surface.


    "I''m Markus. Leader of the Diamond Adventurer team. Well.. What''s left of it anyway." the middle-aged man.. Markus gazed back at the dead bodies of his fallenrades, his eyes were wavering with grief but he was maintaining a calm and patient look on his face.. Like a true leader who must be able to control himself in any situation.


    Hisrades however shedding tears at the bodies of their dead friends and team members.


    "I... I''m sorry for your loss. Maybe if I reached here any sooner, some of yourrades could''ve survived." Kahn said with an empathizing tone as if he too understood the loss.


    "Not your fault. You''ve already helped us enough." said Markus.


    The elderly man decided to introduce himself as well, "My name is Nik. Leader of ck Griffin merchant enterprise." he reached his hand to shake.


    Kahn shook his hand and nodded.


    "Do you have a ce to go? Why note with us?" Nik asked.


    "Where''s the nearest town from here? I have been in this forest for weeks now." said Kaun candidly.


    "To survive in this dense forest for weeks on your own.. No wonder you''re so strong and good at killing." Markus said. He already had judged Kahn to be a trustworthy person and he gave a side nce to the elderly man.


    "If you don''t mind. You cane with us. I can help you get back to your home." said the old merchant.


    "I... I don''t have a home. Not anymore." said Kahn with a crestfallen look as if remembering his fallen family again.


    "Apany us. Then decide what you want to do next. Staying here is not safe." Nik said with a caring voice. If not for Kahn, none of them would be breathing now. He wanted to repay this favor in any way he could. And they too had their fair share of people to mourn.


    Kahn nodded and joined the team.


    After clearing the battlefield and putting all their dead colleagues andrades in different carts, the team of remaining survivors finally left off.


    For the next two days, they traveled without a problem. Kahn kept it to himself and didn''t converse with anyone much including the old man Nik, maintaining his image of someone grieving.


    The whole mood of the caravan was of loss and suffering, everyone grieving in their own ways except this guy who was just keeping up an act.


    Finally, after they reached well-paved stone roads and saw a giant city gate, only then did Kahn''s eyes showed some interest.


    As he looked towards the giant city gates full of people going in & out, many Demihumans & the type of people he didn''t even read about in any fantasy-rted novel or story among them, Kahn got curious.


    There were three things on his priority list now.


    Kahn spoke to himself.


    "Money. Information. Authority."


    The giant gates of the city were full of the crowd running to and fro, going in and out without stopping. A huge que was nailed on the top of the city gates.


    The first city Kahn came to see in Vantrea ever since he entered was called ''vot''.


    "Stop! Identification first." said the guard on duty who was donned in a well fit armor suitable for a gatekeeper.


    "Let me handle this." said the elderly merchant Nik. He went and talked with the gate guard, pointing his finger towards Kahn who was still half-naked in the wolf hide.


    The guard gave an understanding look to Nik and the old man secretly passed a small pouch of coins to the guard.


    "You may pass." said the guard and their caravan moved along. The other guards didn''t say or stopped them either as they entered the city.


    It looked as if all of them had a share in bribes.


    Civilization.. finally Kahn saw well-made buildings and houses, entire streets full of people of different races, facial structures and many unrecognizable species Kahn hadn''t seen or heard of before.


    There were some among the crowd that didn''t walk, rather crawled on the stone-paved road while some more than 2 to 3 legs.


    Kahn could see that the buildings didn''t follow any set type of architecture or design either. Some were made from hard stones while some were made of lustrous woods and aesthetically pleasing to look at.


    Even though Kahn did not know or understand any of the words or thenguage written on the top of these buildings and shops, his brain was registering and telling him their meanings thanks to the All Languages Knowledge blessing he received from Kravel, the War Deity.


    He too realized that when he was speaking with others, his mouth movements spilled very different words innguages he didn''t even know. Just that the mind connection was telling him that he spoke was something he too understood.


    He had broken thenguage barrier he''d have to surpass if he wanted to mix inside this new world. Kahn thanked Kravel again in his mind.


    After going through a long-distance and crossing various streets, finally their group stopped around arge building with multiple doors and peopleing and going out of the building. Which was as big as aplete football ground and had gates in all 4 directions.


    The Adventurer''s Association.


    Markus went inside the building andter came back with over a dozen of people who looked like the staff of the organization.


    They started unloading the bodies of the deceased that died in the bandit ambush. Just then, Nik along with a young man who was of the same age as Kahn walked behind him.


    "By the way this is my son, nev." said Nik.


    The young man beside Nik finally spoke.


    "Thank you for saving our lives that day. I didn''t get to thank you properly because it was my first time watching something... So.."


    To this, Kahn stopped him midway with a hand gesture and spoke.


    "Understood. Nobody can digest it the first time."


    "Kahn, what will you do from here? You said you don''t have a home or a ce to go a couple of days ago." asked Nik.


    "No idea. I''ve only lived a life as a mercenary since childhood. The only thing I''m good at is killing people and monsters alike." Kahn said in a worn-out manner.


    He was faking his background right on the spot which would also justify how he was really good and organized while killing those bandits one by one.


    "Why don''t youe with us for now. I can offer you a ce to stay and get used to this ce. I still haven''t repaid you for saving our lives." Nik reminded again about his previous proposal.


    "Thank you. I really appreciate it." nodded Kahn. This was what he needed the most right now. A ce to stay and make his future ns.


    "Great. This way, we''ll get to know each other better as well." said nev.


    He too was very thankful to Kahn and wanted to help him out after hearing from his father that Kahn was alone and lost all his friends and family to the bandit attack.


    "By the way, what does your Merchant Enterprise sell?" Kahn asked as the dozen of carts they rode until now were big enough to carry a lot of goods and apart from the two they used for the dead bodies, the rest werepletely full.


    "We dabble in all of them. Food, Weapons, Medicine and Rations. We even have our own cksmith shops in the city. The carts have resources and even weapons we bought from small viges which we''ll sell in our shopster." replied Nik with a proud expression.


    "Wow.. That must have taken years to build and solidify your enterprise." Kahn said in admiration.


    He was an ountant in his previous life. He knew how hard it was to open a business and keeping it afloat, let alone making profits out of it. And to manage all these different sectors in the business, one had to work very hard and very efficiently. Just one wrong move was enough to ruin it all.


    "We have to bring some people to carry the carts back to our warehouses. So it will take some time. Why don''t you take a look around the Adventurer''s Association till then?" said nev.


    "I was already nning to do that. I have some monster cores to sell. I''ll make some money there as well. Clothes cer." said Kahn.


    "Okay, we''ll see youter." said Nik and left with his son.


    Kahn entered through the giant door and surprisingly nobody stopped him. As soon as he entered the inside of the Adventurer''s Association, he looked towards the crowd sitting inside the huge hall. At the end of it were receptionists engaged with various adventurers.


    Amongst the crowd, Kahn saw some Werewolf beastmen, Elves, some who looked like Lizardmen and even a guy with nothing but a giant eye in the middle of his face, like a cyclops.


    Kahn walked towards one of the vacant counters, where there was an old man around his 60s.


    "I have some monster cores to sell. What''s the procedure?" Asked Kahn.


    The old man looked at Kahn and his attire, surprised.


    "Sorry. But we only deal with registered adventurers." said the old man who resembled Alfred from Batman movies a lot.


    "How do I sign up?" asked Kahn.


    "Identification and you''ll have to go through our assessment first. If you pass, you''ll be officially registered as part of Adventurer''s Association." replied the man with no expression on his face. As if he had uttered the same line millions of times.


    "I don''t have any. Never needed it before. Is there any other way?" asked Kahn.


    "Umm.. That''s a bit of a problem." said the old man.


    Just then, a voice rang from behind Kahn.


    "Oi, get out of the way. I''m in a hurry!"


    Kahn turned his head to his back and saw a blonde girl d in full body armor resembling that of a Knight.


    "Can''t you see I''m talking here? Besides I came here first." Kahn replied and turned his head back toward the old man.


    "What important things a barbarian like you have to do? Just do themter after I''m done you disgusting caveman!" said the girl again.


    Kahn rolled his eyes and didn''t mind the banter as he continued to talk with the receptionist.


    However, their little argument brought the attention of the nearby people. Some looking pitifully at Kahn as if he was going to suffer dire consequences for rebuking the girl.


    "Another one." sighed a bald man who was sitting on a bench across the room.


    "Hey, are you ignoring me you fucking imbecile?!" roared the girl.


    Kahn got pissed at this point and turned his head towards the girl.


    "Hey princess, don''t you know the basic manners? You get in line and wait for your turn." Kahn said with an annoyed expression on his face.


    Suddenly, the entire hall went silent. Even the receptionists working on other counters stopped their tasks.


    "You.. What did you just call me?!" the girl pulled the sword out of the sheath that was hanging on her waist.


    "Princess.. What, you don''t likepliments? Or should I call you gorgeous instead?" replied Kahn with a solemn expression.


    "You bastard! I''m a man!" said the girl.. the man.


    Author : It''s a trap!


    "What? You''re joking, right? You''re too pretty to be a man." Kahn said with a surprised tone.


    Fumes of rage came across the face of the girl who was iming to be a man.


    At this, suddenly the crowd burst intoughter!


    "Hahaha. Too pretty to be a man. That''s a new one! HAHAHA!"


    Many amongst the crowd startedughing at the blonde who was pointing the sword tip at Kahn at this point.


    The old receptionist behind the counter sighed.


    "Don''t make trouble. It''s just a misunderstanding." he said to the blonde pretty boy.


    "What did you say? Don''t you know who I am? Do you want to get your bones broken by our Adventurer''s team you old bastard?"


    The blonde guy shouted and trembled with rage as if he was going to jump on the old receptionist the next second.


    Kahn had enough of it already. He asked the old man,


    "Is it allowed to beat someone inside the association building?"


    The old man was stunned but quickly replied.


    "No... Not as long as it injures anyone gravely."


    "I see." said Kahn said candidly.


    "You think you can beat me, you fucker!" the blonde shouted.


    SLAP!


    A loud noise of a crisp p sounded in the hall.


    Many people having their mouths open and some rooted on the spot.


    In front of Kahn, lied the blonde guy who was cursing him for no reason. The blonde guy''s left cheek was full of red finger marks and he fell on the floor with just a single bitchp.


    "Get out of here before I get angry."

 Chapter 17: The Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 17: The Ambush</h4>


    The entire hall of adventurers association had pin drop silence.


    "You.." the blonde guy got up and charged with his sword pointed towards Kahn''s abdomen.


    Kahn quickly sidestepped and sent out a punch in the guy''s abdomen instead. His reaction time and the attack were very fast, many couldn''t even see it properly.


    Bang!


    The sound of metal and floor colliding rang.


    The blonde man lied on the floor five meters away from Kahn. That one punch alone was enough to fling him back.


    The blonde guy got up, his body trembling and barely managed to stand up. He looked towards his armor and saw a big fist-like dent that was caved in.


    This punch would''ve put him close to death if not for the metal armor.


    "Just you wait here! I''ll see if you can stand on your feet after I''m back!" said the blonde guy and ran out embarrassingly.


    "That wasn''t very wise, young man. He''s the younger brother of the leader of Groundhog Adventurer''s team. They''re very powerful and barely 2 other teams can rival them. This guy won''t let this incident go. It''s better if you leave now."


    Said the old receptionist with concern on his face.


    "What about the registration?" Kahn asked as if what happened just now didn''t bother him.


    "Come some other day. It''s not safe for you to be here any longer. We can''t protect you as soon as you leave the premises of the association. It''s better to get a head start and hide." said the old receptionist.


    "Do me a favor, at least give me some money for these. I don''t have a single coin on me." said Kahn and passed over half a dozen red monster cores to the old man.


    Understanding his situation, the old receptionist didn''t preach about rules. He too liked Kahn for standing up against the blonde princess guy who was badmouthing them both. He quickly took out a pouch with dozens of coins in them and passed them to Kahn.


    "Go find some inn or guest house to stay out of trouble. They won''t go searching around through the entire city just for one person." said the old receptionist.


    "Thanks." said Kahn as he grabbed the pouch and left the building.


    He didn''t think about waiting for Nik & nev as this incident wouldn''t bring anything good to the Father & Son duo. They were honest merchants after all.


    After watching the old receptionist and people across the hall, Kahn got the hint that he had picked up a fight with someone he shouldn''t have messed with just by the expression of the people present there.


    He wasn''t stupid enough to get an innocent bystander mixed in his fights.


    Kahn went to a nearby clothes shop and brought himself some clothes. A brown shirt and ck pantbo. With boots that perfectly fit him.


    He was no longer a half-naked man. He finally felt like a normal human being again.


    His next stop was none other than the city library.


    What he needed first was information about the world of Vantrea. Otherwise, he''d be out of the loop many times, and won''t be able to answer many questions of his origin or basic knowledge that was already in the popce. That''d raise many suspecting eyes.


    After asking around many citizens, Kahn finally reached the city library. The ce was half the size of the Adventurer''s Association but already too big for a library.


    After paying a small fee, Kahn entered inside and asked for books rted to the history of countries and information about the demographics of the ce he was in.


    Kahn found his Eidetic Memory from his previous life kicking in again. Kahn was relieved to notice it and sped up his search for all the useful information. He spent the next 4 hours reading through all the books about countries and general knowledge-rted records.


    Kahn had no words to describe the information he gained. This wasn''t just random Isekai World. It transcended beyond anything Kahn had heard or read in his previous life.


    Vantrea had a total of 15 Empires. Each one was as big as a continent on Earth.


    11 of these Empires worshipped different Gods. None worshipping God of Darkness at all.


    All these Empires were ruled by different species and had the doctrine of these Gods practiced throughout their history & cultures. Elven Empire worshipped God of Life, Dwarven Empire worshipped God of Fire, Beast Empire served God of Earth, etc.


    The remaining 4 Empires did not worship or serve any God on the paper.


    One empire was ruled by the Mythical and mountain-sized Dragons who were the strongest beings in the entire world. They did not get mixed in with other Empires and didn''t allow any form of contact with outsider species as well.


    One empire was literally underwater as it was the sea itself. No different than Antis from the Aquaman movie.


    The most recently formed Empire was none other than the Demon Empire which served and worshipped the Demon God. It was formed around 500 years ago. However, Kahn did not find any detailed information on it. This empire was currently at war with four neighboring empires.


    And then thest one was none other than the empire Kahn was sent to by God of Darkness..


    The Rakos Empire.


    Even in the Rakos empire, Kahn was currently situated at the edge of the empire. And what Kahn found about the history of his current whereabouts surprised him even more.


    The forest he was sent in was the biggest forest in the entire world, spanning more than 80 thousand kilometers. Yet no empire dared to take control of it. As it had too many monsters and ording to some rumors, few Godbeasts living in it.


    The Rakos Empire wasn''t ruled by any particr race or had no Royal Family controlling it. It was based on a Democratic structure for governing simr to many countries on Earth. And that''s why there were no limitations on any particr race, species and ethnicity.


    God of Darkness indeed sent him to a ce he could gradually fit in and grow stronger.


    In Rakos, preaching or creating any Religious organization such as Churches and Temples were prohibited and punishable by death. There were no exceptions as the empire believed in equality regardless of origins and bringing in factors such as Religious views and beliefs regarding the supremacy of a particr species or ss of people would breed nothing but chaos. The empire had gone through many wars and coups to reach where it was now.


    This was just very convenient for Kahn who needed a ce to hide and build his strength over time until he could protect himself even against the entire world.


    Thenguage they spoke in Rakos Empire was ven, anguage derived from the first-ever empire that existed in the world of Vantrea but now forgotten by history. And the established currency was Dramus.


    As the sunset fell, Kahn finally left the library and decided to look for Nik''s ck Griffin merchant enterprise. He needed a ce to stay after all.


    But after walking few miles, he suddenly stopped. His expression turning somber and his eyes turning wary on the spot.


    His face turned that of rage. Because at this moment, his Survival Instinct ability was warning him. He had a couple of eyes looking at him from the shadows, full of killing intent.


    Kahn could not see anyone in his surrounding that exuded any malicious intent towards him. Yet he couldn''t afford to be careless either.


    Kahn changed his direction and headed towards the outer areas of the city. After finally exiting the city from one of the gates, Kahn started running towards the dense tree lines and grounds that weren''t upied and were out of reach for city security to interfere.


    He finally stopped amidst these tall trees as he found a suitable ce big enough to contain a fight.


    As soon as he stopped, several footsteps could be heard from behind him.


    A couple of people appeared out of nowhere as if they were invisible before.


    Assassins!


    These people took out daggers and surrounded Kahn, not letting him escape. Kahn on the other hand simply waited as if he was expecting someone.


    Just a couple of minutester. More than 10 people joined the assassins. All of them looked just like the Adventurers he saw earlier today.


    "Master Illya. Bringing so many people just for one guy.. Don''t you think that''s a bit of a stretch?" a man donning Mage robes asked. From behind him, a familiar figure walked in, covered fully under metal armor and a well-crafted sword in his hand.


    "Did you really expect to live long after provoking me, you bastard?" said the figure.


    It was none other than the blonde guy Kahn beat inside the Adventurer''s Association hall.


    "I''ll give you ast chance. If you lick my boots and cut off both of your legs, I might let you live." said the blonde guy with a condescending look on his face.


    Kahn didn''t falter or was scared in any way. He said


    "With just you guys? You don''t have the skills to make me beg in front of you."


    "Hahaha. This guy must be so scared that his brain doesn''t work anymore." said one of the adventurers.


    The other armed men started circling Kahn and took out their weapons. Kahn however stood firm and had no hesitation in his eyes. His broad shoulders and warrior-like built appeared akin to an immovable mountain.


    "Can''t you see that you''re surrounded by us?" said the Blonde guy as he took out his sword and pointed it at Kahn.


    Kahn only smirked, his eyes full of murderous intent as if he had already dered these people surrounding him as dead. Since he was out of the sight of public eyes, he had no reason to hold back anymore.


    WAR DOMINANCE!


    Kahn released his War Dominance aura and covered everyone in his 20-meter radius.


    A pressure strong enough to make a grown man fall on his knees was released from his body.


    Every single one of these men started shuddering in fear, their bodies barely managing to stand up. Some already fell on their knees and started looking at Kahn as if they saw a monster.


    "You don''t get it, son. I''m not surrounded by you..."


    Kahn said as he walked menacingly towards the group of men, releasing his dense aura full of chaotic energy and killing intent as if a War God was looking down on all of the creations.


    "You''re all surrounded by me!"

 Chapter 18: Im Vengeance

    <h4>Chapter 18: I''m Vengeance</h4>


    In a deste area surrounded by the dense tree line, a man was facing a group of people pointing their weapons at him. However, instead of running away and cowering in fear; the man walked towards this hostile group with an overbearing demeanor.


    Kahn stared at the group that was surrounding him from all directions but none of them dared to move a single step forward.


    Under Kahn''s War Dominance aura, the group of Groundhog adventurer team members shuddered in fear and many had beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads.


    "Now which one of you wants to die first?" Kahn said as he kept releasing his chaotic and deathly aura.


    Kahn''s War Dominance aura had undergone many qualitative changes after he hunted down many powerful monsters and absorbed their physical and innate skills. He had already merged few abilities under the War Dominance blessing give to him by the War Deity himself. The current extent of this ability was far beyond when he hunted the pack of wolves and almost died on his first day in the forest. And Kahn had also leveled up by many levels after eating the core of the legendary Somir.


    He was no longer a man who''d get surprised easily or react hastily, rather someone who always maintained a calm and calctive mind. That''s why he lured these people outside of the city when they were pursuing him. This way, there would be no witnesses.


    "No one? I guess I should go by my personal preference." Kahn said as he gave a small smirk and looking around.


    "Fireball!" shouted the mage in the group and sent out a giant fireball at Kahn.


    Kahn who had both his Survival Intent & Hunter''s Intent active at the moment sensed it as soon as the mage started casting the spell.


    Kahn quickly used the Side Hopper ability he created after hebined the Long Stride & Sprinter ability during the previous 2 days when he was traveling towards the vot city with the caravan.


    BANG!


    The giant fireball finally hit a human body.. just not Kahn but the man that was standing behind him.


    "What the.." said the mage. His spell was really fast and his aim was urate, but he hit hisrade instead of Kahn.


    "Nice. Casting time is short and uracy is very good as well. It''ll be useful for me."


    Suddenly the mage heard a voice that came from his right side, the man who spoke was none other than Kahn.


    "Ahhhhh.. Help me!" shouted the man who was hit by the fireball as his entire body started burning on the spot!


    Wails of a man being burned alive resounded in the middle of the dense tree line.


    Everyone present had an ashen expression on their face.


    "You bastard!" shouted Illya, the blonde man who brought these people to kill Kahn.


    Suddenly, the locket he was wearing let out a st of energy and the blonde man finally broke through the pressure of War Dominance aura and charged at Kahn.


    "Some people just don''t learn, do they?" sighed Kahn.


    As soon as Illya came in Kahn''s proximity, he swung his sword right at Kahn''s neck.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, the tall figure disappeared right in front of his eyes.


    "I already told you. You don''t have the skills." a voice came from behind Illya''s back.


    At this time, the mage finished chanting some kind of spell and created a flower-shaped magical formation that spread around the surrounding area and nullified Kahn''s War Dominance aura.


    Kahn who felt his War Dominance aura suddenly fading gave a surprised look.


    All the people who were rooted on the spot under the immense pressure finally felt their bodies be light and able to move again.


    Terrifying! The man in front of them was terrifying!


    "Oh, so it can be countered? Or am I not strong enough to maintain it when someone interferes?"


    [The War Dominance blessing only works at the physical bodies of the targets. But if the targeted individual has an object with magical skill or an innate ability to break the pressure exerted, then the ability will not work on that individual.] The system which had been silent in the past 3 days finally spoke again.


    "I see. So that''s how the mage escaped." Kahn spoke to himself and started running towards the recovering as he activated his newly synthesized offensive ability after mixing Alpha Wolf''s ws and Blue Lion''s ws, one of the monsters he hunted in the forest with the help of Rudra.


    Kahn''s hand turned into a ck and blue patterned w and ayer of hard metal-like skin covered his entire arm.


    Kahn named this ability ''Ripper w''. Simply because it was enough to rip through any steel or metal armor easily.


    As both his arms turned to that of a monster, the surrounding Adventurers who were just about to start running at him stopped midway.


    "What the hell! Is he some kind of monster?" yelled one of the people.


    "Don''t keep staring at him. Attack him together!" shouted Illya as he fully released some kind of offensive ability that made his sword and his entire body glow red.


    The archers in the group took out their arrows dipped in some type of green poison and started shooting at Kahn.


    Kahn who was already expecting such attacks hopped from one side to another and evaded these arrows without a problem. His Survival Instict blessing was acting as his own Spidey-sense. Letting him feel the oing attack and murderous intent directed at him.


    Swish!


    Kahn disappeared from his position and appeared right next to the mage who broke through his War Dominance aura first.


    "Let''s start with you." Kahn dashed at the mage and put his ws through the man''s chest and ripped his heart out.


    "Mages truly have no defense." said Kahn and charged towards the close by swordsman who was just taking his sword out of his sheath.


    Rip!


    Before the man could even take out the swordpletely, Kahn appeared in front of him and swung his left w at the man''s neck. Taking out a chunk of meat from his neck as he swept past the man without even looking.


    A small spray of red blood gushed out of the man''s throat as he fell on the ground,pletely horrified and surprised to even register how quickly Kahn sliced through his neck without even giving the man a chance to defend.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Sound of metal and something extremely hard shing together rang and one by one, the bodies of these adventurers who had nned to ambush Kahn fell on the ground.


    In just 20 breaths since the mage broke through the War Dominance pressure, more than 8 people died at the hands of Kahn who looked like a ferocious beast hunting them one by one. His movements were no different than a Predator beast taking out his prey one by one with its swift dashes and deadly ws.


    Every hit was aimed at a vital point and he''d make sure that his ws hit deep enough to kill the man on the spot.


    The remaining 5 people were so scared that their bodies were shivering with fear and their hands trembled so much to even hold their weapons properly.


    A monster! The man they thought was a weak nobody turned out to be a monster! His actions and the way he killed his targets were no different than the monsters these people often fought in forests or during their Dungeon expeditions.


    Kahn''s eyes were glowing red at this point because of his Hunter''s Intent ability being active which made him look nothing like a human. His hands were drenched in red blood and the droplets dripping from his sharp ws.


    "Run!" one of the men shouted as he ran for his life, trying to leave behind others before Kahn could catch up to him.


    "Omega!" Kahn shouted, suddenly a giant four-legged creature leaped out of his shadow and ran towards the man running away from the crowd.


    The Dire Wolf, who was the first subordinate Kahn created finally sprung up in action ever since they left the forest.


    "You.. Who the hell are you?!" Illya shouted, letting out a hoarse voice as he was barely able to ept this turn of events.


    This was supposed to be the other way around. He was supposed to cut Kahn piece by piece and watch him cry & beg for forgiveness as Illya tortured him to death for offending him in front of all those people in Adventurers Association hall.


    But the scene in front of him was theplete opposite of what he dreamed of. Rather than being the hunter, they were the ones being hunted.


    "Do you really want to know?" asked Kahn as he walked towards the remaining 3 men.


    "Yes, who the fuck are you?!" shouted one of the men standing beside Illya.


    "Well.. What''s the point in telling to someone.. who''s about to die."

 Chapter 19: Settling the Grudge

    <h4>Chapter 19: Settling the Grudge</h4>


    As the attackers stood rooted on the spot,prehending the meaning of Kahn''s response, a loud voice rang behind their back.


    "Gyaahhh!!!" suddenly the men heard an agonizing yell that came exactly from the direction where theirrade had run off to.


    Just as they turned their heads back towards Kahn, the man in front of them had already disappeared from their sight.


    "Above you!" a loud voice came and the remaining men saw a man leaping in their direction above their heads.


    But before the two men standing beside Illya could even react, their bodies were shed vertically by two giant ws, ripping apart their bodies and their leather armor in two.


    A gory scene of two mutted bodies, having their torn entrails, bones, and mangled flesh lying on the ground in a puddle of red blood took ce in just an instant.


    Illya, who was the only man remaining from the group of attackers was trembling in fear as a stream of hot liquid leaked out from his crotch..


    Kahn looked at Illya, totally disappointed at the sight in front of him.


    At least the other men died with dignity..


    "Le.. let.. me go." said Illya with an aghast expression on his face. Even uttering a single word was hard for him in front of the monster standing next to him.


    "And invite all the trouble of you leaking everything about this incident to everyone in the city? You think I''m stupid?" Kahn mocked the man who thought he still had a chance to stay alive after everything that has happened.


    "If you kill me.. My brother will find you. And your death will be very painful. He''s one of the strongest people in the city. Nobody dares to fight him one on one." said Illya, trying to weasel his way out using his mighty brother''s reputation, who was the leader of the Groundhog Adventurer team.


    At this, rather than thinking about the consequences; Kahn quickly grabbed Illya''s throat with his right hand and squeezed his sharp w. He took away the sword Illya was holding and threw it away with his left w.


    "Don''t worry.. If he finds trouble with me, I''ll send your brother to meet you in the afterlife." Kahn whispered close to Illya''s ear and tightened his clutch.


    Illya tried to wriggle his body and struggled to break free from Kahn''s ws but in front of this ferocious monster, his attempts proved futile. The light in his eyes dimmed and his body finally lost all its ability to stand.. Dead as a rock.


    Kahn threw away the lifeless body and wandered around his surroundings again. To see if he left any witnesses alive.


    Just then, Omega returned with his mouth and snout stained with fresh blood and he threw the head of the adventurer who ran towards Kahn''s feet.


    "Who''s a good boy?.. You are!" Kahn smiled as he petted Omega''s head.


    "Now.. Time for a small meal. You''re hungry, right?" Kahn asked as he started walking towards the dead bodies and put his hands on them.


    "Absorb!"


    Kahn went through them one by one and started absorbing all the useful skills of these ambushers.


    "Truly pathetic!" Kahn snorted as he finally finished absorbing the skills and abilities of the dead people.


    "Apart from the Assassins and the Mage, none of these idiots had any useful skills." Kahn said furiously as if all his efforts in killing these people went in vain.


    "System, show me all the skills & abilities I gained just now." Kahnmanded.


    [Host has learned the following abilities :


    Stealth (D Rank)


    Fireball (C Rank)


    Fort Wall (D Rank)


    Shooting uracy (D Rank)


    Mastery in Close Combat Techniques raised.


    The host has unlocked the following Combat Skills :


    Vital strike


    Dash


    High leap


    All the abilities 20% mastery at Master Rank]


    "Useless.. The way these guys were acting, I thought they''d at least have some decent skills." Kahn sighed as he started ripping apart the bodies of these men and took out their cores situated inside their hearts.


    "Garbage!" Kahn almost threw away the core he held in his hand. Because unlike the bright red cores he got from hunting even the most normal monsters in the forest, the cores of these adventurers were very dim and didn''t even give any shine at all. Kahn could easily tell that their cores were very weak. Not even worth taking a nce at.


    "Omega, eat them up. Make sure to tear their limbs with your fangs and ws. And the cores are all yours as well." Kahn said as he didn''t want to leave any traces that''d lead suspicions at him.


    Because sooner orter, these dead people would be dered missing and someone would investigate the matter. And eventually, they''de looking for him as he had a small quarrel with the blonde guy in front of so many witnesses in Adventurers Association.


    That''s why he only attacked these people with his ws alone without using any weapon and told Omega to rip apart their bodies while he ate them. So that it would look like these people were killed by some strong monster inside the deste trees. No one would suspect a thing.


    Kahn couldn''t even loot their weapons or any money these people had on their person as that too would arouse suspicion and eventually create unnecessary trouble for Kahn. He was no noob like those reincarnated MCs who made these rookie mistakes and left a trail behind.


    Kahn waited for 20 minutes as Omega was having a hearty meal of blood, flesh and cores.


    After he was done, Kahn ran through the woods and went towards the direction of the opposite gate instead of the one he exited the city. Even with his Sprinter ability, it still took him an hour to reach the other end of the city. He was back to the exact gate where he entered the city the first time.


    Kahn got in the queue of the people going in. And as his turn came, the city guards stopped him.


    "Identification." said the same city guard from the morning.


    "Brother.. I don''t have one. I lost all my belongings a few days ago." said Kahn sheepishly.


    "No identification, no entry!" said the guard in an upright manner.


    "Why don''t I tell you my terrible experience 2 days ago if you have the time. We can talk there in the corner." Kahn said in a hushed voice.


    The guard gave him an understanding gaze, he signaled another guard to take his ce as he walked towards a corner away from the gazes of people.


    Kahn pulled out the money he got from selling the monster cores this noon in Adventurers Association. The pouch was even twice the size of what Nik had gives the guards this morning when they entered the city.


    "Brother, I hope you can ignore my sorry situation. Here''s a small gesture of goodwill for your kind and understanding nature." said Kahn as he tucked the coin pouch in the guard''s pockets.


    "I see. You''re a very generous person. It will be too heartless of me to leave a man like you outside of city walls which aren''t safe at night." the guard said with a grin on his face as he felt up the big pouch of coins.


    Kahn nodded and entered the city again.


    He had to find the ck Griffin merchant enterprise now as it was the only reliable ce he could stay at.


    Kahn bought another set of clothes and boots from a store and threw away the old ones in a sewer, so no one could recognize him from the clothes either if there came a time of some unknown witness linking him to the murder.


    This time, Kahn bought a white shirt and gray pants with reddish boots. He strode around the city as it was already getting dark.


    Since he was still new to the city, he had to ask many people for directions. After another hour of painstaking search, he finally stood in front of the Merchant Enterprise building.


    Only now did he understood the extent of Nik & nev''s prestige. Because the building in front of him was damn huge. 3 stories building which was no smaller than a castle. Plenty of Merchants andmon people including many mixed-race humanoid demihumans were barging in & leaving out.


    As soon as he entered the building, he heard a voice.


    "There you are! I thought you won''t be able to find our location." said nev who had a bright smile on his face.


    "Yeah, I got lost a few times. This city is too big for my taste."ughed Kahn as he shook nev''s hand.


    "I heard you had some trouble at the Association. People told us when we asked about where you went." said nev with a worrying gaze.


    "Nothing big. Just some rich guy picking up on me for no reason. All matters have been settled already." replied Kahn with a nonchnt face.


    After that, Kahn and nev had a delicious meal in the private quarters of the Merchant Enterprise. Kahn finally tasted some decent food and not just roasted meat of monsters who always made him wary of having food poisoning.


    To Kahn''s surprise, the food was extremely delicious and full of various spices he never tasted during his previous life. He ate voraciously like a barbarian who was starving for weeks.


    This put nev in aplicated mood.


    [Poor guy, he didn''t even eat anything since the morning. He must not have any money on him either.] Thought nev as he looked at his savior who was straight up gulping down the solid food without even chewing it properly.


    After they finished their dinner. Kahn was led to a nice room with decent furniture and finally...


    A BED!


    Metaphorical tears dropped from Kahn''s eyes as he was finally going to sleep on a bed and not some tree trunk or leaves like he had in the forest.


    nev''s chest constricted after looking at Kahn.


    [Poor guy.. He probably never slept on a bed before.] he thought as he imagined Kahn sleeping on the ground and rocks.


    "Take rest and find me if you need something. My room is in the next wing. I''ll see you tomorrow." said nev and left with a heavy heart.


    Kahn closed the door of the room and jumped in the fluffy bed!


    [This is life!]


    He thought and relieved all the tension he had in his body.


    Suddenly, a n emerged in his mind. He let out a devious smirk as he fell asleep hugging the soft cushions and looked like a baby sleeping soundly


    "Sorry, Nik and nev.. But I''m going to use you guys to earn a lot of money and reputation in the city."


    Because the next day, he was going to be an Adventurer.

 Chapter 20: Gearing Up

    <h4>Chapter 20: Gearing Up</h4>


    The gust of morning wind flew by, apanied by the pleasant chirping of birds. A man opened his eyes and finally left thend of dreams to return back to reality.


    Kahn opened his eyes and yawned, "Nothing can beat a real bed no matter which world." said Kahn as he finally looked outside the window.


    It was around 8 AM based on the position of the sun. Kahn let another yawn as he tried to stretch his body. He slept like a baby for the first time since he got reincarnated.


    As he freshened up and took a warm bath first, he quickly left to meet nev.


    After searching through some rooms, he finally found the office and saw the young Merchant busy tallying the ledgers and reports.


    "Do you have a moment?" Kahn asked as knocked on the door side.


    "Ah, you''re awake. How was the night?" asked nev as he chuckled a bit.


    "Best sleep I had in this life." Kahn smiled andughed.


    "So what are you doing?" he asked.


    "Nothing much. Just doing some run-ins on the profits and future consignments. Damn, it''s not easy at all. Segregating everything based on their type and dates is a pain. No wonder my old man left it all to me and assumed themand of shipping the materials." nev let out a sigh as he looked at the files and documents on his desk. This was just the beginning; there''d be piles of these thingster during the day.


    "Need any help?" asked Kahn.


    "Do you even know how to read?" asked nve.


    "Yeah, I have formal education. My uncle always made sure that I had enough knowledge about everything that can save me from being conned. Haha" Kahn chucked.


    "Good. I on the other hand had to learn it all because I had to inherit the family business. Otherwise I''d be a schr roaming the world now, seeking and learning different ces, their knowledge and culture. Only if things were different." nev said regrettably as he started imagining the different life.


    "Well, we gotta make do with what we have." Kahn said as he started helping out in sorting the ledgers.


    He was an ountant in his previous life so knew how to organize the records with their uses and priority. This surprised nev as he was still finding it hard to do it all efficiently. It had barely been a month since he started working in the merchant enterprise his father created.


    Till now, all his youth went into studying andzing around so he yet had to grasp the things rted to the profession.


    "By the way Kahn, have you thought about what you are going to do? If you''d like, you can work for us as a bodyguard. You certainly have enoughbat experience and fighting skills." said nev as if this was something he had nned to ask a long while ago.


    "I appreciate the gesture but I''m not the kind to follow orders. Besides, I need your help." Kahn said.


    "I see. What can I help you with?" nev got curious. He wasn''t going to pester Kahn since he was his own person. At most, nev could offer him a job.


    "I need to borrow some money to buy clothes, some weapons and some light armor." Kahn replied.


    "For what? Oh, I forgot that you were a mercenary." nev replied as sudden realization hit him.


    "Those days are behind me. Now I''m going to be an Adventurer." replied Kahn as he sat on the chair.


    "Don''t! Didn''t you see what happened to us that day? Even though you''re strong, you won''t always make out alive. Think about it, carefully." nev said sternly as he didn''t want to see his savior hugging the goddess of death.


    "Don''t worry. I have my reasons. Besides, I don''t know anything else to do anyway. Here, I can at least run away when my life is in danger and I won''t have to protect someone other than me." Kahn said, his reasoning sounding logical.


    "Fine." said nev and started writing something on a yellow paper and then put on their enterprise''s seal on it.


    "Take this to our merchant shop situated at the 3rd street on the left. Show this to the manager. He''ll get you enough supplies." said nev as he looked at Kahn helplessly.


    "Thanks. I''ll pay you back soon." said Kahn and left the office.


    Following the directions, found the merchant shop and its manager.


    The manager looked like some kind of Demon race type of Demi-human. He had red stone-ish type of skin and two sharp and dark red Horns protruding from his head. Kahn could even see a small tailing out from the manger''s waist.


    Kahn didn''t ogle or look surprised at all. After absorbing the Legendary Somir''s core, Kahn was always in control of his emotions and his demeanor was that of a tyrant. You wouldn''t see him acting surprised unless he wanted you to see him like that.


    After he handed the letter, the manager looked at him with surprised eyes. But didn''t ask how Kahn got the letter. He signaled Kahn to follow him and showed him their decent collection.


    The manager then showed Kahn many types of weapons, armors and various essories cased on highly protected shelves.


    Kahn wasn''t some noob so he chose the most useful set first.


    He chose a ck trench coat which had small intrinsic gold pattern in the middle and on sleeves.


    Why ck?


    Because Badass Protagonist Rule no. 3 : All badass main characters wore ck clothes.


    He then chose a gray jacket which was made from a material simr to leather, just more sturdy and even lighter. The ck pant Kahn chose were veryfortable and sturdy at the same time. It wouldn''t hinder his movements when he ran fastly at all. Then he chose hand gloves where fingers were exposed but the grip was strong, like how people who went to the gym used. Next, he decided upon brown boots which were made of some kind of monster skin but also had a fully tactical design that prevented unnecessary sound while walking.


    After the clothes, Kahn chose a fantasy-style double-edged longsword which looked very big and heavy but Kahn lifted it with just one hand as if it was a small knife.


    Author : It''s not a Chinese longsword, but a medieval knight era type one, just like Dante''s Rebellion sword for example.


    Kahn then took two daggers, a belt & a holster made for Adventurers which had many useful pockets and ces to put small weapons in.


    Kahn then moved to the Potions and essories section. He chose Medium Health Recovery Potions and Poison Antidote Potions. Kahn who had read plenty of Mangas where Protagonists chose Adventurer profession and do their shopping so he wasn''t wandering around like an amateur and picked what he needed the most.


    The Antidote Potions weren''t for him but to help others or use it on himself to appear as someone who''d need it after getting poisoned.


    Then Kahn''s finally found the most important thing of them all.


    A small space ring. Used for storing up various things.


    Kahn asked about the price and his ears almost bled after hearing it.


    The space ring could only have 7 square feet of inner space in it. But the cost was already 5000 Gold Dramus (Currency of Rakos Empire).


    Kahn knew that the letter nev had something like ''Let him choose what he wants'' but Kahn wasn''t going to be that shameless. In the end, these guys had to make a living.


    So he chose the cheapest one with only 3 Square Foot of inner space. It still cost 2000 Gold Dramus as shown on the price tag.


    Based on his Combat skills and personal skills he got from absorbing from his killings and his survival blessings as well; Kahn chose to skip on enchanted ornaments and protection amulets.


    The manager stood beside him, showing no expressions on his face.


    Kahn changed into his new clothes and equipped all the new gear, hung the huge long sword on his back and finally left the merchant shop heading towards the Adventurer Association.


    As soon as Kahn left, the manager grabbed his head and started pulling his horns.


    [What the hell was this guy''s problem? Even though the letter said he should be allowed to buy whatever he wanted for free, this guy shopped for merchandise worth more than 20,000 Gold Dramus. He wasn''t being modest at all.]


    Everything Kahn chose was one of their best line of products. Even the small daggers were high-cost Weapons because of their elemental attacks and runes engraved on them.


    The sword itself was made up of Mythril, one of the strongest metals in the world. It could even withstand the weight of an entire house, made by their best Grandmaster rank cksmith.


    The long trench coat had a magical defensive barrier that could save you from a fatal attack. It will stay stainless regardless of how much dirt you y in. And won''t wither in different weather and seasons for at least a decade. That was part of rare magical clothing bought only by high-ranking military officers and rich nobles.


    On top of that, he chose the gray jacket which was made from one of the most costly materials and had very high defensive strength. It could easily stand against a direct thrust from a sword or a dagger.


    The boots were made up from Wyvern hide. They could even withstand extremely high temperatures and would even help a person walk onva for few minutes. A truly great work of craftsmanship.


    The low grade Recovery Potions were very hard to make even by expert Alchemists, let alone a Medium Recovery Potion.


    Let''s not even mention the Space ring Kahn bought. That was hard toe even in a prestigious merchant enterprise as theirs as Space Magic Artifact refiners were very rare and these rings rarely appeared on the market.


    This guy robbed them of half a month''s profits. But to make matters worst, he appeared as if it was him being considerate and not buying too much.


    This wasn''t some modest shopping.. This was daylight robbery!


    And in their case, the manager was showing their most valuable products with a smile on his face to the robber himself.


    Oblivious to all these facts, Kahn looked like he was very humble and hadn''t taken advantage of nev''s kindness.


    He finally reached the hall of Adventurers Association. Kahn let out a small sigh and said,


    "Time to make some money."

 Chapter 21: Meeting an Expert

    <h4>Chapter 21: Meeting an Expert</h4>


    Kahn walked inside the adventurer association hall to register as an Adventurer.


    Why did he choose this profession? Because it was his current best choice.


    Mainly it will allow him to enter regions such as forests and dungeons where he could hunt for monsters and increase his strength by absorbing their skills and eating their cores. Also, no one would be asking questions about what he was doing in such ces if he was a registered adventurer and had an ID with him.


    And this was also a quick way to make money on the side. As working as a bodyguards like nev had suggested would restrict Kahn in many ways. Plus his ie would be limited and there would be times he''d have to be escorting people or acting as security which would be a total waste of Kahn''s time.


    Even though the vot city was the best ce for Kahn to build his strength, he won''t be staying here long and would eventually leave for bigger cities and ces where he could gain more power and authority. This city was going to be his first step in his journey.


    Coming back to reality, Kahn noticed that many people sitting in the hall were looking at him with surprised gazes as if he had something they desperately wanted.


    Kahn paid no attention to the greedy gazes and walked towards the receptionist counter. Exactly towards the same counter he went to the previous day to sell the cores.


    As the old man watched Kahning towards him, he instantly recognized the young man and adjusted his sses. But then he was startled after noticing Kahn''s attire.


    [What the..? Did he rob a bank or something?] he old receptionist asked himself.


    "What are you doing here again? Didn''t I tell you to hide somewhere for few days? Those people from the Groundhog adventurer team might be still looking for you." said the old man in a worried tone.


    "If they want trouble, I''ll give them one. Besides, I''m not the type to hide in fear from anyone." Kahn said as he rested his right arm on the counter, leaning towards the old man.


    "Anyway, I''m here for my adventurer''s license. You mentioned I have to take some kind of test, right?" asked Kahn as he remembered yesterday''s conversation vividly.


    "Ah.. Young people.. Always thinking too highly of themselves." the old man sighed as he took out some documents and gave them to Kahn.


    "Fill these up and deposit 20 Silver Dramus for the test." said the old man as he passed on the documents.


    "Understood." said Kahn and went to a vacant table to fill in his information. He wrote made-up details which were essential for approval and returned to the counter.


    "By the way, what''s your name old man?" asked Kahn.


    "It''s Malcolm. And stop calling me old man. Or you''ll never get your registration done." said the old receptionist with wrinkles on his forehead, as if he hated being called an old man.


    "Okay, okay. I got it. So what kind of assessment do I have to go through?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Nothing much. You just have to fight andst for some time against one of our instructors. They will also decide whether you are qualified enough to do work as an Adventurer like hunting in the forests or dungeons and even work as a bodyguard formission." exined Malcolm.


    "I''m ready when you are." replied Kahn in a carefree manner.


    "Follow me." said Malcolm and took Kahn to the inner side of the hall and then they entered towards a small training grounds within the association building.


    Kahn saw more than a dozen of people doing weapon practice and magic chanting practices under the instructions of people wearing the association uniform. These were obviously the instructors.


    As they neared towards an open arena made specifically forbat practice, Kahn saw many people queued up in a line.


    "Where''s Alvin?" Malcolm asked the nearby instructor.


    "He called in sick today. Saying he won''t be able toe to work for few days." replied the nearby instructor.


    "Sick my ass! He''s probably still in a brothel and drinking even more booze to get over his hangover. That bastard is never reliable." shouted Malcolm.


    Just then, a solemn voice came from behind where they were standing.


    "Since Alvin is out, what if I do the testing today?" said an old man who hadpletely long white hair and a short beard. He appeared to be in his fifties.


    "Arkham.. You? Nevermind, just go easy on the kids." said Malcolm as he shrugged his hands helplessly.


    The other people around Kahn who also came for the assessment started cursing under their breath. Kahn who had extremely urate hearing even for a long-range thanks to one of the abilities he absorbed from a bat-like monster, clearly heard everything they said.


    "We''re so screwed! This guy never holds back in a test. We had chances to pass in front of Alvin, but Arkham never approves of anyone." said one of the men.


    "Who''s he exactly?" Kahn intervened in their conversation.


    "Don''t you know? That''s Arkham Hond, the A-rank Adventurer who is also a Grandmaster Rank Magic Swordsman. He''s one of the 3 strongest Adventurers in the entire city. To get him as the instructor for our assessment is like hitting a stone wall with a pebble. Only God knows if we''ll be able to pass this time." replied the man as his back arched like an elderly man.


    To this revtion, Kahn felt very differentpared to the others. Because unlike them who were worried about failing the test, Kahn''s eyes were full of joy and expectations. Because he would get a chance to fight a grandmaster level swordsman which will help him improve his Weapon Mastery.


    Kahn understood just from what the other guy told him that grandmaster rank swordsmen were very rare even for a city as big as vot City that was no smaller than big metro cities from his previous world. So naturally, this encounter would be a very rare chance to learn from an expert.


    Kahn queued up in line as Arkham took a wooden sword from the weapon stand and started the tests.


    Kahn was standingst in the queue and tried to get a good look at thebat test.


    The old man Arkham held the wooden sword with a benign smile on his face, looking like apletely harmless elderly person who would even struggle to cross the street.


    But just as soon as he started, Kahn''s eyes widened with surprise and his Survival Instinct started rming inside his head. Unlike the other people standing in the line, Kahn could feel the auraing out of Arkham.


    This gave a sense of dread to Kahn as he understood that the man in front of him was no joke. Just the aura he gave was more than enough to suppress Kahn on the spot who was at the end of the queue.


    Arkham who was waiting for the first examinee to attack him suddenly squinted his eyes and looked at Kahn without making it obvious to notice.


    He could feel Kahn trying to gauge his strength.


    As soon as the first examinee charged at Arkham holding his giant axe and swung it with full force, the old man simply took a step back and avoided with a hair''s breadth.


    SHOCK!


    Kahn waspletely shocked!


    To someone without keen senses, this looked like Arkham barely managed to survive the attack and luckily dodged it, but to Kahn who had his reflexes and senses reached to a level beyond normal people, everything was as clear as water.


    Arkham didn''t move to dodge at all, rather he was allowing the giant axe to pass close to him. It wasn''t that his reflexes were weak, rather he was holding back his original speed to make it look like the attacker barely missed the old man.


    Kahn kept staring at Arkham with an ogling gaze.


    This man was a true expert!


    In the next second, the examinee swung his axe at Arkham''s head, trying tond a fatal hit.


    Just as the axe came close to Arkham''s face, he quickly flicked his wooden sword and the entire direction of the swinging axe was changed in just a second.


    The axended on the ground with full force, the wielder also losing his bnce and stumbling on the ground. Just as he tried to lift the axe again and move to attack, the wooden sword alreadynded a hit on his neck.


    "Fail." said Arkham with solemn eyes.


    The examinee hung his neck in embarrassment and left the training ground.


    "Next!" shouted Arkham and the test continued.


    And just as Kahn had expected, not a single one of these examinees managed tost in the test for a minute let alonend a hit on Arkham.


    Let it be a closebat ss or a long-range attack ss like Mages & Archer, none even came close to make Arkham move more than 10 steps before he took them out effortlessly.


    Finally, Kahn''s turn came and he entered the training ground.


    He didn''t stand on a ceremony and took out his new long sword which was no shorter than 5 feet or maybe even longer. He held it tightly in both his palms, settled his footing, pulled the sword hilt close to his chest and pointed the sword tip at Arkham as he took a defensive stance.


    Kahn looked at the old man with determined eyes and said,


    "After you."

 Chapter 22: The Newcomer

    <h4>Chapter 22: The Neer</h4>


    Kahn looked at the old man Arkham, focusing his sight on any slight movements the old man might make. His Survival Instinct alert & then he activated his Hunter''s Intent.


    Kahn knew that no matter how urate his perception or Survival Instinct blessing was, if he didn''t have enough reaction speed or strength to defend himself against a truly strong enemy; his life would be forfeited right on the spot.


    "You have some good senses, kid. Now let me see if you actually know how to fight." said Arkham as he took his first step towards Kahn.


    WHOOSH!


    Arkham''s image flickered the next second and Kahn sensed an impending dooming towards him.


    ng!


    Just as the Arkham was about to hit Kahn, the young man quickly used the sword to block his left-hand side and finally, Arkham''s figure appeared in front of him.


    Author: Consider his sword simr to the one in the cover art of the Novel, with a ck hilt and guard.


    The surrounding people gasped with surprise!


    Even the other instructors were amazed. Because until now, Arkham never used his speed to attack any of the examinees. He only parried and dodged them beforending a fatal hit with his wooden sword. But now he was taking the approach of the attacker against the young man.


    And to add more surprise to this, the young man actually blocked the strike that everyone standing there failed to see.


    "Nice sword." said Arkham and he swung his wooden sword again. Kahn was barely adjusting to the grandmaster rank swordsman''s extremely quick speed and attacks.


    Each strike looked very simple but only Kahn knew that Arkham was trying to eithernd a fatal blow or disarm him. Not a single movement from the old man was wasteful and as Kahn kept defending against these wless strikes that followed a form of rhythm to them, leading his hand movements when he was defending against the strikes; Kahn realized that he was being too overconfident of himself when he asked the old man to attack him first.


    "Is defending all you can do?" asked Arkham with contemptuous eyes as if he was disappointed with Kahn''s skills.


    Ding!


    [Host has improved the Weapon Mastery for Swords.


    Current progress : 35% at Master Rank.


    The host has unlocked the Combat Techniques, Defensive Stance.


    Current progress : 15% at Master Rank]


    The system notification rang in his head but Kahn didn''t lose his attention and kept focusing on the enemy in front.


    "The rules said I''d still win if Isted for a while against the instructors. Don''t try to goad me into attacking and give you an opening, old man." said Kahn as he firmed his defensive stance and kept focusing on Arkham''s movements.


    "If you think stalling for time will help you, then you''re wrong. Let me show you the difference between our skills." said Arkham and finally released his aura to the full extent.


    Boom!


    The nearby surrounding and everyone present felt an unimaginable pressure as if a mountain was thrown on their shoulders as soon as Arkham revealed his killing intent.


    Some of the other examinees fainted right on the spot while others slouched under this aura.


    Kahn who was the original target of this domineering aura and killing intent was actually facing the pressure 3 times more than what others felt. His body having no strength to even move a muscle or even look the other way.


    Kahn felt like he was nothing but a prey in front of a predator beast. A prey that didn''t even have the right to fight back.


    Kahn could feel his bones ttering under this pressure and his veins popping out. The old man with a benign smile on his face was a true powerhouse.


    War Dominance!


    Kahn activated his War Dominance blessing and felt the pressure on him disappearing.


    Arkham on the other hand had a riddled expression on his face. He only felt some sort of slight aura from Kahn before but now however, not only his aura was waning in front of the young man but he too also sensed a form of threat from the young Swordsman.


    "Interesting. Very interesting." said Arkham as contained his aura inside him.


    Arkham again started attacking Kahn from various angles, pushing him backward with every hit. However, Kahn also tried his best to defend and maintain his footing against the heavy and quick attacks. His new sword possessing extreme durability and very easy to move with his current strength.


    Even though he was barely holding his end against Arkham''s swift attacks, Kahn had a joyful expression on his face. Because with every strike he was defending against, his weapon mastery and Combat techniques mastery was increasing by a lot as he was fighting against a true expert.


    Arkham who noticed this smile on Kahn''s face felt irritated as the new guy in front of him was sessfully defending against a skilled veteran like him.


    "I''ll give you a chance to attack me. I will only defend. How about it?" asked Arkham in a yful tone.


    "No lies, right? Because unlike me, you have a reputation to protect here." said Kahn as he gave a light smirk.


    [System, show me the current progress.] Kahnmanded the system.


    [Host has improved the Weapon Mastery for Swords.


    Current progress : 49% at Master Rank.


    Defensive Stance Combat Techniques,


    Current progress : 40% at Master Rank]


    Kahn heard the updates and decided to go along with Arkham''s proposal. Because he won''t be able to improve his weapon mastery &bat techniques mastery by defending alone. He had to attack as well to improve his skills. Otherwise, he''d be just swinging a sword like an idiot in a real battle. He had to use this opportunity to learn some true sword skills.


    "I''ming!" shouted Kahn and charged at Arkham.


    He quickly swung his longsword vertically trying tond a lethal hit at the old man.


    Thang!


    The sound of metal and stone banging resounded in the training grounds.


    By now, over a hundred or more people who were either practicing or giving their tests in the adjacent training grounds were immersed in looking at Kahn and Arkham''s fight. The newbie managing tost for so long against the famous Arkham, one of the strongest adventurers in the entire city was a miracle to them.


    There was a huge crack in the floor where Kahn''s sword justnded. Arkham had parried Kahn''s brute attack in thest second effortlessly.


    During the attack, Kahn noticed that even though Arkham was using a wooden sword, there was ayer of protective aura or some kind of barrier that was covering the sword. And the source of it was none other than Arkham.


    [Is this what they call a Magic Swordsman?] Kahn asked himself. Because no way his sword wouldn''t be able to break open a wooden sword with a single hit. Not only was made of extremely good quality materials, but it was also very sharp and heavy at the same time. So Arkham using some sort of skill or magic that was enforcing the wooden sword was the only exnation he could think of.


    Kahn didn''t stop there. He adjusted his footing to not leave an opening and twisted his body in a circr motion, using the momentum of his body to pull the sword out of the ground and making a horizontal sh at the old man.


    To this, Arkham only sidestepped and parried the attack again with a flick of his wrist.


    Kahn started using his side hopper ability to dash and attack the old man from time to time, even forcing the old man to take a few steps back with his heavy yet quick attacks.


    He aimed for Arkham''s vital points as he kept running and attacking the old man from different angles again and again. The Kahn who was barely managing to hold against Arkham till now was suddenly pushing the old veteran from one side of the training ground to another. His attacks bing more deadly and precise with time.


    The audience watching this battle however waspletely silent. Many not believing their eyes and some dismissing what they were seeing in front of them.


    The well-renounced and greatly experienced veteran adventurer was being pushed back by a neer?


    Even though it was only a test and Arkham was allowing the new guy to attack him.. Actuallynding a hit on the old man and even pushing him few steps back was something none of them had ever heard of in all their time in the adventurer association.


    Arkham who was at the receiving end was far more active this time. He was no longer just flicking his wrists and parrying the attacks, rather using both of his hands and taking a proper defensive stance while defending against Kahn''s brutal yet very quick attacks.


    To his surprise, the young man in front of him was getting better and better as time was passing; his movements were no longer that of an amateur but a skilled swordsman. Hepletely got rid of all the unnecessary movements and force behind his attacks and his hand coordination while swinging the long sword was improving as the fight went on.


    When Arkham came out of his daze, he finally noticed a bright smile on Kahn''s face as he kept defending.


    This guy was enjoying the fight? Arkham was caught surprised.


    Unbeknownst to all the bewildered gazes, Kahn was bing more joyful as he heard the System notifications in his head.


    [Host has improved the Weapon Mastery for Swords.


    Current progress : 67% at Master Rank.


    The host has unlocked the following Combat Techniques :


    Pincer


    Stab


    Horizontal sh


    Vertical sh


    Streak ]


    Arkham was simply stunned.


    He had seen many talented people when it came to swordsmanship but never before had he seen someone like Kahn who made so many drastic improvements just in a single match. It was as if the experience he was getting from their bout was unlocking some type of hidden talent inside the young man.


    Genius! He found a true genius!


    "Stop!" Arkham spoke with a slight smile and an approving expression on his face.


    "You pass." said the old man.


    The crowd was gobsmacked after the announcement.


    This neer passed a test conducted by the legendary Arkham himself? Were their eyes deceiving them?


    Kahn stopped his attacks and put the heavy longsword on his back. He sped both his fists together and made a slight bow towards the old man Arkham like people did in Chinese Martial Arts novels and said,


    "Thank you for your guidance."

 Chapter 23: The Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 23: The Confrontation</h4>


    As soon as the test ended, the crowd gathered around the training ground roared in cheers!


    Everyone present there screamed their lungs out as Kahn had finally broken the record by passing Arkham''s assessment test which didn''t happen in the past 10 years.


    "Congrattions on passing your test, kid." said Malcolm who came back a while ago after hearing themotion. He had never imagined Kahn being able to fight against Arkham for so long and already thought that there would be no one passing today.


    Kahn gave a gentle smile and nodded in response. Then he nced at Arkham and said "It''s because he wasn''t even using half of his strength. If this was a real-life battle, I would''ve died in the first few seconds.".


    Arkham smiled after hearing Kahn''s words. The young man wasn''t a fool who''d let a little victory go inside his head.


    "Still, I didn''t hold back with my attacks and speed in the end. Even though I didn''t even use half of my original strength, you being able to withstand it with your current level of strength and skills is indeed worthy of praise." said Arkham as he was very impressed with Kahn''s demeanor and the way he addressed the matters of the bout with nothing but the truth than boasting about himself shamelessly.


    "Of all the young swordsmen I''ve assessed till now, only you seem to have the ability to grasp the situation during the battle and quickly adapt your attacking strategy ordingly. That''s verymendable. Tell me boy, have you received any formal training before? Who was your teacher? " asked Arkham with curiosity.


    "My uncle Vasemir taught me some sword fighting skills since I was young. Saying that we mercenaries must have enough skills & strength to protect others and ourselves." said Kahn as he praised his non-existent uncle.


    Why the name Vasemir? Because anyone who knew about Witcher franchise knew about mentor of the legendary Geralt of Rivia. Vasemir was the one who taught him everything he knew so Kahn found it reasonable to use that name and create a fake character for his fake background.


    "Then it exins a lot. He must be a very experienced fighter." said Arkham as realization struck him. This exined why Kahn had such a solid foundation and talent for the Sword as he received training from a skilled fighter since his childhood.


    Suddenly, Malcolm who was standing on the side spoke, "Arkham, remember what happened with Markus and his Diamond Adventurer team? It was him who showed up when they were close to losing their lives. He alone killed 8 of those Bandits one by one secretly and strategically. Markus said if not for this young man, all of them would''ve lost their lives.. including Sandra."


    "So it was you! Thank you.. you did me a huge favor. I''m d to finally meet the man who saved my niece''s life." Arkham said as he ruggedly shook Kahn''s hands.


    "Who''s Sandra?" asked Kahn as he scratched the back of his head.


    Malcolm replied quickly, "The mage girl who survived the ambush thanks to you."


    Kahn who had the eidetic memory quickly remembered the young mage girl who was fighting against the bandits that day. She was really good at long-range spells and aiding her allies during the fight.


    "I see. Well, those bastards killed my n members and my friends when we were out on a bodyguard mission. Just like Markus and his team, we too were ambushed and only I managed to survive. I was simply taking my revenge when I finally found them again." Kahn said as he clenched his fist tightly. His face was full of sadness and regret.


    This took both Arkham & Malcolm by surprise. They didn''t know anything about Kahn''s past till now at all. Only that he saved the Diamond Adventurer team few days ago. This made them feel empathetic towards the young man.


    "Well.. It still makes no difference. Even though you did it inadvertently, you still saved our people. If you need anything in the future, feel free to ask me." said Arkham as he patted Kahn''s shoulder.


    He now started liking this boy even more after knowing about his background and how he saved his only niece''s life a few days back.


    The crowd around them had dispersed at this point and everyone went on their ways, their blood pumped after watching the enthralling fight. Many grabbing their weapons and practicing with vigor.


    After leaving the training grounds and waiting for some time. Malcolm bought Kahn''s newly made ID card. Arkham had left already to report something to the management. Apparently, Arkham was actually the Vice-president of the Adventurer Association in vot City.


    Just as things were going nice for Kahn after a long time, a group of more than 30 people entered the association hall. Their loud thuds of footsteps and weapons nging against each other brought the attention of every single person present in the hall.


    The group of people looked extremely proud, domineering and their hostile gazesnding towards the crowd as if they were looking for someone.


    This group of 30 plus adventurers consisted of many humans, some elves, half a dozen females, and few demihumans. But unlike the majority of the adventurers Kahn had seen till now, all the members of this group had very decent equipment, their attire matching to each other and all of them had the same logo on their clothes...


    The Groundhog Adventurer team!


    Finally, someone from the new group pointed his finger towards Kahn who was talking with Malcolm before.


    "That''s him! That''s the guy who beat young master yesterday!" said a Thief ss adventurer.


    The group of people parted and created a path towards Kahn''s direction.


    A giant man who was nearly 7 feet tall, had a muscr build with a long and braided yellow beard walked out of the group. His aura and demeanor were that of a tyrant exuding out with his every step.


    Kahn looked towards the towering figureing towards him. The man had a giant battleaxe on his back, full in brown armor and woolen fur on his armor here and there.


    Kahn was instantly reminded of Vikings from his knowledge on Earth.


    The hostile man stared at Kahn as he stood like a mighty warrior, ready to pounce at him any moment.


    "Was it you who killed my little brother and my men?" said the man in his deep voice. His tone filled with rage but trying to hold his anger back.


    "And who''s your brother?" asked nonchntly.


    "Don''t act like a fool. You had a fight with him yesterday in this very ce." said the man.


    Gasp!


    People present in the hall gasped as they heard something they never thought was possible.


    The young master Illya of the Groundhog Adventurer team was killed? How''s that possible?


    The blonde guy was infamous for bullying others and acting like he owned the world. All that because he had the backing of his almighty brother who held a lot of power in the Adventurermunity and even the City Administration had a lot of people who owed him favors.


    "Oh, that pretty guy? I didn''t see him since yesterday. Thought that he brought you to beat me for yesterday''s incident." Kahn feigned ignorance but he didn''t avoid any eye contact.


    "Besides, was he really your brother? You two don''t look remotely rted to each other." said Kahn.


    "Impudence! Answer only what I ask you! Was it you who killed my brother?!" shouted the huge man.


    He released his extremely violent aura and the pressure akin to what Kahn felt during his fight with Arkham. He quickly activated his War Dominance and replied in a stern tone.


    "I don''t know anything. I don''t have anything to do with your brother''s death. You''re looking for the wrong guy." said Kahn as he faced the man without fear in his eyes.


    Of course, the man in front of Kahn was many times stronger than the current Kahn. If they were to fight seriously, Kahn would definitely die without being able to fight at all.


    But that didn''t mean he would cower in fear just because the enemy in front was stronger. One day, he was going to fight the Demon God. Compared to that godly being, whatever he was facing now would not even beparable to ants.


    "Come with me to cityw hall. We will decide whether you''re lying or telling the truth." said the giant man.


    "Do you have any proof that it was me? If you don''t, then stop wasting my time." said Kahn in an annoyed tone.


    This med the anger of the man even more as he fully released his killing intent and a yellow aura enshrouded his entire body.


    "Come with me willingly or there were will be consequences. If I wanted to, I could kill you right here on the spot and nobody here will be able to do anything!" said the giant man angrily.


    Suddenly, a stern voice resounded in the hall from the stairsing down in the hall.


    "Oh really? I''d like to see how you do that, Stragabor."


    A slim-looking middle aged Elf, covered in extremely high quality and well designed mage robes walked down the stairs as he intervened in the confrontation. And behind the elf, stood Arkham.


    Malcolm who was standing beside Kahn at this moment shouted in surprise..


    "President!"

 Chapter 24: The Investigation

    <h4>Chapter 24: The Investigation</h4>


    The hall waspletely silent as soon as an overbearing and majestic voice of the President of adventurer association echoed inside the hall.


    Suddenly, half of the people present in the hall bowed in respect towards the Mage who was descending from the stairs.


    "Solomon, my brother & men were killed yesterday! We just found their bodies this morning outside of West city gates. I need to find the murderer and this man is a suspect!" shouted Stragabor, the giant man & the leader of the Groundhog Adventurer team.


    "That''s President Solomon for you." said Arkham who standing right behind the Mage as he did not like Stragabor addressing the middle-aged Elf without honorifics.


    President Solomon raised his hand and stopped Arkham midway as he gazed at Kahn and then Stragabor.


    "That''s your personal matter. But it gives you no right to cause amotion here. Besides, do you really think you can do whatever you want or kill anyone inside Adventurer Association while I''m here?" the Mage Elf said as he stared at Stragabor with no fear or any type of emotions in his eyes at all.


    "Or are you trying to say that you no longer acknowledge my authority?" asked the President in a gentle tone, trying to see the reaction on the huge man''s face.


    "I don''t give two shits about you & your authority, Solomon. This man is a suspect of killing my men so I''m here to take him in my custody and ask some questions." said Stragabor as he rebuked the President of Adventurer Association right in front of hundreds of people.


    "How dare you insult the President?!" shouted Arkham as he put his hand on the sword that was hanging on his waist. His deadly killing aura erupting like a volcano and raising the temperature of the entire hall by few degrees.


    "Then why isn''t anyone from City Law Enforcement hall or someone from Law Enforcer Squad here? Why is it only you & your team?" asked the Elven Mage.


    This question surprised everyone present in the hall as well. Why wasn''t anyone from authority here to take Kahn into custody if Stragabor only wanted the culprit of his brother & men''s murder found?


    "Or could it be that you don''t wish to investigate by the rules of thew & just beat a confession out of the man without having any proof?" asked the pesident as he revealed the other side of the coin.


    This made sense to many because Adventurers didn''t have any right to make anywful arrests or take someone for custody under the name of investigation.


    "Don''t try to twist logic with me.. ''President''. I''m only here to see the criminal brought to justice. What''s wrong with that?" asked Stragabor with contempt in his eyes.


    Not only was he enraged, but he also wanted to kill the murderer with his hand. But Solomon''s reasoning brought his intentions to light in front of so many people.


    "Is that so? Then how about I & Arkham apany you tow enforcement hall then? We too want to see justice being brought to your people''s murderer." said Solomon with a benign smile on his face.


    Kahn who was the main center of all the incidents shuddered in fear as he saw the kind-looking elf mage smiling.


    Suddenly his Survival Instinct rmed inside his mind, so much louder than when he faced Arkham or Stragabor today. His instincts telling him to run as far as he can.


    Behind that kind & gentle smile, was an aura of absolute power.


    [Is this man beyond the Grandmaster level?] Kahn asked himself in puzzlement.


    Because Solomon wasn''t even releasing or directing his killing intent towards Kahn at all. He was simply standing on the spot.


    Of all the people present here, only Kahn, Stragabor & Arkham could notice and feel the pressure of this aura. Rest were simply too weak to even notice that Solomon was releasing his murderous intent at the moment with a righteous smile on his face.


    Solomon noticed the gaze of Kahn and looked towards him with an approving smile.


    "What does it have to do with you?! Why are you interfering?" asked Stragabor furiously.


    "Well, the incident happened yesterday & your brother also had a fight inside this very ce. So it does concern the association as we don''t want people to say that we did not cooperate with the authorities during the investigation." said Solomon as he stood against Kahn.


    "Young man, do you admit being guilty of any of his ims?" asked Solomon, however he no longer exuded any sort of aura as he stood in front of Kahn.


    "No. I''m innocent. And I don''t have any reason to kill his people either." said Kahn as he folded his hands.


    "Thene with us. We will apany you to thew enforcement hall. If you''re innocent, I promise on my name that no one will harm you as long as I''m around." said Solomon with a benign expression as if he really cared about Kahn being wrongly used.


    "Alright. I''ll follow you." said Kahn as half the crowd walked out of association hall. Many officials including Malcolm walked with them as they were the witnesses to yesterday''s incident.


    After getting on various carriages owned by the association, many of which had different types of lizard-ish, horse type monsters and steed pulling the carriages; all the involved parties left.


    Half an hourter, they all reached thew enforcement hall which was 2 times bigger than the Adventurer Association building, guarded by a garrison of soldiers and weapons ced at the walls. After Stragabor and his team entered and filed the case about the deaths of their men, the case was officially under Investigation.


    Normally, it would take them a lot of time to even begin the investigation but as soon as the officer saw the 3 strongest adventurers in the entire city in front of him, the matter was sent to the top-rank authorities and judges in just an hour. Soon, some official investigators started questioning all the involved parties in different rooms including Kahn, Malcolm, the Groundhog Adventurer team and few witnesses.


    Kahn blurted out his yesterday''s routine except for the killing as if he really didn''t know what happened yesterday.


    To cross-check his story,w enforcement hall sent few top-ranking soldiers to all the ces he mentioned including the City Library where Kahn spent his longest time. Kahn being the calctive guy he was, still kept the library pass as proof before he threw away his clothes after the murder.


    He even mentioned the color of his clothes, just not the ones he was wearing before the massacre.


    nev was brought for questioning as the only witness of Kahn''s evening to nighttime.


    Since Kahn never looked like he had a fight or had any bruises or blood on him when he met nev in ck Griffin Merchant Enterprise, he too believed that Kahn was innocent and answered everything he knew truthfully.


    Arkham & other people''s testimony about Kahn''s performance as an excellent swordsman during the assessment test also came in Kahn''s favor as the only weapon he was known to be excellent at using was a sword.


    Besides, one man killing dozen of experienced men by himself and not even receiving a scratch on his body was foundughable by many witnesses as well.


    The investigators also mentioned in their reports about injuries on the dead bodies indicating that they were done by a monster with sharp teeth and incredibly strong ws as some of the hard armor worn by the dead people was torn and had markings of the ws.


    As the sunset was finally on its way, the investigation was done efficiently.


    The verdict being nothing else than Kahn being innocent of the crime since the murder site and mutted bodies hinted a group of wild monsters doing the killing than someone who was a human.


    As soon as the verdict came and Kahn was found not guilty of any of the charges, the people from Adventurer Association celebrated in cheers.


    Because after their President backed up Kahn and this incident happened on their grounds, the association also had a lot of its reputation at stake during the investigation.


    While the people of the Groundhog adventurer team stormed out of the hall in rage. Completely unhappy with the verdict.


    Kahn finally let out a sigh of relief after being recused of all the charges.


    He thanked everyone from the association and also nev.


    The young merchant was shedding tears after the investigation was over. Kahn thought that nev was a very sensitive person who was simply happy for Kahn.


    Little did he know that nev was crying after looking at Kahn''s costly equipment and weapons he bought from the letter nev gave him this morning.


    [How the hell am I going to exin this to Father? He''ll kill me if this got leaked to him.] thought nev as he kept sobbing.


    "Kid, if you have time thene with us. The President wants to talk with you in his private quarters." said Arkham as they were going to depart.


    Kahn bid farewell to nev and traveled with the crowd back to association building.


    After some time, Arkham took Kahn to the president''s private quarters.


    He entered after Arkham and saw the middle-aged elven mage staring outside the window, looking that the dark nket which sky covered the entire city with as the night had approached.


    "Sit." he said. Kahn simply sat down on afortable sofa with Arkham standing on the opposite one.


    "I believe you understand why I asked you to meet me here, right?" asked Solomon as he gazed at Kahn.


    Kahn however, had no bewildered expression on his face. He looked calm andposed without any worry.


    He simply poured himself some wine in a ss that was on the table, took a small sip and tasted the wine as he rested his back against the soft cushions.


    Kahn gave a big smirk to both the old men in front of him and said,


    "Yes. It was me."

 Chapter 25: The Contract

    <h4>Chapter 25: The Contract</h4>


    Old man Arkham stared at Kahn with a bewildered expression. He did not believe that Kahn was the actual culprit all along when they went tow enforcement hall.


    He knew that Kahn had a great talent for swordsmanship but he was still far from being able to take out a dozen experienced adventurers by himself. And that too without even using a sword.


    "May I ask why?" asked the Elven mage Solomon.


    "How do you treat someone who picks up a fight with you for no reason and sets up an ambush to kill you with dozens of people?" Kahn replied in aid-back manner.


    "I see. Then aren''t you worried that we will tell this to anyone?" asked Solomon.


    "If you wanted to. You already would''ve done it during the investigation. But I''m sure you didn''t support me and took this matter tow enforcements just to protect the Adventurer association''s reputation. You want something in return, don''t you?" responded Kahn.


    He knew very well that a person of Solomon''s position and authority wouldn''t just interfere in a small matter between a newbie adventurer. He already sensed that there was a hidden motive behind the actions of the middle-aged mage.


    "Quite smart for someone of your age." replied Solomon as he sat down on his throne-like chair.


    "But first, show me how you managed to kill off so many people just by yourself."mended Solomon.


    Kahn heaved a sigh as he spoke gently..


    "Omega,e out!" Kahn said and suddenly a giant ck Dire Wolf leaped out of his shadow and stood in the center of the room.


    Arkham was caught off guard again.


    "A contracted familiar?!" asked Solomon with surprised eyes.


    "Yes. I bet you sensed him when we were in the main hall. That''s how you figured that it was me who killed those people, right?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Hahaha. Yes, I did sense an external presenceing from you. We Elves have a very high affinity to magic & natural energy after all." Solomon nodded.


    "But I didn''t expect it to be a Contracted Familiar. That''s very rare you know." said Solomon.


    This proved that Kahn''s hypothesis right. He had perfectly covered his tracks. Not even his footmarks were left at the crime scene. So the only way someone as strong as Solomon still having their doubts about it would be sensing the aura of his allies that were hiding in his shadow.


    "So exactly why am I here?" asked Kahn as he wanted to get to the point quickly.


    "It''s very pleasing to talk with smart people. You don''t have to beat around the bush at all."ughed Solomon.


    But then his expression turned serious.


    "It''s because of Stragabor. He''s trying to be the next president of the adventurer association." he replied.


    Arkham who also sat on the sofa ced on the opposite side decided to speak in.


    "If it was through a proper election, we wouldn''t be worried at all. But Stragabor doesn''t want the position, but the power thates with this position." said Arkham.


    "And what is that power you speak of?" asked Kahn.


    "The power to control the city itself." replied Solomon solemnly.


    "How? Isn''t this just an organization made for mandating adventurers? How can it make one have control over the city?" Kahn asked curiously.


    "Let me tell you how." Solomon said and took a small breath.


    "vot City is surrounded by plenty of dungeons and borders the biggest forest in the world. Our city despite being at the end of the Rakos Empire actually holds vast resources. Let it be ingredients or raw materials you get from dungeons by hunting monsters or by hunting for monster cores in the forest. There is no shortage of resources and jobs thate because of them.


    The most sought-after profession in the city is being an adventurer. But thanks to our management for past 2 decades, anyone who isn''t worthy won''t get to be one. Because people die in this profession all the time and we don''t want idiots to lose their lives in search of fame and glory." said Solomon.


    From there, Arkham continued..


    "Dungeons periodically spawn magical monsters and beasts. The Adventurers go there to hunt for resources and make money which also keeps the number of monsters in check. But sometimes, there is a surge in their numbers. So many that even the military can''t contain them all the time. If they break out of their dungeons, there will be a chaos enough to wipe out the entire city.


    And hence, they seek help from adventurer association. And because of that, the association also holds a lot of importance and authority within the city itself." Arkham finished his piece.


    "Stragabor sees this as nothing but an opportunity to make wealth and gain power. He has bribed many of our people, many influential military officials and nobles in the past few years. And if he is elected as the next president.. He''ll simply use the association for his own gains, make illegal dealings with the ck market and also have plenty of support in the city council. So you can imagine the power he''ll hold over the city if that happens." Solomon said and finished the exnation.


    Kahn was a grown-up man who had tons of experience in doing business and managing money in his previous life. He naturally understood what this entailed.


    Being the undered ruler of the city would grant you so much authority that even the officially elected people in charge of the city will have to bow to you. And let''s not even mention the money & resources one will have at their disposal.


    Kahn understood that Solomon & Arkham had the best intentions for the city but he wasn''t an idiot to blindly believe them either.


    "And what do you want me to do then?" asked Kahn.


    Solomon & Arkham looked towards each other before nodding in unison.


    "Kill Stragabor''s people one by one. Assassinate his connections in both association and the city council." said Solomon.


    "What?!" Kahn asked in disbelief. These old men wanted to hire him as a contracted killer?


    First, it was God of Darkness & Kravel who wanted him to kill the Demon God and now it was Solomon & Arkham who wanted him to kill Stragabor''s people.


    Did he give some sort of Agent 47 from Hitman or John Wick type of impression that everyone who deals with him wanted to have Kahn kill somebody?


    "Don''t y the fool, kid. We did some research on you. You''re extremely talented and experienced at killing people and have greatbat capabilities even without using a weapon. Plus you have this Familiar as well. Rather than trusting someone who could be a spy nted by Stragabor in our circle, we''d have you do it. Besides, weren''t you a mercenary before? Killing for money shouldn''t be a new thing for you." said Solomon.


    "Why not do it yourself then? Besides, both of you are many times powerful and stronger than me. Wouldn''t that save you a lot of trouble than trusting an outsider?" asked Kahn as he shrugged his hands.


    To this, Arkham replied quickly.


    "Too many eyes on both of us. If any of us goes unrecorded and suddenly Stragabor''s people go missing; all the suspicion will fall on us since the election is about to happen in just 1 month. If I hadn''t personally seen your capabilities myself, we wouldn''t even resort to this method. It was only a n in the hatching before you showed up. All because you can take out so many people by yourself and have a monster that could divert the cause of the murders in a different direction." he replied in a stern tone.


    Arkham no longer looked like the kind man who praised him this morning and even came tow enforcement hall to give his testimony to protect Kahn. Now, he looked like a man who had his fair share of killings to reach the position he was at.


    "Let''s say that I ept your proposal.. What''s in it for me? And how do I know that you two won''t bury me under the ground if I managed to finish the job? After all, a dead witness is no longer a liability." said Kahn as he folded both his arms together and gazed at both the men in front of him.


    "I believe even if we wanted to do that, we won''t be able to. After all, the 2nd presence I feel from you is no less weaker than me." smirked Solomon as he pointed his finger at Kahn.


    CLATTER! CLATTER! CLATTER!


    The pottery and tables in the entire room started ttering as an extremely deathly and murderous aura was released from Kahn''s body. It filled the entire room with ck smoke and a sharp hiss full of dread echoed in the room. This aura and pressure were no lesser than what Kahn had previously felt from Solomon.


    Kahn knew what it was. Because he had seen this ck smoke and felt this deadly aura before. Belonging to none other than his subordinate.


    It was Rudra!

 Chapter 26: The Arrangement

    <h4>Chapter 26: The Arrangement</h4>


    The gigantic Basilisk was releasing his killing intent at Solomon like trying to challenge him for a deathmatch. He was a Mythical rank creature and finally found a good opponent to fight.


    "See, That''s why. I don''t know what creature is hiding inside your shadow as your Familiar but I''m certain it is able to fight on even terms with me. Even Stragabor won''t be able to kill you if you used that creature in a fight against him.


    That''s why I decided to hire you for this job in the first ce.


    I have no intentions of killing you or discarding you after the job is done. Why make Enemies when you can make Friends?" said Solomon in a sadistic & evil tone.


    Kahn thanked his previous life experiences at the moment. Because both the men sitting in front of him weren''t some saints and upright people who cared about Law & Justice like their previous demeanor made them look like throughout the entire day.


    These were the real faces of both these elderly men. The Elven mage looked no different than someone who''d kill anyone to hold his power and authority intact and the elder man looked like someone who had bathed in a river of blood and grew numb to killings.


    If this was the gullible Elric of his past life, he would''ve believed that these men had a right cause and would''ve agreed to help them like some idiot main character of some munchkin Manga & Novel made for the teen audience where every elderly figure who helped the protagonist was a trustworthy & kind old man for some reason.


    This was the reason why they helped to get his name cleared of the murder usation. They just wanted to have Kahn owe them a favor and reel him in their n.


    "Fine. But I have my conditions." said Kahn, the businessman inside of him waking from a long slumber.


    "I want all the resources you can provide me for the job. Your people will bring me the intel on the targets and I''ll finish the job in any way I see fit. As for the remunerations.. I want lots of high-grade monster cores, a lot of money and a small share in the bodies of rare monsters that have been hunted by adventurers & brought to the association for selling & salvaging. If there are five, then I want one." said Kahn as he put out the terms of their arrangement.


    "Fine. We can manage that. But know that our deal is strictly based on what you deliver. If you fail in your tasks, then the deal is off." said Solomon with a calctive expression on his face.


    Kahn responded in hurry again, "And one more thing."


    "Now what? Aren''t we already giving you a lot?" Arkham asked furiously.


    To his loud voice, Kahn replied gently.


    "I want your strongest fighters in every job, let it be a swordsman, a mage or an assassin to train me."


    "What?! Why do you want to do that? Aren''t you a swordsman?" asked Arkham.


    "Obviously.. It''s to understand all my targets. Stragabor''s people & the government officials you mentioned won''t be some nobodies, right? I''ll need to understand and know their weaknesses before I make a n. Otherwise, not only would I fail the job, but I''ll also lose my life. Then you can go and search around for another killer in whatever time you''ll have by then." Kahn said sarcastically.


    "Sounds reasonable. But we don''t have time to waste. I can only give you one week for your study of possible targets. And getting our top-ranked people in every job to train you will have to be done in secret as well. Otherwise, it''ll raise unnecessary questions on why a newbie adventurer is receiving such favor." said Solomon as he found Kahn''s method reliable.


    He figured that he wasn''t dealing with an amateur here. Kahn asking to study his targets by increasing his own experience in their sses meant that the young man knew how to n his assassinations. Just like how he didn''t leave a single trace after killing Stragabor''s brother & men who came with him.


    "One week is more than enough. But I need some advance first. I also need to know who will be providing me with intel and blueprints for these targets." Kahn said in a serious tone.


    What followed for the next hour was an borated n for how to take down Stragabor''s men & his connections in the government strategically without raising suspicion towards them.


    "Here, there are 10,000 Gold Dramus and 200 B rank monster cores. This should be enough for advance and some of the monster cores are of very high quality. I don''t know why you even need these other than just money. This is just 20%, you''ll get the rest as you start your job after a week. You kill, we pay ordingly." said Solomon as he summoned a big pouch filled with gold coins and another with monster cores out of nowhere. There wasn''t a spacial ring on him either.


    It was Space magic!


    The Elven mage was proficient in the rare Space magic. This surprised Kahn as another n hatched in his mind.


    "Deal. Let''s shake on it." said Kahn as he shook both Solomon & Arkham''s hands as a form of agreeing to the deal.


    As the night fell, Kahn finally left the Adventurer Association and went back the ck Griffin merchant enterprise again. He felt that it was the best ce for him to stay and deepen his rtionship with one of the most prominent merchants in the entire city.


    As he reached the enterprise building gates, he stopped his steps and spoke,


    "You can let the president know that I won''t betray or sell him out. So you lot better stop following me from now on. Or there won''t be a head left on your shoulders." Kahn said as he released his War Dominance aura and suddenly 3 assassins fell out of dark shadows from the nearby buildings under this immense pressure.


    Why did Kahn ept the contract to kill these people? Obviously, it was to create connections with people who actually held authority in the city. And gain ess to resources inrge amount and establish himself as a prominent figure so that many doors could be opened for him just because of the fame he would gainter. There was no point in ying the underdog as long as his secrets regarding being the chosen hero of God of Darkness was kept under the rug.


    He needed everything he can get and as soon as he could. And he had to do it all by himself.


    Kahn continued and greeted nev in his office. After watching his sullen face, Kahn got the gist of why the young merchant was unhappy.


    Kahn threw the big pouch of coins in nev''s desk.


    "I know I went a bit overboard so this should be enough to minimize your losses, right? Consider the rest as repayment for saving your life." said Kahn as heid back on the sofa ced in the middle of the room.


    "Wait! How did you get so much money?" asked nev in a suspicious voice.


    "Nothing much. Sold some of the top grade monster cores I had on me and took some advance for a big job I was offered." said Kahn as he rxed on thefortable sofa. He kept the sword on the side and said, "When are we eating? I''m hungry."


    nev suddenly went from his dejected expression to overjoyed as soon as he received the pouch and started counting the coins. His experience told him it was at least 8 to 10 thousand gold coins.


    "Don''t misunderstand me, Kahn. It''s just that the price was too big for me to cover up." said nev as he exined.


    "Yeah yeah.. No worries. There shouldn''t be any secrets between friends, right?" Kahn said as he gave a slight grin.


    Kahn had already nned to deepen his rtionship with the father & son duo as they could turn out useful in the future so he had to start with the gullible son first.


    As he had dinner, Kahn kept chatting about life experiences with nev. As Kahn was once 25 years old too, he knew enough topics that could get nev''s interests during their conversation.


    When Kahn finally returned to his room again, he changed into nightclothes and jumped into the bed.


    Kahn rested on the cushion andmanded the system.


    [System. Give me Solomon & Arkahm''s stats.]


    Kahn had shaken hands with both Solomon & Arkham for that very purpose. The system he had with him could only scan the body & their strength after making physical contact with the target.


    [ Following are the Statistics for the individual named Arkham.


    Name : Arkham Hond


    Species : Human


    Job : Magic Swordsman


    Rank : Peak Grandmaster Rank


    Level : 82


    Strength : 1370


    Agility : 930


    Dexterity : 1130


    Defense : 860


    Mana : 440


    Following are the Statistics on individual named Solomon


    Name : Solomon Elfenheim


    Species : Elf


    Job : Magician


    Rank : Semi-Saint Rank


    Level : 85


    Strength : 320


    Agility : 670


    Dexterity : 1080


    Defense : 540


    Mana : 1850]


    Kahn let out a surprised gasp. Semi-Saint Rank? Means Solomon was close to break through beyond the Grandmaster rank? The middle-aged Elf was much stronger than he thought.


    Kahn realized that he was treading in murky waters today. He was pretty sure Stragabor was no weaker than Arkham either. If these people wanted to kill him, he''d be dead before he could even react. If not for Rudra being present inside his shadow, he would not even walk out alive from association building had he chosen to refuse the contract from Solomon & Arkham.


    Kahn took out the top-grade Monster cores and chomped down on them one by one as he was in dire need to raise his strength levels if he wanted to protect himself.


    Rudra was his hidden card but he couldn''t reveal him to anyone. Plus there would be very few ces where he could release the Basilisk out of his shadow without causing massive destruction to the surrounding.


    "From tomorrow, I''ll perfect all of my Combat skills and Rank as much as I can. I can''t be dependent on luck or some plot armor to always save me.. Compared to these people, I''m still an ant." said Kahn as he continued to eat up the cores.


    "Power.. I need more Power!"

 Chapter 27: Power Boost

    <h4>Chapter 27: Power Boost</h4>


    Morning arose and Kahn woke up from his fulfilling slumber. Unlike his previous life, he didn''t get any dreams about how his life would be different & what kind of love life he wanted. Rather, he would dream about how he rose in strength and sit atop this entire world; beneath no one, not even the Gods.


    [System, tell me my current Stats.]


    Kahnmanded the system since he ate around 50 monster cores before falling asleep. Thanks to his Ability Absorption divine ability he chose before, all the cores he ate would be directly absorbed in his body without any wastage or adversely affecting his physique.


    As per the knowledge he gained from reading books in the city library, people in this world couldn''t directly just swallow Mana Ores or Monster Cores to increase their physical or magical strength & capacity. Even the most sensitive beings to magic such as Elves and Angels had to dilute the cores and magical elements in them first and then absorb them over a long time. Even absorbing a high-grade core would take them 2 to 3 weeks; that too if they barely took any breaks.


    And that is why, very few people had incredibly stronger physiques or magical abilities as gaining strength in this world needed a lot of resources as well as time. Elves lived around 500 years if they didn''t get killed or died because of some disease and Angels lived up to 2 thousand years. Even the most Ancient Dragons couldn''t live past 4 to 5 thousand years.


    The longer you lived and the more resources you had, the stronger you''ll be. That''s how the naturalw of gaining strength worked here. Even amongst the chosen Heroes, if nobody else picked the Ability Absorption divine ability as Kahn did, then his ability to absorb these monster cores would be the highest among all the living creatures in this world. Naturally, many beings currently surpassed Kahn by a huge margin, but Kahn had far more potential than all of them.


    [ Host Attributes and Skills are as follows :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Level : 42


    Strength : 164


    Agility : 126


    Dexterity : 122


    Defense : 94


    Mana : 252


    Divine Abilities : Ability Absorption, Dimensional Law, Synthesis


    Blessings :


    War Dominance (Stage 1)


    Weapon Mastery (Master Rank)


    Combat Techniques Mastery (Master Rank)


    Survival Intent (Stage 1)


    Berserk God Mode ( 5 times the physical strength)


    War Deity Body (Stage 2)


    Gifts : All Languages Knowledge known to the War Deity.


    Physical Abilities :


    Ripper ws (Combination of Alpha Wolf''s ws and Blue Lion''s ws)


    Alpha Wolf''s Howl


    Side Hopper (Combination of Sprinter and Long stride)


    Hunter''s Intent


    Venom Acid


    Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)


    Somir Scale body


    Executioner''s Gaze


    Magical Skills :


    Fireball


    Stealth


    Note : Some low-grade abilities and skills have been merged under high-grade ones the Host currently possesses & some have been discarded as they no longer have any use to the Host.]


    7 Levels! Kahn remembered being level 35 just yesterday. Eating 50 high-grade B Rank Cores raised his level by 7 levels. Even his strength had be nearly twice than before.


    Kahn realized that as your Levels rose, the attributes would raise by a big margin, more with each level. Like if his stats had 20 points, after his level rose; the increase would be by 30-40 points instead of 20. As his level increases, so will the extra points he''d get.


    "Good. This will make the training & my survival a bit easier." said Kahn and went to take a bath.


    Kahn left in a hurry in the early morning. Instead of going to adventurer association, Kahn went towards the North gate of the city. This part of the city was mainly known for its Entertainment area like how Earth had Red-light areas in the city known for Pubs, Bars & Strip Clubs.


    Kahn went to one of the most crowded restaurants in this area called the Golden Crow. He waited on a table that was unupied as he drank some herbal tea. Unlike Earth, there was no such thing as coffee in Rakos Empire as per his current knowledge. But the majority of the poption preferred Herbal tea instead. Kahn could feel the Asian aesthetics in the building architecture & cuisine.


    [I wonder if any one of chosen heroes was an Asian from Earth who introduced his or her culture and now residents of this world created a different one based on it? Noints though.. This is perfect for the morning.] Kahn said as he sipped the aromatic tea bit by bit in a ck y cup.


    Just then, a slim figure under ck cloak came towards Kahn''s table and sat next to him.


    "You''re earlier than expected." said Kahn as he nced at the hooded figure.


    "I''m a professional. We don''t dy our tasks. If you''re done, let''s leave quickly. I have a perfect ce to train you." said the cloaked figure and finally took out his hood.


    Kahn was a little bit surprised to see the person but didn''t show it on his face.


    The person next to him was a Snakekin. His body waspletely simr to a snake and his hands and legs were covered in reptile-like skin. The greenish hue in the skin color gave this person an appearance simr to a forest snake. The person even had a tongue of a snake which came out of his mouth every 5th second.


    "Fine. Let''s go. I''m in a hurry as well. We''ll only get today to learn as much as I can." said Kahn and followed after the Snakekin.


    After half an hour, they reached a deste area where the houses were basically empty & near to falling in the ground.


    "This is one of the oldest parts of the entire city. It used to be one of the most important areas of the city a few decades ago before the war between different powers & gangs destroyed it as coteral damage. And nobody tried to rebuild it as well. So it became the best area for people in our line of work to practice our skills." exined the Snakekin as he introduced Kahn to their training grounds.


    "I want you to train me in 2 ways. One where you attack me with your assassin''s skills and techniques as I try to defend against them and other where I make attempts on you using the skills you''ll teach me. I want to understand both sides of the battle." said Kahn.


    "Already spoken like a true Assassin. Our job needs the understanding of the surrounding, our target and their weaknesses. We don''t do much damage even with high-grade weapons, but rather our hiding skills and the that one final hit when we show ourselves takes all the work." said the snakekin.


    The snakekin was a professional Assassin and somehow Solomon had managed to have him train Kahn after their yesterday''s nning & agreement. Throughout their entire time during the training, the snakekin taught Kahn how to adjust himself in the surrounding so well that not just the target but also anyone present around them wouldn''t notice Kahn or his presence at all.


    Since Kahn had already acquired the Stealth ability after killing one of the people that came with Illya to kill him, he was already a step aheadpared to an amateur.


    By the end of the day, Kahn who already had the weapon mastery &bat techniques mastery blessings, had already raised his efficiency and also learned the ability called Concealment.


    The Snakekin was left awestruck after he saw Kahn executing this ability to a level that exceeded normal level Assassins who were in the profession for some time. Compared to them, Kahn not only learned it in just 4 to 5 hours but also improved in it at a drastic pace.


    Unlike Stealth ability which lets the Assassins be invisible for a short time, concealment ability helped one to merge in the surrounding area as if you were always a part of it.


    The snakekin''s expression was no different than Arkham''s when he fought Kahn during the assessment test and found his talent in swordsmanship.


    [A prodigy! I found a prodigy! Why is this guy wasting his talent on swords? He can easily be one of the best Assassins in the entire city with enough training and experience!]


    Thought the snakekin as he regretted watching Kahn go after their training.


    Kahn was satisfied to see his weapon mastery for Daggers reaching 45% at Master Rank and his Stealth & Concealment skills reaching 70% and 53% of Master Rank respectively.


    This was just one-day training but he already reaped the benefits of an entire month''s training because he learned from one of the top experts.


    Just like the fight with Arkham, Kahn kept learning and perfecting his assassination skills by making critical attacks whenever he found the perfect chance and his patience to wait for a perfect opportunity was verymendable as well.


    Now all he needed was to kill some assassins in real battle and absorb their abilities to create his new skills and raise the proficiency in the ones he already had.


    The uing week would be nothing but a golden fruit of knowledge he''d get to eat and raise his skills and knowledge in all the fighting-rted jobs and professions.


    Kahn knew if not for the excuse he made for learning his targets & their weaknesses, Kahn would never get to learn from true professionals like the Snakekin he met today. It was Solomon & Arkham pulling their connections and a huge amount of money to get these people to train him. All for the sake of keeping their current power & authority to themselves.


    Kahn was sure that the snakekin would straight away go to report about today''s training to Solomon & Arkham as a way to keep an eye on him and his part in their deal. And so will the other trainers he''ll meet in the uing days.


    But at the end of the day, it was Kahn who was getting a big haul and benefited the most.


    "Let''s see who''s using who." spoke Kahn to himself and smirked as he looked forward towards the uing days.

 Chapter 28: First Target

    <h4>Chapter 28: First Target</h4>


    For the following days, Kahn received training andbat experience from one of the most elite fighters in all different professions.


    Let it be Archers or Magicians, Kahn not only learned a few of their core techniques and spells; he also excelled at them by a huge marginpared to others who would usually take months to reach that level.


    All his trainers left with their jaws dropping on the ground, every single one of them not believing the talent this young man had in their respective fields.


    And after one week of repeated training sessions, Kahn was finally done in being proficient in them and reaching more than 50% mastery in these skills, spells &bat techniques. The current Kahn would be able to use any weapon belonging to any ss and different spells andbat techniques unique to these sses without any problem.


    This left a sour taste in all his trainers who thought he was wasting his god-gifted talent by focusing on swordsmananship instead. Few of them even offering him to be their disciple. But Kahn refused all of them.


    The agreed date of the first week was over and the days of his hunting began from today.


    Kahn was sipping some morning herbal tea inside the Golden Crow restaurant as by now, he too was addicted to this aromatic & soul soothing tea.


    Today, he was going to receive a detailed report on all his targets, their routines and the best locations to carry out the assassinations as agreed during their initial nning.


    Kahn was to get familiar with different professions and their weaknesses and Solomon & Arkham''s people were to gather more detailed and sure-shot intel on all of their potential targets.


    As Kahn was basking in the delicious taste of the tea, a slim elven archer sat across the opposite side of the table. He didn''t make any greetings and ordered some breakfast.


    Both he and Kahn didn''t speak a word to each other either. If anyone looked at them, they''d think that these two were nothing but strangers to each other.


    As the Elven archer finished his breakfast, he suddenly took out a small book and passed it to Kahn from under the table,pletely hidden from everyone''s eyes.


    The Elf gave a slight nod and left the ce in a hurry. Kahn took the small book and ced it in his Space Ring. Soon, Kahn left for the adventurer association and after he finally reached there, he registered himself for the dungeon exploration list and paid a small fee for buying a dungeon pass.


    Unlike many Novels & Mangas he read in his previous life; the dungeons in Rakos Empire were monitored by both the adventurer association & the military toons stationed close to these dungeons in case of a monster tide urred. They will be the first line of defense. The dungeon passes were used as permission to explore and also to keep a record of all the people entering the dungeons in case they went missing or needed reinforcement during life and death situations.


    It was also to stop the unregted & unrecorded flow of resources adventurers gained from these dungeons.


    Kahn had 3 objectives for his dungeon visit today.


    The first was obviously to hunt monsters & absorb their abilities. 2nd was to use this opportunity to increase hisbat experience & improve hisbat mastery using the different techniques he had learned in the past week. 3rd was to deliver upon his first target mentioned inside the small book.


    On his way to the closest dungeon which was barely 5 kilometers away from the city, Kahn went to a merchant shop and bought some smoke bombs and tear gas bombs.


    Normally, adventurers used it to hunt down groups of low-level monsters that traveled in groups. But Kahn was going to use them for some other purpose.


    He also bought a ck cloak to hide in the crowd and to avoid the eyes of fellow adventurers.


    When Kahn finally reached the closest dungeon towards the city named the Bromnir dungeon, he entered after showing his pass. Surprisingly, he wasn''t the only one entering while wearing a ck cloak. There were many individuals who did the same. Out of 10, at least 2 would be wearing ck cloaks as far as Kahn could see. Many trying to hide their identities.


    [Good for me. This way, no one would be able to link me to the incident either.] Thought Kahn as he entered the gigantic cave-like door to the dungeon that was filled with plenty of adventurers going in and out like ants gathering around sugar.


    Kahn had ced his longsword inside the space ring and currently had a normal-looking bow on his back with a quiver full of arrows. He was entering the dungeon as an archer this time.


    After entering the first floor, Kahn didn''t waste time wandering around and asked a nearby adventurer about the directions towards the 9th floor.


    The first 2 floors were flooded with people and only from the 3rd floor, did the real battles began.


    Kahn kept descending the downstairs and walked nearly a few miles down the ground to finally reach the 9th-floor door. As the floor level increased, the stronger monsters & creatures would one face. After the 7th floor, no one would dare venture further without a team of allies.


    So watching a lone archer going below the 7th floor surprised many but it was still eptable for them as there were always risk-takers. Here, you were responsible for your own life. And nobody would care if you lived or died in this ce.


    Each floor in these dungeons covered the area of a big town having perimeters of around 6 to 8 kilometers on average. Here, many different monster species lived and hunted for resources. And so did the adventurers.


    To the residents of these dungeons, any outsider would be no different than food so they attacked these adventurers at the first sight.


    The 9th floor was an area of crevices and withered trees. This floor was a hunting ground for many big adventurer teams & the residents of this floor being none other than Kobolds.


    These monsters had very sensitive noses and hearing. So they were very hard to hunt in a group unless you had a bigger group of your own.


    "Finally. I''m here. Now, where are those bastards?" spoke Kahn to himself. He started looking around for groups of people.


    After walking for more than ten minutes, Kahn finally found a group of more than 20 adventurers full of mixed-race people and humans trying to fight off against a pack of kobolds. All these people had an emblem on their chest; the emblem indicating the adventurer team he had seen before.


    This was his first target as the book had provided him intel on...


    The Groundhog adventurer team.


    From the intel he received, The Groundhog adventurer team had more than 400 members.


    Stragabor being their leader and his family who had a rich background funding the whole team.


    There were dozens of groups like the one before Kahn, sent to dungeons to hunt for monsters, raw materials & monster cores andter be sold in the market.


    In other words, this group was no different than workers farming for resources andter give it all to their bosses.


    Kahn maintained a kilometer distance from this group and activated his Hunter Intent skill which let him gauge the strength of his targets about whether they were stronger than him or not. This ability also had a very long reach and was no different than a filter system for Kahn.


    [The Strongest among them seems like between level 32 to 35. But the numbers are too big for me to hunt alone. Also bringing all of their attention towards a single target won''t be easy. If I want to kill them efficiently without any fail, I need to give them a big target.] Kahn thought to himself as a n hatched in his mind.


    Kahn ran amongst the withered trees and went far away from the Groundhog adventurer team members.


    Since hecked numbers, he would use outside help.


    Not only was he nning to ovee his disadvantage with numbers.. He was going to use the oldest and yet most efficient battle strategy in the book.


    Kahn let out an evil grin as he finalized his n..


    "Killing two birds with one stone."

 Chapter 29: Let them fight!

    <h4>Chapter 29: Let them fight!</h4>


    Continuous battles kept happening over different parts of the 9th dungeon floor. There was no sun or source of light inside the dungeon but somehow, Kahn could see a bright sky above his head.


    Naturally, this had something to do with the natural construction or magic formation that had formed the dungeon in the first ce. The light outside of the dungeon was brought to each floor & the intensity was no different than normal sunlight outside of the dungeon.


    Kahn kept running without causing too many noticeable noises through the withered tree lines.


    He had seen some group of kobolds but they were either too big or too small than what he needed.


    Finally, he found a group of 18 kobolds who had just finished off killing an adventure team & were looting out the remains, while some from the group started ripping off the flesh out of the dead bodies and chomping on the juicy & bloody meat of these adventurers.


    Unlike Werewolves, kobolds not only hunted with their ws & jaws; they also used weapons like wooden spears/poles, swords and bows. The majority even wore clothes that covered their private parts.


    Only a group of experienced adventurers with the same number as the kobolds could take them head-on. From what Kahn saw, the group of adventurers thatid dead on the ground wasn''t one of such teams. Not only did theyck numbers but also their teamposition was out of the norm. Too many physical ss & damage dealer ss people, only 2 mages & 1 archer in the group.


    This was nothing but a ragtag bunch of hotheaded morons who came to the dungeons thinking they could conquer the floor with their measly strength.


    [Idiots.. There are other ways to make money without dying. Whye here if you''re not strong enough to protect yourself?] Kahn spoke to himself.


    Kahn was already used to hunting wild monsters & beasts in the Forest he was thrown into by God of Darkness. So this wasn''t his first rodeo.


    Kahn silently kept walking towards the group of kobolds while hiding himself behind the tree branches & bushes. The group was salvaging the gears & meat from the dead adventurers.


    He nocked an arrow on his normal bow which he bought for cheap from a shop. He was around 300 meters from the group & just in his bow''s attack range.


    Aiming at one of the kobolds who was in a group of three and quickly shot an arrow.


    SWISH!


    The arrow pierced the kobold''s head, killing it instantly on the spot. His current weapon mastery for bows was only 59% at master rank but it was still enough for him to make urate & precise attacks.


    As soon as the kobold fell on the ground, the remaining kobolds were alerted.


    HOWL!


    The kobolds howled and alerted their subordinates. The whole group quickly getting their guard up and looking for the attacker.


    "Time for the second arrow." said Kahn and shot another arrow in the middle of the group. The first was to get their attention and the second was to let them know about his location.


    As soon as the kobolds sensed the direction of the iing arrows, they charged towards Kahn''s location with all their weapons in their hands.


    Kahn waited till the group could see him and started running in the direction he came from.


    For the next twenty minutes, the group of kobolds kept running after Kahn as if all they wanted was his death. Kahn asionally shot out arrows and killed a couple of their subordinates to fume their anger even more.


    Running away from this group without getting caught was no big deal for Kahn who had both sprinter & lunge ability which would always keep him one step ahead of the group. He also made sure that the group followed him withouting across any other group of kobolds or another adventurer team. Otherwise, it would foil his ns.


    Finally when he reached around a kilometer away from the ce where the group of twenty plus Groundhog adventurer team members were fighting, he raised his speed to the fullest and disappeared from the sight of these kobolds using Side Hopper ability.


    Kahn saw the people of the Groundhog adventurer team were still at the same ce, their battle seemed to be over a long ago and now they were just harvesting the kobolds for their cores, ws and skin. Many of them simply resting while few keeping a lookout. Their losses seemed negligible while the kobold group waspletely wiped out.


    Kahn quickly ran back to the group of kobolds he brought along and shot arrows at them again, luring them in his direction as he ran towards the adventurer team.


    As soon as he reached 200 meters from the group, Kahn used Side Hopper and disappeared again from their sight.


    From the dense bushes, he shouted very loudly.


    "There are kobolds! Everyone get ready to fight!!", Kahn quickly ran away from the ce and hid among the tree branches.


    "Enemy attack!" shouted some of the team members of the adventurer team and everyone was quickly alerted. They were all experienced people so they quickly got into a formation ready to defend against an ambush.


    "Who was the guy that just shouted? Didn''t feel like I heard that voice before." someone of the group softly asked.


    But just then, the group of kobolds finally reached close to the adventurers and by instinct, they charged at the defending side.


    Kahn who was now standing on a thick tree branch far away and watching the show sighed in relief.


    "Finally, all the efforts are paying off. Nothing personal guys... It''s just business." said Kahn as he rxed his back against the tree trunk.


    What followed was another gory battle between the adventurers and kobolds, even far bloodier than the previous group these kobolds had killed.


    Thanks to their experience in working together, the adventurers defended themselves against this sudden attack. Only suffering two casualties at the beginning of the battle.


    But the kobolds were no different than these adventurers. They hunted in packs & their disposition was made to hunt in a group. Their understanding & teamwork far exceeded the opposition. Besides, they were far more vicious with their attacks and many were stronger than the adventurer team members.


    Skulls and bones were broken, cut down & blood was sprayed on the ground as both sides ferociously fighting to kill their enemies.


    Kahn who was the cause of this all was simply studying the battle & strategies both sides were implying as time went on. His understanding of battle tactics increasing little by little.


    There was a reason why Kahn chose to use the kobold group to pit against the Groundhog adventurer team members.


    The primary reason being that he was simplycking in numbers. And even though he was strong, he couldn''t take down all these people even with Omega on his side. Releasing Rudra here was also not a good idea either. These weren''t some mindless monsters but a group of experienced people who also knew how to quickly respond to sudden ambushes and adapt to the situation very quickly. Some could manage to run away to tell the tale so that''s wasn''t the best choice.


    The secondary reason is to avoid causing suspicion of an assassination attempt. Plenty of people died in the hands of kobolds on this floor so it wouldn''t be a surprise to see another group fallen to these monsters.


    Soon, the battle came to an impasse. Both sides left with barely 6 to 7 members, rest going to eternal sleep while lying on the ground in their own blood and intestines. Both sides were constantly looking for an opportunity to attack while defending themselves.


    Kahn who saw this from the tree he was standing on, finally decided to interfere. He knew this would eventually happen so he wasn''t surprised at all.


    "Omega,e out." said Kahn and the Dire Wolf jumped out of his shadow. Kahn took out the smoke & tear gas bombs he bought with him and silently approached the battlefield.


    Since everyone was fighting for their lives, neither side noticed or sensed his presence.


    "The usual n. Attack from the other side as soon as I throw the bombs." said Kahn and Omega nodded in response. Their teamwork was already on an expert level.


    Kahn activated stealth and turned invisible. He silently walked behind the adventurer team and threw the smoke bombs and tear gas bombs in between the battlefield where the majority of the fighters were in a neck-to-neck battle.


    "What the fuck?! Who''s that?!" shouted a woman among the group as the smoke filled the battlefield.


    Kahn activated his War Dominance & Ripper ws and started the bloodbath. This time, he was hunting both people and monsters together. His pressure filled the entire ce, making it hard to even breathe for everyone present on the scene.


    What followed was a one-sided massacre. Kahn used Side Hopper from time to time and each time he appeared, a body would fall on the ground as his Ripper ws chopped their heads and torso in two.


    Kahn had thrown the smoke bomb on the adventurer side while the tear gas bomb on kobold side to use it the most effectively on both opponents.


    Both sides were already weaker than him and after putting them into a disarray, Kahn & Omega did not have any problems taking out all the enemies.


    With no chance to fight back, in just a few minutes, only a hooded man with a bow on his back and a giant ck Dire Wolf, both of whom werepletely drenched in blood remained on the battlefield.


    "Well.. time to rob the dead."

 Chapter 30: New Teammates

    <h4>Chapter 30: New Teammates</h4>


    As the battle ended, a dreary scene of the blood & flesh torn and sttered on the ground was revealed. The Bowman and the Dire Wolf started to pige the bodies of the dead without showing any hints of regret as if they werepletely numb to killing.


    Kahn was no longer a man from Earth who would be disturbed by killing someone or try to use the pretense of moral code or right cause to not kill people when it suited him & when it didn''t. He wasn''t a hypocrite who would try to justify his acts or look for reasoning before he had to kill someone.


    He had killed so many dangerous and vicious monsters in the forest that he was practicallyparable to a veteran hunter who had experienced so much that the sight & smell of the blood no longer bothered him.


    And after he absorbed the mother Somir''s core and also inherited its will, his disposition was no longer that of a normal human. He simply epted that given different circumstances, both the people he just killed and the kobold monster he lured here to ughter would not even bat an eye if they had a chance to kill him. Some would even torture him to death if the roles were switched.


    So there was no need to feel sorry for someone who wouldn''t think too much about the value of life in the first ce.


    Kahn absorbed the abilities of all the dead bodies lying in front of him one by one and cut out cores from the monsters. As for the Groundhog adventurers team members who were part of his contract, he simply took out their badges and put them in his space ring. He needed the proof of the kills to receive his pay.


    "System, show me the list of abilities and skills I just gained just now." said Kahn and the system notified him with the list.


    [The host has acquired the following new abilities & skills.


    Water spear


    Knight''s Taunt


    Shield Bash


    Wind sh


    Wind de


    Headshot


    Charged Arrow


    Arrow volley


    Archer''s sight


    Heal (Rank C)


    Protection Barrier


    Debuff Dispell


    Magic Sense


    Temr''s charge


    Temr''s Will


    Defense Fortitude


    Shadow strike


    Lacerate


    Backstab


    Lockpick


    Kobold''s howl


    Pack sense


    Pack hunting buff]


    The system finally stopped after giving a list of abilities Kahn had just acquired using his Ability Absorption Divine Ability. This cheered up Kahn as he was indeedcking many abilities & magical skills in his holster. Majority till now being rted to hunting monsters in the forest only. And out of them, only 2 to 3 were useful to the current Kahn.


    So this was a pleasant surprise for him in a way.


    "System, show me the list of useful abilities & skills I can create using Synthesis Divine Ability." said Kahn and waited for the system to reply.


    [Host can create the following Abilities & Skills with the ones currently the host possesses...]


    The system then started giving him multiple and variety of skills he could create using the abilities he already had and gained just now. Filling his head with all the information about the abilities with their effects and uses.


    Kahn started processing all the information and decided to judge the usefulness of all the new merged abilities & skills. He wasn''t an idiot tobine them all for no reason. He wasn''t even sure if there was a limit to the number of abilities & skills he was allowed to merge together.


    And there was no point in creating the ones he won''t be needing in the majority of scenarios as they would simply rust inside the inventory (metaphorically). Also, these abilities would need time in practicing and maybe require him to absorb abilities and resources to upgrade & improve them. That would be a waste of time as well. So the most sensible choice was to create abilities & skills that could be extremely useful & had the potential to be one of his hidden cards.


    Among the list, he found 2 merged abilities that were also high rank & could be upgraded in the future.


    [Mind Link (Rank B) (Upgradable)


    Allows the host to create a soul connection to multiple subordinates and see their surrounding via a shared vision.


    The host can alsomand them telepathically to perform a task or an action.


    The current range of this ability is a 5-kilometer radius from the host''s location.]


    This ability was truly useful for Kahn if he wanted to hunt, gather Intel or keep a lookout. His subordinates could warn him about an iing enemy or an ambush.


    He could also send them to do some reconnaissance on the people or monsters he wanted to kill & even send them to ces he couldn''t reach or tell them to do something when he was under the public eye.


    Kahn them moved to the 2nd merged ability


    [Mind Transfer (Rank C) (Upgradable)


    Allows the host to have full control of one subordinate and its body for 1 hour.


    However, the original body of the host will be put in stasis when the ability is activated]


    The first ability was simply too convenient for Kahn as he would be needing a lot of subordinates sooner orter. And in that case, having a deepened mind connection with them would allow him to carry a group battle more efficiently.


    The 2nd merged ability was simr to the first but unlike the former, it allowed him topletely control a subordinate for an hour. This too was useful if he wanted to not take any risks while doing something where he could die and just use a subordinate as a suicide bomber in case there was a chance to get caught.


    Kahn was certain that he gained this ability from the group of kobolds as they were indeed the type of monsters who spent their lives hunting in groups. So maybe this was some rare passive ability he identally gained.


    The Adventurers also gave him plenty of useful abilities & upation exclusive skills. But Kahn decided to experiment on themter when he had the time.


    "Merge the skills." Kahnmanded the system and soon a familiar feeling of learning new abilities flew in this body as if he had spent years on creating it. He quickly got familiarized with it in a minute.


    But because of these two 2 newly merged abilities, another door was opened for Kahn which made him rethink his choices.


    Kahn then thought of a n. He had to spend almost an hour and half just to n and kill these people using a group of kobolds to tire them out in a battle and whittle down their numbers.


    What if he had a simr task in the future and had to kill a group just like this one? Where will he find extra help when having a disadvantage in numbers? Things won''t go in his favor at all.


    So there was no other option than to create a small army of his own.


    He didn''t feel like leaving the dead bodies to let others know that these people died in a battle against kobolds anymore. Simply because there wasn''t a need to leave them as proof. Missing people also counted as dead too.


    All the adventurers were above level 30 and some of the kobolds were even level 37. He won''t find such a favorable situation again where everything went ording to his n and he sessfullypleted the kill list.


    Kahn weighed the pros and cons in his mind and decided that it was a better choice to use the dead bodies that were lying in front of him to create new subordinates and even experiment on a few to create some different or even higher version of their species.


    He ordered Omega to not eat out the remains and started using Synthesis Divine Ability on all different types of adventurers.


    To gain the maximum results, he used the high-grade monster cores during the synthesis process which were given to him by Solomon as an advance for the job. There were moreing into his pockets so Kahn found this as a worthy investment.


    And he wasn''t a fool to randomly merge the bodies together. Kahn chose the specimens based on their profession & their ss such as Knights & Temrs under physical melee ss and Mages & Conjurers in long-range magical ss.


    In half an hour, Kahn was done merging all the dead bodies together and gained 6 new subordinates.


    Six figures who were wearingpletely ck clothes, Armors and robes that were once part of the original bodies and now turned ck, holding weapons of their respective sses and with some very noticeable changes happened to them.


    On top of that, since Kahn used 2 to 3 high-grade Monster Cores during synthesis, all of these new subordinates had unlocked the Evolution skill just like Omega & Rudra had when they were created.


    A Guardian Knight, a Rogue, an Enchanter, a Priest, a Ranger & finally a Berserker.


    All of these were thebination of two different job sses and had merged under the Synthesis divine ability so they also inherited the core abilities of both the sses with the unique abilities of their newly created ss.


    Kahn named these 6 as Six Generals. Already having ns to make them incredibly stronger in the future if he had the opportunity.


    "From now on your names are ckwall, Ronin, Ceril, Armin, Oliver & Jugram." said Kahn as he named his new subordinates with creative names which fitted their sses and appearance respectively. Instantly raising their loyalty towards him by 50%.


    And all of them were Level 40 as both the original bodies were at least level 30.


    Kahn then saw Omega looking at him with indignation as if he felt left out and forgotten.


    Kahn gently patted the Dire Wolf''s head and smiled.


    "Don''t worry, I still have different ns for you." said Kahn as he gazed at the bodies of the kobolds lying next to him. He let out a devilish smirk and spoke..


    "Let''s see who we get next."

 Chapter 31: Rewarding the Loyalty

    <h4>Chapter 31: Rewarding the Loyalty</h4>


    Kahn stared at the dead bodies of the kobold group he lured here to fight against the adventurer group and killed them once the time came.


    Total 16 dead kobolds were lying on the ground. This was more than enough for him to create at least 8 new subordinates. But Kahn didn''t n on having that many for now. He preferred Quality over Quantity. Besides, having same type of subordinates would only provide him with fodders than some unique subordinates as he had created till now.


    "System. How much bloodline purity did I absorb from these Kobolds?" asked Kahn to the system as he knew the System stored in Bloodlines through his Ability Absorption Divine Ability if the same type of monsters or any species was absorbed by Kahn.


    [The Host currently has 120% of pure Kobold bloodline. Enough to create a higher and many times stronger version of this species.]


    "And would the Rank of that subordinate will be higher as well ?" Kahn asked out of curiosity.


    [Yes. The more specimens with the same bloodline the Host uses for Synthesis, the higher chances to create a higher version of that species.]


    "System, what''s Omega''s rank based on your database?"


    [Subordinate named Omega is currently of Elite rank with the Evolution skill unlocked.] The system replied emotionlessly.


    "What are the ranks for monsters & beasts in general?" Kahn asked as he never had this question pop up in his mind before. He only knew that Rudra was of Mythical rank, a rank above the Legendary rank.


    [Following are the Ranks for Monsters & Beast species :


    Common


    Elite


    Rare


    Unique


    Half-Lord


    Lord


    High Lord


    Legendary


    Mythical


    Godbeast ]


    "So what if I use 4 bodies & 5 high-grade monster cores during Synthesis? Will the resultant subordinate be of an even higher version than the expected result?" Kahn asked in puzzlement because he still wasn''t used to creating subordinates & understand all the capabilities of his Synthesis Divine Ability even now.


    [The Resultant subordinate can only be of one rank higher & an upgraded version of their base bloodline.]


    "I see." Kahn spoke to himself. He was being too greedy just now so he had to keep his expectations in check. A higher rank result was already too much to ask for. Even a higher rank than that was simply impossible. But there was always a chance to merge that subordinate with others of the same rank & species to get another higher version. Just that he will need a purer bloodline & more dead bodies to experiment with & extra monster cores.


    "You guys, keep on a lookout. Don''t let anyonee close to this area & disturb me." Kahnmanded to his newly created six subordinates, the Six Generals.


    The Six Generals then dispersed in different directions. His newly acquired ability called Mind Link was a passive ability so he would be linked to all these subordinates and could see through their eyes whenever he wanted. His soul connection with them would inform him about everything that was happening with subordinates without putting any strain on his brain either.


    Plus the range was 5 kilometers so it was already very good for him to not be noticed by anyone who was far away. Kahn was just being cautious.


    Kahn chose 4 bodies of dead kobolds and 5 B-rank monster cores for the synthesis and put his hands and bare legs on all the bodies.


    "Merge!" said Kahn as a ck shadow was released from his hands and legs on each body and the shadow engulfed them one by one.


    Soon all the 4 shadows started converging together and finally the procedure to create a new subordinate started.


    Since there were more specimens involved, the procedure took longer than before.


    [Does the host wishes to impart the pure Bloodline to the subordinate being created?] the system asked for his permission like it once did when he was creating Rudra who now possessed 50% pure Basilisk bloodline.


    "Do it." Kahnmanded without hesitation.


    After 10 minutes of forming different shapes and moves, the new subordinate was finally created.


    It was pitch ck kobold who was much taller and bigger than the rest of the Kobolds that Kahn had killed and used for synthesis. The fur was darker, ws were shaper, it stood on its two hind legs and two big fangs wereing out of its mouth.


    Its appearance no different than a giant Werewolf.


    "System, show me his stats."


    [Following are the Statistics for the subordinate.


    Name : Unnamed


    Species : High Kobold


    Evolution skill unlocked (Level can be upgraded through eating other monsters & cores. And Rank can be upgraded with higher & purer bloodlines of this same species.)


    Rank : Unique


    Level : 45


    Strength : 160


    Agility : 140


    Dexterity : 60


    Defense : 70


    Mana : 90


    Abilities :


    Burst Howl


    Pack Leader


    Sprinter


    Lunge


    Tearing ws


    Shadow merge


    Would Host like to name this new subordinate?]


    "Wait." Kahn looked at the stats & abilities. This new subordinate was indeed very strongpared to the dead kobolds & even slightly stronger than Six Generals because it had the unique bloodline of kobold species.


    Kahn didn''t stop there. He simply repeated the same process for the remaining bodies. And after half an hour, finally stopping after he created 3 more subordinates. All of them being no different than the previous High Kobold.


    Kahn now finally understood the difference. Kobolds were actually higher and intellectual versions of Wolves. No different than those Wolfkin Demihumans he had seen before in vot City and some of the Adventurer groups he had seen also had such members.


    Just that the Wolfkin were more evolved and sentient beings while kobolds were primitive & more controlled by their base instincts.


    Even Omega who was standing close to Kahn felt like he was looking at his long-distance rtives. He was certainly a much lower version of this species himself.


    Kahn didn''t stop here either. Since all of them had unlocked Evolution skill, there was no point in standing on a ceremony.


    He divided these 4 into groups of two and repeated the Synthesis. Kahn used 10 B Rank monster cores for each time and patiently created 2 more higher versions of Kobold.


    "System, show me the stats."


    [Following are the Statistics for the subordinate.


    Name : Unnamed


    Species : Kobasu (Varient Kobold)


    Evolution skill unlocked (Level can be upgraded through eating other monsters & cores. And Rank can be upgraded with higher & purer bloodlines of this same species.)


    Rank : Half-Lord


    Level : 50


    Strength : 250


    Agility : 190


    Dexterity : 170


    Defense : 150


    Mana : 130


    Abilities :


    Pack Commander


    Domain Howl


    Hunter''s Sight


    Long stride


    Pincer


    Shadow merge


    Would Host like to name this new subordinate?]


    "What the.." Kahn stood rooted on the spot forgetting his speech.


    Because the new subordinate he just created was already stronger than Kahn himself. Plus the stats were also higher than him in Strength and Agility attributes.


    This guy was at least on Stragabor''s level based on the aura & murderous intent it emitted. This subordinate would just make a perfect bodyguard for himself.


    Omega now felt even more dejected than before. His head was down as if he felt that he was no longer needed. He simply walked away from Kahn and sat in a faraway corner in the tree line.. Slowly whimpering under his breath.


    Kahn was overjoyed with the results and carried on to create another subordinate of the same rank.


    Another 30 minutes passed and Kahn finally created another new subordinate of the same rank & skills as the former.


    Kahn still hadn''t named any of his new subordinates after he named the Six Generals.


    He now had 2 Subordinates on the same strength level as Stragabor who once put immense pressure on Kahn with his aura alone.


    "System. Can I upgrade them even more?" asked Kahn, not being content with what he already had.


    [No. The host no longer has any higher or purer version of this bloodline. The new subordinates can no longer evolve any more than their current state unless a higher bloodline which also has traces of the same bloodline is acquired and used for Evolution.] replied the system.


    Kahn found it logical since it was indeed a limitation of the bloodline. Because he already had upgraded the newly created subordinates by two ranks just with the bloodline he acquired previously. No matter how pure it was, it would still have an upper limit for an Evolution.


    "So if I want to use them for further evolution, will I need to mix them with another subordinate?" Kahn asked.


    [Yes. But the subordinate must have traces of the same bloodline as the specimens and should be a Variant version of its species to mix with this different bloodline.] The system stated out the conditions for the next upgrade. Because there won''t be any different resultant species if they shared the same base bloodline. And to mix with another subordinate, that would require some traces of the same bloodline as well.


    Kahn let out a chuckle as his mood lightened up. Because there was indeed a subordinate who fit both the conditions at the same time.


    Kahn then gazed at a certain subordinate who was resting near a tree with its head down and a devilish smirk appeared on his face.

 Chapter 32: The Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 32: The Evolution</h4>


    Kahn called out Omega who was at this point sulking in a corner as he felt like he was no longer going to be useful to Kahn.


    At the end of the day, Omega was only an Elite rank monster who had very less intelligencepared to these Kobasu who were standing in front of Kahn. He only knew how to follow orders.


    Even though they were stronger than Kahn, none of these two subordinates were haughty or overbearing as Rudra. They didn''t try to defy Kahn''s authority or taunt him in any way. Because Rudra was a Mythical rank creature and possessed 50% pure bloodline of a Godbeast, the Basilisk.


    Although Kahn didn''t know much about Godbeasts even now since they were only stuff of the Legends as far as he knew, he didn''t try to look for more information about them as finding correct & reliable sources wasn''t in his priority list.


    At this point, Omega finally came and stood on Kahn''s left side. His expression looked of curiosity as he didn''t understand what Kahn had in his mind.


    "System, how much it will take?"


    [ording to the current level of Species & Rank, it will take the Host at least 100 B Rank Monster Cores for this procedure.] the system replied in its lifeless tone.


    "Why that many? That''s all I have left!" Kahn asked in surprise as the cost of this procedure alone took the number of Monster cores he had used up till now.


    Kahn ate 50 C rank monster cores a week ago & now nearly used 50 cores for creating his Six Generals and then the kobolds. 30 of them being B Rank monster cores which were very high grade and hard toe even for Solomon who was the president of adventurers association.


    [Because what Host wishes to create exceeds the current rank of subordinate in the procedure by many ranks. If the host does not use the required amount of monster cores, the result will create a new being who will not inherit any traits or memories of the chosen subordinate.] the system exined.


    Kahn thought for a minute and understood the reason. What he wanted to do was skip on at least 3 Ranks of Species Evolution. So certainly it would require many cores for all the upgrades and Mana for it to seed.


    Since both the Kobasu were Half-Lord rank, Kahn expected the result being of the same rank after the process was done. But he still had to make up for the difference in Species rank using extra monster cores.


    Luckily, Kahn hadn''t used up all of his B rank monster cores Solomon had given him as an advance for the contract. He had consumed only low-grade cores that night and barely used the high-grade ones till now. He wanted to save them for emergency or use it for any exchangeter.


    So he indeed had more than 100 B rank monster cores left on him. They were all he had left to be precise.


    But then Kahn looked at the Dire Wolf who had expectant eyes looking at him. Kahn vividly remembered the time when the first thing he ate in this world was hunted & brought to him by Omega.


    The first day he entered the world of Vantrea, he created this Dire Wolf using the pack of Wolves who tried to hunt him and had nearly managed to kill him.


    Ever since then, he and Omega were no different than Partners in Crime. They hunted together and killed many dangerous monsters & beasts, even killing the legendary Somir together which led the way to Kahn going from Level 3 to Level 30 in a single day.


    While Rudra was the strongest of the all subordinates Kahn had created until now, the giant variant Basilisk was still notpletely loyal to him nor did he submit to Kahn even after they spent their time together.


    Omega on the other hand, was with Kahn since day one. He protected Kahn when he was weak and defenseless, hunted and fought beside Kahn like they were soldiers on a battlefield who would not think twice before sacrificing themselves to save their fellow soldier''s life.. That was true Loyalty.


    "It''s all worth it." spoke Kahn and put one hand on Omega''s head and ordered both the kobasu to touch his right palm.


    "Merge!" Kahnmanded and the synthesis process started as usual. All the monster cores Kahn had on him were instantly absorbed by the shadow and so were all three specimens.


    This time, the procedure was even moreplicated and there were sudden bursts of energy and ground shaking pressure releasing within the shadow.


    Kahn let out beads of sweat and focused all his attention & energy into the synthesis.


    Unlike anything before, it took 4 hours for Kahn to finally manage toplete the process.


    BOOM!! BOOM!!!


    A sudden burst of energy and an extremely dreadful aura filled with bloodlust and tyranny exploded from the ce Kahn was carrying out the synthesis. A dark ck and red cloud of energy was exuding in the 2 kilometers surrounding. The explosion could be heard on the entire 9th floor.


    Kahn was thrown back 10 meters due to this explosion and barely managed tond on his feet just in time.


    A giant 10-meter tall figure of a ck creature which had the head of a Wolf, broad shoulders and arms that were of the same height as Kahn with ws as long as Kahn''s forearms..


    The giant figure stood on two legs, slightly nting downward because of its Hind legs that were just like Wolves & Kobolds. It had two long fangsing out of its mouth which had numerous sharp teeth. The two fangs were about the same height as Kahn''s head.


    The giant Wolf-like creature then let out a deafening roar and announced its presence to all the living souls present on the 9th floor.


    The roar alone causing sonic booms and Kahn''s clothes fluttered in the air from the shockwaves.


    Kahn looked at the glowing red eyes with the ck iris of this giant creature and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with it.


    The giant wolf creature then started walking towards Kahn.


    THUD! THUD! THUD!


    Each of its steps causing loud stepping noises because of how big its build was. If anyone else other than Kahn was present here, they''d faint under this immense pressure & bloodlust that was being released by this giant monster.


    The wolflike creature then knelt in front of Kahn on its right knee & right fist on the ground while the other leg bent and left hand on its knee.


    Just like how a Knight would kneel in front his King.


    Kahn let out a visible smile and gently ced his palm on the head of the monster kneeling in front of him.


    "You''ve be very strong.. Omega." said Kahn in a happy voice as he felt genuine joy from watching the Synthesis procedure being a sess and Omega finally bing extremely stronger than before.


    Just then.. A hoarse and rustic voice reached to Kahn''s ears..


    "Thank you.... Master."


    Kahn''s eyes widened with surprise. The voice belonged to no one but Omega. He could now speak after this Evolution.


    Kahn felt a bit of suspicion andmanded the system.


    "Tell me all of his stats and abilities." Kahnmanded the system in his authoritative tone.


    [Following are the Statistics for the subordinate.


    Name : Omega


    Species : Lycan (Variant Fenrir)


    Subordinate has invoked a dormant bloodline belonging to a Godbeast, the Fenrir.


    Current Bloodline purity : 20%


    Evolution skill unlocked (Level can be upgraded through eating other monsters & cores. And Rank can be upgraded with higher & purer bloodlines of the same species or descendant species of other Godbeasts.)


    Rank : Lord


    Level : 55


    Strength : 350


    Agility : 270


    Dexterity : 240


    Defense : 200


    Mana : 180


    Active Abilities & Skills :


    Shredder ws :


    Gathers extremely destructive mana around subordinate''s ws to execute long-range w attack.


    Berserk :


    Gives the subordinate two times physical and attack strength for a short time.


    Bloodline Boost :


    Chosen bloodline effects can be used for a certain amount of time.


    Bloodlust :


    Allows the subordinate to focus killing intent on a target and put it in a fearful state for 20 seconds.


    Tyrant''s Roar :


    The subordinate''s roar can disorient anyone except the host and fellow subordinates in a 200-meter radius.


    Shadow Swap :


    Subordinate can instantly travel to a location in sight containing a shadow.


    Shadow Merge :


    Allows Subordinate to merge and hide under Host''s shadow.


    Passive Innate Skills :


    Lycan Tyrant :


    Allows the subordinate tomand & exert authority on any Lykos (Wolf) rted species.


    Devourer :


    Allows the subordinate to absorb & purify the bloodlines of other species.


    Metamorphosis :


    Allows the subordinate to shapeshift into a humanoid form.


    Regeneration :


    Allows the subordinate to constantly heal itself at a fast pace. ]


    After reading all the Stats on Omega after the new upgrade.. Kahn was gobsmacked. This was beyond what he expected, he could only reply in surprise..


    "What the bloody hell!"

 Chapter 33: Hunting the Boss

    <h4>Chapter 33: Hunting the Boss</h4>


    Kahn waspletely out of his wits for the first time since he absorbed the Somir''s core and inherited its will which changed Kahn''s demeanor.


    He was able to always keep a calm mind even when facing someone like Stragabor.


    But now he could not believe his eyes. What he thought was a Half-Lord rank subordinate was actually a Lord rank monster. It was beyond the results he expected.


    "System, how did this happen?" Kahn asked the system because only it could exin the reason behind this result.


    [System detects that the subordinate Omega already had 2% bloodline purity of the Godbeast named Fenrir. During the Synthesis procedure, the determined will of the subordinate to be more useful to the host triggered this bloodline. Since Kobasu are also descendants of the Lykos species tree, the bloodline was activated to a higher degree and caused this transformation.]


    "My my.. To think that I would have someone who would be so loyal to me.." Kahn said and ruffled Omega''s head. He was genuinely overjoyed for Omega.


    Now he understood why people treated their pets as part of the family. Because they too cared about their masters.


    "System, how strong is Omega nowpared to other people I''ve met?" Kahn questioned as he didn''t know how to exactly decide tiers of Strength so he could onlypare.


    [Subordinate Omega is currentlyparable to a Beginner Grandmaster rank person in terms of strength & attack capacity. Subordinate needs to raise its level to reach and utilize its full potential.]


    "I see. If Omega fights with Arkham, what are his winning chances?"


    [Subordinate has only 30% chance to defeat the individual named Arkham Hond, who is a Peak Grandmaster rank Magic Swordsman.]


    "Hmm.. So they''re really that strong. I guess I have no choice but to raise my levels quickly. I can''t be at their mercy when the timees. They won''t uphold the end of their deal if I''m any weaker than both of them." spoke Kahn.


    He was no idiot. He currentlycked a lot of strength and skillspared to the truly strong people in vot city. All they needed to do was attack so quickly that Kahn could not even react in time and he''d be dead on the spot.


    Even though Omega & Rudra were his shields, there was no certainty that they''d always be able to help him either. At the end of the day, he had to rely on his own capabilities.


    Just then, Kahn heard a warning in his head. The warning he received was through his connection with his other subordinates.. The Six Generals.


    Through the Mind Link skill, Kahn could see what was happening in front of these subordinates. He quickly switched sights and found that Oliver, the Ranger subordinate and Jugram, the Berserker subordinate saw people iing towards their direction.


    Only now did Kahn remember the massive burst of energy Omega let out when he was created and the roar he let was no different than an atom bomb explosion. So naturally, this was going to alert and bring the attention of a lot of people and monsters on this floor.


    "All of you, return quickly to me. And Omega, get in. We need to hide." said Kahn and ran amongst the dense tree lines and crevices.


    Soon, Kahn met his subordinates along the way one by one and they all merged inside his shadow. And Kahn decided to hide for some time, away from prying eyes who wereing towards the ce of themotion. No one would pay attention to a lone archer in this situation.


    While running through the woods, Kahn saw some adventurer groups but made no contact with them. As they were all heading towards something non-existent.


    At this point, he had reached the opposite side of the floor itself because of how clueless he was. The dungeon map he brought with him seemed to be somewhat inurate which led him towards a valley full of kobolds instead.


    Thanks to his Survival Instinct, he quickly hid himself using concealment skill which was an assassin''s exclusive skill that allowed him to merge in the surrounding environment.


    Suddenly, his Survival Instinct alerted him again. But this time, it wasn''t because of anyone directing any killing intent towards him. Because there was a group of adventures.. Around 40 people were charging towards this kobold settlement. Many of them were well geared up and seemed to be in a proper formation.


    Assassins led the way while doing reconnaissance and Tanks & Knights protecting the group in the front. Swordsmen behind the first defense line, the Mages and Healers in the group while the Archers protecting their back.


    This was a proper setup for a Boss fight formation. These people were definitely going to fight a formidable monster boss.


    "Could it be the Floor Boss?" Kahn asked himself. That would be the only exnation because these were a lot of people for a normal group of kobolds.


    As soon as the group reached the nearest kobold group, they firmlyunched their attack and decimated the first group with their impable timing and coordination. This was a well-established group with plenty of experienced people in it.


    Kahn noticed that all of these people had a Reddish insignia on their chest. And in that insignia, was a Lion head carved in the center.


    "The Scarlet Lion Adventurer team.." Kahn suddenly remembered the information he heard from one of the adventurers long ago.


    This was the Scarlet Lion Adventurer team.. The 2nd biggest and strongest adventurer team in vot city.


    Kahn kept watching the battle from the dark corners in the trees as a heart-thumping battle happened in front of his eyes.


    The timing, the coordination and most importantly; the person inmand managing the team formation and adjusting it from time to time for maximum effectiveness surprised Kahn. He understood that the person in charge was a veteran and had hundreds of battles to reach such a level whilemanding others.


    Wave after wave of Kobolds died in a one-sided massacre while the Scarlet Lion team members didn''t lose a single person. The Mages were urately hitting the Kobolds that managed to go past the first line of defense.


    More likely, they were allowed to breach the defense and entered through the small gaps.. Just to get roasted and cut down alive from the fire and wind magic attacks from the mages. Anyone who still managed to escape was finished off by the assassins & archers of the group.


    Kahn was quite a calctive person himself so he understood the strategy. The teammander was basically leading the enemy in a deathly trap one by one and whittling down their numbers without losing a single person under hismand.


    The battle continued for half an hour with the Kobold side losing too many members and not even managing to take out a single member of the opposition. By now, more than 50 dead kobolds were lying on the ground.


    Just when Kahn thought there was nothing left to see and decided to leave, a loud noise filled the entire valley.


    HOWL!!


    "It''s finally here. Everyone be on guard. Follow my orders!" the teammander spoke loudly.


    "Healers, put shields on Knights & Tanks. Mages, assist the Swordsmen and Assassins. Archers, be ready to release arrows when Imand you to." shouted the groupmander as everyone got in a defensive formation.


    Soon, from the end of the valley, walked in a giant Silver Kobold surrounded by at least 20 kobolds.


    Unlike all the kobolds that Kahn had seen till now, this giant Silver kobold was actually wearing grey armor on his chest, he walked on two legs just like Omega did and surprisingly used a long-range spear that was in his hands. The spear itself looked like a very high-grade weapon by the looks of how well designed it was. It was definitely an extremely powerful weapon.


    "You lot again? Have you forgotten what happenedst time? Don''t think about leaving out of here alive." suddenly the silver kobold spoke and released his killing intent on the group of adventurers that were attacking his kin.


    Kahn was surprised again. This silver kobold spoke.. Even more cleanly than Omega did after his Evolution. This monster was at least Half-Lord rank.


    "You monster! Don''t think that you''ll get away with killing my brother and my men. This time, I''ll cut your head myself!" shouted themander of the group.


    "Looks like you have forgotten how you barely escaped from mest time. Well, thanks for bringing us more food." the silver kobold shouted and dashed towards the adventurer team.


    Following it, the group of kobolds also charged with fervor.


    And what looked like an imprable formation was quickly broken through by this silver kobold with just a few swings of its spear. This monster was just too strong.


    "This is a lost battle already." spoke Kahn to himself as he noticed something that the adventurer group didn''t.


    At this point, they weren''t just facing the silver kobold and his crew from the front.. Rather they were actually surrounded by more than 30 enemies from both sides. And another group was alsoing from their rear.


    The silver kobold didn''t juste without preparations.. Rather, it waited till the Adventurer group was only focusing on the enemies that wereing from the front. The silver kobold allowed his kin to die just so it could surround them from all sides.


    Noticing this tactic, Kahn could only praise in amazement..


    "So ruthless.. And so intelligent."

 Chapter 34: Crossing paths again

    <h4>Chapter 34: Crossing paths again</h4>


    Kahn watched from the shadows as the Scarlet Lion adventurers team was getting surrounded by the kobold groups from all sides. He almost felt bad for these people as they had a knife on their throats and they didn''t even know it yet.


    Even if Kahn were to interfere and help these people, there was very little he could do. He didn''t have many long-range or Area of Effect (AoE) skills that could even help in this situation. Not without revealing his cards such as Omega & the Six Generals at least.


    His subordinate skill was something one would expect from a Summoner, not an archer. It will be troublesome if the word of it got out because Kahn decided to help these people. He could not afford to have any witnesses.


    Just as Kahn expected, when the silver kobold ordered the surrounding henchmen to attack from all 4 sides, the formation broke in a matter of minutes.. Many were unable to adapt to the onughting from every direction and people started dying.


    The wolfkin from the group were torn piece by piece by the kobolds as if there was some sort of long animosity between these two species.


    In just 10 minutes, there were barely any adventurers left alive. Kahn who was numb to killing already felt sad for these people.. They all performed very well till now. But things always don''t go as you n.


    "Ahhh!!" a loud curl boomed in the surroundings as the adventurer teammander was torn into two by the Silver Kobold with its bare hands. There was an evilugh on its face as they had almost finished up killing all these people.


    "Get away from me!" a shout was heard amongst the dead bodies.. A young woman who seemed to be an archer by her gear and equipment was waving a dagger at the nearby kobolds and trying to create a distance. There was a big gash in her right thigh as a downpour of blood was leaking from it.


    She was barely able to walk.. Tears running through her eyes as she was scared to death and somehow managing to muster her strength to fight back.


    Unlike the others, she didn''t have the red emblem on her chest.. She was a hired help for this quest.


    The redhead girl had lost a lot of blood and barely had any strength to fight against these monsters who were taunting and ying around with her.


    Kahn who was watching this from a long distance using his Hunter Intent found this woman familiar.


    He had the Eidetic Memory from his previous life so he never forgot faces & things he saw once.


    "Ah fuck!" said Kahn and quickly dashed towards the battlefield, precisely towards the ce the girl was fighting with whatever strength she had left in her body.


    Kahn quickly shot few arrows towards the kobolds surrounding the girl and brought their attention towards him. Just then, a kobold jumped towards the girl and attacked with a spear to the girl''s chest.


    SWOOSH!


    ROAR!


    A hand fell on the ground holding a spear.. It was none other than the kobold''s hand which just attacked the girl. The redhead girl was barely holding up and had fallen on the ground was stunned as she saw a hooded figure holding a dagger in his hand.


    "You good?" asked Kahn as he nced at the girl who was of the same age as him.


    "You.. What are you doing here?" the girl spoke.. Her voice was seemingly very sharp yet pleasing to the ears.


    "I was passing by and noticed the noises. Just to see you close to death''s door." said Kahn and let out a small chuckle.


    The nearby kobolds started attacking Kahn in groups and from different directions. Kahn swung his daggers and started defending against the attacks while piercing the vital organs of these enemies.


    His Weapon Mastery with daggers was already above 60% and this was just a walk in the park for him.


    "Run away!! Leave me here or you''ll die!" shouted the girl as she remembered what the guy in front did for her not just 10 days ago.


    "You better get some sleep. I''ll handle this." said Kahn and activated War Dominance.


    SHIRK..


    A tangible pressure was exerted in the 30-meter radius surrounding Kahn''s location and all the nearby Kobolds who were attacking Kahn froze on the spot.


    The redhead girl was already on the verge of fainting lost her consciousness under the pressure and fainted before she could say anything.


    Kahn walked to her and quickly took out the medium-grade recovery potion from his space ring and put it in the girl''s mouth.


    "ckwall! Ronin! Armin!" shouted Kahn and three ck figures came out of his shadows. The Guardian Knight, the Rogue & the Priest. 3 of the Six Generals he created.


    "Protect her and keep healing her." said Kahn as he handed over another bottle of recovery potion to Armin, the Priest.


    The silver kobold who had started paying attention towards them after finishing off the teammander was surprised to see that there were still people left. But when Kahn released his War Dominance aura, he felt an immense threat from the hooded archer.


    Kahn started walking towards this group of nearly 50 kobolds and the giant Silver Kobold.


    "Omega!" Kahn shouted and the newly evolved Lycan jumped from his shadow and stood in the center of the battlefield. His figure towering even the silver kobold.


    "I leave him to you." said Kahn and Omega let out a deafening roar again! Instantly stunning all the nearby enemies.


    But to Kahn''s surprise.. Not only the kobolds nearby but also all the enemies standing far away started falling on the ground one by one. Unable to stand up and looking at Omega with horrified eyes..


    Omega was using his Lycan Tyrant passive skill which let him control and exert his dominance over all Lykos rted species.


    Even the silver kobold was struggling to stand properly on its feet.


    "You! Who are you?!" asked the Silver Kobold to Omega who was walking towards it.


    "You.. Do.. Not.. Need.. To... Know." said Omega in response and ran towards the Silver Kobold.


    A red aura gathering on his human arm-sized ws. And letting out a wave of w-shaped des of destructive attack as he swung his hand at the Silver Kobold.


    The Silver Kobold replied with a swing of his high-grade spear and attacked as well.


    BANG!


    A loud noise of metal nging was heard and dust flew from the position of the sh.


    But unlike what one would expect, this wasn''t going to be a long fight.. Because as the dust cloud dispersed.. A bleeding giant figure of the silver kobold lying on the ground was revealed with a broken spear in its hand and nearly shredded armor it was wearing.


    Shredder ws! That was one of Omega''s attack skills he acquired after the Evolution.


    Before the kobold could get up, Omega stomped on its chest and put it in the ground again.. Rendering it unable to move.


    Kahn who was unaffected let out his remaining Six Generals and walked towards the silver kobold.


    "Finish them off." hemanded the subordinates.


    The silver kobold was already an arrow at the end of its turn. Barely managing to breathe under Omega''s giant feet.


    Kahn didn''t want to waste any more time, he simply stabbed the silver kobold''s throat and killed it off.


    "Leave no one alive." ordered Kahn to Omega and the lycan ran off to kill the surrounding kobolds.


    Kahn then put on his hands on its lifeless body.


    "Absorb!" said Kahn and activated his Ability Absorption divine ability.


    In 3 minutes, the system told Kahn that the Absorption wasplete. Kahn didn''t decide to eat its core. It was more useful to Omega than him as the Lycan could absorb its bloodline and rare abilities by eating the body and the core.


    Soon, Omega came back with his ws full of blood. He then started eating the silver kobold by tearing its limbs and chomping on the meat. He started by ripping its heart open first which also had its core.


    Kahn then started to absorb the abilities of the dead adventures who partook in the battle and died in the end. He wasn''t an idiot to let this opportunity go.


    In nearly 10 minutes, the Six Generals had finished off all the remaining kobolds and brought their bodies closer to Kahn.


    "System, can the Six Generals also eat the cores and raise their levels? And will they get any abilities if they ate the adventurers that belonged to the sses I used while creating them ?" asked Kahn to the system. He wanted to use this opportunity to raise the strength of his army.


    [Yes. The subordinates who are thebination of different sses will also increase their proficiency in the skills by eating the bodies and cores of these specimen who possessed one of the same job/ss the subordinates were created with.]


    "Good." said Kahn as he ordered all the subordinates to have their hearty meals and eat the adventurers belonging to the same sses they were created with. And told them to equip themselves with the armors and weapons these people were wearing.


    As for the remaining kobolds and their cores.. Kahn decided to leave them to his subordinates to eat up and raise their levels.


    He wasn''t in a mood to do it by himself. Kahn finally walked towards the unconscious redhead girl whose wounds had nearly healed off because of the recovery potion and healing from Armin.


    Kahn''s subordinates cleared off the battlefield by eating the bodies and robbing the equipment.


    Ceril, the Enchanter subordinate brought Kahn the space ring the teammander was wearing. Kahn simply put it in his pocket. He lifted the girl in his arms and decided to leave the dungeon.


    After Kahn reached the vot city again, he took the girl to a proper clinic. The Healer there was an old elven woman who informed Kahn that the girl was out of danger.


    Kahn stayed beside the girl for some time and was rxing.


    Just then.. The redhead girl opened her eyes as he was finally awake after nearly half a day. She saw Kahn was sitting on a chair next to her bed and almost dozing off because of tiredness.


    She gathered whatever strength she had and finally spoke to Kahn..


    "Thank you for saving my life.. Again."

 Chapter 35: Authors Announcement

    <h4>Chapter 35: Author''s Announcement</h4>


    Hello everyone. This is the author of the novel, CrimsonWolfAuthor.


    First, I would like to thank all the people who decided to read up all the chapters till this point. This is my first work in the writing sector and your support means a lot to me. I''m aplete newbie in this field so there were a lot of improvements I had to do over and over since the first chapter was released nearly 45 days ago.


    I wanted to start writing this Novel from more than a year now and finally decided to write the first chapter on a sleepless night. And I felt like I''ve finally heard my calling.


    I would like to formally apologize to many old readers who have supported the series since it started and they had to go through my messed up writing & editing skills such as using uppercase alphabets on nouns and pronouns that didn''t need it. Also crappy names for the skills and not to mention the unnecessary details while exining the plots & thought processes of many of the characters.


    I''ve spent the entire day to delete, re-edit and correct all these mistakes that were done till this point. Some story plots have been removed or reworked so new readers won''t have to go through the same horrendous experience.


    I also admit that since I was new to this field, I didn''t have the story organized or had a storyboard created to create a proper plot arc. Some of the chapters and characters have indeed diverted from the original ns I had.


    But now everything will be put back on track in the next few chapters and no more going in a different direction with plots and characters. I intend to finish the first story arc under 80 chapters so now there won''t be any useless story plots that do not serve the purpose to the main story.


    There is a lot of potential and many arcs I wish to write for this series regardless of whether it gets famous or not. Because as the series is improving with more chapters, so am I. For the first time in the past 6 years, I feel like I''m doing something meaningful and I''ve noticed few improvements in myself not only as a writer but also as a person.


    The world setting of Vantrea is soon going to change at a drastic pace as soon as the first arc is over and you''ll finally see the vastness in the story I had originally nned. There are tons of characters I want to introduce with their proper background. The first arc will not even be the tip of the icebergpared to what I have in mind.


    So I hope you guys stick around till the point where Kahn travels from one Empire to another, facing enemies and strong creatures by his own, meeting other Heroes of the other Gods, creating his own undefeatable army and acquiring enough strength to fight against the Demon God one day.


    So expect a well-organized and fast-paced ride from here on.


    And also, I''d like to inform you all that the series has been officially & exclusively contracted to Webnovel and will go premium soon.


    So see you around and never hesitate to leave your advice and criticism in chapterments. I do read and reply to them when I can.


    And please do vote with Power Stones time to time so that this Novel could reach more people if you think it deserves a chance.


    Over and out.

 Chapter 36: The Future Plan

    <h4>Chapter 36: The Future n</h4>


    Kahn looked at the redhead girl in front of him and let out a small chuckle as he noticed a red tinge on the girl''s face.


    "Well, I seem to have a habit of saving you whenever you are close to death. But don''t count on it, or you''ll end up dying at this rate." Kahn said and gave a small grin.


    "By the way, what were you doing with the Scarlet Lion adventurer team? Weren''t you part of another team?" Kahn asked as he remembered the details of that day very urately.


    "The group disbanded after that incident. Markus took out all the remaining funds we had and gave them to the families of all of our deadrades.. And nobody felt like carrying on any longer. We lost a lot of good people that day. People who were no different than family." said the girl as sadness welled up in her heart and her tone turned heavy.


    "I see. But why were you in the dungeon then?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "I needed the money. I have already spent all the money I had and needed work. So I joined the expedition when they were hiring. It wasn''t like it was my first time going in a dungeon.. Just that those bastards never told us that we were going to hunt for the Floor Boss." the girl sighed.


    "Only if I knew, I wouldn''t have joined no matter what." said the redhead andid back on the bed, her exhaustion kicking in again.


    "I understand. Well, I hope I won''t have to save you again from another ambush anytime soon. Take rest. I need to go now." said Kahn and decided to leave.


    "Hey, you haven''t even told me your name yet." said the redhead.


    "I''m Kahn. Nost name." said Kahn as he replied.


    "Jessica Artwinger." said the redhead girl.


    "The next time you decide to do something dangerous.. I''ll kill you myself." said Kahn andughed off.


    "Hahaha. Yeah, right. I don''t think I''ll continue this business anymore either." said Jessica as she chuckled in response.


    "See you around." said Kahn and left the clinic. He had already paid for her so they''ll take care of Jessica till she recovers. This was probably the first good deed Kahn had done ever since he came to this world.


    "Kahn, huh.." spoke Jessica to herself as an expression full of gratitude appeared on her face.


    Kahn went into a dark alley and after walking across numerous blocks and various streets, he finally stopped in front of a small bar in the corner of a small street.


    There was only a bartender and two more people. One appeared to be a customer and one another seemed to be the guard.


    Kahn took his hood out and sat on the counter.


    "The sun brightens up my day." said Kahn


    "But the night soothes my soul." replied the bartender.


    This was a code word in between those who came to do peculiar business at this bar. Suddenly, the bartender signaled both the customer and the guard. All 3 people left the bar and Kahn was sitting alone at the counter.


    Suddenly, Kahn felt a slight tinge on his back and gave a small smile.


    "Still carrying the training, I see." said Kahn and looked towards his back.


    A slim hooded figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The masked figure was someone Kahn knew.


    "I see that you''re improving as well. I would''ve been disappointed if you didn''t notice me." said the figure and sat on the chair next to Kahn.


    It was none other than the Snakekin who trained Kahn with assassin skills.


    Kahn took a small pouch full of badges he took after killing the Groundhog adventurer team members in the dungeon.


    "The first batch." said Kahn as he pushed the pouch towards the assassin.


    In return, the snakekin took out a big pouch full of monster cores and then even a bigger one full of gold coins.


    "How did you take out so many?" asked the snakekin as he was astonished after watching pouch full badges.


    Kahn simply told him how he lured the kobold group towards the adventurer team and let them kill each other. And finished the remaining ones when they were exhausted from the battle by taking them out using the smoke bombs. He left the part about Omega of course.


    The snakekin pped in approval of Kahn''s method.


    Kahn shoved the bag full of coins back to the assassin.


    "Huh, what''s the meaning of this?" the Snakekin asked curiously.


    "That''s for a job I have for you. I want a list of all the criminals that are roaming free because ofck of evidence against them. Also, make another list of corrupted government officials, military officers who have dark history and nobles who havemitted heinous acts such as r*pe, murders, extortion but are still free because of their connections. This is a separate deal between us and not part of the contract." said Kahn in a stern tone.


    "Why do you need that?" asked the snakekin.


    "That''s my business. You don''t need to worry. I want the list by tomorrow evening. Keep this a secret from everyone if you''re truly a professional. I want a very detailed report. Consider all this money as your payment." said Kahn and bid farewell to the assassin.


    The snakekin held the big pouch of coins, there was a lot of money in it. Definitely far more worth than what one would offer for intel in their line of work.


    Kahn returned to ck Griffin merchant enterprise. By this time, he was already familiar with a lot of people here and many of the staff also knew him as a friend of their young master and the one who saved their owner''s life a while ago.


    Kahn met with both Nik & nev and then joined them for dinner. Unlike some country bumpkin, Kahn would have a lot of meaningful conversations with both of them as he too had a lot of expertise in business and money management in his previous life. So he would always lead suggestive conversations and thene up with answers himself. Both the father and son duo were very impressed with his knowledge & ideas so they felt like he was wasting his time being an adventurer.


    Kahn woulde up with excuses like he learned that all from his deceased friend Pavel who was good at ounts. Obviously, there was no Pavel, it was just a made-up persona he created for his fake background.


    Kahn then came back to his room and took a long bath. There was a lot of bloodshed he went through today so he felt like he had to do a proper cleaning.


    As Kahnid in his bed, he ordered the system to give him the list of abilities & skills he acquired today.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities :


    Frost spike


    Water de


    Fire burst


    Rootbind


    Windst


    Lightning bolt


    Mana burst


    Bullseye


    Arrow explosion


    Multiple targets


    Silence


    Shadow shift


    Knight''s Taunt


    Defense Buff


    Sword Edge


    Parry


    Sword Deflect


    Mana Recovery (C Rank)


    Health Recovery (D Rank)


    Rage burst


    Cleave


    War Cry ]


    The system gave Kahn a long list and also the ones he previously acquired from the Groundhog adventurer team.


    "System, show me the merged skills and prioritize on the ones that can help me infiltrate any ce without being noticed and also the ones that can cause a high long-range damage." said Kahn as he was already aware of what he needed the most now.


    The system then gave Kahn a list of merged abilities as per his specification. Kahn took a look at the list and started sorting the ones he''d actually use and could be integrated into hisbat techniques and attack that could be added in his holster.


    This time, Kahn only found 3 useful skills.


    Windcutter


    A result of Wind de, a mage spell and Sword Edge, a swordsman skill which released small destructive mana during the attack. The merged skillpressed high-pressure wind and released it during swings for 8 meter distance.


    This was useful for Kahn when he used a sword.


    Shadow Walk


    Abination of Silence, an archer skill that prevented making noise while reconnaissance & Shadow Shift, an assassin skill that let the user submerge themselves in shadow.


    The resultant merged skill let Kahn travel through shadows without making any noise or getting noticed by anyone.


    Firestorm


    Combination of Windst and Fire burst. Both being AoE mage spells.


    The merged skill allowed Kahn to attack a giant fireball that would explode on impact for 10 meters. The maximum range being 30 meters from his location.


    This was a very destructive andrge area covering spell. Kahn would find it useful while dealing with arge mob of enemies.


    "Merge them."manded Kahn.


    "System, what abilities did I get from Silver Kobold?"


    [ The host has acquired the following abilities from the Silver Kobold :


    Kobold General


    Conqueror Roar


    Spear Thrust


    Sweep swing


    Pack Attack Buff


    The host has absorbed 5% Fenrir bloodline purity.]


    "So much for a floor boss.. Impart the 5% bloodline purity to Omega." said Kahn and opened the small book he got this morning which included the names of all his targets as per the contract.


    As for the intel Kahn ordered the snakekin to gather was for something else.


    Because soon, Kahn was going to wreak a havoc in the entire city.

 Chapter 37: An underdog no more

    <h4>Chapter 37: An underdog no more</h4>


    Kahn woke up the next morning, his body had recovered from yesterday''s exhaustion and was good to go for another hunt.


    He knew that he had to be self-dependent quickly and earn a lot of money on his own without relying on anyone else.


    Kahn opened the Space Ring that once belonged to the teammander of the Scarlet Lion team which died yesterday. Soon, the news of their & Groundhog adventurer team would spread among the circle. No way a lot of experienced people & well-renounced adventurers going missing would stay under the radar. It was bound to cause amotion.


    As Kahn opened the Space Ring, he was left stunned.


    Unlike his poor space ring which barely had 3-meter inner space, the ring in his had a total of 50 meters of space.. Big enough to bepared with a small warehouse.


    As he checked the internal space, he found tons of bodies of rare monsters, weapons and materials such as potions, rare herbs, traps for setting an ambush, ores used for forging weapons and even high-grade monster cores.


    Kahn was out of words.. Because as far as he knew.. This wasn''t just some personal space ring.. Rather it was used to store all the hunted monsters and materials arge team would get after wiping out hordes of monsters or even clearing an entire dungeon floor. It would cost far more than just 5000 Gold Dramus. Maybe even 50 thousand or more than that.


    Kahn took out the monster cores from his payment yesterday night and the cores he got from the space ring. As he tallied up all of them, he was shivering.. with excitement!


    "Jackpot!" Kahn shouted with joy.


    Because there were more than 500 high-grade cores. Around 200 being B rank while 30 A rank cores. The rest were mostly C rank and below.


    Kahn had lucked out and received a fortune. Forget the ton of money he''d get from selling all the resources in the space ring, the monster cores were what he needed the most. Because even if he had tons of abilities & skills, he stillcked the physical strength to fight stronger opponents by himself. Relying on his subordinates was a poor choice for the future so he always wanted to be strong by himself.


    This pleasant surprise shook Kahn and an evil grin appeared on his face.


    He started eating out all the A & B rank monster cores one by one voraciously and almost choked on them twice.


    His entire morning went eating and absorbing these free cores and finally after the afternoon arrived, he was done with his feast. His level arose quite a few times but he didn''t bother counting it.


    "System. Show me my new stats." Kahnmanded excitedly, ready to see his new levels.


    [ Host Attributes and Skills are as follows :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Level : 53


    Strength : 286


    Agility : 243


    Dexterity : 248


    Defense : 211


    Mana : 385


    Bloodlines Acquired :


    Basilisk : 50% purity


    Fenrir : 5% purity. ]


    Author : I''m skipping on Abilities & Magical skills because that list alone will take half the chapter. Also, no need of mentioning the Blessings anymore as those who read the chapters till now would already be familiar with them. I''ll only mention them when they''re needed for exnation or Kahn activates them.


    Eleven Levels!!


    He raised his strength by 11 levels in just one morning because of all the cores. The majority of his increase was thanks to the cores he found in the space ring. Kahn knew that gathering that many cores alone would take a year or so because they''d need to hunt down too many monsters and raid dungeons.


    Kahn had benefitted from someone else''s hard work.


    As for the other resources Kahn found in the space ring.. He hatched a simple yet efficient n.


    Kahn then departed for Nik''s office which was on the highest floor of the building.


    "Are you free for some time?" Kahn asked after knocking on the door.


    "Oh, it''s you. What is it?" asked Nik who was doing his daily tasks as the president of this giant merchant enterprise.


    "I wanted to ask if I could sell you some of the stuff I harvested from the dungeons. I''d rather sell them to you than Adventurer Association since you also sell them in your shops." said Kahn was he asked in a gentle tone.


    "Sure, why not. But do mind you, it has to be in arge quantity or there''s no point. We don''t do chummy change deals like a few small quantity herbs and ores. It has to be big enough." said Nik.


    He was simply being honest with Kahn as small trade was done in small pawn shops, not in a business enterprise.


    Kahn nodded and let out a small chuckle.


    "Will this much do?" said Kahn and emptied half the contents of the new space ring on the open space inside the office.


    THUD! CLANG! CRRRR!


    Things after things, materials after materials started piling up on the empty space and half of the office was full of rare herbs, monster bodies and metal ores.


    Nik was bbergasted and almost was paralyzed on the spot.


    "You.. Where did you get all these?! It''s no different than what we deal in an entire week!" Nik eximed in surprise.


    "No point in hiding from you, so I''ll tell you the truth. I hunted half of these while the other half came from the people who died in the dungeon and I robbed them of their belongings and whatever materials they had on their space rings." said Kahn and sat on the chair next to Nik''s table.


    "So what do you think? Big enough to make a deal? I only want the price you''d generally give to any of your traders or suppliers. You can make off the extra profit by selling these in your stores & weapon shops. Not a bad deal, right?" said Kahn as he suggested the old merchant to go with his proposal.


    Nik''s eyes flickered and a greedy look appeared on his face. What Kahn offered was indeed a very good deal for him.


    "Deal!" said Nik and nodded in agreement.


    "I''ll only need some time to calcte all of these products and their cost. Don''t worry, I''ll give you a fair price." said Nik.


    "Okay then. I''ll trust you on that. But remember, there''s moreing. So you better not rob me off, old man." Kahn said andughed.


    "Aye, if you can bring more materials & resources like these.. Then I''ll often make these deals with you." said Nik.


    He was a merchant at the end of the day. He knew what kind of deal was profitable for him and what kind of people he should make deals with. His impression of Kahn was very good since the time he hade to know him so he indeed found Kahn to be a trustworthy person.


    "I''lle back in the evening. Give me the money then. I''m going to dungeons again and will bring more materials soon." said Kahn and bid his farewell to the old merchant.


    As for why he decided to sell these materials to Nik and not keep them to himself? Because he wasn''t an idiot!


    Many of the contents of the space ring were high-quality resources and someone from the Scarlet Lion adventurers team would definitely look for them. Kahn would be keeping a ticking bomb in his pockets if he kept all that with him.


    So he disyed half of it to Nik as showing all of them would even scare the old man and he''d ask too many questions about the origin of the materials.


    Plus, Nik and his ck Griffin merchant enterprise was the best ce for Kahn to sell as he knew that the old man who was grateful to Kahn for saving his life certainly won''t cheat his savior. And most importantly, since they did business in all sectors; Nik would easily distribute the materials in various shops owned by them.


    This way, nothing would lead back to Kahn and no one from the Scarlet Lion team would guess that their fortune was being sold legally; and not on the ck market either.


    Kahn decided that it was time he tested his new strength and improved his skills and weapon mastery. Also, this was the best way he could use to exin how he got all those materials while raising his subordinate''s levels and ability ranks.


    Kahn went to the adventurer association again and bought another dungeon pass. This time, he went in as an assassin.


    He had a clear goal now. Forget theme low-tier mobs. Kahn was extremely disappointed in the Silver Kobold floor boss. What he needed now was high-grade monster cores, lots of high rank & rare skills.


    Kahn knew that he no longer had to y the small game if he wanted to gain strength, fame, money and authority. From now on, everything he''d do should make it to the headlines and be the talk of the city.


    Because being an underdog would never help him the way he wanted in his path of Power & Domination.


    So fuck being an underdog.. He was going to be a goddamn Tyrant!

 Chapter 38: Setting High Goals

    <h4>Chapter 38: Setting High Goals</h4>


    Kahn stood before the Bromnir Dungeon again. It was the same dungeon where he killed the first batch of people from his contract, hunted Kobolds, created new Subordinates and evolved Omega into a Lycan.


    Unlike yesterday, Kahn did his research properly this time. He gathered information avable in the Adventurer Association about all the dungeons in near 50 kilometers of vot city such as the total floor levels, dungeon bosses and what kind of monstersid in those dungeons.


    The Bromnir dungeon had a total of 15 floors as per the records he found in the archives. The records on dungeon boss were no longer avable as thest team which made it to the final floor was nearly 28 years ago and no other team managed to go past the 14th floor despite having hundreds of people in their teams.


    If it was anyone else, they''d find it an impossible task to aplish because nobody would be able to fight for that long and would eventually get exhausted. Plus the monsters were more dangerous with each increasing floor.


    But unlike anyone that came before Kahn, none had the Divine Ability called the Synthesis which would not only help him merge different skills, but create new subordinates and even evolve them further with time.


    Kahn knew that he couldn''t do it alone even if he was as strong as Arkham or Solomon so he was going to use his Divine Abilities to his advantage.


    As Kahn entered the dungeon again under the disguise of an assassin, he headed straight for the 10th floor. After he killed the 9th-floor boss, the silver kobold; it''d take 15 days for it to respawn so there was no point in hunting on this floor. And Kahn''s strength was already higher than when he came here yesterday.


    As soon as Kahn reached the 10th floor, he used concealment and started looking for a good hiding ce. Even though there were lot lesser people herepared to other floors, it was still better to be cautious than being sorry.


    The 10th floor waspletely different from the previous floor. The whole setting for this ce was like a maze and walls made of stone bs. If he walked in one direction, he would never know if he''d find a way out.


    "Ronin! Jugram! Oliver!" shouted Kahn and the rogue, berserker & ranger subordinates jumped out from his shadow.


    "You two go left and we''ll take the right. If you find two more ways, then split up." Kahnmanded as he and Oliver took the right path while Ronin & Jugram took the left one.


    Since Kahn had the Mind Link ability he got from Synthesis which allowed him to share the vision with his subordinates, he was going to use it to save time and search for the right path.


    He and Oliver treaded from various turns and junctions in the maze but still failed to find a way out. Just then, he saw a path from Ronin''s sight which lead them out of the maze. Kahn decided to go to Ronin''s location with his other subordinates.


    For the next half an hour, he kept searching and running through this enormous maze & even came across many traps. Since Oliver was a ranger who possessed skills specifically made from setting & defusing traps, he was spared of the unnecessary hassle of falling victim to these traps & wasting time to get past them.


    Just an hourter, Kahn had escaped from the maze because of his shared vision through mind link and then saw a giant cave-like entrance in front of him.


    MHAAARR!


    Kahn could hear plenty of shrillsing from inside the entrance.


    He quickly activated Shadow Walk and mixed inside the dark shadows of this entrance and started traveling inside.


    He knew what to expect from this floor.. So he wasn''t surprised when he saw its inhabitants..


    The Nymphs.


    These were the cold-blooded insect-like creatures that werepletely white and crawled on 3 legs that had sharp and strong pointy hooves, no different than metal pikes and spear tips; a sharp set of teeth that dropped gooey yellow liquid from the mouth. From what he read, these creatures fed on blood and flesh to live, they would even do cannibalism if it ensured their survival. Their insect-like appearance and the way crawled would instantly scare the crap out of any girl that was afraid of insects andrvas.


    The creatures had no eyes, their senses detecting everything based on heat signature.


    If not for Shadow Walk whichpletely hid his presence in shadows, Kahn knew he''d have been found and swarmed by these monsters.


    As Kahn kept walking towards many groups whilepletely hiding his presence, he finally reached the end of the floor and found arge space infested with these monsters. More than 200 nymphs were crawling on top of each other and bringing small pieces of meat and whatever that seemed edible.


    In the middle of the swarm of crawling monsters, stood a giant Nymph which had 8 legs, its tummy no smaller than a size of a full-grown elephant and had long spikes for teeth.


    The 15-meter tall giant Nymph was the floor boss.


    [If not for the Shadow Walk, I would not even reach this deep without fighting hundreds of these nymphs.] Kahn spoke to himself with aplicated expression on his face as he looked at the surrounding.


    The numbers of total nymphs were close to 400. More than enough to wipe out a party of 50 to 80 veteran fighters. Just entering the inner parts of this cave alone was a difficult part and half the people would die in the process.


    [How do I kill it?] Kahn questioned as he started thinking of a strategy to take out this giant monster.


    [They follow the heat signatures, right?] Kahn remembered and nned his next move.


    Kahn quickly returned towards the midway of the cave and found a vacant space to hide. After he came out of the shadows, he waited till the nearby nymphs detected his presence.


    And just as he expected, the nearby group of the crawlers shrieked and charged at him in hordes in a matter of seconds.


    "Firestorm!" Kahn shouted and shot the AoE destructive spell from his palm in the middle of this horde.


    BOOM!


    The cave shook after this loud explosion that upied 10 meters space and burnt the nymphs alive. And because of this, all the other nymphs started gathering to his location.


    As the group got even bigger in just 20 seconds, Kahn shot another Firestorm spell, activated Shadow Walk again and disappeared.


    Kahn quickly traveled to the Boss''s location.


    "All of you,e out!" Kahnmanded and all of his subordinates except Rudra came out of his shadow since this was an enclosed space.


    The Nymph boss had senses far keener than the others so it quickly sensed the approaching group of enemies and let out a loud cry, ordering its minions toe back.


    Omega attacked with his Shredder ws and the Six Generals assisted Omega with their respective skills.


    The small nymph army that Kahn had distracted would be there in just a minute so they had a very small window.


    Ceril, the Enchanter possessed mage skills as well so he throw fire spells at the Nymph boss that agitated it and caused a lot of damage. ckwall being the tank with his skills like Taunt and Defense Wall while Omega being the main damage dealer who kept jumping around and attacked from time to time which injured & distracted the floor boss again and again.


    In other words.. The subordinates were simply bullying the floor boss with their numbers.


    However Kahn, the main perpetrator of this attack was nowhere to be seen.


    As the floor boss kept fighting with its pole like long and sharp hooves and fended off against multiple attacks from various directions.. A small shadow crawled under its feet.


    KHACHAK!


    Just then, a long white de impaled the giant nymph from under its belly.. A humanoid figure holding a long sword and using all his force to split apart the floor boss with all his might.


    "Not enough!" shouted Kahn as his de was stuck inside the belly of this giant nymph.


    "Hold them off!"manded Kahn to his subordinates to block the iing horde of monsters.


    Kahn let go of the sword and jumped on the back of the nymph. He put both his hands on what appeared to be its head. A jet of greenish liquid appeared from his hands and sprayed on the head of the nymph and started melting its skin as it seeped inside the body.


    Venom Acid


    Kahn finally used the venom acid ability he gained by absorbing the body of legendary Somir. This acid was so lethal and acidic in nature that it could even melt solid boulders.. Let alone skin of a monster.


    SHRIEK!!


    The monster shrieked in agony. The venom acid had destroyed its nervous system and the nymph had lost the ability to control its body. Kahn quickly took out the daggers he had in his space ring and plunged them in the giant nymph''s head.


    THUD!


    The nymph let out another loud shriek, and dropped on the ground; the floor boss finally died.


    Kahn grabbed his sword again and prepared to fight off against the iing nymph horde. But just then.. The minion nymphs started falling on the ground one by one as if their souls were sucked out of their bodies.


    Kahn who had Mind Link ability quickly understood what was happening. All these minions were mentally dependent & connected to the floor boss. And died as soon as the link was severed after the boss was killed by Kahn.


    "Phew!" Kahn was prepared for a long and arduous battle but luckily, that didn''t happen. He let out a small sigh and spoke with a devilish smile.


    "Not a bad start, eh? Let''s create my own army."

 Chapter 39: The Legion

    <h4>Chapter 39: The Legion</h4>


    Kahn ordered the subordinates to gather the dead bodies close to his location as he put his hands on the dead Nymph floor boss. After 5 minutes, he was finally done.


    "Show me the new abilities & skills." ordered Kahn.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Hive Link (A Rank) :


    Allows the user topletely control and share mind connection with underlings or something created by the user.


    (Current Range : 200 meters)


    Heat Sense (B Rank) :


    Allows the user to detect the surrounding environment urately based on body/heat temperature.


    (Current Range : 40 meters)


    Sonar Command :


    Allows the user tomunicate with its subjects through high-frequency noises.


    Extension :


    Allows the user to create and eject high-density pikes from their body and even shoot them for a short distance. User can also retract them based on their will.


    Nymph Bloodline absorbed


    Current Bloodline purity : 28% ]


    "Not bad." said Kahn as he let out a satisfied smile.


    This floor boss gave Kahn a lot of beneficial abilities & skills.


    Hive Link was extremely useful because till now, Kahn could onlymand his subordinates by giving orders verbally and at best, he could share their vision. But this new ability will allow him to establish a direct mind link with his subordinates and order them as per his will.


    Extension would basically give him inborn knives which he could also shoot at high speed in close distance. In other words, he''d never actually be without a weapon.


    It was just like Wolverine who had his ws in his forearms.


    "System, show me the abilities that can be merged."


    The system gave a new list of abilities and Kahn was jumping in joy after he saw the possible skill list.


    [Hive Mind (A Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Abination of Mind Link & Hive Link which allows the host to establish the perfect mental and soul connection with the subordinates.


    The host can share sight, feel andmunicate with the subordinates and telepathically control them at his will.


    Applicable to all the subordinates and there is no limit on the number of subordinates host can control at the same time.


    However, it will put a mental strain on the host when used on more than 10 subordinates at the same time.


    Thermal Radar (B Rank) (Upgradable):


    Abination of Hunter Intent and Heat Sense that allows the user to examine the surrounding and the targets based on body temperature, heat signatures and their physical state.


    (Current Range : 100 meters)]


    "Eureka!" shouted Kahn and startedughing off like a maniac.


    These two merged skills were just too good for him.


    One was like a Necromancermanding his army of undead creatures. It will drastically improve Kahn and his team coordination when he fought alongside his subordinates inrge group battles.


    While the other one was no different than his own Witcher Sense which could help him gauge his surrounding & examine or track things based on heat signatures.


    Extremely useful in dark ces where his sight was limited and also to track many things by the trail they left behind.


    Kahn then cut down the core out of floor boss''s heart and put it in his space ring. He looked at the bodies of the floor boss and its minions.


    "System, can I directly merge a dead body with one of the subordinates?" asked Kahn as he was having a few doubts.


    [No. To initiate the Synthesis with an already created subordinates, the host must use another subordinate which has unlocked the Evolution skills.] the system replied in its lifeless tone.


    "Damn.. Even the cheat abilities are not full proof huh.." said Kahn.


    "Well.. I gotta spend some monster cores then."


    Even after this demerit, there was still a loophole in this condition. Kahn could simply create a new subordinate, get it to the level of the dead Nymph floor boss which was a Unique rank monster and then merge the bodies of the two to create another subordinate.


    Kahn didn''t waste any time and started using the dead minion nymphs to create new subordinates one after another and merged them using Synthesis divine ability. Finally when he got a unique rank result, he merged it with the dead body of the floor boss.


    What Kahn received was another giant Nymph at Unique rank which was bigger and stronger than the former. But he simply didn''t like the result because the thing was just too big and had many restrictions on its movements.


    Thankfully it had unlocked Evolution skill because Kahn used 10 B rank monster cores.


    Just then, Kahn had another idea.. He looked at the Six Generals that were standing closer to the dead bodies of the minions.


    "Who would suit the best for merging together?" Kahn asked himself as he ruled out Omega who possessed the Godbeast Fenrir bloodline which he couldn''t afford to waste by mixing with another lower level bloodline.


    Based on the use and the skills the result subordinate had, Kahn decided on Oliver; the ranger subordinate out of the Six Generals.


    Mainly because Oliver was a long-range attack ss who also had unique skills rted to sensing and setting traps plus could do long-distance reconnaissance because of his sensing skills. This merging would definitely highlight the previous skills while granting new ones such as Heat Sense could make Oliver a specialized subordinate just for this task. Also, he''d inherit the Hive Link skill so it was a good investment for the future. This could also allow him to shoot pikes like arrows from his hands or use them with a bow. He''d be an Archer with an infinite number of arrows to be precise.


    Kahn ruled out Ronin because he was a closebat ss and would not benefit much from this merging.


    "Merge!" Kahnmanded the system to initiate the Synthesis process and merge them.


    [The Host needs 50 B Rank monster cores to create a stable subordinate which inherits the memory of subordinate Oliver and possesses the skills of both the specimen.]


    "Why don''t you rob a bank?! Do you think these cores grow on trees?" Kahn said with an irritated expression. The system was asking for too much with each Evolution under the name of merging different species.


    It was bing greedy with each day. Kahn found himself lucky that Rudra & Omega had their relevant species avable while he created them. Otherwise, they''d cost too many cores just like this.


    "Take it!" Kahn said dejectedly and began the procedure.


    In 21 minutes, Oliver was evolved into a new kind of subordinate.. His appearance no longer looking like a human but rather a Heteromorphic monster which was partly humanoid and partly monster.


    Oliver''s new appearance differentiated from his original appearance in many ways. Now he had six long pike-like legsing from his back, his legs having multiple spikes on them and his height close to 4 meters in height than his previous 1.7 meter. The face and head no longer belonged to a human but a skinny and boney skull that would give young children nightmares in their sleep. Thankfully he still retained his eyes.


    But most importantly.. Oliver was now a Half-Lord rank monster. With a Variant Species named Brtor and had unlocked Evolution skill.


    Kahn didn''t expect this result but epted it as there were going to be many of such experiments in the future.


    He started creating new subordinates without naming them, simply to make up for the numbers and save monster cores.. In just 2 hours, he finally stopped after creating around 50 new subordinates which were stronger and bigger than the Nymph minions.


    "From now on, all of those I created just now will be part of a small group which will grow in the future with new subordinates. From now on, all of you are one & the same. And I shall call you... The Legion." said Kahn as he folded his hands together.


    *ys historical background music*


    The day wasing to an end and the night was on its way. Kahn returned to the city and visited the same bar like he did yesterday.


    After speaking the code.. Kahn met the Snakekin again.


    "Have you brought what I asked you?"


    "Yes. I gathered all the known incidents, both official and unofficial ones and many that were buried under the rocks in the past five years. I divided them into 3 different books. One for normal criminals like murderers, rap*st, thieves & bandits. Second for the nobles and their rtives who abused their name & family backgrounds to kill, massacre and even abduct women and children for their sick fetishes and torturing. The third one has influential people in government & military including high ranking soldiers, lieutenants and evenw enforcement officials likewyers and judges who have abused their position and authority for personal gain and did favors to rake in money." the Snakekin spoke and sighed in regret.


    "I had to spend most of the money you gave me yesterday and pull in a lot of connections you know. This was far riskier than any other intel-gathering job I''ve ever done. If I was caught, I''d be hanged publicly by tomorrow evening." said the Assassin as he remembered how he yed with fire today because the information was too sensitive and had many influential figures involved in the list.


    "Great job. I didn''t expect any less from you." said Kahn and pulled out another bag of gold coins.


    "Consider this as your reward for extra efforts you made. And tell President Solomon that I''ll be delivering the heads in much higher numbers very soon." said Kahn as he smirked.


    "Kid.. You''re not into some kind of Warrior of Justice bullshit, right?" asked the snakekin with a cautious expression on his face.


    "Well.. You''ll see soon." Kahn grinned and left the bar.


    The sunrise came and the next day started with a pleasant morning. But unlike the usual cheerful times where people started their day off.. The vot city was currently in chaos and more people kept gathering around various squares and parts of the city in groups.


    What shook the entire city was dozens of bodies impaled on the walls, one in each street. Rather than the dead bodies, what scared the people the most were the words written on the walls using the very blood of these people.


    "Every sinner shall pay for their crimes.. For the Judgment is Nigh."

 Chapter 40: The Judge, The Jury & The Executioner

    <h4>Chapter 40: The Judge, The Jury & The Executioner</h4>


    Kahn yawned as he finally opened his eyes after a decent sleep. He quickly freshened up and went to the canteen for breakfast as he woke up a littlete than his usual time.


    Kahn heard whispers amongst the people that were sitting on tables in groups, many speaking so quietly that one could not even make out any words. However, this wasn''t the case for Kahn who had incredible hearing senses.


    "So did you hear? All the dead bodies belonged to criminals who had records of violent acts but were never arrested due tock of evidence.. I say this guy is doing good work." said a young man in his 20s.


    "Good my ass. That''s just another serial killer on the loose acting like he''s some kind of hero. I say soon he''ll start killing innocent citizens as well. The city security should find him as soon as they can." said another long-haired man in disagreement.


    "Guys, don''t forget how swiftly all of them were killed. Not a single one of them even saw iting and died on the spot with those hard spear-like things. Some say those belong to dungeon monsters." said another member of the group who was seemed to be shook and scared.


    "What are you worried about? Didn''t it say that only sinners will face the judgement? Tell us, what crimes did you do?" said the 2nd guy and taunted his friend.


    Kahn then focused on the gossips amongst the crowd and found that almost everyone in the city was now aware of the situation. Security guards andw enforcement authorities were also searching for the killer.


    Kahn ate his breakfast indifferently as if this sensational news didn''t bother him at all. He soon returned to his room and took out a book from his space ring.


    It was one of the books the snakekin assassin had given him. He opened the book and read the contents again..


    "A true professional indeed." said Kahn as he praised in amazement. Kahn took a pen that was on the study table in his room and crossed out 12 names on the list.


    What the book contained was nothing else than the names, addresses, habits, known routines and ces these people visited on regr basis.


    The names of the people Kahn just crossed were none other than the dead people that were killed and impaled on the walls of the streets of vot city. And as for the killer whomitted these acts of wanton murders.. It was none other than Kahn himself.


    Yesterday night, as soon as Kahn received the intel from the snakekin assassin, he was shocked by how detailed the report was. And After reading the names and areas where these people usually lived.. Kahn decided to use the dark night to his advantage and decided to finish off these people which had many humans & demihumans. Kahn used Shadow Walk and Extension to finish off the targets without getting noticed by anyone.


    As for the people Kahn killed.. Not a single one of them was a saint. Some had killed, some had rap*d women & even young girls under 18 years and some even killed the victims after they did the crime. But all of these people were dered innocent due tock of evidence and witnesses. In some cases, the witnesses disappeared overnight before the hearing itself. The first book waspletely filled with this information. Every page had one of such individuals and all the details on them.


    Kahn''s blood boiled after reading the list of these criminals and how they were roaming free and who knows how many more innocent lives were ruined or taken by these monsters..


    At the end of the day, Kahn was part of human civilization where human rights and equality were stressed upon. Fair justice was practiced no matter which part of society you came from.. But in this new world he was living in; it was only in name. You can get away with anything as long as you have money, authority and background to make these things go away. Just like the saying went..


    ''The biggest sin of the weak was allowing themselves to stay weak.''


    The Elric of previous life would''ve been enraged and would go on a killing spree with his current strength and abilities but the Kahn of this life was apletely different person than the previous him.


    He was no different than these killers himself. He killed for achieving his goals like the monsters he hunted in the forest, like the bandits he killed to save the merchant caravan and get out of the forest or the groundhog adventurer team he killed without flinching because they were part of his contract.


    This was a world where Law & Justice didn''t apply to you as long as you held power and authority. It was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.


    Kahn purely acted based on self-preservation. He didn''t trust a single soul in this world other than himself. And thanks to the Somir''s will he inherited which changed his personality and demeanor to some degree.. He would not be swayed by his emotions and act rashly.


    He didn''t mindlessly kill but he also didn''t mind killing anyone who stood in his way.


    The reason why he chose to put up a disy of justice & wrote those words with blood on the walls was to send a message to the entire city. To create a foundation of his new persona he was going to introduce.


    Kahn went to meet Nik as soon as the office hours were up.


    "So how much did I earn?" asked Kahn to the old man about his earnings from the materials and things he sold yesterday.


    "Take a look yourself." said the old man and tossed a high-grade space ring to Kahn.


    "That''s for all the materials you gave me yesterday. The list was quite big so it took some time. This is the most reasonable price I can give you. And by the way, the Ring is on the house." said the old man and chuckled.


    As soon as Kahn checked the contents of the new space ring.. His jaw almost hit the floor and eyes popped out in surprise.


    "Sixty thousand! It''s sixty thousand gold dramus." shouted Kahn in surprise as he couldn''t believe his eyes.


    Kahn originally expected 15 to 20 thousand gold coins at best. Now he felt like he greatly undermined the value of the fortune he acquired that day. This transaction now made Kahn filthy richpared to many adventurers.


    "Keep theming and I''ll pay you more next time." said the old merchant as he rubbed his hands together like a fly..


    "Yeah yeah.. It''ll take me some time to gather more but you can look forward to it. By the way, do you have a detailed city map? I don''t know much about the city and many of its areas so I often get lost.." Kahn said as he rubbed his hair sheepishly.


    "Oh, I do have one just here." said Nik and took out arge folded map from a nearby wooden shelf.


    "Thanks. I''m going off to the dungeon again. I''ll see you at dinner." said Kahn and left the office.


    As for why he needed the detailed city map.. It was to n his assassinations and targets the most efficient way he could as the locality, crowd and deste corners yed a big part in it from Kahn''s experience he had yesterday night.


    Kahn simply asked for directions of the ces and found his targets one by one and this took him the entire morning.


    With a map, he could create a list of his next targets and properly n his assassinations.


    Today, Kahn didn''t go outside the merchant enterprise and spent his entire day studying the book and the intel in it along with the small book which consisted of the list of his contract targets. He had to incorporate them together so that no one would connect the dots about all the killings being specifically targeted towards Stragabor and his people. His n was simple..


    ''In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.''


    As the night fell.. Kahn left his room through the window using Shadow Walk and traveled through the city from one location to another without being noticed by anyone.


    Tonight, half of the city was under surveince because of yesterday''s incident. And many shops and restaurants were closed off earlier. People were afraid and the authorities were taking him seriously.


    The next morning, the scene was even wilder & chaotic than yesterday. Because as soon as the sunlight fell, people found a total of 14 bodies of humans, demihumans and some soldiers impaled on the walls of the city in different locations. With words written using blood just like yesterday..


    NO SINNER SHALL GO UNPUNISHED NO MORE. FOR I AM THE JUDGE, THE JURY AND THE EXECUTIONER..


    I AM AZRAEL.. THE ANGEL OF DEATH

 Chapter 41: All out Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 41: All out Hunt</h4>


    In a fortress in the South of the vot city, a group of high-ranking soldiers and military officers were discussing amongst themselves.


    THUD!


    A loud thud was heard in the room as a middle-aged man donned in high quality and well-crafted white armor banged his fist on the table.


    "How the hell did this happen?! There are a total of 26 bodies now. The first time could be considered luck but yesterday there were even more victims despite putting the city under surveince. And how''s that Azrael killing so many people in a single night who are far away from each other''s location?" asked the fully armored man.


    "Captain Nordak, we think that it''s not done by one person but an entire group. Because the way these murders weremitted without causing anymotion or alerting a single guard on duty.. Even if he is an assassin, it won''t be easy to kill so many people in a single night. Besides, one would need to be a mage to create a silencing barrier to prohibit any noise to leak out of the scene, and an experienced assassin tond the killing blow by surprise." said one of the elderly men sitting on a chair next to the captain''s table.


    Suddenly, a young ck and long-haired woman interjected.


    "If I may Captain.. We found that there was no sign of struggle at the crime scenes. It was just one quick attack to either heart or neck and that too came from the front and not the back. All the cases indicate that the victim actually saw the killering in front of them and still they died without a chance to resist at all." said the woman.


    "Lieutenant Beatrice.. If what you say is true then we have a problem. The killer may be someone extremely experienced at killing and also is too strong.. Maybe at the Peak Master rank. For now, he''s only killing the lowlife criminals. But if this continues, everyone in the city willugh at us. And you too know what will happen if Commander decides to intervene.." said the captain of city guards.


    The Lieutenant''s face turned grim and looked horrified just by the mention of their Commander.


    "Yes, Captain. I''m tightening the security & adding hundred more soldiers. But I want to suggest that we put on a curfew atte night." said the ck-haired woman.


    "And create panic as well as mass hysteria? Doing that will only give this guy more attention & acknowledgment from the people. Pretty sure this psycho only wants reputation just like all those nutjobs we''ve dealt in the past." said the captain and refused firmly.


    "I''m giving you the authority to control our specialized Assassin Squad and spread them in the city as you see fit. I will try to convince the upper management that everything is under control in the meantime." said the Captain.


    "And issue an All out Hunt order for Azrael. Anyone offering reliable intel on him would be rewarded with 5000 gold dramus." ordered the captain.


    "Understood! I will not disappoint you sir!" said the woman and saluted.


    On the opposite side of the city, a man was stuffing his mouth with delicious barbecued meat and aromatic wine. The nearby people were looking at this man as if they saw a filthy beggar eating in a restaurant for the first time.


    "More. Bring me your other special dishes." ordered the young man and gulped the wine.


    It was none other than Kahn who was eating in a high-end restaurant without any restrain or table manners. He was now filthy rich after yesterday''s transaction with Nik. So he naturally wanted to celebrate it and hence came to this high-end restaurant which wasparable to a Five Star Hotel on Earth.


    The food was beyond anything he ate in his previous life.. Everything was so perfect and well cooked while savoring the vor of the base ingredients.. It was so delicious that Kahn forgot about holding back and ate like a hungry wolf.


    After yesterday night''s performance, the name of Azrael was the talk of the entire city. No matter where he went, everyone was talking about the newlymitted murders. To some, Azrael was a hero while to others, he was nothing but a psychopath using the name of justice to seek attention and gain fame.


    As for Kahn, the real Azrael.. he was just happy by the fact that he killed 3 more people from his contract yesterday night. 3 of them often made business deals with Stragabor''s family and yed a major part in the family''s ie source. This was like hitting a nail right in the center of your eyebrows.


    To make matters worst, Kahn also looted all the fortune these people had stored up in their space rings, treasury & warehouses. His current worth was 83 thousand gold coins. And that''s why Kahn was spending money in such a frivolous manner.


    He was certain that his current worth would make him one of the top five hundred richest people in the city.


    Since Kahn was no Robinhood.. He didn''t feel guilty after looting his targets and keeping all the money to himself. Because in the near future, he would be needing a lot of money if he wanted to establish his reputation & authority among the top-ranking people in the city.


    By now, ording to the rumors that spread in the city.. Azrael was actually a vengeful ghost of a man who died because of such criminals & never received justice in the city. Some saying that he was a savior who was going to get rid of all the criminals one by one. Many of themon folks were already seeing him as a hero because it was the normal citizens who were affected by the crimes and oppression the most. So finally someone taking out the scum of the society gave them a lot of relief instead.


    Kahn decided to visit the dungeon again today and test his strength and newly created skills. He also had to test the Hive Mind skill and raise the levels of his new army.


    Kahn''s main objective wasn''t just to raise his levels or gain abilities anymore. What he wanted was to fight the strongest and reach a level where nobody in this city could make him feel threatened or have the ability to kill him.


    By now, Kahn had the general idea that even someone as strong as Stragabor or Arkham would be at best level 55. Probably Solomon & some top ranking Military & Government officers were the only ones past that level. So he didn''t have to be wary of other adventurers now. Because he could easily rekt an entire team of 20 just by himself with his current strength.


    Still, he wasn''tparable to someone at Grandmaster Rank even if he had the advantage of levels and attributes. Because even a zoo lion was still a lion, it won''t have a problem decimating the local dogs. The difference between Rank & Mastery signified that very aspect.


    When Kahn reached the 11th floor of the Bromnir dungeon, he was weed with a deste city made up of white, yellow & reddish stones. The architecture instantly reminded Kahn of the Ancient Greek Civilization and how they used to build their cities. His sight could not make the end of this city because of the tall height and wider build constructs throughout this city.


    Kahn couldn''t use Shadow Walk on this floor because it was daytime and the spacious roads barely connected to each other so he won''t be able to use this skill efficiently.


    Kahn took out the map of this floor and jumped on top of a building. Due to his abilities & now raised levels.. It was no different than making a normal jump for Kahn even if the height was 10 meters tall.


    Kahn ran and jumped from one building to another without making a sound and finally came across a group of the inhabitants of this floor.


    Kahn was amazed at the build of these resilient and incredibly strong creatures who had wiped out hundreds of teams in the past 3 decades and barely 10 teams were able to clear this floor.


    Because the creatures in front of Kahn didn''t just have giant bodies.. They also had incredibly thick hide, blunt weapons in their hands that could sweep 3 to 4 people in a single swing. The defensive abilities and physical resilience towards magic these creatures had made it incredibly hard to hunt these monsters even if you had arge number of people with you.


    Every step taken by these massive monsters sent waves through the ground and shook the surrounding with their stomps. As for the description of these creatures..


    7-meter tall body.. Barechested and arms as big a tree trunk.. Two sturdy and pointy horns with a head, legs and hooves of a Bull.


    The creatures that stood in front of Kahn were none other than the nightmares of every adventurer..


    The Minotaurs.

 Chapter 42: The Reigning Champion

    <h4>Chapter 42: The Reigning Champion</h4>


    The group of three giant Minotaurs was keeping a guard on the city streets and taking a stroll to keep an eye out.


    Kahn was crawling on top of a building roof, trying to avoid the gaze of this group. He was currently thinking of a n to take out these minotaurs one by one. Every single one of these creatures was too big in size and also had highly defensive abilities that made it even harder to kill.


    Soon, he noticed a pattern between these minotaurs.. One would check the end of the street while the other two took turns in checking the other end. Kahn was waiting for an opportunity to take out the one who would be alone in the middle of their guard post so he could distract it when the others were away.


    A few minutester, when the one minotaur was alone while the other two went to check the ends of the street as part of their routine, Kahn jumped down and hid behind a big and sturdy stone wall.


    PHEWHEW!


    Kahn whistled and the minotaur on the guard finally felt like it heard something. And just as Kahn had expected, it followed the noise.


    Kahn had merged himself with the shadow behind the wall using Shadow Walk so the giant monster didn''t notice him. As soon as its back turned towards Kahn, he jumped out of the shadow and from his own shadow three more figures jumped out the next second.


    Unlike before, Kahn no longer needed to verballymand his subordinates toe out of his shadow. Thanks to the Hive Mind ability he got from Synthesis.. He could telepathicallymand them and they''d react as per his will without needing a verbal order.


    The three figures were none other than Omega, ckwall & Ceril. Just as their footsteps made noise, the lone minotaur looked their way and was alerted of the enemy''s presence.


    It roared loudly and stomped its leg on the ground, trying to alert the fellow guards, but it noticed that even after its roar and heavy stomp, there was no sounding out from its mouth or a single vibration from the ground.


    Just then, it noticed Ceril who had a ck mage staff in his hand and a faint blue barrier surrounding their location.


    Silence Barrier.


    It was a Mage exclusive skill that could only be performed by an Intermediate Rank mage.


    Ceril, who was created from the bodies of a Mage & Summoner ss had inherited this skill. The moment they jumped out of the shadow, he had cast the silence barrier and removed any sound from their surrounding.


    The minotaur roared again, albeit producing no noise. Omega and ckwall charged at this lone minotaur and shed with it using their bodies. ckwall used his Knight''s Taunt and Temr''s Will to enrage the giant bull creature and banged his sword on the big shield he was holding in his left hand.


    The minotaur was instantly enraged and focused its attention. Omega attacked with his sharp ws on its legs, trying to make it fall on the ground.


    The minotaur quickly swung the giant wooden club it had to guard against the attack.


    ckwall used the Knight''s Charge and hit its back and throwing it out of bnce. Omega on the other hand used this opportunity and used Shredder ws on its head to disoriented it and blur its vision. The minotaur lost its bnce and fell on the wall on its right-hand side.. Thanks to the silence barrier, not a single sound was heard.


    The giant body was the minotaur was now under the rubble ofrge and heavy stones from the wall and was trying to get out of it.


    At this very moment, a small figure of a man jumped on its chest and a jet stream of greenish liquid was thrown in the eyes of the minotaur.. Instantly melting them away as the poison went inside its brain and only the lifeless body of the minotaur was left lying under that rubble.


    [Phew! Barely made it in time.] Kahn spoke to himself and mentally ordered his subordinates to hide in his shadow again. Because this was the best strategy he coulde up with given his current situation. Taking out the enemy one by one without being noticed was his best approach because in a group, these minotaurs were hard to deal with.


    Kahn other the other hand found this method viable because there wasn''t any way he would be able to kill these monsters without causing amotion and alert its nearby allies.


    Because from what he had read, in the entire history of this floor, hundreds of teams failed because of the same reason. Just one minotaur was strong enough to take on 5 to 6 people by itself and they''d always create loud roars and noises during a fight. And as more minotaurs joined the fight, the more difficult it would be to kill them. Even an Intermediate Master Rank Swordsman like Kahn would have a hard time killing a single one of these creatures in a one-on-one fight.


    So Kahn used the numbers and his strong fighters to catch it off guard, and deal damage while using Silence Barrier to prohibit any sound leaking out so no enemy would be alerted.


    He too could cast the Silence Barrier but it needed the caster to stay at the same position and put all of their focus on keeping the barrier functioning. Hence he used Ceril for this job while he dealt the finishing blow with his Poison Acid which can quickly take out a fallen enemy in a matter of seconds.


    The Grandmaster Rank Poison Acid ability he had gained after absorbing the legendary Somir''s body indeed lived up to its reputation.


    Kahn soon noticed that the other Minotaur wasing back from its stroll and now he didn''t have any more time to absorb the body and abilities of this dead minotaur in front of him.


    Kahn repeated the same process for the remaining minotaurs on guard and caught them off guard just like this one. Soon he had 3 dead minotaurs in front of him. He started using Ability Absorption divine ability on these bodies and absorbed their abilities & skills.


    "System, show me the abilities & skills." Kahnmanded the system to check the new skills.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Magic Resistance (D Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to create a physique resistant towards magical attacks and damage.


    Health Recovery (C Rank) (Passive) :


    Enables the host to recover the health at a small rate.


    Minotaur Might (D Rank) (Active) :


    Greatly increases the host''s physical strength for 20 seconds.


    The host has acquired the Minotaur bloodline.


    Current Bloodline purity : 8%]


    "Huh.. I guess the small fries are small fries in the end." said Kahn and put his hands on the remaining two dead bodies of the minotaurs.


    "Merge!" Kahn ordered and started the Synthesis.


    I''m just 3 minutes, he weed a new ally who was a meter taller & twice stronger than its predecessors.


    "You''re now part of the Legion." said Kahn and the new subordinate bowed in front of Kahn and entered inside his shadow.


    For the next 5 hours, Kahn covertly repeated the same process on the small groups of minotaurs he found and killed them one by one. Whittling down the enemy numbers.


    He now had 30 minotaur subordinates in his legion. All of them were Elite Rank monsters.


    He didn''t use them to create another bigger or higher species version because he simply had no interest in spending his cores on small fries. He wanted to catch a big fish and then use these fodders.


    As per the old records, there were nearly 80 Minotaurs on this floor and Kahn had killed more than 60 of them. He waspletely focused andmitted, while his sheer will didn''t let him be overconfident and make any mistake.


    Kahn now hid amongst the broken and fallen buildings in the city and looked at the end of a big colosseum.. No different than how ancient Rome had those diator fight arenas.


    And at the end of it.. There was a giant throne made of fur and bones of the fallen minotaurs.


    Currently, some sort ofpetition was being held amongst these monsters and they were killing each other with their weapons and bare hands.. Even using their giant horns to pierce through the hearts of their opponent.


    Kahn realized one thing that these monsters were fighting to decide who was the strongest amongst themselves.


    At the end of thepetition.. Stood a red minotaur who had a metal club that had multiple spikes as its weapon. It then roared and shook the entire arena with its mighty scream in victory.


    The next second however, it pointed the weapon at the giant minotaur who had a giant Battleaxe lying next to its legs.. The minotaur in the arena was now openly challenging the one sitting on the throne, as if trying to contend for the position of the king.


    The giant minotaur sitting on the throne snorted in anger and grabbed its Battleaxe and a giant shield and straight-up jumped inside the arena grounds.


    BOOM!


    A big cloud of dust was released and the entire arena shook from the ripples of waves as soon as the reigning king of the arena jumped inside the battlegrounds and stared at the challenger with eyes full of rage and contempt.


    Kahn could feel the pressure even from a mile away.. Based on his experience from fighting and facing monsters and people; Kahn quickly understood the level of this yellow minotaur..


    "It''s a Lord Rank Floor Boss!"

 Chapter 43: A Worthy Opponent

    <h4>Chapter 43: A Worthy Opponent</h4>


    An extremely fierce battle was happening at the moment inside the Arena and the surrounding minotaurs were cheering and banging their weapons on the ground in support of their favorite fighter. Some of them even started infighting with the supporters of the other side.


    Kahn was astounded by the strength and merciless fighting style of these contending minotaurs. Especially the reigning champion of the arena. Because unlike all the Minotaur he had seen so far, it was far brutal, more intelligent and extremely well versed in the fight. It always defended itself properly and intentionally let out openings just to reel in its opponent to attack. That way, it would quickly throw it off bnce and make a powerful strike of its own. The red minotaur however was no weakling.. The ferocious attacks did give it an edge in this fight to the death.


    Kahn didn''t dwell on looking at this battle and quickly started luring out the remaining minotaurs using the overly noisy arena as a way to kill the enemy so many will not notice that theirrades went missing one by one.


    Finally, the result of the match was in front of everybody. The seat of the champion would still be held by the yellow minotaur..


    RAAARRRRR!!


    Loudly roared the minotaur and banged its chest with fists and disyed his strength and authority. The battle was indeed a very close call and the yellow minotaur had won by throwing its shield on the opponent at the critical time to disorient it and then swinging its giant battleaxe to cut the head of the opponent in the end.


    p! p! p!


    "Nice. Thanks for being such a showman." joked Kahn as his voice spread in the entire arena. He was currently sitting on top of a b-like structure just above the throne of the yellow minotaur.


    "A human?! How did you get inside here?!" growled the Minotaur.


    "Don''t worry.. I made sure no one disturbs our little chat." spoke Kahn without any worries. He wasn''t surprised to see the Minotaur speaking because even the Half-Lord rank Silver Kobold spoke so why couldn''t a Lord rank Minotaur.


    The next second, he jumped inside the arena and stood before the giant yellow minotaur, taking his sword out of his space ring and pointing it towards the reigning champion.


    "Care for a battle?" asked Kahn and let out a slight smirk.


    "Hahaha. You seem quite foolish for a human. Even though I don''t need it.. Can''t you see that you''re surrounded by me and my kin? How do you n to leave this ce alive? Hahaha!" bellowed the minotaur in mockery. The fellow minotaurs then startedughing and grumbling as well.


    "I guess you''re right. How about we make sure that no one disturbs us?" proposed Kahn and suddenly dozens of ck figures started jumping out of his shadow.


    THUD! THUD! THUD!


    One by one, many giant figuresnded on the ground of the arena and started filling in this wide space which neared about 200 meters in total length.


    "What... What is this?!" shouted as the Minotaur Boss saw Kahn''s army of pitch-ck soldiers.. Omega and the Six Generals being the spearheads of this group.. But what shocked it the most was seeing nearly 40 of his own kin mixed in this army.


    Kahn walked in the front and stood like the leader of this army.


    "Don''t worry.. They''re not for you. They''re for them." announced Kahn.


    "Finish them all!" hemanded and his army charged at the surrounding minotaurs that were enjoying the thrilling battle not too long ago.


    "You wretched insect! You daree in my domain and attack my kin in front of me!" roared the floor boss and grabbed its giant shield and charged at Kahn and his army of ck soldiers.


    The remaining 18 or so minotaurs raised their weapons and dashed towards their enemies without a care for their lives.


    BANG! CLANG! THUD! STOMP!


    An extremely fierce battle took ce in a matter of seconds and the swarm of ck soldiers and the minotaurs shed against each other.


    The Minotaur floor boss was so fierce and extremely powerful that just one attack from its giant battleaxe was enough to shake the ground and split it in two for 5 meters with a single swing. It hacked 3 of Kahn''s soldiers in just one wave while crushed 2 by bashing his giant shield on their heads.


    [Finally.. A worthy opponent.]


    Omega and the other subordinates targeted the group of minotaurs, engaging and luring them away and leaving Kahn free to fight the floor boss.


    Just when the floor boss was cleaving through the enemy soldiers, a swift swingnded on its shield as he was forced two steps backwards..


    It finally saw the attacker who even made the giant body of his trembling and nearly making his hand go numb.. The minotaur warrior gazed at the front and saw a man holding a giant sword nearly 5 feet long.


    "Your opponent is me." spoke Kahn and activated War Dominance for the first time sincest week.


    The pressure released from him was many times powerful and more oppressive than it ever was before. Since Kahn''s level rose by quite a lot, so did the density and chaotic nature of his War Dominance aura.


    A Lord rank monster wasparable to a Beginner Grandmaster rank fighter. The established difference that came between the ranks was already obvious to him. Because even if he was 10 levels higher than a Grandmaster rank opponent, there was still a 50% chance that he''d lose because at the end of the day; experience and quality of your skills always defeated someone who had superficial mastery of theirbat skills and techniques.


    The minotaur boss released some sort of skill and its foot on the ground, a loud sonic boom exploded from the area and the nearby 20 meters of ground was shattered into pieces. Kahn who was standing inside this range nearly lost his bnce and was thrown backward just with the ripples of this stomp.


    Before he could regain his footing, the minotaur boss charged at him and swung the shield at his head.


    CLANG!


    Kahn was thrown 3 meters back after he blocked the attack with his sword just in nick of the time.


    His hands trembled after bearing the brunt of the impact. The boss then dashed towards him and swung his battleaxe at him horizontally.


    BOOM!


    Kahn was thrown 10 meters away and he rolled in the ground.. Almost losing the grip on his weapon. Before he could even get up, the boss minotaur jumped right on top of Kahn who was still lying in the dirt.


    "Fuck!"


    CRACK!


    The ground cracked as soon as the feetnded on the ground. Kahn used Side Hopper and barely managed to evade the attack in thest second. He quickly stood on his feet and took a defensive stance again.


    It had been barely 10 seconds and he was already pushed back, thrown away and even nearly squished like a grape under the attacks of this minotaur floor boss. He had finally met a monster thatpletely dominated Kahn in terms ofbat style.


    He quickly activated Defense Fortitude and a tangible shield-like aura surrounded his entire body. This was Temr exclusive skill which raised the user''s defense by twice and attack power by half.


    CHING! CLANG! DING!


    The dungeon boss attacked Kahn repeatedly over and over as all this human in front of him could do was defend.


    "Puny human! You dare to challenge me in a fight?! Let this arena be your final grave!" bellowed the minotaur and swiftly bashed its giant shield against the barely standing human.


    BOOM!


    Kahn''s entire body was thrown against the nearby wall and he caved in pain.. his bones felt like they nearly cracked from the impact.


    Blergh!


    Kahn coughed a mouthful of blood as his body fell on the ground, barely managing to lift his head as his eyes blurred and nearly losing his sight.


    [A stun skill?] he questioned as he felt some sort of status effect affecting his body.


    At this moment, the battlefield was no different than a pool of blood. The red and ck blood filling the surrounding area far from where Kahn & the floor boss were fighting.


    BAAAHHHHH!


    Screamed thest surviving minotaur as Omega ripped its heart out with his ws and tore out a big check of meat from its neck with hisrge fangs. As the bodynded on ground, he looked at the surroundings and found that all the remaining enemies were killed while they had lost a dozen of their soldiers that were part of the Legion.


    His gaze quickly shifted towards Kahn, his master. At this moment, Kahn was defending and being pushed back by the attacks of this dungeon floor boss.


    Omega quickly dashed towards the minotaur to protect his master. Currently, he was the only one amongst Kahn''s soldiers who could fight this dungeon floor boss on even terms.


    [Don''t interfere!]


    Omega heard amand in his head and stopped his charge and stood in bewilderment. His gazending on his master.


    The minotaur''s battleaxe glowed red again and it was going to perform its ground spitting axe attack.


    BANG!


    Kahn used his sword to block the brutal attack again and nearly got decimated in the ground.. His legs almost giving up and then he was flung backwards again.


    He threw up another chunk of blood from his mouth as he was nearly sttered to pulp from the glowing axe and if not for his sword being made of Mythril, he would''ve but cut into two pieces.


    The battle was already won as currently only the Minotaur boss was left and Kahn''s soldiers could easily kill it with theirrge numbers. But still, he was adamant about facing it alone.


    Kahn barely had the strength to get up at this point.. His trembling hands were bleeding, his arms and legs were cut in few ces, there were plenty of bruises on him while half of his face was covered in his own blood.


    He adjusted his footing and grabbed the sword tightly with both of his hands and challenged loudly..


    "AGAIN!"

 Chapter 44: Training Buddy

    <h4>Chapter 44: Training Buddy</h4>


    Inside of a wide and circr arena, a man and a minotaur were fighting in a battle of life and death.


    To put it in simple words, Kahn was getting his ass handed to him by the minotaur dungeon floor boss.


    Arghh!


    He groaned in pain as his wrist had nearly broken from the impact as he tried to defend against the attacking boss.


    The minotaur checked his surroundings and was fearful of Kahn''s soldiers attacking him if he put Kahn in a corner. All of his brethren were already dead. He no longer could use the skills that''d help himmand them to wipe out the enemy side.


    And none wereing out from the city either because Kahn had already killed them all one by one and very covertly. And because of this.. It wasn''t certain that it could survive. So running away was the only reasonable choice for it.


    "Don''t worry. They won''t attack you.. If you kill me, they''ll die as well." revealed Kahn as he stood up and changed from his defensive stance to an attacking one.


    "Windcutter!" eximed Kahn and surrounding air started coalesced onto his sword and extremely tense air pressure was excluding from the de.


    Kahn shed his sword towards the minotaur''s body.


    CRINGGKKK


    The sound of metal and the highlypressed wind de shing filled the entire space as the giant body of the minotaur boss was shoved by 5 meters after using his shield to defend himself from this attack.


    [System, show me the progress.] he ordered the system to reveal the current progress of hisbat skills and techniques.


    [Combat Mastery for Weapons :


    Sword : 79%


    Daggers/Knives : 68%


    Bow : 63%


    Axe : 54%


    Shield : 35%


    Spear : 51%


    All at Master Rank.


    Combat Techniques progress as follows :


    Windcutter : 23%


    Deflect/Parry : 37%


    Sword de : 29%


    Lacerate : 13%


    Pincer : 21%


    Mastery progress for Skills as follows :


    Shadow Walk : 93%


    Firestorm : 53%


    Defense Fortitude : 89%]


    Author : Kahn already used and practiced thest three weapons during his training period of one week in earlier chapters.


    "Ugh.. Not enough." spoke Kahn and charged at the floor boss and taunted it to attack again.


    To be correct, it was more like he was intentionally getting attacked and defending against the minotaur boss as he wanted to improve his mastery in his defensive skills first.


    As the battle went on and Kahn used many of his defensive skills including the Knight & Temr defensive skills to block the attacks from the enemy. With more time being spent being on the defending side, his mastery of these skills was rising at a fast pace. Because the enemy was stronger and secondly because it was fighting for his life.


    If Kahn died, the floor boss will live so it didn''t hold back in its attacks. This was an experience Kahn couldn''t possibly get from any of the battles he had so far because his enemies didn''t want to kill him.


    His instructors that trained Kahn a week before didn''t fight him at their best. Even the sparring test with Arkham was inadequate as he was only trying to test Kahn and not kill him.


    The main reason why he was choosing this floor boss to practice them was because it had sentience and was well versed in the art of war. It used every skill it had topletely decimate Kahn in the ground and knew when tond a killing blow and when to defend.


    So it was the best choice for him to build an actualbat experience and foundation because even if he trained and improved his Weapon Mastery and Combat Techniques mastery, it would never beparable to the benefits and experience he was getting from this real and overwhelming fight.


    Because a Lord Rank monster was no weaker than a Beginner Grandmaster Rank enemy.


    [Are we done?] asked Kahn to the system.


    [Yes, all the defensive skills the host currently possesses have reached 100% proficiency and their Rank can be evolved. Some Skills have met conditions to be merged using Synthesis.]


    [Good.]


    "Now my turn!" shouted Kahn and extremely light and incredibly sturdy ck hexagonal scales started appearing on his body and covered all the parts including his injured legs, shoulders and the exposed area like the forearms. Except for his face, his entire body was covered in these lustrous and dark scales.


    Somir Scales!


    Kahn finally used the innate defensive skill he got after absorbing the body of the legendary Somir.


    The magically reinforced clothes and gear he was wearing had many defensive skills such as barrier shield and even mana eruption to throw off the attacker. It would certainly be useful to anyone and save their lives at critical moments..


    But in front of this dungeon boss, who had the attacking prowess to cleave 10 people in half with a single swing of his battleaxe; it was like blocking a bullet with a paper.


    So Kahn used his best and most effective defensive skill he had. Even a Grandmaster Rank Swordsman won''t be able to cut him in half when he was using this ability. The scales were no different than Carbon fiber armor. So now, he had no reason to worry about getting injured.


    What happened next left even Omega, who was worried about his master''s safety and ready to jump in the battle if Kahn was near death; let out a surprised expression.


    Because the Kahn who was getting beaten to death, thrown around and nearly stampeded upon till now suddenly started swinging his sword at the giant minotaur floor boss with newfound strength and expression on his face turned to that of a Predator. Simr to the one when they were hunting monsters in the forest nearly four weeks ago.


    "Come at me you weak cow!" scorned Kahn at the minotaur in disdain.


    "Cow? What did you just call me, you vermin?!" spoke the floor boss in an enraged voice and attacked the human next to him furiously.


    CLANG! CLANG! BANG! SHRKKK!


    Unlike before, Kahn was now both attacking and parrying the attacks from the enemy than just defending and blocking against them. His movements bing extremely fast and sometimes, his image nearly flickered as he continuously attacked the yellow minotaur again and again from different angles and directions.


    Pincer! Stab! Sword de! Windcutter!


    Kahn started using his different sword skills and aimed for vital points of the enemy. And whenever the boss tried to use the AoE skills like shattering the nearby ground to disorient Kahn or use the battleaxe to split the ground, he''d quickly retreat using Side Hopper.


    After some time, Kahn put his sword and started shooting mage spells like Firestorm, Water de, Wind de, Frost Spikes at the giant body of the minotaur. Almost burning it to death but then freezing it to death the next second.


    No matter what the Lord rank dungeon floor boss did, it could never reach Kahn as he was simply too fast and agile.


    After half an hour as Kahn was finally satisfied with the skill progress. He stopped shooting his magic spells and took out a high-grade bow which was extremely well designed and looked like a rare weapon. It was one of the weapons Kahn found inside the space ring of the Scarlet Lion teammander who was killed by the silver kobold.


    He took a quiver full of arrows and tied it to his back. Before the boss reached near to him, he dashed away in another direction and started shooting arrows at the boss and used various archer skills.


    Yes.. The almighty dungeon floor boss that had killed and wiped out hundreds of adventurers team with his brethren and could easily take out a group of 15 by itself.. The one who put Kahn near to death and threw him around on the arena ground many times as if toying with his opponent.. Was now nothing but Kahn''s practice dummy.


    A dummy whose only part was to move and let the attacker try out various attacking skills and spells on it. Its biggest advantage in numbers was gone.. Its army was wiped out and now, the weak enemy it was treating as a joke had turned the tables on it.


    The minotaur boss was now reduced to punching bag.


    After another hour as soon as Kahn hadpletely raised his mastery in various weapons except daggers to 100%, he let out a content sigh.


    "Time''s up!" dered Kahn and the next second.. He was standing on the giant minotaur''s shoulder who was 11 meters tall. But before it could even react, Kahn used his Ripper ws that were coated in his venom acid and plunged them inside the eyes of the floor boss.


    "BAARRGHH!!" wailed the minotaur in pain before his huge body dropped on the ground. The venom acid instantly melting its brain in seconds, living up to the reputation of a legendary monster''s innate skill.


    "How many?" asked Kahn to Omega.


    "14, my master. 3 of them were the minotaurs you created." replied Omega.


    Kahn nodded in response. Omega''s speech was getting more coherent very quickly and he was gaining proper intelligence. Now the Lycan possessed 25% Bloodline purity of Godbeast Fenrir. So Kahn was sure one day, it would turn into an intellectual subordinate in the future if he managed to acquire more bloodline of this Godbeast.


    He put his hands on the dead body and started absorbing the abilities of the Minotaur dungeon floor boss.


    "Now don''t disappoint me."

 Chapter 45: Another one!

    <h4>Chapter 45: Another one!</h4>


    Kahn started absorbing the abilities of the dead Minotaur floor boss of this dungeon. And since it was a Lord Rank monster, it took him much longer than usual to finish the Ability Absorption process.


    "System, show me the list."


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Ground Splitter (Active) :


    The host can condense mana andnd a devastating blow at the ground/surface and create crevices around the 5-meter range in all directions.


    Field Pressure (Active) :


    Allows the host to fill the surrounding 30 meters of space with heavy gravitational pressure to slow down enemy movements.


    Health Regeneration (Passive) :


    Allows the host to constantly regenerate health during a battle at high speed.


    Minotaur Aura (Passive) :


    Allows the host tomand and exert dominance over Minotoris species monsters & individuals.


    Minotoris Bloodline absorbed.


    Current Bloodline purity : 138%]


    "Nice. Show me abilities avable in Synthesis." Kahnmended.


    Just by looking at the skills he absorbed.. Kahn realized how big of a bullet he dodged by killing all the minotaurs in the city. Because given the abilities of the Minotaur Boss, it wouldn''t be a problem for it to swarm its enemies with an army of hundred or so minotaurs that were present in the city and since each of them was extremely strong, Kahn and his small army would easily be wiped out in an open & frontal sh.


    No wonder hundreds of adventurer teams met their doom on this floor in the past decade alone.


    [Out of the newly acquired abilities, Field Pressure can be merged under War Dominance aura and Hunter Intent to increase their effectiveness and range of abilities. The rest of the newly acquired abilities currently do not mix or arepatible with the other abilities & skills the host has.]


    "Huh.. So even that can happen?" Kahn thought as it was the first time there were not any possible results for ability merging. Maybe as the system said, there needed a certain level ofpatibility.


    "Well, there''s always a first." spoke Kahn and began creating new subordinates by merging the already created minotaur subordinates that unlocked the evolution skill.


    He spent the next 2 hours just to finally get a result of a Half Lord Rank subordinate after using the current Minotaur bloodline purity he had & a lot of monster cores.


    "ckwall,e here." ordered Kahn as ckwall, the Guardian Knight subordinate walked in front of him. Kahn then put his hand on ckwall & the newly created subordinate and the other one the dead body of the dead minotaur boss.


    [50 B Rank monster cores are required for the synthesis to be sessful.]


    "Again? You''re tearing me apart, system!" he growled in discontent. Because he was running out of monster cores at this rate. Even though the current Kahn was filthy rich, he was still restricted on his high-grade monster cores stash. And recently, the system was asking too much of these cores for Evolution to seed.


    First it was Omega, then Oliver and now ckwall.


    The reason he chose ckwall instead of Jugram for this because even though Berserker was more suited for this type of merging, the Minotaur Floor Boss had a lot of useful skills such as Field Pressure, Health Regeneration & Ground Splitter which could not only make a damn strong attack subordinate but also someone who can have crowd control skills, AoE attacks & with incredible defense. That was basically the definition of a great Tank in a team formation.


    Because even Omega was only good at dealing damage and dodge quickly with his abilities & stats, but his defense was average at best. And a team formation never works if you don''t have a strong and powerful tank who can bear the brunt of devastating attacks and hold the line while other team members do the damage and chip out health from the enemy target.


    After spending an hour, the Evolution for ckwall was finallyplete. Now he was even firmer, broader and the 3 meter Guardian Knight was now 12 meters tall, more ripped in physique than the original body of the yellow minotaur. He didn''t have a snout like the Minotaur but a Human face and horns wereing out of his head. ckwall retained his human appearance but his eyespletely turned red with no iris in them.


    "Show me his stats."


    [Following are the statistics for the subordinate named ckwall


    Name : ckwall


    Species : Sega-Minotoris (Variant Minotaur)


    Evolution skill unlocked (Level can be upgraded through eating other monsters & cores. And Rank can be upgraded with higher & purer bloodlines of the same species.)


    Rank : Lord


    Level : 58


    Strength : 320


    Agility : 210


    Dexterity : 220


    Defense : 658


    Mana : 130


    Abilities & Skills :


    Battle Roar :


    Allows the subordinate to stun anyone present in a 100-meter radius except the host & fellow subordinates for 30 seconds.


    Ground Shatter :


    Subordinate can create a domain of shattered ground which can disorient enemies under a 30-meter radius.


    Axe Splitter :


    Condenses dense mana around the Subordinate''s weapon and allows to attack the enemies with an extremely powerful swing.


    Condition : Only applicable on a battleaxe weapon.


    Defense Amplifier :


    The longer the subordinate defends against an enemy, the more defense will increase in a set amount of time.


    The subordinates can also grant twice the defense for 5 nearby subordinates.


    Health Reserve :


    When health is closer to depletion, allows the subordinate to instantly recover 30% of maximum health.]


    "Motherf.." Kahn gasped in bewilderment.


    Too strong! ckwall was now too strong. Plus he gave a lot of defense buff to other teammates as well. He was like the Ultimate Tank unit Kahn always had seen in RPG video games.


    "ckwall, take the axe and the shield." he pointed at the weapons of the dead floor boss. And gave ckwall an extremely heavy and high quality ck armor he had in the new space ring that looked like made from a high rank monster with incredibly thick hide and armored body parts no different than a metal.


    ckwall now looked like a Death Knight from those RPG novels. Rather than a subordinate, he looked more like a Dungeon Boss himself.


    Author : Reference Arts for ckwall in the the chapterments.


    After letting out a content sigh, Kahn moved to the remaining 5 or so dead bodies of the minotaurs they were still intact and started cutting them in various ces with his sword, making deep injuries. After he was done, he put them in his new space ring. He didn''t spend time creating new subordinates. Rather he had a use for these.


    It was already close to the evening when Kahn returned to vot city. But rather than going back to his current amodation; Kahn decided to visit the Adventurer Association.


    And as expected, he met with Malcolm first on the counters. The hall was currently full of hundreds of people who were returning from their hunts and submitting their Quests and othermission works to receive their pay.


    "Haven''t seen you in a while, kid. Thought you were already killed inside a dungeon. Hahaha" joked Malcolm as he was pleased to see Kahn alive and kicking.


    "Unlike certain someone here, I''m too young to die. Haha" replied Kahn sarcastically.


    "Say that again.." Malcolm''s eyes turned somber.


    "N.. Nothing. I just wanted to sell some monster bodies to the association. They''re all intact so will need your people to carry them."


    "Huh.. How many? And how big can they be?" asked Malcolm curiously.


    "Why don''t you see yourself." said Kahn and walked into the center of the hall.


    "All of you listen! I need you to quickly move away and leave the middle of the hall empty. Don''t say I didn''t warn you." loudly shouted Kahn and instantly gathered the attention of hundreds of people standing in the main hall.


    "Oi, who the fuck do you think you are?" shouted one of the people in the hall.


    "Nobody listens to warnings anymore I see." mumbled Kahn as activated his War Dominance aura, quickly filling the entire hall under an extremely fierce and dense aura.. Kahn noticed that the gravitational force exuded by his aura was now 50 to 70% more than before. He realized it was because he absorbed the skill of the Minotaur boss.


    People started to stumble on their steps and some even fell right on the ground because they simply couldn''t handle this pressure.


    Kahn now looked extremely domineering. As if a tiger was standing amidst a group of rabbits. He wasn''t releasing any killing intent but everyone felt like they were currently facing the Grim Reaper itself.


    He quickly deactivated the aura and spoke again..


    "Do I need to borate myself again?"


    The surrounding people in the hall quickly cleared off the middle of the hall and stood on the sides like obedient children. Because at the end of the day, the one with the biggest fist made the rules.


    That was exactly the type of life they lived in this profession.


    "Kid.. What exactly did you bring?" Malcolm asked as he was unaffected by the aura since Kahn specifically did not let it affect the middle-aged receptionist.


    "This.." said Kahn and raised his hand upwards and a giant body of horned creature came out andnded in the middle of the hall.


    THUD!


    Speechless.. The entire crowd was shocked! Even Malcolm felt like he had lost his ability to think.


    "A minotaur! It''s a goddamn minotaur!" finally a veteran adventurer among the crowd shouted in surprise.


    "Kid.. Where.. di did.. you find this?" Malcolm asked as his mouth stuttered in shock.


    "What do you mean by finding it? I killed it!" replied Kahn with a grin on his face.


    "Don''t lie brat! No one can take down a minotaur alone. You need 5 to 6 people to kill one. Either you already found a dead minotaur on lower floors or you killed it by luck!" bellowed a mage in the crowd.


    "By luck you say.. Then how about this?" smirked Kahn and used his space ring again.


    THUD!


    Another giant body of a minotaur dropped as hundreds of people present in the hall gasped in surprise.


    THUD!


    Another one.


    THUD!


    Another one.


    "What the fuck?!" screamed a Tigerkin in the crowd.


    THUD!


    [[ DJ KHALED : Another one! ]]


    As the 6th dead body dropped out of his space ring.. Kahn finally stopped and looked at Malcolm and asked in a smug voice..


    "So, do you have enough money to buy them?"

 Chapter 46: The Rising Star

    <h4>Chapter 46: The Rising Star</h4>


    The adventurer association main hall was currently filled with loud gasps and whispers. None believing what was in front of them.


    "Impossible!" shouted Malcolm in denial as never in his wildest dream did he imagine someone like Kahn being able to kill 6 giant minotaurs. Even a group of 30 won''t be able to take them out together in a fight.


    "Do we have a deal?" asked Kahn as if he was in a hurry.


    "Wait.. I don''t think we have enough. I''ll have to talk with the president. Stay here!" said Malcolm and ran upstairs hurriedly.


    Kahn already expected this type of reaction from the middle-aged receptionist because as per his knowledge, Minotaurs were one of the most sought-after monsters in any ce because of various uses and rarity of the materials one could salvage from the dead bodies.


    Their blood was actually a very important ingredient in high-grade health recovery potions and various alchemy recipes. Their hide and fur were used in making light and highly durable armors and clothing, especially fancied by the truly rich people. Their horns could be used to make rare quality weapons such as sabers and daggers while the bone marrow was used in high quality medicines used to cure impotence or reinvigorate someone''s little friend. And many rich people liked to boast a head of a minotaur hung in their mansions.


    Each body was no different than a small fortune. But because Minotaurs always traveled in groups and appeared on high level dungeon floors, not many actually tried to hunt them.. Mainly if they were desperate for money or had a death wish.


    Even a Grandmaster Rank fighter wouldn''t casually pick a bone with them.


    Hence they were extremely hard toe by and demand was high no matter where one tried to buy them. But to get six bodies at once.. Even something as big as Adventurer Association which had nearly a couple of thousand people doing transactions on daily basis had to take notice because the profits will be huge if they sold it to the right people from the Noble ss or an enterprise.


    After half an hour, Malcolm finally returned seeing that Kahn was joyfully talking with other adventurers who were curious about how he managed to kill these minotaurs by himself. But unlike some upstuck and ignorant guy, he was telling them strategies on how to lure out the enemies and how to set up traps and use magic scrolls to create a silence barrier and whatnot.


    "Here.. We want all of them." said Malcolm and continued.. "The Vice-president says he''s happy with your swordsmanship advancements."


    "How much is it?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Malcolm came close to Kahn and whispered.


    "It''s 25 thousand gold coins. That''s the best we can offer you. Because it''ll be us who will have to spend a lot of time butchering and harvesting the bodies properly." replied Malcolm as he passed a low grade space ring, that held the money inside; simr to the one Kahn bought in the beginning.


    "Well, pleasures doing business with you." said Kahn and left the Association building without looking back. He knew no one would dare to follow him or try to rob him because of the disy he put in the hall with his War Dominance aura.


    Rather than going back to the merchant enterprise, he went to visit the rundown bar again to meet the assassin. He still had to deliver some of the heads of the people in his contract and receive his pay.


    But unlike what he was expecting.. As soon as he entered the bar.. The 3 men inside quickly walked outside, not bothering to ask him the code and closed off the door from the exit.


    "What the.." before he could continue, Kahn sensed a malicious killing intent directed at him and his Survival Instinct alerted him of an iing attack.


    Kahn quickly used Side Hopper and barely dodged a knife to his throat. He took out his daggers from the ck trenchcoat he was wearing and tried to stab at his right. Since his level was higher than thest time he came to this ce, his reflexes and speed were already exceeding his attacker.


    CLANG!


    A sharp noise of metal nging filled the room and a dark hooded figure started appearing from the point of impact.


    "Well.. Nice to see you again." spoke Kahn and gave a light smirk to the one who attacked him.


    "What the fuck kid!! I thought you wanted to use that list to practice your skills. But what the fuck is up with all that Azrael bullshit?! Do you have any idea how deep shit we''re in?" spoke the assassin.


    It was none other than the Snakekin who was his mediator and also the one who taught him assassination skills along with providing him intel on the criminals he was killing as Azrael.


    "Well, care for another job then?" asked Kahn nonchntly.


    "Fuck you! Just deliver your contract targets and get the hell out of here!" bellowed the snakekin.


    "Don''t be so quick to refuse. Just hear me out." said Kahn as he put his dagger in.


    "It''s nothing dangerous and won''t cause you any harm. I''ll even pay you double the price; What do you say?" dered Kahn.


    The snakekin reluctantly put his knife away.


    Kahn took a space ring from his finger and threw it to the assassin..


    "There are 25 thousand gold coins. And here''s what I need you to do.."


    Kahn left the bar after he exined the task.


    Kahn had decided that it was about time he stopped freeloading on Nik''s kindness and searched the city for a reputed housingpany and through them, he rented a small bungalow near the hillside of the city for living after paying 2000 gold coins as monthly rent.


    The reason why he did this because he no longer wanted any eyes on him and could not afford to have the father & son duo being attached to his name. Because it could bring them unnecessary harm instead.


    After having dinner in his new house, made by the chef that was hired to provide his service here; He put Ronin on the guard duty of this ce as the Rogue subordinate could hide perfectly and guard his master most efficiently.


    Kahn finally embraced the goodnight sleep in his new and extremelyfortable king-size bed.


    The next day, he didn''t leave his new house and spent most of his time eating the cores he received from the snakekin yesterday night and merging few new skills.


    Because even though he wasn''t at Grandmaster Rank yet, many of his skills andbat technique he had met the conditions to rise in rank and were now avable to merge with other skills and abilities.


    Kahn always gave priority to the most useful skills that he''d use in a majority of the scenarios so he spent quite some time thinking carefully and how they''d help him in an actual battle.


    By the evening, he was practicing hisbat skills and techniques in the huge garden that came as part of this new property. He was currently covered in sweat and the top of his body waspletely exposed.. Revealing his ripped built and pulsating muscles along with his abs.


    One of the servants, named Jerome came to Kahn and asked him in a hesitant voice..


    "Sir.. Are you the Kahn.. The one everyone is talking about?" asked Jerome with uncertainty in his eyes..


    Kahn simply smirked and questioned back,


    "What do you think?" he carried on with his training without looking back at the servant.


    After he had his evening snack.. Kahn decided to mingle in the city again. He was currently donning a ck cloak and hid his face under the hood.


    "So, do you believe what they''re saying about the guy who hunted those minotaurs by himself?" Kahn heard one of the people sitting on a bench.


    "Yeah.. My cousin is also an adventurer. He said he saw the guy pull out those giant minotaurs from his high-grade space ring in front of hundreds of people. I heard not long ago that all those monsters were killed by attacks from a sword." replied the young man sitting on the other end.


    "I heard it as well. This guy seems to be close to bing a Grandmaster Swordsman. Just imagine how strong he must be. There are only 3 Grandmaster Swordsmen in the entire city for the past 2 decades.. Another one means a big shift in the power bnce." replied the first guy.


    Kahn strolled across the city for miles and heard thousands of people talking about him. Some rumors even saying that Kahn killed all the minotaurs with a single swing of his sword. And some were extremely exaggerated to the point that theypletely changed his origins to a prodigy from one of the most influential noble houses from the capital who came to gain experience in vot city by fighting and hunting inside dungeons.


    "I guess my money was well spent." he spoke to himself as this was exactly what he paid the snakekin for.


    No matter how outstanding his performance was in the association hall.. It won''t reach to too many people outside of their profession even with hundreds of witnesses. So Kahn had decided to use the highly reputed Assassin and his informationwork that was spread around the entire city to spread rumors about him and his deeds about killing so many minotaurs alone.


    Why work hard and prove yourself if you want to gain fame?


    Who said you can''t be popr overnight?


    Now it was time for Kahn to sit amongst the truly powerful.

 Chapter 47: The Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 47: The Banquet</h4>


    Two days had passed since Kahn''s deeds had spread across the entire city and many people in the city tried to look for his whereabouts.


    Some wanted to hire him as their chief guard, some wanted to challenge him to a fight while some wanted to establish good connections with him so they could make deals with him like buying rare monsters and herbs from him.


    Only now did Kahn realized how big of a deal minotaurs were. Everyone wanted to contact the source itself than go through adventure association and buy at a higher price. Plus making friends with an emerging grandmaster swordsman was their main priority.


    Only a handful of people from the adventurer association and ck Griffin merchant enterprise knew of his current location.


    "System, tell me the progress." spoke Kahn who was intensely training and perfecting hisbat skills and techniques. He had made the flowery garden as his training grounds instead. He had all the weapons and types of equipment from the space ring he robbed so there was no shortage of resources to aid his training.


    [The host has achieved 100% Weapon Mastery in the following:


    Sword : 100%


    Daggers/Knives : 100%


    Archery/Bow : 100%


    Axe : 100%


    Shield : 100%


    Spear : 100%


    Greatsword : 100%


    Cleaver : 100%


    Saber : 100%


    Hatchet : 100%


    Throwing projectiles : 100%


    The host has achieved 100% Combat Techniques/Skills mastery in the following:


    Shadow Walk


    Firestorm


    Windcutter


    Sword Edge


    Parry/Deflect


    Side Hopper


    Defense Fortitude


    Knight Wall


    Ripper ws


    Lacerate


    Archer Sight


    Frost Spike


    Water de


    Pincer ]


    "Phew.. Finally!" Kahn sighed and finally felt like he could take some rest.


    "What''s my current rank? How do I break through the grandmaster rank?" asked Kahn curiously because he thought achieving 100% mastery would help him break through ranks.


    [The host is currentlyparable to a peak master rank fighter. And to break through the next rank for any weapon mastery or skills, the host mustplete 100% mastery along with absorbing the skills and eat the core of an opponent belonging to the higher rank in those jobs/sses.]


    "So to reach a grandmaster, I must kill a grandmaster rank opponent, eat their cores and absorb their skills?" questioned Kahn to the system.


    [Yes.]


    "Hmm... That makes it troublesome. There aren''t many grandmaster individuals in this city in the first ce. And I don''t have an enmity with any of them either. So to kill them for the sake of upgrading my rank doesn''t seem a reasonable choice. I guess I''ll need to look for enemies in higher ces and bigger cities from now on." he let out a worried expression.


    At this very moment, in the same fort in the South of the vot city.. A meeting was held by high ranking officers and somew enforcement authorities.


    "I''m disappointed in you, captain Nordak. It''s been a week and you still haven''t found who this Azrael is. It''s a p in our & entire city security department." spoke a slim and old white Lionkin elderly man.


    "Please, honorable Magistrate; give me 2 more days and I''ll definitely catch Azrael and bring him in front of you." spoke the middle-aged captain.


    "I don''t want to hear any excuses. You don''t even have proper suspects about who could this Azrael be." reminded the old magistrate.


    "If I may speak, honorable magistrate.. Recently we did have a suspect who has caught our eyes. It''s an adventurer named Kahn. And ording to the information we''ve gathered, this person has no prior information avable about him except the fact that he once belonged to a mercenary group that was ambushed and killed by bandits close to the Abyss Forest. He was the only survivor who escaped in the forest and survived there for few weeks before appearing to save a merchant caravan that was ambushed by those same bandits." spoke a brte woman d in armor. She then continued her findings..


    "And he''s also the first one to pass a test conducted by the grandmaster magic swordsman, Arkham Hond. He now works alone as per our information and is presumed to be a peak master rank swordsman. Based on the patterns Azrael does the killings, we assume that he is a peak master rank assassin himself. So we have some suspicion about this individual." the woman expressed her thoughts.


    "Lieutenant Beatrice, one is a swordmaster while the other is an assassin. What''s there to feel suspicious about? Since when has anyone managed to learn two different jobs and skills? Even someone like Arkham can only infuse some magic in his attacks andbat skills. And I''m friends with Solomon myself.. If there was something wrong or suspicious about this guy, he would''ve at least sent me a message." scolded the old lionkin magistrate.


    "And I''ve heard the talks as well.. He killed not one but six minotaurs himself. If he was Azrael, why would he disy his strength to the public that could lead many suspecting gazes at him given the current situation? It''s no different than blowing your cover by your own hands." emphasized the old lionkin.


    At this moment, the captain Nordak of the city security department interjected.


    "Sir, I have some thoughts about this as well.. One thing I noticed about both these individuals is how quickly they rose to fame and became the talk of the city. Even though I admit that killing that many minotaurs alone is indeed an aplishment worth noticing.. But don''t you think it spread too quickly? Nobody gets that famous in just 3 or four days.. Nobody." remarked the captain.


    "Fine.. I''m holding a banquet at my mansion tomorrow night, send this Kahn an invitation as well. Plus,mander Straze will be present there as well, he could be our way to test whether this person is close to bing a grandmaster rank swordsman or not. And I''m certain many of the powers & factions would like to know that themselves." spoke the old magistrate cunningly.


    "As youmand, sir magistrate. We will also provide tight security in case Azrael decides to show up." said the lieutenant and bowed.


    Both the man and the woman along with other officers left the room. The old lionkin leanedfortably on his chair and rested his head.


    "So, what have you found?" spoke the old man and suddenly an Elf, covered in an assassin outfit appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of the old magistrate.


    "We''ve researched this guy and he''s a real deal. But for some reason, he has always kept a low profile since he showed up in the city. The only two noticeable incidents were when he was used of killing the second young master of the Sigurd family and when he passed an assessment test which was conducted by Arkham Hond himself. Based on our intel-gathering, he doesn''t seem like to be the Azrael." spoke the elf.


    [[Author : I feel the need to clear some misunderstandings.. The inhabitants of Vantrea don''t level up too fast or be a Master rank fighter even after decades of training. Kahn is an exception because of his Divine Abilities & blessings from Kravel. So everyone is under impression that Kahn was a peak master rank swordsman since the very beginning.]]


    "This is going to affect my position if we let this Azrael roam free. We can smother the small time criminals with no background.. But it''ll be a problem if he points his dagger at the nobles andw enforcement authorities. You know how many corrupted and sadistic bastards we have here.. Especially those nobles and their heirs." spoke the old man with a somber face.


    The next morning, Kahn was practicing his newly merged skills and techniques in the garden when he saw Jeromeing towards him with a shocked expression.


    "Sir.. You have received an invitation.. from the magistrate." spoke Jerome with a ghastly voice as if the information was too much for him to process.


    "Huh.. What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" asked Kahn.


    "The seal on the envelope belongs to the magistrate''s office, sir. Anyone else using it is a crime in this city." replied Jerome as he handed the invitation.


    Kahn read the context mentioned in the invitation and noticed how he was over-praised for his talent in swordsmanship.


    "I see. So they want to check out if I''m a real deal or not." spoke Kahn to himself and decided that it was about time he introduced himself to the top brass of this city.


    Kahn spent his afternoon looking for a fitting attire in a high-ss clothing store which sold the costliest clothes. He couldn''t afford to go to this banquet in his regr clothes as that would make him look like a dirt-poor nobody.


    Because even the female shop receptionist gave Kahn a suspicious gaze as if he mistakenly entered inside without knowing what type of people came here.


    Kahn paid no attention to her gaze and asked for an assistant and looked for the most costly and regal clothes.


    He chose a ck set of highly delicate clothes made of rich quality materials and many intrinsic silver patterns. As for the shirt, he chose one a white shirt, then a red inner coat and a green tie.


    He handed 5 thousand gold coins to the store manager and left the store.. Leaving everyone gobsmacked in his wake since none of them expected him to be this rich.


    As the nighttime came, he hired an extremely luxurious carriage and came to the magistrate''s mansion. After handing out the invitation card and passing through the security, he finally entered the grand hall of the mansion.


    As soon as he entered inside, he saw a crowd of many people in mboyant clothes talking and gossiping amongst themselves.


    The speaker on the side of the door announced his entrance to the crowd in a gentle tone..


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the famous adventurer of our vot city.. mister Kahn." said the speaker.


    Sudden gasps of surprise were heard from the crowd.. And many eyes turned towards Kahn and gazed at him with expectant eyes. Especially the young and beautiful noble girls and women in the hall.


    Thebination of this attire along with his handsome and charismatic appearance made Kahn look no different an heir of a noble family.


    Too charming and ting for all of them and his strong physique could be noticed even through his clothes.


    Under these curious gazes and expectant eyes.. Kahn spoke to himself..


    [ Fuck! I want to go home! ]

 Chapter 48: Mixing with the Elite

    <h4>Chapter 48: Mixing with the Elite</h4>


    Kahn took a deep breath and entered therge hall. Although he was feeling awkward a bit inside, he still maintained his confident look and looked approachable.


    He grabbed a ss of wine and greeted the organizers. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered and started to look around; some of the guests approached him and greeted & formally introduced themselves to Kahn.


    Kahn didn''t have any problems getting mixed up among these reputed and influential people as one would expect because at the moment, his reputation was at its peak.


    "I''ve long heard the renounced name of yours, mister Kahn. And I hope to cooperate with you on many things in the future if you have time." spoke one of the well-dressed guests who disyed proper etiquette and demeanor of a well-mannered individual.


    "Pleased to meet you as well. And I do appreciate you being direct about it than beating around the bush. I like such type of person the most." joked Kahn and started a friendly conversation.


    As a grain of sugar was in front of them, many of the guests started swarming like a group of ants towards Kahn and tried to make his acquaintance before others had a chance.


    Soon, there was one side of the hall that was filled with dozens of people making pleasant and praising remarks to Kahn while he greeted them politely and replied with utmost respect like someone belonging to an Aristocrat background.


    But to some younger men in the crowd, the sight was displeasing because who didn''t like attention and gain recognition of the masses. Especially for the ones belonging to the upper ss of society. Something such as power, reputation and respect is what they yearned for most.


    The nail hit the coffin when many young and beautiful girls and some extremely gentle looking women adorned invish clothes started paying attention to Kahn and even gave asional flirting remarks, praising his extremely masculine body and handsome face.. This even made Kahn feel shy asionally because who didn''t appreciatepliments from the opposite gender?


    Kahn kept a polite smile on his face andughed in response, showing a weing attitude to these young and gorgeous women.


    "Eh, what''s so good about killing a bunch of braindead monsters? And since when can a Commoner be better than those from Noble ns?" spoke a young and round-faced man among the guests. His voice was was loud enough to reach every corner of the hall.


    "Yes. I believe he didn''t even kill those minotaurs by himself and had help from others. All those rumors seem like nothing but a sham to me."ined another noble heir among this crowd, adding fuel to the fire.


    But unlike some Beta main character, Kahn wasn''t the type of guy who''d allow others to talk down on him or let such remarks slide if somebody specifically targeted him.


    "I feel like if you gentlemen have some misgivings about me.. May I know why?" asked Kahn in response, his voice was loud enough to reach everyone''s ears.


    "Ah, don''t mind us. We just don''t fit in well with posers and lowlifes." spoke a slim man from this group with condescending eyes.


    "Then why do I see a bunch standing in the middle of this hall?" replied Kahn as he sipped his wine elegantly.


    GASP!


    Suddenly the entire hall went silent as multiple gasps and shocked whispers were heard. Kahn''s remark was targeted towards this group of young nobles who were standing exactly in the middle of this hall at this moment.


    This was no different than dering this bunch as useless and incapable through that retort.


    "You! What did you say?! Do you know who I am?" spoke a grumpy guy from the group, totally enraged after Kahn''s banter.


    "No, I don''t. And I don''t care.." dered Kahn in a nonchnt voice.


    Why should he swallow down an insult just because he was surrounded by a bunch of upper-ss people? None of them were rted to him or had any friendship so why would he shut up and not respond in the same way as the other party.


    Trying to control this situation calmly would only make him look weak and a conman. Who would take him seriously if he didn''t retort back in an authoritative tone?


    "You lowlife scum! You dare insult us?! Are you tired of living?" shouted the first round-faced young man.


    Kahn walked in front of the group of people that were surrounding him. He ced the wine ss on a table and folded his arms. He raised an eyebrow and replied in a dejected tone.


    "Why would I feel threatened by a bunch of weaklings?"


    The crowd went into disarray as soon as Kahn''sst remark was heard.. Kahn had called these group of young heirs as weaklings.. Like he had no fear of the consequences and didn''t fear the ire of these noble families at all.


    Some found his attitude extremely brave while the majority of the nobles present there found his words extremely arrogant. This was a society of Elitism after all. A no-nameing in their circle and calling their young-ins as weaklings was no different than a p in their face.


    "You ignorant cretin! You dare fight me?!" shouted a young guy who was around the same age as Kahn.


    "Yes! Do you dare fight us, young filthymoner!" replied a Tigerkin young man from the noble group.


    Although Rakos Empire wasn''t run by a Royal family and worked more like a Democratic country, there existed a ss of people who had a say in running this Empire. So definitely they had their sense of superiority and elitism.


    "Even if I ept your challenge, I don''t think it''s appropriate to cause a fight here in front of all these people. It''ll ruin this pleasant gathering." replied Kahn in a carefree tone.


    "I''ll allow it."


    Suddenly an old Lionkin amongst the crowd who was surrounded by many old age people who were wearing extremely expensive clothes spoke in a soft tone. But his voice spread across the hall regardless and everyone in the hall turned silent the next second.


    Unlike the other lionkin Kahn had seen, the old man in front of him wasn''t excessively tall or had any muscr built. But from the looks of it, he held immense power and authority.


    "Let me introduce myself.. I''m Gravis Kenthaar, the Magistrate of the vot city." spoke the old man as he walked towards Kahn and tried to shake his hand.


    Kahn shook the hand in response and spoke "Pleased to meet you, honorable magistrate. Apologies for not recognizing you and greeting you when I came. I simply hadn''t had a chance to meet your grand figure before." Kahn spoke with a calm demeanor, lookingpletely unaffected by the magistrate''s regal appearance.


    "I too wished to meet such a promising talent such as you, mister Kahn. Your grand and heroic deeds have reached my ears as well." replied the old man with a benign smile on his face.


    At this moment, a middle-aged man and a brte woman dressed in formal military clothes walked and stood behind the old magistrate. They were none other than captain Nordak and lieutenant Beatrice. Yet none of them spoke a word and simply looked at Kahn with discerning eyes.


    "Since there seem to be some misunderstandings between you and these young men.. Why don''t you disy some of your skills to all of us? I''m certain that many of us would like to see them as well. Am I right everyone?" spoke the magistrate and looked around the hall.


    "Yes, yes. We would love to see some entertainment as well." spoke a noble from the present guests and soon many others followed him. Some of the noble heirs belonged to the families of these nobles and Kahn calling them weaklings was also a disrespect towards their entire n. So they too wanted to see him beaten and asking for forgiveness.


    "Sure, let''s take it to open space. It will give everyone a proper view as well." said Kahn.


    Soon he and the group of noble heirs went outside in an open garden, followed by all the attendees.


    Kahn stood on one side and the group of 8 heirs on the other side. They all took out their weapons, all of them seemed to be sword users for some reason.


    Kahn found it reasonable as swords were the most glorified weapons for the noble ss and military ranks.


    Kahn took out a wooden sword from his space ring.


    "Why aren''t you using a real weapon? Are you afraid of something?" asked one of the heirs.


    "Yes, I''m afraid... Afraid that I might end up injuring you lot." replied Kahn with an expressionless face.


    "You! Let me go first. I''m going to teach this filthy scum some manners!" roared a man and walked ahead of the group.


    "Wait!.." spoke Kahn and put his left hand in the left pocket of his trousers while he pointed the wooden sword in the right hand at the group of young nobles.


    "I don''t have all night. Let''s finish it in one go." Kahn said.


    "What do you mean?" asked the man who was about to fight Kahn.


    Kahn simply let out a smirk and replied.


    "Come at me.. All at once."

 Chapter 49: The Difference in Skills

    <h4>Chapter 49: The Difference in Skills</h4>


    Total silence.. Whether it was the group of Noble heirs, the guests or even the security personnel.. Everyone stood rooted to their spot after Kahn''s deration..


    All at once? Was he looking down on the opponents too much? Mainly the heirs of the noble ns who had years of training in fighting by professional teachers were not even worth his time?


    "Impudence!! This young man is acting too shamelessly. Acting as if he is the only strongest person in the room. This is an insult to our families and name!" shouted one of the enraged old noble snakekin who was part of the elderly crowd that was talking with the old magistrate previously.


    "There''s a limit to how much one can be ignorant and not know their ce." spoke another demonkin noble as he gave a disgusted look to Kahn.


    "Oh, Is that so? Then how about this.. You all attack me together and if I get injured or even die.. none of you will be held ountable. How does that sound?" spoke Kahn in his usual carefree tone.


    "Courting death!" shouted a young heir.


    "Yes.. What glory is there to gang up on an opponent?" asked the tigerkin young man.


    "You lot truly overestimate yourselves, don''t you? Compared to the type of monsters I''ve fought and killed.. I wouldn''t even consider any of you a threat."


    Another insult!


    Kahn was outright insulting the group of Noble heirs.. Well, not just them but also their ns indirectly.


    "Do it! Teach this lowly baffoon some manners and show him his ce! He''s asking for it!" shouted an elderly nobleman.


    "Fine. Don''t regret your words you lowlymoner. It was your fortune to even be allowed to enter this banquet.. But doesn''t mean you can get away with insulting our noble ns." replied the round-faced young man and the group of young noble heirs took their attacking stands.


    Kahn didn''t take any form of stand and remained aloof with the wooden sword in his right hand.


    "Prepare yourself!" shouted the guy in the front as the group of young noble heirs charged at Kahn together.


    "Power sh!" shouted the first guy.


    "Ripple stab!" shouted the second guy.


    "Tornado swing!" roared the third guy.


    One by one, the heirs shouted some preposterous names and swung their swords at him.


    Kahn rolled his eyes and quickly reacted in a nanosecond..


    He sidestepped and pped his wooden sword on the neck of the first guy, pointed and stabbed the second guy on the heart and simply parried the third guy''s horizontal swing.


    Swish! Swish! Swish!


    Kahn quickly walked from his initial position to the end of this group and made swift attacks and incapacitated every single one of the heirs.. His movements were so fast that all everyone saw was a ck streak passing through the group of young noble heirs and in just 5 seconds, he was already at the end of their side.


    Thud! Crack! Chink!


    The onlookers finally registered the sounds of pping, stabbing, parrying, swinging, breaking, and nging.


    "Argh!" groaned many of these young men in pain as they dropped on the ground one by one.


    "Ah!.. My neck!" spoke the tigerkin man as he almost felt like choking on his saliva from the swelling he had on his throat.


    Kahn who still had his left hand in the pocket was at the other end where the group previously stood, he gave out a bored and lifeless look on his face instead.


    He was thoroughly disappointed in these young men. Even though they were nearly as same age as him.. In his mind, he was still the 30 years old Elric from his previous life.


    "Amateurs!" shouted Kahn as he walked towards the young men who were now dirtied in the grass after they fell. Embarrassing themselves in front of dozens of these noble and influential figures.


    "Did you people even train properly till now? You, round face, you''re full of openings! The demonkin, you''re charging too fast without maintaining a proper footing." spoke Kahn.


    "The tigerkin, your attacks have force but no form. The elf, your build is not made for swords, use a spear or halberd instead!" he admonished the heirs and started pointing out their mistakes in stances, fighting techniques, forms and timing.


    "And most importantly.. Which idiot told you to shout the names of your attacks loudly?! Do you want to alert your enemies and help them counter you instead?!" roared Kahn as he was utterly stupefied by these morons in front of him.


    "Not a single one of you knows how to actually use a sword. It''s nothing but fancy moves with no technique and skill behind it. If this was a real battle, all of you would be lying dead on the ground." his voice thundered and even gave a sense of fear to all the onlookers.


    The group of noble heirs however felt chills in their spine and felt like a giant predator was about to tear them alive.


    "If this is all the new generation of this city can offer.. Then I only see a bleak future for this city and our Empire!"ined Kahn as if he belonged to the upper ss of society even above all the people present here.


    He slightly let out his aura and let everyone including the crowd feel this pressure of authority and dominance.


    As for why someone as calctive as Kahn was causing such amotion, even going as far as directly insulting these noble heirs and their families..


    It was because he wanted everyone to feel that he wasn''t someone they could afford to mess with and should be dealt carefully. But at the end of the day, he was just one man.


    But if a young, talented and strong person such as Kahn were to act as if he came from a bigger background.. People would at least try to investigate deep into it than having beef with him just because of few provocative words. That''s why Kahn faked his background right on the spot and gave a sense of mysterious heritage through his words.


    They would naturally feel the need to know the extent of the power that stood behind this man.


    The nobles who yed the power game in their sleep easily took this hint and stopped themselves from retorting despite his haughty and disrespectful words.


    Kahn put his wooden sword back in his space ring.. In reality, he didn''t even use a single skill or ability when fighting this group. It was basically his physical strength, reaction speed and reflexes doing all the work along with the techniques that were now ingrained in his subconscious mind after raising their mastery to 100%.


    Kahn was indeed a bonafide peak master rank fighter now. And to take this bunch of amateurs.. He didn''t even need to use half his strength or any skill.


    He picked up a ss of wine and walked away from the group lying on the ground and towards the old magistrate.


    "Apologies for my rude behavior, honorable magistrate. It''s just that I lose my temper whenever I see someone making a joke out of swordsmanship with their faulty and meager mastery." said Kahn in a loud tone that reached the ears of all the guests.


    With those words alone, they could no longer retort as who would try to pick a fight with someone when their own offsprings were at fault.. That would look as nothing but incorrigible and unfitting conduct for someone belonging to the noble ns.


    If any of them did, it would be considered a petty behavior and others will use that to talk down on them. That''s how the facade of the upper ss worked.


    "It''s understandable mister Kahn. And thank you for gracing us with your impable disy of mastery." spoke the old magistrate.


    p! p! p!


    "Spoken like a true warrior!"


    Suddenly, a stoic and mature voice came from behind the old magistrate.


    It was none other than captain Nordak.


    Even Beatrice who was also a swordswoman was ted after watching Kahn''s wless techniques and how he single-handedly defeated 8 people in just 5 seconds.


    To many, it looked like swift movements but for someone like Nordak and Beatrice who spent years training their fighting skills and techniques.. It looked like they had witnessed a true master disying their craft.


    This instantly earned their respect for Kahn. Now they even felt wrong for suspecting him to be Azrael.


    "In all my years so far.. I''ve never seen someone so young having reached such a level of expertise in swordsmanship. Mister Kahn, please allow me to thank you for sharing such a beautiful sight in front of us." spoke captain Nordak.


    "Uneptable! He must have cheated!!"


    A roar came from one of the noble heirs who couldn''t ept his defeat and charged at Kahn with his sword.


    Just as the guy was about toe 3 meters near him, Kahn finally used his one ability he never had a chance to use so far...


    Executioner''s Gaze!

 Chapter 50: Gaining Approval

    <h4>Chapter 50: Gaining Approval</h4>


    It had been nearly 30 days since created his ability by merging Paralysis Gaze and Predator''s Eyes. But he never had a chance to use it in a confrontation because this ability worked only on those who were weaker than him & only at one person or an enemy at a time.


    However, this was perfect for this moment. Kahn wasn''t going to allow anyone to talk down on him after his awestrucking disy of swordsmanship.


    Since he couldn''t kill the opponent because at the end of the day, the young man charging at him belonged to a noble n. But there was a better way to do it without dirtying his hands.


    "Deamos, no!!" bellowed a middle-aged nobleman who stood amongst the guests.


    EXECUTIONER''S GAZE!


    Kahn''s eyes flickered with a yellow spark and met the eyes of the iing attacker.


    But before the attacker''s sword could even reach a meter close to Kahn, the young noble heir fell in his charge after getting paralyzed on the spot and his body skidded on the grassy ground, just stopping before Kahn''s feet.


    Kahn didn''t make any remark on this attempted murder.. Rather he maintained his calm and collected demeanor. Not even speaking a word and solemnly looking at the teen who was now close to licking his shoes.


    "What''s the meaning of this?! You can''t even ept your fair defeat and attack someone from the back?!" roared the old lionkin in rage.


    This was a banquet hosted by him, and this young heir made an attempt on someone''s life right in front of him.. And that too after losing in an overwhelming manner. This was simply a p in the old magistrate''s face.


    "Please forgive him.. My son is naive and foolish." the nobleman spoke as he ran towards the young man.. Afraid that the magistrate would order to kill his son on the sight.


    "Get him out of here! I better not see him in the city again. Or I will not show any respect to your father or your family!!" spoke the old lionkin in an angry loud voice.


    In the end, nobles held some authority but he was the damn magistrate of this city! He was officially chosen as the one to run this city by the government.. Anyone causing such amotion and going as far as attempting to kill someone in front of him was an outrageous act.


    Captain Nordak ordered the nearby guards to pick up this young noble heir who had created a scene and thoroughly shamed his & his n''s name by these actions.


    "We apologize again mister Kahn.." spoke Nordak and left him alone.


    Kahn''s disy of strength and dominance had left all the guests and onlookerspletely baffled. Especially the old noblemen who thought he was just some nobody who lucked out and got popr. But now they realized that the young man they thought as nobody was actually a Dragon amongst men. They all had no choice but to notice him.


    One by one, people started cheering and praising Kahn on his overwhelming and one-sided victory. Especially because he had made some of the noble houses lose their face by beating and admonishing their family heirs. This was soon going to create another storm tomorrow in the entire city.


    "Hahaha! That was amazing. Even though swordsmanship isn''t myne.. I''m impressed!"


    Suddenly a loud and majestic voicended on everyone''s ears.


    A giant blue Tigerkin walked in fully ck and white regal clothes. He stood in front of the old lionkin and then stared at Kahn.


    The tall 4-meter long figure of a muscr demihuman stood in front of Kahn and reached out a hand to introduce himself.


    Everyone else showed utmost respect towards the new addition to this banquet. No different than what they showed in front of the magistrate.


    Kahn shook the hand of this tall figure and the next second, he felt an insurmountable pressurending on him.. Coming from nowhere else but the blue tigerkin.


    He felt like his kneecaps were to drop on the ground as he maintained his body to stand properly.


    WAR DOMINANCE!


    Kahn quickly activated War Dominance aura and broke this invisible pressure in just 2 seconds..


    "Huh.. That quickly? I see that I underestimated your strength." spoke the tigerkin and deactivated his aura..


    Kahn wasn''t a weakling anymore like when he met Arkham, Stragabor and Solomon. His level had risen by nearly 24 levelspared to back then and so did his experience in fighting and Weapon Mastery. Now, he had no problems facing the aura of someone as strong as Solomon. Though in terms of actualbat strenght, his capabilities against them couldn''t be decided yet.. Kahn knew he won''t have a problem escaping either. He was certainly weaker than the Tigerkin in front of him but he simply didn''t care about it. He''d bridge this gap soon.


    "You''ve already met the conditions to be a grandmaster.. Just that something feels missing before you break that threshold. Nevertheless, it''s an aplishment not even millions of people can ever achieve. I''m certain that you''ll enter the grandmaster rank in a short time." spoke the muscr tigerkin.


    His voice was clear for everyone to hear.


    "You''rete, Commander Straze." spoke the magistrate.


    "My bad.. I took some time choosing clothes. I don''t like attending such fancy parties you know. Rather fighting and killing monsters in my thing." said the blue tigerkin and returned to Kahn..


    "Straze Boltomir, Commander of the Military Battalions that protect the city. Nice to make your acquaintance." introduced Straze as he shook Kahn''s hand promptly, as if trying to check his strength through some pulse or something.


    [System, details..] spoke Kahn and ordered the system to scan the demihuman in front of him.


    [Scanning Complete.


    Name : Straze Boltomir


    Species : Nectoral Tigerkin (Rare Species)


    Rank : Peak Grandmaster rank Brawler/Warrior (Semi-Saint rank)


    Level : 88 ]


    Peak Grandmaster rank! And about to enter in the Saint rank as well..


    Kahn finally got the idea of thismander''s strength.


    The tigerkin in front of him was even stronger than Solomon, president of Adventurer Association. By far, the strongest individual Kahn had met in Vantrea.


    "So even Commander Straze approves of mister Kahn.." spoke one of the guests..


    "He''s a true deal. There''s no doubt. We must form a good rtionship with him no matter what." spoke an elderly noble.


    "And he''s so strong and handsome! Totally my type!" spoke an old noblewoman who gazed at Kahn''s body with covetous eyes.


    Kahn suddenly felt a chill under his skin for a second.


    The talk between these people continued while Kahn was gossiping with the two of the most powerful & influential people in the entire city.


    While Arkham & Solomon held a huge authority through the Association, they were still not officially inmand or control of the city.. The two people in front of him were..


    The conversation shifted from his training to many other irrelevant things.


    But then suddenly, the topic shifted towards one thing Kahn didn''t want to talk about..


    "So, mister Kahn.. What do you think about this Azrael?" asked the magistrate; captain Nordak and lieutenant Beatrice perked their ears to hear into the conversation.


    But unlike what they expected.. Kahn''s expression didn''t change in the slightest or looked surprised at all.


    Because Kahn had already suspected this as one of the two reasons why he was invited to this banquet in the first ce.. One was to investigate his prowess while the other was undoubtedly about him being the Azrael.. The most notorious criminal in the vot city who has killed more than 40 people now.


    Because a sudden emerge of two different and strong fighters doesn''t happen by coincidence. Anyone with two brain cells could link the connection.


    "Eh, nothing but just a psychopath. At the end of the day.. He is someone doing this for the kinks and using this whole judgment and justice to make himself look good. Because no matter how righteous his cause may seem.. He''s nothing but a coward." spoke Kahn without a hitch as if he truly looked down on Azrael.


    "Why do you think so mister Kahn?" askedmander Straze.


    He simply nodded and replied..


    "Because he''s simply killing the small-timers.. The ones he can afford to kill without suffering consequences. If he was truly powerful.. He wouldn''t kill under the nket of night and hide behind the shadows." replied Kahn and continued..


    "Because if it was me and I had the strength.. I would dere an all out war on everybody instead." said Kahn in his regal tone.


    Instantly giving him a tyrant-like appearance.. Especially to lieutenant Beatrice who was already extremely impressed by Kahn''s demeanor so far.


    "Hahaha! Exactly my thoughts so far! Only a weakling would hide behind the shadows. If he truly had the guts, he would not make these petty killings and try to gut down big fishes instead." spokemander Straze.


    The night continued and Kahn enjoyed the delicious meals andpany of many businessmen and nobles who tried to be friends with him.


    Just during that time however.. He felt something was odd after he drank a ss of luxurious wine.


    [Ronin!]


    Kahn spoke in his mind and the rogue subordinates passed from of his shadow and mixed with the shadow of the servant who just served this wine to Kahn.


    Kahn spent the rest of the time enjoying the banquet and finally bid farewell to everyone he came to know today. He was certain that his impression was solid and soon he''d be known amongst the top ranks and creme de crop.


    But as soon as Kahn came few kilometers away from the location of the banquet.. He ordered the carriage driver to take off and entered a dark valley.. His expression turned that of rage and his eyes fumed with anger.


    Because during the party as he was merrily chatting and creating connections with the fellow guests..


    Kahn was... poisoned!

 Chapter 51: Crossing the Line

    <h4>Chapter 51: Crossing the Line</h4>


    In the dark alley, stood Kahn as he was trying toprehend exactly what happened. He hadn''t even detected that he was poisoned through the wine he was drinking until the system notified him that he was poisoned..


    And to top it.. The Poison was an extremely lethal one. If not for his Grandmaster rank Poison Immunity he got after absorbing the body of the legendary Somir during hunting days in the forest.. Kahn would be either dead or on the verge of it in just a few hours already.


    But thanks to that ability, all he felt was losing control over his nerves and bnce of his body when he was riding inside the carriage. The poison itself was so potent that even his grandmaster rank immunity took some time topletely process and detoxify his body. Or else, he would''ve died a painful and pitiful death.


    And because of his Eidetic memory, he could remember each of the encounters with other people he had. Mainly when he shook hands with them, when he ate something or when he drank the wine.


    Alcohol wasn''t his preference so he stuck with wine only. And he had drunk only 3 sses of wine. He received the notification from the system when he was on the 3rd ss.


    "So they took time on deciding how best to poison me without raising suspicion. And only decided on the wine because it was the only beverage I drank throughout the banquet." recounted and summarized Kahn.


    Since whoever wanted him dead couldn''t just put such a highly lethal poison in food made for the nobles which could lead to a disaster itself and only wanted him dead.. They had to find a sure-shot method that would only get to him and him alone.


    "Who could it be?" he thought for a while, trying to decide the most possible culprit.


    The nobles had no problems with him before he attended the banquet and beat the heck out of their children.. The security wouldn''t dare to do it as it would jeopardize the Magistrate''s reputation.. That would bring doom for whoever nned this assassination.


    Naturally, no Noble would bring poison to a party that was meant to make themselves able tomunicate with other nobles. Even if they had any prior qualms, they would settle it somewhere else.


    As for the magistrate himself.. He was only curious about his strength. Andmander Straze didn''t appear to be someone who''d go for a silent assassination.. Rather he''d kill his opponent with bare hands instead. He looked to have that much pride as a warrior.


    Now that left only one person and his only clue.. The servant who brought him the wine.


    Kahn quickly activated his Hive Mind ability and linked his mind and vision to Ronin, the Rogue subordinate he had left inside the shadow of that servant.


    Kahn had stopped by only after few kilometers away from the magistrate''s mansion because this ability had the restriction of working only in the 5 kilometers proximity of Kahn.


    Through Ronin''s eyes.. He saw the servant cleaning up the dishes along with others and then leave the mansion hurriedly.


    While all his subordinates had shadow merge that helped them merge with Kahn''s shadow.. Only Ronin had the skills to mix with someone else''s shadow as he was created by mixing an Assassin & Thief ss corpses when he was created by Kahn when he hunted the Groundhog adventurer team members as part of his contract. So he used Ronin as his tracking device.


    Kahn donned his ck cloak and?followed the servant as he watched him enter a dark alley that was nothing but a deste area.


    The servant knocked on a door of a small rundown house.


    CREAK..


    The door opened and a ck-masked individual let the servant in the house.


    "I did it. I finished the job." spoke the servant.


    "Are you sure? Did you see him drink the poison with your own eyes?" asked the masked man.


    "Yes. You have no idea how dangerous it was. I was surrounded by all those nobles and guards. Thankfully nobody else asked me for a ss of wine. Only this guy was drinking the wine among all the men while the rest were drinking alcohol. So I thought it was the best way to do it by spiking the wine." spoke the servant.


    The ck-masked figure took out his mask and finally revealed his face.


    A demonkin with a long ck beard and braided hair.


    Kahn who was watching and hearing all of this through Ronin found his facial hair style a bit simr.


    "So, when do I get the money you promised?" asked the servent.


    "That''s the neat part.. You don''t."


    The bearded demonkin quickly took out a dagger from his back and stabbed the servant in his neck before the man could even react.


    Thud!


    The body of the servant fell on the ground as he started choking on his blood and slowly lost his life on the spot.


    "Idiot. Did he really think like we''d leave a clue behind? Hahaha"ughed the demonkin as he wiped off the blood from the dagger.


    "Shame.. You''re still alive." spoke a grim and deathly figure from behind the demonkin''s back.


    Before the demonkin could even turn his head back, a dagger was ced on his throat.


    "Who sent you?" asked the figure under the ck cloak..


    "Who are you?!" asked the bearded demonkin in a ghastly voice as he was nearly scared to death after this sudden emergence of this hooded person.


    "I''m the one asking questions! Who sent you? And who ordered you mix the poison in the banquet?" spoke the grim person.


    The demonkin turned and tried to stab the hooded man in the stomach, but just then.. A spray of acid was thrown at that hand that held the dagger.


    "Arghh! My hand!!" roared the man as his hand started to melt away and his bones were put on a disy among that mangled flesh.


    "Answer! Or the next stream goes in your head!" ordered the hooded figure and revealed his face..


    "You!.. Impossible! This guy said he saw you drink the poison."


    It was none other than Kahn..


    He pointed his hand towards the head of this demonkin as if he was to release the acid again..


    "No! Wait.. It was the Sigurd family''s first young master.. Stragabor Sigurd!" shouted the demonkin who felt like he''d lose his life if he tried to keep his client''s identity a secret.


    "I see." spoke Kahn solemnly and released another spray of Poison Acid and melted the demonkin in front of him.. The man didn''t even get a chance to scream before his head and face was melted away.


    "Till now.. It was only because of the contract that involved me killing people rted to him.. I had no actual enmity with him. But this is crossing the line. Those who try to kill me.." spoke Kahn and put the entire house on fire with fireball skill and walked out..


    "Should prepare for their deaths instead."


    .


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    Author : Daily two chapters starting from today.

 Chapter 52: Under the Moonlight

    <h4>Chapter 52: Under the Moonlight</h4>


    The midnight moon shone brighter and covered the entire city under its serene and peaceful light.. The blissful air slithered across the city as the chilling breezeplimented the moonlight.


    FLICK!


    A small shadow flickered amongst the city buildings and passed by and ran through the shadows of one building through another.. Completely passing through the eyes of hundreds of people, not even one of them sensing any presence from this shadow.


    This shadow was none other than Kahn using the Shadow Walk skill and traveling through the city. This is exactly how he hunted and killed those criminals ever since he started acting as Azrael.


    Kahn stood atop a tall building and gazed at the humongous mansion in front of him that stretched for around 3 kilometers in length and breadth..


    What made it different that it hadyers of buildings, the normal buildings on the borders of the site while after a gap of few hundred meters, there were more well designed and decorated houses. And in the third inneryer, lied an extremely exquisite and well carved wooden building.


    Kahn was instantly reminded of how those Sects in Cultivation stories were created in this same style. Where the normal servants and disciples lived in outermost parts and the truly important people with a position or importance in the innermost parts.


    Kahn''s vengeful eyesnded on this site as he continued to slither through the shadows?walked right through the main gate of the mansion.. The guards on duty didn''t even notice that someone had passed by them.


    Kacha!


    Suddenly a guard felt pain in the back of his neck but before he could even register what happened, his head was severed from the body andnded on the ground.. The man saw his own headless body fall before him as he drifted into eternal sleep.


    Kahn already had the idea that in the entire family, only Stragobor had reached the grandmaster rank..


    Even his father, the current head of this noble n was an Intermediate Master rank fighter at best.


    One by one.. Bodies dropped as Kahn and Ronin passed through the shadows and killed the guards without making a single mistake.


    If Omega was Kahn''s battle partner, then Ronin was his assassination buddy. They had already mastered their coordination a long time ago. And using Hive Mind skill he created using Synthesis, it was like two different Kahn were doing the assassinations.


    Today, Kahn was truly pissed off. Because for the first time, he had let his guard down ever since he came into this world called Vantrea. In the grand disy of his craft at the banquet.. He let a simple servant poison him.


    This irked him to the core because if not for the grandmaster rank Poison Immunity skill he had gotten by luck.. He''d be a dead man and lose his second chance at life. It was much different than someone far stronger than him killing in a battle..


    To Kahn, it was more like training yourself to fight a Dragon but getting killed by a Chicken instead.


    This was a thorough insult to him and exactly hit on his nerves.


    [Never again!] spoke Kahn to himself as he vowed to never leave his guard down.


    As for Stragobor.. Who the fuck cared if he was a grandmaster rank fighter or his family had a huge background.. He had made an attempt on Kahn''s life so he had to pay the price.


    He already killed Stragobor''s younger brother because they tried to set an ambush and kill him over a small quarrel.. And now the elder brother followed the footsteps of the younger one who was already sent to hell by Kahn.


    Normally, Kahn would mind his business and do things that would be beneficial to him alone. But he never got picked a fight with random strangers..


    And now with his current strength, he had a simple rule.. He won''t mess with the passerby. But if someone threw stones at him..


    He would throw a fucking mountain at them!


    One by one, the dead bodies piled up in this mansion. As per his information, this was a private property where only the core n members lived.


    Majority of the women and children lived in a different property, only those who had considerable strength and authority in the n were allowed to live in this ancestral site.


    This made things easier for Kahn as he wasn''t a heartless monster to kill innocent women & children.


    In just 40 minutes, Kahn and Ronin had killed more than 30 guards and the firstyer of defense was already broken. He reached the inner parts of the mansion after silently killing through guards and taking out everyone in his wake. Because there wasn''t any need to spare any life here.


    Swish! Swish! Kacha! Kacha!


    Kahn made sure that everyone he killed didn''t drop on the ground or made any noise, he carefully put them down including their weapons and used the dark corners inside the mansion to kill out everyone awake and sleeping.


    He didn''t mind killing the females in the mansion either. As the servants would not be allowed to sleep under the same roof as the main family members, he wasn''t afraid of killing someone he shouldn''t have.


    Finally, after he reached the third and thest mansion, he took out the guards on the duty and ordered Ceril toe out.


    "Cast the Silence Barrier." Kahn ordered and the Enchanter subordinate created a silencing barrier and covered the entire building.


    Ronin went silently and returned with a head of an old man and a woman. Ceril then deactivated the barrier.


    Kahn went and kicked the main door and broke it in half with a single kick.


    "Who is it?!" shouted a burly bear-like tall man and woke up from his sleep after he sensed a killing intent. He quickly grabbed the giant Battleaxe that was kept on the left of his bed and ran down to the main hall of this building.


    "I told your brother that if you came looking for trouble.. I''d send you to meet him in the afterlife." spoke the hooded figure.


    Kahn revealed his face to this bearded man.


    "You! You''re still alive!" shouted Stragabor in disbelief.


    "Why so surprised? Oh anyways, Ie bearing gifts." spoke Kahn and threw two heads towards Stragabor''s feet.


    "You bastard!!" roared Stragobor as he quickly recognized the two heads.. These belonged to none other than his parents.


    "Don''t worry.. I''ll send you to meet them soon." spoke Kahn expressionlessly.


    "You forgot who you''re fighting against. I''m a grandmaster rank fighter.. And I''m going to make you beg for death!" bellowed Stragabor as he brandished his powerful weapon that was glowing yellow.


    Kahn smirked and said "Who said I''m fighting you.."


    Swish!


    Suddenly, two giant and tall figures jumped out of his shadow and filled a quarter of this huge and broad room.


    "Alone."

 Chapter 53: All out War

    <h4>Chapter 53: All out War</h4>


    BOOM!!


    The wooden wall exploded and a tall body of a mannded on the grounds outside of the building. His clothespletely disheveled as he got up on his feet.


    Thud!


    A giant 10 meters tall Lycannded on the ground.


    Thud!


    A giant 12 meter tall human-looking monster who had a giant Battleaxe & a Shield in his handnded next to this monster.


    Swush!


    A young man suddenly appeared with a flicker in front of these two giant figures and stared at the bear-like man in front of him.


    "You!.. If you''re truly a man, fight me by yourself if you have any honor!" shouted Stargabor at Kahn.


    "Eh?! Says the man who had assassins put poison in my drink. Where was your honor back then?" replied Kahn and brandished his sword as he put the daggers in his coat. He put the ck cloak in the space ring & was now wearing his normal adventurer gear.


    "I don''t know what kind of magic you''re using. But don''t think these summoned monsters will hold me back or stop my people.." spoke Stragabor as multiple footsteps starteding from behind Kahn''s back.


    These were the n members and soldiers he hadn''t killed before.. They quickly encircled Kahn, Omega and ckwall, pointing their weapons at the trio. He noticed that there were still around 40 or so hostile opponents.


    But neither did he look faltered and nor did he felt a sense of danger.


    "You''re surrounded by us you fucking bastard! I''m going to skin you alive! I''ll break your bones one by one till you scream and regret being born! You killed my brother, my father and my mother! There''s no one who can save you now!!" bellowed Stragabor as his axe shone bright and a visible yellow aura started exuding from his body.


    This was the full power of a Grandmaster rank fighter!


    Even the fellow Sigurd n members tensed up under this aura. Thankfully it wasn''t targeting them but the man in the middle of the circle.


    "I''ve told this to your brother once and I''m telling you this as well... I''m not surrounded by you.."


    Swish! Thud! Ding! Pitter!


    One by one, dozens of giant ck figures jumped out from Kahn''s body, 5 more terrifying figures that included the remaining of the Six Generals, more than 20 giant Minotaurs followed by 30 to 40 ck spider-like Nymph monsters came out of his shadow and filled the entire ground in a matter of seconds!


    Their numbers were twice than of the soldiers that came before.


    WAR DOMINANCE!


    Kahn released his extremely murderous and chaotic ck and red aura on the surrounding area and all of the enemies that had encircled him..


    "You''re all surrounded by me!"


    ROAR!!


    Roared Omega andmanded Kahn''s army of subordinates and theyunched waged war on those who surrounded them.


    ng! Shink! Rip!


    An intense battle ensued before any of the opponents could understand what was happening.


    "Monsters!" shouted one of the nsmen before he was squashed under the wooden club of a minotaur.


    "Argh! No!" screamed a man in agony as ck crawling nymphs ripped open his stomach and pulled his entrails and innards out.


    "Help me!" shouted a woman after she saw a minotaur walking towards her and started running away..


    Swoosh!


    Before she could even run for a few steps, a long and hard pike pierced her head.. The pike arrow came from none other than Oliver who had already positioned himself on the top of the wooden house.


    Screams and wails resounded as Ceril burned a group of people alive with his mage spells and killed a few more with frost spikes.


    Bodies cut down in half and blood sprayed on the ground as Jugram cleaved through the group of enemies using his axe and a giantsword.. His swings and attacks extremely powerful that even those who had shields couldn''t survive a single swing of his weapons.


    "Run!" shouted some people and started running from the site but before they could evene close to the gates, a dark shadow passed by them and one by one, many felt a sharp pain in their hearts and necks.. The dark figure emerged from the shadows and stared at the dying people in front of him.. It was Ronin!


    The 500 meter long ground was now filled with a gory battle as blood and guts painted the ground red..


    "What kind of monster are you?!" shouted Stragabor and charged at Kahn. He swung his battleaxe with extremely fast speed at the man in front of him.


    CLANG!!


    But before the axe could even hit the man, a giant shield took the brunt of the attack and barely moved a step back.. An extremely tall and muscr body fully donned in scaly armor and a battleaxe in other hand growled at Stragabor..


    It was none other than ckwall!


    "You shall not pass!" dered ckwall in his rustic voice.


    ROARRRRRR!!!


    A horrifyingly loud and deafening roar filled the entire area and the Sigurd nsmen lost the bnce of their bodies and were stunned on the spot.


    It was ckwall''s Battle Roar that can stun all the enemies in 100 meter radius, the fellow subordinates and Kahn were immune to this skill.


    With just this single skill, the state of the battlefieldpletely shifted towards their side as majority of the enemies were now incapacitated and were just waiting to be killed.


    Omega then charged at Stragabor andunched his Shredder ws.. The pure & destructive mana w ranged attack. Stragabor quickly blocked the attack with his battleaxe but was pushed few steps back and felt his hand going numb.. The attack was just too powerful.


    "What are you?" asked Stragabor as he took a defensive stance.. The two opponents were already strong that he couldn''t even overwhelm them with his attacks that would normally cut down even a minotaur in half.


    Just then, Kahn''s majestic voicended on his ears..


    "Someone you shouldn''t have messed with."

 Chapter 54: The Fall of the Mighty

    <h4>Chapter 54: The Fall of the Mighty</h4>


    One by one, the agonizing screams and wails filled the entire inner area of the Sigurd n houses and buildings.


    Under the terrifying onught of Kahn''s army and his Generals, both men and women from the enemy side fell on the ground and bodies littered the battleground.


    At the other end of this battlefield, a man was fighting against 2 giant figures and a human with a sword in his hand.


    Windcutter!


    Kahnunched another ranged sword attack at Stragabor while ckwall charged with his giant shield.


    Ground Shatter!


    ckwall used his skill to shatter the nearby 30 meter surrounding and the ground instantly cracked in this area.


    Kahn and Omega had alreadyunched themselves in the air. Using Hive Mind skill, Kahn could order his subordinates to fight and use skills as per his orders and he too would know what was going to happen because of their mind connection.


    In other words, their coordination was even better than those who spent years fighting together.


    Stragabor was catapulted in the air after the ground split apart and the shockwave lifted his body.


    ng!


    Before his body could evennd on the ground again, Kahn''s sword tried to cut him in half and he quickly defended against the sword swing using his battleaxe.


    Stragabor was thrown 10 meters away as his body was mmed on the ground.. The attack from Kahn wasunched with all of his strength..


    Just then, Omega ran swiftly from the right side and attacked Stragabor with his ws, making repeated and brutal w swings at him and pushing him back with each attack.


    If it was fighting one strong opponent, he could manage it but there were three of these strong opponents amongst whom, two wereparable to a beginner grandmaster rank fighter.


    Stragabor himself was an intermediate grandmaster rank fighter but he would have an advantage in strength only over one newbie grandmaster, not two of them together.


    "Don''t look down on me!" shouted Stragabor and released a wall of dense mana that shoved Omega back as his axe started condensing a huge amount of energy that burned the ground near him. Heunched this devastating axe attack towards Omega and hit the ground in his direction.


    CRACK!


    The ground was split into two as the destructive wave parted it half and paced towards Omega.


    BOOM!


    A giant shield shed with this iing attack and both ckwall & Omega were thrown back from the impact. Even though the man was much shorter and smaller than them, his strenght was definitely above both of them.


    Stragabor quickly turned around and swung his axe!


    Ding!


    Kahn who just attacked from the back was pushed back for 5 meters, his hands nearly losing the grip on his sword. Stragabor was indeed a very strong opponent.


    If not for his advantage with numbers and mainly ckwall efficiently defending against the attacks, Kahn and Omega wouldn''t be able to find an opening to attack the man.


    ckwall jumped in the air and used his Axe Splitter skill, a huge amount of condensed mana on his giant battlexended on Stragabor''s body as the man quickly tried to defend against the brutal and powerful attack.


    He barely managed to block it in thest second and was thrown few meters backward.


    But before he could even manage his footing, Omega attacked from above his head with his Shredder ws.


    "Ah!" screamed Stragabor as he failed to defend against this highly destructive w attack that hit his body..


    "Blergh!" he threw a mouthful of blood and he finally gazed at the other side of the battlefield.. Watching his nsmen and the people he grew up with getting killed by this army of monsters..


    "You.. They had nothing to do with this. Why are you killing them?!" asked Stragabor with a vengeful expression while half of his head was covered in blood.


    "Are you stupid? If I killed only you, there would be other peopleing for me. And I''m not an idiot to leave behind enemies that coulde back to kill me. I''d rather root out the cause of the problem itself. Besides, don''t act like you wouldn''t have done the same." spoke Kahn with an expressionless face. His tone sounding like he didn''t feel any remorse for killing the n members.


    "And one more thing.. All of those who made business deals with your family were also killed by me." spoke Kahn in a mocking tone..


    "Impossible! They were killed by Azrael!" rebuked Stragabor.


    "Take a hint, you moron." smirked Kahn.


    "Why? My n had no rivalry with you before this.. Even after you killed my brother." he spoke as he clutched his hand on the wound that was bleeding.


    Kahn, Omega and ckwall were surrounding him from 3 directions as if he was no different than a prey in their eyes.


    "Who do you think hired me?" asked Kahn as he hinted the obvious..


    "Those old bastards!!" shouted Stragabor as he finally understood why was his adventurer team and his connections in the city were dropping dead one by one.


    "The contract didn''t mention killing you.. But since you tried to kill me, I had to take matters in my own hand." replied Kahn and startedunching swings after swing, attack after attack on the tall man and forced him from one side towards ckwall and Omega.


    After getting injured earlier, Stragabor could not fight at his full capacity. And soon the frequency of damage he received started increasing. His body received multiple cuts and wounds, bleeding profusely.


    At this point, the battle on the other side was already over. All the soldiers and nsmen were lying dead on the ground.


    Kahn quickly startedunching long-range mage spells from his left hand at the already struggling Stragabor.


    Firestorm! Frost pike! Water de!


    Stragabor was baffled after he saw Kahnunching mage spells at him..


    [Wasn''t he a Swordsman? How is he using magic spells?] asked Stragabor to himself but quickly focused on the attacksing from the other side.


    One by one, Stragabor was getting new injuries, losing his blood and ability to fight.


    Because of the constant and well-timed attacks from three different sides, he was exhausted in a matter of minutes.


    "Yaaaaaahhg!" wailed Stragabor in pain as Omega cut his right arm with his ws. The man lost his weapon and dropped on the ground.. Unable to endure the pain.


    Kahn walked in front of the man and put his sword on Stragabor''s neck..


    "Anyst words?" asked Kahn.


    "Fuck you!!" bellowed the tall burly man.


    SLASH!


    A severed head dropped on the ground followed by a headless body..


    Kahn who beheaded the man with his sword looked at the lifeless corpse..


    "What a rude guy.. Has no regard for his murderer''s feelings."

 Chapter 55: The Plunderer

    <h4>Chapter 55: The Plunderer</h4>


    Kahn put his hand on the headless body of Stragabor and used his Ability Absorption divine ability.


    Just 20 minutester, he was finally done. But he didn''t bother checking the new abilities. Because soon, the news of the battle will reach many ears and people wille to investigate. His only advantage was that the fight happened in the innermost area of this site so themotion would be undetected for some time.


    But Kahn wasn''t an idiot to think that there won''t be ways people wouldn''t know. Many enemies of the n or someone who kept an eye on them through a distance would notice something was missing. So Kahn had a small window to act and do what he was about to do next.


    "Grab that battleaxe." hemanded ckwall. This weapon used by his enemy was undoubtedly a rare or even an epic rank weapon given how strong attacks itnded on them and how brightly it glowed during the fight.


    He then activated the ripper w and ripped Stragabor''s heart out.. He squashed it and finally felt a golden core..


    This was Stragabor''s core.. A core of a Grandmaster.


    Kahn put some of his Nymphs for surveince around the property as they were the best sensors he had because these monsters sensed enemies based on their body temperature. He left Oliver, the Ranger subordinate in charge because amongst all of Kahn''s subordinates, he had the farthest sight and hunting range after he was mixed with the Nymph floor boss. Except for the 6 Generals, the rest including Omega & ckwall came back to his shadow and Kahn ran through the main building where Stragabor & his parents lived.


    Now there was one and the only thing to do..


    Rob all the fortune this Noble n had amassed together through all these decades.


    Not because he was a petty thief.. Because he wanted to safeguard their fortune from the wolves who probably had eyes on it.


    Kahn was a saint who was only safekeeping it.


    "Did you find the keys?" asked Kahn to Ronin.


    The rogue subordinate took out a metal box and opened it..


    "So many.." spoke Kahn as he saw numbers of keys inside the box. Many of them were actually very big and heavy.. As if they unlocked some sort of a treasure chest.


    "Let''s go." he said.


    Kahn and the 6 generals quickly searched through various rooms and basement floors to see where was the ce that hid all the money.


    He went to the family head''s office first and opened the safe hidden behind a portrait using one of the keys and found plenty of documents and deeds to thend and businesses.


    "Sorry, only hard cash bro.." said Kahn and threw away papers. He only saw a golden space ring in the safe and put it in his pockets without checking its contents.


    Armin, the Priest subordinate finally found a giant metal door on the bottom floor of this building while Kahn was searching the main office of the n head.


    "Gotcha!" smirked Kahn as he received the vision from Armin and ran down to the basement of the building along with the rest of the Generals who were searching other ces.


    He now stood in front of an 8 meter tall metal door and took out the keys from the metal box.


    "Huh.. The door has 2 keyholes but there''s only one key inside the box that can be used here.." said Kahn and tried to think of possible ces where the other key could be..


    "The space ring!" said Kahn and took out the golden ring.


    Unlike the space ring he used these days, this golden ring didn''t have too much space inside it. But it had over 100 A-rank cores, some jewels and most importantly.. A big ck key!


    Kahn took it out and Ronin grabbed the other one. They both twisted the keys at the same time.


    KRANGGG


    The metal door opened and Kahn pushed it with all his strength.. The door was indeed made to safeguard against highly destructive attacks and even with Omega & Kahn''s attacks, it would''ve taken them half an hour to break it open.


    As the door finally opened and banged against the wall.. Kahn finally saw the most glorious sight he had seen in this new life.


    Because it wasn''t some serene or beautiful scenery of nature.. It was even far more profound and pristine than that.


    His eyes shimmered with a golden glow and Kahn almost dropped on the ground as he subconsciously started drooling.


    Whatid in front of him was a small hill of golden coins.. Cashes filled with rubies and diamonds. On the left of the room, lied dozens of rare and epic ss weapons, armors, shields, essories.. All of which glowed in various colors and were made of extremely high-quality metals and materials. On the right were big wooden chests filled with mana ores, potions and rare herbs.


    On the shelves, there were hundreds of magic scrolls and books rted to magic. Many of them seemed to be some ancient books that had withered a bit after so many years.


    And plenty of magical artifacts at the end of this room.


    "HAHAHA! HAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"


    Kahn startedughing like a maniac.. Like a Demon King who had sessfully found the biggest treasure in the world.


    His appearance was no different than what you''d call a big mafia boss viin.


    Kahn walked towards the small hill of the golden coins and jumped right in the middle. His body swimming through all that gold like Scrooge McDuck.


    "I''m rich! I''m fucking rich!" heughed and kept swimming across the golden river of fortunes..


    "I wasted my life ving for years but never felt the joy of having money.. This on the other hand.. Is too satisfying." said Kahn with a wide grin on his face.


    He stopped his little joyous swimming session and started putting all the fortune inside his Space Ring that was no different than a small warehouse. He was lucky that he had a ring this big otherwise there was no way he could store all this wealth.


    When Kahn was finally done ransacking the entire fortune of the Sigurd n.. He decided it was time to leave..


    Kahn stopped in his footsteps as another insidious idea popped up in his mind.


    "Let''s put on some fireworks."

 Chapter 56: Sending a Message

    <h4>Chapter 56: Sending a Message</h4>


    vot City, which had the poption of more than two million people was slumbering under the delicate and soothing moonlight. The serenity of this night even put the most beautiful sunrise to shame.


    But under this eloquent scenery, the eastern end of the city suddenly shone bright red, clouds of smoke suddenly filled the ancestral buildings of the Sigurd n and this sudden heat and brightness awoke many nearby houses that were just a few kilometers away. Small embers of burnt wood reached near these settlings.


    Currently, dozens of houses inside the n premises were lit on fire and among them; the main house of the n leader burned most brightly.


    Kahn hadn''t bothered creating new subordinates here or even use Stragabor''s body to mix with another subordinate for an Evolution. That would''ve taken too long and he was certainly short on time.


    He and Ceril threw dozens of fire spells at the main house and nearby buildings after Kahn had cleared out the treasury. They put up a grand disy that would be known to the entire city by tomorrow morning.


    As for why he did it? He had 2 main reasons for doing so. One being using this incident to smother the talk of him beating the noble n heirs. Because if the news spread too much, many nobles would target him & try to make his life difficult.


    It''s not like he was afraid of any of them. Just that he didn''t want to waste his time on pesky feuds with these people and y the game of the Oppressor & the Oppressed. This wasn''t some story about a normal guy getting bullied and harassed by some nobles and aristocrats and how he gains strength and fights off against those who wronged him.


    Kahn wasn''t some protagonist of those cliche stories made for teenagers who just entered the world of Novels & Mangas. He had many things to do and already a clear goal to aplish.


    The second reason being that he wanted the annihtion of the important members of the Sigurd n to cause mayhem in the ruling & the most influential powers. Because no way anyone would suspect only one man causing such a massacre and even kill a grandmaster rank fighter.


    This would be considered as a work of another noble n or any of the enemies this n already had. And that would be more than enough to make these powerful authorities and ns point fingers at each other. And the main culprit would be away from the public eye.


    That''s exactly why he left Stragabor''s body on the ground rather than taking it with him.


    Since Kahn didn''t leave anything written in blood, no one would link it to Azrael and his own reputation as a peak master rank swordsman won''te under any suspicion either. Because someone who had just returned from the Magistrate''s party won''t have time to organize and kill so many people by himself. Just him being weaker than Stragabor as per public knowledge would be enough to back up his story if there ever was such an investigation.


    Besides, most of them would be busy fighting over the businesses and properties that were under this n''s name. The wealth alone was enough for them to wage a war against each other.


    So this fire was more than enough to send a message. As for whatever happens from here wasn''t his concern. He would let the vultures tear down each other while they fight over the meat.


    Kahn used Shadow Walk and escaped the site before any help came to extinguish the fire.


    He stood on top of a tall tower while covering himself under the ck cloak again.. Just as he expected, a troop of mages flew from the south of the city and soldiers marched on the city streets.


    What Kahn saw was a coordinated effort in putting out the fires. Many of the mages used water and ice spells to put down the burning houses and buildings to avoid the spread of fire that could affect the nearby buildings in the city.


    Rather than watching the whole show, Kahn quickly went back to his bungalow using shadow walk and finally had a nice and warm bath.


    The past 8 hours drained him out, whether it was the banquet or the massacre.. Kahn had too much for one day. He finally embraced the goodnight''s sleep while thousands of people were awake because of the ''fireworks'' he put on.


    The next morning when he woke up, he was presented with a hearty and delicious breakfast by the chef who for some reason came very early in the morning.


    Even Jerome, the housekeeper seemed very cheerful and obedient for no reason.


    "You seem pretty happy for some reason, Jerome. Something good happened to you?" asked Kahn.


    "Well, the news is indeed a good one. Becausest night, the Sigurd n was massacred!" replied Jerome happily.


    "What? How did that happen?" asked Kahn, acting surprised and oblivious to the news.


    "Some say it was some other noble n who did it. Some say it was the military, while others im it was Azrael.. Well whoever or whatever it was; those bastards had iting!" said Jerome as a joyful expression appeared on his face.


    "Oh by the way.. You''ve also earned quite the reputation in the city now, sir." Jerome said with a pleasant smile on his face.


    "And what did I do?" asked Kahn as he wasn''t sure about the exact reason.


    "You sure like acting coy, sir. Your act of beating those nobles has spread among the masses already. To many of us, you''re no different than our hero." replied Jerome with a prideful sense as if he now worshipped Kahn for some reason.


    "Eh.. They picked a fight with me, so I had to teach them some manners. Nothing more than that." said Kahn as he kept enjoying the exquisite meal in front of him. Today, it seemed even more deliciouspared to the rest of the days.


    Kahn decided to skip on his training and Dungeon visit. Because he was probably going to spend all of his time doing a very important thing today.


    Counting all of his money.

 Chapter 57: Im all about that Money

    <h4>Chapter 57: I''m all about that Money</h4>


    Kahn had Ceril cast the Silence Barrier on his room while Ronin guarded the house from shadows. He could not afford to have the news of him grabbing and running away with the entire noble n''s fortune.


    As for the aftermath of the night''s battle.. He hadn''t left any traces behind unless there was someone who could track his location and all the ces he went through some sort of tracking device or a satellite. This world simply wasn''t that advanced for thetter.


    Kahn took out the things he got in batches one by one and started counting exactly how big of a haul he hadst night. After spending hours trying to list down everything based on their categories and uses, he was finally done. His Eidetic Memory being extremely helpful to him again; because if it was someone else, they would''ve lost the track of it just in few minutes since the amount was too big.


    Under this silence barrier, Kahn startedughing like the Green Goblin again.. Thankfully the barrier was stopping his voice to leak out of his room.


    After jumping with joy and doing a little moonwalk did he finally stop. Kahn gave a final look at the contents of the space with a satisfied smile. He was certain that even the Magistrate or Solomon weren''t as rich as him now.


    He started listing out the things just for the sake of it again.


    7 epic & 21 rare rank weapons, 3 epic and 13 rare rank armors made of highest quality materials such as body parts of highly defensive rare monsters. Then his gaze shifted to the mana ores.. Totally 2000 or more mana ores.. Each ore wasparable to a C Rank monster core in terms of the quality of mana. These things sized of a fist and were extremely rare to get because mana condensing together inside the deep grounds was a rare phenomenon.


    There were more than 40 high-grade and 90 Medium grade Health Recovery potions. Over a dozen rare poison antidotes and for the first time, Kahn saw the Mana Bombs.. From what he had learned, these were used in an open war or against a monster tide. Each one was strong enough to wipe out everything in a 500-meter radius from where it was thrown. These were like mini-missiles. And there were 5 of them.


    Then he moved towards the rare herbs and materials he couldn''t even recognize. He didn''t have any Alchemist skills or had a chance to absorb them so he wasn''t aware of plenty it these rare herbs. But he was certain that not a single of one these was a wasteful thing.


    Then his eyes turned to the rare magic scrolls. There were plenty of life-saving scrolls such as teleportation, barriers, elemental attacks, stun and paralysis, debuff and explosive magic. As per his knowledge, no one could use these things like skills and had to rely on the process of imprinting magic formation and designs for them to work. It took skilled magicians and artificers to work together to even create a single low-rank magic scroll.


    And there were more than 100 of these scrolls. He really had hit a jackpot because if one day he were to face an opponent far stronger than him, these magic scrolls could help him fight and even win against the opponent or at worse, help him escape if his life was in jeopardy.


    And now for the remaining ones.. There was a chest full of rare rubies, diamonds, pearls and minerals he hadn''t even heard of in his previous life. He realized if he were to sell these to someone, they''d easily be 10 times of what he earned by selling the materials to Nik a week ago.


    For the final contents of the ring.. That made him happy the most. The gold coins!


    Before this, Kahn thought having 60 to 70 thousand gold coins in personal worth was enough to make him one of the top one thousand richest people in the city.. But now he realized how wrong he was. That would barely make him one of the top ten thousand in reality.


    He kept staring at the hill of the gold coins with an ted expression.. Because the sheer number had left him gobsmacked after he was done tallying them..


    2 million gold coins!


    Yes! That was the number of gold coins he had now. And that too after excluding the worth of the other materials and gems. Kahn was having a hard time deciding how he would even manage to spend half of this money.. This was beyond anything he hoped for.


    "Wait.. If that''s the worth of just a single noble n. I wonder how much money the other ns have.." said Kahn with a greedy and malicious smile on his countenance.


    "I guess I no longer need to depend on that contract to get resources and money. I already have a reputation so there''s nothing those old fogies could help me with." spoke Kahn to himself.


    There truly was no need for him to go killing around people or even act as the enforcer of justice using the name of Azrael. The current Kahn had all he wanted in the beginning.


    He had strength, he had money and resources and more importantly.. He had the reputation. Now nobody would look down on him or willingly pick a fight with him.


    Because he was no longer a nobody who could be bullied or killed and not a single person in the city would know or talk about it.


    Besides, he had already killed Stragabor; the main cause of the contract in the first ce so it was now nulled if thought practically. So in other words, Kahn was no longer bound to anyone, he wasn''t dependent on anyone and waspletely free to do whatever he wanted.


    Because after the banquet.. Many doors were already opened for him among the richest and top echelons of the city. Soon, he too would make dealings with them and form friendship here and there.


    Now he had only one thing left to do if he wanted to stand in front of the strongest in the city on an equal footing.


    And that was breaking through the Grandmaster Rank!

 Chapter 58: A new Powerhouse

    <h4>Chapter 58: A new Powerhouse</h4>


    It was the decisive moment for Kahn.. He knew that even though he was considerably stronger than the majority of the poption in this city, he was still one man. And who knows how many crouching tigers and hidden dragons lived in this city. He wasn''t a fool to think that the people he met till now were the only ones standing at the peak.


    A peak master rank person would be a big deal in this ce but if he went to higher ces.. A Master rank fighter would not be even worth mentioning. And there were still few things he had to do and for doing them, he needed more power.


    Kahn took out the golden core he got after killing Stragabor. He could already feel the vast and dense mana inside his bright and dazzling core. He gave it some thought and finally gulped down the core after washing it with water.


    Kahn sat in the meditative pose on his bed and started absorbing the core.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Ding!


    He finally heard the system notifications after a long while. He hadn''t used or ate any cores after he reached Level 58 more than a week ago and prioritized on getting his subordinates stronger as he did with Omega, Oliver and ckwall.


    A bright yellow glow shimmered from Kahn''s body again and again as his level rose few times. But unlike before.. There was a lot of qualitative change in his strength and aura. Because this time, his body started glowing golden in color as he was leveling up.


    Ding!


    The system notification sounded for thest time and he finally opened his eyes. Suddenly a dreary and vtile golden aura mixed with Kahn''s own ck and red aura leaked out of his body. For some reason, Kahn couldn''t control this aura by his will and the entire room filled with his terrifying and majestic aura.


    tter! tter!


    The table and chairs in the room started trembling, the bed he was sitting on was shaking while the air inside the room was filled with a tangible pressure that could be seen with naked eyes.


    Suddenly, Kahn''s heartbeats raced faster with every passing second and he felt a type of heating from inside of his body. In just minutes, Kahn''s entire body was burning hot and he felt like his bones and flesh were undergoing some kind of transformation.


    His veins and muscles bulged as the golden glow emitted right inside his heart.


    "Arrrrrrh!!" shouted Kahn in pain.


    BOOM!!


    An explosion of mana sted everything that was in the room and broke all the furniture, the ss window was shattered and a loud noise filled the entire neighborhood.


    Kahn''s body dropped on the floor after this burst of mana nearly destroyed the whole room. Even the clothes he was wearing were torn to shreds.


    He quickly took out some clothes and wore them before anyone came after thismotion.


    [Congrattions to the host for breaking through the Grandmaster Rank.] announced System and dered Kahn''s new achievement.


    "What the fuck was that?!" shouted Kahn.


    [It was the leftover sentience inside the golden core which was trying to reject the host in the form of golden aura. It has beenpletely subdued and now mixed with the host.] answered the system.


    "Show me all my stats and important skills and abilities. Skip the low-rank ones and those which I don''t need or use anymore." ordered Kahn as he finally came to terms with this entire ordeal being his breakthrough process to reach the Grandmaster Rank.


    [ Host Attributes and Skills are as follows :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Rank : Beginner Grandmaster Rank


    Level : 65


    Strength : 726


    Agility : 698


    Dexterity : 661


    Defense : 537


    Mana : 882


    Divine Abilities : Ability Absorption, Dimensional Law, Synthesis


    Blessings :


    War Dominance (Stage 2)


    Weapon Mastery (Peak Master Rank) (Grandmaster rank in Battleaxe weapon)


    Combat Techniques Mastery (Peak Master Rank)


    Survival Instinct (Stage 2)


    Berserk God Mode ( 5 times the physical strength)


    War Deity Body (Stage 3)


    Gifts : All Languages Knowledge known to the War Deity.


    Physical Abilities :


    Ripper ws


    Side Hopper


    Hunter''s Intent


    Venom Acid


    Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)


    Somir Scale body


    Executioner''s Gaze


    Extension


    Heat Sense


    Magical Skills :


    Shadow Walk


    Hive Mind


    Firestorm


    Water de


    Frost spike


    Wind de


    Combat Techniques :


    Windcutter


    Defense Fortitude


    Backstab


    Lacerate


    Sword Edge


    Deflect/Parry


    Tornado Axe


    Ground Shatter


    Axe Splitter


    The host has met the conditions to break through the next stage for the Blessings given by the War Deity. The range and effectiveness of the blessings has increased by two times. ] replied the system and listed all the useful and important skills and abilities Kahn always had in use.


    "Phew.. Finally!" said Kahn as he let out a content smile after his new transformation.


    If he was a really strong fighter before.. Now he was twice stronger than before and even his Blessings were two times more effective than before.


    In other words. He was truly a powerhouse now.


    Even if he couldn''t win against a peak grandmaster rank fighter. He still had the advantage in levels and physical attributes. With his newfound strength.. Kahn was sure that he would at least be able to fight some top fighters.


    He could feel every inch of his body and the pores on his skin, his eyesight and mind''s processing speed also went through another breakthrough. Thest time he had this feeling when Kahn had absorbed the core of the Somir and inherited its will.


    "System,pared to other Beginner Grandmaster rank fighters, how strong do you think I am?" asked Kahn out of curiosity because only his System had the perfect analytical capacity to properly judge someone''sbat strength.


    [The host is currently two times strongerpared to other beginner grandmaster rank individuals because of the increase in the War Deity Body stage.] replied system.


    "So in other words.. I could bepared to an Intermediate Grandmaster rank person, right?" he asked.


    [Yes.] responded the system in its lifeless voice.


    "Subarashi.." said Kahn and tipped his imaginary sses with a smug smile on his face.


    "About time I start hunting those Dungeon floor bosses. Before I have to leave this city.. I''m going clear out all these dungeons and absorb as many abilities I can." said Kahn with a resolute countenance.


    "But before that.. Let''s meet those old fogies tomorrow."

 Chapter 59: End of the Deal

    <h4>Chapter 59: End of the Deal</h4>


    The morning sunlight lit the entire room and Kahn woke up in a different room than his usual bedroom.


    Yesterday''s incident of him breaking through the Grandmaster rank left the entire room in shambles. Kahn had to contact the house rentalpany and also pay 500 gold dramus (currency of Rakos empire) to them for repairs that''ll be finished by tomorrow.


    Thankfully, the news of him breaking through the new rank wasn''t known to anyone. And Kahn preferred to keep it a secret for now as well. Because just a day before, an entire n lost all of their capable people in a massacre and suddenly there''s a new grandmaster rank person.. That''d just cause unnecessary trouble for him and he no longer wished to get entangled in those things.


    Kahn took a bath as per his habits, had breakfast and left for Adventurer Association. It had been a few days since he visited this ce. Thest time he was here when he put on the show of him dropping bodies after bodies of those giant minotaurs. He used that incident to raise his poprity in the entire city and it paid well to invest all that money to have the snakekin spread the news in the entire city.


    And because of that, his name was heard by all the masses and many influential people.


    As soon as Kahn entered the main hall.. People started noticing him and some gasped in surprise. He was no different than a celebrity in their circle already because hundreds of adventurers had witnessed his act with their own eyes.


    He stood against one of the counters and asked the female elven receptionist..


    "Excuse me, do you know where Malcolm is?" he asked the beautifuldy on the other side of the counter.


    The next second however, the Elven girl stopped speaking and stared at Kahn in surprise.. Completely baffled on the spot.


    "Mis. Mister K.. Kahn! It''s really you!" shouted the girl while stuttering in between her words.


    Her loud voice filled the hall and many of the people who were going about their ways started to look in his direction. As if they didn''t expect to see the man here.


    "What''s with that reaction? And why is everyone staring at me?" asked Kahn as he noticed the covetous gazes on him.


    "We were informed that if you came here, you were to be taken directly to meet the President & the Vice-president." spoke the elven receptionist.


    Just then, a few of the other adventurers surrounded Kahn and started introducing themselves to him one by one.. But it didn''t take long for dozens of peopleing his way andpletely surrounding him. Many started expressing their admiration towards Kahn and praised his might.


    Some were outright shameless and tried to team up with him. Kahn understood that majority of these people only wanted to ride on his coattails when he visited dungeons again.


    The gathering crowd created a small horde, blocking the counters and doors in the main hall.


    "What the hell is happening here?!" shouted an old man.


    It was none other than Malcolm, his most familiar receptionist in the association building.


    But as soon as he saw Kahn in the center of the crowd, his countenance turned to that of utmost respect and he walked towards the man in the center.


    "Pleased to see you again, Mr. Kahn. If you have time, pleasee with me." said Malcolm.


    "Eh.. What''s with all the polite words and respectful behavior.. Old man?" asked Kahn because generally, the old receptionist would always call him a kid or a punk.


    Malcolm''s face twitched after being called an old man again. It was the one thing that irked the receptionist the most.


    "Follow me, please." said Malcolm and Kahn had no choice but to follow him.


    After waiting for few minutes, he entered the office and saw both the old man Arkham & the Elven mage Solomon sitting inside the room. Malcolm then left the room and closed it from the outside.


    "Long time no see, kid. Looks like you''ve gained quite the poprity." spoke Arkham as he weed Kahn to sit down on the sofa on the opposite side.


    "And even beat some nobles if I remember correctly." said Solomon who was sitting on his throne-like chair.


    "Well.. Things happened and I reacted on my best behavior." joked Kahn as he sat down. But then he quickly got to the main topic.


    "I guess our agreement is no longer in effect? I mean, your biggestpetition was killed by someone. So there shouldn''t be any more need of carrying it on." said Kahn and rified his thoughts.


    "Yes. We wanted to end it since there is no longer a need. But don''t worry, you''ll still receive half of the promised pay." said Solomon and again summoned a bag full of coins a small one full of monster cores.


    "Well.. It''s not like I''m dependent on the money too much now. I still haven''t spent all the money I received from selling the minotaurs to you guys." said Kahn but still epted the money.


    "What do you wish to do now, kid? Keep exploring dungeons?" asked Arkham.


    "Maybe.. I want to improve my fighting skills even more. Killing monsters in life and death battles is the most perfect way for me." replied Kahn.


    "Seriously, how are you even getting stronger this fast?" asked Solomon out of curiosity.


    "Who do you think is eating all those cores I''m getting from you guys?" spoke Kahn nonchntly andughed. Obviously, hinting at Omega & Rudra.


    "I see. That exins how you managed to kill so many minotaurs." said Solomon as he intertwined his fingers together.


    What followed was a small chat between them and Arkham giving Kahn some swordsmanship tips.


    After Kahn left for his next visit to the dungeons, the old men finally spoke to each other..


    "He''s much more powerful than before." said Arkham.


    "You may not have noticed it.. But the aura of the familiars I sensed on him previously is now twice stronger than before. He''s bing more dangerous as we speak." dered Solomon.


    "Good thing that he''s on our side." said Arkham.


    Unbeknownst to all the talk about him, Kahn for the first time visited the Bromnir dungeon without hiding his face or appearance. He walked for nearly an hour and finally entered the gates of the 12th floor.


    He had a target to aplish.. And that was to fight and hunt even more stronger monsters and absorb their abilities and bloodlines.


    "Well then.. Let the Hunger games begin."

 Chapter 60: Meeting them again

    <h4>Chapter 60: Meeting them again</h4>


    Kahn walked inside the foggy and damp area of the 12th floor after exiting the door channels that connected various floors of this dungeon. After exiting that channel, you would be led to the individual environmental setting of each different floor.


    Normally, it''d be a sunny day as most of the previous floor Kahn had visited so he didn''t expect this sudden change in the scenery because the sight in front of him waspletely filled with ck clouds, a dense and foggy forest where you couldn''t see anything past 10 meters ahead of you.


    Kahn walked with his utmost vignce and since Survival Instinct had undergone an upgrade, his senses were far keener and covered around 80 meters from his location. This was indeed a very useful transformation after he broke through the Grandmaster rank.


    Kahn activated Hunter''s Intent as it was currently his most useful and widest range skill for a better sight and gauge the strength of any opponent he saw.


    [[Author : Since some people have been confused regarding the difference between Survival Instinct & Hunter''s Intent.. Let me exin with short references. Survival Instinct is more like Kahn''s Spidey sense which alerts him when something dangerous is targeting him or someone exudes killing intent towards him. While Hunter''s Intent on the other hand is more like Batman''s detective mode. And now that Heat Sense ability he created using the Nymph floor boss is merged under this skill, Hunter''s Intent can also register heat signature, scan, differentiate and even see through long distances. No different than Kahn''s own Witcher senses.]]


    He kept treading through the foggy surrounding and muddynd for a while but still hadn''t seen or sensed anything yet. He wondered if he had entered the wrong side of this dungeon floor.


    Beforeing to this dungeon, Kahn had checked out the information avable for this floor but found that there were not even 10 incidents where people entered this floor.. And the majority of the adventurer teams that entered.. never returned alive.


    Only 3 groups had managed to return back and as per the records, majority of those people went through mental issues and some evenmitted suicide out of fear that something was going to kill them.


    Kahn wondered if those people had undergone some sort of traumatic experience on this floor that affected their sanity.


    Just as he finally entered through the inner areas of this floor, Kahn noticed that the fog was far more denser and visible than before.. Now he couldn''t even see what was in the five meters next to him. His vision somehow felt like it was getting blurry and his eyes grew heavy the more he breathed this fog.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn''s ears perked up and he quickly turned to his right, his mindpletely focused and ready to react.


    Whisper!


    He heard small whispers but could not sense the actual direction where they wereing from. He was starting to get an eerie feeling because even his senses felt like they were getting dull and the range he was able to cover with his skills started diminishing little by little.


    Crawl!


    Kahn shifted to his left while taking a defensive stance and quickly activated his Somir Scale armor. He did not like how he was losing control over this situation.. He had the skills to both warn him or track the enemies but none of them appeared to be useful in his current predicament.


    Even though he was twice stronger than before after breaking through the new rank.. He felt a sense of dread and danger from this surrounding.


    "What the hell is happening?" asked Kahn as he noticed that his body and his movements were getting slower as the time passed.


    "You.." suddenly he heard a whisper in his ear. Kahn jolted in shock and turned around, swinging his sword out of fear and tried to defend against whoever this voice belonged to.


    "Are.." whispered a female voice in his head and he quickly turned to his back.. But he saw no one behind him.


    "Aplete.." now he heard a man''s voice who would be in his 30s based on the tone. Kahn was baffled and started walking in circles, trying to gaze at what was causing this type of effect on him.


    "Failure!" finally he heard a woman''s voice as his body started shivering out of fear.. His legs almost gave out, ready to drop on the ground.


    But just then, he saw ck shadows slithering towards him from this fog and slowly approach him from four different sides.


    The shadows emerged from the ground one by one.. Their eyes shining bright red and soon after, they started forming various shapes.


    Kahn who waspletely on the defensive mode at this moment started noticing that these shadows were now getting more human-like appearances and just in a couple of minutes; they finally took properly formed proper human faces.


    Kahn dropped his sword on the ground in disbelief.. His mind not being able to make sense of how could the people he saw in front of him could exist in this world.


    The four bodies dressed up in modern-day clothes were nowpletely visible to him. Kahn saw an old man with grey hair and a mustache.. A middle-aged woman with long brown hair. The man who looked to be in his 30s had a buffed-up body while the woman that appeared thest looked quite gorgeous for someone who had entered her 30s.


    Kahn dropped on the ground as the people in front started walking close to him one by one.


    "Look at you.. Still so pathetic and alone." said the old man.


    "I can''t believe I was rted to such a useless human being." spoke the middle-aged woman.


    "Still a weakling and a coward.." said the buffed man.


    "I''m ashamed to even admit that I knew someone like you." spoke the woman.


    Kahn who finally managed to recover from the shock found the sight impossible.


    Because the people that stood in front of him at this moment were someone he knew very closely in his previous life.


    His family!

 Chapter 61: Finding the Culprit

    <h4>Chapter 61: Finding the Culprit</h4>


    Kahn got up on his feet, trying to get away from these things that were pretending to be his family. For reasons unknown, he could not think straight and with a rational mindset. His state waspletely different from his usual calm and confident demeanor.


    In his previous life as Elric, his family had a huge impact on his personality. Not because they were always there for him and uplifted him when he was down in spirit; but because they were simply there but never actually with him.


    The constant feeling of not being enough and not being special originated because of them in the first ce. Normally, people would do their best to raise their children to be a better person and someone who should strive for better things and higher goals in their lives.


    Eric''s parents indeed acted like good parents.. Just not for him but his elder brother David and sister Synthia. Jonas, his father was always there to support his brother who was in school''s baseball team while Sarah, his mother always took the side of her daughter and wanted to see her achieve something in the world of fashion and entertainment.


    Elric, on the other hand received the least of their attention as he never showed any kind of promise in any sector even if was rted to education. He was simply average at everything throughout his childhood days and weak when it came to physical sports and exercises. So they never thought highly of him.


    Unlike how many parents treat their children, his brother was the pearl of their eyes while his sister was their princess. He on the other hand was more like the unnned child they never really wanted. He was nothing but a liability to them ever since he could remember.


    And now.. That same family was insulting him and throwing nders at him.


    Suddenly, the system''s sound rang in his mind.


    [System detects that the host is being influenced by an external presence and the body is affected by some form of hallucinogen. The host is advised to severe the source of these chemicals to recover from this state.] system informed Kahn about the actual reason why he was feeling this way.


    "Hallucinogen? When did Ie in contact with it?" he asked himself and tried to recount the incidents since he entered inside this floor.


    He hadn''t made any contact with anyone or anything for that matter. So there truly wasn''t any other way he could be spiked with hallucinogens.


    He didn''t even eat or drink anything when he met Arkham & Solomon this morning.


    So how was it possible that he was dosed with the hallucinogen. Kahn thought in his mind, trying to focus on his own consciousness rather than giving into the voices he was hearing.


    "The fog!" shouted Kahn as he finally came to a realization. It was the air he breathed since he came here was the main culprit. Now he understood why his body was unaffected throughout the day and started feeling slower when he reached the innermost parts of this floor where the fog was far denser.


    [Omega! ckwall! Armin!] he called out the 3 subordinates and was quickly surrounded by them.


    Armin, the Priest started casting debuff cleansing and healing spells at him. Just in a couple of minutes, Kahn finally regained his sanity and noticed his sensesing back to functioning properly again.


    "I see.. So that''s why not many lived aftering to this floor." spoke Kahn as he finally got the gist of why barely anybody made out alive from here. Because they were either affected in their minds or scared to death before they were hunted down by whatever creatures that lied on this floor.


    He quickly called Ceril out and both started throwing wind magic spells around their surroundings and cleared out the dense fog that was surrounding them all this time.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn sensed something on his left and ckwall took a guard in the front, Kahn took the left while Omega took the right.


    Ceril and Armin took the center and quickly set up a team formation. Because in such moments, any enemy could nk them from an opening. Kahn didn''t summon the others because he wanted to see the face of the enemy first.


    Creak! Flutter!


    He heard the sound of something passing from the surrounding trees and the sound of small leaves and branches breaking. Whatever it was.. It was big.


    If not for his heightened senses after bing a Grandmaster.. Kahn''s mind probably would''ve given in a long time before the system even warned him. He was lucky that he didn''te to this floor before he broke through the Grandmaster rank.


    He then switched to his Hunter''s Intent again and found a trace of body heat among the woods. His team slowly following the tracks without causing too much noise. Even the giant bodies of Omega and ckwall trod softly in this area.


    After passing through the trees and following the tracks.. Kahn''s senses finally picked up a huge and long figure at the end of the tree lines. He quickly pulled everyone back in his shadow and activated Shadow Walk.


    After walking through the shadow of these thick and broad tree lines, he saw a monstrous figure.. For the first time, Kahn was horrified for a bit after watching any creature in front of him.


    He gazed at this figure from the shadows and felt lucky that he didn''t see it when he was affected by the hallucinogens. Because the ghastly, creepy and outright terrifying figure would''ve given a heart attack to anyone with a weak mind.


    The upper body of this giant and long monster had 8 hands with ws so big that they could cut a man''s head in a single sweep. Its nose was that of those Kahn saw on the Snakekin Assasin, the bodyplete pale white.


    But that wasn''t the creepiest part.. What gave Kahn an eerie feeling is the lower half of this creature''s body.. It waspletely that of a giant scaly snake.


    At this moment, Kahn spoke to himself..


    [Aight! Imma head out!]

 Chapter 62: Overestimated

    <h4>Chapter 62: Overestimated</h4>


    Just by looking at the floor boss that was slithering in between the trees, Kahn felt like something was crawling under his skin.


    One thing he knew for sure.. He could not fight this floor boss head-on. Because after suffering through the effects of those hallucinations and reuniting with his family again.. He had no will to endure that trauma once more.


    [How do I kill it?] asked Kahn to himself because there were truly few options if he wanted to kill this floor boss. Because after the recent experience, it became a personal grudge for him. He was going to kill the damn monster no matter what.


    Kahn thought of possible ns such as putting the monster in a corner or surrounding it from all the sides and ambushing it. But after some time of thinking, he thought of it as a naive choice because other than the information of the fog, he had no clue about the different abilities and skills of this floor boss at all. nning anything prematurely could spell disaster for him.


    This opponent was indeed really strong based on the aura he felt around it. And most importantly.. Despite being 8 meters tall and nearly 30 meters long, the creature was extremely well versed in hiding as if it was part of the environment itself. Because even Kahn, who was now a Grandmaster level fighter had a hard time to sense and track it down.


    "I guess I have no other choice." said Kahn and went a kilometer away and deactivated shadow walk. He let out 2 minotaurs & 10 nymphs from his shadow and went back into hiding again. He was going to use these subordinates as a sacrificialmb so he could learn about the skills of this boss and prepare ordingly.


    When Kahn was 500 meters away from the boss, he found that the boss could sense the iing enemies from a mile away. Means it had extremely well hearing.. Or maybe smell given how it was letting out its tongue more often.


    If not for Kahn''s Shadow Walk whichpletely hid his presence, aura and heat signatures; he would have been found a long time ago.


    But unexpectedly, the boss didn''t choose to fight them head on.. It slithered across the woods and kept releasing a fog from the various outlet-like openings on its body, trying to scare its prey and then attack them when they were in turmoil because of this hallucinogenic chemical that was mixed into the fog.


    A small battle erupted between his subordinates and the floor boss. Little did the boss know that these subordinates he used as fodders didn''t possess any free will of their own. They only acted as per hismand.


    So the boss ended up revealing more of its fighting skills when it felt like it was ying with food.


    Kahn understood one thing that the floor boss had the advantage in speed and quick reflexes but other than the fog that wasing out from its secretory nds from outlets on its body. The boss had only one offensive ability. And that was the long tendrils that wereing from its back which also had hard spear-like pointy ends.


    And during the fight, it used these flexible and agile tendrils as long-range weapons and attacked multiple opponents at the same time.


    Even the tough-skinned Minotaurs fell against this ability. Kahn too possessed the Extension skill that was simr to this skill but it had a very short range and the pikes that were thrown from his bodies were detached as soon as they came out of his hands and he couldn''t take them back inside him.


    These tendrils on the other hand would still be connected to the monster boss and some of these tendrils had hook-like ends.


    "Is that it? And this fucker scared the shit out of me.." said Kahn as he was stupefied how this floor boss left him witless but in reality, it had thebat strength simr to the Nymph floor boss. Even the Minotaur floor boss he previously fought on the earlier floor had morebat skills and innate abilities than this one.


    If you left the advantage of the hallucinogenic fog it could create, there really wasn''t much this boss could do. Other than the tendrils, it had no offensive skills that could be used in a long & arduous battle.


    The mostmendable trait it had was the speed and reflexes during the fight. Plus the sensing ability through hearing and smell was indeed very useful even for someone like Kahn whose hearing had a range of 30 meters at best if he wanted to hear whispers and talks from a distance.


    "Ah.. Fuck it!" spoke Kahn as he left the shadows of the tree.


    [Grab its attention and keep it busy.] ordered Kahn to his subordinates and his small army left his shadow in seconds.


    He used shadow walk again as he disappeared while his army under the lead of Omega attacked and surrounded the floor boss. And since the fog didn''t work on his subordinates.. The floor boss was forced into a corner.


    ckwall taunted the boss with his skills, forcing it to focus and attack him while Omega and Jugram dealt a lot of damage. Ceril yed a vital role as he kept shooting highly damaging magic spells and Armin provided many attack buffs to the other generals.


    In half an hour, the floor boss was excessively bleeding from various ces but it couldn''t even run away because the enemies had one strong fighter in all directions and had extremely well-timed attacking coordination. With the advantage of using the fog being turned useless, the floor boss turned into a disappointing opponent.


    After having itsplete attention on the enemies it was facing, it failed to sense a ck shadowing its way.


    When it was fighting against the onught, it felt a swift pain.


    Kacha!


    The floor boss''s head was pierced through by a longsword. Before it could sense what was happening.. The head was split into two and the giant slithering body dropped on the ground.


    A human figure that was holding the pierced sword in his hand and was currently standing on the back of the floor boss where those tendrils came from sighed in disappointment.


    He easily finished this boss by bullying it with numbers while losing only a few of his subordinates andnded the killing blow when it waspletely exhausted and distracted.


    "My dissapointment is immeasurable and my day ruined." spoke Kahn with a dejected face.


    "I hope at least the abilities are useful." said Kahn and put his hand on the corpse.


    "Absorb!"

 Chapter 63: All in One

    <h4>Chapter 63: All in One</h4>


    After spending nearly 30 minutes, Kahn was finally done with absorbing the skills of this hybrid-like creature.


    Through the system, he learned the name of this species.. The Pethralls. A variant species that originated from Lamias and Humans. As for how did ite into existence.. He had no idea. But the plus point was that the monster was Lord rank. If not for his advantage in numbers, he would''ve had some hard time killing it and the monsters could''ve also escaped if Kahn fought it by himself.


    "System, show me the new skills."


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Hallucinogenic Toxin (B Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to secrete hallucination toxin inside the host''s body and spread it from any body part by creating an outlet.


    Mist Cloud :


    Allows the host to create a gaseous mist.


    Tendril (B Rank) (Active) :


    Allow the host to create long-range extensions from the body.


    Sonar Hearing (B Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to have an acute hearing range of 200 meters.


    Cold Body :


    Allows the host topletely decrease the body temperature to zero and the host will also be unaffected by extreme cold environment.


    Note : Some of these abilities can be merged and some can be mixed under different synthesized abilities and skills.] the system listed the new abilities and also told him that they could be used furthermore.


    "Show me the merged skills." ordered Kahn and the system gave only 3 abilities. But instead of feeling dejected, he was rejoiced after seeing the possible results.


    "Merge them all!" eximed Kahn as he was very happy with the possible oues.


    [Synthesisplete.] replied the system.


    "Show me the details."


    [The host has synthesized and acquired the following abilities and skills :


    Grappling Extension :


    Allows the host to create ck fleshly extensions from any body parts and control them at his will in any distance, direction and length. The ends of these extensions can also change shapes as per the host''s will and will be made from hard and metallic pikes from the Nymph host has previously absorbed abilities from.


    Current Range : 30 meters


    Toxin Mist :


    Allows the host to mix the hallucinogenic toxins and release them in the form of mist or fog.


    Current Range : 20 meters


    Sonar Hearing has been merged under Hunter''s Intent to raise its efficiency. However, the exclusive ability can still be used individually.] replied the system as it gave details of his new skills.


    [[Author : Mentioned thest part because some of the readers have been misunderstanding that once the abilities & skills are merged, the original one disappears. Remember, he isn''t using physical bodies to create these skills like he has to while creating subordinates where the original bodies will disappear. The merged skills have thebined effects of both the skills in a single skill/ability while the original ones can still be used.]]


    "Bingo!" shouted Kahn in joy.


    He put his hand on the back of the Pethrall and gently caressed it.


    "I''m sorry I called you ugly and terrifying. Thank you for the skills." spoke Kahn.


    "System, name the Toxin Mist as Fear Toxin." hemanded.


    He went for the short and simple name. As for the resultant skills he got.. They were simply useful.


    He could use this fear toxin mist or a fog to hunt down people in groups as he jumps right in the center and this hallucinogenic toxin would scare the shit out of his enemies andpletely break down their battle formation.


    And if he put his subordinates in the equation.. Since they were unaffected by this skill, it''d be a one-sided ughter.


    And the Grappling Extension was also simply amazing.. He could use it to reach heights and even swing through long distances when he shot these extensions from his hands.


    This could work as his grappling gun belonging to a certain ck caped guy who had pointy bat ears on his mask.


    Sonar Hearing was, without doubt his best hearing skill. And now being merged under Hunter''s intent.. The skill turned no different than the Detective Mode of the Caped Crusader.


    But there was one more advantage.. He could use these extensions as weapons as well. To be put in simple words.. He could fight a dozen of people at once and when someone was at the farthest distance from him, he could simply use these extensions to kill that enemy, or even pull it closer to Kahn.


    When someone tried to attack him from behind, these extensions with sharp pointy ends could simply kill the enemy. These extensions were more like his extra arms now.


    After being content with the results. Kahn let out a satisfied smile. But he didn''t touch the core of the Pethrall to eat it. Rather, he had some other ns.


    "Ronin!" he called out the Rogue subordinate.


    Kahn had a suitable candidate to merge with this floor boss. Because eventually, his Generals were going to y a vital role for him in the future. Quality was sometimes far important than quantity.


    Ronin was going to lead Kahn''s army of assassins one day if Kahn decided so. And the subordinate had proved itself useful from time to time. So it was about time it got the reward it deserved.


    Kahn used the Synthesis Divine Ability and used 20 A-Rank monster cores to mix the floor boss''s body with over 10 nymphs to create a subordinate that had Evolution skill unlocked. And to bridge the gap between species rank since Ronin was of Rare rank while the floor boss was of Lord rank, he used another 15 A-Rank cores for better results.


    After spending 2 hours.. The Evolution was finally done!


    A ck mist surrounded the newly upgraded Ronin and his face turned simr to the monster boss but his eyes had turnedpletely green. He retained his humanoid appearance but is now 3 meters tall. There were multiple ck whip-like extensionsing from his back.


    Kahn quickly took out two epic rank daggers and gave a set of ck leather light armor, a coat, shoes and essories that fitted the new body perfectly.


    After this evolution, Ronin was now a Lord rank subordinate just like Omega, ckwall & Oliver. But after inheriting the hallucinogenic toxin and fog skill along with the extensions.. He was far more lethal as an Assassin ss fighter. He could now take on dozens of people just by himself very efficiently if he wanted.


    As for what''s next.. Kahn already had decided that he''d test the new skills tonight. Not as himself.. But as Azrael.

 Chapter 64: The Assassin

    <h4>Chapter 64: The Assassin</h4>


    Kahn returned to his bungalow after clearing out the 12th floor. He was inwardly excited to test out his newly gained skills and abilities. And what best would serve as a target practice other than the scum of the society who had their hands bloodied with innocent lives.


    It had been quite some time since the angel of death made his appearance to the public because Kahn had been busy with various thingstely and he also had no need to keep up the act of this warrior of justice any longer.


    After having his dinner at night, Kahn returned to his temporary bedroom and took a small book out of his space ring. It was one of the intel books the snakekin had given him and Kahn had been using these criminals to create a reputation for his other persona while he used it as the cover to eliminate the people mentioned in his contract.


    But since the contract was now nulled, his other identity no longer proved useful. But because of these new abilities he gained today, he required live targets in order to get familiar with them.


    Kahn checked through the list of the names, by now.. Around ny percent of them were crossed from the list. Around 50 names had been crossed from the list and nearly a dozen were left.


    "Well, I''ll at least get to finish one book out of the three." he said and started reading the leftover names and their details mentioned in the book. He nned to clear out this book first before giving his other persona a full-time rest.


    As the midnight moon shone brightly in the sky, Kahn left his ce under the soothing light.


    He was now ustomed to using the best and shortest ways to reach the different parts of the city. He was now wearing a dark grey attire with a hood and high quality chest armor, pauldrons, gauntlets and a metallic belt that covered his entire waist; just to give himself a look of a legendary assassin named Ezio Auditore da Firenze.


    During his travel, he saw multiple ces where the city guards were patrolling the streets in groups.


    [Idiots. They still haven''t learned that they should be protecting all the criminals they left roaming free if they want to catch me.] spoke Kahn to himself as he swiftly passed through various streets.


    Kahn climbed on top of a tall tower using the new extensions as his own grappling gun. Gazing at the city filled withmplights and magical street lights. He stood solemnly as the wind fluttered his robes as the white moon behind him appeared to be erged like a full moon.


    Kahn let out a sophisticated sigh as he looked at the city life that was going about their way in hurdles. He finally spoke in response to the glimmering nightlife.


    "We work in the dark to serve the light.."


    [[Author : You''re all men of culture, you know the rest.]]


    "Nothing is true; everything is permitted." said Kahn and jumped down with his head and upper body facing towards the ground, taking a Leap of Faith.


    Before his body could touch the ground, he disappeared using Shadow Walk and chose one of the streets to mix into and go for his first target.


    In a tavern full of bustling crowd and waiters bringing everyone their ordered foods, many people were drinking and eating to their heart''s content. Amongst one of such groups, a strong and muscr elf gulped down the entire ss in one go.


    Unlike the stories Kahn read on earth, although Elves had a high affinity to magic; they were not averse to using other professions and fighting trades. The majority of the elves he hade to see so far were actually physical ss fighters and had physique as per their fields required them to be. They weren''t some weak and frail humans with pointy ears like depicted in almost all the mangas and novels he read in his previous life.


    "Damanael, your appetite for booze will even give the Dwarves a sense ofpetitiveness. Haha"ughed a demonkin and ordered for more.


    "Only if I could get a nice woman in my arms for the night, it would be worth it." said the elf as he licked his lips.


    At this response, the demonkin''s face turned somber.


    "Don''t cause trouble, you''re still under suspicion by thew enforcement hall. Don''t give them a chance to catch you red-handed. We can''t always pay our way through." said the demonkin.


    "Yeah, yeah. I''ll be careful. I''m off to sleep. See you tomorrow." said Damanael and left the tavern.


    But unbeknownst to him, there was a dark figure watching and hearing his every word from a distance far away.


    The elf walked across streets from streets and wandered around as if looking for something.


    Just then, the muscr elf went behind a dark alley, chasing after a human girl who seemed to be exhausted after a day''s work.


    A few secondster, there was a muffled scream.


    "Ah! Who are you? Let me go!" shouted the girl but her voice was quickly subdued as the elf put his hand on her mouth and since no one was present there, her pleads for help didn''t reach anyone.


    "Don''t make a noise if you still want to live." said the Elf as he put a knife on the girl''s throat.


    "I''m not asking for much.. I only want to have some good time." he said and licked the girl''s neck and grabbed her bosom.


    The girl shuddered in fear and tried to struggle by flexing her arms, trying to push her assaulter. But to no avail, her frail body could not put any resistance to the muscr elf.


    "Don''t worry.. I''ll be gentle." whispered the elf with a lecherous and creepy look in his eyes; he pushed the girl against a wall started pulling her clothes, trying to tear them out.


    Suddenly, a ghostly and grim voice resounded as a dark hooded figure appeared behind the elf who was trying to r**e the girl.


    "Damanael Olstrinvach.. You have failed this city!"

 Chapter 65: The Adjudicator

    <h4>Chapter 65: The Adjudicator</h4>


    The Elven man opened his eyes, a sudden pain hit his senses as he felt a big bump on his head. He couldn''t make sense of what was happening.. And most importantly, he felt like his legs were tied by something and as soon as his vision became clear.. He screamed loudly in fear.


    Because at this moment, he was indeed hanging upside down... On top of a tower.


    "Arhhhhh!!! Let me down!" he shouted in fear, his body iling around in the air.


    "Very poor choice of words." a grim voice came from his back and quickly the rope-like thing that had tied his legs loosened its grip.


    "No!!!" screamed the elven man as his body was thrown down from a nearly 80 meter tall tower, ready to be swatted in the ground. But at the same time, another hooded figure, d in grey robes had jumped down with him and was descending down albeit more organized and in proper form.


    "Save me!" shouted the elven man from the top of his lungs.


    "So dramatic.." said the hooded figure and 4 ck extensions came from behind his back, 2 of them quickly grabbed and rounded up the elf while the other 2 quickly stabbed themselves in the building''s walls.


    The elf who was nearly swatted to the ground found his body suspended in the air again and the figure who bound him was hanging in between these 4 extensions. He raised his hands upwards and they too turned into simr extension, pulling both the bodies upwards.


    When they finally reached the top of the tower again.. The fear-stricken elf finally had a clear view of this ghostly figure.


    "Tensile strength is great, ductility and malleability are also high. I wouldn''t have any problem even when blocking arrows using this." spoke the hooded man as he folded his hands and looked to be thinking about something.


    "The extensions are strong enough.. I can hold his entire body in the air while standing on my two feet without losing any bnce. So useful.." spoke Kahn as he felt satisfied with the newly gained ability.


    "Now let''s test the fear toxin." said Kahn and a spray of white fog came from his hands and reached the elf''s face who was muffling under the grasp of these fleshy extensions.


    Just a dozen secondster, he saw Azrael''s face again. But this time.. The face appeared inhuman with nothing but a ck skull with brightly burning red eyes as if they were on fire.. The entire body of the hooded man in front of him felt like it was turning bigger and grimmer as the seconds passed by and all the elf saw was a dark demonic figure looking down on him as if looking at an insignificant being.


    "You.. Who are you?" asked the elf who was tied up by these extensions, his face full of horrors.


    "4 knows cases of sexual assault on females including demonkin, elves, humans and beastkins.. And who knows many more off-record victims. I wonder how you''re not inside the prison yet.." spoke the hooded figure.


    "Let me go! I don''t want to die! I''ll do anything you want!" pleaded the muscr elf.


    "Alcina Cikom.. The name rings any bells?" asked the hooded figure..


    "You.. How do you know that?" asked the elf with an ashen expression on his face.


    "You r*ped that 13 year old girl and when she refused to keep quiet about it.. You killed her and threw her body in the gutter. Well, that''s only one of your victims that I''vee to know. I''m sure there are many innocent women you''ve killed and destroyed the lives of." said the hooded figure in a judgmental tone.


    "Don''t tell me.. You''re Azrael?" asked the elf in a ghastly tone.


    "Yes. Now tell me.. How do you wish to die?" spoke the hooded man.. Azrael.


    "I''m giving you three options. One, get your limbs torn in pieces.. Two, getting skinned alive and three, I put holes in your body one by one till you die from excessive bleeding. I''m in a good mood today, so I''ll let you choose." said Kahn in his Batman.. In his Azrael voice.


    "No! Let me go! I''ll pay you with all the money I have. I promise I won''t do it again!" shouted the elf in a fearful tone.


    "Third it is.." said Kahn


    Stab!


    The elf''s shoulder was stabbed by the spear-like ends of the fleshly extension that wereing out of Kahn''s back.


    "Arhhhhhhhhg!!!" wailed the man in pain as blood started pouring down from the wound.


    "You like using that thing to show your supremacy on innocent women & young girls, don''t you?" asked Azrael as a small pike came out from his palm and he quickly stabbed the man in the crotch!


    "Mrahaaaa!!" cried the elf in pain as he lost his ability to reproduce in this life. But Kahn didn''t just stop there. One by one, he stabbed the elven male in his arms, his thighs, then his abdomen using the tendril like extensions. He twisted them inside the elf''s body to give him even more horrendous experience as if the decree of the heavens was punishing the elf for all his sins.


    Multiple wounds inside the elf''s body bled buckets of blood and the elf lost his consciousness after suffering through the immeasurable pain.


    "Ugh.. So disappointing. How am I going to test these abilities if these bastards keep passing out so soon." spoke Kahn in a dejected tone.


    "Well, it''s a good thing that this city has nock of lowlives." dered Kahn and tore the elf''s body from limbs and hung it on top of the tower.


    "Well, this is myst night as Azrael so let''s clean up this city as much as I can." spoke Kahn as he jumped from the top of the tower and disappeared in the darkness of the night.


    Tonight, there was going to be another massacre in the city that would make the name of Azrael put fear in the hearts of all the criminals.


    Tonight.. He would gain a new title.


    Azrael.. The Adjudicator.

 Chapter 66: The Missing Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 66: The Missing Enemy</h4>


    Once again, the vot city awoke in the morning filled with terrified screams as multiple streets were now crowded with masses throughout the entire perimeter. All the 4 gates of the city that had thousands of people exit and enter through were now in shambles because suddenly, the influx in people that were leaving the city for good had risen.


    And the reason being none other than Azrael.. The Adjudicator.


    Becausest night, he had disyed such ruthlessness that even the most experienced fighters who had been through many wars would find it scary and no different than an actual battlefield.


    Unlike what Azrael had done before, where he only put a pike through the bodies of the criminals and pin them on a wall.. This time, the disy of cruelty had put fear in even those who supported his actions and called him a hero.


    Because the criminals that were now pinned on the street walls were no longer hung there in a single piece.. Rather their body parts were spread out throughout the city while blood leaked out of them and the reeking atmosphere left many onlookers shuddering in fear.


    If one street had the head of one of Azrael''s victims, the other street walls would have his legs or arms, another will have his fingers while thest one would host the sttered and torn up intestines. The mangled body parts covered in blood were spread throughout the city and not a single popted zone was left an exception to it.


    This was by far, Azrael''s biggest deration of war on the criminals and corrupted that lived in the city.


    All of these streets had blood-painted walls with words written in blood that were the main cause why anyone who evermitted a heinous crime would feel like looking the death in its eyes.


    I SEE ALL. I OBSERVE ALL. AND I KNOW ALL YOUR CRIMES.


    NO EVIL SHALL GO UNPUNISHED BECAUSE I, AZRAEL; THE ADJUDICATOR IS ALWAYS WATCHING.


    He was no longer a hero of justice or someone who fought for the little guy. No, he was basically dering himself to be thew itself.


    The reason why he went to such extreme measures was because he knew that people would easily forget no matter how many criminals he killed and punished for their crimes. And eventually, the majority of the popce who only heard the name of Azrael only in gossips and rumors woulde to even deny his existence.


    Sooner orter, he was going to leave this ce and his name and deeds would fade in history.. People would stillmit crimes in the dark alleys, innocents would be thrashed and trampled upon by the rich and powerful and all the efforts he put in creating his persona of Azrael would have no meaning left to it.


    If he wanted to leave a mark in the history of this city.. He had to not only kill these criminals, but also make the masses fear him. Otherwise, the same cycle would repeat and that would make no difference.


    For Kahn, it was no longer about using these killings as a means to kill the people in his contract, but rather about the legacy he would leave.


    Because a fearful man followed rules far better than one with freedom. Even though no one served any religion or any God in Rakos Empire.. Azrael had put the fear of god in all the citizens of this city.


    *yawn*


    Kahn, the main culprit of this chaos woke up merrily in the noon after yesterday''s hectic work and simply enjoyed the view outside of his house.


    He was now done ying the role of a warrior of justice and the Judge, Jury and Executioner. His short career was now over because he had to focus his time and energy on various things. He wasn''t going to becent and enjoy whatever little reputation and strength he had in his hands.


    Comcency breeds pestilence that stops your growth and will eventually cause your downfall.


    He took a bath and had Jerome bring his lunch.


    "Sir, these are your letters for today. I think you should respond to at least a few of them. Some evene from noble ns who wish to have you join their ranks." said Jerome as he unloaded a whole bag of letters on the table.


    These were all the letters and invitations Kahn was receiving ever since his poprity rose with the incidents with the minotaur bodies andter it reached its peak with him beating the noble heirs at the banquet.


    Kahn, who barely had any time to spare these days didn''t want to waste it on entertaining these self-proimed high ss people and their useless notions. He had no need or the will the join hands with any of the forces. If it was some one-time deal, he would do it but making anymitment and joining any factions wasn''t something he wanted to get entangled in. He had no interest in ying a futile politics game in this small ce that was on the edge of the empire.


    "Tell them I''m unavable for few days and won''t be able to reply." replied Kahn as he enjoyed his fulfilling meal.


    It was about time he hunted the next floor boss.


    Kahn visited the Bromnir dungeon again.. Simply because it was the closest one to the city and apparently, had the highest number of dungeon floors. Just that the people who came here were too many so there were not many monsters to hunt on upper floors. Only if you could fight and survive on the lower floors, then it''d be worth it.


    Kahn reached the 13th floor this time and entered through the gates. His senses were all on alert as he searched for the enemies on this floor but couldn''t find any living thing other than the trees and nts on this dense and rocky valley.


    Even his hunter''s intent hadn''t picked up any heat signature or a trail of any living soul.


    Kahn couldn''t help but think in puzzlement..


    "Has this floor been abandoned?"

 Chapter 67: The Shapeshifter

    <h4>Chapter 67: The Shapeshifter</h4>


    Kahn wandered around the entire 13th floor of this dungeon but still failed to find any enemies or the floor boss despite spending a few hours with all his abilities activated.


    "Where the hell is it?!" shouted Kahn in an annoyed tone because no way that the floor boss could leave the floor. If it did, there would be a mayhem outside of the dungeon and maybe the city would be at war because the higher the floors, the stronger the bosses were.


    He looked around the trees and rocky valleys from time to time but still couldn''t find anything that would look like a monster or any being that would appear to be an inhabitant of this floor.


    "I guess that leaves me no choice. Everyone, out!"manded Kahn all of his subordinates jumped out from his shadow one by one.


    "Legion, go look for enemies. Generals, attack anything you find suspicious and Omega.. Smash!" said Kahn as he pointed his forefinger at Omega.


    Omega let out a smirk and ran in the opposite direction.


    What ensued very soon was multiple ces on this dungeon floor getting blown up, caved in, giants peaks and boulders getting shattered while the dense treelines put on fires while the smoke from the burnt wood spread on this floor which nearly had a perimeter of 10 kilometers.


    Kahn was literally smoking the floor boss out of its hiding.


    After he too joined the shindig, the property damage raised significantly because he had the highest mana and attack range whether it was sword or magic spells.


    After half an hour, suddenly Omega engaged in a battle and Kahn was quickly notified via Hive Mind skill.


    He finally saw the floor boss through the shared vision as he and the rest of the subordinates were running towards the ongoing battle.


    Kahn was stupefied after looking at the boss. Omega who was fighting it was having a hard time to evennd a proper blow at it whether it was melee and ranged attacks.


    And the main reason being that the floor boss had no proper body form. Sometimes it turned into the shape of a boulder and the next second it turned into limb-like structures that avoided the attacks extremely well. It was like a jelly that was changing its size and shapes without any problems.


    As Kahn reached the midway to the battleground.. He faltered in his footsteps after he saw something that made him drop his jaw on the ground.


    The floor boss had turned into... Omega.


    Kahn couldn''t believe his eyes as he saw a ck Lycan who looked identical to Omega in every aspect. Whether it was the height, the fur or the ws. There wasn''t a difference in any way.


    If Kahn didn''t have the mind connection with hismander.. He too would''ve failed to differentiate between the real Omega and the fake one.


    Omega was enraged to the core after he saw the floor boss imitating him in every way. It had a smug grin on its expression as it evaded his attacks from time to time and made mocking gestures.


    [It has high sentience and it knows how to goad an enemy into exhausting themselves by provoking them.] Kahn thought and ordered all of his subordinates to stop their charge towards the battleground. The floor boss clearly didn''t know how many enemies were surrounding it.


    [Keep it busy.] he ordered Omega as a viable n hatched in his mind.


    After watching the floor boss via Omega, Kahn quickly understood why he failed to find the floor boss till now despite spending hours wandering around the floor like an idiot.


    Because this floor boss could Shapeshift into objects and even living beings. And to make it even more deadly, it could alsopletely mask its presence so well that even his Survival Instinct and Hunter''s Intent that were already twice more effective than before ever since he broke into the Grandmaster rank couldn''t find it.


    No wonder it hadpletely mixed into the environment without leaving a trace. And if not for Kahn getting pissed off and ordering his subordinates to destroy the ces on this floor, he would''ve never found it in the first ce.


    If this was Kahn before he faced the floor boss from the 12th floor and absorbed its abilities; he wasn''t confident that he would even be able to fight this floor boss.


    The opponent was indeed very smart and tactful from what Kahn saw.


    He ordered his Legion and Six Generals to surround the battlefield from corners withouting in sight. He exclusively ordered Oliver to take the high ground and be ready to attack if the shapeshifting floor boss decided to take the form of something that could fly in order to run away from the battle.


    At this moment however, Omega was being pushed back by the monster with the same physical attacks as the former and mimicking his attack pattern. A true nightmare for those who hunted alone and in groups. Because no matter what, this floor boss could take the shape of a random object and you wouldn''t even notice. If in groups, it could take the appearance of your allies and then kill you when you weren''t looking.


    Kahn trembled in amazement after he noticed how horrifyingly strong this floor boss was. It was one thing if you could copy someone''s appearance.. But it was another thing if you could fight the opponent using the same attacks and fighting style as them.


    [The 12th-floor boss only looked terrifying.. But this guy is the actual bastard you should be afraid of.] spoke Kahn to himself as he finally prepared a n to take down this floor boss.


    Since its biggest advantage in a fight was to shapeshift into the enemy and copy their fighting style in time.. Kahn was certain that the monster was a highly intelligent being to adapt so quickly in a battle.


    But what if the boss lost its ability to think properly and had too many enemies that it couldn''t even copy enough of them?


    Because soon, the floor boss was going live inside a nightmare.


    And that nightmare would be none other Kahn.

 Chapter 68: Living a Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 68: Living a Nightmare</h4>


    Omega faced off against the floor boss by himself as Kahn entered in stealth. Thankfully, the fight was happening in an area with long and broad trees so there was nock of shadows for him to hide inside using shadow walk.


    Even though Omega was currently being defensive and was pushed back by the floor boss who had taken the same form as him, he still adhered to Kahn''s instructions and kept the boss engaged.


    Kahn on the other hand started shifting from one ce to another and took a cover behind tree trunks and released the fear toxin from his hands. But he didn''t stop at just one ce, he didn''t want to give the floor boss any escape route so he filled various ces with his toxin mist and covered the entire area out of the battlefield in a circle.


    And in this encircled area, he ced his lower tier subordinates as the six generals hid in the inner areas not far from the ongoing battle.


    Afterpletely filling this middle area with the fog, Kahn finally decided that it was about time the floor boss understood what true fear looked like.


    Using the shadow walk, he appeared behind the boss and released his fear toxin at full capacity as if a cloud had descended straight from the sky on this battleground.


    Only then did the floor boss finally noticed that something was amiss and looked around its surrounding. Only to find a visible white fog and somehow feeling its senses bing dull.


    When it looked back on its opponent, it was surprised to see how its enemy hadpletely disappeared from the sight without even making a sound. It quickly changed its form and transformed into a blue andrge winged creature that resembled a lot to the Pterosaurs (the flying bird-like dinosaurs), but with feathers and a long tail.


    The floor boss was now 5 meters in height and quickly spanned its wings to take off and look at the surrounding.


    Shoot!


    Just as the newly transformed boss took off and flew 15 meters above the ground, a metal-like pike pierced its right wing and soon another one was shot at the boss.


    KRAAAA!!


    The boss fell on the ground and screeched in agony as the wings started to bleed. It quickly changed its form into a 4 legged creature with scaly skin on its body. Its head resembling imps and legs simr to wed wolves.


    Just then, another burst of the white smog came to its face and the boss inhaled a big breath of this fog.


    Swoosh!


    The floor boss heard a voice and quickly turned its back, looking for the source of the noise. Then suddenly, a ck figure passed behind its back and disappeared before the boss could even turn around.


    It transformed into a horned snake and slithered across the trees after getting a sense of fear from the surrounding noises.


    Just then, it saw a group of giant monsters walking towards it.. Each figure was as tall as a 20-meter house.. Their eyes burning red and the biggest of them was a 40 meter tall humanoid monster with a giant shield and axe in its hand.


    THUD! THUD! THUD!


    The floor boss whose senses were weakening as time passed shuddered in fear for the first time in its life. It quickly ran away from the giant monsters and took the left side.. Only to find an army of spider-like creatures swarming in the group of hundreds.. Their eyes prying at the boss as if they wanted to dissect it alive.


    When it slithered in the other direction, it saw a giant hooded figure with a ck staff in its hand.. And a ginormous fireball that looked like a miniature sun was hovering around this hooded figure. The floor boss felt like it was nothing but a tiny being and ran for its life!


    It transformed into a bird-like creature again but before it could even take off, its wings were shot and pinned to the ground from a long and 8 legged figure with its bright yellow eyes staring back at it. The sight terrified the boss and it transformed into a 2 legged ape-like creature who jumped extremely fast among the trees.


    Only to face its previous enemy.. Omega!


    But unlike the previous encounter, Omega was now 50 meters tall, various parts on his body appeared to be covered in fiery patterns and the eyes felt like they were would burn anything to the ground. His ws now looked far longer and sharper that could cut down the boss in a single swing.


    The boss waspletely horrified and lost the bnce of its body on the spot. The fog had almost blurred its sight and its body was feeling numb from the fear alone.


    KYARGH!


    ROAR!


    SCREECH!


    Multiple blood-curling noises resounded in this tree line as the enemies had surrounded the floor boss from all the sides.


    The boss screeched and roared in a deafening voice as if trying to warn the enemies.. But to no avail, the hundreds of gigantic figures kept walking towards it.


    After being scared witless, the floor boss finally took its real form for the first time.


    A dark grey scaled 4 legged creature with a mouth made of a tortoise beak with teeth as sharp as a crocodile. The back was hunched but covered in stone-like skin. The entire figure was around 5 meters tall.. Much smaller than any of the forms it had taken before..


    Now covering in fear, it had left down all its defenses, hoping that the nightmare in front of it would stop.


    Before its eyes, another ck figure emerged from the shadows. And the density of this fog increased twice than before. The floor boss could no longer think anything rationally and wailed in fear.


    The new figure seemed to be humanoid and walked towards the creature that was lying on the ground, trembling in fear. The size of the figure rose by dozens of meters with every step it took. In his hands, was a gigantic sword that could cut a tall peak in half with a single swing.


    As this new figure stopped right in front of the boss, the monster let out a whimper, begging to be spared in its own way. But the gigantic figure didn''t show any hint of mercy on his face and pierced his sword right through the floor boss''s head.


    In its final moments.. The floor boss finally saw the truth behind its death. Because there were no gigantic creatures.. There was no army of hundreds and thousands surrounding it. Rather, it was only a dozen of small-time monsters that it could easily kill by itself. But the most shocking sight was the true form of the one that had killed it. It was the shortest, most threatless looking human.


    The floor boss finally closed its eyes in disbelief as the horrifying nightmare finally ended.

 Chapter 69: Seeking Copper but finding Gold

    <h4>Chapter 69: Seeking Copper but finding Gold</h4>


    Kahn put his hands on the dead body of the floor boss. He felt like patting himself on the shoulders for how tactfully he took out this floor boss.


    If not for his extremely well thought nning such as closing all escape routes, removing the option to fly and then simply scaring down the boss to a state where even he appeared as an immense threat to the monster and simply stood rooted to the spot as Kahn ended its life.


    It was no different than the highly intelligent and experienced boss allowing itself to be killed. Kahn thanked the previous floor boss in his head again for giving such a useful skill. Because even with all of his strength, his small army and even his Lord-rank subordinates; he really wouldn''t have been able to kill the boss so efficiently.


    The fear toxin was by far one of his most effective skills just like the Somir scales, poison acid & extensions.. Truly worth investing in. If he could find monsters and skills that could improve its potency and effectiveness, it''d be worth going through the trouble.


    He was done absorbing the skills and bloodline of this floor boss in 40 minutes. Unlike many of the monsters he had absorbed the bloodlines of, this time the whole body and blood waspletely absorbed by Kahn. Leaving nothing but an empty husk of bones under the skin.


    DING!


    [Congrattions to the host for finding an S Rank Metamorphosis bloodline!


    Current bloodline purity : 68%


    The host must eat & absorb the core of the Uthraqiris toplete this bloodline. ] a sudden notification sounded in his head informing him about the monster boss.


    "What? A Metamorphosis bloodline?" Kahn was gobsmacked after the notification. Because never in his wildest dream did he think of finding the almost rare and unique metamorphosis bloodline inside this dungeon.


    From his knowledge, only dopplers who were a rare type of demihumans had this type of bloodline from the books about different inhabitants and species of this empire he read in his free time.


    But even those had a very low purity in bloodline and at best, they could take the form of another humanoid species after going through the arduous trouble of shedding their skin and having their bones cracked to match the shape of their targets.


    If Kahn wanted that bloodline, he''d have to kill at least 200 dopplers that were already hard to find. But even then, he''d get a B rank bloodline at best.. Not the S Rank bloodline that this floor boss had just gifted him.


    Kahn bowed in respect to the deceased Uthraquiris.


    "Thank you for your sacrifice." he said and pulled out the blue core from the now dried-out heart.


    "So it was a Lord rank boss as well." spoke Kahn as monsters who were of Lord rank andparable to Grandmaster humanoid species fighters had blue cores unlike thetter who had golden cores.


    Kahn gulped down the big lemon-sized core and sat on the ground in his usual Lotus Buddha position whenever he absorbed high-grade monster cores. He always found his mind calm and able toprehend the surge in strength in that position.


    DING!


    [Bloodline Absorptionplete.


    Current bloodline purity : 100%


    The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Metamorphosis :


    Allows the host to transform into beings and creatures the host has aplete bloodline of without any dy or harm done to the original body.


    However, the host must learn to function and move in these different forms by himself.


    Bloodline Merge :


    Allows the host to mix different physical and magical traits of different bloodlines the host is already in possession of.


    The host must possess a significant portion of bloodlines and physical skills for them to merge together.


    Note : Since the different physical & magical traits of the different bloodlines will put a huge strain on the host''s body after using them to merge; the activation span of this skill is short.


    Current time limit : 15 minutes.


    The host is advised to absorb even higher rank Metamorphosis bloodlines to ovee these restrictions.] replied the system in its usual robotic voice.


    Kahn was ted after hearing this message. Because this was no different than giving himself the biggest advantage he had whether it came to fighting, if he had to hide himself, doing a reckon or even infiltrate inside a ce.


    As long as he had met the conditions of 100% Bloodline purity, he could transform himself into any creature he wanted. This ability clearly had opened many doors for him. Because if he were to travel into a ce inhabited by a particr race or species, he would have no problem mixing in with them let it be Elves, Dwarves and maybe even Seafolks.


    This was far better than any Shapeshifting ability where you''d be restricted by many things such as the types of shapes your body allowed you to take or have physical traits that would restrict the kind of species you could imitate.


    And the biggest advantage was that if he obtained the full bloodline of some type of rare monster or even a Dragon for example; he would be able to transform himself into them. Although he would need a higher bloodline like a Mythical rank metamorphosis bloodline for it to be sessful.. This was still a gate that opened hundreds of possibilities for him.


    And the Bloodline Merge was also another handy and useful ability even though it had a short time of 15 minutes only. He could select the best traits of the bloodlines he had and take a form that would be an amalgamation of these OP physical and magical traits and skills.


    To put the cherry on top, Kahn also noticed that his level went by 5 levels and now he was level 70. This was indeed an immensely fortunate harvest.


    "Muhaha.. Hahaha hahaha!!" Kahn did his usual Jokerugh as he stared at the sky with nothing but joy and happiness in his eyes.


    [Has master gone senile again?] asked Ronin to his fellow subordinates.


    [What do you mean?] questioned Omega.


    [I''m usually on the lookout when master is doing something important. So whenever he gets something useful or precious.. He alwaysughs like this.] replied Ronin.


    Unbeknownst to Kahn, all the subordinates that had reached the Lord rank after the Evolution had formed their own consciousness and will. Although they were still programmed to follow Kahn''s every order, they could think by themselves and even converse with each other with the same Hive Mind skill that he used to talk with them.


    "So the sayings are true. When you search for the copper, you might as well find Gold." said Kahn and decided to leave the dungeon after today''s extremely rewarding Hunt.


    Now he was going to spend some time practicing and experimenting with this Metamorphosis ability for some time. This was definitely one of his biggest hauls ever.


    Little did Kahn knew that one day.. this ability would change his life.

 Chapter 70: The Unexpected Incident

    <h4>Chapter 70: The Unexpected Incident</h4>


    The next morning after Kahn awoke from his sleep, he started his weapons training again. Recently, he didn''t have enough time to practice but it clearly hadn''t skipped his mind.


    No matter how the blessings from the War Deity helped him raise his mastery and perfect his techniques easily, he''d still get rusty if he didn''t practice with them in routines. Only a fool would getcent with their cheat codes and forget to even train the basics of the fighting skills.


    He wasn''t inside some fictional story where once you learn a skill, you don''t have to work hard to perfect it or take it to a new level for your entire life. His only advantage was that the blessings allowed him to quicklyprehend the various battle techniques and skills far faster than anyone else. But that didn''t mean that he''d always stay proficient in them without performing them for a long time. Because even Grandmaster rank fighters still trained themselves with their weapons in order to reach new heights and break into a higher rank. That was exactly what made them so different & exceptional from millions of people.


    After his morning training session ended, he followed his usual routine of breakfast, ignoring the letters from rich businessmen and nobles alike, then spending his time reading a few informative books rted to the demographics and geography of the world he was now living in.


    He wasn''t going to be an ignorant idiot like some childish protagonist of a book who randomly traveled to ces without even gathering enough information about that ce such as its natives, the culture they follow and what''s the most important thing to know about that region.


    And because he didn''t have a know it all guide or apanion with him, he had to learn these things by himself so he wouldn''t wander off in a wrong ce or lose the track of where he was.


    During the noon when he was finally alone, he started practicing the new Metamorphosis ability. He took off all of his clothes and started to change his form from one species to another. In the beginning, he stumbled in his footsteps as he wasn''t used to walking on hind legs of a kobold or a minotaur and nor did he have any experience in walking on 3 legs like a nymph.


    After spending hours practicing from one form to another and getting used to them.. Kahn finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    And then he shifted to bloodline merge skill. Initially, Kahn only thought that he couldn''t use skills that were bloodline exclusive but to his surprise; the abilities he already had learned without a 100% pure bloodline were also avable. To summarize, Metamorphosis allowed him to change only in the creatures he had absorbed the 100% pure bloodline of while Bloodline Merge allowed him to mix in skills and physical traits he already had acquired even if he didn''t have the hundred percent purity in those respective species and bloodlines.


    In the first few tries, he could only merge two to three bloodline skills at best and his highest activation time was 4 minutes. This skill indeed needed a lot of practice and experiments done with it. Otherwise, it''d be nothing but a forgotten book on the shelf.


    ____________________


    Somewhere at this same moment, a fight urred inside a huge merchant shop.


    "Give them back! These are ours, you thieves! Or no one is leaving this building alive!" shouted a man.


    A group of 20 adventurers were causing amotion inside a well-established shop that sold weapons, equipments and even some rare materials harvested from the monsters.


    These adventurers had broken few tables and ssed shelves that held the different products.


    A group of men walked from inside of the building to confront these hooligans that were doing the property damage. But even they felt a sense of fear because the guards that were protecting them were few in numberspared to these people.


    "What''s the meaning of this?!" asked an elderly old man who had a long and white beard.


    The elderly was very familiar to Kahn.. It was none other than the old merchant association president, Nik. And the huge and well-established settlement was none other than the same?ck Griffin merchant shop where Kahn had previously bought all his gear and equipment from.


    "President! These people im that the goods we''re selling actually belong to them and want them back. They''re even threatening to burn down our shop if we don''tply!" shouted the demonkin manager.. The one who previously escorted Kahn during his shopping after Kahn handed down a letter written by nev.


    While all thismotion happened, Kahn was busy experimenting with his new skills and he finally stopped after the sunset was on the way.


    He thought about taking a small stroll across the city and visit his favorite restaurant where they sold that aromatic herbal tea. He kind of missed that exquisite and soul-soothing tea.


    But when he left his bungalow and walked nearly half a mile, he heard amotioning from the nearby street. Kahn, whose senses and eyesight was far keener than any other normal human being because of his Hunter''s Intent.. He quickly found the cause of this noise and moved towards the direction.


    But as soon as he gazed at the center of themotion.. He faltered in his steps and stood rooted on the spot.


    Just a half-mile away from him.. There was a big oak-like tree on the side of the street.. And on that tree, a body was hanged.


    Kahn quickly ran towards the location with all his might and at his full speed!


    "Get out of the way!!!" roared Kahn towards the people that were encircling this tree, standing as bystanders. As soon as his loud roar reached their ears, some people started making a way for him.. It wasn''t a request but more like an order.


    Kahn jumped and leaped across the crowd for nearly 10 meters andnded right beneath the tree.. He looked at the slim and lifeless body that was hung from the tree branches.


    "No... This can''t be happening.." said Kahn was a ghastly and ashen face. He quickly took out a dagger from his space ring and cut down the rope.. Slowly taking down the body.


    Kahn held the slim body in his arms and gazed at the fear-stricken and pale face of the corpse.


    It was someone Kahn knew very well ever since he came out of the forest.


    The body he held in his arms belonged to a young woman with long red hair.. She appeared no older than himself.


    The deceased young woman was none other than.. Jessica.

 Chapter 71: An Undeserved Death

    <h4>Chapter 71: An Undeserved Death</h4>


    Kahn couldn''t believe what was happening in front of him as he held Jessica''s cold body in his arms. He vividly remembered how this archer girl from the Diamond adventurer group was one of the people he saved in the forest from those bandits. And also how he saved her again from those Kobolds.


    He himself had taken her to the clinic and looked after this woman for a time being. So he had a sense of familiarity with her.


    He had a good impression of Jessica because even when she was surrounded by enemies, instead of cowering in fear or giving in to fate, she always fought fiercely with all of her strength till thest moment.


    He noticed that the once extremely beautiful and charming face of this girl was now all bruised up.


    Her fingernails were pulled out and there were multiple cuts on her wrists. The lively face of this redhead was now pale white as if she had lost a lot of blood..


    Jessica was.. tortured to death.


    Kahn picked her body in his arms and started walking towards his house.


    "Hey you, stop!" just then a couple of city guards walked towards the scene and saw Kahn taking the dead body with him. However, Kahn wasn''t in the mood to do any exining or reasoning with the guards or the onlookers.


    He activated War Dominance and walked with a lifeless expression on his face. The extremely heavy and dense pressure from his aura put all the onlookers and the guards on the ground.. Majority of them falling unconscious in seconds.


    "Stop you bastard!" shouted the guard.


    "Wait! Don''t you know who that is?" asked the other guards as they were both kneeling on the ground under that suppressing pressure.


    "Who?"


    "That''s Kahn, the one who killed the minotaurs by himself and is rumored to be a Grandmaster Swordsman." said the other guard.


    "But.." before the first guard could continue, the second one stopped him.


    "We will report this to higher-ups. He''s not someone we can provoke." said the other guard.


    Kahn returned to his bungalow and ced Jessica on the sofa in a sleeping position.


    He activated his Hunter''s Intent and started checking her body for any clues he could find.


    With this skill, Kahn''s senses were at their peak and he noticed multiple whip marks, some marks made by being hit with a bludgeoning weapon and stab wounds on her thighs and calves.


    [Whoever did it, took their time and wanted to interrogate her.] concluded Kahn after checking the body.


    He started checking her pockets and her small pouch that was attached to her belt. Yet he found nothing.


    Just as he was about to stop, his senses picked up a round metal object. He pulled it out from the back of her belt where it was deliberately hidden.


    "Jerome! Bring me something to cover her up. And prepare for a funeral." he shouted and ordered Jerome, his housekeeper.


    "Yes, sir. I''ll contact the morgue." said Jerome after he brought white sheets and left the house. He too was baffled after Kahn suddenly brought up a dead body in the house but he knew it wasn''t his ce to meddle in or ask questions given the furious look his employer had on the face.


    Kahn gently picked up her head and ced a soft kiss on her forehead.


    "I''m sorry.. You got mixed into all of this because of me." spoke Kahn as small tear droplets came from his eyes.


    Because the round metal object he found was something familiar to him. It was an emblem which he had seen previously during his dungeon hunts.


    The Scarlet Lion Adventurer Guild.


    Kahn now had hints for the cause of Jessica''s death. It was caused by the people of this guild and as for the reason.. He already understood what it was as he gazed at the space ring in his hands.


    They wanted the ring.. The one which Kahn had picked up after their team was wiped out by the silver kobold andternded in his hands.


    The materials and weapons inside the ring indeed cost a fortune and Kahn had greatly benefitted from selling just half of these to Nik.


    What these people wanted was the ring and everything in it. And as for why they tortured Jessica.. Because they must have found out that she was the sole survivor of that massacre.


    But he had no idea how did her body end up right exactly in front of the neighbhood main street where he lived.


    Kahn could only conclude this much based on what he found logical and made sense. He would find the whole truth sooner orter.


    "It''s all because of me! I''m the one responsible for her death!" shouted Kahn in regret as he clearly understood that it was because of him that an innocent person like Jessica died as coteral damage. He grabbed the nearby chair in a fit of rage and threw it on the wall.


    His wrathful gazended on the metal emblem as he clutched it in his hand and broke it in half.


    The guilt welled up in his heart as he made a resolute vow to himself at this moment.


    "They''re going to pay.. They''re all going to pay. Every single one of them!!" dered Kahn as his eyes filled with rage and his violent aura burst out of his body.


    He covered her body under the white sheets and started wearing his gear for hunting.


    There was no more need to hide this anymore. Their biggest mistake was they messed with him after he had achieved his current strength.


    So anyone who was involved in Jessica''s murder was going to experience the living hell.


    Kahn suited up in his usual attire and left to find the main headquarters of the Scarlet Lion guild.


    Kahn had decided that whoever it was.. He would inflict pain 10 times more than what Jessica had endured before she died miserably, scared and alone.


    After spending half an hour to find the location, Kahn kicked the main gates and entered inside.


    He stared at the people in the main hall and shouted loudly.


    "Come out you fucking bastards! I''m here!!"

 Chapter 72: When Hunter becomes the Prey

    <h4>Chapter 72: When Hunter bes the Prey</h4>


    As soon as Kahn entered and shouted, rming all the people inside the main hall.. He released War Dominance at its full capacity.


    "Arh.." wailed dozens of people as they fell on the ground one by one. Only a few managed to stay awake while the rest fainted on the spot.


    "Who dares?!" an enraged bellow sounded in the hall and dozens of people came running from inside the building. They already had brandished their weapons.


    "Where''s your Guildmaster?" asked Kahn in a furious tone.


    "Who the fuck do you think you are?! Do you think anyone can juste here and order to meet our Guildmaster?" spoke a middle-aged Wolfkin warrior.


    "I don''t want to kill anyone who''s innocent but I don''t have any time or patience. So tell me where is he or none of you will walk out of here alive!" said Kahn and walked in front of this new group. His aura of dominance and chaos increasing with each step.


    Now that Kahn''s level had risen, so did the strength of his aura.


    The new group shuddered in fear as they lost control over their bodies and gave into this insurmountable pressure. Only 2 of these new group barely managed to hold their ground.


    "Fuck you! You think you can.." just before the man could even finish, a dark sh passed by him.


    Thud!


    A head dropped on the ground and blood sprayed from the body of the man.


    "Aaah!" screamed a woman from the group who was kneeling on the ground.


    "I said I don''t have any time for patience. Do you really want to test me?" asked Kahn in his tyrannical voice.


    "You! You won''t get.."


    Stab!


    A longsword was stabbed right through the throat of this Wolfkin as blood gushed out from his neck and the warrior dropped on the ground as Kahn pulled out his sword.


    "Do you fucktards don''t understand what I''m saying?! Or should I start killing every single one of you one by one?!" raged Kahn.


    He was already giving them a lot of leeway by not straight up killing everyone he saw in the hall. He wanted the main party responsible for this but it didn''t mean he would shy away from killing those who didn''t cooperate.


    This was the enemy side but he was still giving them a fair chance than outright ughtering people who didn''t even know anything about Jessica''s murder.


    "Cintra dungeon! The Guildmaster and all of our top fighters have gone to raid the Cintra dungeon!" shouted the fear-stricken woman as she saw two dead bodies of herrades who were killed just under 5 seconds while none of them even saw when Kahn swung or stabbed his longsword.


    [[Author : It''s not a Chinese longsword rather a Medieval one like Dante''s sword, Rebellion for example.]]


    Kahn didn''t speak anything in reply and simply dashed out of the building. He already knew about the location of this dungeon from the maps he read.


    Cintra dungeon was 15 Kilometers away from the north of the city and mainly had arge group of monsters that hunted in hordes like Ogres and Orcs. So it was visited and raided only by big adventurer teams and elite groups of high-rank fighters.


    Kahn ran across the streets like a swift wind passing by without the care of onlookers. He was even faster than a stallion and far too agile like a wolf. Not even 10 minutes passed by from the moment he exited the city gates and already reached the entrance of this dungeon.


    "Hey you, do you know on which floor the Scarlet Lion guild is hunting?" asked Kahn to an elven assassin girl who just exited out of the dungeon with her teammates.


    "Those bastards? They''re on the 10th floor. They attacked and kicked out many groups from that floor saying it''s their hunting ground.. Acting as if they own this dungeon!" replied a demonkin girl behind the elven girl in discontent.


    "From now on, they won''t do that anymore." said Kahn as he entered inside the dungeon.


    "Wait! Show me your pass!" asked the security guard at the gate.


    But Kahn didn''t bother with it since he didn''t have a pass for this dungeon. Every single dungeon in this region had separate passes for them to keep the track of people entering inside.


    Kahn simply released his aura, making all the guards rooted on the spot and entered inside the dungeon.


    From there, he quickly dashed from the stairs and his figure descended from floor to floor until he finally reached the 10th floor.


    This floor was a forest area with plenty of open ground.


    Suddenly, Ronin and Oliver jumped out of his shadow and dashed in Kahn''s left and right side as he dashed straight. He wasn''t going to waste his time searching for them by himself. So to save time, he sent the Rogue & the Ranger subordinates for reconnaissance.


    Just 5 minutester, Oliver found the group of more than a hundred adventurers fighting a horde of tall and broad orcs (the pigs one, not the green ones).


    Yet the strength in numbers didn''t make Kahn feel worried or gave a sense of danger in any way as he changed his directions and ran towards the location where the battle was ongoing.


    This group was already on the verge of finishing their opponents because of the sheer numbers and many fighters having proper coordination in their battle strategy.


    This was indeed a well-organized group of veteran fighters, capable of taking on even the strong bosses.


    Yet Kahn felt no threat from these hundred or so fighters. It wasn''t because he was overconfident.. But because he was angry. He wanted to give them pain far worse than what Jessica had to go through.


    Kahn handed over dozens of newly devised bombs to both Ronin and Oliver, the ones he created using his fear toxin ability in form of condensed gas.


    Soon, this group was going to realize how it felt like going from being the Hunter..


    To bing the Prey.

 Chapter 73: All out Massacre

    <h4>Chapter 73: All out Massacre</h4>


    Kahn didn''t waste any more time on nning. He already had a viable and efficient one.


    He let the Scarlet Lion guild fight and get exhausted by depleting their strength and their mana so they''ll be easy targets to pick off.


    Just as the group of hundred adventurers was finally done with the battle and let their guard down, Kahn sprung in action.


    [Do it!]manded Kahn to Ronin & Oliver who were hiding amongst the trees in different directions.


    One by one, they both started throwing the fear toxin bombs Kahn had given them and covered all the sides of this battle formation. The outermostyer of their formation was surrounded by the toxin fog in seconds.


    "What''s this?!" an assassin shouted as soon as he noticed the encircling fog that appeared out of nowhere. Only now did many others also started noticing this fog and put up their guard again.


    Kahn entered into the stealth mode and dashed towards the innermost region of this battle formation that spanned around 500 meters. Before the assassins and archers could pick his presence, he switched to shadow walk and proceeded through the shadows of these group members and reached inside the middle of this area.


    Finally, when the fear toxin hadpletely be a dense fog and reached this massive group, the effects started showing up when arge number of members suddenly felt their senses dulling and their vision getting blurry.


    "Something''s wrong! Everyone alert!" shouted a team captain and everyone quickly got into their previous team formation. Now all they could do was wait for the enemy to show up.


    Kahn suddenly appeared in the center of this group, surrounded by dozens of people..


    "Hey, who are you?!" asked a snakekin young archer.


    Kahn didn''t waste any time on introductions and quickly threw all the remaining fear toxin bombs and released a burst of toxin fog from his own hands.


    "Enemy attack!" shouted the snakekin but it was alreadyte. The sudden eruption of this white fog put the entire team formation in shambles and the majority lost their sight as everything in front of them was covered by the fog.


    [Everyone.. Spare nobody!]manded Kahn as his army of subordinates leaped out of his shadow and was released right in the middle of the enemy formation. The supposedly safest ce in any battle group was already breached by Kahn and his army.


    "Argh!" a woman screamed as she was stomped down by a minotaur that jumped out from Kahn''s shadow.


    Omega and the Six Generals started attacking the moment their feetnded on the ground.


    "What''s happening!" sudden shouts of surprise rang in the surroundings as people finally noticed that something just appeared in between their ranks and the fear toxin started showing its effects at the same time.


    "Monsters!" bellowed a mage.


    "We''re under attack!" roared an old tank.


    ROAR!!!


    ckwall roared and stunned all the enemies in 200 meters surrounding, giving them no chance.


    Omega''s giant figure quickly ran through the twenty or so Healers of the group and mowed down their bodies with his shredder ws, instantly cutting seven of them in half as he ferociously started ripping off people''s heads and cut them in half with every single swipe of his ws.


    "Arrrhhg!! Help!"


    "No!"


    "Don''t kill me!"


    "Mommy, save me!"


    Dozens of screams and wails resounded in just a matter of twenty seconds as the battle formation of the Scarlet Lion guild broke into shambles under the effect of the fear toxin and Kahn''s subordinates causing an onught right from the middle of their rank.


    Some people started running out of the formation after being scared shitless. They tried to run out of this dense fog and get a clear sight as they were suffering from the hallucinations and had lost control over their minds.


    Swish! Swish! Swish!


    Before they could even go far from the outermostyer of the surrounding fog, a volley of arrows rained down on running enemies.


    Thud! Thwack!


    Their bodies were pierced right through their armor and defensive equipments as the metal pole-like arrows ended the life of everyone who tried to run away from the battlefield. The attacker being none other than Oliver who was already positioned on a tall tree on the right side of this formation. He was now using an Epic rank bow that Kahn gave him after ransacking the Sigurd n treasury. And with this bow, his uracy and attack range had risen by twice.


    The nymphs who were under the lead of Oliver were now crawling and attacking the feet of everyone that was running away for their lives and stabbed their legs and thighs with their own pike-like legs and started ripping out their flesh with their piranha-like teeth.


    Thump! Stomp!


    The minotaurs started stomping on the enemies under their giant feet and squashed multiple people under their giant wooden clubs and maces. Instantly turning their kills into a meat paste. ckwall, their leader was throwing his giant shield on the enemies and breaking their bodies in a single spin while his giant battleaxe cleaved through multiple tanks and swordsmen despite them having high-quality armors and shields.


    Ceril was cutting down bodies with his water and wind des, burning multiple people alive, piercing them with frost pikes using his mage spells.


    Jugram swiftly whittled down and cut off the heads of his enemies with the greatsword he had in his hands as the Berserker was using all of his attacking abilities on full power. He alone had killed more than a dozen people already.


    Those who tried to run away from the right side of this formation were single-handedly killed by Ronin as the Rogue subordinate was now a Lord rank monster and after his Evolution, he too could use those Extensions with spear-like hard & sharp tips.


    Anyone who faced him simply failed to defend themselves as the tendrils could change their directions as per his will and pierced through their heads and hearts. And hisbat skills with the daggers werepletely unmatched.


    Not a single enemy passed by this subordinate as if he was some sort of dungeon floor boss himself.


    Screams and wails of fear and agony filled the battlefield as the horrifying disy of blood, intestines, innards and torn-up bodies filled the entire ce in a matter of minutes.


    Kahn''s use of Element of Surprise and the effects of the fear toxin on these hundred enemies proved extremely effective. In barely 10 minutes, more than 60 of the members from the guild were now dead andpletely oppressed by Kahn''s army..


    As for Kahn.. He didn''t even lift his sword, simply walking towards the back of this formation and to the people who seemed like they were in charge.


    Those who tried to attack him were swiftly killed by the four extensions that wereing out of his back. He was walking menacingly towards the leaders of this guild.


    His vengeful red eyesnded on the members of this adventurer team who were equipped with high grade armors and weapons. He gazed at them like a War God was looking at tiny insects. His War Dominance aura already putting them under immense pressure and scaring the shit out of them. He now stood in front of this group and finally spoke in his tyrannical voice.


    "You wanted me... Here I am."

 Chapter 74: The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 74: The Truth</h4>


    Kahn stood in front of the group fearlessly as his chaotic ck and red aura exuded out of his body. The grass on the ground quivered and started shaking under his extremely dense and heavy pressure.


    "You.. Is this your doing? This army of monsters.." asked the man in the center,pletely bewildered and shaken to the core as the fear toxin started showing him hallucinations in which an army of hundreds of horrifying and deadly gigantic monsters were now hunting their group.


    Thwack!


    "Are you the guildmaster?" asked Kahn as he killed another Swordsman who charged at him from behind but got stabbed in the throat by the extensions.


    "You.. What kind of monster are you?!" shivered the middle-aged man in the center. He still hadn''t digested the fact that they were suddenly attacked out of nowhere just as their group had finally finished off the small orc settlement. Before they could even breathe properly, another group of enemies started killing them.


    And the man standing in front of them suddenly felt like a walking talking monster himself.


    Kahn''s extension made him look like some primordial monster that knew how to take the shape of humans. And under this hallucinogenic toxin gas, his figure looked 10 meters tall and kept increasing as the time passed.


    "Answer me!" shouted Kahn as his wrathful gaze sweeped over the group who were barely holding their weapons at this point.


    "It''s him!" screamed a man under fear and pointed his hand at a middle-aged man fully d in golden armor and held a rare rank Warhammer as his weapon.


    "Get away from me, you monster!" shouted the man.


    Kahn''s eyesnded on the man and his eyes flickered with a yellow spark.


    The man fell on the ground, his body paralyzed on the spot after Kahn used Executioner''s Gaze.


    "Now which one of you tortured the redhead girl?" he asked in amanding tone.


    "Ahhhhggg!"


    "Save me!!"


    "Get away!"


    The wails and screams continued in the back as Kahn''s subordinates were killing off the adventurers one by one who were already inplete disarray and no longer had any type of defensive formation or coordination in attacks.


    "It''s him!" a female elven mage who also stood among this group pointed her fingers at a skinny man who was dressed in the assassin''s clothes.


    Under this fearful state.. Not a single one of them could think straight and easily gave under Kahn''s pressure. With his current strength, he won''t have any problems killing at least 30 people by himself.


    As for why he wasn''t sparing any of these people who came to raid here.. Because he knew that all these guild members were the top guys and the main backbone of their guild. Unlike the people who Kahn saw in their headquarters who were nothing but small fries and possibly didn''t know anything regarding this case, these people certainly had heard of it or yed a part in it.


    So there was no need to show any kindness to this group. Besides, they all had seen his army.. So they had to be silenced.


    Kahn''s extensions quickly pierced the skinny Assassin in his thighs and the other one picked the guildmaster.


    THUD!


    Just then, a giant figure of a Lycan dropped behind the remaining people and clutched its razor-sharp ws on the heads of the people inmand.


    Omega''s jaw then ripped open the head of a man in the middle of this group while Kahn ignored the bloodied ughter.


    He picked up the two men and walked away from the battlefield.


    "Why? Why did you kill that woman?" asked Kahn to the man in golden armor.


    "You mean that redhead bitch?.. Because she wouldn''t talk!" replied the man as he finally regained control of his body. Kahn had already taken them out of the toxin fog so the effects had started waning.


    "I thought she was in love with the guy who stole my elder brother''s ring. So I had this guy torture her, thinking it''d be enough. But even till herst breath, that slut never uttered your name!" said the guildmaster as he got up on his feet again and clutched his hands on the Warhammer.


    Kahn stared at the leader of this group with a lifeless expression. As if he was looking at a dead man.


    "That doesn''t exin why you lot had to kill her." he asked.


    "Because the news was already leaked in our circle and other guilds. If we didn''t make an example of whoever dared to steal our belongings.. We''d be turned into a joke." said the guildmaster as he charged and swung his hammer at Kahn.


    Kahn quickly sidestepped and effortlessly dodged the attack. His opponent already had a weakened state and dull senses, the effect of the toxin wasn''t going to be nullified this soon.


    "Then who gave up my name?" asked Kahn as he kept dodging the man''s attacks without a hitch.


    "It was the ck Griffin merchant enterprise president, Nik Gretvor. Some of our men found our previously salvaged goods and weapons being sold in his shops. And when we threatened to kill him and burn down his shops.. He dly told us your name. He even returned everything that belonged to us. As for the girl.. We simply wanted to use her body to send you a message." exined the guildmaster as he faltered in his steps, barely managing his footing.


    Kahn also noticed that the enemies were awfully cooperative and answered without holding back. Normally, nobodyplies with their enemy''s instructions.


    [Is this the effect of the fear toxin?] asked Kahn to himself and his image flickered. He quickly grabbed the Warhammer from the man''s hands and kicked him in the stomach, sending his body flying towards the kneeling assassin who was shivering in fear and struggled to get Kahn''s extension out of his thigh.


    Kahn walked towards these two men as he heard agonizing and pleading screams from behind his back where the enemies were being massacred by his subordinates.


    He squatted down in front of them and took two rare rank daggers out of his space ring and spoke in a vengeful tone.


    "Now, let''s start your torture session."

 Chapter 75: The Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 75: The Punishment</h4>


    Under the bright sun, a gory scene of cut-down, torn up and mangled corpses of hundred people filled an open battlefield. Pitiful cries for help and soul-shuddering screams filled the surroundings as an army of monsters was ughtering these adventurers.


    Kahn''s attention was focused on the two men in front of him, a warrior and an assassin.


    "So just to keep your so-called reputation, you guys killed an innocent woman to disy your power and authority? And you thought it''d make me walk into your trap?" asked Kahn to the guildmaster as he clenched his fist tightly.


    Just because she was powerless.. Jessica was trampled upon like an ant and these people saw her life no different than something not even worth remembering. They simply didn''t even care about any consequences of killing her and even put her corpse on a disy just to enrage Kahn and have him fall for their trap.


    "We thought you were just one man, without any support of a n or an army. Even if you were a peak Grandmaster, what could you have done anyway.. So we didn''t fear about your outrage and wanted to see you willingly return the ring out of fear." replied the guildmaster who was still recovering his senses.


    "Well, it worked perfectly. You''ve sessfully enraged me." spoke Kahn in his furious voice and stood up.


    "Armin!" hemanded the Priest subordinate who was busy supporting and healing the others during the battle.


    Armin quickly stood behind Kahn.


    "Make sure that they don''t die." said Kahn and brandished the two rare rank daggers. He was already well versed in the art of torture from his part-time job as Azrael.


    His extensions grabbed both the men from their arms and lifted them in the air. His current strength was already past 650 points so it was no different than picking small pebbles for him.


    Kahn clearly remembered what kind of scars and wounds Jessica''s dead body had after he inspected it. So he would let her killers suffer the same fate.. No, he would give them even more horrifying pain.


    Kahn first started with the groaning guildmaster who ordered torturing her. He pulled out the armor forcefully by ripping it off with his bare hands.


    He stabbed his daggers in the man''s stomach and twisted them inwards.


    "Aaaaaahhgg!!" screamed the guildmaster in pain as Kahn''s dagger reached inside of his stomach and pulled his entrails out with a stream of red hot blood.


    Kahn then stabbed the man''s sternum and slowly pulled the dagger down and cut open a deep wound, his other hand sprayed another load of fear toxin and put the already screaming man in another jumble of horrified emotions.


    "No!! Let me go! I''ll give you anything you want! Money! Women! Whatever you want!" pleaded the middle-aged man as Kahn kept cutting him open one by one.


    "It''s not about the money.. It''s about sending a message." replied Kahn.


    "Heal!" ordered Kahn and Armin cast a healing spell on the guildmaster, a visible recovery could be seen on the opened flesh.


    But this wasn''t going to be an end to the little session. He moved to the man''s legs and cut open his thighs and calves as the man kept screaming in pain and cursing Kahn loudly..


    The Assassin on the other side was shuddering in fear after seeing how ruthlessly Kahn was torturing their guildmaster. He wondered what kind of monster Kahn was to have such strong monsterly extensions, an army of ferocious monsters and things he couldn''t make sense of.. And all that because their Guild members ordered him to torture a young woman and then decided to kill her.


    He then cut open the man''s arms from the biceps and cut down all the long veins, making him bleed profusely and losing a lot of blood.


    Kahn continued this torture as the horrifying screams of the guildmaster filled the entire surrounding. By now, the remaining members of this guild were close to being finished and more likely were being toyed with Kahn''s subordinates as they kept running from one direction to another but finding no escape route.


    After half an hour, Kahn finally stopped as the middle-aged man fainted from the agonizing pain.


    He threw the body on the side.


    "Wake him up."manded Kahn to Armin as the Priest used a high-rank healing spell and woke up the guildmaster. But just then, over a dozen of ck nymphs walked towards the man.


    "y with him as you like.. Just make sure he doesn''t die." ordered Kahn and left the guildmaster to the nymphs who started poking holes in his body from ce to ce and chewed out his flesh?with their sharp teeth while Armin kept healing him over and over.


    The once mighty and reputed guildmaster of the Scarlet Lion guild, the second biggest adventurer guild in the entire vot city was now being tortured and lynched to death by these monsters.


    "Ahhhh! No! Get away from me you monsters!" wailed the guildmaster.


    Kahn''s gaze thennded on the assassin who had already wet his pants.


    "No! Let me go.. It was them who ordered me to torture that woman. I had nothing to do with it!" shouted and begged the skinny assassin.


    "Is that so? I checked her body. You did a really good job torturing her with passion. Probably had a lot of fun doing it as well. So I should reward you for being such a hardworking man." said Kahn as he took out an iron mace from his space ring.


    "You beat her face with a blunt weapon, didn''t you? Did your sadistic side felt joy while beating her?" asked Kahn and quickly swung the mace.


    Crack!


    The man''s jaw was broken and many of his teeth fell on the ground along with the spring of blood.


    "Master, we''re done." said Omega as his 10-meter tall body stood behind Kahn.


    "All of you eat their cores and equip yourselves with their weapons and armors. Leave the bodies there." said Kahn and returned to the assassin who was trembling and wriggling in pain but couldn''t even scream.


    Kahn hit the man with the iron mace over his shoulders, his crotch and joints.


    Crack! Crack!


    The sound of cracking bones could be heard as Kahn kept hitting the man over and over again.


    He then cast the high-rank healing spell on the man, bringing him back from the death''s door. But soon, he switched back to the daggers and started dissecting the man alive from the top of his body and to his legs.


    Kahn''s daggers opened a long gash as the fountain of blood leaked from the assassin.


    "Ahh!!! Please don''t kill me!!" screamed and pleaded the man.


    But this didn''t faze Kahn in any way as he kept ripping apart and skinning the man again and again and when he was close to losing consciousness, Kahn would heal him back.


    He poked his eyeballs out with his daggers and and cut open his belly.


    Finally, he took out his sword from the back and cut both of the man''s legs with a single swing.


    By now, his entire figure was drenched in red blood after torturing both these men and the ones he killed previously.


    After torturing the assassin for half an hour, giving him a closer look at the grim reaper .. Kahn sprayed his poison acid on the man and melted his face. Heter threw the assassin close to the guildmaster and let him suffer through the lynching by the nymphs.


    Their brains had already gone haywire from the immense pain and could no longer think straight or even scream properly.


    "We''re done, Master. But why are we leaving the bodies here?" asked Ronin who appeared behind Kahn''s back.


    "To let everyone know that it was me." replied Kahn as he enjoyed the sight of these men being tortured to death.


    Kahn was no different than these people who murdered others for their goals. But unlike these people, he had a bottom line. He would never implicate an innocent person in his affairs and have them suffer by being caught in the crossfire.


    But his actions and mistakes did exactly that and Jessica met a cruel death. He wasn''t going to be a hypocrite and run away from the responsibility and that''s why he had to exact revenge for her.


    Being calctive and opportunistic didn''t mean being a heartless person as well. He still had his moral values and empathy despite him undergoing many changes in his demeanor and thinking process. Kahn knew that this was still keeping him humane and not let him turn into a psychopath.


    At this moment.. The image of Jessica''s lifeless and tortured corpse had left a mark on his mind.. Something he will always remember for his life.


    Kahn watched both men chocking on their own blood and dying at the hands of the nymphs and decided to leave the dungeon.


    After half an hour, he finally reached the city gates..


    The dozens of people traveling through the gates gasped in fear as a young man donned in ck clothes walked in the middle of the street... His entire body was covered in blood from head to toe. So much that even his sword was still dropping the fresh blood on the ground and even his ck clothes failed to hide the bloodstains. It was as if this man had taken a bath in a pool of blood.


    The guards at the gate were already swatted on the ground and anyone who tried to stop Kahn fainted on the spot under his chaotic and murderous aura.


    Kahn kept walking through the various streets of vot city without the care of people looking at him with scared and baffled eyes.


    And when he finally reached his bungalow.. There were hundreds of people already following behind him. Many to see exactly what was the case out of curiosity while some who knew about his identity dering his name to the masses. His reputation was already well established in the city so many people just came to take a look at one of the strongest people in the city.


    Kahn saw a small team of city security guards standing in front of his house. They werepletely donned in their armors and weapons.


    In front of these people, was a brte woman dressed in dark grey armor.


    Kahn already had met this woman, he remembered her face and name. It was none other than lieutenant Beatrice.


    "He''s here.." said one of the soldiers as the woman looked in Kahn''s direction and was stunned to see his bloody figure.


    When Kahn reached towards the entrance of his house.. The woman finally spoke.


    "Mister Kahn.. We need you toe with us." spoke Beatrice.


    In response, Kahn quickly activated War Dominance at full capacity and put all the soldiers and onlookers on their knees under his horrifying and heavy ck and red aura.


    He looked at the woman and finally spoke..


    "Not now Lieutenant.." said Kahn as his gazended on something that was covered under the white sheets on his sofa.. Jessica''s dead body.


    "I have a funeral to attend."

 Chapter 76: The Farewell

    <h4>Chapter 76: The Farewell</h4>


    Kahn stood in front of his house as he stared at the group of city guards and Lieutenant Beatrice.


    "I''lleter. Let me conclude the matter peacefully or you''ll get on my wrong side." he straight-up threatened the Law Enforcer Squad that was directly under themand of Captain Nordak. He simply didn''t have time to waste answering the questions. Sooner, his deeds were going to spread around anyway.


    "I... I understand." spoke the lieutenant and left without rebutting Kahn because she could feel the anger in his eyes and his aura was many times fiercer than she had seen him previously. And she was already familiar with this feeling.. Because she once felt the same type of chaotic aura from Commander Straze..


    [He''s already a Grandmaster!] spoke Beatrice to herself in shock and ordered her forces to return because if they pissed Kahn off.. Who knew if they''d be able to return to their homes alive or not.


    Kahn entered the house and saw Jerome standing along with few people.


    "Sir.. What happened?!" asked Jerome in bewilderment after seeing Kahnpletely drenched in blood.


    "Settled some overdue scores. Who are these people?" replied and asked Kahn.


    "They''re from the morgue and then ones on the right are from city cemetery." exined Jerome.


    "Is there a way I can have her buried in a ce of my choosing? I''ll pay you guys twice the normal price." he dered.


    The men standing behind Jerome nodded in response.


    Just then, a set of footsteps reached his ear and he looked back at the door.


    "Kahn! Are you okay?" asked a young & slim man clothed in silky white attire who looked no older than him.


    Behind him, walked in an old man with a long and in beard.


    "What are you two doing here? Came to make sure that I was dead?" he asked to the neer duo of a young & old man. They were the father-son duo of Nik and nev.


    "What do you mean?" asked nev.


    "Why don''t you tell your son, you old bastard?!" shouted Kahn as he stared at the old man Nik.


    "Father, what is he talking about? You only told me that the Scarlet Lion guild was looking for him." asked nev to his father.


    But in response, Nik only hung his head down and didn''t dare to see Kahn in his eyes.


    "I''m sorry kid.. It''s just that I couldn''t offend those people and had to protect my people and shops. Otherwise, they would''ve killed us and.."


    "Save it for someone who cares about your justification!" interjected Kahn in the old man Nik''s words and he walked towards the dead body on the sofa. He took out the sheet from Jessica''s face.


    "Remember her? She was also there when you people were attacked by those bandits. She was also one of the people I saved that day & when those bastard from Scarlet Lion guild were being massacred inside the dungeon. And do you know how she repaid me?.." asked Kahn in his furious tone.


    "She was tortured for hours but still didn''t speak a word about me. They would''ve kept her alive for some more time if you hadn''t opened your mouth! And do you know what they did to her after you revealed my name?.. They murdered her in cold blood and hung her body on the next street just to send me a message." dered Kahn, holding the old man responsible.


    Because if the old man hadn''t cowered in fear and maintained a firm stance, Jessica would''ve had some more time and maybe Kahn could''ve found a way to save her in case he was alerted beforehand about her being held captive because of him.


    "I''m sor.. Sorry. I didn''t know it''d turn out like this." Nik faltered in his words after looking at the bruised-up face and lifeless corpse of the redhead girl.


    "We.. We''re sorry Kahn. We didn''t mean this to happen." said nev.


    "Sir.. We should hurry. It''s against the customs to bury someone after the sunset." spoke Jerome.


    "Kid.. We have our ownnds. You can bury her in one of them. I know I''m at fault for her death as well.. At least let me give her a proper resting ce. I promise we''ll look after her tomb." said Nik with a face full of guilt.


    Not only he had betrayed and gave up on the person who once saved his and his only son''s life but his actions also yed a part in a young woman''s untimely death. So he wanted to repent for his deeds.


    Kahn agreed, he was still disappointed in them but he also wanted to give her a proper funeral.


    They left for thends Nik mentioned and after traveling to the foremost west of the city, they entered a hillside area where some rich people lived in their extravagant houses.


    In Rakos Empire, the funeral was conducted by Druids who prayed to mother nature and carried out the funeral procedure. The people from the morgue & cemetery also provided their services as Kahn was paying them double. The gravesite was decided under a full-grown tree which had light blue leaves. The entire ce was serene and contained a lot of natural beauty to it.


    Just before the burial was to be started.. Markus, Jessica''s old subordinate and also the former leader of the Diamond adventurer group reached at the ce.


    He was informed by Nik and came with another old man with short white hair and a grizzly beard.


    As per customs, they said their prayers to the deceased and Jessica''s body was buried with the hands of Kahn and Markus. The middle-aged man barely held up his tears as he lost another one of his oldrades just in a gap of a month.


    After everyone had their share of prayers, they started leaving. Only Kahn, Jerome and the old man who came with Markus stayed behind. But he didn''te near or spoke anything, only stood at the end of this site, far away from everyone.


    Kahn looked at the grave and he put his hand on the tombstone. Although he had a very small interaction with Jessica.. Just after learning how she did not give up the identity of the man who saved her life twice had gained his respect for her.


    An unspeakable bond was formed between them at this moment. It was an odd feeling for Kahn because he truly had no one who he trusted in this new world and despite all that, this young woman had given her life to repay his kindness for saving her twice.


    [Never again.. I can''t let anyone die because of me ever again.] he made a resolute vow to himself at this moment.


    "Sir, we must leave." said Jerome who was standing at the entrance of this site. Only when Kahn exited the site, did the old man standing at the end walked towards the grave and kneeled down.


    "Who''s that old man? Was he her family?" asked Kahn who was looking at the old man from a far distance.


    "It''s good if you stay away from that old man, Sir. His story is aplicated one." replied Jerome.


    Kahn didn''t ask for more details as he already had too much for one day. And he felt a sense of loss and guilt in his mind.


    Although he had avenged her.. This feeling would take some time to go away.


    He also vowed to visit her again if he ever came back to this city in future years.


    With a heavy heart.. He bid farewell to Jessica Artwinger.

 Chapter 77: Walking Away

    <h4>Chapter 77: Walking Away</h4>


    The next day, Kahn''s deeds had reached many government and military officials, business organizations and noble ns because of a sudden incident that shook the power bnce in the city.


    Because the news of Kahn''s outrage in the headquarters of Scarlet Lion guild and then suddenly, all their top fighters including the guildmaster found dead inside the Cintra dungeon spread like wildfire among the top powers of the city.


    This knowledge was not made public by anyone even now but those with connections always had their means to gain inside information. And him walking inside the city while beingpletely covered in blood proved as a fact because hundreds of people had seen him. So naturally, the elites also heard of this news from their informants.


    However, one man killings hundreds of experienced adventurers was unbelievable to many and even someughed at it, thinking of it as another baseless and over-exaggerated rumor.


    Kahn, the main culprit of this massacre was merrily eating his breakfast in a content mood as if he hadn''t caused a bloodbath yesterday. Today, he had to meet some people in the Law Enforcement Hall.


    Kahn departed for the meeting he had with Captain Nordak. They were definitely going to ask about yesterday''s events. So he already had few backup ns.


    "It''s good to see you again, mister Kahn." said Captain Nordak as he weed him inside his office.


    "Likewise. May I know why have I been summoned?" asked Kahn, ying coy with his words.


    "I think you already know that. I have some questions for you regarding 3 people who were murdered yesterday. One, whose body you took in your house & two people you killed inside Scarlet Lion guild." said Nordak.


    "Normally, no one gets this type of treatment and gets arrested on the spot. So you can consider this us doing you a favor. Now, care to exin?" asked Nordak and Lieutenant Beatrice, who was standing on the right side put a hand on her sword hilt.


    "No need to get worked up captain, I''ll tell you everything. The truth is, around 12 days ago; I took a space ring from a dead body on the 9th floor of the Bromnir dungeon during my hunts and also saved a survivor named Jessica Artwinger.."


    Kahn then recounted how he found goods inside the space ring and sold them. But he didn''t know about it belonging to the Scarlet Lion guild as the survivor had fainted back then. And then borated the story of them causing a scene in ck Griffin merchant shops and how they tortured Jessica just to scare him and killed her to send him a message.


    He certainly obscured many details but did not hide the fact of him killing the two people inside the guild hall out of a fit of rage. His story matched with everything they had already gathered with witnesses and people from Nik''s side.


    "But when I got inside the Cintra dungeon to find them.. They were already dead in a battle against an army of orcs." replied Kahn. Making it sound believable as he masked his massacre and took the me of only killing two people and not more than a hundred.


    "Let''s say we believe you.. Still killing two people in broad daylight is a crime punishable with the death sentence." said Captain Nordak.


    "I suppose that you have some way to make it go away? Otherwise, I''d already be behind bars.. Am I right... honorable magistrate?" replied Kahn and looked behind. He quickly released War Dominance aura at full capacity and suddenly, a barrier came into existence and behind this barrier, the old Lionkin''s figure was revealed who had some sort of Artifact in his hands.


    "So it''s true. You''ve indeed broken through the Grandmaster rank!" eximed the magistrate of vot city in surprise.


    "You''re full of surprises indeed Mister Kahn." spoke the magistrate and sat across the opposite chair.


    "Let''s get to point, honorable magistrate.. What do you want in return to make this matter drop?" asked Kahn as he didn''t want to beat around the bush.


    "Ah, going straight for the head of the snake I see. It''s simple.. I want you to join our side." replied the magistrate as he interlocked his hands.


    "And why do you want me to join you?" asked Kahn.


    "To be honest.. We''recking strong people on our side. The Military has Commander Straze, the Noble ns have 4 Grandmasters on their side and the Adventurer Guild has Solomon and Arkham. Even though these factions look like being in harmony on the surface.. There''s a war for authority and power you can''t even think of. Join us and I''ll make this matter go away. You''ll also hold a vast authority in the city after joining our ranks, I promise you that." said the magistrate.


    They had dirt on Kahn so they were trying to use it.


    "I refuse." replied Kahn without a hitch.


    "What?! Do you not understand what situation you''re in?!" shouted the magistrate in disbelief.


    "I have no intentions to fight your war and join any factions. I just want to be left alone. However.. If you agree to bury the case, I''ll do a big favor for you." replied Kahn nonchntly.


    Although he had made few ns to counteract the scenario where he would be persecuted and was even prepared to bribe the top officers, he didn''t expect the magistrate to show up there and watch him from the shadows.


    Their n seemed to be about reeling him on their side by using those murders. But at the end of the day.. He had already made his rule that he won''t work for or serve under anybody and live that life of corporate very again in his new life.


    "What kind of favor you can do me, if I may ask?" asked the magistrate with a conniving expression on his face as he caressed his long white beard.


    "Three people.. No questions asked. If I''m not wrong, only Commander Straze, President Solomon & a few of the old members of the Noble ns are beyond my reach. I can handle the rest." replied Kahn.


    The three people present in this room gasped in surprise as Kahn was outright saying that he''ll kill 3 people for them to have this matter dropped.


    He was just being too straightforward. Even Lieutenant Beatrice who had a decent impression of Kahn was surprised to see how this man didn''t shy away from acting like a contract killer.


    "I hope you think about it. After all, I can always run away from the city and none of you will be able to stop me. But rather than making each other an enemy.. How about we find a middle ground that would benefit both sides.." spoke Kahn and faintly released his domineering and terrifying aura?again with a smile on his face.


    "I see, that makes sense. Although it''s a shame that you won''t join us.. I can still get behind this deal. But I hope you will be.. Discreet and won''t ask any questions." said the magistrate and shook Kahn''s hand.


    After the previous burst of murderous and violent aura.. He knew that they won''t be able to control Kahn and ckmail him with a petty excuse of killing two people. However, Kahn''s preposition was far more beneficial to him as his connections and people were incapable of killing some truly strong & influential people that opposed and troubled the magistrate.


    And now he was certain that Kahn would be able to deliver on his words.


    There were no saints in this power struggle.. So having Kahn as someone who would work as his de was indeed a deal worth making.


    And just like that.. Kahn walked away free of any charges.


    As for those who''d try toe after him for revenge for the Scarlet Lion guild or any other reason.. He''d simply ughter them just like he did yesterday.


    Kahn decided that he needed to carry his work of hunting because he realized that if he truly wanted to be free and never get forced to do someone''s bidding.. He needed strength that would scare anyone even if they thought about ckmailing him.


    "Let''s hope the next hunt will be worth it."

 Chapter 78: Army of the Dead

    <h4>Chapter 78: Army of the Dead</h4>


    After settling his affairs with the magistrate and receiving a clean chit.. More like a bribe chit. Kahn visited his biggest harvest mine and his other half.. The Bromnir Dungeon.


    Today, he was going to attempt the 14th floor of this dungeon. So far, this dungeon had given him a lot of resources, harvest and even plenty of his subordinates. And thanks to theter floors of this dungeon, his allies including Omega, ckwall, Oliver & Ronin had undergone Evolution and reached Lord Rank with each floor he finished.


    Also the extra subordinates he gained in the form of Legion raised his strength in numbers.


    From the old records.. This dungeon contained only 15 floors. And Kahn had reached up to the 13th floor till now. Thanks to some sort of magical formation inside the dungeon, only those who sessfully killed the previous floor bosses after the 10th-floor boss; let it be individually or in groups would be marked and allowed to enter the next floors. Otherwise, he''d have to have finish them again and again and also, anyone could raid on any floor as they pleased.


    This sophisticated mechanism allowed only truly worthy to progress farther or else, this dungeon would''ve been ransacked decades ago.


    But because of that, there were only fewer records avable only till the 13th floor and not a single person had managed to enter the 14th floor in the past 20 or so years. So he was going in blind for the first time in his hunts.


    Kahn entered the floor grounds and saw a scenery of night filled with ck clouds and white moonlight shimmering and spread upon the ck andpletely withered trees. The ground, the leaves, the rocks were all ck.


    If not for the bright moon, one would not even be able to see the outlines of the surrounding.


    A bone-chilling breeze passed by and Kahn and he let out a chattering noise of the teeth and felt a shiver in his body despite his defense being above 530 points.


    Swish! Swish!


    Two figures jumped out of his shadow and stood beside him.


    "You know the drill." said Kahn to both Ronin & Oliver. His most effective & efficient subordinates when it came to gathering information or searching for enemies. Ronin had Shadow Shift, Stealth & Concealment skill while Oliver had Archer''s sight, Silence Walk & Heat Sense skill which made both of them the best choices to do reconnaissance without getting noticed or found out by the enemies.


    Kahn and his allies spread in 3 different directions and started looking for signs of living beings and any enemies they would need to fight.


    After spending some time looking for enemies, Kahn had failed to notice anything worth considering as enemies. It felt as if the entire floor was some sort of abyss where everything waspletely dark and had no living being here.


    Oliver who had the farthest range and tracking skills also failed to find any enemies.


    Suddenly, Kahn received an alert signal from Ronin who had now entered inside a cave and noticed few living beings.. Well, not actually living beings but something that was once alive... The undead.


    In any Fantasy Novel or Mangas.. Undead yed a prominent role as the majority of the protagonists would either fight these undead at some point as if it was an unspoken rule between all the authors.


    Some protagonists fought them, some used them to gain EXP, some harvested their bodies and some were even reincarnated as these undead in the form of Skelton Soldiers or a Lich. The stories of the undead had a separatemunity under Fantasy & Isekai category themselves. And Kahn found himself living the same cliche story today.


    "If this was a fictional novel story.. I''d say that the Author is not very creative." said Kahn.


    Suddenly Kahn felt a chill under his spine for some unknown reason.


    Kahn & Oliver ran towards the cave where Ronin had already killed off over a dozen skeleton undead and cleared a path for them. Since he was a Lord Rank monster now, Ronin had no problems while finishing this many undead without causing amotion or alerting even more undeads. And the extensions on his back also made it very easy for him to handle multiple opponents at the same time. If these were living beings, he''d use the toxin mist ability he had inherited from the 13th-floor boss himself.


    For someone like Kahn, Oliver & Ronin.. It wasn''t an issue because all of them actually had hunting skills that allowed them to see through the dark just like the early morning.


    In just 10 minutes, Kahn and Oliver met Ronin inside the cave and started looking for enemies.


    And since this cave had plenty of entrances and tunnels leading to different ces, they had to split up again to cover the maximum distance and save time looking for the enemies.


    After another 20 minutes of searching through various ces using Hunter''s Intent, Kahn finally found a deep and far bigger tunnel in the inner parts of this cave.


    And after he finally reached a safe ce undetected using Shadow Walk.. He finally gazed at the floor boss.


    A 10-meter tall body of a hooded undead who was wearing purple mage-like robes and had few spellbooks floating around it in the air. This undead floor boss looked exactly like an undead Lich as it was sitting on a throne made ofpletely white bones and shattered bodies.


    The figure seemed to be chanting some sort of spell and experimenting with these boney bodies of the undead creatures, mixing them in a way and trying to create a different type of monster.


    What caught Kahn''s eyes the most wasn''t the army of hundreds of undead creatures and neither were the different types of skeletal monsters that stood in this army.. But rather the type of magic this Lich was using.


    Although Kahn could use many elemental spells rted to Fire, Wind, Water & even Thunder, he never felt a perfect connection with these spells and magic elements. But when he saw the Lich performing its spells and creating even more undeads.. He felt a sense of attachment towards the element of this magic. For the first time since Kahn entered in Vantrea.. He found the element he had the highest affinity with...


    The Dark Magic.

 Chapter 79: The Gaming Strategy

    <h4>Chapter 79: The Gaming Strategy</h4>


    Kahn felt every inch in his body resonating with the magic this undead Lich was casting. As if he had an intimate connection towards this element of reality.


    So far, he hadn''t seen a single person, even some top-tier mages use Dark Magic ever since he came to vot city.


    "Is this magic forbidden in this world?" he asked himself because if what God of Darkness told him was right.. Anything rted to him was wiped off from the face of the because of what Kahn''s predecessor, the 8th Hero did 300 years ago.


    Only undead and demonic monsters would possess this type of magical element to them because of the natural & inborn affinity. No human like Kahn should have any resonance with this magic. He now remembered the system once telling him that he had one of the highest affinity to Dark magic and Dark elements in this world because he was chosen and his body was created by God of Darkness. And that''s why all his physical abilities and skills he gained from absorbing monsters and merging skills were all pitch ck.


    This was the only reasonable exnation he could ept.


    Kahn then activated Hunter''s Intent at full capacity and felt the aura of the undead Lich. From the pressure alone, Kahn was certain that the Lich was at least a Lord rank undead.


    Then his gaze shifted to the monsters that surrounded this figure.. 8 giant skeletal creatures, some had 4 to 6 legs while some of them had walked on 2 feet and all of them were equipped with makeshift weapons made of tusk-like bones.


    Around this Lich, the 5 spellbooks that floated in the air were emitting a red glow and a tangible thread was connected to all the monsters and the skeletal army that was about more than 500 undead soldiers.


    "Damn.. I''m so screwed here." cursed Kahn as he found no way to defeat this enemy.


    Because his advantage in numbers was gone. Even with 4 Lord rank monsters at his side, he couldn''t possibly take on this army. And since they were all undead.. His toxin fog won''t work on them either.


    He couldn''t use Divide & Conquer trick here either because the numbers were so big that even if he were to create a diversion like he did with the Nymph floor boss, the Lich wouldn''t send its entire army to fight against only 50 or so enemies. Plus, he felt like the Lich would definitely have some way tomand and see through these undead just like Kahn could.


    And to make it hard, the undead warriors surrounding the Lich seemed no weaker than his generals who hadn''t gone through Evolution. So he literally had no advantage or any viable strategy to take out this floor boss. Plus he hadn''t even found a way to see the strength of the Lich or its fighters.


    As for using the Mana bombs that could wipe out everything in 500 meters radius were out of the question because they were inside a cave.. He would be buried alive under the ground if he used that. And since the ce itself was an enclosed space with too many tunnels.. He couldn''t call out a certain snake either. Kahn was truly out of options.


    "All of these things are undead.. Nothing but bones and no flesh or blood in them. I can''t even absorb their abilities or create more subordinates to face off against the Lich." said Kahn as he contemted his chances.


    [What if I kite them?] thought Kahn. It was the only and most effective n he could think of.


    Leading your enemies into a trap and then whittling down their numbers one by one till only the main boss is left was called Kiting in gaming terminology.


    Kahn who also had a lot of gaming experience in his teenage days was very well familiar with this strategy when ying many RPG and Adventure genre games. Because if he dared to fight this floor boss and its army altogether, there would be only one oue.. Total annihtion.


    Maybe then this Lich would turn Kahn into one of its puppets as well. And his zombified body would clean off the Lich''s shiny white bones.


    Kahn shook his head quickly and buried that thought.


    [Then Kiting it is..] he spoke inwardly and walked away from the open grounds and dashed towards one of the tunnels that appeared narrow for many to enter together. This way, the number of enemies that could enter inside them at once would be limited and Kahn could slowly finish them one with the help of his subordinates.


    After finally finding a tunnel that led to a ground big enough to carry out a small battle and had the advantage in height and attacking the enemies inside an enclosed ce, Kahn ordered Oliver to attack and bring small groups of undead towards their direction.


    He presumed that killing in small numbers won''t easily catch the attention of the Lich which was busy creating new monsters for the first few waves at least.


    "Let''s hope reading those RPG novels and ying the games actually proves useful.." said Kahn as he prepared to face the skeleton soldiers.


    Oliver had reached the exit of the tunnel and shot few arrows at the group of skeletons, instantly attracting over 10 of these skeletons. Kahn who was looking through Oliver''s vision also noticed one thing..


    That these creatures followed the sound and only got alerted when something noisy happened in their closer proximity. Hemanded Oliver to lead them by the nose with his unending supply of pole extension arrows and bring them to their designated tunnel.


    "Only if this world''s setting was simr to a game.. I could''ve farmed a lot of free EXP and gain a lot of equipments they dropped as loot." said Kahn as he cursed his luck of being thrown in the world with the wrong setting.


    With his Divine Abilities.. He could''ve benefitted a lot if there was an Experience Points setting to level up and even an Attribute allocation system.


    "Come here, you bastards. Let''s see who has a bigger bone."

 Chapter 80: Breaking Bones

    <h4>Chapter 80: Breaking Bones</h4>


    Kahn and his subordinates set up an ambush at the other end of the narrow tunnel while Oliver sessfully led a group of 10 skeleton undeads by shooting arrows around their surroundings and attracting them using the noise.


    Thepletely fleshless bodies of the skeletons ttered while walking as their bones hit each other and their zombie-like walk took a lot of time for them to reach the other end.


    Kahn who watching this through Oliver''s vision also noticed that there was a small amount of visible ck smoke leaking out of these skeletons. And it was nothing else that the Dark Magic that was keeping these bodies intact and move them.


    But as soon as the skeletons entered the proximity.. They sensed a life form and suddenly, their hollow eyes glimmered with a fiery red glow. The unmotivated bodies of the walking dead now suddenly showed a hint of intelligence and gazed at the living being that was leaning against a wall.


    There was a figure of a human who was sitting against a wall and the cold floor at the other side of this small cave-like space. His arms were folded together and his eyes were closed. He lookedpletely carefree and didn''t mind the group of undead looking at him with malicious intentions. The group of skeletons sprung in action and ran towards this humanoid creature.


    The humanoid and carefree figure was none other than Kahn.. But at this moment, his head was leaning against the wall and didn''t seem to care if someone was attacking him. Because at this moment, Kahn was..... Sleeping.


    Yes, during an iing attack.. Kahn was dozing off without the care of the enemies.


    tter! Rattle!


    But before the skeleton undead could even reach halfway to their target, a reddish and tangible barrier was cast upon them and suddenly; their boney bodies no longer produced any sort of sound.


    Ceril who was standing on top of a small boulder waved his hands and the area of this silence barrier erged more than twice the earlier size.


    A giant figure of a ck and furry Lycan jumped inside this barrier and in just a few seconds, it utterly decimated the skeletons; breaking their entire bodies with a few swipes of his ws.


    "I already gave you lot a feast yesterday. There are no free meals in the world. So keep on going."manded Kahn and went back to his merry sleep.


    He was acting as bait to lead the skeletons to attack him the moment they saw him and enter inside their already prepared ambush hotspot.


    This way, his subordinates could take them out effectively without wasting any time or produce anymotion that would alert the Lich for the first few times.


    Now Ronin & Oliver both started the work of luring out the undead while Ceril handled the silence barrier and Omega and Jugram finished them off.


    The first two waves were of only 10 skeletons but then both the subordinates started bringing in more enemies by themselves as if there was some sort ofpetition between them.


    Although their numbers were increasing, in front of a Lord rank monster like Omega and a berserker like Jugram, they stood no chance as they always walked in the trap of attacking Kahn as soon as they sensed his presence.


    Little by little, they started whittling down their numbers and in the span of 3 hours, Kahn''s subordinates had managed to kill more than 200 of these skeleton soldiers.


    Since these skeletons didn''t have any weapons on them, they could barely put up a resistance against the duo of Omega and Jugram while Ronin & Oliver kept bringing more skeletons to gnaw on.


    Kahn who finally woke up from his nap and yawned suddenly heard a loud march of footsteps from 600 meters away from the other end of the tunnel.


    "So it begins.." he said and ordered both Oliver and Ronin to openly attack and bring the horde of the enemies through the tunnels ran towards their direction.


    "Everyone, get ready!" said Kahn and the remaining of the Six Generals and the Legion jumped out of his shadow and finally prepared for a frontal sh.


    THUD! THUD! PITTER! PATTER!


    The army of the dead charged through this narrow tunnel, each line containing only 4 to 5 skeletons at most while they were walking in exactly the spot where Kahn wanted them to be. The biggest problem was going to be none other than those Skeleton Warriors the floor boss had created.


    Just 2 of them were enough to hold off one Lord rank subordinate of Kahn. So 8 of them were enough to hold off his top fighters. And that''s why Kahn had chosen the narrow tunnels so that they won''t be overwhelmed in terms of numbers orbat power.


    Both Kahn and Ceril attacked the iing horde with theirrge AoE and destructive fire, wind & lightning spells while ckwall, Jugram & Omega facing them head-on along with the Minotaurs and the Nymphs from the Legion.


    Kahn''s side had a total of 52 fighters while the opposition still had more than 300 members left.


    "Still not taking actions by itself? Or perhaps it can''t leave that ce?" asked Kahn as he noticed that everyone from the enemy side except the Undead Lich itself didn''te to attack him.


    "Attack!" dered Kahn as his side attacked and engaged with the enemies that wereing in small groups and even his stealth-rted subordinates joined this arduous battle of breaking bad.. Urmh, breaking bones.


    Without the Lich itself ordering the undead army, there wasn''t much resistance these 300 or so skeletons could put as they entered little by little through the tunnels and were destroyed in a full-blown ambush by his side.


    Kahn used Firestorm and Windcutter simultaneously and killed far many skeletonspared to his subordinates. His advantage in Mana & Long-range attacks helped him a lot.


    After breaking through the Grandmaster rank, he was far more powerful than before and his attacks with mage spells and sword had already reached a point where these small-timers proved no threat to him.


    Another 2 hours passed as he finally managed to kill the remaining army of the undead. Even the giant monsters were taken care of under Kahn''s impable coordination with his subordinates. They were all Unique Rank monsters at the end so his side didn''t have too much trouble taking care of them.


    He put a High-grade Health & Stamina recovery potion in his mouth and prepared to meet the Lich.


    He couldn''t get any cores or absorb abilities from these undead so he didn''t bother spending any time on them.


    He traveled to the Lich''s location with his own army this time.


    "Human.. Do not think that you''ve won. You only gained some more time before your death. For I am the death, for I am the eternal Darkness. I am a God!" spoke the Lich floor boss who was wearing long and hooded purple mage robes.


    Kahn looked at the fiery red eyes of the undead Lich and spoke..


    "I don''t time have to listen to your monologue, you wannabe Ainz Ooal Gown." replied Kahn.


    "Now.. Let''s get this party started!"

 Chapter 81: The Dark Summoner

    <h4>Chapter 81: The Dark Summoner</h4>


    Kahn and his subordinates prepared themselves to face the Lich dungeon floor boss. Their formation turning into a defensive one because Kahn had no idea about the powers and attacking skills of this Lich who could summon an army of undead.


    "Prepare for your demise, mortal. I shall make you and your creature as my servants. You shall repay for killing my army." said the Lich and the five books around him moved in a circr motion.. The next second, a dark barrier came to be around the Lich floor boss and he started chanting a spell.


    "That''s troublesome.. Long incantation spells usually mean arge AoE destruction spell. Everyone, attack with all your strength!" dered Kahn and all his subordinates except Armin started attacking with their strongest damaging skills and blunt weapons.


    Omega started with his Shredder ws, ckwall attacked with Ground Splitter, Oliver shot Mana explosion arrows, Ceril threw Fire and Lightning spells. The Minotaurs from the Legion attacked with all clubs and axes but when the volley of attacks ended and the dust cleared.. Kahn was left speechless.


    Because all of their attacks were absorbed by the dark barrier and even more red and green patterns appeared on it.. The barrier itself became denser and looked more fortified than before.


    "What the fuck?!" shouted Kahn in disbelief.


    "Wakanda sorcery is this?" asked Kahn as he failed to understand how their attacks ended up dealing no damage. Not only they did not break the barrier but reinforced it instead.


    The Lich continued the incantation, a sudden burst of Mana came out of the barrier and different elemental orbs coalesced together.. These were all the attacks that Kahn''s side hadnded on the barrier.


    "Behind me!" bellowed ckwall and took a firm stand as Kahn and the rest of the subordinates started running behind ckwall who plunged his giant shield in the ground and braced himself for a barrage of attacks. He quickly activated all his defensive skills like Temr''s Will, Defense Fortitude and Shield Aura and firmed his feet in the ground.


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    CLANG!


    One by one, all the different elemental orbs were thrown at the tank subordinate and the explosions that shook the entire cave struck on ckwall''s shield, he kept bearing the brunt of these attacks and his footsteps faltered. In front of the iing onught, even the Lord rank subordinate who had the highest defense and ally buff skills was getting thrashed around. If it was someone else like Kahn or Omega.. They would''ve been obliterated on the spot.


    "Fuck! What''s this boss? How am I even supposed to fight him on equal footing." spoke Kahn with a terrified expression on his face.


    Because in just a small exchange, he figured out that his army and all their attacking capabilities didn''t prove useful or made a difference. Forget fighting the boss, they couldn''t even break this barrier that protected the Lich.


    And to make the matters worse, not only did the barrier absorb their attacks and reinforce itself. It also threw their attacks right back at them.


    Even the most destructive lightning mage spells didn''t do any damage against this dark barrier.


    [Should I run for it?] he asked and looked at the entrance of the tunnels as only a retreat seemed like a suitable choice for him. Because this floor boss was simply too overpowered.


    And most importantly.. The Lich boss didn''t even attack him till now. The spell it was casting wasn''t even ready yet. Kahn didn''t want to stay here and find how that spell would kill him when the floor boss finished it off.


    For the first time since Kahn started hunting inside this dungeon.. He found himselfpletely outmatched and unable to even touch the enemy.


    No wonder the Lich boss did not even bothering when he was finishing off its army one by one. It was because the Lich boss itself didn''t need or had to rely on it. The undead floor boss was no different than an army itself.


    "This damn dark magic is terrifying. This element is too overpowered!" spoke Kahn and dashed off towards the entrance of one of the tunnels.


    "Why are you running? Allow me to offer my hospitality." suddenly the Lich finally spoke as it had finished its spell.


    With a flick of its hand.. A ck orb-like structure appeared in front of the Lich and it started erging itself extremely fast.


    Before Kahn could even reach the entrance of the tunnels, a ck wall made of this dark magic closed off the entrance. He quickly attacked it with his sword and windcutter skill but it didn''t even receive a scratch. His gaze shifted to the other entrance, only to find it being closed off as well.


    The floor boss had closed off all of his escape routes and he was no different than a chicken waiting to be ughtered.


    "Witness the might of me.. Ajak, the Dark Summoner!" bellowed the Lich in its grim and hoarse voice.


    Kahn quickly activated the Somir Scales and ckwall ran in front of him to protect its master. Omega and Jugram stood on Kahn''s sides while Ceril and Armin cast defensive and shield barriers on the group.


    The rest of the members from the Legion came back inside his shadow as they were unable to be any help at this moment.


    Kahn''s Survival Instinct rang in his head like a siren and he felt the immensely destructive and vtile auraing from this ck orb that was growing tenfold in every passing second.


    "Is this the end for me?" asked Kahn to himself as he prepared to brace whatever this giant ck orb was gonna do to him.


    His feet firmly stood while he brandished his sword and took a defensive stand. His subordinates were already ready to die in order to protect their master and acted as a shield between him and the iing attack.


    BOOM!


    Just as the giant orb finally struck Kahn''s team.. A loud noise filled this battleground.


    Kahn who was already prepared to face the attack with all his defensive skills activated, found himself unable to even move.


    Suddenly, the entire ce went pitch ck. There was no light, no reflection.. Nothing.


    If not for his connection with his subordinates, Kahn would''ve felt like they were all dead because he couldn''t even see himself in this absolute Darkness.


    Suddenly.. A gigantic figure of the Lich whose skull appeared to be on fire appeared just 200 meters away. His figure was now 15 meters tall as he floated in the air.


    The bright and red glowing eyes of the Dark Summonernded on Kahn and it finally spoke.


    "Wee to my Hell!"

 Chapter 82: The Passing

    <h4>Chapter 82: The Passing</h4>


    As the Undead Lich, Ajak the Dark Summoner brought Kahn inside thispletely pitch ck space with nothing but darkness, Kahn''s skin felt like something was crawling underneath it.


    His body felt extremely dull and heavy as he couldn''t even move a muscle. His sight barely registering what was happening in front of him.


    [What''s going on? I can''t feel anything, my senses aren''t working.. Am I even alive?] asked Kahn to himself in a bewildered manner.


    [System, what''s happening?] asked Kahn to the system as he found his current predicament out of beyond understanding.


    [The host has been affected by the dark magic spell named the Void Space. The host can only move after breaking through this spell.] replied the system.


    [How do I break it?] he asked as he currently had no idea how to ovee this state. At the moment, Kahn was sitting ducks in front of the floor boss.


    Just this spell alone was far too terrifying because even though it wasn''t an actual time-stopping ability, but it worked simrly if your targets couldn''t even move or have their senses functioning.


    No wonder the Dark Summoner had taken its sweet time in casting that long incantation spell. This spell could instantly put an army of thousands inside a limbo andpletely put them in a stasis.


    If the Lich wanted it, he''d be dead already. He and his subordinates werepletely on the floor boss''s mercy.


    [The dark magic spells can only be countered with Holy magic.] exined the only way he could even move.


    [Fuck! I don''t have a single Holy magic skill.] cursed Kahn in his head as his holster indeed had no holy magic skill.


    "Hahaha hahaha!"


    At this moment, the Dark Summonerughed in a majestic and overbearing tone. He floated in the air and stood before Kahn''s team. The red glowing eyes burned even more brightly as he rejoiced because not a single one from the opposition side could put any form of retaliation.


    "In this space, I''m the absolute.. I am the one and only. I am the God!" bellowed the Lich and waved its hand towards the enemies.


    "And a God should be worshipped vehemently!" dered the Lich.


    Suddenly, extremely heavy pressure and some sort of unknown force was exerted on Kahn as he dropped on the pitch-ck ground inside this space. He was kneeling on both his legs and hands, his head bowed down in front of the enemy. He felt his subordinates going through the same situation.


    [Wait.. I don''t have Holy magic skills.. But someone does!] eximed Kahn in his mind.


    As the floor boss continued its maniacal & narcissisticugh, a sudden burst of white and pure aura exploded in the area where Kahn''s team was kneeling.


    Dang! Thrud!


    A barrier of holy energy erupted and covered Kahn''s team. And the source of this Holy power was none other Armin, the Priest subordinate.


    The one without a single attacking skill, but the one who was in charge of healing the members in a group battle.


    Armin was made from the bodies of Healers & Druids so he had inherited healing, buff and cleansing skills of both sses. And one skill was called Holy Barrier that not only protected the allies, but also cleansed any debuff magic on them. It was one of the two Holy skills this Priest possessed.


    "Arhhhhhh!!" screamed the Lich in agony as the holy magic felt like a dagger was put in its heart.


    Kahn''s team on the other hand finally regained control over their bodies as the dark magic no longer had any control over them.


    Kahn breathed heavily as soon as he stood up, feeling alive again.


    "You mongrel! I shall put you the most unimaginable pain and make you pay for hurting the almighty me!!" bellowed the Lich in rage as it cast multiple ck de-like spells and attacked Kahn''s team.


    ckwall quickly stood in the front to defend and his body covered Kahnpletely.


    THUD!


    BANG!


    Multiple of these ck des struck his giant shield as he activated all the defensive skills he had. Each of these des gave Kahn an eerie feeling because not only these 5 meter long des had an extremely destructive force in them, but the amount of dense dark magic aura they gave was far more powerful than any attacking skill Kahn had seen so far.


    Omega quickly stood behind ckwall, pushing the tank with all of his strength as both the subordinates who were more than 10 meters giant figures made abined effort to protect their master.


    DHOOM!


    BOOM!


    Both the giant figures were thrown tens of meters away and the rare rank giant shield in ckwall''s hand was destroyed to small pieces. Their bodies flung back and they bothnded far away from their position. All the other subordinates were also thrown in a far distance from the explosion of these attacks.


    Kahn who barely managed to keep his footing from the shockwaves by plunging his sword in the ground looked at the Dark Summoner with a horrified expression as his entire body shuddered in fear.


    Those ck des were so destructive and sharp that even a giant boulder would be thoroughly destroyed and cut into two with a single attack.


    If those des had struck Kahn, he''d be cut in half within a second.


    [Oye.. Don''t tell me he''s the actual Final Dungeon Boss!] asked Kahn as he felt a bone-chilling aura in his spine.. His body rooted on the spot.


    The undead Lich stared at Kahn with burning eyes full of rage and a burst of visible purple aura was emitted from its body which filled the surrounding 50 meters of space. Multiple ck chains appeared from the surroundings and bound Kahn''s both hands and legs. He barely had any strength to even move under this aura.


    Even though the boss was a Lord Rank monster, itpletely suppressed Kahn in every aspect, whether it was Attack, Defense or Magic. The floor boss was indeed far more powerful in every aspect.


    And like the saying goes.. ''All strategies fail in front of absolute power''.. so did Kahn. He waspletely defeated.


    "You''re the first living being who has sessfully enraged me! I shall do the honors of killing you with my own hands!!" shouted the Lich and another dark de, but far denser and destructive than the ones before appeared in the Lich''s hand.


    The sheer amount of pressure it exerted froze Kahn''s expression on the spot as his body was pulled towards the Lich.


    BERSERK GOD MODE!!


    Thwack!


    Before Kahn could even fully activate this skill, the ck de was plunged right into his chest and exited from the other side of his back. A fountain of blood burst from the chest and his body wriggled in thest struggle.


    He started losing all the control over his body and mind as his consciousness went nk.


    "For what it''s worth.. This short life was still worth living." spoke Kahn in a weak voice, closing his eyes as he drifted into the eternal sleep..


    AGAIN.

 Chapter 83: The Moniker

    <h4>Chapter 83: The Moniker</h4>


    A silence ensued as Kahn''s body was thrown on the ground, there was a big hole in the middle of his chest that was of the size of a palm.


    The dark de had broken past his Somir scales, his most effective and powerful defensive ability. Rendering them useless without facing any resistance. It was still stabbed inside his chest.


    Kahn''s lifeless body lied on the floor and hisst remaining consciousness drifted into nothingness.


    At this moment, inside a realm separated from Vantrea and the World Boundary.. A ce full of Darkness and Hellfire, a ce without any visible end.. If Kahn would get to see this ce.. From the description & surroundings alone; he would be able to infer that this ce was none other than the Eternal Abyss.


    A gigantic figure d in ck and majestic clothes was sitting on a throne made of a metal unknown.


    The ginormous hooded figure was so big that even just its foot was big enough to destroy 10 vot cities than spanned for more than 60 Kilometers to dust if this being stepped on them.


    The body span of this worldly being alone was thousands of kilometers.


    This being was someone Kahn knew.. It was the main cause of his reincarnation in the first ce.


    THE GOD OF DARKNESS


    The majestic and eternal God who appeared like it was in a vegetative state till now suddenly opened his eyes. This was the true size of this God of Death & Darkness. The one Kahn previously saw wasn''t even 5% of his original size. Even the size when God of Darkness entered the World Boundary seemed barely 20% of its original body size.


    The immensely vast being finally opened its deep and burning red eyes, the amount of heat that came out of them would burn cities to nothing but ashes in a matter of seconds.


    "So he has met the conditions too.. To think that the 5th, the 8th & now him would invoke the title.. Now I''m even more certain that he won''t fail like others." spoke the godly being and just the sounding out of its mouth sent tremors and causedndslides in the grounds of this realm for more than 800 Kilometers. Absolutely destroying anything that was intact till this point.


    Back inside the cave where Kahn''s lifeless body lied, his subordinates who still hadn''t disappeared attacked the undead Lich in a frenzied state, no longer holding back or following any formation.


    They were enraged to the core and only wanted to kill this dark summoner no matter what cost.. But sadly, they couldn''t get past the dark barrier that appeared in their way.


    The void space spell had ended after the Lich had killed Kahn.


    "Huh.. How are his summoned creatures still alive? They should''ve disintegrated after the death of the caster." spoke the floor boss in puzzlement.


    BOOM!!!


    A ginormous and ground-shattering burst of dense and chaotic ck aura exploded in this cave and suddenly, the pressure that could even destroy steel filled the surrounding.


    This time, it was the Lich who found itself unable to move. The insurmountable dark & purple energy that was exuded by the undead Lich waspletely subdued under this ck aura that filled the entire cave.


    Hundreds of cracks formed in the surrounding walls and the ceiling.. Almost enough for this entire ce to crumble in the ground.


    And the source of this horrifying and domineering aura appeared in front of the undead Lich as it flied towards it.


    The Undead Lich for the first time decades of its life shuddered and trembled in fear as it saw the being that appeared in front of it.


    A 5 meters tall andpletely ck Demonic figure with vertical red eyes as if they were from the pits of hell gazed at the Lich. A tangible ck and neverending aura of death & destruction surrounded this being in the form of ck fire that was raised from its body. The creature floated in the air and approached towards the dark summoner and just with a wave of its hand.. The Demonic figure broke past the imprable dark barrier that was unbreakable till this point.


    Swoosh!


    The dark barrier faded into nothingness as the demonic figure appeared in front of the Lich.


    A majestic & ancient voice filled this entire cave and echoed in every single corner of this dungeon floor itself.


    "GIVE ME MORE! FEED ME MORE! I WANT ALL OF IT!!"manded this ancient and domineering figure.


    "Impossible!!" shouted the undead after mustering all of its strength.


    GRAB!


    The Demonic being grabbed the Lich by its skull and suddenly.. The dark aura this undead previously emitted started flowing towards the hand that was grabbing its skull.


    "No! Release me!!" roared the undead as it was no longer able to move under this aura from the demonic figure.


    It could feel that the dark energy inside its body or more urately its bones, was now being absorbed by this creature.


    The once vast and immeasurable dark energy that resided in its body was being sucked out by this ck figure like a voracious beast was eating meat after starving for decades.


    "YOU SHALL BECOME A PART OF ME!" spoke the demonic figure in a grim & ghastly voice.


    Just in the matter of minutes, the dark magic and the aurapletely disappeared out of the Lich''s body and waspletely engulfed by this demonic creatures.


    Finally the Lich lost the light inside its skull and died without being able to put any resistance.. Having the tables turned on it.


    The demonic figure however descended on the ground and threw away the skeleton of this floor boss. It slowly started reducing its height and the dark fire around its body started diminishing little by little.


    When the ck body of the demonic figure finally disappeared and revealed a body of a 6 feet 3 inches tall young human, a handsome yet mysterious face appeared.


    The young man being none other than Kahn who finally regained his consciousness again.


    He stared at the surrounding with a bewildered expression on his face. He noticed the body of the undead Lich lying on the ground and the hole in his chestpletely gone as if nothing ever happened.


    "System, what happened? I''m sure I died." asked Kahn as he couldn''t make sense of what was happening.


    Death wasn''t unfamiliar to Kahn so he knew that he had certainly died at the hands of the Lich after being stabbed by that dark de.


    [Congrattions to the host for meeting a secret condition set by God of Darkness. The host has sessfully invoked the title of....] the system finally told Kahn the title he received..


    And the title being none other than the...


    HERO OF DARKNESS

 Chapter 84: Hero of Darkness

    <h4>Chapter 84: Hero of Darkness</h4>


    Kahn who was now alive again.. Or more likely didn''t actually die stood inplete confusion.


    "Uhm.. What?!" asked Kahn.


    [The host unlocked the title of ''Hero of Darkness'' as per the secret conditions set by God of Darkness.] replied the system.


    "You already told me that. What were the secret conditions?" he asked.


    [In case the chosen hero of any of the Gods is put in a near-death state by the enemy attacks of the same element their respective gods represent as part of the reality, the chosen hero will be granted the title as ''Hero of'' that particr element. It is a form of a trial set by the Gods that is unknown to the chosen Heroes and can not be intentionally achieved. Neither can the chosen hero divulge this information to any other being than themselves.] exined the system about this hidden ss special quest.


    "I see. But then what''s the use of this title? Does it gives me any extra boost?" asked Kahn as he found himself extremely lucky to be skewered by the de that was made of dark magic. Otherwise, he''d be truly dead now.


    [The host has acquired the title of Hero of Darkness.


    Hero of Darkness : This title is a testament to the host being acknowledged and qualifying to be the true representative of God of Darkness.


    Following are the exclusive powers granted by this title :


    1. Monarch of Darkness :


    The host now possesses the ultimate affinity & control over anything that is made of Dark magic & Darkness elements in the world.


    The host will no longer be affected or can be killed from the dark magic or darkness element spells & skills. Whenever attacked with such skills and spells, the host''s body will automatically absorb them or will remain harm-free.


    2. Dark Engulfment :


    The host can absorb and store dark magic skills & spells from other beings, whether they''re alive or dead.


    The capacity will rise with the Rank upgrades in host''s body.


    (Current Progress : Legendary Rank.


    The host can use all skills & spells made from Dark Magic & Darkness Elements after learning them. The host can also infuse them with other types of physical and magical skills & spells.


    The output of these skills & spells will be amplified by 3 times the original strength. )


    3. Ruler of the Night :


    The host will also receive an extra 200% buff/increase in both physical strength & mana capacity during nighttime.


    There will also be a 100% increase in host''s physical attacks & magic spells damage output during this period. The same applies to host''s sensing abilities & skills.


    This title will be in effect as long as the host is alive.]


    Kahn sat on the ground and his hands clutched his head. The information he just received was just too much to swallow.


    "Impossible! This is too much!!" shouted Kahn in disbelief as he pulled his hair and pped himself to check whether he was dreaming or not.


    This title just made him powerful beyond he ever imagined. This was basically saying that if he ever reached the rank of a Demigod, his authority over dark magic and darkness element would be second only to God of Darkness.


    He could not only use the dark magic & darkness elemental attack & spells, but had the highest affinity & control over them.


    This meant that any being in this world who was born out of the darkness element or magic would basically be Kahn''s servents and also his prey if he wanted to kill and absorb their magic & skills.


    Not only he won''t be killed by these creatures, but he could alsopletely make them powerless by robbing their ability to control and attack with dark magic spells and physical skills.


    As long as this element of reality was concerned, there was nobody who could rival him. Let it be an undead just like the Lich who killed him a few minutes ago or any other creature or a being born of this element would be his match.


    Plus the 2 times additional buff in physical strength, mana capacity, attack skills and magic spells during the night made him 3 times stronger than his original capabilitiespared to daytime.


    His mind barely functioned at this moment as he was put under a daze because of the surprise. He didn''t know what to do. Shout or scream in happiness or be shocked and bewildered instead.


    He looked at the skeleton of the undead Lich that was lying beside him.


    "Hey, can you wake up and kill me few more times? At this rate, I''ll be able to kill that Demon God by next week." spoke Kahn in disbelief.


    For the next 10 minutes, Kahn was exhrated and couldn''t think straight. Even with his resolute and calm temperament, he could hardly believe and process his gains.


    "I guess that''s a fairpensation for dying." spoke Kahn and looked at the body of the undead Lich. He didn''t know what to do.. Be enraged or thank this guy for killing him.


    Nevertheless, it was already dead. The 5 spell books that once floated in the air were lying on the ground behind the body. And an idea suddenly clicked in his mind.


    "System, I can absorb the dark magic spells & abilities from other beings even if they''re dead, right?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes.] replied the system.


    "Good." said Kahn and put his hand on the skull of this Lich. But after a minute, he noticed that he wasn''t absorbing anything at all.


    "What''s this? Why can''t I absorb anything from it?" asked Kahn in confusion.


    [The host has already acquired skills & abilities along with the dark magic of this subject.] exined the system.


    "Huh? When?" he asked.


    [During the Awakening process, the host was in a frenzied state and absorbed everything from this subject.


    The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Darkness Barrier (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to cast a defensive barrier around 10 meter radius made of darkness element which has durability 3 times the host''s physical defense.


    Note : This skill is only weak against Holy magic.


    Shadow des (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to attacks with long-range dark elemental des made of destructive mana.


    Current Range : 50 meters.


    Void Realm :


    Allows the host to temporarily cast the Void Space spell for a short time. Anyone other than the host & the subordinates will lose their ability to move under this spell.


    Note : Current activation time is 5 seconds. The host is advised to practice and perfect this spell by himself.


    Dead Summoning (PASSIVE) :


    The host can create undead creatures that function because of dark magic in 100 meter radius.]


    "You know what.. I give up." said Kahn and threw his hands in the air as the system told him the new skills he gained. These skills just outmatched many of his previously gained skills.


    Now he had only two things left to do.


    So he paid attention towards the 1st thing.


    Use Synthesis to merge skills.


    But just as soon as the system showed him the list of merged skills.. Kahn''s jaw dropped on the ground in shock!


    "Holy fuck dude.. Did I just be too OP?"

 Chapter 85: The Necromancer

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Necromancer</h4>


    Kahn stood with a gobsmacked expression on his face after seeing the possible merged skills that the system listed to him.


    Past half an hour already gave him two small heart attacks and now the system gave him the 3rd one.


    The new merged skills were the very reason for that.


    [The host can acquire the following merged skills :


    Darkde (S Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Abination of Shadow de & Windcutter sword skill.


    Allows the host to attacks and shoot waves of 3 meter height long-range and highlypressed dark energy des through the sword.


    Current range : 60 meters


    King of the Dead (S Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Ability created by merging Dead Summoner under Synthesis divine ability. The Divine Ability has undergone a transformation. The time required to create new subordinates has been reduced by 50%.


    Allows the host to directly create subordinates without touching them. As long as the host provides monster cores or mana ores to the system, the host can directly create new subordinates in 500 meters radius.


    The host has gained the ability to impart or grant the Dark magic & Darkness element to the newly created subordinates.


    Command word to activate this skill is required.] listed the system and gave him the details on his newly gained skills.


    "Bloody hell." said Kahn and made a gesture of drinking his imaginary coffee.


    There were only two merged skills avable but they were top-notch in every aspect.


    Darkde was simply too overpowered because it had the same effects as the Shadow des that the Lich used to kill Kahn. Those were the same des that even Kahn''s Somir scales failed to defend against. And that ability was his best defense skill. Even the Windcutter attack could barely make a scratch on those scales. So he understood how strong and destructive those shadow des were.


    But to use them inbat through the sword was far useful as Kahn won''t need to spend any time on casting them or cite any incantation. He could just use his sword tounch those des that could easily cut through boulders with ease and that too for 60 meters range.


    Just through description alone, this ability had be his most powerful long-range offensive skill. He clearlycked such skill.


    Although the Grappling Extensions had 30 meters of range, he couldn''t use them in a fight without appearing like a monster to onlookers. Even though the Dark magic was forbidden, he could still make do with Windcutter in front of the public eye and use Darkde when he had to fight multiple enemies.


    Kahn was now certain that the Darkde skill could cut through armors and shields like a hot knife through butter. He could cut through a dozen enemies with just a single attack of the Darkde skill because with Hero of Darkness title in effect, the output damage of all his dark magic spells and darkness element attack skill will be tripled.


    And then the King of the Dead was a life-saving skill for him. Because he was tired of always having to put his hands on the creatures and standing there like an idiot and wait till the new subordinates were created. And since the system couldn''t function outside of his body, he always had to do the job manually. With the increase of subordinates.. This had be a tiresome chore. And one of the reasons why Kahn hadn''t created hundreds of subordinates already despite killing so many people and monsters.


    "Merge them."manded Kahn and waited for his new skills.


    [Synthesisplete. Please decide amand word for the King of the Dead skill to activate.] replied the system.


    "Arise."


    [[Author : Oye!! Do you want me to get sued? Think of something original, you dumbass!]]


    "Uhmm.. Wait. Let me think of something else. How about ''Awaken'' ?"


    [Command word epted.] affirmed the system.


    Kahn then moved to the 2nd thing on his to-do list.


    He thought for a while about his possible options as he looked at the body of the undead Lich.


    "Ceril!" he called out the Enchanter subordinate. Currently, it was his only best choice to merge with this undead.


    Because no way he was going to let go of the powerful enemy who managed topletely overpower & kill him. The Undead Lich already gave him a lot by identally awakening his Hero of Darkness title, granted him the OP dark magic spells and skills and now it was going to give him another powerful subordinate.


    "System, I can skip on needing a subordinate with Evolution skill unlocked given how the Lich was made of dark magic & darkness element, right?"


    [Yes. But the host will need to impart all the dark magic he currently has in order to sessfully merge the bodies along with 30 A Rank monster cores. The Dark magic reserves will be restored with time. The resultant subordinates will possess the skills & spells of both subjects but the Dark magic will have a more prominent influence on its characteristics.] replied andmanded the system.


    "I see. Impart all my current storage of dark magic to the synthesis process and take the cores." said Kahn and took out 30 A Rank monster cores from his space ring.


    [The host still needs to give themand.] reminded the system.


    "Awaken." said Kahn and suddenly, all the cores in his hand were absorbed and Ceril''s body started to merge with the bones of the undead Lich as both the subjects turned into shadows and mixed without Kahn having to touch them.


    Even with the 50% decrease in the Synthesis procedure, it still took 30 minutes before the new subordinate was finally created.


    A Skelton mage that had a crown embedded in its head and a 10 meter tall body. It was nothing but white bones and its eyes glimmered red. Ceril''s humanoid structure was gone and now he appeared very simr to the undead Lich in many ways. However, his rib cage had a red fire orb in the middle and his aura was in red unlike the dark summoner who emitted a purple aura.


    Kahn took out long white and red mage robes and some light armor from his space ring and gave them to Ceril. To cover the majority of his exposed bones.


    With a wave of his hands, Ceril now summoned the 5 Grimoires that once belonged to the Lich and they connected to him by red and tangible mana threads.


    Ceril then wore the mage robes and knelt in front of Kahn.


    "Thank you, my lord. I shall serve you with all my strength till the end of days." said Ceril who could finally speak.


    "System, show me his stats."manded Kahn.


    [Following are the statistics for the subordinate named Ceril :


    Name : Ceril


    Species : Necromancer (Variant Undead Summoner)


    Rank : Lord


    Level : 53


    Strength : 186


    Agility : 193


    Dexterity : 361


    Defense : 137


    Mana : 782


    Active skills & abilities :


    Darkness Barrier


    Undead Summoner


    Shadow de


    Firestorm


    Lightning Bolt


    Wind de


    Frost Pike


    Water de


    Silence Barrier


    Void Space


    Note : Some abilities that are no longer suitable for the subordinate after merging with Dark magic have been removed.


    Passive skills/abilities :


    Mana Recovery (A Rank) (Upgradable)


    Dark Magic Absorption (A Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the subordinate to absorb dark magic energy from other beings.


    Commander of the Dead (A Rank) (Upgradable):


    Allows the subordinate to summon undead creatures andmand them as part of its army.]


    Kahn was stunned after hearing the results and eximed in surprise.


    "Holy mother of God!"

 Chapter 86: Returning the Favor

    <h4>Chapter 86: Returning the Favor</h4>


    Kahn who had grown numb surprises at this point still felt amazed. Because Ceril had be something he didn''t actually expect to happen.


    Necromancer! Ceril was now a Necromancer!


    Kahn had already declined this Divine Ability when he was offered a choice. Because the 3 Divine Abilities he chose were more tempting to him.


    Even though Ceril''s current abilities couldn''t amount to someone with that Divine Ability, this still had opened many doors to Kahn and in the future, Ceril would definitely y a pivotal role for him.


    "All of you,e with me." spoke Kahn and they started walking towards the previous tunnel where they had fought and killed the skeleton army of the undead Lich.


    Now that Ceril had be a Necromancer, he had the skills to Summon the undead and also cast his normal mage spells, making him a variant who could do both. Because normally, no Lich or a mage could cast Dark magic spells along with other magic element spells at the same time. They had to make sacrifices and give up on one side.


    If Ceril evolved further.. He could be one of the strongest Necromancers only second to the one with the Divine Ability. Kahn already decided that if he ever came across another of such enemy, he''d prioritize on upgrading Ceril.


    "Summon them and make them part of your army."manded Kahn.


    "Yes, my Lord." spoke Ceril in his hollow and grim tone. He started casting various magic spells and the 5 Grimoires around him floated.


    A dark fog emitted from his body and these books, spreading around the thousands of bones and engulfed them one by one. Their broken bones started reattaching and the bodies of the skeleton soldiers started standing up one by one including the huge skeletal warrior they previously killed.


    In just 10 minutes, around 500 skeleton soldiers stood inside this cave-like space and almost filled the entirety of it.


    "System, can they be counted as my subordinates?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes. However, they are not directly under the control of the host but subordinate named Ceril, the Necromancer. The host is allowed to store them by granting them Shadow Merge skill that can be shared using Ceril as a medium.] replied the system.


    Kahn found it reasonable because it wasn''t him who directly created them. He would''ve if he had any dark magic reserves left inside him, but he didn''t because he used it all up to evolve Ceril. Besides, they were still his minions because at the end of the day, he was the boss of their boss.


    Kahn then pointed his space ring towards this army and in a matter of seconds, a huge pile of weapons, armors and magical artifacts ranging from Common rank to Rare rank was ced in front of him. There were more than 300 weapons, 200 armors and 50 magical artifacts.


    These were from the stock he had gotten by robbing the treasury of the Sigurd n and leftovers from when his army killed the Scarlet Lion guild members and looted their belongings.


    So it was the best time to use them. Because this army of undead was definitely going to prove more useful and increase his side''s attacking strength.


    After the majority of them were equipped, there were still more than 150 who didn''t get anything. Kahn decided that he would give them the gearster.


    "Let''s go. It''s time to leave." said Kahn and departed the dungeon. It was already evening and his usual time to return to his home.


    With his current wealth, he could easily buy a small mansion for living but given how he didn''t have the habit to get attached to materialistic things, he found it a waste of money. He didn''t even know how long he would stay in this city.


    Instead of directly going to the house, he went to a high-ss dining restaurant and ordered a hearty meal. Because this time when he ''supposedly'' died.. His biggest regret wasn''t about not being able to live his life where he was happy, loved or respected.. Rather, it was not being able to eat all the delicious food this new world had to offer.


    Because there were too many amazing dishes and spices he had tasted and wanted to eat rather than just food full of nothing but sugar, butter, cheese and oil in his previous life. If he failed to enjoy thousands of delicacies before dying again.. Then he would feel disgusted & disappointed at himself.


    The waiters and the cooks of this restaurant had a run for their lives because Kahn alone had ordered food enough for 5 people and wolfed on these mouth-watering, aromatic dishes and drinks like there was no tomorrow.


    BURP!


    After an hour, he was finally done and felt satisfied. Feeling content, he paid 600 gold coins and left. 100 of which were just the tip for the waiters & the chefs for meeting his pace of eating.


    When midnight finally came, he fell asleep in hisfortable and king-size bed. Today had given him a lot of life lessons on how to never underestimate your enemy even though he was always cautious and how to appreciate the things that you findfortable and rxing.


    Ever since he came into this world.. He didn''t have a single day of proper rxation so he thought it''d be best to take few days off from his usual hunting things and killing enemies.


    But just when he had entered his merry sleep and finally closed his eyes.. His ears & Survival Instinct picked up a presence one kilometer away, heading towards him very silently.


    Kahn got out of the bed and the figure stood outside of his huge window.


    "Enter." he said and ordered the figure that was using Stealth at this moment.


    An invisible person walked in and a figure of an assassin appeared in front of him.


    "Mister Kahn.. The Magistrate hopes that you keep your promise and deliver upon it." said the Elven Assassin.


    It was the same Elven Assassin who once did research on Kahn and reported it to the old Lionkin magistrate.


    "We talked just this morning. Is he really that much in hurry?" asked Kahn.


    "Time is of the essence, Sir. Here''s the list of 3 people the Magistrate wants you to get rid of. And the time margin is only 3 days. He also told me to tell you that the sooner you repay the favor, the more convenient things would be for both the sides." said the Elven assassin and handed Kahn an envelope.


    Kahn opened the envelope and there was a list of names and their details written on them. But after reading the list, Kahn was stunned and shouted..


    "Is he fucking crazy?! Does he want to put the entire city on war?!"

 Chapter 87: The Big Three

    <h4>Chapter 87: The Big Three</h4>


    Kahn was surprised by reading the names in the list. And the details of these people were what made him ask that question in surprise.


    "And I thought you were someone capable since you reached the Grandmaster rank at such young age. Even those so-called geniuses of noble factions and military officials don''t amount to anything in front of you.. But to see that you find this task troublesome.. I find it disappointed." said the elven assassin.


    "And why are you under the impression that I need any approval or validation from you? If you were so capable, why did the magistrate contact me in the first ce?" scoffed off Kahn and gave a deathly look towards the assassin, instantly paralyzing him on the spot.


    He used the Executioner''s Gaze on the assassin to put him in his ce because how could Kahn allow someone''sckey or a henchman to talk down & question his strength?


    "I''m only concerned about the consequences of killing these people. Tell the magistrate to make sure that things don''te to bite me back. And after this deal is done, our debt is paid. I don''t want any more involvement in this. Understood?" said Kahn in his tyrannical voice. Instantly sending shivers to the already paralyzed and scared assassin.


    The assassin soon left.. More like ran for his life as soon as he recovered.


    Kahn kept the envelope in his drawer and went back to sleep. Today he was too tired so his sleep had no dreams.


    The next morning when he woke up, he left in a hurry to do some intel gathering on his own. The matter was too sensitive to leave it to anyone else.


    Because the 3 names the list contained had one of the most prominent figures in the entire city.


    One of them was the current ruler of the Underworld of this city, the other was the president of the Business Federation and thest but not the least was the current leader of the Noble Factions and probably the hardest one to kill.


    The reason why he was stunned and bewildered was because if he killed any of these people.. There would be a war fought just to sit in the position of these people.


    Gangs and criminal groups will fight for the seat of the ruler of the underworld. All the businessmen who only appeared simple would fight for the authority of the new president while the so-called upper ss nobles will kill each other to gain the head position of the leader.


    The reason Kahn asked if the magistrate wanted to put the entire city on war was because the consequences of these people falling would affect the entire poption of the city in many ways.


    Because no matter what world it was.. In the power struggle of the strong, it was always the poor and the innocent who suffered the most.


    Violent gang fights would implicate innocent passerby & citizens while the silent war between business authorities would affect the prices of the goods and daily necessities for the normal people, affecting the economy of the city where normal folks barely made enough to keep on living. And not to mention the Nobles faction.. Those people had money, resources and people to fight their wars in the amount of thousands.


    No matter which part it was.. Either way, there was going to be a bloodbath in some way. Besides, it would also break the power bnce in the city and it could also cause destabilization in the security of the city itself.


    This was just paying too big of a price just to have his name not implicated and burying the matter of killing two people.. No, the entire Scarlet Lion guild. Because Kahn wasn''t stupid to think that the magistrate didn''t know that it was him who murdered more than a hundred people that day.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have gone this far and give him the list of the top powers in the city. And that''s why he had no option but to ept this deal.


    Kahn spent the entire day traveling to these locations where the targets were known to live and often visit. And the most important part was that they''d be alone in some of these ces. So he had to bribe few people, infiltrate ces and determine the best ce and the timing for taking them out.


    And he had no intentions to get mixed into this after the killings were done. But he had to be careful that there''d be no way he could be connected to this. So he changed his clothes to of a mage and hid his face behind a mask while gathering the intel.


    He also had to decide how he''d carry out the killings because he couldn''t make it the same way Azrael did the things as it''d lead to unnecessary suspicion from the Magistrate''s side. Also cutting their heads off with a sword would be another trail, new dark magic skills were out of the equation.


    "I guess it leaves only one option." spoke Kahn and decided that he had enough intel to do the assassinations. And the method he chose would be very effective and won''t implicate him in any way. Besides, it was about time he used one of the trump card abilities he recently gained.


    When the night descended and the bustling nightlife of the city lightened up the dark corners and infamous streets, a brothel full of half-naked women including human, demonkin and elf females with their plump and exotic bodies along with their seductive assets waving around were serving the drunk & lustful customers with their the upper half of their bodies exposed.


    Some of the more daring customers even grabbed the butts of these women and fondled their breasts as they teased them in front of so many people.


    This wasn''t considered as weird in this ce because at one corner, a dozen of men and women were doing the deed while beingpletely naked. Beastmen having their go on human and elven females while the human males banging their bodies on demonkin andmias (Snakekin females). The moans and grunts of these people filled the entire hall.


    [[Author : For the record, the Novel is R18. Nudity and Gore won''t be shied away from. So don''t go reporting the novel or filing aint.]]


    And in the topmost floor of this 5 stories building, a tall and muscr Demonkin who was surrounded by multiple females with bodacious bodies and giving him the service, enjoyed the blissful experience of bodily pleasure as heid on a bed.


    A set of footsteps were heard and 2 men, a Tigerkin and a Wolfkin stood in front of him.


    "Boss, he''s here. And he''s asking for a private meeting." said the Tigerkin.


    "Tell him to wait. I''ll be there soon." said the Demonkin.


    "Well, I guess we''ll have to shorten our time here. Let''s finish this quickly." said the Demonkin and multiple moans of women whimpering in pleasure came out of the room.


    After some time, the Demonkin who was now well dressed up in more businessman type of clothes entered inside a room full of highly decorated ornaments and incredibly well-designed furniture.


    After he entered the room, his eyesnded on a skinny and old man.


    The old man who was dressed in aristocratic clothes bowed in respect in front of the Demonkin.


    "My name is Saan Jormain. Pleased to make your acquaintance sir Vetroleux Arvitzen, the King of the Underworld."

 Chapter 88: Repaying the Debt

    <h4>Chapter 88: Repaying the Debt</h4>


    The old nobleman introduced himself to the King of the Underworld. The tall demonkin was none other than the boss of several criminal organizations who controlled everything illegal in this city. Let it be ck market, assassinations, kidnapping, ve trading.. All of it.


    He had been holding that title for more than 10 years already and killed hundreds of people to reach there and hold his rule together.


    His bodyguards and trusted men followed him inside and stood against the doors and windows.


    "What does a nobleman want from someone like me? If not for you paying 50 thousand gold dramus, I wouldn''t have even attended this meeting." replied the demonkin in a skeptical tone.


    "Apologies, sir. It''s just that we require your services and your connections. How would you feel about doing some business with the House Vivaldi?" spoke the old man who had a well-trimmed mustache and a beard.


    GASP!


    Everyone in the room gasped in surprise.


    "House Vivaldi? What does the most powerful noble family of the city want from me? Didn''t your factions dere a war on us years ago?" asked the demonkin as he sat on the sofa.


    "The matters are very sensitive so I''m afraid we can''t talk in presence of anyone else. However, I was told you show you this." said the old nobleman and directed his space ring at the middle of the hall and soon, a huge pile of golden coins appeared out of the space ring.


    The entire room was filled with a golden glow and all the people including the boss was left speechless.


    "Please consider this as a gesture of our sincerity and listen to our request because even the walls have ears. And the matters I want to talk about are better kept a secret." said the nobleman.


    "Everyone, out!" ordered the demonkin to all his bodyguards. The amount of money thatid in the middle of the room was enough to make him understand that he was actually talking with a big shot of the Vivaldi n & the matters were too important to be disclosed to his underlings.


    The bodyguards left the room and the demonkin took a magic artifact that cast a silence barrier.


    "No noise can leave this room now. Tell me what is it that you want to talk about with me?" asked the demonkin after he greedily looked at the heap of gold coins.


    But just when he looked at the old man again, the nobleman''s eyes sparked yellow and the demonkin felt like all his muscles had stopped moving.. He was paralyzed.


    The nobleman didn''t speak anything, he simply walked towards the demonkin, took a knife out of his space ring and cut the demonkin''s throat very swiftly. The underworld boss didn''t even see iting that the frail nobleman was not someone who came to do business with him, rather make his life''s final deal.


    For the next 2 hours, there was no voice or anything that came out of the room but the guards kept a lookout on the door as part of their duty.


    At this moment, an elderly wolfkin suffered the same fate as the demonkin.


    "Now, thest target.." spoke a demonkin with blonde hair. There was a heap of gold coins in this room as well and nobody else but the two of them present inside this luxurious room of a mansion.


    The blonde demonkin''s figure flickered after he took all the gold coins and he disappeared from the spot as he merged inside a shadow.


    When midnight came, inside a massive mansion, a white wolfkin dressed in businessman clothes stood inside a nobleman''s office and a body of an elderly bald man lied in front of him.


    But this time, there was a small hill of gold coins, far bigger than both the previous times.


    "Idiots. Everyone lets their guard go as soon as you show them money." spoke the wolfkin. And took all the gold back in his space ring.


    He opened the window and jumped down, mixing in the shadows and leaving without any trace behind.


    The next morning, Kahn woke up from his sleep and started doing his weapons practices as usual. No one could''ve guessed that he killed three influential figures of the city in a single night.


    Because his approach was exactly the opposite of what any assassin would ever choose.


    And he used his newly acquired Metamorphosis bloodline to do the job.


    Kahn already had absorbed the bloodlines of various species when he created the 6 Generals after killing the Groundhog adventurer team. Just that he never had any use of these bloodlines other than the skills of their particr job. But after acquiring the Metamorphosis bloodline from the 13th floor boss, he could finally make a good use of them.


    Kahn entered as the representative of the Vivaldi n to the underworld boss, the n belonging to the leader of the nobles faction himself. He used the money to gain instant meeting and also presented riches and fortunes to make his targets to take him seriously so they''d be left alone to discuss private matters of such a massive deal.


    He went as the representative of the underworld boss to talk the business with the president of the Business Federation and then as the Business Federation representative to talk about a beneficial trade with the head of the noble n.


    As soon as all of them saw the money, they thought of him as a goldmine and treated him seriously, ordering their bodyguards to leave them alone for private chats.


    That way, nobody interfered when they were alone.


    Because what good were Magic Formations and Protection Barriers if you allowed the killer to enter inside?


    Kahn even stormed out when he found out that the noble faction leader still had people watching over them.. Saying that they have provoked the wrath of powers that stood behind him and there will be no dealings in the future.


    His act yed a major part and he took out the 3 targets easily.


    This way, the witnesses and powers from these three sides will point fingers at each other and have a war on the outside while inside, there would be a sh for power & the position of the sessor.


    Kahn made sure that the assassinations looked like a standard one than leaving any specific pattern in them.


    With this, he had repaid his debt.


    When the night came, the Elven assassin met Kahn again and brought him a letter. Kahn read it and understood that the magistrate was extremely happy but also wanted to carry on their partnership.


    In return, Kahn wrote a letter himself and sealed it inside an envelope, telling the assassin to only let the magistrate open it.


    When the envelope reached the old Lionkin''s hand.. The old man was furious but also felt a sense of dread and threat after reading the contents.


    The letter from Kahn wasn''t anything long but only a few lines..


    "The debt is paid. Do not try to ckmail me or I''lle for your head next."

 Chapter 89: Taking a Break

    <h4>Chapter 89: Taking a Break</h4>


    The next day when Kahn finally woke up and followed his usual routine of weapons practice and did various workouts to keep his health and body in check.


    Although his current strength was far greater than ever before and now he could even pick up a giant boulder in one hand, he still didn''t like being out of form because even if his stats rose and the new body he had was something he always dreamt of.. Lazing around and not exercising will diminish his range of physical movements with time.


    In this life, Kahn paid a lot of attention to his fitness because he had seen the effects of always being in motion and staying focused in his hunts. The effects made him realize how he had wasted previous life in being a couch potato and azy bum who never paid attention to his fitness and ate unhealthy food. Now he hade to despise his old self and also on the people who took their bodies for granted.


    [[Author : Is this a personal attack or something?]]


    "Sir, your breakfast is ready." said Jerome, the caretaker of the house.


    Kahn noticed that in the past few days, Jerome and his chef had be incredibly approachable and also served him well.


    Today.. Kahn absolutely had no ns on what to do. He could spend it on practicing his dark magic spells, his darkde skill or even something else but he simply didn''t want to.


    Ever since he hade to this world, it was always one thing or another.. He had to prioritize hunting monsters, killing people as part of the contract then look for resources to increase his strength and wealth. But now, he had everything he needed.


    He had made himselfpletely familiarized with this new world and had superficial knowledge about the things he hadn''t seen before.


    His strength was more than enough to make him one of the top 10 strongest people in the entire city of millions of residents, his reputation and name were fairly good and his connections with the top brass were also favorable.


    As for the warning letter he chose to send the Magistratest night.. It was to draw the line.


    He had already seen iting that the magistrate would try to persuade him one way or another and even try to ckmail him to work for their faction.


    But he too had to assert his dominance with that warning letter. Otherwise, he''d get tangled inside the web of unseen wars and betrayals of the power struggle. This wasn''t something he wished to be part of for now, mainly because he had no sense of belonging to any ce or even someone in this world.


    He was simply a Lonewolf trying to get himself on top of the food chain so that nobody could trample upon him or he is forced to suffer through any form of injustice.


    Kahn decided a long time ago that he won''t be some Beta main character of some Novel or Manga who has to lower his head in front of the strong people and bide their time to grow in strength and wait for the day when they''d exact vengeance on the oppressors.


    No, he wanted to be the guy that no one would ever dare to mess with in the first ce. So he won''t have to go through the trouble of having cliche enemies & young masters of some powerful and reputed houses or organizations creating trouble for him like those Mangas where the sameme pattern of Protagonist being harassed and looked down on by everyone just because hees from a poor background or currently is weakpared to others.


    The story of the underdog rising in status and power only worked in fictional things. However, the reality functioned very differently and nothing like some plot of a book. You either live a life of the strong or you suffer as the weakling in a society.


    Kahn had already been on the weak and pitiful side in the previous life so no way he was going to waste this another chance at life being the same type of person.


    He wanted to be the Alpha, he wanted to be the Chad & The Final Stage Boss who can''t be killed even with the power of Love & Friendship.


    Back to the current moment.. Kahn finished his breakfast and thought of doing something useful and different.. But only then did a sudden realization hit him inside his mind that he truly hadn''t experienced the culture of the people and this empire.


    Since he always had to prioritize on getting strong.. He never had time to experience the difference between this world''s culture and his previous one.


    "That''s it. I''m going to take some time off. And enjoy what this ce has to offer to me." spoke Kahn with resolution as he decide that it''d be better to take a break than let a burnout ruin himter.


    Kahn asked Jerome for the sightseeing spots in the city, the ces that held historical importance and things that had people paid most importance to in the entire empire.


    For the entire day, Kahn spent traveling and visiting these sites, memorial ces, vast and beautiful sightseeing ces and few museums that held the archives and heritage of the rich history and most noticeable changes that built the foundation of this empire.


    Kahn also tried tasting various street foods and just shopping for stuff he found amusing for no reason whatsoever. Because he wasn''t looking for something that he had needed.. But something that he hadn''t experienced before.


    At the end of the night.. Kahn sat below a giant tree and looked at the beautiful scenery of the nightlife under the bright moonlight that made the entire city appear very soothing to his mind and soul.


    Compared to the scenery of the modern city full of skyrocketing buildings and bustling poption under the moon on the night hemitted suicide, the sight in front of him gave a sense of peace and calm.


    For the first time in this new world.. Kahn felt the Slice of Life.

 Chapter 90: Back on Track

    <h4>Chapter 90: Back on Track</h4>


    For the entire week, Kahn spent his time rxing and practicing his skills. And to still make good use of it, he spent of his vacant time studying different books on war strategies, historical events of the empire and information of the various species, their origins and detailed information on the geography of the empire.


    Such as which city was situated where and what were they famous for. And which power held the prominent influence over these regions.


    As per the information he gathered, there were more than 1023 main cities in the entire empire, hundreds of them even bigger than vot city. But majorly, only 83 cities had the biggest impact on the Empire''s economy. vot City was one of them because of the natural resources they got from dungeons and terrain but it yed only a small part in it.


    Compared to some fiefs, the city looked like a backwater ce. Kahn now finally gained the gist of how he was only strong in front of the weaklings.


    The true masters and strong people lived in ces like the Capital. And if he went there.. There would be thousands of people just like him. And even the Saint Rank people weren''t that rare in the capital while in this city, there wasn''t a single Saint rank person.


    Sopared to the vast ocean that was outside of the city.. Kahn was only living like a frog in a well.


    This made him realize how stupid he was to think that his strength was something noteworthy.


    The only advantage he had for now was that he was stronger than the other people such as the noble n heirs and geniuses of some popr & prestigious academies. But in front of the true big shots that lorded over the empire.. He was nothing but a speck of dust.


    Even the young heirs of some ns had an army of a few hundred thousand people at their disposal and their personal strength was no lesser than Kahn. And none of them even had any Divine Abilities that aided them in quickly raising their levels and strength.


    "Man.. I''m truly ignorant." spoke Kahn to himself as a new world of truth was now opened to him.


    And this also ignited his fighting spirit again.


    Because at the end of the day, the strength and abilities of a person were their biggest assets while the resources they had on their beck & call was something he couldn''t amount to even with all his current strength and subordinates he had.


    "And here I thought I was finally good enough. I''m just another country bumpkinpared to those people." said Kahn as he reprimanded himself for being too foolish and delusional.


    Reading these books and records brought him down of the high horse he was riding and broke the imaginary halo of strength & power he thought he had. He was still a small bug who could be easily squashed over by the people sitting at the top in the capital.


    Let it be strength, skills, resources and even the number of fighters he had on his side amounted to nothing. Previously, he had the notion of having few thousand subordinates in the future and being a Saint Rank fighter would make him one of the top powers in the world.


    But to his surprise.. Even those people didn''t have the qualifications to call themselves the head of the snake. His previous life where the little strength those gangs and criminal organizations he heard about clouded his judgment, thinking that it''d be enough.. But this whole world was on a different leaguepared to Earth.


    Some Empires even had over 2 to 3 billion people just inside their army. And the entire poption of sentient living beings in this world was something that no one ever dared to put a number on.


    "This won''t do.. I need to be far stronger than I am now. Even that Lich could kill me.. And it wasn''t even stronger than me or my subordinates." said Kahn as his mind became resolute again.


    It was already noon.. Notte enough for him to wait for another day. So Kahn geared up in his adventurer gear again and thought of visiting a few neighboring dungeons first. The ones that had plenty of monsters that hunted in hordes and had a huge supply of bodies that he could use to upgrade his subordinate''s levels and even create new subordinates for his army.


    He wasn''t going to be arrogant again and barge into lower-level floors of a dungeon to fight the boss as he did previously when he fought the Lich.


    Because he was going to use these dungeons and hunting grounds to make an army big enough for him to help out in clearing a big target he had set up in his mind.


    This eye-opening information had rejuvenated him more than the break he took for a week.


    Kahn went to the adventurer association and bought more than a dozen passes of different dungeons because soon, he''d raid them one by one for uing days.


    Only by raising his own strength and his army in thousands, would he be someone capable enough to stand on equal footing with people from big cities and the top fighters of noble ns and the military.


    Because as the things stood, even someone like Commander Straze could easily kill him without a problem and that Tigerkin warrior wasn''t even a Saint Rank fighter yet. Kahn couldn''t ignore the difference between Rank & Bloodline that he hade to know from his recent experiences in the past month.


    After his priorities were finalized and he gathered enough information about the nearby dungeons. Kahn nned on which floors he''d hunt on and which type of monsters he wanted to farm for skills and add in his legion.


    Because for him, time seemed more important again and he''d hate to waste on the small fries that won''t serve him well in the long run.


    And his first ce to visit was something he had already visited once.


    The Cintra dungeon.

 Chapter 91: The Final Boss

    <h4>Chapter 91: The Final Boss</h4>


    For the next 5 days, Kahn spent his time hunting inside the neighboring dungeons on the floors he thought would give him the best results and give him subordinates that''d be worth keeping and investing in.


    During this hunting spree, he went from various dungeons and chose peculiar specimens to hunt.


    He and his army of 550 soldiers now hunted hordes of ogres, orcs and goblins.


    [[Goblin yer : Did someone say Goblins!?]]


    After acquiring their bloodlines and even upgrading many of them by merging and evolving, Kahn had more than 350 new subordinates after painstaking efforts and spending almost all his time in these dungeons. He''d return home only to eat & sleep. And his hard work had shown rewarding effects as well.


    The ogres gave him many vitality and regeneration skills that were merged and mixed with his other regeneration and defense skills. Although the goblins didn''t offer him any noteworthy skills, he still got plenty of subordinates useful to aid and work under Ronin & Oliver as some were evolved to Assassins & Archer ss goblins.


    The Hobgoblins and High Ogres were under themand of Jugram, the Berserker subordinate from the Six Generals because all of them were physical attack sses and had buff effects when they fought together as a team. And Jugram had the skills to give them even more attack and defense buff from his skills as he was made from Warrior and Swordsman ss.


    Ceril now controlled more than 600 undead and had few high 2 half lord rank monsters in his skeleton army after Kahn merged them using Synthesis and imparted ck magic and darkness element to them.


    Kahn didn''t bother hunting Kobolds as there were better options than them. The only one who didn''t get to lead a group so far was Armin. Kahn didn''t find a single suitable species that could work as his Healer Brigade so the Priest subordinate was on his own for now.


    Out of the 350+ new subordinates, 250 were melee attack sses such as High Ogres, Hobogoblins & High Orcs, 50 were assassin ss while 30 long-range archer ss and the remaining were mage ss. Now Kahn''s army had a pretty good team formation except for the Healers part.


    But even after all these days spent on looking for strong enemies, Kahn didn''t even get to fight a single Lord rank floor boss even on the final floors. All of them were simply weak and didn''t give him any rewarding or game-changer abilities like his hunts from the past. So he only focused on creating new subordinates.


    The most useful ability during these raids was none other than the King of the Dead ability that allowed him to directly create subordinates without him having to touch them in 500 meters radius. All he had to do was wait for his army to ambush and massacre the enemies and for him to step inside the middle of the battlefield.


    This saved him a lot of time as he could now create more than 50 subordinates in one go as long as the corpses were inside half a mile radius from his location. Otherwise, he''d have to spend 3 hours just to create 10 new subordinates.


    The ones he found not worth making as part of his army were eaten and their cores distributed among the older subordinates as they were the main guys.. Their seniors in a sense.


    As Kahn finally felt content with his tiresome grind.. He took a day off just to cool down his mind.


    Because the day after that, he was going after the main reason why he felt the need to increase the numbers in the first ce.


    The next day he spent in his house and carrying on the research by reading books.


    As the morning sun came the day afterwards, Kahn had his breakfast and quickly left to meet his other half.. His true love. The girlfriend he never had in his previous life and always gave him skills and abilities unconditionally. The bond Kahn shared with his girlfriend transcended beyond human understanding. And the name of his soulmate was none other than..


    The Bromnir Dungeon!


    Using a Pass, Kahn finally entered and traveled to the 15th and the final floor of this dungeon.


    Not a single group in the past 50 years had cleared this Dungeon floor. Nobody even got past the 14th floor boss to be exact. The Lich had killed them all and probably the army of 500 skeleton soldiers he had could actually be those adventurers. So there weren''t any records of this floor boss for Kahn to research just like the previous.


    But unlike thest time, he wanted to be careful and not fall into the trap of overestimating himself and getting killed by the enemy instead. He didn''t want to find out if getting stabbed in the chest again would give him another title or some power boost.


    As Kahn finally entered inside the floor entrance.. Suddenly the doorway that led him inside closed with some sort of mechanism and before he could even dash out.. His only escape route was already closed. This gave him a foreboding and a rey of the undead Lich again.


    Kahn''s gaze then shifted to the environment in front of him..


    Apletely ck destend where nothing but ck boulders could be seen. But unlike the previous floor, there weren''t some dead trees but the entire floor seemed like Kahn had entered inside a close range of an active volcano.


    Because this nearly 10 Kilometer wide floor had tons of big cracks on the ground where red and sizzling hotva was leaking out of the ground and some ces even had small fountains of the erupting magma.


    Now even if he didn''t want to.. Kahn would be forced to y the game called ''The Floor is Lava''.


    He treaded carefully from these crevices and boulders and since the heat was already too high. He had no choice but to activate his Somir scales and cast few water spells to drown himself under them just to keep moving forward.


    During this period, he kept all his senses alert. Only when he reached towards a rocky and mountainous area in the center of this floor, did his Survival Instinct started ringing in his head.


    [System warning! The host is being targeted by the murderous intent of a high-grade species. It is advisable to be cautious.] the sudden alert from the system came. And it was the very first time the system itself warned Kahn.


    "Means it''s even a stronger opponent than the Lich.." spoke Kahn and quickly put his darkness barrier on work and prepared to attack with the darkde as soon as he saw the enemy..


    THUD! THUD! THUD!


    The ear-deafening thuds of some giant creature stepping were heard followed by the sizzling sound of ground being burnt reached his ears.


    Kahn''s mouth couldn''t even gasp given the look of the enemy that was standing a kilometer away from him.


    A gigantic 25-meter tall figure with skin covered in the ck and scaly hide with 4 legs that could tear through anything with the sharp and strong ws. The belly of this creature appeared to be emitting burning red glow as if it had the magma inside it. It so had long tail that could swat Kahn to a disc and the most prominent and noticeable thing was its head.


    The monster that stood in front of him made the undead Lich look like a random henchman.


    "Fuck.. This time, I''m definitely gonna die." spoke Kahn as he couldn''t believe his eyes when he again gazed at the gigantic Dungeon Boss.


    It had two giant horns on its head, the jaw and skull thatpletely matched the description of a certain species that was deemed supreme in any fictional story.


    Although it didn''t have wings.. Kahn knew exactly what it was..


    The species stood in front of him with nothing but a look of a superior being looking down upon the ants.


    It was a Drake!


    More urately.. It was a Magma Drake!

 Chapter 92: The Magma Drake

    <h4>Chapter 92: The Magma Drake</h4>


    Kahn stood rooted on the spot and forgot how to even breathe in front of this ginormous figure that appeared to be a descendant species of the mighty Dragon race.


    As per the knowledge he gained from the books he read recently, Drakes were the lowest level of creatures that possessed the Draconian bloodlinepared to other monsters such as Wyrms and Wyverns. But even then, they were nothing to be looked down upon because even a single drake was more than big enough to wipe out at least a?thousand enemies by itself.


    And one of these creatures was standing right in front of him. Its 25 meters tall body and 10 meters breadth had filled a huge portion of this surrounding area.


    The red aura this drake emitted was far stronger and more visible and dense, it made the undead Lich''s aura appear not even worthparing with this gigantic beast. Kahn who felt a simr auraing from only 2 people he met so far. And those were none other than President of the Adventurer Association, Solomon Elfenheim and themander Straze Boltomir from the Military.


    In a way, it''s aura had even more regality and dominancepared to them.


    "A High Lord!" shouted Kahn in disbelief as his Hunter''s Intent sensed the aura from the majestic and dreadful monster.


    A high lord monster wasparable to a Semi-Saint rank fighter.. But given the draconian bloodline, the enemy in front of was no different than a first stage Saint rank enemy.


    "Hmm.. A weakling dares to enter my abode?" a tyrannical and domineering voice filled the entire floor.. Kahn shuddered in fear and there were goosebumps all over his body after hearing the dreadful voice of the Drake.


    "Apologies, o mighty Drake. I''ve mistakenly entered inside this ce without knowing that a superior and magnanimous being such as yourself lives inside the ce." spoke Kahn and bowed in front of this gigantic monster.


    Its ws alone were more than enough to squash 5 Kahn''s with a single attack and even if 10 Kahn stood on top of each other, it''d still be dwarfed by the Drake''s height.


    "You.. How can a lowly creature like you can speak ournguage?" asked the Drake as it tilted its head forwards and took a good look at Kahn.


    bbergasted!


    Kahn had forgotten that because of the All Languages Knowledge gift given to him by Kravel, he could speak even the most ancientnguages in this world.. And that included the Draconiannguage.


    "I have been under the awe of the supreme race your Highness belongs to. So I have spent years studying the Draconiannguage. But to see it finally proving useful and meeting your grand figure here made me forget my manners." replied Kahn quickly.. He had no choice but to butter up this drake or Kahn would be barbecued by this monster.


    He was no different than Bilbo Baggins trying to sweet-talk Smaug from The Hobbit movie so that the dragon wouldn''t eat him.


    "Interesting. So tell me.. Why have youe to this ce? Do you seek to conquer this dungeon or do you wish to y me?" asked the Drake with a curious expression.


    Thud! Thud!


    It started walking towards Kahn and small tremors could be felt on these grounds that were made from cooled-downva. Kahn jittered in fear.. He didn''t even dare to make a run for it because he had no skills that could outrun this Drake if it chased him.


    And where could he even go? Half of this floor was magma while the only safe ce was the ground that was the territory of this drake. Even the exit was already closed. Kahn didn''t want to be the mouse who was hunted by a cat.


    "No, your greatness. I''ve mistakenly entered inside your territory. Had I known before that your grand persona resided here.. I would not have dared to disturb you." spoke Kahn hurriedly to keep the dungeon boss calm.


    "Lies! The proof that you''vee here means that you managed to kill Ajak. To think that pathetic skeleton would be defeated by someone like you.. What a disappointment.." rebuked the drake and tilted his head down, almost trying to sniff the scent down from Kahn.


    "How surprising.. You now possess his aura and powers as if you''ve absorbed him inside you." spoke the drake.


    "It was a fortunate encounter o great high lord. I barely managed to live. If you would allow me to leave.. I promise never to disturb and take your time again." replied Kahn as beads of sweat dripped from his head.


    Because as soon as the drake came 100 meters close to Kahn.. His darkness barrier, the skill which protected the undead Lich from Kahn and his subordinates without getting a scratch had already started waning under the extremely high temperature that came from the drake''s stomach and neck.


    "Do you think of me as a fool, lowly creature? Do you think I do not know why the likes of youe inside this dungeon?.. You''re after the Dungeon Core that runs this ce, aren''t you?" asked the Drake.


    "The dungeon core? What is that if I may ask?" asked Kahn politely.


    "Huh.. You outsiders dare to invade our home for our most precious treasure and then put up an act of being oblivious about what you seek? What a deceitful species indeed." scoffed the drake at Kahn.


    [Nah dude, I don''t know what the fuck you''re talking about.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    "As the Guardian of this dungeon. I shall grant you a painful death, you pitiful thief!" shouted the drake and ripples of sonic booms filled the entire floor as the drake raged at Kahn.


    Suddenly, the drake''s stomach even grew more fiery red and something started amassing in its mouth. Kahn''s Survival Instinct rang like a siren and quickly told him to run away.


    Side Hopper!


    Kahn quickly used the skill and appeared 50 meters behind his previous location. Just then, the drake spat out a giant blob of red hot magma and the darkness barrier that surrounded Kahn before was shattered like a mirror hit by a stone.


    As soon as Kahn saw this, he dashed away in the opposite direction of the drake.. And only one thought came into his mind..


    [Run bitch! Run!]

 Chapter 93: Return of the King

    <h4>Chapter 93: Return of the King</h4>


    Kahn ran through the rocky terrain of the final floor and dodged the jet stream attacks from the Dungeon Boss.


    "You''re misunderstanding me! I''m not here to steal anything. I only came to find who lived on this floor!" shouted Kahn as he kept running and used Side Hopper skill from time to time just when the blistering hot magma was about to hit him.


    THUD!


    BANG!


    "Do not think of me as a dumb monster you lowly creature. That''s what every thief says when caught red-handed!" growled the dungeon boss and chased after Kahn. Every step and jump it made shook the rocky ground and formed cracks as the ginormous creature was the biggest andrgest monster Kahn had ever seen in this new life.


    So far, Kahn hadn''t even tried to summon any of his subordinates because there simply wasn''t any suitable ce for him to summon his army and even fight properly.


    The only ce that could hold arge-scale battle in front of the Magma Drake was the ce where he met the dungeon boss for the first time.


    Kahn knew he alone couldn''t do anything against this boss. But if he released the subordinates here, half of them would be burnt alive in the magma that was erupting from the ground.


    Kahn thought of a n, he started citing an incantation as he kept dodging the giant ws by running & jumping from time to time. He let the drake spit another stream of magma at him but just as the attack was about to hit his body, he released the Void Realm dark magic spell.


    Swoosh!


    Everything in his 50 meter proximity quickly stopped moving including the gigantic drake as if the time itself stopped running in this ce. Kahn dashed by its left side to quickly get past it. The spell currently worked only for 5 seconds so he didn''t have any time to waste.


    When the spell finally ended, the Drake regained control of its body, it shifted its gaze at Kahn again and spoke, "It''s Ajak''s skill! You really did steal his powers."


    The magma drake''s expression turned to that of rage as if Kahn hadmitted some sort of taboo; it charged at him with full speed and with more fervor this time. Everywhere the drake passed, small cracks were formed on the solid ground.


    After running for a couple of minutes, Kahn finally reached the center of the grounds where the drake previously stood.


    "Everyone, out!"manded Kahn and one by one, hundreds of ck figures jumped out of his shadow and quickly started getting in a defensive formation without wasting a single second.


    His side now consisted of more than 850 subordinates and many being above Level 40. And since he had spent considerable resources on equipping them with proper gears and weapons, it wasparable to a battalion of well-equipped soldiers.


    The first line of defense was ckwall and the Minotaurs, followed by High Ogres, Hobgoblins, High Orcs and the Undead warriors under the lead of Jugram and Ceril. Ronin took the left nk with the goblin assassins & Oliver took the right with archer subordinates and the Nymphs.


    Armin took the center while Omega & Kahn were in the back. This sudden emergence of these creatures even surprised the Drake Dungeon Boss and it stopped his charge.


    "What kind of magic is this? They''re neither undead and nor are summoned creatures.." spoke the drake in confusion.


    At this moment, Kahn didn''t waste time answering their attacker. He and Ronin released the fear toxin from their hands at full capacity and started filling the surrounding with the fear toxin.


    "You dare to fight back you pathetic vermin!" shouted the drake and charged at the Kahn''s army!


    A barrage of water & frost spellsnded on the body of the ginormous drake and a volley of arrows fell on it.


    ckwall taunted the drake to attack him and put?his new shield in the front after activating all of his defensive skills. Ceril on the other hand startedunching the Shadow des at the dungeon boss that had so much destructive power.


    Omega, whose job was to protect Kahn at this moment stood in between him and the enemy.


    ROAR!!


    The drake roared in anger after surviving through the barrage of attacks. But amongst all of them, only the shadow des did some actual damage as the scaly hide was simply too strong and fortified to break through. Even the water & frost spells and attack only managed to push it back a little but soon they evaporated from the extremely high temperatureing from the gigantic monster''s body.


    "Die you insects!" bellowed the drake and stormed in front of the defensive formation. With a single swipe of its giant ws, it broke through the first line of defense and even flung many of the minotaurs and Ogres right inside theva. Their wails reached Kahn''s ears as one by one, the subordinates were melting and burned alive helplessly inside the pool of magma that wasing out of the ground.


    The drake roared and sonic booms from its mighty war cry shook the surroundings and many of the subordinates lost their footing. It jumped right in the middle of the formation and started attacking the hundreds of enemies without any care of being hurt. It was extremely agile and strong, opposite of what one would expect from such a ginormous figure.


    The magma drake swung its tail and swatted dozens of subordinates in the ground and broke many skeleton soldiers into pieces.. Just in the matter of a minute, Kahn had already lost more than a hundred subordinates by either getting killed under the attacks from the gigantic drake or getting burned alive from the magma pools surrounding the battlefield.


    It didn''t even take 10 minutes before only 10% of Kahn''s original army remained. Kahn himself saw the dungeon boss decimating Ceril, Jugram and ckwall in the ground and killing them on the spot with magma that it spit out of its mouth.


    Omega charged and attacked the drake with shredder ws but they couldn''t even go past its defenses while the toxin fog didn''t do anything because it got evaporated from the bodily heat before even reaching the dungeon boss.


    Kahn who was attacking with darkde did some minor damage but it wasn''t enough. He''d need to attack the same ce over few dozen times before his attacks even made a significant damage. His darkness barrier, the biggest protective spell shattered in seconds from the magma attacks of this gigantic beast while his Somir scales were already cracking from the tail swipe attacks he barely managed to survive from.


    Little by little, everyone including Omega died by the hands of the drake as it cut and ripped their bodies apart.. Kahn on the other hand wasn''t faring any better.


    All of his subordinates were defeated.. All his attack skills including the darkde, fear toxin and poison acid proved useless in front of the dungeon boss.


    He thought that he had prepared for the unexpected.. But greatly failed in front of it anyway.


    BERSERK GOD MODE!


    He activated his life-saving skill and attacked the drake with all his might using his sword andunched dark magic spells and attacks one by one.. But even they didn''t cut down the Magma drake and only made it bleed with bright yellow blood that appeared no different than the blistering magma.


    THWACK!


    Kahn was yeeted away by the tail swipe attack and his body was thrown 200 meters away despite defending against the attack.


    His Somir scales started crumbling one by one.. If not for them, he would''ve been roasted alive.


    Just before he could get up, his body gave up and he dropped on the ground with his face & torso bleeding profusely. The effect of the Berserk God Mode had finished and now he was suffering from the aftermath. He had entered a weakened state and didn''t even have the strength to lift his head.


    "Is this my true end.." thought Kahn. He cursed himself for thinking that he would be able to fight whatever that was thrown in front of him just because he had an army of nearly a thousand soldiers. But the Saint rank monster was in apletely different league.


    THUD! THUD! THUD!


    The dungeon boss that was standing 200 meters away started walking towards Kahn''s fallen body with a bored expression as if Kahn didn''t even meet its expectations and gave a good fight.


    Kahn''s body started giving up and his consciousness started fading.


    But suddenly, an rming sound came from his mind!


    [System is unable to control the subordinate! The host must maintain his consciousness!] rmed the system.


    The next second however.. A giant burst of ck smoke was released from his body andpletely filled the surrounding 100 meters in just seconds. Even the magma drake faltered in its footsteps as it felt a dangerous auraing out of this seemingly weak creature.


    A ground-shattering and terrifying screech was released from inside of Kahn''s body as a visible ck aura soon filled the entire battlefield.


    Kahn heard an Ancient and Domineering voice in his head for the first time. This voice was unknown to him since he never heard it before. The majestic and tyrannical voice spoke to him.


    [You''re still so weak and pathetic, human!]


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    The entire battlefield shook as if a bolt of lightning was dropped in the middle of it.


    A gigantic and extremely long ck creature suddenly appeared in front of Kahn''s unconscious body.. And the figure was something that hadn''t appeared ever since Kahn left the forest.


    The figure had two long and pointy horns.. Its eyes were burning yellow and two giant fangs came out of its mouth. This ck creature was even longer than the magma drake and its height was no lesser than the dungeon boss.


    SCREECH!!!


    An ear-deafening and shrill war cry was heard and even the drake, who was a descendent of the mighty dragon race felt an immense threating from the creature that stood in front of it.


    A ginormous figure of a Basilisk stood in the middle of the battlefield and stared at the dungeon boss as if it was looking at a weak prey. And the figure being none other than..


    RUDRA!

 Chapter 94: The Archenemy

    <h4>Chapter 94: The Archenemy</h4>


    Two ginormous figures.. Each one of them belonging to a superior species in the existence of this world. Both figures filled half of this battleground among the mangled, burnt flesh and broken bones of Kahn''s subordinates.


    All of them were dead.. whether it was Omega, ckwall, Ronin, Ceril & Oliver. Not a single one of them survived and were brutally killed by this magma drake. Those who were the most loyal to him had already done their best to fight by his side and gave their lives to protect him.


    But now, the only being who stood in between him and the inevitable death was this gigantic Basilisk who hadn''t even acknowledged Kahn as its master.


    HISSSS!!!


    Rudra, the Variant Basilisk that Kahn had created using the dead body of the mother Somir & her eggs to repent for taking their lives had finally reappeared after staying silent for too long. It had already been more than a month ever since the tyrannical and majestic creature had a chance to make an entrance.


    Although Kahn had to rely on Rudra for few days inside the forest when they had to build up their strengths and increase their levels. But when Kahn came to vot city, he couldn''t take out this subordinate because it was simply too big and there weren''t many asions he required help from this basilisk who didn''t even have any loyalty towards its creator.


    But as things stood now, it was the only thing that prevented his confirmed death as Kahn stillid on the ground unconscious andpletely oblivious to what was happening.


    "What kind of foul scented creature are you?" spoke the magma drake as he felt some sort of unexinable hatred towards the basilisk that was about as same height as itself.


    "Silence! An inferior beast dares to insult me?!" bellowed Rudra. There existed nonguage barrier as if these creatures were talking to each other telepathically and shared some sort of understanding towards each other.


    "Get out of my way! I must kill that invader." roared the drake and stared at Rudra.


    "You daremand me?! A weakling wishes to provoke my wrath?!" screeched Rudra at the drake and his eyes glimmered yellow again.


    "My life is bound to this weak human. So if you want to kill him, I''ll have to see whether you''re worthy of killing me first." dered Rudra.


    Even if Rudra had an advantage in terms of Rank & Bloodline purity and even had the same size as the dungeon boss, he still had to be wary of the drake because he was currently level 62 while the drake as per Kahn''s standards would be around level 82.


    The difference between rank and bloodline was made up with the difference in levels and attributes. In terms of physical strength, both of them were at equal stats because Drake was only a low level descendant of the Dragons while Rudra had 50% pure Basilisk bloodline.


    But this didn''t make Rudra feel fearful of the opposition in any way.


    Although none of these ginormous figures were some mindless beasts but intelligent and sentient beings belonging to noble species of this world, they still felt an enmity as which strong creature didn''t want to fight someone as strong as them and set their dominance.


    For some unknown reason, both these creatures felt a sense of rivalry and inborn hatred towards each other.


    If Kahn was to be still conscious, he''d understand the reason why. Because from the various books he read about different monsters and species in the world so far, he hade to know a little bit of information about the Godbeasts that were nothing but myths at this point.


    ording to the folklores and ancient historical archives, the Basilisks that were one of the five ancient godbeasts and the mighty dragon race were actually lifelong enemies and had fought wars with each other for thousands of years before both sides greatly diminished their numbers. Which also paved a way for many other species to evolve and get stronger with time.


    So killing or protecting Kahn was just an excuse. Because one way or another, these creatures were going to fight against each other sooner orter.


    "Prepare for your death, obnoxious beast!" dered Rudra and dashed towards the drake as he slithered extremely quickly.


    Thud! Thud!


    Crack! Crack!


    The magma drake ran and charged towards to face the enemy head-on and several cracks were formed on the ground.


    BOOM!!!


    Two ginormous figures collided against each other and a loud sonic boom of their grand and sturdy bodies banging against each other shook the entire floor.


    SCREECH!!!


    An ear-deafening screech from Rudra created ripples of waves and the basilisk bared and bit with its fangs. He bit the highly defensive and burning hide of the magma drake that was leaking magma from small outlets.. The wounds that were previously made by Kahn.


    The drake quickly swung its giant and sharp ws against Rudra''s ck and fortifiedyer of the scales. It even tried to bite Rudra''s skin but soon, both sides realized that their enemy was extremely strong and had a very tough body that was hard to prate through just physical attacks.


    The drake quickly gathered the magma in its mouth spew it on Rudra''s body.


    HISSS!


    Rudra hissed loudly and jerked his body, when he looked back at the scales that were attacked with this spray of magma, he saw that his lustrous ck and imprable scales were slightly damaged.


    Rudra released his Dominator''s Aura and a pitch-ck yet very heavy pressure was exerted in the 200 meters surrounding, making it hard for the drake to swiftly move.


    "You''ll pay for this!" he bellowed and suddenly, spat a spray of dark green?liquid at the magma drake!


    Corrosive Acid!


    It was Rudra''s innate skill that was an evolved version of Somir''s poison acid.. Far more destructive and lethal.


    Sizzle! Sizzle!


    ROAR!!


    The drake roared in anger as the Corrosive Acid almost took out a outermostyer of its hide that was extremely hard to even make a scratch on.


    The next second, both the sides took a step back and the interaction of gauging their enemy''s strength was done.


    But unlike what one would expect, Rudra didn''t wait up for a chance and frantically charged at the drake again and encircled its entire body with his own and this time, he threw up more corrosive acid on the drake''s head and neck!


    WRRAAAAHHH!!!


    Wailed the gigantic drake and haphazardly swung its ws and tail to beat Rudra.


    ng! Thud! Bang!


    The shing noises of the two dangerous and terrifying creatures filled the entire floor as their massive bodies hit each other again and again.


    Rudra wasn''t even afraid of getting hurt, more likely.. The basilisk was enjoying the battle despite getting injured and a part of his body getting burnt and receiving deep wounds.


    Unlike Kahn, who prioritized on defending from and attacking an enemy at the same time, Rudra used his body and tail to straight-up swat and whip the drake without caring for the injuries he was receiving from the volcanic body that was leaking magma and was extremely hot to burn trees just by passing close to them.


    "HA HAH AHA HA! More!!" a devious and menacingugh came from the basilisk as if a sadist was looking at his target and getting exhrated by imagining how he would torture them.


    The groundbreaking and brutal battle carried on for the next half an hour. Both the ginormous creatures were ring at it each other with murderous intent, their eyes filled with anger. Both of them were wounded and bleeding profusely from many openings on the body as their respective skills and attack were like bane to each other.


    Rudra was bleeding mainly from the lower part of his body where the area was exposed and wasn''t covered with the scales, while the drake dungeon boss was leaking yellow hot blood that was sizzling & evaporating with time from various wounds on its back and legs. It had already lost an eye because of Rudra''s Corrosive Acid.


    But the basilisk on the other hand was getting even more fierce and excited as the battle went on.. Giving no room for breathing.


    For the first time in its life, the magma drake fought an enemy it couldn''t kill with a single attack or trample over it effortlessly.


    On the other side of the battlefield, a body of a human finally showed signs of moving after feeling the tremors and noisesing from the ongoing battle that shook the ground and created shockwaves.


    "Ugh.. What''s happening?" asked Kahn to himself and tried to get up. Since he was in a weakened state, he barely had the strength to get up.


    Kahn quickly took out a high-grade health & stamina recovery potion and gulped down the entire bottle in a single go. Only when he felt like regaining some strength in his body, his eyesnded on the ongoing battle.


    Kahn lied against the nearby boulder and looked at the battle of the kings.


    [So he finally decided to show up.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    After another ten minutes of intense battle, both sides came to halt and maintained a distance.


    "Finally, I''ve fought a worthy opponent." spoke the drake.


    "I cannot say the same." replied Rudra and suddenly, his pupils and iris erged as he looked right in the remaining eye of the magma drake.


    "What?!" spoke the drake but suddenly, everything around it turned into a blur and darkness surrounded the dungeon boss.


    Kahn who was far away from this battleground quickly recognized what was happening.


    The magma drake could no longer see anything other than the pitch-ck surrounding and the light that was fading away each second. Its body started going numb and the ginormous monster stopped moving as if it had lost all the control over its nerves.


    But soon, it felt like something was slowly wounding over its body and the grip it exerted was increasing little by little. The drake wanted to move but it couldn''t.. His own body wasn''t listening to the mind and let go of all the struggle to even retaliate against this extremely clenched & tight hold on its body.


    Soon, the body fell on the ground but the chocking on its neck was increasing at an extremely fast pace.. It could no longer breathe properly.


    A dark and grim ck aura covered its body and the only thing he saw next was two gigantic yellow snake-like eyes staring right through it as if an unparalleled tyrant was looking at a weak subject.


    HISSS!!!


    The drake heard a loud hiss and finally came to its senses and noticed that his entire body was coiled over by the gigantic basilisk and unable to even move its legs.


    Kahn knew what actually happened.. It was one of the gigantic basilisk''s innate skills that he had seen before when they hunted many creatures inside the Abyss forest. The ability that made even their enemies willingly surrender and put down their guard..


    The Hypnosis Gaze!


    Unlike Kahn''s Executioner''s Gaze, the Hypnosis Gaze didn''t paralyzethe enemy on the spot butpletely broke the mind and body connection of the enemies and blinded them as if they were inside apletely different world. Making them confused and unable to see the approaching enemy.


    The drake had finally fallen for Rudra''s Hypnosis Gaze ability. And before it could even speak another word.


    RIP!!!


    Rudra bit and ripped the dungeon boss''s head off of the body. Its ginormous figure had slumped down after the Magma Drake lost its life.


    And thus, the victor of this battle was decided.


    RUDRA.. THE DOMINATOR!

 Chapter 95: Consolation

    <h4>Chapter 95: Constion</h4>


    A war of the Kings for supremacy was finally over. Rudra, despite being weaker in terms of levels and attributes, still came out on top. Living up to the name of the Godbeast Basilisk.


    Kahn looked at the gigantic figure that was still coiling around the corpse of the magma drake that was now cooling down little by little. Kahn was now recovering and had enough strength to get up and walk thanks to the high-grade health & stamina recovery potion.


    He picked up his sword and started using it like a walking stick as he slowly walked towards the battlefield. His bleeding wounds were slowly getting closed since the aftermath of Berserk God Mode was over and now he had 30% of his strength and health regeneration abilities, albeit working at a slow pace.


    "So you''ve finally decided to show up, your Majesty." said Kahn sarcastically.


    "It''s because you''re still too weak, human. You couldn''t even kill this inferior beast while I defeated it despite being far weaker than it." replied Rudra as he looked at Kahn with condescending eyes.


    "Since when have you been able to speak?" asked Kahn out of curiosity.


    "The mighty me have developed speech after watching you converse with so many creatures. I can see everything from the inside." replied the basilisk.


    "Then why didn''t youe out before when I asked you to?" asked Kahn as he red at the serpent.


    "I wanted to see how you''d fare against this lizard. But to think that you''d lose so miserably.. Well, I didn''t have any big expectations anyway." spoke Rudra as he started unwinding himself from the body of the now-dead dungeon boss.


    "Then why didn''t youe out when the Lich nearly killed me?" asked Kahn.


    "Its dark magic had greatly restricted me and also, the cave was too small for me to appear." replied Rudra.


    "If you hade before, everyone else would be still alive!" raged Kahn at the basilisk. Because he indeed had asked Rudra toe out but the basilisk was somehow able to maintain staying inside his shadow despite Kahn''s orders.


    He was like a tenant who won''t get out of the house even after thendlord banging on the door too many times.


    "And how is that my problem? Their lives have no importance to me." rebuked Rudra. If not for its life being bound to Kahn, it wouldn''t have shown up even now.


    Rudra was a subordinate made up of 50% Basilisk bloodline and was at Mythical rank. Even under the restrictions ced by the Synthesis divine ability, the difference in species & rank made it unwilling to submit to Kahn.. Mainly because the Kahn back then & even now was still far weaker than it.


    Kahn threw his hands in the air, there was no point in quarreling with this rogue and oddball subordinate. He''d need to reach a level far above it and beat the shit out of this basilisk one day to make him submit.


    "System, is there any way I can get them back?" asked Kahn just for the sake of it. His losses were simply too big in this hunt. And he was only alive because of this giant basilisk, his biggest trump card showing up in thest moment. Otherwise, he''d be squashed in the molten ground by the dungeon boss.


    One thing Kahn understood very seriously that your Rank and Species really had too much importance to them. Rudra managed to kill the drake and made up for their difference in strength solely because of that. If he was the same level as the dungeon boss, the drake would''ve died miserably in the beginning because Rudra would be far stronger and have an immense difference in attributes and strength.


    Even though Kahn didn''t like relying on anyone else, even his subordinates; he still had to be thankful to this moody teenager of a snake.


    [Yes. The System holds all the data regarding the species, bloodlines and even the consciousness of the subordinates created by the host. So as long as the host is alive, the subordinates can be revived. But the host will have to provide monster cores and mana ores for the reconstruction of their bodies from scratch.] replied the system as it exined the procedure.


    Kahn let out a sigh of relief and asked again.


    "How much?"


    [Given the current amount of resources, the host can only resurrect 4 subordinates after using all the A Rank & B rank cores. Low-grade resources are unsuitable for this procedure.] replied the system.


    "I see. Resurrect Omega, Ronin, Ceril & ckwall for now. Take all the resources you need." ordered Kahn.


    [Resurrection procedure initiated. The subordinates will be revived with a newly constructed body with the same skills, bloodlines and memories in 12 days.] informed the system in its usual lifeless robotic voice.


    Kahn currently had 60 A rank & 1200 B rank cores on him.


    Kahn found this procedure reasonable because no way could a dead entity could be resurrected this quickly after being reconstructed from the scratch.


    "If you don''t mind.." said Kahn and walked towards the corpse of the magma drake.


    "MINE!! Its body is mine to eat!!" shouted Rudra and red at Kahn.


    "What? Thought you didn''t like eating weaklings." responded Kahn in surprise.


    "Although this beast is weaker in front of me.. I sense an archaic bloodline from it. Even though it''s in very small amount, it can still be beneficial for me." dered Rudra.


    "Huh.. Aren''t you a Basilisk? Isn''t this guy supposed to be your enemy?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    "I am. But you''re forgetting that I''m what you call a Variant. I can absorb its bloodline and acquire its traits and powers for myself." said Rudra.


    "Holy fuck!!"


    A sudden realization struck Kahn. If what Rudra said was possible.. Wouldn''t that mean that Rudra would be able to absorb both Basilisk & Draconic bloodline in the future? And have powers of both the species?


    He''d be an anomaly that had never existed.. An entity that shouldn''t even be possible to exist. Because normally, two noble bloodlines would repel & counteract each other.


    But in the case of Rudra who was created using Kahn''s Synthesis divine ability.. It was possible as it had no restrictions on any bloodlines in the first ce.


    "So you mean you can be an amalgamation of both Basilisk & Dragon? You gotta be shitting me!!" yelled Kahn in disbelief.


    In response, Rudra only gave a cunning smile to Kahn.


    "I will transcend beyond these Basilisks and Dragons you speak of. I will trample upon them.. I shall sit atop of all the creations in this world! I will dominate this entire world!" dered Rudra.


    "Yeah, yeah whatever. Just let me absorb its skills and bloodline and you can have the body and the core, okay?" said Kahn and put his hands on the now cooled-off body.


    Kahn hadn''t used the Mana Bombs on this magma drake because he figured out that they wouldn''t have damaged the dungeon boss up by much. After all, the heat onlypliments heat. His dark magic was far more usefulpared to those bombs.


    And now that most of the body had cooled off after the boss died, he could finally put his hands on it. And since Kahn didn''t have any sacrificial pawns, he couldn''t even create a new subordinate out of it.


    He put his hands on the body and gave themand.


    "Absorb!"


    For the next half an hour, Kahn spent his time absorbing the skills and bloodline. And when he was finally done, the system notified him about the new skills abilities.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the Draconic Bloodline!


    Current Bloodline purity : 5%


    The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Thermal Body (S Rank) (Grandmaster Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to maintain body temperature and immunity to heat up to 2000 degrees celcius.


    Drake Scales (ACTIVE) :


    Creates a sturdy & protectiveyer of Magma Drake''s scales around the entire body of the host.


    Drake ws (ACTIVE) :


    The host can now use the sharp and unbreakable ws of the magma drake with extreme heat and destructive power.


    Note : The exclusive bloodline abilities of the drake are unsuitable to be merged with other skills & abilities the host is currently in possession of. The host is advised to obtain more Draconic bloodline for Synthesis.] the system gave the report card.


    "Holy shit!" eximed Kahn in joy.


    This was indeed a worthy reward. And as soon he gained the Thermal Body, Kahn''s body no longer felt the jarring heat that came from the surrounding. To him, he felt like sitting in front of an AC instead.


    The Drake Scales and Drake ws would definitely be a worthwhile ability in many circumstances for sure.


    After he was done, Rudra started tearing the body of the drake with his giant fangs and ingested the torn body parts one by one.


    Kahn who was already content with the results had no intentions to watch the butchering procedure


    Just then, Kahn suddenly remembered something that the Dungeon Boss had spoken to him.


    He took a look around the battlefield and tried to sense the surroundings.. But since all his abilities were restricted for the next 24 Hrs.. His reach wasn''t that far.


    "Now where is it?" asked Kahn and finally he noticed a small bright light that wasing out of a small peak on the other end of this floor. It was the exact ce where the dungeon boss first came out of.


    A greedy expression appeared on his face. Because he would still get some constion despite loosing the fight. Because what Kahn was looking for was the most precious thing in this entire dungeon...


    The Dungeon Core!

 Chapter 96: The Successor

    <h4>Chapter 96: The Sessor</h4>


    After Kahn finally noticed the shiny bright lighting from the other end of this final floor. His countenance turned delighted as he slowly kept walking and carefully avoid theva.


    In just 10 minutes, he finally stood at the foot of a tall peak. Even though his senses had weakened, he was still able to find the immense and fluctuating manaing from a tunnel in the middle of this peak.


    Whatever that was inside, undoubtedly it was incredibly powerful because the mana and pressure it was leaking was far more potent and intense than any of the monster cores & mana ores he had seen so far. Even the violet monster core Kahn had eaten failed inparison.


    Step by step, Kahn finally managed to climb to the entrance of the small tunnel. Kahn''s ck longcoat started fluttering in the air from the waves of mana the wasing out of the innermost part of this tunnel.


    Kahn felt like that he wasn''t being targeted by the source of this mana or he would''ve been flung backward just based on the intensity of the waves. It''s as if the source of this dense mana was allowing Kahn to enter the tunnel willingly.


    As soon as he walked a dozen meters inside the inner part.. Kahn was blinded by an incredibly bright white light and he covered his eyes with his left hand. He couldn''t see what was in front of him.


    But sooner, the intensity of this light decreased little by little and Kahn finally saw the insides of this tunnel.


    A solid floor made up of the hard ck ground, simr to the one outside.. But in the middle of this small enclosed space that was of the size of 2 living rooms was an altar and above it, lied a bright and glowing white orb that was of the same size of a car.


    This giant orb was pulsating like a heart of a creature and ripples of tangible mana permeated the entire space. But before Kahn could evene closer to this orb, the space was filled with white fog and a phantom started forming above this white orb.


    A 10 meter white and wraith-like figure was formed above this dungeon core and a face of an elderly human came to be.


    A domineering & majestic pressure was exuded from this phantom and the being opened its eyes.


    It gazed around the room and finally looked at Kahn.


    "So someone has finally conquered this ce. Tell me, who are you?" asked the phantom as he stared at Kahn intently.


    "I''m Kahn, a citizen of the Rakos Empire." replied Kahn without any worries. Because he felt no killing intenting from this phantom.


    "So our empire still lives? Our great Emperor would be delighted to know this from the afterlife." said the phantom with a worshipping look as it looked in a random direction for no reason.


    [Dude, stop trying to act so mysterious & cool. Just tell me what the hell are you.] cursed Kahn in his head.


    "May I ask who you are?" asked Kahn.


    "I''m called Lerzon, the first Sage of the Rakos Empire." replied the phantom.


    "Young man.. Have you defeated the guardian of this core?" asked the phantom to Kahn.


    "Yes, I have. Do you think I would be able to stand here without killing it." he responded.


    "This giant orb you see is our Empire''s most prized possession. 800 years ago, I hid it at the border of our Empire. If I''m not wrong, there should be few dungeons formed around this ce by now." spoke the first sage.


    "Yes, there are more than 11 dungeons in 50 kilometers formed around it." exined Kahn.


    "Listen to me, young man. I''m nothing but a soul remnant of my old self. A fraction of my soul was bound to this core before I departed the world." exined the sage.


    "I do not know what you would do with this core. But as part of the instructions that were given to me by our great Emperor, whoever passes the trial and reaches this ce; shall be named as his sessor and be the rightful heir to the throne. This decree was already given to the Imperial family. And from now on.. You are the rightful emperor of Rakos Empire!" dered the phantom in a grand gesture.


    [But there is no Imperial family anymore.. They were massacred after a coup hundred years ago. Nobody knows about the Emperor or his decree anymore.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    "So tell me, young man. Do you ept it as your life''s mission to rule and bring prosperity to our Empire? To make it the greatest and undefeatable force in the entire world?" asked the sage''s soul remnant.


    Whatever gibberish this phantom was speaking, it was something definitely worth knowing. Besides, the word ''sessor'' sounded cool. As normally, something like this would be counted as a fortunate encounter in a Cultivation novel which helps MC be very OP or gives him powers that''ll be his trump cards.


    Kahn knelt on one knee and replied with the aura of heroism and responsibility.


    "I, Kahn. Swear that from this day forth, I shall make it my life''s mission to serve and protect the Rakos Empire with all of my being. And I promise to make it the biggest and most powerful force in this world in my lifetime!" shouted Kahn as he looked at the phantom with the expression of righteousness on his face.


    [Like fuck I''m gonna do that! Just give me the goddamm thing you dumbass ghost!] he spoke to himself as he maintained the upright expression.


    "Then I, Lerzon the First Sage and the most trusted aide of the great Emperor shall name you as the True Sessor and grant you the core of our Emperor, Rathnaar the Conquerer. Who was once a peak Saint Rank Swordsman before he passed away. In his name, I bind this core''s ownership to you. I hope that you find a way to utilize it and lead our Empire to greatness." said the phantom.


    [What kind of loosely written plotline is this? He isn''t even inquiring about my background or testing my true intentions.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    Suddenly, hundreds of white threats came out of the core and entered Kahn''s body.


    [Let ''em freebiese in. My body is ready!]


    Soon, the phantom faded and the giant orb started shrinking its size. In just 10 seconds, it turned into a normal orb that was of the size of a football (ser ball) but it still maintained the white glow.


    Kahn ced his right hand on this core as if he had a sense of familiarity with it. He knew touching it won''t harm him in any way.


    "System, scan it." he ordered.


    [Scanning Complete.


    Congrattions to the host for acquiring a peak saint''s core.


    This core can be used as a source of vast mana or can be absorbed to break through the Saint Rank levels when the host is at least a 4th stage Saint himself.] replied the system.


    "Heh.. So I can''t use it now? Why?" he asked.


    [Because the host''s body is currently too weak to absorb or sustain any energy from inside this core. With the host''s current rank, the host can only use it as a supplementary source of mana. Trying to absorb the core through any method would result in the host getting exploded or reduced to dust.] exined the system.


    "What if I cut it into small pieces?" asked Kahn.


    [Sure.. If the host wishes to die.] replied the system in a sarcastic tone.


    Kahn felt embarrassed after the system''s remark and he took a separate space ring that had space big enough to hold this core inside. He put the core in it and returned to Rudra, who was done tearing through, then eating the body & the core of the magma drake.


    "Human.. I''m done. But from now on, I will need some time topletely absorb its bloodline and abilities. So do not call me out for another month. Because I will be under a sleeping state from now." spoke Rudra.


    "Then what about that? Why didn''t you eat it as well?" asked Kahn and pointed his fingers towards a heap of dark and scaly armor-like body parts of the drake.


    "Even I can''t digest them. So I left them as it is." said Rudra and quickly entered Kahn''s shadow.


    [Do not wake me up. I won''t be able toe out anyway.] said Rudra in Kahn''s mind.


    "This.. I should make good use of this." said Kahn as he looked at the heap of this scaly and extremely durable body parts of the drake.


    These were exactly the ces where Kahn''s Darkbade attacks failed to prate and damage the dungeon boss.


    Kahn took this entire heap inside his main space ring and departed from the dungeon. This time, he didn''t want anyone to see him in this weakened state so he covered himself under the ck cloak.


    After spending two hours and finally exiting the dungeon, he reached the city gates.


    But suddenly, heaven shaking and ground shattering voice filled the sky and the entire Bromnir dungeon shook.


    "THE BROMNIR DUNGEON HAS BEEN CONQUERED."


    A loud announcement came from the dungeon and filled the entire sky, it shook the entire vot City and the area in nearby 50 Kilometers. No matter where one was, they''d hear it very clearly.


    Kahn who nearly fell on the ground after hearing this announcement, cursed inside his mind as he recognized this voice.


    [Fuck you first sage! Why don''t you dere my name as well!]

 Chapter 97: The Chaos

    <h4>Chapter 97: The Chaos</h4>


    As soon as the announcement regarding the Bromnir dungeon being conquered filled the sky and reached the ears of everyone under it, the entire city and all the inhabitants living in it stopped whatever they were doing at that moment.


    None of them believing what they heard just now. The Bromnir dungeon was very famous in this entire city. Although it was low on resources and only suitable for small groups of adventurers, it was still the closest and most convenient to many neer adventurers and people who dealt in the businesses rted to monster harvest and product dealings.


    And on top of it, it was the closest one to the city so many people knew about this one far better than other dungeons. But to suddenly hear it had been conquered put all the popce that heard the announcement in disbelief.


    Because not even once in the past 60 years ever since vot city was created, had any of them heard about a dungeon being conquered. So people didn''t know what to believe or how to take this information in the first ce.


    At this moment, over hundreds of magical formations that were varying in sizes, from a single person to even dozens of people in a group were being teleported outside of the dungeon premises and in just a few seconds, more than two thousand people had been transported out of the dungeon whether they were simply traveling inside the dungeon or were engaged in a battle.


    Everyone who wasn''t an inhabitant of this dungeon or was an outsider was simply thrown out of it.


    "What the hell is happening?!" shouted a female elf.


    "I was just about to kill that giant bat." spoke an elven swordsman.


    Soon, all the people that were thrown out of the dungeon started a heated discussion amongst themselves.


    "Silence!! Everyone listen! Just a few minutes ago, a loud voice dered that the Bromnir dungeon has been conquered. Everyone outside of the dungeon had heard it." announced a dungeon entrance guard who was using a magical artifact that amplified his voice like a loudspeaker.


    "What kind of nonsense is this?!" shouted an adventurer group leader and soon, many others followed.


    And for no reason, soon a fight broke out in between these groups and the guards were forced to intervene.


    The squadron of the military that was stationed close to this dungeon had already charged towards this dungeon as the first response team.


    But this wasn''t the only ce where the mood of people was overwhelmed or confused. Some people already imagining that since the dungeon was conquered, it would close sometime soon.


    And the professions and the market would be hugely affected. And that very assumption had put the majority of the poption in panic. And hence, every person in the government, the military & the adventurer association was on alert mode. This was hugely going to affect many things in this city, let it be the economy, the resources and even normal citizens in one way or another.


    Kahn who was the main culprit of all this chaos was walking very covertly from the streets in the city. He was also aware of the consequences of this announcement and soon, there would be a big fiasco whether anyone wanted it or not. Just with this thunderous announcement alone, the first sage had put the entire city in shambles.


    But he didn''t have any will to get tangled with it or take any responsibility. He just wanted to go home and take a longass nap first because he was already tired as it is.


    After an hour or so, he finally reached inside his home and ordered Jerome to bring him something to eat. Heid on his sofa and fell asleep due to exhaustion from today''s battle & the aftermath of the Berserk God Mode.


    At this same time inside the Magistrate''s office.. The old Lionkin ordered a city-wide lockdown to all the officers who were in charge of the city''s security.


    On the other end of the city, an elven mage tore a page from a record book inside the Adventurer Association.


    Outside of the city where a grand fort existed that served as the headquarters of the military garrison, a 4 meter tall blue tigerkin ordered his people to get ready to surround and create a defensive encirclement around the Bromnir dungeon. Hundreds of foot soldiers and cavalries departed towards the direction of the now conquered dungeon.


    Normal people didn''t know about the consequences of a dungeon being cleared but these 3 people did.


    Because unlike what people thought, the dungeon that was once cleared doesn''t simply gets closed.. But before it gets closed for good..


    It releases all the monsters inside it after a few days.


    And that is why, even the strongest fighters and powers that possessed the manpower & resources to clear a dungeon preferred not to do it. Although none of them knew about the core of the first Emperor, the founder of the Rakos Empire being hidden inside the Bromnir dungeon, the normal knowledge about the cleared dungeons that only the top people in power were aware of; had forced their hand to react as quickly as they could.


    Otherwise, soon there would be a bloodbath if the monster breakout that was going to happen very soon was ignored or poorly prepared against. So they had to be quick to react and station all their forces on the borders of this dungeon.


    Their only advantage was that the guardian of the dungeon would not be released like the other monsters.


    At this moment, millions of people at different corners of the city asked themselves...


    "Who the hell was it?!"


    Whoever had cleared the dungeon, whether it was a single person, a group or even a guild; was going to receive both fame, reputation from the masses. While at the same time, they''ll also receive the wrath of many people from the government, the military & the business federation.


    So soon, many people hungry for fame would spread their lies about how they cleared the dungeon with their strength and many fights for the title of the conqueror were bound to happen.


    But unbeknownst to all people that lived in this city, the root of the cause was dead asleep in his house and had no worries or care about the consequences.


    Little did he Kahn knew that his actions were going to make a historical change to the vot city.

 Chapter 98: The Blacksmith

    <h4>Chapter 98: The cksmith</h4>


    The next day when Kahn was finally awake, he heard the news of skirmishes and mayhem that was caused by yesterday''s announcement.


    But unlike the newbie him, he no longer felt like taking some sort of responsibility. It would only bring him unnecessary trouble. He had no intentions of being persecuted in front of a judge and a jury.


    Today, he had no intentions of checking up on new updates rted to mayhem. So contradictory to what he previously said, he''d spent this day as a couch potato until he fully recovered strength. There were still a few hours left till he fully recovered and the Berserk God Mode''s weakening state ended.


    After taking a long hot bath, he dressed in new clothes and waited for his delicious food. He thought about giving a reward to the chef given how exquisite and mouth-watering food he was eating recently.


    After spending the entire morning & noon in bed, he finally recovered his strength and all the wounds werepletely healed. But unlike his initial ns for the day, he thought it''d be best to use the remaining day to look for someone who could make something for him from his harvest on the final floor.


    Kahn was thinking about the Magma Drake''s armor-like body parts. And since he had an entire heap of it, he might as well have something useful that could be handy in a battle. But since the material was extremely rare, he couldn''t afford to let it go waste by the hands of some unskilled craftsman.


    Kahn had already heard that there were 3 Grandmaster rank cksmiths in the vot city. And all of them were the renounced figure who had a lot of prestige and standing in the city as numerous nobles, government officials and military officers would often ask for their services and build them some top-quality weapons and armors.


    "Jerome, do you know who''s the best cksmith in the city who can make a top grade armor? The Grandmaster rank I mean." asked Kahn to Jerome, his housekeeper.


    "Yes sir. There is master Rostof, master Brualt, master Latver and..." suddenly Jerome stopped in his words as if he was afraid of speaking thest name.


    "And?.." asked Kahn.


    "Nothing, sir. These three are the ones you should contact. Forget I said anything." said Jerome hurriedly as he tried to retract his words.


    "Who''s the fourth? And why are you acting all worked up?" asked Kahn out of curiosity. The usually calm and collected servant was flustered for some reason as soon as he nearly mentioned the fourth cksmith''s name.


    "Well, thest person can no longer be called a Grandmaster cksmith. So only the first three are better choices. But they''re usually busy with high pricemissions and people with a high reputation & social standing." replied Jerome.


    "Well, that''s a bit problematic. I wanted to have?something made soon." said Kahn and inquired more about the 3 Grandmaster cksmiths.


    As per Jerome''s knowledge, all of them were highly sought after and even if Kahn were to pay a lot of money, he''d still have to wait for 3 to 4 months before hismission was finished.


    "What about the 4th one? What happened to him?" asked Kahn.


    "He no longer takes anymissions. More likely.. No one goes to him for having any armors or weapons made." replied Jerome.


    "And why is that?" asked Kahn in a confused expression.


    "It''s better if you don''t get mixed up with that man, sir. He''s been in a way.. cklisted by the entire city." exined Jerome with a saddened expression.


    This piqued Kahn''s curiosity even more as he found itpletely unreasonable for a Grandmaster rank cksmith to get banned from making any weapons or anything.


    "What did he do?" asked Kahn again.


    "Well, sir.. His story is a tragic one. But it''s not something normal people or even many powerful people can interfere with. Doing any business deals with him can get you killed by some of the most powerful noble ns." said Jerome.


    "Tell me the full story." ordered Kahn as he could no longer hold back from the curiosity after this much build-up.


    Jerome spent the next 20 minutes about who the Grandmaster cksmith was and how it came to a situation where nobody in the city wanted to hire him or have him make them any form of weapons or armors.


    But when Kahn finally listened to the past of this person.. He clenched his fists in rage and even leaked his deathly aura after failing to control his emotions.


    Even for someone like Kahn whose mind was extremely calm and didn''t give impulsive reactions to whatever happened around him.. The story of this man had thoroughly enraged him to the core.


    "Do you know where he lives?" asked Kahn to Jerome.


    "Sir, I don''t think it''s a good idea to have any connections with this man. It''ll not only affect you but anyone who''s even remotely rted to you. So please reconsider." said Jerome with a bewildered expression.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t meet him under public eyes. Just tell me the address."manded Kahn and soon, he departed from the house.


    Kahn had to spend a lot of time exchanging carriages and traveling dozens of kilometers until he finally reached in front of a small mansion that appeared to be unlooked after.


    There were overgrown nts, trees and grass in the garden, a rusted gate and a ghastly look to the entire property that made it look like a ruined estate.


    Kahn carefully treaded from the paved footholds and knocked on the main door.


    Thuck! Thuck! Thuck!


    "Who is it?!" a grim and sore voice of an elderly man came from the inside of this house.


    "My name is Kahn, mister Albestros. If you have time, I would like to talk with you about some business." replied Kahn from the entrance.


    "Return, boy. I don''t make any weapons anymore. Haven''t you heard?" asked the old man.


    "And I''m still here after knowing about it. Please at least see what I''ve brought and then decide if you want to ept themission or not." spoke Kahn as he kept banging on the door.


    Clink!


    The door was opened from the inside and suddenly a figure of an elderly man with short hair and a long grizzly beard came in front of Kahn.


    "It''s you!" shouted the old man as he stared at Kahn in disbelief.


    Kahn on the other hand wasn''t baffled. Because he had seen this old man once before. Although he hadn''t spoken to him, Kahn had a vivid memory of this man since he appeared on one of the most memorable days in his new life.


    Thest time he had seen this old man was on..


    Jessica''s funeral.

 Chapter 99: The Return

    <h4>Chapter 99: The Return</h4>


    Kahn stood in front of the old man with a firm stance and expectant eyes.


    "What are you doing here?! You can''t be seen with me or you''ll be killed!" shouted the old man and quickly pulled Kahn inside the house and shut the door.


    "I see that you remember me, master Albestros." replied Kahn and nced at the living room. To meet his expectations, it was just as he thought. Barely enough furniture for one man and not a single piece of decoration inside the entire living room.


    "Are you stupid, boy! I heard that you were some talented swordsman but don''t you know what happens to those who are seen having any connection with me?!" raged the old cksmith.


    "Even if they were to find out, I couldn''t care less. I''vee to seek your expertise. Besides, I don''t think anyone else in this entire city will be able to forge what I want." replied Kahn nonchntly.


    "Are you out of your goddamm mind, boy?! Didn''t I tell you that I don''t make any weapons anymore? So why are you pestering me?" asked the old man in a baffled tone.


    "Let me show you this first." said Kahn and took out all the scaly body parts of the drake dungeon boss that were left by Rudra.


    ng! ng!


    The heap of the scaly hide and fortified armor-like body parts were put on the disy. The old Grandmaster rank cksmith gasped in surprise after looking at the contents that suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "What?.. Where did you get these?" asked Albestros as he hurriedly picked up the scales and started inspecting them carefully as if he was holding a treasure.


    "Can you make something useful out of it?" asked Kahn.


    "Something useful? I can make a lot many things out of this much quantity. A full body armor.. Even a weap.." just then, the old stopped in his words and nced at the sword hung on Kahn''s back.


    "Show me that sword." said the old man.


    "Huh? This?" asked Kahn and gave his longsword to the old man.


    "You.. What have you done to this sword? What were you fighting against? Boulders?!" said the cksmith in an enraged tone.


    "Do you know how hard it was for me to make this Mythril sword? Do you know how many days I spent back then just to make it perfect?!" shouted the man at Kahn.


    "Wait! You made my sword? I bought it from the ck Griffin weapon shop. I thought one of their cksmiths made it." replied Kahn after recovering from his initial surprise.


    "Yes.. But I secretly sold it a few years ago to them. I was in need of money so I had to sell one of my finest works to them. Since I didn''t leave my mark on it, no one could''ve known it was me who made it." replied the old man as he started checking the sharpness and edges of the sword.


    "Shame.. I don''t do this work anymore. Even if this is something as rare as Drake''s scales, you can''t goad me into epting the job. No matter how much money you pay me, I still won''t ept thismission." replied the old cksmith as he folded his arms together.


    "I know that. That''s why, I''m not offering you any money.. But what I''m offering you holds far more importance to you than any treasure in this world." spoke Kahn


    "And what is that?" asked the old cksmith.


    For the next 10 minutes, Kahn and the old man discussed the terms of exchange.


    Thud!


    The old man dropped on the knees, crying without holding back and looking at a hooded figure that stood in front of him like a grim reaper. There was a ck aura leaking from this hooded figure.


    "I''ll do it!" bellowed the grandmaster cksmith.


    "I''ll do anything you want. I''ll give you my soul in exchange if you want as long as you keep your promise." said Albestros.


    In just ten minutes, the whole direction of the conversation had shifted to an entirely different topic and the mood inside of this hall had turned to that of sorrow.


    "No need. Just deliver upon our deal. I shall deliver upon my promise as well." replied the hooded figure in a grim voice.


    "I can remake the sword as well.. Into something far stronger that not even an epic rank sword can face off against." spoke Albestros again.


    "Fine. Take as many days as you need. And you''ll keep hearing some news about our deal from the public." dered the hooded figure and the next second, itpletely disappeared from the sight of this old man.


    The old cksmith on the other hand kept weeping tears of pain and suffering as if a dam of grief inside him had broken and all the sadness that he had been holding back had finally found an outlet.


    "Finally.. He''ll make them pay.. He will make them all pay!" screamed Albestros in joy as he started wiping off his tears.


    For the first time in the past 4 years, the once most talented and famous Grandmaster cksmith of vot city smiled again.


    When the night finally came and dark clouds filled the sky, giving the entire city a touch of an eerie and terrifying feeling like a bad omen.


    The chilly breeze had forced a lot of people to get inside their houses earlier than their usual time. Even the night businesses and entertainment establishments were hugely affected by this sudden change in the climate.


    Soon, the dark clouds poured a dense rainfall on the city and the sound of thunders with shes of lightning had covered the entire city under them.


    Many people felt a foreboding that something sinister and chaotic was going to happen very soon.


    Because in the dark rainy clouds of this night.. A hooded figure stood on one of the tallest towers of this city. Its clothes fluttered in this heavy rain and suddenly a bolt of lightning shed in the sky just right behind this figure.


    On this ghastly and stormy night.. Reappeared the Judge, the Jury & the Executioner.


    Because on this very night.. Azrael had returned.

 Chapter 100: The Injustice

    <h4>Chapter 100: The Injustice</h4>


    Kahn stood as Azrael on the edge of a tall tower as he looked at the downpour covering the entire city. The lightning struck few times and the popce was forced to hide under their houses or take cover under this stormy weather.


    As for what happened this evening.. Kahn had agreed on few terms to have the Grandmaster cksmith, Albestros Winston make him full body armor & even upgrade his sword. But to make him ept themission, he had even revealed his secret identity as Azrael.


    Kahn who was very careful and always did his best topletely remove any tracks of killings and his other identity, willingly revealed it to the old man. Not only because he was emotionally moved after his tragic story.. But also because he wanted to do something for the old man on his own ords.


    When Jerome had told the old man''s history, Kahn was thoroughly enraged but also understood why not even the Snakekin had dared to put some names in the small books of criminal names he once gave to Kahn. Because the background of those people was something nobody could dare to offend.


    As for the old man''s tragic story.. It was something that would make even the most heartless people feel empathetic towards the man and boil their blood in rage.


    Kahn had already decided that he won''t be a warrior of justice and only use Azrael as means to achieve goals that would benefit him. But today, he was going to contradict his own words.. And he revealed himself as Azrael to Albestros in order to make the old man feel certain that Kahn would keep his promise.


    Albestros Winston was once the most famous and talented cksmith in the entire vot city, dozens of noble ns, government officials and powerful people used to have their weapons and armors made from him. Hundreds of people lined in front of his shop and a few hundred people worked under his brand.


    The most notable thing about the Grandmaster rank cksmith was that unlike the other cksmiths of the same rank, he was both a cksmith and an artificer. He could do jobs of both different professions as he had spent many years gaining the knowledge of magic formations and runes; he was considered a total behemoth when it came to his craft.


    His name was renowned around many cities and he was ranked as the 11th best cksmith in the entire Rakos Empire. Just his prestige alone was enough to make anyone before him bow in respect.


    Over the decade when he rose to fame, people would even wait for an entire year to have him make their weapons & equipments as his work results were far superior than the other three.


    He and his family lived inside the very mansion Kahn had visited this evening & there''d always be people lined up in front of the gates.


    But everything changed one day...


    Albestros had a daughter & a son. The daughter was 21 and the son was 18 years old. His wife had passed away a few years ago because of terminal illness and he only had his children to live for.


    Albestros was on a business trip and had to meet some influential people in a city close to the capital. So he was out for a week; during those days a heart-wrenching scene that shook the entire city happened.


    Albestros''s daughter, Cynthia was seen as one of the most beautiful young maidens even among the daughters of the noble ns. Many had proposed marriage to her including some of the most powerful and big noble ns, but respecting her wishes and given how he cared for his children; Albestros had turned down many of the proposals politely.


    During the week he was gone, 4 young heirs of the noble ns who were going to be the next leaders of their respective ns had kidnapped Cynthia right from their mansion and even killed the people guarding it.


    Saying that she should''ve made her decision and declining their proposals had disrespected and embarrassed their powerful ns. And at the end of the day, her father was nothing but a lowly craftsman.


    And for the crime of offending these ns, she would have to go through severe punishment.


    What happened after that had sent shivers to Kahn when he heard to story.


    Cynthia was publicly rap*d by these noble heirs one by one in an open square, right in the middle of the city. They did in front of thousands of onlookers and brutally tortured the young naked girl saying that those who look down on the nobles should meet the same fate.


    Given their background and their own small army of soldiers that were present there, even the city guards and officials didn''t intervene. The normal public who couldn''t tolerate this heinous act retaliated but what could a normal person with no weapons or training do in front of seasoned warriors? Dozens of men & women who tried to stop this act were killed in that square and this deterred the onlookers.


    Gerald, the son of the cksmith was training to be a knight in a military school. When the news reached his ears, he ran towards the square hurriedly and lost his mind after he saw what was happening to his loving & caring elder sister.


    Without the care of his life, he stormed into their formation and even killed 4 people.. But in front of hundreds of experienced soldiers, what could a newbie like him do.


    To make this already cruel scene more gruesome and unable to watch.. The soldiers tied Gerald on a tform and made him watch as the sons of the 4 ns rap*d his sister in front of his own eyes.


    Cynthia''s gut-wrenching cries for help were heard by thousands of people but not a single one of them dared to help them after watching the fate of the others who tried to. Her pleads for mercy and screams for help fell only on deaf ears.


    Gerald''s enraged roars and curses made no difference.. No God or a Savior came that day to protect a girl''s honor. The soul-shuddering scene kept on for a couple of hours and finally.. Cynthia bit her tongue out andmitted suicide by choking on her own blood.


    Gerald on the other hand, swore to kill every single one of the heirs and their entire ns to avenge his sister. But the cruel and inhumane heirs didn''t give him a chance to live another day. They cut open his belly, then his legs and hand one by one. To put it on a disy for the entire city to watch and learn about the consequences of not following the will of the truly powerful.


    But even till hisst breath.. Gerald did not plead for any mercy or beg out of fear. He swore that even if he had to return from the dead or make a deal with the devil.. One day, he would spell the doom for their entire ns and everyone who carried their blood.


    After both the sister & the brother died.. Their bodies were hung right in the same square. A cut-down and lifeless body of Gerald was hung on a rope while apletely naked and bruised up body of Cynthia was hanging beside it.


    The noble n heirs dered that anyone who tried to take down these bodies would be their enemy and them along with their entire family will be killed.


    That day, the entire city saw how little didw and justice matter in this world. How their protectors who preached about safety and order, who swore to protect them only watched this heinous crime from a distance.


    Two dayster when Albestros returned and heard about how his children, the only reason why he still lived for were brutally murdered and put on a disy for the public.. Something inside the old man died.


    He was a man with no will to live anymore. But he still had to get justice for his children. The cksmith went to the City Law Enforcements, his connections and even military officials who once owed him favors.. But none of them dared to help him.


    It was one thing it if it were to be a single person or a single noble n. Others would''ve teamed up against them in the name of justice and the criminals would''ve met a thorough punishment. But when the four strongest noble ns and their future leaders were put into the equation.. No power orw authority dared to go against them.


    Even people like the Magistrate and Commander Straze did not heed to the old man''s pleads.


    Instead, new fabricated cases and defaming stories about his daughter and son were spread by these ns and their people saying that the daughter had illegitimate rtionships with many young men of the noble ns and tried to rope in the heirs one by one until she was finally caught. The son had allegedly killed someone and asked the noble ns heirs to bury the incident in exchange for having his sister spend a night with them.


    Even in death, Albestros''s daughter and son were left with no respect or honor to their name.


    The majority of the popce knew about how these stories were nothing but lies. But what could they do instead of keeping their mouths shut?


    The tales of heroism and serving justice only happened in fictional stories but not in the real world where only strength and power mattered.


    The Law didn''t have any hold over the strong and it only existed to shackle the weak.


    A weekter, another unofficial decree from the noble ns came from.. That from now on, anyone who did any business or kept any connection to the old man would incur their wrath. They even banned the old man to leave the city and put a big reward in case anyone informed them about his escape. Just to keep the matters buried in the ground.


    To set up an example.. They killed 9 people who had stood on the old cksmith''s side and voiced their opinions. Jessica''s father, who was the former lieutenant in the city security being one of them.


    Jessica and Cynthia were childhood friends and because of that, even when the entire city had banished the old man in a way, she looked after the old man from time to time while avoiding the spies of the noble ns. That''s why the old man came to her funeral that day while barely managing to hold back his tears.


    Markus was also Gerald''s sword instructor back in the day so he too felt bad for the old man and helped him smuggle things to sell so the old man won''t die out of hunger over the years.


    The once most sought-after cksmith of the city was now avoided like a gue by the masses.


    But despite everyone knowing the truth.. Nobody helped the man who lost his only reason to stay alive.


    At the current moment, Kahn looked at the dark clouds as he was basking in the cold rain.


    The reason why he chose to pick the old man wasn''t just because he wanted to get something out of him.. But because the old man had truly gained his respect.


    Because unlike Kahn, whomitted suicide after losing his will to live.. The old man still endured it all. Carrying on living with just a glimmer of hope that one day, his children would get the justice they deserved.


    Even if someone were to say that Kahn was acting like a hypocrite.. He wouldn''t care. There were some things that you could not look away from no matter what. The wholemission thing was just a reason he needed to convince himself for his future actions.


    Because in his core.. He was still a man with a moral code.


    Kahn spoke in a grim tone as he looked in a certain direction.


    "If the Gods won''t deliver judgment upon them.. If thew won''t punish them.. Then I''ll be the de that cuts them down myself!"

 Chapter 101: The First Heir

    <h4>Chapter 101: The First Heir</h4>


    Erwin Malfoy, the 28 years old heir and next sessor to the n head''s position was a handsome man with long shoulder-length red hair. He was also an intermediate master rank swordsman.


    His talent in swordsmanship had solidified his position in the n among all the contenders and the n had high hopes from him in the future. Anyone would be charmed to see this man and the women who didn''t know of his deeds would see him as their prince charming at the first nce.


    But to those who had seen this elegant man''s cruelty four years ago would feel a shiver in their spine. This dashing man dressed in ck aristocratic clothes was actually a wolf amongst sheep.


    "Hey.. Do we really need to be on the security? What if he shows up?" asked a guard on duty under this heavy rainfall.


    "Just do your damn job! We must protect master Erwin. And I don''t see the point in being afraid of that so-called vignte. Nobody has the guts to go against our Malfoy n." replied another guard with a prideful expression on his face.


    At this moment, 43 guards were patrolling around a big and a mile wider entertainment house. This ce was one of the properties owned by the Malfoy noble n, the 5th most powerful n in vot city.


    Inside this entertainment house, Erwin was enjoying alcohol made from some fragrant ingredients that had some tangy vor to it. He was surrounded by two beautiful women who were sitting on both his sides and poured him even more booze.


    Erwin was left in charge of handling this business along with few other small settlements. And since his reputation and his talent as a young master rank swordsman was widespread, nobody dared to cause trouble here.


    "Ah!" the woman sitting beside Erwin let out a small moan as his right hand caressed and yed around the inner parts of this loosely dressed courtesan''s thighs.


    "Young master.. You''re being very naughty today." spoke the woman in a seductive tone as she pushed up her cleavage to the redhead man''s arm and came closer to his ear and slowly nibbled his earlobe.


    "Hey, not fair! Master Erwin is mine for tonight."ined the other woman who also dressed scantily and poured him another ss of alcohol.


    "Don''t you know, love only increases if you share it?" replied Erwin with a smug tone as he fondled the second woman''s assets with his left hand and carried on their overly adulterous disy.


    Little did these people knew.. A hooded figure in dark grey clothes was hearing their words from a mile away. His eyes were extremely vignt as if he was marking all the guard and security personnel around this establishment.


    The thunder and heavy rainfall had already put a gloomy feeling to this night.


    Thud! Thud!


    The two guards who were previously talking on the eastern entrance of this building fell on the ground after ck and pointy spear-like extensions pierced through their chest and throat. The sound of their bodies falling was muffled by the heavy rain and nobody even noticed it.


    Unlike how a normal assassin would choose to do things covertly.. This hooded figure had no intentions to do things silently.


    This was none other than Azrael who had marked this n''s future head as his first target since this redhead man was one of the noble n heirs whomitted that heinous act four years ago.


    Pitter! Patter!


    Water dripped from Azrael''s long dark grey clothes that gave him a simr look to the Grim Reaper. His loud footsteps quickly attracted the attention of hundreds of customers spread across this huge and wide main hall where they were escorted by beautiful females, varying from normal human females to elves and some females dressed in maid outfits with cat ears on their heads.


    Azrael''s sudden appearance had piqued their curiosity. Suddenly, a loud announcement filled this entire hall.


    "Anyone who isn''t from the Malfoy n, leave now! Or I won''t give you another chance before I kill anyone who remains!" bellowed Azrael.


    "Hahaha. Who''s this clown? He''s ruined the good mood here." spoke one of the customers.


    But the next second, a visible ck and red aurapletely filled the entire ce with unimaginable pressure.


    War Dominance!


    Azrael released his War Dominance aura at full capacity and made hundreds of the people fall on their knees in a single second. The aura of a Grandmaster wasn''t something normal people could take head-on.


    He deactivated his aura and freed the people.


    "Run! That''s Azrael!" shouted one of the customers and started running towards the main exit.


    "What? Azrael?!" gasped other people in surprise but didn''t dwell in the hall anymore. His name alone had put the fear of god in their hearts.


    Sooner, a hugemotion was caused inside this hall and on the upper floors as soon as Azrael''s name was heard by the masses. People ran in a hurry and almost shook the entire building with their loud and hasty footsteps alone. Some people even fell in their footsteps as the name of Azrael, the Adjudicator was something no one inside the city wanted to hear.


    Although Azrael hadn''t been active for the past few weeks, his name still had a huge weight to it.


    "Who is it? A redhead and barechested man ran down from the stairs with an epic rank sword in his hand. Soon, all the guards who had noticed themotions ran inside the main hall and noticed the hooded figure who was still standing in the center of this building.


    "Erwin Malfoy.. Your penance is due." spoke Azrael in his grim and ghostly voice.


    "Hahaha! Do you know who I am?" said the redhead man in a condescending tone.


    "I do. And that''s why I''m here." replied Azrael.


    At this point, he was surrounded by more than forty guards that consisted mainly of swordsmen and assassins. But the Adjudicator had no hint of worry in his eyes.


    He looked at all the people that remained inside the hall after his earlier warning. There were only those who were part of this n and those who loyally worked for them left at this point.


    "What are you waiting for?! Kill that bastard!" ordered Erwin.


    But without giving any chance to attack first, Azrael threw his fear toxin bombs and multiple bursts of white fog filled this entire hall in few seconds. Many could barely see what was in front of them because this fog was simply too dense.


    But before all these people could recover from the surprise.. A majestic and ghastly voice fell on their ears.


    "So then.. Shall we begin?"

 Chapter 102: Futile Struggle

    <h4>Chapter 102: Futile Struggle</h4>


    Under the thundering sky filled with heavy rain, inside a big entertainment house was a scene of more than 40 well-equipped guards currently struggling to get a clear view of a hooded man who was encircled by them just a few moments ago.


    "Huh.. What''s happening?" asked one of the guards.


    Someone using smoke bombs in a group fight wasn''t out of the norms but people suddenly feeling like their senses and control over the body weakening in just a few seconds waspletely unexpected.


    "Arrhhh!!" an agonizing scream filled the surroundings and everyone who was encircling Azrael felt a dreary aura encapste them.


    Under his War Dominance.. All the guards felt like an ancient primordial beast was looking at them as if it wanted to devour them and tear their bodies apart.


    "Charge! He''s in the middle!" shouted Erwin as he descended the stairs and prepared to attack Azrael.


    ng! ng!


    A sound of hard metal shing against each other came but unlike what they thought, it didn''te from swords or weapons facing each other but Azrael''s pikes piercing through the metallic armors of the guards.


    He took out two red epic rank daggers and dashed towards the group of guards that were walking in circles since they couldn''t see his exact location.


    Swoosh!


    A ck blur passed in between these guards and before anyone could even react, two of the guards had their throats cut open while the third one''s head was punctured from the tendrils, passing inside his brain right through his eyeballs.


    The extremely strong and tensile pikes picked up the dead man in the air and threw the body at the other soldiers who were trying to find Azrael.


    Thud!


    "Ah! What''s that? What just hit me?!" bellowed a guard in shock.


    But before he could speak any more words.. A Demonic figure, d in ck with fiery red eyes stood before him. Four ck tendrils wereing out of his back and moved like a snake that was about to attack its small and weak prey.


    "No! Get away from m..."


    Stab!


    The man''s mouth was pierced through by the extensions and soon the tendrils came out of the other side of his head, not even giving him a chance to scream in fear or wail in pain.


    Little did these people knew.. That during the night, Kahn was actually three times stronger and faster, his senses such as Survival Instinct and Hunter''s Intent were twice more effective. The already 10 times stronger predator was now even 3 times more powerful.


    After mixing with Sonar Hearing and Heat Sense, both abilities were already urate to the extent that even if Kahn closed his eyes, he wouldn''t have any problem in detecting and finding anyone''s location. More so when someone was trying to attack or kill him or when he was hunting people or monsters in a group.


    He was both Daredevil with his heightened senses & Batman from the Arkham games with his Detective Mode at the same time. So attacking or defending wasn''t an issue for him.


    But for all these people... It would spell their doom.


    Thwack! Pierce! Stab!


    Azrael cut off another young guards'' head while his extensions punctured holes through two more guards.


    Hisst extension stabbed an old guard''s shoulder and pulled him closer to Azrael.


    Kacha!


    The angel of death stabbed the guard right below his jaw and pulled the dagger out as a stream of blood fell on the floor.


    His extensions had a 30 meter range while all the guards were under 20 meter proximity. That was the exact reason why Azrael stood in the middle of this hall and allowed all the guards to surround him in the first ce.


    He wasn''t going to hunt them down, rather he was going finish them altogether at once while letting them think that they had surrounded and trapped him.


    Side Hopper!


    His figure flickered and another guard had his neck pierced by the daggers before he could even react.


    In just 20 seconds, 8 guards had already died.


    And once the fear toxin finally had put everyone in a fearful state, all the guards were horrified and some already had wet their pants.


    With the Hero of Darkness title in effect, they were like a newborn baby fighting against a full-grown Dragon.


    "Help me!!" a mortifying scream for help resounded in the hall as one man was torn into two pieces by these extensions. His upper body had both the hands intact but the waist and legs of this man were nowhere to be seen. His intestines sttered on the floor as a fountain of blood filled the posh ground.


    "Ahhhhh!!"


    "Run!"


    "Let me go!"


    One by one, the screams of these guards who once took pride in serving the powerful Malfoy n were shuddering in fear and losing their will to struggle against this angel of death who was brutally and mercilessly murdering these people.


    Those who tried to run away were stabbed in their legs with these piked extensions and pulled back inside this white fog. There was no room for escape, there was no chance of running away from the adjudicator.


    All of their lives were at the mercy of this hooded man before they even realized what was happening.


    Not even 5 minutes had passed since Azrael started his onught and forty guards were swiftly killed. Everywhere his shadow appeared, a body was cut in half, limbs torn and openly cut throats spraying blood on the ground amassed one by one.


    And more importantly.. They couldn''t even see the enemy or had any strength to fight against him. Azrael''s War Dominance aura, his fear toxin and his long and lethal extensions had disyedplete control over this battle.


    Although he was only one man, during this battle.. No, during this one-sided massacre; he was no different than a walking army himself.


    The fog finally dispersed and a grotesque scenery of torn up bodies, cut down innards and lifeless bodies covered in their own blood was revealed to the young heir of the Malfoy n.


    Erwin, who was once seen as one of the most promising young swordsmen in the vot city and among the noble ns... Was now cowering in fear and fell on the ground after looking at the aftermath of this gruesome battle.


    Step! Step!


    Azrael walked towards the redhead man with steady steps.. Each of his footsteps sounding like a meteorite falling on earth to the noble heir since he was still under the effect of the fear toxin.


    He couldn''t even muster up some strength to get up or fight back.


    Because Azrael was already a Grandmaster rank fighter but since the fight was happening at night.. The dominance aura would even send chills to a peak Grandmaster rank fighter, let alone an intermediate master rank swordsman.


    Azrael''s extension grabbed both his and legs as they lifted his entire body in the air.


    "No! Let me go! Don''t you know what will happen if you kill me?!" yelled the young heir, trying to use his n''s name to scare the grim reaper in front of him.


    "Do you think I care?" asked Azrael sarcastically in his domineering tone.


    "What have we done to you? I don''t even know you." asked Erwin as his body felt shivers just by looking at this ghostly figure who appeared to be like a tall mountain to him.


    "Who sent you?!" he asked haphazardly to the majestic and ghastly figure.


    "I gave them a swift death.." spoke Azrael as he looked back at the dead bodies of the forty or so guards on the floor. And then he looked right in the eyes of the redhead man.


    "You on the other hand.. I''m going to take my sweet with you. I don''t like torturing people but in your case... I''m gonna enjoy every single second of it!" dered Azrael as he took his dagger and made a cut on Erwin''s handsome and charming face.


    "Oh, by the way.." he spoke again and released his murdering aura and eyes full of bloodlust at the noble n''s heir. His gaze was full of unimaginable wrath.


    "The Winstons send their regards."

 Chapter 103: The Declaration

    <h4>Chapter 103: The Deration</h4>


    The stormy weather had finally stopped and the dark clouds had finally cleared to let the serene white moon reappear and shine brightly on the city.


    Those who were still awake till this point heaved a sigh of relief and finally found the tranquility that was much needed for them to fall asleep.


    The rain had cleansed the city of its dirt and gave it a more refined look under this moonlight. But contrary to this pleasant sight.. An empty godown had apletely different scenario.


    "ARHHHHHH!!" screamed Erwin as Azrael pulled another toenail out using a plier.


    His sobs of pain filled the surrounding.


    "No.. Please.. Let me.. Let me go. I will.. I will give you everything I have." spoke Erwin as he barely had any strength to speak after having his 7th toenail pulled. And this was barely the start of this torture session.


    "Cry all you want. I''ve put an istion magic formation covered under a silence barrier. No one is going to hear your screams. So no need to hesitate if you want to beg. I''m not the judging type." spoke Azrael as he put the plier on the side.


    "Your people must''ve been informed by now and should be looking for you. But they''ll only find you when I''m done." scoffed Azrael.


    Erwin was tied to a chair at this moment and his ligaments along with the tendons in his arms and legs were cut down by Azrael. Even if he managed to get out of the iron chains that tied him.. He still won''t be able to get up on his feet or run away.


    At this moment, he didn''t even have the ability to move, rather only endure the torture. Never in his life had he ever imagined that he, who always had strength and authority over others was left at someone else''s mercy.


    "Why are you doing this? If it''s money you want, my n has a lot of it. They''ll pay you in millions if you exchange my life for it." said Erwin as he barely stopped his cries, his face was already pale with an ashen expression.


    "Why do you rich people never understand this.." replied Azrael and leaned forwards as he gazed right into Erwin''s eyes.


    "You can trample on the weak.. But you should never trample on their pride." said Azrael and suddenly his arm turned into a giant ck w that had blistering red veins on them. His palm appeared as if there was magma inside it while a ck skinyer covered it from the outside.


    This was the new Drake w skill Kahn had gained after he absorbed the skills and bloodlines from the Magma Drake.


    "You.. What kind of freak are you?!" bellowed Erwin as he couldn''t believe how suddenly Azrael''s human hand turned into that of a monster.


    "I heard Gerald Winston swore that even if he had to sell his soul to avenge his sister, he''d do it without a second thought.


    Well, let''s assume that the Devil has epted his offer." said Azrael and suddenly, intense heat was released from this arm and w.


    "No! Keep that away from me!" bellowed Erwin as Azrael''s heated-up w looked no different than smoldering metal rods.


    "Arrrrhhhhhhhh!!!!" roared Erwin in pain as Azrael''s blistering fingers ran over his face and burned his once handsome face little by little.


    Azrael''s other hand turned simr the next second and plunged itself in Erwin''s shoulder. But it didn''t stop just there... The hand fingers moved and grabbed the bones inside.


    Rip!!


    His corbone was pulled right out of his body and Erwin screamed in agony. But this wasn''t just going to end his suffering. The hand heated up again and cauterized the flesh and blood.


    Then two sharp and long extensions came out from Azrael''s back while his red hot ws kept tearing through Erwin''s flesh and making him scream as he cried while suffering through this unbearable pain.


    The tendrils then stabbed through his stomach and wriggled inside as if a snake was trying to chew the redhead man''s intestines.


    Erwin could no longer handle this torture and his consciousness started fading.


    SLAP!!


    "Who the fuck said that you can faint?! We still have 5 hours till sunrise!" reprimanded Azrael and took a high-grade health recovery potion and put it inside Erwin''s mouth.


    p!


    In just a few seconds, Erwin started regaining his consciousness, but he was hit in the face again with these hot ws. He was being tortured while his wounds barely made any recovery.


    "Just kill me already!" shouted the noble heir.


    "I once heard a saying that a swift death is considered as showing mercy to your enemy. And I''m not a saint to show any mercy to the likes of you." replied Azrael in his grim tone.


    The torture continued in the same way and one of the noble heirs who brutally rap*ed Cynthia four years ago came to know how it felt being on the receiving end.


    When the morning sun finally rose and people started their early morning routine by getting ready for the oing day.. Some people found a horrifying scene in the same square where the soul-shuddering incident happened four years ago.


    A body of a naked redhead man was tied on a metal street light pole. His hands were sliced and only the bones remained visible for the onlookers. The mouth of this man was covered under a cloth.


    The thighs were cut in half and the entire belly of this man was sliced open, putting his entrails on a disy. There were multiple burn wounds that were still bleeding on this man''s body including his face. And most importantly..


    This man''s tool was nowhere to be seen. Only the two eggs were left intact.


    Soon, the horrifying scene gathered the attention of hundreds of people who started their daily routines early in the morning. And in just an hour... More than a thousand people gathered in this square as the news quickly spread like a wildfire.


    When the city guards finally appeared and took down the body.. They found where the missing tool was hidden.


    It was inside the dead man''s mouth.


    The men amongst the crowd shivered in fear as they finally saw what happened to this man''s biggest treasure and covered their crotches in reflex.


    But the whole scene had taken a different turn as all the onlookers read the words written with blood on the wall behind the dead body. These words were not any warning like the previous times.. No, they were the Deration of War.


    "THE HEIRS OF THE NOBLE CLANS SHALL PAY FOR THEIR SINS. THEY CAN RUN FROM ME.. THEY CAN HIDE FROM ME..


    BUT THEY CAN NEVER ESCAPE MY WRATH!"

 Chapter 104: The Second Heir

    <h4>Chapter 104: The Second Heir</h4>


    Levi Strabrort, the first in the line of session of the Strabrort noble n''s head position was a pureblood elf. His father was the current n head and his mother was one of the leading businesswomen in the city who ran apany that specialized in magical artifacts and pharmaceuticals.


    This n was specially made of elves and other people of different races only served as their servants and guards. Unlike the other ns who specialized in weapon-based sses & professions, the Strabrort n preferred to have their members lean towards Magic & Alchemy. Only a few were focused on the weapon fighter ss and they served as the people in charge of security of the n.


    But despite their exclusive sses... The n was feared by many because the Elven n was an absolute beast when it came torge group battles. Even an army of five thousand could be wiped out by this n''s five hundred mages. The n head himself was an Intermediate Grandmaster rank Mage. Hence, the n was currently ranked 3rd in terms of power level & influence in vot city.


    Levi inherently had a talent for magic and was considered a genius amongst his peers. But he also inherited his mother''s cunning nature.


    Amongst all the other noble n heirs, he was feared by many because Levi was an Intermediate master rank mage. He had already disyed his intellect and ability to master various elemental spells. No other noble n''s heir ever looked down on him.


    Although his appearance was that of a young, short and skinny person which made him barely look like an 18 year old boy.. in actuality, he was 43 years old. Just that the Elves aged differently than the other races and their physical appearance made them look far younger. Even the current head was more than a hundred years old but looked like a man who just entered his 30s. He was the one who settled the n here when the vot city was established more than 50 years ago.


    It had been two days since Azrael''s Deration of War on the noble n heirs and the public disy of Erwin''s dead body hung up in the same square where they had rap*ed the old cksmith''s daughter. The list of those noble heirs also included Levi.


    Their entire circle was in uproar and all the noble ns had raised the security on the n heirs who were guilty of the crime on that dreadful day four years ago.


    At this moment, inside a pristine and beautifully decorated room, the father and son duo were sitting and talking with each other.


    "Are you worried, son?" the father asked.


    "No father. Not at all. He got that redhead runt because of the element of surprise. But since he was foolish to dere war against the noble ns, he can no longer move openly or try to kill us since everyone will be expecting him." replied the young elf.


    "I''d say he''s nothing but a brash individual who thinks too highly of the little strength he has." said the noble n heir in a condescending tone.


    "Listen, Levi. There are two types of people who make such types of deration against powerful people. One type is who overestimate themselves... While the other type is who has the absolute strength to deliver upon their words.


    And this Azrael.. Seems like the second type to me." said the Strabrort n head.


    "And why do you think that, father?" asked Levi.


    "Because if he was afraid or unsure... He would''ve killed the heirs silently one by one after finding the opportunities and then make a bold statement in front of the entire city as he did.


    But in this case.. He wants to let the noble ns know that he''sing. He wants to put fear in the remaining three heirs and even scare the noble ns in the process where they''re constantly vignt and fearful of losing their n head sessors.


    That''s not something someone without a n or someone who is overestimating themselves does." spoke the father and gazed back at his son.


    His eyes full of wisdom and experience had already established why he was the current head.


    "So what do you propose, father? I shall cower in fear and hide inside the mansion?" asked Levi as his eyes turned somber.


    "No.. I rather have a different strategy. How about we lure him out instead?" asked the elf.


    "There''s no use, father. The other ns already ransacked that peasant cksmith''s ce. He has gone missing and not even a trace of his presence was left in that small house. I feel that old bastard was the one who asked this vignte to target us." exined Levi.


    "Then that only leaves us with another choice." spoke the father as he sat on thefortable chair next to his son.


    "If you leave your doors open, the enemy will walk in. And if the hunter thinks that he has trapped you... Then it''s you who has trapped him." spoke the Elf with a smirk on his face.


    When the night finally descended and the cold environment filled the surrounding of this huge mansion that was even bigger than the Adventurer Association. At this moment, there were more than 400 hundred guards and mages stationed over various entry points of this massively wide property.


    Multiple detection barriers and trapping magic formations were ced around this huge mansion where the entire Strabrort n lived.


    From 2 kilometers away, a hooded figure looked at the heavily guarded mansion. For him, it was the day of deliverance.


    Kahn had already relocated Albestros the next morning after he put Erwin''s body in the square. He knew that the noble ns woulde for the old grandmaster cksmith first and maybe even torture or use him to lure him out. He wasn''t an idiot to leave such a huge advantage in the hands of his enemies.


    The old man was hidden inside a rundown warehouse in a deste area of the city where no one lived at his point. It was also a good ce for the old cksmith to carry his forging as he already had all the tools and resources to forge Kahn''s order. While the old man would keep himself busy.. Kahn would take these heirs one by one.


    In the current moment.. Azrael had noticed the tight security and barely saw an opening to enter inside this n''s headquarters.


    "How smart.. They left only two openings for me to enter through so I would walk right into their trap." spoke Azrael donned in his dark grey robes. He let out a light smirk and gazed at the mansion again with challenging eyes.


    "Fine then.. Let''s see who outsmarts who."

 Chapter 105: That Smile.. That damned Smile!

    <h4>Chapter 105: That Smile.. That damned Smile!</h4>


    The entire mansion was full of hundreds of guards and mages at every corner. This scene appeared no different than a Fortress being on defense against an army of enemies.. But in this case, the enemy was actually just one guy.


    Kahn who was now in his other persona of Azrael thought of a viable n on how to infiltrate inside this heavily guarded mansion.


    [''Get help'' won''t work here..] thought Kahn.


    [Distraction won''t work either. They''re not that stupid to not see through it. Plus the numbers are too many. So how do I enter..] he thought about his viable options given the circumstances as how he was all alone on this task.


    His thought process was already 3 times faster than a normal person. Kahn''s gazended on two elven soldiers who were out of the formation and also at the main entrance of this mansion.


    He quickly adapted to this current situation and made his move. His figure mixed in the dark shadows as he used Shadow Walk and disappeared from the spot.


    10 MINUTES LATER


    BOOM!!!


    An ear-deafening and groundbreaking explosion happened at the main gates of the estate. A 500 meters radius was blown up and more than 60 guards who were stationed around this area were incinerated and obliterated as the destructive explosion shook the ground and the shockwaves alone broke all the windows of the mansion.


    Hundreds of guards fell on the ground from the tremors and many were left gobsmacked.


    All the protection barriers were destroyed on the front side of the mansion. And all the detection magic formations were now on red alert.


    "Enemy attack!" shouted a mage.


    "Be on alert, don''t let anyone escape!"manded the head of the n who was sitting in a balcony and overlooking at the security with his Eagle Viewpoint.


    Never had this Elven mage expected that Azrael woulde banging on the front door instead of trying to sneak in.


    "Stop the fire! Look for the wounded!" he ordered and 50 Mages and Healers ran towards the site of the explosion. Just this unexpected huge explosion hadpletely put their defense line out of formation.


    "Mana bombs! He''s using mana bombs!" shouted one of the mages.


    Five dozen guards died just like that and the n head had to send the same numbers to guard and defend this side.


    "This.. Is just a distraction!" spoke the n head.


    "Help!!" a loud and pleading voice fell on the n head''s ears from the left side of the estate. An elven guard who was drenched in blood and had half of his face cut with a sharp weapon was running haphazardly towards the left entrance while carrying another guard on his shoulder.


    "He''s here! He tried to kill us in the woods!" warned the guard and informed about Azrael''s location.


    "Everyone! Charge and find him. Kill him on the spot!" ordered the n head.


    "Get them inside!"manded a team leader as 200 guards and mages charged towards the tree lines where the wounded guard came from.


    While the guards were charging towards this area and started looking for the traces of Azrael; the elven soldier who had a big gash on his face slowly walked inside the gates. The body on his shoulders wasn''t even moving anymore.


    "Go to the apothecary!" said an elven warrior and ran towards the forested area.


    In just 5 minutes, 70% of the forces were led in different directions. Only those who were stationed inside the mansion hadn''t left their positions.


    The Elven guard walked inside the mansion and headed towards the room where previously injured people were brought inside in bulks.


    A Healer checked the pulse of the guard who was brought in.


    "He''s dead." said the healer and moved to the next patient.


    The Elven soldiers slumped down his body next to a wall as if suffering through a great loss and he covered his face under his palm.


    But the next second.. All the wounds on his face werepletely healed and his countenance no longer looked to be full of sorrow.


    The next second however, this elf disappeared as if he had entered Stealth and he wasn''t a swordsman but an assassin.


    It was none other than Kahn who had created a distraction with the mana bomb after he killed both the elven guards, took the form of one of them using the Metamorphosis ability. He had taken their armors and clothes as he took the getup of the elven guard. Then he used the blood from the other elf to cover his body and made a big gash on his face using his own dagger.


    And now that he had infiltrated inside, there was no need to waste time. He entered Stealth, the assassin''s exclusive skill that turns them invisible for 15 seconds. In Kahn''s case, it would be active for 40 seconds because of his mastery & efficiency.


    "Where is he.." murmured Kahn under his breath.


    He then started looking for highly guarded rooms.


    Given his speed, he quickly covered the ground floor and dashed to the second floor. His footsteps didn''t even make a sound.


    Only when he had checked the 2nd floor with his sense.. He finally sensed two presences on the 3rd floor. But for some reason.. There were no guards on this floor.


    "Is he looking down on me?" asked Kahn since he felt a powerful aura of a Grandmastering from this floor.


    If it was Kahn before he had Awakened the Hero of Darkness title, he''d have to be careful. But now, an Intermediate Grandmaster posed no threat to him.


    He switched back into his clothes as the armor already made noises even under stealth skill. Completely unsuitable for assassination work. Kahn used shadow walk and covertly entered the 3rd floor avoiding the security personnel.


    Then he finally reached inside this room using shadow walk again. For some reason, there were no detection formations on this floor.


    He saw the Elven n head who had entered the room after the previous fiasco as if he had expected Azrael toe inside this room already.


    A sudden ck figure appeared behind this Elven mage out of nowhere and attacked the elf''s neck.


    Thang!


    An invisible barrier appeared between his dagger and this man''s back.


    "Fool.. Did you really think you could kill me with just these measly skills?" asked the Elven n head as he turned around with a grin on his face.


    "I have outsmarted you." he said and suddenly.. Visible red mana chains quickly grabbed Kahn''s both arms and legs, lifting him in the air.


    The elf made a gesture of hand and Kahn''s body was pulled closer to the Elf.


    He removed Azrael''s hood and pulled the ck mask out.


    But before he could say anything in surprise.. Kahn replied in his cunning voice.


    "You may have outsmarted me. But I outsmarted your outsmarting."


    PHTWOO!!


    Kahn who was already very close to the Elf''s face spat his Poison Acid on the elven mage''s face.


    As soon as the elf was suddenly taken aback by this unexpected attack, his mana chains disappeared. Kahn quickly cast a Silence Barrier and didn''t even let the Elf n head''s screams out of the room as his face melted after the jetstream of Kahn''s venom acid hit him.


    Kahn had already anticipated the mage being able to sense his presence and naturally would have prepared for some lifesaving skill.


    So he allowed himself to look like an overconfident assassin and then got caught by the enemy. Just so he could get close to the overjoyed n head and then catch him by surprise to end the battle without any real fight.


    Just in 10 seconds.. The Elf''s body lied on the ground.. His face and skull melted by Kahn''s venom acid.


    Kahn then looked at the n heir, Levi.


    Levi who was overjoyed after Kahn had been caught instantly now had a horrified expression as he saw his father getting killed right in front of him.


    Kahn gazed at the elven heir and gave him a sinister smile.


    He looked no different than the masked main character of the movie V for Vendetta. He deactivated the silence barrier and spoke again.


    "Now then.. Your turn."


    Author''s Note : Don''t worry guys. The story isn''t going downhill with this Hero of Justice plot. It''s important for the Endgame of Arc 1. I know what I''m doing. So be patient.

 Chapter 106: The Third Heir

    <h4>Chapter 106: The Third Heir</h4>


    The next morning when the inhabitants of the city started their day at the dawn of sunlight, another horrifying scene of a brutally tortured and cut down body was put on disy in the same square of the city.


    This time, it was a short and slim elf who was crucified on a metal pole. It was none other than Levi Strabrort who Azrael hunted down by infiltrating right inside his mansion under the protection of 400 people. The whole n was in an uproar now because their n head was dead & the sessor also went missing.


    The body of this elf who appeared very young because of his species characteristics was now hung up in the same square where the incident of powerful people publicly condemning a young woman to a fate worse than death and making her brother watch as they rap*d her happened four years ago.


    Many people who hade to watch this body and had already heard of what happened 3 days ago felt nauseated after they saw the mangled body of this elf.


    Many people in the crowd vomited after looking at the body and the onlookers belonging to the Elven race were enraged to the core after looking at how brutally Azrael had tortured this one.


    Not because they felt sympathy towards this noble n heir.. But because of how Azrael had trampled upon the pride of the elven race from the way he chose to kill this heir.


    All the members of the Elven race always prided their intelligent minds and clever nature throughout history. But the body had the skull portion above the eyes cut off cleanly. His half-cut brain was on disy for everyone to see.


    The right side of this elf was melted down and his rib cage bones were visible as if he was tortured with some acid. The left side was burned up and had many w marks on it.


    This time, there were was nothing left in theher region. But what enraged these Elven onlookers was something else.


    For Elves, their biggest pride was long and sharp ears. In their culture and customs, their ears were treated as the most sacred part of the body. It was what differentiated them from normal humans. Their ears were what established their identity and their existence in this world.


    But on the body of this dead elf.. His ears were cut down. They were cut down in a way that made them look exactly like a normal human ears.


    Azrael had kicked down the very pride of the Elven race with this public disy. He had gained the misgivings of every elf who came to watch this body.


    The whole incident with his deration of war with the noble n heirs had already garnered the attention of everyone in the city and had been a talking subject no matter where one went.


    Plenty of the masses who still remembered the incident that happened 4 years ago had thoroughly supported his actions and to them, he was now their hero. To them, he was someone worthy of worship.


    Although many were doubtful of his capabilities because it was a different thing when you ambushed someone and when your enemies knew that you wereing, the majority still sided with Azrael.


    But by today''s disy.. It was made very clear that Azrael was someone who could face an entire noble n by himself. Otherwise, the heir of the 3rd most powerful noble n in the city would not be hanged right in the middle of the city.


    This would definitely make Azrael an unforgettable figure in the history of this city.


    At this moment, Kahn was having his breakfast in his house and ate as if nothing had happened yesterday night.


    "Alright, I''m full. I''ll be reading in my room. Don''t disturb me." informed Kahn to Jerome.


    "Sir, aren''t you going to partake in the war against those monster hordes that areing out of the Bromnir dungeon?" asked Jerome.


    "Not my problem. The military & the adventurer association can deal with it. Besides, no one hase asking for my help or tried to hire me either." replied Kahn.


    His hands were already full with gathering information and doing reconnaissance on the capabilities and reach of these noble ns & their heirs, he was in no mood of getting mixed in with these affairs even though it was him who cleared the dungeon and caused the outbreak.


    If Kahn were to partake in the forces who were repelling these monsters, many watchful eyes would be glued to him and he won''t be able to properly execute his ns and hunt down these noble heirs.


    After the second heir was put on a disy.. It would be a matter of the prestige of the n. If they couldn''t even protect their heirs from Azrael, they would no longer be seen as strong and powerful people but posers who were scared of just one man.


    On the western end the vot city, there was a mansion made of ck and hard stones which gave it a simr look to a fortress. A meeting was currently being held in the main hall of this mansion and more than two dozen respected members who ran the n were having heated discussions with each other.


    All these members belonged to the Tigerkin species and the colors of their furs varied like a rainbow.


    "No! I''m against it. We can''t act like we''re scared of just one man!" an elder of the n spoke.


    "Are you out of your mind?! Azrael entered right inside their house and took the boy out. He even killed their n head despite being surrounded by the army of mages which even we had to be wary of in the past. Do you still think he can''t do anything against us because he''s just a single person? Use your little brain for once!" rebuked another elder.


    "Silence!!" a domineering and authoritative voice shut all noises up.


    At the end of this hall, a 4 meter tall green tigerkin was sitting on the seat of the n leader.


    "The House of Odelschwanck has never cowered against anyone. Even those bastard Elves had to surrender us against our numbers in the past. So why do we care if some nutjob thinks he cane and kill one of our own?" the n head''s voice resounded in this tall and wide hall.


    His gaze thennded on a red tigerkin man who was 3 meters tall and was named as the sessor for the n head''s position.


    "Tell me what do you think of this, Reiner?" he asked the red tigerkin.


    Reiner Tu Odelschwanck, an intermediate master rank warrior who was extremely talented in hand-to-handbat and was also seen as the guy you shouldn''t provoke because of his body full of bulging muscles.


    Reiner stood in response and spoke.


    "I would like to propose relocating me. It''s clear that this Azrael has the means to infiltrate the most guarded ces easily. Compared to us, those elves are far better at using detection spells and magic formations. But they still failed to guard against him. Even someone as strong as their n head also died by his hands." said Reiner. And continued his words again.


    "What I mean is keeping me out of his sight. Since he won''t be able to find me here, there would be no reason for him to fight against our n. That way, we won''t lose unnecessary manpower either. And in the meantime, we can search for his real identity or the whereabouts of that cksmith.


    This is not us being afraid of Azrael.. It''s called making a tactical retreat till we have an opportunity to find and kill our enemy." said Reiner.


    "I agree. This is far better than losing hundreds of our warriors just to catch one guy." suddenly, a ck tigerkin spoke who was seated the closest to the n head. It was the main advisor of the leader.


    In the next second, the n responded in his majestic voice.


    "Fine. If both of you propose this approach, then I leave it to you. Now, let''s create a n on how we kill this Azrael."

 Chapter 107: Ignorance is bliss

    <h4>Chapter 107: Ignorance is bliss</h4>


    Another two days had passed since Azrael had put another noble n heir on disy in the same square. His actions not only had questioned the strength of these once powerful and untouchables noble ns, but had also raised many questions on the capabilities of the city security who failed to catch him both times when he hung their bodies there.


    At this exact moment, Kahn was looking through the intel he had bought and gathered from various ces regarding the Odelschwanck n.


    It waspletelyprised of Tigerkin. And as per his information, there were a total of 15 thousand n members. A total of 4 thousand were trained soldiers who would be ready to fight at any moment''s notice. Far more powerful than the Elven n and it was currently the 2nd most strongest n in the city.


    But amongst all the powerful ns, this one didn''t restrict their members to just study one form of profession or forced them to learn on melee or magical sses. Their motto was straight and simple.


    ''The nes first, everything elseter.''


    And with their advantage in poption & the variations of sses in their ranks, this was a force to be reckoned with. They had everyone, from healers to long-range archers, from melee ss fighters to long-range attacking mages.


    And their headquarters was something that could stand against a siege for weeks without falling. Even the Mana Bombs he had left would not help him easily breach their walls and infiltrate their fortress-like mansion.


    "Bayek, stop cking! Don''t you know we have to leave in the evening? The n elders and the head have tasked us with protecting master Reiner." a ck tigerkin with blue stripes yelled at the white tigerkin with orange stripes.


    "Yeah, yeah.. I''ming. I just don''t understand why are we even running in secret. That Azrael wouldn''t dare to infiltrate our headquarters anyway." replied this 4 meter tall tigerkin who put some documents in a leather pouch he had on him.


    "Since when you have been getting curious about our orders? You always follow them without asking questions." asked the other tigerkin.


    "It''s just that I don''t see a point in taking master Reiner away for a safehouse. This is just unnecessary." spoke Bayek.


    "Don''t tell anyone yet, but I heard one of the elders say that they''re nning on letting Azrael right into a trap using master Reiner as a bait. Not only they won''t fight him, but they''ll also let him enter close to master Reiner''s house which will have entrapment magic barriers & formations. I hear the n is pitch-perfect. The reason we''re hiding master Reiner is that the n head doesn''t want to take any chances as those puny Elves did." replied the ck tigerkin.


    "Better be safe than sorry." he said again and started packing his weapons and necessary items.


    The Odelschwanck n had already orchestrated a n to trap Azrael.


    Soon, a small and hardly polished carriage was brought in and 4 fighters including Bayek and the ck tigerkin were standing next to it.


    A red tigerkin dressed in high-grade and dashing martial artist-style clothes walked towards them. All the assigned guards bowed in front of this new addition.


    "Master Reiner, it''s about time we leave." spoke one of the guards.


    "What''s with this carriage?" asked Reiner.


    "n Adviser ordered us to keep it low-key and not raise any suspicions. Even Azrael won''t expect our esteemed master Reiner to travel inside a cheap-looking carriage. He won''t even know when we left the property and will walk inside the trap as nned by the elders & the n head." replied the guard.


    "I see. Let''s quickly leave then. I want to reach the safehouse before nightfall." said Reiner and sat inside the carriage as they departed out of the headquarters.


    Yesterday, he had proposed about relocating himself and biding time. But then, the n head and the elders decided to use it to lure Azrael while he''d be hidden away in a safehouse. That way, his life won''t be put in jeopardy.


    As the dark sky engulfed the city and the sun had departed, the small group had finally stopped in front of a small bungalow which would be Reiner''s temporary residence until Azrael was dealt with.


    When everyone had finally settled in, the four guards along with the 20 guards who had already reached this safehouse a day before and we''re now guarding it, took their respective entrances & patrol routes for lookout.


    A dark blur suddenly passed by one of the guards. This guard was none other than the ck tigerkin.


    Stab!


    A sharp dagger had stabbed the vignt ck tigerkin in his back who was actually an assassin. But even with his skills & senses, he hadpletely failed to feel the presence of this figure that suddenly appeared behind him.


    "Ack!" he clutched his hand on his chest where the dagger had exited out from as his body fell on the ground with a look of bewilderment. He turned around and finally saw the assant..


    "You.. Why?.." he said but before he could continue, his head was stabbed by another dagger and the ck tigerkin lost his life on the spot.


    At this moment, all the other guards were already dead and lied on the cold ground just like this ck tigerkin.


    Inside the mansion, Reiner was sleeping peacefully after having a hearty meal.


    Crink..


    The door of his room was suddenly opened and it woke the Reiner.


    But the next second.. His eyes widened with disbelief as he saw a familiar figure standing in front of him.


    But unlike his previous encounters, this figure''s hands were bloodied and in both of them held two red epic rank daggers. Both of them were dripping fresh blood on the floor carpet.


    Reiner who waspletely baffled asked the figure that stood in front of him.


    "W.. What''s the meaning of this.. Bayek?!"


    The figure who stood in front of Reiner was none other than the white tigerkin who was tasked to protect the n heir.


    "Oh.. Bayek isn''t here.. He never came here in the first ce. He''s been dead for 3 days already." replied Bayek.. not Bayek.


    While the n head & their top members were expecting Azrael to attack their headquarters.. Little did they knew that Kahn had already infiltrated their ranks on the very same day when he put Levi''s body in the central square.


    He observed three of their members who were one of the top guards and were part of the inner circle of the n. Kahn ambushed them and absorbed their bloodlines. He then took the getup of this tigerkin and had been impersonating him for the past two days.


    Although he did need some time to perfectly fit inside the persona of this tigerkin named Bayek, given how quick he was adapting to situations and extracting information about Bayek by leading the conversations; he adjusted himself and got mixed in the group who was supposed to protect the noble heir.


    Kahn had no problem taking out all guards on duty with this help of his grappling extensions and his speed which was tripled at nighttime.


    Kahn''s eyes flickered yellow and paralyzed Reiner on the spot with his Executioner''s Gaze skill. He walked closer to the red tigerkin and asked.


    "Tell me, Reiner.. How do you want to be tortured?"

 Chapter 108: The Instigator

    <h4>Chapter 108: The Instigator</h4>


    The young heir of the 2nd most strongest n couldn''t even move under Kahn''s Executioner''s Gaze.


    But before the skill effect time ended, Kahn punched him in the face and knocked him out.


    SLAP!


    "Wake up, Snow White." a grim voice and intense pain suddenly woke him up.


    "Ugh.."


    Reiner woke up again after time unknown and finally saw his surrounding. He was currently inside a rundown warehouse and was currently tied to a strong metallic chair that was big enough to tie up his 4 meter tall body. His tendons and ligaments were cut off and he could barely move.


    Just then, Reiner noticed the blood and pieces of flesh on the floor, his body shivered in fear.


    This was the same warehouse where Kahn had tortured Erwin & Levi.


    Kahn had transformed back into his original human appearance. Now he was donned in his other persona of Azrael.


    "Reiner Tu Odelschwanck.. You know what''s about to happen. Make yourst prayers to your ancestors. Because soon, you won''t even get time to pray to any God. It''s not he''s listening anyway." Azrael''s deathly tone scared the hell out of Reiner.


    He took out his daggers and sharpened them against each other.


    "NOOOO!!" screamed Reiner.


    "Huh?.. Why are you screaming like a little girl? I haven''t even started yet." spoke Azrael.


    "No! Wait.. I can tell you everything I know. If you promise to let me go, I''ll tell you everything about the whole incident." dered Reiner.


    "Let''s say that even if I were to ept your proposal.. what can you tell me that isn''t already known?" asked Azrael under his head and mask.


    "I can tell you exactly what happened behind the closed doors. It wasn''t even us who nned it. It was the Volstov n who nned it all!" shouted Reiner in hurry, trying to goad in his assant before the torture even began.


    "They''re my next target anyways. So what difference does it make?" asked Azrael in return.


    "What I know can not only help you take their heir down.. But also bring down their entire n''s reputation in the ground." he informed.


    "I''m listening." spoke Azrael.


    "The truth is.. The Vivaldi n is the representative of Noble factions in the name only. It''s actually the Volstov n who pulls the strings from behind. And the whole public ra*e of that cksmith''s daughter was their n. The other ns & the heirs were forced into this by them." said Reiner.


    "Shifting the me? I don''t have time for this." spoke Azrael and quickly stabbed the dagger in Reiner''s thigh.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!!" screamed Reiner in pain.


    "I''m telling the truth! At least listen to me first." pleaded Reiner and grunted as he tried to hold back his screams from the pain.


    "Fine.. But any bullshit story and I''ll make you beg me for a painless death." raged Azrael as he released his War Dominance aura.


    "The truth is.. We didn''t have any qualms with the cksmith or his daughter. The other three families didn''t even propose marriage to her. Only the Volstov n did." replied the fear-stricken Reiner who was finding it hard to breathe.


    "Ours and the Elves don''t even allow marriages with other races to begin with. They only used us as scapegoats."


    "And why would an extremely powerful n which as you said, holds the strings of all the noble families would ask for marriage with Alberstro''s daughter? He isn''t even a Noble by birth or title." asked Azrael in his ghastly tone.


    "To.. To hide the truth about their n heir." replied Reiner.


    "And what is that?"


    "Their heir is actually.. He doesn''t like women.. He likes men."


    "Is that something so important? Noble nsmen fuck around with plenty of males and females anyway. Was it a good reason to make such an unnecessary public and brutal disy of authority?" asked Azrael in a puzzled tone.


    "In our circle.. It makes a lot of difference if you''re the sessor to the n head''s position. But since the Volstov n couldn''t force any of the noble ns to give up on their daughters and heiress as that would''ve even spread the news amongst top brass.. They wanted to use that cksmith''s daughter to cover up this fact. Even I heard about it by ident. The other two didn''t even know about it." he said.


    "But when the cksmith, who isn''t even a noble or had the full backing of a single noble n; outright refused saying that his daughter doesn''t wish to get married to their heir.. It was like a p in their face. All the other noble ns & government officials took it like a nobody challenging the Volstov n''s authority. And hence, they instigated this whole thing and promised many business deals to the three ns if we decided to go along with their narrative and made an example out of the daughter." borated Reiner.


    "I see.. But does that make any difference? The girl is still dead.. And you partook in that crime anyway. The father still lives miserably and your so-called ''Noble'' ns who don''t even deserve to be called with that word still keep tormenting the normal people like their ythings. When does it end?" asked Azrael.


    "Whatever little information you gave me changes nothing." replied Azrael and his four extensions and Drake w were revealed.


    "I hear that your kind takes a lot of pride in your skin and fur.. Right?" asked Azrael as he let out a sinister chuckle.


    And when the morning arose, in the same square and the same street.. Was another body.


    This time, the assassins from the noble ns and the guards from the city security were already awaiting there as if they had already expected him to bring the body of the Odelschwanck n heir to hang.


    In front of Kahn who wasparable to peak Grandmaster during nighttime, they didn''t even see himing.


    Kahn as Azrael didn''t kill any city guards who were just doing their job and were following orders and came here to catch him. But he didn''t leave a single assassin or any other fighter from the noble ns alive because they were here to kill him.


    All he had to do was use shadow walk and finish off the hidden enemies before they could even alert their allies or anyone else.


    When themon popce saw the huge body of the Tigerkin... Many people retched after looking at the bleeding and shredded body.


    The Tigerkin was... Skinned alive.


    This time, Azrael had earnestly enraged the Beastkins who prided their skin and fur. Even the Bearkins and Demihumans with beastly ears and tails felt a cold shiver in their spine.


    Reiner''s body was melted on many spots, his skull was wide open from the middle.. And his own tail was what Azrael used as a rope to hang his dead body.


    Another set of words written with blood were present there on a nearby wall.


    "THREE DOWN. ONLY ONE REMAINS. PREPARE EVERYTHING YOU CAN... BECAUSE I''M COMING!"

 Chapter 109: Self Reflection

    <h4>Chapter 109: Self Reflection</h4>


    After Azrael''s open challenge and another one of the strongest noble ns failing to protect their heir had caused an uproar in the city of millions of people.


    It was as if every person living inside vot city was now a spectator and wanted to see how Azrael would now kill thest heir and deliver upon his deration of war.


    And because of this open challenge, the Volstov n couldn''t even relocate their n heir or send him to another city. If they did, they''d be aughingstock for generations toe.


    But this time, no one would be looking down on him. He had already proven that he could even kill an Intermediate Grandmaster like the Elven n head. So maybe, even the Peak Grandmaster rank fighters of the n would get involved because this whole incident would definitely put their pride at stake as well.


    At this moment.. Kahn sat inside the hidden warehouse where he had kept Albestros since the whole battle against the nobles started.


    "Kahn. I think you should stop." said the old cksmith as he walked behind Kahn who was looking through the city maps and archives he had found on the Volstov n. He wanted to use the best n he coulde up with to find the heir and leave out of their headquarters alive.


    "Why did you say so? Getting cold feet?" asked Kahn to the Albestros who was standing behind him.


    "No. You''ve done enough for me already. There''s no need to carry this on." he said.


    "You think I can''t kill thest one?" asked Kahn.


    "No, I didn''t mean that. All I''m saying is the risk is too much even for someone as strong as you. As much as I''d love to see that bastard dead after everything you told me about the real truth and why they killed my daughter & son.. I can''t have you get killed in the process either." said Albestros in a heavy and caring tone.


    "Walking in there would be like entering a Dragon''sir. It''s nothing but certain death." he said and put his left hand on Kahn''s shoulder.


    "Don''t worry about it, I know what I''m doing. And let me be honest with you. This is no longer about just avenging your daughter and son. I''m doing it for my own reasons as well." he replied.


    "And what are those reasons?" asked the old cksmith.


    Sigh.


    Kahn sighed and replied, "A long time ago, I was exactly the opposite to the type of person I am now. Back then, I had control over my fate but I never actually made a change in my life. Not only was I apletely different person back in those times... I was also aplete failure. Someone who never took that first step.. Someone who never fought to better their own life, only using excuses and twisted logic to wallow in self-guilt and misery." he spoke with a solemn expression on his face.


    After getting reincarnated.. He had seen that there was so much to life than just self loathing or acting like you were the victim of every wrong thing in the world. He had realized how other people''s opinion and his personal insecurities mattered very little.


    "But now.. I have the power to hold the leash on my fate and live life in a way I see fit. I promised myself that I will not get involved in someone else''s problems and always be on my own. But after I heard about what happened to your children & how you''ve been enduring it all since all those years.. It made me realize how wrong I was when I thought it was only me who was suffering the most." said Kahn as he put away the old man''s hand.


    "Doing this.. Just feels right. It''s like something inside me is telling me that I can''t look away from this no matter what. That I must do something about it since the current me has the strength to do it. This isn''t just about your children anymore. I need this.. I need to do this.. Not for anyone else but for myself. Otherwise, I don''t think I''ll be able to look at myself in a mirror." said Kahn as he got up and put all the documents in his space ring.


    His gaze drifted towards the eastern end of the city and his figure flickered.


    Kahn had found something that resonated with him. Because even in this life.. He was still fighting on the battlefield set by God of Darkness.


    What did he actually want for himself? He had no clue. He had no true motive even in his new life. He was just another reincarnated person dancing on the palm of those Gods.


    Maybe it sounded like he was contradicting his own words.. But Kahn no longer cared. He would finish this task first and then see where it leads him in life.


    Because for the first time in his new life.. Kahn felt like being himself.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : I''m receivingints about MC bing a total hypocrite & not an Antihero anymore. First of all, I''d like to address the elephant in the room.


    It hasn''t even been two months since MC was reincarnated. His family & all the insecurities he had in the past still have a hold over him. He won''t be able to move past his previous life that easily, it''ll take him some time.


    And although he''s no longer averse to killing anyone if they stand in his goals, he still has a Bottom Line. He''s still a human from Earth who was a part of modern civilization and has a sense of Moral Code. He''d need valid reasons to have aplete transformation in his personality.


    Honestly, I even hate to write this in a chapter but please.. Do not mistake an Antihero protagonist for a cold-blooded murderer or a psychopath who kills people for no reason.


    He won''t kill the mother & the children just because he has enmity with the father. Or an innocent bystander just because they were present at the wrong ce and at the wrong time. That''s nothing but a 14 year old kid mentality.


    Let''s see this as a trial for Kahn. He would first need to experience both sides of the coin to make a decision for himself. I want him to see the consequences of being a good guy or helping others as well. That''s what I had in mind when the plot was written in the storyboard.


    I''m the kind who doesn''t do character development in just one or two chapters, I''d rather take ten to twenty chapters for it with logical reasons than just change his personality for the sake of it.


    The entire Arc/Volume 1 is just a setup for what''s toe and how Kahn will evolve as a character in the future arcs.


    Sorry for taking your time. But I had to let his out before we carry the further story.


    P. S. I truly appreciate all the love and support many fans are giving to this novel in the past couple of days.]]

 Chapter 110: The Ploy

    <h4>Chapter 110: The Ploy</h4>


    Azrael''s open challenge had now put the entire Volstov n on high alert. And now, even the hidden masters of this n who had been away or no longer meddled in the n affairs were forced to interfere.


    In the 5 kilometers wide headquarters of the n, a 5 story mansion that was built with the most dazzling and articte designs had hundreds of Volstov n gathering inside the main hall.


    This n was far bigger than the Odelschwanck n as it wasprised of all different species and hybrids. It didn''t matter if you were a halfbreed or your parents belonged to a different race. As long as you carried their blood, you were part of the n.


    And because of this rule, the n had a total of 17 thousand members and 6 thousand of them were capable of fighting in a war. The rest were of different sses rted to Alchemy, Craftsmanship, Architecture & even Historians.


    This n currently held control over most of the markets and barely had any notable rivals. The majority of the popce in the vot city didn''t even know the strength of this n because most of the businesses were done under fraud names and franchises and their members varied by species so much that no one could point out fingers at them.


    Although the Vivaldi n currently held the position of the leader of the noble faction in name, only the people in the inner circles were aware of the true might of this n.


    At this moment, a meeting was held inside the main hall of the mansion. Just this hall was as big a small football field and more than 600 hundred members with significant importance & positions in the n were currently present. And while the majority of them were whispering amongst themselves, the top brasses of the n were situated at the end of this hall.


    Only 13 people were sitting on highlyfortable and regal-looking chairs in the end, each one looking different and belonging to different species. 7 of them were hybrids while the remaining 5 had the characteristics of a prominent species.


    A tall and muscr demonkin with pale white skin and blonde hair was seated on a throne while there were other two seats, albeit smaller than his own were ced a level below it. And on those seats, a ck wolfkin and a yellow snakekin were seated respectively.


    "So what is the consensus?" asked the n head.


    "It''s as n leader proposed.. It''s not us who should be afraid of Azrael. It should be him. We already have gathered enough information on him to make sure that he will die a miserable death in case he dares toe to our headquarters." replied one of the core elders of the n who was seated amongst the top 10 elders.


    "Yes. From what we know so far, this Azrael is a Doppler. And it was the main reason why he could infiltrate into the Stabrort and Odelschwanck n''s headquarters without getting caught." said another elder.


    "If we use the bloodline tracker formation and use detection barriers, we can easily find him as soon as he enters in the courtyard where master Eren will be kept hidden. And with 2 Peak Grandmasters including a Semi-Saint rank Swordsman such as the n leader, he can never escape out of this ce alive." replied the main advisor who was seated on a red chair just below these 3 main fighters of this n.


    "But how do we make sure that anyone who isn''t a part of our n gets detected by this bloodline tracker formation?" asked the n head in his majestic and domineering tone.


    Dormammu Volstov was the current head of the n who had reached the Semi-Saint rank under just 72 years of his life. A true talented powerhouse who was feared even by someone like the Magistrate of vot city.


    If not for someone like Commander Straze Boltomir & Solomon Elfenheim present in this city, this man would be an absolute ruler who would be unrivaled unless a Saint Rank fighter showed up.


    "With the use of these." Said the main advisor who was a mage and a small chest full of red amulets was ced in front of the elders and Big 3 of the n.


    "There are only 17 of these, each one carries the blood of our n. We can use them as a conduit to keep a track of anyone entering and leaving. Anyone who isn''t wearing them will be seen as an intruder by the bloodline tracker formation and we will be alerted." replied the main advisor.


    "How are we going to distribute them, then?" asked one of the elders.


    "The six peak master rank fighters of the n who will be put on the security & the four mages in charge of the magical formations will be given each of them. The n leader, master Jean, master Connie and myself will get 4. As for the remaining three, they will be given to master Eren and master Bartholomew. Thest one will be kept as a reserve." exined the main advisor.


    "What do you think of this Bartholomew? It''s your son whose life is in danger here. Do you ept this arrangement?" asked the n head as he gazed at his right side and a blonde hair man who appeared to be in his fifties stood up from his chair.


    "I have no problems, n head." he replied with an obedient tone.


    "And you Eren?" asked the n head again to a human male with blonde hair who looked like he had just entered his thirties.


    "I have no problems as well, n leader. I trust the capabilities of our n & the might of our Grandmaster rank fighters." replied the handsome and elegant n heir.


    "Then it is settled. Now let''s talk aboutplete security arrangements. I want this mongrel named Azrael caught before he even enters the inner areas of our headquarters." said the n head and another heated discussion arose amongst the top brass of the n.


    When the night fell and all the arrangements were done on how to deal with Azrael, in a closed room inside the main mansion that was under an istion barrier.. The father & son duo of Bartholomew & Eren were talking amongst themselves.


    "It''s too risky, father! What if we get caught? Even if I''m the sessor to the n head''s position, we will be killed if they find out." said Eren with a serious tone.


    "Don''t worry son.. I know what I''m doing. We will use this Azrael as means to avoid any suspicion. And with the excuse of his attack on us..." the father stopped his words and let out a sinister smirk as he spoke again..


    "We will kill the n Leader."

 Chapter 111: The Inside Job

    <h4>Chapter 111: The Inside Job</h4>


    The father and son duo kept on discussing and quarreling over their n. For Bartholomew, it was a golden opportunity and for the Eren, it would spell their doom.


    "The risk is too great father! And what if those people fail? There are also two Peak Grandmasters who could also join and those people won''t be able to kill the n leader!" yelled Eren at this father.


    "You fool! Do you really think that bastard will actually let you be the next head? Sooner orter, he will find some excuse such as your taste in men and use it to null your session. Do you think the news of you not being interested in females was leaked to others easily?" asked the father.


    "You mean.." spoke Eren.


    "Yes.. I recently found out as well. This whole fiasco happened because the n leader wants his own son to be the next heir, not you who won thepetition and the title fair and square." replied Bartholomew and continued.


    "Just the incident with the cksmith''s daughter was also part of his n all those years ago, we just couldn''t see it. And he will use it when the session ceremonyes next year. He has been biding his time for all those years. And now this whole thing with this irritating Azrael bastard.. He will use it to take away your right and make his own son get this position. Only if I was a Peak Grandmaster myself.. I could''ve made a firm stand. But only those with the bigger fists make the rules." exined the father.


    "But.. Are those people reliable?" asked Eren.


    "Don''t worry.. They''re all professionals. I''ve used my entire life''s savings to hire 3 of their Peak Grandmaster Assassins from the Capital. They should reach vot city by tonight. Even someone like the n head won''t be able to fight the 3 of them together. All I want is to see you sit on that throne. Even though I was robbed of my chance to be the n head.. I want to see my son sitting there andmanding our n." said Bartholomew.


    "But how do we even get them inside the n mansion? The security will be too tight and all the entrances will be protected. Even a bird won''t be able to get inside without getting detected." asked the n heir Eren.


    "What good is security if someone from the inside opens the door for the intruders?" asked the father in a cunning tone.


    "Unlike those buffoons, I know many secret locations and pathways that were created by our first n head. The 2nd and now the current n head never studied those records and blueprints. They don''t even know that there''s a secret passage right beneath the Eastern end of the mansion." exined the father.


    "I can get those people inside and they''ll finish the job. With the n head out of the picture, we can me it on Azrael and have the entire n start a manhunt for him. With this, no one will challenge our authority. Even if Jean & Connie did, they''d be branded as traitors who are going against the n rules. Everything will go in our favor from now on." spoke the father a devilish grin on his face.


    Kahn had been doing reconnaissance for the past 2 days. Although there was no time limit or a target of certain days given to him to kill thest heir.. He wanted to do it in under a week and be done with this war with nobles. After this, he''d hang up the hood and maybe leave this city for good.


    Since the past 2 days, he had beening to look for a possible entryway to enter inside the main n mansion that was twice the size of the Elven n''s mansion, but the security was simply too tight. There were even master rank archers on the roof of the mansion. He couldn''t even transform into some bird and fly in before getting shot down with a volley of arrows.


    These people hadn''t even left any shadows during nighttime using the magicmps for him to enters through the premises using Shadow Walk.


    All the possible entry points were gone and the most frustrating part was they had already expected him toe under a disguise. Many bloodline tracking magic formations were ced on all the gates. So if anyone who didn''t carry their n''s bloodline entered through the gates, they''d raise an rm and an army of fighters would drop upon them.


    Even if he were to get mixed into the goods & rations that were brought inside, he would still get caught.


    "This is just too hard. I won''t be able to infiltrate inside in this lifetime at this rate." said Kahn as he was contemting his options and choices.


    And after learning about the n head being a Semi-Saint rank Swordsman.. Kahn had already left the idea of frontal sh with any of their forces out of the equation. He had to do it in the most covert and well-nned way. Without getting caught or detected by anyone.


    So sincest two nights, he had beening and examining the headquarter surrounding during the night and simply tried to find a proper entry point. His sense on full alert and both his Survival Instinct & Hunter''s Intent working at two times their maximum capacity since it was during the night and he''d get this buff because of his Hero of Darkness title.


    Just when he was observing the headquarters from a mile away while sitting amongst the tall trees, his ears picked a sound of multiple people 100 meters away, walking and whispering amongst themselves.


    Kahn quickly used Shadow Walk and mixed inside the dark shadows.


    "Is this the right ce? The employer said he''d meet us here during the night." said a manpletely dressed in ck robes. In his hands, was a glowing map.


    Creak! Crung!!


    Suddenly, a 5 meter stone boulder that was at the foot of a small peak started moving on its own, close to 50 meters away from Kahn''s position and his ears picked up the noise.


    A secret passageway was opened and a blonde middle-aged man came out from the other side of this stone door. He looked at these people who stood just 10 meters away from this stone passage entrance.


    "Follow me. We only have this night." he said and gestured to the 3 men to follow him.


    Kahn who was watching everything from afar smiled and spoke to himself.


    [Thank you, plot convenience.]

 Chapter 112: The Reveal

    <h4>Chapter 112: The Reveal</h4>


    The sudden emergence of these ck robed men surprised Kahn. But when he saw the suddenly opened door that came out of a stone boulder which was hidden in in sight, he thanked whoever was watching over him.


    But he wasn''t hasty to rush in the door because the aura that came from these people was that of Peak Grandmaster rank person. Even the blonde man was an Intermediate Grandmaster. If he were to fight with these people, he''d at best be able to kill the blonde man and maybe one of the peak grandmaster fighters with the element of surprise and that too with his Hero of Darkness title & Berserk God Mode being active.


    Otherwise, he''d be a headless chicken if he were to fight any one of these people during the daytime.


    Since he wanted to avoid suspicion, he had stopped visiting dungeons and also no longer had any high-grade monster cores or mana ores on him to eat or absorb them because he used them to resurrect his subordinates.


    And with the whole time being spent after that on hunting these noble n heirs, his strength was still the same before he fought the Magma Drake Dungeon Boss.


    It was more than enough to take out an Intermediate Grandmaster easily during the night with all his buffs but he''d still struggle in front of a Peak Grandmaster. And there were 3 of them. So unless he was an idiot who overestimated himself because of some OP buff skill, it''d best to stay out of these people''s sight.


    The men soon followed Bartholomew in the passageway. Kahn had also followed behind them using shadow walk and maintaining a distance so that they don''t sense him. His aura and his presence was already hard to detect and during the night, the shadow walk skill and all his magic skills were also twice more effective because of the title. So he was able to follow them from 20 meters away without getting detected.


    "Tell us about the target. And what do we need to avoid to ambush him quickly." asked one of the masked and hooded men.


    "As you already know, this vignte named Azrael has dered a war on our noble ns. He already killed 3 noble n heirs and wants to kill my son next. But it presented me with a perfect opportunity to use his name and kill the n leader. You do the job and make it look like Azrael did it." spoke Bartholomew and took out 3 parchments and gave them to the assassins.


    "Here are his attack patterns and the type of wounds he makes while killing his targets. All you have to do is make simr wounds on the n leader after you kill him and all the me will be shifted onto him. Given the reputation of your Deathly Hollows assassin organization.. I hope you''ll be able to kill a Semi-Saint rank Swordsman since there are 3 of you." informed the blonde middle-aged man.


    Kahn, whose hearing was already sharp and could hear everything clearly under 100 meter radius was left speechless after hearing this conversation.


    [What the fuck!! Are these people trying to shoot a gun using my shoulder?]


    This waspletely opposite to what he expected. First, he thought these experts were additional forces brought in to ambush and kill him. But there were actually here to kill the Volstov n head. And were nning to pin the me on him instead.


    [Fine then.. Two can y the game.] he spoke and silently followed these people through the pathway.


    "Make sure that you take away the amulet he is wearing. That way, it will look more believable that it was Azrael who killed the n leader." spoke the employer.


    "Why is that?" asked one of the men.


    "It''s something that one needs toe inside the bloodline tracking formation without alerting anyone. Even I''m wearing one. If you take it away, it''ll be seen as he somehow knew about it and fought the n leader to get it. But then had to run away without doing anything for some reason. Others will keep guessing but no one will know that it was the work of someone else." exined Bartholomew.


    And finally when they had exited out of a hidden door behind a wooden shelf, a small dark room was revealed that appeared like a storage room. Bartholomew finally spoke again.


    "The n head is on the 5th floor. He''s usually alone at this time. His room and office are marked on the parchment. I''m off to my residence where I''ll be under a watch along with my son. So don''t expect me to contact you again. And in case you''re caught or killed.." just then, one of the masked men spoke.


    "Don''t look down on us. We would rather die than reveal the name of the employer. That''s our main policy." said the man on the right side.


    "I''ll leave it to you then. The pathway will stay open till the morning, so finish the job before that." said Bartholomew and left the room.


    The three men finally removed their hoods and robes. Their real attire wasprised of lightweight armor that didn''t hinder their speed or movements in the slightest and the weapons were of the epic rank. Something that even most of the noble ns treated like family treasure but these people acted as if these were just normal tools.


    After making small discussions on their final strategy, the three peak grandmaster rank assassins disappeared and left the room.


    A minuteter, a dark shadow emerged out of the passage door where whence they came from and another person donned in gray robes and a hood appeared.


    It was Kahn in his Azrael persona.


    Now he had two choices. He could follow behind the blonde man, kill him and then enter the secured residence where the n heir was under protection. While his other choice waspletely erratic and would benefit him a lot if things went ording to his n.


    Kahn weighed down the pros and cons in his mind and finally came to a decision. He spoke to himself as he let out a greedy smile.


    "While two dogs are fighting for a bone, the third one runs away with it."

 Chapter 113: The End Result

    <h4>Chapter 113: The End Result</h4>


    Kahn followed behind the assassins from a far distance. He would always hide a level below the floor they were passing through to not get detected.


    When he noticed how the assassins were doing the stealth work without getting caught, he felt enlightened because their techniques were simply wless.


    Unlike him who was using the shadow walk, a skill made from an assassin & a ranger skills, the professionals did it in a very neat and practical way.


    They used their concealment skills and used magical artifacts that not only sealed any sounding out of the 3 meter radius invisibility barrier that was cast around them, they also used mind distortion artifacts that put the guards under a mild daze as if they were looking at something far away while they were lost in their own thoughts. Their senses were also affected and weakened to the extent that none of them even noticed a silhouette of something walking right in front of them.


    This was a perfectbination because not only it ensured that they''d not get caught, but also controlled the ability of the guards to sense their presence as well. Unlike Kahn who had to rely on the shadows of these guards and the architecture such as dark corners or shadow of pillers to pass or hide through them.


    These were the true professionals who had absolute control over the battlefield. Forget detecting them, your own senses were weakened to the point these people could walk right in front of you and put a dagger in your throat.


    [I gotta get me one of those.] thought Kahn as he felt the need to get those artifacts in the future. Naturally, they''d be far too costly and not avable in many ces to begin with.


    [[Author : I know I''m throwing in a lot of names of unexined artifacts and formations recently but roll with them for now because the MC never had a chance to study or practice them. His priorities were different. Definitely exining all of them in detail in the next arc.]]


    When the group of assassins finally reached the 5th floor, they took out another set of Artifacts made for isting & noise cancetion. One wouldn''t even feel the vibrations while walking on this floor.


    Two of them spread across the floor which consisted 9 big rooms and currently, 12 guards were patrolling in between the passages while some were keeping an eye on entry and exit points.


    Unlike all the previous floors where nearly 50 to 80 guards were stationed, this floor had the least amount of guards.


    Mainly because who would dare to attack or ambush a Semi-Saint rank fighter? And that too right in his home where nearly one thousand soldiers were guarding just the main mansion.


    When Kahn finally managed to reach on this floor as his body was still part of the shadows.. What he saw gave him a newfound sense of respect for these assassins.


    All the 12 guards were already dead. Their bodies were ced close to the walls. Some had their throats swiftly cut while some had a knife passing through their eyes. Not a single sound was revealed to the lower floors and there seemed to be no sign of struggle at all.


    Because everything in the perimeter of this floor was so silent that Kahn couldn''t even hear or feel his heartbeat. He felt like being in some sort of limbo between life and death.


    [Press F for Respect.] he praised these professionals like some noob getting gobsmacked after watching the skills of the pro gamers.


    Compared to these people, his assassinations were a bit messy and took a lot of time. It had been nearly 3 minutes since these assassins entered the premises of this floor and all the guards were already finished off.


    Although they had the advantage in rank and stats, the techniques were indeed worthy of apuse.


    [So I guess they''ll be going in for the kill now.] spoke Kahn and kept on hiding at a far distance. He did not wish to be detected & killed by these people at all. Rather, he was rooting for them instead.


    Because they were going to deliver him a big piece of juicy steak on a tter. And he didn''t even have to pay for the meal.


    Unbeknownst to the watching eyes of Kahn, the?grandmaster rank assassins used the noise cancetion barrier and had finally cleared out the entire floor. Now there was only one thing remaining.


    To take out the n head.


    Two of them now stood in front of the n head''s bedroom and looked towards each other before they finally opened the door.


    But unlike they had expected.. The n head wasn''t asleep but instead, he was sitting on a chair at the opposite end with a ck epic rank giantsword in his hand. The n head of the Volstov n was actually waiting for these assassins.


    The assassins were stunned on the spot. Their strategy was sound but somehow, the Semi-Saint Swordsman had sensed them.


    The man on the right of the assassin duo took out a green pendent and pressed the small bead in the center.


    In the next second, the entire bedroom of the n head was encapsted by a dense ck barrier. The noise cancetion formation was removed on the other hand and Kahn could finally hear his heartbeats again.


    Inside the barrier, the n head finally spoke.


    "And here I thought Azrael was but one man." he said in his tyrannical tone and released his immensely dense and chaotic orange aura that filled the entire room.


    "Don''tpare us to that amateur. We''ve read how he nned his infiltrations. It''s nothing but a jumble of many ifs that went into his favor. He''s not even worthy of bing a part of our organization." said the man on the left. Both these assassins however seemedpletely unaffected.


    "Interesting.. Then who are you lot?" asked the n leader, still looking carefree as if this revtion did not faze him in the slightest.


    "We''re from Deathly Hollows. And we''ve epted a contract to take your life. From one of your own." said the assassin without a worry.


    "Not very bright, are you? Why are you even telling me that it was a traitor in my n who hired you." chuckled the n head as he got up and brandished his greatsword.


    In response, both the men took out their daggers and replied in unison.


    "Because dead men tell no tales."


    Outside the barrier, Kahn slowly walked closer towards the door but he didn''t hear any form of noise or even a struggle.


    [What the hell is happening?] he asked himself.


    Nothing wasing out of the room. No sound, no vibrations or even a sign of a fight.


    His Hunter''s Intent barely picked up three heat signatures moving inside the room as if they were fighting each other but as far as his other senses and abilities.. They picked nothing as if the room was present in some another dimension itself.


    [Whatever they''re using to seclude the battlefield.. Is definitely an Epic rank artifact.] he thought.


    Inside the room.. A ground-shattering battle was happening. Dozens of attacks from both sides were shing against each other. But the floor that had turned pitch after the assassins activated the pendant, appeared as if it was now indestructible and the walls of the bedroom hadpletely disappeared.


    "What''s this?" asked the n head after his attack barely missed one of the assants.


    "It''s a Domain Artifact you illiterate swine! This is why we easily kill ignorants like you who only think that physical strength is all that matters." replied the other man and threw a bomb at the n head.


    The sh between these men was enough to destroy a football field but nothing happened to the mansion or the n head''s room.


    Kahn who was nothing but a spectator at this point didn''t even understand what was happening. He had no idea how the ongoing battle he could sense inside the room hadn''t caused any damage or alerted anyone.


    [I better stay hidden or I won''t even know how I died.] he thought and hid inside the shadow and went back to his original position.


    Inside the domain, an intense battle was happening for more than 20 minutes straight where the Semi-Saint rank n head was oppressing both the attackers easily and barely giving them a chance to retaliate. There were dozens of Greatswords made of a force simr to the demonkin''s orange aura floating in the air. All they could do was dodge and parry to keep their bodies intact.


    "With just this much.. You came to kill me? Are you looking down on me you little shits!!" he roared andunched a heavily destructive aura attack on the assassins. The strength behind this attack alone was enough to split the whole n mansion in two.


    Both the Assassins disappeared from his sight in the next second as if they never existed there at all.


    The n leader didn''t leave his guard open and quickly swung his giantsword on his left.


    ng!


    A spark of weapons shing appeared and a figure defending against this giantsword was revealed.


    The n leader didn''t even flinch and used his right hand to grab something in the air.


    Grip!


    In his hand, was the hand of the 2nd assassin who just tried to stab him in the stomach.


    "Prepare for your death." spoke the n leader with enraged eyes.


    "Someone''s definitely going to die.. Just not us." said the 2nd assassin and smirked at the n head.


    Before the greatswords floating in the air could even stab or cut these two assassins..


    Stab!


    The next moment, a ck dagger suddenly pierced the neck of the n leader and a figure of another assassin was revealed.


    Boom!


    An intense and ground-shaking burst of aura from the semi-saint rank swordsman threw all the assassins 10 meters away from him.


    He clutched his neck in disbelief and noticed that this blood was turning ck.


    "How.. Did I not sense you.." spoke the n head as he took out a high-grade poison antidote potion from his space ring and drank it.


    "Who do you think was managing this domain from the beginning then? I became one with the Domain itself." chuckled the 3rd assassin who just stabbed the neck of the n head. The blood on his dagger had turned ck as well.


    "There''s no point in struggling. The poison our daggers have can''t be detoxified by any normal antidote." spoke one of the three men.


    Just in twelve seconds.. The body of the n head dropped on the floor. His entire body had ck veined patterns underneath the skin and a froth came out of his mouth.


    Just like this.. One of the top 3 powerhouses of the vot city, a Demonkin semi-saint rank Swordsman & also the n head of the strongest noble n of vot city was killed by the three peak grandmaster rank assassins.


    "I guess the time is about to be over, we barely managed to kill him before the artifact activation time ended." spoke the man on the left.


    When the dark barrier finally disappeared and the bedroom of the n head came to be. All the three assassins heaved a sigh.


    SHRILL!!


    The next second however, the entire space around them froze and everything stopped moving including their own bodies.


    A dreary and murderous aura came from behind them and a ghastly voice spoke.


    "Thank you for your help. Now please leave your lives here for me."

 Chapter 114: The Biggest Beneficiary

    <h4>Chapter 114: The Biggest Beneficiary</h4>


    The three peak grandmaster assassins who were rooted on the spot just as soon as they had barely managed to kill the Volstov n head, couldn''t move as they heard Azrael''s grim voiceing from the back.


    Normally, the Void Realm dark magic spell which temporarily locked the space and stopped anyone from moving as if the time itself stopped, wouldn''t be able to stop or restrict these strong fighters even for 3 seconds. But since Kahn''s magic skills were twice as effective during the night thanks to the Hero of Darkness title in effect, they were unable to move for the next 5 seconds.


    Stab! Stab! Stab!


    Without wasting time on any further introductions or some monologue, Kahn quickly used three of his extensions with spear-like ends to stab through the necks of these three assassins. And since his physical strength also rose by 3 times, he didn''t feel any resistance while piercing through their bodies.


    The three bodies of the professional assassins were slowly put down on the floor without making any sound. A single moment of negligence had cost them their lives as they left their guard down aftering out of the domain and their senses failed to pick up Azrael''s presence.


    The void realm skills activation time ended. Just like how Ajak, the Dark Summoner managed to kill Kahn back then; so did Kahn when he reaped the lives of these trained and experienced assassins.


    Kahn had basically applied the method he once read in Art of War.


    ''Attack where your enemy is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.''


    Kahn''s gaze thennded on the body of the dead n head. Not only did his n seed to let these people kill the n leader but also he managed to kill the three assassins as well. So basically, now he had cores and bodies of 4 peak grandmasters and he could eat them to raise his levels and stats to strengthen himself even more.


    Because currently, the B rank cores & mana ores didn''t help him raise his levels that efficiently since the resources required to raise each level also increased. And the A Rank cores & ores were hard toe by till now.


    But now.. A greedy, creepy and wide smile appeared on Kahn''s face.


    "Hueheuhuehue!"ughed Kahn.


    Because not only their bodies but also their equipments and everything that was in their space rings also belonged to him now. He took out their space rings and put them in his pockets. This was indeed the juicy piece of steak he wanted when he nned to follow the three assassins.


    The ck giantsword of the n head instantly reminded Kahn of the Dragon yer from Berserk manga.


    The only difference was the crossguard that protected the fingers and wrist. Kahn did not even hesitate for a second and put the giantsword in his space ring. Although, using this weapon wasn''t his style.. A certain subordinate of his was extremely proficient in using at them. When that subordinate was resurrected, he''d give this weapon to him.


    Time was of the essence so he would eat their cores, absorb their abilities and decide what to do with the bodiester after clearing out his main objective first. He looked at the n head again and another n hatched in his mind.


    Kahn took the amulet the n head was wearing and took some clothes out of the closet. He then ced the body of all these dead men & the demonkin along with their weapons in his space ring.


    10 minutester, at the southern end of the mansion where the n heir Eren was guarded under watchful eyes, a 4 meter tall figure of a blonde demonkin, dressed in regal clothes slowly walked in. Each of his steps were loud and could be heard from a distance.


    The vignt guards protecting this area were surprised to see this figure at thiste night. Every single one of them was a peak master rank fighter but in front of this figure, all of them showed an expression of worship.


    "We greet the n head!" spoke one of the guards loudly and put his right fist on his heart and put the left hand behind his back.


    The others who were standing afar at different entry points followed the same greeting.


    Currently, they were inside the bloodline tracking formation. And anyone without the amulet would be seen as an intruder.


    "Leave us. I wish to discuss few things with the n heir and his father." spoke the n head in his domineering voice.


    "But.. But n leader.. We are here to protect master Eren." spoke a female warrior.


    "And you think you can protect him better than me?" asked the n head and released his bloodlust in the surrounding.


    The people froze under his immense murderous bloodlust and felt like a dangerous predator was looking at them.


    "We understand, n leader. We will leave you alone until your orders." said an elven swordsman and all the guards followed behind him.


    The Semi-Saint n head could easily provide security ten times better than them.


    The n head walked inside after opening the door, his entry not triggering any rms.


    The sound of his footsteps alerted the father and son duo who were whispering in between them.


    But as soon as both of them saw the tall figure of the n head.. The color from their faces disappeared and both of them turned pale the next second.


    "What is it, Bartholomew? You look like you''ve seen a ghost." spoke the n head and gave a light smirk at the father and son duo.


    "C.. Cl... n head." stuttered the father as if he had seen an actual ghost.


    "You don''t look very pleased to see me." spoke the n head again.


    "No.. Nothing as such, n leader. We just didn''t expect to see you at thiste hour." spoke Eren and bowed in front of the n head.


    "What can we do for you, n head?" asked Bartholomew who quickly recovered from his surprise and put in an act of obedience again.


    "Nothing much.." spoke the n head.


    SHRILL!


    A dark barrier covered the entire room and everything inside was isted from the outside. It was exactly the same Domain Artifact the assassins had used to iste the battlefield. All it needed was a huge amount of mana to activate, something that Kahn didn''tck. Although his mana decreased by 600 points with the single use, he wasn''t the kind to depend on it in the first ce.


    Suddenly, his war dominance aura filled the entire ce and put both the blonde men on the ground.


    Before they could retaliate, Kahn used Void Realm again and an extension was plunged inside the father''s head before he could even move.


    Eren who was horrified as soon as he saw the n head kill his father and was stunned on the spot.


    A ghastly voicended on his ears as he saw the n head looking at him with eyes full of murderous bloodlust.


    "Now then.. Prepare for thest day of your life."


    .


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    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : THIS IS A FORMAL APOLOGY TO THE OLD-TIME READERS OF THE NOVEL. PLEASE READ IT.


    Recently it has been brought to my attention by some readers that the power scaling & level system in the Novel is kind of illogical when ites to Stats & Attributes for some of the strongest characters. I did some rechecking and that was indeed a problem.


    Your friendly neighborhood dumbass Author of this novel messed up.


    *inserts monkey looking away meme*


    In my defense.. All I could say that I was aplete noob in writing sector back in the day and based levels and stats that appeared reasonable all those months ago when MC had just entered this world. So I would like to formally extend an apology to all of those who have been supporting and following the novel for some time.


    Let me exin how Stat categories work here.


    Strength = Pure physical strength.


    Agility = Physical speed and maneuverability.


    Dexterity = It''s the gaming term for action speed or hit rate. Like how fast can someone fight while using a weapon or magical skills.


    Defense = Physical Defense (Defensive skills & abilities not included.)


    Mana = Character''s mana storage & usage capacity.


    Also, the higher your rank, the more stats gained when you increase your levels.


    Characters such as Rudra & Omega with Godbeast bloodlines will gain more stat points with each Level & Rank uppared to other subordinates.


    As for the significant effects of Kahn''s War Deity Body, they''ll only be important after he breaks through Saint Rank.


    Now, here are the new retconned stats and levels for some of the main characters. They have been edited and reced in the old chapters already. Also, the details on the stats of the other subordinates will be provided in the epilogue chapter.


    The current levels and stats for some important characters so far.


    Name : Kahn


    Species : Human


    Job : ALL FOR ONE (Because of Divine Abilities & Blessings)


    Rank : Beginner Grandmaster Rank


    Level : 70


    Strength : 876


    Agility : 753


    Dexterity : 801


    Defense : 689


    Mana : 982


    --------


    Name : Omega


    Species : Lycan (Variant Fenrir)


    Rank : Lord Rank (Beginner Grandmaster Rank for monsters)


    Level : 61


    Strength : 623


    Agility : 591


    Dexterity : 532


    Defense : 497


    Mana : 281


    --------


    Name : Ronin


    Species : Human


    Job : Rogue (Assassin+Thief)


    Rank : Lord Rank


    Level : 61


    Strength : 594


    Agility : 731


    Dexterity : 704


    Defense : 409


    Mana : 473


    --------


    Name : Arkham Hond


    Species : Human


    Job : Magic Swordsman


    Rank : Peak Grandmaster Rank


    Level : 82


    Strength : 1370


    Agility : 930


    Dexterity : 1130


    Defense : 860


    Mana : 440


    --------


    Name : Solomon Elfenheim


    Species : Elf


    Job : Magician


    Rank : Semi-Saint Rank


    Level : 85


    Strength : 320


    Agility : 670


    Dexterity : 1080


    Defense : 540


    Mana : 1850


    --------


    Name : Rudra


    Species : Voronir [Variant Basilisk]


    Rank : Mythical


    Level : 62


    Strength : 1390


    Agility : 1350


    Dexterity : 781


    Defense : 1293


    Mana : 600


    Note : Rudra is stronger than Arkham because of the Rank and Bloodlines despite being 21 levels below him. On the same levels, he''d surpass Arkham by at least 400 Stat points.


    I hope you guys can forgive me for screwing up in the old chapters. Again, your Advice and Criticism are always weed. I too want to write a story without plotholes.


    CrimsonWolf out! *cries in a corner*

 Chapter 115: The Final Deliverance

    <h4>Chapter 115: The Final Deliverance</h4>


    After killing the father, Kahn bitchpped the son and knocked him out.


    Eren was the main cause and also the main perpetrator of the whole public ra*e of Albestros''s daughter Cynthia and the tragic death of his son Gerald who died while being unable to save his elder sister who was tormented and toyed with in front of thousands of people and at the end, shemitted suicide by biting her tongue and chocking on her own blood.


    This time however, since he was carrying somebody with him under watchful gazes, Kahn used the same stealth artifact the three assassins did to cast an invisibility barrier around them in 3 meter radius. His extensions picked up the unconscious Eren and put the dead father''s body in his space ring.


    He treaded carefully without making any sound using the Silence skill, one of the Archer exclusive skills whichpletely removed the sound of footsteps when they were doing reconnaissance.


    Not long time after, he finally entered the same storage room whence he came out from by following Bartholomew. After he exited the passageway, he closed off the exit with the giant boulder.


    Now it was time for the Final Deliverance.


    Kahn took Eren to the same warehouse and tied him up on the chair. But this time, he wasn''t going to kill him inside this deste ce. Rather.. He had ns.


    Kahn met Albestros and informed him about the final n heir.


    "Do you have them ready?" he asked the cksmith.


    "Yes.. But are you sure about this? There will be people watching it. They will definitely try to interfere." reminded the old cksmith.


    "Don''t worry about me. Just be there on time." spoke Kahn and took torture devices that he had asked Albestros to make, inside his space ring and left the warehouse.


    At this moment, it was nearly 4 AM in the morning. Still 2 hours left till the dawn and as he expected.. More than 500 spectators were situated around the central square of vot city. The square where the heinous crime happened four years ago and where he was hanging the n heirs to make a statement.


    There were some spies from the other three noble ns to inform their forces in case Azrael showed up and hundreds of soldiers were hiding in various buildings.


    And nearly a thousand people looking from the roofs of dozens of buildings, balconies and windows. As if they had heard a calling.. All of them were waiting for but one man to show up.


    The one man who ignited the once smothered mes of rage and courage in thousands of peoples inhabiting this city who had been subjected to injustice by the dozens of nobles ns in one way or another throughout all these years.


    Azrael was no longer just a vignte or a cold-blooded murderer who killed criminals. He also became their voice..


    He had be the voice of the voiceless.


    In this silent square, where only the sound of cold breeze passing could be heard, a figure suddenly started walking with loud footsteps.


    This figure was d in dark grey robes and had a hood around his head.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Every single footstep of this man could be heard by the thousands of people who were eagerly waiting for him. Even the city security forces and the noble n spies hadn''t expected this and all they could do was hide amongst the crowd.


    From behind this man, four ck tendrils were carrying up Eren Volstov, the heir of the strongest n in the city. And the main offender of that crime all those years ago.


    Azrael walked on top of the tform that held a big and wide wooden pole. To those who were present in the square four years ago.. This wooden pole held significance in their memory.


    This was the same tform where Gerald was tied to andter tortured to death back then.


    Kahn''s metal-like extensions ced Eren who was awake but gagged now, his space ring delivered 3 pieces of equipment.


    A metal rod with iron nailsing out of it. A big board with hundreds of metal spikesing out of one end. Andstly, a bowl full of saltwater.


    After he stopped at this tform, hundreds of people starteding out of these buildings and slowly, started encircling the tform as they watched the one man who had dered a war against the powerful ns was finally going toplete his promise.


    At this moment, the Volstov n didn''t even know that their n head and one of their elders were killed and the n heir was brought to the square. To them, these 3 people were still talking and discussing in a secure location and probably waiting for Azrael to show up.


    Soon, the crowd amassed to thousands and even the security guards and the noble n spies were afraid to go against this crowd as they had already brought their makeshift weapons such as knives, pitchforks, hammers and anything sharp they could find with them. And now were encircling and working as Azrael''s own shield.


    The reason why these many people came here in the first ce was because Kahn had paid the Snakekin, who usually did things for Kahn as his intel provider and news spreader and told him to spread rumors that Azrael was going to show up early in the morning in next 2 days. And he asked everyone who suffered at the ends of the nobles and the rich of the city, shoulde to make a final stand and bring anything that could help them fight for their beliefs.


    Kahn had already resolved to finish off the n heir soon but luckily managed to finish the job on the 3rd night. These people were waiting for him yesterday morning as well, only now did he show up.


    A toon of hundreds of soldiers suddenly came out of buildings and encircled this group of citizens that were protecting Azrael.


    The man and woman in front of them were none other than Captain Nordak & Lieutenant Beatrice.


    "Surrender yourself Azrael!! Any resistance and we will kill you!" shouted captain Nordak.


    A majestic and domineering aura suddenly filled the entire square.. The crowd was barely affected by it but the soldiers and anyone who emitted any murderous intent towards him were frozen on the spot.


    This was War Dominance at Kahn''s full capacity and during the dark when it was 3 times denser and heavy due to his title.


    An ancient and ghastly voice filled the entire square and reached every corner of it.


    "Four years ago.. The only thing all you security guards did was just watch when an innocent girl was rap*d right in this square in front of thousands. So just shut up and do it again. Any bold moves and I''ll forget that you''re just following orders!"manded Azrael as his tyrannical and wrathful tone sent chills in the spines of all the soldiers. His aura was of a Peak Grandmaster Rank fighter as well. Giving them a foreboding of death if they chose to stop or attack him.


    Azrael then tied up the saltwater bowl on top of the wooden pole and made a small hole in the bottom. He then put the wooden board that was made in the way to fit on the wooden pole.


    He picked up Eren and stripped off all his clothes in front of over a thousand onlookers. His hands were and legs were tied with a rope and the top rope was now hung on a hanger that wasing out of the wooden pole.


    "Uhhmm!" muffled Eren as his back hit the pointy metal spikes and pierced his back. Blood started leaking out and the 32 year old blonde man started jerking his body off haphazardly in pain, only to fall back on the board full of spikes again.


    Azrael finally pulled the gag out of Eren''s mouth.


    "Arrrrgghhhhhh!!" wailed Eren in pain and his wail full of agony filled the entire solemn square.


    "You fuckingmoner bastard! Do you know who you are messing wit.. Argggghjjj!!" shouted Eren in an enraged tone as he was getting pierced through again and again. His back bleeding like a river from many holes.


    "My n will fucking wipe out your families you motherfucker! Let me go!" shouted Eren again. Unlike the other n heirs, he wasn''t begging for mercy, rather he was adamantly using his n and their strength to curse Azrael and scare the onlookers.


    "What the fuck are you doing you shitheads! Free me!!"


    This n heir still hadn''t epted the fact that his fate was actually in the hands of the man in front of him and still thought he would be spared if he threatened people around him using the n''s name.


    Swoosh!


    Before Eren could even notice.. A swift sh was made with a sharp dagger and something that was wriggling dropped on the ground.


    "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" screamed Eren in agony and his body jerked in pain, just to get stabbed in the back again.


    His very proof of being a man was cut down by Azrael in front of thousands of people who were either encircling them or watching from afar.


    This was the biggest torment and humiliation he ever received in his entire life.


    Dozens of curses and screams filled the entire square as even the normal citizens who just came to watch the show were gasping in shock after Azrael cut the man''s tower off.


    "Do you think that''s enough for your punishment?" asked Azrael and picked up the metal rod with nailsing out of it and in front of thousands of onlookersprised of humans, demi-humans and beastkins..


    He put it inside the man''s backdoor!


    A shrill cry and ear-deafening scream was heard by all the onlookers and even those who came to support Azrael felt their bodies shivering.


    Azrael then grabbed the open end of the rod and started twisting it inside Eren''s rect*m.


    His entire orifice started bleeding a fountain of blood. Azrael left the rod as it is as Eren''s body was being stabbed in the back and his backdoor was bleeding at the same time.


    But since Eren couldn''t move his body at will, all he could do is jerk his body but fell back on the spikes again. He tried changing his side but then his gut was stabbed with the spikes.


    This was no different than Eren lynching his own body with his movements.


    The horrifying screams and cries of pain and agony filled the entire square.. Just the same way Cynthia once did. And now it was the turn for the man who inflicted that pain and agony upon her.


    The torture carried on until Eren could no longer scream and had lost half the blood in his body.. Barely hanging onto thest thread of life.


    Just like 4 years ago.. The entire square was dead silent and only filled with the pleads of someone begging for mercy and help.


    The history was repeated.


    The same square where Erwin, Levi, Reiner & Eren had rap*ed Cynthia back then.. Had now be the ce of their death.


    Eren.. Who now understood how it felt being toyed and tortured in front of thousands of people suddenly lost the light of his eyes..


    Just then, his eyesnded on an elderly man under a brown cloak who was standing in the very center of the first line of citizens encircling this tform.


    The man took his hood off and he finally revealed his face to Eren who had felt so much shame and agony for the first time in his life.


    The old man smiled at Eren with eyes full of tears. But unlike his own, this old man''s tears were the tears of joy and fulfillment.


    It was none other than Albestros who finally saw the main culprit of his children''s death suffering a fate far worse than death in the same ce where the noble n heirs once hung their dead bodies.


    Finally.. His children had received the justice they deserved. And he could finally live his remaining days with peace.


    To Eren however, this smile appeared as if the God of karma had finally judged his fate and meted out his punishment.


    The noble n heir could no longer suffer through this torment and bit down his own tongue with all his might. Even this pain felt far lesser than the one he was suffering through now.


    Cough! Cough!


    In front of thousands of onlookers.. The noble n heir started choking on his own blood and after struggling for a minute.. He finally stopped moving. Dying in the same way Cynthia was forced to die.


    "YAAARHHHH!! YESSSS!!!"


    The next second as soon as his body stopped moving, the crowd released a battle cry and cheered in unison.


    Those who once trampled upon the verymoners were now killed by one of them.


    The majestic voice of Azrael resounded again.


    "No matter which part of society youe from. No matter what standing you have in this society.. Our pride and self-respect are all we have. Never let anyone trampled upon it. Never fear to fight to protect it!" he spoke.


    "From this day forth.. Azrael shall be no more. But I want you to remember.. That you don''t need someone like me to fight for you. The only person who should fight for your rights... is you!"


    The grand figure of Azrael disappeared from the sight of thousands of people as his name was etched in the history of vot city and would be remembered for years toe. And the people of this city would forever remember..


    Azrael.. the Judge, Jury & the Executioner.

 Chapter 116: The Consequences

    <h4>Chapter 116: The Consequences</h4>


    On the evening of the same day, Kahn woke up after a long nap. For some reason.. He had the best sleep ever since he came into this world.


    The content feeling of fulfilling his promise that he had made to both Albestros and himself made him feel like he was born anew.


    The feeling of able to finally being able to do what he felt was right gave him a newfound sense of fulfilment.


    He had alright decided that it was about time he finally moved on from being a warrior of justice and prioritized again on what was best for him.


    Because he realized how one would fare if they relied on someone or something such as number of people you had at your disposal or the connections you had with powerful people.. It wouldn''t make a difference if someone who is far more powerful than you decides to trample on your life.


    Albestros was the living example of it. All his reputation, all his connection didn''t do anything when it came to fight against a powerful n.


    Even Kahn barely managed to kill all their n heirs one by one and that too by doing things covertly and avoiding a full scale war against them.


    Now is ever made for just one individual. But when the system that is supposed to protect you and the people running it abandon you, what can a powerless man with no strength and authority do in that case? If not for Kahn, he would''ve died a sad and lonely death without ever getting justice for his children.


    This day would forever be in etched in Kahn''s memory. Now, he only wanted to take a break till he is prepared to leave this city for good.


    "Sir, have you''re finally awake!" spoke Jerome when Kahn finally entered the living room.


    "Why are you so jumpy? Something happened?" asked Kahn.


    As if he couldn''t wait to tell Kahn.. Jerome started recounting the morning events and how Azrael delivered judgement on thest n heir.


    His eyes were full of worship for the man. Little did the young man know that his idol was sitting right in front of him.


    Kahn let the housekeeper ramble on about the heroic deeds of Azrael for 10 minutes and asked him to bring food. Although he could survive without food and water for weeks now.. He still felt the urge to eat as his brain reminded him about the routine.


    For the rest of the day.. Kahn didn''t leave the house. And on the night, he visited Albestros again.


    "What will you do from now?" asked Kahn to the old cksmith.


    "I.. I don''t know. There''s nothing left for me to here. As soon as I''m finished with your armor and sword.. I will leave this city." replied the old man.


    "I intend to do the same. So why don''t we leave together? Besides, you''ll need my help to get out of the city undetected. Those noble ns are still hunting you." spoke Kahn.


    "I have some friends in the capital. Maybe I can go there and find some work. And these noble ns from here don''t have any authority in the capital. Even the Volstov n doesn''t qualify to be counted as one of the weakest organizations in there." exined Albestros.


    "Fine then. Just stay hidden here until you''re done and then we will leave together. I too want to see how great this capital is and how many strong people are in there." replied Kahn. He already had the same idea because at the end of the day.. He was still a frog in a well.


    There was a vast ocean out there with people and beings so strong that he could not even fathom their strength and abilities.


    Two dayster, Kahn visited the golden crow restaurant again and was sipping his cheap yet very aromatic tea. But then, the news of new skirmishes and small scale battles happening all around the city reached his ears.


    Ever since Azrael dered the war against the noble ns, and finally delivered upon his promise.. It gave all the people who were oppressed and tormented over the years a sense of courage.


    It wasn''t just his victory.. It was the victory for everyone who had suffered at the hands of these powerful noble ns. And hisst speech had ignited the me of war for thesemon folks.


    But as a result.. Hundreds of people had died while fighting against these noble ns and their forces. They weren''t organized, nor had proper training or enough weapons.


    Kahn on the other hand didn''t feel any guilt about this matter. This was something he already expected to happen when he gave that speech.


    What he intended wasn''t to cause unnecessary bloodshed. But give the people of this city a final push.. An outlet to the anger that was pent up inside them from decades.


    Although it would cause chaos in the city and many lives will be lost; in his opinion, this was a necessary sacrifice or the things would never truly change. The foundation of a revolution was always built upon the blood and bones of the oppressed. In time, they''ll get organized and make their existence known.


    But in the grand scheme of things.. It would make a statement.


    A statement that the if you trample upon the lives and honor of themoners.. They will fight back!


    And no noble n or any of the powerful force will ever dare to replicate what happened with the Albestros''s children ever again.


    And the news of Azrael killing the Semi-Saint rank n head of Volstov n already spread like a wildfire. Even when one of the three strongest fighters in the entire city of millions was killed by Azrael.. Who would dare to incur his wrath? It would be no different than having a death wish.


    This had put Law & Order in shambles.. The city security could barely provide thousands of guards for preventing these fights and maintain peace.


    The Military and the entire Adventurer Association on the other hand had their hands full ever since Kahn had cleared the Bromnir dungeon.


    Everyday, thousands of monsters were killed, hundreds of soldiers and adventurers died as the dungeon would release its residents from each floor one by one periodically. The only relief was there weren''t any of the floor bosses from the lower floors Kahn had already killed.


    Otherwise, the amount of dead bodies piling up would be in thousands every single day.


    The main culprit of putting the entire city in chaos returned back to his home at evening.


    After taking notes about all the happenings in the city, Kahn had finally stopped caring about the consequences.


    It wasn''t that he had turned heartless.. It was just something that he couldn''t stop.


    After having dinner and getting back in his bedroom.. Kahn took four dead bodies out of his space ring and ced them in the center of the room. He didn''t take out Bartholomew''s body who was an Intermediate Grandmaster. It''d be a better choice to use him to merge with a subordinate in the future.


    These corpses of the three peak grandmaster rank assasins and the semi-saint rank n head were now lying on the wooden floor.


    Kahn was exhrated just with the thought power boost he''d get after absorbing their abilities, skills and eating their cores.


    These four dead bodies were his food.


    And he was Hannibal Lecter.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : I finally made a Discord Server after tons of requests inments & reviews. So join and be part of our growingmunity.


    P. S. The first members of the Legion will be treated with Respect and often answered. So join quickly.


    Link : https://discord.gg/tn2wpgjTdp

 Chapter 117: Suffering from Success

    <h4>Chapter 117: Suffering from Sess</h4>


    Kahn stared at the bodies and thought about who to absorb first. Both these sses were extremely useful for him. Because he often worked as a Swordsman and as an Assassin. So these bodies were like a godsend gift for him.


    "Let keep the Semi-Saint Rank guy forter." said Kahn and put his hands on one of the peak Grandmaster assassins.


    "Absorb."


    Even with his 50% decrease in absorption speed for Synthesis Divine Ability, it still took him 25 minutes topletely absorb all the abilities.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities :


    Pration (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Provides the host a 50% increase in attack damage while using Daggers.


    Incapacitation (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to temporary paralyze and blind a target for 10 seconds


    Knockout (B Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to stun and disorient a target for 15 seconds.


    Hidden Step (B Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to directly appear behind a target.


    Mirage (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to create a shadow copy of himself for 20 seconds with all the abilities.


    Note : The Mirage will only possess 30% of the host''s stats.]


    "Not bad." said Kahn. Although these abilities were very good for a single target assassination, they were on par with some of his best abilities.


    "System, show me the merged abilities."


    [Following are the merged abilities & skills :


    Subterfuge (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to confuse a target''s vision & sense of direction for 5 seconds.


    Quick de (A Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to critically damage a target while ignoring 30% defense.


    Shadow Swap (S Rank) (PASSIVE)?(Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to swap ces with any target or subordinates under 5 Kilometers meter radius.


    Note : The effective area will increase with the increase in the host''s level and rank.


    Shadow Strike (S Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to directly appear behind any target using their shadow as a medium.


    Doppelganger (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to create an identical copy of himself with all of the host''s skills and abilities for 30 seconds. The range of this ability is 1 Kilometer.


    The Doppelganger will share the mind connection and vision with the host.


    Note : The Doppelganger will have 50% of the host''s stats. The activation time will increase with the increase in host''s Level and Rank.


    In case the Doppelganger dies, it can be revived again after 1 Hour.] replied the system and listed out all of his newly gained abilities.


    "You know what.. I''m just gonna sit this one out." spoke Kahn and sat on the bed in disbelief.


    TOO FUCKING OP!!!


    This was the first time Kahn had received so many S Rank skills & abilities. The new merged abilities basically made him a powerhouse and a top-grade assassin.


    No different than the peak grandmaster assassins. It was as if he went from being a student to bing the school''s principal.


    These new skills and abilities would let him even take out even peak grandmaster targets easily.


    Subterfuge ability wouldpletely y tricks?on your sense of vision & direction. If Kahn attacked someone from the left, the person would think that he was attacking from the right. In crucial situations and life and death battles... This ability could help him kill the opponent by messing with their senses at thest moment.


    Quick de was like dealing a fatal blow with 30% extra damage.


    Shadow Swap.. Let''s not talk about it so we can avoid copyright ims from a Shadow Sovereign.


    Shadow Strike would be no different than simply killing your enemies from behind their back without even giving them time to react.


    And the most OP of them all was the Doppelganger skill.


    Anyone who ever yed Devil May Cry games or read Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God would know how busted and broken this skill was.


    It was like having an extra Kahn fighting beside him. And he could even use this doppelganger to lure enemies to ambush, while fighting or even confusing the enemy when he dealt a deathblow. The possiblebinations with this skill were simply too many.


    This had given him rewards far more than he imagined. Kahn then tried to absorb the abilities from the other assassins but the system told him that all they had same skills.


    It was like a school of assassins that trained and helped them acquire the same set of skills.


    Kahn pulled the golden core out of the Assassin''s heart, cleaned it with a water spell and ate it.


    He sat in his usual meditation position and started absorbing the core. A green aura was emitted from his body as he tried to absorb the core. Just like Stragabor.. This was the residual consciousness of the Assassin. But unlike before, Kahn now had Hero of Darkness title. It didn''t even take him 10 seconds to subdue and make this aura part of his own.


    Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!


    The sound of Leveling up was heard inside this head five times and it finally stopped.


    Kahn already knew that it was already hard to level up. A Grandmaster''s core raising him by 5 levels was already a great boost.


    [Congrattions to the host for breaking through the Grandmaster Rank for Daggers and Assassin skills. The Mastery & Effectiveness for all Assassination skills and abilities increased by 50%.


    Congrattions to the host for breaking through the Intermediate Grandmaster Rank.]


    "Thank you." replied Kahn and then he gave it a thought.


    What would happen if he used these bodies and cores to create a strong subordinate? And since it will have Evolution skill unlocked.. It''d be ideal to merge with his assassination buddy who would be resurrected in a couple of days.


    Kahn took the bodies back in his space ring and moved next to Semi-Saint rank demonkin. His mouth was already drooling with the thought of abilities and skills he''d get from this powerhouse.


    Kahn rubbed his hands like the dude in yellow suit meme & put them on the corpse of the n head of the Volstov n. But this time.. It took him whole 45 minutes just to absorb all the skills and abilities of this man who lorded over the noble factions of the entire vot city.


    But after the system told him about the newly gained skills and abilities along with the merged skills.. Kahn stood stunned on the spot as if a ghost had possessed him.


    He always thought that a Semi-Saint rank fighter would be stronger than a peak grandmaster rank fighter only in terms of stats and attributes but this... This was something he never expected even in his dreams. He looked at the half-dried corpse of the demonkin, then looked at the moon shining brightly outside the window and spoke.


    "Is this what they call... Suffering from Sess?"

 Chapter 118: Gifts after Gifts

    <h4>Chapter 118: Gifts after Gifts</h4>


    Kahn was still finding it hard to digest all the information he received from the system. This was something that even exceeded the previously gained S Rank abilities and skills.


    "System.. Tell me the list again." spoke Kahn.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Damage Reserve (S Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to store the damage received from the physical and magical attacks and expel it in the form of aura burst.


    Lightning sh (S Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host tounch a destructive lightning attack from the sword category weapons for 10 meter distance.


    Rising Wind (S Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host tounch a tornado attack made up of destructive mana and shred everything in 20 meter range.


    Guard Smasher (S Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to make critical hits and break the defense of any shield weapon or defense skill by 30%.


    Aura de (S Rank) (PASSIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to coalescence mana and his aura on the sword and attack with a lethal energy de for 30 meters.


    Demon''s Rage (S Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Gives the host a temporary boost in strength and doubles all the physical attributes for 2 minutes.


    Note : The host will be put under a weakened state for 10 minutes after the activation time ends.] listed the system again.


    Every single one of these skills was a S Rank skill. And the majority were made topletely dominate the opponent.


    Only now did Kahn understood how strong the demonkin n head was. If not for 3 peak grandmaster assassins fighting against him together and using that Domain Artifact which also restricted the target''s movement speed.. None of them would''ve managed to kill him.


    Although Kahn did not see the fight with his own eyes, he could already imagine how intense and ground-shattering the battle must have been. He was lucky to not get caught in the crosshairs.


    But this was just a book of the cover. The real treats were the new merged abilities.


    "System, show me the merged abilities again."


    [Following are the merged skills and abilities :


    Sword Lord (S Rank) (PASSIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to create 12 swords made up of chaotic aura. Each sword can be moved and manipted as per the user''s will. The host can also use the Darkness element to create these swords.


    Note : The current effective range is 100 meter radius.


    Defense Shatter (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allow the host to bypass 50% of Defense of any defensive Equipment, Armor or skill.


    destorm (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    This skill is abination of Rising Wind and Aura de.


    Allows the host to create mana des andunch them in a spiral and forward-moving attack for 30 meter radius. The host can also use the Shadow des as part of this attack.


    Dark Lightning Strike (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Combination of Darkde & Lighting sh.


    Allows the host to merge lightning and Darkness element, two of the most destructive elements in the world in a single attack. The current range is 100 meters.


    Note : This skill requires the host to slowly mix and bnce these elements together andunch them as one merged attack. The efficiency and range will increase in the host''s Mastery of this skill and increase in level and rank.]


    Kahn''s brain had been fried at this point.


    The amount of OP skills he just gained were too damn high.


    These skills were far more powerful than any of his offensive skills rted to weapons he had so far. Even the Darkde skill, his most effective long-range offensive skill paled inparison.


    He went from an Expert to a goddamm Sage.


    Given the skills and abilities he just gained.. Kahn had already surpassed thousands of other Intermediate Grandmasters.


    Sword Lord had just given him 12 Extra swords to use in a fight. And they could be made using the Darkness element as well. Which already had so much destructive and prative force to it.


    In the future, if he managed to upgrade it.. Maybe he would be able to wield and control hundreds or even thousands of swords just like Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach manga & anime.


    Defense Shatter was without a doubt, the most critical strike attack he ever had.


    destorm was more like an upgraded and multiplied version of Darkde. Because he could use multiple shadow des in a tornado wave-type attack. Far deadlier and covered more area.


    Dark Lighting Strike was the strongest one-shot skill he had. It was like his own version of Getsugatenshou just like Ichigo Kurosaki, the protagonist of Bleach.


    And if he upgraded it even furthermore.. It couldpete even against Sesshomaru''s Demonic Strike from InuYasha anime, who could destroy hundreds and even a thousand demons with a single strike of his sword.


    This was too much to process for a single night. Kahn then took out the core of this n head and ate it. It was biggerpared to the Assassin''s core.


    Ding! Ding! Ding!


    Multiple level up notifications rang in his head and the orange aura of the Demonkin erupted out of Kahn''s body. It took Kahn a whole minute to subdue and assimte this remaining consciousness as part of his own.


    [Congrattions to the host for breaking through to Peak Grandmaster Rank!


    Congrattions to the host for breaking through Grandmaster rank for Swordsmanship and Sword skills.


    All sword skills and abilities will have a 50% increase in their damage output and effectiveness.


    War Dominance has reached to Stage 3.]


    Kahn felt a sudden sense of tranquility in his body. His sense sharpening and bing even more urate than before.


    For the first time.. He could sense a faint energy in his surrounding. This energy felt like it was part of the nature itself and Kahn finally tapped into knowing its existence. This force waspletely different than mana.


    World Energy!


    This was exactly the world energy that God of Darkness once mentioned to Kahn when he was in his soul form as Elric. Till this point, he only knew about the Mana and use it to raise his level by eating the cores and ores that were made from mana itself. But he still hadn''t felt or came to know anything about the World Energy.


    "Maybe after breaking through the Saint Rank, I''ll be able to feel it more clearly." spoke Kahn.


    Now all that remained for him was to check his new levels and stats. And also the contents of their space rings of course.


    In a single night, Kahn went from Master League to the Champions League.


    The Koi fish had be... a Dragon.

 Chapter 119: The Final Products

    119 The Final Products


    Kahn kept gloating in happiness. It wasn''t just his body.. But his mind also felt like he could perceive things even more clearly and almost could feel everything in the surrounding. Like a force that filled the world was resonating with him.


    "System, show my new stats & skills. But only A & S Rank. Also, leave the abilities and skills that were used to merge new skills & abilities." ordered Kahn.


    [Following are the Statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Job : All for One


    Rank : Peak Grandmaster Rank


    Level : 85


    Strength : 1465


    Agility : 984


    Dexterity : 1189


    Defense : 901


    Mana : 1567


    --------


    Divine Abilities : Ability Absorption, Dimensional Law, Synthesis.


    Blessings :


    War Dominance (Stage 3)


    Weapon Mastery (Grandmaster Rank) (Grandmaster rank in Battleaxe, Daggers & Swords)


    Combat Techniques Mastery (Peak Grandmaster Rank)


    Survival Instinct (Stage 2)


    Berserk God Mode ( 5 times the physical strength)


    War Deity Body (Stage 3)


    Gifts : All Languages Knowledge known to the War Deity.


    --------


    Bloodlines :


    Basilisk Bloodline : 50% purity


    Fenrir Bloodline : 5% purity


    Draconian Bloodline : 5% purity


    Uthraqiris Bloodline : 100%


    [[13th floor boss who gave Metamorphosis bloodline]]


    --------


    Title : Hero of Darkness


    Exclusive Abilities of the Title :


    Monarch of Darkness


    Dark Engulfment


    Ruler of the Night


    --------


    Following are the Abilities & Skills the host currently has :


    Physical & Magical Skills :


    Darkness Barrier


    Void Realm


    Darkde


    destorm


    Defense Shatter


    Dark Lightning Strike


    Subterfuge


    Quick de


    Windcutter


    --------


    Physical & Magical Abilities :


    Sword Lord


    Drake ws


    Thermal Body


    Drake Scales


    King of the Dead


    Shadow Swap


    Metamorphosis


    Bloodline Merge


    Fear Toxin


    Grappling Extension


    Side Hopper


    Hunter''s Intent


    Venom Acid


    Poison Immunity (Grandmaster Rank)


    Somir Scale body


    Executioner''s Gaze


    Hive Mind


    Shadow Strike


    Doppelganger]


    The system listed all the top-grade skills and abilities as per Kahn''s instructions.


    Kahn on the other hand had sweat dripping from his forehead. Because these were just the A Rank & S Rank skills and abilities. What about the B rank and the original ones that he used to merge and create new abilities & skills?


    If the list also included those.. It would''ve taken the entire chapter of some novel.


    "Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned. I havemitted the crime of bing too handsome, badass & powerful."


    Said Kahn as he felt like he owed an apology for bing too strong this early. Because normally, the reincarnated people in Isekai stories take a lot of time before they be too OP. It usually takes them two to three arcs or volumes to reach the level Kahn was at.


    And this wasn''t even his final form!


    "What''s next? I became strong like Beerus, Aizen & Madara?" asked Kahn to himself as his session to strength waspletely out of the norm.


    "At this rate, I might end up bing Goku or Saitama one day." he spoke.


    This information was just too much to digest for one night. So Kahn had no intentions to check the contents of the space rings. Because there are only so many surprises one could take in a single day.


    The next morning, after having a savory breakfast, Kahn covertly went to meet the Grandmaster cksmith. The old man had told him toe today to receive his new Armor and the upgraded Sword.


    He met Albestros who was already waiting for him.


    "You''re here!" said the old cksmith. Behind him, two silhouettes were covered under sheets.


    "Are they ready?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. These are by far.. My greatest creations. Behold.." spoke Albestros and pulled out the sheets.


    Gasp!


    Kahn gasped in surprise after looking at the finished products.


    Before him.. Was a ck and red Demonic looking armor that had multiple blistering red veins on the pouldrons, card, vambrace, gauntlets, cuisses and sabatons.


    Given how big the Magma Drake was, the parts Kahn gave to the grandmaster cksmith were enough for him to make Kahn a full body armor that covered every single part of the body and vital points.


    Kahn who had faced the Magma Drake, a monster that wasparable to a first stage Saint Rank fighter felt like the dungeon boss itself had taken a miniature human form. And the helmet that had a tyrannical and terrifying face along with the two horns protruding out of it reminded him of that vicious beast who carried the bloodline of the Dragons.


    And then his gazended on the sword. The appearance of his sword hadpletely changed as if it was made anew. The once ck guard and hilt retained somewhat resemnces to its old appearance but the white and shining de was now turned pitch ck. Both the edges looked far sharper for something so sturdy. And just like the armor.. This sword also had red-veined patterns passing in the middle of the de. It was half a meter longer than before and now the total height was 5 feet long.


    Both the Armor and the Sword appeared as if they were part of a legendary gear set andplemented each other.


    Kahn who had yed plenty of fantasy & RPG genre games during his youth felt like he relived those moments again.


    "Do you like them?" asked Albestros coyly. The man''s face was full of a smug grin.


    "Like them? They''re insane!" shouted Kahn in excitement.


    "I used Drake''s ws and teeth to reforge the sword''s de. It''s now even 3 times stronger and sturdier than a Mythril sword. Unless it''s a Legendary Rank weapon, nothing can match against it."


    "That''s not all." spoke Albestros and took out an intrinsically patterned damascus knife from his tool belt.


    "Give me your hands. Both of them." He said.


    "Why?" asked Kahn.


    "Just do it! I''m the expert here." yelled the old man.


    Kahn gave his right hand and the old man cut the middle of both his palms with an intrinsically crafted damascus knife.


    "Pour your blood on them." he said.


    Kahn followed the orders and poured his blood on both the Armor and the Sword. Albestros started making chants and used an Artifact and various runes appeared on them.


    Unlike others of his profession, Albestros Winston was also an Artificer who could do both jobs. A rare and one amongst millions of cksmiths.


    Albestros spoke again in a serious tone.


    "Now let''s begin the binding ritual."


    Privileged chapters are avable to be unlocked in Tier 2 & 3. Master Rank = 5 Chapters. Grandmaster Rank = 10 chapters in advance.


    CrimsonWolfAuthor

 Chapter 120: The Armor & The Sword

    <h4>Chapter 120: The Armor & The Sword</h4>


    The next second, two magical formations appeared in the air and mana threads starteding out of the armor and sword that attached themselves to Kahn.


    It was just like the Peak Saint Rank core of the first Emperor when he was connected to it in the Dungeon when the First Sage granted its ownership to Kahn.


    After the binding ritualpleted.. Kahn felt an innate connection to both of these newly made products. As if they had be a part of it.


    "Stand right there." said Albestros and pointed to the other end of the warehouse, 20 meters away.


    Kahn stood at the corner asmanded.


    "Now think about summoning the sword to you." spoke the old man.


    Kahn took a deep breath and thought about summoning the sword to him and just when he thought about it.. The sword lifted itself in the air and quickly flew right into his hand.


    "Awesome!" shouted Kahn in surprise.


    "Now think about equipping entire armor." said the Grandmaster cksmith.


    "No way! You''re now just showing off!" replied Kahn.


    The old man only grinned in response.


    Kahn then let go of the sword and suspended it in the air with his Sword Lord skill. He stretched his arms and thought about equipping the armor.


    Swish!


    A red sh passed and the armor disappeared from its spot. The next second however, a red and ck aura encapsted Kahn entirely and he waspletely covered in this armor that perfectly fit his body.


    But suddenly.. A notification rang in his head.


    [The system detects a draconian body covering the host. Bloodline effect activated!]


    Boom!


    A burst of red and hot aura was released from Kahn''s new armor and the entirety of it glowed crimson and mes appeared all over the armor.


    As if hearing a calling, the sword also returned in his hands and all the red-veined patterns on it started heating up and a blistering heatwave was released from Kahn''s armor and sword.


    "What is this?! This wasn''t supposed to happen!" shouted the old in bewilderment.


    "I''m fine! Don''t worry." spoke Kahn.


    Because of his Thermal Body skill he got from absorbing the Magma Drake''s abilities & skills, Kahn didn''t feel any heat or got affected in the slightest.


    Albestros on the other hand felt like Kahn was a walking volcano instead.


    At this moment, Kahn felt like the armor and the sword weren''t some external entity.. They felt like a part of himself. As if the Draconian bloodline made both the armor and the sword recognized Kahn as their own.


    And to him, the armor and the sword felt... Alive.


    [System, are there any special abilities or effects to the armor & the sword?] he asked the system.


    [Scanning Complete.


    The Blood-Bind formation has provided a magical effect. The armor & the sword contain Draconian bloodline and since the host is also in possession of this bloodline, they''re recognising the host as their master.


    Draconian Armor set skill created.


    Drake Armor (A Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Physical Defense while wearing this armor has risen by 40% and the Agility has increased by 25%.


    Reformation (A Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Using the host''s mana and bloodline as a source, the armor will be able to repair itself over time once it has been broken. This bloodline effect will be active as long as host is till alive.


    Draconian Sword skill created.


    Drake Momentum (A Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Strength while using this sword has increased by 30% and Dexterity has increased by 27%.


    Note : The armor and the sword can be upgraded using materials belonging to the Draconian species body parts and to increase their buffs and rank of the skills, the host must absorb more Draconian bloodline.]


    "Holy fucking shit!!" shouted Kahn in disbelief.


    This was a whole different level of upgrade. It''s like getting a Legendary armor and the sword with extremely high stats and set effects.. But then both of them could even be upgraded even a level further.


    [I guess I gotta learn some cksmith skills in the future to be able to upgrade them myself.] he spoke to himself as a devilish smile appeared on his face under the helmet.


    His current appearance looked a lot like Dante''s Sin Devil Trigger form. While the sword had undergone a transformation and looked simr to Devil Sword Dante without the scales and ws.


    The rewards were just too big and satisfying to him. In just 2 days alone, he had be one of the top 5 fighters in vot city.


    He entered this city while wearing nothing but a wolf''s hide and now he was wearing a frigging Drake Armor.


    "Are you good? I don''t think they were supposed to show such effects." said Albestros as he maintained a distance from Kahn.


    Kahnmanded the armor and the sword to lower down the temperature in his mind and the heat all around his body gradually reduced to the bare minimum. Only leaving small embers of fire surrounding him.


    "So what do you think? Worth waiting?" asked the cksmith.


    "Hell yeah!" responded Kahn joyfully.


    "How about giving them a proper name? No good armor or sword should be left unnamed."


    "Umm.. How about Drake Armor & Drake Sword?" asked Kahn.


    "Impudence! Can''t you be more creative? This is an insult to my hard work." said Albestros in an annoyed and irritated tone.


    "My naming skills depend upon the naming skills of the guy pulling the strings from above." replied Kahn as he shrugged.


    The next second, he felt a terrifying chill under his spine. This murderous aura was even scarier than the aura of God of Darkness.


    "Arhmm.. How about Drakos Armor? Sounds good and reasonable, right?" asked Kahn.


    "eptable, since drakes are descendants of the Dragons. What about the sword?" approved and asked the old man.


    "How about.. Let''s say.. Crimson Wolf?"


    [[Author : You. Little. Bitch!]]


    "Neh.. Sounds like an amateur & thoughtless name." said Albestros.


    [[Author : Why are you guys ming me?]]


    "Then how about.. Lucifer." spoke Kahn with a resolve to settle on this name.


    "I don''t know what that name means. But sounds good enough." spoke Alberstros.


    "Good. Let''s meet 2 dayster then. We''ll leave the city together." said Kahn and informed the old man.


    He unequipped the armor and put it in his space ring.


    The sword without the bloodline effects activated just appeared a normally cool and expensive-looking sword. So he won''t have any problem having it on his back. It''ll also make him look like someone you shouldn''t mess with.


    Kahn returned to his house in the noon and Jerome greeted him as if he was in a hurry.


    "Sir, there''s a letter for you. From someone important." said Jerome and handed the letter to Kahn.


    He read the contents of the letter and asked himself..


    "What do they want?"

 Chapter 121: The Revelations

    <h4>Chapter 121: The Revtions</h4>


    Kahn kept the letter in his pockets and left the house.


    His destination was a secret and deste location outside of the city as mentioned in the letter.


    Just an hour ago, he read the letter and had many thoughts about the message written inside the letter. The main context was something he hadn''t expected to receive from the sender.


    The most important part of it was these simple words.


    COME QUICKLY. WE DON''T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT.


    Kahn understood that these were not the type of words the people who sent him the letter would casually use if it wasn''t of utmost importance.


    20 Kilometers away, in a wide-open mountainous area, was a small bungalow. People usually did not dare toe to this area given the identity of the owner and nobody wanted to disturb this person when he came here to rx and enjoy the beauty of nature. This area was not visited even by travelers. The wide grounds here could even hold a battle of at least a thousand people.


    Kahn with his newly increased stats, physical skills and abilities that he recently gained, was now 2 times faster and powerful than before he started the whole war against noble n heirs. If the current him were to do it, he won''t have to spend so much time. He''d probably hunt all the n heirs in a matter of days and that too very effortlessly.


    An hourter, he finally reached the location and met the person who sent him the letter. Along with this person was a middle-aged elf.


    To Kahn, both these people were familiar figures.


    They were Arkham & Solomon.


    "What is it? Why did you call me? What''s so urgent and important?" he asked the President & vice-president duo of Adventurer Association with a curious expression.


    Arkham who was standing in the front and was currently d in a blue and rare rank armor along with an epic rank ymore sword, looked at Kahn solemnly. His expression appeared as if he felt wronged by Kahn.


    The middle-aged Elf, Solomon finally spoke to him.


    "So the rumors were true. Although you haven''t broken through to the Semi-Saint Rank.. You did manage to reach the level of a Peak Grandmaster Swordsman." spoke the elven mage.


    "Eh? What are you talking about?" asked Kahn.


    Although he had indeed broken through the peak grandmaster rank.. That wasn''t public information to anyone. Not even Albestros knew it yet. So the main question was.. How did these two people know about it? What rumors were they talking about?


    "We will talk about itter. But first.."


    BOOOM!!


    A shrill sound of an oppressive aura quickly filled the surroundings and Kahn''s Survival Instinct rmed in his head like a siren!


    A dark red barrier was released over this green open ground full of a variety of trees and flowers. A radius of 2 Kilometers was covered inside this red barrier and Kahn''s countenance froze.


    The very next second, he suddenly felt like he lost the control of his body. This immense pressure even put him on the ground as his entire body lost the strength to even stand up and he slumped down on the spot.


    "What''s the meaning of this?!" asked Kahn in an enraged tone. This sudden surprise had caught him off guard.


    Although Kahn liked staying vignt, these two men were not exactly his enemies and had helped him greatly when hee to vot city. In the name of the assassination contract, he had gained a lot of resources, money, subordinates while hunting and most importantly, increased his Weapon Mastery to reach a level where he was able to break through the Grandmaster rank.


    In a way, these two men were his biggest benefactors so far so he naturally felt no sense of threat or hostility from both of them.


    "Arkham will exin it to you." spoke Solomon and walked behind the Magic Swordsman.


    [SYSTEM WARNING!!


    The host has been put under a Suppression and Expulsion magic formation. All of the host''s physical and magical attributes have been reduced by 70%.


    Unable to keep the subordinate in the host''s shadow!]


    The loud alert from the system rang in his head and the next moment, a broad and long ck shadow appeared out of Kahn and left the barrier.


    THUD!


    BOOM!


    CRACKLE!


    A gigantic figure of a Basilisk was expelled out of the barrier. The nearby trees and boulders were destroyed as soon as the ginormous body of this majestic beast came to be.


    Gasp!


    Both Arkham & Solomon gasped in surprise after they saw Rudra''s terrifying figure leaving Kahn''s body.


    "That.. If I''m not wrong; that''s a Basilisk!" shouted Solomon in surprise.


    [Rudra! We''re under attack! Wake up!] Kahn called out the Basilisk.


    But no response came from the subordinate. As if it was inside a long due sleep.


    Kahn instantly remembered what the variant Basilisk told him 10 days ago. That he''d be in a long sleep, he can''t and won''t be able to wake up after eating the body and core of the Magma Drake dungeon boss.


    Kahn understood that unlike him, Rudra didn''t have some Divine Ability to help him absorb bodies, cores and even the bloodlines. He had to absorb them slowly, especially when it was someone with the Draconian bloodline. And because of that, Rudra was put underatose for an entire month.


    "So that''s how you did it!" spoke Solomon with an excited face.


    "You must be a feak of nature to have contracted a Godbeast as your familiar." he spoke again.


    War Dominance!


    "Hey.. What the fuck is this? Why are you suddenly attacking me?!" spoke Kahn after he released his murderous and chaotic aura with full capacity.


    After he reached the peak grandmaster Rank, War Dominance had risen by one stage and his aura was now 3 times stronger and denser. And the bloodlust he was emitting had also gone through a qualitative change.


    But under this restriction barrier.. He barely gathered the strength to properly stand up.


    This time, it was Arkham to moved forward and spoke to Kahn.


    "We have a score to settle, Kahn." spoke Arkham and released his murderous dense blue aura at Kahn as if he was looking at a mortal enemy. His eyes were full of wrath and unimaginable bloodlust.


    He then pulled something out of his space ring and threw it towards Kahn. And round object rolled towards Kahn who was standing 10 meters away.


    The round object was a head!


    The head belonged to someone Kahn knew very well. This person had helped him a lot, albeit for a fee till now.


    The Snakekin!


    "Or should I call with your other name.." spoke Arkham and gave Kahn a deathly re.


    "Azrael."

 Chapter 122: Hidden Story

    <h4>Chapter 122: Hidden Story</h4>


    Kahn was surprised to see both of the old men knowing his other identity as Azrael. But when he looked at the severed head of the Snakekin, he understood how they found out.


    Because so far, only Albestros and the Snakekin knew about his other identity as the angel of death. One of them kept this as a secret because Kahn was going to avenge his children while the other kept his mouth shut because Kahn was a wealthy customer who paid two to three times more for simple jobs such as intel gathering or spreading rumors.


    "So you know that I''m Azrael.. But why does it affect you? I don''t remember killing anyone who was remotely rted to you." asked Kahn.


    What enmity did the two men in front of him have to suddenly ambush him like this?


    The old peak grandmaster rank magic swordsman walked forwards and a dense burst of dark blue aura was released from his body as his vengeful eyesnded on Kahn.


    He was currently d in blue armor and had a ymore sword in his hand. Arkham''s countenance was of someone who had been greatly wronged. He unsheathed the sword and pointed the end at the young man standing in front of him. The sword''s appearance matched a lot to Jon Snow''s Longw sword.


    Arkham''s red eyes that were fumed with anger stared at Kahn.


    "Because you... Killed my son!" dered Arkham.


    "Wh.. What?!" asked Kahn with a baffled expression on his face.


    "Who''s your son? I haven''t killed anyone who wasn''t an enemy or part of their forces." he replied.


    "Erwin Malfoy is.. was.. my only son!" revealed Arkham.


    Gasp!


    Kahn gasped and his eyes were full of surprise.


    Because Erwin Malfoy was the first noble n heir he killed.


    "What?! How''s that possible? Isn''t he the n heir and the son of the Malfoy n head?" asked Kahn.


    He too put a hand on his sword, Lucifer.


    "30 years ago, when I worked for the Malfoy n as the n head''s bodyguard.. I had an affair with his wife. We eloped one night when I was on a duty to escort her to a ce." said Arkham.


    The de of his sword shone with a blue hue.


    "A yearter when Erwin was about to be born, we were even ready to run away and start a new life somewhere else. But thankfully, he had his mother''s hair color. And I don''t know how she did it, but the n leader never found out that the child wasn''t his own." spoke Arkham again as he exined.


    "I gave up on being his father in name. Because the life he would have was far better than anything I could ever give him. I left the post and started working as an adventurer. All I ever wanted for him was to let him have a life without worries. And you... You killed that very son of mine and hung his body in the middle of the city for everyone to watch!"


    Boom!


    A dense and murderous aura was burst out of the old man and a blue water elemental aura started coalescing on his sword.


    Kahn on the other end brandished Lucifer and activated the bloodline effect. And the sword had all the red-veined patterns glowing as a blistering heat was released from it. He activated all of his attack buff and defensive skills as he took a defensive stance.


    "How the fuck was I supposed to know that?! And you want to avenge that rap*st bastard son of yours?" he asked, getting ready to face the old man.


    "Good or evil, it doesn''t matter. Blood is blood." dered Arkham.


    Currently, Kahn only had one-third of his stats, skills and magical abilities, their effectiveness was greatly subdued under this restriction barrier. His strength, speed and senses were also greatly reduced. If not for him breaking through the peak grandmaster rank, he wouldn''t even be able to stand properly under this magical formation.


    He regretted being careless and not expecting the old men ambushing him out of the blue. Because he never had any reason to suspect these old men as their rtionship was somewhat friendly.


    sh!


    Arkham swung his sword towards Kahn and three water des wereunched at him.


    Side Hopper!


    Kahn used the quick sidestep skill and barely managed to evade the water des.


    Boom!!


    The small boulder and the medium-sized tree behind him were crushed and cut through these water des.


    Kahn who knew enough about science quickly understood the destructive force behind these water des.


    Because these were high-pressurepressed water des. Just like the water jets that could even cut through the metals like aluminum. And given Arkham''s strength and rank.. These were more than enough to cut a man in half just with a single attack.


    [Fuck! Why can''t I get a break for once!] thought Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    Arkhamunched another set of attacks and Kahn tried to dodge them to the best of his abilities.


    [System, how much strength can I use with all my attacks increase and buff skills?] asked Kahn to the systems. First, he had to know his own fighting prowess before he even engaged in a frontal sh against Arkham.


    There was no hope for reconciliation either. Because the old man was now adamant about killing him.


    And on top of that, there was also Solomon who was only just watching from a long distance as if he was enjoying the show.


    [The host can only use 62% of his original strength and efficiency of physical and magical abilities & skills.] replied the system.


    [Dammit! I''ll barely be able to hold him off. And he hasn''t even gotten serious yet or used his other skills.] spoke Kahn and ran in another direction.


    The only thing that was helping him evade the attacks from the old man''s sword at this point was his Survival Instinct blessing. Or else, he''d be a fish on a chopping board.


    sh!


    Another one of Arkham''s water des came in his direction, this time he decided to reply with his own attack.


    Darkde!


    Kahn swung Lucifer andunched the sword de attack made up of dark magic and darkness element.


    Boom!


    The sh between these two elemental aura des shook the surroundings and a huge crevice was formed on the ground just with the aftermath of their collision.


    Solomon on the other end of this fight widened his eyes in surprise. He hurriedly asked in a loud tone.


    "Impossible! How do you know the forbidden Dark magic?!"

 Chapter 123: The Better Swordsman

    <h4>Chapter 123: The Better Swordsman</h4>


    Kahn stood while maintaining a distance of 15 meters from the swordsman. His eyes were also vignt of the elf in case he tried to sneak attack him.


    "You think I''m going to tell you?" he spoke sarcastically.


    Crang!


    Arkham wasn''t surprised or fazed by this sudden revtion. His eyes and mindpletely focused on Kahn. Unlike the elven mage, Arkham had gone through hundreds of battles and always expected the enemy to have a few trump cards in their sleeves.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Arkham ran swiftly and in just 4 seconds, he appeared in front of the defender.


    Screech!


    Their swords faced each other and multiple sparks came out of them. The sound of two hard and sharp screeching metallic swords shing against each other filled the area.


    Kahn who was already very weakpared to Arkham at this point was thrown back eight meters away.


    Hended on his feet and quickly activated Darkness Barrier.


    A dark and dense defensive barrier was cast around him and just in a second, he waspletely covered and protected by this barrier for 10 meters radius.


    "What''s this?! How is he using a mage''s spell?!" shouted Arkham and looked towards Solomon.


    "Impossible... He isn''t even using an artifact." spoke Solomon and looked at Kahn as if he had seen an anomaly of the nature.


    "Doesn''t matter. He''s still gonna die!" spoke Arkham and attacked the darkness barrier.


    Dhang!!


    A loud noise of two powerful things colliding resounded in the area. Surprisingly, Kahn''s darkness barrier which was made of 3 times his defense stats withstood the water aura des that came from Arkham''s sword.


    For a moment, Kahn finally felt some relief. Now he could at least protect himself for a while.


    He was certain that both the men already made preparations in case he tried to run. So he wasn''t a fool to think that he could just easily escape from the clutches of these old-timers, one of whom was also the 2nd most strongest person in the entire city.


    But before he could even revel for few seconds, a bright white light beam pierced through the darkness barrier and it was instantly shattered.


    Kahn looked in this direction where the attack came from. It was Solomon who attacked with a light elemental mage spell.


    [Dammit! I forgot dark magic is only weak against light and holy magic. With my current strength, it can''t be any more useless in front of that elven bastard.] he cursed in his mind.


    With this elven mage''s interference, his only advantage was gone. He couldn''t even use Berserk God Mode this early because both these men were seasoned fighters. He won''t be able to take them out just with a sudden buff in strength. He had to be very careful.


    For the next 5 minutes, Kahn kept running away and throwing Darkde skills from time to time and maintained a distance.


    To Arkham, it was like chasing after a mouse. And because his mana was limited, Kahn couldn''t even use the Domain Artifact to separate the man in a different battleground.


    "Stopping running away like a coward!" shouted Arkham.


    "Why don''t you terminate this suppression formation and fight me then." ranted Kahn.


    "I guess I have no choice." said Arkham and all of his aura started forming a big cloud above his head.


    "Let me tell you a difference between a normal swordsman and a magic Swordsman, kid. A normal sword user even at peak grandmaster rank can only use aura des and physical attacks.. But a magic swordsman can also infuse his mana and an element they have the highest affinity with. Thisbined attack is far more powerful than anything you can do." spoke Arkham and the blue cloud turned into water and 10 water des identical to his previous attacks formed in the air.


    Arkham then held his greatsword in both of his hands and lifted it towards the sky.


    [Shit! My darkness barrier can barely stand one de.. There are 10 now!] thought Kahn.


    Arkham swung his sword downwards andunched all the high-pressurepressed water des at Kahn.


    The young man quickly activated the darkness barrier again.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    THUD!


    CLANG!


    SCREECH!


    Multiple sounds of a barrier and sword attacks shing echoed in the surrounding before the noise finally stopped. A white fog appeared after the collision and filled the entire battlefield.


    Thend where Kahn was standing was obliterated into nothingness and dozens of long crevices had shattered the ground.


    Finally when the fog started dispersing from the surrounding.. A brightly burning red figure was revealed.


    ROAR!!


    A roar of a primordial beast filled the region where the fight was going. The blistering red mes that came out of this figure burst loudly and a man d in ck red armor and a helmet with two burning horns that appeared like a descendant of dragons came to be.


    The intense and terrifying heating from this figure had partially negated the damage received from the water aura des that was abination of 3 destructive forces.


    Drakos Armor!


    Kahn had called out and equipped the Drakos Armor as soon as the darkness barrier broke and activated the bloodline effect at maximum capacity.


    "What the.. Is he a monster?" asked Arkham in surprise.


    Both the old men were taken aback by his new appearance that came to be from nowhere.


    Kahn''s new appearance looked like a demonic beast. His armor being on fire at various ces gave him a horrifying look.


    The next second, 12 pitch-ck swords appeared above his body. All of them were identical to Lucifer in size and appearance.


    Every single one of these swords was made up of Darkness element and a ck aura was released from them as they floated in the air above him.


    It was Kahn using his Sword King skill for the first time!


    A ghastly and terrifying voice came from the Kahn dressed in his beastly Drakos Armor... Making it sound more like a Dragon speaking in a human voice.


    The words echoed in the entire battlefield and filled the surrounding with a chaotic and dangerous aura.


    "Now then. Allow me to show you who''s a better Swordsman."

 Chapter 124: Sacrifice and Gain

    <h4>Chapter 124: Sacrifice and Gain</h4>


    Kahn in his Drakos Armor now stood in front of the two men who nned to kill him in this deste and forested valley. No one would even know how he died or where his body was buried.


    [System, how much of my strength I can use now?] he asked the system because it was the best way to calcte his battle prowess.


    [78% at maximum.] replied the system in its usual lifeless and robotic voice.


    "This.. That''s Dormammu Volstov''s skill!" shouted Arkham in disbelief. Being a magic swordsman himself, he knew of the n head of the Volstov n, one of the strongest powerhouses in the city. And of course, about his Sword Lord skill.


    If Arkham had broken through the Semi-Saint Rank, his own skillset would beparable to the seventy two year old demonkin.


    "So he did kill that Demon bastard. I don''t know how he acquired his skill.. But you''re lucky that I''m with you." spoke Solomon with a solemn expression.


    "Don''t interfere.. He''s my kill. I have to avenge my son with my own hands." said Arkham and released his terrifying aura again as he dashed towards Kahn.


    "Show me how good of a swordsman you are, kid!" he said and swing his sword at the young man dressed in draconian armor.


    ng!


    Both swords collided along with Kahn''s darkness swords and Arkham''s water elemental aura swords as their master shed against each other in a head-on confrontation.


    Spark flew in the air as both the fighters swung their swords at each other from right to left, from upwards and downwards. Small shockwaves filled the ce as they kept making quick and lethal, their movements so fast that normal onlookers would only register shes and afterimages of their attacks.


    Despite being disadvantageous in terms of stats, Kahn faced the old man without fear in his eyes, his mindpletely focused and his senses on full alert. His gaze full of bloodlust even gave the experienced fighter such as Arkham a sense of wariness.


    Boom!


    Swords after swords attacked each other from different directions. Both sidespletely equal in strength. If Kahn wasn''t under this suppression formation, he would definitely have an upper hand over the old magic swordsman in terms of physical strength.


    Kahn quickly used Side Hopper and appeared 10 meters behind. A water aura de just passed by his previous location and was aimed at his head.


    Although he had a few skills he could use to outmatch the old man, but with Solomon being present here would make thingsplicated because he knew light elemental spells and could easily destroy his dark element attacks.


    If anything had Kahn learned recently was that you never reveals your trump cards too early. Or they''ll lose their advantages and usefulness.


    He quickly disappeared from the spot and appeared 50 meters away from his original location. He held Lucifer with both of his hands and moved it behind his back.


    SHRILL!


    CRACKLE!


    A darkness aura and lightning appeared over the sword de and both these different yet two of the most destructive elements started fusing.


    Arkham sensed a foreboding of a dangerous attack if he allowed Kahn to attack with this skill. He dashed at the enemy who was charging his attack skill.


    As soon as he came in 20 meters proximity in only 3 seconds, Kahn quickly shed his sword towards the iing enemy.


    Dark Lightning Strike!


    BOOM!!!


    An ear-deafening explosion happened in the middle of this mountainous battlefield and a dark and bright aura destroyed 100 meters of solid ground and obliterated it into nothingness.


    Dozens of trees and giant boulders were shredded into small pieces and half of the battleground was put on a fire. This attack was enough to kill even someone like Arkham without leaving a single trace of his body.


    10 secondster when the smoke and fire finally subsided.. Kahn saw a figure of a half-burned man whose armor was tattered into pieces and his face and torso were bleeding profusely.


    But in front of this man, was a white barrier that appeared at thest second and saved the man''s life.


    "Fuck!" cursed Kahn as he looked at the source of this defensive barrier.


    It was Solomon who was only watching from afar for some time.


    He then joined the fray with Arkham himself. And startedunching elemental attack spells at Kahn.


    With his increased attacking capacity and the increased speed and defense because of the Drakos Armor & Lucifer both being used at the same time, Kahn kept dodging and defending against the attacks.


    It was one thing if he fought against Arkham alone, but with the Semi-Saint Rank magician in the fray, Kahn barely stood any chance to attack them.


    [How do I get rid of this Suppression formation?] he thought. Because it''d be his only way to get out of his current predicament and regain all of his strength.


    But the next moment, a n hatched in his mind.


    [Let''s do it the John Wick style!] he nned.


    For the next few attacks, he let Solomon and Arkham''s attacks and spells deliberately hit him.


    And being the natural enemy of fire, Arkham''s water de attacks started breaking Kahn''s Drakos Armor.


    With each hit of the high pressured water des, his armor started chipping little by little and his body was pushed back time to time as if he no longer had enough strength to defend or dodge the onught from the duo.


    Kahn dropped on his feet and started panting due to exhaustion and seeing the opportunity, Arkham used the same water de swords skill like before and attacked with 10 water des.


    BOOM!


    A sonic boom filled the area and Kahn was thrown against a giant tree trunk.


    "Argh.." wailed Kahn as his Drakos Armor did its best to defend its owner before it was broken into pieces and Kahn''s body dropped on the ground. Barely having the strength to stand up. He was holding his sword as his entire upper body was bleeding profusely with multiple long and wide gashed leaking streams of blood.


    Cough! Cough!


    He threw up a mouthful of blood on the ground.


    Arkham walked in front of him with a look of someone who was finally going to finish an oath they had taken.


    He grabbed Kahn by the throat and gave him a look of disgust.


    "Now my son can rest in peace." he said and quickly tried to stab Kahn in the gut.


    ng!


    Kahn''s left side of the abdomen which was just about to be stabbed was now fully covered with ck hexagonal scales and he, on the other hand, threw the sword in the air.


    Kahn quickly activated Drake ws and grabbed the sword and Arkham''s arm with both hands. He had sacrificed his newly made Drakos Armor so he wanted it to be worth it.


    Before the peak grandmaster magic swordsman could even react, Kahn''s eyes flickered yellow.


    Executioner''s Gaze!


    Arkham was paralyzed on the spot.


    "Then you can go and join him in hell!" dered Kahn as a ck extension came from his back and quickly grabbed Lucifer that was still swinging in the air.


    Thack!


    Arkham''s head was pierced right in the center by the ck and crimson sword. Kahn quickly grabbed it and used all of his strength.


    sh!


    Rip!


    Kahn cut Arkham''s body upside down in half.


    An open skull, cut-down bones and torn intestines along with the spray of blood gushing out the old man''s body was now spread on the ground.


    Kahn gazed at the two identical pieces of meat and blood dropped on the ground and spoke with a content voice.


    "Perfectly bnced.. As all things should be."

 Chapter 125: The Nightfall

    <h4>Chapter 125: The Nightfall</h4>


    And just like that.. A peak grandmaster swordsman, one of the top 10 fighters of the vot city died in the act of trying to exact vengeance.


    There was once a time when Arkham had helped Kahn with improving his weapon mastery when he gave his test inside Adventurer Association. The man had also offered him the assassination contract, eventually leading to him getting enough resources and money to raise his levels and strength.


    With the assassination contract alone, Kahn gained many skills and even created his Six Generals. In a way, Arkham yed a vital part in Kahn''s making into the man he is now.


    But at this moment, the same was killed by his own hands and cut in half.


    Kahn''s gaze then changed to Solomon, the President of Adventurer Association and the old-time friend of the magic swordsman.


    Kahn quickly covered his entire body in somir scales and took a defensive stance against the Elven mage.


    But unlike how he expected the elven mage to attack him, get enraged to the core and go in a frenzy to kill him.. The elf looked at the scene from far distance and didn''t have a slight emotion of rage or surprise.


    Solomon looked at the scene with lifeless eyes as if what happened just now didn''t affect him in the slightest.


    "You.. You could''ve saved him in thest moment just like before. But why didn''t you.." asked Kahn as he activated his 12 darkness swords again.


    "Eh, don''t fret. It''s nothing like what you think. He was a goodpanion but outlived his usefulness." replied Solomon.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn in a puzzled tone.


    He always thought of this duo as partners in crime. But the elven mage just said that Arkham outlived his usefulness.


    "Don''t you get it.. It''s you who have helped me clear an obstacle in my path." he replied with a stern tone.


    "What the hell are you talking about?!" shouted Kahn. His senses were already on full alert and he was skeptical of where the direction of this conversation was going. He wasn''t a fool to leave his guard open at this moment and let the elven mage attack him from somece else.


    But in response, the president of the adventurer association only threw a light smirk back at him and replied.


    "It''s because I was going to kill himter anyway." spoke the regal-looking elf donned in high-quality mage attire.


    "You what?! I don''t understand.." asked Kahn in apletely bewildered tone.


    "Arkham tried to kill you because he wanted to avenge his son. He asked me toe as a backup in case you really had broken through to Semi-Saint rank as per the rumors. But I had my own reasons to ept the invitation." spoke the elven mage.


    "And what''s that?" asked Kahn.


    The next second, Solomon summoned a torn-down page that appeared to be part of some logbook.


    "You see, I had my suspicions but after looking at that Basilisk, I''m very certain that you have it." he spoke.


    "What''s that list about?" asked Kahn as he could see hundreds of names written on both sides of the page.


    "It''s the list of people who entered the Bromnir dungeon the very day when it was cleared." exined Solomon.


    "Amongst all the people who bought the dungeon passes.. Only you had the strength and means to do it. I was already suspicious about your high leap in strength and how your familiars were growing strong with each passing day. But when I saw your name in the list.. I was certain that it was you who cleared the dungeon and killed that damn lizard who was guarding the final floor." smiled Solomon as he patiently borated how he found about Kahn being the person who cleared the Bromnir dungeon.


    A fire arose from his hand and burned the page to crisps. The elven mage pointed his forefinger at the young man.


    "If you want to stay alive.. Give it to me." he ordered Solomon.


    "Give you what?" asked Kahn.


    "Don''t y fool in front of me! Give me the dungeon core.. or should I call it... The Emperor''s core." dered the elf.


    bbergasted!


    Kahn couldn''t believe how the elf already knew about Emperor Rathnaar, the founder of Rakos empire who was a Peak Saint Rank swordsman and his core being hidden inside the Bromnir dungeon.


    "You.. How do you know about it? The first sage said that nobody knew about its location." he spoke.


    "Since you''ve helped me finally get it.. I''ll let you know about the truth." said the mage as he folded his hand behind the back.


    "I, Solomon Elfenheim, belong to the Elven n that was one of the founding ns of this Empire. In our ancient archives.. Lied some records about the first Sage taking away the first Emperor''s core after his death and hiding it somewhere close to the Abyss forest." exined Solomon.


    "But nobody in my n believes it anymore. I was once the chosen heir of my n. Until one day, my younger brother surpassed me and defeated me in a dual for the position of the n heir. I was thoroughly humiliated by that wench!"


    "After spending years to improve my magical skills and finding ways to increase my power, I came across those ancient records and decided to find the core. Because it''s not just a core.. But an unimaginable source of mana and world energy. If in right hands.. It can even destroy the entire capital in a single night." spoke Solomon.


    "And during my journey.. I came across these newly formed dungeons 70 years ago. I was but a beginner grandmaster rank mage then. But with all the artifacts and resources I had. I did manage to clear the dungeon floor.. I even killed that undead Lich. Until thest floor." spoke Solomon and his face turned somber.


    "That was an enemy which was far stronger than me in every aspect. I couldn''t even scratch that drake. But I did manage to see the core.. And at that moment, I knew that the ancient records were correct. And it was indeed the Emperor''s core acting as the dungeon core in the first ce."


    "I barely managed to leave that ce alive using an Epic rank space teleportation artifact. And since then, I''ve lived in this shithole of a city to break through the Saint Rank and kill that Drake with my own hands. I even became the president of that wretched adventurer association filled with nothing but barbarians and mentally disabled insects twenty years ago, just to mandate and keep an eye on the core." said Solomon andpletely released his dense and terrifying purple aura.. It was far denser and heavier than Arkham''s aura.


    "Now you have two choices. Give the core to me and I''ll let you leave alive.. Or I rip your heart out and take it myself." threatened the elven mage.


    If it was the other time of the day.. Kahn would''ve thought about this offer although he wasn''t a fool to think that the mage would let him live anyway.


    But as the sunset had finally gone. He replied to the elven mage with two simple words..


    "Fuck off!"


    Said Kahn as the system gave him a notification.


    [Hero of Darkness title activated!]

 Chapter 126: The Rumble

    <h4>Chapter 126: The Rumble</h4>


    Kahn''s response even surprised the middle-aged elf as he did not expect the young man in front of him to be so daring to refuse the final offer.


    "So you''ve chosen death!" spoke Solomon loudly as he released his mighty aura of Semi-Saint Rank fighter. He was the 2nd most strongest person in the entire vot city yet the man did not even flinch before insulting him.


    Kahn who was standing 50 meters away wasn''t even fazed by the immensely terrifying aura. Just as soon as the sun disappeared and the night finally fell. Kahn regained his strength and was now one and half times stronger and powerful.


    If he were to fight Arkham in his current state, the peak grandmaster rank swordsman wouldn''t even stand a chance against him. Although this restriction formation had suppressed him greatly and his stats were reduced by 70%, the Hero of Darkness title gave him a 300% increase in strength and 200% in magic spells & mana.


    With many of his passive attack buff skills, he managed to get 1.5 times stronger. This was enough for him to at least fight against the elven mage on even grounds.


    "Don''t act like you were going to spare me if I gave you the core. Why would you spare me if you wouldn''t even spare Arkham." spoke Kahn as he readied himself to fight against the enemy and released War Dominance at full power.


    Boom!


    A chaotic and deathly ck and red aura released from his body and the sonic booms filled the surrounding battlefield. Kahn unequipped the Drakos Armor and only his torn-up ck longcoat that was shredded at this point dropped in the ground.


    "You.. How did you recover your strength? My formation is still active." asked Solomon in a puzzled tone.


    "You''re awfully talkative. Is it because you think you can easily kill me?" asked back Kahn.


    Darkde!


    Heunched his 50 meters range attacks and used the 12 Darkness swords suspending in the air to attack the elf from various fronts.


    Snap!


    The elven mage only snapped his fingers and a bright white barrier came in between him and these swords. But this time, Kahn''s darkness swords weren''t reflected but actually pierced through the barrier.


    ng! ng! ng!


    One by one, his swords started piercing through the barrier and Kahn jumped up in the air.


    Solomon who saw him somersaulting in the air cast a fire spell and shot it at the iing assant.


    Bang!


    Before the fire spell could even hit Kahn, his darkness barrier covered him andpletely negated the damage received from this spell.


    Kahn shed his ck sword with crimson mes on it against the white barrier.


    Crack!


    The barrier instantly shattered into two and disappeared.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn quickly used side hopper and instantly appeared in front of the mage and swung his sword at the elf.


    Bang!


    A yellow barrier suddenly came into existence and exploded as Kahn''s sword nearly came a meter close to the elf.


    "If you think this is enough to kill me.. Then let me show the difference between a Semi-Saint rank mage and just a normal peak grandmaster."


    Spoke Solomon and the ground around him shook as a highly condensed manapletely covered the mage.


    The next second, the figure of this elven mage started levitating and rose up 15 meters in the air. This was the elven mage using his full power and an unimaginable pressure filled the surroundings, even Kahn felt a sense of danger.


    So far, Solomon hadn''t even used half of his strength and was only toying around with Kahn ever since the battle began in the first ce.


    "Let me tell you about the difference between you and me. It''s like the story of the monkey trying to capture the moon. However close he thinks he is to the moon, it''s still just the reflection of the moon in the middle of theke. No matter how he struggles to capture that "moon", he inevitably sinks to the bottom of thatke to no avail. You will never reach me."


    Dered Solomon and 4 different elemental orbs around him came into existence. Fire, Water, Light and Wind elements coalesced in the air and the size of these orbs started bing bigger.


    The mana that came from Solomon''s body startedpressing these orbs and the pressure that came from them gave Kahn a sense of dread and danger. His body flickered and appeared 50 meters away.


    Shrill! Crackle! Chitter! Howl!


    The intense elemental aura from these giant orbs was so terrifying that even Kahn who was currently covered in his Somir scales felt like he won''t survive if these elemental orbs hit him.


    "The simple difference between you and me.. is the difference between skills!" dered Solomon as if he was a Deity looking down on a normal and weak mortal.


    Boom!! Boom!!


    Solomon started directing his hands towards Kahn''s position and one by one, these giant orbs that were growing in size started throwing multiple small orbs of these elemental energies and destroyed the ground, trees and boulders.


    Each of these small orbs blew up 10 meters of space wherever theynded. The fire spells burned everything they touched, the water spells changed their shapes into spears and des as if they had a free will of their own, the wind attacks cut everything in the surroundings and the light elemental beams simply obliterated everything that came in their way.


    [Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!] cursed Kahn as he ran away from one direction to another like a deer who was being chased by multiple cheetahs.


    His footsteps didn''t stop for a second before his figure flickered from ce to ce. And wherever he passed from would be bombarded by these spells and get destroyed in the process.


    But he came to a realization very quickly how Solomon was in apletely different league than himself.


    Because the elven mage had the advantage in the attack range, he had various magical and elemental spells. And there was also the plethora of barriers and artifacts the mage had on his hands that protected his life.


    And on top of it all, Solomon had the high ground!


    Even if Kahn leaped into the air and aimed to kill the flying mage, he''d also expose himself to a mid-air attack.


    Kahn used shadow walk and appeared from the eleven mage''s sight and sprinted towards the edge of the formation. Only then he''d be able to stand a fighting chance against this guy.


    In just a few seconds, Kahn had run half a mile away with his full speed as he aimed to get out the restriction formation. Because he had indeed underestimated the elven mage, thinking that with the boost in his stats; he''d be able to fight the semi-saint rank opponent as an equal. But the reality brought him out of his delusions very quickly.


    Since Solomon was alone andcked speed like Kahn, he won''t be able to cover all fronts and the defender had a chance to escape.


    But just as he was about 100 meters close to the exterior of this barrier and charged his Dark Lighting Strike to hit the dome, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him in the air and looked down at Kahn with a mocking expression.


    Solomon who was a kilometer behind Kahn suddenly appeared in the air above him.


    Kahn who read enough information about teleportation scrolls and space magic during his little break for a week after killing the dungeon boss found it odd because the Elven mage was neither using a scroll nor an artifact.


    "Oh, if you think you can run away from me.. Let me tell you a little secret." spoke Solomon as he grinned at Kahn.


    "I have spent more than a century studying and bing good at using one of the rarestws of reality in this world.. The Space Law." dered the elf and gave a smug expression at the Kahn was finally thought he could escape out of this formation.


    The next moment, before Kahn could evenprehend the meaning behind the middle-aged Elf''s revtion, Solomon appeared 25 meters in front of him and threw all the elemental spells at Kahn.


    The spells were so fast that he didn''t even get time to react or dodge.


    Boom!!!


    The ground shattered as Kahn''s body was struck by these destructive and ear-deafening spells. His entire body was thrown 200 meters away and collided against the trees and boulders in the way.


    Thud!


    Bang!


    Crack!


    Trees after trees and boulders after boulders broke as his body struck and collided against them. Kahn ricocheted from time to time and finally cracked open the ground hended on.


    "Argh..!"


    Cough! Cough!


    Kahn coughed up a mouthful of blood and his body was riddled with wounds.


    His Somir scales barely managed to protect him against the onught and he used Lucifer to protect his face and head at thest moment.


    One by one.. All the scales dropped on the ground as he got up. His scarred and bleeding torso was revealed and the scales barely managed to protect his vital points.


    Solomon was on par with the Magma Drake dungeon boss already. And with the variety of highly terrifying and destructive elemental attacks, along with the spacew he was proficient at; he surpassed Kahn in every single aspect let it be range, attack power or speed.


    Kahn got up on his feet using the extension as his foundation and looked at the elf who had a viinous grin on his face.


    [System, for how long can I use it in my current state?] he asked the system.


    [Only 9 minutes] replied the system.


    Kahn resolved himself to have a battle to the death in this moment. It was Do or Die situation for him now or else, he''d be buried in the ground.


    [Do it!] hemanded and suddenly.. A loud screech was released from his body and suddenly.. His entire body underwent a transformation.


    Before Solomon, now stood a monster that he had never seen in his life..


    At this moment.. Kahn had finally used the special ability that could grant him the abilities of various species and monsters at the same time.


    The Bloodline Merge!

 Chapter 127: Bloodline Merge

    <h4>Chapter 127: Bloodline Merge</h4>


    Before the Elven mage stood a bare-chested figure of a young man who had lean muscle built with an appearance that differed far from his earlier one.


    Kahn''s figure now looked drastically different than his normal look as if he hadpletely transformed into a being that couldn''t be called a human.


    After using all his avable and battle-oriented bloodlines he had, Kahn went from looking like a human to a demonic entity.


    His ck hair turnedpletely white and grew waist-length long. On his head, there were 4 ck horns; two on the forehead and two on the sides.


    Both his arms turned pitch ck and blistering heat was released from them. His ws retained the appearance of the Drake ws and both of his eyes glowed yellow. His human ears also became longer and pointy.


    In the middle of his chest was a bright red glow as if a source of intense heat lied there.


    With the bloodline merge skill, Kahn had taken a form that included all the offensive and defensive abilities he had.


    Since the dark magic spells and attacks didn''t prove useful against this elemental mage who also revealed that he knew of the spacew.. Kahn was forced to use this form.


    Among the horns, the ones on the forehead belonged to the Basilisk, while the two on the sides were Drake horns. Both his arms and legs were covered in Somir scales and the ws belonged to the Drake ws skill. His eyes had turned bright yellow just like Rudra and the center of his chest was fiery red just like the Magma Drake. While his ears turned long and pointy simr to the demonkin n head.


    [System, how much?] he asked.


    [The host''s physical strength has risen by 400% and speed has increased by 200% for the next 9 minutes.] rified the system.


    [Good.. Save the settings. From now, we''ll call it the Asura Mode. Now, let''s make the best use of it.] spoke Kahn and gave a deathly stare to the Elven mage who was hovering in the air.


    "You.. What kind of monster are you?!" asked Solomon who was out of his wits.


    He had never seen anyone or anything like Kahn''s current form. And the aura Kahn emitted waspletely different than before. It became more chaotic and terrifying as if different primordial monsters had merged into a single entity and released their bloodlust on the elven mage.


    Kahn on the other hand, wasn''t in a mood for a chitchat or monologue. He only had this buff for nine minutes even after reaching the peak grandmaster rank and hero of darkness title being in effect. So he understood that it indeed came with heavy aftereffects when this bloodline merge skill ended.


    sh!


    Kahn''s body flickered and appeared right in front of the mage in their air as he swiped his ws at the elf.


    Both swipes of his ws created heat energy des and struck Solomon''s chest.


    Bang!


    Another protectiveyer from his body came to be and exploded. Kahn was flung backward from the repulsive explosion andnded on the ground again.


    [How many defensive artifacts does this bastard has?!] he ranted.


    He dashed and disappeared from ce to ce and gave the elf sense of wariness as Kahn''s figure flickered from one ce to another. Even the semi-saint rank mage whose senses were far keener was having a hard time registering his speedy movements and mostly only notices the afterimages.


    ng!


    Just then, 2 ck swords attacked his back and the mage quickly created a light element barrier that protected him. But unlike the earlier times, the swords were far stronger and did more damage to the barrier as if they too hand received a boost in speed and strength.


    Kahn called out Lucifer and the sword flew right in his hands. A barrage of swords attacked the elf from various directions and he was forced to retreat from time to time. His countenance turning that of annoyance & irritation.


    Kahn who was using the Sword Lord skill directed all 12 of his darkness swords at the mage while he himself charged Lucifer for the Dark Lighting Strike skill. His boost in magical skills effectiveness helped in merging both the elements much faster than before.


    Solomon on the other hand used his elemental spheres to attack and counter the swords. When he finally noticed Kahn''s murderous aura aiming right at his position, he cast two more barriers in between them.


    sh!


    Bang!


    Kahn shed the sword towards the mage''s location and a loud bang along with the explosion that destroyed multiple yellow and blue barriers filled the surroundings and the shockwaves from this sh fluttered the tree leaves and flowers in this mountainous valley.


    Solomon''s figure fell on the ground after a long time but he then disappeared from his ce in the next second.


    Kahn''s Survival Instinct alerted him from an attacking from behind and he quickly squatted down.


    A lightning spell that was aimed for his head barely missed it by a microsecond. Solomon''s figure was revealed behind Kahn. Before the mage made another spell attack, a red burst of energy was released from the demonic body as if an atomic bomb had exploded.


    "Arghh.." wailed Solomon in pain as he was thrown backward for 20 meters just from the outburst of this skill. The nearby ground was decimated and big cloud of dust formed at the center of the explosion. A third of this battleground was already destroyed and on fire because of Solomons attacks, and now Kahn added more fuel to the fire.


    Kahn just used the Defense Reserve skill that had been storing all the damage he was receiving from the elven mage''s attack since the fight began.


    Solomon''s clothes werepletely tattered and now his face and chest were bleeding because of the living bomb exploding right in his face.


    Kahn''s figure was revealed from the dust cloud and he dashed at the now injured mage.


    "Don''t look down on me you damn mutt!" shouted Solomon and tried tounch all his elemental spheres at Kahn in one go.


    One by one, multiple explosions filled the surroundings and everything that was around these two fighters was being burned, torn, cut and obliterated just from the shes of their respective attacks. Explosion after explosion kept destroying the once lush greenery of this forest.


    Till now, 8 minutes had already passed since both sides attacked and countered each other. And now, only one minute remained until his Asura Mode would be deactivated.


    [It''s about time we.. Ended this!] spoke Kahn to himself and activated his final trump card..


    BERSERK GOD MODE!!

 Chapter 128: The Decisive Moment

    <h4>Chapter 128: The Decisive Moment</h4>


    As soon as Kahn activated the Berserk God Mode, his physical strength received a huge spike.


    His muscles and bleeding wounds contracted as his appearances turned more ghastly.


    A ck & red aura erupted from his body, extremely heavy and oppressive that even the semi-saint rank elven mage felt like kneeling under this pressure full of bloodlust.


    "Nonsense! How are you increasing your strength.. Are you a True Demon?" asked Solomon as he summoned 4 light elemental spears around him.


    But without wasting any time on a reply, Kahn quickly dashed in the direction of the mage. His movements were so fast that even the mage barely saw his afterimage.


    Bang!


    tter!


    Boom!


    Before Solomon could even see where the assant went, the protection barriers quickly activated and shattered the next moment.


    Because currently, Kahn was in his Berserk God Mode and had 5 times his original strength. And with the one and half times buff in strength because of Hero of Darkness title, along with 4 times increase in strength and 2 times in speed because of his Bloodline Merge skills, he was so strong that he didn''t even need Lucifer to attack the elven mage. His bare fists were more than enough.


    Punch! Bang!


    Crack!


    Each of his punches put cracks in the defensive barrier and broke them one by one in just a matter of seconds.


    Solomon''s expression turned ghastly as if he sensed an impending dooming onto him.


    Shatter!


    The 5th barrier broke after Kahn''s forceful punch and green defensive barrier was destroyed, revealing the sullen face of the elf.


    Solomon who felt fear for the first time since he broke through to Semi-Saint rank was rooted on the spot in disbelief as he saw a freak of nature standing 10 meters away from him.


    Kahn''s long white hair floated in the air as he stood next to the mage who dered that Kahn would never be able to reach him. The ck and red aura along with the protruding horns gave Kahn a look of Demon Lord at this moment.


    Solomon quickly recovered from his daze and tried to use the spacew to disappear from the ce.


    SHRILL!


    Just as he was about to disappear, a pitch-ck dome came into existence and the covered 100 meters of space around them. The elven mage froze on the spot, his body unable to move a muscle.


    Void Realm!


    Kahn cast void realm dark magic spell when the elf was about to disappear and run away. To Solomon who was unable to move now, this came as a big surprise because he hadn''t even seen Kahn make any gestures or chants before he cast this spell.


    Kahn''s image flickered again and he appeared right next to the mage, trying to stab the man in the chest with his ws.


    Boom!


    But before he even came a meter close to him, a burst of light aura erupted from Solomon and Kahn wasunched in the air.


    Solomon used the light element aura to break past the restrictions of this dark magic spell that were like each other''s natural enemies. Even though Berserk God Mode gave Kahn an insane boost and multiplying his strength by five times for a short time, the same thing didn''t apply for his magical skills or mana. So Solomon was able to break through the restrictions of this spell with ease.


    Before Kahn''s feetnded on the ground, the elven mage made a grabbing gesture and pulled his entire body closer as a white glowing de made of the light element was formed in his left hand.


    Stab!


    Kahn''s chest was pierced through this de before he could use his arms to guard himself. The light de passed right through the middle of his chest and exited out of his back.


    "Argh.." groaned Kahn in pain. His eyes and face had a look of disbelief. Even with his immense boost in strength and fighting capacity... He still failed to kill the elven mage.


    "Anyst words?" spoke Solomon as he rejoiced in his victory. A crackling sound was made on his right hand and the elf summoned a lightning spell in his hand.


    Kahn who was now stabbed in the chest only smirked in return and his eyes shed purple the next second.


    Solomon suddenly felt a deathly auraing right in front of him as his sharp senses picked up a murderous intenting where he was stabbing Kahn.


    "Die you fucking demon!!"


    Solomon hit Kahn with the lightning spell and the young man didn''t even get a chance to dodge or evade.


    st!


    Kahn''s head... EXPLODED.


    His brain and broken pieces of skull sttered on the ground like a squashed watermelon.


    "Ha ha ha! Didn''t I say I''ll kill yo.. "


    RIP!!!


    A sound of something getting stabbed and ripped out reached the Elven mage''s ears and he finally saw the source of it.


    A ck and red w that looked like hot magma was running through its veins appeared out of the left side of his chest.. And inside the w.. Was a beating heart.


    A jarring and ghastly voicended on Solomon''s ears. The words were in an echoing demonic voice...


    "Omae wa mou shindeiru."


    Solomon''s entire body shuddered in fear and he looked behind his back where the source of this voice was standing.


    "Impossib.." before he could even finish, his body slumped on the ground as the elf still had a horrified expression on his face even in his death.


    The figure holding his heart was....


    KAHN


    Unlike what the mage thought.. He never actually killed Kahn. As soon as the mage broke through the Void Realm spell, Kahn quickly activated the Doppelganger skill before the bright sh disappeared and used Shadow Strike to appear right behind the Elven mage.


    And the Doppelganger who had 50% of his physical strength and skills, used Subterfuge skill when its eyes shed purple. This ability messed someone''s perception of vision and direction; after his senses were altered, Solomon felt a murderous intenting from the front but in reality, it wasing from behind him.


    The Doppelganger served its purpose before it died and Kahn finally dealt the killshot and ripped out the elf''s heart just when his Berserk God Mode was about to end.


    His gazended on the now-dead Semi-Saint Rank magician who was the second most strongest person in the entire vot city.


    He used Asura Mode, Berserk God Mode, Void Realm, Subterfuge and Shadow Strike.. All of them under a minute to finally kill the insurmountable and nigh-invincible enemy.


    Kahn dropped on the ground as the aftereffects of the Bloodline Merge and Berserk God Mode finally kicked in.


    His appearance started changing and in just a few seconds, he was back to his normal human appearance.


    Kahn started losing his consciousness and was about to faint because the weakening effects were too much for him to handle.


    Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Four ck figures jumped out of his shadow at this moment and consecutive thuds filled the battlefield.


    A 12 meter tall monster with bright red eyes looked at the fallen figure beside the mage''s corpse.


    A tyrannical voice filled the surroundings and Kahn, who was barely able to keep his eyes open saw four familiar figures.


    "Rest now, Master. We will protect you."

 Chapter 129: Greater the Risk, Greater the Reward

    <h4>Chapter 129: Greater the Risk, Greater the Reward</h4>


    The bright moon shone in the sky above, the once peaceful and tranquil scenery was now a remnant of a destroyed battlefield as small embers and smoke filled this mountainous valley.


    In this contradictory environment that would hardly look appealing to anyone, a young man was lying on a bed inside a wooden coffin.. a wooden cabin.


    The countenance of this young man was of someone who waspletely exhausted and dehydrated. But even in this situation.. He was sleeping soundly.


    Around this wooden cabin, were 4 figures who acted as guardians of an ancient tomb full of riches and treasures.


    In the front, were two giant figures that were more than 12 meters tall. In the back of this cabin was a skeletal being who was hovering few meters above the ground. Inside the cabin itself, was a slick and lean build man standing beside the bed.


    The four figures were Kahn''s biggest and few of the strongest subordinates. These were the ones he chose to resurrect by spending all the mana cores and ores he had on him when the Magma Drake Dungeon Boss killed them in a futile struggle.


    They were Omega, ckwall, Ceril andstly, Ronin.


    Just before Kahn fainted due to aftereffects of the various power buff skills and two physically draining skills, his four subordinates hadpleted the resurrection procedure and appeared right before he fainted.


    Now they were acting as his guards. But unlike before.. There was a change in their behavior and the way they conversed with each other.


    "When will master wake up? It''s morning already." spoke Omega, the Lycan who was also the strongest amongst all the subordinates currently present here.


    "Patience. It will take more time than usual. Although master is much stronger now, he still went overboard with his attacking skills. The aftereffects will take more than usual." responded Ronin, the Rogue subordinate in a calm and collected tone.


    "Wrong. I can sense my liege''s mana recovering at a fast pace. He should be awake in a couple of hours." said Ceril, the Necromancer.


    "But what should we do with those two bodies? Should I make two undead soldiers out of them?" asked the skeletal subordinate again.


    "Impudence! Who are you to make decisions in master''s stead?!" a rustic and domineering rey came from ckwall, the Guardian Knight subordinate.


    "Stop it! Master will decide what to do next. And he will need the bodies intact to absorb their abilities." interjected Omega in his ghastly and horrifying voice.


    "You know.. Master hasn''t actually said you''re in charge when he''s not awake." said Ronin.


    "You.. Little insect. I am the first of us who master created. And I''ve hunted and fought beside him the longest. So naturally, I am the second inmand. If you have any problems, fight me!" dered Omega.


    "Hummph! Don''t act like little children and make a scene here." interjected ckwall, acting aloof and responsible as if he belonged to an upper ss of society who pitied the mannerless fools.


    "What did you say you damn bull?! You want to go one round with me?" retorted Omega.


    "Yes, you think you''re any better than us you big meat shield?" retorted Ronin.


    "Uhmm.. Guys.."


    "What?" they all looked at the skeletal mage subordinate.


    Ceril pointed his boney finger in a direction.


    "Urhhmm.. Why is it so loud in here.." a worn-out and tired voice filled the room and a half-naked young man woke up from his sweet sleep.


    Thud!


    Just the next second, all four of the subordinates kneeled in front of Kahn who was still lying in bed.


    "So you guys are back! Good." spoke Kahn.


    [System, How much time do I have left till the weakened state is gone?] he asked the system.


    [The aftereffects of Asura Mode and Berserk God Mode have greatly affected the host''s body. The host will require 17 hours more to change to the normal physical state.] rified system.


    [I see. Show me the new notifications.] hemanded.


    [The subordinates have been Resurrected.


    The loyalty of the subordinates has increased by 50%.


    The total loyalty has risen by 100%


    Congrattions to the host for unlocking Impartation skill.


    The host can now share skills, abilities, bloodlines and job/ss specific traits to the subordinates who have unlocked 100% increase in loyalty.


    Note : This skill can only work with the subordinates with a 100% loyalty Increase.


    Congrattions to the host for unlocking a secret condition of Evolution.


    Subordinates with 100% loyalty can now be directly merged with a specimen without the need of another subordinate with Evolution skill unlocked.] replied the system.


    "Finally!" spoke Kahn loudly. He always thought that the whole increase in 50% loyalty with the subordinates had a reason behind it because they were already made to be loyal to him. And all the subordinates he named had a 50% increase in loyalty.


    This was more of a test for him to unlock these skills and special conditions. So one condition was to name the subordinate and the other was to resurrect them if they died to unlock these abilities.


    "System, impart the Metamorphosis bloodline to all of them and also share all of my skills and passive abilities based on their respective sses." he ordered.


    [Command Completed.


    The subordinates have unlocked the skills to switch into a human form, the same species as the host. However, their physical stats will be reduced by 20 Levels in the humanoid forms.


    Note : The subordinates must be above level 85 and reach High Lord rank before this skill can be activated.]


    "Holy mother of god!" eximed Kahn in surprise.


    This was another godsend gift he received. Because now his subordinates could take human forms after meeting the prerequisite conditions.


    This way, he can travel along with them and won''t have to hide them in his shadow all the time. Not only could he use them to fight along his side in a battle out in front of other people, but he could also distribute roles in the team and have a small adventurer group of his own.


    And since his subordinates will be in a human form. They will prove far useful even in front of a crowd without raising suspicion on his identity. Because he could never use them in front of people unless he wanted to kill the witnesses. But now, even with the 20 level decrease in stats, this was still a better alternative.


    And they will regain their original strength after revealing their true form anyway. So now he and his horseman of death could also hunt in the open without having to worry about them scaring the people to death with their monstrous bodies and appearance.


    "Wait.. I still need to get them to Level 85 and High Lord rank first." spoke Kahn and a sudden realization hit him as he looked at the corpses of Arkham and Solomon that were kept on the other end of the room.


    Kahn grinned at the subordinates kneeling in front of him and took 4 bodies out of his space ring.


    Kahn had been taking a lot of risks before this sudden ambush by Arkham and Solomon. So it was time he used what he received from the aftermath.


    Because the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

 Chapter 130: Remunerations

    <h4>Chapter 130: Remunerations</h4>


    Kahn sat up and looked at the corpses of the two people he once had good ties with butter turned against him and tried to take his life.


    While both of them had their own reasons that he couldn''t have foreseen in any possible ways; the fact was clear to him that just because he felt a sense of familiarity with them, he had indeed let his guard down and came up unprepared or without even thinking of the possibility of these people turning on him.


    By the end, it was very clear to him that it was indeed his own negligence that could''ve resulted in losing his life. Just because someone had a good rtionship with him, didn''t mean that were harmless or wouldn''t look for their interests even if it meant taking his life.


    He ordered Ronin to bring both the bodies close to him. The blood was still dripping from the corpses of the duo, especially Arkham who was cleaved in half by Kahn.


    First, he started with Arkham and put his hands on both sides of the cut-down body. His sword was lying beside the old man.


    "Absorb."manded and began the ability absorption procedure.


    After 35 minutes, he was finally done.


    [System, show me the new abilities.] hemanded.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Sword Savant (S Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to fuse Mana and Aura together to create swords infused with elemental attacks. Up to 8 swords can be created at the same time.


    The attack damage, range and effectiveness of the sword attacks increased by 35%.


    --------


    Aura Assimtion (A Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allow the host to infuse mana in long-range attacks with urate precision and bnce.


    Note : Time required time for infusing mana & aura reduced by 40%


    --------


    Magic Swordman''s Will (S Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to cover and encapste any object with mana & aura as long as the host is holding any long and straight object.] replied the system.


    "Noice."


    He spoke andmanded the system to show him the merged abilities & skills.


    [Following are the merged skills and abilities :


    Sword King (SS Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Abination of Sword Lord and Sword Savant.


    Allows the host to create a total of 50 swords made from aura, mana & elemental attributes.


    The host can create different elemental attribute swords at the same time. All swords can move & change directions as per the host''s will.


    Time required to infuse different elements, mana and aura reduced by 50%


    Attack damage andbat techniques mastery for all sword attacks raised by 100%.


    The effective range of all sword attacks is raised by 50%.


    --------


    Sword Battlemaster (SS Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to control any sword in 1 Kilometre area via the host''s invisible aura and mana threads.


    The activation time is only 30 minutes. The time will increase with the increase in the host''sbat technique mastery.


    Congrattions to the host for breaking through Peak Grandmaster Rank for Sword Weapon Mastery.] dered the system.


    "This is the way!"


    Eximed Kahn in joy because Arkham''s abilities made a major breakthrough for him and now he had his first SS Rank skills after Sword Lord skill he got from the n head of Volstov n was merged with Arkham''s Sword Savant skill.


    The end result was even higher and many times upgraded version because not only his proficiency increased, his attack damage, range and the number of swords he could create increased by 3 to 4 times.


    On top of it, he could give a separate element to each of these swords as he wished and he could now control any sword in a kilometer from him.


    Along with the reduction in mana, aura and different elements, he could even use Dark Lighting Strike attack in half time than before. This would greatly benefit Kahn in the long run.


    This indeed made him a total monster because if he faced 100 enemies in a fight and they had swords as their weapon.. He could simply use their swords to kill their owners. Just too terrifying of an ability simr to Mao from X-men.


    Although Arkham hadn''t reached the Semi-Saint Rank, the skills he absorbed from the magic swordsman weren''t any less usefulpared to what he previously got from the n head.


    Ronin then plucked out Arkham''s glowing golden core from his heart and handed it over to Kahn.


    He cleaned it with a cleansing spell and ate the core in a single gulp.


    After meditating for 5 minutes and spending a minute to subdue Arkham''s remaining will in the core, Kahn rose by 5 levels and now reached Level 90. Because he was already stronger than Arkham under normal circumstances in terms of stats, and how each level up required more resources and cores; just Arkham''s core alone giving a 5 levels boost was a good and eptable oue.


    "Phew. Thank you, old bastard. I forgive you for trying to kill me.. Even though I killed your one and only son first." thanked Kahn shamelessly.


    He nced at the Semi-Saint rank mage, Solomon. This elf had actually pushed him too far and if not for his immense boost in strength because of the Asura Mode and Berserk God Mode, he wouldn''t have been able to kill the mage this at all.


    Even there, he had to let the enemy think that he killed Kahn, messed his sense of direction and made the elf drop his guard just for a second. And all of those different skills in the veryst minute before he managed to kill this Elven mage who also knew about the Emperor''s core.


    Thankfully, no one else knew about the core or half of Rakos Empire would be after him if the news leaked out.


    Kahn could never let anyone know about this empire toppling secret. Although he currently didn''t know how to best use this in his favor.. It was something worth killing for.


    And now by right, Kahn was actually the next Emperor of Rakos Empire but the decree no longer held any meaning to it. And Kahn wasn''t stupid to think that anyone would even care about it.


    Plus the Saint Rank people in the empire would wage a war on him if they heard about the truth and the core. Naturally, they would want the core for themselves and raise to the next stages of the Saint Rank. Unlike him, they''d have the means to utilize the Peak Saint Rank Emperor''s core.


    So for now, everything must be kept secret. He couldn''t even afford to think about the Rise of the Emperor plotline as his circumstances and priorities didn''t allow him to shift the story in that direction.


    Back to the present moment, Kahn decided to target the Elf and his core that was lying inside his squashed heart. A greedy smirk appeared on his face.


    "I wonder how many rewards I''ll rake in next."

 Chapter 131: Finally Unlocked!

    <h4>Chapter 131: Finally Unlocked!</h4>


    Without wasting any more time, Kahn put his hands on Solomon''s corpse and started the mage''s abilities and skills.


    Just like Dormammu Volstov, Solomon also took more than forty-five minutes till Kahn was finally done with ability absorption.


    "System.." said Kahn.


    [The host has acquired the following abilities & skills :


    Elemental Fusion (A RANK) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to create elemental mana orbs and use them as a source for Elemental spells and long-range attacks.


    Light Barrier (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to create a defensive barrier made from Light element.


    Elemental Transformation (S Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to transform the form of the elemental spells.


    Casting time reduced by 35%


    Space Haste (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to use space magic to travel to 1 kilometer space in any direction.


    The host currently has no abilities that could be merged with these newly acquired abilities & skills.


    NOTE : THE HOST MUST EAT THE CORE OF THE SPECIMEN QUICKLY!!] dered system.


    This was the 3rd time Kahn heard the system haphazardly telling him to eat someone''s core. The first two times were when he ate the Somir''s core and the 2nd was when he ate the core of the Uthraqiris, the 13th-floor boss who gave Kahn the Metamorphosis Bloodline.


    Kahn cleaned Solomon''s core with a cleansing spell after he pulled it out of the Elven mage''s now squashed heart and gulped it down.


    Unlike before, not only did he need 12 minutes just to absorb the core, but he also took 3 minutes topletely subdue the remnant will of the semi-saint rank elf.


    There was something very different about Solomon''s core because even the demonkin n head''s remnant will who was also a semi-saint rank fighter did not take this much time & struggle to get subdued and assimted into his own aura.


    During his meditative state, Kahn heard the level up sound many times and felt a new form of worldly energy he hadn''t been able to feel till this point. This wasn''t the World Energy that could be used to raise his strength like mana cores & ores but apletely different element of reality itself. He felt as if he could touch and feel this force but at the same time.. he couldn''t.


    [What the hell is this? Is this some sort ofw of reality?] he wondered.


    Just then, the system''s voice rang in his head.


    [Congrattions to the host for teaching Level 100.


    Congrattions to the host for meeting the prerequisite conditions!] before the system could even continue..


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s body let out a loud and heavy burst of Golden aura and shook the entire wooden cabin.


    Even someone like ckwall & Omega nearly fell on the floor and Ronin who was standing closest to Kahn was thrown in the opposite end of the room.


    The once golden aura that came from him started growing darker with time as a tangible orange colored aura covered his entire body.


    Kahn who was under the weakened state suddenly felt all of his strength returning back in this very moment as if he was no longer under the weakened state and aftereffects of Asura Mode & Berserk God Mode. His body feeling even firmer, stronger and nimble.


    The system then continued its previously interrupted message.


    [Congrattions to the host for breaking through to Semi-Saint Rank!] dered the system.


    "I what?!" eximed Kahn with a gobsmacked expression on his face.


    Not only he reached Level 100 after eating Arkham & Solomon''s cores.. He already reached the Semi-Saint Rank!


    If he was right.. Now Kahn was actually the strongest person in the entire vot city. Even Commander Straze who was also a semi-saint rank fighter wasn''t as strong as Kahn because he was only Level 88 while Kahn was now Level 100.


    [The War Deity Body has risen to Stage 4.


    Survival Instinct has risen to Stage 3.


    War Dominance has risen to stage 4.] replied system with notifications after notifications.


    "This is too much!" shouted Kahn. No longer having any patience or calm & collected behavior like his past self. Just in thest 2 hours, he had gone through one big surprise after another.


    "System, tell me the conditions to break through the Semi-Saint to Saint rank." he asked because he could no longer keep his excitement in.


    [The host must reach Level 200 and eat the core of a being at the Saint Rank Stage 1. Only then will the host be able to reach the next stage.] rified the system.


    "Is this a joke? If I want to reach 1st stage Saint Rank, I''ll need to fight and kill someone at that stage? And they''ll be Level 200 as well, right?" asked Kahn in a puzzled tone.


    [Yes.] replied the system in its robotic and lifeless voice.


    "You gotta be shitting me! If those are the 1st stage saint rank fighters.. Then are you telling me that Arkham & Solomon were nothing but of small fries?" asked Kahn in bewilderment.


    And if these two were small fries, then the Magma Drake who almost killed him was also a small fry, albeit stronger than the rest. If it was also Level 100, even Rudra wouldn''t have been able to kill it.


    [Yes.] replied the system again.


    "So I have been ying with little children all this time?.." contemted Kahn.


    If even someone like Solomon was nothing but a toddlerpared to a full-fledged Saint Rank fighter.. Then how strong were these Saint Rank people in reality?


    [If I''m to use myself as an example and given my strength and attacking capacity.. A Stage 1 Saint Rank person would be able to destroy this entire valley with just a single strike of their sword.] thought Kahn. Because he too can bepared to a powerhouse now. But to hear that just a Stage 1 Saint Rank fighter was 2 times stronger than him.. And that too based on his superficial assumption alone. Thispletely changed his perception of power scaling in this world.


    But before he could overthink this new information again. A sudden notification rang in his head thatpletely shook Kahn to his core.


    This news was even more mind-boggling and came out unexpectedly.


    [Congrattions to the host for meeting the prerequisite conditions.


    DIMENSIONAL LAW DIVINE ABILITY UNLOCKED!]

 Chapter 132: The Divine Ability

    <h4>Chapter 132: The Divine Ability</h4>


    Dimensional Law.. One of Kahn''s Divine Abilities that he knew was extremely hard to unlock and develop was now finally unlocked after his life and death battle with Solomon and after he ate the


    Elven mage''s core. The Divine Ability was finally avable for him to use.


    "Yaaasssss!!" eximed Kahn in joy. He finally unlocked one of the most amazing Divine Ability as per his deduction when he was given a choice by God of Darkness.


    "System.. How did the Dimensional Law get unlocked so suddenly? What were the conditions?" asked Kahn.


    [The prerequisite conditions were that the host must absorb the space magic abilities and eat the core of a being who had developed their cores to adapt the Space Law.


    The host has met both the conditions because of the individual named Solomon Elfenheim.] rified the system.


    Kahn looked at the fear-stricken and pale face of the dead elf who died while unable to ept how Kahnnded the final blow. Solomon as he said, spent over 100 years studying the Space Law. Just him being able to teleport somewhere even without the use of some magic spell or teleportation scroll had made him hard kill. If not for Kahn using Void Realm and letting the Elven mage think that he got him.. He would be the one lying dead on the floor.


    "Show me all the details on this Divine Ability."manded Kahn.


    [Divine Ability: Dimensional Law


    The owner of this Divine Ability has ess to all the space & void around them. They can open the void & enter it without any harm to the physical body. It also allows a part of the body to be ced inside the void at a time while the rest of the body exists in the real world without harming the original body. The distance of travel & time user can stay inside the void increases with the increase in mastery of thew.


    Condition: The owner must be extremely efficient in Space magic &w. The Divine Ability is only essible when the owner has met the prerequisite conditions.] informed the system.


    "Yeah, yeah. I remember that. But what are the current skills this Divine Ability is giving me?" he questioned.


    [Abilities & skills under the Dimensional Law Divine Ability :


    Dimension Void (SS Rank) (PASSIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to have ess to all space?and void in 10 kilometer radius in any direction.


    The host can travel through this space by opening a void crack


    Note : The range and activation time of The Void skills will increase with the increase in host''s proficiency of Space Law.


    Current Progress : 1%


    --------


    Dimension Shift (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to temporarily shift a body part to the void without causing any harm to the host''s body or affecting the host''s abilities, skills & fighting prowess.


    Note : The time & amount of body parts the host can shift inside the void will increase with the host''s mastery over Space Law.


    Current Mastery : 5%


    --------


    Dimensional Cut (SS Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to use Dimensional Law to merge with any physical weapon and attacks to cut thought any object as far as the range of this skill is.


    Current Combat Technique Mastery : 1%


    Current range : 100 meters


    Note : The increase in range of this skill will be dependent upon the host''s proficiency in this Combat Technique.


    --------


    Dimensional Domain (SS Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to bring one enemy or an entity inside a 100 meters isted dimension for 1 minute.


    In this Dimensional Domain, the targeted enemy or entity will have 50% of their physical stats and mana capacity reduced.


    Note : The number of enemies or entities the host can bring inside this Domain & the activation time for this skill will increase with the host''s proficiency in Space Law and Mastery of this skill.


    Current Mastery : 1%


    The host is advised to spend time and mastering these abilities from the Dimensional Law Divine Ability.] revealed the system.


    Kahn stopped moving after he heard the response from the system. It was as if he had frozen on the spot and even forgot to breathe.


    "What the hell is this?! Aren''t I bing too powerful too quickly? At this rate, I''ll be able to kill that Demon God by tomorrow morning!" eximed Kahn with a bewildered expression on his face.


    The number of overpowered abilities and skills he received in just 2 hours after he woke up were too much. And these abilities he got from The Dimensional Law alone made him an invincible enemy.


    If he managed to upgrade these abilities and raise his Mastery to 100%, he''d definitely be unrivaled without even counting Ability Absorption and Synthesis Divine Abilities in the equation.


    Forget others.. Even the other Heroes of the other Gods will have a hard time fighting against him in the future unless their own Divine Abilities somehow could ovee the Dimensional Law Divine Ability.


    The amount of skills he received just from this Divine Ability turned him into a guy you definitely don''t want to mess with. Because he could literally kill any opponent just by standing 100 meters away. And the ultimate traveling skill he got in the form of The Void skill was too amazing & useful. At 100% mastery, he could even travel 10,000 kilometer in using the void. And that''s just him using his current levels and Ranks. Who knew if the range would even increase farther if he reached the Demigod Rank.


    It was as if he was some Protagonist of a novel and the Author was shamelessly giving him overpowered abilities one after another that were just too convenient for the plot.


    And the Author must have looked down upon the intelligence of the readers and thought they wouldn''t notice. But they did..


    Because nobody gets these many upgrades in just the first arc.


    Kahn facepalmed himself because there was one more thing he still had to do and would make him even more absurdly powerful.


    Getting his subordinates to High Lord rank and give them human forms.


    "Man.. I just want to be a normal reincarnated person." said Kahn helplessly and sighed.


    He took out 5 space rings and 2 from Arkham & Solomon.


    It was his time to reap all of their resources from decades of hard work and swim in gold coins again.


    Kahn sighed and spoke with exhaustion.


    "Being rich is such a Sin."

 Chapter 133: New Wealth, New Upgrades

    <h4>Chapter 133: New Wealth, New Upgrades</h4>


    There were a total of seven space rings in front of Kahn. And all their contents and wealth inside there were now his.


    Let it be the Assassins who came from the capital or Bartholomew. They''d have plenty of money on them without a doubt.


    But then there was the n head of the Volstov n, president and vice-president of the adventurer association. All three of them must have amassed a lot of wealth over the decades and were no different than walking talking treasure troves.


    "Before we begin. System, show me my stats first." hemanded.


    [Following are the Statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Job : All for One


    Rank : Semi-Saint Rank


    Level : 100


    Strength : 2658


    Agility : 2014


    Dexterity : 2149


    Defense : 1809


    Mana : 2837] revealed the system.


    "Not bad. But system, why am I not seeing any noticeable changed because of War Deity Body? Because you mentioned that I will get double the physical stats after I reach a new stage? It''s already on 4th stage but my stats are under the expected range." asked Kahn because he too felt like something was amiss.


    [The special effects of the War Deity Body can only be activated when the host break through the Saint Rank Stage 1. The host''s current levels and physical state is unable to withstand the transmutation process.] system rified.


    "I see. So another power upgrade in the future I guess. It''ll certainly give me an edge over the other Heroes." spoke Kahn and shifted his gaze to the contents of the space rings one by one.


    "Phew! I''m gonna need to sort them all out and put them in different space rings." spoke Kahn after checking out the contents of all the rings.


    Because of the surprises he had earlier.. This one didn''t even faze him and Kahn was back to his calm and collected demeanor.


    More than Five thousand A Rank monster cores and man ores. Thirty thousand B rank cores and over more than two hundred thousand C Rank cores.


    In the weapons department, there were 17 Epic rank weapons such as swords, staves, giantswords, bows and a variety of equipment like armor, gauntlets, shields, defensive clothing and some attires made for aristocrats.


    Kahn even got 30 mana bombs, nearly 80 High-grade health and stamina recovery potions, various attack buff potions as well as rare rank artifacts.


    Solomon had plenty of defensive artifacts on himself. The same kind Kahn barely managed to break in time with the help of his Asura Mode & Berserk God Modebined and that too with Hero of Darkness title being in effect. So he understood how effective these artifacts were.


    Although Kahn didn''t have time to study magic properly till now because of his priorities, he definitely wasn''t going to skip on it in the future. Just fighting Solomon had given him a newfound urge and yearning to learn magic seriously very soon.


    "Finally.. Something useful." spoke Kahn as he looked at the heap of magic spellbooks in front of him.


    And to his surprise.. There were seven books about Space Law itself. These were the archives of knowledge the Elven mage had gathered over 200 years of his life.


    So naturally, none of them were useless random books but the most urate and detailed ones to study magic.


    The books on Space Law alone gave Kahn a sense of relief because now he won''t have to search for reliable information about the Space Law and he could practice it better when he gets settled in the capital properly.


    As for the gold.. He was officially a Tycoon at this point. Because his new worth was something even the richest people in vot city didn''t have.


    His personal worth was now 13.7 million gold coins!


    The 3 old men made him extremely rich overnight. And the resources he now had were more than enough to not worry about money for years toe.


    Kahn gave a new set of weapons, equipments and armors to four subordinates as their previous ones were destroyed by the Magma Drake.


    And after all of them received Epic rank gears and weapons.. They were a force to be reckoned with.


    "System, take these monster cores and mana ores to resurrect Oliver, Armin and Jugram. And can you make them revive faster?" queried Kahn.


    [Yes. But the host will have to provide 4 times more cores of high grade such as A Rank & S Rank for the Resurrection procedure.] replied the system.


    "I see. I''m not in a hurry for now. So let''s go through with normal revival." said Kahn and then looked at the dead bodies.


    "Ronin, put your hands on all three dead assassins. Eat their cores first."manded Kahn.


    In the case of subordinates with a 100% increase in loyalty, he no longer needed another subordinate with Evolution skill unlocked. So it''d be best to directly use the bodies of these 3 Peak Grandmaster Rank assassins to directly merge with Ronin. And since they had their cores intact.. Kahn expected wonderful rewards.


    "Ceril, put your hands on Solomon." hemanded the Necromancer and the only mage amongst his Six Generals. Since Ceril was also a Variant, he wasn''t tied to a particr magical element. Just that he had more affinity with the Dark Magic because he was mixed with the Undead Lich. But his spells and levels would definitely improve by tons if he was merged with the Semi-Saint rank mage like Solomon.


    "Omega. I''m mixing you with Arkham. It''s time you unlock a fighter job for yourself as well." dered Kahn.


    Currently, Omega & Rudra didn''t have any fighter ss for themselves because they were descendants of Godbeasts unlike the Six Generals who were created using bodies of different ss specimens. But since both of them were Variants, they could unlock a unique ss for themselves.


    In his current state, there was no swordsman in his team formation except Kahn himself. So Omega after getting fused with Arkham, the Magic Swordsman would definitely make a huge difference in the future. This way, Omega won''t have a problem mixing with the crowd in his human form.


    "ckwall, I don''t have a proper specimen for you to mix with. So next time." spoke Kahn.


    "As youmand, my master." spoke ckwall and jumped in Kahn''s shadow.


    "Now you three.. Merge!"manded Kahn and started the Synthesis process.


    And just as he expected, in an hour, all of them were ready.


    And Ronin even broke through to High Lord rank because of the 3 peak grandmaster assassins, two of whom had their cores intact. So now, Ronin was eligible for using the Metamorphosis bloodline and take a human form.


    Meanwhile, Omega & Ceril didn''t meet the conditions as their level was still below 85.


    "Eat these cores and raise your levels till the next time youe out." spoke Kahn and gave one thousand A rank cores to each of them.


    Omega''s ss changed to Magic Swordsman, while Ceril only gained new elemental skills from Solomon''s body. Both of them barely missed the threshold to activate bloodline effects.


    Tomorrow was the time..


    TO LEAVE THE FLAVOT CITY.

 Chapter 134: Saying Goodbye

    <h4>Chapter 134: Saying Goodbye</h4>


    Kahn looked at Ronin who not only met the conditions to utilize the Metamorphosis bloodline effect, but also be a High Lord.


    A High Lord monster wasparable to a Peak Grandmaster Rank fighter. And since Kahn used 3 bodies of such assassins of this level & 2 of them had their cores intact, Ronin had no problems from going from Level 62 to Level 87.


    And with Kahn unlocking Impartation skill with all the subordinates that had reached 100% Loyalty, Ronin now possessed all of Kahn''s Assassin skills and abilities including his own merged abilities such as fear toxin, grappling extension, subterfuge, shadow strike, doppelganger and many others.


    Ronin had now turned to a handsome human with simr height and built as Kahn. Just with long ck hair and green eyes. There was a ck mask ingrained in the left side of his face. As Kahn could remember, it was simr to the skull mask Ronin had when he was merged with Pethrall, the 12th-floor boss.


    A handsome and elegant face with a well-toned lean and muscr body. The green eyes giving him a look of a mysterious and cold young man. The shoulder-length long ck hair fit his persona. Ronin now emitted an aura of someoneing from a big background.


    Even Kahn felt for a moment that he had apetition in terms of looks and appearance.


    Because with these looks alone, Ronin''s appearance was fitting to be a Protagonist of those Cultivation Novels with ease..


    Kahn sorted out all his amassed wealth and dressed up in new clothes he bought on the day of the banquet. Although he had given him an Epic rank gear they got from the three assassins, the appearance wasn''t suitable for normal day-to-day life. And after the appearance change, he gave Ronin a new set of high-quality coat, shoes and high-quality material robes that had more agility & tactical advantage if they were to engage in a fight. But that ended up making Ronin look like a young master of a noble n instead.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Ronin''s new appearance given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Kahn then dressed in his new set of ck clothes that gave him the appearance of someone who hunted monsters. Unlike the former, he had to mix into the normal crowd for now.


    After all the wealth waspletely sorted and gathered in 4 different space rings with a wider inner space, Kahn decided to leave.


    He had to leave covertly and without leaving any clues that could tie him to Arkham & Solomon''s disappearance.


    Although he was certain that Arkham & Solomon also made sure that no one would know about their ambush against Kahn, being careful never hurt anyone.


    For the next hour, Kahn and Ronin spent their time in erasing tracks and signs of battle in this valley. Nothing that could lead it to them, not even traces of Kahn''s blood were left on the battlefield.


    When the noon finally came, Kahn returned to vot city in the form of a demonkin warrior while Ronin followed behind him while hiding under a ck cloak.


    Kahn met Jerome and told him about his departure, gifting him and the chef one thousand gold coins to each as a bonus for serving him well during his stay.


    To both of them, Kahn appeared like a saint who solved all of their worries. Even high-ss chefs & caretakers like them barely received 100 gold coins as their monthly sry, but Kahn gifted them 10 times more only for serving him for a month.


    Little did they know, to the super-rich tycoon like him, this amount was no different than a small chunk of change. Their vehement eyes were full of worship for Kahn as they bade him farewell.


    His next stop was Nik & nev. Although he had a sort of argument with these two during Jessica''s incident.. He had forgiven both of them at this point. Because they too were helpless and had to look for their own. In a way, they had helped him learn a few things about this world so it was reasonable for him to say his final goodbyes to the father and son duo.


    When the evening finally came, Kahn met Albestros in the deste warehouse again as per their previous agreement.


    To both of them.. It was a new chapter of their lifeing after they left the city. To the old Grandmaster cksmith, this city had nothing left for him other than painful memories and horrible experiences. This city was once his home but now all it gave him was nightmares.


    Thanks to Kahn, the old man had finally found a way to move on and live his remaining days as he saw fit, doing what he wanted to do.


    For Kahn, the old man had his uses because unlike him; the old cksmith had knowledge of the capital and had ties there which could help him settle down there. But there were two more uses for this old man that Kahn would definitely take advantage of after they got settled inside the capital.


    So escorting him there safely was an inclination on his part.


    Kahn introduced Ronin to the old man saying that he was one of the people who served him and was also a peak grandmaster rank assassin.


    Both of them visited Jessica''s grave for thest time and finally decide to depart from this city for good.


    When the evening finally came, Kahn ordered Ronin to check out the city gate exits that they were going to use to leave the city by mixing in the crowd. Although they could use luxurious traveling services, Kahn chose to go along with small-time and cheap caravans and that provided this service.


    They had to leave without raising any suspicion because Albestros was still on the wanted list of the four of the strongest noble ns of the city.


    When they finally reached the north city gate while dressed up under ck cloaks and mixed among the crowd of people exiting the city gates, he received a message from Ronin through the Hive Mind skill who was doing reconnaissance.


    Kahn''s countenance turned serious after receiving the report and he spoke to himself.


    "Some people never learn, do they?"

 Chapter 135: End of the Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 135: End of the Beginning</h4>


    At this moment, Kahn and Albestros were walking amongst the crowd of thousands of people full of various beastkins, and Demi-humans who were trying to enter and exit the city gates. The bustling crowd was in a hurry because it was the time of the evening and soon, the sun will disappear & those who finished today''s struggle of life would return to their homes and rx.


    While those who had to travel outside to other destinations or their professions required them to work at night were leaving out of the gates.


    Kahn and Albestros were mixed within the crowd, trying to leave peacefully but after hearing Ronin''s report, he felt like the noble ns hadn''t truly learned their lessons and still wanted to kill the old grandmaster cksmith. They were so daring to even keep hundreds of their fighters hidden in in sight in the nearby settlements to city gates; as part of normal crowd but ready to attack at a moment''s notice.


    With their numbers alone, city guards won''t be able to interfere or do anything in such a short time if they decided to ughter someone right at the gates. Since Kahn was no longer a fool to show any form of negligence, he ordered Ronin to check how many people he could find who looked normal with their appearance but had killing Intent and murderous aura around them.


    Given Ronin''s new rise in levels and ranks, it wasn''t hard for him to find these many in 2 kilometer perimeter of the city gates.


    "Stop." spoke Kahn.


    "What happened ?" asked Albestros who was wearing a ck cloak and walking beside him.


    "We''re surrounded, old man. Looks like they don''t want to let you leave this city alive. If they did, there will be no one in the city who will fear them anymore." replied Kahn.


    "Then.. Should we run back?" asked the old man.


    "No.. If they want to do it the hard way.. I''ll give them one final show." spoke Kahn.


    [Ronin.. Here''s what I want you to do.] spoke Kahn to the subordinate telepathically and exined the n that just came in his mind.


    When the duo finally reached close to the city gates, one of the guards stopped them and checked their faces. His expression suddenly changed to that of a surprise and he looked towards a building and nodded as if he was sending a signal.


    Kahn''s acute senses that could now feel and hear everything in 2 kilometer radius picked up hundreds of footsteps of people charging towards the gate.


    [So they have their connections in city guards as well, I see.]


    "That''s him! Surround him!" shouted a wolfkin assassin who was dressed in a normal attire. No one could have guessed this type of person to be a Master Rank fighter.


    One by one, dozens & then nearly two hundred people starteding towards their direction.


    Stab!


    But before they reached 500 meters close to the crowd where Kahn & Albestros were hidden. One of these assants... A female tigerkin warrior in the front fell on the ground and a metal pike-like rod was revealed from her back.


    Suddenly, a dense and heavy ck & green aura filled one kilometer space and a cloud of white smoke was spread around the army of assants.


    Many of the enemies, each of whom had different weapons were put on the ground by this oppressive aura of dominance. As if a dungeon boss himself had targeted every single one of them. This aura wasparable to a peak grandmaster rank person as well.


    A deathly and grim voice resounded in the area that sent shivers to not only the assants but also the innocent bystanders.


    "Looks like you noble ns really don''t understand what a warning means. I think it''s about time I give a visit to your n heads one by one."


    Gasp!


    Hundreds of people gasped in surprise when they saw the source of this tyrannical deration.


    Above a 50 meter tall watchtower... Stood a hooded figure, d in dark grey robes. The wind fluttered this figure''s clothes as a man who appeared simr to the grim reaper came in everyone''s sight.


    "A.. A.. Azrael!" shouted one of the assants in shock.


    But before they could react.. The angel of death who dered that he would disappear came to the old man''s rescue again.


    "Run!" shouted one of the enemies who was at the far end and least affected by this aura.


    Swoosh!


    Before this man could even turn his head and run.. A spear-like extension that was thrown out of Azrael''s hands pierced right through his neck 500 meters away.


    "Looks like you lot think I''m not watching you anymore." spoke Azrael and jumped in the middle of these spies and warriors of the noble ns that were surrounded by fear toxin.


    "Arhhh! No!" wailed a woman.


    One by one, the sound of dozens of bodies being cut and poked through this white mist filled this city gate''s perimeter and everyone who was watching from afar stood rooted on the spot as a one-sided massacre started. And the one causing it was none other than Azrael.


    At this moment, when the guard reverted his eyes again.. The figure of the old man was nowhere to be seen.


    "Huh! Hoof!" panted Albestros as they finally ran few kilometers away and stopped towards a traveling caravan that had normal monster steeds. These were like taxies in this region used to travel to different cities.


    Although there were magical beasts and more luxurious services for traveling, they chose these ones that would cost them weeks to reach the capital but were also very low profile.


    They both paid fares and sat inside one of these carriages.


    The one causing a ughter at city gates at this moment was none other than Ronin who was dressed as Azrael after Kahn''s orders.


    Kahn used him to create a diversion and escaped with the old man to the outermost region of city gates where thousands of people gathered before leaving for different destinations.


    Although the voice belonged to Ronin, the words were his. This was his final warning to the entire city that Azrael will always be watching them.


    Sitting in one of the seats, Kahn gave a final nce to the vot city.


    This was the first civilization he came across after jumping out of that void crack.


    In the past 2 months.. He went from a man in an unknown world to someone who could now fight against many strong people on his own.


    After appearing inside the Abyss Forest, Kahn was chased down and nearly killed by a pack of giant wolves. He created Omega after fusing two of the bodies.


    Then they killed the legendary beast named Somir, a descendant of the Godbeast Basilisk by using its maternal instinct and making it sacrifice itself to protect its eggs.


    Kahn who waster affected by the strong remnant will of this legendary monster decided to use its body and the eggs that were now bound to die and created Rudra, his strongest subordinate till this point.


    After saving Nik & nev from the bandit group attack, he finally entered vot city.


    Through the father and son duo, he had a temporary residence and time to think about his future. And when he finally decided to be an adventurer because that would be his best option to raise his strength by hunting and fighting monsters by himself, he came across Arkham & Solomon.


    Both the top figures in the city offered him a contract with a selfish intent behind it. But because of these men, he received a lot of money and resources to raise his levels, gain multiple abilities and skills by killing the contract targets and the monsters he fought in due process.


    Not only he used their connections in his favor, but also learned skills and increased his Weapon Mastery & Combat Techniques Mastery of various professions under the pretense of training to properly kill his targets.


    Then, he gained the basic abilities & skills of various sses and even created the Six Generals named ckwall, Jugram, Oliver, Ronin, Ceril & Armin. All of who yed a vital role as part of his own army and had a ton of potential to be something more powerful and extremely useful in the future.


    Later, to hide his targeted killings, Kahn created the persona of Azrael, the Angel of Death whoter gained the moniker of Azrael : The Adjudicator.


    And after using the Snakekin as a means to spread the news about him, he gained a lot of fame as well.


    But because of his greed and carelessness.. An innocent bystander like Jessica who kept her mouth shut till thest moment of her life just to repay Kahn for saving her life twice.. Died a horrible and tragic death.


    Kahn who wasn''t a hypocrite who''d run away from the responsibility of getting someone innocent killed because of what he did finally exacted revenge for her and gave her a proper funeral in the end. She had be a person who left a deep impression on him and taught him a big lesson on why he shouldn''t get involved with others if he can''t afford to fight a strong powers or groups.


    After he got acknowledgment from the top figures in the city, he became focused on raising his strength by hunting the lower-level dungeon bosses who gave him tons of different and useful skills. He even fought the Undead Lich and was killed by him because of his ignorance. But ended up unlocking the Title of Hero of Darkness which made him 3 times stronger at night and made him invincible against enemies using Dark Magic & Darkness Attribute.


    When he fought dungeon boss and Rudra reappeared at thest moment, he gained the core of the peak saint rank Emperor of Rakos Empire. It was something that had many uses to it and was something that an empire would go to war for.


    Later, he contradicted his motto and decided to interfere and exact revenge for Albestros''s dead children because the morality of his old self made him feel like it was a right thing to do. Eventually, he ended up igniting a spark that caused a wildfire which would burn the whole structure of the society in vot city.


    Both his deed as Azrael when he yed the Hero of Justice & him clearing the dungeon caused severe consequences that even he couldn''t have foreseen or control.


    The main lesson he learned was that if you truly do not have the strength to fight for yourself, there was no sense of right or wrong,w or justice would help you.


    This was something that rose a hunger for power inside him.


    What give him the biggest lesson of life was both Arkham & Solomon trying to ambush and kill him.


    Just because he didn''t have enmity against these two, he had left his guard down and barely managed to survive against their onught. If not for his various abilities and buff skills, he would be dead for real and buried under a ground that no one would ever find out.


    This gave him a harsh lesson about how he should never trust anyone other than himself. That he must be always ready and prepare against a friend trying to stab him with a knife.


    This was something he would always believe and live by till the end of his new life.


    From being a naked man with no clothes to bing the strongest fighter in this city of millions... From learning from his ignorance and mistakes to be wise and cautious. vot city had yed a huge part in building his very foundation as a person.


    There were millions of things he didn''t know or had seen yet. There were thousands of strong people and monsters he hadn''t met yet. Although he wasn''t adamant about following the deal he made with the God of Darkness yet.. He still had found a direction and a destination he wanted to reach in his new life.


    Although Kahn himself thought that he had be too strong very quickly, he also realized that it was nothing but his own assumption. Who knew how powerful were the people sitting at the top. And he didn''t have any idea how strong were other Heroes at this point either. So he weed this sudden and unexpected spike in his strength.


    He now had a foundation that could result in him bing someone very strong & powerful in the future. Someone who could surpass the expectations he had for himself.


    For Kahn.. This wasn''t just a departure. This was also a...


    A TRUE BEGINNING OF HIS NEW LIFE.


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    --------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 1--------------


    ---------------------------------------------------------


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    Author : Thank you for reading till this chapter. For someone who didn''t even believe in himself or ever thought about writing a novel, this is a huge aplishment.


    With the time I spent writing these many chapters, I''ve improved my skills by a lot. I know it''s nowhere near perfect, but I an learning many new things in the process.


    I''m evolving not only as a writer, but also as a person. And the immense support I''m receiving from many fans these days is truly overwhelming.


    I hope you can be part of this journey to till I get to finish my vision for this story.


    - CrimsonWolf.


    Note : If you liked the story so far. Please leave a review. They help me reevaluate myself and improve upon the quality. An Epilogue chapter ising next. Please do not miss it. It will answer all your questions, changed plots & queries.


    P. S. If you don''t leave a 5-star review, you have a small pp.


    And if you''re a woman and still don''t do it.. you''ll grow one.


    So let the reviewse in as soon as you''re done reading this chapter. *points a gun at you*


    Hope to see you sticking around.

 Chapter 136: Arc 1 Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 136: Arc 1 Epilogue</h4>


    EXTREMELY IMPORTANT CHAPTER.


    Must read before you continue to the next arc otherwise, everything will confuse you.


    This is your Author CrimsonWolf here. In this Epilogue chapter, we''re going to discuss many things for the understanding of our old-time readers and neers.


    Some plots have been changed and some information was retconned recently. Some extra plots and reasonings were added because I failed to properly exin the plots back then.


    If you''re reading this novel on Webnovel, then you''ll read the corrected chapters.. If on some pirated site who don''t update or re-upload corrected chapters.. May God of Darkness have mercy on your souls. You ended up reading a half-ass and trash version of this novel. Huehuehue!


    And you''re also missing out all the epic and awesome Character Reference Arts I share in chapterments such as Arts for Kahn, Omega (Lycan Form), Six Generals, Rudra, Asura Mode, Drakos Armor, Lucifer, Dungeon floor bosses, Arkham & Solomon and many more toe. Trust me, it''s worth reading from the original source.


    So in the form of Q&A. I will be exining these changes and how the power system & ranks work in this Novel because I simply failed to do so before since I was aplete newbie to the writing sector back in the day and did not set up things beforehand.


    But since you''re reading this chapter, it means you''ve decided to stick around and apany Kahn in his journey. So I owe it to everyone who has been reading and supporting this work. And I wish to make things clear about many of the plots and reasoning behind them. So let''s start with often asked Questions first.


    Q : MC as Elric was nothing but Simp! He deserved to get conned & die.


    A : Really? The majority didn''t even know that word before it became a trend. And that''s basically a culture on its own given the current situation of the entertainment industry & social media where you are brainwashed into fantasizing & sexualizing women. Let it be Movies, Tv shows, Anime, Superheroes, Celebrities & even your so-called Icons do that as long as it gets them money. That''s a whole different structure of the society itself in our current world.


    Elric was indeed one of the so-called Nerd, Otaku, Virgins. And he fell for the most obvious trap the people with that mindset & lifestyle normally do in our real world. Half of the people ranting about it are the ones who think they''re better but these are the same people who get scammed by their friends and family in real life.


    But that''s none of my business. *inserts Kermit tea meme*


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why didn''t the previous Heroes who came before Elric chose Ability Absorption, Dimensional Law & Synthesis? They must bepletely stupid.


    A : Every single one of them came from different Era and from different worlds. Not all were from Earth. So they''d prioritize on whatever their mindset based on their respective eras, traditional train of thought and what suited them best based on their respective capabilities.


    Why would someone trained in Warfare would choose abilities he wasn''t confident in using or had no prior knowledge of? Why would someone who was a schr pick up abilities that would need them to go hunt monsters in a forest?


    Besides, none of them had any prior knowledge of the potential of these abilities and also didn''t grew up reading Novels & Mangas or watched Anime.. Like us. So only Elric was able to see through the potential and hence he chose these 3.


    --------------------------------


    Q : MC threw shade at others for calling the wolves with traditional names but named it Omega. How is that better?


    A : The plot hasn''t been changed and nor the logic is, Kahn chose the name because he knew he was going to create new subordinatester anyway, so the title of the Alpha of the pack belongs to him. And that''s why he named the first subordinate as Omega.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why did MC turn stupid and made that oath after killing the mother Somir?


    A : This plot was actually not properly exined because of my rookie mistakes back in the day. I''ve already re-edited that chapter so new readers won''t have any questions. This exnation is for our old-time readers.


    After eating the core and getting influenced by the dead Somir''s will.. Which was a mother who sacrificed her life for the children without a hitch, had deeply moved Kahn because in his case... His family was never there for him when he needed their help & support the most.


    Seeing how he was already made to realize the consequences of his actions.. He swears to make Rudra one of the strongest beings. Elric was a man with regard for life and had a moral code.


    You can''t expect someone''s behavior to change overnight for the sake of plot convenience.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why is Rudra not loyal to Kahn? That''s bullshit and a legit plothole.


    A : I''m gonna copy-pasta the paragraph I wrote in edits again. So you may get a proper understanding.


    ''Because only Strong acknowledges the Strong. Weaklings are not even worth looking at in their opinion. And that''s why Rudra had not acknowledged Kahn in the slightest.


    The gigantic snake could just swat its tail and Kahn would be turned into meat paste. That was their current situation.


    Because no matter what, an Ant cannot control a full-grown Dragon.. A newborn Baby cannot control an adult King just because they held the leash. If not for the restrictions made by the Synthesis divine ability, Rudra could kill Kahn with a sneeze. And that''s why he had to look for a different approach.''


    I hope this gives a simple exnation. I can''t spoonfeed more than this.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why did he choose Antidote Potions? He has a Grandmaster rank immunity.


    A : They''re just there for disy in case he had to help someone or look like he took the antidote in case he was poisoned. To avoid unnecessary suspicion.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why did he not take Stragabor''s body & made subordinates after killing the top fighters of the Sigurd n?


    A : Because Kahn wanted to make it look like the work of another n. Nobody else than him had any use for dead bodies.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why does the MC call himself no different than a Killer? He hasn''t killed anyone innocent or a child.


    A : Unlike how these novels and stories tell you, in the world of adults and real life.. Killing is killing.


    I could create 100 different reasons for Kahn to justify him killing someone, like by making them a bad guy or someone who deserved it because of the crimes theymitted.. But it does not fundamentally change the fact that your hands have blood on them.


    I can''t speak for other MCs but Kahn is someone who acknowledges that fact about himself and owns it.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why do some of the old abilities still exist when MC clearly merged them using Synthesis?


    A : Merged abilities & skills are a multipurpose and upgraded version of base abilities. But that does not mean the old ones disappear because of it.


    He is not creating subordinates by merging two bodies where the base specimens disappear after creating a new version.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why did Kahn get angry and felt responsible for a no-name character like Jessica?


    A : Unlike the majority of the antiheroes, Kahn is someone with a moral code and consciousness. Although he''s not averse to killing anyone if they stood in the way of his goals, he isn''t a hypocrite to run away from responsibility if he caused an innocent person''s death because of something he did.


    And that''s why he gets enraged and goes on a killing spree to avenge her. Where he also learns that Jessica didn''t sell him out till herst moment because he saved her life twice.


    So I for one think that his reaction & actions were eptable


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why didn''t he call out Rudra against the Undead Lich fight?


    A : It''s exined when Rudra reappears again when fighting the Magma Drake Dungeon Boss.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Will there be other reincarnated people & other Heroes?


    A : Summoned using a magical ritual. They will have their own bodies. Few will be humans from Earth but the majority will be from different Worlds/Dimensions. Each of them will have their own unique traits, Divine Abilities & powers.


    And since they all have the backing and resources of Empires & Churches, they already have a huge advantage over Kahn who has to hunt and look for resources by himself.


    The current Kahn is very weakpared to all of them who were summoned quite some time ago. Let it be resources, people he canmand, powerful allies, connections and authority. He''scking in every aspect and has to build things from scratch.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Is it the MC in the cover of the Novel?


    A : Yes. I''ve never used a single cover if it didn''t match the story. The current cover is one of his future/endgame appearances.


    The long white hair and red eyes are part of his Asura Mode.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Will there be Romance or a Waifu in the future?


    A : No. I currently have no ns to create a romance or waifu candidate. And although I have nned for some badass female characters who will have a long time part in the story & will have some influence till the endgame.. I personally would prefer to not shift the story in that direction. It also goespletely against Kahn''s character because he was once betrayed because of his feelings & love. He will be reluctant to fall for that cycle again.


    --------------------------------


    Q : How is Kahn an Antihero when he''s choosing to not kill people or spare the members of some ns?


    A : First of all, we''ve been over this already. An Antihero does not mean an edgelord or a psychopath who kills people for no reason.


    Kahn won''t kill the wife & children because he has a beef with the father. Or he won''t massacre an entire n just because he has enmity with the top-ranking members running it.


    That''s nothing but a wish-fulfillment type of story made for 14 years old who just joined the inte. You don''t outright kill someone because you had a small quarrel with them. And you definitely don''t go and kill their family because they share the same blood.


    An antihero is someone who looks for their own gains than ying a selfless and righteous hero of justice.


    --------------------------------


    Now that the line above must have made you think about Kahn being a hypocrite and doing the same thing I just mentioned about being a hero of justice.


    Q : MC said he won''t be a hypocrite but why is he doing the same with the cksmith & his children''s story?


    A : It hasn''t even been 2 months since Kahn was sent to this world. The teachings and outlook he had on the world won''t change or get aligned with the new world that easily.


    Even Kahn acknowledges that was indeed acting like a hypocrite and went against his own words when he decided to interfere. But the old man''s perseverance even after losing his reason to stay alive, just to see his children receiving the justice they deserved made Kahn realize how big and a sore loser he was when he lived as Elric.


    That how he wallowed in self-pity and used his life experiences as a gateway tomit suicide. And how he could''ve had a different life if he had held on to a more positive outlook.


    --------------------------------


    Q : How is MC even an Antihero if he gets enraged by hearing other people''s suffering and exact revenge for them?


    A : To make him an Antihero, I first wanted to make him experience what it means to y ying the warrior of justice first. And the consequences thate with making that decision.


    His actions caused a small war in the city and resulted in hundreds of people dying because of his message as Azrael. He owns the consequences of his actions as well.


    I made this whole ''Injustice'' plot so that he sees both sides of the coin, bes a truly rational person and then decides which side he wants to pick.


    I call that foundational work and good reason for character development.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Somir Scales should''ve merged with Drake Scales.


    A : Not possible. Both are high rank bloodline specific abilities belonging to species that are more like each other''s archenemy. They''re ipatible with each other. Maybe in the future, Kahn will be able to do it. But the current him simply doesn''t have the ability to make it happen.


    --------------------------------


    Q : Why does War Deity Body shows no considerable effects or make a difference? It''s already at Stage 4.


    A : This plot has been exined in current chapters and not something I addedter. But in case you missed that part, here''s the exnation.


    War Deity Body will only show its effects on Kahn''s physiology and strength after he breaks through Stage 1 Saint Rank. His current body is unable to withstand the transmutation procedure. So for now, there are no noticeable effects or changes.


    But do mind you, this is something that will definitely give him an edge over other Heroes in future arcs. But there is still some time for that to happen.


    --------------------------------


    Q : If MC is so smart, why did he not prepare against or think of a possible ambush set by Arkham & Solomon?


    A : Obviously.. He had made a mistake because of his previous encounters with both of them. And he''s not an omnipotent God who can know and see through everything. He can''t control someone else''s actions or their reasons.


    Naturally, he will learn many lessons from these experiences and they will end up shaping him into a proper Antihero character in the future. Like I''ve said before, Arc 1 is nothing but Kahn''s first stop of the journey. There''s a lot toe.


    --------------------------------


    Comint 1 : This world is no different than other Isekai worlds. It is the same setting and same species of creatures we''ve seen in normal reincarnation novels.


    A : Yes, I also acknowledge that fact. Initially, I wanted to introduce many different species of living beings but I was so consumed on how to make a more stable arc for the MC & what powers to give him by killing monsters.. I ended up skipping out on it inadvertently. I admit my faults here.


    But good news.. The world setting is getting a huge upgrade after our MC goes to the capital of Rakos Empire. And you''ll also see his Scamming and ountant side. He can''t always go hunting in a dungeon and fight monsters all the time. Even I will drop the Novel if that plot kept repeating.


    --------------------------------


    Comint 2 : The MC is bing OP too quickly.


    A : Yes. It was never my intention to make him a weakling who gets bullied by the strong and has to get stronger bit by bit and thene back to take revenge.


    Kahn is someone who won''t mess with anybody for no reason. But if someone pped him in the face, he will at least break a few bones in return.


    And if you notice throughout Arc 1, he never truly picked a fight with someone he wasn''t confident in defeating. He chose all his battles carefully until he had the abilities & enough manpower to aplish his goals.


    His rise in strength by the end of Arc 1 will make him strong enough to at least be able to protect himself. And other sides of his characters and his traits are going to be explored in the future arcs.


    Plus there are tons of new charactersing soon. So you won''t be disappointed that he became too OP real quick.


    --------------------------------


    NOW TIME FOR A RANKING SYSTEM FOR EVERYTHING.


    Following are the Ranks for Fighter sses/professions in ascending order :


    Beginner


    Intermediate


    Master


    Grandmaster (3 stages till these ranks)


    Semi-Saint (A threshold stage before entering apletely different realm of power.)


    Saint


    Demi-God


    God


    --------------------------------


    Followings are the Ranks for Monster sses and their Species/Bloodlines :


    Common


    Elite


    Rare


    Unique


    Lord


    High Lord


    Legendary


    Mythical


    Godbeast


    --------------------------------


    Following are the Ranks for Weapons and Armors :


    Normal


    Bronze


    Silver


    Gold


    Rare


    Epic


    Legendary


    Ancient


    Divine Weapon/Armor


    --------------------------------


    Ranks for Abilities & Skills :


    E to C = Common


    B to A = Rare


    S Rank


    SS Rank


    SSS (Smoking Sexy Style) Rank


    Saint Rank


    Legendary Rank


    Divine Rank (The ones all the Heroes including Kahn are given).


    --------------------------------


    Strongest creatures/beings in the world based on Species & Bloodlines :


    Human/Demi-Humans


    Pureblood & Evolved Monsters


    Descendants of Godbeasts


    True Demons & Angels


    Godbeasts


    Dragons


    Demi-Gods


    True Gods


    --------------------------------


    I know this is a lot of info dump but it was important and necessary than introducing or exining them like an amateurter in the uing story. So you can alwayse back to this chapter for references and better understanding.


    Now we talk about the most important and the very reason I''m still writing this novel.


    THE MONEY... I mean the FANS!


    Never had I believed that I would gain the support of so many people who liked the story and felt the potential for the vision I have for the future.


    I do read and respond to any reasonable questions and queries of the fans. As long as it does not involve me in revealing any spoilers, I''ll try to clear out your confusion & queries.


    And all of your suggestions and criticism are always weed. And do point out any grammatical mistake you see. I too want to write a fullproof novel as well.


    P. S. Refrain from using F word, D word & N word in chapter & paragraphments. Webnovel automatically deletes them so I can''t reply to your questions & other things.


    Now, here are the names of the fans who have received their rightful ce in the Hall of Fame.


    These are the people because of whom I can afford food these days.


    1. Mortality_sold (Our first ever reader who gifted this story a Spacecraft & the biggest supporter. Hail thy Queen.)


    2. Warren_W (one of our old readers who''s been supporting for a long time.)


    3. Ruby_Rioulu


    4. Conner_hall


    5. Cody_Stute


    6. ryananthonycyr (another long time supporter)


    7. Jrod_P


    8. Philipp_Huntemann


    9. Shaq_Fu (he reads the chapter the next second it gets released)


    10. UvrBurrito


    P.S. If you want your names immortalized like this... Spend more coins. Lol


    Now, the following is the list of people who have been supporting this Novel before it even had 10K views. It was during my rookie days and these people showed faith in me when I didn''t even believe in my vision. Some joinedter but their constant support has earned them a spot. So no way I''m skipping on their names.


    1. Herohero (First one to see the potential of the novel)


    2. Lakhan_Gawatre (Comments and support on every chapter)


    3. Gurthang (One of the most vocal supporters of the work)


    4. Darkyer (my fellow DMC fanboy)


    5. Firefly4545 (He understands all the references)


    6. Rahul_Charan_9446 (big-time supporter from months now)


    7. ArashiTenebris (He finds and provides a lot of source materials for me to do research & expand my knowledge. Gotta give a salute for his efforts.)


    8. Melissa_Howard (Just another girl drooling over Kahn''s body)


    9. GrizzlySloth (part of our first readers base)


    10. Pmc_skull


    With this, I officially dere the end of Arc/Volume 1.


    Next chapter is the beginning of Arc 2. So see you soon.


    CrimsonWolf out! *mic drop*

 Chapter 137: A New Beginning

    <h4>Chapter 137: A New Beginning</h4>


    Under a clear bright sky and breezy weather, a pleasant scenery of blossoming flowers and lush green trees soothed the souls of everyone who stood in this surrounding. It was the time of spring... The season of Rejuvenation & Rebirth. Anyone who passed through this wide and open valley would feel their bodies and mind cleansed of all the negativity in their lives.


    Crung! Crung! Thud!


    Over 30 carriages made to carry 20 people at once and hundreds of people walking slowly passed through these paved roads as the sound of monster steeds which looked a lot like a mix of various dinosaur species with agile builds pulled these carriages. These carriages were no different than buses on earth, just without an engine pulling them. While the heavy cargos were carried by the giant and bulky tamed beasts with a body resembling gigantic rhinos.


    The children belonging to different species ying together, their small shenanigans brightened up the mood of this caravan.


    More than a hundred guards were divided and spread around as small groups in different directions to protect these travelers.


    Amongst these multiple carriages, few were far luxurious and veryfortablepared to the others. In one of the slow-paced carriages, sat a man on the seat at the edge which was close to the exit.


    A bunch of children ran behind this slow carriage and spoke to the young man d in ck coat and adventurer''s gear.


    "Brother Kahn, brother Kahn! You said you would teach me to fight with a sword today when we stop for a rest in the evening. Don''t forget your promise." spoke a young and frail demonkin child amongst the group of children who appeared to be around 7-8 years old.


    "Hmph! You wish. Big brother Kahn promised to y Princess & Knight with us already." said a young foxkin girl with yellow ears as her fluffy tail wriggled in excitement. There was another faction of small & cute girls walking behind these boys. As if these two were different political factions disagreeing with each other.


    "Yeah, yeah. I''ll y around with you guys. But don''t run like this. You''ll fall on the road this way." replied the handsome and elegant-looking man.


    "Oye, kids! Don''t disturb boss Kahn. Go y around somewhere else." a guard wearing light armor and a crossbow interjected. His scolding scattered the children while most of them showed him their tongue in retort.


    "Let them be, they''re just small kids. Who will y around if not for them." spoke Kahn.


    "Okay, sir. And if you need anything, just tell me and I''ll arrange for it." spoke the male elven guard.


    Kahn nodded back and gazed around the surrounding forested area of this alley and he breathed in the fresh air.


    It had been more than two weeks since Kahn & Albestros left the vot city and departed for the capital as part of the next chapter in their respective lives.


    The reason why everyone was showing their respect towards Kahn was because in the past two weeks since they started their journey for the capital.. Where most of the travelers were going for important tasks and some to make a living; their caravan had been attacked five times. Three of which were the sudden ambushes from bandit groups and two times were from ferocious monster hordes.


    It was one thing if all the guards were situated at a set location together, but because of their distributed setup to provide protection from all sides, even the hundred guards in charge of defending against such ambushes were not able to respond to the onught swiftly and effectively.


    At the end of the day, it was a very cheap caravan made only for a poor ss of people who couldn''t afford high traveling fares. Even the guards were not that well geared and each had onlymon rank equipment and weapons.


    But during all those incidents, Kahn suddenly emerged as a Grandmaster rank fighter and single-handedly took down these attackers and monsters alike.


    Forget fighting back, none of these people and beasts could even get their faces out of the ground under Kahn''s War Dominance aura.


    His senses were already twice more effective and had the range of 4 kilometers ever since he broke through to Semi-Saint Rank. So he was alerted of the enemies even before they attacked the caravan.


    He deliberately let out his aura and let everyone feel the pressure to establish his strength during these fights.


    So when his might was revealed, everyone not only saw him as their savior but also a true powerhouse. Hence the respect and special treatment he was receiving from time to time.


    But rather than acting aloof and some top figure, Kahn mixed in with the other passengers like a normal man who was one of them and not someone with a high standing or a huge background. This left a very favorable impression of him on all the travelers.


    At this moment, Kahn spoke with Albestros who was sitting on the opposite side of the carriage seats.


    "So who''s your connection in the capital? We will at least have a ce to stay for a while, right? Because I don''t want to stay in those inns like a drifter." spoke Kahn.


    Not that he didn''t have enough money, it was just that he was subliminally brainwashing Albestros into thinking that they were together in form of friendship orpanionship.


    Kahn had few ns for this Grandmaster rank cksmith and wanted to gain many things from him after they reached the capital. And what better way to do it than making the person next to him think that now their fates were tied together?


    "Don''t worry about it, kid. I have a good friend in the capital who''s also a very influential figure. He will definitely help us out until we get ourselves properly settled there and decide what to do next." spoke Albestros.


    "Good then. I have no clue what will be of us. There isn''t even a demand for Adventurers in the capital. Only guards & mercenaries.. The ones I have no intention of working as." spoke Kahn as he sighed.


    He was currently only good at fighting. He hadn''t raised his skills and knowledge in magic more than the bare minimum. In front of a true mage like Solomon, Kahn was a toddler when it came to their magic spells and mastery. He barely managed to survive from all those elemental mage spells and destructive attacks.


    So he indeed put learning and bing more proficient in magic on his priority list. And there was also the Dimensional Law ability which he had to master.


    What he learned from reading many books is thatpared to other professions, Magicians required the highest amount of resources and practice to improve their skills. Plus there were also Magic Formations, Artifacts and Magic spell scrolls that came under this study.


    So what he wanted to do first was set himself up properly there first and have a lifestyle where he won''t have to worry about ie and people looking over his shoulder so he could invest all of his time in studying magic and understand the Dimensional Law Divine Ability which was in his opinion an extremely terrifying ability which was essential to save his life in the future if he met someone he could not fight against.


    While Kahn was lost in his thoughts, suddenly his ears picked up a sound of a skirmish.


    He quickly jumped out of the carriage and took a look around. Using Hunter''s Intent, he searched for the source of the battle.


    "Everyone, be alert!" shouted Kahn and broke the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.


    He went to the leader of the guards who stood in a group.


    "Sir Kahn, what happened?" asked the leader.


    "There are hundreds of people fighting in the north-west from our location just 4 kilometers away. You can''t see it because of the valley and these trees. Get all these people together and put up a defensive formation. Women & Children in the innermost part.


    I''ll go and check around what''s it about. Whether we mighte in danger because of them or not." exined Kahn as he summoned Lucifer out of his space ring and dashed in the direction of the battle.


    If it was someone else, even the guards would have neglected theirmand but since it was him who saved their lives so many times already and they acknowledged his strength, the leader ordered everyone to gather around and get inside a defensive formation.


    Kahn on the other end dashed within the treelines and reached towards the source of the sound of people fighting.


    After finally reaching close to the battlefield, he quickly used Concealment skill and hid amongst the thick bushes.


    The scene before him was something he wasn''t unfamiliar with.


    ng! Shrill! Bang!


    More than 200 people were fighting against each other. One side had white and golden patterned armors and the other one was d in ck clothes and armors like pieces on a chessboard. Blood and detached limbs with cut down entrails filled the battleground.


    Kahn didn''t bother caring about helping either side because the more dead bodies, the more things he could loot and more subordinates he could create.


    But when he saw the Sigil on the banners of the defending side.. He instantly remembered what this Sigil represented.


    After he took a long deep breath, Kahn spoke...


    "Ah shit, here we go again."

 Chapter 138: The Unexpected Answer

    <h4>Chapter 138: The Unexpected Answer</h4>


    Screams and wails of hundreds of people fighting in a death battle filled the dense valley. A gory scene with chopped bodies, heads, limbs and intestines colored the ground red. The cries for help and mercy from time to time also gave a ghastly and eerie touch to the scenery on this side of the valley.


    Dozens of mages and rangers attacked with theirrge area of effect spells and skills that charred & shredded their enemies alive or had numerous holes made inside them.


    Stab! Stab!


    Suddenly, a volley of arrows from the tall trees fell on the fighters of the defending side and multiple males and female fighters dropped dead on the ground after having their heads and eyes poked through these arrows.


    At the end of the defending side, was an extremely high-grade and well carved luxurious carriage that was surrounded by dozens of knights and mages and inside this carriage, was a young boy who appeared to be 18 or so years old.


    "Master Szayel, we should think about retreating. We''re already locked inside their formation. Even the teleportation scrolls aren''t working now." spoke a tall and thin old man.. His appearance looked as if he was already at death''s door.


    "And run like cowards?! The Vandereich n will not go without a fight!" dered the Young boy.


    Thud!


    The very next second, the old man dropped dead inside the carriage as an arrow that passed through the window pierced his neck!


    "Our barriers are broken! Everyone run!" shouted one of the warriors from the final line of defense.


    Stab!


    Before the man could even turn around and run, an arrow covered in ck poison on its tips pierced his head right in between the eyebrows.


    Boom!


    Suddenly a big lightning spell fell on the remainder of the barrier and it instantly shattered the protection barrier that was cast around this carriage.


    Stab! ng! sh!


    One by one, many mage spells and skills of different sses broke through the formation and bombarded the remaining fighters of the defending side.


    Bodies got obliterated and shredded on the spot because of these lethal attacks and those who tried to escape were killed by the assassins who were hidden and invisible outside this formation.


    The one side that equally fought at the beginning was now thoroughly oppressed. The fighters d in white armors started pleading for mercy and begging for help as the battle continued and all of them started losing their lives.


    At this moment inside the carriage, Szayel was horrified by the bones as he saw his attendant''s body falling right in front of him. This was the first time this young boy had seen someone close to him dying right in front of his eyes. He shuddered in fear and the words wouldn''t evene out of his mouth.


    The angered and upstuck demeanor was nowhere to be seen. It was one thing to act someone with valor and high mental fortitude but when it came to actually face adversity.. Not many people could hold up in reality.


    Just then, a loud shout came from the opposite side''s leader and filled the entire ce.


    "Szayel Mor Vandereich, surrender yourself. Or you won''t like it when we drag you out with our own hands." dered a halberd user who was d in ck and grey armor. The other soldiers from the attacking side started circling the remaining 4 warriors and the carriage.


    A frightened and skinny boy covered in aristocratic clothes came out of the carriage and his feetnded on the bloodied ground.


    A figure of a young man with pale white skin tone and shoulder-length silver hair appeared on the battlefield. His eyes glimmered red and two long teeth came out of his mouth. The innocent yet regal-looking face gave him the appearance of someone from a big background.


    "You damn Jinvtric scums! Do you really think that you''ll stay alive after killing our people or capturing me?!" shouted the boy.


    The leader of the opposition took off his helmet and revealed the face of a red wolfkin. He scoffed in response and gave a condescending look to the now surrounded enemy.


    "And who''s gonna tell your family that it was us? And when did I say that we''re here to capture you?" questioned the leader.


    "Wh.. What? What do you mean?" asked the young man.


    "Means we''re not here to capture you.. But we''re here to kill you. This is where you and your Vampire scums die by our hands. And then we will pin it on the other factions. Haha" borated the leader.


    "With the faction leader''s own son getting killed by the enemies.. What do you think will happen?" he asked in a sarcastic tone andughed again.


    sh!


    Just then, one of the soldiers protecting the boy suddenly swung his spear and cut the heads of the other three vampire guards in a swift attack.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Their headless bodies along with the detached heads dropped in the bloodied ground and a spray of blood erupted from their neck. The sudden victims of this betrayal didn''t even get the chance of sensing the danger as the one who killed them was part of their own forces.


    "No!.. Vetron.. What''s the meaning of this?!" screamed the boy as he was surprised after this sudden attack.


    "Shut the fuck up you runt!" said the spearman who suddenly turned on hispanions and punched the boy in the face.


    The boy fell 3 meters away after suddenly getting punched in the face by one of his own men.


    Vetron looked at the people surrounding them and then the leader of the opposition.


    "I''ve delivered on my promise. I hope you lot keep your end of the deal. None of this should be tracked to us." he said and started walking away from the boy and towards the leader of the attackers.


    "Yeah, yeah. But there''s a problem.. It won''t look like a perfect ambush. Unless¡­" spoke the leader.


    "Unless wha.."


    Stab!


    Before Vetron could evenplete his question. His neck was stabbed from the back by a dagger and a slick figure of an assassin appeared out of nowhere.


    Vetron grabbed his neck in shock as he lost control of his body and started choking on his blood. It didn''t even take ten seconds before the vampire died.


    "Now it looks perfect." said the wolfkin in joy.


    "You.. Why are you doing this? Don''t you know what our faction will do if they find out?" threatened the boy after barely holding his jaw together.


    "And who''s gonna tell them now? Thest time I heard.. Dead people don''t talk." said the leader as he smirked and released his aura, instantly putting the boy on the ground.


    The expression on the boy''s face turned that of horror as the immense and heavy aura that was full of killing intent encapsted his body.


    At this moment, Szayel was under so much pressure that he couldn''t even lift his head.


    The aura and pressure that came from the leader was exactly that of a Peak Grandmaster Rank warrior.


    Szayel was shuddering in fear.. Never had he imagined that one day, he would be put at death''s door. Especially when he was the son of the faction leader of one of the strongest factions in the entire Rakos Empire.


    His secret visit to one of their territories, which was only known to the innermost circle of their family elders was somehow leaked to one of the rival factions and even with the security of 300 beginner and intermediate master rank fighters provided by his n failed to protect him from this sudden ambush.


    Beads of sweat dropped his face as he barely had the strength to even move a finger under this terrifying bloodlust.


    "Now die and me the war that will burn down our enemies. That should be the only good thing you did in your life, you damn bloodsucking bastard." spoke the wolfkin and put his halberd over Szayel''s neck.


    "I wonder what your father and grandfather would feel when we send them your head as a gift." spoke the wolfkin and chuckled.


    The next second, he lifted his halberd with both hands and swung it in a swift motion.


    Shing!!


    But before the de of the halberd could even reach the target, a ck greatsword with crimson veins spread around the sharp and heavy de stopped it midway through the attack.


    Boom!!


    A loud burst of ck and red aura suddenly filled the entire battlefield of 1 kilometer radius. And the aura of the peak grandmaster wolfkin was thrown away in a single second. There were still more than 200 attackers from the wolfkin''s side left on the battlefield and every single one of them dropped on the ground.. Their bodies slumped under this heavy and oppressive aura of this new entity that was full of dominance and tyranny!


    This aura was even five times heavier and ghastlypared to their leader who was now thrown 20 meters away after the explosion of this aura.


    Szayel who finally felt the pressure on him gone, lifted his head and saw the figure of his savior.


    A tall young man who was donned in a ck and leathery longcoat and had a 5 feet long ck greatsword ced over his shoulder was now exuding the pressure of an absolute ruler and put all of the enemies in the ground under his immense & chaotic aura.


    "Yare yare.."


    Spoke the warrior in ck and looked at the wolfkin.


    "Who the hell exins their entire n just because their target is now surrounded? Even I got bored listening to your rambles." spoke the young man and his handsome face was revealed to all the enemies.


    To Szayel.. This young man''s figure appeared too heroic. His broad back and muscly built could even be interpreted through his clothes as his longcoat and hair fluttered in the air. Thest-second entry gave this man a mysterious feeling of those legendary heroes who came to save the day.


    To Szayel, who was ready to ept his fate and die in an unknown valley; this man had be his savior.


    "Are you.. Are you here to save me?" asked Szayel to the man with expectant eyes.


    The next moment, the man d in ck attire nced at Szayel and finally spoke..


    "Who the hell said anything about saving you? I''m just here to rob you all."

 Chapter 139: The Semi-Saint Swordsman

    <h4>Chapter 139: The Semi-Saint Swordsman</h4>


    Silence. Total silence.


    Kahn''s sudden deration of daylight robbery when these people were having a life and death situation left both sides speechless.


    Even Szayel had the surprised pikachu expression.


    His eyes were glued to the man in front of him in disbelief. He thought that the sudden emergence of this heroic figure who even put all the enemies on their knees was a godsend opportunity for him to leave this ce alive.


    But his presumed savior was actually there to... Rob him?


    Before Szayel could even speak another word, the leader of the attacking side let out another burst of his aura and broke the pressure around him. But in the end, all he could do was stand up properly; in no position to fight against this new enemy because his body still felt a huge pressure around it and his movements felt restricted.


    His expression turned serious and then fearful of Kahn.


    "How is this possible?.. Did the news of our ambush get leaked?" asked the wolfkin leader.


    "What do you mean boss?" asked one of the soldiers behind the leader who was still kneeling on the ground.


    "That guy.. Is a Semi-Saint rank swordsman." replied the red wolfkin.


    "Hey, you!" suddenly Kahn called out to the leader.


    "I''m giving all of you a choice. Leave all your weapons and belongings here and I''ll let you walk alive." he dered.


    "This bastard!" shouted the leader and took out a yellow crystalline magic artifact and crushed it under his palm.


    Suddenly, a shockwave was released from the shattered artifact and the aura of War Dominance waned by half. The two hundred soldiers who were kneeling finally felt their bodies being able to stand up on their feet and quickly got in their attacking stances.


    Just with the aura alone.. They knew that this young man was a formidable enemy and should not be looked down upon.


    "Who the hell are you?" asked the red wolfkin as he and all the soldiers got in their formation and circled Kahn & Szayel.


    Kahn resisted the urge to say ''I''m Batman'' and replied with an aloof expression.


    "Just a passerby." spoke Kahn.


    "Bullshit! Which n do you belong to? Or are you one of his bodyguards?" asked the leader.


    "Huh? Are you braindead? Do I look like these guys? Given the color of our clothes, I should be counted as one of you guys." said Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    "Now then, do youply or should I start using my sword?" asked Kahn as he turned around and swung Lucifer in a horizontal sh.


    "Arr!!" a sudden wail resounded and a head dropped on the ground. A headless body of an assassin followed behind it and a bloodied sword de flickered again and stabbed an invisible figure on Kahn''s left side.


    "You.." spoke the invisible assassin and dropped on the ground as his chest was pierced through by this semi-saint rank swordsman.


    "Shall I take it as a no?" asked Kahn to the leader as he gave a light smirk.


    It had been too many days since he had a proper fight. And these two hundred people were going to his new test subjects.


    And also, he needed a practice session of his new Sword King skill and other S & SS Rank sword skills that he gained. Compared to when Kahn fought against Arkham & Solomon, he was already twice stronger and all his offensive skills now had double the force behind them and his effective range had improved to 250?meters for all his long-range attacks such as Aura des or Darkde.


    But since he couldn''t use his Dark magic skills, he would have to depend on the normal attack. But this was enough for him to deal with these many people.


    "There are people waiting for me. So let''s finish this quickly." spoke Kahn.


    His battle intent arose along with his chaotic aura and one by one.. Dozens of aura swords simr to Lucifer in size and shape appeared above him.


    The entire battlefield of one and a half kilometers felt a sudden rise in temperature and one by one.. The number of these swords kept increasing.


    Gasp! Gasp!


    Multiple gasps were heard from all the attackers and even the leader looked at Kahn in disbelief.


    His bewildered expression even piqued Kahn''s curiosity as he hadn''t expected such a reaction.


    "Impossible.. That''s Saint Rank Swordsman''s skill!" he shouted and even the two hundred fighters from the enemy side felt a shiver in their spine.


    At this moment, Kahn spoke again in a bored expression.


    "Oye.. Attack me already. I said I don''t have time. And I''m missing out on my afternoon nap."


    "Well.. Only 50 swords aren''t even for so many people. How about you guys lend me your swords?" he spoke.


    tter! tter! tter!


    The sound of multiple swords such as normal swords, sabers, greatswords and giantswords ttering as if they were responding with some sort of force filled the battleground and soon, all the sword users felt the grip on their weapons. All of them then flew in the air regardless of the struggle by their masters and were suspended in the air.. Their de pointing towards their masters the next second.


    This was the first time Kahn used the Sword Battlemaster skill. His other SS Rank skill along with the Sword King skill that he gained after the skills from Volstov n head and Arkham.


    "What the.. Run!!" shouted the leader and ordered all his people to retreat. Nobody wanted to stay here and see if this man was strong enough to take out their group of two hundred. Even the mages had goosebumps on their bodies seeing the control over the mana and aura of this semi-saint rank fighter. He had already exceeded all of them together.


    Even though they had an advantage over numbers, their best magicians were only beginner-level grandmasters. In front of this swordsman, none of it mattered.


    Kahn quickly took out the epic rank Domain Artifact and activated it by pouring half of his mana into it.


    Suddenly the entire battlefield was covered inside a ck barrier and everything around them turned pitch ck. Every single one of the enemies was now captured inside this isted battlefield.


    "Why are you running? Why are you running?!"


    Spoke Kahn andunched more than hundreds of swords at the enemies. Half were his own while the rest were the ones he rented from the enemies.


    Stab! Puchi! Pierce!


    "Rhhh!"


    "motherfucker!"


    "run!"


    One by one, the entire battlefield inside this domain was covered by his swords that spread around a kilometer and started killing the soldiers in ck.


    Forget defending, most of them couldn''t see where the sword wasing from, every single one of them changed their direction from time to time and we''re strong enough to pierce through their shields and barriers. And to make matters worse, all of them possessed different elements such as fire, water, wind and lightning.


    Kahn''s figure flickered and the next second, he appeared right in the middle of their mages who stood in a formation. He had used Shadow Strike to directly teleport behind one of the mages. Before they could even cast a barrier around themselves or their allies, Kahn used the War Dominance aura again. His swift shes and swings with water aura de skill cut through armors and bodies of their mage squad. These des cut through everything that came in a 100-meter radius.


    He was currently using Arkham''s sword skill and used them to break the enemy''s line of protection. Since he couldn''t use the dark magic and darkness element skills in front of the young Vampire, he only showed his swordsmanship skills.


    In just 20 seconds, Kahn killed the mage squad and then moved to the leader next who was fighting and defending against his aura swords.


    The red wolfkin saw Kahning towards him and howled in anger.


    "Fight me by yourself if you dare!" he raged but the next second, Kahn''s eyes flickered yellow and the wolf leader of this enemy side was paralyzed on the spot.


    "Shut up you no-name character. I''m not gonna waste ten paragraphs fighting you." said Kahn and disappeared from the fear-stricken leader''s sight.


    The wolfkin suddenly felt the world around him go upside down. No, it was actually his head that went upside down.


    Besides the leader could even register where Kahn went, his head was detached from his body and fell on the ground. And just like that, Kahn killed a Peak Grandmaster Rank warrior in just 5 seconds. This fighter wasparable to Arkahm, someone who previously put him at death''s door. But now, he could take an opponent this strong with his skills and abilities. And that too without using Hero of Darkness title or Berserk God Mode.


    At this moment, even Kahn was surprised how easy it was for him to take out this opponent by only using 2 of his skills together.


    One by one, all these people from the ck-dressed army started falling on the ground.


    Kahn was no longer someone who had to break a sweat while fighting these many people together. He was alreadyparable to a small army of a few hundred fighters himself.


    In just 10 minutes, all the aura swords finished the two hundred enemies easily. Even the assassins who used invisibility skills weren''t an exception because Kahn''s Hunter Intent & Survival Instinct had already reached a different level. The Hunter Intent itself became an S Rank skill after his recent breakthrough.


    Screams filled with pain and helpless cries for mercy filled inside the domain and all the enemies were massacred in a helpless struggle against this powerhouse.


    Kahn walked towards the only surviving member inside the domain and spoke to the silver-haired Vampire boy who was shuddering in fear.


    He stood in front of Szayel and asked..


    "Now give me a good reason why I shouldn''t kill you?"

 Chapter 140: The Proposition

    <h4>Chapter 140: The Proposition</h4>


    Szayel was rooted on the spot. The terrifying aura around him had disappeared but the gory scene that was in front of his eyes horrified him so much that he even forgot to breathe.


    To Szayel who was taught how to fight by one of the best fighters in his n of hundreds of thousands of people, this sight was no different than a newborn baby opening its eyes for the first time.


    It was one thing when you fought someone who had no intentions of harming you to begin with, butpletely different when facing someone who could kill two hundred people without even breaking a sweat. And how would you feel if that being directed their bloodlust towards you?


    Szayel felt a premonition of certain death.


    "Do I need to repeat myself?" asked the Semi-Saint Rank Swordsman.


    "N.. No.. Wait! Don''t kill me! If you kill me, my n will hunt you down!" spoke Szayel, again resorting to his n''s name.


    "Did you hit your brain or something? Who would even know if I killed you right here?" retorted Kahn and put the sharp edge of his greatsword on the vampire''s shoulder.


    "Wait! Y.. You will get a huge reward if you escort me to our territory. You''ll even get a rank amongst our faction." proposed the young vampire with his jittery mouth. Finally feeling like he could reel in the powerhouse in front of him.


    "Not very bright, are you?" asked Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    "If they knew you were passing from here & nned to ambush you, means they know where you''ll be heading next in case you manage to survive. It''ll either be the territory you speak of or back to your n. And they will be waiting since these guys won''t be reporting about your death anyway." borated Kahn.


    "You.. You''re right. Please.. Please help me. I promise my n will fairlypensate you, sir." spoke Szayel as soon as he realized that the ck-clothed swordsman was indeed correct. The target on his back hadn''t disappeared.


    "And get mixed into your faction wars? No thank you. I can kill five hundred but what happens when they send five thousand?" spoke Kahn as he clenched his grip on the sword.


    "Wait! Please, take my space ring and spare me. I won''t tell anyone about what happened. This is what you wanted in the first ce, yes?" spoke Szayel and made a pleading gesture.


    No one would expect a son of some heir of one of the strongest forces in the empire pleading in front of an unknown warrior.


    "Fine. I''ll spare your life for the ring. Besides, I get to keep the rings for everyone else anyway. Go away, kid. I better not see you here after I turn around." replied Kahn and received the space ring. He didn''t bother checking the contents and started looting the space rings of all the dead bodies one by one. As soon the Domain Artifact activation period ended, Szayel ran in the opposite direction like a rabbit running away from a tiger.


    But as soon as he ran a few hundred meters.. Szayel stopped in his footsteps.


    Kahn, who was busy robbing the dead, which was his true profession; smirked as soon as he heard the vampire heir''s footsteps faltering.


    Szayel suddenly turned around as soon as he sensed few growls and whimpersing from the dense treelines. Belonging to ferocious beasts who already surrounded them after smelling the blood from the battlefield.


    And he then returned to Kahn.


    "Excuse me, O honorable sir.."


    "Nope!" before he could say anything else, Kahn refused.


    "O Magnanimous Lord.."


    "Not a chance!"


    "Please heed to my pleads.."


    "Forget it. "


    "The mighty sword.."


    "Fuck off!"


    Anyone would be left surprised if they saw that of Szayel''s standing was pleading and begging in front of a corpse looter.


    Kahn had already pulled in all of his aura so the monsters didn''t sense how powerful he was.


    Vampires themselves had a sharp hearing & eyesight. So when he felt all these prying gazes of the ferocious beasts lurking in the shadows, surrounding them from different sides.. He had no choice but to return back to Kahn.


    He quickly ran close and grabbed Kahn''s feet. Totally contradicting his image.


    Kahn could already feel that Szayel was actually a big coward who only put up the pretense of strength and valor.


    "Big brother!"


    "No!"


    "Uncle!"


    "Not convinced."


    "From now on, you''re my father.. No, you''re my grandfather!"


    Kahn jerked his leg and kicked Szayel away.


    "Stop spouting nonsense! I''m not even a vampire." spoke Kahn with an annoyed expression.


    "Great Ancestor! Please save me." he knelt on the ground and bowed his head in front of Kahn.


    "Hey, do I look that old to you?!" raged Kahn released half of his aura to scare off the monsters.


    This act even fortified Szayel''s resolve to grab Kahn''s coattails and survive.


    "10 million gold dramus!" he eximed.


    Kahn''s ears perked and he looked at the pleading boy.


    "How do I know that you''ll keep your word & not kill me insteadter? I know how you rich brats from noble ns behave." spoke Kahn.


    "I swear on my life a the heir of Vandereich n. If I go back on my words, I''ll turn into an eunuch." spoke Szayel haphazardly.


    "Fine. But I don''t want to get mixed into your warster. I drop you to your ce & then I get my reward, that''s it." spoke Kahn.


    [Finally, I got him!] spoke Szayel to himself.


    Kahn threw back Szayel''s ring and carried on gathering the space rings from all the dead. He didn''t care if they belonged to the young man''s faction either.


    He raked in 13 new space rings. Only worn by top warriors.


    "Let''s leave. There''s a caravan on the other side of the valley. It''s enough to go undiscovered to the capital. That''s where I''m going." spoke Kahn.


    "That''s where my n''s headquarters are also situated. Our destinations are the same!" spoke Szayel with joy. He finally felt the fear in him gone.


    "But what about them.. We should give them a proper burial. Or these monsters will eat them." he said.


    "Kid, I''m not your errand boy. And we''re running out of time. Do you want to stay here burying your dead till the night falls?" asked Kahn as he rolled his eyes.


    "I¡­ I understand." spoke Szayel and followed behind Kahn.


    Little did the Vampire n heir know that it was actually Kahn who had him under control.


    Instead of appearing as a savior, Kahn appeared as a robber to not raise suspicion from either side. And then he threatened the vampire kid so he won''t treat Kahn as his servant after Kahn agreed to help him.


    As for why he nned it all.. This entire n hatched in Kahn''s mind as soon as he saw the Sigil on the banners of the Vampire boy''s side.


    Kahn had read enough books about the history of the Rakos Empire and many of them included enough information about the government structure itself.


    The sigil on the banners indicated one of the most influential departments of the government that ran this empire.


    The Department of Finance.


    As soon as they crossed the valley and Szayel''s back was turned against the battlefield, Kahn quietly gave amand only audible to him. Thismand was a word that he hadn''t used in a while.


    Kahn smirked as he looked at the bloodied battlefield and spoke..


    "Awaken."

 Chapter 141: The New Additions

    <h4>Chapter 141: The New Additions</h4>


    Kahn''smand activated the King of the Dead skill which let him create subordinates without even having to touch them.


    After an upgrade in his Rank, this ability also had an increase in its range and now he could directly create subordinates within one kilometer radius from him.


    There were over 600 bodies from both sides and the majority consisted of Master Rank fighters from different sses.


    Kahn waited for the exact reason for each sides to kill themselves off first so he could easily kill the remaining people even through he didn''t have any enmity with Demi-Human faction people. Plus saving Szayel would help him for the long term in his opinion.


    Although most of them were beginners at best, still the variety of different sses gave Kahn a big boost in the number of strong subordinates. He would''ve never found these many master-rank corpses together in the same ce at vot city.


    The forces both these sides belonged to weren''t short on manpower and definitely were notcking strong people if they could send these many strong fighters just for a small ambush.


    Even a Peak Grandmaster Rank warrior like the red wolfkin who would be treated as one of the strongest people in the vot city was nothing but a leader of this small troop of a hit squad.


    This gave Kahn a hint about what he should expect after reaching the capital. Because even top figures of the city he left behind were just errand boys for the forces that resided in the capital of the empire.


    Luckily he hadn''t be an enemy of either of them.


    The next second, Ronin who was hiding in the trees all this time came out and released a bit of his aura to warn the monsters to not interfere with the Synthesis procedure.


    Although Kahn had fought various monsters and humanoid beings during his journey towards the capital, he couldn''t absorb their abilities or create subordinates because there were always too many eyes on him; Let it be the guards or the fellow passengers.. He didn''t get a proper time to create new subordinates.


    He didn''t even get a chance to upgrade Jugram & Oliver who had already been resurrected a couple of days ago by merging them with the Giantsword user like the Demonkin n head and Bartholomew who was also an Archer.


    So this opportunity resulted in good fortune to him because these people were all top rank fighters and possessed many skills of their own and the results would easily be stronger subordinates. And given the number of bodies avable, Kahn estimated the numbers to be more than three hundred subordinates after mixing different and suitable sses together and the new members of The Legion would be far stronger and more useful than the previous members of weak and low-level monsters he previously made.


    While the Synthesis procedure would continue, he would travel slowly with the Vampire heir and meet the new memberster in the dark of the night. He left Ronin here for the very reason to guide them in case his reach was far away to mentallymand them.


    Kahn and Szayel started walking amongst the dense trees and rocks carefully to cross the side and reach towards the caravan.


    "Remember, don''t tell anyone about who you are. Say that you were attacked by a bunch of bandits on the other side and I saved you from them. Do you understand?" spoke Kahn.


    "I understand. I shall not reveal my identity." replied Szayel.


    Kahn took out a ck cloak from his space ring and gave it to the vampire boy. Because his attire was simply too eye-catching and one would instantly link him to some nobility ss as soon as they saw him.


    "Sir, may I ask who you are? I mean a semi-saint rank swordsman such as yourself at this age is very rare, even in the capital." asked Szayel curiously.


    "Don''t ask about my background unless you have a pretty woman you want to introduce to me." replied Kahn with an emotionless expression.


    "Besides, who the hell are you kid? All I heard them say was you were the son of some n or a faction''s leader. And they wanted to kill you to me war between their enemies." he questioned after just telling the Vampire heir to not question his background.


    "I am named Szayel Mor Vandereich, son of Ismatrazel Mor Vandereich. Our n is one of the three strongest ns in the entire Empire. And also the leading n of the Pureblood Faction in the capital." replied Szayel pridefully.


    "Fuck! So I just got tangled between the faction war of Purebloods, Demi-Humans & The Neutral faction?" cursed Kahn.


    As per his information from the history of the empire.. Ever since the Imperial family was overthrown, the newly created government went from Monarchy to Feudalism.


    The ns that once served the Imperial family now had the hold of the empire and were in charge of the Empire.


    Although there was no true leader of the empire anymore. These noble factions came to a mutual agreement and ran different sectors of the government. But all the major decisions were taken by the parliament that was full of these noble ns and factions officials.


    Kahn wondered how this setting hadn''t turned to Anarchy because there wasn''t even a President or Prime Minister in control. Rather these ns worked as part of the government in the name.


    More like an Oligarchy running the entire Empire in the name of managing the people.


    But after a decade or two, three different factions came to be.


    One of them was the Purebloods Faction consisting of nearly 300 ns that believed in only keeping the sanctity of their species and bloodlines regardless of which species you belonged to and became a force that opposes the interspecies mixture. They were in a way, a band of extremists.


    But the Demi-Human Faction wasn''t any better either. The only difference was they had done it for the case of different Demi-Humans and opposed the Purebloods.


    The Neutral faction was the one who truly believed in Equality for all the races and citizens of the empire rather than partitioning it.


    And since all these factions were equally matched in every aspect, there hadn''t been a single coup or a civil war in the past hundred years. And that time was enough to remove the annals of history along with the customs and old rules set by the Imperial family.


    Kahn sighed after this realization. Because he saw a foreboding of getting mixed into an unnecessary faction war. For now, he would see if there was any benefit of helping the vampire heir like getting some good reward or creating connections that would help him in the Empire.


    After reaching the caravan, Kahn exined his well-crafted story for Szayel and they departed for the capital again.


    Little did Kahn know that soon, a whole new world was going to be revealed to him.

 Chapter 142: The Capital

    <h4>Chapter 142: The Capital</h4>


    Four dayster, Kahn and the Caravan finally came closer to the outer areas of the capital.


    During their travels, Szayel told him a lot about his background which made Kahn feel happy about his choice to save the heir of the Vandereich n.


    The reason why Szayel was ambushed was because currently, their faction held the most positions in the Finance Ministry and under the order of his father, he was to be sent on a secret visit to backtrack a moneyundering scam that could potentially reveal many government officials; and their corrupt businesses done by misusing their power & authority.


    Although the Rakos Empire was under an Oligarchy in the past hundred years, it wasn''t about oppressing people and using fear to rule. In a way, the three factions kept each other on their tiptoes before any of them tried to misuse their power or take over the empire.


    The citizens weren''t persecuted, ostracized or shunned in any way just because they belonged to a particr race or a species.


    Even for humans, Kahn had seen plenty of ck, brown, white & even some yellow-colored skin tone people. The thing called Racism hadn''t fucked up this empire at least.


    And to his delight, misogynistic practices or misconceptions of society were non-existent. Women were not looked down on just because they were¡­ women. Every part of the society had a ce for them as long as one was capable.


    Everyone was treated equally under thew.


    Although there were some factions and extremist groups who still carried these beliefs such as the supremacy of one race over another, treated those below their standings as ves or biased beliefs against particr skin color. The vast majoritypletely overshadowed them.


    Based on the information Kahn heard from Szayel & Albestros, many reformations happened to this empire, many wars and coups were done in the past one thousand years ever since this empire came to be. Many things such as very system and segregation against a particr race or species had resulted in many civil wars and caused too much bloodshed over the millennium.


    And hence, when the Imperial family was overthrown, all the ns that lived to see through the day from the old eras reached abined consensus to create newws.


    Although they weren''t perfect, the power of the people hadn''t been taken away in the name of maintainingw & order by ruling authorities. Even though the majority of government sectors were run by noble factions, there was no rule that amoner wasn''t allowed to aim for top positions. As long as they had the capabilities, no one could hinder their growth.


    Unlike many Isekai worlds, education was an institution avable to every citizen and part of society.


    Even the Noble ns who ran amok in a ce like vot city wouldn''t dare to get noticed by the people living in the capital. Because the public alone would force the government to take action instantly.


    In his case, Kahn felt lucky because Rakos Empire wasn''t under a Theocracy. Otherwise, he''d be hunted down by the cults and churches of the other Gods & Goddesses they served as soon as he arrived in this world. God of Darkness had indeed sent him to the best location avable that''d help him grow.


    From Albestros, he learned that the capital itself was nearly 53 times bigger than vot city and the way of lifestyle was like a difference between the ground and the sky.


    When Kahn and thepany finally reached 10 kilometers away from the main entrance gates, he stood on a hillside road and was gobsmacked..


    "This is a capital? Why don''t they call it a state itself?" asked Kahn in a bewildered tone.


    From where he stood, Kahn could see nearly 40 of different roads going towards the entrances of the gate. A single gate itself was two kilometers broad and more than a few thousand guards managed the entrance at different bisections. At this moment, he could see at least 50 thousand peopleprised of different races and physical appearances going inside and outside of the main gates. Dozens gigantic magical cannons that were even bigger than Rudra were mounted on the 500 meters tall wall that felt like they touched the sky..


    "What are these supposed to protect you from? Titans?" he asked himself. These walls even put Wall Maria to shame. Even Colossal Titan wouldn''t dare to appear close to these magical and metallic cannons that seemed to have the capacity to obliterate an entire big mountain with a single shot.


    Above the gates, he saw the gigantic words introducing the name of the capital.. Rathna.


    Named after the first emperor, Rathnaar.


    What bewildered him more were the magical ships flying in the air as if some starship suddenly came from Outerspace, the only difference was they were made from wood and different metal alloys. Some even had the capacity of carrying over a thousand people at once.


    And there were also dozens of railway tracks that entered the capital with their own routes apart from the gates. The magic trains that entered the separate burrows had engines that ran on magic cores and were made to transport over two thousand people at once. And that too regardless of their size and shapes.


    And a flock of giant flying beasts such as Griffons, Manticores and some arctic felines with wings were also part of these traveling groups towards the capital as part of transportation mode. There were airports inside the walls based on where you wanted tond.


    This was no longer a standard medieval setting like Kahn had seen in the vot city. Rather apletely different and far advanced civilization.


    Kahn felt like he suddenly went from living inside Gotham and moved to Wakanda.


    "What the hell is up with this disparity? Was I living in a small and remote vige?" questioned Kahn.


    [This is apletely different setting. As if the Author finally did some research in World Building.] heined after getting overwhelmed by the new revtion.


    And this was just one of the 17 entrances.


    "Don''t get scared, kid. I know it''s a lot to take in. But the amount of resources such as magic cores the capital has is in abundance. They are basically used for everything here. And themerce here is thousands of times biggerpared to our old city. Everyone who sees it for the first time loses their mind; I was no exception." spoke Albestros after watching Kahn''s bbergasted expression.


    Kahn quickly changed his continuance to that of understanding instead of staring at the gates like a country bumpkin.


    "This.. It is out of my expectations or how I imagined it to be." replied Kahn.


    "Ha.. So Sir Kahn has never been to the capital before?" asked Szayel with a smug expression and irked Kahn. He was being looked down upon.


    "Brat, do you not want to reach your n headquarters alive?" asked Kahn as he gave Szayel a deathly stare.


    "I mean.. It''s just the entrance. There are 87 Districts in the capital altogether. Each of the district is as big as a city itself." spoke Szayel..


    [Bloody hell. Does this mean the capital alone is 5 times bigger than New York?] he contemted.


    He felt a sudden foreboding of doom. Because this was just the entrance. What awaited him inside the walls would blow his mind away.


    Based on his calctions.. The capital itself was at least 2700 kilometers long.


    [And if this is just the capital, how big is Rakos Empire altogether? If that''s just one empire.. Then what about the other 14 empires?] Kahn''s brain short-circuited and he sat on his seat.


    "Hey.. What''s the total poption number?" he asked the vampire heir.


    "Close to hundred and ten million, give or take." replied Szayel solemnly as if it was amon thing to know.


    "What the fuck?! How many people does your n have then? I''m not talking about the entire faction." questioned Kahn.


    "Our Vandereich n has around 5 million members. And one million are trained fighters. Why do you ask?"


    "You gotta be kidding me. If that''s the case, then why were you escorted by only 300 warriors? Your envoy should''ve consisted of at least 10 thousand people. And why were you using carriages? You could''ve hired one of these flying ships." rebuked Kahn as he found the information simply illogical.


    "I was on a secret mission, sir. And contrary to what you may believe, not everyone can use magic; let alone invoke a fighting ss. And out of one million, there are barely 100 people who can reach the rank of a Grandmaster Rank in their lifetimes. And lesser numbers for Saint Rank fighters. Even my Grandfather is only a 7th stage Saint. And he''s one of the 3 strongest people in the entire empire.


    The only person who ever reached the Peak Saint Rank in the past millennia in this empire was the first emperor, Rathnaar the Conqueror.


    Someone like you who reached Semi-Saint Rank at such a young age is one in millions. Even my father reached the same rank when he was fifty. And now he''s a 4th stage Saint Rank warrior after living for a hundred and fifty year, currently he holds the position as the leader of our n." rified Szayel.


    "Wait.. Then how old are you?" asked Kahn curiously..


    "58 years.. Sadly I''m only a Peak Master Rank Magician." revealed Szayel in an embarrassed tone.


    Kahn was rooted on the spot again. This was a lot to take in. The one he was calling a brat was old enough to be his father..


    And if this Szayel was right.. Then the first Emperor was someone who could destroy a thousand kilometer area just with his single attack. And he was only a Peak Saint Rank.


    Kahn didn''t dare to imagine what a Demi-God could do based on these superficial standards.


    He cursed in his mind and spoke to himself.


    [Fuck this shit! I don''t want to y this game anymore!]


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    Author : I know this is basically an info dump but I think of you as smart readers who have a creative imagination. And I don''t want to spend chapters exining the same thing over and over which will bore you to death.


    So I refrained from doing too many detailed descriptions of everything regarding political & social structures and the entrance to Rathna.

 Chapter 143: Reaching the Destination

    <h4>Chapter 143: Reaching the Destination</h4>


    Kahn entered the gates of the capital after going through proper inspection and had to turn in his weapons until a thorough inspection was done. His Adventurer ID card proved useful in letting him pass through the gates since only fighter ss people who were either Adventurers or soldiers under the government were allowed to carry weapons inside the Rathna.


    But it didn''t mean he could use it on someone. He''d be caught and then jailed if he caused a fight anywhere.


    "So, how do we reach your n without alerting your enemies?" asked Kahn.


    "Some of our members also work in transportation businesses. As soon as I reveal my identity, they''ll take us directly to the n headquarters." replied Szayel.


    "Don''t be stupid, whoever from your n wants you dead is definitely an influential figure & holds a lot of authority. If any of these people turn out to be serving them instead, we''ll die before we even reach halfway." spoke Kahn.


    "Then what do you propose, sir Kahn?" asked the vampire heir.


    "We take our time. Since they''re already aware that you''re still alive after not receiving a word from the assassins, they''ll be expecting you.


    And probably has spread a word about you to their spies & the informationwork. So we should avoid any contact with someone from your n. Let''s travel like normal people and appear when there are hundreds of witnesses.


    So no one can openly attack you or try to silence you in a narrow alley. Do you get it?" exined Kahn.


    "I see. That is indeed a reasonable approach. Besides, our headquarters is situated in the innermost parts of Rathna, we will require half a day even with the fastest transportations like a flying ship." spoke Szayel.


    Although Kahn sounded like someone who has foreseen the possible oues, what he wanted to do in reality was to stall for time.


    What he needed first was urate and documented information about the capital first. He hadn''t forgotten about learning the basics of going to a new ce.


    You first gather information about social structure, ruling authorities, demographics and poption propaganda before making big moves. Becauseck of information always makes you prone to invite trouble.


    So rather than going quickly to the n headquarters, the trio decided to take a detour. To let the enemies in shadow think that Szayel probably met some ill fate or didn''t survive.


    Because unbeknownst to the two, Kahn hadn''t left a single body or a weapon on the battlefield where he killed the attackers.


    So they''d have a hard time deciding whether the vampire heir was dead or not.


    Meanwhile, he would visit the central library and gather enough information about the capital, how it was distributed and what ces were best to live and domerce. Because he knew he''d have to spend a lot of time in the capital before he could actually gain enough strength. Maybe it''d even take him a year or two before he broke through the Saint Rank.


    Because higher the levels, the more resources were needed. But because of Divine Abilities, he would be spared decades just to reach the Saint Rank Stage 1. All hecked were the resources. And since there were no dungeons avable here and the flow of resources and materials came throughout the empire, he had to look for better and more effective ways.


    During his travels, Kahn saw some new species along the way. Szayel, who was more informed about the capital, acted as his guide.


    Some of the creatures Kahn saw originated from the different parts of the empire; the capital was amon hub for them to mix so he was introduced to new species he hadn''t seen or heard of before.


    Thralls were in a way, the amalgamation of Wraiths and Humans with the ability to turn into a ghost-like creature that could do things in the form of smoke. Theirpletely dark blue skin gave them a simr appearance to the Nightcrawler from X-men.


    Botirs were like walking talking humanoid creatures but bodies made with bone-like exoskeletons and had multiple feet like a spikey legged spider demon you usually see in the dungeons.


    Mithrans were categorized as species that were most effective inmunication because the member of this species didn''t even have eyes or ears but they could talk with others telepathically even from 1 kilometer away and had the most urate sensing abilities. Although their build was humanoid, Kahn was reminded of those Xenomorphs from the Alien movie franchise.


    Yetvir were creatures that could transform into monstrous beasts at will and take human form when they found it convenient. The only downside was their clothes were always torn down during the transformation.


    But what surprised him the most were the Yokai like creatures Kahn often saw in Japanese culture mangas and animes.


    Tengu, foxtails and creatures he didn''t even know the names of. He felt like watching InuYasha and Nura : Rise of the Yokai n again.


    After spending 2 hours traveling using the mana trains and various flying beasts, they finally reached the central library.


    And he spent a day reading there.


    The next day, he finally told Albestros & Szayel that it was about time they left for the headquarters.


    Kahn experienced how it felt to travel in a flying ship. It was even faster than a ne and in just few hours, They reached the innermost areas of the capital where the most influential ns of the empire resided.


    After walking 2 hours on foot and avoiding the many gazes of people who were on the lookout for Szayel, who were sensed by Kahn''s Survival Instinct & Hunter''s Intent, the trio finally stood in front of a vastnd that felt like a fief on its own. The headquarters of the Vandereich n alone felt like a town in itself.


    "You ready?" asked Kahn to Szayel. He knew something was going to happen as soon as they appeared in front of the main gates of their headquarters. So he had to be prepared for a sh and get Szayel to the ruling members of the n before anybody could inform about their arrival to the people inside.


    To his question, Szayel replied with a stern expression.


    "Yes.. Let''s see who wants me dead."

 Chapter 144: The Vandereich Clan

    <h4>Chapter 144: The Vandereich n</h4>


    Kahn & thepany covertly traveled inside the innermost estates of the capital, avoiding the spies of not just the Vandereich n but also the ones from the other factions as if they were waiting for Szayel to show up.


    If not for his heightened senses, skills and him being a Semi-Saint Rank; he wouldn''t have managed to walk the paths unnoticed.


    Unlike the outeryers of the capital, the inner area consisted only of 500 Kilometers radius where over a hundred top ns had upied the territory. Each of them owningrgends and houses. This was the area where only the top 1% resided.


    Even their trio had to spend half a day just to venture inside from various vehicles and routes to not get noticed. Whoever nned to have Szayel killed, had people in every ce.


    "Kid.. Is it okay for me to be here? If ites to a fight, I can''t be of any help." said Albestros.


    "Don''t worry. We''re not going in like thieves." spoke Kahn and took 2 mana bombs out of his space ring.


    "Are you out of your mind? How is this not acting like an enemy instead?" retorted the grandmaster cksmith.


    "We want witnesses and there''s no better way to rm the top decision-makers with a good old-fashioned explosion." smirked Kahn.


    "I agree. We might get attacked or stopped before anyone from the main family knows we''re here. If we can garner all the attention to ourselves, even those who are siding with my enemies won''t be able to publicly attack me." spoke Szayel.


    "You two will stay hidden, I''ll wreak havoc in the inner areas and gather all the attention myself. Szayel, you''ll use the invisibility spells and artifacts to reach the main estate. You can manage at least that much, right?" spoke Kahn.


    The Vampire heir nodded and affirmed.


    After their trio reached the borders of their main estates, there were still over two hundred houses and nearly four thousand residents that were either part of the main security forces or did the servant work.


    The reason why Kahn wanted to be the distraction was that the two people with him weren''t fast enough to survive on their own had they been surrounded by the thousands of top-rank soldiers. So only he was fit to cause mayhem that would instantly get noticed by the top members of the Vandereich n.


    Besides, only he was capable enough to infiltrate without raising an rm and reach the central streets close to the main estate.


    When they finally reached roads that led to the n headquarters, they separated and headed in different directions as nned.


    Kahn who was at semi-saint rank won''t have any trouble defeating the guards at fortress-like walls of the n headquarters but what he wanted to do was created a distraction first so the duo of Szayel & Albestros can easily get inside.


    Kahn''s figure appeared on the main road that led towards the main gates that were guarded by nearly four hundred guards d in white and golden patterned armors and had the sigil of the Vandereich n, a red sword on a shield.


    "Hey, you! Who are you?!" spoke one of the guards when Kahn''s figure suddenly appeared in front of the gates out of nowhere.


    But instead of replying, the man d in ck adventurer attire and a greatsword on his back swiftly ran past them before any of them could even react. Although the vampire had twice the reflex speed and senses, he was simply too fast for them to stop him.


    "Intruder! Everyone on alert!" shouted and the hundreds of guards quickly started chasing after Kahn.


    After crossing a kilometer distance in just a few seconds, he threw a mana bomb in an open space.


    BOOOM!!!!


    An echoing sound of a ground-shattering explosion suddenly filled the entire surrounding of 5 kilometers and all the residents and security who lived in the proximity of this area were quickly shaken to their core after hearing the explosion.


    "Enemy attack!!" shouted the soldiers from the garrison of the guards and in just a few seconds, various sirens rang while tangible barriers came to be and created a 5 kilometer long dome around the area where Kahn was running to.


    Kahn gathered all his might and threw two more mana bombs at the dome and the entrance area of the inner settlements and shook the entire ce.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    Explosions after explosions shook the ground and broke the defensive barriers.


    Nobody had expected that someone would just barge inside their headquarters and start blowing things up like a madman especially when there were Saint Rank fighters living in the center of their headquarters.


    Just in ten minutes after running through various streets and dodging from various mage spells, arrows and attacks from the thousands of soldiers, he reached the entrance of the main estate that looked more like a castle made for the royalty and threw another mana bomb towards the entrance, just far enough that the explosion wouldn''t kill any guards or innocent bystanders.


    Boom!!


    Thousands of soldiers started running towards Kahn''s direction and the top-ranking warriors came from inside of the castle.


    When the explosion subsided, Kahn walked through the main gate that led to the inter-area of the castle and he stood right in the middle of an open ground surrounded by walls from the 3 sides and hundreds of archers and a cavalry ready to attack him.


    Kahn smiled in return after looking at this deterrence force, with no fear in his eyes.


    "Halt!!" a loud voice filled the area and a soul-shivering aura was released from the center of this formation of soldiers.


    "I don''t care who you are. But you''ve done a grave mistake by attacking the headquarter of our n. Tell me a reason why we shouldn''t kill you?!" a domineering pressure was exerted in the surrounding.. This aura was even twice stronger than Kahn''s own aura.


    The pressure itself gave a sense of the person''s rank..


    A First Stage Saint Rank!


    An old and muscr vampire with a giant sword and a shield on his back while being d in intrinsically carved white and golden armor walked from the midst of the thousand soldiers and stood in front of Kahn.


    War Dominance!


    He quickly activated War Dominance and broke the pressure exerted over his body and instantly nullified the overbearing aura. His own aura was now equally matched with this vampire.


    Kahn spoke in a calm and collected tone as he replied..


    "Because I have brought you gifts you would thank me for." he said and snapped his fingers.


    Snap!


    Suddenly, two figures came into everyone''s sight and one of them walked towards the vampire warrior. This short figure removed the hood and multiple gasps were heard by the thousands of soldiers that were surrounding them.


    And as soon as everyone saw the face of this new intruder, they started kneeling on the ground including the Saint Rank warrior.


    "Wee back, my lord." spoke the warrior.


    Szayel spoke in a regal and authoritative tone in response.


    "Bring me to Lord Father and inform the elders that I''ve asked for an emergency meeting."


    But the next second, he stopped his words and looked back at Kahn & Albestros with a sinister smile and gave anothermand.


    "And imprison these humans."


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    Author : Join our Discord and discuss plots, spoilers, check the Reference Arts for Characters you won''t get on pirate sites.


    Link : https://discord.gg/JPBM7SrdDB


    Reference Art for Szayel in chapterments. Check it out.

 Chapter 145: The Main Culprit

    <h4>Chapter 145: The Main Culprit</h4>


    Both Kahn & Albestros stood rooted on the spot as soon as Szayel''smand reached their ears.


    The ally had suddenly turned into a foe.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" asked Kahn as he released his killing intent aimed at Szayel.


    "Did you really think I would let all the rude nders you made to me slide away? You humans are nothing but pests of society, yet you dared to treat me, the son of the noble Vandereich n, without any respect. Did you think that there won''t be any consequences?" spoke Szayel in a mocking tone.


    "But, he saved your life!" eximed the grandmaster cksmith standing behind Kahn.


    But Szayel acted as if he didn''t hear anything.


    "Captain Livaan, put both these men in our prison. I wille to see through their punishment myself after talking with father & the elders." ordered Szayel and walked towards the main hall of the castle.


    At this moment, although Kahn could easily escape using his skills and artifacts, he could only do it for himself. Albestros would be caught in the crossfire.. Something he couldn''t afford to do. So for the sake of the old man, Kahn decided to surrender to the soldiers without putting up a resistance.


    Ten minutester, both of them were escorted by the hundreds of soldiers to the underground prison as per the orders of Captain Livaan, the first stage Saint Rank, because they thought Kahn would try to escape or these many people won''t be enough to handle him as he was a semi-saint rank swordsman.


    They already confiscated Lucifer so there wasn''t much he could do as per their assumption.


    As soon as both of the humans were put inside the cells, Albestros cursed loudly.


    "What the hell is the meaning of this, boy?! Didn''t you save that bloodsucker''s life? Is he that immature to hold a grudge because you didn''t clean his shoes?" spoke the old man in an enraged tone.


    But to his surprise, Kahnzilyid back against the wall and sat down with a carefree attitude. He looked at the old man and gave a light smirk.


    "The future is now, old man." he said and chuckled.


    "It''s part of my n."


    "What do you mean?" asked Albestros.


    "We already discussed that he''d put both of us in a safe location first before he tells his family about the ambush. And till then, no one should look for trouble with us. And if they do.. Well, then they''re part of the traitor gang who would try to silence us." be exined.


    "Then why didn''t you tell me this? Do you know how scared I was?" spoke the old man.


    "And that''s exactly why we did so. I''m really good at acting.. But we needed a genuine expression from you as well. Don''t worry, if anything happens, I''ll protect you." replied Kahn.


    "How? You don''t even have a weapon. And I don''t see any space ring on you, either."


    "About that.."


    A ck figure suddenly appeared out of his shadow and stood in the middle of the cell.


    "What the.. Where did hee from?" asked the old man after he looked at the handsome man d in ck attire who had green eyes.


    Ronin knelt in front of Kahn and took out 4 space rings.


    "Did you bring it?"


    "Yes, master." spoke Ronin and took Lucifer out of a space ring after stealing it from the storehouse where the soldiers previously kept it.


    He was a High Lord rank subordinate, so it was easy for him to quietly infiltrate inside the storage room because now, Ronin had Kahn''s all Assassin skills as well after Kahn unlocked the Impartation Skill with all those subordinates who had 100% loyalty to him.


    "He has skills that let him hide in anyone''s shadow." exined Kahn how Ronin also infiltrated inside the cell.


    "What do we do now?" asked Albestros.


    "Now.. We wait."


    After waiting for the next four hours, the duo.. The trio inside the cell finally heard multiple footsteps walking in the passage.


    Ronin quickly hid in Kahn''s shadow as he couldn''t reveal him to anyone stronger than them because his aura wasn''t of a human but a monster. And since there were far stronger people than him, they could easily tell the difference.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The group of vampire warriors stood in front of their cell and started unlocking the door.


    "Both of you have been summoned." spoke the guard and both the prisoners were escorted out.


    However, when they reached one of the entrances towards the main hall of the castle, one by one, two hundred soldiers wearing the n''s armors and various weapons in their hands started surrounding the two prisoners.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Loud footsteps resounded in the area and soon, two figures came out of the troop of the soldiers as they quickly created a pathway.


    One of the figures was captain Livaan, the first stage saint rank warrior Kahn had seen before. Behind him, was a white-skinned vampire girl who appeared the same age as Kahn.


    Her white skin and red lips along with the long waist-length silver hair paired with the glimmering red eyes gave her the appearance of one of those vampire girls you see in fanarts on the inte. Her calm and cold demeanor gave her a sense of cold and unparalleled beauty.


    But the tight and intrinsically patterned silver armor around her body also gave her a touch of a female sword user.


    "So, are you the one who saved my little brother?" asked the vampire girl, her melodious voicepletely contradicting her warrior-princess appearance.


    Kahn however felt a killing intent directed at him the very next second.


    "What would happen if I said yes?" he asked back and released some of his aura, instantly giving a warning to the soldiers surrounding him.


    "Oh.. I refuse to believe that a human such as yourself can kill more than two hundred trained warriors alone. For all I care, you might as well be a spy sent by our enemies to infiltrate the ranks by appearing as my brother''s savior." spoke the vampire girl.


    "Oye.. What''s with this baseless usation? What proof do you have? And besides, you all should be thanking me instead of putting me behind a cell. My opinion of your so so-called respectable n has already hit the rock bottom." retorted Kahn.


    "Impudence! How dare you speak back to ourdy, Vivian Mor Vandereich without any honorifics; you lowly human!" shouted Livaan in an angered tone and released his murderous aura at Kahn.


    Kahn in return activated War Dominance and broke the aura that was surrounding him and Albestros.


    "This.." the vampire heiress gasped in surprise.


    "So he''s indeed a semi-saint rank warrior. And to reach at this level under 30 years.." spoke the girl. But the next second, as if feeling a sense of threat; shemanded the hundreds of soldiers full of swordsmen and knights that were surrounding the two humans.


    "Guards! He dared to nder the name of our reputable n. Kill him!!"


    "What the hell is wrong with you people? Is that how you treat those who help the people from your n?" dered Kahn.


    What confused him the most was why these people were adamant about persecuting him instead of showering him with riches.


    The next second however, he saw a sneering look with a condescending smile on the girl''s face.


    [So it''s her who wanted Szayel dead.]


    Kahn quickly took a defensive artifact out of his space ring and threw it towards the old man.


    "I''ll handle this. You protect yourself." spoke Kahn and activated the Sword King and Sword Battlemaster skill together. His oppressive and chaotic ck & red aura quickly suppressed the hundreds of soldiers. Only those at


    His aura reached its peak and multiple mana swords formed around him in a few seconds.


    "Yahh!" shouted one of the approaching guards before he could even notice Kahn''s aura swords.


    But before the soldiers could evene close to Kahn, his left thigh was pierced by one of Kahn''s aura des.


    Gasp!


    Livaan gasped in surprise after looking at Kahn''s skills.


    "How.. How is that possible? That''s a proper Saint Rank fighter''s skill! But he hasn''t broken through the saint rank yet!"


    "I can get away with it but you won''t. So let me deal with this human." spoke Vivian and gave him an understanding look as her eyes turned serious the next second. A malicious intent arose from her as she clenched her hands over the sword on the waist.


    Thud! Boom!


    One by one, Kahn was beating the hell out of all the attacking guards. He dodged, parried and disarmed all the soldiers one by one. He was so fast that his attacks and kicks in the chest and face wouldnd before the soldiers could even swing their weapons at him.


    Although Kahn could easily kill this bunch, he was on someone else''s turf. And if he killed the soldiers like he normally does with his enemies, he''d be marked by this n till his dead body dropped on the ground.


    And there was also the first stage saint rank tank warrior there so he had to be careful.


    ng! Shing! Crack!


    Dozens of soldiers were stabbed and injured with Kahn''s aura des and their own swords that attacked from various angles from the air.


    sh!


    Kahn quickly shed his sword and blocked a slim rapier aimed at his neck.


    "You vermin! You think you''ll get out of here alive?" spoke Vivian who tried to make a sudden attack on Kahn''s life.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Vivian in chapterments. Check it out]]


    "Why are you so keen on killing me? Did I touch you in a wrong ce or something?" he asked with a devilish smirk.


    "Stop!!"


    A domineering and kingly voice filled the surroundings and an unimaginably heavy aura filled the battlefield.


    Both Kahn and Vivian were forced to kneel on the ground.


    A tall and slim figure of a vampire suddenly appeared on the battlefield.


    "Is this a way to treat our guests?" asked this majestic looking vampire in noble clothes to Vivian who was kneeling on the ground and had a face full of fear.


    Kahn on the other hand was extremely surprised. Although this aura didn''t have any bloodlust in it.. Even his War Dominance failed to help him overthrow this pressure.


    He looked at the mature and regal vampire who stood in between him and Vivian and had his hands folded behind his back.


    By Kahn''s estimation.. The aura belonged to a Fourth Stage Saint Rank person.


    The Vampire stopped releasing his pressure and spoke to Kahn.


    "I apologies for the rude wee, young man. But first, we need to have a private talk."

 Chapter 146: The Rewards

    <h4>Chapter 146: The Rewards</h4>


    Ismatrazel Mor Vandereich, the current head of the Vandereich n that had nearly 5 million members around the entire Rakos Empire, stood before Kahn in an imposing manner.


    He was currently the strongest person Kahn had met so far in this new life. The n leader who also ranked in the top 15 strongest fighters and was also one of the top 5 swordsmen in the empire just apologized to him on behalf of his n for the improper wee.


    "Lord Father, this human thoroughly insulted our n right in front of our hall. He deserves to be killed!" eximed Vivian and drew her sword at Kahn again. Her image flickered and a de was aimed right at Kahn''s neck. But before it could even move an inch, it stopped in its way.


    A thumb and a forefinger had grabbed the de in its charge. And the fingers belonged to none other than the n leader of this vampire n.


    Another burst of horrifying aura was released from the vampire lord but this time, it was filled with killing intent. But surprisingly, it wasn''t directed at Kahn but Vivian instead.


    The next second, Vivian caved in the stone floor under this pressure and multiple cracks appeared on the solid ground.


    "Do you really believe that I will allow you to kill someone in front of me just because you''re my daughter?" asked Ismatrazel, his gaze full of contempt towards his own daughter.


    Even Kahn wasn''t the target of this raged aura felt a chill under his skin from this horrifying pressure.


    "Commander! Take them away." ordered the vampire leader and the next second, a vampire mage donned in white and golden mage robes appeared out of nowhere and quickly cast an entrapment spell on both Vivian and captain Livaan who just tried to kill Kahn under a false pretense.


    "Lord Father! Why are you taking an outsider''s side?" asked Vivian who was now trapped inside this extremely dense and strong mana cell.. Like a bird in a cage.


    "Silence!! I will deal with youter."


    The noble vampire''s gaze then turned towards Kahn and Albestros who stood at the center of the battlefield. He gestured at the magemander, who released the aura of a 3rd stage saint rank mage himself and the very next second, Kahn and Albestros disappeared from the center along with the vampire n leader.


    Inside a lush green garden where a luxuriously made white tea table with blue patterns carved on it was kept, three figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    On one of the seats, was a young and silver-haired vampire sitting as if waiting for someone.


    "Allow me to offer you our hospitality." spoke the vampire lord and sat on the main seat.


    Several professionally dressed servants that stood on the side started pouring them an aromatic tea in their respective cups.


    Without standing on ceremony, Kahn sat at the other end.. Completely unfazed by this sudden grand gesture of friendliness. Albestros on the other hand seemed a bit hesitant.


    "No need to worry. You''re in no danger." spoke Szayel and gestured to the old man to sit down.


    Next, his father spoke.


    "My son.. Told me about everything. During the meeting with the inner circle of the n, he only mentioned how he was ambushed and nearly killed by our enemies to me a war between us and the neutral faction.


    But he did not tell anyone about how one of our own was in cahoots with the enemies. Or how they found out about Szayel''s sudden visit as per my orders.


    So no one knows about there being a traitor in our family but myself and my son." revealed the vampire without beating around the bush.


    "And I assume you already know who that is now." spoke Kahn in a calm and collected manner.


    "Yes. To see that my own daughter shook hands with our enemies, just to be my chosen sessor. And even nning to kill her stepbrother for it." said Ismatrazel with a disappointed look on his face.


    "And I once thought of her as a worthy candidate.. But this is crossing a line. Whatever matters of the family should stay in it. We will deal with it our way. I''ll make sure that you won''t be targeted."


    Suddenly, Kahn interjected as spoke.


    "I don''t mean to get entangled in your n affairs, lord n leader. I didn''t even intend to save your son, to be honest. Until I learned of his real Identity and decided to escort him here."


    "And why did you do so? You are well aware of how you could''ve been killed after you made that stunt of blowing up mana bombs in our vicinity." asked the elegant vampire lord.


    "Worth the risk if I''m to get rewarded handsomely." replied Kahn and sipped the aromatic tea. The first sip itself gave him a heavenly and blissful feeling.


    "Hahaha. I like honesty, young man. Besides, someone like you who reached semi-saint rank at this early age is a rare case. Even I myself didn''t believe it when Szayel told me about you. And to create a Saint Rank skill this early.. You''re indeed a true genius." praised the n head.


    "I did feel like you were actually someone sent to infiltrate our ranks under the disguise of saving my son at thest moment. But after learning how you used yourself as bait to find the true culprit behind the ambush.. I must say that I''m impressed.


    Now tell me.. What do you want as your reward? I could even offer you a suitable rank in our midst given your incredible talent. I myself am a swordsman so I know the amount of hard work and practice you must have put yourself through over a decade to reach this level. So it''d be a waste to let your talent go unnoticed." proposed the n leader.


    [I wonder if he wouldmit seppoku if I tell him that I did it all in just two months..] thought Kahn.


    "Thank you for the offer, my lord. But what I want as a reward transcends far above something like a position or a rank in your prestigious n." replied Kahn.


    His sudden refusal gave all three males a surprise.


    "Then what do you want that is far more precious than what I offered you?" asked the vampire lord curiously.


    Kahn gave a light smile in return and spoke confidently..


    "Your Friendship."

 Chapter 147: The Friendship

    <h4>Chapter 147: The Friendship</h4>


    Silence. A grim silence suddenly filled the merry environment as soon as Kahn made his proposal and asked for their friendship as a form of reward.


    However, the Vampire Lord''s face turned somber the next second and his aura rose again. Unlike before, this time his aura filled with wrath towards Kahn. Although he didn''t release all of it.. Both Szayel and Albestros who were sitting on the sides felt like their soul had left their bodies.


    "You.. You shouldn''t chew something that you can''t stomach. We''re not some no-name n sitting at the bottom of the food chain. Besides.. friendship is done between equals.


    And you should know better.. Both friendship and enmity with our n have their consequences. Consequences that someone like you can''t afford." warned the vampire n leader.


    "So are you telling me that your own son''s life isn''t worth extending your friendship to someone?" asked Kahn.


    "Not quite.." replied Szayel''s father without a hitch.


    "Lord father!.." Szayel interrupted with an expression as if he was betrayed.


    "Don''t get me wrong, son. You''re not well aware of the terms thate with such promises. He isn''t just asking for some small gesture of friendliness. But for our backing and use our n''s name.


    That is something which shouldn''t be taken lightly." exined Ismatrazel to Szayel and looked back at Kahn who was enjoying the fragrant and soul-soothing tea without the slightest hint of fear or awkwardness.


    [This brat! He''s not even fazed..] he thought.


    "You should know that I deal with hundreds of affairs like this on a daily basis. If not for you saving one of my children, no way in seven hells would someone of my stature even share the same table as you." spoke the n leader.


    "Can I be brutally honest, lord n leader?"


    "You may. So speak.."


    "You should know how much resources and time people like you and I need to hone our skills. And I have no intention to spend years trying to make a living while working for somebody. I want to be free of these shackles and focus on something worth my time." rified Kahn.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, Kahn didn''t actually need any money given his current wealth but he already had ns in his mind to bring in some big amounts of cash. Because soon, the number of resources and money he would require couldn''t be just gathered by robbing petty nobles or raiding a dungeon.


    At this exnation, even the n leader felt surprised and perked his ears.


    "You.. I assume you have something to offer in exchange. And you have nned this conversation since the beginning. Am I right?" asked the n leader and leaned on his chair, giving Kahn an understanding gaze.


    "What..what are you two talking about?" asked Sazyel with a puzzled expression.


    "Since when?" asked the vampire lord as he ignored his son''s question.


    "As soon as I learned about Szayel''s background." replied Kahn and shrugged.


    "Okay, seriously.. What the hell are you talking about?" interrupted Szayel.


    "So what''s the big n? It better be worth my time." spoke Ismatrazel.


    Szayel was ignored.. Again.


    The next second, Kahn stood up from his seat and did the gesture of pointing both of his palms towards a figure sitting on the table who had been quiet since the very beginning of this conversation.


    "Lord n leader, allow me to introduce you to.. Sir Albestros Winston! The Grandmaster rank cksmith of vot city!" dered Kahn in a grandiose manner.


    "What?!" eximed both Ismatrazel & Szayel in shock. Both of their expressions froze as soon as they heard the name. And then they looked at the old man with an unkempt and long white beard.


    Not even in their wildest dreams had the father and son duo imagined the mundane looking and disheveled old man to be a Grandmaster rank cksmith. The ones who were as rare as a phoenix''s feathers.


    On the other end, even the old man had a ''NANI?!'' expression on his face.


    "35%" spoke the vampire n leader in haste.


    "5%" replied Kahn.


    "25%"


    "10%" replied Kahn and rolled his eyes.


    "20%"


    "15%"


    "Deal!" spoke Szayel''s father and stood up to shake Albestros''s hands.


    "We will be in your care, sir Winston. I heard of your great name many years ago. I hope our rtionship stays strong over the course of uing years." spoke the vampire lord and shook the old man''s hands vehemently.


    "What is actually happening?!" shouted Szayel who had no idea what just transpired here.


    The grandmaster cksmith looked at Kahn with an expression of disbelief and betrayal.


    "Hey, kid.. Did you just sell me off?"


    "Hahaha! In a way.. I did." chuckled Kahn and sat on his chair again after shaking the vampire lord''s hand.


    "Can somebody please tell me what are you people even talking about?!" raged Szayel.


    His father replied to him the next second..


    "This is why I haven''t made you my sessor yet. You can''t even infer a business deal from our words.."


    "And what this means is that I will soon open a high-end cksmith shop under Sir Winston''s name. We will do the business and your n shall provide enough connections from the shadows. In return, we will prioritize all the orders from your n and also give you a 15% cut of the monthly profits." borated Kahn.


    This was exactly the unspoken meaning behind their words. Only those who had experience in doing businesses would understand such a short talk. Kahn, who was an ountant in his previous life and Ismatrazel who dealt with his n''s affairs were well versed people at his. Their understanding transcended above the minds of normal people.


    "Then speak like normal people, would you?" rebuked Szayel after being reprimanded by his father.


    Albestros on the other hand felt like a knife was stabbed in his back. Kahn had taken such an important decision on his behalf without even discussing it with him first. But there was no sense of guilt or shame on the young man''s face.


    Kahn''s smile looked rather.. Sinister. As if some shopkeeper sold a stone at the price of a diamond.


    Although the deal was far beneficial to him and the direct friendship with one of the strongest forces in the entire empire would give him ten times the fame and wealth he had before.. He still felt wronged.


    Because Kahn did him dirty.


    Kahn on the other hand grinned even wider. This was indeed his n as soon as he learned about Szayel''s secret and escorted him to the capital. And that''s also why he risked being killed by this n''s soldiers when they tried to infiltrate.


    The money he could get as a handsome reward wouldst him for so long.. But this business pitch and that too with the n leader of one of the strongest forces in the empire was a one in a million opportunity. And that''s why he took such big risks and even brought the old man together with him in the castle.


    But before any celebrations could be made.. The vampire n leader spoke again.


    "Before we make formal arrangements.. I want to do something. I hope you agree to my request."


    "What is it?" asked Kahn with a confused expression.


    To this, the Vampire Lord replied in a calm demeanor.


    "Let''s have a duel."

 Chapter 148: The Duel

    <h4>Chapter 148: The Duel</h4>


    Kahn, Szayel and Albestros were out of their wits after this sudden challenge for a duel by the vampire lord.


    "What? Why do you want to fight me?" asked Kahn with a bewildered expression.


    Just now, their perfect business deal that was beneficial to both sides was agreed upon but suddenly the leader of the Vandereich n suddenly wanted to sh swords with him.


    "You didn''t think it''d be that easy, did you?" smirked the vampire.


    "And why do you want to fight with me all of a sudden, if I may ask?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? I want to test your mettle. To see whether you''re truly worthy of partnering up with. Otherwise, what''s the point if you can''t even hold down your fort without our support. I want to see whether you''re truly worthy of our.. Friendship." spoke Ismatrazel.


    "Fine, I agree. What are the rules? You don''t n to kill me, right?" asked Kahn nonchntly.


    To his attitude, even the 4th stage saint rank swordsman felt a surprise. Normally, people would outright refuse him given his strength.


    Little did he know.. That Kahn was an exception to this rule. The more he fought and perfected his skills andbat techniques.. The more proficiency and weapon mastery he''d gain from these encounters thanks to the blessings from the War Deity himself.


    "Good then. Follow me." replied the vampire leader.


    After walking for ten minutes inside the 4 kilometer long mansion, their group reached a circr underground arena that was filled with hundreds of soldiers training inside. The arena itself was 2 kilometers in circumference and had an open battleground in the middle.


    As soon as their group walked inside, all the soldiers that were training with their varying weapons and magic skills stopped their movements and bowed in front of their leader.


    "Clear the grounds. I''m going to fight this young man here."


    Gasp!


    Multiple gasps were heard from the crowd after their leader''s deration. But they quickly abided by his order and left the ground open for these two swordsmen.


    After everything was taken care of, Kahn stood on the opposite side and took Lucifer out of his space ring.


    "What an amazing sword. I presume sir Winston made it?" inquired the vampire swordsman.


    "Yes. He says it''s one of his best works to the date." replied Kahn and took a defensive stance.


    "No need to be afraid. I will only use my strength at the simr level of a semi-saint fighter like you. And all you have to do isnd a decisive attack on me in 10 minutes. You do it and I will give you my full support."


    Although, the words from the mighty swordsman were said casually.. Someone like Kahn knew the battle intent behind those words.


    His opponent wasn''t going to hold back.


    Although Kahn''s weapon mastery for swords was at peak grandmaster rank.. But to break through the saint rank and increase the rank of his skills such as Sword King & Sword Battlemaster.. He had to perfect his swordsmanship skills to the max. Otherwise, he''d have the strength but no form when he broke through the saint rank.


    Because of his Divine Abilities.. It was easier for him to level up but there were no shortcuts when it came to fighting skills. Even with the help of his blessings, he still had to master these skills on his own. Or he will be a turtle without a shell in front of truly seasoned warriors.


    To Kahn, it''s like hitting a jackpot because he would get a grand opportunity to fight and learn from one of the best swordsmen in the empire.


    "Start!" shouted the vampire and Kahn''s figure quickly flickered, the very next second, his sword appeared right next to the n head''s left shoulder.


    Shing!


    Before the tip could even move forward, a sword made of aura appeared out of nowhere and parried against the iing attack. And to Kahn''s surprise, the vampire n leader hadn''t even moved a muscle or felt any impact.


    Kahn was fully aware of his strength in that attack, but felt a sense of suppression on his movements. As if that attack he made was not only seen through but a perfect counter was already prepared by the opponent.


    Stinger! Water aura de! Windcutter!


    Kahn changed his footwork and startedunching his melee and long-range sword attacks on the vampire.


    Flick! Flick! Clink!


    One by one, his attacks were being parried by the aura swords that always seemed to appear at thest second and divert the direction of the attack.


    For the next five minutes, he kept attacking from various angles and even used his Sword King skill to attack the n leader from fifty-one directions, only to get every single one of his aura swords getting sessfully guarded against.


    [What the hell.. Is he cheating? What am I missing?] he thought because no way was he holding back.


    "My turn!" spoke the vampire swordsman and the next moment, over a hundred small des albeit shorter and thinner than Kahn''s aura swords started attacking Kahn and all the swords from his side.


    Kahn sidestepped and used side hopper from time to time and he barely missed getting stabbed.


    From each of these swords.. He felt a suppressive aura that waspletely different from his own aura swords that contained the pure destructive power behind them. Compared to his own.. The aura des from Ismatrazel were far more refined,pact and every single one of them had a suppressive force that was infused within them.


    In just a minute, Kahn waspletely put on a backfoot and was nothing but a coward running away from the onught as all he could do was dodge and parry. All his aura swords were being broken in two by the vampire''s swords.


    The hundreds of soldiers on the other hand were surprised with Kahn''s disy and control over his body and aura swords. Because from their experience.. Other''s couldn''t even hold their sword properly in front of their leader, let alone fight on equal ground with him.


    [What the hell am I missing?] he asked himself and suddenly.. And enlightenment struck Kahn''s mind.


    His countenance turned serious and his Survival Instinct reached its peak the next second. The suppressive force that wasing from the opponent''s swords suddenly started feeling familiar. Something that he had felt before.


    What he did next was something even the fourth stage saint rank swordsman hadn''t expected.


    Rather than trying to counter the aura swords from the enemy.. Kahn stopped fighting, closed his eyes and quickly grabbed an aura sword that was aimed at his chest with his bare hand.


    As if some form of realization had struck him.. Kahn spoke with a smile on his face.


    "I see. So that was the reason behind that suppressive force. It''s not your aura that these swords are made of.." stopped Kahn in his words and opened his eyes again with a newfound excitement as he spoke again..


    "It''s the World Energy!"

 Chapter 149: The Offer

    <h4>Chapter 149: The Offer</h4>


    The Vampire n leader was rooted on the spot as soon as Kahn grabbed the sword made with World Energy.


    [Impossible! How can he sense world energy? He''s not even a bonafide saint rank fighter yet.] he thought.


    On the other end.. Kahn felt a form of connection towards the suppressive force that wasing out of the sword he just grabbed with his bare hands. But before he could think how the vampire swordsman merged the world energy in his aura swords.. The system that had been dormant for weeks finally gave a notification.


    Ding!


    [The system detects that the host has made contact with an aura merged with the world energy.


    World Energy absorption procedure initiated.


    The host is advised to absorb more world energy by making a physical or using the host''s aura to establish a connection with world energy.


    Current progress : 0.01%] notified the system.


    Kahn felt surprised by this sudden revtion but quickly decided to adapt to the situation than wasting time trying toprehend what just happened. He only had 5 minutes left otherwise the business deal they made wouldn''t go the way he wanted and maybe the n leader would even rethink their previous arrangement.


    "More!" spoke Kahn and created new aura swords and attacked the flock of the world energy swords created by the opponent.


    He dashed and swung his swords at Ismatrazel,unching his long-range attacks one by one while closing off the distance between them. This was another fortunate encounter.. And he was going to milk it for the best.


    The vampire n leader on the other hand waspletely bbergasted. Because from his personal experience.. Sensing the world energy before breaking through to Saint Rank was nigh impossible. Even the most talented mages or the renowned geniuses that he heard of failed to do so. Yet the no-name swordsman he hadn''t ever heard of could sense it and that too in an ongoing fight.


    He quickly calmed himself and focused on the ongoing battle. This was the matter of his reputation in the end.


    "Fine! Let''s see how much you can handle." spoke the vampire and appeared right next to Kahn in a second and for the first time, he used his own hands to attack Kahn.


    A white sword with a golden hue made from thebination of both world energy and his own aura formed in the right hand. He aimed at Kahn''s right shoulder as he made a piercing attack.


    Kahn who was in his peak alertness sensed this threat from Survival Instinct and sidestepped just in time that only his after afterimage was left before the white sword appeared where he was standing half a second ago.


    His figure appeared 20 meters away and he quickly took another defensive stance. Meanwhile, in the air, their aura swords were colliding against each other one by one. But unlike before.. It were his swords breaking through the opponent''s weapons.


    [What! How is he doing that?! It shouldn''t be possible!] thought Ismatrazel with a baffled expression on his face. No longer having the calm and collected mind of a seasoned warrior. It was one thing if another Saint Rank fighter did that.. But the one who was doing it right in front of him was just a semi-saint swordsman.


    Although he was using strength at the same level.. His aura swords were by no means anything that someone like Kahn should be able to break in half.


    [What kind of freak is this human? Not only can he use a Saint Rank Swordsmanship skill just like me.. But he can also sense world energy. Even I wasn''t able to do any of these things when I was at his level..]


    Kahn on the other end asked the system about his current predicament while keeping a guard against the opponent.


    [System.. How is this possible? I don''t have any skills that should allow me to absorb world energy. Even the Dark Engulfment skill under the Hero of Darkness title can only absorb Dark Magic & Darkness element.] queried Kahn as this sudden reveal waspletely unexpected.


    [The Ability Absorption Divine Ability allows the host to absorb the saturated forms of world energy. A direct source or an infused form of world energy can be absorbed by the host ever since the host broke through to the Semi-Saint Rank.] exined the system.


    [So that''s how it was.. Why didn''t you tell me before?] he replied.


    [The host didn''t ask.]


    Kahn quickly shifted his gaze towards the opponent andmanded his swords to attack the aura swords from the vampire.


    One by one, the hundred swords from the opposite side that were infused with world energy started breaking and turned into intangible form... But rather than disappearing, Kahn''s aura swords started absorbing them as the amount of world energy he was absorbing started increasing in small numbers.


    The five hundred soldiers that were previously training in this arena gasped in surprise. It was their first time watching their leader being oppressed in a fight. By another swordsman at that.


    Two more minutes passed and Kahn who was previously outmatched started treading blows at the vampire lord on an equal footing. Each time their swords shed.. Kahn felt like Lucifer was sucking the world energy from the opponent''s aura sword.


    Just when the sword that Ismatrazel held started cracking as Kahn''s attacks were sucking the energy within it, the vampire lord took a step back and spoke.


    "Stop! I concede.." dered the vampire lord.


    Gasp!


    Dozens of gasps filled the underground arena and even Szayel looked at the battleground in disbelief.


    "I only won because you were holding back. If you used more strength or speed, I wouldn''t even be able to see your attacks." spoke Kahn.


    He wasn''t the kind to gloat over small victories so he directly addressed the key factor about his triumph.


    "Yes. But it doesn''t matter. You have won against me in a fair and square duel." replied the vampire lord in his regal and domineering tone.


    "So does that mean our deal is in effect?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. But I have another proposition to add. It''s not rted to the business deal but between me and you." spoke Ismatrazel with a stern expression on his face.


    "Huh?.. What is it?" asked Kahn with a curious expression.


    The Vampire Lord replied in a calm yet authoritative tone and ryed his proposition to the young swordsman d in ck..


    "Be my disciple!"

 Chapter 150: True Reason

    <h4>Chapter 150: True Reason</h4>


    Stunned, everyone present in this underground arena stood stunned on the spot. A silence ensued in the surroundings and nobody even dared to breathe loudly.


    This sudden proposal by the vampire n leader, one of the top 5 strongest swordsmen in the entire empire left everyone baffled and speechless.


    Even Kahn, the main center of attention, had ''NANI?!'' expression. He too was caught off guard just like everyone else.


    "What? Are you joking, Lord n leader?" he asked.


    "No, I''m serious. I want you to be my disciple. I will personally train you." responded the vampire.


    His countenance was full of valor and nobility. As if a hero of those bads and folklore had turned into reality.


    "Wait, why?" asked Kahn again. He couldn''t think of possible reasons.


    Was his disy of strength during the test too phenomenal? Because he hadn''t even used his best skills and techniques during the duel and even in his personal opinion.. It would only get passing marks.


    Because in reality, the vampire lord was holding back all the time otherwise, he could''ve killed Kahn by ident if he didn''t.


    "Your talent in swordsmanship is no less than those chosen n heirs who had the best of teachers and resources in the world to train. I would even say that you overshadow them by a lot. It''s a talent that shouldn''t go to waste.. I would fail my sword if I let you a genius such as yourself never reach bigger heights just because you don''t have enough resources." said Ismatrazel.


    There was no sense of coyness or some malicious intent behind his words. It was as if he genuinely wanted to groom Kahn and make him raise his talent.


    But before any further discussions urred.. Kahn replied.


    "No!" he refused.


    "What? Don''t you understand the kind of opportunity I''m giving you?" asked the vampire.


    Kahn took the epic rank domain artifact out of his pockets and activated it. Both he and the n leader were engulfed under a dark dome.


    The n leader showed no surprise.. Epic rank artifacts were something he had seen thousands of times already.


    For the next ten minutes.. There was a heated discussion between the two swordsmen. Nobody out of this ck dome could see or hear anything that was being discussed within.


    When Kahn finally deactivate the dome again..


    The attitude of both these males had changed from the eager swordsmen to two somber and calctive elderly men who had seen the entire world.


    "I still hope you do think of my offer one day." spoke Ismatrazel.


    "Thank you again for extending this offer, lord n leader. But I still need to refuse your generosity. I hope it doesn''t affect our other deal." reiterated Kahn.


    "Nothing shall affect it." spoke the n leader and took out two jade medallions from his space ring. He threw one to Kahn and the other to Szayel.


    "Use these tomunicate with each other. I won''t be able to respond to you given my duties. But my son should be able to manage the dealings and the ups and downs that maye in the future." spoke the vampire lord.


    Kahn nodded in response and gestured to Albestros that it was time for them to leave.


    Several guards escorted Kahn as per their leader''s orders.


    When the father and son duo also returned to their private quarters.. Szayel, who could not understand what transpired inside the dome asked his father..


    "Lord Father.. I don''t understand. Even though he indeed saved my life.. It''s not something that would make you bend the rules and ept a human as your disciple." spoke Szayel.


    He knew about his n''s irond rules that prohibited their members to ept other species and an outsider inside their n in any way.


    "For the first time.. I wish those rules didn''t exist." sighed the father.


    "Remember Szayel.. No matter what happens, you must be a very close friend to Kahn. That human boy is actually a prodigy born once in a millennium.


    Not only has he created a saint rank sword skill while still being a semi-saint rank.. But he can also tap into the world energy. That''s not something even the widely proimed geniuses of the various ns and factions can do.


    World Energy is extremely essential to a Saint Rank fighter in this world. Even more important than mana. There''s a limit to how much mana can you use.. But there''s no limit on how much world energy can be used in a fight. At the end of the day.. It onlyes to your own capabilities.


    You might not have seen it but every single technique he executed was perfectly formed and lethal at the same time.. Even I felt like I was facing a natural warrior who trained inside hell for decades." exined the vampire lord.


    "But that''s not something worth breaking the ancient rules of the n, right?" asked Szayel.


    "You wouldn''t understand since you''re not a swordsman like us.. Every single attack he made was full of form, fluidity, killing intent and perfect execution; it''s something only those who have fought in thousand wars could do.


    Even I was nothingpared to him on that same level.


    I thought it was just a legend.. But people like him do exist." he sat and contemted.


    "What type of people if I may ask, lord father." spoke Szayel.


    "There was only one other person in the history of our empire who could do both these things while being only a semi-saint."


    "Who?"


    "It was none other than the first Emperor, Rathnaar." exined the n leader.


    "I even offered him a lot of money, resources to train.. A life where he wouldn''t have to worry about wealth but he still refused." he revealed.


    "But why? No matter how I look at it.. This was probably his biggest life-changing opportunity. Why would he refuse?" asked Szayel.


    "Because of Vivian''s ploy. And he understood that there are still many traitors who still back her up from the shadows. If he epted.. He''d be the target of prejudice, ploys and many attempts on his life.


    I can make rules.. But I can''t make everyone in the n inherently ept or abide them. That is the hard truth.


    Besides, something he said was indeed true; Before inviting a guest inside.. We must clean out our house first." spoke Ismatrazel and ordered Szayel to follow him.


    "Where are we going?" He asked his father.


    To his question.. The vampire n leader replied in a stern tone.


    "It''s about time we.. Discipline your sister."

 Chapter 151: The Why

    <h4>Chapter 151: The Why</h4>


    Outside of the innermost area of Rathna, two men were secretly escorted by over a dozen of Grandmaster rank warriors and mages. Even some assassins were in the mix.


    This group of vampires did not dare to be disrespectful to the two humans they were ordered to safely get out of the residentialnds of the various noble factions and powerful fighters. Just being offered the position of the n leader''s disciple had made them acknowledge Kahn as someone they should treat with respect.


    After passing through various underground tunnels and a few magic vehicles, the duo sessfully left the 500 kilometers radius of the inner circle of noble faction territories under 6 hours.


    When the duo finally reached one of the districts from the middle areas of Rathna, called Njori district, both of them went into a luxurious restaurant and ordered overpriced and quality food. The main point wasn''t the food but the environment they needed for a proper discussion.


    "What do you think? Still not angry about it, right?" asked Kahn to Albestros, the grandmaster rank cksmith.


    "Look, kid.. I can''t say that I''m not angry.. But I understand. You aimed for the best opportunity and possibly saved us years of time just by getting the backing of a powerful force and connections that would save us a lot of struggle. But what I don''t understand is why would you take such a risk?


    Those people could''ve just forced us to work for them or add some incorrigible terms that would not go in our favor at all. Besides, you know that the number of enemies we might make by having them back us up." said Albestros.


    "We''re already caught in the crossfires since the moment I save his life. Even though I would like to stay out of the radar and not get involved in any of the faction wars.. Doing a direct deal with his father far outweighs the risks. If troublees.. I''ll have to face it head on." replied Kahn.


    "But you can''t deny that it would save us years of hard work and hassle that we would have to face if we started from the scratch and without any support from a powerful force. This is the capital.. Neers like us would be chewed out by the top sharks in the business world.


    And just with the name of their n backing us or by hanging their banner on the shop would be enough to deter the small-time rivals from creating any trouble for us. I only wanted to avoid going through those ordeals and establish ourselves in a matter of half a year." spoke Kahn as he tasted the delicious meat of an aquatic monster that was grilled perfectly.


    "But we don''t have enough capital to start a big enough enterprise that would turn out profitable. Even I have only 20 thousand gold coins on me at most." spoke the old man as he let out a defeated sigh.


    "You don''t have to worry about that.. I got it covered." smirked Kahn and took out over a dozen space rings from his pockets and gave them to the old man.


    "How about 12 million gold coins.. That enough to start a big business?" he said coyly.


    "Nonsense! How do you have so much money? Don''t tell me you''re also some chosen heir of some big faction.." asked Albestros in disbelief.


    "Hey.. Did you forget what kind of people I killed when I was avenging your kids? Did you really think I would leave their belongings and wealth behind?" He exined.


    A sudden realization struck the old cksmith and he found it reasonable for Kahn to have this much money if he looted those n heirs and even their leaders.


    "But tell me one thing? Why did you decline that offer? You could''ve lived a life of no worries and probably even be one of them." spoke Albestros.


    This was something he too found intriguing.


    "Too many reasons. Just me saving Szayel and then uncovering his sister to be one of the conspirators who nned his death already put a target on me. For now, only a few know about my part in all of this. But if I stayed.. My life would be hell." he replied.


    "How?"


    "The n itself is solely made of vampires.. I alone will strike as a thorn in their eyes. By being the n leader''s disciple, the attention and hatred I would garner will be very troublesome.


    Plus, don''t forget their entire n itself runs on extremist beliefs. I would be targeted and possibly conspired against from time to time just because I''m a human.


    Even the n leader won''t be able to appease his kin and have them ept me as their own. And my presence would also bring attention to the deeds of the daughter and her fellow traitors in the n. Something that I can''t afford to get mixed into.


    No matter what, I would not have a peaceful life." exined the young swordsman.


    Although what Kahn said was indeed true.. These were only half of the reasons in actuality.


    One of the main reasons was that he''d always be under watchful eyes. And unlike the rest.. His rank and levels rose by eating cores of high rank monsters & mana ores. Something that would arise suspicion because generally, swordsmen didn''t need those types of resources. Although they too used monster cores to raise their levels.. Their skills and strength came from the actual training of their battle arts.


    Even someone studying magic would not be able to absorb so many cores and rise in levels that quickly. That would make him an oddity and he would soon be found out as one of the Heroes sent by the Gods. Something he couldn''t afford to get revealed.


    Plus his training by the 4th stage saint rank swordsman would not help him in acquiring other abilities or improve his mastery in other weapons. Kahn knew that he had to raise his levels in other weapons as well. He couldn''t solely rely on swordsmanship alone.


    So far, only his sword, daggers and battleaxe Weapon Mastery were at Grandmaster rank. The rest were still below it. So soon, he wanted to raise his rank for all the other weapons as well.


    By bing the disciple of the vampire lord or getting mixed in the Vandereich n.. Kahn would knowingly halt his progress and have no freedom whatsoever.


    So bing self-dependent and creating his own sources of ie and resources was the most effective and eptable approach for him.


    After they both finished their meals.. The duo left the restaurant.


    "So where are we going next?" asked Kahn.


    To his question, Albestros replied.


    "To visit my old friend."

 Chapter 152: The Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 152: The Old Friend</h4>


    Kithira District.. One of the most well-known districts of the capital, Rathna. Out of the 87 districts, this was one of the exclusively famous areas of the capital because this entire district yed a vital role in themerce rted to medicinal herbs, ingredients required for potion crafting, alchemy and various pharmaceutical sectors.


    Although it wasn''t the main hub, the market spread around this district was already four times bigger than what vot city could offer.


    Two men, one young while the other one old, treaded from the crowded streets that were bustling with nearly 10 thousand people buying, selling and exchanging money and resources for whatever they wanted at different shops and vendors.


    "Excuse me, do you know where the headquarters of Darvin Alchemy Enterprise is?" asked Albestros to a passing Mithrans.


    "Sorry, never heard of it. You can ask the nearby shopkeepers. They should know better." replied the mithrans telepathically.


    To Kahn, it felt odd talking with someone other than himself or his subordinates telepathically. And that too when the person next to him didn''t even have eyes, ears or a mouth. The pale white skin also made it look like a monster a ghostly creature.


    There was always a time for a first.


    [I should hunt for their kind and absorb their abilities.. Maybe I could upgrade Hive Mind and Hunter''s Intent to the next level.] thought Kahn.


    Luckily, the Mithran couldn''t hear his thoughts or Kahn would be charged with attempted murder.


    The old man went to a nearby shop and talked with the owner. But when he returned.. His expression turned grim.


    "What happened?" asked Kahn.


    "The Darvin Alchemy Enterprise no longer exists. They say it was shut down a couple of years ago." exined Albestros.


    "Then what do we do? Do you know where he lives?" asked Kahn.


    Technically, they didn''t need to rely on anyone. But what Kahn intended to do was make a good connection with this friend of the old man.


    Because he learned from Albestros that this friend of his was actually a Grandmaster Alchemist.


    And naturally, a Grandmaster Alchemist would have a big reputation and connections in every ce. Befriending such a person would only help him in the long term if he ever decided to deal in the pharmaceutical business after setting up their cksmithing Enterprise first.


    Because at the end of the day.. Those who make weapons to hurt you.. And then also make the medicine to cure you earn the most. It''s a neverending loop and a good business strategy for the type of world Vantrea was.


    And to someone like Kahn.. It was like a goose that wouldy the golden eggs for him.


    "I do. I don''t know if he still lives there but we should at least check it out." spoke Albestros and both the men went to the nearest flying ship hub.


    Although the fares were 8 times of what they''d have to pay for traveling via a magic train, the flight was just asfortable and saved them hours of traveling time.


    After they finally reached a different district named Rukon, the duo finally visited a high-ss society residential area. There was not a single small house in this area.. Only luxurious bungalows and vis. Kahn felt like they were indeed going to meet a bigshot given how the estates in this area looked like.


    But when both the men finally reached the destination.. Their eyes were filled with shock.


    They now stood in front of a mansion.. Butpared to the other housings they had seen so far.. This ce looked more like a ruin.


    Weeds and trees growing out of shape, the road leading towards the main estate was hardly looked after, plenty of overgrown grass and hardly managed garden.


    Kahn was instantly reminded of the old cksmith''s house was when he first met the man.


    "Are you sure it is the right ce?" asked Kahn to the old cksmith.


    "Yes.. But thest time I came here.. It looked more pristine and well managed. But now.. It looks like it is abandoned." replied Albestros.


    "Let''s see if someone still lives here." he said and both of them crossed the rusted gate and walked towards the main door.


    Ting! Ting!


    They knocked on the doorbell.


    "Coming.." a hoarse and weary voice came from the inside.


    A sound of loud footsteps was heard from the inside and the 4 meter tall wooden door was finally opened.


    Kahn was a little surprised after looking at the figure that opened the door.


    The one who stood in front of them was a humanoid figure with wooden arms and legs and looked like apletely withered¡­ Tree.


    "Huh.. Is that you, Alby?" asked the tree person.


    "Long time no see, Prithvi. You look¡­ wait, what happened to you?!" eximed the old man.


    The current appearance of this Grandmaster Alchemist looked like a nt that hadn''t been watered for weeks and was about to die.


    This 4 meter tall figure was walking using a stick and had a hunched back.


    "Pleasee inside first. We can talk after that." spoke the tree man.


    The disheveled figure of this person was even worse than Albestros when they first met.


    Unlike the former, this person''s house at least had enough furniture for them to sit on.


    After taking a seat.. Albestros asked Prithvi..


    "What happened to you? Thest time I saw you all those years ago.. You looked full of life. And now you look more like¡­" before he could finish, Prithvi spoke.


    "Like dried timber."


    "I didn''t mean it like that.." spoke the old man.


    "Who is this young man? He can''t be Gerald. He was far younger if I remember correctly." asked Prithvi.


    "I am groot."


    "I mean, I am Kahn." he quickly replied again.


    "This is someone who has helped me greatly. I wouldn''t even be able to meet you after all those years if not for him."


    "But first.. Tell me exactly what happened to you?"


    "There''s no point in hiding the truth from you, my old friend. The truth is¡­"


    Prithvi''s face turned somber and full of pain as he delivered his words.


    "I''m going to die soon."

 Chapter 153: The Treachery

    <h4>Chapter 153: The Treachery</h4>


    A grim silence filled the hall as soon as Prithvi announced his current situation to them.


    Albestros, who was his old-time friend, was rooted on the spot. Both he and Kahn hadn''t imagined that the person they hade to meet was at death''s door.


    "What? How''s that possible? Don''t all Leshens live for at least two centuries? You''re not even a hundred years old yet." asked the old cksmith.


    "To be honest.. I too was surprised when I found out 3 years ago. But the reason for my dwindling health is an incurable disease. And the cause is also something ironic." spoke Prithvi.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You know how I used to study & experiment with various alchemy potions, poisons and medicines back in the day, right?"


    "Yes. We used to warn you a lot to stop trying to make new types of medicines & potions because of the harmful manufacturing procedures." replied Albestros.


    "Well.. Recently I found that due to various of my research that helped me be a Grandmaster Alchemist also affected my body adversely over the decades. And their toxicity has reduced my life force by hundred folds. Now I am barely able to walk on my feet. The blood in my body keeps destroying itself after some months and recently.. My body also stopped creating new blood." revealed Prithvi.


    "I¡­ I''m sorry to hear that. And I''m sorry I couldn''t be there for you." spoke Albestros in a saddened tone.


    "But.. Where are your children? And why are you left alone like this? Why isn''t anyone here to look after you?" He asked next.


    To his query, the leshen only gave a light smile and exined.


    "After the diagnosis of my disease, I had a breakdown. And I could no longer work knowing that I was about to die. It affected my reputation and mypany. I used all the resources and money I made over the decades to look for a cure, hire Saint Rank Healers and even used every connection I had to get rare materials to concoct a cure myself."


    The next second, his expression turned full of grief..


    "But when it became clear that I would not live for more than two more years.. The first one to give up on me was my own family.


    Both of my sons said that they lost too much money on herbs and resources that I ordered, and there was no point in looking for any other way. That I should ept my fate and make peace with it.


    They even conspired to remove me from the verypany I created with my sweat and blood.. All the board members felt like thepany itself was a sinking ship and wanted to sell it off. But because of my opposition.. In the end, I was voted against by the majority.


    I worked to the bone to give my family a good life and a stable future. Yet¡­


    Everything I earned was snatched away right in front of my eyes by those same people. And from the past one year.. I have been living by myself.


    This house and the old building of mypany is all I have left to my name."


    Heavy tears dropped from his eyes as he expressed his suffering.


    Both Kahn & Albestros felt sad for the old leshen.


    Albestros was someone who saw his world crumble to dust in a single week when his children were brutally murdered years ago.


    And Kahn was someone who was shunned by his own family in his previous life.


    Although their circumstances weren''t identical to the old leshen, it had a form of relevance to both of them.


    "Those selfish bastards.. To condemn their own father to a fate of suffering and death.." spoke Albestros as his fist clenched tightly.


    Suddenly, Kahn spoke.


    "How long do you have if I may ask, sir?"


    Prithvi replied with a somber voice..


    "At this rate.. I barely have a week left. I don''t think I''ll survive more than that."


    The next second, Albestros nced at Kahn and softly spoke.


    "Kid.."


    Kahn gave him a nod as a form of understanding what the old man wanted to say.


    "If you don''t mind sir Prithvi.. We would like to stay with you till that timees." replied Kahn before the old man could make a suggestion. Both of them understood the gravity of the situation.


    The Grandmaster Alchemist was already on hisst straw. And to leave someone like him who had suffered too much betrayal, backstabbing and treachery by his own people and family.. They were not that type of heartless people.


    So both of them made a decision on the spot to at least have leshen pass peacefully. And not like someone who died alone in a dpidated house while having no one by their side during theirst moments.


    "Th.. Thank you. I don''t know how to repay you." more tears fell off Prithvi''s eyes as if a dam was finally broken.


    Albestros grabbed his hand and the shoulder.


    All three of them were men. They knew that grown men don''t usually cry unless it''s something they had been suffering from for far too long.


    To Kahn, this moment was no different than the night when he cried for several hours on that roof before hemitted suicide.


    Although he came here hoping to make beneficial connections and gain the support of someone influential.. After hearing the tragic story of the pitiful leshen, he felt like the old Alchemist at least deserved a peaceful passing.


    Because there was so much a single person could endure before it breaks thempletely. He had lived through it once so a sense of obligation formed in his mind.


    As the night came, a conversation between long-time friends arose between Prithvi and Albestros.


    And eventually.. The topic shifted to his children.


    Prithvi, who was already waiting for his inevitable death, felt like he had wronged Albestros by not looking for him or trying to help his children get justice from all these years.


    Albestros exined the whole ordeal and how the noble ns had smothered the incident and put him and everyone rted to him under surveince.


    Kahn willingly revealed his identity as Azrael and told him how they avenged Gerald and Synthia.


    That night.. Three grown men had long conversation from heart to heart.


    Each of them having suffered by the hand they''ve been dealt by Fate.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : Reference Art for Prithvi in chapterments. Check it out.

 Chapter 154: A Second Chance

    <h4>Chapter 154: A Second Chance</h4>


    Six days passed by in a blink of an eye.


    Kahn and Albestros had made this mansion of the Leshen as their temporary residence after the day of their visit.


    Both of them acted as his caretakers in a sense. Kahn hired professionals to clear out the mansion of all the grime and dirt that umted over the years.


    And the garden that was full with longrass and unkempt bushes was finally taken care of.


    So far, the ruined estate was half renovated. But it was still in an eptable state for normal living standards.


    Kahn did it because this was the only ce the dying alchemist had left. So he wanted it to at least be presentable before the leshen passed away.


    Inside the master bedroom, Prithvi was in the bed, his countenance had turned like a defeated person. His body looked even more dried up and even his arms and legs had small cracks all over them. Beside him, Albestros was sitting on a chair.


    In the past few days, his body had stopped responding to his mind and he could no longer even get out of the bed. Even breathing had be a chore for him and his appearance looked simr to a dried husk.


    "Tell me, old friend.. What do you wish to do after this? Do you n to settle down in the capital?" asked Prithvi in a hoarse tone.


    "Don''t talk.. You need to rest properly." replied Albestros.


    "Who.. Are.. We.. Kidding. I can see myself embracing the afterlife soon. Answer me.."


    "Well, I and the kid did n to do so. After my children were avenged.. I finally felt like it was time to move on and start anew. As a matter of fact, we came to meet you thinking you could help us a bit. But your situation was.. Unexpected." spoke the old man.


    "You know, Alby.. The only regret I have at this point is that I never truly lived for myself. I always lived to meet someone else''s expectations of me. Although I don''t regret all those years I spent studying and performing alchemy.. I still haven''t been able to make peace with my fate.." said Prithvi and a small tear droplet fell from hispletely ck eyes.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Kahn entered the room, he was dressed in a white shirt and brown trousers.


    "Sir Prithvi.. I have informed your family a couple of days ago about your current health. But.." before he couldplete his words, the grandmaster alchemist spoke.


    "But none of them came. I see.. So they would not evene for my passing rite.." spoke Prithvi with a heavy heart.


    "I will leave you two alone." said Kahn and left the room.


    "Alby.. There''s something I want you to do for me." spoke Prithvi and discussed about an important matter.


    The next day at the time of evening..


    Prithvi passed away.


    Despite informing about his current state to several people he knew in past.. There were only Kahn, Albestros & the Druids who carried the funeral procedure present at this moment.


    As the sunset happened and only the two men who performed the passage rite instead of someone from Prithvi''s next of kin stood at the corner of the garden, where they buried the pitiful old Leshen, Albestros spoke with a heavy heart..


    "You know.. I never truly had many people whom I could call a friend in 70 years of my life. And it was the same for him. But the bond between us was like brothers.


    He and I started as apprentices at the same time in the capital in shops next to each other. And since we both were full of passion.. We would talk over various things about our respective professions.


    I didn''t understand anything he was saying & neither did he about what I said. But he was the kind to value friendship and ethics.


    He was a very quick learner and his mind was always looking for new information and possibilities like a researcher. There was even a time when he almost burned his house trying to make a new kind of potion.


    I''m sure if he knew about what happened to me, he would''ve done everything in his power to help me.


    He.. He deserved better." spoke the old man with a heavy heart and eyes full of tears as he stood in front of his old friend''s grave.


    "First it was Jessica.. And now him. Maybe I am a curse; everyone I know & have any rtionship to ends up dying." he said.


    Kahn put a hand on the old man''s shoulder.


    "It''s not your fault. Life hasn''t been kind to many of us. Everyone suffers in their own ways." spoke Kahn, trying to console the old man.


    "He died with nothing but regret. He wanted to live more.. He wanted to finally live for himself at least once." said Albestros.


    The next second, he took out a set of deeds from his space ring.


    "What are those?" asked Kahn with a curious expression.


    "The ownership deed of this mansion & the old building of hispany. The only two things he owned till thest days of his life. I refused but he passed on their ownership to me yesterday." exined Albestros.


    "Wait.. Doesn''t it look like we took advantage of sir Prithvi and goaded into him giving you this deed as hisst will? Wouldn''t his familye for the mansion & that building?" asked Kahn.


    This was indeed a reasonable question as many people did take advantage of dying people and used the fake care & love they gave them in theirst moments to get properties and something in the final will.


    "Let those bastardse! I''m going to remind them of what they did and why their father passed it to me." spoke the old man in an angered tone.


    Kahn sighed but looked at the grave once more. He too felt very sad for the old alchemist.


    Because dying alone and with regrets was the worst kind of death in his opinion as he too once suffered through the same fate.


    At this moment, Kahn touched the grave with his hand and his eyes were filled with a form of resolution.


    After the midnight finally came, the bright moonlight and chilling breeze gave the night a serene and tranquil feeling.


    At this moment, in front of the grave of the deceased Prithvi, stood 3 figures d in ck.


    On the other end, inside the mansion.. A mage suddenly appeared out of the shadows in Albestros''s bedroom and cast a Silence Barrier.


    In the garden, the 3 figures started digging out the grave of the deceased leshen.


    A fourth figure suddenly appeared behind them.


    "Do it carefully. His body shouldn''t be damaged in any way." spoke the fourth person.


    It was none other than Kahn who was standing behind them with both his arms folded behind the back.


    The 3 figures digging the grave and the mage inside Albestros''s room were the new members of Legion. The ones he created from the battlefield where he saved Szayel.


    When the body was carefully dug out of the ground, Kahn noticed the pained and regretful expression on Prithvi''s face. Even in hisst moments, the grandmaster alchemist died without peace.


    "I know what I''m doing is called desecrating the dead.. But I want to give you another chance and a way to live." spoke Kahn and ced his hand on Prithvi''s body.


    "Absorb."manded Kahn.


    After 30 minutes, he was done absorbing the body of the deceased leshen. But this wasn''t the end..


    "Armin.." spoke Kahn and suddenly, the Priest subordinate who was resurrected over a week ago jumped out of his shadow.


    He looked at this subordinate who was made from the bodies of Healers & Druids. Just like everyone from the Six Generals, he too was a Variant but Kahn never had a proper body to upgrade him.


    "System, impart Metamorphosis bloodline to him. And merge him with Prithvi." ordered Kahn.


    [Command epted. Synthesis procedure initiated.]


    After one full hour, the synthesis procedure was finally done and Armin, who had already reached 100% Loyalty took a human form.


    Prithvi was a Level 120 Peak Grandmaster Rank individual. So Armin straight up met the conditions and rose to High Lord rank since Prithvi''s core was also used in this procedure.


    A brown-haired young man, who had green aura and archaic tattoos over his forehead & forearms came to be.


    Kahn passed him a set of white regal clothes made for Healer ss that he found in one of the space rings he looted recently.


    At this moment, Armin who was always the silent kind, spoke to his master.


    "Master.. There is a remnant will of this person. It wants to merge with my consciousness. It wants to.. Keep living." he revealed.


    "I see. ept it. It won''t make you a different person or control your mind. But it will give you some personality traits of the owner of that will." replied Kahn.


    He already had seen the effects of being affected by someone''s remnant will like he had with the deceased mother Somir.


    "Yes, master" spoke Armin and the next second.. A green halo formed around his head and his entire body released a burst of aura.


    The next moment, however.. The system gave Kahn a notification in his head.


    [Congrattions to the host for upgrading the subordinate named Armin to a new profession.


    The subordinate has unlocked a Legendary rank ss¡­


    THE PATHFINDER.]


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    Author : Armin Human form Reference Art in chapterments. Check it out.

 Chapter 155: The Pathfinder

    <h4>Chapter 155: The Pathfinder</h4>


    Kahn looked at Armin in disbelief after hearing the message from the system. His entire body was rooted on the spot.


    His shocked & stunned countenance was clearly visible to all his subordinates.


    "System, show me Armin''s real stats & skills." ordered Kahn.


    [Following are the Statistics, abilities & skills for the subordinate named Armin :


    Name : Armin


    Species : Heshen (Variant Hermit)


    Job : The Pathfinder (Legendary ss)


    Rank : High Lord


    Level : 87


    Strength : 1175


    Agility : 690


    Dexterity : 2503


    Defense : 1276


    Mana : 3280


    Following are the Physical abilities & skills :


    Flora & Fauna (A Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to make an innate telepathic connection with nt & Animal lifeforms. The subordinate canmand such lifeforms through his will.


    ---------------


    Following are the Magical abilities & skills :


    Atonement (S Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can remove 3 status ailments & debuffs at once from allies present in 500 meter radius. The range of the ability will risk with an increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Restoration (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to heal allies to their previous physical state one minute ago.


    Note : This skill does not work on deceased allies.


    ---------------


    Guardian Spectre (S Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can grant 2 times physical attack and defense buff to all the allies in a 500 meter radius using mana threads.


    ---------------


    Chain Heal (S Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can heal up to 18 allies at once in 300 meter radius.


    ---------------


    Elixir of Life (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to instantly regenerate?80% of a single ally''s health and physical wounds.


    ---------------


    Brewing (S Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate has received an innate sense of understanding the effects of herbs and medicines.


    This ability may help in fastening the Alchemy procedure.


    ---------------


    Infusion (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to mix different elements in Potions and Medicines, giving the special elemental attributes.


    ---------------


    Cell Control (SS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can control the bodies of any nt life or monsters.


    ---------------


    Resurrection (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to bring back any ally or individual after the short time of their death.


    Note : The Host is an exclusion to this ability as all the subordinates will die after the host has died.


    The Resurrection procedure will require 10,000 A Rank mana cores or ores to sessfully resurrect an ally in their peak state.


    ---------------


    Soul Reformation (LEGENDARY RANK) (Active) :


    The subordinate can heal the damage done to anyone''s soul over time and even make it stronger by two times.] replied the system.


    Kahn was shocked, stunned and bbergasted. Based on the abilities alone, Armin had be a Legendary rank subordinate. Because some of his abilities had exceeded any Grandmaster rank healer, druid and even alchemist alchemists could gain.


    And as per his information.. Elixir of Life, Resurrection & Soul Reformation were the type of abilities that even Saint Rank Healers didn''t have.


    If Kahn was right as per the books he read, then Resurrection was an ability only the Pope & Priestess of Churches & Religious cults had. So Armin was alreadyparable to them even though he wasn''t even on their level yet.


    And as his rank & levels rose, his abilities & skills would rise to a whole different level. On the same rank, those people couldn''t even touch his shadow.


    But the biggest & most unbelievable ability was the Soul Reformation.


    God of Darkness had already made it clear that the more Divine Abilities one had, the more consumption of Soul Essence will be as you rose higher in Rank & Levels. And that''s why Kahn only chose 3 Divine Abilities at max because more would adversely affect himter.


    But with Armin''s Legendary ability.. Maybe in the future, he could handle more? And there''s also the effect of making your soul twice stronger & curing the damage done to it.


    Although he might not be able to yield the most benefits of these abilities in his current state. But if he ever rose to the rank of a Demi-God, he''d be a Leviathan amongst other Heroes with Armin''s help.


    Of all his Subordinates.. Armin by far had the most OP abilities. And he would definitely y a pivotal role in Kahn''s future.


    "System, how did he suddenly unlock the Pathfinder ss?" asked Kahn out of curiosity.


    [The Pathfinder ss is one of the most ancient and rarest ss, only found in those who study and belong to Healer, Druids and Alchemy sses. The subordinate name Armin had only met the two conditions previously but after the subordinate was merged with the individual named Prithvi Aranya, the subordinate gained all the prerequisite abilities and met the requirements to invoke this ss.


    The host is advised to upgrade the subordinate to at least Mythical Rank to see theplete and maximum effects of this Legendary ss.]


    "That I will." spoke Kahn and nodded in approval.


    All Kahn wanted to do was give Prithvi, the Grandmaster Alchemist another chance and a way to keep on living as the pitiful leshen died with nothing but regret and sadness.


    His act of kindness towards a person who suffered the same fate as him, yielded an unexpected oue.


    Sometimes, being kind can also turn out to your benefit.


    Although, Kahn tended to be a more cynical type of person in this new life.. His own sense of humanity & moral code yielded a reward that he would forever be grateful for.


    At this moment, Armin spoke to Kahn.


    "Master, the body you merged with me has too much toxicity. I will need some weeks to detox and purify it so I can function at the best of my capabilities."


    "I see. Take your time. I will call upon you when there''s a need for you." replied Kahn.


    Armin merged in his shadow and the other subordinates filled the grave to the state it was before.


    Kahn looked at the brightly shining moon which appeared pure and pristine. The sense of achieving something for the better out of kindness was a first for him.


    Kahn felt a form of peace at this moment and spoke.


    "Maybe it doesn''t hurt being a good guy once in a while.."


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    Author : Sorry guys, the frequency of the chapters may decrease for a week or so. I''m injured and typing with just one hand is really hard.. Let alone type an entire chapter. Sorry in advance.

 Chapter 156: The Business Plan

    <h4>Chapter 156: The Business n</h4>


    Kahn woke up the next morning with calm and fresh mind. The first thought in his mind was?about something they were going to do today. Because this day would mark a significant change in his life.


    Since he could no longer do dungeon hunting or killing people to get strong and raise his levels, he had nned to open a new business along with Albestros.


    This way, he would gain money and resources and won''t have to resort to violence for some time. And it was also about time when he finally used his experience as an ountant from his previous life.


    Kahn took a cold bath, got freshened up and went downstairs to the kitchen where Albestros was already preparing breakfast for both of them.


    "Kid, you''re awake." spoke the old man.


    "Yeah.. I feel very refreshed and also excited." he replied.


    "So what''s going to be our n? I only have the experience of running a smallpany. But the type of business we''re trying to set up would require us to have thousands of workers, long-term consignments and rich consumers. Otherwise, we''re no different than a vegetable vendor." spoke Albestros.


    "You should leave that to me. Although I''m new to this as well, I already know the most important basics of starting a big and stable business." spoke Kahn.


    "Enlighten me.."


    "The first.. Assess the market before opening your doors. Understand the industry you wish to enter, as well as its major yers and your futurepetitors.


    If we can''t offer something better and at a cheaper price, then we might as well leave this thought. Because ourpetition would be an established enterprise and we''re basically trying to steal their food; right in their territory.


    In the beginning, there will be many losses that we will have to go through. The organization itself won''t be in harmony. And people we hire won''t be loyal either. That''s why many big businesses value their employees who can go for a long ride with them. Rest are there just for the money and easily expandable.


    And naturally, we will have to create an environment suitable for the workers in a way that thepany feels like a second home for them.


    Once they''re working as one unit, the efficiency & production will increase. For the first month itself, we should focus on covering the marginal cost rather than gaining profits.


    Thus, the amount of starting capital needs to be decided before we even start. Because we will have to spend most of it on resources, supplies and distributors. Otherwise, we will never be able to expand quickly." he exined.


    "I see. What''s the second?" asked the cksmith.


    "The second is.. Know your audience. A defined and targeted market will help us gain a better and repeating customer base.


    We need those people who would be our long-time consumers andpletely rely on us for the service we''re offering. The one time customers can only offer a chummy change even if they bring more people. There''s a limit on how much a small number of customers can do. So we will need to aim for the big sharks first, the prawns can be prioritized uponter.


    And this is where the Vandereich nes in." he borated.


    "You mean their connections, right?" asked the old man.


    "Yes. But no."


    "The best customer is always the big organizations until we be a household name.


    After our deal, the Vandereich n would be doing direct business with us as far as weapons & armors are concerned. Unlike the other Grandmaster cksmiths who also work independently.. We need this n''s support even if we get branded as part of their faction.


    Because those who critique you don''t pay your bills. The business should be structured to meet the demands, expectations and emotions of the people whoe to buy things from you.


    Once the word spreads, not just their single n; but other ns from their faction would also be more inclined to do business with us.


    The direct jump we will be making in the first few months alone would save us years of struggle in gaining the rich customer base that we normally wouldn''t get in the beginning phases.


    And since the n is also getting a cut, they would also be spreading the word about ourpany from the shadows."


    "Wait, doesn''t that mean we''repletely relying on them for our business to flourish?" asked Albestros.


    "In a way, yes. But in the long term, they won''t have a true hold on us because of various reasons.


    One reason being that they''re not the investors and don''t own any shares in ourpany in any way. The second would be that we''re not dependent on them for the long term.


    Of course, they might try to affect our business and even ward off our customers with their connections if the rtionship between us sours.. But that will only happen if we''re also relying on them for the manpower, security and management.


    And that''s why we will have to be independent of them as soon as we can. And I have some ns for that as well.


    All we have to do is not make deals with people from their opponent''s side and we will have their backing on the surface. That should be more than enough to avoid unnecessary trouble from the small fries.


    Only those with big backing would dare to mess around with us." Kahn exined his foresight.


    "I see. I presume there''s a third?.." asked the cksmith.


    "Definitely. The third is.. Understand when, how and to whom you pay taxes and fees.


    The bigger thepany and more jobs we create.. the government will give us a subsidy or tax exemption ordingly. It can also increase our profits on an annual basis and the business will easily cover our initial losses from the beginning months.


    Since both of us don''t have any credibility to our name and the money I have came from unknown sources, no established bank would give us a loan. So if the business bombs.. It will be us taking aplete loss, nobody else."


    Kahn sighed and continued again..


    "The fourth is.. decide on the story or emotions you''re selling through marketing, advertising and word of mouth." he said.


    "What? Isn''t your work and craftsmanship makes the biggest difference?" asked the old man.


    Because that''s how Albestros had run his previouspany years ago.


    "Yes, it does.. But you''re forgetting that we''re not selling paintings or any art. We''re selling weapons and armors.


    The swiftly your weapon kills, the happier your customer is. And you can always make it look elegant and artistic anyway. That would even sell for a higher price." spoke Kahn as he ate the breakfast.


    Albestros on the other hand looked at Kahn with angered eyes as if Kahn had greatly disrespected their craft.


    "Now let me exin.. Even if your work is the best in the world, it will never sell for a reasonable price unless there''s a story and brand value of the maker attached to it.


    In our case.. You are our poster boy. And the story is that the work was done by a Grandmaster cksmith.


    That fact alone will be enough to sell our product. And the more reputation and poprity you gain over time.. The more money we make." spoke Kahn and gave a slightly sinister smirk.


    As if a greedy and heartless business tycoon was looking at a goldmine.


    Even Albestros felt a shiver in his bones after looking at the young man next to him.


    "I get it. What''s next?" he asked.


    Kahn''s face turned serious the next moment. As the next topic yed a very important part in their ns.


    "Next.. Let''s visit thepany building."


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    Author : Join our Discord to discuss plots, spoilers, get your Reference Arts for Characters you won''t get on pirate sites.


    Link : https://discord.gg/JPBM7SrdDB

 Chapter 157: Starting Anew

    <h4>Chapter 157: Starting Anew</h4>


    South-West area of Rukon District, this part was just as bustling as with people, simr to the areas when Kahn & Albestros came from when they first came here.


    But Kahn was surprised after realizing thatpared to other areas, this side of the district didn''t have any big smithy or alchemy enterprise.


    Themerce here was done mostly on agriculture & clothing. For a moment, he even felt like they traveled in a different city by mistake.


    After enquiring about the location of the site for nearly 2 hours and changing three different modes of transportation, the duo finally reached in front of the previous headquarters of the Darvin Alchemy Enterprise. The 4 kilometers long and two kilometer widepany headquarter was currently sealed with magical arrays & formations.


    Although the majority of them weren''t as effective as before & the protection barriers had visible cracks in them, Kahn could feel that Prithvi had paid quite a sum to have this area sealed & had a deathly entrapment formation protecting the building from invaders.


    There were multiple rusted warning boards in all four sides of this vicinity. So unless someone knowingly wanted to die.. They wouldn''t dare invade inside this private property.


    The duo now stood in front of the old and rusted gate that was 20 meters wide.


    Albestros took and the deed to the site and activated a seal ced on it in front of the gates.


    The gates suddenly opened, their screeching noise already gave Kahn a hint on how he should be prepared just to renovate the building. As soon as the gate was fully opened and he saw what was inside.. Kahn felt a sudden pain in his chest.


    "Given the sight.. I may have to spend a million just to make this ce habitable." spoke Kahn.


    The mainpany headquarters was a 3 stories building big enough to function as a manufacturing factory. Based on his assumption, it could easily house at least four thousand workers at once. And there were a lot of areas for storage & to even use as an open training ground for soldiers.


    Just like the mansion, this area too was festered with weed and trees. And this was just the entrance, they hadn''t even opened the main door of the building. Who knew what kind of nt life had marked it as their territory.


    After spending two hours and inspecting the entire ce, deciding what kind of renovations & rebuilding they''d require in order to start off their cksmithing enterprise.


    "This ce isn''t so bad. We can do well here as we''re new. Don''t you think?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. But I''m worried about the customer base we make here. Unlike the other areas, this part of the district doesn''t have many weapon shops, not big enough to be enough threat to us.


    But what I don''t understand is why hasn''t anyone created their ownpany here?" asked Albestros out of curiosity.


    "It''s called Market getting saturated. I think a majority of those people think that the main trading happens in a particr area and having a shop there is most profitable for them. And because of this assumption, majority of the shops have been opened in the same part of the district since the entire market itself functions economically through themerce happening in that area." replied Kahn.


    "Wait, doesn''t that mean we are at a disadvantage here?"


    "Not really. Here.. We don''t have any bigpetitors to begin with. And we can peacefully start ourpany without much problem. Plus I think it''s for the better." spoke Kahn and gave a slight grin.


    "What do you mean?" asked the old cksmith.


    "Rather than opening a shop where most of the wolves are fighting in a turf war.. I say we create our own turf instead.


    Even though it doesn''t have the economical advantage in terms of customers andmerce influx, it can be the exclusive thing for the people living in this area.


    Plus, we don''t want to start with a bang.. But with a whistle, until we are big enough to y with the big boys." he exined.


    "Makes sense. Although the majority of the building will be used for manufacturing goods, the front side can be used for setting the management team and conducting business." spoke Albestros.


    "That''s what I thought. It may not be the most idealistic location to start off a big business as per the consumer base we require.. But it''s also not a bad ce to begin." nodded Kahn.


    "Once we set up all the required facilities, we can register and get a license for our business. All of it will be in your name." he said.


    "Kid.. Are you sure? You''re the real owner after all. I will just be the face of it. Although my part will be no different than doing half of the work like crafting weapons, having my name on thepany.. It''s still too much for you to not own it on your name." replied Albestros.


    "Trust me, old man. I know what I''m doing. Besides, if I ever get into trouble that could drag down others with me, this business won''t be targeted and your life won''t be put in jeopardy. I''d rather count the profits from behind the desk than have my face on the banner.


    I can also act as your main bodyguard or the right-hand man for the public eyes and manage everything from the shadows. This way, no one would suspect me of being the real owner." exined Kahn.


    "Why? Do you trust me that much?" asked Albestros.


    "Oh.. Are you nning to betray me or something?" asked Kahn mischievously.


    Although he appeared too trustworthy to the Grandmaster cksmith.. Kahn had already learned his lesson of not trusting anyone blindly after his fight with Arkham and Solomon. So he was going to y the act of a partner in crime on the surface while having means to keep an eye on the old man.


    "Anyways. Are you finally ready.." asked Kahn as he spoke again in an exhrated tone.


    "To start the first chapter of our new life."

 Chapter 158: The Setup

    <h4>Chapter 158: The Setup</h4>


    Two weekster, thepany building was finally cleared of its trash, webs, dpidated parts and anything that had cracks on it.


    Kahn hired a reputed renovation & interior designingpany. They were given a deadline of 4 weeks until the opening.


    Meanwhile, Kahn was in touch with Szayel. He knew how hard it was for someone without powerful connections to get a business license and permit to start a manufacturingpany.


    Although he had all the documentation and necessary proof required to prove it was a legit business, Kahn knew that he could also get the permit by bribing the people in charge with a hefty sum. But why waste extra cash when you can ask your powerful backer for help?


    And as he expected, the Vandereich n had some of their people working in this sector of government too. All it took was a word from Szayel and in just two weeks, Kahn had the permit and all the documented certificates to officially open their business.


    Meanwhile, they had used various worker hiringpanies who acted as a the medium to help you hire skilledborers based on the type of work experience and skillsets you need. The one in charge to inspect and personally conducting these interviews was Albestros himself.


    Kahn did not dare to meddle in the interviews because some things should be left to the real experts.


    His part was to conduct interviews and approve candidates they''d need for logistics and management. And so far, things had been going in their favor. In the span of two weeks alone, they had sessfully hired 800 workers.


    Five hundred of them were normalborers they''d require for transportation of goods, processing of the products and aid the main apprentices and normal cksmiths in forging procedure. Since the tools rted to forging weapons and armors were advanced from the standard methods Kahn had read in novels and even watched the videos on the inte, he was not worried about the inefficiency of production.


    Out of the remaining workers, hundred and thirty were the forgers varying from normal to intermediate rank. Albestros had personally handpicked them after scouring from over 2 thousand candidates.


    Our of the rest, Kahn chose nearly hundred peoifor security and the remaining 70 were trained & experienced people for logistics, management and maintenance.


    All of their employees various from different species and races so he wasn''t worried about a certain group dominating the work environmentter.


    Currently, Kahn was the head of Logistics and Security in the name.


    Although they could''ve easily hired more than two thousand employees.. The business hadn''t even started and he didn''t want to rely on the Vandereich n for the manpower.


    It would be no different than nting someone''s spies in your own ranks.


    The best thing Kahn found during the interviews was that the contract system was not only documented but also had magic ying a big part in it. If you sign a contract for working for someone for a certain amount of time and agree on the terms of payment.. The employer could also choose a Blood-Bind contract.


    This contract cost him over 200 Gold coins for each of the employees and normally, it would be seen as foolish for a starting business to go through this type of agreement. But Kahn was more interested in the benefits that came with this type of contract.


    The employee can not divulge any form of inside information rted to their work to anyone outside or someone from thepetition. Whatever type of work they do should not leave thepany. No form of treason to the employer was allowed after signing this contract. If the employee broke any of the terms mentioned in the contract, they would lose a working body part as punishment through the magic seal that was ced upon their body.


    To Kahn, who had already learned to be cautious and prepare for backstabbing at any moment, this was like a godsend help conditioned to meet his requirements.


    Because he''d rather have troublemaker employees who''d be loyal to him than having abiding and sweet-talking snakes.


    The former could be disciplined but thetter was always a threat.


    When he revealed the contract during the final stages of recruitment, out of the three hundred candidates he chose, only seventy remained as soon as they heard that it was a Blood-Bind contract. That had segregated the people that actually needed the job and threw out all the possible spies from theirpetition who would certainly keep an eye on their rising rival.


    The remaining matter was setting the working environment, equipment and machinery they required for production, processing and storage.


    That single aspect took the vast majority of his capital. And Kahn almost felt like starting the business at this scale was a mistake.


    But from his previous life''s experience, he knew the most fundamental rule of gaining wealth.


    TO MAKE MONEY, YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY.


    If he backs out now, everything will go in vain.


    As for the material and resources suppliers and the distributors who would sell their product to small-time shops at the manufacturing cost, he again asked the help from the vampire n heir as they could provide him a deal using their name. And as a result, the people Kahn made deals with offered him discounts one wouldn''t get without creating strong connections in high ces.


    Kahn had basically jumped ropes and all the struggles one would normally face before opening a business of this scale.


    His decision to save Szayel that day, risking getting mixed in their faction wars and even face the n leader of the vampires in a duel had turned out extremely fruitful and saved him a lot of time and trouble.


    And all of this was just the beginning phase.


    Later, he would have to hire more than two thousand employees, hire more professionals and security, purchase materials in bigger bulks along with paying for taxes, advertisements and various means to make their enterprise famous through word of mouth.


    So far, out of the 21 million gold coins he had by robbing the Dead such as Dormammu, Arkham, Solomon, the people who attacked Szayel.. Kahn had to spend more than 15 million just for setting up the groundwork.


    All of this was nothing but foundational work for a sessful business. He knew that the main struggle would start after they officially opened.


    But he had enough confidence in himself and he was no longer afraid of taking big risks like his previous life.


    And as for thepany name.. Both Kahn and Albestros agreed upon a decent and subtle name..


    THE BLOODBORNE

 Chapter 159: The Visitors

    <h4>Chapter 159: The Visitors</h4>


    Another week had passed by as the preparation forunching their smithing enterprise, BLOODBORNE came close.


    The reasoning Kahn gave Albestros when suggesting this name was that the name implied creating something precious with your hard work and sweat & blood.


    It signifies Rebirth and Perseverance.


    But in reality.. It was just because he loved the Bloodborne video game as he was once Dark Souls yer during his gaming days of the youth.


    But since he couldn''t just name the shop as Dark Souls or Sekiro : Shadows Die Twice.. Which would give a grim feeling to the business itself, he had to choose Bloodborne. And once he spread fake stories about what the name signifies, people would be more curious about the shop.


    And those who needed weapons & armor because of their professions will naturally love the ring to the name of thepany. Just the word ''Blood'' would subconsciously make them feel attached to the brand. Because those who handled weapons had a kinship to blood and battle in a way. And that was Kahn''s targeted audience.


    And once the news spread, Kahn would also tangle Albestros who is a Peak Grandmaster Rank cksmith and his story about how this was his Redemption. The number of customers they''d get in the future will be in the thousands.


    In the early stages, he was relentlessly working and creating connections with people and even looking for the best ways to make advertisements in the district. He had to n it all and hence, Kahn was currently extremely busy.


    Every new ce or someone rted to their deals had to be personally visited by him on behalf of the Grandmaster cksmith who was supposedly busy with making high-end weapons and armors. His attire was no different than that of a young heir of some noble n. That way, he made a good impression on the people he met.


    Kahn was careful not to reveal his identity as the true owner to anyone.


    On the opposite end of Rukon district, Albestros had returned to their mansion after the exhausting work of training noobs on how to do their job properly.


    In the past two weeks, they had the mansionpletely renovated and it had be their home in every way. New nts and elegant-looking trees were nted. A tombstone was added on Prithvi''s supposed grave and over a dozen servants were hired to cook, clean, manage gardens and security.


    Since Kahn''s subordinates didn''t actually look like normal people, he had to go for real folks to look after the mansion.


    Albestros had freshened up and was now enjoying his aromatic ck tea brought by one of their new maids.


    "Heidi, this tea is very refreshing. Good job." spoke the old man.


    "Thank you, sir. Let me know if you need anything else." said the Elven maid with brown hair & green eyes as she nodded and left the old man alone.


    The quiet & peaceful surroundings of the area they lived in, made the old man remember about the time when he was at the peak of his poprity back in the day.


    He sipped the fragrant tea and reveled in the taste. But just then, he heard of amotion outside of the mansion. The shouting and quarreling was so loud that it could be heard even inside his room.


    Boom!!


    A loud boom resounded at the entrance of the mansion. The two master rank guards that Kahn hired were flung 20 meters in the air as the iron gate itself was broken in two.


    Albestros who heard themotion quickly ran out of the mansion and saw the two guards lying on the ground.


    "Simon, Howie.. What happened?" asked Albestros to the guards.


    Simon, one of the guards who was a blue wolfkin pointed at the gate that was still covered under a cloud of dust as if an explosion had happened.


    "Well well.. Aren''t you having a merry life after duping a dying person." a sharp and mocking voice came as the dust settled and revealed three tall figures.


    As the voice fell on his ears, Albestros instantly recognized the voice and his face turned enraged.


    Two of these figures were 4 meter tall leshens with green humanoid bodies and clothes that revealed some of the tree leavesing out of them. One of them was fat and bulky in appearance while the other was slim and nimble based on looks.


    "Rimuru and Velodora, what the hell do you think you''re doing here?" asked Albestros after recognizing the Visitors.


    They were none other than Rimuru & Velodora, the two sons of Prithvi, the Grandmaster Alchemist.


    The selfish and heartless sons who left the ill leshen at the hands of fate and even backstabbed their own father because of greed. They didn''t even bothering to his funeral to carry the rite of passage.


    "We''re here to take what is rightfully ours, uncle Albestros." spoke Velodora, the fat son.


    "Rightfully yours you say.. I''m sure even the clothes you''re wearing came because of the money you got by backstabbing your father. To think that you two have the gall toe here and im hisst remaining memory. Don''t you know what this ce meant to him?" spoke Albestros in an angered tone. He then pointed towards the tombstone ced on the far end of the garden.


    "That''s where your father is buried. Rather than going there to first see his tomb, you''re here to cause a scene and ask for the mansion. Can the two of you be any more shameless?!" shouted the old man.


    "You think you can fool us, old man?! We''re sure you scammed him into giving the house and thepany building. We also heard how you''re opening your shop there. You think we''re idiots to not see through your lies?" argued back Rimuru, the slim one from the two sons.


    Albestros quickly took out the deed to the mansion and the building from his space ring and showed them from a distance.


    "Look at it, you scoundrels. It''s a Blood-Bind deed. It doesn''t work if someone is forced into passing their belongings to someone. Besides, I didn''t even want this ce. It was your father who willingly gave it to me.


    And he had me promise him that I will look after this mansion.. Hisst remnant. So no way in seven hells I''m going to give it to you and break the promise I made to my old friend." dered Albestros.


    His eyes were full of anger and his fist was clenched tight. He wanted nothing but to beat the shit out of these two unfilial sons who left their father for dead.


    "Hah.. We knew you would say something like that. And that''s why we have brought sir Ranga with us!" spoke Rimuru in a condescending tone.


    Then, the 3rd figure who was standing behind them walked in front. It was a 5 meter tall and muscr humanoid figure whose entire body was covered in white bone-like exoskeleton armor. Only the portion from his waist was covered in clothes and the rest of the body was filled with spiky bones.


    This warrior who had a long boney scythe in his hand was a Botir. One of the new species Kahn had seen in Rathna when they were touring through the capital..


    [[Author : Reference Art for Botir Warrior in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    "Listen, old human. I don''t care what problem is there between you and them. But I have been paid already so I''ll give you one final chance." spoke the Botir in a ghastly tone that was enough to give children nightmares.


    "Pass on the ownership to my employers and I''ll let you go. Refuse and I''ll cut you down limb from limb. And while doing so.. I''m gonna enjoy it!" threatened the Botir with a skull-like face.


    "Dream on!" spoke Albestros with a resolute face.


    BOOM!!


    The very next second, a loud burst of aura was released from the Botir and filled the entire area of this entrance and the garden. And a yellow aura full of bloodlust was released on the old man. Even the master rank guards caved in under this horrifying pressure.


    This was the aura of a Peak Grandmaster Rank warrior!


    Albestros was forced to drop on his knees and he barely managed to lift his head under this aura of the botir. His countenance was full of pain but the old man was trying to resist this pressure with all of his strength.


    Even though he himself was a Grandmaster Rank cksmith.. His strength was only enough for his profession and his physical build wasn''t enough to fight someone. And neither was he wasn''t trained to fight.


    "So you''ve chosen death." dered the Botir and his heavy footsteps filled the surrounding.


    There was a 20 meter distance between them, but the aura this Botir warrior disyed was more than enough to suppress all three individuals that stood in front of him.


    He brandished his scythe as a shrill noise came out of it. Ready to reap the life of the old man.


    But before he could even reach halfway..


    Stab!


    An epic rank dagger was thrown in front of him at the ground.


    Boom!!


    The very next second, a loud and enormous burst of ck and green aura came from behind Albestros andpletely threw off the aura pressure of the botir warrior.


    A slim figure d inpletely ck hunting gear suddenly appeared from behind Albestros. This slim human picked up the kneeling grandmaster cksmith.


    Next, he looked at the botir warrior and the two leshens that came here to cause trouble. They even went as far as drawing their weapon on the old man who was trying to keep a promise he made to a deceased friend.


    This young and handsome man who had the left side of his face covered in a ck mask stood in between the Botir & Albestros.


    The next second, he stared at the 3 individuals that came here with an expression as if he was looking at three dead bodies.


    His grim and ghastly voice along with his dark green eyes were full of bloodlust as he spoke.


    "Let me see if you have the ability to do so."


    This person was none other than Kahn''s left hand man..


    RONIN!

 Chapter 160: The Warrior & The Assassin

    <h4>Chapter 160: The Warrior & The Assassin</h4>


    Ronin, who had been hiding in Albestros''s shadow all this time finally showed up as soon as the old man''s life was a stake.


    Kahn who always thought of a backup n when it came to doing something or keeping an eye on someone, had ordered Ronin to safeguard the old man by hiding in shadow in case he wasn''t around.


    Albestros had a very important part to y in their business enterprise and in a way, he was the surface owner. It was his name and skills they''d need to use in order to run their shop. So no way Kahn wouldn''t take measures to safeguard the old grandmaster cksmith.


    He didn''t trust any of the external help and they were all part of the security on the name only. The real security was Ronin who also had the ability to perfectly merge inside a shadow.


    And ever since Kahn unlocked the Impartation Skill after Omega & Six Generals were revived, Ronin had received all Kahn''s Assassin skills including the merged abilities he created.


    "Go inside, I''ll handle this." spoke Ronin in his sharp and soul-shuddering grim voice that contradicted his gentle and calm-looking appearance.


    Albestros nodded and left with the two guards to hide inside the mansion. He knew about the strength of this servant of Kahn who worked for him since they met in vot city. So he understood the situation.


    "And who allowed you to leave?" suddenly, the Botir warrior spoke in a ghastly tone.


    His aura rose again as he looked at Ronin with contempt.


    "I am a warrior and you''re an assassin. Without the element of surprise, you''ve already lost all the advantage you had. Do you really think you can fight against me on even terms?" dered Arsen.


    As soon as Albestros and the two guards ran towards the mansion entrance, Ronin didn''t waste any time on a chitchat and quickly threw four fear toxin bombs towards the trio.


    And in just 3 seconds, the surrounding area waspletely filled with a dense white fog. The countenance of the warrior became serious because normally, smoke bombs didn''t spread around this quickly.


    Ronin who quickly disappeared inside the fog that was surrounding Arsen, Mongel & Tivospletely hid his aura and started releasing the fear toxin to the best of his ability.


    "Your petty tricks don''t work on me you damn assassin!" shouted the botir and another burst of his aura was released to throw off the fog around them.


    But the next moment, the peak grandmaster warrior was surprised as the fog hadn''t waned in the slightest.


    Swoosh!


    A ck shadow suddenly passed from behind Arsen and even his keen senses had failed to detect Ronin.


    [How.. How did I not sense him?] he asked himself and quickly took a defensive stand.


    "Sir Arsen, please protect us.." spoke Mongel who was cowering in fear at this point. They hadn''t expected another peak grandmaster protecting the old man.


    "Shut the fuck up! You''re by yourself!" replied Arsen.


    He didn''t care about his employer''s life at this point. He had been paid already and had to kill this opponent if he wanted to get out of here.. alive.


    But before he could detect Ronin again, a ck extension with a spear-like tip suddenly came from his left and stabbed in the small gaps of the exoskeleton armor on his right leg.


    The tendons on his right foot were stabbed and cut out by the extension and they disappeared into the fog in the next moment.


    "Ar!" grunted the Arsen. The biggest advantage he had over Ronin was that his body waspletely covered in bone-like armor. Which was no less sturdy than metal alloy armor.


    So Ronin didn''t have many openings to attack the scythe user. Plus the scythe itself was a long-range weapon that could cut him in half if he made a wrong move.


    Arsen started swinging his aura-infused attacks randomly, not even caring if they hit Mongel or Tivos by ident. Just that single attack alone made him take Ronin seriously because somehow, his senses were dulling.


    Stab!


    His left thigh was stabbed as he was moving randomly inside the fog. He charged in one direction to get outside of the fog only to find that the entire garden itself was covered in this mist. At this point, he couldn''t even see or sense his employers.


    To Mongel & Tivos who were not even master rank warriors, this whole grim and deathly surrounding had scared them to death.


    After the fear toxin started showing its effect, the duo was horrified so much that their legs stopped moving.


    "Ahrr!!" another shrill cry filled with pain resounded in the surrounding. But the next moment, both the brothers felt like something was thrown in front of them.


    Tivos barely gathered the strength to move and see what it was. But as soon as he saw the thing that was thrown in front of them, his face turned ashen and he fell on the ground with fear in his eyes.


    The thing next to them was an entire arm.. Arsen''s arm.


    "No..!!!" another agonizing scream filled the surroundings and horrified the brothers.


    One by one, a few more body parts were thrown in front of them as the battle.. No, the butchering inside the fog continued.


    After the fear toxin hadpletely affected Ranga, his senses were dulled and for Ronin, it was no different than hunting a chicken that was trapped in a cage.


    From time to time, he used Subterfuge skills and Shadow Strike to attack the botir warrior from different openings and straight-up cut open his arm, then his leg with his extremely sharp and thin epic rank daggers.


    He even used the Doppelganger skill to divert the attention of this warrior who was also on the same level as him.


    Just with fear toxin alone, he had closed off the advantage this long-range attack ss opponent had over him and with Grappling Extension skills, he attacked from various angles.


    By using subterfuge skill, he messed the opponent''s sense of direction and attacked his vital organs from the openings in the exoskeleton armor.


    "No! Let me go! I promise I will never look for trouble with you again. I''ll even kill those bastards if you want. Just let me go.." pleaded the mighty botir warrior who was just boasting about his strength 10 minutes ago.


    He couldn''t even run away at this point because Ronin cut out his legs and right arm.


    Stab! Stab! Stab!


    Three extensions stabbed deep inside his shoulder, torso and the remaining leg,pletely rendering him unable to move.


    The source of this attack walked in front of him with the extensionsing out of his back.


    But before he could beg for mercy, another dagger stabbed his neck from the back. The figure that was stabbing him & the one who just ended his life were both Ronin.


    The one in the front dispersed into a ck fog as the real Ronin cut off Arsen''s head.


    The brothers on the other end were scared shitless and couldn''t even move from the spot.


    Suddenly, they heard a thud in front of them and saw the head of Ranga thrown right at their feet. A ck and green gigantic figure started walking towards them.


    This Demonic being started at both the brothers with eyes full of wrath.


    "Time for you to.." but before Ronin couldplete his words. A voice interjected him.


    "Don''t kill them!" spoke Albestros from afar. He couldn''t bear to see the only descendants of his friend getting killed right in front of him despite them trying to take his life.


    Ronin gave an understanding gaze and looked at the duo as he finally spoke.


    "I will leave you alive for now. But if you evere back or try to create problems for us in any way.. I''m going to personally visit you both.


    And I''m going to cut you down limb from limb. And while doing so.. I''m gonna enjoy it!"


    Threatened Ronin in the exact manner Arsen did to Albestros.


    "Now get out before I change my mind!" shouted Ronin.


    Both the brothers ran away like sacred cats, trying to run away as fast as they could.


    When Kahn returned atte night and he was informed about the whole incident, he felt like it was a good decision to leave Ronin in charge of the old man''s security.


    When he returned to his master bedroom, Ronin appeared again.


    "So, did you finish the job?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes, master." replied Ronin as he threw two round objects on the floor.


    Kahn nodded in approval and leaned on the bed as he embraced the goodnight sleep.


    The two round objects were none other than two heads. Belonging to..


    Mongel & Tivos.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : Changed the names because some readers don''t know how to take a joke. Nobodyined when I used Attack on Titan names.


    Such a hypocritical & selective favoritism..


    Had to save myself from the annoying & triggered fangirlments.


    I guess I should stop using any Anime or Pop Culture names since there are plenty of snowkes who read my novel.


    P. S. This will be removed from Webnovel after this chapter is uploaded on pirate sites. Only those who read on the official site has the right toin. Opinions of the freeloaders are none of my concern. I already earn peanuts for thete night work I have to do, even when I could only use one hand.


    You can still read chapters on official site without spending money by using fast passes. That helps me put the food on table.


    And if you''re not reading on the official site.. Know that you''re stealing the peanuts and breadcrumbs I earn.


    *stares into your soul* But the truth is.. You don''t want to take the effort and justin whenever you get a chance to.


    Now, start bashing me on how that was stupid & how some names shouldn''t be touched. Or how thisst segment was basically ranting. Lol

 Chapter 161: From Pits of Hell

    <h4>Chapter 161: From Pits of Hell</h4>


    Kahn woke up the next morning with a fresh mind.


    After yesterday''s incident, he was clear on how his subordinates were the best chance to secure his assets and take care of the people that were useful and important to him.


    If not for Ronin being present there, maybe the old grandmaster cksmith would''ve been killed.


    And despite Albestros asking them to be spared, Ronin finished them offter anyway. Because just like Kahn, he wasn''t the type to leave behind enemies or something that would cause unnecessary trouble for themter.


    So Kahn was now clear on how only his own subordinates were the most efficient allies. Plus, now that he had broken through to Semi-Saint Rank, the range of the Hive Mind skill had also risen to 10 kilometers and he could be in direct touch with all the subordinates in that radius.


    Although it wasn''t that far.. It was still a form of progress.


    [Ronin.]


    Ronin who was acting as security throughout the night appeared out of a shadow from a corner of the room.


    "Take it out." spoke Kahn and then he too took out a dead body from his space ring. Ronin on the other hand took out Ranga, the botir warrior''s cut-down body parts.


    The former body belonged to the Semi-Saint Rank Demonkin n head of the Volstov n, Dormammu Volstov. This was the person who had given Kahn the Sword Lord ability and Sword Aura des skill.


    The two bodies were big and tall. Their build was muscr and their fighting skills were top-notch without a doubt. Although Ronin easily took out Ranga, by no means was this warrior weaker than him. Just that majority of the amazing skills that Ronin had directly came from Kahn''s merged skills. And now he too could fight just like Kahn in his peak when it came to Assassin skills or fight in a group battle.


    "Absorb!" spoke Kahn and started absorbing the skills from the dead botir. But in return.. He only received subpar skills. The one truly efficient was the exoskeleton skill but Kahn who already had Somir Scales and Drake Scales found thempletely useless for him.


    But there was a subordinate who could make the best use of their fighting abilities & skills rted to their species.


    "Come out." ordered Kahn and a 4 meter tall and muscr subordinate jumped out of his body.


    It was one of the Six Generals who had the least time to shine so far despite having so many offensive and attack buff skills.


    Jugram, the Berserker.


    "Your orders, my master." spoke Jugram. His voice was very mature. Although his entire body was covered in knight-like armor, he was the one with the lowest levels and trashiest gear. At best, he had a Rare Rank giantsword on him. He wasn''t even a Lord Rank subordinate yet.


    "It''s time for you to level up." spoke Kahn.


    Jugram nodded in response. He could use dual swords, axes and giantswords. But Kahn never had a proper opportunity for upgrading this general ever since he died at the hands of the Magma Drake dungeon boss. After Jugram was resurrected, he didn''t get a chance to do it because there were eyes on him all the time. But now, he was finally going to raise this general in ranks.


    "Merge."manded Kahn and used 1000 A Rank cores for the synthesis process that would aid Jugram to level up while he is merging.


    After forty minutes, he was finished with the merging procedure and now an 8 meter tall body stood in the middle of the room.


    After the upgrade, Jugram''s appearance turned to a Demonic creature with two glowing red hornsing out from the two sides of his head. And his entire body was covered in ck and red exoskeleton armor with multiple pointy bones protruding from his forearms, shoulders, knees. There was also a red glowing out of his chest as if a fire was burning in the center.


    Jugram''s new form looked like a demon who arose from the pits of hell. Just with his presence alone, the temperature of the room had risen and Jugram leaked a pure red aura that was so intense that even the water nearby would start boiling.


    Since Kahn had thermal body ability, he didn''t feel a difference but Ronin who stood beside him had already started sweating just in a matter of 30 seconds.


    The floor itself barely managed to hold off Jugram''s weight without cracking.


    Kahn noticed that Jugram now inherited physical traits of both the Demonkin & the Botir had evolved to a new different species since he too was a Variant.


    To him, it felt like Doomsday & Surtur morphed together and became Jugram.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Jugram''s new form given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    "System, show me his stats and abilities." spoke Kahn.


    [Congrattions to the host for upgrading the subordinate to a higher rank.


    The subordinate named Jugram has unlocked a True Demon bloodline.


    The Rank and Bloodline can be evolved by merging the subordinate with specimens with higher rank and True Demon bloodline purity.


    Current Bloodline purity : 20%


    Following are the statistics and abilities :


    Name : Jugram


    Species : Chaos Demon (Variant True Demon)


    Job : Hell Berserker


    Rank : High Lord


    Level : 91


    Strength : 2313


    Agility : 1826


    Dexterity : 2196


    Defense : 1979


    Mana : 1284


    ---------------


    Following are the Physical abilities & skills :


    Frenzy Berserker (SS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can enter a frenzied state for 10 minutes during which, his strength and defense will be raised by 200% while the attack damage will increase by 300%.


    Note : The duration and boost in this ability can be raised with the increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Rage Demon (SS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate will enter a Rage mode where all of his physical and magical skills will be multiplied by 400% for 5 minutes.


    Note : The subordinate will enter a weakened state for 4 hours after this ability is deactivated.


    ---------------


    Following are the Magical skills and abilities :


    Inferno Domain (SS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can create a 500 meter battlefield filled with Hellfire and magma. All the enemies in this field will have their strength and defense reduced by 60%.


    Note : The effective range of this ability will increase with the increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Blood Storm (S Rank) (Passive) (Upgradable) :


    The subordinate can drain out the blood from dead beings during a battle and use it as a high-pressure blood storm for 300 meters.


    ---------------


    Chaos Lord (SSS Rank) (Passive) (Upgradable) :


    The more enemies the subordinate kills and their blood is absorbed by him in 1 kilometer radius, the more strength, defense and attack buff will be gained by the subordinate over time.


    Note : The effective range and the buff received will increase with the rise in levels and rank.]


    The system informed him about the new upgrades.


    Kahn, who barely recovered from Armin unlocking a Legendary ss recently was left shocked again.


    Somehow, this synthesis had helped Jugram unlock a truly unique ss.


    [The Semi-Saint Demonkin must have possessed a rare True Demon bloodline to a small extent and triggered this change during the merging process. The same way Omega unlocked the Godbeast Fenrir bloodline months ago.] he thought.


    All of Jugram''s abilities made him a one-man army who could take out thousands of enemies by himself. All he had to do was kill people and survive till the number of dead bodies piled up.


    Forget being Kahn''s subordinate.. The Chaos Lord skill alone made Jugram a Dungeon Boss himself.


    To this new revtion, Kahn asked himself with eyes full of disbelief..


    "Did I just create a Demon Lord?"

 Chapter 162: Feeling Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 162: Feeling Jealous</h4>


    Kahn looked at the Chaos Demon subordinate as if he was looking at a freak of nature. Because based on the bloodline and skills, Jugram had indeed be his 3rd strongest subordinate after Rudra & Ceril. He even surpassed ckwall in the aspect of fighting a long battle.


    If Kahn managed to gain him higher True Demon bloodlines & merged with higher rank beings of the same species.. Jugram would be a Demon Lord in the making.


    And what would happen if Armin healed him after he came close to death?


    That scenario alone made Kahn get excited.


    "System, give him all my swordsmanship skills including Sword King, Defense Shatter & Sword Battlemaster. And also impart the Metamorphosis bloodline."manded Kahn.


    Kahn could indeed choose to give these abilities to Jugram because even though their weapon of choice was different, the skills were applicable to both of their sses since both used Swords as their main weapon. The only difference was that he used a greatsword while Jugram used a giantsword till now.


    [Command epted. Impartation of skills & bloodlinespleted.


    The subordinate named Jugram has met the conditions to acquire a human form.] replied system.


    "Do it."manded Kahn to Jugram and the next second, his physical appearance was reduced by half its original size. However, the bulging muscles and broad physique still kept its traits even after Jugram took a human form.


    He was now a 4 meter tall human with every aspect of his body screaming ''Ultra Masculinity''.


    A broad and chiseled jaw, 8 pack abs and arms that were the size of Kahn''s thighs. A subtle beard and legs that looked even harder than steel. Every part of his physique spelled only two words.. Muscles.. And muscles!


    [Giga Chad, is that you?]


    Thought Kahn after looking at Jugram''s physique.


    Although he no longer had any horns or boney armor on his body.. Jugram had retained the size simr to the Semi-Saint Rank Demonkin.


    So Kahn now had the perfect gear for the Hell Berserker.


    He quickly took out a ck giantsword and ck armor. These were the Weapon and Armor personally used by the n leader of the Volstov n.


    Even with the 20 levels decrease in the human form, the Epic rank giantsword and armor would already make Jugram capable enough to easily fight a Peak grandmaster opponent on even grounds. And that was more than enough for Kahn.


    After Jugram wore all the equipment & grabbed the giantsword in his hands, Kahn was instantly reminded of a certain ck Swordsman.


    Because with the giantsword that resembled a lot to Dragon yer & the Armor that had a helmet covering only half of the face resembling the Berserker Armor made Jugram look like Kahn''s own version of the protagonist of a certain manga.


    [Good, now I have Guts as part of my team.] he thought.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Guts.. I mean Jugram in the human form given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    In his opinion, Jugram was already strong enough to fight Arkham equally and after Kahn gave him the Sword King & Sword Battlemaster skill, mixed with Jugram''s own offensive skills.. He could easily kill him in a one-sided massacre.


    "Jugram, from now on.. You will be in charge of protecting thepany building and people in it." spoke Kahn as he gave a firmmand to the subordinate who was twice his size.


    "As youmand, master." responded Jugram.


    Even his voice now sounded like Chris Hemsworth''s Thor.


    This guy was literally overshadowing Kahn & the rest of the subordinates in the manliness aspect.


    And now, with Ronin in charge of protecting Albestros and Jugram who could fight a thousand people by himself after getting Kahn''s swordsmanship skills left in charge of the security of thepany.. He no longer had any worries of his entourage being left defenseless.


    And top of it all, there were other subordinates too who could serve under themand of these two. So unless the enemy side had a Semi-Saint Rank or a 1st stage saint rank fighters that were one in a ten million, no one would be able to take out these two generals easily.


    Kahn was now content with the results and happy to have another important issue sorted.


    But just as he was about to leave the room.. Another voice rang in his head. And this voice belonged to none other than the first subordinate he ever created.. Omega.


    [Master.. I''m ready.] spoke Omega in Kahn''s head.


    "Not here. You''re too big for this room." replied Kahn.


    Jugram''s new Chaos Demon form barely fit inside this room and nearly touched the ceiling before the transformation into a human form. So Omega, who was now 12 meters in height would either break the floor or put a hole in the ceiling. So Kahn didn''t want to cause amotion.


    [But.. But.] Omega tried to retort.


    "I already said it. Wait till I find a proper ce." ordered Kahn.


    During the day, Kahn introduced Jugram as the new head of security that he hired yesterday to Albestros and thepany employees via an announcement in the meeting hall.


    Just with Jugram releasing the aura simr to a Peak Grandmaster Rank Swordsman had assured all of their employees. And they too weed his addition.


    Meanwhile, plenty of tall and busty females, mainly the ones belonging to the Elven & Ogre race tried to get noticed by ande closer to the Hell Berserker subordinate. His giantsword and ck armor he wore were oozing his domineering nature to everyone who saw him.


    Kahn on the other hand had a somber expression. By no means he wasn''t a good-looking guy but just with Jugram looking 30+ years old gave him a mature aura and his masculine appearance hadpletely stolen whatever thunder Kahn was getting in just half a day.


    Kahn was being bamboozled by his own creation!


    But throughout the day.. Omega was eating his ear just to get out of his shadow despite being scolded many times.


    When the night finally fell and Kahn stood in a dense treeline area, he released Omega out of his shadow.


    "Master, I''m ready!" spoke Omega in an overjoyed tone.


    "How many times are you going to say that?! It''s the same line you''ve been repeating the entire day. Couldn''t you wait any longer?!" asked Kahn in an annoyed tone.


    "Well, the truth is.." spoke Omega and even his 12 meter tall monstrous & beastly figure failed to hide his shying expression as the Lycan spoke again..


    "I was feeling... jealous."

 Chapter 163: The Right Hand Man

    <h4>Chapter 163: The Right Hand Man</h4>


    Kahn stood in front of Omega, the Lycan subordinate, who had been resurrected before he left vot city and had been in a dormant state for nearly a month because Kahn gave him over a thousand monster cores to absorb and raise his levels.


    Just this morning, he upgraded Jugram to a High Lord rank and the subordinate invoked a rare True Demon bloodline as he ended up as unique Variant called the Chaos Demon. There was also the unique ss job named Hell Berserker.


    But on the very same day, Omega had alsopleted the absorbing procedure and asked Kahn to be let out as well.


    Kahn looked at the subordinate, who was also his first ally ever since he came to this new world.


    After Omega was merged with Arkham, he too gained the Unique ss job called Magic Swordsman. And the main specialty of this job was that the user could not only use their aura but also an elemental attribute that they had the highest affinity within their attacks and skills.


    For example, Arkham had a high affinity with the water element and thus, his job-specific skills such as the high pressurepressed water aura des were the mixture of mana, aura and elemental attributes. Even Kahn had a hard time facing that man head-on.


    Only his Darkness Barrier proved useful to hold off those attacks properly. Kahn was certain that if not for skills such as Darkness Barrier & Somir scales, he would''ve been cut in half from a single hit alone.


    So now, Omega had also unlocked this job after being merged with Arkham''s dead body and rose to High Lord as well.


    Previously, he and Ceril hadn''t met the conditions to take a Human Form and hence, Kahn had offered them one thousand A rank cores to eat and raise their levels. And now he was finally ready.


    But unlike before, Omega''s giant 12 meter tall body now had strands of silver hair here and there.


    "System, why is he suddenly turning silver?" asked Kahn.


    [The subordinate named Omega has a bloodline of the Godbeast Fenrir who has the silver hair on their bodies.


    The current Fenrir bloodline purity of the subordinate Omega is 25% and after rising to the High Lord rank, the characteristics of this bloodline are showing up. Soon, the subordinate will be turnedpletely silver instead of ck as his levels and rank rises.] exined the system.


    "I see." spoke Kahn and nodded.


    Omega looked at Kahn and spoke in an obedient voice.


    "Master.. I must take a human form for now. I can not use the swordsmanship skills I''ve received in my current form."


    "Understood. Begin." Kahnmanded and Omega''s body started shrinking down and a human body, just a few inches taller than Kahn came to be.


    A handsome and domineering man with ashen hair that had small strands of ck & Silver hair in them with a lean and well-toned build stood in front of him. There were few ck archaic tattoos spread over his body. His appearance was that of a man around the age of 28 to 29 years.


    The ashen hair and glimmering red eyes gave him an appearance of the textbook Vampire protagonist of some novel.


    His countenance had an aura of maturity and his body, full of muscles was well bnced; unlike Jugram who was extremely buff. Omega''s human appearance leaned towards the Mesomorph build.


    Kahn took out a set of white regal attire that he bought very recently. But since ck was his color, he hadn''t used them even now.


    But given Omega''s new human appearance, this suit made of a White longcoat and pants, ck inner jacket and a Blue shirt with a tie seemed the most appropriate.


    Omega looked like a total badass.. Like the main boss of some Yakuza n.


    Kahn now stood in front of Omega who was now adorned in this new appearance.


    [[Author : Omega Human Form Reference Art given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Kahn gave the Epic rank ymore sword that once belonged to Arkham to Omega. But the next second, the subordinate spoke.


    "Sorry, master. But I''m not suited to use this type of sword. I will need a new one suitable to my new form and speed."


    "Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kahn.


    "This type of sword will¡­ slow me down." he replied.


    "I need a different type of sword.. A single-edged curved de and it has to be very thin and sturdy at the same time. And I should be able to hold it with both hands as well. Otherwise, I won''t be able to fight.


    I don''t know why but I just can''t shake that feeling." exined Omega in his mature and rustic tone.


    "Like a.. Katana." spoke Kahn.


    This sudden revtion about feeling the need to use a different type of weapon made Kahn feel suspicious.


    "System, show me his stats and skills."


    [Following are the statistics and abilities :


    Name : Omega


    Species : Lycan (Variant Fenrir)


    Job : Magic Swordsman


    Rank : High Lord


    Level : 97


    Strength : 2543


    Agility : 2410


    Dexterity : 2496


    Defense : 2270


    Mana : 1398


    ---------------


    Fenrir Bloodline Purity : 25%


    Following are the Physical abilities & skills :


    Shredder ws (A Rank) :


    Gathers extremely destructive mana around subordinate''s ws to execute long-range w attacks.


    ---------------


    Bloodline Boost (SS Rank) :


    Chosen bloodline effects absorbed from other Godbeast species can be used for 1 Hour.


    ---------------


    Bloodlust (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to focus killing intent on everyone in a 300 meter radius and put them in a fearful state for 20 minutes.


    ---------------


    Tyrant''s Roar (A Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate''s roar can disorient anyone except the host and fellow subordinates in a 600 meter radius.


    ---------------


    Shadow Swap (B Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can instantly teleport to a location in sight containing a shadow.


    ---------------


    Lycan Tyrant (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate tomand & exert authority on any Lykos (Wolf) rted species.


    ---------------


    Devourer (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to absorb & purify the bloodlines of other Godbeast species.


    Note : The innate ability has risen in ranks after merging with the Metamorphosis bloodline host imparted to the subordinate.


    ---------------


    Following are the Magical abilities & skills :


    Quickdraw (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to instantly increase his speed by 500% for 10 seconds.


    Current range : 200 meters


    Note : This technique can be used to target and multiple enemies at once. The number of targets and effective range will rise with the increase in Mastery of this Combat technique and the Levels & Rank of the subordinate.


    ---------------


    Sword Intent (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate toprehend sword skills and techniques at a fast pace.


    Note : The subordinate will be able to drastically improve swordsmanship skills after practicing them.


    ---------------


    Mirage des (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to create 50 mirage swords made of aura, mana and elemental attributes.


    ---------------


    High Regeneration (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to constantly heal itself at an extremely fast pace.


    ---------------


    Elemental Domain (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to create a 500 meter radius domain in which, the subordinate can control all elemental attributed attacks and spells for 2 minutes.


    The host is advised to upgrade the subordinate with more Godbeast bloodlines.] replied the system.


    "Great. You''ve really grown very strong." Kahn congratted.


    "System. Give him all of my swordsmanship skills." hemanded.


    [Command Completed.]


    Omega''s body suddenly glowed with a silver aura and his face turned very pleased with the skills he received. Now, he had be on par with Jugram in terms of fighting skills and abilities.


    Kahn understood why Omega wanted to change weapons. It was the Quickdraw skill which required a weapon that could be used with precise uracy and speed to deliver the killing strike without wasting a single second. Exactly like the Japanese anime Samurai warriors.


    The Sword Intent skill on the other hand, made Omega a swordsmanship prodigy. Arkham''s years of battle experience triggered & created this skill and Omega benefitted from it. It was like Omega''s own version of Weapon Mastery blessings. The one Kahn was given by Kravel, the War Deity. Just only for Sword weapons.


    By using the Bloodlust, Elemental Domain, Mirage des & Quickdraw skill along with Sword King & Sword Battlemaster skills Kahn just gave him..


    The current Omega was enough to take out a thousand enemies in matter of half an hour. Truly fitting to be Kahn''s right hand man.


    And the Devourer skill would probably make Omega someoneparable to Rudra in terms of strength and abilities. All Kahn needed was to kill and merge a Godbeast with Omega and the subordinates would be able to absorb their bloodlines and abilities just like Kahn could.


    "I have a request." spoke Omega.


    "What do you want?" asked Kahn with a curious expression.


    The next second, Omega replied like an impatient child with a high pitch tone.


    "I want a Katana!"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : 10 extra chapters released on 1st November. You''re all wee.

 Chapter 164: Sword Fanatic

    <h4>Chapter 164: Sword Fanatic</h4>


    The next morning, Kahn introduced Omega as the new addition of their security who would also serve as Kahn''s right-hand man whether it was business or any other matters rted to security.


    Albestros on the other hand waspletely baffled. Because one by one, Kahn was bringing peak grandmaster rank personnel day after day.


    As if they weren''t some rare and one in a million warriors but fruits that grew on trees, easy to find in a nearby market.


    "Old man, he has a request for you." spoke Kahn as he introduced Omega to Albestros.


    "Sir Winston, pleased to make your acquaintance." said Omega with a respectful tone and slightly bowed to the old man.


    "Likewise. How may I help you?" greeted Albestros.


    For the next few minutes, both Kahn and Omega described how they wanted the Katana to be done.


    Kahn, who had watched enough Katana forging videos on the inte exined how the old man could make the sword that was one of the most popr types of swords in the entire otakumunity on Earth.


    "Hmm.. Although I''ve never made this type of sword before.. I did read about these types of swords used in some of the cultures in empires far away from ours. But it will take some time though. I don''t want to mess up the sword''s durability or bnce just because I''ve never tried it before." spoke Albestros.


    Kahn understood that since no Heroes of the Gods hade in this Empire in the past millennium, on the record that is, it was reasonable for the poption here to not know about their weapons & cultures.


    "I see. Please take your time, Sir. I will be eagerly waiting for that day." spoke Omega and stood behind Kahn like an obedient ally.


    Kahn also resisted the urge to ask Albestros for making him one too. Omega needed it so he was given the priority.


    Just like all the otakus, nerds and weebs.. He too liked Katanas and always wanted to hold one in his hands. Because those who didn''t like Katanas & Samurai warrior culture were seen as heretics in theirmunity.


    "As for the materials.. Go all out." spoke Kahn.


    Their current stock for materials and resources before their business officially opened was more than enough. They even had the rare Adamantite metal ore that was a rank above Mythril. So Kahn gave him the permission to use their rarest materials for Omega''s new sword.


    "Till then, I''ll take a walk in the market and check the prices for weapons and armors. We haven''t joined a business council yet so we might create trouble for ourselves if we sold weapons too cheap or too overpriced." he said and left with Omega.


    As the duo treaded through the Rukon district till evening, they visited all known and reputed cksmith shops and checked their price range in the name of looking for a weapon.


    One thing Kahn noticed was that despite the manufacturing cost being around 300 gold coins, many of the good weapons were sold at the price of 800 to 1000 gold coins.


    And the only key difference was that there was a brand or thepany name of the Grandmaster cksmith attached to it which raised the price by 2 to 3 times.


    Just like the overpriced branded shoes or bags that were advertised through celebrities but were not even worth half the price in reality.


    But during their visits, Kahn also noticed a remarkable trait about Omega. The Lycan subordinate after merging with Arkham and taking a human form.. Had be a sword fanatic.


    To every Weapon shop they went.. Omega was ogling at the high-quality swords like how little kids looked at chocte.


    Even after refusing, Kahn still ended up buying 4 rare rank swords that Omega would probably never use but still wanted to keep as part of his collection.


    Kahn took out a space ring from his pockets and handed it to the subordinate in case he needed to store his belongings there.


    Because the amount of adoration Omega was suddenly showing towards swords already gave Kahn a foreboding of unnecessary expenditures on collecting swords.


    Like how the hardcore fanboys collected the action figures of their favorite superhero, video games and anime waifus. Omega was no different than those weebs.


    He didn''t even bother checking the weight, durability or bnce of the swords.. Rather, only their appearance & how well carved they were.


    Kahn''s Lucifer was also a small rank above Epic rank but below the legendary rank. And the swords they bought weren''t even half as good as he wanted but still cost him 40 thousand gold coins.


    But from this experience.. He learned how important brand value was. Although he already knew the basics, it was still apletely different feeling when it came to running a business yourself.


    Since they were going to open for business soon in the next few days.. Kahn had to think of a clever strategy that would not only gain theirpany a big amount of customers but would also spread their reputation and name amongst the masses.


    A big boost such as this would catapult them quickly to be one of the big businesses if they yed their cards right.


    A sinister n hatched in his mind that would put the market in shambles but also benefit their business greatly.


    The next day, Kahn made another announcement in the main meeting hall where all the important members of theirpany were present.


    But unlike two days ago, not only did this announcement introduce Omega as part of theirpany, adding another peak grandmaster warrior in their ranks.. But also a mind-blowing announcement that left everyone including Albestros, the grandmaster cksmith speechless.


    Kahn now stood in the middle of the stage and nearly 800 employees who were rooted on the spot stared at him with a bewildered expression.


    Kahn decided to repeat his words and spoke loudly for everyone to hear.


    "So from the first day of our officialunch.." he took a pause and grinned.


    "We will sell all our products at half the market price!"

 Chapter 165: The Grand Opening

    <h4>Chapter 165: The Grand Opening</h4>


    The day had finallye. All the hard work done in the past 3 weeks finally bloomed the flower that would signify the new chapter of Kahn''s life.


    In the past one week alone, thepany had received over 300 small distributors who would sell their products to different small shops and then the major ns, institutions and organizations that also needed weaponry in bulk had been informed of this newpany''s shocking price range.


    Kahn had several advertisementpanies and even some small ns to spread the word about their grand opening & how they were going to sell the same quality equipment at half the price. And he did it in the evening time so otherpanies could not react to their bold move in time or try to halt their opening in any way.


    Many did not believe these ims and some called it a publicity stunt to attract customers. That The Bloodbornepany would not actually deliver upon their word or the products would be faulty.


    But for Kahn, who paid 3 million gold for this ''Word of Mouth'' just for the advertisement in Rukon district alone, bad publicity was still publicity. He had no use for barking dogs but the actual customers who woulde to buy their weapons & armors by visiting their shops and the rich folks who would buy from them in bulks.


    Albestros had been instructing and teaching the newly hired cksmiths about how to make standard and good quality weapons and armor most effectively. And in the past two weeks, his efforts yielded results and now they already had enough stocks for the first month.


    But after Kahn''s wild promation yesterday, even he was baffled and had a heated discussion with the young man. But after hearing his reasoning, he too was surprised by how cunning Kahn was when it came to business tactics. As if the young swordsman had a decade of experience working in this field.


    What Kahn proposed wasn''t about selling their products for half the price that would spell their doom.. But to level down the market and fit it to their own needs by dropping the prices by half.


    If a high-rank sword were to be sold at 1000 gold coins, they would sell it at 500 gold coins. But since the manufacturing cost was only 300 gold coins to begin with, they''d still make a profit of 200 gold coins.


    What Kahn''s n wasn''t to undermine their product.. But steal half of the customers of major enterprises who also sold arms in this district. Just with the lucrative offer of selling weapons at half the price, their shops would be flooded with customers.


    And as time went on, even more customers woulde after the word about it spread to the right people. Not only that would build them a huge consumer base in just a matter of months.. But also skyrocket their poprity, theirpany''s name and also the Albestros, the Grandmaster cksmith''s reputation. In a way, this would also be a deration that there was a new Grandmaster cksmith in the Rathna.


    Although they would not profit the way they estimated.. What Kahn wanted was to ingrain their name in the minds of the poption that had jobs and professions or made a living based on weapons or armor crafting.


    Instead of 10, they would only make 4. And half of the profit would be spent on keeping the business afloat such as buying resources, paying the employees and their distributors. But contrary to what normal people would think.. This was the best and most effective way to expand your brand and settle your feet in the business world.


    And naturally, their actions would break the bnce in the market and would affect the business of other enterprises and force them to reduce their price range of respective products.


    What Kahn was doing was no different than kicking them in the crotch and stealing their food at the same time. But he didn''t care about it at all. None of them were his friends or family.


    And if he wanted to make a living in this industry full of wolves and hyenas.. It was inevitable that he''d have to challenge and fight against others eventually.


    So why wait for someone to start picking on youter when you can put a hole in their pockets before they even consider you as their rival?


    It didn''t matter which organization or which grandmaster cksmith lost their business because of him.. It was none of his problem.


    This method in no way was a good business strategy.. But it was what they needed the most. Because even with grand promations of reputation and quality.. Normal people would not be interested in your product unless you sold them considerably cheaper.


    Kahn was willing to take the losses if it meant setting them up for the long run.


    Plus with the price difference alone.. Many big ns and organizations would also ditch their previous partners in order to save money and make deals with them. Also gaining their support would increase the amount of powerful backing Kahn''spany had.


    Just with the name of the Vandereich n alone, it would deter the vultures and only if someone had the backing of another powerful force, would they dare to mess up with theirpany.


    At this moment, thepany building was decorated as if it wasn''t a business opening but some billionaire''s wedding.


    There were various stores spread around Rukon district that Kahn had rented on annual basis. The name of the new weapon enterprise The Bloodborne was written on their entrance.


    And in front of all of these stores, were hundreds of people already gathered since the morning. Kahn who foresaw this had several of his subordinates hidden and working as security in these shops along with the normal guards while masking their appearance with armors & helmets.


    As the mainpany building was now crowded with nearly 3 thousand people of different species and races.. The prestigious n heads and influential figures had starteding to this official grand opening.


    The security was tight, and just with the presence of Jugram & Omega, the supposed Peak Grandmaster Rank warriors alone.. Nobody dared to cause trouble.


    Kahn was acting as the person in charge of greeting and weing their important guests.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Suddenly, an entourage of highly geared warriors donned in white and golden armors and weapons stopped in front of the main entrance.


    A luxurious high-grade carriage stopped in front of it and three figures walked out of it.


    One tall and regal-looking man who was followed by a young man and a woman entered the premises.


    As soon as all the guests started noticing this new group.. Hundreds of gasps filled the surroundings as nobody could believe that someone of this standing would actuallye for this opening ceremony.


    Kahn came to personally wee this group. His countenance showed nothing but respect towards the regal and domineering man who stood in the middle of the crowd. He bowed respectfully and spoke..


    "Wee to our grand opening.. Lord n Leader of the Vandereich n."

 Chapter 166: The Powerful Backer

    <h4>Chapter 166: The Powerful Backer</h4>


    The entire crowd amassed in thepany grounds that had been invited was rooted on the spot. Many were still not able to digest the fact that the 4th stage Saint Rank n leader of one of the strongest ns in the entire Rakos empire would personallye to the opening of a smallpany that didn''t even have 100,000 employees or several branches spread throughout the empire.


    The guests who only came as part of obligation and to explore this newpany that had a rising Grandmaster cksmith were bbergasted. Because to them, they only came here to make connections and business deals before others smelled the meat.


    But suddenly, one of the top n''s leader who also represented the n that lead one of the top 3 factions in the entire empire was now standing in the middle of the crowd and turned out to be one of the guests as well.


    To Kahn''s greeting, Ismatrazel only slightly nodded, maintaining the regal and domineering appearance of the Vandereich n.


    Kahn on the other hand looked at Szayel as if the young heir had done something that they didn''t n at all.


    Vivian who was standing beside Szayel looked at Kahn with vengeful eyes as if he had stolen her first kiss. Although she was nearly 80 years old, she appeared only a year older than Kahn because of how Vampires aged as a species.


    But unlike before, her appearance looked.. Defeated. Her once soft and radiant face was nowhere to be seen but instead, she now had a sullen appearance as if she had been greatly tortured, like a broken doll that had been put back together after breaking it piece by piece.


    The vampire lord then shared pleasantries with Albestros, the owner of thepany in name. And soon, an amiable conversation between the two experienced people in their respective fields started that affirmed people''s belief about the vampire n leader indeeding there to form a rtionship with the old man.


    Although there were over 20 Grandmaster Rank cksmiths in Rathna alone.. They were highly sought after and sometimes, rich noble ns and warriors would even pay them millions of gold coins just to have these cksmiths make their custom-made weapons and armors. They even provided the materials and resources themselves.


    And hence, they were in high demand and each of these individuals was greatly respected even by noble ns. If any faction tried to oppress or force them to work for their side alone.. Others would use that opportunity to gang up on that n or even dere war on them.


    Plus, the connections these grandmasters had with top-rank warriors also made them someone with enough backing as well.


    Albestros also qualified to be one of them but he never had any connections with top ns of the capital. If not for Kahn personally visiting all these important figures and using the Vandereich n to spread the news about the old man from behind the shadows.. Many would not even take this opening ceremony seriously; some would''ve even questioned the authenticity of the old man being a grandmaster cksmith in the first ce.


    With their presence alone, it was revealed to everyone that even one of the strongest ns in their entire empire had acknowledged The Bloodbornepany as someone worthy of working along with.


    That this weapon enterprise already had a Behemoth as their powerful backer.


    To Kahn, this would give theirpany a huge spike in reputation and dere that they were indeed a real deal. After today, when the news of Ismatrazel personallying to their opening ceremony spreads among the top rank ns and organizations..


    Everyone would bepelled to hire them, make deals with them for arms supply and many requests for cooperation with Albestros at a high price would line up in front of them.


    At the current moment, Kahn appeared as a representative and a speaker to all the important guests who was Albestros''s right-hand man and also the one in charge of logistics and management.


    The number of people who actually knew that he was actually a Semi-Saint Rank fighter in reality could be counted under 2 digits. The seemingly harmless and cheerful young man was only seen as the cksmith''s underling.


    As the evening finally came, Kahn gave all the important guests and possible business partners a tour of the mainpany building.


    An impable taste in furniture, well-organized office structure, highly advanced machinery for crafting and a well structured production system that ensured quality products left many of these influential figures pleased.


    Because unlike some medieval era settings, magic was incorporated in the majority of the machines and equipment to avoid wastage of resources while properly making weapons. It wasn''t just burning furnaces, anvils and hammers used for forging.. But also equipments to hammer down, study theposition and designs of the required product.


    Although, it would be the trained people doing the work in the end; just by using these high-cost machines to create the arms had made a good impression on everyone.


    Kahn who had wasted 70% of the money he had just on these high-end machines and equipments alone felt like it was worth the money.


    Because now, the majority of these people would be inclined to work with them for the long term if thepany could provide quality products at half the market price. Even other ns of the Pureblood faction and organizations would bepelled to do business with them.


    After the entertainment programs with delicious food was served to all the guests at night, Kahn finally managed to talk with the vampire lord alone.


    He sat next to the n leader and asked, "I didn''t expect you toe here, lord n leader. Only Szayel was supposed toe today."


    "Am I to assume you are displeased with my presence then?" asked Ismatrazel in return.


    "No.. I didn''t mean it that way. It was simply.. Unexpected." replied Kahn


    The vampire lord gave a smug smile and spoke..


    "I only came here to ensure that thepany we were backing didn''t appear weak or defenseless in any way. If not for me, many of the guests would have doubted your ims and caused a scene. Not everyone who came here is your well-wisher." spoke the 4th stage saint rank warrior.


    "Besides.. You''ve made quite the enemies just with the half-price stunt you pulled." he exined.


    "I understand. But you should also be aware of how big of a target you put on us just bying here." spoke Kahn with an annoyed expression.


    "Are you afraid?" asked the vampire coyly and chuckled.


    "If you get into trouble.. I can always take you in my n." he said mischievously as if trying to toy with Kahn.


    Kahn rolled his eyes in response.


    "Conflict never happens as per our expectations anyway. I guess it wille sooner thanter." sighed Kahn.


    The opening ceremony was a great sess. They made a great impression and attracted the right people they needed. And all that remained was them to get fully avable to everyone formerce and the business was bound to take off.


    But to Kahn, this was but a beginning. Because from tomorrow¡­


    The real battle would start.

 Chapter 167: The First Day

    <h4>Chapter 167: The First Day</h4>


    The first day after the grand opening was their turn to officially start doing business in the city. And after yesterday''s incident.. Kahn poured another 2 million gold coins to spread the news in the entire district that the n leader of the vampire n personally came to the opening ceremony because he acknowledged Albestros Winston, the newly rising Grandmaster cksmith''s skills.


    With this information spread amongst the masses, there was a big uproar in the Weapon industry. Although Rukon district was more famous for Alchemy & Pharmaceuticalmerce, a sudden rise of a weapon enterprise and that too with a Grandmaster cksmith holding themand had attracted many eyes.


    And because of that, all the 11 stores that were directly under the Company''s name along with the 23 small shops that had bought dealerships of their products were now spread around the 200 kilometers area district.


    Kahn already had enough distributors for the beginning but after yesterday''s incident, they had an influx of people who wanted to buy dealerships permission.


    A distributor was an independent selling agent who has a contract to sell the products of a manufacturer, but is not entitled to use the manufacturer''s trade name as part of its trade name. The contract may also limit the distributor to selling only thatpany''s goods, rather than marketing different products and services from different firms. The manufacturer sold the distributor the products at wholesale prices.


    A dealership is sometimes called a retail distributor. It is simr to a distributorship, except that a dealer usually sells only to the public. Unlike other types of franchisees, including distributors, a dealer is not usually restricted to carrying one product line. Mostmonly, this type of arrangement is found in the automotive industry. Like a chainstore system or a convenience store.


    In this case, Kahn''s Bloodbornepany was the Manufacturer who provided the product and let others sell things at their own rates. And naturally, the wholesale rate for these people was lower than what he''d sell at market price.


    But since these distributors & dealers bought their product in huge bulks, the deal was profitable for him either way. Because if they sold all the product to individual customers, they''d need a lot more time and also thepany won''t be able to produce and store the new product at a fast pace.


    But to avoid unnecessary leechers and trolls who didn''t actuallye to buy but waste time, there were signboards on the entrances and the main counters in all of the shops owned by thepany...


    NO HAGGLING OR BARGAINING ALLOWED


    Because they were already selling at half the market price, any more would put a big dent in their earnings. And to throw out the people who intentionally came to cause trouble for them, such as their rivals or someone sent by theirpetitors; Kahn left 2 peak master Rank fighters in each of these stores. He currently had 65 master rank & 8 beginner grandmaster subordinates so it was the best time to use them.


    As the Judgement Day finally came..


    Each of their stores were crowded with thousands of people as soon the doors were opened to the public. Plenty of people, who had been saving up to buy good weapons and armors flooded their shops and the staff working there had their hands full.


    Some people even tried topare their products such as swords, spears, arrows and shields with the same equipment they bought from other franchises.. Only to find that the quality being even superiorpared to the ones sold at double the price.


    When the evening finally came and the shops were closed.. More than 80% of the stock was sold off. And collective numbers of selling from all the respective shops were tallied by Kahn at the night as he checked the ledgers and reports.


    He gave a wide grin and spoke with a merry tone.


    "Fucking worth it!" eximed Kahn with a victorious expression.


    On the first day alone, 30% of the stock that was kept for selling in their own shops was sold off. And now Kahn had no worries about not being able tounch their enterprise at a grand scale.


    Given how the opening day of their business took off, there would be even more customersing in the following days and weeks as the word of theirpany spread to masses and the people that dealt in these professions. Soon, the Bloodbornepany will rise in fame and reputation as time went on.


    Omega, who was now in charge of security of shipments to these shops and personally overlooked the transportation of the product to all their shops and then gather the total wealth they gained finally returned atte night.


    Just like Ronin & Jugram.. He too had gained quite the fangirls around the stores and thepany building based on his cold and mature looks that gave him an appearance of a mysterious man. The kind who would attract the main female lead of some romance novel.


    But given his strength and position, only the most daring females approached him. Only to get turned down by him. Because he had no attraction towards the opposite gender.


    Rather than being interested in curves of a woman.. He was interested in curves of a sword.


    "Master, I''ve brought today''s earnings." Omega spoke and handed two space rings.


    After counting the money.. Kahn was exhrated on the spot. The first day earning in profits alone was 2.3 Million gold coins!


    "Stonk!" spoke Kahn as he folded his arms.


    At this same moment, there was a heated discussion happening inside a prestigious canpany''s head office.


    Bang!


    A Snakekin dressed in high-ss businessman clothes banged his fist on the table. In front of him, were 4 more people sitting in this room. Every single one of them looked like a big name in the business industry based on their clothing alone.


    "Why I haven''t heard of this Albestros Winston before? And where did hee from so suddenly? No one can set up such a big business without causing amotion first. Their opening day alone caused us 15% losses in total earnings." said the Snakekin.


    "They even received an acknowledgment from the Vandereich n. By no means this Grandmaster cksmith is a nobody. We can''t just go knocking on their doors without a proper n." spoke an old blue thrall who sat amongst the people.


    "Let''s bury these ants before they be a threat to our business. I still have a way or two to squander these insects." spoke the Snakekin as he gave a sinister smile.


    "Let''s see how long does this Bloodbornepanysts."

 Chapter 168: The Katana

    <h4>Chapter 168: The Katana</h4>


    One week had passed ever since the Bloodbornepany entered the market in the weapons manufacturing sector.


    The first week was very fruitful and because of Kahn''s impable nning on creating the hype around their brand using the Half-price announcement, having a Grandmaster cksmith inmand and the public acknowledgment from the Vandereich n''s leader who personally came to their opening ceremony..


    The number of customers they built in just the first week was something others didn''t make even in a couple of years of doing business. All the prior setup and prenned advertisement had greatly benefited their business.


    Kahn had invested around 21 million gold coins from beginning to end. All the money he had gathered from robbing the dead people such a Dormammu, Arkham & Solomon was all spent in just the initialunch of theirpany. He barely had 2 million coins left.


    But in the first one week of sessfullyunching theirpany, the profits alone were past 14 million. Even with half the cost they charged for weapons and armors than otherpanies.. The sheer number of customers alone made up for the losses.


    By tallying the ledgers and record books, Kahn found that they''ve had nearly eighteen thousand and six hundred customers cumtively.


    And these were just your normal day-to-day small-ie folks. The real big guns were the ns and organizations who needed these weapons and armors in tens of thousands.


    Theirpany received 7 big orders that were to be finished by the end of this month. And as a form of down payment alone.. Kahn received 40 million gold coins as half of the payment based on the terms and conditions of their business contract.


    So by only investing more than 20 million.. He gained 50 million in just one week.


    "Business is booming." spoke Kahn as he happily tallied the record books and ledgers.


    Knock! Knock!


    "Come in!" spoke Kahn as he sat on his luxurious office chair. His main office alone was probably the most costly room in the entire building. Let it be furniture or decorations.. Everything was top-notch and grade A when it came to appearance and quality.


    This was his sacred temple where he met and conducted business deals with all the guests and influential figures, so no way he would have subpar arrangements done here.


    "Kid, we need to talk." spoke Albestros as he sat down on the cushioned chair on the opposite side of the table.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn.


    "We''re running out of materials and soon will require more workers to raise the production. Plus there are many things that I need to teach these rookies so that they don''t mess up the forging. So extra set of hands would be appreciated." said the old man.


    "Agreed. I thought our current manpower would be enough for the first month but given the poprity and selling we are making, I''m afraid we will need to start recruitments again orck of manpower will affect the functionality of thepany." replied Kahn.


    Insufficient manpower would indeed adversely affect them if not taken care of quickly.


    "Based on my estimations, we will need at least 2 thousand more employees. The logistics department can manage for now but we need the normal workers and apprentices first. Because we are already flooded with orders and contracts." he spoke.


    "I hope this doesn''t affect our production speed in any way for now. And one more thing... I have it ready." spoke Albestros.


    "''Have ready'' what?" asked Kahn.


    Just then, Omega who was dozing off on the sofa ced in Kahn''s office suddenly opened his eyes.. As if he sensed a great treasure lying underneath the ground.


    He looked at Albestros with expectant eyes..


    The old cksmith nodded in return and took out a sky blue Damascus Katana along with a ck curved sheath. The extremely sharp edge would easily cut a paper in two if dropped on the de.


    "Behold.. Another one of my best works. With this Katana.. You will be able to attack at an extremely fast speed and the de itself is made to suit your body build. It will strike like lightning." exined Albestros.


    Kahn waspletely surprised by the sudden reveal. Although this was the first time for Albestros to make a Katana.. There was no difference in terms of appearance of the depared to the traditional swordsmiths from the old ages on Earth.


    Exactly how talented was this old man to make such an impable sword in his very first try?..


    Omega held the sword with both of his hands and started checking out the edge and the bnce. He started swinging it upside down like a traditional kendo practice session.


    [The hell.. How does he know that? He didn''t even know what a katana was before I told him.] thought Kahn.


    Just then, the system that had been dormant for weeks finally spoke.


    [The subordinate named Omega has inherited part of the host''s memories, knowledge & personality traits. Especially regarding swords and how to use them. The host seemed to have fond memories of this particr weapon. And hence, the subordinate has a sense of familiarity with this weapon & fighting style. With time, the subordinate will also unlock more of these memories. This condition is also applied to the other subordinates with a 100% loyalty increase.] exined the system.


    [Son of a bitch!.. So it basically means he is a Katana worshipper like I was in my Chuunibyou days? And others also share my characteristics & emotional traits?] thought Kahn.


    Omega on the other hand ced the sword on the sofa and performed dogeza in front of it with respect. This was how the Japanese showed respect to someone or something.


    [Dammit.. Will he turn into a samurai or something?] asked Kahn.


    Omega looked at the Katana with reverence-filled eyes and then nced at Kahn.


    "Master.. I want a fitting name for my first weapon." spoke Omega.


    Kahn then looked at the Katana and then Albestros.


    "You said it will strike like a lightning, right?" he asked the old cksmith.


    "Yes. I made it that way; fast and destructive." replied the old man.


    "Sky blue color, fast and destructive like lightning.. There''s only one name fitting for this Katana." spoke Kahn and took a pause.


    "What is it?!" asked Omega impatiently.


    "From this time forth, this de shall be named as¡­


    RAIJIN."

 Chapter 169: The Ire

    <h4>Chapter 169: The Ire</h4>


    Kahn dered the name of the Katana that was lying on the sofa. The name he gave it was Raijin, the mythological god of thunder & lightning.


    As he exined the meaning of the name, except the god part. Omega was touched and instantly approved of the name.


    He took the sword and kept practicing basic moves. Unlike Kahn, he needed to perfect his skills by practicing a lot. Even with the Sword Intent skill, there was no shortcut for him.


    Plus the skills he received from Kahn also included the Lightning sh skill which suited his fighting style just perfectly, so rather than waiting on the ceremony; Omega started practicing right away.


    Knock! knock!


    Another knocking sound came from the door and Jugram, the main person in charge of their security for thepany building, who also supervised the department of security for all their stores came inside.


    "Sir Kahn.. We have a problem." said Jugram as soon as he entered the room.


    Kahn had ordered them to not call him as the master in front of other people, so that''s why he addressed him this way because he already sensed the old man''s presence.


    Kahn, Albestros & Omega''s ears perked as soon as they heard these words.


    "What happened?" asked Albestros.


    "Sir.. Take a look at this." replied Jugram and ced a red glowing orb on Kahn''s desk.


    It was one of the long-distance transmission magic artifacts that Kahn had bought so all the shops directly under them could be in touch in the 200 kilometer long Rukon district.


    Although these were extremely costly, Kahn had no other options since cell phones weren''t invented in this world yet. Even these high-grade magical artifacts had a limited range.


    But the ones he bought were doubled the price because they had another useful function.. Recording the visuals where they were ced.


    So they were used more like CCTV cameras as a measure of security & keeping an eye on the staff members.


    Jugram was the overseer for this department and hence came to report.


    As he turned on the magic artifact, the trio saw events of small skirmishes in their shops and people making dissatisfied remarks about their weapons.


    Some picking up fights with the staff for absolutely no reason, they even went as far as drawing their weapons. Others trying to warr off the iing customers or telling them how thepany is scamming them with faulty products.


    And this wasn''t just one shop, but seven out of the eleven they owned.


    "Just today, 37 of these incidents happened. Although the security ced in these stores fended off these troublemakers, it''s not a good experience for normal customers. If this carries on, we will get a bad reputation." spoke Jugram, his words full of thoughtfulness.


    Kahn had noticed recently that all the subordinates with 100% Loyalty were no less intelligent than a normal person. They didn''t just follow orders like puppets but also had their own insight and opinions of things around them.


    "Why didn''t you inform me about them before?" asked Kahn.


    "I handled these matters myself in the past two days thinking that these were normal. But now I think it''s something else." replied Jugram in his rustic voice.


    "There are always going to be jealous people or troublemakers here and there. These incidents are no exceptions. Just tighten the security and ensure the safety of our employee staff."manded Kahn.


    Another week went on without any further noticeable events other than these repeated incidents. This time, the guards were straight-up ordered to throw out these troublemakers and even prohibit them from entering inside the stores. Anyone who entered the shops had to hand over their weapons first and take them back when they were done exploring & shopping.


    Although this had reduced the number of skirmishes.. It didn''tpletely eliminate them as one could still cause a fight without weapons.


    What happened during the week was somehow, the news of these small skirmishes was spreading amongst their consumer base at an extremely fast pace and just in the first four days of the week..


    The Bloodbornepany suffered 60% losses in salespared to the previous week.


    Kahn''s face was full of irritation as he was tallying the numbers at night. Compared to the first week.. Their stores were basically a ghost town in the past few days.


    What he didn''t understand that how the so-called bad publicity was affecting them up to this extent. Small incidents usually don''t reach the masses this quickly.


    This wasn''t some cultivation novel world where small quarrels and childish fights between the MC & a young master of some n reached to the ears of every single citizen of the country for absolutely no fucking reason.


    In the following days, the incidents continued and the number of customers they were losing started to increase.


    But what struck like a punch in the face was at the end of the week, 13 of the 24 the ns and organizations who hired them for arms supply suddenly took back their orders although as per the contract, Kahn''spany would not have to return the down payment in case the employer decides to back off from the deal midway.


    And despite the losses.. None of these people asked for the money or made any discussions with Kahn or Albestros for returning the payment.


    Kahn could swallow down the losses that wereing from the normal customers. At the end of the day, they were but a small source of ie. But suddenly.. His main source of bread and butter was gone and his future already looked bleak in just two weeks ever since theyunched.


    At that very night.. Kahn conducted a meeting in secrecy at their mansion.


    And the members who attended this meeting were Albestros, Omega, Ronin, Jugram and also the young vampire n heir.. Szayel.


    Kahn looked at all the members present, his face full of grim expression and his voice heavy as finally spoke.


    "We are being targeted by someone..


    Someone very powerful."

 Chapter 170: The Manager

    <h4>Chapter 170: The Manager</h4>


    A silence ensued in the room as soon as Kahn made the deration. About how theirpany in particr was being targeted by someone with a lot of power and authority.


    "Do you know anything about it?" asked Kahn to Szayel who had secretly visited them for the meeting.


    The reason why Kahn asked the vampire n heir toe for this meeting was because it was already established that theirpany had the support of the Vandereich n since their n leader himself came to the opening ceremony.


    And if someone was intentionally trying to put them out of business despite knowing who were the backers of the Bloodbornepany.. That meant the opposition itself had the galls to pick a fight with one of the strongest ns in the entire empire.


    And Kahn''spany was under someone''s hit list who didn''t fear the wrath of the pureblood faction. He was just coteral damage in the process.


    Although Kahn knew that it would happen in the future.. But he never expected it to happen in just two weeks and that too with such intensity.


    And that''s exactly why he contacted the young vampire through the jade medallion given by the vampire lord.


    "I''m as clueless as you are. This reaction is too quick and out of the norm. No different than a deration of war against our faction." spoke Szayel.


    "And here I thought you''d know something. Given how they even threatened the majority of our rich customers.. If they can force such big organizations who already have a lot of power in their hands; by no means they''re a nobody.


    This is an enemy I''m not capable of tackling by myself." spoke Kahn.


    His customers weren''t some no-names. But to make them back down from the deal meant that whoever it was, they clearly had the backing and power from someone standing at the pinnacle.


    "Could it be the doing of someone from the opposite factions like the Demi-Human faction ?" asked Albestros as he rubbed his hand over the grizzly beard.


    Kahn then looked at Szayel for an answer.


    "No. Can''t be them either. Although they''re at odds with us.. They won''t go so low to target a small business such as yours. It makes no difference to them even if your business flourishes or gets buried in the ground." exined Szayel as he shrugged his arms.


    "Hmm.. This is a very well thought and targeted approach. If this continues.. We won''t evenst for the first month if these losses aren''t recovered." said Kahn.


    "I have a n." suddenly, Jugram spoke as he stood up from his chair.


    "Why don''t we catch & interrogate one of these troublemakers. About who sent them or who''s targeting us?"


    "Reasonable. But if we cause amotion, it might affect the other customers. It''s like pouring oil into the fire." said Albestros.


    "Well.. It''s not like we are faring any better as things stand. So let''s go with your n." approved Kahn and they kept nning their next move.


    As the midnight moon shone in the sky, they all returned to their respective rooms. Kahn & Szayel now stood in front of the gates as the vampire heir was ready to depart.


    "Do it the way I told you. Otherwise, our n will fail. It''s a double-edged sword.. If you get caught, both of us will be in a lot of trouble." said Kahn.


    Szayel nodded with an understanding gaze and departed with his small group of security guards using an epic rank teleportation scroll that could help them travel 200 kilometers in one go.


    The next day, all their stores were open as usual and thepany carried on the production of arms. But this time.. Rather than sitting behind the desk, Kahn was going to administer one of the shops himself.


    He, Omega & Jugram covered one of their shops each and waited in case there were to be another incident like the previous days.


    At the time of the afternoon.. Just as they expected. A quarrel between the shop staff and one of the customers happened.


    A blonde and tall Elven woman with a bob-cut hairstyle stood against the counter.


    "You bastards are selling this garbage and want us to pay our hard-earned money?!!" shouted the well-endowed elven female.


    With her loud voice, over 200 customers who were exploring the weapons and armors in the main hall were startled.


    "I want to speak with the manager!"


    Tap! Tap!


    A set of footsteps were heard as a young man walked into the main hall.


    "What''s happening here?" asked Kahn to the red demonkin staff girl.


    "Sir.. Thisdy here says that she bought a bow from us yesterday and it broke just in one day. I''ve already exined that after purchasing the product, we take no guarantee if someone breaks them in a fight." spoke the staff girl dressed in formal ck and beige uniform.


    Kahn then nced at the woman causing themotion.


    "May I ask what''s your name, madam?" asked Kahn in a respectful tone.


    "Karen." said the blonde, bob-cut hairstyle elven woman.


    Facepalm! Kahn facepalmed himself and sighed.


    [Should''ve seen thating.] he thought.


    "Who are you? Don''t waste my time and call whoever is in charge!" shouted the elf archer dressed inscivious clothes that revealed many openings in her green & yellow attire made for archers.


    "Well.. I am the MANAGER." spoke Kahn in an authoritative tone.


    "You? Someone so young who doesn''t have a beard yet is running this ce? No wonder you guys only sell trash." scoffed the elven archer.


    "Show me the bow." said Kahn with an irritated face.


    Nobody likes a Karen.. Thisdy was proving why.


    Hundreds of other customers were watching at this moment, whispering amongst themselves.


    Kahn took the bow in his hand and opened a strap of leather that was covering the part where you hold the bow while shooting an arrow.


    Kahn''s expression then turned grim.


    "Bring me a bow from our side." ordered Kahn.


    After a white snakekin staff member handed him a bow from the weapons shelf, Kahn pulled out the strap on the same spot.


    There was a brand mark of two coiling dragons over a sword. That was the logo of the Bloodbornepany.


    "This broken bow isn''t made by ourpany. There''s always a logo hidden in every weapon we make." spoke Kahn, this time.. His tone was filled with anger.


    "Lies! You''re lying!" shouted the elf.


    "Frisk her!"manded Kahn to the security guards and the two of his master rank subordinates who were hidden within normal guards approached and apprehended the elven archer. Without caring if she was a woman.


    Kahn had no mood to quarrel with a nted troublemaker.


    Before she could shout, the spear user subordinate closed off Karen''s mouth and they dragged her away.


    Kahn then looked at the remaining customers who were staring at him like they were looking at a criminal.


    "Apologies,dies and gentlemen. We do not tolerate those who intensionallye here to cause trouble & ruin the mood for other customers. I hope you can carry on your exploring." spoke Kahn and went inside the shop.


    In an enclosed room, Karen was strapped to a chair by the subordinates. Kahn walked in with a grim expression on his face. The subordinates then exited the room and closed it from outside.


    "I don''t have time for chitchat so let''s get straight to the point. Who sent you?" asked Kahn in a domineering tone.


    "What do you think you''re doing? You think I won''t.."


    SLAP!


    A crisp sound of a p filled the room as Kahn''s furious eyesnded on the elf woman.


    "Like I said.. I don''t have time. Now spill out the truth or the next one will hit even harder." he dered.


    "You bastard! Don''t you have any shame to hit a woman!"


    SLAP!!


    Another pnded on Karen''s face.


    "The p of Justice doesn''t discriminate between genders." he said.


    "Motherfucker!" shouted the woman in a shrill tone.


    SLAP!!


    This time.. She almost felt the world around her spinning as another crisp p hit her beautiful face.


    "Looks like you don''t understand how I am being very polite to you, miss Karen."


    He spoke and held her chin.


    "Oh my.. Have I ruined your pretty face?" he asked while grinning.


    Karen on the other hand looked at him very furiously.. But she didn''t dare to curse or retort lest another p came from the young man.


    "Like hell I''m gonna tell you.." spoke Karen as she stared at him with vengeful eyes.


    "Oh.. Then I should use another method I see.." spoke Kahn and held her chin up again with his right hand.


    Boom!!


    Kahn released War Dominance aura and instantly froze Karen on the spot with his murderous and chaotic pressure.


    This wasn''t even half of his aura but Karen felt like she was pressured under a mountain.


    He came close to her face and whispered in her long ear.


    "You know.. I have a thing for Elven women. So I think it''s about time I fully enjoy one." spoke Kahn in a sadistic tone.


    His fingers that held the chin then caressed her lips as he gave a lecherous smile to Karen.


    His other hand then reached down from her neck and his forefinger slowly moved downwards towards her big and tall mountains and stopped in between the valley that separated them.


    Karen on the receiving end was shuddering in fear and her body had goosebumps all over it. She looked at Kahn as if she was staring at an executioner.. But no words coulde out of her mouth.


    "Ma.. es.. tro.. Weapon enterprise." spoke Karen in her jittery tone. She was scared to death just with his aura full of bloodlust.


    "See.. Wasn''t too hard was it.." spoke Kahn and quickly returned to old calm and collected demeanor.


    There was no lustful expression on his face.. But rather one full of scorn. He used his immense pressure and the sexual harassment trick to scare Karen to death and feel the sense of impeding danger to her life and her body at the same time.


    Kahn then spoke with a sinister smile on his face..


    "This is what happens when you ask to speak to the manager."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : This chapter is dedicated to all the Karens we''ve had in the past couple of years.

 Chapter 171: Chamber of Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 171: Chamber of Secrets</h4>


    At the end of the evening when Kahn finally returned to the main office building after gathering information on this Maestro Weapon Enterprise.. He was certain that it wasn''t just thispany. But dozens of such forces who treaded in this business and had their branches spread out in Rukon district as well.


    These people were hiring normal citizens & anyone who needed money to make a scene in the Bloodbornepany''s shops. As if all of them decided to gang up on hispany for some reason.


    Before the office hours were to be finished, one of his receptionists, a yellow middle-aged wolfkin, came to his office.


    "Sir, there''s an envelope for you." spoke the wolfkin and handed the envelope to him.


    "You may go." spoke Kahn and opened the envelope.


    The contents of the written inside were addressed to Albestros. It was an invitation.


    "So these were the main culprits behind all of this.." said Kahn as he looked at the name of the organization that sent him this invitation.


    The Rukon Chamber of Commerce.


    This was the organizationprised of various business enterprises and forces that didmerce inside this district which was a great source of ie for everyone, let it be a small-time shop or a big franchise.


    The reason why Kahn reached this conclusion that these were the main culprits behind theirpany''s ie declining drastically was because of two reasons. Only the Chamber of Commerce would have ess and authority tomand multiplepanies that were part of the organization, to use their resources and manpower to target and seclude one organization intentionally.


    And the 2nd reason why he felt so was because of the tone and the words used in the invitation.


    Forget being formal or subtle.. The wording was more like a threat. As if they were summoning a criminal and had arranged a trial where the defender would have to prove their innocence.


    Kahn came to the mansion atte night and showed the invitation & the content inside it to the old man.


    "We don''t have to go, do we?" asked Albestros.


    "There''s no rule that anyone opening a business has to join the chamber ofmerce in that area. But even if we do not respond to their calling.. I don''t think that our situation will be any better, rather they will take it as an offense. It will only make things harder for us." spoke Kahn calmy.


    "Besides.. I want to know exactly why they are targeting us in the first ce." he said.


    "But we will have to go therepletely prepared." spoke Albestros.


    "Not we.. Only me."


    Albestros looked at Kahn with a startled expression.


    "What do you mean? The invitation clearly has my name on it." asked the old cksmith.


    "I''ll go as your representative. Because I don''t think they would be the most weing if you went there." replied Kahn and then started telling Albestros about the n that just hatched in his mind.


    The next morning, Kahn departed for the location where the meeting was arranged and the next discussions were to happen.


    At the farmost eastern end of the Rukon district, was Area 51.


    It was one of the most prestigious sections of the district because there were hundreds of office buildings, each bigger and wider than the former. The majority being the kind where the councils, organizations andmittees rted to various trades and public departments had their active headquarters.


    After using a flying ship to travel to this area in a short time, Kahn finally stood at the main entrance of the Rukon Chamber of Commerce.


    The main entrance itself was 500 meters wide and there were over a thousand people just entering and exiting the premises. The main structure was divided into 5 sections, and each section was a 5 stories building that spanned 2 to 3 Kilometers by itself. The total length of the main site was close to 19 kilometers and there was a tight security on the only entrance.


    When Kahn entered one of the mansion-like ces that specialized in handling the affairs rted to Arms & Craftsmanshipmerce, he entered the grand building that could easily house over 5 thousand people at once given the space & number of floors this ce had.


    And this was just one of the sections, there were 4 more of such buildings spread around over 19 kilometer radius.


    He then showed the invitation he received to one of the receptionists and they treated it as something of an utmost importance.


    There was a ck skin man, dressed in rich formal clothes with a sharp haircut who signaled Kahn to follow him. Even the receptionist here wore costly uniforms that looked no different than what would the main attendee of some royal n would wear.


    When they finally reached the topmost floor of this building where very few people had upied this cepared to the previous floors as he noticed from the magic elevator that they used. This floor was extremely well designed and even the normal furniture made for guests who were waiting had caught his eye.


    [So this is where the elites conduct business?] he thought.


    At the end of the floor, they finally reached a heavily guarded vicinity where nearly 300 trained and armored guards were stationed at the number of doors & entry points.


    Swish!


    Suddenly, two ck shadows moved from Kahn''s body and got mixed with two of the peak master rank guards wielding spears.


    Knock! Knock!


    The receptionist knocked on a big and intrinsically carved golden door. A small section of the door was slid open and a guard checked the new arrivals through this rectangr opening.


    The 5 meter tall door was finally opened and Kahn saw the grandiose ambiance of this 30 meter long hall. Over 5 soldiers guarding and against the walls of each side.


    In the middle of this meeting room, was a grand round table where 12 people sat around it on victorian era style chairs, discussing business reports and legitions amongst themselves.


    The receptionist who escorted Kahn till this point walked close to the table and showed Kahn''s invitation to the men and women varying from humans, demi-humans, snakekins, botirs and thralls.


    After that, a white Snakekin dressed in regal and businessman attire spoke as he looked at Kahn with a gaze full of contempt.


    "Are you the one called Albestros Winston?" asked the white snakekin in an authoritative tone.


    Kahn slightly bowed as a form of showing respect to these people and replied.


    "No, sir. My name is Kahn, the head of logistics & management in the Bloodborne Enterprise. Sir Winston is extremely busy crafting one of the orders he received which requires his utmost attention. And thus, I have been sent here to respond to the summon from the Chamber of Commerce."


    Bang!


    The snakekin banged his fist on the table, while the other seated members also gave an infuriated look towards Kahn.


    "What''s the meaning of this?! Is yourpany & that cksmith looking down on us? Do you not know who we are?!" shouted the snakekin in rage.


    "Humph! That welder must think that his craft is of the most importance and we''re nothing but street vendors. Am I right?" spoke a blue thrall who was seated around the table.


    "No.. sir. We mean no disrespect to themittee. And I.. I.. have been given the permission & authority to discuss and make important decisions by sir Winston." spoke Kahn, his tone being full of fear as he didn''t dare to look up to these people in the eye.


    "A young brat like you representing an entirepany & being the head of logistics? Do you think we''re some fools, boy?" spoke a female foxkin dressed invish blue clothes. Her pretty appearance and gentle tone having a calming effect to it. But the intent behind the words seemed unweing.


    "Are you in full authority to make documented deals and contracts?" a 3 meter tall brown Lionkin asked Kahn.


    "Yes, sir. I am. Me being present here is no different than sir Winston himselfing here." replied Kahn.


    The Lionkin nced at the snakekin seated on the main chair around the table and made a nodding gesture.


    "If that''s the case.. Then do you understand why we have called upon you here?" asked the white snakekin with a condescending tone.


    "I have a rough idea.. Sir." spoke Kahn in a jittery tone like someone who was scared of the people sitting here.


    "Take a seat before we discuss official business." spoke the snakekin who seemed like the leader of this council.


    Kahn politely followed the instructions and sat on a vacant chair. Plenty of gazes were now treating him as the center of attention.


    "Since you seemed to have learned your lesson already.. I don''t feel the need to beat around the bush anymore." spoke the snakekin in a domineering tone as if he was looking at a street dog. He continued his coy tone and dered..


    "So, let us discuss your penalty."

 Chapter 172: Terms & Conditions

    <h4>Chapter 172: Terms & Conditions</h4>


    The meeting hall now suddenly had a pin drop silence as soon as the president made the derations. All the rich business tycoons who sat around the round table had their eyes glued to Kahn, trying to see his expression.


    "Young man.. Does your so-called Grandmaster cksmith of an owner understand how greatly your dirty-handed trick of selling the products at half the market price affected many other business enterprises and prices in the market altogether? How adversely it affects the economy and profits all these organizations make?" spoke the president as he waved his hand towards all the people sitting around the Round Table of Tycoons.


    "Yes, sir. And we wish to make amends. If there is a form of reconciliation we can do.. we will pay for it." spoke Kahn in a polite tone, acting like a submissive person who didn''t dare to raise his voice in front of these powerful people.


    "Normally it doesn''t cost much.. But in your case.. You shall be a bonafide member of the chamber of Commerce. Plus from now on, you will follow the rules set by the organization. And to reimburse &pensate for the nonsense yourpany pulled off.." stopped the Snakekin in his words and gave a sinister-ish smirk as he continued..


    "You shall pay 50 million gold coins as a penalty."


    Dered the president and demanded this unreasonable price just in the name ofpensation.


    Kahn''s eyes were filled with shock. He was certain that the losses these people actually suffered collectively weren''t even close to 10 million gold coins.


    This wasn''t a penalty.. But daylight extortion!


    But the next second, unexpected to all the grinning faces of the members who were seated.. They were simply left shocked by Kahn''s response as he spoke loudly..


    "I ept!"


    Gasp!


    Many of the members gasped in surprise as soon as Kahn quickly replied and agreed to pay up this exorbitant price.


    [Is this human an idiot? Or is he too scared?] thought a Mithrans businesswoman.


    Because by no means this was a small amount. For the majority of them, it was half of their entirepany''s monthly earnings they got through a lot of hard work. But Kahn, who was only a representative of an enterprise that just started out, quickly agreed to pay up thisrge sum as if it was a chummy change for him.


    "Mister President, may I ask what is your name?" asked Kahn politely,pletely unfazed by their daylight robbery.


    "Houdini.. Houdini Warsmeich." replied the old snakekin who was still taken aback by Kahn''s quick response.


    [Does that cksmith have a huge background or something?] he thought.


    "Are there any other terms & conditions for us to get the.. ''membership''?" asked Kahn as he emphasized on thest part.


    Houdini on the other hand was baffled.. He hoped for a refusal and then use it against the Bloodbornepany. But this unexpected answer left him speechless for a few seconds.


    "Ye.. Yes! There are still some of the rules you will have to follow." said the president of the arms & craftsmanship department.


    "First one.. You will have to pay 1 Million gold coins for a monthly membership of the union.


    Second, you will have to offer a 20% cut of the monthly earnings for management costs and development.


    Third, you will have to raise the prices of all your products to market prices dictated by the chamber ofmerce.


    Fourth, you can not sell any product based on your own price ranges as they affect other businesses.


    Fifth, you will only buy raw materials from the suppliers we decide upon.


    Sixth, if your enterprise decides tounch a new product in the market, you will have to get an approval from thismittee first and only then you can sell it in your stores.


    And thest, you will have to offer 30% of your shops to the chamber ofmerce as a form of showing goodwill." said Houdini as he listed out all these unreasonable rules and regtions one by one.


    Even all the other members who heard these rules were bbergasted as they looked at their president with eyes full of disbelief.


    Were these the same rules they followed? Because these terms & conditions seemed beyond incorrigible.


    Kahn on the other hand didn''t even show a slight hint of surprise or irritation on his face.


    These weren''t some terms of membership.. They were the terms akin to very.


    You couldn''t do anything without their approval, had to pay an unreasonably high price for membership, then give your monthly profits to these folks, and even buy the raw materials from the dealers they were allowed to purchase from.. Which definitely won''t be a reasonable deal either. And most obtuse of them all was that he had to give up 30% of the shops hispany owned.


    "Are.. Are.. these the same rules and restrictions the other members sitting here have to follow?" asked Kahn in a frightened voice.


    "No. But yourpany has to pay in a way for offending all of us who have been in this field for decades. Do you think anyone can juste from nowhere and pull the carpet under our feet?" spoke the president, no longer hiding his malicious intentions.


    "There''s always a price to pay for messing with the people you shouldn''t have provoked. So tell me.. Do you agree?" asked Houdini in his cunning voice.


    He was thoroughly cornering Kahn and openly oppressing him under the name of thesews and regtions.


    The very next second however, Kahn''s scared countenance disappeared and he spoke with a smile on his face.


    "Go fuck yourself."


    "I see you agree.." suddenly, Houdini''s mind was struck with a realization.


    "What the hell did you say, you damn brat?!" he shouted in an enraged voice.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, all the guards which also included two intermediate grandmaster rank fighters released their murderous aura. All of their killing intent was targeted at Kahn as they started surrounding him from all four sides.


    "Should we imprison him, sir?" asked the intermediate grandmaster assassin to the snakekin.


    "No.. I want to see him tortured in front of me first. And then cut off his arms and legs. I want him to suffer for the rest of his life!" shouted Houdini, his eyes full of wrath as he stared at Kahn.


    "You see this, you trash? This is what you call true power. One word from me and you will lose your life right this very moment." threatened the president.


    Kahn was still sitting calmly in his chair spoke in response.


    "What power? I don''t feel any threat to my life."


    "Don''t you see.. You''re surrounded by us." spoke the other intermediate grandmaster guard who was a swordsman.


    In response, Kahn only gave a light smirk.


    BOOM! BOOM! BANG! BANG!


    "Argh!"


    "Help!"


    "We''re under attack!"


    Wails filled with agony and cries for help suddenly resounded as a fight broke out on this floor.


    But it didn''te from the meeting hall where Kahn was, rather the passage whence he came from. This floor of the building had over 300 master rank fighters guarding it but suddenly an insurmountable aura full of unimaginable wrath was released on these guards.


    One by one, hundreds of soldiers and their yelps filled the surroundings. The shrill cries for mercy and metals nging against each other suddenly frightened every single person sitting in the room.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, the golden door from where Kahn previously entered this room was busted open as a tall man dressed in white coat kicked it from the outside.


    This man''s red eyesnded on the armored guards who were surrounding and pointing their weapons at Kahn.


    SCHRILL!!


    This mature looking man with ashen hair and glowing red iris in his eyes suddenly released all of his silver aura filled with murderous intent at all the guards and the business tycoons sitting in this room.


    Thack! Thack! Tap! Tap!


    One by one.. All the people including the snakekin dropped on the ground under this pressure as their bodies gave in against this immensely oppressive aura.


    A Peak Grandmaster Rank warrior!


    This aura wasparable to a Peak Grandmaster person. And to make it even worse.. The man who just entered in the meeting hall wasn''t the only one.


    A 4 meter tall man d in ck body armor and with a ck giantsword in his hands followed the man. His red and domineering aura by no means any weaker than the former.


    [Impossible! How are there two peak grandmaster warriors here? And why didn''t anyone alert us?] thought the female foxkin businesswoman.


    The man dressed in white had a Katana in his hand which had blood dripping from its de.


    Tap! Tap!


    His heavy footsteps filled the room as this man walked towards the center. The figure was none other than Omega, who was currently using his Bloodlust skill that can put every enemy within 300 meters radius in a frightened mental state.


    Stab!


    Omega stabbed the Katana in the center of the round table and moved his gaze at everyone present in this room as if he wanted to kill these people on the spot.


    Kahn finally stood up stretched out & flexed his arms and legs as he regained his calm and domineering posture. His face turned full of confidence & authority as he stood tall with his hands folded behind his back, standing in his usual Darkseid pose.


    "Man.. Acting like a meek coward is so not my style." spoke Kahn as he looked at the people kneeling on the ground.


    Kahn gave a light grin to Houdini as he spoke in his kingly and tyrannical voice..


    "Now this.. Is what you call true power."

 Chapter 173: The Penalty

    <h4>Chapter 173: The Penalty</h4>


    Kahn now stood in front of all these people with a grand and imposing demeanor, his previous scared and frail-looking way of conducting himself nowhere to be seen. Instead, he suddenly transformed into an alpha who controlled the situation instead.


    "See.. This is why I said I don''t feel a threat to my life. You posers never had anything under control to begin with." said Kahn.


    The sudden appearance of Omega & Jugram was a backup n in case things came to a physical confrontation. And since he couldn''t afford to let them both suddenly jump out of his shadow in front of so many people, he left them outside in the shadows of the guards as he gave both of them the shadow walk skill.


    Although it was only suited for the Assassin ss, after unlocking the Impartation skill with the subordinates with 100% Loyalty, he found that there were some skills he could still impart to the subordinates despite the ss difference. Shadow walk being one of them as this was the exclusive merged skill he created using the Synthesis Divine Ability.


    "Now then.. Where were we? The terms & conditions. And how ourpany caused you lot tremendous losses, right?" spoke Kahn as he leisurely walked around the round table. His eyes remembering all the faces of the members of the main council and names that were written on the chairs of these individuals.


    At this moment, Omega and Jugram were only releasing 80% of their aura lest the people here fainted on the spot since nobody aside from the two intermediate grandmasters was strong enough to stay awake under the pressure of their aura at maximum capacity.


    "Hey.. Who''s gonnapensate me now?" asked Kahn and telepathically ordered the two subordinates to reduce their aura by half.


    All of them were top figures and one of the richest people in this district. The wealth they had made them leaders and the dominant figure in the eyes of the entire city. But suddenly, a no-name person like Kahn had made them kneel on the floor by having two peak grandmaster warriors under hismand.


    Just as the members of the chamber ofmerce finally felt half of it disappearing from their bodies.. The brown Lionkin spoke with an infuriated tone.


    "Whatpensation?! Do you even realize how grave a mistake you just made?!"


    To this retort, Kahn replied nonchntly.


    "You lot have cost me too much money. The damages done at my stores.. Then the emotional trauma my staff members suffered in the past few weeks along with the sleepless nights I''ve gone through.. That is simply unbearable. How about you guys loan me some money so I could afford to visit a therapist?"


    Kahn then grinned and he gave a covetous look towards all these people who acted all high and mighty not too long ago.


    "What do you mean.. Why should we give you money for any.."


    Boom!


    Before Houdini could speak any more words, Omega & Jugram increased their aura and put everyone on the ground again; but this time.. Nobody even had the strength to even bat an eyelid.


    Omega then started pulling out all the space rings these 13 members had on them one by one. Each of these business tycoons had a vast amount of wealth and resources in their space rings. Every single member of the council had 3 to 4 space rings holding this wealth on their person.


    So Kahn was going to take these rings for¡­ safeguarding them.


    Just in 5 minutes, Omega pulled out over 58 space rings, each full of vast wealth and resources they didn''t even know of.


    And despite their souls nearly leaving their bodies in rage.. None of these influential powers could do anything. Their main goal was to decimate the Bloodbornepany to the ground.. But in just 10 minutes, the tables had turned on them.


    "Thank you for your generous donations. I will forever remember your kindness in my heart." spoke Kahn as Omega handed him all these space rings that had inner spaceparable to a medium-sized warehouse. They didn''t even have the time to check all the contents inside them.


    "Ladies & gentlemen.. As much as I would like to stay and entertain you. I must depart with a heavy heart. But I hope you do remember our encounter today before you decide to do anything rash in the future." said Kahn in a calm tone.


    "You.. You think you can leave this ce alive after robbing us?" spoke the snakekin as he barely managed to form these words in his mouth.


    "Oh.. Are you people so open-minded to tell the world about how someone came right into your house and robbed you as none of you dared to fight back? Or are you going to tell everyone about how you lot shamelessly tried to put a poor and weakpany like ours out of business?" asked Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    "You bastards have killed people.. You''re not getting away with it.." said the blue elderly thrall.


    "Eh? I don''t remember killing anyone. I was only ying a poking game with your people outside; just with swords but very enjoyable I tell you." said Omega as he let out a devilish smirk.


    "Yes, yes. Me too. It was also good physical exercise by exchanging fists. My body was feeling very stiff from few days anyway." replied Jugram.


    Omega then pulled out Raijin that was stabbed in the middle of the round table. He squatted down in front of the two intermediate grandmaster warriors, one of whom was a swordsman.


    "Hey, cool sword man. Mind if I borrow it?" said Omega and looted the sword along with the scabbard.


    The swordsman was barely managing to breathe properly so he had no chance to retort.


    Kahn then spoke in his tyrannical voice as his gazended on all the rich tycoons who barely managed to hold their heads high after the subordinates decreased their aura.


    "I hope the rtionship between us stays on good terms from now on. And know this.. This was your first and final warning. So let us go separate in our paths. You do things your way and we do it our way. Everyone stays happy."


    "But remember one thing though.." his expression then turned grim & deathly as if gave out his final deration in a domineering tone..


    "If you think you are bad... then I am your dad."

 Chapter 174: The Reasoning

    <h4>Chapter 174: The Reasoning</h4>


    Kahn returned to his mansion at night. And told everything that happened during the meeting to Albestros & Ronin. While he had Szayel listening through the long-distance transmission artifact, the jade medallion given by the vampire lord.


    "Isn''t that.. A bit extreme? This isn''t what we discussed previously." said Albestros after Kahn revealed his conduct in the meeting like a professional bandit.


    "There is a reason why I did those things." he said.


    Kahn pretended to be weak and docile in front of themittee. Because as said in the Art of War..


    PRETEND TO BE WEAK, THAT YOUR ENEMY MAY GROW ARROGANT.


    He used that strategy to know their real intentions.


    "After I went to the meeting and talked with them.. I was even ready to reconcile and make amends. At the end of the day.. We too want to survive and do our business peacefully." he spoke and took a pause.


    "But as soon as I heard all the terms & conditions.. It was as clear as sky to me that they weren''t going to let us off. Rather.. They wanted to bury us deep in the ground. We''d be no different than ves who''d need their master''s permission to even breathe. And right then, I knew the whole meeting itself was nothing but a sham to begin with." he exined.


    Kahn was someone who had lived through that life of a corporate ve where you give it all to thepany or organization you worked for.. Only for them to have you either work to the bone or throw you away when you outlived personal usefulness. As soon as there was a better option.. They would cast you away even after hundreds of unpaid hours of work and sleepless nights you went through while only getting minimum wage.


    In his past life, even though he had a good sry job.. He had no personal life. His entire life''s cycle circled around his work and affected him mentally and physically. But when he suffered through the scam which nearly broke him as a person... All he received was condescending and demeaningughs and banters on himself.


    And this was one of the main reasons why Kahn had decided that he would never work for someone or somepany in this life. And thus, he entered the business field as soon as he saw the opportunity after he came to the capital.


    His years of experience as an ountant and the information he gathered on how to manage a business was more than enough for him to enter this profession. He wasn''t one of those fake entrepreneurs on social media, but someone who knew the real ins and outs of this field.


    "Before I entered the meeting hall, Mister Omega & Mister Jugram were already using an artifact to hide their presence and no one there was strong enough to sense them either. It was to let them think that these two were our biggest powerhouses." said Kahn.


    He addressed the subordinates this way because their current persona was some top-rank fighters Kahn had hired to work for theirpany.


    During the meeting itself, he didn''t release his own aura of a Semi-Saint Rank fighter because he had learned not to reveal his trump cards early on after the fight with Arkham & Solomon. Thest-minute power boost such as Berserk God Mode & Bloodline Merge won''t always save his life. And after their use, he''d be left defenseless if none of his subordinates were with him.. Even a rookie soldier would be able to kill him during the weakened state.


    And hence, he didn''t reveal his strength at all. By revealing Omega & Jugram as peak grandmaster rank warriors, he had warned them off that he wasn''t without backing either.


    "The reason why I didn''t have them kill anyone was because there were too many witnesses, to begin with. I was also seen entering that floor. And there were many innocents involved like the receptionist who escorted me or the normal guards who were just doing their job.


    Those had nothing to do with this whole ordeal. I don''t kill innocent bystanders just because they are present at a wrong ce at a wrong time. So only giving them superficial injuries and a few broken bones was a better alternative.


    Killing people publicly would only create unnecessary trouble for us, the kind we should avoid at any cost for now.


    And at the end of the day.. It''s only business. Not worth killing someone over it." exined Kahn.


    "But what if they retaliate & try to kill you? After all, you outright robbed their belongings and took years of personal wealth at the end." spoke Szayel through the medallion.


    "Hey.. I''m not a psychopath who goes around killing people just over some small arguments and because I have some strength. You should learn how to handle things without spilling unnecessary blood. You are going to be the n leader one day as well." reprimanded Kahn with his tone full of wisdom.


    "But you did have sir Omega & sir Jugram spill some blood though.." a coy chuckle came from the other end.


    [This biatch!] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    "As long as no one is dead.. It doesn''t count." replied Kahn, trying to cover up the small burn he just received.


    "As for why I robbed them off.. It was to give them a lesson they will remember for a long time and rethink a hundred times before messing with us again. Plus.. I had to recover all my losses because of those bastards.


    And since they can''t let the public know about how a no-name guy came with a couple of bodyguards and robbed them off right in the center of their turf.. They will have to swallow it down till their final moments." spoke Kahn as he leaned on thefortable sofa.


    "Kid.. You should know that none of these people reached the ce they are without burying some bodies. What if theye back seeking vengeance and target us again?" asked Albestros in a worried tone.


    "I already gave them a final warning. That there won''t be any mercy next time." replied Kahn.


    "And how are things progressing on your end, Szayel? Are you doing what I''ve told you as per our ns in the previous meeting?" asked Kahn to the vampire heir.


    "It''s progressing slowly.. Even with my position as the n heir.. It''s not easy to convince my grandfather & the elders. It''s not just our n but the entire faction. Other ns are also hard to please. I can''t make big moves without drawing attention to myself." replied Szayel.


    "What ns are you two talking about? Don''t leave me out of the loop again!" eximed the old man. He still remembered how these two nned their act of betrayal when they entered the headquarters of the Vandereich n and how scared he was when they were put in jail.


    "Don''t worry, you''re not in any danger this time." spoke Kahn calmly.


    "As for the uing days.. We will have some peace."

 Chapter 175: Misery to Bliss

    <h4>Chapter 175: Misery to Bliss</h4>


    Two weeks passed by and the Bloodbornepany was back on track. Although a lot of damage was done to the reputation of thepany.. Kahn then used the same method his enemies used to thwart away his rise in poprity.


    Kahn paid tons ofworking organizations and even made the dark alley deals with some organizations that worked in intel gathering.


    He used Szayel''s n to make a direct deal with the underworld. And like there are no exceptions.. This rich and prestigious n from the pureblood faction too had their feet set inside the underworld as well.


    The vampire n heir Kahn saved nearly a month ago was proving very useful to him day by day. Although he too was aware of how they had undisclosed motives behind all the help they were offering.. He wasn''t the kind to refuse free help when he was in need.


    In the first week alone, themon people hired by these agencies and underworld organizations spread around the word about how the greedy enterprises had paid and targeted the Bloodbornepany because they were selling the products at a reasonable price and not the exorbitant and unfair rates these rich folks wanted them to do.


    And the narrative of rich and powerful oppressing the weak and poor guy always worked like a charm on themon citizens of the society.


    And to top it all.. The Bloodbornepany even offered a 10% discount for the next few weeks because they were forced to make this decision as the business was in decline.


    With this story spread amongst the masses, those who felt empathetic towards the startingpany who was fair and just and originated from a poor background because of a hardworking and talented Grandmaster cksmith.. And those who wanted to take advantage of these low costs flooded their stores.


    Even the dealers and distributors had their shops swarmed with people asking for their products.


    This seemed like the Bloodbornepany won''t survive for long if the profits went downhill on the surface.. But in reality, Kahn had no worries because his real aim was to regain the reputation of thepany that was tainted because of the ploy of their enemies.


    Although, thepany itself was suffering many losses at this time and the profits they were making barely covered the marginal cost.. The funding required to keep thepany afloat for the next few months was already in his pockets.


    And all that because of the generous ''donations'' given by all the top business figures Kahn met in the Chamber of Commerce that day.


    Each of the rings had inner space big enough to function like a medium-sized warehouse. And the amount of wealth every single one of them held..


    Kahn barely managed to sleep that night after he, Albestros, Ronin, Omega & Jugram counted all the money and resources they received from the decades of all the hard work of these business tycoons.


    These people wanted to oppress him but he robbed them instead.


    And now.. The total amount of wealth and resources Kahn gained from the 58 space rings that he took for safeguarding from the real owners.. Was beyond his wildest dreams.


    To Kahn, who had amassed his wealth before he came to the capital by the good ol'' method of righteous and honorable means called plundering the dead.. The living beings offered him more money and that too without the bloodshed.


    He also found the Orichalcum tes that were used as denominations for 1 Million gold coins. He now had 63 of these tes along with the normal gold coins.


    Kahn was now the owner of 156 million gold coins, 80,000 A Rank monster cores and mana ores. 500,000 B rank cores. And to his surprise and for the first time.. He nearly had 3 thousand S Rank cores!


    This sudden uprise in resources and materials made him realize that he wasn''t living inside a small pond like before. But truly in the vast open ocean.


    He barely resisted the urge to visit these people again and rob their fortune. This was just the personal wealth of all those 13 tycoons.. Who knew about their enterprise''s real ie.. And if this was the ie of people sitting in top positions of just one section of the chamber ofmerce.. What about the other four?


    And at the end.. These people were the top brass of just one district.. The capital Rathna had 86 other districts. What about their wealth?


    The greedy ountant inside Kahn was having an orgasm just with the thought of it.


    The amount of Epic Rank weapons, potions, magic scrolls, armors in full sets he now had exceeded in hundreds. Compared to the current him.. The Kahn who felt like a bigshot in terms of wealth whening to Rathna was not even worth looking at.


    And with this money.. What Kahn nned to do would make those people who messed with him punch themselves in the face. If not for them acting all high and mighty.. He wouldn''t hold this vast amount of wealth in the first ce.


    The president wanted Kahn to pay 50 million gold coins as a penalty for incurring their wrath.. But now his own wealth was 3 times bigger than what they wanted him to fork out.


    The first thing he did was to hire 3 thousand more employees, hundreds of magic carriages for transportation. Over 20 new security guards for every single shop.. So no one would dare to cause any more trouble.


    And by spending another 25 million gold coins.. He leased 23 more buildings to open their stores, made deals with even bigger suppliers and the top figures he befriended in the past 2 weeks in the name of business were none other than the powerful ns from the Pureblood Faction.


    The Bloodbornepany was now twice bigger, efficient and capable in just two weeks.


    Rather than letting all that money rot in his space rings.. He was going to use it to keep making more money in the future.


    What he wanted to do was use this opportunity to open a few more branches in other districts but thepany was still in the name of the old cksmith. Any bold moves and people will start asking questions about the origin of the funding. So Kahn decided to take baby steps first.


    ---------------


    Kahn now stood in a forested area with Omega and all the members of the Six Generals such as Ronin, Oliver, Jugram, Ceril, ckwall and Armin. They all looked at the cores and ores Kahn took out from his space rings.. Dozens of rings to be precise.


    The glittering red cores and multicolored ores in the middle shone brightly under the moonlight as they were ced on multiple tables and these hungry wolves were rubbing their hands together like flies.


    He spoke in an excited tone as he and all the main subordinates were drooling after looking at the stash.


    "Buckle up boys... Time to level up!"

 Chapter 176: The Intrusion

    Chapter 176: The Intrusion


    After having their fill of some top-grade cores and ores like children eating ice cream.. The entourage of oddities hid in Kahn''s shadow again.


    On this very night, Ceril also crossed the threshold and unlocked the condition to take a human form.


    But Kahn decided to temporarily hide Ceril from anyone''s eyes because another Peak Grandmaster Rank person would certainly raise suspicion on him. Forget the others.. Even Albestros & Szayel will feel like there was something odd.


    So Kahn decided to temporarily keep the necromancer subordinate away from the public eye. Now, only Oliver & ckwall were left at Lord Rank even though both of them crossed the level 85. Only by reaching High Lord rank would they meet the prerequisite conditions.


    And for that, Kahn would at least need a peak grandmaster rank tank or a pdin and an archer to upgrade these subordinates. So he currently had to put them on hold.


    All of his subordinates would also need some time topletely absorb all the S Rank & A Rank cores & ores they just ate. Because unlike Kahn, they didn''t have the Ability Absorption Divine Ability.


    So he was only left with Omega, Ronin, Jugram and Armin who were already in their human forms.


    During the level-up, he noticed that even the S Rank cores were hardly enough.


    He ate around 80 of these cores but only increased by 12 levels. And with each level up, the number of cores he required also rose.


    [System.. Why is it taking so many cores to level up?] asked Kahn.


    [The host is now a Semi-Saint Rank being. As the host''s body crosses a threshold or a realm of physique.. The number of resources for each level up will also increase.] exined the system.


    Kahn then understood how hard it was going to be for him to reach higher levels and ranks.


    Because a single S Rank core wasparable to 1000 A Rank cores. And despite eating 80 of these cores that were bigger and glowed fiery red, he still only made 12 level increase.


    Exactly when he thought that he had gathered enough resources to raise to level 200.. He was left speechless by this sudden revtion.


    Only now did he clearly have an idea about why there were barely 200 Semi-Saint Rank fighters in the entire Empire; and even less than 100 Saint Rank fighters within the poption of 4 Billion citizens as per the records.


    Even someone like Solomon who was more than 200 years old wasn''t able to reach the Saint Rank. Because of the number of resources they required and the time it took to consume these cores and ores, was not even an option for 99.99% of the poption.


    And if this was just for the Semi-Saint Rank.. What about the number of cores and ores he''d require after reaching the Saint Rank? Even a million S Rank cores would barely be enough for him to cross a single stage.


    Even the dozen business tycoons he robbed barely had 5 thousand of these cores. And if this was so hard for them to gather these cores.. How hard would it be for him?


    Kahn wasn''t a prince of some kingdom or like other Heroes who had the backing of an entire empire. So he had to look for even higher grade resources and materials to level up from now on.


    Because even the Ability Absorption divine ability could only help him with absorbing these cores & ores at an extremely fast pace.. But it couldn''t help with the number of resources he needed.


    So for now, he could continue eating these cores on daily basis and rise in levels steadily. Asking for more would be like having everything handed to him by the Gods.


    Kahn then returned to the mansion and prepared for the next day.


    So far, things have been going well for him and nothing out of the norm had happened so he was only overflowed with the work rted to business and had no worries about anything else.


    As the working days started on the next week, Kahn who now had twice the workload on him despite hiring triple the number of employees for logistics & management using the Blood-Bind contract.


    This time as well, there were thousands of people applying during the recruitment and most of them ran away in the final stage as soon as he revealed this method of finalizing their contract.


    This was indeed a very effective method to throw off the leechers and spies.


    The current member of the logistics department alone reached close to a thousand and the main workers and apprenticeship cksmiths also tripled in numbers as their fame kept rising over time.


    Albestros also held the other end of the side and the once beggar-like appearance grandmaster had aplete makeover and looked more refined and noble. His grizzly beard was gone and his face no longer had dry wrinkles on them. To him.. It was like the old days during his peak of poprity had returned and the old cksmith was thoroughly enjoying his craft again.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Albestros Winston, the Grandmaster cksmith in the chapterments. Check it out.]]


    And with each new and challenging craftsmanship order from highly influential people they were receiving, the fire inside him also burned bright.


    Kahn on the other hand was using the old man''s rising reputation to make high end deals with top figures and organizations


    As usual.. Kahn was immersed in his duties and checking the reports he was receiving from his office underlings.


    The Bloodbornepany waspletely settled in this one month period ever since they started and they had prospects for expansions in uing months to other districts if things went well.


    Thud! Bang!


    A loud bang was heard on his office door and the next second, a giant figure kicked and broke the door.


    As soon as Kahn saw who it was.. His face turned grim. Not because of the impolite intrusion or the person who did it.. But because of who this person was holding.


    "Put him on the sofa!" shouted Kahn as he quickly stood up and summoned Armin out of his shadow.


    "Heal him quickly!" he ordered Armin.


    The person who barged inside Kahn''s office was none other than Jugram.. But in his hand was a half-burned elven man.


    Kahn knew this middle-aged elf personally. He was one of the main caretakers of a warehouse they had in the central region of the District.


    "Xandar.. What happened?" asked Kahn to the elf.


    Armin quickly cast Restoration & Elixir of Life, his two instant healing & regeneration skills that were no different than lifesaver skills.


    Jugram suddenly spoke to Kahn.


    "He barely managed to reach our main gates in this state."


    "Ah.. Whee. A.. Am.. I.?" a groaning was heard in the room as the nearly dying elf was healed and was making visible recovery thanks to Armin.


    "Xandar, you''re okay. Tell me what happened? Why were you in this condition?" asked Kahn with a curious tone.


    The next second, "Xandar, entire body shuddered in fear as realization hit him.. He then spoke in a frightened tone..


    "Mr. Kahn.. They.. They.. Killed them all!"

 Chapter 177: Crossing the Line

    <h4>Chapter 177: Crossing the Line</h4>


    In the central region of the Rukon district.. A big godown was engulfed in fire and smoke. This 1 kilometer wide storage facility was burned to crisps and thousands of onlookers were discussing the sudden fire that broke in this facility.


    Over 20 mages who were part of the fire control department of this region named Area 69, were putting off the fire with their various magic artifacts, water & frost spells.


    There were hundreds of foot soldiers surrounding the burning building and prohibiting people froming close to it. There was a separate group of people who were using different types of formations, barriers and scrolls to stop the spreading fire lest it affects the other surrounding buildings and housings. A proper way to control a fire breakout.


    p! p!


    A sound of multiple pping wings filled the area and suddenly, 3 flying winged lion beasts that were used as modes of traveling in the capital by the truly wealthy came in sight.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The 5 meter tall and majestic lions with silver feathery wingsnded on the ground.


    Soon, 3 figures climbed down from these regal creatures. It was Kahn, Omega and Armin who were using these highly sought-after monster steeds to travel. These were the monsters Kahn boughtst week because he had to travel long distances often and magic trains were no longer convenient for him at this point.


    Plus he had the money so he didn''t think twice before he bought these beasts, a million gold coins for each of them.


    The trio soon stood in front of the smoldering fire and introduced themselves as the owners of this burning building.


    After an hour of joint effort.. The fire was finally subdued and the building was safe enough to enter.


    After doing the paperwork and counting the number of the dead.. It was registered as an ident by the authorities and a case was filed.


    Kahn filled in all the required information & documents for further investigation.


    But during his own visit inside the site.. His Hunter''s Intent was working at full capacity. His eyes registering minute details one wouldn''t generally notice.


    After his investigation.. Kahn concluded that although the bodies burned under this fire; In reality.. The forty-two people who died in this tragic incident were actually murdered.


    The swift swings and thrusts that cut the necks and broke the skulls were not easy to notice after how only a few of their bones remained. The rest of the facility was burned to ashes and all the stockpile of material this warehouse had waspletely ransacked.


    Whoever did this.. were all trained killers.


    Kahn concluded that these killers first took down all the security & workers here. And then they ransacked the entire godown full of finished products that would soon be sold in shops. This facility was used to store them here and then distribute the stock in the nearby shops owned by Kahn''spany. To save time and money of course.


    And after killing these innocent workers, they put the entire ce on fire.


    "This.. Is because of me.." said Kahn as he tightly clenched his fist.


    At the end of the day.. Every single one of the victims was just coteral damage. Kahn understood that he was the main cause of these innocent workers getting killed only because he had garnered the ire of the truly powerful people.


    And since they couldn''t even hope to put a scratch on him because of Omega & Jugram.. They went after the people who worked for him.


    Xander told Kahn that he survived because of a protection artifact he had on him which saved his life in thest moment from a fireball spell that was used in order to kill him.


    Xander barely escaped from the clutches of these killers via using a teleportation scroll and appeared close to their main headquarters.


    He was now the only survivor of this massacre and was currently taken care of by Armin.


    After dealing with the aftermath and agreeing toply with the investigations.. Kahn returned at evening to the main headquarters. This time.. He quickly made an announcement in the main meeting hall about the incident and how the families of the deceased workers will be fairlypensated for the loss of their loved ones.


    The main purpose of this meeting wasn''t only to show that how they cared about the lives of their employees.. But also for Kahn to nt over 60 of his Assassin subordinates in the shadows of some of the employees.


    Kahn knew that this won''t be the final attack. Because this was again.. targeted killing. And he already had a hint of who were the real culprits behind these attacks.


    Kahn was barely holding back his anger and wanted to hunt down these killers but the fire didn''t leave any traces behind.. No smell or footsteps that he could use to track these killers.


    But at the same time.. He couldn''t even reveal the truth behind that fire and how basically everyone''s life was in grave danger. Otherwise, it will cause a panic & he won''t be able to catch the killers either.


    So only hiding his assassin subordinates to protect these people and getting informed in case any of them were under an attack was the best choice for him to find the killers.


    On the same night.. 3 of his shops were burned to the ground and 12 guards on night duty also died. His subordinates hidden between the normal guards couldn''t even inform Kahn through Hive Mind because all these shops were ced farther than 10 kilometers.


    Amongst the dead, 8 of his master rank warriors also died.


    The next day, 4 more of his transportations carriages were attacked and looted. Since Omega was guarding other shipments and couldn''t always be present everywhere.. The guards protecting these shipments barely managed to keep their lives in a sh.


    From the survivors, he learned that it was a group of killers which had a well-organized style of attacking the targets like a trained battalion itself. Some survivors even said that the attackers let them live on purpose.


    After the same incident happened the next day.. Kahn finally lost it!


    For the first time in his new life.. He truly felt helpless. It was one thing if the enemies came after him.. He could still fight and protect himself but nearly 4 thousand people who worked for were left defenseless and prone to get attacked when Kahn wasn''t present.


    Even the subordinates he had were limited and all the security he hired were at best were at Peak Master Rank. But in front the grandmaster rank attackers.. There was so little they could.


    Kahn didn''t want to gather unnecessary attention on himself in this new ce.


    But the innocent people who worked for him were being killed by these enemies he made.


    He had shown his enemies the kindness of giving a warning because he didn''t want to kill innocents who didn''t know anything about the enmity..


    Just that this time, they weren''t using normal people to defame hispany.. But hired professionals to kill his people.


    "This is all on me.. I made the mistake of sparing those bastards that day.


    My people are also my responsibility." spoke Kahn as he saw half a dozen dead bodies being carried away from the most recent attack on a shipment carriage of hispany.


    At that very moment, Kahn decided that it was finally time to take matters into his own hands. The official investigation will never yield a proper result or the killers will even be found.


    At night, he stood in his bedroom in front of the dressing table as he looked in the mirror..


    His eyes were full of wrath and his body barely contained his murderous and chaotic aura as he spoke in a vengeful tone..


    "You bastards wanted a war.. You''ve got one now!"

 Chapter 178: New Persona

    <h4>Chapter 178: New Persona</h4>


    What Kahn felt right at this moment was something he hadn''t felt before.. Although he wanted nothing else but to rip out the hearts of the hired professionals who we killing his employees as a way for the people from the chamber ofmerce to get back at him.. There were still many things Kahn had doubts about.


    What he didn''t understand was how did the people who couldn''t even handle Omega & Jugram''s pressure properly suddenly grew up a spine and dared to outright kill his people?


    Because even if they let impulses & anger affect their decision.. It was already clear that none of them actually had the capabilities to kill Kahn if they couldn''t even defeat his bodyguards.


    And it was obvious that Kahn woulde for their heads after that final warning. And yet.. Things hade to the current circumstances.


    As if these people no longer had a fear for their lives.


    Kahn quickly pped himself to control his angered state.


    "Think clearly! This isn''t simple like it seems." he spoke to himself and adjusted his breathing.


    As the calm breathing exercise started showing its effect and he regained hisposure and focused mind, he started to look for proper reasoning.


    "A provocation like this is only good in two scenarios. And One, you are far stronger than your opponent and can control everything if ites to a life and death situation.


    Two.. when you want to lure out the enraged enemy right into your trap." said Kahn.


    He wasn''t going to do the mistake of walking into a trap ever again after his experience with Arkham & Solomon. He won''t alwayse out alive from it because of some plot armor or a coincidence. Even the power boost skills he had were thest resort when he waspletely cornered and had no other choice; so there was a need of examining the situation first.


    And there was another problem..


    He couldn''t afford to reveal his identity as a Semi-Saint Rank fighter either. Otherwise, it wille to bite him backter. Plus there was also the matter of security of thepany & Albestros.


    Someone of his strength would eventually end up catching the eye of top guys. And hence it wasn''t a good choice to reveal his true strength either.


    But there was still a way for him to interfere without implicating his real Identity. It was the same method he used in vot city.


    And that was to create another persona.


    Since Azrael was out of the equation as he didn''t want to gather too much attention on himself or let people from vot city know that Azrael appeared in the same district of the capital where Kahn also lived now.. He had to use a different persona and a different method to hunt down his enemies.


    Kahn took out a body from one of his space rings and ced his hand on it.


    This body belonged to none other than Bartholomew Volstov, father of Eren Volstov. The father & son duo tried to use Azrael''s name to plot and kill their own n''s head. Although they did seed.. Kahn was the one who benefitted from it the most.


    So far.. He didn''t even have a reason or time to pay attention to this Intermediate Grandmaster Rank Archer.. But he hadn''tpletely forgotten about him either. Although he could mix it with Oliver.. But the fact that Bartholomew wasn''t a peak grandmaster fighter wouldn''t give any favorable results at all.


    And because of that.. Kahn was waiting for a proper time to use this body. And after nearly two months.. The opportunity finally appeared.


    "Absorb!"manded Kahn and used the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    "System, show me the abilities and skills."


    [Following are the Physical abilities & skills :


    Hawk Eye (A Rank) (Passive) :


    Gives the host a precise view and vital organs of an enemy target.


    ---------------


    Death from the Shadow (A Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host topletely submerge into dark shadows while masking his presence before making an offensive attack.


    ---------------


    Following are the Magical abilities & skills :


    Death Volley (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to create a Volley of 100 arrows using his mana as a source and attack multiple targets in 500 meter radius.


    Note : The host can infuse different elements & magical attributes on the mana arrows while using this skill.


    ---------------


    Archer''s Lance (B Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to gather condensed mana on an arrow to increase the damage by 200%.


    Note : The host can also infuse any elemental attribute in this skill.


    ---------------


    Full Draw (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to simultaneously use multiple arrows (3 at maximum per shot) with 300% attack damage and effective range.


    There are no currently Merged skills avable. The previous Archery skills the host acquired are low tier and unsuitable for synthesis procedure.


    Hawk Eye skill has been merged under Hunter''s Intent. The rank of this ability is raised to SS Rank.


    Congrattions to the host for breaking through to Grandmaster Rank for Archery skills and abilities.] replied the System.


    "Good enough for now." spoke Kahn as he looked at the mirror.


    "I can''t reveal my own identity.. But I can''t hide behind a mask this time either.


    I need to¡­ make a statement." he said with fervor in his tone.


    "System.. can I change my age using the metamorphosis ability?" asked Kahn.


    He could always take the form of another species but when it came to archery, he found his human form the most suitable.


    [Yes. How old would the host like to appear?]


    "Hmm.. I always wondered how I would look 20 yearster in my past life.


    Let''s make it 45." spoke Kahn.


    The next second, his appearance started changing.. His young and handsome appearance started aging at a visible rate.. Multiple wrinkles and a beard slowly grew on his face.


    A strand of white patch appeared on his long yet well-fashioned beard and now shoulder-length hair on both sides. In just a minute, his appearance turned from a vigorous young man to a stoic and matured seasoned warrior.


    Although his body was a bit thinpared to before.. The aura he gave from the new appearance was worlds apart. His eyes looked full of wisdom and experience along with the kingly aura that made him look like someone who spent decades fighting wars.


    Kahn quickly took out an Epic Rank gear set for archers and a bow made up of rare alloys. After the new abilities he gained and breaking through to the Grandmaster rank for Archery skills, his innate connection to this weapon increased drastically.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Older Kahn given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    But before he could admire his new appearance, he heard a warning signal from one of his assassin subordinates he left in one of the employees.


    His countenance turned serious as he spoke..


    "Pray to your god for this is yourst day.


    Well.. It''s not like he''s listening anyway."

 Chapter 179: The Archer

    <h4>Chapter 179: The Archer</h4>


    In a dark alley amongst hundreds of brightened streets in the Rukon district, a violet male and a red demonkin female ran across the dark corners.. In the male''s hands was a ck demonkin child, barely 6 years old.


    Huff! Huff!


    The couple stopped in one of the dark corners as they gasped for breath. The father was panting heavily..


    "Papa.. Are the bad people gone?" asked the child to his father.


    "Shh.. Don''t talk." whispered the father.


    The mother was already out of her wits and couldn''t understand what was happening.


    Not too long ago, they were merrily shopping and had a nice dinner after her husband received his paycheck for this month.


    But as they were finally departing for their home.. A bunch of people started following them out of nowhere. These people had masks on them and she even saw daggers and swords with them.


    First, they thought that these people were some thugs who robbed people but it became very clear that it''s their lives these masked people were after.


    Their son was very scared; the father even offered their money and asked to let them go.. But the murderous aura from these people didn''t even wane.


    And after that.. They started running for their lives and entered this dark alley in order to hide.


    Tap! Tap!


    "Oh my.. You think you''ve escaped us already?" a grim voice came from above their heads and a blue tigerkin assassin donned in pitch ck clothes appeared in their sight.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    One by one, over a dozen people started appearing out of nowhere and encircled this family. Their sadistic tone full of scorn as if they were looking at a weak prey that wasn''t even worth killing.


    "Orochi.. Don''t waste time. We have more people to kill tonight." spoke a wolfkin archer who stood on top of a building, keeping a lookout so nobody sees what was happening here.


    "Yes, yes.. But what about the kid?" asked the tigerkin.


    "No witnesses.. That''s the rule." spoke the archer.


    "No.. Please! Let us go! I will give all the money I have on me. Just don''t hurt my family!" pleaded the father as he stood in the front and hid his wife & son behind him.


    "Sorry, my friend. The business policy must be followed." spoke the tigerkin as he brandished two green daggers and released his aura of a peak master rank fighter.


    The wife and the child were rooted on the spot and couldn''t even move a muscle, the father barely moved with every inch of his being and stood in front of them bravely.


    "Wh.. What have we done to you? I have never offended anyone." spoke the Demonkin.


    "Not you.. But the people you work for did." replied the assassin and his image flickered.


    Stab!


    A neck was pierced by a sharp dagger.


    Gasp! Gasp!


    Multiple gasps were heard, originating from these killers.


    Because the person who got their neck stabbed by a dagger wasn''t the demonkin.. But Orochi¡­ their own ally.


    The next moment, a dark figure covered in ck smoke was revealed from behind this tigerkin assassin.


    "What the fuck?! Who are you?!" shouted a swordsman.


    But instead of replying, this figure jumped in between the family and these killers and took a defensive stance with its daggers.


    At this exact instant, a figure dressed in ck hunting gear was leaping from buildings to buildings a few kilometers away, heading straight towards the direction of the demonkin family.


    "Just one more minute.." spoke the figure.


    However, inside the alley, the killers started attacking the family from various ends and the figure protecting them was barely able to hold his end.


    This new figure, who appeared in thest moment out of nowhere and killed the tigerkin with the element of surprise, was a peak master rank assassin. But in front of these fighters, two of whom were beginner grandmasters¡­ There was so much he could do.


    "Looks like we have a rat here.." spoke the archer as he shot another arrow and pierced right in the ck assassin''s shoulder.


    Stab!


    A snakeskin assassin who was a beginner grandmaster stabbed the defender in the back before the former could even make a move.


    "Let''s finish them off and get out of here quickly! We''ve beenpromised!" spoke the wolfkin archer. Just their ally suddenly getting killed was already a big blow for them.


    Stab! Piece! Swish!


    But before they could even make a move on the demonkin family, a volley of arrows descended upon them out of nowhere.


    In just 2 seconds, half of their people were killed before anyone could even react or register what happened.


    Boom!!


    A deathly aura suddenly filled this dark alley as a man d in ck light armor and a ck epic rank bow appeared above their heads and stood on the tallest building.


    "A Dark alley.. A kid watching his parents getting killed.. sounds familiar."


    A grim voice filled the surroundings and a heavy aura on the remaining killers before they could even retaliate.


    "Well.. Not on my watch." said the mature human who was now aiming at the remaining assants.


    This was Kahn in his new old age appearance. There was no hood on his head.. And his face was very clear to see as well. He was using only 30% of his aura at this moment, but for the assants who were encircling the family.. It was enough to gauge that this new enemy was stronger than all of them.


    "Let these people go. You don''t want to do it the hard way.." spoke Kahn. His voice resembled that of a father figure person who was advising the young to not make a certain type of mistake..


    "You.. Who the fuck are you?! And do you think that you can kill all of us just because you''re strong? Thest attack was unexpected.. But now you''re good as dead!" shouted the archer wolfkin.


    Kahn on the other hand, looked at the fallen assassin subordinate who was having hisst moments after getting stabbed through the heart. He did everything he could to stall for time and protect this demonkin family as per his master''s orders.


    It was him who warned Kahn about the employee of hispany being targeted after Kahn left some of his assassins in their shadows. He was just one of those subordinates.


    Kahn gave an understanding gaze to this assassin and the next second.. A green halo appeared over this dying subordinate.


    Before anyone could even sense, Armin had already appeared beside this subordinate and cast Elixir of Life skill on him. Saving this subordinate''s life.


    Kahn then looked at the remaining assants, his tone full of hatred as he spoke loudly.


    "You''ll get what you fucking deserve."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Apologies to the readers. I have been hospitalized (barely conscious while I''m writing this because of the painkillers.). So won''t be able to write & post new chapters for next few days.

 Chapter 180: The Headquarters

    <h4>Chapter 180: The Headquarters</h4>


    After his deration, Kahn jumped down from the top of the building and right next to the Demonkin family.


    "You''re all safe. You can go now." said Kahn and released War Dominance aura at full capacity. Other than the family members.. All the assants were frozen under this sheer pressure.


    The employee''s family ran away quickly without waiting to know why they were put in a near-death situation just a few minutes ago.


    Kahn nocked an arrow on the bowstring, leisurely walked in front of this group and shot 5 of these hired killers in the head at point nk range.


    He didn''t have to use any of the skills to kill these murderers who could only toy & kill the weak. Just his aura alone was more than enough to restrict all of their movements.


    He then turned to the wolfkin archer, thest remaining member of their squad.


    "I''m gonna give you two choices. One, willingly tell everything I want to know and I''ll let you go. Two, resist or try to pull a stunt; your death won''t be as swift and painless as them." said Kahn as he lowered the intensity of his aura so the archer could at least speak.


    "Tell me who hired you?"


    "Fuck you! I''m not telling you shit!" shouted the wolfkin.


    But instead of getting angered by the disrespectful tone, Kahn gave a slight smirk instead.


    "I was hoping you''d say that."


    Then next second, 4 ck Grappling Extensions came from his back and tied up the wolfkin''s body.


    Kahn then took out a dagger ced in the holster he wore and his hand reached towards the ear of this wolfkin.


    "No!! Not the ear.."


    "Argghhh!!!!"


    Before the archer could plead.. Kahn cut off one of his ears. To the wolfkin species.. Their ears and their snout were of the utmost importance which signified their species characteristics.


    The screams and wails of this wolfkin echoed in the dark alley.. But there was no one to hear his wails.


    "Now, let''s move to the other one." said Kahn with a gentle expression on his face as if cutting off someone''s precious body part didn''t bother him at all.


    "No!! I''ll tell you! I''ll tell you!.. Just don''t. Just don''t kill me." agreed and pleaded the archer. His smug and carefree expression from before was nowhere to be seen.


    "You have my word. I won''t kill you." dered Kahn with a righteous expression on his face.


    The Archer then revealed how the order came from their superiors and how they were only following themands.


    He also told Kahn that at midnight, even more of their fighters and trained assassins were going to depart and kill over fifty of Bloodbornepany''s employees and burn a few warehouses and shops.


    And the main records of the clients who hired their organization were kept in their main headquarters. And how it was a very secured space and no one without the password or who hadn''t been seen by the security before was allowed to enter.


    After hearing about the details on the location & what kind of traps were set there to catch the intruders¡­ Kahn finally felt satisfied.


    He let go of the wolfkin and released him from his extensions.


    "I see. I guess then I have no other choice." spoke Kahn.


    Stab!


    Suddenly, the wolfkin''s heart was stabbed from behind.


    "You.. You said you won''t kill me." spoke the archer, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.


    "Yes.. But I''m not the one who killed you." said Kahn nonchntly and gestured at the one stabbing the Archer from behind.


    It was none other than the Assassin subordinate of Kahn who was put near to death by these killers not too long ago.


    Kahn then absorbed the abilities & skills of this Archer. He didn''t need the skills but the perfect bloodline sample.


    After wearing this dead wolfkin''s clothes and gear as he himself transformed into the identical copy of this archer.


    Kahn knew that he only had 2 hours now before the other killers from this assassin organization were deployed to kill his people and destroy his property.


    Currently, every one of his allies except for Armin were busy protecting a part of hispany such as the main building, Albestros, their warehouses and stores. All of them weremanding and maintaining the security of a particr sector.


    He couldn''t take out ckwall & Rudra because of their size and Ceril was still in the process ofpletely absorbing the cores they ate recently.


    So Kahn was alone on this one.


    After traveling by using various modes of transportation¡­ he finally reached a bustling area full of taverns, crowded shops and thousands of people going about their merry lives.


    By no means would anyone ever think of this posh and cleanmercial area as the den of professional killers who would kill anyone as long as you offered them a good price.


    Kahn was now in the getup of Hanthor, the wolfkin archer.


    He entered a busy tavern full of customers asking for booze and food loudly. He went to the counter and spoke to the main receptionist in a hushed tone.


    "Silent Whistle." said Kahn.


    The receptionist nodded after hearing the password and signaled Kahn to follow him.


    After going two levels underground.. Kahn was introduced to apletely unbelievable sight.


    The building above was a normal, day-to-day life type of settlement you''d see anywhere.


    But the sight in front of him waspletely different from what one would expect.


    Rather than looking like some underground tunnel or a ruined dungeon..


    The entire floor was like an open field; just brighter, wider and well facilitated. Nearly 2,000 people and trained fighters were busy discussing their contracts, targets, information & their payments.


    As if this wasn''t some secret headquarter of a criminal organization¡­ but a farmer''s market.


    But rather than being taken aback by this revtion.. Kahn''s countenance turned grim instead. He spoke with a sinister smile on his face.


    "Let''s see which one of these bastards dared to kill my people."

 Chapter 181: The Order

    <h4>Chapter 181: The Order</h4>


    Kahn now stood at the front door as he entered the main headquarters of the Assassin organization named the Red Right Hand.


    He was here to find the true culprits who epted the contract and started killing his people.


    [Too many people.. I can''t take them all by myself.] thought Kahn as he gauged the strength of the nearly two thousand fighters. These were indeed one of the top professional killers who worked on a contract basis. As he strode within the crowd from one side to another.. Nearly 2 kilometers of the rectangr area was full of these fighters. Even the weakest one he sensed was a beginner master rank warrior.


    Kahn also sensed 2 Peak Grandmaster Rank fighters. One being a mage and the other being a female ogre who was a battleaxe warrior.


    Who knew how many assassinations were conducted and lives were taken by these people.


    What he wanted to do here was look for the exact records and find out who were the people that targeted hispany & hired these people to kill his employees.


    He wasn''t stupid to think that out of all those people he offended that day, everyone was part of these targeted killings. He wasn''t a psychopath to go and kill everyone because of mild suspicion.


    But by knowing the names of the people responsible, he would be properly able to exact revenge on those who were the root cause of it.


    During his stroll around the area.. Kahn was looking for the best ways to use the battlefield to his advantage.


    And the biggest and most key advantage he could use was none other than..


    The Venttion system.


    Because this ce was an underground facility, there were plenty of venttion ductsing inside and the grid was made to supply air to every corner of this vast market-like floor.


    There were a total of 11 doors altogether from different sides, like the one Kahn previously came from. And as the wolfkin revealed previously.. There were plenty of istion barriers and detecting formations.


    Anyone stupid enough to break in through this facility won''t leave out of here alive. And if not for Kahn, who learned about the password and had the appearance of one of the well-known members, a grandmaster rank archer.. He too would''ve been noticed and caught as soon as he entered the tavern above.


    As he silently checked the nook and cranny and the divided sections for the bigshots of this profession and those who had a rich clientele.. He finally decided on how to deal with this situation.


    In half an hour, Kahn silently and sessfully nted 20 istion formations, 12 anti-teleportation artifacts and 6 domain artifacts of his own.


    And now, even if a big fight was to break out.. Nobody outside or above the ground would be able to sense themotion.


    Kahn now possessed over 30 fear toxin timer bombs. He nted 20 of them on different desks under the name of looking for a suitable contract and then using his extension skill, he nted the rest in the venttion system.


    After carefully rigging this entire facility to his favor.. Kahn decided that it was the time for the real thing.


    He went to the restroom and changed back into his old man Kahn appearance.


    Now, he stood in the very center of this wide facility full of criminals and murderers.


    p! p! p!


    His loud pping noise echoed and silenced half of the facility as he used a sound amplification scroll.


    "Listen, everyone.. I have an announcement to make!" he shouted, quickly garnering the attention of everyone who was going about their affairs.


    "Those who took the job of killing the Bloodbornepany''s people, raise your hands. I have an extra offer from the main clients. They say they will give 50,000 gold coins to each person who previously epted their contract." spoke Kahn loudly.


    Gasp!


    Multiple people present here, let it be dwarfs, botirs, thralls or elves suddenly had all of their attention on him.


    "But only those who epted the job previously are eligible for the next proposition. So those who did.. Raise your hand!" dered Kahn.


    Thud! Flutter!


    One by one.. Hundreds then over a thousand and then nearly two thousand.. Almost 99% percent of the professional killers here raised their hand.


    "What the fuck?! Howe all of you epted the job?!" asked Kahn.


    "Ha ha ha!!"


    "Pfft!! Is he for real?"


    "What rock were you hiding under, dipshit?"


    Hundreds of people startedughing at him altogether.


    A purple thrall standing close to Kahn spoke..


    "Don''t you know? The contract on thatpany & killing their people paid 3 times the normal price?.. We all took it. But the client''s instructions were that we all had to do it on selective days and in small numbers.


    Otherwise, it will reveal that an entirepany was on a hit list and the total number of dead people would get noticed by the public.


    Seriously, how do you not know that?"


    Kahn was struck with surprise. He only knew that a selective number of people had taken the contract but this was an entire organization-wise contract?


    And they even paid 3 times the normal price.. Did someone really hate him to the core and wanted to see him and hispany buried in the ground that badly?


    "Hey! What kind of nonsense is this?!" suddenly an old human mage shouted from the other end of the facility.


    "I''m the one in charge of dealing with this matter and reporting to our clients. Who the hell are you?!"


    "Really? What proof do you have that I''m not the one to ry their orders. Do you even have the ledger and contract details given by our clients?" retorted Kahn.


    "Yes I do!" dered the peak grandmaster mage and took out a big record book from his space ring and ced it on the table.


    "Now tell me who the hell are you? I haven''t seen you before either." asked the old mage.


    "Since you guys are all so cooperative.. I''ll tell you the inside information." he dered and looked around the thousands of people full of different species, races and genders..


    "My name is Zeus. And I have been ordered to kill everyone who took the contract against the Bloodbornepany." dered Kahn¡­ Zeus, the Archer in his mature and rustic voice.


    Everyone who heard this sudden deration was caught by surprise.


    "What nonsense!! By whose orders?" asked the mage in an enraged tone.


    BOOM!! BOOM!!


    Kahn quickly released War Dominance at full capacity and revealed his strength as a Semi-Saint Rank Archer to everyone present inside this vicinity.


    His pressure already put nearly a thousand of the weak fighters on the ground as Kahn then replied in his tyrannical and domineering voice...


    "By the order of Peaky Fookin'' Blinders!"

 Chapter 182: The List

    <h4>Chapter 182: The List</h4>


    Zeus, the archer''s sudden deration about iming their lives left everyone present in the inner vicinity of this assassination organization stupefied.


    But as soon as he revealed his aura of a Semi-Saint Rank fighter.. Everyone who found his ims absurd was left with no other choice but to take those words seriously.


    "Impossible! How''s there a semi-saint fighter here? How did hee inside without triggering the formations and rms?" asked the female orc warrior with a bewildered expression on her face.


    "Fool! Don''t you see.. Even if you''re far stronger than us; do you really think you can take out thousands of us together?" spoke the mage in a tone full of scorn. In his opinion¡­ Zeus was being too full of himself.


    "Yes, I do. And about taking out all of you together.." spoke Zeus and pointing his forefinger towards the ceiling.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Multiple fear toxin bombs exploded from both the ground and inside the venttion ducts, quickly spreading the dense white fog in this underground facility with each passing second.


    "Attack!"


    The old mage on the other hand, quickly cast a lightning spell and shot at Zeus who was over half a kilometer away.


    Crackle!


    The lightning spell approached Zeus with a speed so fast that no one could even register how fast it was.


    But to Kahn, who now had his Hero of Darkness title in effect which raised all of his physical attributes such as strength, defense and speed by 3 times along with 2 times increase in mana capacity and damage done with by magical skills and attacks.. Everything appeared very differently.


    His reflexes and speed was already on a different levelpared to when he fought during the daytime.


    His aura alone was 3 times stronger already and nearly put a thousand people on their knees in the 2 kilometer long facility. By no means, this wasparable to a First Stage Saint Rank person but it wasn''t too weak either.


    When the lightning attack came closer to Kahn, he found it rather¡­ slow.


    Kahn sidestepped and saw the lightning spell slowly pass through his previous location. He was simply unfazed.


    [Is this my peak now? I''m already faster than lightning?] he thought as he was having his own version of Barry Allen dodging the Batarang moment.


    The next second, the entire ce was engulfed in this white fog and clouded their vision.


    Not a single one of his enemies was able to see him. And although there were some Mithrans present in the crowd, they too were affected by the hallucinogenic effects of the fear toxin that had made their senses dull drastically.


    Instead of waiting on a ceremony, Zeus quickly nocked an arrow on his epic rank bow and used the Archer''s Lance skill by infusing his condensed mana with fire attribute and shot straight at the mage.


    ng!


    But before it even hit the mage, the female orc warrior used her battleaxe to quickly protect the old mage.


    Zeus''s figure disappeared and he straight up ran in the direction of these two peak grandmaster persons. Because in this entire facility, only these two had the strength to fight him.


    So he wanted to take out the strongest of the enemy side first and deal with the mobster.


    Using Hunter''s Intent which was evolved to a SS Rank skill now, he could already see their most vital organs.


    Executioner''s Gaze.


    Zeus used the Executioner''s Gaze skill on the female orc warrior and paralyzed her on the spot. He then used subterfuge skill to change her perception of direction and sense.


    Stab!


    A dagger was stabbed right in her neck as she lost her life before the Executioner''s Gaze skill effect ended. And the dagger came from another Zeus... a Doppelganger to be exact who used the shadow strike and appeared behind her at thest second.


    Before the Peak Grandmaster Rank mage could even collect himself, Zeus had alreadye 10 meters closer to him and nocked his arrow as he aimed to kill the mage.


    BOOM!!


    A loud sound of a barrier breaking resounded in the surroundings as his Archer''s Lance skill broke through the defensive barrier this mage had and blew up his brains.


    He was already far stronger than these people after his levels rose; but with the Hero of Darkness title being in effect.. It was like fighting against little children for him.


    He then nocked another arrow and used this same skill to break open one of the doors and provided an escape route.


    "Remember! The Bloodborne enterprise has Semi-Saint Rank fighter backing them up. From now on.. If anyone ever targets them, they''re dealing with me!" dered Zeus in his kingly voice.


    The next second.. Over three hundred mana arrows varying from fire to water elements came into existence as Zeus used the Death Volley skill.


    Shoot! Shoot! Swish!


    These arrows then descended on all the murderers and criminals in this facility. Because of the fear toxin, they already were like a rat trapped in a cage and couldn''t even react properly to the iing attacks. Every wave killed 200 to 250 people.


    Every single one of them had blood on their hands and killing these killers wasn''t going to weigh down on his consciousness. Because if not for him finding their headquarters by his own.. these killers would''ve murdered his people in the name of the contract.


    After over a dozen attacks of Death Volley skill.. Kahn had sessfully massacred the majority of the people present here. All his skills had 3 times more damage, effective range and force behind them. And because of that, none of these people were able to protect themselves even with their armors & defensive barriers.


    He now stood in the midst of punctured, burned, cut down, half-torn bodies of these professional killers.


    Although over a hundred people managed to escape from the opening he made. It was all part of his n.


    To make these people spread the news about how hispany had a semi-saint rank archer named Zeus and how he massacred an entire assassination organization because they messed with his people.


    This was exactly what he meant about making a statement using his new persona aa Zeus.


    To warn off any future potential threats who may dare to do the same.


    The ones who escaped will do his free publicity amongst the underworld & anyone who was looking forward to having a piece of him.


    "Awaken."manded Kahn after he took the Mage & Female orc''s body in his space ring to use themter as they were peak grandmaster fighters after all.


    All these people were trained fighters with proper gear in the end. And he was already short on manpower recently. So no way he was going to let these bodies go to waste.


    Zeus then?picked up the record book about clients this mage took out previously. He came to the middle of this room so the synthesis divine ability could cover maximum area for him to create more subordinates.


    This was a list.. The list of people who were responsible for his people''s deaths & wanted his demise.


    He spoke with a ghastly and solemn voice as he opened the book.


    "Now, I''ll show them the real consequences of messing with me."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : It''s been a disheartening experiencetely to see that people are angry over the plot & how stupidly Kahn spared the Chamber of Commerce members.


    I do not like writing these things in a chapter so I''ll keep it short.


    First of all, Kahn is in a ce nearly a hundred times bigger than vot City. He can''t openly kill people under public eyes or mess with the authorities. He made the choice as the best means to warn & even benefit from his enemies.


    And he''s not an Omnipotent God who can see & know everything. At the end of the day.. He''s just a human; wed like all of us.


    This was his lesson that even sparing enemies just because innocents are involved can have its consequences too. Not only on him but the innocent people around him. That he''s no longer responsible for himself but also for the lives of thousands of people who work for him.


    And he will take it to heart. At this stage, Kahn is an Antihero character in the making, not someone who is already established aspletely cold & ruthless for the sake of it.


    But many people have been very impatient to jump to conclusionstely than waiting to read what happens next & how Kahn evolves as a person from these lessons.


    People want Character Development but don''t want the MC to make even a slight mistake.


    They want Growth but don''t want the Setbacks.


    I guess from the next Arc, I should make him a protagonist of those Cultivation novels where you can openly kill dozens of people just because they looked at MC in the wrong way, bitchp your enemies to death in front of thousands of onlookers &w authorities and still get away with it because thews, rules & regtions don''t apply to our MC. Points taken.


    Lots of mindless massacres in the next arc for sure. I aim to please.

 Chapter 183: Crossing Names

    <h4>Chapter 183: Crossing Names</h4>


    Kahn now sat on afortable chair in the middle of the facility, holding the record book about the clientele of this criminal organization who worked as hired killers.


    So far, more than a hundred of his employees had died at the hands of this assassination organization and Kahn partially avenged all the innocent employees who died as coteral damage & without even knowing why.


    Kahn knew that at the end of the day.. He was the main person responsible who got these innocents mixed into a rivalry they had nothing to do about.


    Since it was his first time running a business & having 4 thousand people work for him.. Never had he imagined that someone who had an enmity with only him would hurt the people unrted to that matter.


    All Kahn''s ns and precautions were mainly based on his personal safety & the people that were most important to him. But he hadn''t factored in the safety of his normal employees when he revolted against the council members of the chamber ofmerce who wanted to oppress and bury hispany in the ground.


    Protecting himself wasn''t an issue but now he had be ountable for all the dead people.


    Although his choice was sound & reasonable at that time about sparing the lives of those business tycoons..


    Kahn learned the hard way that even the good choices have bad consequences.


    So after partially avenging all those who died because of this contract.. Kahn was now looking for the one who gave the contact in the first ce. Only then would they properly be able to pass.


    Kahn checked through pages after pages.. Each page filled with details about people they were hired to kill.


    Apparently.. Plenty of business organizations and influential figures used these hired killers to take out thepetition and for various reasons.


    And when Kahn finally reached thest page after quickly scrambling through, he finally found the list with all the names & details about the clients.


    "Danaerys Tarjaerion, Tywin Lansister, Robert Voratheon, Eddard Swarrk, Jorah Borjomir, George M. M. Rartin, Houdini Warsmeich.."


    Spoke Kahn as his eidetic memory kicked in and he remembered who these names belonged to.


    On that day, he had given a detailed look and memorized the faces of all the members of the main COUNCIL as well as the names written on their respective chairs. And these names belonged to 7 out of the 13 members.


    He now knew the exactly responsible people and how they collectively spent 30 million gold coins just to have hispany disappear out of existence.


    And Kahn could finally move to his next step without killing someone who didn''t deserve it.


    After an hour, all the new one thousand subordinates were ready.


    Armin jumped out of Kahn''s shadow and asked.


    "Where to now, master?"


    "Now.. We cross the names on the list" he replied as decided that it was time for deliverance.


    He wasn''t a fool to wait for the next day till the news spread about his deeds and the culprits were informed.


    So everything had to be done in this single night.


    Kahn in his Zeus persona covertly left the facility and moved to his next target''s living addresses.


    Although there were only 4 hours left till sunrise.. It was enough for Kahn as working in the dark was his specialty already.


    ---------------


    He now stood a kilometer away from a mansion that was even bigger and wider than his own.


    Now he had more than a thousand new subordinates in the Legion. So he was anything but short on manpower.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Nearly a hundred assassins, 30 archers and 20 mages came out of his body. All of them were equipped in decent gear and they were past level 80 because of the merging process and Kahn used 20 thousand A Rank cores to upgrade these new subordinates.


    The low-level fighters will no longer prove useful to him because even the weakest fighters in Rathna were at least level 45.


    "You know the rules, and so do I."


    Spoke Kahn as he telepathicallymanded the members of Legion about what approach they had to do using the Hive Mind skill.


    Including this mansion, the entire property itself was 2 kilometers wide and over 400 armored personnel were at the night patrol.


    Kahnmanded all the assassin & thief subordinates to diffuse the rm traps one by one as his mages & artificers took care of the formations spread around the borders of this estate.


    Through the shared vision from the Hive Mind link, he could see everything from afar.


    "Remember, don''t kill anyone innocent or the guards. Just incapacitate them and infiltrate quietly." ordered Kahn to his assassins.


    One by one, all the assassins secretly reached inside the estate and the mages cast a silence barrier so that no one could hear them sneaking inside. Anyone who came close to finding them was either gagged or incapacitated before the guards could be warned.


    Just in 20 minutes, Kahn in his Zeus persona stood inside the master bedroom, an alluring & seductively dressed foxkin woman with 9 tails was asleep in her round-shaped emperor-size bed. Completely unaware of the intruder who had a red epic rank dagger in his hand.


    She was one of the business tycoons who colluded in the act of hiring the Red Right Hand to have his employees killed since they couldn''t directly touch him.


    "Wakey, wakey.. Little foxy." spoke Zeus as he slightly released his aura and frightened the female who suddenly woke up as if she received an electric shock.


    "You.. Who are you?! How did you get inside? Guards!!!" asked the foxkin as she saw Zeus standing in front of her.


    "Shhh! Don''t wake up the guards. They''re sleeping soundly. They deserve a good nap too." he said and took out a page from his ck longcoat.


    "You know what this is, right?" asked Zeus with a devilish smile.


    "You.. Where did you get it? It was supposed to be kept a secret.." said the foxkin as she shuddered under his vengeful aura.


    "The Bloodbornepany and its people belong to me. All of them are my possessions." spoke Zeus and increased his aura by twice.


    He brandished the daggers and rubbed them against each other as he gave a sinister and wrathful look, filled with nothing but pure bloodlust to this beautiful foxkin woman and spoke..


    "And I don''t like it when someone touches my possessions."

 Chapter 184: The Round Table

    <h4>Chapter 184: The Round Table</h4>


    Zeus now stood atop a tall watchtower with a ck bow in his hands.


    In front of him was a heavily guarded castle-like estate made full of stones and metallic fencing. It didn''t feel like he was here to hunt a rich business tycoon, but a general in his fortress.


    After the visit to Danaerys, the foxkin, his next target was the brown Lionkin named Tywin Lanshaire.


    He managed to finish off one of the conspirators and now 6 more remained.


    Although he could easily wreak havoc in this estate and kill everyone in this ce with his Legion. But to condemn everyone to the fate of death just because of one person wasn''t a wise decision.


    There were plenty of innocents who lived in this estate since this was a mansion of a normal businessman who wasn''t even a master rank fighter. This wasn''t a n of fighters but normal citizens who lived normal lives.


    Just because of one bad fish, the entire pond shouldn''t be dered dirty.


    "3 more hours.. Still, 6 people left. I need to hurry." spoke Zeus and merged inside a shadow using the Shadow Walk skill.


    Swoosh! Swish!


    After him, nearly hundred of assassins followed behind and the mage subordinates who already surrounded this estate cast istion and silence barriers on various entry points to let theirrades sessfully enter the ce without alerting anyone.


    The hidden traps & detection formations were already taken care of so the intruders had no problem entering the ce.


    10 minutester, a giant body of a 4 meter tall Lionkin, who had his mouth and limbs tied up was thrown on a ground full of yellow grass outside of the estate.


    Zeus sessfully kidnapped one of the main culprits and got him to a deste tree line.


    He pulled out the gag on Tywin''s mouth.


    "Who are you?! Why have you kidnapped me?" asked Tywin as he struggled to get out of the binds.


    "Don''t be surprised. You should''ve seen iting even before you conspired to hire killers against the Bloodbornepany." spoke Zeus in his calm tone.


    "The.. The.. Bloodbornepany.. Whoever hired you.. I''ll pay you double. Just let me.."


    But before he could propose a deal properly, an arrow pierced his right thigh.


    "Arrhggg! You bastard!"


    Shoot!


    Another arrow shot and punctured his other thigh.


    "Motherfucker!!" shouted Tywin.


    "Hey, Language!" reprimanded Captain Am.. Zeus.


    "I''m short on time.. Tell me why did you lot go this far?" asked Zeus as he released some of his domineering pressure.


    "You think I''ll tell you, bastard!" refuted the Lionkin.


    "Oh.. I think you will." said Zeus and took a glimmering blue orb that sized as big as a watermelon.


    Suddenly, the orb glowed and three projections were created above it on different screens.


    This was exactly like those surveince artifacts Kahn bought and had in all of his shops and offices.


    In all three of these screens, were three young Lionkins sleeping soundly in bed. One was a little girl while the other 2 were boys in the range of 7 to 8 years old; but not far from them, were 2 assassins holding daggers in their hands in each rooms.


    "Let me be frank.. I''m going to kill you for sure. But if you tell me exactly what I want.. I promise that I''ll let them live. You have my word." said Zeus in a grim yet chivalrous tone.


    "No! Please.. I''ll tell you everything! This isn''t simple like you think. Even I was against the idea of hiring that organization.


    My children.. They don''t have a mother. If you kill me.. They''ll be orphans." pleaded Tywin as soon as he saw the threat on the lives of his children.


    "And so did the employees of mypany. They too had children, they too had wives. Some of the killers even killed the entire family including children & newborn babies.


    You should''ve thought about it before you even got mixed into these affairs. Or I guess you didn''t think that one day.. Someone you saw as weak and defenseless would have a leash on your own fate, am I right?" asked Zeus.


    There were no Saints on the battlefield.


    Even the people Kahn killed had families and children. And he owned up that fact.


    Being good or evil was your own choice despite the world & environment around you. Some made decisions to survive while some made their choices based on their morality.


    Kahn knew that he was no saint at this point. His hands were already covered in blood, he wouldn''t put a halo of doing it because someone posed a threat to his life or he had to do it in order to survive.


    The biggest kindness he could offer was not to kill the innocent bystanders at best. Or outright kill someone just because they looked at him the wrong way.


    But if someone belonged to the enemy side.. Showing mercy would have its consequences.


    He already saw what happened when he spared their lives because he didn''t want to involve innocent people. His own people lost lives because of his error in judgment.


    And he was the one solely responsible for it.


    But now.. The dead won''te back and all he could do was at least punish the people behind their deaths.


    At this moment, Tywin was having a mental breakdown and cried as he pleaded Zeus to spare his life.


    Just because he was well off in his life, he didn''t mind the weak getting killed, but karma found its way back in the form of Zeus.


    When the morning sun finally arose.. Inside a wide meeting hall, a white Snakekin who was tied to the chair ced around the round table where the meeting with Kahn happened two weeks ago, woke up from his slumber.


    Houdini Warsmeich finally opened his eyes as he?regained his consciousness after being knocked out by someone during his sleep.


    Gasp!


    He gasped as soon as he saw the scene in front of him..


    On the round table, in front of 6 chairs belonging the some of the members of the council.. Were six heads that belonged to his fellow conspirators.


    "Aaaa!!!" screamed the snakekin.


    Houdini shuddered in fear,pletely out of his wits and with nothing but disbelief in his eyes.


    Right in front of him, was a letter and there were plenty of words written on it.


    But the words written at the end were what frightened him the most.


    The words were an open deration and there were terms stated in the letter. And the final words being..


    "Do as I say or you''re next!"

 Chapter 185: The Real Culprits

    <h4>Chapter 185: The Real Culprits</h4>


    2 DAYS LATER.


    Inside the chamber ofmerce arms & craftsmanship department, a meeting was being held at the time of the afternoon. Just 2 days ago, there were 13 seats avable but now only 7 of them were upied.


    And out of the current members of the council avable, every single one of them was sweating heavily just with the happenings in the past 2 days.


    After the incident of Zeus leaving the decapitated heads of their fellow members of the council right on the round table they were sitting.. All of them were taken aback and couldn''t believe that their fellow business tycoons who were no less rich than them were all killed in a single night.


    And Houdini, their chosen president & the main representative was tied to the chair and presented with the heads of theirrades.. All of them were now fearful for their own future.


    And on the same day.. They learned that the dead members had jointly conspired together and hired the Red Right Hand, one of the top assassin organizations in the entire destrict.


    But to their surprise, the entire organization was also wiped out on the same night. And the main culprit behind it all was actually a Semi-Saint Rank fighter.


    Even in the entire empire which had more than 4 billion people living it in, there were less than 200 semi-saint rank people and they had sessfully incurred the wrath of one.


    Even someone of their reputation, wealth and connections couldn''t manage to befriend such a person but they actually ended up causing hispany a lot of damage.


    The young boy who came 2 weeks ago was the representative of this grand persona and all they did was try to create more problems for this powerhouse.


    "President Houdini.. Are you sure we might be spared? Because I think running away seems like a more reasonable approach to me.


    Although all of our businesses and wealth would be gone.. Just staying alive matters more to me." spoke a ck man depressed in a white and green coat.


    "You think I didn''t have that thought? But running away is not a wise choice. Because not only this Zeus is a semi-saint archer, he also has a thousand people under hismand like a criminal organization.


    From the very beginning, we never had a chance to escape." replied Houdini.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The next moment, the main door was opened and the guards escorted 3 new members inside.


    Two of them were familiar figures to these members as they were none other than Omega & Jugram who put them all kneeling on the ground. And behind them¡­ entered a man in his mid-50s.


    This new individual seemed far more regal and imposing than all of thembined.


    All the members got up from their seats and bowed down in respect to this man d in d & white regal clothes who appeared like a leader of some rich noble n.


    BOOM!!


    The next second however, an immeasurably heavy pressure was released from the domineering man with ck hair & bear along with the white patches.


    Instantly, every single one of them was put in the ground from this chaotic aura as the tyrannical voicended on their ears.


    "Good thing that all of you came at your own discretion. Otherwise, I would''ve hated to find you myself." a ghastly & majestic voice came from this person.


    The members of the council and all the guards couldn''t do anything but to have their faces stered on the floor. Their bodies having nothing but goosebumps & frozen countenance.


    The reason why all of them were present here for this meeting was because Zeus, the semi-saint rank archer himself had ordered them to be present to the meeting using that letter left on the round table. And anyone absent will be marked as the next one to die.


    Hence, they had no choice but to be present here at this moment.


    Zeus then sat on one end of the round table.


    "Such afortable chair. This table also looks rather spacious I would say." spoke Zeus and chuckled.


    But to the members who were frozen stiff on the ground, it felt like they now stood in front of the grim reaper.


    Of course, the table would be spacious¡­ because he killed the people who upied these chairs.


    Zeus then deactivated his aura & spoke.


    "I assume you all know why I''m here. And who actually owns the Bloodbornepany?"


    "Yes sir.. We apologize for creating trouble for yourpany. We did not know such a grand persona held themand of that enterprise." bootlicked a yellow botir.


    Zeus then sat leisurely spoke..


    "I don''t like to beat around the bush. From now on.. Never even in dreams are any of you to create trouble for mypany. I don''t care about the market prices and stuff. You all will readjust it.


    And my nephew, Kahn will have a seat at the council. Although he''s not the kind to interfere in these things often.. I want you to take care of all the conditions and documents.


    In return, I won''t kill any of you and interfere with your businesses either. But there won''t be any form of forgiveness ever again. You will surely join your friends if ites to that." threatened Zeus in a calm demeanor.


    Although he could rob them easily again & force some unfair deals like asking for a cut under the name of protection fees.. This wasn''t a good choice. And these remaining members except Houdini weren''t the ones who conspired and hired those killers.


    Because even a cornered animal fights back.. So he didn''t aim for another skirmish.


    "So, do you all agree?"


    All the members nodded in unison to this question.


    What Zeus had implied here is that you''re good as long as you don''t mess with me. So they had no reason to disagree if it meant them having their heads intact.


    The aura released from Zeus was something not even the pressure from both Omega & Jugram could imitate together. So they had no other options but to nod.


    "Good. Then all of you may leave¡­ Except you, Warsmeich." spoke Zeus as he gestured all of them to leave the ce.


    Houdini on the other end was shuddering in immense fear as if he''d soon get a panic attack.


    "Do you know why I haven''t killed you already?" asked Zeus in a skeptical tone.


    "No.. I don''t." spoke Houdini in a jittery voice.


    The next moment, Zeus again revealed his aura full of bloodlust at the snakekin andmanded..


    "Well then.. Tell me about them." said Zeus as he sighed before continuing..


    "The real culprits behind all of this."

 Chapter 186: The Surrounded Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 186: The Surrounded Enemy</h4>


    Houdini Warsmeich, the president of one of the departments of the Rukon Chamber of Commerce now stood rooted on the spot as if he had seen a ghost.


    "W.. What do you mean?" he asked the semi-saint archer in front of him.


    Instead of replying, Zeus took out an intrinsically carved wooden box. The next second, Omega walked in front and took out a silver lighter from his pockets.


    Zeus took out a cigar no small than a cuban cigar from Earth. Omega then lighted it up and Zeus smoked it leisurely.


    "Don''t be so surprised, Warsmeich. I knew none of you had the balls to actually go against mypany after the previous warning. And before I killed them.. I interrogated them all.


    And every single one of them told me that they didn''t want to go to these extreme measures at all. That it was you who forced them to collude in hiring that organization." said Zeus as he reveled in the zesty taste of this expensive cigar.


    "I am sorry Mister Zeus.. I don''t know what you''re talking about. I only agreed to this meeting because I wanted to offer my apologies. I will give you any amount of money you want." spoke the Snakekin in a scared voice.


    "Oh.. Has your backer thrown you away after you lived out your usefulness?" asked Zeus.


    He currently looked like an Italian Mafia boss conducting usual business.


    "I understand that you don''t want further trouble & only wish to solve these matters before things escte even more as you no longer have someone to protect you." said Zeus and continued his carefree tone as he released half of his aura and froze the surroundings again.


    "You made a good living. Had protection from authorities and there were courts ofw.


    You want me to spare your life but you don''t ask with respect.


    You don''t offer friendship. You don''t even think to call me ''Sir''." spoke Zeus as he returned to his calm demeanor.


    Houdini was sweating heavily on the other end. He thought offering an exorbitant amount of money may help him worm out his way and continue living his life without losing everything he built over the years.


    Zeus got up from his chair and looked at the snakekin as if he felt wronged.


    "Warsmeich, Warsmeich."


    "What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully?"


    Asked Zeus in his mature and kingly voice as he walked closer to Houdini and ced his hand on the snakekin''s shoulder.


    "I understand that someone has been using you as a proxy and pulling the strings behind the curtain. Give him up, and work for me from now on. Otherwise, you know very well that people like me do not prefer to have loose ends.." proposed Zeus.


    The next second however, Houdini dropped on the ground.. Even more terrified than before.


    "You.. You don''t understand, Sir. Those people are not someone even you can mess with. The person who ordered me to do all of this is a First Stage saint.. I''d rather have you kill me than him." revealed the snakekin.


    "And what if I told you that I have means to get rid of this person? Will you still not talk?" said Zeus.


    "Are.. Are you sure? I don''t want to die." asked Houdini in a jittery tone.


    "After the recent events.. Your backer would think that I will kill you anyway. But if you give up his name.. You at least have a chance to stay alive." replied Zeus.


    Houdini nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. This was one of the reasons why he had no choice but to attend the meeting.


    For reasons unknown, his backer suddenly absconded and gave up on him after Zeus killed the other members.


    Houdini knew that there was no way for him to get away at this point. He could always run away but then will have to look over his shoulder even in his sleep for the rest of his life. But here.. He could at least try to make amends.


    "I.. I will tell you everything. But you have to promise me that neither you, nor any of your allies will kill me." he said and took three round-shaped metallic artifacts out of his space ring.


    "If you do.. I will tell you everything without holding back. Or you might as well kill me already." spoke the snakekin as he took a deathly gamble for his life.


    "What is this?" asked Zeus.


    "A Blood-oath token. It is used to make extremely important contracts. If either side breaks the contract, they will die in 10 hours." revealed the snakekin.


    "Fine. Have it your way.." quickly agreed Zeus.


    After the blood oath wasmenced between Kahn, Omega, Jugram & Houdini as they all pierced their thumbs on the needle present at the center of the artifact.


    Houdini then spilled out all the beans. He was also surprised how quickly Zeus & his underlings very quickly agreed to the demands than hurting him or torturing him.


    He felt like they too were very desperate to get rid of the person who got him mixed in these matters in the first ce. And if he didn''tply with Zeus.. He''d die anyway. So betraying his backer seemed more logical than dying as coteral damage.


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    When the midnight moon shone brightly in the sky over Rathna.. There was arge mansion that was situated near a waterfall andpletely isted from the normal popce.


    One would have to travel very deep in the dense and forested area situated at border of the Rukon district to reach this ce.


    At this very moment.. This entire mansion was being surrounded from nearly 5 Kilometers by over Ten Thousand soldiers dressed in white and golden attires. Their batallions had taken for sides and even the flying battleships were hovering over this force.


    There were thousands of warriors, mages, assassins and archers. And among these soldiers.. There were nearly a hundred Grandmaster Rank people.


    The mostmon trait of these soldiers was their white hair, long ears and their glimmering red eyes.


    The force was something Kahn had seen and even fought against before. But now.. They were his allies in a sense. The force these people belonged to was none other than..


    The Vandereich n.

 Chapter 187: First Stage Saint Rank

    <h4>Chapter 187: First Stage Saint Rank</h4>


    Inside a grand mansion situated at quiet and peaceful forested area, stood an elderly Vampire.


    This elderly and skinny vampire d in blue and yellow mage robes was now practicing magic in an open and wide hall where the floor had plenty of mana ores ced at different ends and there were dozen of oval, pentagram, rectangr-shaped magical formations floating in the air as the mage waspletely immersed in the study of magical formations.


    But the next second, a loud and ground-shaking voice filled the entire 5 kilometer forested area where the man was situated.


    "Kereberos Mor Vandereich, We have received the n''s orders from the Ancestor & the n Leader. You are to be imprisoned and brought back safely to the n headquarters.


    We are also allowed to use extreme measures should you refuse. Pleasee peacefully!"


    A shrill and high pitch announcement was made from a flying warship hovering 100 meters above in the air. These ships looked like spacecraft and had 4 turbines and an outlet at the bottom that was expelling hot and intense heat while maintaining the entire body of the ship.


    Even 100 loudspeakers from earth would not be able to cover this distance from 5 kilometers away. The use of magical formations to amplify the sound was done so effectively that it didn''t adversely affect the soldiers below the warship.


    The warship itself was a kilometer long, 300 meters wide and 100 meters in height. Anyone would think that this ship equipped with magic cannons and hundreds of artillery guns would be enough to kill anyone, let it be a Semi-Saint Rank fighter or a bonafide Saint.


    But in reality.. This wasn''t the only warship. There were seven more, 2 on each side including this one. Along with the 10 thousand soldiers using different weapons, belonging to different jobs and having different areas of expertise.


    And all of them hade together just to catch one person.. A First Stage Saint Rank Magician.


    The mage inside the mansion was taken aback by this sudden announcement.


    "Impossible! Have they found out?" asked the bald vampire mage to himself.


    The next second, he cast 4 different archaic magical formations in the air, each directed in a different direction.


    Four 20 meter tall magic formations appeared in the air above these 4 battalions that managed to encircle this vampire without alerting him, these were the exact replica of the ones cast by the mage, just much taller & wider. But they appeared far taller and wider.


    "What''s the meaning of this?! Do you not know who I am? Is that a way to talk with your n''s elders?" asked the mage.


    Next, an authoritative tone responded to this voice.


    "As per the n''s orders.. You are no longer an Elder of the n and neither are you a member. As decreed by the Ancestor & the Elder Council.. You''ve been branded as the traitor to the n. Come with us without resistance." replied themander of the warships.


    "I see. Then I will give you a choice as well. I can feel that you''ve sealed the space in this area and no teleportation scroll would work anymore. But if you let me go.. I will not kill any of you. In the end.. You''re all my kin." said the mage in a ghastly tone through these magic formations hovering in the air.


    His threat had a calm before the storm sense of feeling. Even the thousands of soldiers listening from 5 Kilometers away felt a sense of danger just from his words.


    "We are ordered to bring you in. Please cooperate. This is your final warning." replied themander.


    "Hahaha. All of you must be delusional if you think this is enough. You leave me no choice. I shall remember your sacrifice." said the mage sarcastically.


    "All battalions, attack!!" ordered themander and the charged cannons that were awaiting the orders shot enormous magic beams full of destructive mana. All of them aimed in the direction of the grand mansion.


    BOOOOMM!! BOOOOOM!!


    One after another, thunderous and ground-shattering noises filled the 5 kilometer vicinity as if an atom bombnded and obliterated everything that came in its way. Sending tremors to the nearby ground out of this encircled area.


    When the mushroom-shaped ginormous cloud of dust finally faded. The once noticeable grand mansion was nowhere to be seen. Not even a small broken pir of the property was left.


    A 100 meter long hole deep in the ground could be seen from the magic binocrs ced at these warships.


    Themander who gave the order to nuke the mage heaved a sigh of relief as he couldn''t see the target.


    "Huh.. Is that it?"


    Suddenly, a grim voice befell on the ears of everyone present and in the sky, a figure of a Vampire flying was finally revealed to these people inmands of these warships flying in the air.


    In the mage''s hands was a staff working as a source to channel the barrier.. But the force that now covered the mage and acted as protection was somethingpletely different than mana.


    "Impossible.. How can he be this strong? He should have died." spoke one of the vampires who were in charge of a warship.


    The same reaction came from the other people in charge of the 7 warships.


    This wasn''t Earth where an explosion of this caliber was enough to kill thousands of people. The entire setting of this world was different and one thing was very clear¡­


    Magic ruled over everything. Let it be to be an insanely strong being or destroy anything that stood in your way. You needed magic to do it all.


    "He.. He''s using World Energy. But wasn''t he considered to be someone mediocre when ites to channeling the world energy?" asked themander as hemunicated with the battalion leaders through amunication artifact.


    "I already gave you all a chance. But seems like your brains have rotted just like our Ancestor & the n Leader!" shouted the vampire mage and waved his epic rank staff.


    Swoom! Swoom!


    One by one, nearly 20 magic formations appeared in front of the battalion while the vampire mage was still hovering in the same ce as before. His effective range to cast spells was far beyond something that even a Semi-Saint Rank mage could do.


    Even Solomon had the effective range to cast and attack with spells at 1 kilometer at best but this vampire mage was on apletely different level.


    "Charge the cannons, everyone attack!!"manded the vampire in charge over thousands of long-range artillery magic guns started shooting at the mage, all the 8 warships were enough to decimate an army of 10 thousand soldiers easily.


    "Amateurs." said the bald vampire and 10yers of magical barriers came into existence.


    On the other hand, the magic formations cast by this mage were now glimmering brightly and released a deathly and heavy pressure in the surrounding.


    All these formations quickly released different elemental attacks, varying from lightning to fire.


    BOOM! Crackle! Splurge!


    The long and thick lightning strikes, big and round water orbs, waves of fire and des ofpressed wind then attacked the fronts of these battalions stationed in the four directions.


    Everywhere these tremendously strong attacksnded, not only they broke through the protection barriers cast over the foot soldiers, cavalries full of monster steeds.. It also bombarded the formations with these elemental attacks and killed more than 300 soldiers with each hit.


    For someone from Earth.. It would appear as if the Gods were punishing their creations in the form of natural disasters or a cmity. But in Vantrea.. This was just a single First Stage Saint Rank magician taking an offensive mode.


    One by one, dozens of these attacksnded and killed over a thousand soldiers in a matter of a couple of minutes.


    Before the magic cannons could even charge, the vampire mage finished chanting his incantation and 4 more pentagram-shaped magic formations came into existence just a kilometer away from in directions aimed towards the soldiers.


    Explode! BOOM! Dhang!!


    Pure beams of destructive world energy coalesced and struck like lightning and obliterated the warships that looked near-indestructible one by one.


    Just in the first wave.. 3 out of the 8 warships including hundreds of operators in each of them were obliterated into nothingness.. Not even a trace of their bones or ashes was left to see.


    Pure destructive.. Only pure destruction filled this forest as if a heavenly tribtion had struck and judged everything in existence.


    Hundreds of deep crevices filled the ground below as the burnt and thoroughly decimated ground was left asunder.


    It hadn''t even been 5 minutes but more than 3 thousand soldiers of the vampire n were massacred by one of their own elders who had been serving the n for over two hundred years.


    Wails and screams of agony filled the battlefield as only charred and mangled flesh filled the surroundings with a gory sight of War and bloodshed.


    "Now go and repenting in my in your next lives!" shouted the mage in his stern voice.


    This time 8 more pentagrams, even bigger than the previous times came into existence and charged themselves tond another volley of magical attacks on the battalions.


    "Run! We''re done for!" shouted the soldiers in fear.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    One by one, all these attacks charged at the targets and loud, ground-shaking noise filled the entire forest.


    But as soon as the clouds of dust faded.. Everyone including the Saint Rank mage was baffled.


    Although the attacks indeednd in the direction of targets.. They never truly connected the grounds.. Rather, something came in between and saved thousands of these soldiers.


    As the sight finally cleared, everyone was awestruck after looking at the ginormous constructs that acted as a barrier and saved their lives at thest second.


    12 red ginormous swords, each one of a height more than 100 meters acting like an imprable wall.


    There were three of these godly swords in front of the battalions on the four sides, so close to each other thatrge-scale destructive spell could go past them.


    And suddenly.. A kingly and domineering voice filled the entire forested area of 6 kilometers in length.


    "Sorry, I amte. The faction council meeting was hard to escape from." spoke a majestic looking swordsman d in a white and golden Epic Rank armor set.


    His waist-length silver hair fluttered in the air and his mature and calm demeanor could be felt by every living being who saw him.


    The next moment, more than 5 thousand soldiers shouted in unison with an ear deafening chant, weing the arrival of this kingly persona.


    "ALL HAIL THE CLAN LEADER!!!"


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    [[Author : Please don''t read this. Posting some parts again here because the re-edited word count can''t be lower than 100 words of the original word count. Don''t read. It''s just repeated words.]]


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    But as soon as the clouds of dust faded.. Everyone including the Saint Rank mage was baffled.


    Although the attacks indeednd in the direction of targets.. They never truly connected the grounds.. Rather, something came in between and saved thousands of these soldiers.


    As the sight finally cleared, everyone was awestruck after looking at the ginormous constructs that came acted as a barrier and saved their lives at thest second.


    12 red ginormous swords, each one of a height more than 100 meters acting like an imprable wall.


    There were three of these godly swords in front of the battalions on the four sides, so close to each other thatrge-scale destructive spell could go past them.


    And suddenly.. A kingly and domineering voice filled the entire forested area of 6 kilometers in length.


    "Sorry, I amte. The faction council meeting was hard to escape from." spoke a majestic looking swordsman d in a white and golden Epic Rank armor set.


    His waist-length silver hair fluttered in the air and his mature and calm demeanor could be felt by every living being who saw him.


    The next moment, more than 5 thousand soldiers shouted in unison with an ear deafening noise, weing the arrival of this kingly persona.


    "ALL HAIL THE CLAN LEADER!!!"

 Chapter 188: The Vampire Lord

    <h4>Chapter 188: The Vampire Lord</h4>


    The loud cheers of joy & worship filled the battlefield as soon as this Vampire Lord showed up.


    Although over three thousand of the soldiers had died just from a single wave of attacks from this First Stage Saint Rank magician, the suddenst moment shield of swords made by the n leader saved the lives of the remaining 7 thousand soldiers.


    Even 8 warships that could kill 30 thousand enemies on their own failed to kill & defend against this one mage. If not for their leader showing up in nick of time, many more would''ve died; even more brutally at that.


    "To think that you of all people were colluding with our enemies and betrayed the n. I''m truly disappointed in you, Sir Kereberos.


    You were there when all the founding ns came together and fought against the Imperial Army. You yourself led thousands of soldiers in that war. But now.." spoke Ismatrazel who was flying two hundred meters above the ground.


    "You''ve be the very thing you swore to destroy."


    Spoke the vampire n leader, shaking his head in disappointment.


    Although they were located approximately 4 Kilometers away from each other, not only the mage but every single person present in the 10 kilometers radius could clearly hear his domineering voice.


    The Fourth Stage Saint Rank Swordsman was on apletely different league than the former. Even his calmly spoken words had apletely different intensity to them.


    The simple words that were amplified using the World Energy had an indescribable force & authority that could not be described.


    "What do you know¡­ You and your father ruled over the n for 2 centuries now. Your rule will only ruin us and we vampires will grow weaker if you keep prohibiting us to kill humans and others for blood. We must use these livestocks as they were meant to be.


    We are natural predators & rulers. We''re meant to hunt & rule like kings!" dered Kereberos, the elderly vampire mage as if a fanatic was giving their speech full of self-proimed doctrine.


    "So that was it? Is that your reason to betray the n by selling off my son, one of the candidates for the n leader''s position to our enemies? What would you even achieve by betraying your own to those who only want our demise?" asked Ismatrazel.


    "You should know that our entire species was once prosecuted and hunted in this very empire because many of our predecessors killed indiscriminately and as a result, we were boycotted by the entire empire 400 years ago.


    From being the public enemy to now bing the leader of one of the strongest factions of the entire empire.. Do you know how hard it was for our ancestors to keep our species alive?


    If not for my father.. Our n would have regressed to bottom of the power structure after the loss we suffered a century ago.


    And now we already have a system where we buy fresh human blood and everyone gets their fill for the month.


    Unlike the vampires of the other empires, we''re not bloodthirsty monsters." borated the vampire n leader.


    "Hah! Spoken just like your father. I''ve spent 2 centuries serving the n and I know for sure.. We''ve be far weakerpared to our predecessors. And you father and son duo have a big part in it." scoffed off the old mage.


    "Sir Kereberos.. As my senior and someone who served the n for this long.. I ask you toe with me peacefully.


    Sir Belmont, your elder brother was also my teacher before he fell in the Great War. So I ask you to surrender.


    Because if I am forced to use even the slightest of my strength.. Given the difference between our levels; I can''t guarantee that you will survive." said the Vampire Lord.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Ismatrazel Mor Vandereich, the Vampire n Leader given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Only now did the thousands of soldiers understand that why was their mighty and absolute leader was talking with the fallen elder than just directly forcing him to concede.


    The orders from the Faction Council were to apprehend this elder and the vampire lord wasn''t afraid of not having enough strength.. But rather being too strong that he might identally kill the elderly mage.


    "If you think I will surrender without a fight.. Then you''re gravely mistaken." spoke the old mage and waved his staff. 5 different artifacts suddenly appeared in front of the mage and the source of mana started channeling to the staff that was the medium of casting the devastating spells and elemental attacks.


    Just from the heavy pressure exerted by these spells alone. It could be felt that all strength & intensity behind these attacks was being amplified by 5 to 6 times.


    The normal soldiers and the operators who stood on the ground and in the remaining warships werepletely rooted on the spot despite being 5 Kilometers away from the source. To them.. It didn''t feel like some Saints were fighting, rather it felt like some Gods were now getting ready for a fistfight.


    The majority of the soldiers finally understood why Saint Rank fighters were prohibited from fighting in a popted area as agreed by all the factions in the empire under a pact made over a hundred years ago after the Great War.


    Just the normal attacks from these beings were enough to kill thousands of soldiers and citizens.. The amount of destruction these people could cause waspletely unfathomable.


    One by one, dozens of defensive barriers came into existence andpletely encapsted 2 kilometer radius from where the Elder Mage floated in the air.


    At the same time, all those archaic and tall magic formations started flying in a single direction.. In the direction of the n leader who still flew in the air with a carefree attitude.


    One by one, these formations queued up and aimed at the n Leader as the vampire mage was citing magic spells and stacking all these different elemental spells.


    The most destructive spells started coalescing with each other and formed a harmony.


    The frozen soldiers in the ground werepletely awestruck. Kereberos was doing something that they only heard in myths.


    He was fusing different elements together including the ones that were considered to be ipatible with each other.


    "So this is the extent of World Energy¡­" spoke a young human male who stood amongst a group that was watching this battlefield on projection artifacts and was currently in a warship 15 Kilometers away from the battlefield.


    When the elemental attacks finally fused, a shrill cry filled the entire battlefield as thebined spell of these elements was finally ready to attack n Leader.


    "Die!" shouted Kereberos as he shot thebined attack and arge and bright red beam full of world energy was charged in the direction of the vampire lord.


    BBOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!


    An ear-deafening explosion that formed a mushroom-shaped cloud as if a nuclear bomb exploded in this battlefield resounded in the 10 kilometers area was heard.


    The soldier battalions far away felt the ground shattering and thousands of them fell on the ground from the tremors alone. Even the flying warships lost their bnce from the shockwaves and sonic booms that were nothing but just the aftereffect of the explosion.


    As for the main site.. Half of the forested area was nowpletely wiped out of existence and there were no trees or rocks. And the deep hole that a half a kilometer in height was formed.


    If the previous attacks from the warships werepletely unmatched... Then thisbined attack by the mage proved to be five times more effective than before.


    "Imbecile.. Did he really think that I didn''t have enough cards in my inventory?" spoke the mage as he reveled in his victory as there wasn''t even a trace of sand left where his spellnded.


    The thousands of soldiers gasped in disbelief, many unable to process that their almighty n leader was simply obliterated into nothingness.


    As the cloud of explosion finally started fading after 3 minutes.. A tyrannical voice filled the 10 kilometers of the surroundings and gave shivers to everyone present in the vicinity.


    "Are you done ying?" asked a majestic and kingly persona whose face was finally revealed to the onlookers.


    The same ce where the heaven-shaking explosion happened... A tall and mature vampire hovered in the air, simply using his palm that stopped the devastating magic spell.


    Forget killing the vampire lord.. Thebined spell that incinerated everything in the 10 kilometers vicinity hadn''t even scratched his palm as the n leader of the Vandereich n stood like Neo stopping the bullets in the air just like the Matrix movie.


    Thousands of soldiers and the vampire mage were left awestruck andpletely baffled as soon as the vampire lord''s voice confirmed that the Fourth Stage saint rank swordsman was still alive and kicking.. Completely unfazed by the spell made with world energy that was enough to kill 50 thousand people in a single shot.


    "How.. It''s impossible! That spell was more than enough to kill a Fifth Stage saint!!" eximed the elderly mage in disbelief, unable to ept the harsh reality.


    "Oh, is that what you think happens when you rise in ranks as a Saint, sir Kereberos? Let me enlighten you then. By logic, I should be 3 times stronger than you given the gap in our ranks. But in reality..." said the Vampire Lord as he stopped in his words before continuing in a domineering and ghastly voice.


    "I am 15 times stronger than you!"


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    [[Author : Heard that you guys are looking for our discord group link.


    Join our Discord & discuss plots, spoilers, get your Reference Arts for Characters you won''t get on anywhere else than the official site.


    Link : https://discord.gg/JPBM7SrdDB

 Chapter 189: The Bait

    <h4>Chapter 189: The Bait</h4>


    Speechless.. Kereberos, the Vampire mage was left speechless after hearing this new revtion. Because he hadn''t risen in rankings after reaching the First Stage Saint Rank.. He had no idea what happens afterward.


    The other people from the top brass of their n hadn''t revealed this spike in strength after crossing the new stages as if it was some sort of taboo.


    Even his biggest card, the five epic rank enhancement artifacts give him only 5 times the boost in his spells range and attack damage. But even with that, he hadn''t even managed to scratch the n leader.


    If someone thought the vampire mage was akin to some big and invincible powerhouse.. The fourth stage saint rank n leader was even 15 times stronger than him.


    Even the soldiers of the Vandereich n who hadn''t seen their n leader fight at his best were shocked and bewildered.


    "I don''t believe it. If it was true, why haven''t I heard of it before?" asked Kereberos.


    "Why would any saint reveal their cards to the enemy or even an ally? Just like you, I have my trump cards as well." replied the vampire lord.


    This response was heard only by the bald mage and nobody else who floated in the air 10 kilometers away, showing the immense control of the vampire lord over world energy.


    Ismatrazel then gestured with both of his hands and made a gesture of calling something towards him. On the other ends of the forested area where the battalions that had lord hundreds of soldiers in each of them just from the waves of magical spells by the vampire mage felt their blood boiling.


    And right in front of their eyes, the blood from their fallenrades that lost their lives not too long ago started leaving their mangled bodies and flew in the air; towards the direction of their n leader at an extremely fast speed.


    In just 20 seconds, a gigantic orb of red blood, as big as a house was created in the air after all of the blood of the fallen vampires was collected at a single ce. This orb was only 2 kilometers away from the mage who was still encapsted and protected by the imprable barriers that previously faced the head-on attacks from the 8 warships and barely cracked.


    "The blood of our fallen shall be your chains." spoke the n leader and made a moving gesture of his right hand.


    Ptew! Ptew!


    Hundreds of chains and swords made with pure blood suddenly charged out of this orb and attacked the protection barriers and started drilling into the barriers one by one. And unlike the previous explosive beams attacked from the magic cannons¡­ These swords and chains were created with world energy that could easily suppress anything made with mana.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Hundreds and then thousands of cracks appeared on these ginormous barriers that filled the long space. And just in 3 seconds, the firstyer was thoroughly destroyed and the sword flew and charged at the inneryers.


    "No!!" shouted the vampire mage as after the firstyer got destroyed, one of his enhancement artifacts exploded.


    "Arhhh!!" wailed the elderly mage as his body suddenly caved in and he spat out blood.


    This was clearly the bacsh of his spell and the artifact which he used as conduit getting destroyed. And he suffered from the mana he was using being obliterated.


    BOOM! Crack! BOOM!


    In the next dozen seconds, all the barriers were thoroughly cracked open while the mage threw up a mouthful of blood from the bacsh.


    His body lost its bnce and he fell towards the ground.


    Stab! Stab! Stab!


    Just as his body was about to touch the ground, multiple chains made from the blood of the deceased soldiers stabbed his arms and legs and tied his body.


    A grand figure of the Ismatrazel Mor Vandereich, the n leader quickly appeared in front of the mage who was left defenseless. The vampire lord made a gesture of moving his forefinger in the air.


    "Arrrr!!" grunted the old mage as somehow, his right arm that was still holding the epic rank mage staff was cut off in just a second.


    "You shall face the judgment from the Elders council and tell my Great Father about the other traitor hidden in the n." said Ismatrazel and ced sealing artifacts on the mage thatpletely cut off his connection to mana and world energy.


    "You think I''ll talk? In your dreams, brat!" spoke the old mage.


    "Oh.. You definitely will." replied the n leader. And more chains encircled the mage''s body.


    The n leader of this vampire n had easily subdued this mage who seemed like an existence out of the world just by waving his hand twice.


    Swish! Swish!


    A warship that wasn''t previously present in the 10 kilometers surroundings, suddenly flew in their direction andnded on the nearest ground.


    A group of 10 people walked out of the exit of this 100 meters tall and enormous warship. In this group was a hooded figure under a ck cloak. But the person leading this group was known to everyone here.


    It was Szayel Mor Vandereich, the n heir and also one of the candidates for the position of the n leader in the future.


    He stood in front of this elderly mage and asked with curiosity, "Why, sir Kereberos? Why would you collude with our enemies and n to kill me? You once taught me how to control magic in my beginning years of training. So why do you resent me?"


    "Hah.. Haha! It''s because you''re simply not worthy, kid. Look at you.. You''re not even a Peak Grandmaster mage yet. Compared to your sister, you''re nothing but a failure!


    And to make matters worse.. You share the same ideology as your father and your grandfather. If the n leader''s position falls in your hands.. I see a bleak future for our ns. And that''s why I didn''t care if it meant giving you up." said Kereberos.


    To this.. Szayel''s countenance froze and immense wrath appeared in his eyes as he clenched his fists. Although the words came from a traitor.. Szayel knew what this elderly mage was indeed the truth. He was simplyckingpared to his stepsister and had always been foreshadowed by her glory and talent. But there was nothing he could say to rebuke this vampire mage.


    "Tell me, how did you even find out?" asked the mage.


    To this question.. Ismatrazel pointed his finger towards the hooded figure who stood behind Szayel and spoke..


    "It''s simple. Because you took the bait."


    The figure under the ck cloak then took off the hood and finally revealed the face.


    "You¡­" spoke the old vampire in disbelief. The person that revealed himself was someone he clearly knew of but hadn''t expected to see here.


    "Nice to meet you, my dear well-wisher." spoke the man.


    This young, handsome and muscr figure was none other than Kahn.

 Chapter 190: The Advice

    <h4>Chapter 190: The Advice</h4>


    The vampire mage now stared at the young human who stood in front of him with contempt.


    "So you''re my well-wisher." spoke Kahn as he gave a gentle smile.


    "You human vermin! You have no idea how many people you''ve enraged by saving this brat''s life and thwarting our ns.


    Start counting your remaining days!" dered the old mage.


    "Well.. Not the first time I''ve had such a rude greeting. But unlike you, Ie bearing gifts." said Kahn coyly and suddenly, he threw a round white object in front of the now tied up mage.


    This round object was a head that belonged to someone this mage had used as a chess piece for targeting Kahn & hispany since they couldn''t openly attack him without raising the suspicion of the Pureblood Faction.


    It was the snakekin, Houdini Warsmeich.


    The blood-oath token applied only on him, Omega and Jugram. But it didn''t work on Ceril & Armin who hadn''t taken part in the ritual. So Kahn had Ceril do the work and brought the snakekin''s head as a parting gift.


    Kahn chose to kill the snakekin who easily switched sides under small pressure. Because at the end of the day..


    A snake may shed its skin, but it''s still a snake.


    "Your mistake was to think that I will not see through the fact of you using him as a proxy and targeting me from behind the scene.


    But instead of scaring or torturing him, I made him think that we were on the same side. And believe me.. He was very keen on selling you out when I said that I have connections and means to kill you.


    You left a loose end and thought that I would do the job for you.


    And now that you''ve been caught.. So will be the rest." said Kahn.


    He already had his suspicions when the member of the council including the snakekin president hired an entire assassination organization just to hurt him and his people. As if they no longer had any fear that Kahn woulde knocking on their doors or kill them in their sleep.


    There were only two logical reasons for it as far as he could think.


    One, they received backing from someone who could easily kill Kahn''s Peak Grandmaster subordinates.


    Two, the backer was so powerful that the council members were more afraid of angering the them instead of Kahn.


    And there wasn''t anyone of that caliber whom Kahn hade in contact with or made an enemy of.


    So the only possible suspects he had were the enemies that he made by saving Szayel''s life that day.


    But as per Szayel''s words during the secret meeting they had, the Demi-Human faction wouldn''t benefit from targeting him in any way. And first of all, they didn''t even know anything about his part in all of this.


    Since it was obvious that these traitors couldn''t kill Szayel themselves, they joined hands with the enemy faction and both sides would profit in some way.


    Only the top n members of the Vandereich n were informed about his doings. So whoever it was.. It was one of the Elders.


    And from the words of this mage, it was also clear that the group of traitors believed in the supremacy of their own faction & species and wanted to rule over others or simply massacre them like true extremists and fanatics.


    They wanted to kill Kahn out of their ego as he ruined their future ns and even exposed Vivian, Szayel''s stepsister and one who was favored by these people for the position of the next n leader.


    It appeared as if the vampire swordsman girl was also one of such extremists and why they wanted her to be the next leader.


    So after Kahn found out about the exact culprit hidden in the shadows, he informed Szayel through the jade medallion.


    But even before all of this, as if having foreboding of the future, he asked Szayel to make a contact with the Faction Council and propose this idea even before the killings happened. His gut feeling had proved useful and the Faction Council had reached a consensus.


    Just catching one guy was enough for them to fork out the names of the others. Not only from the Vandereich n but also the traitors hidden in other ns of the pureblood faction. Now, the traitors didn''t even know that one of them was already in custody and soon they would be too.


    Kahn nned for this big part and acted as bait because he couldn''t afford to fight these people on his own and he simply didn''t know exactly who was pulling the strings.


    And now, all of their work came to fruition.


    "You did good work, Kahn. We are in your debt." said Ismatrazel as he nodded in approval.


    "I''ve won¡­ But at what cost?" said Kahn in a solemn voice with his head dropped down.


    "More than a hundred innocent people died because their target was me. And since they couldn''t afford being caught, they killed others to get to me." he said with an ashen expression.


    At this.. Ismatrazel walked towards Kahn and ced his right palm on Kahn''s left shoulder.


    "Listen, kid. Whenever there''s a war.. The first victims are the innocents who had nothing to do with it in the first ce. That is the harsh truth.


    A true leader must make sure that even if they''re not present.. Their people are safe and protected. This is where you failed." said the vampire lord.


    "And whether you lead by setting an example or through fear.. You should never be affected by the death of yourrades.


    Over two thousand of my soldiers died because other Saints couldn''te here on time. But do you see me or anyone else crying?


    Remember... an emotional leader is a weak leader.


    And weak leaders don''t win a war." spoke the n leader.


    "But you knew it woulde to it. That''s why you came to mypany''s grand opening. To rub it in their face and incite them to target me.


    You nned to use me as bait on the very day I arrived at your n headquarters and proposed the business deal. I was a chess piece in your game before I even knew it.


    Am I right, Lord n Leader?" asked Kahn, his countenance filled with slight anger.


    Ismatrazel was slightly taken aback but then nodded in response. There was no guilt on his face rather he looked impressed by Kahn''s intelligence.


    "To take down your enemies, you also need to create opportunities in order to trap them.


    After my son told me about you, I knew that someday, you would be targeted by the impatient or the egotistical ones. And it happened just as I nned." replied the vampire lord in his domineering tone.


    Kahn was just reminded that he wasn''t the only one with foresight. Just now, Ismatrazel proved why he was the n leader of this vampire n which also represented an entire faction of millions.


    Not only because he was strong but he also nned 10 steps ahead with his cunningness.


    All Kahn could do was swallow down this fact.


    Although he greatly benefitted from the support of the Vandereich n, let it be setting a big business, having a connection with bigshots and influential people; even gaining poprity through their means¡­ But it also came with a price.


    A price paid with blood of the innocents.


    "I can''t bring back your dead. But I can at least offer a biggerpensation given how greatly you helped us excel in finding traitors within our ranks." spoke the vampire lord.


    "What will happen to him & the others?" asked Kahn out of curiosity.


    "You''ll know soon¡­" spoke the vampire lord and continued in a domineering tone.


    "Not just you.. but the entire Rakos empire."

 Chapter 191: Snapped Back to Reality

    <h4>Chapter 191: Snapped Back to Reality</h4>


    The next day... Kahn was sitting in his office. Yesterday''s events left a deep impression on him. Because yesterday, his entire outlook on power scaling was changed again.


    Because after watching Kereberos & Ismatrazel fight.. The only thing he felt was like watching some Gods fight against each other.


    Just the First Stage Saint Rank magician was someone who could destroy an army of 10 thousand by simply moving his hands and a few spells. Even for a Semi-Saint Rank fighter like him who was only a threshold below that realm, it was far beyond his capabilities.


    Previously, Kahn thought that a saint rank fighter would be at least 3 to 4 times stronger than him. Even his Survival Instinct blessing, which covered thergest areapared to any other of his abilities currently had the range of only 1 kilometer effectiveness radius.


    But just the normal spells from the vampire mage were enough to kill everything in 5 kilometer radius and the strength of the protection barriers alone was something those magic cannons that could obliterate everything in the same distance weren''t even able to scratch them.


    Even Kahn with all of his skills would be reduced to dust if hit by such attacks but the first stage saint like Kereberos wasn''t even fazed in the slightest.


    "I need to study andprehend this World Energy.." said Kahn to himself.


    Because the biggest game-changer was the use of World Energy.


    All the spells and barriers weren''t made from Mana but world energy instead. Only the elemental attacks had the mana infused in them while the world energy was the main force driving them.


    Compared to a saint rank who could use world energy, Kahn was like a toddler who hadn''t even learned how to walk. Because his currentprehension and mastery over the world energy were non-existent.


    Although Ability Absorption Divine ability helped him absorb some world energy from the attacks of the vampire lord during the duel when they came to Rathna.. It wasn''t even able to absorb 1% of world energy. At best, Kahn could only feel its existence.


    "System, tell me the exact reasons why I need to be level 200 and eat a saint rank entity''s core?" asked Kahn to the dormant system.


    [The host must be physically strong and capable of withstanding the flow of World Energy in the body and a First Stage Saint Rank''s core is used as a source of the world energy to initiate the breakthrough to this new rank. With each increasing stage, the requirements will carry through and the host may rise in ranks.] replied the System in its lifeless and robotic voice.


    "And what about my proficiency in using World Energy? How does that affect me in the long term?" he asked.


    [Every 10% of proficiency in using the world energy will allow the host with a 100% increase in strength and force behind attacks and spells made using the world energy.


    But the world energy can''t be just umted by absorbing from an external source. The host must study andprehend it to increase the usage capacity and effectiveness.]


    "Wait what?! Doesn''t that mean I will be twice strongerpared to other saints even if myprehension is at 10%?" asked Kahn in surprise.


    [No. The host will only have twice the effectiveness based on the mastery. If the opponent has 20% mastery over the world energy, the host will be able to fight them equally. But the more difference in mastery, the more difference in overall strength. The host is advised to study and raise hisprehension of world energy.


    The Ability Absorption divine ability can provide aid to the host in absorbing it at a much faster pacepared to other living beings. The host is advised to find more sources containing it.]


    "I see. So I only have an advantage over someone on the same level as me and on the same efficiency in using world energy. But I''m still weakerpared to others.


    Well... I need to at least cross the semi-saint rank first.


    Forget world energy... I still haven''t learned enough about mana, magic spells, formations, elemental attributes. And there''s also the study of Space Magic & Dimensional Law.


    I need to learn cksmithing & Alchemy to upgrade the Drakos Armor in the future and have enough knowledge in alchemy to save my own life in crucial conditions.


    And I''m only good at using swords & daggers even now. There are still tons of weapons andbat techniques I need to learn and master.


    Although I can always acquire skills by killing others entities, the real knowledge & experience onlyes from studying and practicing.


    At this rate, I will stay far weaker and left behindpared to the other 12. I don''t want to die if any of them ever meet me or find out my identity." reprimanded Kahn to himself and pulled his hair in frustration.


    "And then there''s these bastards from the noble ns and factions. I always won''te out alive like this time if even a first stage Saint tries to kill me. And that bastard Ismatrazel is even a bigger threat. He''s nearly 75 times stronger than me.


    On top of that... He''s not even the strongest person in this empire." spoke Kahn as his aura left his body because of the mental pressure taking the best of him.


    Yesterday alone, he was forced to realize that at best, he could be a bigshot in only a small street. Even the weakest of the Saint rank fighters could easily crush his head under their feet.


    Although he had managed to hide his awed and gobsmacked expression after watching both the godly saints fight yesterday.. He was still not over how their strength varied from worlds apart.


    Even the vampire mage who could easily erase Kahn to nothingness hadn''t even put a scratch on the Vampire Lord.


    The strength of these Saints was far beyond his understanding. It was like a different realm of existence in itself.


    "As soon as I''m done with settling this business. I will start learning magic & spacew.


    If I keep being ignorant & negligent..


    I won''t even survive a year in this world."

 Chapter 192: More Than What You Bargained For

    <h4>Chapter 192: More Than What You Bargained For</h4>


    In the following week.. A sudden big announcement shook the entire Rakos Empire. Let it be a small city or a big and fully developed civilization in terms of technology or living standards of citizens.


    Many bustling streets and markets had this news announced via loudspeakers and projection artifacts that this evening, will be a grand execution ceremony in the Pureblood Faction.


    And it will be publicly broadcasted throughout the empire using a grid of broadcastingworks and artifacts from city to city.


    And the ones to be executed were not some enemies but the traitors within the faction.


    As soon as this news was spread all over the empire, it shook the native citizens and even the powers belonging to the opposition faction such as the Demi-Human faction & Neutral faction.


    The Pureblood Faction consisted of 300+ ns. Each one of them was strong enough to easily rule over their respective cities and even the strongest ns from vot city could not evene close to being mentioned in the same sentence.


    And suddenly, all of them decided to hold off an execution ceremony for some reason.


    The normal citizens of the empire that varied from different species, races and life standards only knew of such big ns and names. But their lives didn''t revolve around the inside happenings of these superpowers.


    Any ruler was eptable as long as no harm came to their normal lives and their rights were protected. So people had only superficial information about these factions.


    Just like Kahn when he lived inside vot city, the majority didn''t even know or care about who were the leaders of these factions. Only the people who yed the game of power struggle in their sleep and wanted to hold power had the most information and interests in these factions as they too belonged to a particr side.


    And suddenly, these factions openly brought these matters to the public. And this wasn''t about just one n, but all of them.


    When Kahn heard this news, he too was taken aback. He quickly took out the jade medallion contacted Szayel.


    "What the hell happened? Did I miss something.. Why is there suddenly such a bigmotion? " asked Kahn to the vampire heir.


    "Oh.. I thought you knew. Let me exin.." said Szayel and took a deep breath audible through the transmission artifact.


    "Do you know that the day I was attacked.. The same happened to the majority of the ns in our faction? Over hundred and thirty n heirs, having the qualifications and promise to be their n''s next leaders were killed in the same week as me getting attacked.


    Some died in their homes while others died at the hands of said enemies belonging to opposite factions. In many cases, the heirs went missing and were presumed dead.


    I wasn''t the only one but the whole faction''s future generation was targeted. And after you helped us track one of the traitors. We finally had a thread to track the main culprits.


    In the past week, using Kereberos who was one of the people inmand, we''ve sessfully caught thousands of people in our n and through them, we caught and imprisoned more than 20 thousand traitors who made deals with the enemy just because they were either discontent with the rulers of the ns or wanted shift in power.


    Not only did we find their nest.. But we found everyone who was connected and shared their motives in all the respective ns.


    What''s happening now is nothing but a grand purge." said Szayel merrily.


    After telling Kahn about the inner happenings and how the whole faction was been cleansed of the worms.. Szayel also revealed how their forces caught the people and killers involved from the Demi-Human faction & hired professionals. That there was a war happening in the shadows over the past week and thousands of people were killed.


    But instead of feeling safe and secure.. Kahn was pissed off.


    "Fuck, fuck, fuck!! I''m so screwed!! Now everyone is gonnae after me one way or another!" shouted Kahn angrily and flipped the table.


    No Way could he have foreseen that it wasn''t just the traitors from the Vandereich n but also the ones spread in the whole faction itself.


    He thought that the vampire mage was just one of the people who wanted Szayel out of the equation and after he was caught, Kahn would have room to breathe and won''t have to look over his shoulder again.


    But what he thought was but a spark actually turned into a fucking wildfire!


    And if his part in this was revealed outside of the Vandereich n.. He would be a public enemy number one for the Demi-Human faction and even the remaining traitors who were still not found or imprisoned.


    A little bird revealing the word of his part in the y and he would be done for real.


    This was no different than a looming death.


    Kahn was now dragged into a grand scale war.. More than what he bargained for.


    He now instantly regretted saving Szayel that day. Because the oue that resulted from his involvement far outweighed what he received in return.


    Now all he could do was pray to God of Darkness toe out alive of his current predicament despite being an atheist in his previous life.


    "Fuck this shit! I''m not getting mixed up in these factions and their wars ever again!" eximed Kahn even though it was already toote for him.


    "I hope that after this whole execution thing is done in the evening.. I can find a way out or at least get myself a protective shield.


    I can''t put anyone''s life at risk again." said Kahn.


    At this moment, he had no idea how this oue that he couldn''t predict before the announcement would affect him in the long run.


    Kahn then took deep breaths and tried to calm his mind.


    His countenance then turned somber and the calctive side of him reappeared on his face.


    "I hope at least Ronin seeds in the task I gave him."

 Chapter 193: Grand Execution

    <h4>Chapter 193: Grand Execution</h4>


    When the evening came, a scenario that shook the entire Rakos Empire to the core happened.


    As if already nned from weeks, the swift arrangements such as millions of big and wide


    projection screens via artifacts were spread around all the major cities and towns of the empire in the main streets and public ces.


    There was a sense of fear among the masses as if the Pureblood Faction was trying to stage a coup or something. Even the government authorities didn''t dare to prohibit this disy of force and breaking thew.


    The whole atmosphere was grim and everything was happening as if an inevitable doom was about toe over the empire.


    For people in the capital Rathna, millions of people had gathered over their respective n''s headquarters and miles of the area owned by their ns.


    Just the Vandereich n alone had 2 million people spread around the 50 kilometers of their n''s main headquarters. And everything was being maintained in order.


    Hundreds of flying ships, warships and projection artifacts were spread around various sectors of thend and the vampire n was going to burn 4 thousand of their n members alive as they were part of the traitor group who wanted to take over the n and joined hands with the enemies to topple the current management by killing Szayel & Vivian.


    This was the story that was spread for public knowledge.


    And the other subsidiary vampire ns spread around the empire were performing the same ritual.


    But this wasn''t just the single n but most of the ns from the Pureblood Faction who were publicly disying their traitors to the masses for some reason.


    Many did not understand why would one of the most powerful factions in the empire stupidly and boldly disy the number of traitors in their midst to the public instead of burying the matters underground?


    Unlike the vampire n, the Elves had prepared the method of hanging while the Dwarven ns resorted to burying their traitors alive in the ground. The Demi-Human ns such as the wolfkins had arrangements to cut off limbs while the snakekins had decide to kill their traitors by throwing them inside the pits full of hot oil.


    Botir ns resorted to their most savage method.. By crushing their traitors under gigantic boulders since they had exoskeleton armors all over their bodies. Like crushing a crab''s shell with a hammer.


    In the main headquarters of the Vandereich n, was an open ground sizing for 3 kilometers in length. Thousands of soldiers surrounded these traitors who were tied in chains and unable to use any of their skills and abilities under restriction seals.


    And at the end of it was a gigantic tform that had 28 wooden poles that had big logs ced at the bottom. And on each of them, the traitors who had high positions & authority in the n''s management were tied and sealed using many magic seals and formations. All of their mouths were gagged. Some were even 4th stage saints but they too were shown no mercy.


    Amongst these people, was Kereberos Mor Vandereich. The vampire mage who had targeted Kahn previously and was caught by the n leader as soon as Kahn finally found his identity.


    This first stage saint rank mage was now reduced to a braindead person who couldn''t even maintain his head in a single direction, swirling it around like a mentally ill person.


    And behind these people, was a tform even higher. There were 12 seats where the most powerful people of the n sat. Namely the Elders and the n Leader, Ismatrazel Mor Vandereich.


    Every single one of them was donned in their white and golden regal clothes as if the Kings of different countries were gathered for a gathering. Every single one of them was a Second Stage saint and above.


    These were the main powerhouses of this n.


    The n leader finally stood up and started his speech. The same urrence was happening over two hundred different ns spread over the empire and all of it was being broadcasted to the masses.


    "People of the Vandereich n! As all of you may know¡­ the people that are tied in front of me are the traitors who betrayed our n for the sake of personal gains and agendas.


    They conspired with our enemies who want nothing but our demise only for the sake of authority and power. They intended to cripple our future generations so they could take overter and have their own people get into the positions who would run our n in the near future.


    So that when the time came.. All of your fates would be sealed and left in the hands of these scums who would even kill their own kin for the sake of power.


    So tell me.. What should we do with these traitors? Tell me.. What is your judgment?!" dered and asked the n leader.


    At this moment, his grandiose and heroic figure was being broadcast in front of billions of citizens spread around the entire empire.


    "Death to the traitors!"


    "Kill them!"


    "Burn them!"


    A million people shouted in unison in the main headquarters of the n, just the noise alone shook the ground as if it was bound to crack.


    On the other side, billions of members of all the different ns and citizens belonging to the same species were also cheering loudly. Even they felt a relevance to this deration because nobody wanted someone in their family who would sell them out or kill them in their sleep.


    After delivering the speech for another ten minutes, he finally signaled themencement of burning the traitors.


    And as for the 28 traitors who were tied on the tform below.. They felt their soul shudder in disbelief because they had been assigned a particr executioner.


    A slim and tall figure of a breathtakingly beautiful girl, d in the n''s signature armor as her long silver hair fluttered in the air walked towards the row of these traitors who were tied on the thick wooden poles.


    This beautiful girl with bright red eyes simply stirred the hearts of millions of males and females alike who were watching from the different corners of the empire as soon as her face appeared on the screens.


    It was the very girl who tried to kill Kahn on the day he arrived at the vampire n''s headquarters. The daughter of the n Leader and Szayel''s stepsister¡­


    Vivian Mor Vandereich.

 Chapter 194: The Ancestor

    <h4>Chapter 194: The Ancestor</h4>


    The grand execution ceremony was happening throughout many powerful ns who ruled over regions and had millions of people under them. And their spearhead, the Vandereich n was no exception.


    Vivian Mor Vandereich, who appeared like some princess of a kingdom and made millions of hearts stir and beat faster than usual as soon as she appeared on the screens spread throughout the entire empire when nearly 2 billion citizens were watching the grand execution ceremony from different ces.


    To the onlookers, it appeared as if a silver-haired angel descended from the heavens and was about to deliver divine retribution.


    Her pristine and innocent appearance had soothed the souls of many males and the number of people who were transfixed on the spot and had a ''love on first sight'' scenario were in millions.


    But little did anyone know that this seemingly pure and untouchable goddess was actually a ruthless killer and one of these traitors herself. The reason why she was not hung on one of these poles was known only to a dozen people.


    In Vivian''s right hand was a brightly burning torch and she was tasked by the n to burn these 28 traitors who once held influential and important positions in the n. There was even a Third Stage Saint rank swordsman, one of the Elders lied amongst these traitors.


    Rather than sparing the life of this powerful warrior, the Vandereich n had decided to kill him instead.


    At this same moment, Ismatrazel & several of the other Elders were looking at Vivian as if trying to gauge her expressions and see if she had the resolve to burn these people or not.


    Unbeknownst to everyone watching her throughout the empire, she felt a chill in her body and had goosebumps all over it.


    The n heiress gathered the strength to move her body as she walked from one end to the other and started to light up the wooden logs below them as the fire quickly spread and consumed these vampires.


    Unlike the fictional stories on Earth, Vampires in Vantrea had no problem walking in the sun or could only be killed using a silver bullet or a stake to the heart. They functioned just like humans but one thing was the most effective to kill them.


    Death by fire.


    Their bodies did not have any form of resistance against fire at all. Like meeting a catalyst, they would burn 5 times faster and thoroughlypared to many other species. And hence, this method was chosen by the n.


    One by one, bodies were burned alive but no screams were heard as all these people had been gagged and couldn''t use any of their skills or mana under the seals. All they could do was il their bodies before turning into ash at a visible rate.


    From the end where she started, stood Szayel. His countenance waspletely unfazed, maintaining the aura of nobility and the n heir. But inside, he wasughing happily.


    Because the people Vivian was ordered to burn were once her own allies and backers who conspired against him and chose to sell him off to the enemies. The ones who shared the same ideology were being sent to the afterlife by her own hands.


    He was simply rejoicing after looking at the irony.


    Vivian on the other hand was feeling her soul was being crushed as she was forced to kill her allies. To everyone watching the ceremony, it felt like she was given the biggest honor but in reality, she was traumatized from killing her backers who she spent years together behind the shadows.


    When she reached the end and everyone except one vampire was left alive... Vivian let out a tear of grief.


    And since it was being broadcast to everyone.. Ismatrazel decided to speak in.


    "My daughter, Vivian Mor Vandereich is thoroughly devastated from the fact that among the people she just burned now.. Lies an elder of our n who watched her grow since she was but a newborn.


    The person she had a sense of attachment to has turned out to be someone who traded her life for power and authority. So to kill someone who she once admired is weighing down on her. " rified the n leader in his kingly voice.


    But to onlookers, this was as emotional as it could be. Thousands of weak-willed also teared up as if they too felt her pain.


    In the end, Vivianpleted the ceremony by putting Kereberos on fire.


    The same fate was delivered to the thousands of traitors who served these people by the soldiers of the n.


    The same was happening over other ns as they too punished the traitors in their own respective methods.


    Gruesome execution happened and it sent a message to everyone about what happens when you betray your own people.


    The truly informed and powerful understood that this was also a form of a deration against the enemy factions that the Pureblood Faction will not tolerate any of this in the future.


    That there was a line that was crossed and they didn''t fear killing even their strongest fighters if they joined the enemy side.


    When the night finally came, the entire estate was finally cleared out. Millions of people who came to watch the ceremony were escorted to their respective amodations.


    Only a few people knew that this whole grand execution n was actually something in the works for over a month. As for who nned it all, nobody knew except for the top n members and people of the Faction Council.


    At this moment, inside the Elders Council hall.. All the members who were present during the execution ceremony including the n leader were kneeling.


    In front of an elderly vampire who was extremely frail and looked like he had one leg in the coffin just from his appearance was sitting on a throne.


    "It is done. Everything you nned for was executed perfectly as you previouslymanded, Great Father." spoke Ismatrazel.


    "Ah.. We are lucky that we found out about one of the culprits and everything happened ording to our ns. You too made a good choice to use that human boy as a bait, my son." spoke this elderly and frail figure who had long silver hair dropping to his knees.


    His gaze thennded on a female who was now wrapped in chains from her hands to her torso. She too was kneeling on the ground like everyone else. Albeit not with respect but because of extreme fear in her eyes.


    After looking at her sullen and ashen expression, the Great Ancestor of the Vandereich n who was also the leader of the Pureblood Faction. A Seventh Stage Saint Rank entity and also one of the three strongest people in their entire empire asked in a tyrannical tone that sent shivers to everyone present in the room.


    "Now, my dear granddaughter... Are you ready to repent for your crimes against the n?"

 Chapter 195: A Sealed Fate

    <h4>Chapter 195: A Sealed Fate</h4>


    Allister Mor Vandereich, the previous n leader of the Vandereich n and the current Faction Leader of the Pureblood Faction now sat in a carefree manner on his throne.


    "You''ve greatly disappointed me. Both I & your father had high hopes for you. And whatever qualms you had with Szayel.. It should''ve stayed in the n. You''vemitted the taboo of colluding with the enemy. And to think that you share the same ideology of our species ruling over others.. I thought we taught you better than that.


    That was the reason why our species nearly went extinct in the empire once. And this approach instilled by my predecessor & me is the reason why we Vampires are now one of the strongest forces in the empire.


    But you wish to cross that line and destroy everything we''ve built over the past 3 centuries?


    If not for me & your father.. The Faction Council would''ve decreed to burn you alive with all those traitors. But it doesn''t mean you will face no consequences." spoke the old faction leader in his domineering voice that froze Vivian''s entire body. His wrathful gaze had shaken her core as if she was looking at inevitable death.


    "Forgive me for intruding, Great Ancestor. But I still don''t understand why did we have to go to such extreme measures? These matters should''ve been dealt within the faction. Why these public executions?" asked one of the elders.


    "To make a statement. After those runts from Demi-Human Faction killed the majority of the n heirs, crippling our future generations... There was a need to show that we won''t take it without uttering a word.


    Although we can''t openly dere war on them and put the entire empire in chaos¡­ this was something that needed to be done. Otherwise, soon they would''ve spread the rumors about the dead n heirs and we would''ve lost all our prestige anyways.


    As for the people responsible from their side.. We''ve killed 50 thousand of their faction members over the past month hidden from the public eyes. This will also be a reminder for them to not cross the line ever again.


    And because of this disy of executing the traitors, we''ve scared everyone who ever had a thought of it and increased the loyalty of our n members who felt threatened for their future because of this revtion." exined the faction leader.


    "Understood, Great Ancestor." spoke the elder.


    "As for you.. We didn''t have you killed because it would''ve broken the spirit of our n members to see that the n heiress herself was one of these traitors. It would''ve done more harm than good.


    But now.. You shall be punished with Core binding ritual." decreed Allister.


    "No!! Have mercy on me, great ancestor¡­ Grandfather! I promise I will never do anything like this again. I will serve the n with all my soul! Just give me another chance! Please!!.." shouted Vivian as her body was shivering in fear as soon as the decree from Allister reached her ears.


    "Silence!! This is your second chance. From now, your core shall be bound to your stepbrother, Szayel Mor Vandereich.


    You will be prohibited from having a marriage.


    You can no longer have a family or children of your own.


    Your position as the n heiress has been discarded and you will never rise in ranks in our n.


    Your candidacy for the n Leader''s position has been nulled.


    You will serve Szayel as his servant till yourst days. If he dies, you will die along with him.


    You are to obey his every order even if it means harm to your own life.


    After the seal has been ced, you won''t be able to kill yourself either. Your life will have only one meaning.


    To serve and protect your master. And serve the n.


    This shall be your punishment for betraying your family!" dered the old vampire, showing no mercy towards his granddaughter whom he once cherished the most.


    Vivian dropped on the ground, she started crying and begging for forgiveness. Her pleads for mercy filled the entire grand hall.


    Szayel on the other hand, looked at her with lifeless eyes as if something in him had changed. Although he was overshadowed by Vivian''s talent and glory most of his life.. He never truly hated her.


    But after finding out that she didn''t even care whether he lived or died as means to aplish her goals.. He learned a very harsh lesson.


    Now, he didn''t care whether she was killed or forced to be his ve. All he could think of was how to be strong and be worthy of being a good n leader in the future.


    He looked at Vivian who was now grabbing his leg and pleading for forgiveness but there was no empathy for her in his eyes.


    Because if not for Kahn showing up that day and saving him.. He would''ve died a horrible death in a no-name ce and the now crying figure of Vivian wouldn''t even have blinked twice.


    He had learned his lesson already. That in pursuit of power, authority and strength.. Even your own family wouldn''t shy away from killing you.


    And this was how he too had to be if he wanted to survive in this world where only the powerful made the rules.


    Dozens of mages then entered the and under the orders of the n ancestor, the very painful and terrifying ritual of core binding was performed on Vivian as her soul shuddering screams frilled the grand hall.


    Although Allister & Ismatrazel felt a lot of pain in their heart.. They had no choice but to abide by the n''s rules. Letting Vivian live even if it meant as a ve to the n and giving her a fate of no freedom is the best thing they could offer.


    Because in their n, there was one rule that transcended everything.


    ''The nes first, everything elseter.''


    [Great Father.. What about that human boy?] asked the n leader to his father using a telepathicmunication artifact as they watched the whole procedure.


    To his query, the faction leader replied in a solemn tone.


    [I know you want him as your discipline but now is not the good time. Although he''s a human.. We can use the ancient bloodline ritual to turn him into a vampire as I witnessed once more than two centuries ago. But first¡­


    I would like to meet this Kahn you speak of.


    And see if he''s really worthy of bing someone like the First Emperor.]

 Chapter 196: The Uninvited Guests

    <h4>Chapter 196: The Uninvited Guests</h4>


    A week had passed ever since the grand ceremony of public executions of the traitors in the pureblood faction. It had been the talk of the entire empire and the scenes of merciless killings were disyed to the public on squares even now.


    Let it be a grown-up man or a child.. Most of the popce had already seen it. Although the narrative was that these traitors tried to thwart away the ruling powers and joined hands with enemies to kill the future generations.. Not many knew exactly which enemy they were talking about.


    Not everyone in the empire had that much of free time to learn the history or enmity of these factions. Their world didn''t revolve around the power struggle between the top 1%.


    But to people who held power and authority.. It felt like a war was bound to happen. Even those who had no involvement felt a sense of uncertainty about the fate of the empire.


    ---------------


    In the Rukon district, Kahn sat in his office while doing his usual work of tallying the numbers and verifying the reports and transactions for the shipments and dealings. The business was doing pretty well ever since he joined the Chamber of Commerce himself after he threatened the remaining members as Zeus.


    And with Houdini gone missing.. Themittee members were even more scared for their lives and abided by his instructions. Kahn was officially granted a seat on themittee under the pretense of adding fresh blood along with 6 other new members.


    One of the old members was now the new president and he now held a position in the name. Kahn made it clear that he won''t be partaking in the meetings or create any trouble for any of the members as long as no one bothered with his business in the district.


    And as a result, some of the members shifted their business rted to weapon manufacturing to different districts because they feared the Semi-Saint Rank Archer named Zeus.


    But to Kahn.. This wasn''t enough.


    What hecked now was a true sense of security. Not for him but thepany and its employees.


    Although he could always hire new security personnel in thousands.. There were two main issues he was concerned with.


    Loyalty & Unity.


    Even if he hired some top-rank security enterprise, they were as good as a bunch of mercenaries who worked for money and had no sense of loyalty or responsibility towards the employer.


    There had been many incidents where the guards absconded with both the money and with goods. So he was concerned about it.


    Although he had more than 1300+ subordinates now¡­ they were not the kind to be mixed with normal humans and all of them werepletely ck let it be their flesh or their clothes and gears.


    Only Omega & the Six Generals had distinguishable features in terms of appearance. So there was also an issue of them mixing with normal guards.


    "Phew! How the hell am I going to manage all of this myself? The money is no longer a problem but I still need better ways to obtain cores and ores. And I need it not only for myself but for everyone else too. Omega, Six Generals & then the Legion. Plus there''s this snake whose stomach is even biggerpared to all of thembined.


    Even buying these in bulk isn''t a long-term solution. It''s more a waste of money than gaining good resources. Even S Rank cores sell for too high a price and given my requirements.. I would have to sell thepany if I want to reach level 200." said Kahn as he sighed.


    "Human! I am a higher being. So obviously I need more resources than the rest. The so-called S Rank cores you provided me didn''t even raise my level at all." a grim and ghastly voice resounded in Kahn''s head.


    "What?! Those were 5 thousand S Rank cores you damn serpent! Why don''t you try earning them by yourself?!" retorted Kahn.


    The one who just spoke now was none other than Rudra who had awakened from hisatose state a few days ago...


    He was now a level 100 entity after fully absorbing the Magma Drake''s bloodline and core. And since he didn''t have 100% Loyalty to Kahn, he didn''t qualify for the Impartation skill and couldn''t take a human form either.


    From what Kahn anticipated, Rudra would at least need to absorb a Mythical Rank metamorphosis bloodline or eat the core of such being to transform and take a human form. Something that was out of Kahn''s reach now.


    Just when Kahn was lost in his thoughts about how to get more resources to raise his levels.. A voice rang in his head.


    [Master! Enemies!] shouted a stoic voice in his head.


    "Jugram, what''s wrong?" asked Kahn.


    [There are multiple eople are entering thepany''s gates.. From their aura, I can say that they are far stronger than you.] informed the hell berserker subordinate.


    Kahn quickly activated Survival Instinct and Hunter''s Intent at maximum capacity. But to his surprise, they didn''t pick up any sense of danger or killing intent in the 1 kilometer radius.


    [Who could it be?] he thought.


    Kahn quickly ran towards the ground floor and came to the entrance of thepany building.


    What he saw then hadpletely baffled him.


    Jugram, who was a High Lord subordinate and the main person in charge of the security of theirpany building, was kneeling on the ground in front of a luxurious magic carriage with silver deer-like monsters pulling it.


    He wasn''t kneeling out of respect but because he simply couldn''t stand the aura of the person that just exited this carriage used only by the nobles.


    A slim middle-aged elf and then a rustic warrior-like dwarf walked out of the carriage.


    But this wasn''t just one carriage.. There were four more of these carriagesing in belonging to different ns as per their sigils.


    To Kahn, who had felt the aura of Kereberos, the first stage saint magician.. He knew one thing for sure.


    All the people that wereing out of their respective royal-ish carriages had one thing inmon¡­


    They were all Saints Rank people!

 Chapter 197: The Opportunity

    197 The Opportunity


    Kahn now stood in front of these godly figures who could simply wipe out everything in 10 to 15 kilometers area on a whim. Just from the aura alone.. The weakest one of these uninvited guests was a 2nd stage saint while the strongest ones were at the 3rd stage. Kahn felt a sense of impending doom as the mighty figures suddenly showed up at his front door,pletely unannounced. There was no grand wee ceremony or thousands of soldiers escorting these powerhouses. As if these weren''t saint rank people, one of the top figures in the entire empire but a ragtag bunch of tourists who came to his ce by mistake. "How can I be of help, Sir?" asked Kahn as he slightly bowed. There were 8 Saints now gathered in front of him consisting of an Elf, Dwarf, Wolfkin, Lionkin, Thrall, Botir, Mithrans & one female Human. All of them dressed like Marques, Dukes & Dutchess amongst nobles. "Pardon our sudden arrival without prior information. We are here to meet the owner of this Bloodbornepany." spoke the middle-aged elf in the front who was also a 3rd stage saint. "Please follow me, your lordships." spoke Kahn in a respectful tone and gestured all these insanely powerful figures to follow after him. After they all came to a big meeting hall where Kahn usually did the deals with big clients, all of them were seated on luxurious &vishly carvedfortable cushions chairs and were given refreshments. "Where is your owner? Why hasn''t hee to greet us yet?" asked the white wolfkin. To the question, Kahn let out a sigh and sat on the main chair of the host & the owner of thepany. The very next second, he quickly released his War Dominance at full capacity and revealed his aura of a semi-saint rank person. Kahn then ced his hands on the armrests as he spoke. "I am the owner." Shock! All the guests were slightly taken aback. Not because they felt any sense of threat from this man. But because who they thought as the normal attendant was actually the owner they hade to meet. As for why did Kahn reveal his measly aura in front of these sharks? Because Kahn understood that none of these people had any malicious intentions towards him and despite being one of the top 100 strongest people in the entire empire, all of them came here in a formal manner and had no halo of entitlement or overbearing aura around them. They weren''t here to cause trouble as far as his intuition could tell him. "You.. So the rumors were right. So young yet a semi-saint rank already." spoke the old dwarf with eyes wide open. The rest of the saints were no exception. "So you''re Kahn? Looks like Lord Ismatrazel indeed spoke the truth." said the mature woman, a second stage saint. "Tell me something, Mister Kahn. Which n do you belong to? And who was your teacher?" asked the green mithrans. "Yes. I would like to know as well." spoke the regally dressed thrall. "None. And I''m self-taught." replied Kahn solemnly. Another surprise! Even these top figures of the empire were left speechless. "How''s that possible? There are only 5 semi-saints under the age of 30 and all of them belong to top ns. They''re either their heirs or children of the saints. Howe we never heard of you?" asked the red Lionkin saint. But Kahn quickly interjected before more questions piled up. "Pardon my abrupt interjection but can I ask why are all big powerhouses such your grand selves here? I don''t recall having made any form of rtionship with any of you." asked Kahn sternly. "Ah, where are our manners.. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Emhyr rav Emreis, n leader of the Nilfguardian Elven n." said the 3rd stage Elven saint. "I''m called Zoltan Vichay, n leader of the Dwarven n." "I am Triss Remigold, Leader of the Council of Witches. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mister Kahn." spoke the redheaddy in the green dress. "I''m Dandelion Pankratziv, I extend my best wishes to you Mister Kahn." said the blue thrall. One by one, all of them introduced themselves. There was no sense of pride or pretense of superiority in their tone. Although Kahn was far younger than them, all of them showed the perfect decorum fitting of their personality & positions. [Yeah, yeah.. And I''m Kahn of Rivia.] he thought. Kahn nodded in response to all of them. "Actually.. All of us havee here to personally thank you as soon as Lord Ismatrazel told us about your part in catching the traitors amongst our ns." spoke the elf.


    The next second however, the atmosphere in the room turned somber. "Thanks to you.. We were finally able to avenge our children and n''s heirs who were mercilessly killed more than a month ago." he said. [So that''s what it was..] thought Kahn as he tried to hide the surprise on his face. "No need, Lord Emhyr. I did it to save my own life as well. I too was one of the targets for saving the Vandereich n heir''s life." revealed Kahn truthfully. "To be honest, we didn''te just to offer our thanks. But for business as well." said Triss in her melodious voice. "Huh.. This is.. Unexpected." said Kahn as he was slightly taken aback. Because in reality, Kahn was not even qualified to even sit at the same table as these powerhouses let alone being treated as an equal. "We''vee here after hearing specifically from Lord Vandereich about how they''ve greatly benefitted recently from buying their weapons supply from you and how the quality itself was far better than what others offer at twice the price. And I will not lie.. We had some of our people buy these weapons and armors from your stores spread over the district and I must say¡­ we''ve found those ims to be true. So tell us, Mister Kahn¡­ would you like to do business with our ns as well?" revealed the Elven saint. To Kahn.. This question seemed more like teasing. He barely managed to jump from his seat and say yes. But the next second.. A brilliant n hatched in his mind. Because soon, he would finally have what he was worried about just half an hour ago. Soon, Kahn would have his own¡­ Shield & the Sword.

 Chapter 198: The Shield

    <h4>Chapter 198: The Shield</h4>


    In the main meeting room, 9 people sat on luxurious chairs, all of them varying from different races, species and skin color. But the atmosphere of the room was tranquil despite the top and mighty figures sharing the same room.


    Normally, people of this caliber would only gather together when a celebration or gathering of top ns and the top 1% of the empire had a reason to get together.


    "So what do you think, mister Kahn? Are you interested?" asked Triss, the redhead witch.


    "About that.. May I ask why are you interested in doing business with ourpany? I''m pretty sure there are plenty of biggerpanies & given the kind of supply your ns would need.. I''m afraid we''re not that capable as of yet." said Kahn.


    For apany that was established in a single district, the offer didn''t make sense. Because these ns would need weapons & arms for more than 80 million soldiers. And hispany''s current output was 30 million at best.


    "We''re well informed about your current capacity and know that you are centralized in Rukon District only. So we have some propositions." said the white wolfkin.


    "What we propose is that you do these deals exclusively only to us and ns of our faction only. In return, we will also make rules that we shall only use your services as far as certain weaponry and tools are concerned. And you give our deals and contracts the first priority.


    And if there are any orders for customized weapons and armors, we''re to be put above others. How does that sound?" asked the Elven saint.


    At this moment, instead of getting overwhelmed or feeling greedy, Kahn had a calm aura around him and spoke.


    "I think I have a better alternative. How about I give all of you a 30% discount on selling cost on top of the conditions you mentioned?"


    Gasp!


    All the saints, who were the top leaders of their respective ns and organizations were surprised. Because if you looked at the grand picture.. This 30% discount could save them hundreds of millions in cost on top of the 50% they were already saving by dealing with The Bloodbornepany instead of trading with their usual partners.


    "But I have some conditions as well." spoke Kahn with a slight grin on his face.


    "Do tell. I believe we can work things out if you stick to your words." said the Lionkin as he folded his arms and looked at Kahn with curiosity.


    "In exchange for these exorbitant discounts.. What I want is all your ns bing my shield and my sword." said Kahn as he interlocked his fingers and folded his legs, sitting as the main boss in a political party''s meeting.


    "What do you mean?" asked Zolton, the Dwarven saint.


    "What I mean is I need all of your ns and organizations to work as the ones in charge of mypany''s security, let it be my stores, my warehouses, transportations, shipments and any properties that are in thepany''s name." said Kahn in a calm tone.


    "What?! What do you take us for? Do we look like some kind of mercenaries to you?!" eximed the thrall saint.


    "Hear me out, sir Dandelion. This isn''t like what you think.


    Currently, I have limited properties and spaces where I can do the production. If our deals are contracted, I would naturally have to expand mypany and open more facilities, have more warehouses, stores and buildings for management to meet the demand.


    And one of the important parts of it would be the security. Instead of hiring some unreliable organization and weaklings who are only there to fill up numbers without having actualbat experience or skillets.. I''d rather prefer to trust an ally than a hired help.


    I want your trained fighters and strong warriors in charge of my defense and security.


    Naturally, I would station and distribute your forces on my own ords.


    This way, you spend less, provide some help in let''s say, a few hundred thousands of soldiersbined from all of your ns and save plenty of money in the process." dered Kahn.


    Sigh!


    "Aren''t you afraid that one day, we might as well take over your business by force then? I''m sure that you''re not a fool who is not informed about the consequences of leaving your fate in someone''s hands." said Emyhr, the elven saint in a direct tone, not hiding his concerns.


    Kahn nodded and replied in a stern tone.


    "Let''s say that all of you do n to gang up on me and do think about doing what you say.. The key is the Grandmaster cksmith, sir Albestros Winston. Without him, there is no Bloodbornepany.


    And if you try to force him into working for you.. Just one word of it and others who are looking for big opportunities and have the same amount of manpower as you would gather and oppress your ns under the pretense of justice.


    Besides, you may not know this but I''m a close friend of Szayel and Lord Ismatrazel also has a favorable impression of me. After all..


    He did want me to be his disciple."


    Shock! Gasp!


    All the saints present were surprised and caught off guard as soon as Kahn revealed thest part.


    [This kid isn''t simple. He''s too calctive and mature for his age.] spoke the elf to all the other saints us a telepathic transmission artifact.


    [No wonder Lord Ismatrazel told us to work with him¡­ wait! Now that I think about it.. He..] said Triss.


    [Yes. Lord Ismatrazel sent us here to be his shield. He knew we would have no choice but to be his backers one way or another even if the kid didn''t say so himself.] replied the thrall.


    [Don''t miss thest part! If even Lord Ismatrazel wants the human kid to be his disciple.. Then think about the potential this boy has. Maybe in five decades.. He could even be stronger than any of us.


    Just him being a semi-saint at this age without the backing or resources of any big n or a faction already speaks about him being a once in a millennia prodigy.


    I''m afraid his talent even exceeds the Raven Sorceress of the Neutral Faction who is of the same age as him. No wonder the Vandereich n wants him on their side.


    He could also be one of our top powerhouses in the future if he joins the Pureblood Faction.] spoke the wolfkin.


    [Yes! Let''s not waste time, agree to his conditions quickly.] said the Lionkin telepathically.


    "We agree!" dered Emyhr.


    "Good. This meets the Shield part of our deal.."


    Kahn took a pause and gave a slight grin and continued in a merry voice.


    "Let''s et''s talk about the Sword."

 Chapter 199: The Sword

    <h4>Chapter 199: The Sword</h4>


    Everyone who thought that they were finally done with the business deal were left surprised again after Kahn dered that the previous arrangement was only half the part.


    "What?! This isn''t theplete deal?" asked Zolton.


    "Yeah.. The previous part only concerns security. But I''ve recently been enlightened about how I''m shorthanded when ites to fending off my rivals or starting a crusade against those who intentionally make an enemy of me.


    What I want is an army of more than a hundred thousand soldiers ready to fight under mymand should I ever need to fight some force in the future¡­


    And I mean those numbers from each of your ns." said Kahn as he exined the Sword part of their deal.


    As soon as his words resounded in the hall, the atmosphere quickly turned silent.


    Some of the members felt that Kahn was reaching for a yard after being offered an inch.


    To use the lives of their people in his own fights.. This was simply uneptable.


    Bang!


    "Who do you think you''re talking to?! Thousands of peoplee to our ns just to get a minute of our time & beg us to work with them.


    Do we look like some idiots who will offer the lives of our people just for the sake of saving some money?!" shouted the Botir saint.


    "At least hear me first." spoke Kahn and then continued again.


    "There''s a reason why I''m asking for this condition. It''s not like I''m really going to need your nsmen for a war, it''s more of a precautionary measure. And on top of that, I would look after all the provisions and expenses required should a situation like that arises.


    What I want isn''t an army to fight a war but a force of deterrence. Something that would scare my enemies even in their dreams if they n to harm me or my people.


    And I am offering you one more thing as apliment if all of you ept this condition." he said.


    "What is it? It better be worth it." said Emyhr.


    "Out of total payments of our deals, you can pay 30% of it with...


    S Rank & higher-grade monster cores & mana ores." proposed Kahn.


    "Huh.. Why? Isn''t money more beneficial to you?" asked Triss.


    "Well, I''ll be honest. Although we''re currently not short on resources, given your requirements & quantity for each of your ns.. We''d soon fall short on them. You all know how important cores are. The higher the quality, the faster we can finish the products.


    And sir Winston also expressed that he will prioritize the orders of the customers and ns who pay with S Rank cores & ores. He says it makes his work even more powerful & refined.


    If I try to get them on the market price, I''ll have to waste all my fortune & I won''t be able to get these resources in bulk either. So I think people of your prestige & background can easily manage them & help me deliver the products on time as well." exined Kahn.


    Although he spoke those with just & righteous expression on his face¡­ this was an outright lie.


    "Done!!"


    "Deal!"


    "I agree!"


    Complied all the saints haphazardly.


    [Hmph.. Suckers!] thought Kahn in his mind.


    Although there was some truth to it.. It wasn''t that important factor in the production of Epic Rank weapons & armors. The S Rank cores did help in the procedure as a source of mana & infusing different elements to them. But in the end, it all depended on the skills of the cksmith.


    What Kahn really aimed for here was the high-grade resources he needed to level up. Even with his current wealth, he could barely afford enough S Rank cores & ores for himself. And he''d have nothing left for the subordinates who also needed these in uing months as soon as they were done processing the cores they atest time.


    Only Kahn was able to absorb the energy to raise his levels in a matter of hours but others still needed weeks despite rising in ranks. This was the difference between normal creatures and Kahn who had the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    And after he threw in the Grandmaster cksmith''s name.. The hungry wolves lunged at the meat as soon as it was revealed.


    But to all these saint rank leaders, this was a big steal.


    Because although their ns had these resources in millions of numbers.. Even they had to spend a long time just processing these cores and absorb the mana and energy to rise in ranks.


    And beside them, there weren''t others who could utilize them at a fast pace. The higher the grade of the core, the more time required.


    And their ns had millions of S Rank cores and thousands of SS Rank cores.


    They had water spilling out of the cup already.


    But with Kahn''sst proposition, not only would they save a lot of money, they could also make great use of these resources.


    Plus the priority given to their orders by the Peak Grandmaster cksmith himself.. That was already far more appealing to them than just saving money.


    They were getting far more than what they were paying for.


    "And another thing. I will offer an extra 10% discount if you use lend us your flying ships to do the deliveries & use for transportation.


    Plus if you want a form of dealership contract & sell our product in your own business settlements.. I will give that n first priority when producing the consignments." said Kahn as he threw the final pitch in the chaos he already created.


    "I ept!"


    "Count me in!"


    "Mister Kahn, I hope you stick to your promise."


    "Please draw the paperwork soon!"


    Eximed the saints as like children wanting candy.


    The terms Kahn was offering them were far beneficial to them on many levels for both their respective ns and for their personal needs.


    Now did they understand why the Vandereich n shifted all of their tenders for weapons supply to the Bloodbornepany.


    The n leaders could see that they were saving a lot of money here and by using their own forces, they could also create a bigwork of business with the help of Bloodbornepany.


    Kahn then took out a dozen of Blood-Bind contracts along with the Blood oath Token he robbed from Houdini. He gave a light smirk and spoke.


    "Let''s begin our new partnership, shall we?"

 Chapter 200: The Achievement

    <h4>Chapter 200: The Achievement</h4>


    As soon as Kahn took out the blood-bind contracts & the blood-oath token, the mighty and godly figures were slightly surprised.


    Normally, it was them who demanded for these measures to the people who came to make deals with them and that too with terms and conditions which only favored their side.


    But here, it was Kahn deciding the terms and conditions of the contract and didn''t hesitate twice before he directly took out these contracts and the blood-oath token.


    Usually, just their word was enough to make sure the deal was considered done but in this case, it was the young and a beginner businessman making them sign the dealings and even using the artifact to facilitate the deal. As if their word & reputation had no meaning to them and the young semi-saint rank human did not have an ounce of respect towards their background or prestige.


    But at this moment, they did not waste their time arguing or doing unnecessary talk since the terms and conditions of their agreement were far favorable to their side and in the long term, they would save their respective ns and organizations a lot of wealth.


    Just from the impression they received from Kahn who was not only a prodigy in their eyes but also a fearless person who didn''t even show a hint of slight fear or cowardice in front of them, earned him their acknowledgement.


    When someone of their rank went to a business meeting, it would be the host licking their shoes just to receive these saint rank people''s grace. But here, they were treated like a normal customer if the 30% discount term was out of the equation.


    To people like them, who themselves were fearless of anything or anyone¡­ this way of conducting business while retaining your calm demeanor throughout the whole meeting and not getting overwhelmed after knowing who they were had given all the n leaders a good sense of understanding about the young man.


    In the next few hours, both the contracts and the blood-oath binding was done. The first batch of weapons, armors and tools along with the expected quantity was decided. Since it was the first time, the contracts were done only on an annual basis and both sides would be subjected to penalty should either of them fail to deliver upon the agreement or the payments.


    On the paper, it looked like Kahn was losing 40% of the money he should be receiving. But in reality, he had benefited from these deals the most.


    Although he wasn''t making too much profit. But what he gained was free security, skilled and trained fighters to guard his properties and business sites, having the names of these powerful ns officially attached to hispany after he would have their people protect his enterprise.


    And it greatly solved the problem of expanding his business to other districts. From now on, these ns who also signed the dealership contracts on top of the arms deals; would sell hispany''s products in their established shops and settlements.


    Although they''d make a small profit over it.. But with that, the Bloodbornepany would rise in poprity, prestige and the name of Albestros Winston, the Grandmaster cksmith would also spread throughout other districts of Rathna.


    This was a form of free exposure & marketing.


    And unlike him, these forces had far better ways of transportation including flying ships for long-distance shipping and deliveries. So he''d also use their devices to his own advantage.


    And there was little chance of them ganging up on him as he would be the one to ce their soldiers on buildings & stores of his own choosing. Naturally, he would mix them which would also prohibit their respective forces from colluding & stealing his products.


    Even with being part of the Pureblood faction, these forces weren''t neighbors or had blood rtions to pull off such stunts.


    And the problem regarding the amount of resources Kahn & his High Lord subordinates were in dire need of was finally solved as soon as he would receive these S Rank cores in the quantity of hundred thousands every month.


    So he and all of the subordinates could steadily level up without having to go hunting in the forest and search for legendary rank monsters at this point. Because even High Lord rank monsters didn''t raise too many levels and they are very rare, to begin with.


    Just the down payment in Orichalcum tes he received from all the 8 saint rank n leaders was worth a billion gold coins. And the entire deal would get hispany''s annual ie to more than 8 billion gold coins if he factored in the usual business earnings & the money he''d get from the Vandereich n, his first-ever customer.


    After he made calctions about the taxes, management & sry of the employees.. He waspletely overwhelmed.


    Because even after giving Albestros his cut, all the expenditures done on management, transportation & production... Kahn would still earn a billion gold dramus as annual ie.


    And that too with only his current capacity. If he opened more stores andpany buildings.. There was a chance to make the double in just uing months.


    Kahn heaved a sigh and let out a gentle smile as he spoke..


    "Let''s get to work!"


    ---------------


    ONE MONTH LATER


    Kahn now sat in the main office of his newpany building.


    The new headquarters of the Bloodborne Enterprise was now 5 times bigger, wider and just in their new headquarter alone, were more than 20 thousand people working dozens of enormous buildings. From logistics to production and distribution.. He had all of the specific departments set in different building in this 6 kilometer premises.


    The total of 42 thousand employees and 97 shops were now under the name of Bloodbornepany. And even more cksmiths were begging to join their enterprise to work under & learn from Albestros every single day.


    With the billion dramus he received, the first thing Kahn did was to buy out one of the biggest and most suitable industrial facilities situated in the central area of the Rukon district.


    The previously used building given to them by Prithvi, the Grandmaster Alchemist was no longer efficient for their use as the base of operation. But he didn''t abandon the site.. Instead, he still kept it as it is and hired more people to work there as a branch office.


    The old building was situated at the northern end of the district. And Kahn then bought another bigpany building at the southern end of the district. So these 2 branches acted as storage, distribution & production facilities who would act as a hub to deploy the product to their partners, the forces of the saint rank n leaders; given how hispany was getting popr and the demand was increasing drastically.


    The first 3 weeks alone went into settling the new ces and hiring more employees with blood-bind contracts in y.


    Jugram was in charge of the security of the main headquarters where Kahn also worked.


    While he left Omega in charge of managing and protecting the old building. As for the new branch office.. Was left in charge a particr murderous and sadist subordinate of his who recently met the requirements to take a human form.


    It was the same subordinate who liked nothing but ying with the dead.


    Ceril, the Necromancer.


    After he took a human form, Ceril was now a dashing ck haired grown-up man who wore sses and always had a mage staff & a grimoire in his hands.


    Ceril looked a lot like Kahn.. Just a more nerdy and bookworm version of him. He was d in white and purple mage robes and seemed like an extremely intelligent person from first nce. Even to many female employees, he appeared as the mysterious anddykiller boss just like those Korean Drama shows.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Ceril Human Form given in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    And just like the other subordinates who inherited an aspect of his personality after reaching 100% loyalty & taking a human form.. Ceril gained the calctive and workaholic side of him.


    And being an undead subordinate himself.. Ceril was very curious about the aspect of death and wanted to kill people and experiment upon their bodies.


    So to calm Ceril down.. Kahn had no choice but to offer the peak grandmaster mage and the female orc warrior he killed in the headquarters of Red Right Hand organization to him in the name of ''scientific research''.


    ---------------


    After working tirelessly for the past month... Kahn now had officially established himself in the capital and set himself up as a person with money, resources and authority to some extent.


    Even though he wasn''t as powerful as the major ns, factions or the government authorities.. He was still ahead of the 4 billion citizens of the Rakos Empire.


    What took many people decades of hard work, he did it in just 4 months by ying his cards right and making friends of the powerful people.


    Kahn wasn''t some thousands of years old Cultivator reincarnated as a young boy who knew all the recipes of high-grade pills & potions and even knew how to make legendary weapons because of the knowledge & experience from his past life.


    And neither was he a top video game expert of some MMORPG game sent back in time who knew the rules & easy ways to be strong very quickly or make money and resources based on the knowledge of the future events.


    He was someone with a clean te when he entered this new world. So this was why he had to work his ass off to make it big and even risk his life in the mean process.


    Because the idea of a weak MC suddenly rising ranks, power, authority and fighting the top dogs of the world didn''t work in real life. So he had to y all his cards carefully.


    After everything was finally settled, Kahn had now officially established himself in the capital and possessed everything he needed in order to grow strong and live his life on his own ord.


    For him.. The fruits of hisbor had finally paid off.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : This marks the end of the Business Mini-Arc.


    I know this bored a lot of you guys and many found the past 30 chapters boring and unattractive but this was the only way I could give Kahn a strong foundation and logical approach for actually bing someone with enough backing, wealth and resources.


    Because in real life, randomly killing people, hunting in dungeons and robbing the dead can never make you someone with real wealth, power and resources (unless you''re a politician).


    I hope you liked my poor attempt at logical approach in a fictional story.]]

 Chapter 201: Dinner Invite

    <h4>Chapter 201: Dinner Invite</h4>


    After a long time, Kahn woke up from a merry sleep. Although he could work day and night without breaks or eating anything for weeks.. The mental drain was something that would easily burn you out both physically and psychologically.


    As if you were an Author & kept writing many chapters for a novel on a daily basis for example.


    In the current situation, the Bloodborne enterprise now had a monopoly over the weapons & arms business in Rukon district. And with the official backing and support from dozens of top-ranking ns of the empire.. Rukon district that ranged to nearly 200 kilometers from one end to another was now Kahn''s turf. Every other arms dealer had left thepetition.


    And the district which was only known for themerce rted to Alchemy products and resources was now also getting famous as the district where the Bloodbornepany was located and the Grandmaster cksmith, Albestros Winston lived.


    After the ns who started selling his products in different districts under their own management, the amount of business offers Kahn was receiving were increasing every day.


    And the S rank cores he received were also proving very useful as he rose to level 138,rising by 13 levels in the past month alone. If this continued.. Kahn was certain that he''d reach level 200 within a year. Meeting one of the conditions to reach the saint rank and enter the realm of these godly beings.


    But before that, there were still a few things he had to take care of. And those were namely learning proper magic and studying the Dimensional Law.


    He could no longer afford to dy these two factors. Otherwise, he would regret itter and curse himself for not perfecting his skills and mastery. Because they were all important to keep himself alive.


    Even with all the skills he absorbed and created, Kahn was feeling far inferior and weak after watching the first stage saint mage wiping out the enemies and surrounding 5 kilometer area just with his normal spells and attacks.


    Compared to him, Kahn only had magic skills and spells to use them because of the Ability Absorption divine ability; but no real knowledge or techniques behind them.


    Even now, he only had noob-level knowledge and understanding about Mana itself.


    ''Fake it till you make it'' was the current approach Kahn had till now for the magic department.


    So now that he was finally settled and had people to run thepany in his absence, his next target was to learn magic and study the spacew on the side.


    Stability & Peace was within his reach. So all he had to do now was gradually increase his levels and skills so that he could be a saint soon and decide whether to stay in this empire or not.


    But for now, he finally had something of his own in this new world.. Something worth protecting and fighting for.


    "I guess I should meet him now that things are all settled." said Kahn and looked forward to the night.


    ---------------


    That very night in Kahn''s new grand mansion he bought recently and lived with all of his subordinates and Albestros.


    Despite the old cksmith''s reluctance, Kahn brought him to live in this new ce because neither was the old building secure and fitting for them to live any longer. They were more likely to be looked down upon by others now if they still lived there given their current wealth and reputation.


    But Kahn already made arrangements for having the property managed and keep it well maintained.


    The new home looked like a castle from the victorian era with plenty of defensive measures structures installed. And the main reason why Kahn chose this costly ce to live was because it had an underground training facility spanned for 2 kilometers and was magically fortified to even not break down from an attack of a semi-saint fighter.


    This was going to be his new training grounds of magical skills andbat techniques he wanted to learn and practice. And this applied the same for his subordinates who also needed to perfect their skills and weapon mastery.


    It was so big and wide that even ckwall would easily fit in there. For all his subordinates except Rudra, there was everything they needed to keep raising their strength.


    As the night finally came, Kahn had new servants prepare for a small feast. There were 52 new servants he hired who looked after the property and worked in different professions.


    Even the chef he hired was a peak master rank chef and had a sry of a million gold coins. The servants were all experts in their fields.


    All the subordinates who had taken a human form had rooms and areas to live in this 3 story grand mansion within the 4 kilometer radius of the entire property.


    Kahn finally experienced what it meant to be living like truly rich people.


    The 400 master rank guards were also paid very well and unless a semi-saint attacked this force, they would be even able to kill a peak grandmaster fighter together.


    At this moment, he felt a sense of relief and already started imagining about his retirement and living his remaining days peacefully like an old man who lived a content life.


    Who said money doesn''t buy happiness? It helps you buy things that can make you happy.


    Knock! Knock!


    "Sir, they''re here." said Alfred, Kahn''s new butler.


    The old man with grey hair and a mustache was the head of Kahn''s new servants team and also the main attendee.


    If Bryan Cranston''s Walter White had grey hair and mustache.. He would just look like Alfred.


    "I see. Let''s go." replied Kahn and went to greet his guests who just arrived.


    In front of the main entrance of his mansion, came a highly luxurious carriage made for royalty and escorted by a dozen of beginner grandmaster soldiers.


    As the wee ceremony and formal etiquettes were performed, a regal appearance of a slim, silver-haired young vampire exited the carriage.


    "Wee to my humble abode, lord n heir." said Kahn as he slightly bowed.


    "Haha, you surely jest. There''s no need for such type of formality between us, brother Kahn." spoke the vampire.


    It was none other than Szayel Mor Vandereich.


    But the next second, another slim and beautiful figure exited from the carriage and Kahn''s expression turned somber and his eyes filled with absolute hatred and bloodlust as soon as he saw this new addition.


    "What the hell is she doing here?!!" shouted Kahn as he pointed his forefinger towards a princess-like female vampire who was dressed in a white and golden armor set.


    This person was someone who tried to kill Kahn & was one of the members of the group that tried to kill him previously. It was no one else but¡­


    Vivian Mor Vandereich.

 Chapter 202: Fate Worse Than Death

    <h4>Chapter 202: Fate Worse Than Death</h4>


    In front of the main entrance door of the mansion where two rows of servants dressed in ck and white along with the two different ques of armored guards ced opposite to each other, stood a man in the middle.


    Dressed in abination of dark blue aristocratic longcoat and with the high grade and costly ck pants and boots, Kahn weed the guests for this small gathering between acquaintances.


    His and Szayel''s rtionship as friends was already out in the open so there was no need for secret meetings anymore.


    But after seeing the new addition, namely Vivian who was also one of the people who wanted him dead, Kahn was taken aback.


    Because although he saw how Vivian burned the traitors, he knew that her punishment was inevitable even if she was the n leader''s daughter. Because as per his knowledge from Szayel, their n put the rules and doctrine of the n above lineage & everything else.


    "Tell me, what is she doing here?" asked Kahn in a stern tone, trying to hide his anger as he clenched his fists tightly.


    "Ah.. About that.. Let''s talk inside. It''s not something we can talk about in public." spoke Szayel as the merry and pleasant wee witnessed by hundreds of onlookers, the servants and soldiers from both sides wasn''t exactly a good ce to reveal n secrets.


    Kahn nodded in response and calmed his mind.


    The soldiers who came as security for Szayel were escorted by his own as the soldiers also had food and entertainment waiting for them on a side of this grand property.


    After giving them a small tour of the main areas of the new mansion, they stood in the main hall of the mansion.


    This room was filled with luxurious furniture, dozens of intrinsically decorated ornaments, statues and artistic paintings. Every inch of the hall expressed wealth and prestige.


    Szayel sat on a luxurious andfortable sofa and Kahn sat on the opposite end along with Albestros.


    The grandmaster cksmith''s expression was no different than Kahn''s when he saw Vivian.


    He was also present there that day and already knew how she was one of the people who wanted the ruin of theirpany and also kill both him & Kahn.


    For some reason, Vivian didn''t sit on the sofa and stood behind Szayel, acting like aplete and aloof stranger. She didn''t even look at Kahn or Albestros straight in the eyes.


    "Before you ask too many questions, allow me to clear out the confusion. She has gone through a core-binding ritual with me." said Szayel.


    "What?!!" eximed Albestros with eyes full of shock and bewilderment.


    Kahn was confused so he asked with a curious expression on his face, "What''s this core-binding ritual?".


    "You don''t know about it yet? Well¡­ not many know about this ritual anyway. Her core has been bound to Szayel. She is now unable to kill him or herself and forced to follow every singlemand of the one she''s bound to." replied Albestros with aplicated and thoughtful countenance.


    Kahn was surprised by this revtion and asked in a curious tone.


    "Doesn''t that mean she''s basically Szayel''s ve now?"


    "Not exactly. Because ves at least have their own emotions and in case the master dies, they will still live on.


    But as for her case¡­ if Szayel dies, she dies as well. And as the years pass, little by little, her consciousness will be taken over by the core binding magic. In a decade or so, she will have no free will of her own or possess any sentience. She will be an emotionless puppet, only living for the sake of serving the master. Her life will have no meaning left to it.


    Her fate is worse than death." borated the old grandmaster cksmith.


    He was also an Artificer so he knew how these binding rituals worked. It was the same method he used on the Drakos Armor & Lucifer when he made them for Kahn. But doing it on inanimate objects was one thing but to perform this Core binding ritual using archaic formations and subjecting a sentient being with the pain of that procedure..


    Albestros could imagine the amount of trauma & torture to the body and soul Vivian went through during the ritual.


    Kahn on the other hand looked at Vivian again, only now did he notice a small teardrop gathering over her eyelids.


    But instead of feeling sad towards the fate of this vampire heiress, Kahn let out a wide grin instead. He looked at Szayel and gave him an understanding gaze.


    "Stand still, do not resist or retort."manded Szayel.


    Kahn then stood up and walked close to Vivian as he pulled up the sleeve of his longcoat.


    He stood right in front of Vivian and took a deep breath.


    SLAP!!!


    SLAP!!


    SLAP!!


    Multiple loud crisps of ps filled the entire hall, even the servants who stood near the borders of the walls were shocked.


    Vivian''s cheeks were turned red and visible fingermarks on them. Kahn hadn''t held back in the slightest bit when he pped her.


    "You know.. The only reason you''re still alive is because you''re the daughter of the n leader. Otherwise, I would''ve killed you so quickly.. that you wouldn''t even realize how you died!


    It was one thing if you wanted me dead.. But you and your people came after innocents around me. And hundreds of families were destroyed.


    Although Ipensated them with a hefty amount.. It''s still not enough.


    You''re nothing but a trash who looks down upon the lives of everyone because you feel entitled about your birth and species.


    People like you should be put behind cells to rot till your death." said Kahn angrily.


    "Kid.. That''s enough." spoke the old grandmaster.


    Hitting a woman or someone whose fate was already sealed didn''t sit right with him because of his moral code.


    But instead of listening to Albestros, Kahn''s face turned sinister instead. He let out a devious grin as he inspected Vivian''s body from head to toe.


    That look alone sent shivers down Vivian''s spine but she couldn''t speak or run away because of themand.


    Kahn then bit his lips and spoke in an evil tone.


    "Oh, this is not even the beginning. Now, let''s begin the real fun."

 Chapter 203: Punishment Deserved

    <h4>Chapter 203: Punishment Deserved</h4>


    At this moment, inside the main hall of the new grand mansion where Kahn & the gang currently lived, a beautiful and elegant vampire woman who looked in her mid-20s by appearance was thoroughly insulted.


    To Vivian.. It felt like a stab in her heart as the once mighty and powerful n heiress and one of the most beautiful females in the entire empire who was sought after by millions of males, had thousands of letters for marriage proposals monthly was now pped in the face by amoner.


    Unlike her, Kahn had no lineage or a powerful background. He was but a nobody of low birth and wasn''t even worth thinking about twice.


    Compared to the n heirs within their own faction and in Rathna alone.. The human that pped and insulted her was but a measly bug who she would be able to squash at any moment with just a word.


    But in her current predicament, not only she couldn''t do anything to get back at him¡­ she couldn''t even speak or move because her body wasn''t even in her own control ever since the core-binding ritual.


    Szayel, the useless and ipetent stepbrother of hers who wasn''t even a grandmaster rank magician yet despite being nearly 60 years old, now held the leash on her life.


    Hismands were like the second nature of her body already. Forget trying to break through it.. Her body didn''t even allow her to use mana or any form of force to put resistance against hismands.


    If Szayel told her to stab herself with her sword, she would end up doing it anyway.


    Vivian could barely contain her cries and sadness in her heart after being consumed with rage but was not even able to speak a word.


    Everything was supposed to happen just like she wanted after months of nning and using a perfect decoy.


    Under the name of Neutral Faction dering a war against the Pureblood Faction and killing hundreds of their n heirs of the strongest ns, Szayel was supposed to get killed on the same day.


    But all of their ns were thwarted because of one no-name human who appeared at thest moment and saved Szayel''s life.


    Although she had tried to have Kahn killed on 2 asions already, he still managed to live on.


    [I''m going to kill both these bastards one day! They''ve ruined everything! Just wait till I find a way to break this curse.] thought Vivian.


    But after Kahn gave an insidious grin after looking at her body¡­ a newfound sense of immense danger was created in her mind.


    Rather than looking like a handsome man with ssic robes of a noble.. Kahn''s figure suddenly appeared like a Demon Lord with absolutely nothing but malice in his gaze.


    "Tell her that she can fight and even kill me if she wants to. I''ll teach her some lessons on both of our behalf." said Kahn.


    Szayel agreed with this proposition. Now, he had no care for Vivian as a person or someone from his family after knowing what she thought about him.


    As soon as he gave themand, Kahn quickly used the Domain Artifact and both he and Vivian were encapsted in a dark domain,pletely secluded from the rest of the world.


    "Now then.. Show me what you got. I will not hesitate from breaking your bone or putting my foot on your head." dered Kahn and quickly released War Dominance at full capacity. With the Hero of Darkness title in effect, he was already 3 times stronger than his peak.


    One by one, multiple barriers released from Vivian''s body and protected her from Kahn''s murderous aura. And now that she could speak in this isted domain.. Vivian didn''t hold back from speaking her true intentions..


    "You human scum! Don''t think that this shall be the end of I, Vivian Mor Vandereich! One day, I will trample upon everything you love and care about. And when that timees.. I''m going to make you watch all of it with your own eyes!!" shouted her vampire heiress with a wrathful gaze and stared at the man in front of her.


    "Oh, is that so? First, you need to be at least on my level. Or is it that you n to have your little servants do it for you?.. Oh wait, you don''t even have any more servants. You yourself are nothing but a ve now.


    Didn''t you hear Albestros? In just a decade, you will be a lifeless husk of your current self. Boy would I love to see your face then." spoke Kahn with a mischievous tone.


    He was kicking Vivian down when she was at her lowest but didn''t feel bad in the slightest.


    Kahn summoned Lucifer after two months for the first time. Thest time he did was on the day he and Vivian shed.


    "Show me your motivation!"


    Said Kahn and quickly used the Sword King skill as he created more than a hundred aura swords made from different elements.


    He lowered his aura so Vivian could move and then simply pointed Lucifer in her direction.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Dozens of flying swords dashed and attacked Vivian.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Vivian was left with no choice but to dodge and parry the swords attacking her as the force behind every single of these swords was something she could barely tackle head-on. She used multiple defensive artifacts to cover her entire body in protection barriers and gathered her mana tounch an attack.


    In just a dozen of attacks, Vivian was already forced 10 steps behind and her arms were barely keeping up with the fast attacks. Forget attacking Kahn or fight on even terms.. She was thoroughly oppressed from the very beginning.


    [What kind of nonsense is this?! I''ve trained with semi-saint swordsmen before. Why is he so many times stronger than them?] asked Vivian.


    She herself was a peak grandmaster swordswoman so she easily understood the difference in strength by just a few of these exchanges.


    "Don''t think just because I''m currently not favored by my n, you can actually injure or kill m.."


    Before she could finish the sentence, an unimaginable pain suddenly hit her mind.


    "Arrrrrhhhhh!!!" screamed Vivian after her brain finally registered a ck greatsword plunged in her left thigh.


    Vivian dropped on the ground, she didn''t even see when Kahn attacked her with this greatsword with the speed of light. The barriers broke instantly and she was poked before she could even feel the attacking from 10 meters ahead.


    To her screaming and wailing figure.. Kahn only replied solemnly with a devilish grin.


    "I''m not gonna kill you. I''m just gonna hurt you really, really bad.."

 Chapter 204: Scarred for Life

    <h4>Chapter 204: Scarred for Life</h4>


    Inside the secluded domain were a young man and a vampire girl who were confessing their extreme affection towards each other through the ssic method of exchanging their des.


    BOOM!!


    Vivian collided on the walls of the domain and groaned in pain. This ce was already a kilometer wide inside the domain space and from the past few minutes, Kahn had been flinging her body again and again with every swing and of his sword.


    Even the epic rank sword in her hand was vibrating and cracking after defending against the semi-saint human. Currently¡­ Vivian, the reputed and powerful n heiress who had thousands of people at her beck and call was now reduced to a punching bag by the man in front of her.


    "Come on! Get up¡­ I still haven''t enjoyed enough yet." said Kahn as he appeared next to her body and kicked her in the stomach.


    "Argh!!" wailed Vivian as her body caved in from the kick and she was flung in the air.


    Thud! Thud!


    She rolled over on the ground and spat out blood from her mouth.


    Cough! Cough!


    "You.. You''re never getting away with this!" shouted Vivian and got up. Tonight, her pride was thoroughly being trampled upon and toyed with for the first time in her life.


    A low birth nobody was now treating her like a random henchman of some street gang and beating her like a thug on a street.


    Kahn on the other hand was releasing fear toxin from his vacant hand while beating and flinging her so she wouldn''t notice anything. And slowly, a white fog started condescending in this domain, filling their surrounding area with the hallucinogenic smoke.


    When Vivian finally started noticing the fog around her, it was toote for her as she had already inhaled a lot of this toxic air. And soon as her senses started dulling, the tall and ck-haired enemy of hers started giving off a chaotic aura as his appearance started changing little by little in her eyes.


    Crack!!


    "Arrrrrr!!!" wailed Vivian in agony as Kahn appeared behind her and broke her forearm with a single punch.


    But instead of letting her scream more, Kahn quickly let go of Lucifer and grabbed her neck and lifted her.


    "I hear you''re very proud of your face. Well¡­ you''re indeed very beautiful. Only if people could see the true hideous nature of yours." said Kahn.


    "How about I give you a makeover?" he said with a smirk.


    Punch! Punch! Punch!


    Kahn''s left fist full of force enough to break a medium bouldernded on her face.


    Thwack! Thwack!


    One after another, the fists hit her beautiful face as her lips and nose started bleeding profusely.


    Just in 3 minutes, her entire innocent-looking face was swollen up and her cheeks were also bleeding. Every single punch of his hit like a hammer in the face.


    And the grip on her neck almost choked her to death as well.


    He then threw her on the ground and stepped on her legs.


    Crack! Crack!


    "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" she screamed with all her might.


    This was exactly what Kahn intended to do when he was staring at her figure before.


    Not to do anything lewd to her as someone of the opposite gender.. But to decide which bones he would break.


    Crack!


    Kahn broke the bones in her right arm, and then the right leg. One by one, he was Breaking Bad.. Breaking bones in her body.


    The domain was filled with hoarse and pitiful cries of this female vampire.


    "Stop screaming and moaning like this! If anyone heard us, they''d say I am doing indecent things to you." he said in an irritated tone.


    He didn''t care if she was a beautiful girl or felt the need to hold back because she was a woman.


    Because if the roles were reversed, Vivian would have his head on a pike just because he ruined her ns.


    Who knew how many innocent lives this 76 year old vampire girl had taken in order to reach her goals. Kahn was certain that her countpletely overshadowed his own.


    Kahn was using her sudden appearance and her being bound to Szayel as a ve to finally let off all the guilt and anger he had amassed over the month.


    Even though he always prioritized on looking after his own benefits.. He still hadn''t grown numb to killing or deaths to the point where he wouldn''t care if someone innocent was caught in crosshairs because of him.


    First with Jessica and now with his employees.. He did that mistake twice already and both times, he hadn''t thought of the consequences as he wasn''t the center of attention during those incidents.


    So all the anger he had stored up was finally being let out and he was beating up the main culprit behind the incident.


    With the fear toxin effect kicking in.. Kahn appeared as a gigantic and burning demon to Vivian who didn''t even have any strength left to scream at this point.


    "Kill me.. Please.. Kill me." pleaded Vivian, her eyes full of fear as she begged for a swift death. What she was experiencing now wasn''t anything different than someone on the verge of inevitable death.. But they couldn''t die even if they wanted to.


    Kahn pulled her hair up and looked right in the eyes of this heiress whose face was now all bleeding and bruised up. His eyes were full of wrath and immense bloodlust.


    "Wish I could, sweetheart. But sadly I can''t. But remember.. If you evere after me or anyone rted to me¡­


    I will fucking kill you. And I won''t care about the consequences or the wrath of your n and any other bullshit. There won''t be mercy next time. Do you understand me?" dered Kahn.


    Controlling the immense pain in her body, Vivian nodded in response.


    If not for her being a vampire who had a lot of vitality and physical health recovery rate because of their species and bloodline advantage, she would''ve passed out a long time ago already.


    Kahn took a high-grade health recovery potion out of his space ring and poured it in her mouth.


    After a dozen minutes, she was back to her old appearance thanks to her bloodline and the potion since her body was already of a peak grandmaster.


    Kahn wanted to scar her for life so she would never dare to go against him or target anyone rted to him since he couldn''t directly kill her.


    But he wasn''t like Naofumi either who let Malty go just with the name like Bitch because she was royalty or belonged to the nobility.


    He already knew how mercy to your enemies would cost youter. But he couldn''t kill her because of his current strength and the trouble it will bringter.


    So in a way, it was her first and final warning to ensure about the consequences ofing in his way ever again. It was a lesson that would be etched in her mind till herst moments.


    After Vivian changed into new armor while Kahn kept his gaze in the opposite direction, he deactivated the domain artifact.


    But as soon as their figure was revealed out of the dark barrier, everyone was left speechless..


    Szayel on the other hand shouted in surprise.


    "Did you just take her virginity?!"

 Chapter 205: The Misunderstanding

    <h4>Chapter 205: The Misunderstanding</h4>


    An awkward silence filled the main hall after Szayel''s sudden question took everyone by surprise. Even the sullen and nearly lifeless eyes of Vivian were wide open after this abrupt question that came out of nowhere.


    "Hey, hey.. What the hell are you talking about?" asked Kahn in a flustered tone.


    Even Vivian whose face was all sullen and ashen as she still hadn''t recovered from the scary and inhumane treatment Kahn gave her a few minutes ago was suddenly brought back to reality.


    "I just found out that I share a sense of mental link with her. And through the connection, I felt like she was in immense pain¡­ but also pleasure." exined Szayel.


    Kahn''s ears perked up and his eyes were wide open after hearing Szayel''s words.


    So in conclusion.. Vivian was not only suffering but also getting ecstatic from all the pain?


    [Masochist! She''s a closet masochist!] thought Kahn.


    Because only that could exin how Szayel felt that emotion from her inside the domain.


    Huff! Huff!


    Vivian huffed and for some sweat dropped from her forehead and for reasons unknown, her face had a red tinge all over it.


    To everyone except Kahn, it looked as if Vivian had just done something tiresome.


    [What the fuck?! Why is she acting like a holy maiden so suddenly?] he thought.


    Kahn came close to Szayel and whispered the truth in his ear. The vampire n heir then nodded in response.


    But to all the servants present in the hall.. They all reached amon consensus in their minds together.


    That their owner was a scum!


    It was one thing him pping her.. But after taking her to the domain..


    He did the ding dong doo with the poor woman!


    Vivian''s figure also looked very fatigued and her long silver hair also looked a bit disheveled.


    All the maids who saw this ordeal instantly got a very low impression of Kahn as all of them scorned him in their minds.


    Kahn then ordered the maids to arrange the dinner table as they headed for the room to talk over the rest of the things there.


    But as soon as they started walking.. Everyone whose eyes were already on the heiress also found something very odd.


    Kahn also metaphorically facepalmed himself after noticing the change in Vivian.


    Because after they moved to the dining room, Vivian started walking¡­ funnily.


    As if her legs and thighs were very weak, her way of walking looked very unbnced.


    This cemented everyone''s former beliefs about the happenings inside the domain.


    Little did everyone know that it was because Kahn actually stabbed right through them with this sword and then broke her bones.


    Kahn felt like crying at this moment.


    The torture he did to Vivian in the name of final warning also pleasured her and in return and his reputation amongst the people also hit rock bottom.


    Even Albestros gave Kahn a look of contempt and created some distance.


    Omega who stood at the far end grinned and gave Kahn a thumbs up as if he was happy that his master finally had some good time.


    The whole thing was inexplicable to everyone. There was no way left for Kahn to redeem himself at this point.


    [Somebody wake me up from this horrible dream!] cursed Kahn.


    When they finally sat on the long dinner table and were served with delicacies and different types of dishes varying from rare monster''s meat to exotic drinks.. This was far beyond anything he saw so far.


    The new chef lived up to his reputation and served them the feast of gods.


    But just when Vivian was about to sit, an obsoletemandnded on her ears.


    "Who said you can sit? Stand near the wall!" ordered Szayel as he gave a hateful look to her.


    Vivian was rooted on the spot.


    This clearly wasn''t her day so far.


    First, she was beaten to death by Kahn and now, she wasn''t even allowed to sit and eat all the aromatic and delicate food that was just an inch away from her.


    Albestros, who was a kind person at heart found both Kahn & Szayel''s treatment of the girl extremely disappointing.


    But these two brats were actually grinning even after their childish behavior like some sadists.


    But to Kahn & Szayel, this felt like a little win as they couldn''t kill the vampire girl and hence, even these childish shenanigans felt very pleasing to them.


    "My hands hurt.. Pour me some wine." ordered Szayel to his stepsister who wanted him dead for a long time. He was thoroughly enjoying bullying her now.


    When the dinner finally ended and Kahn went on a small stroll around the open grounds of his new home.. It was only him & Szayel at this moment.


    "Tell me, mister Kahn.. What is your n for the future?" asked Szayel as both the men tread from the lush green open ground under the serene and tranquil moon.


    "Just Kahn is fine. We can be considered friends now, right?" he joked.


    "As for the ns.. I think I''m gonna take a break. The past 2 months since I came here have been very hectic.


    Many things happened very quickly and I still find it hard to believe that I am in my current position in such a short time.


    Well, I did learn some harsh lessons in the meantime.. But I think that''s enough for now at least." replied Kahn truthfully.


    "I agree. Even my world turned around by a lot in just the past two months. Before.. I didn''t even have any confidence in myself or felt like I deserved to be our n''s heir.


    Everything in my life has been handed to me. But now that I found out about how the people I once looked up to tried to kill me just because I was weak.. I have learned a profound aspect of life itself." said Szayel as both of them slowly walked on the windy and open ground.


    "And what is that?" asked Kahn.


    Szayel took a deep breath and spoke with resolute eyes..


    "That power rules everything!"

 Chapter 206: Heart to Heart

    <h4>Chapter 206: Heart to Heart</h4>


    A soft and refreshing breeze passed by the two young men who were expressing their honest thoughts to each other after summarizing the events of the past couple of months.


    "Oh, you''re realizing that now?" asked Kahn as he chuckled.


    "Not exactly. It''s something I always knew but never truly realized the weight and depth behind those words.


    You may as well call me someone born with a golden spoon for that¡­ but my world has always been different than other people.


    Till now, I''ve never truly worked hard to be strong. I had resources, people, excellent teachers but not even once did I give my best at achieving anything.


    And after bing a peak master rank magician¡­ I haven''t been able to move forward for more than 2 decades now. If I was strong, no one would have thought of my life as expendable." said Szayel as he sighed deeply.


    "Thest part, I agree. If you think about it, both of us were nothing but small pawns for your father & the pureblood faction if I''m being honest.


    They used your life being targeted as an excuse to justify killing their enemies & used me after saving you as means to set a bait. Who knows how many people are involved behind all of this." said Kahn as he folded his hands behind his back.


    Szayel who heard it knew that Kahn''s insinuation was indeed true. His father used Kahn as bait while his grandfather used the whole thing as means to kill more than 50 thousand members of the Demi-Human faction under the pretense of exacting revenge.


    In the end, both were just means used to hide their true intentions and mask a rivalry.


    But since beggars can''t be choosers, both of them had no choice but to swallow down this punch in the face simply because they were weak & powerless in front of the true powerhouses who sat at the top.


    Both of them shared a sense of simrity in that aspect.


    "Oh, by the way¡­ there''s something I wanted to tell you. It''s not out of the n''s close circle yet but after the execution ceremony, the cores of the traitors that remained were gathered.


    Unlike others, the core of a saint can''t be destroyed easily.


    There was a 5th stage saint amongst the traitors, an elder of the n to be precise. His core was given to my father for him to absorb it and be a 5th stage saint in the uing decade." said Szayel and revealed a top-secret of his n.


    "What?! Doesn''t that mean all the other ns also have the cores of their saints gathered after the execution ceremony? And why are you telling me this? Isn''t it too risky?" asked Kahn in a surprised tone.


    "Because it is indeed rted to you in a way. So I felt like I should warn you." replied the vampire heir.


    "Me? How? Don''t tell me I provoked someone from your n again.." said Kahn with a grim expression.


    "Nothing like that. But something weird happened recently. Do you remember Kereberos, the first stage saint magician?" asked Szayel.


    "Of course. What about him? Wasn''t he also burned along with the others?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Yes, but during the gathering procedure..


    His core went missing." exined the silver-haired vampire.


    Gasp!


    Kahn gasped in surprise after the revtion.


    This old mage was the one who targeted him and had the chamber ofmerce create trouble for him and even had his people killed.


    After the vampire lord caught him that day, this old and bald mage was used as a means to find the other traitors within their n and then those people to find the other traitors hidden within their entire faction of three hundred powerful ns.


    The old mage was the very reason Kahn learned a very harsh lesson recently. But to have his core gone missing, and that too in the main headquarters of their n. This was somethingpletely unexpected.


    Watching Kahn''s surprised face, Szayel nodded and spoke again.


    "Don''t worry. It''s noting to bite you back this time. There was an investigation in the n but the culprit hasn''t been caught yet. But we are certain that it was one of the n''s inner people because I went to oversee the harvesting process and found out about the missing core.


    We''ve taken enough security measures to find the culprits. I just felt like you should know." said Szayel.


    For the rest of the night till midnight finally came.. Kahn & Szayel spent the rest of their time chatting about their future ns and in a way, ended up deepening their friendship. Not just for the sake of it but to truly be friends with each other.


    Both of them let go of their previous pretenses and fake acts of helping each other.


    Since both of them were in a simr situation now, a form of kinship was formed between and for the first time.. Kahn felt like he indeed found someone who also rted to him albeit in apletely different way.


    But during the moment he was shaking hands with Szayel to bid the vampire heir farewell¡­ a ck shadow suddenly jumped from the shadow of the vampire and mixed with Kahn''s.


    After Szayel & his entourage finally left and everyone went back to their rooms for sleeping.. Kahn stood in his new master bedroom.


    He quickly used the domain artifact again to seclude the entire space around him and a lean and muscr, long ck-haired man with green eyes who was d in ck assassin clothes appeared next to him.


    "So, I assume you seeded." said Kahn.


    The figure in front of him was none other than Ronin who appeared for the first time after a month.


    "Yes, Master. It did exactly as youmanded me to do." said Ronin in a ghastly and stoic voice.


    The next second, he took out a box from his space ring and handed it to Kahn.


    Kahn then opened the lid and the entire domain was filled with bright light and a white orb that sized as big as Kahn''s fist was revealed.


    Kahn grinned happily after looking at this orb and spoke with a greedy & excited expression.


    "Finally¡­ the core of a First Stage Saint!"

 Chapter 207: Behind the Scenes

    <h4>Chapter 207: Behind the Scenes</h4>


    On the very night when Kereberos, the first stage saint magician vampire was surrounded and then defeated by Ismatrazel, before they met.. Kahn passed Ronin to Szayel''s shadow when they stood in a warship and watched the two godly saints fight.


    At that point, Kahn was already aware that the fourth stage saint swordsman and leader of this vampire n had been using him since the very beginning. That he was using Kahn''s shoulder to shoot a gun.


    And he turned the young man who saved his son''s life into a chess piece in his schemes before Kahn even knew it.


    This left a bad taste in his mouth so Kahn wanted to use Ronin, who also had his Shadow Walk skill now which allowed the assassin ss fighter topletely hide and submerge in someone''s shadow without even leaking or revealing the smallest bit of your aura.


    Ronin was to be his nted spy who wouldter reveal the real intentions of the n leader and the vampire n. To see whether they were trustworthy or he had to think of them as his enemies.


    Kahn learned that day about how he wasn''t always the smartest person in the room. Some had far more wisdom and experience than him. So Kahn took the opportunity and used Ronin as his inside man who would hide and then know everything and all the inner nnings of the n through Szayel.


    That was the primary & Kahn then did the same with all the members of the chamber ofmerce this time. The subordinates had been reporting any suspicious activity by the council members to him for the past month.


    But since Szayel lived in a very highly protected area that was filled with hundreds of magic formations, barriers and detection traps, it wasn''t possible for Ronin to return and report to Kahn casually at all.


    Besides, the headquarters of the Vandereich n was more than 600 kilometers away from where Kahn lived. So there was no form ofmunication he could do with the rogue ss subordinate either.


    Kahn already ordered Ronin tomit suicide with an explosion just like a suicide bomber in case he was caught by someone. Since he could always revive the subordinate by spending high-grade monster cores and mana ores, it was something affordable at that time.


    But everything changed on the day when the Pureblood Faction suddenly announced an empire-wide grand execution ceremony of the traitors. After Kahn conversed with Szayel through the jade medallion, he also learned that all of the traitors caught including Kereberos were going to be killed in the evening.


    Suddenly, Kahn''s had an idea as a very risky yet extremely rewarding n hatched in his mind.


    What he aimed to do was steal one of the first stage saint''s core. Because he would never be able to kill a first stage saint rank by himself even with the help of all his allies and subordinates. And neither was his rtionship with the Vandereich n that good for them to hand him a saint''s core either.


    Plus, inhabitants of Vantrea didn''t just eat cores and rose in ranks like him. They had to spend months and in some cases, years to physically maintain contact and absorb the mana stored within these cores.


    Only Kahn was one of the oddities because of the Ability Absorption divine ability. And if he suddenly rose to a first stage saint rank after a short time of getting the core.. His identity as one of the chosen Heroes would be at risk of being exposed to the top powers of the empire.


    No way he would be able to hide that fact since the aura around the saints waspletely different than the ranks below them.


    So there was only one choice left. And that was to steal it!


    On the day of the execution, there were millions of citizens heading to their respective n headquarters throughout Rathna.


    Kahn disguised as one of the people in the crowd heading towards the headquarters of the vampire n and used shadow walk to travel through the thousands of vampires that were gathered in the main headquarters where the grand execution ceremony was held.


    And when he finally came into the inner circle and reached in 10 kilometers proximity to Szayel, he could finally talk with the subordinate.


    Kahn specifically told Ronin about his ns and how he had to carefully steal the core of a first stage saint. Coincidentally, Kereberos was the only one at that rank amongst the traitors, rest were above & below him.


    But being greedy here wasn''t the best choice either. If the cores of all these saints went missing, Kahn would be in deep shit sooner orter. If they found out, he would be dead for sure and the heat it would bring back to him was something he couldn''t deal with even now.


    Besides, Kahn couldn''t even use the cores of the saints of higher stages. Dealing with that issueter was a more reasonable choice thanpletely enraging the top powerhouses of this n and dying a painful death.


    When the night finally fell and only the ashes of the traitors were left on the execution ground after cooling down, Ronin passed from Szayel to shadows of the guards and then used the dark of the night to steal the core, using his assassination skills and the fear toxin to divert the guards stationed as security.


    After he sessfully stole the core, he waited for an opportunity to leave the ce but the best chance he got was when Szayel came with a group of grandmaster rank soldiers to collect the cores and safely escort them.


    Luckily, there were no monitoring devices or artifacts present here as no one would ever imagine someone infiltrating and stealing from the n right in their main headquarters.


    Using the dark shadows and carefully masking his presence, he again hid in Szayel''s shadow as that was the best choice to meet Kahn again.


    Even without the directmands from his master, Ronin was already very careful and intelligent; inheriting Kahn''s opportunistic and patient behavior to perfectly execute the task.


    And since no one would dare to inspect the n''s heir and the candidate for n leader''s position in the future, no one even dared to inspect Szayel after a thorough investigation was done by the n which resulted in some of the soldiers getting imprisoned for failing their duties.


    And ever since then, he had been hiding and waiting to get out and meet Kahn all this time.


    Kahn on the other end waspletely consumed with thousands of things to do in the past month after the deal with the 8 big ns and the saints who visited him that day.


    But since the system hadn''t notified him, he knew that Ronin was still alive. Just that it was unclear whether he seeded or failed the task.


    And during his conversation with Szayel he had a couple of hours ago, he had all his questions answered by the n heir.


    He wasn''t traced or even considered as one of the suspects.


    ----------------


    Kahn held the bright and glowing white core in his hands after Ronin appeared after one month.


    Even though he wasn''t proficient in using or sensing the world energy, he still could feel the extremely condensed world energy within this fist-sized core.


    Just by touching the core, he felt an immense reserve of energy that can be used for destroying the army of tens of thousands if used properly.


    And this was just a first stage saint''s core. The cores of the higher stage saints would be far powerful and contain more energy inside them.


    "Well done." said Kahn as he nodded at Ronin who sessfully managed to steal this core from the headquarters of the Vandereich n and remained untracked, waiting patiently for this exact moment.


    Kahn let out a content sigh as he looked at the core with a joyous smile.


    Kahn finally had one of the main sources to be a saint which was also the hardest one to get. He wasn''t stupid to even think about killing a bonafide saint himself after looking at how the mage oppressed the army of ten thousand and didn''t even receive a scratch from those destructive magic cannons that could obliterate hundreds of Kahn together.


    "Finally.. Half of the battle is won." said Kahn as he put the first stage saint''s core in his personal space ring.


    He gave 1000 SS Rank cores to Ronin as his reward and decided that it was time for the subordinate to take some time off and rise in levels just like the others.


    All Kahn needed now was time.


    By his estimation, he would need at least half a year to reach level 200 and then he could finally be a certified saint.


    A realm that was in a way, a realm above the mortals and felt more like pseudo gods.


    Kahnid on his bed and spoke in a tired voice.


    "Finally¡­ I have everything I needed."

 Chapter 208: The Preparations

    <h4>Chapter 208: The Preparations</h4>


    One week passed after his reunion with Szayel. Kahn now had a different set of priorities given the fact that he was finally done with establishing himself in the capital, had no need to worry about money, resources and even had the backing of some of the top ns and Saint rank figures behind him.


    To the current him, it was already more than enough as his goal wasn''t to trample the heavens but to create a safe-haven for himself where he could be without worries about the things he thought he needed when he came to Rathna three months ago.


    Most of it involved him getting targeted & having to face economical pressure. And after the incident with the Vandereich n, Kahn was now a wiser person to not even trust his closest of friends.


    He had done this mistake with Arkham & Solomon once and now the n leader of the vampire n cemented that lesson in his mind.


    And the other lesson was that even sparing innocent lives from the enemy side had its consequences. It was either you or them.


    Now Kahn didn''t even trust the people who worked for him, let it be in hispany or his house.


    In the past week, he had been making arrangements for the much-needed break he wanted.


    Ceril & Omega were now introduced to thepany management as the only two people who were authorized to make decisions and approve any big transactions.


    The teams of people in logistics and management were ordered to report everything to them since both of them were free and no longer had different ces to handle.


    Currently, Ceril handled the new main headquarters, Jugram & Omega handled the other branches and also acted as the main powerhouse to protect it.


    To his surprise, Ceril who was a necromancer by profession was extremely quick to study & catch up with how the way of business worked. Just like magic, he was bing very efficient in processing and handling documents and transactions as if he too inherited Kahn''s eidetic memory.


    Ronin on the other hand was left in charge of Kahn''s new mansion which was named as the Wayne Manor by Kahn for reasons unknown. And Alfred, his main butler who got the job as soon as Kahn heard the name, was in charge of acting as his main attendee and one who managed the property with the highest authority in case Kahn & his subordinates were not present.


    Armin, the subordinate with a Legendary ss who also had Alchemy & Healing abilities finally gained ess to tons of resources and medicinal ingredients after Kahn spent millions of gold coins and bought them for him.


    Kahn knew that Omega & Six Generals were no longer just brainless subordinates who abided by hismands without thinking twice. All of them had sentient will now and they were evolving as a living beings with each passing day, having their own thought process and personality traits.


    But since the master himself was an amalgamation of peculiar personality traits and different tastes¡­ no way would his creations be normal.


    Omega was a sword freak who only cared about practicing and perfecting his sword skills. Ceril was a sadistic creep who just wanted to study and experiment with dead bodies by cutting them whenever he had free time.


    Jugram was a musclehead and like his job ss, he thrived on discipline and strength. He would often put all the security personnel in a strong practicing regime like some military drill Sergent.


    Ronin was a quiet person but actually liked collecting information on everyone and everything around him. Unlike Kahn, he was so cautious that he asked Kahn to give him 200 assassins and deployed them in the shadows of all the people who worked in their mansion and security.


    And the biggest freak out of all of them was Armin. The seemingly harmless and kind-looking guy was actually a maniac who studied Alchemy recipes, potions and tried to create new types of poisons.


    But what made Kahn facepalm himself was that for testing all these new recipes & poisons.. Armin was using himself as a test subject.


    Since he had tons of SSS rank healing skills and even a legendary rank ability that could bring back someone from death if used under certain conditions such as a short time after death and body being intact, he was suffering and learning through trial and error by himself.


    Like how a mad scientist would sacrifice their own body and mind for the sake of proving their research right.


    The only ones left were ckwall, Oliver & Rudra.


    In the past week, Kahn made the arrangements and set up an office full of transmission artifacts that covered 300 kilometers of distance, all of them connecting him to all the main offices and shops should something of importance came up and he needed to be informed about it as soon as possible. More like a directmand base from where he would send out orders to his people.


    So Kahn was finally free to put time into studying magic. Something that was far more important but so far, neither did he have the free time nor he had enough resources required for it.


    And since he wasn''t a 15 year old kid anymore, he didn''t want to waste his time by joining a magic academy in the capital. He had enough confidence in himself that given enough time and practice, he would be able to increase his skills and proficiency just like he did with his swordsmanship.


    Although he was jack of all trades and master of none.. This also entailed that he could reach the top in all of them.


    And the main reason he thought so was because he had the biggest helper that no one else, not even the rest of the heroes summoned in this world had.


    And that was the Weapon Mastery & Combat Technique mastery blessings given by the War Deity himself.


    Contrary to his previous beliefs, the Combat Technique mastery blessing was also applicable for magical skills and spells than just physical attacks.


    All he needed was proper knowledge & understanding of magic itself and he could soar through the sky in months while it took others nearly decades.


    Kahn now stood in his new study room and took nearly 40 books out of his space ring.


    These were exactly the books he found in the space ring of the semi-saint rank elf magician who tried to kill him in vot city, Solomon Elfenheim.


    The elven mage who spent two centuries studying and gathering useful books and resources rted to magic, ultimately gifted Kahn the top-grade archives people studying magic would never get their hands on in their lifetime.


    Kahn took a deep breath and grabbed a violet cover book, the cover itself gave piqued Kahn''s curiosity as soon as he read the title¡­


    THE TRUE MEANING OF MAGIC.

 Chapter 209: Dabbling in Magic

    <h4>Chapter 209: Dabbling in Magic</h4>


    ''What is magic? Is it an external force? Or is it a part of nature itself? Is it present in everything in the world? Or is it essible only to the gifted beings?''


    The first introductory lines of the book Kahn held in his hands started with the most basic questions yet the very foundation of studying and understanding the concept behind magic itself.


    ording to the book, the magic in Vantrea wasn''t just something in nature but one of the constituents of the matter itself.


    Just like on Earth, where atoms created matter, magic was the binding force that was present along with these atoms. But given the amount of magic that was present in this world and its density present in nature itself.. It waspletely negligible.


    Since the external force itself was so dense, many living creatures didn''t even feel any magic present inside their own bodies. And because of that, a very less amount of inhabitants in this world could use magic.


    Let it be a magician or a swordsman, all of them had to use magic as a form of medium to perform their skills & abilities. But only the ones who had the affinity towards mana, a condensed form of magical energy, could efficiently use them. And by either utilizing mana ores or monster cores, they could raise their levels and then raise their affinity, physical strength andpatibility with the mana itself.


    Even if you belonged to a physical ss job or had physical traits that made you strong, mana was the main driving force behind it which made your physique far stronger than someone without any ess to mana ever could.


    And that''s why those who could use and manipte it were like powerhouses than those who couldn''t. Even a beginner fighter ss being was stronger than 10 beings of their species and race. And the key difference was mana which made it possible.


    In Rakos Empire, the ratio was 30 out of 100 people who had the affinity and ess to it. But there was also another way.


    And that was to trigger this inherent connection to magic by using monster cores & mana ores to forcefully invoke that ability.


    This was the most effective way to awaken and see whether one had the affinity or their bodies had no potential.


    And this method was already practiced in schools and people could test it in ces provided by the government or any private organization.


    This brought out 5 to 8 additional people in the equation. And anyone who didn''t qualify or awoke their affinity before crossing the age of 30 meant that they truly had no way to use it in their life.


    And because of that, only those who kept rising in ranks after invoking their job ss had far stronger bodies and a longer lifespan than normal citizens.


    Thisw also applied to monsters, other magical creatures and beings in the world. Just that they didn''t go through some test but rather lived it as if it didn''t matter.


    For them, rising in levels and rank meant an increase in physical growth and abilities. And the higher the rank, the more evolved creatures they would be.


    This also exined why the majority of Kahn''s Lord Rank and above subordinates were more than 10 meter giant creatures, let it be Omega, Ceril, ckwall or Rudra.


    Since the base creatures used for their evolution were already this big and high ranked, making them appear like giant creatures than what Kahn had seen and read in novels and mangas of his world.


    Because on earth, a Lycan like Omega would be 4 to 5 meters tall at best but in Vantrea, his height and build was 12 meters tall that was triple the height of a normal house. The same went for ckwall, Jugram & Ceril.


    Even Rudra was 25 meters tall when he slithered normally. If it was earth, he would beparable to King Kong in height but in this world, there were far bigger creatures than him and he was only a mythical creature. There were still Godbeasts and Dragons above his rank.


    Who knew if one day, Rudra could rise in levels and rank to be as big as Godzi or maybe even the World Serpent from the Norse mythology.


    And that is how Magic was basically the very aspect of life and creation that ran everything in this world.


    ----------------


    The reason why Kahn was adamant about learning magic and improving his skills was that after seeing the first stage saint magician fight that day, he saw just how lethal and destructive magic spells were that decimated and obliterated everything in the five kilometer radius.


    Compared to him, Kahn''s magical spells and abilities that he got by killing and absorbing others looked like attempts made by kindergarten children. He knew the spells and the tricks but his foundation was as hollow as it coulde.


    And that is why, not a single one of his magical skills including the dark magic & darkness element spells and skills that were already made from one of the strongest elements in the world, never truly reached their highest potential and effectiveness.


    He won''t always be lucky toe out alive by coincidence or using some underhanded method when facing a true expert. Even someone with the same level and rank as him woulde out on top if they had better knowledge and experience with magic and how to manipte it at the best of their capability.


    So after binge reading on the extensive topic of magic and its working principles, Kahn finally stopped at night and had a clear goal in his mind.


    "From tomorrow onwards, I will begin my proper training."


    Spoke Kahn with newfound rity.


    Because only studying never made improvements without actual practical applications. Just like the training with his physical sses and weapon skills, there were no shortcuts when it came to magic either.


    So he nned to carry his studying and practice his skills simultaneously. Because this was the period of his real beginning as a magician.


    This was the time for the real Grind!

 Chapter 210: Basic Foundation

    <h4>Chapter 210: Basic Foundation</h4>


    The next morning, Kahn stood in the underground training facility while being dressed in casual indoor clothes.


    The new mansion he bought a few weeks ago had a history behind it. This property previously belonged to a fallen noble n that served in the military and had hundreds of their members train under this facility. And the n head was a female centaur, one of the rare species in the empire.


    But after she fell in a war with one of the nearest empires 2 decades ago, the n fell from prestige and authority since none of the descendants crossed the saint rank. And after being unable to maintain the n''s expenses as well as struggling to hold their positions in the military despite being a military-oriented n, the leader had to put the mansion up for sale and move the n headquarters to a more affordable ce.


    And coincidentally, Kahn was looking for a new ce to live and as soon as the house sellingpany informed him about this mansion, he bought it without a second thought.


    And the main reason was this training facility which was made over decades of hard work and devised to help nearly 500 soldiers at once, let it be mages, archers and melee sses. The whole facility was something Kahn desperately needed for quietly training without holding back and so did his subordinate.


    The entire ce spanned for 2 kilometers in radius with hundreds of instruments, training arenas for specific job sses and hundreds of magic formations and artifacts installed in here to hold its foundation and it could even easily withstand a full-powered attack from a semi-saint.


    To Kahn, this would be his own Batcave.


    There were two sections that were currently useful to him, one area filled with wooden tables and chairs to study magic while the other was an open ground where multiple stone monoliths were fortified with magic formation to make them durable enough to stand againstrge & powerful spells at the same time.


    He intended to use them for target practice and try variations of magical spells & skills he had.


    After spending a few more hours and reading the beginning chapters of magical books of various elemental magic spells, he learned that unlike the majority of the isekai world''s he read and watched in mangas and novels, you couldn''t outright perform and use any elemental spells just because you could use magic.


    In Vantrea, you must have the core knowledge and understanding of the type of element you were using to cast a spell. For example, if you wanted to cast a water-rted spell, you must study and understand the mana signature of these elements. Just like how DNA inside every human differentiated them from others of their species.


    Then use that knowledge to adjust and manipte the mana you had ess to for matching the properties of these elements. After your mastery over mana maniption over that element increased, you could ingrain the sameposition in a spell.


    So that way, as long as you have enough understanding and experience of a particr element, you could cast spells rted to it and then increase your mastery.


    But since Kahn''s foundation itself was non-existent when it came to magic & knowledge of mana maniption.. All the magical skills he had by absorbing others were like a house of cards. Easy to break with a small breeze. But because of his levels and rank, they were far deadly to many people he faced till now.


    But it was one thing if he was in vot city where not a single saint existed but in Rathna, he would be chewed out by the true experts before he could even cast a single spell.


    And this was the main reason why Solomon hadpletely suppressed him during their fight just with 4 different types of elemental attacks. Compared to the elven mage''s spells, the ones Kahn could use were like a sheet of paper facing a bullet.


    "I guess I should start from the basics even though I can already use many spells. The spells & skills I have because of the Ability Absorption divine ability will only provide me with superficial force. But not the maximum output or effectiveness. " said Kahn and came in the open arena.


    Lighting & venttion wasn''t an issue in the ce & plenty of artifacts were installed in the facility which prohibited any sound from leaking outside.


    First, he held a ss of water in his hand. Kahn then created a big blob of water in his left palm and tried to feel the structure of water itself in both of these samples.


    Before, he thought it was just a state of matter but due to his rank, Kahn could now feel a slight amount of mana infused in the original ss of water. It wasn''t just a physical state of matter.. But also a force was a part of it that had a big influence on its structure and current physical form.


    "That''s it!" eximed Kahn as a sudden realization struck him.


    As per the Law of Conservation of Energy; energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, it can only change one form to another.


    Like how the water turned into Ice in a solid state and then into vapour in the gaseous state. But in Vantrea, mana itself was energy and you could change the state of the matter itself while casting a spell and use the mana present in the world to change its structure and give it any form you want.


    Kahn dipped his fingers in the ss of water while maintaining the blob afloat in the air. After feeling both of them, he felt like the original sample in the ss was much denser and contracted than the water from the spell he created.


    Despite the same state of physical form, the mana density of his spell was only 40% of the original sample. In other words, his own spell was less than half times effectivepared to the original thing.


    "No wonder all of my skills and spells with mana are very weakpared to others. So that''s why Arkham''s mana-infused skills and attacks were many times stronger than my aura des." said Kahn.


    Even his swordsmanship skills had mana factored in them. So if he had only half-ass mastery over one thing, he would never be able to break past his limits and none of the merged skills he had from Synthesis divine ability would ever cross the saint rank.


    [The first thing I must learn is not to study the spells but the elements themselves. And then use them to create the elemental spells with real power behind them. Although it will take more time than my original estimations.. It would still build me a strong and firm foundation.] thought Kahn as he tried to manipte the density and structure of mana in the spell while trying to match it with the original water sample in the ss.


    There were steps you simply couldn''t skip in pursuit of power and mastery. This wasn''t about training his physical skills and weapons techniques anymore..


    But to train his mind & soul as well if he wanted to be the strongest guy in the room.

 Chapter 211: Elemental Knowledge

    <h4>Chapter 211: Elemental Knowledge</h4>


    Mana maniption, the most important form of practice required for casting effective and powerful spells was something Kahn currently needed to master.


    In the past week after he started his magic training, what he did was understand theposition of various elements such as water, wind, fire, stone and lightning.


    The main reason was that he had most of the offensive skills & spells which involved these 4 elements.


    Even the Dark Lightning Strike consisted of the lightning element which was half of the force behind the attack. And since Kahn had no sources avable to read and study about dark magic in his current situation, he had to at least improve his mastery over this element.


    In his hands, were two things that he had been studying since yesterday. One was soil and the other was a burningmp.


    He started studying different elements by trying to feel the connection between him and the mana which was part of these things. But now, it was more about feeling and mastering the use of the basic ingredients of the dish he was going to cook instead of learning the recipe.


    Casting these elemental spells was something he could already do but while holding the samples in his hands, he sensed that his summoned elemental spells are nothing but a poor imitation and aren''t dense or strong enough to give the maximum output in front of the real deal.


    The past week since he started, went into nothing but him trying to establish a proper connection with the mana present in these things and then trying to recreate them from scratch using mana restructuring.


    Although his affinity was increasing each day, the progress was extremely small. Kahn also realized that if not for his levels and rank, he wouldn''t even be able to reach this stage in such a short time and maybe would need to spend months for the progress he made in just a week.


    Being a reincarnator in another world while given divine abilities and blessings from the gods had its perks & hacks.


    What Kahn was trying to do now was push past his current limits and exceed his understanding of mana. Although his photographic memory helped him read and remember everything.. The physical and mental limitations of one''s body couldn''t be surpassed automatically when it came to mana.


    [Maybe the other Heroes have top-grade instructors teaching them these things and mapped out their path already.


    That damn predecessor of mine had to go for the most radical way and kill off all the heroes, just to create more trouble for me.] he thought.


    Kahn already felt that other summoned heroes must have everything they needed in order to be strong or capable, let it be their fighting techniques or magical skills.


    At this moment, Kahn felt jealous of the others who were summoned just like him because how easily they already had the road paved out for them. In his case, he was the one constructing the road by himself.


    Let it be knowledge, resources, guidance and facilities¡­ Kahn was certain he was already the weakest among the bunch.


    But there was no point in crying over the spilled milk. So he had no choice but to carry on with his use methods and avable options.


    One thing he learned from the experience was that by controlling the flow of mana present in any substance, he could forcefully change their forms easily.


    While practicing fire spells, he increased the friction of mana and created fire, and with more practice, the intensity of the fire he conjured increased little by little and so did his understanding and control over that element.


    For wind spells, Kahn increased the speed of the mana in gaseous form, while he increased density to create ground spells and extremely vtile movements of mana to create lightning spells.


    Although not perfect, he was making steady progress with each passing day. On a few asions, Kahn was so immersed in practicing his skills that he even forgot to eat. Only when Alfred personally came to inform him about the time for dinner, did hee back to reality.


    He learned how to recreate andmand various elements, then how to adjust their density and speed.. He was learning new things everyday.


    And slowly as he tried to manipte the mana and give it a simr structure and form the matter & physical state, the force behind the magic spells he created started increasing at a noticeable rate. The current progress was already 5% more than what he could do previously.


    But after another week passed by.. Kahn felt like he hit a teau and reached the maximum extent of his ability. He now reached a level where he felt like his own body was his shackles that stopped him from bing stronger and improving. As if he was now jailed inside a prison of his own making.


    But instead of feeling disheartened or giving up, he knew that all of this was part of the procedure. Just like how he had to steadily progress in his weapons mastery andbat techniques previously.


    To him, it was all worth it to learn and start from scratch because if he couldn''t even master mana, how would he master World Energy?


    If he broke through to Saint rank without proper understanding and use of mana, he would have a lot of trouble in sensing and utilizing the world energy. Kahn didn''t want to be the weakest of saints when he finally broke through.


    All of this was the foundational work for the future and he had to make sure that he did it perfectly instead of suffering through the consequences of being hasty.


    Two more weeks passed by as Kahn continued his days studying and practicing magic spells in a routine and one day when he was in a trance while handling and manipting two different elemental spells, the system finally spoke after a month of silence...


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a Beginner Rank Magician.]

 Chapter 212: Remembering the Skills

    <h4>Chapter 212: Remembering the Skills</h4>


    As soon as the system informed Kahn, he was brought back from his trance and noticed a change in his body. His eyes opened wide quickly and he felt like something inside of him was trying to break.


    Crack! Crack!


    A sudden crackling noise came inside from his body and as if some form of restriction inside him was loosening up, a strong pressure was released.


    Boom!!


    A loud boom resounded in the facility and a blue aura made from mana erupted from Kahn''s body.


    As soon as the burst of mana subsided, he felt like the constraint on him regarding inner space which held mana inside him expanded for the first time.


    This was a breakthrough!


    Unlike before when he rose in ranks for weapon mastery and physical strength¡­ This time, he felt like the surrounding area around him was now more vibrant and his senses became more acute despite being a semi-saint rank person already.


    Kahn could sense small granules of condensed mana spread in the air, his vision and mind even clearer than before. The newfound understanding was something he hadn''t experienced in his new life so far.


    But instead of getting excited or happy, the first thing he did was try to establish a connection to the mana that he could finally see when focused properly.


    Kahn waved his hands and summoned the mana particles towards him, trying to coalesce them together and form a big orb. And once the orb was saturated, he tried to change the structure of the mana and turned the orb into a fireball spell.


    Compared to before he broke through, the now cast fireball spell felt twice more efficient, hotter and the density was multiple by many times.


    "So that''s how those magicians became so overwhelmingly powerful. Not only do they use their inner reserves of mana but they can borrow it from the environment around them as well.


    No wonder the difference between damage and area of effect they can do is many times bigger than any physical ss jobs. These guys have a free supply of power already." said Kahn after being enlightened with this fact.


    "System, show me my current stats. And tell me what improvements happened to my body after breaking through to a beginner rank magician." hemanded.


    [Following are the Statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Job : All for One


    Rank : Semi-Saint Rank


    Level : 138


    Strength : 6638


    Agility : 5097


    Dexterity : 6247


    Defense : 5617


    Mana : 7380


    The host has increased the mana pool and storage capacity by 500 Stat points after breaking through to the Beginning Rank magician. With each rank up in this ss, the host will gain an additional 1000 stats for mana. The higher the rank and levels, the more mana capacity shall increase.] revealed the system.


    "This¡­ does put a smile on my face." said Kahn after hearing the response.


    The 3 weeks of arduous and consistent training that was putting a lot of mental stress on him finally paid off.


    Breaking through physical ranks was one thing, he could do it with training and weapons mastery. But for magic, it was his own mind and understanding of mana and spells that could help him rise in ranks.


    currently, he didn''t have any ability that could increase hisprehensive performance in studying magic. Even his eidetic memory couldn''t help him as this was apletely new field. Only through improving his knowledge and experience, would he be able to reach higher ranks.


    Kahn was no natural-born genius and even his divine abilities & blessings could get him so far. Without putting in the effort, he won''t achieve anything. And if he ignored it¡­ only a regretful death will await him in the future if his identity was ever revealed as the entire world would hunt him because he was the Hero of Darkness.


    "Baby steps buddy, baby steps." said Kahn as he patted himself on the shoulder.


    [I guess I should start mastering the other elements as soon as I''m done with these two. Maybe they''ll help raise my rank andprehension even more.] he thought.


    "Wait.. How can I forget this¡­" a sudden realization struck him. Despite having an eidetic memory.. He hadpletely forgotten about one of the key sets of skills he already had but because he was only using weapons skills ever since he came to Rathna, he ended up ignoring these skills.


    "Show me all the skills and abilities I have from absorbing Solomon & eating his core."manded Kahn.


    The semi-saint magician was someone extremely well versed being in magic and Kahn finally had a reason to use the skills he got from the Elven mage.


    [Following are the skills & abilities the host acquired from the individual named Solomon Elfenheim :


    Elemental Fusion (A Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to create elemental mana orbs and use them as a source for Elemental spells and long-range attacks.


    ----------------


    Light Barrier (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to create a defensive barrier made from Light element.


    ----------------


    Elemental Transformation (S Rank) (PASSIVE) :


    Allows the host to transform the form of the elemental spells to another element.


    Casting time for magic spells reduced by 35%


    ----------------


    Space Haste (A Rank) (ACTIVE) :


    Allows the host to use space magic to travel to 1 kilometer space in any direction.


    The host is required to study andprehend this ability.] replied the system.


    "That''s it! Elemental Fusion & Elemental Transformation is what I need the most now." said Kahn as a joyous smile appeared on his face.


    The former ability was exactly what Solomon used to cast those elemental orbs and attack Kahn from a long distance, obliterating everything where they hit. And all of those spells hadpletely different elements such as wind and fire ingrained in them, giving all a different effect of damage output and variations.


    Thetter ability was something even more powerful. Because not only it would help him cast spells much faster and efficiently but also allow him to change the mana structure of his spells and change the elements of his attacks at a fast pace.


    At this moment, only one thought came to his mind as he asked himself¡­


    "Should I go and hunt some more Elven mages?"

 Chapter 213: Asking for Permission

    <h4>Chapter 213: Asking for Permission</h4>


    The most absurd idea came to Kahn''s mind as soon as he saw the merits of having the innate abilities of the Elven race. This race already had a high affinity towards magic and traits that helped them be more sensitive and efficient in using it.


    [These are only A Rank and yet so useful. If I can raise them to Saint Rank¡­ maybe I''ll be able to have many offensive skills and also master different elemental spells very quickly.


    These people are so gifted with magic¡­ It''s quite unfair to other species.] he thought.


    Because if not for Solomon being an elf.. Kahn didn''t think he would''ve gotten these two amazing passive abilities from some other mage. These were the specific traits of the Elven race and that too of a semi-saint mage, the cr¨¨me de cr¨¨me.


    Never would the 200 years old mage have ever imagined that one day, his centuries of hard work along with the abilities he developed and mastered would benefit his enemy instead.


    Kahn then started casting various fire and water spells, the two elements he was currently proficient in since they were much easier to control and the mana density was manageable in his current statepared to wind, earth and lightning elements.


    He also came to a realization that the higher your rank was as a mage, the more mana you would be able to manipte and harness from the surroundings. He could sense the mana molecules present in a 10 meter radius for now.


    "Just studying magic won''t cut it. I need to restart mybat and weapons practice as well. So that I can use the mana more efficiently and increase the output of my aura swords and attacks.


    It will also help me form that mind-body connection to reach the peak in both fields. If I manage to master and incorporate all of my weapons skills and magical abilities together.. I will have a bigger advantage over the other saints of this world." murmured Kahn to himself.


    Because of the immense potential he could achieve in the future in case he managed to reach the pinnacle in physical strength and magical abilities, was something that would make him a leviathan with basically no disadvantages.


    While facing others of different sses and expertise, he would know how best to counter them as well as have many advantages that his enemies didn''t.


    And also there was always an element of surprise that he could use as a trump card at thest moment.


    Because bing a full-fledged saint who was already well versed in both weapons and magic was not even possible for the majority of the inhabitants of this world. Only variants of different species, legendary ss/job individuals, maybe godbeasts, dragons and the chosen heroes like him had this advantage.


    Kahn pped himself on the face again to bring back his attention to the present moment. Overthinking never changes the oue, only actions can.


    ----------------


    The next day, Kahn restarted his weapons andbat techniques training after almost 5 months of break ever since he left vot city and came to the capital of the empire.


    Focusing on one aspect while leaving out the other just because his priorities were different woulde to bite him backter.


    Since there were some books & records left in this underground facility about various training regimes andbat techniques, Kahn found this moment as the best opportunity to restart from the basics and polish his rusty skills again.


    If his body & form wasn''t in peak condition, then he wouldn''t be able to fight at his best either. So being ignorant was no longer an option.


    Because Kahn was no longer ying games with small gully thugs where you could act like smarty pants & a badass protagonist in front of a bunch of weaklings. His ying field waspletely differentpared to the main characters of the novels and mangas he used to read.


    There were plenty of people who could kill him with a p and even use him for their personal gains like how the vampire lord of the Vandereich n did.


    No matter how big of a smart, calctive & intelligent person he was, he couldn''t always foresee the future or know the true intentions of others. This was a harsh lesson he learned recently.


    Because the biggest threat wasn''t the person who was in control. But the one who let that person think that they were in control.


    The business was all set up, now what he needed was to invest time in training himself & increase his levels by eating those high rank cores on a daily basis since he didn''t have any skill or ability that helped him directly absorb the mana & energy in them.


    So staying true to a course was the only thing he could do now. As there always won''t be a sudden spike of levels & ranks just because he ate a strong being''s core or absorbed their abilities.


    The Beginner''s Luck period was already gone so now it was time to climb mount Everest slowly and steadily.


    Tap! Tap!


    A set of footsteps were heard when Kahn had just finished his workout and basic weapons practice. He wasn''t using any of his skills and senses as a semi-saint but practicing with the strength of a normal person and hence, he was sweating heavily.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn to a subordinate dressed in white and purple mage robes who also wore sses like a schr.


    It was none other than Ceril, the undead Necromancer.


    Recently, Ceril was left in charge of handling the business as Kahn''s proxy because he was the most intelligent one of all the subordinates.


    Although Jugram was the most hardworking one, Ceril was more suitable to take Kahn''s ce because he inherited Kahn''s eidetic memory and his calctive nature.


    "Master, I need your permission for something." said Ceril in a mature and soft tone.


    "For what?" asked Kahn curiously. Ceril could always talk with Kahn telepathically but if he came to talk in person, means it was something of importance.


    In response, Ceril replied with a kind and gentle smile on his face.


    "Nothing much. I just wanted tomit a¡­


    Genocide."

 Chapter 214: Granting Permission

    <h4>Chapter 214: Granting Permission</h4>


    Kahn stood rooted on the spot as soon as he heard the undead subordinate''s request. He wanted tomit a¡­ genocide?


    What kind of request was that? It took Kahnpletely off guard as he hadn''t expected the Necromancer to make such a request.


    "Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" asked Kahn loudly in response to the unusual request.


    "Master, there''s a reason. I can''t repress my urge to kill anymore. So a teeny tiny bit of mass murder will help me greatly." replied Ceril with a benign smile. His tone waspletely gentle as if he was doing the world a favor.


    Kahn raised his eyebrow after the exnation as if the subordinate didn''t think of the consequences. From his understanding of Ceril, he was much smarter than making such impulsive decisions.


    "Why is that? Weren''t the bodies I gave you not enough to study for your research?"


    "They were. But they are high-grade specimens. I don''t wish to waste or destroy them during the basic trials and experiments.


    Besides, I am a Necromancer. I will grow weaker with time if I don''t have my own army of undead and skeleton soldiers. All of them were destroyed in that dungeon before my demise. Since then, I have been barely holding back.


    I need many more bodies and skeletons to use as fodders. My research demands more of them with every step." exined Ceril as he pushed up his sses with a forefinger.


    "So you''re going to kill people just for a fresh stock?" asked Kahn with squinted eyes.


    "Yes."


    "Are you an idiot? Wouldn''t that create unnecessary trouble if you go around killing people? And I thought you were smart." said Kahn with a helpless expression.


    "What if I''m never caught?" said Ceril coyly.


    Kahn folded his arms and rolled his eyes in disappointment like RDJr.


    "Let me tell you.. No matter how much you n.. There''s always some kind of trail left behind for the capable people to find the truth."


    "Then how about I use a method that can''t be tracked?" spoke Ceril and then borated the n he had in mind.


    Kahn carefully listened to the strategy and then weighed the pros and cons in his mind.


    The n Ceril came up with was indeed very efficient and wouldn''t cause them unnecessary trouble.


    "Fine. Do what you want. Just make sure you hide your identity and nobody should know your real face. And do it only at night.


    I still need you to holdmand in my absence. I had my first breakthrough yesterday so I can''t lose the momentum now." ordered Kahn as he gave Ceril the permission.


    "I shall obey, Master. Please leave everything to me. I will handle things properly." he said and left the training facility.


    ----------------


    At the time of midnight, inside a deste open ground that spanned for 3 kilometers and had more than a thousand tombs, dozens of guards were on a patrol.


    A ck centaur and a yellow-skinned mixblood human were on a patrol at one section of this cemetery.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    "I hate it when they give me the night shift. Who the hell is going toe here and rob the dead skeletons. This is not even a burial site for the rich but the poorest of the poor."ined the centaur as his hooves made loud tapping noise in this silent and eerie surrounding.


    "Stop being so grumpy. Job is job, you''re new so you''ll get used to it soon." said the human in a bored tone.


    The night was cold and chaotic, yet the protectors of the dead had to perform their duty despite the shivering breeze passing by.


    Both the guards kept walking while chatting between themselves asining wouldn''t help in their job at all.


    Swoosh!


    A sudden sound of something passing by was heard by the human.


    "Hey, you heard that? I think something just passed from here." he spoke.


    "Ugh.. Are you sure that it''s not just wind? We''re in an open and silent cemetery.. The sound is always amplified." replied the centaur.


    "No, I''m sure I heard something. My gut feeling says there''s someone here." said the human.


    "Heh.. Aren''t you the experienced one here? Why do I feel like you''re just acting delusional¡­ Or could it be that you''re scared?" asked the centaur coyly.


    Swoosh!


    A whirl of wind suddenly hit the guards from the dark corners between the tombs.


    "This.. It''s getting too cold so suddenly. Let''s leave." said the centaur as he rubbed his arms off.


    "Whaarr.."


    A sudden hoarse whispernded on their ears and both of them got goosebumps on their body.


    "Grrr¡­" another ghastly voicended on their ears from a direction they couldn''t decide.


    The centaur who had a halberd and a small wooden shield in his hand felt like something was amiss.


    "Who''s there! Show yourself!" he shouted while mustering courage.


    "This.. This can''t be. So it''s true.." said the human while stuttering.


    "What the hell are you talking about?! Don''t try to scare me." reprimanded the centaur as he gave a deathly stare to the human guard.


    But rather than speaking.. The human pointed his fingers towards their left.


    The next moment however, both of them were rooted on the spot.


    ng! Crang! Crack!


    "Warhhh¡­"


    A ghastly groan resounded as a figure of dozens of walking corpses was revealed to both of the guards and they both froze on the spot with immense fear as if they got paralyzed.


    The human mustered all his courage and jumped on the back of the centaur who half of the body was of a horse.


    Rather than trying to face the iing undead they just saw¡­ the human guard yelled at the centaur with all his might.


    "Run, Forrest, run!"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : Because of the popr demand from all the readers, we are finally going to explore all the subordinates with a human form from their perspective in the uing chapters from here on. The time has finallye.


    You ask and I shall deliver.

 Chapter 215: Robbing the Dead

    <h4>Chapter 215: Robbing the Dead</h4>


    As soon as the guards ran with the fear for their lives, the rotten-bodied undead who were charging at them stopped in movements. And as if heeding a form ofmand, they returned towards their previous direction.


    With steady steps, the dozen of zombie-like undeads headed towards a quiet section of this huge cemetery that lookedpletely unattended.


    There was no light, no sound or anything but the undeads kept walking as if they were heading towards some sort of beacon.


    Step! Step!


    The dried leaves rustled after being stepped upon as these undeads gathered around a dark dome which was hard to notice under the nket of this dark night.


    Just when they entered inside this dome, apletely different surrounding came to be.


    Over 40 graves were dug up and the skeletons and the rotten corpses inside the tombs were now being pulled up as a man dressed in ck mage robes with a scepter that had a green orb shining brightly at the top. His silver hair were his striking part of the appearance and this mage himself was using dark-colored mana to forcefully take off the heavy stone bs above the grounds.


    This 300 meters area waspletely encapsted inside this dark dome which also prohibited any form of noise or light leaking outside.


    "Those damn wrenches! Now I don''t have a lot of time before they show up with more people. If the master hadn''t prohibited me from killing, I would''ve had more time." cursed this mage who was using dark magic to rob the graves.


    On the other side, was a big heap of dead bodies and skeletons that had dried a long time ago. And a dark green aura was encircling this tall heap of bones and rotten corpses.


    "At least scaring them away gave me some more time to hide everything that happened here and cover my tracks." he said.


    This was Ceril in his new getup after changing his appearance just like Kahn had instructed him this morning.


    He too now had a metamorphosis bloodline imparted by Kahn after he achieved the 100% loyalty. So taking a different human form was within his reach.


    Since he didn''t have any other bloodlines like Kahn, he had to opt out for changing facial structures and hair of his human form to avoid suspicion in case he was caught.


    Whatever happened during his night strolls shouldn''t affect his other identity and thepany. So he too found it reasonable to get a different persona just like his master often did in the form of Azrael and recently as Zeus.


    After he was done robbing all the dead bodies and leaving their worldly belongings such as their clothes and ornaments in their graves, he pulled all the new stock in his personal space ring.


    This morning, he too gained one of the space rings that once belonged to the rich members of the chamber ofmerce who were robbed by Kahn. And since the inner space was as big as a warehouse, it was very useful for him.


    "Now, I hope this restoration artifact is worth the 2 million gold I paid." he said and put his mana inside a star-shaped orange magic artifact.


    A thin film of yellow aura was released from this artifact and it was spread across all the directions in the surrounding area.


    One by one.. All the shaken and pulled-out tombstones, the cracked ground and broken grass on the ground started relocating themselves and the soil itself got back to the ce it once belonged to.


    In just a minute, the entire area under this ck istion barrier was reced by a tranquil and peaceful ground, no longer looking like the destroyed property after Ceril took out dead bodies by ripping off the resting site of all these people belonging to different races and species.


    "Good enough for the first haul." said Ceril and the next second, the dark barrierpletely disappeared in the dark of the night along with the figure of the necromancer.


    Step! Step! Step!


    "I''m telling you! We both saw those dead bodies and skeletons walking right from here!" spoke the centaur.


    Both of them returned with nearly 20 more guards that were stationed here for protecting the gravesite.


    "Really? Then why do I not see or sense anything here? Don''t tell me you''re just making an excuse to pass time. I don''t like this type of joke." alone a red master rank snakeskin spearman.


    He could sense heat signatures and different kinds of scents as part of his innate skills. But now, he didn''t find anything as if even the air was unaffected in this area.


    He berated the duo for cking off and went off his way to continue his duty.


    ----------------


    The next morning, when Kahn had just started his weapons and magic training after a light breakfast, Ceril entered the facility and told Kahn that he needs a section of it to use as a research facility since he can''t study the bodies openly and in a congested ce.


    Since this entire training facility itself spanned for 2 kilometers and had multiple ces to train and study magic and do research as well, Kahn gave him the keys to unlock a section on the far east where he could peacefully do his research.


    Kahn himself didn''t feel bad now about how Ceril was desecrating the dead. After the recent experience with the first rank mage, the n leader of the Vandereich n and the chamber ofmerce.. Kahn realized a major w in his behavior.


    That he paid too much attention to his moral code and things he didn''t wish to cross a line with.


    It was one thing if this was earth where his upbringing and sense of judgment made him the man he was¡­ but now, this entire world was different and so was he.


    And to strive towards the path of strength.. There were many things he needed to abolish.. Including his sense of moral code and honor.


    He needed time toe to terms with them slowly and then make the necessary changes in his thought process. Or one day, he would die because of his morality from the past life.


    Ceril on the other hand had an excited expression on his face.


    He was finally getting the resources and a facility he needed for quite some time.


    Just after looking at his ecstatic expression, Kahn remembered Ajak, the undead summoner whose body and core were mixed with Ceril.


    This trait of Ceril''s personality definitely came from the undead who killed Kahn in the Bromnir dungeon once.


    As soon as Ceril set up his new research facility after making some arrangements in a few hours, he started maniacally without holding back.


    "Hahaha hahaha ha hahaha hahaha haha!!


    Finally¡­ I will create my own army and be my liege''s favorite and most powerful subordinate!"

 Chapter 216: God of Mischief

    <h4>Chapter 216: God of Mischief</h4>


    Inside the underground facility below the Wayne Manor, a ck-haired mage was carrying different variations of magic spells and trying to mix the different specimens of corpses and bones.


    Unlike Kahn, Ceril had an inherent understanding of his abilities & magical skills that were passed down to him from the memories of the undead summoner. Just that he too needed to practice and get experienced so he could make his own bodypatible with the skills first.


    At this moment, he was still in his human form and hence, his attributes were reduced by 20 levels. But to diligent researchers like him, this was also an opportunity to test his limits and improve upon them.


    In front of him were 14 dried dead bodies. Each of them belonging to different species such as humans, demi-humans, centaurs, botirs and thralls.


    Many cut-down limbs and torsos were now ced in a wide and long wooden table that could hold a feast in a certain magic school that had a principal who always gave all the points to Gryffindor.


    Ceril was writing down the log of the experiments after trying to attach different body parts together and then summon that specimen as his undead.


    "Day 5, Log 73.


    The new specimen shows signs of synergy between body parts I added but yet it hasn''t been able to react to all the mana output.


    Even the undead summoning magic failed to keep this specimen intact for more than 5 minutes before the body itself broke down and in some cases, it crumbled down and turned into dust." spoke Ceril as he wrote in the book at the same time.


    From the past 5 days, he was visiting and robbing new graveyards at night. And in the new facility he redesigned to meet his needs, he started studying and creating new undead and skeletal soldiers using the dead bodies.


    He cut, molded and sewed limbs from different species and attached them together. Ceril had been trying to summon these creatures as his undead but for reasons unknown, the new resultant specimens were not sustainable.


    This problem didn''t happen when he created undead soldiers from a single intact body.


    The majority of the experiments crumbled and broke down after a short time of the summoning, rendering his efforts useless.


    "Day 5, Log 74.


    I''m making steady progress but the difference in mana structure present in these test subjects is prohibiting a result that ispatible and possesses all of their abilities. At this rate, the supply will not meet the demand. I need more bodies for further research." said Ceril aka Dr. Frankenstein.


    Given the number of trials and errors he had to go through, Ceril noticed that it wasn''t effective & the quantity was verycking for the long term.


    To improve his skills and efficiency as a Necromancer, he needed more resources.


    Since his master was in closed room studies of magic, he couldn''t ask for help either as he knew how hard it was for anyone toprehend & master the ins and outs of magic.


    "Hmm¡­ I guess I have no choice but to shake some trees." he said and left the facility to do his daily daytime job as one of the people running the Bloodbornepany.


    ----------------


    Baltimore Cemetery


    One of thergest cemeteries that spanned for 5 kilometers long and held the graves of over 10,000 deceased people in Rukon District.


    Even getting a couple of meters of space for your burial site cost a lot. It was manageable for humans but for the other species who normally sized much bigger in height and width, it was an exorbitant amount.


    So only the rich and powerful who wanted a well-mandated and sizable tomb as their resting ce woulde to buy out the plot here.


    There were even master rank guards left in charge of the security measures.


    What the rich feared the most was that someone desecrating their resting ce or rob their belongings that would be buried with them. For the upper ss of the society, they wanted to die as someone rich while being buried with money and costly ornaments.


    And hence, many opted for such highly secured cemeteries that ensured the safety of their tombs.


    During the night, inside the main office building of this cemetery management that was ced at the far left, a blue demonkin knocked on a door.


    "Sir, there''s someone to see you." said the attendee.


    "Let them in." ordered a yellow 3 meter tall Wolfkin who emitted the aura of a peak master rank individual.


    Step! Step!


    A set of footsteps were heard as a mage dressed in ck robes who held a ck scepter in his hands walked in.


    The Lionkin gestured the mage to sit on the seat across his table and spoke.


    "How may I help you?" he asked.


    "Greetings, mister Logan."


    Said the mage and passed out a space ring over the table.


    "What''s this?" asked Logan, the wolfkin.


    "Check the contents and you might get an idea why I am here." said the shoulder-length silver-haired human mage.


    As soon as Logan checked what was inside, he was left frozen on the spot.


    He looked at the mage with eyes full of disbelief and asked with a curious tone.


    "The ring has 10 million gold coins.. This much amount.. What do you want?" he asked.


    "I assume you''re fully aware of what could someone like me with money to spend need from someone like you who manages and runs this vast graveyard that houses so many deceased people." said the mage in ck in a benign tone. Completely unaffected by this query.


    Logan gave him an understanding gaze as if this wasn''t his first time facing such a situation.


    He took out an istion artifact and sealed the room.


    "At least tell me your name first before we get to business." he said in a stern tone.


    To his question, the mage didn''t reply with words but instead, he quickly released his aura extremely dense and domineering aura that instantly filled the entire room.


    [A Peak Grandmaster!] thought Logan with an aghast expression.


    "Oh, where are my manners.. I apologize for thete introductions. I have had many names but these days, people call me¡­"


    He took a pause and then continued in a mischievous tone.


    "Loki."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Art for Ceril in his Loki form given in chapterments. Check it out]]

 Chapter 217: Figuring it Out

    <h4>Chapter 217: Figuring it Out</h4>


    The wolfkin named Logan who had yellow fur and razor-sharp ws now stood up and looked at Loki, the mage adorned in ck robes. The human in front of him was a peak grandmaster mage!


    Peak Grandmasters were existences that could kill one thousand people with their strength and capabilities. And the one in front of him was actually a mage as well. They had many offensive skills that could kill hundreds of enemies with a single spell.


    Before the mage revealed his aura, Logan hadn''t even managed to sense it.


    He quickly bowed in respect towards the mage and asked in an obedient tone. Offending this powerhouse with improper behavior would spell his ultimate death.


    "May I ask what exactly do you want, sir? I don''t think anyone of your grand stature would pay this hefty amount for having just one or two tombs of top powerful figures ransacked." he said, trying to see the silver-haired mage''s reaction.


    "I see that I came to meet the right person. And I presume I''m not the only one you''ve made such deals with." replied Loki in his calm yet eerie tone that would give shivers to anyone who heard it.


    "What I want isn''t to rob the belongings or any wealth buried in the tombs.. But a steady supply of recently buried bodies and old skeletons. If you can provide me with that.. The 10 million are yours." said Loki.


    "Really?.. You''re not joking, right? I mean sir.." asked the wolfkin hurriedly.


    "You deliver, I pay. Simple as that. And I don''t think I need to remind you if you decide to leak any info or try to scam me." spoke Loki with a benign smile.


    "Yes sir! I understand! How many do you need?" asked the fear-stricken wolf after the subtle warning from the mage.


    "Five hundred a week. Plus I want fresh corpses that were recently buried as well. Can you do that?"


    "Five hundred.. That''s just too much. It will attract too much attention." replied Logan.


    "Oh please. I know how much you earn annually. Even if you were to bribe all the other guards and people who work this second job for you, you would still make more than a hundred times what you earn normally.


    If you can''t even manage that much, then maybe I should go somewhere else." said Loki and pulled back the space ring that was on the table.


    "No, wait! I''ll do it! Just give me some time before I get the first batch of hundred bodies ready." said Logan haphazardly.


    This was like a gooseying golden eggs for him. Even normally, he would get a million at best from the top forces who had peculiar tastes and things to do with dead bodies.


    Some wanted them for research while some people wanted to harvest the cores left in them. And some even had weird and inexplicable fetishes with corpses.


    So this wasn''t something new to him after working for a decade in this job.


    "Good. I wille two dayster at the same time." said Loki and discussed a few more details and ns about the means of transport and how to quietly get the job done.


    Neither party wanted any trouble and attention towards their deal so everything was to be thought out before they even began.


    Loki stood up after their discussion and decided to leave. But just as he was close to the door..


    He quickly released and directed all of his aura at Logan again as he spoke with a deathly voice.


    "Do not disappoint me. Because I don''t like failures and neither do I show any mercy. Do you understand me?" warned Loki.


    Logan, whose body was frozen under this heavy and insurmountable aura filled with bloodlust barely managed to muster all his strength and nodded in response.


    Instead of bothering to reply, Loki''s figure suddenly disappeared as if the mage was never present here in the first ce.


    Logan dropped on his knees, breathing heavily. The opportunity he got just now also came with a big risk. But the rewards were 100 times more than he could ever imagine.


    So he had no thoughts of scamming the mage.


    Little did the wolfkin know, that at this very moment, there were dozens of Kahn''s assassin subordinates hidden in his shadow.


    Loki had already taken precautions beforeing here and left his fellow subordinates who were ordered to kill Logan in case he reveals this deal to anyone he shouldn''t have or tried to betray him.


    He was just as cautious as Kahn after knowing the recent happenings in the past couple of months when he was still absorbing the cores.


    ----------------


    TEN DAYS LATER


    Ceril was doing his daily conduct of experiments on the rotten and bloodied corpse while creating more undead soldiers in the meantime.


    Recently, he was making many improvements in his skills and now, he could easily summon more than a hundred undeads with a single attempt.


    And because of his unique ss as a Necromancer, he was getting more stronger and powerful with the increase in the numbers of his own soldiers.


    And in just 10 days of tiresome experimentation and mixing suitable bodies together, he now possessed hundred beginner rank skeleton soldiers.


    This small army was more than enough to kill 2 peak master ranks beings.


    "Day 17, Log 32.


    I have finally figured it out! After experimenting with over 800 bodies, I have finally found a way to create stronger and variant versions of undeads even with different species and bloodlines.


    Thanks to all the samples I received recently, I noticed that the most important factor to mix different species and their body parts together isn''t just the mana structure.


    But also their respective body''s affinity with elements.


    The reason why previous attempts failed was because I was mixing them without considering this aspect of their physicalpatibility.


    Now I have finally found a way to create my own warriors¡­ my own version of.." wrote Ceril and took a pause as he spoke the final words with a sinister and maniacal smile on his face.


    "Grandmasters!"

 Chapter 218: The Racket

    <h4>Chapter 218: The Racket</h4>


    Ceril was currently surrounded by rotten corpses & obnoxious stench but this didn''t bother the undead subordinate in the slightest as if he waspletely unaffected by the grimy scene in front of him.


    Currently, the Necromancer subordinate waspletely engrossed in performing his magical ritual and creating a new batch of soldiers.


    Each day, he could feel his mana capacity and efficiency increasing with each new batch of bodies he was getting.


    The deal with Logan was paying off and he was making significant improvements. Just yesterday, he mixed a Centaur & a Mithrans body to create a peak master rank undead warrior which had 4 legs and 4 arms with the boney and meaty snake-like extensionsing out of its body, having the structure of both the species.


    [Good. As soon as I break through to Legendary Rank and gain more specimens of higher ranks, I will be able to create grandmaster rank soldiers.


    Only if Master could take us back to hunting monsters.. I would get plenty of new species as stock for my research. He he he!]


    "Awaken." said Ceril and more than 100 corpses and skeletons in front of him started merging after being submerged inside a ck shadow.


    He too could use the King of the Dead ability after Kahn imparted the skill. So he too didn''t need to worry about performing the summoning ritual one by one in a 500 meter radius.


    30 new summons now stood in front of him, each taller and bigger than previous specimens. 3 bodies for each case to create a variant that possessed different physical traits.


    These amalgamations ranked frommon to elite rank while the humanoid specimens ranged from beginners to intermediate rank.


    "Trash!" he eximed as a look of disappointment appeared on his face.


    "I guess low tier bodies can never make up for good results even if I use high-grade cores or increase the numbers." he spoke.


    "I need to meet him again." he said with a somber expression.


    ----------------


    When the night came, a mage sat under a big purple tree at a park that was filled with hundreds of people having a good time as the merry surrounding was bustling with various vendors selling foods and beverages to the customers.


    On one of these benches, Loki was waiting for someone. Just then he saw a foxkin woman and a demonkin male couple kissing in public. Both having no regard for the ce and crowd they were standing amongst.


    "Eww¡­ Go to horny jail."


    He said and cast a small fire spell behind the foxkin''s long tails and an ailment spell on the demonkin.


    "Arrh!" screamed the woman in a high-pitched voice.


    Blergh!!


    The demonkin retched in the middle of the street.


    [He he he he!] chuckled Loki inwardly as he enjoyed the scene in front of him where the woman was screaming for help, trying to put off the fire on her fur of the tails while the demonkin was vomiting continuously.


    "Enjoying the view, are you ?" spoke a yellow wolfkin and sat on his side.


    "I am indeed." said Loki to Logan, the wolfkin.


    "Why have you called me, sir?" asked Logan.


    "I have some requirements. I hope you can provide me double the numbers and with higher rank bodies if they''re avable. And don''t worry, you''ll be rewarded heftily." said Loki, still rejoicing as the scene in front of him was turning worse and the woman was almost lighting up like a torch and many people were trying to put off the fire.


    The demonkin on the other hand was almost wriggling on the ground while vomiting blood.


    "How much are we talking about here?" asked Logan curiously,pletely unaffected by the fiasco.


    "Five thousand per week and at least 30 intermediate to master rank specimens." said Loki in a carefree tone.


    "That much?! I''m sorry.. But that''s too much. And even if you gave us half a month, we still won''t manage this big number without alerting the others or getting implicated. Someone is bound to notice." said Logan in a helpless tone.


    "Then you''re saying that you''re incapable?" asked Loki as he stared at the wolfkin in angered eyes and slightly released his aura on the wolfkin.


    "No.. Please, let me finish." said Logan as he shuddered in fear. The deathly re from the mage felt like a knife stabbed in his heart.


    "Just one branch isn''t enough to meet your demands. I have some connections and people who can get what you want.


    There''s an entirework of underground racket." said Logan as he spilled the beans,pletely afraid of angering the mage and then facing a fate far worse than these two individuals in the middle of the street were facing.


    If the peak grandmaster mage could mortally harm these people just for fun, this powerhouse wouldn''t mind torturing him either.


    Loki had already warned him that he didn''t like ipetence so the wolfkin had to offer an alternative to save his own skin.


    At thete night, he guided Loki to a secret andpletely secluded building at the west end of the city. The castle-like building looked like a rundown and abandoned ce from where both of them stood.


    "Oh¡­ Well done. Nobody can even see through ce if they''re not a grandmaster mage." said Loki in an approving tone.


    Logan then took out an ''X'' shaped pendant and put it on the disy towards the rusted gate.


    "We are with and without honor." he spoke the secret code.


    Crang!


    The gate suddenly moved and a leshen halberd user suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    The next moment, over a dozen guards dressed in armors and various weapons, started emerging out of the invisible barriers.


    The sight in front of them flickered as Loki noticed an istion barrier.


    [They must be using some sort of artifacts to hide this property from everyone.] he thought.


    "State your business." asked the green leshen in a grim tone.


    Logan took a deep breath and spoke in a calm tone.


    "I''m here to meet the leader of the Nords.." he said in a respectful tone before speaking the name of this leader..


    "Lord Odin."

 Chapter 219: Dealing Dead

    <h4>Chapter 219: Dealing Dead</h4>


    As soon as Logan spoke the name, all the guards at the entrance took an offensive stand and pointed their weapons at the duo of the wolfkin and the mage.


    "You dare speak our lord''s name out in the open?!" said the Leshen as he too pointed his halberd at them.


    BOOM!


    But the next second, an immensely heavy and chaotic ck aura was released in the surrounding area and all of the guards were pushed down on the ground.


    Forget kneeling, they all were so weakpared to this domineering and majestic aura that none of them could even lift their heads.


    "My my.. Is that how you greet your customers? Pointing your weapons at them for absolutely no proper reason? So unprofessional." a grim and solemn voicended on their ears.


    "I don''t like when someone tries to threaten me." spoke Loki with an emotionless voice.


    "And ignorant fools who don''t know their ce deserve only one type of punishment." said Loki as his eyes filled with bloodlust.


    The next second, he waved his scepter and conjured a dozen of lightning and fire spells.


    "Sir Loki, no!!" shouted Logan.


    "Haha ha haha ha! Die you insects!" eximed Loki and attacked all the guards who couldn''t even muster the strength to move an inch.


    Boom! Crack! Bang!


    "Aaaaaa!!!"


    "Mercy!!!"


    "Help!!!"


    Terrified and wailing screams of the guards who were just doing their job filled the surrounding area as the echoes of their pleas resounded in this abandoned section of the small city they were in.


    Despite the wolfkin''s request.. Loki killed all the guards right at the entrance of their headquarters.


    "You.. What have you done? Why did you kill them?" asked Logan as his footsteps staggered.


    "My hands were itching.." said Loki in a mischievous tone.


    [What the fuck is this guy''s problem?! How am I going to exin this to boss Odin?! He will kill me for sure!] cursed Logan.


    He noticed one thing.. That the mage in front of him was an absolute psychopath who liked torturing and killing people for fun and took pleasure from it.


    "Now lead me to this Odin you speak of."manded Loki.


    Logan had no choice but toply so he entered inside the barriers and soon, a scenerypletely contradictory to the dpidated building they saw previously came to be.


    Arge 3 stories building and hundreds of guards who wereing out of the main door were revealed to the duo.


    "Wait! I know Lord Odin. He will settle the matters. Just take us to him." said Logan as he held both of his hands up.


    "Logan, what the hell!! We just saw this human kill our soldiers at the left entrance. Even if you''re my cousin, how am I going to exin this to lord Odin?" asked a blue wolfkin archer.


    "Just take us there! This sir behind me doesn''t like waiting." He said and signaled the leader of this small squad, his cousin, that this man wasn''t to be messed with.


    ----------------


    At the highest floor and the innermost section of this warehouse-like building that was full of hundreds of people carrying things such as caskets and carts where bodies were covered under sheets and istion barriers to prevent the smell from leaking out.. Sat a giant and burly middle-aged blue thrall.


    This figure leaked an aura of a peak grandmaster brawler warrior who sat on a throne-like chair at the end of a highly decorated room. His blonde and wavy shoulder length hair, the upper half of the body thay was covered in lightweight armor and his ripped abs and muscly shoulders were easy to see.


    And besides the chair of Odin, were two 2 meter tall hounds, one white while the other ck.


    An attendee opened the door and let the duo of Logan & Loki enter inside the main office.


    A gray aura was released from this thrall as he stared at Loki with eyes filled with absolute anger.


    But instead of cowering or trying to reason, Loki revealed his own dark aura filled with dominance in front of the thrall.


    Putting everyone except the two of them in a frozen state.


    "Who are you, and why did you kill my people?" asked the thrall, unaffected by the sudden reveal of a peak grandmaster as if he already sensed it when Loki was at the entrance.


    "Eh.. Because they were being disrespectful." spoke Loki in a casual tone as if he hadn''t killed people but some mosquitoes.


    This even left the blue thrall named Odin speechless. This was the first time he saw someone kill people for so little.


    "This better be worth it. This is the first time someone has challenged my authority on my turf. So tell me why have youe here? And why shouldn''t I kill you?" asked the tall and muscr thrall.


    "Why else do you think? To do business. And as for thest part.." spoke Loki and gave a sadistic grin.


    "You don''t have what it takes."


    [What the hell is wrong with this human?! Why is he trying to pick a fight instead of smoothening things out?] thought Logan.


    If things went wrong, it would be his head for bringing this freak here.


    "Huh.. Is that so? Well, let''s talk about this deal you propose. If it isn''t worth it, you might as well not leave out of here alive." spoke Odin, his gaze targeted at the ck mage.


    Loki walked and sat on the sofa next to the blue thrall, acting carefree.


    "I am called Loki. And I am in need of your services since Logan here says you can provide me with what I want." said Loki.


    "How many do you want?" asked Odin without wasting time on beating around the bush.


    "15 thousand a week. And I want 5 thousand of them above intermediate and master rank. You can at least provide me that much,right?"


    Gasp!


    Even Odin gasped in surprise and asked Loki with a curious voice..


    "And how much will you pay?"


    "Given my current budget, how about¡­ 50 million?" replied Loki.


    The next second, despite their previous qualms, Odin replied quickly as soon as he heard the amount.


    "Deal!!"

 Chapter 220: Terms of Contract

    <h4>Chapter 220: Terms of Contract</h4>


    Regardless of how their encounter started, the blonde-haired thrall quickly shifted the topic as soon as the exorbitant amount of money was mentioned by the mage in ck robes. No longer showing hostile appearance or bodynguage.


    "Are you sure? Because I don''t ept any dys. I want everything on time." said Loki.


    Normally if someone was on the same level as you in terms of strength, one would be worried about a sudden attack and feel a sense ofpetition. But to Loki, he wasn''t even bothered about angering Odin.


    Because if push came to shove and they fought here¡­ the one to lose the most here would be the thrall.


    Since he was a mage and the warrior in front of him was a closebat brawler, he had the advantage in terms of range of attacks, skills, area of effect and damage output during a fight.


    And as a result, this whole building itself would be reduced to ruins. Because of that very reason, Odin didn''t attack him either and hence, Loki initiated their conversation in a carefree manner.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Ourwork has been spread across the entire district for over a decade and no one has found out anything yet.


    There are 57 big cemeteries holding more than 5 million corpses as we speak. Managing your requirements won''t be a problem. We have people everywhere.


    We also have some of the top ns of the empire using our services as well. So you may rest assured." exined Odin like how one would try to sate the curiosity of their top client.


    "And what about the 5 thousand high-rank bodies?" asked Loki in a solemn tone while his expression, indicating that he was content with the answer from the thrall.


    "Manageable. But may I ask why do you need so many bodies? This number is simply too big no matter what your purpose is." asked Odin.


    "Do you always ask these types of questions to all your clients?" retorted Loki with an irritated expression.


    "Fair enough. Let''s discuss the further details then. I can''t deliver without a down payment first."


    To this, Loki took out a space ring and threw it towards the thrall.


    Odin then checked the contents as soon as he caught the ring. He nodded and kept the ring in his pocket.


    "What about the lives of my guards you killed?" asked Odin.


    "About that.. Pack them up for me.


    Count them as part of the deal too." said Loki in a sinister voice.


    As if this was something he nned to do from the very beginning when he killed the guards out of the blue.


    Afterwards, both the parties decided the arrangements regarding how and where they would deliver the goods.


    As he left, the meeting room had only 3 people who now decided to address some issues.


    "Logan.. Where did you find that freak?" asked Odin as he released half of his aura on the wolfkin.


    "He.. He was a big customer from a couple of weeks, I couldn''t meet the demand so I thought it would be best to introduce him to you, boss Odin.


    Only if I knew he was such a nutjob.. I wouldn''t have brought him here. Those guards were the ones who provoked him without checking who they were dealing with.


    Please.. It''s not my fault." exined Logan.


    "Fine. Normally, we would receive 40 million at best for a job of this scale. You did bring in a fat sheep so you''re forgiven.


    You''ll receive your 10% cut." said Odin.


    "Boss, how could you let him go? He killed our people for no good reason." spoke the blue wolfkin in an angered tone.


    "Hank, I''ve fought other peak grandmasters before.. But this guy doesn''t even feel like a human from his aura.


    From him.. I can sense apletely different energy. Something I haven''t felt even from the Saints I''ve met so far."


    "What kind of energy you''re talking about, boss?" asked Hank, Logan''s cousin.


    "You both might not have sensed it because you''re too weak. But when I was talking to him.. I was getting an extremely horrifying feeling as if I was staring at death itself." borated Odin with an aghast expression on why he didn''t stress on the part about the dead people on his end.


    "This guy is not simple. He paid with Orichalclum tes. It''s something only the top business enterprises in the capital or the prestigious noble ns use.


    And that sheer amount of bodies.. I feel like he isn''t alone. Either he is backed up by a force we can''t afford to mess with or there must be a new yer in the game just like those ns. We need to know who we are dealing with first." said Odin with a somber expression.


    The reason why Odin had this feeling was because from the start to the end of their conversation, Loki didn''t even show a slight sense of being wary about him trying to scam him or even threaten him.


    This type of confidence only came in two situations. One, you are extremely powerful than the opposition. Two, when you have a tyrannical force backing you up.


    And since Loki was a peak grandmaster just like him, there was a bigger chance of the second scenario to be the main reason.


    "Hank.. You know what to do." said Odin.


    Hank, the blue peak master rank archer nodded in response and left the room.


    When Loki was strolling through the streets of a popted zone, thinking about the ways of killing the thousands of people that were going about their lives in the busy streets without getting caught, he heard a warning in his head.


    Just like Kahn had advised, he was cautious enough to not leave a trace behind. And hence, he had dozens of assassins who were given to him by his master and kept a lookout for him in case anyone tried to follow him.


    He already left a few assassins in the building where he made the deal with Odin. Even the peak grandmaster didn''t realize that unbeknownst to him, 3 assassins were hiding inside his shadow.


    "Hehe¡­ I reckon I''m getting more than what we agreed on." spoke Loki with malicious intent after hearing that he was being followed by the people from Odin''s side.


    His eyes glowed red the next second as he spoke in a grim tone.


    "Let me show these people why they say that sometimes... Death is a Mercy."

 Chapter 221: The Entertainment

    <h4>Chapter 221: The Entertainment</h4>


    At one of the secluded corners of the city where only open fields for agriculturalnd and mills for harvesting the produce were situated, a mage donned in ck robes walked at a steady pace.


    [You better have it ready. Or I''m killing you all instead.] spoke Loki in his mind.


    Winds howled as the midnight darkness had encapsted this entire area. Only the tall crops and bushes were noticeable if one looked closely.


    Loki was walking on a paved soil road leisurely.


    But at this very moment, there were 20 assassins and archers tailing him from just a kilometer away to stay undetected by the peak grandmaster mage.


    If not for the fellow subordinates given to him by Kahn, he would''ve failed to detect these people and mistakenly lead them to their mansion.


    But since the owner was learning from his little mistake, so were the generals. Ronin had already told this strategy to all the other generals and Omega so they don''t get mixed up in unnecessary trouble or reveal their identities to the enemy.


    In his case, what Ceril liked the most was killing people and experimenting with their bodies to create more undead. And he wasn''t in the mood of changing his obsession for the sake of being cautious.


    Besides, sending these people to tail him also meant that Odin was snooping his nose where he shouldn''t have. And that part angered him the most, so there was a need to send a warning.


    When he reached the center of this open settlement, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.


    Tap! Tap! Step! Step!


    2 minutester, numbers of ck shadows appeared from various directions and gathered at the ce where the mage previously stood.


    Some appeared out of the shadows of the mills while some from the open fields of crops and finally broke the silence.


    "Where is he? I can''t sense him at all." spoke a demonkin assassin.


    "No idea. We too saw him disappear right here just a few minutes ago. He''s a mage, not an assassin or archer like us to disappear into thin air even if he were to be a grandmaster individual." said another one of the assassins in a rustic tone.


    At this exact moment, dozens of ck shadows revealed themselves in 500 meters radius, encircling this group and activated the artifacts they were holding.


    Shing!


    Suddenly, a dark dome appeared right above their heads and covered the 500 meter surrounding area in a matter of seconds,pletely covering and isting this group from the outside.


    "Wee to my hell!"


    A ghastly and eerie voicended on the ears of all these pursuers who were now trapped inside this dark barrier.


    Just a hundred meters away from this group of assassins and archers, Loki revealed his figure and dozens of red archaic magical formations appeared on the ground around these people.


    Crack! Crack!


    The ground started cracking around the group and boney hands pushed themselves out of the soil.


    Hundreds of noises of the ground cracking resounded as skeletons varying from humans to demihumans burst open the field and rose as if an army of creatures from hell was erupting in front of them.


    From every single hole, dozens of skeletons in varying sizes jumped outwards and started encircling this group of guests.


    All the members of the opposition were rooted on the spot, taken aback by fear and disbelief as they saw nearly 300 skeletons soldiers and walking zombies with burning red eyes staring at them.


    "Since you''ve taken so much of your time in pursuing me¡­ allow me to show my appreciation towards your hard work." said Loki as he chuckled in a sinister tone.


    The next moment, he summoned a huge throne, madepletely out of white bones and skulls of who knows how many creatures.


    Loki satfortably as he looked at his army of undead that he had cultivated so far in the past 10 days. Although the number was only three hundred, every single one of these summons was at least a beginner rank creature.


    This was an overkill to be exact. But what he wanted wasn''t just to toy with these people.. But to show how it felt being in the presence of the grim reaper.


    "Entertain our guests." hemanded and the soldiers started walking towards the group of fighters.


    Thud! Thud!


    The giant 5 meter tall undead monsters he created recently walked towards the group that was now surrounded and had taken a defensive stance.


    Each of them showing immense fear on their face but still mustering the courage to fight against these undead. All their curses and warnings towards the army surrounding themnded on deaf ears.


    This is what exactly Loki wanted. To crush their spirit first and then give them a glimpse of absolute despair.


    "Now,e to me¡­ I shall enlighten you about true aspects of life and death." said Loki in a sadistic voice.


    "Arrh!!"


    Screamed one of the female assassins whose leg was grabbed by a skeleton''s hand that appeared from the ground right below her.


    "No! Please let us go. We were only following orders." pleaded a snakekin.


    "Spare us! We promise we won''t dare toe in your way ever again!" said a human archer.


    "Argh! My hand!" screamed one of the pursuers as an undead jumped at him and chew off his flesh on the forearm


    Some of the new tall master rank monsters also attacked and incapacitated the enemies while the small undeads chew out entrails and skin these people alive.


    Ceril was watching and enjoying the show,ughing maniacally as he ordered the soldiers to be more creative.


    Their screams fill the dome as Loki sat on the throne, his maniacalughs giving even more sinister touch to the scene.


    The expression on his face turned ecstatic as he watched these people getting scared shitless, fighting for their lives and getting swarmed with the sheer numbers of undead soldiers who tore their limbs and ripped out their flesh one by one.


    To their begs for mercy after getting outnumberedpletely, Loki only replied in a stern and ruthless voice.


    "Tonight¡­ Let there be Carnage."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Sorry for not being able to write or update any chapters recently. My life has been very hectic and full of things I had to handle. Job interviews, projects and internship stuff have been taking all of my attention so I didn''t get much time to be in a proper mindset and write new chapters. The way things are going, I won''t be able to update much in December but I''ll definitely upload 3 chapters per day starting January. So I hope you guys can forgive me just this time and I appreciate many still supporting the novel despite theck of updates this month.]]

 Chapter 222: The Summon

    <h4>Chapter 222: The Summon</h4>


    In an open field where not a single living being could be seen, apletely horrifying scene that contradicted this peaceful and quiet scene happened inside an invisible barrier that couldn''t even be sensed from outside.


    "Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!!!" screamed a woman archer as beast skeletons with sharp ws cracked open her chest, breaking her ribcage and then chewed her heart while she was still alive.


    "Hahaha!! That''s a good one!"mented Loki as he was reveling in the wails of the people who were tailing him not long ago.


    After being surrounded by 300 undeads.. These 20 people had no ce to run or hide. And the barrier itself couldn''t be broken or their teleportation scrolls worked here.


    The mage in front of them had set a perfect ambush and they were not left with a single escape route.


    Loki had already ordered his soldiers to take their time and kill them all in creative ways. All their weapons, bombs and skills barely killed 50 or so undeads but the problems were the big ones who weren''t receiving any considerable damage.


    One of the defenders identally blew himself up when he was trying to throw a bomb at the skeletons but they pulled his legs from below the ground and he dropped the bomb right below him.


    To Loki, whether it was the pursuers or his own skeletons dying seemed like a fun activity as he was maniacallyughing and passingments as if he was a judge of somepetition and the most creative and cruel death will get a reward.


    "Nooaaaaar!" wailed a female tigerkin assassin as her buttocks and tail was ripped out by a four-legged beast skeleton.


    Next, a human''s intestines were used to gag his mouth as hound-like skeletons chewed his legs from the thighs while both his arms were pierced through by an amalgamation of a centaur and mithrans who had spikey extensioning out.


    His pitiful cries filled the surroundings but there was not a single soul who cared about the agony and brutality he was suffering through.


    "Good. Now tear him in two and use his legs to beat the others." ordered Loki aka Ceril while he drank a ss full of red wine which looked like blood to everyone present here.


    In just 20 minutes, 8 of them had fallen. Given the number of attackers, they wouldn''t havested even 2 minutes but since Loki had ordered these undeads to take their time, the lives of these people were being toyed with as the mage dressed in ck robes was enjoying this horrifying and bloodied scene.


    "How the fuck is this possible? Wasn''t necromancy abolishedpletely? Only the undeads from dungeons can use it. So howe this fucker is using it?" asked a male foxkin.


    "How the fuck would I know.. How many bombs you have left? We need to create a path and escape!" replied a snakekin archer.


    "But can we?... We can''t even get out of this circle." replied the foxkin as he parried an attack from a monster with his daggers.


    Stab!


    Before more words could be spoken, the snakekin''s throat was pierced through by a boney tail of a giant monster that seemed like abination of a botir and mithrans.


    These were the creatures none of the defenders had seen in their entire lives.


    As the night went by, all of the defenders were brutally murdered and the ce they previously stood was now covered in different colors of blood. Their mangled and torn bodies filled the surroundings as all of them were yed with before their miserable and inhumane deaths by these undead monsters.


    "Ah, what a pain." said Loki as he took out the restoration artifact after all of his summons returned inside the magic formations. The crops were trampled upon by his undead soldiers while the ground was painted in red.


    So he decided to cover up tracks and bring back the surrounding back to how it was before the massacre started. He used the same epic rank artifact that he used while robbing graves in the first few days of grave robberies that removed every single track of a grave being dug out.


    The pursuers were now part of his undead army so he was content with this little harvest as he too had some quality time.


    ----------------


    TWO WEEKS LATER.


    Ceril was already in his bedroom, looking at the morning sun through the window. Unlike the other subordinates, he didn''t need sleep at all. But to keep his identity as a human, he had to put up some pretenses to not raise suspicions as instructed by his master.


    For the past two weeks, he had been carrying on his experiments after receiving 3 thousand bodies in the first batch handed to him inrge inner space rings. As if being fearful of him.. Hank, the right-hand man of Odin who was the one to deliver these rings didn''t even dare to utter a word or ask about the people who went to tail Loki two weeks ago.


    As if they already had a sense of understanding on what topic not to touch or put their nose in.


    And Ceril had been carrying on his experiments as usual, improving and creating more stronger undeads and skeleton soldiers. His sess rate also drastically improved and he now had 200 peak master rank monsters and soldiers after tiresome effort.


    He already had his daytime duties so only the morning and night time was avable to him. This also indicated his talent in magic and necromancy. Because inheriting someone''s skills was one thing andpletely mastering as well as evolving them into something higher was another.


    Just like Kahn, he too had to work his way up with hard efforts.


    When Kahn was continuing his morning practice sessions for weapons and magic, Ceril visited him in the training grounds that were in the opposite end of his research facility.


    "Master, I wish to borrow something from you." said Ceril donned in his usual white and purple mage clothes.


    "What is it? And why?" asked Kahn who was sweating profusely after an intense workout and training session that was his routine for nearly a month now.


    First, he trained his body with regr weapons andbat techniques training that tired him out and then spent the rest of the day studying and performing various magical skills and spell which required him to sit down so his body would also get the much-needed rest.


    And hence, he would end up training both the body and the mind. This form of discipline required a lot ofmitment and tenacity. But Kahn knew that cking off was no longer an option.


    Ceril then told him what he had in mind and why he needed something from him.


    "Are you certain? Because the way I look at it.. It''s a very dangerous goal to aplish even for a semi-saint rank fighter like me. If you want, I can provide help or send the other generals to help you.


    Omega & Jugram can be a big help to you as well given the actions you wish to take." said Kahn solemnly.


    Just now, Ceril had told him a very devious yetpletely bananas type of n and goal he wanted to achieve.


    "No need, master. This is my personal operation. No help from anyone is needed. I can easily handle this on my own.


    I just need the artifact." replied Ceril, his tone filled with absolute determination.


    "Fine. But if you die, what about the undeads you created? I can revive you again but they''re not my direct creations so I can''t do the same for them." asked Kahn.


    "They all will perish and I will have to start from scratch again. Please, do not worry. I have thought this through." said Ceril.


    Kahn sighed and took out a familiar artifact from his space ring that he had used previously on a few asions. After handing it to Ceril, he went back to his training.


    He knew that he had to show some faith in his generals as well. Because in the future, they would be like his own vassals who served an Emperor.


    So just like him, this was also a time for them to gain worldly experience and knowledge. They too had to learn from trial and error to be forged in fire ande out as someone capable of handling matters rted tomanding others.


    And Ceril was nning to do exactly that.


    ----------------


    At that same night, Ceril in his Loki persona met Hank again. But this time, he passed a letter to Hank that was only to be read by his boss.


    Hank delivered the goods and returned to their main headquarters at midnight.


    Odin read the letter sent by the peak grandmaster mage and even he was gobsmacked after reading the context.


    "Is he out of his mind?! Who the hell is his backer to pull off a move like this?!


    This is like putting all of the people who want to kill each other in the same room!!"


    Spoke Odin as soon as he read the final words of the letter...


    SUMMON THE HYDRA.

 Chapter 223: Summoning The Heads

    <h4>Chapter 223: Summoning The Heads</h4>


    Odin, the tall and ripped build thrall was seated in his office and going through the context of the letter as he was still finding it hard toe to terms with what he read just now. Because the words written there were something that not only baffled him but alsopletely unexpected.


    He heaved a sigh with a solemn countenance and read the words again.


    ''I have a big business proposition. It is something too big for one person or an organization alone.


    So I need you to contact the other 6 Heads of the rumored Hydra that I''vee to hear about recently.


    I''m fully aware of theplexity and how hard of a task it is to do it in just a week.


    But it is more effective and time-saving if it is you who are doing the delivery than me personally visiting them one by one.


    You can send a message to all of them saying that they will be paid 10 million gold coins just for attending the meeting. As for your cut for going through this ordeal would be 30 million.


    Do mention that what I''m offering can change the futures of their respective organizations for the better. So..


    Summon the Hydra.''


    Odin put the letter inside the envelope with an unhappy face.


    "What the hell is this psychopath trying to do? He wants all the 7 Heads of the Hydra to be present in the same meeting? Who the hell does he think he is?!"


    "If not for the 30 million.. I wouldn''t even do the job.


    Who would''ve thought that one day, I will be the one to arrange the meeting with people I detest the most. Every single one of those bastards is no different than a de in my gut." he said as his fists clenched tightly.


    [Let''s hope whatever he & the force standing behind him is offering to all of us is something worth all the effort or my reputation will take a big fall.] thought Odin and decided to proceed to the arrangements that he needed to do now.


    The one-week period was indeed a short amount of time to get all the remaining heads together. So he had a lot of work to do.


    ----------------


    ONE WEEK LATER


    North-East area of the Rukon district, where a grand valley full of tall trees and wildlife was situated, arge open ground full ofvish green grass was left untouched.


    Despite being so many small cities and viges surrounding a 6 kilometer wide forest, no one had imed or inhabited this ce as if it was an unspoken rule ormand of someone powerful.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The hooves of the multiple monster steeds resounded in the dark of the night amidst these tall trees and bushes.


    A small army of 200 people varying from species to species strode across patiently. All of the members were highly geared individuals with a variety of weapons and armors, the luxurious carriages that were carried by the steeds leaked an oppressive aura from the inside.


    As if a predetermined arrangement, there were 5 more of such forcesing from other directions of the forest at the same time.


    When the envoys finally reached the exit that led towards the open ground, all the sides sent a ir signal up in the sky.


    The next second, a pathway appeared in front of all these forces and they walked inside. Only to see a well-arranged open ground that had thousands of chairs and refreshments arrangements done inside an illusion barrier that hid the inner property from the public eyes.


    One by one, all the forces reached towards the center and all the influential figures that sat inside the carriages came out from their respective ends.


    As the 6 forces walked with their respective leaders, each of whom was a peak grandmaster being, the surrounding was filled with an oppressive aura and even the envoy from each of the sides found it hard to breathe.


    The 6 peak grandmasters then walked towards a wide table that had 7 heads of a Hydra, a sea monster with seven snake heads carved out that pointed towards the respective seats.


    The group of peak grandmasters consisted of a muscr ck-haired elf, a female subus, a red skin human, a purple demonkin, a ck tengu and a green snakekin. All of them dressed invish and regal clothing since they were the figureheads of their respective organizations.


    And there was one person who was already present near the table but still hadn''t taken his seat as if he was waiting for all the other 6 figureheads to be present there.


    All of them looked at each other and released their murderous aura and killing intent at each other as if wanting to rip each other''s hearts out.


    However, the next second, all of them raised their right palm in the air and spoke loudly at the same time¡­


    "Hail Hydra!!"


    The echoes of their voice filled the 2 kilometer space under the illusion barrier as all of them took a seat at the table.


    The host of the meeting, Odin who awaited the arrival of his fellow members of this table let out a sigh.


    In Rukon District, The Hydra represented the top seven rulers of the underworld organizations in their respective specialties and trades.


    The moniker of one of the Head of the Hydra was given to each boss for different fields like brothelwork, smuggling, gambling and moneyundering.


    Only the fighting arena, assassination, information gathering & mercenary organizations were left out as they traded in far open businesspared to theirs which didn''t see the light of the day.


    All these figureheads were the undisputed rulers of their respective professions.


    "Thest time all the members of the Hydra gathered here was 5 years ago when I dethroned my predecessor. And now I am the one who has called out the other heads." spoke Odin in a kingly voice.


    "This better be worth our time. Or I for one will take out all my anger on you." spoke the subus peak grandmaster whose body barely had the sensitive spots & assets covered under small clothes.


    Anyone who saw her would get enarmed by the lovely, seductive and bodacious body of this beauty.


    "Shut up, Violetta! Do you think I would call all of you here if it wasn''t for a good reason? The one who wanted to meet all of us at the same time is someone worth all the effort. And what he intends to offer us is something beyondprehension even for me." exined Odin.


    "So where is this person you speak of? The letter mentioned that hees from a great force that wants to cooperate with all of us together. Even those noble ns aren''t as courageous as this person." asked the human swordsman.


    Swoosh!!


    "I''m here. Thanks foring."


    A ghastly voice resounded as if a ghost suddenly appeared out of nowhere and a mage donned in ck robes came to be out of thin air.


    [What the hell?!! I''m a peak grandmaster mage myself! How did I not sense him?!] thought the green snakekin mage with a bewildered expression on his face.


    Not only him, but the rest of the heads except Odin, had a simr thought at the same time.


    Despite being on the same level as the mage, none of them even felt his presence here when they came.


    "My name is Loki, pleased to make your acquaintance." said Loki as he introduced himself.


    "I''ve done my part. I hope you remember your promise." said Odin as he looked at the mage.


    Loki nodded and gave a light smile to all the other members of the hydra.


    This setting looked like a wartable of generals surrounded by their respective forces gathering together the night before the battle.


    "So tell us, mister Loki. Why have you summoned us all together? You even went as far as to have Odin contact us and use the only one chance he has to summon all the 7 heads of the hydra." asked the purple demonkin.


    "It is very simple if I am to be honest. What I offer to all of you is a once in a lifetime opportunity.


    It is something that great personages of your standing and authority in your respective trades would definitely want to grasp as soon as offered.


    And all of your organizations would greatly benefit from this deal I''m offering you at a silver tter." spoke Loki in a grandiose manner as he gestured his hand and the scepter up in the air. As if he was bestowing the blessings of the gods on these seven heads.


    "Let''s not beat around the bush. Just tell us what kind of deal you''re offering." said the tengu who had two ck wings on his back as he folded his arms and looked at the mage with a suspicious gaze.


    Loki on the other end took a deep breath and spoke in a magnanimous and joyous voice that filled the entire area, reaching to the ears of every single being present here.


    "It''s simple¡­" he said and quickly released all of his dark aura filled with dominance and bloodlust.


    "From now on¡­ All of you are my servants!"

 Chapter 224: The Homage

    <h4>Chapter 224: The Homage</h4>


    The area under the illusion barrier waspletely dead silent as soon as everyone heard Loki''s promation. The one thousand two hundred soldiers and all the seven heads of the hydra were left speechless.


    Not a single soul present here would''ve imagined that the one to call out for the meeting was so daring to say that all the peak grandmaster people were his ves.


    "Pfftt!! Pfft¡­. Hahaha ha haha!"


    "Ha ha.. You''re good at making jokes, mister Loki."


    "Funniest thing I''ve heard this decade. Haha"


    Laughed off the heads and following them, all their forces followed. This indeed felt like a big joke to everyone present there.


    But as soon as the echoes of theughs subsided, the ce of the meeting was filled with an extremely chaotic and deathly aura.


    "Oye.. That was neither a funny nor humorous joke. We will let you retract your words and rephrase what you said." said the elven swordsman as he directed murderous intent at Loki.


    "What''s the meaning of this? What kind of bullshit are you spewing?!" asked Odin in an infuriated tone.


    "My my.. Mister Loki seems to overestimate himself. Doesn''t matter who his backer is.. We are not some weaklings that can be oppressed ormanded like someone''s henchmen.


    Even those Saints & the nobles think ten times before saying such nonsense. The power webinely wield can rival the majority of factions and ns." said Violetta, the subus.


    "There was indeed a force who tried to control to control us because they had a second stage saint in their n. Do you know what happened to the Saint & her n?...


    They''re all buried in the ground now. So you better watch your mouth!" warned the tengu.


    To all these deathly warnings and giving in to the oppressive aura, instead of dropping on the ground or cowering in fear, Loki replied with a coy smile.


    "And why do you think I summoned all of you here? The best way to kill a snake is to cut its head. And I have all the heads present here."


    "Enough from the clown! I''m putting a word out. 500 Thousand for this bastard dead, a million alive so I can teach him some manner first."


    The human from the seven heads banged his fist on the table. Putting a bounty on Loki''s head after he was thoroughly infuriated.


    "Why so serious?"


    Spoke Loki, still maintaining hisplete cool as if he had no fear of death.


    "Forget the money, he put my name and reputation in the mud! I''m killing him with my own hands!" shouted Odin and charged at Loki as soon as he got up from his seat.


    "Such a shame.." said Loki and the very next instant,pletely dark space filled the area around the round table.


    All the other peak grandmasters felt like their bodies froze on the spot in a microsecond and they couldn''t even move from the ce.


    This was exactly the ability used by Ajak, The Dark Summoner when he killed Kahn inside the 12th floor of Bromnir dungeon in vot city.


    VOID REALM!


    The spell created by using ck magic, one of the strongest magical elements in the world was something that could instantly stop an enemy for 10 seconds as if the time itself was frozen.


    Odin shuddered in fear as soon as he noticed the changes in his body. He quickly tried to burst his aura and break through the physical pressure on him. But forget using his aura, he couldn''t even use move his eyes at this moment.


    Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!


    Four shadow des, one of the abilities Ceril inherited after getting merged with the undead summoner were finally used after so many months.


    Thest time he used this ability was when they fought against the magma drake dungeon boss.


    Two big holes were created in both Odin''s shoulders and the other two in his thighs. Each hole was big enough to pass a man''s arm right through them.


    As soon as the 10 seconds passed, Odin''s body dropped on the ground as a stter of blood spread around the thrall.


    "Impossible!! That''s dark magic!" shouted the snakekin mage who was also a peak grandmaster mage.


    All the other heads of the hydra felt an impending doom looming over their heads.


    Loki was on the same level as them but none of them could even react or move a muscle after he used that ability as all of them were brought in a dark domain where they couldn''t see or feel anything.


    And as soon as the spell ended, Odin who was one of the strongest members of the hydra was lying on the ground,pletely incapacitated.


    "All you care about is money. This district deserves a better ss of criminals. And I''m gonna give it to them.


    Tell your men they work for me now. This is my turf." said Loki in a ghastly tone. As if he was a grim reaper giving themand to someone whose life he was about to take.


    "They won''t work for a freak." groaned Odin and spat blood out of his mouth.


    "Freak?" asked Loki as he looked at Odin''s two giant hounds, a ck and white one who were charging at him from a distance as soon as they saw their owner injured and in a near-death situation on the ground.


    Both of them were 2 meters in height, just like the pack of wolves that attacked Kahn as soon as he arrived in this world.


    Loki cast two lightning spells and attacked both of the dogs in a second, killing them before they reached halfway.


    But he didn''t stop there either. He used the King of the Dead skills and quickly made both of the broken and charred dogs into his undead creatures.


    "Grrrr¡­!" growled the white hound.


    "Oh.. They say they''re hungry." said Loki with a grin.


    "Why don''t we cut you up into little pieces and feed you to your pooches?


    And then we''ll see how loyal a hungry dog really is?!" spoke Loki in a sinister tone as a wide and creepy smile appeared on his face.


    After he telepathically ordered the dogs, the hounds charged towards his direction again but this time, their target was not him but Odin, their master who fed and raised them from so many years.


    Odin was a hand-to-hand brawler but after getting caught by surprise and having his limbs dmissioned¡­ there wasn''t anything the peak grandmaster could do at all.


    Forget using any skills, he could barely use any mana in his body as if the shadow des that Loki plunged him with were stopping his body to harness any of his strength.


    "Arrhhhh!!" screamed Odin as his hounds started tearing his flesh and biting off his body as if they were starving for decades.


    Meanwhile.. All the other 6 heads were still rooted on the spot, not daring to attack Loki lest they themselves suffer the same fate as him. At the end of the day, he wasn''t theirrade but just an acquaintance they had to tolerate out of obligations.


    Loki turned his head and ask with a creepy smile as Odin''s wails filled with agony resounded in the surrounding.


    "Now then¡­. Who''s next?"


    He asked others, sending a shiver in their spine.


    "You.. You''re mad!" shouted the elf as he took out his sword and took a defensive stance.


    "Ha ha.." chuckled Loki and replied in a mischievous tone.


    "See madness as you know¡­ is like gravity.


    All it takes is a little push!"


    Replied Ceril and his deathly aura erupted from his body. Quickly putting immense pressure on everyone present here.


    "He can''t use that ability quickly again! It must have used a lot of his mana. All of us need to attack him now!" shouted the snakekin mage and all of them pulled out their weapons.


    A swordsman, an archer, a mage, a whip user, an assassins and a Spearman. All the remaining heads of the hydra got into battle mode and gave each other an understanding gaze.


    Swoosh! Swing! Crack!


    All of them used their job-specific skills and attacked Loki who was now surrounded by the group of peak grandmasters.


    BOOM!!


    But before their attacks could evennd on the mage, a dense dark barrier appeared in a second and covered Loki from all sides.


    The huge explosion threw off Odin''s now dead body far away and obliterated the hounds just with the shockwaves.


    "This¡­ what the hell is this guy?!" asked Violetta, the subus as she took back her whip after sending a long waves of mana attacks at Loki.


    The Darkness Barrier which was a skill that Kahn and his 300+ subordinates failed to break during the fight with the undead summoner all those months ago was now used by Ceril.


    "Use light elemental attacks!" shouted the tengu, the archer of the group. All of them were experienced veterans so they knew what was the weakness of dark magic.


    BOOM!! BOOM!!


    Another groundshaking ripple filled the surroundings as multiple aura attacks infused with light elements bombarded and cracked open the darkness barrier in a couple of seconds.


    But before Loki even got a chance to attack, his body was wound in a whip with lighting element, and his heart was plunged by an arrow.


    Stab! Stab!


    A sword and a spear stabbed his chest and stomach the very next second. Not even giving him a chance to retaliate.


    "Get away!" shouted the tengu archer and a charged shot full ofpressed wind element left his bow and burst open Loki''s head.


    The seemingly dangerous mage who killed one of them swiftly was killed in a matter of seconds after the impable and perfectly timed coordination of these six grandmasters.


    Ceril, the Necromancer subordinate¡­


    HAD DIED.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Author : This chapter is dedicated to the legendary Health Ledger''s Joker from The Dark Knight.

 Chapter 225: The Undefeatable

    <h4>Chapter 225: The Undefeatable</h4>


    Inside the secret site where the meeting of all the heads of the hydra was held, one of the heads had fallen but so did the man who killed him.


    Loki''s headless body that was impaled with a sword and a spear dropped on the ground on both knees. His figure appeared like a fallen knight on the battlefield.


    "Hmph! What a fool. Thinking that he could take on all of us just because he could use the dark magic." spoke the peak grandmaster archer who blew up Loki''s head exactly when he was caught off guard and didn''t have a chance to resist.


    "Yeah.. He got Odin only by surprise. This guy was overestimating himself." said the elf.


    One by one, all the heads started making fun of Loki who acted too impulsively and lost his life.


    "Wait¡­" suddenly spoke the green snakekin mage.


    "What?" asked the demonkin head.


    "Something doesn''t feel right." he said and the next second, his eyes were left wide open.


    "Check his body and see if there''s a core present in it?!" shouted the mage as a sudden realization hit him.


    The elven swordsman who stood the closest quickly pulled out his sword and cut open Loki''s heart, only to find it.. hollow.


    "He he he.." suddenly, a familiar ghostly voicended on their ears as all of their bodies jolted in fear.


    "As expected of a mage. You sensed it so quickly."


    Loki''s eerie voice filled the area again, instantly petrifying all the soldiers who stood far away.


    Even the grandmasters were unable to sense the source of the sound as if it was present everywhere.


    "Impossible.."


    "We already killed you! How can you still be alive?!" queried the subus.


    "Hahaha! How can you kill me when you can''t even sense the real me?" asked Loki in a sarcastic tone.


    "That was just a fake body I created using human corpses."


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Suddenly, the ground surrounding all the forces belonging to the respective heads of the hydra cracked open as dozens of crevices formed in few seconds.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Shing!


    One after another, dozens of magical formations appeared on the ground under this two kilometer wide istion barrier andpletely surrounded the 1200+ soldiers.


    "Wraaaah."


    "Kraa."


    Hundreds of undead soldiers ripped open the ground and emerged like how an army from the underworld erupted before the doom.


    Just in 5 minutes, more than 3 thousand undeads, out of which, three hundred were master rank skeletons & monsters given the aura they were emitting came to be and surrounded these forces who already took a defensive stance.


    "Since all of you were shameless enough to attack one individual by six people teaming together.. I shall hold no more and fight you with my own numbers." Loki''s grim voice filled the area.


    BOOM!!


    A big crevice was formed at the eastern end of this dome and a gigantic figure of a skeleton mage that was 15 meters tall burst out of the ground.


    This enormous and towering figure with a skull that had burning red eyes terrified every single one of the soldiers.


    The gigantic skeletal mage with red and white mage robes and a crown on its head looked at all the enemies.


    5 grimoires were floating in the air beside this skeletal figure who appeared like a grim reaper gave everyone, including the grandmasters goosebumps all over their bodies.


    "What the hell.. I thought he was only using the ck magic to summon those dogs as undeads but he''s actually an Undead Lich." spoke the snakekin mage.


    The one before them was Ceril in his true form.


    It had been nearly 5 months since he appeared in his real form and now, the 20 levels suppression in stats and mana capacity was finally lifted as he was no longer under the limitations ced by metamorphosis ability.


    His entire appearance looked like a certain majestic undead lich who ruled the Tomb of Nazarick.


    And as soon as Ceril in his full power released his dark ck aura filled with bloodlust and darkness element.. Even the grandmaster felt like their legs were giving out.


    It hadn''t even been 10 minutes since they killed Loki only to find out that he was actually an Undead Lich. A very high-leveled one at that.


    All these peak grandmasters felt like they were at least level 120 but the oppressive aura that was released by the undead seemed like it was from someone of level 130.


    "Now let me show you my real power." he said and all the grimoires shone bright red and started rotating around his body in a clockwise manner.


    "Everyone, in formation!" shouted one of the heads as all the forces consisting of every fighting ss took got themselves in a defensive formation, ready to face the undead skeleton army under themand of their leaders.


    "We just killed you. We can do it again." said the demonkin.


    To his words, Ceril only let out a ghastly chuckle.


    "You can not kill me. I am a being above your mortal lives.


    I am entropy. I am death. I am a Dark Summoner." dered Ceril in his grim voice.


    His eyes flickered red and from all the gaps in the ground that created a pathway to the skeletons to appear previously.. Jumped 5 to 7 meters tall monsters, following them were a dozen giant monsters varying from amalgamations of different monster species.


    These were the peak master rank monsters he created recently. Some looked like dinosaurs while others like mammoths.


    "Attack!" shouted the elf and all of their forces charged at the skeleton army for a full-scale battle.


    Ceril''s army of the undead, which consisted of varieties of species, let it be monsters, humans and demihumans that outnumbered the opposition by 3 times, frantically attacked the defenders without the care for getting damaged.


    A volley of arrows and bombs, followed by the destructive magic spell and the defensive skills from the tanks and knights activated at the same time.


    Boom! Crack!


    Ear deafening noises filled the battlefield as soon as the first wave of attacksnded on the undeads.


    This was an army of trained and organized fighters. Despite belonging to different sides, the forces of the Hydra were already well versed in coordinating and assisting each other as if this was something they trained for years.


    Even the forces belonging to the fallen thrall''s side were managing themselves well with just Hank, the right-hand wolfkin ordering them.


    In just the first attempt, 500 undeads were broken to pieces, obliterated and burned on the spot. Their torn, splintered bodies and the sticking fleshy across the battlefield.


    "You alone can''t stand against all of us!" spoke the tengu archer.


    To this promation, Ceril whose towering figure had put the fear of god in the opposite side''s soldiers already, spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Who said I am alone?" replied Ceril as his skull let out an eerie chuckle.


    Boom!!


    The very next second, a chaotic blue aura suddenly filled the other end of the battlefield and jumped in between the defensive formation of the hydra soldiers.


    A tall and ripped figure adorned in battle armor and gauntlets released its aura of a peak grandmaster fighter and suppressed the people fighting from the back.


    It was none other than Odin who was now summoned by Ceril as one of his undead soldiers.


    "Boss Odin!" shouted Hank.. But what stood in front of him wasn''t his leader but an undead with lifeless eyes. Despite having holes put into his body, the undead Odin now stood as powerful and domineering as before.


    Shatter!!


    Odin punched the ground and shattered the 200 meter area with his skill, creating havoc inside the defensive formation as he targeted the healers of the group first.


    The undead lich''s army didn''t have weapons or armors. They were simply dead species made into walking zombies by Ceril. So they only had the numbers but not fighting skills. Even the tall monsters only had the advantage of their bodies and brute strength, not job-specific skills.


    Ceril then grandly gestured his boney hands towards the air.


    The very next second, an ancient magic formation appeared in the sky and the entire battlefield under the illusion barrier was covered by the bright red magic formation.


    "This world shall know pain."


    Spoke the Necromancer and the magic formation made with mana dropped on the ground, let it be the soldiers or the army of the undeads, all of them were covered under it.


    But unlike what everyone thought, not a single one of them was harmed or felt like anything happened to their bodies as the red glow around them disappeared into the thin air.


    "What.. What is this?" asked Violetta.


    Crack! Crack!


    "Rahhhhh!"


    "Baaarr.."


    What happened next sent shivers even to the 6 grandmasters. Because the scene in front of thempletely caught them off guard.


    After the magic formation dispersed¡­ nearly a thousand bodies rose up. These were all the fallen undeads their armies destroyed. But what boggled their minds were the new additions.


    These were the dead soldiers who just died while fighting the undeads.. And now, they belonged to the enemy side!


    "Fuck! That''s cheating!" shouted the snakekin mage.


    "Tormund, go! Handle Odin. We will take care of this bastard!" said Violetta to the tengu archer.


    But instead of targeting the grandmasters charging at him, the ones he attacked with his dark magic spells were the hundreds ofmon soldiers.


    He telepathically ordered his peak master rank monsters who were on standby to charge and break the first line of defense. Their job was to break the formation and let the weak undeads breach inside the enemy ranks.


    The shadow des skill assisted these forces and all the protection barriers cast by the enemy mages broke in seconds.


    Ceril then quickly cast his Darkness Barrier.


    BANG!!


    Unlike before, even the light elemental attacks failed to destroy the darkness barrier. Rather than getting destroyed.. It only broke the outeryer of the barrier while Ceril spoke in a domineering and grim voice as if he was looking at mere ants.


    "Hahaha! You still don''t get it, do you? Inside this battlefield¡­" his burning red eyes lightened up far brighter than before as he spoke again¡­


    "I am a God!"

 Chapter 226 - Undying Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 226 - Undying Enemy</h4>


    The loud noises of the crackling ground, shing weapons and bodies filled the battlefield as a bloodied scene of gore and chewed-off bodies colored the night red. ;


    As soon as the peak master rank variant monsters created by the necromancer subordinate came into the y.. The once seemingly well-organized army of the hydra heads was dibobted in a matter of minutes. ;


    Ceril who was now being attacked by 6 peak grandmaster fighters who were as strong as him prior to the moment where he revealed his real form, now felt like a bunch of tryhards who were barely living up to their reputation. ;


    "Impossible! I don''t believe this! How can he be stronger than all of usbined?" said the elven swordsman who was using all of his highly destructible sword attacks that we normally blow everything to smitten and not even leave a single body part intact. ;


    This was the same case for the rest of the heads of the hydra who were also bombarding the darkness barrier with their respective ss-specific attack skills.


    Huff! Huff! ;


    The demonkin warrior breathed heavily after running out of stamina. ;


    "Arrhhh!!" screamed Tormund, the tengu grandmaster archer whose heart was ripped out by Odin. ;


    Just a minute ago, he was fighting the thrall undead on even terms by using his skills and long-range attacks but as soon as over a hundred unique rank monsters who wereparable to a peak master rank fighter came into the fray andpletely outnumbered him. ;


    The 1200+ trained warriors were now reduced to only 500 surviving members who were already on theirst straw after their fallenrades also became part of the undead army and attacked them instead. ;


    All these people had proper fighting skills and abilities than being just mindless monsters. And after taking out the groups of healers & druids first.. Their losses kept increasing. ;


    Only the peak master rank and beginner grandmasters of the group were barely managing to hold off the enemy while protecting their allies. ;


    But another soul-shuddering scenario happened as all the remaining soldiers lost the will to fight as soon as the Undead Lich cast another ancient magic formation that previously turned the fallen dead soldiers as part of his army... Again! ;


    "We''re dead.. We are all dead!!" shouted one of the soldiers as he threw away his weapon when he saw the magic formation dropping from the sky again. A simr scene urred on the different ends of the battlefield at the same time. ;


    "How is that even possible? He''s just a necromancer at the end. Even the records never said anything about an undead lich being this strong." said the snakekin mage. ;


    Although this undead mage was on the same level as them being a peak grandmaster¡­ he was thoroughly oppressing all six of them. And just now, another one of their group had fallen. ;


    [Keep his body and core intact. I have other uses for him.]manded Ceril to Odin. And then his gazended upon the five enemies in front of him. ;


    "Like I said before, inside this barrier.. I am a God." said Ceril in his grim tone. ;


    "Nonsense! Even a Necromancer can''t be this strong!" shouted the snakekin. ;


    "Yes. But I am a variant. Even my liege doesn''t know this fact about me. ;


    But the more people I kill, the more undeads I have in my army and the higher-ranked soldiers I have as my summons.. The powerful I be with time by using their cores and mana stored inside their bodies as a source to strengthen myself. ;


    And you lot aren''t just my enemies.. But you are all my benefactors who brought these high levels and ranked trained fighters for me. ;


    At this very moment¡­ I am as strong as a Semi-Saint mage. Ha ha ha!"ughed Ceril, his cracklingugh through his skeletal body soundingpletely inhumane. ;


    "Now, let''s end this quickly." he said and for the first time, his target shifted to the grandmasters and all the undead soldiers who were fighting with the normal soldiers quickly changed their targets and started running towards the group of grandmasters. ;


    Boom! Shrill! ;


    One after another, the group was besieged by hundreds of monsters from different sides and the grandmasters were forced to fight as a team and use their most effective abilities to fend off the enemies.


    The space was already locked by the undead lich and the horde of these three thousand monsters and additional soldiers from their side made it nearly impossible to escape. ;


    Violetta, the subus nced at the lich who was just standing behind the darkness barrier which they couldn''t even scratch at this point. His sinister appearance sent shivers under her spine again. ;


    And from behind that barrier, the necromancer was throwing dark magic spells and des at them which were cracking the protection barriers cast by the snakekin mage. ;


    Not just her but all the other heads of hydra understood how terrifying Ceril aka Loki was as an enemy. ;


    This guy got stronger over time, had an extremely huge supply of mana and his spells and skills increased in damage output as the number of the undead soldiers rose. ;


    Although each of them could fight against a thousand enemies at this point.. The problem wasn''t theirck of experience or skills.. But the unending horde of monsters attacking them. ;


    And as soon as the numbers of the undead decreased, the lich would cast another one of those ancient magic formations and raise the fallen bodies to create more undead. ;


    As if reveling and thanking them to kill the monsters, Ceril chuckled as he summoned the Calcium Throne aka the throne made out of bones and skulls. ;


    A 10 meter tall throne made by using thousands bones appeared behind Ceril as he majestically sat and enjoyed the scene in front of him. ;


    What was happening now took a lot of strain on the bodies of six heads and skills as they were depleting their mana and stamina with time. ;


    Crack! Crack! Crack!! ;


    Suddenly, the 100 meter wide protection barrier burst open after the constant bombardment of brute attacks from the enemy forces. ;


    Swoosh! ;


    The horned subus whose assets were jiggling during the fight swoop her epic rank whip and destroyed over a hundred undeads with her powerful lightning element-infused attack. ;


    Now that the protection barrier broke, all of them were forced to a close-range battle. ;


    "I concede! I will serve you as long as you spare me!!" dered the green snakekin mage as he raised both of his hands in the air, to show that he was surrendering to the undead lich. ;


    His mana had run out and unlike others, he wouldn''t survive any longer. ;


    All the other heads who also felt cornered at this moment felt indignant but they had no choice left either. ;


    What''s the use of pride if you''re dead? ;


    "I concede too!" ;


    "I will serve the mighty lich! Please spare us!" ;


    One by one, all the remaining heads surrendered in hopes that they will get to live on. ;


    "Hahaha! Who said I need you alive to serve me?"ughed Ceril sarcastically. ;


    "You''re more useful to me dead than being alive." he said and ordered his army and the new undead warriors to attack the group of grandmasters again. ;


    This time, Odin also jumped into the fray and the sheer pressure and impact it created on the remaining ones also broke their formation. ;


    For the next 2 hours, Ceril thoroughly enjoyed andmented merrily on the struggle out up by the grandmasters. ;


    Their skills and mana were proving useless as time went by and rather than having his undead kill them, he was using the soldiers to tease and exhaust the grandmaster. ;


    And as a member of hydra fell.. He summoned them as his new grandmaster undead and his own strength increased with time. ;


    Just like Jugram who got stronger over time with the more people he killed, Ceril was also a terrifying subordinate himself. ;


    He was a force to be reckoned with because if put against hundred thousand enemies.. The Necromancer subordinate could turn all the enemies as part of his army and even when his undeads fell, he would still get a fresh supply with the enemy soldiers. ;


    He was a walking talking hack who would turn your own forces as his and then use your allies to kill you instead. ;


    Finally when he killed all the heads and made them his undead soldiers.. Ceril felt a huge burst of mana flowing inside his bones. ;


    Other than himself, nobody else knew how he was bing this strong, not even Kahn. ;


    "Thanks to the undead lich my master used to create me.. I can absorb a small portion of mana and energy from all of my subjects. Now I will be able to even kill a semi-saint easily." spoke Ceril in his grim voice. ;


    At this moment, even though he wasn''tparable to a bonafide saint, he was still half as strong as them. ;


    Compared to all the other subordinates of Kahn.. Ceril was only second to Rudra in terms ofbat power & skills. ;


    Even Omega & Jugram had nothing on him despite them being very powerful variants themselves. ;


    Ceril let out a content sigh and looked at the group of 500 soldiers he had left alive after he targeted the grandmasters. ;


    They were all still surrounded by his monsters but there was no fight urring. ;


    And after killing their heads and making them his personal servants, the undead lich was no different than someone who had all of their lives under his palm. ;


    Ceril''s gigantic and mighty lich was now seated on his throne and had the 6 heads of hydra kneeling in front of their master.


    "I demand an apuse!" he ordered and the next second, all the new grandmaster undead warriors shouted in their hoarse and cryptic loud voices¡­ ;


    "ALL HAIL THE UNDEAD KING!!"

 Chapter 227 - New Management

    <h4>Chapter 227 - New Management</h4>


    As the battle between the two sides stopped after a one-sided victory, a gigantic figure of an undead lich was seated on his throne made up of skulls and bones like an Overlord.


    The remaining soldiers of the hydra group were nowpletely surrounded by the nearly 4 thousand undead soldiers.


    Only those at intermediate & master rank managed to survive the onught. But many of them knew that it was because the enemy didn''t attack them with all their numbers but rather kept them busy and toyed with them for some reason.


    Ceril, the Necromancer''s gaze thennded upon this group of remnants who barely had any strength and spirit left to fight back.


    "Those who served as second inmand to the heads of the hydra, walk forth! If you wish to live, that is."manded the undead king.


    His ghastly and tyrannical voice resounded in the battlefield, instantly sending shivers in spines as if it was a decree of an absolute ruler.


    The undead army created a path towards their master and the remaining soldiers were left with no option but to follow thismand.


    Soon, seven figures walked out of this battle formation. 3 of them were intermediate rank grandmasters, were beginner grandmasters while the remaining 2 were peak masters. This group also included Hank, Odin''s most trustworthy subordinate.


    They all walked towards this grand figure of the undead lich while being scared to death. But had no choice lest the enemy leader decided to kill them on the spot. Their lives were now in his hands.


    Ceril on his kingly throne had a solemn expression while being surrounded by the 6 peak grandmaster heads of hydra who stood like his own generals on right and left, three on each side.


    All of their bodies were riddled with visible wounds and they no longer had any form of sentience on their countenance. Their eyes were glowing red just like the undead lich but they stood like his royal guards who would do anything to protect their king.


    The right-hand men finally reached in front of the undead lich and kneeled in servitude to their new master.


    "You should''ve understood why I called you out, right?" asked Ceril in his grim tone.


    The group of people only gave a nod, understanding the reason why they were spared.


    The next second, the necromancer summoned a fist-sized, round-shaped lotus-like object in his hands.


    It was exactly the Blood-oath token he asked for back then when he met Kahn in the training facility.


    And now he was finally going to make use of it as if he already nned all of this ahead of time.


    "I give you a choice. Bind your lives to me and be my loyal subjects who will work for me the rest of their lives or die right here.


    But know this.. You will die just like these people and be part of my army. And even if you die, there won''t be a heaven or hell for you. Your fates will be tied to me for eternity and you will never see the so-called afterlife." dered the undead lich.


    "May I ask¡­ what about the remaining soldiers?" asked a blue tengu species mage.


    "Oh, I have no use for them. The fewer witnesses, the better." replied Ceril as his eyes glimmered bright red.


    "Rawrrr!!"


    The next second, the undead army that was on standby and surrounded the remaining soldiers charged at them. This time, the full force of three thousands of undead monsters and soldiers attacked the remaining forces and just in a matter of minutes.. All the remaining forces were wiped out in a massacre.


    And right in front of these 7 individuals, they too were turned into an army of undeads and skeletal soldiers.


    This even terrified them even more as they too felt like the same fate awaited them should they choose to refuse.


    "We will serve the might Undead King!" shouted Hank who had already seen Loki''s power firsthand too many times.


    After the blood-oath ritual was done, on the terms thatpletely restricted the seven individuals and had no form of rules imposed on Ceril, the undead lich decided to speak again in his domineering tone.


    "From now on, you will handle the respective underground business. You will serve me like your life depends on it. And Hank, you will take Odin''s ce.


    From henceforth, I want an ample supply of strong individuals who died recently. And if they''re not part of any cemeteries you control, I want their details since morgue and burial services will still be used during the process." borated Ceril and gazed at the remaining seven living individuals..


    "Know that all of you are alive as long as I have a use for you. I am neither your leader nor someone who cares whether you live or die. I spared you because it will save me a lot of hassle to control the already established forces andworks of the hydra in this district since you all served directly under these generals of mine.


    If I see that you are failing in your tasks and can''t keep up with the demands.. You know what will happen." he dered.


    "As for the rest of the underground forces.. There will be new leaders who will take charge and rece the previous heads. Those will be people you will report and serve in my absence. Do you understand?" asked Ceril.


    "Yes, my liege." spoke a female subus who once served under Violetta.


    "From now on, the Hydra no longer exists. This organization is under new management." spoke Ceril as he released his full aura of a High Lord and an immeasurably dense pressure filled the 2 kilometers of space under the illusion barrier.


    "And from this day forth, it shall be called.." paused Ceril as all the seven servants froze on the spot after feeling the undead lich''s murderous aura directed at them as their master uttered the new name of their organization that was made of seven crucial forces that controlled the underworld in Rukon district.


    "The Seven Deadly Sins!"

 Chapter 228 - The True Mastermind

    <h4>Chapter 228 - The True Mastermind</h4>


    On the same night after the hostile takeover and cing his new ves in charge of the now gone hydra, Ceril returned to his original human form and entered the bedroom room after the easy peasy battle he had today.


    Today, he also realized his own potential. If anything he learned for sure that if he''s given ten thousand soldiers¡­ he could fight and even take down an army of hundred thousand enemies.


    The only things that restricted him at the moment were his levels and rank which limited his mana pool since summoning the undead took a lot of mana and the requirement grew with the number of undeads he could summon at once.


    Currently, he could only summon a thousand soldiers & monsters in a single. But for the future battles where he needed more numbers, he had to steadily build his resources.


    Heid on his bed despite having no need to eat or sleep, a part of him excited for the uing future.


    "I reckon you''ve seeded."


    Suddenly, a ck shadow emerged from the corner of the room and a tall and handsome man donned in ck epic rank assassin gear appeared in front of the necromancer.


    "Yes, I did. Everything went as we nned." said Ceril to the man with green eyes whose left side of his face was covered in a ck mask.


    It was Ronin, the rogue subordinate.


    "Good. But I still think that Omega & Jugram should''ve been there as a backup." said Ronin with a solemn expression as he folded his arms.


    "I wanted to test my thesis about my own strength. And it was proved to be true after the battle. Nowpared to everyone, I only fall short behind that snake. In an open battle, maybe only Jugram has a chance to tie with me. And that too if I don''t kill him too early." replied Ceril with an upstuck expression.


    Ronin rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    "What''s with you trying to be our master''s most powerful subordinate? You should focus on being more useful instead." he said.


    "Ha! You don''t understand.. Master and I both have a high affinity with dark magic and darkness elements unlike you guys. What I want to do is provide him with a greater source of power in the future." exined Ceril with a content face.


    "You do you. I''ll do it my way. But first, let''s talk it out with others. I''ve already called upon them to meet in the training facility. That bull and the spider are already waiting there." he said and disappeared into the air.


    ----------------


    This whole ordeal started way long time ago before the current event of Ceril fighting and overtaking hydra.


    When Ceril was still dealing with Logan and had been receiving dead bodies from him, Ronin had been tracking him down without even the necromancer noticing.


    He was a true rogue with skills of assassins & thief ss jobs so even Ceril had a hard time sensing him. It wasn''t because he had doubts about the mage trying to betray their master but to make sure that no unnecessary trouble came their way and nothing could be traced to their name or thepany.


    And on the very day when Ceril in his Loki form met Odin.. Ronin asked for an emergency meeting between the generals and Omega.


    15 DAYS AGO.


    A meeting in the open training ground that could hold 200 people fighting at once, stood all the subordinates including ckwall & Oliver who had been practicing their skills here recently.


    "So do you all understand why it must be done? We can''t be negligent anymore. We all have a purpose and a meaning behind our existence.


    Since Master is in his magic training period, we can''t disturb him. This is also a very crucial time for him. So what do you all say?" asked Ronin to his fellow subordinates.


    Omega nodded and spoke, "Yes, I agree. Thest time, we managed to survive against the pressure from the chamber ofmerce only because master is a semi-saint fighter and we had support from those vampire n members. Otherwise, we all would be dead a long time ago."


    A stoic voice followed behind the words, "And we can''t openly kill people either. We are no longer fighting in dungeons and there are hundreds of people who can kill us easily just with their aura alone.


    And relying on anyone''s mercy or their help is not a good thing." spoke Jugram.


    "I second that. I wish I had a human form like you lot. I can''t even appear in public and fight beside master because I''m simply too big." said ckwall in his deep and majestic voice. The guardian knight subordinate had the least of time to shine in battles recently.


    The next moment, Ronin spoke in a serious tone.


    "Let me tell you something¡­ over the month when I was still hiding inside the shadow of that vampire heir, I came to see how big their n is.. How many people they have under theirmand, how many resources and weapons they have.. Their n ancestor didn''t even blink twice beforemanding to kill a 5th stage saint that day.


    I was barely able to keep myself hidden from his eyes. Compared to them¡­


    Even calling ourselves as ants would be an overstatement."


    Gasp!


    "Are you.. Sure?" asked Oliver in his creepy voice.


    To his question, Ronin only nodded.


    Hence, Ronin created a perfect n on how to use Odin, whose background he found out after a few days of information gathering by contacting some intel-gatheringworks and assassination organizations by paying a hefty amount.


    And that was exactly why Ceril paid 10 million extra for the deal he made with the thrall grandmaster.


    They wanted him to put Loki as a priority customer so it would possible for them to get all the other heads of hydra in the same ce together.


    Because one thing they realized after Ronin exined the vastness of the power bnce to them..


    Because of that, the consensus reached a conclusion that they couldn''t just rely on wealth or the reputation of theirpany or noble ns they had partnered with.


    That if they don''t have a force of their own and a vastwork of people and soldiers working for them, any one of the noble ns or factions could easily wipe them out and they won''t even have a chance to struggle.


    And with no other choice, they had to do a hostile takeover and run these underworld mafias and organizations with their own hands.


    Rather than overthrowing hydra, taking over their established empire was the best choice.


    And behind all of this nning & scheming..


    Ronin was the true mastermind.


    He was so cautious that without Ceril even knowing.. He, Omega, Jugram & Oliver were already present at the surrounding area of the battlefield in case Ceril lost and died.


    "It won''t be easy. And I hope all of you will y your part. It''s about time we start¡­" spoke Ronin and took a deep sigh as he continued..


    "Creating an empire for our master."


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    Author : Merry Christmas to everyone reading this. The novel will be on a break till next year.. From 1st January, we will have 3 chapter release per day.

 Chapter 229 - Its A Bird, Its A Plane..

    <h4>Chapter 229 - It''s A Bird, It''s A ne..</h4>


    A new day arrived and all the subordinates gathered again in the morning inside a luxurious and wide tea room inside the manor. All of them dressed in their formal attires, enjoying the aromatic tea served by the maids.


    "So who is going to handle which department?" asked Ronin to his fellow subordinates.


    "Wait.. Shouldn''t we worry about takingmand of all of their businesswork first? Because wouldn''t other Semi-Saints or a Saint try to take over?" asked Ceril in his eerie tone.


    "Not exactly. The reason why I even suggested taking over hydra was because Rukon District is only the 69th most important district in Rathna. And that''s why the strongest people trying to control it are peak grandmasters at best.


    All the stronger forces have their priorities set on the main districts where there are many resources and money to be earned. Also, a big power struggle and the majority of their strongest fighters are required to be present to keep their rule intact.


    To powerful ns and Saint rank individuals, ruling this district won''t even get them pocket money.


    And that is why it''s perfect as a starting point for us." exined Ronin.


    After his exnation, a deep and echoing voice interjected.


    "But that''s still just 5 of us. And the Healer guy can''t even fight let alone rule over a department. He''s not made like us." said Jugram as he gave a look to Armin, the healer among the six generals.


    "Yes, I agree. I''m no help when ites to fighting ormanding people. I''d rather prefer to stay indoors and continue my alchemy practice.


    There are still tons of potions and alchemy recipes I have yet to master and invent." replied Armin in his white and green suit.


    "About that.. I did keep a souvenir from the fight with the hydra heads for our master to use." said Ceril with a light smirk.


    Next, Omega spoke calmly, "Let''s do this then.. Rather than taking one section under us, we gather all of theworks under a single rule.. Like a council overlooking an organization. And then we will assumemand and expand when we all have gotten the hang of it." he suggested.


    "Agreed. It''s not like all of us are well versed in running businesses efficiently. All our knowledgees from master.. But we dock experience when ites to running an underground criminal organization." said Ronin.


    For the next hour, they discussed many things about how to quickly assumemand and safeguard their positions as the new rulers who would control everything that once belonged to the hydra.


    Inside the batcave, Kahn was exercising by lifting heavy weights while limiting his physical strength to that of a master rank person which also pushed his physical limits at the same time.


    After watching his improvements while practicing various magical spells after studying them, he had noticed that rather than using all your strength & mana, limiting them while performing these training sessions actually created a very solid foundation for him and with time, he was seeing drastic improvement; let it be his weapons training or magical studies.


    Tap! Tap!


    "What is it?" asked Kahn in his calm yet regal tone.


    A mage donned in white and purple robes stood in front of him and spoke..


    "Master, I have something you could use." said Ceril and the next second.. A body that came out of his space ring lied on the floor.


    Kahn was taken aback and quickly asked with a surprised expression, "Where did you get this? Who is this guy?"


    Ceril looked at the body of Tormund, the ck tengu peak grandmaster archer who was also one of the heads of the hydra.


    "Someone who came in my way. Rather than making him an undead.. I thought it would be best to give his body to you." replied Ceril with an evil grin.


    "Do not worry Master. There were no witnesses." assured the mage.


    "Fine then." said Kahn and the next second, a three meter tall subordinate who had a skull for the head while 6 long and pointy spider-like legs came out of his back appeared in front of the duo.


    "Oliver.. You ready?" asked Kahn to the Ranger subordinate.


    Currently, Oliver and ckwall were the only Lord Rank subordinates out of the Six Generals. Kahn really didn''t get a chance to find suitable specimens to merge with them who also needed to be peak grandmaster rank beings for these two generals to rank up.


    "Yes.. Master." said Oliver in his stuttering voice. Currently, he was the scariest looking out of all the others since he still retained the traits of the nymph dungeon floor boss Kahn had merged him with.


    "Merge!"manded Kahn as used the divine ability and began the synthesis process.


    After 30 minutes.. A dreary screech filled the underground training facility as a 6 meter tall monstrous creature with nothing but a white skull and torso with spiky bones protruding from the limbs and sixrge feathery wings stood in front of Kahn.


    This was Oliver in his new High Lord form.


    "Looks like he evolved into a new variant species as well." spoke Kahn as he took a good look at Oliver who looked like a horrifying demonic creature that would even give grown-ups many nightmares for months.


    The six ck wings, the blood-red ws and legs and the glowing red horns on his head made Oliver apletely new form of being Kahn hadn''t seen or read about before.


    "System, give me his details." said Kahn.


    [Following are the details of the subordinate named Oliver¡­]


    The system provided the details but as soon as Kahn heard the new variant species Oliver had be.. He was rooted to the spot from the shock.


    "Holy mother of.." said Kahn as soon as he regained his mind.


    "Tell me again.. His species!" ordered Kahn to the system.


    To his order, the system replied in its usual lifeless tone.


    [Species : Horus (Variant Garuda)]


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    Author : Reference Art for Oliver High Lord form given in chapterments.. Check it out.

 Chapter 230 - Soaring In The Sky

    <h4>Chapter 230 - Soaring In The Sky</h4>


    In front of the amalgamation form of Oliver, whose upper body looked like a mixture of a white-colored Xenomorph from the Alien movie franchise with sixrge ck wings, Kahn stood with an awestruck expression.


    After hearing the name of the variant species, he fell short on words about how to describe his amazement.


    Unlike the majority of the ignorant people from earth who knew nothing about outside world cultures, Kahn was someone who liked learning and exploring different aspects of foreign cultures.


    He often read about them in novels and watched references in Animes. And then his curiosity always led him to find authentic sources.


    Although Kahn wasn''t an expert, he knew enough superficial information such asmon knowledge of Asian, Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythological creatures.


    And Horus was one of the very famous Egyptian Gods. But on top of that, he was a variant of the Garuda species. In Asian mythologies, Garuda was also the ruler of the sky and the first primordial bird in many countries as per their cultural lore and beliefs.


    [Could there be a connection to my previous world?] thought Kahn.


    [Is it because I used a peak grandmaster Tengu that he invoked a rare Garuda bloodline?]


    "System, show me all of his stats, abilities & skills again." ordered Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    [Following are the statistics for the subordinate named Oliver :


    Name : Oliver


    Species : Horus (Variant Garuda)


    Job : Emerald Archer (Unique ss)


    Rank : High Lord


    Level : 121


    Strength : 3759


    Agility : 4690


    Dexterity : 4237


    Defense : 2619


    Mana : 2380


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    Following are the Physical skills & abilities :


    Jetstream (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to create air pressure in a 5 meter area to propel himself in the air with high-pressure wind.


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    Garuda Wings (A Rank) (Passive) :


    Gives the subordinate a 200% buff in speed and agility while flying. The maneuver speed during flight increased by 100%.


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    Horus Eye (S Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinates can sense and locate everything in a 2 kilometer radius while flying. All the minute details will be clear and visible to the user.


    Note : Previously gained Heat Sense & Sonar Radar skill by the subordinates have been merged under this skill and the rank has been raised.


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    Sky Lord (SS Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate holds control over the wind element and magic. All the wind elemental attacks and spells can be controlled and negated by the subordinate regardless of the caster being an ally or a foe.


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    Guardian of the Squadron (S Rank) (Passive) :


    All flying allies within 2 kilometer radius of the subordinate will receive 50% increases in speed and maneuverability. Allies capable of flight will receive a 30% increase in attack damage while attacking from the air.


    Note : All of the listed abilities can be upgraded with rise in levels and rank of the subordinate.


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    Following are the Magical skills & abilities :


    Arrowstorm (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to create hundreds of mana arrows and shoot in multiple directions. All the arrows can be individually controlled by the subordinate.


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    Descent of the Sun (S Rank) (Active) :


    Subordinate receives 200% Attack buff and magical skill damage during noontime. The more time under the sun spent by the user, the more increase in attack damage.


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    Stormbreaker (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to control the weather and cause storms, lightning and tornadoes in 2 kilometer radius. The direction & density of the tornadoes can be controlled by the subordinate as per his will.


    Note : All of the listed abilities can be upgraded with rise in levels and rank of the subordinate.


    ----------------


    The system recounted all the new set of skills of the now Emerald Archer subordinate who took a big leap in strength and abilities.


    "Even if I had absorbed that Tengu''s abilities first.. I still wouldn''t have managed to get all these amazing skills. Maybe next time.. " spoke Kahn.


    He knowingly didn''t absorb the abilities as a test because he wanted to see if he didn''t use Ability Absorption divine ability on the specimens before merging, how would that affect the subordinates while ranking up.


    And to his surprise, Oliver ended up invoking a bloodline effect and even achieved a unique ss just like Omega, Armin and Jugram.


    After getting a gist of all the skills.. He knew one thing for sure that¡­


    Kahn currentlycked an air force of his own and with the skills Oliver gained after being merged with the tengu archer, he was definitely worth investing in.


    Jetstream & Garuda Wings ability basically made him a fighter jet when flying. In the future, Oliver had the potential to be like Superman as far as flying was concerned, creating sonic booms during the flight.


    Horus Eye ability was simr like a surveince drone doing a recon from the air. And with Hive Mind skills, Kahn could share the vision with the subordinate and see everything through his eyes while gathering information and looking for someone or something.


    Sky Lord skill made Oliverparable to Kahn who had Sword Battlemaster skill which was alsoparable to a Saint Rank skill. The only difference was that Kahn could control the swords of the enemies while Oliver could control wind elemental spells and attacks.


    Guardian of the Squadron was a perfect skill for a leader of a squadron who provided the entire troop with buff skills just like Jugram & ckwall. The former gave attack damage buff to allies while thetter gave health and defense buffs to the team.


    Arrowstorm was just like Kahn''s Sword King skill which wasparable to a Saint Rank skill just with the arrows in Oliver''s case.


    Descent of the Sun skill made Oliver even a bigger threat in an open battle when they fought enemy forces during the daytime. And the more time he spent fighting under a bright sun, the deadlier he would be. Simr to Ceril, Omega & Jugram who got stronger with time with the number of enemies they killed in an open battle.


    And then there was the Stormbreaker skill¡­


    Oliver was Kahn''s version of Storm from X-men who could also control weather at her own will. The only difference was Oliver''s range was currently limited because of his levels and rank.


    Luckily, he used Bow & Arrows and not an axe.. Otherwise, he would demand ''Bring me Thanos!'' with that skill name alone.


    Kahn was now content with the upgrade his ranger subordinate received after the synthesis.


    "Take a human form." hemanded to Oliver.


    A minuteter, a mature and charming-looking man with hair parted from the middle that covered both sides of his face with luscious locks stood in front of Kahn. His height, build and appearance matching to his master.


    But the most notable aspect was the two ck wings on his back that made him look like a mixblood hybrid between human and tengu species.


    Kahn took out an epic rank gear for the archer and handed it to the subordinate as well as the epic rank bow used by Tormund, the peak grandmaster archer.


    Kahn looked at the now dressed subordinate who gave an aura of a honed hunter.


    "Thank you, Master." spoke Oliver. His eerie and soul-shivering voice had turned into a pleasing and soft tone, contradicting his original appearance.


    "Alright. Time for you toe out of hiding and get to work like others. There are no free meals. So you better prove your worth from now on." spoke Kahn.


    "Yes, Master. I shall do so. It''s also about time for me to¡­" spoke Oliver as he at his broad ck wings and continued..


    "Soar in the sky."


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    Author : Reference Art for Oliver in Human form given in chapterments.. Check it out.

 Chapter 231 - The Sins

    <h4>Chapter 231 - The Sins</h4>


    TWO MONTHS LATER


    In a big three-story building surrounded by bustling city life, a meeting was held inside arge hall filled with fifty people and 20 guards.


    At the end of this hall, were seven thrones and except for thest one on the far right end, six peak grandmaster personas were sitting on these thrones while exuding bits of their kingly and regal aura.


    A mage donned in ck robes, a three meter tall silver werewolf, a golden-haired halfbreed tengu with two ck wings, a four meter tall giant redhead man, a frail-looking gray haired human, a long green haired man had taken up their seats on these six thrones.


    In front of them were two long tables where 20 people sat on each side, all of them dressed in warrior gears and mage outfits.


    A middle-aged dwarf dressed in noble attire knelt on one knee as he spoke to the six people upying the thrones.


    "We have finally taken over all the other organizations that opposed us after your lordships assumed themand.


    Thanks to the might of the Sins, no peak grandmaster who can oppose us or tried to take over our businesses andworks is alive."


    His humble tone received only praise from all the attendees who came to the meeting.


    The next moment, the silver werewolf whose head was of a wolf with an upper body full ripped and bulging muscles along with legs of a normal human stood up, speaking in a domineering voice.


    "Then tell me our total strength and the profits we''ve gained over the past two months. I want the detailed information and how we can expand over." ordered the silver werewolf.


    "Lord Raiden, currently we have two hundred and eighty thousand people working for us if webine all the different sections and organizations that work for us.


    And after tallying the numbers, expenses and emergency funds we need from the previous two months. The current profits are 13 billion gold coins altogether." replied the dwarf in a respectful tone.


    Gasp! Shock!


    Multiple gasps full of surprise came from the people belonging to various species in therge hall. None of them were able to believe the amount of money they heard just now.


    "Good enough. Still, it''s only enough to beparable to a prestigious noble n. We won''t hold off if a true superpower decides to meddle in or tries to oppress us in the future.


    We need security measures.. Especially against Semi-Saints and Saints." spoke Raiden.


    Suddenly, one of the upants of thrones spoke in a calm demeanor.


    "Raiden, killing a saint is currently beyond our abilities. Even the 2 warships we''ve acquired recently can not kill a saint. But it should be enough to kill a semi-saint easily." spoke the green-haired man dressed in ck assassin clothes.


    "Scorpion.. It''s exactly our ignorance that dooms us in the end. You can never be too careful." replied the wolfkin whose bright red eyes and long ws were visible to see for everyone present in the meeting.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Raiden in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    "My my¡­ why are you guys getting worked up for? It''s not like we don''t have a semi-saint of our own. It won''t take our lord even six months to be a saint. So take things easy, will ya?" spoke the blonde tengu who was a hybrid between humans and tengu species.


    Silence.. The entire hall went silent.


    After having their eyes wide open with another shock, the members sitting on the chairs, who were part of the line ofmand, started whispering amongst themselves.


    The dwarf who was shivering & having goosebumps on his body shifted his gaze to the silver-haired mage donned in the ck robes.


    "Lo.. Lord Loki, is this true? Is Lord Icarus speaking truth?" asked the dwarf in utter disbelief.


    The building where this meeting was being held was the current headquarters of the Seven Deadly Sins. And the people sitting on these thrones were none other than Omega and the Six Generals in their alter egos as the leaders of this underworld organization.


    Except for ckwall, everyone had assumedmand of this organization and had been running different sectors under their lead.


    Ever since they took over hydra and united all the separate organizations under one banner, they had plenty of their fair share of others trying to kill them or overtake their positions. And many people including peak grandmasters were no exceptions.


    Many leaders and forces of the opposition organizations who were in a power struggle came after the Seven Deadly Sins and tried to decimate it to the ground so they could rule over the power hydra once held in Rukon District.


    But none of them in their wildest dreams had an idea that unlike Hydra, the Seven Deadly Sins actually had a line of peak grandmasters working together while sharing the same goal.


    In the past month alone, the Sins had killed off 13 peak grandmasters fighters from the enemy side and took their bodies as trophies while only sending their heads back to their organization.


    The only mercy they showed to these forces was that they gave them one final chance to surrender and join their organization in servitude. And all those who refused or tried to revolt were massacred in a bloodbath.


    The sins killed more than 30 thousand people in the past 2 months who opposed their rule. And amongst this group.. Two monsters were feared by everyone the most.


    One being none other than Loki who never spared a single life or gave them a painless death. While the other one was Dante, who was the alter ego of Jugram, the Berserker subordinate amongst the general. Dante was nicknamed as the Sin of Wrath.


    This man alone killed an entire army of two thousand enemies in a single night. And when the battlefield was cleared.. Only the charred and torn bodies were left as if all of them were killed by a demon who came straight from hell.


    No one ever found how these two did it but by looking at the aftermath¡­ nobody dares to question their strength.


    Raiden, the alter ego of Omega, was already nicknamed as the White Yaksha by the enemies. Given how fast he was on the battlefield and how his katana, a type of sword none of them ever heard of, swiftly cut all of the enemies in two with a single sh.


    All they ever saw was a white sh passing through before their ultimate demise.


    And Scorpion, the alter ego of Ronin was something nobody ever wanted to fight in a head-on battle. Because every time this assassin fought, a dense white fog filled the battlefield and all the onlookers ever heard was the pitiful and pleading screams of the enemies as if they were scared to death before actually falling to his daggers.


    Icarus, the alter ego of Oliver, was someone who had shown everyone how dangerous a flying enemy can be. Because he once burned down the headquarters of an enemy force by attacking from the sky while beingpletely untouched by their arrows and magic cannons.


    The Sins had caused terror between all the criminal organizations and underworld rackets in just two months alone. And soon, the Seven Deadly Sins rose to a level of power and authority that even the hydra in its decades of history never achieved.


    Every single one of these peak grandmasters was many times stronger than others of the same levels and ranks.


    "Yes. If you''re lucky, you will meet our Master.. Lord Zeus." replied Loki in an ted tone.


    At this very moment inside the Wayne Manor, a young man who waspletely in a trance while controlling 4 different elemental spells at the same time released a burst of red & ck aura that shook the entire room.


    His face turned joyful as soon as he heard a notification in his head.


    [Congrattions to the host for breaking through to Intermediate Rank Magician!]


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    [[Author : Sorry for not being able to write or update any chapters recently. My life has been very hectic and full of things I had to handle. Job interviews, projects and internship stuff have been taking all of my attention so I didn''t get much time to be in a proper mindset and write new chapters. The way things are going, I won''t be able to update much in December but I''ll definitely upload 3 chapters per day starting January.. So I hope you guys can forgive me just this time and I appreciate many still supporting the novel despite theck of updates this month.]]

 Chapter 232 - Taking Command

    <h4>Chapter 232 - Taking Command</h4>


    When the morning arose, a man donned in violet aristocratic clothes was enjoying his aromatic tea while basking in the gentle sun rays while sitting in an open balcony of an enormous manor.


    Beside him, sat an old man with a white beard, reading the newspaper as he took small sips of the tea in between.


    "Not going to train today?" asked Albestros as he turned a page and continued reading.


    "I feel like I should take a day off. I haven''t been very active with ourpany''s work so I think it''s about time I went to overlook how things have been going in my absence." replied Kahn.


    Albestros then looked at the young man again with a curious gaze and asked in a soft tone.


    "Something feels different about you. It''s like the aura around you seems more refined and on a different level. It''s the quality of mana in you that has undergone some kind of transformation." spoke the grandmaster cksmith.


    "Haha, I see. So even you, who has only a decent understanding of magic can feel the difference. I wonder what would happen if there was a mage to be around?" chuckled Kahn.


    The next second, three sets of footsteps were heard as 3 individuals walked up the stairs and entered the balcony.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn to the new additions.


    The three individuals were none other than Omega, Ronin & Ceril.


    "My Lord, we wanted to discuss something with you." said Omega.


    "Then speak." he said.


    "I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to say it here in front of sir Albestros." spoke Ronin in a benign tone.


    "No worries. He''s one of us already." said Kahn with a gentle smile.


    "My Liege, there''s something we have been doing in the past two months without your knowledge. We did not wish to disturb your training or burden you in any way, so we chose to withhold this information from you." said Ceril in a stern voice.


    "Speak already. I don''t have an entire day." said Kahn in an irritated tone.


    For the next half an hour, the three subordinates started telling Kahn about how they used hidden identities and overthrew an underworld organization while killing their rulers and taking over their established empire, businesses andwork.


    And how they have been fighting and killing those who opposed them, including leaders of the opposition who tried toe in their way such as peak grandmasters.


    Both Kahn and Albestros had their jaws dropped on the ground.


    "YOU. DID. WHAT?!!"


    His tone changed to that of anger and his countenance became that of an annoyed man.


    "Why would you take such a big risk? What if there was some bigger force backing them? Even a first rank saint could wipe you all out!" reprimanded Kahn.


    His gaze thennded on Ceril, ring at him with a deathly stare.


    "Is that why you asked me for the blood-oath token that day? I thought you only wanted to kill a couple of grandmasters but this.. This is way too insane!" shouted Kahn at the Necromancer subordinate who was hiding behind Omega, avoiding direct eye contact.


    "My Lord, we took all the necessary measures to ensure that it would not be tracked to you or thepany. You too understand how important it was given our current situation.


    Even some no-name n can wipe us out in a few hours given our current situation. This was a necessary risk we had to take for setting our foot in the capital.


    Now, we''re not at least some nobodies who can be easily messed with." exined Ronin.


    After another long discussion, Kahn finally cooled off his head and threw his hands in the air as a form of surrender.


    "Fine. Although the risk was too big.. It was indeed necessary. We can''t rely on our allied noble ns when things got worse anyway. If someone powerful targeted us.. Even these ns will avert their eyes in a different direction.


    In the end.. The one we can rely on is ourselves." he said with a long sigh.


    Even Albestros agreed to their approach because he too had seen the disadvantagesst time when they were targeted by the Chamber of Commerce and the first rank saint mage from the Vandereich n.


    After everything was exined, Kahn decided to return to his position as the chairman of the Bloodbornepany.


    After breaking through to Intermediate Rank Magician, something inside Kahn has changed for the better.


    He now had a sense of inkling with mana, three times clearer than before. Unlike the past when he could sense the mana in the surrounding only by bing a semi-saint rank swordsman¡­ he could now feel the mana present in nature and felt an innate connection that allowed him to utilize it on his will.


    After two months of strong training regime in various weapons and magic spells, his weapon mastery in spears, halberds,nces, whips, shields and archery had risen to peak master rank by practicing manybat techniques. He was already at grandmaster rank in swordsmanship, daggers and battleaxe so there was no need to worry about these three sectors for now.


    And by eating SS Rank cores and mana ores on a daily basis, Kahn rose by 12 levels and he was now level 150. Along with the rise in rank as a magician, his effectiveness range increased to 20 meters from where he could harness the mana in the surroundings. And the total damage output of his magical skills and spells also rose by 30%.


    When the evening finally came, Ronin told Kahn about how they kept bodies and cores of all the grandmasters they killed in the past two months.


    And after all the subordinates gathered in the underground training facility, Kahn started absorbing their skills and then began merging these specimens with the subordinates.


    In his case, neither their skills nor eating their cores could help him level up at a fast pace or improve his rank, so he decided to use all the bodies to help his subordinates as all of them could directly level up and get more skills after the synthesis procedure.


    But even now, there were no suitable specimens for ckwall & Armin this time either. And forcefully merging them with an unsuitable specimen would only adversely affect their sses and the future potential so Kahn had no choice but to leave the Guardian Knight & The Pathfinder ss subordinates as it is.


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    When midnight finally came, a grand wee ceremony was held in the main headquarters of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    That night, in their main hall, the six subordinates were sitting on their Thrones and above them, was a higher tform where a middle-aged man d in ck light armor and an epic rank bow on the side of his own throne sat with a solemn look in his eyes.


    His grey hair on the side of his head and the long beard that had multiple grey strands were visible to see to everyone present in this celebration.


    Hundreds of high rank warriors & mages who worked as the chain ofmand in this organization raised their sses full of wine and alcohol collectively as they shouted together in a zealous tone.


    "We pledge our loyalty to Lord Zeus!!"


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    [[ Author : Reference Art for Wayne Manor in chapterments.. Check it out.]]

 Chapter 233 - Pledging Loyalty

    <h4>Chapter 233 - Pledging Loyalty</h4>


    ONE HOUR AGO


    In the three-story building which looked like a normal businesspany''s headquarters in a busy street, where no one would attach too much importance to it, a meeting between the elite powers of the underworld was held.


    This was the main office of a constructionpany in name but in reality, it was actually the true headquarter of the biggest criminalwork in the entire Rukon District which spanned for 200 kilometers.


    "Do you know the Lords have summoned us tonight?" asked a centaur dressed in violet armor.


    "No idea. But since all the managers from each branch city have been summoned together, it''s definitely something important." replied an elven mage.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Two lines of soldiers in ck and red armors, geared with spears and swords took created a pathway among the crowd.


    Everyone present in the main hall bowed in respect towards the six individuals who walked at a steady pace towards the end of the hall.


    These were the Sins who held themand of this organization.


    Even now, no one knew anything about the Seventh Sin but nobody dared to ask because there was always a throne vacant for that person and all of these people who previously served Hydra could only assume that thest one didn''t wish to reveal themselves yet.


    As soon as all Omega & the five generals stood in front of their respective thrones, Ceril in his Loki form cast a spell and ced the six thrones on both sides of the room, dividing them into a group of three. And the next minute, he summoned another giant golden throne carved with dragon heads on the armrests as he ced it where their seats were previously located.


    All the members in the gathering were surprised but no one dared to utter a word.


    Omega in his Raiden form walked forth and spoke in a loud and stoic tone as his gaze shifted to all of the members who now served them.


    "Tonight, we summoned all of you for a very important reason.


    This night, we wish to let you all meet the real ruler of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    All kneel in front of our master¡­ our lord.. Lord Zeus!!" dered Omega vehemently and all the sins in their respective forms knelt on a knee.


    Without daring to question anything, all the top members of the organization gathered here kneeled in the direction of the pathway created by the soldiers who were also kneeling on the ground.


    BOOM!!


    An insurmountable and highly oppressive aura that was filled with absolute dominance and tyrannynded on their bodies.


    Even the tall and giant botir race individuals present in the hall felt their exoskeleton armors that were the extension of their own body parts cracking under this pressure.


    This was the species with the highest physical defense in the whole empire but even they were having a hard time keeping their consciousness intact under this dense ck and red aura that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    Step! Step! Step!


    In the middle of the pathway, a middle-aged man donned in a ck epic rank gear set for archers walked with his arms folded behind his back.. Like an Emperor appearing in the main council hall.


    No one, including the Sins dared to lift their heads as the man walked towards the golden throne at a slow pace. Some of the members were already sweating heavily under this oppressive force which made them feel like a mountain was ced on their shoulders.


    The middle-aged man took a seat at the golden throne and ced his right legs on the left knee, his back against the soft red cushion and the right elbow supporting his weight.


    His right palm ced under the chin while he gazed at all the kneeling members in the hall.


    These were the top dogs of the underworld, all of who were the main figureheads of their respective organizations and ruled a city in this district like kings while having thousands of people at their beck and call. But now, all of them were kneeling in front of this one man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    Although they had previously heard about Zeus, no one had actually believed the rumors of a semi-saint rank individual actually being the main figurehead of the seven deadly sins which had seven peak grandmasters as the main leaders already.


    "You may all stand up!" spoke Zeus in hispelling tone that sent chills to everyone kneeling in front of the semi-saint.


    All the mages present in the crowd who had a high affinity with mana had their eyes wide open after they finally managed to sense his strength.


    "Semi-Saint.. No, he''s already close to breaking that threshold and bing a true Saint!" spoke an intermediate grandmaster mage woman present in the crowd withplete disbelief in her eyes.


    The words she bbered subconsciouslynded on everyone''s ears and the whole crowd went silent again.


    To them, their leaders were the peak of the mountain as far as the strength levels in this district were concerned. But now.. The prideful man in front of them was already a league above. And not just that.. He was close to entering the legendary Saint Rank realm of power they had only heard about in their entire lives.


    At this moment, since the hero of darkness title was active, his aura was 3 times stronger than usual on top of already being very ferocious. So all the mages in the room felt the aura asparable to someone who was about to enter the saint rank.


    This sudden revtion fortified the beliefs of all the powerhouses in this organization that Zeus was indeed their true boss and the one they served was a truly powerful being.


    "Tell me everything about how things were handled in my absence."manded Zeus to the normal members present in the hall.


    For the next one hour, many people revealed that the Sins killed off enemies in their headquarters with perfect nning, leaving no room for escape and without causing too much attention.


    And how traces of the skirmishes were taken care of without anything tracking back to them.


    Ceril also told Kahn telepathically that he took care of the dead bodies and turned them into his underlings.


    Roninter exined how they nned and ambushed the grandmaster opponents by two or three of them attacking together and finishing them off very quickly.


    Kahn approves of their method because that way, their victory was always assured.


    After everyone was done with their exnations, Zeus spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "I know the means that were used to make you all disband your previous bosses and organizations and forcefully work under us. And I also know that many of you still resent us for it.


    The blood-oath token can only make you our ves but cannot buy your loyalty." spoke Zeus in his deep and kingly tone.


    "But do know that if you keep serving me and the Seven Deadly Sins with yourplete loyalty; to make our organization reach bigger heights¡­


    I assure you that every single one of you will see riches and power 10 times more than what you currently wield. And the feeling of envement you currently have will feel like a blessing at that time.


    So tell me¡­ do you want to just stop at this small district or do you want to work your way up and rule like you own this goddamn capital?!


    Tell me!!"manded Zeus in a tyrannical tone.


    To power-hungry scums like them who would sell their family for power and authority.. The words spoken by Zeus sounded like a divine symphony. This man already gave them a glimpse of a future where they were one of the biggest powers.


    He actually had the strength to back his ims for the future and everyone present in the hall already felt that potential in their bones.


    Since there was no end to greed, all of them shouted collectively in a zealous tone.


    "We pledge our loyalty to Lord Zeus!!"

 Chapter 234 - The Sudden Meeting

    <h4>Chapter 234 - The Sudden Meeting</h4>


    When all the members serving seven deadly sins finally came to terms with their predicament and decided to follow Zeus and his ims for the future, the celebration continued for the whole night.


    Not everyone had believed his ims and still had misgivings left in their hearts but no one could do anything as all of them were already marked as ves after the blood-oath token ritual and they could no longer try to exact any form of revenge.


    Even plotting against Zeus & the Sins would mean their inevitable death, so all they could do was nod their heads and pretend that they believed his words.


    Even Kahn knew that actions spoke louder than words so he knew that it will take some time until his ims became reality.


    Zeus then exined his ns to expand theirworks and even get other underworld organizations such as battle arenas where a betting system was allowed and assassins organizations under their control.


    The one rule he set up for all the branches of their organization was no one apart from the target was allowed to be killed. Especially not innocent children. This was the only kindness he could offer after assuming themand.


    He hade to terms with dirtying his hands after the events that happened 3 months ago. And knowing that anybody with enough strength could kill him with a flick of their finger, he had no choice but to adapt and also discard the moral code that had shackled him from time to time.


    Kahn was willing to be the bad guy if it meant his survival, gaining power and authority. Just that he had a bottom line he won''t cross for now. And that way¡­ the old Kahn who came to the world of Vantrea nearly 9 months ago was no more.


    ----------------


    At the time of noon the next day, Kahn traveled using a flying ship to a district named Konoha that was situated 500 kilometers away from his ce and was now seated in a five-star hotel which also facilitated the private and secure meetings.


    Omega in his human form had escorted him like a bodyguard and in front of them, sat a pair of vampires with long silver hair.


    "What is it? You said it was urgent." asked Kahn to a young vampire on the other side of the table.


    Behind this young man, was a female swordswoman standing like a guard.


    This was none other than Szayel and Vivian.


    This morning, when the bright and sunny day arrived, Kahn suddenly received a message from Szayel via the jade medallion. It had been more than two months since hest spoke with the vampire heir.


    But the conversation took a different turn when all Szayel told him was toe for a secret meeting no matter what. And his tone had already worried Kahn because Szayel wasn''t the kind to rush things if they weren''t important.


    "Brother Kahn¡­ I have to tell you something important. It''s something that will be announced to the public of the whole empire by next week but I''m giving you a heads up." replied Szayel.


    "What is so important that got you riled up?" asked Kahn curiously as he sipped the fragrant tea in his hands.


    "It''s the Emperor''s Chosen tournament." spoke Szayel with a somber expression as he folded his hands together.


    "The what?!" asked Kahn and ced the teacup on the table. His curiosity piqued as soon as he heard the word ''Emperor''.


    "Don''t tell me, you don''t about the Emperor''s Chosen Competition?" asked Szayel.


    "Hmph! What could a country bumpkin like him know." scoffed Vivian in a prideful tone.


    Shing!


    However, the very next second, a curved de was ced on her neck and the figure of a man with red eyes and ashen hair who was dressed in a white suit appeared behind her.


    BOOM!!


    A silver aura filled with bloodlust spread in the room as the man finally spoke in a grim tone.


    "Dare to talk about my lord like that again and my de won''t stop next time." warned Omega who previously stood behind Kahn.


    "Aish¡­ Why do you keep bringing this bitch to our meetings? Even now she hasn''t changed her behavior a bit. And I don''t have too much patience these days." said Kahn as he gave a deathly re to Vivian who was already rooted on the spot, unable to move under Omega''s bloodlust skill that could put every enemy in 300 meters radius into a fearful state.


    "Ah.. My bad. Don''t mind her. I''ll be careful not to bring her next time." said Szayel as he gave a helpless expression.


    "I guess you don''t know since you''re not that old enough. It''s apetition that''s held once every fifty years in the empire. And the one who started this tradition was the first emperor himself." exined the vampire heir.


    "And what does that have to do with me? I don''t have time to y some children''s games. Besides, isn''t the imperial rule gone a hundred years ago? So why is the tradition created by the first emperor is still allowed to exist?" Kahn spoke with a bored expression,pletely unfazed with this sudden exnation.


    "Ah.. The ignorance.." said Szayel as he facepalmed himself.


    "It''s not a children''s game. But the most prestigiouspetition in the empire which is used to determine the new generation of leaders who will make a significant impact on the fate of the empire. And the winner gets the biggest reward one could ever ask for." borated the vampire heir with excited eyes.


    "Anyone as long as they''re a citizen of this empire can participate in thispetition. And if I remember correctly,st time when the tournament was held, over 80 million people took part in it. The only restriction is that the participants must be under the age of 30 regardless of their origin or species."


    "Oh, that big huh.. So what''s the prize?" asked Kahn after hearing the information.


    Szayel on the other hand gave him a greedy and smug expression as he spoke in a hushed tone.


    As soon as Kahn & Omega heard the reward for the winner.. Both of them were petrified and had their eyes wide open.


    Kahn quickly banged his hand on the table and replied excitedly...


    "You son of a bitch. I''m in!!"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Art for Flying ships in Rakos Empire given in chapterments.. Check it out.]]

 Chapter 235 - The Emperors Chosen

    <h4>Chapter 235 - The Emperor''s Chosen</h4>


    The meeting carried on in a room protected by various istion barriers that prohibited the sound and anything happening during the meeting leaving outside.


    Szayel was still exining how the wholepetition came to be and why it was deemed as the most honorable and prestigiouspetition in the history of the empire from the past millennia.


    The Emperor''s Chosen... Apetition held once in 50 years. Set by the first emperor, Rathnaar The Conqueror.


    After forming the empire, the first emperor started thispetition once every 50 years to encourage and find truly talented individuals amongst the younger generation. Anyone with enough talent in fighting regardless of their rank, species, levels and origins had a fair chance topete in thispetition.


    And the true prize was so attractive to everyone that even the most powerful noble ns would drool after thinking about it. And naturally, it overtook the entire empire by storm.


    The only restriction set by the first emperor was that only people under the age of 30 were allowed to partake in thispetition and there was no need for a powerful & influential background.


    But as the centuries passed and the first emperor died, it became a power game for the noble ns and the general popce became sure of one thing...


    That no matter how talented one was.. The one to win thispetition would always be someone amongst the noble ns and factions who had their young generation trained since the age of five and numerous resources provided so they could rank up and increase their levels before crossing the age of 30.


    And that was exactly why all the noble ns and factions prioritized training their heirs and potential leaders. Not only for strengthening their respective ns but to find a hidden gem who could potentially win thispetition.


    And the main reason being the mind-blowing reward that the first emperor set for every winner.


    Under the Imperial decree.. The winner of thispetition would get the most alluring reward that hundreds of powerful noble ns could only dream of. And the reward was..


    A FIEFDOM!


    A section of the empire that the winner could choose and then rule for the next 20 years as their own regardless of their experience in ruling and. The imperial family would even aid the winner in running and learning about how to rule and prosper the fiefdom.


    This was an irond decree which was also followed by the sessors of the emperor because not only it helped them maintain an image of kind rulers who offered everyone a chance of rising in ranks and changing their fates but also control the powerful noble ns and factions who would choose to side with them in order to win thepetition or bing close to the imperial family.


    But even after throwing away the imperial rule a hundred years ago in the Great War, this tournament was still kept by the newly formed government. Naturally, they should''ve abolished this tradition but at the end of the day, the various government sectors themselves were run and controlled by these noble ns and factions.


    And hence, the top powerful forces would still get a chance to gain a newnd every 50 years, providing them a legit and unquestionable reason to rule and and use its resources and money to build their own strength.


    But as things stood, everyone knew how only the noble n representatives such as their chosen heirs or the genius individuals who are the strongest of their generation will always get the prize like the previouspetitions.


    So to the normal poption, it was more like entertainment and nobody actually believed that one day, amoner like themselves woulde to be the chosen champion.


    Still, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them and also thispetition helped many people go from a beggar to a tycoon whenever it was held.


    And the main reason was something everyone living in this empire had the ess to. And that was..


    The Betting System.


    Betting was legally allowed in thispetition and many people rose in wealth while many lost their entire life''s fortune during thispetition. The notion ofdy luck turning a person''s fate was indeed applicable in thispetition so everyone weed it with open arms.


    ----------------


    After Szayel exined everything to Kahn, who qualified to participate in thispetition, the two of them had a thoughtful conversation.


    "Father said that this is an opportunity for you to not only rise in fame, you also will get recognized in the entire empire for the decades toe.


    Many influential figures of the three factions including some of the saints once participated and are still renowned.


    Even we had some of our ancestors win thepetition in the past and now you know how strong our n has be thanks to them.


    So he told me to specifically contact you and give you this¡­" borated Szayel and took out a golden tablet with an emblem of two swords and a shield in the center.


    This was the emblem of the Vandereich n to be precise.


    "What''s this?" asked Kahn.


    "This is a Token of Rmendation. This was a rule applied from the previouspetition.


    It allows you to skip the basic and normal city level qualifying rounds and directly fight in the district level qualifiers throughout the empire.


    So in other words, instead ofpeting from round to round like 80 million people, you will start fighting right from the matches made for the top 10 thousand people. Trust me, it will save you tons of hassle." said Szayel as he handed the rmendation token.


    "Thanks. I appreciate the help." said Kahn and put the token in his space ring.


    ----------------


    When Kahn returned to his manor in the evening, he sat on a sofa in his bedroom while holding the rmendation token in his palm.


    "My Lord.. Are you sure? Wouldn''t participating in thispetition create unnecessary risks and enemies for us?" asked Omega who stood like a guard on the side.


    "I only said that in front of Szayel to not raise suspicion. But I think there''s more to all of this. Thispetition.. This token¡­


    Something is definitely going on behind the curtains." replied Kahn in a calm demeanor.


    The next second, his eyes turned resolute and a cautious expression appeared on his face as he spoke in a solemn voice...


    "Fool me once, shame on you.. Fool me twice, shame on me."

 Chapter 236 - The Representatives

    <h4>Chapter 236 - The Representatives</h4>


    The following day after Kahn met with Szayel, in one of the central cities of the capital Rathna, a grand meeting was being held inside a ginormous castle.


    In reality, this entire settlement that was as big as a city, had millions of people with thousands of houses and businesses was actually the main headquarters of the Neutral Faction.


    The headquarters of one of the three most powerful factions in the Rakos Empire was 5 times bigger than the headquarters of the Vandereich n that Kahn visited a long time ago. And at the central region, the titanic white castle that was surrounded by legions of soldiers and defensive weaponry held some of the most important figures of the empire.


    Inside this castle, over a thousand people ranging from different sizes, races and species sat on different tforms. Each of these figures wore luxurious and noble attires while plenty of them excluded the aura of a powerful being.


    In the grand meeting hall, an old but long and white-bearded tigerkin was sitting on a throne at the end of his long hall. The aura that leaked from his being was kept at minimal but even so, anyone who even looked at this three-meter tall orange tigerkin could instantly gauge the strength of this almighty being.


    A 7th stage saint!


    This tigerkin warrior was indeed of the three strongest people in the entire empire. And also the leader of Neutral Faction.


    A tall and firm bearkin knight inpletely red knight armor who himself was a 5th stage saint himself spoke in a loud tone.


    "In the presence of faction leader Stalin, Imence this meeting!" spoke the Bearkin knight and took a seat on a throne of his own on the right side, sitting amongst the other 30 saints who were divided into the group of two, all of whom were some of the most influential people in the empire.


    The old but still in incredible physical shape tigerkin finally spoke in a domineering tone, his voice resounding in the entire hall where thousands of people sat on multiple levels of tforms on both sides...


    "The reason why I have called all of you here today so urgently is to ry key information to everyone. An opportunity that affects our entire faction''s future for the next generations toe.


    As some of you might have heard of it already... The date for the Emperor''s Chosen thates after every 50 years has been finalized." exined the leader.


    The entire crowd went into a heated discussion as soon the faction leader, who was no weaker than Szayel''s grandfather ryed this information.


    After a minute, he spoke again with resolute eyes as he addressed all the top n leaders and members of the faction.


    "As you already know.. We have only two candidates who managed to reach the rank of a semi-saint under the age of 30, fitting the requirements and qualifications to be our representatives andpete in thispetition.


    This is an opportunity for us to gain new territory which can help our entire faction prosper for decades toe. And once our rule is solidified, we will naturally gain full control of that region as per the rules set by the imperial family of the past.


    No one from the government regardless of which sector or faction they are from can object as per the previous arrangements.


    Last time, it was the Demi-Human Faction who won thepetition 50 years ago and now there are only two suitable regions left for us to seize.


    Either of which can bring enormous and unimaginable wealth given their location and resources. And hence, I have chosen the most capable of the younger generation to represent us.


    I want all of you to wholeheartedly wee our two champions!"manded Stalin and pped his hands.


    The next second, the giant entrance door to this hall was opened with a creak and a troop of soldiers d in ck and golden armor with spears marched inside the hall.


    Their loud thuds filled the surrounding area as all the members present looked at the middle of this formation where two humanoid figures walked in sync.


    When these two figures finally came close to the throne of the faction leader dressed in regal clothes, both of them knelt in respect in front of the tigerkin who had a pleased expression on his face.


    One of the figures was a long ck-haired and blue-eyed young woman dressed in a pitch-ck sorceress attire while the other was a silver-haired young woman of the same age, donned in silver and red armor who had two red hornsing out of her head. One of them was long while the other was short, indicating that she was a halfbreed demonkin.


    Both of these young women were of the same age as Kahn.


    "Kassandra of the Mikaelson n, also renowned as the Raven Sorceress.


    Celine of the Armitage n, praised as the Dual Sword Saintess.


    Both of you are the most talented geniuses of the Neutral Faction. Your talent in your respective sses exceeds many of us when we were of your age. And thus, I have decided to entrust both of you with the future of our faction and represent us in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    Do any of you have any objections or misgivings?" spoke Stalin.


    "No, lord faction leader." spoke both the young women in unison. Their pleasant voices chimed in the hall while showingpliance to all the authority figures.


    "Good. Thepetition will start exactly after one month from today, so in the meantime; both of you will be trained by the mighty saints of our faction.


    Not only by those who specify in your relevant sses but the others of different sses to help you gain more battle experience against different types of enemies. Do you understand?" spoke Stalin in a kind tone.


    "We understand." again, both the young women replied together.


    "I expect great things from both of you." said the tigerkin leader but his countenance turned serious the next second as he gazed at the other saints and the thousand members of the faction.


    "And there''s another important announcement I have to make here.


    Should either Kassandra or Celine win thepetition and ultimately pave the road for the bright future of the faction.."


    Said the faction leader and stopped his words... He took a deep breath and continued his words in a kingly voice that sent the entire hall into chaos...


    "The winner shall be my sessor!"

 Chapter 237 - The Necessity

    <h4>Chapter 237 - The Necessity</h4>


    After the sudden announcement by the kind-looking faction leader, all the members, let it be saints, normal n leaders or the two women in question werepletely baffled.


    The faction leader''s words caught everyone present in this grandiose meeting hall that sized over a kilometer in length by surprise.


    Nevertheless, as one would expect, the entire hall went into disarray and many people, including the saints who sat on their respective thrones, started shouting and discussing in between like a ragtag bunch causing a ruckus in the streets.


    "We refuse! Why must you make such a rushed decision, lord faction leader?!" said a 6th stage human mage saint. His facial structure matched slightly with Kassandra who was one of the candidates for the position.


    "Yes! Both of them don''t have any experience in leading a faction of tens of millions of people at all!" eximed a red demonkin 6th stage swordsman saint who sat on the opposite side of the former.


    Following their rebuttal, dozens of other saints also voiced their opinions and disagreement as if their life depended on it.


    SHRILL!


    The next moment however, the kind-looking tigerkin released a tyrannical aura and even the air present in this hall froze as his dark red aura suppressed and forced everyone to sit back on their seats.


    The zing heat around him gave everyone a sense of dread while encapsting their bodies under his immense pressure. Even the sixth stage saints such as Kassandra & Celine''s fathers felt couldn''t move an inch under this insurmountable pressure.


    "Do you all really think of me as a fool who would make reckless decisions?!


    Perhaps I should treat you all like how that bloodsucker Allister treats the Pureblood Faction council." said Stalin as he gave a deathly re to everyone except the two young women.


    "Apologies, lord faction leader. But it is a very sudden announcement for any of us to ept." said a fifth stage female elven saint.


    "I have my reasons. Whether thispetition was in question or not.. You all know that it''s about time we think of the future of the faction.


    Many of you already know that not just me but the other faction leaders have reached our limits as well. Even a Vampire like Allister Mor Vandereich who lived for more than two centuries is counting his days. And I''m already a hundred and fifty years old.


    Already past the limit that my kin lives for. Unless I break through to the 8th stage, I will die within the next two decades.


    The same applies to most of the saints present here. We all have reached our limits and soon, there won''t be a firm wall left to protect us in the future. So it''s about time we finally address the elephant in the room!"


    "No offense, Ganesha." said Stalin to a 5-meter tall figure with an elephant head.


    "None taken." said the elephant-kin and nodded.


    "This is the best opportunity to create a chain ofmand for our future generations than trying to maintain our authority. Or else, we will be leaving our children and grandchildren defenseless for the vultures to hunt down.


    Or do you have objections because of them are women?" dered and questioned the tigerkin leader as he caressed his long braided white beard.


    "No, faction leader. We did not mean it like that." apologized one of the saints.


    "My decision is final! Should either of them win thispetition, they will be my sessor. And I will personally train them how to rule until myst momentes.


    I don''t want any objection! I would rather fight you all to death than crippling the future of our faction and ns." dered the leader.


    No one dared to speak a word after this. They knew how stubborn and terrifying their leader was. And now that he had made up his mind, there was no going back.


    At this moment, both the human mage & demonkin swordsman sixth stage saints were looking at each other with furious eyes as if they wanted to kill each other at any cost.


    Both of them were the leaders of their ns and also one of the top ten strongest people in the entire empire. But they too had no choice than swallowing that decision made by their leader.


    One would expect them to be happy that their daughters were a candidate for the faction leader''s position but in actuality¡­ they knew what this announcement ensued.


    ----------------


    At night, when the meeting was over and the Tigerkin & Bearkin knight were alone. The knight finally asked with eyes full of concern.


    "My Lord.. I don''t understand your decision. Both of the Mikealson & Armitage n already has too much power and authority in the faction. Why give them a chance to rule?


    Contrary to his previous image of a kind and thoughtful leader, Stalin scoffed off with a grin on his face.


    "As if I''ll let a woman be the leader of this faction I built with my own hands.


    The only reason I said that was to motivate them and appear as fair and encouraging to everyone in the meeting hall.


    But in reality, I wanted to shut up the Mikealson & Armitage n.


    If I sided with either of them, it would ruin my rule and unnecessary faction wars would arise.


    And hence, I appeared fair and just to keep them both in check. So that none of them canin and those who did will be hated by the entire faction and ns leaders, saying that they''re hungry for power.


    But whoever wins thepetition will be the ruler only in the name while we will reap the rewards from the chosen territory." said Stalin in a sinister tone.


    "And then, we would side with the n that didn''t win to oppress the winner''s n.


    Saying that the faction should be put as first priority and then the winner & their n would have no choice but to concede their authority over thatnd.


    I''m certain that both of them also understood the consequences of my announcement.


    Before they even made a move for my position.. I have already won the war." said Stalin and chuckled.


    "Leader¡­ you''re very evil." said bearkin with a pleased smile.


    To his response, Stalin gazed at the bright night and the two moons shining in the sky as he spoke in an evil and greedy tone..


    "In this world¡­ Being evil is a necessity."

 Chapter 238 - Preparations For The Competition

    <h4>Chapter 238 - Preparations For The Competition</h4>


    Three weeks passed and only one week was left till the beginning ofpletion.


    After the public announcement by the government at every popted area such as towns, viges and cities, the preparation for the Emperor''s Chosenpetition began with full speed.


    In every major city, a battleground that sized twice as big as a football field and could facilitate thrice the number of audiences was built in a span of 3 weeks. The government spared no effort in making these ancient diator colosseums styled battle arenas that could hold 10 thousand people battle at the same time.


    Hundreds of magically reinforced wide tforms that would hold the one-on-one battles and group battles were made in the most effective ways.


    Just one of these arenas put the Olympicspetition on earth to shame and throughout the Rakos Empire, there were more than 5 thousand of such battle arenas were built for the sake of thispetition. Indicating the intensity and hype towards it.


    As per the demographics and estimations, more than 100 million people were expected to participate in thispetition throughout the empire and the government had already nned about how to make it most enjoyable andfortable for the people who would spend money to watch the fights.


    Tomon folks, it seemed like it was an expensive project but the business minds knew that they were bound to earn a hundred times the revenue that was invested.


    Because as it was a once in fifty years event, the number of people who''d be flocking to these battle arenas and the money spent on tickets, food, merchandise and betting was already expected to be a dozen trillion gold coins.


    The legal betting system alone was more than enough to recover all the money spent in just the first week as thepetition would begin. Because everyone wanted to turn their life around during this historical event.


    As for the rules based on general knowledge, every candidate will get only 2 chances to fight. Those who keep winning will be taken into the top 1000 spots in the city-level matches.


    This way, the fine crop would be separated from the weed in the beginning stages and only those with proper strength and skills would move forward. But even here, the registration fee for the fighters was 10 gold coins.. Which was somethingmon folks had to save up for months to gather.


    Then the winners willpete for the district-level matches and so move forward for the higher stages and stronger warriors would emerge from all these candidates.


    After that, they will be sent to the district championship arenas and progress to the qualifiers for the one million candidates who would fight in the arenas in the capital Rathna.


    For Rukon District inside the capital, the battle first round battle arena was ced in a city called Xaphar. This was the closest ce where Kahn had decided topete for thepetition and had already registered himself when only a week was left for the start of the firstpetition.


    He thought that a battle royale would be the best idea to rush out thepetition but he obviously understood that the government wanted to milk the cash cow for as much as they can and at this rate, thepetition itself would take at least 3 to 4 weeks to reach the final stages where only master and grandmaster rank fighters would be left.


    As for himself, Kahn had been training more intensely ever since Szayel gave him the news because eventually, he would be fighting the truly skilled and talented geniuses who had been training since a young age.


    He was already an Intermediate Rank Magician and after his mana capacity & knowledge in manipting mana and elements reach a higher degree, he had improved dramatically in many weapons andbat skills.


    The main reason why Kahn intended to participate wasn''t to win thepetition but to gain even morebat experience, copy and learn new and articte fighting skills andbat techniques of various sses and their respective spells and weapons thanks to the blessings given by the War Deity himself.


    This was like the most expensive foods & dishes were being offered to him for free. And since he would be fighting with different species and their respective skills, what Kahn wanted to do was emerge as a new type of battlemaster who was efficient in many known battle styles and weapons.


    Thepetition itself had no rules about what kind of profession or weapons a candidate had to use throughout thepetition so it was already seen in the past that many people including hundreds of master rank individuals using different types of battle styles.


    This was also preferred by the audience as one could exhibit their talent and skills as they kept progressing throughout thepetition. Although many took such individuals as jokers who weren''t serious about thepetition, these types of candidates had a fanbase of their own and they were the favorites for the many.


    In the meantime, Seven Deadly Sins hadpletely overtaken Rukon District as its shadow rulers and Bloodbornepany had reached a whole different level itself. His own self worth was 5 billion gold while the SDS had earned 16 billion in the meantime. But yet, nobody knew their real faces or their true identities.


    The name of the peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston was now even famous amongst the Saint rank people of the three factions. Many trying to curry favor with him and offer riches and their connections to have him make their customized armors and weapons.


    Kahn had been cautious to hide his identity as the real owner and people only knew of Ceril & Omega as the two proprietors who worked under Albestros. With thepetition on the way, he knew for certain that it wasn''t a wise choice for the masses to know his rtionship with thepany because he knew that one way or another, he was bound to earn the ire of many powerful individuals and ns.


    So appearing as someone without background was a better choice than flexing his wealth or connections with powerful people. He didn''t even intend to reveal that he was a semi-saint until the final rounds where he would fight the truly talented and gifted geniuses of the young generation.


    Everything was already nned ahead and unbeknownst to anyone.. He was already setting his chess pieces for the finale.


    ----------------


    When the grand opening day for thepetition finally came, Kahn left his mansion in a luxurious magic vehicle along with Omega and Ronin, both of whom had risen to level 130 just a few days ago.


    "My lord.. I don''t understand one thing.


    Why didn''t you use that rmendation token to register yourself as a Grandmaster warrior in thepetition? It would''ve saved you a lot of unnecessary hassle and time than fighting weaklings and posers. You would be directly fighting in the qualifiers instead of wasting time. " asked Omega who was in his normal human form.


    "Dimwit.. It should be obvious to you already. Maybe spend some time reading battle tactics-rted books than just practicing your sword skills everyday.." interjected Ronin as he scoffed off.


    The next second, Kahn gave a light smile at the subordinate and spoke in a gentle tone.


    "Me participating in thispetition using that rmendation token...


    It''s a trap!"

 Chapter 239 - Perilous Situation

    <h4>Chapter 239 - Perilous Situation</h4>


    Inside the carriage-like magic vehicle that ran on mana ores as fuel, Kahn revealed why he didn''t choose to use the rmendation token given by Szayel while registering for thepetition.


    Omega nodded in response and clenched his fist tightly with a furious expression on his face.


    "Those damn pureblood faction bastards! They really think of us as their puppets just because none of us is a saint rank fighter!


    I agree with your decision, my lord." spoke the magic swordsman subordinate.


    Inside the luxurious magic vehicle, an borate n was discussed between Kahn and the two subordinates as they embarked on their journey to Xaphar city.


    ----------------


    As soon as they entered the outer gates of the Xaphar city which was already 4 times bigger than vot city, a dense and bustling crowd had already filled up the streets and all of them were headed towards the northern end where the battle arena was situated.


    During their travel, Kahn and thepany noticed that the mood around the whole city was that of a celebration like a yearly festival where people around the corners of the empire came and merrily mingled together.


    Not a single one of the shops, let it be a food vendor, hotels or ornament shops were without customers at this point. And this was just one street in the city.. Kahn predicted that it was the same for all the streets that led toward the arena. And this was just one city.. 5 thousand more cities were also hosting such arenas throughout the empire.


    So naturally, a billion or two people would definitely be part of thispetition as an audience or people who bet on it.


    Bads about the glorious victory and the hope to change one''s life were sung by bards in designated ces as arranged by the authorities throughout the city. This was their way to hype up the event even further.


    Although Kahn hadn''t been part of any cultural event of the Rakos Empire yet.. He felt like even those would hardlye close to the grandness of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    And now their goal was to reach the arena safely by evening where his first 2 matches were scheduled. This was going to be the first step towards achieving the new ns that he discussed earlier.


    ----------------


    Just as the trio was steadily traveling towards their destination from stone-paved streets, their entourage came across one of the crowded paths where for some reason, hundreds of people were gathered and blocked the way.


    To Kahn and the subordinates, they were already able to sense a skirmish three hundred meters away because of their ranks and range of abilities. A fight was audible even from inside of the vehicle.


    In front of the main gate of a bigpany building, a fight had broken that gathered the attention of the masses who were heading towards the arena.


    "Sir, please believe me! I''m telling you the truth! It wasn''t me!" spoke a middle-aged green and frail orc in a groaning voice as he clenched his stomach and got up after being kicked by a guard.


    Behind this guard in silver armor, a duo of humans stood in their high-ss businessman clothes.


    This group was surrounded by a dozen normal workers inpany uniforms and 5 master rank guards. The fat and half bald man in the middle who looked in his 60s spoke in scorn as he looked at the thrashed orc.


    "Sirius, I thought you were someone who could be trusted! But you have been scamming me for months! Tell me where is the money you embezzled behind my back?!" spoke the man in an enraged tone.


    The orc who was frail in physique despite being from a species of giant creatures brushed off the blood on his lips and replied in a weak tone.


    "Sir.. I have been working for thispany for a decade now. Have I ever given you any chance toin? And the money you say that I embezzled can''t be gathered or transacted with the little authority I have in thepany.


    Unless it''s someone from your own family, none of those transactions can be approved in the first ce!" exined the orc.


    Even the crowd encircling this group was getting a gist of what was happening here.


    The next moment, a loud and high-pitched voice came from behind the old man.


    "Nonsense! So are you implying that either my father or someone among our family members stole thepany''s money and put the me on your head?! Who the hell are you trying to fool?!" shouted the young man who stood behind the former. His gaze full of scorn as he rebuked the orc.


    He pointed his hands towards the group of people dressed in uniforms and asked in a condescending tone.


    "Tell me! Who did you see moving all those record books?! You better remember ''correctly''.. " asked the son as he emphasized thest word.


    "It.. It was mister Sirius." said a tall mithrans male.


    "Yes.. I remember seeing Sirius secretly carrying many record books from time to time." testified an elf.


    As all the workers spoke against him one by one, Sirius fell on his knees in disbelief.


    He was being set up by the people he had been working together with for half a decade.


    Just then, he noticed a smirk on the face of the owner''s son, who was the loudest one here.


    "Guards! Cut his tongue and both of his hands! He should pay for betraying our trust!"manded the old man furiously, suddenly acting unreasonable out of the blue.


    A master rank wolfkin swordsman walked forth and the other guards frisked the middle-aged orc who was still unable to believe the words of his boss whom he served over a decade.. The man he sacrificed many years of his life for.


    The wolfkin raised his sword as per the orders and swung it downwards without giving the orc a chance to retaliate.


    Swoosh! Shing!


    A crisp noise of metal nging suddenly filled the surroundings and a broken de dropped on the ground.


    The wolfkin looked at his broken sword, at the hilt which remained in his hands.


    Before the sword even touched the orc''s arms.. A curved sword had cut down the de of the attacker in a second.


    The figure of a man donned in a white and gray suit with ashen hair appeared in between this group.


    But rather than trying to meddle in between their matters.. He looked at the orc with a stern gaze and spoke in a solemn voice.


    "My master wants to meet you."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : As per the demands of many readers, I''ve finally made a p.a.t.r.e.o.n. ount.


    You can support me and my works in any way you see fit from there as well.


    Reference Arts, Chapter updates and story progress is avable for the p.a.t.r.o.n.s. there.


    Please go to p.a.t.r.e.o.n. (remove dots) and search for CrimsonWolfAuthor


    Thank you.]]

 Chapter 240 - Behind The Drama

    <h4>Chapter 240 - Behind The Drama</h4>


    The crowd that was encircling the site of the ruckus perked their ears as soon as Omega appeared and saved the orc who was just about to get both of his hands cut down.


    Most of the people were already scared and baffled after seeing how the old man and his guards didn''t think twice before physically harming the orc in public. As if they feared now at all.


    Omega gave a deathly re towards the father and son duo as well as the guards who were acting erratically in front of the public despite having no authority to do so.


    "Hey! Who are you?!" asked one of the guards. The group of 5 master rank guards already entailed that the old man was something very powerful and with a strong backing.


    "All your matters with him are settled. He will being with me now." spoke Omega, ignoring the group as he walked towards Sirius.


    "He must be one of his aplices! That''s why he''s trying to save him!" shouted the son.


    Sigh!


    "Why is it that the weaklings and idiots are so loud in the world while the strong and intelligent keep their mouths shut?.."mented Omega as he sighed with a helpless expression.


    SHRILL!!


    Instead of wasting any more time on borating, Omega quickly released his aura of a peak grandmaster and aside from the normal passerby and Sirius, everyone from the group of assants, let it be guards or the office workers were instantly forced to fall on their knees under his immense heavy pressure.


    Even the guards who had frisked Sirius before were swatted on the road and didn''t even have the strength to lift their heads.


    "My master doesn''t have too much time to waste. So choose whether you want to waste your time here, exining your innocence to the people who just tried to maim you for the rest of your life ore with me and hear what my lord has to say.." spoke Omega in a kingly voice.


    Sirius, who waspletely taken aback by this sudden revtion, felt like his world turned around in a minute. He was wondering if all of this was a dream.


    Just a minute ago, he was falsely used and publicly humiliated, then his colleagues turned on him and the man he had loyally served for a decade ordered the guards to cut off both of his hands. Even he was having a hard time swallowing it all together.


    But before he could speak or question anything, a tyrannical pressure was released from inside of a luxurious carriage-like vehicle and a domineering voice resounded in the entire street.


    "There''s no point in exining yourself. Even for a passerby like us, it''s easy to see that the verdict of you being guilty of those usations has already been made.


    Otherwise, they would deal with the matter in secret instead of making a show for the public.


    This is called putting an act for someone and you are being used as a sacrificialmb." spoke Kahn from inside the vehicle.


    Although no one could see him, the pressure release from the carriage already gave everyone a hint of the person inside being even stronger than Omega.


    "But sir.." said Sirius.


    "And that old man is also aware of you being innocent but during your conversation, I saw a change in his expression. It was a face of realization.


    From what I can guess, he knows that it was indeed his son who embezzled the money but still chose to me it on you. Because it would affect his family name and prestige as the owner of thepany.


    And you are a necessary sacrifice for maintaining that pretense." interjected Kahn before the orc could plead.


    After his exnation, even Sirius had a bewildered expression.


    In his mind, he started to connect the dots and one thing he realized was that despite all the evidence showing that he was innocent, and suddenly his colleagues turning on him indeed looked shady.


    And then the owner''s son insisting that it was him after this matter was exposed also looked suspicious.


    Other workers were trying to keep their jobs while agreeing with the owner''s son while the owner himself wanted to maintain his image despite realizing the truth.


    And at the end, Sirius was discarded despite his years of loyalty to cover up a scam caused by the son.


    At this point.. Siriuspletely gave up.


    In mere moments.. His entire life was turned around. This betrayal hurt more than being falsely used of something he didn''t do.


    All his sleepless nights and hard work he offered for the sake of thepany like a workaholic employee went into vain for reasons he did not even know about.


    "Come with me." spoke Omega as he put his hand on the shoulder of the orc.


    After epting the mental shock.. Sirius somehow mustered the strength and courage to follow behind Omega.


    He knew one thing for sure at this moment..


    If not for this peak grandmaster and his lord who showed up out of nowhere and saved him.. He would lose both his hands and tongue.. And then get put in jail for the crime he didn''tmit. And who knew how miserable the rest of his life would be.


    To him, this sudden appearance of these individuals was akin to how a savior makes an entrance in the most perilous moments as they save weak and helpless people, just like heroes of the fairy tales.


    After Omega escorted Sirius to their ride, he opened the door for the orc.


    Sirius saw a handsome man dressed in ck and golden noble clothes seated inside the vehicle.


    Kahn gestured to Sirius toe inside and sit.


    "What''s your name?" asked Kahn kindly.


    "My name is Sirius.. Sirius ke." replied the orc.


    "Thank you for saving me, sir. I.. I honestly don''t know how to repay your kindness." said Sirius in a grateful tone despite Kahn being younger than him by two decades.


    "May I ask why you chose to help me?" he asked in a cautious tone.


    Because he was old enough to understand that there were no free meals in the world.


    Kahn gave a light smile and nodded in approval towards the orc.


    "It''s a very short and simple reason if I were to be honest with you." said Kahn and continued in a gentle tone..


    "I want you to work for me."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Art for Sirius ke in chapterments.. Check it out.]]

 Chapter 241 - The Hiring

    <h4>Chapter 241 - The Hiring</h4>


    Inside the luxurious magic vehicle where four humanoid figures sat onfortable seats, an orc had a gobsmacked expression on his face.


    The driver started the vehicle and their entourage continued the journey towards the battle arena which was still dozens of miles away.


    "What?! I.. I don''t understand." spoke Sirius with a serious face.


    "Well, first tell me if you''re married & do you have any children?" asked Kahn out of the blue.


    Sirius was already losing his mind over the events of the past 20 minutes and now this sudden question caught him off guard again. But he quickly calmed himself and replied softly..


    "I.. Don''t. I never had a chance to date anyone so far. So I don''t have anyone else than my parents."


    "Oh, may I ask why?" asked Kahn.


    "Well, to be honest.. My family was very poor. My father and mother worked asborers throughout their lives and mine was the same since childhood. Having one meal a day was already hard for us.


    Even so, they sacrificed a lot for me and sent me to school when I was young. Because unlike others of my race, I''m very weak and can''t do much physical work.


    And after I finally managed to get a job, I had to spend a lot of time working hard so I could give money to my parents and make their lives better.


    It has been only a couple of years since I was promoted as the senior ountant after years of painstaking work and sleepless nights.


    But all of it is gone now.. My life was destroyed today.." exined Sirius as a teardrop formed in his left eye.


    Just in 10 seconds, Sirius covered his face and started sobbing suddenly,pletely unfitting his image of a grown-up individual.


    He was holding it in for some time already but with Kahn inquiring about this small personal topic, the sadness and shock that was welled up inside him finally burst out.


    After a few minutes, Sirius finally regained hisposure and apologized for causing an ufortable situation.


    But instead of showing any form of annoyance, Kahn consoled Sirius and had an empathic conversation with him.


    "To be honest, not so long ago; I too was in a simr situation as yours. I also spent 4 years working for apany that worked me to the bone but said that we''re a team and family.


    I was never paid for the extra working hours and had to suck it up when my superiors berated me psychologically. One mistake and all of my hard work of years was thrown out of the window.


    Because of it, I basically had no life outside my work and didn''t have people who cared for me either." sighed Kahn.


    To someone like him who had been in the same situation as Sirius, he understood the mental state of the person in front of him.


    During Kahn''s old life as Elric when he worked as an ountant in a multinationalpany for four years, he was a total workaholic man.


    And he had no life outside of work because he had to work even when he got back home given the tasks and workload.


    He had suffered from that corporate ve life so he decided to help and hire Sirius who was a victim of the crime called being weak & powerless.


    The chat continued for the next few hours and Sirius finally felt like a huge burden on himself finally lifted after the talk, no longer dwelling in the happenings of the day.


    He didn''t even care to find out why he was framed or how things happened the way they did. To him, it seemed like a good idea to move on. Or else, it would drag him down emotionally for too long.


    [Master.. You''re so cruel. I like it!] spoke Ronin in Kahn''s head.


    [Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.]


    Replied Kahn after he put Sirius in an emotional state.


    [So effective. At this rate, he will be very grateful to you my lord. Not only did you be his savior, but also someone who shared personal feelings with.] said Omega telepathically through Hive Mind skill.


    Kahn quickly replied back to the subordinates in his head in a coy tone.


    [That''s how you brainwash people into bing dependent on you.


    He will remember this conversation for some time. Andter, I will hit the final nail in the coffin.] replied Kahn.


    He didn''t bother telling the subordinates that he was talking about his previous life in reality.


    "I''m not going to lie. I don''t expect you to be loyal to me just because we saved you from today''s incident. I hope that I be someone worth following in your eyes. Till then.. All you have to do is follow my orders.


    For now, I will give a million gold coins as your monthly sry and a 1% share of the annual profits mypany makes. So what do you say?" said Kahn as he ced the terms of employment with an exorbitant sry from the get-go.


    "W.. W.. What?!" eximed Sirius in disbelief.


    [Even the sry I was previously getting was only one thousand gold coins! This sir is offering me thousand times more sry!


    I''m not dreaming right?!] thought Sirius.


    "I ept! I will serve you for the rest of my life!" pledged Sirius vehemently.


    This was a godsend opportunity for someone like him who was dealt with a bad hand since birth, let it being born in poverty or having a weak body since childhood.


    Sirius, who feared for his future at the moment because of what happened today, felt like all the misfortunes he suffered through till now were finally going away.


    As for why Kahn wanted to hire him? It was only because of the empathy for him but he had to set up backup ns for the future.


    Whether Kahn liked it or not, his participation in this tournament would definitely create plenty of new enemies and then, Kahn couldn''t afford to get the Bloodbornepany getting implicated.


    And in case he or the subordinates were not present, he needed someone to be his recement.


    And Sirius who was in turmoil was the best choice. Kahn had already nned to brainwash him into bingpletely loyal to him in the future.


    He was willing to invest in this new ally to create a trustworthy substitute for himself as a backup n.


    "I hope you prove your worth during thepetition." spoke Kahn as he folded his arms.


    "Sir, you''re participating in thepetition? You don''t look like a warrior, rather an heir of a conglomerate." said Sirius as he stared at Kahn with a gaze of surprise.


    "Yes, I am. And I''m not some heir. But a businessman myself. I don''t mean to brag but I can be counted in the top one thousand richest people in this empire." said Kahn with a coy tone.


    "Then why?" asked Sirius?curiously.


    To his query.. Kahn replied with a benign smile.


    "Because I''m a very greedy man."

 Chapter 242 - Let The Fight Begin

    <h4>Chapter 242 - Let The Fight Begin</h4>


    After Kahn revealed his intentions, there was no other choice left for Sirius but to ept his new employer''smands and sign a blood-bind contract with him on the spot.


    Kahn then revealed his ns about what to do when they entered the arena and his own matches started.


    One of the main reasons Kahn decided to participate was also to earn billions through thepetition. Because even now, their forces and influence such as Bloodbornepany or the Seven Deadly Sins underworld organization were powerful only inside one district.


    And even there, they werecking manpower and funds in case a full-scale war broke out in the future with powerful opposition or some noble n.


    Raising and feeding an army of their own wouldn''t happen overnight and the amount of money as well as resources they''d have to spend would be manyfold greater than they currently had.


    So instead of waiting for years to build their wealth, one of his main objectives was to use thispetition and take a huge leap that would possibly save him decades of time and hard work.


    He desperately needed funds and resources to the extent that they could rival one of the top ns in the capital. Otherwise, there was no guarantee that what they had now would be taken by someone more powerful and influential than them.


    "How much did you bring?" asked Kahn to Ronin.


    "15." replied Ronin.


    "Please don''t mind me.. But do you mean 15 million by any chance?" asked Sirius.


    SMIRK


    All three men in front of the orc gave a light smirk.


    Gasp!


    Sirius gasped in surprise..


    "Hundred and fifty million?.. You''re so rich!" eximed Sirius wide his mouth wide open.


    "Aissshh.. This guy really looks down on us." rebuked Omega.


    Ronin rolled his eyes in irritation and responded quickly.


    "I mean..."


    PETRIFIED


    Sirius.exe stopped working at that moment and the middle-aged orc fainted on the spot as soon as Ronin told him the exact amount.


    "Arrr¡­ Was it too much to handle for him?" questioned Omega.


    "We should''ve stuck with 15 million.." sighed Kahn as they carried on their travel.


    ----------------


    While Sirius was unconscious, Kahn exined why he chose Sirius to work for him.


    Both the subordinates nodded in approval after hearing the reasoning from their master who always liked to n two steps ahead.


    As soon as they reached the 10 kilometer vicinity of the battle arena that was surrounded by thousands of soldiers and more than a million people heading towards it, Kahn and thepany left their vehicle to a security station and gave money to keep their ride safe.


    Sirius woke up by then and the four individuals mixed in the crowd as they headed towards the battle arena.


    Just from what Kahn could see from afar, the battle arena itself was 2 kilometers wide and 3 kilometers long.


    There were 5 levels of tforms, hosting over a million seats for the audiences. And many flying ships that were part of the security forces hovered in the sky. While troops of thousands of soldiers managed the crowd at various checkpoints throughout the path.


    And this was just one side of the entrance to the battle arena. Kahn didn''t dare imagine the crowd on the other three sides.


    After an hour of standing in the line, the group finally entered through one of the doors they finally saw the vastness of this ce.


    Inparison, this battle arena seemed 10 times bigger than a football field and there were multiple projection screens all over the arena, showing different battlegrounds which were 20 meters in length and width.


    And from their position, he could see more than 600 of such battle rings which were magically reinforced with artifacts and formations.


    "Take your sides and you know what to do next." ordered Kahn and left the trio behind him as he headed towards the hall made for facilitating the warriors who were taking part in thispetition.


    Since anyone could take part in thispetition as long as they were certified as someone of a Beginner rank individual, Kahn could already see thousands of people varying from different races and species swarming inside the halls made for participants.


    Kahn entered the hall for fighters in this section of the arena and showed his registration token that he got over a week ago.


    "You''re number 3,39,470. Wait for a few hours till your turn. Read the rules first.


    If you don''t appear on time, you will be disqualified." informed the receptionist.


    Kahn then sat on a vacant chair and turned his gaze towards the betting booths.


    Setting your bets was allowed at hundreds of booths ced over in hundreds of sections that divide the audienceing from different exits.


    The rules were simple. For each match, there was 5 minutes time limit given to both contestants and one had to bring down their opponent by either fighting them to the point they would either get thrown out of the arena or yound a decisive blow.


    A participant could also forfeit a match in case they felt danger to their life and willingly gave up based on the strength of their opponent.


    The contestants could also put the opponent in submission and win the match just like a proper duel.


    Since these battles were done with real weapons and skills, there was a rule to not kill the opponent.


    Even injuries done to the opponent shouldn''t be fatal or you will be imprisoned for attempted murder.


    From the history records, only the semifinals had matches that allowed killing the opponent. But this was just the first round so things needed to be done without bloodshed.


    One by one, matches started and over 1 to 2 thousand people were fighting on hundreds of magically reinforced tforms at once and their matches finished quickly.


    Even their second rounds were done swiftly and the winners were given new tokens and their names were disyed on the projection screens floating throughout the arena.


    After 4 hours of wait, Kahn''s turn finally came and he walked on a floating tform that was used to deliver the fighters to their assigned battlegrounds based on the registration number.


    When Kahn entered his assigned battleground, he was donned in a unique ck archer gear, waiting for his opponent to show.


    At this moment, Kahn telepathicallymanded the subordinates and used a transmission artifact to inform Sirius to begin their first move.


    A referee appeared on their stage and so did Kahn''s opponent.


    The referee had no time to waste and spoke hurriedly as the two participants red at each other, trying to gauge the enemy''s strength.


    "Let the fight begin!"

 Chapter 243 - The First Round

    <h4>Chapter 243 - The First Round</h4>


    Kahn who was dressed in a normal gear for archers gazed at his opponent. In front of him stood a four-handed mithrans warrior who wore gray armor.


    The lower right hand had a sword, the left one had a glowing spear while both the upper hands held a battleaxe together. The warrior in front of Kahn was a beginner master rank individual based on the aura he gave off.


    [Not bad for the first battle. I can limit my strength and physical attributes to his level and practice all the skills I recently gained from those dead bodies of grandmasters and the skills I ranked up in archery. He''s a perfect target practice.] thought Kahn while concealing his aura of a semi-saint.


    The opponent in front of him was far too weak to even sense his real aura but Kahn still chose to conceal his strength in the early stages for various reasons.


    "Let the fight begin!" announced the referee.


    Both the contestants took their battle stances, the mithrans warrior took a defensive stance while Kahn pulled an arrow out of the quiver as he aimed towards the opponent.


    But instead of attacking each other right off the bat, both of them stood in a standoff.


    "Hey, I can tell you''re hesitant to fight against me since you already know that I''m stronger than you. So how about you forfeit the match?


    It will save both of us our time and energy. We still have another match to fight against others. So why not save our strength rather than tire each other out?" spoke the mithrans warrior in a stern tone.


    [This bitch!.. Should I go against the n & swat him in the ground already?] thought Kahn.


    He looked at the projection screen in their air where their battle was disyed for the audience.


    Since it was the first match, their odds were 50:50 on the scoreboard for their fight.


    "Who says you''re stronger than me? Let''s find out by exchanging blows instead of using words." replied Kahn and shot the first arrow at the opponent.


    Swoosh!


    An arrow passed right through the position where the mithrans warrior stood.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The four-legged warrior who seemed like one of the oddballs who preferred to use a different type of weapons to gain attention and disy their skills ran swiftly towards Kahn after doing the arrow.


    [He''s quick!] thought Kahn after the swift and agile movement of the opponent who was fast despite all that heavy armor and weaponry on his person.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Mithrans warrior in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Kahn quickly distanced himself from the opponent and shot multiple mana-infused arrows at the opponent while running away.


    Boom! Boom!


    Multiple small explosions happened as soon as the mithrans used his weapons to block or parry the iing arrow at him.


    An archer''s best advantage was the distance and height in a battle while a meleebatant needed to close distance with the target first to actually deal real damage.


    Even with the long spear, there was a lot of distance to be covered so the warrior didn''t bother to waste time and sped up while trying to dodge the arrows aimed at him.


    Since there was only 5 minutes window, both sides did not waste time and started a heated battle.


    Boom! ng!


    Swing! Bang!


    Each time Kahn shot different mana-infused arrows that worked as his best line of offense, shaking the ground whenever they hit the nearby area or the opponent dodged them.


    But given the speed of the master rank opponent and the small size of the battlefield, Kahn was struggling to maintain a distance with time while his opponent charged at him and swung his weapons to seriously injure him from time to time.


    Quickshot! Mana burst!


    Kahn used some of the basic C rank skills to keep the battle interesting.


    The loud explosions on their battlefield garnered the attention of thousands of audiences who were watching hundreds of different battles on projected screens.


    "Master rank! Both of them are master rank warriors!" shouted hundreds of people within the audience of millions. And soon, half of the audience present in the arena started paying attention to their battle.


    For the normal poption, a master rank warrior was someone who could easily fight 20 people at once even at beginning levels. So naturally, they paid more attention towards their battle.


    But in reality, it was Kahn using these explosive attack skills to gather their attention.


    4 minutes passed in a sh.


    [Alright.. The fish has taken the bait. Time to finish this!] he thought.


    By no means his opponent was an unskilled fighter given his levels and rank.. But to Kahn.. He was simply too weak.


    At his current level, Kahn could kill this mithrans warrior by suffocating him under the pressure of his aura alone. But with everyone watching, he had been keeping a front.


    "Prepare to lose!" shouted the warrior and charged at Kahn with all his strength.


    Crack!


    His battleaxe cracked the ground where Kahn stood as the opponent dodged the attack in thest second.


    Kahn quickly appeared behind the opponent and charged two arrows to shoot.


    "Got you!"


    SWOOSH!


    The spear in his lower hand swung horizontally and almost grazed Kahn''s abdomen.


    Kahn quickly sidestepped and reached at one of the corners of the battlefield.


    CRACK!


    The floor tile cracked after Kahn barely dodged a swing from the battleaxe in nick of time.


    But rather than making someme monolog like an idiot, the mithrans warrior closed Kahn''s exit route with his battleaxe and spear while Kahn on the other end ran out of arrows suddenly.


    "Arrgg!" shouted the opponent and jumped high in the air as he swung down his battleaxe vertically, ready to cut the opponent in two with a single blow.


    But before the battleaxe could fullynd the blow, a high-pitched announcement came from the opponent which suddenly baffled the mithrans warrior.


    It was none of than Kahn who raised both his hands in the air and shouted before the axe touched him¡­


    "I''ve lost!"

 Chapter 244 - The Gains

    <h4>Chapter 244 - The Gains</h4>


    After Kahn lost, thousands of people who were attracted to their fight suddenly felt disappointed. Mostly because they wanted to see some blood at the end of the finishing blow the mithrans warrior was about tond on the archer.


    "Tch! What a good for nothing.. He''s only good at making shy moves despite being a master rank fighter."ined one of the audience.


    "He''s just a quack! He lost the fight as soon as the opponent closed off the distance between them. He didn''t even bother to make ast attempt and gave up. Ah.. I should''ve focused on some other match instead."ined a demonkin among the crowd.


    Hundreds of people amongst those who paid attention to their match also shared the same sentiment. Like they weren''t fed enough with good food.


    On the battlefield, the mithrans warrior scorned Kahn in contempt.


    "I already told you that you''re weaker. You sessfully wasted both of our time." he said and left the battlefield.


    Majority of those who watched him fight thought that he is good but at a disadvantage when fighting against anyone with agility. That he only has burst skills at best. As long as anyone could avoid his attacks, victory was theirs.


    BOOO!! BOOOOOO!!


    Many people booed at Kahn as he got off from the battle ring and waited for his next turn in the resting area for contestants.


    In just fifteen minutes, his turn came again and his opponent was also someone who lost their first battle.


    But instead of looking at the opponent, his gazended on the scoreboard first and the betting ratio for the next match.


    "Just as nned.." spoke Kahn softly and chuckled.


    On the scoreboard.. The betting ratio was 80:20 for Kahn''s next fight.


    The 20 in front of his name while the 80 in front of his opponent who also had disclosed that he was an intermediate master rankbatant, unlike Kahn who kept the rank disclosed.


    [Do it now.] he ordered Omega & Ronin who were at different sections of the arena, far away from his location.


    Kahn then gazed at his left and he could clearly see Sirius standing amongst hundreds of people who were cing their bets on the next round of fighters.


    He was the least betted upon at this moment. The ratio indicated that his odds were 4:1 as of now.


    Means if someone ced money on Kahn and he won, they''d get four times the money they used for the best.


    But given the previous match and those who already saw the results and noticed that the new opponent was a minor rank higher than him, it was clear as day about who would win.


    [Master, it is done.] replied Omega telepathically.


    [I''m done as well.] said Ronin.


    While Sirius gave him an understanding gaze from the crowd.


    Kahn took a deep breath and walked on the battle ring. His opponent was already stronger than him in the public eye so everyone thought about making a quick buck.


    His opponent was a 28 years old brown orc with the upper half body of his was full of golden stripes. His 3 meter tall figure with golden gauntlets stood firmly in front of Kahn as he released his aura to show his dominance over the opponent.


    "Concede and I will let you go. Try to fight and I will break both of your hands and legs.


    Don''t sayter that I didn''t warn you. The choice is yours.." spoke the orc in a rustic voice.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Orc Brawler in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    As soon as the referee started the match, Kahn threw away his bow and walked towards the opponent freely, having no care about fighting the opponent without a weapon.


    There was no aura of dominance or power around him. He appeared like a harmless man approaching this tyrannical warrior.


    "Oh? You''re approaching me?" spoke the orc brawler with both his hands shrugged.


    "Instead of running away, you''reing right to me?"


    "I can''t beat the shit out of you without getting closer." said Kahn in a grim tone as he


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    "Thene! I''ll show you who''s.."


    SLAP!


    Before the tall orc warrior could evenplete his sentence, a crisp p resounded in the battle ring.


    THUD!!


    The giant body of the tall and ripped orc dropped outside of the ring. The referee and everyone who was watching this match had their eyes wide open in disbelief.


    In just 20 seconds, the intermediate master rank orc who was fan favorite to win this match was lying unconscious outside of the ring.


    All everyone saw was just a ck sh and the next second, the orc opponent was thrown out of the ring.


    "Yare yare..


    I didn''t even have to use my Stand for this guy." said Kahn as he tipped his imaginary hat.


    Baffled! Gobsmacked!


    Everyone watching this match lost their minds.


    Kahn didn''t bother paying attention to the audience''s response and left the ring after he was dered as the winner.


    After he returned to the resting area, an employee of the management told him about his next match that was scheduled 3 dayster.


    It was for all those who won only one match and had to appear for qualifier matches if they wanted to progress to the next round.


    Kahn received his new registration number and information about the schedule of the match and silently left the battle arena.


    He achieved what he came for, so he had no interest in wasting time here and watching weaklings fight among themselves.


    At the time of midnight, the 3 allies returned to their vehicle and met Kahn who was waiting inside.


    "How much?" he asked.


    "1.2 Billion." replied Sirius, his body shaking in excitement. This amount waspletely unfathomable to him.


    "Well, this is just the beginning round and a city-level arena. So I only had you three bet hundred million each.


    Not many would even have the gall to bet such a big amount for a first round unless they''re from some big noble n or a faction.


    Let''s say our first hunt was eptable." exined Kahn.


    He had the 3 of them bet on him and with the odds against him, they quadrupled the money gained.


    This was exactly the reason why Kahn chose to lose the first fight and raise the betting odds against him in the first ce.


    "What''s next, my lord?" asked Omega.


    To his query, Kahn chuckled and said..


    "We rig the fights."

 Chapter 245 - The Scam

    <h4>Chapter 245 - The Scam</h4>


    The first of the five rounds ended that night and thebatants who won both matches were registered for the second round that would happen next week.


    And this was just the first day, the following two days would also host matches for the remaining participants.


    After those matches, people who won only one match had chances to contend for qualifiers that followed the same format as per the rules and then they would move forward to the next round as well.


    This rule was applied till the semifinals so as per his predictions, he could have a total of 12 tries and 24 matches if he yed his cards right. Because after that, the top 10 thousand candidates would fight in Battle Royale matches and he won''t have to hold back in betting as well as his strength.


    And as the levels and ranks of opponents rose, more money would be involved that he would use to bet and earn three to four times his investment.


    Kahn had already read and memorized all the rules so he nned the whole thing about losing the first match and then multiplying his money in the second match.


    This way, Kahn would have more chances to bet on himself and he will win only the matches he must win to get in the next round and lose the other matches while having his people bet on the opponent.


    In simple words, he was already rigging the fights.


    The 1.2 Billion that he gained from the first round alone was actually pocket changepared to the wealth that he intended to gain through thispetition and they will be earning billions through each of the matches.


    Kahn already had a gist of what was happening behind the scenes.. Although the matches appeared fair and based on predictions and your luck.. There was bound to be someone like the government itself or the influential people running it pulling the strings from the shadows.


    Because no way would anyone miss a chance to make a fortune that would make them filthy rich for generations toe. And he intended to do the same.


    Since he couldn''t get involved in these match fixings with the already established powers.. He would use himself as the bait instead.


    Because he could choose whether to win or lose by his choice since there were literally only 5 other semi-saint rank people who had the strength to fight him on even terms in thispetition.


    ----------------


    The following day, Kahn had ordered his people to help Sirius and his parents move to their new house near his mansion and officially introduced him in thepany as someone who would be 3rd inmand after him and the subordinates.


    Although Sirius wasn''t the most experienced or the most talented onepared to his other employees¡­ Kahn was already nurturing him with kindness and a sense of obligation.


    Because apetent ally who was not loyal to you was a bigger threat than an ipetent one with utmost loyalty to you.


    In many cases, thetter would even risk their lives to save you and support you when things have gone wrong.


    And naturally, he knew that Sirius would work hard and sharpen his skills with time as he hadn''t managed apany of this scale.


    To Sirius, he felt likeing out of marsnds and now living inside a castle made for royalty.


    In just a day, his entire life changed dramatically and a different world was opened to him.


    Finally seeing his parents who sacrificed so many things for him and did their best to raise him despite being dirt poor get afortable life made him even more grateful to Kahn.


    Because his family meant everything to him and Kahn had pulled them out of the gutter.


    [I will repay his kindness in every way I can!] pledged Sirius to himself with watery eyes.


    ----------------


    Inside his manor, Kahn gathered all of his subordinates who had unlocked a human form and took a meeting inside a room on the highest floor of the mansion.


    "So do you all understand? We have to be untraceable and it shouldn''t look obvious either.


    If only a few people bet such a huge bet on me, it will be easy for the authorities to find that I''m fixing my own matches. And as I progress toter rounds, our bets will have to be bigger and the source of the money you will be betting on me might get questioned.


    Because the people who already rig these matches wouldn''t want someone else to do it either. So instead of getting noticed, we will do things this way. Any questions?" borated and asked Kahn to Omega and the generals.


    "Why aren''t we participating though, master? Wouldn''t we also provide a better way to multiply our money if we had our people from Seven Deadly Sins bet on our matches as well?" asked Oliver who was sipping a ss full of wine.


    "Too risky. Plus none of you have your identification and neither are any of you a human or some species. You''re not hybrids either and variants like you have a different aura and world energy about them.


    If I can sense it, then so can other powerful people such as Saints who will eventuallye to watch the matches.


    So it''s better for me to be the spearhead than implicating any of you." exined Kahn.


    Although Oliver indeed had a good idea, it was risky because their existence was already odd enough. And powerful people would indeed be able to sense them in case the subordinates failed to conceal their aura and presence.


    It was even riskier when millions of people were watching them battle in thepetition. So Kahn chose to not get any of them involved in the first ce.


    "We will do as youmand. We will send more than ten thousand of our people and use them to bet on your matches.


    Majority in small and hundreds of them in big amounts. So not one gets suspicious and it looks like a natural transaction." said Ronin with a nod.


    "If I''m not wrong, we will be able to earn at least a couple of trillion gold coins throughout thepetition. So let''s set up a way formunication between our henchmen and you. During the fights, all you have to do is follow mymands properly."


    spoke Kahn.


    After he returned to his room and took out his new registration token, he spoke to himself with an evil grin.


    "Dread it, run from it, Destiny still arrives the same."

 Chapter 246 - The Qualifiers

    <h4>Chapter 246 - The Qualifiers</h4>


    On the day when Kahn''s qualifiers matches were scheduled, he returned to Xaphar city but this time, his weapon of choice was different and so was his attire.


    The arena matching system only registered the token given to the fighters and not their sses, appearances or levels.


    More urately¡­ nobody cared for the first five rounds. If you''re the person registered with proper identification, you can fight in any way you want. This was one of the rules since ancient times.


    For today, Kahn had to win both matches to qualify for the second round. And today was the day he would practice his spearmanship skills while limiting his ranks and level to improve his weapon mastery andbat techniques that he had been rigorously training in from the past two months inside the training facility.


    He wasn''t ignorant anymore to rely on only one fighting style or just use swords for fighting. He had the blessings from the War Deity himself so it''d be a waste to not use them to be a warrior who was well versed in all weapons andbat techniques.


    Improving his efficiency through practicing was one thing while actually using them to fight in a real-life battle was another. And hence this was also one of the three main reasons why Kahn chose to register for thepetition.


    After hours of wait, his turn finally came and he faced his next opponent.


    In front of Kahn who dressed in gray armor and a long spear in his hand, stood a woman who used a whip made of metal chains and bones.


    Three red horns on her head and a long tailing out of her back identified her as a demonkin female whose long and violet hair fluttered in the air.


    And just like her fiery red skin, her eyes also gave a hint of fierceness.


    [[Author : Reference Art for both Kahn & the Female Demonkin warrior in chapterments. Check them out.]]


    Since no one remembered him from 3 days ago and he was previously an archer, no dots were connected when his name appeared on the scoreboard.


    This time, the odds were 2:1. One was for Kahn while 2 for the female Demonkin.


    So in other words, if anyone bet on Kahn to win, they''d double their money.


    ----------------


    When the referee signaled the match to start, Kahn quickly adjusted his strength to a beginner master rank just like the opponent and dashed in the direction of the opponent while avoiding the past and extremely lethal whip that could rip a big chunk of flesh with a single strike.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn jumped high in the air while maintaining a proper stance as he avoided a horizontal strike from the opponent.


    But before he could close the distance, the red demonkin woman pulled back her whip and jumped backward, instantly creating a long distance while threatening her opponent by hinting an attacking from his back.


    ng!


    Kahn quickly parried a strike as soon as hended. The whip suddenly changed its direction midair and almost got him.


    [She''s good. Infusing her mana with her weapon at thest moment when the opponent has left an opening while thinking that they dodged the first attack from the whip.


    Anyone would think that they have a wide opening and chance tond a fatal blow but in reality, she has the best opening avable.. The back of the opponent which is wide open. Just one strike to the head and she can knock them out.] thought Kahn as he carefully approached the opponent while taking a defensive stance.


    For the next 3 minutes, all Kahn did was get himself familiar with her attack pattern and look for an opening.


    He used a few skills to attack and defend while trying to create an opening using brute force.


    [Gotcha!] he thought and what he did next was something that caught the female demonkin and the thousands of audiences who were watching their match on the projection screen.


    Swoosh!


    Instead of trying to close the gap, Kahn quickly threw his spear like a javelin with full speed towards the female opponent and aimed at her head.


    ng!


    The opponent used her mana to reinforce the whip and created a protective shield around herself to defend against this attack.


    BOOM!!


    The mana shield broke up and Kahn''s spear broke the mana shield easily. Showing how lethal his strike was.


    "Argh!" groaned the woman as her wrist felt a shock after the impact.


    Her body felt disoriented from the aftershock and her grip on the weapon loosened the next second.


    Only 2 seconds passed since Kahn''s attack and all her defenses were broken in a sh.


    But before she could even turn her head towards the approaching enemy..


    THWACK!


    A strikended on the female warrior''s neck as Kahn knocked her out with a simple but effective strike with his bare hands.


    During the three minutes he was attacking and defending, he notices a key w in the red demonkin woman''s attack pattern.


    That whenever she attacked, there was a 4 second window where she had no choice but to either pull back her weapon for another strike or use her mana to control the weapon and change its direction tond a proper attack against the enemy.


    And that''s why Kahn threw his spear towards her head and forced her to use the whip to either defend herself or deflect the spear midair.


    And when she used it to defend her, the impact forced her to lose control and there was a lot of time dy before she could regain herposure and make another attack.


    That is how Kahn quickly closed off the distance and a simple strike to her neck did the job.


    "Winner is candidate number 1,03,762!" dered the referee and Kahn won the first match.


    Although he didn''t get to use many skills during the fight, him quickly adapting in such a short time and creating an opening was something worth counting for him.


    It was the little things that helped you gain experience and be a good warrior.


    So Kahn weed this small gain and gazed towards the scoreboard again.


    But the next second, he felt a killing intent directed at him from one of the battle rings in the arena.


    Instead of worrying, Kahn kept his calm demeanor and spoke in a mischievous tone..


    "Looks like someone wants to pick a fight with me."

 Chapter 247 - Know Your Place

    <h4>Chapter 247 - Know Your ce</h4>


    Before Kahn could track down the source of the killing intent, it suddenly disappeared as if nothing happened.


    But instead of dwelling on it, Kahn returned to the resting hall and waited for his next match. If some ignorant dumbass wanted to pick a bone with him, he''d entertain them.


    After another hour, his turn came and for the second match, his enemy was a human mage whose face was covered behind a metallic mask.


    And as soon as Kahn entered the ring, this mage released his aura of a beginner master rank magician which contained killing intent towards the opponent.


    "So it was you.. Mind if I ask about why did you release a killing intent towards me back then?" asked Kahn as he recognized this aura.


    It was the same killing intent he felt after defeating his previous opponent.


    "Because you fight in a cowardly way. You threw away your weapon just to create an opening and then beat your opponent by knocking them out with a simple attack. It''s as if you''re toying disrespecting your enemy." spoke the mage in a righteous tone.


    "And most importantly.. How dare you hit a woman on her nape? Don''t you know they''re very weak there?!" shouted the mage.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Mage opponent in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    On the projection screens, this garnered the attention of many people again.


    The previous fight was nothing out of the ordinary but this one seemed to have the drama involved in it.. So naturally many felt more inclined towards a spiced-up battle.


    [Eh? Where the hell did this nut jobe from?]


    "Oye fuckface!.. Don''t go around throwing your delusional thoughts and preferences on people about how they should fight.


    There are no rules about how you fight and win against an opponent, let it be a man or a woman.


    This is apetition where people put their lives on the line. And I don''t care who you are trying to impress or putting up a pretense for.


    Either fight me fair and square or go suck on your momma''s titties!


    And if you can''t do that.. Then just shut the fuck up!!" berated Kahn in an irritated tone.


    "Pfft!!"


    "Hahaha!!"


    "Huehuehue!!"


    Thousands of people among a million spectators who paid attention to their matchughed off collectively and their burst ofughs resounded in the entire arena after Kahn''s reply to his enemy which they heard on the screen.


    "You.. What did you say?!" fumed the mage in rage.


    Just in 10 seconds, Kahn embarrassed the upstuck and pretentious mage in front of everyone.


    At this moment, there was a certain group of people amongst the east end of the 4th tform that was throwing deathly res at Kahn after he publicly humiliated this mage.


    "That bastard.. How dare he insult our magic association''s youngest prodigy in front of so many people?!" scorned a female elf donned in mage robes.


    Inside the battlefield, the mage waspletely enraged and asked..


    "You.. What''s your name?" he asked in a contemptuous tone.


    "Ask your mom. She screamed it all night." replied Kahn with a charming smile.


    Another burst of the crowdughing echoed in the whole arena as many of them could barely contain theirughter.


    "Start!!" signaled the referee.


    As soon as the fight began, the mage started casting his spells instantly andunched them at Kahn furiously.


    He frantically attacked the opponent after the insults he endured.


    As for Kahn himself.. He had zero fucks to give to some moron with protagonist syndrome.


    And even after the first minute, not a single spellnded on Kahn as he was simply too agile despite limiting his rank and stats.


    During the fight, Kahn was finally able to harvest the benefits of breaking through to the intermediate rank mage a month ago.


    Because as he was facing this mage who was trying to hurt him with various spells like a rabid dog, Kahn was sensing what kind of spell the opponent was going to cast because of the rise in rank as a magician.


    His perception of magical elements and spells based on their structure was already leagues abovepared to others of his ranks thanks to the blessings from War Deity and all the hard work he put through over 2 months just for setting a solid foundation as a mage during his training period.


    All that study and practice about mana maniption and elemental structures was finally proving useful.


    In simple words, he was able to sense what kind of elemental spell or attacks let it be fire or ice spells this mage was casting before they even formedpletely.


    And then he would choose to dodge or counteract and fight ordingly.


    Meanwhile, Omega, Ronin and Oliver were sitting amongst the audience and ordering their people through transmission artifacts to bet on Kahn''s registration number.


    With an exnation that he was one of their chosen fighters for thepetition and they had to bet all the money that was given to them on this young man.


    During thest minute of the allotted time, Kahn decided to stop ying and charged at the mage with full speed.


    Boom!!


    Kahn used his spear tond a fatal blow on the ground and shook the battle ring. The shockwaves disoriented the mage and before he could even regain his posture, a swift and hard kicknded on his chest as he was kicked out of the battle ring.


    "Know your ce, trash!"


    Know


    The mage was frothing through the mouth and was barely conscious at this point.


    Gasp!


    Hundreds of gasps were heard among the crowd as they saw how quickly Kahn finished the fight and many could see that he was holding back till this point.


    After the fight ended and he received his new registration token for the next round that was scheduled for the next week, Kahn silently left the battle arena.


    Even the people from the mage''s side failed to track him as they wanted to avenge theirrade.


    At midnight, Ronin came back after collecting and tallying all the numbers.


    "How much?" as Kahn


    Ronin gave a light smile and reported..


    "Today''s haul is 8 billion gold coins, my lord."


    As soon as Kahn heard the count, he took a deep breath and gazed at the bright midnight moon as he spoke with a content voice.


    "Subarashi..."

 Chapter 248 - The Descendant

    <h4>Chapter 248 - The Descendant</h4>


    Inside the western area of the innermost parts of the capital Rathna, a flourishing city full of mansions, luxurious hotels and well maintained market was situated. To normal citizens, it would appear like a high-ss society residential area where the top 1% lived.


    But in reality, it was just the main headquarters one of the strongest ns of the empire.. The Mikealson n of the Neutral Faction.


    The amount of influence, power, authority, money and manpower this n held was no lesser than the Vandereich n of the Pureblood Faction.


    Although this n didn''t have a seventh stage saint or led the faction as a figurehead, it was one of the strongest ns of the faction and the n leader himself was a 6th stage saint despite being nearly 70 years old and that too while belonging to the human race which had least life expectancy and potential to grow and breakthrough to saint rank.


    In the northern region of this city, was a pearl white castle that felt like it touched the sky if anyone saw it from below and this towering castle itself felt like it was part of some fairy tale.


    Ake surrounded this beautiful castle and waterfalls at the other end of this piece of great architecture gave it a majestic yet soul-soothing appearance if one looked from afar.


    This was the castle where the n leader and his closest family members and rtives lived together.


    Flocks of blue crane-like birds passed by and the vast greenery around this 5 kilometers long ginormous castle looked simply heavenly.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Mikealson n castle in chapterments.]]


    ----------------


    In one of the towers of this grandiose castle, a young woman around the same age as Kahn, woke up and got out of her silky and king-size bed.


    Yawn!


    She yawned and stretched her body as she got out of the bed.


    Her long ck and silky nightwear gave her a mysterious and exotic appearance as she walked towards the door leading to the balcony.


    As soon as she got out on the balcony, the gentle breeze fluttered her shiny ck hair as she gazed at the morning with her charming blue eyes that were as deep as an ocean.


    "Ah.. Such a lovely morning." said the beautiful woman as she embraced the beauty of nature around the castle, her melodious voiceplimenting her appearance.


    Her mind was refreshed as he breathed the air full of natural scent.


    Her appearance was no different than an unparalleled beauty or a princess of some kingdom.


    But what differentiated her from the so-called kingdom toppling beauties of the cliche cultivation stories was not her beauty or the alluring figure that would make any man fall for her at first nce¡­


    Instead, it was the mild aura this graceful woman emitted out of her body. And this aura was something only a few people in the entire Rakos had to them.


    This was the aura of a Semi-Saint rank person!


    The young woman was one of the five known semi-saints under the age of 30 in the whole Rakos empire.


    A true and talented genius of the younger generation of the Neutral Faction who was also the daughter of the n leader of the Mikealson n.


    "Today is my first round of matches. But it feels like it''d be a waste of time. How cruel of my father to not even give me the Rmendation Token..


    Now I have to fight from the bottom and waste my time on useless stuff." spoke the woman.


    Knock! Knock!


    The door of his grand bedroom was knocked from the outside and a young man''s voice was heard.


    "Lady Kassandra, lord n leader has summoned you for morning breakfast. Please be ready in 5 minutes." spoke a young blonde guy in his teenage years who d in white and red knight armor.


    "Coming!" replied Kassandra and her voice chimed in the room.


    Creak!


    Kassandra opened the door, dressed in a ck robe for noblewomen and greeted the knight who was waiting on the other side.


    "Oye Isaac.. Why are you suddenly calling me ''Lady Kassandra'' and not ''big sister Kassandra'' out of the sudden?" asked the young woman.


    Cough!


    "I''m no longer just your cousin who grew up together with you.. Now, I am a knight of the Mikealson n who shall serve and protect it!" replied Isaac, the blonde-haired young knight as he looked upwards and closed his eyes with a prideful expression.


    The joy was visible on his countenance.


    "This punk!.. Do you want me to beat you again, you little twat?!" shouted Kassandra and pinched Isaac''s ear.


    "Aigoo! Stop! I''m only following orders.


    You''re no longer the young mistress of the n but also the representative of the Neutral Faction in thepetition. How can I still call you big sister?" spoke Isaac.


    "Ouch! Let my ear go already!" he pleaded.


    "Arrhh.. So irritating. Now I have to put up with these pretentious titles as well.." sighed Kassandra.


    "Let''s go." said Isaac and their duo headed down from the stairs.


    ----------------


    When Kassandra was seated on the table for having breakfast, in front of her sat two figures. A man and a woman donned in epic rank mage clothes and gears, who appeared to be in their mid-40s despite their age being more than 70 years.


    The man was none other than Kassandra''s father, Damon Mikealson. Who was a 6th stage saint magician and also the n leader of the Mikealson n.


    The woman was her mother, Rainina Mikealson who herself was a 3rd stage saint enchantress.


    "Greetings, father. Greetings, mother." spoke Kassandra in a hushed tone, not making direct eye contact with either of them. Her head was already down for some reason as if she was on a trial for a crime.


    "Today''s your first match. Don''t ck off just because you had training experience with the saints of our faction." spoke her father in an authoritative tone.


    "Remember Kassandra¡­ you''re not just representing our n but also the neutral faction in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.." said her mother.


    None of them had any caring or favorable tone towards their own daughter.


    "Do not disgrace our family name. And most importantly¡­" spoke her father.


    But the next second, her mother spoke and continued what he was about to say in amanding tone.


    "You have to live up to the reputation of being the descendant of the First Sage."

 Chapter 249 - The Determination

    <h4>Chapter 249 - The Determination</h4>


    Inside the main castle of the Mikealson n, the n leader and his wife reprimanded their daughter andmanded her to win the Emperor''s Chosenpetition no matter what.


    This was more of an order than parents motivating their children to do better in an exam.


    Kassandra had a solemn and obedient expression on her face, contrasting her cheerful and energetic attitude from before.


    "Listen to me, Kassandra. You already know about the first sage, right? How much influence that name carries and how big responsibility lies on your shoulders if you represent us in thatpetition?" asked Damon Mikealson.


    "Yes, lord father. I know." spoke Kassandra.


    ording to the history of the Rakos Empire and how it was founded by the first emperor, Rathnaar The Conqueror.. The sage was one of the most frequent names that came up in the ancient archives and historical books.


    Lerzon Mikealson was a 9th stage saint magician, titled as the First Sage of Rakos Empire and also the right-hand man of the emperor who apanied him during his conquest.


    He was one of the founding members of the Rakos Empire and naturally, the Mikealson n became one of the founding pirs of the empire itself when it was formed a millennium ago.


    If Kahn were to be here, he would''ve been gobsmacked after knowing that it was indeed the very first sage whose remnant will he met in the final floor of the Bromnir dungeon from vot city.


    Lerzon Mikealson''s remnant will or thest part of his soul was left within the Emperor''s core that Kahn found after defeating the Magma Drake dungeon boss. It was him who turned the ownership of the Peak Saint rank Emperor''s core to Kahn and chose him as his sessor, making him the rightful heir to the throne.


    But since the imperial family was rooted out and everyone rted to it was killed in the Great War over a century ago, Kahn had no intentions to reveal anything about the peak saint''s core that would spell his doom.


    The First Emperor was close to bing a Demigod back then before dying after 400 years of his age but even now, his name was still renowned in the annals of history.


    He was someone so powerful that even the chosen heroes of the gods did not dare to mess with him in the past and hence, Rakos Empire was secured and allowed to flourish to the point that even after his death, no one seeded to rule over it and no religious organization had taken the hold of this empire.


    And Kassandra was the direct descendant of that very bloodline of the first sage.


    Because of his history and deeds, the n had survived even after the great war.


    In fact, the Mikealson n betrayed and defeated the imperial family in the great war.


    From the books Kahn read, he already knew about the history behind the Great War.


    The 7th Emperor, ruler of that time and the imperial rule under him was very cruel for themon people and the Emperor himself had punished and killed many of his vassals out of jealousy or fear of them bing a threat to his rule.


    When things became intolerable, even the Mikealson n that served the imperial family for more than nine hundred years, chose to join arms against the dictators.


    Kassandra''s grandfather made the decision to betray them for the sake of the future of the empire and its people. And even so, the Mikealson n still managed to thrive under the rule of her grandfather who was the strongest mage of that time. And after his death, her father sessfully tookmand and maintained their power & authority.


    Currently, her father himself was the 2nd strongest mage of the empire, dwarfed only by an elven mage from the Pureblood faction despite being on the same rank as him.


    So there was a rich history behind her family lineage. And Kassandra had to bear the burden of that name herself.


    ----------------


    After Kassandra returned to her room, Isaac came to meet her again.


    "How did it go? You''re not gonna cry again, are you?" asked Isaac in a mischievous tone.


    "You imbecile! Don''t bother me." cursed Kassandra in an irritated tone, back to her usual self.


    "Honestly.. Sometimes I wonder if they''re even my real parents. No matter what I do or how many great things I achieve.. It''s never enough for them." spoke Kassandra with a dejected and pained expression.


    "I have worked hard since my childhood to make them feel proud of me. But even if after I became the first one of the youngest generation to be a semi-saint.. You know what they said?.."


    "Not just them... but everyone said it''s expected of the daughter of the n leader.


    And no one ever praised me for all the hard work I did by training myself for the past two decades tirelessly." she said and rested her head on the armrest of the chair.


    "Well.. Big sister Kassandra.. That is the curse of being the n leader''s daughter. And on top of that.. Both of them are in the top 10 magicians in the empire.


    No matter what you do.. You will always bepared to your parents one way or another." said Isaac with a stern tone as he rested his back against a wall.


    Kassandra took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and regain herposure.


    "Whatever it may be.. I''m going to win thispetition." she said with a resolute tone.


    "Why? I thought you hated the fact that they chose you as one of the representatives.." queried Isaac.


    "Because this is an opportunity." replied Kassandra and walked towards the balcony again.


    Her gazended on the heavenly scenery of nature in front of her as she slowly moved her fluttering hair in the wind.


    "I don''t want to win thepetition for some prestige, poprity or some authority. I could care less about these faction wars.


    But I have my own pride as well." spoke Kassandra and the next second, her countenance turned serious.


    "Not just my parents or my n. Not just other geniuses or the factions..


    I want to win it to prove myself." she said and gave a smile towards Isaac who was nodding in support.


    Her eyes were filled with determination and her heart filled with battle intent.


    "And show everyone why they call me the number one prodigy of this empire."

 Chapter 250 - Round Two

    <h4>Chapter 250 - Round Two</h4>


    The next week, when the day for the allotted matches for round two finally came, Kahn returned to the Xaphar city''s battle arena while being dressed as an assassin warrior.


    After profiting over 9 billion gold coins that his people received, the first thing Kahn did was invest it in hundreds of real estate and agriculturalnd using the Bloodbornepany''s name under the pretense of expanding their businesswork.


    While the remaining went into bribing government officials under the table to gain their favor in order to create a favorable impression and strong connections with people in high ces using the name of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    If both of his official & unofficial organizations had to flourish.. Kahn had to make sure that they were always ways to funnel the cash flow and in case they were in need of money.


    And there was no better investment than thend and housing market where the prices would keep fluctuating upward with time and bring stable passive ie on the side.


    And he could also use thesends to build hotels, restaurants, houses and keep the moneying in arge amount.


    "Have all our people gotten mixed in the crowd? And do they have enough money? We have to raise the stakes here." said Kahn.


    "All has been taken care of, master." replied Omega obediently.


    "Good. You three know what to do." said Kahn and ordered Omega, Ronin & Oliver to mix in between the audience.


    Today, Kahn was going all the way in again. Because for the second round, more money and higher bets were going to be made as many strong warriors emerged after the first round separated them from themon weed.


    When his turn finally came, Kahn''s people ced a huge amount on his match where the odds were 50:50. Means you get the same amount of money you used in the bet.


    And his opponent was a female archer who was dressed in ck hunting gear. The only visible things on her face were the eyes. Everything else was covered under the hood and mask.


    As soon as the battle started, Kahn quickly used invisibility skill and disappeared from the spot without leaving a single trace.


    Since there were no shadows present on the battle ring, he could not use Shadow Walk skill here and to make matters worse, the opponent was an archer who had tracking skills such as footprint tracking and body heat sensory skills.


    This time, Kahn had no choice but to quickly finish the match before his activation time ended and he was exposed.


    So before the opponent could even track his movements down, he used his real strength and appeared right behind the female archer without even making a sound as he used the Shadow Strike after so many months.


    This was a skill that allowed you to teleport to the target''s shadow directly and you could make a lethal attack from behind.


    It was also one of the skills he used during the fight with Solomon and killed the semi-saint mage.


    As soon as he teleported behind her, Kahn waited for the invisibility skill to end as his opponent was still trying to figure out his location.


    ck!


    As soon the skill time ended, Kahn''s dagger appeared right on the neck of the female archer and for a second, he released his aura on her.


    "Admit defeat." spoke Kahn in a deathly tone as his opponent was petrified from the intense pressure, unable to move in the slightest.


    As soon as his aura waned, the female archer dropped on the ground and dered her loss. Her legs still shaking from fear of Kahn''s murderous aura.


    [[Author : Female Archer Reference Art in chapterments.]]


    [Tell them to start.]manded Kahn to his subordinates telepathically.


    The Hive Mind skill allowed him tomunicate with his subordinate within 5 kilometers radius so the three subordinates easily heard hismand.


    In dozens of seconds, a loud cheer resounded from the different corners of the crowd of a million audiences.


    All the 5 levels of tforms made for the audience, each of which was asrge and wide as an entire football stadium encircling the six hundred battle rings were filled with loud cheers.


    "Look at that guy! He''s so skilled that he defeated his opponent in just 20 seconds and she didn''t even sense him till the very end." spoke an elf.


    "That guy is good. I didn''t even see himing behind her." spoke a bearkin on the other end of the arena on the 3rd floor.


    Soon, hundreds and then thousands of people pointed out towards Kahn''s match and the projection screen also disyed how quickly he defeated his opponent with sheer speed and uracy to the point that his opponent didn''t even see himing until a dagger was ced on her neck.


    After causing this small rouse, now half of the audience had been informed and many paid attention towards his match. This instantly made him popr amongst the audience and the masked assassin in ck garnered the attention of a few hundred thousand people in just a few minutes.


    Kahn left the battle ring after he was dered as the winner and headed to the resting area to wait for his next match.


    Inpetitions like this.. Popr opinion swayed the audience many times than true skills andbat prowess. And that''s exactly what Kahn had nned for the first match.


    In other words, Kahn was hyping himself as a contestant who was said to be very strong and with better chances to win. Not every participant could get that much attention so just one guy getting praised and acknowledged by thousands of people at once seemed like he truly had the ability.


    [How much did we earn?] asked Kahn to his subordinates while sitting inside the resting area as he waited for his next match that would happen in a few hours.


    After ten minutes, Ronin finally tallied the numbers received from their people hidden in the audience.


    [Master, we have gathered 5 billion from the match. What do you want us to do now?] asked Ronin who was sitting in the crowd.


    "Do you even need to ask me? Let the odds be clear first. After that.." spoke Kahn softly and continued..


    "We will be swimming in gold."

 Chapter 251 - The Disappointment

    <h4>Chapter 251 - The Disappointment</h4>


    TWO HOURS LATER


    As soon as the next batch of battles was ready, the hundred or so betting booths were again open for the business and soon, the scoreboard as well as the betting odds were revealed for the audience.


    90:10


    Kahn''s betting odds for his next round shocked thousands of people checking it. However, this time it was him at favorable odds instead of his opponent.


    These odds were even bigger than his first match. And due to the previousmotion, many people had chosen to bet on him after the impable disy of speed and skills in his previous match.


    When Kahn entered the battle ring, in front of him, stood a four-meter tall intermediate master rank Botir warrior whose entire body was covered in a gray exoskeleton armor from head to toe. And in his hands, was arge warhammer.


    He looked at Kahn with eyes full of scorn because based on betting odds.. He was considered very weak as the 9 out 10 people bet on Kahn instead of him.


    For someone like him, it was a form of insult and he was thoroughly furious after being looked down upon by a few hundred thousand people sitting amongst the audience.


    Six hundred other matches were happening but none of them had betting odds differing by this lot.


    "You.. I will beat you into a mush and show everyone here that I''m not some weakling." spoke the botir warrior in a threatening tone. His deep and hoarse voice was filled with wrath and malice.


    "Begin!" spoke the female foxkin referee.


    BOOM!


    The opponent released his aura and leaped in Kahn''s direction.


    BANG!


    His huge arms hit the floor and sent shockwaves all around the battle ring and Kahn barely escaped it by hair''s breadth.


    At this moment, Kahn too had limited his strength and stats to Intermediate master rank in order to test his limits.


    Since no external tools such as smoke bombs or any other equipment than your primary weapons were allowed, he appeared to be in pinch right from the start.


    "Come here you insect! Let me crush your bones!" he shouted and charged after Kahn who was trying to create distance between them.


    SCHRRRR!!


    Kahn''s daggers collided with the opponent''s broad hands and sparks appeared at the point of friction.


    Kahn was instantly flung backward and he tried to adjust his footing.


    But the next second, his figure disappeared from the spot and suddenly, the botir warrior felt his body disoriented out of the blue.


    Kahn appeared right above this four meter tall opponent''s head and tried to pierce through his shoulder. But his attack was stopped by the stone-like armor that covered most parts of this botir''s body.


    Grab!


    The botir warrior grabbed Kahn''s right leg and swung him towards the other end of the arena after Kahn kicked his head and tried to injure his shoulder.


    If not for his inborn armor-like body, he would have been gravely injured and then unable to fight furthermore. And if the rules allowed killing, he was certain that Kahn would''ve struck the dagger in his nape instead.


    Kahn quickly cemented himself on the ground and then rushed towards the opponent at full speed.


    Currently, all he could use were the B rank and below skills, as nobody below Grandmaster rank could A Rank or above skills so he had to fight while using the most basic ones. Otherwise, he would''ve won the match in the first ten seconds alone.


    The spectators were glued to their seats because it hadn''t even been a minute and both Kahn and the botir warrior has engaged in an intense battle.


    Many people started cheering for Kahn because he was the one many of them had bet on. And a normal human fighting toe to toe with a botir was a rare sight to see as well.


    The opponent readied himself and created an aura shield around himself, leaving no opening around his body.


    [Temr! He''s a Temr!.. So he was hiding his original ss by not using a sword or a shield. What a cheeky bastard..] thought Kahn and smiled under his ck mask.


    Aura Shield was one of the signature skills of the Temr ss fighters and hence Kahn quickly guessed the real ss of the opponent.


    For the next two minutes, Kahn made preemptive strikes and kept the opponent constantly moving and defending against his fast attacks.


    Although the botir had a massive advantage over brute strength and defense.. He waspletelycking in speed and uracy of attacks as his giant body itself restricted many of his movements.


    "Argh!" groaned the opponent as Kahn sessfully managed to cut off his tendons and pierced the gap under his right shoulder.


    Even the audience was taken aback by how the situation turned around so quickly. The seemingly imprable botir warrior was already on his knees against this small and lean human assassin who had only a few set of attacking skills.


    "Admit defeat or I will go for the shoulder.


    Although it won''t kill you, it will dmission you for a long time. And it will hurt even more." said Kahn loudly. His voice resounded through a part of the arena.


    "Hah! I dare you to try." spoke the opponent.


    Swoosh!


    The next moment, Kahn disappeared and revealed himself behind the back of the botir warrior and stabbed his spine.


    Crack!


    But instead of injuring the opponent.. Kahn''s dagger broke and it failed to prate the spine.


    "Ha.. Idiot. Our back is where we are sturdiest. " spoke the botir and quickly turned around, catching Kahn off guard.


    Both of his giant arms caught Kahn in a deadlock before he even had a chance to retreat.


    "You''re lucky that people are watching. Otherwise, I''d crack your bones and bury you under the ground myself." whispered the opponent as swung his entire body and threw Kahn high up in the air.


    Thud! Thud!


    In front of a hundred thousand onlookers..


    Kahn was thrown out of the battle ring.


    Ding!


    "The winner is no. 2,98,370!" dered the referee and with this, the botir warrior won the match.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Botir Temr warrior in chapterments.]]


    Gobsmacked!


    Many people among the audience were left speechless. Mainly because they had spent a lot of money when they bet on Kahn.


    But the fan favorite lost the match over small error in judgement.


    Thousands of people who had bet on him started cursing and hurling abuses at Kahn for losing the match as he returned to the resting area.


    Kahn quickly changed his attire and left the resting area as a mage whilst avoiding the people who wanted to find him and cause trouble because they lost a lot of money.


    After he exited the arena, Kahn contacted Ronin.


    "So?"


    [Master.. By the looks of it.. I can say one thing for sure.]


    "What is that?"


    To his question, Ronin replied coyly.


    [That you''re the best scam artist ever!]

 Chapter 252 - True Winner

    <h4>Chapter 252 - True Winner</h4>


    After Ronin''s remark, Kahn felt a sense of relief. Because from the words of the rogue subordinate, he could infer that their earnings were indeed big.


    "So how much?" he asked.


    [If we count the original investment along with the profits.. It''s 50 Billion gold!


    We''ve made a killing.] responded Ronin.


    "Good. Get everyone to leave the arena one by one. Gather all the money and meet me at the mansion." ordered Kahn and hired a flying beast service to leave the Xaphar city.


    Even with the Bloodbornepany and Seven Deadly Sins together, their profits up to this point were only 15 Billion after all the costs and expenses were cut down.


    But just in the second round alone, Kahn had tripled their profits and now achieved wealthparable to a reputed noble n on city level.


    And all this happened because he had nned it since the very beginning.


    In reality, it was his n to raise the odds after the first match dramatically when he quickly won against the female archer.


    After his win, Ronin, Omega and Oliver ordered thousands of their people from seven deadly sins who were mixed amongst the audience through themunication artifacts.


    And soon, all of them started praising Kahn from different parts of the arena and vocally brought the attention of many people towards his match that was disyed on projection screens.


    More than two hundred thousand people ended up getting fooled because of his sudden rise in poprity and impable disy of skills.


    And when his next match came, the already roused crowd that was systematically made to believe in his strength ended up betting most of their money and hence, Kahn''s odds were raised to 90:10.


    So what Kahn had the three subordinates do was order their people to bet all the money they received from the first match on his opponent.. The Temr botir warrior.


    And after his defeat, those who bet on the opponent, let it be his own people or the normal audience, made a fortune.


    So the five billion they bet on the opponent became forty-five billion after getting multiplied by 9 times.


    And just in one day, Kahn changed the fate of a district-level organization to a moderately influential n as far as wealth was concerned.


    And since his face was hidden behind the mask, no one knew his real appearance. Only the registration number that was changed after the second match for him to appear for qualifiers if he wanted to progress to the third round.


    And there, he would still have a chance to increase his wealth thanks to the betting system.


    This way, Kahn has worked his way into people thinking that he is a nobody but in reality, his personal wealth was enough to make him one of the top one thousand richest people in the whole empire.


    Although he wasn''tparable to the powerful noble ns or faction members, he was still working his way through by using thispetition. Because one day, he wanted to have his own force that would ensure his safety and authority.


    So that no noble n or any would outright oppress him because he does not have a strong background or a powerful backer.


    Behind the curtains¡­ he was the true winner.


    ----------------


    Apart from Kahn and his subordinates, no one actually knew how much money they had amassed from these matches because their people only knew about the money they were given and what they won after the results. But no one could even fathom the collective numbers.


    At midnight, Kahn returned to the mansion and received the daily reports from the subordinates about thepany, the seven deadly sins organization and how Sirius was doing his work as a new recruit.


    Ceril and Jugram had been in charge of managing and protecting thepany and its assets while Armin was busy practicing his Alchemy skills and doing research as usual.


    ckwall and Rudra were hidden inside Kahn''s shadow while Omega, Ronin and Oliver were in charge of managing their underworld empire as well as collecting the money.


    This affirmed Kahn that his decisions in the past were right and he could focus on himself. The most important and also the hardest thing at this point was increasing his levels since he was still level 150.


    Because even SS Rank the cores he was eating on a daily basis hadn''t helped him level up in the past month at all.


    If this continued, he wouldn''t be able to be a saint until another year at this rate.


    After receiving all the reports, Kahn ordered the generals to bring more people to the matches because soon, the number of strong people who qualified for the 3rd round will be revealed.


    And then the money spent on bets and the benefits one would receive was many times bigger than what he currently had.


    Three dayster, when Kahn had to fight again in the qualifiers for the third round, he had no choice but to win the two matches he was having.


    Because of which, the profits he made were only 20 billion gold coins and he officially became part of the 30 millionbatants throughout the Rakos Empire who qualified for this round.


    But what surprised him was the sudden turn of events that was done by the government out of the blue.


    From the third round.. The matches would be facilitated in the top 10 most economically rich districts in the capital.


    Kahn understood that these were the districts with the biggest influx ofmerce in the whole empire so naturally, the wealth invested during the matches in these ces would be enormous.


    From a financial aspect, this was indeed a smart move by the government. And for a match-fixer like Kahn.. This was a golden opportunity.


    Kahn then revealed his intentions to the subordinates in their usual meeting room.


    He spoke with a sinister expression and the greedy side of him visible on his face..


    "Time to y in the big leagues."

 Chapter 253 - Third Round

    <h4>Chapter 253 - Third Round</h4>


    In the following week, the third round for thepetition was about to happen and millions of contestants who sessfully qualified for this round flocked towards the top 10 districts of the capital Rathna.


    Kahn''s matches were allotted at the district named Erantel, one of the top 10 districts of the capital that was known for food and spice markets. It was also the 4th most economically sessful district throughout Rathna since it was the central hub for the majority of the provisions and material supply exchange points.


    As a result, the lifestyle of this district was costlier as well as more high profilepared to the majority of the districts in the capital.


    The architecture and lifestyle of the residents in this district differed by a lot and the more advanced modes of transportation and utilities were used by the general poption. Let it be flying ships or magic trains of the highest quality, everything was essible.


    For the battle arena that would host the third round, it was situated in the city named Marley. But for some reason, the citizens of this city were addressed as the Marleans by themon folk.


    When Kahn traveled to the battle arena in this city, he had no choice but to enter as a swordsman for two major reasons.


    One being that many contestants from this round were mostly above intermediate rank fighters and some were even peak master rank warriors.


    Whilst there was a group of poprbatants as they were backed up by some major forces and corporations while the elite group amongst them were the heirs of prestigious ns and conglomerates.


    The second reason being the top powers throughout the empire would start paying attention from this round as this was the stage where the fine crop of the empire was separated from the posers.


    Someone like a beginner master rank individual would not be considered a big deal here and about 40% of the participants were to be eliminated based on the format.


    But if Kahn were to be noticed by them, he won''t be able to switch fighting styles from now on. Or else, his secret will be open to people as these matches were bound to garner more attention of the audience and someone switching weapons and fighting style would definitely be noticed by many.


    Those who could use different weapons andbat techniques were never the master of any. So it would be questionable when he fought in the final rounds with the full extent of his abilities. Thus going back to fighting with a sword was his only viable option.


    So Kahn decided to use a rare rank sword for these matches for now instead of taking Lucifer out. Hence, he would fight the remaining matches of thepetition as a swordsman, the weapon he had the highest-ranked skills and abilities in.


    ----------------


    Ronin and Omega had spent millions for getting around fifty thousand people from their organization to travel and enter the battle arena as audience and the fifty billion gold coins had been distributed between them.


    A chain ofmand was formed to inform their people on whom to bet and what to bet for. So that they would reap the maximum returns based on the result of Kahn''s matches.


    To most of them, Kahn was just a chosen representative who fit the qualifications to partake in thepetition, a trojan horse whose sole purpose was to make them money by winning and losing matches.


    Little did they know that he was actually Zeus, their main boss who they had pledged loyalty to and have been working for ever since the Sins took over Hydra.


    After hours of waiting, Kahn''s turn came and odds for the first match were 70:30 for him because of his previous match history.


    While the opponent he was facing had won all previous matches and hence, the odds were in their favor. But this was also what Kahn wanted as well.


    [Go all the way in.]manded Kahn and the generals and Omega ryed hismands to their people.


    As for the opponent, it was another mithrans warrior whose upper body was covered in heavy metallic armor but the lower half had legs and the stinger of a scorpion. A halfbreed between two different types of species Kahn''s assumption was correct.


    In his hands, were two big cleavers that were enough to cut a man in two with a single swing. And his 3 meter tall figure was as scary as it could be if someone hated scorpions.


    The intermediate master rank opponent entered the battlefield while Kahn only released the aura of a beginner rank master for the sake of making his opponent look down on him.


    [[Author : Scorpion King reference art given in chapterments.]]


    "Begin!" spoke the Wolfkin referee and the match started with a loud deration.


    Kahn dashed towards the opponent without waiting another second. His opponent on the other end used his aura and covered both his cleavers under a denseyer of mana that granted it the wind attribute and he made a shing move in Kahn''s direction.


    Windcutter!


    Kahn activated the windcutter skill and attacked back with his own highlypressed wind element des.


    Flutter! Flutter!


    His clothes fluttered as both the attacks canceled each other out after shing. The opponent sped up his crawling movements and quickly closed the distance between them.


    Cling!


    His swinging attack aimed for Kahn''s head but it was parried in thest second by the sword of the opponent.


    But without giving any room to retreat, his other cleaver shed horizontally towards Kahn''s torso, trying to fatally injure him.


    Minutes passed as both of them tried to make a decisive hit but both he and the opponent were equally matching in attacking prowess and agility. And the mithrans had a poisonous stinger that he would use time to time whenever he had the chance.


    "Admit defeat or we both will be disqualified." spoke the mithrans opponent.


    "Let me ask you something.. Would your legs grow back with healing potions?" asked Kahn after parrying another swing from the opponent.


    "What?! I guess.. Yes?" spoke the opponent in a confused tone.


    "Good. I apologize for the pain." said Kahn and the next moment, he raised his aura and used the Executioner''s Gaze skills after a long time.


    Paralyzed! The opponent was paralyzed on the spot.


    Swing! Swing! Cut!


    One by one, Kahn quickly swung his sword like a seasoned veteran and cut off the opponent''s legs swiftly as the mithrans couldn''t even move a muscle.


    Despite the pain, the mithrans opponent couldn''t scream in agony and Kahn quickly dmissioned the enemy by cutting 6 of his legs.


    He then quickly ced the sword on the opponent''s neck.


    "Winner is candidate 5,67,930!" dered the referee as Kahn had sessfully subdued his opponent and as per the rules, he was the victor of this match.


    As soon as the match was over, Kahn quickly took a high-grade recovery potion out of his space ring and put it in the opponent''s mouth.


    The potion started working in a minute and the bleeding stopped. The mithrans warrior finally regained control over his body and looked at Kahn with a hateful expression.


    Kahn smiled back instead and spoke in a mischievous tone.


    "Consider this as your insurance covering the hospital bills."

 Chapter 254 - Public Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 254 - Public Enemy</h4>


    After he won the match, Kahn waited for the next few hours for the second match. By his estimations, the profits from his previous match should''ve doubled the money easily.


    [Omega, have our people collected all the money?] asked Kahn telepathically.


    [Yes my lord, we haven''t tallied yet but the numbers are above 100 billion.] responded Omega who was mixed within the crowd.


    [Good. Wait for my orders till the odds for my next match are out.] he ordered.


    Another hour went by and Kahn''s turn finally came. But as soon as the scoreboard and his odds were revealed.. His jaw hit the floor.


    Kahn''s odds were¡­ 90:10.


    [What the fuck?! I already won a match. Why are my odds so low?] he thought.


    Then he sees the scoreboard and his enemy. And he came to understand the situation with a face full of disbelief.


    His opponent was a girl dressed in a pink frock with white stockings that revealed her slender legs, even the sword in her hand appeared pristine.


    Although she was a peak master rank fighter, despite being 2 to 3 years older than him, her physical appearance was on the cute and bubbly side. Making anyone from the opposite gender embrace and protect her at all cost.


    But this wasn''t enough to drastically affect their betting odds. When Kahn looked around the arena.. He realized the exact reason why he was not anyone''s favorite for betting.


    Because among the crowd, he saw hundreds of banners and people varying from different ages, species and sizes wearing the same type of clothing that fit them. And the words written on these clothes dered the name of the group of nearly 20 thousand people among the audience.


    Historia Weiss Fan Club!


    [Damn it! Even this world has those fucking weebs?!] thought Kahn was a bbergasted expression.


    "Step on me, miss Historia!!" shouted a fat and ugly young guy among the audience as he waved a cutout of Historia above him.


    [Master.. What should we do? I just found out about her background.


    Historia Weiss is an heiress of one of the native noble ns. Not only is it popr and influential in the Erantel district. This is Marley city is actually her home ground.


    If you win against her.. We''re definitely going to attract a lot of hatred and will be eventually targeted one way or another.


    But on the other hand.. The odds are too high for her. If you win.. We will multiply our earnings many times.


    So what do you say?] reported and asked Ronin.


    [Damn it!! I was going to lose this match to fight in the qualifiers again, but now.. There won''t be a better chance of getting odds in our favor by this much.


    Go all the way in!


    As for the aftermath¡­ prepare an escape route for me in the meantime. I only need to be alone out of everyone''s eyes for a few minutes.]manded Kahn.


    [Yes, master. I will take care of it.] replied Ronin.


    This time, the battle rings were 50 meters wide in length and breadth, indicating that the stakes were higher and the battles would be intense.


    Kahn dressed in his ck and golden longcoat with gear made for swordsman fighters walked to the battle ring with thousands of gazes at him.


    This was the turf of the opponent so naturally, a hundred thousand n members of hers and also her fanboys were already part of the audience that were cheering for her.


    Their vehement support already gathered the attention of most of the crowd in the whole arena of a million people. And Kahn being one of the people in the center of attention.


    "Boooo!! Die you scum!"


    "This trash dares to fight our Goddess?! Let me give him a piece of mind!"


    "Get lost, loser!"


    One by one, hundreds of people started insulting and hurling abuses at Kahn.


    Even in his previous life of an Otaku as Elric.. Kahn never fell into that cycle of joining such clubs and idol support stuff. Because he thought it was too extreme and one should focus on their personal life rather than wasting time, money and energy on these things where the idol or celebrity you support wouldn''t even know or remember your name and face in their entire lives.


    But now, he was on the receiving end of their hatred.


    It was like saying you don''t like BTS while standing in the middle of South Korea.


    The risk of getting killed by the public was too high in such cases.


    Kahn looked at the audience where a few thousand men were looking at him with their eyes fired up and full of malicious intent as if they wanted to shred him to small pieces.


    On top of that, she''s an heiress of a popr n so the poprity spread among the masses was already too much for someone like him who wanted toy low and do things quietly.


    When he stood in front of his opponent, the killing intent from thousands of men was directed at Kahn even before the match began. He was already public enemy no. 1 before even doing anything.


    Historia from the other end gave an enarming smile, her cute appearance on the projection screens melted the hearts of many young men in the audience.


    But as soon as she gave Kahn a proper nce. She noticed his well-toned body and handsome face. She was stunned for a while and kept staring at him from a distance.


    "Ara Ara.. Such a handsome man. Do you want to have dinner with this big sister here?" spoke Historia in a cute and seductive tone that caught Kahn off guard.


    Stunned! Kahn was stunned and rooted on the spot. This sudden invitation by Historia came out of the blue. As if getting hated by so many people at the same time wasn''t enough.. She was pouring oil into the fire.


    At this moment, Kahn thought in his mind with a bewildered expression on his face..


    [Fuck! She''s a Ara Ara Onee-san!]

 Chapter 255 - The Poser

    <h4>Chapter 255 - The Poser</h4>


    Kahn''s battle with Historia started under the gazes of half a million people since one of the famous prodigies of this district was fighting in this against a no-name outsider.


    Kahn was relieved about the fact that he wasn''t a Shota-kun. Otherwise, every man of culture knew how the story would progress when facing this Ara Ara Onee-san.


    "Begin!" spoke the female elven referee and both the fighters started the match.


    "Hey¡­ what is your name?" asked Historia.


    "It''s Kahn." he replied.


    "Why don''t you admit defeat? I wouldn''t want to hurt that handsome face of yours." said Historia as she gave him a wink.


    Kahn sighed with an exasperated expression. He knew that she was only putting up a front for the audience. Trying to act all lovely, kind, cute and also desirable.


    "Fight or get lost!" replied Kahn.


    "Everyone.. I tried to be kind and gave him a chance to concede. But he doesn''t appreciate my goodwill.


    What should I do with him?" asked Historia to the audience.


    "Beat him!"


    "Kill him!"


    "Ungrateful peasant, ept the mercy our goddess is showing you!" shouted people from the fan club.


    "He dares to challenge our young mistress?! Show him his ce!" shouted a member of the Weiss n.


    Another volley of abuses and insults wereunched at Kahn from the audience.


    "Then that''s what I shall do." said Historia softly and released her pink aura of a peak master rank fighter.


    She started moving her sword in a vertically circr motion and amassed an aura incorporated sword attack.


    "Here, take this!


    Love¡­ Beam!!" she shouted andunched the sword aura attack towards Kahn.


    [What the fuck?! What kind of nonsensical attack name is that?] thought Kahn as he quickly sidestepped and avoided the pink beam of aura skill.


    "Oh.. So you dodged my attack. Then try dodging this!" she dered and started gathering aura around her sword again.


    But this time¡­ her movements were shier and graceful and soon, shepleted her skill movements.


    bbergasted¡­ Kahn was left bbergasted on the spot. Because the shape of Historia''s attack was a..


    Heart.


    Yes, in front of her, a heart-shaped blob of condensed aura was gathered and she made a swinging motion towards her enemy.


    "Heart... Breaker!!" shouted Historia with grand attacking gesture.


    Kahn covered his eyes with left palm as he waspletely frustrated at this point. He then made a vertical shing movement with his sword and used the windcutter skill at the iing heart-shaped attack.


    RIP!!


    His wind de quickly cut the aura skill in two and the attack evaporated in the air.


    "Ah.. She''s a quack. I wonder how she even reached the master rank.." spoke Kahn to himself.


    At this moment, even some of the strong fighters from the resting area facepalmed themselves after looking at these attacks.


    Both of the attacks were far weaker and fragilepared to when Kahn learned the swordsmanship skills at peak master rank.


    As per Kahn''s judgment, both of Historia''s moves were only created for the sake of appearance. Too shy but no force or precision behind the attacks.


    He was thoroughly disappointed with Historia at this point.


    As someone who spent hours training himself in weapon skills andbat techniques on daily basis despite having the blessings given by the goddam War Deity himself, this experience felt like an insult to all the hardworking sword fighters around the world.


    She was like an overhyped product by excessive marketing but actually didn''t have any quality or substance to it.


    [Fine. I''ll do it myself.]


    Thought Kahn and charged at her with full speed, he too revealed his skills and attributes of a peak master rank warrior for the first time.


    Even on the same level, he was already many times skilled and experiencedpared to this Daddy''s Little Princess who was giving a bad name to all the female swordswomen.


    Swing! sh!


    Kahn quickly attacked her vital points as soon as he appeared close to her.


    Clink!!


    Historia barely managed to defend against his horizontal sh after getting caught off guard.


    "Oh my¡­ you''re nothing but a poser who doesn''t even know how to fight. I wonder how did you even be a master rank swordswoman." teased Kahn.


    Sparks flew in between their swords as Kahn forced her to step back.


    "You''re so bad that I feel offended sharing the battle ring with you." spoke Kahn with an irritated face.


    "Why don''t you admit defeat? I wouldn''t want to hurt that hideous face of yours." said Kahn as he smirked.


    GASP! SHOCK!


    Tens of thousands of people gasped at the same time as Kahn openly insulted the heiress of the Weiss n.


    "You.. What did you just say?! Who did you just call hideous?!" eximed Historia in rage as her eyes burned with hatred towards Kahn.


    "I don''t see anyone else here." replied Kahn and kicked her in the stomach.


    "Arggh!" groaned Historia in pain as her entire body was flung towards the other end of the battle ring.


    "Hey.. Shoo!! Get out of here. I don''t have time to waste on a pretentious clown like you."


    He again insulted the opponent, rubbing salt on her wounds.


    Historia adjusted her footing and gazed at Kahn with an infuriated expression.


    For the first time in her life, she was insulted and publicly humiliated. And that too in front of a crowd of a million people together.


    Her scornful face was visible for everyone to see and many people stopped paying attention to other battles and their gaze shifted to the projection screens that were disying Kahn''s battle.


    "You.. I''ll never forgive you! Come fight me to death if you dare!" screamed Historia and a murderous aura was released from her body.


    Not just her but hundreds of people from her n sitting amongst the audience directed their killing intent at Kahn at the same time.


    If it was someone else, they''d fear for their lives but to a semi-saint like Kahn, all these killing intents were as thin as a paper.


    "I.. Don''t." replied Kahn coyly.


    "Why?! Not man enough?" asked Historia as she started walking towards her opponent.


    "Not exactly¡­ the thing is; if I fight you to death..." he spoke with a benign smile and continued¡­


    "I might kill you with a p."

 Chapter 256 - True Colors

    <h4>Chapter 256 - True Colors</h4>


    After Kahn''s deration, not just Historia but all the onlookers were baffled and the majority had their jaws wide open. Even for people who didn''t pay attention to this match before.. This was too much to ept.


    On the surface, both of them were peak master rank fighters but from his words.. He was implying that Historia wasn''t even a real deal.


    And saying that he could kill her with a p hinted that she was nothing but a con and had no real strength.


    "Heeey!! Now I''m not even going to care about the rules. I''m going to kill you with my own hands!" shouted Historia and pointed her de at him as she activated all her offensive and burst skills to attack Kahn.


    A small storm filled with murderous aura surrounded her body and multiple des made of mana swirled around her sword.


    She made a shing swing in his direction and all the desunched at him in a synchronized manner.


    But all Kahn did was sidestep from left to right swiftly and avoid every single de as if nothing happened.


    Even with his stats and rank lowered, he was simply too experienced and had better control over his bodypared to the female opponent.


    Historia ran towards him and started swinging her sword frantically. To which, Kahn didn''t even bother dodging. He just parried and directed the direction of her sword again and again.


    Soon, the scenario of their fightpletely changed from two equally matched opponents to a grown-up schooling a toddler.


    "You motherfucker!! I''ll fucking kill you and your whole family. A trashmoner like you isn''t even worthy of standing in the same battle ring as me!" shouted Historia.


    Her outraged expressionpletely contrasting her previously enarming and cute appearance as she lost all control over herself after Kahn had insulted, humiliated and then toyed around with her.


    And to make things worse, not a single one of her skills or lethal attacks met their mark or hurt him in the slightest.


    The biggest flex Kahn was doing at this point was that he wasn''t even using both of his hands. Rather his left hand was inside the pocket of his longcoat while the right hand was doing all the work. As if Historia''s attacks weren''t even powerful enough for him to use both hands.


    Just in a couple of minutes, Historia started losing her bnce and the grip on her sword loosened after Kahn had exhausted her without even making a single strike.


    CLANG!!


    Her sword fell on the ground as Kahn parried it easily without exerting any force.


    "Go pick the sword." he said.


    "You.." she tried to refute but couldn''t because she was shown to be one at fault.


    But as soon as she picked her sword again, Kahn put his own in the sheath and folded his arms.


    "Come. I won''t fight you with my weapon from now on. Try to kill me if you can." he said and threw a grin at her.


    "You bastard!" she shouted and aimed for Kahn''s heart.


    This was a new level of humiliation. Her opponent implied that she was so weak that he didn''t even need a weapon to defeat her.


    But before her thrust even touched Kahn''s heart, he quickly grabbed her wrists, stopping her sword and the next second, he did something that shook the entire arena.


    SLAP!!


    A crisp p resounded in the battle ring and Historia''s left cheek with visible fingermarks appeared on the screens.


    Silence! The arena was deathly silent at this point.


    "Dammit.. Why do I keep meeting these types of women? Some scam me, some try to kill me and this one is a textbook pretentious bitch.


    People would say that I''m some sort of woman abuser at this point." spoke Kahn to himself as he sighed.


    "I''ll give you another chance. Attack me with all your power."


    He said and let go of her wrists.


    This time, Historia was enraged to the point that her face had turned fuming red.


    SLAP!


    "Again." said Kahn as he pped her again after stopping the sword attack midway.


    SLAP!


    Kahn repeated the cycle and kept pping her again and again till her face was swollen and the fair cheeks looked like rotten tomatoes.


    Snif! Snif!


    Historia started crying at this point because she was basically getting thrashed now.


    Kahn had publicly bullied and roasted her so hard for looking down on him earlier, that she could die just from the shame.


    As the teardrops drizzled from her eyes.. the makeup on her face started being undone.


    GASP!


    "No! This can''t be true!"


    "Somebody.. Tell me this is a dream.."


    "What the hell! You gotta be joking me.."


    Hundreds of people started muttering under their breath as Historia''s face was revealed to everyone again.


    Finally, the people saw the real face of this girl behind all that heavy makeup which made her look like a princess of some country. A face that was full of pimples and wrinkles.


    Even her lips were ckened as an aftereffect of excessive smoking.


    Historia was crying after losing her shit like a baby, her runny nose and the undone makeup that was spread over her face made her look hideous; shattering the beliefs of every single member of her fan club and n members.


    Especially for the fan club members, her cute and lovely girl image waspletely gone and an erratic and hateful character of hers was revealed to everyone during this fight.


    Her charming and innocent persona no longer existing and her loathsome character who hated and looked down on other people from themoner ss, which 90% of the audience belonged to, was revealed to the world.


    The Mask was broken and her true self was revealed for everyone to see.


    [[Author : Historia Weiss Reference Art in chapterments. Check it out]]


    Kahn quickly grabbed her sword and put it on her neck. Whilst Historia who was broken at this point did not even have the strength or will to retaliate.


    "The winner is no. 2,98,370!" dered the female elven referee and Kahn officially won the match.


    His gaze turned towards the people holding banners and wearing the clothes of Historia''s fan club.


    He quickly started walking out of the ring and spoke in a tyrannical voice that filled the entire arena..


    "And this is why you should¡­" spoke Kahn and took a pause. He looked at Historia again and continued..


    "Never judge a book by its cover."

 Chapter 257 - Escape Route

    <h4>Chapter 257 - Escape Route</h4>


    As soon as Kahn left the battle arena under public eyes.. The seemingly silent crowd went into an uproar.


    Brazen! Kahn was too brazen!


    Not only did he defeat the n heiress of one of the most influential ns in this district, but he also publicly humiliated her in front of audience of a million people. That too right on their home ground.


    And because of his deeds, many people from Weiss n and Historia''s fan club were outraged to their core. Since many didn''t care if she was putting up a pretense of an idol type of image for the selected individuals.


    As he returned to the resting area hurriedly, he gathered the details about his next matches and the new registration token.


    But instead of dilly-dallying, he quickly went to one of the rooms inside the facility.


    Soon, hundreds of people from both the Weiss n and Historia Fan Club started heading towards this section of the battle arena where Kahn entered the resting area for the participants.


    Most of these people had malicious intent in their eyes and some of them were even grandmaster rank fighters.


    A flock of haters marched towards the entrance of the resting area and soon, even the arena management employees as well as guards were alerted after sensing the approaching crowd.


    [Do it now!] ordered Kahn as he sensed the group with murderous intent.


    Although he could easily escape from here or subdue the people who wereing after him.. He would have to either reveal his strength of a semi-saint being or gather too much attention even with the shadow walk skill, as there won''t be easy opening for him to use this skill.


    This was not something he could afford to do till the endgame of thepetition as it will greatly affect his approach, his future earnings and bring too much trouble if the top powers knew that there was semi-saint fighting in thepetition except the already confirmed candidates of the three factions.


    "Where is he?! Tell him toe out!" shouted an armored man from the Weiss n.


    "Come out bastard! How dare you humiliate our goddess?!" shouted an individual from the fan club.


    Soon, a big crowd amassed in front of the entrance and the guards on duty were surrounded by hundreds of people. There was no opening left for anyone to enter or exit out of this facility at all.


    Some even tried to break-in and threatened to kill the guards if they didn''t bring Kahn out willingly.


    Boom!


    A heavy pressure of a grandmaster mage was released in the surroundings as he revealed his killing intent.


    "Bring that man out. Or we can''t guarantee who we will end up hurting in the process. Do it when we are asking nicely."manded the intermediate rank grandmaster.


    Two more grandmaster-rank individuals who belonged to the Weiss n released their horrifying aura on the guards and made them fall on their knees.


    "Do as he says. Or no one will be able to find how you died. Thew does not punish a mob in case of riot.. Think about saving your own lives rather than someone you don''t even know." spoke an elderly human swordsman who himself was a peak grandmaster.


    At this point.. The guards were hesitant about what to do. Their job entailed providing safety for the participants but given the number of unhappy people in front of them.. They''d be subjected to mob lynching for trying to save someone who provoked all these people.


    Thud! Thud! Tap! Tap!


    But before things escted furthermore, another crowd marched towards these people who had already surrounded the entrance.


    "What''s happening here?" asked a tall and burly man who was dressed in the uniform of the arena management. His long white beard and waist-length hair made his features stand out.


    SHRILL!!


    He quickly released his aura of a peak grandmaster individual and warred off the approaching crowd.


    "Don''t get involved in our matters. If a fight breaks, you will be at loss." spoke the elderly man and the next 3 individuals revealed their aura of grandmaster rank individuals.


    One beginner, one intermediate andstly the old man who was a peak grandmaster.


    SHING!


    However, the next second, two more individuals from the other end of the crowd revealed their deathly aura that surrounded all the members of this group.


    "Is that so? What do you people take us for? Just because you belong to some n, you''re looking down on the government?" asked a middle-aged man with green eyes as he revealed himself as a peak grandmaster as well.


    "Get lost! Or we know of many ways to kick out those who cause trouble inside the arena." said a brown-haired man with two ck wings on his back.


    The heavy and insurmountable aura along with the killing intent revealed by these 3 peak grandmasters instantly put everyone from the group on their knees including the other grandmasters from the Weiss n.


    "You.. You better know who you''re crossing by protecting that brat!" eximed the old man.


    Creak!


    But the next second, the entrance door was opened from the inside and a frail-looking white tigerkin mage walked out.


    His eyes were wide open as soon as he noticed the situation in front.


    "What.. What''s happening?" asked the beginner master rank mage.


    "You! Did you see a young man dressed in ck and golden clothes inside?" asked the elderly man.


    "Oh? You mean that human with a big sword?" asked the tigerkin mage curiously.


    "Yes! Go and tell him toe out!" ordered the old man.


    But next moment, the tigerkin mage replied in a soft tone..


    "But.. But that man already left. I saw his jump out of the window that''s inside the staff room." he exined.


    "What?! That bastard! Everyone, charge! Don''t let him escape!" shouted the old man furiously. Even the three peak grandmasters didn''t bother to stop them for some reason.


    In just a minute, the entire resting area was swarmed with hundreds of people and they were searching for the man who was their main target.


    But to no avail, none of them managed to find Kahn or any window that could be used as an escape route inside the facility.


    ----------------


    Outside of the battle arena, the tigerkin mage who informed the people amount their target''s whereabouts sat inside a luxurious carriage-like vehicle and one by one, his physical and facial structure started changing.


    In just a minute, a handsome young man came to be. The man spoke with a light smirk on his face as he looked at the arena.


    "Hasta vista, baby."

 Chapter 258 - The Backer

    <h4>Chapter 258 - The Backer</h4>


    He sessfully returned to his mansion and held another meeting between the subordinates at night. The three subordinates also returned after spending the whole day collecting the money from their people.


    On the table in the middle of the room where they did the meetings normally, the three subordinates returned with a total of 83 space rings holding nothing else but only gold coins.


    Each of these space rings had inner spaceparable to a medium-sized warehouse and the wealth stored inside was so much that it took eighty three of such rings.


    Since all the transactions were done in small amounts from nearly 50 thousand people, they received only coins for the bets they won. And a denomination such as Oricalclum tes was out of the equation, thus it took so many space rings.


    With the previous earnings, Kahn now officially had 1 Trillion gold ie in personal wealth. This was a hundred times what they initially had by gathering the wealth from Bloodbornepany and the funds from Seven Deadly Sins.


    Even if they worked tirelessly and expanded their enterprise throughout the capital, they wouldn''t be able to earn this much money within a decade let alone in a month as they did in reality.


    And it was thanks to Kahn who luckily met the qualifications to participate in thispetition and nned how to benefit by fixing his own matches. So the fortune they garnered today made him one of the 1000 richest people in the whole empire.


    "Master, what should we do with all of this? It''s too much and more than enough to expand our organizations andpanies in every district of the capital." said Omega.


    "It''s not that simple. Do you think others will let you open up a shop in their own territory?


    We''re still far weaker and behind the majority of the top noble ns of the empire. Even this much wealth is hardly one-fourth of what those people earn through their business and connections within a year." said Ronin who was the most knowledgeable as if information gathering was in his blood.


    "He''s right. We shouldn''t be hasty. Rather, we need to strengthen our forces and recruit more people. Rukon District is our turf and we should be undefeatable here. We should at least have enough manpower and weaponry to kill even a Saint should the situation arise." said Oliver who had developed an addiction for wine recently.


    To him, wine looked a lot like blood and he was always ted to drink it leisurely. Every sip he took always made him happy for some reason that neither Kahn nor the other subordinates understood.


    "He''s right. We''ve already done the mistake of overestimating ourselves whether it''s wealth or our strengths. And if what Ronin says is true.. Then we''re just monkeys trying to grab the moon." spoke Kahn who was sat on a throne inside the room.


    "Master¡­ If you don''t mind; you can leave recruiting fighters and soldiers to me and Ceril. We have gotten the hang of it recently while maintaining the expenses and security of both of our organizations." said Jugram who was akin to a giant even in his human form.


    "Dismissed soldiers from the army, veteran adventurers, mercenaries, local thugs.. There are plenty of ces we can recruit fighters and then discipline themter to fight as one organization with our own methods." proposed Jugram.


    "He is right, my lord. While managing thepany in your absence, I''vee to learn many things about how to expand our forces and manage them properly thanks to all the big leagues of customers and ns we''ve been doing business with.


    I also know how to funnel the funds using shell corporations and shops so that nothing can be tracked to us." exined Ceril.


    Kahn who had a slightly surprised expression by the ideas of the subordinates, found their opinions very intriguing.


    All of them had adapted and evolved as individual entities during the past 2 months of his absence. And his decision to let them get experience about the world on their had turned out very fruitful as none of them were just brainless monsters anymore whose entire use was to follow his order.


    Now, all of them were individuals with their own characteristics, identities and minds who can manage many things on their own even if he wasn''t around to order them.


    And this wasn''t even their full potential. The future would definitely be full of surprises at this rate.


    "Let''s save it for now. We can expandter anyway. The more money we have, the more we can use for betting.


    Besides, soon the top ns of the empire will enter the fray for the remaining rounds. Compared to them, we still have a long way to go. So having our funds ready for the big leagues should be our priority." replied Kahn.


    This was more of a reasonable choice at the present moment. Because soon, more high stake matches were bound to happen and then need bigger investments would be needed to multiply their ie to earn the highest price possible.


    Since as things stood,pared to top noble ns, they were still not worthy to stand in the same room as them. Because the personal wealth and ie of an enterprise was apletely different thing as they functioned on different scales.


    So living frugally now but investing big for the future was a better strategy.


    "I need to prepare for our next move. Things will be different from now on." spoke Kahn as he looked at a pile of papers that were kept on the table.


    "What are those?" asked Armin who also appeared for the meeting this time.


    To his query, Ronin replied in a calm tone.


    "List of possible candidates our lord might have to face in the uing rounds." he exined.


    "What''s there to worry about? Can''t master easily defeat them?" asked Armin again.


    The next second, Kahn decided to exin it by himself.


    "It''s not the people who I will be fighting¡­ but the people, organizations, ns and factions that back them are the ones we should worry about." he said.


    "I don''t understand." said Armin.


    Facepalm! Everyone including Kahn facepalmed themselves.


    "How can he be a genius and a dumbass at the same time?" asked Omega and shook his head.


    "What I mean is that the people I will be facing from the uing rounds won''t be just no-name filler characters but some elite level of filler characters.


    Most of them will be chosen representatives of some influential organization or some n. And their winning or losing would also affect the wealth earned by those who back them. So basically, we would be stealing their food right in front of them.


    Since we don''t have a backer of our own and neither did I use the rmendation token given by the Pureblood Faction.. We will be an easy target to pick for the powerful.


    And because we don''t have a deterring force of our own..


    Do you really think we would be left off the hook after winning the fights?" borated Kahn.


    "There is no rule that safeguards the participants during thepetition run. If anyone holds grudges, they can kill us outside the arena and no one would even inquire about it.


    In the history of thispetition, only those backed by the powerful forces have reached to the final three rounds. Why do you think that happened?" he said.


    Although Armin was a genius when it came to Alchemy after he was merged with Prithivi, thete grandmaster Alchemist; inheriting his memories, character traits and talents¡­ he was still oblivious to happenings of the outside world.


    At this moment, not only Kahn but everyone had a sullen expression on their faces.


    The fortune was right in front of them but they couldn''t take it because the top brass who also had their eyes on the prize wouldn''t let him off if Kahn even thought about coveting it.


    That''s how the politics in the real world worked. You can''t reach the top with hard work or sheer dedication alone.


    Because your rise would also spell doom for the others and no way would anyone allow that to happen.


    The elites would never allow anyone someone who rose from the ashes to sit among their ranks on equal footing. This was what Kahn most worried about after his previous match with the n heiress of the Weiss n.


    Just him winning a match against her caused a bigmotion and put a target on his back. If not for the odds that made them the fortune in front of them.. Kahn wouldn''t have even dared to fight her or win the match in the first ce.


    He was smart enough to not actively provoke the local snakes just because he was a dragon.


    Unless there was a big reward for the risks like today''s match.. It wasn''t worth it.


    "But¡­ but.. We do." spoke Armin as he sipped the herbal tea in front of his seat.


    "What?!!"


    "What?! What do you mean?"


    Everyone eximed and asked with a startled expression. Even Kahn was out of his wits after Armin''s response.


    "Who are you talking about? We can''t rely on the Vandereich n or the Pureblood Faction for it at all." said Kahn.


    "Not them." spoke Armin as he shook his head a few times.


    "We do have someone who can rival them. Not in wealth or strength but in reputation and poprity.


    It''s someone we all know very well. I could say even master has a very close rtionship with him.


    Just saying that he''s our backer would deter everyone from even daring to target us." reiterated Armin.


    "For fuck''s sake, tell us who you''re talking about!" shouted Omega.


    Armin gave a cheerful smile and spoke in a soft tone.


    "The peak grandmaster cksmith¡­ Albestros Winston."

 Chapter 259 - The Bond

    <h4>Chapter 259 - The Bond</h4>


    As soon as Armin suggested the name of the old man Albestros, who was basically part of the crew at this point, everyone including Kahn was left speechless.


    The seemingly dim subordinate who didn''t have too many dealings with the outside world aside from making appearances here and there, advised them about using the old man as their backer.


    This was indeed a great idea when one carefully thought about it.


    "Why didn''t we think of it.." spoke Ceril.


    He was the one managing the ounts and logistics of thepany the most in the past two months alone until Kahn brought Sirius into their team. So he should be the one to suggest it first.


    "Think about it. He is well-reputed throughout the capital and many ns including their leaders such as saints have been trying to curry favor with him recently.


    The majority of them have already offered their friendship let it be in the form of money, resources and manpower.


    So shouldn''t we make use of it as well?" said Armin.


    Currently, the name of peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston was well renowned throughout the capital and many powerful ns, let it be from Pureblood Faction or Neutral Faction have been trying to make him their ally.


    Even the powerful saints were trying to make connections with him so that he would take theirmissions for making weapons and armors of the highest quality.


    There were only 3 peak grandmaster cksmiths in the whole capital, showing how hard it was for someone to reach this rank in this area of specialty. And he the one who also made Kahn''s Drakos Armor and Lucifer.


    So Kahn himself knew how truly talented the old man was. There was even a time when Kahn thought about learning cksmith skills from him but it would''ve raised many unnecessary questions since no one had ever seen a swordsman being able to use skills of two different sses.


    Plus given his weapon mastery &bat techniques mastery blessings, Kahn would''ve easily mastered these skills so quickly and eventually; he''d have to reveal his real identity to the old man.


    Kahn didn''t want to put his life in jeopardy after he finally moved on with his life nearly 11 months ago just for the sake of his personal gains.


    "I''m not so sure about this. Just him appearing along with me would put too much risk on his life. And what if something happens when I''m not here?


    In the end, he is his own person. I have greatly benefited from him till this point.


    What if I provoke someone and they try to kill him to vent out their anger? I absolutely won''t do it." said Kahn stubbornly.


    A moment of silence ensued in the room but then Omega spoke.


    "Master.. You should at least talk with him about this. He is no stranger to you at this point. Who knows he may think differently about this whole ordeal?


    Whether toe through or not would be his own decision." he suggested.


    After further discussions, the meeting was adjourned and Kahn decided to talk with the old man the next morning.


    ----------------


    The next morning at their usual ce, Kahn and Albestros were having tea together before they had to set off for work.


    He did not hide the fact about how they have been earning money through thepetition and how it would turn out to be a big risk from the next rounds.


    The old man had a solemn face after Kahn exined the situation along with his personal opinion not getting Albestros involved.


    Albestros replied with a kind expression on his countenance.


    "What are you getting so worked up about? It''s no riskier than when we were targeted by the chamber ofmerce.


    Things like this are bound to happen today or tomorrow anyway." he said.


    "But.. But that could put you at risk. Even I don''t have the strength to protect you if some top n or some faction targets you because of me.


    And given the goals I have.. It''s bound to implicate you if we do this." spoke Kahn with a worried voice.


    Albestros let out a long sigh and ced his hand on Kahn''s left shoulder as he spoke in a caring tone.


    "You always shoulder all the responsibilities by yourself. It''s okay to lean on others once in a while.


    Besides.. when you were avenging my children, you also put your life at risk, didn''t you?


    Compared to that.. This is nothing." affirmed the old man.


    "You helped me turn my life around for the better. And if not for you.. I would still be stuck inside that downtrodden mansion, wallowing in misery and heartbreak even now.


    So if I can help you by facing some risk to my life¡­


    I will dly do it." spoke Albestros and lightly smiled.


    "Tha¡­ thank you." said Kahn with gratitude.


    Although he did not intend to address it¡­ but there was already a bond between him and the old man.


    "What''s that? Did I just hear you thank me?


    This punk.. Do we need to thank each other at his point?" he said and rustled Kahn''s hair.


    "Just tell me when you need to do it. I''ll always be ready." said Albestros.


    "Actually¡­ I already have a n ready." said Kahn, avoiding the old man''s eyes like a kid denying that they broke something in front of their parents.


    "Ahh¡­ this clever bastard! You already knew I would say yes." said the old man and pulled Kahn''s ear.


    "Ouch! Stop it you old fart! I''m just good at reading people." replied Kahn and he slightly leaned down.


    For the following hour, Kahn exined a detailed n he had in mind and the best way to execute it using the old man''s name.


    "Understood. It does seem very effective. But I hope it works the way we want. Otherwise, it will adversely affect ourpany in many ways.


    Others will say that we are snooping our noses in ces where they don''t belong." said the old cksmith dressed in formal clothes.


    "You do not need to worry. I already got things in motion. It will take a week before it shows effect. After all.." he said and continued with a devilish smirk on his face.


    "Lies spread faster than the truth."

 Chapter 260 - New Format

    <h4>Chapter 260 - New Format</h4>


    For the next uing days, the way of conducting business for the Bloodbornepany changed a little bit and many rumors started spreading in the business world.


    News had leaked by some of the employees of the weapon manufacturingpany that their owner, the peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston found a young and talented swordsman recently who is a prodigy of this generation.


    And the young man is participating in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition as well. The peak grandmaster was so surprised and taken aback by his strength and skills that he decided to back up this young man for the ongoingpetition and with his own hands, he made a rare set of Armor and Sword that could easily rival the best armors and swords in the whole empire.


    Albestros Winston himself called it the best work of his life so far. And if the asion came, the young swordsman might use them during the fights of the uing rounds.


    As for the identity of the prodigy, no one knows about it but one thing is sure.. That the peak grandmaster greatly favors this young talent and wholeheartedly supports him.


    And if a situation arose, he wouldn''t even mind making an enemy of a powerful n if they made things difficult for him.


    And unexpectedly, the news was spreading quickly not only to their circle of people but hundreds of ns and big enterprises. And many found the source of this information to be the people doing the shipments to organizations and ns who bought their weapons and armors from the Bloodbornepany.


    With the employees who directly worked in thepany and their different branches, the validity of this rumor was ounted for.


    Soon, this news also reached the ears of the influencing ns and even the saints who had been trying tomission this grandmaster cksmith. This news also spread across the three factions because at the end of the day, someone like Albestros Winston personally doing his best to make a set of armor and sword was unheard of.


    Because even now, only a few top rank saints that were above 4th stage had been able to have their customized weapons and armors made by him and all of them had nothing but praise.


    And ording to them, his work even excelled one of the other two grandmaster cksmiths who was a dwarf and worked in this industry for 3 decades now. Thus, rising his poprity and demand drastically in just the past 3 months.


    Many other ns and organizations tried to persuade him to join their ranks but none of them seeded despite trying every method.


    One n''s saint warrior tried to forcefully make him ept hismission but he waster dealt with by nearly a dozen ns from the Pureblood Faction.


    These were the same people Kahn made deals with after they personally made a visit to their headquarters. And hence, no one dared to force their way on the old cksmith.


    So whoever this prodigy was.. He already garnered the attention of some of the most powerful people of the empire and they all were interested to know how would the best work of this renowned cksmith would look like.


    This gave them another reason to look forward to the Emperor''s Chosenpetition that was halfway through its run.


    In a way.. This would also reflect on the poprity of this grandmaster as the other two grandmasters had already sided with particr ns and factions and made the armors and weapons for the chosen representatives by them.


    This would also be a fight to decide who was the best cksmith in the entire Rakos Empire.


    ----------------


    As for Kahn himself¡­ he had been preparing himself for the next round that would happen 4 dayster and as per his ns that were carried out by the Bloodbornepany that was spreading these rumors through official channels and the Seven Deadly Sins that was spreading this news amongmon folks throughout the Rukon district and nearby sections of the capital.


    Let it be a bar, a restaurant or some clothing shop.. They were using their establishedworks and chain of organizations that worked for them to spread this news rapidly so that soon, many people in the capital would know of this rumor.


    With time, it would be a known fact among the masses and when the right time came.. Kahn would reveal himself as someone with the backing from the grandmaster cksmith himself.


    To the public, he would appear as one of the three horses chosen by the grandmasters running in a race. The one to win would also signify which grandmaster was better in terms of skills.


    And this move was useful to him because Kahn would be able to openly use the sword and the armor in thepetition in theter rounds when the time came.


    And people won''t be foolish to directly target him as the news would already reach their inner circle.


    This was also a way for Kahn to let people marvel at the old man''s work, increasing Albestros''s poprity even more.


    For himself, this was a better alternative than appearing as a nameless nobody who was easy to pick on by the random street thugs.


    And Kahn was going to use it to the best of benefits.


    All that remained was the right time to reveal it when he was truly cornered. Like an ace up your sleeves.


    After three days, Kahn had to depart for a new city in a different district where the next round would be conducted. And this time..


    There was going to be a new format and the scale of thepetition as well as the people involved in it would be leagues abovepared to how things had been faring before.


    As for the new format itself¡­ Even Kahn had no choice but to start revealing his strength to everybody from here on.


    As the next round would cully the pretenders and reveal the real diamonds soon.


    Because the new format of the next round was¡­


    THE BATTLE ROYALE.

 Chapter 261 - Fourth Round

    <h4>Chapter 261 - Fourth Round</h4>


    4 DAYS LATER


    Kahn and thepany traveled to Bermin district, the birthce of the industrial revolution in the Rakos Empire.


    This district was famous for many reformative research and revolutionary inventions of known methods, applications rted to the daily life of the citizens of the empire.


    In the past millennium, most of the industrial research and machinery development were invented, discovered and then spread greatly from this district alone.


    Most of the transportation and machinery made by integrating magical cores, formations and engineering skills were developed in this part of the capital. Making it the most advanced ce in the whole empire in terms of technological developments.


    And thanks to the sweet capitalism, currently it was the 3rd richest district of the empire.


    As for the battle arena hosting the next round of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition, it was to be hosted in one of the main cities of this district namely..


    The Mankester city.


    ----------------


    When Kahn finally reached and got into the allocated section of the arena through one of the entrances for his next match, he was stunned and surprised to see the overall span of the entire battle arena.


    The entire structure spanned 5 kilometers wide altogether.


    This time, there were only 5 battle rings, each having a length of 500 meters while the remaining space was used to make sitting arrangements for the audience in 7 floors that encircled these battle rings, facilitating over one and half million people all at once.


    And unlike the prior matches where more than 600 small battles happened and hundreds of projection screens covered them live, now there were only 5 of such screens, each one allotted to a designated battle ring.


    This round was going to be a battle Royale match where over 100 people will be put together and only the remaining 50 will qualify for the next round.


    Here, people can gang up with others to selectively target and throw others out. In other words.. If you want to qualify for the next rounds.. You had only two options.


    One was to ally yourself with others and deliberately fight and force out the other participants by either incapacitating them like previous matches or simply forcing them out of the arena.


    Second choice was to be strong enough to defend yourself till the point where only 50 candidates remained, which was easier said than done.


    But just like the format of the matches, the system for betting also changed.


    From here till the sixth round, the odds will be 50:50 by default for all the contestants for the first match. And they will change only for the 2nd match between the remaining 50batants.


    So using this method, only the strongest ones will remain till the 2nd match. Means out of the 100batants, only 25 will proceed to the next rounds while the rest will have to go home.


    From here on, there was no qualifiers system that gave a second chance to the defeated.


    But to Kahn, he would make it up with the amount of money he was going to invest in his matches since the stakes were already high. And he was certain that soon, a master rank individual won''t be a relevant term in thepetition.


    Because even the peak master rank fighters under the age of 30 would have a tough time staying in thepetition given the sheer number of people put inside the same battle ring. Whatever happened before was just a prequel.


    The real battle would start now.


    ----------------


    When Kahn entered his allotted ring with others, the announcers finally decided to speak and exin the rules of the battle for everyone.


    "Ladies and gentlemen! I wee you all for the beginning of the fourth round of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition!" dered the announcer through a magical artifact that worked like a loudspeaker and his voice echoed in the entire arena.


    "In each of the battleground, there are 100batants each and all of them are strong individuals of the younger generation of our empire.


    But from now on.. We will see who the truly strongest are. For this round shall reveal the true might of theirs and only those who are the best of the best shall seed!" spoke the announcer in a grandiose manner, his voice sounding as majestic and pleasant as it could be.


    After all the rules were exined and how the elimination process worked, the matches officially started in front of this massive crowd.


    Most of the audience was excited because this format also meant pure entertainment as it''d give to stories of friendship, betrayal and strategies to take on multiple enemies at once.


    It was going to be a metaphorical bloodbath in a way.


    When Kahn''s battle ring was signaled to begin fighting, everyone had a cautious expression on their eyes as they were randomly selected and had no prior information about their opponents.


    And the most tensed up were the ones standing in the middle since they were the easiest targets for anyone to attack.


    One wrong move and you could be wiped out by a collective attack or a powerful spell by an opponent if you were unlucky.


    Hence, extreme caution was the priority for most of them as many tried to create distance between each other.


    But at this moment, something unexpected happened thatpletely shook the audience who paid attention to this ring and the participants who stood inside it.


    YAWN!!


    A young swordsman donned in ck and golden longcoat and fighting gear yawned loudly as if he was tired to death.


    Kahn who was situated at the southern corner of the battle ring, yawned andid his back against the hard surface of the floor while he used his right arm to cover his eyes and used the greatsword he was using as a pillow for his head.


    He spoke in a sleepy tone as his words reached the ears of everyone in the battle ring and the ones watching the projections screens¡­


    "You know what.. I''m just gonna sleep on this one.


    Wake me up when all of this is over."

 Chapter 262 - The Sleeping Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 262 - The Sleeping Beauty</h4>


    Complete silence ensued in the battle ring and the ny-ninebatants were stunned on the spot as soon as they noticed the swordsman in ck and golden gear sleeping in the battlegrounds.


    Most of the baffled audience also couldn''t believe their eyes and found this ordealpletely nonsensical.


    Kahn, the perpetrator of thismotion was sleeping on the floor and even used his greatsword as a pillow instead of getting ready to fight or be wary of the other people.


    "That guy.. What the hell is he trying to pull off?" asked one of the fighters in mage clothes.


    "Who cares. Just some tryhard acting like a big deal. He will be taken care of very quickly anyway." spoke an archer who stood closer to this mage.


    Conduct like this was often taken as a bluff or someone trying to show off by many people. Thepetition has already reached a point where gimmicks didn''t work and only the strong could seed from this point.


    Soon, a skirmish arose from the eastern end of this five hundred meters wide battlefield and many people started fighting amongst themselves to defeat and kick out others as only fifty individuals were going to be selected for the next match through this elimination process.


    Kahn on the other end was quietly sleeping like Snowhite and wasn''t bothered to partake in quarrels.


    Spells after spells and weapon skills after skills filled the battlefield as an intense yet organized battle started.


    Majority of the people who knew that they were weaker individually, grouped up and targeted those who seemed stronger.


    This round would only stop when there were only 50 participants left. It didn''t matter if you made it to that point with your own talent or some borrowed strength so nobody felt guilty for their actions.


    After the first 10 minutes passed, 26 people were either knocked out or thrown out of the battlefield at various ends while the remaining were now in a stalemate situation.


    Yawn!


    Kahn yawned again as he changed his side and still slept soundly as if he was inside a bedroom.


    "That fucker.." said a burly wolfkin battleaxe.


    "Let''s kick out that pretentious bastard first!" said a demonkin archer.


    "Yeah.. He''s just putting on airs. So others will ignore him." spoke a swordsman.


    The group of three quickly charged towards Kahn''s direction as they decided to eliminate him next.


    But as soon as they reached the 50 meter radius away from him..


    SHRILL!!


    A loud shrill filled the battlefield and specifically, the three people heading towards Kahn were dropped on the ground out of the blue.


    War Dominance!


    Kahn used this skill after so many months in a battle while his eyes and countenance were still that of a sleepyhead.


    This also attracted a lot of otherbatants who were engaged in fights of their own.


    The three people who were forced to bury their faces in the floor were unable to move an inch while Kahn seemed as carefree as before.


    "Grandmaster!! That guy''s a grandmaster!!" shouted a participant at the southern end of the battlefield who slightly sensed Kahn''s aura?from his position.


    GASP!


    Dozens of people gasped at the same time after this revtion.


    At this very moment, there was a druid ss human amongst the contestants, donned in white and green robes.


    He let out a helpless sigh and murmured under his breath..


    "What''s up with that guy¡­ isn''t it too early to show his rank in front of so many people?" he spoke to himself.


    "Eh, that reckless fool should''ve waited till the next round at least." spoke a 28-year-old human swordsman who stood 5 meters away from this druid.


    Both of them looked like they belonged to the same force based on their attire.


    "You know I can hear you, right?" said Kahn but his voicended only on their ears.


    This duo looked like a normalbination of a DPS and Support ss to others but Kahn could urately gauge their ranks and levels because of his personal strength and skills.


    Grandmaster¡­ both these young men who were only a year or 2 older than him were also grandmasters.


    Two wolves hidden between the sheep. And both of them had done a decent job masking their aura and ranks.


    If Kahn wasn''t above their rank, he too would''ve failed to notice them.


    "Oye, sleeping beauty.. Just stay silent and hope we don''t face each other in a match." said the swordsman in a hushed tone.


    His voice also only reached the ears of Kahn, showing his mastery over his aura and mana.


    "Yeah, yeah whatever. But you two should be careful. Others will think it''s easy to pick on two harmless guys." said Kahn and went back to merry sleep.


    Another bunch of people tried to target him in the next minutes but they too were forced to kneel on the ground.


    And taking the advantage of this opportunity, otherbatants used their skills and attacks to take these guys out.


    BOOM!!


    Soon, both the other grandmasters were also targeted by a group of 5 people and they too decided to release their aura of a grandmaster to fend off the opponents.


    "Tch.. That guy jinxed us." spoke the swordsman in an irritated tone.


    From there on, the druid sat in a meditative pose while the swordsman stood tall like a knight.


    It was a better option to reveal their rank through their aura than actually fighting and showing off their skills to the opponents because in future matches, their rivals would know of their fighting styles and attack patterns.


    And that was the main reason why Kahn had chosen to reveal his rank instead of fighting these bunch of weaklings.


    War Dominance was already at a stage where Kahn could make every participant present in this battlefield faint on the spot, so using it only on selective people who approached him was an easy option for him.


    He was defending himself without even lifting a finger.


    Ding! Ding! Ding!


    The referees announced the match to be over as soon as only 50batants were left in the battle ring and dered the first match to be over.


    The next round would be these 50 individuals facing each other in a 1 vs 1 match. Now, the results will solely be decided by their own skills.


    Kahn stood up from the battleground and stretched his body a little bit and spoke..


    "Now I feel refreshed.. Let''s see who''s my next unlucky opponent."

 Chapter 263 - Slithering Opponent

    <h4>Chapter 263 - Slithering Opponent</h4>


    After the first match ended and all the contestants went to their respective resting areas and had to wait for their next matches, the battle ring automatically changed itself into small sizes and soon, instead of five, there were twenty-five small battle rings.


    Compared to the previous battle ring, each of these was only 50 meters long in radius but more than enough to hold a good battle for two individuals.


    Although Kahn did not understand how it was done, he knew for sure that it was done by incorporating magic formations and some sort of automation mechanism.


    After two hours, his turn finally came and this time only 5 battles were happening at once. So the organizers could prolong the battles and entertain people for more time.


    And the bettings on each of these matches will obviously gather more money spent by the audience.


    The time limit was 20 minutes for each match and the winner would qualify for the 5th round. The loser would also go home since there were no more qualifiers after this round.


    As for the betting odds¡­ it was 80:20 for his match. Mainly because his opponent was someone who disyed some amazing fighting skills and they belonged to a particr species that had an advantage in open ground battles by a huge margin.


    And Kahn had very low odds because all he did in the previous match was to sleep without even unsheathing his sword till the end. So even with more than 50 thousand people from seven deadly sins organization betting on him only amounted to this much while the opponent was favorably looked on by the majority of the audience.


    When Kahn stood inside the battle ring, his opponent finally came and he understood why his odds were so low.


    In front of him, stood¡­ more likely slithered a Lamia woman whose upper body had six arms, a head and everything below her waist was a body of a snake. In all of her hands were sharp and long swords that could easily cut through a man''s body with a single sh.


    "The next contestants are Kythra of the Melvan n, one of the prestigious Lamia ns of the capital. And her opponent is..


    Kahn of Rukon district! A young swordsman whose strength is unknown to this point.


    Since everyone has already made their bets.. Let the battle begin!" dered the announcer.


    The other four battle rings also had such announcements and their battles also began at the same time. But as soon as their fight began.. Kythra talked in an arrogant tone.


    "I shall give you a chance to surrender, human. Leave now or you will only suffer humiliation at my hands." she warned.


    To her words, Kahn only gave a light smirk and spoke¡­


    "Looks like someone didn''t get enough eggs and mice to eat today." he said in a sarcastic tone.


    "You.. Dare topare me and my race to wild snakes?! Preposterous!!" eximed Kythra.


    She was a beginner rank grandmaster and so was her opponent. But given the physical and terrain advantages, she was most likely to win and hence, she offered a fair warning.


    Yet, her opponent not only retorted back.. He degraded her byparing her to normal snakes who fed on eggs and small animals like mice.


    Boooo!! Boooo!!


    Thousands of Lamia species individuals amongst the audience booed Kahn after hearing his words on the projection screens. This was often a stereotypical nder made against the people of this species so none of the Lamias and Snakekins among the crowd weed this sarcastic response.


    Kythra''s face instantly became enraged after Kahn''s banter and she released her horrid and ominous aura and quickly slithered towards her opponent.


    SHRILL!!


    The six swords in her hands vibrated at high intensity and her green aura encapsted her des. Being a grandmaster, it was the stage where one could incorporate aura and mana into their attacks based on their ss and also add an element to it depending on their affinity, so her des glowed green.


    sh! sh!


    Kahn sidestepped and quickly dodged the multiple streams of aura des.


    Sizzle! Sizzle!


    A sizzling sound came from the floor where the aura desnded and Kahn could finally feel the lethality of these attacks.


    [So she''s using her species and bloodline advantage.] thought Kahn because the des that attacked him definitely had some venom incorporated in them. And Kahn could easily guess how the Lamia opponent was using her kin''s specialty to add these elements and effects to her attacks.


    sh! sh!


    ng! ng!


    Kahn was forced to retreat after parrying and evading multiple of her sword attacks. But even despite limiting his stats and rank.. He should''ve had some advantage.


    Yet, the 3 meters tall and 10 meter long opponent was incredibly fast and her reaction speed exceeded twice that of a normal beginner grandmaster.


    Naturally, this was her species advantage and because of her physical structure that gave her speed and momentum in every strike, Kahn had no choice but to take a few steps back.


    Plus, the six swords were also hard to defend against at once as the one facing them would eventually leave an opening for the Lamia to strike.


    Kahn understood that Kythra was indeed a hard opponent to fight in a fair and square battle. So he had to acknowledge her.


    Kahn kept jumping, sidestepping, sprinting and countering all of her attacks hurriedly.


    "Time for you to pay for mocking me and my kin!" shouted Kythra and the next second, her mouth opened three times wider than usual and a burst of green fog was released towards Kahn''s direction.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Kythra in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Cough! Cough!


    Kahn coughed after getting surrounded by this sudden green most and used his Heat Sense skill to locate the enemy''s exact position to avoid getting attacked out of nowhere. Suddenly, both of his hands felt their grip loosening over his sword.


    But just then.. He heard a notification from the long-dormant system after many months..


    [Warning! The host has been poisoned!]

 Chapter 264 - Putting Up A Front

    <h4>Chapter 264 - Putting Up A Front</h4>


    After nearly two months, the system finally spoke again as it ryed the warning about Kahn being poisoned by the Lamia opponent through this green mist.


    Since Kahn had limited his rank and stats to that of a beginner rank grandmaster, he quickly felt his senses and strength dulling in a dozen seconds. Even the grip on his sword felt loosened at this point.


    [How long?] asked Kahn to the system.


    [The host will require only 1 minute till the toxin is nullified and the host bes immune to this form of poison.


    The host is advised to not make too many physical movements during the nullification process.] reported System.


    Even with the grandmaster rank poison immunity, a minute was needed for him to bepletely immune and unaffected by this poison; indicating that this poison spewed out by the opponent was just below the rare rank poisons.


    And from the effects, he could feel that it was more of a paralyzing agent than something which could mortally harm him.


    Shadow Walk!


    Kahn quickly used the shadow walk skill and his inside the shadow created by this dense mist since the system suggested to not move for the uing minute till the poison was detoxified.


    Kythra slowly slithered towards Kahn was surrounded by the mist and barely visible to her and the audience. But as soon as his aurapletely disappeared, she was put on a guard and wanted to find him.


    Being a Lamia, a subspecies of the noble Naga bloodline, she already had plenty of scent and heat-sensing skills yet her opponent''s sudden disappearance that she couldn''t even sense instantly rmed her.


    As she came inside the green mist that had filled half of the battle ring at this point, she tried to search for Kahn who suddenly absconded into thin air.


    A minute passed and yet, she couldn''t find her opponent. And since the referee hadn''t dered anything, meant that Kahn hadn''t left the battle ring either.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn quickly exited the mist from the eastern end as soon as he recovered his senses, his body was now fully immune to this type of toxin.


    Kythra also sensed that her opponent also appeared on the opposite end and prepared for another onught.


    But when she exited the waning mist, her expression turned that of joy as she gazed at the opponent.


    Kahn looked like he was¡­ drunk.


    Barely managing his footing and the body movements were erratic as if he would fall on the ground any moment from now on.


    [Hmph! He''s already affected and barely holding on. I''m going to enjoy humiliating him.] thought Kythra as her long snake tongue revealed itself.


    Kahn on the other end was barely supporting himself using his sword as a stick.


    "Take this you despicable human!" she shouted andunched herself in his direction while making a vertical sh attack from all of her six swords covered in the dense aura.


    BOOM!!


    A loud banging noise resounded in the arena as the collective sword attack shook the entire battle ring. And as soon as the aura attack dispersed, the figure of Kythra was revealed from the dust cloud.


    Hup! Hup!


    "Ah.. What''s happening. I feel like I''m dreaming." said a man in ck and golden longcoat who stood very close to the six swords of themia opponent as if he barely missed the attack by an inch.


    Kahn moved backward as he fell on the ground and tried to create some distance.


    He looked at the opponent with a smile on his face and spoke in a gibberish tone.


    "Whewywdy¡­ you''re shoo preetttyyy."


    [What the.. This isn''t how my poison is supposed to work. Does he have a special kind of disposition?] thought Kythra but then regained her posture.


    Swing!


    ng!


    She haphazardly attacked Kahn with quick and repeated swings of her swords but every single time, Kahn evaded them by an inch in a microsecond despite looking like a drunk man.


    His body movements and facial expressions varying from time to time as he would either slip on his feet or roll on the floor while evading her attacks and use the sword to parry her thrusts in thest second.


    Despite having speed and agility on her side, she wasn''t even hitting her supposedly drunk opponent.


    At this moment, Kahn was fighting Kythra just like Jackie Chan from the Drunken Master movie. His movements made no sense and seemedpletely unpredictable to the opponent.


    10 more minutes passed and Kythra used her poison skill two more times but the results were same. And this stage, she was getting exhausted with all her heavy and powerful attack skills being used frequently.


    But her opponent was easily dodging and parrying them like a seasoned swordsman fighting a newbie. This was already raising her temper as she wanted to put Kahn in the ground.


    "Just stand there so I can beat you!" she shouted in an exasperated tone.


    To the audience.. It seemed like she was an incapable fighter who couldn''t even hit her opponent who was already struggling to stand properly. On top of it, Kahn had a merry smile on his face while he was praising her appearance from time to time.


    He was publicly teasing her while she struggled tond a fatal and decisive blow.


    "Damn you! I didn''t want to use this.. But you''ve thoroughly pissed me off!" eximed Kythra and the next second, her ck iris turned yellow.


    sh!


    A yellow sh was revealed from her glimmering eyes.


    Paralysis Gaze!


    Kythra used one of her kin''s special techniques!


    And Kahn froze on the spot the very next second.


    "Arhhh¡­" groaned Kythra in pain as she covered her eyes and grabbed her head that felt like it suffered an intense shock.


    Clearly, an aftereffect of using this bloodline skill.


    She quickly activated her sensing skills and swung her sword tond a finishing blow on Kahn.


    ng!!


    However, all her swords were blocked by the opponent''s de and he flicked them all high up in the air like they weren''t swords but some lightweight sticks.


    Kythra looked at Kahn in disbelief as soon as she recovered but the next second, Kahn''s eyes also shed yellow like lightening for a second and it was her who was paralyzed on the spot this time.


    Kahn put his sword''s tip close to her heart and spoke in a tyrannical voice that petrified the Lamia opponent¡­


    "Weakness disgusts me."

 Chapter 265 - Fifth Round

    <h4>Chapter 265 - Fifth Round</h4>


    As soon as Kahn won by taking the enemy by surprise, the referee dered him to be the winner. Not many understood how the scenario changed in thest second but they all could see that he won fairly.


    "Fuck! My money!"


    "Bastard! I lost a fortune!!"


    Thousands of people shouted and berated Kahn as he won the match despite the adverse betting odds.


    This round had only people with considerable wealth making bets in millions while some bet billions of gold coins on these matches. The poor beggars had already been ousted because of the minimum betting amount rule administered by the government. So this was indeed the beginning of the big leagues.


    Kythra had a horrified expression on her face because not only Kahn had overwhelmed her in battle in many ways.. He used a simr same skill as her which spelled her defeat.


    After experiencing it firsthand.. She was certain that the skill Kahn used was leagues above the Hypnosis Gaze, her innate skill of the Lamia species.


    Kahn''s Executioner''s Gaze skill came from two different hypnosis and paralysis skills so it was indeed far more effective and powerful than the one used by the opponent.


    Her skill didn''t work on Kahn at all and he allowed her to attack him to catch her by surprise.


    At the exact moment on other battle rings, the two grandmasters he met in the first match also won against their respective opponents.


    Kahn didn''t pay any attention to them because soon, he will be meeting more grandmasters from the next stages. So remembering them was hardly worth it.


    After winning and qualifying for the next round, Kahn took his new registration token and left the battle arena in a different disguise. He had no interest in watching other people''s matches at all.


    Using a flying ship transportation service, he returned to Rukon District and reached his mansion atte night.


    ----------------


    TWO DAYS LATER.


    The three subordinates in charge of managing the money came with the reports.


    The first round had 1:1 odds by default so when Kahn qualified for the 2nd match, the one trillion gold they bet on him using more than 50 thousand of their people became two trillion.


    And the 2nd match had 4:1 odds for Kahn so their money was quadrupled after he won against Kyhtra. And now they earned 8 trillion from this round since many influential business enterprises and noble ns were already involved and people spending billions was nothing out of the blue.


    This was a simr scenario for the other top 10 districts that also held these rounds in their respective battle arenas. Although the winners got quite the sum, Kahn was certain that the government was earning dozens of trillion on daily basis from the money that was lost by the people as well.


    So it was a win-win situation for everyone except the unlucky folks.


    "Master.. After you left; another announcement was made. And it has been spread to the citizens by the government as well.


    They are changing the rules for the next round again.


    It won''t follow the battle royale format for the next round." reported Omega.


    "What the... Why are they changing the rules again and again? Thispetition never had its rules changed this many times in the past. It feels like they''re rigging the wholepetition itself.


    Aren''t they afraid of public outrage?" spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    "It''s as if they are changing the rules so that a particr type ofpetitor would win and progress toter rounds." he iterated.


    "Yes, master. We felt the same. And from the next round¡­ It will be a 5 vs 5 team battle.


    The side that eliminates at least 3 members of the opposition first will win the match and their entire team will progress to the next round after winning two of such matches." spoke Ronin in a solemn tone.


    Kahn was already good with numbers so he quickly grasped the reason behind this sudden change of rules by the government.


    "I see. So they want people to lose more money through the betting system and rip off themon folks.


    For team battles, the odds will be decided upon the total strength of the team and battle records of the team members. So if 3 or 4 high-ranked fighters are put in a team together, people will obviously bet on them." he said and took a pause.


    "If anyone doesn''t know the strength of the participants, they will bet on the ones they know about. This is subconsciously controlling the odds of the matches without even people noticing.


    And that way, if the team with the least odds wins.. The losses will be immeasurable for the people. The gains will be many times than what they''d lose.


    These bastard nobles and their factions working as the government are indeed good at controlling everything from behind the shadows.


    What an evil scheme indeed. And I thought I was the one being too greedy." he exined.


    "What will you do now, master? If you''re put together with a bunch of weaklings.. You''d lose thepetition without even being at fault." said Oliver.


    "I guess I will have no choice but to reveal my strength a bit and carry the whole team if such a situation arises." replied Kahn as he sighed.


    This was bad for business in his case. So all he could do was hope that his team members for the uing round wouldn''t be a liability for him.


    ----------------


    A week passed and the fifth round officially began. And on the fourth day of the week, Kahn traveled to a new district where his matches were to be conducted.


    After going through the whole ordeal of procedure and stuff, he was introduced to his teammates for the next round.


    "Impossible.." spoke Kahn as he saw the four new team members.


    But what surprised him the most was two of the crewmates for his next match.


    These two men were only a couple of years older than him.


    The surprise on their faces was no different than his own and all three of them pointed their fingers at each other like the Spider-Man meme and spoke in unison.


    "You gotta be shitting me!"

 Chapter 266 - Three Tigers

    <h4>Chapter 266 - Three Tigers</h4>


    The three people gazed at each other with a baffled expression as they pointed their fingers at the opposite party. Even Kahn found this coincidence hard to believe.


    "What are the odds.." spoke Kahn softly.


    "Hey.. Why is this guy in our team?" spoke the dual swordsman d in ck armor made from a monster''s body parts. His swords had w like edges on them, made to rip off his enemies.


    "To think that we''d be paired with this showoff.." spoke the druid in green and white robes. In his hand was a purple orbs that his ss used for spells and skills.


    Their appearance looked different than before as they were no longer wearing the clothes of their force or n but proper gear for a battle.


    "Arshh.. Why are you two here? Shouldn''t we be in different teams?" asked Kahn to the grandmaster duo he met in the first battle royale match.


    "Tch!.. Looks like they put all the winners of that batch in the same team. And if we are here.. Means others who won that day are also put together in teams if my assumption is correct." said the druid.


    The three of them let out a sigh and epted their unexpected fate instead of quarreling like little children.


    "My name is Elijah." said the Druid.


    "I am Nius." spoke the dual swordsman.


    "I am Kahn." he introduced.


    "So Kahn.. Let me get straight to the point.. We''re both brothers and know how to fight together very well. I reckon you can hold your end as well, right?" asked Elijah.


    Kahn shrugged his arms and replied with a bored expression as he responded..


    "As long as no one burdens me, I''m all good."


    "Hey, you three! Do you think we''re not here?!" shouted a peak master rank centaur temr with a shield and ance in his hand.


    Behind him, was a thrall mage donned in white and blue robes, an Ice Elemental expert mage who leaked a chilling air from his body. He too was a peak master individual.


    "Shut up, deadweight!" retorted Nius and released his aura of a grandmaster on the two teammates.


    Suddenly, Kahn decided to meddle in and spoke.


    "I have experience inmanding people in a group battle. So in case we are forced to team up.. I shall be calling the shots." proposed Kahn.


    "Yahh! As if I''m listening to a twat.." said Nius in a mocking tone.


    "Control yourself younger brother... We''re not here to fight among ourselves.


    As for your proposition.. I am well versed inmanding an entire squadron myself. So I should be doing it myself." spoke Elijah.


    "Alright, suit yourself." said Kahn and decided to wait for their turn toe up.


    ----------------


    After an hour-long wait, their team finally entered the 50 meter wide rectangr battle ring.


    Their whole team''s odds were only 75:25. 25 being their odds.. Mean the opposition was stronger on paper at least.


    This was a small space for this type of battle involving 10 people at once. But the whole purpose behind this limited space was to put them in a corner and force them to fight as soon as possible.


    But as soon as they saw the opponent team''s members enter the battle ring.. All three of them suddenly had wrinkled faces because of the sheer irritation.


    "Ah.. We''re screwed!" spoke Kahn.


    Because based on the aura released by the opposition team members.. They had 4 grandmasters while thebatant who walked in the middle was an intermediate rank grandmaster.


    The issue wasn''t that they were weaker. Kahn himself was more than enough to take out the whole team with just a bitchp.


    But what worried him was that he couldn''t do it without revealing himself as at least a peak grandmaster individual. Which was too early in the game for him and would definitely cost him a lot of money he could be making.


    "So who wants to be the leader now? Decide quickly before they ring the bell." spoke Kahn.


    With 3 out of 5 votes, Elijah was selected as the chosen leader while Kahn was embarrassed after voting for himself.


    "The centaur should act as a defense, I''ll keep healing and buffing him. The mage should be mid-range support.


    This way, we can protect our numbers andst longer in the battle. As for you two.." said Elijah as he quickly adapted and came up with a battle formation on the spot.


    "Go and break their legs." said the druid.


    Kahn and Elijah gave each other an understanding gaze as if they had fought beside each other before.


    Both of them were battle-worn veterans in a way so they too had no issues epting and then cooperating.


    Winning the match was more important than their egos so all of them got into a formation as instructed by Elijah and everyone got ready for a battle.


    Kahn and Nius took both sides, the Centaur took the middle while the thrall ice mage and Elijah stood at the back.


    The opposition team had one archer, two mages, a battleaxe user and a healer. And they already looked at Kahn''s team with a contemptuous gaze, disying their intentions to decimate their opponents.


    "Begin the battle!" dered the referee.


    Kahn and Nius charged at the enemy team from the left and right side respectively as they faced a grandmaster opponent of their own.


    Kahn''s target was one of the archers while Nius aimed for the mage. The Centaur teammate raised his shield and braced for the iing long-range attacks while the ice mage started incantations for the long-range and high damage skills.


    Elijah on the other end quickly cast shield and team buff skills for the three of them while leaving the two swordsmen to fight on their own without any supporting skill.


    He too knew that none of them needed in the first ce.


    Shoot! Shoot!


    Kahn dodged a volley of fire arrows that wereunched at him by the archer target while Nius dodged the fire spells that blew up after he evaded them.


    Elijah, the Druid ss brother and their current team leader couldn''t only heal but also use crowd controlling skills like root bind, team shield, attack buff and enforcement skills for the whole team.


    An intense battle ensued in just a minute but unlike their previous expectations..


    The centaur and the ice mage fell like pebbles while facing the onught and in just five minutes, only the brothers and Kahn was left on their side.


    If one more of them was defeated.. They''ll lose the match and it will be the end for them.


    The three of them quickly took a defensive stance and protected each other as they attacked with long-range skills, creating an impasse between them and the enemy team.


    "I know you guys are hiding it as well. But how about we take our chances. It''s not like we have any other choice." spoke Kahn as he deflected a mage spell.


    "Fine. But let''s hide our ranks and fight without revealing too many of our skills." spoke Elijah.


    Nius on the other end nodded in affirmation.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Elijah and Nius in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    And the next second.. All of them revealed their mountainous aura all at once that made their opponents shudder in fear.


    Because the remaining opponents from their team were actually tigers in disguise. All three of them were..


    Peak Grandmasters!!

 Chapter 267 - The Teamwork

    <h4>Chapter 267 - The Teamwork</h4>


    The three men who were encircled by the opposition quickly decided to act on the situation and finally revealed their strengths of peak grandmasters which caught the opponents off guard.


    There was no insurmountable pressure released or any grand super-saiyan burst of aura moves by the three tigers who were choosing to be the prey for reasons unknown.


    They specifically targeted the members of their opponent team without letting the audience feel any changes in themselves. But even with the aura they released, the opponents got a gist of who they were fighting against.


    Now, what remained was how the threebatants were going to take down the enemy without revealing too many of their skills andbat techniques.


    "You two fight like you always do. I''ll take down the weak links first." said Kahn.


    The brothers weren''t even surprised to find that Kahn was on the same level as them. But they were already used to facing other peak grandmasters so both of them didn''t mind it either.


    "Just don''t get yourself caught in a pinch. We might not be able to help on time." said Nius.


    "Alright, go! I''ll support you both." spoke Elijah and cast a yellow mana shield around all three of them.


    The next second, he cast a root vine spell that created hundreds of massive and thorny vinesing out of the ground. These vines quickly covered them from all the sides in a 20 meters radius, creating a wall of defense but only leaving the front side open.


    [Leading the enemy by the nose.. These guys are good.] thought Kahn as he quickly understood the strategy.


    Since they were outnumbered and the enemy side didn''t have any assassins, making theme to you one by one in an enclosed space with just one opening would provide them offense and defense at the same time.


    "Go!" spoke Elijah and Kahn dashed out of the encirclement from the opening. Nius quickly covered the 5 meter wide entrance as he prepared to face the iing battleaxe wielder and one fire mage.


    In mere moments, both of his swords released a burst of fire and made a revving sound. The w-like edges on his swords turned bright red as if they were heated to extremely high temperature.


    A red aura leaked from his body as he pointed the left sword towards both the enemies and asked with a smirk.


    "So which one of you wants to be roasted alive?"


    ----------------


    On the other side of the vine wall, Kahn had sessfully approached the enemies from the left side and his opponent was a peak master rank archer.


    Shoot! Swoosh!


    Kahn used the Side Hopper skill after half a year and sessfully evaded the numerous arrow strike skills from the enemy.


    Since Kahn couldn''t openly use his S Rank skills or Saint rank skills rted to swordsmanship, he was using the basic movement skills like the side hopper, one he frequently used in the past.


    Boom!!


    Multiple explosions happened wherever the arrowsnded as Kahn sprinted towards his target while evading and parrying the arrows from the opponent.


    And just as soon as he came 10 meters close to the target, Kahn''s greatsword shone bright blue with sparksing out of it.


    Lightning sh!


    He made a lightning elemental sh attack towards the opponent when he was caught off guard.


    ZAP!!


    The archer was zapped after getting struck by this strike and fainted on the spot. His straight and electrocuted hair stood like tall grass.


    But instead of feeling victorious, Kahn quickly dashed towards the healer of the opponent side.


    Nius on the other endunched multiple swirling sword aura des made of fire elemental and burst attacks towards their opponents.


    Elijah quickly casts a sleeping and stun spell on the mage opponent simultaneously while Nius faced the battleaxe wielder head-on using this opportunity.


    BOOM!


    Just as Kahn was about to reach midway towards the healer, an ice spearnded in between the path and the second mage of their group revealed himself.


    The beginner rank grandmaster mage cast dozens of ice elemental spells andunched a volley of spikes, spear and AoE skills.


    Bang! Shrill! ng!


    Kahn attacked with lightning sh and windcutter skill as he rolled sideways to avoid thest AoE attack that would''ve frozen him on the spot.


    He then jumped high up in the air andunched himself towards the mage who was in the middle of chanting his next spell.


    But as soon as he looked at the somersaulting enemy, he was paralyzed on the spot after Kahn''s eyes flickered yellow.


    ZAP!!


    Kahn zapped this mage as well by using Executioner''s Gaze and knocked him out.


    The healer quickly cast a holy shield and then a protection barrier around herself. Because they just went from being the hunter to bing the prey.


    As soon as three members of their team were taken out, they''d lose the match.


    BANG!! SHING!!


    Kahn used two waves of lightning sh skill and quickly broke the barrier and holy shield in session.


    Swoosh!


    But before the healer could recover from the bacsh of getting her skills destroyed, Kahn suddenly appeared behind her and spoke in a menacing voice.


    "Owari da.."


    Zapped! The female healer was zapped the next moment and smoke came out of her mouth as her ck hair stood straight like Vegeta.


    "My power level is over 9,000." spoke Kahn.


    DING! DING!


    "The first team has won the match!" dered the announcer.


    "Whoa!"


    "Awesome!!"


    "What a fight!!"


    Nearly three hundred thousand people who paid attention to their match cheered in support as soon as Kahn, Elijah and Nius won the match by taking down the 3 opponents from the enemy team.


    Kahn walked toward the duo of brothers who was also close to taking down their opponents; just that Kahn was faster.


    "You''re wee." he said.


    "Hmph! You were fighting three weaklings while we faced two grandmasters, one of whom was an intermediate rank.


    Fighting both of them without using our most powerful skills was much harder. So no need to brag." spoke Nius as he put both of his swords on the back.


    To his retort, Kahn only replied with a smile..


    "I missed the part where that''s my problem."

 Chapter 268 - Pleasant Surprise

    <h4>Chapter 268 - Pleasant Surprise</h4>


    After they won the match and all three of them officially qualified for the next round, the three peak grandmasters left the battle ring.


    "Let''s not meet each other again." said Kahn as he bid farewell to the brothers.


    Kahn was certain that both of them had a very powerful background as they were also peak grandmasters despite being under 30 years old.


    Definitely one of the top 15 strongestbatants in thispetition if his estimations were right. And hence, getting mixed up with them wasn''t a situation he hoped for.


    Apart from this coincidence, he didn''t wish to form any friendship or enmity with the brothers either.


    Even though they also used low-rank skills to fight just like Kahn.. He could sense that both the brothers had a lot of experience in real-life battle since they coulde up with a viable strategy on the spot and fight ordingly while hiding their true rank, skills andbat prowess.


    Getting mixed with them would entail him being targeted by someone he didn''t even know of. So cutting ties this early was a better idea than regrettingter.


    Now, Kahn only had to fight and win the sixth round to qualify for the quarter-finals. Another step towards his final goal.


    ----------------


    The subordinates reported back after 3 days while Kahn had been carrying on his daily routine as the next round was on the way.


    He knew that just because he was a semi-saint, didn''t mean that he was allowed to ck off. Even those with the same rank as him would be training hard day and night and unlike them, he had no teacher or any form of guidance.


    His blessings helped him master skills andbat techniques at a faster pace and all the knowledge he was getting aboutbat skills and techniques came from the books and records he found the archives that were left in the training facility by the previous owner of his mansion.


    So being ignorant would spell his imminent defeat while facing these individuals as the protagonist halo or plot armor didn''t always help in a real world like this.


    If he wanted to win.. He had to work for it like a real warrior.


    At the night when Kahn held their usual meetings¡­


    This time, there was a whole cache full of high-grade space rings.


    "Are the numbers same as I expected?" asked Kahn.


    The five subordinates Omega, Ronin, Jugram, Oliver and Ceril nodded in response.


    "Our total earnings are 24 Trillion after thest match." reported Omega.


    The odds for their battle were 75:25 and Kahn had told them to bet all their fortune after seeing the odds.


    Given the 3:1 ratio, their earnings were tripled from 8 trillion to 24 trillion after his people had bet on him in the previous round.


    At this point, it was so much money that his people have been running out of high-grade space rings to collect all that wealth. And the medium-sized cache they brought was filled with more than a thousand of such space rings.


    "Master¡­ our current wealth is more than enough to establish ourselves in 7 more districts in the capital and rule the business worlds there no matter which field we choose.


    And if we were to factor the underworld organizations there.. We can easily control these districts since there are no saints involved in the y." spoke Ronin.


    Kahn gave it a thought and spoke after a minute..


    "Even though money is no longer an issue.. We stillck manpower, connections and most importantly.. Strength.


    So unless I be a saint myself; we really shouldn''t be ignorant and bite more than what we can chew." spoke Kahn with a serious countenance.


    "Besides¡­ If things go the way I have nned, we might need all of the money in the future after thispetition is over." he exined.


    Step! Step!


    A set of footsteps resounded in the room and a man donned in white and green robes walked inside. In his hands, was a big and intrinsically designed book.


    Thud!


    Armin, the pathfinder ss subordinate ced this book on the table.


    "Master, I finally found it! Here are all the records about the ces chosen as fiefdoms by the previous winners of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    And I also looked for the ces that met the conditions you stated yesterday. I think I have found a perfect match." spoke Armin.


    Kahn nodded at the subordinate and opened the book and a particr page Armin had already bookmarked.


    "Just as I thought¡­ the government was indeed hiding this fact from the public since a century now.


    This definitely has something to do with one of the previous Heroes of some God." said Kahn as he read the contents of the page.


    Kahn had already told the subordinates about being a chosen Hero of God of Darkness. So aside from his previous life, they knew about everything else.


    "Master.. There are two more ces but I don''t think they have anything to do with the Heroes of the past or your predecessor, the 8th Hero of Darkness.


    I have already marked them." said Armin after taking a seat.


    Kahn spent half an hour reading the noted pages and finally reached a decision.


    "Although they are immensely useful in terms of mary gain.. I don''t want to die after thepetition.


    It would be too careless of anyone who isn''t backed by one of the three factions to choose these two areas. Even if I were a bonafide saint.. I still wouldn''t dare to be this ambitious.


    And most importantly.. We have different needs." said Kahn and informed all the subordinates including Rudra and ckwall who were hidden in his shadow about his future ns.


    ----------------


    4 DAYS LATER


    Kahn traveled to a district named Edo, the 9th most sessful district in the capital, where his matche was to be held in a city named Otose.


    For this round, it was going to be 3 vs 3 battles. But this time, the team that defeats all the members of the opposition first would be dered as the winner.


    After reaching the battle arena in a city in this district, Kahn was introduced to his new allies.


    He was suddenly ted after looking at his new teammates and subconsciously let out a content smile as he spoke in a joyous tone...


    "Omoshiroi..."

 Chapter 269 - Admiring Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 269 - Admiring Beauty</h4>


    In front of Kahn, stood two females. The reason why Kahn felt ted was because of how beautiful and drop dead gorgeous both of these women were.


    [ O'' Heavenly god¡­ have mercy on my soul.


    This is too much beauty for me to handle. And there''s two of them!] spoke Kahn in his head.


    In this new life, he had seen some incredibly beautiful and gorgeous women but he still wasn''t able to recover from the trauma from the past life when it concerned the opposite gender.


    And that was one of the reasons why he had surrounded himself with mostly men when it came torades or allies. For some reason¡­ he just couldn''t find a woman trustworthy and would eventually end up questioning their motives. So he had been avoiding them to not waste his time on dealing with the issue.


    Maybe in the future, if he had a good rtionship with a woman, he''d try to go past his psychological barrier but for now¡­ there was no need to.


    "Huh.. What a pervert!" spoke the blonde female elven archer teammate. Her well-proportioned body under the white and yellow armor was a sight to behold for any normal and straight man. Even her annoyed expression made her look extremely cute in a way.


    "Hey, if admiring a woman''s beauty is a crime¡­ then I plead guilty." said Kahn in a mischievous tone as he raised the right hand in the air.


    Despite the remark, Kahn was still happy because at least for this round, he won''t have to fight beside men again or end up beating women as an opponent.


    "Ha ha! I like this guy. He''s very handsome and honest. Only if he was of my species, I would have liked to go on a date with him." spoke the second team member.


    The other teammate was a female Naga Summoner.


    From the books Kahn read about different species inhabiting this empire and their origins back in the day when he still lived in vot city; Nagas were a higher bloodline species above the Lamias.


    They looked like normal humans but had snake scales here and there over their bodies, unlike thetter whose lower half was that of a giant snake. Yet, in terms of strength and bloodline purity, they were deemed superior in every way.


    The naga summoner had a long green python slithering around her shoulders and waist while her alluring figure in green silky clothes onlyplimented her beauty.


    She started walking towards Kahn, who was donned in his usual ck and golden epic rank fighting gear for swordsmen with steady steps and gently pressed her forefinger against his chest.


    "But are you really a human though? Why do I feel a sense of kinship from you?" she asked in a friendly tone.


    [Wait a minute.. I think she''s referring to my Basilisk Bloodline. After all, Nagas are descendants of the basilisks with low bloodline purity if I''m not wrong.]


    [As if! She''s referring to me, human. I feel a sense of connection to her as well, albeit very negligible.] spoke Rudra in his tyrannical voice inside Kahn''s head.


    [Oh, you woke up as soon as there''s a female snake in front? How convenient.] thought Kahn.


    "Who knows.. Maybe we''re meant to be." said Kahn with a chuckle, trying to shift the topic.


    "Hmph! We don''t have much time. So let''s introduce ourselves first and create a battle strategy.


    The rules say the one to wipe out the other team first will win. So all of us have no choice but to fight as a team." spoke the elven archer.


    "Fine then. I''ll begin first." said Kahn as he sat on a sofa in the room.


    "I''m Kahn. I fight with a greatsword and I''m an intermediate rank grandmaster swordsman. What about you two?" he asked after the introduction.


    "I am ine of the Elfenheim n. I am also an intermediate rank grandmaster archer. I excel in wind and light elemental attacks and I have learned some A Rank archery skills as well." spoke the elf girl.


    [[Author : Reference Art for ine Elfenheim in chapterments.]]


    Baffled! Kahn was caught off guard.


    [Elfenheim¡­ she must be from the same n as Solomon.] thought Kahn.


    "Wait a minute¡­ Howe I didn''t see any elf individual in thepetition before? Don''t your people age differently?" asked Kahn out of curiosity.


    Sigh!


    ine sighed in an exasperated manner as if she was fed up with this question already.


    "Because my mother is a human. So I age normally like your species. Happy?" she replied.


    "I see. My bad. Then what about you?" spoke Kahn and then his gaze shifted towards the naga summoner.


    "Cattleya Culebra. I''m also the same rank as both of you and I''m a summoner. But unlike her, I''m a pureblood." revealed the woman.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Cattleya Culebra in chapterments.]]


    "Ah.. You want to say something to me, you conservative fanatic?!" spoke the suddenly riled up ine.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t have time to waste words on a halfbreed." retorted Cattleya as both women came close to each other and started a staring contest.


    "Why don''t we go for a round before the match." challenged ine as she faced Cattleya''s face while standing very close to her.


    [Oh damn.. They are from the Demi-Human & Pureblood Faction I see. No wonder there is so much tension between them.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    But instead of trying to meddle or stop the two wild women.. Kahn was still happy about how things were turning out.


    Because at this moment, both of their mountainous bosoms were touching each other''s. And Kahn on the other side was enjoying watching God''s greatest creations in a faceoff with a red tinge on his face.


    "Yeah Bwoi.." said Kahn with a wide grin as he had no intentions to stop this quarrel anytime soon since the show was so blissful.


    ----------------


    After an hour passed, Kahn and his new squad entered the battle ring. Their odds were 50:50 for this match based on the expected ranks of thebatants.


    But as soon as Kahn saw the opponent team and their gear.. He quickly reacted.


    For the first time in thispetition, Kahn decided to bring out the ck and red greatsword with crimson veins that leaked blistering heat.


    In his hand was...


    LUCIFER!

 Chapter 270 - Just As Planned

    <h4>Chapter 270 - Just As nned</h4>


    Inside the 100 meter wide battle ring, sixbatants were ready to face off against the opponent team. Nearly half a million peopleprised of different races and species had their eyes glued towards their match as everyone was expecting an intense and entertaining match.


    On the other end of this battle ring, stood a dual swordsman tengu who was d in golden armor from head to toe. Even the dual swords in his hands glowed bright indicating they both were at least epic rank weapons.


    The other members of this team were a female demonkin mage and a female enchantress who seemed to be a hybrid between Leshen & Subus species based on her physical appearance.


    All of these opponents were intermediate rank grandmasters and coincidentally, their lineup also matched with Kahn''s team as both crews had a male who was a swordsman while two females, one of whom was a pureblood while the other one was a halfbreed.


    As soon as Kahnid his eyes on them, he was slightly taken aback and had no choice but to take this match seriously.


    Because the swordsman had some top-grade armor and weapons. And since Kahn himself dealt in weapon manufacturing business, he knew how top-notch quality goods they were.


    In his opinion, the tengu swordsman was definitely an heir of some top n or had backing from a formidable force if he could be so well geared.


    As he looked at his current rare rank sword, Kahn felt like the current weapon in his hand won''t evenst 20 strikes in a head-on sh based on the quality of the opponent''s gear.


    "I will fight the swordsman. ine, you handle the mage and Cattleya, you take down that enchantress.


    This is the best way for us to level the ying field instead of giving them an advantage." spoke Kahn in a serious tone.


    "What are you saying? I should face that tengu swordsman. He can fly and I can counter him perfectly." said ine in a surprised tone.


    "Given his armor and equipment, do you think your arrows and skills can harm him before he knocks you out?" asked Kahn as he rolled his eyes.


    "That.." spoke ine but her words stopped as soon as she noticed the tengu swordsman''s armor and swords.


    She knew her skills well and given the current predicament, even her best offensive skills would only do some minor damage and the armor won''t even be destroyed.


    "Alright. I''ll handle the mage then." sheplied after giving it a thought.


    The next moment, Cattleya spoke as well.


    "An Enchantress vs a Summoner.. I like a good challenge." she said with fired-up eyes after gazing at the hybrid subus.


    Kahn was relieved to see that his new teammates weren''t some good-for-nothing pretentious girls but actually good fighters with a brain. Both of them had no problems fighting based on their circumstances and readily adapted to win the match without causing a fuss.


    [I guess I have no choice then.] he thought.


    The next second, a ck and red greatsword with crimson veins that leaked blistering heat appeared in his hands.


    For the first time in thispetition, Kahn decided to bring out his best weapon of choice so far. And that was..


    Lucifer!


    ----------------


    Ding! Ding!


    As soon as the match started, the enemy side got into a defensive formation. But instead of getting ready to face the opponents with their own formation, ine and Cattleya quickly ran to the left and right sides respectively.


    Kahn stood in the middle of this 100 meter wide battle ring and his teammates picked a side of their own.


    However, this already surprised the opponents.


    "What the hell are they trying to do?" spoke the demonkin mage.


    "Be careful. This feels more like a trap than an opportunity to attack and take out the enemy team''s members. I think they''re trying to bait us." said the tengu swordsman in the front in his mature and rustic tone.


    "I can cast some defensive formations and create barriers if you want. But my range will be limited." said the mixblood subus.


    But after both ine and Cattleya took one side and took control of one side of the battlefield, they looked at their respective opponents as per their previous agreement.


    And what Kahn and the two beautiful women did surprised not just their opponents but the whole crowd that paid attention to their match.


    Middle finger!


    Kahn, Cattleya and ine gave a middle finger to their opponents after they directly looked into their eyes.


    Smirk!


    All three of them smirked and challenged their respective opponents as if saying ''fight me if you dare'' with a condescending expression.


    GASP!


    Thousands of onlookers were were surprised by this impolite gesture by Kahn''s team.


    "These bastards! They''re looking down on us!" spoke the tengu swordsman in an angered tone.


    This was a publicly open challenge to their team.


    And now, if they ganged up and defeated their enemies one by one, their reputation as warriors would be thoroughly damaged in the public eye. And would also affect their reputation in the eyes of their respective forces.


    "I will be looked down upon in my n if I let that bitch challenge me like this and I don''t beat the hell out of her." spoke the female demonkin mage. Her eyes turned wrathful as she looked at ine.


    "How dare that bastard challenge me.. I am the chosen representative of my n in thispetition. Even my armor and weapons are made by one of the best cksmiths of the empire. And yet he doesn''t seem to be scared at all.


    I will turn into a eunuch if I don''t put his head under my feet!" dered the dual swordsman.


    "Ah.. That slut thinks she''s better than me because I''m a halfblood. I can see it in her eyes.


    I don''t know about you two but I''m not going to swallow this insult." said the subus enchantress with furious eyes.


    "Fine then. Let''s put these trash in their ce." said the tengu and all three of them separated from the formation and headed towards their respective provocateurs.


    After all, none of them were some no names. All three came from distinguished family backgrounds and reputed forces. And this was a p in their face.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Tengu Swordsman, Demonkin Mage and Mixblood Subus in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    After the tengu swordsman came 20 meters close to Kahn, he spoke in an aggravated tone.


    "You.. Prepare yourself to eat dirt. I''m going to make you pay for provoking me."


    To him deration, Kahn asked with a calm demeanor and a benign smile on his face.


    "Since when were you under the impression that this wasn''t part of my n?"

 Chapter 271 - Walking Into The Trap

    <h4>Chapter 271 - Walking Into The Trap</h4>


    After the teams were dispersed into three sections of the battle ring, each one facing their targeted opponent, Kahn revealed his intentions to the tengu swordsman without a second thought.


    "My my.. You''re a grade-A dumbass. Did you even fight in a real battle or just thispetition?


    How can you be so naive to walk into a trap just with simple provocations?" asked Kahn with a coy expression.


    "What.. What trap? The one who should be worried is you." said the opponent.


    "Ahh¡­ it''s like I''m talking to a toddler.


    Well then filler character no. 34, let''s begin. I promise I won''t pluck out too many of your feathers." spoke Kahn as he took a defensive.


    "Bastard! Who do you think you''re talking to? Pluck my feathers? How about I skin you alive instead?!" retorted the tengu and spread hisrge ck feathery wings.


    His species had a head of a crow and two ck wings on their back in addition to their humanoid body structure of 2 arms and legs.


    But their wings were what their kin prided in most as they enabled their kind to fly in the sky unlike other species.


    And Kahn''s remark about plucking his feathers angered the swordsman to his core in just a second.


    As for Kahn who usually made such type of remarks to rile up his opponents hit the mark again.


    At the same time, ine and Cattleya passed simrments to their respective opponents and made them furious as well.


    Showing them a middle finger, then making such disgraceful remarks was something Kahn already nned ahead of the battle.


    It was to see if their opponents were cool-headed seasoned warriors or some hot-headed buffoons who couldn''t even see through this simple war tactic. And luckily.. Their opponent team was thetter type.


    They clearly didn''t prepare for a battle strategy and were too overconfident of themselves.


    "Listen to me, idiot. We just broke your formation with a single finger and separated your entire team. And now you''re already by yourself.


    Yet you don''t even understand it. I guess I shouldn''t have expected anything more from a bird brain." said Kahn with a grin, making another bird joke.


    "You motherfucker! I''ll kill you!" shouted the tengu in an irritated tone and took an attacking posture.


    BOOM!!


    On the left side of the battlefield, ine and the demonkin mage started their battle with a bang.


    The female mage created a protection barrier around her andunched AoE fire spells that exploded and shook the nearby 20 meters area. ine on the other endunched a volley of wind elemental attacks using her archery skills, fanning back the fire back at her opponent.


    On the right side, Cattleya faced her Enchantress opponent who was casting magic formations after formations in the air and then using them tounch various types of elemental and destructive attacks at their opponent.


    Cattleya, who was a Summoner gathered her mana around and created a tall and sturdy wall to protect herself. Then she summoned a giant halberd made up of dense mana in the air and attacked the opponent from a long distance.


    Although both sses functioned just like mages who were dependent on mana, the way they used it in a battle differed by a huge margin.


    Enchanters/Enchantress first created magic formations using their mana and these magic formations channeled that mana to either attack or defend. Every magic formation had different uses.


    So this ss paid more attention to mastering these formations and casting them quickly than studying how to use mana to cast different elemental spells.


    Summoner ss had the same foundation as a mage but instead of casting spells infused with mana, they created objects such as walls, spears, swords, shields and even mimic a monster using their skills and mastery. And they could infuse a particr element inside their summoned objects as well.


    The key difference between these three sses was how they utilized and structured their mana for their spells, formations and constructs.


    Kahn was a person who was already studying magic so knew about this basic and key difference, unlike themon poption who thought they were all the same.


    ----------------


    In the middle of the battle ring, Kahn''s opponent dashed towards him as both his swords glowed faint green and highlypressed wind swirled around them while the wings also increased his speed by twice.


    Kahn had already activated the draconian bloodline effect for Lucifer since the beginning, making it leak intense heat since it was made from the body parts of the magma drake.


    He gave a light smirk and sprinted towards his opponent for a frontal sh as well.


    CLANG!


    Two swords with a faint green glow shed against a ck giantsword with crimson veins leaking intense heat, as if it hadva running inside.


    Spark!


    Sparks formed in between the des as Kahn pushed the opponent back.


    He took a step back after gauging the opponent''s physical strength from the first sh.


    [He''s fast and precise. But I can take him..


    The only problem will be those wings and his armor which isn''t even hindering his speed or movements despite him being fully covered in it.] spoke Kahn to himself andunched another swing at the opponent.


    This was how high-ranked warriors tested each other. They didn''t just start with their aura attack skills orbat techniques but took note of the opponent''s strength first by exchanging basic moves.


    A few more moves were exchanged between him and the opponent and both of them were forced into an impasse.


    Although Kahn was fighting by limiting his rank and stats to match the intermediate rank grandmaster opponent, he had to admit that his enemy had good posture and control over his weapons.


    Just based on his attack patterns, he felt that the tengu swordsman had the advantage in speed and movements because he was using two normal-sized lightweight swords while Kahn was using a 5 feet long greatsword.


    Although his control was perfect over the sword, it was still a 2 vs 1 scenario where he was at a disadvantage.


    Just then, an idea came into his mind and he spoke to himself in a hushed tone...


    "I guess I''ll have to Sekiro this guy."

 Chapter 272 - Shadows Die Twice

    <h4>Chapter 272 - Shadows Die Twice</h4>


    The battle took an intense turn as three sets of fighters shed against each other in a frontal sh. Dozens of spells and attack skills filled the battlefield at the same time. And to the audience, it was like fireworks lightening during a festival.


    ng! ng!


    Kahn shed again with his opponent and forced him backwards as he tilted his own head to dodge a stab made by the enemy.


    Since Kahn couldn''t reveal his top S and SS Rank swordsmanship skills at this stage of thepetition, he had only 3 skills that he could justify as an intermediate rank individual.


    Namely Windcutter, Lightning sh and destorm. Thest one being the most effective one when used at the right time.


    The tengu swordsmanunched des after des made from his aura while Kahn kept parrying and evading like his prior battles.


    It wasn''t that he wascking inbat techniques.. But he rather wanted to tire out his opponent first since theirbat prowess was evenly matched at this point.


    For the next 10 minutes, everyone was engrossed in their own battles while the crowd enjoyed the show.


    And Kahn acting like the parry king he was, kept engaging the opponent.


    Shing!


    And just as expected, the tengu warrior lost his bnce for the first time while attacking continuously.


    The downside of using two swords was that both the swords needed a lot of speed, maneuvering and additional force exerted by one arm at once while attacking an opponent. And hence,pared to a greatsword user like Kahn who needed to only maintain his bnce and speed defending, the tengu warrior''s stamina was depleting at a much faster rate.


    Sizzle! Sizzle!


    When Kahn pushed the opponent back again with a kick on the torso, the opponent''s armor absorbed the impact as he was thrown back in the air. Right at that very moment, Kahn quickly activated lightning sh skill and made a forward strike move..


    BOOM!!


    A loud boom filled the battlefield and a bright sh blinded the crowd.


    Crang!


    The tengu swordsman''s armor made a krrr sound after receiving the lethal strike head-on. Since the opponent had lost his posture and left an opening, Kahn made a decisive strike in that timeframe.


    p! p! p!


    The tengu for the first time used his wings for the flight and recovered his form in the air.


    "It''s over, human. I have the high ground."


    Said the tengu swordsman.


    "You underestimate my power."


    Replied Kahn and for the first time, he used the destorm skill.


    Flutter! Flutter!


    His clothes fluttered as an intense aura was leaked from his body and Lucifer shone crimson red.


    One by one, dozens of aura swords formed around the greatsword, many of which had different elemental attributes to them. All of them whirled around the greatsword rapidly like a tornado forming


    Swing!


    He swung the sword towards the flying enemy and quickly closed off his escape routes should the enemy try to fly away.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Multiple lethal aura des struck the flying tengu but for Kahn, this wasn''t going to cut it.


    Sword Battlemaster!


    He activated the SS Rank skill for just a second that allowed him to control all the swords in 1 kilometer radius and the target for it being none other than two swords used by the opposition.


    tter! tter!


    Suddenly, the grip on the swords held by the opponent loosened while he was in a pinch as he flew from one direction to another, trying to avoid elemental aura des.


    He quickly tightened his grip on the sword hilt but before he could even control them, both the swords pulled him down towards the ground.


    Defense Shatter!


    Kahn activated his most useful critical strike skills that allowed him to bypass physical defense and do additional 50% critical damage.


    "What the¡­"


    With broken posture and form, the tengu dual swordsman was pulled down like an apple falling from the tree and before he could even grasp what was happening..


    STAB!


    Kahn suddenly appeared in between him and the ground and quickly stabbed through his right shoulder and corbone.


    "Arrrh!!" wailed the opponent as Kahn impaled him so suddenly.


    Kahn gave a slight grin to the groaning opponent afternding a deathblow and electrocuted him with lightning sh skill.


    The tengu swordsman fainted on the spot as his burnt feathers let out smoke and he dropped on the ground.


    Kahn pulled out the bloody greatsword and dashed towards Cattleya who was in an impasse against the hybrid subus enchantress.


    Soon, in front of the onught by two opponents at once, the subus was taken out by Cattleya dealing the finishing blow with a ginormous fist she summoned.


    After that, their duo assisted ine and defeated the already cornered female demonkin mage.


    And that way.. All three of them officially won the match and qualified for the next round.


    Apuse after apuse, cheers after cheers resounded in the battle arena as their team sessfully defeated their opponents and won the hearts of the crowd with their well-organized teamwork.


    In front of a million gazes, Kahn and the team left the battle ring victoriously.


    ----------------


    While Kahn was discussing his next match details with the arena management staff, there was a certain group of people who were watching from quietly in one of the luxurious rooms built for the VIP audience.


    Not just one but more than 50 of such rooms that were upied by many people from different influential ns and organizations had only one thought on their mind..


    "What''s his name? Where does hee from?" asked a second stage saint gray wolfkin spearman to one of his aides.


    "We don''t know much about it yet, your lordship.


    But based on that sword he was using.. He could be the rumored prodigy we recently came to know about." responded a foxkin male dressed in businessman attire.


    "I see. But keep an eye on him. We can''t make a move unless we know that he is backed by that person or not." said the saint as he quietly watched Kahn leave the battle arena from one of the entrances.


    His gaze then turned serious and he spoke with a tyrannical and deep voice.


    "Let''s see if he bes a good chess piece..


    Or someone we need to get rid of."

 Chapter 273 - Change Of Rules

    <h4>Chapter 273 - Change Of Rules</h4>


    Kahn returned to his mansion at night while the subordinates were carrying out their duty to collect all their earnings from his matches which would take them a few days to tally before they reported it to their master.


    But this time, Kahn also had an infuriated expression on his face. When he was having dinner, the maids and servants thought that their master was unhappy with their service or the food was bad but in reality.. It was something else that even made a calm and collected person like him feel enraged.


    THE RULES WERE CHANGED¡­ AGAIN!


    By the previous set of rules, he should''ve qualified for the Quarterfinals after winning today''s match. But after he went to arena management for details regarding his next match.. They informed him that new rules were added and the match schedule had changed since yesterday.


    There will be another 1 on 1 battle for all the participants in the seventh round, where the winner who wins both the matches will qualify for the quarterfinals.


    "What kind of fucking bullshit is this?!


    Does the government really thinks people with brains won''t know.." he spoke with an infuriated tone.


    To the normal public, it would appear as if thepetition would give them extra matches and more entertainment with all these rounds that were happening every day throughout the empire.


    To someone dealing in the business world, it would appear that the government was trying to extend thepetition to make extra money with more matches and rounds where people would bet their fortune through the betting system.


    But to someone like Kahn who had seen a side of the inner circle and how the powerful ruled the empire.. Knew that it was just a front to cover up something big. Something that even the top 3 factions and their ns who controlled the government itself had collectively agreed upon.


    And anyone who wasn''t part of their circle would not be able to see through it at all.


    "Fine then.. I''ll y along for now. Until I find out what''s happening behind the scenes." he said with a resolute mind.


    5 dayster, the subordinates came back with the reports and also suggested some ways tounder the money in case they have to legally invest it somewhere in the future.


    Kahn was now the owner of 50 trillion gold coins.. He had no idea how rich he would be on earth if the gold prices were to be converted into dors. But since this world was far richer and vast in terms of resources, the normal sense of denomination on earth did not apply here.


    For the Seventh round, his matches were to be held in the seventh richest district of the capital famous for exotic tourist points and rich lifestyle. Even the normal shop owners here earned more than 10 times whenpared to normal people. The capita per annum was simply too high for ordinary sries.


    ----------------


    As Kahn finally reached the battle arena and waited till his turn came for the first match, there was something different in his demeanor.


    His odds were as always, 50:50 and today, his opponent was a half-naked blue thrall swordsman who had a wreath on his neck which had multiple small skulls woven in it.


    Anyone who saw this opponent would be scared to death after the first nce.


    And as usual, he put up a good disy for the audience by having an intense battle with the opponent.


    Thralls could temporarily turn themselves into smoke for a dozen seconds so Kahn acted like he was getting cornered and yed around by the opponent as he dodged, evaded and parried the variety of attacks in a nick of time.


    But in the end, defeated the opponent with Executioner''s Gaze skill as he threw the thrall out of the battle ring when he couldn''t move because of being paralyzed and put into stasis.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Thrall swordsman in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    After doubling his earnings, he waited in the resting area for his next match.


    But just then.. An employee from the arena management came and handed him an envelope.


    "What''s this?" asked Kahn.


    "Sir.. Please read this and thene with me." said the employees in management uniform.


    Kahn read the letter inside the envelope and his countenance turned serious. Because the letter mentioned that the head of the management for this battle arena wanted to meet him in his office.


    Kahn followed the employees and headed towards the northern end of the highest floor of this battle arena.


    In a grand office, Kahn now sat next to a 2nd stage saint dwarf battleaxe warrior who was the chosen official appointed by the government and the man in charge of handling this arena.


    Although he didn''t leak it.. His aura was tremendously horrifying for someone like Kahn who wasn''t even a first stage saint yet.


    "Kahn from the Rukon district is it?" asked the Dwarven warrior who was drinking a big ss of mead.


    "Yes, sir. May I ask why I have been summoned?" asked Kahn politely.


    "We have had our eyes on you for quite some time now. After your previous round.. I have been informed about your strength and talent as an intermediate grandmaster rank swordsman. And even today.. I do see that the words were indeed true." spoke the dwarf in a carefree tone.


    "But a young man like you should know when to win and when to give up. Being hot-headed at this age can turn out catastrophic, don''t you think?" asked the dwarf in an authoritative tone.


    "I don''t understand what you mean, sir. Can you put it in simple words?" asked Kahn with an rmed expression on his face.


    BOOM!!


    The next second, the entire room was filled with heavy and horrifying pressure as the 2nd stage saint released an insurmountable aura.


    Thud!!


    Kahn was forced to fall from the chair and both his hands and legs gave out under this pressure.


    The dwarven official then spoke in a deathly tone as he released his killing intent on the young swordsman.


    "What I mean is¡­" he took a pause and spoke in a tyrannical and grim voice¡­


    "I want you to lose the next match."

 Chapter 274 - The Gambler

    <h4>Chapter 274 - The Gambler</h4>


    Inside the main office where the elected official handled the management of this particr battle arena, a dense and tangible aura filled the entire room as the dwarven saint released his killing intent on the young swordsman in front of him.


    Kahn who was on the receiving end of this intense and deathly aura was forced to kneel on the floor for the first time in his new life.


    His veins pulsated rapidly and popped out his face while the bones in his body felt like they''d shatter if this predicament carried on for a few more minutes.


    [Stay inside! I''ll handle this!!] Kahn yelled at Rudra & ckwall, both of whom went awry inside his shadow and wanted toe out as they too felt the unshakable threat to their lives.


    He himself didn''t dare to use War Dominance either. Because that skill could barely make him stand pressure from a 1st stage saint. But this dwarf was a second stage, even 5 times stronger than Kahn''s current max capacity.


    Blood leaked from both the nostrils and his eyes almost popped out as Kahn struggled to move a muscle and almost couldn''t breathe.


    In nearly a year of his new life in this world.. Kahn had felt this feeling three times so far.


    One was when he fought Ajak, the Dark Summoner who literally killed Kahn in the dungeon. The second time was when Kahn had been facing Arkham & Solomon alone in a battle to life and death inside the restriction barrier and the third was this exact moment.


    Thest one was far more terrifying than the first two incidents because at this moment, the dwarven saint had Kahn''s life was in the palm of his hands and if he wanted to, the young man would die from suffocating from this aura alone.


    The dwarf quickly retracted his aura and Kahn finally regained control over his body.


    Blergh!


    He puked blood out of his mouth and coughed spontaneously.


    "Do you understand what I''m saying?" asked the dwarf. His tone felt like a mountain looking at a small pebble.


    "Y.. Ye.."


    Cough!


    Cough!


    "Yes.. Yes sir." spoke Kahn while he was still struggling to breathe. Beads of sweat covered his face as he barely gathered the strength to stand up.


    "Good. Now go and prepare for your next match. Your opponent is someone who belongs to one of the influential ns from the three factions.


    Just put up a good show and lose with some dignity. That should be enough to entertain the crowd.


    And remember¡­" spoke the dwarf as he continued in a threatening tone.


    "Don''t try to pull some sort of stunt. Or only your corpse will leave this arena." warned the second stage saint.


    Kahn clenched his fist tightly and nodded in affirmation. It took every inch of his being to control his anger and not do something reckless at this moment.


    There was a time to attack while there were also times where one had to take a step back.


    After Kahn left the room, the dwarf called out for his secretary.


    "Keep an eye on that human. If he tries to pull something during the match¡­ You know what to do."manded the dwarven saint as he gave a deathly nce to Kahn''s back.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Dwarven Saint in chapterments.]]


    ----------------


    Kahn, who returned to the resting area was covered in sweat and breathing heavily felt like being born anew.


    The happenings of a few minutes ago felt like he had been forced at death''s door only to be brought back.


    Compared to the time when God of Darkness killed him thousands of times for being rude and brought him back to life in microseconds.. This experience was hardly worth mentioning.


    But now, it was his body that could hardly stand such pressure and he needed immediate rest.


    Any blunder back in the main office and Kahn would be lying dead on the floor. And this time, there was noing back to life for real.


    He kept panting and spoke to himself..


    "So that''s how it was.. This wholepetition itself is a scam!


    Even I had a feeling that they''d rig the matches where only their chosenbatants from the top three factions would win both the matches and progress to the next round while the rest would be disqualified by either fixing the matches or forcing the participants to forfeit.


    I''m sure many other fighters with no background or backing are subjected to the same threats throughout the empire.


    So in the end, the quarter-finals will have only their chosen representatives from the three factions and the winner will alwayse from their circle of the top brasses." spoke Kahn as he finally regained control over his body and leaned on a chair.


    "Who''s going to ask for justice when the entire system is rigged."


    [This¡­ why are you so weak human?! This humiliation.. I shall never forget it!!] shouted Rudra inside Kahn''s mind.


    "Yeah.. As if you were any help either." retorted Kahn.


    [Ronin, can you hear me?] he telepathically contacted the rogue subordinate.


    [Yes, master.] replied Ronin who was mixed in the crowd.


    Kahn gave him a particr instruction and exined his situation.


    There were only two options now.. Either win and die a fool''s death or lose and multiply his wealth by betting on his loss.


    But there was still the p in the form of humiliation he received today. The current Kahn knew when to retreat but this was something he just couldn''t swallow down.


    [Yes, master. I will need only an hour.] replied Ronin.


    ----------------


    After 2 hours, Kahn''s turn came and his opponent was an intermediate rank grandmaster of the young generation who was an heir of one of the top 100 most powerful influential ns in the whole empire.


    And naturally.. Kahn''s odds were 80:20 because of the opponent''s poprity.


    [Master.. I have gathered the information. But you''ll be gambling your life if we do this.] spoke Ronin and reported the key information Kahn asked him to gather.


    [Good. Proceed as we nned.] he ryed themand and entered the battle ring before the betting counters were closed off.


    "Begin the fight!" shouted the referee.


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s aura suddenly erupted, his bloodlust fully released and his angry face made him look like a berserk beast as he stared right in the eyes of his opponent and spoke in a grim voice..


    "Oye.. My hands are itching today. So be prepared." he said and approached the enemy with wrathful eyes.


    "Because I''m gonna use you as my punching bag!"

 Chapter 275 - Public Declaration

    <h4>Chapter 275 - Public Deration</h4>


    After the matchmenced, Kahn openly dered that he would beat the opponent as if his victory was already decided. The 30 years old, 7 feet tall human knight, d in white and golden armor with a lion head sigil embedded on the chest, stood at the other end of the battle ring and waspletely taken aback but then his face turned furious toward Kahn.


    He was a knight and Kahn was a swordsman¡­ Everyone knew who had more resilience and defensive capabilities based on their professions.


    "Huh? Who do you think you''re talking to, peasant?! I was going to go easy on you. So if you don''t want to get publicly humiliated by me, you should apologize to me right now!" eximed the man in fury.


    He was the n heir of one of the powerful ns from the neutral faction. Yet someone he never even heard of was looking down on him and that too in front of an audience of 2 million people.


    He banged his greatsword on the shield and equipped his helmet as he took a defensive stance. A yellow and hexagonal barrier made of aura appeared in front of his shield.


    To Kahn, who was agitated and needed something to release his anger on.. The cliche words of this young master didn''t faze him in the slightest.


    This time however, Kahn decided to not hold back and go all in. Because if he kept hiding at this point, people wouldn''t pay attention to him or ask questions if he went missing out of the blue. So attracting public eyes on him was the only choice he had.


    His countenance turned grim again.. A face of a man who waspletely fed up with holding himself back was revealed to the audience.


    Swoosh!


    Before the opponent could charge at him, Kahn suddenly appeared in front of the knight and swung Lucifer to strike the aura shield.


    Crack!


    Without even using the draconian bloodline effect, Kahn instantly broke through the aura shield and his de nged again the metallic shield of the opponent.


    Screech!


    His sword made a gash on the shield and Kahn gave a look to the tall opponent.


    "Is that all? I''m not even using both of my hands." scored Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    He let out another burst of aura revealed his rank in front of the entire crowd.


    "Peak Grandmaster! He''s a peak grandmaster!" spoke one of the n members of this knight.


    More than 10 thousand members from the knight''s n hade to show their support but as soon as Kahn revealed his rank.. Not just them but people who had bet on this knight felt like a cat got their tongue.


    ng!


    Kahn used lightning sh skill and broke through the defense of the knight, he round kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying towards the other end of the battle ring.


    Swoosh!


    Before the knight''s body evennded on the floor, Kahn appeared right next to his flying figure.


    Bam!


    He elbowed the levitating opponent and put him in the ground with a loud bang.


    Horrified.. The knight was horrified of Kahn in just a few exchanges.


    One, because he was a rank above him and two, Kahn was not even using his full strength, yet he almost felt like dying.


    "Impossible¡­ how can this be?" spoke the knight as blood leaked out from his mouth.


    "Oye.. Are you in a position to think about something else?" asked Kahn as if he was looking at a dead man.


    Sizzle! Sizzle!


    He finally activated the draconian bloodline effect and a blistering heat was released from lucifer.


    ng!


    Shing!


    Shrill!


    One by one, Kahn''s sword repeatedly attacked the opponent and heavily damaged him despite the knight using his damage reduction skills and defense increasing skills at the same time.


    Each of the swings made by Kahn felt like a hammer striking on the anvil. And the impact alone was sending tremors in his body.


    "You.. Don''t think you can defeat me just because you''re a rank above. My entire armor and weapons are made by sir Mephisto!


    He''s a peak grandmaster cksmith of the empire. There''s no way I''d fall short against someone like you!" he bellowed in rage and banged his shield on the ground.


    Dhang!


    The battle ring shook and the ground started shattering from the point of impact.


    A shockwave rippled from the knight''s shield and forced Kahn ten meters away.


    Kahn spoke as soon as he regained his footing.


    "Hey, bitchass punk! Why are you resisting? It makes me want to hit you even more.


    Just stand there quietly so I can beat you to a pulp!" spoke Kahn and the very next second, his figure disappeared from the knight''s sight.


    "Behind you." a whisper reached the knight''s ears and he turned his head back.


    A set of wrathful eyes stared right into his own and a palm appeared right in front of his face.


    Grasp!


    Kahn jumped and grabbed the knight''s helmet. He pulled it out and threw it out of the battle ring.


    Swing!


    He made a horizontal swing infused with fire element aura and pushed the opponent on the backfoot again.


    This time, there was a big and hollow dent on the massive shield after suffering from the impact.


    "Why the hell should I care if your gear is made by a peak grandmaster cksmith?


    Who the fuck said that you can win against anyone just because you have better armors and weapons?


    Let me break that stupid notion of yours." said Kahn and dashed at the enemy with full speed.


    ng! ng! Bang! Bang!


    For the next two minutes.. The entire battle arena went silent. Nobody paid attention to other matches because the one between the knight and the swordsman had taken a sudden turn of events that baffled all the onlookers.


    Because right now.. Kahn was consistently attacking the knight like a maniac gone berserk.


    Kahn hadn''t even activated all of his attack buff or berserk skills and yet.. His heavy and unshakable aura des from the destorm skill had started chipping down the knight heir''s shield and even the greatsword in his hands started cracking.


    It wasn''t that the opponent''s shield or sword were weaker.. Just that Lucifer was made from the Magma Drake''s ws which even a sword made from mythril couldn''t scratch. It was already in a different league above other epic rank swords.


    But incorporated with Kahn''s furious attacks, there wasn''t much the epic rank weaponry of the knight could do.


    Crack! Crack!


    In the next 5 minutes, Kahn cracked open the shield and broke the sword in two pieces using lucifer. The knight almost started crying after watching how his opponent break his precious gear.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Knight opponent in chapterments.]]


    Just then.. Kahn dered in a loud voice. His words echoed in the entire battle arena as he made a groundbreaking revtion.


    "What a trash gear. It still cannot stand up against the better quality weapon made by a better cksmith." he revealed.


    "What do you mean.." asked the knight in disbelief.


    "You see.. My sword is forged by the best cksmith in the entire Rakos Empire. It''s made by.." he said and continued in a kingly tone.


    "The Peak Grandmaster cksmith, Albestros Winston!" he dered for the audience.


    "As for you.." he said with a wide grin on his face.


    "Let''s start the real beating session."

 Chapter 276 - No Mercy

    <h4>Chapter 276 - No Mercy</h4>


    In the middle of the battle ring, Kahn intentionally revealed the information about his sword being made by Albestros Winston, one of the peak grandmaster cksmiths of the Rakos Empire.


    There was a reason for him to reveal this hand this early. Because today''s experience already made him realize that nobody paid attention to an underdog and they''re easy to remove if people aren''t watching.


    So before the result of this match came out, he''d at least use this opportunity to reveal the man who was backing him up.


    He only revealed that his sword was made by Albestros to the audience but soon, the news would reach the top brass and then will take notice of him because of the rumors he already spreadst week.


    So the majority of the so-called ns and their people will be hesitant about picking a fight with him as they do with people without any powerful background.


    And the reason why he revealed his rank only as a peak grandmaster was to surprise the people and not question how he was easily thrashing the opponent.


    As for this guy in front of him.. Kahn hadn''t even warmed up yet or let out his anger at all.


    ng! Bang!


    What happened next was something that gave chills to the majority of the audience.


    Kahn made precise cuts and well-controlled swings in a way that they cut through the armor but didn''t hurt the opponent. And in front of 2 million people.. This heir of a top influential n watched his precious armor getting torn down to pieces while all he could do was try to avoid the greatsword''s edges and hope that it wouldn''t cut him instead.


    Pieces after pieces fell on the floor and the 7 feet tall opponent who was taller than Kahn was reduced to a half-naked sausage.


    This was a thorough humiliation. Not only could the heir retort or fight back.. but also couldn''t willingly submit defeat either. Otherwise, he won''t have a face to show after this match.


    For now, the opponent being a peak grandmaster could at least justify his loss but if he quit.. He''d be aughingstock for his entire life.


    However, the next minute¡­ even the knight himself was shocked.


    Because Kahn plunged Lucifer down in the floor and rolled up his sleeves.


    "Hey, bastard.. Didn''t I tell you to not fight back? Was that hard to understand?" said Kahn in a tyrannical voice as he walked closer to the opponent who was panting heavily and kneeling on the floor.


    "You think I won''t beat the shit out of because you''re some glorified heir of some noble n? Didn''t you understand what I said?


    That I''m already in a bad mood and would use you as a punching? Why did you resist?


    Now I''m even more angry." spoke Kahn as he kept releasing his deathly aura and froze the opponent on the spot.


    p!!


    Then what he did would go down in the history of a millennium of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    In front of 2 million people, the enraged Kahn started a street brawl and attacked the already worn down opponent with his bare fists.


    Punch!!


    Dishoom!


    Pow!!


    Kahn started punching and beating the opponent with his iron fists as if he was an Asian dad beating his undutiful and reckless kid who was a disappointment to the family.


    Thwack!


    Blood started sttering on the ground after the knight opponent''s swollen face turned red like a tomato but Kahn kept treating him like a punching bag.


    "DAAAYYYUUUMMMM!!" spoke two ck men in the audience.


    Kahn lowered his pressure on the opponent.


    Punch!


    "Fight back!" he said.


    p!


    "Fight back you little rat!" he eximed.


    There was no sense of pity or mercy for the opponent in his eyes.


    Just like he said previously.. He was literally using the opponent as a punching bag.


    Just as the tall knight stood up and tried to counteract with a swing of his right hand, Kahn dodged it and his own right hand grabbed the opponent around the neck.


    Kahn put all his strength into the right arm and jumped along with the opponent to m him on the ground.


    ROCK BOTTOM!!


    Kahn used The Rock''s signature move and mmed the opponent on the floor of the battle ring.


    Dozens of cracks appeared on the ground. The knight opponent was mmed so hard that he couldn''t even get up.


    Kahn then did a little jog to the left and again ran towards the half-naked knight lying on the ground as he jumped high in the air and did an elbow drop on his chest.


    PEOPLE''S ELBOW!!


    Kahn finally performed the signature move he always wanted to perform since the time he watched the wrestling during his childhood.


    Spat!


    The knight spat a chunk of blood and almost choked on it.


    Kahn then came close to the opponent and waved the back of his right palm in between them.


    "You can''t see me!"


    Said Kahn and his figure disappeared again.


    "Arrr.." groaned the knight as he tried to get up with a hazy mind. His body was damaged and the immense pain heavily affected his consciousness.


    Just then, Kahn appeared behind the knight and half squatted, he widened both his arms and gazed at the opponent with crazy eyes like The Viper.


    And as soon as the opponent turned his head, Kahn lunged towards him and grabbed his head midair in a headlock as he mmed both their bodies on the ground.


    [[Author : Watch out, watch out, watch out!]]


    RKO!!


    Kahn Rko''d the opponent in front of millions of people and made the already beaten-up enemy faint on the spot.


    "One! Two! Three!" counted the referee!


    Ding! Ding! Ding!


    "The winner is Kahn of Rukon District!" dered the referee!


    "Yaaaah!!"


    "Fuck yeah!!"


    "You rock!!" thousands then over a hundred thousand of people mixed in the crowd jumped in joy and cheered for Kahn.


    In reality.. Most of these people were from the seven deadly sins who cheered for Kahn.


    As for the vast majority who bet on the noble n heir knight.. They were rooted on the spot.. Contemting their entire life and thinking about their lost fortunes because of this young man.


    Kahn shrieked his body and flexed his arms.


    His gaze thennded on the main office of the saint on the highest floor of the battle arena.


    His eyes met the dwarven saint who was looking at him with a furious and murderous gaze.


    Kahn gave a light smirk in response and spoke in a content tone..


    "Now I''m motivated!"

 Chapter 277 - The Ace

    <h4>Chapter 277 - The Ace</h4>


    After the fight ended and Kahn won despite their previous agreement, the 2nd stage dwarven saint was enraged to the core and wanted nothing but to kill Kahn on the spot.


    But given the sheer number of onlookers, he controlled the killing intent lest it brought too much attention to him, hence the old dwarf had no choice but to hold in his anger.


    Kahn on the other end didn''t feel any sense of threat to his life and walked down the battle ringpletely unfazed.


    But instead of running away.. He headed towards the main head''s office of the arena management where he was made to kneel on the ground just 3 hours ago.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    His footsteps echoed in the passage leading to the door of the main office. The saint could already sense his location in this 5 kilometer wide arena so he too was surprised to see that Kahn didn''t try to run but chose to approach him instead.


    Creak!


    The secretary opened the door for him and Kahn walked in fearlessly as if he owned the whole ce instead. And he sat on the same chair while he faced the saint without any fear in his eyes.


    "Know your ce, boy!! Do you really think I won''t kill you myself?" spoke the dwarf saint and released his highly condensed aura on Kahn again.


    War Dominance!!


    Kahn activated war dominance this time. Although it wasn''t enough for him to stand the pressure from this second-stage saint for long, it was barely enough for him to at least not fall on the floor likest time.


    "Just because you have the backing of a peak grandmaster cksmith, doesn''t mean that you can mess with the 3 factions!"


    In his eyes, Kahn only had the advantage of revealing his backer. But it wasn''t something that would protect him for long after the blunder he pulled off by winning the match.


    "Can you really afford to kill me though? Do you want to die that badly?" asked Kahn as he looked down on the saint. His expressions and the way he conducted himself had taken a 180-degree turn for some reason.


    "What?! What did you just say? Have you gone senile?" asked the dwarf battleaxe wielder saint with a baffled expression.


    "Let me ask you something¡­ Which faction do you belong to?" asked Kahn with a confident voice.


    "I''m from the Gimli dwarven n of the Pureblood Faction." spoke the dwarf with a curious expression on his face.


    "Good. Then take a look at this before you do something stupid again." said Kahn with a carefree expression.


    The next second, he took out something from his space ring and disyed it to the dwarf!


    In his hands.. Was a brightly glowing golden and rectangr object. This was something he had kept as a secret from a month before thepetition even began.


    "You.. How did you get this?! Why does someone like you have this?!" eximed the dwarf as he looked at the object in Kahn''s hand with a bewildered expression.


    At this moment, a golden glowing te with a sigil of two swords surrounding a shield embedded on it glimmered in Kahn''s palm.


    The Rmendation Token!


    What he disyed just now was the exact Rmendation Token given to him through Szayel by the n leader, Ismaetrazel Mor Vandereich of the Vandereich n, the most powerful and representative n of the pureblood faction.


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s figure let out a burst of chaotic ck and red aura that shook the entire room and the shockwaves released from his body made even the saint wary for a second.


    Semi-Saint!


    Kahn revealed his real rank and full strength of a semi-saint rank warrior.


    Even the dwarven saint had his jaw dropped on the ground after this sudden revtion.


    "Do you understand why I have this token?" asked Kahn as he folded both his arms.


    "This.. This is a rmendation token from the faction leader himself!


    Why haven''t any of the saints heard about it then?" asked the old dwarf as he still found this new piece of information hard to swallow.


    "Each faction is allowed only 2 of such rmendation tokens. And they''re given to only the chosen representatives of the faction. But we already gave one to our semi-saint.


    This is also a testament of full support to the candidate from the entire faction. Harming them or creating problems for them during thepetition means making an enemy of the entire faction." he revealed in a jittery tone.


    [Oh, so it actually belonged to their faction leader.] thought Kahn but didn''t show the surprise on his face.


    "And revealing it would be very helpful in keeping it secret.." Kahn said and gave a daunting look at the dwarf.


    "I did a little research on you. You may be a second-stage saint.. But even in your n or the faction itself¡­ You''re not even in the top 20 strongest people." spoke Kahn in a serious tone.


    "So what do you think will happen if you do something to me or I spread the word about today''s incident to the n leader of the Vandereich n?


    On one hand, there''s someone who doesn''t even deserve to sit at the same table as them and on the other.. Someone who was handpicked by the faction leader himself.


    Who do you think they will side with?" taunted Kahn.


    "Please.. Don''t tell them." spoke the dwarven saint. For the first time, his face looked fear-stricken and the almighty and domineering aura around himpletely disappeared.


    "What will I get out of this? I have no reason to do you a favor. Not only did you try to make me lose the match.. But you also tried to diminish our winning chances in thepetition." said Kahn in a serious and vengeful tone.


    "What do you think will happen? Will your own n forgive you for this mistake? Do you think anyone of the faction council will let you go unpunished?" asked Kahn, instilling even more fear in the dwarf.


    "Then what do you want me to do?" asked the dwarf haphazardly.


    To his question¡­ Kahn only replied with a bright smile in a rxed manner as he ryed his condition..


    "You have to clean after my shit."

 Chapter 278 - The Dark Horse

    <h4>Chapter 278 - The Dark Horse</h4>


    Kahn took a deep breath and spoke in a calm tone as he leaned his back against the ottoman-style chair.


    "Take care of the n members of the guy I just beat up. Nothing shoulde in my way.


    You are at least capable of doing that much, right?" asked Kahn sarcastically.


    "That¡­ I''ll do it!" spoke the dwarf and suddenly, his tone towards Kahn turned respectful despite being an almighty figure himself.


    It wasn''t Kahn.. But the two figures who backed this young man he was most afraid of. His countenance turnedpletely alert as he did not want to stretch this topic furthermore.


    [And he fell for it!] thought the young swordsman.


    In reality, Kahn was only borrowing the name of the Vandereich n leader after the key information he received from Ronin.


    ----------------


    TWO HOURS AGO


    Ronin and all the assassin subordinates who served under him were ordered to find information on this dwarf by Kahn after the death threat made by this second stage saint.


    Ronin, who led dozens of assassin subordinates, quickly infiltrated the inner areas of arena management, had his squadron tail people and ransack records about the dwarf''s history, found out about the background of this saint. And after receiving the whole information.. Kahn decided to not give up on thepetition and take his chances.


    Hence, right before the match even began and odds were revealed to the public for betting, Kahn decided to act as he always did.


    He looked at the odds and purposely had his generals bet all the money on his victory through their people while he was still furious about the humiliation he suffered today.


    So one way or another.. He was going to take it out on the opponent. Because of which, he knew that he''d end up provoking the entire n that backed him. Yet, he also nned to use the rmendation token which he already knew about and how it would tie his fate to the pureblood faction during thispetition.


    And just now, he found out that each faction had two of such tokens offered to their semi-saints. Also, he understood why the faction leader, Szayel''s grandfather who he had yet to meet passed down this token to him under the pretense of Ismaetrazel trying to save him the trouble of not having to fight from the bottom.


    It was because they had only one semi-saint in the younger generationpared to the Demi-Human and Neutral Faction that had two candidates.


    So they nned to use Kahn as a trojan horse and a backup without him even knowing the truth since the beginning.


    But after learning from his previous experience and how the Vandereich n used him as bait to find traitors between their n and faction, the now wiser Kahn already suspected that something was off.


    And hence, he chose to register for thepetition like a normal individual instead of using the rmendation token that was offered to him.


    But today, that very token turned out to be the only thing that helped him in his current predicament.


    Now, his seat was secured and from the lesson he received today.. It was time for Kahn to set up his own chess pieces rather than being at someone''s mercy.


    Because who knows if next time his bluff would work or not.


    "Fine then. I''ll leave this to you." said Kahn and took out the jade medallion.


    "You know who this belongs to, right?" asked Kahn.


    The dwarven saint was left speechless again, his eyes not being able to hold back the surprise.


    "This.. This belongs to Lord Ismaetrazel. He even gave you this.." said the dwarf with a baffled voice.


    "Yes. Mess up things on your end and I will personally tell him about today''s blunder you pulled off.


    Doesn''t matter if you did it for carrying out your orders or not. A mistake is a mistake.


    Now let''s hope that we don''t see each other again." spoke Kahn and left the office.


    He changed his appearance and species just to be careful and quietly left the battle arena. As for the aftermath¡­ he''d leave it to this dwarven saint.


    Given the situation¡­ it was bound to be more of a headache and a form of punishment. This was the best way of revenge Kahn could take for now.


    ----------------


    Kahn returned to his mansion after he had officially qualified for the quarterfinals.


    Including him, there would be 15 other candidates and out of which, he was already sure that he''d face the other semi-saints soon enough based on probability.


    But what was more important right now was to make waves and stir the entire pond so that he would no longer appear defenseless.


    And the show he put on today by starting a brawl with the knight opponent had another purpose behind it as well.


    Ceril appeared in Kahn''s bedroom since the others were busy collecting their 400 trillion worth of new wealth after today''s match.


    "Do you have it ready?" asked Kahn in a stern tone.


    "Yes, my lord. By the time your next matches up, we will have more than 10 million of these recording artifacts spread throughout the entire capital.


    Everyone from amoner to a noble ss individual wille to know about you after today." replied Ceril as he took out a blue round object.


    This was exactly the recording artifact Kahn had previously installed in his shops and warehouses.


    As the projections from the artifact were disyed.. The sight of Kahn''s entire fight with the knight heir came to be like a video recording.


    How he revealed the information about his sword and how he thrashed the knight opponent during the fight was recorded here.


    During the fight, Kahn had ordered Omega to film this entire thing before the match started.


    Kahn was already 3 steps ahead in nning the aftermath and saving himself from the unnecessary hassle and threat to his life.


    "But my lord.. Wouldn''t this make you a target for many influential ns and factions?" asked Ceril in a serious voice.


    "The more eyes we have on me... the better.


    Because no one would dare to harm amoner who beat a noble n''s heir with bare fists when he is at the center of attention for the entire capital.


    Now, we don''t have any reason to hide behind the shadows." said Kahn.


    He smirked and looked at the bright moon through the window as he spoke in a resolute tone.


    "It''s time for me to be The Dark Horse."

 Chapter 279 - Rising Fame

    <h4>Chapter 279 - Rising Fame</h4>


    In the following week, a silent chaos was created throughout the capital Rathna. The majority of the important districts and highly popted cities inhabited by tens of millions of people had been swarmed by a viral video shared by thousands of people in public ces.


    Let it be restaurants or some gathering, in a bazaar or yground. Many crowded and upied ces throughout the capital had been watching this video on a projection artifact that disyed the match between two opponents during the seventh round of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    The fight between a muscr as well as a ripped swordsman and a tall and massive knight warrior was disyed on these screens. And the narrative spread among themon folks who made 97% of the entire poption of the capital was how amoner like them fought his way through with pure skill and hard work.


    And how he did not even faze or get scared while facing an heir of a powerful n or their forces. In his wake, he fearlessly fought against his opponent to prove himself and progressed to the quarterfinals.


    In the past millennium of history of this empire and thispetition.. Kahn became the first-evermoner who reached this far in thepetition. And that alone was more than enough for people to rte to him.


    Besides, a swordsman facing a knight was always considered as an already decided match because thetter had too many skills that could let the sustain a lot of damage while the swordsman would naturally get tired in time and then be taken out by the knight.


    But in this match, it waspletely opposite as Kahn broke through all the defenses of the opponent with sheer force and skills alone.


    The best part of these recordings was when Kahn plunged his sword into the ground and started beating the opponent with bare fists.


    Every male regardless of their species or age felt a rush of power while watching this recorded match because the way this young man handled the opponent who was bigger in size than him and the types of finishing moves he performed were simply too astounding to watch.


    ording to rumors, many people who had professions such as brawlers praised this man''s fighting techniques. Some even questioned if he was a swordsman or actually a hand-to-handbatant instead.


    And like a wildfire, the name of Kahn of Rukon District spread among the masses and anyone who was interested in the ongoingpetition.


    The general popce was intrigued and then came to like it because a normal person like them beating the crap out of a presumptuous n heir who never had to struggle for anything in his life.


    The story of an underdog who had no one to rely on but him still fighting his way up with his own strength touched their hearts.


    And within a week alone, many had started rooting for Kahn.


    And also, the name of peak grandmaster cksmith, Albestros Winston rose to a different level of poprity amongst top powers and high ranked saints because Kahn thoroughly destroyed the weapons and armors made by Mephisto, another peak grandmaster cksmith by just using normal strikes and swings using a sword made by the former.


    The old cksmith''s already renowned name became even more famous among the citizens because of the recording. Raising his poprity on a different level than all the saints from different ns and factions had no choice but to notice Kahn as a participant.


    Because as per the rumors, Kahn had been given an armor as well that was said to be the old cksmith''s best work yet.


    Although recording fights during thepetition wasn''t illegal.. No one had done it and then spread it among the popce at this scale before. And given how people were interested in buying these artifacts that had this match recorded¡­ many clever minds also had a business idea.


    Soon, the video was copied by many people, pirated illegally by scums of the society and watched by trashes for free who didn''t even bother trying to get it from the original source or support the makers who put their blood and sweat into creating it.


    And yet many of them had a sense of entitlement to criticize it without even spending a dime as if the makers owed them something.


    Little did they know that the creators only cared about the opinions of those who saw this work from official channels than caring about the whiney freeloaders.


    [[Author : *cough* Just like this novel. *cough*]]


    ----------------


    Another rumor spread that Albestros Winston found this young swordsman who didn''t even have a rtive left alive and took him under his wing after Kahn saved his life during the journey to the capital.


    And after many powerful people, forces and organizations inquired, all they found that most of the rumors were actually true and Kahn also worked for Albestros as his main assistant in thepany named The Bloodborne which was owned by this peak grandmaster.


    And given Kahn''s talent and the rtionship the old cksmith had with him.. He made the armor and sword that was even better than many epic rank weapons and armors owned by the majority of the saints.


    So as the time for the quarterfinals came close.. The once nameless nobody without any prior background or support from a powerful faction or a n became the talk of the entire capital.


    His name reached a different level of fame that not even the most famous and genius n heirs of any of the factions ever did.


    In just a week.. Kahn had be the biggest Dark Horse in the history of thispetition.


    But in reality¡­ all of this was orchestrated by Kahn on that day after he won the seventh round.


    Spreading rumors, using a sentimental narrative, making himself look like the underdog and a dark horse was all part of the n.


    "Master.. Everything is going ording to your ns. What should we do next?" asked Ronin when they were sitting in their usual meeting room.


    Kahn replied with a grin as he spoke in a sinister tone..


    "We provide them some fanservice."

 Chapter 280 - The Day Before

    <h4>Chapter 280 - The Day Before</h4>


    The time of the beginning for quarterfinals came near and only one day left. And as per the tradition of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition, the remaining matches from here on would be broadcasted throughout the empire in all cities and towns; the setup, as well as management, will be handled by the government.


    Compared to the time when the Pureblood faction disyed the execution of traitors in all the major cities of the empire¡­ this event was on apletely different scale. Hence, the number of people exposed to this news were mostly in the billions.


    Out of the 4 billion citizens of the Rakos Empire, at least 3 and half billion people would have ess to these projection screens and would be able to watch the matches from their respective ces as well.


    And to add fuel to the fire, the government also made legal betting booths over these settlements so even the normal people could also get a final chance to change their fates since the ticket prices for a single person were already in tens of thousands of gold coins for thest three rounds.


    As per the information gathered by Ronin, there would be a total of 8 matches between 16 candidates. Some of whom were Kahn, Nius and Elijah.


    Sadly, ine and Cattleya had lost their matches in their respective battles because their opponents turned out to be peak grandmasters as well.


    For the quarterfinals, the sixteen candidates were chosen for their respective matches using a lottery system. And each of these matches will be done on separate days and in different battle arenas.


    So that thebatants would get enough time to rest and recuperate after their respective battles.


    And luckily, Kahn''s battle was to happen on the very first day and from the official announcement done by the government, his opponent was a female swordswoman named Veronica Mikealson.


    From the information gathered by his people, Kahn learned that his next opponent was a peak grandmaster individual and also considered as one of the top three best sword users of the younger generation in the whole capital.


    Her ranking being only second to Celine Armitage who was also the n heiress of her n and nicknamed as the Dual Sword Saintess because she was a semi-saint individual.


    On the other side, Veronica herself was well renowned since she was considered to be a very skilled woman whose speed and lethality was well known.


    She was the daughter of themander of Mikealson n who happened to be the younger brother of the n leader. Many even debated that if not for her rankcking, she''d be evenly matched with the dual sword saintess.


    So Kahn had been expecting a good match ever since the announcement. Because he too wanted to raise hisbat techniques and weapon mastery by fighting with the truly gifted opponents; which was also one of his main goals to participate in thispetition in the first ce.


    ----------------


    Inside the Mikealson n''s main castle, a meeting between 3 young people was taking ce in one of the gardens.


    A group of 2 women and a blonde man were sitting across a round white table while having brunch.


    One of these enchanting young women was a raven-haired beauty with deep blue eyes while the other was a redhead woman with a sword who was dressed in white and ck attire, looking like she was part of the military of the empire.


    "So how are you preparing for the next match, Veronica?" asked Kassandra to the woman in front of her.


    "I have done enough preparations,dy Kassandra. Although there isn''t much information avable on my opponent for tomorrow''s match, I''m certain that it will be my victory.


    Because my opponent is a self-taught swordsman after all. No matter how talented he is, at the end of the day, truebat techniques and skills are what counts the most." replied Veronica in a stern tone.


    "Ah, that guy who beat Namor in a hand-to-hand fight like a street wrestler, right?" asked Isaac, the young blonde knight.


    "Yes. It was only because he is a peak grandmaster and Namor was an intermediate rank individual.


    Even his sword skills seemed average at best. Even if he''s the same rank as me.. I don''t think it will be a problem defeating him." replied Veronica.


    Just then, Kassandra interjected and spoke in a curious tone..


    "Still.. It''s the first time I''m hearing a peak grandmaster under the age of 30 who doesn''te from some big n or a faction.


    He may be weak but you should not underestimate him. After all, he beat his opponent without revealing his most powerful skills.


    So being ignorant can turn out bad for us." she said, her curious eyes being easy to notice.


    "So will you attend my match tomorrow,dy Kassandra? I know you have your own match on the 4th day. " asked Veronica with expectant eyes.


    "Of course! How can I miss our little phoenix''s fight? You have to make us andmander Zoran proud." said Kassandra in a merry tone and pat on Veronica''s head as if she was her little sister.


    "Ahm¡­" spoke Isaac.


    "What?" asked Kassandra curiously.


    Isaac scooched towards her and slightly bowed his head.


    "Me too!" he eximed.


    "Get lost, you twat!" shouted Kassandra and hit his head with her fist.


    ----------------


    As the night came, in the southern part of the central regions of the capital Rathna, a ginormous red fort that sized 5 kilometers in radius alone was surrounded by thousands of people.


    This was the main headquarters of the Demi-Human Faction and currently, a meeting was being held with all the elders and the most influential figures of this faction including many saints and n leaders.


    On the main throne of this 1 kilometer long meeting hall that had a simr structure like the one from Neutral Faction, thousands of important figures were gathered.


    And at the main throne, was an elderly white-haired Elven mage who had a hunched back. This was a seventh stage saint, one of the three strongest individuals of the entire empire.


    At this moment, he looked at the young man in front of him who knelt in front of him.


    This young man who seemed a year older than Kahn had a red horn protruding out of the right side of his forehead and had yellow eyes was kneeling in respect towards their faction leader.


    "Victor.. You know how many expectations we have from you, right?" asked the elf.


    "Yes, lord faction leader. I will win thispetition and show the might of our faction to the whole empire." said the halfbreed demonkin in a vehement voice.


    "Good. I like this attitude of yours. I hope you carry on the legacy of your family. After all.." spoke the seventh stage elven mage in a prideful tone as he continued¡­


    "You''re the son of the previous Emperor''s Chosen."

 Chapter 281 - The Response

    <h4>Chapter 281 - The Response</h4>


    The day of the quarterfinals finally arrived and Kahn departed to Zelda, the second richest district of the capital and the named Qaboj where the first and opening match of the new round will be held.


    For now, no one had tried to contact or pressure him regarding thepetition as if some invisible force had been barring the enemies. In actuality, it was all the efforts made by Kahn and his generals who had been creating the image of the underdog and a dark horse in the minds of the general popce of the capital.


    And with the quarterfinals being broadcast throughout the empire, Kahn even had a bigger opportunity to make his name well known. Because the incident of the previous round had already made him realize that if he isn''t in the limelight.. He was easy to be cut off by anyone with substantial influence and power.


    And he wanted to avoid the scenario where some saint had put him in the ground again. So other than using the public as his form of defense, Kahn had no choice but to attract the whole empire''s eyes on him at this point.


    Doing this also ensured that his life would be secured and no power would try to target or kill him for some time and if he qualified for further stages.


    The battle arena that held today''s match was 3 times bigger in terms of size, audience capacity and the number of floors. Even the security guards here were at least beginner rank fighters.


    Kahn felt like suddenly he entered an intergctic tournament where he would have to fight gigantic aliens.


    Even the battlefield itself was 1 kilometer in radius, indicating the scale of thispetition was going to be on apletely different scale.


    At this point, even a single seat cost 10 thousand gold coins yet the entire colosseum-style arena was full of people cheering for their respective fighters.


    This time, Kahn had ordered all of their members from seven deadly sins to be present from here on. He spent a few hundred million just for their attires, traveling expenses and creating a fake background that''d make the organization members look like local rich tycoons and help them properly blend in with the crowd.


    All of them were given space rings where at least a hundred million gold coins were kept that they''d have to use while betting on a candidate as per the orders.


    Kahn was looking at considerable gains here as well. Because he wasn''t a fool to think that his story and recent fame was enough topletely sway people towards him and make them bet their fortunes on him.


    For now, they were only intrigued by him but not fully aware of his capabilities or the true rank. So being the greedy and shameless man he was.. Kahn only waited for the odds to be revealed.


    ----------------


    After themencement speech by the hosts and announcers, a cultural dance and singing act was put on simr to the opening of the Olympics on earth.


    When the winning odds for the betting were revealed, it was 70:30 on the scoreboards. And an hour was offered to the audience in the arena and people watching throughout the empire to ce their bets and register their amount on the official booths.


    Just as he expected.. The Mikealson n was indeed very powerful and influential to affect the odds by this much despite Kahn''s attempt to increase his poprity among the masses.


    Just the name Mikealson was more than enough to blindly trust and choose the opponent over him without a second thought.


    [Go all the way in.]manded Kahn to his people.


    And finally, from two different corners of the battle ring, walked today''s talentedbatants of the young generation who were escorted by two squads of soldiers.


    Kahn had already hidden his rank and stats to match that of a peak grandmaster swordsman since many saints in VIP rooms would be watching today''s match so he came fully prepared.


    All the top influential forces in the empire had sent their important figures such andmanding officers, heirs and some top rank saints despite this match being only the beginning of the quarterfinals. So even Kahn felt like things were getting real at this point.


    As soon as both the parties at the center of the ring, both d in their fighting gears and weapons; the announcer stood in between the young swordsman donned in ck and golden longcoat with a ck giantsword on his back and the redhead swordsman with a white and ck attire who had a navy force style cap and a rapier sheathed on her waist.


    "In front of me, stand both of today''sbatants. So for all of our audience sitting in the arena and all the viewers watching throughout the Rakos empire, I want to ask both of today''s fighters a question." asked the middle-aged elven emcee.


    "Who do you think will win?" he asked and moved his mic towards Veronica.


    Veronica folded her arms and looked at Kahn who was taller than her. She gave him a thoughtful look and spoke in a soft tone.


    "I think I will." dered Veronica without any hesitation.


    "And why do you think so?" asked the emcee curiously.


    "Because my opponent isn''t very skilled and his fighting style is crude. It is very clear that he didn''t have any proper training from a skilled teacher either.


    And during his previous match, he threw away his sword to beat the opponent with bare hands. It shows that he doesn''t respect his sword as a warrior either.


    And I will never lose to someone unskilled like him." spoke Veronica in a prideful tone.


    It wasn''t that she was being high on her horses.. Rather she spoke with facts because that was the real truth for Kahn. And her being a proper and honest warrior herself, she spoke her mind without holding back.


    GASP!


    Millions of people who were watching the live broadcast gasped throughout the empire at the same time.


    Although she was being honest, her tone was misunderstood as her looking down and insulting her opponent.


    "Mister Kahn, what would you like to say in response?" asked the emcee to Kahn.


    Kahn slightly leaned towards the mic and spoke in a polite tone with a slight smirk on his face..


    "Arrogance destroys the footholds of victory."


    Shock! Gasp!


    "Boaaaahhh!!"


    A billion people collectively gasped and also screamed out of surprise throughout the empire.


    Just with one line.. Kahn roasted Veronica publicly.


    Calling her arrogant also implied that she thought too highly of herself and her ignorance would be her downfall.


    Not just Veronica but even the Mikealson n members who came in a few hundred thousands to support her were infuriated after Kahn''s response.


    Pissed! Veronica was thoroughly pissed off.


    She tried to talk like a professional but her opponent acted like an immature manchild who insulted her instead. He had no sense of professional courtesy or any humbleness.


    "Hmph! Let''s see if he really has the strength to back his ims." spoke Isaac who was in one of the VIP rooms along with Veronica''s father, who was a 4th stage saint and also his second uncle.


    But unlike him, her father has no impulsive reaction or spoke a word as he kept looking at Kahn as if trying to see through him.


    "That young man¡­ there''s something different about him." he spoke in a solemn tone.


    Not only him but dozens of saints who hade to represent their respective forces and watch this match also had their gazes locked at Kahn for some reason.


    On the battle ring, Veronica clenched her fist tightly as an exasperated expression appeared on her face.


    "Big ims for a man who''s about to lose." spoke Veronica with a hateful expression.


    "Unlike you.. I don''t have the habit of daydreaming." replied Kahn and went back to his corner of the ring while folding both of his arms behind his back.


    Ding! Ding! Ding!


    "Begin the match!" announced a thrall referee and the match officially started.


    Veronica took her thin and mid-sized rapier with golden hilt while Kahn on the other brandished Lucifer.


    Both of thebatants took their attacking stance and waited for the opponent to make the first move.


    Boom!!


    A burst of brown aura released from Veronica''s body as she released her peak grandmaster rank strength.


    Kahn could already guess that Veronica was onlycking in fewer levels than him so he too decided to not hold back.


    Boom!!


    A loud boom resounded in the ring as Kahn revealed his strength and rank with a release of ck and red aura.


    War Dominance!!


    He quickly activated this skill and put intense pressure on the opponent right from the start.


    "In my eyes.. Trash like you will never be a true swordsman." spoke Veronica from the other end.


    To her words, Kahn gave a yful smile as he spoke in a tyrannical voice.


    "Winners do not care about the opinions of the losers."

 Chapter 282 - The Title

    <h4>Chapter 282 - The Title</h4>


    Stunned. The entire arena was stunned and so were the people watching this match throughout the empire. From his promation.. Kahn implied that he''d easily win the match without any worries.


    "This insolent bastard.." murmured Veronica under her breath and her eyes were fired up the very next second.


    Squirm! Squirm!


    The brown aura leaked from her body squirmed and soon, multiple strands of this aura that was spread around her end of the battlefield started coalescing and soon, 20 giant rapier swords made of highly condensed aura and mana together formed in the air.


    4 groups of elemental swords, each having 5 of them and varying from fire, water, wind and light elements floated in the air above.


    Each of these massive rapier swords was 5 meters long and 1 meter in width. Each one of them exuded intense heat, pressure, speed and destructive force respectively.


    All the people watching this match were able to infer that the mana structure and control behind these swords were extremely precise and the mastery of the user over these elements was top-notch quality.


    Many saints spread throughout the arena also watched from their respective rooms and nodded in approval.


    "As expected from the daughter of the number one swordsman of the empire. Her mana control and aurabination with her skills is already at such a high degree.


    And normally, any grandmaster individual can use one to two elements fused in their skills. Yet she has created 4 different elemental swords at once!


    Like the rumors imed¡­ she has indeed unlocked a unique rank ss we know as the Magic Swordsman!" spoke the emcee as if it was his own daughter fighting in the ring.


    Even the majority of the audience was awestruck and nodded in agreement.


    Sigh!


    [What a show-off. Even Omega has better skills and attacking capabilities than her.] thought Kahn and his ck and red aura erupted intensely as he too decided to reveal his skills in front of all the audience.


    Swoosh! tter! Clink!


    Kahn''s aura also spread widely and he created 20 giantswords of his own that match the same attributes of the aura swords created by the opponent.


    Sword Savant!


    Kahn used the skill he got by absorbing skills and eating Arkham, the peak grandmaster magic swordsman''s core.


    This was an S Rank ability and also the same level of skill hepared to the one disyed by the opponent.


    bbergasted!


    Not just the normal audience but even seasoned warriors and saints were bbergasted after this revtion.


    Millions of gasps were heard as Kahn also revealed this skill, indicating that he too was a magic swordsman.


    Although Kahn couldn''t use the Sword King skill as of now, because it was a semi-saint skill that he created by merging sword lord and sword savant skills he got from Dormammu Volstov & Arkham Hond respectively, he could at least use this skill for now.


    Because Sword King skill could help him create 100 aura swords already and even Ismaetrazel Mor Vandereich, a 4th stage saint swordsman had imed it to be a saint rank skill based on its potential alone.


    So Kahn did not want to reveal his hand quickly as it would affect his odds in the next match and the money he''d lose will be in the hundreds of trillions.


    "Impossible!" eximed Veronica in disbelief.


    The only thing she was proud of in her life that also yed a big part in her rise in strength and rank as a swordswoman till this point was also something shared by her opponent?


    In the whole Rakos Empire, there were only 70 magic swordsmen and even among them; there wasn''t a single person who unlocked this unique rank ss under the age of 30.


    Even her father who wasbeled as the no. 1 swordsman of the empire unlocked this profession at the age of 35 while she was only 25 years old. Her talent was already only second to her cousin in their n but no one matched her as far as a sword was concerned.


    Yet the no-name opponent she dered as an unskilled and unrefined fighter also happened to have unlocked this ss as well. Thispletely thwarted her notions of reality as she was no longer the only magic swordswoman of the younger generation.


    "You said I''m unskilled and that''s why I''ll lose, right?


    Then show me your true skills then. I''ll let you have the first hand and only defend for the next 10 minutes.


    If you can defend me in that timeframe.. I''ll admit my loss." spoke Kahn as he openly challenged and provoked Veronica.


    Silence.. The arena was filled with silence again.


    "This guy¡­ is he not afraid of the Mikealson n?


    Saying that he''ll only defend against her attacks means he''s seriously looking down on her pride as a warrior." spoke a demonkin mage saint from the Demi-Human faction.


    "Ah.. This young man is too presumptuous. Does he not know who trained this girl?


    She was holding a sword in her hands before she was even 5 years old." spoke a mage saint from the Mikealson n.


    At this moment.. Veronica was thoroughly infuriated. After every exchange since they entered the battle ring, all Kahn had done was undermine, challenge and now even saying that he''ll only defend against her attacks.


    His remarks were something she had never been subjected to even from her father. Yet this pretentious bastard was acting as if she wasn''t even qualified to fight on even terms with him.


    Little did anyone know that Kahn was doing this to furnish his rusty swordsmanship skills and use this opportunity to raise their effectiveness and mastery to a whole degree.


    Because even now, his skills were only at peak grandmaster rank and he wanted to breakthrough to saint rank in sword weapon.


    Besides, the best way to gauge an enemy''s strength was to let them attack you first and then analyze their moves and patterns. Because randomly swinging a sword against a truly skilled fighter only worked in novels and mangas.


    "You!.. You!.. Fine then. Don''t sayter that I didn''t give you a chance to fight equally." spoke Veronica and the very next second.. His image flickered from 200 meters away and appeared in a 150 meters radius on Kahn''s left side.


    But before he could focus or see through her direction, her physique vanished into thin air and she came 100 meters close in the next second.


    Kahn already had Survival Instinct blessing and Hunter''s Intent skill activated so he could feel Veronica''s killing intent locked on him. It was also the reason his mind could at least detect her direction.


    If not, he wouldn''t be able to detect her presence at all.


    Swing!


    The next moment, Kahn quickly turned on his backside and swung lucifer.


    ng!!


    Spark!!


    Before the audience could even register her, Veronica quickly appeared behind Kahn''s back and now both their swords shed against each other as sparks flew between their weapons.


    "Not bad. You can at least sense me." she said and her body shed again.


    But at this same time, her giant mana swords also flew swiftly and attacked in Kahn''s direction.


    Bang!!


    Shrill!!


    Boom!!


    Kahn''s own swords also attacked and shed against those swords because he already sensed their movements.


    At this exact moment, all of his sensing skills were activated including the sonar resonance skill, heat sense, hunter''s intent and survival instinct.


    But because he had limited his stats and rank to match the opponent, even Kahn was having a hard timepletely detecting her.


    Shing!


    He sidestepped and parried a thrust made towards his chest as Veronica''s figure appeared and flickered the next moment.


    Afterimages after afterimages appeared and disappeared as Kahn kept on defending, evading and parrying the sudden sword thrusts, shes and swings.


    [System, how''s the progress?] asked Kahn.


    [Thebat techniques mastery for defensive and parrying skills has improved.


    Current progress : 84%] replied the system in its usual lifeless and robotic voice.


    [Good.] thought Kahn.


    This was also a test for him to properly face a more skilled enemy on the same level. Because he always couldn''t rely on his levels and rank as a semi-saint saint.


    So by using the Weapon Mastery and Combat Techniques Mastery blessings given by Kravel, the war deity; Kahn nned to increase his proficiency in these skills and techniques while facing a true genius like Veronica.


    As of now.. She was as fast as a bullet. And if not for his various lifesaving and sensory skills, he''d have been pierced in the heart already.


    At this moment inside the VIP room of the Mikealson n¡­ 10 individuals were watching the match.


    3 of whom were the close family to the swordmaiden fighting in the battle ring.


    Isaac Mikealson, the beginner rank grandmaster knight who was also Veronica''s cousin stood was seated behind his uncle and his other cousin.


    "This guy has really dug his own grave by pissing her off. Look how he''s barely avoiding her attacks at thest moment.


    I guess he didn''t know¡­


    That her prestige isn''t just because of her heritage or her family background. But mainly because of her skills and speed.


    After all, her title is.." spoke Isaac as he gazed at Kahn''s struggling figure and continued with a confident smile¡­


    "The sh Goddess."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Art for Veronica Mikealson in chapterments.. Check it out.]]

 Chapter 283 - One In Control

    <h4>Chapter 283 - One In Control</h4>


    The battle between the two peak grandmaster sword users continued. The lithe rapier user swordswoman against the tall and ripped greatsword user swordsman continued as the sound of their metallic swords shing against each other filled the battle arena.


    Kahn who was on the receiving end of the swift and lethal stab, thrust, pincer and shing attacks was sessfully evading these attacks.


    To most of the audience, Kahn looked like a clown barely managing to back his words and saving his ass in the nick of time.


    Although he said that he''d only defend for the first ten minutes, people expected him to hold his ground like a seasoned warrior and easily overpower his opponent like a boss.


    But the scene in front of them was the opposite because at this moment, Kahn was running, dodging and rolling sideways as if a headless chicken was frantically running around.


    However, only experts such as old swordsmen and many saints were able to notice what was happening in reality.


    Inside the Mikealson n''s VIP room.. Veronica''s father, Stronoff Mikealson who was titled as the number of swordsman of the whole Rakos Empire had his eyes wide open.


    "What kind of freak is he¡­" spoke Stronoff in his majestic and domineering voice.


    "Huh? What do you mean, second uncle?" asked Isaac.


    The middle-aged man with short gray hair and a subtle beard who was donned in a violet epic rank armor set spoke in a stern tone.


    "You''re a knight so you won''t notice this.


    My daughter specializes in a lightweight sword and her physique is suited for less powerful but fast attacks so she seems at an advantage to normal people.


    But look at her opponent." spoke the fourth stage saint.


    "What of him? He barely seems to be holding his end." said Isaac.


    "And this is why you still haven''t be a peak grandmaster yet." said Stronoff as he gave an annoyed look to Isaac.


    "He looks like he''s only defending but in reality..


    His footwork is improving and he''s lowering the number of openings for Veronica to attack.


    And while doing so, he''s also directing her next attack with his greatsword by pushing her in a particr direction as he''s parrying her sword or evading her strikes.


    He''s not a weakling who''s only good at running¡­ he''s actually dictating the flow of her attacks." said the fourth stage saint who was on the same level as the n leader of the Vandereich n but was a better swordsman.


    "How? I don''t see any difference." spoke Isaac.


    Sigh!


    Suddenly, a light sigh was heard in the room and the raven-haired young woman who sat across Stronoff spoke in a serious tone while he evaluated the ongoing battle.


    "Look at the next strike Veronica makes. And then you''ll know." she said as her deep blue eyes focused on the battle ring.


    Shing!!


    Kahn quickly covered his left side and a shing attack was blocked and Veronica''s slim figure suddenly appeared on the projection screens.


    "Getting better." said Kahn and stepped back as he waved the sharp de of the greatsword pushed away Veronica and took another defensive stance.


    Veronica slightly lost her footing as her body was already in momentum but then quickly recovered it and made another attack towards Kahn''s figure.


    Boom!


    Kahn used Side Hopper and dodged one of the 5 meter long fire elemental aura swords that belonged to his opponent.


    "Now do you see it?" asked Stronoff.


    "Yes.. I do." said Isaac as his brain finally registered what was happening.


    When Kahn blocked the attack on his left side, his moving swing pushed back Veronica who was in motion and had aimed for Kahn''s chest. After he pushed her by 30 degrees left, her bnce slightly went off the mark and in the meantime, Kahn only took two steps back and quickly took a defensive stance.


    Veronica who was shoved away saw the close distance between her and the opponent as well as his defensive stance, ended up taking another swing at him subconsciously rather than looking for another opening or creating one for the next attack.


    She only saw Kahn who was challenging her with that stance and ended up attacking him anyway.


    To normal people, it looked like he was only defending, but for truly skilled and experienced people¡­ they could see the mind games Kahn was ying.


    "Her attacks need speed and momentum to be precise and lethal, yet he''s not only defending against them, he''s also making her move excessively and breaking her form bit by bit.


    At this rate, she will lose her flow and get tired out in just 5 more minutes.


    For what reason¡­ I don''t know. But that young man.." said Stronoff as his tone turned serious.


    "He''s the one truly in control of this battlefield." he said in a grim tone.


    In the ongoing battle, Kahn actually had many skills to take her down but it will reveal his identity because those skills belonged to different sses and also Kahn using Darkness or dark magic element skills would expose him.


    Ten minutes had already passed some time ago yet Kahn was insistently still kept defending.


    [Whoa.. She lives up to her reputation.


    Too fast, precise and lethal as she uses those sh steps.


    Looks like Yoruichi got apetition.] thought Kahn.


    [System, how much?] asked Kahn.


    [The host haspleted proficiency in all evasion, parrying and movement skills.


    Current progress : 100%] responded the system.


    [Good. Now, let''s move to the next step.] he thought.


    "Aurade Tornado!" eximed Veronica and a swirling attack made of dozens of different elemental aura swords wereunched like a storm from her next swing.


    Shroom!!


    tter!


    Shred!!


    The next moment however, instead of evading the attack, Kahn stood right on the spot and took the strike.


    Boom!!


    A loud noise resounded in the battle arena as Kahn, who looked like he no longer had the strength to run away or defend, finally got hit by Veronica''s attacks.


    A dust cloud formed as the arena floor was shredded by the female swordswoman''s powerful attack and Kahn''s figure was nowhere to be seen.


    A coy voice resounded in the battle ring as Kahn''s figure appeared out of the dust cloud. His longcoat was shredded from the opponent''s attack and soon dropped on the ground.


    A half-naked man whose ripped upper body with six pack abs and visible muscles was exposed to the public of the empire.


    "My my.. Aren''t you a hasty one? If you liked me that much.. We could''ve waited till the match was over. There''s no need to take off my clothes in public."


    Said Kahn as he gave a devilish smirk to the female opponent.


    However, the next second, another remark came from his mouth that shook Veronica''s core as soon as she heard the words from her opponent.


    "Let me win the match and I will give you a private show."

 Chapter 284 - Shameless Fanservice

    <h4>Chapter 284 - Shameless Fanservice</h4>


    After Kahn''s longcoat fell off and his ripped abs, broad shoulders, strong forearms, manly chest along with pure muscles were disyed to the entire empire on the projection screens, the young swordsman''s manly figure gave everyone a big surprise.


    Because even for someone of his age, he was extremely well built and his body proportions were well bnced.


    "Let me win the match and I will give you a private show." said Kahn as he winked at the young woman.


    Stunned! Veronica was stunned.


    In front of billions of people.. Kahn was openly makingsciviousments in an ongoing battle; with half of his body exposed at that.


    "What a shameless bastard!"


    "Oye.. The kids are watching!"


    "Disgraceful cunt! How dare he talk to a woman like that!" shouted millions of men in a disapproving tone.


    Millions of self-proimed noble and honorable males of different species and races along with the feminazis criticized Kahn for his words.


    However, the females varying from species to species among the audience and the ones watching on broadcasting screens had a flustered face at this moment.


    "Sister.. I think I just fell in love." spoke a young demonkin girl.


    "So sexy.. I want to be his girlfriend!" said a beautiful elven girl.


    "Look at those abs and muscles. I want him!" spoke an old noblewoman in one of the VIP rooms.


    "Kyaaahhh!! Marry me, sir Kahn!" screamed a teenage girl.


    "Be my man! I''ll be your ve!" a woman in her mid-30s shouted in excitement.


    Contrary to other people''s opinions¡­ thedies gang had a different perspective as millions of them lusted after Kahn''s body together.


    Kahn was doing a shameless fanservice for his female fans.


    [Ah¡­ why is my audience base is full of horny people?] asked Kahn himself as he let out a sigh.


    [[Author : Same buddy. I wonder the same.]]


    Veronica also recovered her flustered expression and then her eyes also turned hateful towards Kahn again.


    Because from the beginning till now, he really hadn''t treated her as an equal. Rather made banters, looked down on her and now made sleazy remarks in front of the public.


    Not just her but most of the Mikealson n members were also infuriated at this point.


    Instead of fighting like an honorable warrior with his skills and strength¡­ Kahn acted like a local thug who even harassed women openly. Completely opposite of what one would expect from a young and talented genius who became a peak grandmaster at such a young age.


    "Commoner trash will always bemoner trash. He has no nobility in his conduct." spoke Isaac in the VIP room.


    However, Stronoff had a different opinion as he spoke in a stern and deep voice.


    "The powerful do not need to put up a pretense in front of others. And neither do they care.


    And this guy¡­ he''s good at getting inside his enemy''s head.


    From the first words he spoke till now.. He''s making my daughter lose herposure." spoke Stronoff as if he was not worried about his daughter in the battle ring.


    "I just hope she can see through his antics and not get led by the nose. Because so far.. He hasn''t even attacked her properly. So we shouldn''t look down on him." spoke the number one swordsman of the empire as he keenly paid attention to the match.


    Kahn, who was currently engaged in a fierce battle with Veronica, had a calm mind despite being pushed around by the young swordswoman.


    Just like her father said, it was Kahn''s n from the beginning. He wasn''t a shining white knight who cared about public opinion or wanted to make a good impression on the audience.


    The more people hated him, the better. Because that way, he''d get filthy rich as the betting odds would be against him.


    ng! ng!


    Veronica''s feet stumbled as Kahn shoved her again.


    "Hey, rascal! Why don''t you attack me as well? The 10 minutes have passed already. So stop hiding and fight like a man." said Veronica.


    "Ah.. But I''m scared of hurting such a pretty and delicate girl like you. What kind of man I would be if I hit such a beauty?" he replied in a prideful and noble tone.


    [This! Fucking! Bastard!] cursed Veronica and next moment.. Her body leaked a deathly aura that quickly filled the battle ring.


    And just in 10 seconds.. Her aura coalesced together and now in front of the entire audience and Kahn.. Stood 5 Veronica identical to each other.


    [That.. I guess she isn''t just a talk. Her speed is so fast that she can create identical copies and afterimages to this degree.


    I''ve really struck gold.] thought Kahn as a sinister smile. Appeared on his face.


    "You have sessfully angered me. Don''t think I''ll go easy on you from now!" shouted Veronica and in a sh, all her copies also disappeared from the spot.


    "Fine then. I guess I''ll stop ying around." replied Kahn and then the next moment, he too disappeared from his spot.


    ng! ng! ng!


    Swoosh!


    Bang!


    Before the audience could even register anything..


    Sudden outbursts of loud sword strikes and then flickers of sparks filled the battlefield and the most terrifying part was that even the audience or the projection screens could barely see white and ck shes shing against each other in microseconds and then appeared at a different spot.


    Kahn had finally activated all of his speed, attack and strength enhancing abilities and currently.. He was just as fast as Veronica.


    He evenly matched her speed and agility while their attacks filled the entire battlefield with shockwaves and sparks of swords shing.


    BOOM!!


    Veronica''s aura swords that were hovering in the air attacked the ground and loud explosions of fire, water, wind and lightning strikes shook the battlefield with their multicolored bursts.


    "You arrogant bastard! I''ll crush down that fake pride of yours." spoke Veronica as her figure appeared on the other end of the ring.


    Kahn suddenly appeared on the other end with a grin on his face and finally, he too startedmanding his aura des to attack the agile opponent.


    "You see.. The difference between you and me isn''t just about levels or ourbat techniques." he said with a tyrannical voice and gave a death stare to the opponent as if he finally had enough of entertaining her and spoke in a grim tone.


    "The fact that you consider yourself as an equal to me, is being arrogant in itself."

 Chapter 285 - Too Young

    <h4>Chapter 285 - Too Young</h4>


    Kahn made another promation against his opponent but this time.. There was something fundamentally different about his tone at this point. Even Veronica felt a sense of dread as she looked into his eyes.


    "What.. What''s happening?" she spoke softly as her body felt a bit slowpared to before.


    Till this point, Kahn was only on the defensive mode as he wanted to increase his proficiency in his evasion, parrying and defensive skills and abilities. But now that they had reached 100% after constantly challenging his limits and defending against Veronica''s unparalleled skills and attacks.. Kahn hadpleted his first objective for the match.


    And now¡­ he had no reason to y along with the girl anymore.


    Kahn took a deep sigh as his menacing ck and red aura burst out of the body that quickly suppressed the brown aura released by the female swordswoman.


    His eyes turned that of a tyrant looking down upon a weakling.


    "If this is the extent of your skills.. Then your de shall never reach me." he said.


    BOOM!!


    A burst of mana erupted out of Lucifer as the de lit on fire.


    Kahn activated the draconian bloodline effect and the next second, he activated all of his speed-enhancing and attack buff skills that made him twice stronger in terms of physical strength, attributes and skills damage output.


    Till now.. He was only using Veronica as a sparring partner and not as an opponent. Although he admired her skills and talent.. There was nothing he cared about the opponent herself.


    "Come.. Let me show you what a real battle looks like." said Kahn as he created 30 des out of his aura and mana fused together.


    Unlike before.. These swords shone brightly and released an oppressive aura themselves. No longer just simple aura des.


    Kahn walked menacingly towards the fear-stricken Veronica who was currently under the effect of his Bloodlust skill that any enemy weaker than him in a fearful state.


    Kahn''s body suddenly appeared right in front of Veronica and he made a swift vertical sh with both hands holding lucifer.


    ng!


    Veronica was pushed 10 meters away after barely defending against that strike at thest moment.


    "How¡­ how did he be so fast?" she asked herself in disbelief but quickly recovered herposure.


    She used her clone skills and 4 more of her identical copies appeared around her. And in front of all the onlookers, 5 Veronica disappeared from the spot.


    Swoosh!


    Veronica appeared right behind Kahn and made a thrusting attack towards his back but the next second, instead of acting rmed or evading, Kahn simply moved his upper body slightly and the de passed by his chest.


    But before she could retract the sword, Kahn''s left hand quickly grabbed her neck.


    Bang!


    He quickly swung lucifer horizontally on his right side and another Veronica appeared.


    Crack!


    His left palm cracked the opponent''s neck and soon, the Veronica he had choked burst into thin air.


    "I guess that''s the downside of this skill. The copies don''t even possess the 20% of her original strength." he spoke and ducked down as another sh was evaded on his back.


    Kahn''s aura des were still fighting against the ones from the opponent but this time.. They too had an upper hand since Kahn wasn''t hiding his attack buff skills.


    Stab!


    Kahn quickly stabbed Veronica in the back and Lucifer released a burst of fire that burned down this imitation as well.


    Then he quickly lunged towards the one on the right and with a heavy vertical sh attack, he cut the opponent in half.


    Another burst of mana appeared and then faded as Kahn took down three of her copies in just 20 seconds.


    "So they''re just for intimidation and distracting the enemy. A good skill to confuse and surprise an enemy.


    But the attack power is greatly reduced." spoke Kahn as he publicly announced the biggest demerit of this signature skill used by his opponent.


    Now, only two copies remained including the real Veronica.


    And right after him disclosing the biggest w of her skill, Veronica who had hidden herself using some kind of skill leaked her killing intent on Kahn''s south-eastern direction.


    Boom!!


    Boom!!


    Crack!!


    Just then, multiple aura des shed in the air above and Kahn''s aura des started breaking and destroying the ones made by the opposition.


    However, Kahn quickly sidestepped and evaded a stabbing attack as another Veronica appeared out of thin air.


    While her body was still afloat in the air, Kahn''s eyes moved and even scared her because the him now could easily see and sense her attacksing.


    [Impossible! How can he see me so suddenly? He could barely sense my strikes before.] she thought.


    Kick!


    Kahn kicked her in the stomach and with a swift horizontal sh¡­ he beheaded Veronica.


    Boom!


    A shockwave filled the battlefield as another copy of the swordswoman exploded after getting killed.


    Kahn simply smirked and then, he turned to his back and spoke in a mischievous tone.


    "Hey, your Shadow Clone Jutsu needs some work."


    The next moment.. Veronica''s figure appeared 20 meters away out of thin air as she had a bewildered expression on her face.


    "You¡­ you could sense where my real body was?" she asked in disbelief.


    "Of course.. After all, the bond between us transcends beyond human understanding." taunted Kahn instead of answering straightly.


    With Survival Instict divine ability and Hunter''s Intent skill being active all the time, he knew her location since the beginning. Just that he was only putting up an act of being clueless.


    SHRILL!!


    The next second however.. Kahn used Executioner''s Gaze and paralyzed her on the spot.


    Kahn lifted lucifer upwards and soon, all the aura swords made of different destructive elements hovered towards Veronica.


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Let it be fire or lightning, all his 5 metered long aura des made from different elements attacked the paralyzed opponent and the opposite side of the battlefield was filled with explosions and the floor itself cracked open.


    After 2 minutes¡­ the cloud of dust finally faded and the figure of a girl with multiple bruises, charred body parts, deep and bloody wounds was revealed.


    At this moment.. the real Veronica was covered in blood as half of her body was riddled with deep wounds and apart from her chest and waist.. All her clothes were tattered to pieces.


    Veronica was bleeding profusely and barely gasping for breath.


    Billions of people watching throughout the Rakos Empire gasped in surprise and some even feared for the fate of this young woman.


    Tap! Tap!


    Kahn walked towards her with indifferent eyes as he looked at the bloodied figure of the opponent as she barely managed to stay conscious at this moment.


    His remorseless eyesnded on the once elegant and beautiful woman as he spoke in a tyrannical and grim tone.


    "You''re hundred years too young to fight me as equals."

 Chapter 286 - Center Of Hatred

    <h4>Chapter 286 - Center Of Hatred</h4>


    In front of nearly 5 million people in the battle arena and more than 3 billion people watching on broadcasting screens throughout the Rakos empire¡­ Kahn put the young talent of the Mikealson n in the ground and riddled with wounds.


    "Why isn''t anyone counting?!" shouted Kahn as he gave a deathly stare to the referee.


    The referee who was scared witless, ran towards Veronica who was barely conscious at the moment and started counting.


    "One! Two! Three!"


    Ding! Ding! Ding!


    "The winner is candidate Kahn of Rukon District!" dered the referee.


    "Boo!!"


    "Boohoo!!"


    "What a pathetic loser! How can he harm a woman this badly?" spoke some people among the audience.


    "What bullshit! So he should be gentle in a fight just because the opponent is a woman?


    Didn''t you see how she almost tried to kill him since the beginning of the match?" retorted one of the men from seven deadly sins who was seated as a merchant in the crowd.


    "Poor girl. Somebody call the healers. She''s badly wounded!"


    Soon, millions and then over a billion people started worrying about Veronica who looked like she was in mortal danger to many people watching. The majority of them didn''t like Kahn''s treatment of the female swordswoman in the end.


    Kahn on the other hand didn''t even bother looking at the opponent as he walked away carefreely with his greatsword on the shoulder.


    The negative public opinion was exactly what he wanted to achieve from this match.


    [Gather the money and meet me at the manor.]manded Kahn to all the generals and Omega who were present in the crowd.


    And all of this was done to make more people bet against him in the next match. Because he knew that even if he won the match honorably.. He''d still be looked down upon in the semifinals anyway.


    So why not use it to make more profits?


    As for why he didn''t fear the wrath of the Mikealson n for injuring and then taunting Veronica even in her pitiful state was because even when people hated him, if anything happened to him till the semifinals, everyone would naturally me the shift on them.


    At this exact moment, Stronoff Mikealson spoke in their VIP room.


    "Send a second stage saint to protect that young man."


    He said with a cautious expression on his face.


    Isaac, who was enraged to his core after watching his cousin wounded to this extent was left speechless.


    "Second uncle, why do we have to protect that bastard?! Can''t you see what he did?!" shouted the blonde young knight.


    "Silence! This isn''t something so simple. Anything happening to him can cost us a lot." spoke the fourth stage saint.


    This matter was so crucial that even the Mikealson n itself was forced to provide him security instead. As a single rumor was more than enough to destroy their image in front of the whole empire and many of their enemies would use that opportunity to oppress and then pick fights with them.


    Not only their reputation but also their businesses and properties would be criticized and they''d be in a pinch just because something happened to Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    A deathly aura erupted in their VIP room and almost shattered the windows and furniture in the room as everyone excluding Stronoff were shoved away because of this sudden burst of energy.


    At this exact moment.. Kahn, who was leaving the battle ring sensed an intense killing auraing from the 7th floor of the battle arena. Exactly from the VIP room of the Mikealson n.


    But instead of getting worried or being fearful for his life, he gave a light smirk in their direction and left the battle ring carefreely.


    He could sense that the killing intent wasn''t released by a saint but a semi-saint like himself so he didn''t feel any sense of threat to his life and hence didn''t bother entertaining whoever it was.


    "Calm down, Kassandra." spoke Stronoff to his niece.


    It was Kassandra Mikealson who had an extremely infuriated expression on her face as she looked at Veronica who was being escorted out on a stretcher and then Kahn who didn''t even bother looking at her injured body as if he didn''t care if she lived or died.


    "Kahn is it.. He better hope that we don''t meet in a match. He hurt our Veronica this badly..


    If he ends up facing me in the next round.. I''ll kill him myself!" spoke the raven-haired sorceress donned in ck robes.


    Her wrathful gaze had marked Kahn as she imprinted his face in her mind.


    ----------------


    ONE HOUR LATER


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Veronica came inside their VIP room after recovering from all of her wounds that looked lethal previously. Her attire was exactly the same prior to the match.


    Thanks to the high-grade health and stamina recovery potions, she managed to recover and healpletely after drinking a few bottles.


    But instead of speaking a word to anyone and even her cousins. She steadily walked towards her father who was seated on a big and luxurious chair like a king.


    She knelt on one knee in front of her father and spoke in an exhausted tone.


    "Please forgive me, father. I have brought shame to your and our n''s name." spoke Veronica with a heavy heart.


    She still hadn''t recovered mentally and couldn''t ept the fact that she lost to Kahn in front of the whole empire. And that too when her father who trained her since a young age was watching the match himself.


    "I could''ve epted my loss if it was a semi-saint. But this¡­ this ispletely uneptable!" she said and soon, tears trickled down her cheeks and ran like a river.


    Sob! Sob!


    Veronica started sobbing while Kassandra leaned towards her and embraced her in her arms.


    "Not only did I lose to just a peak grandmaster.. But he is also a magic swordsman just like me.


    I''m sorry.. Your daughter has failed you." she said while still sobbing.


    Stronoff on the other end didn''t have a look of disappointment as he gazed at his daughter.


    "You haven''t brought any shame to me or our family name. You''re neither a disappointment nor should you feel embarrassed." spoke the number one swordsman of the empire.


    "Huh.. Why? I don''t understand father." she asked.


    Sigh!


    Stronoff let out a hushed sigh and spoke in a stern tone as he responded to his confused daughter.


    "Because you didn''t have any chance of winning to begin with."

 Chapter 287 - The Next Step

    After the straight to the facts words spoken by Stronoff that appeared hurtful to everyone in the room, especially to his own daughter who just had a little emotional breakdown after being unable to ept his defeat; a silence ensued in the room.


    However, based on his tone and the calm demeanor.. Most of them quickly understood that he must have had a reason for speaking those words.


    "Everyone aside from Veronica and Kassandra Leave the room." he ordered.


    This baffled many of them but everyone decided to follow the orders of the n''smander without thinking for another second.


    "Yes, your lordship." spoke one of the attendants and everyone, including Isaac left the room.


    Stronoff then took a unique rank istion artifact and separated the room from the outside world as the thick barrier encapsted the entire room.


    "Let me exin why I said so." he said and soon, he started borating the meaning behind his direct words.


    After just 2 minutes of their conversation.. Both Veronica and Kassandra had their eyes wide open in disbelief.


    Both of their bewildered eyes and aghast expressions were as clear as the sky.


    "That''s impossible!" spoke both Veronica & Kassandra at the same time. Their voices synced and echoed in the room.


    "I can say that we are lucky that I came to see today''s match. Only someone who is at least a 4th stage saint can sense it.


    Since no one among the other saints present here is at least on my level or a stage above me¡­ I don''t think the majority of the people or any of the top figures of the empire have figured it out yet.


    And I heard that no one apart from that peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston has backed him officially.


    So I''m certain no one else knows of this even now.


    This is a great opportunity for our n." he spoke in a slightly excited tone.


    "What do you mean by a great opportunity, second uncle?" asked Kassandra.


    But instead of responding to his niece, Stronoff looked towards the battle ring with expectant eyes.


    "Kassandra, if you ever cross paths with him¡­ Be extremely careful of this young man." he said and then next moment, spoke with a resolute voice.


    "If he doesn''t ept our proposal through riches, power and authority.."


    His following words petrified both Veronica and Kassandra on the spot.


    "I shall even offer to make him my direct disciple."


    ----------------


    Kahn had returned to his manor by the night after changing his appearance a couple of times and hiding in between the crowd.


    Many people tried to target him again while some tried to make shady deals with him so he was left with only choice and left the battle arena without raising suspicion.


    After the management informed him about his semifinal match that will be held 12 dayster, he had quite some time on his hands.


    This time however, instead of holding a meeting between his subordinates.. Kahn had a meeting with the old man Albestros in his private office inside the manor.


    "So how did it go? Do you think you''ll seed?" asked the old man in a deep voice.


    "I''m not sure. Things are still as dangerous as before. But for now, your name and position in the capital ispletely secured.


    Even if I were to provoke someone powerful.. No one, including the three factions, would dare to touch or harm you in any way.


    To everyone, I''m just someone you hired as a bodyguard when leaving the vot city in case they tried to do some background research on me.


    And I have only worked as your stand-in for a short time in the Bloodbornepany since all the official records and documentation have you as the listed owner.


    I have taken care of everything." said Kahn.


    "But Kahn.. I''m still worried about the oue of thepetition. If you seed in your ns..


    You know that only death awaits you." spoke Albestros in a caring tone.


    "I know. And that''s exactly why I have nned everything ahead. In just a month.. I will achieve all my goals. And if things go as nned..


    Not even those seventh stage saints can touch me." spoke Kahn in a rxed tone as he leaned against the sofa.


    "Still¡­ is it really necessary though? We already have so much money and prestige.


    It''s more than enough to live a good and peaceful life in the capital. Why must you risk your life?" asked the old cksmith dressed in white and blue regal clothes.


    To his words full of worry, Kahn responded in a mischievous tone.


    "I don''t want peace. I want problems. Always!"


    He said and chuckled lightly.


    "I just want to make sure that no one dares to step on me like I''m some ant or a side character of a story who gets oppressed because he''s weak.


    My goals aren''t set out of my greed but my own will as well as an absolute necessity.


    So I must take this risk or I won''t get another chance in this life." replied Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "Besides.. This Rukon District is too small for someone like me.


    And don''t worry.. I''ll make sure that our future is 100 times better than what we currently have. Even those three factions won''t be able to touch us." he said with a confident tone.


    "Then what are you going to do in the meantime? Fourteen days gap is too long to waste." spoke Albestros as he sipped on a ss of wine.


    "Well.. I''m not going to be as ignorant as before. Everyone remaining in the uing matches is an enemy. And I once heard a very good saying.


    So I''m going to watch their matches and know who I''m up against.


    Especially those semi-saints who are the only threat to me." he replied.


    "Is that so? Then tell me what was that saying."mended Albestros.


    Kahn simply took a small breath and replied with a benign smile.


    "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

 Chapter 288 - Keeping An Eye

    The following day, the 2nd round was to be held in one of the top 10 districts of the capital.


    After yesterday''s match and the grand disy of fighting skills and decisive attacks.. The mood around thepetition itself changed and for the first time, a dark horse who was amoner by birth had qualified for the semifinals in the past one thousand years old history of thispetition.


    Regardless of whether one liked the results of the match or not, Kahn had be the first one to aplish such a feat. And even if one resented him because of how he treated his opponent at the end of the match, there was no doubt that he too was a real deal.


    Because magic swordsmen were as rare as phoenix''s feather already. And he too was one of the only 2 individuals under the age of 30 to unlock the unique ss.


    Since nobody knew that Kahn actually wasn''t a magic swordsman but only had that ss''s unique skills after he absorbed them from Arkham.. The public opinion about him turned his name into one of the prodigies of the empire. And that too with the fact that he had no master till this point.


    Kahn had be a well-known swordsman throughout the empire despite the majority of the people hating him. Because at the end of the day¡­


    Bad publicity was still publicity.


    ----------------


    The next day, he traveled to watch the next match between the next candidates. He changed his appearance to an elderly snakekin business tycoon and came to the battle arena.


    This was the match between the Dual Sword Saintess aka Celine Armitage, the halfbreed demonkin swordswoman who was also one of the chosen representatives of the Neutral Faction.


    And unlike Kassandra, she had used the token to participate directly from the 5th round. Yet, her strength and skills made her well known as she didn''t lose a single match up to this point.


    And her opponent was a dual swordsman who was also nicknamed as the ck me because of his mastery over fire-rted skills andbat techniques using his swords.


    And coincidentally.. Kahn knew this fighter as they had fought together once in a match.


    It was none other than Nius, one of the brothers who Kahn met and fought along with in the fifth round of thepetition.


    As for Elijah, the older brother; he was defeated by none other than the chosen representative of the Pureblood faction. The one Kahn had yet to meet or face in thepetition so far.


    And out of the remaining candidates.. He was the only remaining Peak Grandmaster fighter since Kahn defeated Veronica yesterday.


    Although the battle was already decided based on the rank, strength and levels of the fighters.. People still looked forward to the match because they knew that it would still be entertaining.


    And many wanted to see if Nius could force the dual sword saintess to reveal her bestbat techniques.


    As for Kahn, he wasn''t here to bet but to watch and study his potential opponents that he may have to fight in the semifinals.


    Since watching a fight on broadcasting screens was differentpared to real-life where he couldn''t even sense thebatant''s aura they released during a fight, it was the only usible option for him.


    ----------------


    After the whole announcement and introductions stuff happened just like yesterday, the match between these dual swords began.


    Nius, who was d in his usual ck armor set while equipped with two epic rank swords that had sharp teeth-like des faced against Celine, who was adorned in ck and red lightweight armor and had two epic rank red swords as if they were just taken out of the furnace.


    The white-haired young woman with one long while the other short red horns on her head also charged at the enemy fiercely as her bright red iris locked on the opponent in sight.


    Nicus and Celine''s yellow and red aura filled the battlefield respectively. And soon, their swords shing against each other filled the battle arena with shrills.


    ng! Crang!


    Swoosh! Bang!


    Nius revealed to the whole empire why he was nicknamed as ck me.


    The dual swordsman d in ck armor was an expert at using fire-rted attacks, let it be small explosive swings or ground shattering burst attacks. And not only was he a full-fledged powerhouse himself but his fighting style was very direct and domineering.


    Instead of focusing on defense.. He straight up overpowered Celine with his physical strength alone to the point where even the semi-saint rank swordswoman was forced to retreat a couple of times.


    Celine on the other end was fast and her own aura des created a shield made up of swords as a form of defense. Each one of these swords worked like andmine when Nius attacked them head-on.


    Unlike Veronica, Celine wasn''t only fast but her single strike was enough to even put a semi-saint on backfoot.


    She wasn''t as fast as the sh Goddess but by no means were her skills limited.


    During the battle itself, Celine used at least 6 different techniques and finally managed to tire out Nius in a long half an hour arduous battle.


    But Nius himself was no weakling either.


    His multiple sword aura attacks made the battle ring appear like a site of volcano eruption as he himself was burning with intense heat leaking out of his armor fought with Celine as if his life was on the line.


    Both the opponent were equally matched throughout the fight but in the end, Celine was forced to use her demonkin bloodline abilities and received a short boost in her strength and defeated Nius by stabbing through his abdomen in thest second.


    And just like that, the dual sword saintess retained her name and reputation.


    As for Kahn.. He was mostly taken aback by the sheer number of skills andbat techniques used by both sides.


    He spoke in a cautious tone as he saw the hybrid demonkin semi-saint woman leaving the battle ring with a tired expression.


    "I need to up my game.. Because the way things are.." he spoke with a worried expression and continued in an exasperated tone.


    "I can''t even win against this woman."

 Chapter 289 - Creme De La Creme

    Kahn was taken aback by the disy of skills and power by Celine. By no means was she faster or more agile than Veronica. But the control over the aura that she used to create her aura des and then even changing their shapes to different weapons was something Kahn hadn''t even thought of before.


    Nius was indeed on par with Veronica, just that he focused more on power than speed. So from Kahn''s perspective, the match was indeed worthwhile.


    This in a way, ended up encouraging Kahn to do better and fight fiercely in the semifinals. Because if he held off his hand against the semi-saints who had a plethora of skills andbat techniques at their disposal, his loss would be confirmed for sure.


    With his eidetic memory, he remembered every single attacking move, defensive skill and even Celine''s body movements when she attacked the opponent. So he wanted to prepare and look for countermeasures in case he had to face her in the next round.


    So Kahn created a list of her attack patterns, her skills and her fighting style after carefully analyzing everything he saw in the match for future strategy. Although he knew it wasn''t even her best, having at least enough knowledge was better than having nothing.


    ----------------


    On the following day, the hype for thepetition reached a new height that even Kahn hadn''t dreamed of ever since thepetition started.


    The next match was one of the biggest highlights because of the two candidates who''d be fighting against each other.


    Victor Apopis vs Ezekiel Nabi.


    The chosen representative of the Demi-Human faction against the chosen representative of the Pureblood faction.


    A semi-saint vs a semi-saint.


    This was a match that the whole empire was looking forward to because both of them were renowned fighters of their respective factions but so far, no one had seen them in a full-front battle. Not even their peers from the younger generation.


    So not only themon folks but all the factions were anticipating this match to see who was the stronger fighter. But what made this fight even more hyped was because of the former candidate.


    Victor Apopis was a scythe user who was also the youngest yet the most talented son of the previous Emperor''s Chosen, Darius Apopis who won thispetition 50 years ago and was the current head of his n.


    His position in the Demi-Human faction was only second to the faction leader as he was a 6th stage saint spearman. And hence, most of the empire was looking to see him fight given how a legacy was involved with his name.


    As per rumors, Victor defeated his opponent with a single swing of his weapon and severely injured them in the previous round. But since that match wasn''t broadcasted throughout the empire, only those who attended it knew of his strength.


    Ezekiel Nabi on the other hand.. No one knew anything about this candidate and his race or species because he kept his appearance hidden till this point.


    All public knew was that he is an elemental mage and extremely powerful as well as talented at that.


    Luckily for Kahn, one of his potential enemies will be taken out of here and he will face the winner in the semifinals. So he too attended this match while under the disguise of a snakekin noble heir.


    When the match finally started¡­ what Kahn saw was something thatpletely opened up a new world to him as far as magic was concerned.


    Since he was studying magic and became an intermediate rank mage just a month ago himself, he saw an impable disy of mana maniption and perfect spell casting for the first time.


    Ezekiel, who finally revealed his appearance and identity as a human mage to the empire cast 6 different elemental spells and attack skills.


    He cast 2 additional elementspared to Solomon who cast only 4 element spells and AoE skills when Kahn fought him outside the vot city. And the use of mana as well as its density in each of these elemental spells was highly condensed.


    It even exceeded Kahn''s current limits by 3 times when it came to casting magic spells. And that too after Kahn had inherited the Elven species bloodline specialty skills named Elemental Fusion and Elemental Transformation after eating Solomon''s core.


    Even so, he still won''t be a matchpared to Ezekiel even if they were to be of the same levels and rank.


    The match was many times thrilling and far more entertainingpared to his own as half of the 1 kilometer wide battlefield was destroyed to pieces and only 30% portion remained in the one-hour-long battle.


    And when the match came close to its end.. Kahn was left speechless while watching the match between these two monsters in their own ways fight like their life depended on it.


    Victor, who was a halfbreed demonkin was actually the best among his siblings who could use their family''s rumored True Demon bloodline and got a massive boost in attack and mana capacity for 10 minutes.


    Since Kahn himself had the Berserk God Mode and possessed 5% of True Demon bloodline which he got from Dormammu.. He quickly noticed the changes in Victor''s body.


    There was nothing but pure untapped destructive power after he activated his bloodline effect and even the density of his aura strikes increased by at least 3 times.


    Kahn too had these bloodline abilities but at best, they gave him a boost in strength only by one and half times. If he wanted to match with Victor, he''d have to absorb this True Demon bloodline to 100% and only he''d be able to face this opponent.


    Only Berserk God Mode could help him stand against him but using that skill in thispetition was a huge risk in itself because in everyone''s eyes.. He was a normal human.


    At the end.. Victor finally won the match and qualified for the semifinals as thest burst of power broke through Ezekiel''s defenses andnded a critical wound which made the genius mage faint in the end like how Kahn defeated Veronica.


    But one thing Kahn learned after watching these two matches.


    Whether it was Celine, Victor or Ezekiel.. He was nowhere close to fighting them on even terms as a swordsman because they were simply too skilled.


    If not for his Divine Abilities & the Blessings.. He wouldn''t even be able to stand in the same room as these prodigies. And on top of that.. There were two more semi-saints he had yet to see fight.


    His notion of facing these young geniuses as equals was broken today. Now, it almost seemedughable.


    Because these weren''t just some glorified young masters or n heirs who worked their way up because of their family background.


    These were the true masters of their crafts.. They all were the¡­


    Creme De La Creme.

 Chapter 290 - The Honorable Guest

    THE FOLLOWING DAY


    Today, the next and the final match of the quarterfinals was to take ce in one of the central districts of the capital.


    And it was going to be a match between two genius females of the empire.


    Kassandra Mikealson of the Neutral faction, a rumored prodigy and also the first one to breakthrough to semi-saint rank under the age of 30 in the past 20 years.


    And her opponent Vinerma Pakshi, a 28-year-old female semi-saint Tengu archer who was nicknamed as the Flying Rainstorm.


    Just like yesterday when Victor & Ezekiel''s match happened, today''s match also had the same hype towards the match.


    And after today, there would be 10 days of resting period for all thebatants before the semifinals would officially begin.


    As for Kahn who wanted to personally visit this match and gauge these opponents and their strengths as well as skills.. He had chosen not to go.


    And the main reason being a guest who was personallying to visit their manor. This persona was an entity that very few people in the whole Rakos empire had a chance to get a glimpse of.


    Even other saints greatly feared this man given his title and strength. And as per rumors.. He was someone even the enemy empires avoided when it was a matter of full-scale war. In a way, the person who was visiting them today yed as one of the pirs of the military defense of the whole empire.


    Even those from the rival factions had a sense of respect towards this individual given the title he had earned.


    The Emerald Swordsman, Stronoff Mikealson.


    A fourth stage saint swordsman who was also called the number one swordsman of the empire.


    And this grand figure who millions of people looked up to and wanted to get a glimpse had sent a messenger to Kahn''s manor yesterday evening.


    And thus, instead of going to watch the match, Kahn and Albestros chose to stay and prepare to wee their honorable guest instead.


    ----------------


    In the afternoon, the envoy of the Commander of the Mikealson n finally came through a small flying ship andnded in the 5 acres green field of the area surrounding their manor.


    Kahn sent a carriage to receive their guest and waited at the main entrance door of his manor to wee the guest as a host.


    A small group of 100 soldiers in white and blue battle gear that belonged to his side escorted the 21 individuals that came as part of the envoy.


    And when thest and most luxurious carriage finally stopped at their door front, an enigmatic and kingly personal donned in silver armor and an epic rank giantsword on his back appeared in front of the hosts.


    Everyone including Kahn bowed in respect towards this grand figure who even the batch of saints he met in hispany couldn''tpare to even if they were to fight together, stood with a calm demeanor on his face.


    "Greetings, your lordship. We humbly wee you to my small abode. Please allow us to offer our hospitality." spoke Albestros like a true nobleman as he addressed the 2 kilometers wide and 3 kilometers long grand mansion that previously housed thousands of people of an entire n as a ''small abode''.


    Stronoff gazed at the manor and its architecture a bit and nodded in approval.


    "Not bad. It''s also built strategically to house many warriors and even has a training facility beneath the ground." spoke Stronoff in an appreciating tone.


    [Bloody hell.. He can even sense the whole facility which is that deep in the ground? How strong is a fourth stage saint in reality?] wondered Kahn because this ce was hard to detect even by peak grandmaster mages who were proficient in magic formations, arrays and mana sensitivity.


    Yet the swordsman in front of him quickly found out about it with a single nce.


    After all the pleasantries were done and Stronoff along with the 20 peak grandmasters varying from middle-aged to elderly warriors of different genders and species were escorted inside the manor.


    A whole setup of a grand meeting was already prepared in therge hall of the manor that could hold a big party of thousands.


    Fragrant refreshments and aromatic food were already ready to be served by the queues of professional servants and maids and all these individuals were seated on round tables of their own.


    And obviously, Stronoff sat on the main table along with Albestros.


    "Why are you not sitting with us?" asked the gray-haired middle-aged man with a short beard.


    "Apologies, my lord. I do not qualify to sit at the same table as you." spoke Kahn in a courteous tone as he half bowed in front of the man who was the idol of hundreds of millions of people in the empire.


    Stronoff chuckled and spoke in a friendly tone.


    "There''s no need to be so formal. One of the reasons I came here was actually to meet you in person."


    "What?!" eximed Kahn in surprise.


    But before the man could reply, Kahn spoke again hurriedly.


    "If it''s about the match I had with Lady Veronica, I wholeheartedly apologize for going that far."


    This time, it was Stronoff and his group who were taken aback.


    "Pfftt!!.. Ha ha!"


    "Is that why you think I came here?" asked Stronoff as he and the other members of his envoyughed.


    "Then? What is it if I may ask?" asked Kahn with an intentionally created ''surprised'' expression.


    "We Mikealsons embrace even death as long as it is honorable.


    You won the match fair and square. So you don''t need to worry about that matter.


    There are 3 reasons why I havee to meet you and master Albestros here." said Stronoff.


    "What is it, sir Stronoff?" asked Albestros in his elderly and regal tone.


    "Can I see your sword first?" he asked.


    Kahn took out Lucifer and handed it to the saint.


    He wasn''t being cowardly in front of the powerful but he wasn''t an idiot either to act aloof or high and mighty in front of a respectful person that was indeed worth admiring¡­ and who could also kill him with a sneeze if provoked.


    SHRILL!!


    A loud shrill filled the entire hall as soon as Stronoff held Lucifer in his hands and started inspecting it.


    "Blood-bind ritual. It is linked to your soul and cannot be used by anyone else even if you were to die." he spoke with a thoughtful expression.


    "A true gem of work indeed, Master Albestros. Even other peak grandmaster cksmiths I met have failed many times to perform this ritual sessfully." he looked at the peak grandmaster cksmith with eyes full of respect.


    "If I''m not wrong.. It''s made from the fangs of a drake. So it was indeed you who cleared that dungeon as suspected by our informants.


    This indeed shows the level of your talent and strength." he said in an approving voice.


    The next moment, both Kahn and Albestros were rooted on the spot. Their secret was already known to this man. It also showed that he had done thorough research on them beforehand.


    "May I see the armor?" he asked.


    However, Kahn shook his head and responded.


    "Apologies, your lordship. But this is not a suitable ce for it." he said without hesitation.


    However, neither Stronoff nor his people felt offended by this refusal.


    All of them were seasoned warriors who knew how to respect and care for their weapons and armors as if they were part of their own bodies.


    Forcing Kahn to reveal it would be an unfitting act for people of their caliber.


    As for why Kahn didn''t want to reveal it.. Because it was one of his trump cards. And the man in front of him belonged to the side of one of the potential rivals in thepetition.


    "No problem. I hope to see it someday.


    And if I''m not wrong.. That will be worth the wait." spoke Stronoff.


    "As for the second reason.. I wanted to offer Master Albestros and hispany to be one of our main suppliers for the armory of our n.


    I''m aware of your deals with the Vandereich n and the pureblood faction but please know that we will not intervene in your business with them.


    And also I give my word that regardless of the oue of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.. It shall not affect our agreement in any way." he said in a firm and chivalrous tone.


    [I see.. So that''s why he personally visited us.


    This deal will surely be bigger than what we have going on with the pureblood faction since we''re bigger and more prestigious now.] thought Kahn and gave Albestros an understanding gaze.


    "And the 3rd is something I wanted to talk about in private. Just between the three of us." said Stronoff as he spoke in a serious tone.


    There was no malice or authority in his words but both Kahn and Albestros quickly understood the gravity of the situation.


    Even Kahn had anticipated what this third reason could be after they suddenly received the message yesterday.


    He quickly took an epic-grade space domain artifact out of his space ring and activated it. All three of them, including the table, were isted from the outside world in a second.


    "What is the reason you speak of, your lordship?" asked Kahn in a respectful tone.


    The next moment, Stronoff slightly revealed his aura. There was no suppression or threat in it but Kahn was shaken to his core as soon as he heard the words.


    The fourth stage saint swordsman, the number one swordsman of the whole empire spoke in a majestic and domineering voice.


    "I want you to join the Mikealson n!"

 Chapter 291 - Outrageous Proposal

    Kahn & Albestros stood gobsmacked on the spot after the fourth stage saint swordsman revealed his true intentions to them. Offering to have Kahn join their faction or their ranks was somehow understandable but what he wanted was to have Kahn join their n instead.


    Joining their n meant as in taking their family name through¡­ marriage.


    "Wait.. What?! Why do you want me to do that? Why me?..." asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    Because when Ismaetrazel wanted him to join their side.. He wanted to ept Kahn as his disciple at most but what Stronoff suggested was excessively absurd.


    "Yes. If you want, I can arrange your marriage in our n and ept you as a family member.


    I initially wanted to ept you as my disciple but it would turn out extremely bothersome in the long run as I can''t impart the majority of my skills orbat techniques to an outsider.


    So if you were to get epted through marriage.. I would be justified to train you myself." borated Stronoff.


    "But why?! I don''t get it. It''s not like you even know me. And why would you want me to join your prestigious n in the first ce?


    We''re a bunch of nobodiespared to your thousand year old n and lineage that exists since the time this empire was created." questioned Kahn again.


    "Ah.. So we''re ying it that way huh?" sighed Stronoff and the next second, over three hundred aura des, each filled with world energy just like when Kahn dueled with the vampire n leader came to be and all of them targeted him.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    The hundreds of aura swords attacked Kahn instantly and he quickly used Side Hopper and appeared 50 meters away in this space domain.


    But unlike his prior experience.. He wasn''t in a duel this time but an actual battle.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn quickly summoned Lucifer back in his hand and grasped it just in time before he was hit by the first volley of sword attacks.


    Stronoff on the other end was still seated in his chair with his arms folded while Albestros had a baffled expression as if he still couldn''t understand exactly what was happening in the past 5 seconds.


    [This fucker!] cursed Kahn and quickly activated Sword King skill.


    BOOM!!


    Dozens of aura des made of different elements aside from light and darkness elements formed around Kahn as he also released his domineering aura of a semi-saint and in the next second, a hundred swords were formed around him instantly.


    "Impossible!.. I knew he was a semi-saint but these many swords.. And all these different elements. He can use more elemental aura swords than me!!" eximed Stronoff for the first time ever since he met Kahn.


    Soon, what happened even caught the number one swordsman of the empire by surprise.


    Because his aura des that were infused with World Energy shed with the ones created by Kahn and right in front of his eyes..


    Kahn''s des started absorbing them.


    [World Energy absorption restarted.


    Current progress : 0.4%] informed the system.


    Thest time when the system gave this simr notification was when Kahn had the duel with the n leader of the Vandereich n when he escorted Szayel to their main headquarters.


    Because of Kahn''s Ability Absorption divine ability.. He could also absorb the World Energy that basically helped an entity be a Saint Rank individual in the first ce.


    Stronoff jolted up in shock as he saw Kahn fighting and evading these swords sessfully despite being outnumbered.


    Yet while facing the weapons that were three times than his own in numbers.. There was no fear or doubt in his eyes.


    And given his own talent as a swordsman, he noticed one more thing thatpletely boggled his mind..


    Kahn was suddenly appearing from one ce to another in a sh.. And this technique was something he was extremely familiar with.


    Kahn was using the sh Steps technique!


    It was exactly the technique used by Veronica during their battle.


    [This kid.. He''s aplete freak!] Stronoff thought to himself.


    "Who¡­ who the hell are you?!" he shouted and stopped his swords from moving.


    "That''s an odd question aftering here and trying to kill me.." spoke Kahn in a serious tone.


    This guy came right inside his house and attacked him out of nowhere. And yet he dared to ask who the hell he was..


    "I already sensed that you were a semi-saint during your match with my daughter.


    But that skill.. How can a semi-saint use the Sword King skill without even bing a saint first?


    Even I could barely create 60 aura swords when I was a semi-saint. And I was the best of my generation in the whole empire." he iterated.


    "Plus you can already absorb the world energy from my swords. That shouldn''t even be possible." he spoke with disbelief in his eyes.


    "And I taught the sh Steps technique to my daughter. It took her a decade to master the basic movements and you learned them after a single fight? How the hell is that even possible?" he kept asking.


    The most talented swordsman of the empire was overwhelmed by Kahn''s talent.


    [Fuck!! I revealed too much!] cursed Kahn in his mind as he came to a realization.


    By his instincts, while he faced these attacks from Stronoff, he was literally in a fight to death scenario and ended up not only revealing that he was a semi-saint but also the Sword King skill that the vampire n leader alreadypared to a saint rank skill nearly 10 months ago.


    And he ended up using the sh steps technique he had been practicing ever since the battle with Veronica.


    And because of the Combat Technique Mastery blessing given by the War Deity, Kravel... He had already unlocked that skill by practicing during his training sessions and currently had 23% proficiency in thisbat technique.


    While facing the sudden onught, he ended up fighting with his survival instinct and not his brain. And now.. Many questionable things about him were revealed to the fourth stage saint.


    "This won''t do.. I can''t let others find out about this." spoke Stronoff hurriedly as his mind waspletely dibobted.


    "Kahn.. You have to join my n. But not as a normal member." he said and continued again. But this time.. His words were even more outrageous than the previous proposal.


    "I want you to join it... As my son-inw!!"

 Chapter 292 - The Hidden Card

    At this point, Kahn''s mind was in disarray as this another outrageous proposal by the fourth stage saint swordsman exceeded the previous one. The number one swordsman of the whole Rakos empire wanted Kahn to be his son-inw?


    And that too after Kahn beat the shit out of his ''to be wife'' already in front of the entire empire and put her in a near-death situation at that.


    [What kind of bullshit is this?! Has this old man gone crazy?!] asked Kahn to himself as he was still processing the happenings of the past 10 minutes.


    Because things took a 180-degree turn too quickly¡­ twice!


    "Don''t be surprised when I tell you this. But you have the potential to surpass me.


    Not just me but any other swordsman that ever came before me.


    I don''t know how you reached this level even without proper backing or training from seasoned warriors of the empire¡­ But I guess once in a millennium geniuses are made different." exined Stronoff and let out a content sigh.


    Albestros, who stood behind Stronoff was also taken aback by this promation. He knew that Kahn was indeed a genius but since he wasn''t a swordsman himself; he truly hadn''t recognized Kahn''s potential until this very moment.


    [Hmph! You''re looking down on me, you dumbass. Not just swordsmanship but I have the potential to surpass others in every weapon andbat technique.


    Because I have the blessings from Kratos... Kravel, the War Deity himself.


    All I need is time and more practice in all of them.] scorned Kahn in his mind.


    One of the reasons why he felt thankful to Kravel even now was because although Kahn had divine abilities.. They had limited use and didn''t actually help him as a fighter in order to survive.


    He could get abilities and create allies with them. But they never helped in actually increasing his fighting styles, effectiveness or his skill ranks.


    The lion''s share in his current level as a warrior, hisbat techniques mastery, weapon mastery as well as his survival was mostly because of the blessings given by Kravel.


    If not for them, Kahn knew he''d still be struggling to be a proper warriorpared to the professionally trained people in this new world and he''d not even beparable to the top prodigies of the empire.


    "So what do you say? You''re a diamond in the rough and I can provide you basically everything you need to be one of the best and most powerful swordsmen in the empire.


    Letting your talent go to waste by leaving you here to live like this would be unfair to every swordsman in our empire." he said.


    "I apologize.. I don''t n to join your n or be your disciple." said Kahn with resolute eyes. His body stood tall like a true warrior who''d not even cower in the face of death.


    BOOM!!


    However, the very next second, Stronoff released his aura of a saint and the space domain instantly froze as if time itself stopped moving. Both Kahn and Albestros couldn''t even move their eyelids under this insurmountable and dense aura.


    "What I''m offering you is what others won''t even consider rather than directly oppressing you to the point you''ll have to be their puppet." he said and walked close to Kahn.


    Stronoff stood in front of the young man and put his hand on Kahn''s left shoulder and spoke.


    "You will understand once I take you to our n''s headquarters. So don''t try to resist.


    Because I won''t be polite from here on." he said in a tyrannical voice that made goosebumps rise on Kahn''s entire body.


    [Fuck!! Why is this happening?! I was so close to achieving my goals!] cursed Kahn again.


    Stronoff finding out about his rank was something he hadn''t foreseen despite him taking all the necessary precautions. This thwarted his nspletely.


    At this moment.. Kahn was again at the mercy of a superior being. He had already activated War Dominance but against the fourth stage saint.. It didn''t even make a difference at all.


    [Motherfucker! I swear I''ll kill this bastard!] cursed Kahn in his head. This was the second time he was being oppressed by a saint.


    BOOM!!


    However¡­ before Stronoff could take any other action and abduct Kahn. A burst of blue fire emitted out of Kahn''s body and the next second.. A bone-chilling aura was released in the surroundings.


    And the target of this horrifying aura was none other than Stronoff and what happened next shook Kahn.


    The almighty fourth stage saint who was feared by many was the one kneeling on the ground now.


    "Who dares to touch my chosen candidate?!" a grim and hoarse voice resounded in the domain as the aura of the saintpletely disappeared.


    In the following moment.. Something appeared out of Kahn''s space ring and shone brightly as the domineering voice of an elderly person even made the number one swordsman of the empire feel afraid.


    A golden te-like token hovered in the air in between them and released an oppressive aura that was a hundred times stronger and denserpared to the pressure released by Stronoff.


    It was the Rmendation Token!


    The rmendation token given to Kahn by the Pureblood faction somehow activated itself when Kahn felt the danger to his life and appeared suddenly in between them.


    [What.. What the hell happening now?!] Kahn thought.


    "That token.. And that voice.. How?" asked Stronoff with a pained expression on his face.


    "You.. You know who it is?" asked Kahn with a confused face after he was finally able to calm himself quickly.


    This voice didn''t belong to Ismaetrazel as far as he remembered.


    "Of course, I know who it is." said Stronoff with a hateful expression on his countenance.


    "You.. Since when have you sided with the Pureblood faction? And why is their faction leader''s personal token with you?" asked Stronoff again as the veins on his face popped out under this pressure.


    The once almighty and dangerous saint was now struggling to breathe properly. At this moment, neither Kahn nor Albestros were affected by this blue fire and aura but Stronoff looked like he was carrying a boulder on his back.


    After a minute of realization.. He spoke again with a solemn tone.


    "So that''s how it was¡­


    No wonder those bastards sent only one semi-saint in thepetition." he said while adjusting his breathing and wiped out all the sweat on his face.


    He gazed at Kahn with a bewildered expression and spoke¡­


    "You were their biggest hidden card since the beginning!"

 Chapter 293 - Final Decision

    In front of Kahn, knelt one of the most prestigious and top figures of the empire. Although it was because of a borrowed strength.. He still had an upper hand for the moment.


    "Good¡­ they fooled us all for good." said Stronoff.


    Soon, the aura released by the token subsided and Kahn was on guard again. The rmendation token senses that Kahn was no longer in mortal danger so it temporarily deactivated itself.


    "The rmendation tokens are also used for the protection of the candidates chosen by the faction and contain the aura of the faction leaders that''s enough to incapacitate any opponent for a short time when the bearer is under danger or about to get harmed." said Stronoff as he panted heavily.


    "So I guess you''re not without a proper backing after all. No one can even touch you as long as thepetition is going on." spoke the fourth stage saint with an irritated expression.


    [Why is he telling me this? He should try to hide this sort of information in order to ckmail or pressurize me.] wondered Kahn if the saint had some ulterior motive behind revealing this information.


    A minuteter.. He finally managed to get back on his feet and brushed off the dust on his armor.


    But instead of getting angry or acting hostile, he took a deep breath and spoke to Kahn again.


    "Let''s settle things with words again then. My previous offer still stands. You should know better which side will bring more benefits to you." he said.


    And the next moment, his gaze shifted to Albestros who was still rooted on the spot this whole time.


    "Master Albestros¡­ Do you really want to see Kahn''s talent and his life go to waste?


    And do you guys think that those extremist vampires will let him stay as a human?" he questioned.


    Both Kahn and Albestros had puzzled expressions on their faces.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn.


    "Our entire Mikealson n is made from humans and I wanted to bring him into our midst in a proper way. But that won''t be the case if he joins the Vandereich n." he reiterated.


    "Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what it is." spoke Albestros, his expression agitated at this point.


    "We have records of one of their rituals they acquired from the Vampire Empire centuries ago which could turn a human into a vampire.


    And if Kahn sticks with them.. They will definitely make him a vampire and also their ve if he doesn''t give in." exined the saint.


    However, Kahn was not an idiot to blindly believe that statement.


    "That is my matter to take care of. It''s not rted to you in any way." spoke Kahn with a high-pitched tone. He no longer had any good opinions about the man in front of him.


    "Fool. You are too overconfident of yourself if you think you can face those bloodsuckers on your own?


    I may seem like an enemy now but once thispetition is over¡­ you will see the truth behind my words.


    Your life is barely hanging by a thread and you don''t even see it." scoffed Stronoff.


    "I''m a better choice than that Ismaetrazel in every way. He and I have fought many times in the past and I have never been defeated by him.


    And what I said before, you will understand the gravity of danger when you be a saint in the future.


    But given your current circumstances and your reach.. You might not even be one in this lifetime." dered Stronoff as he folded his hands behind his back.


    "What are you trying to imply here?" asked Kahn with a serious tone. He felt like it was something that he needed to know.


    "Let me ask you something...


    Absorbing mana cores no longer works and your levels have hit a teau, haven''t they?" questioned Stronoff and he tilted his head and inspected Kahn''s body with his gaze alone.


    [What the.. How does he know?] thought Kahn.


    Because even with his Divine Abilities and eating SS Rank cores everyday.. Kahn was still stuck at level 150 from over a month as if his Divine Abilities no longer worked.


    "After reaching the semi-saint rank and level 150.. Your strength will not reach the new realm no matter how many cores you absorb or how many decades you spend.


    Why do you think there are more than 200 semi-saints in our empire but all the saints belong to either of the three factions and the top noble ns?" asked Stronoff in a mocking tone.


    Kahn on the other end had a moment of enlightenment after this question.


    "The World Energy!" eximed Kahn.


    "Exactly. Why do you think the cores of the fallen saints are protected by every powerful n?


    It''s for their semi-saints to absorb world energy from and then cross level 200 after their bodies bepletely adapted to it. Only then can one finally enter into the Saint Rank." revealed the swordsman.


    [System, isn''t this the same condition you told me?] asked Kahn to the system.


    [Yes. But the host has no restrictions on world energy sources such as Saint''s core.] replied system.


    [Then why aren''t my levels increasing?] questioned Kahn.


    [Because the host hasn''t absorbed or mastered enough World Energy for the next spike in levels.] exined the system.


    [I see. So that''s why I have been stuck. I guess I''ll have to take care of this issue after thispetition.] he thought.


    "Given your current reach and authority.. Can you even manage to get your hands on one in this lifetime?" mocked the middle-aged man.


    Kahn stood silent on the spot.


    [Bitch, I already have!]


    "I can help you be a Saint even before you cross 30 years of age. And I will personally train you as well as provide a suitable environment, authority and prestige.


    If you ept my proposal, that is." said Stronoff with a righteous expression as if he was doing all of this out of his goodwill or some sort of obligation as a swordsman.


    However, Kahn quickly replied in a tyrannical voice as if he had enough of this charade.


    "Tell your lies to someone else.. I''m not buying all this bullshit."

 Chapter 294 - Fair Warning

    Just before Kahn had abruptly ryed his decision to Stronoff, he had a well-thought judgment after contemting everything ever since the fourth stage saint came to meet him in the first ce.


    [So it''s his style to goad me into joining his side. He''s knowingly revealing all this information to me so that I will find him reliable and think he has the best intentions for me.


    He wants me to think that he''s on my side.


    This bastard is no different than others.] thought Kahn to himself.


    In just a few moments, Kahn replied his final decision again.


    "I''ll take my chances. So leave." said Kahn. This time, there was no semnce of respect or politeness in his tone.


    "Are you that stupid?" asked Stronoff with an exasperated tone. This sudden shift in tone greatly angered him but he couldn''t touch Kahn again lest he wanted to kneel in the ground.


    "Whether it''s Ismaetrazel, the Vandereich ns, the Pureblood faction or you¡­ there''s one thing you all have inmon." spoke Kahn with a domineering tone as he continued¡­


    "All of you are liars!"


    Kahn walked close to the man and looked at him as if he had seen through the whole facade.


    "You know that I''m a semi-saint.. And the only swordsman among all the candidates.


    And you came here in secret knowing that I didn''t have anyone''s backing so you wanted to recruit me.


    If not for me having this token, you would''ve kidnapped me and made one of your puppets for something you want anyway.


    That''s the problem with you noble ns.. You think that everyone besides you is stupid and will believe your words just because you''re some powerful people.


    I''m now even more certain that whatever your intentions are after knowing my potential..


    They don''t benefit neither me nor your n.


    Whatever your ns are.. I''m not going to y your game." said Kahn with creased brows he was barely holding his anger.


    [This brat! Have I really been seen through?


    I guess I''ll have to wait for the end of thispetition.


    Then I''ll deal with him!] scoffed Stronoff in his mind.


    "You''re making a grave mistake. Once your secret is out.. Everyone will be your enemy. I''m the only one who can protect you." said Stronoff while keeping the pretense of someone who cared for Kahn.


    "Like I said, I will take care of my own problems. So leave." spoke Kahn with a lifeless expression.


    "Hmph!" scoffed off Stronoff after being denied thrice by Kahn. The only thing he could do now was to actter when Kahn no longer had the rmendation token.


    When Stronoff walked back with both his hands behind his back, his footsteps suddenly stopped. He turned his head towards Kahn and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Master Albestros.. I hope what happened between me and the kid doesn''t affect our rtionship.


    I will send my people soon to sign the contract regarding our deal rted to weapons and armory." he said and then his gaze shifted to Kahn again.


    "As for you kid.. Let me offer you a word of advice.


    If you''re unluckily pitted against my niece, Kassandra in the uing rounds..


    Just give up and forfeit the match. You might as well make a lot of money by betting on your loss instead.


    Call it a fair warning out of courtesy." he said and waited for the domain to deactivate.


    "And why is that? Didn''t you say I have the potential to even surpass you?" asked Kahn with a contemptuous tone.


    "You do. But the current you is no match for her.


    I''m not saying this because she is my niece or because I''m overconfident of her strength.


    But because Kassandra is not like you or the other candidates.


    Nobody outside of our close family circle has seen her fight at best.


    Even with your talent & potential.. If you fight her..


    You will definitely lose." dered Stronoff.


    Kahn did not respond and deactivated the artifact.


    Soon, Stronoff left with his envoy. Although he could create a scene here.. But Albestros was a figure he couldn''t dare to harm.


    And using the peak grandmaster cksmith to threaten Kahn would also turn against him because this man was even more famous and favored by the saints of the three factions currently.


    Using his true strength here woulde to bite him backter and the ns he had for Kahn that no one except him knew about for now woulde to light.


    Even his secret visit here would need some covering up from his end.


    ----------------


    In the evening, Kahn and Albestros were seated in their usual ce in the garden where they often enjoyed the morning breakfast.


    Both of their faces had a sullen expression.


    Today''s confrontation with the number one swordsman of the empire was too overwhelming for both of them.


    Had it not been for the rmendation token Kahn had with him¡­ things would''ve turned out very differently.


    And they wouldn''t have been able to resist at all. Because fame, prestige and authority can only protect you to a certain extent.


    "This is going to be a headache.." spoke Albestros. His appearance looked as if he suddenly aged by another decade.


    "I don''t understand one thing though.. Why was he so adamant about recruiting you?


    Compared to that vampire n leader, he was very¡­" but before he could finish the words..


    "Desperate!" interjected Kahn.


    His eyes turned serious as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.


    "For some reason.. I can''t see the full picture and what''s happening behind the scenes.


    Even though the Vandereich n gave me this token, they haven''t tried to contact me even till this point.


    It''s like something big is happening. And everyone is desperate to find a semi-saint fighter of their own despite there being more than two hundred of them in the empire." spoke Kahn with a stern voice.


    "Well.. I''ll just focus on thispetition for now." he said and continued in an excited tone suddenly as battle intent filled his eyes.


    "And see how strong this Kassandra Mikealson is."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Arts for Stronoff Mikealson in chapterments.]]

 Chapter 295 - The Alternatives

    On the following day, Kahn was following his practice sessions in swordsmanship and battle techniques inside the batcave. He had halted off his training in magic and other weapons for now.


    After yesterday''s incident, he had be more aware of his current predicament and how he was bound to be found sooner anyway. So he created a counterattack n yesterday with Albestros.


    The subordinates with human form had yet to return since he sent all of them away yesterday because a fourth stage saint would definitely detect them as monsters so he couldn''t take the risk.


    Aside from Rudra & ckwall who were hidden inside his shadow and were undetectable to a swordsman even if he was a saint, all of them had been tasked with gathering and tallying the money from his matches.


    When he finally finished his rigorous training for the day, Kahn took out a wooden box from his space rings and opened its lead.


    A glimmering white orb was taken out of the box and Kahn stared at it with expectant eyes.


    This was the core of the first stage saint magician from the vampire n, Kereberos Mor Vandereich. One of the elders of the vampire n who had targeted Kahn back in the day.


    Using Kahn, Ismaetrazel found out the traitor and then used him to find the traitors of their whole faction which led to a grand ceremony of public execution throughout the Rakos empire.


    And on the very same day when they were all burned.. Kahn went to the site and ordered Ronin who was hidden in Szayel Mor Vandereich''s shadow as per his previousmands, to steal this saint''s core.


    Kahn took that calctive risk because it was the only way for Kahn to get a core of a first stage saint without getting killed. And after a month, Ronin was finally able to deliver it when Kahn weed Szayel as his guest in the new manor.


    Since he was too weak back then, he couldn''t utilize this core. And even now, he had to be level 200 first and then eat this core to be a full-fledged saint rank individual.


    Kahn realized that apart from increasing his levels, he also has to keep increasing his mastery and absorb more world energy for breaking through to new saint ranks in the future.


    Because it was like a condition to break the bottleneck and he can''t skip it even with his Divine ability because it only helped him absorb abilities but not make his own body more suitable to adapt to world energy.


    And since War Deity Body wouldn''te into effect until he became a first stage saint first, Kahn had no choice but to look for a different method.


    "System, can I absorb it now or somehow extract the world energy from this core?" asked Kahn.


    [The host currently does not possess any skill that could help in absorbing mana or world energy without directly eating the source such as the core in the host''s hands.] responded the system in its usual robotic voice.


    [And the core is highly condensed with world energy. The host''s body is currently unable to sustain the absorption procedure.] spoke the system again.


    "Then what about the First Emperor''s core? You once said I can use it as an alternative source of mana, right? It also has world energy in it." questioned Kahn.


    [The host is advised to use the peak saint''s core only after bing a first stage saint rank individual. Otherwise, the host''s body will explode.] reminded the system again.


    "Aishh.. Looks like I really don''t have other alternatives for now.


    Wait.. What if I eat the cores of monsters with higher ranks? They too will have world energy, right?"


    [Yes. But the host must eat at least a Legendary rank monster''s core. And it should be a fully matured one unlike the core of the Somir host once ate. Because the saturated world energy is too weak in such entities.] informed system.


    "Wait a minute.. If that''s the case.


    Then doesn''t it mean I can absorb it by eating the cores of the other semi-saints?" asked Kahn as a light bulb shone over his head.


    [Yes. It is indeed possible. But it shall depend upon the amount of world energy absorbed by such individuals.] said the system.


    "I see. Let''s hope I get to kill a fair share of semi-saint in the future. That seems like the fastest way." spoke Kahn with a sinister smile.


    ----------------


    In the blink of an eye.. 10 more days passed and finally, the day of the Semifinal had arrived.


    2 days prior, Kahn had a meeting with Albestros and all of his subordinates. They devised a n that came to his mind a few days ago and how best to implement it.


    And on the same day, his opponent he''d have to fight in the semifinals was also dered throughout the empire.


    A known and well-established semi-saint rank individual of the young generation in thispetition.


    Not only was his opponent a fan favorite but extremely skilled at the same time.


    And he had no choice but to acknowledge the pure talent, raw strength and impable mastery over the battle techniques of this opponent whom he didn''t hope to sh with this soon.


    But it looked like the world had different ns for him.


    Unlike Kahn, the opponent had a big background and as for the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and the opponent''s rtionship..


    There was a legacy attached to their name.


    Because the opponent was someone who Kahn had seen fight and win in the quarterfinals right in front of his eyes.


    On the day of the match, Kahn changed his appearance to an Elf and traveled to the battle arena in the richest district of the whole empire.


    And after he reverted to his original appearance and finally entered the 3 kilometer wide battle ring in the middle of the 25 floored and 7 kilometer circumference battle arena..


    He stood in front of his opponent. His eyes and mind focused because the opponent in front of him was a real deal.


    It was none other than the chosen representative of the Demi-Human faction and the son of the previous Emperor''s Chosen champion..


    Victor Apopis!

 Chapter 296 Grand Revelation.

    Chapter 296 Grand Revtion.


    In front of the millions of audiences in this enormous battle arena, two young warriors stood against each other while the entire empire looked forward towards their battle that would decide one of the finalists of thispetition.


    On the scoreboard, the betting odds for this fight were also revealed.


    90:10


    Kahn being on the unfavored side again.


    In front of Kahn, stood a halfbreed demonkin warrior who a big and long scythe as his weapon and a greenish epic rank armor made toplement his physical strength and maneuverability while fighting.


    His eyes glowed red while the one long red horn on the right side of his forehead protruded outwards. He looked at Kahn with carefree eyes and spoke.


    "Oye.. I don''t want to waste time here. You know who is stronger amongst us.


    You reached till this stage because your opponent was a peak grandmaster.


    But your luck ends here. So forfeit the match and spare me the hassle." spoke Victor in a calm yet overbearing voice.


    [Ah, fucking cliche dialogs..] thought Kahn and replied in a stern tone.


    "Hey.. If you want a free victory.. Shouldn''t you put in some effort?"


    Asked Kahn and flooded his arms as he firmly looked in the eyes of the opponent.


    Gasp!


    Kahn''s endearing response made many people surprised. Because the opponent was a bonafide semi-saint and he was only a peak grandmaster in the public eye.


    Although his match with Veronica went well, many people still believed that he won by luck and also his act of thrashing the young woman had left a bad impression on the audience throughout the whole empire.


    So him acting all confident in front of the mighty opponent seemed out of the blue.


    "What.. What did you say?" asked Victor as his tone suddenly turned hostile.


    "Are you deaf or something? I said if you want a free victory.. You should put in some effort for it." spoke Kahn as he tilted his head and gave a condescending look at the opponent.


    "Oh.. Is that so? Then what do you want?" asked Victor as he clenched his hand on the scythe, his brows creased and an irritated expression appearing on the face.


    "Beg for it!"


    Responded Kahn with a benign smile as he fearlessly dered.


    BOOM!!


    A loud burst of dark red aura erupted on the left side of the battle ring as Victor released his strength of a semi-saint after Kahn''s promation.


    "You.. What did you say you filthy insect?!" shouted the demonkin warrior.


    "Get on your knees and beg for me to forfeit the match. I might even fulfill your wish if I find it sincere." replied Kahn with a grin on his countenance.


    STUNNED!


    Let it be the audience in the battle arena, people watching on the broadcasting screen or the top saints of the empire who came to personally watch the match and support Victor since he was the chosen representative of the Demi-Human faction.


    Even the dozens of saints from enemy factions were also bewildered after his outrageous words.


    They already knew the results of the match yet somehow Kahn had the galls of refuting and even insulting Victor Apopis, the candidate who reached this round by defeating a semi-saint himself.


    Despite all that, Kahn''s words were too brazen and he publicly insulted the opponent. An opponent who came from the most prestigious background and was also the son of the previous champion.


    "You.. Looks there are indeed people who don''t know the immensity of heaven and earth.


    You''re not even worthy of sharing the same battlegrounds with me and yet you want me to kneel and beg in front of you? And that too when our whole empire is watching?


    Hey.. Don''t tell me you have a deathwish?" asked Victor with an infuriated tone.


    The reason why he was holding back was because a semi-saint bullying a peak grandmaster in front of the whole empire would leave a bad impression.


    Plus he was a renowned genius who had the best teachers and training from saints of his factions and her, a seemingly weaker opponent was acting all high and mighty in front of him.


    "Has that human gone crazy?!"


    "What an idiot. Looks like he wants to get beaten up badly."


    "He won''te out alive if he angers the demonkin more. Killing is allowed in this round." spoke thousands of the people amongst the audience as they chattered between themselves.


    "Alright.. There will be indeed kneeling and begging on this battle ring.


    I''ll make you eat your kneecaps and beg in front of me to spare your life!" dered Victor as he finally lost his patience and decided to teach the human in front of him a lesson.


    No beating him to death now will tarnish his reputation in the future as if he let Kahn go without cutting off his arms and legs..


    Anyone would think that they could badmouth him and go unpunished.


    At this point, he wasn''t just representing himself but all the noble factions and their members of the empire.


    "Alright then. Let''s see if you have the ability to do so." replied Kahn and brandished Lucifer in his right hand.


    BOOM!!


    Just when everyone thought that Kahn''s life was gone for good after enraging the halfbreed demonkin and the entire upper ss of the society.. And sudden surprise that shook the whole empire in an instant was revealed.


    Kahn''s ck and red aura also erupted out from his body and filled half of the three kilometer wide battle ring.


    And as he tyrannical and ghastly aura was revealed to not only Victor but all the saints in VIP rooms..


    A vital information about Kahn, the biggest dark horse of thispetition, was finally revealed to the entire empire of four billion citizens.


    SEMI- SAINT!!


    Kahn was now revealed to be a semi-saint!


    Everyone watching this match was rooted on the spot. Even the people from seven deadly sins who were told to bet on Kahn''s win were shocked to the point they forgot how to breathe.


    "Believe me.."


    With War Dominance activated, Kahn''s body was covered in a dense ck and red aura. His tyrannical and deathly voice resounded in the whole battle arena as he targeted the opponent with his killing intent.


    "You do not want this fight."

 Chapter 297 - Man Vs Devil

    Two tangible dense and chaotic auras shing against each other filled the entire battlefield as the figures releasing it looked at each other with their battle instincts raised to the peak. After Kahn''s sudden revtion of being a semi-saint, all the citizens of the empire watching this match were shaken to their cores.


    "How is that possible?! Where does this boye from?!" spoke a 3rd stage saint in one of the VIP rooms.


    "Impossible!! Howe there was another semi-saint in thepetition and no one knew it yet?!" eximed a saint from the neutral faction.


    "Which faction does he belong to? Who is his backer? Did he use a rmendation token?" asked an elven saint to his aides.


    Soon, millions and then billions of people started discussing this new information while the twobatants in the battle ring were only focused on each other.


    Although Victor was also taken aback at first, he quickly recovered hisposure and put on a guard lest his opponent uses that opportunity and attack him when he was careless.


    "You.. Which n do you belong to?" asked Victor with a cautious tone.


    "Bah, do you really want to waste time on chit-chat and my origin story? Or do you want to fight and see which one of us is stronger?" asked Kahn with a smirk on his face.


    "Besides.. My audience thinks the plot has been dragged down too long already.


    And they want to see a good fight." he said and released War Dominance at full power this time.


    Kahn could already sense that Victor was at least 5 levels above him so there was no need to hold back.


    The reason why he chose to reveal his rank as semi-saint now was because of two main reasons.


    One, he couldn''t defeat Victor with his restricted ranks and stats. And second, after Stronoff''s visit to his manor, Kahn knew that he will be targeted by him and the pureblood faction sooner orter.


    In order to prepare against whatever that was happening behind the scenes which he still didn''t know anything about.. Kahn had to be the center of attention and have people keep talking about him.


    That way, no one would dare to cause him harm or try to oppress him when everyone was watching.


    "Fine then. Let''s talk after I put you in the ground first. Don''t expect me to show any mercy." said Victor with an expectant look as the warrior within him was yearning for a good fight.


    Soon, fifty scythes made from his red and highlypressed aura formed in the air above him. Each of these Scythes were 5 meters long in height.


    Shrill!


    On the other end, Kahn also used Sword Savant skill and created fifty greatswords made of ck and red aura that were identical to Lucifer in appearance. The five meters long greatswords made from 5 different elements such as fire, ice, lightning, earth and wind hovered in the air.


    STUNNED!


    Not only Victor but all the saints were stunned on the spot in their respective rooms on the highest floors of this battle arena.


    And the fact that his aura swords were made from 5 different elements at once already made him worthy of being called a prodigy born once in a century.


    Because Swordsmen had the most difficulty when mastering different elements and forming aura des.


    Although Kahn was already known to be a magic swordsman in the eyes of the audience, he had revealed mastery over 5 different elements.


    Even Veronica Mikealson who was called the 2nd most talented swordswoman of the younger generation in the whole empire could use only 4 elements.


    This also disyed that Kahn, one without any prestigious faction or n''s backing was as talented and of the same caliber as Victor who was trained by some of the best of the best teachers in the empire.


    This disy of skills was too shocking for everyone within the whole empire.


    "Who the hell is this guy?! I want to know everything about him!!"manded a 4th stage lionkin saint from the Demi-Human faction.


    On the battlefield, Kahn looked at his shocked opponent and his greatswords pointed their tips towards the demonkin opponent.


    "Hey, don''t doze off now. I don''t have too many chapters to waste on you. So let''s start." he said and charged towards the scythe user.


    "Chapters.. What the hell is he talking about?" wondered Victor and quickly noticed the approaching enemy.


    [[Author : Victor Apopis Reference Art in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Kahn had activated all of his battle-rted passive skills and soon, the entire battlefield was filled with loud shing noises and explosions as the aura weapons created by both thebatants filled the battlefield.


    BOOM!!


    An ear-deafening noise sent shockwaves as both Victor and Kahn covered in their auras finally shed against each other in a head-on attack.


    The battleground made of hard stones already started cracking from the impact where both the participants engaged in their first sh.


    Sparks flew in between the sharp edges of their weapons as two 5 feet long weapons hit against each other.


    SHRILL!!


    Just then, One of Kahn''s aura swords attacked Victor from behind while he himself had locked the enemy''s movements.


    BOOM!


    But before the sword could hit, it was attacked from the scythe on the left and deflected the sword in the stead of its owner.


    "Not bad. You have good control." said Kahn as his figure disappeared from the ce in an instant.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn appeared 20 meters away from the opponent and just then, more than five aura scythes hit the ground where he stood moments ago.


    BOOM!!


    Another loud explosion shook the battlefield as Kahn barely escaped the onught from the massive scythes in thest moment thanks to Survival Instinct blessing.


    The swirling storm of aura scythes hadpletely surrounded Kahn and he realized that the opponent wasn''t intending on test his limits and decided to fight him at their peak.


    However, as soon as the explosion waned, a sight that shook the whole empire appeared in the middle of the battlefield.


    But before they could even digest what just happened, another loud explosion happened on the swordsman''s end.


    A massive explosion of heat filled this side as if a volcano had erupted. This heat was so intense that the stoned battleground itself started melting.


    Thud! Thud!


    A man donned in ck and crimson armor that was literally on fire walked out of this explosion.


    His appearance looked even more demonic than the opponent who had chosen to finally use his bloodline as well.


    At this moment, Kahn had finally summoned his armor for the first time in thispetition.


    And now, he was wearing..


    THE DRAKOS ARMOR!!

 Chapter 298 - Two Demons

    Two auras, one dark red while the other crimson red filled the battlefield as both thebatants decided to reveal their hidden cards after just a few minutes of fighting each other on equal footing.


    Victor already sensed Kahn''s strength after the small exchange of moves and the formation of aura swords that his own scythes faced. Unlike before, he was now extremely alert of the opponent because he felt an immense dangering from him.


    Kahn on the other end had sensed that his loss would be imminent if he faced this powered-up enemy who was using his bloodline skill.


    And hence, he quickly summoned his Drakos armor for the first time in thepetition as well as activated the Draconian bloodline effect.


    He gazed at Victor''s figure that had transformed into something else at this point.


    The old Victor from minutes ago waspletely gone and now in his ce, stood a 3 meter tall red demon with two giant horns on his head and twoing out from the sides of his jaw.


    Victor''s body hadpletely turned red and his hands now had sharp ck ws.


    The upper body that was once in the dark green armor was nowpletely exposed to the public while his skull no longer looked humanoid but that of a monster.


    Ripped muscles andrge arms came to be in everyone''s sight as Victor finally revealed his True Demon transformation.


    [[Author : Victor Apopis True Demon form reference art in chapterments.]]


    This was the highest degree of his capacity which he hadn''t even revealed in the quarterfinals against the semi-saint Ezekiel, the representative of the Pureblood faction.


    This showed how seriously he took Kahn as his opponent.


    "What is this¡­ His Devil Trigger or something?" wondered Kahn.


    On the other side however.. Stood another demonic figure. Yet his aura waspletely different from the former.


    As if it didn''t belong to a human or a demon, rather apletely different species altogether.


    Kahn finally used the Drakos Armor, the one made by Albestros after he gave the old man the remaining body parts of the magma drake. And this was also the lifesaving armor he used in the fight against Arkham and Solomon.


    Butpared to the previous incident, this time the armor was much stronger and exuded more blistering heat and chaotic aura since Kahn''s rank and levels had risen.


    And the Drakos Armor and Lucifer that shared the draconian bloodline effect with him also grew in strength along with his own rank and levels thanks to Kahn''s own draconian bloodline he absorbed from the drake.


    Albestros had sessfullypleted the blood-bind ritual which tied Kahn''s body with them. So now, not only Kahn, but even one of his biggest trump cards had leveled up a league above.


    Because of which, the armor wasn''t just leaking heat.. But it was literally on fire just like the magma drake, who also shared this effect.


    His dragon-like face and the two big horns on the helmet made him look like he had just risen from the pits of hell.


    Since he already had Thermal Body skill he absorbed from the drake, Kahn wasn''t affected in the slightest. But it had greatly rmed the opponent.


    As for the people watching the match throughout the empire.. They were gasping in surprise. Because at this moment¡­


    They couldn''t tell which among the two was a true demon.


    "So that''s the rumored best creation of the peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston?


    Where the hell did he even get so many body parts of a drake? And to make aplete armor set out of it.. This shouldn''t even be possible.


    Even the other two grandmaster cksmiths said that it will take them a great amount of time and resources just to forge it properly." spoke a 4th stage saint from the pureblood faction.


    Not just him but the majority of the saints were gasping in surprise after looking at Kahn''s Drakos Armor.


    Because an armor lighting up with fire while the owner remainspletely unaffected was simply unheard of. And no one had seen the attack and defense buff effects of the entire set yet.


    If the rumors were true, the sword held by Kahn was also made from the same material and with all of them being part of a set..


    What Kahn wore in this fight wasparable to Legendary battle gear worn by top figures of the past.


    This created a great sense of respect towards the old man Albestros in their mind.


    [System, tell me the changes in the Drakos Armor. What are its current stats and skills.] asked Kahn.


    [Draconian Armor set skills.


    Drake Armor (S Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Physical Defense while wearing this armor has risen by 120% and the Agility has increased by 75%.


    Reformation (S Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Using the host''s mana and bloodline as a source, the armor will be able to repair itself over time once it has been broken. This bloodline effect will be active as long as the host is still alive.


    Draconian Sword skill :


    Drake Momentum (S Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Strength while using this sword has increased by 90% and Dexterity has increased by 86%.


    Note : The Attack, Defense and Agility armor effects will increase with the rank and levels of the host.] replied the system.


    "Good. It''s more than enough." said Kahn after noticing the rise in rank from A to S for both the bloodline buff skilss for the armor and sword.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Kahn''s steps cracked the tform as he approached the enemy with a menacing gaze.


    The blistering heat and the growling noiseing out of his armor sent chills to all the audience present in the battle arena.


    While chaotic and destructive aura from Victor in his true demon form raised the small pebbles from the cracked ground in the air.


    Two imposing and domineering demonic figures charged at each other with eyes full of killing intent.


    Dhang! Dhang!


    Kahn ran with Lucifer in hand while Victor clenched both his hands over the scythe.


    Their aura weapons also pointed towards each other and prepared to attack along with their respective owners.


    Kahn murmured to himself as he spoke with a light grin under the helmet..


    "I''m about to end this man''s whole career."

 Chapter 299 - Killer Move

    In front of billions of people watching throughout the empire, two monstrous figures one of whom was 3 meters tall in height while the other one was of the normal 6 feet and 3 inches human size. Both the figures with four and two horns respectively were shing in a death battle.


    Sparks flew on the battlefield as two sharp-edged weapons banged against each other while trying to tear through the opposition.


    Sizzle! Sizzle!


    The battleground sizzled from the intense heat released from Kahn''s Drakos Armor while it crackled from the other end as Victor in his true demon form had released an immensely chaotic demonic aura.


    "You.. Can''t defeat me." growled Victor as his voice echoed after the demonic transformation.


    "Is that so? Just minutes ago, didn''t you say I''m not even worthy of standing in the same battle ring as you?" asked Kahn in his mocking tone.


    Swoosh!


    Just then, a lightning sword broke through the aura scythes and broke the first wall of defense as four more aura greatswords infiltrated inside the storm created by Victor.


    Bang!


    Multiple explosions happened around the 3 kilometer wide battlefield when Kahn and Victor''s massive aura weapons shed in the air while their owners were attacking each other with multiple swings and shes in a matter of seconds.


    To the majority of the audience, they could only see two red figures shing against each other so fast that most of them only registered blurs and sparks.


    ng!


    Kahn threw Victor on backfoot as he barraged the enemy with his five meter tall aura greatswords and put the buffed-up opponent in a defensive stance.


    The reason why both of them often used these aura weapons was that if either of themnded their attacks, the damage done by the highlypressed aura and mana inside them was akin to boulder stomping on an ant.


    And hence, both of them were trying tond that one lucky hit and get an advantage in the fight.


    Despite Victor''s true demon bloodline transformation, Kahn with the attack, agility and defense boost was evenly matched with the opponent thanks to the Drakos Armor & Lucifer with the draconian bloodline effect.


    [What kind of element is he using?] thought Kahn during their fight.


    There were no elements infused in Victor''s attacks but the chaotic energy in them was evenly matched with Kahn''s elemental aura swords. To him, it was alreadyparable to his darkness element attacks and skills that had a lot of power and destructive force in them.


    However, Kahn felt a sense of familiarity with this element as if he had seen or felt it before.


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion shattered the ground as Kahn dodged an aura scythe that tried to cut him in half.


    [So that''s what it was!] eximed Kahn in his mind as he remembered exactly when he had felt this type of element before.


    [It''s the Chaos element.] he thought.


    Because thest time he felt this element was when he upgraded Jugram, the Berserker subordinate to High Lord rank by mixing him with the demonkin semi-saint, Dormammu Volstov.


    Jugram had awakened a bloodline specialty after getting merged and unlocked a Unique rank monster variant species called Chaos Demon.


    And on the day of his evolution, he exuded the same aura that matched the one from the true demon opponent.


    Kahn hadn''t paid attention to it back then because he wasn''t efficient in sensing minute details about elements or mana since he wasn''t even a beginner rank magician at that time.


    But now, he could tell the difference and feel how powerful his opponent was. If not for his armor, Kahn would''ve already lost the match since he couldn''t even activate the Hero of Darkness title during daytime and using Berserk God Mode in front of so many saints was an extremely bad idea.


    Because even the rare bloodline of the true demon only made Victor 3 times bigger and stronger while Kahn''s berserk god mode made him 5 times stronger for a short time and that too without making any visible changes to his body.


    Apart from that.. The Asura Mode was also out of option since Kahn was a pure human and not some halfbreed or descendant of a rare bloodline either. So with limited options, the Drakos Armor was his best choice.


    Crack! Crack!


    Victorunched dozens of sharp aura des and Kahn used the sh steps techniques instead of using side hopper skill as this was also the best method for increasing his mastery and proficiency in this skill.


    The curved aura des made of chaos energy tore through the stone tform and Kahn kept using his new movement skill consistently to avoid them.


    If the tform made from stone wasn''t able to endure the attacks, then his armor will be pushed back as well.


    Kahn started running around the battlefield to avoid the shing attacks from the enemy as he was looking for an opening.


    [System, how much?] he asked.


    [Current progress in sh Steps technique is 58%.] replied the system.


    [Good. Inform me as soon as Iplete the mastery to 100%. Then I''ll settle this match.]


    For the next half an hour, the battle continued as the two fierce warriors kept attacking, dodging against each other. Both of them were equally matched in terms of strength and mastery over their respective battle styles.


    The battleground kept getting destroyed here and there as the ground shattered after loud explosions and burn aura des from both evenly matchedbatants.


    However, in the meantime, Kahn became extremely agile and almost impossible to touch in the eyes of the audience as if he was possessed by a ghost.


    His figure kept flickering from time to time whenever Victor almost managed to hit him but the swordsman always came out unscathed. Unlike the true demon who had the advantage is raw brute strength, the opponent wearing the drake armor was as fast as a bullet.


    But even now, none of the two were fatigued or lost their strength. The audience was inplete disbelief given how Kahn was controlling the flow of the battle like a seasoned warrior who was unknown to them as a semi-saint swordsman till this match.


    [sh Steps skill progress : 100%


    The skill is now avable for merging with the Side Hopper skills.] informed the system.


    [Later! First, activate them all!]manded Kahn as he gave a hiddenmand that only he and the system understood.


    Swoosh!!


    The next moment, he appeared 500 meters away from Victor.


    "Hey, Victor.. As much as I would love to keep sparring with you.. I think it''s about time we¡­


    Ended this!" spoke Kahn in a grim tone and let out a burst of fire that lit up his side of the battlefield.


    The 3 kilometer wide battlefield was already big enough to hold a thousand people fighting at once but after Kahn''s Drakos Armor released this massive explosion of energy, everyone among the audience became certain that they''d be incinerated on the spot if they were present near Kahn.


    tter! tter! tter!


    Kahn suddenly let go of Lucifer and the greatsword levitated high in the air.


    Soon, all the aura swords made with different elements flew back to his side and one by one, the 50 aura greatswords started merging in the air.


    [Finally.. All the efforts of past month''s training are proving useful.] thought Kahn as he, along with all the audience throughout the empire watched a miracle happening in front of them.


    The 50 greatswords, each one of which was 5 meters long in height coalesced together around Lucifer and just in a dozen seconds..


    A 250 meter long greatsword came into existence!


    "Impossible!! It cannot be!" eximed a 3rd stage snakekin saint in a VIP room.


    "Nonsense!! He''s just a semi-saint! And he''s not even a mage or a summoner!!" shouted a 5th stage demonkin mage from the neutral faction.


    At this moment, there were three godly figures sitting at opposite ends of the battlefield and watching this match calmy. But now, even they also had a surprised expression on the faces.


    An old Elf with a hunched back, a white-bearded Tigerkin and a silver-haired Vampire gazed at Kahn who was forming his attack skill.


    "I.. I''ve really underestimated this human." spoke the old vampire in his deep and hoarse voice.


    All of them had a baffled as well as a very curious expression on their faces.


    The aura of the greatsword was so strong that even all the saints watching it were extremely surprised.


    At this moment, Kahn was finally using the skill he created by practicing over a month since thepetition started. He wasn''t sitting ducks like an ignorant fool when all the other semi-saints were receiving their training from the saints of their respective ns and factions.


    Kahn, who had no teacher was creating something of his own on a daily basis, he was attempting to create a new technique after breaking through intermediate rank mage and merging these different elements to create an attack skill after his understanding of magic and mana itself rose to a different level.


    "Sorry.. But don''t expect me to show any mercy." spoke Kahn in a tyrannical voice that sent shivers in Victor''s body.


    "Hey.. Somebody wake me up. This.. This isn''t real.. This can''t be real!" spoke Victor in a jittery voice and shuddered in fear as he felt an inevitable sense of death.


    The true demon opponent was rooted on the spot as he saw this gigantic greatsword that was made from blistering heat at the center while lightning andpressed wind des crackled around the edges. The highlypressed water des swirled around this enormous sword and the earth element acted as its solid body.


    Kahn on the other end moved his right hand towards the air and made a grabbing gesture towards the towering greatsword. As if he grabbed it in hand, Kahn made a vertical shing move and shouted so loudly that every single person inside the battle arena heard his domineering voice...


    "Dragon Strike!!"

 Chapter 300 - Revealing The Potential

    Kahn finally used the first-ever skill that he cultivated himself after an entire month''s effort and hard training. His fruits ofbor finally had a proper moment to be used.


    Ever since he started training in magic, his priorities were always about building a solid foundation and hence, Kahn had extensively studied and mastered different elements to a degree thatpared to other mages, the spells and skills cast by him were already 3 times more effective than others of his rank.


    Although he wasn''t close to someone like Ezekiel, the semi-saint mage of the pureblood faction, he wasn''t far off in potential since thetter was a semi-saint while he was only an Intermediate rank magician.


    But throughout the past one month, he was trying to mix different elements by using the Elemental Fusion and Elemental Transformation skill he got after eating Solomon''s core.


    These two elven species'' innate skills allowed him to operate as well as restructure mana and form a synergy between these different elements.


    And that was why, apart from the Holy Magic or Light Element, Kahn had very good control over other elements of nature.


    Because of this, his rigorous training and experiments in infusing these different elemental swords that counteracted each other most of the time finally bnced themselves to form this gigantic greatsword.


    And now, it became Kahn''s ultimate swordsmanship attack skill as he could also add darkness element to strengthen it even more.


    "FUCK!!" cursed Victor and put all of his aura scythes and activated all of his defensive skills to save himself from this godly sword.


    As soon as Kahn loudly shouted the attack skill name and made the swinging movement from where he was standing, the ginormous sword that reached close to the top floors of the arena attacked the opponent.


    BOOM!!!


    CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!


    Fouryers of giant defensive shields and aura scythes tried to protect Victor but in front of this force of pure destruction.. All of them cracked like an eggshell instantly.


    The battleground shattered and hundreds of long and deep crevices formed in the 3 kilometer wide battle ring.


    The impact from the Dragon Strike skill sent tremors in the ground and the entire battle arena shook as if there was an earthquake.


    Millions of people among the crowd were scared witless as most of them thought that soon, everything will copse and that''d be theirst day of life.


    [Congrattions to the host for sessfully executing the Dragon Strike skill.


    The skill has been registered. Would the host like to know the detailed information?] asked the system as it was the first time Kahn sessfully created a skill without any form of assistance.


    Kahn already knew that he couldn''t always rely on the system and in the future, he had to create skills by himself so this was just a first step for him.


    [Not now.] spoke Kahn and used his Hunter Intent to locate Victor amidst therge cloud that formed after the explosion from his Dragon Strike.


    After two minutes, the dust cloud finally settled and a red demonic creature with bloodied and wounded body was finally revealed to the whole empire through broadcasting screens.


    Victor, the fan-favorite and the most betted person on was now lying in the ground, barely breathing. Even after using all of his lifesaving skills.. He barely managed to hold onto his life and not die on the spot.


    Thud! Thud!


    Kahn''s heavy footsteps echoed through the battle arena as he walked among the debris of the now shattered battle ring.


    Soon, he reached close to the opponent who was barely conscious and gave him a contemptuous look through his fiery helmet.


    If Victor looked like a demon, then Kahn in Drakos Armor looked like the boss of that demon.


    "I.. I cannot lose. Not to you¡­ not to anyone." spoke Victor as he groaned in pain.


    He tried to muster every bit of strength in the body but apart from his mouth, he couldn''t move a muscle.


    Step!


    Kahn stepped on the bloodied and profusely bleeding chest of the 3 meter tall true demon in front of the whole crowd and whispered something that only they could hear.


    "Know that you''re still alive only because I want to avoid the unnecessary troubles and consequences of killing you. So swallow down your defeat like a warrior and move on.


    The whole empire is watching, so at least lose gracefully." spoke Kahn as he summoned Lucifer back in his right hand and released the blistering heat from his body again.


    Shrink! Shrink!


    At this moment, Victor''s body shrunk back to its original size as he panted heavily and tried not to faint.


    Silence! Complete silence!


    Not just the crowd in the arena but all the people throughout the empire were stunned on the spot.


    The young swordsman whom they hadn''t even heard of before thispetition had sessfully defeated one of the most favored candidates who came from one of the highly prestigious ns and background in the empire.


    To normal people, he was only a swordsman but to the saints of the empire.. They saw his true potential as someone who even surpassed the other magic swordsmen of their generation in terms of potential.


    Because currently, there were only 4 swordsmen in the whole empire who had mastered 5 different elements and could use them in their swordsmanship attack skills.


    And two of those names included Stronoff Mikealson, themander of the Mikealson n from the neutral faction.


    While the other one was the n leader of the reputed Vandereich n from the pureblood faction, Ismaetrazel Mor Vandereich.


    The number one and number three strongest swordsmen of the Rakos Empire.


    In their eyes, the Dragon Strike skill used by Kahn wasparable to a first stage saint even though it''s half in size, strength and without world energy. Especially to Stronoff and Ismaetrazel, both of whom are actually watching the match.


    "This kid.. He doesn''t know how to hold back at all.


    Revealing his rank and that armor set was eptable but this skill.. It''s just too shy.


    Now things will get moreplicated if I try to recruit him." spoke Ismaetrazel to himself.


    In the now destroyed battlefield, Kahn looked down upon the barely conscious opponent as he put the burning lucifer on his shoulder.


    His figure appeared like a legendary warrior as he spoke in a domineering voice..


    "My power shall be absolute!"

 Chapter 301 - The Harsh Truth

    In front of 3 billion citizens of the empire watching the match, Kahn dered himself to be the strongest unlike the usual trope of a protagonist hiding his strength till the very end ofpetition arcs in novels and mangas.


    Instead of keeping his cards hidden, Kahn had arrogantly disyed his true potential to the entire audience and the top figures such as powerful saints of all the factions.


    At this exact moment, he was the center of attention for the whole empire.


    "You.. You will regret this! My n and faction won''t let you live, you lowlife bastard!!" shouted Victor with all his remaining strength as he publicly threatened Kahn.


    [Hehe.. What an idiot. Fine then..


    I''ll give this whole empire a big show!] thought Kahn as he unsummoned Drakos Armor and returned to his usual ck and golden longcoat with fighting gear equipped with it.


    Kahn''s handsome face and tall stature with the epic rank gear made him look like an heir of a prestigious noble n, yet his countenance was as humble as it could be.


    Victor''s impulsive deration after being unable to ept his defeat opened a new window for him as he decided to use it in his favor.


    [Are you guys done?] asked Kahn to his subordinates.


    [Yes, my lord. We''ve sessfully infiltrated the broadcasting department and incapacitated the staff. Whatever whatever you say from now, will be uninterrupted.] replied Ronin and the rest of the generals.


    [What about you, old man? Are you up for the task?] asked Kahn to Albestros who sat in one of the VIP rooms and held a telepathicmunication artifact.


    [I''m ready when you are.] replied Albestros.


    The next second, Kahn''s gaze shifted from the subdued opponent and he looked towards the audience across the arena.


    "Did you hear what he said, people of Rakos Empire?!" asked Kahn loudly as he looked right in the center of projection artifacts that were floating around the battlefield.


    These were the artifacts used to ry the live feed to broadcasting stations. And thus the entire empire could see and hear Kahn loud and clear.


    "I''ve rightfully defeated him in front of everyone. He can''t even move a muscle and by the rules of thepetition¡­ I have officially won the match!


    Yet the referee hasn''t dered me as the winner. The announcer hasn''t spoken a word about it. It''s as if they don''t want to dere me as the winner at all!" he eximed.


    "At this moment, if it was me lying in the ground all bloodied and wounded, they wouldn''t have waited even for a moment and dered him as the winner.


    Nobody would have cared whether I lived or died at his hands because I don''te from any powerful force or have the support of these noble ns and factions." he iterated.


    At this moment, all the audience was stunned on the spot. Everyone watching the match suddenly came to realize that what Kahn said was indeed true. It had been a minute since Kahn defeated Victor in a fair and square battle but no one made any announcement even now.


    "It''s as if the wholepetition itself is a scam and anyone who isn''t one of these prestigious noble ns and factions will never be allowed to progress furthermore.


    Let me ask all of you something.. Why is that in the past one thousand years, no one from amoner background has been able to qualify till the semifinals before me?


    Is it truly because themon folksck wealth or resources? Do you really believe that our great empire didn''t have talented warriors sitting amongst you?


    Wasn''t the first emperor, the one who created our empire and was the strongest warrior to ever exist in the past millennium born as amoner?


    Open your eyes! Until when are you going to believe in these lies?!" questioned Kahn in a grandiose manner.


    Gasp!


    Billions of people came to a sudden realization. Because what Kahn said was indeed a fact that no one could deny.


    "Just now, he tried to use his n and faction''s name to threaten me after I defeated him. And yet, no one has spoken a word about it.


    To be honest with you¡­ I have already been threatened a couple of times to forfeit my match against him. And if I win, not only me but everyone I ever knew would be killed.


    So tell me.. How is that fair?!" he spoke with a fierce expression.


    "Thispetition itself was created by the first emperor to give everyone a chance to be a respected and powerful person in the empire as long as they have the strength and capacity. But now.. It feels more like a yground for the rich and influential where only they win and we participate for the sake of entertaining them.


    Do wemoners have no right to fight to better our lives? Do we not have the right to control our fate? Are we only supposed to live and die under somebody''s thumb?" Kahn riled up the crowd again.


    The majority of the audience had clenched their fists as all of them resonated with Kahn''s words.


    "They don''t want you to rise in ranks but always stay under their control. They act all fair and just in public but have you ever seen amoner as one of the top ruling figures in this empire?


    Even now, the government itself is made with the members of these ns and no normal citizen has ever risen a rank above a magistrate or a normal officer of the army.


    So tell me! What''s even the point of holding thispetition if none of us are even allowed to win?!" asked Kahn with fearless eyes.


    Let it be an old person who had spent their lives struggling or a teenager, regardless of their species, race and gender.. All of them found Kahn''s questions relevant to their lives.


    Why was it that the status quo never seemed to change in their empire? Why is every influential person in the empire, let it be a grandmaster or a saint, they always came from these forces?


    Was it really because of their resources and wealth or could it be that the gifted people among them were never allowed to rise up in the first ce?


    BOOM!!!


    Before Kahn could continue his words again.. Two oppressive aurasnded on his body and he was instantly made to kneel on the ground in front of the whole empire.


    Two mighty demonkins, both of whom seemed to be third stage saints appeared in between Kahn and Victor and they directed their saint aura as well as intense killing intent on Kahn. Both of their enraged gazesnded on the young swordsman as they dered in a tyrannical voice.


    "You have provoked someone you shouldn''t have. Now you shall pay for it¡­" spoke a demonkin swordsman.


    "With your life!"

 Chapter 302 - The Stunt

    Amongst the debris of the now destroyed battlefield, Kahn was barely managing to maintain his consciousness after being targeted by the two demonkin saints out of nowhere. His life was in jeopardy once again.


    "Do you really think that anyone can just openly insult the three factions and all the noble ns? And you think you can get away with it just because people are watching?" spoke the demonkin swordsman as his immensely threatening aura oppressed Kahn to the point where multiple cracks formed on the broken tform he was standing.


    "You think too highly of yourself, boy. You shall pay for your arrogance for looking down on us!" spoke the second demonkin halberd warrior as he pointed the de of his weapon at Kahn''s neck.


    Kahn on the other hand was frozen on the spot. Forget about talking back.. He couldn''t even lift his head.


    But before anyone could even react¡­ in front of the billions of people watching this match, the saint swung his weapon¡­


    BOOOOMMMM!!!


    The next moment however.. Everyone among the 6 million people audience in this 25 floors battle arena, including the top saints of the empire were frozen on the spot as a godly blue aura that spread for dozens of kilometers in the sky suddenly suppressed every living being present here.


    Two bright blue beams of saint aura filled with extremely dense world energy had frozen these two demonkin saints.


    But unlike everyone else.. Kahn who was subjected to the suppression from these two saints could finally move his body as the auras oppressing him ceased to be.


    In front of billions of people throughout the empire, an elderly figure who had waist-length silver hair and was dressed inpletely white robes descended from the top floor of this 800 meters tall and 7 kilometer circumference battle arena.


    The massive amount blue fire releasing from this being made him look like a deitying down from the heavens above.


    Suddenly, an archaic and solemn voice filled the battle arena as not a single living soul aside from Kahn could move a muscle under this horrifying aura.


    "My my.. How brazen. You sure are giving a bad name to all of our noble ns and factions." said this elderly vampire who calmly descended in the battle ring.


    And as soon as his feet touched the ground.. In just two seconds, the entire shattered battleground was restored to its former state.


    The aura emitted from the owner of this tyrannical voice was something that couldn''t evenpare with anything Kahn had felt before. Compared to Stronoff and Ismaetrazel, both of whom were 4th stage saints.. This godly being''s strength was in apletely different realm.


    His gazended on Kahn, who was openly dering that the wholepetition was a scam and only the elites and influential of the empire were allowed to win while themon folks, who made the 95% of the poption of this empire were never given a fair chance in thispetition.


    His ims about how no one from amoner birth was allowed to fight tillter stages even if they had the talent and ability for it had already caused a mayhem.


    The next moment however, his gaze turned towards two demonkin saints and his eyes turned furious as a despising expression appeared on his face.


    "I''m not talking about him.. But you two. To attack a citizen of our empire, one who rightfully won against his opponent in this match¡­ You both have brought great shame and embarrassment to your n and faction." said the old vampire as his archaic and kingly voice resounded in the battle arena.


    To Kahn.. Who had seen this blue fire and felt this familiar aura just 10 days ago when Stronoff visited him in his manor¡­ he quickly recognized who this superior being was.


    And on top of it.. He also recalled the time when he heard this voice.


    The old vampire in front of Kahn wasn''t just some saint or an influential figure. This person was someone respected and also feared by the whole empire.


    In his moment of peril¡­ the being who came to save him was one of the three strongest individuals of the entire Rakos Empire.


    It was none other than Szayel''s grandfather, the Faction Leader of the pureblood faction and a seventh stage saint himself¡­


    Allister Mor Vandereich!


    Stunned! Every single person among the audience throughout the empire who was watching this broadcast was stunned.


    Billions of confused people questioned one thing.. Who was this old vampire that like he owned the ce?


    Not everyone had actually seen or met him. And themon folks hardly had time to care about who was the bigshot among the elites as they focused on their daily life struggles to make a living.


    But one thing they knew for sure.. Judging on the current state of these two saints who couldn''t even bat an eyelid under the immense pressure released by this person..


    He was definitely one of the top figures of their empire.


    [So we finally meet¡­ human boy. No wonder my son was so adamant about offering my personal token to you. You have outlived both of our expectations.


    I''m pleased to see that the one to hold my rmendation token is indeed a capable and worthy warrior.] spoke Allister in Kahn''s mind.


    He wasn''t using any form of artifact or a magic spell but his thoughts were clear for Kahn to hear inside his mind as if they had a sense of bond already.


    [But you have created quite a ruckus now. This stunt was unnecessary and you could''ve lost your life today.


    And what you just did¡­ it won''t be forgotten by the ruling powers of the empire. Not unless..] he ryed his thoughts again.


    [Unless what?] asked Kahn in a cautious tone.


    The next second, the seventh stage saint dered in his authoritative tone in front of the whole empire.


    "I.. Allister Mor Vandereich, the current head of the pureblood faction and the general of the army of our great Rakos empire."


    His gaze turned to Kahn again and then face the projection artifacts as he announced in his archaic voice that echoed through the whole empire.


    "Dere mine and the pureblood faction''s full support to the candidate named Kahn!"

 Chapter 303 - The Three Kings

    After Allister Mor Vandereich, one of the three strongest individuals of the empire and the general of the army which was unknown to many citizens of the empire till now dered his full support to Kahn.. A young swordsman who came from no powerful background, even all the top ruling powers of the empire were gobsmacked.


    With this deration, all the saints who were previously enraged and wanted to kill Kahn instantly retracted their killing intent and murderous aura. Although the two demonkin saints reacted first, others weren''t far off from doing the same; let it be the Neutral, Demi-Human and Pureblood faction, majority of their top figures had the same thought.


    All of them were the most powerful figures of the empire who lead millions of people in their respective ns and their strength as well as authority was unparalleled. Yet someone like Kahn insulting and then exposing the inner happenings of thepetition had ostracized them in front of the whole empire.


    But after Allister, the vampire faction leader announced his support¡­ not a single one of them dared to have those thoughts linger in their minds. Because now.. Nobody in this empire could touch Kahn unless they wanted their entire n to be wiped out of existence.


    Kahn''s jaw was wide open after the sudden predicament he was in. This was goingpletely against his ns and he waspletely baffled at the moment.


    Two days ago, when his opponent for the match was announced.. Kahn had Ronin do a thorough Intel gathering on Victor and his records of the previous matches.


    After receiving the info and how this halfbreed demonkin usually fought against his opponents as well as his demeanor, Kahn devised a n that he would be able to use in his favor.


    Based on the information he received, Victor was simply too arrogant, impulsive and prideful of his background and lineage. And that was why Kahn started to insult this opponent since the very beginning of the match by telling him to kneel and beg on the ground if he wanted to win the match.


    And as expected, the demonkin warrior ended up threatening Kahn after he didn''t want to ept his defeat. And that was the exact moment Kahn was aiming for.


    And all the High Lord subordinates who had a human form were ordered to infiltrate and subdue the staff of the broadcasting station so his blood boiling speech would enrage the crowd. <i>[]</i>


    His original n included him exposing what happened to him, how he was being targeted and even nearly getting killed. And to put the cherry on top.. Albestros himself was going toe down here and give his support as well as tell their tragic story about his children and how Kahn avenged them. To sway the public opinion and gain their imminent support.


    And once the whole audience watching the match sided with him.. Not just these noble ns.. But any powerful figure or a saint would dare to touch him until the finals.


    Because if anything happened to Kahn after this.. The whole empire would be filled with riots and public disorder to a degree that even the saints, ns, factions and the government itself wouldn''t be able to contain it even if all of them joined hands together.


    And that was exactly what Kahn had nned after the meeting with subordinates and Albestros.


    Everything was going ording to the n until the two impatient demonkin saints who were foolish enough to attack him while the whole empire was watching came into y.


    But then, Allister showing up and now dering his support to Kahn turned his original ns upside down. Because even in his case, the rmendation token should''ve worked again to save him in that situation but instead.. The owner of the token himself came to save Kahn.


    And now, Allister openly dering his support also meant that Kahn was now tied to the pureblood faction whether he wanted it or not. In a way.. He just became a proxy chosen representative of their faction.


    While he was lost in thoughts.. Allister spoke again in his authoritative tone.


    "The reason I''m dering my support to this young man is because I''m impressed with his courage and bravery.


    He chose to speak against inequality and injustice that I was suspicious of myself.


    To reveal the misconduct in front of the whole empire despite knowing the risk to his life was something only a true patriot of our empire would do.


    In my eyes, he is no different than those brave soldiers who fight and risk their lives on our borders as they defend our empire with their sweat and blood!


    Tell me.. O'' people of Rakos Empire.. Does a brave man like this do not deserve our full support?


    I can''t say anything about others but I and my pureblood faction shall never condone such actions and hence, we will fully support Kahn during the investigation that I will appeal for to the government." spoke Allister with his regal demeanor.


    p! p! p!


    The next moment, two more godly beings descended from the air andnded in front of them.


    A white-bearded tigerkin and an elven mage dressed in kingly robes also entered the chat group.


    "For those who do not know, my name is Stalin Joseif. I''m the leader of the Neutral faction as well as the chairman of the council of ministers." spoke the Tigerkin with an upright expression.


    "And I am Jeremiah Themis, leader of the Demi-Human faction as well as the chief justice of the supreme court of our great empire." spoke the elderly elven mage with a kind expression.


    "We are here to apud this young man''s chivalrous deed; the selfless action of putting the truth out there and exposing the shameful act of trying to dictate the winner of this sacredpetition." spoke Stalin.


    "And I will personally form amittee to investigate this whole issue myself." spoke the Elven mage but then his gaze shifted to the demonkin saints and Victor, who was still lying in the ground.


    He spoke with a grim and contemptuous tone that sent shivers in their bodies¡­


    "As for you three¡­ I shall deliver the judgment myself!"

 Chapter 304 - The Damage Control

    As Jeremiah Themis, the faction leader of the Demi-Human faction spoke in his kingly tone.. The three demonkins shuddered in fear. Their bodies barely able to handle the godly pressure from this seventh stage saint and both of the third stage saints caved in.


    [You two bastards came to do the damage control and save your factions from the public wrath?] asked Allister as he telepathically talked with the two seventh-stage saints in front of him.


    [Aren''t you doing the same, you damn bloodsucker?] asked Stalin with a benign smile on his face.


    [These little impatient runts.. They really put me in a pinch.] said Jeremiah as he gave a look full of disdain to the three demonkins.


    The next moment, he cast a cage made of saint aura and captured the two demonkin saints who were actually Victor''s uncles in reality.


    "You have greatly shamed your n and our faction''s name bymitting such an atrocity.


    Just because you have some strength and a background¡­ Did you think you could go around oppressing and killing people of our empire?


    Did you really think that I and our faction will stay silent and do nothing?


    From this moment forth.. I, Jeremiah Themis, publicly banish the Apopis n from our Demi-Human faction!" he dered in front of the entire empire.


    "But.. But lord faction leader. Please, let us.."


    "Silence!! I have made my decision. And you three shall be taken into custody and a trial would be held so you can reflect on your actions." he spoke like a true judge since it was part of his job in the government of the empire.


    "Lord faction leader.. It''s him who provoked.." spoke Victor but before he couldplete his sentence, Jeremiah released some of his pressure again and froze his body on the spot.


    Unbeknownst to everyone else, the seventh stage elven saint spoke in Victor''s mind..


    [Don''t embarrass us more than you already have, boy!


    You fell for his small trick and implicated all of us, you imbecile!] hemanded.


    At the other end, Kahn who had no choice but to watch this charade had thoughts of his own.


    [Mother¡­ fuckers! These old bastards..] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    To normal folks, Jeremiah appeared like a righteous person who was punishing the guilty. But the powerful knew that he was basically throwing Victor and the entire Apopis n under the bus to not affect their faction''s name or reputation when the whole empire was watching.


    One thing Kahn realized was that all three of the faction leaders were doing damage control and lying on the spot to recover their images in front of the citizens after the stunt he pulled off.


    Realizing the fact that if he was a professor who taught the course of lying and deception¡­


    Every single one of these three people was the one who wrote these books!


    [As if! He will only dere that in public but actually, it won''t change a damn thing behind the curtain. There will be no trial either.] thought Kahn.


    [Am I going to be their puppet again?


    First, God of Darkness.. Then Arkham and Solomon. Later, it was Ismaetrazel, the Vandereich n and now these three faction leaders.


    Why the fuck am I never truly in control?!] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    Because no matter how smartly he yed his cards.. He was still being used by the truly powerful in the end.


    He knew that after this.. The whole image correction campaign of the noble ns, the three factions and the government would start throughout the empire and before the finale, today''s incident would be buried as if nothing ever happened.


    So in the end.. All his efforts were going in vain.


    And all of it kept happening because Kahn was ying along with the big guns with his meager strength.


    If he was a powerful saint like the three faction leaders.. Things would go in apletely different route than his current predicament.


    [Never again! After this.. I''d rather die than do their bidding!] thought Kahn as he made a firm resolution in his mind.


    ----------------


    In front of billions of audience, Kahn was officially dered as the winner of this semifinals match and the whole incident regarding him risking his life to shed light on the truth regarding thispetition was etched into the minds of the normal citizens.


    More than a billion people discussed Kahn''s sudden revtion as a semi-saint despiteing from no noble background or any powerful force. The way he fought like a seasoned warrior and how hepletely decimated his opponent with pure skills alone became the talk of the empire.


    And after this match, Kahn was recognized by all the factions as a potential top figure in the uing future because even one of the strongest people in the entire empire had given his support to him.


    But the saints of these powers and factions also recognized his true potential as someone who had already surpassed the majority of the semi-saints, let it be the younger generation or the old ones based on his unparalleled skill called the Dragon Strike.


    Up until now, he was a nobody in their eyes. And no one had thought much about his journey till this point because all of them expected only the top ns to make it to the finale anyway.


    Meanwhile, all the high lord subordinates who were safeguarding the broadcasting stations already returned and mixed among the crowd. All that left for them was to collect the money they bet on Kahn.. And given the odds and the amount they spent.. It would be a miracle if they managed to collect it all before the finale.


    When the night came and all the people returned to their homes.. A different atmosphere filled the main headquarters of the top three factions.


    Their respective faction leaders along with the top figures of the council held a secret meeting.


    In case of the Demi-Human faction.. Even Victor''s father, Darius Apopis was present in there.


    All these top saints of the Rakos Empire had only one topic in their mind as they discussed amongst themselves as if the matter was of the utmost importance.


    "No matter the cost.. We have to make him willingly join us. No matter the price¡­" spoke the faction leaders in their respective headquarters. And gave a finalmand¡­


    "We must get Kahn on our side!"

 Chapter 305 - Pureblood Faction

    The next day after Kahn''s matches, the hype for the next match continued as the next and final round before the main finale was even more poprpared to Kahn and Victor''s match.


    Because the two candidates who''d be fighting in this match were two of the top 3 candidates who were expected to win thispetition based on their talent and prestige amongst the three factions.


    A semi-saint vs a semi-saint.


    The Raven Sorceress vs the Dual Swords Saintess.


    Kassandra Mikealson vs Celine Armitage!


    Both of whom were the chosen representatives of the neutral faction as well as heiress of their respective ns.


    On paper, both the young human sorceress and the demonkin swordswoman were eventually matched. But none of them had revealed their full extent of strength or skills even till now.


    So what everyone in the empire expected to see was these two young women fight against each other to prove their worth since rumors had spread among the masses that in case any of them wins thepetition, they will be chosen as the sessors of neutral faction leader


    And given the fact that both of their fathers were sixth stage saints themselves.. It became a matter of prestige as well a key moment in the history of the neutral faction.


    So the exposure and anticipation was already twicepared to Kahn''s match.


    However¡­ On the day of the match, Kahn received an invitation.


    Not just a normal invitation but one that arrived with a warship. Kahn had no choice but to ept and read the contents.


    "I see. I expected as much." he spoke and departed in the warship that was actually sent to escort him to the residence of the host.


    After spending 1 hour and traveling nearly 900 kilometers in this warship that resembled an intergctic spacecraft, he and the force of grandmasters that was sent to escort him finallynded in the western end of the central region of the capital.


    In front of Kahn, stood an enormous fort situated in arge city. Kahn still couldn''t see an end of the ginormous construct as the entrance gates themselves were 100 meters tall.


    After a luxurious flying carriage picked him up, Kahn spent half an hour just to reach the main meeting hall where he was showered with flowers and escorted inside like a celebrity.


    At the end of the one kilometer long hall where dozens of tforms and chairs were ced and could hold a grand meeting of at least one thousand individuals, were 2 people waiting patiently.


    On the huge main throne, was an elderly and silver-haired vampire sitting like an absolute king and on the side of the throne, was a small throne where another silver-haired man who barely looked in his thirties awaited Kahn.


    The father-son duo of Allister and Ismaetrazel had invited... more like summoned Kahn.


    "How are you, human boy? Did you have afortable journey?" asked Allister in a magnanimous tone.


    "Yes, your lordship." spoke Kahn respectfully as he half knelt in front of the seventh stage saint.


    "Do you have any idea why I have called upon you?" asked the faction leader.


    "I think I do." replied Kahn with an understanding gaze.


    "Good. You''re smart enough to understand these small things at least.


    You do know that you''re alive at this moment because I dered my support to you in front of this whole empire, right?" he asked.


    "Yes, your lordship." said Kahn in an understanding tone.


    He didn''t have any domineering attitude or rebellious tone in his speech as the being standing in front of him was someone he couldn''t even dare to stand in the same room.


    At this moment, Allister looked at Kahn as if a gigantic dragon was gazing at a small puppy.


    The realm of strength both of them were at was worlds apart.


    "So what do you want in return for the protection?" asked Kahn as he stood properly in front of the two saints.


    "Have you reconsidered the offer I made you months ago?" asked Ismaetrazel in a solemn tone.


    "I have. And it''s still no." spoke Kahn without a pause.


    "However.. I have been approached by others just like you." he said before either of the saints could speak anything.


    Both of their expressions turned rmed but they quickly regained theirposure.


    "Who?" asked Allister in his old and grim voice.


    "Stronoff Mikealson. Just like lord n leader here.. He too offered me to be his disciple. And more importantly.. He offered me to join their n through marriage." revealed Kahn with a calm expression.


    The next second however, both the father and son lost theirposure and instantly reacted.


    "You can''t!" spoke Allister.


    "Airshh¡­" suddenly Kahn''s expression turned to that of irritation and he no longer acted like an obedient child in front of these two powerful beings.


    "Lord faction leader and lord n leader.. Can we drop these pretenses for once? It''s suffocating." spoke Kahn in a carefree tone.


    There was a reason why he revealed the inside info about Stronoff trying to recruit him.


    He wanted to see the expression on the faces of the two vampires. And after seeing their reaction¡­ he knew one thing for sure..


    THEY NEEDED HIM.


    Kahn carefreely walked towards the left and sat on a golden ottoman-style chair and crossed his legs. His attitude took a U-turn as if he no longer cared about angering these two saints.


    "If anyone could tell me what the hell is actually happening.. That''d be great!" spoke Kahn as if he had suffered a great injustice.


    The next moment, the old vampire spoke again but without getting enraged or offended by Kahn''s sudden shift in attitude.


    "I can tell you.. But can you stomach it? Because me telling you the truth also means you will have to choose our side."


    Sigh!


    Kahn sighed as his shoulders dropped and he took a deep breath.


    "After yesterday''s fiasco.." he took a pause and spoke in a helpless tone..


    "Aren''t I already on your side?"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Hear me and rejoice!


    The rates for all the privileged chapters tiers have been halved for this month and will be applied from 1st February 2022 after a lot of demands from the regr readers.


    As well as a 10 chapters mass release will be done on the same date.


    I n to add a new 15 chapters tier for privilege from next month based on the response from February.


    So here are the new rates and tiers.


    Master Rank = 5 Chapters, Price = 100 coins. (Original = 224)


    Grandmaster Rank = 10 chapters, Price = 250 coins. (Original = 560)


    And we will continue our daily 3 chapters release for this month as well.


    Thank you for all the love and support.]]

 Chapter 306 - Truth Behind It All

    No extra words were spoken between the 3 men after Kahn''s affirmation about being their chosen representative after yesterday''s events.


    "I''m basically representing your faction in the finale." he said.


    To his words.. Both the saints gave an understanding nod. Allister gave it a final thought and decided to speak.


    "Before I tell you anything¡­ know this. If you leak this information to anyone else or try to join any faction.. There will be dire consequences.


    If you betray us or try to double-cross us.. The one to kill you will be none other than me."


    Kahn on the other end wasn''t fazed by these words. He had been facing death quite often these days anyway.


    For the next one hour.. All three of them had a hearty chat where Kahn was either inplete disbelief, holding his head in surprise and pulling his own hair in irritation.


    "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!!" he eximed loudly.


    "So that''s why everyone was after me?


    Then what about thispetition? What part does it y in all of this?" asked Kahn to the old vampire.


    "Obviously.. The one to win thispetition can legally pick that area as their fiefdom. Not only can they use the resources of that ce to fill their pockets but also have full control over it both in terms of political and military power.


    Do you really think the winner faction will let others enter that area after choosing it as their fiefdom?


    No amount of authority or political pressure can make the other two factions gain any form of footing there.


    Since all three of the faction leaders have taken a blood-oath... We will die if we try to betray the contract. And hence.. The one to win thispetition also has the best chance to get it." iterated Allister.


    "So tell me, Kahn. Do you ept our proposal?" asked Ismaetrazel in a solemn tone.


    Sigh!


    He sighed again and spoke in an exasperated tone.


    "It''s not like I have a choice. I was already ying the game I didn''t even know the rules of. What choice do I have left now?"


    "Let''s say that I ept this deal..


    But I have some terms of my own. And I don''t think you have any other choice but to ept them at this point if you want me to do with my free will." said Kahn and gave a resolute expression towards Allister.


    "What is it?" asked the old vampire with a curious gaze..


    Kahn then replied with a fearless expression as he spoke in a domineering voice¡­


    "I will do everything on my terms."


    Both the vampires had confused expressions as they signaled him to borate.


    "What I mean is that it should be okay as long as the means meet the end, right?


    I will not answer to anyone. I won''t allow to be monitored or report anything to any supervisor. And do not expect me to join your faction after everything is done." he stated.


    "Careful boy.. You''re not in a position to make such demands." said Allister as he slightly leaked his aura.


    "Is that so? The way I see it.. Only me and Celine Armitage of the neutral faction have a 50% chance to seed.


    If you try to force me in any way.. You know that you''ll lose yourst chance.


    Is that a risk you can afford, lord faction leader?" asked Kahn with a smug expression.


    Wrinkles formed on the old vampire''s face as he squinted his eyes to hold his irritation.


    "Fine! State what you want in return." he said with a grunt.


    "Now we''re talking. So here are my terms of exchange¡­" spoke Kahn.


    For the next 10 minutes, he stated his secret demands and what he wanted in return from their Pureblood faction.


    After the deal was agreed on both sides and evening finally came, he was escorted back to Rukon district in the warship he came in.


    The secret behind why these factions wanted Kahn to join their side, the offer made by both Ismaetrazel & Stronoff and the whole truth behind the Emperor''s Chosenpetition itself was something nobody aside from the top dogs of the three factions knew of.


    And after he heard the real reason.. Kahn''s own ns had to be changed as well.


    In the meeting hall of the pureblood faction headquarters.. Allister who remained with his son, spoke in a ghastly tone..


    "I''m sure that Stalin and Jeremiah sensed it as well. We have to make sure that their people can''t approach him or pressurize him in any way.


    Deploy 5 of our 3rd stage saints for his protection. That human boy.. I believe he''s the key." spoke the old vampire with a serious expression.


    "What do you mean?" asked the silver-haired swordsman to his father.


    "Why do you think we did no kill him after the blunder he pulled off in front of the whole empire?" asked Allister.


    "Because the entire empire was watching?" asked Ismaetrazel.


    "It did y a part in thar decision but it''s not the primary reason." replied the elderly vampire.


    "Then what is it?" asked the n leader.


    "First tell me¡­ What do we know about his family history?" he asked.


    "We found out that he is an orphan. There''s no information about his parents. But we do know that he once belonged to a mercenary group that was massacred in a bandit ambush just a year ago.


    And his uncle, the only blood rtive he had, also died. He is the sole survivor as per our intel.


    He met the peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston after getting hired as a bodyguard and saved his life many times during their journey to the capital when he also saved Szayel.


    As for his talent and rise in rank without any support or resources from a powerful backer.. It''s still unknown till this point." reported Ismaetrazel.


    "I see. Then it makes things easier.


    If anyone can do it.. It''ll be this human boy.


    Although it''s extremely weak, I''m certain that aura I feel from him belongs to that man''s bloodline. Kahn could be their descendant but he doesn''t even know it." said the old vampire as he crossed his arms.


    "Whose aura, lord father?" Asked Ismaetrazel with a curious gaze.


    To his query.. The old vampire replied with a stern tone..


    "The aura of the previous emperor."


    [[Author : Reference Art for Allister Mor Vandereich in chapterments.]]


    ----------------


    When Kahn returned to his Manor and sat in a meeting between him, Albestros and the subordinates.. He exined the whole truth to all of them and why they were being targeted since the beginning.


    He spoke in a sinister tone after he proposed his new full-proof n.


    "Till this point.. Those fucking Vampires and their faction used me like a puppet.


    But from now on.." he said and continued with a sinister expression.


    "It will be me who uses them."

 Chapter 307 - Beating For The First Time

    Five days after the second round of the semifinals was done.. The day of the finale finally came and a grand festival-like atmosphere came to be throughout the Rakos Empire.


    This day would be etched into the history just like the finales of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition in the past millennium. And by no means it would be overshadowed by anything else.


    What would happen today will directly impact the future of millions of people as the winner would get to choose a fiefdom and then live as a ruler of that area. The fate of the millions of citizens would be in their hands.


    Although it appeared as a bad idea to let an inexperienced person take charge of such ces.. History had proven from time to time that it also created good leaders and often, the people from these fiefdoms lived better lives and quality of lifestyle.


    Because their rulers only paid attention to developing their rule and did not work like a government officer who couldn''t even arrange enough funds for the development of these states.


    And after a thousand years, only 3 areas big enough to be chosen as a fiefdom were left in the empire.


    Two of which were extremely rich in natural resources and had a plethora of opportunities for redevelopment which would often create new jobs for themon folks and cultivate new cities in due process.


    Hence, themon folks were looking forward to which area the champion of thispetition would choose.


    As for the results of the previous match on the day Kahn met and made a deal with the Pureblood faction leader.. He willingly chose to not watch it from recordings and only heard about who the winner was.


    And after hearing the results.. He chose to meet this opponent right in the battlefield without even checking how this female opponent looked in reality.


    For the first time in thispetition, he was going without any prior information about the opponent as he was busy taking care of hisst cards and the wealth he earned.


    He nned on how they were going to use it so that nobody from any faction could harm him in any way and he will be using it to the best of his advantage.


    All the money he won after his match with Victor was only gathered but yet to be talliedpletely as it was going to take them months based on the estimations presented by Sirius, his new head ountant who had been managing their legit and the business through Seven Deadly Sins.


    The orc ountant had proven himself as an incredibly talented and capable person who wasn''t only good with numbers.. But also knew how tounder their money through legal means more than the generals.


    Kahn saving this helpless orc nearly a month ago and deciding to cultivate him as a useful individual for the long term indeed turned out fruitful. So there were many things Sirius was left in charge of so Omega and the generals could handle other things.


    "Lord Kahn.. It is done." spoke Sirius as he bowed in respect to Kahn.


    Throughout the tournament, he was receiving surprise after surprise when Kahn kept progressing from rounds after rounds and he too was taken aback.


    It was only when did Kahn and the generals needed a reliable hand to manage the ie, did they bring Sirius into their inner circle.


    But after the semifinals¡­ Sirius had nothing but respect for Kahn in his mind because it was now well known to the whole empire that Kahn was someone who reached this stage in thepetition without the support of any force and backing. And even risked his life to expose the misconduct during thepetition.


    In a way.. Kahn had gone from a Savior to a God in his eyes.


    "How much did we need to spend?" asked Kahn.


    "Approximately three hundred billion gold coins, my lord." reported Sirius as he handed Kahn records of their expenditure.


    "Good. It''s money well spent. Now let''s wait till the right moment. After this.. We won''t have to be afraid of anyone." spoke Kahn in with a smirk.


    Sirius nodded and left for his task.


    [Master.. It''s time. We should leave.] spoke Jugram in his mind.


    After Kahn and his envoy gathered.. They departed for the battle arena where the final match which would decide Kahn''s fate in this empire was to be held in the evening.


    After safely reaching inside the arena while avoiding watchful eyes, Kahn reverted to his original appearance and entered the battlefield.


    After the grand opening ceremony, while being escorted by a dozen peak grandmasters, he finally reached his side of the battle ring.


    The arena this time was one and half times bigger than his previous match while the main battleground in itself was 5 kilometers in circumference.


    Even in the novels and mangas Kahn used to read, the cultivator protagonists didn''t have this much area during their fights. Entailing that the power scale of this world was on apletely different level.


    Because even an ancient immortal from such novels and stories would be bitchpped to death by a fifth stage saint in this world.


    On the highest floors, were the top saints including faction leaders present in the arena to watch the match.


    Kahn and his opponent''s odds are 70:30 for betting. Him being on the losing side again because after the second match, people came to a realization about who was most likely to win thispetition.


    Yet the previous match with Victor also greatly boosted his odds and reputation.


    [Go all in.] hemanded and waited for his opponent to enter the battlefield.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    The resounding footsteps of his opponent filled the tranquil battle arena.


    SHRILL!


    The very next moment, Kahn felt a familiar killing aura that he sensed on the day when he defeated Veronica in the quarterfinals.


    He already heard who his opponent was and how she defeated her opponent in the semifinals with an impable disy of control and diversity in terms of her skills and how she controlled the battlefield.


    But it was the first time he saw how she looked in real life.


    In front of him, now stood the other finalist. But before Kahn could speak a word or do anything¡­


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    After he saw his female opponent¡­ a sudden rush of emotions spread through his body and mind.


    And for the first time in Kahn''s new life¡­


    HIS HEART FLUTTERED.

 Chapter 308 - The Raven Sorceress

    In front of the 8 million people, every single one of whom was rich enough to buy this 50 thousand gold coins worth ticket, Kahn gazed?was simply awestruck after looking at her.


    [Is this what they call¡­ Love at first sight?] thought Kahn as he kept staring at the young woman on the opposite side while a gentle breeze passed by.


    The distance between them was just half a kilometer but since both of them were semi-saints, Kahn could notice every minute detail about the woman who made his heart pound for the first time.


    Even at this moment, his racing heart was out of control and so was his mind that was lost in a different dreamworld.


    Because at this exact moment, a young woman of the same age as Kahn was dressed in an epic rank ck sorceress robe, a ck drape fluttering behind her with yellow gauntlets, waist belt and pauldrons as part of her gear, stood on the opposite side.


    In her left hand, was a bright yellow orb that was an artifact often used by the summoner ss to channel magic.


    Her well-proportioned figure was barely 3 inches shorter than Kahn. Yet her skin tone was very fair and pleasing to the eyes.


    Her raven ck hair and dark blue eyes onlyplimented her beauty and made her look extremely desirable in the eyes of every male of the empire watching this finale match.


    By no means Kahn believed in those over-exaggerated things such as a kingdom toppling beauty often mentioned in those harem and romance novels where the protagonist was nothing but a horny dog who picked women in every city he went in.


    But after looking at the woman who was slowly walking towards him.. Kahn felt that those types of women did exist to a degree.


    But what fluttered his heart was her overall personality and appearance.


    Because her attitude, her clothing, her facial and physical features were something he had yearned for in his imaginary ideal woman from the past life as Elric.


    To him.. The mesmerizing and enchanting figure of the opponent looked like the young version of Eva Green cast in the live-action role for Yennefer of Vengerberg from the third The Witcher game; as far as her appearance was concerned.


    "Hello, mister Kahn. I''m Kassandra Mikealson." said Kassandra as she formally introduced herself.


    His opponent was none other than the Raven Sorceress, the one titled as the number one genius of the younger generation.


    "Hello Kahn, I''m Kassandra." replied Kahn in a hurry.


    "Wait, that''s not right.." he quickly said and regained his consciousness.


    [Dude.. What the hell is happening?!] wondered Kahn in his mind.


    [He he.. Looks like you have finally found a mate, human.] joked Rudra in his mind.


    [Shut the fuck up, you legless lizard!] admonished Kahn.


    [O'' mighty Giga Chad¡­ lend me the strength to fight these evil thoughts.] prayed Kahn as he closed his eyes and tried to adjust his breathing.


    "What''s your full name?" asked Kassandra in a gentle tone.


    "It''s Kahn¡­ Salvatore." he said.


    By thew of conservation of The Vampire Diaries.. If she was a Mikealson.. He had to be a Salvatore.


    "I''ve heard quite a lot about you. Even my second uncle speaks very highly of you.


    So please go easy on me during our battle." she said in her merry and pleasant voice.


    [This creep¡­ Why does he keep staring at me like that?


    I''ll step on his face in front of the whole empire for hurting our Veronica.] thought Kassandra as she maintained a friendly smile on her face.


    [So beautiful.. Oh, fuck!! Control yourself you damn simp! She''s a red g!


    Remember... Just like Katherine, her name also starts with a K!


    Wait.. My name also starts with a K.


    Seriously, who the hell is this novel''s author?


    That imbecile has no naming sense!] he kept cursing and regained hisposure.


    The next moment, Kassandra spoke again. This time.. Her tone turned from friendly to authoritative.


    "Why don''t you do me a favor and forfeit this match? I would hate to form an enmity with you because of this fight." said Kassandra as she gave a gentle smile to Kahn.


    [Pick a fight with me.. Please pick a fight with me! If not for my father and those old rascals from the faction council watching.. I would''ve attacked you already!] she eximed in her mind.


    Yet the expression on her face was of someone who seemed very pleased to meet Kahn.


    To the audience however¡­ this entire scenario seemedpletely out of their expectations.


    Both of thesebatants were supposed to be top geniuses of their generation and extremely fierce warriors. But instead of engaging in a head-on battle from the start..


    They were having a formal conversation as if this arena was holding a gathering function and they were trying to get acquainted with each other.


    To some.. It felt like at this rate.. They''d soon start flirting in the middle of the ring.


    "If you really want it that bad.. I can lose this match for you. But what will I get in exchange?" asked Kahn in a joking manner.


    Stunned!! Not just themon popce but even all the saints and the three faction leaders had their jaws dropped on the ground.


    Was this a joke?! Was Kahn really considering throwing away the match because a pretty girl asked him to?


    Or this whole thing was a setup in reality and the match was already fixed?


    More than a billion people throughout the empire had this exact thought at this moment.


    [What the hell? Is this guy a nutjob or something? Is he really considering it?] wondered Kassandra.


    Unlike her outer appearance.. Kassandra was more of a rough and tough type of person in reality, not some carefully raised princess of a kingdom.


    "What? Really? What do you want?" asked Kassandra as she squinted her eyes.


    "Something of equal value. Something worth giving up this match for." replied Kahn as he slightly tilted his head and maintained his friendly and weing expression.


    "What do you want exactly?" she asked with a cautious expression.


    The next second, Kahn smirked as he inspected Kassandra from head to toe again and spoke with a charming smile.


    "I want you to marry me."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Art for Kassandra Mikealson in chapterments. You must check it out!]]

 Chapter 309 - Reverse Strategy

    Let it be Kassandra, the audience or the top mighty figures of the empire.. Everyone aside from Kahn was stunned and left speechless after this sudden demand by the young swordsman.


    Kassandra had her eyes wide open as her jaw almost hit the floor. The next moment, her face turned red as a flustered expression appeared on her beautiful face.


    "What.. What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!" asked Kassandra in a high-pitched tone.


    Kahn was teasing her in front of the whole empire.


    "Hey.. You started it first.


    Are you that dumb? Will I really give into your proposal because you asked nicely?


    Looks like you know nothing about the outside world, princess.


    Only a pretty face but no brains." taunted Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    Embarrassed.. Kasandra felt embarrassed as soon as he mentioned this part.


    It wasn''t her but her father''smand to propose this idea to Kahn and try to not make enemies with him because they too wanted Kahn to join their side.


    Also, embarrassing her this way was Kahn''s n to get in her head. It would be useful if he could make her loseposure as he verbally provoked her in front of the empire.


    Because no prideful and independent woman would let such remarks pass by easily.


    "This kid¡­ the more he pisses her off, the fiercer she will get. I already warned him.


    If he keeps doing it.. She might just beat him to death." said Stronoff, who was seated in their VIP room along with Kassandra''s father.


    [Kassandra.. We will take care of thister. You can start fighting now.] said her father, Damon Mikealson.


    The sixth stage mage and the current n leader of the Mikealson n also came because today.. He expected to see his daughter win thispetition and pave the way for their faction for the uing future.


    During thepetition, Kasandra was the most popr candidate ever since she started from the bottom rounds unlike other semi-saints of the faction. So not just normal people but even the saints from other factions had expected to see her in the finale.


    The biggest oddball that no one expected to see was Kahn himself.


    "I see. Then there''s no point in me holding back, right?" asked Kassandra as she clenched her teeth and tried to hide her anger after Kahn made a fool out of her.


    [Just you wait, you scumbag. You''ll be begging me to stop.] she thought as a battle intent filled her eyes.


    BOOM!!


    Two loud bursts of the auras instantly filled the battle ring as Kahn and Kassandra released their full strength right off the bat.


    A violet aura along with a dark and red aura filled the battlefield. Millions of people among the audience also felt their intensely terrifying killing intent.


    Kahn quickly activated Sword Savant skill and created 50 aura des. All his battle-rted passive skills in effect and one by one.. His body let out four different auras.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Four consecutive shockwaves were released from Kahn''s body as he activated all of his attack buff skills and received an immediate boost in his stats.


    SHRILL!!


    Kassandra on the other end finally revealed her skills as six different elemental orbs formed after she channeled her mana and created six different constructs.


    And soon, these orbs levitated high in the air and took different shapes in just five seconds..


    Two giantnces, two shields and two bows, each of which was glowing with the matching colors of their respective elements such as lightning, light magic, fire, water, earth and wood.


    And to top it all, all of these conjured weapons were 10 meters tall in size.


    Lightning crackled onence while blistering heat from the second one raised the temperature of the atmosphere.


    Two heavy and rugged shield made of earth element cracked the ground as soon as itnded on the battle tform. While the battlefield shook as soon as the wooden and earth elemental shield banged against the ground.


    One bow made of the light element while the other one made of highlypressed water hovered in the air as Kassandra fortified these constructs with her mana.


    [So just as I heard.. She has the skills of the summoner ss. And yet.. This isn''t even half of her strength.


    Looks like she wants to probe my strength first.] thought Kahn as he charged towards her conjured construct.


    Compared to his size, these constructs appeared like tall towers.. And if this was a real battle¡­


    Kassandra would be easily able to fight against more than a thousand people because her constructs had the bestbination of defense, attack and long-range attacking skills.


    And based on their size alone.. The damage she could do to an enemy force would be massive.


    Bang!!


    Kahn''s own summoned aura greatswords collided against these highly dense elemental constructs as per Kahn''s will while he himself charged to close the distance between him and the opponent.


    The next second, he appeared 100 meters as if he teleported using the new skill he created after merging Side Hopper & sh Steps after the semifinals. This was now his fastest agility and movement skill that surpassed all the other ones he had before.


    And he named this new SS Rank skill as¡­


    Quicksilver!


    [She''s smart. She''s using the best element suited for attacks, defense and long-range damage. I guess she''s no poser after all.] thought Kahn as his figure flickered again and appeared 100 meters closer to the opponent.


    BOOM!!


    A loud aftershock resounded as Kahn appeared on the southern end after he quickly dodged a strike from the lightningnce.


    His own aura swords started attacking Kassandra''s weapons and shield as Kahn''s figure appeared and disappeared from time to time while he evaded the light and water arrows shot from her bows.


    BOOM!


    Bang!


    Dhang!


    ng!


    In just a minute as soon as both thebatants seriously started fighting and their aura weapons started shing, the battle took a heated turn.


    Kahn quickly swung lucifer and used Lightning sh attack to break past her defensive shields, only to receive an aftershock from the point of impact.


    His aura des spammed the attacks with different elemental des as he looked for an opening while consecutively using quicksilver skill to avoid getting hit.


    [Right there!] thought Kahn and the next second, he appeared between the gap between the giant shields that was created after a volley of attacks from his swords.


    "You''re full of openings." spoke Kahn as he dashed forward after infiltrating inside her defensive formation.


    "Is that so?" replied the female opponent.


    But the next moment, Kassandra gave a light smirk as she spoke in a mocking tone.


    "You''re right where I want you to be."

 Chapter 310 - The Challenge

    As soon as Kahn charged through the opening he created¡­ more likely he was led to believe that he created, Kassandra gave a light smirk in response.


    Survival Instinct blessing quickly rmed Kahn that he was in grave danger!


    Shing!


    But before Kahn could even use quicksilver and get out, an orchid-colored barrier suddenly appeared out of nowhere and encapsted the 100 meter area around Kahn.


    Kassandra who was standing nearly 200 meters away from Kahn then moved her hands as if casting some sort of spell.


    Suddenly, his body felt heavy as if all of the strength he had was getting suppressed greatly.


    "This.. This is a restriction barrier!" eximed Kahn in surprise.


    This was the exact experience he had before when Solomon and Arkham tried to kill him.


    But unlike the prior event, the restriction barrier lowered all of his physical stats to 60% of the original strength.


    [What the hell! Isn''t she a summoner? Since when can they cast a magic barrier? And she isn''t even using an artifact for it..] wondered Kahn with a shocked expression.


    Crackle! Crackle!


    Sizzle! Sizzle!


    Before he could give it too much thought, both the giant lightning and firences attacked Kahn with a quick stab towards his location.


    BOOM!


    Another big explosion shook the battlefield and shattered the 50 meter radius battleground and sonic booms filled the arena.


    Shing!


    60 meters high in the air, a bright blue and archaic magical formation suddenly formed above Kahn who barely survived against the lightning and the firence attack.


    [What the bloody hell..] cursed Kahn as he was already greatly suppressed and now.. Kassandra had cast a 100 meter wide lightning elemental magic formation.


    This was an Enchanter''s skill as far as magic-rted professions were concerned in this world.


    Multiple thundering noises filled the arena and Survival Instinct alerted Kahn''s mind as if an extremely dangerous attack wasing his way.


    [Dude.. This is simply cheating!] he eximed and tried to run out of the restriction barrier.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Dozens of lightning strikes from the archaic pentagram-shaped magic formationnded on the ground and Kahn, the main target was caught into the fray.


    Even with his quicksilver skill, he barely managed to escape 4 strikes that shattered the 20 meters of space in an instant.


    While avoiding the strikes, his gazended on Kassandra. The sorceress looked at Kahn and waved her right hand as if bidding him a farewell with a grin on her face.


    [This bitch!] he cursed and sidestepped left and avoided a blinding lightning strike.


    As if this wasn''t enough.. Kassandra started casting another magic formation just above the one that was currently attacking Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    Bang!


    Kahn avoided the light and water elemental arrows shot at him just in a nick of time that were aimed at his path to getting outside of this restriction barrier.


    Bang!


    Kahn''s aura des finally broke through the defensive shield conjured by Kassandra and flew towards their master.


    In just a single collected attack, both the giantnces were pushed backwards.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, a chilling breeze passed by Kahn''s body and for the first time during thispetition.. Kahn felt shivers in his spine.


    [Ah, fuck!] cursed Kahn as he saw the lightning elemental magic formation disappear¡­


    But the new formation just above it was suddenly activated.


    Not just Kahn but even the millions of audience suddenly felt chills on their body.


    BOOM!!


    A loud colliding voice filled the battle arena and right in front of the whole empire watching this match..


    Kassandra summoned a gigantic goddamn iceberg!


    [Son of a¡­] before he couldplete the words.. The 100 meter wide iceberg descended upon him.


    Bang!


    A loud explosion banging noise filled the arena. And before Kahn had any chance, Kassandra buried him under the cold and frozen ice.


    [Master!!] eximed all the subordinates who were hidden among the audience.


    Because in front of them, their master waspletely overwhelmed while facing this woman.


    It hadn''t even been 10 minutes since the battle started for real and Kassandra was legitimately whooping Kahn''s ass in front of the whole empire.


    Without his cheat abilities such as Executioner''s Gaze, Hero of Darkness title, Asura Mode, Berserk God Mode as well as darkness elemental skills such as Dark Lightning Strike skill and Void Realm spell..


    Kahn was getting thrashed around by Kassandra as if they weren''t even in the same league.


    Forget fighting on even terms¡­ Kahn couldn''t evene close to this woman.


    And she herself was a living hack who was using the skills and spells of three different professions like it was as easy as breathing for her.


    At this moment, Kahn''s aura greatswords hovering in the air also stopped moving and everyone watching this match thought that he was done for.


    "Oh my.. Stop ying around, would you? This isn''t any fun." spoke Kassandra with a bored expression.


    As if not being satisfied with the ongoing battle.. She yawned and kept looking towards the ginormous iceberg that buried her swordsman opponent in the ground.


    Suddenly, a deep and grim voice resounded on the battlefield.


    "Hey, tell me.. Aren''t you just a Summoner? How can you cast magic formations like an Enchanter? And that restriction barrier can only be used by a Magician." asked a man with a deathly tone.


    Because from what was seen in Kassandra''s match with Celine Armitage, who was a semi-saint herself.. She had only used the skills of a Summoner till this point in thispetition and it was a no different case in her previous fight either.


    "Defeat me and I''ll tell you my secret." said Kassandra as she winked at the iceberg as if she could see the man underneath.


    Like Kahn previously teased with the marriage proposal and embarrassed her.. This time, it was Kassandra toying around with Kahn.


    BOOOOOOMMMM!!!


    A loud and ground-shattering explosion happened that sent tremors in the entire arena. The restriction barrier broke just from the shockwaves alone.


    The broken ice and snow were thrown off and spread around the battlefield as the once frozen ce that the iceberg upied before waspletely turned into a burning crevice.


    GROWL!!!


    A deathly growl resounded from the center of this blistering fire as if something was emerging from the pits of hell.


    Thud! Thud!


    A demonic figure who was literally on fire walked out, baffling all of the audience as his loud footsteps resounded in the surroundings.


    This being was none other than Kahn¡­ in the Drakos Armor.

 Chapter 311 - Being Successful

    A man on fire, surrounded by fierce ck and red aura that was visible in the 100 meter radius around him walked towards the woman dressed in ck sorceress attire. His eyes filled with bloodlust and killing intent.


    "Fine then. Let''s see who''s the best among us." spoke Kahn with a tone filled with dominance and battle intent.


    After summoning the Drakos Armor at thest moment and using the Defense Reserve skill that allowed Kahn to store 50% of the damage taken and release it in the form of explosive energy burst just like ck Panther''s vibranium suit..


    His body let out an explosive burst of heat as soon as Kahn activated the draconian bloodline effect with both the drakos armor and lucifer equipped; it was more than enough to destroy the iceberg he barely defended against with those reduced stats.


    The drastic changes in his stats happened now in terms of strength which rose by 90% in attack strength and 75% additional speed than before. At this moment, his defense also rose by 120% and the dexterity by 86%.


    And now, Kahn was no longer under the restriction barrier and with the draconian bloodline in effect, he was basically 2 times strongerpared to when the match started.


    To his invitation, Kassandra also released her full killing intent,pletely unfazed by his sudden rise in strength as she had anticipated this already.


    Kahn reactivated the sword savant skill and this time, the new aura greatswords shone brightly and each of them became denser and highly concentrated with his aura since they also received this boost in strength.


    Kahn dashed towards his opponent and so did all of his aura swords. He used quicksilver and appeared on the left side of the opponent who was casting a barrier to protect herself.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    One after another, multiple afterimages formed as the demonic figure kept appearing from different ces as he became impossible to be tracked down. And neither was his next possible location sensed even to a seasoned fighter like Kassandra.


    "That technique.. How is that possible?" spoke many of the swordsman and assassins ss saints of various ns and factions who were watching this match from their respective VIP rooms.


    "Impossible! This kid is unbelievable!" eximed Ismaetrazel in disbelief as he noticed Kahn''s new movement technique.


    In the room for the Mikealson n, Stronoff also had a bewildered expression.


    "How can he do that.. That''s basically mixing two different sses'' skills. And it''s even better than my sh Steps technique." spoke Stronoff with his eyes wide open.


    "What do you mean, younger brother?" asked Damon Mikealson.


    "In the sh Steps technique.. You have to follow a pattern based on the direction you take initially while performing this movement technique.


    And then you have to follow the sequence to properly adjust your footing or else, not only will your technique fails, but it might injure your legs as well." he exined.


    "But what Kahn is doing now doesn''t follow any pattern as if the whole battlefield has no friction, gravity, momentum and there''s no direction set in his movements. In other words.. He''spletely unpredictable!" he borated.


    "If he bes a saint.. He''d have a huge advantage over all the other physical and long range sses. If he was at same stage as me.. With this technique.. Even I will have to be scared for my life."


    For the next half an hour, their fierce battle continued as Kahn kept dodging and evading whilst his aura sword destroyed Kassandra''s constructs with the sheer number of attacks and numbers with different elemental swords.


    Kassandra was now forced on the backfoot unlike before and this time, Kahn was simply too fast for her to catch him under a restriction barrier again.


    Even with her extremely keen senses, Kassandra was having a hard time tracking his new position. And taking the opportunity, Kahn kept attacking with his lightning sh and destorm skill from time to time which evidently formed multiple cracks on the protection barrier she cast a while ago.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Soon, not only her barrier but all of her conjured weapons and shields also started wearing out and eventually cracked under Kahn''s fierce onught.


    And for the first time.. Kassandra broke a sweat after the bacsh of having her spells and constructs getting destroyed by Kahn.


    "I can still fight!" spoke Kassandra with an exasperated expression as she used the yellow orb in her hand to summon a new set of constructs such as shields and walls for her defense.


    Kahn quickly understood her strategy. She was aiming to bide time for a bigger and extremely destructive spell that could possibly end the match while Kahn focused on breaking through her new ten meter tall defensive constructs.


    "Not on my watch!" spoke Kahn and he threw Lucifer high in the air.


    All of the audience was quickly excited as soon as they noticed this skill move that made him famous even among the saints of this empire.


    Soon, all the elemental aura greatswords returned and coalesced around lucifer to form a 250 meters gigantic greatsword made of highly dense elements and for the second time in thispetition.. Kahn used his ultimate finishing move.


    Even Kassandra felt an immense threat from this attack as she quickly cast dozens of protection barriers one by one and activated all of her defensive and damage-reducing spells and skill.


    She had already seen Kahn use this move against Victor so beingcent here will only hurt her instead.


    "Dragon Strike!"


    Shouted Kahn as he attacked with his renowned single strike skill.


    BOOM!! BOOM!!


    SHATTER!!


    An ear-deafening explosion that blew up half of the battlefield in a single strike and shook the entire battle arena resounded in the arena, making millions of audiences fear for their lives.


    Right before everyone, all of Kassandra''s barriers and defense constructs broke like thin ice dropping on the ground.


    Kahn finallynded a critical hit on the number one prodigy of this empire. Unlike him, she wasn''t a chosen hero or had any divine abilities.


    And after fighting her till this point¡­ even Kahn had to admit that she was indeed the one who deserved that title.


    The fate of the young sorceress was now unknown to the crowd and the audience watching throughout the empire.


    After therge dust cloud that formed because of the explosion finally settled down..


    A bleeding and disheveled figure of Kassandra was finally revealed to everyone.


    But this time, her countenance was simply too furious as she looked at Kahn with her vengeful eyes and spoke in a tyrannical and deathly voice¡­


    "Congrattions¡­ You''ve sessfully pissed me off!"

 Chapter 312 - The Hidden Class

    At this moment, Kassandra''s infuriated gaze was full of murderous intent to the point that even Kahn felt a sense of dread. Unlike before, it looked like she was done ying the pretend game and finally decided to take this match seriously.


    Inside the VIP room of the Mikealson n, Stronoff stood up from his seat and walked near the ssed window from where they were watching the match.


    "I already told this kid that no matter what he does.. He can''t win against our Kassandra.


    And now.. He''d be lucky to have his life intact unless we saints decide to interrupt." he spoke with a deep sigh.


    "A summoner, an enchanter, a magician..


    These are just the side jobs of her main ss.


    And most importantly.. She hasn''t even revealed herst card yet." he said in a solemn tone.


    "Yes. Although this Kahn Salvatore has the potential to surpass many swordsmen saints in the future.. He isn''tparable to my daughter if they are of the same rank." spoke Damon Mikealson with a prideful expression.


    "I guess it is finally the time to reveal her real strength in front of the whole empire and disy her true potential. Even our faction leader doesn''t know of her true ss yet.


    After all¡­ Kassandra is the only person to unlock this ss after the 4th ruler and first-ever Empress of the Rakos empire who died six hundred years ago." spoke Damon as he let out a content smile.


    At this moment on the battlefield..


    "Haah! I really didn''t want to use it but since you''ve forced my hand.. I won''t bother hiding it.


    So I''ll give you a final chance.. Admit defeat now." said Kassandra in her angered tone.


    "Because even I can''t guarantee that you''ll leave this arena alive!" she dered loudly as she gave Kahn a final warning.


    "Oh, don''t worry about it. I''m pretty good at saving myself." spoke Kahn as he thwarted off her death threat.


    Although he was tired after using Dragon Strike which was extremely taxing on both his body and mind.. He still had enough reserve strength to carry on fighting.


    "Good. That''s what I was hoping for.


    Cherish those final breaths.. Because those will be yourst." she said.


    The next moment, Kassandra sped her palms together and her fingers started performing some sort of hand signs.


    Before Kahn could do anything else.. His survival instinct went haywire and rang loudly like never before.


    [Warning! The host is under immense danger!


    The host is advised to flee!!] alerted the system as well.


    "What the hell is this.." spoke Kahn with his eyes wide open as he saw a silver aura encapste Kassandra and soon, her body started levitating high in the air despite no semi-saint having the ability to fly.


    Yet, Kassandra kept rising towards the now darkening sky as the silver aura spread like a tornado and she was at the center of it.


    A protective shield formed around her body and soon, the silver and almost liquid-ish aura started taking a humanoid form.


    The oppressive aura emitted from this new construct was somethingparable to an aura of a saint. But the feeling Kahn got from it was something he hadn''t felt before at all.


    This wasn''t mana and neither was it world energy.


    The next moment.. An ethereal and transcendent being came into existence as Kassandra started chanting some sort of spell.


    BOOM!!


    The entire battlefield shook and the audience of nearly 8 million people felt their bodies caving under insurmountable pressure.


    At the center of the head of this ethereal warrior being, floated Kassandra and shouted loudly.


    "I beseech thee toe and aid me in my war!


    I beseech thee to fight by my side and defeat my foes!


    I beseech thee to exterminate my enemy.


    I, Kassandra Mikealson.. Bearer of the Mark!


    Summon you, O'' mighty celestial being.." she kept chanting.


    Her father, Damon spoke in a contemptuous tone as he looked at Kahn who was rooted on the spot under the ethereal being''s pressure.


    "Even though she''s not even a saint yet.. She has contracted with one of the strongest warriors.


    After all.. Kassandra has unlocked the Ancient Rank ss of the summoner profession.." he said and continued in a domineering tone..


    "The Deity Summoner!"


    On the battlefield, Kahn who saw the tall levitating being finally spoke withplete disbelief in his eyes..


    "Holy mother of Susanoo!! Is she an Uchiha?!" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    Just then, Kassandra finallypleted her summoning chant and announced loudly.


    "I summon thee¡­ O'' Shieldmaiden Brunhilde!!"


    BOOM!!


    A shockwave shook the 5 kilometer wide battlefield and the summoning was finallypleted.


    Just 2 kilometers away from Kahn.. Stood a 1 kilometer tall corporeal blonde female dressed in silver and golden armor. Her entire body shone crystal white while Kassandra stood in the center of this being''s tiara situated on her head.


    In her left hand, was a silver and gold colored shield while on the other, was a long metallic silvernce; both of which looked like at least ancient rank weapons that existed only in legends.


    [Did she just say Brunhilde¡­ as in the strongest valkyrie Brunhilde?!


    Did the world setting suddenly change?] wondered Kahn as he was still in awe after looking at this female warrior who appeared like a true goddess.


    Her enormous size, divine aura and appearancepletely bewildered the whole empire watching this match as if a goddess truly descended from the heavens.


    Not only Kahn but all the saints including the three seventh stage faction leaders had their eyes wide open inplete disbelief.


    [So that''s what that bastard Stronoff meant that day..


    Who the fuck can even win against her if this is her real strength?


    She''s not even a chosen Heroine of any God or Goddess and already this strong while still being just a semi-saint.


    What will happen when she bes a legitimate saint?] he asked himself.


    The very next moment, Kahn made a firm decision and spoke to himself in a resolute voice¡­


    "Fuck this shit! I''m outta here!!"


    .


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    [[Author : Reference Art for Valkyrie Brunhilde in chapterments.]]

 Chapter 313 - Surpassing Imagination

    After standing in front of the godly being.. The young swordsman sensed a foreboding of imminent death. And if he stood in this battlefield.. Forget losing the match.. He will certainly lose his life.


    [Fuck power, money and authority. Staying alive is more important.] thought Kahn and tried to run away.


    Just then, he received a telepathic message from Ronin who was sitting amongst the million people on the 18th floor of this ginormous arena.


    The rogue subordinate ryed a piece of important information to Kahn and the swordsman was rooted on the spot despite having the urge to run for his life.


    "Fuck! Why was I so greedy?!" eximed Kahn as he instantly regretted a decision he recently made.


    With a regretful and scared face.. Kahn slowly turned his head around only to see the massive valkyrie looking at him like a heavenly being looking down upon a small rodent on the ground.


    If she were to squeeze Kahn between her fingers, he would die on the spot.


    At this moment, he felt like he was facing the Colossus titan on his own.


    But at this crucial second, the system ryed aforting news in his mind.


    [Hero of Darkness title activated.]


    "Good. Looks like I have no choice but to go Levi Ackerman route now." sighed Kahn as he noticed that the night had finally fallen.


    He looked at Kassandra who was at the center of the tiara of this godly being andpletely protected by an aura shield.


    Given the number of eyes on him, bringing out Rudra was already a foolish choice unless he wanted to reveal one of his biggest trump cards to the whole empire and raise too many questions to the point where his identity as a chosen Hero was revealed.


    Even though this empire didn''t serve any god, they didn''t have a good impression their representative Heroes either. He would be either imprisoned or killed as a result. And maybe if he was unlucky.. They''d make a ve out of him or treat him like ab rat.


    On top of it.. Albeit very weak, Rudra was still a Godbeast. Revealing him here was a no go.


    The risk was simply not worth it.


    But with Hero of Darkness title and Draconian bloodline effect being active at the same moment for the first time..


    Kahn could feel all of his physical stats and skills bing 4 times stronger and 2 times faster because of the various buffs in strength, agility and mana pool he originally had.


    "Hey, Kassandra!" He eximed loudly as he released his aura after thebined buff.


    "What?!" asked Kassandra as shemanded Brunhilde to attack Kahn.


    "If I win.. Will you go on a date with me?!" asked Kahn loudly.


    Gasp!


    Millions of people gasped in surprise as Kahn openly asked her out.


    [This shameless guy!] cursed Kassandra in her mind andmanded her summon to go all out. Kahn was taunting and flirting with her again as if this was a gathering of young men and women.


    Right before billions of people watching, the ginormous Brunhilde took an attacking stance. Her massivence stabbed towards Kahn who was charging at them using quicksilver.


    BOOM!!


    The battleground shook from the impact where the firstnce strikended. Kahn barely escaped the radius of the explosion and appeared 200 meters away on the left from the point of impact. He dashed towards the titanic figure.


    BOOM!


    CLANG!


    SHATTER!


    The battleground was riddled with explosions, crevices and ground shaking attacks and Brunhilde, who seemed to have a battle instinct of her own started attacking Kahn at her own volition.


    Kahn kept dodging and evading in a simr way when Tom tried to catch Jerry.


    In just a matter of 10 minutes, half of the 5 kilometer radius was destroyed by the Lance attacks and shield bash skills by the colossus Brunhilde.


    Kahn with his increased stats and power buffs was evenly matched which even made Kassandra and all the other saints shocked.


    Pant! Pant!..


    Soon, Kassandra started sweating from her ce and her forehead dropped beads of sweat.


    [Ah.. Just as I thought. Maintaining this giant summon takes a toll on her body, mind as well as mana capacity.


    And the more attacks executed by Brunhilde, the more exhausted Kassandra, the summoner will get.


    Good. If that''s her weakness.. I better use it to my advantage.] thought Kahn as he let out a wide grin under the helmet.


    He came 200 meters close to this colossal figure and jumped high to directlynd on the brightly shiningnce.


    And right in front of billions of people, he dashed upwards to the shoulder of this ethereal being.


    The bigger they were, the slower they''d move. So Kahn easily managed to reach the pauldron on Brunhilde''s shoulder.


    He looked at Kassandra who also red back at him and spoke loudly.


    "Think about it, Kass! Don''t you think our babies will be smart and beautiful?" asked Kahn in a flirtatious tone.


    The next second, Kassandra''s entire face turned bright red as a flushed and furious expression appeared on her countenance.


    [THIS! FUCKING! BASTARD!! I''M GONNA KILL HIM! I''M GONNA KILL HIM MYSELF!!] cursed Kassandra in her mind.


    This was the first time in her life that someone so brazenly embarrassed and flirted with her. And that too when all the citizens and all the top figures of the empire were watching them.


    BOOM!!


    A shockwave was released from the valkyrie''s body and Kahn was thrown off high in the air.


    "If you keep ying hard to get.. It will leave me no choice but to be forceful." spoke Kahn like a ssic delinquent who harassed pretty women on a daily basis.


    SHRILL!


    A shrill filled the surroundings of the arena as Kasandra finally lost herposure under constant harassment.


    "Fuck you!" she shouted and Brunhilde swung her gigantic shield towards the freefalling Kahn.


    BANG!!


    The massive shield and Kahn collided half a kilometer high in the air and the swordsman was thrown higher after the impact.


    The man in the crimson burning armor floated in the air for a moment.


    "I guess I have no other choice left now."


    spoke Kahn.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    tter! tter!


    In the following seconds, over a hundred 5 meter tall greatswords, made of 5 different elemental auras appeared around Kahn as he descended from the sky and directed them all towards the gigantic valkyrie who was also aiming tond a fatal blow.


    For the first time in his journey till the finale..


    He activated the Sword King skill.


    Stalin, the faction leader of the neutral faction also had his mouth wide open for quite some time. And after his gazended on Kahn who also revealed the impossible to them..


    "Impossible!! What kind of freaks are these two?!" eximed Jeremiah, the faction leader of the demi-human faction.


    Then spoke with eyes full of disbelief..


    "This Kassandra and Kahn... Both of them have the potential to surpass even the First Sage and the First Emperor!!"

 Chapter 314 - The Sorceress And The Swordsman

    The whole empire was stunned by the ongoing match as both the finalists disyed unparalleled skills during their battle that were out of everyone''s expectations.


    "How can he use that skill without even breaking through to the saint rank?.." spoke Stalin in bewilderment.


    Not just him but more than a hundred saints watching this match were gobsmacked.


    Because even someone like Stronoff Mikealson couldn''t create that many aura swords when he was still a semi-saint saint. And he was nicknamed as the greatest swordsmanship prodigy in the past hundred years.


    At this exact moment.. Stronoff had a helpless expression.


    "Now I can''t do anything to get him on our side."


    "Brother.. Who is he really? How can he fight our Kassandra as equals?" asked Damon.


    He was a mage so he too could sense the extremely dense aura andpressed elemental swords.


    BOOM!


    CLANG!


    CRACK!


    The entire arena shook from the shockwaves after Kahn''s aura des and Kassandra''s attack using Brunhilde shed together.


    Although hecked the brute strengthpared to the deity summoned by Kassandra, he closed the gap with the sheer numbers of aura greatswords, every single one of which were almost 4 times more powerful than before.


    nging noises filled the battlefield as lightning, fire, water, wind, earth, wood and light elemental skills and attacks collided against one another.


    Explosions after explosions filled the battlefield and the ground shattered in the 5 kilometer radius ring. Even the millions of audiences in the crowd were scared from the aftershocks and almost felt like they were the ones actually standing inside the battlefield.


    But as an aftereffect.. Both Kahn and Kassandra started losing their strength and stamina because the amount of strength and mana both of them were using to attack the opponent was depleting at an extremely fast pace.


    Even Kahn with the doubled mana pool and stats felt like his head would crack open because the hundred swords were engaged in a constant sh against Brunhilde who was masterfully defending against them no matter which direction he attacked from.


    Everywhere thence attacks from the valkyriended, hundreds of meters of space was destroyed to smithereens.


    With both of them on the backfoot and almost out of energy to carry the battle, they understood one thing.


    That they had to end it with a single and their most powerful ultimate skill.


    "Hey.. You''re running out of strength as well, right?" asked Kahn to his tired and profusely sweating opponent.


    Kassandra was panting heavily and gave a deathly re to Kahn.


    "If you are tired.. Just forfeit the match and go home." she replied in a yful tone.


    Kahn chuckled back in response. Both he and Kassandra were pushing themselves to their limits and for some reason.. But the two of them felt like they were having a good time.


    Among the VIP rooms for prestigious ns.. A halfbreed white-haired demonkin girl in red and ck armor along with two glimmering red swords on her waist was looking at both Kasandra and Kahn with shocked eyes.


    "So, I wasn''t even worthy topete with them on even grounds?" wondered Celine Armitage, the dual swords saintess.


    She had barely mustered the courage to watch the finale after being defeated by Kassandra in the semifinals. Now, found that it wasn''t even her best.


    And the man named Kahn, whom she hadn''t even expected to reach this stage was many times stronger than her.


    If she were to face Kassandra at this moment, she would''ve been mortally injured already.


    The Sorceress and The Swordsman in front of her were already in apletely different league.


    Soon, both Kahn and Kassandra reached their limits and Brunhilde''s movements became slower as Kassandra had almost depleted her mana reserves that she needed to maintain the summoned deity.


    Crack! Crack!


    Both the valkyrie and the greatswords started cracking as their respective owners became like an arrow at its end.


    Kahn dashed forward and came 100 meters close to now cracking figure of Brunhilde.


    The next second, his image flickered and appeared right on the top of the massive shield held by the valkyrie.


    STAB!!


    And before Kassandra could even react, Kahn appeared on the head of this deity.


    He already knew that if Kassandra wasn''t limited by her rank as a semi-saint.. This summoned deity would be tens of times stronger.


    Compared to a guy like him with divine abilities.. Kassandra was the true once in a millennium prodigy.


    Crack!!


    Kassandra was taken aback but quickly recovered herposure and started making hand signs with her palms and fingers.


    "Give up!" said Kahn as he staabed and tried to crack open the protective barrier using Lucifer andnd a finishing blow on the raven sorceress.


    "Dream on!" she replied.


    However, before Kahn could break past their defenses, Brunhilde''s body shone blinding white.


    The survival instinct rmed him of an impeding doom and the he was rooted on the spot.


    [This suicidal bitch!] cursed Kahn as he pulled out Lucifer from the barrier and tried to escape.


    BOOOOMMM!!!!


    Another ear-deafening explosion urred and the whole arena was blinded by a bright white sh.


    The entire battlefield shattered in seconds and nothing but a gigantic dust cloud spread throughout the arena.


    And finally after 3 minutes.. The battleground.. Or whatever that was left of it became visible to the audience.


    On the left side of the ring,y Kassandra with multiple gashes and bruises on her body.


    Her beautiful facepletely cover with blood and her arms full of burn marks.


    Her epic rank robes torn from ce to ce while the yellow orb she used to channel magic waspletely broken as she used it at thest moment to save herself from the mortal danger after she self-destructed Brunhilde.


    *cough* *cough* Kassandra coughed out an ample amount of blood as her bloodied face looked towards the other end of the battlefield.


    Two kilometers away, among the debris of the battlefield¡­ lied a man in tattered ck pants.


    His longcoat and shirt ripped out and his naked upper body exposed to the whole empire. His budging muscles and manly build appeared in everyone''s sight.


    In thest moment, Kahn used quicksilver to escape but since Brunhilde''s body was so big.. He was still caught in the explosion that could''ve killed him.


    And the price he had to pay for it was Drakos Armor being destroyed to save his life¡­ AGAIN!


    His bloodied and disheveled figure that had multiple cuts, bruises and bleeding wounds all over his body became visible to Kassandra.


    Both sets of eyes met each other and Kahn finally stood on his feet using Lucifer as support. He gazed at the sorceress in front of him whose condition wasn''t any different.


    All of their skills and swords were gone. And now only two warriors remained in this bloody battle.


    "Ha ha ha!


    Ha! Ha ha!


    Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!!"


    Kahn startedughing in a maniacal tone as he pointed his de towards the opponent and gazed at Kassandra.


    His body covered in blood and eyes filled with madness.


    "I, Kahn Salvatore¡­ dere you, Kassandra Mikealson.."


    He spoke and announced..


    "As the strongest!"

 Chapter 315 - The Ultimate Skill

    After Kahn''s deration that resounded in the whole arena, all the audience across the empire, hundred saints and the three faction leaders were amazed and also curious at the same time.


    Kassandra also looked at Kahn with a surprised expression but then let out a chuckle as blood dripped from her arms and chin. Yet the expression on the injured sorceress was that of a satisfied person.


    "Finally.. Someone who can fight as my equal." spoke Kassandra with a grin on her face. As if she was finally happy and content with this fight.


    She looked at Kahn who was 2 kilometers far, noticing his minute expression and realized that the words that came from his mouth were his honest feelings indeed.


    Her opponent that she looked down on because of knowing her strength, turned out to be just as strong as her and even so.. He truthfully acknowledged her.


    "Tell me something, mister Salvatore¡­


    Why are you so keen on winning the fight?


    You know that even if you won thepetition¡­ only a thorny path awaits you.


    Despite knowing all that you will be enemies with all these factions and ns one way or another.. Why do you want to win?" she asked that was targeted only at Kahn using some sort of magic spell.


    Apart from the two of them, nobody else heard her words.


    "Well.. tell me your reason first. Then I cane up with a proper and suitable exnation.


    You already have power, money, background and authority. So why are you fighting till the point of getting injured in this battle as if your life depends on it?" he asked curiously through the magic spell connection he felt with Kassandra.


    "Because I want to prove myself." replied Kassandra while adjusting her breathing.


    Kahn raised an eyebrow and signaled her to borate.


    "That where I am now isn''t solely me being the daughter of the n leader.


    But because of my own hard work and talent.


    And that''s why.. I can''t afford to lose." responded Kassandra as a violet burst of aura was released from her body.


    "Well.. You''ve at least convinced me for now." spoke Kahn with sincerity.


    "Now tell me yours." she said.


    Kahn nodded in response and replied in a gentle tone.


    "It''s not because I crave power, money or authority. It''s not a want but more of a necessity.


    What I need is strength¡­ enough strength to the point where I.." responded Kahn and let out a deep sigh as he exined the real reason.


    "Will be in control of my own fate."


    Replied Kahn with his honest feelings.


    Shocked!


    Kassandra was shocked as soon as Kahn''s words reached her ears.


    And for the first time.. Kassandra looked at Kahn with eyes full of respect and acknowledgment.


    Although he was her enemy at this point.. Kassandra understood one thing for certain.


    Although their paths were different¡­


    Their destination was the same!


    [He He! Only if this woman knew the truth..] spoke Rudra in his mind while mocking Kahn.


    [Shut up!] shouted Kahn.


    [What?! Am I being wrong? You''re fighting to win this match even after she summoned that celestial being is because of something else..] retorted Rudra and exined the real truth.


    [Because you bet your entire fortune on your victory!]


    Spoke Rudra in Kahn''s head and startedughing loudly.


    [This bitch.. Just you wait. I''m going to settle the score for this one soon.] cursed Kahn at the Basilisk subordinate.


    However, inside his mind.. Kahn was crying!


    Because he bet all his money while being overconfident and told his generals to go all the way in.


    When Brunhilde appeared and Kahn wanted to forfeit the match.. Ronin messaged him telepathically and reminded him of the choice he made.


    If he were back down then¡­ Kahn would lose the entire fortune and not even have a single penny in his hands.


    He then looked at Kassandra who was already preparing for a final attack as she summoned a 20 meter long archaic spear of her own that let out burst of energy with each passing second.


    However, Kahn wasn''t even slightly fazed from the incredibly oppressive aura.


    "Well.. I wish we could''ve met in different circumstances and not as enemies." he spoke.


    "Kassandra¡­ I can''t afford to lose this match either.


    So I will give you thest chance. Admit defeat.


    Because if I use myst card.. Even I''m not sure if I can control it." he warned without any malice or killing intent.


    Kassandra on the other end wiped off the blood from her bleeding lips and replied with an unshakeable iron will.


    "Bring it on!" she said with an excited face.


    Kahn closed his eyes and spoke in a calm demeanor.


    "Thank you.. For pushing me beyond my limits.


    You have my gratitude." spoke Kahn as his eyes turned serious.


    tter! tter! tter!


    The very next moment, something happened that shook the entire arena.


    Kahn''s aura suddenly expanded so wide that the audience in the entire arena felt a burst of chaotic energy on their bodies.


    Soon, ttering noises filled the whole arena from hundreds of different ces.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Out of a sudden, a sword on a guard''s waist popped out of the sheath and flew towards the battlefield where the two finalists stood in a standoff.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    In the following moments.. Hundreds and then thousands of swords that were equipped on either guards, the swordsmen among the audience, military soldiers, millions of n members of prestigious ns and even some of the swordsmen saints lost control over their swords despite using their saint aura.


    Kassandra was rooted on the spot as she noticed the abnormality in the surroundings.


    Hundreds, thousands and then nearly a million of swords levitated in the air.


    Kahn held Lucifer downwards from the hilt and let go of his greatsword.


    And right before the eyes of the who Rakos Empire¡­ Lucifer disappeared in the ground as if it drowned inside deep water.


    The next moment, the millions of flying swords flew towards his side and directed their des towards the Raven Sorceress.


    Beads of sweat dropped from Kassandra''s forehead who had an aghast expression on her face as she felt an inevitable sense of death and destructioning her way.


    Kahn then gave a final look to Kassandra, the opponent he hade to acknowledge.


    His tyrannical and kingly voice resounded in the whole empire as he spoke the name of his ultimate skill¡­


    "Bankai¡­ Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

 Chapter 316 - The Final Winner

    After a million swords filled one side of the battlefield and almost created a ginormous cloud with their sheer numbers alone.. Half of the arena was now in the dark from the shadows of this tornado made from the hovering swords.


    Kahn was using the Sword Battlemaster skill again that originally allowed him to control every sword in a 1 kilometer radius. But after Kahn became a semi-saint, the range was doubled and his current maximum range became 2 kilometers radius.


    This was a SS Rank skill just like his Sword King, which was already said to beparable to a Saint Rank skill.


    And it wasn''t even a SSS Rank as the system had informed, yet the potential was already leagues abovepared to other saints. There was a time when Kahn wondered what would happen if he raised these skills levels to Saint Rank in the future. Just how OP would these skills get..


    Now, with the Hero of Darkness title activated.. The area expanded by three times and Kahn could summon and control all the swords in a 6 kilometer radius. Which was nearly 90% circumference of this battle arena.


    And hence, when he finally used this ability for the first time since he revealed his rank as a semi-saint in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition¡­ he received the maximum output.


    Blood trickled down from Kahn''s eyes and nose. But his already bloodied face helped himpletely mask their origin.


    Because given the sheer numbers.. He was barely holding onto and maintaining them in the air. At this moment, his head felt like it was hit by a truck but Kahn was still pushing himself with focus,mitment and sheer fucking will.


    Everyone, including the three faction leaders, were gobsmacked andpletely out of their wits.


    It wasn''t like they hadn''t seen such scale for a battle skill. They themselves could do the same but even so.. This wasn''t possible for them back in the day no matter how talented and hardworking they were.


    This was the first time in the thousand years of history of their empire did someone show this grand of a skill while only being a semi-saint.


    "This kid.. If he were to be a saint.. He''d be unstoppable on a battlefield.


    He.. He has even surpassed Rathnaar, the one who was close to bing a Sword Deity if he had seeded in bing a Demi-God.


    No matter what.. If we can''t have him on our side... We shouldn''t at least make an enemy out of him." spoke Jeremiah Themis, the faction leader of the Demi-Human faction.


    He already realized that the Neutral faction had Kassandra Mikealson and they''d nurture her to be a powerful figure in the empire. And from the intel he received..


    Kahn had already joined hands with the Pureblood faction after his sudden visit to their headquarters.


    Now, he instantly regretted not approaching this young swordsman soon because he wanted to wait and see how things would y out.


    Also, because of the situation with the two demonkin saints from the Apopis n who tried to publicly kill Kahn.. His rtionship with their faction was already sore.


    At this exact moment, Allister Mor Vandereich, the faction leader of the Pureblood faction also spoke in their VIP room.


    "We.. Need to find a different method toplete that ritual. He''s too precious to let go." he said with a serious tone.


    "But lord father¡­ There is no other way. And we don''t even know if he''ll really seed." spoke Ismaetrazel, the n leader of the Vandereich n.


    "We still have time. We should wait till he seeds and then we will take our final decision.


    Maybe not now¡­ but in the future, we have to make him join our faction at all cost." spoke Allister in a stern tone.


    ----------------


    At this moment inside the broken battle ring, Kahn had his gaze locked onto Kassandra who was rooted on the spot,pletely bewildered.


    [This¡­ this shouldn''t even be possible.] thought Kassandra with an aghast countenance.


    The numbers of swords that were ready to attack her at any given moment were simply too many to even count. If Kahn decided to attack her now.. She''d be shredded into small pieces.


    And even if she decided to fight with herst one-shot skill called the Spear of Dominion, she wouldn''t even be able to destroy half of these swords.


    And after this attack.. She will not possess any strength to stand on her feet. Obviously.. She''d be a helpless target for Kahn to kill.


    In her mind.. Kassandra felt like she would die for real if she exchanged the final move.


    Thud!


    The next second¡­ Kassandra dropped on her knees as an overwhelming realization hit her. She looked at Kahn and asked in a serious tone.


    "You.. You were holding back from the very beginning, weren''t you?" she asked her opponent who she had juste to acknowledge as her equal.


    To her question, Kahn only nodded in response.


    All the citizens of Rakos empire had a moment of silence at this second.


    In front of the whole empire.. Kassandra finally spoke.


    "I... I admit defeat."


    Dered Kassandra and her voice echoed in the entire arena.


    STUNNED!! GOBSMACKED!!


    Every single person watching the match, including Kassandra''s father, her uncle and their faction leader, Stalin Joseif were stunned on the spot again after her deration.


    Not a single person among the top brasses of the empire had expected Kassandra, the number one prodigy of their empire to be the one to admit her defeat. And that too when more than four billion citizens of the empire were watching.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Two sets of footsteps resounded from behind the Raven Sorceress as Veronica and Isaac ran haphazardly towards Kassandra.


    "Big sister Kassandra!" eximed Isaac as he and Veronica supported Kassandra''s hunched and wounded body.


    "He.. He''s dead! He''s so dead!" spoke Veronica after looking at the bleeding figure of Kassandra and gave Kahn an intensely hateful look. She put her hand on the sword and tried to pull it out as she was fuming with rage.


    However, before she could react or release her killing intent, the young sorceress grabbed her hand.


    "Don''t mind him.. He won this match fair and square with his strength." spoke Kassandra as she panted heavily and leaned on Veronica''s shoulder with blood still leaking from her mouth.


    "Big sister Kassandra, how can you ept this defeat?" asked Issac as he too was angered to his core.


    "What''s there to be ashamed about losing?


    After all.." spoke Kassandra as she lightly smiled and gazed at Kahn with eyes full ofpassion and respect.


    "An honorable defeat... Is its own reward."

 Chapter 317 - Making A Choice

    After Kassandra willingly forfeited the match in front of the audience, both Veronica and Isaac gave her a high-grade health and stamina recovery potion to drink. And without caring about the onlookers or their elders, both the swordswoman and the knight carried her profusely bleeding figure with steady steps.


    With her epting the defeat, Kahn officially won thepetition. Yet there were no loud shouts or grand announcements of his victory even after a couple of minutes passed.


    Everyone, let it be the normal people in the crowd or the ones watching the live broadcast, the influential figures and the top-ranking saints of the empire stood stunned on the spot, most were simply out of their wits.


    The young swordsman with a million swords hovering above him stood like War God in front of the empire. His eyes full of dominance and sovereignty as if he was looking down upon everything under the sky were disyed to all the citizens through the broadcasting screens.


    A minuteter, Kahn waved his hand and after receiving hismand, all the swords started returning to their respective owners as if he remembered exactly from whom did he borrow these swords.


    Just then, Albestros who came with Kahn and watched this match from their side started running towards him.


    [Tell them to be ready!]manded Kahn to his generals.


    Tap! Tap!


    Kahn, with his body that was still riddled with wounds and bleeding from many ces, started walking towards the center of the arena with faltering steps.


    Drops of blood trickled down from his chin and his arms as the young swordsman kept breathing heavily while all broadcasting artifacts were focused on him.


    "You did it, kid. You''ve finally delivered on the promise you made." spoke the old grandmaster cksmith as he supported Kahn''s, who barely had the strength to stand at this point.


    Kahn leaned onto the old man''s body and spoke with an emotional and heavy voice.


    Tears dropped from his eyes as he looks towards the dark starry sky.


    "Mother.. Father.. You can rest in peace now.


    Your son will keep his promise. I will protect our people as long as I''m alive." spoke Kahn.


    To the masses, these words came out of nowhere and all the citizens of the empire, who were still baffled but then after hearing Kahn''s words.. They all be curious.


    What promise? What people?


    But before Kahn could speak and reveal furthermore, Allister Mor Vandereich descended upon the battlefield, he quickly restored the battlefield that was blown into smithereens with the tap of his right foot and signaled the announcer to dere Kahn''s win.


    "Ladies and gentlemen! We finally have our victor.


    Our new champion!


    Our new Emperor''s Chosen!


    Winning with godly talent and skills.. The one who won with his heaven defying might!


    Please cheer for our new Emperor''s Chosen..


    Kahn Salvatore!!!" dered the announcer.


    Dhang! Dhang! Dhang!


    Drums started beating and celebratory music started in the background.


    Fireworks after fireworks shone brightly in the sky and finally, the audience in the arena stood on their feet and started cheering for Kahn.


    At this moment, the only people cheering for Kahn were the normal folks throughout the empire who bet their money on him and the people from seven deadly sins inside the arena.


    It was already given that most of the popce had bet on Kassandra, the most famous and the strongest candidate in thepetition.


    Even the rival factions, business organizations and noble ns had bet quadrillions of money on her win. So the loss was massive and no powerful or ruling figure except for those who bet on Kahn had a happy expression.


    Allister looked at Kahn with eyes full of approval. From Kahn''s win.. The one to benefit the most was him and the Pureblood faction since the young swordsman was already their ally. And the immeasurable fortune they bet on him would be multiplied many times. So it was a win-win for them on both fronts.


    Finally, Allister spoke with a content tone and dered in front of the empire.


    "I, Allister Mor Vandereich, the general of the army; dere Kahn Salvatore of the Rukon District as the rightful winner of the 19th Emperor''s Chosenpetition!


    His name shall be forever immortalized in the history of our great Rakos empire.


    So people of our great empire, give him a loud cheer!" spoke the vampire faction leader in a grandiose gesture.


    "Yahhh!"


    "You''re the best!"


    "I knew it! He was the best!"


    "He''s the firstmoner like us to win thispetition!"


    Soon, thousands and then millions andstly, more than a billion citizens started cheering for a man who was said to be born into poverty and struggle just like them.


    Kahn on the other end drank a potion to recover his health.


    Allister, the old vampire turned his gaze to Kahn again and spoke in a benign tone.


    "Congrattions, mister Salvatore. You have shown us an impable disy of pure strength and talent to all of us.


    It also stands as a testament to the bright future of our great empire if the young generation is filled with people like you.


    You have my humble gratitude." said the faction leader who was simply trying to look good and kind in front of the normal popce.


    "Now, as per the traditions¡­ You can choose any area from the three remaining ces of the empire that are allowed to be chosen as a fiefdom.


    Out of which, the 5000 kilometers area of the Moriarty County is rich with natural resources such as rare metals, ores and diamond reserves.


    While the ckwood County is a 6 thousand wide in with numerous gold, silver and even some Orichalcum mines.


    All the cities, districts and everything under these ces are yours to rule for the next 20 years as per our ancientw.


    And just like the Imperial rule of the past.. You shall receive help for by the government to rule.


    Your authority shall be unquestioned and unparalleled as the people of thesends will be your subjects as well as your responsibility from now.


    The only restriction is that you shall not change anyws that the citizens of this empire have as their birthright as per our Constitution.


    So please, make a choice and takemand of the Fiefdom you wish to rule." spoke Allister in his regal tone.


    This was something that all of the ruling powers and the top three factions yearned for.


    Currently, everything was divided in these two regions and no one was truly in control of these areas because various government sectors ran by different ns and factions never let others have an upper hand.


    But if the Emperor''s Chosen decided to rule over any of these two ces.. The one supporting them will be the final winner with unquestionable authority.


    And this was exactly what Kassandra had warned Kahn about during their fight. Because one way or another.. He was going to be enemies with a lot of people if he won.


    However, before the old vampire could continue, Kahn opened his teary eyes and the whole empire heard his response.


    "Apologies, Lord Allister. If I do that.." spoke Kahn with a stern tone and continued..


    "I''m afraid I''ll get killed."


    SHOCK!!


    GASP!!


    All the citizens were shocked by Kahn''s reply.


    "I have already been shown my ce by the people from noble factions where does amoner like me belongs.


    That if I try to reach for something that''s not allowed to someone with my background, our lives are easy to be taken and we can''t even do anything." replied Kahn.


    "Forget ruling a fiefdom, I''m afraid I''ll be killed on my way there before I even assume themand." he said with a worried expression.


    "And even if I somehow manage to live till that point, the government itself, which has only people from the three factions in higher positions, will soon take away their support and me it all on me that I''m an incapable ruler.


    After all, it''s not about helping people but ruling them. And as a result, the innocent citizens will suffer.


    The one who doesn''t belong to any faction will never get any help or support from the government itself.


    So I''m afraid choosing any area as my fiefdom is no different than inviting death."


    [Stalin, Jeremiah!] called out Allister to his fellow seventh-stage saints who were also taken aback by Kahn''s deration in their respective VIP rooms.


    The next second, both of their figures flickered and appeared in front of Kahn.


    All three of them were people with vast experience and foresight. So they quickly understood that Kahn was trying to pull another stunt like he did in the semifinals.


    [Allister! What the hell is this kid trying to pull now?! Didn''t he join your side?] asked Stalin, the faction leader of the Neutral faction.


    [Whatever it is.. We must not let him seed. Because one thing I''m sure of. Whatever he''s trying to pull¡­] he replied with an enraged tone in the minds of the other two saints..


    [He''s trying to fuck over all of us!]

 Chapter 318 - The Story

    In the middle of the battlefield, all three top saints of the Rakos Empire reached a collective consensus. That whatever Kahn was trying to do¡­ they had to thwart his ns and make all of his ims against the noble ns and their respective factions look baseless.


    Because thest time, they barely managed to keep everything under control and had to deal with a lot of public criticism throughout the empire and barely managed to smolder the matter before the finale.


    But now, the main perpetrator was trying to pull another stunt like that and this time, the same method for damage control wouldn''t work.


    "I, Allister Mor Vandereich, dere that you can choose any of the ''two'' areas and I dere full support from the military." spoke Allister as he emphasized the word ''two''.


    "Yes, all the departments of the ministry will also provide their full support with funds for redevelopment and economic expenses.


    So pick any of the two areas you like." spoke Stalin who also was the chairman of the council of ministers.


    "Are you sure? Because I''m afraid everyone will go back on their word once thepetition is over and people of the empire aren''t watching through such grandpetition and broadcasts of this scale." spoke Kahn without fear.


    And billions of people also resonated with his words. Because that''s how normally things happened in reality.


    "What about you, Chief Justice?" asked Kahn to Jeremiah Themis, the faction leader of the Demi-Human faction.


    "Yes. The rules ording to the ords for the fiefdom owned by the Emperor''s Chosen shall be carried out without any interference from any third party or sector of the government.


    So you can choose any of the chosen areas you see fit.


    You have our word that you will receive full backing and support for the first 5 years of rule as per the traditional rules." spoke Jeremiah.


    All three of them didn''t want a simr situation like thest time because if things escted, the oue would be detrimental for all of them.


    And once all three of them openly dered their full support in front of the whole empire that was watching from different corners and ces¡­ Kahn let out a light smirk.


    "Good. Now that all the three factions and representatives of the government in these three sectors have given their word in front of the whole empire..


    I shall choose the area I want as my fiefdom."


    "And the area I choose is¡­" he spoke.


    At this moment, all the citizens and the top three saints of the empire had their eyes glued on Kahn and awaited his final decision.


    Kahn then turned his face towards all the broadcast artifacts and dered loudly.


    "The Vessen Mountain Range!"


    GASP!!


    Millions of citizens gasped at the same time.


    bbergasted! All three of the saints were bbergasted and had their eyes bulged out.


    Because the 8000 kilometers wide area Kahn chose in front of the whole empire was actually the third area apart from the two they all suggested to him.


    Under billions of surprised gazes, Kahn quickly collected himself and spoke again.


    "I do not crave riches or any form of wealth.


    And neither do I crave any form of resources or authority over a domain filled with an abundance of natural treasures.


    Before any of you decide to judge me..


    Let me tell you a story." spoke Kahn without giving any of the saints a chance to speak.


    "I, Kahn Salvatore, am originally from the Vessen Mountain Range. Yes, it is my birthce.


    I am from a house of people who used to fight in the war against the monster army tide that has been happening every single year for centuries.


    Twenty years ago, my entire family was wiped out while trying to fight against this army of monsters.


    Both of my parents were in the army. Even now, I do not remember their rank or their position. But I remember their resolve and their creed.


    They both wanted to better the lives of the people. They wanted to heal the wounds of those who always lost their homes and their families every year.


    When I lost everything to one wave of those monsters.. My uncle, the only remaining family member I had back then took me far away.


    Before departing, I took an oath on my parent''s graves that one day, I will return and make our people''s lives better. That I will carry on their will." spoke Kahn with a heavy voice as streams of tears trickled from his eyes.


    Only then did people realize that he was talking about some promise to his parents after winning the match.


    "Seven million eighty nine thousand four hundred and fifty two." spoke Kahn as his firm voice resounded.


    "These are the numbers of soldiers that diedst year in the Vessen mountain range while fighting the monster tide." he revealed.


    "Twenty four million ny thousand eight hundred and forty five." he gave another number.


    "These are the normal citizens of that area who died after the military failed to defend against the monster tide." he borated.


    "Even with one third of the annual budget of the empire spent in quadrillions, why haven''t the monster outbreaks been controlled in the past 200 years?


    As someone who was born there.. I feel as if the people there have been abandoned and no one even cares about their lives!


    I have spent the past 20 years of my life training to be a capable warrior just so that I could return one day and fight to protect my birthce!" spoke Kahn with a fierce yet passionate voice.


    "And that''s why I even risked my life in the semifinals to reveal the scam because I didn''t want anyone to ignore my people for their greed and abandon them again!


    It was my only chance if I wanted to keep the promise made to my dead parents that day." he spoke as his body started quivering with sadness that was filled in his watery eyes.


    "Now, tell me¡­ isn''t it a son''s duty to care for his sick mother?


    Isn''t that what it means to be a true patriot of our mothend?!


    Tell me¡­ Have I made a wrong choice by thinking about the people of our great empire who have been abandoned and neglected?!


    Tell me, O'' people of the Rakos Empire..


    Will you stand with me?! Will you support me in giving hope to the millions of helpless people who never had someone truly fight for them?!" shouted Kahn vehemently as his encouraging voice resounded throughout the empire.


    And in just a matter of seconds, even those people who did not cheer or felt any joy after him winning all raised their fists in the air and jumped out of their seats and loudly cheered for him.


    In just a minute, the entire empire was riled up after Kahn''s emotional and enthusiastic speech.


    The screams ofmoners cheering throughout the empire and chantings from the whole crowd present shook the arena as they openly voice their support with Kahn.


    But at this exact moment.. All three faction leaders were extremely bewildered and looked at Kahn with an aghast expression.


    [This bastard! He chose that area on purpose.] spoke Jeremiah in their telepathic chat group.


    [Because it''s the only ce in the whole empire¡­] spoke Stalin.


    But before he continued, Allister spoke with a fearful tone..


    [Where no Saint can enter!]

 Chapter 319 - Rising Dragon

    As soon as all three faction leaders came to the realization.. It was already toote. Only now did they realize why Kahn pulled another blunder against the government and the noble ns.


    Because one thing all of them understood at this point..


    THEY HAVE BEEN HAD!


    The young swordsman whom they easily controlledst time had outsmarted all three of them by provoking all the noble ns and factions and as their leaders.. The three saints jumped into the fire to protect their public image.


    But now they saw through how Kahn had tricked them into dering their support and pledging full cooperation with him.


    [Boy, what kind of nonsense is this?! This isn''t what we agreed upon!] shouted the old vampire in Kahn''s mind.


    To this outraged question, Kahn threw a grin back at the old faction leader.


    [Didn''t I say that I will be doing things my way? Our deal did not include me choosing a fiefdom of your liking.


    After all.. If I chose either of those two areas.. Will I really be in control?] borated and asked Kahn with a smug face.


    Allister waspletely shocked. For the first time in many decades.. He was outsmarted by a human boy who was nothing but a small chess piece before.


    And now, neither of the three factions, their saints or the faction leaders themselves could even touch him, oppress him or take back their words as the entire empire had already seen them promising theirpliance with the young swordsman.


    Plus Kahn now officially choosing this area and revealing his background history had greatly moved all the citizens just given the number of loud cheers and apuse he was receiving.


    And with his potential revealed as the strongest semi-saint of the whole empire.. No one could even question his qualifications or his reasons.


    [Did he scheme all of this¡­ since the very beginning?] wondered all the saints.


    Because now, with his caliber revealed to the whole empire and all the other factions as someone who could even surpass the First Emperor, the strongest warrior in the history of their empire.. They couldn''t even kill him.


    Because if one of them moves against him, the other two factions will try to get behind and protect him in order to have Kahn willingly join them.


    ----------------


    Kahn on the other end, stood with a content smile as he waved back his hands to the masses in the arena and the people watching this finale throughout the empire.


    His image fitting of a victor who truly deserved to win thispetition.


    As for Kahn himself.. This journey itself was risky and he had changed his ns many times throughout thepetition.


    One of the main reasons why he chose the Vessen mountain range as his fiefdom was because he knew that even if he won a fiefdom.. Any saint, whether an enemy or an ally could lord him over and he will never be truly in control.


    Because he realized that he couldn''t do things on a small scale like before but he couldn''t afford to mess with the truly powerful either. So he needed a way to raise his strengths without anyone keeping an eye on him.


    And this the whole shift in his ns started when Armin brought him some historical records in one of their meetings during thepetition.


    Those were actually some of the records left by the previous saint owner of the Wayne Manor who herself was amander in the army and once served in this border before she became a saint.


    From her records, he found that there was some sort of invisible domain barrier that ranged from more than 8000 kilometers, clearly a work of a chosen hero of a god or perhaps even one of the ancient top figures of the empire.


    And no saint had been able to enter through this side for the past 200 years. Many had already died trying.


    For reasons unknown, Vessen mountain range was the side that separated and also protected the Rakos Empire from the other two neighboring empires despite having no saints protecting this border.


    And yet, plenty of money from the government budget went on mandating this area. That was when Kahn got really curious about this part of the empire.


    Plus the monster outbreak was something that came into existence only after 50 years of this barriering into existence. For over a century¡­ There were a few sightings of legendary and a few mythical rank monsters as well.


    But most importantly, this ce was actually the biggest source of materials harvested from monsters, resources such as mana cores and ores; so the government couldn''t entirely abandon it either.


    After hearing the truth about why all the three factions were looking to hire the strongest semi-saints when he was invited to the headquarters of the Pureblood faction, Kahn changed his ns again.


    Because the area where they wanted him to go was also essible from this part of the empire. Just that his journey would be extremely dangerous and nothing but bloodied battles awaited him. Yet he was the kind who actually thrived on it.


    At that moment, Kahn knew that this was the most suitable ce for him. Not just him, but his subordinates and also a way where no one would question him, keep an eye on him or will order him around.


    And that''s why Kahn nned to go all the way to win thispetition and choose this area as his fiefdom. Because this was something indeed worth all the risk.


    And he purposely goaded all the three factions leaders into dering their support for the same reason. So in the future, he could cultivate himself without worries and won''t be their puppet either.


    With the fake and emotional background story about his past ties to vessen mountain range, his parents and the promise he made on their graves.. He managed to sway the hearts of themon folks when the whole empire was watching. And now.. He had the full public support.


    Besides, the deal he made with the Pureblood faction also came into y because unlike the two areas where the noble factions fought a silent war and game of politics, which Kahn had no intentions to get dragged into..


    The Vessen mountain range was the best ce he could hold authority over and control at his own will even if these people did not support him.


    This was going to be his own hunting ground, just thousands of times bigger and much better than any of the dungeons in the whole empire.


    Kahn risked his life from time to time just to create a firm foundation for himself. Because there was no way everything would be handed to him just because he was a chosen hero of a god.


    There were plenty of battles, enemies, betrayals and challenges awaiting him.


    He also had to find the secret behind the history of this mountain range and what kind of monsters inhabited it. What kind of godly entity created that Anti-Saint formation or why only that ce in the whole empire was made that way.


    And how Kahn''s own part in the y would affect his future. Yet, there was nothing but excitement in his mind.


    Because this was going to be his little kingdom. And from this day forth...


    Kahn''s new journey would start.


    In just 1 year aftering to this new world¡­ Kahn had gone from a nameless nobody with no background, no power, no authority or any wealth..


    TO BECOME A RULER!!


    -------------------------------------------------------


    ------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 2--------------


    -------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 320 - Arc 2 Epilogue

    Hello everyone, CrimsonWolfAuthor here.


    As part of our tradition, this is an Epilogue chapter after thepletion of Arc/Volume 2 which I have done before for Arc 1 and will do the same for the following arcs.


    In this chapter, I will be addressing many questions, concerns and plots that many readers are either curious about or didn''t understand.


    Let me remind you again that I do read all thements on chapters, paragraphs and reviews. So I often remember most of them and wish to borate on the ones that I still remember.


    BUT BEFORE THAT.


    Let me speak something from the heart and be honest with all the regr readers and people who spend their money to buy privileged chapters.


    I truly appreciate all your support and the affirmation you guys provide me from time to time while showing faith and patience in me and the story.


    Also, please don''t hesitate to point out grammatical mistakes or spell corrections when needed.


    I write too many chapters for this novel daily and sometimes even have to stay awake till 2 to 3 AM just toplete the daily 2-3 chapters quota. So there are some incidents where I end up making small typing mistakes.


    Please point those out when you see them. I don''t mind going back to editing and correcting such mistakes because I too want to provide a good reading experience for all of our fans and people who have been supporting me despite this novel being my very first work.


    ----------------


    I know my writing isn''t top tier and sometimes I fail to properly express the characters, their emotions and reasoning but I am indeed trying on my end as well.


    Some readers say I exin a plot behind the actions and intentions too much and drag the story while some think I don''t exin enough. So I''m kinda confused myself about whom to listen to.


    Just know that I want to create my own style rather than copying others. So please be patient with me.


    And I would like to honestly admit a few things about the Arc/Volume 2 as well. If you have read all the chapters till this point, then you deserve to know the truth behind the scenes as well.


    The 2nd arc was stretched to almost 185 chapters despite my original ns being to end it under 150 chapters.


    But as the story progressed after Kahn''s arrival at the Capital and how the world building was finally being expanded on a grand scale, I had to change many things for the plot to progress realistically.


    I even wanted to have Kahn learn many other skills and jobs such as Alchemy, cksmithing and Space Law in this arc.


    But during the business plotline alone, I realized that it''d be too immature of me as a writer to make the MC rich and powerful so suddenly without suffering the consequences of rising into power while taking the business out of other people''s hands.


    I could''ve easily made him some young genius making ancient-level cultivation pills or some pro-gamer cksmith who suddenly appears out of nowhere and does miracles after miracles while the opposition and rivals keep watching like an idiot without doing anything.


    One man''s sess also spells failure for the others in the real world, so I too wanted to bring that aspect of real life into the novel which eventually ended up in bing the whole Business Mini-Arc.


    I know a lot of people were bored to death during those chapters but I had to take the risk and show how Kahn would approach this issue and learn how to expand his own business empire.


    And do know that this was actually a setup for the future. Because now, I won''t have to go into details and choices he would have to make as a businessman in the next as well as the uing arcs.


    The most criticized part was when Kahn''s foolishness led to over a hundred employees dying because he provoked the top guys.


    Although it may sound like I''m trying to justify it, but listen¡­ Kahn in both lives has always been a loner. He was someone who didn''t even have a deep rtionship with his own family so there was indeed a need to have a wake-up call for him.


    That as a businessman, he''s not only responsible for himself but also for the safety and lives of all the people who worked for him. And him recklessly messing with the top dogs of the Chamber of Commerce in order to cement his new business had a cost to be paid¡­ with the blood of the innocent people.


    Kahn indeed learned from these mistakes as during thepetition itself, he made sure that his name wasn''t allied to anyone from thepany or anyone innocent. He also made sure that Albestros would also be an untouchable figure in case he were to earn the ire of some top faction.


    ----------------


    As for the whole Emperor''s Chosenpetition itself.. I could''ve easily made it a standard and clich¨¦petition where the MC goes bitchpping people like a badass and not even hiding his strength from the beginning while constantly gathering the enmity of the top powers but having absolutely no n on how to tackle them.


    Even in the semifinals and the finale, Kahn chose to reveal his true strength as a means to have the whole empire acknowledge him and be center of attention for everyone from the bottom to the top of the food chain because there was a dire need to do so.


    In the majority of such stories.. They never address the politics or the mind game such as rigging thepetition or only the elites having the final say. All they show is normal audience doing asslicking of some young master or a prodigy of a sect while everyone keeps harassing, abusing and looking down at the protagonist like braindead morons.


    (For example, the fight with Historia Weiss aka the Ara Ara Onee-san. This was me showing how those cliche tropes worked.)


    So I just couldn''t skip that part and felt the need to show the big game that no normal citizens of the nation would see from their standings. And I used Kahn''s perspective to exin that.


    And yes, he indeed failed quite a few times and almost lost his life twice despite nning everything.


    To remind our readers that no matter how smartass the Protagonist is.. There are plenty of experienced and truly powerful people who can easily outwit him no matter how cautious or prepared he is.


    That without absolute power, no matter how cunning you are, you can easily be trampled upon.


    I can make Kahn as the smartest guy in the world and make all the others as just bad and evil folks without having brains of their own but I intend to use these experiences, such as the Vandereich n leader using Kahn as bait or the Pureblood faction trying to use him to win the fiefdom and rule it using his name; to help the MC grow and have proper and legit reasons for character development.


    Because reading such stories in novels, mangas or watching them in TV shows or Anime ispletely different from actually living such a life.


    Kahn isn''t an Omniscient Reader who knows what''s going to happen in the future, the true nature of other people or how his actions and ns will y out. So using these incidents to actually make him a proper Anti-Hero character is the approach I seek.


    Some feel that the Capital arc was stretched unnecessarily but I honestly feel like it has saved me a ton of effort I would''ve had to put otherwise in the future arcs. Because now I don''t have to go through the same process again and again and the readers will easily understand how Kahn achieved those tasks.


    ----------------


    As for the character development for the subordinates, you have seen only Ceril as a character and his personality in this arc. Other Generals will also get their time to shine in the future. I wish to take one step at a time instead of mashing them all together in a single arc.


    All of them will have a vital impact on the endgame so I''m not gonna skip on their character personalities and how they be Kahn''s most reliable allies.


    I already have stories and ns ready for every single one of them. Just that it will be done for a selective few in every arc and at a proper time.


    As for why I stretched thepetition plotline and introduced so many characters?..


    Well, by the end of Arc 2¡­ you already know that no Saint can enter Kahn''s fiefdom and one of the reasons why he chose it. So who do you think will have an important part to y in the next arc?


    Everything was nned from nearly 4 months ago, the story itself expanded because I wanted a more logical and realistic approach than just following the standard patterns of gradual progression with levels and stuff where everything happens conveniently without the protagonist facing actual challenges and threats.


    And yes, Kahn doesn''t y with the street thugs but he always aims for the top guns. His goals are bigger and on apletely different level rather than ying it safe where he can only lord over the weaklings.


    And trust me, the next arc will be extremely important for the setup of the future arcs of the novel in many ways.


    Based on the story and arc plotlines I already have.. The novel will easily have at least 1500+ chapters. At the same time, I''m afraid that I''ll not be able to live that long toplete the story given how hard it is to please everyone these days.


    Half of the peoplein about the novel not having a romance candidate or a female subordinate while the others tear down the Protagonist for being a man who was mesmerized by a charming woman as soon as I introduced Kassandra without even waiting to see what happens in the next chapter.


    And like I said before, there''s no hurry. I won''t force down romance or annoying female characters but I won''t shy away from a potential candidate either because the females in my novel won''t be some one-dimensional and annoying damsels in distress.


    They will have their own lives, dreams, ambitions, character traits and personalities which do not revolve around the protagonist.


    So please don''t expect me to write half-ass female characters for the sake of romance or fanservice. If they are important, then they''ll get enough exposure. The story can''t always be from the MC''s perspective. A shift in narrative is needed once in a while.


    A self-made King needs a self-made Queen.


    And it takes time to reach that stage. So be patient.


    ----------------


    Now the next issue.. Some readers have problems with all the references I make in the novel these days.


    Remember, I did not write this novel for only one part of the fanmunity. Mine includes many fanbases such as novel readers, anime, tv shows, superhero movies, video games and even cultural mythology fans (if one is versatile and educated enough¡­ like me).


    So I don''t cater to only one but a vast majority. So in case you don''t like a reference and find it forced or cringy.. That''s all up to you. I only try to add them as the natural flow of the story demands it.


    In case you''re not knowledgeable or get these references, just Google it all you''ll easily understand them.


    ----------------


    One more thing. Some people have problems understanding the measurement system and think I''m using ''meters'' instead of ''feet'' metric system. So let me rify.. Apart from a humanoid character''s height, I haven''t used thetter for anything else.


    If I say a monster or a subordinate is 10 meters in height... Then they are 10 meters. This world is much bigger and many creatures, buildings and even species living in this world are many times bigger in build and physical appearance. So please don''t make assumptions about their heights and size byparing them to Earth standards.


    All the Generals and Omega themselves are massive. The shortest one is Ronin who is only 4 meters tall in his original monster appearance. And a 3 to 4 meter tall human is also a normal thing in the world of Vantrea.


    I hope it helps when you depict the characters and monsters in your mind during uing chapters and arcs.


    ----------------


    And finally time for a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT.


    After this arc, the reference arts I share in the chapterments will only be avable on the official site and my P.a.t.r.e.o.n.


    Because I have spent months collecting them on various apps and websites and finding suitable reference arts sometimes takes hours.


    So in case you''re not reading this novel on the official website which is W.E.B.N.O.V.E.L / W-E-B-N-O-V-E-L then you won''t get them anywhere. Not even on the official discord group from now.


    Because I think those who truly support this novel through reading it on the official website deserve the best as they are the ones actually taking their time and putting in the effort to support the author.


    I neither care nor appreciate the support or criticism of the pirate readers at all. Because if you can''t even take a minute to use fast passes or coins and read on the official site, then all that verbal support amounts to nothing.


    I have even halved the prices for privileged chapters which is basically me cutting out 25 to 30% of what I earn through this novel for the sake of our regr readers. So I think I''m justified in being a little selfish.


    Hence, I will only care about the readers here and not a group of angry, entitled crybabies who read on pirate sites and act as if I owe them some money.


    This is my ID in case you want to see all the references arts for the characters :


    CrimsonWolfAuthor (just search on p.a.t.r.e.o.n and you''ll find all the reference arts there.)


    ----------------


    THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT. HOPE TO SEE YOU ALONG THE RIDE.


    - CrimsonWolfAuthor

 Chapter 321 - The Fiefdom

    Two weeks passed since Kahn won the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and rightfully became the new Sovereign of the Vessen mountain range.


    As per traditions, a grand coronation ceremony was held and in front of the entire Rakos Empire, Kahn was officially appointed as the new ruler of this part of the empire.


    He was legally given all the rights and took an oath just like a Crowned Prince inheriting the position of the Emperor.


    A grand celebration was held by the government throughout the empire and their generosity as well as support to Kahn, the new Emperor''s Chosen was disyed to the masses.


    At the night, a great banquet was held and all the top officials of the government, n leaders of the most influential ns, heads of the biggest business corporations, honorary ranked officers of the military and the leaders of the free folks aka the political figures.


    Many Saints and their respective forces tried to make friends with Kahn as he was now the owner of the biggest reserve of the mana ore and monster-rted materials in the empire.


    Yet the real truth that no one from the public could see was that all of the people present in the banquet actually abhorred him and already started conspiring against him¡­ including the Pureblood faction after Kahn had basically given them a middle finger by choosing this region.


    "Start pulling out our people and officials from the Vessen mountain range one by one from all the cities and government sectors.


    This kid thinks he can run a fiefdom of that scale on his own. Let him gloat for a few days..


    After that, he wille crying and beg all of us to give him support." spoke some of the n leaders and top officials.


    Just then, the three faction leaders entered the conversation while Kahn was surrounded by peopleing to greet him.


    "It''s too early. Let him y for a few months. Then we will make our move." spoke Stalin, the faction leader of the Neutral Faction.


    "I don''t understand, sir¡­" spoke a minister of the parliament.


    Just then, Allister interjected and exined.


    "Why appear as his enemy? Instead, we can make an example out of him about how those who do note from a proper background like a noble faction or military house; do not possess skills to rule a fiefdom or any part of the empire as matter of fact.


    And once everything goes ording to our ns.. The public of the empire itself willbel him as an ipetent sovereign and we will be justified to take away his position." spoke the old vampire who himself was disappointed and angry after Kahn had pulled a UNO reverse card on him in the finale.


    Then Jeremiah, the old elven saint spoke in a condescending tone..


    "No matter how talented he is.. A warrior and a king are not the same breed. He will make a fool out of himself and we won''t even have to raise a finger.


    So let him receive all the attention for now.


    The higher he rises¡­ the greater his fall will be."


    [Only if I had a skill that could read thoughts.. I would know what those fuckers are nning.] thought Kahn as he greeted another minister with a smile on his face.


    But unbeknownst to all of them, Kahn had already nned his moves and knew that soon, he would have to run the whole ce on his own.


    Kahn earned 3140 trillions aka 3.14 quadrillion gold coins after gathering all the wealth from thepetition. Although it wasn''t remotely as big as the earnings made by the top three noble factions.. He had cost all the other two factions who bet on Kassandra a big chunk of their wealth and profits by winning the match.


    And he was certain that soon, these people were going to create problems for him one way or another. So rather than waiting like an idiot.. He was going to ce his cards as soon as he went to the capital of Vessen mountain range and assumedmand.


    In a way, it was going to be him against the government, noble ns, military officials and factions very soon.


    But rather than bing afraid, Kahn with his business mind saw this as the biggest opportunity for a major expansion.


    He had already learned all the important history about this part of the empire and how it functioned.


    Vessen Mountain Range had a total of 187 million normal citizens spread across thousands of cities. While it was guarded by nearly 48 million soldiers that wereprised of normal soldiers and ones sent by the three factions as part of a pact made between them separately.


    This part of the empire was basically a warzone and a lot of wealth was spent by the government in the name of military management, provisions and maintaining order because of the annual monster tide. But from the intel Kahn received..


    This was one of the most corrupt regions as only the powerful people with connections ruled over here while the shallow management cost only the lives of honest soldiers and innocent citizens.


    And millions of heinous criminals throughout the empire such as serial killers, rapists, murderers and those who havemitted unspeakable crimes were sent here after receiving a death sentence and forcefully admitted in the military and told to fight against the monster tide.


    Everything was about hunting the resources of the inner areas that were spammed with unimaginable and insanely strong monsters that were still unheard of to most of the empire. Here, existed the type of monsters and species that Kahn hadn''t even read about or seen in any dungeon either.


    In terms of resources, harvesting rare materials from monsters and given how their uses directly affected many professions and businesses of the empire which led to this region ying an important part in the economy, it was no different than a treasure trove.


    But because of the restrictions of no Saint being able to enter here.. The best warrior they could send was a semi-saint. But given the power struggle in the capital.. There were only 6 other semi-saints with war experience of decades stationed here.


    And 3 of which were sent by the three noble factions while only 3 were the nativemanders who controlled it and actually fought for the lives of the citizens while the ones sent by the factions who were there just to disy the support in the eyes of the public.


    But it was mentioned that most of them had abused their authority from time to time as per the secret intel he gathered by Ronin after Kahn decided on Vessen mountain range before the finale.


    Each one of these saints lead six different fronts and heldmand of their own armies.


    Yet the reason why the Vessen region was added to the list of fiefdoms avable to be chosen was because the government wanted to appear fair and just and pretend to give its native citizens hope for a better future.


    And after Kahn chose this region¡­ he was going to be the biggest authority and the ultimate ruler even if none of them wanted to.


    Kahn on the other end saw nothing but opportunities for both the Bloodbornepany and Seven Deadly Sins for a grand expansion.


    And meanwhile.. He would also clean the scums who were guing the management and ying with normal people''s lives to rule as its proper sovereign.


    Many new challenges were awaiting him. But Kahn knew one thing in his bones that once he settled down there properly¡­


    HE WILL BE UNTOUCHABLE.

 Chapter 322 - Welcome Ceremony

    Four days after all the authority and legal rights were handed to Kahn as the new sovereign of the Vessen mountain range, he finally left for the capital of this region and his new base of operation.


    And the capital was called¡­ AESIR.


    Kahn was granted 7 Warships by the government as a form of showing their support and after Kahn was done settling all the things in Rukon District, let it be ensuring the safety of Albestros, Sirius and The Bloodbornepany or leaving people in charge of the Seven Deadly Sins¡­ he and all the subordinates departed for their new home.


    After spending 12 hours flying via the warships that could travel one thousand kilometers in just an hour, Kahn finally entered the capital which itself had more than 40 million citizens in total poption.


    The rest of the citizens were spread across many other cities and business hubs that contributed greatly to the economy. And the center ofmand was obviously the capital which was going to be his new headquarters.


    When Kahn''s 200 meters tall, 400 meters wide and massive warshipsnded in the central region and close to his new castle under the public eyes, the entire crowd was excited to see their new ruler finallying to live among them.


    Kahn was already informed that his wee would be celebrated throughout all the cities and settlements within the region and his weing ceremony would be broadcasted for all the masses.


    Shhhoooaaaa!!


    Kahn walked out of the main entrance of the ginormous ck warship and following him, six humanoid figures escorted their master.


    Kahn was now donned in a gray and royal attire that made him look like a prince of a european country. His appearance and the aura he emitted gave a hint of a domineering sovereign who had confidence and authority oozing out of him.


    [[Author : For Kahn''s new appearance, refer to the current cover of the novel.]]


    A long cue of beginner grandmaster rank warriors dressed as Kahn''s new Royal Guards had taken a stand on both sides and under the eyes of the public, they escorted their sovereign.


    After walking a mile and being weed under loud cheers from the bustling crowd, he walked towards the podium that was ced right at the main entrance of his new castle that was situated very high in the capital grounds and one had to walk hundreds of stairs just to reach here.


    And finally, under the expectant gazes of the more than 220 million citizens that belonged to different species, races, genders and colors; Kahn finally began his speech.


    "People of Vessen mountain range who eagerly waited for my arrival since the Emperor''s Chosenpetition ended and now gathered to wee me while putting aside all your work and chores¡­


    I have one thing to say to all of you." spoke Kahn with a benign and charming smile on his face.


    "I, Kahn Salvatore¡­ havee back to my home!" he said with a tone full ofpassion and nostalgia.


    "Yeeeaaaahhhh!!"


    "Yes! He''s one of us!!"


    "Wee home!!"


    "We believe in you, our Lord!"


    Soon, thousands and millions of people cheered and apuded Kahn. The overly crowded and bustling city of Aesir was now shaking with people''s chanting and loud screams.


    [[Author : Reference Art for capital Aesir in chapterments.]]


    The same scenarios were happening in thousands of cities, towns and viges spread across Vessen and people wholeheartedly weed their new ruler whom they had attached all their hopes onto.


    Kahn then continued and spoke in a vehement voice..


    "I''m not here to make false ims or act like everything is under control. I am fully aware of the misery of people here because it is the only way to make a living and survive..


    To all of our people who have lost their families, loved ones and friends.. To all of the soldiers who leave behind their homes to protect us over the border and sacrifice themselves while facing the monster tides every year... I promise you that I''ll make sure it doesn''t happen again as long as I''m here." he spoke with a resolute tone.


    Another wave of ear-deafening cheers resounded throughout Vessen.


    But as soon as the crowd finally settled down.. Kahn spoke with the eyes of a domineering tyrant as his tone became extremely serious.


    "I know of another truth that has been hidden from you all of you till now."


    "The corruption that happens in the government sectors that was running this ce till now..


    The abuse of authority by those who control the military..


    The underhanded measure taken by the powerful to keep oppressing those who want to rise in ranks and make better lives for themselves.


    Those who scam and cheat under the name of business rted to materials and ores..


    I know all of it." spoke Kahn as his gazes shifted to thousands of high-ss and influential figures who hade to attend this weing ceremony.


    At this moment, many of the conglomerates had a surprised expression on their face as soon as they heard Kahn''s words.


    In front of all his subjects, Kahn made another deration.


    "Previously, the government was in control. But now, I am the one who makes rules here and the highest authority.


    Soon, I will make newws and regtions.


    My new order will be made equal for all of the citizens.


    There will be a new set of criteria while lending tenders and deals. Let it be the military stationed here or the organizations that impact the economy.


    Let it be someone who is from amoner birth, from an influential noble n, ministers or someone from a military house background..


    No one shall be an exception to these rules.


    I will cut down the head that stops the normal citizens of the Vessen to live their lives as proud members of society. I will cut those hands who steal from the hardworking people who barely earn enough to feed their families." spoke Kahn with his heavy and tyrannical voice.


    All the citizens watching him on the broadcasting screens were shocked and then rejoiced to hear his truthful words.


    Millions of people teared up after his promise as if a dam of grief they had amassed over the years had finally broken.


    While the elites of the society and many officials felt a sense of dread and contempt towards Kahn.


    He spoke again with an iron will in his eyes..


    "I, Kahn Salvatore, take an oath that as long as I''m alive, I shall give my everything to my people and protect them at all cost.


    So keep believing in me and I shall make this ce not only a haven for you to live..."


    His emotional face full of care and warmth appeared on the screens as the new sovereignpleted his speech.


    "But a mothend you could be proud of!"

 Chapter 323 - The Expendables

    In the central region of Aesir where the wee ceremony was held and their new ruler had finally introduced himself to the masses and given his reassuring and heartwarming speech.. Themon folks finally felt like there was indeed someone who cared for them.


    Many had feared that Kahn would be no different than those people sent by the government and noble factions who ruled over them but treated their lives as nothing but mere assets needed to work in hunting and harvesting monsters and cores.


    Nheless, their new sovereign straight up announced that no one will be treated differently and he even went as far as directly mentioning the crisis rted to corruption, malpractice, nepotism, elitism as well as abuse of power and authority that was exercised heavily in this region.


    This made them let go of their worries and all of them weed this man who was born amongst them and returned to serve their home.


    However¡­ Kahn''s provocative speech had already left a bad taste in the mouths of the ruling ss. Let it be powerful ns, factions, government officials, heads of business organizations and military officers.


    He had openly dered that he won''t be sharing the same table as them or be their ally just through his speech.


    But there was nothing they could do here because he was now the legitimate sovereign of this region. He was the one who had the authority to change rules and punish people.


    The so-called government branch that ran this region of the empire from the past hundred years no longer had any authority left as the man in front of them was now the personification of the Law itself.


    While millions of people loudly cheered for Kahn happily, some shedding tears of joy¡­ the rich and powerful had eyes full of worries and fear for their future.


    Just because of one damnpetition.. All the power they held over a century was now only existing on paper. As soon as Kahn willed it.. He could rightfully take it away.


    Their new sovereign who spoke about implementingws to treat all the people fairly was actually detrimental to their existence.


    Because if they tried to riot or target him in any way.. He''d be justified to wipe them out because he was literally the strongest person in the Vessen mountain range that spanned over 8000 kilometers.


    The man in the center of attention had already dered his stand through this speech without directly speaking a word against them.


    ----------------


    When the speech ended and Kahn was led to his new castle where he would hold meetings and rule the whole region from..


    Kahn folded his arms behind the back and walked like a true lord of this ce while being surrounded by the six humans who seemed to be his followers and the royal guards.


    As per his orders, all the important government officials, military officers and the six semi-saints who ruled the different regions andmanded an army of their own had alsoe to attend the ceremony followed behind him.


    Inside the main hall of this ginormous 400 meters tall and 3 kilometer wide castle that could easily house 5 to 8 thousand people on its 4 floors. Kahn walked towards the end of this hall that was befitting to be the court hall of a king.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Kahn''s new castle in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    He sat upon a ck and golden throne which was situated two levels of tforms above the rest of the seats and had two armrests with heads of lions carved in them.


    Kahn sat down and signaled all the people to take their respective seats. He looked towards all of them and spoke in his kingly voice.


    "All of you have heard me. So tell me.. What is your stand? Will you keep serving me and the people of Vessen or will you oppose the newws I''m going to implement?


    And if you''re going to report everything I do here to the noble factions who control the parliament and military¡­ then you best relinquish your positions when I''m being nice."


    He spoke and gazed at all the 18 figureheads of the management of this region. Apart from the six semi-saints, the rest were normal people with no fighting ss job.


    "What''s this?! We were officially appointed by the government. We have performed our duties properly till now. Just because you won this region as your reward doesn''t mean you can run it without our help or the infrastructure the government and military has already established." spoke a bearkin semi-saintmander who had the sigil of the demi-human faction on his armor.


    "Is that so? Aren''t you forgetting something?


    I''m the government andw here now." spoke Kahn with lifeless eyes.


    "As for the infrastructure.. It is indeed necessary to run the whole fiefdom. But you''re forgetting something.." spoke Kahn and sped his hands together and folded his legs as he spoke in a carefree tone.


    "A system to rule is necessary.. But people running it are receable."


    To his response, everyone present here had an aghast expression. All of them were top officials of their respective departments of the government and military.. All their power, influence and authority came from their respective positions.


    Every one of them was sent here because they didn''t have enough influence to stay at the capital as part of the ministry or held big positions in their respective faction. Here, they were the top sharks.. Butpared to the people from capital Rathna, they were just the errand boys.


    If Kahn took away their positions¡­ they''d be nothing more than just decoration pieces. And now... most of them felt a sense of dread but no one spoke a word.


    The bearkin semi-saint however, had a haughty expression on his face as if he didn''t fear Kahn in the slightest.


    "And do what?! Without us.. You can''t even protect the six major cities that basically run the economy here. Who are you going to rece us with?" he asked with a condescending tone.


    "Ah¡­ so cliche and stupid." murmured Kahn to himself.


    [He''s talking down on the strongest guy in the room because I''m asking politely..] he thought.


    "Let me be very clear about something.


    To someone like me¡­" he spoke.


    Kahn then stood out from his throne and walked towards the bearkin semi-saint as if looking at a dead man. He spoke in a grim and tyrannical voice that sent shivers in their spines..


    "All of you are expendable."

 Chapter 324 - Setting Hierarchy

    After making his ims about how he only saw the top figureheads of his fiefdom as nothing but expendable chess pieces, Kahn walked towards the bearkin semi-saint with a fierce expression.


    "Don''t worry.. Although I don''t have a semi-saint to rece you¡­" spoke Kahn and let out a wide grin.


    "I have them!"


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    CRACKLE!!


    The next moment, the six subordinates Kahn brought with him who stood silently on both sides of the hall till this point suddenly released all their auras and shook the entire room in an instant.


    Omega and 5 of the generals revealed their full aura of peak grandmasters all at once!


    A deathly and terrifying killing intent was directed at the bearkin semi-saint who had a shocked expression.


    "How¡­ Six peak grandmasters all at once?!" spoke one of the ministers.


    "Wait.. Didn''t hee back from no powerful background? How does he have six peak grandmasters with him? None of them belong to any faction or n either. Who the hell is backing him?" spoke some of the officials among themselves.


    "Just two of them are enough to fill your ce. And I have six who serve me loyally.


    So do you think I''m without options?" asked Kahn in a mocking tone.


    "You¡­ don''t think you can control everything just because you have the authority. I have spent more than a decade here.


    I know my area better than anyone else. If you try to rece me.. Do you think people will be happy?


    Even my soldiers in the army will start riots themselves!" eximed the bearkin as he was on full alert mode.


    "You mean the people you''ve brought from the capital and mixed in the army? And the people whom you have created tiers with behind the curtains by using your authority to make deals under the name ofmissions and provisions for the military?" asked Kahn and suddenly activated War Dominance.


    "What?!"


    Speechless! The bearkin was rooted on the spot.


    [This bastard.. How does he know?] asked the bearkin to himself.


    The next moment, Kahn took out a leather-ish parchment made from monster hide and started reading the content on it loudly¡­


    "Commander Asw Bhaloo, leader of the Igi army and the personnel in charge of the south-east borders of the Vessen mountain range.


    47 cases of assaults, 13 charges of bribery, 5 cases of illegally selling military provisions to the powerful business organization and also one case of a homicide of an officer who tried to expose you 7 years ago." spoke Kahn as he listed out the wrongdoings of this bearkin semi-saint right in front of all the other semi-saints and ministers of government.


    "Anyway.. None of the cases were filed or there was any prosecution by the court either. So you''re safe¡­ for now." spoke Kahn with his wrathful eyes as if he barely resisted the urge to kill thismander.


    "You also have quite a knack for gambling, am I right?" asked Kahn with a light grin.


    bbergasted! The bearkin semi-saint waspletely bbergasted.


    [How.. How does he know all of this?!] he eximed in his mind.


    "You know what.. I''m feeling generous today since it''s my first day. However¡­" spoke Kahn and the next second, something horrifying happened.


    Everyone.. Even the other semi-saints dressed in regal clothes and wearing their armors felt like a mountain descended on their heads.


    The bearkin had his face convoluted and his 3 meters tall figure faltered. Even though both of them were semi-saint, the bearkin who became a semi-saint more than a decade ago¡­ was still forced to bow in front of the source aka Kahn.


    [Hey, human! I no longer have to hold back, right?] asked Rudra in Kahn''s mind.


    [Yes. There are no saints here and my own aura is stronger than all of them so no one can sense you.


    So you can finally reveal your aura. Let''s do it together.] replied Kahn.


    Throughout the whole Emperor''s Chosenpetition, Rudra hadpletely hidden his own aura and presence so no saint or a mage was able to sense him inside Kahn''s shadow.


    Plus revealing a Basilisk.. One of the five Godbeasts even under a pretense of being his familiar would''ve been an extremely stupid move on their side.


    Because both of them weren''t foolish enough to let others detect a Godbeast like how Solomon once detected him when Kahn was weak. And it ultimately led to Kahn being trapped inside a barrier where Rudra was forced out of his body.


    Their lives were in jeopardy back then so both of them had learned their lessons.


    BOOM!!


    SHRILL!!


    Before everyone could grasp the new information at hand.. Kahn activated War Dominance and released his full oppressive and deathly ck and red aura in the meeting hall.


    BOOM!!


    Another loud burst of energy was revealed from Kahn''s body and this time.. A ck fog instantly filled the entire 500 meter long hall.


    A dense and visible murderous aura which was many times stronger than before suddenly filled the surroundings as it forced everyone except his subordinates and two of themanders to kneel in front of the new sovereign.


    "What''s this.. Isn''t he just a semi-saint like us.. Why is his aura as strong as a legitimate saint?" wondered the semi-saint saint from the neutral faction.


    "That''s right.. And he''s so young unlike us. Imagine what will happen if he bes a saint one day." replied the other semi-saint.


    Little did they know that it was Kahn and Rudra''s mixed aura that was equivalent to a saint''s aura.


    But unbeknownst to them all, hundreds of dark shadows exited Kahn''s body and using this dark fog as a cover, they mixed in the shadows of all the people, let it be the ministers or the othermanders¡­ all of them had these ck shadows mixed with them without being able to sense anything.


    Kahn already knew that these people wouldn''t serve him loyally and report back everything to their respective forces.


    How he was running the fiefdom or how he was managing the economy or taking measures to protect the people..


    None of them had any form of loyalty to him. So Kahn decided to intentionally create a beef with them from the get-go.


    But amidst all of this disy of power.. Two semi-saints were untouched by Kahn''s murderous aura.


    Kahn had already investigated all of these people before he came to assumemand.


    Out of the 6 semi-saints, 3 of whom belonged to noble factions.. And the rest were natives of Vessen.. But only 2 of themanders had the history of fighting with their lives on the line to serve and protect the people.


    Both the old men looked at Kahn and they too understood why he hadn''t targeted them like the rest.


    [Commander Stark and Commander Mormont.


    Both of their Houses are military ns that protect the North of the mountain range.


    The only twomanders worth keeping around.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    On the very first day, Kahn had already achieved one of his primary goals.


    To provoke and see who was on his side while leaving his assassins in their shadows who would alert and inform him if any of them tried to conspire against him or create problems in the future.


    There were no exceptions.


    Kahn then walked towards the bearkin and spoke in a deathly tone.


    "I will give you one week before you leave the position under the pretext of old age or some other reason. This is myst warning.


    And if you decide to refuse¡­ Know that there will be a public execution where my sword will cut down your head. Understood?" dered Kahn to the now kneeling semi-saint officer.


    "From this day forth in this fiefdom¡­"


    His gaze then shifted to all of them and he spoke in a tyrannical voice that resounded in the entire hall.


    "I stand at the pinnacle of hierarchy!"

 Chapter 325 - Giving Warning

    After releasing his full aura mixed with Rudra''s, Kahn now appeared like a primordial monster looking down upon their measly lives to all the people, let it be government ministers or the military officials.. All of them felt they''d die any moment.


    Only now did they understand that the one whose authority they refused to ept and tried to act stubborn in front of was actually someoneparable to a saint based on his aura alone.


    "The old rules have changed. So let go of your notions of the power and authority you once held. The sooner you ept it, the better.


    As for me.. I will rule over this fiefdom in the way I see fit. So make your choice.


    You''re either with me.. Or you''re against me." spoke Kahn as his insurmountable pressure cracked the bones in all of their bodies.


    "I have already gathered more than enough information about all of you here.


    Who made what kind of deals with the elites of the society.. Who swindled what kind of funds using their positions and authority¡­ I know everything.


    So all of you have only one week to make a final decision. After that.. Your fate will be sealed.


    Because I don''t want snakes in my house and I''m not afraid of getting bitten in order to kill them either." he said in his tyrannical voice and delivered his final warning.


    But in reality, Kahn didn''t trust any of them at all. This intimation was something he was doing to seed in his ns. .


    "Exceptmander Stark,mander Mormont and my subordinates.. All of you, including the royal guards, may leave the hall." he said and lessened his aura to let everyone else move and breathe properly.


    Under his orders, everyone else apart from the stated people left the long meeting hall.


    "I wonder if you understand why I asked you to stay?" asked Kahn as he gazed at the two old men donned in armors.


    The first of them was an old human swordsman while thetter was an old dwarven warrior.


    To his question, both the old semi-saints gave him an understanding nod.


    Both of them were battle-hardened warriors who understood politics in their field very well.


    "We do.. My lord. What you seek from us isplete allegiance." spokemander Mormont.


    "With all due respect.. My lord. Although we know that you mean well¡­


    It''s still too early for us to pledge our loyalty to you. We''re not the kind of men who take that word for granted." saidmander Starrk.


    However, despite their refusal.. Kahn nodded in response and had a content expression on his face.


    "As expected of two greatmanders who have been serving the Vessen mountain range for more than three decades." he spoke with a soft smile.


    Kahn signaled them to sit down as he sat back on his throne and continued their conversation.


    "I won''t ask you to blindly follow me. What I want you to do is protect your regions as you always have.


    I already had my people investigate whichmander actually ruled fair and just and cared about saving people''s lives here. And that is why I have chosen to not make out an enemy of you unlike I did with them." he said and revealed his intentions.


    "Just like you, my lord¡­ this is our birthce. We were born here and we will die here.


    And unlike those people in the government and the other semi-saints sent here from the capital¡­ We have a sense of belonging and duty to this region.


    Our houses have protected this region even before the Great War when the Imperial Family was overthrown.


    Our ns and armies are made from people who live here since birth so it''s natural that we only seek to better their lives.


    These are our people who suffer every year in the end.


    If not for us being semi-saints.. Those people from the government and noble factions would''ve brought some outsiders from the capital and only rule in the name.


    The situation is much more dire than you know." spokemander Mormont.


    Kahn nodded at the response from the dwarven semi-saint as he shared his opinions.


    "I know. And that''s why, I will be needing your help and assistance. I was only born and raised here till the age of 5 but you have lived here far longer and know many things that I have no knowledge of.


    And since our motives align.. I chose to speak with both of you first." iterated Kahn.


    "But unlike before¡­ you don''t have to rely on those bastards just to get simple things done and protect the lives of our people.


    From this moment.. Both of you have my full support." spoke Kahn in a solemn tone.


    "Just list everything you need and who are creating obstacles for you.


    Who is stealing money and who is controlling the criminal activities.


    For now.. Although I don''t trust youpletely either.. I''ll provide everything in my power to bring stability." spoke Kahn.


    Both the semi-saints looked at him with skeptical eyes but still followed through with hismands.


    And an hour of discussion, both of them finally left and now, Kahn and his generals were the only people left in this giant meeting hall.


    "Master.. What''s our next move?" asked Omega with a curious tone.


    To his query, Kahn let out a chuckle and spoke in a carefree tone.


    "Don''t worry. We have already achieved our first objective." he replied.


    "The fish has taken a bait." spoke Kahn and leaned against the royal throne.


    Since the very beginning, Kahn''s aim was to provoke them through his speech as soon as hended in Aesir. And through his intimidating warnings in the meeting hall, Kahn already made them be wary of him.


    And now, he was waiting for them to do something he expected them to do very soon.


    He spoke again with an evil grin on his face after sessfullypleting the first phase of his uing ns.


    "Now we wait for them to deliver themselves on a silver tter."

 Chapter 326 - Planned Beforehand

    After Kahn was doneying out traps to catch the big fishes, the meeting continued in the main hall of his new castle.


    All his actions ever since hended in Aesir weren''t just done out of a fluke but premeditated and well-thought strategies.


    Back right when Kahn was curious about the Vessen mountain range when thepetition was close to the quarterfinals, Kahn had Ronin hire plenty of big and powerful spy organizations to gather information about it.


    Ronin changed his appearance each time he visited one of these organizations that exceeded their own Seven Deadly Sins by many times and had their informationwork spread throughout the empire.


    He spent billions of gold coins to hire these reputed organizations to gather information about this region and mainly about the people such as militarymanders, conglomerates, native ns who ruled and controlled various parts of it from a long time.


    And through those organizations, Ronin received reports about the rumors, notable incidents and corruption cases against all of them.


    But since the system itself was corrupt, none of these people ever had to face any consequences and the three factions who controlled the government were allied in this act of misconduct.


    But even so, Kahn and thepany had no solid evidence to act against them even if he was to be a new sovereign of this region. And he had to do things systematically lest his name and reputation were to hit the bottom from the very beginning.


    He had to do everything by justifying his actions and also needed full public support while doing so otherwise the government would use his conduct to call them unfair means and try to bring down his reputation.


    And soon, they woulde up with multiple reasons to dere him as the unworthy ruler and try to take away his authority.


    Hence, Kahn''s n was to not only create an image of the humble ruler in front of the public of his new fiefdom.. But to put all these upperssmen and business tycoons into disarray.


    And through this meeting where all the heads of the government departments, ministers and the semi-saints in charge of the military armies were gathered..


    He used his own ck and red aura, mixed with Rudra''s ck fog as a cover-up to nt his assassin subordinates in their shadows. Each of these people currently had more than 50 assassins hidden within them,mander Stark and Mormont were no exception to this.


    After learning his lessons with the Chamber of Commerce when he met all the top tycoons of Rukon District and didn''t nt his assassins in their shadows.. Kahn had be wiser to not give an opportunity to his potential enemies at all.


    And most importantly, he had given all of them recording and projection artifacts.


    Because of Kahn''s firm stand about how he wasn''t going to y along and cornered them to make a choice...


    All of them would be scared for their illegal activities to be exposed by Kahn.. After this incident, all of them were riled up and soon, would try to cover their own tracks.


    And that''s where Kahn''s assassins woulde into y.


    All of them were ordered to gather evidence, records, ledgers, record who these people met with and what kind of organizations did they deal with and how he will gather all the evidence to indict them in the name of stealing from the people and misusing their positions and authority.


    All Kahn needed was enough time till his subordinates reported back after they gathered enough proof. So once he had it all, he could start the next phase of his grand n.


    "Ronin, you''re in charge of handling these affairs as usual. Once we have proofs and recordings against all of them.. We will make our next move."manded Kahn.


    "Yes, my master. I will take care of everything." spoke Ronin as he slightly bowed.


    Just then, the subordinates in white and purple mage robes asked..


    "What should be our next move then, my lord?" asked Ceril.


    Kahn then looked at all of his subordinates present in human forms and spoke with a solemn tone..


    "For now, our priorities should be fully controlling the military and economic infrastructure of this region.


    I''m only the ruler in the name for now.. But if I want to truly control everything, running these two sectors with my own hands is a must.


    If the first phase of my ns seeds, then I will have legit reasons to do a takeover and no one would be able to raise any questions." spoke Kahn with a serious expression.


    "Omega, Jugram and Oliver¡­ I''m leaving a particr task to all three of you." he said.


    The three subordinates instantly kneeled in front of their master and spoke..


    "We will not disappoint you, master!" said the subordinates in unison.


    For the next one hour, Kahn told all the subordinates about what he wanted them to aplish and how they should approach the matter at hand.


    And once he was done.. All of the subordinates had surprised but also excited expressions on their faces. As if they were proud of their master who was nothing but a genius mastermind.


    "Then what about me? I can''t be of much help in these activities." finally, Armin spoke.


    To his question, Kahn nodded back and replied.


    "You have a major part to y. Just be patient."


    "Then what about me, my lord?" asked Ceril as he suddenly felt left out.


    "Ha ha! Don''t worry about it. I already have different ns for you. It''s something I''m certain you will absolutely love." replied Kahn and gave a sinister smile.


    "Tomorrow¡­ we will expand our own army." he said.


    Soon, Kahn exined another n that would soon y a crucial part in his rule as the new sovereign.


    All the subordinates were once again in an awe of how evil and cunning their master has be over the short span of a month alone.


    Kahn was fully going to exercise his rights as the new sovereign of this region.


    He let out a chuckle and dered¡­


    "An army that will be loyal only to me."

 Chapter 327 - The Sinners

    The very next day, Kahn ryed his orders throughout the Vessen fiefdom that soon, he will begin visiting all the major prisons situated in the important cities and also the areas controlled by the military.


    This news shocked many among the popce as this was something unheard of because till now, they only knew that the government transferred most heinous criminals who had been given a death sentence throughout the empire and used them to fill the numbers in the military to fight against the monster tide.


    But most of the time, this idea had backfired as these people were so erratic that it created chaos amongst their ranks. And if not for the powerful semi-saintsmanding the armies, it would''ve caused mayhem instead.


    So Kahn''s motives through this deration had greatly piqued the curiosity of the general public.


    And the first prison he would start with was the central prison ced in the capital Aesir itself.


    At the time of noon, Kahn and his entourage of royal guards descended from their warship in the middle of this 10 kilometer wide prison which facilitated more than 20 thousand prisoners. And this wasn''t even the biggest prison settlement in the Vessen fiefdom either.


    Other prisons that were made hundreds of years ago, housed 10 times the numbers while keeping all these criminals away from the general poption. So Kahn started with the closest one and soon, he nned to visit all of them one by one.


    After he exited the warship, Kahn was greeted by the prison management and the main head who was a beginner rank grandmaster halberd warrior.


    One thing Kahn had noticed so far was that despite there being a great need of high-ranked warriors, the Vessen mountain range that was now the Vessen Fiefdom had a limited number of semi-saints and grandmaster rank warriors as if the government itself didn''t want to provide it a helping hand.


    Behind Kahn, a long batch of hundreds of soldiers dressed in gray armors walked in a disciplined manner. In their hands, were wooden crates.


    Soon, the total number of soldiers piled to a thousand and even the jailor and the management people felt a sense of dread as if a war was about to happen here.


    Soon, everyone kneeled in front of Kahn and introduced themselves. Kahn on the other end asked them about the functionality of the prison and started a discussion of his own.


    "Tell me.. How are you managing it? Are the funds allotted to you are enough?" he asked the jailer.


    The next second, however¡­ the beginner rank grandmaster snakekin had an aghast expression as if he didn''t dare to answer the question.


    "Don''t worry. You have nothing to fear about. You''re under my protection." spoke Kahn as he affirmed the jailor who seemed conflicted.


    "To be honest, my lord. On the record.. We have millions of gold coins in the annual budget to use for maintaining our prison. But in reality¡­ we haven''t even been receiving one-third of it every year from decades.


    Yet the documentation is always filed with the full amount mentioned. I dare not point fingers at anyone but.. But those who tried to expose this matter before me all disappeared.


    So I couldn''t dare to speak about it¡­ before you came." revealed the snakekin with honesty.


    He too was one of Kahn''s supporters and after hearing Kahn''s moving speech yesterday.. He dared toe forth with the truth.


    Kahn nodded and understood the situation.


    "Mister Rotich!" called out Kahn.


    Soon, a green thrall dressed in aristocratic clothes ran towards them and stood straight in front of him.


    This was one of the people who were in charge of informing Kahn about the happenings of the fiefdom since he was new.


    "How much of our annual budget is spent on managing all the prisons in Vessen?" asked Kahn with a serious tone.


    "My lord, more than 20% of the annual ie is spent on the management of these prisons throughout the Vessen mountain range in hundreds of cities.


    If I''m not wrong, it''s nearly 200 billion gold coins every year." spoke the thrall.


    "That much?.. Yet why aren''t they receiving the funds?" asked Kahn.


    Because despite that much allotted money, the situation here seemed worse and didn''t appear like the prison was well maintained given the sheer number of people it housed.


    The prisonbor wasn''t enough to fill the cracks in the walls if they didn''t have enough money to buy the construction materials at all.


    "My lord.. That''s.. That''s.. In the hands of ministry of finance." he spoke with a shuddering voice.


    "I see. Those bastards not only sent the scums of society to live here.. They use these folks to swindle money in the name of managing these prisons.


    If not for me taking charge here.. No one would''ve found out either." spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    There seemed to be no end to the scams and money embezzling in this region of the empire.


    "My lord.. The situation is even worse in other major prisons. We receive at least that much because this prison is situated in the capital.


    Compared to this.. Other ces that house more criminals don''t receive enough money.


    Every year, there are plenty of cases when those prisoners escape because of worn down constructions and not enough men to stop them." revealed the snakekin again.


    Kahn clenched his fist in anger after hearing this fact. Because these prisoners were mostly filled with rapists, murderous and some who even did acts such as cannibalism.


    Yet to risk the lives ofmon people because of their greed was something he found as crossing the limit.


    "I see. Well, I will soon take care of it. But first.. Gather around all the prisoners in the main grounds and arrange a podium where I can speak with them all at once."manded Kahn in his gray general-like attire.


    "Yes, my lord." spoke the snakekin jailer and left to make the arrangements.


    Kahn looked at the open ground with his eyes full of wrath and spoke in a grim voice.


    "Let''s see how many of these sinners are useful."

 Chapter 328 - Left And Right

    ONE HOUR LATER


    Kahn stood in the center of a podium arranged at one end of this 4 kilometer long ground where more than 20 thousand prisoners were gathered and surrounded by nearly four thousand armed guards, a thousand on all four sides.


    On Kahn''s left side, a thousand soldiers in gray armor, whose origin was unknown to everyone even now stood with the wooden crates on their hands.


    Using a sound amplifying artifact, Kahn spoke to all the inmates who were fed and sheltered using the taxpayer''s money despite deserving to die in a cold night.


    "Inmates of the Riker Prison, my name is Kahn Salvatore. Some of you might have heard of me recently. As for those who didn''t.. Let me formally introduce myself." spoke Kahn as if he was a politician who came here to do some charity work.


    "I am someone who is now the Sovereign of the Vessen mountain range. Now it has been dered as my fiefdom so in other words, I''m its rightful ruler." he exined.


    "Today¡­ I came here to meet all of you despite being very tight on my schedule.


    To offer you a godsend opportunity." spoke Kahn in a vehement tone.


    "Soon, you all will be sent to different borders of the fiefdom, enlisted in the military and forced to fight against the yearly monster tide without proper training or weapons.


    Well.. Dying such a useless death is indeed befitting for low pieces of shit like you people.. But I''m a magnanimous lord who cares even for the worst of the people in my rule.


    So I will give you two choices." spoke Kahn after berating the thousands of people in front of him, instantly garnering their hatred.


    "On your left, there are blood-bind contracts held by my people.


    The terms are that you will willingly follow me till your dying moments and ept whatever orders I give to you. Whether it''s fighting against a monster tide or guarding my backyard. You will have no free choice or any form of freedom whatsoever.


    In other words.. This is a ve Contract." revealed Kahn in a happy tone as if he was doing a kindness to these people.


    These blood-bind contracts were something Kahn bought with his own money and he had to spend 200 million gold coins from his own pockets. And these weren''t even the ten percent of what he brought from the capital.


    "I will personally see to it that you''re all well-fed, well-armed and trained so that you don''t die in vain¡­ although none of you deserve a good death anyway.


    So if you like my kind and generous offer, go to your left andplete the blood-binding ritual.


    However, if you don''t want to ept my offer and still go through old methods where your fate is uncertain, you can stand on the right side." He spoke as both his hands spread to two different sides.


    The expression on his face seemed like he was doing a great service to these criminally insane prisoners.


    "Pfft! What the fuck did I just hear?"ughed dozens of prisoners after Kahn''s sudden offer.


    "Who the hell does this kid think he is? Lord my ass!"


    "He thinks he''s some hot shit because he is made the ruler of this ce. How about giving me a weapon?.. I''ll show him who''s the boss!" eximed one of the tall and burly wolfkin inmates.


    Soon, thousands of the prisoners startedughing at Kahn as if they were looking at a fool.


    And despite a minute passed¡­ not a single one of them moved towards the soldiers holding the crates.


    "Airshh¡­ So many ungrateful people." spoke Kahn with an expression as if he was somehow wronged.


    "Aren''t I being kind to these people already? Don''t you think so, mister Rotich?" asked Kahn to the middle-aged man.


    To his question.. The middle-aged man only had aplicated reaction..


    "You are, my lord. Just that some people don''t know how to see what''s good for them." replied Rotich with an awkward expression.


    "I guess I have no choice but to help them open their eyes." spoke Kahn and let out a long sigh.


    But the very next moment¡­ his eyes turned furious and a loud burst of ck and red aura exploded out of his body.


    Shockwaves of fierce wind shook all the people around him as their clothes fluttered from the outburst of Kahn''s aura.


    Unlike the people from prison''s management or the soldiers who came with Kahn.. All the prisoners amassed in this 4 kilometers long ground felt like a monster was standing right in front of them.


    And before anyone of them could get the gist of the things.. Kahn summoned Lucifer and threw it high in the air.


    In the following moments, hundred aura swords appeared that were made from five different elements and quickly coalesced around the ck greatsword with crimson vein patterns on the de.


    And in just 20 seconds.. A 250 meters long ginormous sword formed in the air that leaked the mix of different elements from it.


    "Dragon Strike!"


    Kahn shouted andunched his biggest single-strike attack in the middle of the open ground.


    BOOM!!


    An ear-deafening explosion urred and shook the entire open ground as hundreds of long and deep crevices formed in the middle of this ground. Hundreds of prisoners were flung in the air and fell on the sides.


    Shocked! Let it be the prison management or the prisoners who barely managed to stand up after this loud and ground-shattering strike had a shocked and scared expression.


    With just a single strike.. Kahn killed more than 2,000 of these criminals made of rapists and murderers. Their mangled, shredded and torn up bodies dying the ground red with a pool of blood.


    The very next second, Kahn''s image flickered and he appeared right in the center of the crowd and activated war dominance albeit very weakly. But enough to scare them out of their wits.


    "I hear that you fuckers have been creating a lot of noisetely.


    Beating up the guards, killing other inmates for fun and trying to escape from time to time.


    I feel bad for them, you know.


    So I think it''s better to lessen their burden a bit." said Kahn with a disheartened expression on his face.


    He looked at the jailer and spoke loudly.


    "Don''t you think it''ll be good if I decrease the numbers? After all, the lesser people you have to look after.. The easier it is to manage the prison, right?" asked Kahn to the snakekin.


    In response.. The beginner grandmaster snakekin nodded and spoke in a merry voice.


    "Excellent idea, my lord. I wonder why I did not think of this myself." he said and let out a chuckle.


    Kahn''s gaze then shifted to all the people looking at him as he turned his head around and looked around the thousands of scared prisoners who were trying to run away from him to save their lives.


    "Now then.." spoke Kahn and gave a menacing look to everyone around. His words then resounded in the whole open group as he asked in a deathly voice..


    "Who wants to reconsider their choice?"

 Chapter 329 - Enjoying The Chaos

    In the midst of mangled and shredded flesh, Kahn stood at the center of the open ground of this prison. His wrathful figure and grim tone appeared like an apostle of death to all the prisoners.


    After Kahn''s sudden killing of the prisoners, everyone including the normal guards was on high alert. But after their head himself aligned with their sovereign, they all felt relieved.


    However, the atmosphere was still grim because none of them had expected Kahn to suddenly outright kill these many people.


    "Oye, you bastards. You still don''t seem to understand.


    When I say that I''m the new ruler of this fiefdom.. Means I''m thew itself.


    Unlike before.. The government won''t be protecting your lives to fill the numbers in the military. Here, if I willed it.. I can kill every single one of you whenever I please.


    Why do you think I came to visit this ce instead of going to normal ones where other criminals are kept?


    People like you who have destroyed millions of lives and their families and don''t deserve to be spared but at least I''m giving you a chance to repent.


    It''s far bigger kindness than fuckers like you would ever deserve. So shut the fuck up and sign the contract!


    Or you know the consequences." dered Kahn


    Soon, all of the people came to understand that they never had a choice, to begin with. Those who would not choose Kahn as their new master would be killed regardless of their opinions right here.


    And the only way to stay alive and live to see the sun tomorrow was by going through the blood-binding ritual and leaving their fates in the hands of this murderous tyrant.


    "Oh, by the way.. There are only 15 thousand contracts. I will kill the remaining ones who did notplete the ritual. Haha!" spoke Kahn and?chuckled like a psycho.


    The very next seconds, thousands of the inmates ran towards the dormant soldiers who held the contracts and started their rituals like a flock of birds.


    None of them wanted to be thest guy and join their former inmates in the journey to the afterlife.


    A fight between the inmates started as they tried to grab the contracts andplete the ritual as fast as they could.


    Soon, it created another outbreak and caused a bloodbath amongst the prisoners but instead of meddling in.. Kahn sat on a chair and enjoyed the chaos with a sinisterugh¡­pletely opposite of the image of a kind and worthy sovereign who was just and righteous.


    "Ha ha ha! Master is getting creative these days. I love it!" spoke Ceril with an exhrated face as he enjoyed death and merciless killings the most.


    In reality, Kahn had more than enough contracts.. But he just wanted to see whether his choice about choosing these monsters living in the society was actually what he thought or he made a bad call.


    But after watching the whole fiasco in front of him, his resolve was affirmed furthermore. That he did not make a wrong choice. If put in the army, these bastards would''ve made the same choice and caused chaos in their ranks when it came to fight the monster tide.


    "Where are the female prisoners?" asked Kahn to the snakekin jailer.


    "They''re kept in a different facility very far from here.


    But my lord.. Is it appropriate to use them as well?" asked the beginner grandmaster.


    "Don''t look down on women. They can be great spies and informants. And then can infiltrate ces where men can never reach.


    I won''t leave them out because they''re also precious assets. After all, I treat everyone fairly in my fiefdom. Regardless of their species or gender." spoke Kahn as he patted on the jailer''s shoulder.


    After 3 hours passed, all of the remaining prisoners had sessfullypleted their contracts and chose to be Kahn''s ves in the hopes of living longer.


    Yawn!


    Now only 17 thousand remained as the chaos from before took another thousand lives. Yet there was no hint of remorse or sadness on Kahn''s face. Instead, he yawned in boredom.


    Kahn''s loud voice filled the wide prison grounds again as he dered his final orders.


    "All of you will follow the rules here and wait for my call.


    If any of you try to create a scene, I grant the prison management the authority to kill you on the spot.


    Soon, my people wille here to shift you to a different base. So stay cooped up and enjoy afortable rest.


    Because after that.. The real hell will begin!"


    Announced Kahn and looked at the jailer as well as the rest of the people from the prison management.


    "I will look into this matter and soon I will be sending my people with enough money." promised Kahn.


    On the same day, Kahn traveled to the 2 nearby cities to the capital and repeated the same procedure of enving these prisoners in different prisons.


    It wasn''t that the government couldn''t think of this n..


    It''s just that they needed a lot of money for this blood-bind method which they couldn''t justify in the budget.


    Kahn was spending his own money instead of looking for avable funds because if he waited for the government''s support, he would have to wait a long time to get simple things done.


    ----------------


    In the evening, Kahn and thepany returned to their castle and following him, the thousand soldiers also entered the castle.


    "Make arrangements for their amodations. Soon, the next batch will alsoe." ordered Kahn to Ronin.


    In fact, these were some of the most skilled fighters from the seven deadly sins, Kahn''s own underworld criminal organization.


    He had reasons of his own to call them all here.


    At midnight, he held another meeting with all the subordinates.


    "What''s next, my lord?" asked Ceril, the mage subordinate.


    He had a happy expression as of now because Kahn had ordered their people to bring the dead bodies of those prisoners who died in the outbreak andter, Kahn handed down all the space rings to Ceril that held these bodies inside them.


    "We will be visiting a particr site."


    Kahn revealed their next step as he gave the dark summoner subordinate a coy smirk and spoke.


    "Somece where you''d feel like home."

 Chapter 330 - Meeting Of The Elites

    After yesterday''s events, news spread across the fiefdom in hundreds of big and important cities about Kahn, their new sovereign''s activities. That when he visited some of the prisons that facilitated the criminals sent from throughout the empire, he uncovered a big scam.


    That how the previous ruling government and officials had embezzled the money from the annual budget that was allotted to the prison management and put most of it in their own pockets.


    The ministers and officials in charge were now under surveince and being questioned by the authorities that were newly formed by the new ruler.


    This revtion shook many of the normal citizens as well as people working in government sectors such as the ministry of finance. Many of the officials were now under custody and were brought in for questioning. As of now, nearly 40 people were arrested and many others were under the judiciary''s surveince.


    Although it looked like Kahn was acting too quickly but in reality, these were the people whom his assassins had gathered the evidence against.


    After he put more than 40 assassins in every one of these ministers and officials on the very first day of his arrival in Aesir after he conducted a meeting in the castle¡­ these subordinates of Kahn spread and mixed into the shadows of the others who worked in these departments and yed a part in embezzling money and malpractice.


    And under the pretense of revealing the scam rted to the money embezzlement of the prison management budget, Kahn and his own militia in gray armors started seizing the documents and records of these officials and brought them into custody.


    They already knew where to look so it was going to be a smooth ride for him. And soon, he would go after the others who also had these assassins nted in their shadows as soon as they gathered enough evidence.


    In a way, this was also his deration that he wasn''t going to stand the old management in the eyes of the elites and powerful. And this was just the beginning.


    Unlike the capital Rathna, where Kahn was a nobody with no actual authority or power against the government or the noble factions.. Here, he was the one being who everyone had to answer to.


    At the time of the noon, there was a secret meeting held amongst the top conglomerates and government officials who had ruled over this region from decades and now decides toe together and joined hands against amon enemy.


    In a grand meeting hall, over a hundred nobles, military officers and aristocrats sat across each other and loudly discussed amongst themselves.


    "Is he out of his mind?! Does he thinks we''re nobodies?" spoke a blue demonkin noble in an enraged tone.


    "How the hell did he find out about that much inside information so soon? He''s been here only for two days?!" asked a dwarven conglomerate in a worried tone.


    "That''s not the issue¡­ we need to think about how to a way to tackle this? What did the three?main headquarters say?" asked a foxkin minister from the pureblood faction.


    At the middle of this meeting hall, was a tall and grizzly bearkin who seemed to be one of the strongest people present in the room.


    "We have ryed this information to the capital. But they''re saying that we should stay silent for now. It''s too early to act against him." spoke the bearkin in a solemn tone.


    Just then, a middle-aged vampire spoke¡­


    "Easy for you to say, Commander Asw. Unlike you, we don''t have any backing from the capital or the military.


    Given your position, he might not even do anything to you. But it''s not the same case for us. We don''t even have a semi-saint on our side.


    If he and his force of those gray armored bastards were to barge through our doors tomorrow, we can''t even put up a resistance of any sorts!" shouted a dwarven businessman in a discontent tone.


    At this moment, there were 3 semi-saints present in this meeting hall, and the one in the middle was none other than the semi-saint Kahn had warned on his first day.


    "That''s not the main problem here.." spoke the bearkin and looked around the hundreds of top figureheads around him.


    "Don''t you think he''s moving too quickly?


    Neither does he wants to be an ally nor wants our support to rule this fiefdom. He deliberately wants to be our enemy and make us stand against him.


    Unlike how we expected him beg for our support or take a month or two just to understand how to rule this region... He''s acting like he''s done this before.


    He knows where to strike first and on the day of his arrival, he already imed to know who made what kind of scam and did what kind of crimes.


    For someone without any background or experience in ruling¡­ he seems to be well versed in this field.


    And I''m afraid this isn''t even his main card. The Ministry of Finance was just a provocation. Soon, I think he will hit other departments of the ministry and various military sites." spokemander Asw.


    At his deration¡­ all the other people present had an aghast expression. They too understood that this was nothing but the first step and there was more toe in the future.


    After his warring words.. Some of the noblemen and officials looked at each other and nodded in unison.


    A lionkin semi-saint, one of the people who was present on the day of the meeting and belonged to the Neutral Faction stood up and spoke in a grim tone.


    "How about we all work together and use our influence and connections to tarnish his name and spread rumors that he''s doing this out of jealousy and wants to seize full control of the fiefdom to establishws that would only benefit him?" proposed the lionkin.


    Facepalm!


    The bearkin facepalmed himself and spoke in an irritated tone.


    "Are you out of your goddamn mind?! Haven''t you realized that things have changed from the day of his arrival?


    Everyone already knows that whoever throws stones at him first..." spoke the bearkin in an exasperated tone.


    Many nodded at his words as they understood what the bearkin was about to say.


    "Will be his biggest target!"

 Chapter 331 - The Site

    Silence filled the entire grand hall and all these top influential figures and people with authority and power stayed dead silent on the spot. All of them had grim expressions.


    It would be a different scenario if this was some rogue individual who tried to overthrow their rule and acted without backing. But their biggest enemy was the new sovereign of this area who legally had the highest authority..


    And on top of it, he was the strongest semi-saint of the entire Rakos Empire!


    They couldn''t even use force against him because even the three semi-saints who stood amongst them weren''t confident enough to fight him ande out alive.


    As per their previous revtion, Kahn was alreadyparable to a legitimate saint based on his aura alone. And given his skills alone, if all three of them were to fight him together, there was only a 30% chance of winning.


    But killing him wasn''t an option either. Because that would spark public outrage and people themselves would overthrow the government of this region. No one among them would ever be able to hold any power in the future either.


    At this moment of silence, something happened that wentpletely unnoticed by everyone present in the hall.


    From the three semi-saints and some of the ministers who sat across the hall, dozens and then more than 200 shadows spread out. Without anyone noticing, all of these shadows passed from the semi-saint and ministers to the other influential figures and conglomerates using the shade of the chairs they were seated on.


    In just a minute, not a single one of these elites and powerful people was without having a few of these ck shadows mixing with their own.


    Little did they know¡­ that the person they were most worried about had pushed them all in a corner for this very reason itself.


    To gather all the top brass in a single room after inciting fear and hatred. And use this asion to send his spies in their shadows. And all these assassins were already equipped with enough tools to gather evidence against them.


    Without anyone even realizing¡­ this gathering of the elites was going to spell their doom.


    ----------------


    By today, most of the popce came to hear through the general broadcasts made via public channels that their new lord spent the money he received from betting during thepetition to support the prison management and he''s looking into the whole scam by himself. And soon, he would be visiting all the prisons across the fiefdom.


    While at this exact moment, Kahn and Ceril who were embarked on a journey towards the southern end of the Vessen Fiefdom had finallynded in a city named Mordor.


    Mordor was a city under military management because it bordered a dense forest that was one of the hotspots for the monster tide every year. Because of this, normal citizens didn''t inhibit it for long and only came here to do business and harvesting when it was safe.


    But there was a reason Kahn decided to suddenly visit this ce despite having a busy schedule of his own because of a specialty of this ce.


    He met the person in charge, an intermediate grandmaster elf spearman who had been handling this ce for over a decade.


    And afterpleting formal introduction and pleasantries, Kahnmanded the spearman to take them to a particr site.


    When their entourage of a few hundred people finally reached a vast mountain range that was filled with a deste and mostly dreary forest, Kahn ordered all the people to stop following them.


    Kahn and Ceril alone ventured a few kilometers inside this dead forest and looked around it as if they were searching for something.


    "From the reports I received, this area spans for more than 20 kilometers. So what do you think?" revealed and asked Kahn to Ceril.


    "Ha ha ha!"ughed Ceril as he touched the ground and took a deep breath.


    "I can feel it! There are simply too many. Even with seven deadly sins, we couldn''t have gotten these many numbers'''' spoke the dark summoner subordinate.


    The main reason why Kahn decided to suddenly visit Mordor wasn''t to destroy the ring and kill Sauron. But to use this ce and its history to his personal advantage.


    Because from the past 100 years, all the dead soldiers have been buried in this part of the Vessen fiefdom.


    At the moment, the pungent smell of death and rotten corpses breezed across their noses, whilst Kahn did not react to it.. Ceril on the other end took a long deep breath and had exhrated expression on his face.


    "Justst year alone, 7 million soldiers were buried here." spoke Kahn and continued as they kept walking towards the inner areas.


    "I can''t revive the dead bodies that aren''t intact or it has been too long till the death of the specimen.


    But you.. You can do it regardless of the time and their physical state.


    As per the official record, more than 100 million bodies have been buried here in the past 10 years alone.


    Not all of them would be usable but see how many you can make into your undeads." spoke Kahn and ryed his intentions to the subordinate who was actually a variant undead lich with a job called the Dark Summoner.


    "How much time will you need?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Based on the numbers.. At least a month. And that is if I''m uninterrupted day and night.


    But I''m sure that once I''m done with the task...I will break through my current rank and limits." spoke Ceril with an excited expression, his tone as merry as a child who has been handed many candies.


    "Good. I will make sure that from now on, this ce is handed to you and nobodyes here or disturbs you.


    I''m expecting great results." spoke Kahn.


    "I will exceed your expectations, my lord." spoke Ceril as he knelt in front of Kahn.


    As the evening finally came and Kahn made necessary arrangements as well as gave his strictmands to the people in charge of this ce.. He left Ceril behind and departed to return for Aesir.


    He knew that this was the best way Kahn could raise his numbers without having to waste a lot of his time as the undead subordinate was many times better than him when it came to this task.


    And he knew for sure that the next time he met Ceril¡­ the subordinate was going to give him a big surprise.


    When midnight finally came and Ceril was levitating high in the air, in the middle of this forested area, he let out a grim and sinisterugh.


    "Hahaha! Hahahahahaha! Finally¡­ I have it!"


    Heughed with a maniacal expression and spoke in a sadistic voice¡­


    "My very own yground."

 Chapter 332 - The Memories

    As the days progressed, Kahn and his assassins kept bringing inside info, recordings and hard evidence against the people who were conspiring and trying to hide the proof of their wrongdoings as well as stolen money they got by embezzling funds from various sources.


    At the time of midnight, under two bright moons shining in the tranquil sky, Kahn stood on the balcony of his new grand bedroom which was no less than an articte and well decorated resting ce of a king.


    He was now at the peak of his tall and enormous castle as he watched the grand and bustling perimeter of Aesir, his new home. Yet the expression on his face looked that of loneliness.


    "Master, it should be enough for us to act against them, right?" asked Ronin who suddenly appeared behind Kahn.


    "It is enough. But you''re forgetting a key factor." spoke Kahn.


    "What is that?" asked the rogue subordinate.


    "What we''re fighting against isn''t a group of selective individuals or a n. But the entire system itself." replied Kahn with a serious expression.


    "The system is powerless in the face of power.


    A system is corruptible by the rich and powerful and can be manipted as they please.


    The only ones it can control are the poor and weak who can''t fight against it."


    Iterated Kahn as he turned his head back and looked at Ronin.


    "We''re fighting against the system that was created before us and possibly will remain even after all of us are gone.


    And to fight against those who control it¡­ it''s not as easy as it seems.


    Even if we were to use all the evidence against them¡­ our means of gathering it are still uwful. And if we don''t go by the book.. I will be dered as nothing but a quack of a tyrant by the people of the fiefdom itself.


    And if we want to do aplete takeover where no one can question my authority.. We need all people on our side. Let it be a normal beggar on the street to a top government official. And we have to do it in a single swoop." spoke Kahn with a stern expression.


    Instead of acting one by one¡­ Kahn waited for something big to happen. What he wanted wasn''t to catch the small bees one by one.. But burn the entire hive in one go.


    Winds howled and a cold breeze passed by Kahn as his hair fluttered.


    "Then what should we do, master?" asked Ronin in a curious tone. They were now dealing with hundreds of millions of people and getting all of them on their side was easier said than done.


    Kahn let out a small chuckle and responded.


    "If you want people to think that you''re the only one who stands with them¡­ then you must give them something that no one has ever offered before.


    Only that way, will the people think that you''re on their side and speak for them. Only then will you have theirplete faith and unquestionable support." he said.


    "And how do we do that? How can we connect to millions of people all at once?" asked Ronin.


    Kahn took a deep breath and folded his arms behind his back as he replied in a calm demeanor.


    "By giving them a voice."


    He spoke in a solemn tone.


    "And how do we give them a voice? This ce isn''t a democracy where votes and opinions of themon citizens are counted." interjected the subordinate as Kahn''s words started confusing him.


    "It''s simple.. We touch the topic all of them share without a doubt. And those are¡­" revealed Kahn with a heavy tone.


    "Pain and Suffering."


    For the next half an hour, Kahn revealed an borated n and Ronin, his left-hand man, was left speechless and looked at him in awe.


    p! p! p!


    "This.. This is ingenious, my lord!!


    It''s like killing three birds with a single stone!" pped Ronin with eyes full of respect towards the back of his master.


    "Tell them to be ready. The time limit I gave those bastards is about to end soon. And looks like none of them are taking me seriously.


    If they think that my words were just bluffing or an empty threat¡­ it''s about time we show them who they''re looking down on." spoke Kahn.


    Ronin nodded in response. He bowed and disappeared in the dark shadows as if he was never here.


    Kahn gazed at the bright moons and bathed in the moonlight.


    At this moment, Kahn found the surrounding atmosphere extremely familiar as if he lived it before.


    "There was a time when I stood at the top of a building that was the same height as this castle¡­ I was lost and helpless.


    And like a coward.. Imitted suicide without thinking about how there was still hope for me." spoke Kahn to himself.


    "Who would''ve thought that there''d be a day when someone like me who wanted to die would bear the responsibility of looking after millions of lives.


    Although I did it for my personal gains and in pursuit of power¡­ it''s a responsibility I can''t neglect even if I want to."


    The tall buildings, multicolored lights spread across Aesir and the bustling crowd reminded him of the very night when Kahn in his previous life as Elric lost his will to live and gave in against the loneliness and suffering he had been going through since childhood.


    On that night¡­ he decided to give up instead of fighting his fate. He just wanted to end the misery and the only way he found at that time to get out of it was ending his own life.


    After spending a life where no one was truly there for him.. He reached out to the only hand that showed him love and affection. But being swayed by his yearning and emotions¡­ he failed to see through the deception behind it.


    And now, the same person who jumped from the top of the building stood at the same height¡­ but with power and authority in his hands while carrying the weight of millions of innocent lives.


    "Going from Elric of the past to the Kahn of the present.." he reminisced and spoke with calm and lifeless eyes¡­


    "Seems pretty ironic to me."

 Chapter 333 - House Stark

    The next day, Kahn received a message through a transmission artifact and decided to depart in one of his warships. And the destination being one of the most remote areas of the Vessen; namely¡­ The North.


    The North of the Vessen was a region mostly covered by snow and only winter season existed in this part of the fiefdom. And the main reason being this area was inhabited by the Frost Giants.


    These creatures were simply gigantic and they lived in hordes. And to fend off against them, there was a 500 meter tall wall made of dense ice created more than a century ago.


    The protectors of this region were the two prominent military houses who led all the ns and natives living in this area. And both of the leaders of these houses themselves were semi-saints.


    House Stark and House Mormont. The two houses who fought to protect the lives of themon folks despite so many adverse conditions.


    And today, Kahn had secretlye to visit the House Stark after receiving key information that he had asked their head to gather on the very first day of his arrival after he threatened all the top brasses of the fiefdom including the other semi-saints.


    His warshipnded far outside of Winterberg, one of the important cities of the north and the main headquarters of the House Stark.


    After his arrival, Kahn was given a ck cloak to cover himself and then secretly escorted by an envoy of masked men. Using many secret tunnels, he finally reached inside the main castle.


    Even so, there was no grand wee or celebration but only silent paths filled with grimness.


    When Kahn finally entered a room in the basement of this castle where a dozen of people were already waiting for him.


    "All pay respect to our lord!" ordered Commander Stark and everyone including himself knelt on their right knee and fist on the ground.


    Kahn took out the hood and revealed his tyrannical aura. Although he was here as their guest, he was still their sovereign and he had to establish his authority lest someone dared to question it because he was simply young and new here.


    "You may stand up." spoke Kahn.


    Commander Stark gestured him to sit on a throne around a round table. Kahn took a seat and signaled everyone else to sit down.


    "So, did you get it?" asked Kahn to his subjects.


    Commander Stark nodded in response and the next second, he took more than a dozen big and heavy books out of his space ring and ced them in front of their lord.


    Kahn quickly grabbed one of the books and started shuffling through its pages. After spending a minute to read the contents, he revealed a satisfied expression.


    One by one, repeating this action as he went through all the books and finally heaved a content sigh.


    "You did good,mander Stark. This is more than what I asked for." spoke Kahn as he nced at the old swordsman semi-saint.


    "Thank you, my lord. I was nearly caught during the process and it could''ve possibly alerted the others. But I guess luck was on our side." spoke the oldmander.


    "But what do you intend to do with these, my lord? Releasing them to the public won''t make a big difference in the long term. And not all the people of Vessen are that free to pay attention to these things." he spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Don''t worry about it. I have already made a few ns. It''s in due process and when it''s done.. The whole fiefdom will see it with their own eyes." spoke Kahn with a grin.


    "My lord¡­ don''t tell me¡­ are you nning public executions as you warned about that day?" askedmander Stark with a dumbfounded expression.


    To his question, Kahn only grinned and replied in a coy tone¡­


    "Even better¡­" he spoke and in front of all these people, he revealed the next step he was going to take.


    Gobsmacked!


    bbergasted!


    Dumbfounded!


    All the top members of House Stark were rooted on the spot as soon as they heard Kahn''s wild idea.


    But one thing they all came to realize¡­


    That the young man in front of them wasn''t just a capable and talented fighter in the whole empire¡­ but a mastermind who knew how to control everything from behind the scenes.


    "So what do you all think? Are you with me on this?" asked Kahn to the strongest people of this military house.


    However, the next second something that even surprised Kahn happened.


    All the members seated around the round table got up from their seats and put their right fist on their hearts and vowed in a zealous tone.


    "From this day forth! House Stark pledgesplete loyalty to our lord, Kahn Salvatore!!"


    Dered all the members of this house that protected millions of people living in the north.


    Shocked!


    This time, it was Kahn''s turn to get shocked. Because he hadn''t truly expected them to suddenly ept him as their master.


    Serving a lord out of customs was one thing butpletely pledging loyalty by themselves was a different story in itself.


    This meant that even if he were to go on a war against someone who was an enemy, the House Stark would stand behind Kahn without a second thought.


    In simple words.. House Stark had officially be Kahn''s vassals.


    "Wait a minute! Don''t you think it''s too early? I haven''t even begun yet." spoke Kahn in a bewildered tone.


    "To be honest, my lord. The reason why we are doing it is because you''re not the first person who has thought of such a way. Many of our ns have proposed such ideas in the past.


    But there was no such thing as honesty in the government. They only care about maintaining their rule and not the lives of the people.


    What you proposed just now shows that you''re a leader who wouldn''t mind getting his hands dirty or his life put at risk for the sake of the greater good.


    Anding up with such an idea that exceeded our hopes and expectations from you is more than enough for us to pledge our loyalty to you, my lord." borated the old swordsman.


    "I see. Then I hope I can count on you in the future. I''ve already talked withmander Mormont and he has already joined hands with me. So let''s hope things proceed as I have nned." spoke Kahn as he nodded in acknowledgment.


    But before he could speak more, two of the masked men who escorted him to this room suddenly took off their masks and knelt in front of Kahn and spoke loudly.


    "We request our lord to allow us to directly serve under you!" spoke two young men, one of whom was a thin man while the other was of tall and ripped build.


    And surprisingly, the aura both these young men emitted was that of a peak grandmaster.


    Kahn had his eyes wide open as soon as their faces were revealed as he found both the men in front of him extremely familiar.


    "What the hell are you two doing here?!"


    He spoke with a shocked voice¡­


    "Elijah and Nius."

 Chapter 334 - Two Brothers

    In front of Kahn, stood two men who were two to three years older than him in age. Yet the encounter he had with these two extremely talented and well-versed warriors was the reason he quickly recognized these two familiar faces.


    Elijah, the Druid and Nius, the dual swordsman were the two individuals Kahn had teamed up and fought alongside in the fifth round of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    And now, both the brothers had suddenly appeared out of the blue in the main headquarters of the House Stark.


    "I see that you remember my grandsons, my lord." spokemander Stark.


    "Wait.. Grandsons? They''re your grandsons?" asked Kahn with a surprised tone.


    "Now that exins it. Both of them were peak grandmasters so I already thought they belonged to some big n. But to see that they''re part of your house.." spoke Kahn as he regained hisposure.


    "Yes, my lord. Serving our mothend and its people was the main reason why both of us participated in thepetition in the first ce.


    In hopes that we could win it and get the full support from the government and change Vessen for the better." exined Elijah, the older brother and the Druid out of the duo.


    "I see. So that was the case. Well, you two can get up." spoke Kahn as he understood why these two young prodigies had participated in thepetition where he met them.


    However, both the grandmasters shook their heads in refusal.


    "Please, my lord. Allow us to serve right under you. We both pledge our loyalty and allegiance to you. Not as part of our house but as individuals." spoke Nius, the younger brother who was bigger in size and had a dual swordsman profession.


    Kahn was baffled again with their request and asked in a curious tone..


    "Why? I have done nothing else to prove myself as apetent sovereign of thisnd yet. So why do you want to serve as my people?"


    "Well, it''s because¡­ it''s because." before Elijah could continue..mander Stark intervened.


    "It''s hard for them to express so let me tell you instead." he said and suddenly his expression turned serious.


    "Because the idea you proposed just now was also done by a member of our n nearly a decade ago. And the one to do that was my own son.. And their father." spoke the oldmander and suddenly, the entire atmosphere in the room turned somber.


    A deathly silence ensued and Kahn wondered if something was amiss.


    "You said ''was''..." spoke Kahn in a solemn tone.


    "Yes. My son wasn''t a warrior like us. He was a schr and studiedw. And he was also the public prosecutor of Winterberg when he was alive.


    What you proposed was something he also did to the government for years. To give more power to people and the oppression by the powerful. He was very persistent and eventually, many people had shown their support to him.


    It was when he had gone to the capital Aesir and proposed legition to the High Court a decade ago." spoke the old man and the in the following moments, his voice was filled with grief.


    "A few dayster.. We heard the news.


    That my son died whileing back from the capital in a monster attack.


    The authorities said he was attacked on his way back. But from what we found¡­ the circumstances of his death were¡­ questionable." spoke the old swordsman.


    Only now did Kahn understand theplete picture after hearing the story.


    "Even now, we don''t know who did it. But they made it look like the work of monsters.


    Now and authority stood on our side and closed the case off very quickly." spoke themander.


    Kahn gave a nod and understood why both the brothers suddenly asked to serve directly under him out of a sudden.


    Him proposing the n that was coincidentally simr to themander''s son was what made them swear their loyalty to him without thinking twice.


    As for Elijah and Nius¡­ in their eyes, Kahn shared the same ideology as their deceased father who was murdered in cold blood for speaking and fighting for themon people.


    Even using Law as means to represent and voice their side led to that man''s death because he was fighting against a corrupted system that was controlled by those who leeched off on the blood and tears of the weak.


    [What the fuck man¡­ the more I see it.. The more I feel like getting dragged into a war.


    I only wanted to set my footing here and grow my strengthfortably. But now.. Looks like I''ll be forced into that whole Warrior of Justice thing again.


    What if there''s even more blood of the innocents on my hands because I provoked the weak to fight against the elites of the society?] thought and cursed Kahn.


    He already knew the consequences of inciting people against the powerful as he once did in vot city while ying the Judge, Jury and Executioner as Azrael.


    The aftermath was hundreds of people dying as a revolt against the noble ns who hadmitted many acts of oppression and crimes against themon folks.


    At that time, he was swayed by his emotions while avenging the children of old man Albestros. But the Kahn of now was able to see his faults back in the day.


    He took action without caring about the impact on society. In his own mission of finding inner peace¡­ his act of public execution of thest n heir led many people who were untrained, unorganized and unequipped to fight against the top brasses. And the results were clear to see.


    [No! I am not that fool anymore. At least in this ce.. I have full control and I''m no longer weak.] thought Kahn and looked back at both the kneeling brothers.


    "If you want to prove yourself useful.. Then I have a perfect opportunity for both of you." he said.


    "What is it, my lord?" asked both the brothers in unison.


    "Ronin." spoke Kahn and suddenly out of his shadow, Ronin appeared in front of all of them.


    Even Commander Stark was surprised because despite being a semi-saint himself, he didn''t even sense the assassin hidden in Kahn''s shadow.


    "A peak grandmaster?" Elijah and Nius were baffled by this revtion.


    Because after a semi-saint, only a peak grandmaster was considered the strongest person in Vessen. Yet Kahn was carrying one in his shadow nonchntly.


    "If you want to prove yourself useful¡­plete this task I''m giving you." spoke Kahn and continued in a domineering tone.


    Ronin then took out a book filled with names and handed it to Elijah as Kahn conveyed hismand.


    "Find the locations of all of their headquarters."

 Chapter 335 - Finding A Star

    After Kahn''s order, both the brothers checked the list of names inside the book handed to them by Ronin. And as soon as they shuffled through the names, their eyes were left wide open in surprise. Both of them looked towards Kahn and suddenly, a solemn expression appeared on their face.


    "My lord, this list.." spoke Elijah but before he could continue, Ronin interjected.


    "Yes. The list of all the criminal and underworld organizations that we''ve found out till now." he said while looking at the duo with lifeless eyes.


    Kahn then spoke in a solemn tone.


    "As you can guess¡­ all these names are connected to various government officials, conglomerates and military officers.


    These people are the ones doing the dirty deed and haveundered the money for those people.


    Just documented records aren''t enough.


    We can''t prove their crimes and misdeeds without proof or witnesses." spoke Kahn as he revealed the meaning behind the names in the book.


    Since Seven Deadly Sins wasn''t established in Vessen yet, they couldn''t use or rely on anyone else to carry out an operation of this scale without attracting eyes on them.


    "Both of you are natives of Vessen and you know this ce better than us. And our hands are already filled with a lot of work.


    So can you two do it?" borated and asked Kahn.


    "But my lord.. An operation of this scale¡­ are you trying to get them all in a single swoop?" asked Nius.


    "That''s my job to worry about. Can you do it or not?" asked Kahn again with a firm tone.


    Both the brothers suddenly stood up and shouted together.


    "We will not disappoint you, my lord!"


    Kahn then took all the records handed bymander Stark in his space rings and spoke.


    "You will receive all the tools and funding for it. Just make sure that nobody suspects anything or finds your real identity.


    I will send a warship for you to travel around Vessen tomorrow morning. You have only one week."manded Kahn and decided to depart.


    While traveling back to Aesir, Kahn and Ronin were sitting in a wide room and discussing a few things among them.


    "What did Omega, Jugram and Oliver report?" asked Kahn.


    "They''re finished on their end. We have everything that you nned. So when should we start?" reported and asked Ronin.


    "Well¡­ since the stage is ready. We need a celebrity for the first episode. So we can make it aplete hit right from the start." replied Kahn.


    His eyes were now filled with resolution and a light smile appeared on his face.


    "So let''s bring in our first candidate."


    ----------------


    The next day, Kahn and his warships departed in the evening and at midnight, they arrived at the western end of the fiefdom.


    This was a region named Hiryno, a military-controlled area but unlike Mordor, it was filled with millions of people.


    However, the loud noises of the gigantic warships broke the silence of the night as they flew above the city that specialized in business rted to magic ores mining.


    And as they reached the central region.


    One by one, the four warships Kahn brought with him, each of which was controlled by his people in gray armors, a loud announcement echoed throughout the 5 kilometer radius as Kahn spoke through the sound-amplifying artifacts installed in the ships.


    "Commander Asw, your time is up!"


    His loud voice spread across the city and since many people had already woken up because of the arrival of the warships, they heard this message loud and clear.


    "You''re under arrest for several crimes against the fiefdom such as corruption, money embezzlement, abuse of power.


    You shall be taken into custody by the authorities for further questioning.


    Soe out peacefully and surrender yourself." dered Kahn.


    Shocked!


    Most of the poption of this city who heard this announcement was shocked and dumbfounded.


    "What''s this nonsense?! What proof do you have?!" shouted the bearkin semi-saint as he stormed out of his house.


    Kahn then replied from the warship hovering high in the air.


    "We have more than enough proof. Pleaseply and surrender yourself.


    This is a ce where your nsmen, soldiers and family lives.


    So let''s not do something stupid and involve innocent people during the arrest.


    Should you choose to resist, I will be forced to take extreme measures." announced Kahn from the warship.


    "You think I''m a fool?! Guards, prepare our weapons and cannons and attack this bastard!"manded the bearkin in a loud voice that resounded in the entire headquarters that spanned for 5 kilometers in radius.


    [Ah, this bastard. Does he not care about his people getting killed during the fight? Does he thinks their lives are easily receable?] thought Kahn as he facepalmed himself.


    This semi-saint was so high on his horses to the point he forgot that he was throwing hay on a guy with a gun.


    "Jeez.. I don''t have time for this. I''m already skipping on my goodnight sleep to catch this guy and he is choosing to fight back.


    The audacity of this bitch.." spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    The next moment, he made another announcement and the whole scenario changed.


    "Take them out!" spoke the new sovereign.


    Everyone who heard thismand was scared to death instantly because they thought Kahn was about to wipe out the entire headquarters. Just one cannon attack from his warships was more than enough to turn this ce into cinders.


    But unlike what everyone thought¡­ themand wasn''t targeted toward the people running the warships but the ones that had already infiltrated inside this headquarters.


    It was Ronin and his team of assassins that were hiding using the dark of the night even before Kahn arrived in the warships.


    One by one, they took out all the people who were about to attack Kahn''s warships and dismantled all the weaponry.


    As soon as the bearkinmander noticed that something was amiss, he took out two battleaxes from the space ring and leaked out and challenged Kahn.


    "If you want to capture me.. You''ll have to show me if you''re strong enough." he spoke in an enraged tone.


    "Great! There goes my sleep." yawned Kahn and jumped down from the entrance of the warship.


    He jumped right in the middle grounds of the headquarters and spoke with a bored expression as he looked at the bearkin.


    "Seriously man, this is.... un''bear''able."

 Chapter 336 - The New Order

    2 DAYS LATER


    Using thework and projection artifacts, Kahn started a live broadcast in thousands of cities and viges across all the inhabited parts of the fiefdom and his face appeared on therge projection screens in the middle of bustling streets and squares where normal people went about their daily lives.


    An announcement happened throughout the Vessen fiefdom thatpletely shook all parts of society. Frommoners to big business tycoons, from normal soldiers to top military officers.


    "People of Vessen Fiefdom. I, Kahn Salvatore¡­ your sovereign, have an important announcement to make today.


    Please know that this announcement involves and greatly impacts your lives as it includes the structure of the system and society which we live in." spoke Kahn in an authoritative tone as he introduced himself to the people of fiefdom.


    The deration started right with the important points as he continued to borate.


    "From this day forth, I effectively and immediately void all the power and authority held by the city guards,w enforcement forces and those who hold positions in carrying out any punishment to those who break thew or cause public difort." spoke Kahn in a resolute tone.


    Shock!


    Dumbfounded!


    bbergasted!


    Millions of people were left speechless on the spot as soon as they heard Kahn''s announcement.


    He was basically nulling all the forces that maintained public order and protection out of the blue.


    But before the public underwent chaos, Kahn spoke again.


    "However, I''m establishing a new force that will be recing them." spoke Kahn and pointed his hands towards a legion of people donned in gray armors and a variety of weapons in their hands in different battalions. They varied from species to species and different sizes.


    "If you promise to abide by thew and help in keeping the public order intact, these people shall be the ones you should inform if you see any form of injustice.


    If you''re a victim of injustice, contact their headquarters ced around all over the cities and viges and they shall help you out and investigate the matter.


    Know that they''re not corruptible. They serve right under me. They''re the forcepletely separate from the military and the government and it only exists to help themon citizens of the fiefdom.


    From now on, they shall be the ones serving you, the people. They are the ones who will be protecting your lives and fight for you no matter who the criminal is.


    They will not hesitate to even enforce justice regardless of the origins or the background of the culprits.


    From now on, they''re your swords and shields.


    So using this asion, I coronate the establishment of the force that shall be serving you till theirst moments.


    The name of this army is¡­" spoke Kahn in an enthusiastic manner as he revealed the name of the force he created.


    "The Covenant."


    Announced Kahn as he finally gave a name to the army he was creating from the 2nd day of his arrival in Vessen.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Across the whole fiefdom, the battalions of gray armored soldiers marched in all the major streets and squares of the thousand of cities and viges.


    In reality, the two millions of these armored forces were actually the criminals Kahn forced to ept the blood-bind contract and be his ves.


    When the top brasses were nning how to get rid of him, Kahn wasn''t sitting idly.


    He had been secretly visiting all the prisons holding these criminals sent from all over the empire to Vessen and repeated what he did in the Riker prison.


    And after the armors and weapons from the capital arrived, which were made by his Bloodbornepany itself, Kahn was finally able to equip the first batch of two million soldiers.


    This was already something he nned after the day he won thepetition and had Albestros and Sirius work on it since then.


    And now in nearly 25 days, he finally received the first shipment. In the future, more batches wereing and his personal army was bound to increase in the numbers as the days went by.


    Because one thing he knew was that he won''t be able to truly control the corruptedw enforcement forces no matter how hard he tried. And he simply didn''t have any patience to wait for years to cleanse it.


    So he was basically cutting off the infested limb of the body.


    The members of the covenant had no free choice of their own after the ve contract he had them sign up using the blood-bind contracts. And instead of relying on normal soldiers who were corruptible by any means.. He was going to use these people who were already sentenced to die as his own pawns.


    Their lives were nothing but assets and he was going to use them to serve themon people.


    The military was apletely different thing which he couldn''tpletely control as of yet. And the honest people who lost their job because of his new announcement would be allowed to join the new forces he was soon going to establish after weeding out the corrupted ones, till then..


    The Covenant forces would be his hounds. The ones who would protect and kill as he willed.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Covenant soldiers given in chapterments.]]


    The imposing and highly equipped soldiers of the covenant started takingmand of various guard points, checkpoints and headquarters and took charge of the already establishedw enforcement agencies and offices.


    In a single swoop, Kahn took control over this sector of the government without giving anyone a chance to think or put up any resistance.


    This newspletely bewildered all those who held power in various sectors of the government. Because they felt like they were next.


    This incident was no different than a hostile takeover but none of them could challenge it or voice their opposition in any way because the one to do it was the legitimate ruler of this fiefdom whose word was thew in this ce.


    So unless someone wanted to challenge Kahn''s authority and get killed as a result of provoking the strongest guy in the whole fiefdom¡­ they couldn''t even dare to voice an opinion.


    Kahn then continued his broadcast and informed the entire popce about his biggest move that he had been preparing aftering to this ce.


    His biggest ace that would unquestionably cement his rule.


    "From this day forth¡­ I establish a new judiciary system. And it shall be called¡­" revealed Kahn and continued in a domineering and benign tone¡­


    "The People''s Court!"

 Chapter 337 - The Peoples Court

    Under the eyes of more than 200 million people of the fiefdom, Kahn''s new announcement resounded through every city and vige. The poption as well as the people in the government who were watching this broadcast were all taken aback.


    Not only had their sovereign decided to take away all the authority from thew enforcement department not just long ago, but now he suddenly made another deration aboutunching a new judiciary system out of nowhere.


    "Citizens of Vessen, before you start wondering what this new judiciary called the People''s Court is established for.. Let me tell you something.


    After I assumedmand, I''ve found that many people such as leading business organizations in different fields, sectors of the government that handle various departments that impact the lives of normal citizens and the military officers who are in charge of defending the region¡­


    There have been many cases ofmitting crimes such as stealing from the annual budget, embezzlement in the name of maintaining public order, lending tenders for provisions and armory¡­ There seem to be many incidents of scams and behind the scene deals that only favor particr individuals.


    From the funds allocated for cleaning the streets to clearing out the sewage system, from constructing defensive walls to maintain the market prices of basic needs.. Every sector has been corrupted in one way or another.


    The hard-earned money you pay the government in the name of taxes isn''t being used for the betterment of your lives, rather filling the pockets of particr groups of people." revealed Kahn.


    Shock! Gasp!


    The entire popce was shocked after Kahn''s revtion.


    "These are the crimes that lead to drastic changes in your expenses and what kind of lifestyle you can afford. And hence¡­ These crimes can be categorized as an offense against the fiefdom and its citizens.


    In other words¡­ this is an act of treason!" spoke Kahn as his domineering voice helped everyone understand the gravity of the crimes.


    Kahn then continued in his stoic voice.


    "And unlike the High Court, the offenders can be directly brought into questioning after I find out about their misconduct.


    And here¡­ the one to decide the final judgment against the defendant if proven guilty will neither be the court ofw nor I, the sovereign of this fiefdom.


    But the one to pass on the punishment¡­" he borated and looked around as if staring in the eyes of all the citizens at the same time through the broadcasting screens..


    "Shall be you." dered Kahn.


    bbergasted!


    Dumbfounded!


    The whole popce was shocked as soon as his words resounded throughout the fiefdom.


    Because till now.. Onlyw enforcement and the court had the authority to pass on the judgment for crimes against the people.


    But their ruler was actually handing that power into¡­ their own hands?


    After Kahn''s another mind-boggling announcement, the normal citizens were left speechless and rooted on the spot.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The Covenant soldiers started marching in the middle of all the important squares and streets of therge cities and normal towns as well as viges and right in front of the citizens, they started setting up booths after booths.


    And on these voting booths, were two magical boxes that glimmered white and red.


    "Dear citizens of Vessen. As you can see in front of you, there are booths set up for voting your opinion.


    Out of the two boxes, one is white while the other is red. These two colors represent the innocent and the guilty verdict respectively.


    So after a trial is conducted¡­ it shall be you who would decide if the defendant is innocent or guilty through your votes." he revealed the purpose behind these voting booths and continued..


    "Anyone above the age of 20 is allowed to vote in these panels and the vote you cast in these boxes will be magically registered through those booths.


    And throughout the whole Vessen fiefdom, there is awork set up by us that will connect and disy all the votes cast for both verdicts collectively in real-time.


    And based on the majority of the votes, a final verdict.. given by the true sovereigns of this fiefdom shall be passed." borated Kahn.


    "However¡­ before you cast your votes.


    I want you all to understand one thing.


    The people brought into this court won''t be some small-time criminals who robbed a house in the neighborhood. Nor will they be petty criminals who made little scams.


    Every single one of them will have resulted in affecting the lives of millions of people through their actions and based on the degree of the crimes they''vemitted.


    So as a result¡­ your votes will also have a drastic impact.


    Innocent means they will be let go. But guilty has only one punishment.." spoke Kahn as his ghastly voice echoed in the whole fiefdom..


    "DEATH!"


    He dered in a tyrannical voice that shook the entire poption.


    "So before you even decide to participate in the voting procedure¡­ think about it a hundred times." he warned.


    "If you can''t bear the load of having someone''s life taken based on your votes and it weighs down on your conscience¡­ I would advise you not to participate." spoke Kahn.


    This was something he felt like people should know before their votes. Because not everyone was made the same.


    Some people didn''t have the resolve to carry the burden of someone''s life taken away because of them even if that person deserved it.


    Kahn did not speak a word for the next few minutes to let the situation sink in the minds of the citizens.


    "Although I''m the chosen ruler of this fiefdom¡­


    I''m someone who was born amongst you. Someone who has seen both sides of the world. So the People''s Court¡­


    Is as close to a Democracy I can offer you." spoke Kahn in a heavy tone.


    In the entire Rakos Empire, only the top ruling powers such as powerful forces, noble ns and factions controlled the facade called the government after overthrowing the imperial rule a century ago.


    But Kahn had seen through all the lies through his journey till this point. Fairness was only in a name.


    Nepotism, favoritism, oligarchy, elitism and heritage hadpletely gued the structure of society itself.


    Although Democracy wasn''t always the best solution to running an empire of this scale that was as big as a continent on earth, in his rule at least¡­ he intended to allow the people to voice their opinion and let them partake in punishing those who ruined their lives by abusing their positions and authority.


    Kahn had already figured out that the current judiciary system that waspletely run by the very people who oppressed the weak and helpless would never allow him to act on his own or give him full support even if he were to do a takeover and control them from the shadows.


    It was an infrastructure that would take years to fully get under his wings because not everyone was a corruptedwmaker and those who were innocent wouldn''t necessarily side with him either.


    On the other hand¡­ the People''s Court wouldn''t only serve themon people¡­ it had many uses for Kahn himself.


    Although his actions seemed like he was thinking only for the poor and defenseless of the society¡­ he hadn''tpletely turned into a saint either.


    The People''s Court was the exact mastern he came up with after discussing with all his generals that day in the main hall of his new castle after he discussed important matters with both the semi-saintmanders of the North.


    Although he had assassins sent in the shadows of the top figureheads of the government and military on the day of his arrival¡­ the evidence and recordings they''d gather will be inadmissible in a legal court as they were found without proper andwful means.


    So at the end of the day.. The judiciary system was shackling him and then the people wouldn''t also support the sovereign who also broke thew just to wipe out hispetition.


    And public support was a must for him if he wanted to seed in the next phases of his ns in the future.


    Then, he came up with this n that would enable him to take out his opponents and enemies properly and unquestionably.


    As he could bring forth his targets under this new judicial system that also came under his rights to establish, use the documents and recordings under the pretense of confiscated evidence and then decide their punishment.


    And while doing so¡­ the public itself will be his aplice in these trials. And the crimes that weremitted against them being punished in the People''s Court would also make them think that Kahn was doing it only for them.


    The amount of support he''d get from the citizens would actually make him the sovereign of this fiefdom rather than just holding that title only in name.


    So in simple words¡­


    Kahn was going to fuck up his enemies legally!


    After the long pause, all the citizens came to digest the whole process in their minds.


    Kahn then finally broke the silence and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "As for the first defendant of People''s Court.. I present to you.." he spoke and the projection artifacts then moved from him to a giant being chained and strapped to a metallic chair.


    The furious eyes of this tall and grizzly being and his curses muffled under the binds on his mouth were finally revealed to the entire fiefdom.


    Kahn then eximed in a domineering and authoritative tone as he revealed the first defendant of the People''s Court¡­


    "Commander Asw!"

 Chapter 338 - The Painful Memory

    The whole crowd went into disarray as soon as Kahn revealed the very first defendant of the People''s Court. And that individual being none other than Commander Asw, who was one of the Six Guardians that protected the six regions where the monster tide attacked every year.


    Every single citizen of the Vessen fiefdom knew of these sixmanders, the most powerful and respected semi-saint figures of this region that were their protectors.


    At this moment, Kahn recalled the events of that night when he and his warships went to arrest this bearkin warrior.


    During that night, Kahn had publicly called out thismander and told him to surrender peacefully. Because if both of them were to fight, the damage to the headquarters of this semi-saint would be severe and many people would have gotten injured as coteral damage.


    But despite the risk of getting many innocent people involved if he and Kahn fought, the bearkin semi-saint still chose to duke it out with him and prepared for a frontal sh.


    Taking the normal residents of the city into consideration, Kahn quickly used an epic rank domain artifact and inside the 1 kilometer radius of the isted domain, their battle started.


    Kahn was already 3 times stronger under the Hero of Darkness title being in effect at night, so he thoroughly thrashed the battleaxe warrior to a pulp while no one being able to see them inside the domain that was isted from the rest of the world and arrested the bearkin with his own hands.


    And to stop the information getting leaked out, Kahn used his new force aka The Covenant soldiers to put a curfew on the entire city lest the news alerted the aplices of this warrior whomitted too many crimes despite his position needing him to serve the people.


    Even now, the semi-saintmander was actually ced under many magic formations and restriction barriers that were invisible to themon folks.


    "People of the fiefdom¡­mander Asw has been arrested and brought before this court under the crimes of corruption, money embezzlement, violence against his fellow soldiers of the army, illegally selling military provisions and equipment to some business organizations and local ns.


    And to top it all¡­ he hasmitted 3 murders. 2 of whom are frommoner origin while thest one is ate lieutenant of the Igi army that is led by him." revealed Kahn in front of the entire popce.


    Kahn then signaled a soldier to open the binds on the bearkin''s mouth.


    "Commander Asw, do you ept these charges against you?" asked Kahn in a serious tone.


    "Lies!! You have no proof. This is a ploy against!" shouted the bearkin as his enraged face was revealed to the entire fiefdom.


    "The sovereign is abusing his power!" he shouted again.


    "Is that so?" replied Kahn and then signaled towards a group of people on his left who were managing the broadcast.


    "Run them one by one."


    The next moment, various recordings of the bearkin making deals with influential people showed up on the broadcasting screens.


    Him telling them to get rid of the evidence such as burning the documents and relocating the stolen money appeared in front of millions of citizens.


    Kahn then ordered the soldiers to bring in the records and the ledgers holding the proof of his misconduct and soon, all of them started showing themander''s own signatures, deeds ofnds bought under the names of his family members as well as fakepanies owned under their names.


    At this moment, the semi-saint bearkin had an aghast expression on his face.


    Because he couldn''t even believe how Kahn gathered these recordings and documents without him or his people noticing anyone infiltrating in their ranks and headquarters.


    And in most of them, the hidden locations, headquarters and ledgers were shown from his point of view.


    As if he led these spies and the whole operation himself.


    [[Author : Reference Art formander Asw in chapterments.]]


    "This.. This is all forged!" shouted the bearkin in denial despite his appearing in the records as he made deals with many business tycoons as he casually talked about selling the batches of weapons and armors that were allotted to the army.


    "Ah, so shameless. Still denying it. Well then.. How about this?" spoke Kahn and gestured to his left.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    A wolfkin dressed in ck and blue armor walked in. He bowed in front of Kahn and then gave a hateful look towards the bearkin.


    "Speak freely. You''re under my protection." spoke Kahn and gave an understanding nod to the wolfkin.


    Shocked!


    The bearkinmander was shocked as if he had seen a ghost.


    "You! What are you doing here?!!" shouted the bearkin with an aghast expression.


    But instead of responding to him, the wolfkin looked at the projection artifacts and spoke to the normal citizens of the fiefdom.


    "My name is Neiblorg Canthu. I''m an intermediate rank grandmaster and also the 2nd lieutenant of the Igi army." the wolfkin warrior introduced himself and continued in a serious tone.


    "Seven years ago, themander and some of the officials from the ministry of finance ordered a tender for weapons crafting to a privatepany. It was the time when I had just joined the army.


    I served in the battalion under that time''s 1st lieutenant, sir vr. He was a man respected by all the soldiers and many looked up to him.


    During the time when the annual monster tide was just a week away, we received the shipments of the armory from thepany that themander had favored the contract to.


    But the quality was subpar and the agreed amount of weapons and armors hadn''te on time either.


    When the time for the monster wave came that year, we were mostly unequipped and the gear we had was of extremely poor quality."


    Gasp!


    Shocked gasps filled the entire fiefdom as people found this unbelievable truth about one of the strongest people of the fiefdom. One who was tasked with protecting the lives of millions of people.


    "And what were the results?" asked Kahn in a solemn tone.


    "The¡­ the¡­ the result, my lord¡­" stuttered the wolfkin as his voice turned grim and heavy.


    He spoke with his fist clenched tightly as if he was remembering an unforgettable tragic memory..


    "It was a massacre!"

 Chapter 339 - The Judge & The Jury

    SILENCE


    Dead silence filled all the cities, towns and viges as soon as the intermediate grandmaster rank wolfkin revealed the results of the scam caused by the bearkin semi-saint.


    With a heavy heart, the lieutenant donned in ck and blue armor spoke again..


    "In our region alone¡­ more than 4 million soldiers died while fighting against the monster tide and nearly 9 million people who lived in cities close to our border died as victims because the army failed to defend against the tide at the border that year.


    That time¡­ lieutenant vr, who saved my life on the battlefield, decided to be a whistle-blower and expose this whole matter after the tide was finally controlled.


    But after he filed aint against themander to the military authorities¡­" he made another revtion but the next moment, his head dropped down with sorrowful eyes.


    "He was found dead two dayster.


    Saying that some people tried to rob him and he died in a skirmish." revealed the wolfkin in one go.


    "But for some reason¡­ They weren''t even trying to investigate the matter and closed off the case quickly." he said and kept looking towards the artifacts and his saddened eyes were crystal clear to the entire fiefdom.


    "Lieutenant vr was a peak grandmaster spearman. One of the best in our army. How can he be killed by mere robbers?" spoke the lieutenant as his resentful eyesnded on the bearkin strapped on the metal chair.


    "Yet when we tried to report it and ask for reinvestigation, we were told to let the matter go.


    On the day I was going to give my statement about this matter to the court of justice¡­ he.. He had my daughter kidnapped." spoke the wolfkin and pointed his forefinger towards the semi-saint who for some reason had no response left to deny these ims.


    "Why didn''t he decide to kill you back then?" asked Kahn out of curiosity.


    Because he too wondered why themander kept a witness alive.


    "Because I wasn''t the only one who wanted to avenge the lieutenant. We had gathered some evidence rted about themander and thatpany''s deal under the disguise of ordering arms for the military.


    However, all of us had hidden our real identities to ensure our safety.


    But once all of us were in a pinch because no one from the authorities was helping us to reveal the truth¡­ we had no choice but to make a blood-bind contract between ourselves that in case either of us is goes missing or killed¡­ the other 4 people will bring forth all the evidence to light regardless of the cost.


    But somehow.. Commander Asw found out about it as well. And hence, he couldn''t risk killing me either." revealed the warrior and continued in a grim tone.


    "He threatened me from time to time that if I spoke a word of it to anyone else.. He''d kill my family just like he killed lieutenant vr." revealed the wolfkin.


    Millions of people were rooted on the spot after the lieutenant revealed that it was indeed the bearkin who killed the lieutenant vr.


    "All the people around me were actually his minions who also yed a part in these scams. I couldn''t trust anyone around me.


    For years¡­ I have been holding this guilt and anger inside me." spoke the wolfkin as tears of regret appeared in his eyes.


    "Then why have you chosen to speak today?" asked Kahn in a curious tone.


    "It''s.. It''s because of you, my lord. Unlike them¡­ you''re one of us. That day when you gave that speech after arriving in Aesir.. I finally received a glimmer of hope again." he said and continued..


    Thud!


    "Because of their greed for wealth.. These bastards condemned millions of innocent people to their deaths while acting like they did their best to protect the people." spoke the wolfkin and dropped on the ground.


    "If the sanctity of the military wasn''tpromised¡­ all those people would be still alive.


    I could not avenge the man who saved my life but instead¡­ all I could do was watch these scums thrive instead." spoke the wolfkin with a remorseful voice and the next moment, he took out a brown book from his space ring.


    "This is the evidence I gathered back then. It has records, signatures, dates, seals and everything you need to prove that it was themander who orchestrated this deal.


    I don''t care what happens to me now. But I can''t hold it in any longer.


    And that''s why I came to you when you decided to besiege our headquarters and arrested themander that night." spoke the lieutenant.


    It was exactly the night when Kahn and his people fought¡­ more likely overwhelmed the headquarters of this semi-saint when the wolfkin came to meet Kahn and offered to be a witness after hearing how Kahn was going to put thismander on a trial.


    Soon, under the public eyes.. The intermediate rank grandmaster started weeping as the guilt of being unable to exact justice for his senior officer who saved his life that was welled up in his heart had been finally let out after seven years.


    Kahn then walked with steady steps towards the wolfkin and ced his hand on the shoulder of the weeping lieutenant who had been hiding this truth through all these years.


    His gaze then shifted towards the projection artifacts and his face of a person with a cold demeanor appeared in front of themon folks.


    "So you can see, I did note here without the evidence." he said and took a deep breath.


    "Tell me, citizens of Vessen¡­ what do you want to do?" he asked in a domineering voice.


    "To fill their own houses with gold¡­ they filled the other''s with blood.


    I''m sure the families of the victims.. The children who lost their parents, the parents who lost their children¡­ everyone who still lives and suffers every day after losing their loved ones deserve justice."


    "So today¡­ you must make a decision. Whether this person is guilty or not.


    And remember¡­" spoke Kahn with a resolute expression.


    "You''re the Judge¡­ you''re the Jury." he said.


    The next second, however.. Kahn''s ck and red aura filled the surroundings and also appeared on the live broadcast as his deathly and tyrannical voice resounded in the entire fiefdom.


    "And I''m the Executioner!"

 Chapter 340 - The Executioner

    After tons of evidence, video recordings and a witness to top it.. The trial was reaching its end. There was no argument back from the semi-saintmander¡­ more likely he simply couldn''t say anything after his deeds that led to millions of deaths in both army and themon citizens were exposed to the entire fiefdom.


    Under Kahn''s orders¡­ Voting started and all people swarmed around the hundreds of voting booths ced around every city, town and vige squares and streets. Each booth had a long line of thousands of people voting their verdict after the whole matter was exposed.


    Although it was a trial in name.. But in reality, it seemed more like a predetermined show made to dere the crimes of thismander.


    As the voting procedure was being carried on, the broadcast screens kept disying various records and inside information which contained names, locations and the amount of money that was embezzled in the name of armory supply.


    Soon, the total number that was exposed went to two trillion gold coins and it wasn''t even the end of data that was brought as evidence.


    This affirmed the resolution of everyone that was voting and knew that their vote could even possibly lead to this semi-saintmander''s death. Yet, the more people saw how this bearkin crossed the limits and did the unforgivable deeds to fill his own pockets¡­ the more outraged public became.


    Finally, more than 109 million people had voted until the time limit finally ended.


    And in front of the fiefdom¡­ the result that were getting disyed for both white and red boxes in real-time were finalized.


    99%


    Ny-nine percent of themon people voted formander Asw to be guilty!


    The bearkin had an ashen expression as his name, reputation and title as amander ended in just one week after Kahn assumed themand as the new sovereign of the vessen mountain range.


    "The People''s Court has reached a verdict!" announced Kahn in a kingly voice.


    "And based on the results.. Commander Asw has been dered as guilty!" his deration echoed throughout the whole fiefdom via the broadcasts and now¡­ the public consensus had been announced.


    "And as per the judgment delivered by the people of Vessen¡­


    I, Kahn Salvatore¡­ sentence you,mander Asw Bhaloo with a death penalty as a punishment for your crimes against the people of the fiefdom." said Kahn and the projections artifacts focused on the face of the bearkin, showing his fearful expression.


    The next second however, they shifted back to Kahn suddenly, a ck greatsword appeared in his hands and let out a burst of crimson mes from the de.


    "You.. You.. What are you trying to do?" asked the bearkin with his eyes wide open.


    "What does it look like?" asked Kahn casually.


    "The People''s Court had spoken and you''ve been dered guilty. Didn''t I mention the only punishment for that verdict?


    Or did you think I''d hold some grand ceremony for your public execution or let your people rescue you?" spoke Kahn in a coy tone.


    "You.. You can''t kill me! Who do you think I am?! Don''t you know the consequences?!


    Don''t you know which fucking powerful faction do I belong to?!


    Do you think they''ll let you go?!" threatened the semi-saint bearkin in front of the whole fiefdom.


    "Is the so-called faction above the people of this empire?


    Does belonging to a powerful force gives you the right to cause the deaths of millions of people and get away with it?" asked Kahn in a grim tone.


    His lifeless eyes having no fear from the threats made by thismander.


    Step! Step!


    Kahn then started walking towards the bearkin with steady steps as the tip of Lucifer''s de scratched against the ground and made a screeching noise.


    Under the watchful eyes of the whole fiefdom.. Kahn''s figure appeared close to the bound convict.


    "Do you have anyst words? Anything you want to say to your family or friends?


    If so¡­ then this is yourst chance." spoke Kahn and put the greatsword on his shoulder.


    "Despite all the crimes and millions of people who died gruesome deaths because of your greed and ambitions¡­ I''m still offering you a quick death. It''s something you don''t even deserve." spoke Kahn and pointed the de at the tied-downmander.


    "Go and try to repent against your crimes in the afterlife." he said.


    "Don''t get over your head, brat!" spoke the bearkin in an angered tone.


    "You lowlives should be thankful that someone of an elite bloodline and n like me even came from the capital to this shithole of a ce and protected your pathetic lives for more than two decades!!


    It''s more than any of you miscreants even deserve!" he berated Kahn in a wrathful tone.


    "If you dare to kill me¡­ no one in this region will have peaceful lives. My n and faction will wipe out you fuckers!" dered the bearkin in a furious voice.


    "As for you boy¡­ don''t think that just because you became the ruler of this ce, you have any real power.


    It was us and it shall always be us who will truly rule this empire. You''re just a poster guy whose only use is to wave hands in front of these ants during a parade.


    Don''t be under the impression that you can actually rule this ce in this lifetime!" spoke the bearkin without a slight fear in his eyes.


    He was certain that Kahn was only bluffing in front of the people and acting like a tough guy to put on a show. And he didn''t really have the balls to kill him.


    He spoke in a serious tone and threatened the man in front of him.


    "When you stare into the abyss long enough.. the abyss will also stare back at you!" warned the bearkin.


    But without wasting any more time, Kahn quickly moved and before the semi-saint could even react¡­


    STAB!!


    Kahn plunged the greatsword right in the middle of this massive bearkin''s chest.


    Shocked! Bewildered!


    The entire popce was shocked.. Voting was one thing but actually watching a murder¡­ that they had yed a part in was another.


    "Looks like you don''t get it.." spoke Kahn as he came close to the dying bearkin while a stream of blood dropped from lucifer''s de.


    He spoke in a domineering tone that only the semi-saint bearkinmander could hear...


    "I AM THE ABYSS."

 Chapter 341 - The Follow Up

    A deathly silence filled the Vessen fiefdom as Kahn¡­ their sovereign, outright carried out a death sentence right in front of their eyes. He did not bother waiting up for a ceremony or made some roundabout talks about a public hanging event but mercilessly put a sword inside the bearkin''s chest.


    His indifferent gaze while doing so shook the resolve of the many who participated in the voting as they saw the aftermath of the semi-saint lying bloodied on the chair as Kahn pulled out lucifer.


    Just in a matter of a couple of hours, one of the strongest people of the fiefdom who they thought was one of their guardians previously¡­ turned out to be a monster who caused millions of people to lose their lives because of his greed for wealth.


    And after their new ruler gave them the role of the judge and the jury¡­ their votes took the life of this culprit.


    "Steel your resolve. There is no weak or innocent justice in this world.


    I will carry the burden of taking a life¡­ while all of you decide whether the criminals decide this punishment or not." spoke Kahn in a serious and domineering voice.


    His firm tone brought everyone back to reality and they came to realize the gravity of the situation. After all¡­


    With great poweres great responsibility.


    After a few minutes of pause, Kahn dered that at this very moment¡­ all the involved parties who yed a part in the crime have been captured.


    Let it be capturing the bearkin a few days ago or everyone rted to his crimes was arrested. They kept it a secret so no one was to be alerted and eventually everyone was caught and brought into custody.


    The People''s Court shall bring in all the rted people tomorrow as well as the other criminals currently under investigation rted to various crimes and in different departments of the government were to be brought in in following weeks after a thorough investigation was done first.


    "With this.. I end the first hearing of the People''s Court." announced Kahn and his gaze turned serious as he continued.


    "I know many of you are overwhelmed. Some of you may think that my act was barbaric and not something that should be shown to the public.


    But do know that unlike you.. These criminals likemander Asw wouldn''t even blink before making such a choice.


    I want all of you to remember this¡­" spoke Kahn in a stern tone and his voice echoed throughout the fiefdom.


    "A criminal''s life is not worth more than the lives of their victims."


    He said and ended the broadcast.


    Kahn knew that today''s event was going to greatly affect the minds of the people and soon, many would start to have second thoughts about the whole idea of participating in the People''s Court voting process itself.


    And that''s why he spoke those words to strengthen their resolve and let the whole thing sink in their minds.


    After all¡­ you decide your choice by your free will.


    ----------------


    As for the body of this semi-saint itself, Kahn took it personally to his castle.


    Apart from Ronin, everyone else was busy with their respective tasks given by Kahn so there was no one else apart from the normal covenant soldiers in the castle.


    Just then, Ronin came in and reported about today''s matter.


    "We did everything as you ordered, my master." spoke Ronin and showed him a recording artifact that ran the entire session of today''s session of the People''s Court.


    "How many do you have ready?" asked Kahn.


    "More than 150 million copies have been made.


    I guess running a fiefdom and having ess to everything doese in handy." spoke Ronin.


    "Don''t becent. Commander Asw was right.. At the end of the day, it''s them who truly run this ce while I''m the ruler in name only.


    I need to take control of everything before the people from the capital react and interfere here." spoke Kahn with a serious tone.


    He quickly had to do takeovers on various ruling infrastructures as soon as he could and control them. Otherwise, his rule would bepromised and he won''t truly hold the power in the fiefdom.


    Commander Asw was just the beginning.. Kahn had already made a long list of people he had to take down and rece them with his own loyal servants and henchmen.


    And just like this semi-saint, his assassins were gathering enough proof against those individuals as well.


    "Now, send those recordings to several parts of the empire using our warships. People from every important region of the empire as well as the capital should see this. Spread those artifacts amongst the public of the empire using the underworld organizations.


    The more exposure this matter gets, the more support I will get from the normal citizens of the empire and those three factions won''t be able to question my authority because I''m using thew to legally punish these criminals." spoke Kahn.


    "But my lord.. Doing this will also have consequences." responded Ronin.


    Kahn nodded and spoke in a grim tone.


    "It''s a necessary move that must be made regardless of the risks of provoking the top powers.


    As for the consequences¡­ we''re spreading these recordings to minimize them to the lowest. They can''t touch me or criticize me because I''m doing itwfully." he said and looked at the body of the dead semi-saint.


    "Have you received a response from Elijah & Nius yet?" asked Kahn and walked closer towards this battleaxe warrior.


    "Yes, my lord. By next week, they will also be done.


    After today, both the brothers would think that the task you gave them is rted to the People''s Court." spoke Ronin as a grin appeared on his countenance.


    "Well.. It''s partially true." spoke Kahn and let out a light smirk.


    "Now.. Let''s round up these guys within a week and start the next phase of our ns."


    "And what is that, my lord?" asked Ronin.


    Kahn gave a sinister smile and replied in an excited voice..


    "We are going to rob our enemies¡­ in the broad daylight."

 Chapter 342 - New Skills

    Kahn revealed his intentions to the rogue subordinate and ced his hands on the corpse of the semi-saint bearkin who was killed by Kahn this very day.


    "Such a shame to let go of a great specimen. I could''ve kept him to fuse with Jugram." spoke Kahn with a helpless expression.


    "Can''t we use his body, my lord?" asked Ronin who stood behind him.


    "Sadly, no. He belongs to a powerful n from the capital and they would want to bury him with tradition and stuff even if they discard him away in the eyes of the normal public.


    After all, there are only two hundred semi-saints in the whole empire. Even their bodies are precious for many people." he exined why he couldn''t keep the bearkin to create a new ally or mix with any subordinate either.


    Unlike Solomon, Kahn had killed thismander in front of two hundred million people. So naturally, he would have to keep the body intact.


    "But that doesn''t mean I can''t salvage what I can afford to." spoke Kahn with a light grin.


    "Absorb!"


    Soon, the Ability Absorption divine ability started its work. It was the 2nd time he was using it on a semi-saint.


    As the procedure finally ended after just 20 minutes, the system started notifying Kahn in his head.


    [The host has acquired the following physical skills and abilities :


    Berserker Charge (S Rank) (Active) : Allows the user to generate 3 times extra momentum and attack strength when charging in a single direction for 200 meters without being interrupted to deliver critical strikes.


    ----------------


    Reaper Storm (SS Rank) (Active) (Upgradeable) :


    Using this skill will allow the host to create an aura storm to pull all the enemies in 300 meter radius towards himself, which is incredibly useful to get any physical and melee ss enemies in your attack range.


    This ability serves as a top-tier crowd control skill for the Berserker ss.


    ----------------


    Death''s Embrace (SS Rank) (Active) (Upgradable) :


    Amplifies both damage and armor pration against enemies by 50% for 10 minutes.


    ----------------


    Following are the magical skills & abilities :


    Berserker Wrath (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Grants the host a 30% speed increase coupled with 15% higher damage against enemies in 100 meters radius.


    ----------------


    Gravity Well (S Rank) (Active) :


    This skill is especially useful in close-rangebat. It allows the host to trap enemies and make them immobile for 10 seconds in a 30 meter radius.] spoke the system in its usual lifeless and robotic voice.


    "Good. As expected of a seasoned warrior and a semi-saint." spoke Kahn.


    Some of these skills were exactly what the bearkin used during their battle when Kahn went to arrest him. Just that Kahn was simply too strong because the Hero of Darkness title was in effect so they didn''t make any difference back then.


    But before Kahn could rejoice, the system''s voice resounded in his mind once again.


    [Following are the merged skills and abilities using the Synthesis divine ability :


    Marauder King (SSS Rank) (Active) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to ignore 80% of the enemy''s defense and any magical barrier created using spells, formation or an artifact while using a greatsword, giantsword or a battleaxe weapon.


    ----------------


    Wrath of Vajra (SSS Rank) (Passive) (Upgradable) :


    The host will constantly receive a 10% buff in attack strength and skills damage output with every hundred enemies killed.


    The total buff received can be stacked as the battle progresses and collective damage output can rise up to 500% at maximum.] notified the system.


    Shocked!


    Kahn waspletely bbergasted by hearing the results of the merged skills.


    Because just like the Sword King & Sword Battlemaster skill¡­ these two abilities were insanely OP.


    Both Marauder King & Wrath of Vajra skills were extremelypatible in arge-scale battle.


    And most importantly, Kahn could use the first one for three different weapons of choice.


    While the second was a passive skill which was active all the time.


    This made Kahn even a bigger powerhouse than before.


    Because the Sword King skill was applicable only for swords while the Sword Battlemaster worked only on the swords of the enemies in a battle. They were limited in terms of flexibility.


    But both the newly merged skills had a vast range of applications because even now.. Kahn could fight 3 thousand people at once given his levels and skills.


    However, if we were to factor in these two new skills now¡­ even fighting ten thousand people at once wasn''t impossible. All he had to do was stay alive and kill more enemies as the battle progressed.


    Simr to how Jugram, the berserker subordinate became stronger as the battle went by because of his unique rank variant species called the Chaos Demon... Wrath of Vajra would allow Kahn to do the same.


    Wrath of Vajra was undoubtedly his biggest buff skill as far as real battle involving numerous enemies like an army was concerned.


    Marauder King skill was simply a ughtering skill as he would be able to bypass their defenses regardless of their origins such as barriers made from spells or artifacts.


    If he used his darkness elemental attacks paired with these two new skills.. He''d be a literal nightmare for the enemy side.


    Kahn was certain that both these new SSS Rank skills were alsoparable to legitimate Saint Rank skills given how both Sword King & Sword Battlemaster were considered the same while being of the same rank as these two.


    After nearly a year of his previous battle with Arkham & Solomon, Kahn had finally received a huge boost in strength and two new OP skills.


    Both of these were needed for the future battles he was going to have as the new sovereign of this fiefdom.


    "System, use the Impartation Skill and impart all the new skills and abilities to Jugram and ckwall."mended Kahn.


    Because these new skills were usable by both the Guardian Knight & Hell Berserker subordinate who could use both Battleaxe & Giantsword weapons.


    Kahn at the moment was extremely ecstatic because the results were already good.


    But again, the system had a surprise for him.


    [The system detects a big source of world energy in the core of the subject Asw Bhaloo. The host is advised to eat its core.]


    "NANI?!"


    Shouted Kahn in surprise. Because unlike Solomon.. This bearkin had amassed a lot of world energy in his core.


    "System, how is that possible?" asked Kahn in a puzzled tone.


    [Because the individual named Solomon Elfenheim was below level hundred and the being in front of the host is above level 150. World Energy can only be saturated in a core of a being after crossing level 150 first.] exined the system.


    "Ah, I see. No wonder I was able to only sense World Energy after eating that elf bastard''s core. He was simply too weakpared to this guy." spoke Kahn as he got the gist of the whole scenario.


    He looked at the glimmering gray core with covetous eyes and his gaze shifted to the half-dried corpse of the bearkin.


    Kahn then spoke in a greedy voice..


    "I guess this was the biggest reward of them all."

 Chapter 343 - Worth It

    Kahn and Ronin stood in the middle of the room and the former decided to carry through the actions suggested by the system. And without waiting on a ceremony, Kahn used Drake ws skill and ripped out the semi-saint''s core that shone gray.


    "Ah, so that''s how a semi-saint''s core looks like. Mine should look the same." he said and used a cleansing spell to purify the core.


    After both his hands and the core became clean, Kahn gulped it down in a single go.


    Crink! Crink!


    tter! tter!


    Suddenly, something unexpected happened that surprised both the men present in the room.


    The surroundings started shaking as Kahn''s body created a strong suction force that started pulling the air and objects around him. And soon, Kahn felt a rush of newfound energy in his body. Before this¡­ he could only sense it but now, he could feel it inside of his flesh and bones.


    "This.. This is world energy!" eximed Kahn in surprise as he noticed the changes in the mana of the surrounding.


    The intangible energy his body was absorbing was the world energy that created the Saints in the first ce.


    Him eating this core somehow opened a pathway for his body and the world energy inside the core and the surrounding area around Kahn was getting absorbed rapidly.


    In the following moments, Kahn started feeling this world energy moving inside of his veins and muscles from one side to another. Let it be his arteries or his spine.. The streams of world energy circted through his body and almost gave him a pump of adrenaline.


    "I feel like I''ve be a lot stronger than bef¡­" whilst his words were not even finished..


    BOOM!!.


    A loud burst of gray aura and an intense shockwave made of world energy was released from Kahn''s body that pushed the furniture as well as Ronin and the corpse of the bearkin were pushed backward.


    [Congrattions to the host for breaking through to peak grandmaster rank in battleaxe weapons.


    World energy from the semi-saint''s core has beenpletely absorbed!


    Current World Energy progress : 2.5%.] revealed the system.


    However, before Kahn could even react, it spoke in his mind again.


    [Congrattions! The host has broken a threshold to level up.] informed the system.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Ding!


    The leveling up sound resounded in his mind till the point Kahn stopped counting and awaited the final reports.


    [The host has risen to level 175!] announced the system.


    "Finally! After 3 goddamn months!" reveled Kahn in joy.


    After being stuck at level 150 for more than three months, one of which went to his magic and mana training while the other two went to the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and officially takingmand of the Vessen fiefdom after the results.. Kahn had finally leveled up.


    Soon, he felt another surge of mana as well as a ck and red aura inside of the body and now, his physique became even firmer and harder. The muscles in his body became sturdier and the mental rity he had became even crystal clear.


    "Show me my new stats."mended Kahn to the system.


    [Following are the Statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn (Host)


    Species : Human


    Job : All for One


    Rank : Semi-Saint Rank


    Level : 175


    Strength : 12694


    Agility : 11071


    Dexterity : 12345


    Defense : 11724


    Mana : 14589]


    The system reported and revealed Kahn''s new stats.


    Compared to the first day he arrived in this world when the God of Darkness threw him inside the Abyss Forest and he had only 5 stat points¡­ the Kahn of now had indeede a long way.


    "This is good. Now I''m sure I can fight even Kassandra as equals without needing the help from Hero of Darkness title or any other power buff skill." spoke Kahn and let out a deep sigh.


    Although the Raven Sorceress was around level 165 as per his estimations¡­ She was still a monster of a different caliber. And with this rise in stats and levels.. Kahn finally felt like he could at least fight her confidently with 10 levels difference.


    "Wish I could kill some more semi-saints." he said with a look of yearning for more power.


    "System, how many more cores of a semi-saint person do I need to cross level 200?" asked Kahn as it was one of the main prerequisite conditions to be a Saint.


    [Based on current levels and stats¡­ the host will need 2 more of such cores as well as lots of SS Rank mana cores and ores to reach level 200.] reported the system.


    "Ah¡­ that requirement of world energy to break through to new realm.. Where am I going to find two more semi-saints to kill?


    It''s not like I can go killing another one tomorrow after I just killed this guy today." spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    Because Kahn needed thousands of high-grade mana cores and ores to level up and the semi-saint cores to break the restrictions on the level by making his body ept more world energy and making his physiquepatible to increase more levels.


    This was the main reason why he was stuck at level 150 from the past 3 months despite eating 70-80 SS Rank cores on daily basis.


    Only today did the breaking through those shackles finally help him use all the stored mana in his body to level up.


    [The host can also eat the cores of Legendary Rank monsters as an alternative to the cores of a semi-saint being.] suggested the system nonchntly.


    Dumbfounded!!


    Kahn was dumbfounded on the spot.


    "Are you an idiot? Do you want me to die that badly?


    Just that magma drake alone nearly killed me. And it wasn''t even a Legendary Rank monster but only a High Lord." retorted Kahn at the suggestion by the system.


    "I''ll have to be a saint first before even thinking about hunting a legendary monster." he said.


    But suddenly, a devious idea came to his mind and he let out a wide grin.


    "Ronin, keep all the covenant soldiers ready tomorrow morning." he ordered.


    "For what purpose, my lord?" asked Ronin with a curious gaze.


    Kahn simply replied with a happy smile on his face and spoke in a coy tone..


    "Time to increase our firepower."

 Chapter 344 - The Warrants

    On the following day after the first-ever trial of the People''s Court, Kahn and his army of the covenant soldiers that was allotted for the capital gathered in front of the main castle.


    Nearly a million soldiers gathering in the open grounds of the estate owned by their sovereign had reached to all the top brass living in the capital and most of them felt a foreboding of waring their way.


    Hundreds of flying ships arrived in Kahn''s residence that was separated from themon popce and spanned for 20 kilometers as it was the home of their sovereign.


    Today, the six warships were also brought in as if Kahn was getting ready for the conquest of some sort.


    Under his instruction, a million armed soldiers that were divided into 200 different battalions of armed and fully equipped in every aspect, upied a flying ship of their own.


    Generally, arge flying ship could carry 10 thousand people at once for long-term travel or even supplies in thousands of metric tons easily. So the reason why Kahn was using them today was unknown to many who served him.


    "Mister Rotich, which is the biggest n of the capital?" asked Kahn to his official aide.


    "Sir.. It would be the Bolton n. They are the biggest supplier of arms and monster resources and have their business empire spread across the whole fiefdom.


    To put it in simple words.. They''re the leviathan of the business organizations that even you shouldn''t be messing around with.


    Because their hold over the economy of the fiefdom is very strong." replied and exined the middle-aged man.


    "Ronin.. Do we have something on them?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes, my lord. The assassins you sent in the shadows of those ministers and semi-saints also made their way through the organization chairman.


    As of now, we have discovered that the weapon manufacturingpany thatmander Asw made the deal with is actually a front. This Bolton n is the one who runs it from behind the scenes." informed the rogue subordinate.


    "I see. Who''s their strongest fighter?" asked Kahn.


    "They have 4 peak grandmasters backing and protecting them." replied Ronin.


    "Good. I guess the biggest guy in the business world does deserve a personal visit from me.


    As for the rest.. keep ourmunicationwork active. Send our troops to the business organizations and ns already allotted to them.


    You''re in charge of handling the informationwork and if anyone puts up a resistance, inform me as quickly as you can."manded Kahn.


    Although it seemed like Ronin was the only person Kahn had put a lot of work on.. In reality, he was the most proficient one of all the generals whether it was information gathering, managing millions of people under a solidified organization or establishing a chain ofmand.


    Unlike the rest.. Ronin was someone who not only had extremely lethal skills as an Assassin¡­ he was someone who read and studied plenty of books and records rted to army management, warfare and controlling an informationwork.


    The rest were also busy at the moment with the tasks given to them by Kahn. So the rogue subordinate was the only one he could leave these matters to.


    "As youmand my lord." spoke Ronin.


    Kahn then boarded on a warship of his own and sent the rest to different areas.


    On this day¡­ all the natives of the capital Aesir saw hundreds of flying ships and even a few warships flying to different parts of the capital all at once for the first time in their lives.


    For many, they felt like some great danger wasing their way and their sovereign was forced to act quickly to fight against it.


    But throughout the day¡­ a scenario was created that shook the entire upper ss of the economical sector of the Vessen fiefdom.


    Through the people rted to the case of themander, many other types of criminals whomitted tax fraud, worked asnd mafia and even forced people to sell their assets by kidnapping or murders were also revealed and the proof of their crimes was gathered by Kahn''s assassins from over a week.


    And first thing Kahn did today before their departure was that he issued a search and seize warrant for more than 200 big business organizations that they had proof against under his authority.


    He also ordered various banks to freeze the assets and money kept in their ounts. So no one would be able to do the damage control.


    And given no other choice, the banks and chamber ofmerce had no other option but to follow their ruler''smands lest he targets them instead.


    One by one, in hundreds of headquarters of these ns and renowned business organizations, Kahn''s army of 5 thousand armed covenant soldiers started a search and seize procedure throughout all these organizations in the name of investigation rted to crime against the fiefdom and its people.


    Obviously, there was plenty of resistance but wherever such a situation arrived, the covenant soldiers handled it by force and if anyone tried to attack them, they killed the offenders on the spot.


    By no means Kahn was going to allow anyone to look down upon his rule and authority. The innocent would never take such extreme measures so only the guilty parties would fight back.


    Hence, using these warrants.. In just a single day, their forces basically seized all the resources, money and equipment as well as deeds of the properties owned by these people.


    Just in a day, Kahn''s forces also seized 120 new flying ships owned by plenty of major business organizations, ns and many government officials who they had proof against.


    The news of the whole search and seizure scenario spread throughout the capital like wildfire in just a few hours and put fear in the minds of the ruling ss. Instantly scaring them and forcing them to take measures against leaving traces of their ck money.


    So in simple words¡­ by using People''s Court as an excuse¡­


    Kahn was robbing the rich andmitting a..


    Daylight Robbery.

 Chapter 345 - Rounding Them Up

    After the whole search and seizure session ended for the day, the whole capital heard the news and everyone came to know about Kahn''s targets whom the battalions of covenant soldiers visited today.


    More than two hundred renowned business organizations and corporations that worked in various sectors let it be market, provision supplies, rations, jewelry or even transportation business were visited by these armed soldiers.


    And at the time of evening, Kahn himself made another broadcast in the capital addressing the issue. The reason he exined that these corporations did tax fraud, hoarded the resources in order to raise prices, used shellpanies to hide their money and resources.


    One after another, Kahn presented the records that were confiscated by the covenant soldiers today and while doing so, he also mixed the evidence proving their crimes that were actually gathered by his assassins in secret.


    Most of the public was shocked to see that even the poor restaurant owners in their neighborhood were just pawns of these big organizations to funnel the ck money and resources.


    This shook the normal hardworking ss of the society as none of them knew about how the whole corruption had been well established right before their eyes but they never suspected anything.


    But as a result, many also feared the aftereffects that would appear in near future on the economy.


    Yet, the fact that their sovereign was bringing out these unbelievable scams to them and creating a transparent rule for themoners?had won the hearts of many people again.


    ----------------


    The very next day, another meeting between the elites and the ruling ss of the fiefdom was held.


    But this time¡­ no one had a stuck-up or a haughty expression on their faces. Because unlike before, Kahn''s new crusade had put half of them in jail and soon.. All those elites were going to be prosecuted in People''s Court just likemander Asw.


    Some of them had chosen to flee the Vessen fiefdom while those who had too much to lose stayed behind.. Yet their resolve was shaken to the core just like the former.


    "What do we do now? He came up with all the proof of scams and below-the-table deals.


    Even the most secure ces have been discovered by him regardless of the tight security. It''s as if he nted his spies in our forces years ago.


    And those recordings he''s showing in the broadcast are very recent as well as from well-guarded locations." spoke one of the business organizations chairman.


    Because the way Kahn was collecting the inside information, it appeared as if all of them had his spies hidden in their inner circle. Yet they never found anyone.


    But unbeknownst to them.. Kahn''s assassins were already in the shadows of these top figureheads and while they were conducting these meetings, those same assassins were mixing with the people who were left out thest time.


    And each time any of them tried to hide their money and evidence¡­ In reality, they themselves were helping Kahn''s assassins to gather more evidence and video recordings as proof of their scams and implicating even more people who were connected in their misdeeds.


    This way, the amount of people Kahn kept getting evidence against keeps piling up every day.


    The same scenario carried on for an entire week and now, Kahn had basically confined most of the top figureheads such as presidents, n leaders and chairmen of these forces who heavily influenced the economy of the fiefdom while he on the other hand, kept confiscating all their money, resources and properties in the name of investigation.


    But since none of them could even fight back and the Sovereign himself had gathered legit proof against them¡­ there was no form of resistance they could put either.


    Kahn was the strongest person of the entire fiefdom and they were all criminals at the end of the day. With the authority and public support in his hands.. None could even retaliate against him.


    Because the members of the high court and several government sector heads themselves were afraid of him as there was a chance of Kahn bringing them into the People''s Court and publicly execute them like the semi-saintmander.


    In other words¡­ Kahn had simply grabbed them all by the throat and none of them could even fight back unless they wanted to get publicly killed while their crimes were cited to the millions of citizens.


    And just like that, one more week passed by.


    The total amount of resources such as warships, flying ships and even armory such as weapons, magic artifacts, cannons, armors the covenant soldiers kept confiscating reached the point Kahn could equip an army of 50 million soldiers.


    The rations and armory were simply too much that even Kahn was dumbfounded. The amount of ck money and resources these people had amassed was many times higher than his initial expectations.


    Just in one week, the money was already above 2 quadrillions¡­ and these were not even half of the people he had on the hit list.


    ----------------


    At the weekend, Kahn held another meeting between him and the general¡­ with the addition of Elijah and Nius who also returned frompleting the task that was given to them by their lord.


    Omega, Jugram, Oliver, Elijah & Nius who had particr secret missions of their own stood in front of Kahn and handed out their reports to Kahn.


    "Good Job everyone. We have everything we need now. So it''s time to begin the next phase of our ns." spoke Kahn in a content tone as he rested on his throne in the main hall.


    "What is it, if I may ask, my lord?" asked Elijah, the druid among the two Stark Brothers.


    "Thanks to you two and your grandfather''s hard efforts, we can finally move with a better strategy and cover more ground. Now, I don''t have to go after them one by one.


    We can take them all out in a single swoop." he replied with an excited expression.


    "I don''t understand.. What is it we''re talking about here?" asked Nius with a curious expression since he sensed a shift in their agreed ns that Kahn proposed when he visited their house that night.


    To his confused figure, Kahn only replied in a nonchnt tone as if they were going to do an easy task...


    "It''s simple¡­ We''re going to topple the government."

 Chapter 346 - The Public Favorite

    Using the evidence, recordings, physical evidence and witnesses against the people belonging from the different sectors of the governments, military, noble ns and business organizations.. Kahn had brought more than 2 thousand people into custody.


    Every single one of them belonging to a top force or having the backing of some top faction from the capital.


    Day by day, dozens of criminals belonging to the high ss of society were brought into the People''s Court and their deeds were exposed to the people.


    And through the voting process alone, plenty of people were given a death sentence. And the ones to carry it out were the covenant soldiers who were fully geared and masked under helmets.


    Nobody knew of their real identities or their origins but now these soldiers in gray armors had be the people''s protectors.


    Kahn, on the other hand, had limited his involvement.


    Unless there was someone with extremely high standing or their deeds had greatly impacted the fiefdom or the lives of the people, Kahn hadn''t carried out the sentencing himself like he did withmander Asw.


    And two more weeks passed.. The entire atmosphere in the Vessen fiefdom hadpletely changed.


    Because everyday, a great crime against the citizens of the empire that had resulted in millions of lives lost was revealed that fueled the hatred among themon people.


    Kahn was strategically managing these trials so that the public opinion would always keep swinging to his side.


    Although the whole empire had gotten the news about Kahn''s deed and how he was mercilessly killing these people¡­ themoner ss that made up 95% of the entire poption of Rakos Empire was cheering for him instead.


    Because Kahn had been deliberately spending trillions of gold coins to spread the recordings of these trials and how the people, regardless of their age, gender, species, race or color whomitted heinous crimes against themon poption due to their, greed and lust for power were being made to pay for their sins in the People''s Court.


    The support from the citizens across the whole empire was positive despite the government trying to criticize Kahn as a merciless tyrant.


    But one they didn''t understand that the people they were trying to sell the story to belonged to the side of the victims. So no way they''d believe in the lies told by the government who had been oppressing them till this point while trying to appear fair and just.


    And after three weeks¡­ People''s Court had be a drug to themon citizens and the recordings of these trials were highly sought after by the masses.


    Seeing the opportunity, more people with a knack for business started copying and creating their own stocks of recording artifacts. Eventually helping Kahn to spread them amongst the 4 billion poption of the empire.


    ----------------


    Kahn stood in his castle and had all of the avable subordinates present in a meeting hall on the third floor.


    "It''s going as you nned, master. Every day, we''re bringing in the corrupted officials, businessmen and officers from the military for the trial after gathering evidence against them.


    And the innocent people of the fiefdom are greatly supporting you to the point some are forming cults and worship you as their savior." spoke Omega.


    To his report, Kahn let spoke in a serious tone instead.


    "Remember¡­ There are no truly innocent people in the world."


    "The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel." exined Kahn.


    "But when the powerless are put in the position of the same people who oppressed, controlled and ruled them¡­ they would eventually end up doing the same kind of crimes and acts that made them detest the powerful in the first ce." iterated Kahn as he decided to speak the truth of the real world.


    "When a weak person was given a strong weapon that could kill anyone they hated.. And that too without any consequences.. They''d show their true colors.


    In this case.. I''m the weapon and they''re the ones swinging it." he said as he looked out of the window and took a nce at the crowd of the capital.


    But little did the citizens or the criminals know.. That it was that very weapon controlling both of them at the same time.


    The criminals he brought into the People''s Court were all his enemies and targets that stood in his way of absolute Dominance and Sovereignty in this fiefdom.


    And using the name of the public and crimes done against them, Kahn was clearing out hispetition without anyone being able to question his authority.


    Instead, his poprity and support was increasing with each passing day. And now¡­ many top-level government officials and people holding military positions were taken out one by one.


    But for some reason¡­ Kahn still hadn''t acted against the remaining semi-saintmanders from the three factions and the one from the native''s side as if he had ns for them.


    For the remaining twomanders from the noble factions¡­ every passing day became insufferable as the fear of being brought into the People''s Court ate their sanity and they couldn''t even sleep without having nightmares of a Kahn''s greatsword plunged in their chest.


    But they couldn''t even flee from their positions because their factions ordered them to hold the fort till they came up with a strategy of their own to counter Kahn''s rising poprity.


    Despite all their efforts to make him the viin and spreading hundreds of different rumors against him, none of the three top noble factions had seeded because Kahn had evidence and recordings from the broadcast to justify his actions, showing how the guiltymitted what crimes; while these enemies of his only had their lies and orchestrated narratives.


    Yet, Kahn was doing everything by thew and authority that was given to him after winning the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and everybody he exposed was indeed worthy of that punishment¡­ so they couldn''t even move against him using a justified reason.


    And the biggest factor that stopped them from making moves was that all these people belonged to the elites of the society, noble ns and factions as well as the soldiers that originated from their own ranks.


    So pointing their weapons against the one man who was fighting for themoners in his fiefdom and punishing those who caused thousands and millions of deaths of innocents would turn the whole empire against them.


    And since no Saint could even enter the Vessen fiefdom¡­ they had no avable options to remove him either.


    Because sending in the army or their respective troops with the warships would be no different than a deration of saying that the noble factions wanted to kill him for bringing out the truth to the masses.


    The wed system they created was bing their undoing and they were forced to minimize damage instead.


    So for now, all the three noble factions had no choice but to keep their mouth shut and wait for a method that would help them regain control of this fiefdom without creating anymore problems.


    And in just a matter of the next three weeks.. Kahn promoted and handed out the positions of the main figureheads in all the sectors of the government infrastructure to only those who chose to follow and thoroughly support him. He had no use of others even if they were more qualified or had a seniority. Kahn?only needed those who would serve him loyally.


    So in just one month aftering to Vessen fiefdom¡­


    Kahn had toppled the government and cemented his rule as a Sovereign.


    And now... There were only three more sectors left to rule. And his next target was none other than...


    THE MILITARY!

 Chapter 347 - Despicable Deeds

    While Kahn''s crusade against the ruling powers of the Vessen fiefdom kept carrying over for weeks and each day, his covenant soldiers and assassins bringing in more criminals spread across the whole fiefdom¡­ the structure of the authority itself changed drastically.


    Because with each passing day, he was able to nt more of his people who either chose to serve him as they thought of him as a man worth following and pledging loyalty to or someone who truly wanted to better the lives ofmon folks.


    In every sector of the government infrastructure, he had temporarily put the people that were already present there since he couldn''t outright bring in people with no expertise to fill in these positions and call it quits.


    This wasn''t a criminal organization he had to control and experienced people that already knew the ins and outs of the government were necessary. So making more loyal people was a better choice than cing those he had brought from somece else.


    And once his hold over the government itself was cementedwfully.. Kahn moved to his next target¡­


    The Military.


    ----------------


    On a sunny day, Kahn summoned the three semi-saintmanders, who still hadn''t picked his side even after his warning on the very first day he arrived, for a secret meeting.


    In a manor located outside of Aesir, Kahn and his general sat on one side of a grand and luxurious living room while on the other end.. Were the three remaining semi-saints.


    Out of the six semi-saintmanders, Kahn killed one with his own hands while two had already pledged their loyalty to him.


    So now, two from the top three noble factions and one from a native military n were left. But their situation was extremely delicate in reality.


    A white lionkin shaman, a centaur knight and a female orc warrior stood straight on the opposite side.


    YAWN!


    "So which of you is going to make a correct prediction and tell me why I have summoned you three for this meeting?" asked Kahn in a carefree tone as he yawned.


    "Because¡­ it has something to do with us and the.. The¡­ People''s Court, am I right?" stuttered the white lionkin as he asked with a terrified tone.


    "Bingo! It saved me some time. So let''s get right off to the main topic.." spoke and then his gaze turned deathly as he instantly released his now upgraded aura mixed with Rudra''s.


    And now that he had leveled up, his aura was even more intense and horrifyingpared to the time when he met these threemanders for the first time. Making them all kneel in front of him in mere seconds.


    The next moment, Kahn pulled out records after records from his space ring and ced them in the middle of the room. And soon, a big pile of these big and broad books amassed in the living room


    "You should know what these are, right?" asked Kahn.


    Stunned! All three of the semi-saints were stunned on the spot.


    "This! How can this be?! These are the records of military budgets and recruitment records of the past decade!" spoke the female orc warrior.


    In reality¡­ these were the exact records and ledgers containing the inner details of the military. And these were handed to him by none other Commander Stark when Kahn secretly visited the military n''s headquarters.


    It was also the same night when the House Stark pledged their loyalty to him.


    "I have all the evidence against you three.


    And after seeing the gravity of your crimes¡­ I feel very reluctant to keep you bastards alive." spoke Kahn in a deathly tone as his insurmountable aura forced their bodies to cave in.


    "You bastards didn''t even let the dead rest in peace." he said.


    "You stole the armors and weapons from the bodies of the deceased soldiers every year after the monster tide, saying that they were not repairable and sold them to weapons manufacturingpanies." he said and stood up.


    Tap! Tap!


    Kahn then kept increasing his aura and walked towards them menacingly.


    "You fuckers even embezzled the funds allotted aspensation to the families of the soldiers who died in the battle against monster waves.


    Basically, you destroyed their families that already lost their breadwinners and put them on the streets.


    Do you have any idea how many innocent lives you motherfuckers have destroyed?!" shouted Kahn in a furious voice that sent shivers in their bodies.


    "Your crimes are just too despicable. If people got a hint of it¡­ do you think even your factions and government can protect you from public wrath?" asked Kahn in a solemn tone.


    "And on top of it.. You even made a huge scam in soldier recruitments.


    You enlisted those who paid for good positions and ranks in the military and treated them like elite soldiers without even proper training or experience.


    These spoon-fed bastards don''t even know how to hold a weapon properly but you made them leaders of battalions with thousands of soldiers in them.


    You left the fate of millions of soldiers in the hands of these unqualified dirtbags and filled your own pockets with the money they paid you.


    How many millions of soldiers have lost their lives because of you? Did you even bother counting?" his grim voice resounded in the room.


    "And you! Unlike these two¡­ you''re actually a native of Vessen. How can you do that to people from your mothend? The ones who died also belonged to the cities where your entire n lives." he berated the orc warrior.


    "Forget about me¡­ If this news leaks out to the public¡­ just imagine what will happen.


    Hell.. The whole army of the empire will hunt you three down. And there will definitely be a grand execution where you will be burned alive.


    I, myself¡­ am looking forward to that day." spoke Kahn in a wrathful tone.


    All three of them were shivering in fear as their bodies had goosebumps all over. What Kahn had was something that would indeed spell out their inevitable death if anyone found out the truth.


    As for Kahn.. He had luckily made a right ally. Because these records were something that one wouldn''t even notice if they didn''t know where to look.


    And thanks to the old swordsman semi-saint akamander Stark, Kahn got the exact documented evidence with the seals and signatures of these threemanders that were carefully hidden in the main headquarters of the military.


    The old man risked his life to get them and barely managed to smuggle them out since this information was so crucial that the other semi-saints wouldn''t even think twice before trying to kill him.


    "What do we need to do my lord? Please spare our lives." pleaded the centaur knight semi-saint.


    But instead of replying¡­ Kahn took a round lotus-like artifact out from his space ring.


    And as soon all the three semi-saints saw the round object¡­ their faces turned ashen white.


    Because the object in Kahn''s hand was¡­


    The Blood-oath Token!

 Chapter 348 - The Secret Deal

    Under Kahn''s highly oppressive aura, the three semi-saints kneeling on the floor were too stunned to even speak as soon as Kahn revealed the Blood-oath Token.


    This was the most foolproof method of signing a contract in this empire and a blood oath token was something only used by the elites of the society when there were grave matters rted to two different parties which required both sides to deliver upon their promise.


    But if there was any form of resistance shown by either of the participants, the ritual would fail and the contract would never be established.


    The main reason people still used it was because if either of the parties involved don''t live up to the contract or tried to betray or backstab the other one¡­ they would die within 10 hours.


    These blood-oath tokens were extremely rare and their magic was so strong that even a saint would die if they broke the contract.


    The deal between the three factions regarding the Emperor''s Chosenpetition was also established by using an artifact like this by having their respective faction leaders partake in the ritual.


    "I already gave you guys a choice. But you chose to ignore it. So why should I care if you live or die?" asked Kahn in a condescending tone.


    There was a reason why Kahn waited all this time and hadn''t exposed their scams to the public.


    He was waiting for the right opportunity and strike when he could reap the maximum benefits.


    "Choose whether you''ll serve me or your respective factions or ns from now on." he spoke in a domineering tone.


    "My lord¡­ Can you give us some time to discuss?" asked the lionkin in a scared voice.


    "Fine. You have 10 minutes." replied Kahn and sat back at his sofa.


    The threemanders then left the manner and using a domain artifact they started their discussions among themselves.


    But little did they know¡­ that Kahn was using the Hive Mind skill to watch and hear through the assassins that were already hidden in their shadows.


    "The fuck!! That bastard knew this was going to happen! He knew we''d be cornered to the point where we don''t have any choice but to ept it!" cursed the orc semi-saint. Her voice filled with fury and immeasurable hatred for Kahn.


    "What choices do we even have now? If our doings are revealed¡­ even our factions will discard us away.


    Like they did withmander Asw." spoke the lionkin who was originally from the Pureblood faction and had seen how the Demi-Humanpletely renounced the bearkin semi-saint as the culprit and the traitor to protect their own reputation.


    Commander Asw was already disowned by the Demi-Human faction as soon as the recordings of his trial spread across the empire. Saying that he tarnished their name and creed with his actions. Their ns and factions had no part to y in his crimes.


    And if Kahn revealed their secrets.. The fate of these three semi-saints would be no different.


    A heated argument happened between thesemanders and finally, once the ten minutes were up, they returned to the manor and all of them kneeled in front of their sovereign who was carefreely enjoying a ss of wine.


    "We will follow your orders, my lord. As long as you keep our secret." spoke the centaur knight, the semi-saint of the neutral faction.


    They did it because currently, even their factions weren''t trying to protect them and treated their lives as a calcted casualty in case Kahn was about to aim his sword at them next. And even now.. They hadn''t sent any type of backup for them either for some reason.


    "Good. Know that there''s a reason why I''m keeping you all alive. But there''s a condition." spoke Kahn and started setting up the conditions of their contract.


    And as expected of him.. Kahn had presented a contract to them but also made the condition that they''d be his double agents in their respective forces.


    And when the time came.. They wouldn''t even think twice before betraying their ns and factions.


    This was basically a ve contract with extra steps.


    "Complete the ritual if you want to stay alive.


    From now on¡­ all of you are my servants!"


    And under his ominous aura, all threemanders underwent the ritual by surrendering their minds to this tyrant of a sovereign.


    ----------------


    After the semi-saints left and Kahn was left alone with his subordinates.. He had an ted expression on his face.


    Kahn was ckmailing these people because they were more useful to him than being dead.


    tantly killing them just to get their cores like he did withmander Asw would be an extremely stupid move on his side because if he did so.. The three noble factions would reign down hell on him one way or another regardless of the consequences. The one-time offense could be let go but if he crossed the limit, he''d be in deep trouble.


    Although Kahn was the strongest guy here.. He may have to leave the borders of the fiefdom one day for some reason. And then he''d have the saints waiting to ughter him.


    Besides, he still did not know what would happen in case he was to be a saint under the domain barrier that surrounded this fiefdom. Whether he''d be thrown out of it or die on the spot was still a mystery to him.


    The chances of thetter were most likely to happen so there were limits on how much he could provoke the three factions given the current situation.


    So creating a cage for himself with his own hands was an outright foolish choice.


    But instead of killing them.. Kahn had better uses for these 3 semi-saints. Something that he couldn''t reveal to extremely honest people likemander Stark andmander Mormont of The North.


    Kahn did so because rather than toppling the military order and chain ofmand, he could still use these people to easily get hold of the other 3 regions under their rule and would not get any form of resistance from the local forces or the military forces either.


    And under his orders after performing the blood-oath token ritual, the semi-saints themselves would cut down the weed for him while he reigned from behind the shadows.


    So after taking full control of the government using People''s Court.. He used the fear it created and took control of the military itself.


    Because it was a must part of the fiefdom infrastructure as the monster tide was bound toe this year again and Kahn needed a stabilized chain ofmand and people who would follow his orders.


    "Omega, Oliver and Jugram¡­ since you''vepleted your tasks.." said Kahn as he finished the ss of wine and spoke in a sinister tone.


    "Set up the meeting.. It''s time we be the true rulers of this fiefdom."

 Chapter 349 - Divide & Conquer

    2 DAYS LATER


    On the southern end of the capital Aesir, a secret meeting was held inside a 2 kilometer long castle that was situated in a valley. And the number of people that came to attend this meeting were in thousands.


    Yet the atmosphere was extremely quiet and all the guests were given arge table of their own as every single one of them was a representative or a leader of their respective organization.


    The professions of these people didn''t belong to the government, military, business world and any n or faction.


    Rather, all of them ruled the different side of the world.


    The Underworld.


    On the very first day of his arrival, Kahn had ordered Omega, Jugram and Oliver with a particr task after his meeting with the two semi-saintmanders.


    And this was the exact purpose of that task he told them to aplish.


    The current Kahn was many times wiser and nned 5 steps ahead after learning through his mistakes in the past. So without leaving any aspect that would be a problem for his rule in the Vessen fiefdom, he had already included the underworld in his ns.


    And as per Kahn''s orders, all of them had been posing as extremely wealthy customers by changing their appearance and making connections with these top criminal organizations of the underworld.


    And using Elijah & Nius, who pledged their fealty to himter, Kahn received an additional set of helping hands.


    Since both the brothers were natives of Vessen, they didn''t have any problems while searching for their headquarters of thousands of criminal organizations andter, the covenant soldiers had raided and confiscated all their fortunes,works and belonging as the People''s Court started.


    Within just two weeks, Kahn''s army of gray armored soldiers ran a crusade against all the criminal organizations and caught their leaders as well as the ones who aided them in any way.


    In the following weeks, all these leaders were brought to the People''s Court and executed after the public votes dered them guilty.


    Currently, all criminal organizations became leaderless and out of order. And soon, the majority of them were having a war in between them to take over the position of the leaders.


    This was Kahn''s n all along. To weaken them even before he made any moves himself.


    And with no proper leaders.. They were as unorganized as a troop of new soldiers without a captain.


    Kahn had simply dismantled the whole structure of the underworld that previously ran the fiefdom from shadows. And now.. They were like headless chickens in his eyes.


    What remained now were the self-proimed leaders who barely managed to hold the position after the massacre between their own forces. The situation was dire and hence, when Oliver, Jugram & Omega offered all these people toe for a secret meeting and even after a hundred million gold just for showing up¡­ most of them happily epted the invitation.


    But what shook them all was that they weren''t the only ones who were invited. Even a group of 50 was eptable but more than a thousand people, all of whom were the current heads of the underworld organizations in their respective cities and regions were gathered under the same room.


    But unlike braindead morons, these people understood that whatever was about to happen.. Would greatly impact their rule in the fiefdom and hence, most of them quietly awaited the hosts to rify the situation to them.


    At the end of the grand hall where all the leaders were seated on their respective round tables with their people, three individuals stood like powerful and prestigious figures.


    A silver wolfkin, a blonde halfbreed Tengu and a 3 meter tall redhead muscr man stood on a podium as the main hosts of this meeting.


    These three were none other than Omega in his Raiden form, Oliver as Icarus and Jugram in his Dante appearance.


    Namely the names of their alternate identities as the members of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    The chatter amongst all the guests continued for an hour and finally, after all the listed people came to the meeting, Raiden walked in front and spoke in his domineering voice.


    "Thank you everyone, for epting our invitations and appearing for this meeting in good faith.


    As many of you can already guess, the reason why we have gathered all of you¡­ the leaders of what remains of the underworld after the new sovereign, Kahn Salvatore''s purge of the leaders of your respective organizations; isn''t an insignificant matter." spoke Omega and his tyrannical voice resounded in the entire hall.


    And the very next second¡­


    BOOM!!!


    Three deathly and tyrannical auras filled the entire 1 kilometer long gathering hall as the three subordinates finally revealed their true strength to everyone who came for this meeting.


    "Peak grandmasters!! All three of them are peak grandmasters!" shouted some of the leaders in disbelief.


    Peak grandmasters were rare in vessen and only seen in the military so far. But now, not just one but three peak grandmasters suddenly revealing themselves shocked all of them.


    "To be honest.. The one to summon all of you isn''t us. But the one we serve withplete loyalty." spoke Raiden.


    In the following moments, the entire hall was suddenly filled with ck fog and everyone was instantly surrounded by it.


    But before anyone could make a scene, an extremely powerful and oppressive aura froze all of their bodies in just a second.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Soon, the ck fog moved towards the podium and coalesced around a giant red throne.


    And when the fog finally faded¡­ a middle-aged man with a beard as well as long ck and strands of gray hair on the sides of his head finally came to be.


    Semi-saint!


    The man who suddenly appeared on the throne was a legitimate semi-saint based on his aura alone.


    "Ladies and gentlemen¡­ we would like to introduce you to our master." spoke Raiden.


    And in a vehement voice, he finally introduced this semi-saint donned in a ck longcoat.


    "Lord Zeus!"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : I have been hospitalized again because of severe body and muscle pain. So there will be a drop in the frequency of chapters for a while.


    I''m in a recovery phase so please be patient for a few days.. Hope you all understand.]]

 Chapter 350 - Generous Offer

    In the main hall of the castle, all the leaders of the underworld organizations were rooted on the spot. Kahn and his subordinates emitted their deathly aura at maximum capacity to oppress everyone present in this gathering and not a single one of the thousands of people present here was left as an exception.


    All of them were the highest-ranked rulers of their respective fields and regions where their organization controlled the underworld and ck market. But now¡­ none of them even dared to move an inch; more likely they just couldn''t.


    Every single one of them couldn''t believe that the middle-aged man sitting on the red throne was actually a semi-saint, one of the strongest beings in the Vessen fiefdom.


    All the semi-saints in this region were ounted for but the man in ck appeared out of nowhere and instantly revealed his might.


    "Thank you for attending this wonderful gathering. My name is Zeus, the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins." spoke Kahn as Zeus in a kingly voice.


    The next moment, he and all the subordinates retracted their grim aura and allowed everyone to finally breathe in relief.


    "There''s a reason why I had my men gather all of you despite the great distance you''ve had to travel to get here¡­ it is something that gravely affects your future" he spoke.


    Many who finally felt a sense of relief instantly had their ears perked as everyone understood that the man in front of them wasn''t ying around but had something very important to say. Something that would greatly affect them.


    "After Kahn Salvatore, the new sovereign of this fiefdom imprisoned your leaders, seized your resources, sealed the properties owned by your respective organizations and took away all of your possessions..


    The current underworld is nothing but a hollow shell of its past." spoke Zeus as he addressed the biggest issue right off the bat.


    Many people instantly felt dejected again after the harsh reminder.


    "Currently.. Despite most of you iming the positions and killing your opposition, the fact remains that things won''t be the same as before no matter how hard you try.


    Because even those people who backed you up from the military,w enforcement and the government are gone.


    If you try to start again¡­ it will be no different than starting from scratch as rookies. Plus, managing millions of people under you won''t be cheap. And as of now.. Your criminal empire won''t evenst for more than a month." borated the semi-saint.


    This was indeed the fact since after the Covenant Soldiers and Kahn directly took out their main figureheads¡­ the chain ofmand had fallen and those who seeded them did not have any money, influence or power to keep things running.


    "So I have a proposal to all of those present in this gathering." spoke Zeus and his stern voice resounded in the 500 meter long hall.


    "All of you should join my Seven Deadly Sins. Under one banner, all of the criminal organizations should be united." spoke the middle-aged man without hesitation.


    Gasp! Shock!


    Almost all of them were bewildered after this proposition reached their ears. Because what Zeus said was simply too ambitious. It was something that no one had even dared to dream of.


    "Think about it. We will not only offer you immense wealth and power¡­ but also a systematicwork to expand your businesses, legally get contracts and properties to cement your organization in public eyes.


    This is a hundred times better offer than anything those noble factions, government officials and local forces ever did." iterated Zeus.


    "Even if you manage to get their support, you should know better.


    That they will never let someone like you stand in the same room as them. Even the earnings you made in the past.. They charged 60% and only gave you 40% of what you made in the name of protection and leaving you alone.


    But in my organization.. You will get 70% of the profits and our share will be only 30%.


    I also promise that you will have help from the government andw enforcement.


    Whatever ck market or illegal deal you make, we will ensure your safety." spoke Zeus in a serious tone.


    The terms he was offering them were simply too good in every aspect. And if one decided to take his deal¡­ they''d be able to even surpass their predecessors in a matter of months.


    Just then, a few of the people in the hall spoke in a suspicious tone.


    "Even if you say that.. He has an army and he is the strongest semi-saint of the empire.


    And currently, the government itself is run by him." spoke a mithrans warrior.


    "Yes. Your offer is only eptable if you truly have the full support and connections in the government. Which I don''t think is possible." said a botir donned in purple robes.


    "Why should we trust you? Even if you''re a semi-saint, you can''t even defeat that man in a fight.


    Do you want us to get dragged into the People''s Court as well?" questioned a thrall in yellow attire for mages.


    Soon, dozens and then hundreds of people started raising their voices against Zeus and his proposition.


    Because the offer was extremely circumstantial and if one piece didn''t fit, the whole system would crumble.


    To all their discontent arguments, Zeus didn''t even bother paying attention and spoke in a heavy voice.


    "Because I''m someone even Kahn Salvatore can''t afford to provoke. So think about it carefully.


    Those who are still interested in epting my proposal, keep sitting at your tables.


    And those who do not want to¡­ may stand up and leave."


    After his words that felt like a p in their faces, hundreds of leaders stood up from their positions and kept ranting about how Zeus was being too full of himself.


    Soon, more than 400 people stood up and decided to depart.


    Nobody dared to ask for the 100 million gold coins that were promised to them for attending this meeting. Because at the end of the day, Zeus was a semi-saint and wouldn''t blink twice before killing them if provoked.


    But just when most of them were ready to depart with their entourage, Zeus gave an order..


    "Raiden."


    "Yes, my lord." replied the silver werewolf and nodded in acknowledgment as if he understood what Zeus wanted him to do.


    Raiden aka Omega in his werewolf form suddenly disappeared from the podium and the next moment, a white lightning sh spread across the entire hall and blinded everyone present.


    SHRILL!!


    A loud shrill resounded in the meeting hall and everyone who was previously blinded by the light and covering their eyes with hands also heard the ear-deafening noise.


    Kacha!


    Finally, after a few seconds, everyone regained their sight and looked around to see what happened..


    And all of them noticed that Raiden suddenly appeared at the other end of the hall. In his hands was a curved de.


    And his Katana that had lightning running through its de was revealed to everyone present in the hall.


    Raiden shook off the de then sheathed his sword and looked back at all the people that previously stood up.


    Thud!


    "Arrgg!!" screamed one of the guests.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Soon, in a session, heads after heads of the people who previously rejected the offer made by Zeus, started dropping on the floor.


    Blood spurt out of their bodies like a fountain and in just a dozen seconds, half of the hall was filled with red.


    And the remaining of the guests were now cowering in fear as soon as they realized the fate of those who haughtily rejected the semi-saint man''s offer.


    And the most unbelievable fact was how Raiden precisely cut open on their neckspletely without even letting a mark.


    Even the dead people hadn''t noticed that they were killed when the white sh suddenly blinded everyone.


    To put the cherry on the top¡­ Raiden killed all these people, who stood on different ends of the room and in different positions; not in a single straight line at all.


    And the peak grandmaster killed more than four hundred people at once in only 10 seconds at that.


    Now only did they realize that the hosts of the gathering weren''t some posers who''d treat them preferably just because of their positions or their respective organizations.


    In the eyes of Zeus and his allies¡­ all of them were nothing but prey if they chose to refuse his deal.


    "Great! Now we have more positions that could be held by you guys." spoke Zeus in a merry tone as if he was ted by the fact that there were lesser people now.


    BOOM!!!


    However, he revealed his full killing intent on the remainder of the guests the next moment.


    "Looks like I have been too courteous." he spoke in a grim voice and continued in a domineering tone that sent shivers down their spine..


    "Let''s change the terms of our contract, shall we?"

 Chapter 351 - Taking Control

    As soon as Zeus and his subordinates revealed their intentions, everyone present in the room came to a certain realization.


    That Zeus never had any intentions to give any of them that much freedom, to begin with. And like ignorant morons, they thought rejecting his offer was a viable choice.


    "Some people really don''t know what''s good for them. If they can''t even understand the gravity of the situation¡­ how can they be useful for the long run?


    I was only testing whether all of you were deserving of my trust. But despite offering everyone a once-in-a-lifetime deal, many were still incapable to see the bigger picture.


    Anyway¡­ now that we have fewer people to worry about, how about we discuss the new terms of our contract?" asked Zeus in an ominous tone.


    This was his n from the very beginning. To test who was at least smart enough to understand that there was more than meets the eye and hence chose to not reject his offer right away.


    To Kahn, he couldn''t leave the fiefdom''s crime syndicate in the hands of morons so he had Omega takes care of more than four hundred of these people in a sh.


    The Magic Swordsman subordinate had been honing his katana fighting skills like a Samurai for a long time and wanted to disy the progress to his master anyway. And this was a perfect opportunity given how not only Kahn but everyone present in the grand hall was out of words.


    Omega was simply too fast for any of them to even see and other than Kahn, not even Oliver and Jugram could see his top speed.


    Omega''s speed and uracy as a swordsman were simply too terrifying. And if other subordinates were to fight him.. Even they would have to be afraid for their life because he was an opponent they couldn''t even see unless he allowed them to.


    As for Kahn himself¡­ everything was going just as he nned a long time ago.


    Under the name of the People''s Court, he ruled and controlled the government and military after nning 10 steps ahead.


    And using the prisoners sent from the corners of the empire, he created a force of his own to impose thew and order which helped in working on a grand scale he had never operated on before.


    And after gaining the support from the citizens themselves¡­ he became a figure whose authority and motives couldn''t be questioned by anyone as it would be considered sphemy.


    But there were still two sectors that he needed to control with his own hands. And one of them was the Underworld of the Vessen fiefdom.


    So using the Covenant & People''s Court as his means, he took out all the ruling heads after Omega, Oliver, Jugram yed as the rich customers and the Stark Brothers found out all the headquarters of thousands of criminal organizations.


    Because one way or another, the crime never ended no matter how good the ruler was. Kahn wasn''t an idiot to believe that just because he put 100 guys in jail or even executed them, other people will let go of their greed and ambitions.


    Because some men aren''t looking for anything logical, like money. They can''t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.


    And undoubtedly, they''d soon be an eyesore for him and his authority. Plus, after seeing the merits of running Seven Deadly Sins in Rukon District in the capital, which greatly aided him in expanding his reach, connections, wealth, especially during the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.. Kahn knew it was a sector he just couldn''t ignore.


    Hence, gathering all the top figureheads of the underworld that he himself dismantled in one ce; he was going to upgrade his crime syndicate from level 1 to directly level 10. Soon, he''d be an undisputed ruler of the underworld as Zeus while he ruled the fiefdom in broad daylight as Kahn.


    This was also something necessary for the next and final phase of his ns.


    Under the fearful gazes of the remainder of the people, Zeus took out the Blood-oath token that baffled everyone and now.. All of them felt like their fates werepletely sealed.


    After the blood-oath token ritual is performed under the terrifying and deathly auras of these several powerful beings which carried till the next morning, Kahn made all of them as his ves and distributed what criminal organizations and which area they''d control.


    So in simple words.. He had the government, military and now the underworld in the palm of his hands within just one month of this arrival to his fiefdom.


    ----------------


    The next after Kahn returned to his castle, he held another meeting between the generals and started discussing his next move.


    "So when is heing?" asked Kahn to Ronin.


    "In 4 days, my lord. We should be done preparing everything by then as well." reported the rogue general.


    "Good. After his arrival, not only we can control the arms distribution sector of the fiefdom but also haveplete hegemony over the military and government.


    Plus with the rising numbers of Covenant soldiers, we need more supplies every day and waiting for the shipments from the capital is rather inconvenient." said Kahn while he was seated on his throne.


    "Yes, master. Compared to the capital, we won''t have to spend any money on resources or raw materials here because everything is already under our control.


    And we don''t even have to answer to anyone about where all the resources were used orpany did we assign to manage them and for what reason." spoke Omega as he nodded.


    Kahn then slightly grinned and then further evaluated the next phase of their ns. Because despite gaining control over all these sectors of the fiefdom, there was still a need to rule another sector that was extremely profitable and important if he truly wanted to be the sovereign of this ce.


    Kahn let out a sinister smile and spoke in an excited tone as he revealed the next and the final stage of his ns.


    "Time to control the Economy."

 Chapter 352 - Welcoming A Guest

    4 DAYS LATER


    On the left side of Kahn''s castle, one of his warships arrived in a 5 kilometer radius open ground with a particr guest abording it. Long queues of covenant soldiers lined up on both sides and weed the grand personage who visited their fiefdom despite being one of the most famous people in the whole Rakos Empire.


    Shoa!!


    The exit door of the warship finally opened and a squad of master rank soldiers escorted an old man with a properly trimmed white beard and long hair. This person emitted an aura of mastery and wisdom just from his appearance alone.


    And as soon as his envoy exited the warship, there was a group awaiting this person. And in the center of this group, the sovereign of the Vessen fiefdom stood with his subordinates.


    "Took you long enough to invite me here. I thought youpletely forgot about me after winning this fiefdom." spoke the old man in a sarcastic tone.


    "Well... I thought you''d die from the journey alone so I had to be considerate of your old age." replied Kahn with a coy smile.


    "This brat!" scoffed the old man and then gave a light smile instead. He quickly walked towards Kahn and gave him a bear hug in front of the army of thousands of soldiers.


    The old man being none other than the peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros Winston; one of the only normal people Kahn trusted in this new life.


    "Ughh.. Stop embarrassing me! I have thousands of people watching me. Who do you think I am, old fart?!" revolted Kahn in annoyance.


    "Yeah, yeah.. Whatever." spoke Albestros and ruffled Kahn''s hair.


    "Airrsshh¡­ now I already regret calling you here." rebuked Kahn and started walking towards the luxurious carriage that came to pick them up.


    "How''s the sword, Omega. You better be treating it like it''s your wife." joked the old man as he looked at Omega.


    "Yes, it is in good condition, Sir Winston. I must say that the de keeps getting sharper and cuts like a hot knife through butter." responded Omega as he escorted the duo to the carriage.


    After they reached inside the castle, the old man rxed in one of the rooms while Kahn ordered his subordinates to gather again.


    Two hourster, in a private and secured room, all the subordinates except Ceril who was on a vacation for a month were gathered along with Albestros.


    "I must say, kid¡­ I''m really proud of you.


    Although I''m sure you didn''t do it out of some goodwill¡­ still, the People''s Court is a breath of fresh air for many people.


    Now, all those noble ns and factions are controlled by an invisible leash and nobody dares to act out as if they own the ce.


    Hell, even those top three factions are watching their steps these days. Any mistake and they''re afraid of incurring public wrath. Their authority and strength doesn''t help in oppressing people like it used to before." said the old man in an ted expression.


    "Well.. It was a dangerous card I used. d it turned out well." replied Kahn.


    "So how''s thepany doing these days? Any problems?" asked Kahn out of curiosity.


    The next moment however, the old man''s expression constricted and he shook his head.


    "After you were gone.. Nothing changed for a few weeks. But soon, one after another, our biggest clients started pulling off our contracts and evenpensated the coteral money for voiding our deals without a hitch.


    Although no one openly spoke about it or pointed any fingers towards anyone.. It was obvious to me that it was because of you.


    As of now.. The Bloodbornepany is 60% in loss since all of our big clients have left. And some of our dealers have stopped providing us with raw materials too.


    I barely managed to create all those armors and weapons you asked me for by using all of our remaining reserves." exined the old man with a dejected face.


    "Tch! Petty bastards! Acting all high and mighty in front of normal people and pulling these childish shenanigans behind the doors." scoffed off Kahn as he felt angry after hearing the old man.


    "Sirius is managing things on his own. He''s very capable but there''s a limit on how much he can do without having your direct backing. The poor orc was also threatened a few times in the main office by some of the government officials in the name of search warrants for tax evasions.


    If not for you pulling out all the money from thepetition through that underworld organization of yours.. We would''ve been in great trouble." iterated the old man.


    "I expected as much. That''s why we brought it all here and used the money to expand our influence and poprity.


    Well, not like we need those loser factions now anyway." spoke Kahn and then leaned forward.


    "We will shift our base here and treat capital as our side branch. I will also call Sirius here to holdmand. We will be needing him more than ever." he said.


    "For what?" asked Albestros with a curious expression.


    "Because of what I have in mind¡­


    Soon all those noble factions will realize that by messing with you, they threw an axe at their own feet." spoke Kahn a wide grin appeared on his face.


    "Armin!" he called out the Pathfinder subordinate who had invoked legendary rank job after getting mixed with the peak grandmaster alchemist Prithvi Aranya.


    One of the oldest friends of Albestros who died a pitiful death a year ago when Kahn and the old man visited him and waster used by Kahn to upgrade Armin.


    "It''s about time you get to work and prove your worth.


    I better see that all those alchemy resources I spent a fortune for actually became useful." spoke Kahn as he pointed his finger.


    "Finally!" spoke Armin as he jolted in happiness.


    "My hands have been itching from a long time." spoke the brown-haired subordinate as he was the only one till now who hadn''t been useful ever since Kahn went to the capital Rathna and now set up his rule in Vessen fiefdom.


    Soon, Kahn told Albestros and the rest of the subordinates an borated n that hatched in mind a long time ago. This was indeed the final phase of his mastern to rule the fiefdom as an undisputed sovereign.


    "Aren''t you¡­ aren''t you being too greedy?" asked the old cksmith with an expression of disbelief.


    "What can I say.." replied Kahn with a sinister smile and continued in an ecstatic voice.


    "Greedy is my middle name."

 Chapter 353 - Public Announcement

    On the following day at the time of the afternoon, when the normal popce of the fiefdom was going about their daily lives and working their way to shoulder the struggle of life for the sake of putting 2 meals a day in their stomachs¡­


    A sudden announcement resounded through millions of broadcasting screens ced in all the cities, towns and viges.


    That today''s trials for the People''s Court would be postponed. However, a very important announcement that directly affects the lives of the working ss of the fiefdom will be made in the evening. So all the citizens should be prepared beforehand.


    This piqued the curiosity of all the people ranging from different species and sses of society.


    And as the two suns in Vantrea set and the nket of the dark was spread over the Rakos Empire, Kahn''s figure donned in gray general like clothes appeared in front of the whole Vessen fiefdom.


    "People of the fiefdom¡­ today, I have to make an important announcement that ys a vital role in your day-to-day lives. So please listen carefully to what I have to say." spoke Kahn in his usual calm and collected manner as his stern voice resounded in the ears of all the citizens.


    "As you might know that recently, a plethora of cases rted to the functioning of the fiefdom itself¡­ let it be from the government, military, underworld or even the economical sectors that were run only by selected groups of individuals, ns and officials have been brought to the People''s Court.


    And you have seen how the chunk of influential people are basically ying with your lives to aplish their goals and greed for power and authority.


    And the severity of their crimes was to an extent that it led to the deaths of the millions of normal and hardworking innocent people." borated Kahn as he reminded everyone about the grave matter at hand.


    "Even the economic sector was not left from the corruption and scams. Many organizations that dealt in the businesses rted to monster hunts and resources that came from them.


    And the ones who specialized in mana core mining sectors have been proven to be as guilty as the other criminals that came before in People''s Court.


    So that has forced me to take some drastic measures and create a new infrastructure that is fair to everyone whose life depends on professions rted to these sectors.


    So before I evaluate further.. There are two people I want to introduce to everyone watching this broadcast." spoke Kahn and waved his hand towards the left.


    The projection artifacts then moved to the left and focused on the two individuals who were dressed in red and white regal clothes. The former was an old man who appeared to be a cksmith while the brown-haired man who seemed to be near his 30s, dressed in alchemist clothes.


    The following second, both of them decided to introduce themselves.


    "Hello everyone, my name is Armin Ayurveda. I''m a peak grandmaster alchemist." spoke Armin who was in his human appearance.


    "And I''m Albestros Winston, a peak grandmaster cksmith." spoke the old man.


    Gasp! Shock!


    More than a hundred million people who had their eyes glued to the broadcast screens were surprised to their cores.


    Because in the history of Vessen mountain range, there has never been a peak grandmaster cksmith or an alchemist. These types of people were only found in the capital Rathna.


    So this sudden revtion caught all of them by surprise.


    Besides, the name of the old man Albestros was already famous in the whole Rakos Empire after the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and Kahn winning thepetition while using the armor and sword made by this very man.


    He was like a figure worshipped by millions of people who worked in the arms manufacturing field.


    And top of that, there was a young but extremely talented man who seemed to be a peak grandmaster alchemist. This was a testament to his skills as the rank in these two professions only rose when someone reached apletely different level of mastery of their craft.


    "Ahm.. I shall not waste your time anymore. Today''s announcement is to coronate the establishment of two new federations that will oversee all the business organizations, whether small or big and ensure the quality of their goods and products.


    Given how previously, no such organization existed and only the wealthy with connections received favors from corrupted officials and military officers, which led to the death of millions of people.. These two federations shall be led by these two grandmasters." spoke Kahn.


    "The federation that would trademark and approve the quality of alchemy-rted products, recipes and their usefulness from all the rted business organizations will be led by sir Armin.


    And the name of that federation shall be¡­ Hippocrates." revealed Kahn in a vehement voice.


    "As for the federation overseeing the weapons and arms manufacturing sector and all the rted business shall be led by sir Albestros Winston.


    And that federation shall be called¡­ Hephaestus." he revealed.


    Both these names were chosen by Kahn himself as he felt it appropriate to name them after the greatest physician of the ancient greece and the greek god of fire & metallurgy respectively.


    "Before any of you feel worried.. Let me exin.


    Our objective isn''t to have a monopoly over these sectors that greatly affect our daily lives and the economy. But to establish a self-sustainable economic system that allows all thepanies to share and create top quality products and alchemy recipes at the same time.


    These forging and alchemy manuscripts and blueprints will be shared by these two peak grandmasters themselves to those who join these federations.


    And those who join them will be given a 30% tax exemption from the government itself." spoke Kahn as he revealed extremely lucrative offers.


    And the main reason was to lure in as many people as he could in the name of mandating the quality of products and goods which would ensure their customers to be carefree. And also round up all the business organizations under one banner.


    However¡­ who would be Kahn if not having a scheming mind that knew how to mask his real goals under the name of public welfare.


    What he was offering the people was just a poster. The real truth behind establishing these two federations was something only he and his allies knew.


    Because this¡­ was only half of the n.

 Chapter 354 - Full Control

    Kahn ryed his ns to the entire popce of the Vessen fiefdom and spoke about how quality standards should be established before anything was even allowed to be sold to normal people.


    Because till this point, the more reputed and wealthy onepany was, the more they sold to the masses and had their hands filled with government deals that basically resulted in a drop in the quality of goods and also implicated millions of lives such as poor quality weapons for the soldiers or useless health recovery potions that were used by the adventurers who hunted in the wild.


    But the main objective of creating these two federations was to mandate all thepanies in these two fields because the majority of the jobs such as forging, crafting even food sectors, technologies sectors that needed these cores, as well as alchemy, were dependent on the monster huntings in this fiefdom.


    87% of the economy itself was heavily reliant on these two sectors so by creating these two federations, Kahn and his people could mandate who was selling what, if the quality was good or not and most importantly, he could decide whom they should approve or not.


    If one chose to not join these two federations, they''d bebeled as someone whose quality of products couldn''t be trusted and eventually, they won''t be able to do any business in the market anyway. Because once the customers themselves became aware of the trademarks and approval of quality from the federations, they''d instinctively choose the verified goods.


    That''s why Kahn used both Albestros and Armin, two peak grandmasters, to hold themand of these federations so no one could question their authority and skills to judge these products and the business organizations that would sell them in the market.


    Plus the 30% tax exemption was an extremely alluring offer for everyone because that''d save them a lot of wealth as well. The biggerpanies would save a huge ton of profits by joining these two federations.


    And now, the biggest ace in Kahn''s sleeves was also going to turn up. The whole act of creating these two new federations was just a front for him.


    Because using them¡­ Kahn was going to set up his own business empire.


    He knew that if he used The Bloodbornepany or created a new alchemypany in Armin''s name¡­ others would use it to tarnish his name sooner orter anyway.


    So in the name of search and seizure warrants, he had acquired all the assets of the top business organizations by bringing in their leaders in People''s Court and after they were proven guilty, the assets belonged to fiefdom aka Kahn himself.


    And now that he had the underworld in his palms.. He would use them all to create hundreds ofpanies, give them these properties to establish their organizations and use the leaders of those criminal organizations he made ves out of to holdmand here.


    This way, Kahn would be able to legalize them and use these shell corporations to funnel the ck money at the same time.


    And after joining the federations, they''d be legally allowed to establish themselves in the whole fiefdom and through them, not only will Kahn control the underworld¡­ he will also rule the business world at the same time.


    They''d have resources, backing from the government and military, licenses to make deals in particr areas and sectors. So in the end¡­ everything would go into Kahn''s own pockets.


    All the ck money will be turned white and will directly go into his pockets. So in simple words.. He''d be the richest man in the whole fiefdom and no one could even point any fingers at him.


    Although it was unfair¡­ Kahn didn''t care about those who hadn''t joined his side and wanted full hegemony as well as a monopoly in every sector of the fiefdom to establish hisplete rule.


    Plus the government and military were already in his control. And now with the underworld and economic sector also under his hands¡­ with the full support from the people themselves.. Kahn''s authority itself was unquestionable.


    ----------------


    Next week, Albestros also announced that he would make Aesir as the new headquarters of his weapon manufacturingpany and will do his best to provide quality products to the military of this region.


    That he would personally take responsibility for them. So Kahn offered the arms dealing with the Bloodbornepany and dered that they''d make sure that no scam or underhanded deal affects the lives of the innocent people and the soldiers of the fiefdom.


    While with his help and full support, Armin also set up his ownpany named Ayurveda which would be making all alchemy-rted products such as potions, antidotes and cures to many illnesses and diseases.


    And with full support from Kahn and every sector of government, they had no problems in creating a big business empire of themselves because unlike the capital Rathna, they didn''t have a problem finding good locations for the factories, warehouses or properties to function as the base of opposition.


    At the same time¡­ many talented and skilled people joined theirpanies because they wanted to learn from the peak grandmasters themselves and hone their skills. So in the matter of weeks alone, these twopanies became the leading spearheads of their respective fields without a slight resistance because Kahn had already taken out theirpetition.


    Later, Kahn gave mining and monster hunting contracts to hundreds of differentpanies that were actually operated by his Seven Deadly Sins throughout the fiefdom so nobody could even detect his involvement.


    Even the Adventurer''s Associations throughout the fiefdom were controlled by him from behind the shadows and now, he had the support from all the fighter ss organizations as well.


    One by one, he was controlling every aspect of the fiefdom and ruled over them.


    After another one month passed by and Kahn had established all hispanies, he had everything in his control after thoroughly nning and setting things in his favor. With each step, he had set up a foundation to rule the next sector systematically. And with all these important sectors in his hands, Kahn had be¡­


    THE TRUE SOVEREIGN.

 Chapter 355 - Final Strategy

    While Kahn had be an undisputed overlord of the Vessen fiefdom in just the matter of two months by strategically taking out his opposition and people from the three factions who were bound to be his enemies sooner in one way or another, while giving them no time to react¡­ the top three noble factions of the Rakos empire had nothing but a severe headache because of his actions.


    When Kahn won the Emperor''s Chosenpetition, they all thought that¡­ more likely knew that he''d only be ruler in just the name and won''t actually hold any authority over it.


    Because the government was theirs, the military was controlled by them and even the economic sector was ruled by the business organizations and corporations that were also part of their factions and ns.


    Even the local ns and forces couldn''t stand against them despite the fiefdom being their homeground so who was Kahn¡­ a nameless nobody with zero support from any one of their factions to rule such a vast region by himself.


    But the little snake actually turned out to be a dragon who not only overthrew their rule and authority of over a century but also got rid of everyone who belonged to and served their side.


    To put the icing on the cake¡­ he did itwfully and proved their crimes not only to the citizens of the Vessen but throughout the whole empire itself.


    His actions had caused them so much trouble that all of them had to bow down their heads and for the first time in the millennium of this empire''s existence¡­ they actually had to watch their every step before they made a slight move.


    And since no Saint could enter that region, there was nobody who could stop him either. The only one who tried to get in his way¡­ was publicly executed by Kahn on a live broadcast.


    Now Kahn was the true sovereign and they were more like the outsiders.


    ----------------


    At this moment, inside the core region of the capital Rathna, a grand meeting between the top 3 factions of the empire was held in an estate so long and wide that even 50 thousand people could be housed at once like a small city.


    This was none other than the previous residence of the fallen Imperial family.


    And the main throne hall where all the top saints of the Rakos Empire belonging to the three noble factions had gathered was the very ce where the previous emperor held his meetings.


    At the end of this hall, the three faction leaders were seated on their respective thrones and all of the people present here were in a heated discussion.


    Bang!


    "With each passing day, he''s bing even a bigger nuisance. And now he hadpletely unified that whole ce under his rule.


    Our losses are simply too big, unlike thatpetition." spoke Stalin, the faction leader of the neutral faction.


    "The government, the military, all the business corporations and even the local ns¡­ all of them are under his control now.


    Those who oppose him are taken down using that People''s Court¡­ the biggest headache of them all." spoke Allister, the faction leader of the pureblood faction.


    "What are you so surprised about? Didn''t he join your side during thepetition?


    The way he systematically took everyone out.. It feels like there''s someone extremely experienced giving him the instructions.


    Otherwise, how the hell would a guy without any expertise other than fighting knows to take down the entire infrastructure itself in just a couple of months?


    To me, it feels like he''s either working for your faction or maybe even the enemy empires at this point." snarled Jeremiah, the old elven leader of the Demi-Human faction.


    "Are you using me of breaking the blood-oath, you old stick?! Then why am I not dead yet?!" retorted the old vampire leader.


    "Stop it, you two! The more I see it.. All of us have greatly suffered because of him. And with the Vessen mountain range gone from our hands¡­ the monopoly and absolute dominance all three of our factions had is gone.


    Now if he wants to¡­ he can even stop the supply of monster cores and ores along with the resources from the monster harvesting. You do realize how greatly it affects the whole structure of our capital itself, right?" spoke Stalin, the white-bearded tigerkin.


    After his words, the entire hall turned deathly silent.


    Just then, Ismaetrazel stood up from his seat and asked for permission to speak.


    "If I may¡­ great faction leaders.


    I have had some experience with that boy. And my biggest mistake was to underestimate him.


    Surprisingly¡­ he''s someone who is already 3 steps ahead of everyone. If he can''t make things work in his favor with force, then he finds a way to tackle using several schemes that even we can''t predict.


    Him choosing that region as fiefdom and now overtaking it so easily¡­ It feels as if he nned it years ago.


    Even the wholepetition felt like he knew he was going to win regardless of how many tricks we pulled." spoke the Vandereich n leader and the son of the pureblood faction leader.


    Next, a man in silver armor stood up and spoke in a serious tone.


    "Great faction leaders¡­ I have had my share of encounters with him as well.


    That Kahn Salvatore¡­ he''s extremely unpredictable." spoke Stronoff Mikealson, the number one swordsman of the empire.


    "He''s like a predator who knows whom he should hunt and whom he shouldn''t fight against.


    He picks his opponents wisely and avoids unnecessary risks as much as he can. And most importantly¡­ he knows when to back down and when to endure the oppression from the enemy.


    He''s not a chess piece because he''s weak¡­ I''d rather say that he is someone who likes to control the whole game itself.


    And if he''s choosing to take these actions despite knowing that he''d earn the ire of all three top noble factions¡­


    I think there''s even a bigger picture that even we can''t see." iterated Stronoff in a heavy tone.


    The grim atmosphere turned even more dreary.


    "Every sector has his people and even the semi-saints we have there can''t do anything against him. Because people,w and government itself fully supports him.


    And the semi-saints we have there already reported long ago that he has evidence against them too. Just that he chose to not reveal it for some reason yet." spoke Allister in a grim tone.


    "Even if we were to send more semi-saints, we have no excuse or a reason. And if we''re to send already established and renowned figures¡­ he''d soon find some dirt on them one way or another.


    So we need to send those who can rival him in talent and doesn''t have any track record of crime or anything that can be held against them." spoke Jeremiah in a thoughtful tone.


    Just then¡­ Allister spoke again.


    "What about the fresh blood?"


    Gasp! Shock!


    Everyone was bewildered as soon as they heard the proposition.


    "What''s there to be worried about?


    That ce won''t get opened in the next 8 months anyway regardless of the region we send them from.


    At least by then, we can do a lot of damage control and find a way to regain our fallen influence and image.


    Otherwise, Vessen would never be recoverable no matter what we do." he exined.


    After this proposition, another heated discussion urred for another hour and the three factions leaders dered the final verdict.


    "Prepare everything necessary¡­ and order them to depart by next week."

 Chapter 356 - Incoming Guests

    Another week passed by and now, there was perfect harmony in the Vessen fiefdom under the rule of their sovereign who had made their lives better in many ways by abolishing unnecessary taxes, creating thousands of new facilities and job opportunities for those without work where everyone would be given a job based on their skills and capabilities and most importantly¡­ he created a system that allowed people to apply for said positions through the government outlets created in every city and town.


    Kahn on the other hand was finally content after fully gaining control over the fiefdom. Now everything was in his hands and whatever happened in every part of the empire and sectors reached his ears without dy. The informationwork had risen to a great level and now, nobody made any big moves without his approval first.


    The generals and Omega were left in charge of being the people inmand, each of whom looked after one sector.


    Omega was in charge of the Covenant Army that now had 52 million soldiers in it.


    While Jugram was left in charge of the military to who even the other semi-saints had to report to.


    Oliver controlled the air force such as their warships, weaponry and flying ships throughout the fiefdom.


    Armin was the head of the Hippocrates federation as well as the owner of the Ayurveda alchemypany, the leading figure of the alchemy corporations.


    Ceril had yet to return for some reasons so he and ckwall were the only ones without a vital role so far.


    Ronin as usual controlled the entire information infrastructure of the fiefdom as well as the seven deadly sins in the background.


    The Bloodborne & Ayurvedapany was now thriving on apletely different scale.


    Just the first month''s earnings of both were above 4 quadrillions. And the Seven Deadly Sins that not only controlled the underworld but also Kahn''s business empire under many established corporations was gaining a lot of authority.


    Kahn alone controlled 90% of the economy through them and even the Adventurer''s Association that made the highest contributions in hunting monster resources was also controlled by him.


    Plus with the military in his servitude, there was no form of resistance either inside the fiefdom or on the borders.


    The People''s Court has be a weekly thing now. And each week, a hearing would be held because Kahn didn''t want it to lose its effect anytime soon.


    Using this opportunity, Kahn decided to establish a newswork to report various happenings over the cities and regions of the fiefdom and in the evening, a one-hour segment reporting everything such as a major construction project for the people or funds issued for hospitals in a particr city were announced.


    For the first time in the history of this region, people felt like their lives were as important as the upper ss of the society because before Kahn, they would only hear such broadcasts when the matter was rted to the government or noble factions which had absolutely no relevance to their day to day lives.


    And the public of the empire in various regions, as well as the capital, found his administration more appealing than the one they had in their regions.


    This way, people got to know what happened in what city. Even things such as murders or rape cases were reported while hiding the identity of the victims and the criminals would be jailed and kept in custody till the hearing in people''s court.


    Incidents of monster attacks and the number of casualties over various hunting grounds and forests spread over the fiefdom weren''t shied away from either.


    Kahn''s new government was legally allocating various resources and funds for the public welfare and the amount was also announced during these broadcasts.


    And through this method, Kahn also cemented his public support as a righteous ruler who responded to public demands rather than just sitting behind the walls in his castle.


    For the normal people¡­ it felt like they had finally seen the golden days and actually felt proud of belonging to the Vessen fiefdom.


    Which Kahn promised them on the first day of his arrival.


    ----------------


    As the week came close to the end¡­ Kahn held a meeting, where all the generals, Albestros and the new figureheads of the military, as well as the government that loyally served him, were present.


    More than 3 thousand people were now seated in 3 different levels of tforms and each of them had an important part to y in his regime in different cities and sectors.


    Ronin started reading an official announcement from the government of the capital Rathna and ryed the message.


    And revealed that the capital is sending new semi-saints to learn and train under the military officers as they are the promising talent of the next generations and would y a vital role in the future of the empire.


    And since the monster this year is expected to be bigger than usual, they wish to lend a helping hand by sending these young prodigies and many forces as well warships to serve and protect the people.


    However, after hearing this deration¡­


    Everyone had an irritated expression on their face.


    Kahn, who sat on his ck and golden throne while donned in his gray general-like attire spoke in a solemn tone.


    "As you all can see.. This is nothing but bullshit.


    If they truly wanted to help, they should''ve sent 20 to 30 semi-saints who have experience in real-life battles against enemy empires or monster outbreaks.


    But they''re sending these newbies in the name of training them. So you can understand their objectives."


    Everyone present in the grand throne room nodded in affirmation. Even the semi-saintmanders of the noble factions had their heads down at this moment.


    "What do we do now, my lord? It''s not like we can tell them to return. If we do so, it will give a bad reputation to your name.


    And I''m certain the three factions from the capital will use it to defame you throughout the empire.


    Saying that you value your pride and sovereignty more than the lives ofmon people and that''s why you refused their help." spoke a mithrans minister of the government.


    "Well, we will have no choice but to y along for now.


    However¡­ no matter what happens.. Do not sumb to their oppression, strength or whatever they may offer you." he spoke in a domineering voice as he looked towards the crowd seated in the hall.


    "Their goal isn''t to help the fiefdom but to regain their fallen reputation in the eyes of themon people.


    If any of you are forced one way or another, just report back to the peak grandmasters of my council. I will personally get rid of the issues." affirmed Kahn.


    He then stood up and walked forward towards the center of the throne room.


    "Just remember one thing¡­" he spoke in a grim tone.


    "This is our house and they''re the invaders.


    And how do we treat the invaders?" spoke and asked Kahn as he ryed his true intentions to all his subjects.


    "We make them regret the moment they targeted us."

 Chapter 357 - Welcoming Guests

    The very next day, 4 warships belonging to different ns arrive at Aesir, capital of the Vessen fiefdom. Their destination being none other than the main castle of the Sovereign.


    Woosh! Woosh!


    Extremely fast warships flew over the tall and enormous buildings of the capital and earned the interests of the normal citizens who heard them.


    After all four of the gigantic warships that could carry 20 thousand soldiers at oncended on the open grounds of Kahn''s enormouslyrge and wide estate, troops of thousands of covenant soldiers that were queued up at four different ends weed the arrival of these guests.


    Four differently colored warships with different sigils of their respective ns opened their main doors and four envoys of highly prestigious noble ns exited with a semi-saint in the center.


    All these people were Omega, Ronin, Jugram and Oliver at their respective ends and soon, a batch of flying magic vehicles arrived to pick them up and escort them to the main castle.


    These four individuals were none other than Kassandra Mikealson of the Mikealson n, the runner-up of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition who belonged to Neutral Faction.


    Celine Armitage of Neutral Faction, who was nicknamed as the Dual Sword Saintess among the younger generation of top prodigies.


    Victor Apopis of the Demi-Human faction, the halfbreed demonkin who fought Kahn in the semifinals.


    And Ezekiel Nabi of the Pureblood faction. The young semi-saint mage whose nature was yet to be known by many.


    They were escorted to the main throne room where Kahn, the other semi-saints and all the 18 figureheads of the government and military were discussing things among themselves.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The envoy of the semi-saints that were assisted with peak grandmasters as their allies walked in towards the end of this 500 meters long throne hall where the most important matters of the entire Vessen fiefdom were discussed by the new ruling sovereign.


    Amidst Kassandra''s envoy¡­ was a young blonde knight and a redhead peak grandmaster swordsmaiden. These were her cousins, namely Isaac and Veronica Mikealson. Thetter being another opponent Kahn had fought against during thepetition.


    "Apologies for not being able to receive you myself. I was busy with important matters." spoke Kahn who was seated on his grand ck and golden throne.


    He was soon surrounded by the four subordinates and the five semi-saintmanders who were also seated on their respective luxurious chairs.


    Just then, Kahn sensed two malicious auras from the four envoys present in the throne hall.


    His eyes then gazed at two halfbreed demonkins among the group. One was a white-haired female with one long and one short red horn. On the waist of her ck and red armor were two glimmering red swords.


    The female was Celine Armitage while the other individual was Victor Apopis.


    "What kind ofme and uneventful wee is this?


    As a host, you should be more willing to create time for us.


    We better see a grand weing ceremony for our wee at night." spoke Victor, the semi-saint scythe user who once fought Kahn in front of the whole empire.


    The next moment, the entire atmosphere of the room turned ghastly and not just Kahn''s generals but the twomanders who pledged their loyalty to Kahn months ago also had an angry expression instantly.


    But before they could even speak, Kahn raised his left hand and signaled them to keep quiet.


    "Are you here for a vacation or something? Thest time I checked, you were here to serve as trainees and backup for the military outposts.


    So why should there be any grand wee ceremony or a banquet held for you?" asked Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    BOOM!!


    The next second, both of them released their aura of semi-saints as Kahn openly berated them for having such foolish notions.


    "Know your ce! Who do you think you''re talking to? I guess your parents didn''t teach you any manners. Well, what''s there to expect from a nameless orphan." mocked Celine in a contemptuous tone.


    BOOM!!


    However the next moment, two more deathly auras erupted from both sides of the room.


    These didn''t belong to Kahn or his generals but both Commander Stark and Commander Mormont who revealed their killing intent on both halfbreed demonkins.


    Both of them were stronger semi-saints than these two brats and since neither of them didn''t belong to any of the noble factions¡­ they weren''t afraid of provoking these overly prideful young heirs.


    The next person to speak was none other than Ezekiel Nabi, the human mage prodigy who was 3 years older than Kahn.


    "I don''t care if you''re the new sovereign or something. Just don''t be under the assumption that you''re better than us because you won thatpetition." spoke the semi-saint mage.


    There was no pride or malice in his tone. Just that he felt like he was being looked down on here by Kahn. And he certainly didn''t find it appealing.


    After his words, Kahn then turned his gaze to Kassandra, the Raven Sorceress and the one he thought as the true number one prodigy of the empire.


    He raised an eyebrow and locked his gaze with her¡­ as if asking ''You want to say something too?''.


    Kassandra, who looked as charming as the day she fought Kahn in the finals suddenly averted her gaze as if she wanted to say..


    ''I don''t know these people.''


    Kahn sighed deeply and rested his face on his right palm as he felt entertaining a bunch of little kids.


    [Ah, these brats¡­ Who the fuck raised these morons? They''re acting all special and overbearing right in front of the one guy who can beat their ass.


    Do they skip teaching ''Common Sense'' in those three factions and noble ns?] questioned Kahn to himself.


    Other than Kassandra, the three young semi-saints seemed like they hadn''t grasped the situation properly even now and acted like they visited the house of one of theirckeys or vassals.


    BOOOOOMMMM!!!


    An ear-deafening burst of ck and red aura suddenly filled the entire hall as dark fog mixed with this extremely terrifying pressure quickly froze the three young semi-saints.


    This aura was so dense and oppressive that it was equivalent to the aura of a legitimate first stage saint.


    "Looks like you still don''t get it¡­" said Kahn with all his killing intent released on the three who released their aura on him together.


    Then he spoke in a grim and tyrannical voice that sent shivers in their spines¡­


    "I AM BETTER THAN YOU."

 Chapter 358 - Place In The Food Chain

    Kahn''s deration resounded in the throne hall as his voice echoed in the presence of all the important figureheads of the fiefdom. His words revealed in an imposing manner sent goosebumps on the bodies of the three semi-saints who dared to defy his authority and spoke as if they were looking down on him.


    bbergasted! All the new arrivals were overwhelmingly bewildered by Kahn''s sudden revtion of his true strength through his aura.


    Because all of them had personally received training from the saints of their respective ns and factions for over a month prior to the Emperor''s Chosenpetition so they perfectly knew how intense and terrifying the aura of a saint was.


    [Impossible! How did he be this strong?! It''s only been two months!] thought Kassandra with a shocked expression. Unable to believe this sudden spike in Kahn''s strength.


    Out of everyone present in this room, she had fought against Kahn at his best in the finale and they were equally matched with their heaven-defying talent until Kahn pulled his ultimate skill at thest moment.


    However, the current oppressive aura he emitted was many times denser and heavier than before. So the Raven Sorceress who previously thought she was weaker than Kahn only by a few times was also left speechless on the spot.


    And the next second, Kahn''s image flickered and appeared in the middle of this trio who already seemed ready to fight.


    "My my¡­ are you three under the impression that just because we''re all semi-saints means you can fight me as equals?


    You still don''t seem to understand the hierarchy of power here." spoke Kahn as his terrifying aura almost made the three people cave in.


    Just then, all three of them put their hands on their weapons and tried to retaliate.


    Shing!


    Before Celine could even pull out her dual swords, a long and white de was put on her neck¡­ and the one to do it was none other than Commander Stark.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you, little girl.


    This isn''t your n or faction where the stronger people than you will tolerate your measly strength and shenanigans because of your position as the heiress.


    Move an inch and I will cut your head off." warned the old swordsman with an intense killing intent released from his body.


    On the other side¡­ Commander Mormont, the dwarven semi-saint, spoke to Ezekiel who tried to cast a spell using his scepter.


    "My warhammer is specially made to break past the defenses of the magical ss. Try casting a spell and I will break every bone in your body, boy.


    And believe me.. I want you to try." he threatened in his heavy and rustic voice.


    Both themanders and their military houses had sworn their allegiance to Kahn. So no way would they allow a bunch of young and ignorant rich brats to pull out a weapon against their lord.


    Sigh!


    A deep sigh was suddenly heard and everyone paid attention to the source. And the one to sigh so loudly was none other than Kassandra who suddenly had a dejected face as if she suffered a great loss already.


    And without caring about the current stalemate between Kahn, his people and the young semi-saints¡­ she walked away from the crowd and sat down on a vacant chair that was left for their group before the whole scenario came to this moment.


    Isaac and Veronica followed and stood behind her seat like her bodyguards without giving a nce at the current situation as well.


    An attendant quickly offered Kassandra an aromatic tea and she casually took a sip while averting her eyes from her fellow semi-saints and their people as if saying¡­


    ''That''s none of my business.''


    Kahn too for some reason wasn''t surprised by this behavior and spoke to the three young people¡­


    In age, all three of them were older than him and Kassandra by 2 to 3 years but in his mind, he was already 31 years old now so he thought of everyone here as nothing but a bunch of kindergarten kids since he was a few years older than them mentally.


    "Now then.. Let me bring you all out of your delusions.


    Your factions sent you here in the name of training and supporting the people.


    And the best way is to actually fight on the outposts where the monsters frequently attack.


    But remember¡­ all of you are only substitutes there and I will assign you under themander of my choosing.


    So eat up, go take a rest and await my orders." spoke Kahn in his kingly voice.


    Just then¡­ Victor, the halfbreed demonkin and the one who had the true demon bloodline spoke in an infuriated tone.


    "You think you''ll get away with insulting us?!" he said with clenched fists, almost ready to swing his scythe at Kahn''s neck.


    But instead of trying to reason with him¡­ Kahn''s eyes suddenly shed yellow as soon as he made eye contact with the demonkin.


    Executioner''s Gaze!


    Kahn finally used the Executioner''s Gaze for the first time since thepetition. Every one of the three semi-saints was stronger than him before but now that his levels surpassed them all, the skill could finally be used on them.


    His gaze then turned to all three.


    "You''re not a special case or some talented prodigies here. This is my turf!


    You don''t stand at the top of the food chain here at all. So watch your steps or I''ll cut down your feet if any of you overstep the boundaries." he warned in a serious tone.


    Kahn then walked closer to the paralyzed demonkin who was the loudest of them all.


    He put his hand on Victor''s shoulder who couldn''t even move a muscle at this moment and stood still like a lifeless statue.


    "You speak too much for a guy who couldn''t even stand up after just one attack from my Dragon Strike skill." spoke Kahn and the next second, his grip on the semi-saint''S shoulder tightened.


    Crack!


    Right in front of everyone present in the throne hall, his firm hand dislocates the demonkin''s shoulder.


    But despite the intense pain, Victor couldn''t even wail or scream in agony.


    Kahn then came close to his ear and spoke in a grim tone.


    "Next time you talk to me like that¡­"


    His following words were still heard by everyone present in the hall.


    "I''ll kill you first and then talkter."

 Chapter 359 - Giving Priority

    After Kahn dislocated Victor''s shoulder, the demonkin was frozen stiff because he was still under the effect of the Executioner''s Gaze. Their arrival was goingpletely opposite of what they were initially ordered to do by their factions. And the tables had already turned on them without even knowing.


    "Listen dimwits! As long as you''re here¡­ you answer to me and not the other way around. If any of you creates problems in any way, I won''t be showing any mercy.


    And you should know by now how I punish criminals." threatened Kahn to the three semi-saints prodigies. Basically hinting at the People''s Court where he often publicly executes his enemies and criminals.


    "Now.. I have made arrangements for your amodations. Themanders from the noble factions will escort you there. And wait till I call upon you. And know this¡­


    I''m watching you." he said in a ghastly voice.


    Under his domineering aura and the two semi-saintmanders who were already stronger than all three of thembined¡­ they had no choice but to swallow down this great punch in the face by Kahn, whom they thought as someone beneath them because he was without a background in their eyes..


    But little did they think that he was already a figure that even they couldn''t touch without severe consequences.


    "Except the entourage from the Mikealson n¡­ everyone else is to leave."manded Kahn.


    Under the lead of Commander Stark & Mormont, everyone else left the throne hall and now, aside from Kahn, his generals and the three Mikealsons no one else was present in their ongoing meetings.


    Kahn took a golden envelope with the mark of the Mikealson n on it from his space ring and his gaze then turned to the Raven Sorceress.


    "Thanks for the heads up. However, don''t be under impression that I''m going to side with your n just for this small favor." he spoke.


    This was a letter that arrived on the very night when the three top noble factions sent their announcement decree using the government''s name about sending the newbie semi-saints.


    He then looked at Veronica¡­ the redhead peak grandmaster who he once fought in thepetition.


    "And tell your father that I still don''t have any intentions to be his disciple." he spoke jokingly.


    Gasp!


    Veronica gasped in surprise and asked..


    "He offered you that? When?"


    "During thepetition, before the semifinals." replied Kahn nonchntly.


    "Ah¡­ so that''s what second uncle meant by being cautious if we ever fought. He wanted to recruit you since back then." spoke Kassandra.


    "He did more than that. But I''d rather keep it a secret." spoke Kahn jokingly.


    He wasn''t going to reveal that Stronoff Mikealson offered to make him his son-inw¡­ that too right in front of his daughter who could''ve been his wife if he had epted.


    "Well¡­ I don''t understand why you warned me that all four of you were actually ordered to work together and try to oppress me?


    Seems like a childish move as I see it." asked Kahn.


    "I''m more curious to ask why didn''t the other 2 semi-saints of the noble factions back their heirs? And where did you get these many peak grandmasters to begin with?


    Three of them are not even their 30s." spoke Kassandra as she pointed towards Omega, Ronin, Oliver and Jugram.


    "Or did you ckmail them or something?" asked Kassandra again.


    "A trickster never reveals his secrets." spoke Kahn as he shrugged his arms.


    "So tell me¡­ how do you want me to deal with the matter?


    I can''t be favoring you guys during your stay. If I''m not wrong, today''s incident will soon reach the ears of the Neutral Faction as well. That Celine Armitage will definitely tell them that you didn''t choose to partake in the little y." he said again.


    Kassandra continued sipping her tea and replied in a bored tone¡­


    "I have my pride as well¡­ these faction wars, politics and fake disy of dominance and authority aren''t something I have any interests in." she responded.


    "Let them y their little games and keep me out of it.


    Unlike them, I''m not here to create trouble for you but use this opportunity to train myself, hone my skills and fight in a real-life battle against that monster tide.


    Since we''ve already exchanged moves¡­ you should know better." spoke Kassandra.


    "The longer your body fights using that summoning skill of yours¡­ the more your mana control, mastery and impact of skills rise, am I right?" asked Kahn.


    He remembered that because during the finale, Kassandra''s mastery and control over Brunhilde kept increasing the more they fought. In thest stages, if not for her mana being limited because of her rank, the Valkyrie would''ve easily decimated him in the battle if it kept on for longer.


    Kassandra nodded after his deduction and asked in response¡­


    "Now tell me your secret. How did you get so strong after our battle? Your growth is simply too suspicious. And you don''t even have an Ancient Rank ss like me." she queried.


    "What can I say¡­ the more I fight stronger opponents, the more my body tends to gain strength after a full recovery." spoke Kahn.


    However, Kassandra rolled her eyes, totally not believing Kahn.


    She then gave a coy smirk and spoke.


    "All right, then. Keep your secrets."


    "If that''s all¡­ I''ll go along with your father''s request in the letter.


    I have a special ce to station you. I believe you''ll be able to practice and hone your skills there given the type of monsters that inhibit that border.


    And I won''t assign anymander to oversee you either.


    In return¡­ I ask that you three protect that ce, the soldiers and normal people.


    And do know that I will hold you ountable¡­ punishable byw if you fuck up things.


    So what do you say? "asked Kahn.


    Kassandra nodded back in agreement.


    The letter Kahn received days ago was from Damon Mikealson, the sixth stage saint mage who was second only to the faction leader of the Demi-Human faction.


    The reason why Kahn was being hospitable to Kassandra was because the Mikealson n dered their intentions to not follow themands from the faction itself. And for what reasons¡­ he didn''t know or care.


    Even if they had ulterior motives¡­ he would be able to see through them in time.


    After the whole arrangements regarding Kassandra''s posting ended and her group left, Kahn finally returned to his royal bedroom.


    Suddenly¡­ his face turned serious as soon as he was finally alone.


    "I feel like a storm is approaching."


    "I shouldn''t dy any longer. I have everything I need and now nothing can stop in my way as long as I''m in Vessen.


    So it''s about time I begin practicing." he said in a cautious tone.


    The next second, he pulled out hundreds of big and archaic books that he had robbed from the ring of the elven semi-saint mage aka Solomon Elfenheim.


    And after a dy of an entire year¡­ Kahn was finally going to prioritize on his most OP Divine Ability¡­ he spoke in a determined tone as his words filled the entire bedroom.


    "Time to practice my Dimensional Law."

 Chapter 360 - The Space Law

    After Kahn had finally achieved what he wanted and now stood at the pinnacle where no one was going toe in his way¡­ he finally had the chance to quietly focus on some of his best skills and techniques that he needed to master in the long run.


    And the number one priority of them all was the Dimensional Law Divine Ability. This was the divine ability he carefully chose after thinking a lot and seeing that there were simply too many applications that could be implemented once he mastered it.


    But unlike the Ability Absorption or Synthesis divine ability¡­ this one came with terms and conditions. This one had the prerequisite need of Kahn having to study and master the Space Law.


    And as per his knowledge, Space Law was extremely rare to find and master in the world of Vantrea. Even in the capital Rathna, Kahn hadn''t even found or heard of anyone or a saint having studied or mastered thisw of reality.


    But luckily¡­ he had managed to fight and kill Solomon Elfenheim, the semi-saint elven mage who tried to kill Kahn in order to get the core of the first emperor of the Rakos Empire aka Rathnaar, the Conqueror.


    The elven semi-saint mage was someone who had left his n and had been studying the Space Law for more than a century. He had ventured through many ces to hone his craft and amassed extremely useful and authentic archaic records rted to Space Magic and Space Law itself.


    If not for being limited by his rank and levels, Solomon could''ve been a dangerous powerhouse even among Saints of the empire. But since hecked resources and a saint''s core after abandoning his n in search of finding the emperor''s core which Kahn found in the Bromnir Dungeon after the death of the Magma Drake dungeon boss¡­ he hadn''t even crossed level 100.


    Which led to Kahn being able to kill Solomon in their battle after using several of his skills such as Asura Mode, Berserk God Mode, Doppelganger skill and hence, Kahn ended up being the one to inherit all his belongings after he robbed off the mage''s space ring.


    And after eating the elf''s core which had already amassed and adapted to the Space Law¡­ Kahn finally met the conditions to unlock this Divine Ability.


    However, ever since he left vot city and came to the capital¡­ he was simply too busy while creating a standing for himself to hold authority, wealth and resources to the point that he didn''t even have the opportunity to study or master the Space Law itself.


    But now that he had achieved all his goals¡­ Kahn could finally stop worrying and focus on this crucial divine ability that he knew for certain that it would make him a monster even amongst the other chosen Heroes of the Gods.


    This was finally the moment of Reckoning.


    ----------------


    Kahn took a deep breath andmanded the system.


    "Show me all the details regarding the Dimensional Law."


    [Abilities & Skills under the Dimensional Law Divine Ability :


    Dimension Void (SS Rank) (PASSIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to have ess to all space and void in a 10 kilometer radius in any direction.


    The host can travel through this space by opening a void crack.


    Note : The range and activation time of The Void skills will increase with the increase in the host''s proficiency of Space Law.


    Current Progress : 1%


    --------


    Dimension Shift (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to temporarily shift a body part to the void without causing any harm to the host''s body or affecting the host''s abilities, skills & fighting prowess.


    Note : The time & amount of body parts the host can shift inside the void will increase with the host''s mastery over Space Law.


    Current Mastery : 5%


    --------


    Dimensional Cut (SS Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to use Dimensional Law to merge with any physical weapon and attacks to cut through any object as far as the range of this skill is.


    Current Combat Technique Mastery : 1%


    Current range : 100 meters


    Note : The increase in range of this skill will be dependent upon the host''s proficiency in this Combat Technique.


    --------


    Dimensional Domain (SS Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to bring one enemy or an entity inside a 100 meters isted dimension for 1 minute.


    In this Dimensional Domain, the targeted enemy or entity will have 50% of their physical stats and mana capacity reduced.


    Note : The number of enemies or entities the host can bring inside this Domain & the activation time for this skill will increase with the host''s proficiency in Space Law and mastery of this skill.


    Current Mastery : 1%


    The host is advised to spend time and master these abilities from the Dimensional Law Divine Ability.] reported the system.


    Sigh!


    "Even with just 1% mastery¡­ I have unlocked so many OP skills. Truly worthy of being called a Divine Ability." spoke Kahn as he sighed after being overwhelmed with the details.


    "System, how can I actually use these skills and abilities? Even after I ate Solomon''s core and unlocked it.. I never felt any changes to my body or had any understanding about how to use them." queried Kahn.


    [The host must study Space Magic. It is an essential factor toprehend the spacew itself. And the more skills and spells rted to the Space Magic host can master and perfect, the more master and control will be gained.


    The host must use that experience toprehend Space Law and practice Dimensional Law skills and abilities.


    The system would like to inform the host that the Space Law is the hardestw of reality to master. And it''s just a weaker version.


    The system would also like to inform the host that the Dimensional Law divine ability was created by God of Space himself.


    However, no one had chosen this divine ability prior to the host. And even the representatives of the God of Space discarded it because it''s extremely hard to master.


    And in the history of Vantrea itself, no one was able to use the Space Law to be a Demi-God either.] revealed the system.


    Stunned! Kahn was simply too shocked to even speak after the system gave him the heads up.


    Kahn''s face twitched as he felt like punching himself in the face and a regretful expression appeared on his face¡­.


    "Fuck my life! What have I done?!!"

 Chapter 361 - Starting The Study

    In the middle of the bedroom, Kahn cursed himself for being the most ignorant person ever summoned in this world by the gods. Because the divine ability he picked back then, which he thought as achievable, was something that would take him a lot of time as the Space Law was the most difficult to master among all the otherws of reality.


    Only now he understood how naive his thoughts were when he assumed that he could master it on his own. This was something even the top saints of this world didn''t dare to study despite having all the resources and study materials. And that''s why he hadn''t even heard of anyone being proficient in Space Law in the capital Rathna either.


    If not for him eating Solomon''s core, he wouldn''t even have been able to unlock this divine ability in this lifetime because it took Solomon a century just to make his core adapt to Space Law. That was a time he didn''t have if God of Darkness was right about this world having only a hundred years left till Demon God sessfully established hisw of reality became a true God.


    "Wait¡­ if Dimensional Law was created by God of Space, then why did God of Darkness have it?" asked Kahn to the system.


    This sudden thought came to his mind because he always assumed that God of Darkness himself created all these abilities himself.


    [Each God has contributed one Divine Ability of their personal choice in the main selection option. There are 50 Divine Abilities which aremon for all the other Gods and the summoned heroes, 13 of which are exclusively created by the Gods which are specifically catered to theirw of existence.


    All the summoned heroes in the past three thousand years have been offered the same roster and different Heroes can choose the same divine abilities as well.


    However, the host was the first individual to choose these three divine abilities.] reported the system.


    "Man¡­ I''m possibly the most ignorant summon ever brought into this world. What was I thinking?


    This isn''t anything like in the animes or mangas. At this rate¡­ It might even take me decades just to scratch the surface." spoke Kahn in a tired tone.


    Just then when he had lost all hope, a thought came to his mind and he asked the system.


    "Is there an empire that serves the God of Space?"


    [Yes. However, the system can not reveal its information or how to increase the host''s mastery in Dimensional Law.] replied system.


    "Why? Aren''t you here to assist me?" asked Kahn in a suspicious tone.


    [Information is sealed under the orders of God of Space. The host must achieve the mastery with his own hard work andprehension.]


    "Ah¡­ so helpful. You''re giving a bad name to all those System novels." retorted Kahn in annoyance.


    Because he knew for certain that all the other Heroes were getting the best teachers, trainers and resources in the world while he barely had books to study rted to his divine ability while the others were getting perfect guidance to raise their levels and ranks easily.


    "Fine then¡­ no point in dilly-dallying." he said and using hive mind skill, he summoned the rogue subordinate.


    As soon as Ronin emerged from the shadows of the corners in the room, Kahn issued amand.


    "Make some arrangements for me.


    I want a separate training facility inside the castle with the ability to stand all elemental attacks, spells and skills. Much bigger than what we had in the Wayne manor.


    And I would be needing a constant supply of giant metal and stone boulders for practicing as well."


    "As you wish, my lord. I will get the facility ready by the morning." spoke Ronin and disappeared from the site, leaving no trace behind.


    Kahn ordered to do so because if he was right, then studying Dimensional Law was going to create a lot of ruckuses based on the ability alone. And during his study and practical sessions, he was going to need a lot of sturdy targets to perfect these skills.


    Now his first step was to understand the Space Law first thenprehend it to the point he could use his Dimensional Law skills easily. And only after training in it¡­ would his mastery over it will increase.


    Kahn then started rummaging through the massive heap of books and study materials Solomon had gathered over a century.


    At the bottom, he finally found the basic elementary book of this field of study¡­


    Space Law : Introduction for Beginners.


    The title itself gave Kahn a sense of relief and his mood finally shifted to his focus mode.


    "Alright then¡­ let''s begin!" spoke Kahn with enthusiasm.


    And like a university student who was finally opening the sybus book just a day before the exam and intended to pull an allnighter¡­ Kahn started reading the pages and the information shared behind the basic concepts of Space itself.


    ''What is space? Is it the presence of matter?


    A third-dimensional aspect of reality?


    Or something that was already present in the world andter got upied by different constructs, living beings andws of reality?


    When did space itselfe into existence?''


    He started reading through the first page and as the more minutes passed¡­ the more irritated his face became.


    Ten minutester¡­ Kahn started pulling his hair in fury as his head was overloaded with all theplicated information.


    Everthing he read was going above his head.


    Now he came to realize why even the chosen heroes of the God of Space didn''t dare to choose this divine ability.


    "If this is the spacew¡­ I might as well kill myself and get reincarnated again. That time, I''ll at least know to not pick this ability!" cursed Kahn loudly.


    Because as things stood... Kahn was like a kindergarten student trying to solve the Riemann Hypothesis.


    And Kahn had no teacher to guide him and the books were not going to be enough even if he wanted to learn things on his own.


    After just 20 minutes of studying and reading through a couple of pages¡­


    Kahn threw away the book andid in his bed.


    "Fuck this! I''m going to sleep!"

 Chapter 362 - Moment Of Reckoning

    On the following day, despite his urge to already give up¡­ Kahn had decided to carry on his studies regarding spacew. And when the new training facility was finally ready, he decided to shift all the books to the new training grounds.


    Like the Wayne Manor where Kahn previously lived, he had ordered Ronin to create different sections where everything rted to various job sses, research facilities and libraries were created.


    And the open training grounds that were fortified by various archaic runes and magic formations could even withstand attacks from a legitimate saint. So not only Kahn but also all the other subordinates had a perfect ce to train themselves when they had their hands free.


    The training facility was 5 kilometers in radius alone so all of them could train themselves easily here.


    As for Kahn, he sat in the newly made wide library filled with hundreds ofpartments and thousands of books rted to magic, weapon arts, history books and even study of different professions and ss rted stuff.


    Kahn then took out the book he gave up on yesterday night and started reading again.


    Now with a clear mind, he came to a certain realization. It wasn''t that the book or knowledge in it was at fault¡­ rather the one reading it.


    "Ah¡­ it''s nothing like Einstein''s Law of Space-Time rtivity I read about back on earth.


    The fundamentals of this world arepletely different from earth. So I should stop trying to make sense of it based on the knowledge of earth and ept it as something new and different." spoke Kahn as he realized why he couldn''t understand a single concept of Space Law yesterday night.


    His approach towards gaining new knowledge itself was wrong. And now with an open and innocent mind¡­ he started to ept and make sense of the concepts of space, one of thews of existences of Vantrea based on what he hade to understand till now.


    As he kept reading the book and reached midway by the sunset, he finally came to understand why learning space magic &w was so hard.


    In Vantrea, the world itself was full of mana and world energy. So if someone truly wanted to master spacew which existed everywhere regardless of the ce or time.. The best way to ess it was by having full control over mana and world energy at the same time.


    However¡­ that''s where the main problem arose. Because this process used a lot of mana and world energy amassed in your body itself if you wanted to keep practicing thisw.


    The body of the being studying it acted as a conduit to control thew of space itself. No other forms of external sources worked.


    So if one truly wanted to master Space Law¡­ they had to make their bodies adapt to it by converting the mana and world energy constantly to gain ess and control over it.


    "Wait a minute¡­" just then, Kahn came to a mind-boggling realization.


    "So that''s why Solomon was only a semi-saint despite living for nearly two hundred years.


    It''s not because he was weak or talentlesspared to other semi-saints¡­ but because he chose to." said Kahn as he realized this fact about the semi-saint mage whose core Kahn ate and unlocked the Dimensional Law divine ability in the first ce.


    "He was sacrificing his mana and world energy that he had amassed over the century just to master spacew.


    No wonder I barely felt any world energy after eating his core." spoke Kahn with a bewildered expression.


    His previous assumptions were all wrong¡­ Solomon was actually a verymitted mage who sacrificed his levels and rank for the sake of studying and mastering hisw of reality.


    However, before he could dwell on this surprise¡­ another groundbreaking fact hit his mind.


    "System, you said that thing can be used as a substitute for mana and world energy, right?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes.] replied the system.


    "That son of a bitch¡­ so that''s why he was after that thing and didn''t even hesitate to try to kill me to get it." he said and grabbed his head in shock.


    Because just now¡­. Kahn uncovered a terrifying truth about the elven mage.


    The First Emperor''s core!


    Solomon spent decades searching for the peak saint''s core who was close to bing a Demi-God before his demise and when the elven mage finally found it.. He couldn''t get it because of the magma drake dungeon boss.


    And since he constantly needed to sacrifice his mana and the world energy he could''ve gathered.. his levels never crossed above 100 and the mage never broke through to the Saint rank.


    Because of which¡­ Kahn luckily managed to kill him back then although with his biggest trump cards used all at once.


    "Holy fuck¡­ did I, just by coincidence stop the birth of the strongest mage in the history of the Rakos Empire?" asked Kahn to himself in bewilderment.


    Solomon was truly an Elf of focus,mitment and sheer will.


    He sacrificed so many things and even his power and levels he could''ve easily achieved to meet his end goal.


    The semi-saint elf could''ve been the most dangerous mage in Rakos Empire since he studied the most powerful and dangerousw of existence based on what the system told Kahn yesterday night.


    And if he did manage to get his hands on the Emperor''s core¡­ not only he would have reached the saint rank by using the core and kept breaking through higher stages easily; but his mastery in spacew would be so terrifying that he''d be unstoppable in the whole empire.


    On the same stage, he would''ve beenpletely unparalleled and the top three 7th stage saints like Allister Mor Vandereich, Stalin Joseif and Jeremiah Themis won''t be able to fight or kill him even if all three of them banded together against Solomon.


    Kahn got the core by luck¡­ but it was actually Solomon who deserved to be chosen as the First Emperor''s sessor.


    "I really need to stop looking down on my opponents. That Solomon wasn''t a small mob character¡­" he said after having a moment of reckoning.


    "But potentially the goddamn endgame boss of the entire story!"

 Chapter 363 - The Source

    Kahn continued his study for over a week and finished all the basic information and beginner-level books that would easily take another person nearly a year to properly read and understand the context and knowledge of. His eidetic memory along with his extremely heightened senses and fastly functioning mind proved extremely useful during this time.


    And now that he had understood andprehended all the basics of theory part¡­ Kahn decided that it was finally time for practical study.


    Kahn went to the new training facility that was built by the joint efforts of thousands of people proficient in their craft in a single day which he was using from the past one week.


    He went to a big and isted chamber and sat on a paved stone b.


    Kahn assumed the lotus buddha sitting stance and started meditating in the calm and silent chamber where nothing could distract him.


    And for the first time¡­ Kahn used both mana and world energy saturated inside his body at once. While the world energy moved every muscle and vein in his body, the mana swirled around his body parts¡­ both moved inpletely different directions but somehow.. Kahn felt a sense of synergy in between both these elements of reality.


    Minutes passed as nothing happened but Kahn didn''t move a muscle or flinched for a second as he meditated like a saint from the Himyas who would remain unaffected during their meditation and not get affected by the frost or any adverse conditions in their surroundings.


    Suddenly, he started feeling an oddity in the surrounding area as if everything in 100 meter radius around his body waspletely frozen and time itself stopped.


    Swoosh!


    Crunk!


    Just then, Kahn''s control over the mana and world energy running through his body was broken and he returned to the present moment.


    Kahn panted heavily and took deep breaths simultaneously as if he just returned from being dead to the world of the living, his forehead dropping beads of sweat at the same time.


    "What the hell was that? I felt like I could touch and feel everything at the same time. I even felt the surface of the furniture in the room.. Even the tiles on the floor as if I was touching them with my hands." spoke Kahn after finally seeding in feeling the space around him for the first time.


    This was apletely different experiencepared to feeling the mana & world energy. Before, he could only sense these elements of reality but now¡­ using both of them together at once, he felt everything that was associated or upied by them. And that included everything present around him as in this world¡­ even a stone was made from mana itself.


    Like earth, where atoms created the matter¡­ Vantrea had mana as the foundation of everything.


    And to Kahn¡­ This new sensation was simply unbelievable.


    Kahn then tried to meditate and feel the connection again. This time however, it took him less than 10 minutes to establish that connection with all the space around 100 meter radius.


    He felt that connection again but it was broken just like before in a matter of a few seconds. And after Kahn tried this same procedure 10 more times¡­


    Ding!


    [Warning! The host''s level has dropped by 1. The host is advised to stop consuming mana and world energy at the same time.] alerted the system.


    Kahn''s eyes were wide open as soon as he heard the warning notification.


    "Fuck! I only tried it 11 times and already a lot of mana and world energy in my body is depleted.


    No wonder people easily gave up and didn''t dare to study thisw. Raising your levels is already so hard in this world and they would be spending the majority of it just for a few attempts to practice spacew." he spoke in a dejected tone.


    Thanks to eating Solomon''s core¡­ the doors were already opened for Kahn and now he had to walk through them by himself. But taking a single step forward came with a price.


    And that was to sacrifice your mana and world energy which took months and years to gather... just to scratch the surface of the spacew.


    "I see. So there''s only one option now." spoke Kahn and the next moment, he took out a white and bright round object from his space ring that was as big as the size of a full-grown Hippopotamus.


    The First Emperor''s core. This was the miniature version of the peak saint swordsman''s core aka Rathanar, the first emperor of the Rakos Empire.


    Kahn then touched the core that brightened the entire room with its blinding white light without any worries and spoke¡­


    "Calm down¡­ reduce it." he ordered and the next second, the white light subsided and the core only glimmered dim white.


    Kahn on the other hand felt an innate connection to this core as he was now the sole owner of it after the First Sage, Lerzon Mikealson, whose remnant soul phantom was guarding and waiting for the worthy person; handed down the ownership to Kahn after he cleared the final dungeon boss and became the rightful sessor of the first emperor.


    [The host is in direct contact with the peak saint''s core.


    The core is an unimaginably powerful and vast source of mana and world energy.] reported the system.


    "Can I use it directly as a source?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes. The core is bound to the host''s soul. The host can channel the world energy and mana in it as a source to practice magic and spacew.] replied the system.


    "Great! I should''ve used it when I started studying magic back then. Maybe I''d at least be a grandmaster rank mage now." spoke Kahn.


    [Incorrect. The host can use the core properly at this point because he naturally developed a connection to mana through his own understanding and talent.


    Otherwise, it would not have been possible to channel the mana or world energy inside this core even now.] spoke the system in its robotic voice.


    "Phew! I guess it was a good choice to not take any shortcuts." sighed Kahn and gave amand to the core that he felt a sense of mental and physical bond with.


    "Okay¡­ give me just 0.01% of mana and world energy." ordered Kahn and the following moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s clothes fluttered as a shockwave was released from his body and he felt a terrifying surge of energy running through his muscles and blood vessels.


    Kahn shouted in an exhrated tone as he felt his body going under the Super Saiyan mode.


    "Power!.... Too much power!!"

 Chapter 364 - Truly Foresighted

    Kahn''s body jolted in excitement after he felt the immense surge of mana and world energy through his body running like lightning striking during a rainstorm. However, this rush of power was also extremely exciting for him because it was the highest level of strength he felt in his body.


    "Arghhh!" he shouted as an immense surge of world energy and mana ran amok inside his body and he looked like Thanos trying to handle the power of the gauntlet after gathering all the infinity stones.


    And this was just 0.01% of the mana and world energy of the total reserves in this peak saint''s core who was close to bing a Demi-God.


    Kahn remembered Solomon''s words at this moment.. That the core was so powerful that it could obliterate the entire capital Rathna that was 2700 kilometers in total perimeter.


    And now he firmly believed those words because if the hundredth fraction of the total power was already so overwhelming even for him, the strongest semi-saint of the entire Rakos empire¡­ then it was definitely a hundred times more terrifying to handle in reality.


    Kahn finally understood why the system had warned him to not even think about absorbing this core and the energy stored in it before he at least became a fourth stage saint.


    Because just like the system said¡­ he was simply too weak to handle even one percent of the mana and world energy stored inside.


    So absorbing it to raise his levels and ranks was simply impossible even if he tried to do so bit by bit.


    If not for the soul link that had tied him to this peak saint''s core¡­ Kahn wouldn''t have been able to ess or use this core as a source either.


    Just the 0.01% world energy and mana were more than enough for Kahn to easily cross level 200 and officially be a saint.


    Sadly¡­ he couldn''t do it because it was too great of a force for his body to handle and he''d get blown to small atoms if he tried to harness any more power.


    However, this was also a godsend opportunity.


    At this moment¡­ Kahn felt like some godly being was watching over him who made him meet Solomon, be the sessor of the first emperor and then bound his core to him a year ago.


    Just so that Kahn could eat Solomon''s core to meet the prerequisite conditions to unlock his most OP divine ability and use this peak saint''s as a source to study and practice spacew and use it to perfect his Dimensional Law divine ability.


    And this godly being nned everything way ahead of time while Kahn was struggling to be the strong guy in a small ce like the vot city.


    Kahn felt tipping his hat off to that smart and foresighted being who set up everything in motion way too long ago while he himself couldn''t make sense of anything that happened around him and even his journey till this point.


    ----------------


    After returning to the current moment, Kahn kept touching the core with his right hand and meditated as he stood still in order to keep feeling and understanding the space around him.


    Minutes¡­ and then hours passed by as Kahn underwent a trance and didn''t even move a muscle. Because at this moment¡­ he wasn''t living in the normal world¡­ rather something that felt surreal and otherworldly to him.


    While during that state of trance, Kahn felt his grasp and understanding of space itself widening and the more he carried his practice, the more he felt like his reach was expanding at a visible rate.


    As he waspletely lost in thoughts while trying to understand the concept of spacew after feeling it¡­ he started thinking of ways about how to ess it as his will.


    But as he reached towards the end of his current session¡­ something unexpected happened.


    Inside Kahn''s head¡­ his consciousness underwent a miraculous change.


    Suddenly, Kahn felt like he was present in his current location but also at every other end of the 100 meter radius as if thousands of Kahn were standing and watching over the space around him from different locations, directions and angles.


    His consciousness expanded till the point that even the ceiling had hundreds of Kahn bundled together looking andprehending the space around him that passed the restrictions of state of a matter and time itself.


    3 HOURS LATER.


    The quiet and still surrounding of the room finally felt like it had someone upying it.


    "So that''s how it was¡­." spoke Kahn as he was still lost in his thoughts.


    "The space isn''t just aw of reality¡­ it is the part of existence that allows for other aspects of reality to exist inside it." he said as if newfound information was passed into his mind.


    "It is not dependent on time or matter. Even if time itself ceased to exist¡­ it will never affect the space.


    Me, the air, small particles, different forms of mana, elements, energy and everything else is just temporarily upying it.


    We''re all bound by time andws of reality¡­ but space itself isn''t bound by anything.


    It never was.. And it never will." spoke Kahn to himself as he received enlightenment.


    After another hour of going through this groundbreaking enlightenment, Kahn opened his eyes and returned to the present moment.


    Thanks to the first emperor''s core that supplied him with enough source of mana and world energy that helped Kahn feel and understand the spacew for more than 4 hours now¡­ something that would''ve taken him a couple of years to achieve if he didn''t have this core.. He finally reached a level of understanding of thew that exceeded everything he read in the book by hundredfolds.


    "Let''s give it a try." spoke Kahn and summoned Lucifer in his hands.


    The next moment, an intangible force suddenly erupted from his body and surrounded the ck greatsword with crimson patterns on the de.


    Whilst Kahn''s figure looked like it was blurring from ce to ce as if he didn''t exist in this ne of reality anymore.


    This intangible energy started coalescing around Lucifer''s de and formed ayer at the edges.


    sh! sh!


    But instead of waiting another second, Kahn made a vertical and then a horizontal sh into the vacant and open space in front of him.


    SHRILL!!


    A high-pitched sound of something hard and metallic object being cut open filled the chamber and now¡­ a tear in space was formed in front of Kahn.


    But before he could even move or react, Kahn heard a notification.


    [Congrattions to the host for sessfully creating Dimensional Void crack!]

 Chapter 365 - Dimensional Void

    In front of Kahn, a long and elongated door with pulsating borders as if it were a living being was created and through this gateway¡­ Kahn could see a different dimension that seemed existent and non-existent at the same time.


    And to pique his curiosity, this void crack that he just opened after getting a little bit of understanding about the spacew¡­ seemed exactly simr to the surrounding area. However¡­ everything inside it was abination of ck, gray and white.


    "Phew! Let''s hope I don''t die inside." spoke Kahn and walked into the door that seemed to be sucking the air around him.


    Clink!


    As soon as Kahn entered the void crack, the pathway closed behind him and now he stood inside what seemed like a different dimension. It looked exactly like the chamber where he was practicing spacew before but at the same time, he felt like everything here waspletely different.


    Because unlike the real world¡­ no mana or world energy existed inside this ce and even the floor he was standing on felt like standing on quicksand that would soon engulf him.


    Tap! Tap!


    Kahn kept walking inside this mirror dimension and noticed that time functioned differently here. He threw Lucifer in front of him but instead of quickly falling down¡­ it was suspended in the air and slowly starteding down as if time and gravity itself were many times slower and lighterpared to the real world.


    At this exact moment, he also noticed that the intangible force he used to create the void crack encapste his entire body, clothes as well as lucifer that was still suspended in the air.


    "Ah, I see. So this space force is what''s keeping me and my possessions safe inside this dimension.


    No wonder one needs to master spacew first. Otherwise, if their body is not able to withstand the surroundings inside this dimension without having this force protecting it.. They''d instantly die because the time and gravity would slow their movements, blood cirction and even their breathing.


    It''s like outerspace with no air and the gravitational force that would instantly kill you." spoke Kahn as he understood another important fact.


    The spacew was the most important factor for Kahn to improve his Dimensional Law divine ability because if not for his understanding and the space force he created to gain ess to all the space around him¡­ he would''ve died as soon as he entered the void crack.


    By developing this force and his body adapting to it, Kahn had basically created a protective shield thatpletely protected him in every aspect and allowed him to roam free in this mirror dimension¡­ he probably became the only person to be able to do it in the entire Rakos empire.


    After a few minutes passed and Kahn ventured into different rooms and corridors of this mirror dimension¡­ he suddenly felt like his body was drained out.


    "Fuck! My body doesn''t have enough space force to stay here longer!" eximed Kahn and quickly used lucifer to create another void crack.


    Thud!


    He quickly jumped out of the crack and the gateway behind him closed instantly.


    "Phew! Made it right in time." he spoke.


    Kahn then took a deep breath and he could again feel the mana and world energy around him as he returned to the normal world where everything wasn''t just ck, gray and white.


    And soon, Kahn''s body felt the familiarity of the living world, unlike the mirror dimension that basically existed in both nes at the same time.


    "So that''s the real ne of existence and the one we''re living inside is the ne of reality that is upying it and is filled with otherws of reality." said Kahn as his knowledge kept expanding from the experience he had just now.


    He looked around and noticed that it was indeed the same training facility but the difference was that he entered the void crack from the library and he exited that dimension from a different ce.


    So in other words¡­ he could use the dimensional void crack to enter from their ne of existence, travel inside the mirror dimension and then exit it to return to the real world but at a different ce.


    And no one would be even able to sense or feel him since nobody else other than Kahn had ess to this true dimension of reality.


    And most importantly¡­ the time there moved differently. Means if Kahn needed to move to a ce where it would take him an hour to reach¡­ he could do it from the mirror dimension but the time in the real world would also be very short for him and he could reach the destination in a matter of 10 to 20 minutes instead.


    Kahn became curious if the time and space of that dimension would be slower if his mastery over the spacew kept increasing gradually over time.


    After having this eye-opening experience, he returned to the library and touched the core to absorb the mana and world energy again to create another void crack and explored the mirror dimension again.


    This time, he exited from a ce 100 meters left. He followed this same procedure again and again, to explore the dimensional by creating void cracks and always exited from a new ce.


    After 5 hours of constant practical application and exploration¡­ he finally heard the system notification.


    [Space Law mastery improved by 1%.


    All the range of Dimensional Law abilities and skills increased by 0.1%.


    Current maximum range : 110 meters.] informed the system.


    "Great! This is definitely something that would''ve cost someone else years of study and practice." he said in excitement.


    "Man¡­ Only if I could study and practice it day and night." he spoke with a little disappointment. Because practicing this spacew and increasing his efficiency required a lot of focus, time and energy.


    "I wish there were more of me¡­" he spoke and the next second.. Kahn''s eyes widened with a realization¡­


    "Wait a minute¡­"


    The next moment Kahn gave a sinister smile and suddenly, on his left, another Kahn appeared out of nowhere.


    Kahn finally used the Doppelganger skill after almost a year.


    "System, the doppelganger shares all my abilities and skills as well as my consciousness at 50% stats, right?" asked Kahn to the system.


    [Yes.]


    "Then it will also share my mana and world energy as well, right?" asked Kahn in a curious expression.


    [Yes. The host shares a direct soul connection with the doppelganger so even the world energy and mana are shared between the host and the replica as long as the activation period of the skill is on.]


    The next moment¡­ both Kahn looked at each other and had a wide grin on their faces and spoke in unison as an evil n hatched in their minds together.


    "I''m a motherfucking genius!"

 Chapter 366 - The Doppelgangers

    As soon as Kahn created another copy of himself, the one that contained half of all of his stats and abilities; both versions of himself who shared the same consciousness put their right palm on the peak saint''s core.


    Swoosh!


    Another surge of mana and world energy passed through both of them and soon, they felt the energy amassing in their respective bodies.


    And since they shared the same mind, both the original and the doppelganger felt the amount they were absorbing.


    He could already feel that the output they were getting by absorbing so much energy inside the core would be 1.5 times more than all his previous attempts.


    30 minutester, the doppelganger disappeared after it crossed the activation time. But as soon as it disappeared, Kahn felt a rush of energy added to his body and the total reserve increased by 50%.


    "Now that''s more like it." spoke Kahn and opened the void crack again to explore what he started calling the True Dimension. Because it was the real dimension of space while the one they were upying was the side that was inhabited by the living things that did not have space force in their bodies.


    This time, Kahn entered the true dimension again and stayed there for longer. He started touching objects and constructs and even made shes on the walls to see if his actions would somehow affect the real world.


    "Awesome! So that''s why it''s the most powerfulw of reality!" eximed Kahn as soon as he saw the results.


    The marks he made in the true dimension appeared on the walls when he returned to the real world.


    So in simple words¡­ the true dimension did not have any mana or world energy. So if there was a barrier or protection formation in the real world, Kahn could use the true dimension to travel inside that ce, return to the real world via a void crack and he would not be detected or seen as the external entity breaching inside the barrier.


    In simple words¡­ if there was a treasure chest protected by walls, barriers and formations¡­ Kahn could simply infiltrate inside without being seen or sensed and by opening the void crack¡­ he could stand right in front of the chest.


    He''d get to steal it or even bring the entire chest inside the true dimension by sharing his space force with it and not a single soul would be able to know who stole the treasure and how they did it.


    So basically¡­ Kahn would be the ultimate thief as well as the person who can reach any ce as long as he had enough space force reserves in his body.


    This new method also worked for perfect assassinations as well as intel gathering as the other party would not be able to see or sense him no matter how strong they were or which rank they belonged to.


    Kahn could watch and hear his enemies by standing right in front of them but no one will ever find out.


    Dimensional Void had opened so many doors for Kahn in the long run. And all he needed to do now was keep increasing his mastery and the effective range he could control and ess with time.


    The current limit was 110 meters just with 2% mastery over dimensionalw divine ability so Kahn could guess how far his skill would get him if his calctions were right.


    And who knew if the effective range would also increase with his ranks and levels in the future. So many pleasant surprises were waiting for him without a doubt.


    And this was just the Dimensional Void.


    There was still Dimensional Cut & Dimensional Domain skill that were part of Dimensional Law divine ability. They too would definitely have some OP effects of their own.


    For the first time¡­ Kahn started appreciating his choice of choosing this divine ability that was never selected before any of the summoned heroes.


    ----------------


    After Kahn repeated the same actions till midnight.. He came to an impasse for some reason.


    "Not enough. I need to maximize the output." spoke Kahn as he felt like the additional effects of using a doppelganger were limited.


    "System, is there a way to increase the activation time for my doppelganger skill?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes. If the host uses a SS Rank mana core or an ore as a source to provide mana supply to the Doppelganger, the summoned copy can stay active for 1 more hour for each SS rank core used.] replied the system.


    Kahn on the other hand¡­ was shocked and rooted on the spot.


    "System, tell me the cooldown to cast another doppelganger?" asked Kahn.


    [The host can cast the skill once the activated period ends.. That is 10 minutes.] reported the system in its lifeless tone.


    Kahn then another insidious grin.


    "Amazing!! This means I can constantly have the doppelgangers absorb the cores to sustain themselves while they absorb world energy and mana to create space force.


    This way, I can increase my speed of studying spacew by manyfolds." he said in an exhrated tone.


    10 minutester, he cast another doppelganger and 3rd Kahn appeared. While the previous one was holding a SS rank mana core in the left hand while absorbing from the core.


    2nd copy also had 50% of his skills and stats plus shared the soul connection with him.


    Kahn''s speed of absorption now doubled. He then repeated the same action for 2 hours and now there are 11 Kahn in the room. One original him while the ten were the doppelgangers.


    Although he wanted to create more copies, the system informed that it was his current maximum limit as his body and soul weren''t strong enough to create more copies and share the soul connection without adverse effects.


    All of the doppelgangers were given different space rings of their own. And inside them were hundreds of SS Rank cores.


    And now.. Kahn had five times the speed and his efficiency to create the space force itself improved by five times his original maximum capacity.


    In other words¡­ Kahn was simply hacking the game.


    "System, will the soul connection be severed if I enter the true dimension?" asked Kahn.


    [No. The true dimension exists on both nes of existence at the same time. So the soul connection between the host and the doppelgangers will not be severed.]


    "Muhaha hahaha haha muhaaaahahaha!!"ughed Kahn like a maniac.


    Soon, other Kahnsughed like crazy psychopaths as well.


    Kahn spoke in a coy tone as he opened another void crack¡­


    "My name is Kahn Salvatore.... And I''m the smartest man alive."

 Chapter 367 - Dimensional Domain

    2 WEEKS LATER


    Kahn had been using the peak saint''s core and his doppelgangers to create and amass space force in his body while doing his daily studies regarding the spacew to expand his knowledge and experience.


    Whenever enough reserves of space force gathered in his body, he''d open the void crack and enter the true dimension to apply and perform all the theories and methods inside to increase his understanding of the true dimension and spacew.


    And now, Kahn could also bring things in and out of the true dimension by sharing the space force with them. He even tried it with some of his subordinates from his Legion. But dozens of them died instantly as soon as they entered the dimensional void with Kahn.


    So the only way for him to take them inside was through his shadow. Because for some reason, the space force didn''t cover any other living being aside from Kahn.


    And the only exnation he coulde up with was that a living being needs to develop space force in their body and core like him to enter the true dimension. But why was this sort of restriction ced on them¡­ he had only a little idea.


    One of the usible reasons he could think of was that without developing space force their own bodies and cores, they''d be subjected to face the slow time and zero-gravity conditions inside the true dimension.


    And obviously¡­ no one would be able to survive under such conditions as even a saint won''t be able to live for longer if their body, blood and brain stopped working for some time regardless of their speed.


    The Zero gravity condition itself was more than enough to kill any living being so when Kahn''s fodder subordinates died¡­ even their corpses turned to husks and withered like sand in the true dimension.


    This was not the case for inanimate objects so Kahn could share the space force with them and easily take them along with him. And then he could exit out from a different ce.


    And in just two weeks after the doppelgangers constantly provided Kahn a stable supply of space force and he explored and experimented everything he could within the true dimension¡­ Kahn''s mastery over spacew rose to 10%.


    And the current range of area he could ess from his location increased to 200 meters in total radius from his position.


    However¡­ the system suddenly informed Kahn that it was his current maximum range because of the restrictions of the body such as his rank and levels as semi-saint. If Kahn wanted to increase his mastery of spacew even more¡­ he needed to break through his rank and cross level 200 first.


    Although this was an irritating shackle ced on him, Kahn had no choice to ept it as he too felt like that was his current limit.


    So then he moved to his next objective and the second skill of the Dimensional Law divine ability¡­


    Dimensional Domain.


    ----------------


    "Give me details on Dimensional Domain skill again."manded Kahn.


    [Dimensional Domain (SS Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to bring one enemy or an entity inside a 100 meters isted dimension for 1 minute.


    In this Dimensional Domain, the targeted enemy or entity will have 50% of their physical stats and mana capacity reduced.


    Note : The number of enemies or entities the host can bring inside this Domain & the activation time for this skill will increase with the host''s proficiency in Space Law and mastery of this skill.


    Current Mastery : 1%] reported the system.


    "Alright then¡­ let''s get to the next step." spoke Kahn and braced himself.


    In the following week, with the other Kahns constantly providing him with space force¡­ the real Kahn started studying more books and archaic records gathered by Solomon. All of them were rted to space domain itself..


    By spending days after days studying these heavy and ancient books.. Kahn learned that to create a space domain... One needs to spend the space force in the body and expel it out of them to create a simr domain to the true dimension.


    However, unlike the true dimension, this space domain will exist in the real world and will only temporarily separate the things in it from the outside world such as sound, space, light and even air. But even a normal space domain that looked only 10 meters from outside in the real world could hold 100 meters of space if one entered inside.


    As Kahn kept practicing this domain skill, he noticed that he could control mana and world energy inside this domain at his own will.


    He could extract it when he feels like it or freeze their movements when he wanted to. And unlike the true dimension, this domain was essible to his subordinates as well.


    So in simple words¡­ Just like Shadow Merge, Kahn can bring others inside this domain and basically control the mana and world energy as he wanted. He could simply bring one person inside in this domain and seclude them from the outside world like a domain artifact.


    But unlike the artifacts, the inner region was under his full control and he could weaken an enemy by half. Plus if he released his subordinates inside this dimensional domain¡­ it''d be like toying with an already weakened opponent with hisrger numbers..


    If he were to fight other semi-saints or someone who is of the same rank as him¡­ it''d like him having a battlefield created just for him and apletely unfair surrounding for his enemies who would basically be left at Kahn''s mercy.


    And now all he needed to do was study, experiment to the point he could cover more area and increase the number of enemies he could bring in.


    Because inside this domain when facing an equally matched opponent or an opponent who was stronger than Kahn¡­ he had an immense advantage. Because if a mage fought him¡­ they''d be out of the mana or world energy other than what they already had in their bodies. He''d simply cut down the power supply of any of his enemies.


    So simply, this domain would be no different than his personal ughterhouse.


    And Kahn¡­ would be the Butcher.

 Chapter 368 - Dimensional Shift

    On the following day, Kahn resumed his training and studies from the books rted to spacew and how to cover different aspects such as skills and spells rted to it. Since he had already mastered the Dimensional Void skill to the peak of his current abilities, his priority then shifted to the next skill¡­ the Dimensional Domain.


    During his training sessions, Kahn kept meditating and used a substantial amount of space force to expel out of his body.


    And each time, he felt like the more space force he could throw out of his body, the farther his reach and control over this domain increased. He was aware that currently, he''d be able to go till 200 meters at best because of his rank as a semi-saint but this also meant that he had more time to solidify his foundation as well.


    Kahn then spent another week, practicing 10 to 15 hours daily and because of the help from the ten doppelgangers who provided him 5 times speed force than his maximum speed, his limit reached to 200 meters and now he had mastered how to even control mana and world energy inside his Dimensional Domain.


    So with the 2 out of 4 skills mastered in just 3 weeks using the Rathnaar, the peak saint''s core as a source as well as the doppelgangers who shared soul connection with him, Kahn achieved something that would take decades for even the most genius spacew researchers in the world.


    So now.. His attention shifted to the next ability.


    The Dimensional Shift.


    ----------------


    "System, details on Dimensional Shift."manded Kahn.


    [Dimension Shift (S Rank) (ACTIVE) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to temporarily shift a body part to the true dimension without causing any harm to the host''s real body or affecting the host''s abilities, skills and fighting prowess.


    Note : The time and amount of body parts the host can shift inside the void will increase with the host''s mastery over Space Law.


    Current Mastery : 5%


    Current limit : 1 body part or an organ.


    Skill activation time : 15 seconds.] reported the system.


    "Good. Very handy." spoke Kahn in contentment.


    It''s not like he couldn''t remember the main function of these abilities or dimensionalw.


    Just that he needed to exin their use and functionality to some other people who he thought were always watching or reading about him from a different world.


    And that would make them me a certain person who would be used of leaving plotholes by the said people.


    So all and all¡­ This ability allowed him to temporarily shift any body organ to the true dimension.


    During that moment, his body parts such as head, heart or even an entire arm will be inside the true dimension but it would appear like it''s still in the real world.


    But if someone tried to hurt him with a weapon or tried to kill him¡­ it will simply pass through that body part as per the ability description given by the system.


    Currently, Kahn''s limit is only one organ or part of the body. So paying attention to this skill was important because the more the better.


    He also needed this ability since it could save his life in thest moment while in a frontal battle or an enemy many times stronger than him.


    Plus, it worked the same if someone attacked him from behind or even betrayed him at thest moment.


    However, the only downside was that he needed to spend triple the space forcepared to dimensional void or dimensional domain skill in order to use it.


    And the reason was that he had to send that particr organ into the true dimension and maintain it properly under the protection of the space force. Otherwise, that organ would be destroyed in the true dimension if he was careless or ran out of the space force.


    And for that reason, he needed to condense a lot of space force on that particr organ and also quickly send it and bring it back in a short time.


    But Kahn knew it''d be worth it. Because if a situation arose when someone stabbed him in the heart or head and he''s unable to react on time¡­ this ability would save his life in thest moment and he''d be able to either run or trick the enemy into thinking that they killed him.


    This was one of the main reasons why he chose Dimensional Law divine ability in the first ce.


    And as his mastery, ranks and levels rose, Kahn would be able to shift more organs to true dimension and maybe at some point.. His entire body.


    If his enemies regardless of their rank or powers couldn''t even touch him¡­ then he''d be the ultimate winner at the end because he could use the ability when he''s facing an attack to let it simply pass by him and return to the real world when he has a chance tond a killshot.


    Kahn then started practicing and focused arge amount of space force in his left palm.


    Suddenly, he feels like the blood supply in his palm has stopped. He could move the palm but couldn''t feel any sensation from it.


    He then took out his old epic rank red dagger from the dungeon hunting days that he hadn''t used in nearly a year and tried to cut open his palm.


    ng!


    However, instead of making a gash¡­ the dagger passes right through his left palm although it was still attached to Kahn and he could even move the fingers.


    Kahn then uses the dagger to touch his left leg and the next moment, he felt the sensation in his mind. But then he tried to touch the palm again just to have it pass right through it.


    "Yes! It''s a sess." spoke Kahn and retracted his space force from the left to right palm.


    But unlike before.. The space force reserves were depleted in a matter of minutes. And Kahn needed a full recharge to perform this skill again.


    For the next 4 days, he repeated the same action for different body parts and organs and finally even his head and heart.


    Just then, the system notified him.


    [Dimensional Shift skill mastery reached to 10%.


    Skill activation time increased to 30 seconds.]


    "Great¡­" said Kahn in containment and looked towards the ceiling and spoke in a vehement tone..


    "Obito would be proud."

 Chapter 369 - Dimensional Cut

    Kahn resumed his training for a few days after reaching his maximum limits in Dimensional Shift ability for now. There were many things on his mind, many questions he wanted the answers of and various experiments he wanted to try out.


    But after getting reminded by the system that if he wanted to progress further¡­ he would need to be a saint first as the current body was simply not suitable to sustain the aftereffects of cultivating the third skill from the Dimensional Law divine ability furthermore.


    So without any choice left.. and his next target was Dimensional Cut.


    "Details." spoke Kahn as hemanded the system to borate the skill.


    [Dimensional Cut (SS Rank) (Active) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to use Dimensional Law to merge space force with any physical weapon and skill attacks to cut through any object?within the range of this skill.


    Current Combat Technique Mastery : 1%


    Current range : 100 meters


    Note : The increase in range of this skill will be dependent upon the host''s proficiency in thisbat technique.] replied the system as it passed on the newly updated details.


    And since this skill was rted to physical weapons and attacks¡­ Kahn decided to go in the section made for battle training.


    In a particr training ground on the west of this entire underground training facility that spanned for 5 kilometers in radius.. Was a special area created just for Kahn.


    And in this training ground¡­ were dozens of giant boulders andrge metal columns ced strategically in order. These were exactly the practicing targets Kahn had asked Ronin to arrange when he started his study rted to spacew.


    And he knew that one day, he''d definitely need them for practicing Dimensional Cut skill. So this was something Kahn had nned nearly a month ago when he gave themand.


    Although it seemed simple, this skill was the hardest of them all as it needed Kahn to incorporate the space force to merge with his weapon and then use any shing skill attack. The range and skill was something better said than done as it was extremely hard tounch a forward attack using space force than just shing things with his sword.


    Kahn then amassed all the space force in his body and concentrated it on the edge of lucifer andunched a shing attack on therge stone boulder in front of him.


    SHRILL!


    A high-pitched shrill filled the surroundings but before Kahn could react¡­


    Thud!!


    The stone boulder was cut into two even parts by Kahn''s intangible de made of space force and fell in front of him.


    Kahn with his extremely keen senses suddenly noticed an oddity in the split boulder¡­


    There was no friction, no spark or any other resistance offered by the stone boulder against Kahn''s attack.


    It was so cleanly cut that if Kahn put both pieces back, they''d stick together without even a small air gap left in between them.


    This was beyond anything Kahn ever saw and even his best attacks were not this precise.


    It was as if the dimensional cut skill split apart everything on the atomic level. This was the cleanest and sharpest attack skill he ever saw despite training in swords himself for more than a year.


    He was certain that even someone like Stronoff Mikealson wouldn''t be able to perform such a strike.


    Kahn then tried to make the next attack but the system informed that all the space force in his body was already used.


    "Ah¡­ damn it! How am I going to practice this skill if it consumes all the space force inside me just for a single attack?" spoke Kahn in a dejected tone.


    1 hourter when all the doppelgangers absorbed more energy from the peak saint''s core and transferred it to Kahn, he changed the target and this time.. It was one of the metal columns.


    Kahn made another attack with dimensional cut and this time too, the target was cut in two parts without any resistance.


    "Holy shit! This skill can kill a saint! No barrier, shield or any form of defense can work against this skill!" eximed Kahn in bewilderment.


    Because even the metal column was finely cut to the point that one wouldn''t even notice the difference if the gravity didn''t make the broken parts fall apart.


    This skill was even stronger and deadlier than the dark lightning strike that was made from both darkness and lightning elements, two of the strongest and most destructive elements in existence.


    Yet the Dimensional Cut was miles ahead than them both collectively. The only downside was his range was only 10 meters as of now.


    For the entire day.. Kahn repeated one strike after one hour as his doppelgangers barely managed to recover the space force and sent it to him.


    And one thing he noticed about this skill¡­


    The dimensional cut wasn''t cutting the objects from the real world. Rather..


    It was cutting them from the True Dimension!


    Kahn finally understood the w in his approach after noticing this fact. He closed his eyes and felt the mana and world energy around him.


    The very next second, however¡­ he started sensing the space around 100 meters radius.


    "It was already given in the name itself." spoke Kahn as he slightly smiled.


    "The word ''Dimensional Cut'' means I don''t need to attack things from this part of reality¡­ but from the true dimension. The one that is present in both nes of existence.


    Only then can I execute a perfect dimensional cut." he said and concentrated as his greatsword was in attacking position.


    Kahn made a simr attack but before he could walk towards the target¡­


    He froze on the spot as hisprehension of the spacew reached a different level.


    At this moment, Kahn received another enlightenment as he started feeling not just space in the real world but also the true dimension, the other ne of existence even without opening a void crack first.


    This time.. There were no grand gestures or anything.


    "There''s no need to differentiate space, reality or a dimension of existence." spoke Kahn with closed-off eyes as if he wasprehending something surreal.


    His frozen body remained still for a few hours and finally, Kahn spoke again.


    "Because at the end of the day¡­ Everything is part of the same equation.


    Everything in existence¡­ life, death, state of matter, mana and world energy is¡­


    Part of Unity." said Kahn with closed eyes as he came to realize the fact of the universe itself.


    Schrrooosh!!


    But before he could borate further¡­ the system sent a notification in his mind.


    [Congrattions to the host for sessfully bing a Grandmaster in Space Law!]

 Chapter 370 - Grand Accomplishment

    Kahn stood rooted on the spot,pletely gobsmacked after the system gave him that notification about directly breaking through to grandmaster rank in spacew out of the blue. Prior to this¡­ he only read about rankings in spacew mastery but it often took others decades and even a century. Yet somehow, Kahn did it in just one month.


    "System, how did I suddenly be a grandmaster?" asked Kahn with a bbergasted voice.


    [The spacew requires a deep understanding of different forms of space existing in the world.


    However¡­ The host has already understood thews of space on both nes of existence including the true dimension.


    If not for current rank limits.. The host would''ve directly broken through to the Saint rank in spacew.] reported the system.


    Shock!


    This was an even more terrifying fact revealed by it than what Kahn expected.


    "I see. So you''re telling me that myprehension over spacew has already increased but my current body isn''t strong enough to undergo those changes?"


    [Yes. Currently, the host has exceeded 40% mastery in spacew but the current body can handle only 10% when ites to execution of Dimensional Law skills and abilities as well as space force reserves.] informed the system.


    "So are there any buffs or skill effects unlocked?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes.]


    "Then why haven''t I been notified?" asked Kahn with a curious expression.


    [The host must breakthrough to saint rank first for them to be essible.] replied system.


    "Airshhh¡­ these conditions of ranks and levels. It almost feels like someone doesn''t want me to be even more OP than I already am." he said in a discouraged voice.


    "I guess there''s no choice but to keep practicing dimensional cut till my range reaches the maximum limits." he said and waited for his space force supply to replenish.


    ----------------


    For the next 10 days, Kahn kept practicing the dimensional cut skill and every time his space force was expended, he''d switch back to his study mode and read the ancient books and archives rted to spacew.


    But with his newfound sense of knowledge and experience after he broke through to grandmaster rank for spacew¡­ everything that confused him before started to make sense. He understood variousws and theorems as well as a few innovative approaches towards mastering spacew.


    He even found dozens of ws written in the books regarding the methods and techniques as well. And whenever the doppelgangers gathered enough space force by converting the mana and world energy they absorbed from Rathnaar''s core¡­


    Kahn would keep practicing the Dimensional Cut skill to raise his maximum range of abilities by cing the targets farther while concentrating and condensing his space force in the sword tond a long-range attack.


    And on the 10th day¡­ Kahn finally reached his maximum limits and the range of 200 meters for this skill as well. With this¡­ he had mastered all of the skills and abilities that came under the Dimensional Law divine ability.


    In just a month alone.. Thanks to the peak saint''s core, the doppelgangers and his own intelligence¡­ Kahn achieved something that even someone as talented as Solomon couldn''t achieve in the past 100 years despite spending so much time and energy studying and cultivating spacew.


    It wasn''t that Solomon wascking¡­ just that Kahn had too many hacks and cheat codes of his own to aplish this admirable achievement.


    Now, given the abilities and skills he had¡­ let it be Sword King, Sword Battlemaster, Marauder King, Wrath of Vajra, Dragon Strike, Dark Lightning Strike, Somir Scales, Magma Drake ws, Executioner''s Gaze, Void Space skill that temporarily froze everything in his surroundings and now..


    The Dimensional Law skills¡­


    Kahn already came to realize after overlooking his holster of abilities and skills he achieved till now; that when the time came¡­


    He was going to be¡­


    One of the strongest saints in the world!


    ----------------


    In the evening when Kahn was finally done and decided to put a brake on his training for dimensionalw because he had hit a teau due to his rank¡­ he decided to visit the other training grounds on different sides of the underground facility.


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!!


    Loud and ear-deafening noise filled a particr training ground filled with nothing but gigantic boulders and metallic constructs as a 13 meter tall, ginormous figure with two horns of a minotaur on the head that came out of the helmet. This figure had a 5 meter long and 3 meter broad epic rank shield in his left hand. While the right hand had an extremely heavy as well as broad battleaxe.


    This tyrannical being was none other than ckwall.


    The guardian knight subordinate had been practicing and honing his skill in this new training facility for over a month since he had no human form and couldn''te out in open to aid his master either.


    "I see your training is going well." spoke Kahn as he walked from behind.


    ckwall quickly turned his head around and looked at Kahn in surprise. Because he hadn''t sensed his master at all despite sharing a mind connection with him. As if Kahn had been surrounded by an invisible force that made himpletely undetectable.


    ckwall quickly knelt in front of Kahn and spoke in his stern and deep voice that echoed in the whole training ground.


    "Yes, my lord. But I feel like I''ve already broken through my current limits and ranked up many of my skills."


    "I see. Means you have a better foundation than the rest of us. All that is left is to find a suitable specimen to upgrade your rank." spoke Kahn as he nodded in approval.


    Currently, ckwall was the weakest of all the generals because he was still at Lord rank. And Kahn hadn''t found a suitable being to merge with him.


    "Then let''s go back to our old ways. I''m sure not only you but the others will be delighted as well." he said in a merry voice.


    "What do you mean, my lord?" asked ckwall in his stoic and deep voice.


    Kahn only gave a benign smile as he replied in an excited tone..


    "Saving people, hunting things.. The family business."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Sorry for taking 10 chapters just on Kahn''s training period of Dimensional Law. I wanted to logically exin everything and how Kahn mastered these skills so that in the future, I won''t have to go through these details again and everyone could remember how he became so effective in using them.


    And as you can see¡­ we''re going into the next phase that all of you wanted from quite some time.


    So expect great things toe in the next Hunting mini-arc.]]

 Chapter 371 - The Monster Tide

    In the early morning of the following day, Kahn arranged a meeting in one of the open grounds of the underground training facilities. And everyone except Ceril was present in this meeting.


    "Ronin¡­ give us all the details." said Kahn as he folded both hands behind his back.


    "Yes, my lord." spoke the rogue ss general and handed out envelopes to all the subordinates present except ckwall. Because his fingers were bigger than the envelope.


    He then began a presentation of his own and ced a map of the entire Vessen fiefdom in the middle of the table.


    "There are six regions where the monster tide urs every year. And during that period, the entire region is on curfew for at least 2 months.


    Based on the estimations made by our researchers¡­ This year, it wille after the next 4 months." exined Ronin.


    "But from the past hundred and fifty years; the monster tides have been urring only when there are simply too many monsters living in the inner regions of the Vessen mountain range.


    All the main cities and viges are at borders, including the capital Aesir.


    However, it''s the heart of this fiefdom that''s infested with various types and different species of monsters." he borated.


    "Unlike the rest of the empire, Vessen has the highest number of different and rare monster species in all these six different hotspots.


    The adventurers and the hunters who are officially allowed and issued permission to enter for monster hunting and harvesting are all controlled by our forces now.


    So in a way, it''s also one of the main sources of ie of the whole fiefdom." he iterated.


    "And the deeper one went, the more rare and unique monsters they''d see. Their organs, cores, hides and precious body parts basically run our economy and many crafting and pharmaceutical professions and businesses flourish on them.


    However, the inner regions hold too many strong monsters and even a peak grandmaster won''t survive there on their own. And hence, millions of soldiers are stationed near these hotspots.


    To avoid more loss of life and act as a shield to defend against the monster tides. Because in these waves of millions of monsters¡­ even High Lord monsters aren''t an exception and they appear every year.


    Plus there are some legendary rank monsters that have been seen in the past five years alone. Some records I read recently also say that there are some descendent species of Godbeasts inside the core regions." spoke Ronin and finally ended his report.


    Kahn on the other end also finished reading the entire report and heard Ronin''s summary. He then spoke with a solemn voice.


    "Isn''t that one of the main reasons why I chose this ce as my fiefdom in the first ce?


    At this stage¡­ we all need stronger abilities and skills for future use."


    "And there''s also a need to clear out the inner region monsters as well.


    Because I think they''re the ones causing this whole monster tide every year." said Kahn as he came up with his own hypothesis.


    "A stronger monster would naturally expel others from their territory by instinct. So the millions of monsters that stampede over the hotspots are actually the weaker ones. Just that their numbers are too great even for the military.


    So what I''m proposing is that we take out the root cause of the problem itself instead of waiting like idiots." spoke Kahn and exined why he wanted to start the hunting spree.


    "But my lord¡­ many have failed to do so before. I have read some records of armies sent in the inner regions with 50 semi-saints over a century ago." interjected Ronin.


    "However¡­ None of them came back alive. And information about that whole incident has been buried by the government and three noble factions because it was said to be their biggest loss after they overthrew the imperial rule.


    And because of which, I think they stopped sending enough semi-saints to station here in the first ce. Because only a Saint can take down those Legendary rank monsters.


    So in other words¡­ we simply have no idea what lies in the central regions of Vessen at all and we alsock the firepower." spoke Ronin as he exined why he was hesitating.


    The next moment however, it was Oliver who spoke in a carefree tone.


    "I know that your worries are reasonable but you''re forgetting about me."


    He pointed towards himself and spoke in aid-back manner.


    "I have the highest range and best reconnaissance abilities amongst all of us. I can also act as the perfect flying spy and during the day¡­ I''m simply too quick to even notice.


    I can gather information in all these areas, the monsters that inhabit them as well as track these legendary monsters and even if I get caught or killed.. Master can easily resurrect me. We''re not short on any resources these days.


    It''s a win-win situation for us." proposed the Emerald Archer general.


    "Yes, we should do that. And just think about it¡­ these monsters and then corpses can be used by master to increase the number of legion members by manyfolds." spoke ckwall who stood farthest because of his ginormous size.


    "I second that." said Omega as he also nodded in agreement.


    "It''s a viable approach. But I also need to make sure that we''re not found by anyone and there''s also an active line of defense in case a horde of monsters escapes from us.


    We can''t risk the soldiers getting killed because of any negligence. And we don''t have many peak grandmasters to spare since all of you will be in action on the battlefield." said Kahn and the next moment, his face had a coy smile.


    "I think it''s about time we use those possies sent by the three factions. I should make them work for all the free meals they''re eating." he spoke and exined his n to all the subordinates.


    ----------------


    The next morning, Kahn arranged a secret meeting in the castle and he was visited by a semi-saint on the southern end of the castle inside a hidden chamber.


    A familiar figure of a semi-saint mage donned in epic rank gear and a scepter in his hand now sat in front of Kahn.


    "You yed your part very well that day." spoke Kahn.


    "Tch! I really hate being sent here. Capital had so many libraries and resources I could use. Who''s going topensate me for all the wasted time?" asked the mage in an exasperated tone.


    "I don''t like having you here either. But that old bastard of a faction leader of yours forced my hand. So y your part and you''ll be out of here within a few months.


    Besides, you''ll be entering that region as well. Who knows you might need my help in the future." he rebuked the mage in a sarcastic tone.


    The young semi-saint mage who appeared as an enemy a month ago was actually an ally all along.


    It was none other than the representative sent by the Pureblood faction¡­


    Ezekiel Nabi.

 Chapter 372 - Hidden Allies

    In front of Kahn, sat Ezekiel Nabi, the semi-saint mage prodigy of the pureblood faction donned in white and blue mage robes. His brown hair and spectacles were the most noticeable features about him as part of his appearance.


    And unlike the day of their arrival, there was no enmity between him or Kahn despite the disy of a dispute by both of them in front of the entourage of the noble factions.


    "The old man nned well. But still, I''m not in the mood to get mixed up with their faction wars. I already have my hands full.


    So tell him that I won''t be doing what he asked me to do." said Kahn as he implied some hidden agenda.


    "Are you certain? Do you want to die that badly?" asked the brown-haired semi-saint mage.


    "As if! You might not know but he needs me alive at all cost." joked Kahn.


    "Yet to find that the whole idea about sending the young semi-saints here was proposed by him in the first ce¡­ he really is good at hiding his real motives." spoke Kahn as he revealed why he wasn''t fazed in the slightest while talking with the young mage who was supposed to be his enemy.


    And all of this was orchestrated by the vampire faction leader of the pureblood faction.


    In the joint meeting of the top 3 factions, he personally proposed the idea of sending in the fresh blood aka the semi-saints of the young generation in Vessen fiefdom to recover their damaged reputation and public support.


    But in reality¡­ He wanted Kahn and Ezekiel to learn how to cooperate as well as learn how to work together and eliminate some of thepetition if they could under the name of monster tide or some legendary beast attacking them.


    First, it was the Mikealson n from the neutral faction and now it was the leader of the pureblood faction himself who had an under-the-table deal with him.


    On the surface, all three factions had joined their hands against Kahn who basically overthrew their rule in Vessen and cost them a lot of wealth and power after he strategically took away all their power and authority. However, they were already backstabbing each other in reality by trying to ally themselves with Kahn for personal reasons.


    But even now, Kahn had still signed the contract and the deal he made with the vampire faction leader was still on. Just that there was a lot of time left before Kahn himself had to act. And till this point, he spent the 3 months of it aplishing his goals and practicing his dimensionalw divine ability.


    "So what did he say for me personally?" asked Kahn with curiosity filled in his voice.


    "He said that he will overlook all the damage you''ve caused to our faction in this fiefdom. And as long as you deliver on your promise, all these will be bygones and the pureblood faction will note in your way in the future either." said Ezekiel who was personally ordered by Allister Mor Vandereich to carry secret messages between them.


    However, he spoke again in a discontent tone.


    "Pretty weird, don''t you think? I was the chosen representative of the pureblood faction but the faction leader trusts an outsider more than me.


    He''s already certain that somehow you will seed and I won''t." he said with an irritated face.


    "Hey, are you sulking in front of me?


    Who the hell told you to lose against that Victor? And I beat that guy myself. So I''m clearly a better choice to put their faith in.


    If you have any problems¡­ why don''t we settle the matter like real men?" sarcastically asked Kahn.


    "Huh! That''s the problem with you physical ss fighters. You always opt-out for violence when you can choose diplomacy.


    One must not choose force over peace unless it''s your only choice." rebuked Ezekiel in a righteous tone as he tried to avoid conflict with Kahn.


    Kahn on the other end rolled his eyes in annoyance and spoke.


    "Quite the philosopher, aren''t you?" asked Kahn.


    "As if diplomacy gets anything done these days.


    If there''s a war going on¡­ the diplomatic discussions will not save the lives of the dying people.


    It''s only a way for ipetent leaders to show that they''re at least trying something.


    And meanwhile, these people are talking about peace in their luxurious rooms while sitting onfortable chairs¡­ It''s the innocent people who pay with their lives." spoke Kahn in a stern tone.


    "I''m a simple man.


    If I have the power to fight back¡­ then I''d do it regardless of the oue.


    Because the enemy will not spare your life if all you did was talk and plead for mercy.


    One must do whatever needs to be done to kill your enemy even if it costs you an arm or a leg." he borated.


    "Ah¡­ who''s the philosophical one now." chuckled Ezekiel who was about three years older than Kahn.


    "What about the Mikealson n? I better not have to report that you''re thinking about changing sides." said Ezekiel.


    "Don''t worry about it. She''s not an enemy for now.


    As for you¡­ I''ll put you undermander Sinha, the shaman lionkin semi-saint.


    Although a different n; he''s from the pureblood faction as well so there won''t be any problems and you can keep doing whatever you want. Just show up and make appearances when you''re needed to.


    Wave hands to the public and we''re good." exined Kahn as he was already nning how to use this semi-saint mage to reap the maximum benefits while hispliance at the moment was just an act.


    "Alright then. You scratch my back and I scratch yours." spoke Ezekiel.


    For now¡­ both Kassandra and Ezekiel had established themselves as hidden allies.


    The only two people who he knew would try to cause trouble were Victor and Celine.


    "By the way¡­ why does everyone say that Celine Armitage is most likely to seed?" asked Ezekiel out of curiosity.


    "Oh, you didn''t know? Looks like you really need to get out of the library and mix among other people from time to time." mocked Kahn.


    In the next 5 minutes, he exined the main reasons.


    "Life is so unfair! How is this even an equal opportunity when some candidates are born to win it." spoke Ezekiel with infuriated eyes.


    "Ahh¡­ says the guy born with a golden spoon in his mouth." spoke Kahn as he heaved a deep sigh.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Ezekiel Nabi in chapterments.]]


    Kahn then finished his secret meeting with the semi-saint mage and gave his message through Ezekiel and told him his decisions regarding their current status of the deal.


    After he was done making arrangements about his next ns.. Kahn folded his arms behind his back.


    He summoned Ronin andmanded with a firm and resolute voice.


    "Ready the armada.. We will use the old ways."

 Chapter 373 - Preparing The Table

    The next day, in the eastern region of the Vessen fiefdom where one of the hotspots of the monster tides existed, hundreds of flying ships flew over this 200 kilometers wide region that was inhibited by themon popce.


    And under the curious gazes of millions of people in the main cities of the region, Kahn''s flying ships that carried his forces of Covenant soldiersnded in dozens of kilometers of open grounds around the military outposts at border of Xena.


    This was a region that was under the care of the female orc semi-saintmander, Nadia Cenmiko. One of the three native semi-saints of Vessen fiefdom.


    Unlike the north where it was only winter throughout the whole year, this was a flourishing region that was also close to one of the biggest forested hotspots of monster tides.


    Around 7 million people living in its cities and viges in this region were protected by 2 million soldiers stationed in the outposts who also yed a vital role in mandating the hunting areas in order to provide aid when the adventurers association or the normal hunters asked for help.


    Previously, this infrastructure of Xena had a lot of corruption happening and local forces like the n the semi-saint belonged to held the highest authority. Coupled with bought-off military officers and government officials, they were basically the tyrants of this region.


    But after Kahn took over as the Sovereign.. His forces cleared the entire region from the underworld to opposing business organizations and assumedmand during his crusade of cleansing every form of opposition and bringing it under his control.


    And while doing so¡­ Kahn made the semi-saintmander Nadia act as the one leading this crusade against her own former allies after he made her his ve through the blood-oath token.


    After Kahn''s warshipsnded at the foremost end and the closest entry to the forested region from where the monster tide attacked from every year, he and all of the High Lord generals in their human forms also exited their ship.


    Today, Kahn brought over 2 million covenant soldiers that boarded over two thousand flying ships and their arrival filled the sky of this region and soon, they reced the military soldiers on the borders that spanned for over 10 kilometers in width alone.


    Nadia weed his entourage and hundreds of high-ranking military officers who came to escort their sovereign knelt in front of Kahn in long lines.


    However, amongst these people¡­ there was one slender figure who did not kneel in front of him.


    But before anyone could admonish this figure, Kahn signaled them to let the matter go as if he had no time for unnecessary drama.


    "Everyone, stand up." spoke Omega as his voice resounded in the open grounds and the group of soldiers and officers stood up.


    "My lord¡­ may I ask what is this all about? We were only informed about your visit but nothing about the army of soldiers you brought with you." asked Nadia hesitantly.


    Because from her perspective, it looked like Kahn was here to do a hostile takeover in this whole region. And if he really did¡­ she couldn''t even resist hismands or fight back since her life was already in his hands because of the blood-oath token.


    [[Author : Reference Art formander Nadia Cenmiko in chapterments.]]


    "I''m here to do what you guys should''ve done years ago." replied Kahn in a carefree tone.


    The next moment, a spiral-shapedmunication artifact appeared in his hands and soon, his voice was transmitted to all the flying ships that hadnded over 50 kilometers of the region around the main border of Xena. And his words resounded through the sound amplification artifacts that worked like loudspeakers.


    "Listen up. All batches and battalions have been already informed about the postings they''re to go and rece the soldiers.


    All of you are to form a barricade and protect the soldiers and citizens with your lives on the line in case a monster horde attacks."manded Kahn in his kingly voice.


    And soon, his warship started its engines that ran on mana ores as fuel and their loud noise filled the open grounds.


    Kahn turned his back and ryed hismand to all the military officers who came to wee him.


    "Stay on alert and protect the borders in case any situation arises. It will take me a week or so toplete my objectives.


    And no one is allowed to follow me, my allies or the warship. So do not ck off.


    Understood?" asked Kahn in his domineering tone.


    Everyone nodded in response and prepared to assumemands of their respective checkpoints spread across 50 kilometer perimeter.


    But just when Kahn was about to walk towards the warship, a sharp voicended on his ears.


    "I''ming too!"


    Kahn turned his gaze to the source of this voice and the one to speak just now was a female demonkin swordswoman with two glowing red swords on her waist. Her red horns and long white hair were the most striking part of her appearance.


    It was none other than Celine Armitage.


    3 weeks ago, Kahn had ordered the halfbreed demonkin to serve under Nadia like he had already told them about.


    Celine was stationed to serve as a substitute after the stunt she pulled off on their day of arrival in Vessen. And since the orcmander didn''t have any ties with the three factions, she was only following Kahn''s orders as well as keeping an eye on the demonkin heiress of the Armitage n.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, Kahn revealed his full aura that filled the whole ce with his heavy and terrifying killing intent. Celine being the main target of it.


    "We''re not going on a pic and neither do I have the patience to entertain you.


    So stay here and in case a monster wavees here within a few days, fight along with the others. And do your job properly if you really have any pride as a warrior."


    What Kahn was about to do requiredplete secrecy so he had no intentions to take anyone with him.


    After Kahn departed and reached the borders of the forested and mountainous area of Xena, his warshipnded close to an open field near ake.


    Ronin gave him a list of different species and monsters that were strong and they needed to look out for.


    As for the normal weak mobs.. Kahn had already nned a few things.


    The main entrance door of the warship opened and Kahn pped his hand as he spoke to all the generals present with him.


    "All right boys¡­ let''s start our first hunt."

 Chapter 374 - First Day Of Hunt

    In a wide mountainous range of deep and dense forest area close to the border of Xena, hundreds of ck figures ranging from assassins to knights, mages, swordsmen, spearmen and archers are silently marched towards the inner region.


    After their entouragended in the forests, Kahn and the subordinates walked on foot to not alert the monsters lurking and inhibiting these dense treelines filled with types of greenery and flowers Kahn hadn''t even seen before.


    And after a long time, he finally felt like he truly hade to a different ce after leaving the capital. Meanwhile, his generals spread across and ventured in different directions to search forrge groups of monsters that would be suitable for Kahn to absorb abilities from.


    And given the vastness of thend, Kahn finally released the entire Legion force for the first time after leaving Rathna. Because there were no set of eyes on him here and he needed the numbers to hunt on arge scale in different ces.


    Omega and the three generals aka Ronin, Jugram and Oliver lead groups of members of legion subordinates to look for big herds and groups of various species of monsters.


    "Master, I''ve found a big of Cimdras. What are your orders?" asked Omega through a transmission artifact who was 10 kilometers with his own group of swordsmen and halberd fighters.


    "Too weak. But if there are more than a dozen, hunt them all. Just leave the small cubs and a few of the males and female adults alive." spoke Kahn who was dozing off leisurely at the peak of a mountain while enjoying the gust of fresh wind.


    The pleasant scenery of the wild nature was extremely soothing for him so he decided to let the generals deal with the small tasks.


    And half an hourter, Omega came to his location and took out more than 50 of full-grown Cimdras. A species of monsters that had fiery red bodies and looked like abination of cheetahs and Dilophosaurus; a species of dinosaurs that hadrge fan-like ears.


    However, there was no fur on the bodies of cimdras and the entire body was covered in ck and sharp spikes while they walked on four legs and had long tails.


    Kahn then put his hands on two of the corpses and took a deep sigh.


    "Absorb!" hemanded and the system activated the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    After gaining all the possible abilities and bloodlines he could, Kahn had nothing but a dejected expression.


    "All these abilities are far inferior to what I already have. I guess all those fire elemental skills from the magma drake are indeed top grade. Even the merged abilities are B Rank at best." he said and looked at the heap of monster corpses.


    "We do need some subordinates that are good at hunting in a forest and have great thermal sensing abilities. Plus it''s a rocky and mountain region so they might as well make good steed." spoke Kahn and decided to merge all the dead corpses at once.


    "Awaken!"manded and the next moment, the King of the Dead skill activated which could direct help Kahn in creating new subordinates in 1 kilometer radius after he broke through to semi-saint rank.


    This was the ability he got after killing Ajak, the Dark Summoner in the Bromnir dungeon during his stay in the vot city. This ability was one of the most useful skills for him as it helped Kahn bypass the need of directly touching different specimens to merge and create new subordinates.


    Soon, seventeen tall and growling figures of ck and red Zinvaks, the evolved version of this species stood in front of Kahn. But sadly, he couldn''t upgrade them further because these were just rare rank monsters.


    But before he could think more, Kahn had anothermunication artifact ringing.


    "Master, I''ve found arge flock of Tevriks. Their numbers are good and I can picture them turning useful." spoke Oliver, the emerald archer subordinate who invoked Horus, the variant Garuda bloodline after rising to High Lord rank.


    Kahn had mixed him with Tormund, a peak grandmaster tengu archer that Ceril brought to him after wiping out the Hydra during their stay in the capital.


    "Are you sure? If they''re useful for reconnaissance and as a flying force, then bring them all in. Just leave a few alive, we don''t want to disturb the ecological order in this forestpletely." ryed Kahn.


    "Yes, master. I''ll bring in only the strongest ones." replied Oliver and cut off themunication.


    An hourter, he returned and presented Kahn with more than a hundred bodies of tall and wide blue-colored flying monsters with arge wingspan.


    After Kahn absorbed their abilities, he was left discontented again.


    "Sheesh.. Not even a flying ability or wings. These guys are only good for acting as flying drones." he said and activated King of the Dead skill again.


    However, Kahn received plenty of flying monsters withrge wings that came with team buff skills as well as flock hunting abilities that helped them act as a unit to take down a flying opponent easily.


    The biggest beneficiary from this was Oliver who was a lone ''bird'' until now and finally had his own set of underlings.


    An hourter, Ronin and his battalion of assassins brought hundreds of Qilvezems.


    A herbivores species of monsters with red and green bodies that looked like a mixture of Triceratops and Lesser Kudu. This species was famous in the Vessen region for their delicate and scrumptious meat.


    The only useful abilities Kahn got from them was scent detecting abilities that basically turned him into a police dog who could sniff out drugs from afar.


    After evolving them, Kahn received another amble supply of good and sturdy steeds.


    By the evening, three generals and Omega brought thousands of bodies and on the first day, Kahn''s number of legion subordinates rose from 1500 to 5 thousand.


    And this was just the beginning area of this mountainous range.


    "Oliver, these monsters are only fodders. I want you to take your new air force and look for High Lord rank monsters in this region. Venture deep into the forest and inform me if you see one."manded Kahn.


    Oliver nodded and departed with his new squadron of flying beasts.


    Because Kahn realized that the mobs wouldn''t cut it. They were only good for raising the numbers. What Kahn really wanted to hunt now was the¡­


    Regional Overlords.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Reference Arts for all the monsters are in the chapterments.. Check them out.]]

 Chapter 375 - The Big Fish

    For the next 4 days, Kahn''s generals hunted and killed a variety of beasts in different regions and directions of the 200 kilometers wide Xena border. And now, they had a big rise in the number of legion members that not only had fighter ss humanoid members now but also thousands of vicious monsters in their ranks.


    Each day, the generals searched for strong monsters and hunted them down. They often brought them in ample numbers and offered their bodies to Kahn. However, due to their master''s orders, none of them killed or massacred the entire group.


    They just spared enough to not break the whole ecological system and the food chain of the forest as it would only cause dire consequences for them and would be no different than hitting your own feet with an axe.


    The main reason being that if all these monsters inhibiting these regions were wiped out, it will adversely affect nature as well as the professions and economic sectors rted to monster hunting in the long run. Because the normal poption needed to make a living on hunting these things.


    So using these opportunities, Kahn''s generals also thinned out the numbers in due process so that if the time came, there won''t be a monster tide of millions of numbers and different vicious species.


    So they only hunted the monsters that seemed useful to be added in the legion or can get Kahn useful abilities. However, finding the strong ones became a hassle because even the generals were more than enough to kill a Lord rank monster on their own very easily. But there was no shortage of low-ranked monsters and species spread across different regions of the forest.


    And as a result, the number of Legion members rose to 26 thousand in just four days of consistent work. This was also a useful way to get new and improved versions of different monsters, their abilities and new fodder subordinates for Kahn for arge-scale battle.


    For half a dozen Lord rank monsters they fought, none of them even had to take their true forms or fights with their full capacity as variant monsters.


    Omega and others brought a few rare and lord rank monsters for Kahn to create new subordinates. However, unlike Omega and the Generals, these creatures were only good for either brute strength as well as pack hunting buffs and skills.


    As a result, Kahn kept getting more abilities but none of them were top tier or above A rank skills and abilities. Even the new merged abilities were subparpared to previous SS and SSS rank abilities that he already had.


    "I guess dungeon bosses and semi-saints are built differently than wild monsters in the end." spoke Kahn.


    Because unlike his previous experience, these monsters and lord rank regional bosses didn''t offer a plethora of skillspared to the floor bosses of the Bromnir dungeon where Kahn often hunted in the beginning months of his arrival in this new world.


    But before he could dwell on his disappointments, he received a transmission from the general of his air force.


    "Master, I''ve found something." reported Oliver.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn in curiosity as he had an expectant expression.


    "I''ve found¡­. A high lord!" replied Oliver as he eximed in joy.


    Silence! There was a minute of silence from the receiving end.


    "Master¡­ can you hear me, master?!" queried the emerald archer.


    "Grgh¡­ take care of it yourself. It''s afternoon anyway. You''re the strongest at this time." replied Kahn as he had a dejected face again.


    "I will, master."plied Oliver and cut off themunication.


    ONE HOUR LATER.


    Oliver and his squadron of flying beasts reappeared in front of Kahn who was resting under the shade of a thick branched purple tree while some of the humanoid subordinates created a nice and cozy campfire around him.


    Behind them, was their ginormous ck warship that basically looked like a mountain in itself.


    Oliver then took out a gigantic creature from his space ring and presented it to Kahn.


    And in front of the sovereign, nowy a body of a ten meter tall worm-like aquatic monster.


    "But why?" asked Kahn with a surprised expression. Because the creature was as hideous as it could be. And Oliver had done a great job at creating numerous holes in its body while he killed this High Lord rank monster that was on the same level and rank as him.


    "The terrain was limited and all of its abilities only had the effect in the water. And since I could easily attack from the sky and the more subordinates I had, the more attack output of my skills became; killing this monster was an easy task.


    I still remember the squealing noises it made when Iunched a volley of fire elemental arrows and piercing attacks. Hahaha!" exined Oliver as he praised himself like a true narcissist.


    However, this was indeed a perfect target for Oliver since he could attack from above and had many precise aiming abilities. This High Lord monster was just unlucky to meet its most perfect natural enemy.


    Kahn then absorbed the abilities and received a few aquatic abilities such as longer breathing underwater skills and decreasing body temperatures like a cold blood creature simr to sharks and other fishes.


    For now, these abilities werepletely useless to him because he was a tiger onnd and not a killer whale of the sea. As an aftereffect, Kahn became even more bored because he wasn''t simply yielding any results as he expected before he began the whole hunting spree.


    Kahn pulled the body of this massive creature inside his top-grade and epic rank space ring because he currently has no subordinates to mix with this specimen or needed to. Plus this high lord waspletely restricted to water-rted terrain so it wouldn''t be a good choice to mix it with any other generals either.


    Just then, Jugram sent Kahn a message through amunication artifact and reported a discovery.


    "Master.. I''ve found something. And it''s definitely not a High Lord." spoke Jugram who led his own army of melee fighters and was currently 100 kilometers in the northern end of this forest range.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn.


    "I don''t know. It''s not mentioned in the list of monsters Ronin gave us either.


    I think you shoulde and see it yourself, master." replied Jugram and ryed his location to Kahn.


    "If hope it''s not anything disappointing." said Kahn with a deep sigh.


    "Everyone, I''m sending you the location. Head back to Jugram''s position as soon as you can."manded Kahn to all of his generals and their battalions through the transmission artifact.


    After rying hismands, Kahn then boarded the warship and headed towards Jugram''s current location. And as he came close in 5 kilometers radius, the warshipnded on an open ground that was full ofrge and small rocks.


    Kahn then exited and summoned one of the new monster steeds he recently created. He himself jumped on the back of his new six-legged hybrid monster steed that was perfect for traveling through rocky terrain in such an area.


    Kahn then quietly traveled through a canyon and with his senses already able to sense everything in a two kilometer radius around him after he became a grandmaster in spacew, Kahn avoided unnecessary fights and alerting anyone. This was why he chose tond this far from the said target because he didn''t want to alert it beforehand.


    He then finally reached a peak of a tall mountain and finally met Jugram.


    "Why are you standing here of all ces?" asked Kahn to the Hell Berserker general.


    "Where is it?" asked Kahn.


    Jugram did not speak or tried to exin. He just walked at the edge of the cliff and pointed his fingers towards the target he informed his master about.


    As Kahn finally walked to the edge of the cliff and stood beside Jugram¡­ from the bird''s eye view, Kahn finally saw the gigantic creature and understood why Jugram chose to keep a distance lest the target sensed him.


    3 kilometers away from Kahn, stood a ginormous four-legged creature that was nearly 20 meters in height alone. And it had a long mouth with multiple massive tusksing out of its jaws. Each tusk being as big as a mammoth in width alone.


    "Can we kill it?" asked Jugram to Kahn who was too stunned to speak.


    "I''m not sure¡­ but based on the aura alone." said Kahn and tried to focus his mind andprehend the space around him to sense the density of mana and world energy in its body.


    "No way¡­ Even if all of us gathered together¡­ it will still be extremely hard to fight in a head-on sh. This creature is simply too high leveled even for Rudra.


    And I''m certain of one thing." spoke Kahn with a baffled expression on his face.


    "It''s a Legendary Rank monster!"

 Chapter 376 - In A Galaxy Far Away

    A LEGENDARY RANK MONSTER.


    Just three kilometers far from the tall peak, walked a 20 meters height monster whose every step shook the ground and left everything in the surrounding; let it be dense trees or massive boulders asundered.


    Just from the appearance alone, one could tell that this creature was definitely a legendary rank beast. And the amount of mana and world energy amassed in its body left Kahn speechless because it was at least twice that of a saint rank individual.


    "If I''m not wrong¡­ it''s at least level 300 based on the aura alone. Means inparison, it''s around the same strength as a second stage saint." said Kahn as he was still bewildered and amazed.


    Everywhere this legendary monster stepped, the ce turned into a deep pit and the width of its hooves was more than enough to squash 10 people into meat paste together.


    "We need to be careful and stay hidden as much as we can." ordered Kahn to all the subordinates.


    "Master.."


    Just then, Oliver tried to speak.


    "Okay. Go test it out. And if it chases you, go in a different direction." replied Kahn as he understood what Oliver wanted to suggest.


    The next second, Oliverunched himself into the air like a fighter jet and left only a strong shockwave in his wake.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Oliver then flew at the supersonic speed, creating a sonic boom every time he sped up and in just 20 seconds, he reached close to this legendary monster nearly 50 meters above it.


    However, instead of getting rmed, the monster kept walking carefreely despite noticing this new intruder as if it simply didn''t care at all.


    Oliver then activated his Arrowstrom skill and soon, more than a hundredrge spear-sized arrows made of four different elements appeared around him.


    Without even wasting a second, heunched a volley of attacks on this seeminglyzy legendary rank monster with his various archery and bloodline skills.


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion noise filled this canyon and every other creature in the five kilometer radius heard the noise.


    However, as the sight became clear¡­ not just Oliver but even Kahn and the subordinates on the peak had their jaws dropped on the ground. Because¡­


    Nothing!


    The legendary monster wasn''t harmed in any way. Forget bleeding, there wasn''t even a small scratch on its hide.


    Even the lightning elemental arrows couldn''t get past the defense or zap the monster. It was as if the hide of this monster was harder than diamond itself.


    "Get back!!"manded Kahn to Oliver telepathically using Hive Mind skill and ordered the subordinate to return before the monster attacked him.


    5 minutester, Kahn sent a batch of thousand fodder monsters from his new arsenal and they swarmed around the monster from 2 different sides.


    ROAAARRR!!!


    However, this time¡­ the now alerted monster simply roared loudly and thousands of monsters were thrown high in the air just from the shockwaves.


    But those who stood close in 100 meters radius were instantly shredded on the spot from that extremely high-intensity roar. The trees andrge rocks were no exception to this.


    Even the peak Kahn was standing on 3 kilometers away, shook with tremors as if there was an earthquake.


    "Too powerful! If any one of us was there¡­ we''d probably be dead too. That sound amplification skill is more than enough to kill thousands of soldiers in a battle." spoke Kahn as he quickly analyzed the situation.


    "The sound, intensity and vibrations are too strong to be ignored." he said.


    "Even if all of us gathered together¡­ forget killing it.. We''d be dead even beforeing 100 meters close to it." he iterated as soon as he grasped the situation.


    "Then how do we kill it? That ability of this monster is simply too terrifying.


    I don''t think even my corrosion acid will be able to melt through its skin easily." spoke Rudra inside Kahn''s mind.


    "You got any ideas ?" asked Kahn to Ronin.


    "Without a proper distraction, there''s nothing we can do." spoke Ronin as he too was awed by the ultimate defense and wless offense skills of this legendary beast.


    They were lucky that their position wasn''t revealed to it even now.


    "Yes. And we can''t even use the warship here. Not only it won''t be able to kill it before the beast runs away¡­ that roar skill might split open our warship instead. So there''s only one weak point I can see." spoke Kahn.


    He pointed his fingers towards the figure of this ginormous beast and stopped close to its head.


    "The eyes." he spoke with a firm gaze.


    While all the other generals tried toe up with a suggestion¡­ an idea suddenly came into his mind.


    [I guess I have to go Empire Strikes Back on it.] thought Kahn with an insidious smile on his face.


    "This situation demands me to make some necessary sacrifices. So who wants to lead?" asked Kahn to his loyal subordinates who''d even die for their master without a second thought.


    "Ah.. The weather is nice today." spoke Omega as he suddenly looked the other way.


    "It sure is. The beauty of nature at its best." said Jugram as he averted his eyes.


    "The great winds are calling out to me. Farewell everyone.." said Oliver as he pped his wings.


    Ronin on the other end simply made a peace sign and disappeared into thin air.


    "Ah¡­ these traitors." spoke Kahn as his chest felt like something sharp stabbed him in the heart.


    All the subordinates hade to value their lives a lot these days despite knowing that he could resurrect them again. And the main reason being that they were afraid of losing their powers and sentience as intellectual beings in case they died. But most importantly¡­ they all cherished their armors and weapons that''d be destroyed in the process based on what they saw before.


    "Alright, you punks! Gather around. I know a way." spoke Kahn with a constricted face.


    He then borated a n and assigned roles to all of them.


    "I refuse!!" shouted Rudra in his head.


    "Hey, prove yourself useful... you freeloader! Unlike them, you don''t even work to earn all those SS Rank mana cores I feed you everyday." rebuked Kahn.


    "Still, how dare you ask of a mighty being like me to do such a disgraceful task?! Completely uneptable!" retorted Rudra.


    "So you''re only good at hissing from behind? This snake should be only good for house decorations." mocked Omega.


    Soon, other subordinates start trolling Rudra.


    "These pests!" shouted Rudra with an infuriated tone.


    "Stop being so hard to get. You only have to appear for a few seconds." interjected Kahn.


    "Fine! Just make sure to do your part on time. I don''t want to die because of your ipetence." replied Rudra.


    And after everything was agreed upon, all the subordinates spread in different directions and Kahn released all the members of the Legion force.


    An hourter, without making any big noises, all the twenty six thousand subordinates made of mostly monsters surrounded the legendary beast from all 3 exit points of the canyon.


    Soon, another confrontation started and five thousand beasts and some fighter ss subordinates died just from the shockwaves of the roaring attack skill alone.


    And after the monster stomped on the ground, it created dozens of cracks which changed the terrain of the battlefield disadvantageous.


    Kahn on the other was sharing his vision with Oliver and finally noticed a key factor through the eyes of the flying general.


    The shockwave ability used by this legendary beast kept getting stronger the more it was attacked by Kahn''s army.


    "So that''s how it was. It''s absorbing all the energy from different attacksnding on its body and then using it to create that shockwave roar skill.


    So I''m basically empowering my enemy." he said after noticing the flow of mana and world energy in the monster''s body. After he became a grandmaster in spacew.. Kahn''s sensing ability became even more terrifying than a mage for some reason.


    Kahn then ordered them to stop and retract their battalions. Hemanded Oliver to create a distraction from the air.


    And while the monster attacked Oliver who flew very high in the air but was out of reach of that roaring skill, suddenly, a void crack opened under the massive figure of this legendary beast.


    "Do your thing." spoke Kahn.


    "Tch! Fine!"


    Swoosh!!


    Before the monster could even sense anything, a massive body of a ck basilisk suddenly appeared out of nowhere and quickly entangled itself around the legs of this legendary monster.


    Kahn was using Rudra.. A mythical rank monster with the bloodline of the Godbeast Basilisk as a¡­. Rope!


    BOOM!!


    The ginormous body of the beast fell on the left side of the canyon as Rudra tied it up.


    "Now!" spoke Kahn and the next second, Rudra''s massive slithering figure turned into a shadow mixed with Kahn''s body.


    The following moment, Kahn himself disappeared inside the void crack.


    The fallen beast quickly released its sonic cry that could kill the basilisk and a loud screech filled the canyon.


    SCHREECH!


    SHATTER!!


    The entire surrounding area under 150 meters was obliterated and pulverized. Even tall trees were shredded and turned to splinters.


    With this, the monster had finally used up all its reserves of energy to attack with that skill again.


    [[Author : Reference Art for the Legendary Forest Monster in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    But before it could even get up¡­


    Crack!


    A man in gray attire appeared right above its left eye and spoke in a tyrannical voice as even the legendary beast felt a threat to its life¡­


    "May the Force be with you."

 Chapter 377 - Worthy Hunt

    Kahn now stood atop the ginormous body of the legendary rank forest monster that could kill thousands of enemies just with its roar alone. But after noticing the biggest w in this ability, Kahn strategically used his fodder monsters to distract it and then used the mythical rank rope aka Rudra to make it fall down.


    This made the monster use the remaining energy to use that sonic cry skill that could''ve killed Kahn and the basilisk subordinate if not for his dimensional void skill which was a perfect escape route.


    And now, even standing up was hard for this monster because of the gigantic body it had and instead of waiting for it to react, Kahn used lucifer that appeared in his right hand out of thin air with a zing red light.


    Shing!!


    The next moment, the space force released from his body surrounded the ck and red blistering greatsword and Kahn held it in both hands.


    Before the beast could even grasp the situation about how a mere creature that was no different than an ant in front of it suddenly appeared out of nowhere¡­ Kahn swung his de towards the eye of this legendary rank monster.


    Dimensional Cut!


    Before the legendary monster could even react, an intangible shing attack skill passed right through its eyes and the brain.


    The only weakness in its body was utilized by Kahn and using the dimensional cut skill that could even cut hard metal on molecr level swiftly¡­ he cut through the eyes and the brain of this gigantic beast that wasparable to a second stage saint.


    He didn''t even give this monster a chance to use its aura or world energy to suppress his body and in just 10 seconds as soon as he appeared¡­ a massive fountain of ck blood erupted from this legendary beast''s eyes and it died on the spot.


    Kahn then gave a content smile after aplishing this task which would''ve been impossible if not for his Dimensional Law divine ability. Because he couldn''t evene close to this monster and even dark lightning strike or Dragon Strike would''ve failed to kill it.


    Dimensional Cut skills severed the brain in two parts and as a result, he finally killed this legendary monster that lorded over this region of the fiefdom.


    Kahn smirked and then put his hand on the giant head.


    "System, give me the details." said Kahn.


    [Species : Invimarak


    Level : 302


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Bloodline : One of the descendant species of the Godbeast Behemoth.] reported the system.


    "Ah¡­ no wonder it looked a lot like Behemoth in physical appearance.


    Well, still a good haul for me." spoke Kahn.


    Kahn then used the dimensional cut skill again and had Jugram bring out its massive boulder-sized and shining white core.


    "What a waste.. I can''t even eat it or absorb it directly at this point. This isparable to a second stage saint''s core." spoke Kahn as he sighed in disappointment.


    "I guess I''ll have to keep it forter use." he said and pulled the core inside his space ring. Since cutting the core would cause an explosion that would kill Kahn and destroy the core in the process.. He had no choice but to keep it for future use now.


    "Absorb!" spoke Kahn and activated the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    And unlike before¡­ it took him straight 4 hours just to finish the process. This was the highest amount of time he ever needed to absorb abilities from any monster so far.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Sonic Roar (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host can release extremely high frequency and amplitude sound waves from either mouth or hands.


    All the weaker enemies than the host will be incapacitated or stunned inside the effective range.


    Current Range : 100 meters


    The effective range can be increased with more practice.


    Note : The skill requires arge reserve of mana and world energy inside the host''s body to activate.


    ----------------


    Energy Assimtion (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to absorb kic energy through physical damage and converts it into mana and world energy.


    Note : The host''s current body is unsuited to use this passive ability toe under effect.


    The host is advised to be a first stage saint to use this ability.


    ----------------


    Invimarak Hide (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Offers imprable defense from all physical attacks and grants the host ayer of magic-resistant hide.


    But requires the host to be a saint first to use this physical ability.


    This ability can be added to the Asura Mode through the Bloodline Merge skill after the host breaks through to Saint Rank.


    The current activation time is 10 minutes.


    ----------------


    Bloodline purity : 40%


    Note : The specimen has no magical ability or skills.] reported the system.


    Compared to Somir, that Kahn killed in the Abyss Forest and got many useful skills as well as created Rudra back in the day¡­


    This was also a legendary monster, but 6 times stronger and high leveled. And all the abilities Kahn received were simply too amazing.


    Sonic Roar was exactly the skill used by this regional boss that killed more than ten thousand of Kahn''s monsters in just 3 uses.


    "So I''m basically ck Canary now?" asked Kahn to himself because of the skill description.


    Energy Assimtion was like Kahn''s skin turning into vibranium and using it to increase all of his mana and world energy reserves. This was a godsend skill for someone like him who had very less world energy in his body.


    Invimarak Hide would definitely make Kahn into a walking fortress because he had seen how the Invimarak legendary beast was simply unfazed andpletely undamaged after thousands of monsters and even a High Lord like Oliver attacked him.


    Invimarak hide would make him a nightmare for all the magical ss fighters because it offered a full magic resistance.


    But the biggest downside was that all these abilities were inessible to him for now because of his rank as a semi-saint.


    So he will have to wait for the time he broke through to first stage saint rank first.


    However¡­ Kahn wasn''t done reaping the rewards.


    "Oliver¡­ bring our warship here."manded Kahn.


    "For what, my lord?" asked Ronin who appeared behind him.


    Kahn then gave a greedy smile and rubbed his hands together.


    "Time for harvesting the hunt."

 Chapter 378 - Salvaging Corpse

    Now that they were done hunting the biggest boss of this region, Kahn decided that it was time to use the corpse as well as he was certain that the results would be tremendously rewarding.


    "I guess we have gotten rid of the main cause of the monster tide in this area." he said and looked towards the four subordinates that gathered around the deceased Invimarak.


    "Anyone wants to mix with the body?" asked Kahn to his generals.


    However, all of them pretended to not know him again as if he was offering them a ss of poison.


    "What about you two?" asked Kahn to Rudra and ckwall who resided in his shadow.


    "It will affect the purity of my bloodline. So I shall pass." replied Rudra.


    "Apologies, master. But it''s also unsuitable for me. I will not be able to fight or be on your side if I merge with it.


    I do not wish to be a monster that''s only good for carrying a heavy load on its back." responded ckwall.


    Kahn was taken aback but understood their reasoning.


    Although this legendary beast, a descendant of a godbeast, was a great specimen¡­ it was not a fighter ss creature or something even Kahn would be able to use anytime soon.


    Plus mixing it with other low-ranked creatures would only affect the resultant subordinate since mixing tens of different bloodlines would only lead to an amalgamation that was good for nothing.


    "Ah¡­ then I guess we will have to take the body to the capital and see if Albestros could make something out of it.


    The hide is simply too good to let go. It''s lightweight and offers even better protection against physical and magical attacks." spoke Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "Oliver, bring our warship here.


    Let''s hunt to make up for our losses and thin out the density of monsters." hemanded.


    Kahn then gathered his team and this time, he too partook in the hunting session.


    They hunted for a few more days but found nothing worth mentioning as there were not even Lord rank monsters left in this 200 kilometers perimeter of the Xena borders.


    So Kahn &pany had no choice but to return to the military outposts stationed at the border.


    He met with Nadia and told her that there would be no monster tide this year. As for the reason why¡­ he didn''t bother telling her.


    As nothing noteworthy happened during his absence, he and the Generals finished all the necessary arrangements to leave with his army of millions of Covenant soldiers he brought with him 5 days ago.


    "Where to, my lord?" asked Ronin.


    "To Aesir."


    ----------------


    After their gigantic warship that was even bigger than the legendary monster they huntednded in the main estate where his castle was situated in Aesir, Kahn met Albestros and Sirius who were already informed about his arrival and told to be present in thending zone area.


    Nearly a month ago, the orc ountant had finished sorting things out in the capital and officially took charge of both Bloodborne and Ayurvedapanies to manage their money and funds. Proving himself even more useful than before because Kahn had been mostly busy after taking over the fiefdom.


    Sirius also worked along with Ronin to maintain the money and businesses owned by Seven Deadly Sins from the shadows and lessened his burden by a great deal.


    And after Albestros announced that he was shifting their main base to Aesir, the weapon manufacturing industry inside the capital Rathna itself was heavily affected because the peak grandmaster cksmith had already be the most famous cksmith of the empire.


    And Kahn purposefully spread the news through Seven Deadly Sins functioning in the Rukon District that it was the three noble factions who forced the man out of the capital because of his ties with Kahn and they were getting their petty revenge against him by destroying the life of the old cksmith.


    With this, the opinion of the three noble factions had already fallen in the eyes of the normal poption, the business world and many only treated their ns and businesses under them with scorn.


    Thus, the majority of them lost a big chunk of their profits that relied onmoners as their customers. Because of which, even the three faction leaders had a headache due to such a drastic effect on the economy of the capital.


    This was exactly what Kahn meant by making the three factions regret messing with the old man and boycotting him.


    Making them realize that they hit their own feet with an axe.


    Kahn''s warship thennded in the open grounds of his estate and hundreds of people then pulled the corpse of the Invimarak''s out of it.


    As soon as Albestros saw it¡­ he was rooted on the spot in absolute bewilderment.


    "Is this the legendary Invimarak? How did you kill it? Even saints have a hard time killing this monster.


    You have no idea how precious this hide is. They''re one of the most sought-after monsters in the weapon manufacturing industry." queried the old man.


    "I have my ways. So tell me, what can you make out of it?" asked Kahn.


    "With this big full-grown body¡­ I can make over 100 sets of epic rank armors, equipment and even weapons from its bones. Its entire body is a treasure trove!" spoke the old man vehemently as if he was looking at a diamond.


    "Good. These guys need better gear. The kind that can survive even against a legendary rank monster." spoke Kahn.


    "It will take some time. But the results and the quality will be worth the worth wait." spoke Albestros.


    Just then, Armin also came via a luxurious carriage and joined the fray.


    "Master, I want the organs and the blood. All of them are very rare ingredients for making lifesaving potions and cures to many diseases.


    Even the diluted blood is 10 times more effective and potent than what all the other alchemists can make. Everything about this monster can be used in many effective alchemy products.


    And we can also make a lot of money off from it." exined Armin.


    But Kahn only heard ''  ¡­ A lot of money!'' so he instantly approved.


    At the night, Kahn held another meeting between the generals and decided their next hunting ground.


    "It''s about time we head to the West again. And if the rumors are true¡­" spoke Kahn and continued in a serious tone.


    "We might find another legendary monster."

 Chapter 379 - King Of The Jungle

    After overlooking the important matters of the Vessen fiefdom and discussing the important issues rted to public order, services, economy and people''s court that was currently made into a separate department of the government itself, Kahn decided that it was about time he began his next hunt.


    The next day at noon, Kahn, Omega and the Generals departed for a particr region of the fiefdom at the western end again.


    Hiryano.


    Their destination was the densely popted border of the region of Vessen that was previously controlled and run by Commander Asw.


    This was the second time Kahn had visited this region in his warship and this time, he brought over 3 million covenant soldiers boarded on thousands of flying ships. But unlike before, he didn''t bring in so many people to capture or fight his enemies but to use them for a different purpose.


    Unlike Xena, the Hiryno area had a five hundred kilometers of forested borders and had a bigger casualty count during the monster tides every year thanks to the scams that had been happening here for decades regarding military and weapon businesses.


    After Kahn took and the bearkin semi-saint and publicly killed him,w, military, businesses and underworld werepletely in his control without people knowing a single thing.


    The North had two semi-saintmanders because that was the widest monster infested area in the fiefdom that was inhabited by the ferocious frost giants. But withmander Asw out of the picture, he had ced his own people here too.


    And when his warshipsnded over the open ins of the main military outpost at the border, he was weed by a group of military officers. And the two figureheads who led that group were the men Kahn was quite familiar with.


    All of them knelt in front of Kahn with nothing but respect and worshipping gaze in their eyes.


    "I''m d I didn''t make a wrong choice by leaving you two in charge of this region." spoke Kahn as he looked at the two peak grandmasters.


    "Stand up¡­ Commander Elijah and Commander Nius." he ordered.


    The Stark Brothers!


    After Kahn was done overtaking the fiefdom including this region, instead of wasting extra manpower or trying to recruit another semi-saint, Kahn left the two peak grandmasters in charge of leading the military here.


    So he only needed a contingency in case there were some incidents. Hence he put both the Stark brothers who were even to fill in the shoes of a semi-saint together.


    The same way he did with Kassandra Mikealson for a different region because she was an ally and he needed strong individuals protecting these hotspots.


    "Thank you, my lord. We will never forget the trust and faith you''ve put into us." spoke Elijah, the elder brother who was a Druid by profession.


    "Thank you for this opportunity, my lord. I have been able to serve you and our fiefdom because of the chance you gave us.


    I will do my best to prove your decision right." spoke Nius, the younger brother who was a dual swordsman.


    "No need to thank me. You were capable and had the experience to lead an army even before we met. So it was a natural choice to leave the best candidates to protect this region." replied Kahn with a nod.


    Kahn and his entourage then held a meeting between all the military officers who handled different outposts of this region and told them about his ns to thin out the numbers of monsters.


    So he informed them to be ready in case any monster tide happened in his absence. Also that he''d be leaving the covenant army as the first line of defense instead of normal. soldiers.


    "Please let use with you, my lord!" spoke Elijah vehemently.


    Because Kahn was going to explore the inner regions of this monster infested forest by himself. Something that evenmander Asw didn''t dare to do when he was alive.


    Both brothers were in awe because in their eyes, Kahn was doing it to protect the lives of people and soldiers as he put the covenant soldiers at the front.


    He was knowingly risking his life to protect the people by going inside while only being a semi-saint. And that too with limited numbers of just 4 peak grandmaster allies. This was apletely unprecedented scenario in the history of this fiefdom.


    "No. Both of you are needed here in case something happens to us. You two are the strongest people in this region so Imand you to handle matters here.


    If worstes to worst, there should be a force of deterrence."manded Kahn to both the brothers.


    However, none of the people present here knew the real intentions behind hismand. Because in reality, Kahn did so because the covenant soldiers were his own forces and they''d die if they went against his orders.


    Plus it made him look good in front of the masses as the news of his arrival was definitely going spread across all the cities soon. And this way, he''d appear as a sovereign who cared for the citizens and soldiers of the fiefdom alike.


    That he''d rather use his own soldiers who had be a representation ofw and justice in this fiefdom than risk the lives of native peoples regardless of them being amoner or a soldier.


    Kahn also needed people to stop interfering in his hunts and wanted to hide the real reason behind his expeditions. So the covenant soldiers that were made of murderers, rapists and cannabalists whose lives were not even worth thinking twice about were his best choice.


    Anyone else would only hinder his activities.


    ----------------


    When Kahn''s crew departed and traveled through the border region, they headed straight towards the inner regions that were hunting grounds for people from adventurer and hunter professions.


    For the first few days, Omega and the three generals hunted different types of monsters that were unseen and unknown to him before.


    Hybrids between different elemental species and monsters such as ice elemental monsters that seemedbinations of tigers and leopards. There were simply too many monsters and different species for Kahn to count. So after a point, his brain went into an automatic mode and only created new subordinates without even absorbing their abilities.


    Low level monsters simply didn''t make the cut for him anymore.


    And because of the endless supply of S Rank and SS Rank mana cores and ores he currently had, Kahn now had an army of 300 thousand members in legion and over two thousand of them were Lord rank monsters and eighty thousand were also variants.


    However, their skills were limited and useful only for adding the numbers in arge-scale battle than specific fighting ss abilities like the generals whom Kahn had evolved from scratch and merged with the dungeon bosses that lied inside his Ex-girlfriend aka the Bromnir dungeon.


    Now, Each one of them got an army of their own which consisted of 20 to 30 thousand members and belonged to sses and abilities that would help in arge-scale battle.


    The entire forested region went into havoc and Kahn''s subordinates culled out the numbers to lessen the burden on the soldiers as well as raised their own numbers.


    On the fifth day however, finally they found something noteworthy which piqued Kahn''s attention.


    This time, Ronin who was leading thousands of legion members with hiding and reconnaissance abilities, found something interesting and informed Kahn through the transmission artifact.


    Under Kahn''s orders, all the other generals and Omega who apanied him reached there after four hours.


    The area where they gathered was full of marsnds within 50 kilometers of radius and mostly filled with aquatic and poisonous monster species. Kahn himself saw plenty of new types of species that looked like evolved versions of crawling centipedes and fishes, big enough to sink titanic on their own.


    And finally, after they met with Ronin who had thousands of his underlings carefully surrounding a 10 kilometers radius from various directions, closing off the escape routes of whatevery inside.


    Kahn and the other finally saw the being that was the regional boss of thesends and the one that sent shivers in their spines after seeing its figure.


    A gigantic slithering purple figure whose length could not be predicted even from the bird''s eye view and its body leaking poisonous gas from various outlets.


    "It''s definitely a Legendary Rank monster." spoke Omega as he and other finally saw the King of the Jungle.


    However, the next moment¡­ all of them were rooted on the spot. Just now, they finally saw the head of this venomous legendary rank monster.


    And its head reminded all of them of a certain someone they knew very well.


    "Ha ha ha!!


    Haha ha!!


    Haha!!


    Finally, a worthy opponent."


    Just then, Rudraughed from inside of Kahn''s shadow with an excited voice. His voice sounding joyful and his battle intent fired up as soon as he too noticed the creature.


    Rudra continued in an exhrated tone as he dered¡­


    "Our battle shall be legendary!"

 Chapter 380 - A Descendant

    In front of the purple and snake-like legendary creature that was 30 meters tall even it was only slithering normally among the open grounds of the marsnds, Kahn and the subordinates who were eying it from 10 kilometers away through a broadcasting artifact¡­ were all stunned to speak.


    And just now, Rudra suddenly dered that he found a worthy opponent out of nowhere and seemed to be ready to fight it all of a sudden.


    "Stop acting like a fool! It''s clearly stronger than all of us. And we don''t know anything about its abilities yet.


    Plus look at the surroundings. It''s that creature''s turf.


    Never fight an enemy on the battlefield that they have an advantage on." spoke Kahn as he scolded Rudra.


    "Don''t look down on me, human.


    So what if it''s stronger? I can finally get rid of this boredom. And you think I haven''t gotten stronger myself?" retorted the basilisk.


    "Don''t be impulsive. Even with your rank, you can''t bypass the difference between levels and strength by much. That magma drake was just a High Lord¡­ this one is different.


    It may be weaker than the Invimarak monster but it''s still at least 70 levels above you.


    Even if all of us were to join with our great numbers¡­ I feel like we will be walking towards our death. This ce isn''t even suitable for us to fight." spoke Kahn after he felt the mana and world energy around the legendary purple snake-like monster''s body.


    "Doesn''t matter, just don''t interfere." spoke Rudra stubbornly.


    "Just shut up, numbnut! Let me gather enough intel first." spoke Kahn and looked at the generals of the assassins squad and air force.


    "Ronin, Oliver¡­ do your thing." ordered Kahn.


    The Rogue and the Emerald Archer subordinates then led the charge of their respective troops.


    Unlike Oliver who had his squadron of flying monsters, Ronin''s underlings with assassins abilities and monsters with sensing skills had a hard time marching without getting detected because they had limited solid ground since most of the area was filled with muddy waters and deepkes.


    Soon after both the generals and their teams of a few thousand sessfully came close to the 5 kilometers area¡­ something unexpected happened.


    Ssh!


    Suddenly, dozens and then hundreds of red-colored scaly snakes appeared out of the muddy grounds, each one at least 3 meters in length and attacked the subordinates and monsters led by Ronin.


    And to his surprise¡­ even someone like Ronin himself hadn''t detected their presence before as if these snake monsters were part of thend itself.


    Hisssss!!


    Screech!!


    Soon, hundreds of the red snakes all hissed together and their ear-deafening voice that acted like an rm horn echoed in the marsnds.


    And as soon as the legendary creature that resided in the middle of thesends heard the noises, it was quickly alerted and raised its head high in the air.


    Its 30 meters tall figure and more than a kilometer long body sent shivers to Kahn and the other two high lord subordinates who were watching from a distance.


    While in the central region itself, the monster noticed Oliver and his flock of flying monsters.


    HIIIISSSSSS!!!!


    A loud and screeching hiss filled the 2 kilometers of area and before Oliver could even react¡­ his eyes met with this gigantic monster''s gaze.


    Flicker!


    Its yellow eyes flickered and even a high lord monster like Oliver lost control over his body under the insurmountable pressure exerted by this legendary monster.


    Under the influence of its killing intent and bloodlust¡­ Oliver started losing control of his body. The same applied to many of the flying monsters that followed him.


    BOOM!!


    But before he fell halfway through the ground, Oliver suddenly released his true form and now, the six-winged demonic creature appeared.


    Somehow, Oliver broke through the pressure after the burst of mana was released from his body. And without waiting for another second, he decided to fly with every bit of strength in his body.


    However¡­ Ronin on the other end suddenly informed Kahn about a major revtion.


    "Master¡­ it''s venom!!


    All these monsters have neurotoxic venom in their bodies! And they''re acting like a pack! I''m sure they''re all controlled by that legendary monster." reported Ronin.


    "See, you idiot! If you went there waltzing in, you would''ve be a prey instead." spoke Kahn to Rudra who wanted to barge into the battlefield previously.


    "My corrosive acid should negate it and unlike you¡­ I actually have what you''d call a legendary rank poison immunity." said Rudra in a prideful tone.


    "Still.. We need to n ahead." spoke Kahn.


    And before he could think of a strategy¡­ Oliver also sent him a message.


    "Master¡­ there''s something odd about this monster." he said.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn.


    "From time to time¡­ I see small red extensionsing out of its scales.


    They look like mini versions of¡­ itself." he informed.


    "I see. So that exins where all these red snakes came from. It can create an army of its own. What a terrifying ability." spoke Kahn as he analyzed the whole situation.


    "Most of them are either part of its body or it''s an asexual creature that can create offspring on its own.


    What an odd monster." said Kahn as he was more amazed.


    "Thank goodness. If I tried to kill it using dimensional cut¡­ even I would have died from its venom in its body just by getting in the 100 meters area." he said.


    "System, what''s the name of this monster?" asked Kahn.


    [The creature is called Bjornmgandur, a monster species known for its lethal and toxic venom. It is enough to kill even a saint easily since the specimen itself is a legendary rank monster.] reported the system.


    [[Author : Reference Art for the legendary Bjornmgandur in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    So Kahn was also out of the equation to attack this legendary monster because no way he''d be left untouched even if he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and killed the monster. Because generally, these type of monsters released their toxin even after death.


    "We will divert the mobs. And then take care of it." spoke Kahn.


    "Nobody interferes! this is my fight!" shouted Rudra in Kahn''s mind.


    Currently, only Rudra was suitable to fight it while Kahn and the others were only good enough to take down the small fries and whittle down the numbers of opposition.


    "Why are you so adamant about fighting this monster on your own?" asked Kahn as he noticed this sudden shift in Rudra''s mood for a while.


    "I must fight it myself. After all, this monster is also a.." spoke Rudra with his battle intent at peak¡­


    "Descendant of the Basilisk!"

 Chapter 381 - The First Half

    As soon as Rudra informed Kahn about the bloodline of the legendary rank snake monster, thetter was left speechless on the spot. Because although Kahn often thought of Rudra as a Basilisk¡­ he forgot that his subordinate was actually a variant and not a true basilisk or a descendant unlike the Somir he managed to kill in the past by sheer luck or the Bjormngandur that they were now targeting.


    "What?! How do you know?" asked Kahn with a bewildered expression.


    "You can''t sense it because you''re not truly a Basilisk in any way.


    You only possess the bloodline but don''t know how to use it if not for that system thing of yours.


    I, on the other hand, can feel the sense of inkling as well as rivalry from that bloodline." borated Rudra.


    "I see. So then¡­ we''ll do our part and keep those things out of your way. And if you can''t defeat it¡­ just run away. There''s no shame in losing." spoke Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "Haha! Worried about me, human?" asked Rudra in his usual tone of superiority.


    "Not exactly. I just don''t want to waste my precious mana cores on reviving you. Unlike you¡­ they''re more important to me." replied Kahn nonchntly.


    "Ingret!" retorted Rudra and the next second, arge dark shadow exited out of Kahn''s body and quickly went inside the swamp spread across the footing of the mountain they stood on.


    Swoosh!


    Bang!


    Tides of big waves suddenly rose high in the air and the ground itself shook as if something heavy suddenly dropped on it, enough to break the whole valley into two pieces.


    And finally¡­ a gigantic and terrifying ck figure of a tyrannical basilisk with two giant horns appeared in the middle of the swamp.


    The loud noise echoed in the 1 kilometer radius as if an explosion happened in this part of the marsnds.


    HISSSSS!!


    Rudra hissed loudly to the point that even the Bjormngandur on the other side heard it¡­ as if the Basilisk was announcing his grand arrival.


    His 30 meters tall and a kilometer length bodypletely filled this region to the point even Kahn was taken aback.


    "He¡­ he''s gotten bigger." spoke Kahn in a surprised voice. Because thest time Rudra revealed himself when Kahn used him as a rope against the Invimarak, his entire body was used to entangle the legs of that ginormous monster. And his appearance was only for 5 seconds; so Kahn hadn''t noticed his grown body properly.


    Compared to thest time he had a look at the basilisk subordinate¡­ he was at least twice the length and even 5 meters taller. His overall width and mass had also gotten bigger.


    "What''s your current level?" asked Kahn.


    "By your standards¡­ it should be around level 170." replied Rudra.


    Even his voice sounded firmer and grimmer than when he spoke in Kahn''s head.


    Rudra then looked at Omega, Jugram and Oliver who stood beside Kahn and spoke in a prideful tone.


    "My turn, assholes!" said Rudra and hurriedly slithered towards the enemy.


    The subordinates on the other hand had clenched their fists after the exchange of pleasantries.


    "I really hate that bastard." spoke Omega in an irked voice as if he wanted to beat the shit out of Rudra.


    "Me too. One day¡­ I''ll stomp on his tail when the timees." said Jugram who seemed like he wanted to rip apart the basilisk with his bare hands.


    "All that bastard does is eat free cores and sleeps all day. Unlike us.. He hasn''t worked for a single day and yet acts like he''s better than us.


    Believe me¡­ I will put millions of arrows in his eyes in the future." spoke Oliver with an annoyed expression.


    However, all of them had to hold back for now because at best¡­ they were close to level 150 at this point and not only the basilisk was twenty levels higher¡­ but he was two ranks above them.


    Fighting him would be a death not even worth pitying.


    At this moment, Rudra finally reached the central region of the marsnds and revealed his aura to the Bjormngandur, the legendary snake monster.


    Both of them started hissing at each other as if they were having a standoff to establish who was superior.


    "What are they saving, master?" asked Omega to Kahn as they kept looking through the broadcasting artifact.


    "Rudra just challenged that creature for a deathmatch. He also said that he''d eat its corpse and enjoy the fresh meat." spoke Kahn as he could understand their interaction innately thanks to the Knowledge of All Languages known to War Deity blessing he received from Kravel.


    "Fine then¡­ I shall show you mercy and give you a quick death." spoke the Bjormngandur at the end of their introductions.


    "The one to die shall be¡­ you.


    And your pathetic self shall aid in my rise of power." replied Rudra in his usual narcissistic tone.


    ----------------


    However¡­ contrary to his words¡­ the whole thing went haywire when Kahn and the other subordinates started the massacre of the henchmen of this legendary monster.


    Because at this moment¡­ Rudra was thrown around the open muddynds of the battlefield like a rag doll by Bjormngandur as if an adult was spanking the misbehaving toddler.


    "Ah¡­ so embarrassing." spoke Kahn as he facepalmed himself.


    "He had us in the first half, not gonna lie." spoke Omega.


    As things stood at the moment.. Rudra was simply receiving a thrashing because the neurotoxin venom released by the opponent in the form of arge yellow cloud that filled the entire 3 kilometer radius had affected Rudra to the point that he had lost half of his speed and ability to react quickly.


    While the generals and his army of 300 thousand monsters were reaping the lives of thousands of red snake monsters of their target¡­ their heavyweight champion was getting his ass handed to him.


    "He he he! Is someone recording this?" asked Oliver who was attacking the enemy forces from the sky.


    "Yep! I sent hundreds of assassins to record the fight from a distance; they''ll get the footage from different directions and angles." spoke Ronin in a joyous tone.


    However¡­ before their entertainment could carry on for long¡­


    "Hahaha!! Thanks for the warmup."


    Rudra spoke in an excited tone as if he was enjoying getting beaten to death. His domineering voice resounded in the entire battlefield as he spoke¡­


    "Now let''s begin the real fight!"

 Chapter 382 - Battle Of The Kings

    The sh between two tyrannical creatures had been going on for quite some time and Kahn with the help of generals, outright massacred thousands of red-colored snake monsters but on the other hand¡­ his biggest trump card that even killed a drake in the past was now toyed around by the legendary rank Bjormngandur.


    At the moment, Rudra was riddled with superficial wounds all over his body but luckily even therge and long spike-like teeth of the opponent were not able to pierce through his hexagonal-shaped defensive scales.


    However, therge amount of neurotoxin venom spewed by the opponent had affected Rudra greatly and even for someone with a legendary rank poison immunity, he was struggling to adapt and move freely in just minutes after their battle began.


    While Rudra also spewed his corrosive acid¡­ the table turned on in a matter of seconds because the enemy monster was hardly even affected because its body was not only stronger than Rudra but also immune to the acid because its own venom was more potent.


    To make matters worse, Rudra was also weaker because of the difference in levels and couldn''t ovee the difference. Even with rank superiority, he was still 20 levels below the Bjormngandur.


    During the battle, Kahn also noticed that both monsters with the basilisk bloodline had the hypnotic gaze skill. So Rudra couldn''t kill the enemy using this ability like he did with the magma drake nearly a year ago.


    But just when everyone thought that the battle was all lost.. Rudra spoke again.


    "Hahaha!! Thanks for the warmup."


    "Now let''s begin the real fight!" dered the basilisk subordinate.


    [Hey! Are you ying some game right now?! This isn''t the time to fool around. You will die!] berated Kahn through the hive mind skill.


    [Hmph! You should know better, human¡­ I was letting my body process and develop immunity against his venom.


    You have been poisoned before. So you should know better about how it works.] replied Rudra in a scoffing tone.


    [Didn''t you say that we shouldn''t fight on the battlefield advantageous to the enemy?


    Now.. It has lost its only advantage against me.] he iterated.


    The next moment, Rudra''s massive figure suddenly jolted like a spring and for the first time since the battle started, he was faster than the Bjormngandur.


    BOOM!!


    Their ginormous bodies shed again and caused shockwaves that caused ripples through the mashed and muddynds. The force was so great that even some of the trees on the solid ground were uprooted.


    Even Kahn, who stood 3 kilometers away, was pushed back from the aftermath.


    This time, it was the turn of the enemy to get surprised. Because just now, Rudra became three times faster than before and even the force behind his tackle was two times stronger.


    Soon, both the gigantic creatures started biting and ripping off the flesh from each other''s bodies while the sh of their figures broke tall trees and rose the water level, causing tidal waves.


    But thanks to the terrain advantage, the Bjormngandur who lived here soon adapted to Rudra''s quick attacks and used the waters to slow down the opponent since it was actually an aquatic type of creature while Rudra was more of a mountain monster.


    Their sh carried for another hour and now¡­


    Rudra was heavily wounded to the point his ck blood spread over half the battlefield and his movements became slow because of the gashes and mauled regions of his body.


    However, despite his sorry state¡­ Rudra was enjoying the battle as if he was feeling more ecstatic.


    "Again!!" he shouted at the opponent in their Slytherinnguage.


    Kahn and the subordinates who hadpletely wiped out the enemy forces stood afar from the main battlefield. Although he lost more than 60 thousand of his fodder monsters¡­ he still gained over 40 thousand bodies of these red snakes that were even a better alternative in terms of strength and hunting abilities in the water.


    Kahn on the other hand had a constricted expression on his face.


    "I can''t tell if he''s a battle maniac or a masochist." spoke Kahn.


    Rudra was attacking the opponent despite his wounds and bleeding figure like a madman who lost every sense of reasoning.


    However, the next second, Bjormngandur spoke to Rudra.


    "After killing you¡­ I will gorge on your body and finally break past my limits. So prepare to regret the moment you entered my domain."


    In the following moment, hundreds of orifices opened from its body and arge amount of its venom was expelled out all at once in the form of a yellow cloud.


    In just a minute, the entire 3 kilometers of the battlefield was filled with this dense cloud to the point one couldn''t even see what stood in front of them.


    "Fine then¡­ I guess it leaves me no choice." spoke Rudra as if he was finally done ying games.


    Crackle! Crackle!


    The next second, all the wounds on his body started closing and the defensive scales became harder while his entire body underwent a transmutation.


    Each one of the hexagonal scales became pointed outward like a thorn and now, Rudra looked like he had a battle armor of his own.


    His eyes remained the same but the two giant horns on the back of his head now started blistering red as if they were on fire.


    His entire body started growing bigger while even Kahn couldn''t see what was going on. But as soon as he sensed the changes in the aura of the subordinate¡­ he was baffled on the spot.


    [System, what''s happening to him?] asked Kahn.


    [The subordinate is using the¡­ ] exined the system.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ he.."


    [Yes. The subordinate Rudra haspletely inherited the abilities after eating the body and the core.] borated the system.


    "That monster!¡­ he already mastered it without even practicing." said Kahn while standing rooted on the spot.


    Because now, Rudra''s neck region is was burning red while the now armored scales appeared as if they belonged to apletely different species.


    Kahn was instantly reminded of a certain monster he faced before that shared simr features.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Rudra''s new form in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    "Bloody hell¡­ he''s be even more powerful than he already was. No wonder he wasn''t afraid of this opponent.


    Rather¡­ the enemy should be afraid of him." said Kahn with eyes full of surprise.


    Because at this moment.. Rudra was going to use the ability that nearly killed Kahn many times when he fought the Magma Drake, the dungeon boss.


    Because at this moment¡­ Rudra was using¡­


    The Dragon Bloodline!

 Chapter 383 - The True King

    Kahn and thepany were left too stunned to speak after Rudra transformed into a whole new being out of nowhere. The basilisk subordinate they knew and the one who was getting thrashed around by the legendary rank Bjormngandur suddenly became twice the size and even 5 meters taller than the opponent in a matter of seconds.


    Sizzle!!


    Sizzle!!


    The watery and muddy marsnd sizzled at hundreds of ces as big blobs of magma dropped from Rudra''s body. The once hexagonal scales were now reced by spiky and hard scales that looked even stronger and sturdier than before.


    After finally grasping the situation in front of him, Kahn understood one thing¡­


    Rudra had¡­. EVOLVED.


    In the new form, even his sharp fangs and teeth were transformed to the point Kahn couldn''t tell a difference between Rudra and the Magma Drake.


    And with the magma-rted abilities added to his body¡­ the current Rudra was no different than a walking-talking live volcano.


    "The hell¡­ didn''t I get only 5% bloodline purity from the magma drake? How much did he absorb?" asked Kahn in bewilderment.


    [The subordinate Rudra currently possesses 20% Draconian Bloodline after eating the body and core of the Magma Drake.


    The subordinate has morphed the drake''s body into his own and has transmuted himself.] reported the system.


    Dumbfounded! Kahn waspletely dumbfounded.


    "This guy is even a bigger freak than I am!" he shouted in surprise.


    Just then¡­ he remembered Rudra''s previous words about bloodlines.


    That Kahn didn''t even know how to properly use the bloodline effects if not for the system.


    Rudra on the other hand seemed like he was researching and practicing how to infuse two different bloodlines when Kahn and everyone thought that he was just eating cores and sleeping inside Kahn''s shadow for over a year now.


    But in reality, he was cultivating himself and mastering two different bloodlines that were supposed to counteract each other since Basilisks and Dragons were natural enemies from thousands of years.


    However, Rudra could absorb and harness both the bloodlines together. A freak of nature and an unforeseen amalgamation that never existed before. And unlike Kahn, he had no system to assist him. So it was his own hardwork that caused this evolution.


    Currently, Kahn wondered just how strong would Rudra be if he ever absorbed both the bloodlines and reached 100% purity?


    Would even a Godbeast or a full-grown Dragon have a chance against Rudra in the future?


    But while his thoughts were in shambles.. The second round of this legendary battle began.


    ----------------


    HISSS!!!


    SCREECH!!


    Bang!


    Both of the ginormous monsters shed together and the impact from their sh created shockwave after shockwaves.


    This was the battle of the kings in the most brutal form.


    Even Kahn felt like he was notparable to either of the fighters when it came to physical strength. Wondering if he''d be able to at least put up a fight by using all of his trump cards if he was engaged in the fight himself.


    In the present moment, Rudra had closed off the difference between their levels with this transformation that suddenly gave him a major boost in strength¡­ both the basilisk descendant and variant were evenly matched. Their head-on sh being the testament of this equal strength.


    Omega and the others felt like they were lucky to not mistakenly pick a bone with Rudra before, otherwise the newly evolved form of the basilisk would give them the most gruesome death.


    On the battlefield filled with marshes, the two gigantic monsters akin to the size of godly beasts were trying to kill each other by using their sharp teeth and ripping apart the enemy.


    But this time, Rudra was neither affected by the neurotoxic venom nor could the Bjormngandur pierce through his scales like before as the defensiveyer of the scales themselves had transformed into something that was extremely sturdier than before and to make the matters worse for thetter¡­ Rudra''s entire body was now as hot asva.


    And now with all the advantages gone.. The tables had turned on the enemy who seemed like the obvious victor of the battle in the beginning.


    As their sh continued for an entire hour¡­ both the tyrannical beings had nearly decimated and changed the structure of the battlefield itself.


    Rudra''s newly upgraded fangs after getting mixed with the Magma drake''s teeth were now tearing through the body of the Bjormngandur and not only was he plunging them inside the opponent but also ripping off its flesh in big sizeparable to a heavy-load truck on earth.


    However, thetter had no chance left to fight back because Rudra''s blistering hot body that leaked magma now was intolerable for the Bjormngandur to even attack back.


    Because when shed against magma.. It was the water that eventually evaporated.


    As both the ginormous monsters came to an impasse after an hour-long battle¡­ the legendary rank Bjormngandur realized that there was no chance of winning.


    But before it could even try to run away¡­ Rudra''s body suddenly catapulted itself and the variant basilisk twirled his entire body around the opponent in a matter of seconds.


    SCREECH!!!


    Bjormngandur screeched in pain because now, Rudra''s blistering body had entangled itself around him and started burning and roasting its flesh.


    This was even more painful for the enemy because Rudra was basically barbecue-ing the legendary rank opponent.


    It was his turn to toy around with the opponent.


    The Bjormngandur started wriggling around while Rudra constricted its entire body.


    The impact from their struggle and shing bodies destroyed whatever remained of the battlefield.


    And finally when the Bjormngandur started losing its strength because of excessive blood loss.. Rudra opened his mouth as the red hot magma was amassed in his neck.


    HISSS!!


    Rudra hissed for thest time as he delivered his final attack.


    Crackle!


    Sizzle!


    Before the struggling enemy could even react¡­ Rudra spewed a massive jetstream of red hot magma into the Bjormngandur''s mouth.


    A sizzling white smoke arose from its head as the legendary rank monster, a descendant species of the Godbeast Basilisk was given the most horrifying and excruciatingly painful death by Rudra.


    BOOM!!


    The lifeless corpse of the Bjormngandur that was charred from the head dropped on the ground and sent tremors throughout the entire battlefield.


    Rudra, who had an expression of containment, looked at the corpse of the Bjormngandur.


    "Your biggest mistake wasn''t only underestimating me." he said and continued in a domineering voice that filled the entire battlefield.


    "But to think that you had a chance at winning to begin with."

 Chapter 384 - Lucid Reality

    In the middle of the deep and muddy marsnds filled with algae and grass, a gigantic body of a legendary rank monstery with lifeless eyes as the opponent Basilisk gave it a horrifying death by literally melting its head and neck in magma.


    And now, its charred body from the upper regiony on the ground while a river of green blood spread across the waters of the battlefield. If this was a mountainous area, many cliffs andrge amounts of trees would have been destroyed.


    Rudra, the victor of this deathmatch looked at the corpse of the opponent with his burning yellow eyes that had red cracks at the border as if a stream of magma was running through them.


    His new evolution hadpletely overthrown the Bjormngandur after his sudden transformation with the Draconian bloodline and took away every advantage it had at the beginning of their match. And then¡­ the mythical rank Rudra had closed off the vast difference between their levels and strength and disyed who was the superior among them.


    Even with 70 levels of difference, he evenly matched against the opponent and again showed Kahn how much Ranks and Bloodlines mattered in this world.


    And now with the winner of the match was decided¡­ Kahn appeared close to the ginormous corpse after the yellow cloud of neurotoxin venom vanished.


    Obviously¡­ he was there to eat the free meal after Rudra barbecued the Bjormngandur by himself.


    "Shamelessness is in your blood." spoke Rudra as he scoffed at Kahn, feeling like he was wronged.


    "Shut up, freeloader! This is the only thing you''ve killed in a year. And I''m only absorbing the abilities. Not stealing its body or the core. Haven''t you heard¡­


    Sharing is caring." retorted Kahn and put his hand on the ginormous figure. Compared to him, the corpse itself was 25 times taller.


    "Absorb!"manded Kahn and activated the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    And it took Kahn full 3 hours topletely absorb the abilities and skills from this legendary rank monster that could''ve killed him as soon as he appeared in the 100 meters radius. But now, it was going to give him another set of amazing abilities.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Illusion Gaze (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to temporarily distort all the senses of a target within 100 meter radius. The target will experience being in an illusion world for 1 minute.


    Note : This ability does not work on any being of higher levels or rank above the host.


    The host must make direct eye contact with the target for this ability to work.


    ----------------


    Neurotoxin Venom (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to secrete a venom effective in destroying the nervous system from hands and mouth.


    The host can throw a direct stream of this venom up to 50 meters.


    Note : Host can control the effectiveness and potency of the venom as per his will


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Poison Immunity raised to Legendary Rank!


    ----------------


    30% Basilisk Bloodline absorbed!


    Current Bloodline purity : 80%


    Note : There are no abilities or skills suitable to merge with the new abilities.] reported the system as soon as he was done.


    "Oliver, how did it feel like when this guy used that skill on you through the eyes?" asked Kahn to the flying jet subordinate.


    "Master¡­ when I looked into the eyes of the Bjormngandur, suddenly the world around me broke apart into thousands of pieces and everything looked out of ce.


    It felt as if I was in apletely different world. And I couldn''t even control a single finger of my body.


    If not for me taking my true form, I would''ve fallen down and maybe get killed by this monster." expressed Oliver.


    "Ha ha! Amazing!"


    However, instead of consoling the subordinate, Kahnughed in excitement as if he got his hands on invaluable treasure.


    "Now¡­ reality bends to my will." spoke Kahn after hearing the effects of the Illusion Gaze skill.


    This ability was literally one of the best abilities one could ask for in a life-and-death battle.


    Unlike the Subterfuge skill Kahn had before which affected the sense of direction like the target sensing left as right side¡­ Illusion Gazepletely messed with the mind of the target and one would not only lose the sense of all directions but also be pulled into an illusion realm where they''d also lose control over their body.


    So in simple words¡­ this was even a terrifying skill than Executioner''s Gaze which paralyzed the opponent on the spot.


    And the range of this ability was 100 meters which was already 10 times more than the former. This ability was indeed worthy of being SSS Rank.


    "Illusion Gaze is too mundane of a name. What should I call it instead?" asked Kahn to himself.


    "How about Mangekyou Sharingan¡­"


    "Ah, no! We will be sued for copyrights again." spoke Kahn with a dejected face.


    "Let''s call it¡­ Lucid Reality." he asked.


    Because this ability would put the target in an illusion while they were still awake andpletely aware.


    [The name has been registered.] reported the system.


    Apart from the bloodline gains, the rise in poison immunity rank and the neurotoxin venom were already a plus.


    Thetter being a skill that was many times more useful than the Lucid Reality because it wasn''t limited an effective area range or number of targets.


    And Kahn already nned to maximize the outputs he could gain from this skill.


    "Human.. I will some time to eat the body and core." spoke the gigantic Rudra who appeared to be salivating as big blobs of magma dropped from his mouth.


    Since Rudra still hadn''t be 100% loyal to Kahn, he couldn''t directly mix the body of Bjormngandur with him. So it''d be good old-fashioned eating and absorbing method like the basilisk did with the Magma Drake before.


    And in front of Kahn and the generals, Rudra started eating the body by tearing through it with his steel-like teeth. While Kahn told the generals and rest of the legion subordinates to bring the dead bodies and put them in half a kilometer radius around him.


    For the next 5 hours, Kahn used the King of the Dead skill and started creating hundreds of new subordinates at once.


    Thanks to the millions of high rank mana cores and ores, he made up for the loss of all the foot soldiers he lost and added more numbers in the legion by mixing and evolving the red snake monsters that once worked under the orders of the Bjormngandur monster.


    By the next morning, Rudra was finished eating the entire body of the fallen enemy while they collected the remaining bones for making some use of them.


    "Human, I will need a few months topletely absorb the bloodline and abilities. I will be able to raise my levels by a lot as well.


    So I''ll be in a great slumber. Do not call for me or expect me toe out until I''m done." spoke Rudra.


    "Airshhh¡­ whatever. We''ll make do without you even if there was a bigger monster next time. Go enjoy your vacation, you ungrateful snake." spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    If they needed a big gun next time¡­ they''d have to look for other ways because Rudra was going in the Odin Sleep again as he did after eating the Magma Drake a year ago.


    This seemed like an inevitable situation to Kahn but it was eptable since it was the only way Rudra actually mastered and rose in strength unlike the other subordinates.


    But he knew that the next time he summoned Rudra¡­ the basilisk would be even more powerful and bigger.


    As for Kahn, the total number of the legion subordinates rose to 320,000 after he was done with creating new subordinates yesterday evening.


    And now¡­ he was a walking talking army himself.


    Kahn wondered if any of the other semi-saint, not only in Rakos Empire but the whole world of Vantrea could even rival him at this point given the number of OP and incredibly powerful skills he had.


    ----------------


    Afterpleting their expedition, Kahn and the generals returned to Hiranya and he met with the Stark brothers again.


    He informed that their venture was a sess and the root cause of the yearly monster tides was taken care of by them.


    This made not only the two peak grandmasters but also all the other military officers worship Kahn to the point his figure appeared like a God to them.


    Because Kahn had directly saved millions of lives by taking care of the regional boss of their borders that caused these tides every year.


    Although Kahn wanted to find more about the true cause and why these legendary rank monsters did so, this was the best he could do for now.


    On that very evening, Kahn returned to Aesir and held an important meeting in his main throne room.


    He offered all the bones and whatever Rudra left of the Bjormngandur''s body to Albestros for making new high grade weapons.


    After overlooking the reports handed by Sirius about their management of money and Seven Deadly Sins, he then talked with Armin.


    "So what can you make out of it?" asked Kahn as he showed the alchemist subordinate severalrge barrels filled with a green liquid.


    Armin waspletely rooted on the spot but shouted in an exhrated tone¡­


    "A weapon of mass destruction!"

 Chapter 385 - Next Destination

    Armin stood in front of Kahn and the rest of the subordinates with an ecstatic expression as he saw the big barrels that were tightly sealed. And the one in front of him had only a part of the lid open but given his innate skills, the alchemist subordinate sensed the quality of goods.


    The barrels were actually filled with the blood of Bjormngandur that flowed like a river. And these were just the samples Kahn decided to disy. There were more than a thousand of such barrels carefully stored on the warship he used this time.


    Yesterday when Kahn was absorbing the body of the fallen legendary rank monster, Rudra himself told Kahn about how the blood was the main reason why even his Corrosive Acid that could even melt metal easily wasn''t able to harm the opponent in the beginning of their fight.


    And someone, Rudra could feel that this was just as deadly as the Neurotoxic Venom it used during their fight¡­ maybe even more. And because of that, Kahn and his generals salvaged the fresh stream of blood in magically fortified containers they had on the warship which were usually used for carrying rations for the thousands of soldiers boarded on them.


    And now, Armin who was the true expert among them when it came to poison or alchemy-rted ingredients¡­ was smiling happily as if he got his hands on the biggest treasure.


    "I can make so many things with it. Bombs, poisons, antidotes for various types of poisons and even narcotics!" said Armin as he cleaned his fists in excitement.


    "Then it''s good for business I see. Although we''d have a lot of money from thest option¡­ I''d rather not ruin the entire fiefdom and turn the poption into drug addicts who think popping pills looks cool or makes them better than others." spoke Kahn.


    "But why? We can even use our underworld organization to sell them without getting noticed." queried Armin.


    "Rules. Without them, we live with the animals." replied Kahn as he leaned back on his throne.


    Although he could earn much more money despite having no need of it for now¡­ Kahn declined thest options for reasons of his own.


    Because in his previous¡­ his elder brother David, who was the pearl of the eye for his parents¡­ had ruined his life after bing a junkie.


    Unlike Elric, David actually made a life for himself as a popr athlete and he was earning millions after getting a lot of fame and fan support. But like how the glimmering light of fake celebrity world blinds even the most disciplined people¡­


    David had fallen to the drug abuse after befriending the wrong people he met through various channels. Even the famous people he had to befriend to keep appearances were no exception to this sort of life.


    And as the addiction started affecting his work and professional life¡­ it didn''t even take a couple of years till he hit the bottom and destroyed his life with his own hands.


    Although Elric hated both his elder brother and sister¡­ he had to stick around with the family as an obligation and he personally experienced how messed up and pitiful one''s life became from substance abuse.


    That kind of life was a slow and pitiful death in itself. So Elric was someone who despised it from his core.


    And in this life.. Kahn had already made sure that he never dealt in narcotics or ve trading. Even after he took over Vessen fiefdom, he hadpletely abolished narcotics from even the ck market.


    And those who previously dealt in this sector were either dead or waiting for their execution in the People''s Court.


    For someone like him¡­ even Killing thousands of enemies wasn''t an issue. But knowingly destroying someone''s life and their families for some money still didn''t sit right with him.


    The whole idea of a weapon of mass destruction was alright though. Because he intended to only use it as a force of deterrence in case there was a monster tide and their numbers were too big for him to handle.


    Plus having an advantage in arge-scale battle including millions of enemies was something too good to let go of.


    Because unlike like Fear Toxin ability Kahn used till this point.. The Neurotoxic Venom skill was even deadlier.


    ----------------


    So Kahn then ordered Armin to mass-produce the various products using Ayurvedapany''s production line. And also create an antidote for their side if they ever had to use the bombs and bioweapons Armin proposed to make for them.


    This way¡­ no matter how big enemy numbers were.. Or how big the battlefield was.


    It would inevitably turn into their personal ughterhouse.


    For the following week, Kahn took a break from monster hunting while Ronin was left in charge of gathering important and detailed intel rted to their next destination.


    Meanwhile, Kahn was focused on the matters rted to the fiefdom regarding management, public order and economy. There were many things that needed his attention and if he wanted to keep the people pleased with his rules¡­ neglecting his main job as the Sovereign was out of options.


    But during this week, a rumor spread across the two hundred million people that lived in Vessen fiefdom.


    That their Sovereign¡­ Kahn Salvatore was risking his life and hunting for the legendary rank monsters in the deepest parts of the Six hotspots of the monster tide while his Covenant Army took the charge of protecting the borders to safeguard both normal citizens as well as the soldiers who served in the military.


    His act of bravery had garnered a lot of attention because soon, many recordings of Kahn and his forces traveling with warships and flying ships to the rumored regions were spread across the popce, cementing the rumors as the truth in their minds.


    While it seemed like some sort of scandal¡­ in reality, it was Kahn and the Seven Deadly Sins organization that controlled the underworld spreading the news among the masses.


    And the reason being that he wanted to have the public support till the point they''d be brainwashed into thinking that he was untainted and even doubting him would be treated as sphemy.


    This was also a good way to raise his poprity through the entire Rakos Empire because once he became a Saint, he would be a force that everyone will have to be careful while dealing with.


    So that he will never be forced to the oppression of the three noble factions once he had got the rewards of the deal he made with the faction leader of the Pureblood faction.


    After 10 days passed¡­


    Kahn and the entourage finally departed for their next target. And that was¡­


    THE NORTH.


    ----------------


    With the entourage of the 3 million soldiers from the covenant army and his generals, Kahn arrived in Winterberg, one of the two biggest cities of the north, the biggest region of the Vessen fiefdom as well as the main headquarters of the House Stark.


    Thest time he visited this ce was when he ran the crusade against the government and military in order to overthrow them. And on that very night, the House Stark pledged their loyalty to Kahn as they were under the impression that he wanted to make the fiefdom a better ce for themon people.


    Yet this time, he officially came to this hotspot of monster tides that was filled with nothing but frost throughout its perimeter. Yet to make a living and survive¡­ 30 million citizens of the fiefdom lived in this 2000 kilometers of area.


    The species and monsters that inhabited this region werecking in terms of variety because they were mostly ice elemental creatures given the environmental conditions. But they were also the strongest of their kind because if any species could thrive in such adverse conditions¡­ they''d be obviously many times stronger than the other regions.


    After his warshipnded in the open grounds of one of the military headquarters, Kahn and his people were weed and escorted by the people in charge.


    Dozens of men donned in ck and brown armors that were covered under hides of furry monsters to protect them from the frost greeted Kahn.


    And the one to lead them was a white-haired semi-saint swordsman with a clean gray-haired beard donned in a silver armor. This was a man who was not only the figurehead of his military house but also the sole protector of this region who had been serving his mothend for three decades at this point.


    It was none other than Kahn''s trustworthy allies who was also the grandfather of Elijah and Nius.


    Commander Stark!


    [[Author : Reference Art for Commander Stark in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Under the leadership of the old man, Kahn now sat in the main headquarters of this outpost and ryed his orders to the people in charge.


    Bang!


    "Uneptable!" shoutedmander Stark as he banged his hand on the table.


    [Ah¡­ his grandsons take after him I see.] thought Kahn.


    "My lord! I can''t allow you to go inside the borders all by yourself. It''s no different than trying tomit suicide!" said the old swordsman.


    However, Kahn waved his palm and signaled to the semi-saintmander to calm down.


    "I understand your worries. However, you know thew of the jungle..." spoke Kahn as he gave an insidious smile to the old man and spoke in a grim voice.


    "The weak should fear the strong."

 Chapter 386 - Joutenheim

    As Kahn and his crew were seated on their respective chairs, the opposition to his ns by Commander Stark himself left everyone shocked. However, Kahn himself understood why the old semi-saint swordsman was against this decision. Not because he underestimated their sovereign but because he knew this border better than anyone else.


    "You don''t understand, my lord. That area is where more than 7 semi-saints have died in the past 100 years. It is extremely dangerous even for someone as strong as you.


    Even my great grandfather fell against the legendary rank monsters who ruled that region in the past. Now¡­ even I''m not certain how many of them are there." spoke themander with eyes full of worry.


    "One of the main reasons is because the terrain is disadvantageous to outsiders like us who are warm-blooded beings while all the monsters and species havepletely adapted to their environment to the point that even detecting them in the snow is too hard.


    And mostly frost storms and blizzards also make it hard for us to locate and properly attack the monsters inrge-scale battles.


    The blizzards are so strong that even a warship like you brought here can''t go deep inside. Thest time we tried¡­ half of our flying ships dropped from the sky like wingless birds.


    And the deeper you go.. The stronger and deadlier species you''ll face. Even fire attacks and bombs hardly help in killing them because their effectiveness and intensity are decreased because of the freezing temperature and frost in the surrounding.


    This is why I can''t see help but stand in your way, my lord." exined the veteranmander who had spent all his life in this region.


    Kahn also nodded in an understanding manner because that was indeed the whole truth as per the information they gathered.


    This was also the main reason why the North didn''t have any other semi-saint even from the three noble factions holdingmand in the past 100 years. Only people who originated from this area and wanted to protect their home had willingly assumedmand.


    So Kahn understood why the old man was being persistent to stop him.


    "What you say is right. But I''m not without any ns. Unlike before, we have something that will turn the tide of the battle in our favor. And that''s why I''m daring to venture into the deeper regions." spoke Kahn and the next moment, he took a big round bottle filled withpressed green gas.


    "This¡­ what is this?" asked the old man while the other military officers looked at the bottle with curious gazes.


    "This¡­ is our biggest ace.


    It''s a neurotoxin venom gas bomb. Regardless of the physical and elemental structure, the monster will fall against it and so will eventually die without even being able to get up." said Kahn as he finally revealed one of the products created by Armin in the past week.


    And currently, they had more than 10 thousand of these bombs in their arsenal. He had nned his move as soon as Ronin gave him the detailed reports about this border and its environmental factors.


    So Kahn fully intended to use their new weapon of mass destruction on enemies that were going to be many times stronger than all those they hunted in previous borders of the fiefdom.


    Not only will it save them the effort, but also a lot of manpower needed to fight in this region given the disadvantages they had because of the terrain.


    ----------------


    Another discussion began but Kahn finally managed to have themander and his allies toply and then only a single warship departed for the region of the north that was given a name of its own by themon people¡­


    Joutenheim!


    Thend of the Frost Giants that were considered to be descendants of primordial creatures who were on par with the Dragons and Godbeasts ording to folklore.


    And now these giants were the main rulers of thesends and even had tribes of their own that resided in the deepest parts of this 2000 kilometers snowy region.


    Anyone not from this region was an outsider for these creatures and unlike the other legendary rank monsters Kahn and his subordinates hunted down, there was an actual chain ofmand.


    However, no one had seen or found any information rted to the regional boss even after a century. So Kahn hade prepared for a long expedition.


    However, given the adverse conditions, he only came with Ronin and Jugram this time given the type of battle strategies they could use during the hunt.


    While he left Omega and Oliver who would bepletely useless here because of many reasons. Both Omega and Oliver were warm-blooded creatures while thetter was only good in aerialbat.


    Kahn himself had the Cold Body skill back from his dungeon hunting days so he had no problems here either.


    This region waspletely unsuitable for them regardless of their rank, unlike Ronin and Jugram. The former had temperature reduction skills while thetter himself was a walking pit of fire because of the bloodlines.


    Jugram and Kahn himself were currently the best choices for a frontal battle because both of them were unaffected by the frost and possessed Marauder King and Wrath of Vajra skill that enabled them to bypass 80% of the defense of the enemies and get stronger 5 times than their real strength after fighting for long respectively.


    However, spying on enemies and gathering intel was also a must so Ronin was also a core member of this team.


    ----------------


    After flying 100 kilometers deep inside and ignoring the small mobs that were nothing but Rare rank beasts at best, the warshipnded amongst tall mountains covered under snow and the three musketeers exited through the main door.


    Schwooo!


    A freezing breeze passed by as soon as they exited the warship. Just this normal breeze was enough to give a normal human being frostbite.


    "Let''s hunt some monsters good enough to act as our steed. The ones we already have will die out too quickly in these conditions.


    Also, do both of you have enough supply of those neurotoxic gas bombs?" spoke and asked Kahn.


    Both the subordinates nodded and dashed forward in the raging winds while their master disappeared from the spot.


    The trio spread in three different directions and charged towards the valley of dense woods to hunt for local monsters. Their main objective was to hunt for strong monsters they could use for transportation.


    And in the next 10 hours, all three of them searched and hunted down many beasts varying from different species.


    And after gathering them, Kahn created 3 Lord Rank white tiger-like monsters with bones sticking out of their bodies.


    However, these were the upgraded versions of the biggest predators in the 50 kilometers area and each monster was 3 meters tall. Their physical structure was perfect to travel in the mountainous region that only had waves after waves of blizzards.


    The trio traveled till night and finally used a cave for resting till the morning came.


    Given the weather here, even more sun would be barely noticeable due to the dark clouds and heavy snow but they had no other choice lest they turned into a snowman themselves.


    ----------------


    For the next 2 days, the trio kept their hunting spree and got rid of many hordes of frost and ice elemental monster hordes and Kahn added more than 3 thousand ice elemental monsters and variants in his Legion.


    However, they had yet to find the main dominant species of this border so three of them had no choice but to keep traveling into the deeper regions.


    And finally¡­ they saw a settlement of gigantic blue and brown creatures that seemed to be the ones inhabiting this part of the borders. Each member being at least 5 meters tall and 3 meters broad.


    The Frost Giants!


    Kahn finally found the rumored frost giants, the rulers of this region. Although these were nothing but Rare rank members at best, still the sheer number of these creatures wasn''t something to be taken lightly of.


    Under Kahn''s orders, Ronin secretly infiltrated inside the settlement that spanned for 10 kilometers in radius and returned after an hour.


    "Master¡­ this is just an outpost. Only 2 thousand frost giants are acting as the guards.


    However, each one is big enough to kill 20 people on their own." spoke Ronin.


    "I see. Let''s not give them a chance then. I''ll go and get rid of their rm systems chain ofmand. You two handle the rest." spoke Kahn and he opened a void crack.


    This was his sure shot method of keeping the attack silent and getting rid of whoever was the strongest in this outpost.


    But they still needed to get rid of the normal foot soldiers and add them to his collection forter uses.


    So he left using the true dimension and now, only the two high lord subordinates were left.


    However, only one of them was fit for fighting in arge-scale battle.


    "Jugram.. I know you have been holding back a lot since you evolved. This is about time you get angry." spoke Ronin to the Hell Berserker general.


    "That''s my secret, Ronin..." replied Jugram and looked at the horde of the Frost Giants patrolling the region.


    BOOM!!


    The next second, a massive burst of fire suddenly lit up the surroundings and at the center of this explosion.. Stood a gigantic 8 meter tall demonic creature whose scarlet red aura filled the open grounds and even the frost giant a few hundred meters away felt like they met their natural enemy.


    Jugram, who turned into his real Chaos Demon form spoke in a grim and murderous voice.


    "I''m always angry."

 Chapter 387 - Hell Berserker

    A gigantic eight meter tall figure of a ck and red demonic creature whose entire body was filled with horn-like spikes let it be his shoulders or forearms, were looked like boney armor. At the center of its chest was a red glow as if a scarlet red me was lit inside.


    The burning red eyes and the two giant horns along with the human face made this demonic being look even more terrifying.


    And due to the murderous red aura that pressured the dozens of blue and brown frost giants that sized around 5 meters in height each¡­ it was no different than an open challenge.


    "You really don''t need those venom bombs?" asked Ronin who was still in his human form and stood beside 10 meters on Jugram''s left.


    "That''s not my style. You can do it your way¡­ I will get rid of these myself." replied Jugram in his true form.


    ROAR!!


    Just then, one of the frost giants roared and informed the others in the 1 kilometer vicinity about this new zing intruder.


    Thud! Thud!


    The group of massive and burly frost giants marched towards the intruder as they felt confident in their numbers.


    But instead of feeling threatened or worried in the slightest, Jugram closed his eyes and calmly waited for the approaching horde of enemies.


    He was now level 156 and his stats were many times higher than when Kahn evolved him.


    At this moment, he activated his most offensive skills one by one and multicolored auras and bursts of energies came out of his body.


    First, he activated Frenzy Berserker, a SS Rank ability that allowed him to enter a frenzied state for 20 minutes during which, his strength and defense will be raised by 200% while the attack damage will increase by 300%.


    Secondly, he activated the Rage Demon, which was also an innate SS Rank ability that allowed let him to enter a Spartan Rage mode where the total attack and output damage of all of his physical and magical skills will be multiplied by 400% for 5 minutes.


    Next, he activated the Inferno Domain skill, another SS Rank active skill where he could create a 750 meter domain filled with Hellfire and magma. Inside this domain, all the enemies would have their strength and defense reduced by 60%.


    The fourth skill being the Blood Storm, an S Rank passive ability because of which Jugram can drain out the blood from dead beings during a battle and use it as a high-pressure blood storm for 400 meters.


    This was no different than having a battlefield where even the winds worked in his favor.


    Jugram has had the bloodline-specific ability called the Chaos Lord; a SSS Rank passive ability that greatly aided him in a battle.


    Because the more enemies he killed and their blood is absorbed by him in 1 kilometer radius, the more strength, defense and attack buff will be gained by the Hell Berserker.


    Andstly, there were two more skills that were imparted to him by Kahn after he gained these two cheat code abilities by absorbing and merging them from the body of Commander Asw after he killed the bearkin in People''s Court.


    Marauder King, a SSS Rank active skill that allowed the user to ignore 80% of the enemy''s defense and any magical barrier created using spells, formation or an artifact while using a greatsword, giantsword or a battleaxe weapon.


    The second one was none other than the Wrath of Vajra, another SSS Rank passive skill that allowed the user to constantly receive a 10% buff in attack strength and skills damage output with every hundred enemies killed.


    The total buff received could also be stacked as the battle progressed and collective damage output can rise to 500% at maximum.


    ----------------


    After having all his OP and unbelievably terrifying skillse under effect, Jugram finally opened his eyes and smirked at the group of giants.


    Jugram was now 9 times stronger than his usual human form. Enough to even fight a beginner level Legendary Rank monster on his own.


    Amongst all of Kahn''s subordinates¡­ in terms of raw brute strength, Jugram was unparalleled when it came to attack and damage output buff abilities and only Rudra was above him because of the levels and rank. If not for the Hero of Darkness title and Berserk God Mode¡­ even Kahn fell short in front of the Hell Berserker who was also a variant of True Demon bloodline called as¡­


    The Chaos Demon.


    Shortly, Jugram''s inferno domain spread from the ground to 100 meters high in the air,pletely surrounding more than 200 frost giants and isted the whole vicinity of 1 kilometer radius in just a matter of seconds.


    But before these giants could grasp the situation, the ground cracked and thousands of crevices suddenly shook the surroundings.


    The snowy grounds were now filled with fire and magma that erupted out of the crevices and shattered ground.


    In just a dozen seconds, Jugram had turned the entire battlefield to his favor and taken out the terrain advantage of the frost giants while reducing all of their stats and skill effects by 60% at that.


    This was one of the main reasons why Kahn always thought of Jugram as a Demon Lord in the making.


    Because even power of love and friendship won''t be helpful against this final endgame boss unless they had someone ten times stronger than Jugram. And now¡­ the usually calm-looking general was finally getting his overdue battle.


    RAWR!!


    The next second, the first frost giant among the enemy group that was big enough to stomp on 3 men at once with its single foot leaped 2 meters high in the air and joined its fists tounch a devastating attack.


    From its left, another giant sprinted forward to attack and catch the enemy off guard.


    Two ice elemental giants joined arms and attacked an inferno elemental demon.


    At this moment, Jugram spoke in an excited tone as if he yearned for this exact moment for years. His grim and ecstatic voice filled the battlefield as he asked¡­


    "Do you want to dance?"

 Chapter 388 - The Chaos Demon

    In front of the hell berserker general, were 30 hostile frost giants charging towards him to end the life of the intruder who suddenly appeared in their territory.


    BOOM!!


    An ear-deafening noise along with a burst of shockwave suddenly filled the 100 meter radius as three massive bodies collided. The aftershock of their sh sent tremors in the ground.


    However, all the approaching frost giants suddenly stopped in their steps as soon as they saw the aftermath of the impact. Their bright blue eyes were filled with horror and their instinct told him to back off if they wanted to live.


    STAB!!


    CRACK!!


    As the snow revealed the results of the first sh¡­ the demonic figure lifting a frost giant by grabbing its head with its left hand and stabbing right through the heart of the other giant with his right hand came to be.


    Crush!


    Jugram crushed the blue heart of the frost giant on his right along with the core while his left palm squashed the skull of the enemy on the left.


    In just 3 seconds, he broke through the physical defenses of their massive bodies that were renowned for having a high degree of defensive skill. One of the main feature why frost giants were feared by the forces of the empire and the nativemanders who protected this area.


    Even a semi-saint like Commander Stark & Commander Mormont would have a hard time facing and killing a horde because of their physical defenses and ice elemental bodies that were hard to cut through.


    Thud! Thud!


    Two lifeless and massive corpses of the frost giants dropped on the ground as the steam from the snow and hellfireing out of the crevices filled the battlefield.


    However, defying their survival instincts¡­ the group decided to swarm Jugram with their sheer numbers.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The heavy footsteps of the swarming enemies echoed while their target also charged towards them.


    Bang!


    Jugram collided against the closest giant and quickly grabbed its left hand.


    Rip!


    He grabbed its head and ripped apart the hand right from the shoulder.


    WRAAAA!!


    Wailed the giant in immeasurable pain but before it could continue, Jugram grabbed its left leg with both hands and pulled it quickly.


    Dhang!


    The next giant who came to attack was attacked by Jugram as he hurled the former giant.


    Kacha!!


    The rest of the giants quickly activated their ice elemental skills and created frost armors around their bodies while some of them created dagger-like extensionsing out of their forearms.


    Swing!


    Two of them quickly jumped high and tried to pierce Jugram''s head. But as if expecting this move, he simply tilted his head before the ice pikes pierces his head and at the same moment¡­


    Bang!!


    His clenched fists punched right through their heads in just a second. But without waiting, he quickly made a high kick towards the next giant whose body was fully armored and wanted to sh against the massive chaos demon.


    Shatter!!


    Instead, a full forced kick from the berserker shattered the defensiveyer of the thick ice that even a sniper bullet wouldn''t be able to pass through.


    Blerh!!


    The giant''s body was hurled backward and it coughed ck blood.


    Swoosh!


    But without giving a chance to react, the hell berserker general made a left horizontal kick and cut off its head with this deathly strike.


    For the following minutes, Jugram took a defensive position with both his arms to guard while he let the iing attackerse at him all at once.


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!


    As soon he was surrounded, Jugram let out a burst of hellfire from the center of his chest and broke their formation.


    The Blood Storm skill and the des that were created after absorbing the blood of the fallen enemies started revolving around the berserker general and warred off the other giants who tried to attack him from a direction out of the peripheral vision.


    Jugram then quickly knee attacked one of the giants in the chest, instantly breaking its ribs and plunged his right hand inside. He ripped out its heart and grabbed the body with his left hand to throw at the giant standing behind him.


    Punch!


    Swing!


    Jugram made an uppercut swing with his left arm and broke the skull of another giant. As the remaining giants finally regained their senses, he leaped high in the air and gathered hellfire in both of his forearms.


    Bang!!


    His joint fist attacknded on a giant attacking from right and before it could even defend itself¡­ Jugram''s zing fists straight up and he crushed the head of the giant with bare fists.


    At the same moment, two giants with ice pikes on their forearms tried to stab him from both sides.


    ng!


    Jugram quickly blocked their piercing attacks with both forearms that had boney spikesing out of them as well. The following moment¡­


    Crack!!


    He kicked and broke the left shin of the giant on right. As the giant dropped on the ground, he grabbed the hand of the one on left and pulled his body towards himself; he quickly grabbed its waist with the right palm and lifted its body in momentum high in the air¡­


    BOOM!!


    The ground shook as Jugram performed a spinebuster move and mmed the second giant on the first giant whose shin he broke.


    Thud!


    But without letting the giants get up¡­ Jugram stopped on the body of thetter that was above¡­


    Crack! Crack!


    ROAR!!!


    Both the giants wailed as the pressure on their bodies became unbearable as Jugram, who never skipped leg day stomped on them.


    Shatter!!


    However, without even having a chance to struggle¡­ both the giants were crushed under the Chaos Demon''s foot and their chests were now left withrge holes in them.


    Swoosh!


    Jugram quickly ducked as a shing ice pike nearly missed his head. He quickly turned around and grabbed the neck of the giant who just tried to kill him.


    At this moment... Jugram was like Batman taking out the groups of criminals from Gotham city by himself.


    While his left hand grabbed the attacking hand of the opponent, he tightened the grip over its neck.


    And under the gazes of the other frightened giants.. He lifted this giant, who was already shorter than him, high in the air. And as his grasp tightened furthermore¡­ the giant had a horrified expression on its face as it tried to struggle and jerked its body to leave the clutches of the enemy.


    Without standing for a ceremony, Jugram''s zing red eyes met the terrified giant as he quickly mmed it in the group.


    Chokem!


    The Undertaker¡­ the Hell Berserker general mmed this giant so hard in the ground that its head was sttered on the battlefield.


    In just 3 minutes, he killed eight out of the 30 frost giants. His fast attacking speed despite that massive body waspletely unmatched by these enemies and it was like a professional wrestler fighting against a bunch of newbies.


    ROAR!!


    Jugram roared like a demon from pits of hell just arose and his death stare sent shivers in the bodies of the remaining twenty-two giants as Jugram spoke in a wrathful voice¡­


    "Death makes no exceptions.... and neither do I."

 Chapter 389 - The Demon Lord

    A one-sided massacre began in the frost giants encampment where this 1 kilometer wide outpost had suddenly be a battlefield filled with hellfire and magma as more than 200 frost giants who guarded this section of their settlement were now under the suppression of Jugram''s Inferno Domain.


    But to make matters worse, not only the user of thisrge-scale battle skill was a High Lord monster himself¡­ but there wasn''t just brute strength but also technique when he was fighting.


    At this exact moment, a frost giant was lifted high in the air from its back by the hell berserker using both his wide and strong arms.


    Crack!!


    The next second however¡­ Jugram dropped the giant on his right knee and broke its spine.


    WRAAAA!!


    The giant roared in agony, his wailing cry reaching all the other ends of the section and other frost giants who were still unaware of the intruder''s exact location heard this cry.


    Snap!!


    Jugram tore its body in half with sheer strength and threw the profusely bleeding halves on the side. After another minute passed by, he killed the only remaining giant of the group by cutting its head off with a chop attack of his left hand.


    In the following moment, his gazended on the surroundings that was now filled with corpses of the frost giants and their ck blood.


    But after thest cry of the giant he ripped open, others were alreadying his way. And he knew that this time, they''d be numbered in hundreds.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Soon, a stampede of nearly two hundred frost giants entered this section and made a battlecry to alert the others. So now, Jugram had sessfully attracted all the thousand enemies in this part.


    Their roars and challenging battlecry of hundreds of frost giants echoed in the 10 kilometer encampment even outside of the domain.


    However, in front of this massive crowd of raging giants, each one of whom needed at least 50 fighters to kill it¡­ stood a demonic creature,pletely unfazed.


    "Good. Now I don''t have to search for them one by one." spoke Jugram to himself as he actually weed the situation where he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.


    In an open battle, this small army was more than enough to kill around 50 thousand normal soldiers even if they were well equipped.


    Yet, the Chaos Demon didn''t even flinch as if he was on a vacation and didn''t mind therge numbers of the enemies.


    "Ah.. Master will be done soon. I guess it leaves me no choice but to hurry." spoke Jugram.


    The next second, he summoned a two meter giantsword that he used in his human form. However, the current Jugram in his real form was 8 meters tall and even this giantsword seemed like a toothpick in front of his enormous body.


    Dash!


    The ground shook as dozens of frost giants charged towards Jugram who seemed to be the murderer of their kin.


    From massive ice boulders to spears made of hard and dense ice were created by the frost giants as they charged towards the hell berserker.


    Jugram on the other end still had a carefree expression.


    "Let''s try this¡­" he spoke and the next moment, his scarlet red aura along with hellfire exuding from the center of his chest encapsted the ck giantsword.


    And while he was experimenting with his weapon.. The first wave of giants came 50 meters close and attacked him together.


    BOOOOMM!!


    The nearby ground shattered and before they could even reach 10 meters close to the Chaos Demon¡­ a big mushroom-shaped burst of chaotic energy erupted from the side of their target.


    Bang!


    Crack!


    Some of the giants fell back from the aftershocks of the explosion while the ones who stood closest to Jugram were flung high in the air and multiple cracks formed over their bodies.


    And finally, after the fire settled¡­ Jugram''s massive figure was revealed but in his right hand¡­ was a 6 meter tall zing giantsword that burned red with hellfire spread all over the de; suddenly raising the temperature of the entire battlefield by 10 degree celsius.


    In front of the crowd of thousand blue and brown frost giants¡­ Jugram looked like Optimus Prime ready to fight an army of Decepticons.


    And instead of sharing some monolog¡­ Jugram quickly made a shing attack towards the horde of the giants and with a single swing¡­ an enormous amount of hellfire spread across 100 meters from his position while he attacked with an AoE attack.


    And thanks to his skills, this wave of hellfire was able to bypass the physical defenses of the ice elemental giants and burned many of the approaching enemies on the spot.


    ROAARRRR!!!


    Dozens of wailing roars filled the battlefield as Jugram burned nearly 20 giants alive with a single swing.


    With Rage Demon, Chaos Lord, Marauder King and Wrath of Vajra skill in effect, Jugram was simply too powerful. Plus with the true demon bloodline¡­ he was getting stronger as time went by.


    Jugram then ran and jumped in the middle of the giants army with his newly transformed giantsword. The next moment, he started attacking and swinging his weapon will all his might and just in 10 minutes, there were more than two hundred giants lying dead on the ground.


    It was as if their natural predator hade to hunt them till everyone was dead and ripped apart...


    Arge-scale battle carried on where the chaos demon Jugram with his burning body and giantsword faced an army of a thousand frost giants by himself.


    He kicked, punched and shed open the massive bodies of the giants as he kept jumping in between their groups and also released hellfire from time to time.


    "Finally. I can have a satisfying battle." he spoke with an ted expression and carried on the one-sided massacre.


    He even threw the giantsword like a spear and impaled dozens of giants in a single attack. This was just him fighting against great numbers in a royal rumble.


    After some time, Wrath of Vajra skill has already made him 50% stronger than before. And the current Jugram was no different than a Legendary Rank monster himself.


    This battlefield now seemed akin to Hell. And Jugram was the king of this battlefield.


    ----------------


    ONE HOUR LATER¡­


    Kahn returned to this battlefield with the heads of two high lord rank giants who seemed to be the main leaders in charge of this settlement. He had covertly gotten rid of them without rming anyone.


    However, as soon as Kahn saw the center of this battlefield¡­ he waspletely taken aback and stayed rooted on the spot.


    Because at this moment¡­ The entire battlefield was filled with thousands of shredded, torn down and charred bodies of the frost giants.


    And at the center of this battlefield¡­ was a tall and massive throne made out of corpses of more than a hundred giants.


    On this throne, sat a burning hell demon with a blistering red giantsword on the side as he patiently awaited Kahn''s return.


    At this moment, Kahn realized that Jugram didn''t just have the potential¡­ rather he already was¡­


    A Demon Lord.

 Chapter 390 - Primordial Bloodline

    In front of Kahn, was a gigantic creature who was seated on a 15 meters tall enormous throne made out of the corpses of over a hundred frost giants stacked atop each other. And the demonic being with blistering red and ck body that was filled with spikes at the edges appeared like a Demon Lord overseeing a ruined battlefield after his victory.


    As for Kahn¡­ he was thoroughly impressed by Jugram''s disy of absolute badassness while looking like the main boss of the Dark Souls games that would kill you in a single strike.


    Bang!


    The ground trembled as Jugram jumped down from his throne made of giants while he plunged his burning giantsword in the ground at the same time. Kahn''s gray longcoat fluttered in the air as the shockwaves from Jugram''snding created a gust of wind.


    The Chaos Demon knelt in front of Kahn like a knight and spoke in a stern tone.


    "It has been taken care of, master." spoke the Hell Berserker general.


    Swoosh!!


    Just then, Ronin also rose from the shadows behind Kahn and spoke in a calm demeanor.


    "I''m done on my end as well, master. No other encampment would be alerted of this incident. I have also destroyed their warhorns¡­


    But there''s something I don''t understand."


    Reported the rogue general.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn as he turned his head towards Ronin.


    "For being nothing but beasts only massive in size¡­ they sure are well developed and have created an organized chain ofmand.


    It''s as if they aren''t just monster hordes but part of an established civilization themselves." said Ronin.


    "Well, that''s to be expected. There must be a leading figure in thesends who is sentient enough to control their entire species living in this region.


    But I don''t think we will find it in the outskirts. We will have to go deeper." said Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "Well anyway¡­ Good work. I guess I should reward you both." spoke Kahn and gave two blue cores of the high lord giants to Jugram and Ronin.


    Both the generals sensed the radiating highlypressed mana and auraing from the cores. Just from the faint pressure they gave off¡­ both the generals were certain that these two beasts were much stronger than both of them and that''s why even Kahn needed to properly kill them without making a fuss.


    "Eat up. Soon, I will be needing you to fight bigger numbers." said Kahn and then headed off towards the enormous throne.


    "Awaken!" hemanded and the next moment, a ck shadow spread from his feet and instantly covered all the frost giant corpses spread in the 500 meters radius.


    "But master¡­ these cores are too high leveled. Shouldn''t you be making a new subordinate?" asked Ronin out of curiosity.


    "Their bloodline is limited. And I can''t evolve them further. So that''s why I''m giving their cores to you. As for the bodies.. I''ve already absorbed their abilities." replied Kahn.


    After that, both of the generals ate the cores and Kahn carried on with creating a new batch of frost giants.


    As for the skills and abilities he got¡­ although all of them were very good, they were highly oriented towards ice elemental physical skills and passive abilities to survive in this frost region.


    At best, Kahn was now able to create ice spears and cover himself in armor made of thick ice. And the defensive skills were average at best even after he got them from two High Lord monsters.


    Becausepared to the Legendary Invimarak¡­ these skills seemed only subpar at best.


    After Kahn was done in an hour, there were now 3 high lord frost giants who were as big as Jugram. But theycked sentience unlike the general and only had limited brute strength abilities.


    Total 600 of Velka giants who were the evolved versions of these frost giants now stood in front of them.


    With this.. Kahn finally had strong ice elemental subordinates in his arsenal.


    ----------------


    Kahn and the crew hunted for a few more days while taking out the several other encampments.


    However, at best, he only found Lord Rank monsters and even after merging, they weren''tparable to generals because of the limited bloodline purity and abilities.


    But now¡­ the total number of frost giants rose to 15 thousand members and a separate battalion was created as part of the Legion.


    Yet Kahn knew that these were not even ten percent of the total poption of the frost giants in this region. So he moderately hunted only the strong ones such as hunters and soldiers amongst their ranks.


    Compared to the normal poption of the Rakos Empire¡­even females and young giants were strong enough to protect themselves.


    And finally¡­ as their trio manage to bypass many guard posts via Kahn using the void crack¡­ he finally reached a region full of mountains and thousands of high-level giants after traveling for almost a week.


    But what piqued his curiosity was that the center of this region had dozens of mountains that were spread across the center and even other frost giants didn''t dare to go there.


    However, there seemed to be an army of soldier giants who seemed to carry cart-like massive vehicles filled with meat and other vegetables grown in the wild.


    As if they were making an offering to a being they worshiped.


    Kahn then waited for the doppelgangers to absorb more spacew and once they were done, he infiltrated the inner region using the true dimension.


    But during his journey¡­ he ran out of space force because the region was simply too vast to explore.


    Kahn exited the void crack on top of a Rocky mountain.


    Crack!!


    Shatter!!


    Just then.. The thing he thought of as a mountain started moving on its own. Two hands, two legs and a head made full of rocks was suddenly revealed and the terrifying aura of this gigantic creature that seemed 1 kilometer tall suddenly pressured Kahn''s body.


    Kahn quickly jumped down and ran away from this moving monstrosity. Despite being a semi-saint¡­ he hadpletely failed to even sense the aura or world energy around this creature as if it was part of nature itself.


    Just then.. The gigantic creature spoke in a grim and archaic voice.


    "Who dares to intrude in mynds?"


    "System¡­ What the hell is this thing?" asked Kahn in bewilderment as he waspletely caught off guard.


    [The creature in front of the host is a descendant of a primordial bloodline. It''s a¡­] replied the system and Kahn was shocked to his core as soon as the system revealed its name¡­


    A TITAN!

 Chapter 391 - The Titan

    Stunned! Kahn was too stunned to speak a word after this gigantic creature suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    "Primordial as in¡­ before even Gobeasts and Dragons came to existence?" asked Kahn to the system.


    [Yes. However, the specimen in front of the host has a very low bloodline purity. Thus, it is only at the beginner Legendary Rank.


    There are other high bloodline purity Titans across Vantrea in different empires and regions.


    There were three archaic primordial creatures in the history of Vantrea. However, all of them are extinct. Only few species with small portions of their bloodlines still roam the.


    Any primordial beast with 100% bloodline purity is above the Godbeast level. In other terms¡­ it isparable to a Demi-God.] exined the system.


    Shocked! Kahn was shocked again as he saw the ginormous body of the mountain titan that was madepletely out of hard boulders and ground. Even the tall trees looked like house nts on its body.


    A flock of white birds flew across its body and the titanic monster finally stood tall with its head revealed.


    Kahn on the other end looked like a small rat in front of this legendary rank monster.


    Apletely dark brown figure with a bit of greenery across its enormous body stood tall and looked down at Kahn as its insurmountable aura suddenly leaked outside and instantly made Kahn kneel on the ground.


    [Fuck! It''s at least level 250!] thought Kahn as he estimated its strength. The titan in front of him wasparable to a legit first stage saint.


    But unlike before when he hunted the Invimarak monster¡­ Kahn hadpletely run out of space force so neither could he run away, hide or kill this legendary monster.


    War Dominance!


    Kahn quickly activated War Dominance and broke through the heavy pressure on his body. He then looked at the overbearing monster with a firm gaze.


    The next moment, the gigantic creature looked down and finally saw the invader who woke it from the peaceful slumber.


    "A human? It has been a long time since I saw one.


    How did it even get inside my territory?" said the titan to himself whose face and eyes were undetectable to Kahn.


    All Kahn saw was a giant head with no eyes or a mouth. It waspletely opposite of the types of titans he saw inside the anime during his past life who looked like naked people running around in a funny way.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter. Its end shall be the same as those intruders in the past." spoke the titan to himself.


    Kahn, who had the Knowledge of All Languages known to the War Deity blessing actually understood what the titan was speaking.


    Yet he did not try to talk or converse with it. Learning from his previous experience with the Magma Drake.. Kahn already knew that no amount of sweet talk would help him escape because he was indeed an intruder who sneaked inside itsir.


    Kahn now understood why the North needed two semi-saintmanders to handle this part of the border.


    Because not only the frost giant army was frightening. But their regional boss was so terrifying to the point that even someone like Kahn felt an immense threat to his life.


    Kahn had fought Valkyrie Brunhilde summoned by Kassandra who was as big as this monster. But the summoned deity''s aura and strength were limited because Kassandra herself was a semi-saint.


    Andpared to that¡­ this titan was also many times stronger based on the amount of world energy it exuded while standing still.


    [What the hell do I do?] asked Kahn to himself. Although he was able to stand firmly by overthrowing the pressure¡­ it was apletely different thing if a fight broke out.


    Kahn quickly started calcting his chances at the moment.


    If it was a trained fighter, the earth titan would be a 1st stage saint as well so he couldn''t afford to have a frontal sh with this monster.


    Since Rudra was already in a fooda after eating Bjormngandur, they couldn''t wake him either.


    Also, it was the time of the afternoon, so Kahn couldn''t use the Hero of Darkness title either.


    And without any reserves of Space Force left in his body at this crucial moment, he couldn''t use the Dimensional Cut skill either. He didn''t have time to create ten doppelgangers one by one and have them absorb space force for hours while the titan patiently waited for him to finish.


    The only viable skills he could use at this point were his Darkness element skills, Sword King, Dragon Strike and Marauder skill.


    But given the difference in levels and rank¡­ Kahn was only left with a dejected expression.


    Soon, he realized that unlike before¡­ they had no advantagespared to the two legendary monsters they fought prior to this one.


    ----------------


    While Kahn was running the simtion, the mountain titan who felt Kahn''s aura thwarting its own¡­ became furious because this act was no different than challenging it right inside its home.


    BOOM!!


    A massive burst of brown aura exploded and Kahn, who stood within 100 meters radius from the mountain titan was thrown away around like a ragdoll.


    Bang! Crack!


    His body shed against the giant boulders present in the terrain. But he quickly adjusted his footing and gave a deathly stare at the titan.


    "I guess I have no choice." he said and the next second¡­


    Swoosh!!


    A ck shadow exited out of his body and in just 3 seconds, the entire 3 kilometer radius of ground was covered by it.


    GRRRR!!


    WRAAAA!!


    KREEE!!


    Soon, hundreds and then thousands of tall and monstrous figures appeared out of the shadow and numerous ck creatures suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    The Legion!


    Kahn released all the 15 thousand frost giants and ice elemental monsters he had created in the past 10 days.


    These creatures were the only ones suitable to fight in this frost-filled terrain.


    However, instead of acting like an overlord with his vast numbers¡­ Kahn quickly turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction.


    ROARRR!!


    After hearing the telepathicmand through hive mind skill, all these new monsters started attacking the mountain titan.


    While the titan was swarmed by thousands of frost giants that were like ants in front of it¡­ Kahn quickly released Jugram and Ronin from his shadow.


    He then quickly informed them about the n that just hatched in his mind as the trio kept running in the opposite direction.


    "Master¡­ it might not go as you nned." spoke Ronin.


    "We have no other choice. Or we all will die." spoke Kahn.


    "I''ll follow yourmand." spoke Jugram.


    "Alright, everyone.. Let''smence the battle tactic. Code name¡­" spoke Kahn as he revealed the name of his n that just came to his mind.


    "Attack on Titan."

 Chapter 392 - Attack On Titan

    In front of the enormous body of the mountain titan, an army of 15 thousand fierce and tall creatures including dozens of different species amassed and attacked it with whatever skill they had.


    BOOM!!


    CRACK!!


    SHATTER!!


    Over two hundred meters of ground shattered to smithereens as the titan joined its massive fists and gathered world energy around them while making this devastating attack.


    St!


    Hundreds of frost giants and ice elemental monsters in the effective area of that attack skill were either obliterated or ripped apart from the dense energy that was released after the strike.


    Dozens ofrge crevices formed on the battlefield and some of the subordinates fell right in them after the ground trembled because of the shockwaves.


    While the onught was carrying on, Kahn hid behind a cliff and created a doppelganger. He handed it a space ring filled with SS Rank cores and without even having the need to speak.. He took out the peak saint''s core and through their soul connection, hemanded it topletely hide its presence.


    Then the Doppelganger quickly ced its hands on the core and started absorbing the mana and world energy to create space force.


    "Alright¡­ it''s time to act." spoke Kahn to Ronin and Jugram.


    The generals nodded in agreement and the trio spread in three different directions.


    The thousands of dead subordinatesy in the frozen mountainous valley because the titan was simply too powerful and all of its attacks basically changed theposition of the battlefield to its favor.


    Just then¡­


    BOOM!!


    A scarlet red aura was exuded and an 8 meter tall zing figure suddenly revealed its deathly and tyrannical aura.


    The titan who was busy killing hundreds of monsters with just a stomp of his feet and using different Area of Effect attack skills suddenly turned its head that had no eyes or a face to the source of his aura.


    Just now¡­ Jugram turned into his Chaos Demon form again and attracted the attention of the mountain titan towards him.


    And with the hell berserker who had many team buff skills that rose the whole legion army''s total damage output by twice, the attacking side finally had a chance to fight back.


    The swarm of monsters jumped over the body of the titan andunched their w and shing attacks but the titan wasn''t even fazed from these attacks. At best, there were small cracks on the outer surface of its body because even Jugram was like an ant in front of its ginormous body.


    While the melee and long-range attacks made by the frost giants also made no difference as if the entire body of this gigantic titan was immune to ice elemental attacks.


    And while Jugram also joined the fray and attacked the titan with his massive burning sword and hellfire¡­ even he couldn''t make a lethal strike.


    Meanwhile, the titan that was engaged in a fight against the swarm of enemies¡­ with each ground shattering attack, it kept killing hundreds of frost giants from the legion.


    And to make the matter worse, this titan could even control the rocky terrain. At many parts of the three kilometer wide battlefield, the ground level rose with its skills the titan created deep pits where Kahn''s monsters fell as they charged towards their enemy.


    Just then, two ck shadows passed right under the titan as it was busy fighting thousands of enemies.


    Soon, the two shadows passed quietly over its body from left and right side.


    Swoosh!!


    As soon as the shadow on left revealed itself, a man in a gray longcoat suddenly jumped out on the left shoulder of the titan that was at least 100 meters in width alone.


    Kahn then started amassing the darkness and lightning element on the de of lucifer and crackling noise was released from the greatsword.


    Meanwhile, Ronin used the grappling extensions ability for the first time in a year to plunge through the hard stoned body and ascend above.


    A ck and blue aura amassed over lucifer and Kahn, who stood 100 meters far, finally made a charged sword attack as he swung his de towards the head of the mountain titan.


    BOOM!!


    Dark Lightning Strike!


    Kahn finally used the Dark Lightning Strike, one of his most destructive attack skills that he could use consecutively without needing too much activation time.


    Bang!!


    An ear-deafening noise filled the battlefield and a loud cloud of dust was released from the head of the titan.


    A 10 meter long gash was opened on the head of the titan and there was a stream of blue blood leaking out.


    [So under that stone body, it''s still a living creature like every other monster.


    No wonder it needed all that food as an offering. ] thought Kahn to himself.


    And just then, Ronin who also reached towards the head and using the grappling extensions that came out of his back, swung close to the injured part.


    The following moment, a big bubble-shaped bottle filled with green liquid appeared out of his space ring.


    ng!


    He quickly threw the bottle in the middle of the injured part of the head and arge burst of green smoke appeared from the point of impact.


    Neurotoxin Venom!


    This was their new venom bomb that Armin created which was enough to kill an army of thousand soldiers in arge-scale battle based on the potency and area of effect.


    Just a while ago, Kahn imparted the Legendary Rank poison immunity to Ronin so that he could make this attack as Kahn created an opening. So the general won''t die on the spot after this preemptive attack.


    However¡­ this one attack barely made a difference and the mountain titans didn''t seem affected at all.


    "Looks like it will need a lot more of those bombs." spoke Kahn as he figured that this monster was also a legendary rank creature like Bjormngandur so it was naturally going to have some resistance against the venom. On top of it... This titan was an earth elemental being itself.


    They adapted the same strategy to attack by using their grappling extensions like the mobility gear to run around its enormous figure while the titan was in an awry to defend itself.


    Kahn on the other end disappeared from the battlefield a few times and returned to the doppelganger and created more copies after every ten minutes.


    ONE HOUR LATER.


    After 40 of such venom bomb attacks and many deep gashes on various parts of its body¡­ the titan finally slowed down while attacking as Kahn and Ronin''s attempts to eventually weaken it finally seemed to be working and the venom sessfully seeped inside the rocky body of the titan through the injuries made by Kahn.


    [[Author : Reference Art for Mountain Titan in chapterments. Check it out.]]


    Kahn then let out a content smile andmanded his generals telepathically.


    "Get ready¡­ We''re bagging this bitch!"

 Chapter 393 - Long Overdue

    An ear-deafening battle that cracked the surrounding 3 kilometers of the battlefield from to time as the ginormous mountain titan stomped on the ground to kill the swarming enemies which looked like a man trying to stomp on thousands of cockroaches.


    Meanwhile, Kahn appeared behind a tall mountain covered in snow outside of the battlefield where five of the doppelgangers were absorbing space force far away from the battlefield.


    Kahn had beening here from time to time, creating a new doppelganger after the skill cooldown ended. All the new Kahns were directly linked to his soul so there was no need for boration.


    Everyone understood the assignment and gathered as much space force they could. Because currently, Kahn was running out of options.


    After this hour-long battle and at the loss of 8 thousand frost giants.. The titan stumbled on the battlefield and finally showed the effects as its nervous system and body was now affected by the neurotoxin venom they have been attacking it with.


    [Master! It''s working. We need to make a move!] said Ronin, who was still busy hanging around the massive body of the mountain titan by using the grappling extensionsing from his body like a certain ck symbiote.


    [On it!] replied Kahn and headed towards the battlefield.


    The next moment, all the doppelgangers disappeared and a huge surge of space force ran amok Kahn''s body. The following moment, he took the peak saint''s core back into the space ring.


    [This should be enough.] thought Kahn and disappeared from the spot using Shadow Walk.


    Soon after reaching the center of the battlefield, all he saw was thousands of his legion subordinates turned into a bloody paste after getting squashed under the fist attacks and feet of this titan. And the snowy mountain range was now filled with long and deep crevices as if there was an earthquake just minutes ago.


    [Now!]manded Kahn as soon as he reached towards the shoulder of the titan.


    At this moment, Jugram who was leading the giants as the one in charge of the cavalry, sprinted towards the titan with full speed. He leaped 20 meters high in the air and made a shing attack with his burning giantsword.


    Bang!!


    Jugram used his giantsword and made a full-powered attack on the chest of the gigantic titan. An intense shockwave was released from the point of impact and the enormous figure of the titan who seemed to have lost some control over its body finally fell on the ground.


    BOOM!


    CRACK!


    A loud shockwave filled the battlefield as the titan dropped on its back. However, this shing attack done by the Chaos Demon wasn''t enough to kill the descendant of a primordial bloodline.


    But was Kahn ever a guy without a proper n?


    SHRILL!!


    Before the titan could even try to get up¡­ Ronin threw another venom bomb and the dense green smoke surrounded its entire body.


    In reality, this was nothing but another distraction.


    The next second, Kahn suddenly appeared out of the shadow of the titan and leaped high in the air. He grabbed lucifer, whose de was coated in an intangible force.


    sh!!


    And finally, he had the chance to utilize his biggest one-shot skill as he swiftly made a horizontal shing attack.


    Dimensional Cut!


    In just a second, an invisible de passed through the whole neck of the titan that was at least 100 meters in radius and before it could even sense what happened¡­


    Thud!!


    A massive head that was no different than a boulder suddenly cracked open the ground where it fell and rolled to the left after being detached from its main body.


    "Phew! Just in the nick of time." spoke Kahn as he finally managed to kill the mountain titan right when it didn''t expect it.


    If not for the Neurotoxin Venom bombs¡­ the titan would''ve killed Kahn even if he released all of his 300 thousand subordinates who wouldn''t be able to put the slightest resistance against this creature.


    Without the ess to the dimensional void.. Kahn was basically a headless chicken ready to be served on a tter.


    But thanks to his sharp mind... Their battle strategy greatly affected the titan and slowed it down to the point where the legendary rank monster didn''t even have the time to react or use its aura to stop Kahn from attacking it with the dimensional cut skill.


    A river-like stream of blue blood ran across its neck and the gigantic creature was finally taken care of.


    Kahn let out a long sigh of relief as his entire body was covered in sweat from this long battle.


    But for some reason¡­ Kahn had an ominous feeling as the mana and world energy exuded by the titan still hadn''t subsided.


    ROWRAAAA!!


    [Fuck! The head wasn''t its weakness!] cursed Kahn as he realized that he just wasted his only perfect finisher move on a ce that wasn''t the best way to actually kill the titan.


    This monster''s head was more like an extension and not the real brain or the core of the creature.


    A horse roar was released from the headless titan. But rather than giving it a chance, Kahn didn''t waste a single moment and activated a particr skill for the first in a battle.


    SWOOMM!!


    Dimensional Domain!


    Kahn used this domain skill with the leftover space force he had and a dark domain suddenly encapsted the 200 meters radius over the torso of the titan.


    The next second, the creature felt like its body had lost half of its strength.


    Suddenly, 60% physical stats of this titan were reduced under this domain and Kahn had marauder skill ready to bypass the remaining defenses.


    He let go of Lucifer and soon¡­ a 250 meters tall greatsword made with 6 different elements including the darkness element came to be.


    Dragon Strike!


    BOOOOM!!


    A gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud of dust arose after the explosion from Kahn''s biggest killer movended on the chest of the already weakened titan.


    Thud!


    Kahn suddenly dropped on his knees and started panting heavily. Just now, he had used all of the little space force that was left and his most devastating strike attack that consumed half of his mana and strength in a single go.


    And as the dust finally settled¡­ the body mountain titany on the battleground without moving in the slightest. In the center of its torso¡­ was a massive glowing brown core exactly where his Dragon Strike hit the enemy.


    Kahn''s profusely sweating figure sat on the rocky body of the titan and he spoke in an exhausted voice¡­


    "Too close! That was too fucking close!"


    He cursed himself for acting too brazenly and wasting his Dimensional Cut skill without finding its weakest point first. He foolishly assumed that taking out the head will do the job like always.


    But this wasn''t a titan from earth but a creature of Vantrea.


    Yet luckily¡­ he still made it at thest moment by taking away all its physical advantages thanks to the dimensional domain skill and marauder skill when he used dragon strike tond the final blow.


    Kahn then put his hands on the ginormous corpse and activated the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    After a full 5 hours¡­ he was finally done. But instead of trying to read through the notifications sent by the system¡­


    The next moment however, arge shadow left Kahn''s body.


    Thud!!


    A 13 meter tall humanoid creature with tworge horns on its head, holding a battleaxe and a giant shield jumped out of his shadow.


    Kahn then spoke in a content voice.


    "It''s about time for you to rank up¡­"


    He looked at this general and said its name¡­


    "ckwall."

 Chapter 394 - Totally Overwhelmed

    On Kahn''s left side¡­ stood the Guardian Knight subordinate who was still only at Lord Rank general despite having been created nearly a year ago. It wasn''t that Kahn had been intentionally neglecting this subordinate but rather, he never had a proper specimen to merge with this general who was a variant minotaur.


    But right after Kahn managed to kill this titan¡­ the first thought that came into his mind was ranking up ckwall.


    Not out of pity but because among all of the generals, ckwall was the most suitable subordinate to be mixed with this decedent of the primordial bloodline. And unlike others, he also didn''t have any particr element attached to his body either.


    Omega was a Magic Swordsman proficient in lightning element and quick attacks. Ronin was an Assassin well versed in using poison and toxin-rted skills since he was merged with a dungeon boss with the same skills.


    Oliver was an Emerald Archer who had the variant Garuda bloodline and the sky was his domain. Jugram was a Hell Berserker general with the variant True Demon bloodline called the Chaos Demon; having fire as his main element.


    Armin was a Healer and an Alchemist after merging with Grandmaster Leshen aka Prithvi Aranya. Because of this, the Wood element became his main forte after the upgrade.


    Ceril on the other end was an Undead with Darkness element. He shared the same darkness element and dark magic skills simr to Kahn after merging with an Undead Lich.


    As for Rudra¡­ he now had the Magma element associated with him after he sessfully absorbed the body and the bloodline of the magma drake.


    All of the generals and the first two subordinates were specialized in a profession and an element of their own.


    However, only the Guardian Knight subordinate was left behind after he was merged with a Minotaur dungeon boss and never had a chance to be useful in a battle because he couldn''t take a human form due to the rank limitations. He needed to at least be a High Lord and past level 100 for it.


    As of now, ckwall himself was level 148 but he never got the upgrade he needed to be useful to his master.


    And now¡­ the judgment day had finally arrived.


    "Master¡­ I might sound selfish but please leave its core to me." spoke ckwall as he knelt on his left knee and asked in a pleading tone.


    "Alright. I already have a first-stage saint''s core. So there''s no need for me to use it when I''m ready to break through to saint rank. Besides¡­ it''s too big for me to eat anyway." spoke Kahn as he understood what ckwall meant.


    Because when merged with aplete body along with the core of a monster, there was a 100% chance for the resultant to be even a stronger version than without the core during the Synthesis procedure.


    Without giving it a second thought, Kahn gave hismand.


    "Merge!"


    [The synthesis divine ability requires 50 thousand SS Rank mana cores and ores to make up for the difference between stats and rank since the subordinate named ckwall is only a Lord Rank being.] suddenly, the system alerted.


    "Ah, I remember this. It also happened when I upgraded Omega to a lord rank Lycan." said Kahn.


    In the past, even a thousand SS Rank mana cores were a big deal when he ran the Bloodbornepany in the capital Rathna. But now¡­ even a million of these cores were no different than pocket change for Kahn.


    "Take it." spoke Kahn and suddenly, the required resources disappeared from his space ring.


    The following moment, both ckwall and the corpse of the Mountain Titan were covered in a ck shadow which then started coalescing together. Thus, the Synthesis Divine Ability bing active again.


    Although Kahn lost nearly 10 thousand Velkas, the upgraded version of the frost giants along with the high-rank mana cores and ores used to create them¡­ there was no sense of regret on his face. Becausepared to the huge benefits he received, it was nothing but¡­


    A small price to pay for salvation.


    Meanwhile¡­ Kahnmanded the system to give him the details on the newly acquired abilities.


    "System, report."


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Titan Physique (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to turn the entire body to that of a titan. In this state, the host has an imprable physique that is immune to elemental physical attacks and magic spells except for the Darkness and Lightning element.


    Skill Activation Time : 10 minutes.


    Note : The current body and rank of the host are unsuitable for using this skill. The host must be a Saint Rank being first for it toe under effect.


    ----------------


    Titan Transformation (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to increase the entire body''s size by 30 times during a fight. The higher ranked the host bes, the more size increase can be achieved.


    The host can create an Earth Elemental titan body as of now. To add more elements to the transformation, the host must absorb other titans with different elements and their bloodlines.


    Skill Activation Time : 30 minutes.


    Note : Host will be put in a weakened state for 10 days after this skill is used.


    ----------------


    elerated Regeneration (SS Rank) (Passive) :


    Provides the host with a constant health regenerative physique and vigor.


    ----------------


    Elemental Durability (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Grants 40% additional defense against all physical and magical elemental attacks done to the host.


    Note : The amount is dependent on the host''s Defense Stats.


    ----------------


    Titan''s Rage (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to enter a frenzied state where Strength is raised by 4 times and defense by 3 times.


    Note : This ability can be used only after activating the Titan Transformation skill first.


    The host''s current rank and body is unsuitable to use this skill.


    ----------------


    Earth Sense (SS Rank) (Passive) :


    Grants an enhanced awareness to the host and allows to sense everything made of the earth element in a 5 kilometers radius.


    ----------------


    Mineral Control (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to control minerals in the surrounding using a telekic force.


    ----------------


    Transmute Minerals (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to mix different minerals and perfectly merge them without leaving any impurities.


    ----------------


    Terrain Maniption (SS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host topletely control the surrounding ground and stones regardless of their size in a 5 kilometers radius.


    ----------------


    Titan Descent (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to jump down from a height and cause earthquakes, tremors and crevices in 1 kilometer radius.


    Note : The range of this ability will increase with the rise in ranks and titan bloodline absorbed.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Primordial Titan


    Current bloodline purity : 20%


    This titan does not have any magical skills. Only Earth Elemental affinity & abilities.


    The host is advised to find and absorb more specimens of this primordial bloodline.] reported the system in one go.


    Gobsmacked! bbergasted!


    Kahn was frozen on the spot after reading through all the new skills. His eyes almost dropped out of the sockets and Kahn shouted in a loud voice full of disbelief¡­


    "Brooooooo!! This is too much!"

 Chapter 395 - Worth Waiting

    Stunned, mortified, petrified, shocked, bewildered, bbergasted, bamboozled, dumbfounded, overwhelmed¡­. Even all these words couldn''tpletely describe what Kahn felt at this moment right after he was done hearing the entire list of abilities & skills he got from this mountain titan who was supposedly someone with low bloodline purity.


    And the obvious reason being¡­. All these skills were simply too overpowered. And this was the first time for Kahn to ever receive 4 SSS Rank abilities from a single monster.


    But Kahn knew very well that the immense potential all these skills had after he broke through the Saint Rank was definitely going to be utilized and then¡­ they''d be even more powerful and overpowered than they already were.


    Now, he started recounting them one by one andpletely grasp the usefulness of these abilities.


    Titan Physique was just like the name implied¡­ an ability that made him no different than a titan. Not the novels and manga versions but like real titans from the ancient mythologies on earth.


    And this physique was impervious to all the physical attacks and magical spells. Other than Darkness & Lightning¡­ the only two elements the mountain titan was weak against during the battle.. This body was imprable to all of the elements.


    For Kahn, Darkness was already his element which he waspletely immune against so unless he faced an opponent who was specialized in lightning element¡­ he would be an undying enemy while using this skill.


    And this was just the beginner level of this skill because Kahn only absorbed the ability from an earth elemental creature. Things will turn different if he absorbed more titans with higher bloodline purity and different elemental affinities.


    Although he couldn''t use it for now¡­ the terrifying skill was already too mind-blowing.


    Titan Transformation was something he never expected to gain from this mountain titan either. Because it was a species-rted thing¡­ but the Ability Absorption divine abilitypletely showed its superiority and extracted this ability too.


    Because this ability would turn him into a powerhouse in arge-scale battle if he yed his cards right. And on top of it.. The number of times he could raise his size would also increase with his rise in ranks. So in a way, this one was already a saint rank skill.


    The amount of destruction Kahn could do in his Titan form would be too big.


    elerated Regeneration was an ability he needed the most because he only had an A Rank regeneration skill even now and this SS Rank passive ability would help him survive in a long and arduous battle for certain.


    Elemental Durability¡­ unlike the Titan Physique, this wasn''t an active skill and neither did it make himpletely invulnerable to elemental attacks. But it provided him with the best damage reduction abilities he could ever ask for.


    Because it was directly dependent on his Defense stats and would provide an additional 40% defense against any elemental physical and magical attack.


    So as Kahn rose in Ranks and Levels in the future¡­ his Defense stat would also naturally rise and he will always get the additional 40% defense in a battle regardless of whatever element they used to attack him.


    Soon, this 40% would amount to a big number that would make any being belonging to Tank or Pdin profession in the world jealous of him.


    Titan''s Rage¡­ Although it needed Titan Transformation to be active first, the ability he could use even without bing a saint first.. This ability was only second to Kahn''s Berserk God Mode blessing which raised all his physical stats by 5 times and was gifted to him by a Demi-God and also the War Deity Kravel himself¡­ Titan''s Rage raised his Strength and Defense by four and three times respectively.


    This was something that would definitely turn the tide of the battle when fighting against enemies many times stronger than him.


    So Kahn could only wait till he became a saint and disyed the badassness of this amazing skill.


    Earth Sense, an innate ability of the mountain titan was extremely useful when exploring unknown ces or maybe even infiltrating somewhere such as ancient ruins.


    Because Kahn could only sense his surroundings based on the mana and world energy spread across the environment. But he had no skills that acted as his Radar System when he was in an unknown terrain or a settlement whoseyout he didn''t know.


    This ability could even find him ancient treasures buried deep inside the ground.


    And although it was only a SS Rank skill, the range was already 5 kilometers of radius. This was nearly twice than Kahn could sense normally even after his recent level upgrades.


    Mineral Control and Mineral Transmute¡­ every bonafide cksmith would kill for these two skills.


    Because although they had limited use in a battle and needed terrain advantage¡­ for someone who worked in cksmithing where they needed to work on metals, minerals and ores¡­ these two abilities were no different than divine abilities themselves.


    Only someone with a proper eye could see their usefulness and Kahn who wanted to learn cksmithing in the future found these skills extremely pleasant in his mind.


    Terrain Maniption & Titan Descent were exactly the two abilities that the Mountain Titan used while decimating his army of 15 thousand frost giants and monsters and now, only 5 thousand of them were left alive.


    Kahn already knew how devastating these two skills were and if not for his own cheat codes and hacks of abilities like Marauder Skill, Dragon Strike and Dimensional Domain¡­ he wouldn''t have been able to kill this descendant of the primordial bloodline.


    And given the greedy and selfish guy Kahn was¡­ this was just an introduction to theter chapters of his life as he too wanted to hunt for more titans after reaping the awards.


    At this moment, he came to realize that although he probably took the most time among all other Heroes who received the support from their respective empires¡­ no way would any of them have these many abilities that would grow stronger with time like his case.


    He wasn''t even trying to flex his superiority but he was well aware of the truth.


    "Why am I so great, handsome, filthy rich, strong and badass?" asked Kahn to himself as he was overwhelmed by his own awesomeness.


    But just then, the system notified him about the results of the synthesis and Kahn was frozen on the spot again and his jaw hit the ground.


    [Congrattions to the host. The subordinate named ckwall has ranked up.] replied the system and spoke again..


    [Rank : Legendary.]

 Chapter 396 - Legendary Rank

    A FEW MINUTES AGO.


    Both Ronin and Jugram looked at each other with squinted eyes and constricted faces as their master was acting all humble and modest while exuding peak shamelessness at the same time as he praised himself.


    "System, revive all the dead legion members. Take as many cores as you need." said Kahn.


    Although it would cost him a few hundred thousand SS Rank cores to revive all the ten thousand frost giants and ice elemental monsters of his army¡­ he just couldn''t let them go to waste because their use in such snowy terrain was irreceable.


    But Kahn was frozen on the spot again as soon as the system notified him.


    [Congrattions to the host. The subordinate named ckwall has ranked up.] replied the system and spoke again..


    [Rank : Legendary.]


    As if all those SSS Rank abilities were not enough¡­ the system dropped another bomb on him.


    Because at best, Kahn expected ckwall to be a High Lord, albeit a strong one.


    Since the level difference between the mountain titan and the guardian knight subordinate was more than 100 levels along with ckwall being only a Lord rank monster to begin with, Kahn hadn''t really expected to receive this result.


    "System, how did this happen?" asked Kahn with a puzzled expression.


    [Because the host used both the body and the core of this legendary rank monster.


    Also, the titan bloodline is extremely strongpared to Godbeasts even if the purity is less. Thus, the subordinate ckwall sessfully ranked up twice during the synthesis procedure and met the requirements to breakthrough to the Legendary rank.] exined the system.


    It was like they checked all the correct boxes during the test and hence the results came out favorable.


    Booom!!


    Crack!!


    The nearby ground in the 100 meter radius cracked and shattered as soon as the ck shadow disappeared and suddenly, a ginormous figure of a gigantic monster suddenly jumped out of it.


    Shatter!!


    Even Kahn and the two generals nearly fell on the ground as the now ranked up ckwall''s massive bodynded on the ground.


    ckwall went from the weakest of the generals to be the first subordinate to cross legendary rank amongst all of them.


    And now¡­ a ginormous figure of a 500 meter tall humanoid figure, whose outer body seemed to be made of hard and ck metallic mineral.


    Kahn, Ronin, Jugram and rest of the legion members looked like small rats in front of the now upgraded ckwall.


    Under this armor-like body that covered his entire torso, shoulders, arms, thighs and everything below the knees¡­ was stone-like skin as if it was made from the hard rocks.


    The shoulders and the back had these ck armor-like spikesing out of them that acted like spears that would easily impale an opponent if they tried to physically touch him.


    It was as if his entire body was now made from some sort of mineral that was even harder than mythril.


    And unlike the mountain titan¡­ ckwall retained his old facial structure which had now turned extremely domineering and fierce.


    His two ck horns had turned a hundred times bigger and his glimmering yellow eyes without an iris made him look like a dangerous and terrifying monster.


    Although ckwall was half the size of the mountain titan.. Kahn could detect that he was actually even stronger than the fallen monster based on his aura and the density of the mana as well as world energy around him.


    The armor-like outeryer of the skin glowed purple as if it consisted of some glowing jades from ce to ce and before Kahn or the other generals could speak¡­


    ckwall suddenly bowed and plunged his left hand right inside the ground.


    A dense dark brown aura was released from his that froze everyone including Kahn on the spot and the next moment¡­


    Crack!!


    Crack!!


    The ground suddenly started cracking and hundreds of deep crevices formed in a second. But what shook them most was the following moment.


    Thud!!


    A loud thud that sent a strong shockwave in the 1 kilometer radius filled the surroundings and as soon as their gaze settled again¡­


    A gigantic 400 meters tall giantsword made out of the same mineral-like substance which had covered ckwall''s new body came to be.


    The guarding knight used his new innate skills such as mineral control and mineral transmute to create this gigantic sword that was even bigger than Kahn''s Dragon Strike.


    Kahn and the generals, who stood 200 meters away from this monstrosity had their eyes popped out as they saw this natural disaster standing tall as if it was the overlord of this whole region.


    "Based on this aura¡­ he''s above Level 250. And given the size¡­ he''s already bigger and stronger than Rudra." spoke Kahn with an aghast expression.


    Because if he was right¡­ ckwall not only inherited all the abilities of the mountain titan¡­ but he also had all the abilities of the Sega-Minotoris¡­ a variant of the minotaur species.


    "Sys.. System. Give me all his stats and abilities." ordered Kahn as he looked at the new general who now even surpassed the mythical rank basilisk that was actually Kahn''s biggest trump card.


    [Following are the Stats, Abilities and Skills of the subordinate named ckwall :


    Name : ckwall


    Species : Kronos (Variant Titan)


    Job : Abyss Knight (Ancient Rank)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 263


    Strength : 26007


    Agility : 18864


    Dexterity : 15027


    Defense : 34082


    Mana : 19529


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Primordial Titan


    Current Bloodline purity : 32%


    ----------------


    Skills & Abilities :


    Titan Physique (SSS Rank)


    Elemental Durability (SSS Rank)


    Titan''s Rage (SSS Rank)


    Marauder King (SSS Rank)


    Wrath of Vajra (SSS Rank)


    Terrain Maniption (SSS Rank)


    Titan Descent (SSS Rank)


    elerated Regeneration (SS Rank)


    Earth Sense (SS Rank)


    Mineral Control (SS Rank)


    Transmute Minerals (SS Rank)


    Note : Since the subordinate is a creature with the bloodline, some innate abilities have automatically ranked up.


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded abilities that the subordinate previously had :


    Battle Roar (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to stun anyone present in a 2 kilometer radius except the host & fellow subordinates for 120 seconds.


    ----------------


    Defense Amplifier (SS Rank) (Active) :


    The longer the subordinate defends against an enemy, the more defense will increase in a set amount of time.


    The subordinates can also grant twice the defense to all the subordinates in a 3 kilometers radius.


    ----------------


    Health Reserve (SS Rank) (Passive) :


    When health is closer to depletion, allows the subordinate to instantly recover 60% of maximum health.] reported the system.


    Kahn spoke as he and the others were still rooted on the spot...


    "This guy.... Is just too OP!"

 Chapter 397 - Sin Of Pride

    In front of the massive titan was an army of the legion subordinates as well as his master and the fellow generals. However, the aura ckwall emitted was leagues above evenpared to everyone present in this frosted mountain range.


    Kahn, Ronin and Jugram could only gulp down their own saliva in shock after they sensed the insurmountable presence and strength from the now evolved subordinate who now dwarfed all of them together.


    His half kilometer heighted body was even bigger than the castle they all currently lived in. As for the towering giantsword he created out of the minerals buried in the ground, was big enough to kill a thousand people with just a single swing.


    Kahn on the other hand was speechless again as his eyebrows twitched in irritation.


    Too powerful! ckwall was shamelessly too powerful!


    As if getting all the abilities of the mountain titan which made him incredibly hard to kill wasn''t enough¡­ he had all the Guardian Knight skills of the past. Also, Kahn had already given him Marauder King & Wrath of Vajra skill long ago. So in simple words, he was now looking at walking natural cmity.


    And on top of it¡­ he had unlocked an Ancient Rank ss called the Abyss Knight.


    Kahn only knew of Kassandra Mikealson, the Raven Sorceress who also had the ancient rank ss called the Deity Summoner. And he knew how terrifying she was as an opponent.


    Also, this evolution even exceeded Armin who had the legendary rank profession amongst all his generals.


    "System, what does the Abyss Knight ancient rank job offer?" asked Kahn to the system in a curious tone.


    [When the subordinate named ckwall is on thest 1% of his HP, he will receive a 5 times boost in strength and defense for 1 hour. And the Abyss Knight can absorb the bodies of all the deceased beings in a 5 kilometers radius, using their corpses and cores to regenerate his own health quickly.


    In this state, if the abyss knight is given arge number of high ranked mana ores¡­ he will be able to instantly recover all of his physical stats while retaining the previously received buffs, boosts and effects.] reported the system.


    Facepalm! Kahn facepalmed himself.


    "Doesn''t that mean he''s a fucking immortal?!" he asked with eyes full of disbelief.


    Because that''s what the Abyss Knight ancient rank job basically meant.


    Even Armin, who had the legendary rank Pathfinder job that allowed him to heal and strengthen the souls of his allies, wasn''t so overpowered to the point he became a terrifying being like ckwall.


    In simple words¡­ ckwall was like a T-Rex on a battlefield that was already incredibly hard to kill even if you had an army of thousands. And just when you thought that you were close to killing him¡­


    He would start with the 2nd phase and his final form where he was even 5 times stronger and immune to attacks for an entire hour.


    And from the bodies of the dead¡­ he could recover his health to the max, rendering all of your previous efforts useless. An enemy that was a nightmare for everyone regardless of their strength or manpower.


    "This guy even puts those Dark Souls final bosses to shame." spoke Kahn.


    Every single ability was above S Rank, 60% were already SSS Rank that wereparable to a legit saint rank skill.


    And given his stats¡­ he wasparable to a full-fledged First stage saint fighter. Rather, killing a saint on the same level and fighting a Second stage saint on even ground won''t be a problem for him at all.


    Although Rudra was an inborn Mythical Rank monster. ckwall was the first one to naturally progress to Legendary rank. But his bloodline was even superiorpared to the former.


    And given all his abilities and skills along with the difference of levels.. Even the now evolved Rudra when he fought Bjormngandur, wouldn''t be able to win against the new ckwall.


    Because he was nearly 6 times bigger than the basilisk and even the armor-like body was something that Rudra wouldn''t be able to pierce through easily. So unless he inherited the neurotoxin venom and used his magma attacks¡­ he had a slim chance to even stay alive in a long fight.


    So basically, ckwall had the potential to surpass even the Godbeasts in the future.


    Just then, Ronin spoke loudly.


    "Hey, bull! Quickly take a human form. You''re hard to look at." he said nonchntly.


    However, ckwall''s massive face looked down on the ground and saw the rogue general who was basically as tiny as a mosquito in front of him.


    He gave a look that was filled with a sense of supremacy to Ronin and spoke¡­


    "That is Lord ckwall for you." he said as the grim and deep voice echoed in the entire 3 kilometer radius battlefield.


    Just his simple overbearing voice quaked the ground and sent shockwaves in the surroundings.


    "What the¡­ don''t we serve the same master? Doesn''t that make us equals?" asked Ronin in an irritated tone as he was looked down on by ckwall who was many times weaker than him before today.


    "You and I are equals?... Who decided that?" asked ckwall in a condescending tone as if he was looking down upon all the creations.


    [Ah¡­ that titan bloodline must have gotten in his head.] thought Kahn as he shook his head.


    Kahn noticed that there was a certain character trait developed in him just like Rudra did back in the day.


    "Shut up and take a human form!" shouted Kahn.


    As if an rm rang in his head, ckwall quickly knelt on the ground.


    SHATTER!!


    CRACK!!


    The ground trembled and their trio that stood 200 meters away from the variant titan felt their footing shaking again as the titan general knelt.


    "Yes, my lord!"plied ckwall.


    The ginormous giantsword suddenly disappeared as if it was mixed in ckwall''s body. And using the Metamorphosis Bloodline that was imparted to Omega & all the generals by Kahn a year ago¡­ ckwall''s titan body finally started bing smaller and smaller with every passing second.


    Finally after 10 minutes¡­ a 4 meter tall human with brown skin color and an endomorphic body build stood in front of the trio. A bulky man with nothing but bulging muscles and a shredded body came to be.


    At this moment¡­ even Jugram who had reverted to his human form some time ago felt like he finally had somepetition in their group.


    Two brown horns wereing out from the sides of his head that had spiky ck hair pulled backward. Long and pointed ears over the short and sharp ck beard along with the yellow eyes without an iris gave him a look of a veteran warrior who could take thousand of opponents on his own.


    On top of it¡­ there were some Archaic runes over his shoulders as if they were some sort of magic formations or seals and there was a hint of yellow glow running through those runes.


    ckwall in his human form looked like an ultimate tank who could carry the whole team in a dungeon raid by himself.


    Just then, Kahn offered him a set of epic rank magic outfit to cover himself and the Abyss Knight general finally spoke as he knelt in front of his master.


    His vehement and worshipping voice resounded in the whole region.


    "Finally¡­ I will be able to properly fight by your side again, my lord."

 Chapter 398 - The Main Reason

    Kahn looked at the kneeling knight general in front of him. At this moment, ckwall had an ted and excited expression as if his long-time wish was finally fulfilled. And unlike Rudra, he truly intended to be useful to his master in day-to-day life but couldn''t do so in the past 1 year because he hadn''t met the conditions of crossing level 100 and bing a lord rank monster.


    "Master, I don''t have proper weapons and armors for this new form of mine." spoke ckwall.


    "Don''t worry. The old man will be done making new gears for everyone from the body of the Invimarak soon.


    They will definitely be many times better than even the best of the epic rank armors and weapons you can get normally since the material is the body of a legendary monster.


    Based on its innate abilities, I''m sure all of them will be a lot resistant to magical and physical attacks.


    So you will need to only wait for some time." said Kahn as he assured the general.


    Plus they had to customize new weapons and armors for him anyway. So Albestros could make a proper gear set for him.


    "Besides¡­ Do you even need armor at this point?" asked Kahn nonchntly.


    Given the skills and innate abilities the abyss knight had¡­ this guy didn''t even need a bulletproof jacket. He was no different than Superman facing a tank. Thetter had no effect on the former.


    "He certainly needs one!" suddenly, Ronin spoke in a jolted voice.


    "Why?" asked Kahn.


    Ronin then telepathically told him the reason.


    Kahn''s eyes were wide open after the realization and he too nodded in agreement with the rogue general.


    The half-naked ckwall was too much fanservice for the thirstydies. Just having Jugram stand among them was already enough. And if they had ckwall in this getup¡­ that was like calling out unnecessary attention to their group.


    At the present moment, both Kahn and Ronin were questioning their masculinity since two of generals were 3 times bigger than them.


    Because regardless of what a woman says¡­ size does matter.


    ----------------


    Schwoaahhh!!


    3 dayster, Kahn''s warshipnded back in the main military headquarters and he held another meeting between the officers and everyone who was in charge of looking after the affairs of the border of the North.


    Even Commander Mormont was present here at this moment.


    "We have taken care of the regional boss. It was a legendary rank frost giant." spoke Kahn.


    Gasp!!


    The entire room was filled with the gasps of the officers and management officials.


    Kahn outright lied to them for his own reasons.


    "But how? Even venturing in the deeper parts of the northern border was impossible in the past hundred and fifty years.


    So how did you do it, my lord?" asked Commander Stark.


    Kahn then simply took out two potion bottles. One red and one green.


    "The red one kept our bodies warm for a longer duration and the green one contains the venom of the previous legendary monster we killed in the Hiryano region.


    Since our group contained only three people, we sessfully managed to reach the inner regions of the north.


    We didn''t even fight it. We simply poisoned the food offered by the underlings. And it took days for it to die." said Kahn.


    No way he was going to reveal his real strength or too many questionable details of their fight. Because that would raise more problems since no way a semi-saint would be able to kill a legendary rank monster that wasparable to a saint.


    After their discussion finished and they boarded their warships to depart¡­ Kahn spoke to the rogue general.


    "Ronin, after we return¡­ make sure to gather information about the history of the Vessen mountain range.


    Every regional boss we met so far is a legendary rank monster. And there are still 3 more hotspots we have to visit. We''re most likely to meet 3 more of such monsters.


    This can''t be a coincidence." he ordered.


    "I too believe that something is controlling all these monsters and that''s why they''re causing these monster tides every year for no reason." said Jugram.


    "But my lord¡­ the whole Vessen fiefdom is 8,000 kilometers wide. What can control these legendary monsters and that too from this far distance between them?" asked Ronin.


    Just then, ckwall who appeared out of Kahn''s shadow spoke.


    "This has alsoe to my mind, master. And I think we have a possible lead."


    "What is it?" asked Kahn while the other generals as well as Omega who were back together looked at him.


    "What else is 8,000 kilometers wide in this fiefdom and also epasses it?" asked ckwall rhetorically.


    Just then, Kahn and the others realized one thing¡­


    "The invisible dome that stops all the saints from entering!" all of them eximed in unison.


    "Yes. There must be a reason why it exists and the main cause behind it must have been kept secret from the past two centuries." said Kahn as he came to a realization.


    "Could it be rted to the mission they told me toplete?" asked Kahn to himself.


    Also, there was one thing bugging him till this point.


    That despite having so many monsters upying this region of the empire, the government was still sending weaker troops.. Fewer semi-saints. And yet they encouraged people to live here.


    "There is something big happening.


    There is some sort of truth that I''m not aware of." spoke Kahn.


    After returning to Aesir, Kahn entered a section of his castle where all the records and archives of the Vessen fiefdom were kept.


    He ordered Mr. Rotich, his official aide, to hire a few hundred historians within a week and allow them to ess the records.


    And finally after 6 days, nearly 300 historians and those who dealt in ancient archivese to their castle.


    The deal was simple¡­


    They get the money, the knowledge of these records. And in return, Kahn wanted them to find the records of the happenings of 200 years ago.


    To keep the matter a secret, he had all of the historians sign a blood-bind contract.


    And after 3 days.. They finally found him obscure records and gave their collective report.


    Kahn''s eyes were wiped open, full of disbelief as he read the real reason of this dome''s existence that barred every saint from entering inside the Vessen fiefdom.


    "So that''s what happened 200 years¡­ it was the previous Hero of Lightning. The one summoned after my predecessor, the 8th Hero of Darkness killed all the other Heroes." he said and his hand almost lost the grip after he read the final line¡­


    "But... He actually died in that ce!"

 Chapter 399 - Buried History

    At this moment, Kahn and all of his generals were present in a private room and after Kahn read the report provided by the most experienced and talented historians of the Vessen fiefdom¡­ not just Kahn but all of them were surprised after the revtion.


    They already knew that Kahn was a chosen representative of God of Darkness and he was given Divine Abilities which Kahn used to create and give life to them. But now¡­ another hero was added to the y.


    "Wait a minute¡­ so there was another batch of summoned heroes or he was summoned alone after the incident 300 years ago?" wondered Kahn.


    Currently, his knowledge of the other empires and the whole crusade against the Demon God was non-existent. Because unlike the rest¡­ there wasn''t a single person who knew anything about it.


    And the government as well as the top three noble factions had done a very good job making this summoned heroes thing unknown to the general poption of the empire.


    Kahn assumed that it was because of worshipping Gods or creating their churches and any monastery was prohibited because of the bloodied history of this empire due to various cults and churches once causing a bloodbath in the name of their gods and killing those who believed in the doctrines of the others.


    It was the First Emperor Rathnaar who got rid of the old roots and stopped the war and created a new empire with equality for all races and species, unlike the other empires where only one species who worshipped a particr god thought of them as superior while others were considered as heretics.


    Thus, after learning from the consequences of the past.. Rathnaar had prohibited worshipping any God or establishing an organization that spread their teachings or preached one-sided delusional beliefs.


    In the past one thousand years¡­ Rakos Empire was the one ce in the whole world of Vantrea where all species and races could live in harmony and without any prejudice.


    Although, one''s personal beliefs were always different than the society.. The imperial family had made sure that those rules were followed. And even after the Great War a hundred years ago, the new government had also decided to follow the same path.


    ----------------


    Kahn stopped the thought train and returned back to reality.


    "The report says he was at least an 8th stage saint. Even stronger than all the three faction leaders. And he was equally matched with the previous emperor who was on the same level." said Kahn as he ran through more details.


    "But then how did someone so strong like him, that even the previous emperor couldn''t kill¡­ die in the Vessen mountain range?" asked Kahn in a confused tone.


    "What killed him? And what exactly is hidden in that ce where that old vampire bastard wants me to go?" thought Kahn.


    Because the deal he made with Allister Mor Vandereich didn''t specify too many details. He was told that he''d receive the full instructions when the right time came.


    But the next moment¡­ Kahn''s eyes turned serious as he clenched his left fist tightly and spoke in a furious tone.


    "For two hundred years¡­ these fuckers including the imperial couldn''t destroy that invisible dome.


    Also¡­ it wasn''t that they couldn''t get rid of the legendary rank monsters¡­ just that they didn''t want to." he said aftering to a conclusion of his own.


    "After the three noble factions joined hands and their faction leaders banded together to kill the previous emperor¡­ the newly established government could''ve stopped this as well. But they too chose to keep things running as they were." he said in an exasperated tone.


    "Why? What exactly is in that ce that they allowed these monsters and also this invisible dome to keep on existing?


    What''s so important that they knowingly sacrificed the lives of more than a billion people in the past two hundred years by not doing anything?" questioned Kahn as his mind was running in circles and he was failing to find the real reason.


    " I guess I will have to find out everything on my own when the timees." he spoke and then signaled the generals and Omega to follow him.


    Kahn then met all the historians waiting in the throne hall and thanked all of them for finding the information despite not having many sources of information and records.


    Because they didn''t just read through the books and archives, but they pulled their own connections and gathered enough evidence about historical events¡­ not only Rakos Empire but the neighboring empires as well.


    Only then they managed to link the previous Hero of Lightning disappearing around the same time as this dome that could easily kill the other saints regardless of their ranksing into existence.


    When the night came and Kahn read through the reports again and again, trying to find a clue of his own¡­ he was hit with a sudden realization.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ all of that; all these lives lost and all that money spent¡­ for just stopping the other empires from invading that ce with their forces." said Kahn with a horrified expression on his face.


    "It''s most likely that they didn''t want the other empire to invade the Vessen mountain range. And since no saint could enter because of this invisible eight thousand kilometers wide invisible dome¡­ And all those legendary rank monsters became impossible to kill even if they sent their armies along with hundreds of saints.


    Plus the terrain disadvantage is too much for a full-scale invasion. Starting a war where their best warriors couldn''t even enter the battlefield would be outright foolish and no matter the money or resources¡­ they wouldn''t even achieve their goals." he said in a surprised tone.


    While Kahn was lost in his thoughts¡­ Ronin suddenly appeared out of the shadows in his room and shouted hurriedly.


    "Master! We''re in big trouble!!" shouted Ronin.


    "What happened? Why are you so worked up?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Ronin then quickly informed him about the grave matter at hand.


    "Master¡­ it''s¡­ it''s Kassandra Mikealson!"

 Chapter 400 - The Intruder

    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Kahn quickly ran through the castle and directly jumped down from the highest in the gap among the spiral stairways that connected all 4 floors of his gigantic castle.


    Thud!


    Kahnnded on the ground floor and charged towards the exit of the castle as if he was in running out of time.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Just then, Omega and Ronin both appeared from his sides and spoke.


    "The Warship will be ready to depart in a few minutes. Your order, master." said Omega.


    And finally after they reached towards the massive front door of the castle, Kahn saw four more of his generals waiting for him.


    "Jugram, ckwall and Armin¡­ you three with me!"manded Kahn.


    "Oliver, you leave right now and transmit me the situation when you reach there. You''re faster than our warships." he said.


    The next moment, Oliver spread his wings andunched himself high in the air, leaving a sonic boom as an aftermath in his wake.


    "Omega and Ronin¡­ prepare everything needed for establishing medical care centers and supplies to treat the wounded.


    And bring arge batch of the supplies by the morning. We will need a lot based on the number of casualties." he ordered and dashed towards the warship that was prepared by hundreds of his operators who controlled the flying ship''s department right under him.


    "rm our army and bring other warships with 2 million soldiers. This isn''t an attack we can control and keep soldiers out of. Also, bring 4 warships with full ammunition. We will have to attack the enemy with all of our firepower." he ryed his final orders to Ronin and Omega as the warship finally ascended and departed for the battle zone.


    Kahn, who stood inside the main cockpit of the warship, surrounded by ckwall, Jugram and Armin; spoke in a worried tone.


    "I hope we won''t be toote. Or it will leave a big mark on my reputation and my capabilities as the Sovereign." spoke Kahn as he remembered the emergency video transmission Ronin showed him.


    In the video sent by Kassandra Mikealson who was currently serving as the temporarymander of the Thawrak region, a border on the northeast region of the Vessen fiefdom which was also one of the six hotspots of the monster tides¡­ was a bloodied battlefield and even she looked all rmed while in the background, was a gigantic figure of a monster flying in the sky.


    "Let''s hope the damage is salvageable at least." spoke Kahn as he prepared himself for a fierce battle.


    ----------------


    At this moment, in the Thawrak region of the fiefdom¡­ was a bloodied and burning battlefield.


    The main military headquarter of this region was undergoing a battle and firing magic cannons and hundreds of flying ships that acted as the air force were fiercelyunching attacks on an enormous monster whose two wide wings spanned for 1 kilometer in width alone. While the monster itself was 300 meters tall. At this moment¡­ the outpost was under an attack by a¡­


    Legendary rank monster.


    BOOM!!


    Shoot!!


    Loud noises of magic guns and firing shots from the massive magic cannons filled the surroundings as the forested region around this border was now lit with wildfire.


    The main perpetrator of this battle was a flying monster enemy that even someone like Kassandra couldn''t fight alone.


    Unlike Kahn, she didn''t have a plethora of skills. All she could do was conjure magic formations, barriers and cast elemental spells with all her attack prowess.


    Sniff!


    Sniff!


    "I swear I will avenge you! I''ll kill this thing myself!!" shouted Kassandra while an unstoppable stream of tears ran through her eyes.


    Her furious and murderous gazended on this bird-like monster that was sending waves of wind elemental des and causing massive tornadoes after tornadoes.


    Just those wind des cut through firm trees and the normal soldiers who fought from the ground and the flying ships had their bodies cut into pieces despite being fully armored.


    Over 100 thousand soldiers had died at this point and their shredded bodies filled the 10 kilometers of the battlefield. Hundreds of burning ships after they crashed from the attacks by this legendary monster lit up the ground, eventually causing wildfire in this once luscious greennd.


    And as themanding officer in charge, Kassandra alone stood at the front while battalions of flying ships and magic cannons set on the ground attacked this creature.


    For now¡­ all they could do was to stop this legendary beast from entering the inner areas such as cities and popted regions. Otherwise, there''d be an unimaginable bloodbath where themon citizens will be the victims.


    At this exact second, Kassandra finally lost her patience and her enraged expression as if she suffered a great loss was easy to notice.


    And finally¡­ she started chanting the spell that she once used in the finale of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition when she fought Kahn.


    FOUR HOURS LATER


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    Thousands of flying ships filled with troops of soldiers flew over the region. And in front of this flying army, was a ck warship.


    The man donned in a gray longcoat with a blistering greatsword in his hand gazed at thends below.


    These were the remains of the military outpost that was nowpletely destroyed.


    There was no end to the number of dead bodies of the normal soldiers. While the survivors were screaming and wailing in agony.


    Even for someone like Kahn who had his fair share of killing¡­ this was a massacre on apletely different scale.


    One of the main reasons why he chose to hunt the legendary rank monsters on his own. Because the coteral damage and the number of lives lost were simply too much to bear.


    Just then¡­ Oliver, who was sending him reports from afar, sent another transmission.


    A video transmission of the legendary rank flying monster that was having a sh with a one kilometer tall armored deity.


    "So she''s gone that far." spoke Kahn as he let out a serious expression.


    Because at this moment¡­ Kassandra was fighting against the legendary monster by summoning the shieldmaiden deity he too once fought against. It was none other than..


    Valkyrie Brunhilde!

 Chapter 401 - Backup Force

    In the midst of the wildfire spread across the forested border where two ginormous entities shed against each other. The shockwaves released from their physical confrontation sent tremors to the ground as the rising fire lightened up the enter border region in the night.


    RUSTLE!!


    RUSTLE!!


    BANG!!


    Valkyrie Brunhilde was pushed backward for hundreds of meters after the legendary flying monster created a ginormous orb in front of its beak, made of highlypressed wind des and hit her with this elemental attack.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Hundreds of cracks formed on the silver-golden ancient rank metallic shield of the valkyrie as she was forced to bear the brunt of this legendary monster''s attack.


    And as the shield blocked this attack, hundreds of magic cannons and flying ships shot at the ginormous flying enemy who had already killed thousands of theirrades.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Kassandra who stood inside the protective barrier in the middle of Brunhilde''s tiara had an exhausted expression while more drops of blood dripped from her head and mouth.


    As soon as they were alerted of this approaching enemy five hours ago, she had been holding the fort on her own while trying to fend off against this regional boss who was supposed to reside in the inner forests of this side of the border and a few hundred miles away.


    Yet suddenly this legendary rank monster who wouldn''t even show up during the annual monster tide had decided to intrude and take the initiative for the first time in the past hundred years.


    And despite being so big, it was sessfully evading most of their cannon shots and magical spell attacks shot by the magicians boarding on the ships and those attacks that hit it only gave superficial wounds.


    To extend her summoning time and preserve her mana¡­ Kassandra had been only defending and jabbing once in a while to keep this opponent focused on her instead of flying away and attacking from a different direction.


    Nevertheless¡­ her efforts barely dyed the inevitable as hundreds of flying ships that had thousands of people on them as well as the ground troops shooting the magic cannons¡­ were falling off on the ground.


    In just five hours¡­ more than a hundred thousand soldiers who were stationed to protect this region had fallen in the war. And if not for her being able to withstand against this enemy that wasparable to a first stage saint¡­ the number of casualties would''ve multiplied by many times.


    However¡­ Everything changed in the past hour that made Kassandra get into a full-on battle frenzy and lose herposure.


    Because a kilometer behind the ginormous Brunhilde¡­ was debris of a fallen flying ship that was being rummaged by the troops of soldiers.


    And in among the debris¡­ was a red-haired swordswoman who had two rapiers on her waist. While the ground trembled from the sh of titanic figures of the shieldmaiden and the legendary rank monster¡­ this young woman also had tears in her eyes just like Kassandra.


    It was none other than Veronica Mikealson, a peak grandmaster fighter and also the cousin of the Raven Sorceress.


    "Wake up!! You can''t die!! Wake up, dammit!!" screamed Veronica as she shook the body of a silver armored knight who blonde hair.


    The reason for both Kassandra & Veronica''s tears was this young man who was only 3 years younger than both. It was someone who died from the attacks of this legendary monster while leading the squadron of the flying ships.


    "Wake up!! Or I''ll kill you myself!" shouted Veronica but the lifeless blue eyes of this young knight covered in blood gave no response.


    The one who had fallen on the battlefield just 30 minutes ago was like a little brother to Kassandra¡­


    Isaac Mikealson.


    The beginner rank grandmaster knight and the cousin of both Kassandra & Veronica.


    While Veronica had lost her sanity amidst the battle due to immense grief as she herself saw the death of her cousin who both of them grew up with¡­ Kassandra had both a saddened yet wrathful look on her countenance.


    Although she was past her limits¡­ Kassandra still fought with the best of her abilities while attacking and defending against this legendary monster.


    Because she knew that if she fell before the reinforcements arrived¡­ not just her but more than 3 million soldiers attacking and surrounding this monstrosity from different sides would soon die.


    Thus, despite her heart being in great pain; she held the front like a responsiblemander of the army.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    Kassandra coughed blood as sweat ran from her chin. All the mana storage artifacts she was using as a source to keep her summoned deity intact were on theirst straw as the gigantic 1 kilometer tall figure needed a lot of mana for this extended battle.


    Although the current situation looked like that of an impasse¡­ only she knew that it would be a matter of minutes before her summoned deity disappeared and their lives were doomed.


    "Just¡­ a¡­. little¡­ longer." spoke Kassandra with an anguished expression.


    Swoosh!!


    Buzz!!


    Suddenly, a rumbling noise filled the battlefield as the white-feathered bird-like monster had all of its world energy exuding out of its body and it started coalescing into a bright silver colored unstable tornado and the tall trees from the surrounding five hundred meters were sucked into this tornado because of the suction force.


    Flickr!


    Flickr!


    "No! Not now!" eximed Kassandra as the ginormous body of Brunhilde that was in the 1 kilometer radius of this tornado also started getting pulled towards this massive tornado that was getting bigger with each passing second.


    And finally when her supply of mana was close to depletion and the deity''s figure started flickering out of existence¡­


    The massive tornado suddenlyunched itself towards Kassandra.


    Under its immense suction force, Kassandra herself lost control over the summoned deity and both of them now seemed like they''d be shredded inside this tornado.


    However¡­


    BOOOOOM!!


    Suddenly, a massive giantsword made of five different elements appeared in between the tornado and the valkyrie and quickly hit the center of the tornado.


    As the aftershocks from this sword strike finally settled¡­ a massive ck warship suddenly hovered behind the ginormous deity.


    "You''rete." spoke Kassandra as she looked at a man in a gray military general-like longcoat who appeared at the exit door of this ck warship.


    "You''ve done well. Now leave everything to me." spoke the swordsman as his eyes met the worn-down sorceress.


    Huff!


    "You didn''t bring any reinforcements?" asked Kassandra as she took a heavy breath from exhaustion.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, a ck greatsword appeared in his right hand.


    To her battle-worn figure¡­ the man replied in a somber tone as he looked at the legendary monster ahead with a vengeful expression¡­


    "I''m the Reinforcement."

 Chapter 402 - The Distraction

    As soon as Kahn appeared at the main door of the 200 meters tall massive ck warship and his figure now appeared in front of the troops of soldiers attacking from three different sides¡­ all of them were left shocked on the spot.


    Thanks to theirmander in charge, only a hundred thousand had lost their lives but it was still a loss that had shaken them to the core. But to protect the normal citizens and their families living in the cities, all of them had let go of their fears and still contributed in every way they could.


    After Kahn and Kassandra finished their talk, he used a voice amplification artifact and announced the 2 million soldiers who had been putting their lives at risk to fight against this legendary beast in this 20 kilometers battlefield in every way they could.


    "Soldiers of the Arcklos region! I, Kahn Salvatore, your sovereign¡­ have arrived!" spoke Kahn as his loud voice resounded in through the warship and fell on the ears of all the soldiers in 5 kilometer vicinity.


    Those who have fought till this point without caring for the consequences¡­ and those who have lost theirrades¡­ all of you have my respect.


    But for now¡­ all of you should enter a defensive formation and stop your attacks. Let me do the work." he announced.


    Soon, thousands of massive flying ships that could easily wipe out a few hundred thousand enemies from the sky stopped their attacks and entered a defensive mode as a thickyer of magical protection shield appeared right in front of them.


    And now¡­ aside from Kahn and Kassandra as well as the backside of the legendary bird monster, there was a thick wall of protective barrier that was a kilometer tall in itself.


    Just then, Kahn looked at the Raven Sorceress and spoke with a serious expression.


    "Get out of here. You need rest." he spoke to the heavily injured and panting Kassandra.


    "No!! It killed our Isaac. I''m not going to stop until I kill it myself!!" replied Kassandra as she looked at the monster who was STILL attacking the shield barriers of the warships and the ground troops.


    BANG!!


    Just then, a loud noise urred and everyone''s attention shifted towards a man with two ck wings flying even higher than the legendary monster.


    Currently, all the flying ships had created a wall of magical barriers in 2 kilometers height only. But they knew that the bird could even fly higher than that.


    So to divert its attention, Oliver attacked the monster with his best explosive archery skill.


    He looked at Kahn and both of them exchanged a nod. Oliver then quickly flew to the left and started attacking with his skills again.


    Because even their flying ships couldn''t go higher than 8 Kilometers and not all of them were suitable to fight at higher altitudes given their massive figures that were at least 200 to 300 meters in height.


    So Kahn ordered Oliver, their fighter jet who was not only small in size and had thergest attack range but also the speed that surpassed even the fastest of the warships.


    "What are you doing? Are you going to let it go after so many people died?" asked Kassandra with a furious face after Kahn ordered the troops to stand on guard instead of attacking.


    "There''s no point in fighting it here. More people will die if we continue." replied Kahn as he looked at the multiple winged bird-like monster.


    Suddenly, a four meter tall hybrid human who had two long brown horns and a muscr build spoke in a deep voice.


    "And most importantly¡­ it has been only toying with all of you till this point." spoke ckwall.


    At this moment, he had hidden his rank and aura to match that of a peak grandmaster knight but still, the pressure in his voice was enough to show that he was a very strong warrior.


    The reason why Kahn hadn''t used ckwall from the get-go as soon as he arrived was because he wasn''t an idiot to reveal a legendary rank monster in front of millions of soldiers.


    "We have to provoke it and take it somewhere else." said Kahn and then looked to his left where another 4 meters tall human donned in pitch ck full body armor stood quietly.


    "Jugram. Take charge here and wait till reinforcements from the capital arrive."manded Kahn.


    "We''re changing the battlefield." he said and walked inside the warship again.


    "Wait! You have to take me with you!" eximed Kassandra while the figure of Brunhilde started dispersing into thin air.


    "You''re not in a position to fight any longer. And this monster won''t be restricted when we take it to an open battlefield. There''s barely anything you can do.


    And if I''m not wrong¡­ you won''t be able to summon your deity anytime soon either." he spoke in a threatening tone as he had no time to waste here.


    "I can still fight. I only need a couple of hours." said Kassandra and suddenly, two high-grade mana and health replenishing potions appeared in her hand. And without caring about the etiquette, she quickly gulped down both of them one by one.


    Kahn on the other end, gave a thoughtful look as he looked at the semi-saint sorceress. He had fought Kassandra at her peak so he knew how talented she was even without her ancient rank profession.


    "Fine then. Hop on a flying ship. We will lead it by the nose. You follow it from behind and keep a distance. I''ll tell you what to do when the time is right." spoke Kahn out of the blue as he changed his initial ns.


    "Do you have a n of attack?" asked Kassandra after a small hovering car-like vehicle appeared close to her and she jumped in it before Brunhildepletely disappeared.


    "I do." he replied.


    "What is it?" asked the Raven Sorceress.


    Kahn then looked at the monster from the main door of his warship that wasunching waves of skills at Oliver who attacked from the sky. He finally revealed his honest n¡­


    "Attack!"

 Chapter 403 - Plan Of Attack

    As soon as Kahn revealed his intentions, Kassandra was taken aback. Even after stating the most obvious thing that everyone already knew, the swordsman acted like his ns had some deep meaning to them.


    "What are you nning? Don''t tell me it''s simply attacking it." spoke Kassandra as she stood on a seat of the flying vehicle.


    "The sky is its domain and we''re at a disadvantage in attack range. And unlike us, it can fly even higher than our warships. So keeping it engaged in a fight is the only way for us to control the damage." replied Kahn.


    "We need to make it follow us somewhere else first. Or it will flee andeter to attack the cities when we are unprepared anyway." he said with a thoughtful expression.


    [System, what is this creature called?] asked Kahn.


    [The specimen in front of the host is called a Cdrius. A descendant species of the Godbeast Roc.] replied the system.


    [Dammit! Another descendant species! Only if I could fly¡­ I could have killed it easily.] cursed Kahn as he regretted not having any flight skill or abilities like Oliver.


    Because so far, the ck-winged general was the only one among their ranks who proved a bit usefulpared to all of them who couldn''t even confront the enemy directly because they had no flight skills or abilities.


    Even someone like ckwall, who wasparable to a legitimate first stage saint couldn''t fly because his bloodline was that of a titan and he hadn''t actually mastered World Energy to use as a medium and fly like a normal fighter ss saint.


    Just then, Oliver who had been attacking and engaging from a distance afar spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [Master¡­ There''s something odd with this monster. It doesn''t feel like it''s fighting with its full capacity. Rather, it seems like it wants to retaliate against something as if¡­


    It''s being controlled by something or someone.] said Oliver as he dodged another threatening wind de skill that could cut an entire building in half.


    [Master¡­ I too feel it. There''s some different aura that''s surrounding its body. And it''s definitely not the world energy.] responded ckwall in Kahn''s head as well.


    Kahn on the other hand was trying to think of viable ns to take out this legendary white bird monster who was strong enough to face an army of two million soldiers and still not get killed despite being surrounded from many sides.


    Even a single p of its wings was enough to cause a typhoon and many of their massive flying ships had fallen from the strong winds created by this monster.


    Using his newly acquired Lucid Reality skill wasn''t an option because the monster was higher ranked than him. Dimensional Domain, Void Crack and Dimensional Cut skill was out of options because he stood too far from this beast than his current maximum range.


    And even so, the enemy monster was flying in the air and Kahn could only travel from the ground based on his current abilities even if he were to enter the True Dimension.


    Plus the enemy itself was at least 400 meters tall. Completely out of Kahn''s attack range for Dimensional Cut skill.


    Just then¡­ an idea came into his mind and he looked at the Raven Sorceress who had finally calmed down.


    "How much time do you need to recover?" asked Kahn to Kassandra.


    "A.. A few hours." replied Kassandra with an exhausted expression.


    "Good. Recover your health and mana.


    I will need your helpter." spoke Kahn as he made ns of his own.


    "We will divert its attention. You follow us from a different warship. Just don''t get detected and keep a distance." he said and thenmanded the pilots of the warship to fly towards the gigantic legendary monster.


    And as soon as they came 500 meters close, both Kahn and ckwall decided to partake in the battle.


    ckwall quickly activated his War Battlecry skill that was now upgraded to SS Rank after his rank up. And his targeted aura instantly alerted the flying monster who was going awry because of the constant attack from Oliver.


    But since the flying general was too far and also quick to dodge, their confrontation was only in a stalemate from the past 10 minutes.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Suddenly, over a hundred 10 meter long aura greatswordsprised of five different elements appeared in front hovering warship boarded by Kahn and a few hundred covenant soldiers.


    Kahn had finally used Sword King skill in a battle.


    ng!


    His elemental greatswords flew across the strong winds and changed their directions from time to time to avoid getting repelled by the invisibleyer of wind that actually protected this monster''s body.


    Stab! Stab!


    KROOOOOOOO!!!


    The ginormous monster finally screamed for the first time since its arrival. And Kahn had quickly plunged hundreds of his greatsword across its massive body here and there.


    "How¡­ is that even possible?" asked Kassandra to herself as she was startled.


    Not just Kassandra but hundreds of thousands of soldiers belonging to different races, species and professions were also bewildered by this advancement.


    Even the overpowered magic cannon attacks only made superficial injuries so far but Kahn''s greatsword made of his pure chaotic aura suddenly bypassed the defensiveyer of the invisible barrier made of highlypressed wind.


    Little did anyone know, that there was a thinyer of space force coated over all of his aura greatswords. Although they were not as lethal as the Dimensional Cut skill, they had no trouble bypassing the protectiveyer.


    And thanks to the Marauder King skill being in effect all the time, the greatswords also neglected 80% of physical defense and directly stabbed the legendary monster.


    BOOM!!


    A shockwave was released from its body as it released a violet colored aura in the surroundings, indicating that it was finally enraged by the attacker.


    BANG!!


    But before it could react, Oliverunched a volley of 300 different elemental arrows from the sky and hit Cdrius over the widely spread left wing.


    Since they couldn''t directlye close¡­ both Oliver and Kahn used long-range skills to infuriate the monster.


    SKRRAAAAA!!


    The legendary Cdrius released an ear-deafening cry and shook the entire battlefield under its heavy pressure.


    [Master! It has broken through the aura that was controlling it.] said ckwall in Kahn''s mind.


    [Good. Now it makes the job easier for us.] said Kahn as he ryed his instructions to both Oliver and ckwall.


    For the next 10 minutes¡­ Kahn and Oliver''s attacks enraged Cdrius but it couldn''t evene close to them because of the distance and all the cannons and magic spell attacks from three directionsunched by the flying ships and the mages on them.


    "Master.. Why do you want her help? I can take down this thing myself." asked ckwall as he continued to use the taunt skill from time to time.


    "Because there''s something she can do that we can''t." spoke Kahn.


    "And the best way to kill a flying bird¡­" he said and gave a sinister smile as he revealed his true intentions¡­


    "Is to cut off its wings."

 Chapter 404 - The Cage

    As the battle between the legendary rank bird monster Cdrius and Kahn''s group continued, the aftermath of their sh shook the ground and thousands of flying ships alike. The burning trees and shattered ground in this 10 kilometer radius lit up the sky while the legendary beast kept sending typhoons after typhoons against their armies.


    Kahn & Oliver were the closest people who were able to attack and break past the defenses of this ginormous creature while ckwall actively taunted it so it didn''t run away.


    And after 30 minutes had passed, all the flying ships that previously hovered on the left side while forming a wall of the protective shield had finally cleared up a way under Kahn''s orders.


    Kahn then ordered the pilots to fly on the left and their warship departed towards the inner region of the border where this legendary rank beast actually came from.


    Kahn kept attacking the Cdrius using the Sword King skill with hundreds of his aura greatswords from time to time. And with Oliver''s perfect assist, they enraged the ginormous monster while the warship and the flying general flew across the sky at high speed.


    Soon, just as Kahn initially nned, they reached 200 kilometers far in the forested and mountainous terrain while dodging and sessfully keeping this enemy only 3 kilometers high in the air.


    And whenever it got out of ckwall''s 3 kilometer radius taunt skill range, the magic cannons from the warship and Oliver who flew even higher kept shooting at it whenever it tried to run away.


    And following this pattern, 3 hours passed and now they arrived nearly 400 kilometers in the inner region of this border. The farthest distance that was ever crossed by anyone here.


    Beep!


    Beep!


    Just then, Kahn received a transmission.


    "I''ve fully recovered. My ship is a few kilometers behind you.


    Tell me what to do so I can be ready." said Kassandra through themunication artifact.


    "Alright then. Here''s what I need you to do¡­" spoke Kahn and borated his n to Kassandra.


    10 minutester.


    "All right everyone! I want you all to leave with the warship 20 kilometers in the west and wait for us there." ordered Kahn to his crew that managed and flew this massive warship that could carry 10 thousand soldiers at once.


    As the warship descended and hovered a hundred meters close to the ground, Kahn and ckwall jumped out of it.


    After his signal, the warship left the forested region in a jiffy while the duo of Kahn and ckwall holding their weapons now stood in open grasnd.


    BOOM!!


    Both the fighters quickly released their full aura that wasparable to a semi-saint and made their presence known.


    "Do you think it will work? I can transform and face it myself, master." spoke ckwall with a questioning gaze.


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself. Your entire advantage is on the ground only. Even with all your defensive skills, you''ll just be a target who can''t even hit his enemy.


    I and Oliver aren''t strong enough to withstand its attacks ourselves either. So follow my n and see how it unfolds." replied Kahn as he awaited the Cdrius to notice them.


    Krrraaaa!!


    The flying Cdrius finally noticed their auras filled with killing intent and spread its wide feathery wings that spanned around a kilometer in width alone.


    Soon, strong gusts of wind amassed under the widespread wings and right before their eyes¡­ 2 typhoons made if highlypressed winddes that could shred an army of thousands of soldiers easily, formed in a matter of seconds. Disying that the opponent was indeed a tough enemy to fight on even grounds.


    Kahn quickly activated Sword King while ckwall used Terrain Maniption to create a giant 20 meters wall in front of them.


    BANG!


    Crack!


    Shatter!!


    One by one, the typhoons that sucked in the tall grass and therge trees of this area approached towards their direction while ckwall, who hid behind the stone wall cast the taunt skill again.


    And after this open provocation, the ginormous bird descended 2 kilometers towards the ground and released its highly oppressive aura.


    "The Cdrius has no physical attack skills. Only these wind elemental attacks. That''s why it hasn''t directly attacked us yet." spoke Kahn as he analyzed the situation.


    The next second, he quickly activated War Dominance and threw off the pressure. He then spoke to themunication artifact.


    "Now!!"


    Shing!


    SHRILL!!


    Schwoo!!


    Before the Cdrius evenunched another attack at ckwall¡­ a two hundred meters wide red magical formation suddenly appeared above the ginormous figure of the legendary rank monster.


    Suppression Formation!


    This was exactly the suppression magic formation that Kassandra used against Kahn during their fight. And under this barrier, the target''s physical strength and agility were reduced by 60% instantly. One of the reasons why Kassandra had thrashed Kahn during their battle in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    Cdrius who was enraged and focused solely on ckwall till this point due to the taunt skill suddenly came out of the trance and finally noticed its surrounding.


    But instead of giving it a chance to react; another blue magic formation formed above the previous one and suddenly, a chilling breeze leaked from this formation.


    Crack! Crack!


    Crackling noises filled the surroundings and before the weakened monster could even react or try to flee¡­


    A gigantic iceberg suddenly dropped out of the formation!!


    BOOM!!


    The legendary rank monster was struck and wailed under the heavy iceberg that spanned for 100 meters in width and finally¡­


    The flying monster fell on the ground for the first time since their battle started at military headquarters.


    SHRILL!!


    A loud shrill filled the devastated grasnd and suddenly on the side of the right wing¡­ a 250 meters long greatsword made of different elements came to be.


    Dragon Strike!!


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion resounded in the 5 kilometers radius as Kahn, who used Quicksilver skill and hid amongst the treelines after ckwall created the stone wall suddenly decided to attack after Kassandra created the perfect opportunity for them..


    After finally trapping the bird inside the cage¡­ Kahn exited the dense treelines from the right side and spoke with an insidious grin.


    "Time to eat some legendary chicken wings."

 Chapter 405 - Thwarted Strategy

    Chapter 405 - Thwarted Strategy


    After the dust from the explosion settled and only an open ground filled with fire, shredded trees and uprooted grass remained in this mountain range. And finally¡­ the ginormous figure of the Cdrius was revealed to all the four assants.


    A fountain-like burst brown blood that created a stream like a small river ran on the ground as the legendary rank Cdrius now had a massive 50 meter radius hole in its frontal section of the right wing.


    Under the sudden assault from the suppression formation, the massive iceberg and Kahn''s Dragon Strike, the trapped monster finally received a fatal injury.


    Thanks to Kassandra''s suppression magic formation that reduced its physical strength and agility by 60% and Kahn''s marauder skill which bypassed 80% of physical defense¡­ the bird-like monster who killed so many of their soldiers at the military headquarters was finally wounded to the point it could barely even retaliate or try to escape.


    KRRRRRRAAAAAAAA!!!


    Cdrius wailed in agony and tried to push off the gigantic iceberg on its back as it pped its left wing.


    Each side contained three different lenghted sets that were interconnected so the entirety of it was already very wide. And soon, wrong winds gathered around the injured monster.


    Crackle! Crackle!


    But before it could even take flight, a bright and blinding yellow light suddenly brightened the whole forested region as a 100 meter long yellow colored archaic spear that was surrounded by moving lightning suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    For Kahn, who had faced this spear in a battle, albeit for a brief moment¡­ knew the origin of this terrifying attack skill.


    And 50 meters below this archaic spear full of runes and ancient patterns that hovered in the air¡­ stood a young woman whose eyes were filled with nothing but vengeance.


    Kassandra Mikealson revealed herself at this decisive moment and used her biggest one shot spell called Spear of Dominion. And without even giving Cdrius to chance to react¡­


    Swoosh!!


    STAB!!


    The widespread left wing of the legendary monster was pierced through by the spear of dominion.


    Stab!


    But Kassandra''s revenge against the legendary bird monster who killed her cousin Issac wasn''t going to be short-lived.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Her summoned spear didn''t just stop at one point but it moved in the air while stabbing and piercing through many ces on the 400 meters long left wing.


    The monster whose body was already weak and burdened by the iceberg released an agonizing wail and its ear deafening screech filled the whole surrounding forest range.


    After taking away its only advantage and suppressing it using the magic formation, even the legendary rank monster wasn''t the match of their team.


    Kahn knew that if not for Kassandra, his n would''ve never seeded and even with the best of his skills, the monster would''ve either destroyed cities and borders of this region and millions of people would''ve died.


    Just from the span and the effect from her magic formations alone, he was certain that even other semi-saint mages of the Rakos Empire weren''t as talented as the Raven Sorceress who helped them bring down this legendary rank monster without suffering unnecessary problems.


    Because as things stood, even ckwall wouldn''t be of any help as all he could do was taunt the enemy and defend against it while his attacks didn''t evennd on the body of the enemy.


    At this moment¡­ Cdrius waspletely on Kassandra''s mercy.


    Kahn on the other end, spoke nothing or tried to interfere. This was Kassandra''s revenge and he simply needed the dead body to disy to the soldiers and normal people of Vessen fiefdom. So he chose to keep his mouth shut.


    Oliver who suddenly dropped on the ground close to Kahn and ckwall was having goosebumps all over his body as if it was him whose wings were tortured at this point.


    Kahn now stood few hundred meters behind Kassandra who had a teary yet vengeful face as she was taking out all of her anger on this legendary rank enemy.


    The whole torture sequence carried for 5 more minutes. But suddenly..


    [Warning!! The host is under immense danger!!


    The host must flee quickly!!] rmed the system out of nowhere.


    But before Kahn could even react¡­ an immeasurably oppressive force was released from the Cdrius''s body.


    And right before its massive beak, a golden and ethereal orb that wasprised of an energy Kahn had never sensed and felt before came to be.


    Kassandra, the closest person, had her eyes wide awake and she finally got out of her angered state.


    Just then, the golden orb filled with some sort of incorporeal energy burst out.


    Before Kahn, who couldn''t even move at this moment was hit with this energy wave¡­ a red protection barrier suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    His eyes were wide open as he saw the one to cast the spell instead of caring about themselves.


    BOOM!!


    A massive shockwave that spread across 1 kilometer radius shook the ground and everyone present in this battlefield was thrown off for quite some distance.


    Under the now crumbling protection barrier¡­ Kahn got up and regained his senses but he was quickly surprised after noticing his surroundings.


    Thud!!


    Right before his¡­ Kassandra dropped on the ground.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    And from behind him, both ckwall and Oliver who previously stood 300 meters away also fainted.


    Kahn got up from the ground and tried to adjust his footing as he saw the aftermath of that ethereal attack.


    At this moment, only Kahn is somehow able to maintain his consciousness after surviving against that wave of energy.


    Yet his eyes were focused on the Raven Sorceress whoy on the ground with lifeless eyes. She chose to use that spell on Kahn instead of herself in that veryst moment when Cdrius suddenly released that skill.


    And as his memory recalled that moment again¡­ he concluded one thing.


    That Kassandra was already closest to the attack but in the final moment, she realized that there wasn''t enough time and instinctively cast protection barrier on Kahn.


    In the moment of peril¡­ For reasons he couldn''t understand¡­ instead of trying to save her own life¡­


    Kassandra chose to sacrifice herself.

 Chapter 406 - The Sacrifice

    Chapter 406 - The Sacrifice


    A silence ensued despite the sudden development that shook the entire forested region after the Cdrius suddenly attacked them with that golden wave of energy that neither caused damage to the surroundings nor their bodies but for some reason¡­ only Kahn remained conscious.


    [Warning! The host must flee!] rmed the system again.


    After this sudden noise in his head, Kahn came out of his bewildered state and grasped the situation in a second.


    "Come out!"manded Kahn and arge ck shadow spread within the 2 kilometers radius of his location.


    Thud!!


    BANG!


    Shatter!!


    Soon¡­. Hundreds and then thousands of ck monsters full of different species and sizes jumped out from this ck shadow in a matter of seconds.


    And now, the Cdrius waspletely surrounded by Kahn''s Legion subordinates.


    HISSSS!!


    ROAR!!


    GROWL!!


    SCREECH!!


    One by one¡­ his army of monsters, fighter ss species with different professions, frost giants and the slithering snakes appeared and now the legendary rank monster was surrounded by 5 thousand elite and rare rank monsters.


    The next moment, Kahn took two neurotoxin venom bombs and threw them towards the head of Cdrius. A dense green fog burst out from the point of impact and soon, the entire peripheral vision of the enemy monster was covered.


    But he didn''t have any ns to stay behind and wait for the fight to start. He was only creating a temporary distraction.


    [Attack!]manded Kahn to the legion.


    Quicksilver!


    Kahn used the quicksilver skill and appeared close to Kassandra''s now barely breathing body and picked her up in his arms. The next second, he appeared next to ckwall and Armin who had fainted and pulled them inside his shadow.


    [Keep it busy.] ordered Kahn to the legion of monsters and fighters he just summoned.


    Compared to a legendary rank monster¡­ all of them were nothing but small rodents but Kahn needed to quickly leave and find a safe ce lest the Cdrius attacked with that mystical skill again and this time if Kahn was also struck with that AoE skill¡­ their death would be inevitable.


    Other subordinates were just fodders but Kahn first wanted to ensure Kassandra, who knowingly chose to protect him instead of herself¡­ get a safe location first.


    And because of that sudden attack which none of them foresawing¡­ for the time, Kahn was forced to flee.


    [System, wake ckwall and Oliver.] hemanded while using quicksilver skills to run away.


    Each time his figure appeared, he would appear 150 meters the next moment.


    [5 thousand SS Rank cores required.] replied the system.


    [Take it!] said Kahn and used the Earth Sense skill that he gained from the Mountain Titan. This passive ability allowed him to sense the ground within a 5 kilometers radius.


    After creating a 5 kilometers distance between him and the Cdrius who was currently massacring Kahn''s legion force, he finally found a small cave in one of the nearby mountains.


    Using his senses and Hunter''s Intent skill which acted like his thermal and sonar radar aka the Detective Mode, he finally found a suitable ce toy down Kassandra inside this pitch-ck cave that was currently the only safest location he could find.


    Using the Terrain Maniption skill, he created a stone bed andyed down Kassandra on it.


    The following second, Kahn took out an artifact and activated an Istion Barrier that hid his and Kassandra''s aura and separated them from the outside world.


    "Armin!" eximed Kahn and the very next moment, Armin who hadn''t been seen ever since he left Aesir with Kahn after thetter received the transmission regarding the attack, had finally appeared again.


    Kahn had kept in his shadow just in case of an emergency because he knew that it''d be him who had to fight this monster as part of his responsibility as the Sovereign of this fiefdom.


    Armin didn''t wait for any orders as he had already seen everything from Kahn''s shadow so he quickly cast a green barrier around unconscious Kassandra who barely seemed to be breathing at this point.


    He closed his eyes and green-colored energy flew out of his body that epassed the raven sorceress.


    However, just after 5 minutes of inspection and using various healing skills¡­ He spoke with an aghast expression.


    "This¡­ why did it have to be that type of attack?" said Armin as his face turned somber.


    "What happened?" asked Kahn hurriedly.


    "Master¡­ she¡­" he said and took a deep breath.


    "Her soul has been damaged. And this rate¡­" spoke Armin with a dejected expression.


    "She will die within a day."


    Shocked! Dumbfounded!


    Kahn was rooted on the spot after this unexpected revtion.


    "Fuck! Does it mean that if I was also hit by the energy wave¡­ I would be in the same situation as her?" asked Kahn with an ashen expression.


    "Yes. Although your soul is many times stronger than even her despite the same rank¡­ I''m certain that you would''ve also suffered drastically from it." spoke Armin who had the legendary rank ss named the Pathfinder which specialized in soul-rted abilities.


    Kahn looked at the unconscious figure of Kassandra who appeared like Sleeping Beauty under a curse.


    "Why? Why would you do that?


    You should''ve protected yourself first." he spoke in an angered tone.


    Because bringing Kassandra here to fight as he needed her was in the end, his own choice.


    So in other words¡­ Kahn also held a sense of responsibility for Kassandra''s current state even if she herself did not hold him ountable.


    "She doesn''t deserve this. She chose to fight on the border instead of running away.


    She very well knew that she was no match for a legendary rank creature¡­ yet she decided to step up and acted as a responsiblemander of the army.


    And now I''m only alive because of her." spoke Kahn with a dejected expression.


    Because if not for Kassandra¡­ Kahn would be lying on the ground and be a helpless prey for Cdrius to kill.


    He didn''t know whether she knew how that attack was going to affect them or not.


    But because of her choice¡­ Kahn was going to live and Kassandra¡­


    Was counting herst breaths.

 Chapter 407 - The Only Choice

    Chapter 407 - The Only Choice


    At this moment, Kahn stood speechless and didn''t know what to do. The current situation was as worse it could be for him. Because on one side, the Cdrius had killed off all of his monsters he left to stall it while Kahn ran off from the battlefield. On the other, Kassandra''s aura dimmed little by little with every passing minute.


    "I''m sorry. It was my responsibility to protect the people and yet you did your best despite having no need to.


    If not for me asking you toe along here¡­


    Maybe you would''ve managed to live or had a long life." spoke Kahn in a tone full of regret.


    A vivid image of Kassandra heroically facing the legendary rank monster on her own while summoning the valkyrie Brunhilde appeared in Kahn''s mind.


    Unlike all the other heirs of noble ns and factions he had met till now¡­ only Kassandra seemed to have a sense of duty and responsibility for the normal people who she was given the charge of protecting.


    While she was driven by rage and vengeance¡­ in the end, it was Kahn who made the final call and allowed her toe here under his authority.


    And yet, because of his error in judgment and negligence¡­ she ended up in this sorry state and now only had a day left to live.


    However¡­ there was much more to it than one could understand.


    The Mikealson n already lost one of their heirs. If Kassandra were to die too, they would definitely make his life a living hell regardless of their stand in front of the public.


    And on top of it¡­ she was also one of the representatives of the Neutral Faction and a candidate who was supposed to venture into that area where Kahn himself had agreed to go.


    If she died right when he was with her¡­ many questions would be raised and the situation would be unfavorable for him throughout the empire because in the end, he was only a ruler of a portion and didn''t have any real influence over the rest of the empire.


    Plus too many soldiers had already died after Cdrius suddenly attacked the border. Many witnesses had also seen Kassandra putting her life on the line while Kahn leading the monster and ordering her to follow him.


    So the me would definitely fall on him regardless of the truth or Kassandra''s heroic sacrifice. Everyone would need someone to me and Kahn would be the obvious choice.


    On top of it¡­ he still hadn''t managed to get rid of the legendary rank monster that caused this chaos in the first ce. With Kassandra gone and seeing the aftereffects of that Soul Attack skill it had¡­ it was nearly impossible for him to get the job done.


    No matter what he did¡­ It won''t be an easy job convincing the poption and this incident itself would undo his image, reputation, question his capability to rule as a Sovereign and god knows how many forms of criticisms he would have to go.


    The final aftermath would be uncontroble as many would question his reign even if he controlled the system. Because the rest of the empire was ruled over by the noble factions who still harbored hatred for him. And Kassandra''s death on his watch was just the opportunity they yearned for.


    However¡­ Kahn forgot about all his worries as he saw the peaceful and quiet figure of Kassandra who seemed to have no worries about the world in her unconscious state.


    Kahn sat beside Kassandra and his warm palm gently touched her cheek while he spoke in a remorseful tone.


    "Thank you¡­ whether it was my past life or this one.


    No one has ever tried to save or protect me."


    Kahn''s expression turned crestfallen as he gazed at the most beautiful person he had met in this life and somehow¡­ he ended up ying a part in her downfall.


    One of the main reasons why he always chose to not get close to others or form any type of friendship or connections with his peers was that he just did not wish to be responsible for their lives or hold any ountability.


    He came into this new world by himself and even if he were to die¡­ it was better to die alone than dragging someone innocent along with him.


    While Kahn was lost in his thoughts full of remorse¡­ the Healer general who stood behind him suddenly spoke.


    "Master.. I think there''s still a way. We may be able to save her."


    Armin suddenly revealed a choice to save Kassandra. Kahn quickly looked back at the subordinate with a surprised expression.


    "Well¡­ I have some soul healing abilities if you remember properly.


    I may be able to heal her soul. Although she might not stay as strong as before or might even lose her powers as a summoner and the ability to use magic altogether¡­ she will still live." he exined.


    "How? How can we save her?" asked Kahn hurriedly.


    "Master¡­ If I''m not wrong¡­ the soul attack by that monster was more than enough to kill a first stage saint.


    And even with me having this legendary Pathfinder ss¡­ she would''ve died regardless." iterated Armin.


    "Just tell me what to do?!" eximed Kahn as he was out of his wits after a long time.


    "It depends on you. And if my hypothesis is right¡­ you still should''ve suffered some damage despite that barrier protecting you from the attack." he exined.


    "What are you trying to say? How is that connected to her situation?" asked Kahn as he felt like Armin was beating around the bush for no reason.


    Sigh!


    Armin let out a deep sigh as he exined the only way he could think of.


    "Because if you want to save her¡­ you must make a sacrifice." he spoke and looked Kahn right in the eyes.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn with a somber expression.


    "You must sacrifice¡­" replied Armin and stated the main condition to save Kassandra¡­


    "A part of your soul."

 Chapter 408 - Overdue Business

    Chapter 408 - Overdue Business


    Kahn was again rooted on the spot after Armin suddenly revealed this unexpected method that came out of nowhere. Not in a million years had he predicted this bizarre remedy of healing someone. Yet the Alchemist general spoke as if it was just a walk in the park.


    "Your soul is many times stronger and denserpared to anyone I''ve seen so far. Even those saints don''t have a soul as bright and radiating as yours, master." said Armin.


    "I need a substitute soul energy to add in her damaged soul that will eventually transform it and take over her soul with time.


    And because of it¡­ she will lose all of her strength, her powers and her ability to use magic.


    I don''t know if she''ll ever be able to regain her former strength and abilities. But that is the only way for her to survive." exined the healer general.


    "First¡­ tell me the consequences." spoke Kahn as he regained hisposure.


    "Only 10% of your soul. It''s more than enough. Which is why I''m confident that it might work. Otherwise, I would not have suggested it at all.


    My loyalty is only to you and not this woman. But seeing how you looked sad¡­ I felt like I should tell you lest you end up ming yourself for a long time.


    That''d be a waste of time in my opinion." borated Armin.


    "Sad.. Who''s sad? I was only worried about the consequences of her death.


    I''m not affected at all." spoke Kahn as he quickly shifted the topic in a different direction.


    "Ah, I see. As for the aftereffects¡­


    Since it''s only 10%... Your levels will drop by at least 18 levels. And so will all of your physical stats. Even leveling will be hard for quite some time unless you have a very high-quality source of mana and world energy." revealed the expert in the room¡­ the cave.


    "With my Soul Reformation skill, I can heal it with time and even strengthen your soul. But the current drawbacks aren''t something to neglect. Because we still have 2 more ces to go if we survive this situation." he said.


    Kahn, who was still digesting this method, had a serious expression on his face. As he was calcting his best odds and choices on how to deal with this situation at hand.


    Although Kahn knew that he was a greedy, cunning, deceiving, ruthless and selfish bastard who wouldn''t mind causing a bloodbath for his personal gains as long as the means met the end.


    The leftover humanity in his consciousness had always stopped him from dragging innocent people and causing their deaths because of his mistakes like he did in the past.


    And looking at Kassandra''s sleeping face¡­ he was reminded of the familiar situation where he once stood in front of the cold corpse of Jessica Artwinger.


    The female archer back from his days in the vot city. The one who he had saved twice but in the end¡­ the young redhead woman died as coteral damage because of his foolish choices and carelessness when he stole a space ring full of resources from a corpse of the members of a powerful guild back then.


    Although the choices and circumstances were different this time¡­ the results were simr and this time too¡­ there was a body of a young woman in front of him; just barely alive.


    "I will make my decision with a cool head. Till then, keep looking after her and heal her in the best way you can." spoke Kahn as he felt that there was no need to rush things.


    Something like sacrificing a portion of his soul would definitely have adverse effects on him in the long run.


    And if not for Kassandra willingly sacrificing herself and saving Kahn''s life at thest moment¡­ he wouldn''t have even bothered thinking about making that decision.


    The next moment¡­ two tall figures jumped out of his shadow as ckwall and Oliver, who were also knocked out from the soul attack, were woken up by the system.


    "How are you two?" asked Kahn.


    "It''s just a nk memory¡­ I felt like I died there." spoke ckwall in a groggy voice.


    "Same for me. I only remember that bright light, master." replied Oliver.


    "System." spoke Kahn.


    [The subordinates have not formed a soul of their own. That is why only their consciousness was attacked.] exin the system.


    "I see. Well¡­ are you guys ready?" asked Kahn to the Abyss Knight and Emerald Archer generals.


    "Wait.. Where are you going, master?" asked Armin.


    Instead of replying, Kahn closed his eyes and using the shared vision through the Hive Mind skill, saw the situation outside from some assassin subordinates who still survived against their enemy and now hid in the trees and kept a watch.


    "Even if I make a choice and save her¡­ it won''t help us salvage the situation.


    There are simply too many dead people and the whole environment at the border must be in shambles.


    Even Omega, Jugram and Ronin won''t be able to salvage the situation on their own.


    And if we want to give the soldiers some hope and quell their anger after losing theirrades¡­


    We need a perfect offering." he said.


    "Besides... Two semi-saints working together and still being unable to protect the border, having more than a hundred thousand soldiers die on their watch and still not being able to kill the root cause of the attack¡­


    I would be aughingstock for the entire empire." said Kahn in a somber tone.


    "Now that I think about it¡­ I have ns for tonight''s dinner."


    "Let''s go!" he ordered and their trip soon exited out of the cave in a couple of minutes.


    Kahn used the terrain maniption skill and covered up the exit as a precaution.


    Soon, he received a message from one of the hidden assassins and figured out the location of the enemy that put them in this sorry state.


    Kahn finally spoke in a grim and infuriated tone as his eyes were filled with nothing but wrath¡­


    "Let''s have some thanksgiving turkey."

 Chapter 409 - The Pitfall

    Chapter 409 - The Pitfall


    Kahn and thepany stood 5 kilometers away from the Cdrius. At this point, the 5 thousand strong legion subordinates he left to create a distraction and stall the legendary rank bird monster were wiped out. Only a few with assassin skills remained and acted as Kahn''s eyes while he took Kassandra to a safe ce.


    As for himself¡­ currently, it was the only choice to salvage the situation. Because even if he were to were to safely return to the Kaldris border¡­ nothing but shame awaited him.


    Because he was the man of the house and yet, someone broke into his home and killed his family.


    If this was earth¡­ people would preach about hate, loss, justice and forgiveness. Many would tell him to ept the reality and leave everything to thew authorities.


    But in the world of Vantrea¡­ it was counted as a Weakness.


    And as the sovereign of the Vessen fiefdom¡­ he was expected to bring back the head of the murderer. Otherwise, everyone would question his reliability and use it to overthrow his reign.


    Every year, millions of soldiers died in this fiefdom during the monster waves but Kahn had promised the citizens that things will be different and safer under his watch.


    And to maintain his sovereignty¡­ he had to deliver upon his promise.


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    The trio of ckwall, Kahn and Oliver dashed towards the location of Cdrius that was now roaming in the dense forests while searching for the attackers who severely injured his wings and forced in to walk on its feet while still bleeding from ce to ce.


    However, ckwall sensed that it was using the world energy in the surroundings and absorbing it at a fast pace to heal itself. He informed Kahn that it''d take an hour for it to substantially heal and be able to fly again.


    "Master¡­ We couldn''t kill it before. And with that soul attack skill, it would be no different scenario than before. We need a better strategy. And we can''t afford to make another mistake." said ckwall as their trio ran across the dense treelines whilepletely hiding their aura.


    Kahn on the other end has ns of his own.


    "I think I have figured it out. But it will require both of you to put yourself in danger again." iterated Kahn.


    "Whatever youmand, my lord." spoke Oliver in a carefree tone.


    Even if they were to die, Kahn could also resurrect them again albeit at high mana cores and ores cost. But if he were to die instead, it''d be an end to all of them.


    "Remember, previously¡­ despite me and Kassandra fatally wounding it.. It only attacked with that soul damage skill when it was close to death.


    So there must be a condition before using it.


    Either it is its life-saving skill which can be used only once in a while or it simply takes too much time to activate.


    Otherwise, we all would''ve died a long time ago when we fought against it at the military outpost." Kahn exined his analysis.


    "And since the bird isn''tpletely healed yet. It won''t be properly able to fly either.


    So if we dy any longer.. We won''t have the opportunity to kill it in the future at all.


    Thanks to the previous fight¡­ it has lost its only advantage. The only thing we need to be careful about now is to not fall to that soul attack skill again." he said.


    Kahn then exined his n based on their individual skills and abilities that would turn out useful to them in this hunt.


    ----------------


    TEN MINUTES LATER.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    The ground cracked at the massive feet and heavy body of the legendary rank Cdrius rummaged through the treelines.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    The tall trees crack and broke up while dozens of them crashed on the ground.


    At this moment, the Cdrius had been eagerly hunting for its enemies who put it in that sorry state for the first time in its life.


    BOOM!!


    Shatter!!


    Then a loud noise suddenly came from its back and suddenly, a titanic humanoid figure that was 1 kilometer tall in height alone suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    The ground shattered and hundreds of crevices formed under its massive feet.


    At the present moment¡­ ckwall had turned into his true Primordial Titan form.


    Compared to the Cdrius bird, he was two and half times bigger in height alone. But instead of approaching it.. He had


    However, there was no weapon or a shield in his hand this time. Instead¡­ it looked at the legendary monster that was of the same rank as him with a fierce gaze.


    ROAAAARRRRR!!!


    ckwall used the War Cry skill and taunted Cdrius to focus on himself. He released all of the killing intent on the target so it won''t wander off.


    KRAAAAAA!!!


    Cdrius also released a battlecry of its own and challenged the titan to a fight. So in simple words¡­ it was a fight between two colossal figures.


    A descendant of the Godbeast Roc vs a variant Primordial Titan.


    The ground trembled while the trees shivered under both of their immense and heavy aura. The entire 5 kilometers of space seemed to be frozen given the insurmountable pressure released by these two ginormous beings.


    However¡­.


    Crack!!


    Crack!!


    ckwall pointed his hand towards the Cdrius and the very next second, a wide crevice formed under the feet of the ginormous bird monster.


    In just 4 seconds, the groundpletely cracked open and a 1 kilometer wide pitfall was suddenly created.


    Terrain Maniption!


    Unlike Kahn, ckwall was on a different level while using the innate skills of the Mountain Titan whom he was merged with.


    Soon, more than ten massive earth elemental spikes quickly came out of the surrounding ground and plunged themselves into the two feet of the enemy.


    Cdrius who was taken aback couldn''t even use its wind elemental spells and suddenly fell into this extremely broad pitfall as its wings were already damaged and it was unable to fly.


    ckwall on the other end touched the ground below and soon¡­ a 200 meter height massive boulder was created by him.


    Without waiting for another moment, his massive arms picked up this boulder and ckwall carried it on his shoulder.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    ckwall steadily walked towards the fallen Cdrius that was letting out ear-deafening noises. But because there was not enough space¡­ it could even use its wings or cast any of the wind elemental skills like before.


    The titanic figure of ckwall carrying a massive round boulder on his shoulder as if he had to close a hole in the wall stood in front of the struggling Cdrius.


    Just then, he heard Kahn speak in his mind.


    "Drop the wrecking ball."

 Chapter 410 - The Trophy

    Chapter 410 - The Trophy


    In front of the widened eyes of the legendary rank creature Cdrius, the titan carrying a massive boulder that was more than enough to decimate a tall building from earth stopped right at the edge of the pitfall.


    ckwall, who already made the Colossal Titan look like a newborn baby in size held the massive 200 meters tall and round boulder on his shoulder while the Cdrius that was now stuck inside the one kilometer wide and nearly half a kilometer deep pitfall created by the former using Terrain Maniption skill had an rmed expression.


    For someone from earth, these unbelievably massive creatures that were fully capable of easily destroying cities inhabited by millions of people would appear like godly and mythical creatures. But in Vantrea¡­ they were only the 3rd ranked creatures in the food chain.


    ckwall then quickly threw the massive boulder on its body.


    SHING!!


    Just when the massive boulder was halfway in the air and above the enemy, the Cdrius suddenly released thousands of winddes from its back towards the falling boulder.


    Crack!!


    Hundreds of winddes and shockwaves after shockwaves hit this massive boulder that was as big as Kahn''s flying ships but before it even touched its body¡­


    Shatter!!


    Shatter!!


    The enormous boulder that could wreck even a warship with a single fall was repelled midway through the air and shattered into small pieces.


    Even ckwall, whose most of the body was covered under the protection of the metallic alloy-like armor created from various minerals had multiple cracks forming on his ginormous body as he too was pushed back for a few hundred meters.


    [Knew it! This fucker has too many lifesaving skills.


    Let''s go with n B!] ordered Kahn and the following second¡­


    ckwall plunged his hand inside the ground which shook the nearby one kilometer forest range and soon¡­ a 600 meters tall giantsword just like his previous appearance in the true titan form was created again.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    While the Cdrius, who was still struggling to get out of the deep pitfall because of its previously injured wings and now the bleeding legs¡­ ckwall charged at it furiously and held the hilt of the enormous giantsword while the tip of the de pointed downwards as he aimed it at the head of the opponent.


    Swoosh!!


    At this very moment, two humanoid figures suddenly appeared over two thousand feet high in the sky.


    A six ck-winged creature that was more than 10 meters in height and had bright white skin while the head looked like it belonged to some hideous dungeon monster with two red horns over its white skull, flew at supersonic speed in the sky.


    And above the back of this tall creature, was a man donned in a gray longcoat with a ck greatsword in his right hand.


    Kahn held onto Oliver who had reverted into his true form for the first time and now flew right above the legendary rank enemy.


    [Do it!]manded Kahn.


    ckwall then gathered all his strength and made a piercing attack towards the Cdrius.


    And just like their previous encounter¡­ a massive golden orb made of unknown ethereal energy appeared in front of its beak as the titan general tried to kill it.


    BOOM!!!


    Just like before, the incorporeal golden orb exploded and soon, a massive wave was released and spread across the entire region.


    The wave of energy even rose upwards towards the sky where Oliver and Kahn hovered above the ginormous Cdrius.


    "Master, now!" shouted Oliver.


    Without wasting another second, Kahn quickly jumped down, his head facing the enemy while the energy wave came towards them as well.


    However, instead of getting worried, the freefalling Kahn made a swing towards the ground and 100 meters below him, a void crack suddenly opened within the sky.


    Swoosh!


    And before the soul attack energy wave even reached him, the falling Kahn entered and disappeared into the void crack instantly.


    Schwooo!!


    The energy wave passed right through where Kahn once existed and soon hit Oliver who was hovering in the sky.


    But instead of flying away¡­ he had already prepared himself to get hit by this wave as there wasn''t enough time left anyway.


    Thud!!


    Shatter!!


    On the ground¡­ ckwall''s titanic figure dropped and shook the entire 3 kilometer of radius as if an earthquake urred while his ginormous body crushed hundreds of trees under it.


    Simr to before.. Both ckwall and Oliver had fainted after bearing through the soul attack again. Their bodies dropping on the ground regardless of the position as they made a necessary sacrifice.


    KUUURAAA!


    The Cdrius let out a victorious noise as it took down two of his assants.


    Crack!


    But before it could even revel in its victory¡­


    A 10 meter long void crack appeared right above its neck.


    sh!!


    A gray figure suddenly appeared out of it and made a shing attack.


    Thud!


    Kahn dropped on the ground of this massive pitfall and behind him¡­ the legendary rank monster that almost killed him for good still had a surprised expression. As if it still didn''t understand what actually happened.


    Kr¡­.


    As soon as it moved its body¡­


    Thud!!


    Splurt!!


    The 50 meters wide head of the Cdrius suddenly dropped on the ground and a fountain-like spray of brown blood erupted like a volcano from its detached neck while Kahn didn''t even bother looking back.


    The wide and shocked eyes of the legendary rank Cdriusnded on Kahn as its consciousness ceased to exist.


    Right when it was forced to use the soul attack as ckwall forced it into a near-death situation, Kahn had already predicted thatst move.


    As the soul attack energy wave hit both ckwall and Oliver in the real world¡­


    At that exact moment inside the True Dimension¡­ Kahn waspletely unaffected as the soul attack energy wave had no effect in that ne of existence.


    "Wake them up."manded Kahn to the system.


    Thanks to the loophole of the soul attack only being able to affect one''s soul and not their bodies¡­ Kahn used both the generals as sacrificialmbs and forced them to go into a temporary sleep without getting them killed for real.


    And the second he exited the void crack, he used the Dimensional Cut skill to behead this opponent which had the most dangerous skill amongst all the enemies he fought till this point.


    The system took the required mana cores from his space ring and began the procedure to awaken the generals.


    "I have the trophy. Now.."


    Said Kahn as he finally looked back at the enemy monster.


    The next moment, his expression turned full of worry as he spoke¡­


    "I gotta go see about a girl."

 Chapter 411 - The Final Decision

    Chapter 411 - The Final Decision


    After Kahn finally managed to kill the Cdrius with his meticulous nning as he made it use its final card and delivered the Dimensional Cut thanks to his most powerful divine ability¡­ he heaved a sigh of relief.


    But instead of following his usual routine of absorbing the ability and skills of the legendary rank monster as he does every time¡­ Kahn had different priorities at the moment.


    The main reason being it would take him half a day just toplete the process and he didn''t have that much time on hand as there was someone who needed immediate help.


    Thud!!


    Crack!!


    Both Oliver and ckwall woke up from their forced slumber and Kahn ordered the titan general to pull out the deceased Cdrius from the pitfall including its head.


    As for Oliver, hemanded him to go back and bring back their warship that was 25 kilometers away, waiting for them to return.


    Kahn then returned to the cave where Armin was still healing Kassandra with the best of his abilities. Her sweaty forehead and palms indicated that her body was under some sort of distressed situation while her aura seemed much weaker than before.


    "Master¡­ I can feel her soul and life force diminishing at a fast pace. Even my healing skills aren''t working.


    She doesn''t have much time left." spoke Armin while his hands full of green glowing aura were moving over her body as he tried to heal her damaged soul.


    "How much time does she have?" asked Kahn who stood behind them with a solemn expression.


    "At best¡­ she will live for 8 hours. Because she is a semi-saint, her soul was already stronger than normal people. But the damage she received was also many times more because of it.


    I thought she''d have a day to live but minutes ago¡­ her life force started dwindling quickly." replied Armin.


    "Means there''s a chance that we won''t even have 8 hours." spoke Kahn with a somber voice.


    Armin nodded in response, not denying the possibility.


    Soon, their warship arrived and Kahn boarded it along with Armin. He left Oliver and ckwall who already returned to their human forms in charge of bringing more warships and carrying the ginormous body of the Cdrius to the capital Aesir.


    An hourter, they all returned to Kaldris, the site of the battle where the legendary rank monster attacked and had too many dead bodies of the fallen soldier.


    Omega and Ronin hade this morning and brought all the war relief supplies and reinforcements as Kahnmanded before departing Aesir.


    And now, Armin and Kahn had brought Kassandra into a mansion owned under Kahn''s name that was close to the military outpost.


    In the past hour alone, Kassandra''s aura had dimmed by half.


    "Master¡­ tell me your final decision. The procedure can not wait for long. Her life force is diminishing rapidly.


    If we wait¡­ it will make things harder, even for me." said Armin.


    Kahn who still had a conflicted expression spoke as he looked at Kassandra who seemed to be in physical agony despite being unconscious.


    "I guess the saying is right¡­" he said and continued.


    "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."


    Spoke Kahn and gave a determined look to Armin.


    "I will do it."


    ----------------


    10 MINUTES LATER.


    Kahn now slept beside Kassandra and intertwined his left palm''s fingers with hers.


    Not because he wanted to do the ''indecent handholding'' but because Armin told him to do so.


    "System, give me Armin''s current stats." ordered Kahn while the Healer subordinate was preparing for the procedure.


    [Following are the statistics, abilities & skills of the subordinate named Armin :


    Name : Armin


    Species : Heshen (Variant Hermit)


    Job : The Pathfinder (Legendary ss)


    Rank : High Lord


    Level : 152


    Strength : 2903


    Agility : 1281


    Dexterity : 5039


    Defense : 2738


    Mana : 9104


    ----------------


    Following are the Physical abilities & skills :


    Flora & Fauna (A Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to make an innate telepathic connection with nt & Animal lifeforms. The subordinate canmand such lifeforms through his will.


    ---------------


    Following are the Magical abilities & skills :


    Atonement (S Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can remove 3 status ailments & debuffs at once from allies present in 800 meter radius.


    The range of the ability will rise with an increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Restoration (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to heal allies to their previous physical state one minute ago.


    Note : This skill does not work on deceased allies.


    ---------------


    Guardian Spectre (S Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can grant 2 times physical attack and defense buff to all the allies in a 900 meters radius using mana threads.


    ---------------


    Chain Heal (S Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can heal up to 26 allies at once in a 500 meter radius.


    ---------------


    Elixir of Life (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to instantly regenerate 80% of a single ally''s health and physical wounds.


    ---------------


    Brewing (S Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate has received an innate sense of understanding of the effects of herbs and medicines.


    This ability may help in fastening the Alchemy procedure.


    ---------------


    Infusion (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to mix different elements in Potions and Medicines, giving the special elemental attributes.


    ---------------


    Cell Control (SS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can control the bodies of any nt life or wood elemental monsters.


    ---------------


    Resurrection (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to bring back any ally or individual after the short time of their death.


    Note : The Host is an exclusion to this ability as all the subordinates will die after the host has died.


    The Resurrection procedure will require 10,000 A Rank mana cores or ores to sessfully resurrect an ally in their peak state.


    The higher ranked the target is, the more and high ranked source of mana will be needed.


    ---------------


    Soul Reformation (LEGENDARY RANK) (Active) :


    The subordinate can heal the damage done to anyone''s soul over time and even make it stronger by two times.] replied the system.


    "Are you ready master? This will hurt like hell." spoke Armin as he gave a serious gaze to Kahn.


    Kahn nodded in response and spoke in affirmation.


    "I am. After all¡­ I always pay my debts."

 Chapter 412 - Repaying Debt

    Chapter 412 - Repaying Debt


    Kahn nowy besides Kassandra whose condition seemed to be worsening with each passing hour. And after a reminded from Armin about the procedure being painful¡­ Kahn braced himself for the agony he was about to go through soon.


    There were two main reasons why Kahn made this decision to save Kassandra even at the cost of sacrificing a portion of his soul.


    One of them being regardless of her reasons¡­ the fact remained that Kassandra had indeed saved Kahn''s life.


    Because even if he had somehow managed to live after getting hit with that soul attack from Cdrius¡­ he''d either faint or be in a helpless state where the legendary monster could simply kill him with any of its wind elemental skill.


    Even Armin would not have been able to protect him in that state because ckwall and Oliver had already fainted and he himself had no offensive skills or hiding skills to protect Kahn.


    If not for Kassandra protecting him in thatst moment with the protection barrier which was many times stronger and defensivepared to any barrier Kahn could cast himself as he was an Intermediate Rank magician as well¡­ he managed to live and also fight back after he survived from that devastating skill.


    Unlike some morons thinking that he was acting like a Simp... Any reasonable person with a self-consciousness would be able to see that he was actually repaying a life debt.


    If he didn''t do anything for the person who saved him from a certain death knowing that there was a way... Would Kahn be able to even call himself a man?


    The second reason was pretty obvious. If she died¡­ the wrath of the Mikealson n, the three noble factions defaming him throughout the empire would be extremely hard to deal with.


    Although he had managed to kill of the Cdrius to quell the anger of the people and avenge the fallen soldiers of the military border¡­ this would also raise unnecessary questions.


    Because no semi-saint had ever managed to kill a legendary rank monster in the thousand years since the empire was formed. And Kahn didn''t want to attract too much attention to this topic as it''d entail him revealing too many of his secrets he didn''t want anyone to know.


    Just then, Armin spoke as he ced few artifacts and runestones around them.


    "Master, you will be in a weakened state for few days. And as I extract a portion of your soul¡­ it will be unbearable.


    So you will have to endure it no matter what. Because if we fail¡­ your soul will be damaged just like her. Although you won''t die¡­ but the price to pay for it won''t be cheap." warned Armin again.


    "Begin." spoke Kahn and took a deep breath.


    The following second, Armin moved behind the bed and ced his palms on both Kahn and Kassandra''s heads.


    Clink!


    tter!


    Arge burst of green aura emitted from his body and shook the room. And that very aura then covered Kahn and Kassandra at the same time.


    Crack! Crack!


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s ck and red aura suddenly erupted out of his body and so did Kassandra''s purple aura.


    Kahn suddenly felt like his blood was being sucked out as his skin started bing dry.


    Crack!


    Multiple cracks formed over skin regardless the part of the body and Kahn''s felt like he had turned into a hard wooden tree that waspletely dried up.


    "Arrrrgghhh!!!" wailed Kahn and clenched his teeth.


    At this moment, he felt like dying hundred deaths with each passing moment while thousands of spikes pierced through every inch of his body.


    His breathing fastened and his body trembled in immeasurable pain.


    "Aaaaahhhhhhh!!" he screamed as his head felt like a massive hammer dropped on him and crushed his brain.


    Just like Armin forewarned, extracting a part of someone''s soul was a very excruciatingly painful method.


    While Kahn kept wailing in agony¡­ Blood started leaking out of his eyes and mouth. Soon, his ears started bleeding as well as if his inner organs had stopped functioning and burst inside his body.


    "Arkkwhhh!" Kahn started choking on his blood.


    He quickly spat out a chunk of it but still did not let go of Kassandra''s hand.


    Thanks to the SS rank Rapid Regeneration skill that he got form the Mountain Titan¡­ he was healing very quickly as well.


    However, that did not help in subsiding the agonizing pain in any way.


    And as the procedure continued¡­ Kahn roared and shouted like a madman inside the room but he was still enduring it despite all the pain.


    Kahn was going through hell at this moment with his sheer will alone.


    ----------------


    1 HOUR LATER.


    After Kahn enduring this pain mind-wrecking agony for a full hour¡­ Armin finally managed to take a balloon shaped bright white light with a faint blue tinge out of Kahn''s body and using his green aura as his intangible hands¡­ he covered Kassandra under it.


    Kahn, who still held her hand felt like all of his energy was being passed from his body to Kassandra through their palms.


    And under Armin''s green aura¡­ the blinding white light waspletely absorbed by Kassandra''s unconscious body.


    "Phew! It is done¡­" said Armin as he looked at Kahn with an expression of relief.


    However, his expression turned ashes the very next moment.


    Kahn''s sweaty and exhausted figure¡­ had already fainted.


    ----------------


    2 DAYS LATER.


    "Waahh!!!"


    Kahn, who nowy in his own bedroom suddenly jolted and finally woke up.


    "My lord! You''re awake!"


    Ronin, who had been keeping on a guard and protecting Kahn spoke with a shocked expression.


    "Ahh¡­." Kahn grabbed his head that felt like it would explode any minute.


    "What are we doing here?" asked Kahn as he tried to regain his senses.


    "We''re back in Aesir. It has been two days since you fainted. We brought you here after taking care of everything at the Kaldris border." replied Ronin obediently.


    Kahn''s eyes suddenly widened as he asked¡­


    "Where is she?!"


    Ronin slightly bowed and replied in a gentle tone.


    "We brought her here in secret with us as well. Currently, no one knows about her whereabouts.


    The Mikealson n''s envoy will reach here tomorrow.


    She woke up yesterday evening. Armin is looking after her." he said. But the next second, his expression turned grim.


    "Master¡­ you should know that none of us are happy with your decision.


    We know that you fancy her but going this far and risking your life to save that woman was simply too much!" yelled Ronin at Kahn.


    Kahn simply rolled his eyes and replied with a poker face¡­


    "Fuck off!"

 Chapter 413 - The Answer

    Chapter 413 - The Answer


    Kahn red at Ronin in annoyance as he was misunderstood by the general who assumed that Kahn made the choice because of his so-called and nonexistent ''feelings'' for Kassandra.


    "I had my reasons. Just tell me where she is." he ordered.


    "Ah¡­ the first thing you asked for waking up is about her whereabouts and condition instead of worrying about yourself.


    How am I in the wrong?" asked Ronin as she shrugged his arms.


    "Do you want to die?" asked Kahn in response as he gave a deathly stare to Ronin.


    "She''s on the 3rd floor." replied Ronin who had a very ominous feeling at the moment.


    After getting refreshed.. Kahn walked down and entered a grand bedroom right below his own on the third floor of his castle.


    Creak¡­.


    He opened the door and entered inside.


    Armin was still diligently healing while Kassandra in the bed, barely had the strength to move.


    "How are you feeling?" asked Kahn as he sat on the bed beside her.


    "Ah¡­ you came. I thought you were in danger as well." said Kassandra as she let out a sigh of relief and tried to get up.


    "Tell me¡­ what happened? How am I still alive?


    I felt like she was about to die before I fainted." she queried with an exhausted voice.


    Kahn on the other end¡­ felt a sense of relief.


    "Thanks to you¡­ I survived and took down that monster you had already injured.


    You can say that we were extremely lucky toe out alive." he replied.


    Kahn willingly chose to hide the truth as he responded to the Raven Sorceress.


    Because her well-being mattered more than making her indebted to him for the rest of her life.


    Grasp!


    "Thank you. I''m alive because of you." spoke Kassandra as she suddenly grabbed Kahn''s hand.


    "Don''t mention it." he said and scratched his head.


    This was the first time in his new life that a woman voluntarily held his hand.


    Otherwise, all the women he hade to meet so far either needed saving or tried to kill him.


    And given the mindset he had in this life¡­ he ended up beating the hell out of them most of the time.


    However, he could feel that there was nothing but genuine thankfulness in Kassandra''s words.


    Kahn then lightly smiled and covered her palm under his own as he gently spoke.


    "I was only repaying a debt."


    Kahn''s expression then turned curious¡­


    "Tell me something¡­ why did you choose to save me back then?


    You also have the mage ss thanks to your ancient rank job¡­ so I''m certain you felt the danger even before the monster attacked with that golden orb skill." he queried.


    "That¡­ I don''t know what came over me. I was already too close before I could react and when it used that skill¡­


    I just felt like protecting you in thatst moment and reacted without a second thought." replied Kassandra as her raven hair fluttered gently as a strong breeze entered the room.


    Kahn on the other end felt satisfied after hearing her answer.


    Because there was no hidden agenda or any dubious strategy... Kassandra acted based on her instincts.


    This was enough for him to understand that she was genuinely a good and kindhearted person when it counted.


    "I guess my opinion of you has increased more than before.


    Thank you¡­ I mean it." said Kahn as he gave a thankful nod to Kassandra.


    [Master¡­ She''s putting up a brave act. She was crying the whole night after waking up.


    For someone named Isaac.] Armin said in Kahn''s mind.


    Kahn suddenly remembered the night of the attack and Kassandra''s furious demeanor back then.


    He quickly remembered about the 3rd heir of the Mikealson n.


    "Get rest. Your n''s envoy ising soon.


    You have a funeral to attend." he said in a solemn tone.


    Kassandra''s face then turned crestfallen as she was reminded again about her younger cousin who fell in the battle against the Cdrius.


    Her expression turned heavy but she did not speak a word as teardrops formed in her eyes.


    [Master¡­ Although we managed to save her.. The mana inside her body is already waning. Soon she will be unable to sense or use magic altogether.] said Armin in Kahn''s mind as he continued to heal her body with his skills.


    [There''s nothing we can do now. Not everything in life goes as we nned.


    She might think that it was because of the monster or maybe even regret her decision of saving me instead of herself in the future.


    I have repaid my debt by saving her life because she saved mine.


    As for the consequences¡­ those are the battles of her own.] responded Kahn telepathically.


    Just when Kahn was about to let go of Kassandra¡­ the system suddenly gave a notification.


    [Soul Link formed between the host and the individual named Kassandra Mikealson!]


    Shocked! Dumbfounded!


    Kahn was rooted on the spot as soon as he heard this sudden announcement by the system.


    His eyes were wide open as if he heard something impossible out of the blue.


    "Are you okay?" asked Kassandra as she noticed this sudden change in his expression.


    "Ah, nothing. I just remembered something important. I need to go now¡­


    Take some rest. I''ll see you again." spoke Kahn and quickly left the room.


    He returned to his royal bedroom on the 4th floor of the castle.


    [System.. Exin what the fuck was that?!] he ordered.


    [System has noticed that there is now an innate connection between the host and Kassandra Mikealson.


    The root cause of this soul link is undetectable as of now since the soul link has been established just a few minutes ago.


    However, the system can detect one thing for certain.] reported the system.


    [What is it?] asked Kahn with a worried expression.


    [Host will be able to feel the presence of the target with Soul Link in a 10,000 kilometer radius regardless of his location or any form of magical barrier.] replied the system.


    Bewildered!


    Another mind-blowing revtion hit Kahn in the gut and rendered him incapable of thinking straight.


    "What kind of nonsense is this?! Are you trying to say that¡­." spoke Kahn as his entire body was covered in goosebumps.


    For the first time¡­ he shivered in fear while not being in danger. Kahn then asked in a jittery voice¡­


    "Kassandra just became my¡­ soulmate?"

 Chapter 414 - Dealing with the Aftermath

    Chapter 414 - Dealing with the Aftermath


    Kahn had a terrified expression on his face after the system revealed the key information that sent chills down his spine. The consequences of saving Kassandra''s life as a form of repaying his debt to her hade back to bite him in the ass real quick.


    Feeling someone''s presence over the range of ten thousand kilometers?


    That was the most absurd thing he ever heard in this new life. Even fictional romance novels did not dare to go that far.


    [The host sure has a wild imagination.] suddenly the system spoke in his mind.


    "Eh? Then what does it mean?" he asked curiously.


    [Although all the conditions and effects are not clear for the time being.


    The system is certain that neither the host nor Kassandra Mikealson will be affected adversely.


    And neither will their minds or personalities be affected because of this Soul Link.


    As for the aftereffects¡­ only time will tell.] replied the system.


    "Phew! Almost scared me right there." spoke Kahn as he heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Thank goodness. I felt like my worst fears hade true." said Kahn andy down on the bed.


    "Let''s never do that again¡­ ever!" he spoke to himself after the supposed cmity turned out to be nonexistent.


    Because Kahn did not want to take responsibility or develop feelings for Kassandra out of nowhere just because he shared a part of his soul to repay her for saving his life.


    Although the procedure they used was beyond any form of physical intimacy¡­ he just did not want the responsibility and get entangled in something troublesome.


    Developing romantic feelings for a woman?


    He already suffered because of it in the previous life and had absolutely no intentions of doing so in the new one even now.


    Although he had a very good impression and only admiration for Kassandra after their encounters till this point¡­ it wasn''t to an extent where he would ovee his past life trauma just for the sake of it without a natural progression or reason.


    He refused to be the protagonist of those romance and harem novels just so the readers could feel the rush of dopamine or get off.


    And as soon as the system informed him about the current situation regarding the soul link¡­ a giant boulder was lifted off of his chest.


    Although many things were still unanswered¡­ Kahn epted and came to terms with his current predicament with Kassandra.


    ----------------


    "Master, we have ces to be." spoke Ronin who suddenly appeared behind Kahn.


    For the next 10 minutes, Ronin exined how they dealt with the situation over the Kaldris border and what kind of measures were taken after the battle ended.


    And without a surprise¡­ the whole situation had reached the ears of all the native citizens of Vessen fiefdom. And to bury unnecessary rumors and avoid mass hysteria¡­


    The generals themselves announced the happenings of the legendary monster attack and that Kahn was currently healing from his injuries. And soon he was going to make a public announcement addressing the whole incident and the aftermath.


    "Well done. Although it must have caused temporary panic among the public, it was still better than our enemies and opportunistic people spreading wrong rumors and misinformation to gain any advantage in their favor." said Kahn as he too agreed with the collective decision of the generals.


    "Since the Mikealson n''s envoy wille tomorrow, we better do it quickly lest theye ming me for the death of their 3rd heir."manded Kahn.


    In the noon, using the broadcasting newswork Kahn had created that reported the daily happenings and incidents throughout the fiefdom to themon popce¡­ Ronin had all the official channels spread the news about the public announcement that will be held in the evening.


    ----------------


    After the sunset¡­ most of the citizens had amassed over thousands of therge broadcasting screens established in all the important squares of cities, towns and viges of the fiefdom.


    All of them were eager to hear the word of their benevolent sovereign who brought drastic changes in their lives for the better in just 3 months since his reign started.


    After the preliminary announcement, the majority of the poption was already worried about Kahn''s health since he was already a savior in their eyes.


    And finally, Kahn in his usual gray royal clothes appeared on the broadcasting screens throughout the Vessen fiefdom.


    "Yeaaahh!!"


    "He''s alive!!"


    "All hail the Sovereign!!"


    Millions of people loudly screamed and chanted with happiness as soon as Kahn in good health was revealed to them.


    Although the current Kahn was at level 157 after the whole soul transfusion procedure and his body was in a weakened state¡­ he was healthy enough to hold off a public broadcast.


    However, the expression on Kahn''s face wasn''t of a victorious warrior but of someone who was in pain and sorrow.


    "People of Vessen fiefdom¡­ I, Kahn Salvatore, your sovereign¡­


    Would like to apologize to all the citizens." spoke Kahn and did a ny-degree bow in front of the whole fiefdom.


    His dejected and remorseful expression had caught everyone off guard and quickly, a pin-drop silence ensued among the masses spread throughout the eight thousand kilometers of the fiefdom.


    "I was heavily injured and needed time to heal. That is why I couldn''t share the bad news with all of you earlier as I wanted." he said with a crestfallen look.


    "Three days ago, the main military headquarter of the Kaldris region border was attacked by a Legendary Rank monster during the night.


    And although I am standing in front of you while lookingpletely fine¡­ my heart and soul is in great turmoil.


    What I''m about to tell you is neither aspiring nor entertaining. But it is the truth that all of you deserve to know.


    I have already promised all of you that my reign will be honest and transparent. So I shall keep delivering upon that promise.


    Today¡­. I have a story to tell you." said Kahn with a heavy tone.


    In the following moment, his expression turned to that of defeat and loss as if he underwent an insufferable situation. He continued as small tears dropped over his cheek¡­


    "A story of Bravery and Sacrifice."

 Chapter 415 - Bravery and Sacrifice

    Chapter 415 - Bravery and Sacrifice


    In front of the entire poption of the Vessen fiefdom, Kahn''s image appeared on the screens spread in all the cities and towns. His dejected and somber expression had already turned the atmosphere dreary in all the crowded ces.


    "Three days ago, atte night¡­ a legendary rank monster suddenly attacked the main military headquarters at the border of the Kaldris region out of the blue.


    We believe that it was actually the regional overlord of the hotspot of the annual monster tide. And it attacked the headquarters with the intention to invade the inner popted cities and inhabitednds by the people in the Kaldris region.


    However, the 1 million soldiers stationed at this border equipped with all the war-rted gears such as weaponry, flying ships, magic cannons and fighter ss profession responded to the situation very quickly and created a defensive formation that stopped the legendary beast from entering any further." he exined.


    "However¡­ A legendary rank monster is not something even a semi-saint can win against.


    So before Commander Kassandra Mikealson was alerted about the situation¡­ a lot of the soldiers who understood the gravity of the situation and instead of waiting for amand and letting the monster invade the popted regions; they attacked and engaged it in a battle right away." he iterated the happenings of the night of the battle.


    "Soon after Commander Mikealson reached the site, she sent a distress transmission to the capital where I was informed about the situation.


    And given the distance between the capital and Kaldris region, it took us nearly 4 hours to send reinforcements and relief supplies." spoke Kahn and took a deep breath.


    "In the meantime, despite being outmatched in every aspect¡­mander Kassandra herself fought bravely without a care for her life and blocked the enemy that was many times stronger than her.


    Nevertheless¡­ even those great numbers were not enough to gain victory.


    As of today¡­ we have confirmed that there are total hundred thousand and ny four casualties." said Kahn in a heavy tone.


    Gasp!


    Gasp!


    Millions of people gasped in surprise as they heard the total death count.


    Normal people never had their lives centered on war or the military so they were not used to hearing so many people dying in just a few hours.


    Another chatter started among the masses but Kahn abruptly interjected as he continued the speech.


    "Before I even arrived at the site¡­ any had already fallen, thousands of warships were wrecked and more than three hundred thousand soldiers had been injured.


    But even so¡­ our military force did not waver and kept fighting on the front and tried to repel the invader even if they knew that it would spell only their doom.


    Our brave soldiers disyed their mettle and stood their ground firmly even if it meant sacrificing their lives.


    In front of an imminent death¡­ they embraced the danger and held off against the enemy." he said in a solemn tone.


    "After my arrival¡­ I andmander Kassandra joined hands together and to avoid more casualties, both of us led it back to the inner regions by provoking the enemy with our constant attack.


    And after we reached forested terrain¡­ The rest of the battle was fought between only 3 of us." he borated.


    "Thanks tomander Kassandra''s unique and amazing skills, we managed to trap and weaken it easily. And after that, we both managed to injure it to a great extent.


    But just when we thought that victory was at our hands¡­


    It used its life-saving skills." he said and heaved a sigh.


    "During that decisive moment¡­mander Kassandra chose to protect me instead of herself and was severely injured." Kahn let out a crestfallen expression but carried on.


    "After I too was heavily injured and barely had any strength left¡­ I managed tond a killing blow and finish off the main perpetrator of this battle." he exined.


    However, there was no joyous smile on his countenance.


    "Commander Kassandra has managed to survive through her critical condition and is now in a recovery phase.


    As for the intruder¡­" spoke Kahn and the following second¡­ the focus of all the projection artifacts turned from him to the open ground behind Kahn''s castle.


    Shocked!


    Bewildered!


    The entire poption of the fiefdom watching this broadcast was shocked to their core.


    Because behind the castle¡­ was a ginormous figure that was even bigger than the 200 meter tall castle itselfid on the ground and was currently surrounded by thousands of soldiers and flying ships.


    This white-feathered creature that dwarfed even Kahn''s enormous castle in height with a detached head that was 50 meters tall in itself appeared in front of the entire poption.


    The ginormous Cdrius who caused the mayhem and killed so many of the soldiers was now disyed to the masses.


    "As you can see¡­ this was the monster I was talking about. This creature isparable to a Saint rank individual in terms of strength and fighting prowess.


    So if someone is still under the impression that we were weak and failed to properly handle the situation¡­


    Know that if this monster who could use wind elemental skills strong enough to shred tall buildings and even my castle in a single attack had invaded the cities¡­ the death count would be in millions.


    Although I was the one whonded the finishing blow¡­ none of this would be even possible in the first ce if not for the soldiers at the border.


    And at this moment¡­ the normal citizens are safe and alive only because of the Bravery and the Sacrifice made by the soldiers of our fiefdom.


    So I hope that you will properly understand andmend our fallen heroes who gave their lives for your sake." said Kahn in an authoritative tone as he patronized the citizens.


    His speech left not just the normal popce but even all the soldiers situated in different regions and military outposts feeling overwhelmed.


    However¡­ every single one of them hade to understand that their sovereign, Kahn Salvatore¡­


    Was a true leader who actually cared about the lives of the Soldiers of the fiefdom.

 Chapter 416 - The Reparations

    Chapter 416 - The Reparations


    Kahn''s charismatic figure was now disyed in front of citizens and soldiers of the Vessen fiefdom alike. And as his announcement regarding the happenings of the battle at the Kaldris region came to an end¡­ majority came to realize the bravery and sacrifice of the warriors who protected their lives.


    However¡­ hismending speech had evoked many emotions in the minds of the millions of soldiers stationed at the borders of the six hotspot regions where they had been risking their lives for decades.


    Because it was the first time in the past two hundred years that any person in authority had ever apuded or made the knowledge of their heroic acts well known to the masses.


    The government before his reign had never even bothered to pay for wages on time or provided them with suitable gears and many knew of the truth about how little did their deaths mattered to those who controlled the old Vessen mountain range.


    Kahn''s speech finally made them feel appreciated¡­ made them feel that they too mattered.


    "As for the families of the dead soldiers who have lost an important member¡­ mostly the ones whom their future depended on¡­" he said.


    "I am establishing a new system where the capable and suitable member of the family will be helped to get a job in various government sectors. They will be trained and educated regarding those professions and positions if they choose to.


    And there will be no partiality based on age group or gender." dered Kahn out of a sudden.


    "It was already revealed in the People''s Court about how the funds allotted to the families of the deceased soldiers went into the pockets of the corrupted officials instead.


    If our soldiers can''t even perform their duties knowing that their families won''t be looked after their deaths¡­ how will they be able to face the enemy on the front while the people these soldiers are trying to protect are left in the hands of uncertain fate?" he iterated.


    "Some people who have never seen or been in a war or lost arade act as if they are better for not choosing the path of dying for our mothend.


    But let me remind everyone that you''re entitled to have such opinions and delusions of being nobler¡­ is because there''s this very soldier that you criticize is risking his or her life at the borders.


    It''s not the soldiers¡­ but the whole empire that''s failing to protect our future.


    I can not talk about the rest of the Rakos Empire¡­ but in my reign..


    I will make sure that no soldiers has to worry about the family they left behind or their future in case they die serving the Vessen fiefdom." dered Kahn.


    After his speech ended¡­ those who had the notions of the soldiers being weak or the military not having enough strength were forced to shut up their mouths.


    Because the gigantic body of the Legendary rank monster was more than enough to make a statement. A being that wasparable to a legitimate Saint had caused the deaths of so many people.


    And even the two strongest semi-saints of the entire empire like Kahn and Kassandra barely managed to kill it while getting gravely injured.


    So for the first time in the history of this part of the Rakos Empire¡­ people hade to know the real truth and the dangerous life led by the soldiers who fought to protect the lives of themon citizens.


    Just by bringing this another harsh truth to them¡­ Kahn, who had already be their true leader gave them a sense of assurance that he will always rule righteously.


    ----------------


    The forty-seven million soldiers of the fiefdom who had their eyes glued to the broadcasting screens had a different outlook on this announcementpared to the normal citizens.


    For the first time¡­ someone had addressed losing arade in war, the sacrifice they made and how they had to worry about the families left behind.


    And his new system of looking after the families of the martyrs was something they never even thought of.


    A smallpensation in the form of money was never enough to give their families a sustainable life. But with this new system, they could at least be relieved.


    At the present moment¡­ Kahn had proved himself to be a reliable,petent and honorable sovereign in their eyes.


    He not only protected the lives of the people¡­ but he also killed the enemy who killed so many of their fellowrades.


    And him establishing this new system throughout the fiefdom was something they were not even capable of thinking of.


    To them¡­ Kahn had now be a ruler worth dying for.


    ----------------


    After Kahn''s public announcement ended and the night came¡­ he now sat on his ck and golden throne in the main throne hall of the castle.


    YAWN!


    "How was I?" asked Kahn to Ronin as he yawned.


    "If I didn''t know any better¡­ even I would be moved by your speech." said Ronin as he praised Kahn''s acting skills.


    "Gosh¡­ I''m not that heartless you know.


    I do feel empathy towards the dead soldiers¡­ but I have too many people to look after and I can''t be everywhere at the same time. Plus, it''s just something unavoidable at this point. I can protect what I can and won''t meddle in if I can''t change the oue." spoke Kahn as he leaned back to rest.


    "Now I understand why everyone tries to bury the truth to keep their power." he said.


    Due to the weakened state, his body felt like he was drowning underwater but he had no choice regarding the public announcement.


    "Still¡­ the reparations you''ve offered aren''t small. And the new system you''ve dered will give you full support from the military as well.


    After all, controlling the officers and strong people is a different thing than having soldiers to fight for you in a war willingly." said Ronin.


    Kahn then nodded and ordered¡­


    "Create more than 200 million copies of the recordings of today''s announcement and spread it across the Rakos Empire using our money and connections. Don''t hold back."


    "This is going to cause chaos among the military of the rest of the empire. Even they will try to force the government to make a system such as this and force their hand.


    Don''t you think we already have enough enemies, master?" asked Ronin.


    "Think big, Ronin. This isn''t just about me creating a good image in front of the citizens.


    We''re sowing the seeds in the minds of the people. The nts that sprout will help us in the future. After all¡­" spoke Kahn with a charming yet sinister smile.


    "I''m the rightful Emperor of the Rakos Empire."

 Chapter 417 - Crumbling World

    Chapter 417 - Crumbling World


    Kahn now dozed off in his royal bedroom while he had a carefree expression after recent events. The past 3 days had been very crucial for him in many ways. Although the circumstances were against him in many ways and he had to deal with the matter carefully¡­ he seeded thanks to his wit and acting skills again.


    Kahn knew that public outrage would ur if he tried to bury the incident of the Cdrius attack or cover up the number of deceased during the battle would on help his enemies that still served the three noble factions.


    Instead of letting them use this chaos against him. Kahn made use of this adversity instead.


    That is why¡­ after the generals announced Kahn personally addressing the issue as means to control damage¡­ he decided to elevate the whole scenario from just a normal report about the incident and turned it into an emotional speech that touched the hearts of citizens and military soldiers alike.


    He acted like an emotional ruler who was devasted by the tragedy and turned the opinion of the public in his favor before even someone added the fuel to the fire.


    He turned this cmity into a golden opportunity to show that he can actually protect the people and is strong enough to kill even a legendary rank monster.


    And by spreading the recordings throughout the whole empire, he wanted to subconsciously make people and soldiers yearn to have a sovereign like him in their regions as well.


    Having a ruler like Kahn, for whom their lives mattered¡­ along with his transparency and the new system that he''d soon establish was extremely alluring and desirable to all the soldiers of the empire.


    This was going to spark another chaos in the empire soon. But it was something he too wanted to see happening.


    Although Kahn currently had no ns to be the emperor¡­ it was just a shot in the dark. And if it ever came to it.. This incident might as well turn out beneficial to him instead.


    This was the textbook method of getting in people''s heads using emotions such as anger, hate, empathy and love practiced by many politicians.


    Only smart people could see through that act but luckily for him¡­ whether it was Earth or Vantrea. Both worlds were full of stupid and braindead people either way who believed in whatever was told to them.


    So when life threw lemons at him¡­ he decided to make lemonade.


    ----------------


    THE NEXT MORNING.


    After having a line of servants serving him and the generals morning breakfast along with their guest Kassandra¡­ Kahn and the group were escorted to the open grounds of his 10 kilometer wide estate.


    A warship with the sigil of the Mikealson n hade this very morning. Their main objective being picking Kassandra who half recovered from her previous state.


    Afterpleting the formalities and greetings with the people in charge of the envoy¡­ Kahn ordered the generals to escort the people and offer some refreshments while surrounded by many watchful eyes.


    As for himself¡­ he escorted Kassandra to the main garden and they both had some space to talk.


    "How are you feeling now?" asked Kahn.


    "Good enough to get by. I will need more time I think." replied Kassandra as she still seemed exhausted.


    "I see. Well¡­ I''m sorry for your loss.


    And I''ve already reported to your n''s envoy how big of a part you yed or how you mortally wounded it to avenge your cousin.


    No one is going to me you for it. So it''d be best if you didn''t let it weigh down on your mind." he spoke.


    Kahn understood that although Kassandra seemed to be acting okay¡­ unlike a loner like himself; she was someone with a family and friends. So she was naturally heartbroken but chose to not show her pain in front of a stranger like him.


    And he did not intend to pry.


    "I guess this is thest time we will be seeing each other. I hope you have a great life ahead." spoke Kahn in an honest tone as they both slowly walked into the wide garden full of mesmerizing greenery and fragrant flowers.


    Kassandra''s ears perked as her intuition kicked in.


    "Why do you sound as if you''re going to die soon?" she asked with a curious gaze.


    "It''s nothing serious. Just that it feels like we didn''t get enough time to talk properly." said Kahn as he averted his eyes.


    "Hey¡­ you''re acting weird all of a sudden." said Kassandra with a suspicious gaze.


    But unlike her¡­ Kahn already knew what was going to happen soon.


    The once most talented and the no. 1 prodigy of the Rakos Empire was going to lose even her ability to use magic. Soon, her rank and all of her skills were going to disappear as the mana inside her bodypletely disappeared.


    By Armin''s estimation¡­ it would take at least a couple of months and then the Raven Sorceress whom he too hade to admire would be nothing but a thing of the past in this world where only one''s strength mattered.


    Although he knew about it¡­ Kahn just couldn''t tell the truth about how he saved her in order to repay her because Kahn was alive at this moment due to her actions.


    Even if she would get to live¡­ the price she had to pay was as good as being paraplegic for the rest of her life.


    Kahn didn''t want to be the one to crumble her world right after she had lost a close family member.


    The slow walk he was sharing with her at this moment would probably be thest time they''d meet as nothing but a tragic fate awaited Kassandra. A fate that none of them could change even if they wanted to.


    As the afternoon came, Kahn bid farewell to Kassandra...


    The woman who made his heart flutter for the first time. The woman who saved his life without thinking about her own just because she felt like it was the right thing to do.


    And because of the cruel fate; soon she was going to watch¡­


    Her world fall apart.

 Chapter 418 - New Ranker

    Chapter 418 - New Ranker


    Kahn watched Kassandra depart while being surrounded by thousands of soldiers and hundreds of royal guards. This was probably thest time he would ever see her because he was aware that without the ability to use magic¡­ her life was going to change for the worse.


    Yet there was nothing he could do to help. He had already yed a part in at least keeping her alive. The thorny path that awaited her now was something she''d have to walk on alone.


    As the evening came¡­ Kahn sent his orders to the Covenant Army. To remove the ginormous body of the Cdrius that still hadn''t started decaying given the fact that it was a legendary rank creature thaty behind his castle.


    Following his orders, 2 warships came and a couple of thousand covenant soldiers that wereprised of criminals such as rapists, murderers and all kinds of heinous crimes; but now served as Kahn''s ves, tied down the body of this creature that could kill all of them with its aura alone.


    The massive 200 meters tall warships that had the width of a kilometer on their own had hundreds of metallic cables hooked in that tied down the corpse of the monster. And the sky around the capital Aesir gave all the citizens a glimpse of the enormous creature that caused the deaths of so many people.


    Those who previously doubted its existence saw Cdrius with their own eyes and everyone was reminded of Kahn''s overwhelming speech again.


    A hundred kilometers away from Aesir, in a mountain region, the warships finally dropped the legendary creature on the ground along with the massive head that was tied to its body.


    Kahn then ordered over eight thousand soldiers to surround the 5 kilometers region in all four directions and sent all of them away.


    p!


    p!


    "Given the price I had to pay¡­ this bastard better give me some god-tier abilities." said Kahn as he put both hands over the cut-down neck of this gigantic creature.


    "Absorb!"


    After 5 hours, Kahn was finally done with Ability Absorption divine ability doing its work.


    "System, report."manded Kahn.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Stormbringer (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to control the wind pressure in 1 kilometer radius and create storms filled with wind elemental des.


    Note : This ability requires a tremendous amount of world energy. The host is currently too weak to use this skill.


    The host must be a saint rank being first.


    ----------------


    Sky Overlord (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Gives the host a 300% boost while using any flying skill or levitating in the air.


    A constant supply of world energy is required for this ability toe under effect.


    The host must be a Saint to enable this ability.


    ----------------


    Cdrius Wings (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to use physical wings to take a flight and improve his speed over time up to two times.


    Note : The host''s current physique is too small and weak to handle the wingspan.


    The host must be a saint rank being and use a transformation skill to use this ability.


    ----------------


    Soul Distortion (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to create a soul-damaging burst attack with a range of 1 kilometer.


    All the targets will have their souls damaged. Other than the subordinates, everyone else will be affected by this skill regardless of their rtionship with the host.


    The host is advised to use this skill cautiously.


    Note : An enormous amount of world energy is required to use this skill. The host must be a 2nd stage saint to use this ability.


    Activation time required : 1 hour.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host.


    destorm, Windde, Sky Lord abilities have been upgraded to SSS Rank and the host has received a 100% damage output buff in all wind elemental spells and attack skills.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Godbeast Roc


    Current bloodline purity : 37%] reported the system.


    Kahn on the other end had nothing but a poker face.


    "Thank you and no thank you!" he eximed.


    All these abilities were simply too demanding. And as of now.. He couldn''t even use a single one of them.


    Although he understood the reason, it was still too unbearable given all the expectations he had.


    All of these skills were too powerful and would benefit him in arge-scale battle if he ever had the asion of fighting an army of hundred thousand enemies himself.


    And with the potential they had after he leveled up and so did these skills¡­ he''d be no different than an air force squadron himself.


    "Why the fuck can''t I get a flying skill?" asked Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    Because the recent encounter with the Mountain Titan and the Cdrius monster had shown him the biggest demerit he had at this point.


    He didn''t have a single flying skill he could use in a battle. And waiting to be a Saint first was a luxury he couldn''t afford given the future expeditions he had to do in uing months.


    [Because the host''s current body can not handle the wingspan. It''s simply too big. and this bloodline. The host will need to be a saint and this physical ability will automatically activate.] reminded the system again.


    However, the biggest benefit he received for now is that all the wind elemental skills rose by 2 to 3 ranks and most of them became SSS Rank themselves.


    "Ugh¡­ thank you for the harsh reminder again." said Kahn in an annoyed tone.


    "I guess I have no choice but to wait." he said.


    "Alright then. Come out." spoke Kahn and suddenly, a general with two ck wings jumped out of his shadow.


    The reason why he brought this general in his shadow was because he didn''t want anyone to link the disappearance of this ginormous body with this subordinate of his.


    The ck-winged and brown-haired archer general knelt in front of Kahn with a content expression as he too was finally getting a rank up after a long time.


    "Let''s hope you''re much luckier than me¡­" said Kahn and spoke the general''s name with a grin¡­


    "Oliver."

 Chapter 419 - Unbelievable Evolution

    Chapter 419 - Unbelievable Evolution


    Kahn now stood in front of the enormous body of the Cdrius monster and decided that it was about time Oliver, who had flying skills after his previous evolution needed another rank up. And given the type of flying monster Cdrius was¡­ Kahn had high expectations.


    "Awaken."manded Kahn and ordered the system to start the synthesis procedure.


    And after 5 hours of wait¡­ the results were finally out.


    But as soon as the divine ability was done with its job¡­ the entire 3 kilometers of space froze under insurmountable pressure.


    Kahn, who was baffled after this sudden urrence, was also frozen on the spot under the horrifying and tyrannical pressure made of World Energy as if Kahn was facing a legit saint.


    [System, what''s happening? This doesn''t happen when I''m ranking up a subordinate.] queried Kahn.


    [The host has experienced this phenomenon before. It urs only when a subordinate breaks the threshold of a species restriction and evolves into a higher form during the synthesis procedure. Thest time this happened was¡­] reported the system but before it could evenplete the sentence¡­


    "When I created Rudra!" spoke Kahn with an awestruck and bbergasted expression.


    Thunderp!


    Thunderp!


    Without even giving Kahn a moment to digest the fact¡­ a heavy and extremely overbearing pressure was released that even made Kahn, the master of this resultant creature fall on his knees.


    A dense cloud surrounded by ear-deafening lightning strikes and whirling storms came to be and Kahn himself was flung high in the air till hended half a kilometer away.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    SCREECH!!!


    A heaven-shattering screech filled the 5 kilometers radius and Kahn, who was the closest to this creature felt like he had already gone deaf.


    Soon, the storm faded and a 500 meters tall gigantic bird creature with a head that looked like an more fiercer and primordial version of an eagle, 6 massive ck eyes, three on each side and talons as big as a tall tower came to be.


    Its massive yellow ws and the piercing beak gave this gigantic creature that was even bigger and had a wider wingspan of one and a half kilometers stood like an overbearing king of the skies.


    Strong gales and crackling lightning ran over itspletely brown ginormous body filled withrge feathers and the creature gave Kahn a fierce gaze as if it was looking down on its own master just like Rudra, the variant Basilisk once did.


    "What¡­ what the hell is this? How can such a creature exist?" asked Kahn in a bewildered voice.


    [Congrattions to the host. Subordinate named Oliver has merged two different bloodlines and evolved into a superior variant species called Thunderbird.


    Species bloodline Effects :


    Oliver can generate powerful ps of thunder with a p of his wings. The beak of a Thunderbird subordinate can shoot out bolts of lightning at will. He is also capable of summoning huge storms and typhoons, capable of annihting cities with its forceful and high-pressure wind attacks and stray bolts of lightning.


    ----------------


    Following are the statistics for the subordinate named Oliver :


    Name : Oliver


    Species : Thunderbird (Variant Garuda)


    Job : Tempest Archer (Legendary ss)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 238


    Strength : 6730


    Agility : 10293


    Dexterity : 9035


    Defense : 5731


    Mana : 5472


    ----------------


    Following are the newly acquired abilities and skills :


    Stormbringer (SSS Rank)


    Cdrius Wings (SSS Rank)


    Soul Distortion (Saint Rank)


    Sky Lord & Sky Overlord skills have merged and created an upgraded skill named Sky Emperor.


    Sky Emperor (Saint Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate holds control over the wind element and magic within a 5 kilometers radius. All the wind elemental attacks and spells can be controlled and negated by the subordinate regardless of the caster being an ally or a foe.


    Subordinate now has a 300% innate boost in all flying skills.


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded Physical skills & abilities :


    Jetstream (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to create air pressure in a 1 kilometer area to propel himself in the air with high-pressure wind.


    ----------------


    Thunderbird Wings (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Gives the subordinate a 400% buff in speed and agility while flying. The maneuver speed during flight increased by 200%.


    ----------------


    Horus Eye (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinates can sense and locate everything within a 20 kilometer radius while flying. All the minute details will be clear and visible to the user.


    ----------------


    Guardian of the Squadron (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    All flying allies within 10 kilometer radius of the subordinate will receive 80% increases in speed and maneuverability. Allies capable of flight will receive a 60% increase in attack damage while attacking from the air.


    ----------------


    Following are the Magical skills & abilities :


    Arrowstorm (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to create five hundred mana arrows, each one being 10 meters in height and shoot in multiple directions. All the arrows can be individually controlled by the subordinate.


    ----------------


    Descent of the Sun (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Subordinate receives 450% Attack buff and magical skill damage during noontime. The more time under the sun spent by the user, the more increase in attack damage.


    Note : All of the listed abilities can be upgraded with rise in levels and rank of the subordinate.


    ----------------


    All archery skills of the subordinate have been ranked by 2 ranks after the evolutions and their effectiveness, attack damage output and range have been increased by 3 times thanks to the subordinate invoking a Legendary ss called the Tempest Archer.] reported the system.


    "Blood hell¡­ not just one but two Saint Rank skills?" said Kahn with a bewildered expression.


    Because even Armin and ckwall only had one Saint rank skill even now. But Oliver straight up had two of them.


    As if this legendary Cdrius monster was created for the very purpose of giving such a huge upgrade in ranks and abilities to Oliver¡­ the result of the synthesis waspletely unexpected.


    Oliver''s Garuda Bloodline mixed with the Godbeast Roc bloodline and created a whole new different version called the Thunderbird.


    And based on the abilities and skills he had¡­


    If he were to fight Cdrius in a one-on-one battle¡­ Oliver would definitely be the victor because of the many buffs skills he already had thanks to his Tempest Archer ss that he could use even in his Thunderbird form.


    Kahn quickly came to one truthful conclusion after understanding the gravity of the situation. Whether he wanted to believe it or not; Oliver after his evolution had the potential¡­


    To surpass even the Godbeasts!

 Chapter 420 - Sky Emperor

    Chapter 420 - Sky Emperor


    In front of a gigantic general whose most of the body was surrounded by strong gales, sharp winddes and raging lightning run amok, Kahn stood speechless while still being in awe after looking at Oliver''s new Legendary rank form.


    The thundering sound echoed in the 5 kilometers radius and even the covenant soldiers who had surrounded the forested region felt an ominous auraing from the inner region where they dropped off the legendary rank Cdrius as per Kahn''s orders.


    Meanwhile, Kahn was still contemting the amazing abilities and skill boost Oliver received after the evolution.


    Just the old abilities that were now upgraded to SSS Rank were more than enough for Oliver to be a force to be reckoned with that even a saint of the same stage would have to worry against in a one-on-one battle.


    But apart from that¡­ Oliver inherited all of the abilities of the Cdrius, the monster that almost killed Kahn for sure if not for Kassandra saving him at thest moment.


    And Oliver had the Sky Lord as well as Sky Overlord abilities merged to form the Sky Emperor passive skill.


    A legit saint rank skill that made him a horrifying opponent in an open ground battle.


    Because not only did he have plenty of AoE attacks of his own that were more than enough to decimate an entire city or an army¡­


    The 4 times boost in flying speed and maneuverability, 2 times buff in attack damage output in all wind elemental skills and spells he could use in both forms thanks to the evolution was too big.


    Andstly, the two times increase in total range in all of his archery and wind elemental skills gave him the ability to even shoot an enemy to death from 3 kilometers away. A feature Kahn hadn''t even imagined to be possible but became true thanks to the Tempest Archer legendary rank ss.


    And Oliver also had the Soul Distortion saint rank skill. The very skill that destroyed Kassandra''s life and forced Kahn to sacrifice a part of his soul. Even a 2nd stage saint would not survive against that attack in his current state.


    The more his levels rose, the stronger opponents he''d be able to kill with that skill in the future. And most importantly, Kahn could even use it to fatally wound even the other heroes of the gods if they were ever put in a sh.


    On one side, Armin had the Soul Reformation saint rank skill that could heal the damage done to someone''s soul while Oliver had the Soul Distortion that destroyed one''s soul from the inside. So Kahn basically had control over both sides of the coin.


    And although the Tempest Archer wasn''t an ancient rank job like ckwall''s Abyss Knight job after the evolution, it was still the most amazing job when it came to longe range fighter professions as it too would increase with Oliver''s levels and rank in the future.


    The way he saw it¡­ it was an absolute win-win situation for him.


    At this point¡­ even Kahn felt like he didn''t need any flying skills. Because Oliver was big enough to carry over a hundred people on his back and fly as fast as a fighter jet.


    And given the massive size and his wingspan that was half times wider than the Cdrius¡­ Oliver was now a natural cmity himself.


    "At this rate¡­ he can at least fly at two thousand kilometers per hour speed and maybe even 12 kilometers top altitude after the upgrade.


    And since most of his skills will rise in effective range and output as he levels up more¡­ I feel like I''ve created a monster with a potential to surpass even the Godbeast Roc." concluded Kahn after giving it aplete thought.


    Because Oliver can even kill a second stage saint just like ckwall and Rudra at this point. And Kahn now had two


    "And now I will never have to worry about a flying enemy or even an army of warships until I be a saint myself.


    This is many times better than I expected." spoke Kahn with a joyous smile.


    Because even if Kahn had gotten those skills.. He didn''t think it would''ve caused such a great transformation or have that much attack range or damage output.


    "Oi, take a human form. You''re drawing too much attention."manded Kahn.


    The ginormous Thunderbird that had most of its body surrounded by lightning storms quickly started reducing its size and in just 30 seconds¡­ a humanoid winged creature stood in front of Kahn.


    However, unlike before the evolution¡­ Oliver''s new appearance had changed drastically.


    "What the hell¡­ System, why isn''t he looking like a human?" asked Kahn as he gazed at Oliver''s new appearance.


    A 3 meter tall half bird-half human with tworge brown wings on his back with the head of an eagle-like creature with ws on his hands and talons as it''s hindlegs now stood in front of Kahn.


    [Because the prominent bloodline of the new species Thunderbird is simply too powerful.


    Unlike the subordinate ckwall, who only possessed an evolved Minotaur bloodline, the subordinate Oliver was already a creature with a superior variant species.


    And after mixing with the Godbeast Roc bloodline¡­ the new species Thunderbird is something that has the potential to be on the same level as the three Primordial monster bloodlines if evolved and ranked up properly.] reported the system.


    "Airshhh¡­ that''s not helpful. It will be troublesome to exin his new appearance to other people and those who already work under him in the fiefdom.


    Plus Albestros knows him well as well." said Kahn in an irritated tone.


    Because no way would many people just by this sudden change in appearance and size.


    But the next second however, Oliver interjected.


    "Master. I''m okay with this. I do not wish to take human form from now on anyway."


    The general who now looked like a Hawkman had a resolute gaze in his now yellow eyes.


    "Why?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Because that is the¡­" said Oliver with a prideful tone as he revealed his reason.


    "Will of the Heaven."

 Chapter 421 - Will of the Heavens

    Chapter 421 - Will of the Heavens


    A WTF expression appeared on Kahn''s face as the newly evolved Oliver in his Hawkman form exuded a terrifying and heavy aura made of world energy which wasparable to a legitimate first stage saint; suddenly started talking about nonsense such as the ''Will of the Heaven''.


    "How high are you?" asked Kahn and gave a suspicious look at the 3 meter tall humanoid hawk general as if he was looking at a lunatic.


    "Master¡­ I can sense a strange energy in the surrounding nature. As if something that transcends beyond our understanding is trying tomunicate with me." replied Oliver as he kept looking around him and the vast sky.


    The next moment, his eyes focused on the two suns in the sky that were always on each other''s side.


    "And this transcendent power is telling me to not discard this new form and abolish anything that stops me from soaring high in the sky." he continued with overwhelming enthusiasm in his voice.


    [System¡­ what the hell is this? Has he lost his sanity?] asked Kahn.


    [The system is running a diagnostic.] replied the system.


    And just 10 secondster¡­ it replied in its usual lifeless tone.


    [The subordinate named Oliver must have received enlightenment after the recent evolution.


    The diagnostics conclude that the root cause of this phenomenon is a specimen called Cdrius which was used during the synthesis procedure.


    In the end, it is a descendant species of the Godbeast Roc, which is also titled as the Representative of the Heavens in this world.] reported the system.


    "Exin that stuff first you dimwit of a system!" eximed Kahn since he too was startled after this sudden change in Oliver''s personality.


    Because based on what he had seen till now¡­ Oliver rarely spoke and always followed his orders promptly. But every time he did, he came up with answers and an urate understanding of the situation.


    Even Ronin wasn''t as quick as Oliver when it came to evaluating, identifying or sensing things that nobody else could feel.


    Whether it was during the fight against the legendary rank Bjormngandur where he noticed the descendant of the Basilisk being able to create small copies of itself and its Lucid Reality skill which he vividly exined how it worked.


    And recently against Cdrius who had a mysterious aura that wasn''t made from the world energy but was somehow controlling it despite the legendary rank monster trying to resist. This was something Kahn still wondered about.


    Oliver always noticed even the minute things and spoke only when he had facts ready as if he was Kahn''s version of Sherlock Holmes among his generals.


    So him suddenly talking about something beyond transcendence and the will of the heavens had caught Kahn off guard as Oliver was thest person he''d expect this from.


    "Master¡­ I need to spend some time alone." he said.


    "I feel like the sky is calling out to me. I don''t know what it is¡­ but I must go.


    I shall returnter." spoke Oliver in an urgent tone.


    "Alright. Take as much time as you need." said Kahn as he instantly approved this request so suddenly.


    The next second, the tempest archer general spread his wide and firm wings and instantly leaped towards the sky.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Oliver''s ascending figure left three powerful shockwaves in session as if the Son of Krypton himself was flying with supersonic speed after breaking the sound barrier again and again.


    Sigh!


    Kahn sighed as he saw Oliver''s figure disappearing amongst the clouds as he kept flying higher like a rocket.


    The main reason why Kahn allowed him to go was because he too received enlightenment 3 times so far.


    One was during his practice as a magician when he was studying mana and world energy.


    And twice when he was practicing Space Law and Dimensional Law simultaneously.


    So he understood why Oliver wanted to leave.


    Because Oliver was currently in the peak enlightened state where a new aspect of existence was revealed to him and his mind and body had to explore more and firm his footing to build a solid foundation.


    Who knew if it''d make Oliver even more powerful than he already was after the rank-up.


    So that''s why Kahn felt like he should let Oliver fly high in the sky rather than trapping him in a cage.


    "Wait a minute¡­" spoke Kahn as he came to a sudden realization.


    "There''s a pattern." he said and closed his eyes as his eidetic memo kicked in and helped him remember certain scenarios.


    "Rudra is a dominating type of personality because he had both Basilisk and Draconian bloodline. Plus he''s a mythical rank creature." said Kahn with a surprised expression.


    "ckwall is basically a personification of pride because he was evolved using the Primordial Titan bloodline which existed even before Godbeasts and Dragons.


    He''s basically a Royalty of a sort."


    "And now Oliver, after the evolution, wants to explore the sky from above so suddenly." he said with a solemn expression.


    And the only thing Kahn could connect it to was their bloodlines that were actually either a variant version or a superior purity that had the potential to surpass the original ones he used to evolve them.


    "Maybe the same would happen to other subordinates. Because the high ranked creatures who sit at the pinnacle of the food chain would certainly have psychological traits of their own species and bloodlines." concluded Kahn based on every detail he noticed so far.


    But without a choice, Kahn then decided to depart since there wasn''t anything left to do.


    ----------------


    In the main throne hall, Kahn was seated on his ck and golden throne. And currently, he was in thepany of two of his generals while the rest were away performing their duties.


    "Like I said before, master. You''re in no position to go on another hunt. You will still need at least a month to fully recover from the soul extraction procedure.


    And till his weakened state ends, you won''t be able to rise in levels again either." spoke Armin.


    "Fine then. I''ll use this as a long-due vacation and ck off for a month." replied Kahn as felt dizzy for some reason.


    Just then, Ronin received a transmission from the artifact. His eyes widened in surprise as his rmed expression alerted both Kahn and Armin.


    "Master! We have another emergency!" eximed Ronin in hurry.


    "What happened?" asked Kahn.


    "There''s an attack on the border 5th hotspot region. And it''s caused by¡­ " he reported.


    "Don''t you dare say it¡­" spoke Kahn as he facepalmed himself.


    But Ronin continued regardless and revealed the true instigator¡­


    "A Legendary Rank monster!"

 Chapter 422 - The Returnee

    Chapter 422 - The Returnee


    After Ronin''s affirmation, Kahn had an exasperated expression and his countenance looked as if he was a student who was extremely annoyed at the teacher for extending the lecture by 5 minutes.


    Kahn let out an exhausted sigh and tilted his head backward as he spoke¡­


    "Ah, somebody kill me please. Why can''t I get a break?.."


    Hisint however fell only on deaf ears.


    "What''s the situation?" he asked.


    "Omega and Jugram are on their way since they''re closer to that region. They''ve already gathered the forces under theirmand and are heading towards the battlefield with more than 3 million soldiers and over 2 thousand flying ships." exined Ronin.


    "What did Commander Chetak say? What kind of legendary monster we are looking at?" asked Kahn in a solemn tone.


    The one he asked about now was the Centaur semi-saint who belonged to the Neutral Faction and was now Kahn''s ve because of the Blood-oath token.


    On the surface, he still served his n and faction but in reality, he was just another puppet for Kahn like the other 2 semi-saints who has caused a big scam in the military by embezzling funds allotted forpensating the families of the deceased soldiers.


    Later, Kahn killed Commander Asw in the People''s Court and threatened this semi-saint to ept the ve contract lest he wanted to get killed publicly as well.


    He was the one in charge of the region where another legendary ranked monster just attacked. And the transmission received by Ronin was sent by him.


    "Currently he and the n heir of the Apopis n are fighting at the front lines and both are protecting the border.


    But the main problem is that the enemy numbers are simply too big. Even the reinforcements arriving with Omega and Jugram won''t be enough." replied Ronin.


    "It will take us 6 hours just to reach there. So sending help from capital would not be efficient.


    ckwall is in charge of the Kaldris region now so he too will not need 4 hours to get there." he iterated.


    "Dammit! Oliver has gone AWOL too. I can''t contact him either. If it was him, he would be there in a couple of hours and would''ve taken care of it easily." said Kahn as he was getting impatient.


    "So we don''t have anyone for a quick response? Both Omega and Jugram won''t be able to kill it even if they took their real forms. It''s a Legendary rank monster in the end.


    Plus too many people including those two semi-saints will be watching." spoke Kahn as another wave of worry washed over his body.


    "Arrhh! I''m going to go crazy." he said and covered his forehead while being distressed.


    Because the longer it took them, the more loss of life will there be. And he wanted to avoid a simr situation like the Cdrius attack.


    Beep!


    Beep!


    Just then, Ronin receives another transmission and he started talking with the caller.


    The next moment however, his eyes were widened and full of shock.


    "I just received an important message. He is finished with his work.


    And he is close to that area." reported Ronin.


    "Good. About time we heard from him.


    Can he handle it?" asked Kahn as a sense of relief came over him and he slouched backward on his throne.


    "Yes." spoke Ronin as he nodded in affirmation.


    "Just tell him to bring the body here first. I''ll decide the next moveter." spoke Kahn, his mood suddenly turning carefree.


    "Meanwhile¡­ I''ll go take a good nap." said Kahn and drifted in the dreamworld.


    Because he was certain that the big gun they were sending would definitely get the job done.


    ----------------


    In the 5th hotspot region of the monster wave attack called Berawaa, where the centaurmander was stationed..


    He and Victor Apopis, one of the in heirs sent from the capital and stationed here by Kahn himself were fighting at the front against an army of forest monsters and millions of tree-like creatures that were no different than normal monsters but had bodies made of wood and leaves.


    The current battlefield was full of deep holes and burning bodies of the monsters and soldiers alike.


    So far, more than 30 thousand foot soldiers had already died while the ones attacking from the flying ships and magic cannons had sessfully taken out over a million monsters spread across this 10 kilometers wide battlefield.


    Currently, the battlefield itself was divided into four parts where two of the regions were protected and guarded bymander Chetak and Victor Apopis, the demonkin semi-saint with True Demon bloodline. While the rest of the two situated on both ends were under Omega and Jugram''smand who just arrived an hour ago with the reinforcement.


    Both of them had brought enough soldiers and firepower with them and the current situation was at a stalemate condition.


    But the biggest problem were the tall tree monsters among the enemy side which were 20 meters tall in size and there were more than 100 of them.


    Even the magic cannons didn''t have that much uracy to hit these fast-moving targets who had roots as their feet which increased their mobility and made their next location impossible to detect.


    If Kahn were to be present here, he''d instantly be reminded of Lord of the Rings battles given the current scenario.


    But what worried them the most that the main regional boss that was 20 kilometers behind the monster wave and wasmanding them to attack as per their Intel still hadn''t decided to step in.


    And if it were to happen, their side would be absolutely wrecked since there was nobody who could fight it one on one.


    Schwooahhh!!


    However, at this exact moment¡­ a ck warship arrived in the deep jungle that was the domain of this legendary rank monster from the other side of the battlefield.


    Suddenly both Omega and Jugram, who were fighting against thousands of enemy monsters in an open battle received a message through their respective transmission artifacts.


    "Keep those small fries and those semi-saints busy there." a gentle and benign tonended in their ears.


    The following second, the confident voice then continued with an ominous tone as the owner dered¡­


    "I will take care of the main boss."

 Chapter 423 - The Apostle

    Chapter 423 - The Apostle


    Amand filled with a sense of supremacynded on the ears of the Magic Swordsman and Hell Berserker generals who were mowing down thousands of rabid and fierce monster waves by themselves.


    However, both of them knew the owner of this familiar voice.


    50 kilometers inside the inner area of this region, the main door of the massive warship opened and the very next moment, a flying figure of a mage who had a grimoire in his left hand, a scepter in his right and wore sses suddenly appeared in the air.


    This mage donned in epic rank gears for magicians and a white and violet robe levitated in the air without a worry. And his fierce and ominous aura filled with extremely dense mana and world energy was exuding to the point where one would easily get stered on the ground given the heavy pressure.


    This general who had been out of action for nearly 4 months at this point let out a sinister smirk as he looked at the enemy forces gathered around the center of this region.


    "Ha ha ha! How lucky of me to get here in time. Finally, I can test my new strength.


    And this creature seems to be the perfect test subject." spoke the mage as he released his ghastly aura and flew towards the legendary rank monstermencing this attack.


    It was none other than Ceril, the Dark Summoner general.


    However, the aura he emitted was more than enough to give a hint at one thing. That now he was at the¡­.


    Legendary Rank!


    ----------------


    As Ceril flew in the sky at an extremely fast pace without even needing any magic formation, spell or artifact of sorts¡­ he quickly noticed that the ability to control so many monsters telepathically even from fifty kilometers away was extremelymendable.


    Unbeknownst to Omega, Jugram and the two semi-saints who were fighting against the monster wave¡­ the uncountable enemies they were fighting at the border of the Berawaa region¡­ was not even half of the army of monsters this legendary rank creature had under its control.


    While its attention was focused on the defending party, Ceril masked his aurapletely to the point he becamepletely undetectable.


    Soon, he entered the 5 kilometers vicinity of monster forces mostlyposed of tree-like creatures. And in the center of their overly popted army, stood 100 meters tall and 30 meters wide creature that had two massive hands and a hollow head with no eyes or even a mouth.


    This creature did not have any legs and its entire body was covered under long and thick tree trunks. Ceril noticed over 20 massive tall trees with thousands of branchesing out of its body from various ces.


    Hundreds of sturdy and dense roots at the bottom were plunged deep inside the ground to the extent that Ceril felt like it touched the core of the itself.


    Instead of looking like a horrifying monster that would shake the core of any being who saw it¡­


    This legendary rank creature looked rather like a gigantic tree nted in the middle of a dense forest.


    "What a big housent." spoke Ceril in amazement.


    "A wood elemental legendary rank creature. It''s my first time seeing one." he said and tried to sense the density of world energy emitting from this ginormous creature.


    "Hmm¡­ at least level 223. The total number of creatures it has in its army seems to be above 10 million. Even the 50 kilometers of the forested region is filled with them like a nest of ants." he said as he looked towards the crowded forest that was being rummaged by the incalcble numbers and variety of species as well as tree monsters.


    "It ns to wear off the soldiers and all fighters with its sheer numbers. At this rate, unless there''s a saint, they won''t evenst for the next 10 hours. The numbers alone are tremendous and even someone like a semi-saint will get tired out to the point they can''t continue fighting.


    It really has advantages in numbers, a variety of strong underlings and terrain advantage.


    You two are lucky that I came here in time as soon as I broke through to legendary rank." said Ceril as he transmitted the real situation to Omega and Rudra.


    "Then make yourself useful, you numbskull!" replied Omega as cut off over 50 monsters in half with a single strike of his lightning sh skill.


    He then used the Sword King skill and his hundred 5 meter long katanas made of different elemental auras swarmed and cut open more than two hundred monsters in a single go.


    "Yeah, I''m busy here too. So if you want to act all mighty and prideful, go gloat somewhere else." said Jugram as he plunged his giantsword in the head of a 20 meter tall tree sentinel monster as he cut it off in two.


    BANG!


    The massive body dropped on the ground but his figure instantly flickered and the next moment, he was high in the air in front of another monster.


    sh!


    With a single burning sh attack with his giantsword, he cut off another tree sentinel monster in half.


    His ck armored figure in the human form was still terrifying to enemy forces because of the chaotic and murderous aura he was emitting that scared every enemy monster within 2 kilometers radius.


    Omega and Jugram were like a one man army and kept fighting like madmen while facing hundreds of opponents on their own.


    Although they wereparable to peak grandmasters¡­ the soldiers serving under theirmand felt like they were looking at bonafide semi-saints instead.


    Ceril on the other end however felt his chest constricting after this sudden insult.


    He wanted to flex his superiority after the new rank-up he achieved through months of hard work and tirelessly studying dark magic and creating undeads day and night for the past 4 months.


    But all he received was an earful for trying to show off by the two fellow subordinates of his.


    "Fine, fine¡­ given the sheer numbers¡­ it shall still make a good opponent.


    A perfect match for me." he said and let out a content smile.


    "Let''s see what my new Ancient Rank job can help me achieve in arge-scale battle.


    After all, I am now the¡­" said Ceril and fully released his deathly aura as he made his presence known to the legendary rank monster. He continued in a grim voice that echoed in the 1 kilometer radius¡­


    "Apostle of Necromancy."

 Chapter 424 - The Sheer Numbers

    Chapter 424 - The Sheer Numbers


    As an intense battle at the border of the Berawaa region continued where the armed soldiers of different fighting professions, mages, enchanters, summoners and even those without any fighting ss but having onlybat techniques; shed against the hundreds of thousands of fierce and wild monsters approaching their outposts.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    BANG!!


    Hundreds of giant magic cannons spread across the 10 kilometers wide area shot and pulverized thousands of iing waves of monsters spread across hundreds of meters with each hit.


    The torn guts, mangled and burning flesh and the stream of blood filled the battlefield as both sides were engaged in a battle to protect their lives and the normal citizens living across the whole 500 kilometers of the popted area.


    After the recent events of the legendary monster attack on the Kaldris region and Kahn''s moving speech¡­ their enthusiasm had reached a peak and due to Kahn''s promise as the Sovereign to establish a system that would take care of the families in case they fell in the line of duty, the soldiers fought fearlessly.


    Thousands of flying ships dropped mana bombs, artillery attacks and the long-range fighters such as archers, summoners and mages boarded on them dropped an enormous volley of arrows, mage spells and summoned constructs made of mana from the flying ships.


    However, due to the massive number of a few hundred thousand flying monsters blocking them from venturing inside, the air force could not go past the battlefield and make a decisive move either.


    And being the veteran warrior himself, Commander Chetak had ordered the military to hold the front until more reinforcements arrived.


    Because if the line of defense broke, the consequences would be immeasurable. In a way, he ended up helping Omega and Jugram who too wanted to keep the military busy on this end until their fellow general took care of the main perpetrator.


    Unbeknownst to the riled-up military forces of the Berawaa region, there was a different phenomenon inside the inner regions of the dense forest where stood the legendary rank monster who was telepathically controlling millions of these monsters as if they were actually an extension of its body.


    BOOM!!


    A loud sonic boom suddenly resounded in the 3 kilometers area from behind this 100 meters tall legendary creature and it finally noticed the intruder who had been watching it while being undetected for minutes.


    Apletely ck aura spread across like a dense fog and a massive ck pir of darkness elemental energy suddenly erupted from the source.


    The ground trembled, trees shook violently as an insurmountable pressure soon froze all living creatures in the 3 kilometer vicinity.


    The legendary rank creatures were by no means just some high leveled monsters, rather the absolute overlords that you couldn''t kill even with an army of millions. Even their aura alone was more than enough to kill thousands if used at full extent.


    Unlike some normal novel or manga, the ying field for the legendary rank monsters in Vantrea was already on a godly scale. Whether it was their size or the damage they could do with their skills was simply iprehensible for someone from the earth.


    Ceril, who had finally revealed his deathly aura and challenged the legendary rank monster that was literally rooted on the spot, for a one-on-one battle.


    The next moment however, he started chanting a spell and under the eyes of the millions of monsters spread in the nearby 10 kilometers¡­ 10 enormous red colored magic formations, each one of which was a kilometer in width spread from the center and stopped only after covering the ten kilometer radius from the location of the source aka Ceril.


    "Let''s see who''s better at handling more numbers." spoke Ceril with a smirk.


    "Arise¡­ Army of the Dead!" he eximed.


    Crack!!


    Crackle!!


    Shatter!!


    Loud noises of shattering and cracking ground filled the surroundings as the entire one kilometer perimeter under the red magic formations, which was Ceril''s signature skill, cracked wide open.


    ng!


    Thud!


    Jitter!


    Thump!


    Bang!


    Dozens of different noises filled the dense treelines as from the now 1 kilometer circumference pit of hollow ground, rose thousands of undeads varying from species, sizes and different fighting professions.


    A simr scene urred on the 9 other sites under those archaic red formations that summoned thousands of skeletal undead soldiers and monsters alike.


    Thousands of these creatures were even 10 meters in size and there were many with specific gear and armors such as tanks, swordsmen, berserkers, assassins and archers.


    Behind them, stood battalions of dark hooded mages and summoners as support.


    This Army of the Dead was not just boney human skeletons but actually a well-equipped army of soldiers with full battle formations based on their skills and abilities.


    And just in 1 minute, more than a million of these soldiersprised of various creatures that were the amalgamation of a number of species experimented and created by the Dark Summoner general during his 4 months of study session came into site.


    Wraahhh!!


    Grrrrrrr¡­


    ROAR!!


    Thud! Thud!


    And as Ceril''s army approached towards the enemy side, the number of undeads that kepting out of the deep crevices and Hollow grounds also rose with every passing second.


    At this moment, the faceless and mouthless legendary rank wood elemental creature turned its whole body towards Ceril and made a gesture through its gigantic hands.


    And soon, thousands of tree sentinels that were 10 to 20 meters in height and were guarding the close proximity of this legendary rank monster suddenly started charging towards the new enemy side that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.


    "Hahaha!!


    Let''s see if you''re even an opponent worth using my full abilities on." spoke Ceril with a smile and the next moment¡­


    ng!


    Bash!.


    Both sides started colliding against each other as the massive monsters amongst their ranks charged from the front of their respective offensive formations.


    And in a matter of minutes, a big battlefield consisting of millions of creatures came to be.


    Trees and ground shattered as they came in between these mindless monsters shed against each other.


    "These petty ones shan''t do. Let me bring my Six Swords." said Ceril and the next second¡­


    Six 50 meters tall gigantic creatures, each as big as a colossal titan whose bodies were made from the bones of thousands of undeads appeared on different ends.


    Although their appearance was many times bigger than the previous encounter where Ceril turned them into his puppets.. Their aura, that wasparable to a semi-saint itself sent shivers in the approaching monster army.


    At this moment¡­ Ceril had summoned the¡­


    Six Heads of Hydra!

 Chapter 425 - Life Vs Death

    Chapter 425 - Life Vs Death


    Six giant figures, each sizing around 50 meters in height alone rose from the wide crevices of the ground and jumped forward. The 10 kilometer wide battlefield now had six giant figures who shook the ground for dozens of meters just with a single step.


    All of these six figures with darkness shrouded around them that acted like their attire based on their respective fighting professions had given them a ghastly and tyrannical appearance.


    A demonkin spearman, a human halberd user, an elven swordsman, a brawler warrior equipped with gauntlets, a subus using a metallic whip and a snakekin mage stood on six intersections.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Their decayed flesh and bodies made of hundreds of thousands of bones with a ck aura running within, stood tall in the massive and mountainous regions while having thousands of undeads stand behind them.


    Compared to their titanic bodies, these small forces looked like nothing worth even looking at. Yet their rising numbers did not stop.


    "Go forth, my guardians. It''s time for you to serve me. Show me all those months I spent creating and fusing you were worth it." said Ceril who was still standing in the sky as if there was an invisible tform underneath his feet.


    Each of the six gigantic figures who emitted a powerful aura that wasparable to a semi-saint suddenly charged from their respective end after receiving themand from their master.


    Thud!


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    Their charge shook the battlefield and those undeads that were already engaged with the small foot soldiers created a way for theirmanders to attack.


    A dense dark aura encapsted their weapons and solidified to the point it looked like hard metal.


    The mage snakekin who once used light elemental skills during the battle when the six heads of Hydra fought against Ceril around 8 months now had dark magic as its main element of body cast numerous spells that floated around it.


    BOOM!!


    BANG!


    ng!


    In the following seconds, the gigantic figures trampled on hundreds of enemy monsters and wood elemental creatures.


    With a swing of their weapons and attacking skills made of darkness element, the Six Guardians despite their massive size moved quickly and decimated thousands of monsters and even a few tree sentinels.


    A massive 12-meter long aura de strike by the elven swordsman shattered the ground, killing hundreds of small-sized enemies while its towering figure stomped on the small 5 meter tall horde of monsters that looked like small rodents to it.


    Over a dozen 10 meter long spears made of darkness elements pierced through the one kilometer range as they obliterated the approaching enemies from the spearman guardian''s end.


    Thud!


    Crack!


    Odin, aka the brawler guardian who was one a peak grandmaster and got used by Ceril in the form of Loki to summon all the heads of Hydra back then, jumped high andnded 200 meters inside the group of monsters.


    He charged both his gauntlets with darkness aura and under the eyes of the thousand monsters¡­


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion resounded as Odin attacked with his fists that shattered the 1 kilometer radius of ground and created hundreds of crevices that engulfed the falling monsters.


    The shockwaves that erupted from this attack were so intense and strong that they tore through the bodies of all the small fodders who were in 2 kilometers vicinity from the thrall brawler.


    RAWR!


    Swoosh!!


    Hundreds of enemies were cut open and shredded as Violetta, the subus who used a 20 meter long metallic and sharp whip with hundreds of curved spikes on it; attacked with her skills that created multiple long des of darkness and cut through the enemy ranks.


    BOOOOMM!!


    A ck mushroom-shaped explosion of ck fire filled the side of the snakekin mage as a firestorm made of dark magic spread and burned all the approaching enemies in 1 kilometer radius.


    Shatter!!


    Crack!!


    A deep crevice that was formed by the ground splitting skill of the giant halberd warrior swallowed thousands of monsters in 1 kilometer of the battlefield.


    One by one, all the six guardians of Ceril whose only purpose was to serve their Undead Lich master, shook the battlefield with their massive bodies and threatening darkness elements skills and dark magic spells.


    Soon, the normal-sized undeads also followed behind theirmanders and fought relentlessly.


    Unlike the enemy force made of living monsters who were like rabid dogs under the control of the legendary rank wood elemental creature, Ceril''s army wasposed of fighting ss undead soldiers who had a variety of skills,bat techniques when they were alive and had proper weapons from the site where he harvested their bodies.


    Thetter with properrge-scale war formation quickly put the mindless monsters on the backfoot as they kept charging inside the enemy ranks.


    As the battle continued for the next 30 minutes¡­


    More than half a million monsters nowy dead while the Necromancer''s army of the dead kepting out and joined the ranks. The overwhelming battle between the small mob monsters and themanders of their respective forces carried on for an hour and soon, the battlefield waspletely dominated by the Dark Summoner''s forces.


    At the present moment¡­ Ceril had summoned a massive army of 5 million undead soldiers and creatures he created in the past 4 months while improving his knowledge and experience in both Dark Magic and Necromancy.


    Given his talent for magic and his undying thirst for knowledge since he inherited Kahn''s eidetic memory and sharp mind after he was created¡­ he had be the only general so far who naturally broke through the Legendary Rank by himself.


    Because Mordor, where Kahn left Ceril months ago to create an army of his own was a site where dead soldiers who died in annual monster tides of that region have been buried for the past 100 years.


    And Ceril aka Dr. Frankenstein had been creating, experimenting and synthesizing millions of bodies and thousands of amalgamations created from different species after Kahn gave him his yground.


    This was his master''s main n back then. Because he wasn''t in a position to go massacring monsters on a whim or could create so many undeads like Ceril.


    Even now, the highest amount of subordinates Kahn had at this point was three hundred thousand. But only 70 thousand of them were strong monsters and fighter sses while the rest were just fodders.


    But unlike his master¡­ Ceril had a total count of more than 10 million undead soldiers. And unlike a traditional Necromancer, his army wasprised of capable fighters and not just fodder monsters who could be killed by some random newbie adventurer.


    Even their attack and defensive formations were simr to real-life military battalions.


    The only thing hecked was an air force of flying undeads and he''d be strong enough to face an army of millions of enemies on his own.


    And this was him not even at the best of his abilities. The Ceril at the current moment had even surpassed many saint magicians of the Rakos Empire in terms of mana capacity and talent as a mage.


    The only downside he had was that he was under-leveledpared to them. And hence needed more time to show them all their ce.


    ----------------


    As the fierce battle continued and even the 100 meter tall legendary rank creature felt the Six Guardians approaching the 1 kilometer radius from its location, it was forced to pull out its roots and move 10 kilometers. Itmanded all the powerful tree sentinels to charge the approaching guardians.


    "It''s not attacking by itself. Means it has very limited physical attack skills.


    So it has mostly mind control and terrain skills at best. And they too have a limited range. Otherwise, it would''ve killed them easily as soon as they entered the two kilometers radius.


    I can use that to my advantage." said Ceril as he analyzed the enemy while he tipped his sses in the middle with his forefinger.


    Although the tree sentinels were higher in numbers, they did not have fighting profession skills like the six guardians.


    So it was basically a trained marine soldier fighting kindergarten children¡­ there was nothing to worry about.


    And as this fierce battle continued, the situation on Omega''s side finally changed as the legendary rank creature summoned back the army of millions of its monsters to fight against Ceril''s army of the dead instead.


    The soldiers of the Berawaa region finally felt like the ferocity of the battle was withering and many from the enemy side had calmed down a bit while some started running back to whence they came from.


    While millions of fodders died and hundreds of thousands of undeads were shattered and broken by the enemies¡­ the battle soon reached its peak.


    But just when Ceril thought that victory was on his side¡­ the Legendary rank wood elemental creature cast a 100 meter side ginormous green orb in its two massive hands.


    "Dammit!! So that''s why it was holding back.


    It needed a long casting time. No wonder it didn''t attack from the beginning of our battle." spoke Ceril with a dejected expression as he noticed the type of skill that his opponent had cast.


    BOOM!!


    A loud shockwave filled the 10 kilometers region and soon¡­ an unbelievable phenomenon urred that made the Dark Summoner frown.


    The green orbs expanded over the 10 kilometers radius of the battlefield and right in front of Ceril''s eyes¡­


    All the fallen wood elemental creatures and the normal monster who died till this point stood back up as this green wave of aura washed over their corpses.


    If Ceril could raise the dead¡­ this legendary monster could control even their fallen bodies with its skill as if it granted them life again.


    One thing he quickly came to understand after this phenomenon.


    That this was no longer a battle between two legendary monsters. But a battle of¡­


    Life vs Death.

 Chapter 426 - Restoration vs Annihilation

    Chapter 426 - Restoration vs Annihtion


    As soon as the battle between millions of monsters, wood elemental creatures and undeads had reached the peak and thetter side gained an upper hand¡­ a decisive move from the legendary rank tree-like creature suddenly turned the tide.


    The 100 meters wide massive green orb filled with life force and vitality it created exploded and a green wave of energy spread across the 10 kilometers radius where the battle was happening.


    It wasn''t that the Six Guardians were strong enough to kill it or the legendary rank creature was unable to retaliate. It was actually in the process of creating this game-changer skill and didn''t want any interference so it willingly retreated 10 kilometers backward contrary to Ceril''s assumptions.


    And now, the corpses of the fodder monsters from the enemy side that were once torn and lifeless were restored to their previous state after the green energy spread over their bodies.


    With just a single skill, the enemy side hadpletely restored its fallen numbers which were no different than what Ceril could do himself as an Undead Lich necromancer.


    Beep!


    Beep!


    While he was lost in his thoughts, a transmission noise ringed in hismunication artifact.


    [Ceril, can you hear me? Are you actually fighting that thing?] asked Ronin who suddenly contacted the Dark Summoner general amidst the battlefield.


    [Yes. What is it? I''m busy here.] replied Ceril.


    [I''ve gathered some information using our historians and those who know a lot of monster species of the vessen fiefdom.


    The enemy you''re fighting isn''t something to be looked down on.] dered the rogue general who was in charge of sending more reinforcement to the border of the Berawaa region where millions of soldiers and monsters were still in a standstill situation after Ceril attacked their main boss.


    [Tell me what you know.] spoke Ceril in an annoyed tone.


    [It''s called the Ashokvatika. A species that was supposed to be extinct five hundred years ago.


    And the ancient records of its existence say that even among all the wood elemental species, monsters, and any creatures that exist in Rakos Empire¡­ It''s like the Royalty in that element because of their bloodline.] iterated Ronin in a solemn tone.


    [Even the past Emperors centuries ago did not dare to wage a war against these creatures or send saints to fight them.] he exined.


    [Because it can instantly rejuvenate nts, wood elemental creatures and forest inhabiting monsters using its innate skills. It''s like resurrecting the dead.


    It can telepathically control all of the previous categories of creatures I mentioned.


    And the more nt life and natural terrain filled with trees it''s present around, the higher the range of its telepathic abilities are. The bigger the forested region is, the more advantages it has.


    So basically, the whole border which has nothing but 300 kilometers of dense forest is its domain and you''re at a total disadvantage.] said Ronin and finished his recent findings.


    [Good. It won''t be any fun if it was much weaker than me.] replied Ceril in an insidious tone.


    Crack!!


    Break!!


    Shatter!!


    In the following moment, the legendary Ashokvatika started channeling its mana and thousands of 20 meters roots that were extremely sturdy and thick appeared as they cracked open the ground of the battlefield.


    Ceril could infer that the enemy was no longer holding back and had taken an offensive approach for the first time.


    Soon, the thousands of tall trees in the 10 kilometers radius emitted a green hue as Ashokvatika moved its hands in a way as if it was airbendending.


    RUSTLE!!


    RUSTLE!!


    Soon, in front of Ceril''s very eyes¡­ all the trees in the area shook as if they were being controlled by an invisible force.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Thousands of trees were pulled upwards by this force and all of these trees were rooted out from the ground and a green aura started running through them.


    Crank!


    Crank!


    Soon, these tall trees started gathering around each other and started forming humanoid shapes.


    In a matter of minutes, hundreds of tall tree creatures of the same size as six guardians were created by the Ashokvatika as it created an enormously big army of its own.


    And without waiting for a ceremony¡­ their titanic figures charged toward the six guardians and both sides shed against each other.


    With their massive bodies and big numbers, soon the six guardians were cornered even though they had a lot of attack skills.


    As if this wasn''t enough, the previously summoned long and sturdy massive vines that the enemy boss summoned started moving from the ground underneath.


    And the massive figures of the six guardians were soon attacked from the ground itself as the vines entangled themselves around the feet of these massive undead creatures.


    Although they easily broke through these vines, the number soon increased to hundreds and they could no longer move or fight freely.


    Their bodies started getting bound by the vines which also started entering inside and trying to break their skeletal bodies.


    "As long as we are in this forested region, it has an endless supply of powerful monsters.


    And unlike me, it doesn''t require too much mana to rejuvenate and restore its fallen soldiers either.


    I guess I really am at a disadvantage here." he spoke with a somber expression.


    "Nevertheless¡­ It''s a worthy opponent indeed. I don''t think even master would have these many summoned creatures even now to fight its forces equally.


    But again, it seems like this is no longer a matter of numbers." said Ceril and decided that it was time he personally got involved in this battle rather than standing like a spectator.


    The following second, Ceril cast dozens of magic formations that surrounded him from different sides and angles as he floated in the air.


    Soon, he started chanting in anguage unknown as if he was performing some sort of forbidden ritual.


    After 5 minutes of uninterrupted chanting¡­


    BOOM!!


    A loud and massive burst of darkness elemental aura spread across the 2 kilometer radius.


    His tyrannical and deathly voice resounded and he finally activated his new Ancient Rank job which was also the biggest trump card he gained after breaking through the legendary rank¡­


    "Apostle of Necromancy."

 Chapter 427 - Apostle of Necromancy

    Chapter 427 - Apostle of Necromancy


    The ripples of darkness aura permeated through the dense treelines spread across 2 kilometers radius as a sky-piercing ck pir rose as soon as Ceril made the deration about invoking his newly acquired title.


    "Apostle of Necromancy!"


    He shouted and soon, the widely spread darkness element aura suddenly froze and turned dense and hard like metal.


    Swoomm!!


    The next second, all of it was suddenly sucked inside the sky-piercing ck pir made of darkness and soon, the pressure in the 5 kilometers turned weak as it was pulled back by this enormous pir.


    While the six guardians kept fighting, resisting and barricading the iing army of millions of wood elemental and forest monsters¡­ the tree sentinels and the newly created tree giants that were around the same size, started surrounding and attacking them with their higher numbers. The giant vines also limited the guardians from moving so they were currently on backfoot.


    For some reason, all the ten million undead soldiers and monsters who previously partook in the intense battle suddenly stopped moving on their own as soon as Ceril started chanting that spell.


    And right before the Ashokvatika, who had nothing but a spherical structure floating in the middle of where its head was supposed to be, stopped moving as if it sensed an ominous creatureing into existence.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Thud!


    The next moment, all the unmoving undeads suddenly trembled on the spot and the skeletal bodies crumbled as the dark magic binding and moving them suddenly left all of their figures.


    Thump!


    Thump!


    A loud noise of something pulsing resounded in the battlefield as if a ginormous heart was beating in the center of the ck pir.


    And in just one minute, apart from the six guardians, all the ten million undead soldiers that had filled the 12 kilometers of battlefield till nowy on the ground like inanimate objects.


    Crack!!


    Crack!!


    And finally, the dark pir that was absorbing all the darkness aura and ck magic that left the undead creatures cracked and a hundred-meter tall hooded creature came out of this pir while the enormous structure itself shattered and started falling down.


    SHRILL!!


    An insurmountable and ghastly aura spread across the 10 kilometers radius and for the first time, even the legendary rank Ashokvatika felt like it was in mortal danger.


    A pitch-ck robe with a hood, a belt made of white skulls, a skeletal body underneath the robe while the skull with burning red eyes under this hood shone fiercely as if a never-ending fire was light inside them.


    The next moment, four massive ck wings, that looked like they belonged to a fallen angel, appeared out of its back and spread widely for 50 meters on both sides.


    The ck aura emitting from its body coalesced and the following second, a 5 meter long ck grimoire filled with ancient texts appeared in this gigantic undead''s left palm.


    But this wasn''t the end of the transformation¡­


    The shattered ck pir that was nothing else but pure darkness aura and ck magic fused together, started changing its shape.


    This was the very aura and ck magic that the dark summoner used to control his ten million undeads and now¡­ it was taking a solid form.


    Shing!!


    An ear-piercing sound filled the surrounding forested region as an 80 meter long scythe appeared in Ceril''s right hand.


    Ceril, who finally revealed his true legendary rank form now floated in the air while looking down on the Ashokvatika as if it was staring at a lowly creature.


    But without waiting for another second¡­


    Swing!!


    He swung the frighteningly long scythe that held all the darkness and ck magic in a horizontal shing attack.


    Soon, hundreds and then thousands of ck des, simr to Kahn''s darkdes skill suddenly came into existence and quickly charged toward the millions of enemies on the ground as well as the tree giants surrounding the six guardians.


    Swoosh!


    Cut!


    Shred!


    BANG!


    ng!


    Whenever these darkdes passed through, they severed everything that came in their way.


    Each one of these des was 10 meters long but there were thousands of these des to the point it appeared like a desert storm when they attacked the enemy side.


    Trees shredded on the spot, ground and boulders shattered to smithereens and nothing but torn and mangled bodies of millions of enemy monsters and wood elemental creaturesy as the storm of these des finally subsided.


    Just like Kahn''s Berserker God Mode that gave him five times the physical stats¡­ Ceril now had the collective strength of his 10 million undead soldiers thanks to the ancient rank ss he achieved through his own efforts.


    Soon, the battle continued fiercely as the legendary Ashokvatika kept resurrecting its army while Ceril kept massacring millions of them in a 10 kilometer radius with a single sh of his gigantic scythe with a sinisterugh as if he was enjoying tormenting the opponent.


    With every stormy wave of his darkdes attacks, the battlefield was leveled to the ground no matter how many enemies these des killed.


    After another hour passed, all of the monsters from the enemy side were dead including the wood giants and tree sentinels.


    For the first time in hundreds of years of its life, the Ashokvatika creates was now out of its mana and life force to restore the fallen army.


    And finally, it created a dome made of gigantic veins to protect itself.


    Ceril, who had relentlessly attacked and even freed the six guardians gave amand to have them all surround the legendary rank monster.


    His scythe attack then cut open the vine dome in just a few shes.


    Cling!


    Cling!


    Ceril used the grimoire in his left hand to summon hundreds of massive dark chains from the ground that stabbed the enemy and tied it down.


    Darkness was already one of the strongest elements in the world and these chains were hard to break through given the density.


    Ashokvatika then used a variety of skills and when it tried to use the rejuvenating skill again to raise its fallen soldiers...


    But before it could use any life-saving skills, the Dark Summoner used the Void Realm skill that was now at Saint Rank.


    It created a 10 kilometer wide dome made of darkness aura and ck magic whichpletely froze the opponent and stopped it from moving while Ceril slowly floated towards its unmoving body as if the time itself was stopped.


    Then finally, Ceril raised the scythe and made an execution-style shing attack.


    RIP!!


    Without even being able to put up any form of resistance¡­


    The legendary rank Ashokvatika was cut in half by the Necromancer general.


    At this moment¡­ Ceril was no longer just an Undead Lich.


    Rather he was the true Apostle of Necromancy.


    And by true Apostle of Necromancy¡­ he meant¡­


    The reincarnation of the Grim Reaper himself.

 Chapter 428 - The Surprise

    Chapter 428 - The Surprise


    On the border of the Berawaa region, the once overwhelmingly intense battle suddenly took an impasse as the two semi-saints and two peak grandmasters who led the battle with four million soldiers spread in the 10 kilometer region felt noticed that the monster forces were retreating.


    And in the past hour, for some reason, most of them were trying to get back to the ce of their origins instead of trying to run away or kill any of their soldiers who valiantly fought on this massive battlefield.


    But just a few minutes ago¡­ most of them went awry and as if losing their minds, they started viciously attacking even their own forces as if they were natural enemies, to begin with.


    Apart from Omega & Jugram, no one had any idea about the possible cause of this sudden change in their behavior. While the magic swordsman and hell berserker could link it to the battle between the legendary Ashokvatika & Ceriling to an end.


    RIP!!!


    Ceril''s gigantic scythe cut open the massive 100 meter tall Ashokvatika in half as the incredibly sharp de made out of pure darkness element and dark magic severed it horizontally from the torso region.


    Although it appeared that Ceril did it very easily, only he knew that many things had factored up in his victory.


    Just the immeasurable numbers of underlings this legendary wood elemental creature had were two and half times more than the soldiers belonging to various species and fighter sses at the border.


    If Ceril hadn''te here¡­ they would bepletely outmatched and unlike the incident with Cdrius¡­ not just a hundred thousand but more than a million soldiers would''ve died.


    Just the very fact that it had these vast numbers and hundreds of strong giant figures that were enough to kill thousands of enemies themselves; would''ve turned the tide of the battle very quickly. Even with the flying ships and magic cannons, this force of colossal tree giants would''ve breached the border easily.


    If not for Ceril himself being a legendary rank Necromancer and having an army of 10 million undeads equipped with proper battle gear¡­ there was no chance of victory because forget killing the enemy boss¡­ their forces wouldn''t even have entered 10 kilometer radius from it.


    Also, his Six Guardians had retained all their skills before Ceril turned them into his summoned undeads so they were many times stronger than the tree giants summoned by Ashokvatika.


    Given the fact that all the fallen monsters under itsmand could be rejuvenated and resurrected from time to time¡­ the enemy boss was the biggest nightmare of any force and even a saint leading an army wouldn''t have been able to touch it without having his own side getting wiped out first.


    And given the fact that Ceril himself was a big of higher levelspared to Ashokvatika, he had an advantage in stats as well.


    On top of it, all of his skills were of Darkness attribute. One of the two strongest elements of reality which was not only stronger but many times more destructive than others.


    Ceril''s matching numbers, skills and attributes made him a custom-made predator of Ashokvatika.


    And in the end, he used his newly acquired Apostle of Necromancy ss, the details of which were unknown to many even now.


    After the ginormous body dropped on the ground and the life force of the enemypletely diminished¡­ Ceril awaited his master''s return quietly.


    ----------------


    As the battle finally ended after their side killed off the remaining army of the monsters as Ceril killed off their main boss, the victorious battlecry of the soldiers echoed in the battlefield.


    Meanwhile, Omega and Jugram stopped the flying ships from venturing into the deep of the forest, iming that help from the capital wasing soon and they should wait lest another wave of monsters attack. That it was too early to celebrate the victory.


    And after looking at the exhausted forces, Commander Chetak, who also knew that these 2 peak grandmasters were actually Kahn''s personal bodyguards agreed with their reasoning.


    The reason they did so was because the body of the Ashokvatika was too big for any of them to hide and they had to keep it there till their master came to this region himself.


    At this moment, Ceril had ordered the guardians to be on guard and he took his human form again.


    5 hourster, Kahn''s envoy arrived with 4 warships. They brought necessary relief supplies and items to take care of injured soldiers. The scale of the battle was many times bigger thanpared to Cdrius attack and so were the number of injured.


    Kahn met Commander Chetak and received the total reports of the battle. And as he expected¡­


    Thirty-three thousand soldiers had given their lives to fight for the sake of their mothend.


    "Make arrangements for the mass burial. We will also make an announcement tomorrow about this whole incident.


    And I will personally take a look inside the inner regions of the forest.


    Everyone else is on guard duty."manded Kahn in his domineering tone.


    However, just as he was about to depart with his generals¡­ a halfbreed demonkin suddenly spoke..


    "Tch! Trying to take credit for our fruit ofbors I see." spoke Victor Apopis.


    "You''re still alive?" asked Kahn as if he wasn''t even aware of the demonkin''s existence.


    [This lowlife bastard!] cursed Victor in his mind.


    "I know you''re going to im that it was you who brought the victory while we did all the work.


    We''re the ones you forced back that legendary monster and its armies to retreat.


    No way in hell I''ll allow that!" spoke Victor in a tone full of disdain.


    Sigh!


    Kahn sighed and rolled his eyes.


    "Is that what you should be worrying about? If it was me, I''d first check how many men and women under mymand survived.


    But I guess you never had to worry about others in your entire life.


    Fine, you''ll get your credit during the announcement." said Kahn as he started walking out of the castle.


    Just then, ckwall who had arrived a few hours after the battle ended brought the warship close to the main headquarters and had been waiting for Kahn to finish the discussions.


    "We''re ready to leave." he said.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, a grim aura revealed from behind Kahn and his entourage that was filled with killing intent.


    "Hey! I''m not done talking!!" shouted Victor as he felt like no one was treating him with enough respect despite beinging from a prestigious n.


    SHRILL!!


    But the following moment, 4 grim and terrifying auras filled with bloodlustnded on his body.


    ckwall, Omega, Jugram and Ronin released their killing intent on the semi-saint as if they wanted to rip him apart for talking in a loud voice in front of their master.


    In their group, ckwall was alreadyparable to a saint but had been hiding his strength under Kahn''s orders joined in.


    Thud!


    Their collective pressure suddenly was so heavy that it made Victor fall on his knees.


    "Our lord may be forgiving. But I am not.


    You better keep your mouth shut if you don''t have anything important to say." spoke ckwall in a tyrannical voice as he swung his golden battleaxe and stopped right in front of Victor''s neck who was frozen on the spot.


    None of them had time to entertain a rich brat here who cared about fake valor and prestige more than the lives of the people who were his responsibility as a military officer.


    Kahn and his group then peacefully left the ce and departed for Ceril''s location.


    Victor, who finally felt the mountain-like pressure lifting off of his body gave a vengeful expression to their departing figures.


    ----------------


    After crossing apletely devastated battlefield full of crevices, torn and shredded trees and monsters¡­ their warship finallynded in open space against the corpse of the Ashokvatika legendary creature.


    Ceril, whonded in front of Kahn knelt like a loyal subject.


    "You''ve done well. And to think that you broke through to legendary rank without my help¡­ even I''m surprised." said Kahn as he looked at the kneeling magician general.


    "It''s because of you providing me with those millions of corpses from the burial site of Mordor.


    I was able to create more than 10 million undeads thanks to them. And I''ve spent all of my time researching and experimenting there.


    And naturally¡­ I ended up achieving enlightenment 3 times.


    Because of which, I became a legendary rank being after tremendous hard work." spoke Ceril as he subliminally praised himself.


    To this, all the generals and Omega have an irritated expression as if they couldn''t stand this psychopath nerd who had a smug expression on his face.


    "System. Give me his details." spoke Kahn.


    The following second, the system started recounting Ceril''s new stats and skills but just in the midway of the report¡­.


    Kahn''s expression turned aghast as he gave a look of disbelief while looking at the dark summoner.


    He spoke with a loud voice that even caught all the other generals by surprise.


    "This shouldn''t even be possible!!"

 Chapter 429 - The Ancient Rank

    Chapter 429 - The Ancient Rank


    After Kahn''smand, the system reported the details of Ceril''s new ability and stats in its usual lifeless and robotic voice.


    [Following are the statistics for the subordinate named Ceril :


    Name : Ceril


    Species : Necromancer (Variant Undead Summoner)


    Job : Apostle of Necromancy (Ancient Rank ss)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 284


    Strength : 6921


    Agility : 7848


    Dexterity : 8330


    Defense : 5820


    Mana : 19437


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Subordinate Ceril has acquired a Pseudo-Soul!


    The subordinate is now a true living being while still retaining the constraints of the host''s Divine Abilities.


    In case the host was to die, Ceril will still continue to exist.


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded physical and magical skills and abilities :


    Monarch of the Dead (SAINT RANK) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to summon undead creatures andmand them as part of its army within a 10 kilometers radius. All the summoned Undeads will have 200% additional physical and magical stats.


    The higher the number of undeads the castermands in a battle, the more mana and spell attack damage will be gained over time.


    ----------------


    Darkness Barrier (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to cast a defensive barrier around 5 kilometers radius made of darkness element which has 12 times the durability of the caster''s physical defense.


    Note : This skill is only weak against Holy magic.


    ----------------


    Shadow des Barrage (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to attack with thousands of long-range dark elemental des in quick session.


    Current Range : 10 kilometers.


    Note : This skill can only be used when the subordinate is in his true form.


    ----------------


    Void Realm (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Allows Ceril to temporarily freeze everything and anyone using highly dense darkness aura and ck magic. Anyone other than the caster, the host and fellow subordinates will lose their ability to move under this spell.


    Current spell duration time : 3 minutes.


    Current range : 5 kilometers radius.


    ----------------


    Rapid Mana Recovery (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate has a fast mana recovery speed that is two and half timespared to a legendary rank creature or a saint rank magician of the same level.


    ----------------


    Dark Magic Absorption (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to absorb dark magic energy from other beings including the undead creatures created by the subordinate.


    The more subjects Ceril absorbs Dark Magic from, the more boost in stats he will receive.


    Current limit : 50% boost in all physical stat points.


    ----------------


    Following are the newly acquired Blessings by the subordinate :


    Scythe of the Reaper (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to amass,press and absorb an immeasurable amount of darkness elemental aura and dark magic regardless of his rank or levels.


    There is no restriction on how much of it the subordinate can handle or absorb.


    ----------------


    Chains of Judgment (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Binds any enemy with hundreds of darkness chains. The bigger the enemy size is, the more chains will be used.


    The Chains of Judgement will seal the flow of mana inside the enemy target and will reduce their physical attributes by 60%.


    The higher the defense of the enemy, the stronger the chains will be to immobilize it.


    ----------------


    Book of the Damned (SAINT RANK) (Passive) :


    Grants 500% increase in mana and 300% damage output and effectiveness in magic spells as well as darkness elemental attacks after the subordinate takes his true form.


    ----------------


    Note : The subordinate must be in his true form to use all 3 of these skills.] reported the system.


    Kahn was shaken to his core after the system notified him about Ceril''s new information. There wasn''t just one but too many reasons for it.


    And at the same time, the current Ancient Rank ss Ceril had gained with his own efforts was beyond Kahn''s understanding.


    "This shouldn''t even be possible!!"


    Shouted Kahn in disbelief as he gazed at Ceril who politely knelt in front of Kahn.


    "He''s not a being naturally born in this world.


    So something like acquiring a Pseudo-Soul doesn''t make sense." spoke Kahn as he started off with the first issue he found in the report by the system.


    Creating souls was something beyond him and even Armin, who specialized in soul-rted skills and abilities, didn''t have anything remotely connected to forming a soul naturally.


    "Tell me¡­ how did you achieve it by yourself?" asked Kahn to Ceril who just stood up.


    Because unlike ckwall and Oliver, who were merged with a Primordial Titan and a descendant of the Godbeast Roc¡­


    Ceril himself invoked an Ancient Rank ss without needing any help or having a legendary creature used for his evolution.


    "Thanks to you, master¡­ I experimented and studied necromancy and dark magic so much to the point I lost track of time and reached enlightenment three times during the past four months." said Ceril in a benign tone.


    "Three times?! Are you kidding me?" asked Kahn in a bewildered voice.


    To someone like him who himself received enlightenment 3 times, once during his Magic & Mana studies and twice during his practice sessions for Dimensional Law¡­ he knew how greatly enlightenment in a particr field of study and profession affected someone.


    But to receive 3 enlightenments in the same profession and field of magic¡­ was unexpected even for him.


    "But soon, I was out of SS Rank cores and my levels were restricted during my transformation so currently, I''m onlyparable to a legitimate first stage saint." spoke Ceril with a sense of loss.


    GASP!


    SHOCK!


    SILENCE!


    Not just Kahn but all the other generals and Omega were left speechless.


    This was the biggest flex they experienced so far.


    Even Kahn did not dare to be this shameless even with all his power boosts and divine abilities.


    Ceril basically said that if not for him running out of high-grade cores during his transformation¡­ he would''ve directly be a beingparable to a second stage saint.


    "And how many undeads can you summon and control as of now?" asked Ronin who stood behind Kahn.


    "At least 10 million, give or take." responded Ceril in a carefree tone.


    The very next moment¡­ even ckwall, who was a legendary rank himself, had his jaw drop on the ground.


    The situation was the same for Kahn, Ronin, Omega and Jugram who stood close to him.


    This revtion basically meant that Ceril had an armyparable to a country''s national defense forces.


    Kahn picked up his jaw that dropped on the ground and asked in a jittery voice¡­


    "So you''re saying that when you are in your true legendary rank form¡­ given all of your abilities and new boost in stats and skill¡­


    You''reparable to a 3rd stage saint?"


    "Yes." said Ceril nonchntly.


    Gasp!


    Dumbfounded!


    This was simply too much!


    Ceril was talking as if it was no different than a walk in the park.


    In their eyes, Ceril had be the Master of Flexing.


    No¡­


    He was the King of Flexing!


    Kahn felt like he was really looking down on Ceril when he said that he had been working very hard in the past 4 months.


    He felt like there was a huge difference in standards.


    Because right now.. Kahn''s level of hard work was 100 while Ceril''s definition of hard work was 500.


    For the next 2 minutes¡­ none of them even dared to speak a word.


    Because Ceril was now Kahn''s biggestrge-scale battle general. And undoubtedly¡­


    Ceril was now the Strongest amongst all the generals, Omega and Rudra.


    He was even stronger than ckwall, the no. 1 spot holder, who currently seemed to beparable to a second-stage Saint in terms of battle skills and abilities.


    But even with his life-saving skills, Ceril and ckwall could fight for days but eventually, even the Abyss Knight would run out of his physical strength and abilities.


    Because no matter how strong his body or defensive capacity was¡­ Ceril would eventually tire him out because he had the Darkness element in his skills and attacks.


    So in the end, Ceril would get past ckwall''s defenses in a long and arduous battle and be able to defeat him.


    The Chain skill, Void Realm, and the Scythe of the Reaper skills were enough to even kill ckwall as the finishing move.


    In terms of Saint Rank skills, Ceril had even surpassed Oliver who had 3 saint rank skills after he evolved into a Thunderbird species that even had the potential to surpass the Godbeasts.


    At this moment, Kahn came to a sudden realization¡­


    That day after day, all of his subordinates were surpassing him in strength, abilities and species.


    Somehow, Kahn finally managed to collect his demeanor and asked in a solemn voice..


    "Then tell¡­ how did you achieve a Pseudo-Soul and what are those three Saint Rank blessings?"


    "All three of those skills and the pseudo-soul are the gifts I received after invoking this ancient rank ss." replied Ceril in an obedient tone.


    "I have received the blessings¡­ from a Deity. He is the one who granted me a Pseudo-Soul. And these incredibly strong skills after I received my 3rd enlightenment." he continued.


    bbergasted! Everyone was bbergasted to the point their brains went nk.


    Kahn then asked..


    "Which deity?"


    He too had received five blessings and one gift from Kravel, the War Deity.


    So the gifts Ceril received from another deity were obviously no joke.


    Ceril had nothing but eyes full of worship and a vehement expression on his face as he revealed the name¡­


    "Velsharoon¡­ The Deity of Necromancy."

 Chapter 430 - Deity’s Gifts

    Chapter 430 - Deity''s Gifts


    After Ceril revealed the name of the Deity who gave these gifts to him after naturally breaking through to legendary rank through his tremendous hard work and receiving three enlightenments in Necromancer ss¡­


    Velsharoon, the Deity of Necromancy.


    "It was 2 months ago while I was conducting my research onposition, affinity and possiblebinations of different species that I could use to create various versions of the undead.


    One day, I suddenly went into a state of trance and understood what truly meant to be a Necromancer." spoke Ceril with an ted expression.


    "It''s not just controlling a dead body or using your mana and elements to summon them. Instead¡­" he took a pause and revealed with a smile.


    "It''s changing the form of the state of life itself.


    Death itself is a phase of life. An end to a cycle that we all will go through eventually.


    But a Necromancer can revert that state with their abilities. Albeit imperfectly and with many variables and constraints added to it." He iterated one of his findings.


    "But what we can do is not just revert the cycle but also change the form of the living being itself.


    Whether it''s mixing different species or attaching different body parts together.


    The variations are always too many to count and can be improved as the time goes on." he said with a thoughtful expression.


    One by one, he exined what form of wisdom and aspect of Necromancy he realized and achieved during all three enlightenments.


    Other than Kahn¡­ nobody else seemed to understand what the hell was the now renowned Flex King was talking about but they all acted like an ape understanding the concepts of the global economy.


    "But right after I came out of the trance state from. The 3rd enlightenment just yesterday¡­ I was suddenly pulled into a different realm of existence.


    There was no mana or world energy¡­ but only a force that felt like abination of decay and death." he revealed.


    Ceril then continued with gleaming eyes as he sped his palms together as if praying to some ethereal being.


    "And then I heard the voice of the deity Velsharoon.


    He said that I''m the only one who has received the three enlightenments in thew of Necromancy in the past two thousand years.


    I have experimented with and created more than 10 million undeads and even monsters that never existed in this world.


    Because of which, I have earned his acknowledgment as well as the right to be his representative." spoke Ceril in a self-apuding voice.


    "Since I didn''t have a true soul and neither am I a natural birth of this world¡­ the great lord Velsharoon granted me a Pseudo-Soul."


    Kahn had his ears perked at thest exchange.


    "Why?" he asked in a confused tone.


    "Because something such as Blessings and Gifts from a Deity needs a binding force.


    And it can only be done by binding them to one''s soul." exined Ceril.


    "And he said that once I became a beingparable to a Demi-God, my pseudo-soul will turn into a true soul as well.


    And all the gifts such as Apostle of Necromancy will unlock new abilities and effects each time I evolve into a higher rank. Means my next evolution to Mythical rank will grant me even more powerful skills and abilities as well as increase the effects of my current abilities." said Ceril in a worshipping tone.


    "I see. But I don''t understand a few things¡­" spoke Kahn with a suspicious tone.


    Although Kahnpletely understood why a deity like Velsharoon gave Ceril a pseudo-soul since his Divine Abilities & Blessings he received also used his soul as a container and binding force¡­ the gifts and ancient rank ss Ceril received were too much.


    "Why would a deity go that far? A pseudo-soul must take a lot of power to create even for a deity.


    These gifts he gave you seem more like something done out of desperation." he hypothesized.


    Ceril on the other end had his eyes wide open.


    "You''re indeed really smart, master!


    It is exactly what you said. The truth is¡­


    Those who came before me have long perished and the previous Apostle of Necromancy was actually killed by a summoned hero two thousand years ago.


    And currently, Necromancy is forbidden in many empires of this world.


    So Velsharoon has no temple or monasteries dedicated to him.


    Unlike Gods¡­ Deities who achieved their power after bing a Demi-God first are dependent on the amount of worshipping and prayers dedicated to them.


    Otherwise, they will cease to exist after a few thousand years.


    Not just him, all the Deities are the same. That is why they can neverpare to True Gods." revealed Ceril.


    "Did he tell you that?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. And he also told me that there were two other reasons.


    One of the reasons why he chose me is because I''m a being created of dark magic.


    And the Deity himself was someone who once served and worshiped God of Darkness before he became a Demi-God and left the mortal world.


    The second reason being that I am also the creation of yours¡­ the Hero of Darkness." said Ceril in an excited tone.


    "What?! How does he know? My arrival in this world is a secret!" Kahn suddenly eximed with a baffled expression on his face.


    "Master¡­ Velsharoon is actually one of the ancient followers of God of Darkness. And even now, he still serves under him.


    Isn''t God of Darkness the one who chose you as his Hero?" Ceril said.


    Stunned!


    Kahn was rooted on the spot.


    This was a revtion he did not expect to hear so suddenly.


    "Not only because I met the requirements..


    But Velsharoon made me his Apostle in order to aid you. This was his own way to do it since Gods and Deities can''t directly interfere in this world.


    Just like how the War Deity gave you his blessings." spoke Ceril.


    Dumbfounded!


    Kahn was bewildered again.


    "How much did this guy know? Do these guys have a chat group where they discuss such private matters?


    And those fuckers told me to be secretive and not trust anyone while they''re gossiping about these things like neighborhood aunties." spoke Kahn as he facepalmed himself.


    "Fine then.. We will see how big a part these gifts will y for you." said Kahn and moved to the next issue.


    ----------------


    Kahn then decided that it was time to take care of the most important matter at hand.


    Ceril had made sure to keep the detached parts connected after he was done killing the opponent.


    He then put both of his hands on Ashokvatika''s corpse.


    "Absorb!"


    After spending full 6 hours, Kahn finished absorbing all the abilities and skills.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities and skills :


    Telepathy Link (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to telepathicallymunicate with all the subordinates within a 100 kilometers radius.


    Note : The skill is not applicable if the subordinates are in an isted domain or any form of barrier that blocks telepathic connections.


    ----------------


    Life Force Restoration (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to restore the physical state of any subordinate using a tremendous amount of World Energy and convert it into Life Force.


    The targeted subordinate can be revived if the life force is adequate.


    Note : This ability can only be used after the host bes a Saint rank being.


    ----------------


    Nature Control (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to telepathically control low-ranked monsters and wood elemental creatures within 30 kilometers radius to serve as part of his personal army.


    The targeted beings will obey the host''smands as long as the host is in a focused state.


    Note : The host can not physically move while using this skill.


    The host must be a Saint rank being to use this skill.


    ----------------


    King of the Forest (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    The host can control all nts, trees and wood elemental creatures within a 20 kilometers radius of his location.


    The more targets are involved, the faster the consumption of the World Energy will be.


    Note : The host can only use this ability after bing a saint.


    ----------------


    Roots of Nature (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to control and change the shapes of roots buried in the ground to create constructs and even weapons as per his will in a 10 kilometers radius.


    Note : The size and strength of the constructs may vary on the amount of world energy provided by the host.] reported the system.


    Kahn almost had a mini heart attack after receiving this information.


    To him, it seemed like he was receiving too many OP abilities even before he became a saint.


    Would an even stronger saint of one or two higher stages be able to fight him after all these power boosts?


    Wasn''t he bing too powerful at this point?


    Would he even struggle against anyone after bing a saint?


    But instead of wasting more time¡­ Kahn suddenly summoned a figure out of his shadow.


    A man donned in white robes who had brown hair, green eyes and archaic runes spread over his forehead and arms stepped out.


    "What do you say? Suitable for you?" asked Kahn to this general.


    "Yes¡­ very much." spoke the general with zero fighting skills.


    It was time for a huge rank-up for another one of Kahn''s generals.


    And this time¡­ it was none other than the mad alchemist who tested his new poisons on himself in the name of research.


    It was the Pathfinder and the Variant Leshen. Also known as¡­


    Armin!

 Chapter 431 - Pulling Strings

    Chapter 431 - Pulling Strings


    After Kahn called out Armin and asked if this Legendary rank creature named Ashokvatika would be suitable for him for a new rank-up.


    The reason he thought Armin would be the best candidate here was that during his previous evolution to High Lord rank¡­


    Armin was mixed with Grandmaster Alchemist Prithvi. The one Kahn and Albestros carried the Passage Rites for after they went to the capital Rathna and had nowhere else to go.


    After his pitiful death, Kahn decided to use his body and upgraded Armin. But while doing so, Armin had unlocked a legendary ss named The Pathfinder.


    ording to the system, Armin had met the conditions to acquire this ss because he had both skills of a Healer and by getting mixed with an Alchemist and acquiring his skill¡­ he met the prerequisite conditions.


    But this wasn''t the biggest factor. But rather the species of the Ashokvatika.


    Because Prithvi Aranya was a Leshen, a wood elemental species inhabiting this empire. And the creature in front of Kahn was the same albeit a very high-ranked bloodline.


    This was the best specimen Kahn could ask for. So naturally, he thought of Armin to receive his new rank-up.


    "Merge."manded Kahn.


    The next second, the Synthesis divine ability started its work and both Armin and this gigantic creature were covered under a pitch-ck shadow and the procedure began.


    Kahn let out a deep sigh and finally felt like he could absorb the shock he received from absorbing all those amazing abilities from Ashokvatika.


    Telepathy Link, the skill that allowed Kahn to telepathicallymunicate with all the subordinates within a 100 kilometers radius was actually a godsend ability.


    Because even now, the limitations of Kahn''s Hive Mind link despite getting ranked up twice was only limited to 10 kilometers radius around him.


    Although the name sounded simple and nothing noteworthy¡­ the effects were ten times more than the Hive Mind skill.


    Although they had epic rankmunication artifacts that even transmitted voice messages to 500 kilometers¡­ they needed to speak the message for it.


    There was no mind-to-mind connection. And Kahn had found this very inconvenient because if he wanted to ry orders to a general or subordinate who was at a longer distance during their day-to-day life or even in a battle¡­ he had to go through the risk of someone being able to hear his orders.


    So Kahn was thoroughly impressed. And he also understood that this was the main reason why the legendary Ashokvatika could control so many minions from even 50 kilometers away.


    Life Force Restoration, the skill which allowed Kahn to restore the physical state of any subordinate using World Energy by converting it into Life Force would be his first legitimate skill rted to the healing ss that actually made a difference.


    He could even Revive a dead subordinate if he had enough world energy.


    Even though he couldn''t use it without bing a saint first¡­ this was undoubtedly another cheat code ability that would be extremely helpful in the future.


    Nature Control skill on the other hand¡­. Allowed Kahn to telepathically control low-ranked monsters and wood elemental creatures within 30 kilometers radius who would be part of his personal army.


    This was by far his biggest crowd control skill. Because apart from his subordinates, he had no control over other creatures.


    Although the range of applications was limited, he could use this skill to even turn the enemy side and make them fight for himself if they were low leveled than himself or belonged to the wood elemental species.


    Him being unable to move while using this skill was a logical constraint because his mind would be under great pressure while controlling the other creatures. So Kahn had no problems with it.


    King of the Forest ability was already on the OP abilities list because of the uses it had.


    Kahn could simply sense or even attack an enemy force using nts and trees since he could control them in a 20 kilometers region.


    It was like leading an enemy into a battlefield that was already made to help you win the war.


    Roots of Nature ability basically turned Kahn into Poison Ivy.


    Because he could control and change the shapes of roots buried in the ground to create constructs and even weapons as per his will in a 10 kilometers radius.


    Means, even nature itself was his weapon. He could create a wall, a shield, and even a sword using these gigantic roots if he wanted. And in arge-scale battle in a forested region, he basically had the battlefield acting as a trap that would appear right from the ground and finish off his enemies.


    Even if Kahn couldn''t use any of these skills as of now because they needed huge reserves of World Energy¡­ he was certain that they''d definitely be one of his top aces after he broke through.


    ----------------


    While Kahn was lost in his thoughts, ckwall spoke to him.


    "Master¡­ I sense the same aura from this monster which I and Oliver did when we fought against the Cdrius." he said in a solemn tone.


    Shocked!


    Kahn was dumbfounded as soon as he heard ckwall''s words.


    "Means this legendary rank creature was also mind-controlled into attacking the border just like Cdrius was.


    What the hell is going on¡­." spoke Kahn with a bbergasted expression.


    Not just one but two Legendary rank monsters were forced to attack the borders of the monster tide hotspot location.


    And the only thing he could conclude was that both these legendary rank monsters were just small pawns in the big game.


    And regardless of their reasons¡­ It was Kahn who had to deal with the aftermath since he was the Sovereign of this fiefdom.


    He had no choice but to find the truth behind these two monster attacks on the borders. Because whoever was pulling the strings from behind the shadows¡­ Kahn knew one thing for certain.


    "Whoever or whatever is controlling these legendary rank monsters¡­" said Kahn with a serious expression.


    "Is something we can''t afford to mess with."

 Chapter 432 - New Monarch

    Chapter 432 - New Monarch


    Not only Kahn but all the other generals and Omega had a somber expression at this moment. Because if Kahn''s assumptions were right¡­ they were fighting against someone they didn''t know anything about even at this stage when the entire Vessen fiefdom was controlled by them.


    And that too after Kahn took care of 3 of the legendary rank monsters himself.


    As if a high-ranked being or a creature that was many times stronger than even the legendary rank monster or even legitimate saints was intentionally targeting these regions by controlling them.


    Nevertheless, the fact remained that they were sitting ducks while someone was aiming to cause a bloodbath across the fiefdom.


    Since the legendary monsters were always the cause of the annual monster tide¡­ Kahn getting rid of them one by one must have thwarted someone''s ns so bad that they were forced to act and hence sent these creatures to invade and massacre millions of inhabitants of Vessen.


    "This won''t do. We need to be ready and alert all the time. If there''s another attack like this¡­ then we won''t be able to counterattack in time.


    We don''t even know who our enemy is." said Kahn as he gazed at all the subordinates.


    "Master¡­ I think we may have a lead." spoke Omega who had been silent till now.


    "What¡­ how?" asked Kahn.


    "These two monsters were controlled into attacking the borders only after we got rid of the three legendary rank regional bosses.


    I think the being controlling them detected their demise and only after that did the enemy start controlling the others and sent two of them to attack." spoke Omega with a serious expression.


    "What I mean is¡­ that all of them have onemon factor.


    They all belong to regions of the monster tide hotspots. So naturally¡­ if there were to be another attack of a legendary monster after today¡­" said Omega.


    But before he could continue, everyone else had a surprised expression as they came to understand what he was implying.


    "Means the next attack will be done on the 6th hotspot. The final remaining region!" eximed Kahn.


    Omega nodded in affirmation as he implied the possibility of their next clue''s location.


    For the next 1 hour, Kahn and the crew had a heated discussion amongst themselves as they decided on the next counter-strategy.


    "Fine then. I agree. But remember¡­ don''t do anything unnecessary.


    I too need some time to even fight properly.


    For now, we should focus only on protecting our side rather than provoking that being." said Kahn as he confirmed their stand.


    ----------------


    Five hourster¡­ the synthesis procedure finally finished and the afternoon suns in the sky had brightened the whole dpidated forest region.


    BOOM!!


    A terrifyingly heavy aura spread across the 10 kilometers region as if a birth of a godly being had finally finished.


    Even someone like ckwall & Ceril who were at legendary rank felt this pressure restricting their movement.


    Thud! Thud!


    A loud noise of footsteps spread across 2 kilometers of forested region resounded as a 150 meter tall gigantic green creature with four legs and two arms came to be.


    The body was mainly divided into two sections. One that had the four legs simr to a horse and the other being the upper body region with two giant arms.


    Armin in his new Legendary Rank form had evolved into apletely new being.


    Large and brightly illuminating light-blue colored vines ran across his wooden body while his chest had dozens of massive roots moving slowly like blood vessels.


    His head waspletely different than any creature Kahn had seen so far and the six eyes shone light blue.


    This figure of Armin released a green aura that spread across the whole region and right before Kahn''s eyes¡­


    All the broken and shattered trees in the forested region were covered under this aura.


    But before they could say anything¡­


    Wheeze!


    Wheeze!


    All the trees started returning to their previous state and the green aura restored their physical state as if the entire forest was being recreated and reborn.


    "System. Give me all of his details."manded Kahn.


    [Following are the statistics, abilities & skills of the subordinate named Armin :


    Name : Armin


    Species : Erdtree (Variant Yggdrasil)


    Job : The Pathfinder (Legendary ss)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 248


    Strength : 4920


    Agility : 3289


    Dexterity : 10379


    Defense : 4811


    Mana : 18480


    ----------------


    Following are the newly acquired abilities :


    Telepathy Link (SSS Rank)


    Life Force Restoration (SSS Rank)


    Roots of Nature (SSS Rank)


    Nature Control (SSS Rank)


    Monarch of the Forest (SAINT RANK) :


    Allows the subordinate to control all nt life and wood elemental monsters, species and creatures telepathically as their supreme monarch.


    Armin will have absolute control over their mind and physical bodies. He can even create new life forms and species belonging to wood elements based on his will.


    Transmuting different life forms by using life force, and changing their physiological structure and functions can now be done by the subordinate named Armin.


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded abilities & skills :


    Flora & Fauna (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to make an innate telepathic connection with nt & Animal lifeforms. The subordinate canmand such lifeforms through his will.


    ---------------


    Atonement (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can remove 10 status ailments & debuffs at once from allies present within 3 kilometers meter radius.


    The range of the ability will rise with an increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Restoration (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate topletely heal allies to their previous physical state one minute ago.


    Note : This skill does not work on deceased allies.


    ---------------


    Guardian Spectre (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can grant 4 times physical attack and defense buff to all the allies in a 2 kilometers radius using mana threads.


    ---------------


    Chain Heal (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can heal up to 80 allies at once within a 5 kilometers radius.


    ---------------


    Elixir of Life (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to instantly regenerate 90% of a single ally''s health and physical wounds.


    ---------------


    Brewing (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate has received an innate sense of understanding of the effects of herbs and medicines.


    Subordinate can now change the inner structure and properties of the nts and herbs. Providing a desirable effect during Alchemy.


    ---------------


    Infusion (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to mix different elements in Potions and Medicines, giving the special elemental attributes.


    The potency of the final product will be doubled.


    ---------------


    Resurrection (SAINT RANK) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinates to bring back any ally or individual after the short time of their death.


    Note : The Host is an exclusion to this ability as all the subordinates will die after the host has died.


    The Resurrection procedure will require 1000 SS Rank mana cores or ores to sessfully resurrect an ally in their peak state.


    The higher ranked the target is, the more and higher-ranked source of mana will be needed.


    ---------------


    Soul Reformation (LEGENDARY RANK) (Active) :


    The subordinate can heal the damage done to anyone''s soul over time and even make it stronger by two times.] reported the system.


    Kahn only stood frozen on the spot¡­ unable to believe the results.


    Armin was no longer just a Healer or an Alchemist with no fighting skills. Rather he was¡­


    The personification of Nature itself!

 Chapter 433 - The Caretaker

    Chapter 433 - The Caretaker


    As Kahn and the subordinates stood a few hundred meters away from the gigantic wood elemental general aka Armin in his Erdtree form¡­ the green wave of aura washed over their bodies and all of them instantly felt a soothing and rxing surge of energy running through their bodies.


    Kahn felt like all the exhaustion he was going through because of the weakened state was slowly fading bit by bit.


    Other than Ceril, who was an undead and basically repelled this wave of Life Force that was released by Armin¡­ everyone else had an ted expression as if they received a damn good massage.


    Rustle!


    Rustle!


    Crack!


    But before any of them could react¡­ the broken nts, splintered trees as well as the torn off roots started reattaching themselves to their split parts as if a form of suction force was pulling them back together.


    And soon, a mild green aura ran across them whilepletely rejuvenating the branches, leaves and trunks.


    Even the flowers started blooming again till the point the scenery of this battlefield changed into that of a tourist spot where multicolored and varieties of nt life had given a serene appearance to the whole region.


    In just a minute, the two kilometers area waspletely restored to its former state as if this wasn''t a former battlefield but a pic spot.


    Although Kahn knew nothing about Life Force since he was neither a Healer nor an Alchemist¡­ he could tell that an abundance of world energy was part of this life force.


    Just that Armin''s abilities allowed it to convert it into Life Force while other professions used it to either fight or create spells and formation.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The gigantic figure of Armin moved across the open ces and he kept gazing around the 10 kilometer radius battlefield that was destroyed during the battle. Given his height, he saw nothing but absolute destruction made by Ceril during his battle with Ashokvatika.


    He gazed downwards and looked at Ceril who stood along with the rest a few hundred meters away.


    The next second, an archaic and domineering voice resounded in the two kilometers of area.


    "Did you really have to destroy everything here? They too have lives and sentience." said Armin in a disapproving manner.


    "Tch! What are youining about? I killed this thing and you''re the one who benefited." replied Ceril as if he didn''t feel anything.


    "How careless. This entire region is filled with Dark Magic and Darkness element. It''s very¡­." spoke Armin and continued in an exasperated voice


    "Suffocating." he said.


    "What?! What did you say, you overgrown tree?..." spoke Ceril in an angered voice.


    "I''m just saying¡­ if the traces aren''t removed, this region will turn into barrennd. And many mages and healers will be able to sense the presence as well.


    You didn''t do a thorough job." said Armin in his Erdtree form without any hesitation.


    But before Ceril gave aeback, Kahn interjected.


    "Alright alright.. Stop it.


    Let him do it. It''s better this way." he said.


    Because Dark Magic was forbidden in this Empire and the monster wave consisted of wood elemental creatures.


    So leaving traces of dark magic and darkness element in this worn-down battlefield would raise unnecessary questions.


    On top of it¡­ Kahn had already merged the body with Armin so there was no trace left of the Ashokvatika either.


    So if there was a battlefield filled with Dark magic and a wood elemental legendary rank monster was behind the attack at the border¡­


    Wouldn''t it mean that there were two legendary rank monsters who yed a part in it?


    Plus the massive 10 kilometer radius battlefield would confirm the fact that there was indeed a battle that was on apletely different scale.


    So Kahn also felt the need to hide the happenings of this battle.


    Soon, under Kahn''s orders¡­ Armin and ckwall used their respective abilities rted to controlling nt life and terrain maniption to restore the whole 50 kilometers of region and Kahn in the meantime created new members of the legion.


    By the evening, Kahn now had 500 thousand new subordinates as part of the legion, many of which were tree sentinels and those giants that were 50 meters in height alone. Compared to before¡­ Kahn was now aplete powerhouse whose army was capable to fight against a million soldiers if he were to release all the subordinates from the Legion in an all-out war.


    Meanwhile, Ceril had been flying around the region and absorbed all traces of dark magic spread across the battlefield.


    And with all three of their collective efforts¡­ the whole 50 kilometers region was restored to its former state; if not morevish and tranquil. All the traces of the battle between two legendary monsters were cleansed to the point where one wouldn''t even dare imagine that this region was attacked by a monster tide.


    "Alright. Let''s leave." spoke Kahn and their two warships returned to the main military headquarters of the Berawaa region.


    Even now, the bloodied battlefield was yet to be cleared and thousands of dead bodies were still being collected by soldiers.


    More than 30 thousand people had died this time and even the numbers were lesser than the Cdrius attack, the fact remained that there was a huge loss of life.


    ----------------


    The next day, the families of the martyrs were informed about the battle and how their family members who fought valiantly fought on the battlefield had sacrificed themselves for the mothend.


    In the evening, Kahn held another announcement across the entire Vessen fiefdom.


    Everything about the battle was revealed to the masses. However, this time the narrative was different and so were the results.


    Because Kahn dered that the main cause of this attack, a wood elemental legendary rank monster that could control wood elemental creatures ran away before they could even get there.


    The military''s response was quick this time and many lives were protected because of their bravery.


    And it was the military of the Berawaa region who repelled the entire monster tide by themselves.


    This way, Kahn didn''t mention any of his involvement or the reinforcements he sent from the capital. And he also praised Commander Chetak and Victor Apopis who yed a big part in fending off the enemy monsters.


    This was a win that only the military needed and he didn''t want any credit for it at all. So he told a white lie to the masses.


    Kahn then returned to Aesir the next morning andy down in his bed.


    Armin, who reverted into his human form now had more archaic green tattoo-like runes spread across his bodypared to before after his evolution.


    "Start the Soul Reformation procedure. Heal my soul as quickly as you can. Because we don''t have much time. We have to be ready¡­ " spoke Kahn with a somber expression.


    A determined expression appeared on his face as Kahn revealed the main target of his worries¡­


    "To face an enemy we can''t even see."

 Chapter 434 - Long Awaited

    Chapter 434 - Long Awaited


    For the next 2 weeks, a new routine for Kahn and the Generals started.


    Unlike before, those areas that didn''t have a semi-saint guardian such as the Hiryano region which was protected by the Starrk brothers after Kahn killed Commander Asw.


    Ceril was now the officialmander of this region as he broke through to legendary rank and could control his aura to appear that of a semi-saint. Both Starrk brothers who were loyal to Kahn kept aiding him to the best of their abilities.


    ckwall was already the appointed guardian of the Kaldris region after Kassandra left for the capital. Under his strong leadership, this area was fortified and even a legendary rank monster wouldn''t be able to do anything here again.


    Jugram maintained thew enforcement and development sectors as the main figurehead. Whether it was constructing roads in a city or a vige¡­ building facilities for the needy as well as maintaining public order was his responsibility.


    Omega handled the military chain ofmand as the second-highest authority after Kahn himself and even the other semi-saintsmanders themselves had to make weekly reports to him.


    Ronin as usual handled the information and defense ministry. He now had millions of people within the Vessen fiefdom and thousand spread across the rest of the Rakos Empire under shell corporations and legit businesses. If he wanted any information or had to spread it¡­ he now had enough manpower and resources to do this job swiftly.


    Oliver who returned a few days ago and now seemed even stronger and domineering was left in charge of the air force of the fiefdom and he also handled the transportation department done by flying ships.


    Armin handled all the matters rted to provisions, medical and pharmaceuticalpanies under his management as the chairman of the Hippocrates association.


    Albestros, as usual, was the main figurehead of the weaponry, artillery and industrial development sector. Without his approval of quality checking, no new product or even a newpany in this field would get to start a business as he was the head of the Hephaestus association.


    Sirius oversaw all the mary and assets department of Seven Deadly Sins as the representative of Zeus himself and had be the main treasurer.


    As for Kahn himself, he controlled the Finance Ministry, Education Ministry, Public Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, and Trading sectors such as the imports and exports departments.


    All of these sectors greatly affected the economy and living standards of the poption. He established new systems and departments such as the regarding the families of the soldiers, the one he promised during his speech a couple of weeks ago.


    The reason why he let all the generals take charge of different sectors was because this was also going to be their learning experience if they were to serve Kahn in the long term.


    Because not all battles were fought with fists and weapons. Some were done using your mind and money.


    Given their capabilities¡­ he was certain that no one would disappoint him either because they inherited some of his qualities.


    ----------------


    During the day, Armin would deal with the affairs rted to Hippocrates and his personal Ayurvedapany and at night, with now upgraded stats and rank, he began Kahn''s healing every night when he was sleeping.


    The Soul Reformation skill needed Kahn to be in statist so Armin could slowly recover the damage done to his soul after Kahn offered 10% of it in order to save Kassandra Mikealson.


    Their new routine and lifestyle carried on for 3 weeks.


    But the very next week, all of them were gathered in the main throne hall as if there was a grand ceremony.


    Albestros and Sirius finally arrived in the throne hall and following them¡­ were hundreds of Covenant soldiers. All of them pushed and carried big caches and huge chests filled with heavy objects.


    "They''re ready." spoke Albestros who had been working on a particr task given by Kahn a month ago.


    Soon, the covenant soldiers started taking the objects out of them as Kahn and the gang finally received their new gears.


    Katanas, Swords, Bows, Scepters, Maces, Daggers, Axes, Giantswords¡­ one by one, a plethora of weapons were revealed to them.


    But this wasn''t the end.


    Soon, everyone received custom-made armors, clothes and essories perfectly fitting their bodies, and appearance which were also very convenient in case they were to engage in a fight.


    All the armors and new weapons avable were made from none other than the body of the legendary rank Invimarak monster, the very first legendary rank monster they hunted.


    Even the weapons were forged using the extremely strong bones of the creature that Kahn and his forces barely managed to kill by using distractions, surprise attacks and a mythical rank rope named Rudra.


    Kahn himself received his new ck longcoat with gray outlines and patterns over the sleeves. The inner coat, shirt and pants were designed to suit royalty while the ck boots were sound free.


    This entire set was crafted by using the skin of the Invimarak which had natural magical and physical damage resistance.


    Kahn now looked like a strong, reliable and extremely handsome prince of an empire while subliminally asserting his mysterious and domineering personality.


    Based on the appearance¡­ All Kahn needed was an authentic katana and he''d look like a certain Son of Sparda who was always motivated and wanted more power.


    The generals on the other end had clothing suitable to their appearance as well as armor and weapons that were made from the bones of the ginormous Invimarak.


    Even a small dagger made from it was stronger than a Mythril sword. And on top of it, Albestros had used his skills as an Artificer to be able to have elemental affinity and attack skills that were suitable for every single one of them.


    For the next few hours, Albestros performed the Blood-bind ritual for all of them just like he once did with Kahn when he created Lucifer and Drakos Armor for him back in vot City.


    "What do you think?... Satisfied?" asked the peak grandmaster cksmith Albestros.


    "Yes. But I kind of expected more." spoke Kahn honestly.


    "Tch! Looking down on me, are you?


    Well¡­ let me show why I''m the number one cksmith of the entire Rakos Empire." he said with a devilish smirk and gave amand.


    "Activate Pendragon Formation!"

 Chapter 435 - The Formation

    Chapter 435 - The Formation


    As soon as Albestros Winston, the current most popr and respected peak grandmaster cksmith of the Rakos Empire gave hismand, Kahn and all the subordinates present in the room felt incorporeal energy binding their bodies and mind together.


    RUSTLE!


    BOOM!


    A sonic boom released from all of their bodies and at the same time, various multicolored archaic runes and magical formations were activated all of a sudden.


    Each one of them had their armors and new weapons equipped that were customized to fit their body build, weight and physical convenience when fighting.


    But now¡­ they all felt a sudden surge of energy emitting out of their armors and weapons as if it was their own strength which they didn''t even know about.


    All of them including Kahn could sense that their physical attributes were raised by at least twice while the runes on the weapons released tangible blue threads that connected to the other party''s.


    [System, scan the clothes and weapons.]manded Kahn.


    [Scanning in progress. Please wait for 5 minutes.] replied the system.


    "What is this? I feel like all my physical attributes have almost tripled." spoke Jugram.


    After Kahn, he had the highest attack buff skills so he could instantly notice the changes.


    "Not only that. But I feel my mana increasing by twice as well." spoke Ceril.


    "I feel a sense of inkling in between all of us. As if we''re bound by something." said Armin.


    "I can feel it. It''s not us¡­ but the armors and weapons we''re using that are binding us." said Oliver, the most perceptive of them all.


    Albestros then nodded in affirmation and spoke in a cheerful tone.


    "This is mytest and also my greatest creation so far.


    It was something I had been working on for years but never had suitable materials or enough quantity to sessfully forge these many pieces in order to actually make it possible."


    "If not for that legendary monster Invimarak''s massive body you brought me¡­ none of this would''ve been possible." he said.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn with a curious gaze.


    "This is an ancient artificer formation that connects all the armors, clothes and weapons you''re wearing and shares the user''s physical and magical attributes and mana.


    The number of targets can be up to 10 at maximum. And there is one main condition. I think you can guess." replied Albestros.


    "It must require the same base ingredient or material." suddenly, Omega spoke with a thoughtful expression on his face.


    "Correct! You need something made of the same material and elemental affinity.


    And the hide which I used to make your clothes as well as the bones and various body parts I used to make the armors and weapons are the main constituents that are channeling your strength and mana and sharing it with each other.


    And this conduction is being carried through various archaic runes and artifacts that are part of your clothes, essories and weapons.


    I have used various techniques and best of my skills to achieve this effect." revealed the old man.


    "But there''s more¡­ right?" asked Ronin.


    "Yes. Not only will it greatly enhance your physical and magical attributes, but also reduce the damage you receive given the properties of the Invimarak.


    That creature could absorb physical and magical damage and convert it into a form of energy that enabled it to be stronger the more damage it received." said Albestros.


    "Wait¡­ doesn''t that mean we will have too many buffs and protection at the same time?" asked Kahn.


    Albestros nodded with gave another smug expression.


    "It''s just not that." he said.


    The next second, he touched Ceril''s mage robes and put a hole in it using his personal damascus knife.


    "What is this?! Why did you damage my¡­"


    But before he could even continue¡­


    The ripped part restored itself in front of his eyes.


    "All of these clothes and armors will use your mana and world energy to repair themselves and restore their material state in case they''re damaged." he said. But this wasn''t the end of his showing-off session.


    "Close your eyes. And think about changing the size and colors of your armors." hemended.


    Under his instructions, all of them closed their eyes and did exactly as they were told.


    Omega''s armor turned from gray to silver color while ckwall''s turned from yellow to brown.


    Armin''s light armor changed from blue to green and Ceril''s white mage robes turned to purple.


    The same urred to Oliver, Jugram, and Ronin whose clothes changed to sky blue, scarlet red and pitch ck respectively.


    Not only that, but they could also increase their size as per will in order to get morefortable.


    "What the hell is this?! How is that possible?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    Albestros on the other end was just basking in the gazes full of surprise as he disyed his unparalleled talent as a cksmith.


    Just then, the system informed Kahn.


    [Scanningplete.


    Pendragon Formation detected.


    All the targets sharing the linking runes and artifacts through the clothes, armors and weapons will get a buff of additional physical stats by 3 times and magical effectiveness by 2 times.


    At least 5 of the targets should be present for this formation to be active.


    The current range of this formation is only 20 kilometers radius.


    The range shall increase based on the levels and ranks of all the targets.


    The mean average of the levels and ranks for the targets will increase the range and buff effects under this Archaic Formation.] reported the system.


    [Damn! I need to learn cksmithing and Artificing as well.


    I don''t understand a single thing about how he does it but it will definitely turn out very useful in the future.] said Kahn to himself as a sense of urgency arose in his mind.


    Because whatever Albestros did to make such magnificent sets of clothes, armors and weapons; all of which were many times better than even epic rank gear sets, was something he never thought of even in his wildest dreams.


    Pendragon formation was basically enough to turn a first stage saintparable to a second stage saint in terms of physical attributes and mana stats.


    And with their own skillset and abilities, one would be able to fight an enemy that was a rank above their own.


    And the potential to buff effects grow as all of their individual strengths grew together was an incredible skill effect.


    "Now think about summoning your clothes and letting go of your armors." spoke Albestros in a coy tone.


    But no one dared to question the old man and followed his orders.


    In the next second, the armors from their bodies turned ethereal and soon, they were reced by the new set of clothes in an instant. As if there was no longer a need to change clothes at all.


    Kahn looked at Albestros and asked.


    "Where''s my armor? And you didn''t make me greatsword either."


    "Tch! Ignorant fool!


    Lucifer and Drakos Armor are alreadyparable to legendary rank set together. You don''t need this. Just the clothes should be fine.


    Besides, they''ll get stronger just like these sets after you breakthrough to higher ranks.


    Don''t trade a diamond for shiny pieces of ss." reprimanded the old man.


    "Alright. But then what about the extra sets?" he asked.


    "Yeah, yeah. I made extra pairs of all the armors and weapons based on your physique.


    But you''re a swordsman, why do you need these belonging to other professions?" he queried.


    "Just to be safe. They can be useful as a great cover or when I''m in disguise." quickly replied Kahn.


    The main reason he asked for each set based on different jobs and weapons was because in the future, he was going to get all of his weaponry andbat techniques to higher ranks.


    At that time, he''d need appropriate gears so he took the opportunity and overworked the old man a bit for more gains.


    However, everyone present in the room came to acknowledge that Albestros was indeed worthy of the title of No. 1 cksmith.


    Because achieving such a feat was extremely hard.


    Even if there were certain conditions they met¡­ creating such well-crafted weapons and armors which were twice effective than an epic rank set was indeed praiseworthy.


    He had outdone himself and everyone was left in awe of his mastery as a craftsman.


    And soon, Albestros exined that all clothes and weapons had abilities that can be upgraded. And all it needed was world energy and mana as a source to increase efficiency and range.


    Some weapons could even be transformed into higher ranks with the right forging materials of high quality if they had them on hand.


    Currently, Albestros was restricted because of his own ranks and couldn''t create a Legendary Armor and Weapon set because he was restricted on the amount of mana and world energy he could infuse into them. Otherwise, the effects would be even better.


    But no one had anyints as this was already an unbelievable feat.


    Kahn also understood that even without using his skills, Kahn''s longcoat was already better than most of the epic rank armor sets.


    And it was extremely flexible and could get stronger if Kahn broke through and provided more world energy to it. Plus the ability to change color and size was helpful because it''d help in a perfect disguise as well.


    Thanks to the incredible work of Albestros¡­


    Kahn, Omega and the Generals became¡­


    Unkible!

 Chapter 436 - Even After Death

    Chapter 436 - Even After Death


    Another week passed after Albestros gave a tremendously overwhelming gift in the form of weapons, clothes and armors that were topped with the Pendragon Formation, the archaic artificing formation that gave them the biggest buff as a team inrge-scale battles.


    At the time of the morning in the Kaldris region, which was now under themand of ckwall as the highest authority; Kahn and his warship arrived at the main burial site for the military soldiers.


    This was the official graveyard for all the fallen soldiers who fought in the battle against the legendary Cdrius monster.


    And more than a hundred thousand bodies were buried here, each with a proper tomb of their own.


    This gravesite spread across 30 kilometers and was divided into four sections that could be essed from different entrances. Facilities such as magic vehicles and carriages were provided free of cost to the family members of the martyrs who would oftene to visit their members of the family who sacrificed themselves to protect their mothend.


    This time, Kahn hade with over three hundred thousand covenant soldiers to act as his gatekeepers. And under ckwall''smand, the Burial Site was closed off for a few days in the name of maintenance and improvements.


    Thousands of normal guards were reced by the covenant soldiers who were equipped with high-quality armors and weapons and a few hundred flying ships also roamed in the sky in order to keep a lookout so no one would know what was happening inside.


    Finally, the sealed vast gravesite that had over a hundred thousand dead soldiers buried in the thirty-kilometer wide region¡­ Kahnmanded the covenant soldiers who were spread across the gravesite in all four sections.


    "Start digging. And gather the bodies in the transportation vehicles." spoke Kahn as he ryed hismands through a transmission artifact.


    Soon, the massive region was filled with sounds of ground getting dug in using various equipment and then hundreds of vehicles carrying the bodies towards Kahn''s location.


    As for the ce where he resided, no one other than Ronin and his squad of thousands of assassin subordinates dressed as normal living people were allowed.


    As hours passed by, they kept bringing thousands of bodies in each batch and ced them within one kilometer radius around Kahn who was still in a weakened state.


    "Awaken." spoke Kahn and used the King of the Dead skill to begin synthesis divine ability and created new subordinates.


    And finally, when the two suns set in the evening, Kahn had sessfully created more than 50 thousand new subordinates.


    But unlike most of the time, these weren''t just some monsters but actual soldiers from different fighter sses and professions, belonging to different races and species.


    As for why was Kahn acting like a hypocrite who gave a moving speech for the deceased soldiers and now desecrating the dead soldiers who died to protect the normal citizens of the fiefdom¡­ only he knew the reason.


    "Even in death, they will serve me and their mothend." spoke Kahn after he was finally done.


    After that, under Ronin''s guidance, all the members of the assassins squad spread across this vast gravesite and used the epic rank Restoration Artifacts.


    These were the same artifacts that Ceril once used during his grave robbing days as Loki when Kahn and thepany still lived in Rukon District of the capital Rathna.


    And after they used the restoration artifacts, the whole site was restored to its former state in just a couple of hours. So in case the families of the dead were toe to visit them, no one could find that there were no bodies inside the tombs.


    The next day, Kahn visited the burial site of the Berawaa region where more than 30 thousand soldiers died during the battle against the forces of the legendary Ashokvatika that was killed by Ceril in the end and helped Armin to be a legendary rank general.


    Kahn then followed the same procedure and ended up making 15 thousand new soldiers as part of the legion and got rid of all the traces.


    On their way back to the capital Aesir, only Kahn and Ronin were in the main cockpit of the warship.


    "Master¡­ may I ask why are you doing this?


    Isn''t that risky?" asked Ronin with a curious countenance.


    "They''re the contingency n." replied Kahn who was donned in his new andfortable ck and gray attire which had a white shirt, a ck tie and an undercoat. The longcoat itself had two coattails. And the fingerless ck gloves gave him a look of a seasoned warrior who was ready to fight at any given moment.


    His appearance looked like royalty who was on official business.


    The main reason why Kahn waited for the first 3 weeks was because the matter had to be settled after the attacks of both legendary creatures and the families of the Dead would visit the gravesites in thousands for the first few weeks.


    So using the dead bodies to create new subordinates wasn''t a good idea back then when everyone was on alert.


    But he had to act within this time range because unlike Ceril, he couldn''t awaken thepletely dposed bodies or something that was nothing but bones.


    Luckily, the bodies in the world of Vantrea started fully decaying after 4 weeks since it took some time for the mana that basically made the bodies of all living beings in this world to break down on its own andpletely dissipate.


    So this was the best window for Kahn to act.


    And as for the main reason why he was desecrating the dead again¡­ because he had big ns for them.


    Something he couldn''t reveal already before it was time.


    Kahn and his entourage reached the capital without any worries orplications after he sessfullypleted the main objective.


    However¡­.


    The very next morning, Ronin received a transmission.


    "We have got a problem!" spoke Ronin as he telepathicallymunicated with Kahn who was still sleeping in his bedroom.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn as he was annoyed to death and cuddled his pillow like an adult who did not want to go their job.


    But what Ronin saidpletely woke him from the half-asleep state in seconds.


    "A massacre!"

 Chapter 437 - Spreading Rumors

    Chapter 437 - Spreading Rumors


    After Ronin informed Kahn about the matter at hand, thetter was left baffled. It felt like there was no end to troublesing their way and he would not even have a single day of rest.


    "What the hell happened now?" asked Kahn as he got out of the bed and quickly entered the bathroom to freshen up. Given the sound of matter at hand, he felt like soon he''d not even get a moment of rest.


    "It''s the Berawaa region again. And this time¡­ the site in discussion is the border itself.


    Just 20 kilometers close to the ce where Ceril killed the Ashokvatika, there was another battlest night.


    And a squadron of 20 thousand soldiers was ambushed by more than 50 thousand forest monsters.


    However¡­ all of them were killed until the other squadrons came to look for them." reported Ronin.


    Kahn had his eyes wide open after hearing the report.


    "What the fuck?! How''s that possible? They were too close to the military outposts and I''m sure they must have had the tools to ask for reinforcements as well.


    Are those dumbfucks sleeping instead of guarding the border?!" eximed Kahn in an enraged tone.


    Just yesterday, he was there to visit¡­ more like harvest bodies in a different part of this region. But that very night after he had returned to Aesir, was another battle that led to 20 thousand more deaths.


    To Kahn¡­ this was going to be a detrimental issue because not too long ago, over 30 thousand soldiers had already died on the same border. And with this new death count, the number added to 50 thousand in total.


    ----------------


    After 4 hours¡­ Kahn, Ronin and Jugram arrived at the main military headquarters close to the outposts. Since this matter involved military affairs, the Hell Berserker general who controlled this sector as the main figurehead also tagged along.


    Commander Chetak, the semi-saint centaur knight who guarded this region met Kahn after his arrival.


    "What the fuck were you doing? This massacre happened within the 50 kilometers range of your borders.


    How the hell am I going to exin this to people?!" shouted Kahn as he released his deathly aura on the semi-saint.


    Thetter had goosebumps all over his body and shivered in fear. Yet he mustered up the courage and spoke.


    "My Lord, As I reported to sir Ronin already¡­ more than 50 thousand monsters suddenly attacked a squadron of soldiers who were guarding the entrance of the hotspot at night through the forested region as you ordered us back then.


    Apart from a few hundred¡­ rest of the twenty thousand armed and well-equipped soldiers still died in this ambush.


    But the most disturbing part is that we didn''t even receive a distress signal or any sort of message at all despite having all the equipment and artifacts needed for it." iterated themander.


    "But surprisingly¡­ I just received word that the news of this attack, which isn''t even known to other outposts, is spreading too fast in our main cities and towns.


    It''s like we have a mole in our ranks." he said in a jittery tone.


    "Bloody hell¡­" cursed Kahn.


    After that, Kahn and Ronin went to the battlefield that was surrounded by thousands of soldiers.


    Too many dead bodies spread across the region and there were also the same types of monster species who attacked during the battle against Ashokvatika.


    Kahn had a confused expression on his face at the moment.


    [Ceril already killed the legendary rank monster so these many numbers suddenly gathering and attacking the soldiers patrolling the border shouldn''t be possible.] thought Kahn.


    Because all these monsters who died during the battle with the squadron belong to different species and no way would they be able tomunicate with each other unless controlled by something or someone like in the previous battle.


    Kahn then quickly activated Hunter''s Intent and all of his newly gained skills that could help him in detecting the clues, examining the terrain, and finding any oddities.


    After spending an hour exploring the various sections of this wide battlefield¡­ Kahn noticed that there was indeed a sh on a big scale.


    But there was one odd thing.


    That all of the monster groups didn''te from a single direction. Rather, they came from three different directions based on the footprints away from the battlefield.


    Kahn then gave Ronin a look.


    The next moment Ronin disappeared from the spot.


    "Seal the area. No one is allowed toe here without my permission. No one!"manded Kahn.


    Commander Chetak then followed the orders and soon, the military sealed all entrances and ess paths to this region.


    Kahn returned to the main military headquarters situated in the closest city.


    But by the evening, Omega sent him a message.


    "Master, the news of the recent attack and the death of soldiers has spread across the entire fiefdom.


    Some say that our entire security was a joke.


    That it''s your ipetence that led to the monster getting awayst time.


    And now, all these soldiers dying despite you having promised to take necessary measures is also your fault.


    Even with the underworld in our control¡­ we were not able to smother the news.


    From what I gathered using our people from Seven Deadly Sins¡­


    Those who spread this information in all the main cities and towns of the fiefdom do not originate from here.


    And most of them are from the capital." he reported.


    "But for the incident that should be secret even to many military soldiers and the government¡­ it''s as if¡­ " he said but before he could continue, Kahn interjected.


    "It''s as if they already knew what was going to happen. Because by no means would anyone be ready to spread such news among more than two hundred million people so quickly." spoke Kahn with a shocked expression.


    "It''s as if this whole massacre of the soldiers itself¡­" said Kahn as he spoke in a grim tone.


    "All of it was nned!"

 Chapter 438 - Pre-planned Massacre

    Chapter 438 - Pre-nned Massacre


    The next day, news about the massacre spread like wildfire across not just the Vessen fiefdom, but the entire Rakos Empire. And many rumors about Kahn''s ipetent management as well as hollow promises be the topic of everyone''s attention.


    And as a consequence of the public outrage, many cities and towns had public causing a riot while demanding answers from the officials.


    Even the Covenant soldiers who maintainedw enforcement had to step in and use violence against the crowd to stop them from destroying public properties and burning goods and transport vehicles under the pretext of this revolt.


    Kahn, who still resided in the main military headquarters of the Berawaa region since yesterday was receiving reports after reports about these incidents throughout the Vessen fiefdom.


    Despite having absolute control over the fiefdom in every aspect¡­ he had failed to predict and even control the situation and things got out of hand before he coulde up with a proper strategy.


    Even the riots that were consequently happening seemed like well-organized and pre-nned incidents given how suddenly hundreds of thousands of citizens gathered together and were causing chaos.


    Something like that could not be done on a fluke and needed a lot of money and resources to carry on effectively. It was as if the massacre of the soldiers was already set into motion from weeks ahead.


    But if Kahn decided to put the crowd creating the disturbances behind the bars to maintain the public order¡­ he was certain that even doing it would only add fuel to the fire and will be blown out of proportion.


    His hidden enemies were already 10 steps ahead and properly had contingency ns of their own. And if Kahn reacted impulsively¡­ his entire rule would fall apart as he would soon bebeled as nothing but a merciless tyrant.


    Swaying the opinion of the public was as easy as making a toddler believe that Santa was real.


    So Kahn was currently walking on the thin edge of the sword. One wrong move and he''d bleed to death.


    And the worst part of it all was that he had no strategy to counterattack the situation at hand either.


    Finally, at the time of the noon¡­


    "Master, I''m done on my end." spoke Ronin after he suddenly appeared in the main office where Kahn was seated across arge table.


    The following moment, he pointed his fist towards the vacant space in the middle of therge room and released something out of his space rings.


    Thud!


    ng!


    One after another, big blocks of metallic boxes came out of the space ring and soon, a heap of these objects formed in front of the duo.


    "These are¡­"


    "Yes, master. All of these are rare rank istion artifacts. And most importantly¡­


    They''re part of a massive formation." spoke Ronin as he started at hundreds of istion artifacts ced in the middle.


    "And not only that¡­ these are used by adventurers and professional hunters to traprge groups of monsters." exined the rogue general.


    "What else did you find?" asked Kahn.


    "Thousands of the assassins from my group searched the inner regions of the forest. And we know one thing for sure.


    All of the monster groups were attacked by someone very strong and then led toward the squadron stationed in that area.


    But even so¡­ what I don''t understand is that this should''ve been done by at least a thousand people to sessfully lure in so many monsters from different directions.


    But there are no traces of prior attacks. As if all of them were lured at the same time.


    And in all three directions, we found a simr type of destruction caused by exactly the same patterns of attack skills left on trees, ground and some boulders." revealed Ronin.


    Kahn then gave a thoughtful expression and after a minute of thinking, he spoke again.


    "It is possible if the instigator used teleportation scrolls that have a range of a few hundred kilometers.


    Since the distance between these monster groups is less than a hundred kilometers, it''s possible to quickly teleport back to back and lead them by the nose at the same time.


    And as you said¡­ it is the work of a single individual. Because to sessfully lead them to a designated location, the big group would only be a liability." he said after his own analysis.


    "But master¡­ to do that¡­" said Ronin but he was stopped by Kahn midway.


    "Let''s not jump to conclusions. We can''t me anyone without a thorough investigation.


    As things stand¡­ any false usation would only bring more trouble for me." he iterated.


    "And as for these istion artifacts¡­ it exins why the more than 20 thousand soldiers couldn''t even send a distress signal or ask for reinforcements.


    They were already isted from the outside world before the monsters even attacked.


    Hence, they couldn''t inform anyone and no one also heard the noises from the battlefield.


    Someone meticulously led them to their deaths." said Kahn as he sped his palms and ced his chin on them.


    "Still, the monsters were most likely to fight among themselves first given how they''re driven by instincts.


    So it is most likely that someone else attacked the military ranks first and broke their formations in order to let the monster hordes who cameter invade the formation and then kill the soldiers.


    And given the situation¡­ it would seem that it was done by multiple strong enemies who should be at least Peak Grandmasters. And they''d need a dozen of them." said Ronin from his inspection of the battlefield.


    "You''re right. But all the peak grandmasters in the fiefdom are all ounted for. And we didn''t have any visitors from outside of the fiefdom either.


    Otherwise, we would''ve found it out one way or another since this is our turf.


    So the attacker must be someone who was already present here and then acted at the right time." spoke Kahn as he hypothesized.


    "I agree. Besides, given how the spread of the news and the reaction of the citizens is oddly extreme¡­ I feel like there is a big force behind this incident.


    And resourceful as well as experienced enough to execute it right under our noses." said Ronin as he too was now familiar with politics and espionage tactics because of the books he often read in free time.


    "I thought so as well. But it doesn''t change the fact that whoever is behind all of this¡­


    Those fuckers killed so many innocent people just to besmirch my name as the Sovereign." replied Kahn.


    "Given how we have the control over the biggest harvesting region of the mana cores, ores and monster resources¡­ we simply have too many enemies.


    And I can''t even trust any of our supposed allies either.


    Everyone and their stance towards me are questionable at this point." spoke Kahn since he wasn''t a fool to jump to conclusions.


    "Yet¡­ there is one big clue they''ve left behind." he said.


    "What is it?" asked Ronin with a surprised expression.


    Kahn then told him the only possible lead they had and how to use it to find the main culprit as well as the force backing them.


    ----------------


    ONE WEEK LATER.


    The situation regarding the happenings of the massacre of soldiers had worsened in the past few days.


    The number of people who were voicing their opinions against Kahn and his entire management from all the sectors of the government and military kept rising by millions with each passing day.


    The once savior and the benevolent sovereign had be the most hated person throughout the Vessen fiefdom and the rest of the Rakos Empire.


    Public opinion about Kahn had plummeted drastically and almost the whole situation became the hot topic of everyone''s day-to-day life.


    A barrage of rumors spread among the masses and somehow, new incidents of Kahn exploiting his position and authority as the ruler were brought to the ears of all the citizens, military personnel, and government officials throughout the empire.


    Yet Kahn, the center of everyone''s hatred hadn''t released any official statement as if he was indeed guilty of all the crimes that came to light recently.


    On the 9th day, Kahn finally released an official announcement throughout the fiefdom.


    He dered that there''d be a memorial ceremony at night. And all the fallen soldiers would be given an honorable farewell. And the whole ceremony will be broadcasted throughout the fiefdom in real-time.


    This announcement got everyone''s attention real quick as those who wanted answers felt like Kahn would address the issue by himself.


    When the night finally came, in front of thousands of people rted to the families of soldiers who were either crying, cursing and wallowing in pain for losing their family¡­ Kahn''s figure appeared.


    But throughout the ceremony, Kahn did nothing but stand with a dejected face in front of people and the whole fiefdom who was watching.


    But unbeknownst to millions of people watching this whole scenario from their respective cities and towns¡­.


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion filled the surroundings of a devastated battlefield that was filled with blistering heat. And as the smoke from the burning trees dispersed¡­


    A figure of a disheveled and bleeding man was revealed.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    "I finally found you¡­ you fucking bastard."


    Another man d in a ck and gray longcoat who slowly walked towards the former spoke with a domineering voice as his murderous aura spread across the whole battlefield¡­


    "I''m not going to kill you." spoke thetter and continued in a grim voice¡­


    "But I''m gonna make you wish that you were dead."

 Chapter 439 - Catching The Culprit

    Chapter 439 - Catching The Culprit


    In the burning battlefield which had hundreds of crevices and ground that looked like a stream of magma ran through it¡­ stood a three-meter tall human berserker warrior in red armor and a giantsword in his right hand.


    But on the other end of the 5-kilometer-wide forested region which was thoroughly destroyed at this point since a life and death battle ended just a minute ago;y a man amongst the broken tree trunks while his entire body was heavily injured.


    Despite being a warrior of a higher rank, this man waspletely beaten to a pulp by the peak grandmaster warrior in front of him.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    "I finally found you¡­ you fucking bastard."


    Another man d in a ck and gray longcoat who slowly walked towards the former spoke with a domineering voice as his murderous aura spread across the whole battlefield¡­


    "I''m not going to kill you." spoke thetter and continued in a grim voice¡­


    "But I''m gonna make you wish that you were dead."


    Dered the man. But the expression on the face of the former was nothing but full of surprises.


    "How¡­ How are you here? I saw you at the center of the memorial ceremony just a few minutes ago." he said while wiping off blood from his mouth with whatever strength he had left in his body.


    The man in ck and gray longcoat aka Kahn Salvatore looked at the culprit of the incident regarding the massacre of twenty thousand soldiers¡­ there was nothing but dread and contempt in his eyes.


    Yet, he didn''t seem to be bothered by the question of the main instigator.


    At this moment, Kahn recalled what happened eight days ago and how everything led to this moment.


    ----------------


    *FLASHBACK*


    8 DAYS AGO.


    While Kahn and Ronin were discussing, Jugram was in charge of dealing with the aftermath of the massacre and had thousands of people under him sort out the dead bodies and carry them to the mortuary.


    Meanwhile, Kahn was brainstorming to catch the real culprit.


    And after he deduced the only clue they had at hand¡­ he made a n with Ronin.


    There weren''t any clues left behind, to begin with. Even the istion artifacts didn''t help because Ronin could track down their origin within the whole fiefdom.


    However, the one possible clue had answers to all of his questions. And thus Kahn ced all his bets on it.


    He exined to Ronin why he came to this conclusion¡­


    Reason no. 1¡­.


    To kill so many people and properly lure out monsters¡­ one needed to know not only the whereabouts of the monster hordes situated in the forested region but also the location of the military squadron.


    And the squadron of twenty thousand soldiers was stationed there right after Ceril killed Ashokvatika and Kahn ordered Commander Chetak to post soldiers in the inner region in case the monsters attacked the border again.


    So that way, they''d be prepared this time and the squadron would stall for time till all of their forces gathered.


    So if someone already didn''t know the schedule, they would not be able to n the whole ambush at all since they''d have to set these traps before the military even formed their encampment there.


    So other than the top military officers inmand, no one would actually know where the forces were scheduled to be stationed.


    Reason no. 2¡­


    Given the situation about how a powerful force was backing the culprit and how quickly the news and rumors spread across the Rakos Empire¡­


    Kahn knew for sure that it was one of the top 3 noble factions that were responsible.


    And here too, he had his suspicions.


    Pureblood factions no longer had any enmity with him because Allister Mor Vandereich, the faction leader himself had given his word that he will not interfere in Kahn''s rule via Ezekiel Nabi who came to visit him a couple of months ago.


    Neutral Faction on the other hand had actually benefited after the incident with Kassandra''s heroic deeds during the battle with the legendary Cdrius that helped them as well as the Mikealson n gain a lot of respect among the masses of the empire.


    And that''s why Kahn got the first clue about where to look.


    "Could it be them?" asked Kahn as he shortlisted the candidates.


    "Most likely so." said Ronin.


    "We cannot dere that it was their faction. They will simply shirk away the responsibility likest time when they put the whole me on someone else acting on their own ord.


    And any direct usation would turn into an open challenge.


    They have bigger forces, more manpower and before I can even do anything¡­ they''d bury the matter or even say that I''m ming them because of my personal grudge.


    I''mpletely outperformed and outmatched in every aspect." spoke Kahn with a somber expression.


    "Means the only way we can prove it is by catching the culprit first and then make them talk.


    Otherwise, we won''t even have a chance to resolve this mess and people will keep ming you.


    With that¡­ the public support will be gone in a few weeks. And your reign mighte in danger." said Ronin as he thought of the possible oues.


    "And that''s why¡­ we need to set a bait.


    A bait the main culprit can''t afford to ignore." spoke Kahn and for the following hours¡­ they came up with an easy yet very effective n.


    ----------------


    On the morning of the present day¡­


    Kahn and the Generals announced the whole thing about the memorial ceremony for the victims of the massacre.


    However¡­ They also spread a rumor among the military ranks and normal poption that Kahn had found something suspicious about the massacre and was going to reveal it during the ceremony that was to be broadcasted to the entire fiefdom.


    Kahn then quickly returned to the present moment as he spoke to the main culprit who lured those monsters and trapped the soldiers using the istion artifacts.


    "If you lot wanted me out of the way¡­ you should''ve tried to kill me directly." he said.


    "Do the lives ofmon people really not matter to your noble factions to the point where you won''t even bother killing thousands of innocent people just to defame me?" asked Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    "Anyways¡­ you fuckers have crossed the line.


    So I''ll give everyone a grand show. One that would make your entire faction weep tears of blood.


    And you''ll help me do that. Won''t you¡­" spoke Kahn and put his hands on the bleeding shoulder of the culprit.


    He gave a benign smile and revealed the name of the murderer who killed thousands of innocent soldiers¡­


    "Victor."

 Chapter 440 - Falling into the Trap

    Chapter 440 - Falling into the Trap


    1 HOUR AGO.


    As the public broadcast started in the central city of the Berawaa region where the memorial ceremony was being carried out. Thousands of people marched with a somber expressions while carrying big candles and torches in their hands.


    On the memorial site, Kahn, Omega, ckwall, Oliver and Ceril had gathered along with the other government officials and military officers to give their respect to the fallen.


    After an hour, the ceremony ended while the broadcast continued where Kahn and the others were still carrying out their duties.


    Just then¡­ Victor Apopis, the halfbreed demonkin semi-saint scythe warrior left the ceremony saying that he was done with his part.


    ----------------


    50 kilometers away from the central city of the Berawaa region, over a dozen warriors belonging to different professions and ranks were gathered in a deep and silent jungle.


    Swoosh!


    "You''re here, Lord Victor." spoke a Mithrans spear warrior. Soon, all the others among this group bowed toward the demonkin who just arrived with respect.


    "Yeah¡­ I just left using a transportation scroll. I thought that Salvatore had gathered something incriminating against us.


    But that fool seems too timid. Haha!" spoke Victor with an ted expression.


    "Why, yes. Of course!


    He is probably still shaken by the fact that he couldn''t find any clue about the massacre.


    Maybe he doesn''t even know that the massacre was actually a nned one. Haha!" said an elven woman who seemed to be a master rank halberd warrior.


    "Still, none of us could''ve done it without your help, lord Victor.


    Although we sessfully operated the istion artifacts from a distance¡­ if not for you leading those monster hordes towards the garrisons¡­ none of this would be possible." spoke an old thrall archer.


    "Hey, hey! Don''t forget that it was also lord Victor who sessfully attacked and broke through the line of defense in all four directions.


    Otherwise, those mindless monsters wouldn''t have been able to break through their formations easily. It would have taken a lot of time and maybe they would have managed to send a distress signal.


    It is all thanks to our powerful lord Victor that we sessfully managed to carry out the operation." said a wolfkin mage amongst the group as he was doing a great job at bootlicking.


    Victor on the other hand had a prideful expression on his face as if this was something praiseworthy.


    "Hah! That lowlifemoner bastard was acting all tough and mighty because he won thepetition.


    He dared to disrespect me on several asions.


    This shall teach him a lesson." said Victor with a tone full of disdain.


    "That peasants like them live only to serve the powerful.


    After this incident gets blown out of proportion¡­ it won''t even take a month before the government from the capital calls for official impeachment." he said with a smile.


    "Yes, Lord Victor. With Kahn Salvatore gone and all of our people who already infiltrated government and military, it won''t even take long before Vessen fiefdom bes our domain.


    In a way, him taking over as the Sovereign has greatly helped us. He took out all of our enemies during his reign and now we will reap the rewards." said the mage again.


    "The Pureblood and Neutral faction hit their own feet with an axe by allying themselves with him.


    The faction council and lord faction leader are indeed foresighted. They used his Savior of the Commoners act against himself.


    This will be the perfect revenge against him for killingmander Asw and defaming our Demi-Human faction." spoke Victor as he reveled in his achievement.


    But unbeknownst to all these people celebrating their victory¡­ a ck shadow suddenly escaped from Victor''s own shadow.


    [Master, I''m done.] spoke Ronin.


    The rogue general had been hiding under Victor''s shadow since the ceremony started.


    And under Kahn''s orders¡­ the subordinate with the best assassination skills was recording the whole conversation.


    BOOM!!


    A frightening aura spread across this forestednd and suddenly, Kahn exited out of the True Dimension.


    Thud!


    Jugram jumped out of Kahn''s shadow.


    "Alright¡­ All the rats have gathered.


    Time to y Cat & Mouse."


    ----------------


    Kahn had nned this simple yet effective move to confirm Victor as the main perpetrator of the incident.


    And the one present at the memorial ceremony wasn''t Kahn but his doppelganger.


    Although Kahn was certain that only Victor fit all the criteria¡­


    Rather than arresting him and forcing a confession out of him... Kahn wanted the truth toe out of Victor''s mouth voluntarily.


    So they deliberately spread the news that Kahn had a clue.


    Because of this rumor, Victor and all of his hidden allies were forced to gather. That''s why Kahn held the memorial ceremony where his doppelganger with SS Rank mana cores to sustain himself took Kahn''s ce.


    Because his future ns also needed him to have a perfect alibi.


    And he sent Ronin in Victor''s shadow to gather the evidence. By using the Telepathy Link he gained from Ashokvatika, Kahn quickly found out their location and traveled to this ce using the Dimensional Void.


    So when they spoke about their actions without any pressure and with happy faces¡­ they had already given Kahn the much-needed proof.


    But before giving anyone a chance to react, Kahn quickly used the Dimensional Domain skill that surrounded, entrapped and weakened all the members present here.


    After that, he used the Dimensional Domain and under the weakened state in his domain. The Semi-saint Victor was on par with Jugram.


    Kahn did not fight back and only watched as Jugram in his human form beat Victor to a pulp given his skills.


    Hundreds of assassin subordinates appeared out of his shadow and incapacitated the other members of the group who seemed like the chain ofmand sent by the Demi-Human faction to carry out the operation.


    Kahn then walked from behind Jugram, who was donned in red armor.


    He finally had the main perpetrator who carried out the massacre.


    Kahn looked at the defeated figure of Victor.


    The man who killed thousands of his fellow countrymen without a second thought in the name of following orders.


    To Kahn¡­ just a simple form of vengeance wasn''t going to cut it anymore.


    Kahn spoke with a sinister tone as he was going to make his enemies shed tears of blood for crossing the limit.


    "Now let the show begin."

 Chapter 441 - The Big Show

    Chapter 441 - The Big Show


    ONE WEEK LATER.


    The new rumors and overly stretched stories that degraded Kahn kepting in and spread among the masses of the entire Rakos Empire.


    The public had been thoroughly brainwashed into thinking that Kahn was nothing but a ruthless and tyrannical ruler who showed his true colors after gaining power. And all his previous deeds were nothing but a pretense to appear as a kind and honorable sovereign.


    But out of nowhere¡­ a shocking video recording surfaced and spread through the entire empire in a single day.


    In the Vessen fiefdom, however¡­


    "Hey, hey! Don''t forget that it was also lord Victor who sessfully attacked and broke through the line of defense in all four directions.


    Otherwise, those mindless monsters wouldn''t have been able to break through their formations easily. It would have taken a lot of time and maybe they would have managed to send a distress signal."


    A voice reverberated around the crowd as the broadcast screens suddenly started across all the cities and towns. Instantly garnering the attention of the citizens who were going about their lives.


    "That peasants like them live only to serve the powerful.


    After this incident gets blown out of proportion¡­ it won''t even take a month before the government from the capital calls for official impeachment."


    A face filled with contempt towards themoner ss appeared as the recordings carried on.


    After a few minutes¡­


    "The faction council and lord faction leader are indeed foresighted. They used his Savior of the Commoners act against himself.


    This will be the perfect revenge against him for killingmander Asw and defaming our Demi-Human faction."


    Victor''s voice resounded through the entire fiefdom.


    This same scenario followed throughout the whole empire where this pre-recorded message was shared using projection artifacts. Every major street, popted zones, shops, restaurants, and even military forces stationed on all border regions of the empire were somehow shown the same thing by people who appeared out of nowhere.


    And finally, after this conversation amongst the people in the recording ended¡­ a face of a young man donned in ck and gray attire suddenly appeared on the screens.


    This person was the talk of the whole Rakos Empire for thest two weeks and probably was the most hated person during that time.


    "People of the Vessen fiefdom and every other citizen watching this recording across the Rakos Empire. I, Kahn Salvatore, would like to share the truth about the massacre of the soldiers that happened 15 days ago.


    "As you can see¡­ Victor Apopis of the Apopis n, who was also sent by the Demi-Human faction under the pretext of gaining experience and helping the military of the fiefdom; has admitted that he is the one who instigated and carried on the massacre of the innocent soldiers who were only doing their duty to protect the borders.


    And not only that¡­ but how the Demi-Human faction along with their faction leader, Jeremiah Themis himself were the ones who conspired this whole n." spoke Kahn with a somber expression.


    "They brutally and heartlessly murdered the brave and honorable soldiers of the military who were only carrying their duties just for the sake of bringing down my name and reputation.


    To quell their hatred against me¡­ they ordered a massacre of our innocent warriors who have families, parents and friends but chose to give their lives for protecting our great empire." the more he talked, the heavier his tone became.


    "These are the men and women who are the main reason why you can sleep silently at night. Yet, in order to gain political advantage and defame me so they could take over the Vessen fiefdom and get control of its resources¡­


    The Demi-Humanmitted the biggest taboo of them all." said Kahn with a saddened expression as if he was shaken by this loss.


    "As of now¡­ Victor Apopis has fled the Berawaa region and we are tracking his whereabouts.


    And all those people in the recording have been confirmed to be the members of many ns of the Demi-Human faction itself." he revealed.


    "My power and authority are limited. I can not even ask for fair justice for all of my fallen soldiers since the system of the empire is controlled by the three factions.


    I will do what I must to avenge my people." spoke Kahn in a domineering and vengeful tone.


    "As for those who doubted me, vilified me and spread fake rumors about me¡­ you can guess who was behind it all.


    So I''m not even going to justify myself.


    It''s a great shame that the fiefdom and the empire I have devoted my life to¡­ was easily swayed and believed whatever lies that fell on their ears.


    It''s not me who failed the people¡­ it''s the citizens of the fiefdom and the rest of the empire who have failed me." spoke Kahn with a dejected face as if he was greatly wronged.


    His crestfallen face instantly touched the emotions of every person watching the recording. And a sudden wave of guilt and disappointment about themselves spread across the entire poption of the empire.


    Billions of people who saw the truth behind the massacre which had be the center of their attention over the past two weeks felt like they were nothing but fools who jumped to conclusions andbeled Kahn as a heartless and cruel tyrant who was the personification of lies and deceit.


    Only now did they find out that they were lied to since the very beginning and instead of ming the real culprits¡­ they med the one person who actually cared about the lives ofmoners and soldiers alike.


    On the other hand¡­ the military soldiers across the entire empire were furious.


    Their gazes were filled with absolute hatred and millions of vengeful expressions appeared amongst their ranks.


    This was too much!


    Their lives were treated like ants by the rich and powerful and ughtered just so the mighty could gain money, resources and control over a piece ofnd of the empire.


    While everyone felt like the Demi-Human faction had crossed the limit and should be held responsible for their crimes¡­


    They also saw the face of a man. Who was wronged by them and yet he chose to fight for truth and justice.


    At this moment¡­ this wasn''t just Kahn''s war.


    And neither did he stand alone. Rather¡­ he had the support of the strongest force of the whole empire¡­


    The People!

 Chapter 442 - Public Defamation

    Chapter 442 - Public Defamation


    After Kahn''s recording regarding the truth of the massacre spread 3 days ago¡­ the entire Rakos Empire went into an uproar. Public marches, rallies, and campaigns against the Demi-Human faction took a violent turn.


    The government that wasposed of the top 3 noble factions and their members holding important positions in every sector had their hands filled with work.


    Kahn''s act of vengeance without even directly picking a fight against the Demi-Human faction had instigated a headache that none had a remedy of.


    No matter what they did or tried to cover up the matter¡­ The public outrage as well as the military itself kept rising to an extent where a Civil War seemed imminent.


    But the situation for the faction in question was worse than anyone could hope.


    Their collective businesses of all the ns, number of employees, properties, shares, their market reputation, and even the support of subsidiary ns kept falling to the point that the once-powerful faction of the Rakos Empire was entirely shunned by the people.


    With each passing day, many people who did not want to have their name attached or wanted to detach themselves from this faction broke their ties on the ord of moral and ethical values.


    Victor''s confession along with the other members of their faction yed a detrimental part as he, the once known as the representative of the Demi-Human faction during the Emperor''s Chosenpetition, had basically verified the truth.


    On the other hand, this presented the perfect opportunity for the Pureblood & Neutral factions at the same time. This was by far the biggest opportunity they had to cause the downfall of this faction in the past hundred years ever since the Great War and coup against the Imperial family.


    In the never-ending power struggle, Kahn created the best opening for them and without even a second thought, they started to ostracize everyone and everything rted to the Demi-Human faction.


    Soon, they too entered the fray and dedicated their forces and resources to bring down their opponent they wanted to bite a piece off of for decades.


    With this, the tables were turned on the Demi-Human faction by Kahn, who didn''t even lift a finger and used their own weapon to cut off their hands and feet.


    ----------------


    BANG!!


    A clenched fist banged on a round table inside the ginormous castle.


    "Your son ruined our faction''s name again.


    Now, how the hell are we supposed to recover from this?!


    He even mentioned mine and the Faction council''s name!


    That bbermouth has ruined all of us!


    This can only be covered up with blood."


    Shouted an old elven mage aka the faction leader of the Demi-Human faction, Jeremiah Themis.


    "And you!" he looked at a white bearkin who sat across the table.


    "The faction council agreed to your proposition because you have been pressuring all of us to avenge your brother.


    Now tell me, will you take the responsibility?" asked Jeremiah to the bearkin.


    The one who sat across the table was none other than the elder brother of Commander Asw, and the current n leader of the Bhaloo n.


    "Infuriating! This is too infuriating!


    Only if I could go there¡­ I would''ve killed the Salvatore bastard with my own hands¡­" spoke the elf as he grasped his head in frustration and pulled his hair.


    "I shouldn''t have listened to any of you!" he shouted.


    ----------------


    While the big powerhouses were having their version of sh of ns¡­


    Kahn had announced a fiefdom wide curfew. No one was allowed to leave or enter Vessen fiefdom in the name of searching for Victor and his aplices.


    But in reality¡­ he already had all those people imprisoned. The main reason he was putting up this act was to gain an absolute advantage over the enemy side.


    Because using these people, he could find all the connected invaders who spread rumors about him. Also, those who were nted as spies in government and military alike answered to these people.


    So Kahn intended to use the big fish and catch the small prawns in order to clean his turf from possible espionage.


    Ronin was left in charge of torturing those people. And make use of covenant soldiers and the other generals to arrest the people of the Demi-Human faction. In the past 3 days, they had caught over 40 thousand of these spies already.


    Yet the more the caught, the more spies were revealed. Which made Kahn focus his attention on purifying his fiefdom first.


    As for the main figureheads¡­ he nned to bring them out in the People''s Court.


    To say that they helped Victor escape under the orders of their faction.


    So this way, Kahn would publicly defame the Demi-Human faction rightfully.


    Just yesterday, he had requested the central government to investigate the matter and search the properties owned by the faction under the pretext of them still hiding Victor even now.


    Which eventually, turned into a godsend opportunity for Pureblood and Neutral Faction to fuck up the entire Demi-Human faction even more legally since the people of the empire and military alike were filled with anger.


    Compared to him, the two factions were far more powerful, resourceful and deadlier as enemies.


    Kahn would let the big guys fight among themselves while he sits andfortably watches the whole show while eating popcorn.


    Finally, even without directly wielding a weapon, he doomed the whole faction filled with Saints who had godly strength and authority.


    And as for Victor...


    Tap!


    Tap!


    In a closed-off and heavily fortified room under Kahn''s castle¡­


    A trio of three people walked in.


    Kahn, Jugram, and Armin entered this room filled with types of equipment made for torturing people.


    He took a seat on a wooden chair and looked at the chained man who had one horning out of his head.


    "Wakey, wakey¡­ little devil!" chimed Kahn with a smile on his face.


    "Urghh¡­ you think this little suppression formation and these chains are enough to make me talk?


    You''ll turn into dead meat soon, Salvatore!" eximed Victor as he gave Kahn a furious gaze.


    Kahn on the other hand seemed unbothered and spoke.


    "Don''t get your hopes up. As a matter of fact¡­ I''m finally free to watch an entertaining show." he said and then asked with an insidious grin.


    "So tell me, Victor... Are you ready to repent?"

 Chapter 443 - Last Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 443 - Last Opportunity</h4>


    25 kilometers outside the capital Aesir on the night of the same day¡­ A warshipnded amidst a mountainous region filled with dense treelines and grasnds.


    Tchak!


    The giant main door of this two hundred meters tall and four hundred meters wide massive warship opened and a group of people exited the ship.


    These were none other than Kahn, Jugram, Armin, and the elite fighters amongst the covenant soldiers.


    Shing!


    Cling!


    A demonkin who was tied with heavy mythril chains that also had multiple runes which stopped him from using his mana or aura.


    Soon, they stopped in an open ground while the soldiers brought a ck and red wooden throne withfortable cushions.


    "What the hell is this supposed to mean, Salvatore?! Do you think you can secretly execute me and get away with it?!


    Don''t you know who I am or which faction I represent?


    The entire Demi-Human faction and my n will cause a bloodbath in this shithole of a fiefdom of yours if you kill me!" eximed Victor angrily as he shirked his hands away from a soldier who was holding the chains.


    "Arshhh¡­ this fucking dimwit." spoke Kahn in annoyance as he took a seat.


    "You still don''t get it? You''re no longer some heir of a n or a young prodigy of a noble faction.


    You are¡­ a fugitive!" he said and looked down on chained Victor.


    "You''re now the whistle-blower in the eyes of the Demi-Human faction.


    Forget the faction¡­ even your own family won''t protect you at this point. You have be¡­


    A liability." smirked Kahn with an ted expression.


    "There are two reasons why I spread the news that you escaped from my clutches.


    One¡­


    If I did anything to you myself¡­ it could''ve been turned to my disadvantage. Your faction or the n would''vee up with any reason in order to get custody over you.


    If I declined, they could say that I actually orchestrated that confession and wanted to silence you or any random bullshit reason that people would eventually believe.


    Because if a thousand people speak a lie together¡­ it bes the truth." revealed Kahn.


    "And as things stand¡­ Instead of trying to protect you¡­


    It''s more convenient for your faction to get rid of you.


    If you''re dead¡­ they can shift the entire me on you.


    But if nobody knows where you are¡­ the entire empire will think that your faction and n are protecting you despite your crimes.


    So keeping you alive will do far more damage than killing you." he said.


    The next moment, his tone turned grim.


    "Two¡­<i>[Updated from  didn''t kill you because death will be a great mercy for a scumbag like you who thinks that other people''s lives don''t matter since youe from a noble family and prestigious background.</i>


    <i>I bet you didn''t even feel a sense of wrong or responsibility when you carried out the massacre.</i>


    <i>I''m certain you have no remorse for causing the deaths of those twenty thousand innocent people who were only doing their job." he said while leaking his killing intent.</i>


    <i>"As the Sovereign, I''m responsible to protect the people here.</i>


    <i>I know that I''m no saint and have blood on my hands as well. But what I absolutely hate is when someone innocent dies because of me.</i>


    <i>And to frame me¡­ your faction killed so many people. Since I don''t have the power and authority to go and kill that fucking faction leader of yours¡­</i><i>


    I''ll at least make you pay for the crimes you''vemitted." said Kahn with eyes full of bloodlust while his ck and red aura froze the surrounding area.


    "So for all those deaths¡­ you should pay a heavy price.


    There were 20 thousand dead people¡­


    Let''s see if you still want to live if your bones are broken for the same amount." dered Kahn with a vengeful tone.


    He then looked at Jugram and Armin who came with him to this isted region.


    Under Jugram''s orders, all the soldiers returned to the warship and waited there.


    BOOM!!


    Kahn, who sat on his throne with a grim expression suddenly activated the Dimensional Domain skill. One of his trump card abilities.


    "What¡­ what the hell is this?!" eximed Victor as he noticed the remaining strength in his body leaving and even standing up took a great deal of effort for him.


    "Ah, I guess you didn''t notice it back then since I cast it too quickly. This¡­. Is my domain." spoke Kahn casually.


    Victor on the other hand¡­ has a frightened expression as soon as he heard Kahn''s response.


    "Impossible! How can you have a domain? Only a 5th stage saint and above can create a domain of their own!" eximed Victor hurriedly.


    "Oh, that''s something I never heard of." spoke Kahn as he learned about this key information for the first time.


    But instead of giving too much attention to this revtion, Kahn looked at Jugram who was d in his new red armor and giantsword made from the skin and bones of the legendary rank Invimarak monster.


    "Master¡­ Both of our strengths are now matched when I''m in my human form." spoke Jugram.


    "Human form what?..." said Victor.


    But instead of rifying¡­


    ng!


    Kahn suddenly summoned a weapon and threw it toward Victor.


    This was actually Victor''s scythe that they confiscated back when Kahn and Jugram caught him.


    "You see¡­ I''m a very benevolent man.


    I will give you onest chance if you want to save your life.


    Fight my general here in a life and death battle.


    If you manage to kill him¡­ I''ll let you go free.


    How does that sound?" asked Kahn with a sinister voice.


    Spat!


    Victor spat on the ground while Jugram unchained him.


    The next moment, he took out Victor''s repaired armor from his space ring.


    "Don''t fucking look down on me you bastard!


    Last time I was defeated because you had trapped me. But this time¡­ I''ll kill him first and then I''ll kill youter.


    Dare to bet?" scoffed Victor.


    Kahn only nodded in return. This inwardlyughed at the n heir of the Apopis n who still hadn''t grasped the situation.


    After Victor equipped his gear¡­ he stood in front of Jugram. Both of them were now limited to a peak grandmaster under Kahn''s dimensional domain.


    Kahn sat on the farthest end while Armin apanied him.


    And finally¡­ he gave themand.


    "Begin the Deathmatch!" </i>

 Chapter 444 - The Atonement

    <h4>Chapter 444 - The Atonement</h4>


    In the middle of a dense forest, on an open ground¡­ a heated battle began between two powerful fighters. Shockwaves and tremors filled the battlefield as a demonkin and a three-meter-tall human d in red armor fought in a deathmatch.


    While the former was faster and more flexible because of his fighting style with a scythe¡­ thetter was powerful and more perceptive of the battlefield as both entities fought.


    ng!


    Clink!


    Sparks flew across the battlefield as Victor''s scythe shed against Jugram''s new giantsword and was repelled after the sh.


    Swoosh!


    Victor''s figure flickered and he evaded Jugram''s vision.


    Shing!


    Just then, Jugram used the broad side of the sword and quickly plunged it into the ground on his right-hand side.


    ng!


    Victor, who just appeared a secondter in that same ce had already swung his scythe in order to take off Jugram''s right arm and both of their weapons shed.


    [Nonsense! It hasn''t even been a minute and he can already predict my next attack.


    Even for a human who is under 40, he is far more experienced.] thought the demonkin.


    As soon as their battle started, Jugram went into a defensive mode and allowed Victor to attack. But in just a minute, he was already predicting Victor''s next location based on thetter''s footwork like a true veteran.


    Kahn, who was seated on his throne, chuckled as if this was something bound to him.


    [This fool doesn''t even know who he''s fighting.


    Although Ceril and Omega are the most relentless among my forces when ites to training their skills and abilities¡­


    No one has ever been able to surpass Jugram when ites to adapting to the battlefield and his opponent.


    He''s the fastest and most efficient one to find ws in his enemies and their techniques.] thought Kahn.


    All the generals and Omega had inherited a part of Kahn''s personality in their own way. And Jugram was the one who inherited Kahn''s quick wit and adaptability topletely turn the tide in a battle.


    Like a simtion running inside his head¡­ Jugram only needed a few exchanges to gauge the opponent''s skills and their strength.


    And now that the battlefield was even under Kahn''s dimensional domain which brought Victor''s strength on the same level as Jugram¡­ it was more about the real experience on a battlefield.


    Compared to Victor, Jugram had more real-life battle experience than the enemy because unlike the demonkin who only trained under the care of his n and factions¡­ Jugram on the other end fought every battle in a do-or-die situation.


    Even Kahn considered him as the One man army because Jugram had the skills and mindset to even fight a couple of thousand enemies regardless of their strengths and numbers.


    His previous battle against the frost giants when Kahn went to The North was already a testament to how great of a battle-hard warrior Jugram was.


    In a way, the match was already fixed and Victor didn''t even know it.


    As for the main reason why he said that he''d let Victor go¡­


    He didn''t intend to let Victor go with his sanity intact after what he did.


    First, he wanted to psychologically break Victor who thought that he was above other people and their lives didn''t matter because they came from a poor background or part of the society.


    Physical pain was already due¡­ but Kahn wanted to make this bastard realize how little did his heritage, his n and the so-called fake prestige mattered in the end when no one wasing to save him.


    And as the battle continued while Victor used skills after skills by infusing his man with his scythe attacks and created a few dozen copies of the weapon using his aura¡­


    Jugram sessfully defended against them from time to time and after 10 minutes passed¡­


    He finally used his power boost skills such as Inferno Domain and Demon''s Rage skill to overpower the opponent.


    And in just 15 minutes¡­ the once presumed to be the 3rdmost strongest prodigy of the Rakos Empire was reduced to a punching bag by the Hell Berserker general.


    "Arrhhh!!" wailed Victor as Jugram kicked Victor and broke his left shin with a single kick.


    And he dislocated Victor''s right shoulder with a single punch. At this point¡­ he wasn''t even using his giantsword but only his bare fists.


    And with his epic rank weapon that was shattered in half by Jugram out of the equation¡­


    Victor couldn''t even properly defend himself and charged like an idiot in front of his enemy.


    "Tch! Such a disappointment. He doesn''t even know any other fighting techniques other than his scythe skills. Hasn''t he heard the saying¡­.


    A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." spoke Kahn as he enjoyed a ss of wine while Victor screamed in pain.


    "Go heal him. We are going to take time on this one." ordered Kahn to Armin.


    Armin healed Victor''s shattered bones instantly now that he was a legendary rank being and had plenty of SSS Rank healing skills. keep shattering his bones while Armin keeps healing him instantly.


    "No!! Stop!!" pleaded Victor but Jugram shattered his wrist and all the bones in the hand under his feet.


    Soon, a vicious cycle of Jugram breaking bones after bones in Victor''s body repeated while Armin kept healing him without even breaking a sweat.


    Kahn had already left a doppelganger in his castle who was Kahn himself and shared the affairs as the Sovereign of the fiefdom through the Telepathy Link.


    So all he did in the meantime was to watch Victor suffer while he himself was counting the number of broken bones.


    ----------------


    TWO DAYS LATER.


    Kahn had been having a great time as he saw Jugram break Victor''s pride till the point the semi-saint started to beg to let him live.


    And finally¡­ a figure of this once overly prideful demonkin with hopeless eyesy on the ground as Jugram ripped apart his left arm.


    "And that is number 20 thousand! Hurray!


    Congrattions Victor! You''ve survived the punishment." spoke Kahn with a charming smile as he pped excitedly.


    Meanwhile, Victor couldn''t even scream in agony at this point.


    "Plea.. se.. j.. ust.. ki.. ll¡­ me." spoke Victor who waspletely broken at this point.


    He had suffered an immeasurable amount of torture and heartwrenching pain in the past 2 days at the hands of Kahn''s executioner aka Jugram.


    "My my¡­ did you really think I''d let you die so easily?


    If you want a swift death¡­ you should offer me somethingpelling.


    After all, you''re more worth alive to me than dead." spoke Kahn in a casual tone.


    "What¡­. do.. you¡­ want?" asked Victor.


    "Isn''t it obvious?" said Kahn and revealed his terms¡­


    "The real truth."

 Chapter 445 - Cruel Fate

    <h4>Chapter 445 - Cruel Fate</h4>


    Kahn looked Victor straight in the eyes and asked the real reason behind the whole outrageous act of the Demi-Human faction by massacring thousands of soldiers.


    Although their main intention was just to get him publicly defamed and overthrow his rule¡­ Kahn had many suspicions of his own.


    Because the faction filled with millions of people and Saints who lived for more than a century acted impatiently. By no means did he believe that a faction full of wise and cunning people would act so suddenly without foolproof and extensive nning first.


    But they still ended up making the mistake as if there was a time margin they had to meet because even the smartest people make mistakes when they''re desperate.


    This was the main reason why Kahn believed that what he found out before capturing Victor was only a half-truth. That there was more than met the eye.


    Victor, who was mentally broken at this moment after going through the soul-shivering experience of having all of his bones broken and flesh squashed over and over again for the past 2 days¡­ had an aghast expression.


    Despite going through all that torment¡­ he still didn''t think that Kahn could actually see through and ask for the second reason.


    "How did you¡­ how did you know?" he asked as he panted heavily.


    "You should know better that I didn''t be who I am today without using my brain.


    Well, I don''t have time. Tell me now or this torture will continue and forget about it stopping anytime soon." replied Kahn as he gave a final intimation.


    Victor on the other end had an ashen expression as soon as he heard Kahn''s warning.


    At this point¡­ he wasn''t worried about dying but suffering through that cycle of immeasurable pain again and again. Because each time¡­ he was losing his sanity and wanted this torture to end.


    "To¡­ to keep you busy." spoke Victor as he had bare minimum strength just to speak.


    "What?!" asked Kahn with a befuddled expression.


    "Our Demi-Human faction wanted to not only takeover Vessen but also keep you busy so that you couldn''t visit that ce which will be opened in 2 months from now." revealed Victor.


    "So that we have fewer candidates entering that zone.


    That way, I would have the chance toplete the task.


    The lesser, the better." he iterated.


    "After this incident¡­ the faction had nned to summon you to the capital and convict you under false charges in order to keep you busy till the time limit finished." exined the demonkin.


    Shock!


    Kahn had nothing but a perplexed countenance as Victor revealed the other side of the truth.


    [What the fuck?! This doesn''t make any sense!] Kahn thought as he could swallow this new revtion.


    "Just for that¡­ your faction didn''t mind having 20 thousand people getting killed?


    What exactly is in that ce?!" he asked.


    Victor spoke with a fatigued expression.


    "Even I don''t know theplete truth. All I know is that it had something to do with the Imperial family and this invisible barrier that stops the Saints from entering this fiefdom is actually just an outeryer.


    My father once told me that the primary and stronger barriers are inside that zone. Protecting something that''s not allowed to be spoken about.


    Only the three faction leaders and the n leaders of the main three ns of respective factions know the truth." he said.


    "But isn''t your n one of the three top ns of the Demi-Human faction?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes¡­ but after you defeated me in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition¡­ I lost the right to know the hidden truth." spoke Victor as his figure slouched in defeat.


    [What the hell is so important that they went as far as setting up the wholepetition just to get an advantage to select a fiefdom of their choosing.


    And now even massacred thousands of innocent people just to stop me from entering?


    Are they certain that somehow I willplete the said task?] thought Kahn.


    [Other than the history of the previous Hero of Lightning dying there¡­ I don''t know anything about that area.


    Even that Allister as well as Ismaetrazel only gave me vague information and the Pureblood faction hasn''t given me proper details about exactly what I have to do there even at this point.


    The more I see it¡­ the moreplicated things are being revealed.] he concluded.


    Victor then got on his knees in a pleading position and spoke¡­


    "Look¡­ I''ve told you everything I know. So please¡­ just kill me. I can''t go through it anymore."


    His defeated and hoarse voice resounded inside the 1 kilometer radius of Kahn''s dimensional domain.


    From the outside, this massive ck dome-like domain barrier sized only 200 meters but this skill that came with his Dimensional Law divine ability was five times bigger from the inside.


    And now, Kahn decided that it was time he stopped ying the torture game.


    "Well¡­ your fate lies in not my hands but his." said Kahn as he pointed his forefinger towards the berserker general in red armor.


    A shiver ran under Victor''s spine as he looked at Jugram again.


    It was this very man who had been torturing him without a break for the past two days.


    Even his face looked that of a grim reaper to Victor now.


    "I want to continue this. But you have something that I desperately want." spoke Jugram as he flexed his arms and neck.


    "What?.." asked Victor with a puzzled expression.


    "Your bloodline." he said.


    "What do you mean?" asked Victor with a confused expression.


    "Bloodline isn''t something that can be acquired just from someone''s body." he said.


    But before he could ask any questions¡­


    BOOM!


    A loud shockwave full of fire and a chaotic aura suddenly erupted.


    Bang!


    Thud!


    Victor''s body was thrown 20 meters away from the shockwaves.


    And finally, beside Kahn and Armin¡­ a massive 12 meter tall figure of a monstrous humanoid creature whose body was filled with bone-like armor over his shoulders, arms and legs while the rest of the body had ck and red flesh as if a never-ending blistering heat ran under the flesh.


    The temperature of the surrounding suddenly rose by at least 10 degrees as Jugram finally took his real Chaos Demon form.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Victor was rooted on the spot,pletely bewildered and out of wits as he suddenly saw this demonic creature appearing out of nowhere.


    "What the hell are you? Howe a monster like this is here?!" he eximed in fear.


    He then looked at Kahn and Armin, both of whom did not seem surprised at all.


    "Who are you? This shouldn''t even be possible!" he asked in a jittery voice as his entire body shivered under Jugram''s terrifying aura.


    Kahn gleefully replied¡­


    "I''m just your friendly neighborhood Hero of Darkness."


    He said and took a sip of wine.


    Shocked!


    Victor waspletely bewildered.


    "A hero¡­ you¡­ you''re one of them!" shouted Victor as he finally came to a realization.


    Although in Rakos Empire, news and knowledge about Gods, their churches, and even the chosen Heroes were forbidden¡­ the top brass knew of their existence.


    Only now did he realize that Kahn wasn''t someone without a background. Rather¡­ he was not from this world from the beginning.


    He was one of the rumored Heroes that even Victor thought of as nothing but myths. And these so-called Heroes only existed in other empires but were never found in Rakos since the time of its founding.


    And Victor had made an enemy out of the biggest misfortunes of this world.


    Among the three noble factions and their younger generation¡­ he was seen as a prodigy. But in front of Kahn¡­


    Victor realized that he wasn''t even a stepping stone.


    "Impossible¡­ this is not possible¡­" Victor spoke to himself as he tried to deny the reality in front of him.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Jugram''s loud steps resounded as the giant Hell Berserker kept looking at puny semi-saint demonkin who was no different than a defenseless newborn in front of him.


    A stream of tears dropped from Victor''s eyes as he came to ept his fate¡­ no longer having even the slightest will to live or put up any resistance.


    "Be proud of yourself. Even without knowing¡­ you have proved yourself useful to my master." said Jugram in a domineering and grim voice.


    And instead of giving the halfbreed demonkin a chance to respond¡­


    Step!


    Crack!!


    Jugram stepped on Victor''s chest and crushed his entire torso under his massive feet.


    Splurt!


    Like a squashed tomato¡­ blood and intensities spread on the soiled ground and Jugram lifted his feet.


    He looked down on the tiny opponent. Half of Victor''s body was turned into meat paste and only a head with a horrified expression came into his sight.


    Using his blood-controlling skill, he pulled up the gray core of the semi-saint Victor Apopis.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    He walked back and kneeled in front of Kahn as he presented him with Victor''s core.


    But instead, Kahn got up from his throne and walked toward Victor''s corpse, and ced his hands on the bleeding and mangled corpse.


    "Absorb!"


    He spent a few hours absorbing Victor''s skills and bloodlines.


    But when it came to the semi-saint''s core¡­ he looked at Jugram who had reverted to his human form.


    "Although it looks verypelling¡­ I can''t level up again until my soul ispletely healed. Besides¡­" said Kahn as he gave a content smile to the general.


    "This will benefit you more than me."

 Chapter 446 - King of Fire

    <h4>Chapter 446 - King of Fire</h4>


    In the middle of the open ground inside this forested region. Kahn began the synthesis procedure and both Jugram and Victor''s bodies were covered under a pitch-ck shadow.


    "System, show me the new abilities." ordered Kahn.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Scythe de Barrage (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to make consecutive attacks made of scythe des using mana and aura.


    ----------------


    Demon''s Aura (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to exude a demonic suppressive aura to put all enemies within one kilometer range in a fearful state.


    Congrattions to the Host!


    This ability has been merged under War Dominance Blessing!


    War Dominance has reached Stage 5!


    ----------------


    Scythe Shredder (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to create a 50-meter-wide storm of aura de storm filled with scythe-shaped weapons.


    Any target of this attack will receive multiplecerations and bleeding effects.


    ----------------


    True Demon Transformation (SSS Rank) :


    Allows the host to temporarily turn into a True Demon for 30 minutes.


    In this form, all the physical stats and elemental attributes are increased by three times.


    Note : The Host will be in a weakened state for 2 days after the activation time ends.


    ----------------


    True Demon Bloodline absorbed!


    Bloodline purity : 46%


    Note : The Host is advised to find higher-grade specimens and absorb more bloodline to improve the buff effects of the Asura Mode.


    There are currently no abilities or skills that can be merged with the newly gained ones.] reported system.


    "Good. At least he was somewhat good.


    Even though he wasn''t a veteran likemander Asw, he still had decent skills." spoke Kahn with a content expression.


    Because after a long time, War Dominance was upgraded and the True Demon Transformation seemed to be a good skill with a lot of potential that he could use in the future without relying on Berserk God Mode.


    Currently, it had too much recuperating period that his blessing that was given by the War Deity. But the potential was hard to ignore.


    And as the system informed, gaining more True Demon bloodline would help his Asura Mode in order to get additional stats and attack buffs.


    So Victor had indeed offered something unique to Kahn.


    ----------------


    SIX HOURS LATER


    The night had fallen already and the synthesis divine ability finally finished its work and the system notified Kahn.


    But as soon as the notification ended, Kahn felt a dreary aura and his entire body froze under a horrifying and chaotic aura.


    [Armin!] ordered Kahn.


    Armin, who was at legendary rank and could stand under this pressure without getting affected, cast a protection barrier over both their bodies.


    CRACK!!


    CRACK!!


    But suddenly, the ground cracked open and a massive burst of hellfire arose.


    BOOM!!


    As if an active volcano erupted, an ear-deafening noise filled the two kilometers region while this enormous pir of fire rose high in the night and lit up the dark forest like a gigantic torch.


    Thud!


    Shatter!


    The cracked ground trembled and earthquakes filled the two kilometer radius.


    Kahn and Armin already stood 2 kilometers away from this massive crevice that engulfed the ground they previously stood on.


    BANG!


    And out of the ground that was literally on fire¡­ two massive burning red ws ascended.


    Dhang!


    Crack!


    Two enormous horns on fire, a massive demonic face with red eyes, ripped and muscr arms that had an exterioryer like a boney armor came to be.


    BOOM!!


    Another loud noise filled the region as hundreds of burning boulders wereunched in the air through this 200 meter wide crevice.


    Everywhere these fiery boulders fell, the trees and grass quickly caught fire which soon spread across their surrounding treelines.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    Two massive feetnded on the ground as an enormous figure jumped out of this pit of fire and magma.


    RRRAAAAWWWRRRRR!!!


    A loud roar that sent shockwaves and sonic booms in the 3 kilometers radius resounded as if a terrifying monster arose from the pits of hell.


    The entire nt life, trees, and grasnds in the two kilometer radius area started burning because of the extensive heat that arose from this hell creature.


    Kahn was bbergasted on the spot as well.


    Because in front of him stood a 500 meters tall and 200 meters wide demonic creature whose entire body was covered in ck bone-like armor over the shoulders, arms, chest, legs and the back, while the rest was nothing but fire running underneath its skin.


    Jugram in his new form looked like an ancient demonic being that shouldn''t have been released from hell.


    "Bloody hell¡­" spoke Kahn.


    [System, give me the report.] hemanded.


    [Congrattions to the host. The subordinate Jugram has invoked a Legendary ss!


    The subordinate has evolved into a variant legendary rank creature.


    Following are the statistics and abilities :


    Name : Jugram


    Species : Diablos (Variant Superior Chaos Demon)


    Job : Hellzer (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 240


    Strength : 19460


    Agility : 15942


    Dexterity : 12693


    Defense : 10489


    Mana : 6863


    ---------------


    Following are the newly gained abilities and skills :


    King of Fire (Saint Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate is now immune to all types of fire attribute attacks and will absorb such spells and attacks in order to turn them into his physical attributes and increase his stats.


    The maximum rise in stats can be up to 500%.


    ----------------


    Marauder King (SSS Rank)


    Wrath of Vajra (SSS Rank)


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded abilities & skills :


    Frenzy Berserker (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can enter a frenzied state for 40 minutes during which, the strength and defense stats will be raised by 300% while the attack damage will increase by 600%.


    Note : The duration and boost in this ability can be raised with the increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Rage Demon (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate will enter a Rage mode where all of his physical and magical skills will be multiplied by 800% for 15 minutes.


    Note : The subordinate will enter a weakened state for 2 hours after this ability is deactivated.]


    While the system carried out the list of abilities¡­ Kahn''s eyes were wide open while his jaw dropped on the ground as he listened to the list of the remaining abilities and skills.


    Kahn, who was both terrified and also exhrated at the same time shouted¡­


    "Holy mother of Satan!"

 Chapter 447 - The Hellblazer

    Chapter 447 - The Hellzer


    Kahn had plenty ofplicated expressions at this moment. Because he didn''t expect this new transformation toe out as the result of Synthesis divine ability at all.


    At best, he hoped to see Jugram be a legendary rank creature with barely meeting the mark. And even his legendary rank form was expected to be double his size or simr to Ceril or Armin''s size at most.


    But the final result was far superior. And the only thing he could point his fingers at was the True Demon bloodline.


    Because to cause such a drastic transformation, they needed a very superior bloodline just like Rudra, ckwall and Oliver now possessed.


    So far, Kahn barely had any idea about this bloodline because it was extremely rare even in Rakos Empire. And he had no detailed knowledge about its heritage either.


    Finally after a minute¡­ he calmed his mind and continued going through the list.


    [The skill named Inferno Domain has ranked up and evolved into a new ability.


    Hell Domain (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate can create a 5 kilometers wide battlefield filled with Hellfire. All the enemies in this field will have their strength and defense reduced by 75%.


    Note : The effective range of this ability will increase with the increase in levels and rank.


    ---------------


    Blood Storm (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    The subordinate can drain out the blood from dead beings during a battle and use it as a high-pressure blood storm for 2 kilometers.


    The subordinate can create any form of weapons using the blood by mixing his aura and world energy.


    ---------------


    Chaos Emperor (Saint Rank) (Passive) :


    The more enemies the subordinate kills and their blood is absorbed by him in a 5 kilometer radius¡­ the more strength, defense and attack buff will be gained by the subordinate over time.


    Note : The effective range and the buff received will increase with the rise in levels and rank.


    The maximum buff that can be received is 900%.


    ----------------


    Hellzer Legendary Rank ss effects :


    The subordinate has now be an entity of Hell.


    The temperature of the surrounding 5 kilometers will be raised to 500 degree Celsius when the subordinate is in his true form.


    Only the host and fellow subordinates will be immune to this blistering heat.


    The defensive properties of all the armors, weapons and artifacts from the enemy side will be decreased by 50%.


    Under the influence of the Hell Domain, unless the weapons and armors contain ice attributes and elemental properties¡­ they will start melting after a few minutes.


    The lower the quality of material and heat resistance, the faster they will melt.


    The same applies to enemies and species with less heat resistance in their bodies.


    In other words, the subordinate named Jugram can simply roast his enemies alive and melt their equipment just by bringing them inside his Hell Domain.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : True Demon


    Current bloodline purity : 57%


    Note : The Host is advised to merge more fire elemental creatures and specimens with a higher purity of the True Demon bloodline with the general named Jugram.] reported the system.


    Kahn was left speechless again. Because the more he saw it¡­ the more obvious fact came to his realization that Jugram himself became a natural disaster.


    He was like a walking-talking personification of hell. And any enemy of his was bound to be burnt alive before they even touched him.


    King of Fire skill was already like a cheat code that made him immune to all fire elemental attacks and skills whether they were physical or magical.


    Hell Domain was literally his own battlefield just like how Kahn had Dimensional Domain skill. And the terrain inside this five kilometer wide domain was only advantageous to Jugram.


    Because the temperature inside this domain would reach 500 degree Celcius. A temperature not many would be able to withstand because even a peak grandmaster would barely be able to protect themselves using all of their aura and mana for 10 minutes at best.


    As for a semi-saint, they''d have 30 minutes and a Saint of the same rank who had ess to world energy, they''d be able to endure it for an hour and a half at best.


    But anyone below these¡­ well, there would feel like standing in a fiery pit inside this domain where even the air was trying to burn them alive.


    And given the 5 kilometers radius range¡­ if Jugram revealed his true form on a battlefield¡­


    Forget ten thousand¡­ even a hundred thousand soldiers would fall in a dozen minutes.


    Plus Chaos Emperor skill gave Jugram an unbelievable boost in Strength, Defense stats along with an Attack buff up to 900%, making him 9 times stronger at his peak¡­


    Made him able to fight a 2nd stage Saint on even grounds given the difference in the strength with every rising stage.


    On top of it¡­ if they fought inside his HELL Domain¡­ even defeating such an opponent wouldn''t be a hassle as the enemy''s stats and physical attributes would be reduced by 75% as well as all of their armors and weapons would lose 50% of their in-built durability.


    In simple words¡­ Jugram in his peak after using all of his skills was already on par with a 3rd stage Saint rank being.


    If Kahn ever sent Jugram against an enemy force¡­ millions will fall and nothing but a burning battlefield would remain in his wake.


    It was like releasing a Demon Lord on weak enemies.


    "Ha ha ha!!


    Haha! Hahaha hahaha!!"ughed Kahn hysterically as small tears of joy dropped from his eyes.


    In terms of strength and attack buffs, Jugram was the strongest among them all. He even surpassed ckwall, who was a being called Kronos, a variant primordial titan.


    And he was 2nd strongest amongst in Defense after ckwall.


    "Even my generals areparable to strong saints who are two to three levels above me in stages.


    No way would my progression in strength be like those cliche novels where you go step by step and only fight strong guys just one level above you." reveled Kahn and rejoiced in the fact that his generals, who were no different than Saint rank bodyguards at this point would be his biggest aces like this.


    So far, he had Rudra, ckwall, Armin, Ceril, Oliver, and now Jugram who wereparable to at least a second stage and could even fight a third stage saint when they went all out.


    "Hell, I have six of them who can get rid of stronger opponents for me. And if I use all of them together in a battle¡­."


    "Muhahahaha!!!"ughed Kahn like a maniac as an evil grin came on his face.


    "I already feel sorry for my enemies."

 Chapter 448 - Drastic Outcome

    <h4>Chapter 448 - Drastic Oue</h4>


    ONE MONTH LATER.


    The incident regarding the massacre had finally started to calm down. But the past month brought many major changes in the power structure of the Rakos Empire.


    Even now, no one had heard anything about Victor and his allies who carried out the massacre in the Berawaa region.


    After the proper burial and when the public attention shifted from the gravesite, Kahn created 10 thousand more subordinates using the fallen soldiers in secret as he did in the Kaldris regionst time.


    But even now, no one knew why Kahn was doing it.


    The Demi-Human faction on the other hand¡­ was half of what it was in the past after a month of public condemnation, political espionage, and power struggles with the Pureblood faction & the Neutral faction.


    Both of them took the advantage of the situation to the fullest and forced through rumors and fake evidence, they indicted many of the important and powerful people from this faction who held influential positions in the government.


    And now with both factions joining their hands together¡­ the Demi-Human faction that was already going through an internal war after the incident of the massacre was revealed to the core members, it became an easy target for the former two factions.


    Many Saints who were part of their faction, as well as their ns, left the Demi-Human faction. Because their top leaders and the faction leader himself hadmitted a taboo. And if they tried to show their loyalty¡­ they''d lose all the power, influence and authority they held in their respective region.


    Many used the excuse that they didn''t know the ns of top leaders and faction leader themselves. So they had no part to y in it.


    While using words such as they would never stoop so low to massacre their own countrymen and soldiers for some benefit, many of them broke off their rtions with the faction that was once very hard to get in.


    Because anyone who was even remotely connected to this faction was being shunned by the public.


    And no matter how powerful one was¡­ if they couldn''t even make a living or run any businesses because the customers and the workers had refused to partake in the exchange¡­ their power and wealth were bound to fall.


    Most of the powerful and prestigious ns either joined other two factions or created small factions of their own. Because there was no true loyalty in this world since the beginning.


    And without their support and authority in their respective regions of the empire, the Demi-Human faction had only half of its people and saints left after a month.


    Those who stayed were either extremist with their beliefs or some were just waiting out to see where the future of this faction was headed and they''d make their decisionster after assessing the situation.


    Because even if they joined the other two factions. They won''t have that much influence or feel included in decision-making either.


    Those with the most to lose had no choice but to stick around and find a way out. But given the current situation¡­


    Even a random person on the street could tell that the Demi-Human faction was doomed.


    On top of it¡­ Victor and his fellow perpetrators were never found by anyone. No one had expected that it was Kahn who actually had them imprisoned after his moving and wrathful speech.


    Even the investigation teams sent by the central government from the capital filled with 10 semi-saints couldn''t find anything about their whereabouts. Kahn on the other end gave them his full support.


    But both of them never seeded. And everyone could only point their fingers at the faction in the question.


    Meanwhile, the top leaders of the faction had refused to admit their faults. Saying that it was Victor who did everything and used their name tomand the people to carry out the massacre.


    But even though none of them could be arrested due tock of evidence¡­ there was no proof they could offer about Victor doing the whole thing by his own will either.


    Any evidence was bound to get tested by the other two officials belonging to be enemy factions so they could no longer create a fake trail that solidified their innocence.


    And since they were careful to not leave any traces or evidence between them and Victor during the massacre, they couldn''t use it to twist the narrative either.


    But instead of resolving this situation¡­ it ended up bing beneficial to their enemies.


    So the Pureblood & Neutral faction used this news to spread more rumors that the Demi-Human faction was still hiding Victor and the others who yed a part in the massacre. That they did not even want to admit their wrongs.


    After this final nail in the coffin¡­


    The damage done was simply immeasurable and as things stood¡­ The hundred years old Demi-Human faction barely had resources and influence left to survive a decade. Many of their members and ns were leaving the faction and forces with each passing day.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile¡­ by torturing those who came with Victor, Kahn had found out and imprisoned all the spies nted inside his fiefdom by the Demi-Human faction.


    He got rid of everyone in secret after the covenant soldiers arrested them in the name of investigation.


    This was also a warning to other factions as well. That if they too tried to pull such a stunt, he''d take the same measures.


    In their eyes, Kahn was no longer a little cub but a full-grown tiger who would hunt down those who entered his territory.


    As for public opinion¡­ Kahn''s name as a sovereign and a righteous leader was spread across the whole empire. Even if someone didn''t belong to the Vessen fiefdom, they had a very good impression of Kahn and his rule.


    ----------------


    On the first day of the new month¡­ Kahn received a message from the capital.


    That very evening¡­ an envoy from his allied force came via a warship and Kahn weed them as he sat on his throne.


    A young man who had a slim-looking figure with red eyes and shoulder-length silver hair, donned in white and yellow attire of a certain prestigious n of the empire appeared in front of Kahn.


    Behind this man, was a young swordsmaiden with the same physical characteristics.


    "Long time no see¡­"


    Kahn then dly weed this young man who had a good rtionship with him ever since he went to the capital Rathna.


    "Szayel."

 Chapter 449 - The lnstructions

    <h4>Chapter 449 - The lnstructions</h4>


    In front of Kahn, stood Szayel Mor Vandereich, the n heir of the most prestigious and leading n of the pureblood faction. It had been nearly 7 months since Kahnst met Szayel in the capital Rathna before the Emperor''s Chosenpetition started.


    And behind him, was Vivian Mor Vandereich, his elder stepsister who once conspired to kill the vampire heir and also Kahn for thwarting their ns.


    After Szayel''s death, Vivian was supposed to be the only heir of her n and then seed her father and be the n leader in the uing future.


    She had the support of n council members who were unhappy with her grandfather & father''s leadership because they two were not extremists and didn''t share the doctrine of Vampires ruling over the empire and achieving supremacy.


    Rather, they wanted to maintain bnce and ensure their species and their n''s survival because there was a time that they nearly went extinct in the Rakos Empire because of the rampant bloodbath caused by those who shared such supremacist beliefs four hundred years ago.


    But because of Kahn, all of their ns turned to failure. Andter, her father, Ismaetrazel Mor Vandereich used Kahn as bait to find the traitors in their n and the entire Pureblood faction.


    Kahn had learned quite a few harsh lessons because of his involvement with the Vandereich n but after he won the Emperor''s Chosenpetition, he had cut off all ties with the Pureblood faction.


    If not for the Blood-bind contract he made with Allister Mor Vandereich, the faction leader of the Pureblood faction who was also Szayel & Vivian''s grandfather¡­ he''d still be at odds with them.


    However, his rtionship with Szayel was never affected since both of them were used as chess pieces by the faction regardless of their origin. Kahn even had a hearty talk with Szayel when he invited thetter for a dinner in his Wayne Manor.


    And both of them decided that night, that they''d never be used by others again. On the same night, Szayel also reached a resolution that he''d no longer stay as a spoiled rich brat but gain strength to the point where no one would treat him as a sacrificialmb.


    Thest time they met was when Szayel gave Kahn the Rmendation Token that was sent by his father. And now, he appeared in front of Kahn with a confident demeanor.


    After Kahn gestured with his right hand, the vampire heir sat on the closest one of the luxurious chairs on the right side. And behind him, stood Vivian, who was d in their n''s signature armor like a professional bodyguard.


    She had gone through the core-binding ritual as the punishment for betraying the n and the faction. Which now made her a ve to Szayel. And her life was tied to his own. A cruel fate that was delivered by her own grandfather for betraying their n and joining hands with the Demi-Human faction back then.


    Kahn noticed that Vivian''s eyes were now more lifeless than before. If not for her breathing movements, she''d look nothing but a statue to the onlookers.


    "Congrattions." said Kahn as he noticed a change about Szayel.


    "Thank you." spoke Szayel and slightly bowed his head.


    "So how does it feel after breaking through the Grandmaster Rank after 2 decades of dy?" asked Kahn.


    "I''m more surprised than you are. I guess there was some sort of psychological barrier that never allowed me to be a grandmaster.


    If not for the whole incident with us back then¡­ I wouldn''t have been able to surpass my limits.


    I think my own will to be stronger yed a part in it." he said.


    "Well, good that now you''re keen on bing powerful for your own sake than doing it out of obligation." said Kahn and gave a gentle smile.


    After being looked down on and even conspired against by the people who practically raised him¡­ Szayel had seen the reality of how even your flesh and blood will kill you for power and authority.


    And now, he craved it not to live up to someone''s expectations or any obligation as the n heir¡­ but for his ambitions and inner hunger for strength.


    ----------------


    After an hour of chat and catching up with their current lives and circumstances¡­ Szayel finally got to the task.


    "Here''s the reason why I came here." spoke Szayel and the next moment, an intrinsically patterned golden envelope came out of his space ring.


    Ronin suddenly appeared out of thin air and took the letter.


    Kahn opened the letter and read its context. But there was an expression of a surprise after he was finished.


    The letter included¡­


    ''There is only one month left. You need to start preparing.


    Szayel will give you a map. Use it to reach the entrance of that region.


    The others have already started preparing and everyone has only 10 days window to enter and exit. Otherwise, you will be stuck in that ce till yourst moments.


    The map will only help in entering the final barrier. As for what''s inside or what you need to do to aplish the task, is all up to you.''


    Kahn was relieved to finally get the gist of the deal.


    Previously, all he was told was that he needed to enter a particr region of the empire where only a semi-saint under the age of 50 could enter.


    And those who entered once and came back could never enter there again.


    On top of it¡­ there were no records of whaty inside. So all the factions were looking for the strongest semi-saints of the younger generation with fighting capabilities.


    This was also the reason why Kahn agreed to do the job. Because the rewards he demanded were simply too amazing and would save Kahn years of hard work and unnecessary trouble.


    Kahn then received the map from Szayel and continued reading.


    ''The map has the structure of the inner twoyers of the forbidden region.


    And your main task is to search and retrieve the¡­''


    Kahn then read thest line of the letter with a befuddled expression.


    ''Tablet of Arcana.''

 Chapter 450 - Unexpected Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 450 - Unexpected Arrival</h4>


    After Kahn read through the letter, he ordered Ronin to guide Szayel and his envoy to their designated amodations.


    At the time of the night, he stood on the balcony of his royal bedroom and gazed at the bright moons that made the night seem tranquil at the same time.


    As for Kahn¡­ he had many things to think about after he received the letter and the map of the forbidden zone.


    Although he found out the main reason why the Pureblood faction and the Neutral faction desperately wanted to recruit him back in the day¡­ many things still eluded his understanding.


    Tablet of Arcana.


    Kahn had no idea about what the hell it was. The only thing he could make out of it was the shape based on its name.


    Even the name itself added anotheryer of mystery to it. Absolutely revealing nothing about the history behind it.


    But based on what he heard from Victor¡­


    This forbidden zone that was at the foremost end of Vessen fiefdom and existed at an intersection of three different regions¡­ had something to do with the Imperial family that was massacred 100 years ago.


    And now, Allister Mor Vandereich, one of the three strongest individuals in the entire Rakos Empire wanted Kahn to retrieve this Tablet of Arcana thing as part of the deal he made seven months ago.


    [Whatever this tablet of Arcana thing is¡­ it seems invaluable to the point where all three noble factions wouldn''t even mind going as far as killing thousands of innocents and even rigging the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    Who knows what kind of things they''ve done in order to get that thing in the past century.


    But I don''t understand why have they failed to acquire it even after 100 years?


    Either it''s something that even a semi-saint can''t handle or there must some sort of condition which all the semi-saints that entered that zone failed to meet.] thought Kahn as he collected the basic information he had gathered till this point.


    Because there must be a reason why no one seeded even now. And that reason could exin why things were set in motion even before he participated in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and got entangled in this crusade without even knowing.


    If Kahn hadn''t shown his prowess during thepetition, he would''ve probably never even met the top brasses of the top three factions.


    [No!


    Even if I didn''t participate in thepetition, Ismaetrazel already knew about my rank and fighting capability. He would''ve gotten me involved in this regardless of the oue of thepetition.


    And if I didn''t win thepetition and be the Sovereign of Vessen fiefdom¡­ maybe those vampires would''ve forced me or even made me a vampire or turned into their ve through that ritual mentioned by Stronoff Mikealson.] spoke a Kahn to himself as he came to another realization.


    If he hadn''t be the Emperor''s Chosen¡­ he''d probably be at the Vandereich n''s mercy or would''ve been turned into their puppet.


    Kahn heaved a sigh and took a deep breath.


    He just realized that by choosing the Sovereign storyline route, he actually evaded an invisible bullet that would''ve killed him for sure.


    [And if I''m not wrong¡­ the dome around the fiefdom was created 200 years ago.


    And the previous Hero of Lightning also died in that ce at the same time.


    There must be a corrtion. Something that was hidden by both the Imperial family and even the new government that came into existence a century ago.] another hypothesis hit his brain as Kahn finally felt the connection between these two things.


    Plus the great war and the coup d''¨¦tat against the Imperial family¡­ Why do I feel like they''re also connected to this Tablet of Arcana?] thought Kahn.


    What great treasure was this Tablet of Arcana that had such chaotic history and who knew how many dead bodies and blood that was spilled to get it?


    Kahn wasn''t a fool to blindly believe whatever was told to him.


    But based on the current situation, he had no idea what the hell was happening either or what secrets were buried.


    His mind waspletely dibobted after trying to connect all the dots. Thinking that he had all of it figured out just by making some assumptions would be a great mistake.


    This was something that he''d only find out after actually going into that forbidden zone when the time came.


    ----------------


    The next morning¡­ Szayel, Kahn, and Albestros had breakfast together and shared a lot of happenings each of them went through and reminisced about the old times when things seemed easier.


    While Kahn and Albestros had struggles of their own in the Vessen fiefdom, Szayel was getting dragged into the power struggle and politics of the Pureblood faction now that he was the sole heir of the Vandereich n.


    And finally, Kahn bid farewell to this old friend in the afternoon. He had no idea when he''d meet this vampire heir again but he was also happy to see that Szayel was bing his own man and breaking through the mental shackles he suffered from for the past two decades.


    ----------------


    At the time of the evening, Kahn was finally done with his duties, approving the tasks and affairs rted to the fiefdom and finally took a breather.


    But just then¡­


    Kahn''s mind suddenly went haywire and his head felt like it was hijacked by something else.


    But before he could ask the system anything about the matter¡­ he returned to his previous normal state in a matter of seconds.


    [What the hell was that?!] thought Kahn.


    Suddenly¡­ Kahn felt a familiar presence.


    But what caught his attention was that he could feel this presence that entered the Vessen fiefdom from thousands of kilometers afar.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Kahn then received a personal message from Ronin.


    And as the night came¡­ he used one of his warships and traveled to a city on the farthest northern end of the capital Aesir.


    He then entered a massive mansion located outside the borders of this city and finally met the person who invited him for this meeting in the night.


    On the top floor of the mansion, was a broad bedroom which was somehow the meeting spot chosen by the one who sent the message via Ronin.


    Kahn looked at the enchanting woman with peerless beauty standing in front of him.


    Step!


    Step!


    She slowly walked towards Kahn and without even greeting him, she gently ced her head against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.


    [System, what the hell is happening? Didn''t you say none of us will be affected?] asked Kahn.


    Then his gaze shifted to this beautiful woman who was suddenly acting out of character.


    "What''s the meaning of this?"


    He looked her right in the eyes and spoke her name¡­


    "Kassandra."

 Chapter 451 - Spring Season

    <h4>Chapter 451 - Spring Season</h4>


    Kahn stood rooted on the spot as the Raven Sorceress suddenly hugged him out of the blue and said that she missed him right after her reappearance in Vessen fiefdom after more than a month.


    He is not able to make sense of what was happening at this moment at all.


    Just this evening after, Ronin received the message from Kassandra, the heiress of the Mikealson n who very recently saved Kahn''s life instead of protecting her own.


    Kahn on the other end, sacrificed a portion of his soul to repay this life debt to ensure her survival despite the cost both of them had to pay.


    Kassandra told Ronin to set up an urgent meeting only between herself and Kahn. So the rogue general informed his master about it.


    Hence, Kahn came at night while avoiding the public eye or bringing any of his generals together. This mansion was currently upied only by Kahn and Kassandra. There weren''t even normal guards on the gates of this mansion as if Kassandra wanted to maintain utmost secrecy.


    Yet Kahn spread his assassins and many magician subordinates in the 5 kilometers vicinity just to check if there was any sort of magic formation or trap he failed to sense.


    But surprisingly, there was no hidden formation or any force trying to ambush Kahn either.


    Kassandra, who was in violet attire that made her look like a princess or even a queen of an empire based on appearance alone, suddenly hugged him.


    Because of which, he was taken aback by this sudden change in Kassandra''s behavior.


    "I''ve missed you." spoke Kassandra after Kahn asked her the meaning of her actions.


    There was no malice or any hidden motive that Kahn could sense from her expression either. Even her eyes had nothing but warmth in them.


    [System, check if it''s because of the soul link. Could it have affected her mind in any way? This is so not like her¡­] thought Kahn.


    [System detects that neither the host nor the individual named Kassandra Mikealson is under any influence because of the soul link.] reported the system.


    [Fuck! I should''ve brought Armin with me. Maybe he''d be able to detect something.] he thought.


    Kahn hid the surprise on his face while he tried to read Kassandra and the situation around them.


    There was no one present in the 5 kilometer radius. No formation, no barrier and not even a recording artifact. Yet Kassandra was acting strange and suspicious for some reason.


    "Alright, this ispletely unexpected." said Kahn and he gently grabbed her arms and slowly created some space between them.


    "I''m sorry if I startled you. I should''ve talked with you personally before I invited you here." said Kassandra with a light smile on her face.


    "Why did you call me here?" asked Kahn with a curious countenance.


    "The truth is¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I have¡­" spoke Kassandra but she suddenly started stuttering.


    "I have been thinking about you ever since I left Vessen. And after thinking about it over the past month. I''vee to realize that I¡­" she said and continued as her pleasant voicended on Kahn''s ears.


    "I like you. I like you very much.


    And I couldn''t wait anymore to tell you my true feelings." confessed Kassandra with gleaming eyes.


    Kahn on the other end was neither baffled nor surprised. Instead, a different memory was running in his head at this moment.


    Kahn remembered the situation and air around Kassandra thest time they met and had a walk together in his castle''s main garden.


    Kassandra back then was a prideful, firm and strong woman regardless of the injury she was recovering from or the pain of losing Issac, her cousin who was like a younger brother to her.


    Even though she was suffering through a lot, she still maintained the tough girl act.


    The independent and talented young woman with an unyielding mindset was now actingpletely out of character as if she suddenly became a needy woman who desperately needed a man in her life.


    Completely opposite of what she acted like during all the encounters she had with Kahn ever since they met in the finale of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    HOWEVER¡­


    Suddenly¡­ a pleased expression appeared on Kahn''s face.


    His entire countenance changed from that of dejection to a man who felt happy and even flustered after Kassandra''s confession.


    Kahn then turned his head away and spoke shyly¡­


    "I¡­ I''ve missed you too." he said in a cheerful tone.


    Kassandra was suddenly taken aback by Kahn''s words.


    "The truth is¡­ I fell for you the moment I saw you. I know it sounds very stupid but for the first time... My heart fluttered for someone after we met." he said in a gentle and caring voice.


    Kassandra suddenly felt like the feeling was mutual between them and then closed her eyes as she forced herself onto Kahn.


    She kissed his cheek, then neck, and soon, her hands started running through Kahn''s undercoat and his shirt.


    One by one, she started unbuttoning his shirt and as she was done¡­ her soft palms ran through his chest and ripped abs.


    Kahn on the other end, grabbed Kassandra by her waist. His right palm grasped her left cheek and the thumb touched her luscious lips the left hand pulled her in his embrace.


    In the following moment¡­ Their hot bodies were closely stuck to each other while Kahn''s masculine palms and strong arms ran over her back under theyer of her clothes.


    Kahn then kissed Kassandra on her forehead¡­ then her neck. And just like her¡­ he too started to undress Kassandra as if he could no longer control himself and had given in to his deepest desires.


    He kissed both her cheeks over and over while Kassandra hugged him even tighter than before. Both of their bodies turned hot out of nowhere.


    Kahn picked her up from her hips and took her to bed.


    At this point, Kahn''s upper body waspletely exposed after Kassandra took off his clothes¡­


    Kahn too slowly took off her top while only her red lingerie that was covering her two mountain peaks remained.


    Kassandra''s face turned faint red and she quickly wrapped her legs over Kahn''s waist as she came close to his face.


    She wrapped her arms around Kahn''s neck and both of their gazes met each other with a sense of unending yearning.


    Their hot breaths collided against each other as the distance between their lips kept shortening.


    Both of them were in total heat at the moment and the look on their faces felt as if both of them were nothing but a man and a woman reveling in ecstasy, wanting to ravage each other.


    And finally when there was only an inch gap left between their lips¡­


    Kassandra closed her eyes, waiting for a passionate kiss.


    He embraced her tightly with his arms.


    Kahn finally spoke the three magic words¡­


    "You disappoint me."

 Chapter 452 - Fallen Prodigy

    <h4>Chapter 452 - Fallen Prodigy</h4>


    Kahn''s words sent shivers in Kassandra''s body as he suddenly said that he was disappointed in her right when both of them were in the heat of the moment.


    She was frozen on the spot and her mind went in awry. Kahn on the other end, still had Kassandra in his embrace. Other than the thinyer of her lingerie, there was nothing else that separated their warm upper bodies.


    Kassandra suddenly returned to her senses and quickly pushed him off. She scooched over to the other side of the bed and covered her exposed body with her hands as she had finally understood that Kahn wasn''t buying her act.


    As for why Kahn suddenly acted the way he did?...


    After noticing the changes in her behavior¡­ Kahn inferred the situation at hand and figured out that once admirable Kassandra was now behaving like apletely different person.


    But he also realized that directly asking her won''t help. So he decided to y along.


    Kahn acted like that because he knew that asking politely won''t help. Rather a sudden confrontation and shock in the spur of the moment would yield a truthful answer.


    And that''s why he decided to be intimate with her and caught her surprise.


    Yet as he looked at her¡­ Kassandra''s face now had a plethora ofplicated expressions. As if she had been wronged and yet felt guilty at the same time.


    But soon¡­


    Beads of tears amassed in her eyes and her countenance turned to that of someone ashamed of themselves.


    Sob!


    "I''m sorry." she said.


    Sob!


    In the following moments, the tears dropped from her cheeks as if a welled-up pain and agony were finally being let out like a broken dam.


    Her expression turned crestfallen and she looked away from Kahn. Feeling angry and disappointed in herself while she clenched her fist tightly.


    Kahn was no longer a narrow -minded man who would start throwing me and scorn at others just because they did something. And in the current situation¡­ he felt like there was more than met the eye.


    Kahn quickly got up and brought his ck and gray longcoat. He covered Kassandra who couldn''t dare to look him in the eyes.


    Yet Kahn didn''t intend to act like an ignorant and moody teen and start badmouthing her. Instead, hs calmly tried to asses as well as resolve the problem.


    "Can you tell me¡­ why you tried to seduce me?" he asked in a gentle and understanding tone.


    Kassandra kept sobbing with puffy eyes¡­


    Her fingers scrubbed off the eyelids and nose as she was doing her best to hold her tears inside.


    "I was¡­ I was ordered to." spoke Kassandra with a scared and embarrassed voice.


    Even her words and voice felt like she could barely talk while the stream of tears kept falling. No matter how many times she wiped away her tears¡­ one could tell that she was deeply hurt.


    Just then, the system notified Kahn.


    [System scanplete.


    The individual named Kassandra Mikealson has no traces of mana in her body. She is no longer a magician or has any rank.


    Now, she''s a normal human.] reported the system.


    Right when their half-naked bodies were in close contact, Kahn ordered the system to scan Kassandra''s body through his physical touch. Like how he could scan other people''s rank and levels before he became a semi-saint and an intermediate mage.


    To see whether she was under the influence of some sort of spell or mind control.


    But just now, the system reported Kassandra hadpletely lost her magic and her ability to use mana.


    In other words¡­ she was no longer a prodigy of the Rakos Empire or even a normal sorceress.


    She was just a normal individual. Like the majority of the people of this empire.


    Suddenly, a realization struck Kahn¡­


    "Who did?" he asked Kassandra.<i> [Updated from


    . c o m]</i>


    "My¡­ my parents, the n, and our faction''s main council members. They¡­ they forced me to do this." she replied with an aghast expression.


    Even talking about her own family made her body shudder in fear.


    "But why?" asked Kahn with a befuddled face.


    "I don''t know why¡­ but they''re under the impression that we both are very close to each other." she replied as he covered herself under his longcoat.


    "But why did you agree? Could it be because¡­" spoke Kahn.


    But before he could finish, Kassandra interjected.


    "I don''t know the reason¡­ but after the incident with Cdrius, I have not been able to recover my powers.


    My body''s mana reserves have depleted and I can no longer absorb mana from cores or ores either.


    I have fallen in ranks and I no longer¡­" said Kassandra as the words stopped in her mouth.


    He took a deep breath while the tears didn''t stop. With a sobbing tone, she continued¡­


    "I can''t use magic anymore!"


    Eximed Kassandra with a voice filled with defeat and hopelessness.


    She kept crying and wailing as the grief she had been holding inside for over a month had burst out.


    Kahn, who was still half-naked, didn''t interfere or speak a word. He understood that Kassandra needed to let out all of the sadness first than forcing answers out of her.


    If his assumption was right¡­ then Kassandra was suffering from self-doubt, sadness, anxiety and desperation for the entire past month.


    A dozen minutes passed and finally, she regained someposure as she finally raised her head and looked at Kahn.


    Unlike what one would expect¡­ even in this room, where both of them were in a steamy situation not long ago¡­ Kassandra noticed that Kahn''s eyes had nothing but genuine worry for her.


    "I¡­ I''m no longer the heiress of the Mikealson n." said Kassandra.


    "What?! Is it because you no longer have your magic?" asked Kahn.


    Kassandra nodded and spoke again.


    "Everyone has partially made Veronica the new heiress to the position of the n leader.


    And I have been discarded. Both from my position and as a member of the head family." she revealed.


    "And even my father and mother have stopped acknowledging me as their daughter. Treating me as if I''m some sort of a burden." she exined with a heavy voice.


    "And the reason they sent me here¡­" spoke Kassandra as her expression turned resentful and she revealed the truth¡­


    "To be your woman."

 Chapter 453 - Unexpected Revelation

    <h4>Chapter 453 - Unexpected Revtion</h4>


    As soon as Kassandra revealed the real reason why she was suddenly forced to act like a horny bitch in order to seduce Kahn¡­ thetter waspletely bbergasted.


    "My n and the entire Neutral Faction, including our faction leader, want you to join my n and also bring the Tablet of Arcana to them." she exined.


    "In return, they''d offer you a position in the faction and full support to aid you as the sovereign of Vessen.


    If something like what happened with the Demi-Human faction happens again, they pledge to help you out and bury everything against you throughout the empire.


    And all they want is you to be my husband and the son-inw of the Mikealson n." spoke Kassandra with an irritated tone.


    "What the fuck?!" eximed Kahn.


    "Why would they go so far? Don''t they already have Celine Armitage to enter the forbidden zone?" he queried.


    "That''s the main reason." responded the Raven Sorceress.


    "The Pureblood Faction and Neutral Faction are the only two factions with strong candidates who can enter that region.


    In the current situation¡­ Victor is gone. I have lost my ability to use magic. So the neutral faction only has Celine Armitage.


    While the pureblood faction has you and Ezekiel Nabi.


    Just the two of you working together inside the forbidden zone is more than enough to ensure the sess of the task and retrieve the Tablet of Arcana." revealed Kassandra.


    "Butpared to everyone else. You''re the strongest semi-saint of the entire Rakos Empire.


    Even both of them can''t defeat you unless they join hands. Which I don''t see happening because Ezekiel is part of the Pureblood faction." he borated.


    "But why you¡­ why would they send you of all people?" asked Kahn.


    To his question¡­ Kassandra felt even more depressed but controlled her urge to cry again.


    "Now that I''m no longer worthy or a genius of the n¡­ they said that I should make myself useful at least.


    And hence, I was forced to offer myself to you." she said with an angered tone.


    "But why would they¡­" just then, another realization struck Kahn.


    The incident with him flirting with Kassandra during the finale of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition. Where he admitted his affection towards her at the beginning of the fight.


    Although he was taunting and trying to get in his enemy''s head¡­ dumbass people would only see it as him falling head over heels for her.


    Then the incident with the Cdrius attack and his speech where he glorified Kassandra as a hero zealously in front of the whole fiefdom and through the recording that spread among the normal citizens of the empire.


    And in the end, his walk with her in the garden on the day Kassandra left¡­ which was witnessed by the people who were part of the envoy of the Mikealson n that came to pick her up.


    These three instances were enough to fan the me to the assumptions of Kahn having a deep rtionship with the Raven Sorceress. That at least he liked her a lot.


    So Kahn finally had the full view of the whole picture and quickly got the gist of the situation.


    After Kassandra''s exnation¡­ Kahn understood why they went to the extent of even offering the n heiress.


    They desperately wanted the Tablet of Arcana and were willing to sacrifice Kassandra''s life for the sake of it.


    [That fucking bastard! Does power and authority matter so much to him that he sent his own daughter to act like a prostitute?!


    Just so they could win my favor and have me join their side now that Kassandra was no longer useful to them?] thought Kahn as he was thoroughly infuriated.


    He tightly clenched his fist and looked at the helpless Kassandra. Even her parents abandoned and ostracized her as soon as she lost her usefulness.


    She became nothing but an offering for them to get the so-called Tablet of Arcana.


    Taking his rtionship with Kassandra into ount and now that she was no longer useful to them¡­ they treated her like a means to make the desperate final attempt.


    Since it was the only way because no saint could enter inside Vessen or force Kahn to join their side.


    "Your uncle¡­ Stronoff Mikealson also proposed my marriage to Veronica before the finals.


    I guess he too wanted to use me for his personal gains back then." said Kahn.


    Gasp!


    "Really? But that was more than half a year ago. Did he know about you before thepetition?" asked Kassandra with a surprised expression.


    But instead of replying¡­ Kahn started connecting all the dots inside his head.


    "It''s not that simple. I think it''s not just your uncle¡­


    But even your father and Stalin Joseif, the faction leader, nned everything from the very beginning." he said.


    "What do you mean?" she asked.


    "Remember the golden envelope that your father sent me.


    Your n allied themselves with me.


    In the letter, he said that the Mikealson n does not wish to follow themands and gang up with others in a vendetta against me.


    Tell me something¡­ your n is one of the two strongest and most prestigious ns of the Neutral faction.


    Could they really afford to be my allies without facing the wrath of the faction leader and the other powerful ns of the faction?" asked Kahn.


    "No¡­ You''re right. First, the Armitage n would''ve made a big fuss over it. Because their n leader is actually a contender for the Faction Leader''s position just like my father.


    No way in hell he''d let such an opportunity go." spoke Kassandra as she too came to a realization.


    But then¡­ her entire body froze on the spot because she came to figure out another truth.


    "Do you mean that they¡­" queried Kassandra with a shocked expression.


    "Yes. It was all nned by them seven months ago when I won the championship. You being present here¡­ in these circumstances¡­"


    Kahn replied with a somber expression and made a revtion that shook Kassandra to her core.


    "They nned to offer you to me even if you hadn''t lost your magic."

 Chapter 454 - Similar Fates

    <h4>Chapter 454 - Simr Fates</h4>


    Kassandra was rooted on the spot. This was not something she ever dared to imagine.


    "I had some suspicions of my own back then when I read the letter sent by your father. And now it perfectly makes sense." said Kahn as he looked at the woman in front of him.


    This was the only exnation why the Mikealson n suddenly decided to ally themselves with Kahn just like the Pureblood faction before all the young heirs arrived in Vessen; despite him being the one stealing the only opportunity of getting a fiefdom of their own where they''d be the absolute rulers.


    Kassandra quivered and had an expression ofplete disbelief on her face.


    Because if Kahn was right¡­ which she also believed to be the truth given their situation¡­


    They nned to use her to get Kahn on their side even before she lost her magic. When she was at her peak and could even stand against a legendary rank monster on her own.


    To Kassandra¡­ this revtion shook all of her beliefs about herself, her n and the Neutral faction.


    Even if she hadn''t lost her magic due to the injuries caused by the Cdrius¡­ They were eventually going to force her to act like a whore by any means.


    Her losing the ability to use her magic was just an excuse. Things were set into motion even before she came to Vessen.


    That she was nothing but a chess piece for them from the beginning.


    "But why¡­ to make such a meticulous n even before I tookmand of this fiefdom.."


    "Why does it even matter?... It was all a lie¡­


    Why did I work so hard?¡­ I was nothing but a pawn for them¡­ even for my family." spoke Kassandra with lifeless eyes¡­ as if her reality had been toppled.


    Another stream of tears ran across her cheeks as she suddenly felt like her entire existence was meaningless.


    Everything she did to be a semi-saint sorceress¡­ to live up to her n''s name and prestige¡­ all the hard work she put in the past 15 years to be a worthy daughter of her parents¡­ none of it even mattered.


    "What did I work so hard for? They never treated me as a human being but an object they used for their selfish goals." she said and even her body stopped breathing as Kassandra entered a state of severe depression.


    It was this moment¡­


    Like everyone who would be shaken after finding that their whole life had no meaning¡­


    Kassandra hadpletely broken down.


    As if having no will to carry on any longer, she looked at the closest balcony of the room and slowly walked towards it. She looked outside and gazed at the ground from the border of the ledge.


    They were currently on the 3rd floor of this grand mansion. And since she was no longer a semi-saint or even had any mana in her body¡­ the height, which was around 50 meters from the ground¡­ was enough to get the job done.


    Sniff!


    Kassandra brushed off her tears, presumably for thest time. She took a step towards the stone parapet. Her figure suddenly leaned downwards.


    After having her life turned upside down from the past month¡­ and now finding out that she had been seen as nothing but an expandable essory to achieve their goals for her own family¡­


    Kassandra finally lost her voice of reason.


    A chilling breeze passed by and Kassandra, whose entire existence just crumbled and she decided to let go¡­


    Grasp!


    Suddenly, a firm right hand wrapped around her waist from the front and stopped her from going forward with her decision.


    Kahn stood beside Kassandra while looking in the opposite direction. His back faced the side of the parapet while he didn''t make eye contact with Kassandra directly.


    "You have two choices now.


    You can let your feelings and pain affect you and end your life here¡­


    Or you can talk it out with me." spoke Kahn as he loosened his grasp over her waist.


    "Believe me when I say this¡­ the first choice will end your suffering. But it will never turn things for the better or change anything even after you''re gone from this world." he said in a firm and serious voice.


    "If you go with the second choice¡­ I promise that I will stand by your side till you''repletely done with expressing yourself and let out your anger, hatred as well as all the sorrows you''ve been going through alone.


    And if you still don''t feel like carrying on¡­ I won''t stop you." spoke Kahn.


    Because at this moment¡­ he noticed something in Kassandra.


    Minutes ago, she found out that her existence itself meant nothing to her parents and family. The one she worked very hard since childhood to please and get the recognition of.


    Just for some unknown artifact¡­ they chose to sacrifice her entire being and offered her to Kahn on a tter. They sent her back to Vessen just so they could reel him in.


    If Kahn wasn''t a good person¡­ she would''ve been used like a ything given the situation and only be treated like a toy.


    And the worst part was¡­ she no longer had the strength, authority, or even the right to refuse. She didn''t possess anything to even protect herself in the present situation.


    If Kahn was someone who lusted after her body and wanted to take the advantage of the situation because of Kassandra''s helplessness¡­


    The whole scenario would''ve been entirely different and Kassandra would probably experience something that no woman wanted to go through.


    As for Kahn himself¡­


    Kassandra''s sorrowful expression and her defeated eyes reminded Kahn of a certain someone he knew very well.


    Someone who had seen the world crumble right before him. Someone who went through years of loneliness, misery, self-loathing, and that feeling of being left out since no one cared whether he lived or died.


    Because the Kassandra who stood on the edge, ready to let go of everything after having this massive existential crisis, reminded Kahn of his previous life as¡­


    Elric on the night hemitted suicide.

 Chapter 455 - The Victims

    Chapter 455 - The Victims


    TEN MINUTES LATER.


    Kahn forcefully carried Kassandra back to the bedroom before she made any stupid moves due to her current mental state.


    Although it looked like a hasty decision¡­ as someone who had gone through it once, Kahn knew how the mind of a depressed person actually worked unlike the self-proimed experts on the inte and social media.


    When someone has had enough of suffering, constant defeat, their lives changing drastically, and realizing that their whole existence didn''t matter¡­ in that mental state, you feel like you''re a worthless being.


    And letting go of it all seems like the only way because you feel caged inside your body. The mind loses all rationality and voice of reason while the heart-wrenching sadness makes you feel like you don''t deserve to live.


    And in those moments when you''ve mentally broken down¡­ you make decisions that you might never return from.


    Soon, Kahn left the room as Kassandra properly dressed up again while he donned his white shirt, ck tie and undercoat outside of the room.


    Kassandra, having no choice but toply because she knew that Kahn won''t let her jump anyway. And now that she was just a normal human, she wouldn''t be able to die even if she willed it.


    After she got out of the room while still being covered in his longcoat.. Kahn took her to the wide terrace. Both of them sat on a wooden sofa under the bright and serene moonlight.


    As for why was Kahn trying to act like her therapist?


    Because he was in a simr situation just like Kassandra back when he lived as Elric on earth.


    And that night¡­ there was no one who came for him. No one stopped him or said that it was going to be okay.


    Although he felt bad for her¡­ there was nothing he could do to help here out of this situation.


    So at least, he wanted to be that person for Kassandra.


    "Speak everything you want to say. Don''t think that it''s weird to let your heart out in front of a stranger.


    I''m not going to judge you or even pity you.


    You don''t need to convince me or think about how I will change my opinion about you.


    Just speak the truth that you want to let out. I''m all ears." spoke Kahn.


    Kassandra was still in the phase of losing her will to live since her whole life has been proven meaningless.


    Tears of sorrow dropped from her face again.


    This was the worst day of her life.


    After a few minutes, she barely mustered up the courage and strength to speak again.


    "I¡­ I grew up pretty lonely despite living together with both of my parents. They were always busy doing things I didn''t understand. Other than having two meals together, there was hardly any time we spent together.


    Growing up¡­ I always wanted my parent''s attention and approval. That they were proud of me as their daughter.


    And I worked very hard to surpass others and live up to their reputation, my family name who are the descendants of the first sage.


    Even in the magic academy, I was always avoided by others because of my heritage.


    Other than my cousins who grew up with me¡­ I never had any other friends or anyone I was familiar with outside of the main family." spoke Kassandra in a hoarse voice.


    "Instead of wanting to y house or spending time with other kids¡­ I sacrificed my freedom to learn magic as soon as I could think on my own.


    But even after I did everything, surpassed all of my peers, and excelled in magic by putting in a lot of effort¡­ there was no one who praised me or said that it was because of my own hard work.


    From childhood till now¡­ I have only lived in the shadows of her parent''s glory and their prestige." said Kassandra with a jittery tone as her hands trembled.


    Ever her face had a constricted expression as she slowly started to express her mind.


    "I even unlocked an Ancient Rank job with sheer will and hard work but then, my family told me not to reveal it to anyone.


    The Emperor''s Chosenpetition was going to be my chance to prove myself to everyone.


    And after I lost to you¡­ no one even reprimanded me as if they never expected me to win in the first ce." she said with the eyes of a person who at least wanted to be scolded for her failures.


    But she didn''t even get that.<em></em>


    "Rather¡­ Everyone in my family focused on you and your rule as the Sovereign of this fiefdom.


    And in a way¡­


    You became the biggest target I wanted to surpass." spoke Kassandra as she brushed off a teardrop on her right cheek.


    "But when I met you that day along with the other heirs¡­


    I knew that I couldn''t even touch your shadow at this rate.


    But I still persevered and hoped to achieve my goal one day. But now¡­" she said and suddenly stopped speaking.


    Her head fell down and she sped her palms.


    "I could''ve managed to ept it that they offered me to you after I lost my powers. In this world¡­ only powerful rule over others anyway.


    But if they nned to do so even without me still being as powerful as I was¡­ then what does that mean?" asked Kassandra as she looked at Kahn with an expectant gaze.


    "That I was not worthy in their eyes even with all of my strength and achievements?"


    She asked and soon, had another meltdown.


    As she kept sobbing¡­


    Kahn was reminded of himself back when he lived as Elric.


    His story while growing up wasn''t much different than hers.


    Just that, he chose to seclude himself from others while Kassandra was an outcast because of her family''s background.


    And no matter the efforts and achievements¡­ there were still higher levels of expectations.


    Both of them were the victims of¡­


    Failed Parenting.

 Chapter 456 - Two Worlds

    <h4>Chapter 456 - Two Worlds</h4>


    While talking with Kassandra, Kahn came to realize how simr their situations were after Kassandra started expressing her pain and suffering little by little.


    In his life as Elric¡­ It wasn''t like he never tried to appease his parents or gain their recognition. He was born with a weak body and hence had many disadvantages when it came to sports or any athletics.


    There were times when he used made the best use of his eidetic memory and topped in schoolpetitions. But what use was it if your family didn''t even bother toe to cheer you up?


    He was like an unwanted child born out of mistake to his parents.


    Hence, as Elric grew up, he never had real motivation or urge to excel in these fields. Because no matter what he did whether it was sports or academics¡­ it was never enough for them. The standards his parents set for him were too high.


    Instead of trying to understand their son and ept him for being different than their first two children, what his parents did was onlypare him and then act like it was his fault.


    They cared more about what would the society think or what their rtives would say about their fake prestige than actually trying to encourage their youngest son.


    For Kassandra, it was the same. However, the only difference was that she really did achieve most of it. But now¡­ they found out that all of her efforts were futile in the end as her parents and her family thought of her as nothing but livestock that they could trade for some gains or political favor.


    If it wasn''t Kahn whom they decided to offer Kassandra to¡­ maybe her fate would''ve been sealed if it was some noble n or some powerful figure.


    Instead of having such a talk when she had broken down¡­ Kassandra would probably have to endure even worse suffering.


    In a way¡­ their current circumstances turned out to be at least better than what they failed to recognize.


    ----------------


    Hours passed under the moonlight while Kassandra let out all of her sadness, sorrows, hatred, and even cursed in words Kahn hadn''t even heard in both his lives.


    After Kahn offered her to be the person she could vent out all of her misery and anger to¡­ Kassandra who no longer wanted to live was calming down little by little.


    Her rambling and cursing the entire world resounded in the surroundings and she wasn''t holding back. Bringing even the events that happened years ago and cursing every single member of her family who betrayed her.


    Kahn on the other end felt relieved. Neither did he judge her nor made fun of her. He was simply there¡­


    As a person who listened to her story and true feelings.


    At this moment¡­ Kahn realized one thing.


    That he and Kassandra¡­


    A man born on Earth and a woman born in Vantrea, from two different worlds¡­


    Had much more inmon than he ever imagined.


    ----------------


    A cold breeze passed by both of them while Kassandra finally took a deep breath. Her turmoiled mind finally regained control over herself and she closed her eyes to contemte her life.


    Even Kahn wondered if he could''ve managed toe out of that trance state as Elric this quickly like Kassandra.


    Although he lend a helping hand¡­ing out of the mental state of wanting to kill yourself was no joke.


    "Thank you¡­" spoke Kassandra.


    Her disheveled hair and puffy cheeks appeared in front of Kahn.


    The princess-like Kassandra now looked like a girl who had messed up her makeup. And her once crying figure now seemed to be recovering a bit from her depressed state.


    "I don''t think I would''ve managed to feel¡­ less burdened if you didn''t stop me." she said with a thoughtful expression.


    Kahn nodded but didn''t say anything. It had been nearly 4 hours since Dr. Kahn started the session and Kassandra went through many emotional phases.


    From sadness to anger, from hatred to loss, from helplessness to wrath. She had expressed so many things and how she felt like a worthless being after she was traded off like some goods.


    "You''re wee." replied Kahn in a gentle tone.


    "So does it mean you no longer want to jump down?" asked Kahn with a coy smile.


    Kassandra then gave him a suspicious look.


    "Who knows¡­ I still might." she said.


    "Why?... Now I feel as if I wasted 5 precious hours of my life. Man, what a waste of time." said Kahn and shook his head.


    Kassandra suddenly looked at Kahn and gave him a deathly look.


    "Asshole!" she said and looked away, a sense of yfulness appearing on her face.


    "Oh, now I''m the bad guy? My my¡­ some people really don''t know how to appreciate kindness.


    You should be indebted to me for life after I stopped you." spoke Kahn sarcastically.


    Kassandra turned her face towards him and red at Kahn.


    "Is that so?... Then why didn''t you start with that instead of going along with my act?


    Tell me¡­ you enjoyed that, didn''t you?" asked Kassandra.


    Kahn quickly turned her head around and looked at the scenery in the surrounding.


    "The night feels very beautiful." he said.


    "Hey! You opportunistic rascal!


    Take responsibility for ying with a maiden''s honor." said Kassandra as she lightly punched him on the right shoulder.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. All I remember is a woman undressing me out of the blue and after that¡­ I don''t remember anything." joked Kahn.


    "Hya! Do you think I''m an easy girl? If not for my situation, you think I would be in the same room as you?


    Hundreds of marriage proposals are queued up for a beautiful girl like me." spoke Kassandra as she adjusted her shiny raven hair.


    "Beautiful girl?" asked Kahn and looked around him and Kassandra with a suspicious gaze.


    "Where?"


    He asked nonchntly.


    "You bastard!" said Kassandra and started a barrage of fists and punches with her weak and soft hands.


    Kahn got off the sofa and slowly ran away.


    "Hey,e here!" said Kassandra and ran off after Kahn.


    He on the other end started avoiding her iing punches as both of them started a little y of catch.


    Both Kahn and Kassandra knew that this was just a childish act to lighten up the mood.


    But to them¡­ this was a gateway to forget their worries and problems for a while.


    After going through such a mental breakdown, Kassandra finally regained her old self and Kahn, on other hand, felt relieved.


    And this little shenanigan¡­ was their moment of peace.

 Chapter 457 - The Confession

    <h4>Chapter 457 - The Confession</h4>


    As the serene bright night under the two moons in the sky wasing close to an end¡­ Kahn and Kassandra sat on the sofa again while the gentle breeze freshened their bodies and mind.


    For some reason¡­ both of them didn''t want this night to end.


    "This is nice." said Kassandra as she looked at the two moons and basked in their soothing light.


    She looked at Kahn with an expression of gratitude. If the man whom she once saw as a rival hadn''t been so mature and understanding of her situation¡­ she was certain that she would''vemitted suicide and ended her life to escape the pain and heartbreak.


    And like Kahn told her¡­ it wouldn''t have made any change at all. And the one to lose in every aspect would be her.


    "I should do the same¡­ if you have anything to say, tell me. I can also be a good listener." spoke Kassandra.


    Kahn let out a slight smile and replied.


    "Be careful what you wish for. My story isn''t something that great. You''ll be bored to death."


    "Challenge epted." said Kassandra with a yful tone.


    For the first time in the past month ever since her fight with Cdrius¡­ Kassandra let out a genuine cheerful smile.


    Kahn, for some reason¡­ did not want to y mysterious anymore and spoke¡­


    "My life is simr to yours in some way. And plenty different at the same time." spoke Kahn as he gazed at the nk space.


    "It''s full of misery, plenty of mistakes and regrets. Are you sure you want to hear?" added Kahn.


    "You''re the textbook definition of a great person. Something akin to the historical figures we read about in books.


    A prodigy born amongst the poor, who lost his parents at a young age and through the sheer hard work and heaven-defying will... You even became the most talented as well as the strongest semi-saint.


    On top of it¡­ you''re the new Emperor''s Chosen champion and also a Sovereign at the same time.


    I refuse to believe that your life is anything as you''re making out to be." said Kassandra.


    "But still... I''ll listen. And I promise I won''t judge you." she continued and nodded in affirmation.


    Kahn sighed and spoke without holding back.


    "I grew up in a simr situation. To my parents, I was nothing but a failure. No matter what I did¡­ it was never enough.


    In the end¡­ I had a family but I was no different than an orphan." he said.


    Kassandra suddenly had an rmed expression.


    "And now¡­ I have too much blood on my hands. Both guilty and innocent." said Kahn as he started with the topics people would naturally avoid right off the bat.


    "There was a time when I foolishly condemned an entire n''s future because one of their leaders tried to kill me." he said with a serious voice.


    Kahn then remembered how he killed off all the stronger members of Stragabor Sigurd''s n because their young master, a beginner rank grandmaster had poisoned him in a banquet of nobles and influential figures.


    "And there was a time when an innocent woman died because I stole something from someone.


    And to find me¡­ those people tortured her to death. But even till herst breath, she did not speak my name because I had saved her life twice.


    Because of my greed and foolishness¡­ she died in agony and alone. And to make a statement¡­ they hung her corpse on a tree close to my house." spoke Kahn.


    The one he talked about was obviously Jessica Artwinger. The redhead girl Kahn saved when he just exited the abyss forest and saved a caravan from a group of bandits.


    Later, he saved her in a dungeon floor and robbed a space ring from the corpse of the dead leader of a guild who was hunting the floor boss.


    And because she was the only survivor of that group¡­ they caught her and tortured Jessica to find out about Kahn.


    But even after having her nails ripped off and her face beaten with an iron mace¡­ she never spoke his name until she finally died a miserable death.


    Kassandra gasped in surprise as soon as she heard Kahn. This was not what she was expecting to hear from the man she hade to admire at this point.


    "And after finding out about what happened¡­ I stormed inside the guild that caused her death.


    In my moment of rage¡­ I killed over a hundred people that day in the name of revenge. Many of whom probably didn''t even know anything about her death." iterated Kahn.


    That was the very day when Kahn stormed inside the guild headquarters of the Red Lion Adventurer guild and thenter, he killed all of their top fighters in the Cintra dungeon while his head was filled with guilt and fury.


    Kassandra then covered her mouth as she was unable to ept this revtion.


    Although she was aware that this was a cutthroat world¡­ she had never killed a person in her life so far.


    "There was a time when I tried to cause a revolution with the hope to change people''s lives. Only to foolishly lead them to their deaths because they weren''t organized and there was no true leader.


    My acts of acting like a hero lead to over a thousand deaths of those who tried to rebel against the powerful." mentioned Kahn.


    After his crusade as Azrael started in order to bring justice to the noble n heirs who r*ped and murdered the daughter of Albestros as well his son¡­


    Kahn gave a moving speech when he carried out the punishment of thest heir that sparked the fire of rebellion among the masses.


    But since themoners who had been oppressed for most of their lives in vot city didn''t have any weapons, weren''t organized or had someone to lead them¡­ the aftermath caused over a thousand deaths.


    At this moment¡­ Kassandra was rooted on the spot. Because so far, all her encounters with Kahn gave her a good impression of him.


    But now¡­ she came to know the truth about him. That the man in front of her¡­


    Had walked a path made of blood and bones of the innocents.

 Chapter 458 - Self Reflection

    <h4>Chapter 458 - Self Reflection</h4>


    Kassandra was left speechless, rooted on the spot, bewildered, and shocked by each incident Kahn mentioned and how his actions caused the deaths of a lot of innocent people.


    But this didn''t seem like the end of the story either.


    "Later when I went to Rathna¡­ I made enemies out of a lot of powerful people in order to establish my businesses and earn money.


    But as a consequence of my brazen actions and picking fights with the Chamber of Commerce¡­ hundreds of my employees, who had nothing to do with anything ended up being hunted and dying.


    On some asions¡­ The killers finished off the whole family to not leave any witnesses. They didn''t spare children, the elderly or even the newborn babies.


    Although I avenged them too¡­ the fact remains that their blood is on my hands.


    If only I had realized that I was no longer responsible for myself but people who worked for me at the same time¡­ maybe all those families would still be living happily."


    Said Kahn as he med himself. Which was indeed his fault.


    Although he wiped out the entire Red Right Hand assassination organization that was hired by the main council members of the Chamber of Commerce of the Rukon District¡­ the loss of life still remained.


    "In all those situations and moments¡­ my actions seemed like reasonable choices when I was trying to advance in life.


    But now that I look back at what I did¡­ I see nothing but an overconfident, foolish, ignorant and hypocritical man." he confessed.


    This was the reason why Kahn never thought of himself as the good guy. Because whether he intended or not¡­ there was too much blood on his hands because of the choices he made.


    "Tell me something¡­ would the people of this fiefdom or the empire ept someone like me if they knew this truth? Would they believe in all the good I have done so far or just discard it away because of my past mistakes?


    Can they understand me?


    Can you understand me?" asked Kahn.


    Kassandra had no answer to his questions.


    In her eyes¡­ Kahn was the most perfect man she hade to know. He was talented, strong, reliable, kind, and mature than any other person in her age group.


    But now¡­ the good image of the man who saved her and stopped her frommitting suicide suddenly seemed¡­ tainted.


    "There was a time when I was in a simr situation as you. I too had both those choices in front of me.


    To give up or carry on and endure.


    Today¡­ I am where I am because of the decision I took that night.


    Maybe I would have a different life if I made a different choice back then." said Kahn.


    He reminisced the night of his suicide and only gave vague information about it to Kassandra.


    "Like how your parents cast you off and betrayed you¡­ I once went through a simr situation as well.


    And the worst part is¡­ I have a mental trauma.


    Because of which, there aren''t many people whom I can trust even now. And so far¡­ I don''t truly have friends either.


    Recently, I noticed that I willingly don''t let people get close to me." admitted Kahn.


    Referencing the final push that made him jump from the building as he ended his life as Elric.


    A silence ensued as both parties in the conversation suddenly stopped speaking.


    The more she heard Kahn speak his mind¡­ the more shock she kept receiving.


    "What trauma?" asked Kassandra as she steeled her will.


    "That I don''t trust anyone. Especially women." spoke Kahn with a content smile¡­ like a psychopath.


    Kassandra''s entire being suddenly shivered.


    "You''re like the most eligible bachelor of the entire Rakos Empire.


    Half of the females in this whole empire, regardless of their age and race, fancy you. And you''re saying that you have a trauma against women?" says Kassandra in a jittery voice.


    "It''s better this way. For me¡­ and them." he replied.


    "I''d rather live a life of solitude than go through it all again.


    At this rate¡­ I''m afraid I''ll be someone who doesn''t even value life. And I will end up bing a person who would kill anyone just to achieve my selfish goals.


    Just like your family who used you as an object to gain my favor." spoke Kahn truthfully.


    Kassandra had aplex expression on her face after Kahn kept revealing many things about himself to her.


    Suddenly, Kassandra decided to speak her mind.


    "It''s not like you willingly made those decisions while knowing the consequences. I can understand why you me yourself but at least in my opinion¡­ you''re notpletely evil."


    "Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling¡­ Makes no difference.


    The degree is arbitrary. The definition''s blurred. If I''m to choose between one evil and another...


    I''d rather not choose at all." said Kahn in a stoic voice.


    Another silence ensued as Kassandra herself started contemting Kahn''s words.


    To her¡­ those words sounded like wisdom spoken by an old man who spent decades exploring the world and had too much knowledge and experience about the world.


    A few minutes passed and she spoke again.


    "I take back what I said. Our lives are different in many ways. And I made the mistake of making presumptions about something I have not experienced myself."


    The next moment, however, she looked Kahn in the eyes with a firm gaze.


    "And I thought I had a lot of emotional baggage. I suffered only for a month, and acting like an idiot¡­ I wanted to end my life.


    You on the other end¡­ you''ve been suffering from it for years." she said in an empathetic tone.


    "Don''t be fooled, Kassandra. I''m not the kind you should feel sorry for.


    You will find many people like me in this world. And you can''t afford to be kind or understanding to them. Because they certainly won''t." spoke Kahn with a somber expression.


    "As for me¡­" he continued in a grim tone as he had a chance to self-reflect for the first time.


    "I''m someone who doesn''t deserve any salvation."

 Chapter 459 - Looking for a Way

    <h4>Chapter 459 - Looking for a Way</h4>


    Kahn''s stern voice resounded on the terrace as he dered that he was beyond salvation because of his actions in the past. The burden called guilt had been weighing down on him for a long time.


    But it was this night that he had the chance to finally speak his mind.


    This instantly made Kassandra worry about Kahn.


    Before tonight¡­ their rtionship was no different than rivals and then allies. But after spending thest 7 hours together during which, too many things happened like a drama show¡­ the bond between them had turned to that of close friends.


    Both of them shared their feelings about the world, their lives and secrets that they never told anyone about.


    Kassandra quickly grabbed Kahn''s hand and spoke in a worried tone.


    "Don''t beat yourself up. The fact that you feel guilty and hold yourself ountable is more than enough to see that you didn''t intend to take innocent lives.


    Those are indeed caused by your actions but it wasn''t like you wanted to kill them in the first ce.


    Deep down¡­ you''re still a good person Kahn. Don''t let your mistakes define the rest of your life." she spoke in a caring voice.


    She tightened the grip on his palm and came closer to his face. Kassandra went from victim to the one carrying on the counseling after she found out how Kahn''s life had been twisted to the point of him ming himself even for things he couldn''t have foreseen or controlled.


    "If it wasn''t for you¡­ I would''vemitted suicide and died a useless death not even worth pitying.


    Always remember that you have at least one person who will listen to you from now on." spoke Kassandra with a firm voice.


    She herself was screwed over big time. And had no power to change her fate either. Yet, she acted like a brave woman and a friend for his sake.


    Kahn had done the same for her and now, it was her turn.


    "Don''t worry. It''s not that serious. The reason I told you all these things about myself is to make you realize that what you''re going through¡­ is something I have experienced as well.


    So don''t give up on yourself even in the future when things look tough.


    You''re much strongerpared to me when I was in the same situation as you.


    People take months to recover from what you just went through.


    So do not look down on yourself. You may no longer have the ability to use your magic¡­ but your will surpasses even mine by many times." said Kahn as he reaffirmed Kassandra.


    As for why Kahn vented out to her and told Kassandra the truth about his guilt and the consequences of his actions?


    Because he wanted her to realize that although others had what she didn''t¡­ their lives weren''t better or honorable either.


    Also, Kassandra was not in a position to harm him, rather¡­ she''d keep his secrets to her grave.


    Not that anyone was going to believe her anyway even if someone used some mind control skill on her.


    So taking this opportunity¡­ Kahn let off a lot of mental burden he had been keeping to himself for more than a year now and confessed in front of her.


    ----------------


    As the morning suns finally arose, Kassandra fell asleep due to the mental over-exhaustion that she went through over the past 7 hours.


    Kahn looked at Kassandra''s tired yet beautiful face. And spoke to himself...


    [Don''t lose hope. I''ll take care of everything.]


    Because as things stood¡­ the truth did not change even now, Kassandra still had no magic and she was as useful as a doormat to her family and n.


    If she reported that she couldn''t win Kahn''s heart or charm him into joining their side¡­


    Kahn wouldn''t even be surprised if they offered her to someone elseter in the future or gave her a severe punishment for failing the task.


    Just then¡­ Kahn received a message from his hidden assassins.


    [Master, we found some people on the northern end of the mansion three kilometers away. They''re using some sort of artifact to check out on you.] spoke one of Kahn''s small-time assassin subordinates through their Telepathy Link skill.


    [I know. I sensed them a while ago. I guess they were checking if Kassandra did what she was told to or not.]


    He then looked at peacefully sleeping Kassandra again.


    [Only if I had a way to help her get her powers back.] thought Kahn.


    In the afternoon, Kassandra woke up on the bed¡­ but it wasn''t the bedroom of the mansion¡­ rather, it was Kahn''s bedroom inside his castle.


    "You''re up." spoke Kahn who was leaning on a sofa in the room.


    "Get ready. You need to have a proper meal. And prepare to return to your n."


    "Why?" asked Kassandra. Just then¡­ she was reminded of the consequences because she had obviously failed her mission.


    "I''m done! I''m so done¡­" she spoke to herself.


    "Don''t worry. I have a way." spoke Kahn in an assuring tone.


    The following moment, he took a ck and golden envelope out of his space ring.


    "You should return to your n and give this letter to your father. Nobody other than him should read it. Trust me on this one." spoke Kahn.


    In the evening, Kahn allotted a warship and thousands of his covenant soldiers to act as guards for Kassandra.


    But he did not tell her anything about what was written inside the letter.


    The following day, Kassandra reached her n''s main castle and reported to n''s main council albeit very hesitantly.


    Now¡­ she saw every single person in this room as an enemy.


    Kassandra then gave the letter sent by Kahn to her father, Damon Mikealson who was a sixth stage saint magician.


    And after a thorough read.. Her father had a very pleased expression and said,


    "Well done¡­ You were worth raising after all."


    Kassandra''s mind turned furious as soon as those wordsnded on her ears. She clenched both her fists tightly but did not show her anger through her expressions.


    As for the letter¡­ it contained some conditions Kahn wrote.


    But other than that¡­ Damon Mikealson paid the most attention to thest lines¡­


    ''I will visit the Mikealson n when I''m done with the job. Until then¡­''


    ''Take care of my woman.''

 Chapter 460 - Stalling For Time

    <h4>Chapter 460 - Stalling For Time</h4>


    Kahn was carrying out his duties while dozens of government officials presented him with reports and sanctions that needed his attention. The sovereign on the other end was lost in thoughts as he remembered the choice he made yesterday.


    The letter he sent to the Mikealson n had words such as calling Kassandra as his woman. But the contents included many more details than just that part.


    Although Kahn repaid Kassandra by saving her life¡­ it was also a truth that he left Kassandra on her own.


    And neither was it his fault that her family was full of selfish bastards who would sacrifice her for the sake of some powerful ally.


    But after spending a night together with Kassandra and having talked their hearts out¡­ knowing how their lives were simr in some ways, the bond between them as friends had deepened.


    For the first time in this new life, Kahn felt like there was indeed someone he could be himself with. The fact that Kassandra did not judge him and told him to not me himself for his past mistakes¡­ made Kahn realize that she wasn''t the type who only saw worse in people despite suffering from helplessness and betrayal herself.


    Compared to the Elric of the past and the Kahn of the present¡­ she was much stronger as a person, unlike him who still couldn''t ovee his trauma and didn''t trust people or let others in hisfort zone.


    Even someone like Albestros who he knew for more than one and a half years now had never seen this side of Kahn at this point.


    This indeed elevated his opinion of Kassandra to a new level and he found her as a trustworthy individual that he could confide in.


    So for now, he decided to create a temporary solution for her until things turned in his favor.


    And even if Kahn couldn''t find a solution to get her powers back¡­ he decided to y along with her n and faction''s offer for now till gained some bargaining chips of his own.


    Meanwhile, the contract between him and the Pureblood faction only stated that Kahn would get the rewards only when he aplished the task and gave them the Tablet of Arcana.


    But there was a loophole in the contract itself.


    It never said that he must deliver the said object or his life will be jeopardized.


    So now that he was offered another choice by the Neutral faction... He decided to y both sides.


    Because the Pureblood faction had screwed him over a couple of times in the past¡­ it''d be his turn if he decided after he acquired the tablet.


    He''d have a choice to pick the most beneficial side then.


    And also, this way¡­ he could stall for time until he had some way to find a way for Kassandra. Not due to pity or obligation¡­ but because he wanted to.


    As for the reason he called her his woman in the letter¡­


    Kahn felt like he should at least ensure her safety and make sure that they won''t create unnecessary trouble or harass her because she failed her task in reality.


    Besides¡­ knowing how cunning and ruthless the Neutral faction was at this point¡­


    If Kahn had refused their offer, they would''ve spread rumors that he actually joined their side. Eventually making him the enemy of the entire Pureblood faction as well as Allister Mor Vandereich.


    Although Kahn had a lot of prestige¡­ if one of the strongest beings of the empire wanted to kill him¡­ when he became a Saint¡­ he''d have to leave Vessen fiefdom.


    And no one would ever find out about how Kahn died. So to avoid that¡­ Kahn would obviously have to join the Neutral faction even if he did not want to.


    So instead of giving them an opportunity to manipte the narrative¡­ he put them on standby. So they won''t mess up with him until the deed is done.


    So using this method, Kahn had stalled for enough time and also opened new options for himself.


    And now¡­ the only thing that was left to do for Kahn was to enter the forbidden zone.


    ----------------


    ONE WEEK LATER.


    Kahn had spent the past few days making arrangements to have people operate the entire fiefdom in his absence along with the generals.


    Just a couple of days ago¡­ Armin had finally finished healing Kahn''s damaged soul and now he was back to his former state before he sacrificed a portion of it to save Kassandra.


    Although his levels hadn''tpletely recovered even now, he could at least go all out during a fight.


    Kahn then arranged a meeting between him, Omega, and all the generals in one of the closed rooms of the castle.


    On the round table in the center¡­ he ced a map in front of them.


    This was the exact map sent by Allister Mor Vandereich, the faction leader of the pureblood faction who had Szayel deliver it to Kahn.


    And the map pinpointed a particr path that he needed to clear out in order to ess the entrance of the forbidden zone that was situated in the Vessen fiefdom.


    This path was one of the only 3 entry points and Kahn had no other alternatives unlike the other factions and their semi-saints.


    After discussing their n of action¡­ Kahn and the gang arrived at a military headquarters on one of the borders.


    Kahn brought Jugram, Ceril, Armin and ckwall, Ronin, Oliver and Omega.


    Even the mythical rope named Rudra had recently woken up after he was done with absorbing Bjormngandur''s bloodline and abilities.


    So Kahn was now back to his full power and the whole gang was akin to a group of superviins who were on their way to cause mass destruction.


    The whole squad hade to the border of the region called Niflheim.


    This time, Kahn didn''t n to y stupid and ignorant. This time¡­ he was going all out.


    Because Niflheim wasn''t just a normal border. It was actually¡­


    The 6th and final hotspot.

 Chapter 461 - Unique Enemy

    <h4>Chapter 461 - Unique Enemy</h4>


    After Kahn and all his main subordinates reached the main headquarters of the Niflheim. The final region and the sixth hotspot of the monster tide.


    After the incident of the massacre in the Berawaa region, Kahn had doubled the amount of manpower, defense equipments, provisions of the military, total resources rted to war, and defending this region all at once.


    Kahn had been curious and thought that after Cdrius and Ashokvatika were mind-controlled into attacking the borders by some mysterious entity¡­ the same would be the case for the Niflheim border.


    And subconsciously, he kind of waited for the news of the emergence of this region''s legendary rank monster boss.


    But for some reason¡­ nothing happened in the past 1 month. And since Kahn wasn''t in a shape to go on another expedition because of his damaged soul, weakened state and lowered levels as well as stats¡­ he chose to not actively provoke the monster.


    The generals had been taking turns in overseeing this region but they too didn''t venture inside and pick up a fight under Kahn''s order.


    Because they absolutely knew nothing about this regional boss, its characteristics or what kind of creature it was.


    But one thing Kahn knew for certain¡­ that they couldn''t just afford to waltz in and start a rumba dance with this boss since there was a chance that it was the one controlling the previous two legendary rank creatures.


    That was the main reason why he waited till now. But now that there were just 15 days left¡­ and both the Pureblood faction & Neutral faction had started making their moves¡­ he had no choice but to get rid of this monster first as soon as he made a full recovery.


    This, Kahn came to the current moment and departed in a single warship towards the inner region of this border with his army of legendary rank general and began his final hunt.


    ----------------


    A couple of hours passed as Kahn''s warship roamed in the deeply forested region filled with mountainous terrain and waterfalls. Compared to the other regions he had been to, this area was filled mostly with small-sized creatures and aquatic monsters.


    [Master, I found it. 20 kilometers to the west.]


    Suddenly, Oliver in his Hawkman form, who was faster than their warship because of his Garuda Wings skill which gave him a 4 times boost in flying speed, reported to Kahn.


    Due to Horus Eye skill getting upgraded to SSS Rank, he could now see through a 20 kilometers radius when he''s high in the sky.


    Kahn quickly activated Telepathy Link and through the Sky Emperor general''s eyes, he finally gazed at the regional boss.


    "What the¡­ what kind of monster is this?" asked Kahn to himself.


    [Master¡­ this creature. It''s very different than all the ones we''ve faced before. I don''t know how to describe it but I''m feeling like it''s not even alive at the same time it''s moving.


    Its entire existence feels¡­ unique.] said Oliver as he ryed his preliminary analysis.


    Compared to other generals, he was the most perceptive one when it came to noticing things that were out of the ordinary. So Kahn took his words seriously from the get-go.


    "Prepare for battle. Surround it from different directions and do not go all out from the start.


    We need to assess the situation first.


    I don''t want to get caught off guard like what happened with Cdrius."manded Kahn.


    All the subordinates donned in their new armors and weapons made from the body of the legendary Invimarak nodded in affirmation.


    Their warship stopped 15 kilometers away from the regional boss and soon, the main door of the warship opened.


    Kahn''s entourage of multicolored warriors appeared at the entrance and he gave themand¡­


    "Go Go Power Rangers!"


    ----------------


    As all of the generals encircled the legendary rank monster who was sitting idly in between two small peaks from 5 kilometers away in different directions¡­ it finally sensed their presence and instantly went into alert mode.


    "MRAAAA!!"


    An ear-deafening roar filled the surroundings as shockwaves shook the trees and the river streams that ran in this area.


    BANG!


    And finally¡­ the legendary rank creature in front of them revealed its entirety.


    A 100 meter tall monster with dozens of massive violet tentacles that were as wide as a big house came out of its lower half.


    On the upper body region, there was nothing but a white exoskeletonyer that covered its entire torso and head like apact and tactical armor.


    This creature had only two arms¡­ but another arm protruded out of the elbows. So technically, it had four arms.


    This ginormous creature had no eyes or even a nose, but it could perfectly sense all the intruders spread in different directions from where it stood.


    [Who are you? You dare enter my territory!]


    Suddenly, not just Kahn but all the generals also heard a voice in their minds.


    [Master, can you also hear this?] asked Ronin who was hidden amongst the trees of a tall peak.


    [Yes. The more I see it¡­ the more I think that the Mithrans species we saw in Rakos Empire so far share the same features and characteristics with it.] replied Kahn to the rogue general.


    [Yes. I feel the same. It''s as if we''re up against an ancient species that was the ancestor of Mithrans.] said Oliver who hovered across the sky and had been on a lookout till everyone got to this ce.


    [System, what is this creature? Give me details.] ordered Kahn.


    [The creature in front of the host is called Vilgax. A variant species that possesses the physical and magical properties of two of the extinct species of Vantrea. Namely, the Viltak & Gaxbo.] reported the system.


    [The hell! Means we''re up against a¡­] before Kahn could finish his thoughts, the legendary creature ryed his message to all the members of Kahn''s squad.


    [Attack me, all at once!] it said and continued in a mocking tone¡­


    [You bunch of weaklings.]

 Chapter 462 - Mocking the Squad

    <h4>Chapter 462 - Mocking the Squad</h4>


    For the first time since the generals upgraded to legendary rank creatures¡­ they gathered together to fight against an enemy all at once. But on this very first asion¡­


    The opponent challenged all of them together and called them a bunch of weaklings.


    Other than Omega and Ronin, everyone else had risen to Legendary Rank at this point. So this insult hit even harder.


    [Don''t fall for it. It''s trying to provoke you. I think it has some skill to render you all incapable of fighting.]manded Kahn to all his generals telepathically.


    Kahn and the gang were up against a variant creature after the system could only notice a few features of two different ancient species that were already extinct.


    While Kahn tried to maintain his calm & collected demeanor¡­ the legendary rank monster made another deration.


    [Oh¡­ so many creatures as strong as me.


    Yet no one dares to fight with me.


    Tch! What a letdown.] it dered in a condescending voice and challenged all the legendary rank subordinates of Kahn.


    [Alright! I have to teach this bastard some manners.] said ckwall who had been approaching from the west.


    [I''m going to roast this octopus alive!] said Jugram.


    [How dare he look down on me, the Apostle of Necromancy?!] shouted Ceril in an infuriated tone.


    "And nobody is listening to me anymore." spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone.


    [I''m going to drain his entire life force.] said Armin who seemed irritated for the first time.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Four explosions of insurmountable aura spread across the 5 kilometer region in session.


    ckwall suddenly took his Kronos form. Jugram revealed his Diablos form while Ceril and Armin revealed their Dark Summoner and Erdtree forms respectively.


    All the four of them revealed their legendary rank forms all at once.


    While ckwall and Jugram were the biggest of them all, Ceril and Armin had the advantage over the magical attacks.


    [Really? You''re all going to gang up on one guy?] asked Oliver who still hadn''t taken his true form and hovered a few kilometers high in the sky.


    Omega and Ronin on the other hand, had no choice but to stay quiet. This battle was above their pay grade.


    [Whoever wants to die first,e forth.] Vilgax suddenly proimed.


    "To hell with this bastard!" Ceril, the most impatient of them all shouted and soon, he summoned a suppression formation high in the air above this legendary rank opponent.


    Ceril quickly activated the Shadow des Barrage skill andunched hundreds of des made of darkness element and dark magic.


    But instead of trying to dodge or use any skill to protect itself, Vilgax simply stood there¡­ unmoving.


    And right in front of everyone''s eyes¡­ the hundreds of 10 meter long des¡­


    Passed right through its body.


    "What the hell!" spoke the spectator aka Kahn.


    Soon, Ceril activated the Void Realm skill and activated Scythe of the Reaper skill.


    His 80 meters long and massive scytheunched a volley of attacks on the frozen enemy.


    BOOM!


    Dhang!


    Trees and water streams were destroyed in seconds. But as the dust settled¡­


    "Impossible!" said Ceril as he saw the impossible.


    Void Realm was a skill that could slow down an enemy as if time itself was stopped in the range of its domain.


    But even now¡­ the attacks he made passed right through this opponent.


    However¡­ Suddenly, the enemy started moving as if this skill didn''t work on its body at all. He sped towards the Necromancer general like an octopus using his dozens of tentacles.


    And right before in front of everyone¡­ he appeared in front of Ceril in a matter of seconds despite having an enormous 100 meters tall body.


    [So fast!] thought Kahn.


    Swat!


    But before Ceril in his legendary form could even cast a spell¡­ the massive tentacles of Vilgax swatted his entire body.


    Ceril¡­ the apostle of necromancy¡­ was yeeted a kilometer away.


    "ckwall, with me!" said Jugram in his Diablos form and quickly activated his Hell Domain skill.


    This skill turned the entire 5 kilometers radius into a battlefield filled with hellfire.


    Hundreds of trees caught fire and the water stream evaporated within a few seconds as the temperature reached 500 degree celcius inside Jugram''s domain.


    This skill was enough to burn over a hundred thousand people alive at once but somehow¡­


    Vilgax didn''t seem bothered at all. And just like how he bypassed Void Realm¡­


    It sprinted towards Jugram and before the Hellzer general could even react, the enemy entangled its tentacles and crawled over Jugram''s massive body that was five times bigger than itself.


    Stab!!


    Its massive and highly rigid four hands plunged inside Jugram''s back and both shoulders at the same time.


    RAWEERRR!!


    Jugram wailed and let out a massive explosion of hellfire from his body and the shockwaves pushed off Vilgax. However¡­ Jugram was fatally wounded in just a dozen seconds.


    BANG!


    But before Vilgax could regain its bnce.


    ckwall suddenly made a charge attack in his titan form and attacked its body with the battleaxe he created using the ground, minerals and rocks with his innate skill called Mineral Transmutation.


    But just like before¡­ his swing attack suddenly passed through Vilgax''s body just like how Ceril''s attacks did.


    Vilgax quickly appeared close to ckwall''s legs. The gigantic Abyss Knight was already 1 kilometer tall in height alone because he had a Primordial Titan bloodline. So he was 10 times taller than the opponent.


    But before he could move, all of Vilgax''s tentacles wound around both of ckwall''s legs and pulled them closer.


    Even someone as strong as ckwall was forced to lose his footing and¡­


    BOOM!!


    His ginormous figure fell on the ground and the entire 5 kilometers region trembled as if there was an earthquake.


    Armin on the other end had already started healing Jugram who was wounded minutes ago.


    But after taking care of ckwall, Vilgax sprinted extremely quickly while only broken trees and cracked ground remained in its wake.


    And right before Armin could even do anything¡­


    Vilgax entangled itself around Armin''s four-legged body.


    Thwack!


    p!


    He started beating the living shit out of Armin.


    Kahn, Ronin and Omega¡­ the spectators of this match had their jaws dropped on the ground.


    There was only one thought as they saw their legendary rank allies getting their ass handed to them by a random regional boss.


    All three of them spoke in unison¡­


    "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

 Chapter 463 - The First of a Kind

    <h4>Chapter 463 - The First of a Kind</h4>


    While Kahn, Ronin and Omega watched four legendary rank allies getting beaten as if an adult was thrashing some kids¡­ none of them could believe what they were seeing in front of their eyes.


    Was the battle they were seeing even real? How could a massive creature like Vilgax simply phase through attacks and move so nimbly to the point even the legendary rank creatures of the same levels and fighting prowess couldn''t even react in time.


    [What a waste of time! You all dared to invade my domain while being so weak?


    Pathetic!] dered Vilgax with a contemptuous tone.


    It hadn''t even been 10 minutes and he already took down four legendary rank generals of Kahn who were just as strong as itself.


    "What the actual fuck?! How is that even possible?!" eximed Kahn with his eyes wide open and full of disbelief.


    But right when he was left speechless¡­ he heard a voice in his head.


    [Master! I think I figured out why none of their attacks could damage this creature.] spoke Oliver who had been analyzing the battle from the air very quietly and patiently.


    [Why?] inquired Kahn.


    [The main reason is¡­ This thing isn''t a monster. Rather¡­] replied Oliver in a serious voice as he revealed his findings.


    [It''s a legendary rank Spirit!]


    Oliver''s voice resounded in Kahn''s mind and he was left asunder again.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn in a confused tone.


    [What I mean is¡­ it doesn''t have a true body.


    It shifts to a physical form only when it''s attacking an opponent and for the rest of the time, it''s in a spirit form that can''t be harmed with any of our attacks.


    None of us possesses any skill that could counter it or damage it in any way.] he borated.


    Kahn was bewildered as Oliver exined the whole scenario to him after thetter made a careful analysis.


    [Ceril, check if what Oliver said is true!] ordered Kahn to Ceril who was swatted away like a fly a few minutes ago.


    This was the first time Kahn had encountered a spirit monster. And a legendary rank at that one.


    Until now, he only heard about these creatures in books he read while gathering information about different types of monsters and species in this empire. But so far, he never encountered a single one of these creatures.


    But now¡­ his team was fighting one while having a time margin until the gateway to the forbidden zone opened in a couple of weeks.


    [Ha haha! Losers.] out of the blue, Rudra spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [You wannae out and fight it then?] asked Kahn sarcastically.


    [Umm¡­ I still haven''t fullypleted absorbing the bloodline. So I can''t fight.


    This is also a good experience for them. They shouldn''t always rely on me.] said Rudra.


    In reality, he was just making an excuse¡­ Because Rudra didn''t want to be embarrassed like the rest either.


    [Bitch, you only showed up twice! And none of us ever asked for your help.] said Oliver who was attacking from the air with his wind and lightning elemental storm skills.


    So far, he was the only general Vilgax couldn''t reach. But his attacks made no difference either.


    If even someone like ckwall and Jugram were forced back and taken down¡­ there was nothing the remaining trio could do.


    [I''m on it.] replied Ceril who just got up from the rubble of boulders and tree trunks.


    Ceril then cast various elemental spells and attacked from different sides.


    Other than being a Necromancer, he was still a mage who wasparable to a legitimate first-stage magician. So he had mastered most of the elements till this point.


    However, just like before¡­ none of the spells could affect Vilgax''s body which was no smaller than Ceril''s skeletal one.


    [Alright¡­ keep it busy. I have to try something.] said Kahn and while the battle continued in this massive and wide mountainous region¡­ he summoned Lucifer and quickly shed open a void crack.


    Kahn entered inside the True Dimension where nothing was out of his reach as soon as he had enough space force.


    But since he hadn''t been able to absorb mana or any energy in the past month because of his damaged soul, he couldn''t do the same for thetter either.


    He had barely enough space force to enter inside the true dimension for a few minutes.


    "What the hell?! That can''t be¡­" spoke Kahn as he noticed the happenings of the battle from the true dimension.


    Because while he could see and sense the bodies of the legendary rank generals who were engaged in a battle¡­


    He couldn''t see Vilgax in this ne of existence at all.


    There was simply nothing. And it felt like the generals were fighting a non-existent entity.


    After a few minutes, Kahn ran out of space force because he used the Dimensional Cut skill where the enemy was supposed to be but still nothing happened.


    "What the hell is this? My Dimensional Cut can kill any creature even if I can''t harm it from the real world.


    This guy is simply impossible to kill." said Kahn as soon as he exited the void crack away from the battlefield.


    [Can we run away? Do you sense anything behind it?] asked Kahn to Oliver.


    [Master, I''ve been meaning to tell you this.


    There is a distorted barrier that is over 20 kilometers in height and even I can''t see an end to the circumference of this invisible dome.


    Thisyer of barrier is simply too strong. I don''t think even Ceril and Rudra can break through it.


    And I don''t sense an opening in this barrier from the sky either.


    So if we want to go forward and reach the entrance¡­ we need to kill this guy first.] replied Oliver.


    "Dammit! It''s just like the map pinpointed¡­ this Vilgax is actually the guardian of the entrance to the 2ndyer of the barrier." said Kahn.


    The other two ces where Celine and Ezekiel were supposed to enter from had Saints so they already cleared off the guardians a century ago. As for Kahn¡­ he had no choice but to get rid of this guardian by himself because he was entering from Vessen fiefdom.


    If even his legendary rank generals couldn''t do anything and he couldn''t even use his Dimensional Law¡­ there was nothing he could do to ovee this final hurdle.


    But right when all was lost¡­ when the fate of humanityy on Kahn''s shoulders¡­ the expert magician among their group spoke¡­


    [Master¡­ I think I found its weakness.]

 Chapter 464 - Exploiting Weakness

    <h4>Chapter 464 - Exploiting Weakness</h4>


    When finding a counterattack against this spirit creature that single-handedly put four legendary rank creatures in a pitiful state; seemed like an impossible task.


    Ceril, who was swatted a kilometer away by the Vilgax not long ago, suddenly noticed an anomaly.


    [Master¡­ I think I found its weakness.]


    He ryed his message to Kahn.


    "What?! Where?" asked Kahn in a hurry while the other generals were barely managing to protect themselves.


    [The ce this monster pushed me off to¡­ it has a massive rune only used in sealing formations.


    Although I haven''t excelled in mastering magic formations other than the ones I needed¡­ Given the size of this rune engraved inside a peak, it''s at least a legendary rank formation.] he said.


    "What kind of nonsense is this?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    [I sense a flux of world energy being emitted from this rune. And I think there should be 9 more of these runes spread in a 50 kilometers radius.


    On top of it¡­ I think it''s not only sealing this creature inside this ce to guard the entrance of the secondyer; but also protecting it at the same time.


    Maybe that''s why we are unable to physically hurt it.] hypothesized Ceril.


    Kahn, who hadn''t even had the chance toplete his study as a magician and only was an intermediate rank mage himself¡­ had no idea about how the magic formations worked.


    But given the situation, they had no time to think about these things.


    [Do you think it will at least stop this guy?] he asked Ceril.


    [Yes. But we need to be quick before it notices the changes in the surrounding.] replied Ceril.


    [Oliver!] ordered Kahn.


    [On it!] replied the tempest archer general and used Horus Eye to check the ces in the surrounding 20 kilometers radius with a high influx of world energy.


    [Found one! I''ll get rid of it.] he said and like a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier, he flew in the direction of the rune.


    The first ce he found was a small pond where the rune was engaged in the bottom.


    Oliver quickly activated his Arrowstorm skill and created 500 arrows, each one of which was 10 meters in length and possessed different elements.


    BOOM!!


    BANG!!


    Heunched a barrage of attacks and in just a couple of minutes¡­ the entire pond was destroyed and as the water spread away, Oliver saw a 50 meters wide disc-shaped stone b that had a massive glowing rune.


    Without giving a second thought, Oliver used a wind elemental arrow and attacked the rune.


    BANG!


    Crack!


    As the rune broke, a massive surge of world energy was expelled out of the stone b.


    However, Vilgax was so busy thrashing his opponent that he didn''t notice this influx that happened 10 kilometers away.


    Soon, Oliver flew at supersonic speed and started looking for these buried runes that were either ced inside an open field or a mountain itself.


    Neither Kahn nor his generals knew who created this magic formation and sealed Vilgax inside it.


    Whether it was to trap it or force it to be the guardian of the entrance to the 2ndyer of the barrier which led to the forbidden zone¡­ they had no idea.


    But if they wanted to advance¡­ there was no other way around it.


    Meanwhile, the battle continued while Oliver turned into his Thunderbird form. He searched and destroyed all the locations of the formation runes one by one while the other generals endured getting beaten by Vilgax since none of their attacks could hurt it.


    ----------------


    30 minutester¡­


    [I''m done. Get rid of the final one.] messaged Oliver and Ceril, who found the first rune but hadn''t done anything to it till now to avoid rming this enemy finally let out a sinisterugh.


    "Hahaha!!"ughed Ceril and retracted his steps to the ce where he found the rune.


    Swoosh!


    He used the Scythe of the Reaper weapon skill and destroyed the rune in a single strike.


    BOOM!!


    After the massive burst of world energy was let out from the rune¡­ Vilgax, who was moving as fast as a rabbit despite his massive size, finally felt something was amiss.


    In front of everyone''s sight¡­ hundreds of archaic runes appeared on its enormous that was a hundred meters in height alone.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    And as if some sort of invisible chain that tied him to this ce were finally broken¡­ all those runes glowed brightly and shattered as shockwaves after shockwaves filled the surrounding one kilometer region.


    [Finally! I am free!!] eximed Vilgax joy.


    An incorporeal barrier suddenly appeared around its body and disappeared the next moment.


    [Ha aha ha!! Ha ha ha!


    Now I can finally leave this wretched ce!


    I haven''t feasted for over a decade. I can finally have some proper meal.] it thought but the voice still reached inside Kahn and all the generals.


    [Hey you! Why didn''t you say you were sealed here?] shouted Kahn who was 4 kilometers away but his thoughts were heard by Vilgax.


    [We''re the ones who freed you in the end.] continued Kahn.


    [Ah, my bad¡­ this isn''t the first time someone tried to attack me because I was sealed inside here. So I presumed you were the same as those who came here every decade.] replied Vilgax in a causal tone now that it was free.


    [Alright then. But can you tell me where the entrance to that 2nd barrier is?] asked Kahn.


    [Sure. Take the path among these mountains. Then take a right, then a left, then right again.. And then another left.


    There will be a waterfall.


    From there¡­ take a left, then a right, and take one more right¡­]


    Vilgax then nonchntly started giving Kahn the directions like how Indian people exined paths to travelers.


    [Alright. Thanks.] replied Kahn.


    [Good luck. I''ll be on my way.] replied Vilgax gleefully and started crawling away as if nothing happened in the first ce.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Five massive bursts of auras filled the three kilometers region.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Jugram''s grim and terrifying voice resounded.


    Crack! Crack!


    ckwall cracked his knuckles while Ceril charged his Scythe with dark magic.


    SCREECH!


    Armin created a spear made of giant roots while Oliver screeched high in the air.


    At this moment¡­ all of them looked at Vilgax who was enjoying beating them up not too long ago. So naturally¡­ they had a score to settle.


    Shiver!


    A chill ran under Vilgax''s spine as an ominous feeling struck him.


    Because at this moment, his condition was no different than¡­


    A blonde girl sitting on a sofa surrounded by five ck guys.

 Chapter 465 - Getting Even

    <h4>Chapter 465 - Getting Even</h4>


    A silence ensued as soon as Vilgax was surrounded by five different legendary rank creatures. All of whom were as strong as itself but previously, couldn''t even touch it during the fight. And taking it into ount, the former did not hold back and almost beat them to death using its innate skills.


    However, now that the formation which had trapped this variant monster inside this region was taken care of¡­ all of the generals who received a thrashing from this legendary rank creature knew that things would be different this time.


    SHRILL!!


    The temperature of the surrounding 5 kilometers rose to five hundred degree celcius again as Jugram activated his Hell Domain for the second time.


    Previously¡­ It didn''t hurt the enemy at all. But now, Vilgax quickly activated his ability that allowed him to phase through physical attacks and magical spells.


    Shing!


    A 1 kilometer wide red archaic magic formation appeared a few hundred meters above Vilgax as Ceril cast his suppression barrier spell he often used to weaken his enemies during a battle.


    ckwall on the other end used Terrain Maniption skill to create massive walls around this burning battlefield and closed all exit points for the target to escape.


    Armin on the other end, used his wood elemental skills and hundreds of massive vines rose from the ground and their pointy ends attacked Vilgax one after another.


    Just like before, most of the attacks passed through its body but this time, Ceril noticed a change.


    "I see. That''s how it was." spoke Ceril.


    [What do you mean?] asked Kahn.


    Oliver, who was in his Thunderbird form, replied instead.


    [It just used a massive amount of world energy in its body. Even we could feel it. I think that ability it uses to escape physical damage is one of its innate skills and requires a lot of reserves of world energy.]


    [Yes, master. Looks like I was mistaken. Not only the magic formation sealed it¡­ but also supplied it with an endless amount of world energy that those runes gathered constantly.


    Even though there must be measures taken so that this Vilgax couldn''t destroy the formation to escape, it also gave it a massive advantage.


    No wonder we never managed to weaken it.] replied Ceril after his analysis.


    "So now that it''s under Jugram''s hell domain and your suppression barrier¡­ all of its stats must have been reduced greatly.


    And that''s why it needs to use a lot of world energy to survive the attackspared to what it would need usually." said Kahn as he quickly grasped the situation.


    [He he! Means it won''t be able to pass through our attacks for a long time.] replied Ceril.


    And just as Ceril stated, When Armin''s massive vines attacked Vilgax¡­ it didn''t just stand there but actually tried to run away and evade these thrusting spear-like vines.


    Under thebined debuff state, Vilgax had its stats reduced by 85%. Now, even Kahn was able to take down this spirit creature.


    The yful act of the generals attacking and toying with the enemy started. It could no longer use its ability without care¡­ rather, only when someone made a lethal strike.


    And since it was under the weakened state, it wasn''t even half as fast as before.


    Just in 10 minutes¡­ it ran out of all the world energy stored in its body.


    "Good. It can no longer fight or survive our attacks. How about we repay its kindness?" said Ceril and all the legendary rank subordinates nodded.


    First, ckwall used his skills to surround the exhausted Vilgax with earth elemental walls from all sides so that its tentacles couldn''t attack them.


    His one kilometer tall figure then grabbed Vilgax by its head¡­


    BANG!!


    ckwall, who was ten times bigger in height, picked up Vilgax and then threw it on the ground.


    The surrounding fiery battlefield trembled just from the impact.


    He repeated the same action because Vilgax previously used his size against him and made ckwall fall in the ground too many times.


    So now, ckwall was putting it back into the ground again and again.


    [Let me go! I said let me go!] said Vilgax. But none seemed to hear his words.


    ckwall punched its torso and stepped on its tentacles. He squashed some of them under his gigantic feet. Soon, Vilgax was almost close to death.


    But rather than killing it¡­ Armin suddenly cast his top-tier heal regeneration skills and recovered its physical state in minutes.


    For the next round¡­. Ceril started using his Scythe of the Reaper and cut off some of its purple tentacles. And caused bigcerations on its exoskeleton body.


    The same cycle repeated again until Ceril was finally satisfied.


    Then Armin healed it again. Just to stab its entire body with his own version of wooden tentacles-like vines.


    Wails and agonizing screams spread in the 5 kilometers wide hell domain as Armin started experimenting with his wooden constructs and tried a different way of torture.


    The bloodied and tied-in body of the Vilgax was bleeding heavily from dozens of ces and even the exoskeleton skin it had was unable to resist.


    And finally Jugram, the most brutal of them all got his chance.


    The Diablos general ripped apart, torn off and then squashed Vilgax''s upper body parts such as its arms, and then burned its iling body from ce to ce with hellfire.


    The number of horrifying cries and roars of the Vilgax, who previously soloed all of them together because of the support from the magic formation¡­ was now even worse than a punching bag.


    Because of how he humiliated all of them in a battle, everyone was taking their turns again and again as they enjoyed settling their score.


    At this point¡­ even Kahn started feeling sorry for Vilgax while witnessing the generals ripping him a new one.


    The more he saw it, the harder it became to watch.


    And with an aghast expression, Kahn spoke to himself¡­


    "Psychopaths¡­"


    "I have created a bunch of psychopaths!"

 Chapter 466 - Time to Feast

    <h4>Chapter 466 - Time to Feast</h4>


    As the four generals kept exacting their revenge against Vilgax, Kahn had a concerned expression on his face.


    The way they were torturing this enemy and enjoying every bit of it¡­ even he felt like all of them had turned into some sort of sadist at this point.


    [Good, good. I approve.] said Rudra in Kahn''s head.


    [You too?!] asked Kahn.


    [I mean¡­ not good enough!] replied Rudra as he misunderstood Kahn''s words, implying that this type of torture wasn''t enough.


    [System, why are they being like this?] asked Kahn.


    [The generals have inherited different personality traits from the host. If the host is concerned about their mental state¡­


    Perhaps, the host should do some self-analysis.] replied the system.


    Kahn felt guilty out of a sudden. The generals did take after him so he was the root cause of evil.


    "Alright! That''s enough. Finish it off!" ordered Kahn.


    "5 more minutes!" shouted Armin he plunged wooden vines of his own that moved like tentacles and ordered them to plunge inside the forbidden orifice of the Vilgax.


    Kahn quickly turned his head around and spoke¡­


    "Why do I feel like I''m a failure as a father?" asked Kahn to himself.


    Finally when all of them were done¡­


    Ceril used one of the gifts he received from the Deity of Necromancy.


    He cast the Chains of Judgment to bind Vilgax in a ce while the darkness elemental chains plunged them inside its entire body.


    Because of Jugram''s Hell Domain, the defenses of this legendary rank creature had be negligible.


    And finally, the one general who hadn''t partaken in this torture session and only saw it all from the sky decided to act.


    "Will of the Heavens, grant me thy strength. Lend me your wrath to punish my foes." said Oliver in his Thunderbird form like he was a representative of the sky, beseeching the heavens.


    Soon, ear-deafening noises of raging thunderps filled the 2 kilometers radius and hundreds of lightning strikes emerged from the dark clouds as if God of Thunder was getting ready to attack.


    "Heaven''s Judgement¡­" spoke Oliver and soon, over 20 massive lightning strikes amassed together and merged into a 50 meters long thunderbolt.


    And finally, the blinding light that turned the entire battlefield white as Olivermanded it to attack the chained Vilgax from the sky and finally shouted the name of his new ultimate attack skill¡­


    "Vajra!"


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!


    Over 500 meters of ground was turned into smithereens, hundreds of cracks formed and the entire battlefield shook as Oliver used his lightning elemental attack that even scared the other generals and finally hit their enemy with it.


    Lightning was one of the two strongest elements of reality and the force behind Oliver''s attack was strong enough to crush an entire mountain under it.


    A massive dust cloud arose as the shockwaves pushed apart the smoke from the burning trees.


    And as the site of the strike was finally revealed¡­ a charred corpse of the Vilgax appeared in front of everyone.


    Without even spending a couple of hours¡­


    The new lineup of legendary rank generals killed Vilgax by outnumbering it. Giving it a very pitiful death after torturing it over and over.


    ----------------


    Kahn was perplexed after seeing Oliver''s new attack. He knew all the skills of the generals but thest grandiose attack skill the Thunderbird subordinate made wasn''t one of them.


    "What the hell was that attack?" asked Kahn.


    To his query, Oliver replied in a gentle voice.


    "Master, do you remember when I flew away after my evolution?"


    "Yes. What about it?" asked Kahn.


    "Over that one week, I had been roaming the skies and understanding thews rted to the vast sky.


    It was then, I suddenly felt someone calling out to me." spoke Oliver as he pped his massive wings that were twice the width of Vilgax.


    Although Vilgax was a variant, he was not on par with Oliver in size who was a variant of the Godbeast Roc bloodline.


    "Heaven''s Judgement¡­ Vajra is a gift I received after receiving 2 enlightenments in session." he replied in a prideful tone.


    "Gift from who?" asked Kahn as he already had a premonition.


    "The Sky Deity¡­ Indra."


    Replied Oliver as the shadows of massive wings covered the entire battlefield from the sky.


    "What the hell? Do Deities have a lot of free time these days?" asked Kahn. He wasn''t even fazed this time because of the previous surprise given by Ceril who received the gifts from the Deity of Necromancy, Velsharoon.


    But he did end up wondering if receiving gifts from the deities was that easy of achievement.


    First, it was Kahn who received Blessings from War Deity. Then it was Ceril who received gifts from Velsharoon. And now... Oliver received one from a sky deity named Indra.


    As if having nothing better to do with their lives, deities were offering a lot of gifts recently.


    And it wasn''t just Kahn or his generals. What about the other Heroes? Their allies and the warriors from various empires who served particr gods?


    What if there were too many people with blessings and gifts from the deities?


    So not only would Kahn have to worry about being hunted by the other Heroes, but also the others with blessings and gifts too.


    Who knew if all the deities were actually watching Kahn from somewhere as if watching a reality tv show.


    "Why do I feel like I''m inside some story?


    And these deities are just enjoying watching me.


    What if I''m not even alive and just a fictional character?


    What if someone is watching or reading about me at this moment?


    What if I''m inside a novel?" asked Kahn.


    He suddenly looked in a particr direction and stared at an invisible being existing in a different dimension.


    "Nevermind. As long as they pay me for it¡­ I''ll allow them to tag along in my journey." he said and focused his attention on the matter at hand.


    Kahn thennded on the massive body of the Vilgax who beat his crew to death until they freed him and stopped his endless supply of world energy.


    Kahn ced his hands on this legendary rank creature and gave themand.


    "Absorb!"

 Chapter 467 - Spiritual Pressure

    <h4>Chapter 467 - Spiritual Pressure</h4>


    After spending seven hours, Kahn was finally done absorbing the abilities of the spirit creature Vilgax. But instead of hearing the list about the newly acquired abilities, he paid attention to an important matter first.


    "Alright then¡­ who should I go with this time?" wondered Kahn.


    Suddenly, a particr subordinate appeared right beside him as if he was there the whole time and finally decided to show himself.


    A man with green eyes and shoulder-length ck hair whose half of the face was covered in a ck mask now chose himself to be the one to evolve next.


    "I''ll take this one."


    And thus, the candidate was selected without any problems. It was the left-hand man of Kahn. Also known as¡­


    Ronin.


    Since there was no objection from Omega, Kahn started the synthesis divine ability and gave hismand.


    "Merge!"


    [300,000 SS Rank mana cores and ores are needed toplete this procedure.]


    Suddenly, the system notified Kahn.


    "What the¡­ why so many? Even ckwall didn''t need these many cores when I evolved him." queried Kahn.


    [The specimen used in the synthesis procedure is an amalgamation of various bloodlines. Thus, to perfectly form a physical form and also grant the ability to create a spiritual form for the general named Ronin, a high quantity of mana resources are required.] exined the system.


    "Alright then. Take it." spoke Kahn and looked forward to Ronin''s new evolution.


    ----------------


    As the synthesis procedure continued, Kahn thenmanded the system to show him the list.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Spiritual Sense (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to use world energy and sense all the living creatures within 5 kilometers radius and map their locations in mind.


    Note : This ability can only be used after the host bes a Saint rank being first.


    ----------------


    Phase Shift (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to temporarily change his body into a spirit form and pass through any objects, elemental attacks or even living beings.


    Current activation time : 10 seconds.


    Note : Arge amount of world energy is required to activate this skill.


    ----------------


    Spiritual Replica (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to create a spiritual replica of himself using world energy. This replica will possess all of the host''s skills and abilities.


    However, it will have only 80% of the Host''s stats.


    This Spiritual Replica will be 50 times bigger than the host but will only have the upper body portion in spiritual form. All of the host''s fighting skills and bloodline effects can be granted to this replica.


    The activation period depends on the host''s reserves of world energy. As long as the host can provide an ample amount, the Spiritual Replica will continue to exist.


    Note : The host must break through to Saint rank to use this ability.


    ----------------<i> [ Updated from


    . c o m ]</i>


    Following are the merged abilities :


    Hunter Intent and Spiritual Sense have merged and created a new ability.


    Hunter''s Domain (Saint Rank) :


    Allows the host to sense, pinpoint, and spiritually track any living being as per wish.


    The range of this skill is currently 5 kilometers radius.


    Note : The range and effectiveness of the ability will increase with the progress in the host''s rank and levels.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Vilgax


    Current bloodline purity : 100%


    ----------------


    Note : Spiritual Sense has been merged under Survival Instinct blessing.


    Survival Instinct has reached stage 4.


    The Spiritual Replica can also use the Asura Mode.] reported the system.


    Kahn on the receiving end was shivering.


    Not because of fear but due to overwhelming excitement!


    "Bloody hell¡­ did I just receive my own version of Susaano and a Bankai?"


    Because these three new skills were just totally insane.


    Although he couldn''t use them because of his limited rank as of now¡­ the usefulness was simply too much.


    Hunter''s Domain was simply too useful. It was like his Detective Mode getting upgraded to a whole different level.


    Phase Shift was the exact ability Vilgax used to turn into a spirit form and evade all the attacks and remained unaffected by even Jugram''s Hell Domain and Ceril''s suppression formation.


    Even though Kahn could only use it for 10 seconds even after he became a saint, that was probably his second-best lifesaving skill after the Dimensional Law skills.


    And the best of them all¡­ Spiritual Replica would allow Kahn to create a form 50 times bigger than himself and madepletely out of world energy.


    Even with 80% stats¡­ it could use all of Kahn''s abilities and skills.


    But the best part was¡­ Kahn could grant it the Asura Mode.


    This was his second-best power buff mode after Berserker God Mode.


    And Kahn will be weakened still just like thetter after using it.


    But if Kahn could use the Asura Mode on this Susaano of his¡­ he would be able to bypass the restriction of the weakened state on his physical body.


    And this Kahn''s version of Sajin Komamura''s bankai would be able to use many different bloodline abilities at the same time.


    Like Kahn could use the physical skills of Basilisk, Invimarak, Bjormngandur, Mountain Titan, and Draconian bloodlines at the same time on his Spiritual Replica.


    And all he needed was a source of immense world energy. For which¡­ he already had the biggest and baddest object of them all.


    The Peak Saint''s Core!


    All Kahn needed to do was be a saint and he would finally have another OP skill that would be no different than gaining an extra Kahn with the same fighting capacity as him.


    ----------------


    After 8 more hours passed¡­ the synthesis process was finallypleted.


    Shooaaa!!


    Strong winds formed a couple of typhoons and an eerie atmosphere came to be in the middle of the battlefield.


    BOOM!!


    A hundred meter tall body of a humanoid monster whose entire body was abination of Vilgax''s white exoskeleton armor and pulsating red flesh came to be.


    Two 50 meters long tentacles were protruding from its back and from its forearms¡­


    There were two massive des, big and strong enough to even cut down someone like Jugram in a fight.


    On the center of the head, was a single bright yellow eye and on the back, it had a long tail.


    Ronin, in his new evolved form, looked like a biomechanical creature made for the sole purpose of killing.


    Just then, the system gave Kahn a notification.


    [The general named Ronin has evolved into a new species. It''s called¡­] the system took a pause and finally revealed the names of Ronin''s new form¡­


    [THANATOS.]

 Chapter 468 - The Killing Machine

    <h4>Chapter 468 - The Killing Machine</h4>


    Kahn was too stunned to speak as he saw Ronin''s legendary rank form. Even the massive 10 meter long des on his forearms looked like des of Chaos that would cut through anything.


    The two extensions from his back appeared to be an upgraded version of Vilgax''s tentacles but with glimmering blue lighting out of them as if they had apletely different purpose than just choking his enemies to death.


    And Ronin''s humanoid shape looked simply too agile and slender enough to give him a lot of speed in battle despite his massive hundred meter tall frame.


    "System, give me his details."manded Kahn.


    [Congrattions to the host. Subordinate named has invoked a Legendary rank ss.


    Following are the statistics and abilities :


    Name : Ronin


    Species : Thanatos (Variant Soul Reaper)


    Job : Spirit Assassin (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 239


    Strength : 13759


    Agility : 20189


    Dexterity : 18934


    Defense : 4010


    Mana : 8367


    ---------------


    Following are the abilities and skills :


    Spiritual Sense (SSS Rank)


    Poison Immunity (Legendary Rank)


    Spiritual Replica (Saint Rank)


    Phase Shift (Saint Rank)


    ----------------


    Soul Collector (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    General named Ronin can absorb and collect the souls of his victims to increase his rank, levels and effectiveness of all skills.


    Note : The stronger the soul consumed, the more additional effects and levels will increase.


    ----------------


    Phantasm (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Ronin can use the collected souls of the enemies in a battle and turn them into a supplementary source of world energy.


    The subordinate can use this energy to replenish his reserves of world energy and use the skills that require it without running out of reserves.


    Note : The more souls are collected by subordinate, the more energy will be absorbed and converted.


    ----------------


    Invisibility (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Ronin can nowpletely seal his presence while turning invisible. No being under a 5th stage Saint rank or Mythical rank will be able to sense his presence.


    Note : This ability can rank up only after the next evolution to mythical rank.


    ----------------


    Following are upgraded abilities and skills :


    Fear Toxin (SSS Rank)


    Grappling Extension (SSS Rank)


    Shadow Walk (SSS Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Vilgax


    Bloodline purity : 100%


    ----------------


    Subordinate Ronin now has a suitable body to receive a few of the host''s skills.


    Hunter''s Domain & Lucid Reality skill can be granted to the general using the Impartation Skill.] reported the system.


    Given the set of skills and abilities Ronin received¡­ Kahn was asunder on the spot.


    Because Ronin''s evolution waspletely overwhelming as well as received tons of OP skills.


    He now had 3 Saint Rank skills already but to top it, there was also a Legendary rank ability.


    Like how Armin could heal a soul¡­ Ronin could steal them and actually use them to increase his levels and effectiveness of skills. Which was a major game-changer for Kahn.


    With this skillset, Ronin was probably someone with the best assassination skills and a custom-made killing machine.


    Although the weak monster had weaker souls. A legendary rank creature or even a saint rank individual had a much stronger soulpared to others. So his rise in levels would be extremely fastpared to the others.


    And if Ronin ever managed to get his hands on the soul of a chosen Hero¡­ he would probably go straight to the Mythical Rank.


    Ronin could also absorb the souls of enemies directly and use them as a source just like world energy to turn invisible and phase shift to fight and kill his enemies.


    This means in arge-scale war, the more he killed, the more energy he would get which would enable him to use his abilities and skills again and again without running out of world energy.


    This will be no different than how Kahn used the Peak Saint''s Core like an endless supply of world energy while his doppelganger turned it into the space force.


    In Ronin''s case, he''d have no limits on how many times he can use his skills using this energy...


    "System, give Hunter''s Domain and Lucid Reality to Ronin."manded Kahn.


    [Impartationpleted.] replied the system.


    This whole hunt had turned out very fruitful to Kahn because now, not only he could enter the 2ndyer of the barrier which was also the entrance to the forbidden region but also¡­


    All the regional bosses who caused the annual monster tides were taken care of.


    Means from now on, millions of soldiers and normal citizens won''t have to die every year like how they did in the past 150 years.


    Because of the restrictions of the barrier that prevented Saints from entering this region for the past 200 years¡­ none of these legendary rank monsters were taken care of.


    Hence, more than two billion people who lived in Vessen in the past two hundred years had died.


    And finally, it took Kahn, a chosen Hero of a God to get rid of these monsters and ensure their safety.


    Although Kahn could use this opportunity to boast around the entire fiefdom as well as the Rakos Empire¡­ he chose not to.


    Because that would force him to reveal too much information he''d rather have kept a secret. Also, he didn''t need praise or validation from others to acknowledge his achievements.


    With this, Kahn hadpleted the biggest task of his sovereignty.


    To protect the lives of the people.


    ----------------


    After the squad was done taking care of the battlefield using Armin and ckwall''s skills, they departed for the entrance, which was their main objective, to begin with.


    Their warship reached the entrance after following the directions told by Vilgax and finally, everyone saw this rumored entrance that no one had been able to ess in the past 150 years.


    A massive gate, filled with archaic patterns and runes that was 200 meters in height and 50 meters in width now stood across their warship.


    The entire body of this enormous door was made from an unknown metal which exuded a high pressured purple aura.


    "Master¡­" said ckwall as he sensed this familiar purple aura.


    "What?" asked Kahn.


    Just then¡­ Oliver interjected and spoke.


    "It''s the same aura that was controlling the other legendary rank monsters." he revealed.


    Kahn then had a serious expression on his face as he too found this aura familiar.


    "That means whoever sent those legendary rank monsters after us¡­" he said with a grim tone and continued in a resolute voice¡­


    "Is inside the Forbidden Zone."

 Chapter 469 - The Entrance

    <h4>Chapter 469 - The Entrance</h4>


    The next morning, Kahn returned to Aesir after taking care of the matters at Niflheim''s borders and military headquarters. He left Jugram in charge of that ce to monitor and protect it till the final day game.


    For the next 10 days, he made arrangements to keep the Vessen fiefdom operating when he and all the generals would leave for the forbidden region and needed a fully functional administration that would overlook every aspect of the fiefdom in their absence.


    And in the meanwhile, his levels rose to 165. Only 10 levels behind his original levels before he sacrificed a portion of his soul.


    So far, everything was going as nned and now, only 5 days remained until the door to the forbidden region opened for 10 days like a set timer every year.


    On the 12th day, Kahn received a secret letter delivered by the assassins of the Neutral Faction.


    That Celine Armitage has been informed about his allegiance and they''re to join hands if they meet inside.


    And also¡­ Kill Ezekiel Nabi if either of them gets a chance to keep the matters between Kahn and Neutral Faction a secret.


    To avoid the risk of the semi-saint mage might bing a witness and warning his faction in case Kahn and Celine retrieve the Tablet of Arcana.


    To get enough time for them to secure the tablet and avoid a war between the two factions for it.


    As Kahn read through the instructions, he became more curious about the history behind this tablet and what it signified.


    Because if the two factions were even ready to start an all-out war for it, which would kill millions of their people and soldiers in the process and even risk the fate of the entire Rakos Empire¡­ means the origin of this object was something worth all the bloodbath and risk as well as the bloodshed.


    And another risk of the Demi-Human faction jumping into the fray was not out of the equation as well.


    Hence Kahn had to y his cards safely because no matter who retrieved the object¡­ there was bound to be a sh.


    So Kahn, who was basically a double agent at this point, wanted to be on the winning side. Because his life would be forfeited in case his allies were to lose in this uing war.


    As for what Kahn would get in return¡­ he already mentioned his conditions in the letter that was sent to Damon Mikealson. His demands were the same as he had agreed with the Pureblood faction long ago.


    So whichever side delivered them first, would get the tablet. And to get it¡­ he wasn''t going to y the nice guy.


    ----------------


    Just like that¡­ 15 days passed and Kahn returned to Niflheim.


    This time, he had all the military outposts fully equipped as his single warship with only him and the generals reached quietly to the entrance.


    And to make sure things remained hidden¡­


    Kahn spread over a thousand assassins, 50 thousand monsters including frost giants and magician ss subordinates from the legion to guard the door when he was gone.


    He even left a dozen Lord Rank monsters that were created from different species, elemental creatures, and had skills and fighting abilities based on the requirement and usefulness in a battle formation.


    And finally, when the night came¡­


    SHRILL!!


    A high-pitched shrill filled the surrounding 5 kilometers region and the door made of unknown metal started exuding high pressured waves of world energy.


    A purple aura that permeated in the air suddenly froze and soon, all the archaic runes on this massive door shone bright yellow.


    CREAK!!


    CREAK!!


    A thickyer of purple aura had covered what was on the other side of the door. As if you needed to walk inside this door to see the inner zone.


    "Alright, get inside my shadow. Only a semi-saint can enter inside. We need to bypass that restriction." ordered Kahn and all the generals disappeared into his shadow.


    "Phew! Let''s hope I can make things work in my favor. My future in this world depends on it." spoke Kahn and heaved a long sigh.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    He started walking towards the now opened door with both his hands folded behind his back.


    To Kahn, he felt he was entering the boss room already.


    As per the information he received, this door will stay open only for 10 days. So he has toplete this task in that period or he will be forever stuck inside.


    And since his future, as well as his rise in power and authority, depended on the deal he made and the oue of this final task, even Kahn felt nervous for a second.


    It was time for him to embark on this new expedition that had an unsolved history.


    So far, he only knew about the death of the previous Hero of Lightning inside this region over two hundred years ago.


    Also, it had something to do with the Imperial Family and the great war which happened over a hundred years ago when all the three seventh stage saints joined hands during a coup and killed the previous emperor.


    Kahn believed the coup itself happened because the three faction leaders desperately wanted this Tablet of Arcana for some reason.


    Recently, even the Emperor''s Chosenpetition was rigged by them to get one of the other two exit points as their fiefdom.


    While Kahn who was the Sovereign of Vessen had to clean the house and hunt down his enemies to gain full control.


    Yet, he still had no idea who was the entity that was controlling the legendary rank monsters and forced them to attack the borders when Kahn started clearing out the hotspots by getting rid of the regional bosses.


    With that mind full of questions¡­ Kahn finally entered the door.


    And after walking a dozen steps, his entire figure disappeared inside the purple mist-like aura.


    To others, it was just a moment of passage. But for Kahn¡­ it was the time...


    To get the answers.

 Chapter 470 - lnside the Barrier

    <h4>Chapter 470 - lnside the Barrier</h4>


    A purple mist-like aura spread across a valley that was filled with tried woods and barren ground. Suddenly, a sound of footsteps was heard and at the exit of these dpidated treelines¡­ a figure of a man in a ck and gray longcoat was finally revealed.


    Kahn exited the dense fog and finally saw what was ahead of him.


    "What the hell¡­ this ispletely opposite of what''s outside." he said.


    Because in front of Kahn¡­ was apletely different environmentpared to the entry point from where he entered inside the second barrier.


    A sky filled with dark clouds, lightning striking down from above from time to time. A thoroughly destroyed and charred ground with nothing but ck soil on its surface appeared in front of Kahn.


    From where he stood, he could already see over a dozen enormous typhoons a few kilometers away. And it wasn''t just one but all four directions.


    In many locations, ground full of hotva could be seen while in some ces, a stream of hot water flowed across the ground.


    Kahn then noticed that no matter where he looked, he couldn''t find any living creature or green nt life as if this ce waspletely void of life itself.


    "Everyone, out." spoke Kahn.


    Soon, all the generals jumped out of his shadow and stood around him.


    "Oliver and ckwall. Search the terrain.


    Ronin and Ceril, you two look for any anomalies or hidden ces around this region using your skill.


    Armin, Jugram and Omega, with me." said Kahn.


    "All of you should stay within a 100 kilometers radius of my location. And inform me as soon as you notice or see anything worth mentioning." he ryed hismands to the subordinates.


    ckwall had the Earth Sense skill which allowed him to inspect everything on the ground within and 10 kilometers radius using this skill he got from the Mountain Titan.


    Ronin had the Spiritual Sense skill that helped him sense all living creatures within 5 kilometers radius.


    Ceril could feel the mana and world energy most promptly so he''d be the first to notice any magic formations or barriers that were either a trap or tried to hide anything.


    Oliver, who could use the Horus Eye skill to see even a small ant from 20 kilometers away, had the best advantage from the sky to gather intel about this region.


    Meanwhile, Jugram and Armin were already a greatbination together in a fight against strong enemies.


    So Kahn needed their protection in case they encountered any strong being.


    Because so far, only Kahn and Omega, the first two members of the pack were actually the ones who remained the weakestpared to everyone else.


    As the other subordinates spread in different directions, Kahn then headed towards the inner region using quicksilver skill, his fastest movement technique.


    Every time he moved, he''d appear 200 meters away the next second. Just 5 steps were enough for him to cross a kilometer distance.


    Butpared to Kahn, even Omega was faster and Jugram and Armin only needed to leap a bit higher and they''dnd at least 300 meters because of their stats and ranks.


    A couple of hours passed and the generals had traveled more than 200 hundred kilometers in different directions. But there was still nothing else than the destroyed and barrennds that felt like an anomaly of nature given the situation of the surroundings.


    Finally, a message from Ceril arrived.


    [Master¡­ I have noticed something odd in this ce.] he reported.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn.


    [Try opening a dimensional crack.] said Ceril.


    "Huh?..."


    Kahn then used and gathered the space force in his body at the edges of the greatsword.


    He hade prepared this time. In thest 15 days, the doppelgangers had amassed and absorbed a lot of space force so currently, Kahn was at his maximum capacity in terms of reserves.


    Swing!


    He swung his weapon vertically.


    Crack!


    A void crack opened right in front of him.


    But instead of spreading wider, the crack squinted and then ceased to exist the very next second.


    "What the¡­ why isn''t it opening?" asked Kahn to himself.


    [So it''s just as I suspected¡­ the Space has been sealed inside this entire region.


    Master, I don''t think you''ll be able to use any of your Dimensional Law skills.] suddenly, Ceril informed Kahn.


    "What do you mean? To seal space? That''s not something anyone can easily do." spoke Kahn with a baffled expression.


    This was the first time he heard about someone being able to seal the space.


    [I think it''s this entire dome that''s doing it. But to make such a magnificent and vast barrier¡­


    I don''t think even a 6th stage saint rank magician can do that.


    And this isn''t even a magic formation. So we''re definitely dealing with something very powerful.] replied Ceril.


    "I see. Well, let''s keep looking. We can make do even without my dimensionalw skills." he said and carried on his travels while crossing this chaotic region as if going on a journey to middle earth and destroy the ring.


    ----------------


    ONE DAY LATER


    Even someone like Kahn had been exhausted because even now, they hadn''t found anything as if they were inside some loop where you couldn''t exit a pathway under some sort of magic.


    But this wasn''t the case here. This entire region in itself was more than a thousand kilometers vast. And even now, there seemed to be no end.


    The distance between Kahn and the four generals who spread in different directions had increased to the point they had to use themunication artifacts after they separated for a few hundred kilometers.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!


    Two sonic booms were heard and finally, Oliver arrived at Kahn''s location.


    His 3 meter tall frame with two brown wingsnded in front of Kahn.


    "Master. We need to gather everyone.


    I found the end. And there was another door just like the one we entered from.


    But we will need everyone to gather first." informed Oliver.


    "Finally!" eximed Kahn as he let out a sigh of relief.


    "But why would we need everyone?" asked Kahn in a curious tone.


    Oliver then spoke with a somber expression on his face as he revealed why they needed to gather the whole squad¡­


    "Because just like before¡­ there''s another Guardian."

 Chapter 471 - The Chaotic Duo

    <h4>Chapter 471 - The Chaotic Duo</h4>


    Kahn had a curious expression on his countenance as Oliver urged him to get the gang together before they went to the entrance to the inner barrier. Because they had no other choice left since there was absolutely nothing other than the chaotic environment filled with lightning strikes, burnt ground, and streams of magma.


    To someone like Kahn, this was the definition of Purgatory where the biggest sinners were sent to repent for eternity in many religions and cultures.


    "Why?" asked Kahn.


    "I can''t tell you. You will need to see it for yourself." replied Oliver.


    "Fine then. Call back everyone."manded Kahn.


    After almost half a day, all the subordinates gathered. And since there were no suns and moons in this region inside the second barrier, just dark thundering clouds and typhoons¡­ none of them could even tell what time it was.


    Kahn and the gang spent 5 hours just traveling to the said location guided by Oliver.


    As they finally see why Oliver came back for them and asked them to gather first¡­ Kahn and the rest of the crew had their keen senses telling them that it was a bad decision.


    Survival Instinct rang like a loudspeaker inside Kahn''s head, telling him to run away as soon as he could. And this time¡­ it was even more terrifying and louder than thest time when Kahn faced the aura of Stronoff Mikealson, a 4th stage saint swordsman.


    Because there were two gigantic monsters just 3 kilometers away. Each one was around 500 meters in height alone and behind them, was a gate that looked identical to the one whence Kahn came.


    Both of these creatures were actually ginormous wolves.


    One hadpletely white while the other had pitch-ck fur. On their legs and heads, were some sort of ancient runes that glowed blue and red respectively.


    But before Kahn''s entourage, who were hiding their presencepletely, could even do anything or approach these two creatures¡­


    "Oho, brother. Looks like that bird is back with more of his friends." said the gigantic white wolf.


    "Come here little birdy. Want to y again?" he asked in a mischievous tone.


    "Fool! Is that what you should be excited about?


    And why are there beasts like us this time? Shouldn''t it be those warriors from small and weak species as always?


    And I think that other than that weakling human among them, the rest are all monsters.


    There''s even an undead amongst them." said the ck wolf who reprimanded his brother.


    Everyone was terrified as soon as they were noticed from this far distance. Because of Kahn''s skills that he imparted to them, all of them were extremely efficient in hiding their presence. But even so, they were found very easily.


    [System, what are these two?] asked Kahn as he


    [Both of them are Mythical Rank creatures named Skoll and Hati. Direct Descendants of the Godbeast Fenrir.] replied the system.


    [Based on their aura, world energy and size¡­ both of them are at least level 300.] reported the system even without Kahn asking.


    Kahn had an awestruck expression on his.


    Mythical Rank!


    Both of these two guardians were of mythical rank.


    Even with their whole crew¡­ taking out one mythical rank was already an impossible task. But there were two of them.


    [Human! You should forget about that tablet. Even I can''t do anything against them.


    I could be of use if there was only one¡­ but two means certain death for all of us.] Rudra suddenly spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    "Fuck! No wonder no one was able to retrieve that tablet thing.


    Not only could only semi-saints enter here¡­ but they were up against mythical rank monsters at that.


    Even 3 semi-saints can barely hold against a first-stage saint. But there are 2 who areparable to a third stage saint, maybe even above given their rank." said Kahn.


    Meanwhile, all the generals got in a battle formation, ready to defend their master.


    "Oh, there''s one with our bloodline too. But he''s too weak. And his bloodline isn''t very pure either." said the ck wolf.


    At this moment, Oliver decided to speak up.


    "Master¡­ I saw them from 20 kilometers away when I was searching through this ce.


    And when I saw them from afar and came here to assess the situation¡­ they sensed me despite mepletely hiding my aura.


    Later, they challenged me to a fight." revealed Oliver.


    "And given the sky and endless supply of lightning. I was already in my peak battlefield environment.


    And since they had hidden their rank, I engaged in a battle with them.


    But after fighting with them head-on, even my biggest attack skill, Vajra¡­ didn''t even touch them.


    Rather, my strongest strike was diverted into a different direction." he iterated.


    "But before I could retract from the battle¡­ I was pulled in by some gravitational force and both the wolves ran after me as if I was their prey.


    I changed to my Hawkman form and barely managed to escape. But I noticed one thing¡­


    That one of them can pull things closer while the other can push things away." exined Oliver about why he was embarrassed to reveal the reason when Kahn asked him.


    Because Oliver was basically hunted down like two wolves chasing after a turkey.


    That''s why even Oliver failed to defeat them since he wasn''t confident to win against this duo in his Thunderbird form.


    "Master¡­ Those runes. They''re simr just like the ones we saw on Vilgax after we destroyed the magic formation." said Ceril.


    "I see. I don''t think we can defeat them. So I have to try something." spoke Kahn and inside of hiding behind his allies, he marched forth.


    Kahn then stopped as soon as he came 2 kilometers close to the massive duo.


    And instead of exuding any type of aura or intent to fight, he acted like someone familiar with these two monsters.


    "Before we start¡­ I have a proposition.


    Instead of fighting between ourselves for no reason. How about we¡­" he said and revealed his n to avoid a conflict.


    "Make a deal?"

 Chapter 472 - The Negotiation

    <h4>Chapter 472 - The Negotiation</h4>


    Kahn stood in front of these two gigantic wolves, who appeared more like Wolf Deities to him at this point. There was no fear or hesitation on his face either when anyone else in his ce would''ve run away right from the beginning.


    "I and my subordinates only need to enter the door behind you.


    And if you agree to our request¡­ I have a proposition to offer." said Kahn as he looked both these creatures in the eye.


    He wasn''t being careless when he came and stood close to these two. He had defensive measures of his own ready.


    If these two creatures decided to attack him or make any dangerous move, he''d instantly switch ces with Ronin, who had silently created a 5 kilometers distance between him and the two mythical rank monsters.


    Kahn would Shadow Swap ability and appear far away while Ronin would use the Phase Shift ability to save himself.


    But to propose a deal, he had to take a risk.


    "Before we start that conversation¡­ How? How can you understand and speak ournguage?" asked Skoll, the white one among the duo.


    "Does it matter? You should be focused on what I''m offering instead." said Kahn confidently.


    "And what is that?" asked Hati, the ck one.


    Kahn then spoke with a benign smile on his face¡­


    "Freedom."


    Dered Kahn as if offering the easiest thing in the world.


    "Oh¡­ interesting. And how do you propose we do that, human?" asked Hati again.


    "We have dealt with this before. And we know how to get rid of these." said Kahn.


    "Now, you can choose to attack us or let us help you escape this imprisonment. In thetter choice¡­ Everyone benefits." he said in a magnanimous tone.


    "Ha ha! Haha!"


    Skoll''s loudugh that shook the ground resounded in the 4 kilometers radius.


    "What an idiot." spoke Hati without showing the slightest will to corporate.


    [Master, actually¡­ Their runes are on their heads. If we want to break the formation¡­ you know what I mean.] just then, Ceril spoke through the telepathy link.


    [Fuck! I really should have thought this through.] thought Kahn but still carried on his bluff.


    "You''re not the first one to propose this idea, human brat. Many people stronger than you have already tried and failed. Besides¡­" said Hati but before he continued,


    "Where''s the fun in that?" said Skoll without a second thought.


    "We have been sealed here for far too long. Maybe over two centuries now.


    And because of the seal, even if we don''t want to¡­ we will have to kill you to protect the inner region." said Hati.


    "If you want to pass, you will have to kill us.


    Because if you can''t even defeat us, then how do you expect yourself to defeat the one who''s protecting the final barrier?" replied Skoll.


    "What?! There''s another one?!" asked Kahn with a dumbfounded expression.


    [There are two motherfucking Mythical rank monsters here! And they''re not even the final bosses?


    The Map


    I can''t even defeat these guys. How am I going to fight against the one inside?] he rambled in his mind.


    "And can you tell me who sealed you?" asked Kahn.


    "Ah, there was this bastard called Ymir.


    He was what you''d call an 8th stage saint by your standards.


    He fought and defeated us a long time ago. And then he imprisoned and sealed us in this ce before he died.


    These runes are what''s giving us a supply of world energy. So that''s how we''re still alive.


    And also, it stops us from going away more than 100 kilometers or even killing ourselves or each other.


    We have been treated like guard dogs who can''t even die of their free will.


    In the past hundred years, many people what you call semi-saints came here to what''s inside.


    But none have managed to get past us." said Hati, who seemed to be the knowledgeable one of the duo.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, a heavy aura that not only pressured Kahn but also the other legendary rank generals was emitted from the duo.


    "Only the worthy shall pass. And only a death worthy of our lives will free us.


    So if you don''t dare to do so¡­ then get lost. We won''t offer you another chance." spoke Skoll.


    With their final intimation¡­ Kahn had no other choice but to rethink his options.


    The next second, Kahn quickly dashed back to his allies and their entire crew absconded.


    Unlike some standard mindless monsters, Skoll & Hati were already on the same level as Kahn''s generals in terms of sentience.


    ----------------


    "Dammit! We don''t have any other choice but to fight. At this rate¡­ I don''t think it''s even possible to get past that door." spoke Kahn.


    "But master, I don''t understand why they let us go?


    They said that none of the others who came before us managed to get past them.


    Means either they let them go, or killed all of them." spoke Ronin with a thoughtful expression.


    "Thetter is more likely the case. Otherwise, the three factions would''ve known about two mythical rank monsters being the guardians of that door.


    But we weren''t informed anything about it. Means none of them survived." replied Kahn.


    "Could it be that they were afraid of us? I mean, we do have bigger numbers. And if we add the snake to the list, we might be able to kill them." spoke Jugram.


    "Not possible. The runes on their heads have a massive amount of energy reserves. Even if we all gang up on them¡­ they won''t run out of the reserves for days.


    The same isn''t the case for us." said Ceril.


    Kahn andpany will fight it.


    "That''s the main problem. Their abilities are extraordinary. Both of them have perfect control over their skills.


    When I fought them previously¡­ they weren''t even trying to kill me. Rather, they were just passing time." spoke Oliver.


    "Their attack range should be around 15 kilometers based on their ranks and levels. But they allowed us toe that close.


    You all should understand what it means right?" interjected Omega as all of them came to a certain realization about their enemies.


    That both Skoll & Hati¡­


    Didn''t even count any of them as a worthy opponents.

 Chapter 473 - Push and Pull

    <h4>Chapter 473 - Push and Pull</h4>


    Kahn and the crew had dejected expressions on their faces. This was probably the biggest hurdle they ever faced since their new journey in Vessen fiefdom began.


    They were a bunch who had the confidence to go against a mythical rank opponent because of their line-up of legendary rank subordinates and Rudra. But now, there were two of these mythical rank creatures.


    Even someone like Rudra wasn''t confident to win in a fight against one of them, let alone two.


    "We have to give it a try." spoke Kahn.


    "Are you sure, master? Because I don''t think we have a chance." said Omega.


    "It''s not like I have a choice. If we stop now, there are so many things we have to lose.


    Both Pureblood & Neutral Faction won''t leave me alone if I don''t bring the Tablet." spoke Kahn with a somber expression.


    "Plus soon, I''ll be a saint. And then, I''ll have to run the fiefdom from outside of the barrier.


    Till now, all of them paid attention to me and treated me carefully because they wanted the tablet. But if I fail¡­ I''m just another 1st stage saint who can be dealt with easily." he exined.


    "But we can''t be certain that it''ll work. We don''t know much of their abilities." said ckwall in a stoic voice.


    "Well, even if you all die, I have enough resources to revive all of you quickly." said Kahn.


    "Alright then¡­ let''s make a viable n first."


    ----------------


    ONE HOUR LATER.


    BOOM!


    Thud!


    Team power rangers walked towards the Skoll and Hati who were already awaiting them after sensing their presence from 10 kilometers away.


    "So you all have decided to die today, huh?" said Skoll as they gazed at all of the generals who had taken their true forms already.


    Apart from Kahn and Omega, everyone else was present in their group.


    "The ones to die will be you two." said ckwall.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The entire surroundings of the 5 kilometers radius shook and even the ground trembled as an unimaginably horrifying aura that cracked the ground spread like a massive explosion.


    Six Legendary rank monsters now stood against two Mythical rank beasts.


    "Huh¡­ these little children are way up their heads. Why don''t we show them who''s the superior one here, brother?" said Hati with a wide grin on his face.


    In the following moment, two dreadful auras¡­ one white and another ck spread in the surroundings andpletely overwhelmed the previous collective auras and pressure spread by the generals.


    All the generals suddenly felt fear of imminent death in their bodies. Even though they all could fight against a 3rd stage saint on their own based on their abilities & skills¡­


    The level 300+ mythical rank wolves were alreadyparable to a legit fourth stage saint because of their rank. And there were two of them. So their collective murderous aura easily thwarted the one released by the generals.


    In response, all of the generals got into battle formation.


    ckwall and Jugram in the front, Ceril, and Ronin in the middle and Armin in the back.


    Oliver however, quickly spread his wings and took off high in the sky.


    Other than ckwall, Oliver and Jugram, the rest looked like little toddlers in front of Skoll & Hati due to their size differences.


    The duo of five hundred meter tall wolves activated all the tunes on their bodies and finally decided to show them why they looked down on all the generals.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    ckwall used Terrain Maniption and 20 massive boulders, each sizing around 100 meters in height alone, ascended from the ground and he grabbed two of them in both hands.


    And like the beast titan, he threw these massive boulders one by one that were only one-tenth of his ginormous size.


    Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Whrew!


    The boulders that were big enough to kill a thousand soldiers in a battle with a single strike were hurled high in the air and soon, reached the wolf brothers who stood two kilometers away.


    BOOM!!


    A burst of white aura was revealed from Skoll and as soon as came a kilometer close¡­ all 20 of the boulders suddenly stopped midway in the air.


    "How primitive." spoke Skoll as he scoffed at the Kronos general who was a variant primordial titan.


    "We don''t ept gifts from strangers. Take them back." said Hati and the next second, a ck aura that encapsted these massive boulders came to be.


    And before ckwall could even react, a suction force suddenly dragged his massive one kilometer tall body towards the wolves.


    Swish! Swish!


    All the 20 boulders suddenly changed their target and now, they quicklyunched themselves in ckwall''s direction while breaking the sound barrier. ckwall, who was getting dragged towards them by an invisible force didn''t even have a chance to defend himself.


    BANG!


    Shatter!


    ng!


    BOOM!


    And in just 10 seconds, all the boulders that were intended to hit the enemy actually hit their master instead.


    Boooom!!


    An ear-deafening noise resounded in the 5 kilometers radius as the legendary rank titan was quickly incapacitated and his ginormous body fell on the ground. Forming hundreds of crevices in the 2 kilometers radius.


    If not for his titan body and defensive skills, even ckwall wouldn''t have been able to survive those boulder-canon shots.


    Jugram on the other end quickly activated Hell Domain which reduced the enemy''s stats while giving him a massive boost in strength.


    However¡­.


    Before he could even charge at the wolves, all the hellfire that spread on this battlefield was sucked in and formed a 200 meters radius fireball.


    Hati, the one with the gravity pull skill gave a smirk to the Diablos general who was of the same size as them.


    In the following second¡­ Skoll, the Almighty Push user activated his skills and the massive fireball was coated in his white aura.


    BANG!!


    Just like before, Hati pulled in Jugram and Skoll hit him with the hellfire wrecking ball.


    BOOM!!


    Jugram was flung a kilometer away as his own weapon was used against him.


    Hati then pulled in those massive earth elemental boulders and skoll used his powers to hit Jugram again with those boulders.


    It hadn''t even been 5 minutes since the battle started and yet¡­ the vanguard was already taken down.


    "Two down¡­" spoke Skoll as he grinned.


    The next moment, Hatipleted the sentence.


    "Four more to go."

 Chapter 474 - Way Too Easy

    <h4>Chapter 474 - Way Too Easy</h4>


    As the mythical rank wolves took down their vanguard despite all the buffs and team effects from ckwall, Jugram and Armin, the remaining four had no choice but to act quickly.


    Ceril from the left end, flew dozens of meters high in the air using his four massive wings that spanned 50 meters in width.


    The next second, he quickly summoned the scythe of the reaper and also activated Book of the Damned that increased his stats by 4 times and attack damage output by 3 times.


    He quickly cast thousands of shadow des made with pure dark magic and darkness element andunched a barrage of these des that once destroyed the army of millions of soldiers when he fought against the Ashokvatika monster.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    As if a massive tornado of thousands of des, each of which was ten meters long came towards the direct descendants of the godbeasts Fenrir, both the wolves released their aura and a visible wall of world energy at the same time.


    "Oho¡­ darkness element. This is interesting.


    How do we deal with these?" spoke Skoll as he still had a narcissistic grin on his mouth.


    "Same as usual." spoke Hati.


    "Urgh¡­ what''s happening?" asked Ceril with an rmed voice through his faceless skull.


    tter!


    tter!


    Thousands of the shadow des that were suddenly stopped in the air now started quivering and right before Ceril himself¡­ all of them were instantly covered in Skoll & Hati''s auras at the same time.


    Every single one of the shadow des had a ck and a white aura swirling around them like Yin and Yang.


    "Impossible!" eximed Ceril as he finally realized one thing.


    At this moment¡­ both his enemies actually had full control over the shadow des as if stealing candy from a child.


    The next second, instead of attacking the gigantic wolves, the shadow des suddenly came to their side of the battlefield and novel, they looked ready to attack their caster instead.


    "He he! Let''s get some bones to munch on." said Skoll as he looked at Ceril''s skeleton figure.


    For the first time after his evolution¡­ Ceril felt like his entire being was under threat as the white wolf talked about eating his bones.


    And before he could get the gist of things¡­ the tornado of shadow des suddenlyunched towards their side instead.


    Ceril quickly cast the Darkness barrier while Armin cast his Wood Elemental dome that covered him like an egg.


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    ng!


    A relentless barrage of shadow des collided against their respective barriers and in a matter of seconds, hundreds of long cracks formed on their protective barrier¡­


    Shatter!


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    It didn''t even take a minute before both the barriers were broken and Ceril, who was floating in the air, was hit by his own ace skill that was unparalleled in arge-scale battle.


    Thud! His disheveled figure dropped on the ground. While on Armin''s side¡­


    The heavily injured figure of the Erdtree general who had the best healing and alchemy skills was revealed to them.


    Thud!!


    His four-legged body dropped on the ground, and liters of green blood spurt out of his body from dozens of wounds as he had too manycerations.


    Armin didn''t even get a chance to attack or protect himself before he was taken out of the game.


    SCREECH!!


    Oliver had already amassed all the lightning strikes in the 5 kilometers region and made his ultimate move again.


    Vajra!


    A 50 meters long lightning spear suddenly charged at the wolves from the vast sky.


    Zing!


    Zing!


    Before the lightning even struck¡­ the attack stopped midway.


    Instead¡­ Skoll and Hati controlled this skill as well andunched it towards Ceril who just got up on his feet.


    Zap!


    In just seconds, the 100 meter tall skeletal body of the Necromancer general was zapped on the spot.


    As for Oliver, Hati pulled him closer to them since he was under 15 kilometers in height in the sky and Skoll thenunched the remaining hundreds of shadow des at him.


    Oliver in his Thunderbird form was of the same size as the wolves, but under this irresistible gravity control skill used by his enemies, even he lost control and was struck by the volley of attacks from hundreds of shadow des at the same time.


    BANG!!


    His massive body collided against the dark elemental des while the duo of wolves used his Vajra attack, the skill that killed Vilgax not long ago to take down Ceril.


    BOOM!!


    His massive body dropped on the ground and arge cloud of dust spread across like a storm.


    Ronin, the only remaining general, in his new Thanatos form was the only one who remained unaffected.


    Previously, when the mythical rank wolves controlled Ceril''s shadow des andunched a massive wave toward them, he used the Phase Shift skill and all the attacks passed right through without harming him in any manner.


    Swoosh!!


    The next moment, his image flickered and disappeared right from the spot.


    The following is, he appeared one kilometer away and the wolves quickly used the shadow des and the massive boulders to attack him again.


    But just like before¡­ Ronin phased right through them again.


    However, none of them had a scared or rmed expression.


    And right when Ronin was only 100 meters close to the duo¡­.


    BOOM!!


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Before Ronin even touched his enemies¡­ his entire body was stered on the ground without even having the ability to move the muscle.


    "It''s that tentacle nutjob''s ability who was sealed outside before we were brought here. How do you have it?" asked Hati.


    "Nevermind¡­ a spiritual creature or not¡­ you can''t escape gravity.


    Not when you''re closest to us." spoke Skoll in a mocking tone.


    The next second, Ronin''s body was yeeted out by the wolf brothers.


    BANG!


    Ronin was thrown so fast that if not for his skill allowing him to phase through things, he''d be squashed like a tomato on the ground.


    10 MINUTES!


    It took these two mythical rank enemies only 10 minutes before they took out Kahn''s six legendary rank generals.


    Kahn, who watched this battle through the shared vision with the generals, spoke in a terrified voice¡­


    "Holy mother of Revenge Counter!"

 Chapter 475 - Best Stategy Ever

    Chapter 475 - Best Stategy Ever


    Kahn was speechless as he saw the aftermath. Currently, he was sharing his vision with all the subordinates and now stood 30 kilometers away by using the Telepathy Link skill.


    These two mythical wolves ironically used his team''s skills against them and took out all of them without even taking a single step.


    And since Kahn couldn''t use Dimensional Law skills here because the space inside the entire 2nd barrier was sealed by something¡­ there was no way any of them could even touch these two mythical rank enemies.


    But instead of attacking back or killing the generals¡­


    "Go away. You guys aren''t even good enough for a warmup." spoke Skoll.


    "And I was expecting a good battle. What a letdown." said Hati.


    And right in front of the massive bodies of their enemies that were out of operation¡­


    Both the wolvesy down on the ground and closed their eyes.


    Kahn saw this scene from Ronin''s eyes, who was barely conscious at this moment.


    And he was simply too stunned to speak...


    Because in the middle of this destroyed battlefield and massive bodies of incapacitated enemies, Skoll and Hati were¡­


    Taking a nap.


    ----------------


    New Achievement Unlocked¡­


    Team Legendary Generals was royally insulted.


    The biggest p in the face Kahn and his allies ever received was delivered by these two brothers.


    Not only did they decimate the entire team of legendary rank generals¡­ but they were soidback about it to the point they decided to sleep right after the enemies were dealt with.


    This was a whole different level of flex Kahn had ever seen. Because both of them didn''t even care about finishing off the enemies at all.


    [System¡­ pull everyone back.]manded Kahn.


    Soon, all the generals turned into massive ck shadows and sprinted toward Kahn''s direction.


    The fact that none of the two wolves even used a physical attack or actively ran across the battlefield made Kahn realize two things.


    One, they probably didn''t have any physical attack skills. That despite their massive bodies, they only had psychic or telekinesis skills.


    As far as physical skills or elemental attacks went¡­ these two didn''t have any because they couldn''t move while using their powers.


    The way he saw it, they were more like a Gravity Law sort of skill that Kahn had never even heard of before.


    Two, they chose not to kill the generals because they were either just toying with the group or actually wanted to be killed but could not do so because of the runes that sealed them in this ce.


    So the whole encounter was just a test taken by Skoll & Hati to see if the generals had what it took to kill them.


    Which, the gang did not have the ability to. Instead, it was more likely that their attacks would be used to kill their own allies.


    After a few minutes, all the generals returned and merged with his shadow.


    [Haha haha haha!! Look at these losers. Couldn''t even touch the enemy side.]ughed Rudra in Kahn''s mind.


    "Shut up you useless shit. If you were there, they would''ve wrung you like a wet towel until your body was twisted a thousand times." said Omega as he defended the others.


    "Alright, I don''t have time for your quarrels.


    System, use as many as mana ores you need and recover their state." spoke Kahn.


    [Recovery procedure initiated. 700 thousand SS Rank mana cores and ores taken from the host''s space ring.] replied the system.


    5 hourster, all the generals had recovered and now surrounded Kahn in their human forms.


    "That was pretty¡­ embarrassing." said ckwall as he tried to avert his gaze from Kahn.


    Not just him, but everyone else had a simr expression.


    "You''re all alive because they chose to not kill you. Otherwise, it would''ve taken me days to resurrect all of you even with all the resources I have.


    And since we''ve already wasted 2 days now, we can''t afford any more failures." said Kahn.


    "But master¡­ I don''t think we still have any chance to defeat them even if we fought again." said Ceril.


    However, Kahn had a different thoughtpared to the rest.


    "I noticed a few things while I watched the fight from all of your eyes.


    And if I''m right¡­ they have some conditions while using their powers." spoke Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "What conditions, master?" asked Ronin.


    "During a battle¡­ both of them cannot use their powers at the same time.


    Skoll or Hati always used their skills and abilities only after one of them finished using his skill.


    And even though they are extremely powerful, using their powers takes a lot of mental strain on them.


    I think that''s why the runes are right on their heads." he revealed.


    "And I think we have a way. But most of you will have to die if we want to seed.


    Well, if we don''t seed¡­ it''s the end for us anyway." said Kahn as he looked around all the subordinates.


    Because at this moment¡­ a n hatched in his mind and he ryed the battle tactic to all of them.


    Because for them¡­ it was a situation no different than do or die.


    ----------------


    10 HOURS LATER.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The six generals again marched towards the duo of mythical rank brothers who previously put them in their ce and taught all of them a harsh lesson that one should not try to aim above their rank just because they have more numbers.


    "Huh... You dared toe back? Don''t tell me the previous lesson wasn''t enough for all of you?" said Skoll.


    "Interesting¡­ their eyes are filled with resolve.


    Like someone who isn''t afraid to die.


    Well then, let''s send them to the afterlife. There''s no point in ying around." spoke Hati and now¡­ both the wolf brothers seemed to have decided to finish off Kahn''s crew.


    But instead of exuding any killing intent or even releasing their auras¡­.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    All the legendary rank generals suddenly knelt on their knees and shouted together in a vehement tone¡­


    "We beg you to let us pass!"

 Chapter 476 - The Deception

    Chapter 476 - The Deception


    Kahn''s team of legendary rank generals suddenly knelt in front of the two mythical rank wolves Skoll and Hati when they faced the duo for the second time. And their sudden pleading about letting them go past the door took both the brothers by surprise.


    "What¡­ what are they doing? Shouldn''t they be picking up a fight with us?


    Didn''t we tell them that we will have to kill them even if we didn''t want to?..." spoke Hati, the ck wolf.


    But just when Skoll was about to speak his mind¡­


    BOOM!!


    All of them released their auras to the full extent at the same time. But instead of charging at the mythical rank duo like before¡­


    ckwall, who was kneeling on the ground, used an earth-style jutsu and created a massive 600 meters tall wall that suddenly burst out of the ground and protected their side.


    Ceril quickly cast the Darkness Barrier and covered all of them in a matter of seconds.


    Armin then cast a buff on all the allies that boosted all their stats and attack damage by 3 times and he too cast a yellow protection barrier around all of them.


    Hati & Skoll took it as a challenge and started the second round of their battle.


    And like before, both of them used their powers and pulled the gigantic earth wall towards them with all of their strength and then crumbled it under high gravitational force.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    They shattered the enormous wall in seconds and as the rubble fell, they used it to attack the darkness barrier.


    BANG!


    ng!


    Hundreds of massive boulders struck the darkness barrier in session and their collision noises filled the entire battlefield.


    The ground trembled from the shockwaves after shockwaves and finally, a big crack opened in the pitch-ck barrier.


    BANG!


    BOOM!


    Crack!


    After another volley of the attack, they finally broke Ceril''s barrier.


    But as the yellow protection barrier cast by Armin appeared in front of them, both the wolves quickly used the remaining boulders to break the 2nd barrier.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    In contrast to the first one, this barrier cast by the Pathfinder general quickly broke and then instantly shattered.


    But just when Skoll and Hati thought that they had seeded¡­ a figure of a gigantic bird who was of the same size as them suddenly appeared behind the shattered barrier.


    A massive 50 meters wide golden and ethereal orb that had amassed in front of Oliver''s beak shone brightly.


    Swoosh!


    The golden orb quickly sped up and in just 10 seconds¡­ the orb came a hundred meters close to the enemies.


    As it reached 50 meters close to the gigantic figures of the mythical wolves¡­ it suddenly stopped in the air.


    "Such a childish move. What''s this supposed to do?" said Skoll as he looked down on this golden orb that was like a football in front of two dogs.


    BOOM!!


    A massive burst of golden aura exploded from the orb and suddenly, both the mythical rank opponents fell behind.


    Soul Distortion!


    Oliver finally used the Soul Distortion skill that damaged an enemy''s soul. This was the very skill that nearly killed both Kahn and Kassandra.


    Even someone like ckwall in his legendary form couldn''t stand against this attack.


    Thud!


    BANG!


    Both the brothers fell on the ground as their souls received heavy damage and their mind and body connection was greatly affected.


    Although it wasn''t enough to kill them given their levels and ranks¡­ both of them were temporarily incapacitated.


    "Now!"


    Suddenly, Kahn''s voice resounded in all of their ears.


    Jugram quickly cast Hell Domain and Ceril activated his wide red suppression barrier.


    "These runts! I''m really going to kill them now!" shouted Skoll furiously.


    But at this moment, both of them couldn''t even control their own bodies.


    On top of it, under the suppression of the hell domain and Ceril''s barrier, both of their physical stats were reduced by 55% considering the difference between their levels and rank.


    Swoosh!


    But before the brothers could even get up¡­


    Two 100 meter tall identical figures appeared right beside, one on each side of the wolves. And on the hands of these two figures were 10 meter long des made up of an unknown metal.


    Stab!


    Pierce!


    The two Ronin, one original and the other being his doppelganger, plunged their dagger-like des that he gained after his evolution and cut through the necks of both the brothers who were taken out by Oliver''s surprise attack.


    Their arrogance made them look down on that small orb attack skill and thus they ended up in a state where they couldn''t even use their powers.


    And to Kahn, who nned it all¡­ this was the biggest weakness these two had.


    Since the Soul Distortion skill took too much time to activate, Kahn waited for 10 hours until Oliver had fully charged it.


    And then had his generals createyers of barriers during the fight so they could not see Oliver activate this skill while they were busy attacking the generals.


    And just as he expected¡­ both the mythical rank opponents looked on this skill and even allowed it toe closer just to flex their superiority.


    And in the meanwhile, Ronin had used his SSS Rank Invisibility skill topletely hide his presence and traces of existence.


    As soon as the brothers were temporarily incapacitated and couldn''t use their powers, Ronin appeared right beside them, created a doppelganger, and made the killing move on the already weakened bodies of Skoll and Hati.


    "These... Ah, there''s no point." spoke Hati as he whimpered after the real Ronin pulled out his des from the former''s neck.


    Spurt!


    A fast stream of red blood gushed out of their necks and soon, a massive stream of red blood flew on the ground.


    Ronin quickly disappeared from the spot and appeared next to the other generals the next second in order to avoid any surprise attack from the two.


    And like always¡­


    Arrogance had caused the downfall of two mighty beings.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Both the brothers who faced each other as their necks bled like streams of rivers had an aghast expression.


    The runes on their heads and legs started fading and disappearedpletely after a minute.


    The next second, Kahn''s figure suddenly appeared in between them while his boots soaked in their blood.


    But instead of attacking him or pulling anyst move¡­


    Both the brothers spoke in unison.


    "Thank you¡­ for freeing us."

 Chapter 477 - Two Seniors

    Chapter 477 - Two Seniors


    As the massive bodies of the gigantic mythical rank wolvesy on the ck and charred battlefield, Kahn stood in between their bodies and looked at the two brothers who were having their final breaths.


    But instead of showing hostility, Skoll and Hati thanked Kahn out of the blue.


    "I should be thanking you instead. You were going easy on us from the beginning. If we didn''t have this second chance¡­ it would''ve been impossible for us to defeat you." said Kahn with a hint of gratitude in his voice.


    Because he noticed that both of them hadn''t even used their innate skills or bloodline abilities in both battles. Rather, they fought with the bare minimum of their skills.


    No way in hell the two mythical rank monsters would be so easy to take down even with his well-thought strategy if they had gone all out.


    It was as if they were doing what the seals on their heads forced them to do while only using enough skills and force to repel Kahn''s generals.


    Although Kahn indeed found a weakness¡­ just executing the n became possible because the enemies didn''t even reveal their full powers even till thest moment.


    This wasn''t a win he achieved based on his skills or worthiness and neither was it a hard-won victory but actually a pity shown by these two mythical rank descendants of a godbeast.


    And the evident truth was¡­


    Skoll and Hati allowed Kahn''s team to kill them.


    "May I ask why you didn''t use all of your skills?" asked Kahn.


    "Because all of you would''ve died even before you came ten kilometers close to our proximity." said Skoll as liters of blood dripped from his mouth.


    "Do not be discouraged, human. It''s just that for beings like us with great lineage¡­ a life of a ve isn''t worth living." spoke Hati in a somber tone.


    "We already made our peace with death long ago. We''d rather be dead than be someone''s servant. But that''s a fate we''ve been enduring for two centuries now.


    And out of all those who came till this point¡­ only your warriors seemed to have a chance." iterated Skoll.


    "And you didn''t use your strength but our weakness against us. That''s an honorable defeat in my eyes.


    And finally, we can leave this hellish ce." dered Hati again.


    Even in their dying moments, both of them were only speaking in turns as if it represented their existence.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Omega in his white attire of the nobility and a katana on his waist appeared close to their fallen heads and looked at the ginormous bodies from up close.


    He made a 90-degree bow to both of them as a form of showing respect to these great warriors.


    "Come forth... Our kin." said Hati as he barely gathered his remaining strength to talk.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    "Let this be¡­ our parting gift to you.


    I hope you don''t have to experience the same fate as us." said Skoll as he huffed heavily.


    Those were thest words spoken by the mythical rank brothers who chose to die willingly rather than carrying on living after two centuries of envement.


    To them, death was the only way to get free from the chains that bound them.


    As for Kahn and the others¡­ they now felt bad for killing these guardians who were forced to live a fate worse than death for such a long time.


    And after they finally died peacefully¡­ both of their bodies suddenly lightened up and an ethereal ck and white orb of energy appeared above the corpses of Skoll and Hati respectively.


    "Master¡­. Those are the wisps of their souls. I can feel it." said Ronin.


    "Are they dangerous?" asked Kahn.


    "No, there are not. It''s more likely that they carry only fragments of their souls. Like memories." replied Ronin, the one whonded the finishing blow.


    And right before everyone''s eyes, the two wisps entered Omega''s body. The very next moment, he felt a surge of immense energy run through his flesh and veins.


    For the next half an hour, Omega stood still on the spot without opening his eyes as he absorbed the wisps.


    And finally, after he opened his eyes, Omega looked at the lifeless corpses of these two mythical rank beings who could''ve killed them all long ago if they wanted to.


    "Thank you¡­ seniors. I shall live up to your expectations." said Omega with grateful eyes.


    He again bowed in respect to Skoll and Hati to show his appreciation.


    "What did you receive?" asked Kahn who stood beside him.


    "They gave their knowledge about how to improve the Fenrir bloodline as well as make proper use of other godbeasts bloodlines.


    I thought I was the exception. But turns out the many descendants of the Godbeast Fenrir have the Devourer ability." said Omega.


    "Oh, the skill you gained when you evolved into a Lycan?" asked Kahn as he remembered one of Omega''s innate skills back when he ranked up Omega during his hunting days in Bromnir dungeon in vot city.


    So far, this skill was useless because Omega didn''t get his share of godbeast bloodlines and he didn''t possess enough bloodline purity to make use of them either.


    "So even without knowing that I could evolve you, they imparted their knowledge.


    I guess our impression of them was wrong." said Kahn as he sighed.


    If not forced into the choice of having to kill them¡­ maybe Kahn wouldn''t have willingly chosen to fight them either.


    Rather than acting like mindless and rabid monsters that he usually fought with¡­ Skoll and Hati seemed like the cool adults who had seen a lot about the world and wanted to give proper guidance to the young ones like Omega.


    In the following minutes, Kahn had Ronin push their bodies extremely close and started the Ability Absorption divine ability.


    And for the first time so far¡­ it took Kahn more than 15 hours topletely absorb their skills, abilities, and bloodlines.


    As he was finally done, Kahn didn''t bother checking the list and looked at Omega.


    "You ready?" he asked.


    Omega only nodded but with a dejected expression. In his mind, he felt sad for both Skoll and Hati who were forced by a powerful entity to live as ves for two hundred years.


    "Merge!"manded Kahn as he began the synthesis procedure.


    Omega was the very first subordinate he created in the abyss forest after he faced those three wolves as soon as he entered the world of Vantrea.


    Yet he was thest one to finally get a chance to evolve after their expedition began. So to Kahn, it was much more important to finally see Omega get his deserved upgrade.


    To Kahn, Omega was and always would be¡­


    The First Ally.

 Chapter 478 - The Gravity Law

    <h4>Chapter 478 - The Gravity Law</h4>


    As soon as the synthesis procedure began, Omega, the first ally who has been with Kahn since Day 1, started his evolution¡­ The system notified Kahn.


    [Two million SS Rank cores and ores are required to carry out this synthesis. Otherwise, evolution will be a failure.] said the system.


    "What the hell?! Two million? Why so many?" asked Kahn in a befuddled voice?


    [The gap between the levels and ranks of the subordinate Omega and the two specimens is too big. Thus, additional resources are required to close off this difference and sessfullyplete the synthesis procedure.] replied the system.


    "I see. That was unexpected. Alright, take it." spoke Kahn andmanded.


    This was the highest count system ever asked of him. 2 million SS Rank cores were enough to create 5 million ordinary subordinates.


    But thanks to Kahn''s current financial state where he didn''t have to pay taxes, he had too many resources that many billionaires and Saints in Rakos Empire didn''t have.


    In the meanwhile, he decided to go through the list of newly acquired abilities.


    "Show me the list." he said.


    And as he went through the list, Kahn waspletely bbergasted and eximed¡­


    "Sweet baby jesus!"


    [Gravity Law acquired!


    The host can create, shape, move, control, interact with and manipte gravity, a natural phenomenon in which all things with mass or energy can be controlled.


    Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Gravitational Upforce (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    The host can drastically decrease the gravity in a targeted radius area, causing targeted enemies to float upward.


    Current maximum range : 2 kilometers


    Maximum number of enemies that can be targeted at once : 1000


    Note : Arge source of world energy is required. Host can use this ability only after bing a Saint rank being first.


    ----------------


    Gravitational Downforce (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    The host can drastically increase the gravity in a targeted radius area, causing every target to m downward.


    Current maximum range : 2 kilometers


    Maximum number of enemies that can be targeted at once : 1000


    Note : Arge source of world energy is required. Host can use this ability only after bing a Saint rank being first.


    This ability does not work on enemies stronger than the host.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host. Both previous abilities have merged under War Dominance.


    War Dominance has risen to stage 6. This effect will be essible to the host after bing a saint.


    ----------------


    Attraction (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to pull any targeted being in 2 kilometers radius towards himself using immense gravitational force.


    Note : This skill does not work on stronger or higher-ranked opponents.


    ----------------


    Repulsion (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allow the host to push any targeted being in 2 kilometers radius away from himself using immense gravitational force.


    Note : This skill does not work on stronger or higher-ranked opponents.


    ----------------


    Gravity Imprisonment (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Imprison entities or objects by creating a strong gravitational force around them in a 5 kilometers radius around the host.


    Note : This ability requires a massive amount of world energy. The host must be a saint to use this skill.


    ----------------


    The system would like to inform the host that the Gravity Law is one of the five strongestws of reality.


    The host has already mastered the Space Law till peak grandmaster rank. He is advised to impose his mastery in gravityw as well as both thews are verypatible with each other in a battle.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Godbeast Fenrir


    Current bloodline purity : 55%.] reported the system.


    Skoll & Hati had actually mastered the Gravity Law!


    Kahn was left speechless on the spot after hearing this notification.


    He knew that Space Law was one of the strongestws but never knew about the others. And miraculously, he got these Gravity Law skills, each one of which was absolutely a game-changer in a battle


    Because the range and effectiveness of the skills were simply too much. And he''d be able to defeat over a thousand enemies at once just by using these abilities and not even having the need to lift a finger.


    Attraction and Repulsion were the exact abilities Hati and Skoll used to pull and push away the generals and attacks during the battle.


    Gravitational Upforce and Downforce skills were simply too terrifying because they could lift and m any object or opponent based on his will.


    The first one was the skill they used to control the attacks sent by the legendary rank generals and the second one pulled down Oliver''s gigantic figure from the sky despite him flying a few kilometers high in the air.


    And the Gravity Imprisonment¡­ it was simply an execution skill.


    Although it had a different way of functioning and had limited potentialpared to his War Dominance blessing. But it was still on par with Lucid Reality when fighting against a single powerful enemy.


    Just then, Kahn remembered Hati''s words¡­


    Thankfully, Skoll & Hati didn''t use this ability during both the rounds. Or Kahn and his subordinates really would''ve died as soon as they entered 10 kilometers proximity to the mythical rank monsters just under that immeasurably terrifying and heavy gravitational force and get turned into a meat paste.


    Kahn had really lucked out big this time.


    ----------------


    10 HOURS LATER


    The synthesis procedure was finally close to an end¡­ the system suddenly rmed Kahn.


    [The host is advised to quickly run away for more than 10 kilometers.] Informed the system.


    "What?... Why?" he asked.


    [Because the host might not survive the aftermath of the result.] replied the system quickly.


    "The hell¡­" spoke Kahn but instead of wasting time, he quickly ordered everyone except Ceril to hide in his shadow.


    Ceril, who could already fly because of his profession, cast a levitation spell on Kahn and then quickly departed.


    And just when they created a 10 kilometers distance from their previous location¡­ the system informed Kahn in its lifeless voice.


    But this time¡­ he had a pleased expression because of what the system told him. Kahn spoke in a content tone as he heard the results¡­


    "Finally¡­ It was worth waiting all this time."

 Chapter 479 - The Calamity

    <h4>Chapter 479 - The Cmity</h4>


    Kahn and Ceril now stood on the ck and charred ground 10 kilometers away from the ce where the synthesis procedure was ongoing.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    The other legendary rank generals quickly exited Kahn''s shadow and stood beside him.


    And at the center of the 10 kilometer radius, an immensely terrifying aura wasing forth as if a wave of a tsunami was on its way.


    BBOOOOOMMMMM!!!


    CRACK!!


    SHATTER!!


    Massive explosions after explosions and their aftershocks filled the 10 kilometers radius and the ground closest to the source was pulverized and thousands of massive cracks and deep crevices spread across the whole radius.


    Thousands of boulders rose from the ground and suspended themselves in the air. Soon, even these massive and heavy boulders started shattering and crumbled into small pebbles in the matter of seconds.


    The whole ten kilometers of topography was turned into smithereens, tall peaks were ttened and the cracks werepressed to sink deep below.


    The hard rocks turned into granr sand and the hundreds of lightning strikes that came from the dark sky stopped midway as if they were frozen in time.


    AAAWWWOOOOOOOOO!!


    An ear-piercing and ground-shattering howl filled the 10 kilometers of space and the surroundings froze under a highly dense andpressed heavy pressure.


    Boulders rose from the ground again, tornados swirled around. Dozens of lightning struck around his body and finally, the gravitational force that basically ttened everything within the 10 kilometers radius subsided.


    "This pressure¡­ no wonder they said that we all would''ve died if they didn''t hold back.


    And like the system said, even I wouldn''t have managed to live if I stood at the origin of the pressure." said Kahn as he remembered Skoll and Hati''s words before their demise and the recent warning made by the system.


    Thud!


    Crackle!


    BANG!


    And finally, Kahn and the Generals saw the main cause of this heaven-shaking pressure that sent shivers in their spine despite being the allies.


    A 700 meters tall and 250 meters wide ginormous body of a Silver wolf with ck scale-like spikes around its forelegs and hindlegs as well as under its maw came to be.


    Four massive fangs with hundreds of sharp teeth were revealed along with ws that were 50 meters in length alone as this ginormous wolf growled.


    Omega had inherited the physical appearance and traits of both Skoll and Hati and basically, he appeared like both of them had morphed together.


    SHRILL!!


    His tyrannical and horrifying aura had basically frozen the region and still floating boulders and flowing lightning gave this scenario an ominous appearance as if this wasn''t just an evolution but a birth of a World Cmity.


    Finally after 10 minutes, Omega controlled his aura that even made the other legendary rank generals scared.


    Kahn and the rest came to the now calm surroundings and stood a few hundred meters away from Omega.


    Omega looked at Kahn from afar and slowly bowed his head till it reached a dozen meters close to Kahn.


    "You have waited for the longest. I hope you''re satisfied." said Kahn with a genuine smile on his face.


    "System, show me the details." ordered Kahn.


    [Following are the statistics and abilities of the subordinate named Omega :


    Name : Omega


    Species : Hrodvitnir (Variant Fenrir)


    Job : Dual Swords Samurai (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Mythical Rank


    Level : 372


    Strength : 38948


    Agility : 35890


    Dexterity : 34614


    Defense : 28903


    Mana : 24792


    ---------------


    Following are the newly acquired abilities :


    Gravitational Upforce (Saint Rank) (Active)


    Gravitational Downforce (Saint Rank) (Active)


    Attraction (Saint Rank) (Active)


    Repulsion (Saint Rank) (Active)


    Gravity Imprisonment ( Saint Rank) (Active)


    Sword King (SSS Rank)


    Sword Battlemaster (SSS Rank)


    ----------------


    Gravity Domain (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Subordinate Omega can create and control a gravitational field within a 10 kilometers radius.


    Allowing the subordinate to move faster, be more agile, conserve stamina, or fly, all by decreasing the effects of gravity on himself.


    Excluding the host and fellow subordinates, all the other beings from the opposition shall have their Defense reduced by 40% and Agility reduced by 90% inside the Gravity Domain.


    ----------------


    Effects of the Legendary rank job Dual Swords Samurai :


    Dual Swords Samurai (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    While using dual katana wield during a battle, the subordinate will have a 200% increase in agility and strength attributes.


    With each passing hour during a battle, the subordinate shall receive an additional 50% effectiveness increase in all physical and magical attacks and skills.


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded abilities & skills :


    Bloodline Boost (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to use chosen bloodline effects absorbed from other Godbeast species that can be used for 1 Hour.


    ---------------


    Bloodlust (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to focus killing intent on everyone in a 5 kilometers meter radius and put them in a fearful state for 2 Hours.


    ---------------


    Fenrir''s Howl (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    The subordinate''s roar can disorient anyone except the host and fellow subordinates within an 8 kilometers radius.


    ---------------


    Wolf Sovereign (SSS Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate tomand & exert authority on any Lykos (Wolf) rted species.


    ---------------


    Devourer (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate Omega to absorb & purify the bloodlines of other Godbeast species.


    Note : The innate ability has risen in ranks after merging with two mythical rank creatures with the same skill.


    ---------------


    Quickdraw (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to instantly increase his speed by 500% for 30 seconds.


    Current range : 5 kilometers


    Note : This technique can be used to target multiple enemies at once. The number of targets and effective range will rise with the increase in Mastery of this Combat technique and the Levels & Rank of the subordinate.


    ---------------


    Sword Will (Saint Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate toprehend sword skills and techniques at a fast pace.


    Note : The subordinate will be able to drastically improve swordsmanship skills after practicing them.


    ---------------


    Mirage des (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to create 500 mirage swords made of aura, mana, elemental attributes, and world energy.


    ---------------


    Elemental Domain (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to create a 10 kilometers radius domain in which the subordinate can control all elemental attributed attacks and spells for 10 minutes.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Godbeast Fenrir


    Current bloodline purity : 75%


    ----------------


    The Host is advised to mix the subordinate with more specimens of the Godbeast Fenrir bloodline.] reported the system.


    Kahn then told everyone about Omega''s new form, his abilities, and his rank.


    To this revtion, all of the generals shouted in unison¡­


    "This is cheating!!"

 Chapter 480 - The Fastest

    <h4>Chapter 480 - The Fastest</h4>


    All the generals stood rooted on the spot and had an expression full of disbelief. Although they kind of saw iting¡­ Omega''s new evolution far exceeded their imagination and expectations.


    Because Skoll and Hati literally bullied them in the first battle and they had the skills to take down every single one of them even after all the generals ganged up on the two mythical monsters.


    And it only took them 10 minutes to beat the generals to a pulp with the gravityw skills.


    But now¡­ not only was Omega a rank higher above them, but he possessed all of Skoll and Hati''s powers. He was at an even higher level than them both.


    So considering his stats, abilities, ranks, his attack range, and the gravityw skills such as the Gravity Domain¡­


    Omega was now Kahn''s strongest subordinate who exceeded every single one of the generals and even Rudra in every aspect.


    He was alreadyparable to a 3rd stain and given his boost abilities, even fighting a 4th stage saint as equals wasn''t going to be a problem.


    Plus his own innate skills and fighting abilities such as his job ranked up called the Dual Swords Samurai which gave him a 200% buff in strength and agility¡­


    If push came to shove, he could stand against a fifth stage saint for a while as well if he used the Gravity Domain skill which had the span of 10 kilometers.


    He was like the strongest sword to Kahn now and now one under 5th stage saint can touch him as long as Omega was there.


    "Master¡­ I should''ve ranked up to a Godbeast rank but Skoll and Hati were below level 500 and I was only a high lord.


    If I was already on legendary rank, then this evolution would''ve be more fruitful." said Omega as his tyrannical and dreary voice in his Hrodvitnir form created sonic booms when he spoke.


    Given his size and levels¡­ even Rudra was like a baby snake to him now.


    "It''s okay. It''s not like there''s no opportunity in the future. This result is already much better than we could''ve hoped for." said Kahn with a pleased expression.


    Because based on their current ranks, levels and skill¡­ forget killing two but even one mythical rank monster was beyond them.


    And since Rudra also originated from a low leveled legendary rank monster, he had to grow from the bottom just like all of them.


    "I''m currently low-leveled for now. But I feel like it will take time to form synergy between both bodies I was merged with and their powers.


    Skoll & Hati''s skills and abilities are very different and opposite from each other. So it will take time for me to be able to perfectly use them." spoke Omega again and sent tremors in the ground while all the generals in their human forms were pushed a couple of meters back.


    "And from now on, I will also need to practice and perfect the gravityw as well as learn to incorporate these abilities with mybat techniques and skills." he borated.


    "Well, that''s a given. It''s also good that someone besides me also has acquired aw.


    Even though you didn''t receive some sort of enlightenment or a gift from deities, this is more than enough to make up for it.


    Besides, fighting with swords suits you the best." replied Kahn in acknowledgment.


    "Alright¡­ now that everything is done. We should make our next move." said Kahn as he didn''t want to waste time waiting here.


    The throne of the strongest subordinate now already belonged to Omega and he was undoubtedly the undisputed champion.


    So in terms of hierarchy, the variant Fenrir was already at the top amongst them. Any argument over that was as useful as counting all the stars in the whole universe.


    Just when he was about to get ready to depart for the door¡­


    [The subordinate named Omega has met the requirements of Natural growth and Rank up.


    His rise in levels will be very fast and his original form will increase in size with each level up.] reported the system.


    "What the¡­ So in other words, Omega is a legit Godbeast in making and he will certainly cross that rank after he levels up enough?" asked Kahn with a bewildered expression.


    [Yes.]


    "By Odin''s beard¡­ that''s the best news I heard this whole month." rejoiced Kahn as he was confirmed to get an S Rank unit in this gacha game without even using the mighty credit card.


    ----------------


    Finally, Omega took his human form but this time¡­ everyone including Kahn was left speechless.


    Because now, Omega looked like apletely different person than before as if born anew.


    A 6''3 feet tall man with ripped muscles and a lean ectomorph build came to be.


    Unlike before, Omega no longer had ashen hair but waist-length silver hair. His right arm which he always used to fight with his weapon turnedpletely pitch-ck like that of a demon.


    Kahn could link these changes to Skoll and Hati''s bodies affecting Omega''s appearance after the evolution.


    His bright red eyes remained the same but his face became more refinedpared to before.


    This time, Omegapletely changed his attire and no longer wore the coat of a nobleman. But instead, he pulled in some white straps and wrapped them around his left forearm.


    He discarded the upper half of the armor that Albestros made him and kept only the gauntlets and the leg armors.


    Afterward, he pulled in 3 more epic rank katanas and bound them on the right side of his waist while he unsheathed Raijin, his favorite katana that Kahn named himself.


    After Albestros upgraded all of their weapons, he reforged Raijin with the bones of the legendary rank Invimarak. And now, the once white de was now a blood-red katana with runes and engravings on it.


    After he was done, Omega let out a content smirk and spoke in an exhrated tone¡­


    "Finally¡­ I can be the fastest Samurai."

 Chapter 481 - The First Form

    <h4>Chapter 481 - The First Form</h4>


    As soon as Omega dered that now he can be the fastest Samurai¡­ Kahn facepalmed himself.


    [Ah, he really took after my chuunibyou personality trait. I wonder how many years it will take him toe out of it.] he thought.


    But the next second, Omega''s expression turned insidious as he let out a grin.


    "Hey, Rudra. Why don''t youe out?


    How about we y a little?" asked Omega in a sinister tone.


    The generals quickly understood what Omega was trying to pull off here and all of them raised their thumbs in support.


    "Hehe! The snake is so done." spoke Ceril.


    "That bastard wasughing at us when those wolves thrashed us." said Oliver as he vividly remembered Rudra calling all of them losers when Vilgax beat them outside the first door.


    And recently, when Skoll and Hati used the general''s attack skills against each other, he wasughing hysterically while they got their asses handed to them.


    Only Omega was the one who never demeaned the generals or made fun of them. And Rudra was like that annoying roommate who no one liked but had to put up with him because they were weaker.


    And now that Omega was the strongest¡­ They all wanted to settle the score with Rudra.


    And the Basilisk was reaping what he sowed.


    [Arhm¡­ I am not fully recovered yet. You don''t want to fight the mighty me on only half of my strength, do you?


    My¡­ don''t tell me you''re that shameless and petty.] replied Rudra from Kahn''s shadow.


    "This earthworm!" cursed Omega who just chickened out.


    But suddenly, Omega''s gaze turned to Kahn and spoke with a serious tone.


    "Master¡­ Do you remember the two wisps they gifted me?"


    "Yes. Didn''t you say they gave you knowledge?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. But after this evolution. I have gained the ability to use that knowledge about using the bloodlines and unlocked two different transformations." said Omega.


    "What? What do you mean?" asked Kahn with a surprised face.


    "What I mean is¡­" said Omega and revealed the real meaning behind his words.


    "I can take two different battle forms."


    Not just Kahn but everyone else had a curious expression.


    "Show us." said Jugram.


    In the following moments¡­ Omega''s body was covered under a white and blue me and right before everyone''s eyes¡­


    A white armor suddenly appeared out of nowhere and Omega waspletely covered under it as if this armor was part of his body.


    His ck arm remained the same and his right leg also tuned ck but this time, there was blue fireing out of the corners. Along with these two noticeable changes, some parts of the armor also turned ck.


    Around his right shoulder was the head of a white wolf the other was covered in fur. Even Omega''s eyes turned bright blue in this transformation. As for the head, it was covered in a white mask thatpletely hid his face.


    Kahn was instantly reminded of Skoll, the white wolf who also shared these features as well as blue eyes and runes over his head and some parts of the body.


    "I shall call it the Moonlight Armor." dered Omega.


    In the following moment, his white and blue aura and world energy suddenly covered Raijin and right before everyone, it went from blood-red colored to a white and blue de. Even the sheath and the hilt turnedpletely white.


    "So he can even use world energy and the bloodline effect to transform his katana?" spoke Ceril as he noticed theposition of the de.


    "In this form, I am four times faster than usual and also, my uracy and maneuverability are greatly enhanced." revealed Omega and the very next moment, he let out his aura and lightning gathered over the now transformed Raijin.


    Swoosh!


    Omega moved so fast that even Kahn couldn''t see his speed or movement before hepletely disappeared.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    All the generals and Kahn were suddenly surrounded by a whirlwind and right in front of them¡­.


    Dozens of Omega''s afterimages that had surrounded them on all the sides appeared as if Omega was running in a circr path around them.


    Swish!


    Soon, the number of afterimages increases by many times, and in just 20 seconds¡­


    There was more than a hundred Omega sprinting around them. And even Ronin, who was the fastest amongst the generals before this new evolution was having a hard time seeing through his real location.


    So basically, Omega was already beyond theirprehensive speed and in this state, if he ever fought against an enemy¡­


    The opposite side won''t even know how or when they died.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    He suddenly stopped his sprint and using his new skills, Omega lifted a giant 100 meter tall boulder out of the ground that was at least 1 kilometer away from where the gang stood.


    And before anyone could grasp the situation, he made a shing attack with Raijin.


    sh!


    BANG!!


    The massive boulder was split in half instantly just by Omega swinging his katana from one kilometer away. There was no aura, no mana and a wave of energy that left Raijin and struck the boulder.


    Kahn and all the generals had their eyes wide open with a bbergasted expression.


    Because just like how Kahn could use the Dimensional Cut skill, Omega had created his own version using the Gravity Law in this Moonlight Armor form.


    So basically, he didn''t even need to directly hit his enemies to kill them if they were inside the one kilometer radius which seemed to be his current effective range for this skill.


    BANG!!


    The split boulder fell on the ground and he looked at the


    "I name this attack as Lunar Fang Strike." dered Omega.


    At this moment, Omega was very happy inside as he finally got the opportunity to show off in front of everyone.


    "This is¡­ This is too strong. Even a 4th stage saint will not be able to see this attacking and they may be gravely injured if they let this attack strike their body." spoke Kahn as he found the resemnces of this attack.


    Although it wasn''t absolute like Kahn''s Dimensional Cut that he got because of the Divine Ability, Omega''s Lunar Fang Strike wasn''t very far behind.


    And exactly when everyone thought that Omega was done flexing¡­ he spoke with a smile on his face.


    "Allow me to show you my second form."

 Chapter 482 - The Second Form

    <h4>Chapter 482 - The Second Form</h4>


    Omega now had an ted expression as he was happy to be able to flex his superiority on everyone for the first time while looking incredibly humble on the outside. The Moonlight Armor form was already too OP even for someone at third stage Saint rank. But now, Omega was about to reveal his second form.


    "Here I go." he said.


    Shwoooaaa!!


    The following second, Omega''s entire body was covered in ck and red mes and so was Raijin.


    Unlike before, there was a hint of chaotic aura filled with bloodlust emitting from him and the surrounding was suddenly filled with an oppressive force that made everyone feel like they were drowning underwater.


    And finally, Omega donned in ck and red armor, silver hair, and a ck mask with white fangs on it was revealed to them.


    On his left shoulder, was a head of a ck wolf while the other one was covered in ck fur. Raijin had also gone through another transformation as the white and blue de had turned ck and fiery red in this new form.


    This time it was the left arm and leg that was on scarlet red fire around the corners while Raijin itself emitted intense mes as the entire de itself looked hot as magma.


    And contrast to the previous form, his eyes glowed dark red, even more menacing than his new human form.


    "I shall call it the Twilight Armor." spoke Omega after he revealed his second battle form.


    Kahn on the other hand could see the resemnce between this form and Hati, the ck wolf brother who also had a pitch-ck body and red runes and patterns on his head and some parts of the body.


    "In this form, I''m even slower than my human form and less precise while fighting, let on the moonlight armor mode." said Omega and continued with a slight grin.


    "However, now¡­. I''m far more powerful than both the formsbined." he revealed in an excited tone.


    "My strength is multiplied by four times and the effectiveness and damage output of all my attack skills is greatly enhanced." he rified.


    And finally, he decided to disy the effects of this mode.


    "Cast a levitation spell on everyone." spoke Omega to Ceril.


    And right after everyone rose 200 meters high in the air, Omega suddenly appeared 2 kilometers away from their previous spot.


    He unsheathed Raijin and grabbed it with both hands. A ck and red aura suddenly appeared around the de of the katana.


    "Heaven''s Subjugation¡­" said Omega and quickly swung his katana in a vertical sh.


    "ck Fang Strike!!"


    And right before everyone''s eyes¡­ an immeasurably heavy aura sh attack filled with pure destructive powernded on the ground in the front.


    SLASH!!


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!


    CRACKLE!!


    SHATTER!!


    A loud burst of shing attack destroyed the entire ground in 2 kilometers length. Now, only a massive explosion caused by Omega''s new attack skillpletely obliterated the ground in front.


    The aftershocks and tremors cracked the ground open and a 100 meters wide and 2 kilometers long deep crevice was revealed to all the generals and Kahn who were afloat in the air.


    Had they been present on the ground¡­ may they would''ve died on the spot if that shing attack identally hit them. And now everyone understood why Omega told them to go away.


    And most importantly¡­ Kahn noticed that the ground hit with that skill wasn''t just blown away or ripped apart¡­. Rather, it waspletely pulverized till there were no traces of even sand left.


    Contrary to Lunar Fang Strike, which was extremely fast, clean and precise¡­ the ck Fang Strike was simply too powerful and destructive.


    Based on the range and aftermath, Kahn deduced that it was already at least 20 times stronger than his Dragon Strike.


    This Twilight Armor form of Omega was no different than the personification of destruction and brute strength.


    "Bloody hell¡­ not only his ranks and levels are higher¡­ His gravityw skills and these two Battle forms are more than enough to take us all out in a fight even if he was on the same level as us.


    Even all of us ganging up on him won''t change the oue of the battle." spoke Jugram, the most versatile and seasoned fighter amongst Kahn''s subordinates.


    "You''re right. None of you can surpass him now even if you all fought Omega together.


    Even I wouldn''t be his match at the same levels if I didn''t have these gravityw and spacew skills that can help me counter him.


    Dimensional Cut is the only skill I have that could help me kill him if we were enemies in a battle to the death." said Kahn as he analyzed the whole situation.


    The Gravity Law skills Omega inherited from Skoll and Hati were already too powerful.


    The Moonlight Armor form basically made him untouchable even to Kahn unless he used the True Dimension and Dimensional Cut attack skill while being on the same level as Omega.


    On top of it¡­ the Twilight Armor form was simply too chaotic and destructive battle mode where Omega could kill more than 20 thousand enemies with a single move.


    Even if a 3rd stage saint was to fight him, he''d get plummeted to the ground and then get obliterated into nothingness in a battle.


    And more importantly¡­ he was bound to be a Godbeast after he leveled up and met the requirements. So his skills and abilities would also improve and increase in terms of attack power, range and effectiveness.


    Omega, the first ally Kahn created after his arrival in Vantrea, was now the strongest among them all, including Kahn.


    And as everyone finally spent a lot of time epting this new reality of theirs¡­ Kahn decided that it was time to depart for the next door and enter the 3rdyer.


    Based on Skoll and Hati''s words, there was another guardian inside. But now that Kahn had Omega, a newfound sense of confidence and security came to his mind.


    "Alright! Let''s all leave." ordered Kahn.


    But right when they were ready to depart¡­


    Sniff!


    Sniff!


    Omega sniffed as he noticed someoneing in their direction from 15 kilometers afar.


    "Master¡­ it''s him. I think he noticed this door as well. He''sing over here at a fast pace." said Omega as he informed Kahn.


    "Fuck! I can''t even ignore him. He will find me in the inneryer anyway if I had to fight its guardian.


    All of you, inside!" said Kahn andmanded his subordinates to hide in his shadow.


    20 minutester, a figure of a young man donned in white and blue mage robes appeared close to Kahn.


    "You sure took your timeing here." said Kahn as he looked at this man who wore sses and spoke his name¡­


    "Ezekiel."

 Chapter 483 - Meeting the Ally

    <h4>Chapter 483 - Meeting the Ally</h4>


    Kahn stood in front of the semi-saint mage from the Pureblood faction who was supposed to be his ally in this expedition to retrieve the Tablet of Arcana.


    And now, after finally entering the 2ndyer of barrier, Kahn met this brown-haired mage who entered from the other side of the intersection from the opposite side of the Vessen fiefdom.


    "When did you arrive? Did you also notice this world energy outbursts?" asked Ezekiel with a curious tone.


    "Yes, that''s why I found the direction and traveled here to see if there was anything noteworthy.


    And finally, I found the door. I think it''s the way to get out of here." said Kahn as he outright lied on the spot.


    "Ah, I see. Then I wasn''t the only one.


    But this ce¡­ it''spletely different than the outside. It''s like a separate ne of existence. The map didn''t mention anything about the terrain." said Ezekiel as he nodded.


    "And what''s up this area? It feels like there was a battle between powerful beings." queried Ezekiel.


    [Fuck!] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    Thanks to Omega showing off his skills and destroying the nearby terrain while flexing his Moonlight & Twilight forms, the ce now looked like a ruined battlefield.


    "Don''t know. It was like this before I got here." responded Kahn as he tried to cover up.


    "So, should we depart?" he asked to quickly shift the topic.


    "Alright then. Let''s enter before that witch finds this door as well." replied Ezekiel and both of them departed for the second door.


    And after they finally entered the purple fog surrounding the massive door identical to the one from where Kahn entered thest time, the mage and the swordsman entered the 3rdyer of the forbidden region¡­


    Both young men were left speechless as soon as they saw the surroundings.


    Because contrary to the terrain and atmosphere of the 2ndyer which was filled with chaotic typhoons, charred ground, lightning striking from the sky, and magma running through various ces¡­ the scenario inside this ce waspletely different as if it was a separate dimension.


    In front of the duo was nothing but a vast region filled with strong blizzards and tall mountains as if they now stood in a destend. Everywhere they looked had only white snow and bone-chilling frost flowing in the air.


    "What the hell is this ce?" asked Kahn.


    "Howe there''s another hidden region? Shouldn''t we be close to the tablet?


    Even my map has nothing about this area." spoke Ezekiel.


    [Of course, it doesn''t. Because nobody ever entered inside.] thought Kahn as he knew that Skoll & Hati were the ultimate guardians who were never defeated by anyone that ever came inside the forbidden region.


    Whoever entered the 15 kilometers close to the door was sensed and killed by the wolf brothers and hence, there was no one who could report back about the 3rdyer either.


    Kahn and Ezekiel were the only two people who entered this ce for the first time in the past hundred and fifty years.


    "Let''s go. We don''t know how much time it will take for us to find the tablet. There''s no point in staying here." said Kahn.


    The duo then took out some ice resistance potions from their space rings and drank them to protect their bodies from this atmosphere.


    Kahn didn''t even need these potions because of his ice elemental affinity skills and passive resistance skills he got from the frost giants months ago when he ventured into the North. But to maintain the secrecy, he acted like he was greatly affected because of the environment.


    Soon, both of them embarked on a journey to find the holy grail while quickly passing through mountains and valleys.


    In the meantime, Kahn released Oliver, Ronin, Ceril and Omega from his shadow to look for the final guardian that protected this inneryer.


    Finding the guardian meant that they would also find the location of the tablet of arcana. And hence, the more eyes he had¡­ the faster their mission will bepleted.


    ----------------


    After 2 days of tireless searching, Kahn and Ezekiel had traveled more than 2 thousand kilometers using their respective skills and abilities but still, they found nothing but a bunch of icicles and frozen mountains.


    On many asions, Ezekiel ran out of mana and needed time to recharge using artifacts and mana cores so Kahn had no choice but to take some break himself.


    On the 3rd day, which was the 5th day of their window to return home¡­ Ronin with his newly upgraded abilities and skills finally found the guardian and contacted Kahn through the transmission artifact.


    "Master¡­ I found the guardian. But I think we should return to Vessen." spoke Ronin.


    [Why?] asked Kahn who was currently hidden in an ice cave, resting and recuperating.


    [Because given the aura, I''m certain it''s the very being that was controlling those legendary rank monsters who attacked our borders.


    And I just sent a clone of mine to inspect this creature. But it was killed just 15 kilometers away.


    I don''t think we will survive against it no matter what we do. Losing our lives just to test the waters is not worth it.] he replied.


    [What? How strong is it? Do you think Omega won''t be able to handle it?] he queried.


    [The wolf may be able to survive¡­ but I don''t think it''ll be the case for the rest of us even if we all fought together.


    And you, master¡­ will definitely die.] he revealed in a cryptic tone.


    [I''ming there¡­ Just keep on watch. We will decideter.] replied Kahn.


    [Alright. I''ll inform the wolf, birdy and skull.] said Ronin and cut off the transmission.


    When Omega, Ceril and Oliver reached Ronin''s location and sensed what kind of creature was guarding the tablet of arcana¡­


    All of them had an aghast expression after noticing the flying figure in the sky.


    Even someone like Omega felt a chill under his spine and eximed¡­


    "Fuck! We need to go back!!"

 Chapter 484 - The Final Guardian

    <h4>Chapter 484 - The Final Guardian</h4>


    While the subordinates were already adamant about retreating, Kahn was approaching their side and had traveled around 400 kilometers in just two hours using quicksilver skill which now reached its peak mastery.


    He told Ezekiel that he noticed something peculiar in the eastern end of this region and they needed to check it out.


    The reason he had the semi-saint mage to tag along with him was because even if he used a doppelganger¡­ someone talented like Ezekiel would eventually figure out that it wasn''t the real Kahn. So he had to bring his allotted ally with him.


    At this exact moment, Omega and the three generals tried best to hide their auras.


    "Why do I feel like we''re back in the Bromnir dungeon?" said Omega as he saw the final guardian.


    "Yeah¡­ I was having those shbacks of our deaths as well when I saw it." spoke Ronin.


    "And it''s even superior and higher ranked. We''re certainly not its match." said Ceril.


    2 more hours passed and the duo of the mage and the swordsman finally arrived close to a mountain range filled with a purple storm.


    Kahn and Ezekiel, both of them were rooted on the spot when they saw a ginormous being flying in the sky.


    "Alright! I''m outta here." said Kahn.


    "What kind of nonsense is this?! Why is something like that in the Rakos Empire?!" eximed Ezekiel in surprise.


    At this moment, they stood 15 kilometers away from the final door and used their skills to focus at the sky that was lit purple and a ginormous flying figure roamed the region around. It was so big that they could even see it from this long distance.


    Kahn didn''t think twice and decided to give up instantly after looking at this guardian.


    "Fuck the tablet, fuck these factions and fuck this mission.


    I''m not gonna die for this stupid-ass quest." he spoke in an exasperated voice.


    Because the ginormous creature with two massive wings and a body full of ck and purple scales that they would have to face to progress to the gate was a¡­


    DRAGON!


    ----------------


    Omega and the rest of the generals surrounded Kahn and Ezekiel from a few kilometers away as they kept a watch without revealing their aura.


    Kahn was in a dilemma given the current scenario because no way was he overconfident to think that he could defeat a dragon even if it was a low leveled one.


    Just the Magma Drake inside the Bromnir dungeon had nearly killed him and all his subordinates back in vot city.


    "Wait¡­ how about we try to distract it with something noticeable and then pass through the door while hiding using an invisibility artifact?" said Ezekiel.


    Kahn rolled his eyes at this suggestion.


    "That only works on small fries. Can''t you see, given its size and aura¡­ it''s at least a mythical rank dragon.


    Do you really think it won''t be able to detect weaklings like us?


    Even if we were to lure it away, we still don''t have anything worthy to garner its attention." spoke Kahn as looked around the frosted terrain.


    Even a mana bomb explosion wouldn''t suffice as it will be buried under the snow and get subdued by the blizzards very quickly.


    But right when Kahn looked away¡­ his Survival instinct suddenly rmed and he quickly made a shing attack on his right.


    ng!


    Lucifer''s de suddenly struck and cut through a dagger but before he could react¡­ a restriction barrier suddenly caged Kahn.


    SHRILL!!


    Kahn''s whole body was out under immense oppressive pressure and he caved in. A massive explosion of mana dispersed in the surroundings as multipleyers of these magic formations andyers caused an immense surge of energy within the 2 kilometer radius.


    "What''s the meaning of this?!


    Ezekiel¡­" said Kahn in a furious tone.


    His supposed ally suddenly used this restriction barrier and trapped him inside.


    "Sorry, Salvatore. There''s no other way around it.


    If we want to get its attention¡­ someone needs to make a sacrifice." spoke Ezekiel in a grim tone as he suddenly turned from a friend to foe.


    "Why?! Aren''t we supposed to be allies in this mission?" asked Kahn as he dropped on the ground while his mouth and eyes started bleeding under this formation.


    [This bastard! He''s using several epic rank artifacts and formations to trap me!


    This¡­ did he n it all along?] thought Kahn as his strength was reduced to only 30% of his original stats.


    "Why you ask¡­ isn''t it obvious? The one to retrieve the Tablet of Arcana¡­


    Shall be me!" dered Ezekiel.


    "You¡­ did you n this since the beginning?" asked Kahn as he gave a deathly re to the young mage.


    "Not exactly. I am just always prepared to make sudden changes in n.


    Besides¡­ you''re not from our faction so you don''t know the importance of this mission.


    To you¡­ it''s just a deal you made with the faction leader. But for people like me from the pureblood faction itself¡­


    It means our n''s future." he revealed.


    "The fuck do you mean?! Aren''t you all on the same side?" queried Kahn while maintaining his raged expression.


    "Hah! You don''t even know what''s happening in all the factions, yet you came to find the tablet?


    My my¡­ you really are nothing but just a puppet of the Vandereich n." spoke Ezekiel in a condescending voice as he looked down on kneeling Kahn.


    "Enlighten me, dipshit!" responded Kahn with a constricted face as he dropped on the ground because the pressure kept increasing.


    "It''s nothing personal, Salvatore. Just that if it''s you who retrieves the tablet¡­ I will be called a failure by my n and the faction.


    But if it''s me who gets it and delivers it to the main faction council¡­


    My future in the faction is secured and my grandfather will automatically be the next faction leader as a reward for me aplishing the task.


    So naturally, I can''t let you have the credit. I''ll get the tablet and tell everyone about your great sacrifice." revealed Ezekiel as he tipped his sses with an insidious smile on his face.


    "Then sacrifice yourself, you asshole!" retorted Kahn as blood dripped from his mouth.


    "Like everyone else says¡­ you sure make a good bait. Well, be a good guy and keep the dragon busy."


    Said the semi-saint mage who suddenly turned on Kahn without a second thought.


    The next moment, he used an artifact and disappeared from the spot.


    [Omega!]


    sh!!


    A swinging attack suddenly shed open the suppression barrier and formations as Omega freed Kahn.


    "That fucker! I really shouldn''t have trusted him. In the end, he''s just like the rest of them.


    Trading lives for power." spoke Kahn in a furious voice.


    But before he could let out his anger¡­ Ceril''s voice reached Kahn''s mind.


    [Master¡­ it''sing here!]

 Chapter 485 - Garnering Attention

    <h4>Chapter 485 - Garnering Attention</h4>


    The sudden massive surge of mana and energy quickly attracted the guardian Dragon''s attention while Ezekiel quickly disappeared from their location, leaving Kahn to be the prey for this ginormous creature.


    The reason why Kahn immediately order Omega or Ronin to kill Ezekiel when he was caught in these multiple suppression barriers and epic rank artifacts was because he wanted to know the real reason why Ezekiel chose to betray him.


    And in the end, he came to know that the tablet was far more worth than what he imagined since just retrieving it could make your n''s leader the next faction leader.


    What power or secrets did it hold¡­ Kahn had no idea. But to get it, Ezekiel didn''t think for more than 2 seconds before making Kahn the scapegoat.


    [Master... It''sing here.] Ceril''s voice resounded in his mind.


    "Dammit! We have no choice but to fight now." said Kahn as he gave an understanding look to Omega, Oliver and Ceril.


    "Ronin, with me!" hemanded.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    The three subordinates disappeared from the spot and a few secondster, their figures appeared a few kilometers away high in the sky.


    The reason why Kahn left the three to face the dragon that was presumably stronger than them was that it was a flying enemy and these three could fight it in the sky given their skills and abilities.


    Someone like Ronin, ckwall, Jugram and Armin would only serve as fodders in a battle while Rudra wasn''t even high leveled or big enough to stand against it.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Three chaotic auras released themselves and the subordinates activated all their skills and abilities while releasing their true forms.


    Omega in his 700 meter tall Hrodvitnir form stood at the front while Oliver in his 600 meter tall Thunderbird form took the sky.


    Ceril turned to his 100 meter tall Dark Summoner form and quickly equipped Scythe of the Reaper and Book of the Damned which greatly improved his skill effectiveness and attack damage output.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    The nearby mountains cracked apart and the ginormous boulders as well as pointy spears made of stones, walls and pikes created from the sturdy ice came to be.


    Omega was now using Skoll and Hati''s skills together and soon, the 10 kilometer region turned into a battlefield full of debris.


    Crackle!


    Thunderp!


    Rumble!


    Soon, dark clouds amassed in the sky and lightning crackled amongst them while on the ground, dozens of massive tornadoes, some of which were even a kilometer in width alone spread across the path of the approaching dragon as Oliver activated his lightning and wind elemental skills.


    3yers of Darkness barriers formed around Ceril while he started charging his scythe with dark magic and prepared for a long-range attack.


    At this moment, they knew nothing about the skills of the enemy but Omega, Oliver and Ceril were trying to make a stand and at least stall it.


    Since the space inside the forbidden region and both theyers were sealed, Kahn couldn''t enter the true dimension and escape from this unfathomable monster.


    Learning from his past experiences with the Draconian species... Even without fighting it, he knew that only an inevitable death awaited him if he decided to engage the Dragon in any way.


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!


    Finally, the Dragon who entered the 10 kilometers radius suddenly straight up barged through these massive stone boulders and spears like nothing happened as it pped its wings.


    Kahn, who was running away with Ronin, finally saw exactly how big this final guardian was.


    A 1 kilometer tall Dragon with ck and purple scales, having dozens of archaic runes inscribed on its body and head¡­ with a wingspan of 500 meters altogether finally revealed itself as the keeper of the final door charge at their side.


    BANG!!


    Crack!!


    Oliver used Arrowstorm skill and attacked with 500 massive arrows made of different elements from the sky while gathering the lightning bolts in the air to use Vajra, his ultimate attack skill.


    AWEEOOOOOO!!!


    Omega used Fenrir''s Howl skill that could disorient any enemy as long as they were within 8 kilometers radius and also used Attraction and Gravity Downforce skills to pull down the dragon approaching from the sky.


    ROOOAARRRR!!!


    A massive purple and ck aura was suddenly emitted from this dragon and all the stone weapons and boulders created by Omega shattered in the air and were forced to fall down under Omega''s skills.


    ng!!


    ng!!


    But before it could charge at their side again¡­


    Hundreds of massive ck chains appeared from the ground and tried to bind the Dragon''s legs and wings as Ceril used the Chains of Judgment skill.


    "It''s at least level 420." said Ronin as he sensed the dragon''s aura.


    "I hope they can hold it for longer." spoke Kahn as he still tried to retreat.


    "Almighty Push!"


    Eximed Omega and used the Repulsion skill this time to force the opponent to the ground again.


    BOOM!!


    Oliver attacked with a 50 meters long lightning bolt aka Vajra and struck the dragon.


    BANG!!


    A massive explosion urred and the rippling shockwaves destroyed nearly 3 kilometers of thendscape.


    So far, their teamwork seemed to be working.


    "Huh! Is that all?"


    Suddenly, an eerie and grim voice resounded in everyone''s ear.


    p!!


    Therge dust cloud caused by the explosion suddenly cleared and a set of fierce eyes were revealed.


    The two-horned dragon with arge maw finally decided to speak after giving Kahn''s subordinates a chance to attack.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    "You''re strong. But I''m stronger." its tyrannical voice resounded in the entire region and the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    Another massive explosion erupted and Omega''s control over his own Gravity Domain, Ceril''s control over his Chains of Judgment and Oliver''s control over his tornadoes and elemental arrows werepletely overthrown.


    RRROOOAAARRR!!


    An ear-deafening roar resounded in 20 kilometers radius and even Kahn, who was 15 kilometers away at this point shuddered in fear as a chilling aura went under his skin.


    [Master¡­ this dragon¡­ he''s affecting our minds. I can''t¡­ I''m losing control over my body.] said Omega as he ryed this message to Kahn.


    Suddenly, Ceril also sent another message.


    [That''s the same purple aura that was controlling those legendary rank monsters. But most importantly¡­ this isn''t the main thing we should be afraid of.] spoke Ceril.


    [Then what is it¡­] asked Kahn in a frightened tone as three subordinates who could easily fight and take on a level 400 mythical rank monsters were easily suppressed from this dragon''s roar alone.


    Ceril replied in an aghast voice as he made a mind-boggling revtion¡­


    "It is a Darkness elemental Dragon!"

 Chapter 486 - The Main Boss

    Chapter 486 - The Main Boss


    At the present moment, the subordinates were doing their best to keep the Dragon at bay and allow Kahn to run away by attacking it from the sky, pulling it to the ground, and trying to bind it in a ce so their master could get enough time to escape.


    But as soon as the guardian Dragon decided to stop ying around¡­ all of them suddenly lost control of their powers and the guardian revealed itself to be a Darkness elemental creature of all things.


    "Dammit! Why did it have to be a darkness elemental dragon?!" cursed Oliver.


    The current situation was already unfavorable to the three subordinates holding the front.


    Not only were they low leveledpared to the dragon, but it also had the Darkness element, one of the strongest elements of reality.


    "Don''t lose focus! We must stall it for enough time till master safely escapes." said Omega as he used hundreds of giant spikes made from solid rocks and attacked the approaching enemy.


    Even though Omega and Oliver could use Lightning elemental attacks and skills, the opponent was a being of darkness element.


    An equally strong element and on top of it, it was a higher levelpared to all of them. So the damage they could do here would already be minimized. Only Omega had somewhat chance to stand against this enemy.


    "Attack!" shouted Ceril and cast the Shadow des Barrage skill.


    Omega used Sword King skill and created 500 elemental katanas, each of which was 20 meters in length while Oliver on the other hand prepared 5 Vajra lightning bolts and five hundred varying elemental arrows.


    "Now!" shouted Omega.


    Swoosh!


    Shrill!


    Rumble!!


    Thunder!!


    A volley of multicolored weapons and attacks approached the dragon who stood only 5 kilometers away from them at this point. But the look on the face of this ginormous creature was neither of rm nor of worry.


    "Hmph! Fools¡­" spoke the dragon and right when the attacks entered one kilometer close to it¡­


    The dragon suddenly opened its long maw but instead of spewing the ssic old Dragonfire¡­ it spew a fire that quickly formed a 300 meters wide ck wormhole suddenly and faced all the iing attacks.


    And right before their eyes¡­ all of their attacks and skills passed through the hole but there was no impact whatsoever.


    Schwoomm!


    Schwoomm!


    The three subordinates had horrified expressions on their faces as they watched all of their attacks getting engulfed in his ck wormhole.


    In the following moment, a multicolored wave of energy exited the other end of this ck hole, and this force made of mana, world energy and different elements passed inside the dragon''s body as if it was it was a filtered and pure version of their attack was synthesized.


    The dragon closed its eyes and gave an ted expression.


    "Thanks for the meal." spoke the dragon as he gave a coy smirk.


    "Nani the fuck!" eximed Kahn who saw the scene through Ceril''s vision.


    All of theirbined attacks that were more than enough to kill a 4th stage saint, were simply¡­ eaten?


    "So far, not only this boss could render them unable to use their skills temporarily using that purple aura to get a hold of their mind¡­ it could also suck in and absorb their attacks through that ck hole engulfment skill.


    And from the looks of it, it felt like the dragon himself absorbed the energy and mana from their collective attack.


    "200 years¡­ I haven''t had a decent meal in the past two hundred years ever since I was defeated and kidnapped from the Dragon Empire.


    That wretched human forced me to be this ce''s guardian and sealed me here. And finally, I have seen someone else here other than me." revealed the Dragon in its majestic and domineering voice.


    "You three¡­ I don''t know how you got here but attack me together and entertain me.


    I might as well let you all live." spoke the Dragon as it made a deathlymand.


    [System¡­ what the hell is that power?! And exactly what kind of dragon is this?] asked Kahn.


    [The specimen in front of the host is a lesser dragon, the weakest kind among the true dragon species.


    The ability it possesses is called The Plunderer. It allows its user to engulf and transform different forms of mana, elements, and world energy to absorb and raise its strengths.


    The more energy transformed and absorbed by the user, the quicker their levels and world energy reserves will rise.


    This ability is a Legendary Rank innate ability, extremely rare even among the strongest species and creatures of the world.] reported the system in one single go.


    "Blood hell¡­ doesn''t that mean the attack made the three actually empowered it?


    How can someone so big and OP just be a lesser dragon?!" asked Kahn in a baffled tone.


    [Yes.] replied the system.


    "All of you! Retreat! Don''t attack it!" Kahn quickly warned all of them before they made another move.


    Any more attacks and they might as well help their enemy to level up and be far stronger than it already was.


    [But master¡­ you''ll die if it finds you.] replied Ceril.


    [I can hold it for a while. You all should escape. I can be revived even if I die but master can''t.] spoke Omega through their mental link.


    "Don''t worry about it. I have a n." replied Kahn he suddenly stopped in his way.


    He looked at Ronin and gave amand.


    Ronin nodded and then disappeared from the spot.


    As for Kahn, he changed his direction, and instead of running away¡­ he sprinted towards the battlefield between the Dragon and his subordinates.


    "System, pull those three in my shadow. They''ll die a useless death if they stay there."manded Kahn.


    In the following seconds, the three generals turned into massive ck shadows and quickly charged toward Kahn''s direction.


    The dragon was left speechless as it saw these massive creatures suddenly change shape and turn into ck shadows.


    Finally, after 5 minutes, the three shadows merged with Kahn and he stood atop a mountain peak just 3 kilometers away from the dragons.


    There was no fear or sense of worry in Kahn''s eyes as he faced this mythical rank lesser dragon.


    "Interesting¡­ you are so weak but you''re not trying to run away from me." said the dragon as it looked down on Kahn.


    "Tell me¡­ who are you?" it asked in a tyrannical voice that shook the nearby terrain.


    "Me? You could say that¡­" spoke Kahn with a focused look on his face and replied in a motivated voice¡­


    "I am the storm that is approaching."

 Chapter 487 - Futile Struggle

    Chapter 487 - Futile Struggle


    Kahn stood with a fearless gaze in his eyes as if he felt no sense of threat against this massive one kilometer tall creature who could even take on three of his strongest subordinates on its own while remainingpletely unaffected.


    "Wait a moment¡­ How can you speak the Draconiannguage?" asked the Dragon as it suddenly realized that Kahn could converse with it.


    "I have had few friends from your species." spoke Kahn with a smile.


    "Nonsense! A mere human befriending our kind? Shameless lies!" eximed the dragon in a furious tone.


    "Listen¡­ I''m not here to fight. Let me go through the door and I''ll overlook your transgression." said Kahn in an authoritative tone.


    [What?!!] eximed all the subordinates inside Kahn''s shadow as soon as they heard his words.


    The dragon himself had his maw wide open and eyes popping out of the sockets. It could not believe what Kahn just said.


    "You¡­ will let me go? Have you gone senile from the fear of dying at my hands, human?" asked the guardian dragon.


    To his query, Kahn only replied in a soft tone¡­


    "Well, you haven''t anyone from my side yet so there''s no reason for me to kill you. That''s why I''ll show you mercy and let bygones be bygones." said Kahn casually.


    "Ha ha ha! Haha ha! Hahahaha!!"ughed the dragon loudly. His maniacalugh sent shockwaves in the 2 kilometers radius just through its intensity.


    "Aren''t you too brazen, human? Your hubris and demeanor exceeds even us dragons.


    I would like to see if there''s any weight to your words." spoke the dragon and the very next moment, an insufferable amount of ck and purple aura suddenly erupted from its body and spread over the 10 kilometers radius.


    Kahn, who was already close to the dragon only 5 kilometers away got engulfed in this aura instantly.


    [Master, run! I''ll create an opening for you!] eximed Omega and tried toe out of Kahn''s shadow.


    "All right kids. Let daddy show you how it''s done." said Kahn as his figure suddenly emerged out of the dark fog-like aura.


    "Is that all? I thought you dragons were supposed to be somewhat strong."


    "What?!..." the guardian dragon had its eyes filled with disbelief.


    Kahn wasn''t even a saint yet but he still remainedpletely unaffected by its heavy and crushing aura that even suppressed Omega and the others.


    "You still have time. If you beg in front of me, I''ll let you live." Kahn''s jarring voice resounded in the surroundings.


    "Impudence! Die you scum!" shouted the dragon as it could no longer tolerate Kahn''s disrespectful words.


    It quickly opened its mouth and a ck aura suddenly amassed in its neck.


    Bang!!


    A blistering and chaotic stream of fire filled with darkness element that spread across 5 kilometers in a single go and destroyed all the peaks and valleys covered under snow targeted Kahn and in just a dozen seconds¡­


    Kahn waspletely engulfed by this horrifyingly destructive me.


    BOOM!!


    Shatter!!


    A massive crevice formed as the dragonfire destroyed everything in its wake and finally, the gigantic dragon who burned Kahn alive spoke in a jarring voice¡­


    "Pesky little bug dared to talk down on me. I''d rather stay here alone for eternity than swallow an insult like that."


    To the dragon race, their pride as a superior species in the world was everything. So no way would the guardian dragon let Kahn''s remarks slide.


    But as the ck smoke from the dragonfire waned¡­


    "Impossible!!" shouted the dragon with a bbergasted expression.


    "Is that it? Man, you''re the weakest monster I''ve ever seen. Even the Drake I met nearly 2 years ago was more powerful and threatening than you." a carefree voice resounded from the other end of this region.


    Kahn in his ck and gray longcoat suddenly appeared out of the ck fog,pletely unscathed.


    "How¡­ how are you still alive?! Even those monsters who fought with me would be gravely injured to the point of no recovery.


    Then howe you''re not dead yet?!" screamed the dragon in a bewildered voice.


    "Who knows? Maybe because I''m too handsome." replied Kahn with a charming smile and marched forth towards the dragon.


    "As you can see, I''m not dead."


    Spoke Kahn as he opened his arms and walked towards the enemy like a certain king of wakanda.


    "So why don''t you give it another try, you winged lizard." challenged Kahn openly.


    "Winged lizard¡­ did you just call me a winged lizard?!!


    Preposterous! Uneptable! Insolence!" yelled the guardian dragon, thoroughly enraged to its core.


    And without holding back, it charged at Kahn and again attacked with dragonfire, this time, even fiercer.


    Bang!!


    BOOM!!


    Ripples of ck fire destroyed the terrain as the dragon reached 2 kilometers close to Kahn and relentlessly attacked with the fire to burn him to cinders.


    Hundreds of crevices formed on the ground from the destructive force of its attacks.


    And yet when the fire subsided and the residue of the battlefield became clear¡­ it had its maw wide open again.


    "Tch! I''m getting more disappointed.


    Are you really a dragon? I feel like you''re scamming me.


    Shoo! Shoo! Go away! Bring the real dragon here." said Kahn with a disappointed expression.


    "You bastard! What the hell are you?! How are you still alive?!" eximed the guardian dragon as it could notprehend how Kahn still remained unaffected while even the tall mountains in the surroundings were destroyed by the brute and destructive nature of his dragonfire.


    "Why should I exin it to a weakling like you? Get out of my way, loser.


    I don''t have time to waste on a fake dragon like you." replied Kahn as he used quicksilver and appeared even closer to the dragon.


    "Move¡­ or you will be moved." spoke Kahn in a tyrannical voice as it threatened this ginormous dragon who could kill tens of thousands of enemies just with its dragonfire.


    "Die you freak!!" shouted the dragon and attacked Kahn with its massive w.


    BANG!!


    Another burst of dust erupted as it attacked Kahn physically this time.


    But when Kahn reappeared again,pletely uninjured just like before, the dragon started having an existential crisis.


    "You want to know who I am? Well, I have a few titles of my own. You can call me by one of them." borated Kahn.


    "What title is it?" asked the dragon, acting wary of Kahn for the first time.


    To this question, Kahn let out a wide grin and replied in a sinister tone¡­


    "Monarch of Darkness."

 Chapter 488 - Monarch of Darkness

    Chapter 488 - Monarch of Darkness


    Beforeing to the battlefield, when Kahn and Ronin were trying to run away, he tried to ransack his brain in order to find a way to get out of this situation.


    His side was already the target of the guardian dragon and creating distance in between them wouldn''t have saved Kahn either. It was no different than just dying an inevitable death.


    But during those moments when Ceril mentioned that the dragon was a creature of the darkness element¡­


    Kahn suddenly remembered an ability of his that was unlocked almost two years ago when he faced Ajak, the Dark Summoner inside the 11th floor of the Bromnir dungeon.


    It was the very day he almost died and unlocked the Hero of Darkness title which gave him three amazing and extraordinary abilities.


    [System, give me the details on Monarch of Darkness ability!] ordered Kahn.


    [Following are the exclusive powers granted by this ability :


    Monarch of Darkness (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The host now possesses the ultimate affinity & control over with anything that is made of Dark magic & Darkness elements in the world.


    The host will no longer be affected or can be killed from the dark magic or darkness element spells & skills. Whenever attacked with such skills and spells, the host''s body will automatically absorb them or will remain harm-free regardless of the medium of attack.


    Note : The Host''s control over darkness element will increase with the amount of darkness aura and dark magic absorbed.] reported the system.


    As soon as Kahn heard and remembered what happened back then¡­ he finally felt a sense of relief. Otherwise, there was no way around for him toe out of this situation alive.


    It was that moment, Kahn turned around and decided to face the dragon fearlessly.


    ----------------


    The guardian dragon was too stunned to speak at this moment.


    [Monarch of Darkness? What kind of nonsense is this. This human is toying with me.] thought the guardian dragon.


    Meanwhile, Kahn who was still unaffected by magical and physical skills and attacks by the dragon thanks to Monarch of Darkness ability, had a carefree expression.


    "Nonsense! Human, you dare jest in front of me?!


    You''re wearing some kind of armor, aren''t you?" asked the dragon in a vengeful voice.


    "Oh that¡­ I am indeed a very ultimate and imprable kind of armor.


    Do you want to know what it''s called?" said Kahn.


    "Hah! I knew it! What kind of armor is it that can even render my dragonfire useless?" asked the dragon with a voice full of curiosity.


    "It''s called¡­" spoke Kahn and took a pause before he revealed the name of the most badass and perfect armor in existence.


    "The Plot Armor."


    Revealed Kahn and continued his jolly walk towards the door to the finalyer.


    "Plot what?! You''re trying to fool me again?


    Fine! I''ll finish you once and for all!" shouted the ck and purple scaled dragon who was of the same size as ckwall in his titan form. Want to see more chapters? Please visit p a n d a -n o v e l .c o m


    Again, it spewed all of its dragonfire on Kahn and destroyed the battlefield as the close-range attack created a massive pit.


    "No way would he survive now." spoke the dragon but finally¡­ he was left dumbfounded.


    Because inside that put of fire and burned ground¡­


    Kahn''s figure appeared but this time, he was¡­


    Dancing.


    Kahn was doing the traditional Tobey Maguire dance from Spider-Man 3 as he royally trolled this tyrannical dragon that could easily kill 15 to 20 million enemies in an open battle. Even his body was unaffected from the impact or changes in the terrain of the battlefield.


    As the dragon was losing its mind, Kahn jumped out of the deep pit and spoke in a mocking tone.


    "Oye, don''t you have some self-respect?


    If it was me, I''d kill myself out of shame."


    He then quickly dashed towards the door and disappeared from the spot using quicksilver.


    Just in 5 seconds, he appeared one kilometer away from the Dragon after insulting it again.


    "This wretched insect!" shouted the dragon and this time¡­ it decided to use its trump card ability.


    It opened its mouth again and using the ck fire, it created the ck hole exactly the same as the one that absorbed thebined attacks of the subordinates not so long ago.


    [And he fell for it!]


    The 300 meters wide massive ck wormhole started sucking in the nearby rocks, boulders, and snow from the surroundings and also, even Kahn was forced to lose his footing because of the immense suction force.


    But as soon as Kahn''s figure in ck and gray longcoat came 100 meters close to it¡­


    He made a grasping gesture and finally used the 2nd ability that came with the Hero of Darkness title.


    Kahn then used another ability that came with the Hero of Darkness title.


    Dark Engulfment!


    [Dark Engulfment (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The host can absorb and store dark magic skills & spells from other beings, whether they''re alive or dead.


    The capacity will rise with the Rank upgrades in the host''s body.


    The host can use all skills & spells made from Dark Magic & Darkness Elements after learning them. The host can also infuse them with other types of physical and magical skills & spells.


    The output of these skills & spells will be amplified by 3 times the original strength.] the system notified Kahn again at the moment of reckoning.


    This was the ability Kahn never used before because he never faced a darkness element creature after the undead lich in the dungeon. So it had been sitting under the dust for quite some time.


    And after nearly 2 years, Kahn was finally able to use this skill again.


    Like a miniature ck hole of his own, Kahn''s palm started sucking in the wormhole created by the guardian dragon which was actually its Plunderer skill that absorbed and converted enemy attacks into pure energy.


    "No!!" eximed the dragon as itpletely lost control over his own skill.


    Kahn''s ability was on the same level as the dragon''s but his was something created by God of Darkness himself. So there''s even a slight chance to lose against another ability of the same nature.


    "All right¡­" said Kahn as he released all of his aura and spoke in a grim voice that sent shivers under the dragon''s spine.


    "I''m done ying this little game."

 Chapter 489 - Link to the Past

    Chapter 489 - Link to the Past


    Kahn gave a deathly look towards the mighty and ginormous dragon who was now stuck in a frozen state after Kahn activated the Dark Engulfment ability that came with his Hero of Darkness title.


    Kahn was using it for the first time against this darkness elemental creature and managed to pull an UNO reverse card on the Dragon.


    "Hrrrrmmmphh!" struggled the dragon as it tried to break free from the hold of this terrifying ability that even rendered a mighty being such as itself could even easily fight and kill a 5th stage saint.


    [Master¡­ Ipleted my task.] spoke Ronin in Kahn''s mind through their Telepathy Link.


    [Alright, wait there.] replied Kahn.


    "System, how much?" he asked.


    [Current darkness element absorption progress : 3%]


    "Gosh¡­ I''ll be toote at this rate. Let''s speed things up." spoke Kahn and soon, a vast amount of ck aura was sucked out of the dragon''s body.


    Minutes passed and the once almighty dragon couldn''t even move or wail in agony as Kahn was basically stealing every bit of darkness in its body. For a creature born with this element¡­ it was no different than a slow and excruciating death.


    In just 2 hours, Kahn was finally done absorbing all of the darkness from its body and the gigantic dragon was now lying on the ground, barely able to breathe.


    It even lost its ability to use mana or world energy as the human in front of him sucked in all of its strength and energy in its body.


    [Current darkness element absorption progress : 43%.


    The damage output and control over all the darkness and dark magic skills, spells, and abilities has been enhanced by twice.] reported the system.


    "Who¡­ who are you?" asked the guardian dragon.


    "Hero of Darkness." replied Kahn as he could feel the dragon beingpletely incapable of moving.


    "Wh¡­ what?! Didn''t you die 300 years ago?


    You even killed one of the Royal Dragons back then.


    How are you still alive and became so weak?" asked the dragon.


    "You¡­ you know about my predecessor?" asked Kahn in a bewildered tone.


    He didn''t expect to meet someone who knew about the 8th Hero of Darkness.


    "Predecessor?... So you''re the new one?


    Haha! Haha! Hahaha hahaha!!"ughed the dragon in a maniacal voice that sent tremors in the ground.


    "You''re so done, human! You don''t have much time to live." spoke the dragon in a joyous tone.


    "Tell me what do you know. And I''ll let you live." proposed Kahn. He desperately needed to know more about his predecessor and his deeds in the past.


    "I''m already dying, you scum! A dragon getting defeated by a mere insect because he''s the chosen hero of a god¡­ I have suffered the biggest insult in my life yet.


    I''m not going to tell you even if you promise to free me. This is a shame I must carry to my grave.


    I hope my ancestors will at least not scorn me. But before I die¡­" said the dragon and suddenly, it opened its maw and charged at Kahn.


    [Warning! The dragon in front of the host no longer possesses darkness element. The host will die from its physical attacks!] warned the system.


    Before Kahn even got the chance to react¡­ an oppressive aura emitted from the guardian dragon instantly froze him on the spot as the mythical rank dragon tried to eat him alive.


    [Master!!]


    Just as the wide maw that spanned a dozen meters in width was about to bite off Kahn alive¡­


    Swoosh!!


    A silver sh exited Kahn''s shadow and quickly passed through the dragon''s mouth.


    sh!!


    BOOM!!


    Omega, donned in his Moonlight Armor form had his white and blue de of the katana in hand as he exited the other end of the dragon''s neck.


    Cling!


    He shook off the ck blood from the de and slowly put the katana in the scabbard.


    He was already 4 times faster in his Moonlight Armor form and just now, he used the Quickdraw skill that allowed him to instantly sh apart an enemy in 2 kilometers radius.


    Thud!!


    A shockwave and burst of wind shook the nearby 100 meters region as something big fell on the ground.


    Before the dragon''s maw could engulf Kahn¡­ its giant head dropped on the ground as Omega cut it off from the inside with a single shing attack.


    Armin and Ceril quickly appeared from his shadow and protected Kahn with their barriers.


    Thest moment attack was enough to kill Kahn if the system hadn''t informed him and Omega didn''t act on his instinct and gave a finishing blow when the extremely weakened guardian dragon made its final move.


    "Fuck!! Why the fuck did he have to do that?!


    I needed answers, dammit!!" cursed Kahn.


    The guardian dragon was clearly very old to have heard and know things about his predecessor. But before Kahn could extract more information from him¡­ the dragon suddenly made a kamikaze attack since it was already going to die.


    Even Kahn couldn''t have foreseen the abilities bing useless as soon as the dragon lost all darkness in its body. And hence, leaving Omega no choice but to kill the dragon to protect his master.


    This was simply an unexpected situation.


    Kah kept cursing the dragon but managed to calm himself after some time. There was no use of crying over spilled milk.


    And finally¡­ Kahn had no choice but to carry on his usual routine of absorbing monsters and their abilities.


    "Absorb!" spoke Kahn after he came close to the ginormous dragon''s reattached body.


    And after an entire day¡­ Kahn was finally done with the Ability Absorption process.


    But what happened next was something that wouldpletely change Kahn''s life in the uing future.


    It opened many paths for Kahn and the abilities he gained were something that he felt even the other Heroes wouldn''t be able to get unless they had his Divine Abilities and killed this guardian dragon himself.


    The system then informed Kahn that he had unlocked an unfathomable and bizarre ability that he desperately needed if he wanted to be stronger even among the other heroes.


    And finally¡­ the system''s robotic voice sent him the final message¡­


    [The host can now absorb the Dragon''s body.]

 Chapter 490 - Meeting the Mark

    Chapter 490 - Meeting the Mark


    After Kahn was done with the Ability Absorption process, the system notified him about the newly gained abilities and skills from the guardian dragon.


    [Congrattions to the host for acquiring the following abilities & skills :


    Energy Plunderer (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows that host to create a ck wormhole that can absorb mana, world energy, elemental attacks, spells, and various forms of energy sources.


    The wormhole will deconstruct and reconstruct these forms of sources to filter out the purest energy that can be received by the host in any desirable form.


    The host''s body will be directly able to absorb this filtered and pure energy without causing any harm or aftereffects to the original body.


    Note : The host can also use this skill to absorb energy through inanimate objects or resources.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the Host! Energy Plunderer ability merged under the Ability Absorption divine ability!


    New function unlocked!


    Ability Absorption divine ability can now allow the host to absorb mana cores and ores and even an entire body of a being.


    The host can directly absorb skills, abilities, mana, world energy, and bloodlines without touching the specimen''s bodies from this point on.


    The ck wormhole shall act as a medium for the divine ability toplete its function and transfer everything to the host''s body.


    ----------------


    Dimensional Domain ability upgraded!


    The host can now store any object or even a body of a deceased being inside the domain without letting its physical state get affected for an indefinite time.


    The maximum storage size and range is 5 kilometers.


    ----------------


    Dragon''s Sovereignty (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to use the Draconian Bloodline effect to oppress and brainwash monsters and creatures of lower rank and levels to serve the user.


    Note : This ability requires a lot of world energy.


    The host must be a saint rank being to use this ability.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Dragon''s Sovereignty merged with War Dominance blessing.


    The War Dominance has reached the 7th stage.


    The next effects of this upgrade shall be avable to the host after bing a first-stage saint.


    ----------------


    Dragon Physique (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to temporarily enhance all of the physical stats by 3 times for 20 minutes.


    Note : This ability requires the host to be a saint first.


    Dragon Physique can be added to the Asura Mode.


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Draconian bloodline


    Current bloodline purity : 35%


    Note : A mythical rank Metamorphosis bloodline can be used to transform into a dragon after the host acquires the 100% Draconian bloodline.] reported the system.


    Kahn waspletely befuddled and gobsmacked after going through the report.


    Because these abilities¡­ not a single one of them was useless and all of them were at Legendary Rank.


    They even helped elevate Ability Absorption, Asura Mode, War Dominance and Dimensional Domain to add extra functions and usability.


    Thanks to the Energy Plunderer ability¡­ Kahn will no longer have to go around eating SS Rank cores each day just to raise his levels one by one.


    Now¡­ he could just use all those high-grade resources at once and directly absorb them using the Energy Plunderer skill that would help him absorb it all in its filtered purest form.


    To put the cherry on the top¡­ it added function for Kahn and now, he won''t need to stand day and night like an idiot while touching the body of the monsters or other warriors to absorb their abilities.


    This was the most hectic part of the Ability Absorption procedure and now¡­ it won''t take him years to level up. All he needed were enough resources for mana and world energy and he''d be able to break through ranks and stages much faster than others.


    Dimensional Domain used the wormhole skill and got upgraded into his 5 kilometers wide storage facility where Kahn could even store the body of this gigantic dragon even without having the worry about it rotting.


    And the Dragon''s Sovereignty was basically no different than Beast taming skill since he could brainwash and control low-ranked monsters.


    "Wait a minute¡­ isn''t this the skill this dragon used to control those legendary rank monsters from inside the forbidden zone?


    But how?" asked Kahn to himself. Although it made sense that the dragon could control the other regional bosses with this ability¡­ but the distance was thousands of kilometers away for it to work.


    So Kahn had a reason to be suspicious about the whole thing.


    And just when he was lost in thought¡­


    [The host can now absorb the Dragon''s body.]


    The system informed him out of the blue.


    "What?! Are you sure? What will happen if I absorbed the body?" asked Kahn.


    [The Ability Absorption divine ability has received a new function. Now host can directly absorb any creature''s physical body and get all of their skills and abilities.


    As for the dragon specimen¡­ should the host decide to absorb it now¡­ the body should help the host to gain enough mana and world to rank up to at least level 350 and a 3rd stage saint.


    However, it will take time and the host will need to gradually progress through levels and rank one at a time.


    The more portion of the body is absorbed with time, the quicker host will be able to level up.] borated the system.


    "Holy hell! That''s amazing!" eximed Kahn in joy.


    [But the host must find adequate resources of world energy to meet the requirements for the next level up in stages.


    The host can use the sources such as a Saint''s core or a legendary to mythical rank monster''s core.


    In the host''s case, the dragon''s core is a sufficient source for the host to get enough energy to at least be a 2nd stage saint in the future.] reiterated the system to clear things out.


    "Means I no longer need that first stage saint''s core now.


    All right then. Begin the process!" ordered Kahn.


    He pulled in the Dragon''s body in his newly upgraded Dimensional Domain. Although he couldn''t use the domain to surround or oppress his enemies because the space here was sealed, he didn''t face any problems when pulling the ginormous body of the guardian dragon into his new storage facility.


    Kahn sat in a meditative pose for a couple of hours as the Ability Absorption did its work and finally¡­ Kahn met the biggest mark that he needed to achieve.


    [Congrattions to the host!


    The host is now a Level 200 being.] reported the system in its robotic voice and said the magic words Kahn desperately wanted to hear.


    [The host has met the requirements to be a Saint!]

 Chapter 491 - The Formation

    Chapter 491 - The Formation


    As the system finally notified about the rise in levels and Kahn finally meeting the condition to be a saint¡­ a dam of happiness was broken inside his heart.


    "After so many centuries of wait¡­ I can finally be a saint." said Kahn in an ted voice.


    [The host can breakthrough to the saint rank at his will.


    The host will need to be in a dormant state for a day and the outbursts of mana and world energy will be noticeable within the 5 kilometers radius.


    It is advised that the host chooses a secure and quiet location to initiate the breakthrough.] informed the system.


    "Ah¡­ I guess we will have to dy it until I''m done making arrangements.


    I''ll still die if I be a saint in the forbidden zone or the Vessen fiefdom. I need to settle a lot of things first and then make my breakthrough." spoke Kahn as he sighed.


    He had to contain his excitement for now andplete the mission at hand first.


    "Hey Freeloader, do you want the body?" asked Kahn to Rudra.


    [No, human. It is notpatible with my body or my current element. It will only cause an imbnce that will adversely affect me in the future.


    Kill a fire or magma elemental dragon for me.] replied Rudra in a stoic voice.


    "Do dragons grow on trees? Do you not understand that if not for me being the Hero of Darkness, all of us would''ve certainly died?" asked Kahn as if he was looking at an idiot.


    [Tch! Nevermind. I''ll let you have this one.


    Don''te begging when you need my help next time.] retorted the basilisk.


    "Ah, this punk¡­" said Kahn and then continued his travel towards the main door with the rest.


    In 5 minutes, he came close to the main door but unlike thest two times, there was an altar in front of the door.


    "Impossible!" spoke Kahn as he saw whaty at the center of the alter.


    Six ten-meter-tall statues of beings Kahn was familiar with. Each of which was covered in archaic runes and formations.


    "So that''s how it was¡­ it was controlling them from here." said Kahn as he looked at the figures.


    These statues were the exact replicas of Invimarak, Bjormngandur, Cdrius, Mountain Titan, Ashokvatika andstly¡­ Vilgax.


    "These statues and those runes¡­ I''m certain of it!" spoke Ceril.


    "What?" asked Armin who stood beside him.


    "I read about it in one of the books master got from that Solomon Elfenheim. This is Puppeteer Formation.


    A legendary rank one." revealed Ceril.


    "Pup¡­ what?" asked Kahn with a curious expression.


    "I think that Ymir sealed that dragon here and used this formation to have it use the Dragon''s Sovereignty skill you have on them through this formation.


    If my deduction isn''t wrong, then the dragon was forced to use his powers and control all those legendary rank monsters we hunted outside the forbidden region." rified Ceril.


    "Then doesn''t that mean all of them were intentionally ced in those regions and the annual monster wave that has been happening in the hundred and fifty years is something that was nned by that 8th stage saint?" queried Kahn.


    "I believe so. And the Hero of Lightning must have something to do with it as well.


    The more I see it, the more it feels like this entire barrier over Vessen, these legendary rank monsters, and the two mythical rank enemies we faced recently¡­


    All of them are just means to protect something so that people would note to find what''s inside even if it meant millions of people dying." hypothesized Ceril.


    "The Tablet of Arcana!" eximed Kahn.


    This was the only exnation he could find.


    The 1styer was actually the entire Vessen fiefdom.


    2ndyer was protected by Vilgax.


    3rdyer had Skoll and Hati, who were defeated and sealed inside the forbidden region 200 years ago.


    And finally, the dragon that Kahn killed just now was thest chess piece. Through this Puppeteering Formation, it was forced to use its ability and have the legendary rank monsters to cause annual monster tides in six hotspots so that people would not dare to venture close to the forbidden zone.


    Ymir, the 8th stage saint was certainly a magician given how he could use spells and formations to even seal and control mythical rank creatures.


    And he was so powerful that the 8000 kilometers long barrier he created was able to prohibit a saint from entering this region.


    It was as if other than himself, he did not want anyone else to get their hands on the Tablet of Arcana.


    "This is bing veryplicated. Maybe the Hero of Lightning dying here also had something to do with the tablet." spoke Kahn with a serious expression.


    "The only way to find the truth¡­" said Kahn as the looked at the massive 200 meters tall and 50 meters wide construct in front of him.


    "Is through that door."


    ----------------


    Kahn and thepany finally came close to the door and close to the entrance¡­ there were two figures.


    One was d in pitch-ck assassins gear while thetter was a chained man kneeling on the ground. There were multiple wounds over his body and a broken nose became the highlight of his current state.


    "Who are these people?! And what were those monsters?!


    How did you defeat the dragon?! This shouldn''t even be possible!!" eximed the man with sses.


    "You don''t need to know. But don''t worry¡­ I won''t kill you now. I might have some use for you." said Kahn with a benign smile.


    The man in front of Kahn was none other than his supposed ally from the Pureblood faction who betrayed him at thest moment to lure out the dragon and get inside the door by himself.


    "What use?" asked Ezekiel, the traitor semi-saint mage who was caught and beaten to death by Ronin under Kahn''s orders before he started his fight with the dragon.


    "What if there''s another monster?


    If that were to be the case¡­ Then I might need someone to¡­" said Kahn with an evil grin and revealed his reason¡­


    "Make a Sacrifice."

 Chapter 492 - Final Barrier

    Chapter 492 - Final Barrier


    Ezekiel had an ashen expression as he had a sense of deja vu after he was caught by Ronin and heard Kahn''s intention, whom he betrayed for the sake of aplishing his goal.


    "Doesn''t feel good, does it?"


    Kahn said and their crew tried to enter the door with Ezekiel in chains.


    Tuck!


    Tuck!


    Tuck!


    But before he could pass through¡­ their bodies collided against the door with a ck auraing out of it.


    "What the hell¡­ why can''t I pass through?" questioned Kahn.


    Ceril and Ronin tried to inspect it but even after 20 minutes, there was no clue or a loophole.


    The door simply prohibited them from entering.


    "Omega." spoke Kahn and ordered the Dual Swords Samurai to forcefully open the door for them.


    The group then stood 3 kilometers away while Omega turned into his Twilight Armor Form which was his pure destruction mode.


    BANG!!


    BOOM!!


    Even the altar that previously had the statues of the legendary creatures was destroyed by Omega''s ck Fang Strike attack but the door didn''t budge in the slightest.


    And when Omega tried to use the Moonlight Armor form and make a quick shing attack with Lunar Fang Strike¡­ an invisible force was repelled back from the door instead.


    After that, Ronin tried to phase through but he failed and Ceril tried to use magic formations but none of them worked.


    "What the hell is this supposed to mean?


    We killed the guardian, and we should be able to enter now!" eximed Kahn in an irritated tone as he ced both hands on his waist.


    The treasure was simply one door away but the door was acting like an imprable fortress.


    "Master! Someone ising." said Omega.


    "Alright, all of you hide. Ceril, cast an invisibility barrier.


    And keep this fucker gagged." spoke Kahn.


    And finally after a while, came a young woman with white hair, two red hornsing out of the sides of her head; one of which was short while the other was longer.


    She was donned in ck and red armor and on her waist, were two blood-red colored twin swords.


    She looked at Kahn who had Lucifer in his hand. And looking at the destroyed surroundings as well as the deep crevices in the ground¡­ she had a fearful expression on her face.


    If this was what Kahn could do while still being a semi-saint¡­ then she was no match.


    "You''re here. Looks like I was early." spoke Kahn.


    "Howe you''re here? What about Ezekiel Nabi? Did you meet him?" asked the young woman.


    "No. He probably still hasn''t found a way to this barrier.


    But for some reason, I can''t enter it." replied Kahn as he looked at the halfbreed demonkin swordmaiden.


    Celine Armitage¡­ the n heiress of the Armitage n and also the 2nd most talented sword user of the young generation after Kahn.


    In this mission¡­ She was his supposed ally from the Neutral Faction.


    ----------------


    Both of them stood silently in front of the massive door as Kahn ran out of ideas to open the door with all his avable means.


    "Let me try." spoke Celine.


    The next moment¡­ she ced her hand on the denseyer of the ck aura.


    Duddmm!


    Duddmm!


    Suddenly, the door started pulsating like a vein of a massive creature and soon, the ck aura thatpletely covered the door started waning.


    The next moment, Celine took out a small dagger from her space ring and made a gash on her right palm.


    "I hope it works just like father said." she spoke.


    And without exining her actions, she ced it on the center of the door.


    The blood drops were suddenly absorbed by the door and dozens of red patterns slithered like snakes.


    Shwooaahh!!


    A loud noise of something cranking from the inside resounded in the surroundings and finally¡­ the entire door opened and opened a pathway for Celine.


    [What the hell? Why did it open for her?] thought Kahn and then quickly understood the reason.


    [Damn¡­ I should''ve figured.] he said and thought about how Celine activated the door.


    Her blood!


    Her blood was the main triggering factor.


    [After all¡­ she''s the only living descendent¡­] he thought and looked at Celine again.


    [Of the Imperial family.]


    On the day before the finale of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition, when Kahn was summoned by Allister Mor Vandereich to the main headquarters of the Pureblood Faction¡­


    He made his secret deal with the faction leader and signed a contract toplete the mission they were going to give him in exchange for his own conditions he set back then.


    But on this very day¡­ he also learned a fact about the other possible contenders who were going to enter the forbidden zone.


    And one of them included the Dual Sword Saintess aka Celine Armitage.


    From the faction leader himself, he found that Celine had a special trait and history behind her lineage.


    Her human grandmother was actually one of the concubines of the lecherous and cruel 7th and the previous Emperor who was said to be a very vigorous man.


    After the Great War, the Imperial family was massacred and everyone having any blood ties with them were wiped out.


    However, her grandmother gave birth to Celine''s mother in secret and no one knew about this rtion till her mother was of 30 years of age.


    But one day, one of the royal attendees who belonged to the Armitage n after the coup recognized her and with some digging¡­ he found out about Celine''s mother being the rightful heir to the throne.


    But instead of iming the throne and causing a civil war in the process¡­ the Armitage n forcefully wed her human mother to their n''s heir who was now Celine''s father.


    Only recently did the other two factions had found that she had the bloodline of the Imperial family. But the Armitage n and Neutral Faction of now were untouchable.


    And given her importance¡­ she was always protected by top saints of her n and faction.


    Thus, Celine was chosen to be one of their representatives to bring the Tablet of Arcana after she became a semi-saint just this year.


    They also assumed that Kahn was also a descendant himself and that''s why both the factions were after him desperately wanting to recruit him to get a perfect winning chance if they had both of them on their side.


    And now that she opened the door¡­ Kahn was certain that the entire forbidden region had a direct connection to the Imperial family as they only allowed their descendants to enter thest barrier.


    Kahn then looked at Celine while the subordinates hidden in an invisibility barrier stood behind them. He spoke in a calm and collected manner while thinking about the dangers they might have to face inside.


    "Alright then... Let''s go!"

 Chapter 493 - The Castle

    Chapter 493 - The Castle


    Kahn and Celine passed through the final door that emitted blinding white light when it opened after Celine used her blood.


    Thest key was the Imperial bloodline and if not for her being present here¡­ Kahn would''ve never been able to ovee this final hurdle.


    Behind them, all his subordinates and the hostage aka Ezekiel followed without making a sound.


    Finally¡­ Kahn and Celine passed through the white fog-like light and saw the new surroundings that they both knew wasing based on the experience from the previous two doors.


    But after they saw the scenery¡­ both of them were left speechless on the spot.


    A vast and flourishingnd with luscious greenery. And in the middle of it¡­ was a ginormous castle that was the biggest construction Kahn had seen in his new life yet.


    This ginormous castle located at the hillside region, covered in white clouds seemed so pristine and heavenly that even Kahn was rooted on the spot as he admired a marvel of architecture.


    At the front before even the castle''s perimeter began, was a gigantic statue of an angel that almost seemed like a living person.


    "So this is it¡­ the Imperial family was behind the forbidden region all along." spoke Kahn as his assumption was finally solidified after he looked at the Imperial family''s crest in the front of the castle.


    After traveling for nearly an hour, they finally reached the gate and again, Celine used her blood to open it while Kahn did the heavy lifting of pushing the massive metallic gate.


    This ce¡­ was only meant for saints of the Imperial family to enter as far as he could tell.


    After both of them ventured inside the now dpidated yet still very majestic castle¡­ they saw the massive statues and halls that were made of pure gold and rubies.


    There were so many jewels spread across the hall that Kahn couldn''t even fathom the total wealth.


    [I hope Smaug isn''t the dragon guarding this ce.] thought Kahn and traveled along with Celine.


    However, both of them had a job to do so they carried on with their journey.


    [Alright¡­ grab it all.] said Kahn and ckwall, Jugram and Oliver appeared out of his shadow and quietly hid themselves in these small peaks of unbelievable richness.


    Afterward, they took out hundreds of high-grade space rings and started pulling in all of the goods as soon as Kahn and Celine went to the deeper halls.


    Both of them spent hours going through different halls, rooms and even basements that were filled with ancient artifacts, gold coins, rubies, diamonds and even crests full of epic rank armors and weapons.


    Yet there seemed to be no end to this pce that was filled with things left by the Imperial family.


    And when they finally walked down to the bottom floors of the castle¡­ they finally found an underground terrain that looked like ancient ruins.


    "It''s too big. We need to separate from here on, otherwise we won''t be able to find the tablet in due time." said Kahn as he looked at Celine.


    Celine nodded and just as Kahn turned around to leave¡­


    STAB!


    A blood-red de stabbed right through his heart and the one to do it was none other than Celine.


    Blergh!


    Kahn coughed up blood as his body dropped on the ground.


    "Why?" he asked with a horrified expression.


    "Sorry, mister Salvatore¡­ you were never supposed to see this ce. It was one thing if you managed to assist me in beating some strong opponent. But now I think that you''ve outlived your usefulness¡­ it''s time for you to close your eyes." spoke Celine with a lifeless expression.


    After a minute¡­ Kahn''s struggling figure stopped moving and he closed his eyes for thest time.


    And once again¡­ Kahn was betrayed by those who were supposed to be his allies.


    ----------------


    20 DAYS AGO


    In the main meeting hall of the Armitage n headquarters in the capital Rathna¡­ Celine stood in front of her father, a pure demonkin and 6th stage saint archer.


    "Celine¡­ you know what you have to do, right?" asked her father, Walter Armitage.


    "Yes, lord father. I shall be the one to get the tablet no matter what." she replied.


    "Now that Kassandra Mikealson is out and Victor Apopis is on the run¡­ It leaves only Nabi and Salvatore.


    Ezekiel Nabi is just another sheltered brat despite his talent in magic¡­ but Kahn Salvatore poses a big threat to all of us.


    And since it was Kassandra who seduced Kahn Salvatore and brought him to their side, we really can''t afford for him to be the one to retrieve it.


    And if the rumors are right¡­ then he too is a descendant of the Imperial bloodline." he spoke with a somber expression.


    "If the tablet is retrieved by him, Damon Mikealson will be the one to be the next faction leader.


    And Salvatore will be wed into their n. He will be protected by them and with the bloodline of the First Sage in the y¡­ Kahn will have the im to the throne of the Rakos Empire.


    The Mikealson n will push the entire neutral faction for it and there will be a war just like 100 years ago.


    This time¡­ even we won''t have any merit despite your bloodline. So of all people¡­ Kahn Salvatore must be killed when you''re in the forbidden region." said Walter Armitage in an authoritative tone.


    "I understand, lord father." spoke Celine and bowed respectfully.


    Since the Emperor''s Chosenpetition¡­ Celine was overshadowed by both Kahn and Kassandra.


    One was the strongest semi-saint of the youngest generation while the other one was the strongest mage of them all among their peers.


    While their name spread across the masses and they gained more fame and acknowledgment from the whole empire¡­


    Celine''s name faded from the topic of discussion and once the most talented swordsmaiden who had been the center of attention from the entire capital, her n and the three factions was now tuned into¡­


    A Nobody.

 Chapter 494 - The Hall

    Chapter 494 - The Hall


    Celine now stood in front of Kahn''s lifeless body which was bleeding profusely from the heart after she sneak attacked Kahn when he turned his back on her to search for the tablet on his own.


    As for the reason why she killed Kahn¡­ it was because of her own jealousy towards him.


    In the past decade, she was alwayspared with Kassandra Mikealson no matter what she did.


    Celine also felt inferior because despite being a worthy fighter herself¡­ Sometimes, people said thatpared to Kassandra¡­ neither was she strong nor was beautiful enough.


    In the past 8 months¡­ her name had beenpletely forgotten by the people of the Rakos Empire and nobody even cared if she was nicknamed as the Dual Sword Saintess among the young generation.


    And after Kassandra''s heroic deeds in the Kaldris region of the Vessen fiefdom when she faced a legendary rank monster on her own and Kahn glorifying her bravery throughout the empire¡­


    Those two became a thorn in her eyes.


    With each passing day¡­ Kahn had risen to poprity, public support, and authority while Celine was being looked down on by her own nsmen because she didn''t even make it to the finale.


    And after she was oppressed by Kahn in the Aesir whether it was his Throne hall or when she was forced to work under the semi-saintmander Nadia Cenmiko¡­ she had be basically someone without any authority and prestige as if she wasn''t a semi-saint prodigy but a roadside beggar.


    This ended up in Celine developing an inferiorityplex and hence, she hates Kahn to her core.


    But with her father''s permission to act on her will in the forbidden region¡­ she had a perfect chance to let out her anger while acting as an ally with Kahn.


    And now¡­ the Raven Sorceress, who was her biggestpetitor lost her ability to use magic while the strongest semi-saint of the empirey in front of her¡­pletely dead.


    "Sorry, Salvatore. My n''s fate depends on it. If you deliver the tablet¡­ It will be the Mikealson n who will benefit the most.


    You will be their son-inw and enter the n and once Damon Mikealson bes the faction leader¡­ my n will be on the losing end. The damage you could do to my n and me¡­ I hope you understand.


    Besides¡­ You should''ve known your ce since the beginning. If not for your arrogance, you wouldn''t be here and I wouldn''t have had to kill you." spoke Celine with a condescending look.


    Celine gave ast look at Kahn''s horrified face and then departed for the ruins that seemed to be the final path.


    ----------------


    Right at this moment, a man in a ck and gray longcoat along with a silver-haired man with four katanas on his waist were in front of a maze.


    "Man, I understand their circumstances but it hurts to be backstabbed all the time." spoke the real Kahn.


    [How''s the situation there? Did you record it all?] he asked through the Telepathy Link.


    [Yes, master. We finished the task perfectly. She didn''t suspect anything.] replied Ronin.


    An invisible barrier was deactivated as 3 figures appeared at the site of the crime.


    Ronin, Ceril and the dead Kahn on the ground whose appearance suddenly started to change.


    And the man who had his heart stabbed by Celine and died a horrible death was¡­


    Ezekiel Nabi.


    ----------------


    After learning from his experience with the semi-saint mage, Kahn already expected Celine to betray him for the Tablet of Arcana as well.


    But given her usefulness because of her Imperial bloodline which opened all the doors for them till this point, Kahn had been acting all trustworthy and clueless.


    After they finally found the ruins at the bottom of the castle, he knew that it won''t be long before the dual swords saintess turned on him as well.


    But rather than acting on an impulse¡­ he decided to use her instead.


    When they entered the ruins¡­ Kahn created a doppelganger while he left with Omega using Shadow Walk skill.


    And right when he suggested to part their ways, the doppelganger Kahn who was just real Kahn in an extra body, quickly used the Lucid Reality skill he got from Bjormngandur on Celine without her noticing.


    This ability was something that messed with all senses of the enemy during a battle and temporarily put you under an illusion for one minute.


    And during that one minute, Ceril put Ezekiel, who was chained and gagged in Kahn''s position.


    The doppelganger Kahn then disappeared and just as they expected¡­ Celine chose to betray him at that moment when he looked without any guard.


    The one she thought to be Kahn was actually the semi-saint mage and the n heir of the Nabi n while the real Kahn had already traveled 20 kilometers deep in these ancient ruins thanks to Omega''s gravityw skills that stopped all the traps and spells from attacking them as the duo was simply levitating in the air.


    On the other side¡­ Kahn had ordered Ronin to record this whole scene of her killing Ezekiel.


    This was to create evidence of her killing Ezekiel which Kahn could useter to either ckmail her or have the Nabi n and the pureblood faction hunt her down in case she got the tablet.


    He had no intention to be understanding of her situation and simply didn''t care if she lived or died. To him, other than Kassandra, all the top prodigies of the Rakos Empire only seemed like power-hungry brats who betrayed and killed in the name of ambition and helping their n.


    As for the traitor snake named Ezekiel who sacrificed Kahn to lure the guardian dragon and almost got him killed¡­


    Karma was a bitch.


    [Keep the body. We will have some use for it.] ordered Kahn to store Ezekiel''s body because at the end of the day, he was a semi-saint and Kahn could get a useful and strong subordinate if he was in need.


    Using the Earth Sense skill that was his 10 kilometer wide radar system which allowed Kahn to inspect and map out the ground and all living beings on it¡­ he directly found a pathway to the end of this maze ruins without falling for any booby traps.


    And Omega got rid of anything that stopped their advance. After half an hour¡­ both of them reached a white door.


    Omega simply shed it apart and finally, both of them reached a dpidated hall that had broken and worn down magic formations and a massive golden tablet was ced in the center of it.


    Omega destroyed these worn-down magic barriers but before they even reached the halfway¡­


    "Ah¡­ finally, one of my kin is here."


    An ancient and tyrannical voice resounded in this massive hall.


    "Wait¡­ you''re not my kin. You¡­" the voice continued in a furious and ghastly tone.


    "You''re a chosen Hero!"

 Chapter 495 - Ancient Entity

    Chapter 495 - Ancient Entity


    A chill ran under Kahn and Omega''s spine as they heard this ancient grim voice that instantly put them on a high alert.


    Omega quickly activated Gravity Domain to get an upper hand in case a surprise attack came their way. Kahn on the other end had Survival Instinct on high alert and was ready to activate somir scales, Drakos Armor and even Asura Mode if they were to be attacked.


    "Who¡­ who is it?" asked Kahn as he had Lucifer equipped in hand and tried to use Earth Sense to notice this entity whose voice they heard just now.


    "Why is a chosen Hero here? Ymir said he took the necessary measures.


    And why hasn''t anyone visited this ce from over a century? What about the Imperial family?" asked this majestic voice which even made Omega feel a threat to his life.


    "Hate to break it to you but there is no Imperial family anymore. They were massacred in a coup 100 years ago.


    Everyone, including the previous emperor, Norodogir has been killed." revealed Kahn.


    [Make sure she doesn''t find a way toe here.] hemanded Ronin & Ceril who were 30 kilometers away and tailed Celine.


    "What?! How dare you speak such nonsense, boy?! How can the Imperial family be massacred?


    What were the founding ns doing? What was the Mikealson n doing?!" shouted the entity and asked in a furious tone.


    "Well¡­ most of the founding ns as well as the Mikealson n were the ones who led the coup.


    The three 7th stage saints joined hands and killed the 8th stage emperor, Norodogir. The Rakos Empire of now is run and controlled by the factions that formed after the founding ns separated themselves.


    There are currently three factions¡­ Pureblood, Demi-Human and the Neutral faction. Each of those saints who killed the emperor is currently their leader." revealed Kahn without hesitation.


    Because if he wanted to leave out of here alive¡­ he at least needed to show that he was on the side of the Imperial family.


    "Then howe you are here? This is a ce that can be essed only by the Imperial bloodline." spoke the ancient voice.


    "Tell me¡­ the new Hero of Darkness. How did you manage toe here? And why are you here in the first ce?" asked this being in its tyrannical voice.


    "You¡­ you know who I am?" asked Kahn with an rmed expression. His identity was already known to this ancient persona he couldn''t even see.


    "Of course. I knew a lot about the cruel and overly prideful imbeciles called the chosen heroes.


    Otherworlders who were brought into our world for that so-called mission of killing the Demon God.


    Those pretentious and entitled scums¡­ I fought and killed many of them in my time." revealed the grim and deep voice with a domineering tone.


    [The fuck! Who am I talking to? He isn''t Ymir for certain and neither is he Norodogir.


    But he found out about me and knows about the chosen heroes very well.


    If I don''t y my cards right¡­ I might as well get killed here.] thought Kahn with an aghast expression.


    "You¡­ how did you know I was the Hero of Darkness so quickly?" asked Kahn with an alerted face.


    "Because there was a time when I fought the 6th Heroine of Darkness¡­ Aponia Welschimer.


    And we once fought together against amon enemy as well. She was a very remarkable and admirable womanpared to all the heroes I came to know.


    You give off an exactly simr aura of darkness just like her. But you''re hundreds of times weaker than her.


    Tell me, which number are you?" said the ancient voice.


    "I''m the 9th." replied Kahn with a cautious tone.


    "Tell me something¡­ what is this ce? And why are there so many barriers and monsters guarding it?


    Do you have any idea how many millions of people have died in the past hundred years alone?" asked Kahn as he was finally seeing a way to get the answers he wanted for a long time.


    "Well, since you''ve managed to reach her despite all these adversities. It doesn''t hurt me to tell you the truth.


    This region is where the Imperial family trained, raised their levels and ranks after gaining the right. This ce has always been unknown to all the other ns and factions of the Rakos Empire.


    But two hundred years ago¡­ The Hero of Lightning from a nearby empire found this ce. At that time, the 6th Emperor, who was an 8th stage saint magician, fought with that invader." revealed the voice that echoed in this 300 meters wide hall.


    "But unfortunately¡­ Ymir was mortally wounded in order to kill that bastard. The injury was so grave that he had only a few weeks to live.


    This whole region, which is around 3 thousand kilometers, was actually their battlefield. Itpletely changed the terrain and created different environments because of their sh and powers.


    And to protect the fate of the Imperial family, he made arrangements and used the Hero of Lightning''s core as a source to create a barrier that would bar any saint, who does not belong to our family from entering inside the Vessen mountain range since a soul of a chosen Hero is many times stronger than ours.


    He ced various legendary rank creatures as guardians in the outeryer to stop armies of semi-saints and forces from other empires toe for the Tablet of Arcana.


    And finally, he sacrificed himself to provide a source for all the barriers in the inner region to keep it running. So that no one other than the members of our Imperial family, who reached at least a 5th stage saint would be able to enter this ce." revealed the ancient entity.


    "What the hell?! He killed a chosen Hero on his own, someone with divine abilities, and used his core to create the barrier over Vessen fiefdom?!" eximed Kahn.


    "The barrier over Vessen, the six hotspots of monster tides, and the mythical rank guardians.


    All of that to protect the Tablet of Arcana." spoke Kahn with a baffled tone.


    And top of it¡­ this ancient entity knew about one of his predecessors as well as killed other heroes on his own.


    "O'' great elder¡­ may I ask who exactly you are?" he asked.


    "Me? I''m not someone worth mentioning. Well, I''m sure no one even knows my name since my kin have been eradicated." responded the entity.


    "Please tell me¡­ it is only right for me to address you properly." said Kahn as he tried to goad the archaic persona into revealing his identity.


    "Well¡­ I had many names and outrageous titles. This weak and humble old me is called¡­" replied the ancient entity as he finally revealed his identity.


    "Rathnaar Whitlock, The First Emperor."

 Chapter 496 - The Founder

    Chapter 496 - The Founder


    Kahn and Omega were left speechless as they heard the name of this ancient entity. The one who they were conversing with till this point.


    "The¡­ the first emperor¡­ Rathnaar, the Conqueror?" asked Kahn with a bbergasted expression.


    [Master¡­ isn''t he¡­] asked Omega.


    [Not now¡­ let''s hear what he has to say first.] replied Kahn.


    Kahn looked around the ceiling of this underground hall and ruined architecture. He bowed on the left while Omega bowed on the right.


    "Our greeting, great Emperor." he said.


    "I''m right in front of you, you idiots!" spoke Rathnaar.


    [The hell¡­ why can''t I see him then?] thought Kahn.


    "But¡­ you''re supposed to be dead. And that too more than 800 years ago. How can you be still alive?" asked Kahn in a befuddled voice.


    "I said I''m right in front of you!" eximed Rathnaar again.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ you''re¡­" replied Kahn as he looked at what was in front of him.


    "Yes, I''m inside the Tablet of Arcana." said the first emperor.


    "Don''t¡­ don''t tell¡­ howe you''re not dead yet?" queried Kahn again.


    "My body has perished. But I have left half of my soul bound to the tablet.


    And it''s powerful enough to sustain my remaining soul essence." replied Rathnaar in a thoughtful voice.


    "What is this Tablet of Arcana?


    If I''m not wrong¡­ And three factions, they wanted it for themselves and caused the Great War under the pretense of a coup against the Imperial family for it." said Kahn.


    "So you mean to say that the founding ns turned their back on my descendants for the tablet?" asked Rathnaar in a grim voice.


    "Well¡­ that wasn''t the first time this empire had a coup.


    Many times because there was a very system, shunning of particr races and species¡­ war between ns and powerful figures. And from the historical records I read once¡­ the Whitlock family did a real shitty job in managing the empire.


    And the previous emperor was the worst of them all. He oppressed and massacred too many people who stood before him. He even wiped out some of the loyal founding ns because he was afraid of their authority.


    The records call him the worst emperor of the Rakos Empire. Although I don''t know how much of it is true¡­ it is what it is." revealed Kahn based on the knowledge he had about the history.


    "This¡­ this cannot be. No one told me anything about it." spoke Rathnaar as his voice sounded that of a dejected man.


    "Of course, they didn''t." said Kahn as if it was obvious.


    "I created this empire to provide a safe haven for different species and races around the world.


    Back then¡­ those gods, their churches, their monasteries, and those anomalies called the chosen heroes caused a lot of bloodbaths, massacred andunched a crusade against different species and races.


    Some tried to eradicate humans while some deemed demihumans as a race to be annihted. Those bastards had killed billions of people throughout the world in the name of their God''s decree and divine judgment.


    Anyone who looked different or belonged to a certain race¡­ anyone who didn''t follow the doctrine of their God or questioned the authority of their representatives¡­ all of them were purged.


    Many species and races went extinct during those times." revealed the first emperor with a crestfallen voice.


    "That was when I and many who believed that the bloodbath in the name of religion was simply too cruel; decided to work together and create a ce where all the races and species could live in harmony.


    It took me 200 years just to establish the Rakos Empire¡­ but I guess all was for naught.


    And based on what you said¡­ the empire is still divided into three factions.


    Looks like in the end¡­ I failed very miserably." spoke Rathnaar. His defeated tone gave Kahn a sense of understanding of the man.


    "I guess you''re also to me. You created a system where only the strongest of your bloodline became the emperor or an empress.


    The truly capable were disqualified because they were weaker and thus it ended up dividing the Imperial family and founding ns.


    The great war¡­ was just an end to a thousand-year-long battle for power. It only dyed what should''ve happened centuries ago." responded Kahn with his honest opinion.


    Rathnaar then kept quiet for a while and spoke again with an authoritative tone.


    "You still haven''t answered my question though.


    Even if you were a chosen Hero, you could not havee here since you do not have the Imperial bloodline.


    Why and how are you here? Are you also here for the Tablet of Arcana just like that Hero of Lightning from two centuries ago?" asked Rathnaar in a ghastly tone that sent shivers to both Kahn and Omega''s bodies.


    "If that''s the reason¡­ then you might as well return, boy.


    No one other than the Imperial bloodline can ess the tablet and what lies inside.


    You cannot even touch it unless I grant you the permission myself.


    So get out of here while I''m being considerate." spoke Rathnaar in a domineering voice.


    [Master¡­ I don''t think that even I can do anything against that tablet. The aura it''s giving off¡­ it''s too strong.] said Omega.


    [Let me handle this.] replied Kahn.


    "You''re right¡­ I came here for the tablet and I was able to enter here without even having the imperial bloodline.


    Not because I found a way to get inside¡­ but I was allowed to." outright lied Kahn.


    "Impossible! The barriers will not let you pass unless it is someone from my kin. Tell me the truth!" Rathnaar''s angered voice shook the surroundings.


    "Well, I don''t know anything about the bloodline but I think the barrier recognized me as one of your own." replied Kahn.


    "What nonsense! Why would the barrier recognize you as one of my descendants?" asked Rathnaar in a curious voice.


    "Maybe because of this¡­" said Kahn and soon, he took out something that covered the entire hall in a blinding white light.


    A big sphere that was the size of a full-grown elephant suddenly appeared in between them.


    "I bet you recognize this." spoke Kahn with a benign smile.


    "You!... This can''t be! You''re not only the Hero of Darkness but also¡­" spoke Rathnaar in a trembling and bewildered voice.


    "My Sessor!"

 Chapter 497 - The History

    Chapter 497 - The History


    The First Emperor''s surprised voice resounded in the wide hall as soon as Kahn revealed Rathnaar, the Peak Saint''s core.


    "How did you manage to get it?! I told Lezron to hide it away after my death even from my children!" eximed Rathnaar as a wave of heavy pressurended on Kahn and Omega''s bodies.


    "I acquired it by luck. And I guess you can sense that the core is now tied to my soul. So basically I''m its master." spoke Kahn as he looked towards the tablet.


    "Ha ha ha! Haha ha ha!


    I¡­ Rathnaar Whitlock, the one who hated the gods and killed many of their heroes with his own hands, has a God''s chosen Hero as my sessor.


    How ironic." said Rathnaar as heughed hysterically.


    "That exins a lot. It is natural that the barrier recognized you as one of my kin if that were to be the case.


    What is your name¡­ my sessor?" asked Rathnaar.


    "Kahn Salvatore." he replied casually.


    "Not a bad name. So tell me¡­ what are you doing in my Rakos empire?


    Shouldn''t you be summoned in the Abyss Empire instead of being here?" he asked.


    "Abyss Empire? What''s that? The only thing I know is Abyss Forest that''s said to have Godbeasts living in it." he replied with a stupefied expression.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" asked Rathnaar curiously.


    "Well¡­ a situation happened quite some time ago." spoke Kahn.


    Since Rathnaar already knew more about the heroes than Kahn¡­ he decided to tell the specter about his situation because of the deeds done by his predecessor.


    "Haha ha ha!! Ha ha ha ha!!


    I''m going to die again just fromughing!


    I wish I could''ve met your predecessor before he died. He and I would''ve be good friends." said Rathnaar as heughed out loudly.


    "A hero without an empire''s support¡­ no wonder you''re the weakest one I''ve ever seen.


    In two years'' time, any chosen Hero would at least be a 3rd stage saint with the resources given by their respective empire.


    Tell me¡­ what do you know about the other heroes?" said Rathnaar he keptughing again and again.


    "Absolutely nothing." said Kahn in an embarrassed tone.


    "You''re so screwed, my sessor. And what about your divine weapon? You at least have that, don''t you?" asked Rathnaar.


    "What divine weapon?!" eximed Kahn as he found a piece of new information out of the blue.


    "Ha ha ha ha!!


    You''re definitely the unluckiest hero ever summoned. Haha ha ha ha!!" Rathnaar ROFL-ed.


    "Tell me?! What the hell is a divine weapon? Even God of Darkness didn''t tell me anything about it!" eximed Kahn he felt like he was on the very end of the cliff.


    "How are you going to kill the Demon God if you don''t even have your divine weapon?


    Forget him¡­ how will you even face the other Heroes if they try to kill you without your divine weapon?


    Howe I know more about your role than yourself?" questioned Rathnaar multiple times.


    "Just tell me what you know." spoke Kahn in an exasperated tone. He was finally getting some information but Rathnaar kept leaving him on a cliffhanger like a certain someone who did it at the end of every chapter.


    "A divine weapon is a chosen Hero''s signature weapon. Without it¡­ they can never fight at their full capacity or use their souls to power up their attacks and skills.


    Usually, they are guarded and handed down to each generation of the summoned heroes by the empire that serves their respective god.


    But in your situation¡­ there is no one left to serve the God of Darkness anymore.


    The only way I can think of to find your divine weapon¡­" revealed Rathnaar and continued in a serious tone.


    "Is to find the remains of the 8th Hero of Darkness." dered Rathnaar.


    ----------------


    Kahn was too stunned to speak after Rathnaar revealed so many facts about how the summoned heroes had their divine weapons while Kahn barely had Lucifer which was only made from a drake''s fangs.


    "Will¡­ my sword do?" asked Kahn as he showed the ck greatsword with crimson vein patterns on the de.


    "It has potential but it will never be enough.


    You need at least a Royal Dragon''s fangs and bones to forge a weapon that can withstand against a divine weapon. And that''s possible if you''re evenly matched against a chosen Hero in terms of ranks.


    I had one as well. I killed 9 ignorant heroes myself when they tried to attack my empire.


    But it was destroyed automatically after I died since a soul marked weapon destroys itself after its master dies." revealed Rathnaar casually.


    "You¡­ you¡­ killed 9 heroes yourself?" asked Kahn as he stuttered because of the shocking information he just heard.


    "Eh¡­ nothing noteworthy. Those losers relied too much on their divine abilities and weapons.


    Most of themcked real battle experience and mastery over their skills. I even killed 2 at once who were a rank above me.


    Those idiots never understood that just rising in ranks is never enough. Maybe that''s why none of them ever managed to kill the demon god.


    As far as I remember¡­ he wasn''t even a demi-god back then." spoke Rathnaar as if he was casually having a chat over a cup of tea.


    [This guy!... Is a serial Flexer!] said Kahn to himself.


    Rathnaar was talking about killing a Royal Dragon, 9 chosen heroes, including even those who were higher ranked than him in aidback manner as if it was as easy as breathing for him.


    [How badass was this guy when he was alive?


    Wait¡­ My predecessor killed all the other 12 heroes and a Royal Dragon as well! How badass was he?!


    And Rathnaar is talking about Demon God as if that guy was his junior in high school.


    Why am I so behind on everything?!] Kahn gasped as one by one, too many mind-boggling revtions were made to him.


    But before he could ask another question¡­ Rathnaar asked in a serious voice.


    "Tell me¡­ Kahn Salvatore. What do you want to achieve?


    Sacrifice your life while trying to kill the Demon God¡­ on someone''s war that you have no reason to fight? Or be the master of¡­" the deep and ancient voice resounded in the dpidated hall as the first emperor presented Kahn with a preposition.


    "Tablet of Arcana."

 Chapter 498 - Tablet of Arcana

    Chapter 498 - Tablet of Arcana


    Kahn was too stunned to speak after Rathnaar, the first and founding emperor of the Rakos Empire suddenly offered him to be the owner of the Tablet of Arcana.


    His mission so far was only to retrieve this tablet that was so precious to all the three noble factions that they went as far as to start a coup against the Imperial family under the disguise of usurping the cruel and tyrant emperor.


    Even the previous Hero of Lightning died trying to get it while the 6th Emperor sacrificed his life to create this barrier and ced so many monsters in the Vessen mountain range to protect it.


    But now¡­ Rathnaar was offering him to be its owner out of nowhere.


    This went against his deal and many of his ns.


    "Why? Me being your sessor is a different thing and the Tablet of Arcana is another matter.


    So why are you offering it to me?" asked Kahn with a suspicious gaze.


    "I guide others to a treasure I cannot possess."


    Replied Rathnaar as his somber voice resounded in the hall.


    "I''m not giving it to you for free. In return, I want to make a deal with you." he said.


    "What kind of deal?" asked Kahn.


    "Now that I no longer have any descendants left and you''re my sessor at the same time¡­


    I have no choice but to rely on your help." he spoke in a serious tone.


    "Just tell me what the hell is this tablet first. I''ll listen to your preposition after that." said Kahn.


    To his unruly words¡­ Rathnaar replied in a calm tone.


    "Tablet of Arcana is actually a key¡­ or more likely a door to the Chamber of Exaltation."


    "What is that?"


    "Chamber of Exaltation is a pocket dimension where I and all the other emperors and empresses of Rakos Empire raised their levels and ranks after crossing the 5th stage.


    You see¡­ Most of the species in the world, regardless of their talent and resources, cannot exceed past 9th stage saint rank or a Godbeast rank in some cases.


    There are too many reasons such as one''s species, quality of bloodline, and even method of cultivating their bodies to be capable of reaching that rank.


    And that is why¡­ there hasn''t been a single being other than myself who reached peak saint rank in the past 5 thousand years.


    And also¡­ it contains another secret to it." revealed Rathnaar.


    "What secret?" asked Kahn as a visible curiosity appeared on his face.


    "The secret to bing a¡­ Demi-God."


    Revealed the former peak saint rank emperor.


    "What?! Really?!" asked Kahn with a dumbfounded expression.


    "Don''t get worked up, kid. I''ve hidden the secret with the other half of my soul and sealed it in a ce no one other than myself or my sessor can reach." revealed Rathnaar.


    "You see¡­ Many cannot seed in bing a Demi-God because they are limited by the restrictions of species and bloodlines.


    As for us humans¡­ we are one of the weakest species but also with the highest versatility in Vantrea.


    No matter how stronger you get¡­ there are limits you can''t cross." he spoke.


    "And the Tablet of Arcana is something that was left behind a Demi-God from ancient times which I found in a ruin 1200 years ago.


    Chamber of Exaltation is a separate dimension that was created by that very being. It''s a secret that cannot be shared with the world.


    The reason I told Lezron to hide my core and choose a sessor was because my children back then were more worried about my throne instead of trying to strengthen our empire.


    The politics was simply too bloody back then and as my final days came close¡­ Even with the Tablet of Arcana, I found that I couldn''t be a Demi-God because of one of the required conditions.


    So I had no choice but to have my core hidden in a remote ce and split my soul into two parts. And the Chamber of Exaltation only became a training ground for my descendants.


    And only when one of them became a worthy candidate, I would tell them the location of my other part. Besides, anyone who can''t even be a 9th stage saint doesn''t even qualify to know the secret." revealed Rathnaar in one go.


    "You even hid it from your kin? Why is that?" asked Kahn as this fact bugged him the most.


    "You do not understand the gravity of the situation, Kahn Salvatore.


    Anyone who got their hands on it would simply spell the doom of the empire and attract too much attention from the other empires around the world.


    They''d go as far as wiping out the entire Rakos empire to get the tablet and my core is the best source for even a chosen Hero to be a Demi-God.


    "But why are you offering it to me then? Just because I found your core?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. You''re a chosen Hero with divine abilities. And with my core and the knowledge of how to use the Chamber of Exaltation¡­ you can be not only the strongest among other heroes¡­ but also a Demi-God when you meet the requirements and retrieve the other half of my soul." he revealed his reasons.


    "And I guess you want something in return?" asked Kahn.


    "Correct. I will impart my knowledge and help you meet one of the conditions as your mentor. You can know about the other two conditions when you be a 9th stage saint and retrieve my soul.


    But in return¡­ I want you to make a soul-pact with me." replied Rathnaar.


    "Ummm¡­ why do you want me to do that?" asked Kahn again.


    "It should be obvious to you already.


    I have lived and bled for this empire in my entire lifetime. I founded and protected it till the end of my days.


    And now that you''re the only one whom I can rely on and has the potential to even surpass me¡­ you''re the only person in the whole world I can ask toplete this mission." spoke Kahn.


    Kahn rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    [Great! Another mission.] he thought.


    "And what might that be?" asked Kahn in a serious tone.


    To his query¡­ Rathnaar replied in a tyrannical voice as if he was delivering his imperial decree¡­


    "Be the new Emperor!"

 Chapter 499 - The Soul-Pact

    Chapter 499 - The Soul-Pact


    Out of a sudden, Rathnaar proposed to be Kahn''s mentor, his guide, and even wanted to help him be a Demi-God. And in return, all he wanted was for Kahn to be the next Emperor of the Rakos Empire.


    As for the reason why? Kahn had no idea.


    "Why do you want me to do that? Don''t tell me you trust me just because I''m your sessor?


    To be honest, I''m the sovereign of the Vessen fiefdom now. But I have no attachment to the rest of the empire.


    What you want me to do is too much unnecessary risk." he spoke truthfully.


    "Touch the tablet and meet me inside.


    We need to talk about this face to face." said Rathnaar.


    [Omega¡­ store the core.] ordered Kahn as he took a necessary measure first.


    Omega stored the massive core in his space ring and disappeared from the ce in the next moment.


    Kahn walked forth and ced his hands on the huge golden tablet.


    Vooom!!


    The following second, everything around Kahn suddenly turned white. There were no stones, no ground or any construct as if Kahn entered a different realm.


    "Is this¡­ the chamber of exaltation?" he asked himself.


    "No. This is just a passage. The one you cannot pass through without my acknowledgment and permission."


    A tyrannical and stoic voice came from behind Kahn quickly turned around with an rmed expression.


    A massive 10 meter old man sitting on a giant red and golden throne came into sight.


    On his head, was a golden crown and a grizzly white beard, as well as a mustache, was the first thing Kahn noticed.


    This giant man was covered in gray and golden armor while on the left side of the throne, was an 8 meter tall greatsword hovering in the air.


    Kahn finally saw what Rathnaar Whitlock, The legendary first emperor of the Rakos empire looked like.


    His appearance was oozing with power, responsibility, charisma, leadership and honor.


    He looked like those heroes of the legends or someone who trained those heroes himself.


    "Don''t worry. This is just my soul form. I''m actually not that big." said Rathnaar.


    "What do you want to talk about?" asked Kahn.


    "You don''t see the big picture, Kahn Salvatore.


    You need me, my knowledge, my methods to survive against the heroes, their churches and if that punk called the Demon God really achieves the realm of True Gods¡­ you know what will happen.


    Only having the Rakos Empire behind you will help you survive and give you enough manpower, authority, and resources to repel your future enemies.


    Because sooner orter, your identity will be revealed to them even if you don''t want to.


    What I''m offering you now is your only chance to protect yourself since you don''t even have your divine weapon." said Rathnaar.


    "What do you mean? How will they find out?" asked Kahn as he noticed another revtion.


    "The moment you be a saint, every other God and their religious institutes will sense your presence.


    No other hero has been an exception to this.


    You''re lucky to have survived even till now without anyone finding out about your real identity.


    Just because Rakos Empire doesn''t support any God or follows their doctrine doesn''t mean they will look favorably on you either." borated Rathnaar.


    "But still¡­ there should be better alternatives than me. If what you say is true¡­ then I will be the biggest threat to the empire itself since others wille after me.


    Me bing the emperor will spell more trouble. So why would you want to risk the fate of the whole empire?" asked Kahn curiously as he found some answers of his own.


    "You''re an otherworlder. Unlike us, I know that you won''t have to leave the world of living even after you be a Demi-God since you''re not naturally born in Vantrea.


    What more could I ask for if a Demi-God will protect my empire?" exined Rathnaar.


    "As things stand in the current situation¡­


    You need me more than I need you." he continued in an authoritative tone.


    "Fine then¡­ I ept." spoke Kahn instantly.


    "Good. Let me begin the Soul-Pact." spoke Rathnaar and soon, 20 different archaic formations surrounded Kahn''s body and Rathnaar''s soul form was being absorbed by Kahn through a white fog-like wave.


    After one hour¡­ the procedure was finally done and Kahn returned outside of the tablet.


    "You in there?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes. Our souls have been attached perfectly.] replied Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    Omega then appeared in front of Kahn and handed him the peak saint''s core.


    But the very moment Kahn took the core back in his space ring¡­


    [Finally! I am free!] Rathnaar''s voice resounded in Kahn''s head.


    And Kahn thenpletely lost control over his body.


    [Do you think I''m a fool, boy?


    I was a peak saint when I was alive.


    Do you really think I can''t sense that someone with my family''s bloodline ising here?


    Did you think I revealed all that information because I trusted or empathized with you?


    Do you think I needed you to tell me that you had my core?


    I sensed it as soon as you crossed the final barrier. I was simply waiting for you toe here.] suddenly Rathnaar''s voice gave Kahn a sense of ominous foreboding.


    [I told you everything I knew about the chosen heroes so that you could trust me.


    I used your sorry situation against you to make you feel that you needed my help and had to rely on me in order to survive.


    Since you already have my core¡­ you shall be my vessel!] his grim voice sent shivers to Kahn.


    "You bastard!! Was that your n from the beginning?!" asked Kahn in an enraged tone.


    [Yes. Although I have a descendanting here¡­ you''re a far better choice.


    Last time, I failed to be a Demi-God.


    But with the body of a chosen Hero with divine abilities¡­ and my core back to me¡­


    I can reach the pinnacle very quickly. I will rip apart everyone who massacred my descendants and reim my throne.] he dered as Kahn kept losing control over his body.


    [Hahaha haha ha!!


    You must be really dumb, boy. If you want to survive in this world¡­


    You need to look for the worst in people even if they seem trustworthy.] said Rathnaar and finally, he gained full control over Kahn''s body.


    "Sit in the back from now on. I''m in charge now." spoke Kahn¡­ now Rathnaar.


    But before this celebratory scene continued¡­ the real. Kahn spoke¡­


    [System¡­ do it!]

 Chapter 500 - Moment of Truth

    Chapter 500 - Moment of Truth


    As soon as Rathnaar formed the soul-pact with Kahn, he immediately tried to take control over thetter''s body and revealed the truth about that being his main intention since the very beginning.


    [System¡­ do it!] ordered Kahn.


    Soon, Kahn''s body arched down and he took a deep breath.


    "You really need to stop looking down on others if you want to be in charge." spoke the real Kahn this time.


    [What the hell is this?!] shouted Rathnaar in his mind.


    At this moment¡­ Rathnaar''s soul form was put in a different space as if some sort of jail was created just for him.


    "Can I destroy his soul?" asked Kahn.


    [No. The subject''s soul form is currently too strong for the host to destroy.


    The host will need to at least be a 9th stage saint topletely overpower and absorb or eradicate it.] replied the system.


    "I see. So I''m stuck with this old geezer for some time." spoke Kahn.


    [Hello there.] a sudden grim voice resounded in Kahn''s mind but this time, it was directed at Rathnaar.


    [What the hell! Why is there a Basilisk here?!


    Wait... What kind of basilisk is this?!


    What are these monsters!]


    Eximed Rathnaar again and again as he saw Rudra and the rest of the members of the Legion inside Kahn.


    [You even have a mythical rank dragon''s body in a separate dimension!


    What kind of freak are you?!] shouted the first emperor.


    "The kind that outsmarted you." replied Kahn with a grin.


    [How? How did you know that I would betray you?] asked the peak saint.


    "Well, you yed your part perfectly. If I was a fool, I truly would''ve believed you seeing your sincerity.


    But the thing is¡­ your deal was simply too shady." said Kahn and continued¡­


    "If you truly wanted to share the tablet and the truth about how to be a Demi-God with someone worthy¡­


    You wouldn''t have made the whole sessor thing in the first ce.


    Back when I acquired your core 2 years ago, all Lezron Mikealson, the First Sage''s remnant soul did was just inquire about me being a citizen of the Rakos Empire.


    He did not test my capabilities, background, intentions or loyalty toward the empire or the imperial family.


    He just bound the core to my body as if he wanted to get rid of it." borated Kahn.


    "And after hearing about how you chose not to tell even your descendants about the secret or even your core¡­ I came to a final conclusion.


    The whole Sessor thing was just a front. In reality, you just wanted a body to control and return.


    Anyone strong and greedy enough would''ve eventually contacted the imperial family after finding your core and hearing the final message from the First Sage in order to be the emperor and they would''ve been brought here by your descendants.


    I''m certain you made arrangements for everything.


    Just that the Imperial family getting wiped out was not under your expectations when you nned all of this." exined Kahn with a smile on his face.


    "Hence, I already prepared for you betraying me as soon as we made the soul-pact."


    [Haha ha ha! To get outyed by a brat who was born yesterday¡­


    I really have gotten old it seems.] spoke Rathnaar as he keptughing hysterically.


    "Have you gone senile old man? Are you sure you should be stillughing?" asked Kahn with curiosity.


    [You don''t get it, do you? You''re still screwed regardless of who''s in charge.


    Only I can control the tablet of Arcana and have the ess to Chamber of Exaltation. And know the location of my other part of the soul which holds the truth to bing a Demi-God.


    Do you think those three noble factions sent you here to retrieve the tablet without knowing about it? Why do you think they went as far as eradicating my kin?


    And now¡­ if they want it¡­ they''d have to extract my soul from your body.] said the old emperor.


    Kahn''s eyes were wide open as soon as he heard the peak saint.


    [To extract one''s soul from a body¡­ I guess you''re smart enough to know what it truly entails.] he said and keptughing like a maniac as he rejoiced in Kahn''s current predicament.


    "You mean¡­ The factions already knew about this and sent all of us here regardless?


    That no matter who got the tablet among the young generation¡­ their fate was going to be the same?" asked Kahn with a bbergasted expression.


    [Hahaha. You have a good head over your shoulders.


    Whether it was you, that mage who was killed or that halfbreed demonkin girl with my bloodline; if anyone of you got hands on the Tablet of Arcana¡­ they nned to kill that person to get the ownership of the tablet as soon as you exited the barriers prohibiting a saint from entering here.


    All of you were nothing but small pawns since the beginning.] revealed Rathnaar.


    "Lies! You''re just making a fat lie to get in my head so that I''d be forced to listen to you now that you can''t control my body." said Kahn in denial.


    [Tell me, why did you decide to make the pact with me if you knew I was most likely to double-cross you?] asked Rathnaar.


    "What choice did I have? If I put you in a box, I''d get the tablet and leave peacefully. And rest would be their problem." replied Kahn with a serious voice.


    [Look at your options now, boy.


    When you be a Saint, your presence will be noticed by the Gods and their representatives.


    But if you stay here, you will be hunted down by the noble factions for the Tablet of Arcana.


    And you can''t stay inside Vessen unless you want to stay as a semi-saint for the rest of your life. Even here, you will have to be constantly at war.


    On one side of the Rakos empire, there''s only Abyss Forest where you will definitely die since any Godbeasts will be able to sense your presence after you be a saint.


    Everything is against you at the moment.


    So tell me¡­ who should be the oneughing now?] borated Rathnaar.


    Like a lightning bolt¡­ Kahn was struck with this unforeseeable truth.


    And with a terrified voice, he spoke to himself¡­


    "I need to get out of this empire!"

 Chapter 501 - Escape Plan

    Chapter 501 - Escape n


    As soon as Kahn realized that no matter what he did, he had no choice but to flee the Rakos Empire¡­ his countenance turned to that of an infuriated man.


    "This can''t be happening! Do you know how much I''ve worked just to settle myself in this empire?


    I even went as far as to take on this stupid mission just for the sake of securing my future till I became a sixth stage saint!


    And because of you, all my efforts have been ruined!!" shouted Kahn at Rathnaar.


    "Huh? Why are you ming me? You were going to be found out sooner orter anyway.


    My soul getting bound to yours is not that serious." retorted Rathnaar.


    "Not serious my ass! Before you, I at least had an option to stay inside this empire. And now¡­ all the powers present here will be after me!


    And even if I somehow managed to survive or be the emperor of this ce¡­ the other empires would still send their heroes and top saints after me.


    How the hell am I supposed to take on 12 empires on my own even with the support of one?"ined Kahn with an exasperated expression.


    "On top of it, this tablet is also a precious secret that they all have been looking for. So I''m basically the most wanted man in the world because of two reasons that all of them are desperately after." he rebuked the emperor.


    "Tch! So dramatic. If you can''t handle the situation, give me the control of your body.


    I''ll keep us both alive." replied Rathnaar.


    "Fuck off!" said Kahn.


    "I need to make a n¡­ that way¡­ I will get to escape without losing anything I have here in this empire." said Kahn.


    Just then, Omega spoke.


    "Master, She''sing close. What do you want us to do."


    As soon as he heard the words, a light bulb glowed over Kahn''s head and a n hatched in his mind.


    "That bitch tried to kill me for this tablet, didn''t she?


    Let her have it." said Kahn with an evil grin.


    [Ronin, Ceril and Omega¡­ here''s what I want you to do.] spoke Kahn and ryed his newly hatched n to his subordinates.]


    ----------------


    Half an hourter¡­ Celine Armitage appeared in this grand ancient hall while being mildly injured from all the traps and mazes she went through to reach here.


    "Finally! It''s mine!" said Celine with an ted expression and walked close to the tablet.


    "Come forth, my descendant. I have been waiting for you."


    A tyrannical and archaic voice resounded in the hall.


    "Who? Who is it?" asked Celine in a frightened tone as he prepared her swords to fight.


    "My name¡­ is Rathnaar Whitlock, The First Emperor of the Rakos Empire. I see that you possess the bloodline of my family.


    Tell me, child. Are you here for the Tablet of Arcana?" revealed and asked Rathnaar.


    Celine quickly kneeled on the ground like an obedient subject and spoke in a terrified voice.


    "Great Ancestor¡­ I have indeede for the tablet as the only remaining descendant of the Imperial bloodline.


    I ask that you allow me to take it with myself."


    "What do you mean?" asked Rathnaar.


    Soon, an borate conversation between the first emperor and Celine began which eventually led her to reveal the fate of the Imperial family and her lies about how she wanted to rebuild the bloodline and reim the throne began.


    After an hour of conversation, Rathnaar agreed to let her have the Tablet of Arcana and she put it inside her space ring.


    However, at this very moment¡­ there were 2 sets of eyes watching the whole thing.


    [Alright, we''re done here. Let''s go back to the entrance.] ordered Kahn.


    Another hour passed and Celine returned to the entrance and looked at Kahn''s deceased figure lying in a pool of blood but the smile on her face seemed unaffected as she finallypleted the mission that would decide the fate of her n and secure her future as the biggest prodigy, the most talented swordsmaiden and future empress of the Rakos Empire.


    But suddenly¡­ her mind started bing hazy and Celine felt like the world around her was turning upside down.


    Thud!


    Celine fainted and fell on the ground.


    She woke up 20 minutester and decided to quickly depart the final zone as she feared losing her consciousness again. There was no room for any mistakes until she arrived at her entry zone and delivered the tablet to her faction.


    She left Kahn''s corpse without any care and began her journey back to the door she came from.


    "What a moron. I guess it is right that she should pay for killing me..." spoke Kahn who appeared from the shadows while his doppelganger on the ground disappeared.


    "We have everything we need. There are still 5 days left till the expedition is officially over.


    We need to make our moves before anyone finds out the truth." spoke Kahn.


    ----------------


    ONE DAY LATER.


    Kahn and the whole group exited the outer door from where they entered the forbidden region thanks to Omega''s new gravityw skills which increased their speed by multiple times.


    "Ronin. Make sure both of them get it on the fifth day." said Kahn and aside from Ronin, everyone else left for their warship.


    Kahn then traveled back to Aesir using their warship and began the work.


    Because soon, he would have no choice but to leave the Rakos Empire no matter what.


    But he didn''t n to just leave like a coward who wouldn''t dare to go against the people who screwed him over just because he was weak.


    In the uing days, let it be the Vessen fiefdom or even the entire Rakos Empire¡­ there was going to be chaos so grand that even all the noble factions would get the biggest headache of their entire lifetime.


    Although he had no choice but to leave¡­ Kahn wasn''t going to run without making a scene. Rather¡­


    He was going to fuck over every single one of his enemies.

 Chapter 502 - Necessary Measures

    Chapter 502 - Necessary Measures


    For the next couple of days¡­ Kahn had been secretly hiding inside the training facility he had in his castle. And what he was doing would make someone faint just from the shock.


    Ever since he came back from the forbidden region, Kahn had been constantly summoning the subordinates from the legion that he made from harvesting the bodies of the soldiers who fell in the Kaldris region and those who were massacred by Victor Apopis in the Berawaa region which Kahnter exposed to the empire.


    But unlike before¡­ this time, it was Kahn who killed them using Omega in his human form who was his strongest subordinate now and had too many skills to massacre thousands of enemies at once.


    And after he was done with more than 60 thousand subordinates he created from the harvested bodies, Kahn merged and awakened them again and again using millions of SS Rank cores.


    And finally¡­ using those bodies, he created hundreds of peak grandmasters. But after that, he started naming them all.


    After that, he had Omega kill them all again.


    And after they were all resurrected quickly by Kahn paying a hefty amount of resources to the system, all of them unlocked the Impartation Skill just like the generals and Omega.


    But Kahn''s objective didn''t end here¡­ he repeated the procedure until he was left with 40 semi-saint rank subordinates.


    Unlike the generals, these were only fighter ss humanoid species with proper jobs and skills. None of them were merged with any monster species so they only had skills and abilities as well as appearances of a semi-saint varying from different that one could find in the empire.


    Andstly, Kahn used Ezekiel''s body that they had brought with them after Celine killed him in the final region under the illusion of killing Kahn instead.


    Kahn used the semi-saint mage''s body and his core to merge with 10 semi-saints with magical sses such as magician, enchanters and spirit summoners.


    As a result, Kahn received another Legendary rank subordinate who wasparable to the other generals in terms of levels and skill.


    Kahn imparted all the suitable skills to this subordinate and named him Tobias.


    And finally, the harvested bodies of the martyred soldiers he acquired as a backup n before his expedition to the forbidden region even began had turned out to be extremely useful.


    Inside Vessen, a semi-saint was a peak of strength. And now, Kahn created 30 of his own and also a new legendary rank subordinate who wasparable to a 2nd stage saint.


    This was his final force of deterrence to protect the Vessen fiefdom from the grasp of the three factions after he left the Rakos Empire and still maintain his rule based on the ns he made.


    Ronin had already seeded in sending them private messages Kahn had prepared for his final bomb that he was going to drop on the whole Rakos empire.


    The government and the military were already made of people who served him loyally or the ve contracts.


    The military hadmanders and officers who had pledged their loyalty to him. The threemanders who he bound by Blood-oath token had no choice but to serve him even if he were to leave.


    The economy and resources of the entire fiefdom were controlled by Seven Deadly Sins under thousands of businesses, organizations and institutions.


    Kahn had absolute control over this ce. And now the backup n of the backup n he made was finally going to be useful.


    ----------------


    Kahn then met Albestros and told him about the situation at hand¡­ just that he left information such as him being the Hero of Darkness.


    He told the old peak grandmaster rank cksmith and artificer that the deal with the Pureblood faction has gone south and soon, not only them but the other two factions would also be hunting him. So he has no choice but to leave.


    And finally, he told the old man he met in the vot city 2 years ago about his final n that was going to be executed 7 dayster.


    "Don''t worry¡­ I''ll make sure that nobody can harm you or touch you even after I''m gone." spoke Kahn.


    With teary eyes¡­ Albestros hugged Kahn.


    "Just make sure you stay alive, Kahn. I don''t need anything else." said Albestros as a stream of tears ran across his cheeks.


    After going through all these obstacles and surviving so many problems¡­ the young man in front of him was no longer just a partner or someone he needed.


    Kahn had avenged Cynthia and Gerald, the two children of the old man who were inhumanely murdered by the noble ns.


    After that, he helped the old man regain his old life before the tragedy and even helped protect his long-time friend, Prithvi Aranya, the grandmaster Alchemist''s legacy.


    Because of Kahn and the Bloodbornepany, the name of Albestros Winston was renowned as the number one cksmith of the entire Rakos Empire.


    After he came to Vessen fiefdom, Kahn made him the head of the Hephaestus institution which not only verified products and did the quality control¡­ but allowed the old man to share his knowledge.


    Meeting this young man 2 years ago had been a blessing to Albestros who had lost his reason to live and now¡­ he was happier than ever.


    But now¡­ hearing that Kahn was forced to flee the empire¡­ it had shaken the old man.


    To him, although there was no blood rtion¡­


    To Albestros¡­ Kahn was no different than his son and the only family he had now.


    Even though Albestros suggested to leave with him, Kahn outright refused the old man because there were too many dangers that he didn''t even have any knowledge of yet.


    So someone like him who didn''t want people close to him to get hurt because of something he did¡­ Kahn wanted to leave by himself.


    But before leaving¡­ Kahn gave him a farewell gift.


    "This!... I can''t ept this. It''s too precious." said Albestros.


    "I have my means. So this should be helpful to you." said Kahn after he handed down a box with a fist-sized white glowing Orb inside.


    It was the very core of the first stage saint magician, Kereberos Mor Vandereich. The traitor magician from the Vandereich n whose core was stolen by Ronin under Kahn''smands after the Pureblood faction and all of their ns killed the traitors among them.


    And now that Kahn no longer needed it to be a saint¡­ he decided to leave it to the old man.


    "Use it and be a saint. Only then you will be able to be a saint rank cksmith after you break through your physical limits." spoke Kahn.


    After a long discussion, he quietly left the pce.


    Later, he met Sirius ke, the Orc ount whose life waspletely turned around after he met Kahn during the beginning of the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    The frail-looking orc was now unofficial treasurer of Seven Deadly Sins as well as managed the cab of government officials under Kahn''s orders.


    Kahn also told him about the situation in the same way like Albestros. Serious who owed too much to Kahn¡­ a man who helped him escape poverty and give a better life to his parents who had made so many sacrifices and even starved too many times just to raise their weak-bodied child; this news shook him to his core.


    If not for Kahn helping him that day and hiring Sirius to work for him as the main ountant in the Bloodbornepany andter giving him control and authority over his underworld organization''s mary aspects¡­ Sirius would still be living in misery and would never reach his full potential.


    After an hour-long discussion¡­ the orc ountant finally came to terms with the situation and swore to keep serving Kahn even after he was gone.


    ----------------


    As for Tobias and his new toon of semi-saints that had the same skills as Kahn and the generals that fit their levels and ranks¡­ they were going to be the ones to do the heavy lifting.


    Tobias, the new legendary rank general he created using Ezekiel''s body will be left in charge of handling Vessen as its protector and a stand-in for Kahn after he was gone.


    And the army of 20 million covenant soldiers and everyone who worked in the seven deadly sins organization were to answer him from now on.


    Tobias had the main task of maintaining Kahn''s reign after the final n''s execution that was going to happen soon. And to root out spies from the three factions and kill their semi-saints or any forces from the shadows and maintain their absolute control until Kahn returned one day.


    Vessen fiefdom was Kahn''s own territory and his best source of ie and resources. So no way he was going to leave it for his enemies who nned to kill him even before he made any deal with them or found the tablet of arcana.


    After making the final arrangements¡­ Kahn quietly left Vessen with all of the generals and Omega.


    He took a deep sigh and spoke in a worried voice¡­


    "Now¡­ there''s only one person I have left to meet."

 Chapter 503 - Two Choices

    Chapter 503 - Two Choices


    In the southern region of the capital Rathna, a secret meeting was held in a castle inside of Rukon District. And this castle was owned by the side branch of the Seven Deadly Sins organization that still functioned in the capital.


    A heavily guarded envoy arrived and a figure under a ck veil appeared on the terrace of this castle that was isted by various magic formations and illusion barriers.


    Under the serene moonlight and mildly cold breeze, two figures appeared in front of each other.


    [Ronin and Ceril, make sure no one is spying on us or knows what''s happening inside the barriers.] ordered a young man in ck and gray longcoat.


    And finally, this newly arrived figure removed the veil and a face of a raven-haired woman appeared.


    "You!... What did you write in that letter!


    ''Take care of my woman''? Who the hell is your woman?!" shouted Kassandra as she started with aint as soon as Kahn appeared in front of her eyes.


    Kahn rolled off his eyes to herint.


    "Then what was I supposed to do? I needed to stall for time and get leverage over your n and faction.


    Otherwise, there was no guarantee that you''d still be living properly and not get sold off to someone else because your family wanted some benefits.


    That was the only way I could save you." he said.


    "So you didn''t mean a single word of it?" asked Kassandra in a dispirited voice as she averted her eyes.


    "No¡­ I mean yes... No! I didn''t mean it like that." said Kahn with a flustered expression.


    "I see¡­"


    For some reason, he felt like Kassandra was feeling more dejected instead of being furious.


    It had been close to a month since he sent her off back to the Mikealson n after they spent a night together sharing each other''s lives, their fears, sadness, traumas, and reasons that made them who they were after Kassandra was forced to offer herself to Kahn because she could no longer use magic and had any use for her family or the faction.


    "Kassandra, we have a problem." said Kahn.


    "What problem? And howe you''re back so early? Did the mission fail?" she queried.


    As they both sat across two luxurious chairs¡­ Kahn told her everything about what happened with the mission.


    Other than his real identity as Hero of Darkness, he told her how he got the tablet and how Ezekiel and Celine tried to kill him.


    And now that he had no choice but to leave the Rakos Empire¡­ he came to meet her. He even told her his final n and what was going to happen soon.


    "Those bastards!! They nned to kill us even before the Emperor''s Chosenpetition?


    How can my parents try to send me to get the Tablet of Arcana while they knew that I''d be killed even if I somehow got it?..." spoke Kassandra who was shaken to her core.


    [A direct descendent of the Lezron Mikealson''s bloodline who can''t use magic or has a fighting ss¡­ that''s the biggest taboo of their n.


    No wonder they abandoned her.] said Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    [System, put this old fogey in the back of the pedestal.]manded Kahn as he didn''t want to get interrupted.


    And the very next second¡­ Kahn spoke with a serious expression.


    "Come with me. If you stay here, I can no longer protect you.


    And after I''m gone¡­ there''s no guarantee that they won''t sell you off again to someone.


    Although it might seem impossible, I promise you that I''ll find a way to help you get back your ability to use magic again." said Kahn as he arched forwards and held her hands in both his palms.


    "I know that it may seem very dangerous at the moment because I''m not even strong enough to protect myself¡­ but I can promise that you will never face any harm because of me.


    But if you decide to stay here¡­ no excuse would secure your future. Not in the capital and neither in my fiefdom." he borated.


    This was the main reason why Kahn came to visit Kassandra here today. First, it was the life debt, and then it was a sense of pity he felt for her.


    But now¡­ after spending that night together with her in a simr environment like this one, when Kassandra had tried tomit suicide; there was an unexinable bond between them.


    As friends or due to a sense of inkling because of their simr lives¡­ Kahn hadn''t put a word on it. But he knew one thing for sure that he wanted to protect Kassandra out of his free will.


    Which was why he couldn''t just leave her at the mercy of her family, n and the Neutral Faction again.


    Hence, he came to take her with him even if it meant taking some risks because after his departure¡­ she was only going to have a miserable life because of her current situation.


    But to his words full of worry¡­ Kassandra closed her eyes and asked in a saddened voice.


    "Why?... Why do you want to go that far for me?" she asked and opened her eyes again.


    "If I also disappear¡­ it would raise too many questions and your true n might get exposed to everyone.


    And after that, the three factions will hunt you down with all their power and resources." she said in a resolute voice.


    She understood what kind of risk Kahn was taking here. If she tagged along, his final n will be seen through in the future because not all the people in the world were brainless idiots.


    Soon, someone would be able to connect the dots and all of Kahn''s efforts would turn useless.


    From what he told her¡­ the sess of his n would not only affect him but also the fate of the 220 millionmon citizens of the Vessen fiefdom.


    But he was still willing to risk it for her sake.


    "Is it¡­ is it because you feel pity towards me? Or is it because you still me yourself for my condition?" asked Kassandra in a serious tone and shook away her hands from Kahn''s grasp.


    "It''s¡­ it''s not like that." said Kahn as he was suddenly caught off guard.


    For some reason¡­ he couldn''t find a way to exin why he wanted to do that for her. Neither to Kassandra nor himself.


    "It''s just¡­ that I want to see you safe. That''s all." said Kahn with a conflicted expression, failing to convince both of them at the same time.


    "I see¡­ if that''s the case. Then I have my answer ready." said Kassandra as she looked Kahn straight in the eyes.


    "So will youe with me?" asked Kahn in a worried tone.


    To his question, Kassandra clenched her fists and a voice full of warmth and care towards the man in front of her appeared on her face and she finally dered her decision¡­


    "No."

 Chapter 504 - Reason of Refusal

    Chapter 504 - Reason of Refusal


    Kassandra''s sudden refusal to his offer surprised Kahn. It was no different than her epting a cruel fate instead of taking a risk that came with running along with him.


    "Are you out of your mind?! Your whole life will be destroyed if you stay here." yelled Kahn at Kassandra.


    "I know I have gotten you mixed up in my life ever since I lost my powers but I''d still prefer to not burden you when you have many problems of your own.


    If your n is foiled, you won''t even have enough time to escape. The tablet of arcana is something that empires would go to war with each other for.


    If Ie with you, you will always be in mortal danger." borated Kassandra as she described her reason for refusing.


    "You don''t have to risk your life for my sake. You have already done more than enough." said Kassandra in a gentle tone.


    But to her reasoning, Kahn looked around in an exasperated manner and had a dumbfounded expression.


    "So am I hurting your ego or something? Is epting my help against your pride?


    And are you an omniscient God? How do you know that you''ll burden me?


    Don''t make me kidnap you. Just run away with me. We will figure out a wayter. And once you get your ability back, then you can return if you want to." spoke Kahn in an intimidating voice.


    He did not care for her stubborn feelings.


    "If you want to appear righteous and strong, at least have the strength to back up your ims first.


    As things stand, your situation is no different than a headless chicken." he iterated.


    "Let me ask you¡­ if I hadn''t lost my powers, would you have still asked me toe along with you?" asked Kassandra with a curious gaze.


    "Why would I? You''d be safe that way so it''d be an obvious choice to let you stay here." said Kahn without a second thought.


    "Airshh¡­ This guy. I expected it but still hurts to hear that." murmured Kassandra.


    "Then you don''t need to worry about me then. Go, leave you heartless jerk." said Kassandra with an irritated tone.


    "Ummm¡­ What?!" asked Kahn he sensed something was amiss.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    BOOM!!


    A sudden burst of world energy and mana urred and Kahn was frozen under an immense as well as leaden pressure that almost made him kneel.


    "You¡­ how?!" asked Kahn whose body was suddenly covered under a raven ck and violet aura.


    Somehow, the woman in front of him who couldn''t even use magic and had her life destroyed because of it¡­


    Kassandra was now¡­ a Saint!


    ----------------


    Utter silence ensued as Kahn kept looking at the Kassandra intensely while his bewildered expression was clear and easy to notice.


    [What in the holy hell!...] thought Kahn as he was having a hard time swallowing this sudden revtion.


    Kahn quickly held her hands again as soon as Kassandra lowered her saint force pressure.


    [System, scan her!] hemanded.


    "Huh, why are you holding my hands again?" asked Kassandra.


    "Be... Because¡­ I''m happy for you?" he said.


    "This is the second time. I''m having an impression that you''re just looking for an excuse." said Kassandra with a shy voice.


    [Scanningpleted.


    The subject named Kassandra has indeed be a first stage saint and her current level is 283.


    The system concludes that after the host sacrificed a part of his soul and saved Kassandra Mikealson''s life¡­


    Her soul underwent a transformation and to sessfullyplete this procedure, the body itself shut off the flow and ess to mana and world energy.


    In other words, both her soul and body were in a Hard Reboot mode so that''s why the subject couldn''t use her magic.] reported the system.


    [The system detects that her soul is now three times stronger and brighter than before and the subject''s body itself has 4 times more affinity and conduction capacity towards mana and world energy.


    And the more she rises in ranks and levels, the stronger her soul and body''s natural talent and affinity to mana as well as world energy will increase.] continued the system.


    Kahn''s eyes were wide open again as he was looking at Kassandra. Thetter on the other end felt like Kahn was simply too surprised that he could not think straight anymore.


    [So you mean she''s just like a chosen Hero of a God now?] asked Kahn in a dumbfounded tone.


    [No. But her potential has been increased by many folds.


    As per the system''s estimation, she will have a soul and bodyparable to the host when she is at least a seventh-stage saint.


    After that, she will be on the same level as any other chosen Hero summoned in this world.] replied the system.


    Kahn was rooted on the spot again. Because what appeared as a crisis to Kassandra had actually turned out to be a blessing instead.


    "You¡­ why didn''t you tell me since the beginning?!" asked Kahn.


    "Because I wanted to see why you were so adamant about taking me with you.


    Whether it was because of your guilt or you pitied me or in case you wanted to take an advantage of my situation and make me indebted to you." replied Kassandra cheekily.


    "And I''m most impressed by your reasons. Even when you did not have to risk yourself bying here to take me with you¡­


    You chose not to abandon me like everyone else did." said Kassandra in a thankful voice.


    "How did this happen?" asked Kahn.


    "It was only two days ago that I suddenly felt like I could use magic again. And on top of it¡­ I could absorb world energy much faster than my original top speed before the ident.


    I quietly used one of my n''s secret chambers made specifically to contain a Saint''s breakthrough.


    So far, no one even knows that I''ve be a saint because unlike the others, I canpletely erase my mana and world energy signature." revealed the Raven Sorceress.


    Kahn heaved a sigh of relief and his figure slumped down on the chair.


    "Do you know how worried I was? I thought you were being treated harshly just like before. That''s why I came as fast as I could." spoke Kahn as he reprimanded Kassandra.


    "Thank you for that. Although I wish I coulde with you¡­ It''s better that we buy more time for you to safely leave the empire. And now that I can protect myself¡­ I think it''s better that you carry on with your original n." said Kassandra as she noticed Kahn''s eyes full of genuine worry.


    "You do realize that there''s always a chance that they will do the same thing in the future, right? What''s even the point of staying here?" asked Kahn.


    "I no longer care about the n, my parents or the faction. But I have my pride as well¡­


    After what they did to me¡­ I have only one mission that I mustplete on my own." spoke Kassandra with fiery eyes.


    "And what''s that?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Kassandra spoke with resolute eyes as she dered her final decision¡­


    "Revenge."

 Chapter 505 - The First

    Chapter 505 - The First


    After Kahn heard the words from the Raven Sorceress, a look of curiosity and also surprise appeared on his countenance.


    "You''re just a first stage saint, what can you do?" asked Kahn as he found her ims illogical.


    "I know it will take time but I will reim everything that''s mine, one at a time.


    Now that I have seen that even my family or blood rtives can''t be trusted¡­ There''s no reason for me to be thoughtful about it.


    When the time is right, I will reveal my rank.


    And as I rise higher in ranks as well as my importance bes clear to my n and faction, I will take down all those bastards by myself from the inside.


    If I don''t get my revenge on all those who wronged me and traded me like an object¡­ I don''t think I''ll be able to live with myself and the person I will be if I let this go." she spoke in a vehement tone.


    After he heard her exnation¡­ Kahn came to ept her reason. Just like him, Kassandra had her pride and way of thinking.


    After her whole life was turned upside down and every notion of belief she had about the world and her family shattered¡­ there was bound to be bitterness in her heart.


    And just like Kahn, she clearly wasn''t a forgiving type of person who would let this matter go with her n and the Neutral Faction who forced her to sell off her body just to gain get Kahn on their side.


    "It''s no longer about wanting to be powerful to get my parent''s approval or living up to the Mikealson n''s reputation. Rather¡­ I want to be stronger because I don''t want to be at someone''s mercy ever again." said Kassandra with eyes full of resolution.


    Kahn nodded in approval after seeing her resolve. Because he too had the same reasons to be strong till now.


    And with the transformed soul, Kassandra of now actually had the potential to quickly rise in ranks and levels unlike other saints.


    The more she ranked up, the stronger her soul will be by manyfolds. Thus making her many times more powerful than others of the same rank.


    Plus she can also absorb mana very faster than others since her soul and physiology now changed a lot.


    She was aiming for the pinnacle for her own sake now.


    "Alright. I guess that you have convinced me. But if you''re forced into marriage again¡­ you must run away." he said.


    "Don''t worry¡­ I have very high standards set for my life partner now." replied the Raven Sorceress with a slight smirk.


    As for Kahn, who wanted to take her with him and protect her... But now her powers returned and she even exceeded herself of the past¡­ it was better this way because her life won''t be at risk just because of his identity as the Hero of Darkness.


    His battles were his own and there was no point in risking Kassandra''s life just so he could have a femalepanion on his journey.


    She now had the chance to turn her life around and live on her own terms.


    And Kassandra was her own woman. She had ambitions of her own and a life she wanted to build for herself.


    So Kahn obviously respected her decision to stay. Because she also did it so that his ns won''t be seen through by the three noble factions until he was out of the empire.


    "I guess this settles everything. I''m happy for you." said Kahn as he felt joy and relief in his heart because Kassandra regained control over her fate now.


    "I need to go now. I hope you get to exact your revenge. I don''t know if we will meet ever again¡­ so this could be thest time we see each other." spoke Kahn with a somber expression.


    To his words, Kassandra''s face suddenly turned sullen but she tried to quickly hide it with a smile.


    "Goodbye¡­ and stay alive." said Kassandra in a stern tone that masked her unwillingness.


    The dark clouds in the sky moved and bright moonlight covered their figures.


    A gust of wind fluttered their clothes as a man in a ck and gray longcoat had his back faced towards the woman in a ck battlemage attire.


    "Ah fuck¡­" said Kahn to himself as he suddenly stopped in his steps.


    [System. Temporarily sever all connections with everyone. No one can see or sense anything from inside of me.] he ordered so Rudra and Rathnaar couldn''t see or hear anything about what he was about to do.


    A sense of loss suddenly hit him and finally, he understood why he came this far for Kassandra and wanted to take her with him.


    He quickly turned around and looked towards the Raven Sorceress.


    Shock!


    But at the moment, Kassandra''s figure hadpletely disappeared from the spot and Kahn failed to notice her presence as if she was never here in the first ce.


    Kahn then turned back his head as he originally was but before he could react¡­


    Kassandra was already present behind him and without giving him a chance to speak¡­


    She grabbed Kahn by the cor and pulled him close to her face¡­


    Smooch!


    Kassandra kissed Kahn on his lips out of nowhere without any forewarning or exnation.


    She gently kissed him as if this was thest time she would have the chance to do that.


    After 20 seconds, she finally let go of him and their lips parted ways.


    "I''m sorry¡­ I got carried away.


    But it''s also your fault for being clueless." said Kassandra with a red tinge on her cheeks.


    "I''m the one who should be sorry." replied Kahn¡­ the dumbass who finally managed to connect the dots and make sense of Kassandra''s feelings throughout their conversation.


    "Why?" asked Kassandra as he felt like she did something that she couldn''t go back from.


    "Because I''m a guy¡­ and you''re doing my part."


    Said Kahn and pulled her in his embrace as both of them locked lips again, but this time¡­ it was filled with passion.


    As the cold breeze passed by, ck silhouettes of a man and a woman under the bright moonlight embracing each other came to be.


    For both Kahn and Kassandra¡­ this was the night of¡­


    The First Kiss.

 Chapter 506 - True Feelings

    Chapter 506 - True Feelings


    Kassandra and Kahn embraced each other in an intense and passionate kiss as the former had her arms wound around his neck while thetter had his arms wrapped around her back.


    A couple of minutes passed but both of them just did not want to let go of each other as the surge of emotions and intimacy made them relish this kiss many more times than expected.


    As they finally parted their lips, an exhrated expression appeared on both their faces.


    Kassandra hugged Kahn tightly while thetter kissed her forehead.


    "I have so many things to say to you. But I will keep it short." spoke the Raven Sorceress.


    "Thank you¡­ for everything.


    When the world abandoned me and even my own family traded my life¡­ you stopped me frommitting suicide¡­ if not for you, I would''ve died a foolish death and not see my powersing back.


    After I finally got my powers and could use magic¡­ and when I broke through to be a saint.


    The first thought in my mind wasn''t about revenge or showing off to my family or those who betrayed me¡­


    But it was to share the happiest moments of my life with you." she said with a smile on her face.


    "Before your aide contacted me¡­ I had been eagerly waiting for you to return.


    I know we have been close to each other in the past two months only¡­ but for some reason¡­


    I feel like I have gone through a lifetime of experiences with you.


    And now that I know that you also didn''t forget about me or chose to leave me when things got tough for you¡­ it feels as if you are the only person whom I can trust in this world." said Kassandra as she gazed deep into Kahn''s eyes.


    "And when you came back for me while knowing all the risks¡­ I knew my feelings and judgment of your character weren''t wrong.


    That''s why I felt dejected that you wouldn''t take me with you if I didn''t lose my ability¡­


    A part of me still wants to go with you¡­ but I must stay here and finish my goal.


    But I know one thing for sure¡­ that I like you.


    I like you very very much." confessed Kassandra confidently with a blushing face.


    Kahn let out a flustered smile as he found her confident approach more pleasant for some reason.


    And now, it was his turn.


    "First time we fought¡­ I came to respect you because I could see all your hard work and skills.


    Even then, you epted your defeat like a true warrior.


    Among all the other heirs from the noble factions I''ve met¡­ you''re not overly prideful or conceited as them. Unlike them, you actually had the strength and talent to back up your ims.


    Then you admirably fought against that legendary monster to protect so many people.


    And without thinking¡­ you sacrificed your life for my sake." he said as he caressed her cheek.


    "On that night¡­ you reminded me a lot of myself from the past. But unlike the old me¡­ you are much stronger mentally.


    The more I came to know you¡­ the more I came to admire and like you.


    Ever since that night¡­ I have been subconsciously worried about you and wanted to get you out of there even if it meant making enemies of others.


    But now I finally realize it¡­ all that admiration faded a long time ago.


    And now¡­ I want to protect you and care for you. I want to see you happy and now that your powers are back¡­ I''m extremely relieved. I feel like your happiness is also mine.


    Even so, you decided not to go with me to help me escape and ensure my survival.


    What more do I need to know that I can trust you all the way?" confessed Kahn.


    "I''m sorry¡­ I just couldn''t notice your hints because¡­" he said while his face was already red after getting confessed to.


    "You have a trauma against women and can''t find them trustworthy. I know." said Kassandra.


    "I''m gonna miss you a bit." he said and kissed her forehead again.


    However, Kassandra readied her fist and lightly punched Kahn in the stomach.


    Now that she was a saint, the fist hit much harder.


    "Just a bit?" asked Kassandra with a wicked voice.


    "A lot¡­ I''m going to miss you a lot!" replied Kahn instantly.


    The woman he hade to like wasn''t some delicate little girl who needed to be treated like a princess. Rather¡­ she was the kind who led the rtionship.


    "I like you very much as well." said Kahn in a soft tone.


    "What do you like?" asked Kassandra curiously.


    "Your beautiful face." he said.


    She punched him in the gut again.


    "Your personality! Definitely your personality!" he replied haphazardly.


    "Haha!" chuckled Kassandra and hugged him tightly again.


    "I wish we had more time. We didn''t even get to go on a proper date." she said as her expression turned somber.


    "Me too." said Kahn as he rested her head on his chest.


    Kassandra was the first woman who made his heart flutter. She then became his rival in thepetition but he acknowledged her talent and hard work.


    Later, she sacrificed herself to save his life without thinking about the consequences.


    And after Kahn stopped her frommitting suicide and spent the night talking with each other¡­ the bond between them had deepened more than just normal friends.


    It was no longer about their life debt. But rather the bond they developed that night when Kassandra and Kahn met again.


    In a way¡­ Kahn saved her from bing like the old him as Elric and Kassandra became someone very close and also gave him closure for the mental burden he had been carrying to this day.


    Kahn could feel that he no longer had trauma with women. But after gazing at the woman in his arms¡­ he realized that it was just his bad luck that he met the wrong kind so far¡­


    "Be the most cunning, maniptive and ruthless woman if you have to.


    Don''t let anyone decide your fate ever again." he said as his voice turned heavy.


    "Next time I see you, you better have exceeded my expectations." said Kahn as he grasped her left cheek in his right palm with his eyes full of warmth and worry for Kassandra.


    Kassandra nodded in affirmation. She knew that if she wanted her revenge, she had to change herself.


    And the following moment, she had a demand of her own.


    "If I ever find that you have been running around with some other woman¡­ I will kill you myself." said Kassandra with a bright smile while emitting intense killing intent.


    Kahn on the end, chuckled. Instead of finding those words possessive¡­ he found them cute.


    "And next time you return...


    Make sure youe back as the strongest guy in the room." said Kassandra with a firm tone.


    Kahn nodded to her words. If not for both of them being weaker¡­ things wouldn''t have be this way and neither of them would have had to make these sacrifices.


    After discussing things for another hour while stealing kisses from each other again and again¡­ both of them decided that they should record this memory.


    Both used artifacts of their own and took stills as well as recordings of them together. To use them as a pleasant memory of each other.


    And when the time to part their ways came¡­


    Kahn used Lucifer and created a Void crack in front of him.


    "Is that¡­ space magic?!" asked Kassandra with a bewildered expression.


    But instead of responding to her question, Kahn spoke in a resolute voice.


    "Saints live more than a century, so wait at least a decade or two for me.


    You''re not allowed to let any other guy make your heart flutter in my absence."


    To his jealous words¡­ Kassandra casually replied.


    "Don''t worry¡­ I don''t think I''ll find a more charming, handsome, reliable and mysterious man anytime soon." she said and winked at Kahn yfully.


    "I will return one day. I will tell you everything about me then." he said while looking back at the most beautiful woman he met in both of his lives so far.


    Kahn then jumped inside the void and disappeared from the ce as if he never existed.


    This was going to be the most memorable and happiest night of his life.


    Tonight, he got confessed to for the first time. Learned how to be truthful about his feelings for someone else and overcame his trauma of women because of Kassandra.


    And now¡­ he had one more reason to return to the Rakos Empire in the future.


    And finally, he bade farewell to Kassandra Mikealson aka the Raven Sorceress and also¡­


    His first love.

 Chapter 507 - Final Declaration

    Chapter 507 - Final Deration


    After Kahn was finally done with saying goodbyes to all the important people, he and the subordinates used various modes of transportation and traveled to the closest city from one of the borders of the Rakos Empire.


    Currently, he had east and north sides of the empire where he could escape from. But he chose the eastern region for a particr reason.


    Because this side was closest to the No Man''s Land zone where even the top saints of the Rakos Empire didn''t dare to venture¡­ as for the reason why¡­


    It was because No Man''s Land was shared by the two neighboring empires at the same time. It was more of an interjection between 3 empires and the 500 kilometers of area was basically a hot warzone.


    If one side invaded it or tried to attack either of the two opposing empires through this region¡­ it would be considered a deration of war.


    At this moment, Kahn, Omega and the rest of the generals were under the disguise ofmon travelers and were seated in an inn whilepletely hiding their auras, levels as well as ranks and enjoyed the local food.


    "So do all of you understand the instructions? We barely have 5 days left till my final n is executed.


    Before that, we must find a way to enter the No Man''s Land undetected and without causing a single scene. Or all of our ns will be foiled." spoke Kahn in a hushed voice as their group sat on one side of the inn, away from the normal crowd filled with demi-humans and other species of the popce.


    "Master¡­ just give me 2 days. I''ll find a way to cross the border." said Ronin, the spymaster among Kahn''s generals.


    The reason Kahn asked for this was because even with his peak space force storage he currently had¡­ he''d be barely able to cross 200 kilometers at best using the True Dimension. And after that¡­ he''d soon be found out by the 5th stage saints stationed at the borders of any of the three empires.


    This was a mission they could not afford to fail.


    ----------------


    5 DAYS LATER.


    It was the day when the mission to get the Tablet of Arcana was supposed to officially end and who won this race among the three talented semi-saints would be clear.


    And soon, if neither of them seeded just like those who tried in the past hundred and fifty years¡­ their ce and future in their respective ns and factions would be decided based on the results.


    Other than the faction whose representative actually got the tablet and got out even before the time window of the forbidden region closing came, the other two would still be on the edge of their seats.


    However, while the noble factions were concerned about the results of the expedition¡­


    A sudden recording spread across the entire Rakos Empire this very morning. And the contents of this recording shook the entire empire as well as the basic foundation of its structure.


    A face of a man donned in regal gray attire appeared in front of the screens of the projection artifacts and every single vige, town and city of the Vessen fiefdom had this same recording disyed on the wide broadcasting screens.


    And the man exuding authority and dominance was the most famous figure of the entire Rakos empire for the past one year.


    "People of the Vessen fiefdom as well as Rakos empire.


    If you''re watching this¡­ means I, Kahn Salvatore, the sovereign of the Vessen¡­ am dead."


    Dered Kahn in the recording right off the bat.


    "This is a precautionaryst recording I made for the worst-case scenario. In case my worst fears havee to reality, thisst will of mine shall be spread throughout the empire and everyone wille to see it." his voice resounded in the whole empire.


    Let it be households who suddenly received these artifacts on their doors or a crowded inn where some customers started ying the videos without any notice¡­ Majority of the popted zones filled with people going about their lives quickly came across this recording.


    "For the sake of gaining control over Vessen fiefdom and its resources, you have already seen how far the three factions have gone in the past.


    Let it be corruption, oppression, scams that you saw getting unveiled in the People''s Court.


    As well as the very recent massacre¡­ there''s no level of ruthlessness they''d not stoop to." he iterated.


    "Recently, I was summoned and then put under pressure on by the government that is basically run and controlled by the people from the three factions.


    They summoned me under the pretense of discussing issues rted to the management of resources as well as the economy that is affected by my reign.


    But for many reasons, I felt that there seemed to be an ulterior motive devised by these factions." he exined.


    "If I''m not wrong¡­ soon, they would dere some preposterous and obtuse news about me either being a traitor sent by one of the enemy empires or a corrupt sovereign who killed innocent people to cover my wrongdoings.


    I''m certain that they''d even go as far as saying that I fled the empire or ran some underworld criminal organization.


    And that I nned and made ves out of government officials and criminals to do my bidding. That I manipted the resources of the fiefdom to fill my personal needs.


    I won''t even be surprised if they called me the reincarnation of the devil himself." he said jokingly.


    "I don''t know which faction would go as far as kill me but if you''re watching this¡­ means it could be any of them or maybe all three of them." he spoke in a serious tone.


    "So in case I die¡­ I have already made arrangements for that scenario.


    From here on¡­ I dere Vessen as an autonomous fiefdom under myst right as its sovereign.


    The government running the fiefdom shall be self-sustaining and people should be able to vote for the officials and leaders from now on.


    There shall beplete transparency of where the funds and resources of the government are used and those records should be essible to any normal citizen of the fiefdom.


    The army and every governmental as well as economic institution will have their own authority and would be independent of any input or influence from the government of the Rakos Empire.


    The rules of trading andmerce shall be dered soon by the government of the fiefdom and themanders will have the ess to use the full military forces." said Kahn in an authoritative tone, befitting of a sovereign.


    "In case any of the factions try to overthrow the government, I ask that the military and government of the fiefdom to take arms against them.


    And citizens should not ept whatever reason they may give because the one who tries to take over Vessen¡­" spoke Kahn as he ended his speech in the recording that echoed in the entire Rakos Empire.


    "Are also the ones behind my death."

 Chapter 508 - Screwing Over

    Chapter 508 - Screwing Over


    After the recording of Kahn''s final words and hisst will spread in the entire Rakos empire, the public outrage against the three rose to the peak.


    Whether it was the Vessen fiefdom or the rest of the empire¡­ to them, Kahn Salvatore was someone born amongst them. With his hard work and unyielding will, he rose in power and strength and righteously ruled over the people of his fiefdom and made their lives better.


    He was a hero to many after his recent deeds with the People''s Court and how he got rid of the monster waves that killed millions of innocent people every year.


    On top of it, the Demi-Human faction''s recent massacre of 20 thousand soldiers just to besmirch Kahn''s name had already ignited the me of hatred towards these noble factions who saw their lives as nothing but livestock.


    And now¡­ their icon and champion of themoners was killed by these very factions just because they coveted the fiefdom and its resources.


    This was the final nail in the coffin and now¡­


    The entire empire was filled with public outrage and mass riots. No matter which faction one belonged to, all the noble ns, their businesses, their properties and headquarters faced thousands and millions of people either protesting against them or damaging their belongings.


    It didn''t even take a day and the three noble factions that wereprised of thousands of influential ns and enterprises had no choice but to put their defenses up against the angry mob.


    It didn''t matter how strong were these ns or how powerful individuals they had.


    When themon citizens lost their voice of reason, the scrutiny and wrath could not be handled by the wealthy and powerful.


    Although things didn''t go as far as people killing each other or mortally harming others¡­ the fear and discrimination they faced was more than enough to break their hold over the empire.


    Anyone who was part of or even remotely connected to the three noble which included 80% of all the noble ns in the empire were no exception to this.


    With this single recording, Kahn had shaken the very foundation of the empire itself and now, the aftereffects would be detrimental to these factions, all three of which nned to kill him after he got the tablet of arcana.


    Money, authority, influence, positions in the government, control over the military as well as


    Now that he was leaving, there was no reason to be thoughtful about any former partnerships with the Pureblood faction or an inside deal with the Neutral faction. This way, Kahn had screwed over all 3 of them.


    Although Kahn couldn''t kill them because he was weak¡­ he still made them pay with a century''s reputation, wealth and legacy they had on this empire.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, on that very night¡­ both the Demi-Human and Pureblood faction received two secret recordings that shook them once again.


    One of the recordings showed Celine Armitage, the chosen representative of the Neutral faction killing Ezekiel Nabi by stabbing through his heart while the semi-saint mage was chained and gagged.


    And the second one was what made them jump from their seats¡­


    Celine finding the Tablet of Arcana inside the ancient ruins as well as her talking with the remnant soul of Rathnaar appeared in front of them.


    Andstly, the first emperor granting her the ownership of the tablet and her taking it inside of her space ring was crystal clear to the thousands of n leaders and faction members that had gathered in their respective headquarters to talk about the issue rted to Kahn''s recording.


    And as both the factions watched this recording with their leaders present¡­ three things became very clear to them.


    That Celine had the Tablet of Arcana.


    She killed both Ezekiel and Kahn inside the forbidden region.


    And Kahn knowingly fucked them up over in case he didn''t manage toe out of it alive.


    ----------------


    However¡­ none of them knew about the real truth at all.


    That it was Kahn mimicking Rathnaar''s voice when Celine appeared in thest hall.


    Right after Rathnaar made a soul-pact with Kahn which bound the first emperor''s soul with his own and eventually, the tablet became only essible to Kahn because only Rathnaar had the ability to control it.


    Although they stood on odd terms with each other, it didn''t change the fact that Kahn was dragged into a perilous situation.


    So being the cunning guy Kahn was¡­ he decided to use Celine, the halfbreed demonkin girl who killed Ezekiel while thinking it was Kahn was the perfect scapegoat.


    After she returned to the entrance where she presumably killed Kahn, thetter was hiding in the shadows and used Lucid Reality on her again.


    As a result, Celine fainted on the spot under the Lucid Reality skill effect while Kahn took out the tablet from her space ring and hid in the shadows until she woke up.


    So Celine was under the impression that she still had the tablet and departed from the forbidden region in a hurry.


    These two recordings were exactly what Kahn told Ronin to deliver to the ''two of them'' after he exited the forbidden region.


    This way, Demi-Human and Pureblood factions would target both Celine and the Neutral faction for the Tablet of Arcana.


    As for why he sent the recording to the once ''has been'' top noble faction called the Demi-Human faction?


    Because Kahn knew that once his final recording that implicated all the noble factions for his death came out¡­


    The desperate Demi-Human faction that paid a great price for messing with Kahn and massacring those innocent soldiers would be pushed into a corner.


    And just as he expected¡­ to avoid the public wrath again and avoiding the suspicions of being the ones who killed Kahn Salvatore in the name of revenge¡­


    The next day, the Demi-Human faction used all of their connections andworks to spread the first recording of Celine killing Ezekiel.


    And on top of it¡­ they spread another rumor throughout the empire. That the one to actually kill Kahn¡­


    Was the Neutral Faction.

 Chapter 509 - Paying Price

    Chapter 509 - Paying Price


    After the recordings of Celine Armitage killing Ezekiel Nabi of the Nabi n, one of the two most powerful and influential ns of the Pureblood faction was released¡­ another rumor about Neutral faction being the one to kill Kahn Salvatore as well was spread across the whole Rakos Empire.


    In the eyes of the public, these two cases seemedpletely unrted to each other¡­ but Demi-Human faction was spreading this rumor with added spices to it for three main reasons.


    One, to remove the suspicion of them being involved in the death of the Kahn Salvatore who had a bad history with them.


    Two, to use this opportunity to infuriate the Nabi n to act against the Armitage n of the neutral faction since their n heir and the grandson of the n leader was killed by the heiress of this Demonkin n.


    Three, to put fuel into the fire and force the Pureblood faction to act along with them since one of their n''s prestige was on the line.


    But little did they know, that Kahn had sent the same two recordings to the Pureblood faction as well.


    He already knew that the Demi-Human faction would be forced to reveal the recording to protect their already ruined name otherwise they will have no ce in the empire.


    And by doing so, even if the Pureblood faction tried to keep the matters secret between them, they''d be forced to act against the Neutral faction as well.


    That was the main reason he sent the recordings to both sides.


    On top of it, they both now knew that the Neutral faction had the tablet of arcana. So obviously, both the factions and their seventh stage saint leaders would use this opportunity to pressure them.


    And now¡­ there was a war brewing between these three factions that was definitely going to affect their futures.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile in the Pureblood faction headquarters¡­


    A very loud and heated discussion was happening among the faction council as well as all the members who were leaders of their respective ns and forces.


    Kahn''s recording already royally fucked them over and majority of them had gone through a lot of trouble. It was one thing if just one faction was affected like the incident with the Demi-Human faction.


    But now¡­ let it be the normal traders, employees or any local business¡­ none of them wanted to work along with anyone associated with noble ns and the three factions.


    This time, no brute force or some army of soldiers was going to help them because as things stood¡­


    The elites of the society who ruled over the poor and helpless citizens of the empire now had the whole empire''s poption standing against them.


    Everyone who was infuriated and thought that the factions crossed the one line they shouldn''t have, cut off all ties with them.


    Even the government officials were receiving death threats, the military soldiers who protected the borders had refused to help these forces to maintain order since the incident with the Berawaa region in Vessen fiefdom and the policies Kahn created for the families of the martyrs were still etched in their minds.


    ----------------


    "That''s it!! I don''t care about your bullshit lies anymore!


    The Nabi n has already dered war with your Armitage n!


    It won''t be long before the Pureblood faction itself gets mixed up in it. Do you have any idea how many people will die if we fight against both factions?


    Just tell us, where is the Tablet of Arcana?!" shouted Stalin Joseif, the Tigerkin faction leader of the Neutral faction.


    Just an hour ago, they received a recording from their spies inside both the opposing sides. And it showed Celine talking with Rathnaar''s soul and taking the Tablet with her.


    The three factions already knew that the way to use the tablet of arcana was to extract Rathnaar''s soul and control it to obtain the secret of how to be a Demi-God and also use the tablet to make a breakthrough.


    But suddenly¡­ the Armitage n said that they didn''t have it. ording to Celine, she got the tablet from the final barrier but when she returned, it wasn''t with her.


    "She''s being questioned by the n leader himself. Please give us some time." spoke one of the Armitage n''s representatives.


    ----------------


    Inside a cold cell under the main family castle of the Armitage n¡­ was a young woman tied in chains.


    Celine Armitage, the heiress of the n who betrayed Kahn in the final region¡­


    Was now in apletely sorry state. Her battered and bruised body was currently enduring intense torture and agonizing pain at the hands of her own nsmen.


    Her body was riddled with wounds and multiplecerations and her once beautiful face was now swollen ck after being hit too many times.


    "Arrhhhh!!!" wailed Celine loudly.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    She coughed out blood as a small knife was pierced in her thighs and one of the people carrying out the torture punched her in the gut.


    Step!


    Step!


    A purple demonkin man, donned in regal red robes walked in.


    "Has she talked yet?" asked the man.


    "No lord n leader. She keeps denying it." replied one of the demonkins.


    "Father! Ple... Please stop this!


    I don''t know what I''ve done wrong! But please spare me!" spoke Celine while her mouth kept coughing blood while her eyes were full of tears.


    "Tell me¡­ where did you hide the tablet?" asked her father.


    "I don''t know where it is! It was with me when I escaped the forbidden zone.


    But it suddenly disappeared when I came to hand it over to our n''s elders." spoke Celine with a distraught and sullen look.


    She had lost a lot of blood so her appearance had turned very ghastly.


    "Let me ask you then¡­ did you kill any of the other two?" asked the n leader.


    "Yes! I killed Kahn Salvatore!" she quickly replied to solidify her story since by now, it''d be clear that he died in the forbidden zone.


    "Lies! You have been lying to us all the time!" shouted her father in an enraged tone.


    And the next moment, he activated a projection artifact they received just a few minutes ago.


    And a recording hovered on a holographic screen above the artifact.


    It was the video of Celine killing Ezekiel, not Kahn.


    And then her talking with Rathnaar''s soul and getting the tablet with an exhrated expression on her face.


    "You selfish runt! Did you n to keep the tablet for yourself?! Do you know how much trouble we''re in?!


    Because of you, the Nabi n is preparing for a full-on war with us!


    The faction leader is furious with me and the Mikealson n is pressuring us to give the tablet to the faction council." he yelled at his daughter.


    Her admitting killing Kahn and not Ezekiel already threw away her credibility because of which, even her father thought that she was lying to keep the tablet for herself.


    If she did not reveal the truth¡­ Celine and their entire n were doomed.


    ----------------


    At this moment, while the whole empire was in chaos¡­ Kahn with a changed appearance was casually sipping tea in a high-end restaurant and looked outside in the direction of the border.


    "Master¡­ it''s done. It''s time for us to leave." spoke Ronin who suddenly appeared out of thin air.


    At this moment, other than Albestros, Sirius, Tobias and Kassandra¡­ no one knew that Kahn was still alive.


    Kahn spoke with a content voice as everything was going ording to his ns.


    "Alright then¡­ it''s about time we finally leave this empire."

 Chapter 510 - The Judgement Day

    Chapter 510 - The Judgement Day


    The very next day, Ronin and Kahn disguised themselves as the spies of the Rakos empire after the former stole their identities, gathered personal information as well as their squadron IDs, secret passwords among the group and copied their appearances using the Metamorphosis ability.


    This was a group that excelled in invading the territory of the enemy empires, the elites of the elites when it came to spying. And Ronin had already captured them to take their ce so they could use their identities to reach closer to the No Man''s Land.


    Kahn then used dimension void skill to create a void crack and traveled to the very center of the No Man''s Land without getting detected by any of the sides.


    All he saw was dense and forested regions, mountainous valleys with remains of some ancient civilization that might have lived in this region thousands of years ago.


    Him and the subordinates quickly got rid of regional monsters and created a safe zone of 50 kilometers for themselves.


    Since a breakthrough into a new realm was going to cause a very bigmotion, Kahn needed a safe ce where he would not be disturbed in any way.


    Then they found a deste cave big enough to livefortably for a few days.


    But right when Kahn was about to start his ascension to the new realm of power¡­


    [Hey kid¡­ you''re crippling your future.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn.


    [A normal breakthrough like this is easy. But it will hinder your body''s potential while rising to higher ranks.


    Why do you think the highest stage people can achieve these days is a Seventh or Eighth stage saint?


    It''s because they''re making a fundamental mistake during each rank-up.] borated the first emperor.


    "And what mistake is that?" asked Kahn with a puzzled expression.


    [Notpressing and condensing their mana and world energy till they have twice the amount to make a second breakthrough.] he said.


    "But doesn''t that take decades? I don''t have that much time. And I don''t have any means to help mepress that much mana and world energy inside my body without getting killed in process." spoke Kahn in a refusal.


    "You do. Why do you think everyone is after the Tablet of Arcana?


    The Chamber of Exaltation can do exactly that." revealed the first emperor.


    "If you follow my technique for every single rank up, the quality of your strength, physical and magical abilities & skills, mana as well as world energy reserves will be doubled than everyone else.


    Perhaps that Mikealson n girl will have a way to bypass that because she now has a soul with the same properties as that of a chosen Hero. But you¡­


    Your ying field is different from hers. The people you will be facing are the chosen Heroes themselves.] iterated Rathnaar.


    "What the hell are you trying to suggest, old man?


    If this is one of your tricks to get control over my body, then forget about it. You will never be able to do it." replied Kahn in a serious tone.


    [What I mean is¡­ why do you want to y the game on even terms? Why not have double the strength of your enemies while they think that you''re weak?] asked Rathnaar in a coy tone.


    "Stop spouting nonsense and get to the point!" reprimanded Kahn.


    [I know a way to help youpress and multiply your mana and world energy reserves as well as improve your physiology so that even reaching a Demi-God rank wouldn''t be impossible.] revealed the emperor.


    "And why would you do that for me?" asked Kahn in a suspicious tone.


    [Isn''t it obvious? You''re too weak even if you be a saint. The other heroes also have more divine abilities than you as you told me before.


    On top of it¡­ you don''t even have your divine weapon in hands.


    It doesn''t matter how many lifesaving skills you have or abilities that give you an advantage over an enemy. Remember this one thing if you want to survive in a battle¡­] said Rathnaar and continued in a tyrannical voice.


    [No matter how strong a defense, a stronger offense will always shatter it.]


    Dered the Emperor as he brought Kahn to realize something important. That he was actingcent because he wasn''t currently in danger.


    "So what do you propose?" asked Kahn.


    [I will give you ess to the Chamber of Exaltation. And I will teach you how to improve the quality of your physique, bloodline and innate talent.] spoke Rathnaar in a kingly voice.


    "And what do you want in return?"


    [Nothing. You surviving longer is beneficial to me as well.


    What''s the point of making a soul-pact if you die before even bing a peak saint?


    Consider this me protecting my vessel and ensuring my future.] said Rathnaar.


    "And why are you under the impression that I''ll trust your word?" asked Kahn.


    [Because you know that it must be done if you want to survive.


    You cannot afford the luxury to be ignorant or look down upon others with backing and resources.


    As for me taking over your body¡­ I will do that when I get a proper opportunity.


    So what do you say, kid?] spoke Rathnaar without hiding his intentions.


    After an hour of discussion and weighing pros and cons¡­ Kahn decided to go with Rathnaar''s suggestion.


    He took out the Tablet of Arcana and put all the subordinates on a guard duty to protect the 50 kilometers radius in all directions.


    ----------------


    ONE MONTH LATER.


    In the world of Vantrea which was inhabited by empires and regions as big as a continent on their own, over a dozen enormous and highly popted sanctuaries, churches and monasteries suddenly rumbled.


    ng!


    tter!


    The statues of the gods and goddesses that were worshiped by billions of people of different species and races suddenly shook and the Popes as well as other official spokespersons of these gods were shocked!


    Soon, a meeting to exchange the most important issue in the world was held between these representatives and the respective emperors of their empires.


    And all of them had only one topic to discuss.


    "The new Hero of Darkness has already arrived in the world!" eximed an Elven pope.


    "We must find him or her! The new chosen one of God of Darkness is the final key!


    If we don''t act now, the other empires will find that person first and we will be at a great disadvantage." spoke the Elven Emperor.


    Theirs was an empire that served God of Nature.


    Simr scenes happened in the other empires of the world that received the divine message from their respective Gods.


    As for the two empires closest to Rakos Empire¡­ their rulers had aplicated expression because the signal they received was from No Man''s Land. A ce where their forces couldn''t enter just because they willed it.


    ----------------


    At this very moment, a few hundred thousand kilometers away from Rakos Empire¡­ was a kingdom run by a particr species.


    In the main castle of their King¡­ a silver-haired man with stark-white skin was seated on a ck throne with his eyes closed.


    Suddenly, he felt a sense of foreboding and quickly opened his eyes that glowed red.


    His body suddenly turned into a blood-red mist and in just a few seconds, he appeared on the tallest tower of this pitch-ck castle.


    A chilling breeze under the bright moonlight fluttered the regal robes of this vampire d in ck and green attire made for a sovereign.


    His waist-length hair danced along with the cold breeze of this tranquil night and he spoke with a grim tone.


    "So they sent another one. With this¡­ all the chosen Heroes have arrived in this world.


    I need to find the new Hero of Darkness before anyone else gets him.


    Let''s see if he is worthy to follow the footsteps of his predecessor." spoke this vampire who seemed to be a 9th stage saint himself.


    "If he is a fool just like the other summoned heroes¡­" he said and continued in a grim tone.


    "Then I will have no choice but to kill him."


    ----------------


    At this exact moment¡­ A 10 kilometers area in a particr region was suddenly encapsted by a pitch-ck and red aura that suddenly spread across this entire mountainous region out of nowhere.


    BOOOOOM!!!


    The mountain from where this chaotic and destructive aura spread from, exploded and its rubble spread across the nearly 2 kilometers radius.


    A massive burst of mana and world energy akin to a nuclear bomb explosion appeared and the whole 5 kilometer of radius was destroyed and turned into smithereens.


    Nearby 10 kilometers of ground shattered, mountain peaks were pulverized, and thousands of crevices formed as shockwaves after shockwaves of this insurmountable aura caused utter destruction.


    At the center of this pure destructive force and explosion was a figure of a man in a ck and gray regal attire of a sovereign.


    This man finally opened his eyes as nothing but only a look of absolute power and dominance appeared on his face.


    Just then, the system notified him in his mind¡­


    -------------------------------------------------------


    ------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 3--------------


    -------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 511 - Arc 3 Epilogue

    Chapter 511 - Arc 3 Epilogue


    AUTHOR''S ANNOUNCEMENT


    This is apulsory chapter as a tradition of the novel that I write after the end of every arc.


    If you''ve read all the chapters till now and still decided to stick with the novel¡­ then you have my gratitude.


    Unlike the previous two Epilogue chapters, I won''t go too much into details or do a Q & A here since I haven''t found many people questioning any plots or background stories in this arc.


    Mainly because I don''t leave any plotholes or gaps these days. And if you think that there is one¡­ just be patient and read the next chapters since I always tend to address every single thing sooner orter as the story progresses.


    So let''s talk about some issues at hand first.


    ----------------


    The reason I took 190 chapters just for this arc and spent a lot of time on the politics of the fiefdom, Kahn getting control over various sectors and institutions of government, economy, underworld and military¡­


    Is because I like writing logical plots where MC has to work for everything. Nothing is handed down to him just because he won apetition and became a sovereign of a fiefdom in the name.


    Being a King in the name is nowhere close to actually ruling a kingdom with full control and absolute authority. That''s why I have used the word ''Sovereign'' in this arc.


    Kahn took logical approaches, used underhanded means and did both good using the People''s Court while did bad by executing his enemies and those who served his opponent in the name of trials.


    I know many peopleined that why was he acting all goody two shoes all of a sudden and cared about the fiefdom instead of just gathering resources and increasing his levels.


    Many stillin that he was unnecessarily getting involved in the faction wars as if he learned nothing from Arc 2.


    Well, I can say that Kahn was neither controlled nor became anyone''s puppet in Arc 3. Just that he got involved in the expedition to get the Tablet of Arcana in order to secure his future by getting the cores up to the sixth stage saint as part of his deal with the Pureblood faction.


    And he didn''t know the real truth behind the tablet and how they nned to extract it from Kahn in case he acquired it.


    Like I have said before¡­ MC isn''t an omniscient god who knows about everything or can see the future.


    Both Tablet of Arcana and Chamber of Exaltation have their uses and I will properly explore them in the next arc.


    As for those who think that he was wasting time with all the faction wars and stuff¡­


    Remember, if not for him bing the Sovereign¡­ Kahn wouldn''t have managed to get enough resources that he has now even in his entire lifetime.


    Choosing the silent route while stealing from petty ns and street thugs wouldn''t have helped him at all because the resources required to rise in strength are simply abundant. The wealth he has now is something that the majority of the noble n leaders do not possess.


    So him spending months to be Vessen''s sole leader was all worth it.


    And even after he faked his death, he still controls it and can always go back to fill his pockets in case he runs out of resources.


    ----------------


    I spent a lot of time writing the hunting arc which led to Kahn getting so many OP and amazing abilities that will make him an absolute badass and impervious to many types of enemies.


    All the subordinates have also ranked up to legendary ss because of this mini-arc.


    Which made many readers think that he will not face any type of opposition in the future arcs or won''t have the cliche level-up progression like those cultivation novels where you go from one level and fight an opponent of a higher level just because you''re the MC.


    No, Kahn is the type of guy who will fight 2 to 3 levels above him. Because I don''t have time or the will to write the same repetitive plotlines again and again.


    And if you think that he is too powerful¡­ wait till he meets other Heroes who have more Divine Abilities than him, millions of people working for them and too many powerful allies that are provided by the empires that summoned them.


    Why do you think I spent so much time on those Legendary rank monsters and chapters just to specify their abilities and how Kahn and the gang managed to kill them?


    Because not just him but all the generals also have to prove their worth and y a big part in the storyline.


    So far, Kahn didn''t even have a mentor to teach him how to fight or study magic. If not for the blessings and his own intelligence, Kahn would still be in the vot city while trying to be a grandmaster.


    The reason why I only spent bits and pieces on these training arcs and left stuff such as cksmithing, Alchemy, Magic study and other weapons that Kahn has to master for future arcs is because I have ns ready for everything.


    And all of them wille into y for the future arcs. As things start¡­ I have at least 7 arcs of the story ready.


    And from now on, every arc will be 100 to 120 chapters at best.


    Because I''m done with building the basic foundation for Kahn''s character development and the subordinates. So from now on, there won''t be the need for betrayals or Kahn falling for someone''s traps or getting used by someone. He also finally overcame his past life trauma about women.


    He''s a purebred Antihero now. There is no more need for anything else just to call it the ''Character Development''. High school has ended now. So let''s move on.


    Now, the real story rted to other Gods, their churches, empires that serve them and the introduction as well as characterization of the other Heroes will be focused on.


    Not everyone will be a textbook cliche hero or act high and mighty savior. Some of them will have their own brains and motives while some will be either naive or diabolical.


    Not everyone will be Kahn''s enemy just for the sake of it. And also, they''re from different worlds so there is a lot of exploring to do as well.


    On top of it, different empires will have different cultures, social standings, beliefs and how thew and authorities operate there. So time for World Building to get an upgrade as well.


    They will obviously have different types of species and characteristics and traits as well as notions and outlooks on the world.


    The reason why I''m mentioning this is because those who still wish to stick with the story should know what to expect.


    Plus there''s a lot of history such as the old heroes, their impact on the world of Vantrea and the empires, Kahn''s predecessor aka the 8th Hero of Darkness and what happened 300 years ago.


    What part do Gods y in it and how Kahn tackles these problems now that his arrival is known to the whole world.


    So the first three arcs are basically the first Origin movie of a Trilogy.


    ----------------


    Now a SERIOUS NOTE about the Novel itself.


    I hate to write this in a chapter but thanks to certain types of websites and certain types of readers¡­ the novel is doing really bad. Like going bankrupt level bad.


    I''m losing more readers and ie I make with every passing week and month.


    If this carries on, I don''t think the novel itself willst another 5 months before the losses are to an extent where I can''t even pay for my food, rent or any living expenses.


    Even the highest level cuisine I can afford these days is a packet of instant Ramen noodles that costs 1.14 Dors.


    If not for the regr fans and people who paid for the privileged chapters¡­ I would''ve stopped writing so many chapters.


    Because I''m both physically and mentally exhausted. Plus my health is really bing an issue because of thete-night work and being unable to even form an exercise routine since I''m always drained out of energy and the will to live.


    So I''d appreciate it if everyone keeps reading on the official website if you really like the novel and not use excuses of having no money or being poor.


    Many pay 5 times the money just for the inte and junk food so I find that excuseughable.


    And on a side note, if you want to see me continuing this novel¡­ support my other work called ''Drac Reincarnated With A System'' that I just started.


    Both novels will run simultaneously at the same time and if they are doing good and I earn enough to make a living, then I can carry on with writing.


    Otherwise, I will be forced to focus my attention on the new novel only or worst case scenario¡­ drop this novel.


    Because passion doesn''t pay for your food or helps to pay the bills. So I hope you understand my plight as well.


    I know I sound bitter about this issue but my livelihood depends on it. So be considerate and give me a few million dors.


    Or go and support me on Patreon. I post all the Reference Arts there as well.


    ID : CrimsonWolfAuthor


    ----------------


    Lastly¡­ since many of the readers are failing to get the references and mythical lore I add in the novel these days, particrly the third arc¡­ I shall be the one to enlighten everyone myself.


    Here are some of the notable and missed references by most of the readers.


    Vessen = German for ''Abandoned''.


    Since the fiefdom was abandoned by the government in all aspects.


    Commander Asw = Asw stands for Bear.


    I know¡­ my naming sense is un''bear''able.


    Commander Stark & Mormont = Game of Thrones characters.


    Elijah & Nius = The Originals tv show


    Victor Apopis = Apopis aka the Egyptian God of Chaos.


    Victor had the True Demon bloodline¡­ which has the ''Chaos'' element exclusive only to the demon race.


    Ezekiel Nabi = Trantes to Prophet Ezekiel from the Hebrewnguage.


    Kassandra Mikealson =


    Kassandra is the protagonist of the Assassin''s Creed Odyssey video game.


    Mikealson surname from The Originals.


    Kahn Salvatore =


    Kahn means a Lone boat adrift in an endless ocean.


    Signifying Kahn''s journey as a lonewolf character when I named him at the beginning of the novel.


    Salvatore surname from the two main leads of The Vampire Diaries show.


    Kronos = ckwall''s evolved species is called Kronos after merging with Primordial Titan.


    Kronos is the God of Time in Greek mythology who was also a primordial titan.


    Thunderbird = Oliver''s evolved species is Thunderbird aka Native American/ Red Indian mythology bird.


    Emerald Archer = Oliver''s new job is Emerald Archer which is also the moniker of Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow.


    Thanatos = Ronin''s legendary rank up is called Thanatos, the true Greek God of Death who carries the soul of the deceased to the afterlife.


    Diablos = Jugram''s legendary species upgrade is Diablos, Spanish/Espa?ol word for the Devil.


    Erdtree = Armin''s legendary species is named Erdtree.


    It''s the reference to the Erdtree from the Elden Ring videogame.


    Yggdrasill = Armin is a Variant Yggdrasill.


    It''s the name of the World Tree in Norse mythology.


    Velsharoon, the Deity of Necromancy =


    The one who gave blessings to Ceril when he became a legendary rank creature is the reference to Velsharoon, the Faerunian mythology Demi-God of Necromancy.


    Indra, the Sky Deity =


    Hindu God of Sky and Lightning.


    Vajra = Oliver''s ultimate attack skill name.


    Vajra is the name of Indra''s divine weapon which transforms into a Lightning Bolt.


    ----------------


    Vilgax = The main viin of Ben 10 cartoon (many noticed this one).


    Bjormngandur legendary snake = Wordy with Jormungandr aka The World Serpent from the Norse Mythology.


    Cdrius = The Cdrius, ording to Roman mythology, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king''s house. It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person.


    In the novel, Cdrius has the same appearance as the mythology and it had the Soul Distortion skill which almost killed both Kahn and Kassandra.


    Ashokvatika = In Indian culture, it''s a notable garden in the Ramayana, the ancient Hindu epic.


    Skoll & Hati = Skoll, "One Who Mocks" and Hati, "One Who Hates" are two mythical wolves and the guardians of the second barrier. (Character traits adopted in the novel as well.)


    Both are the sons of Fenrir in Norse mythology.


    Omega''s new species name is Hrodvitnir, which is the Nordic name for Fenrir.


    Raijin = Omega''s katana is named Raijin by Kahn.


    Raijin is the Japanese God of Lightning, Thunder and Storm.


    Sirius ke = The orc ountant is named after Sirius ck from the Harry Potter franchise.


    Stalin Joseif = Just a changed sequence to the name Joseph Stalin, former Soviet dictator who was also responsible for the death of millions of citizens under his rule.


    Jeremiah Themis =


    Jeremiah was an Israeli prophet.


    Themis is the Greek Goddess of Justice.


    In the novel, Jeremiah Themis is the leader of the Pureblood faction and also the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Rakos Empire.


    Niflheim border = God of War 4 game reference.


    Mordor (where Ceril harvested millions of dead bodies and made a breakthrough to Legendary Rank) =


    Lord of the Rings reference.


    ----------------


    There are many more references but the word count is rising. (For which I''ll get yelled at by readers again.)


    Like seriously¡­ you guys need to step up your game as well. I''m not even flexing¡­ use your brains and general knowledge about the world while reading the novel. You might as well learn about other cultures in the process.


    I put so much effort into research and it hurts to see that nobody even notices these references but thenin when I make an anime, pop-culture or Superhero movie reference or use a popr character''s name.

 Chapter 512 - Finally a Saint

    Chapter 512 - Finally a Saint


    In the deepest central part of the No Man''s Land, the interjection point between three enemy empires¡­ A breakthrough of a man destroyed 10 kilometers of the forested region as if a World Cmity was birthed at the center of this ce.


    In the middle of the sky, a man in a ck and gray longcoat and attire that made him look like a prince of an empire steadily floated. And based on the density as well as overwhelming pressure exuded from his body, the man was a being that entered the realm of the strongest creatures in the world.


    Kahn, who was now able to fly in the air had a content expression on his face after finally bing a First Stage Saint.


    For the past 1 month, he spent all the time inside the Tablet of Arcana that he gained ess to from Rathnaar.


    Inside the pocket dimension, he spent 1 million SS Rank cores and used Ability Absorption''s new function to constantly raise his levels and absorb mana as well as the body of the Guardian Dragon which was rich with world energy in both the physical body and the core.


    After properly following Rathnaar''s instructions and with the aid of the Chamber of Exaltation, which had the function ofpressing both mana and world energy¡­ and stably condensed them inside his body; he finally made the breakthrough to the new rank.


    Although he spent twice the amount of resources and absorbed a lot of mana and world energy¡­ he still saved over a decade''s worth of time that would be needed even for a 6th stage saint magician.


    Just a month inside here was more than enough for a major breakthrough and all one had to do was provide the resources and raw materials to convert andpress the mana as well as world energy.


    Only then did he realize that Tablet of Arcana and Chamber of Exaltation were indeed worth waging a war for and no wonder the three noble factions would even sacrifice their heirs and representatives to get it.


    But without Rathnaar''s knowledge, Kahn knew that no one would be even able to activate the functions of the mechanisms set inside or know how to absorb that energy.


    "System, give me a report. Let me see if waiting for 3 arcs was worth it or not."manded Kahn.


    [Following are the Statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn Salvatore (Host)


    Species : Human


    Job : All for One


    Rank : First Stage Saint Rank


    Level : 287


    Strength : 62994


    Agility : 55029


    Dexterity : 60351


    Defense : 55698


    Mana : 73947


    World Energy Reserve Capacity : 9.8%


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Due to War Deity Body blessing which was at Stage 4, the Host''s physique has be two times strongerpared to a normal first stage saint.


    Granting more than twice the physical stats, mana and world energy capacity, adaptability and control over different elements.


    Thetent potential of the host''s body has been awakened and additional innate transformation in the host''s potential has been added.


    The host is now 3 times stronger than a first stage saint of the same level.


    ----------------


    The system detects that a high amount of concentrated mana and world energy reserves have been embedded in the host''s body. As a result, the host''s physique is now stronger and capable of conducting mana and world energy by twice the normal expected amount.


    All these additional stats and effects have been stacked.


    The host''s current body is 5 times stronger than a normal first stage saint.


    The host is nowparable to a legitimate 2nd Stage Saint both physically and in terms of mana and world energy reserves.


    ----------------


    The host has met the requirements for many abilities and skills that were previously locked because the host was not a saint rank being.


    Following are the skills and abilities that have be essible to the host :


    All these abilities were originally SSS Rank.


    List :


    Sonic Roar


    Energy Assimtion


    Invimarak Hide


    Neurotoxin Venom


    Titan Physique


    Titan Transformation


    Titan''s Rage


    Stormbringer


    Sky Overlord


    Cdrius Wings


    Life Force Restoration


    Nature Control


    King of Forest


    Roots of Nature


    Spiritual Sense


    Phase Shift


    Note : All of these mentioned abilities and skills have be Saint Rank abilities due to drastic changes in the host''s physiology and innate potential.


    All of them have been upgraded and received an enhancement by twice in terms of range, effectiveness, halved activation time required and extended skill activation duration.


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities that have be essible to the host :


    All these abilities are of Saint Rank.


    Soul Distortion


    Spiritual Replica


    Gravitational Upforce


    Gravitational Downforce


    Attraction


    Repulsion


    Gravity Imprisonment


    Note : All these skills have received a great enhancement and boost in effectiveness, range and activation duration by twice.


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities that have be essible to the host :


    All these abilities are at Legendary Rank.


    Energy Plunderer


    Dragon''s Sovereignty


    Dragon Physique


    Their effectiveness and output have been increased by twice the original skills and abilities.


    ----------------


    Sword King has been upgraded to Sword Emperor.


    Sword Battlemaster has been upgraded to Sword Apostle.


    All the old SSS Rank abilities rted to weapons or magic skills have been raised to Saint Rank!


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Hunter''s Domain ability has been greatly improved and enhanced after the host''s rank up.


    It is now at Legendary Rank.


    The current maximum range of Hunter''s Domain is 15 Kilometers radius from the Host''s Location.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    War Dominance has reached Stage 8!


    The quality of the host''s aura and saint pressure has been drastically improved.


    The host is now able to withstand saint pressure or the aura of any being 6 times stronger than himself.


    For example, the host can now easily withstand the pressure from a 3rd stage saint.


    ----------------


    Survival Instinct blessing has reached Level 6.


    The host can now sense any killing intent directed at Kahn within a 30 kilometers radius.


    Note : The range of this blessing will increase by 3 times with respect to the previous rank with each new rank up.


    ----------------


    Berserk God Mode blessing now has twice the duration and half the weakened physical state time than before.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    The Drakos Armor and Lucifer set has been upgraded to Legendary Rank because of the host''s rank up and the newly acquired Lesser Dragon''s bloodline purity.


    The Draconian Bloodline effect has tripled the defenses, maneuverability and buffs in terms of strength, agility, dexterity and attack damage output.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Host has be a Saint Rank being in Space Law!


    All the abilities and skills under Dimensional Law divine ability have been upgraded to Legendary Rank!


    Their range, output, effectiveness and skill activation time has been increased by 5 times the original values.


    ----------------


    NOTE : System will be undergoing an upgrade as well to provide more urate data based on the new physiology of the host.


    The system shall be inessible to the host for the next 10 days.] reported the system and gave Kahn the much-awaited report.


    "Fucking worth it!!" shouted Kahn and raised both his arms high in victory as an immensely exhrated expression appeared on his face.


    At this point¡­ he wasn''t even shocked or bbergasted.


    Because he expected these types of results after waiting for nearly 2 years and in due process¡­ he had grown numb to it when everything was within expectations.


    This was his strength at the base level. No buffs from any skills and extra ability effects were added.


    And the system only reported the newly unlocked abilities and notable upgrades. The old ones he already had at SSS Rank would require a separate chapter by themselves.


    And if Kahn used his various buff skills and abilities¡­ he could even fight against a beginner-level 3rd stage saint at his peak when he was using Sword Emperor, Dragon Strike, Wrath of Vajra, Titan Transformation, Asura Mode, Spiritual Replica and Berserk God Mode.


    He was now fully capable of fighting 2 ranks above him after receiving these incredible buffs in stats just because of the War Deity Body that finally showed its effects as soon as he became a saint.


    And with the Chamber of Exaltation effect, he had physical capability as well as mana and world energy reserves twice than those of his rank.


    Even among the other subordinates such as the generals and Rudra, he was stronger than all of them physically.


    At this moment, only Omega was stronger than him. But Kahn possessed all the abilities the Hrodvitnir subordinate already had.


    The only thing that made them all unique were the bloodline and the job-specific skills and abilities they gained on their own or due to the evolution.


    [Didn''t I tell you? That it will be worth the resources.


    You may need double the resourcespared to other chosen Heroes but with Chamber of Exaltation, you can still save decades of time and also be equal to someone who is one stage above you without even using any skills.


    This was also one of the reasons why I even killed two Heroes at once while both of them were a stage higher than me.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    He had been strictly teaching Kahn about how to reap the maximum gains in the Chamber of Exaltation in the past 1 month.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    All the subordinates quickly appeared next to Kahn in the air.


    In the past month, all of them were guarding the region as well as mastering world energy with Ceril''s help. So now they all could fly in the air as well.


    "Alright, let''s leave before any of those empires find me.


    The Gods must have sensed my breakthrough as well and alerted their churches." said Kahn.


    "To where?" asked Omega.


    "To the Empire that serves the God of Fire." spoke Kahn with an excited tone as he decided their next stop in the journey.


    A new chapter of their lives¡­


    "The Vulcan Empire."

 Chapter 513 The War Deity

    Kahn dered his intentions to travel to the Fire Empire named Vulcan after he was finally done ascending to the Saint rank.


    As for the main reason why he chose No Man''s Land¡­ it wasn''t just because he wanted a safe ce to breakthrough.


    Since it was inevitable that he was going to be detected by the Gods, he used No Man''s Land forest to cover his tracks first.


    And eventually, both of the closest empire''s authorities will be confused about his origin and no one would be able to guess where he originated or where he went.


    Hell, they wouldn''t even be able to confirm if the new Hero of Darkness didn''t enter their empire first after his arrival in their world since no one even knew when or how he entered Vantrea because all the representatives of God of Darkness were eradicated 300 years ago.


    And obviously, their suspicion would also fall on the other two empires that he originated from there or he went there instead.


    And for Kahn, this was the perfect opportunity to evade their eyes till he properly hid himself and got an understanding of the situation in a new ce.


    But before he made a move¡­ a sudden voice rang in his head.


    [Wait! You''re stronger than you should''ve been. What the hell happened?!] asked Rathnaar as he finally noticed the drastic changes in his body.


    Unlike the System Kahn had, Rathnaar detected things based on his own understanding so it took him longer to notice the additional strength.


    "I have a blessing from a Deity." spoke Kahn casually.


    [What?! You already had a blessing from a deity even before bing a saint?


    That''s impossible!]


    "Huh?! Is it that surprising?"


    [Of course it is, you numbnut! No being in the world can sustain a deity''s blessing which is basically bound to their bodies and soul without bing a saint or a legendary rank creature first.


    Otherwise, the bodies will immediately explode.] replied Rathnaar in an irritated tone.


    "Well¡­ I got 5 of them before I even entered Vantrea." said Kahn with a dumbfounded expression.


    [Five! Did you just say five?!!] shouted Rathnaar like a loudspeaker.


    Kahn then exined how he received his Blessings inside the World Boundary and their function after War Deity himself granted him these blessings.


    For the next two minutes¡­ Rathnaar''s soul in Kahn''s body was shaken and frozen with surprise.


    [What the hell?!! You have a blessing from the War Deity, Kravel himself?!


    You better not be joking, boy!] asked the peak saint in a trembling voice.


    "And why would I joke about it?" asked Kahn as if he didn''t care.


    [Do you have any idea how lucky you are?!]


    "Yes. I managed to be very strong and survive mainly because of the blessings. You could say that 50% of the share goes to these blessings." replied Kahn.


    "Tell me¡­ What do you know about the War Deity."


    [Tch! You really need to know more about the world''s history now that you''re out of Rakos Empire.] said Rathnaar in a disapproving tone.


    "It was you and your kin who barred the information about Gods and other Empires.


    I was only prioritizing my survival instead of ying a historian." rebuked Kahn.


    [Listen carefully¡­ War Deity, Kravel was thest human in the history of the world who became a Demi-God.


    He mastered every form of weapon arts, he even surpassed the elves in terms of mastering magic.


    He created so many battle strategies that even I adapted during my crusade to form the Rakos Empire.


    Compared to him¡­ all the chosen heroes that were summoned to our world are nothing but clowns.


    He was someone who could fight and even killed one of the three Elder Dragons and one Archangel. And their strength wasparable to a Demi-God. Pa nda


    No vel A feat even I wasn''t able to achieve at my peak.] revealed Rathnaar.


    [All of the strongest beings in the world feared him 10 thousand years ago.


    He was also the founder of the Abyss Empire and there was a time when he nearly achieved World Domination as well.


    However, he was the most hated being by the Gods. And the only God who took his side was the God of Darkness.


    If not for God of Darkness himself ordering Kravel to stop it¡­ the whole world of Vantrea would''ve been under his rule.] informed the peak saint.


    "Really? He was that strong?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes. And just like me¡­ he didn''t have any Deity''s blessings either.


    But many believe that the wars he waged back in those times are one of the reasons why the Demon God manifested 5 thousand yearster.


    In those times¡­ he always offered a chance to surrender to his enemies and presented deals that would not cause too much bloodbath.


    But obviously¡­ many empires declined. And as a result¡­


    Over 4 empires were decimated under his wrath. The majority of the empires of the world are barely 5 thousand years old. Other than the Dragon Empire and Abyss Empire, none survived longer.


    Well, thanks to your predecessor''s deeds, even the Abyss Empire is gone now.] exined the first emperor.


    "I see. No wonder Kravel wanted to kill the Demon God himself.


    He felt that he was partially responsible for its birth in this world since his reign yed a part in it." spoke Kahn as he remembered his conversation with Kravel before he was thrown inside Vantrea.


    [And after he became a Deity¡­ he was so powerful that soon, Kravel became the strongest of them all.


    He is an icon to everyone who wants to be a Demi-God. Even I admired him and wanted to surpass that legend while I was alive.] said Rathnaar in a vehement tone.


    [I thought you were the unluckiest of all the Heroes¡­ but although you started at thest in the race; you have the biggest chance to surpass them if you use the Blessings properly.] informed the peak saint.


    Kahn nodded in affirmation.


    ????? ????? War Dominance, Weapon Mastery, Combat Technique Mastery, Survival Instinct, Berserk God Mode andstly War Deity Body.


    Because if not for these six blessings that he received from Kravel, Kahn would''ve died a long time ago.


    Plus, there was the Knowledge of All Languages in the world of Vantrea known to War Deity.


    This was a gift Kravel gave Kahn out of his goodwill. Which made his life many times easier till this point.


    Kahn then just came to a sudden realization that shook him to his core¡­


    Because based on what happened with Ceril and Oliver¡­ In a way, Kahn was actually the¡­


    Apostle of War Deity!


    Update thetest chapter at .Com

 Chapter 514 - A New Journey

    Chapter 514 - A New Journey


    After having a recap of the past because of Rathnaar''s sudden query, Kahn realized that he was actually the Apostle of War Deity.


    Because blessings and gifts from a Deity are only given to those who gain their approval and are considered as the official representative in the world.


    As he just found out that Kravel was considered to be the strongest deity of them all. This made Kahn question his own potential.


    Because Kravel was a human just like him and neither was he a chosen hero, had divine abilities or even a blessing from a deity.


    And yet, he achieved the feat of reaching the peak saint rank, created the Abyss Empire, kill an Elder Dragon as well as an Archangel who were supposed to be as strong as a Demi-God and finally, he nearly achieve world domination until the Gods themselves had to interfere.


    Just like Rathnaar said¡­ all the chosen heroes were a jokepared to someone like Kravel, the War Deity.


    And if he yed his cards right¡­ he could have the same potential. Because Rathnaar himself was probably the second strongest human after Kravel who also reached the peak saint rank and killed many heroes even without any help or blessings.


    And the former peak saint was bound to his soul. So trying to fork out some useful tips and knowledge from the first emperor could also be very beneficial to him.


    "Alright, let''s leave. Make sure that none of you have left any trace behind that could be used to track you." said Kahn.


    All of them nodded as if they were already prepared for it in advance.


    All the subordinates then jumped into his shadow and Kahn opened a void crack using Lucifer.


    Now that he was a saint rank in both physical body and also in his master over Space Law, his energy reserves of Space Force were multiplied by 5 times. And the 5 doppelgangers who had absorbed space force from a long time and waited patiently inside the Dimensional Domain for over a month as per his ns, quickly supplied him with a huge quantity.


    Kahn then disappeared from the No Man''s Land and entered the True Dimension as he began his journey towards the Vulcan Empire.


    ----------------


    Twenty thousand kilometers away from No Man''s Land, in a grand property of the imperial family of the Vulcan empire that spanned over a dozen kilometers in total circumference¡­


    A meeting between the top powerhouses of the empire, the church and the emperor himself was held.


    This person only had a humanoid appearance but looked more like a demon. A long legendary rank spear was kept beside his throne situated at the end of this vast hall and even his long hair glowed fiery yellow.


    The aura this emperor emitted was that of an 8th stage saint while the expression he had was dead serious.


    "Your majesty, we just received the divine decree from our great god Hetrax!


    The new chosen one of the God of Darkness has finally arrived!


    And it''s a man this time as well. In the decree, the great god informed me that he just made a breakthrough to the Saint rank." spoke an old person who had a simr species like the emperor but appeared to be in his 70s.


    This old entity was adorning a red and yellow pallium while holding a golden staff, signifying that he was the pope of the Church of Hetrax, the God of Fire.


    "So the final hero is here too. Did our great god give any details about him?" asked the emperor.


    "Yes. The message mentioned that based on his aura, he is from the same world as the 6th Hero of Space who was summoned 530 years ago.


    We don''t know much about the point of origin." replied the pope.


    "Where''s his current location? Which empire did he originate from?" asked the emperor.


    However, to this query, the pope''s expression constricted as if he was having a migraine out of a sudden. Pa nda


    No vel "The signal we received came from the south¡­ from No Man''s Land." he revealed.


    "Damn it! Of all the ces¡­ he broke through in No Man''s Land!


    That is going toplicate a lot of things.


    Since the Rakos Empire is out of bounds¡­ the rest of the empires will put pressure on us and the other side.


    Thinking that either we or them have him. Those bastards will go as far as to say that we were harboring the new hero of darkness." spoke the emperor in an irritated voice.


    "We can''t even track him without entering there.


    But if we move, it will bring more trouble than good.


    We don''t know which of the two empires he originated from and if he entered our territory or traveled to either of the two empires¡­ we will also lose thest chance to get the final key.


    We can talk with the other empire and make a temporary truce but we know nothing about the inner happenings of the Rakos Empire.


    They won''t care if it''s an issue rted to gods or a chosen hero. They will take it as a deration of war as soon as either of our forces enter the no man''snd." said the emperor in a somber tone.


    "As long as they have those 3 seventh stage saints¡­ trying to reason with them won''t yield any results.


    If I even enter just two thousand kilometers close to that region¡­ it will be a war." he iterated.


    "Who''s guarding the southern border these days?" he asked themander of the military.


    "It''s¡­ it''s¡­ princess Venessa, your majesty." replied the person seated on the right side''s small throne.


    The emperor''s face turned even more exasperated.


    "My father warned me that out of all the previous generation of Heroes¡­ Hero of Darkness was the most dangerous and terrifying.


    And if this new one is anything like his predecessor¡­ then we must kill him before he spreads his wings.


    He is only a first stage saint now¡­ but even so, I don''t think Venessa will be able to fight against him." he hypothesized.


    "That leaves us no choice¡­ ry my orders!


    Send him to the southern border." spoke the emperor as he gave his imperial decree.


    "Send the Hero of Fire."

 Chapter 515 - The Bloodline

    Chapter 515 - The Bloodline


    The very evening of that day of his breakthrough, Kahn and the group entered an area filled with grasnds and many small ponds. In front of him, vastnds filled with crops and various vegetables that he hadn''t seen before in Rakos Empire appeared.


    Kahn was finally inside the southern border. Since he traveled using the true dimension, no formation ced at the borders, any weaponry or even the semi-saint ranked fighters or mages stationed at the end of the border managed to notice him passing right through their garrisons.


    In nearly 6 hours, Kahn had traveled close to 800 kilometers using all his space force reserves now that he could fly even inside the true dimension.


    And finally, when Kahn ran out of space force, he exited through the void crack and gazed at the sunset while standing at a peak of a mountain surrounded by farnds.


    "An agriculture-oriented region like this¡­ means there are popted zones nearby." spoke Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    All the subordinates jumped out of his shadow and gazed around the scene filled with the scent of earth and nature.


    Just this fresh breath of air reinvigorated their bodies and everyone felt rxed.


    "Such a lovely ce." spoke Armin who developed inkling with nts ever since he became a legendary rank creature.


    BANG!!


    A loud noise suddenly reached their ears and everyone quickly went into an alert mode.


    Omega turned to their left and sniffed the air. The following moment, his expression turned serious.


    "Master, there''s a battle happening 20 kilometers away from here.


    Looks like it''s been carrying on for nearly an hour." reported the right-hand man¡­ right-hand wolf.


    Currently, he had the highest range among them so he quickly grasped the situation.


    Oliver then quickly ascended in the sky after spreading his wings and flew to get a proper image of the situation.


    Kahn then shared his vision with them and saw what was happening at the site of the battle.


    "I think we should see it up close. There''s a legendary rank monster there." spoke Kahn.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Leaving sonic booms in their wake, all the subordinates flew and approached the battlefield.


    After some time, they all silently appeared on the edge of a cliff whilepletely hiding their auras.


    5 kilometers away from them, was a ginormous figure engaged in battle with an army of a couple of hundred thousand soldiers. Pa nda


    Novel There were flying ships, cannons, hundreds of mages from different species working together and cavalries surrounding and engaging this 100 meter tall creature.


    A red-colored four-legged creature with two massive hind legs attacked a toon of thousand of cavalry soldiers. Its mouth had nothing but a prong-like maw filled with hundreds of teeth that were as big as a grown man''s thigh.


    And the army of soldiers was on the backfoot and thousands of them had already died.


    Kahn noticed many red-bodied humanoid figures, a race that was unknown to him yet, thousands of dwarves, hybrids and the vast majority of foot soldiers were the humans.


    "What kind of monster is it? I can''t even sense a particr element associated with its body either." spoke Ceril.


    "System has gone offline for 10 days. So even I don''t have any idea about it." said Kahn.


    [It''s a Jatvuarym. A legendary rank one.


    These are very rare. It''s a species that went extinct in Rakos Empire a long time ago.] suddenly, Rathnaar informed Kahn about the monster.


    "You know about it?" he asked.


    [Of course. I fought a mythical rank one in my youth. Sadly, it escaped because I was careless.] replied the peak saint.


    "So what can it do?" asked Kahn.


    [Look at it closely. It''s about to use its ability.] said Rathnaar and soon, all of them started paying attention to the monster.


    The four-legged monster suddenly started changing its shape and size soon, it''s entire body underwent a drastic change.


    The maw was shortened by manyfolds and soon, multiple long and spike-like arms appeared out of its body.


    The massive hind legs were no exception and then too transformed and merged to form a 50 meter long tail.


    It now had a green hard armor-like scales all over its body and swatted away over a thousand soldiers adorning red and yellow armors while pointing their weapons at it with its fifty meters long tail that was filled with multiple long and sharp spikes.


    "It can transform? What the hell is this monster?" asked Kahn.


    [That''s not the end. Keep watching.] said Rathnaar in a smug tone.


    After 30 more minutes passed and this monster slithered across the army''s rank and massacred over a hundred thousand soldiers and dozens of massive magic cannons, it finally decided to transform again.


    This time, it turned into a white spider-like monster with 8 legs. But the upper portion of its body now had a 20 meter long vertical mouth with thousands of sharp teeth and six arms that looked like they belonged to a mantis.


    The third form of this monster had a ghost-like vibe to it and before the army could do anything¡­


    It released a shrill cry that spread over the 2 kilometers radius, instantly incapacitating over 40 thousand foot soldiers and hundreds of flying ships that attacked it from the air.


    With the pilots out ofmission, all these massive battleships that were over 30 meters in width alone started descending downwards and instead of attacking the monster¡­


    They were falling on their allies spread across the battlefield.


    BOOM!


    Bam!


    Dhang!!


    In just a minute¡­ the entire scenario of the battlefield changed. The once surrounded legendary rank creature was now using the enemy''s weapons, soldiers and ships to kill their allies instead.


    It hadn''t even been an hour and it already killed more than a hundred thousand soldiers and destroyed hundreds of battleships without receiving any grave injuries.


    Kahn and the gang were watching this whole fight without interfering and were left speechless.


    If they stepped in, it won''t be a problem to kill this monster¡­ but what shocked them was its ability that they all had seen before albeit in a very weak specimen.


    Kahn, Omega and all the subordinates shouted in unison as soon as they realized what kind of property this monster had¡­


    "It''s the Metamorphosis bloodline!"

 Chapter 516 Cliche Plot

    Everyone from their crew had a surprised expression because they knew how rare a monster with a Metamorphosis bloodline was.


    The current bloodline Kahn had from the Uthraqiris, the 13th floor dungeon boss he and the subordinates hunted back in the day inside the Bromnir dungeon in vot city was only at SS Rank even after Kahn became a Saint.


    It allowed him to take the forms of different creatures as long as he had the 100% bloodline purity.


    But the only disadvantage it had was it was allowed until a certain rank. If Kahn ever wanted to transform into a legendary rank monster or even a dragon, he at least needed a mythical ranked metamorphosis bloodline or a monster specimen who had it.


    ¡°Master¡­ you must get it. You can impart me the bloodler and it will greatly help me increase the ranks of my Devourer ability.¡± said Omega.


    [Human, give me that monster¡¯s body. You can have the core but the body would be extremely beneficial to me.


    If I eat the body and harness its bloodline¡­ I should be able to transform into a humanoid form and also merge both the Basilisk and Draconian bloodlines more efficiently.] said Rudra in Kahn¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Tch! It¡¯s too risky. We¡¯re in someone else¡¯s territory.


    We don¡¯t know anything about this ce and how things work here. Our interference would not go unnoticed.


    It¡¯s better to gather information first than act impulsively.¡± said Kahn in a somber tone.


    ¡°Plus there are too many people. A strong person appearing out of and saving the day while no one questions him happens only in fictional stories.


    We can¡¯t afford to leave a clue behind either because I¡¯m sure they must have sent someone to track me in No Man¡¯s Land.


    They too would being this way. Any wrong move and all the top powerhouses of the Vulcan empire will start a crusade to hunt me.¡± he rified with a thoughtful expression.


    [It¡¯s simple. You can just wait till it kills all of their forces and then kill it.


    Novel Or you can wait for them to kill it somehow and then just steal the corpse!


    That way, you won¡¯t leave any trace behind either.] suggested Rathnaar.


    He already knew about Kahn¡¯s divine abilities at this point so he decided to chip in an idea of his own.


    ¡°Let them kill it first?


    How will they kill it?


    It¡¯s a beginner legendary rank monster and there isn¡¯t even a semi-saint or a saint present here.¡± said Oliver who was carefully scouting the region around the battlefield while perfectly hiding in the sky.


    ¡°Should we interfere using some disguise?


    These weaklings here would be grateful.¡± suggested ckwall.


    ¡°No. It will create more trouble because our background isn¡¯t clear to anyone.¡± said Kahn.


    ¡°But master, at this rate¡­ all of the people here will die.¡± spoke Armin in a worried tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s not our problem. We can¡¯t go around saving every single person we meet in the street. These people are neither our allies nor our responsibility.


    I¡¯m done ying a hero and caring too much about others. We¡¯d be putting ourselves at risk by interfering here in any way.


    Plus, a saint appearing here out of nowhere just when I made a breakthrough will be more than enough to let them know that I arrived in the Vulcan Empire.¡± spoke Kahn.


    Because acting like a hero or a savior here would be no different than how he saved Nic and nev¡¯s caravan at the border of Abyss Forest when he was new to the world or how he met and saved Szayel before reaching the capital.


    ¡°If I was reading a novel and saw this same plot happening every time the protagonist saved people in every new ce he went to, I¡¯d tell the author¡­¡± said Kahn as he looked towards the sky and spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s justzy writing.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    An hour passed as the battle continued between this Jatvuarym monster and the small army of the Vulcan empire stationed in this region.


    Now, nearly 80% of the soldiers were wiped out and only those who remained only attacked from a long distance.


    In the meantime, Ceril cast an illusion barrier that made them invisible to the eyes of others so all of them were just waiting for the battle to end.


    ¡°They¡¯re still not retreating. Even the bravest warriors know when to step back. But they¡¯re persisting despite the hopeless situation.¡± spoke Ronin who analyzed the situation.


    ¡°Then that means only one thing. They¡¯re stalling for time.¡± spoke Jugram.


    Just then, Oliver ryed a message to all of them.


    [Be on guard, someone ising!] said Oliver and hid himself in between clouds.


    And in just 10 minutes¡­ another army, just as big as the one that was wiped out approached while dering their arrival to their remaining allies using warhorns.


    Two gigantic red warships arrived, followed by over a thousand battleships carrying thousands of soldiers and artillery of war.


    However¡­ there was one figure flying in the air who was even faster than these warships.


    This figure d in green and brown armor while holding a sword in her hand flew quickly while her eyes had nothing but a furious gaze as he looked at the legendary rank monster.


    ¡°A first stage saint!¡± spoke Omega.


    ¡°So they were stalling the monster for her.¡± said Kahn.


    Just then, the battleships that were already engaged in a sh with the Jatvuarym dered through their loudspeakers and informed their worn-downrades.


    ¡°Your highness, princess Venessa Hos Sigfreed is here!¡± dered the crew of a warship.


    At this deration¡­ the 30 thousand remaining soldiers were extremely ted.


    ¡°It¡¯s done¡­ we¡¯re saved.¡± spoke a dwarven axe warrior who was d in ck and yellow armor.


    ¡°Finally! We can rest now.¡± spoke a mage who was a hybrid between human and wolfkin.


    The flying figure finally arrived at the battlefield and looked around the battlefield. After she saw how many corpses were spread across the battlefield¡­ her expression turned enraged and she dered to the remaining army.


    ¡°Rest now, brave warriors! I will take it from here!¡±

 Chapter 517 - The Princess

    Chapter 517 - The Princess


    Princess Venessa Hos Sigfreed of the Vulcan empire appeared on the battlefield and her arrival made the remainder of the army feel like they escaped certain death.


    So far, more than 300 thousand soldiers fell victim to this legendary rank creature called Jatvuarym that could change into various forms and attack their forces using different methods and skills in each of his forms.


    And now, the first stage saint rank princess of the empire stood in front of this very monster who killed so many of her soldiers that held the front so this creature wouldn''t invade the popted zones and massacre the citizens.


    Without standing for a ceremony, this princess who seemed to be 29 years old and had long ck hair and green iris in her eyes took out a sword from her sheath and started chanting some sort of spell.


    But the very next second, a crimson red aura appeared from her body and encapsted the de of her sword and in front of Kahn and his crew who were watching from afar, this de turned blistering red as if it was made from magma.


    Flickr!


    Flickr!


    In just seconds, the de caught fire as this beige skin tone princess took an attacking stance and released all of her yellow-colored saint pressure as if challenging this monster for a deathmatch.


    Chrraaaaa!!


    The Jatvuarym screeched and soon, it turned into a blue squid-like creature with multiple yellow patches over its body and started flying in the sky as if it was swimming underwater.


    It swirled its entire body like a top and the tendril with razor-sharp des on the edges whirled around as it charged toward the princess flying in the sky after she provoked it.


    Swing!


    A swing of her sword created a massive wave of dense zing fire and attacked the jatvuarym.


    But due to the whirlwind created around its body using the swirling tendrils, not even half of the fire properly struck its body.


    Roarr!!


    The monster kept charging as it haphazardly shook itself after being hit by the intense heat that managed to reach the eyes. But this wasn''t even the first wave.


    Venessa swung her sword again and again as he kept appearing from ce to ce, hundreds of meters afar in a matter of seconds. The massive and explosive waves of condensed fire kept hitting the legendary rank monster and it was going berserk as the burn marks kept appearing over its body.


    At this time, the eight spectators.. 10 if the Basilisk and the peak saint were to be counted, saw how efficiently this princess was roasting this legendary monster from each side like a seasoned chef.


    "So beautiful." said Jugram as he watched the woman taking out this opponent on her own.


    [I agree.] spoke Rudra.


    Everyone turned their heads and looked towards the Hellzer subordinate.


    "What? Are you two attracted to her?" asked Kahn as he noticed a sense of worship in their tone.


    "No. Not her¡­" replied Jugram as he pointed towards a certain direction.


    [Her control over the fire element.] spoke Rudra.


    "Look at those fire des, master. She is using world energy to maintain the degree of fire and which part of those waves willnd the highest damage.


    It may seem like half of the fire is being flung off by the monster but actually, the small waves that are hitting it are the hottest and have the entire fire concentrated in them." said Jugram since he too had mastery over fire.


    [Not only that. But the rest of the fire that is being dispelled is just a mirage. The monster hasn''t even noticed that it is actually receiving the full brunt of the fire attack waves.] said Rudra in an impressed tone.


    [Although she looks like a human¡­ Her bloodline ispletely different. It feels like a very high grade and rare type of bloodline that I haven''t sensed before.] he continued.


    "Do you know anything?" asked Kahn to Rathnaar.


    [No, this Vulcan empire didn''t exist in my time. This territory should belong to the Narnia empire. But I guess it fell and the ones who came to rule over it started calling it with this name.] replied Rathnaar.


    Twenty more minutes passed and the jatvuarym now had 3rd degree burns all over its body. And for some reason, it could no longer change its form after Venessa kept attacking it tirelessly.


    After she engaged in a battle, not a single one of the soldiers interfere as if they knew that she was going to handle it easily.


    Thud!!


    BOOM!!


    The massive 100 meters tall and 30 meters wide body of jatvuarym fell on the ground as it kept losing a lot of violet-colored blood and could no longer move because of the intense pain.


    But instead of stopping there, the princess with eyes full of wrath did not choose to stop and the next moment, she raised her sword above in the air¡­


    BOOM!!


    ROARRRR!!!


    Kahn and the group had their mouths and eyes wide open as they saw what kind of move this swordmaiden pulled off.


    [That can''t be! She''s just a first stage saint. How can she have this type of control over world energy and fire element?!] eximed Rathnaar.


    "Tch! First, it was Kassandra and now this Venessa¡­


    I really need to improve my magic and mastery over world energy. There are too many unparalleled geniuses and talented freaks!" said Kahn as he saw the creature that just roared furiously.


    In front of everyone''s eyes, Venessa had released all of her saint force that was made using her bloodline, fire element and highlypressed world energy.


    And in just 20 seconds¡­ a ginormous 100 meters tall head of a fire dragon appeared over her flying figure. The heat and aura it emitted were so intense that even the nearby 3 kilometers of space instantly turned as hot as a campfire.


    The ear-deafening roar of this dragon head shook the entire battlefield and Venessa swung her sword vertically as she gave this massive monstrous construct amand to attack with a cold and vengeful voice¡­


    "Dracarys!"

 Chapter 518 - The Diversion

    Chapter 518 - The Diversion


    As soon as Venessa gave themand, the giant fire dragon head above her opened its maw and spewed sweltering fire over jatvuarym who couldn''t even move at this point.


    Wrraaa!!!


    It wailed in agony as this highly condensed and incinerating fire started burning it alive. It wailed in agony and its tendrils shattered the nearby battlefield but as the seconds passed, it no longer had the ability to withstand this hellish torture.


    In just 5 minutes, the jatvuarym stopped moving and its charred body let out a cloud of ck smoke that spread across the battlefield.


    "Yeaaah!!!" shouted one of the soldiers.


    "We won!!" shouted a mage from another side of the battlefield.


    Soon, hundreds and thousands of battlecries echoed in the surroundings as Venessa barbecued a squid¡­ a legendary rank monster.


    However, at the very moment¡­ unlike the cheering soldiers who screamed after their victory; one man was grabbing his head and pulling his own hair tightly.


    "That dumbass moron!" shouted Kahn loudly under the illusion barrier.


    "She burned the whole body! Doesn''t she know that the more damaged the body¡­ the greater its bloodline will be affected?!"ined Kahn.


    Because of the way she had greatly damaged the body of jatvuarym with her fire attacks andstly that giant dragon¡­ the corpse was burned to the point it looked like a big log of charcoal


    [Oliver!] ordered Kahn.


    [On it!] replied the emerald archer subordinate hiding amongst the cloud.


    BOOM!!


    SCREECH!


    And before the army could celebrate, a massive bird monster with a wingspan of 400 meters screeched and made their ears bleed.


    His dark blue feathers blocked the sun and the site of the battle was covered in dark shadows.


    Oliver in his Thunderbird legendary rank form screeched andunched 500 massive arrows made of different elements using the Arrowstorm skill and attacked the outer borders of the newly arrived army.


    Venessa had a troubled expression on her face but then quickly got ready for another battle as she couldn''t afford to lose more of their troops full of different species and genders.


    Because after seeing the massive size of this monster that was 5 times bigger in size¡­ most of them had a horrified expression as if they had already prepared for losing their lives.


    And seeing their terrified faces¡­ Venessa didn''t even think twice and quickly started ascending into the sky to repel this newly arrived creature who probably got here after smelling the charred meat.


    "All the warships and battleships! Assist me from behind!" ordered Vanessa and flew after this ginormous creature.


    Soon, 90% of the soldiers followed behind her and chased after this monster who could possibly be be even a bigger threat to their mothend than the jatvuarym.


    And the only remaining forces were the war relief squadrons who started looking for the injured and started helping the remaining soldiers of the first army that was decimated.


    After Venessa and her forces disappeared from their sight¡­ Kahn, Ceril and Armin suddenly appeared close to the charred corpse of the jatvuarym.


    "Master, you can pull it in your dimensional domain. And no one will know we''re even here." suggested Ceril.


    "No. Another clue that could be left behind. They will certainlye for the body. Stealing it when surrounded by so many people isn''t a wise choice." said Kahn.


    "Armin, just make sure its body is in a better shape." ordered Kahn.


    Armin then quickly cast his Atonement skill and used all of his healing skills that rejuvenated the body of this squid-like monster.


    This was the exact reason why Oliver turned to his true form.


    To create a diversion and allow Kahn toe here. Because after Venessa had carried out her execution in that angered state¡­ the body was greatly damaged. If they didn''t heal it¡­ Kahn would have only a dried wood for a body to absorb abilities and bloodline from.


    Minutes passed as the three of them were healing the corpse while hiding perfectly under Ceril''s illusion barrier. Since Venessa was gone after Oliver, there was no one who could sense their presence.


    And finally after 20 minutes¡­


    "It''s done. Only the skin looks burnt now. The rest of the body and blood is in perfect condition from the inside." spoke Armin with a nod.


    Kahn then pulled a tracking artifact from his space ring and stabbed it in jatvuarym''s massive body.


    Because stealing it now will be too noticeable. And Kahn wasn''t in a mood to leave any clues or suspicions behind.


    [Disappear.]manded Kahn.


    Oliver, who was being tracked by an entire army of 300 thousand soldiers with over 3 thousand battleships, two warships and a first stage saint¡­ finally decided to speed up and used the Thunderbird wings skill that boosted his speed by 4 times.


    He left a few tornadoes behind him and started attacking with massive lightning bolts that appeared over his beak from time to time.


    Soon, the distance between them rose by a few kilometers and then dozens of kilometers and in just 10 minutes, it went beyond 60 kilometers.


    And Oliver easily escaped from this chase sequence after turning into his usual Hawkman form.


    After having no clue where he went¡­ Vanessa made some arrangements, sent people to track the bird monster and finally returned to the previous battlefield after an hour.


    She discussed the losses and the number of fallen soldiers with the people under hermand who were left to look after the injured soldiers.


    "What should we do with the body, your highness?" the orc captain of the squadron spoke.


    "Leaving it here would pollute the area and the rotting corpse would create a lot of problems for the nearbymunities. Plus the environment will be adversely affected since it''s a region that yields a lot of crops." said a dwarven captain.


    Venessa took a deep breath and looked at the still hot corpse of the jatvuarym. Then, a thoughtful expression came on her face as she spoke¡­


    "We''re taking it to Oslom."

 Chapter 519 - First Settlement

    Chapter 519 - First Settlement


    Venessa Sigfreed, the princess of the Vulcan empire who was in charge of the southern border had sessfully managed to kill the cmity that invaded theirnds after she finally reached the site of the battle.


    And now, to avoid furthermore trouble because of the corpse, she had an idea to get rid of it.


    "We will put the corpse for an auction in the main trading hub of Oslom. I''m certain many of those adventurer associations and enterprises who trade in raw materials and products made from monsters would spend a lot of money for it." spoke Venessa and then looked around the mauled and torn bodies.


    "Make a list of all the fallen soldiers. The money we receive from the auction will be divided and sent to the families of the deceased along with the promisedpensation." dered the green-eyed princess.


    To her announcement, all the captains in charge were taken aback and felt a sense of respect towards their princess who was using this war trophy of hers to help the families of the martyrs; instead of parading it over the capital to add to her achievements in the eyes of the public unlike the other princes of the Imperial family.


    And the money they receive will directly go to the families of the deceased soldiers. That in itself was going to be many times more than what the authorities would give them aspensation.


    "Thank you, your highness." spoke a dwarven peak grandmaster knight.


    "If we had arrived earlier, many of those would still be alive. This is the least I can do." spoke Venessa as her crestfallen voice resounded.


    "All right. We leave for Oslom tomorrow at sunrise." said Venessa as she ryed her orders.


    ----------------


    The next morning, two gigantic warships carried the body of jatvuarym using hundreds of metallic chains and cables and a couple of hundred battleships followed this entourage.


    And finally, they entered a vast city without any permit because the Imperial sigil on the warship was enough to tell everyone about who this crew belonged to.


    A 300 meter tall entrance door that had 2 enormous statues of the dwarves with hammers and axes served as the main entrance to this city and thousands of people entered at the same time.


    A city full of thousands of flying vehicles, buildings after buildings built on and spread across over 50 tall mountains appeared in front of their ships.


    Each of these buildings was at least 40 stories high and there were multipleyers of settlements every single one of these mountains was at least half a dozen kilometers in perimeter alone.


    Yet there were perfect settlements filled with houses, buildings and markets on each of these mountains. A marvel of architecture and brilliant city nning that wasn''t possible on earth.


    And all these mountains were connected via hundreds of hard stone and metal bridges that facilitated fast-running vehicles such as magic trains and various modes of transportation for the normal popce.


    There were even ships and some trains that were as fast as a bullet train and carried thousands of people easily.


    Compared to the Rakos empire, the technology here was far advanced as far as construction and industrialization were concerned. And this wasn''t even the capital but just one of the major cities of the Vulcan empire in the southern region.


    However, without any of the imperial entourage members noticing¡­ there was a group of saints quietly following their ships.


    "This¡­ I can read these signboards and carved words over these buildings." said Kahn.


    [This¡­ this is thenguage of the ancient dwarves. And some words¡­


    Impossible! That exins why that princess was so good at using fire!] eximed Rathnaar in a befuddled tone.


    [This empire¡­ was founded by the Firebornes!] he said.


    "Firebornes? What''s that?" asked Kahn.


    [Not what but who¡­ Firebornes are a superior race that has the highest affinity to fire in the whole world among all the other races.


    Unless you''re a creature from hell itself, you can''t bepared to them. Even True Demons don''t have that level of control over fire.


    If that princess has the Fireborne bloodline¡­ she is a very powerful woman.] replied the peak saint.


    [And if the Firebornes established this empire with dwarves¡­ means we''re probably at the biggest weaponsmithing and industrially advanced empire.


    Narnia had the highest number of metal ores and minerals back then. If my guess is right, the Firebornes attacked this empire and took over it. And they reformed it with the Dwarven race.


    That''s just my assumption but that could exin this civilization and this level of impable architecture and stable city structure built on mountains.] iterated the first emperor.


    "But Rakos empire had dwarves too. I didn''t see these types of construction or architecture there." said Kahn with a somber expression.


    [Because the dwarves in Rakos empire had outcasts of the dwarven race as their ancestors when I established the empire. I harbored many runaway species and ns at that time.


    And not every species could just carry their ancestral heritage and knowledge with them.


    But an empire founded by Firebornes and the Dwarven race¡­


    Haha ha! This is going to be a very good vacation spot.] said Rathnaar as he let out an insidiousugh.


    "Alright, no time to waste. We''re after the body, remember?" said Kahn and they all carefully departed while hiding under Ceril''s impable


    Two hourster, they finally stopped in the middle of a canyon that had many open grounds and merchant shops.


    The arrival of the Imperial warships and the gigantic body of the jatvuarym was noticed by millions of people already. So as if having a premonition¡­ thousands of people.


    Let it be merchants, adventurer associations, manufacturingpanies, weapon building organizations¡­ all of them were already ready, waiting close to an open ground specifically built to ce a monster of this size.


    Another hour passed and an auction finally began.


    Kahn and the crew who was mixed in the crowd at different entrance points then talked with each other as Kahn gave them orders through telepathy link.


    "Alright, everyone. Let''s start bidding."

 Chapter 520 - The Auction

    Chapter 520 - The Auction


    In front of the wide and gigantic body of the jatvuarym ced in open ground, was an auction held under an open tent where over five hundred people were seated on luxurious chairs as they prepared for bidding over this treasure trove of a legendary rank monster''s body.


    "Greetings, dear customers. Oslo auction house is pleased to have people of your stature attending our humble auction." spoke the auctioneerdy dwarf.


    Soon, the auction for small and rare stuff happened and a lot of people started bidding.


    However, Kahn and thepany who were mixed among the crowd didn''t bother with these small cultivation resources and some young masters of sects having beef with each other or used their respective n''s names.


    They didn''t care about the so-called weapons made by some ancient entity or a map that led to a Nascent Soul cultivator''s inheritance.


    While the plebeians fought over small things like cliche auction plots of cultivation novels, the truly rich people kept their mouths shut and patiently waited for the main attraction.


    And for the final round, thedy auctioneer pointed her hand towards the massive body kept in front of her.


    "The jatvuarym is one of the rarest creatures in our entire empire. On top of it¡­ a legendary rank shows up only once in a century.


    The bones that change shapes and are extremely tangible, the blood that can be used to make life-saving cures, the body parts that can be sold for hundreds of millions in the cuisine world¡­ everything about this creature spells money after you properly process and create products from it.


    And given the size and rank of this monster¡­ you are getting the best quality and the highest quantity.


    And top of it¡­ this creature was in by your highness, princess Venessa Hos Sigfreed herself! Giving it a historical value.


    So loosen your wallets without worry and have your name attached to a historical event." announced the dwarven woman.


    And the next second, Venessa herself appeared on her side to affirm the ims.


    Everyone quickly stood up and bowed while holding the left palm on the right side of the chest while taking the right arm behind their backs.


    To Kahn, this seemed the way how people of Vulcan empire showed respect to others and royalty.


    After Venessa exined how they got the body, many of the rich tycoons felt a sense of exhration. A legendary rank monster that killed so many soldiers and was killed by the princess of the empire herself¡­ it had too much significance to it. And the chance to own it would also spread their name throughout the southern region of the empire.


    [Boy, all these people look riled up. You''re going to have a lot ofpetition.] said Rathnaar.


    "Why do you think I have 7 other people spread among the crowd¡­" spoke Kahn in a coy tone.


    Soon, the auction officially started with a zealous crowd.


    "The base price is 25 trillion Harlen. Any additional bid needs to add 100 million to the previous price at minimum." spoke the auctioneer and began the bidding.


    "27 trillion harlen!" dered an old Liger-kin.


    "28.5 trillion harlen!" bid a goatkin with regal and noble clothes as if he was a major corporation''s CEO.


    The bidding continued to the point most of the rich tycoons spent a lot of money to get this corpse for their respective ns, organizations, corporations, adventurer associations or manufacturingpanies.


    This whole corpse would give them a lot of name, reputation and also make a ton of money. So none of them was holding back.


    "38.5 trillion!" suddenly, a silver-colored Werewolf spoke in an authoritative tone.


    Everyone looked towards the 3 meter tall swordsman with 4 curved des on his waist.


    "Who is this person? His clothes are different and those swords too. He looks like someone who came from another end of the empire." spoke the people among the crowd who saw this furry werewolf d in ck armor.


    This werewolf was none other than Omega in his Raiden form. But he was wearing the armor set made by Albestros and changed its color to ck. To hide his true appearance.


    "39 trillion!!" shouted a dwarven merchant who was wearing a coat made only of pure gold.


    At this humongous amount¡­ everyone turned dead silent. Because this was a very hefty price. And after that, no one dared to speak a word.


    "39 trillion harlen, one!" announced the auctioneerdy.


    "39 trillion harlen, two! Any takers?! This is thest chance!" she dered.


    "40 trillion harlen!!"


    Suddenly, another voice echoed under this widespread tent and everyone turned their heads to look at the richie rich who was willing to pay such an abundant price.


    "A¡­ a human?!" everyone looked at Kahn with a surprised gaze.


    "Why is there a human among the bidders?!


    Who allowed him toe and sit here?!" spoke a dwarven nobleman with contempt.


    "Is there anything wrong?" asked Kahn in a carefree tone as if the crowd''s reaction didn''t faze him.


    "Since when do humans have so much money? Don''t dare lie to us!" said a humanoid figure with a head of an ox.


    [Fuck! Looks like there''s some disparity between races and their social standing in this empire.] thought Kahn as soon as he noticed all these suspicious gazes.


    "Ah, I didn''t mean to cause any confusion.


    I''m only someone who is attending this auction on behalf of a client who couldn''t make it in time.


    The purchase will be done in his name." spoke Kahn as he improvised on the spot.


    "Who?" asked the auctioneer.


    "My apologies. It goes against our rules to disclose the client''s identity in public." responded Kahn.


    "Tch! Just some excuse. Do you even have the money? Do you have 40 trillion harlen with you?" asked the same dwarven nobleman.


    To his query, Kahn didn''t respond¡­ instead, he walked towards the auctioneer and spoke as he reached close to open ground.


    "I don''t have the coins¡­ but I have this." spoke Kahn and soon¡­ his space ring released crates after crates of merchandise that spread over the vacant space.


    Soon a big heap of ornaments, jewels, rubies, diamonds, and pearls came to be and everyone was left speechless by this immense wealth.


    However, at this exact moment¡­ an infuriated voice of an old man resounded in Kahn''s head¡­


    [You bastard! You''re selling my family heirlooms!!]

 Chapter 521 - First Meeting

    Chapter 521 - First Meeting


    As soon as Kahn revealed the Whitlock family, the imperial family of Rakos empire''s treasures in front of so many people¡­


    The first emperor and the once peak saint cursed Kahn loudly in his head.


    Kahn was showing all these chests and crates filled with diamonds, rubies and invaluable treasures that his subordinates robbed from Imperial Castle inside the final barrier in the forbidden region.


    And these weren''t even the 10% of what he had in his space ring.


    As for why Kahn was settling the bidding using these¡­ because all the hard money he had in gold coins was in dramus, the currency of the Rakos empire. And he had no single coin called Harlen since he was new to this empire.


    But what he offered was indeed rarer and more alluring even to the top rich folks of this city named Oslom.


    "What in the eternal mes of Hetrax!... How does he have so much wealth?!" eximed the dwarven noble.


    "This¡­ these gems and treasures are too rare.


    I think after appraising it¡­ it will be more than 40 trillion harlen!" eximed one of the rich customers.


    "Wh¡­ who is your client again?" asked the auctioneer woman and many of the attendees also wanted to know about the identity of this immensely wealthy tycoon.


    "Like I said before, it goes against our rules to reveal the identity of a client." replied Kahn in a subtle voice.


    "You there!" suddenly, he heard a voice from his back.


    It was none other than Venessa who was seated in a corner while being surrounded by hermanders.


    She signaled Kahn toe towards her. Kahn then slowly walked towards Venessa and bowed in the same way as everyone did previously.


    Gasp!


    Gasp!


    But for some unknown reason, many of the people gasped in shock instead.


    "The audacity of this human!" spoke one of the attendees.


    "He dares bow and not kneel in front of a Fireborne?!!" bellowed the noble dwarf in a shirt made of gold.


    [Ah, fuck! What kind of fucked up thing is happening here? Why are there so many social customs?] asked Kahn to himself as he had no idea why he was being ostracized since the moment he bid for the body.


    "Shhh! Don''t be loud, Princess Venessa herself is a half-human." spoke a foxkin who stood behind the dwarf.


    "Hmph! She only took after her human mother''s appearance. But she''s a true Royal Fireborne.


    Yet that miscreant dares show this shameful conduct. That''s no different than standing up against the imperial family." retorted the dwarf.


    At this moment, Venessa had a curious look as she examined Kahn from head to toe.


    His face, build, clothes and the confidence he had while being unafraid of everything¡­ piqued her curiosity.


    "What''s your name? And who is this client you speak of?" she asked without getting angry.


    "It''s Kahn Salvatore, your highness." spoke Kahn in a respectful tone.


    [What the hell is happening?! Why did I suddenly reveal my real name to her?!] eximed Kahn in his mind.


    [Careful boy! She has a sandhed charm! It makes you speak the truth if you don''t know about its existence.] informed Rathnaar.


    [This crafty woman! She only looks beautiful, but her brain is that of a witch!] cursed Kahn who was just moments away from revealing how there was no client in the first ce.


    [I''ll take care of this.] said Rathnaar and cast a triangle-shaped formation with a big eye in it.


    [I have dispelled the charm effect. Don''t get us caught here, boy. You can''t afford to be found out here.] said Rathnaar.


    "To be honest, your highness. Even I don''t know their true identity. I was only tasked with buying this body and given this space ring filled with these treasures." spoke Kahn in a humble tone as he lied.


    Because making up a random name would ensure that they''d enquire about that person even more and will blow up their cover.


    So saying that even he didn''t know about their identity was the best way to not raise unnecessary questions.


    "Well, if your highness doesn''t like our offer¡­ I shall take my bid back. I don''t think either I or my client would prefer to trouble your highness if their identity is that important to you." said Kahn in a gentle tone.


    "No!" eximed Venessa and quickly controlled her demeanor.


    "Since you''re paying that much¡­ I''ll let your transgression go. But be careful in the future¡­


    Other members of the imperial n are not as forgiving as I am." spoke Venessa.


    It wasn''t for herself but for the deceased soldiers and their families that she was going through this unnecessary trouble.


    More. Money meant that they''d receive morepensation as well. So Venessa let go of her pride and chose to not stretch the issue.


    Because she could take these treasures and through the right channels, she could receive even more money that 40 trillion by selling them somewhere else.


    After Kahn''s bid¡­ no one raised another one because they simply didn''t have enough money on hand.


    And finally, Kahn luckily won the body of the jatvuarym after so many risks he took. If not for Rathnaar being an expert, Kahn''sck of knowledge about this empire''s customs and artifacts would''ve thrown off his disguise.


    And soon, the whole Vulcan empire would be searching for him.


    Kahn bowed again respectfully and delivered the treasure to Venessa''s people.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, a ck shadow passed under one of the crates filled with money that Venessa''s people handed to the Oslo auction house as 5% of their share of the deal.


    Just by using this one bidding, they earned 2 trillion harlen and all they did was act as a mediator between the seller and the buyer.


    [All of you! Tail this man. There''s something suspicious about him.] ordered Venessa telepathically to her people through an artifact.


    As for Kahn¡­ he was overjoyed to get this legendary rank creature whose bloodline was something he desperately needed for future use.


    As for the money he paid for it¡­ Kahn had ns to double his gains.


    Kahn looked back at the departing figure of this princess with a royal fireborne bloodline.


    Little did they both know¡­ that this first meeting of theirs¡­


    Was going to change both of their lives.

 Chapter 522 - Buy One Get One Free

    Chapter 522 - Buy One Get One Free


    Venessa and her entourage prepared to leave the market hub of Oslom after they were done with the deal.


    Afterwards, Kahn took the body of the jatvuarym inside his Dimensional Domain while acting as if he was using an artifact to store it.


    Both parties left the trading market in different directions and disappeared from each other''s sight.


    [That was a really bad deal, boy. You could''ve simply stolen it and disappeared.


    You went even as far as selling some of the imperial family''s heirlooms.] said Rathnaar in a judgmental tone.


    "You don''t seem to carefully notice things, old man.


    Do I look like a guy who would make a bad deal?" asked Kahn with an evil grin.


    "Get ready. We have the body in our hands. So we''re getting our money back." spoke Kahn.


    [How? Stealing from the princess would create even a bigger issue and gather too much attention. Isn''t that why you bought it legally instead of stealing?] asked Rathnaar.


    "And who said we''re stealing from the princess?" asked Kahn in an insidious voice.


    [Don''t tell me¡­] asked Rathnaar.


    "Yes." replied Kahn.


    Soon, he mixed among the crowd and walked off toward a big restaurant to take some rest.


    [Master, there are too many people following you. Including spies from the princess'' side.] reported Omega.


    [I see many people sent by those attendees from the auction house as well.] said Jugram who was half a kilometer behind Kahn.


    [No need to worry. The more eyes on me, the better.] replied Kahn.


    ----------------


    As the night finally came, Kahn had around 83 people spying on him after he stopped on the outskirts of the Oslom city and entered a dark valley.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Soon, 15 other Kahns appeared in front of him.


    After he became a saint, the Doppelganger skill turned into a SSS Rank skill as well and now, he could summon up to 15 copies of himself and use SS Rank cores to keep them active all the time inside his dimensional domain where they converted and absorbed the mana and world energy from Rathnaar''s core and provided the real body with ample supply of space force.


    Soon, all of them disappeared and the original Kahn received his boost of space force and instantly reached his maximum capacity.


    Kahn then activated the skill to create a new doppelganger. And this doppelganger possessed all of his skills other than the divine abilities so it wasparable to Kahn before he became a saint. Simply, it was a semi-saint Kahn in a way.


    They both nodded at each other and the real one opened a void crack and entered inside the true dimension. As for the doppelganger, he casually walked around the city without being in any hurry. Leading those who tailed him from afar in opposite direction.


    The doppelganger Kahn was more than enough to get rid of all of these people that were tailing him.


    Someone like him already knew that after buying the corpse of the jatvuarym, the spies of the princess and those who wanted to steal the body from him, the ones who were present during the auction will send their people after him for sure.


    But this also meant a perfect alibi since what Kahn was about to do was many times diabolical.


    ----------------


    20 MINUTES LATER


    Kahn used true dimension and entered the main building of the Oslo auction house that was filled with people even at thiste hour.


    He speedily walked inside the main storage rooms as if he knew the directions about where to go.


    And finally, he stopped inside a vast room whose door suddenly opened from the inside and then closed after he reached the middle of it.


    Crack!


    Kahn exited the dimensional crack and stepped inside the middle of this room.


    Glitter!


    Glitter!


    In front of him, were heaps and peaks of glittering coins that glowed chrome blue.


    Unlike the Rakos empire, the currency of highest mary value was made from a rare metal which gave it this hue. And now¡­ he was surrounded by crates, barrels and chests filled with it to the point most of it fell out on the ground.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Two sets of footsteps resounded and two figures appeared behind him.


    A man d in pitch-ck lightweight armor and a mage in white and purple robes.


    "It''s done, master." spoke Ronin.


    "We have disarmed and broke all rms and magic formations that could alert the people of this auction house." said Ceril with a prideful expression.


    Kahn nodded in response to these two trojan horses.


    This was his real n when he partook in the auction in the first ce.


    By using those treasures to buy the corpse of the jatvuarym, he would get what he wanted while gathering the attention of the people on him. Which would help him have a perfect alibi.


    And during the process, Ronin and Ceril jumped from his shadow and mixed with the treasures. Later, they hid in the shadow of the crate that was handed to the people of the auction house by the men who came with Venessa.


    Since the amount was so big¡­ the crates would naturally go to the main vault for safekeeping instead of being used for cash flow. And through it¡­ he sent two of his best generals who excelled in getting rid of traps, rms, magic formations and barriers to infiltrate inside the main treasury.


    And after he created a doppelganger outside, he used the true dimension to get here undetected while Ronin led him to the main vault from his memory when they were brought in.


    And finally, they opened the door from the inside as it was crucial for the n since Kahn couldn''t just destroy it using dimensional cut. Or the entire security of this ce would be rmed and they''d probably have a sainting after them in case anyone found out.


    "We have been counting ever since we were done with the task. If I''m right¡­ this ce has their money stored from decades.


    And based on my estimations¡­" spoke Ronin as he gave Kahn a gist of the money they were going to loot.


    "It''s 126 trillion harlen!"

 Chapter 523 - Money Heist

    Chapter 523 - Money Heist


    126 TRILLION HARLEN!


    As soon as those words fell on Kahn''s ears¡­ His expression turned ecstatic as if he was experiencing peak euphoria.


    "Haha ha ha!


    126 trillion harlens! I''m rich!!" eximed Kahn as he startedughing hysterically.


    Just on the second day of his arrival, he was already a very rich man in an empire where he had no connections, knowledge or information at hand.


    In Vessen fiefdom, his worth was 86 Quadrillion as its sovereign. But in this newnd¡­ this wealth was his day two ie.


    For a neer in town like him¡­ this was a very good start.


    So simply, in exchange for those treasures that cost him 40 trillion harlen, Kahn got both the body and the tripled hard currency like a Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer.


    In his case, Buy 1 Get 3 for Free.


    "Master, how much are we robbing?" asked Ronin.


    "What do you mean by how much?" asked Kahn in return.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" spoke Ceril on the side.


    "Yes. We''re robbing all of it!" dered Kahn with a grin.


    [Ha ha ha! That''s more like it.] approved Rathnaar.


    "But master, wouldn''t that enrage them to the point where to send their strongest people after us?"


    Kahn then chuckled and replied in a carefree tone.


    "You see all this money¡­ it''s gained from themission of providing deals.


    All they do is provide a tform for selling and take a 5% cut from it. The higher the cost, the bigger the cut.


    This is called white-cor robbery. And I''m sure these people don''t even pay their taxes." spoke Kahn as he ces his hands on the chests filled with money.


    "And what we''re doing¡­ is called Tax Recovery." he spoke in a righteous tone as a charismatic aura oozed out of him.


    "Besides, if we want to make it big in this empire and hide properly¡­ we''re going to need a lot of money. And the security here is very bad.


    So we''re only safekeeping it¡­ indefinitely." he rified.


    The next second, Kahn tapped his right foot on the floor and soon, the entire wide room was covered in his dimensional domain.


    After his rank-up, Dimensional Domain now had a span of 5 Kilometers in radius. So this room which wasn''t even half a kilometer in length was instantly covered in the ck dome. And the next second, Kahn deactivated it.


    As they returned to the room again¡­ this time, there wasn''t even a single coin or any chest left.


    The whole room had been cleaned out of everything without even making a sound.


    This, Kahn had seeded in his perfect Money Heist.


    "Alright, we''re leaving. The other me has evaded everyone''s eyes as well." he said and both the subordinates jumped in his shadow.


    They opened the door and closed it again. Kahn then jumped inside the true dimension again and quickly left the auction house while none of them even knew that they were robbed of years of wealth.


    ----------------


    Kahn appeared on the other end of the city and got a room in a high-end hotel.


    The next morning, he left the hotel and mixed among the crowd.


    [Where are we going?] asked Rathnaar.


    [To gather the information.] said Kahn in a firm tone.


    After spending a couple of hours, he got inside a vast local library and had to pay three times the amountpared to other species for some reason.


    But the rich tycoon Kahn had no problem with it and soon gathered all the information and history books he needed to find in order to get enough knowledge about this empire first.


    And the information he gained was shocking to him for so many reasons as he finally found out why he was getting this third-rate citizen treatment ever since he came here.


    The Vulcan empire was first established after the Fireborne race took over thisnd. Andter, they reformed the entire with the entire dwarven race who were actually ves in those times.


    Many of the dwarves had fled back in that era and some even went to Rakos empire after Rathnaar had died and his son was the reigning emperor.


    In Narnia, four cruel humans reigned as its rulers after overthrowing a witch empress. And those were some dictators they had who oppressed every other race under their rule.


    After the Sigfreed n, the n of firebornes who came from very farnds took over it¡­ they released and freed all the races. And soon, they formed an alliance with the dwarven race to reestablish the empire.


    Since both firebornes and dwarven race worshipped Hetrax, the God of Fire¡­ the religion was epted as the only religious practice allowed in this empire as Firebornes had the highest affinity with fire while the dwarves had the highest affinity with metals and minerals. Two things that went extremely well with each other.


    But in the past 500 years alone, the human race started a lot of coups and caused a bloodbath in the empire in order to take control of the empire.


    Even one of the heroes of the past had joined their so-called revolution because he felt like humans deserved to be on the top like a textbook supremacist.


    But each time, the imperial family turned out to be the final victor and when the current emperor took over the throne, he took drastic measures.


    The entire status quo of the Vulcan empire was changed. And now, there was apletely different status quo in society.


    The elites who stood at the top were the firebornes.


    The 2nd most powerful and respected race was the dwarves.


    3rd part belonged to Demi-Humans such as wolfkin and other species.


    4th were the hybrids between many different species.


    Andstly¡­ were the humans.


    As things stood¡­ humans were subjected to social injustice, harsh treatment whether it was a job or even a business.


    There were ces and institutions where humans were barred to enter. And even the soldiers in the military were not allowed to rise in ranks past the captain''s position. It didn''t matter if one was talented or not¡­


    The humans were the scums of society and treated like dirt because of what their ancestors did.


    Kahn now finally understood why humans were treated so harshly in this empire''s social structure. If it was the old and foolish him, it would''ve boiled his blood.


    But the current Kahn did not feel an empathy towards the humans of this empire. Not because he had be cold or heartless¡­ Rather, he understood why the reigning emperor took these drastic measures.


    No matter which world, humans were always the curious and rebellious race. And in the past 500 years alone, they had caused too much bloodbath in this empire so he understood why the current situation was so adverse.


    This exined why Kahn was getting such a second-hand treatment and get ostracized everywhere he went because he was a human.


    But the him of now didn''t care too much about it since he wasn''t some savior or beacon of hope for the human race in this ce. And neither did he have any intentions to start a revolution.


    And thoroughly going through the study about this empire''s social structure, notable historical events and in how many regions it was divided as well as the topographical variations concerning people, their life standards, upbringing and set of beliefs instilled in the popce of the empire¡­


    He finally gained the necessary information that was more than enough for him to survive in the newnd.


    ----------------


    Kahn came to realize that soon, he''d need to travel and find a safe haven for himself to raise his levels and ranks while being in hiding.


    And also find a way to gain more resources and money since with each rank up, he''d need twice the amountpared to other saints.


    Because the technique taught to him by Rathnaar and using the Chamber of Exaltation was a powerful means to ensure that he was always the strongestpared to others of his rank and levels.


    But the lesser dragon''s body was only enough till he became a 2nd stage saint. After that, he''d still need external sources since he couldn''t absorb Rathnaar''s core until he was a 4th stage saint.


    So Kahn kept going through books and tried to find anything avable on the god who summoned him and the forces who served him.


    Obviously, the information about God of Darkness, the Abyss Empire and its location was non-existent in these books that were mandated by the ruling authorities.


    The information on ruling powers, who controlled what and established governing forces was not provided in these books. A ssic method to keep the poption in the dark.


    All it took was 300 years and they had erased the existence of those things from the world by carefully brainwashing the generations of people and turning truth into myths and folktales.


    And finally, Kahn reached the most important topic that he needed the information on¡­


    The Gods and Empires.

 Chapter 524 - The Gods & The Empires

    Chapter 524 - The Gods & The Empires


    [[AUTHOR : Before you start reading. Note that this is a chapter that shouldn''t be skipped or skimmed through in a hurry.


    Read carefully because there won''t be any mention of all the Gods, Empires and Species that run them again all at once ever again.


    This is a key chapter in the World Building of the novel. So take your time.]]


    --------------------------------


    One by one, Kahn went through the details of all the Gods, the respective empires that served and worshipped them and which prominent species or forces ruled over them.


    In the end, he wrote down a list for himself after carefully gathering the superficial information that was allowed in this empire.


    There were a total of 12 Gods that people were led to believe. And out of the 15 Empires that existed in the world, 12 of them served and followed the doctrine of all of them.


    1. God of Light


    Name : Aotrom


    Empire : Valgus Empire


    This empire was controlled and run by Angel species who also call themselves Lightbringers.


    ----------------


    2. God of Fire


    Name : Hetrax


    Empire : Vulcan Empire


    Ruled by the imperial n of the Fireborne species. The one Kahn was currently in.


    ----------------


    3. God of Sea


    Name : Itasaso


    Empire : Tenger Empire


    This was an underwater empire. Run by Farraige who were a mixed group of seafolks as well as various aquatic species and identified as amunity regardless of their species or origins.


    The empire was one of the three biggest empires of Vantrea as it was literally the biggest sea in the world.


    ----------------


    4. God of Space


    Name : Raum


    Empire : Erdve Empire


    Controlled by the Rymden species.


    Although there was no information about their appearance and physical structure¡­


    ?a?da ?o??l This was the only race in the world that was proficient in Space Magic and abilities rted to teleportation.


    ----------------


    5. God of Time


    Name : Vremya


    Empire : Amser Empire


    Run by Vrijeme, the descendent species of ancient creatures who had time controlling and shifting abilities.


    Among all the other empires, this one was the only one that didn''t go to war with any other empire. And even changes in ruling powers were caused only from the inside.


    ----------------


    6. God of Sentience


    Name : Jutigas


    Empire : Erzo Empire


    Ruled by the Citiaci race, a highly intellectual species that was considered to be the most advanced civilization among all the other empires of Vantrea.


    These people were equivalent to the Kryptonians of Vantrea. Even with their low birthrate and limited poption of 1 billion people, they were untouchable and no empire ever won a war against them ever since its founding 700 years ago.


    ----------------


    7. Goddess of Knowledge


    Name : Minerva


    Empire : Viden Empire


    Run by the Kennes species who were akin to martians for someone from the earth.


    It was an empire with many descendants of archaic species from old times and probably the most advanced empire when it came to magic formations and artificing as the Goddess Minerva''s decree to her devotees was to broaden their horizons to the world and use mana and world energy to create new ways to prolong their lives and improve their civilization.


    ----------------<i> [ Updated from


    . c o m ]</i>


    8. God of Life


    Name : Gyvenimas


    Empire : Zivot


    Run by the Elven species.


    This was the empire on the other side of the Vulcan empire where Kahn could''ve possibly gone to had he not chosen to be in the Fire Empire when he was in No Man''s Land.


    ----------------


    9. God of Earth


    Name : Zemlja


    Empire : Erde empire


    Ruled by the Pamant. A species that had natural abilities to control the terrain and even travel through the solid ground as if flying in the sky.


    ----------------


    10. God of Lightning


    Name : Kraatar


    Empire : Fulger Empire.


    Ran by the Eldingar race, a species with inborn affinity with the lightning element. Their bodies shared the resemnce with humans but had many additional traits in their appearances.


    This was an empire nobody dared to pick a fight with since the entire empire was full of beings and creatures with control over lightning, one of the most destructive elements of the world.


    ----------------


    11. Goddess of Wind


    Name : Aponia


    Empire : Vigel Empire


    Ran by a jointmunity of species called ello.


    The majority of the species in this empire had wings and some of them could transform into bird-like flying creatures or small humanoid bodies. Overall, it is mostly filled with flying creatures and species.


    ----------------


    12. God of Nature


    Name : Termeszet


    Empire : Nadur empire


    Run by the Beastkins. It was an empire fully made up of Beastkins and Demi-Human races. And as per the history books, Humans were barred from entering this empire and would be killed on site.


    Mainly due to some human empires of the past had waged war on them and enved them for centuries.


    Even the summoned Heroes of this empire were subjected to constant monitoring.


    ----------------


    With this, the information on the Gods and their respective empires ended.


    As for the rest of the empires¡­ there was nothing avable on Dragon and Demon Empire other than them being ruled by Dragons and True Demon species.


    No information about their rulers or the power structure, their society, culture or what kind of different races inhabited them was avable.


    There were also over half a dozen separate kingdoms spread across Vantrea. Butpared to the 14 vast empires, these were like small inds.


    And the strongest and biggest of them all was called the Belmont Kingdom. A kingdom ran only by the Vampire race and it was created 250 years ago. But no one had any crucial information on it just like the Dragon & Demon Empire.


    As for thest and final empire¡­ there was no mention of it as if it never existed.


    Kahn understood that it was the Abyss Empire but he already knew that it was called the Abyss Forest now and there were many Godbeasts living in it.


    And just as he expected¡­ there was nothing avable about God of Darkness. And what happened 300 years ago.


    ording to their books, the previous Heroine of Fire died while fighting a Godbeast. But no mention of where and what kind of Godbeast it was.


    So after 2 years of his time in Vantrea, Kahn finally had the idea about who were his said enemies and what kind of powers, species and forces he would have to face in the future.


    Kahn then understood one crucial thing.


    That if he ever wanted to be strong enough to face these empires in order to protect himself¡­


    He had to find his Divine Weapon.

 Chapter 525 - Hero of Fire

    Chapter 525 - Hero of Fire


    While Kahn spent the whole day gathering information about the present empires and gods of Vantrea along with the races that ruled over them¡­ a royal warship flew over Oslom city.


    This warship didn''t have the sigil of the Imperial family but every single citizen who saw it flying above their heads started shouting and cheering like fangirls.


    Even the security of the Oslom city or their battleships did not dare to stop their way and even created an open path among the flying ships.


    Soon, this warship absconded in the farther parts of the mountain range,pletely out of everyone''s sight.


    As for this gigantic warship which was big enough to fit 20 thousand soldiers in it¡­ a group of thousand workers operated it and in the main cockpit that was as big as one from a particr space-themed movie franchise, were 9 people.


    All these people varied in races, sizes and appearance and some were even in their 40s. But the most notable thing about this crew was something else.


    Every single one of these people¡­ was a Saint.


    All these people were seated on their respective throne-like chairs while 10 pilots below their floor routed the warship.


    And at the top among their seats, was a dark red throne where a man around the age of 30 was calmly gazing around the scenery from the wide ss window.


    Soon, their crew of mighty saints reached the battlefield that was drenched with blood just yesterday.


    "Lord Axel¡­ Yesterday, Princess Venessa killed a legendary rank creature called Jatvuarym. It could change forms and even killed 300 thousand soldiers and destroyed over two thousand battleships in just an hour." spoke a subus enchantress with two blue bat-like wings on her back and two ck horns protruding out of her head.


    "As per the reports, it wasparable to a 2nd stage saint. Yet she killed it by herself within an hour." spoke a dark elf in red attire for schrs who seemed to be in his 30s but was actually a century old.


    And finally, the person they were addressing to stood up and walked closed to the window of the flying warship.


    This man had wavy blonde hair, blue eyes and was currently donned in a legendary rank ck and red armor.


    This was none other than the man who was tasked with ensuring if Kahn entered the Vulcan empire or not since the top powers couldn''te this close to No Man''s Land.


    Axel Lobethrox¡­ 9th summoned human hero and the current Hero of Fire.


    "Lord Axel, the Imperial decree is to confirm that the new Hero of Darkness might have arrived in our empire from No Man''s Land.


    Although we can''t enter it¡­ one of your divine abilities might help us track him." said a 2nd stage hybrid saint who looked like a human but was actually half-orc and possessed the genes of both species that made him 3 meters tall.


    "I sense that there''s more to it than what they''re telling us." he spoke in a firm tone.


    "What do you mean, lord Axel?" asked the subus.


    "Edna¡­ don''t you think sending the entire Hero''s party just to track one person is kind of overdoing it?


    The empire''s spies are more than capable of finding this Hero of Darkness you speak of. Yet they sent us right when we were close to purging the riots in the northern border, the other end of the empire." spoke Axel as he put both hands on his waist.


    "It looks more like they want me to be the face of it and avoid direct involvement.


    I know all you have yourplete loyalty to this empire but I keep getting this feeling that all of us are just being used as scapegoats." said Axel and turned his head around.


    "We all know that No Man''s Land is a prohibited zone. Yet here we are¡­ sent to track one man.


    If I''m not wrong¡­ if anything goes wrong there¡­ we will be the ones to take the fall and the empire will say that it was Hero''s party who infiltrated on their own volition." he rified.


    To this deration, everyone''s expression turned grim as they too understand the situation.


    Because what Axel said¡­ was the truth.


    ----------------<i>  </i>


    After half a day, their warship reached the foremost region of the southern border. And their group exited to venture towards the No Man''s Land on their own.


    After crossing over a hundred kilometers by flying in the sky using their saint force¡­ Axel finally signaled his group to stop.


    They currently hovered in a junction between valleys and it was the only entry point avable to enter the Vulcan empire if someone came from the no man''snd.


    The next second¡­ Axel''s body let out a scarlet red aura and soon, a 10 meter tall massive ethereal eye that glowed yellow and radiated a divine aura came to be.


    Axel then sped his hands and closed his eyes. In the following moments¡­ the eye of Sauron¡­ Ahrm, this divine eye expelled a yellow beam of light and illuminated the whole 2 kilometers of the region.


    Suddenly, Axel opened his eyes and looked to his left.


    Swoosh!


    He appeared a few hundred meters away and stopped at the top of a cliff.


    Right now, he just used one of his Divine Abilities called Sage''s Eye.


    It allowed him to gather information about everything in this world. Whether it was some ancient artifact or some long-lost heirloom.


    And just now¡­ the Sage''s Eye allowed him to sense the aura of Darkness element.


    Axel''s body then emitted a blue fire that quickly spread across one kilometer radius. But neither was this fire hot or burned anything it touched. Rather¡­ it revealed the past of this region as the winds passed and trees fluttered. Even the positions of the suns were replicated in the sky.


    This was his another divine ability¡­ Chrono Vision. The ability that allowed him to recreate the events of the past in any particr ce.


    "Hmm¡­ there''s something wrong here." spoke Axel and used Sage''s Eye again.


    "There!" suddenly, Edna spoke as she pointed her finger behind Axel''s back.


    All of their party members were shocked to see the figure that appeared behind Axel.


    A blue holographic silhouette of a man who was taller than Axel came to be.


    But other than a blurry intangible humanoid shape that vibrated and appeared like a white mist, there was nothing visible.


    No face, eye color or the type of clothes this humanoid figure wore.


    By using two divine abilities together, Axel instantly found out Kahn''s location.


    However¡­ since Kahn was traveling this region using the True Dimension¡­ only his ethereal form was unveiled by these two divine abilities. The only thing they could not see through.


    "This¡­ this affirms that the Hero of Darkness is indeed in the Vulcan empire!" eximed a female archer tomboy look who had white ears and a long furry tail of a fox.


    "This¡­ this guy is indeed crafty. God Hetrax told me that nothing can hide from the Sage''s Eye in this world. Yet somehow, I can only see a silhouette and not his real face or appearance even after running through the past.


    It must be one of his divine abilities." spoke Axel with a thoughtful expression.


    "Lord Axel¡­ we should quickly report to the capital that he has indeed entered inside the Vulcan empire." spoke the schr dark elf.


    But before he continued¡­ Axel interjected.


    "And what do we get if we reported it?" asked Axel as he raised his left eyebrow.


    "What do you mean, lord Axel?" asked Edna again.


    "Think about it. Even with my divine abilities¡­ we don''t even know what he looks like.


    I can''t use both of my divine abilities all the time. So tracking him will take a lot longer.


    Plus if we report about his existence¡­ all we have aplished is being a good informant.


    Under no scenario is reporting the truth useful for our party." rified Axel.


    Just then, another remember of the party spoke.


    A white-haired hybrid woman with the head of an eagle and two ck wings behind her back decided to intervene.


    "I assume you have other ns. Am I right, Lord Axel?" she asked in a curious tone.


    Axel''s hair fluttered as a strong gust of wind passed by. He let out a sigh and spoke in a gentle tone that reached to all of their ears.


    "My ns you see¡­ it may appear like the most outrageous and crazy idea to all of you. Some of you might even disagree with me instantly after hearing it or think of it as an act of treason.


    But I hope you hear me first and allow me to exin my reasons." replied Axel.


    "And what is your n?" asked Edna again in a curious voice.


    Axel then gave them all a stern gaze and spoke in an authoritative tone and with resolute eyes.


    "We hide the truth about his arrival."

 Chapter 526 - Hero’s Party

    Chapter 526 - Hero''s Party


    The whole party was bbergasted as soon as Axel Lobethrox, the Hero of Fire¡­had suggested hiding the truth about the Hero of Darkness arriving in their empire.


    "sphemy! That''s no different than high treason!" shouted halfbreed orc warrior with a giant battleaxe in his hand.


    But to his response, Axel turned his head around and spoke to this second stage saint.


    "Tell me, Tamak. What did we do in the past one year other than stopping some local rebellion and killing some low-level monsters?" asked Axel and looked around his teammates with a serious expression.


    "Although I was much weed in the empire after my arrival and all of you were rmended to enter the hero''s party¡­


    Did we really achieve anything on our own?


    All of our achievements are aided by the imperial family and even to this day¡­ We are still seen as nothing but chess pieces.


    They tell us where to go, how to behave, what to speak to the people and who to help or kill." he spoke in a heavy tone.


    "Even your ns and parents see you all as nothing but glorified decorations who join me in parades and events decided by the empire where all we do is smile and wave hands atmon citizens.


    They are using me as a symbol to raise people''s hopes and loyalty to God Hetrax.


    And as things stand¡­ We are bing a thing of the past. Nothing but pawns for everyone to throw around here and there." he iterated.


    To his words¡­ None of them seemed to have any intentions to retort. Because this had been their reality from the past year.


    All of them were the talented young prodigies of the empire back in the day when Axel was summoned in the Vulcan Empire.


    They had their goals and their ambitions. And through their hard work, they earned the right to enter the Hero''s Party. The biggest honor for any young prodigy in the history of their empire.


    But instead of walking the path of heroes and saviors who aided people in need¡­ they had be nothing but puppets who didn''t even have the right to leave the party now.


    "We don''t have any real achievements since I arrived 5 years ago.


    If we continue at this rate¡­ it won''t be long until we be nothing but clowns for the ruling authorities." he continued.


    "The Imperial n doesn''t care about us and neither does the church. We''re just here to make appearances in front of the people.


    I haven''t even managed to make a breakthrough to the new rank because of how they keep me parading as their poster boy all the time and force me to attend their pretentious banquets between nobles." he spoke and clenched his fists.


    "What are you suggesting, lord Axel?" asked Mika.


    "Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment. Would you capture it, or just let it slip?"


    Said Axel as he presented a n.


    "If we tell this to the imperial authorities. They will capture and kill the Hero of Darkness.


    But if we say that he didn''t enter and search for him by ourselves¡­ We can not only do the job¡­ but get all the credit for ourselves.


    That would also ensure your bright future in your ns as well as solidify your positions to be the leaders of next generations." proposed Axel.


    "This is truly a godsend opportunity and we can''t just let go of it in the name of loyalty or patriotism.


    His core is also one of the keys required for the final piece.


    If I have that¡­ What do you think will happen?" he asked in a smug tone.


    "Not only will I be a hero to the empire but my name will echo through all the other empires of Vantrea.


    And as part of my party, all of your names will be historical figures as well.


    So I propose that we hunt him on our own without reporting to anyone about the truth.


    And once we''re done finding him¡­ killing him won''t be a problem since not only I''m stronger but we also outnumber him greatly¡­ we will be the true heroes of the whole world." he said in an excited tone.


    "We have much more to gain by keeping this a secret than just reporting it to the authorities like loyal soldiers.


    So are you all going to be little obedient children and take charge of your fate and earn that respect and prestige that all of you have been working so hard to get for decades?" spoke Axel as he tried to rile up hisrades.


    A heated discussion happened between the 9 members of the Hero''s party and finally¡­ they reached a consensus.


    "This is the biggest risk I''m ever gonna take in my life¡­ but you know what¡­" spoke Tamak.


    "Fuck those bastards! I''m done being their pawn." he dered.


    "Yes¡­ I too feel like I never got to use my abilities to the full extent.


    So what if this Hero has some divine abilities. He is only one person at the end of the day." spoke Mika.


    "Besides¡­ he doesn''t have one thing like us." spoke Edna, the subus enchantress, and continued in a vehement tone as everyone listened to her with a joyous smile.


    "The power of love and friendship."


    ----------------


    The next day, the main target of the Hero''s Party¡­ the man who aspired to be someone who couldn''t even be defeated by the power of love and friendship, left Oslo city using the true dimension.


    10 dayster, he was finally close to the biggest and most important city of the empire instead of hiding in a border among mountains and caves till he ran out of resources and ways to increase his strength to the higher rank.


    Instead of hiding like rats in a hole, Kahn and thepany decided to enter Lion''s den.


    And finally, they reached 100 kilometers close to the heart as well as the capital of the fire empire¡­


    ARKENSAN.

 Chapter 527 - The Upgrade

    Chapter 527 - The Upgrade


    Kahn and the group stayed at an inn outside of Arkensan where Omega acted as the leader and Kahn only acted as a servant of the group to keep their status quo in check ording to the social structure of this empire.


    And at night¡­ Kahn finally heard a loud noise in his mind during sleep.


    [The System has been upgraded to version 2.0]


    "Alright then 2.0, tell me what''s new in the software update." said Kahn in a humorous tone.


    [Because of the host''s breakthrough to a new rank¡­ many functions for the system have also be avable and the previous interface has been greatly improved.


    Following are the newly added functions :


    The host can now directly absorb the bodies of any deceased being, gain their abilities, skills and bloodlines because the Plunderer skill and Space Law acquired by the host have morphed and adapted into a new form of power.


    The host no longer has a need to touch any being''s body or eat their cores. The system will help the host automatically absorb it and allow direct absorption of the energy from the source.


    Current range : 10 Kilometers] listed the system.


    "Finally!" eximed Kahn in joy.


    Because previously, the plunderer skill only allowed him to convert energy, mana and world energy from resources such as mana cores and ores.


    And with the newly unlocked function, Kahn could absorb the entire body and harvest the energy in it to raise his levels as he did with the Guardian Dragon.


    But it was limited only to increasing his levels and world energy stage. It had nothing to do with gaining abilities or anything else from the corpses.


    However¡­ this new function after the system was finished with the update allowed him to bypass that restriction.


    So no more touching the mauled and bleeding corpses to absorb abilities and bloodline like a creep and spend hours standing or squatting while using Ability Absorption divine ability.


    All Kahn needed to do was just pull the body into his Dimensional Domain and let the divine ability do its work.


    He could also control if he wanted to keep the body orpletely absorb it as well.


    So this was indeed a big upgrade for him. And on top of it¡­ the range was 10 kilometers. So he could gain hundreds of abilities, and bloodlines all at once from thousands of dead bodies instead of going through them one by one.


    Next, System continued with the new details.


    [Following are the Dimensional Law abilities that have been upgraded :


    Dimensional Domain now has a total span of 10 kilometers due to the host''s rank up to Saint Rank in Space Law.


    Dimensional Cut now has a range of 5 kilometers. The host can target anything or any being in this range and attack or kill them using the Dimensional Cut skill.


    Dimensional Shift has been greatly enhanced. Host can now transfer 3 body parts and organs inside the true dimension at the same time.


    Dimensional Void can now be essed at host''s will and a void crack will automatically appear in front of the host within having the need to cut through two dimensions using a weapon.


    All these abilities will receive an increase in range with each of the host''s future level-ups and breakthrough to higher ranks] reported the system.


    The next second, Kahn quickly activated Dimensional Domain and covered only his body under it while leaving the rest of the room alone.


    "Waha haha ha!! Wahaahahaha!!


    WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"


    Laughed Kahn like a maniac and reveled after hearing this information.


    This was simply too big of an upgrade. Previously when he became a saint, the range of these abilities increased by 5 times.


    His maximum range was 1 kilometer and that too was only for Dimensional Domain before bing a saint. Later, it increased to 5 kilometers while other dimensional abilities received some increase in their range as well.


    But after the system update¡­ the total range was doubled for all of them. And the number of organs or body parts he could transfer to the true dimension also rose by 3 times.


    To top it off¡­ he no longer needed to manually open a void crack using space force encapsting Lucifer. Now, he could step inside them at his will.


    And the cherry on the top was that all of their ranges will increase after he leveled up and made a breakthrough. This was definitely going to help him in the future because while facing an army of thousands of opponents¡­ he could simply pull them all inside the Dimensional Domain and reduce their stats by 65%.


    This way¡­ the enemies will clearly lose the advantage of numbers and Kahn will have the upper hand in both one on one or an open battlefield.


    Suddenly, Kahn heard another notification from the system.


    [King of the Dead has been upgraded to Legendary Rank and renamed as Sovereign of the Dead.


    The skill now has a span of 10 kilometer radius from the host''s location.


    The host can now directly create subordinates and evolve them using Synthesis Divine Ability without needing to touch them while merging the bodies and select which body to be merged with which one despite their locations and distance between them.


    The host can also directly evolve them into higher ranks as long as the requirements of specimens and resources are met instead of evolving them one by one and then merging again.


    The range of Sovereign of the Dead will increase with each new breakthrough to higher ranks.] informed the system.


    Stunned!


    Kahn was too stunned to speak.


    As if this humongous upgrade in Dimensional Law skills wasn''t enough¡­ now even the ability he absorbed from the Undead Lich in Bromnir Dungeon went straight from SS Rank to Legendary Rank and now unlocked additional features.


    "System, what caused this upgrade?" asked Kahn in a bewildered voice.


    To his query, the system replied casually as if it was no big deal.


    [The host''s Darkness Element capacity has increased.]


    "Because of what?" he asked curiously.


    And the system finally revealed what caused such a major upgrade.


    [The body of the darkness element Dragon.]

 Chapter 528 - Version Two

    Chapter 528 - Version Two


    Kahn was left speechless by this revtion. Because he had already absorbed most of the Darkness element from the guardian dragon''s body when they fought. But suddenly, the system said that it ended up increasing his reserves even more.


    And even now, he was only half done with absorbing its body. So there was a possibility that his darkness element reserves will either increase in capacity again or the quality will be improved.


    "Show me the current Darkness element capacity."manded Kahn.


    [Darkness Element reserve capacity : 50%]


    "Bloody hell! Did it go from 43% to 50% just from absorbing half of the body?


    Will it increase even more?" asked Kahn.


    [No. The quality of the host''s darkness aura, dark magic and darkness elemental skills and abilities will be improved and the skills will get additional output damage and effectiveness.] reported the system.


    "Tell me the current boost after I became a saint." he ordered.


    [Darkde, Dark Lightning Strike, and Darkness Barrier have be 5 times stronger in terms of attack damage output and effectiveness than before and their range has also multiplied by 5 times.


    All of them are currently at Saint Rank.] replied the system again.


    "Good. If there are any more surprises because of the upgrade, tell me now." said Kahn who was already content with the new update.


    [Ruler of the Night ability under Hero of Darkness title will now get an additional 10% increase in stats and buffs. It will increase with each rank up.


    From now on, with each rank up¡­ the host will receive additional 15% stats to all physical attributes.


    Time to use Synthesis and Ability Absorption divine ability is reduced by 40%.


    All of the host''s abilities and skills have an additional 20% boost in effectiveness and range.


    The system will undergo another update after the host bes a Demi-God.] said the system in his head.


    "15%... 15%!!" eximed Kahn.


    "And that too will increase with my rank? Good dear lord." said Kahn as he smiled happily.


    Because the Hero of Darkness title, which made him 3 times stronger at night, was going to get an additional 10% boost. Means if he ever became a peak saint, the 10% boost will be 100% and since the base value was 3 times his original stats, the additional 100% meant that he will have another 3 times boost stacked on it.


    In simple words, Kahn when using the Hero of Darkness title at Peak Saint rank would be 6 times stronger than his original saint.


    And with 15% boost in all physical stats at that rank meant 150% additional stat points. Making him one and half times physically strongerpared to any other peak saint.


    It also meant that there was a chance that he could fight a Demi-God while only being a Peak Saint just like Kravel, the War Deity could do.


    So after tallying all his gains after the system''s upgrade¡­ Kahn concluded that this upgrade was nothing but a miracle to him.


    Kahn calmed down and then asked the system¡­


    "Let me ask you something. I expected there to be some sort of user guide when God of Darkness gave me the divine but you''re far too advanced to be just a guide interface.


    On top of it¡­ just me breaking through to Saint rank has affected you as well. So mind clearing my doubts?" queried Kahn.


    [The system is only an interface provided by God of Darkness to the host because Ability Absorption & Synthesis are unique divine abilities that need the knowledge about all species in the world and information about how skills and merged abilities work.


    Otherwise, there are many possibilities and conditions while merging subordinates or any skill that may adversely affect the host.


    The system is there to monitor the usage of those two divine abilities, terminate anything harmful to the host and provide the best-suited oue.] rified the system in a lifeless tone.


    "Then what about the other chosen Heroes? Do they also have a system?" he asked again.


    [The system is unaware. The possibility cannot be denied that the other Gods did the same for their respective heroes but there is no solid evidence of that to be the case either.] it replied.


    "Hmm¡­ I guess I''ll have to be careful if I ever face a Hero. Who knows if they have one as well.


    It''s better to be careful than thinking that I''m a special case." said Kahn.


    ---------------- ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???????s, ????s? ??s??  ?? ?x???????? ??s??? ?????? s????.


    The next morning, he decided to dy his departure and sent Omega and Ronin to gather necessary information about the capital Arkensan first, all of its regions, ruling powers and authorities as well as the local business overlords and underworld organizations that controlled the capital.


    He already had enough money to get his hands on top-grade and detailed information.


    And this ce was something he could not afford to be negligent about and end up catching the attention of people he was trying to avoid.


    Meanwhile, He entered the Dimensional Domain again and this time, he stopped in front of a massive 100 meters tall body that still looked freshly charred because of how things worked inside his domain.


    Kahn now stood in front of the corpse of Jatvuarym. The legendary rank monster with Metamorphosis bloodline.


    Previously, he sold off a small portion of his wealth that he stole from the imperial castle and bought the corpse in an auction.


    But he intentionally didn''t absorb it because the system was going through an upgrade and he didn''t want to risk anything in its absence.


    Back then, Kahn had no idea how the update was going to affect him so it was a reasonable choice to wait for ten days.


    This time, Kahn didn''t touch or formed any form of connection with this legendary rank creature that could shapeshift and use different forms based on the situation to kill its enemies.


    But after the surprises he got during the night¡­ he felt that it was a wise decision since absorbing it now could be more beneficial.


    Kahn folded his arms behind his back and spoke with a gentle smile.


    "Activate the Ability Absorption divine ability."

 Chapter 529 - Metamorphosis Bloodline

    Chapter 529 - Metamorphosis Bloodline


    Kahn stood 5 meters away from the corpse andmanded the system to start absorbing abilities without touching it. This was going to be one of the memorable moments for him.


    Since the first day of his arrival in Vantrea, Kahn always had to physically touch the corpse and wait for hours to get their abilities and bloodlines. Sometimes, he had to endure the pungent and intolerable smelling out of the bloody corpses for hours.


    And in the case of the Legendary rank monsters he hunted in Vessen, it often took 7 to 8 hours where he had to stay silent and wait till the procedure was finished.


    But now¡­ he no longer had the need to do so and he could keep a body in his dimensional domain and still carry on with ability absorption while he was doing other works.


    This was a moment of liberation for Kahn so of course, he wanted to enjoy this with his own eyes.


    And now that the system upgrade reduced the time needed to absorb these bodies by 40%, it took Kahn barely 5 hours topletely be done with the process instead of the usual 8-9 hours.


    "Report."


    [Following are the new abilities and skills acquired by the host :


    Physique Transformation (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to transform into any being and creature the host has aplete bloodline of without any dy or harm done to the original body.


    However, the host must learn to function and move in these different forms by himself.


    ----------------


    Bloodline Assimtion (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to mix different physical and magical traits of different bloodlines the host is already in possession of while perfectly bncing the physical structure of the host.


    The host must possess a significant portion of bloodlines and physical skills for them to fuse.


    Note: Since the different physical & magical traits of the different bloodlines will put a huge strain on the host''s body after using them to merge; the activation span of this skill is short.


    Current time limit: 30 minutes.


    Bloodline : Jatvuarym bloodline


    Current bloodline purity : 60%


    Note : The host must absorb the core of Jatvuarym.] reported the system.


    "That was short¡­" said Kahn but without a dy, he started absorbing the core as well.


    In just 30 minutes, he absorbed the core using the Plunderer skill he got from the guardian dragon.


    System then notified him that he rose by 6 levels just from the core alone. Normally, even as a saint, it would have helped him rise at least 20 levels but because of how Kahn used the chamber of exaltation, he only received 6 levels of increase since he needed double the resources to level up.


    [Congrattions to the host!


    The Metamorphosis bloodline from Uthraqiris and Jatvuarym have perfectly fused.


    The Metamorphosis bloodline has been upgraded to Mythical Rank!


    Following are the newly merged skills and abilities.


    Absolute Transformation (Mythical Rank) (Passive) :


    The host can now transform into higher rank beings regardless of their rank and species such as Dragons and even Godbeast if the host has 100% bloodline purity.


    During the transformation, the host will possess the perfect and identical aura, presence, abilities and elemental affinity of that species or race.


    ----------------


    Bloodline Fusion (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The host can now create variant bloodlines by himself and even impart those bloodlines to the subordinates who have met the 100% loyalty condition.


    The resultant bloodlines will be greatly enhanced and the abilities and skills gained from different types of bloodlines will naturally adapt and adjust to the host''s physiology.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Asura Mode now has a better rate of perfectly merging more and different bloodlines!


    The activation span of Asura Mode has been tripled and will increase with the purity of bloodlines used in this mode.


    The total number of bloodlines that can be merged at once has been increased to 8 bloodlines at once.


    The host can choose which bloodlines to merge based on his personal presence.


    The number of bloodlines that can be used in Asura Mode will increase with the host''s rank.


    Buff in physical strength increased to 400% in this form.


    Buff in magical skills and abilities increased by 200% while using the Asura Mode.


    Current skill use time limit : 45 minutes.


    ----------------


    Note : The same effects of Asura Mode can now be added to the Spirit Replica skill.


    There is no skill activation time limit on Spirit Replica as long as the host can provide a stable source of world energy to this skill.] reported the system.


    "And it was truly worth spending 40 Trillion Harlen." spoke Kahn with a smug expression.


    Because unlike his previous Bloodline Merge ability where he could barely mix 3 bloodlines and use the Asura Mode for meager 15 minutes but now that the Metamorphosis Bloodline became a mythical rank bloodline¡­ the time was tripled.


    And most importantly¡­ he could even transform into even a dragon or a godbeast in the future. All he needed was their bloodline at 100% purity and Kahn could transform into almost anything.


    Thanks to Absolute Transformation¡­ he won''t be just morphing like other beings butpletely change his aura, bloodline and body''s affinity with elements and physical as well as magical skills that particr race and species was specialized in.


    It''s much more effective than just changing his face or physical appearance. And if Kahn''s assumptions were right¡­


    Even a saint rank being won''t be able to see through his perfect disguise at this point.


    And the potential to use different bloodlines will increase with his rank. So the applications were simply limitless.


    Sopared to the gains Kahn received¡­ even the forty trillion was a very small price for such a broken and OP ability.


    ----------------


    Two dayster, both Omega and Ronin returned and met Kahn.


    They held a meeting inside Dimensional Domain and everyone walked through all the intel brought by the two subordinates.


    "This ce¡­"


    Said Kahn and then pointed out a particr ce on the map of the capital brought by Ronin.


    To the ce he wanted to go first inside the capital Arkensan.


    "Will be our hideout."

 Chapter 530 - The Hideout

    Chapter 530 - The Hideout


    After 10 days of constant travel and changing many routes as well as his appearance four times, Kahn and the crew finally arrived at the capital of the Vulcan empire called Arkensan.


    Kahn took his time hiding his tracks using true dimension so no one could detect him and he changed several transportation methods so if anyone tailed him from Oslo city, he wouldn''t even imagine that he was in the capital.


    And after 2 days of rest after the system resurfaced after the upgrade and Ronin brought the required Intel about the capital and how things functioned there¡­ the gang finally reached a particr ce in Arkensan.


    Kahn already gathered enough information that Arkensan was as vast as Rathna. But the key difference was that it wasn''t divided by districts but 6 different regions that were a few hundred kilometers in the perimeter.


    Each of them had a different type of structure and living conditions.


    One section was set in mountains while the other was on seashores. One section was at the peak of industrial advancement while the other being the biggest economic hub of the capital.


    Unlike the Rakos Empire¡­ there was no government in charge or any noble factions who controlled one sector of the empire or had their people in positions of authority.


    Everything was under the control of the Firebornes and the whole empire was governed under an Imperialism structure.


    After the Imperial n, the strongest force was the Church of Hetrax which was the only and official religion of the empire.


    And also, there were many temples and sanctuaries made for deities who epted servitude to God Hetrax.


    The 9 deities who served Hetrax were called the Nine Eternal mes. There was even a folktale about how the one to get the blessings from all nine deities would be the personification of these deities and will have the right to be the official spokesperson of their god.


    As for Kahn, he stopped at the one section that he desperately wanted to settle in first.


    Unlike his previous preference in Rathna, it was neither an industrial area nor an economic hub.


    But the section that was specialized in smithing and forging. The ce that was the biggest manufacturing region of weapons and armors in the whole empire.


    Kahn finally arrived in Nidavellir, also nicknamed as¡­


    Home of the Dwarves.


    ----------------


    Kahn and the team walked across the crowded streets of Nidavellir that were bustling with millions of people in just a few squares spread across this region established over a dozen enormously vast mountains that were connected to each other perfectly.


    The architecture, the buildings, gigantic statues, constructs and the well-developed settlement here made Oslo city look like a backwater town.


    They entered a tavern to take rest and gather some information from the locals.


    They all took a seat over the left corner and just when they were about to ce their order and enjoy the local food¡­


    ???? ??? ?????.???


    "Who allowed humans to enter here?!" shouted a red foxkin as he looked at Kahn, Ceril, Jugram, Armin and Ronin.


    Unlike Omega, ckwall and Oliver, the rest of the subordinates looked like pure humans.


    The red foxkin then pointed out towards a sign that said ''No Humans Allowed'' that was hung on the wall.


    "Get out!" spoke the foxkin.


    Just then, a gray rabbit-kin woman walked in.


    "Nick, they''re already seated here. Stop making it a big deal." spoke the rabbit woman with two long, pointed and fluffy ears who seemed to be the cashier of the tavern.


    "Judy, I already told you! No humans in my tavern!" he said in an exasperated tone.


    "These bastards only ruin everything wherever they go." he continued in a contemptuous tone.


    "All right, we will go." spoke Kahn and signaled their crew to leave.


    He gave a look towards the duo of fox and rabbit named Nick & Judy and spoke to himself¡­


    [Why do I feel like I''ve seen them somewhere before?] asked Kahn to himself.


    "Master¡­ I want to teach them a lesson for disrespecting us." spoke Ceril as his hands trembled with rage.


    "No need. They''re justmon people following the set of beliefs instilled by the ruling authorities and religious institutions.


    Besides, this will be the same case all over the empire. Are you going to beat the crap out of millions of people?" asked Kahn.


    He let that insult go because that''s what the situation was for humans in many ces. And Kahn didn''t have time or the will to y the game of oppressor and dictators. Not in a ce where he was a wanted person.


    ----------------


    Kahn then sent the three subordinates who looked like hybrids and Demi-Humans to gather some information in crowded ces.


    All they did was throw around some hundreds of Harlens and in half an hour, they reported back after people willingly gave them all the useful information they wanted.


    One harlen was equivalent to one gold dramus in this empire so nobody could resist the temptation of earning such arge sum just for some directions.


    "There are 3 ces we could go. The closest one is in the west, just 20 kilometers away." spoke Oliver.


    Kahn and the group then traveled to 2 big buildings where thousands of people were either customer or worked in weapon manufacturingpanies.


    However, they weren''t allowed to enter both of them¡­ again because their side had humans in it.


    And given the poption¡­ humans were already a species with the lowest count in this empire. So their business didn''t even feel the need of having humans as customers.


    And finally¡­ they stopped in front of the gates of a big headquarters. Compared to the previous two ces¡­ it wasn''t crowded or even had half the people entering or leaving. And there was no restriction on humans from entering either.


    Forget restrictions¡­ there weren''t even proper guards stationed at the main entrance.


    Kahn then looked at the massive que made of jade and read the name of this weapon forging enterprise¡­


    The Oakenshield.

 Chpater 531 - The Company

    Chpater 531 - The Company


    Kahn and the gang walked inside this huge headquarters that was spread over 7 kilometers of the vicinity and had too many sections such as visitations, receptions for the particr types of orders and many buildings solely created for forging the types of equipment.


    Over a year ago, Kahn also dealt in the weapon manufacturing industry so he knew what kind of top-notch technology and forging machines were ced here just from a single nce.


    This time, Omega took the lead as the leader and inquired at the grand reception.


    "I''m here to meet Master Oakenshield. I would like to hire him for amission of weapons and armors." spoke Omega.


    "Ummm¡­ currently, master Oakenshield isn''t taking anymissions." responded the woman at reception who had the body of a hippopotamus.


    "Why? Our order won''t be small and we have more than enough to even pay extra if master Oakenshield takes our order.


    I''m talking billions." said Omega as he tried to persuade the receptiondy.


    Sigh! The speed was too fast, and with a swoosh, Wang Xuan was pulled into the whirlpool, like a little crucian carp that had been hooked and was violedntly pulled out of the water.


    Instead of getting excited¡­ the hippo-kin woman sighed helplessly.


    "Oh, what''s gonna happen next. We''ll be takingmissions from street beggars?" she grumbled.


    "Follow me." she said and casually walked towards the inner rooms for VIP customers.


    [Doesn''t something strike you as odd here?] asked ckwall to others.


    [Yes. Compared to the other two ces we visited before, there are barely 2 thousand people here while those buildings had more than 20 thousand people.


    And the security here is veryx as if they intentionally left it open for the thieves toe in.] said Oliver.


    [My guess is that something bad has happened here. Wasn''t this ce supposed to be an arms forgingpany of one of the top 5 cksmiths of the entire Vulcan empire? If your dare to fish against him like this, no matter if it''s a strange thing on a mobile phone or that ferocious giant fish, you''ll have to pay the price.


    But now it looks more like an abandoned house.] spoke Ronin.


    And finally, the receptionistdy brought them to the VIP.


    But before they even took their seats¡­


    ng!


    The noise of someone throwing off a table reached their ears.


    "You fucking traitors! You''re jumping ships as soon as things got a bit hard?!


    Is that all our partnership of two decades meant to you?! A fisih is mocking him!


    Alex and Morty¡­ if you want to null the contract, you''ll have to pay the penalty first." a loud voice of an old and grumpy dwarf reached their ears.


    Thud!


    "We''d rather pay 10 trillion for a penalty than stick with you.


    This is all your fault. So don''t you dare put the me on us." spoke a lionkin as he angrily kicked the door and exited the main office.


    Following him was a zebra-kin donned in the green attire of a businessman.


    "You and that big mouth of yours has created a big mess. Don''t drag us in the mud with you." said the Zebra-man.


    Facepalm! Then, it was noisys and motionless, instead of reviving here, it chose to disguise it.


    Kahn facepalmed himself as he had a sense of Deja Vu.


    "Someone is really running out of creativity these days." he said and looked towards the duo of Lion and Zebra called Alex and Morty.


    "Great¡­ now that''s thest of our biggest dealers.


    We''re doomed." spoke the hippopotamus.


    "Gloria, bring them in." a hoarse voice of an old man resounded in the hall.


    Tap! Tap!


    "Great¡­ another trouble." spoke Kahn as he sensed a group of peopleing towards the main office with an aura filled with rage. If ones piece of sword energy can''t solve the problem, then take a few more pieces. Wang Xuan is going to kill it.


    Soon, over 20 dwarves walked in a group. And the one to lead them was the mostvishly dressed old dwarf.


    All these dwarves were only 2 feet in height, so to Kahn''s group, they appeared like kindergarten students.


    "Come out, Oakenshield!" spoke the dwarf.


    Step!


    Step!


    "Ah¡­ I must be dreaming. What the hell are you doing here¡­


    Wait! What''s the meaning of this?!" spoke the old dwarf who just walked out of his office.


    "We''re sorry, master. But he offered to take us in hispany¡­ and all of us epted the deal." spoke a young dwarf who seemed like a seasoned cksmith based on the shape of his palms and ripped arms.


    "You damn rodents! I could ept others betraying me¡­ but all of you too?!" spoke this old dwarf with disbelief as if the ground beneath him shattered.


    "And who do you think came to ask me first?" asked the other old dwarf in a coy tone.


    "To lead them all into joining you¡­ no, that can''t be¡­" spoke the former as his words stopped midway.


    Step!


    Step!


    Suddenly, a young dwarf who previously stood at the end of this group walked forth and came out into their sight.


    "I''m sorry, master. It was my initiative to join the Armikbaarpany.


    You have lived your life in glory and gained a lot of reputation in the past five decades. But for us¡­ we can''t risk our lives and our careers because of your mistake.


    Besides, Master Tawerik has promised to make us his personal pupils already.


    I hope you understand our situation as well." spoke the young dwarf.


    To his words¡­ the former old dwarf seemed heartbroken as if he experienced the biggest betrayal of his life. Yet he tried to control his grief and anger.


    "To think that I once thought of you as my best pupil and even nned to groom you into bing my sessor¡­


    Listen, Helsi¡­ you have greatly disappointed me.


    Now I feel like even a stray cat would be worth raising than teaching a snake like you." he said with a crestfallen expression.


    Suddenly¡­ the young dwarf''s expression turned furious¡­


    "Stray cat?! You''re really losing it, you old bastard! Did you really think that all my achievements came from you?!


    You are the one who caused the wholepany''s downfall and you''re ming me for changing sides?" he asked.


    "Hahaha! Even your top pupil has forsaken you, Oakenshield.


    Don''t worry¡­ I''ll train him better than you. So you may as wellmit suicide without any regrets." spoke master Tawerik.


    "Hmph! You and that buffoon? Hell, I can even pick a random human from the street and teach him till he bes the best cksmith in the empire.


    You two have nothing on me." rebuked master Oakenshield.


    "Bold ims! You dare bet your entire reputation and thispany on it?!" challenged thetter.


    "Why the hell not?! You think I''m scared? I can pick anyone and do it." spoke master Oakenshield.


    He then looked around the hall where over 40 people were seated and over 9 of them were humans.


    "Anyone here want to be my pupil?" he asked in a tyrannical tone.


    However, a grim silence ensued as no one spoke a word.


    "See¡­ everyone knows you''re already doomed. Who the hell in their right mind would want to be your student after what you did?!" spoke master Tawerik.


    Gasp!


    Gasp!


    Multiple gasps were heard as everyone suddenly noticed a hand lifted up and they all gazed at this courageous figure who dared to ept this offer.


    The one to suddenly raise his hand and ept this offer was¡­


    Kahn.

 Chapter 532 - Unlucky Fate

    Chapter 532 - Unlucky Fate


    The heated argument between master Oakenshield and master Tawerik, two of the most prestigious and aplished cksmiths of the entire Vulcan empire took a sudden turn as they challenged each other and the former ended up dering that he could even train a human and make him one of the most talented cksmiths of the new generation.


    And after that daring deration¡­ Kahn suddenly raised his hand as soon as the opportunity to be the disciple of this master cksmith arose.


    [Boy, what are you doing? You want to get dragged into some industrial espionage?] asked Rathnaar.


    [Whatever it is¡­ do you think I''ll get another godsend opportunity to be a disciple of a top cksmith in the empire?


    Whatever little problems thispany has¡­ I can get rid of themter.] replied Kahn as he was catching the opportunity at hand before he lost it.


    "Ha ha ha! A human dares topete against a dwarf in smithing? I guess that''s to be expected from someone belonging to that mentally retarded species." spoke master Tawerik as he insulted Kahn.


    [Master, should I rip his tongue out?] asked Jugram.


    [Calm down, boys. Things are turning out in our favor on their own.] hemanded.


    "You there, human! Don''t fall for his words. He has a tendency to ruin things because he can''t control his anger. If you get mixed up in this matter¡­ you will have a miserable life." said Helsi.


    "Ha! Courageous wordsing from a traitor. Don''t tell me you''re already afraid?" taunted Oakenshield.


    "What?! You think I''m afraid? You know what¡­ let''s have it your way!" spoke Helsi in an enraged tone.


    "Do you dare sign a contract then, Oakenshield?


    I''m afraid a hot-headed coward like you will back away from his words." spoke master Tawerik who was donned in red robes.


    "You think I''m scared because things have be a little hard for me?


    I can make a legendary rank weapon in my sleep, you bald bastard.


    If you want a contract, then let''s do it!" replied Oakenshield.


    Soon, they pulled out contracts from their space rings and signed them quickly.


    Kahn on the other end, was stupefied.


    [Are all dwarves this hot-headed?


    They''re making decisions in the spur of the moment.] he asked himself.


    "Ummm¡­ let''s not go that far, shall we?" spoke Kahn as he felt like things were getting out of hand.


    "Shut up! Nobody asked you!" spoke Oakenshield and suddenly, an orange aura was released from his body.


    [2nd stage saint!] eximed Kahn, Omega and the six generals in their minds.


    "Come here, human." said Tawerik and released a green saint force.


    Both of them pulled Kahn towards them and signed the contracts.


    [Master! We should retreat!] said Omega.


    [Wait! If we try to do that¡­ we will have to reveal our ranks as well. Plus I don''t think you''ll find human saints in this empire.


    We can''t afford to have a conflict here or my identity could be at risk.] he said and stopped his crew from interfering.


    Instead of resisting, Kahn signed the contract to keep his identity concealed and also hoped that he would be able to gain something worthwhile out of their little conflict.


    And with this¡­ the contract was signed and date of a yearter was set for their challenge.


    Things happened so fast that even Kahn was having a hard time epting the fact that he suddenly got a Saint cksmith as his teacher.


    ----------------


    Master Oakenshield then entered his office and sat on his chair across the table.


    He pulled a jar of booze and gulped it down in a single go. After a few minutes¡­ his head that was fuming mes of rage finally calmed down and he closed his eyes with a content smile on his face.


    Minutes after adjusting his breathing, he opened his eyes and spoke¡­


    "What the fuck was I thinking?!!!" bellowed the saint cksmith loudly.


    His voice was so loud that it echoed in the entirepany building.


    "Stupid! Moron! Imbecile!!" said the old dwarf and pped himself again and again as he started admonishing his own self.


    Kahn and the crew could hear everything in the 10 kilometers range easily if they focused a bit so all of them heard his self-deprecating remarks.


    "Fucking balls of fire!! Why didn''t I control myself?


    I''m doomed! I''m so doomed!" said Oakenshield and he banged his head on the wall.


    He was regretting his actions from earlier because he was angry as everything was going bad for him recently.


    And after his pupils and his most favorite disciple also decided to betray him because of what happened a few weeks ago¡­


    Hepletely lost his mind and made that contract because his pride was challenged and his reputation was at stake.


    Knock!


    Knock!


    Just then, Gloria knocked on the door.


    "Master Oakenshield¡­ your disciple would like to see you." said the receptiondy.


    "What disciple?! Didn''t you see how those runts chose to join Tawerik?" he asked.


    "Um¡­ I mean your new disciple." she said with a smile.


    p!


    Oakenshield grasped his head in annoyance as he remembered the fact that he just took a random nobody and said he''d teach him.


    On top of it¡­ he was a human. A species at the bottom of the food chain in this empire and also with the least talent for cksmithing and forging.


    "Ah¡­ tell him to forget about it. Say that I will take the fall. I''m not going to teach him anything, so no need to waste my time." said the old gray-haired dwarf.


    ----------------


    In the evening¡­ he finally left his office and started walking towards the inner hallway of the building.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Suddenly, a set of footsteps were heard and he saw a familiar figure.


    Step!


    Step!


    Oakenshield then sped up as if he wanted to avoid this person.


    The figure following him started walking fast as well.


    Step!


    Step!


    Oakenshield then walked even faster.


    Step!


    Step!


    The figure behind him also started walking faster.


    Sprint!


    The old dwarf then started sprinting with his tiny little feet.


    The figure in ck also started sprinting behind him.


    "What?!" shouted the old cksmith.


    To his query, Kahn¡­ the man in ck and gray longcoat spoke vehemently.


    "Disciple is here to follow your orders¡­ Master!"


    AUTHOR''S NOTE : Before you carry on reading the mass release chapters, I would like to inform everyone that I have fallen very sick again.


    If you search ''Sickle Cell Anemia Pain Crisis'', you''d know how dire my condition is.


    Yet, I have been writing 5 Chapters per day from the past three days just to meet the mark of the mass release quota.


    People pay their hard-earned money to read this novel and I owe it to them that I deliver on what was promised regardless of my physical or mental health (because Professionals have standards.).


    But I will need a few more days for recovery until my left shoulder and waist aren''t going through this excruciating pain and I''m able to walk again. (Currently eating painkillers 4 times a day.)


    At best, I will be able to post only one chapter (1.5K words) till that time so please be a bit understanding of my situation since I need to ovee the burnout as well.


    After that, we will continue with our daily 2 chapters per day routine and also new chapters for Drac Reincarnated With A System novel.


    So see you around the corner.


    -CrimsonWolfAuthor

 Chapter 533 - The Pestering

    Chapter 533 - The Pestering


    The saint cksmith was speechless after Kahn suddenly called him Master out of the blue. Although he knew that the contract he made in the fit of anger had messed up things greatly for him¡­ he didn''t actually expect this human to stick around and treat this whole charade seriously.


    "What do you mean? I''m not taking you in as my disciple.


    Don''t take what happened seriously. Be on your way and stop lurking here." said the old dwarf.


    "I too signed the contract because you pulled me into this. Are you running away from the responsibility, master Oakenshield?" asked Kahn in a provoking voice.


    BOOM!!


    The very next moment, the second stage dwarf released his threatening saint pressure that spread across the entire building.


    Everyone who was still inside the building was frozen on the spot and an insurmountable aura full of killing intent radiated from Master Oakenshield''s body.


    "Just because I''m going through a rough patch doesn''t mean any random passersby can talk down on me." he said in a grim tone that was enough to give anyone a foreboding of certain death.


    "Unlike others of my race, I don''t have anything against the human species.


    But that doesn''t mean I have to treat you any differently than anyone else.


    So leave before I stop being nice." threatened the old cksmith.


    However, the very next second¡­


    BOOM!!


    A ck and red aura suddenly exploded from Kahn''s body and easily overthrew this dense aura as Kahn activated the War Dominance blessing.


    After his rank-up, War Dominance was at stage 8. Enough to allow Kahn to easily withstand the aura of a 3rd stage saint so overthrowing this one from a 2nd stage saint wasn''t a problem in the slightest.


    Suddenly¡­ Oakenshield''s eyes were also left wide open.


    "You¡­ you''re a saint?!" he asked in a bewildered tone.


    "Yes, I am." replied Kahn in a calm tone.


    "How?! Since when can humans in the Vulcan empire be a saint?!


    The only two human saints in the whole empire are Princess Venessa and Hero of Fire. One is a Fireborne while the other is a summoned hero of our god!


    Howe there''s another one?" he asked again and again.


    The reason why Kahn chose to reveal his rank here was for two reasons.


    One¡­ if he revealed that he was a saint, the old cksmith will be less reluctant to teach him. Because he had the potential to be a saint rank cksmith himself as he already met one of the conditions.


    Two¡­ other than the empire''s ruling authorities and the church of Hetrax, nobody from themon poption had any idea about God of Darkness or who the hell was Hero of Darkness either.


    This matter was already a top-secret among the main rulers of the empires of Vantrea. So telling the old dwarf in front of him had a far too low risk of this information being leaked.


    "Does it matter? Since I''m a saint¡­ shouldn''t that make things easier for you to teach me?" he asked.


    "Teach you? Although it makes a lot of things easier. But tell me something honestly¡­" spoke the old dwarf and continued with a somber expression.


    "Have you ever held a hammer in your hands?" he queried.


    "No."


    "Then have you ever tried to make a weapon?" asked the master again.


    "No." replied Kahn in a carefree tone.


    "Do you ever know how high you need to heat an iron ingot before you use it for forging?"


    "No." spoke Kahn truthfully.


    "Do you know what''s smelting?"


    "Yes." he replied with a charming smile.


    "Do you know what quenching and soldering is?" asked the dwarf again.


    "Yes."


    "But have you ever done that?"


    "No."


    "Then why the hell are you trying to get mixed into this?!" eximed the old dwarf.


    "Because I want to learn from the best." spoke Kahn as he tried to butter up the old dwarf.


    However, the old cksmith''s expression turned grim.


    "I already said I''ll take the fall. And I''m not gonna make a futile effort and waste my time teaching you how to hold a hammer.


    Besides, it''s me who''s reputation andpany is at risk.


    Just run away¡­ whatever your name is." spoke master Oakenshield as he realized that using force against this human wasn''t going to work out.


    "It''s Kahn Salvatore, master." replied Kahn.


    "Who the hell is your master?!


    Stop pestering me, boy.


    I''ve lived more than a hundred and fifty years. I already know who is built for cksmithing and who is not.


    It''s not like I can teach you and make you a saint cksmith even in a decade either." spoke the old master in an irritated tone.


    "Try me." challenged Kahn as he came to realize one fact about this old man, that when provoked¡­ he loses his sound of reason.


    "Don''t you dare boy! If I do take you in as my disciple¡­ I''ll make you live inside a hellish nightmare.


    Besides, my old students betrayed and joined my biggestpetitor just this afternoon.


    Do you think I''ll ever trust someone else with my knowledge and techniques? Stop wasting both of our time." spoke the renowned dwarf.


    "Wanna make a contract about it then?


    You have to teach me and I can''t leave your tutge for one year until I''m done facing that Helsi guy." asked Kahn in a coy tone.


    So far, his method of reeling in this old man was working.


    "Ha ha ha! Good¡­ since I''m going to need someone to let out my frustration, it''s good to see that someone is willing to make a sacrifice on their own volition." he said and gave Kahn a fierce look.


    "But you should know this¡­ being a cksmith doesn''te free. You''ll have to pay me a huge amount of money to learn from me." spoke the saint cksmith.


    "How much?" asked Kahn.


    To his question, the old man only showed him two-finger of his right hand.


    "2 Billion?!" asked Kahn with a shocked tone.


    The old dwarf shook his head.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ two trillion?! Are you insane?!" said Kahn.


    To his query¡­ the old man kept smiling and spoke with a wicked smile as he revealed the price of the tuition fees.


    "Twenty Trillion."

 Chapter 534 - The Commission

    Chapter 534 - The Commission


    Kahn was bbergasted as soon as he heard the exorbitant price that the old cksmith demanded. Just to teach him cksmithing skills and weapon forging¡­ the old man was asking for 20 trillion from the get-go.


    "Are you trying to rob me?! Who do you think I am? The emperor?!" eximed Kahn.


    "Take it or leave it!" spoke Oakenshield.


    [He''s knowingly telling you that price. So that it''d deter you from tagging along here.


    Rest is up to you boy.


    Unlike us¡­ you can learn multiple jobs and weapons because of those blessings from the War Deity.


    So it''s your decision regarding your future.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    [System, will it be possible for me to learn and even breakthrough to saint rank cksmith?] asked Kahn to the system.


    [Given the host''s current rank and physiology¡­ the system affirms that the host can learn any job and their skills up to saint rank easily.] informed the system.


    Kahn''s face twitched on the spot and almost wanted to punch the old dwarf in front of him.


    "Deal!" spoke Kahn reluctantly.


    "Oho¡­ you''re incredibly wealthy for a human.


    Aren''t you afraid that I might rob you here, human?" asked the old dwarf.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    In the next second, seven figures suddenly appeared on the spot.


    "We''d like to see you try that, master Oakenshield." spoke Omega as all of them let out their auras one by one.


    Enough to pressure the old dwarf and freeze him on the spot.


    Because although only Omega wasparable to a legit 2nd stage saint¡­ all of them had the strength to easily fight a 2nd stage saint and even stand against a 3rd stage saint. The former could even fight a 4th stage saint at his maximum capacity.


    And now, they had surrounded the old dwarf.


    "You¡­ who are you people?!" eximed the old cksmith as he noticed the killing intent in their eyes.


    Although he was a second stage saint¡­ he wasn''t a warrior but a pure cksmith.


    "Well, to be honest, master Oakenshield¡­


    We''re not from around here. The main reason why I even came to yourpany was to ce amission for weapons and armors.


    Even though I got mixed up in your affairs, which is partly my fault¡­ I still need your services." exined Kahn as he gave the old dwarf some vague information than making him feel threatened.


    But before the old dwarf could ask any questions about his background¡­ Kahn summoned something out of his space ring.


    Thud!!


    A massive two meter ck nail, part of a beast''s w was plunged into the floor by Kahn.


    "What¡­ what the hell is this?" asked Oakenshield.


    "You''re the expert. You should know better." said Kahn in a mocking tone.


    The old dwarf quickly pulled some goggles out of his ring and started examining this massive ck nail.


    "Dragon!! That''s a dragon''s w! How did you get your hands on one?


    And the dragon clearly was a mythical rank one based on the durability and aura it''s emitting.


    I can easily make a legendary rank weapon from it!" eximed the old dwarf as his eyes gleamed in shock and then excitement.


    "I''d rather not reveal that." said Kahn.


    "And besides¡­" he then continued in a smug tone.


    "I have more." he said with a grin.


    To his revtion¡­ the old dwarf didn''t show any surprise but then signaled him to follow behind.


    2 minutester, all of them reached below the deepest part of the building and there was a vast hall filled with giant forging equipment. This ce was 2 kilometers in overall perimeter and filled with machines that even Kahn hadn''t seen before.


    "This is a ce where I personally forge weapons and armors. There aren''t many people who have seen it." said Oakenshield and pointed towards a 500 meter wide open space.


    Kahn understood the signal and the very next second¡­ he pulled out more giant dragon ws, bones, fangs, horns and hide that quickly filled the space.


    These were the exact remains from the body of the guardian dragon that he couldn''tpletely absorb. And all the parts came from only half of the body of the mythical rank dragon who was 1 kilometer in height alone.


    Shiver!


    Shock!


    The old cksmith suddenly shivered and fell on the floor as his entire body was covered in goosebumps.


    "You¡­ you''re some empire''s prince, aren''t you?!" he asked Kahn in a befuddled tone.


    "Something like that." replied Kahn with a smirk.


    Although he wasn''t a legit prince¡­ he was a sovereign of a fiefdom. Even a prince didn''t have the amount of power he held in Vessen until they became the emperor themselves. So Kahn didn''t bother hiding that part.


    And the more misunderstanding the old cksmith had about his background, the better for him.


    "So¡­ what can you make with this?" he asked.


    "What do you want me to make with this? I can basically make everything with it!


    Weapons, armors, knives, arrows and even clothes with that hide.


    You even have an entire horn of a dragon. That''s the sturdiest part of its body.


    A weapon with that can easily overpower another legendary rank weapon." replied the dwarven saint.


    Kahn was overjoyed after hearing this response from the saint cksmith.


    "Then I have another question. If I were to give you some other materials and already made armors and weapons¡­


    Will you be able to reforge them using the dragon''s body parts?" he queried.


    "Of course, who in the seven hells do you think I am?


    As long as you give me good materials, I can make you anything and reforge any shoddy equipment you have." said the cksmith in a prideful tone.


    "Then how about this¡­ " said Kahn and the next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    A loud noise filled the underground forge as Kahn''s body was covered in a ck and red demonic armor that emitted blistering heat and had small veins of magma running through it.


    And in his right hand¡­ a red vein patterned ck greatsword appeared.


    This time¡­ the saint cksmith was too stunned to speak after he saw Kahn suddenly equipping Drakos Armor and Lucifer that had risen to Legendary Rank after he became a saint.


    The old cksmith then asked in a jittery voice as he quickly examined the armor and the sword¡­


    "What kind of monster made this?!"

 Chapter 535 - Monster Blacksmith

    Chapter 535 - Monster cksmith


    Kahn and the crew had a curious gaze because as soon as he summoned the Drakos Armor and Lucifer to show them to the old dwarven saint cksmith¡­ the first thing that came out of his mouth was asking which monster made these.


    The main reason why came to this section of the capital first was to have a saint rank cksmith reforge all of his weapons, gears and Drakos Armor & Lucifer using the dragon''s parts.


    And the sense of urgency he felt was because of the fact that was brought to his attention by Rathnaar himself.


    That he had no divine weapon. And even with the potential¡­ his current armor and sword was not even qualified to stand against a divine weapon of a chosen Hero for long.


    And hence¡­ using a legitimate dragon''s body parts to either create a new set or reforge the current one was his best avable option.


    Kahn was even willing to pay a hefty sum for it but he was curious if the old one still had a chance so he disyed it to Oakenshield to quench his curiosity.


    "What do you mean? Are they bad?" he asked the old cksmith.


    "Bad? If this is ''bad'' then I don''t know what ''good'' is.


    This is a perfectbination of cksmithing and artificing. Something extremely hard to achieve in our trade.


    I would even go as far as to say crazy things such as both of them look like the work of the same person.


    There''s perfect synergy between the armor and all the runes and engravings hidden on it.


    And you can summon it at will means someone also performed a Blood-binding ritual on it." revealed the old cksmith as he exined his reasons and why he called it work of a monster.


    "I can feel that the only thing that stopped the cksmith was theck of high quality materials and his or her limited rank.


    This looks like a legendary rank armor even though it''s only made from a magma drake''s body. But I see that it has a potential to be even higher grade in the future.


    Seriously, who made this?!" eximed and asked again.


    But before Kahn could reply, Omega in his normal human form pulled out his katana¡­ Raijin.


    "What about this?" he asked.


    "This¡­ That''s Invimarak''s tusk!


    It''s extremely hard to even process and make a perfect curved de out of it." said the saint cksmith.


    He then carefully touched the runes and red engravings on the de that glowed by themselves.


    "And these engravings and runes¡­ it''s a work of at least a peak grandmaster artificer.


    In the whole Vulcan Empire¡­ there are only 11 peak grandmaster artificer Elves who are proficient in such work.


    But there''s always a risk of the weapon not reaching its maximum potential because the artificersck knowledge and understanding of the forging techniques for that particr weapon.


    Just making some magic formations on a weapon doesn''t help. The width, density, length, base material and their properties¡­ You have to bnce every single aspect properly." he iterated.


    One by one, everyone else started showing them their equipments and armors that Albestros Winston, the top and peak grandmaster cksmith of the Rakos empire made himself.


    They even showed him how their armors change their colors and he could summon both their clothes and weapons at will.


    Kahn then told him about the Pendragon Formation and its effects.


    "All of these are pure works of art. This type of work is much more refined than any peak grandmaster rank cksmith can make in our empire.


    That Pendragon Formation is very hard to make because all the involved armors need to be of the same base material and only one artificer can work on all of them to connect them magically.


    Most of the dwarves excel only in making a strong and incredibly durable weaponry. But theyck the knowledge and control to perfectly bnce these runes and magic formation engravings that can enhance the overall strength of the end product greatly.


    Unless you are a saint rank cksmith yourself¡­ you can''t match them properly.


    Tell me, who the hell made these incredible armors and weapons?" asked the old dwarf.


    Kahn and thepany were too shocked. Although they already knew how talented and genius of a cksmith old man Albestros was¡­ but they never understood the gravity of the situation.


    It took a legit saint cksmith to praise the old man''s work for them to realize this fact that they were living with a once in a century level of talented cksmith from the past two years.


    And the most surprising fact was that Albestros wasn''t even a saint rank cksmith yet. Just imagining how big of a monster he would be after breaking through that rank gave them goosebumps.


    "Would you believe me if I told you that a human, who is half your age made it?" said Kahn.


    "You''re lying!! That''s impossible!


    This work even puts some saint rank dwarven cksmiths to shame." said master Oakenshield.


    "I would like to meet that human." he demanded.


    "Like I said, we''re not from here. And that''s why, I came to see you." refused Kahn.


    Revealing his origin or even Albestros'' identity here was a no-go for him.


    "So what do you say? Will you take themission as well?" asked Kahn.


    "Bloody yes! This is the first time I''m getting a chance to work with a mythical rank dragon''s body parts in my life.


    Thest time I worked with draconian species materials was 60 years ago and back then, it was only a Wyvern.


    This will probably be my life''s best work." spoke the old dwarf with enthusiasm.


    "Then how about you reforge them for all of us?" asked Kahn as he deactivated the armor and the sword.


    "Sure. But know that it will cost you a lot of money as well." replied the old cksmith.


    "How much?" queried Kahn.


    "20 trillion." replied Oakenshield.


    "Are you fucking with me?!" shouted Kahn.


    "20 trillion just for reforging 7 armor sets and weapons¡­" he said in an exasperated voice.


    But the following moment¡­ Master Oakenshield shook his head again and spoke with a tone full of wisdom¡­


    "20 trillion¡­ For one set."

 Chapter 536 - Instant Regret

    Chapter 536 - Instant Regret


    Everyone from his crew was left speechless as they heard the outrageous price again. But this time¡­ the same price was revealed by this old and hateful saint cksmith, who seemed like Kahn''s great grandfather in terms of greed for money.


    But his greed was so big that he was charging this high amount only for one set of armor, clothes and weapons. And since there were seven of them¡­ it would mean they needed to pay 140 trillion harlen.


    "You''re trying to rip us off, old man!" shouted Ceril.


    "You know what¡­ I''ll go to someone else." dered Kahn.


    He too felt like this was a total scam.


    "Good luck with that. They''ll charge you even more and none can guarantee the quality of the work like I do." spoke master Oakenshield as if he didn''t care.


    [That''s not a bluff, boy. He''s a real deal.


    I have known some saint rank dwarf cksmiths in my time as well.


    There are two things they don''t lie about as it''s taboo for their race and profession.


    One¡­ they don''t lie about their capabilities as a cksmith.


    Two¡­ their promise to deliver upon the final product.] spoke Rathnaar in his mind.


    "What''s so special about your case then?" asked Kahn in an irritated tone.


    "You think working with a dragon''s body parts is a joke? It takes tens of hours just to get them at the right temperature and start forging.


    On top of it, I will need to reforge them without ruining the previously engraved runes and formations while adding in my own ones to improve the quality.


    It takes months for a single set. And there are seven of them." exined the old dwarf.


    "How much time will you need then?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Given the amount and the processing speed since it''s a legitimate dragon¡­ at least one year till I''m done with all of your weapons, clothes and armors.


    Because they''re already made with an Invimarak''s body¡­ It will take much longer since I will have to carefully mix the dragon''s body parts and maintain perfect bnce.


    But trust me¡­ the quality will be far better than any other legendary rank weapons and armors you can find." he affirmed.


    "Hell, even the imperial n''s legendary rank weapons won''t beparable if you''re at the same level. That I can assure with my pride as saint cksmith." dered the old second stage saint.


    "And about that thing with bing my disciple¡­ I won''t charge you for that if you''re willing to sign a contract with me." he proposed.


    [What do you all think? Will it be worth it?] he asked the opinion of others.


    [It''s not like we can get a meeting with any saint cksmith easily. And they certainly won''t make your their disciple either, master] said Ronin.


    [Besides¡­ this man''spany is in peril. We can use it to our advantageter.] said Jugram


    [As for the armors and weapons¡­ we only need 14 trillion harlens to pay for them to be made. That much can be easily arranged by robbing another auction house.


    He seems to know his stuff since he recognized all of old man Albestros'' work and how he made them just with a single nce.] said Ceril.


    [Yes¡­ he is indeed worthy of his name.


    I vote for yes.] said Omega.


    Soon, the rest also chimed in and they reached a collective consensus.


    "Fine. But I''ll pay you 20 trillion with each set you make. And the quality should be top-notch. Or our contract is nulled." said Kahn as he presented his own terms.


    But without any hesitation¡­ Oakenshield agreed to sign both themission and apprenticeship contract with Kahn. And now¡­


    Their fates were connected till the next year.


    Although he was reluctant¡­ Kahn still signed the contract.


    Because he just realized that in the future, he had to forge his own weapons and armors by himself. Having someone else do it cost too much money that would be enough to feed viges for months.


    In a way¡­ this was a necessary investment for his uing future. Something he might regret if he chose to let go of just for some chummy change.


    ----------------


    "Alright then¡­ now that everything is settled; can you tell us what happened this noon?" asked Kahn and even the other subordinates also perked their ears.


    An hour passed and the old cksmith told them exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago and why even his students and old friends betrayed him.


    But to his sad story¡­ not a single one of the listeners felt any empathy towards him or felt like he was truly wronged.


    Suddenly¡­ Kahn''s eyes turned furious and he shouted.


    "You deceived me, you old bastard!!


    Give me those contracts! I''m gonna tear them off!" he said and almost jumped on the old dwarf, ready to rip him apart in two.


    Omega and Ronin pulled Kahn and stopped him from attacking.


    "He he¡­ is that how you talk with your master?


    Remember the contract?


    You or neither of your associates can harm me as I''m your teacher and you''re my student." said Oakenshield with a smug smile.


    "Fuck! How can you be so old but be so dumb and impatient?!


    Out of all people you had to provoke... You messed with the very kind you shouldn''t have!" said Kahn with a tone full of regret.


    Because now they all understood why everyone was jumping ship and leaving this old rascal and cunning as well as an impatient old dwarf with anger issues.


    That why even his most trusted pupil chose to betray him.


    [Why is my luck always so bad?


    What kind of sick sadist bastard is writing my story?!]ined Kahn as he cursed himself and whoever put him in such a helpless situation.


    Because his current situation was the one thing Kahn wanted to avoid the most.


    Kahn tried to avoid a well but fell from a cliff instead.


    ----------------


    The saint cksmith was ruined because someone insulted his weapons and works a couple of weeks ago in a banquet between the top nobles and figures of the Vulcan empire.


    And given the type of hot-headed person this old saint cksmith was¡­


    He openly said that it wasn''t his weapons and armors that were at fault. Rather the person who didn''t have the skills and strength to properly use them.


    And the one he openly insulted in a fit of rage in front of all the top powers and influential figures was the¡­


    Second Prince of the Vulcan empire.

 Chapter 537 - Expert Opinion

    Chapter 537 - Expert Opinion


    Kahn was having nothing but regrets after finding the truth about the matter that happened with the old dwarf saint cksmith.


    No matter how they looked at it¡­ they were caught off in the crosshairs between the 2nd imperial prince and this lying and conniving bastard of a dwarf who intentionally hid all that information till Kahn was done with signing off their contracts and made a deal.


    If it was just some local tycoon or some overlord of this region¡­ he and his people were fully capable of dealing with those types of people and unlike the Rukon District from Rathna, they were now far experienced enough to not leave a single clue behind.


    But an imperial prince¡­ and that too was when everyone was aware of the situation about what happened between the two parties during the banquet held for the nobles.


    Kahn was certain that if there weren''t too many people watching, the second prince would''ve simply had Oakenshield killed on the spot.


    And anyone with their sanity intact would make that decision of jumping the ship since it was the obvious choice in order to survive against the wrath of the prince of the empire.


    And now¡­ because of his eagerness and greed for the armors and weapons made from the guardian dragon''s body¡­ Kahn made a hasty decision and got himself mixed into the very kind of matters he wanted to avoid at all cost.


    He really hit his own foot with an axe.


    [Tch! What are you so worried about? It''s not even a big deal.] spoke Rathnaar.


    [Oh really? Wasn''t it you who said that I should go with the deal?] asked Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    [Don''t worry. I know a way to get out of this situation easily.] replied Rathnaar.


    [How?] asked Kahn with a curious tone.


    [It''s simple¡­ we take out the second prince.] he replied.


    Facepalm!


    Kahn facepalmed himself as if he was done with his quota of bullshit ideas for the day.


    Master Oakenshield, who was sitting in front of their group raised an eyebrow as he was unaware of Kahn''s inner conversation and wondered what caused this reaction.


    [Do you have any idea? We''re nobodies here! How the hell are we going to do that?


    And why the hell would I go that far? The whole empire will be after me!] he yelled inside.


    [Who the hell do you think I am, boy?


    I fought against empires and their chosen heroes by myself.


    You may have some good and cunning ns but I am the one with much more experience here.


    This situation of yours¡­ although very problematic¡­ can still be reversed.] stated Rathnaar in a carefree tone.


    [How?]


    [Be the Resistance.]


    [What do you mean?] asked Kahn.


    [In a fight, you know that one side is weak while the other side is the best.


    Who do you think will win?] asked the peak saint.


    [The best.] responded Kahn.


    [But who do you want to win?] asked the first emperor again.


    [The weak.] replied Kahn without a second thought.


    [See. That''s the concept behind it. People are thrilled and want to see the underdog win.


    The second prince is the oppressor. So spread the news about it and also yourpetition against the Helsi guy.


    And you will be the Resistance.] borated Rathnaar.


    But Kahn rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    [Are you insane?! This is an imperial rule. Do you think anyone would dare to go against the imperial prince?


    No underworld organizations would help you do the job.


    People''s sentiments here won''t work because even with public outrage, no one is going to do shit because that''s straight-up execution.


    It''s nothing like Rakos Empire here. The Imperial n is the true ruler and their word is the absolutew.] rebuked Kahn.


    [That''s just the beginning.


    He''s an imperial prince, right?


    So who do you think will be his biggest enemies and who would benefit the most?] asked Rathnaar in a wicked voice.


    Kahn suddenly raised his eyebrows as he came to realize the key factor of Rathnaar questions.


    It wasn''t them who had much to lose. But the second Imperial prince himself.


    [See, if you y your cards right¡­ not only will you get out of this situation¡­ the old dwarf will have a lot of attention as well as backers lining up.


    If anything were to happen to you¡­ the me would fall on the 2nd prince. Forget targeting you¡­ that guy will have to send his people to protect you.


    And it will also help you create a better cover-up for your story.] said Rathnaar and soon, he told Kahn how to retain his gains and also overturn the situation in his favor.


    [That''s how I dealt with many uprisings and enemy empires who attacked us.] spoke the first emperor.


    Kahn and everyone else agreed with his ns as all of them were in awe after listening to a true expert.


    "Tell me your name, shameless master." said Kahn as he looked at the old dwarf with the eyes of a predator.


    "Throak Oakenshield. And address me properly, human. I''m your teacher now." spoke the old dwarf.


    "Bah, teacher my ass. Listen¡­ let''s negotiate our deal again." said Kahn and in the following ten minutes, he told him their n.


    "Think about it. It can get rid of all of your problems. Get back your reputation. Hell, it can get you even stronger backers and allies in the process." he iterated in a coy tone.


    "But in return¡­ you will tear off those contracts we signed. And you will have to do themission for free for armors and weapons for all of us. I can even wait for a year." negotiated Kahn.


    "And why would I do that?" asked Throk in a discontent voice.


    To his query, Kahn let out a devilish smirk and spoke in a benign voice¡­


    "Because fucking over the top authorities of an empire¡­" spoke Kahn and bragged with a charming smile.


    "I''m an expert in that."

 Chapter 538 - Making Friends

    Chapter 538 - Making Friends


    Kahn already pitched in his idea and now even bragged about himself to reel in the old dwarf who previously screwed them over.


    "You think I can''t do that myself?" retorted the saint dwarf.


    "Oh really? Do you think anyone will risk their lives for you?


    Look around, liar master.


    Yourpany is doomed. You have no supporters and you certainly don''t have a single person who would fight for your sake if you were to be found dead tomorrow." spoke Kahn.


    BANG!


    He banged his fist on the table in between them and continued in an intimidating tone.


    "I''m your only hope now. Otherwise, you''re so done.


    Soon, you won''t even have a ce to stay in the entire Vulcan empire.


    Do you want to die a death of a beggar or agree to my new terms and reim everything you lost?" provoked Kahn.


    "So you''re going to teach me and you''re going to make all of our armors. And you''re going to help me create a perfect background in this empire." he said.


    At the same time, Kahn made a query to the system.


    [Can it be done?]


    [Yes.] replied the system.


    "In my case¡­ you''re going to make all kinds of weapons with the dragon''s body parts. All for free!" he spoke in a tyrannical tone.


    Because sword was one thing¡­ he needed to learn different weapons and fighting techniques as well. And he clearly didn''t have time to waste on making them one by one or going through an arc progression of some novel to get them made one by one or look for some ancient ruins to find a godly weapon by luck.


    That sort of stuff didn''t work in real life. So Kahn wanted to max out his gains at the same time during this negotiation.


    "What for?! Aren''t you just a swordsman?


    Hell, even teaching you cksmithing skills is already like climbing a mountain. If not for me being a saint rank dwarf and knowing the secret technique of our trade¡­ I wouldn''t have even taken you as my disciple." retorted the dwarf.


    "That''s none of your business. You do your part and I do mine." said Kahn as he gave an overbearing look to the old dwarf.


    "If you refuse, I can just watch from the sidelines and act like a victim as well. Many people saw how you forcefully pulled me into signing that duel of cksmiths thing.


    With those witnesses, you''ll lose whatever reputation you built in all those decades.


    And also, no one will ever believe that I''m a saint even if you try to tell someone else.


    You simply have no choices at this point." one after another, Kahn hit him with threats and facts.


    "In return, we will protect you. From local enemies as well as those sent by the imperial prince.


    We will help you run yourpany since you have lost all your suppliers and distributors.


    In other words, This isn''t a master and disciple rtionship. Rather that of partners." said Kahn as he was done with finally rying his new terms.


    "Now think carefully and make a wise choice.


    Or there''s noing back from this." he said and soon, all of them left the office.


    For the next couple of hours, Throk Oakenshield kept thinking about Kahn''s ns.


    And one thing he came to see was that although he was a saint¡­ he couldn''t even achieve the first phase of the ns on his own since he was only a cksmith and not a fighter ss individual.


    And the way things stood¡­ he didn''t have a single person on his side. So like Kahn said¡­ whatever decision he made¡­


    Would be the turning point of his life.


    ----------------


    As for Kahn himself¡­ Although it looked like he was going to get entangled in unnecessary trouble as he did with the three noble factions in the Rakos empire¡­ there were still too many things to gain from taking this risk.


    Because at the end of the day¡­ there wasn''t any other saint cksmith dwarf in the whole Vulcan empire who was going through the same ordeal. And forget making a deal or teaching him the cksmithing skills¡­ no one would even wee him through their front door.


    Him being a human was a great issue as well. Because in the end, he always used his weapons and armors in his human form. Even if he were to change his species and go to some other cksmith¡­ they''d still have to make his weapons and armors based on the form of the species he took.


    Hence he visited this ce instead of going to others before things turned the way they were now.


    But with Rathnaar''s ingenious n¡­ he was still going to get everything he wanted.


    And this time¡­ he wasn''t even going to enter the battlefield but use someone else as his weapon.


    2 hourster, they all returned to the old cksmith''s office and sat on the seats across the table.


    "So what''s your decision?" asked Kahn.


    To his question, the old cksmith asked a question in return.


    "Can you guarantee it will work? How are you going to do it without revealing your identity?


    We can not have anything leading back to us." spoke Throk.


    "Leave that to us. Even if we were to fail the first phase, nothing could be tracked and lead to us." replied Ronin who sat behind Kahn.


    Sigh!


    Throk then let out a sigh and then pulled something out of his drawer.


    Tear!


    He tore off all the contracts that they previously made.


    And given how both parties needed each other¡­ There were no more contracts signed but only a verbal pact was made.


    Kahn then went over some of the details of the first phase of the n and spoke.


    "All right boys¡­ we''re not going to waste any time on this.


    Instead of making enemies¡­ We will be making some friends instead." he dered.


    "After all, an enemy of an enemy is a friend." he said with a wicked smile.


    "And the people we will be befriending will be¡­" spoke Kahn and revealed the names of the biggest enemies of the second prince and the very people who were going to be both their swords and shields.


    "The First prince & the Third princess."

 Chapter 539 - Silent Visit

    Chapter 539 - Silent Visit


    10 DAYS LATER


    In one of the inner sections of the capital Arkensan was a massive vi surrounded by thousands of soldiers of the imperial n, where a secret meeting was being held in arge hall that included some of the top figures of the empire.


    But suddenly, the entire room was covered in a pitch-ck domain out of nowhere and all the attendees were pulled inside it out of nowhere.


    Shing!!


    An unbearably oppressive aura was exerted on these people¡­ some of who were saints up to 2nd stage saints at best.


    But no one except one person managed to stay awake while everyone else fainted on the spot.


    A second stage saint Fireborne, who was not targeted by this aura pulled out a battleaxe and was ready to attack as he quickly understood that they were under attack.


    Click!


    But before he could move¡­ a longde-style sword appeared over his neck.


    Soon, multiple figures in red hoods and a ck mask appeared in front of this fireborne who had bright red hair, two glowing red hornsing out from the back of his head and a humanoid physique.


    "You dare attack me, the first prince of the Vulcan empire?! Do you have a deathwish?!" eximed the first prince, Hector HoS Sigfreed in a furious voice.


    The hooded figure who had his de over Hector''s neck quickly pulled away his sword and kneeled as well.


    But before he could ask any questions¡­


    The figures in front of him quickly kneeled.


    "My apologies, imperial prince. Please know that we''re from your side.


    We had to hijack this meeting because it was the perfect way to meet you without raising the suspicions of those who are monitoring you." spoke the person who was in the center of this group.


    From his voice, anyone could tell that it was an old person behind the mask.


    "This does not justify you breaking into my vi. Give me a reason why I shouldn''t have all of you executed for this crime?" asked Hector in a grim tone.


    He was a second stage saint and around 35 years old. But his appearance was that of an experienced warrior.


    "Please listen to us, your highness. We''re not your enemies. We''re here to provide you with some important information.


    It could not wait so we had to make this abrupt move and use this method to iste you from the outside world and warn you about an opportunity." spoke the old individual.


    "What kind of information?" asked Hector as he was instantly back inmand.


    "An information¡­ to take down the second imperial prince." said this old person behind the mask.


    Soon, they presented him with the information about what happened between Throk and the second prince two weeks ago.


    But the information was buried by the prince by having all the people sign a contract of secrecy. No one was an exception to this. But knowing it was a member of the imperial family, everyone kept their mouths shut even now.


    So other than Throk and the people who were present at that banquet¡­ nobody else knew.


    "How did you find out about this then?" asked Hector.


    "There are many people who serve you, my prince. We just decided to show up today because time was of the essence and we had to start the first phase of the grand n." responded the old person with a respectful tone towards the prince.


    "What grand n?" asked Hector in a curious voice.


    "To make you the next emperor, my prince."


    "And why would you do that?" asked Hector without any surprise on his face.


    "You may be unaware of our existence, your highness. But there are too many people who support you from the Imperial n as well as outside.


    In our eyes, you''re a true fireborne and the only one with the qualities of an Emperor. Someone worthy to support and follow unlike that egomaniac second prince and the halfbreed princess." revealed the leader of the red-clothed intruders.


    "Just that we can''t reveal our identity for your own safety. It will also risk you if anyone found that we were connected to you." he exined.


    "How can I trust you? You are all behind masks." he said in amanding tone.


    "Well, if we were enemies¡­ having you killed here when no one could interfere wouldn''t be any problem for us." said this leader and soon, he started exining the borate n on how to take down the 2nd imperial prince and defame him to the point that he would be kicked out of the race to the throne and might even lose his identity as a member of the imperial family.


    "Think about it. Most importantly¡­ it would make her highness, the first queen and your mother the happiest person." spoke this leader at the end of their conversation.


    As soon as those words reached his ears¡­ the first prince was rooted on the spot.


    Kahn said those words and hit the nail.


    Because one thing they had gathered in the past 10 days by infiltrating their ranks, cing his assassins in hundreds of people around the first prince, as well as his mother''s n under Rathnaar''s orders, led to them gaining crucial information about the first prince.


    That he didn''t have a good rtionship with his father, the current Emperor since childhood. And the emperor only married his mother to gain the support of their n of firebornes, which was one of the 6 main ns.


    But yearster, for some reason¡­ he married another woman from another n. And a couple of yearster¡­ he married a human woman, who was a princess of a friendly empire to maintain a good rtionship with them.


    Butter¡­ he cut off all ties with his mother and then stopped talking with him as well since he was but a child.


    In those decades¡­ his mother was the only one who cared for him. So now, she was the most important part of his life.


    He listened to everything she said and always sought her approval. So in conclusion¡­


    That the first prince was actually¡­


    The Momma''s Boy.

 Chapter 540 - Hidden Spies

    Chapter 540 - Hidden Spies


    The first prince was a victim of not receiving proper attention from his father while growing up. There were some years that he hadn''t even seen him face to face. And since his childhood, he only had his mother as someone who gave him moral support.


    This, he ended up being too much cared for as she doted on her son endlessly. Which most mothers did when they had to raise a child.


    But that excessive love had shaped the first prince into bing someone who lost his sound of reason when things involved his mother.


    And Kahn was going to use this fact to his advantage to cement his proposal with the first prince.


    "We need to use this opportunity before the third princess gets her hands on this information as well." spoke Kahn in the voice of an old person.


    "How do you Venessa has ess to this information?" asked Hector in a suspicious tone.


    "She has her spies mixed in the second prince''s side." revealed Kahn.


    "How do you know that?" asked the first prince again.


    "Because we already tracked one of her spies in your group as well." he revealed.


    "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!" shouted Hector as he couldn''t believe one of his own people being a traitor.


    p!


    p!


    Bring him in.


    Kahn pped twice and soon, a three meter tall body of ckwall under the same set of red clothes and hood along with the ck mask appeared.


    But in his hands, was a chained and gagged figure whose face was hidden under a sack.


    "Who?" asked Hector.


    ckwall then pulled off the sack and revealed another fireborne man around the same age as Hector.


    "Elmo!..." eximed Hector with a shocked expression.


    "You should see this, your highness." spoke Kahn and activated a recording artifact.


    Soon, the holographic scene of Elmo directly reporting the routine and recent ns of the first prince to Venessa ran in the middle of the hall.


    In that recording, Venessa also called him an incapable runt who can''t do anything without his mother telling him.


    BOOM!!


    "I trusted you since we were in the royal academy. How can you betray me, you bastard?!" shouted Hector as his eyes were fumed with rage.


    "I won''t talk, no matter how much you torture me. As for you Hector¡­ even a street thug is a better leader than you." said Elmo whose face was all battered up.


    As those words reached his ears¡­ The first prince waspletely infuriated.


    "What do you want me to do about this rat, your highness?" asked Kahn in an obedient tone.


    "Give me your sword." said Hector and looked towards Omega who was kneeling under the disguise.


    "Yes, my imperial highness."


    Omega said and gave him his sword while bowing respectfully.


    sh!


    The prince cuts off Elmo''s head without a second thought in a fit of rage. After finding out that one of his decade-long friends was actually a spy sent by Venessa.


    Ronin, who was kneeling behind Kahn then got up and pulled the body in his space ring. Ceril cast off the restoration spell and cleared the site, leaving no trace or single blood stter.


    Dozens of minutes passed and Hector finally calmed himself down.


    He was now certain that these people who vehemently kneeled in front of him and even revealed a traitor among his ranks were indeed loyal to him.


    But in reality¡­ this Elmo was indeed one of Venessa''s people who had infiltrated the side of the first prince since who knew when.


    Kahn and thepany found out about him through the assassins he sent in the shadows which eventually led them to get their hands on this secret information.


    However¡­ they did not have an innocent person killed just for the sake of their ns.


    Because just now¡­ the Elmo that the first prince just killed now was only an illusion.


    Without even realizing it¡­ the first prince was under the effect of an illusion spell cast by Ceril who was mixed in between the people kneeling on the ground.


    The traitor was real and so was the recording. Just that they already informed Elmo about being found out. Saying that they were people who supported the princess.


    They also handed him a note that he was to hand over to Venessa.


    And since the first prince wasn''t going to see Elmo in his life ever again anyway¡­ they used this spell by the necromancer general who wasparable to a saint rank magician himself.


    So they put on this grand show in order to make Hector end up trusting them. And not have unnecessary doubts about their origins.


    Because a lie was more believable when there was some truth mixed in it.


    "We must go, your highness. There are many eyes on you. No one can know that we''ve made contact with you." said Kahn.


    "Wait! Who are the ones backing me? You can at least tell me that much, right?" asked Hector.


    "I shouldn''t, your highness. This is for your own safety in case any one of us is ever caught.


    You shouldn''t risk your fate or our great empire''s future for foot soldiers like us.


    s, there''s always time for everything. So maybe one day¡­ we will have no reason to hide our faces from you." said Kahn in a worshipping tone.


    Hector was suddenly moved by this old person''s voice and felt that he indeed had a great burden to carry on his shoulder like so many people believed him.


    Kahn then told him about their next move and how they were going to provide him with evidence that he''d need to take out the second prince.


    Before he was about to depart¡­ Hector spoke to Kahn.


    "You can create a domain. Means you''re at least a 5th stage saint.


    You''re old but still show great respect to me.


    I will repay your loyalty one day." said Hector in a magnanimous tone since he was made to feel so special after a very long time.


    "When will I see you again?" asked Hector.


    Kahn then bowed respectfully and spoke in a zealous tone.


    "When you be the Crown Prince."

 Chapter 541 - Second Meeting

    Chapter 541 - Second Meeting


    Five dayster at the time of evening, a fort that was protected by military soldiers on the southern border had an invader entering through their defensive formations and barriers using the true dimension.


    Simr to how they hijacked the ce with Hector, Kahn and the group used the same method and got a face-to-face confrontation with Venessa Hos Sigfreed, the third princess of the Vulcan empire.


    But unlike before¡­ theytter was expecting them.


    Everyone including Kahn kneeled in front of Venessa after they had sessfully taken control of the situation and knocked out all of her people.


    "It''s an honor to finally meet you, your highness." spoke who had the voice of a middle-aged man this time and their group was covered in green robes, a white mask with a sigil of a particr empire.


    "You¡­ are you from there?" asked Venessa.


    "Yes, your highness. I apologize for showing up after so many years.


    There was a time when we served your mother. But ever since our princess¡­ I mean the third queen''s death¡­ things had been unstable in the mothend." said Kahn.


    This time, their story was that of people who supported Venessa but were from her mother''s empire.


    Kahn had found out that because of her mother being an outsider¡­ she didn''t have many loyal retainers in this empire and even those who supported her back in the day had changed sides a long time ago.


    However, even without any n''s support¡­ Venessa was a tenacious woman who had achieved her current power and influence with her own strength and capabilities even though she was only 30 years old.


    Unlike the other two princes, who relied on the support from the other ns and the nobles¡­ Venessa had support from many military houses andmanders because of her achievements.


    "You are a fifth stage saint, aren''t you? I can''t even feel your saint pressure properly.


    Yet you make it look like you''re on the same stage as me." spoke Venessa after she noticed the domain.


    "Why did you suddenly show up if you served my mother?" she asked in a suspicious tone.


    Kahn then pitched in the same n as he did with Hector and perfectly aligned his story.


    "This seems like a ploy to take me down instead. If I intentionally spread these rumors throughout the empire with no real proof¡­ it will be me facing the imperial justice and not that psycho.


    Said Venessa, clearly not falling for the trap.


    "You highness¡­ the first prince is already making his moves." spoke Kahn.


    And to make her believe them, they exposed two of the traitors in her ranks. Both of whom were sent by the n of the first prince''s mother.


    However, this time¡­ Kahn used a different approach to make Venessa, who he was meeting for the second time, believe their lie.


    Kahn then revealed a piece of key information that shook Venessa to her core.


    "We finally found out how the third queen died." he said.


    "What nonsense is this?! Everyone knows that my mother died because of a terminal illness when I was only five years old!" eximed Venessa in an enraged tone.


    To her words, Kahn only shook his head and then pulled out two books from his space ring and presented them to her.


    On both of these books, were different crests of ns. Obviously, belonging to the two ns who supported the other two prince.


    One of the books recipes of untraceable slow poisons and other book had the records of shady payments done to those who looked after the third queen as her medical attendants.


    Thud!


    Venessa fell back on her chair after seeing the proof.


    That her mother didn''t die due to terminal illness but because she was strategically drugged over years and then at one point¡­ her body broke down from the inside as she died a slow and painful death.


    This was what Kahn and Ronin found when they sent his spies to the headquarters of the n of the first and second prince''s mother''s side.


    Using Dimensional Law and sending his Trojan horses¡­ Kahn was already an unfathomably terrifying enemy when it came to infiltration and go undetected.


    And he went deep inside their old archives and gathered the information to reel in Venessa on their side. The same way he did with Hector.


    This new revtion ended up riling Venessa for good.


    "Your highness¡­ there''s another fact that you should know." spoke Kahn and then revealed another fact that turned Venessa''s world upside down.


    "You''re lying!!" shouted Venessa who now had an ashen expression.


    "It''s true¡­ The Emperor knew about this. But he didn''t do anything despite knowing the truth.


    Just to keep his reign intact¡­ he didn''t punish those who killed the 3rd queen." spoke Kahn as if he too was grieving.


    [Hahaha!! You should''ve been an actor, boy!


    Even I was moved by your words!]ughed Rathnaar.


    [Shut up! We''re not done yet.] said Kahn.


    "Princess, you should know that you still have people who have loyalty towards your mother.


    But they won''t show up with full support unless you show them that you''re worthy." he revealed.


    "How do you want me to prove my worth?" asked Venessa as her eyes were burning with vengeance.


    "You must be the crown princess first." informed Kahn and then told the next move.


    It was the same strategy he told Hector.


    And just as he expected¡­ Venessa agreed to take down the second prince first.


    Now, she only had two goals in her mind.


    To be the empress and destroy those two ns who killed her mother.


    Kahn then set up dates and ns with Venessa and how they were going to strategically execute everything.


    But it had to be her doing without anyone finding about their involvement.


    In a way, it was their test to see Venessa prove her worth. And their support will carry on only if she showed that she had what it took to gain their recognition and loyalty.


    And after everything was taken care of¡­ Kahn and the gang returned to Nidavellir after a few days.


    After dealing with both Hector and Venessa, Kahn and the crew had only one target left that they had to deal with. Namely¡­


    The Second Prince.

 Chapter 542 - The Agony

    Chapter 542 - The Agony


    Kahn along with his group of ruffians returned to Nidavellir after setting things in motion. Unlike their past experiences in Rakos Empire, they were no longer new at this kind of work so everything was thoroughly nned out and arranged in a way that nothing could be tracked to them even if things went south.


    3 dayster, there was an event held in between some nobles from the Firebornes ns and a few influential people from both church and dwarven race. It was explicitly organized for the males of different species for some reason.


    But there was one peculiar thing about this banquet¡­ that all the servants and waiters were humans for some reason.


    A merry mood was detectable in the atmosphere and at one end of this massive hall of a castle, were some of the top brass of the Vulcan empire dressed invish attires and were seated. And at the center of this arrangement, was a fireborne male dressed in a red suit.


    "Your highness, all of the guests have arrived." spoke one of the human announcers.


    Soon, Rogis Hos Sigfreed, the second prince of Vulcan weed his guests and raised a toast to his allies and wished to maintain their prosperous rtionship.


    "Tonight¡­ I have some gifts for you." spoke Rogis and signaled one of his people to speak.


    "All the human servants and waiters, gather up!" said the fireborne in a threatening tone as he released his saint pressure.


    Under a frightened state of mind¡­ many men varying from their 30s, to middle-age and old age gathered in the center of this hall.


    Rogis then walked in front of this group and ordered¡­


    "Kneel!"


    The 50 or so humans who were suddenly brought in the middle followed themand of the imperial prince and kneeled on both of their knees.


    Rogis then walked close to an elderly man with gray hair who looked like he was in his 70s and had a frail build.


    "You''re the most experienced among them, aren''t you?" asked Rogis.


    "Yes, your highness." replied the elderly man.


    "And what is your profession?" asked the second prince.


    "I''m a bartender, your lordship." spoke the old man.


    "Then you must know a lot about wine and several types of drinks, right?" asked Rogis.


    "Yes, my lord."


    "Then can you tell me which wine am I holding in my hands?" he asked again and pointed out towards a ss in his right hand with a green-colored wine.


    "It''s the hundred year old Samsara wine, your highness. The best among them all." replied the old man zealously.


    "Then have you ever drank it?" queried the prince.


    To his query, the old man instantly shook his head and replied¡­


    "No, my lordship. Your servant does not deserve to drink something so precious." said the elderly bartender and bowed his head.


    "My my¡­ you make it look like we don''t treat humans well in our empire.


    Well, I''m a very kind and magnanimous prince. So I''ll let you drink it." spoke the Rogis with a grin and the very next second¡­


    Pour!


    Pour!


    He poured the wine over this old man''s head in front of more than a hundred guests.


    The green wine drizzled from the old and frail man''s hair and spread over his face and the work uniform he was wearing.


    "This is the closest thing to drinking such a delicacy you''ll get to." spoke Rogis in an insidious tone.


    "Thank you¡­ your highness." spoke the old man without retorting back for such humiliation.


    The other men who knelt on the floor and had their heads down clenched their fists tightly.


    This elderly man was the oldest member of theirpany and many looked up to him. But now¡­ they were all helpless to say a word as a single word against the member of the imperial n was enough to get their entire family executed.


    As for the guests of this event¡­ instead of feeling shocked or distraught after seeing such behavior from the second prince; all of them had contemptuous smiles on their faces.


    "Oh, you seem to like it." said Rogis then poured the remaining wine on the carpet and spoke with a look of disgust towards this old human.


    "Drink!"


    He ordered as a haughty expression appeared on his face.


    The old man already had a sullen expression but now¡­ he was frozen on the spot.


    "What?! You don''t like my kind gesture? Should I make them drink instead?" asked Rogis in a threatening tone.


    The old man looked at his sideways and his back. And all he saw was men gritting their teeth in anger with their heads down while clenching their fists.


    He knew how hard it was for a human to make a living in this empire. And if he refused¡­ not only will all of them lose their jobs but their lives will also be made miserable in many unimaginable ways.


    And thinking about the consequences others will have to suffer if he denied¡­ the old man made his decision.


    Soon, he bowed his head down and put his tongue out.


    Tears of grief fell from his eyes as his dignity and pride were being trampled on but he had no other choice but to ept it and degrade himself further.


    And right in front of everyone present¡­ he licked the wine that was soaked in the carpet.


    "Ha haha! Serves these human scums right!


    They should appreciate our kindness. That we''re even allowing them to live in this empire after what their ancestors did." said one of the dwarf guests who was wearing a jacket madepletely out of gold.


    If Kahn was here¡­ he would recognize this dwarf from the day of the bidding at the auction house from Oslo city. This dwarf nobleman seemed to be one of Rogis'' supporters.


    "Hey hey! You''re not drinking it properly. I want the carpet cleaned out the wine." said Rogis with a wicked smile and stepped on the old man''s right palm.


    "Hrrrmph!" groaned the old man but held out his wail as the second prince kept forcefully squashing his palm under his feet.


    At this moment¡­ he was suffering both mentally and physically but for the sake of the other''s lives and the future of their families...


    The carried on with the biggest humiliation of his life.

 Chapter 543 - The Cruelty

    Chapter 543 - The Cruelty


    Many of the men behind this old man had tears welled up in their eyes. Hatred, anger, agony¡­ all these emotions were evoked in their minds but no one could muster up the courage to speak and do anything.


    All of them were normal people, not someone with magic skills and a fighting ss. So just a single p from these powerful people around them was enough to kill them instantly.


    "Arrhh!!" wailed the old man as his palm and fingers were disfigured by the prince''s foot.


    "You dare shout in front of me?! Looks like you human dumpsters don''t deserve any form of kindness from us." dered Rogis as he kept pressuring the old man''s hand.


    "Everyone¡­ how about we teach these ungrateful bastards some manners?" asked Rogis as he gave an insidious smile towards the group of hundred guests.


    Step!


    Step!


    Soon, dozens of demi-human guards entered this vast hall, in their hands¡­ hundreds of wooden blunt weapons were revealed to the guests.


    "Since we''re the ones who run this ce¡­ it''s natural that we should be the ones who maintain the order and show these trashes what it means to live off on someone''s generosity." dered Rogis.


    Soon, the soldiers surrounded the group of these men and some of them handed out weapons that included maces, rods and bats to all the guests.


    The old man''s who had been enduring all this humiliation and pain then understood one thing. That even if he had declined¡­ what was about to happen, was going to happen.


    In the following moments, the soldiers pulled up the humans from the group and then threw them towards the guest.


    "Ah!!!" wailed a man as a dwarf hit his kneecaps with a mace.


    But before he could adjust himself, a fireborne nobleman hit his left ribcage with a wooden bat.


    "Argh!" blood gushed out of his mouth. But instead of stopping, more people joined in and started beating up the man.


    "No! Your highness, please let us go. We have done nothing wrong." pleaded the old man as he saw other men being dragged out and then get surrounded by these guests with weapons.


    Soon, multiple wails and screams echoed in the hall as all the human servants were assaulted with blunt weapons and thoroughly beaten down by these elites of the empire.


    But instead of feeling sorry for these people, all of these people who were mercilessly thrashing them had an ted expression as their bodies were getting covered in blood sttersing out of their victims.


    Bones cracked, Jaws were dislocated, shoulders and corbones shattered. Many of these helpless humans begged to be spared of this torture while their assants, the ones who disyed decorum and aesthetics to the outside world showed their true monstrous side and kept beating these unarmed people senseless.


    The old man then grabbed Rogis'' leg and pleaded with tears in his eyes¡­


    "Please¡­ your majesty. Please show us some mercy." spoke the old man as he begged in front of the second prince.


    "Majesty¡­ I like the sound of that." spoke Rogis and then squatted in front of the old man.


    At the present moment, the entire hall was filled with agonizing screams of all these humans so nobody could hear everything properly.


    Rogis then spoke in a hushed tone that was audible only to the old man.


    "You know what¡­ there wille a time when I''ll get rid of my siblings and be the Crown Prince.


    And when I finally take over the throne and be the emperor¡­


    The first thing I''ll do is massacre every single human in this empire.


    After that, I''ll get rid of these church bastards and that Hero of Fire as well. They are the people who should be serving us firebornes as loyal servants and not act like they''re our equals.


    Andter¡­ I''ll put these midgets called dwarves under shackles. The only thing these barbarians are good at is making weapons.


    One by one¡­ I will get rid of everyone and then be the sole ruler of this empire." he revealed.


    His words then terrified the old man¡­ because of the way things were going on¡­


    It seemed like none of them were getting out of here alive. Otherwise the second prince wouldn''t be so carefree to reveal his n to someone like him.


    BOOM!!


    A loud noise filled the surroundings and shook the floor as a mana bomb explosion suddenly happened in front of the main entrance of this castle.


    "Your highness, we''re under attack!" shouted the saint fireborne.


    "Get everyone out of here!" ordered Rogis.


    "My lord, what about these humans?!" he queried hurriedly.


    Rogis then looked at the half-dead humans spread across the hall who seemed to be on counting theirst breaths.


    "Get rid of them! Bury them alive for all I care!"manded Rogis and soon, all of the guests along with the prince were safely escorted out of the castle.


    As for the human punching bags, all of whom were at death''s door at this point¡­


    They were gathered like dead bodies and thrown into multiple carriages used to carry prisoners.


    Some mages suddenly entered the room and started cleaning off the site since a scandal like this could not be revealed to anyone.


    There would be dire consequences even to the second prince''s name and reputation if this cruel onught was revealed to the masses even if humans were the bottom feeders in their empire.


    30 minutester, in a densely forested region¡­


    After the whole site was cleared off, these carriages with dying and screaming humans were running using deste streets and hidden pathways. As if this wasn''t the first time when something like this happened.


    However¡­ suddenly a void crack opened in front of these speeding carriages and one figure d in a ck cloak and hood appeared in front of them.


    Swoosh!


    Seven figures jumped out of the shadows of this newly arrived person, all d in the same clothes.


    As for the man who stood in the way of these vehicles¡­ he looked at these soldiers and released his aura and all the soldiers fainted on the spot.


    Kahn then gave his orders to the subordinates¡­


    "Make sure that nobody dies."

 Chapter 544 - The Reasoning

    Chapter 544 - The Reasoning


    After the carriages were hijacked, the subordinates quickly opened the doors that were magically sealed off with their brute force alone.


    Soon, dozens of assassins d in proper gear exited the carriages and in their hands, were the half-dead human servants and waiters from the recent onught.


    These assassins were actually part of his legion who had been hiding in the shadows of these people from days after they weremissioned to work at the event held by the second prince.


    "Armin!" spoke Kahn and without further orders, Armin took out a crate filled with high-grade health and stamina recovery potions.


    Many more assassins jumped out of Kahn''s shadow and started tending to the victims as they poured down these potions into their mouths of these victims.


    Armin on the other end cast his chain healing spells and now that he was a legendary rank creature himself¡­ all his spells and abilities were many times more effective than before.


    Vines appeared from the ground and wrapped themselves around the broken bones and dislocated body parts.


    What he was trying to do here was heal them all at once even if it meant giving them instantaneous pain before the potions and his skills healed them.


    "Arrrrhhh!!"


    "My arm!!"


    Wounds started closing, bleedings stopped and the shattered bones were forcefully pulled to their original positions by these vines and the assassins who followed Armin''smands through their telepathy link.


    An hour passed and most of the victims were out of danger. Armin''s skills were so unique to the point that even the teeth that fell off regrew themselves in half an hour.


    However, mending bones and growing their teeth back were extremely and excruciatingly painful at the same time so the majority of them had passed out during the procedure.


    Luckily¡­ no one had died and Kahn heaved a sigh of relief.


    [What the hell was that, boy?! You were too careless!


    If these people had died, it would be our fault!] shouted Rathnaar at Kahn.


    "What the hell was I supposed to do then? Interfere and fuck up everything?!


    I was simply sticking to the n you created.


    But how the hell was I supposed to know that sadist bastard liked to torture and kill humans in such gathering?" he retorted.


    "We were only there to monitor things and find something incriminating. Not y some savior or a revolutionary.


    And you''re the one to talk. You have the blood of millions of people on your hands as well. So why are you trying to patronize me?" heined.


    [In a war, it''s killed or be killed. Everybody understands that.


    But these people aren''t soldiers, they''re just normal people trying to make a living.


    They don''t deserve this.] replied Rathnaar in a discontent voice.


    [If you don''t do something, I will forcefully take control. And you won''t be able to stop me.] warned Rathnaar.


    Although Kahn wanted to talk back¡­ there was nothing he could say.


    Back then, they could''ve interfered before the whole beating session started. But Kahn stopped because he didn''t have any incriminating evidence against the second prince or something that they could use in their favor.


    So he made a hard choice, the one he wasn''t proud of but he felt necessary at that time.


    None of these people would''ve been on the verge of death but Kahn told himself that it was a necessary sacrifice. But he was aware that even that reasoning was just a lie to justify his actions.


    "If we directly interfered, they would''ve been killed on site as first priority.


    The bomb explosion put them in disarray and made evacuation as the first thing they focused on and thus, we could save them before they all died." rified Kahn.


    "And if we killed the second prince, the whole empire would be after us and all these people would be treated as aplices.


    Forget our n working¡­ Rogis would''ve been turned into a glorified martyr by the imperial family." said Kahn and walked towards the old bartender who suffered a lot of humiliation in his futile attempt to protect the others.


    He looked at the soundly sleeping old man who had passed out because of the immense pain but now he was stable.


    The assassins who previously hid inside this man''s shadow gave him a recording artifact that had the whole footage that showed the true intentions of the second prince that he carelessly revealed to the old man thinking that they were all going to die anyway.


    "Your sacrifice won''t go in vain, old man." spoke Kahn.


    "What about them?" asked Omega who had gathered the soldiers who fainted after Kahn released his saint pressure on them.


    "We will have to hand over the victims and their families to Venessa. They will be safe since she''s a half-human.


    As for these guards¡­ it''s better that she interrogates them and acts ordingly. I''m certain she has the means to make them talk." revealed Kahn.


    "As for that Rogis¡­" spoke Kahn and continued in a grim voice.


    "It''s time we started phase two."


    ----------------


    In the next two days, the soldiers, as well as the human victims along with their families, had absconded into thin air and there wasn''t a single clue left behind by Kahn''s group.


    Kahn then took his getup of Red Hood and met Hector again inside the same vi and gave him the new recording.


    He then took changed his identity to Green Hood and met Venessa who had arrived in the capital.


    Kahn brought all the victims and their families to Venessa and also the soldiers that she was supposed to interrogate using an underworld organization that illegally transported people.


    However, both Hector and Venessa had the same train of thought. That using the footage was more worth it than spreading the news about Throk Oakenshield and his plight.


    In reality, that was indeed the truth but it would adversely affect Kahn''s own ns.


    But Kahn then said that although it looked like it wouldn''t affect their end goal by much¡­


    The Expert named Rathnaar Whitlock, aka the First Emperor of Rakos Empire already predicted this response.


    So Kahn offered them an exnation and as soon as he was done¡­ both Hector and Venessa had the same response in their meetings.


    "Let''s do it!"

 Chapter 545 - Phase Two

    Chapter 545 - Phase Two


    Kahn exined his reasoning to both Hector and Venessa in their respective meetings on why his n was detrimental to their end goal.


    That no matter what happened¡­ nobody in this empire would stand up for humans even if they were brutally ughtered since they didn''t make up even 5% of the empire''s poption.


    But if they started off with Oakenshield''s route, they would be able to thoroughly smear the name of the second prince first and everyone will be against him.


    And after this cruel act of his was revealed¡­ they would make the biggest impact as the one to voice for the helpless would appear as a savior of the weak and the public opinion as well as the support from other ns who wanted to look good and righteous on the surface would obviously take their side.


    Eventually, it would end up helping the said party to solidify their im to the throne.


    This was just a tant lie but Kahn made it sound like the most logical and intelligent approach towards the whole issue.


    This was just the 2nd phase of his schemes. After hearing the ns for the 4th phase¡­ both of them instantly agreed after Kahn gave them a glimpse of the aftereffects.


    Rathnaar, who nned it all wasughing at both these two borrowed knives as he was effectively using these issues in the imperial family to their advantage one by one.


    And, there was the next move that was going to need both the first prince and the third princess to act like impatient brats.


    This was the beginning of¡­ Phase Two.


    ----------------


    3 DAYS LATER


    Out of nowhere¡­ news spread across the entire Vulcan empire like a wildfire.


    It was so sudden that even the imperial n didn''t see iting and had no countermeasures ready because without holding back, both the first and third children of the emperor had used their connections, followers from local market to noble ns and spread a piece of hot news.


    It contained a rumor about the second prince intentionally insulting Throk Oakenshield, one of the most prestigious, renowned and aplished in the empire.


    That because of his tantrums and unstable mental issues¡­ he had developed an inferiorityplex in the past few years. And he liked to intentionally oppress other people so he could feel good about himself. That could feel like he was above everyone else.


    And he had been doing it for years but always buried the matter because no one would dare stand up against an imperial prince.


    This had raised many questions among the poption and even the imperial ns were alerted since spreading a rumor on this scale was something only someone with a lot of power and authority could do.


    On the following day, another rumor spread that the second prince Rogis hates both the Church and the Dwarven race.


    That''s why he targeted Throk in the banquet because he was both a devotee of the Church of Hetrax and a dwarf. So that was the main reason why he intentionally insulted the old dwarf saint cksmith in a banquet arranged by himself.


    But since Throk wasn''t a nobility¡­ no one came to help him. And the prince put him on a cklist in the arms and weapons business. Because of which, the once thrivingpany of his lost suppliers, dealers and distributors with each passing day.


    And eventually, all of his friends including his pupils that he had been training and grooming for the past 3 decades left his side because they didn''t want to get into any trouble by siding with the poor old dwarf.


    And to put the cherry on top¡­ a footage of Throk sitting on the unkempt and dusty stairs of hispany building''s main door was released and spread everywhere.


    In the recording, the once brightly glimmering building now looked like a dpidated ruin. Along with this scenery¡­


    A crestfallen look of master Oakenshield who had a defeated expression on his face as if he was going through a rough patch was also revealed.


    Now, one of the top cksmiths of the Vulcan empire was scrutinized just for standing up against a moody brat who disrespected the church, the god he worshiped, his race and the profession of cksmithing.


    This caused a lot of public outrage because among all the demi-human species in the Vulcan empire¡­ dwarves were the biggest majority.


    On top of it¡­ the cksmithing profession was considered sacred for their race as it was the very reason why their ancestors managed to help in rebuilding the empire after the Firebornes defeated their previous oppressors.


    And since the Church of Hetrax, the main religious institution of the empire was also mentioned¡­ many followers and devotees were enraged to their core.


    This news also reached the ears of the pope and he too ordered the Pdins, the church''s mightiest force to look into the matter.


    The rumors depicted that the only crime Throk Oakenshield was guilty of was that he couldn''t stand this humiliation and talked back because he was an honest person and his loyalty towards his religion, his race and profession was unquestionable.


    In reality, none of this was true but people believed in rumors and lies when enough people said them than the real truth.


    Soon, both the imperial n and the church of hetraxunched their separate investigations and found this incident with the saint cksmith to be true.


    And since half of the rumor was true¡­ people across the whole empire automatically started to believe the other half as well.


    This was the main purpose of phase two of the n.


    To first raise enough traction towards the matter of the second prince''s reputation and publicly smear his name.


    Both Hector and Venessa rejoiced as the n they pulled off was working twice more effectively than they had imagined¡­ without knowing the fact that the other one was doing the same.


    Soon, the issue got out of hand and the second prince himself was forced to show up for questioning because of pressure from the church and the dwarven race.


    But just when Rogis thought that the issue was close to an end¡­


    Kahn, Venessa and Hector pulled the biggest card in their hand. And thus began¡­


    Phase Three.

 Chapter 546 - Phase Three

    Chapter 546 - Phase Three


    As part of phase three¡­ Hector and Venessa were trying their best to go all out and take the second prince Rogis out of the race for good.


    Kahn had already handed them the recordings of the incident with human victims and now that the second prince was interrogated for the issue Throk Oakenshield.


    And how he misused his authority to ruin the life of an honest man, which the old dwarf clearly wasn''t. Since the church and the dwarven race itself were involved, the imperial n was having a headache with burying the issue unlike other matters.


    But at the beginning of the next week¡­ the recording of how the second prince, some dwarven nobles, and the elites of the society who belonged to multiple demi-human races, some members of the church¡­ was spread across the whole empire through the people working for both the first prince and the third princess¡­


    How Rogis humiliated the old man and his supporters beat up the defenseless and powerless humans to death just for fun and to feel superior about themselves was released¡­


    On top of it¡­ his conversation with the old man where he talked about conspiring to kill his siblings, then get rid of the church and finally, enving the dwarven race was heard by every single citizen through these recordings.


    Nothing but chaos spread across the entirety of the Vulcan empire.


    The whole social structure of the empire was shaken to its core. And that very day, the second prince was arrested under the orders of the emperor himself.


    As for the shaken poption who were taken aback by this scandal¡­ they had their own priorities.


    The Vulcan empire was indeed filled with racists who treated humans harshly and oppressed them for whatever reasons they wanted because of the deeds of their ancestors.


    The imperial decree by the current emperor which restricted their rights and what they could achieve in society to deter the same cycle of bloodshed like the past was just an excuse for them to release their anger on the human race.


    It didn''t matter what skin color they had or what facial structure one had¡­ a human was already condemned to a life of agony and injustice in the Vulcan empire for the past 3 decades.


    But now that the elites of their society, consisting of many demi-human races, dwarves and fireborne, and even some people from church were shown to be nothing but monsters¡­ the whole poption took a U-turn on how they treated humans in just a matter of days.


    Because at the end of the day, no racist liked to be called out. And after someone did¡­ the first thing they''d do is to appear like they weren''t racists to begin with.


    And when the entire empire was trying to avoid their guilty conscience, to not get associated with people like the second prince and those influential figures of the empire¡­


    The treatment of the human race changed dramatically as if there was no oppression or any form of partiality in the first ce.


    The so-called ''No Humans Allowed'' sign boards disappeared overnight and humans who worked their asses off to make ends meet started receiving equal pay in their respective jobs and professions as days passed.


    Soon, the entire popce that was vilified and was actually guilty of the crime wanted to retcon themselves and act like saints even if they still hated the humans.


    In just a week, even the imperial family changed the way they treated humans to maintain their facade of honorable rulers.


    And the Church of Hetrax that had barred humans from entering their buildings and monasteries of deities suddenly lifted off the ban as well.


    Because of this event, even the emperor was having a hard time maintaining his previous stance and wanted to find a way out and not appear like a monstrous tyrant just like his second son.


    Meanwhile, Hector and Venessa were rejoicing as both of them thought that it was solely their work to take out one of thepetitors with the help of those secret followers who suddenly appeared one night.


    So even if Kahn didn''t originally intend to¡­ this n by Rathnaar had impacted the fate of the human species of the Vulcan empire.


    Even he had no choice but to acknowledge this impressive strategy because this n was far more meticulous than what he pulled off in Rakos empire.


    At the end of the day¡­ someone was going to question who sent those recordings about Celine killing Ezekiel inside the forbidden region or her getting the tablet.


    And how did both Kahn''s recordings about his death and the previous two coincidentally being revealed at the same time.


    There was this only one clue that Kahn had left as he had no other choice. One day, it was going to expose his n to the three noble factions.


    And even then, they wouldn''t be able to reim the Vessen fiefdom as people already believed that it was one of them who killed Kahn and they already knew that the one to call his death a facade was the one behind his death.


    But here¡­ Rathnaar didn''t leave a single stone unturned.


    He even went as far as to use the history of the imperial family and used everything to their advantage. Hector being a needy man who wanted to make his mother happy by bing the emperor¡­


    Venessa being the abandoned princess whose mother died in suspicious circumstances¡­ and her father, the emperor himself not doing anything despite knowing the truth¡­


    He used everything in order to make these two pawns not only believe their side butpletely trust them.


    One wanted to prove himself while the other wanted revenge for her mother''s death. It was no different than the game of chess¡­


    But no matter whether it was the ck or the white side who won the game. In the end¡­


    They would be the ultimate winner.


    ----------------


    Weeks passed and soon, an empire-wide announcement was made by the imperial authorities that shook the popce, the noble ns as well as the church.


    Meanwhile, Kahn and the subordinates who had taken over the Oakenshieldpany as part of their deal were delighted as soon as they heard the announcement.


    Because this was going to be thest part of phase three. And now, in front of the whole Vulcan empire¡­


    Rogis HoS Sigfreed, the second imperial prince who liked to torture and kill humans for fun was going to face¡­


    The Imperial Justice.

 Chapter 547 - Imperial Justice

    Chapter 547 - Imperial Justice


    The whole empire was suddenly shaken as soon as the news of the second prince, Rogis Hos Sigfreed''s trial in the Imperial Court of the Vulcan Empire was dered by the authorities. And the one to judge the trial was going to the Emperor himself.


    This was going to be the first time in the history of the empire that an imperial prince was facing Imperial Justice and that too when the whole empire was going to witness it.


    Unlike the Rakos empire, the people in the Empire of Fire didn''t have any ess to informationworks or anyone had any rights to publicly broadcast anything. The only way they received such information was through the official spokespersons of the imperial administration who mandated what kind of information spread among the masses.


    If not for the first prince and third princess themselves being the ones who used their influence, connections and supporters throughout the empire¡­ the imperial family would''ve buried the matter and killed everyone including the victims and their families just to smother the incident. Something that they had done in the past very effectively.


    And this was the main reason why Rathnaar told Kahn to join hands with the prince and princess themselves as it was the only way for them to aplish the task efficiently without having to use their personal resources or risk being caught.


    And now, the imperial authorities themselves had no choice but to acknowledge the crime and with church and the entire dwarven race that was also riled up because of the first rumor about Throk Oakenshield being a victim of the second prince just because he was a devotee of the church of hetrax and a dwarf, there was no way they could bury the matter.


    If they had only leaked the recording of the cruelty faced by the humans in this empire, people who didn''t care in the first ce wouldn''t have bothered to find any faults with the second prince. Rather, he would''ve be a hero to most of the people of this empire who abhorred the human race.


    The Cause and Effect were perfectly nned by Rathnaar and Kahn acted solely based on his instincts that the n was the best approach they could do.


    Plus him having a Domain of his own thanks to Dimensional Law divine ability also yed a big part since only a 5th stage saint and above could have a domain. This made both Hector and Venessa think that Kahn was indeed a powerful ally who sided with them.


    But the biggest damage was done by Rogis himself who was so full of himself that he revealed his ns to kill his two siblings and then get rid of the church and enve the dwarven race. So there was no other way to escape being impeached at this point.


    And now¡­ it was finally the time for thest part of phase three...


    The Imperial Justice.


    ----------------


    Massive holographic orbs were spread throughout all the main cities and towns of the empire as the image of the imperial court was revealed to the poption for the first time in the history of this empire.


    Thousands of people that included all the important people from the imperial authorities, Fireborne ns, church and the dwarven race were seated in this vast imperial court''s hall that was 2 kilometers in length alone.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Over a dozen semi-saint royal guards in red armor brought in Rogis and escorted him to a stand of the defendant in front of the emperor and his 4 advisers who were seated on the first tform while the emperor sat on his throne at the 3rd one.


    "Rogis Hos Sigfreed, you are brought here for questioning for the charges against you.


    Namely for nning the murder of the imperial prince & princess as well as having the intentions to destroy the Church of Hetrax, our God and having the notions of enving the entire race.


    Do you ept your crimes and admit that you are guilty?" stated one of the Fireborne advisors.


    "No! All the charges against me are false and I have been framed for the crimes I didn''tmit." spoke Rogis.


    "Lying to the imperial court and that too in the presence of the emperor himself is a grave crime. It will only be added to your sentence." spoke another female advisor who was also a fireborne just like the rest.


    "How do you exin this then?" asked the 3rd advisor and signaled their people to run the recording.


    The whole empire was reminded of the cruelty and his evil ns again as it was broadcasted.


    "These are all forged! It''s a ploy to besmirch my name.


    Those people aren''t even real. No one has even found them since this recording was spread. I''m sure they used someone to imitate my appearance or used some sort of illusion spell." spoke Rogis as he denied it openly with an expression of someone who was wrongly used.


    "So are you certain that those people aren''t real or they''re using something to create this whole illusion?" asked thest elderly advisor.


    "Yes! I''m innocent. All the evidence against me is forged!" spoke Rogis with a righteous expression.


    "If that''s the case¡­ Then how do you exin this?" asked the old fireborne and another clip started.


    A room full of blood and wooden blunt weapons suddenly appeared on this screen.


    This was the exact hall in the castle where the whole thing took ce in the first ce.


    "This is from your castle that we found during our investigation. There are a total of 53 different types of human blood samples that also match the number of people in the recording.


    How do you n to exin that?"


    Rogis was taken aback but did not show the surprise on his face. Because he clearly remembered that he ordered his people to clear the site after they evacuated because of the explosion.


    "That could be the blood of any human that was nted in my castle. If I was truly guilty, I wouldn''t have left any trace behind." spoke Rogis with a sarcastic tone.


    Because without any witnesses, there was no way to prove that it wasn''t a staged crime site.


    Just then, in a section for the imperial family that also included Rogis'' mother and the second queen¡­ a tall and well-toned figure of a woman stood up and walked forth.


    Stood in front of the advisors and the emperor, catching many of them by surprise.


    Kahn, who was watching this broadcast in Nidavellir spoke¡­


    "And herees the biggest bomb."


    "What is the meaning of this?" asked the Emperor in a grim tone.


    "Since Rogis ims that the humans in the recording aren''t real and some random human''s blood¡­ I would like to offer the imperial court some key evidence." said Venessa.


    "What kind of evidence?" asked the emperor.


    To his question, Venessa pped twice and her voice resounded in the entire court.


    "Bring them in." she ordered.


    Step!


    Step!


    Step!


    Soon, more than a dozen guards appeared in the court and escorted a group of people towards the main stand.


    Gasp!


    Gasp!


    Not just the people in court but also those watching throughout the empire gasped collectively.


    Because the group that was brought were the victims they saw in the recording.


    Suddenly, Rogis had an ashen expression as he was caught off guard.


    "The imperial authorities can check if the blood samples from the crime site belong to these victims or not." spoke Venessa.


    Kahn had a smirk on his face as remembered the night of the incident. Because this was his doing all along.


    When they rescued the victims and healed their bodies, each of the assassins that were in charge of tending to the injured also had an additional task of collecting their blood in vials while treating them.


    Because it was obvious that the crime site would be wiped clean by the guilty party.


    This move was also exined to Venessa when Kahn handed over all the victims and their families to her. And this was going to be an ace up in the sleeve.


    So they waited for the recording to spread first and then poured down the blood samples in the empty hall that was already cleaned by the second prince''s people.


    Because of that reason and the victims that were supposed to be taken care of, he had been carefree and said that the footage was forged.


    But this wasn''t the end to the second prince''s surprise.


    Venessa pped again as more people were brought in.


    "Who are these people?" asked the female advisor.


    "These are the soldiers under the servitude of the second prince. And also the ones who were tasked with carrying the victims to a certain location." exined Venessa.


    "What location?" asked the emperor himself with a curious voice.


    Soon, Venessa signaled her people and in front of the whole empire that was watching¡­


    Dozens of big crates were brought in by over a hundred soldiers.


    "Take them out." shemanded.


    Soon, the crates were turned around and the soldiers unloaded the content inside them.


    This time¡­ even the emperor himself was shocked as he saw what was spread across over 100 meters in the middle of the imperial court.


    Rogis was frozen on the spot as he saw the key evidence that was going to spell his doom for certain.


    The evidence that shook the whole Vulcan empire at this moment was¡­


    Thousands of human skeletons.

 Chapter 548 - The Proof

    Chapter 548 - The Proof


    After Venessa brought all the victims of the incident to the imperial court¡­ many of the witnesses and the top figures of the empire present in the hall were already certain that the recording wasn''t fake in any way.


    And she confidently told the investigation team to check their blood with the ones they found at the site of the act. So everyone could feel that it was indeed the second prince who was guilty of organizing the event where he and his supporters intentionally tortured those humans for fun.


    But¡­ with all these skeletons that were thrown from over 30 massive and rectangr crates gave the whole case apletely different turn.


    Because before, he was only a sadist prince who was way over his head and had an inferiorityplex¡­ but now, these thousands of skeletons also meant that people were murdered by him.


    "Your majesty¡­ the truth is that I heard the news of the second prince''s heinous acts very recently.


    And it was me who saved all these victims from certain death on that night.


    And the soldiers that worked under my stepbrother were also captured at the same time.


    After the footage was spread across the empire, I became certain of his cruel nature and interrogated these people. And through them, I managed to find a secret burial site for the humans that he killed." dered Venessa, taking credit for harboring the victims and finding the biggest incriminating evidence against Rogis.


    [This fucking human bitch!! So that explosion to distract me was her doing!] cursed Rogis in his mind as he linked Venessa to the attack on his castle which caused the whole mess in the first ce.


    [Damn it! Why the hell did no one tell me anything about the victims still being alive!


    Now she has taken all the credit.] cursed Hector as he regretted missing this great opportunity.


    As for Kahn and Rathnaar who were watching the broadcast in the middle of Nidavellir, they had a reason to be biased towards Venessa.


    Kahn gave them to her because she was half-human and instead of pressuring or oppressing them like Hector would''ve since he was a fireborne and didn''t care about human lives anyway¡­ Venessa was the perfect candidate who could make them feel safe and gave them the courage to give their testimony as witnesses in the imperial court without worrying.


    Soon after, the officers leading the investigation team reported to the court that the blood indeed matched with the samples they acquired from the crime site. Affirming the entire empire that these people were indeed present on the scene.


    One by one, all the victims took a stand in groups and gave their testimony in front of imperial authorities and what exactly happened. Each one describing where they were hit and who hit them mercilessly until their bones were broken and they almost died on the spot with tears and pain from the suffering of that experience.


    Regardless of the race and species, the entire poption was suddenly riled up because of the surge in their emotions even if they didn''t previously care about humans.


    Why? Because the base instincts always made you rte to anyone who was oppressed and suffered even if they weren''t your people or family.


    After their testimony, it was time for the soldiers to give their statements.


    The soldiers who were allotted to serve and protect Rogis, who was only a semi-saint¡­


    Said that they were threatened by his personal people from her mother''s n that if they did not do what they were told and do the work of burying the bodies, the prince would have them and their families killed.


    To ensure their survival and their loved ones¡­ they had no other option but to partake in this crime because who would dare to go against a prince.


    Just then¡­ the emperor himself had a grim expression and asked in an overbearing tone.


    "How long has this been going on?"


    To his question¡­ the soldiers replied in a fearful tone.


    "More than 5 years, your majesty."


    BOOM!!


    Not just the emperor but many of the attendees of the court lost their control and ended up releasing a bit of their saint pressure.


    [Ha! Look at these bastards¡­ they''re acting like they care.] said Rathnaar.


    The soldiers then exined that every time he held such a banquet¡­ there would obviously be something simr urrence like this. Only thest time, the Throk Oakenshield incident happened and that''s why it got canceled.


    "Your majesty and the imperial advisors, if I may¡­" spoke Venessa as she stood up from her seat again.


    [What the hell is she trying to pull now?] thought Rogis who was cornered in every possible way.


    After gaining permission toe to the stand¡­ Venessa took out over 3 ledgers and presented them to the authorities.


    These ledgers contain the list of all the guests who attended the parties and the number of humans that were hired each time.


    Andter, she handed out another ledger that revealed how Rogis would use thepanies under someone else''s name, hire humans from around the empire, bring them to work throughpanies by promising a big payout and then ughter them mercilessly in his parties.


    That''s how he has been establishing his connections and gaining support from a lot of influential people from business enterprises and noble ns.


    Those who enjoyed these barbaric acts felt a sense of power and exhration after killing the victims and how they liked to be on the second prince''s side if they could enjoy such events often.


    "And the total body count is 4637 so far.


    The number of guests who partook in these ughters in the past 5 years alone is 8601¡­ Officially that is." revealed Venessa after handing out the proof.


    This time¡­ not even the emperor could hide his surprise and looked at Rogis.


    Losing millions in the war was eptable but normal citizens being killed in thousands while being under the protection of imperial rule was not. Because thispletely made him look like a fool and his reign over the empire as nothing but a joke.


    And now¡­ the whole empire was watching it.


    [Good. He''s cornered now. He can''t run away from acknowledging the severity of the act because if he doesn''t take drastic measures¡­ he will be the biggest joke in the history of the empire.] said Rathnaar gleefully.


    "Let''s hope the final hitnds as we wanted. Then we''re done with phase three." spoke Kahn as he folded his arms.


    While the empire was shaken by this revtion¡­ The people from the recent party were brought to court. These were the very assants who partook in the beating with a smile on their faces.


    And during their testimony, everyone started saying that the second prince tempted them and forced them to do those things. That they''d be killed if they didn''t y a part in his act of massacre.


    Now that things were hard, everyone started pointing their fingers and putting all the me on Rogis to save their own skin.


    [Now, even the Imperial n will have to fairly judge this case. There''s no room for any leeway or some exemptions.] said Rathnaar as he chuckled.


    Because there was no way the imperial n would allow the second prince to be found guilty of all the allegations made against him.


    Whether it was the Throk Oakenshield incident or the genocide of humans. No rules applied in front of the imperial family members and they originally nned to throw away those rumors to clear the second prince''s name in front of the whole empire through this broadcast.


    Forget executing the prince, they never had any intentions to let him be found guilty of the charges since he was imperial blood.


    But Venessa bringing the legitimate proof in front of the whole empire thwarted their original ns and now forced their hand towfully judge the incident.


    At this moment¡­ Hector was fuming with rage because of the way things looked¡­ it could''ve been him standing in ce of Venessa and getting the limelight in front of the entire poption of the empire.


    Unlike her, he only had the support of two of the six Fireborne ns. But there was no support from militarymanders and local authorities that included other vital noble ns and people from the church.


    And now¡­ Venessa was going to be an obvious choice for them to choose as the next crown princess because they would greatly benefit by allying themselves with her to increase their own reputation and public image since it helped greatly in gaining money and influence.


    As for the four advisors and the emperor¡­ they were discussing things telepathically and had headaches of their own.


    [How did she get all of this¡­ was it someone powerful who helped her?] said the female fireborne advisor.


    [No. I''m certain it was the first prince who spread the rumors in the beginning. My intel is urate.] spoke the first fireborne advisor.


    [We have no other choice left, your majesty.


    If we want to protect the pride of imperial family and the sanctity of your reigns¡­ we must pass a severe punishment.] spoke the elderly and the 4th advisor.


    After a while, the Emperor finally spoke in a tyrannical voice and the whole empire went silent.


    "It is time¡­ for the Imperial Punishment."

 Chapter 549 - Imperial Punishment

    Chapter 549 - Imperial Punishment


    The emperor dered that it was going to be the time for the Imperial Punishment in front of the whole empire and the people present in the imperial court after all the proofs and testimonies were presented one by one regarding the second prince''s crimes.


    Initially, they had different ns with the hearing and saving Rogis since everything was only rumored before the grand trial.


    But now¡­ No way could they let such a cruel mass murderer stay as the prince or the emperor, the imperial n, the firebornes and the entire imperial rule would be nothing but a joke.


    And since the church and the dwarven race themselves were against them on this topic¡­ there couldn''t just bury the matter no matter what they did.


    In a way¡­ even the strongest person in the empire was now helpless.


    [Look carefully, boy. The emperor has no other way to get out of this situation. And if he tried some twisted reasoning to save Rogis, he will be forever known as an ipetent ruler.


    But if he indeed decides to punish the second prince¡­


    It will set a precedence.] said Rathnaar.


    "What kind of precedence?" asked Kahn with a curious expression.


    [That even the imperial family is not above thews of the empire or they can do whatever the hell they want.


    They will no longer be averse to imperial punishment or will be able to massacre people on a whim.


    And after this¡­ they will not be the untouchable figures in the empire. This is going to ce my restrictions on the current as well as future generations of the imperial family.] exined the peak saint.


    "Well, let''s see what the emperor says."


    [They need a sacrifice to keep his reign intact. Rogis is now a disposable chess piece because he has beenpromised.] replied Rathnaar.


    Finally, the emperor decided to give his final verdict.


    "35 years ago when I became the emperor of our great empire¡­ I ced those restrictions on the human race to deter what happened in the past. In those times, there were simply too many people who died and had to prevent another such ughter from happening again.


    But those restrictions were only ced to avoid history repeating itself again and not to ughter them like animals!


    Looks like many people of our empire misunderstood my intentions back then and used that as an excuse to me the cycle of hatred and take out their anger on innocents who had nothing to do with what their ancestors did." exined the emperor in a righteous tone.


    [Hmph! What a hypocrite bastard. He abandoned his daughter after the third empress'' death because she was half-human.


    And now he''s talking about fairness and unjust hatred towards humans?] thought the pope of the church of hetrax.


    "The recent incidents have brought our attention to how greatly this has deranged the mentality of many people including the second prince.


    And now, if we do not punish such heinous criminals¡­ will we be ever able to raise our future generations with moral values that our great god Hetrax has instilled in us?" iterated the emperor as he turned to topic more about moral integrity instead of him being a failure as a father.


    "So as the power and rights that I have as the reigning emperor of the Vulcan empire¡­


    I hereby dere the Imperial Punishment." spoke the emperor in a serious tone.


    "All the people associated with these acts, from the recent incident and even the ones that have happened in the past 5 years shall be arrested and brought for their trials.


    All of them, regardless of their origins and race, will face imperial punishment when found guilty. And the punishment shall be in the form of execution." dered the emperor.


    Gasp!


    Billions of people were shocked after hearing this verdict. Because although it looked like it was the right decision¡­ the parties involved were some of the top influential figures from across the empire.


    Even the noble ns and the people from the church were too stunned to speak because it also involved the members of their elite groups and church.


    If it was just these hundred or so people¡­ they could ept the loss¡­ but if the imperial punishment involved those who attended the parties in the past¡­ the count was above 8 thousand.


    In a way, the emperor was not only cutting his feet but also theirs.


    [Ha! What a crafty bastard! He''s not a fool at all.] spoke Rathnaar in an approving tone.


    "What do you mean? Doesn''t it look like he''s destroying his own support as well?" asked Kahn in a suspicious tone.


    [Yes. Because of Rogis, the imperial n will be on the backfoot for some time. The church and the nobles from fireborne and dwarven races will get a chance to oppress the imperial n for quite some time as well.


    But although it looks like he is burning his own house¡­ he is actually taking down everyone else with him and bringing them on the same level.


    So at the end, he will still have an upper hand and more power than the other two.


    That''s what you call turning adversity into an opportunity.] praised Rathnaar.


    "I see. He''s intentionally increasing the losses to maintain his hierarchy till the end." said Kahn as he got the gist of everything.


    [That''s not all. Later, he will brand those criminals with several crimes they didn''t even do and different ways to get rid of his own or the imperial n''s wrongdoings and use these idiots as a scapegoat.


    One who is dered as a murderer can also be used to me for the deaths of thousands he didn''t kill.


    And this empire is his yground¡­ who is going to question him?] spoke Rathnaar.


    "That son of bitch¡­ he is truly farsighted." spoke Kahn as he understood the whole thing.


    The emperor''s eyes then settled on Rogis who was rooted on the spot as the punishment was just separately given to his allies¡­ his own fate was yet to be decided upon.


    "From now on, Rogis Hos Sigfreed has lost his position as part of the imperial family and the imperial n.


    Even if the entire imperial family were to die tomorrow, he will still have no im to the throne.


    He shall be jailed for the rest of his life in prison for his crimes.


    Anyone aiding him in any way will be seen asmitting high treason and will be publicly executed." dered the emperor in a tyrannical voice that trembled the entire court.


    While the poption of the empire was shocked, Kahn who was watching the broadcast had a troubled expression.


    "Why the hell didn''t he order the prince to be executed like the rest¡­" he said.


    [Like hell they''ll execute an imperial prince. If they did¡­ means the imperial family will no longer be above everyone else in the empire.


    This is as far as he will go.] exined Rathnaar.


    "If not for the imperial blood running through your veins, you''d be dead too." spoke the emperor to Rogis in a threatening manner.


    "But your majesty!" suddenly, an old and bald fireborne spoke and stood up from his seat among the ones from the fireborne ns.


    This figure was actually the grandfather of Rogis from his mother''s side. And beside him, was the second prince''s mother who was weeping after the punishment was dered.


    "The second prince is young and naive. There''s no need to go as far as shunning him from the imperial n." spoke the old man.


    In reality, he had ced all his bets on Rogis bing the crown prince and the next emperor. But with imperial punishment¡­ his decades of ns were to go in vain in a single moment.


    BOOM!!


    The emperor released his saint pressure and instantly put this 6th stage saint fireborne ground.


    "I refuse to believe that the Yorknaar n didn''t have any hand in the second prince''s crimes. Half of his entourage includes some of the members of your n.


    Do you want me to investigate?" asked the emperor in a tyrannical voice and instantly let the old man understand that if he tried to make a scene¡­ he wasing for the entire n.


    "I dere that this case will be further investigated and all the guilty people will face the imperial punishment.


    After seeing the severity of the situation¡­ I am lifting all the restrictions and bans on the human race. They shall not be shunned no more." gave the emperor his decree.


    Gasp!


    Shock!


    The entire empire was left bbergasted after the new imperial decree was announced.


    Because this just changed the fate of the entire human race out of a sudden.


    [Ha ha ha!! What a smart guy.


    He just stopped an uprising by all the humans in the empire.] said Rathnaar.


    "Agreed. Unlike his children¡­ the emperor is simply too crafty.


    He already foresaw what was going to happen after the hearing ended.


    Even if humans couldn''t do anything in this empire even if they all joined hands¡­ still, killing them in the name of purging the uprising would make the imperial rule just as cruel as Rogis.


    In one sentence, he created a safe future for his reign. And now, no one can question his verdict." said Kahn as he understood what kind of aftermath was avoided by the emperor.


    The emperor continued in a somber tone.


    "The second prince will be sent into Pits of Gg and spend the rest of his life in imprisonment." he gave hisst punishment and this, the imperial trial officially ended.


    "What now, master?" asked Ronin.


    Kahn replied in a thoughtful voice as he looked at Hector and Venessa''s faces on the broadcast screen.


    "Now¡­ we begin Phase Four."

 Chapter 550 - Phase Four

    Chapter 550 - Phase Four


    ONE WEEK LATER.


    Inside a hidden castle outside of capital Arkensan, a fireborne male was drinking a ss of exquisite samsara wine while contemting things on his end with a furious expression.


    Schwoomm!!


    Suddenly, the entire room turned dark and the red-headed man felt his body weakening.


    p!


    p!


    With multiple ps of their hoods and cloaks, 8 people suddenly appeared and knelt in front of this man.


    "Weren''t you going to show up after I became the Crown Prince?


    What kind of shoddy job did you do?" asked Hector as he expected this group of secret helpers to appear sometime soon.


    "I''m sorry, my prince. We did not expect the princess to also have ess to that information.


    And she saved those victims by creating a distraction and used them as her trump card during the trial." exined Kahn in his changed voice.


    "And whose fault is that?!


    Now she has reached the peak height of poprity as the princess who helped bring justice to the victims in the eyes of the whole empire.


    And me¡­ I''m just a standby who didn''t do anything at all.


    People don''t even care if it was me who actually spread the rumors. There was nothing I could do to im the credit while that halfbreed ransacked the fruits of my efforts!" spoke Hector in an enraged tone and threw away the wine as he raged.


    As for Kahn who was kneeling on the floor¡­


    He did not provide Hector with those details intentionally for many reasons. And also because he wanted Hector to be on the backfoot after the fourth phase.


    "There is still a way, my lord." spoke Kahn in a respectful tone while hiding behind his red mask.


    "What is it? It better be worth it." said Hector.


    "The whole trial will be forgotten in a month or so and her momentum will be gone soon.


    But there''s a way for you to keep gaining support and poprity throughout the year and increase your chances to be the crown prince." replied Kahn and spoke the name of their strategy.


    "Phase Four¡­ Throk Oakenshield." he said in a serious tone.


    "What the hell is that midget dwarf gonna do?" asked Hector as he could not see the clear picture.


    He was notified about the situation and n for phase four already but now that Venessa had taken all credit¡­ phase four was useless to him.


    "Think about it, my lord. With the new imperial decree, humans are no longer third-rate citizens.


    The whole trial will be buried by the imperial n soon but by helping the dwarf¡­ you have so much to gain in the uing year." he exined.


    "What do you mean?" asked the fireborne with eyes full of curiosity.


    Kahn then told him about the challenge between Throk and the other dwarven saint cksmith Tawerik.


    And how a human named Kahn Salvatore was going to be trained by him for a face-off.


    "How does that affect me?"


    "Think about it, my prince. If the news of you helping the dwarf spreads and since humans are in a limelight¡­ it has many ways to help you.


    Because of the second prince, no one has still helped theirpany even now.


    If you step in¡­ You will look like a hero to both the church and dwarven race as you are helping an oppressed individual who belonged to both their sides." exined Kahn again.


    "But how can a human win against a dwarf in cksmithing? That is just absurd to even imagine." rebuked Hector.


    "It doesn''t even matter if the human wins or not.


    It will greatly help the public image and regardless of the result of what happens next year in the faceoff¡­ you will be seen as a just and kind prince to the whole empire.


    This will greatly outdo the current momentum the princess has."


    "So what''s there left to do? Bring him some contracts and help in their business?" asked Hector.


    "No. It will make it look like you''re only pretending." spoke Kahn.


    "Then what?" asked the first prince.


    To his question¡­ Kahn gave a very resolute answer.


    "Be his¡­ sponsor."


    ----------------


    The next day, Kahn showed up in front of Venessa just like their previous meeting.


    "Well done. Your n worked and I''m getting plenty of invites and many people want to officially support me from now on. It includes two of the most prestigious fireborne ns as well." said Venessa with a smile and a content expression.


    But after her statement¡­ Kahn told what Hector was trying to do.


    "If he seeds, what you have gained will be nothingpared to what he will gain a year and a halfter. His face will be in the spotlight in front of the entire poption as they will try to make it a historical match.


    We cannot miss this opportunity. You should also step in and sponsor Throk Oakenshield and hispany.


    Plus his pupil is a human. That''s also very good for your image. "


    Venessa had aplicated expression on her face. Because this was an unnecessary effort in her eyes. But if her Well-wisher was right, Hector would be able to surpass her in the near future. So she made a final decision of her own.


    "Alright¡­ I agree."


    ----------------


    The following day¡­ in front of a dpidated and rundown building that hadn''t been cleaned off or even visited by anyone in the past one month¡­


    Two overly crowded entourages arrived in warships and their respective leaders then stood in front of each other as they exchanged pleasantries.


    "Aren''t you too shameless? Shouldn''t getting all that attention from the trial be enough for you?" asked Hector with a smile.


    "What are you trying to imply? I''m only here to help a victim in need. Don''t you know kindhearted and magnanimous I am?" said Venessa with an upright expression as she flicked her long ck hair.


    Sparks suddenly appeared in between the first prince and the third princess as if they were fighting with their battle intent already.


    Throk, who hade to greet them had a concerned expression.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Suddenly, a figure walked behind him. And as soon as Venessa saw him¡­ she pointed her fingers at this new arrival and asked in a high-pitched tone.


    "You¡­ What the hell are you doing here?!"

 Chapter 551 The Disciple

    <h4>Chapter 551 The Disciple</h4>


    In the early morning, an announcement spread across the vulcan empire via various information outlets and people about how Throk Oakenshield had epted a challenge from another dwarven saint cksmith that he would take a human as his disciple and teach him the cksmithing craft.


    And there will be a faceoff between this human and his previous pupil Helsi, who changed sides and joined master Tawerik when the second prince Rogis, who was now the most hated prince in the history of the empire; targeted the old and honest dwarf.


    That how his own people and friends who had been with the old dwarf since decades betrayed him the moment they heard the cruel, racist and psychopath second prince targeting him.


    And when everyone was hitting him down at his lowest¡­ the dwarven cksmith Tawerik stole all his people and students. And even challenged the old man.


    But unexpectedly¡­ Throk Oakenshield bet his honor, reputation as well as hispany on the line. Saying that he could even teach a human and make him a worthy cksmith¡­ someone better than his most prized pupil who betrayed him.


    Thus he chose a human and signed a contract with the opposite side. And a year and a halfter¡­ both these pupils would represent their masters and face each other.


    The one to win will uphold the pride of their master and the one to lose will cause their downfall.


    As the news spread throughout themon popce, Throk was portrayed as a sorry person who was a victim of prejudice, and betrayal, an honorable person who paid the price of standing against a cruel mass murderer who hated the church and the dwarven race.


    The narrative described him as the one who would rather break than bow in front of certain death.


    This news was something Kahn had asked Hector and Venessa to spread on their own volition as part of phase four since both of them were already desperate.


    But in reality, he was just using them to solidify a background story for himself in this empire and no one would suspect his origin because everyone will think that he was just a random normal human who was chosen by Throk Oakenshield for this challenge.


    In the news, Kahn''s name wasn''t mentioned anywhere because it was a Redemption Story for Throk Oakenshield.


    Because sooner orter¡­ he''d have to reveal his identity as a first stage saint and he could use Throk''s name for it since his name would be known by many in the near future.


    Thus, all of this build-up and him receiving some of the limelight was to make a lot of money and resources in this empire while bing a capable cksmith for his own sake.


    And at the end of it¡­ both sides already dered that prince Hector/princess Venessa were officially going to be the sponsors of Throk Oakenshield in his time of peril. As a form of responsibility to negate the damage and mental stress received by one of the top 5 dwarven cksmiths of the Vulcan empire.


    ----------------


    Rathnaar already had ns to help out Kahn and greatly benefit from the situation more than they should have.


    Knowing what kind of opportunity this whole incident with Throk and Rogis got Kahn dangled up in their battle¡­ the peak saint nned this whole thing which would not only help them gain resources of their own in a vast amount but not endanger their livelihood or take unnecessary risks.


    It was something even Kahn wasn''t able to n easily as hecked experience and didn''t know how things would turn out.


    And given how big of an untrustworthy person Oakenshield was¡­ Kahn needed the old dwarf bound to him till he became a saint cksmith himself.


    So using the smithing challenge as an excuse, he made sure that the old and cunning bastard couldn''t back down since there was no official contract or even an oath between them.


    And hence, now that Throk was trending on social media, Kahn was also going to use it for his personal profit.


    He told Hector and Venessa that if they spread this issue as well¡­ They will be seen as heroes who extended their help to the dwarf and the human he was preparing for the cksmithing challenge.


    The public opinion would be increased and they''d gain support from both the dwarven race and those who wanted to appear as saints on the surface.


    And seeing the profits only by just spending some of their resources and using their name¡­ both of them jumped into the deal.


    ----------------


    "You¡­ what the hell are you doing here?!"


    Asked Venessa with a shocked expression as the figure who just walked in behind Throk was someone she had met nearly a month ago.


    Kahn bowed and saluted the prince and the princess in the vulcan tradition and spoke in a soft tone.


    "Pleased to meet you again, your highness." he said with a charming smile.


    ? ?? ??-?? ???. ??? Venessa suddenly was rooted on the spot as she couldn''t make sense of things.


    "Huh¡­ you know this human, sister?" asked Hector as he noticed something odd.


    But instead of replying him, Venessa secretly active her Sandhed Charm again.


    [Let me handle this.] said Rathnaar and cast two simr formations that repelled the effects of this artifact which made everyone speak the truth without being suspicious; one for Kahn and one for Throk.


    "You mean¡­ thest time¡­ the auction house¡­ the body¡­" spoke Venessa in as she tried to connect dots on her own.


    [Old bastard, just agree with me without showing any surprise. Or our deal is null.] warned Kahn as he telepathically informed Throk using an artifact hidden in his sleeves.


    "So this is the person you bought that Jatvuarym for?" asked Venessa.


    "Yes, your highness. Master Oakenshield is that person." lied Kahn as he nodded in order to create his cover.


    Because Venessa was connecting Throk to be the mysterious client Kahn filled in for in the auction house of Oslo city where he bought the body of Jatvuarym for 40 trillion.


    "Your highness¡­ you know my new disciple?" asked Throk with a curious gaze.


    "Your disciple? Is he the human who''s going to participate in the challenge?" asked Hector in an astonished voice.


    To both of their curious gazes, Kahn kneeled in respect, more likely trying to look submissive, and spoke in a gentle tone.


    "Kahn Salvatore at your service, your highness."

 Chapter 552 The Squabbling

    <h4>Chapter 552 The Squabbling</h4>


    Kahn introduced himself in front of the first prince and the third princess in his original appearance and voice as he knelt in front of both. This was a way of him trying to show them that he knew his ce in their presence.


    "Is this really your new disciple? He''s not even a semi-saint." said Hector as soon as he noticed that Kahn was only a master rank individual.


    Because at this moment, Kahn was hiding his levels at only Master Rank by using the new mythical rank metamorphosis bloodline which was many times effective in masking his original rank.


    Previously, he could hide his rank to Peak Grandmaster at best in front of other saints who were proficient in using world energy. But the now evolved Mythical Rank metamorphosis bloodline was many times better in hiding his true strength.


    But regardless of the situation¡­ Both Hector and Venessa felt like this was a lost cause already.


    Because Helsi was rumored to be a semi-saint and Kahn wasn''t even a peak grandmaster. So as a result¡­ his skills and levels would be limited because of his rank which was the key factor in bing a capable cksmith.


    "Master said he will provide me with resources to raise my rank till next year¡­ but sadly, we don''t have anything left." said Kahn in a dejected tone.


    "This is already a lost battle." said Hector regrettably.


    Just then, the opposite party interjected.


    "If you don''t want to, you can back out. It''s not like anyone is forcing you to." she said with a benign expression.


    Hector then has aplicated expression.


    Because If he let this opportunity go¡­ he would be surely kicked out of the race to be the next emperor.


    This was the reason why Rathnaar and Kahn gave a biased advantage to Venessa in phase three of their ns.


    So that Hector couldn''t back out in the fourth phase when the time came.


    And if he didn''t back down, Venessa couldn''t back down either.


    And with the announcement already spread across the empire¡­ none of them could retract those rumors otherwise the one to back down will be seen as the loser and also an inconsiderate bastard. While the other one will be glorified by the church and the dwarven race, resulting in gaining their support as well.


    So that way¡­ both of them will be forced to dere their support for Throk.


    To Kahn¡­ their support meant both financial support and connections that they needed for the ns he had in the future which included him earning money by many folds as soon as either of them officially became their sponsors.


    Now, all it remained to see that which one would be the final winner.


    "Master Oakenshield¡­ I would like to sponsor yourpany." said Venessa in a respectful tone, to appease the old dwarf.


    "No, master Oakenshield. It should be me who sponsors yourpany.


    I have always admired and respected your great work.


    ? ?? ??-??? ??, ??? Rogis was indeed an incapable fool who could not see the quality of your works." spoke Hector as he lied on the spot.


    "The thing is, my prince¡­ we are short on time.


    Although it is possible for me to teach Kahn all my skills and have ways to make him a saint even before the challenge officially starts¡­


    We will be in need of abundant resources. Something I no longer have.


    All my wealth went into paying the coteral amount and debt for mypany when I went bankrupt because of the second prince." said the old dwarf with a sense of loss.


    "As you can see¡­ There isn''t even a single employee in mypany now.


    And I''m not that shameless to ask for money and resources from your highness just so I could save my pride." continued Throk with a crestfallen look.


    In reality, the cunning old dwarf had decades of his wealth and resourcespletely left untouched. Just that they had cleaned out the wholepany and moved all the machinery, cksmithing materials, and money into multiple space rings just to give thepany building the look of a dpidated site.


    "Don''t worry about that master Oakenshield.


    I''m fully capable of supporting yourpany." spoke Venessa.


    "If I just say a word, many people in the military who support me will offer you contracts for weapons and artillery.


    I''m talking Quadrillions of Harlen in terms of wealth." said Venessa with a smug tone.


    Seeing how she was taking away his only chance, Hector also chimed in.


    "I can offer you all my connections rted to materials, distributors, suppliers and even two of the fireborne ns who support me to make official dealings with you." said Hector as he outdid what Venessa offered.


    While Throk and Venessa were surprised, Kahn had a calm expression.


    Because he knew that for Hector¡­ it was hisst straw.


    Then both Kahn and Throk looked at Venessa with expectant eyes¡­ as if demanding to raise the stakes.


    "Then I can offer you security, modes of transportation and flying ships for yourpany''s products for free. And also the money to buy raw materials and the equipment of the highest quality for your forge." said Venessa as she blew away Hector''s momentum.


    "You!... You''re doing this intentionally, aren''t you?!" bellowed Hector with a pissed-off expression.


    "What are you going to do about it?" asked Venessa sarcastically, without a hint of fear in her eyes.


    Soon, both Hector and Venessa started arguing amongst themselves and didn''t seem to stop even after 10 minutes.


    "Wait¡­ I think I have a way."


    Suddenly, the voice of the young man in front of them broke their argument.


    Kahn, who was still kneeling, got up after Hector and Venessa stopped and continued in a respectful tone¡­


    "If I may, your highness.


    I have a perfect strategy that can help you both and also make a profit in the way." said Kahn like a seasoned mediator.


    "How?" asked Venessa.


    To her question, Kahn let out a devilish smile as it was time for him to show what he was best at.


    Because it was time for Kahn¡­


    The Businessman.

 Chapter 553 Business Proposal

    <h4>Chapter 553 Business Proposal</h4>


    Right before the two members of the imperial family and one of the top 5 cksmiths of the Vulcan empire¡­ Kahn dered that he had a n that would be beneficial to all their sides.


    "You¡­ you are going to suggest us a business n? What do you even know about business, human?


    We''re not talking about some street shop here." spoke Hector as he didn''t like Kahn, a human to meddle in their matter.


    "Please listen to me, your highness. Although I may not have much experience in making business deals of thisrge scale¡­ but I have an idea that fits perfectly to your situation." replied Kahn while bowing in respect.


    "Alright, let''s listen to him first." said Venessa in an affirmative tone.


    Kahn then took a deep breath and brought forth the business tycoon inside him who had been sleeping for quite some time since he became the Sovereign of Vessen and then came to the Vulcan empire.


    "Let''s say that both of you dere your support and deliver upon your promises¡­


    Then it''s an obvious fact that thepany will thrive even more than before.


    However¡­ it won''t be able to expand regardless given how there will still be people who served the second prince and will hold a grudge against us." started off Kahn as he addressed the main issue.


    The old him already knew about how the elite were always able to cklist someone without backing easily.


    "But instead of wasting our time and resources on dealing with these petty businesses¡­


    We will sell all of our products at manufacturing cost to both of you." dered Kahn.


    To his deration, all three of them were stunned.


    [What the hell are you doing, boy?! Who are you to make decisions about mypany?] argued Throk via the artifact.


    [Just watch and learn, you old bastard. You may be a great cksmith¡­ but this is my area of expertise.] replied Kahn.


    ? ?? ??-??? ??, ??? "Since both the imperial prince and princess are sponsoring us, I believe you shouldn''t lose out on money because of it.


    The quality of the weapons will be guaranteed by Oakenshieldpany.


    And you could usepanies in your respective names or even ns who need weapons in an abundant quantity.


    And you can sell them as the direct source." proposed Kahn.


    Because if it was just theirpany doing everything by themselves to stay in the business¡­ they were too many risks and people he would have to face, whether it was an enemy or some business organization who targeted them.


    But if it were the imperial family members¡­ who the hell would dare to go against them?


    "Think about it. There are other 4 saint cksmiths in the empire, all of whom are from the dwarven race¡­ but you know how hard it is to appease them or even have your weapons and armors made by them.


    The only ones they care about are the Emperor and his four Advisors. They do not give any preferential treatment to you or your followers. So it''s obvious that you won''t be able to get such an opportunity to have a saint cksmith like master Oakenshield on your side easily if not for his current situation." he iterated.


    "Imagine if you could provide legendary rank weapons and armors to your top followers and supporting ns via master Oakenshield within months instead of having to wait for 3 to 5 years¡­


    Wouldn''t they pledge their wholehearted loyalty to you?" asked Kahn to the two firebornes.


    Just then, both Hector and Venessa realized that it was indeed the case. Compared to other prideful cksmiths, Throk was much more approachable. And if they officially became his sponsors¡­


    They would also get direct ess to him and if they went with Kahn''s proposal¡­ there were too many benefits.


    "Obviously, the work will have the logo of Oakenshieldpany but since you''re the direct distributors¡­


    The amount of profits both of you would make by cutting the middleman¡­" said Kahn and stopped with a coy expression.


    Both Venessa and Hector were astonished as soon as they realized what Kahn was implying.


    Because they weren''t just talking about some city-level deal. Rather at least more than a billion people who supported them throughout the whole empire.


    Just by bing a direct source¡­ they would be making way too much money.


    [What the hell are you doing, you brat?! I''ve never worked on that big scale. At best, my business was done with localpanies of the capital.]


    [Think big, old bastard. Don''t you want to go from one of the top 5¡­


    To the most popr, the richest and the most influential cksmith in the whole empire?


    The top 3 cksmiths have support from the Fireborne ns and church, but you¡­


    I''m offering you both the imperial prince and princess on a silver tter.


    Think big and you''ll make it big.] said Kahn with a smug grin.


    Although it looked like it was these three sides who would be earning a lot of wealth¡­


    In reality¡­ it''d be him who was going to milk them dry since his sponsors were going to take care of money, materials, transport, dealerships, connections and other stuff.


    On the other end, he''d have his generals manage thepany while Throk handled the manufacturing and the forge.


    He was going to overwork Throk to the bone and then rake in a huge amount in the name of management of thepany.


    This wasn''t the Rakos Empire where everyone was equal. He couldn''t go through the ordeals of setting up apany or face opposition from locals, not even after the recent bans and restrictions lifted on the human race.


    Kahn learned a lot from the business mini-arc already. So he knew what to do and what not to do. And now¡­ he had no intentions to waste time on the same repeated plotline again.


    So this way¡­ not only was he going to learn cksmith skills for free, have a saint cksmith as a teacher¡­ he was going to have Hector and Venessa do all the heavy lifting while they poured in all of their money and wealth to maximize their personal profit.


    And the one to mooch off on all the hard work done by the three individuals standing in front would be¡­


    Kahn.

 Chapter 554 The Businessman

    <h4>Chapter 554 The Businessman</h4>


    While Hector and Venessa were contemting the pros and cons of the proposal presented by Kahn¡­ Throk had a constricted expression but he tried to hide his disagreement to see what kind of endgame the human saint was aiming for.


    Both Venessa and Hector relied on their position as members of the imperial family and all their wealth, properties and everything about their existence was provided by the imperial n.


    But they had nothing of their own.


    This was also the reason why he proposed this idea to both of them. To have these two gain a sense of having a backup source of ie that was their own and couldn''t be taken away by anyone.


    And Kahn''s business proposal was a godsend opportunity for both of them. Something that was far more beneficialpared to only providing safety and resources.


    The money and connections they invested would keep increasing as the months passed by while their influence, their authority and even their personal standing even without the support of their biggest backers would keep getting stronger than before.


    "But who will get the credit of sponsoring master Oakenshield?" asked Hector with a concerned expression.


    Because the whole announcing their support and sponsoring the old dwarf was done by both the parties only to get their name known to the empire.


    "Since both of you have allied with us¡­


    You both will get the credit." said Kahn.


    "Nonsense! That''s uneptable." spoke Hector.


    Venessa also agreed with his statement because it was indeed the case. But then Kahn carried on¡­


    "However¡­ to your people¡­ it will appear that only you are the official sponsor since you could negotiate the prices on your will and use it to make deals with those people who want to earn your favor.


    You tell them that it''s you. And since you''re providing them with the trademark weapons, you will be seen as the official sponsor." spoke Kahn in a calm tone.


    "The rest should depend on how you reel in the fish by yourself.


    You provide us money, materials, resources and everything that''s needed to make weapons and armors¡­


    In return, we will sell it back to you at the manufacturing price.


    After that¡­ you sell the product through your channels based on the market price or your own choosing based on the type of people you want to reel in on your side.


    The profits you''d make on the investment and processing fee to us will be at least tripled after you''re done selling them throughout the empire.


    The more you give us, the more you''ll receive in profits.


    You invest One and get Three at the end." borated Kahn.


    Again¡­ the two imperial scions were left speechless because of how well thought n Kahn came up with.


    Because it didn''t matter solely about credit anymore. They could achieve that by spreading the news as it is. It was up to the popce and who they believed in.


    ? ?? ??-??? ??, ?,?,? But what Kahn suggested to them was a proper business strategy that would not only help them earn a lot of money that was their own but also make real and powerful allies who actually depended on them for quality weapons supply.


    It was a leverage over their followers they couldn''t just get with verbal praise or promises. Rather, the supporters would believe that Hector or Venessa actually had the final say, thus cementing their support even more.


    Like Kahn said, nobody needed to know the inside deal. And gaining more support and followers would be left to their capabilities.


    Hector at the moment had apetitive look in his eyes. Because he wasn''t the guy who liked to rely on uncertain things.


    "You''re the smartest human I have met so far." said Hector as he truthfully admitted.


    Venessa however¡­ had a different expression. ? ??? a ???e?


    Instead of being surprised or taken aback¡­ she was intensely staring at Kahn as her gaze waspletely transfixed on him.


    After having a detailed conversation with the involved parties on how to start their deals and revive Throk''spany¡­ the two imperial scions left their people in order to renovate the dustypany building.


    Kahn and Throk sat in his main office and started a conversation of their own.


    "You''re so fucking dumb, boy!


    How is selling everything to the prince and princess beneficial to us?


    We will be tied to them andter they will negotiate prices on their own. We will be forced to ept loss since we don''t have any other customers."ined Throk as he thought that Kahn saturated their businesspletely.


    Kahn in return, facepalmed himself.


    "This is why a shepherd cannot do a butcher''s job." he said and started exining.


    "Think about it¡­


    They will be giving you money, resources, materials, transportation, security, connections and everything we need to expand the business to a much grander scale.


    They will be the figureheads and face everything rted to the selling and purchases.


    We will get our cut only for manufacturing without having to spend a single harlen from our pockets unlike before when you had to buy the materials on your own and pay the suppliers and distributors.


    No matter what one believes¡­ whether it''s Hector or Venessa backing us¡­ everyone will be under the impression that you have the support of at least one of the imperial scions." said Kahn in a calm voice.


    "Then others who previously stood on equal footing with you in business deals wille flocking towards you. Because gaining your support will also mean that they''ll have a way to rely on the imperial family.


    But this time¡­ it will be you who has the biggest bargaining chip.


    It will be us who will decide what price we will sell our products to them.


    However¡­ We won''t be selling any of our products to them on manufacturing cost¡­ but the market price." said Kahn with an evil smirk.


    "So even if they don''t want to¡­ they will buy stuff from you at a high cost and they will sell it in the market at a higher price.


    But in the meantime¡­ we will make the profits without even spending anything from our end since the prince and the princess will be paying for everything.


    Although the prince and princess will also earn a lot¡­ we are earning many times more than we''re putting in any effort for.


    And given the scale of the operation¡­ We will build new manufacturing buildings, sites for forging and will get the required necessities under the name of investment from the two.


    Just our share of profits will be tens of quadrillion in just a single year." exined Kahn.


    The Businessman inside of him was exuding an aura of richness just with these words.


    "So by taking a small initial loss while favoring the imperial prince and princess¡­ it''s us who will be making a lot of money in the end." he concluded.


    "I take my words back.


    You''re not some prince of an empire¡­ but some genius business strategist, aren''t you?" asked Throk with his eyes wide open as soon as he realized what Kahn achieved today.


    To his words, Kahn replied in aid-back manner as he spoke¡­


    "I''m just a regr everyday normal ountant."

 Chapter 555 New Management

    <h4>Chapter 555 New Management</h4>


    After the whole thing was settled with the first prince and third princess regarding the allocation of resources and a particr sector of thepany they promised to provide support, finance and manpower for¡­


    All that was left for Kahn and Throk to do was to rebuild the Oakenshieldpany from scratch.


    ? ?? ??-??? ??, ?,?,? Currently, there was not a single employee left in thepany because of this whole beef with Rogis, then the imperial court.


    But after the rumors of the imperial scions backing Throk spread around the capital while they were reconstructing thepany and adding new machinery, forging equipment, facilities to increase the production¡­ there were too many people who tried to visit Throk and make contracts with him.


    But Kahn told the old dwarf to either not meet them or shun them off just like they did to him. Because if they looked approachable from the start¡­ everyone would be under the impression that Throk actually needed them to support him as well.


    And after they were told to return and Throk even declined to meet them, one thing was certain to all these business tycoons¡­


    That the saint cksmith didn''t need any of them since he had a behemoth of a sponsor. This resulted in cementing their beliefs that the rumors were indeed true and now¡­


    Throk was the most sought-after cksmith in the entire Arkensan just in the first week.


    In the following week¡­ Kahn officially started recruiting employees. And the main tag line was that they''d hire based on qualification and not someone''s species or origins.


    This ended up resulting in a huge crowd forming 3 kilometers long queue on the road that led to theirpany.


    Which was good for them because it wasn''t just going to be the mainpany building but also 5 other production warehouses they recently purchased and set up in various ces around Nidavellir to carry out smooth transactions and transportation.


    Kahn already predicted that they were going to be swarmed with work and he already had experience in managing operations on an even bigger scale because of his time in Rakos Empire.


    This time¡­ many of the old employees who left thepanyst time even without severance pay and also some breaking their contracts; tried to return. Saying that they felt bad for their actions and apologized for abandoning the old man.


    After hearing their heartfelt as well as remorseful apologies and given how kindhearted man he was... Kahn had every single of these old employees kicked out of thepany grounds.


    He had 2 main reasons for it. One, he didn''t want those who jumped ship during the storming back under no circumstances because¡­


    ''No matter how many times a snake sheds its skin, it will always be a snake.''


    Two, because he wanted the old dwarf topletely rely on him and his subordinates for management.


    Throk was never a hard-born business but a true craftsman. So he had others take care of things rted to this side of the business. And what Kahn was doing had saved him a great hassle so he didn''t n to question it.


    ----------------


    After everything was set up, new employees were hired under the Fire Oath¡­ an equivalent alternative of the Blood-bind ritual in the Vulcan empire¡­ they now had over 4 hundred thousand employees just in Nidavellir alone.


    Out of them, more than a hundred thousand belonged to the dwarven race and all of them were forgers that they hired for a high sry.


    After that¡­ Kahn set up a new management team. The previous one that managed Throk''spany had already run off with all of the funds and resources during the first week of Rogis and Throk''s fight. ? ??? a ???e?


    So there wasn''t any need to worry about anyone trying to return.


    And this time¡­ the main heads of management were 5 of the Generals and Omega. Leaves his subordinates in charge.


    Kahn told Throk that all of them previously had experience in running an enterprise much bigger than Throk''spany.


    And he should focus on forging and oversight of the new cksmiths they hired since he''s the true expert in this field, while they''d take care of the rest since soon, they''d be flooded with work after the brand was officially runched.


    Jugram was left in charge of security of all their warehouses, facilities and the mainpany building. Even the people provided by the imperial scions had to answer him because that was the part of their deal.


    Omega was in charge of overseeing the transportation and shipment of products done to both of their sponsors.


    Ceril would handle ounting and records as well as official dealing with their backers.


    On the side, he was going to perfectly steal money bit by bit and fill in their own pockets.


    Oliver was to look after the maintenance of all thepany properties.


    Armin was the head of the customer service department.


    Ronin held the charge of official inspection and quality management of the resources such as crafting materials and product quality after they were forged.


    "This ce is under new management." spoke Kahn as he turned away another one of the old buddies of Throk who used to do business with thepany for decades before the incident.


    "Mister Kahn, the new batch of employees will start their work from noon." a hippopotamusdy spoke.


    "Good. Give me the schedule for the rest of the day." said Kahn as he sat on Throk''s chair in the main office.


    Gloria was thest employee who chose to stick around and was on paid leave till their ns seeded and everything came together for them.


    And now, she reported to Kahn instead of the old dwarf.


    And instead of starting with a grand opening¡­ the first day of the runch started off in a quiet way that nobody sawing.


    At the end of the day¡­ Kahn and ckwall stood in front of Throk as the former spoke.


    "Everything is settled up perfectly. Now it''s time." spoke Kahn.


    To his words, Throk nodded in response and spoke in an insidious tone¡­


    "Let''s start your cksmithing apprenticeship."

 Chapter 556 First Lesson

    Chapter 556 - First Lesson


    Kahn and ckwall now stood in front of the old saint cksmith as they officially began his lessons after setting up and runching the wholepany and taking care of everything.


    It had been more than a month since Kahn''s n regarding Rogis, Throk and using Hector and Venessa started. And now¡­ everything had finallye in ce and he was free to prioritize things that were going to benefit him in the long run.


    "Wait, what''s he doing here?" asked Throk as he looked at ckwall, the 3 meter tall humanoid hybrid who had the two ck hornsing out from the sides of his head.


    "He will be learning with me too." said Kahn.


    "What?! Is this a joke? Do you think anyone can be a cksmith these days?


    Plus he''s a Knight warrior. Thest ss of people with the ability to invoke cksmith skills.


    Hell, a swordsman like you being able to learn the skills of another ss or profession shouldn''t be possible in the first ce!


    Feel lucky that I''m using the secret dwarven technique to teach you these skills. But this guy¡­ he will never seed!" proimed Throk.


    "Just try us." said Kahn with a confident smile.


    With a scornful gaze, Throk took both the tall figurespared to him to a forge.


    "Turn on the forge." ordered Throk.


    To hismand, Kahn started rubbing the body of the forge here and there with his palm¡­


    "You like that, don''t you? You little who¡­"


    "Stop it! What the hell are you doing?!" shouted Throk.


    "I said to start the forge! Not seduce it!" he eximed Throk with an exasperated voice.


    "You don''t even know the basic stuff. Let me walk through it before you mess things up because of yourck of knowledge." he said and carried on.


    [[Author : Take note of these exnations. We''re going to use these in future chapters so it''d be good if you understand and remember the Terminology as they''ll be often used in uing chapters.]]


    "The first things you need to be familiar with when ites to cksmithing are the tools and their various applications.


    Here is a list of some of the mostmon knowledge you need to know." said Throk and listed off important terms of basic knowledge of their craft.


    "Alloy : Alloy is a metal that contains one or more additional elements in its makeup. Materials may bebined like so to achieve different physical characteristics, such as increased strength, flexibility, and melting point.


    Anvil : A cksmithing anvil is arge block of iron or steel with a ttened top surface. A cksmith ces the metal they are working with on top of the block to be hammered and formed. The anvil is made up of several different working areas, including the horn, the face, the hardie, the pritchel, the neck, and the feet. All these areas can be used to work the metal into different shapes, such as a curve with the neck.


    Chisel : A chisel is used to chip, nick, or split away at delicate portions of a piece or metal or other material." exined the old dwarf in one go.


    "Crucible : The crucible is the pot or container typically made of ceramic or metal to withstand high temperatures used by cksmiths to melt down metals and other materials.


    Forge : The forge is fueled by strong mes to heat metal and other materials. A cksmith ces metal into the forge to make it more malleable and shapeableter on the anvil. Forges cane in several varieties, including coal, gas, wood-burning, and charcoal.


    Hammer : A hammer is one of the most prominent tools used by a cksmith to repeatedly hit materials in order to give them shape. There are several different types of cksmithing hammers, including a cross peen, straight peen, rounding, tters, set hammers, and more.


    Punch : A punch is a metal tool that is used with a hammer to punch holes in metal or to drive rivets. A punch alsoes in an automated machine variety, though this is more often seen in metalworking than cksmithing.


    g : g is the name for the unwanted material left over after the smelting process." spoke the saint cksmith.


    "Phew! Too much information. I need to rest." said Kahn.


    "Shut up and listen, dimwit!"


    "Tongs : Tongs are what the cksmith uses to hold and transport extremely hot materials from the furnace to the anvil and elsewhere around the working space.


    Vices and mps : Vices and mps are what a cksmith uses to hold a piece of metal or other material while hammering, chiseling, or generally working on it." he finished the introduction of tools.


    "Now¡­ let me teach you the important procedures we will be using." he said in a somber tone.


    "Now that you have a basic understanding of the tools cksmiths work with, let''s next examine the actual smithing processes. These are the ways that a cksmith uses their tools to shape metal and other materials.


    During your daily business or training as a cksmith, these are also the tasks you will encounter daily.


    Bending : Bending is the process of forming a curve or a bend in a piece of metal. This is done by heating the piece of metal and hammering it over the horn of the anvil.


    Casting : Casting is the process of pouring metal that has been heated to a liquid into a mold to form a shape or bar.


    Drawing Out : Drawing out a piece of material means making it longer. The cksmith could also make it thinner or wider, depending on the desired results.


    Finishing : Finishing is the process of working a metal or other material into its final shape. Finishing includes polishing and putting all the final touches on the product.


    Forging : Forging is the entire process that a cksmith deals with to work heated metal into the desired shape.


    Hammering : Just like it sounds, hammering is the process of a cksmith striking a piece of material with any various kinds of hammers repeatedly to form the desired shape.


    Quenching : Quenching requires a cksmith to rapidly cool a piece of heated material by means of exposing it to water, air, or oil. Quenching is typically done to harden metals like steel.


    Shaping : Shaping is the process of hammering, bending, and otherwise working with a piece of metal or other material to change its form.


    Smelting : Smelting involves extracting metal from ore. This requires the material to be heated in order to melt and separate the metal from the ore.


    Soldering : Soldering is the process of connecting two pieces of metal or other material at a joint. These pieces are connected by a melted filler metal with a lower melting point than the connecting pieces.


    Tempering : Tempering is the process of hardening a metal by reheating and quickly cooling it. This process helps increase the toughness of a metal.


    Upsetting : The opposite of drawing and drawing out, upsetting is a technique used to make the working metal shorter, thicker, or narrower.


    Welding : Welding is the process of joining two pieces of metal by heating them near the melting point and hammering them together. These metals, unlike soldering are heated and connected themselves rather than using a filler metal to connect them." informed Throk.


    Unlike Kahn, ckwall was listening to all this information eagerly like a top student of the ss.


    After the whole information session continued for half an hour¡­ Kahn realized that watching those weapon crafting videos online was different than actually forging them.


    "Buckle up brats, I''ll teach you from basics and that too without using any magic, formations, runes or use of world energy.


    You will be no different than rookies. And I''ll make you prepare the materials yourself. Whether creating your own equipment or the metal ingots you will be using to forge.


    There are no shortcuts here. And I won''t teach you the next steps unless you master these things first." announced Throk with a tyrannical grin that sent goosebumps to both Kahn and ckwall.


    The old dwarf was in his element now and his zealous voice was more than enough to give them a glimpse of the hardships and pain that wereing their way.


    "Both of you have to master control over your strength first in each hit and understand theposition of metals and other properties.


    Iron, silver, gold, titanium, adamantine, orichalcum¡­ all of them arepletely different from each other. Even their melting points are different.


    Mess one thing and the whole product is ruined. So you better be prepared to memorize every single detail, no matter how small it is." he said in an insidious tone as if Kahn and ckwall were his defenseless prey.


    "Arrh, great¡­ now I''m back in school again.


    You know what¡­ I''ll leave this to him. Just teach him and think that our deal is done." said Kahn as he didn''t want to go through his school days again.


    He turned and walked towards the door.


    BOOM!!


    "You keep forgetting one thing¡­ the business thing might be your schtick¡­ but inside my forge¡­" spoke Throk with his eyes on fire, full of battle intent.


    "I decide when youe or leave."

 Chapter 557 Thirst for Knowledge

    Chapter 557 - Thirst for Knowledge


    The next week, Kahn and ckwall stood in Throk''s forge room again. After the old dwarf ate his ear for the whole day during the first ss¡­ he and ckwall were instructed by the old cksmith to do their research first and were handed out over 30 massive books rted to the cksmithing craft.


    And Throk warned them that he wouldn''t start the practical sessions unless they memorized all the knowledge in them perfectly to the point where they could answer his questions even after he suddenly woke them from sleep.


    But he estimated it would take over a month for both of his new disciples¡­ took a lot shorter than he imagined.


    As for ckwall¡­ the reason why he suddenly showed interest in cksmithing itself was because he was now a primordial titan and had a natural affinity with earth element as well as metal and minerals ever since Kahn merged him with the mountain titan.


    Now that Kahn was entering this field of study, ckwall also wanted to learn and hone these skills as he was the only free subordinatepared to others who had various responsibilities on their shoulders while managing thepany.


    So he wasn''t going to miss this opportunity while doing nothing and hence asked the old dwarf to make him his disciple as well. And after a lot of nagging, the old dwarf agreed but warned that he would not show any mercy to either of them.


    And this morning, both of them appeared in front of Throk to give their end-of-semester viva.


    "What kind of nonsense is this? It usually takes more than 3 to 4 weeks just to go through all the details of materials, knowledge of forging techniques and properties of the metals and alloys.


    Are you telling me that you two are more talented than the elves of this empire?" berated the old cksmith as he couldn''t ept the fact that both of his new students managed to finish the whole sybus in just one week.


    "No, it''s just that they''re not as eager as us." said Kahn shamelessly.


    "Tch! If it''s some half-ass knowledge, I''ll make you both carry my toolkit over your head for an entire day." scoffed Throk as he felt that both of the pupils were just bluffing.


    "Normally, it would take even a dwarf more than a month just to remember all these details, memorize the properties of the metals, their melting points and how best to smelt them properly while increasing the quality of the extracted metal." spoke Throk and finally started the questionnaire.


    Soon, he started questioning them about how to form various shapes using different types of alloys and metals. What kind of casting mold was used and what part of the anvil to use for giving a particr shape to the hot metal rods and bars based on the design of the weapon or armor.


    What kind of catalyst is needed to quickly harden them or cool them down in a quenching procedure or whether they used water or oil to do the job.


    Later, he asked the duo about how best to hammer the metals to get the desired shape and how to solder different parts together perfectly without sacrificing the build or overall strength of the sample in the forging process.


    "What kind of tools do you use for tampering and how to refine the ore to get the purest metal based on the sample involved.


    Give me the entire list of all of them." said Throk with ruthless eyes.


    However, both Kahn and ckwall recited everything they learned from the books and catalogs without a problem one by one and even when Throk asked them trick questions.


    The old dwarf waspletely shocked and frozen on the spot. Because all the answers were absolutely correct and there was not a single w in any of the details they mentioned about the procedures.


    But little did he know¡­ Kahn already had an eidetic memory and ckwall also inherited his intellect. Even though it wasn''t simr to Ceril who also had the eidetic memory, ckwall was still many times smarter than normal people since he took after Kahn.


    Plus both of them were saints, their minds worked many times faster than normal inhabitants of the world so they had no problem with memorizing everything to little details.


    What took others a month only took Kahn and ckwall a week to perfectpared to someone of the same rank and levels. And thus, the saint cksmith himself found this revtion unbelievable and hard to digest.


    "Fine then. You both pass." spoke Throk with a sense of defeat after there was nothing he could do to discredit both of the pupils since their knowledge was pitch-perfect at this point.


    "I will start with the basic forging techniques and teach you how to use the tools and manage the forge from tomorrow." said the old dwarf.


    "What kind of basic techniques?" asked Kahn.


    "For starters, it will be smelting the ores and taking out the g.


    Then casting ingots based on the quantity needed. After that, I will teach you how to perform hammering without wasting unnecessary force or hitting too hard.


    Plus there are different types of hammers based on the type of materials and product we want to create. So you will need to experience how to use them properly without messing up as well." spoke Throk in an authoritative tone.


    After reading through all the journals, records and crafting techniques¡­ Kahn had found a lot of mind-boggling information already. That even the hammers had too many different types and based on the metal or alloy at hand or the shape you wanted for different types¡­ you needed to master every aspect of crafting.


    It wasn''t anything like the novels he read where the protagonist mindlessly hammers a metal without managing force or used only a t surface hammer to create all types of weapons and armors.


    And it clearly wasn''t like a certain MMORPG novel where the MC who regressed 10 years back with knowledge of the future; picked up a random material, hammered it down and vo¡­ a Legendary Rank armor was created.


    Even the metals and alloys had too many different characteristics to the point that he even had to be careful about not overheating them after a certain temperature or spending an extra minute in the forge otherwise the quality would bepromised.


    Then there was the issue with tampering them again and again while reheating and giving them shapes. Like before, their properties affected this procedure as well.


    The more he read, the more he realized that knowledge was one thing¡­ but actual experience required in this field couldn''t be skipped or shortened anyway just like how people spent decades mastering weapons,bat techniques and studying magic.


    And for the first time, Kahn had genuine and wholehearted respect for the cksmithing profession that was often neglected or not properly exined in the novels, manhwas, mangas and animes.


    Nobody ever bothered to do research and exin these things to their readers and fans and just showed the protagonist banging the hammer on the materials at hand without exining the basic forging process and directly created an entire armor set after some time out of the blue.


    ckwall on the other hand, was more curious than him and started asking questions to the old saint cksmith which even Kahn didn''t think of.


    Because unlike him, who was a jack of all trades¡­ ckwall had a sense of inkling to this profession because of his affinity and control over metals, alloys, minerals and ores.


    The more he asked, the more excited Throk became as he thought that ckwall was the only one who had genuine curiosity and thirst for knowledge for the cksmithing profession.


    Kahn on the other hand felt like a spoiled brat who only perfected what was asked of him and did not have the drive to master the skills on his own unlike ckwall.


    "Good. Very good. I''m impressed." said Throk as he nodded in approval after answering ckwall''s questions.


    He then looked at Kahn and spoke¡­


    "I take my words back. He will be my best student. As for you¡­" he said and continued in a discontent voice.


    "At least lose gracefully in thepetition if you can''t win it."


    ----------------


    Kahn and the group now returned to their current living amodations set inside the mainpany building that was situated at the very end of this 3 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide property.


    Just then, not only he but all the other subordinates sensed an intrudering towards thepany building.


    [Be careful. It''s a semi-saint assassin. Nobody reveals their strength.] ordered Kahn to his subordinates.


    Soon, a yellow foxkin suddenly appeared in his room and was donned in pitch-ck attire.


    Kahn acted all shocked to make the new arrival think that he couldn''t sense him.


    "This is a letter from the princess. Burn it after you''re done reading." spoke the foxkin and handed out a blue-colored envelope.


    Kahn took out the letter inside the envelope after the messenger left and as he started reading it¡­ he was rooted on the spot.


    Because the very first line of Venessa''s letter to Kahn started with the three unexpected words¡­


    "I want you."

 Chapter 558 Confession Letter

    Chapter 558 Confession Letter


    Kahn read the letter that was delivered to him with a shocked expression because the first three letters were kind of¡­ misleading.


    But then, he carried on reading the rest of its context but still was left with too many questions of his own as soon as he finished.


    "But why?" asked Kahn to himself.


    Just then, Throk contacted him through amunication artifact which was a cube and not an elliptical object unlike the Rakos empire.


    "Who was it?" he asked in a serious tone.


    Throk was a second-stage saint himself so he sensed the spying from 10 kilometers away. But since the others weren''t reacting to it, he didn''t bother interfering either.


    "A messenger by Venessa." replied Kahn in a stern tone.


    "What does she want?" asked the old dwarf through the artifact.


    Kahn then told him the matter mentioned in the letter.


    "Damn it! You can''t avoid it. That''s the biggest disadvantage of having the imperial family as your sponsors¡­ you be basically like ves to them." spoke Throk in an enraged tone.


    "Yeah¡­ I''ll have to meet her tomorrow." said Kahn with a worried tone.


    "What do you n to do? Declining her won''t be easy." said Throk.


    "I have my ways. But first, I need to find out why she wants me.


    If I can''t make her listen to reason¡­ I know of a way that she won''t force me to ept." he said in a calm tone.


    "Good luck then. But don''t get dragged into their affairs. We have our things to worry about." reprimanded Throk and decided to take a nap out of routine.


    ----------------


    The next day, at the time of the evening¡­


    A group of people suddenly appeared on theirpany grounds. This group also included the semi-saint foxkin who delivered the message and they escorted Kahn to a flying ship that hadnded a few kilometers away from thepany building.


    After a few hours of travel, Kahn was led to a luxurious castle outside of the capital Arkensan that was situated near a natural waterfall.


    This pristine white-colored castle was filled with greenery and the surrounding area was filled with natural beauty, a perfect vacation spot to rx your mind and body.


    After he was escorted to the top floor of this 5 story tall castle that wasparable to his own in Aesir, the capital of Vessen¡­ he finally met the host.


    "I''m honored to meet your imperial highness again." spoke Kahn respectfully as he bowed and greeted Venessa, the third princess in the Vulcan empire tradition.


    Venessa wasn''t donned in armor for the first time and was currently wearing a blue dress that highlighted her immense beauty, befitting of a princess.


    If there was any other man present here, he''d instantly fall for her just given her looks. But Kahn already had someone in his heart so even the alluring and kingdom-toppling beauty like Venessa couldn''t make his heart flutter.


    Venessa too was surprised by his calm demeanor and to see that he wasn''tpletely transfixed on her at the very first sight.


    Venessa then signaled him to sit on a sofa across her while being escorted by two saints herself. One of which was a second-stage elven saint while thetter was a third-stage fireborne saint.


    "So did you think about it?" she asked as soon as Kahn satfortably on the sofa.


    "I apologize, your highness¡­ but I have to decline." replied Kahn from the get-go with no concern or fear in his eyes.


    "Why? If you want, I''ll pay you ten trillion annually. That amount of wealth¡­ you''ll be the richest human in the empire." she implored Kahn.


    "You see¡­ Everyone around me is here for either the sake of joining my side or because they didn''t have better options.


    Not everyone follows me because of my achievements, rather my im to the throne.


    Even in my allies, there aren''t many that I can trust fully or they truly want me to be the empress." spoke Venessa without holding back.


    [Good. She doesn''t like beating around the bush or needs someone to tell her the truth.] thought Kahn.


    "You see¡­ I need loyal retainers who truly want me to be my vassals and help me be empress." she exined the reason.


    This was exactly what she mentioned in the letter. That she wanted Kahn to join her side and officially pledge his loyalty to her.


    "But I''m a human. We''re the hated kind in the empire and even with the new imperial decree, things are going to be the same.


    Even if this is a great opportunity for someone with no power or social standing like me¡­ I can''t understand your reasoning, your highness." said Kahn.


    "You''re part human too, princess. You should already be aware of how it''s going to affect your im to the throne even if you''re of the imperial blood." he continued with a serious tone.


    "I''m certain that imperial prince Hector will definitely use that in the future when the time is right." he said.


    BOOM!!


    The 3rd stage saint behind Venessa released his saint pressure with killing intent. Because Kahn just spoke casually about a grave matter of Venessa''s im to the throne.


    But before it could go on longer, Venessa signaled him to stop.


    "I''m aware. But there''s one thing you should know¡­


    Although I''m part human¡­ the Fireborne bloodline in me is far purerpared to my brothers." she said with a smirk.


    "How''s that even possible?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    "I don''t know either. But I can use it many times better than them.


    Firebornes are actually descendants of an ancient species that once roamed the. We could ess the bloodline to transform into a particr fire elemental monster at will.


    Although now¡­ even my father can hardly do it for a day¡­ among the three scions, I''m the only one who has managed to achieve the transformation to the full extent and can use it for one full hour.


    If Hector and I were to fight to death¡­ I can easily overpower him despite being a first-stage saint while he''s a second-stage saint." said Venessa pridefully.


    "Although I''m only a first-stage saint at this point¡­"


    Venessa spoke but then her eyes turned serious as she continued¡­


    "I''m fully capable of killing a 3rd stage saint myself."

 Chapter 559 Right To Choose

    Chapter 559 Right To Choose


    Kahn was surprised as soon as Venessa revealed a very important fact about herself. That while being a first stage saint, she had the ability to kill a third stage saint.


    Although Kahn himself could do the same while using all of his buff skills that would enable him to fight a third stage saint on equal footing and then his dimensionalw divine ability giving him an advantage in an open battle¡­ He was a chosen Hero was Venessa was only a descendant of a rare bloodline.


    [Just how powerful is this bloodline that could allow her to fight above two ranks directly?] wondered Kahn.


    Because even someone like him needed the War Deity Body and Chamber of Exaltation to be physically as strong as a second stage and then rely on his plethora of skills to fight two ranks above him.


    [Boy¡­ the Firebornes aren''t the kind you can mess with easily. Even back in my time¡­ their small numbers were enough to overpower forces that were three times more than them.


    On top of it, she''s an imperial princess. The bloodline purity in the imperial family is supposed to be the highest.] informed Rathnaar.


    [Only if I could shake hands with her¡­ the system would''ve been able to scan her body and tell me how much bloodline purity she has.] thought Kahn in just a couple of seconds and came back to the present moment.


    "But why are you telling me this, your highness?


    Isn''t this supposed to be some big secret even among the imperial n?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Because I want you to understand that I have a better chance at bing the empress when the timees." spoke Venessa as she drank a ss of samsara wine.


    "But what exactly do you want me to do? I still don''t understand why you even approached me." said Kahn as he was clueless about what kind of redeeming qualities did Venessa see in him.


    "Manage all my businesses and everything that''s under my name." replied Venessa in amanding voice.


    "Heh?"


    Kahn was taken aback by this revtion because it was truly unexpected.


    Neither was Venessa suspicious about him nor did she care what kind of background he had. But the proposition he was offered was regarding apletely different manner.


    "My brother won''t acknowledge it because you''re a human. But that day¡­ When you were exining the business strategy and basically solved a big hurdle for me¡­ I felt like I found a diamond in the rough." exined Venessa.


    "It hasn''t even been 2 days since we received the first batch of weapons and armors from master Oakenshield¡­ yet, we have already received a favorable response from many of the people.


    And too many people are under the impression that I am the only sponsor of thepany.


    With time, I''m certain things will go just as you borated that day." she iterated with a happy smile.


    "And I think it''d be a waste to let go of someone talented and farsighted like you.


    That''s why I want you to join my side." said Venessa as she gave Kahn a clear picture.


    [Phew! Good thing that she''s after my brain and not my handsome looks or my body.] thought Kahn as he let out a sigh of relief.


    [What looks? You look like an ape, just with less hair.] taunted Rudra.


    He had been silent for quite a while after Kahn gave him the body of the jatvuarym to eat and imparted the bloodline to Omega a month ago.


    "In other words¡­ make me more money." she finished her pitch.


    "You do realize that I have a bigpetitioning, right?<del>


    ,c`o`m</del>


    If I lose, Master Oakenshield will lose thepany. The one you''ve invested in." spoke Kahn in a serious tone.


    , ?`?`m "That''s not a big matter. We already know that you''ll lose.


    We''ll just have to pull out all our funds and separate all the branches and warehouses that are in thepany''s name.


    Although the dwarf will lose some reputation¡­ we will just open anotherpany for him and rebrand it.


    But I''m sure you already thought about that, am I right?" asked Venessa in a coy tone.


    Kahn sighed in defeat.


    "Yes. But I''ll be honest with you, your highness.


    I''m but a humble and weak man.


    I have no aspirations to make it big or get into the center of attention for anybody¡­ let alone the top figures of the empire while I''m dragged into a race for the title of the crown prince or princess.


    Even with the situation for the human race changed¡­ it will take a decade for the normal citizens of the empire to finally ept it and treat humans equally." he exined one of his reasons to refuse.


    "And given your situation¡­ if a human is one of your followers¡­ it will also lead to misgivings by many of your supporters.


    My presence in your group alone will bring more harm to you than what I''m bringing to the table." iterated Kahn as he already knew what was to happen if he got entangled in this matter of the imperial family.


    Kahn then looked at the 3rd stage saint fireborne who stood behind Venessa.


    "Sir, don''t you feel the same? That it''s not worth the trouble."


    The Fireborne saint on the other end nodded in affirmation and spoke.


    "I was also against this decision. But her highness does not wish to take my advice."


    To the words of one of her loyal retainers, Venessa was thoroughly annoyed.


    "What is this? Are we in some kind of romantic rtionship that you''re rejecting me for my own sake?" she asked with no sense of fear.


    "I want you to work for me as everyone else¡­ you also know that you''re more fitted to be a business advisor than a cksmith.


    Plus you''re too weakpared to that Helsi guy. Even with the resources given by master Oakenshield¡­


    I doubt that you''ll be able to even be a peak grandmaster in a year and a half." she revealed her honest thoughts.


    "So stop wasting time and just join my side. I promise you''ll find it worth the trouble." she said in an intimidating voice.


    Kahn then gave the issue some more time and took ten minutes and finally dered his honest decision as if he was tired and could no longer refuse the princess¡­


    "My answer is still no."

 Chapter 560 Hidden Face

    Chapter 560 Hidden Face


    Kahn openly dered his intentions after running pros and cons to the proposition made by the third princess, Venessa Hos Sigfreed.


    And although it had many merits¡­ his current situation and the control he had over the Oakenshieldpany was hundred times more advantageous. Thus, he ended up rejecting the offer despite the consistent imploring by Venessa.


    A heavy silence ensued in the room after Kahn said no to the princess¡­ something that no one would dare to do in the whole Vulcan empire.


    Just then, the first stage saint behind Venessa spoke with a grim tone. ¡­


    "Aren''t you acting way above your paygrade, human?


    The imperial princess is ordering you to join her side. Just ept it and think of yourself as a lucky person.


    This is many times better than someone of yourmoner and human birth can ever get in our empire." he said in a threatening tone as if he wanted to beat Kahn to pulp the next moment.


    To this threat however, Kahn replied in a calm voice as if he wasn''t bothered at all.


    "I still can''t do it even if I wanted to." he dered.


    "Give me one good reason and I''ll stop asking." spoke Venessa as she too was losing her patience with Kahn.


    "Because¡­ I have made amitment.


    And once I give my word¡­ then I don''t break them no matter how better alternatives I getter." spoke Kahn as he lied with a righteous expression.


    But to the charismatic aura that was oozing out of the halo of righteousness behind him¡­ Venessa and the others were taken aback.


    "Alright. I won''t pester you anymore.


    You may leave. Do not reveal anything about our meeting to anyone, not even to Oakenshield." she said and signaled her guards to escort Kahn out.


    ----------------


    After Kahn left like having a walk in the park¡­ Venessa and her retainers hadplicated expressions.


    They knew that Kahn was lying to them about the wholemitment thing but they weren''t that petty to drag on an argument with someone unwilling to join them.


    Because forced loyalty was always open to bing treachery in the future.


    "Princess, you take him too high in regards. He''s just an ignorant human who thinks too highly of himself.


    I wonder if he''d be any help even if you made him in charge of the businesses under your name.


    Venessa then asks the third stage saint fireborne.


    "What do you think of him?"


    "During our conversation¡­ the fact that he noticed how detrimental his involvement would be to your followers and supporters in case he joined¡­ is enough to assure that he''s someone who thinks many steps ahead." he said with a thoughtful expression.


    "And he outweighs the win and loss very clearly. Currently, your side iscking in support and the future if he joined you looks bleak.


    If I was in a simr situation just like him¡­ I wouldn''t want to join our side either." exined the third stage saint.


    "Plus he''s someone who sticks to his demeanor even under pressure. Anyone else would''ve agreed to join without resisting.<del>


    ,c`o`m</del>


    Yet he was calm, focused and did not sway despite the situation." said the fireborne as he praised Kahn in his own way.


    However¡­ unlike her previous appearance¡­ Venessa''s expression was nowpletely opposite to her approachable image.


    Showing apletely different sidepared to before when she was talking with Kahn.


    "Arrhhh!! How dare he?! I need something to punch really badly!" eximed Venessa as her face turned red while revealing her enraged face.


    "That bastard lives like amon employee.


    He doesn''t even have his own house and lives in the quarters given by the old cksmith.


    He doesn''t have any money, social standing or any authority!


    He''s basically a street beggarpared to me and yet he outright refused my generous offer without any fear in his eyes!" she shouted and cursed Kahn without holding back and releasing all of her killing intent.


    "No one had defied me this badly!" she let out a scornful expression as if she''d squash Kahn''s head with her bare hands.


    This was the real Venessa and not the calm and collected princess who talked with Kahn using proper decorum and elegant words a while ago.


    "Maybe because he thinks it''s too risky, your highness.


    In thatpany¡­ he will at least stay alive." spoke the 3rd stage saint as he tried to calm her down.


    Unlike the first stage saint¡­ he wasn''t surprised to see this side of Venessa as if this was not something that happened for the first time.


    "And we can''t even force anything on Oakenshield such as firing this human either since he''s bound to appear for the challenge.


    On top of it¡­ if we mess up with Oakenshieldpany, the saint cksmith will choose prince Hector as his official sponsor.


    After that¡­ just a word from the old dwarf will destroy all our ways to gain a bigger following and supporters." he borated on why they shouldn''t approach the matter violently.


    "Now that the church and dwarven race is also in shambles because of the Imperial Punishment announced by the Emperor¡­ we are also getting a lot of people who want to join our side, the ones that want to secure their future.


    You''re their number one preference because of the contributions during the imperial trial.


    But everything will be ruined if we make out an enemy of these two people.


    So I hope you can consider and control your anger for some time, your highness." spoke the fireborne as if trying to console his angry cat.


    , ?`?`m "Fine¡­ I''ll hold back for now; until I''m announced as the crown princess that is. And after he loses the faceoff¡­ I will pay him back for this insult." replied Venessa as she controlled herself and took deep breaths to retract her saint pressure.


    "But I have made my decision." she said.


    "What is it?" asked the 1st stage saint fireborne.


    "No matter what¡­ either by hook or crook¡­


    Even if I have to make him kneel and beg in front of me¡­" she spoke with a battle intent lit in her eyes¡­


    "I will make him mine!"

 Chapter 561 Real Beginning

    Chapter 561 Real Beginning


    After Venessa''s deration about Kahn¡­ both of the saint retainers were stunned and dumbfounded.


    The first stage fireborne saint waspletely confused.


    The third stage saint on the other hand facepalmed himself as his shoulders slumped down and he let out a sigh of helplessness.


    "She really messes up her words when she''s riled up." he said.


    "Princess¡­ Please be careful. Those words can be misleading." he spoke in a gentle tone.


    "What do you mean?" asked Venessa curiously.


    "I simply meant that I''m going to make that ungrateful bastard into my ve and make him regret rejecting my offer." she exined.


    "Yeah, but your words suggest that you want him to be your man." said the first stage fireborne saint.


    "Eh?"


    Suddenly, Venessa came back to her senses and remembered what she spoke just a minute ago.


    "Heh?!" her eyes widened as the shock hit her mind.


    As soon as she herself understood how those words would be perceived by others¡­ her entire face turned red like a ripe tomato.


    "No! That''s not what I meant!" rebuked Venessa and grabbed her head with both hands.


    A visible red tinge appeared on her cheek as she shook her head in denial.


    She was thoroughly embarrassed at the moment. And tried to hide her blushing face from the two saints.


    "I need to take some rest. That rascal ruined my mood!" she eximed and started running towards the door that led to her living chambers while hiding her flustered expression.


    After she left in a hurry like a charging duck¡­ both of her retainers let out a defeated sigh.


    "May God Hetrax have mercy on his soul¡­


    Knowing how her highness never gives up on something after she sets her mind to it¡­" said the middle-aged fireborne and continued in an empathic tone.


    "He''s going to get dragged into a lot of trouble."


    ----------------


    At the Oakenshieldpany premises¡­ the main building''srgest area was filled with noises and constant echoing sounds of hammers nging against metals and object like sound of raindrops falling on the ground all at a single moment.


    "Speed up ye lil buggers! We don''t have an entire day just prepare one part of the set.


    You call yourself dwarves? Even a newborn pup can do a better job than all of you, you useless bums!" he shouted.


    In the main forge of the Oakenshieldpany, Throk was overseeing over two thousand cksmiths, all of whom were dwarves that they hired while paying a hefty sum.


    Because of the demand for arms by both Hector and Venessa as well as the great feedback they received from their respective tradingpanies and deals made with their followers for the weapons supply¡­ Throk was burdened with even more work.


    And now, he was guiding others in the production line while giving them instructions on how to efficiently perform shaping and fit the parts in a way that won''t drag down the wearer and hinder the physical movements while fighting.


    The biggest challenge for them was that the armors weren''t made just for a single species but too many varying species and that too with different physical builds and body measurements.


    So every single one of the dwarves was tasked with preparing one set of armor that included many different parts for one individual each.<del>


    ,c`o`m</del>


    Hence, Throk himself had to overlook their work because a messed-up measurement or slight mistake would ruin the entire set.


    It wasn''t a task like mass producing and copy-pasting the same set like some fictional story where every soldier was a human and everyone would wear the same type of armor regardless of the difference between their physiology.


    But in the evening after their work for the day ended, Throk called Kahn and ckwall.


    "Today, we will start with hammering." he said and handed down two hammers made for novice cksmiths.


    He told both of them about how to hammer down the hot metal ingot and how to distribute their hits to tten it out.


    "You both will be doing it without using mana or world energy.


    Use only your physical strength." he ordered.


    Bang!!


    Suddenly, a shockwave was released in the room as soon as both Kahn and ckwall made their first strike.


    Crack!


    The hot metal ingots were cracked open in multiple pieces while the hammers in their hands were mashed like potatoes themselves.


    "You idiots! I didn''t say you have to use all of your physical strength. Just enough to broaden the ingots!" shouted Throk as he reprimanded both of his students.


    "But this is our normal physical strength." replied Kahn casually.


    ckwall also nodded in affirmation because neither of them was using even 1% of their power.


    Throk waspletely taken aback. Because if this was them using their minimal strength¡­ then how powerful would they be if they used mana and world energy infused in their strikes?


    "What kind of freaks are you two?!


    Even I, a second stage saint can''t tter an entire ingot in a single strike just with pure physical strength!" he eximed in denial.


    However¡­ little did he know that the two disciples of his were walking-talking cmities themselves.


    Kahn had the War Deity Body and ckwall was a Primordial Titan. Even if both of them didn''t want to¡­ they were simply too strong in terms of physical strength alonepared to others of their rank.


    After another earful of scolding, they began the practice again.


    Throk then told them how to angle their hits based on the type of part of the armor under the forging procedure or the type of hammer they''re using.


    Kahn understood that these little details actually saved a lot of time, effort and shaped the sample at hand at a much faster pace.


    So in other words, Throk was indeed sharing his decades of experience if he could guide them this effectively even in the novice level training.


    Both Kahn and ckwall slowly started hitting the ingots carefully as if using 0.1% of their strength.


    Hours passed and finally, both of them were learning to control their physical strength and how much force they had to deliver in each strike of the hammer.


    , ?`?`m Kahn and ckwall had a smile on their faces after they too started enjoying the process.


    Because for both of them¡­


    This was the beginning of their real training.

 Chapter 562 The Living Hack

    Chapter 562 The Living Hack


    Two more days passed since Kahn and the Abyss Knight general aka ckwall started their cksmithing skills lesson and practiced 7 to 8 hours a day under Throk''s supervision.


    In just 2 days, Kahn also noticed that he was improving bit by bit and not mindlessly banging his hammer without the grasp of the metal on the anvil and how they wanted to shape it.


    And on the third day¡­ Kahn finally received a notification in his head.


    [Skill Unlocked!


    cksmith''s Hammering (F Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to manage the force delivered in each strike while hammering on different parts of the metal or alloy.


    Current progress : 6%


    The host can increase his mastery just like Weapon Mastery and Combat Techniques Mastery blessings in this skill by practicing and increasing his proficiency.]


    "Yes!" eximed Kahn after hearing this unexpected notification.


    He found it extremely useful that the blessings could also be used to improve his cksmithing skill, unlike his previous assumptions.


    And it would be just like he practicedbat techniques and weapon mastery, he now had a way to improve these skills as well.


    This news had a big impact because if this applied to cksmithing skills¡­ then it could help him in other lifestyle professions and their respective skills as well.


    Obviously, there was no shortcut just like in the former cases but he no longer had to be anywhere else or had to manage a fiefdom.


    Money, resources and even upgrades in his weapons and armor¡­ he was getting all of it for free. So Kahn was going to dedicate all of his time to cksmithing and raise his rank in this profession as well.


    "Wait a minute¡­"


    Just then¡­ a thought came into his mind.


    "System¡­ can my weapon mastery, magic spells,bat techniques as well as world energy be shared if my Doppelgangers also learn and practice them? Can I receive them from my doppelgangers?" he asked curiously.


    . ?`?`m Because the doppelgangers were able to absorb mana and world energy through Rathnaar''s core, convert it into space force and share those reserves with Kahn when they deactivated and all of it passed to the original body.


    [Now that host is a saint and the doppelganger skill has evolved to Saint Rank¡­ it is possible.] replied the system.


    "Holy shit! This changes everything!


    Show me the newly evolved version of Doppelganger skill." ordered Kahn.


    [Following is the new upgraded version of the Doppelgangers skill :


    Doppelganger (Saint Rank) (Active) (Upgradable) :


    Allows the host to create an identical copy of himself with all of the host''s skills and abilities for 75 seconds. The range of this ability is 15 Kilometers.


    The Doppelganger will share the mind connection and vision with the host and they all share a soul connection with him so the skill mastery,bat techniques mastery, weapon mastery and magic spell mastery can be shared after the new evolution of the skill to Saint Rank.


    The host will also be able to increase his proficiency and rank up his skills that are learned and practiced by the doppelgangers.<del>


    ,c`o`m</del>


    Note : The Doppelgangers will have 65% of all of the host''s stats. The activation time will increase with the increase in the host''s levels and rank.


    In case the Doppelganger dies, it can be revived again after 30 minutes.


    The host can extend the time of activation indefinitely as long as the doppelgangers have high-grade SS Rank cores or ores to sustain their existence.


    1 SS Rank core is enough for one doppelganger to continue existing for 2 hours.


    5 more doppelgangers will be added with each new rank up in saint stages.] informed system with all new details.


    "Muhaha ha ha!! Haha ha ha!!"ughed Kahn like a maniac.


    "Why do I keep forgetting that I''m basically a living hack these days after all those abilities and skills I absorbed.


    This one¡­ is the most helpful in saving time." he said with a wicked smile.


    Since all the doppelgangers shared a direct soul link with him and thus the transfer of energy and mastery was also possible¡­ this opened another door for Kahn.


    And after his rank-up, they could stay active for 2 hours just with 1 SS Rank core instead of only 1 hour before he became a saint.


    "Great! This means I can simultaneously study magic, perfect my weapon mastery and improve all my skills that I already have, study and enhance my magic study and skills¡­


    I can also continue studying spacew and even learn and improve my cksmithing skills.


    Means I''m aplishing 4 different tasks all at once!" he said in exhrated voice.


    "Since I already have my space force reserves full¡­ let''s allocate all the doppelgangers to a particr task and keep all of them busy." he said and tried to think of ways to use this another cheat ability of his to maximize his gains.


    Kahn then decided that he will use 5 doppelgangers to practice cksmithing after he acquired skills by himself. Later, the doppelgangers will also get the ability and through them¡­ he will increase his mastery and proficiency.


    Then he allotted 5 to practice magic and spacew.


    This way, he will also greatly improve his use of mana, world energy, and magic spells that he was going to study from the books he got from Solomon, who himself was an elven mage.


    And finally, he decided to put the remaining 5 to practice all of his new fighting skills, abilities and weapons as well asbat techniques that were unlocked after he became a saint.


    The ones he previously had were already at 100% mastery but the newly unlocked ones and the upgraded ones also needed a lot of work to perfect. But because of his cksmithing training¡­ he wouldn''t get enough time for them even if he started training at early dawn.


    So as a result¡­ Kahn would have a perfect mastery in these sectors and won''t have to waste time or wait to be free.


    Kahn then made a new resolution in his mind.


    From now on¡­ he will work endlessly with one clear goal in mind.


    That whatever field it was¡­


    He was going to be the best of the best!

 Chapter 563 The Congregation

    Chapter 563 - The Congregation


    Inside a central region of the capital Arkensan, was a territory of a particr institution that yed a very important part in the social and cultural structure of the entire Vulcan empire.


    Inside this 50 kilometers wide territory, were hundreds ofvishly decorated white and red-colored buildings that were filled with millions of people since the early morning.


    Through sound amplifying artifacts, all these people prayed to the hymn that resounded in these settlements while maintaining peace and order as if this was part of their daily routine.


    At the innermost parts, were 5 gigantic castles that were not only heavily guarded but also appeared to be the most highly maintained among all these buildings.


    And at the end of it¡­ was a ginormous castle that had 5yers of different sections while at the very end of it¡­ was a 500 meter tall enormous statue of a figure with multiple arms that were covered with blistering mes and yet it appeared to not be affected by them at all.


    Unlike the other portions of the region, only the highest authorities of this institution were allowed to set foot in the closest areas of this statue while the rest were permitted to only look from outside regions of these castles.


    This ce¡­ was the Church of Hetrax. And the statue belonged to the Hetrax, the God of Fire in the world of Vantrea.


    Among the many high-ranking people including hundreds of Pdins, over a dozen of whom were bonafide saints.


    Then thousands of deacons and priests who worshipped their mighty god with vehement eyes were also gathered a few kilometers away from the statue of Hetrax.


    In front of them, were a few hundred bishops followed by over 40 archbishops, 3 cardinals and finally¡­ the Pope himself.


    An elderly fireborne whose eyes shone brighter as if they were on fire while donning a red and golden cassock stood the closest to the statue a few hundred meters away.


    "Your Holiness¡­ everyone is here." spoke the middle-aged Cardinal who was adorned in white and red robes of the church.


    Afterpleting their prayers and worshipping rituals¡­ the Pope who had summoned all the important figures of their church that were spread across the whole empire then gathered over a hall created for holding a congregation.


    "May the eternal mes of our almighty god Hetrax cleanse your bodies and soul." he spoke vehemently while widening his arms and looking at the gigantic statue of Hetrax.


    "We pay heed to the mighty god Hetrax and offer our lifetime pledge of loyalty!" spoke all the attendees in unison at the same time.


    After the introductions were done, refreshments and delicious food were put on long tables, enough to feed 10 thousand people at once¡­ the mood was set properly for a proper discussion.


    "I, Demiurge Val Arhelm, dly wee you to our annual congregation." he spoke and his voice reached the ears of every single person present in this 2 kilometers wide building.


    The aura given by the pope himself was of a 6th stage saint who had the profession of a Healer.


    "Forgive me for my rudeness, your holiness. Wasn''t our annual congregation supposed to happen 3 monthster as per our usual schedule?" asked one of the archbishops who were suddenly summoned on short notice.


    "Yes, Archbishop Clive. But there is a reason why I was forced to summon everyone here on short notice." he exined in a kind voice and continued while gazing at all the people present in this vast hall.


    "After the recent Imperial Court''s decision regarding the crimes of the former second prince, Rogis Hos Sigfreed and his allies¡­ we all know what kind of situation we''re in." he emphasized.


    To his words, everyone''s face turned sullen all of a sudden. Because not only Rogis but all of his allies and those who partook in his crimes of killing humans for fun and releasing their hatred on the innocent people who were shunned by thews of the empire¡­ all of them were judged under imperial punishment.


    "Among the perpetrators¡­ over three thousand and two hundred people belonged to our church.


    And all of them previously held an influence in several regions and had high rankings positions in our institutions throughout the empire." he iterated and gave a number to all of the high ranking people.


    "And now¡­ every single one of them has been either caught and imprisoned or executed under the imperial decree.


    This was something neither we nor any prominent race of the empire could fight against.


    Because if I spoke one word against it¡­ the Emperor and the Imperial n could''ve used it against us in order to get rid of many more among our ranks in the name of investigation or dug up some buried past that we didn''t want themon popce to know about.


    And hence¡­ I too had no choice but to give up many of those who previously attended our congregation justst year." he borated with a stern expression.


    However, no one dared to speak a word against the emperor or the imperial n at all. Because that was enough to get them in trouble.


    "It''s not just us, but many other races and even the dwarven race had their infrastructure and chain ofmand broken to bits.


    Just one imperial decree by the emperor was enough to destroy centuries of the system that we established.


    Our losses¡­ are probably thergest in the history of any pope who came before me." he brought everyone''s attention to this hard fact.


    "This is why¡­ I don''t think we can afford to stay on the sides anymore. This empire¡­" he looked towards everyone''s expectant gazes and dered in a loud voice.


    "We are the main force that bound different species and sses of society and showed them a proper direction to live their lives.


    We formedmunities, regardless of one''s origin and brought them together.


    If not for us¡­ the imperial n would''ve never managed to rule the empire on their own.


    But after the recent imperial decree¡­


    I have only a clear vision that we should all join hands to aplish." he spoke.


    "What is that?" asked the first Cardinal.


    To their curious gazes¡­ Demiurge dered his final decision.


    "The Vulcan empire¡­ shall only be ruled by the Church of Hetrax!"

 Chapter 564 The Envoy

    Chapter 564 - The Envoy


    As soon as the current Pope of the Church of Hetrax, Demiurge Val Arhelm revealed his ambitions to make their institution into the sole rulers of the Vulcan empire¡­ the vast hall and everyone present in the congregation were dibobted.


    Stunned!


    Dumbfounded!


    Shocked!


    Everyone including the Cardinals had their eyes popped out because of this sudden bomb dropped by the pope.


    In this meeting, the majority were the firebornes and the rest were a mix of different species. But their forces were different from the nobles, fireborne ns or the imperial n. However, they had indeed yed a big part in reforming this empire since it was founded.


    Although the pope was right to be angry about the imperial decree¡­ Just saying these words was enough to be considered high treason.


    But before anyone could question his intentions¡­ the pope raised his red-skinned hand and spoke¡­


    "I have a perfect n to takeover the empire and even get rid of the emperor himself. It is something that my predecessors already prepared for should the situation arose.


    I''m telling you all about this because of the way things are about to go from now on¡­ I need all of us to be unified and share the same mindset." he stated with a calm tone.


    "But your holiness¡­ this will forever damage our reputation among the popce.


    We swore equality and neutrality from the affairs of the empire. Even if we managed to overthrow the imperial rule¡­ the people would not be able to ept it." said one of the Archbishops.


    To his statement, the pope replied in an authoritative tone.


    "History is written by the winners. Those who conquer are glorified as heroes while the ones to lose are branded as viins."


    Then he stood up from his throne and walked forth with steady steps.


    "We can simply use the incident with Rogis as an excuse and thenbel the entire imperial n to be of the same kind.


    The emperor used his son''s name to cut off our hands and feet¡­ and we will use the same reason to justify our coup.


    And most importantly¡­" he stopped his words and a wicked smile appeared on his face.


    "These people who worship with full devotion¡­


    They''re not god-loving, rather god-fearing." he dered.


    "If I say that it was a divine message from our god Hetrax himself¡­ that we must purge the vile and evil imperial n, all of these people who know nothing other than showing blind faith to our church and our god''s doctrine¡­ they will ept it and no one would dare question it either." he borated on how he nned to deal with the aftermath.


    "But there is another important issue that we must pay attention to first. Because it will decide the direction of our ns in a way." he exined.


    "What may that be, your holiness?" asked thest Cardinal curiously.


    The next second, the Pope''s expression turned dead serious as he presented the main issue that was clouding his mind¡­


    "The Oakenshieldpany."


    ----------------


    Another silence ensued as people of the church had many questions raised in their minds after Demiurge suddenly said a weapons and armspany, that wasn''t even a big corporation of the empire, to be something important that would shift the direction of their ns.


    "Your holiness¡­ How can a single saint cksmith''spany affect us greatly?


    For all we know, he was just another victim of the second prince''s shenanigans." spoke a dwarven archbishop.


    Demiurge, who was now standing in the very center of the hall spoke in a somber voice.


    "Tell me¡­ what has been our stand since the news about Throk Oakenshield spread throughout the empire?" he asked.


    Suddenly, everyone''s expression turned rmed.


    Sigh!


    Demiurge let out a sigh and continued¡­


    "Other than some vocal support and using the incident to pressurize the imperial n to start an investigation against Rogis¡­ our side did nothing.


    Not a single person among you even met the cksmith.


    Was I supposed to do that for you?" he questioned.


    "The representatives of the dwarven race haven''t provided him with any help either.


    But do you know who is aiding him now?" he questioned again to see how well informed were his people.


    But after looking at their clueless faces¡­ he signaled a particr step in.


    The leader of the Pdins of the church, who was a 5th stage saint knight walked forth and informed all the attendees¡­


    "From the past 3 weeks¡­ Throk Oakenshield''spany has been thriving many timespared to before the incident with Rogis Hos Sigfreed.


    Suddenly, he received immense backing out of nowhere.


    He is being provided with money, resources, connections and manpower to even transport and safeguard his products.


    While we were trying to minimize and deal with our losses¡­ a particr party extended their help." said this tall and burly fireborne knight.


    "Some of you may have heard the rumors that either prince Hector or princess Venessa have dered their support to the old dwarf and hispany as a form of responsibility to revert the losses caused to him because of the former second prince.


    But recently¡­ one thing hase to our attention." he said and continued under thousands of curious gazes.


    "Our Intel says that half of the people are from the followers and ns that back up Hector while the half are from Venessa''s side.


    But the transportation of the top-grade weapons and armors are equally divided among them for some reason.


    These shipments of products are in millions and we tracked them down to many of the nobles and influential figures, whether they''re from legit businesses to even underworld organizations that do the dirty work for the imperial n¡­


    Everyone, as long as they ally them with either of the sides, are receiving them spontaneously." he reported to the whole crowd.


    Gasp!


    Hundreds of gasps echoed in the hall because this was something no one had even heard of.


    "Given the fact that both of them are in the race for the throne¡­ it is impossible for them to wholeheartedly join hands together unless there was a bigger force whomanded them to do so." spoke the Pdinmander and cleared the way for the pope to speak again.


    "The rtionship between the heirs of the imperial family is no secret to any of us.


    But if the only two candidates for the throne are working together¡­ means there is an angle that we have failed to see yet.


    But if my assumptions are right¡­ this can only happen if a certain person wills it." he said and continued in a grim tone as his eyes turned hateful.


    "The Emperor."


    He openly dered without any hesitation. And soon, everyone had a baffled expression because if the emperor was directly involved in something¡­ no way would it be a small matter.


    The cunning emperor used his own son, sacrificed his second-born to maintain his reign, and used his crimes to take out many of their important members to swift the bnce on his side with a single imperial decree.


    "Because these two wouldn''t ally themselves with Throk Oakenshield because of their disagreements with each other.


    Unless the emperor himself ordered them to.


    They''re nning something big¡­ something we''re not even aware of or predict the consequences of." spoke Demiurge.


    This was indeed an issue for them. Because their institution received the biggest hit in the history of the empirest month¡­ and over a century''s established power and authority was taken from them when all the involved members from the church who partook in the crimes against the human race were executed in the name of imperial punishment.


    "What should we do?


    If what you said is right, your holiness¡­ then it is a long-term n by the emperor that will show its effect in the future.


    He doesn''t do anything on a whim at all." spoke one of the Cardinals.


    "We can''t directly show up there. If the Pdins and Arbiters show up near thepany¡­ then not only the imperial n but even the normal poption and the dwarven race will get suspicious.


    Just our envoy is more than enough to start rumors such as the church is also officially backing Throk Oakenshield and that we are finally showing our support to a victim of the second prince.


    We can''t ally ourselves with anyone on the surface." stated Demiurge with a thoughtful expression.


    Many people also nodded in affirmation because their presence or a personal visit to any person or an organization was always seen as something worth noting in the whole empire.


    "But he¡­ he can just make a visit and find a few things on his own without raising any suspicions." said the pope as a grin appeared on his face.


    "Send him and his party to deliver my message."


    "Who?" asked themander of the Pdins.


    This time however, many of the people present in the hall understood what the pope was hinting at.


    "Send Axel Lobethrox to visit the Oakenshieldpany."


    [[Author : Sorry for the drop in the frequency of chapters recently.


    The world does not want me to stay healthy and well even for a week it seems. My right forearm muscles are strained so I can''t write much from the past couple of days.


    We will continue with 2 chapters per day schedule once I recover¡­ hopefully soon.]

 Chapter 565 New Guests

    Chapter 565 - New Guests


    At the northern end of Nidavellir, in wide and open grasnds, was a gigantic castle-like building that was spread for more than 5 kilometers in total length alone.


    There were three floors from start to beginning and everything was sculpted and renovated to the point that one would believe this building to have been built just a few days ago.


    At the entrance of this building were two 20 meters tall stone statues. One of the dwarfs had a sword while the other one with a battleaxe. And even the hundreds of stone-paved stairs were made so well that even those who walked on them couldn''t help but feel guilty to have dirtied these amazing creations of architecture.


    This was the newly renovated site of the Oakenshieldpany that now had the sponsorship of both Hector and Venessa, the imperial scions.


    While hundreds of people went in and out of the building, the majority being the workers and employees of different departments since this was the main headquarters of their franchise now¡­ the atmosphere and the echoing noises of crafting and metalwork signified the busy nature of thispany.


    Throk was busy forging parts of Kahn''s Drakos Armor at the moment in his personal forge while he left his two disciples with the thousands of dwarven cksmiths who worked for him.


    Kahn and ckwall stood at the end while practicing their skills just like the rest and tried to increase their efficiency and experience.


    For them, the cksmith''s life couldn''t be studied¡­ it could only be experienced.


    SHING!!


    However¡­ not only Kahn but also Throk and everyone from the subordinates suddenly sensed a form of threat iing their way from 15 kilometers away.


    [I can''te out now. You handle this.] contacted Throk to Kahn as he was at a crucial point of forging and mending the parts of armor while mixing them with Drakos Armor.


    [Alright everyone¡­ hide your strength and levels. Let''s see who this new party is.] ordered Kahn as he sensed 8 individualsing from the south via a warship at a fast pace.


    In just 2 minutes, this warship hovered close to theirpany building andnded in an open field while the onlookers whether they were employees or customers, looked were gazing at this magnificent and well-designed warship that had a sigil of a particr group.


    "It''s the Hero''s Party!" shouted one of the employees and soon, the majority of the people and even the dwarven cksmiths left their work and ran around to get a glimpse of these new guests as if paparazzi flocking towards celebrities to get some exclusive pictures.


    Soon, these 8 individuals walked out of the warship while being escorted by over a hundred soldiers with the sigil of the Church of Hetrax on their armors.


    They controlled the flocking mob towards the members of Hero''s party, most of whom were at least a first stage saint while few members were above. And after they finally reached the main entrance of thepany building¡­


    One of the members, a wolfkin archer among them spoke.


    "The Hero''s Party hase to visit Throk Oakenshield!" he said loudly.


    The normal employees and customers were shocked alike. Because being personally visited by the Hero of Fire and his party wasn''t something that happened normally at all.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Suddenly, a 3 meter tall human with a ripped body who was donning fiery red armor and had a giantsword on his back came out of the main entrance door of the building.


    This individual was none other than Jugram who was wearing his second set of armor that was made by Albestros while the first set was being reforged by Throk using the guardian dragon''s body as part of their deal.


    Currently, he had limited his rank and levels to match that of an intermediate grandmaster


    Kahn had given the mythical rank metamorphosis bloodline to all of the subordinates quite some time ago. So they had no problem hiding their levels and rank just like Kahn and even erase the world energy signaturepletely.


    Unless someone was a 5th stage saint, they wouldn''t be able to detect their true strength.


    "My apologies, honorable members of the Hero''s Party. Master Oakenshield is currently busy with aplicated forging procedure. He can not be disturbed during this crucial time.


    Allow me to guide you to our resting rooms till then." spoke Jugram in a respectful tone, trying to maintain his cover.


    [How strong are they?] asked Kahn.


    [Master, I can easily take out 3 of them myself. But the problem is that there are 4 people who are above 1st stage saint.] reported Jugram as he was closest to these people and could directly gauge their strength based on their auras.


    [Tch! Then we better be prepared. I smell some troubleing.] replied Kahn.


    "Huh? What does mean he''s busy? Doesn''t he know who we are? Or who Lord Axel is?" suddenly, a figure walked forth from the group and spoke in a discontent voice.


    This was none other than Edna, one of the members of Hero''s Party who was a female subus enchantress.


    But instead of stopping her haughty words, the members of her party including Axel himself acted like they didn''t care if Throk was busy or not.


    "Apologies, mydy. These were the direct orders from master Oakenshield himself.


    If you''d be so kind, please allow us to offer our hospitality till he bes free of his work." spoke Jugram in a respectful tone towards the new arrivals.


    "Ha! The audacity¡­ does your cksmith has no time to greet the great lord Axel instead of hitting some scrap metal with a hammer?" said a female archer with a head of an eagle.


    However, to her words¡­ many of the people among the crowd felt offended because this was one of the most prestigious crafts of their empire and also the pride of the dwarven race.


    The dwarven men and women clenched their fists as they tried to swallow down this insult.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The next moment, a 3 meter tall figure,parable to Jugram in height suddenly walked forth and released his saint pressure filled with killing intent.


    "Tell him toe out... Unless he wants to be forced to kneel in front of us!"

 Chapter 566 Questionable Manners

    Chapter 566 Questionable Manners


    The second stage saint halfbreed orc threatened openly in front of over 500 people who were just close to the main door. However, his words echoed in the surroundings and all those who were listening from in the building and windows also heard his words.


    "Mika, looks like he really doesn''t know the gravity of the situation.


    If we visited some other saint cksmith, they''d leave whatever they''re doing and wee us with open arms just to gain lord Axel''s favor with worshipping eyes.


    How dare this old fart not show us any respect?" said Tamak, the halfbreed orc warrior with a battleaxe on his back and slightly released his saint pressure.


    Tamak was a second stage saint unlike most of their group and his overbearing pressure instantly put the onlookers in a kneeling position.


    Jugram himself was forced to kneel on the ground because he was currently limiting his strength and rank. Otherwise, he alone was enough to take down half of this group if he used the Hell Domain in his true Diablos form.


    [These fuckers¡­ looks like they''re used to being treated like royalty.] said Kahn who listened to the threat loud and clear.


    [Kid¡­ if you can''t even handle this small matter, then I will have to rethink our arrangement.


    Didn''t you say you''ll look after the security and whatever problems thate my way?] patronized Throk who was carefully carrying his work.


    Someone like Throk ¡­ he cared more about his craft than some rich guy visiting him when he waspletely immersed in forging.


    Suddenly, Rathnaar spoke in Kahn''s mind¡­


    [What do you think their sudden visit means? I don''t think they''re here to hire the old man.


    For a Hero''s party¡­ reputation and outer appearance to the public matter a lot as it reflects on their image and also the church.


    Someone like them¡­ they have to be polite and appear respectful towards someone like the dwarf cksmith who is one of the top 5 in the whole empire.


    And I feel like they''re intentionally causing trouble to test the waters.]


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn.


    [They''re here to see if Throk truly has the backing from one of the imperial scions. I think the church must have sent them.


    Because the imperial n wouldn''t interfere in this matter unless the emperor himself ordered them.]


    "You mean they''re suspicious about something?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes. But we also have an opportunity here.]


    "To do what?"


    [Create more confusion.] replied the peak saint.


    Rathnaar then came up with a scheme and told Kahn how to approach this matter that would help him deliver upon his agreement with Throk and also avoid trouble in the long run.


    ----------------


    Right at the entrance of the mainpany headquarters, Tamak''s tyrannical aura was suppressing Jugram, the head of security of thepany since he was hiding his levels because of the order from his master.


    "Looks like he really takes us for nobodies.<del> ,c`o`m</del>


    Volka, send him a greeting message." spoke Tamak as he gazed at the blue wolfkin saint archer who announced their party''s arrival a few minutes ago.


    He nocked an arrow on his epic rank bow and aimed at the arc of the main wide door that was 5 meters tall.


    "Are you out of your mind?! You want to attack ourpany''s building?!" shouted Jugram as he grabbed the hilt of his giantsword.


    "Huh? A human who isn''t even a semi-saint dares to talk back to us? Should we show you your ce?" said Edna in a threatening tone as she activated her scepter, ready to attack if Jugram even moved a muscle.


    And right before everyone, the archer shot the charged arrow attack skill.


    BOOM!!!


    An insurmountable wave of pressure suddenly filled thepany grounds and those who were subjected to fall to their knees under his saint pressure suddenly felt free.


    As for the arrow shot by the archer¡­ it froze midair before it even hit the arch of the door.


    And this time¡­ apart from 2 members, it was the entire hero''s party who were subjugated to kneel on the ground instantly as a killing intent filled with bloodlust suddenly attacked their bodies under horrifying saint pressure.


    Flickr!


    Suddenly, a figure who released an aura many times stronger than them appeared in between Jugram and the Hero''s party.


    A waist-length silver-haired man with a ripped and lean exposed upper body came into everyone''s sight.


    This figure had glowing red eyes and his entire right arm was ck from shoulder to his fingers. This individual had a curved de on the left side of his waist whose sheath glowed red while three more ck ones on his right side of the waist appeared to be epic rank curved des themselves.


    This figure¡­ was Omega in his human/hybrid form.


    He was currently using Gravity Imprisonment and Bloodlust skills. The former instantly trapped and froze weaker enemies in 5 kilometers radius and thetter was nothing but his pure murderous aura and killing intent that put his enemies in a fearful state for one hour as long as they were weaker than him.


    By using just two skills on these new guests, Omega instantly dmissioned 6 out of 8 members of the hero''s party.


    However¡­ the aura he emitted was many times stronger than himself.


    To his tyrannical figure and strength¡­ there was only Axel and another figure behind him who could stand straight.


    "Do you not have manners? Is that how you behave when you''re on someone else''s territory?


    Can you bear the consequences of this grave transgression against master Oakenshield?" he asked in a grim tone as he kept increasing his bloodlust.


    "This isn''t some carnival and parade wheremoners are happy to get a glimpse of you.


    A bunch of weak brats that I can kill in a second acting all high and mighty in the domain I''m tasked to protect¡­" he spoke without showing a single sign of respect or fear as if he didn''t care if this was the renowned Hero''s party or a group of street beggars.


    Just then¡­ Axel, who had assessed the strength of this samurai swordsman, shouted in surprise with his eyes wide open¡­


    "A 3rd stage saint!"

 Chapter 567 Stronger Than Before

    Chapter 567 - Stronger Than Before


    The sudden revtion of Omega being a third stage saint had taken the entire hero''s party by surprise including the hero of fire himself. And unlike their previous approach to this matter¡­ Kahn''s right-hand man wasn''t holding back at all.


    The normal crowd on the site was spared of his insurmountable aura so they could only be shocked just like the rest.


    Omega, who was level 372 when Kahn evolved him using Skoll & Hati''s bodies 2 months ago had now sessfully crossed level 400 and became a beingparable to a 3rd stage saint.


    The main share of his quick session in levels went to the Energy Plunderer skill that Kahn got from the guardian dragon.


    This was a skill that helped him absorb mana and world energy directly from various sources like ores, cores and energy reserves and not eat or absorb them one by one.


    And like a habit, he had imparted this godsend skill to all of his subordinates who had met the 100% loyalty condition.


    Aside from Rudra, everyone else had it and now¡­ thanks to this skill and the resources they already had at hand¡­ Omega sessfully raised his strength and made a breakthrough inside the Table of Arcana after Kahn and Rathnaar gave him ess to the Chamber of Exaltation to make a breakthrough without gathering anyone''s attention.


    This was another function of the Chamber of Exaltation but Kahn intentionally didn''t use itst time because he would''ve been sensed by the gods after his breakthrough to the saint realm anyway.


    And he needed to throw them off by sending the signal in No Man''s Land which gave him a window to escape and also created a diversion between two empires who served the gods.


    After this rank-up, all of Omega''s skills and abilities had a massive boost in efficiency and range and now¡­ he was 5 times stronger than before. And now¡­ he could even stand evenly against the Hero and the fireborne with a ck trident who stood behind him.


    [Master, the Hero of Fire is a 3rd stage saint himself. But the fireborne behind him is a 4th stage saint¡­ but the dense aura I sense from him¡­ he''s someone who is about to be a 5th stage saint soon.] informed Omega.


    [I see. Means fighting here isn''t an option. Not only will we die, but too many people inside thepany building will get killed as coteral damage if a fight breaks out.


    Well, just stick to the n.] responded Kahn.


    "Behave or you will be thrown out of here." said Omega and firmly warned them without any hesitation despite the two members of the opposition being strong themselves.


    "You¡­ Do you understand who you''re talking with disrespectfully?


    Do you know how big my reputation is?" said Axel as he gave an intense stare to Omega.


    "Do you?" asked Omega in return.


    "If it was that important¡­ then neither you nor your allies would be behaving so rudely in front of all these people.


    Or are you under the impression that just because the church treats you like a prince¡­ you do think of yourself as one?" retorted Omega.


    "You!... How dare you speak to lord Axel like that?!


    Do you have a deathwish?!" suddenly, the 4th stage saint fireborne donned in ck and red armor from head to toe spoke as he released his pressure and threw off the one released by Omega on his party members.


    "You''re the one who tried to cause trouble here.


    Hero''s party?... What a joke.


    It looks like a bunch of rich brats who got rmended in the group only because of hefty donations.


    They''re only 1st stage saints and yet behave like they own the world." replied Omega fearlessly and kept roasting the opposite side.


    "You¡­ who do you think you are to nder us?!" shouted Edna with a furious gaze. Her other teammates were no different because this was the first time anyone badmouthed them openly ever since they formed the Hero''s Party.


    "Tch! Why are you yapping?


    The only ones here who can stand against me are the Hero and the guy behind him.


    The rest of you won''t even notice how you died. So show some manners when you speak of master Oakenshield, you weak losers!" he kept insulting the whole team again.


    "Hey! Which force are you from? To speak to us so rudely¡­


    Don''t you know we''re from church?" said the 4th stage saint as he too released his saint pressure and killing intent on Omega while tightening his grip on the trident.


    "Unlike you imbeciles¡­ I don''t need to rely on someone''s name or a backing.


    So stop wasting my time and get lost!


    None of you are weed here." said Omega while folding his arms as if he wasn''t slightly affected by the oppressive saint pressure of the fireborne at all.


    "Daring words. You''re not even the strongest person here. And on top of it¡­ You''re just one guy." said the fireborne who was ready to take an attacking stance and so did the rest of the team members of the hero''s party.


    Axel on the other hand, had a carefree expression as he was trying to see what this hybrid saint could do in front of his team members.


    Yawn!


    Instead of getting alerted or feeling threatened by the 7 saints from the opponent team, Omega yawned and stretched his arms and shoulders.


    The dual sword samurai was acting like he still didn''t care despite all of them directing their bloodlust at him.


    The next second, he let out a wicked grin and spoke with a confident voice¡­


    "Am I?"


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    One after another, many other sources of intense and heavy world energy signatures revealed themselves from inside the Oakenshieldpany building.


    One, two, three, four and five!... Five different saint pressures suddenly erupted from the building and directed their collective saint pressure and murderous auras at the members of the hero''s party.


    Stunned!


    Even Axel and the fireborne trident warrior were too stunned to speak and felt a sense of dread this time. Because Omega alone was enough to subjugate 75% of their team. And now¡­ there were 6 more saints who suddenly revealed themselves.


    As soon as they let their presence known¡­ every member of the opposite side felt like they were the ones who had to fear for their lives this time.


    The onlookers, however¡­ gasped in surprise.


    Because the majority of them were the workers and employees of thepany and they had no idea that there were mighty saints who roamed in the same building as them.


    "What the hell! How are there so many saints?!" questioned Tamak who too felt like they mistakenly entered a dragon''sir.


    This was not mentioned in the intel they received at all.


    BOOM!!


    This time¡­ another burst of chaotic saint pressure suddenly erupted right in front of them and the temperature of the surroundings rose in a matter of seconds.


    A man donned in fiery red armor and with giantsword on his back who was forced to kneel in front of them suddenly stood up and brandished his weapon as he casually lifted it off and ced the weapon over his right shoulder.


    "This human as well?!" shouted Mika as they were bbergasted on the spot.


    Because the one to stand tall and release his chaotic saint pressure that gave them the foreboding of certain death was the very human they oppressed as soon as they got here.


    Jugram¡­ the Hellzer general stood beside Omega and smirked as if he too was toying with them all this time and finally revealed his real strength.


    Axel had aplicated expression. Because this waspletely exceeding their expectations as told by the church.


    At best¡­ they expected one to two saints to protect this ce even if they had the backing from the imperial heirs. But seven¡­ This was more than triple their highest expected count.


    [Lord Axel, this is bad! Although no one except that hybrid in front of us is above second stage saint rank¡­ the aura they all are emitting is extremely dense and of high caliber.


    If we push it and a fight breaks out¡­ apart from me and you¡­ I can''t guarantee that others will make it out of here alive.] warned the fireborne through some sort of telepathic link to Axel that couldn''t be detected by anyone.


    [What kind of trap did we walk into? And why is that giant human a saint as well?!


    Thest time I heard, I was the only human saint in this empire.] he replied to the fireborne.


    [That''s not the issue here¡­ if seven saints are protecting thispany and the old dwarf saint cksmith¡­ this is already a very grave matter.


    We can not afford to let things escte more than they already have.] said the 4th stage saint as he saw Omega cing his hands on the hilt of his katanas.


    The way things looked¡­ they were on verge of a bloody battle, all because they underestimated the opposite side.


    But right before anyone drew the first blood¡­ a loud voice reached their ears as a human in a ck longcoat appeared in front of the entrance door.


    "Please stop! You can''t fight here!"

 Chapter 568 Outside Of Plan

    Chapter 568 Outside Of n


    Right when things were about to get heated between the two groups, one from the Oakenshieldpany while the other from Hero''s Party¡­ a human dressed in ck clothes as if he just changed into this presentable attire, appeared at the entrance of thepany door and intervened.


    Kahn, who summoned his usual ck and gray longcoat and rest of the clothes as soon as he came close to the site of the sh walked forward and tried to calm down the crowd that looked like they were about to draw their weapons and cause a ughter.


    "Sir Omega, Sir Jugram¡­ please calm down.


    They''re from the church¡­ your allied force.


    We''re all friends here, aren''t we?" spoke Kahn in a respectful tone towards his own subordinates.


    "Don''t meddle in our affairs. It is them who overstepped their boundaries first." said Jugram, whose normal human appearance was of a man in his mid-30s.


    "Tell master Oakenshield that will get rid of these intruders. So can carry on with his work without worrying." ordered Omega to Kahn as if he was his superior.


    "Please don''t say that. I''m sure there''s some sort of misunderstanding.


    They''re from the hero''s party¡­ no way would they truly intend to cause any harm to any innocent citizens here." spoke Kahn in a vehement voice as if he was a big-time fan of the opponent group.


    "Am I right?" asked Kahn as he looked at Axel and his team members.


    "Yes¡­ there indeed seems to be a sort of misunderstanding.


    We only intended to meet master Oakenshield regarding some matters." said Axel as he adjusted his tone.


    [Who is this guy? He''s only a beginner master rank and yet he seems to be someone close to thepany''s administration and the cksmith.] asked Axel to his teammates.


    [If I''m not wrong¡­ he should be the new disciple of Throk Oakenshield. You know¡­ the one who is rumored to face master Tawerik''s disciple in a cksmithing faceoff ording to rumors.] replied the fireborne saint.


    Just then, Edna also replied telepathically.


    [Looks like these saints are frompletely different departments. The way he speaks to them with respect¡­ means they''re not hisrades.


    I think these seven saints are not actually part of thepany and they''re more like tasked with protecting Oakenshield.


    Like some guards or mercenaries. To me, they appear like outsiders.


    Because that human saint is too bigpared to humans of our empire.] she hypothesized.


    [Yes, lord Axel. Edna is right. I think they''re hired help.


    Otherwise, if they were from the imperial n, we would''ve known about them from our sources and they wouldn''t be speaking so rudely to us either.] spoke Tamak.


    [Still¡­ to hire seven saints and that too from outside of the empire.


    I don''t think that the old dwarf could afford it or has that type of connections or authority after the incident with Rogis.] replied Axel as he sped up his brain.


    [But there''s one force other than the church who can manage to hire these powerful individuals just for the bodyguard work.] said the fireborne.


    [The imperial n.] said Axel with a serious expression.


    "You there¡­ What is your name?" asked Axel to Kahn.


    "Kahn Salvatore, lord Hero." replied Kahn in a meek voice.<del></del>


    "Huh¡­ even a guy with no strength or background dares to casually talk with lord Axel without bowing or kneeling now?" spoke an elf schr among the group who appeared to be a second stage saint and released his killing intent on Kahn.


    Thud!


    Kahn''s figure quickly slumped down under this pressure and knelt on the ground as he was currently hiding his strength at master rank.


    [This fucking moron!] cursed Axel in his mind because this teammate of his ruined the situation that was just calming down.


    "That''s it!" shouted Omega and quickly unsheathed his katanas to attack while Jugram was ready to leap off and attack the whole group.


    "What''s happening here?!"


    Before Omega could even move and attack the elf, a sudden loud voice resounded in the sky above them.


    A floating figure of a young woman adorning an armor that was abination of white, brown and green suddenly appeared a few hundred meters above in the sky.


    Her ck hair and green eyes along with an extremely gorgeous facial structure were the most striking features of her appearance.


    [The hell! What''s she doing here? And when did she even get here without any of us noticing?!] eximed Kahn.


    [Teleportation scroll. And epic rank one at that.] replied Ceril who was sitting inside the building.


    This sudden arrival during the moment when things were close to getting bloody¡­ was Venessa.


    [Damn it! This was not part of the n!


    We were only going to maintain our secrecy with ambiguous information and let these idiots think what they liked¡­ but this princess; we can''t make up any lies anymore.


    Apart from Omega and Jugram, all of you hide your auraspletely.] ordered Rathnaar.


    Their original n here was to let the hero''s party think that Kahn was only a disciple of the old cksmith and not someone associated with his subordinates.


    And they''d let the opposite side make assumptions of their own and report it to church. But Venessa suddenly showing up here was going to mess things up.


    Before anyone could speak¡­ Venessa''s eyesnded on Kahn who was forced to kneel¡­ more like he chose to kneel to maintain his fake background.


    SHRILL!!


    Venessa suddenly released her killing intent as soon as she sensed a murderous aura forced upon Kahn and then looked at the source¡­ the hero''s party.


    "The audacity of your trash dumpsters!


    Do you know who he is?!" shouted Venessa and quicklynded in between these two confronting sides.


    Her wrathful gazended on their figures as she brandished her sword the very next moment.


    The entire hero''s party was simply too shocked at the moment because first, there were suddenly seven saints here¡­ and now, the one and only princess of the Vulcan empire herself appeared on the site.


    Venessa, with her raged expression, quickly dered in a tyrannical voice¡­


    "He''s my man!"

 Chpater 569 Fair Warning

    Chpater 569 Fair Warning


    As soon as Venessa''s deration resounded in everyone''s ears, the whole surrounding turned dead silent. Whether it was Kahn, his subordinates, the onlookers or even the members of the hero''s party¡­ they all were dumbfounded.


    Vanessa''s man aka Kahn had his eyes popping out of the sockets, jaw dropped on the ground and entire body frozen like an ice sculpture.


    Even Omega and Jugram looked at him with suspicious eyes, wondering when their master managed to charm another beautiful woman within just a couple of months ever since they entered the Vulcan empire.


    "He''s the disciple of master Oakenshield. How dare you mongrels release your killing intent on him?!


    Do you know who you''re all messing with?!" shouted Venessa again as her sword suddenly lit on fire as she kept increasing her saint pressure.


    The entire hero''s party, however¡­ had nothing to speak in return.


    At this moment, they all felt thoroughly insulted. Because first, it was Omega who said that they were nothing but weak losers who needed their n''s support to do anything. He didn''t care if they were the hero''s party or were affiliated with the church.


    And now, Venessa called the trash dumpsters and mongrels as if their identity as the biggest talents of the young generation of the whole Vulcan empire was nothing but a joke.


    Yet, there was nothing they could do to retort because the one to berate them was the princess of the empire herself.


    A single defying word spoken against the imperial family was enough to get them beheaded under a guillotine.


    "Should I report this to your ns? Or should I get the imperial authorities directly involved in this matter?


    Looks like you lot have grown bolder because people praise you for the things you didn''t even achieve by yourself." spoke Venessa as she gave them all deathly stares.


    Forget getting angry¡­ everyone including the 4th stage fireborne saint was scared because she was imperial blood and their families and ns all served the imperial family in the end.


    Maybe the Hero of Fire would be spared¡­ but the rest of them would surely be killed if they did something wrong in her presence.


    "It''s a misunderstanding, princess Venessa." spoke Axel as he tried to calm down the mood with a benign smile.


    Which in reality, wasn''t. He didn''t care about Kahn at all because he was a weak nobody.


    [Here he goes like a lovestruck bird again. Whenever he sees the princess, he turns into apletely different person.] said Tamak to Edna.


    "It isn''t." spoke Omega suddenly. ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ??


    . ???.


    "They disrespected master Oakenshield who couldn''te to greet them because he is working on legendary rank weapons.


    They tried to attack the building entrance just because they felt like they weren''t shown enough respect.


    And then they forced Kahn to kneel just because their fake pride needs others to worship them like gods." said Omega in a fearless tone as he told Venessa what happened.


    "Lies! He''s lying! We did no such thing." rebuked Mika.


    "Is that so? We have hundreds of witnesses here. Besides¡­" spoke Omega and the next moment¡­


    Jugram, who stood beside him activated a recording artifact and disyed a holographic video of the whole thing ever since he came to greet the new arrivals.


    This was one of the backup strategies Rathnaar had them prepared for in case things got ugly and they had to prove their innocence.


    However, this recording did not show any of the insults or berating done by Omega at all since Jugram recorded only the selective moments.


    "You ignorant pricks! You dare show that kind of behavior in front of someone who is backed by me¡­" said Venessa in an exasperated voice.


    "Let''s see what happens when I release this recording to the whole empire. I would like to see what people will think after watching your real faces.


    I wonder if even the church or the imperial n would support this kind of conduct." threatened Venessa.


    Everyone from the hero''s party suddenly felt a dreary pressure on their minds and were left rooted on the spot.


    If it was someone else¡­ the church or the imperial authorities would''ve taken care of it. But if it was the princess herself who was to release and spread this footage¡­ they all would be scrutinized by the whole empire.


    Even Axel wouldn''t be spared from this.


    "Get lost! These people are under my protection.


    If I see you troubling thepany or Kahn ever again¡­ you''ll have me as your enemy.


    And I don''t care if you''re the hero''s party or whatnot." warned Vanessa.


    She picked up Kahn, grabbed by the shoulder and dragged him towards the entrance door of the building.


    "Princess, we should maintain some distance. People will get a bad impression." whispered Kahn.


    Venessa quickly handed him an artifact and conversed telepathically.


    [y along. I want to avoid that bastard. He keeps acting all friendly and chummy with me every time I meet him.


    Can''t he get a hint that I''m not into him?


    Let''s get out of their sight first. Then we can talkter.] ordered Venessa as she dragged him along.


    Kahn, for the first time in both of his lives¡­ was getting manhandled by a woman.


    [Who''s that human? What''s her rtionship with him?] asked Axel with an irked expression.


    [Seriously, we just got humiliated so badly and he''s worried about her rtionship with that human?] spoke the wolfkin to the rest of the group.


    Axel didn''t show it on his face but he was annoyed by Kahn who was walking too close to Venessa.


    "Let''s go. We''re not wee here." hemanded the rest of the group before things got out of hand again.


    After they finally left with their warship, Kahn and Venessa had entered the main office of thepany and finally decided to speak freely.


    "Princess¡­" he said.


    "What?" she asked with a curious gaze.


    "What did you mean back then?" asked Kahn in a serious tone.


    "About what? I only saved you from them." she replied.


    "Well¡­ I think your words were kind of¡­" said Kahn as he averted his gaze from Venessa and spoke in a soft tone.


    "Misleading."

 Chapter 569 Fair Warning

    Chapter 569 Fair Warning


    As soon as Venessa''s deration resounded in everyone''s ears, the whole surrounding turned dead silent. Whether it was Kahn, his subordinates, the onlookers or even the members of the hero''s party¡­ they all were dumbfounded.


    Vanessa''s man aka Kahn had his eyes popping out of the sockets, jaw dropped on the ground and entire body frozen like an ice sculpture.


    Even Omega and Jugram looked at him with suspicious eyes, wondering when their master managed to charm another beautiful woman within just a couple of months ever since they entered the Vulcan empire.


    "He''s the disciple of master Oakenshield. How dare you mongrels release your killing intent on him?!


    Do you know who you''re all messing with?!" shouted Venessa again as her sword suddenly lit on fire as she kept increasing her saint pressure.


    The entire hero''s party, however¡­ had nothing to speak in return.


    At this moment, they all felt thoroughly insulted. Because first, it was Omega who said that they were nothing but weak losers who needed their n''s support to do anything. He didn''t care if they were the hero''s party or were affiliated with the church.


    And now, Venessa called the trash dumpsters and mongrels as if their identity as the biggest talents of the young generation of the whole Vulcan empire was nothing but a joke.


    Yet, there was nothing they could do to retort because the one to berate them was the princess of the empire herself.


    A single defying word spoken against the imperial family was enough to get them beheaded under a guillotine.


    "Should I report this to your ns? Or should I get the imperial authorities directly involved in this matter?


    Looks like you lot have grown bolder because people praise you for the things you didn''t even achieve by yourself." spoke Venessa as she gave them all deathly stares.


    Forget getting angry¡­ everyone including the 4th stage fireborne saint was scared because she was imperial blood and their families and ns all served the imperial family in the end.


    Maybe the Hero of Fire would be spared¡­ but the rest of them would surely be killed if they did something wrong in her presence.


    "It''s a misunderstanding, princess Venessa." spoke Axel as he tried to calm down the mood with a benign smile.


    Which in reality, wasn''t. He didn''t care about Kahn at all because he was a weak nobody.


    [Here he goes like a lovestruck bird again. Whenever he sees the princess, he turns into apletely different person.] said Tamak to Edna.


    "It isn''t." spoke Omega suddenly.


    "They disrespected master Oakenshield who couldn''te to greet them because he is working on legendary rank weapons.


    They tried to attack the building entrance just because they felt like they weren''t shown enough respect.


    And then they forced Kahn to kneel just because their fake pride needs others to worship them like gods." said Omega in a fearless tone as he told Venessa what happened.


    "Lies! He''s lying! We did no such thing." rebuked Mika.


    "Is that so? We have hundreds of witnesses here. Besides¡­" spoke Omega and the next moment¡­


    Jugram, who stood beside him activated a recording artifact and disyed a holographic video of the whole thing ever since he came to greet the new arrivals.


    This was one of the backup strategies Rathnaar had them prepared for in case things got ugly and they had to prove their innocence.


    However, this recording did not show any of the insults or berating done by Omega at all since Jugram recorded only the selective moments.


    "You ignorant pricks! You dare show that kind of behavior in front of someone who is backed by me¡­" said Venessa in an exasperated voice.<del></del>


    "Let''s see what happens when I release this recording to the whole empire. I would like to see what people will think after watching your real faces.


    I wonder if even the church or the imperial n would support this kind of conduct." threatened Venessa.


    Everyone from the hero''s party suddenly felt a dreary pressure on their minds and were left rooted on the spot.


    If it was someone else¡­ the church or the imperial authorities would''ve taken care of it. But if it was the princess herself who was to release and spread this footage¡­ they all would be scrutinized by the whole empire.


    Even Axel wouldn''t be spared from this.


    "Get lost! These people are under my protection.


    If I see you troubling thepany or Kahn ever again¡­ you''ll have me as your enemy.


    And I don''t care if you''re the hero''s party or whatnot." warned Vanessa.


    She picked up Kahn, grabbed by the shoulder and dragged him towards the entrance door of the building.


    "Princess, we should maintain some distance. People will get a bad impression." whispered Kahn.


    Venessa quickly handed him an artifact and conversed telepathically.


    [y along. I want to avoid that bastard. He keeps acting all friendly and chummy with me every time I meet him.


    Can''t he get a hint that I''m not into him?


    Let''s get out of their sight first. Then we can talkter.] ordered Venessa as she dragged him along.


    Kahn, for the first time in both of his lives¡­ was getting manhandled by a woman.


    [Who''s that human? What''s her rtionship with him?] asked Axel with an irked expression.


    [Seriously, we just got humiliated so badly and he''s worried about her rtionship with that human?] spoke the wolfkin to the rest of the group.


    Axel didn''t show it on his face but he was annoyed by Kahn who was walking too close to Venessa.


    "Let''s go. We''re not wee here." hemanded the rest of the group before things got out of hand again.


    After they finally left with their warship, Kahn and Venessa had entered the main office of thepany and finally decided to speak freely.


    "Princess¡­" he said.


    "What?" she asked with a curious gaze.


    "What did you mean back then?" asked Kahn in a serious tone.


    "About what? I only saved you from them." she replied.


    "Well¡­ I think your words were kind of¡­" said Kahn as he averted his gaze from Venessa and spoke in a soft tone.


    "Misleading."

 Chapter 570 Misleading Words

    Chapter 570 Misleading Words


    Kahn and Venessa finally had a moment to rx and talk among themselves without having to worry about anyone else. She sat on a luxurious chair while Kahn leaned against the wooden wall after getting out of the situation.


    However, Kahn started questioning the meaning behind her words as to him¡­ they appeared very misleading.


    "What do you mean? I just saved you from whatever trouble they were causing.


    I called you one of my people." exined Venessa with a coy smile on her face.


    In reality, Venessa acted the way she did to make Kahn indebted to her. A necessary step to sway his decision and get him to join her side if she could.


    And then exact her so-called revenge when the right time came.


    "But the way you worded it¡­ It sounded like you imed me to be your¡­ partner." spoke Kahn with a hesitant voice.


    "Partner¡­ partner in what?" asked Venessa in a clueless voice.


    "As in¡­ your lover." replied Kahn with a grin.


    Stunned!


    Venessa''s eyes widened and suddenly she was frozen on the spot.


    And now that she waspletely calmed down¡­ she recalled the events again and then judged her own words with a sane mind.


    "What in the name of eternal mes have I done?!" eximed Venessa as soon as she understood how everyone took her words.


    She again misspoke her real intentions and chose the wrong words in her enraged state just like a week ago in front of her retainers.


    "No! It''s not what I meant!!" shouted Venessa in a high-pitched tone as a flustered expression appeared on her face.


    [So she''s a short fuse kind. Totally losing control of her brain when she''s angry.] thought Kahn.


    "You¡­ don''t you dare have any funny ideas.


    I have no such feelings or intentions towards you!" she exined.


    "Alright, alright, alright."


    Kahn then tried to salvage the situation.


    "Hmph! Why would I even like you?


    The only thing good about you is your looks.


    Other than that, you''re as weak as a newborn birk.


    I''d never fall for a guy who isn''t stronger than me!" she over-exined herself whileparing Kahn to one of the famous pet animals in the Vulcan empire.


    "Yeah, yeah. I get it¡­ you don''t have to convince me.


    But now that you said it¡­" spoke Kahn as a wicked smile appeared on his face.


    "The Hero of Fire looks like a perfect match for you.


    He has good looks, backing from both church and imperial n.


    And he also meets the condition of being stronger than you since he''s a third stage saint.


    Not just me but everyone in the empire would think of you two as a match made in heaven." said Kahn as he outright teased Venessa.


    "Akthooo!!"


    Venessa faked spitting out and looked at Kahn with an irritated expression.


    "Do you want to die? Should I throw you to the hero''s party again?" she questioned with a sharp gaze.


    "Think about it. He suddenly turned very respectful as soon as you showed up. And you said he''s always friendly.


    Take it from a handsome and charming man like myself¡­ I think he likes you." he joked again.<del></del>


    "Tch! And why would that be?" asked Venessa as she rolled her eyes.


    "Maybe he thinks you''re very beautiful." responded Kahn as heid back on the main chair of thepany head.


    "Oh, is that so? Then what about you?


    Do you also think I''m very beautiful?" she asked with squinted eyes.


    "Urm¡­ Yes." said Kahn reluctantly.


    Because if he said no¡­ he was basically asking for a beating from the princess and there was nothing he''d be able to do.


    "Then why don''t you join me? You can bask and worship my beauty everyday then." spoke Venessa with a coy grin.


    "Those arepletely different matters.


    Thanks for the help today but that''s not going to make me join you." said Kahn with a poker face.


    "Tch! What a heartless and foolish guy.


    I guess you don''t know how many suitors I have lined up for me. Including some princes and to be emperors from other empires.


    You''re lucky that I''m even talking to you." said Venessa as she posed herself revealing some sort of intangible angelic aura.


    "Still not interested." he replied with a straight face.


    Soon, another conversation between them started as Venessa kept nagging him to join her group while he kept declining politely.


    ----------------


    Later in the night, inside the main headquarters of the Church of Hetrax¡­ was a man in red and ck armor, standing in front of an old fireborne in a red and golden cassock.


    Axel Lobethrox, the Hero of Fire, finished reporting the whole incident to Demiurge Val Arhelm, the Pope himself.


    Axel empathized on how Princess herself appeared as soon as things were about to get bloody and there were too many saints.


    "If not for the Princess and the secret recording they took that could''ve implicated the whole party¡­ we would''ve been able to do a thorough job." said Axel.


    "I see. So the imperial family is indeed involved in this matter after all.


    p??da n?vel They hired outsiders to guard the cksmith so no one could say that the imperial n was directly involved.


    At best, one would think that it''s either the prince or the princess who are backing the dwarf." spoke Demiurge with a stern expression.


    "Given how cunning he is¡­ the emperor is nning something big.


    We need to get into the game as well then." said the pope.


    "At this point, if we don''t show our open support to Oakenshield¡­ Many of our devotees will assume that we don''t care about our followers and won''t bother to help or support them in the uing future.


    And our ims to treat humans as equals are also a lie." he spoke with a thoughtful expression as he tried to see through the emperor''s ns.


    "I get it! That''s his n!" suddenly the pope shouted as if a light bulb lightened up over his head.


    "Maybe the emperor wishes to achieve something through that dwarf and his human disciple through the challenge he epted.


    I think he wishes to get the dwarven racepletely on his side and raise his support¡­


    It will iste the church in the future if the dwarven racepletely allies themselves with the imperial n." he hypothesized.


    "That bastard is trying to make us powerless by taking away all of our support after he already crippled us using the imperial punishment as an excuse." said Demiurge.


    In reality¡­ everything was turning into a big misunderstanding¡­ the empire-level misunderstanding just because Venessa showed up on the scene.


    Demiurges then summoned the official spokespersons of the church and in front of Axel, he dered in a hasty voice¡­


    "Ry my orders¡­ we''re announcing our full support to Throk Oakenshield!"

 Chapter 571 Attracting Attention

    Chapter 571 Attracting Attention


    3 dayster, the Church of Hetrax sent their Pdins Commander and two Archbishops to meet week Throk Oakenshield. After a day of long pretentious conversations and how they felt sorry as well as responsible for Throk... They officially dered their support to Oakenshield throughout the empire.


    Throk reluctantly epted the deal after Kahn''s approval because their support came with the benefits of giving tenders and consignments for arms and many other essories that they used in the churches and their settlements throughout the empire.


    The already super-ultra-mega rich Oakenshieldpany now had more added wealth with beneficial terms just like they had arranged with Hector and Venessa after Throk settled the deals with them.


    To the first prince and third princess, this also opened a new door because they were now allies with the church and their people under the table like different parties sharing stocks of apany in a way.


    As for Throk and Kahn¡­ their total earnings from these deals already surpassed the mark of Quadrillion Harlens and by their estimations¡­ their personal earnings after paying for processing of products, sries of the employees and maintenance of their facilities would be above 50 quadrillions in just a year.


    Which was too much just for apany that wasn''t even a corporation or a business organization.


    The two weeks went with a lot of work because Kahn himself had to get involved to manage the business and hire over 500 thousand new employees and open 15 new production facilities in other sectors of capital Arkensan.


    All that was just to meet the demand of their new allied forces and manage the flow of products and shipments while creating ways for keeping the business afloat.


    And now¡­ even he was gaining reputation and recognition as a capable person by the top business leaders of the empire and people of the church since he appeared as Throk''s official representative to them while the old dwarf only supervised the deals and signed papers.


    This also aided in Kahn being able to cement his background in the Vulcan empire as Throk''s disciple and thus, nobody asked any questions about his origin either. And now¡­


    In a way, Throk became the most popr and backed-up dwarven cksmith in the history of the empire in just a matter of months after he had a beef with Rogis, the second prince and then met Kahn.


    But the way things were overblown out of proportion because the church itself was involved at this point¡­ attracted the full attention of another powerful group of the empire. Namely called as¡­


    The Dwarven Council.


    ----------------


    In the Vulcan empire¡­ the dwarves were the most prominent race after the Firebornes because they had the biggest share while reforming the empire after the Firebornes took over and killed the previous rulers.


    And ever since then¡­ a council of dwarven that officially represented the entirety of the will of their people was formed seven hundred years ago.


    Whether it wasws, rights, businesses, legition, sanctions and ethnic representation¡­ they spoke for it all.


    To someone from Rakos Empire, it would appear like only the top brass of nobility or influential figures would rule this organization but unlike how things worked in Rakos¡­ the Dwarven Council didn''t care about someone''s origin or backing.


    p??da n?vel They only allowed people with skills and devotion to the race and were elected by a democratic consensus. However, the administration itself had to follow protocols that benefited their race in the empire and no form ofpromise for personal gain was allowed.


    And now, Throk Oakenshield and hispany had attracted their full attention as soon as the church got involved.


    Before this¡­ he was but a single individual who was just a victim of Rogis and his tantrums. They even used his name to pressure the imperial n.


    But never did any of them personally visit him or treated him with importance because he was a single individual who had no sway in the council or impact on their race.<del></del>


    However¡­ things were different now thanks to Kahn''s ns leading from one thing to another.


    Hence, the Dwarven Council decided to step in. But since this issue was rted to a single individual and not the entire race¡­ they couldn''t openly get involved either.


    Thus, the leaders decided to use a different pretext to deal with this matter.


    ----------------


    One weekter, the Oakenshieldpany was done with its capital level expansion and now had be one of the biggestpanies thanks to Kahn''s management team and the resources and money being freely poured by the imperial heirs and the church.


    "How much are we expecting?" asked Kahn to Ronin and Ceril.


    "The way things are going and even if we embezzle a few chunks here and there¡­


    Our earnings should exceed 17 quadrillion harlen in just the next 4 months." reported Ceril who was in charge of ounting just like before in Rakos Empire when they managed the Bloodbornepany in Rukon district of the capital Rathna.


    "Good. At this rate¡­ we won''t have to worry about everything even after I''m done with that cksmithing challenge.


    We will still be big fishes and won''t have to worry about anything in this empire as long as my identity is hidden.


    I don''t n to get involved in the affairs of the ruling powers here. We will just stay as someone barely worth noticing." said Kahn with a content smile.


    "But master¡­ isn''t getting involved with the church bad for us? They could still have means to find about your identity." said Ronin with a worried expression.


    "If they did¡­ they already would''ve found me.


    It''s been close to 3 months since we arrived here now. And even so, no harm came our way and even you guys are thought of as people who are only protecting the old man." borate Kahn.


    "How about Hero of Fire then? Do you think he knows anything?" asked Omega.


    "I don''t think the church would let that guy get involved with us here after the scene his party caused.


    Both us and Venessa have that recording on our hands so I don''t think they''re stupid enough to let the matter escte.


    Because causing us any harm or even trying to pressure us for something means the imperial heirs also acting out in their own way.


    That is a type of trouble the church would prefer to avoid at all cost." rified Kahn.


    Little did Kahn know that his current peaceful situation¡­


    Was just a calm before the storm.

 Chapter 572The Dwarven Council

    Chapter 572The Dwarven Council


    Kahn rejoiced in the fact that the aftereffects of their ns were exceeding his expectations by manyfolds and now even without causing a big scene or making out an enemy of some local force or top figures. Just their ie through embezzling thepany''s funds was going to make them filthy rich without extra effort or any life-threatening risks.


    [And yet¡­ nobody thanked me.]ined Rathnaar in a grumpy voice.


    "Yes, yes¡­ you were the mastermind of this all.


    I guess I can learn a thing or two from you." said Kahn as he acknowledged the fact.


    Because this was something beyond his capabilities and experience when it came to borate nning.


    In Rakos Empire, he could mess with three noble factions because of the public support and since he was the sovereign of Vessen.


    But here¡­ even him being a human was a problem.


    "Only if I had theplete dwarven bloodline¡­ I could''ve avoided a lot of problems." said Kahn as he sighed.


    [Then why don''t you get it?] questioned Rathnaar.


    "What do you want me to do? Kill some innocent dwarves for the sake of it?


    I can''t even afford to go and kill some criminals or underworld organizations here because that''s too big of a risk. After all, it would attract the attention of imperial rule.


    I have absolutely no authority here and I don''t n to take unnecessary risks that would blow my cover.


    Just that cksmithing challenge is more than enough because it was beneficial for me to set up a perfect background." he rebuked.


    "Now, I will focus only on perfecting my skills and abilities.


    Being able to calmly focus on myself without having to worry about money and resources is something I needed the most to rank up quietly.


    So let''s keep it that way." he said.


    The next week, however¡­ the peace they had wavered after a particr envoy visited thepany.


    ----------------


    Throk had a somber expression on his face while Kahn was standing behind his seat like an advisor of a king as they both faced five people that had ancient dwarven texts as sigils on their uniforms.


    "And what does the council suddenly want to do with me?


    It''s been nearly 3 months since the incident and only now do they want to have a conversation with me?


    If the council truly cared about my well-being as you say¡­ then why didn''t anyone send a word when I appealed them to interfere three months ago?" he questioned with a grumbling voice.


    "Please attend the meeting tomorrow, master Oakenshield. Many important people will be visiting it tomorrow.


    If you''re not present, then Tawerik might use that against you saying that you don''t put the council in high regards." spoke a semi-saint rank dwarven official.


    "Tch! Fine! I''ll visit tomorrow. But don''t expect me to be respectful or treat the council like some gods.<del></del>


    Tell them that I have no intentions to parley with Tawerik either." spoke Throk in a discontent tone.


    p??da n?vel The members from the council nodded their heads and after some irrelevant talks to drag the conversation, they left the office.


    "What do you think is going to happen?" asked Kahn.


    "Nothing bothersome¡­ I hope." replied Throk with a serious expression.


    ----------------


    The next day, both Throk and Kahn visited the main headquarters of the Dwarven Council in a city situated at another sector of capital Arkensan named Dvalin.


    After visiting through a giant wooden flying ship with an appearance matching that of a submarine, their duonded close to the main Council House in Dvalin city.


    Soon, a flying vehicle that came to pick them up escorted their duo to the Council House situated at the western end of the city.


    After entering the vast building filled with nothing but dwarves, whether they worked here or were only visitors¡­ Kahn followed Throk under thousands of surprised and suspicious gazes on him since he was the only human in the whole building.


    Half an hourter, Throk and Kahn were seated in a court hall¡­ the old cksmith had no problem but Kahn felt like sitting on a toddler''s chair because the whole building had the furniture made solely for the dwarven race.


    But he couldn''tin either and sat¡­ funnily.


    Soon, 5 distinguished members of the dwarven race, each adorned in high-ranking official attires entered the hall and everyone stood up until these 5 individuals took their seats.


    All of these dwarves seemed to be very old based on their appearance¡­ even older than Throk who was already 154 years old himself. Yet their eyes emitted an aura of wisdom just by looking at them.


    "The High Elders of the Dwarven Council willmence the official hearing regarding the dispute between Throk Oakenshield and Bifur Tawerik." announced an official.


    This was the reason why they were called here in the first ce. Although the dwarven council didn''t want to directly involve themselves publicly¡­ Tawerik had filed an appeal against Oakenshield.


    Saying that hispany had intentionally spread rumors against him and his franchise throughout the empire and thus, it resulted in him and all of his people suffering major losses because now they had a bad reputation in the entire Vulcan empire.


    And seeing the Defamation case, the Dwarven Council was using this as an excuse to make a contact with Throk.


    To them, it was just a first step to improve their rtionship with the cksmith using this dispute if they favored him.


    Because of which, Throk himself had no choice but to appear here because his reputation was on the line and being absent would also signify that he could be the guilty party instead of being a victim.


    Kahn and Throk looked at the other side of the hall where Tawerik, the old dwarf who made a scene in the Oakenshieldpany building and Helsi, the old dwarf''s former top disciple who chose to abandon his master when the cmity struck were seated with furious gazes.


    The atmosphere in the entire hall was full of tension as if there would be a battle very soon.


    Just then, the Dwarven Elder seated at the center announced in a loud voice.


    "The Dwarven Council will officially start the hearing!"

 Chapter 573The Dispute

    Chapter 573The Dispute


    Soon, the council''s hearing began and the High Elders signaled both sides to present their arguments regarding the allegations and the defamation case like some sort of court ofw.


    Bifur Tawerik, the old dwarf cksmith who Kahn had met before started his statement.


    "I appeal to the Dwarven Council to bring justice for me and my people.


    Because of this person in front of me¡­ mypany is getting a bad reputation and losing many clients ever since the issue with the former second prince became public and he got one of the imperial scions as his backer.


    As you might have heard in many rumors¡­ I''m portrayed as someone who intentionally stole his people, distributors and his disciples after his fight with Rogis Hos Sigfreed.


    And now, I''m being vilified by the entire Vulcan empire and many people have stopped doing business with me. And I believe Throk Oakenshield to be the mastermind behind these rumors because he sees me as his enemy from decades." spoke master Tawerik, one of the top 5 saint cksmiths of the empire in a tone as if he was wronged.


    [What a lying bastard. He intentionally targeted Throk when he was dealt with a low blow and now he''s acting as if he is the victim.] thought Kahn as he looked at the bald dwarf donned in ck and yellow attire.


    "Lies! You''re nothing but a scum who stole the carpet under me when I was shunned because of that Rogis cklisting me.


    And now you want to act as if you did it out of your generosity to protect my people who were affected?


    At least try to make up a believable lie!" rebuked Throk from his seat and imed the allegations to be a lie.


    Soon, both sides started their version of the story and even Kahn gave his testimony as a witness. But unlike how normally things worked¡­


    The whole case turned into a huge fight and Throk and Bivur almost started a brawl while cursing each other.


    p??da n?vel "Why is the council suddenly interested in my life?


    Thest time I appealed to the High Elders to intervene¡­ not a single one of you responded to my call.


    And now that the storm is gone, you want toe in and im that you all actually cared?


    Even a child can see through your pretense!" shouted Throk as he openly disrespected the High Elders in his infuriated state.


    Even the heads of the cksmith association of the empire had a helpless expression. Because Throk was no longer a figure they could oppress or try to make him submit to them under the name of respecting the Dwarven Council or following their people''sws.


    Previously, they didn''t even bother providing him a helping hand in time of need and now, he was someone whose word had a lot more weight to it. They couldn''t even shun him in the race because that would result in making an enemy of the imperial n and the church at this point.


    Just then¡­ three more figures entered the hall and the entire room turned dead silent.


    The aura given by these three elderly dwarves was of 4th stage saints and almost everyone including Oakenshield and Tawerik quickly bowed in respect.


    "What are you doing, kid? Bow quickly."manded Throk to Kahn in a hushed tone.


    [Who are they?] asked Kahn to Throk using their telepathicmunication artifact while bowing.


    [The Trinity.] replied the old dwarf.


    [Batman, Superman & Wonder Woman?]<del></del>


    Kahn asked in a befuddled tone.


    [What?! These are the top 3 cksmiths of the whole empire, you idiots!] berated Throk.


    Soon, the three figures were also got seated and took a stance of visitors.


    "May I ask why the three of you here?


    We didn''t send any summon for you." spoke the elderly dwarf among the five high elders.


    "This issue reached our ears long ago. The three of us believe that it affects all of the cksmiths of the dwarven race as well.


    The conduct that caused this dispute between Oakenshield and Tawerik is¡­ questionable." spoke the eldest of the three dwarfs.


    "Master Ivaldi¡­ We appreciate your concern but the dwarven council can take care of the issue." said one of the high elders.


    Just then, the second 4th stage cksmith spoke.


    "Tch! How? Do any of you even know what it means to be a cksmith? Or how our race''s heritage is imbued in this craft?"


    "Master Druvagar¡­ this dispute shall be solved with a proper procedure using thews of the council. There''s no need for either of you three to worry." said the fifth high elder from the far left side.


    [Boy, master Ivaldi is the number one saint cksmith of the entire empire.


    Even the previous and the current emperor''s weapons and armors are made by him.


    There was a time when even I and that cunt Tawerik trained under him. So be respectful when you look at him.] warned Throk.


    Just then, master Ivaldi who had a long white beard spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "The way you did things, Tawerik¡­ That was against the honor of us dwarven cksmiths.


    You stole his people and even his disciples as soon as he hit rock bottom.


    If that is your way of bing a renowned cksmith and rise in reputation and poprity¡­ then I for one will never support someone like you." he said with a look of disappointment towards the bald dwarf.


    But before Throk could rejoice in the fact that the number one cksmith of the empire just took his side¡­ Master Druvagar chimed in.


    "What''s wrong with it? All of us are aware of how big-mouthed Oakenshield is. That he always loses his mind when he is angry over some issues.


    Tawerik only extended a helping hand and spared the students of the bleak future they were going to have because of this loud mouth who messed with the imperial prince himself." he said and disyed his intentions to back up the bald dwarf cksmith.


    "But to make matters worse; Throk Oakenshield¡­" he spoke in an infuriated tone.


    "Hasmitted a taboo of the dwarven race!"

 Chapter 574The Verdict

    Chapter 574The Verdict


    p??da n?vel


    Right in front of the High Elders, hundreds of reputed as well as influential figures, officials and the top individuals of the cksmithing profession¡­ Master Druvagar, one of the top 3 saint cksmiths of the Vulcan empire dered that Throk hadmitted a taboo.


    "For the sake of his pride and in the fit of anger¡­ Oakenshield hasmitted an unspoken taboo of our craft and the dwarven race." said the second-ranked cksmith of the empire.


    Druvagar then continued as he pointed his finger towards Kahn while his stern voice resounded in the entire hall.


    "He took a human as his disciple!"


    His loud announcement took Kahn by surprise.


    [What''s the meaning of this? Was there such a rule?] asked Kahn in a befuddled tone.


    [Not really. But you see¡­ the previous rulers of the empire were humans.


    They had enved the entire dwarven race back then and thus¡­ the ancestral history between the two races even after the Firebornes took over and reformed this empire hasn''t been on good terms.


    This doesn''t include any of the previous restrictions ced on the human race. The bad blood between dwarves and humans exists from more than 700 years in this empire.] replied Throk.


    [Fuck! Means I''m basically inside the enemy territory.] said Kahn with an rmed expression.


    [Let me do the talking.] said Throk and spoke loudly.


    "With all due respect, master Druvagar¡­ our ancestors never made such a rule.


    Besides, my disciple wasn''t the one to spill any of our people''s blood.


    Before the incident with the imperial decree¡­ we all know how humans have lived in our empire.


    And me selecting him as my disciple is between myself and Tawerik. This has nothing to do with customs of our race or the cksmithing craft." rebutted Throk, yet in a respectful tone.


    "You really have hit the bottom now, Oakenshield. Where is your pride as a member of the dwarven race?


    What''s next¡­ you''ll name him as your sessor too?" asked Druvagar in a mocking tone. Then he looked around the members of the council and the crowd.


    "Tell me! Should our dwarven race''s techniques and forging methods be taught to a human?


    From what I heard, he used to be a handyman before Oakenshield made that bet with Tawerik.


    Someone with no talent, skills and heritage now gets to know the secrets of our ancestors even though he can''t even forge amon rank sword properly." he said and tried to rile up the crowd.


    From his words, Kahn understood that Druvagar was one of those people who hated humans in the empire. The cksmithing techniques and methods, the heritage and pride of the dwarven race were just an excuse to discredit Throk.


    At this moment, Kahn wanted to rebuke but he couldn''t¡­ because strength didn''t matter here; rather the skills.


    And he was indeedcking in them at the moment because his training hadn''t reached a level of forging so far.


    Throk had only taught him how to perfect his hammering skills to form desired shapes from metal ingots.


    The actual forging procedure was much moreplicated and time-consuming than just hammering a sheet of metal. Thus, he did not have any right to retort among the true experts here.


    Plus if he spoke anything disrespectful, it would make things difficult for their side as offending one of the top 3 would earn him the ire of many dwarves here.


    "Master Fili, what is your stand on this?" asked one of the elders to thest saint cksmith of the trio.<del></del>


    "I only came here to see the verdict. I don''t wish to side with either of the parties." replied Fili who had a dark red beard and braided mohawk as he took a neutral stand.


    Soon, master Ivaldi also interjected and emphasized how hical and disgraceful it was to bring down Throk when that maniac called Rogis targeted him just because he was a dwarf. He too voiced his misgivings about how the Dwarven Council intentionally ignored the situation back then.


    After another hour of heated arguments and rebuttals¡­ the whole mood of the hearing became clear to Kahn.


    Half the members present were on Throk''s side because they felt that Tawerik was wrong to steal the former''s students when he was in a pinch.


    Others just hated Throk because he was teaching a human their techniques and skills for the sake of his pride and the challenge as an excuse.


    ----------------


    TWO HOURS LATER.


    In a separate chamber of their own¡­ The High Elders were discussing stuff between themselves after they adjourned the hearing to give their final verdict.


    "The issue is truly bigger. Because both sides have half the people of the council divided. Any verdict wouldn''t go unopposed." said one of the high elders with a somber expression.


    "Plus there is the Church and Imperial heirs involved. Thus, we can''t make any decisions that would be unfavorable to Oakenshield either. Otherwise, we will end up souring the rtionship between the dwarven race and these two powers." said an elderly dwarf.


    "Tawerik is also a well-connected oaf. His corporation holds a lot of sway in the cksmithing business and does a lot of deals with the nobles of our species throughout the empire.


    Although his ims are without proof¡­ we can''t just outright give a verdict beneficial to Oakenshield.


    There''s no way we won''t get dragged into the mud if we favor either side." said the third high elder.


    "Plus Master Ivaldi and Master Druvagar are very reputable figures themselves. They also have a lot of prestige within our race, the council, nobles and imperial n.


    In the end¡­ It will be us taking the biggest hit as a result." said the fourth elder with an ashen white braid.


    Just then, the main leader of the high elders, the one who sat in the middle during the hearing, spoke with a thoughtful look¡­


    "Then we''ll let them fight in a brawl and keep our hands clean." he proposed.


    "What do you mean?"


    Soon, he told everyone a scheme that would help them keep their integrity intact as the highest authority of the dwarven race and avoid appearing like they were favoring or abandoning either of the sides.


    After an hour, the hearing resumed and everyone gathered to hear the conclusion.


    "The council has made a decision." spoke the figurehead of high elders and continued in a righteous tone.


    "Since the dispute started between the two parties in the name of disying their skills and credibility as dwarven cksmiths to uphold their reputation and honor¡­


    The council thinks that it is just and right to let both parties decide the fate of theirpanies and corporations with their skills alone as it is the only thing acknowledged by the entire dwarven race and those who work in the cksmithing craft." he dered.


    "And to settle their dispute¡­" he said with a benign smile on his face.


    "Dwarven Council itself will organize and conduct the challenge between their disciples next year in front of the whole Vulcan empire."

 Chapter 575The Decision

    Chapter 575The Decision


    The High Elders of the Dwarven Council, which represented the entire dwarven species in the whole Vulcan empire gave their conclusion regarding the dispute between Throk Oakenshield and Bifur Tawerik, two of the top 5 saint cksmiths of the empire.


    However¡­ both Kahn and Throk were left bamboozled after the elders dered that they''d organize an event in front of the eyes of the whole empire and carry out the challenge between Throk and Bifur.


    And their respective students, Kahn and Helsi would represent their masters andpete against each other to prove who was the better teacher and a skilled cksmith among the former two figures.


    But the main reason why Kahn turned speechless was because this whole arrangementpletely thwarted his expectations and future ns.


    Prior to this decision by the council, it was supposed to be a challenge held only between the two saint cksmiths and the amount of audience would be limited.


    But now¡­ if the Dwarven Council was to make it an empire-wide event¡­ there was simply too much at stake and too much attention would be paid to this faceoff than it was needed.


    Kahn only wanted the challenge to use as an excuse to learn the skills from Throk after thetter made a bet with Tawerik. His intentions were only to learn the cksmithing skills and even he didn''t take the challenge seriously at all.


    And once he was done¡­ he''d either carry on with managing the Oakenshieldpany as it was a safe source of ie and resources and nned to make breakthroughs to higher saint stages quietly.


    Even if he lost the challenge¡­ only certain individuals would know of it and Throk''s reputation could be recovered in the future.


    But if the challenge bes something that attracted the attention of the whole empire¡­ then Kahn was going to get into everyone''s eyes even if he didn''t want to. This included even the church, and the imperial n itself. The two of them were the forces he was trying to avoid and only revealed himself as Throk''s disciple till this point.


    Thepetition that was supposed to happen behind closed doors was now going to be a public exhibition because of this verdict.


    In a way, the Dwarven Council had fucked over Throk and Kahn big time.


    ----------------


    "I refuse!" bellowed Throk with eyes full of disagreement.


    "This is between me and Tawerik, why is the council trying to make it a big deal and intervene more than they need to?


    "Who even asked you to organize an empire-wide event?


    p??da n?vel Not only I am falsely used, but now you''re dragging me into bigger troubles just to show your authority.


    Looks like the council is very desperate to appear relevant at this point." rebutted Throk without a shred of respect in his tone.


    Because he too was well aware of the consequences. In a way, the council had cornered him in an unfavorable situation.


    "Ha ha!


    Why? What happened, Oakenshield?


    Didn''t you say that day that you could even turn this human into one of the best cksmiths in the empire?" asked Tawerik, the bald cksmith with an exhrated expression.<del></del>


    Because as things stood, this was indeed a blessing for him. Not only he''d get to clear up the bad reputation that he currently had and on top of it¡­ he''d be able to publicly shame Oakenshield as well as raise his reputation to the point where he''d be a behemoth of the cksmithing industry.


    To him, the victory was already in his grasp because Helsi himself was a semi-saint cksmith already.


    "Don''t tell me that you were just bluffing that day and you don''t actually have the skills to do anything than barking around.


    If you''re going to chicken out¡­ then admit that I''m better than you in front of everyone and maybe then I''ll rethink." he said with a smug smile on his face.


    "And don''t forget that you still have signed that contract. It can''t be unless both sides agree.


    So if you don''t ept the decision by the council¡­ it can be considered as my win and I will take your wholepany and all of its assets as per our contract." reminded Tawerik.


    Kahn remembered the day when he got mixed into their fight. It was indeed Throk running his mouth aloud and shamelessly boasted that he could even make a normal human from the street one of the top cksmiths of the empire.


    And now, his words came back to bite them in the ass.


    "You!... You just want to look good when you''re the one who should be scrutinized and not me." retorted Throk.


    Because Throk also felt that if the challenge was indeed disyed across the empire, he was going to lose everything he had since Kahn was most likely to lose anyway.


    And then, his entire life''s reputation, as well as thepany will be gone. Just because the issue had been overblown out of proportion¡­ he couldn''t hand out a husk of hispany like they nned before and would eventually have to give Tawerik everything they owned as per their contract.


    At this moment¡­ both Kahn and Throk were indeed in a pinch. This time, even others who backed Throk didn''t speak up.


    Because often, this was how things were settled between the famous cksmiths of the empire even in the past.


    The skills and talent was what their entire species acknowledged as per the old customs.


    And if Throk backed out from this¡­ then they''d all feel stupid to take the side of this dwarf without a backbone.


    Even Throk could also feel the judgemental and expectant gazes on him without even looking.


    [Kid¡­ what do you say? I''ll lose everything at this point.] he spoke with Kahn.


    Kahn then started contemting many things. Because till now¡­ everything he learned was due to curiosity and his will to learn and perfect his cksmithing skill set for future gains.


    But now¡­ the issue was bigger than himself and involved Throk, hispany and also the people who chose to support him in the hearing. This time¡­ it was for a bigger cause.


    And after a lot of thinking¡­ Kahn spoke in a loud voice that resounded in the entire council hall and dered¡­


    "We will ept the challenge!"

 Chapter 577 Hard Mode

    Chapter 577 Hard Mode


    The early morning of the next day started as a military drill for both Kahn and ckwall while Throk was their drill sergeant who woke them up by releasing his killing intent on both the disciples.


    "Get into your working clothes you useless shits!


    Is that how you want to be a cksmith?


    By sleeping instead of training?!" bellowed the old dwarf.


    Yawn!


    "What''s this? Since when did you start working so early?" asked Kahn who looked like a walking corpse in his half-asleep state.


    BANG!


    Before he could even react, Throk leaped in the air and punched Kahn in the head.


    Crack!


    His head was buried in the floor as the tiles were cracked open.


    "Inside the forging room, you only address me as Master!" shouted Throk with a visible fireing out of his eyes.


    He then looked at ckwall with his fiery eyes and the abyss knight general instantly stood straight and rearranged his posture like a wooden pole. Otherwise, he too was going to receive the same wake-up call.


    "Hey, why did you¡­"


    BANG!!


    "Argh!"


    Another fist hit Kahn''s head as he was buried even deeper.


    "Hey? What ''hey''? What did I tell you to call me?" asked Throk as he released all of his orange-colored pressure full of world energy belonging to a second stage saint.


    "This is going too far! This is¡­"


    BANG!!


    This time, Throk hit him even harder and Kahn''s head was thoroughly buried in the flooring like an ostrich.


    "So¡­ what did I say again?" asked the saint cksmith.


    "I will wake up early from now on¡­ Master." spoke Kahn like an obedient child as two swollen mountains appeared on his head.


    "Good. Now both of you will start the forge and show me how you two perform smelting and then casting." he said in a domineering tone.


    Both Kahn and ckwall instantly went into alert mode as they felt a sense of foreboding that involved them getting beaten to death by the old dwarf if they missed a single step or made a slight mistake.


    Kahn and ckwall quickly brought in metal ores weighing around a kilo and rearranged everything in the foundry.


    In the Vulcan empire, the top cksmiths used A Rank mana cores to power the magic furnaces just like how Albestros used to do in Rakos Empire. But the equipments here were far too advanced and directly let them know of the temperature of the furnace and how close were the ores to the melting point.


    Soon, the metal ores that varied in shapes started melting and they prepared cylindrical casts to pour in the liquid metal. After clearing out the g that surfaced at the top and putting it in the crucible, Kahn tilted the furnace using a leveling level while ckwall held onto the mold where they were to pour in this molten liquid.


    Although this was just normal casting procedure, the duo felt like their life was hanging on a thread because Throk was intensely staring at them¡­ just waiting to see a slight mistake in the process.


    After carefully pouring out the molten liquid in the mold and sessfully performing the casting¡­ Kahn then started a magic cooling equipment surrounding the mold that cooled down the liquid while it took the shape of the mold without affecting the innerposition of the metal or forming cracks on the shape since it needed to naturally lose the temperature.


    If this was earth¡­ this equipment would save the professionals hours of time that they had to waste just to have the liquid cool down.


    In just 30 minutes, the whole casting procedure was over and they took out the sample from the mold and presented it to the old dwarf.


    "Hmm¡­ not bad. There are no bubbles or any cracks.


    I would''ve broken your arms if there was even a slight amount of g." said Throk as he looked at a perfectly cast cylindrical-shaped sample.


    "I guess you two have learned enough to be done with smelting and casting.


    Now show me how you do hammering and quenching." hemanded.


    "What shape?" asked ckwall.


    "Perfect rectangr ingot." he said.


    "What?! This is cylindrical. And you want us to make it in a t rectangr shape without smelting it?


    Do you know how hard that is?" questioned Kahn.


    "He he! Of course, I do.


    But I didn''t say your training was going to be easy using the conventional methods.


    If you can''t make me a perfectly rectangr ingot in the dimensions I order you to¡­


    Then you both are already failures as a cksmith." spoke Throk with a condescending look on his face as if he was looking down on Kahn and ckwall''s entire existence.


    But to no avail¡­ the duo had to follow the orders and the entire morning hammering and sweltering the casted samples into the shape.


    ----------------


    At night, Kahn was finally free after spending 15 hours of training without a break while Throk berated him and ckwall and beat the shit out of them while they made many mistakes.


    Although he had learned hammering skills a while ago¡­ the rank was still lower and so was his mastery. Thus, he screwed up more than 20 times and had the old dwarf physically and physically torture them.


    Kahn now stood in his new bedroom in thepany quarters.


    Swoosh!


    Ronin appeared out of the shadows and handed Kahn a space ring.


    "Enough for two months." he said and disappeared from the spot.


    Kahn then quickly activated his Dimensional Domain and poured out the content of this space ring.


    And one by one, he started creating doppelgangers, all of whom possessed 70% of his physical stats and all his skills except for the divine abilities and the blessings.


    After 5 doppelgangers were created and received enough SS Rank cores with their separate space rings, enough to supply them with mana to sustain themselves for months¡­


    Kahn distributed the heap among the 5 and spoke in a resolute voice since this was only the beginning.


    "Alright everyone¡­ it''s time to start the hard grind."

 Chapter 578 Hiatus Announcement

    Chapter 578 Hiatus Announcement


    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT


    Author here. I''m writing this announcement chapter to inform everyone that I''m going through severe muscle pain in my entire right arm.


    Majority of the tendons and veins have swollen up to the point I can barely move my fingers and today, I had to visit a doctor because it kept swelling even more.


    The cause being the obvious¡­ writing daily and that too from months without any break has caused a lot of strain on my muscles, veins, ligaments and tendons.


    Meanwhile, the left-hand thumb is going through the same type of pain.


    And now, I''m advised to give the work at least a week''s break and some medicines to ease the pain, use ice packs, and add fish oil capsules in my routine along with some restrictions on diet to reduce the inmmation to make a proper recovery with time.


    Well¡­ I kind of saw thising because it has been a couple of weeks since the pain and muscle straining started but I didn''t even take a day off and kept on with the work while my hands didn''t get the necessary rest.


    People pay their hard-earned money for Privilege Chapters and that''s why I have been reluctant to take a break as it is kind of a breach of trust in my eyes if I don''t deliver upon what I''m expected to.


    Hence, I have been carrying on despite the mental and physical health issues and burnout that I''ve been facing for quite some time. And now¡­


    "I''m tired of this Earth, these people. I''m tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives."


    Jokes aside¡­ my hands are forced to take a break (literally) and now, I barely have any will to live¡­ I mean to ''write''.


    So I will be on a one week break.


    This chapter is to announce this situation to all the privileged readers because I''m in no position to keep writing at all.


    And honestly, I don''t want to sacrifice the quality of the chapters or plotline just for the sake of putting the numbers or meeting the quota of daily chapter releases.


    I know it will piss off some people who paid for the privileged chapters but this is something out of my control at this point.


    Otherwise, I''ll end up worsening the pain to the point it bes self-inflicted injury and results in me getting dmissioned for weeks or even a month (something I''ve experienced in the past with back/waist pain a few months ago).


    So I hope you all can forgive me once and I''ll try to make up for the break next month after I''m properly healed¡­ both in body and mind.


    Even when I''m writing this¡­ it hurts like hell and my right arm is bing dysfunctional these days.


    So see you all next month. And thanks for your understanding. And remember¡­


    Nothing is true; everything is permitted.


    - CrimsonWolfAuthor


    ----------------


    NOTE : Old chapter content from now because app wouldn''t let me upload the above content due to word count. And Auxiliary Chapter wasn''t bing avable specifically to the Privileged Readers.


    Ignore the rest of the words. See you soon...


    ----------------


    The early morning of the next day started as a military drill for both Kahn and ckwall while Throk was their drill sergeant who woke them up by releasing his killing intent on both the disciples.


    "Get into your working clothes you useless shits!


    Is that how you want to be a cksmith?


    By sleeping instead of training?!" bellowed the old dwarf.


    Yawn!


    "What''s this? Since when did you start working so early?" asked Kahn who looked like a walking corpse in his half-asleep state.


    BANG!


    Before he could even react, Throk leaped in the air and punched Kahn in the head.


    Crack!


    His head was buried in the floor as the tiles were cracked open.


    "Inside the forging room, you only address me as Master!" shouted Throk with a visible fireing out of his eyes.


    He then looked at ckwall with his fiery eyes and the abyss knight general instantly stood straight and rearranged his posture like a wooden pole. Otherwise, he too was going to receive the same wake-up call.


    "Hey, why did you¡­"


    BANG!!


    "Argh!"


    Another fist hit Kahn''s head as he was buried even deeper.


    "Hey? What ''hey''? What did I tell you to call me?" asked Throk as he released all of his orange-colored pressure full of world energy belonging to a second stage saint.


    "This is going too far! This is¡­"


    BANG!!


    This time, Throk hit him even harder and Kahn''s head was thoroughly buried in the flooring like an ostrich.


    "So¡­ what did I say again?" asked the saint cksmith.


    "I will wake up early from now on¡­ Master." spoke Kahn like an obedient child as two swollen mountains appeared on his head.


    "Good. Now both of you will start the forge and show me how you two perform smelting and then casting." he said in a domineering tone.


    Both Kahn and ckwall instantly went into alert mode as they felt a sense of foreboding that involved them getting beaten to death by the old dwarf if they missed a single step or made a slight mistake.


    Kahn and ckwall quickly brought in metal ores weighing around a kilo and rearranged everything in the foundry.


    In the Vulcan empire, the top cksmiths used A Rank mana cores to power the magic furnaces just like how Albestros used to do in Rakos Empire. But the equipments here were far too advanced and directly let them know of the temperature of the furnace and how close were the ores to the melting point.


    Soon, the metal ores that varied in shapes started melting and they prepared cylindrical casts to pour in the liquid metal. After clearing out the g that surfaced at the top and putting it in the crucible, Kahn tilted the furnace using a leveling level while ckwall held onto the mold where they were to pour in this molten liquid.

 Chapter 579 Honest Work

    Chapter 579 Honest Work


    Kahn and his doppelgangers stood inside the Dimensional Domain, his separate space that spanned for 5 kilometers while from the outside, it didn''t even span for 5 meters. And right in front of them, were various tools, equipment, metal ingots, forging materials and furnaces ced in order.


    These were the forging materials and equipment Ronin stole from thepany warehouses and Ceril covered up the expenses in the logbooks so there was no trace to track the purchase.


    This was time for Kahn to practice his skills and techniques and as he nned before¡­ the doppelgangers were going to be his cheats.


    Currently, he only had an F rank cksmithing skill even after weeks of training. And he unlocked this one on his own and not directly absorbed it from someone else.


    Contrary to what one would expect from an isekai or reincarnation fantasy novel¡­ people didn''t awaken or learned such skills just by making repeated movements or performing a certain type of attack patterns in Vantrea.


    Even fighting skills required understanding and physicalpatibility to unlock them while magic spells and skills demanded control over mana and different elements of nature.


    As for crafts like cksmithing¡­ it had rules of its own. Even someone like Kahn who the blessings from a Demi-God, wasn''t an exception to them.


    First, he had to make himself get used to the movements of smithing techniques, then he had to perfect his control over the physical force with which he was performing the forging. Aside from that, he also needed the perfect understanding of the properties of the metal or alloy being forged.


    Then how best to shape them while having perfect control of the tools and equipment he was using in the procedure. And while doing so, Kahn needed to pay attention to every single hit was making to shape the sample at hand.


    Spacing out or just hammering without thought would end up sacrificing the end product. Something he and ckwall learned after making over 30 pieces of steel armors and gauntlets.


    Some of them had unevenyers. And some portions were thinner than the others. This caused the weight imbnce and also defensive strength was weaker in these parts.


    If it was just some cksmith apprentice working in a local smithy¡­ the masters would be proud of them to seed up to this level of the finished product in such a short time. But the master Kahn and ckwall had¡­ was one of the top 5 in the entire empire.


    Throk scolded and beat both of his students to a pulp because even a slight mistake or uneven weight distribution could restrict the fighting prowess of the wearer and even cost them their lives in a life and death battle.


    The smallest mistake meant aplete failure in his eyes. And thus¡­ Kahn and ckwall were forced to keep up with the same training for days until they made a perfect product that was passable in the eyes of their master.


    Although this constant berating and beating for screw-ups pissed him off a lot, Kahn also understood that Throk wasn''t just doing it for kinks or wasting effort¡­ instead, he was building a solid foundation for both of them where they could progress and learn new skills after mastering the basic ones first.


    Because even the tallest building, no matter how big of a marvel in terms of architecture or design it was or no matter how amazing it looked¡­ would be decimated to the ground if the foundation itself was weak.


    Thus, Kahn and ckwall were working tirelessly throughout the day while working with different materials and types of tools as soon as the morning sun rose and stopped only when it was dinner time.


    And inside the Dimensional Domain, his 5 doppelgangers were helping Kahn to increase his mastery and experience over the skills he had already unlocked. Thus,pared to others¡­ he was training six times harder and also improving at a drastic pace.


    Days and then weeks passed by and finally, the cksmith''s Hammering skill rose to B rank as he kept crossing the 100% mastery and proficiency threshold one by one and ranked up the skill with the help of the other 5 doppelgangers.


    Meanwhile, the rest 10 doppelgangers were allowed to do tasks of their own.


    5 of them were left with fighting and perfecting the newly gained skills that he gained after bing a saint and the ones that were upgraded to Saint Rank after his breakthrough. Kahn was at a stage where any skill below the SSS Rank was hardly useful for him because his ying field was now elevated to Saints and Legendary rank creatures.


    One of his doppelgangers transformed into a Titan while the other one attacked it using the newly upgraded Dragon Strike skill.


    3rd one intervened and used Lucid Reality skill on both to throw them off bnce in a battle while the 4th one used the Gravity Law skills to suppress the others.


    Andstly, the 5 one was using Darkness Elemental skills and attack infused in skills such as Dark Lightning Strike while using Spiritual Replica skill which allowed Kahn to create a separate entity made of world energy that was no different than his version of Susano.


    All the doppelgangers used a particr set of skills and fought a battle to the death on the original body''s orders.


    Because of this way, Kahn would naturally find ws in himself, his techniques andbat capabilities as well as learn how to counter different types of enemies with varying abilities and skills.


    The Kahn of now could kill a semi-saint individual just by releasing his War Dominance aura alone if he willed it. So the new skills he got from killing those legendary rank monsters, Skoll & Hati as well as the Guardian Dragon were what he needed to pay attention to the most.


    Because being ignorant or putting off his training was no longer an option for him. He had to be prepared for the day when somehow others found out about his real identity as Hero of Darkness.


    As for thest 5¡­


    They were going to be his trump cards.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Recovered a bit after 3 days break but still had to work again for the sake of Mass-Release. So I will still need some time to recuperatepletely.


    5 more chaptersing tomorrow. I just didn''t get enough time toplete 15 chapters because of the hand situation.]]

 Chapter 580 The Price to Pay

    <h4>Chapter 580 The Price to Pay</h4>


    After distributing the tasks his first 10 doppelgangers had to do¡­ Kahn then moved to thest 5. Unlike the others¡­ these didn''t have any form of physical training to do, rather¡­ it was going to test their minds to the limit.


    Kahn wanted to resume his Magic and also the Dimensional Law study for a while and after nearly half a yearter¡­ he finally got the chance because now he had peace and wasn''t burdened with the responsibilities of a Sovereign or had to hunt for legendary monsters to protect the borders and the lives of his subjects.


    Each one was studying two to three different elements and performing spells, barriers and formations, including the dark magic element ones. Because even now, he was only an Intermediate Rank Magician and hadn''t even surpassed someone like Solomon Elfenheim, the elven mage whose innate abilities he acquired.


    Kahn had no genius or experienced master to teach him magic skills or help correct his doubts. Even someone like Ceril wasn''t that big of an expertpared to other saint mages because he too had limited knowledge just like Kahn. Just that he could use multiple elements without any restrictions while others could use 3 to 4 at best.


    So all Kahn could do was learn and perfect them through trial and error while figuring out things on his own.


    However¡­ the books left by the elven semi-saint mage rted to magic and the spacew itself were his biggest source of knowledge and guidance, making them adequate for his current situation.


    So the remaining five of the doppelgangers were also swarmed with work.


    Before bing a saint, the doppelganger skill was only a SS Rank skill and didn''t allow Kahn to share the mastery and proficiency of any of these skills.


    Only after he became a saint did the skill itself reach Saint Rank and because of the world energy Kahn now had ess to, this shared connection evolved and now he could use them as his cheat codes.


    So it was the time to reap the maximum rewards while covering all important fields and without wasting any more time like he was forced to do before bing a saint.


    At the same time¡­ all these doppelgangers needed a generous amount of mana and world energy to carry out their work. Because whether it was the fighting skills or the magic spells; whether it was the transformation abilities or using the gravityw and the dimensionw abilities¡­ they all needed a lot of world energy and mana to perform.


    All the doppelgangers only had 70% of Kahn''s physical stats and abilities. But none of them had their own reserves of mana and world energy because they were part of an ability and Kahn was the actual source.


    The SS Rank cores he gave them were only useful to extend their activation time but didn''t work as the source of their strength. And even with his current capacity which was double that of a normal saint¡­ Kahn didn''t have even 10% of the quantity that was required.


    This was one of the biggest shorings of the hack he was using. But thanks to a certain shameless almighty being who didn''t like to leave plotholes¡­ Kahn already had an alternate source avable.


    Rathnaar''s Core.


    ----------------


    Since the First Emperor of Rakos Empire aka Rathnaar Whitlock''s core was bound to his soul already¡­ the doppelgangers could automatically harness the required mana and world energy directly from the Peak Saint''s core.


    Hence, it was providing them with inexhaustible reserves so even if they all were not legit saints, practicing these skills was no problem.


    Again, the Peak Saint''s core proved itself to be one of Kahn''s biggest assets and helped him bypass many restrictions that would be impossible unless one was at least a 5th stage saint mage.


    When Kahn asked the old emperor about how strong his core was and how much energy it held¡­ Rathnaar only scoffed at Kahn as if he was entertaining a newborn.


    ''Even if your doppelgangers used it as a source every single day for the next 10 years, they still wouldn''t manage to deplete 30% of the original quantity stored in the core.''


    Those were his words. And the hard-to-digest fact was¡­ Kahn could feel through his soul connection with the core that he indeed hadn''t even scratched the surface.


    [Just how powerful was a Peak Saint?] wondered Kahn with his mouth agape.


    All he knew was that Rathnaar could travel a couple of thousand kilometers of distance in a single second at his peak. And a Demi-God could travel ten thousand kilometers.


    Meanwhile Kahn¡­ a First Stage Saint could travel one kilometer distance in a second and that too when he used his several speed-enhancing skills and abilities such as Quicksilver, Jetstream, Sky Overlord and Gravity Law skills such as Attraction and Repulsion to enhance his momentum.


    The world was truly vast and Kahn had juste out of the little well he was living in. Even the Vulcan Empire wasn''tparable to the vast sea of wonders and powerful beings called Vantrea.


    After letting out a defeated sigh, Kahn carried on with this arrangement while all the 15 doppelgangers trained and perfected themselves at different corners of this dimensional domain.


    And the biggest surprising fact about this whole arrangement was¡­ that all the fifteen doppelgangers shared the same mind as Kahn.


    They weren''t some mindless subordinates or proxy replicas. All of them were the real Kahn including the original body and as they practiced everything whether it was fighting moves, magic, spacew or the cksmithing skills¡­


    They were all connected to each other mentally and physically while collectively¡­ they experienced everything at the same time.


    One just focused on the particr task while putting everything and everyone else in the background of their mind while performing the given responsibility individually.


    But like how nature or energy worked on thew of conservation and equivalent exchange¡­ he too had to y by the same rule.


    As for the price Kahn had to pay was something that would¡­


    Completely destroy him.

 Chapter 581 True Geniuses

    Chapter 581 True Geniuses


    While Kahn used his hack of using the doppelgangers to advance and perfect his fighting skills, magic, spacew and cksmithing skills at the same time. He had to pay greatly for it.


    Since the original body, mind and soul was the main factor that linked all the doppelgangers¡­ it was the one actually bearing the pressure of everything since the original Kahn was the anchor that connected them through the soul connection.


    So in simple words¡­ There were 16 Kahn existing at the same time. Each one doing their part and sharing the experience, knowledge, mastery, proficiency, physical movements and thought process.


    And the original body was the one enduring all of it at the same time through sheer willpower alone.


    Just imagine yourself hearing the thoughts, forcefully splitting your mind and focusing on different things at once while experiencing everything they were going through via a mind and body that wasn''t your own.


    And then imagine having 15 of such bodies and consciousness while you are the one enduring all of it at once¡­


    This was the price Kahn had to pay for using this hack. A price that would drive other peoplepletely mad if they were forced to experience it themselves.


    But even so¡­ Kahn knew that there was no perfect shortcut or an absolute hack without something to sacrifice.


    In his case¡­ he was sacrificing his sanity while suffering constant mental and physical pressure just to cover everything than leaving it forter.


    All of that¡­ to ovee his weaknesses and survive in a world that would kill him as soon as his existence became known to everyone.


    Kahn was aware that other than his Eidetic Memory¡­ he wasn''t someone truly gifted with talent.


    He wasn''t a true sword prodigy like Rathnaar who could create Saint Rank skills while being a semi-saint. Someone who killed even Heroes of the Gods with Divine Abilities and that too when they were a rank or two higher than him


    Neither did he achieve heaven-defying skills or an Ancient Rank job like Kassandra through her own talent and hard work alone.


    He wasn''tmitted like Solomon who sacrificed a century of his life and strength just to study Space Law which decreased his mana and world energy, making him stay as a weak and low leveled semi-saint just so he could get Rathnaar''s core and then ascendter.


    In the case of the old man Albestros¡­ he was someone who excelled in cksmithing and artificing, both jobs that were extremely hard to achieve while having the disadvantage of being a human.


    Even Throk was someone who rose to be one of the top 5 cksmiths of the Vulcan empire while having no background, wealth, authority and connections. Even the master of his had to spend a century to achieve his current skills and reputation.


    Andstly, he didn''t have any innate abilities such as bloodlines or species advantage like Venessa who was already capable of fighting above 2 ranks.


    All the 6 people he used as a benchmark were the prime example of true geniuses while he was someone who reached this point in this cruel world where power ruled everything only because of the Divine Abilities and Blessings given by God of Darkness and the War Deity respectively.


    However¡­ he wasn''t ignorant to think that all six of these people achieved their sess only because there were gifted. No¡­ in the real world, even geniuses had to work hard to seed.


    Theirtent talent and abilities only made the ride a bit smoother but the path had to be walked with their strength and endless hard work.


    Although Kahn''s cunning nature, wits and past life experiences yed a part in his rise to strength¡­ none of it would''ve be possible if not for his divine abilities and blessings.


    And if Kahn wanted to surpass them and sit at the top even among these geniuses¡­ he had to work many times harder than everybody, be smarter than them, and consume knowledge at a pace that surpassed everyone else.


    Hence, he was trying his best to endure all of the hardship and burden that could break a person in a short time. To achieve his goals and aspirations because being a chosen Hero of a God wasn''t going to be enough to help him ascend to the top. At this moment, Kahn was trying to find his ce¡­


    Among the True Geniuses.


    ----------------


    Weeks passed as Kahn kept carrying the routine of vigorous training and noticed a considerable rise in his skills and understanding.


    As he thought before, it was more about the experience than just hammering it down. The more he practiced forming different shapes and parts of armors and weapons¡­ the more his understanding regarding the metal or alloy at hand rose and he could almost predict the optimal temperature for forging just by looking at the material at hand and feeling the heat through his skin.


    ckwall on the other hand was increasing his knowledge and proficiency even more than Kahn. Just that he didn''t have a shortcut to directly learn these skills or increase his mastery through blessings unless Kahn gave them to him.


    But his innate connection to metals and minerals was far better than Kahn and he could easily use the best way to forge the shapes, use a hammer or the punch on the piece at hand perfectly while maintaining the thickness and quality of the finished product.


    Both Kahn and ckwall were aware that once they perfected the tools and learned their way around all the tools, metals and could make any type of set¡­ Throk would start the next step of their training.


    Till now, they were only working on base-level armor and weapons. Their highest grade of work was amon rank armor set made from pure steel. They hadn''t even touched the rare materials like Mythril, Adamantite or Orichalcum.


    Just like this¡­ Two months passed by ever since the Dwarven Council meeting.


    But something changed in both of them.


    Kahn and ckwall no longer had the expression of someone forced to study something they didn''t want to or doing it for the sake of it. And even now¡­ all of this was just the beginning stage of their training.


    A blissful smile appeared on their faces as they looked at the forge the next morning. Because finally¡­


    They had truly epted the cksmithing Craft.

 Chapter 582 Blacksmithing Craft

    Chapter 582 cksmithing Craft


    Kahn had a different outlook on the entirety of cksmithing Craft now. Because before he started the real training 2 months ago¡­ he only had respect for this profession from the perspective of an outsider or an onlooker.


    But the past two months had greatly tested his mind, tenacity,mitment, perseverance and patience throughout his daily routine and continuous yet precise efforts to embed these skills and knowledge in his body and soul.


    Unlike the time when he was focusing on weapons andbat techniques training or how he studied magic and spacew¡­ they all were done in order to ensure his survival and help him rise higher in ranks and strength.


    cksmithing was something he chose on the ord of an opportunity showing up when he saw Throk''s predicament back then and he wanted to save his future wealth on making his weapons and armors by himself.


    This wasn''t something he felt the urgency to learn, just something that was on a bucket list. He had Alchemy, Magic Formations and Runes in his list too. But none of these were a necessity for him.


    However, now that he had spent the past two months learning the ins and outs of this craft, even though they were only a form of basic training¡­ Kahn had apletely different mindset about it now.


    The craft itself wasn''t about just making armors and weapons for the sake of battle or killing your enemy. Instead, the fundamental concept that gave birth to it was¡­


    Creation.


    Yes, the cksmithing craft presented a branch of creativity that came out of your mind. You spent blood, sweat, hard work along with hundreds of hours of intense forging process just to create a piece stemmed out of your imagination and taking a real appearance and body.


    Like how an artist brought his imagination, feelings and creativity together to make a painting that was the culmination of everything that inspired him¡­


    Like how a math genius spent years creating forms and equations to quantify and solve the problem at hand¡­ ending up setting a standard that would help future generations.


    Like how a scientist spent decades to solve mysteries of the world and nature or how an architect spent years to build a building that became a monument of inspiration and hope to the people of their country.


    In Kahn''s eyes¡­ cksmithing was the same; making you bring your ideas, creativity, aspirations, emotions and hardbor into a physical form.


    Let it be an eloquent sword to a crude and terrifying-looking battleaxe¡­ to a cksmith, all of them were beautiful and praiseworthy creations.


    And now¡­ Kahn wasn''t in a hurry like before.


    Because he was multitasking using the doppelgangers, which was already a huge burden on his kind while soaking in a lot of knowledge and experience at the same time through his daily training.


    And even if he was learning and unlocking skills by himself through hard effort¡­ it was going to take him a long time than directly absorbing skills from someone.


    He didn''t n to kill some innocent cksmith just to get their skills. Unless someone tried to kill him, he wouldn''t go looking for blood by himself.


    This was and where he couldn''t get away with killing anyone since his identity was already in the limelight and he was certain many people¡­ whether they belonged to Hector or Venessa''s faction; whether they were from the Church of Hetrax, imperial family or even the Dwarven Council¡­ he was aware that there were many eyes on them.


    But none of these hidden spies provoked them so Kahn and the gang also had no reason to pick a bone with them since they all nned toy low in this empire from the very beginning.


    And one day¡­


    Kahn waspletely immersed in forging an armor set and dual-wielding swords under Throk''s supervision. However¡­ he was lost in his thoughts while quenching the hot sword''s de but suddenly, his steps stopped.


    Kahn had his eyes wide open yet he couldn''t see anything in front of him. The forge was full of scalding heat yet he couldn''t feel anything on his skin.


    The hot de that Kahn held by using tongs was leaking vapors, yet he didn''t move an inch from his.


    To Kahn, the whole world around him had turned into background while he entered a space existing in a different ne.


    This ne of existence was nothing but abination of ck and crimson red.


    Every building, every object regardless of their shape and size in this ne was made of these two colors while he waspletely naked and barefooted.


    Ting!


    Ting!


    Ting!


    All he could hear was the loud sound of metals and tools nging against each other by themselves while no people were performing these repeated movements.


    He turned around and saw an enormous ck and red castle behind him that appeared like it was made around a ginormous mountain.


    Ting!


    ng!


    The sound of metals and hammers never stopped but Kahn suddenly felt like there was some invisible force calling out to him. As if telling him to enter through this endless castle''s main door and venture inside.


    Kahn was puzzled yet he seemed to have lost his ability to think or question anything. And without a second thought¡­ he started walking towards this castle where the floor was made of sizzling stones.


    Yet Kahn kept walking towards this castle and followed behind the echoes of these noises as if he wanted to find any answers¡­ he''d only get them inside.


    Suddenly in the real world, Throk shouted¡­


    "What the hell are you doing brat?!


    Who said you could space out during your training?" eximed the dwarf cksmith and walked towards Kahn.


    But suddenly¡­ he waspletely shocked because at the same time¡­


    He saw ckwall in the same state as Kahn.


    Both of them were frozen on the spot as if they didn''t exist in this ce and were lost in time.


    "Impossible! How can that be? And both of them at the same time?" asked Throk to himself with apletely bbergasted expression.


    This was something he had read and heard about once. And there was no mistaking it¡­ Both Kahn and ckwall, who had entered a state of trance, were going through¡­


    An Enlightenment!

 Chapter 583 Two Dwarves

    Chapter 583 Two Dwarves


    Kahn kept walking barefooted while the scorching heat in the atmosphere surrounding his body while his legs were burning as he stepped on the scalding hot tiles of the road that led towards the inner parts of this ginormous castle whose end he could not see.


    Unlike the buildings outside that were the normal-sized as any other settlement in the Vulcan empire¡­ Even the entrance door of this castle itself was a couple of kilometers wide and the tiny Kahn akin to the size of an ant in front of these massive constructs could only see their ends.


    Hours and then days passed but Kahn tirelessly kept walking inside this castle that seemed to be the residence of unfathomable beings from the words he could hear.


    His haggard and dispirited expression were enough to understand how much pressure he was going through but still¡­ his steps didn''t stop at all.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    The previously nging noises of the hammering and quenching had turned too loud and he could feel shockwaves traveling through the air and the ground.


    And finally one day¡­ Kahn reached a wide and ttened ground with two ends ced only one kilometer away from each other and his gazended on two gigantic figures.


    In reality, Kahn was only standing at the entrance of a small door. And in front of him, were two gigantic dwarves busy forging.


    Based on his estimations, each one of the dwarves was 1 kilometer tall. Even the massive hammers and equipment they held in their hands were 200 to 300 meters long.


    And only after seeing these two individuals¡­ Kahn finally regained his full consciousness and came to understand the situation around him.


    He quickly tried to exude his saint pressure but nothing came out of his body. His clothes, weapons, the space ring¡­ he had none of them on his personnel.


    "Huh?


    How is this possible? After so many years?" spoke one of the dwarves who was donned in shining silver armor, two horns came out of his helmet and he held a hammer in his left hand while a long poleaxe in his right one.


    This titanic dwarf had a white braided beard while lightning ran across his armored body here and there as if it was something very natural.


    But the aura this dwarf gave¡­ it was something unexinable to Kahn. Something he had felt before but couldn''t remember exactly where or when.


    "Two of them at the same time?" said the other dwarf who adorned a brown and green armor with two yellow wings on his helmet.


    This second gigantic dwarf held a golden warhammer in his hand while having a book strapped to his waist.


    The long and braided brown beard and white woolen cape differentiated his appearance from the former.


    "This has never happened before." said the first dwarf as he gave a look of surprise to the other one.


    "It''s been more than 12 thousand years since a human appeared here. I guess they''re not a lost cause at all." said the second ginormous dwarf.


    Kahn, who had broken through his trance finally got a hold of his thought process.


    [Two?]


    Just then, he looked to his left.


    And on the left and opposite side of this door that he entered from was¡­ ckwall.


    ckwall was also dibobted and regained control over his body just now. And he too waspletely nude just like Kahn.


    [ckwall, can you hear me?] asked Kahn through their telepathy link.


    [Master, where are you?] asked ckwall in surprise.


    [On your right.] replied Kahn.


    Compared to the two gigantic figures, their bodies every like small sand grains.


    BOOM!!


    The next moment, ckwall''s body let out a massive burst of brown aura and his entire figure started transforming.


    And in just a minute¡­ ckwall returned to his original Kronos form and turned into a primordial titan as his height also rose 1 kilometer tall and matched the two dwarves.


    "Oh, this one¡­ he isn''t a human.


    Well¡­ he isn''t a true living being. A creation¡­ a titan''s bloodline, abilities and a Knight''s skills.


    How odd." said the first dwarf.


    But without wasting any more time, the titan general quickly moved and picked up Kahn while plunging his hand into the ground as he used his innate abilities and pulled out a battleaxe from the ground.


    He ced Kahn on his shoulder and took a defensive stance against the two dwarves, both of their minds alert and wary of these two gigantic figures.


    Just then, the second dwarf squinted his eyes and focused his gaze on Kahn and just a momentter, they were left wide open.


    Brother, for the first time¡­ we have a chosen Hero entering our realm!" he joyfully eximed.


    "What?" asked the first dwarf and he too focused his attention on Kahn and had his mouth wide open after he too judged Kahn''s characteristics.


    "Wait! They''re connected by a soul chain.


    This Titand is that chosen Hero''s creation." continued the first dwarf donned in silver armor.


    "How rare and amazing at the same time." spoke the second dwarf, who seemed to be the brother of the first one based on his words.


    "Who are you? And what is this ce?" Kahn asked in a befuddled voice because he had no idea what was going on.


    All he remembered that he was lost in thoughts while performing quenching and suddenly, he lost his consciousness and the world around him turned nk.


    "Who are we? You''re asking that question right inside our castle." said the second brother with a littleugh.


    Both ckwall and Kahn were currently defenseless and if not for the Abyss Knight general, they wouldn''t even be able to speak to these gigantic figures on equal height.


    Hence, they were prepared to tackle any type of attack if the situation arose.


    However, instead of showing any hostility towards these new uninvited guests, the dwarven brothers had no misgivings.


    "My name is Brokkr." introduced the first dwarf in silver armor and with a hammer.


    "My name is Eitri." spoke the second dwarf in brown and green armor with a golden warhammer in hand.


    "You can call us¡­"


    They both let out a smug smile and spoke in unison.


    "Deities of cksmithing."

 Chapter 584 The Deities

    Chapter 584 The Deities


    Kahn and ckwall were too stunned and perplexed to speak a single word. If what they heard and experienced so far was indeed the truth¡­ then they were conversing with two living Deities.


    Seeing their shocked expression¡­ Brokkr and Eitri gave them a moment of respite and didn''t speak anything until their guests managed to digest the fact.


    As for Kahn himself¡­ Other than meeting Kravel, he never experienced meeting deities by himself. And even at that time, God of Darkness was present so he had very little interaction with the Deity.


    Back in Vessen fiefdom¡­ Ceril and Oliver had received gifts from Velsharoon, the Deity of Necromancy and Indra, the Sky Deity respectively. But they never spoke about it or revealed any information about their encounter with those deities as if their lips were sealed and speaking about the deities was a taboo.


    "Which god''s hero are you¡­ wait¡­ that aura.


    To see that the new Hero of Darkness entered our realm." said Eitri as he instantly scanned Kahn''s entire body.


    "Deities¡­" spoke Kahn as he just managed toe to his senses. And he wasn''t a fool to question this situation either as this ce waspletely different from anything he had seen before.


    "What is this ce?" he asked.


    "Our home. This is also the ce where we forge our weapons and armors. Sometimes, the other Deities also hire our services." replied Brokkr.


    "Even other Deities¡­ does that mean¡­" he quickly tried to ask but before more words came out of his mouth, Eitri spoke in a calm voice.


    "Yes. We also forged all the Divine Weapons of the Heroes."


    Brokkr on the other end spoke with an indignant expression.


    "He doesn''t have his Divine Weapon with him. Otherwise, it would also be brought here through their soul link."


    "Easy brother¡­ thisd is a different case, remember." Eitri intervened.


    "Wait¡­ can you tell me what kind of Divine Weapon I have?


    I don''t have any knowledge about it or information about its whereabouts." spoke Kahn with a pleading expression.


    If these Deities were the ones to forge his divine weapon, then there was a high chance that they could help him locate it.


    "Don''t ask questions rted to your mission and we won''t tell you anything rted to the matters of deities and gods either.


    This is prohibited and just by speaking to you, we''re already putting ourselves at risk." said Brokkr in a discontent tone.


    "That is something you''ll have to do on your own. The reason you''re here is unrted to your divine weapon." he continued in a stern tone.


    "You don''t want us to tell other deities and gods about you not having your divine weapon in possession, do you?" asked Eitri in a yful tone.


    [Fuck! They''re right!] thought Kahn as he immediately understood how precarious his situation was.


    This was a great opportunity for Kahn to ask some important questions but after hearing their response, he understood how big of a risk it was.


    Forget a divine weapon¡­ he didn''t even have an Ancient Rank weapon or one made from the body of a Royal Dragon. The only ones that could stand toe to toe against a divine weapon in a fight if a chosen hero didn''t have his or her own.


    "Even if you''re dwarves¡­ you''re too big." said ckwall out of the blue.


    "What? This is our normal height!" shouted Eitri as if this was some serious issue for him.


    "You should see other Demi-Gods, for example that bastard called Jotnar.


    That giant titan is over a hundred times taller than us." said Brokkr with a hateful look.


    But as soon as ckwall heard the word ''Titan''¡­ he got more curious.


    "Jotnar? What kind of Demi-God is he?" asked the Kronos general out of curiosity as the fire from their forge glistened his mineral body and inbuilt armor-like body parts.


    "You know nothing about your history? Ah, I forgot¡­ you''re just a creation and not a natural birth." said Eitri and then continued.


    "Jotnar¡­ is the Founding Titan."


    Eitri then continued in a well-mannered tone as if he was reading scripture.


    "The first natural titan who was born in Vantrea. He lived there for millions of years until he finally learned how to be a Demi-God.


    And after he managed to be one and ascended to be a deity¡­ he destroyed his body into hundreds of different pieces, spreading them all over different corners of Vantrea.


    The body partster reformed themselves and took physical appearance and had different elements to them.


    And thus¡­ they became what you call Primordial Titans." informed Eitri about the myth of the world.


    "You only have a small portion of Jotnar''s bloodline. But if you manage to find other titans and get their bloodline¡­ maybe you have a chance to be someone like Jotnar.


    Although we don''t like that brute¡­ he is one of the strongest among all the deities." revealed Brokkr.


    Both of the guests had a look of disbelief. Because this information was something even Kahn''s system didn''t know about.


    Previously, they thought that Primordial Titans were the peak. But now they learned that they were just a small portion of Jotnar''s body.


    ckwall on the other end had a fiery look on his face as if he was raring to fight this Jotnar they spoke of.


    "Alright then¡­ let''s get to the main topic at hand." spoke Kahn and broke the conversation that was drifting away from the important discussion they needed to have first.


    "Can you tell us why we''re here?" he asked with a yearning expression.


    To his question, both the dwarven deities chuckled as if they found Kahn''s query very obvious.


    "You two were suddenly summoned into a realm of deities.


    The deities who deal in the same craft both of you are learning and trying to improve your mastery in.


    What does that tell you?" said Brokkr.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" wondered Kahn. Because he was still unaware that he had received enlightenment back in the real world.


    Just then, Eitri spoke and ryed their intentions to both Kahn and ckwall in an authoritative tone.


    "You two have gained our acknowledgment. In simple words¡­" he said and like a habit, both brotherspleted the sentence together.


    "You''re now our Apostles."

 Chapter 585 The Trial

    Chapter 585 The Trial


    Kahn and ckwall were stupefied again as soon as both the deities spoke their true intentions and dered that they wanted the two of them to be their Apostles of cksmithing.


    "What kind of nonsense is that? Why? And what qualifications do we have?" asked Kahn with an ashen expression.


    Instead of bing d or feeling lucky¡­ he was getting a sense of the approaching storm based on his past experiences.


    "Because you both received enlightenment about the cksmithing Craft.


    This isn''t something that happens every day." informed Brokkr.


    "You both somehow gained enlightenment at the same time and met one of our prerequisites, making you worthy enough to enter our realm.


    But the main reason why we have made this decision is because you both are actually standing in this room in front of us." revealed Eitri.


    "And does that make us some kind of special case?" asked Kahn in return because he found that reason imusible.


    "Ha ha ha! Don''t think too hard, child.


    There were thousands of others from different empires, races, origins and eras in the past thousands of years who came before you after they received enlightenment and entered our realm in the annals of history.


    But there have been less than 10 beings who managed to reach this room.


    This is a form of testament in itself." he simplified.


    "borate. I still understand your logic." said Kahn casually as he looked at these two ginormous dwarves while standing on ckwall''s shoulder.


    Compared to them¡­ he was smaller than an ant''s leg. But based on their approachable demeanor¡­ Kahn had already assessed that both of them weren''t the usual overbearing kind or expected others to worship them.


    In a way¡­ they embodied the true spirits of cksmiths who didn''t care about prestige, acknowledgement or wealth. They only cared about losing themselves in their craft.


    And so far¡­ they hadn''t even leaked the slightest aura of Deities. Even Kahn could tell that if they did so¡­ his soul would be destroyedpletely just from the pressure alone.


    "What do you remember before you came to this room and regained your consciousness?" asked Brokkr to both of them.


    "I¡­ I don''t remember anything. I was just performing quenching and was about to ce the piece under work to cool off in another pot." spoke Kahn.


    "And I was busy finishing a chest te piece and was about to put the whole set together." replied ckwall in his voice that sent shockwaves after shockwaves since he was in his true primordial titan form.


    "And what were you both thinking about at that time?" asked Eitri with a coy smile on his face.


    To this question¡­ both Kahn and ckwall suddenly widened their eyes and spoke at the same time.


    "The true meaning behind the cksmithing Craft''s existence!"


    To their collective response, both the deities only let out an ted smile and nodded in affirmation.


    Kahn was shocked andpletely lost hisposure as he asked¡­


    "How is that enough to qualify? I''m not even a Saint cksmith yet and neither is he.


    Are you telling me that amateurs like us who didn''t even train for 2 months properly, barely have any good skills and don''t even have any experience with forging high-quality materials andplicated methods are somehow worthy to be your Apostle?


    What kind of stupid and forced logic is that?"


    Kahnined since this whole situation still didn''t seem realistic to him.


    The next moment, ckwall also chimed in and spoke in a stern voice.


    "Even our master is extremely knowledgeable. He has spent over a century working in this craft and can tell the material as well as its characteristics and physicalposition just by looking at it.


    And there are even more experienced people than him who even exceed him in terms of knowledge, experience and techniques¡­ I''m certain that there are people in the world who even surpass the ones I mentioned.


    Are you saying that those figures¡­ that the whole empire acknowledged and branded as the top of the top are not worthypared to us?


    I apologize but I too find it hard to believe." rebuked the titan general.


    To their rebuttals, the Deity brothers responded¡­


    "Ranks, levels, years of experience and mastery over the craft are irrelevant when ites to enlightenment.


    They only represent the capabilities of the body. The mind and soul work differently." spoke Eitri as he rested his warhammer close to the sweltering furnace.


    Unlike what one would expect¡­ These deities weren''t using traditional equipment but weapons that looked no lesser than Ancient Rank.


    Yes, the Ancient Rank weapons that were heard of only in legends and myths in Vantrea were actually used only as hammers and tools for forging by these two deities.


    But after hearing their words¡­ Kahn suddenly remembered something that proved their words to be true.


    So far, he received enlightenment a total of 3 times. One during his magic training while twice when he was studying spacew in Vessen.


    And in case of all three incidents¡­ he was neither skilled, experienced nor had a high level of mastery. Rather¡­ His thought process and mindset werepletely out of the box.


    His understanding was simply unconventional and radical. Thus he could unveil some truths and concepts that others failed to see.


    So in a way¡­ the words of these two deities made sense to him.


    "If you''re here¡­ means you saw a glimmer of truth about cksmithing craft.


    This can''t be gained or understood even with centuries of experience and knowledge unless ites from within yourself and your understanding of the craft or a profession." spoke Brokkr as he noticed the changes in Kahn''s expression.


    "However¡­ That part was only enough to let you enter this realm. But definitely not the factor that made us think highly of you two." suddenly, Eitri decided to reveal their main reason.


    "Once someone enters our realm¡­ their mind, body and soul are tested first. They''re put in a state where theypletely lose control over their soul, consciousness and instincts. And at the end¡­ they''re called out towards this room." he revealed.


    "And we call it¡­" spoke Brokkr again but Eitripleted the sentence.


    "Trial of Verdr."

 Chapter 586 Laws of Creation

    Chapter 586 Laws of Creation


    The two deities informed Kahn and ckwall about what they both underwent to reach this room and stand in front of them. Although they only had vague information about their arrival here even now, finally they felt like they were getting closer to the truth.


    Being tested for their mind, body and soul strength and only those worthy of being able to enter this room¡­


    This was indeed what happened with Kahn and ckwall as soon as they entered this realm albeit at different starting points.


    "Only those with a strong soul, an irond consciousness and indomitable willpower that can overthrow any adversity they faced whether in a battle or while crafting can reach till this room." iterated Brokkr and then gazed directly at Kahn.


    "Just look at yourself, child." he said.


    Only then did Kahn notice something odd about himself and quickly took a look around.


    Both of his legs were burnt to the point they lookedpletely charred.


    Many cracks on his skin were leaking blood profusely and it was still dripping from his hands and nails.


    He then remembered that when he saw ckwall, thetter was the same. Just that his consciousness hadn''t recovered enough to register these signals at first and make sense of them.


    And then¡­ Kahn looked behind him, outside of the room.


    Unlike the scene in front of him, the whole path and surroundings till this room were only made up of two colors namely ck and Red.


    Some objects and walls had ck as the prominent color with red borders while others had vice-versa. But only the room where they stood had a normal color scheme on everything.


    So in other words¡­ they both had gone through this Trial of Verdr these two deities spoke of.


    "This trial was to differentiate between the worthy ones who had the true potential to be our Apostles rather than just those who only worked hard to master these skills their entire lives.


    Those whocked in any of the sectors we mentioned would be sent back to the real world after their souls and minds lost their way during the journey.


    Only the ones who managed toe here would be worth even talking to." exined Eitri as he let out a cheerful smile.


    [Don''t tell me¡­ it''s because of that¡­] thought Kahn as another realization struck his mind.


    He just realized that because he was multitasking and carrying his mind while living and bearing the brunt of 16 different consciousnesses and bodies at the same time¡­


    In a way, it reformed his willpower andpletely changed his mental capacity by manyfolds than it already was.


    If it was before he made that hard choice and paid the hefty price to use those doppelgangers¡­ maybe he wouldn''t have qualified to even enter this room.


    Kahn didn''t even realize how strong his willpower, consciousness and soul had be until the deities mentioned it.


    As for ckwall¡­ he was just like his species¡­ A titan in willpower.


    Well, even before he ranked up to Legendary rank¡­ ckwall was someone who never backed down, persevered through every adverse situation when he acted as the tank of the group, and wasn''t afraid to die in order to serve his master.


    His mind and heart never wavered even when facing certain death.


    So in terms of tenacity and willpower¡­ he was probably the strongest one among all of Kahn''s subordinates. Just that he never had the time to shine and show these qualities openly for an extended period, unlike the others.


    And while Kahn was lost in thoughts again¡­


    "So let us ask you a few questions before we officially begin the ceremony and turn you into our Apostles." spoke Brokkr.


    "And do give us your honest opinion and truthful answers thate from your heart." said Eitri.


    "Tell me what is cksmithing?" asked the former among the two.


    The following moment, ckwall in his titan form spoke in a vehement tone as an expression of yearning appeared on his face.


    "It isn''t just a craft¡­ in my opinion, it''s a part of thew of reality.


    Something that deals with thews of creation." he said in a firm tone, indicating that his resolve was firm while expressing his opinion.


    . co?


    "Correct!" said Brok and continued in an approving tone¡­


    "It is based on a branch of the Laws of Creation.


    Law of Transformation to be precise."


    On the Titan''s shoulder, Kahn spoke in a thoughtful voice.


    "It''s not about just shaping objects or forging them.


    But reforming the creation of nature. Like how water can be turned into ice or steam.


    And then condensed again to return to its initial form. Later, it can be turned into steam again by heating or into ice by cooling." he said and continued.


    "From a small needle to a giantsword¡­ from a living being to an inanimate object¡­ they''re all part of the creation."


    To Kahn''s firm and borated answer, it was Eitri who responded.


    "Bravo!" said the dwarven deity with a brown beard.


    "Anything can be reformed, broken down, undone and yet¡­ it can be rebuilt even if they changed their forms or shape or state of matter.


    Whether it is living beings, inanimate objects, mana, world energy or even the soul of a being¡­


    You just need to know the correct method to change the state.


    Whether you want to build or you want to destroy¡­ Nothing is an exception to thisw of creation." he iterated again and shared his profound thoughts.


    Soon, the two deities asked a few more questions to both the candidates like a job interview and were overjoyed after receiving the answers and opinions of the two.


    Compared to Kahn, ckwall spoke fewer words but someone with wisdom could easily understand the profoundness in them.


    He seemed to have some sort of inkling to the cksmithing Craft itself that couldn''t be exined with words.


    And finally, the room quieted down and both the deities decided that they had indeed found worthy candidates.


    Brokkr then gave a nod to Eitri and dered¡­


    "Both of you¡­ have passed the final test."

 Chapter 587 Final Test

    Chapter 587 Final Test


    Deities of cksmithing suddenly talked about a final test, that Kahn and ckwall were oblivious to. Thetter side had their ears perked up and asked¡­


    "But didn''t you already say we were going to be your Apostle?"


    "A white lie. To make you think that you were already going to be chosen." responded Eitri in an unapologetic tone.


    "You don''t treat cksmithing as just some craft but a part of existence.


    You don''t wish to master some skills for the sake of your pride or achievements to create a future.


    But you think of it as an integral part of reality. That kind of mindset¡­ even many of the most legendary cksmiths in the world failed to achieve that in the past.


    Just by that outlook you both have on this craft shows the premise of your future potential." said Eitri.


    The furnace in the middle of the room then dimmed down as if receiving some sort of instruction.


    This time, Brokkr continued with a somber expression.


    "On top of it¡­ you both have Mineral Transmutation skill. We can sense it.


    This is something only the primordial titans were blessed with but none of them ever chose this profession.


    Means the future prospects you two have¡­ it''s simply unimaginable." he said in his rustic voice.


    "The more your abilities rank up and the more wisdom you two gain¡­ it''s something worth investing in.


    Taking all things into ount¡­ both of you are the best choices for us to represent our will in the real world." revealed Eitri in his sharp voice.


    "Even those who spent hundreds of years fail to understand this. That it''s not about increasing your grasp or mastery of the skill. But understanding the intent behind it while making the best product with what you have on hand.


    Thisw is also shared in the study of many other things in the world.


    Receiving enlightenment is just an eye-opener for a being toe close to the truth of the world." spoke Brokkr as he waspletely firm on his decision about making the two candidates their Apostles now.


    "But I''ve received enlightenment in Magic and Space Law before.


    And yet, I didn''t meet any deity." just then, Kahn spoke out of the blue as he queried about one of his doubts.


    "That depends on the deities and gods.


    How many enlightenments do you need before that Deity or a God acknowledges you¡­ it''s a matter of their choice." informed Eitri.


    "Other than that, some deities need only one or two enlightenments at most while some Gods demand three to four before one bes worthy of their acknowledgement." revealed Brokkr as they both always talked in turns.


    "But gaining the acknowledgement of a True God is the hardest. We both needed over 2 thousand years ourselves even though cksmithing was in our blood.


    And thest one to naturally earn an acknowledgement of a God was the War Deity.


    After him, no new deity has been born in recent history." revealed Eitri.


    Again¡­ Kahn heard about Kravel. The man whose blessings he received but had very superficial knowledge about. Someone who even Rathnaar worshipped as his idol.


    "I see. Then can you tell me how one can be a Demi-God or a Deity?" asked Kahn.


    "Daring today, aren''t we?"


    Brokkr replied and shook his head in refusal.


    "That is something you need to figure out by yourself. We deities are prohibited to reveal that information even to our Apostles." said Eitri.


    [Well, at least I tried.] thought Kahn.


    Suddenly, his eyes gave a look of conflict and asked the two deities in front of him¡­


    "But still¡­ wouldn''t choosing us be problematic for you? Don''t you both serve the God Hetrax?


    Technically¡­ we''re from the rival group." queried Kahn.


    Ever since both the deities introduced themselves, Kahn didn''t show too much of a surprise after knowing their identities.


    And the main reason being he was already somewhat informed about their existence.


    Because among the 9 Deities who served Hetrax and were titled as the Nine Eternal mes in the Vulcan empire¡­ Brokkr and Eitri were indeed in the list and had many monasteries spread across the empire, especially worshipped by the dwarven race.


    To his query about this delicate topic¡­


    "Our will and the God we are associated with aren''t rted.


    Maybe if you be a Deity one day like us¡­ you''ll understand how matters of the deities and gods are unrted to beings of the living world." replied Brokkr in a stern tone.


    [I see. No wonder the Sky Deity still gave his gifts to Oliver despite him being my creation¡­ a subordinate of a chosen Hero of another God than the one it served.] spoke Kahn inwardly.


    "Alright¡­ we don''t have all day. We need to get back to forging this divine weapon for another deity.


    It''s already been a few decades and we''re working around the clock." said Brokkr.


    "We will give each of you 3 gifts rted to cksmithing craft since you''re both our Apostles now.


    Make good use of it." said Eitri and soon, 3 massive orbs shrouded under formations, runes and signs of anguage even Kahn couldn''t understand or read came to be in his right palm.


    Brokkr also summoned three orbs in his right palm, matching the appearance and colors of the ones summoned by his brother.


    These three orbs had Blue, Yellow and Red colors and for someone like Kahn, they were as big as a mountain.


    "Do mind that these are only Gifts.


    Maybe if you achieve another enlightenment along your journey one day as you learn new things and exceed yourself¡­


    We will see each other again and might offer you our Blessings.


    For now, this is as far as we will go." revealed Eitri and soon, the orbs reduced their size and quickly entered Kahn''s body.


    Same happened to ckwall who absorbed the gifts offered by Brokkr.


    A sudden feeling of fulfillment and tion appeared on both of their faces as if a surge of energy had run across their entire bodies.


    "These gifts¡­" spoke Kahn as if he had some sort of epiphany and continued with a perplexed expression¡­


    "They''re too precious!"

 Chapter 588 Parting Gift

    Chapter 588 Parting Gift


    Kahn and ckwall were left asunder because of the gifts they just received from these two Deities of cksmithing. Each being one of a kind and unparalleled.


    And the important thing was that these were just gifts. Not the blessings given by Brokkr and Eitri. Yet, the effects they would be able to achieve using these gifts had put their mind in a frenzy because they were no different than cheat codes from their perspective.


    Kahn didn''t bother going into the details of these 3 gifts at this moment. Because too many questions arose in his mind rted to the cksmithing craft after receiving them.


    Soon, ckwall and Kahn started discussing a few things rted to craft which opened up a new world to both of them after hearing answers from both the brothers.


    Obviously, this knowledge wasn''t in any books and records or even someone like Throk wasn''t aware of them.


    And finally, after they both felt a sense of satisfaction¡­


    "Alright. I think it''s about time we leave." spoke Kahn.


    "Wait¡­ we must give a parting gift to this titand." said Brokkr hurriedly.


    "Huh? Didn''t you already give us gifts? There''s more?" asked Kahn with a befuddled expression.


    "For him, not you." spoke Eitri and continued.


    "You''re a chosen hero¡­ one in a very precarious situation at that.


    If you were to die¡­ he will die too since he''s your creation and his entire existence is bound to you as he''s not a natural birth of the world.


    And we don''t want all of our representatives to die.


    It is important to us that at least one should be present in Vantrea." spoke Eitri with aplex expression on his face.


    As if he wanted to exin more but couldn''t because of some unspeakable rule or restriction.


    "What do you n to do?" asked ckwall in a serious voice as he gazed at both the dwarven deities, his face having concern disyed all over it.


    But the brothers didn''t exin anything and quickly appeared in front of ckwall who was of the same height as them in his titan form.


    And before he could even react, they both ced their right and left palm respectively on his chest at the same time as a bright white aura was released from their bodies and encapsted inside ckwall through their palms.


    ckwall''s titanic figure shuddered and stumbled for a second but he quickly adjusted his footing.


    Eitri then opened the book that was hanged on his waist and started chanting some sort of archaic spell and hundreds of magic formations appeared around ckwall''s body.


    And the bright white light that was surrounding the abyss knight general started dispersing and got absorbed by ckwall''s body until itpletely disappeared.


    But the next moment¡­ his eyes were full of shock and disbelief as he uttered in a stuttering voice.


    "Master¡­ I¡­ I¡­"


    "What did you do?!" asked Kahn with an rmed expression to both the deities.


    But instead of replying to him, both brothers revealed a light smile.


    Instead of the brothers, it was ckwall who answered him in a bbergasted tone¡­


    "I have a Soul."


    ----------------


    A couple of minutes passed but not a single word was spoken by anyone. Kahn was dumbfounded while ckwall was bamboozled as he could feel something new about himself.


    As if he just received something he was missing all along ever since he was created by Kahn. And now, he found the final piece of the puzzle that made him whole.


    "It''s not entirely a true soul but a Pseudo-Soul.


    Once he bes a beingparable to a Godbeast, it''ll transmute and be a true soul." said Eitri.


    "His existence is no longer solely bound to you. Although that soul connection that you have with him still exists¡­ he won''t die automatically after your demise." spoke Brokkr as he folded his arms.


    Kahn on the other hand was still having a hard time digesting this revtion.


    First, it was Ceril and now ckwall. Both received a Pseudo-Soul from the deities they met that made their existence free from Kahn in a way. Although they were still bound to him via the Synthesis Divine Ability, they wouldn''t cease to exist in case Kahn died.


    Finally after some time, he calmed down and epted this fact.


    He then told the brothers about Oliver who also received gifts from a Deity but didn''t receive a pseudo-soul.


    "This means Indra has already chosen an Apostle who is still alive in Vantrea.


    Unless that one dies, the Sky Deity wouldn''t go as far as giving a pseudo-soul to this Oliver you speak of." said Brokkr as he answered Kahn''s questions.


    Kahn also nodded as he thanked the deity for clearing this doubt.


    This reason also exined why Velsharoon gave a pseudo-soul to Ceril since he had no representatives alive just like Brokkr and Eitri.


    Even these two gave ckwall a pseudo-soul for their personal reasons.


    They didn''t speak out loud but Kahn understood that these two dwarven deities were aware of his situation and knew that he might get killed one day.


    Thus, they chose to do this for ckwall.


    And given how other deities like Indra were reserved about this sort of exchange¡­ Kahn felt like there was some sort of price these 3 deities would have to pay for granting those pseudo-souls.


    "Do not mention meeting us to anyone else other than you two and those who are bound to your soul. Otherwise, we will take back our gifts." forewarned Eitri in an authoritative tone.


    Only now did Kahn understand why Ceril and Oliver only mentioned meeting the deities but didn''t go into details about exactly what happened during their encounter even if they were linked through soul connection.


    Their silence was kept in order to keep those gifts by the deities.


    And now, Kahn could only tell his subordinates, the system and even Rathnaar about this because they were all linked to his soul.


    But mentioning exactly what happened during their interactions with the deities with anyone else was a strict no-go for him.


    Both Kahn and ckwall then thanked the deities for everything that happened and the gifts they received.


    Under the will of the Deities, both the Apostles disappeared from the room.


    ----------------


    A few minutester¡­ Eitri spoke to his brother Brokkr.


    "What do you think brother? Will he be able to handle it?" asked Eitri.


    "Who knows. It''s not like the other ones we made.


    Even his predecessors couldn''t tap into its full potential.


    Well¡­ we''ll see if this child can surprise us." responded Brokkr with a serious countenance as if he was looking forward to something.


    "If he does manage to do so¡­ he might as well be the strongest of the new generation of summoned heroes.


    Because among all the divine weapons we made for the chosen heroes..." spoke Eitri in an excited tone.


    Brokkr also nodded and both the brothers spoke in unison with a look of anticipation.


    "His Divine Weapon is our best creation."

 Chapter 589 Return From The Dead

    Chapter 589 Return From The Dead


    In a secured room inside the Oakenshieldpany¡­ a living quarter was currently under tight security and no one was present in this whole wing.


    A ray of morning sunshine entered the main bedroom of this quarter and shone brightly upon two statues that had been well maintained and cleaned from time to time.


    But unlike any other exquisite or apudable piece of sculpture¡­ these two statues had very odd positions.


    One looked like it was holding and carrying something in front of it while the other had its right hand raised in the air as if it was about to strike something ced before it.


    But the appearance of these statues made them look like they weren''t objects but real living beings.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Soon, cracking noises were released from both of them and suddenly, these two statues aka Kahn and ckwall finally moved.


    Thud!


    Both their bodies lost bnce and fell on the wooden floor as soon as they regained consciousness.


    Quickly, a ck figure appeared in front of them out of thin air and extended his hands to pick them up.


    "You''re finally awake, master. And you too, bull." spoke Ronin as he pulled them up.


    Kahn dusted off his clothes and looked around the room.


    "What happened?" asked Kahn as he remembered that they were in the main forging room before receiving enlightenment about the cksmithing profession.


    But now, they were in his living quarters inside thepany grounds, indicating that it has been quite some time.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    One by one, Omega and the remaining generals showed up in the room as soon as they sensed Kahn and ckwall''s aura.


    Ronin, the Spirit Assassin general who was in charge of guarding them all this time, responded in a serious tone...


    "Master, it has been quite some time since both of you went to trance.


    Even your bodies were frozen like solid rocks. So we had no choice but to safeguard you both here."


    Then Armin interjected as he grasped both their palms and tried to sense their vitals.


    "Both of you started losing your mana and world energy after some time. We all had a lot of worries because it seemed like both of you and us would soon die." he revealed with a caring tone.


    "Thanks to the Life Force Restoration skill I gained after you merged me with that Ashokvatika monster in Vessen; I managed to save both of you and have been sharing the life force with you two daily.


    If not for that¡­ all of us except this skull and bones here would be dead." he iterated in a stern tone.


    "What? Was it that serious?" asked ckwall and noticed changes in his body and soon, he was shocked as well.


    At this moment, their bodies barely had enough mana and world energy to keep them alive.


    Kahn also noticed these changes and quickly activated Dimensional Domain. He took arge amount of SS Rank cores and ores from his stash.


    Both he and ckwall quickly used the Energy Plunderer skill and started absorbing these high-grade cores to replenish their mana reserves.


    Then they ced their hands on Rathnaar''s core and started absorbing World Energy from it directly through physical contact.


    [You''re very lucky, boy. If not for that variant healer subordinate of yours¡­ you wouldn''t have managed to live.


    Even your natural mana and world energy recovery were stopped ever since you both underwent that enlightenment thing.] suddenly, Rathnaar spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [Human¡­ next time, make sure to free me from your bounds first.


    You can die by yourself, leave me out of this.] said Rudra in a disapproving tone.


    An hour passed and finally, both of them recovered enough to move around and Kahn deactivated the domain.


    "Phew! I guess we dodged a bullet." he said.


    And now, both their auras were back to normal and they could exert their saint pressure.


    ng!


    ng!


    In the hidden real forge under the mainpany building¡­ Throk was suddenly shocked as he sensed both of his students'' auras and presence.


    Ceril quickly created an istion barrier and all the subordinates asked Kahn and ckwall about what happened.


    Kahn told everyone about the enlightenment and meeting the Deities of cksmithing. The approval and gifts they received¡­ he told Omega, the generals, Rudra, Rathnaar and the system about what happened after they regained consciousness in that realm inside the room.


    Other than directly mentioning Brokkr and Eitri''s names, Kahn was allowed to tell everything else since all of them were bound to his soul.


    SHRILL!!


    A heavy saint pressure appeared in the room suddenly and Ceril deactivated the barrier as soon as he sensed a new arrival in this room.


    Step!


    Step!


    "What the hell happened, boy?!" asked Throk as he charge into the room with a worried but also furious countenance.


    "If not for both of you being saints and this healerd¡­ you two would''ve died long ago!" admonished the dwarf cksmith.


    "Do you know how worried we were?


    What if both of you died? Forget thepetition¡­ people would''ve said that I killed you to avoid appearing in the challenge.


    Also, do you know how hard it has been for me to keep your condition a secret from the outside world?!" he yelled at both of his disciples.


    "Yes, master. There have been instances where people asked about your whereabouts. Even I had to change and turn my appearance into yours and appear in front of people of thepany and some important figures." said Ronin with a somber expression.


    "Even Princess Venessa, Prince Hector and people from the Dwarven Council came to meet you." revealed Omega.


    "But we couldn''t reveal your situation to anyone. Master Oakenshield said that you''re busy in important training for the faceoff and couldn''t be disturbed, using that as an excuse to risk leaking your condition to others." said Jugram in a helpless tone.


    "What do you mean? It couldn''t be that bad right¡­" said Kahn with a befuddled voice.


    For some reason, everyone around him and ckwall seemed to be making a big issue after they received enlightenment.


    "Listen brats. The gap between the time since you both received enlightenment and to this day¡­" spoke Throk in a serious voice and revealed why everyone was so worked up¡­


    "It''s been 8 months."

 Chapter 590 Three Gifts

    Chapter 590 Three Gifts


    Again¡­ the duo was left dumbfounded after learning the fact that both of them were in a trance and frozen like statues for straight-up 8 months while receiving enlightenment about the cksmithing craft.


    Kahn and ckwall were speechless at this moment since they still couldn''t ept this unbelievable fact since it went beyond their understanding that how what felt like hours to them were actually months in the real world of Vantrea.


    Although they got some amazing and extremely handy gifts from the two deities of cksmithing and also learned a few things about other deities and how few things worked¡­ they also paid the price of losing 8 months of their lives. Something that they were already running short on because of the uing face-off Kahn had against Helsi.


    And to make things even more unfavorable, it was going to be disyed around the whole empire while Throk''s entirepany was at stake. By no means was their current predicament any good in any way.


    Finally after a few minutes, Kahn calmed himself and started thinking about the facts while trying to make sense of what happened.


    Kahn heard the word ''realm'' often from the dwarven brothers and how everything aside from the forging room was only a contrast of ck and red... Means that ce was definitely not in Vantrea. Thus, he hypnotized that since it was a different realm¡­


    Time and Space rtivity worked differently between the realm where Kahn and ckwall went against the normal time in Vantrea altogether.


    Also, he was unaware about how long did he spend just to reach the forging room before he regained his consciousness and control over the body.


    So there were very few logical exnations he could find about what caused this huge loss of time and created more trouble for them in due process.


    Meanwhile, Throk noticed this expression on Kahn''s face and saw how bewildered ckwall was¡­ so he decided to console his students.


    "In my case, the enlightenment onlysted 2 months. Even someone like master Ivaldi took 4 months. So don''t think that you''ve already lost the war.


    Who knows if it could benefit you a lot in the future."


    "What? You received enlightenment too?" asked ckwall with his mouth agape.


    "Yes. When I was only a semi-saint cksmith 60 years ago.


    That enlightenment was what helped me be a saint cksmith.


    All the top 5 saint cksmiths of the empire have received it one way or another.


    But I don''t remember what happened to be honest.


    But after I woke up, my skills improved greatly and my understanding rose by leaps and bounds in a couple of years." revealed Throk with a prideful expression.


    [Master, I think the old dwarf and others did enter that realm too but failed during the journey to that room.


    Maybe that''s why they can''t remember it.


    If our master also received any blessings, he would not be able to mention this at all. Means he only had some gains but unlike us, he didn''t get to meet the two deities.] said ckwall as he made sense of everything from Throk''s words.


    [You''re right. Because even if someone had the knowledge and wisdom for it¡­ they may becking physical strength and mental tenacity.


    Brokkr & Eitri did say that those who excelled in all three aspects would be able to reach the final room. Otherwise, they''d be sent back to the real world after failing in any of the criterias.] responded Kahn as he too quickly judged the situation quickly.


    Again, after seeing their jarring expressions¡­ Throk felt like both of them had lost their will to fight. With this mindset, no way in hell would Kahn be able topete against Helsi in the challenge.


    "Cheer upds. Although we''re short on time¡­ let''s make use of whatever you gained from the enlightenment.


    Now, we can''t waste any more time. We barely have 6 months left." he said and a fired-up battle intent was revealed in his eyes.


    Kahn agreed. He said that he needed some time to recoverpletely and would continue their training from the next morning.  taking a bath and having a scrumptious dinner, hey down on the bed andmanded¡­


    "System, give me the details."


    He ordered the system that was dormant in his body from thest 8 months while his soul was in a different realm.


    [Following are the Gifts received by the host from the Deities of Necromancy :


    cksmiths'' Intent (Saint Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host and the subordinate named ckwall to figure out the characteristics of a metal or material, the optimal temperature to forge them to create the best output and ways to refine the product at hand.


    Note : This ability will upgrade only after the host bes a Saint rank cksmith himself.


    ----------------


    Mimir''s Eyes (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the caster to appraise any metal, alloy and material to be forged and determine by their quality. Thus, helping the user to maximize the chance to create higher-grade weapons, equipments and artifacts.


    Current activation time limit : 1 hour per day.


    Note : This ability''s rank and the time it can be used for will increase with the host''s rank in the cksmithing ss.


    ----------------


    Prometheus'' Forethought (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Based on the rank of the cksmithing skills and abilities the host is in possession of, this skill can allow the user to predict the final oue of the finished product and results while forging any weapon or armor.


    Current activation time limit : 3 Hours


    Note : The host must be a Saint Rank cksmith to use this skill.


    And the host can not hide or limit his strength as well as rank while using this skill as a lower realm.


    Means it can only use it while revealing the host''s full prowess as this ability will exert a great burden on the caster''s mind, mana, physique and world energy at the same time.] reported the system in its lifeless voice.


    Kahn didn''t bother overthinking the benefits of these skills. They were too obvious and simply a big game-changer in many aspects, truly worthy of being the gifts from Deities.


    And now¡­ he had only one objective in his mind as he nned to make up for the lost time and ovee his dire situation.


    "Let''s fucking win this challenge."

 Chapter 591 Buckling Up

    Chapter 591 Buckling Up


    The next morning, Kahn and ckwall''s rigorous started right off the bat. Because of the 8 months break, their bodies had lost the touch and now, Throk wanted to get them back in the form first.


    2 weekster¡­ Kahn heard the system notification after going through day and night training after he recovered his peak form before the enlightenment.


    [Following are the new skills and abilities unlocked by the host :


    Bending (C Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to perfectly bend or curve the metal into the desired shape based on the requirements and dimensions of the metal.


    The host can strategically heat sections of the metal or alloy in the forge before bending it, rather than heating the entire piece to form shapes.


    The host can also unbend metals by reheating the metal and reversing your steps while memorizing theplete steps.


    ----------------


    Punching (D Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to precisely use the Punch tool to make holes in hot metal.


    The host will be able to make precise hits by heating the metal, identifying where to punch a hole and hammer the punching tool softly on the intended spot.


    ----------------


    Drawing (C Rank) (Active) :


    The host can now use this essential technique in cksmithing which is used to make metal, alloys and forging material longer and thinner based on the intended design.


    The host can manage the appropriate strength required to hold the tongs on a piece on the anvil and hammer both sides to extend the length.


    ----------------


    Upsetting (C Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to metal thicker, shorter, and narrower based on the desired shape requirements.


    This technique requires the host to heavily concentrate while forging. The process can be difficult to control due to the host''s experience.


    The host is advised to heat the specific part of the metal in the forge that is intended to shape, rather than heating the entire piece collectively.


    ----------------


    Shrinking (D Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to perform the process ofpressing metal between the t head of the hammer and the t surface of the anvil.


    The host may be able to utilize it fully when the width of the anvil and t head of the hammer is the same width as the object to be forged.


    ----------------


    Annealing (A Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to make the material being forged easier to work with.


    It can be used to soften the metal, causing it to bend and shape more easily. Annealing also protects the material from cracking or snapping.


    To anneal material, the host will need to bring it up to heat in the forge and cool it down very slowly by cing it in sand or vermiculite. This is especially important when working with recycled materials.


    Annealing removes impurities in the grain, increases the material''s strength, and reduces its hardness.


    ----------------


    Hardening (D Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to control the process of controlled heating and controlled cooling of the material in order to increase its strength.


    The metal can be brought up to its highest temperature and is rapidly cooled by quenching it in a liquid¡­monly water, salt water, or oil.


    Water is the fastest quenching material, while oil and salt may be added to slow down the cooling process. This would prevent the materials from bing brittle.


    ----------------


    Tempering (F rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to temper the forged metal to increase the toughness and reduce excess hardness.


    To temper, the metal should be heated and cooled at room temperature to decrease the brittleness and increase strength.


    ----------------


    Cutting (B Rank) (Active) :


    Gives a general sense of strength and precision to the host in order to cut metal, strike a hot cut chisel into material that has been heated up to a bright yellow color in the forge.


    As the host cuts the steel, the chisel tip will also heat up, so the host must regrly quench the chisel in water to cool it off.


    In order to protect the surface of the anvil, use a sacrificial piece of scrap metal between the material and the anvil. Soft metals like aluminum are ideal sacrificial pieces in order to keep the chisel sharp.


    ----------------


    Shaping (C Rank) (Active) :


    Hot metal can be shaped using bending, drawing, and upsetting techniques. First, the host must heat the metal in the forge until it is easily malleable. Then, strike the hot metal with a hammer against the anvil to shape it.


    ----------------


    Tapering (C Rank) (Active) :


    To forge a taper, the host needs to heat the material on one end and position it on the edge of the anvil. Using the drawing technique to strike the hot edge, rotating it 180 degrees each strike, and then 90 degrees each strike to narrow the edge to a tapered point.


    ----------------


    ttening (D Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to use the ttening technique to reduce the thickness of a piece of metal through heating and striking.


    ----------------


    Dishing (B Rank) (Active) :


    The host can use the Dishing technique which is used to shape t sheet metal into curved shapes by hammering it into a concave indentation, simr to a mold.


    The host can use a dishing stump as a form to hammer into. A dishing stump is arge wooden block, often built from a tree trunk, that has a circle carved into it, where the sheet metal is ced and hammered into.


    ----------------


    Coring (D Rank) (Active) :


    The host can perform coring, which is a joining technique that is aplished by wrapping a piece of metal around the pieces of material that will be joined.


    The host must strategically heat the two pieces of metal to be joined and hammer them together in one area, creating small "O" shapes.


    This technique is also used in forge welding.


    ----------------


    Note : All of the above skill ranks and levels will increase along with the host''s rank in cksmithing Craft.] reported the system one by one.


    And finally at the end of the report, the system said the most romantic words Kahn heard ever sinceing to the Vulcan empire.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a Beginner Rank cksmith.]

 Chapter 592 Changed Personality

    Chapter 592 Changed Personality


    Kahn heard the pleasant news in his head and had an ted expression. 2 weeks of tireless training and continuous effort in honing his skills had finally rewarded him into bing a Beginner rank cksmith atst.


    [All cksmithing skills and techniques have gained 20% more mastery in them.] reported the system again.


    But then, his expression contorted as soon as he noticed a change in the system itself.


    "What the hell¡­ even the system is acting like some tutorial guide.


    And it''s revealing too much basic information as if I''m some kid.


    Many of the details it provided were like most obvious things." spoke Kahn after going through the notifications in his mind.


    "Could it be because of the gifts?" he wondered.


    Because when it came to any other skill or abilities, the system never spoofed the information and only listed the bare necessary details. But for the cksmithing skills he just unlocked, it gave him a walkthrough of these skills.


    But instead of paying too much attention to them, Kahn then secretly created 5 new doppelgangers and deactivated the ones already practicing inside the Dimensional Domain.


    These new ones now also possessed the skills he just unlocked. And Kahn nned to use them to increase his mastery and proficiency in the newly acquired skills.


    The turbulent journey on the path of cksmithing was going to be much harder and hence, he felt the urgency to absorb and adapt these skills as much as he could.


    ----------------


    ONE MONTH LATER.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a Grandmaster Rank cksmith.


    All abilities have been upgraded to S Rank and above.


    Effectiveness and Proficiency of all the cksmithing skills have been increased by 25%


    The host is advised to breakthrough to higher ranks to increase the ranks of the skills.] informed the system on a starry night.


    "Alright, Impart them to ckwall. Maybe it''ll help him break through from master rank and be a grandmaster." ordered Kahn with indifferent eyes.


    Unlike the first time, he wasn''t surprised or treated this matter very seriously.


    The past month¡­ had changed him.


    Kahn made a lot of progress using his doppelgangers. And rose the ranks of skills with day and night training done by the original body and five other doppelgangers. There had been many days when he didn''t even drink a ss of water or ate anything either.


    But since he was a saint, he forgot eating and sleeping as his strength and physical stats were too damn high.


    But also during that period, he broke through to Master rank Magician and managed to raise some of SSS Rank skills to Saint Rank.


    He was working like a mindless machine without a single day of break as if he had no life or even a soul.


    The only breaks he took were when Venessa barged into their forge and forcefully took him out for a chat.


    Unlike before, she was no longer pestering him to join her side but rather looked worried about his well-being for some reason.  her, Kahn had been like this for the past 9 months. And the past month alone, her people had informed that Kahn had been under a continuous training regime.


    And due to the gifts given by Brokkr and Eitri being in effect, Kahn''s learning speed increased by manyfolds as he started adapting to various techniques in just a matter of days.


    It took him lesser time as his training continued while adapting to new forging techniques and knowledge. But even so, Kahn did not stop his extra training on the side while bearing the pressure of the other 15 doppelgangers.


    This made a qualitative change in his personality as well.


    Even to someone like Throk, who should be happy to see his rank up and rise in terms of skills¡­ It looked like Kahn had lost the light in his eyes.


    He was no longer the brat you used to talk back to the old dwarf but a lifeless machine that was just there toplete the given work.


    Like a man who would rather sacrifice his health and sanity for the sake of meeting the expected quota of work than prioritize his well-being above everything else.


    Hence, after Throk herself contacted her, she dropped by a few times to check up on her future vassals and out of a sense of pity for Kahn.


    Because to everyone else, it appeared like he was forcing himself because of the uing faceoff against Helsi while having too many expectations on his shoulders. And at the same time, the fate of his master''spany, reputation and decades of hard work was at stake and he was simply falling behind.


    In a way, it reminded Vanessa of herself while growing up after her mother''s death. How she had been under constant vignce and mental pressure to achieve strength on her own because there were many people watching from shadows and trying to get rid of her.


    Soon, her visits became the only asions where Kahn took a breather and now, the rtionship between him and the princess became more rxed.


    "And why are you here again, Venessa? Don''t you have some political stuff to do¡­ people to attract to your side in order to im the throne?" asked Kahn with an annoyed expression.


    "Hmph! I have to take some time off too you know. All that stuff rted to managing millions of people in the army, the public order and then these nobles and business organizations that have allied themselves with us¡­ it''s too taxing even for someone so capable and beautiful like me." said Venessa pridefully as she praised herself.


    "I believe you¡­ except for thest part. Seems kind of overstretched statement." replied Kahn as he sat across the table.


    "Hey, punk! Do you want me to beat you to death?


    I can just kill you with a p." she threatened sarcastically.


    Kahn rolled his eyes and retorted.


    "That would be great. I''ll be spared of your nagging then." he taunted Venessa.


    But instead of feeling offended¡­ Vanessa liked this tone while talking with Kahn.


    Growing up¡­ she had no friends and even the definition of friends had be such as someone she could ally with or use for something.


    But with the man in front of her¡­ he didn''t care about her position or treated her as someone worth worshipping. He spoke without honorifics and didn''t mind angering her either.


    Yet, this also made her feel better because for the first time¡­ she could be herself in front of someone and didn''t have to carry the facade of elegance, manners, royalty, decorum and constant assertion of authority.


    Just like Kahn¡­ these meetings of theirs had also be a time to rx for Vanessa.


    Soon, another argument started between the two.


    As things stood¡­ their rtionship wasn''t that of a princess and her subject¡­


    But that of Friends.

 Chapter 593 Behind Hidden Walls

    Chapter 593 Behind Hidden Walls


    More weeks passed and now, only 4 months were left before the faceoff that was announced by the dwarven council. And even the imperial n and the church of hetrax also helped the news spread across the entire empire.


    Now, this issue between two saint cksmiths was turned into political warfare.


    One side who supported and allied themselves with Tawerik was trying to make it as if Throk was the one in the wrong.


    But on the other side, Throk had the support of both Imperial heirs and the church so they vilified the other side even more. Everyone who worked with them naturally took the stand on thetter''s side.


    Meanwhile, the Dwarven Council and the Imperial n were taking the neutral stand and acted as a mediator since they couldn''t get directly associated with either side otherwise it would create problems for them no matter who won or lost.


    But despite all the hype and predictions made by everyone¡­ Kahn paid no heed to the noises and didn''t even meet the people who came to visit him to deepen their friendship and support.


    These days, Kahn was in a world of his own. Like a historian trying to uncover the truth behind the events in annals of history or a philosopher trying to find the meaning of life.


    And with every new metal, alloy and material he came to perfect while improving his knowledge and skills about how to use or work on them¡­ he gradually started making astounding improvements.


    And with the imparted skills and the aid received from Kahn¡­ ckwall was also making drastic improvements and just broke through to Grandmaster rank in cksmithing a couple of days ago.


    Even Throk, his own master, was overwhelmed by this skyrocketing progress by both disciples and felt that the enlightenment might have just made them absolute behemoths of this craft.


    But to him, this was also an opportunity.


    "Listen brats¡­ you both are now qualified enough.


    So there''s no reason for me to hold back any longer either.


    Now that both of you have mastered the advanced techniques¡­ I''ll get to the most important techniques that will help you make good enough to sit amongst the prestigious cksmiths." he dered in front of the disciples.


    And then, he let out a smug grin and revealed the biggest step that alienated the gifted cksmiths from the rest of the grass.


    "Let me teach you¡­ Artificing."


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, apletely different scenario was running in the main headquarters of the church of hetrax where the Pope himself resided.


    Hundreds of people were running around and a majority of the saints affiliated with the church were present in a secret meeting.


    Unlike the congregation, this time¡­ there were less than 20 people but they were all the main authority of the church.


    "We can not draw any attention. The preparations must be made in quiet if we''re to move against the imperial n.


    And I think we have the perfect way to lure the Emperor into our trap without letting any reinforcements of the imperial n get involved." said Demiurges Val Arhlem, the pope.


    Soon, on a war table, he told the main hard hitters of the church a well-devised n.


    "It will work. But the biggest risk is¡­ who will fight the emperor?


    He''s an 8th stage saint and we don''t even have enough 7th stage saints on our side." said a fireborne Cardinal.


    "About that¡­ you don''t have to worry.


    Just make sure that we''re ready. And the battlefield must bepletely sealed to the point no one can enter or leave a thousand kilometer radius.


    Because if the Imperial Guards and the Emperor''s four advisors enter the fray¡­ it will be nigh impossible." he spoke in amanding voice.


    "Your holiness¡­ when do we actually begin the attack?" asked one of the archbishops.


    "When they''re forced to let down their guard and no one is expecting it." he said with an insidious tone as he dered the time of executing their n.


    "After the cksmithing Duel."


    ----------------


    Later at the midnight, Demiurges stood alone in his quarters and basked in the peaceful moonlight as he stood on the top balcony.


    Swoosh!!


    Suddenly, a ck and red shadow appeared behind him and instantly kneeled in servitude.


    "Your holiness¡­ what are your orders?" asked a fireborne warrior with a trident on his back.


    "The time ising close. And we need all of the chess pieces together.


    Even they have a part to y in it whether they like it or not." he said in a grim voice.


    This figure nodded and replied in an obedient tone.


    "I have done the thorough work of turning them against the imperial n. Not a single one of them wishes to serve the empire under imperial rule.


    Also because of the incident with Princess Venessa¡­ they all have been on an edge since that day.


    I used their fear and uneasiness to brainwash their minds." spoke this fireborne who emitted the aura of a 4th stage saint.


    "And what about him? Was he easy to manipte?" asked the pope with a somber countenance as he looked at this insider of theirs.


    But the saint shook his head.


    "He''s too smart. He still doesn''t trust anyone easily. He even acts like he''s walking into the trap and being goaded into doing things.


    But I always get a feeling that I can''t see through him no matter how close or trustworthy I get." he reported.


    "Even so¡­ he will be forced to jump in.


    Or there''s no future for him in this empire even if he does have the potential." said Demiurge as he scoffed off.


    "And what about his side activities?


    How many?" he queried.


    To his questions, the saint''s face contorted as he replied.


    "Since the imperial decree¡­ it has be hard to bury that sort of matters.


    So far¡­ The count is 183."


    To the saint''s response¡­ the pope also had an exasperated expression.


    "This child¡­ is the key that will help us rule this empire."

 Chapter 594 Surprise Madafaka

    594 Unveiled Deeds


    A few hundred kilometers away from the capital Arkensan was a grand estate surrounded by lush greenery and waterfalls. This white and blue castle was located at the peak of a mountain and the view of the valley and waterfalls was extremely pleasant to the eyes.


    The natural scent of earth and trees mixed with the brazen winds reinvigorated anyone who simply took a deep breath of this fresh air.


    But unlike the merry and exhrating environment outside, the matters happening inside the castle''s topmost room were¡­ inconceivable.


    Inside a dark and enclosed room, apletely opposite scenario was happening that no one would guess.


    "Ah, please¡­ my lord, let me go!" begged a young girl around the age of 15 with silver hair while her neck was tied to a metallic chain cor.


    Her eyes were full of tears and fear for her life as she begged a half-naked man whose upper body was exposed.


    "Ummhph! Umhph!!"


    Right behind this girl, someone harrumphed with a muzzled voice. And the owner of this noise was a middle-aged woman with ck hair and fully matured physical features, having her arms tied to a king-size bed while her mouth was strapped with a peculiar device.


    "Shhhhhh! Don''t be so loud.


    Well, it''s not like anyone outside of this room can hear you anyway." said a man with ripped body who looked dashing from his appearance.


    But the feeling his gaze gave off as he looked at this tied-up girl was as malicious andscivious as it could be.


    He grabbed this young woman''s chin with his right hand and pulled her face closer.


    "Be obedient if you want to stay alive.


    That woman you see¡­ she was kidnapped when she was in a market with her young son. And you were brought here from your academy during broad daylight.


    Still, no one knows or will bother checking your whereabouts.


    And what does that tell you?" he asked in a shrewd and overbearing tone as he revealed an insidious grin.


    At this moment, the young woman lost all the shine in her eyes as she came to realize a harsh fact.


    That given the identity of the man in front of her¡­ there was no oneing to save or free her from this situation.


    As this man noticed her expression, he let out a cold and merciless smile and spoke in an exhrated tone.


    "Ha ha ha ha!!


    Now that''s the look I love to see." heughed like a maniac and reveled in her miserable expression that had just lost all hope of leaving this ce.


    "You see¡­ I like to see women void of any hopes to escape.


    The more broken they are¡­ the better."


    The girl who shuddered in fear and had her entire body fidgeting, trying to break free from her chains¡­ made herst effort to escape.


    "Tch! Tch! Such foolish notions.


    Even a saint can''t break from them¡­ you''re but a mortal girl who doesn''t even have any powers.


    So stop with this futile struggle." said the man as he came close to her face and like a snake, he licked her left cheek with the tip of his tongue.


    "No!! What are you going to do to me?!" yelled the girl while still struggling.


    But not only the chains but even the grip of this man was very strong even if he didn''t reveal his real rank. Just the physical strength was too much for this girl to put up any resistance.


    The man let out a smug smile and asked in return¡­


    "What do you think?"


    The next second, he ran his hand across her neck and stopped at the middle of her chest.


    The young girl''s entire body froze as an eerie feeling overwhelmed her mind.


    Rip!


    Before she could react, the man ripped apart her academy uniform shirt.


    Her body jolted in fear and her eyes started tearing up again.


    After the imperial decree, humans were finally allowed to take formal education in the Vulcan empire. And she had worked her way through the entrance exam against many oddities and her family''s economical situations just to get admitted to the academy because of her bright mind and hard work.


    Her dream was to get a respectable job through education and end her family''s poverty that existed since the past generation. But just this morning, she was suddenly kidnapped from her hometown and brought to this ce.


    When she opened her eyes in this room, she saw this man in front of her and instantly pleaded him to free her given his fame and reputation.


    Only to find that he was her captor¡­ or someone who ordered it in the first ce.


    And now¡­ the man whose bads of valor were sung across the empire just now tore off her clothes and exposed her bosoms.


    She wriggled in misery but the next second¡­ the man threw her on the bed beside the tied-up woman.


    The woman on the other end had an aghast expression as she was struggling to get out of the ropes that bound her hands.


    The half-naked man walked with steady step and pulled out the cloth wrapped around her mouth.


    "Please¡­ please let me go!!


    I have a son¡­ I have a husband. I have a family who''s waiting for me.


    I beg you¡­ I beg you! Please let me go." she pleaded with tears dropping from her eyes like an endless river stream.


    After getting the gist of what the man intended to do with them¡­ she understood what fate awaited for both of them.


    Rip!


    Rip!


    Soon, the man started ripping off their clothes one by one. Yet, there was nothing they could do to resist his cruelty.


    And as the woman feared¡­ soon, he started forcing himself on them despite their pleading like a voracious monster.


    "Ah! No!


    Ahhh! Ahh! Mercy!" wailed the young girl as the man put his member in her private part forcefully.


    "Hah! A virgin girl and a mature mother at the same time.


    It makes the perfectbination.


    I''m going to enjoy it a lot. It''s been a couple of months since I could let out some stress." said the man without any care for the horrified expressions on their faces as he started ravaging them like a carnal beast.


    Soon, the room was filled with indescribable and horrific sounds of agony and screams that would send shivers to anyone hearing them.


    But to this man, it gave him more joy as heughed and enjoyed their scared and terrifying screams.


    ----------------


    The next morning¡­ the two bright suns shone on this castle atop the mountain as usual and the sunlight entered through the window and lighted the room.


    But unlike yesterday¡­ the scene waspletely different.


    On a chair ced in the middle of this room¡­ was the man who had ravaged the two innocent women yesterday to quench his lust.


    Schwah!!


    Soon, a figure d in ck armor suddenly appeared in front of him.


    He quickly kneeled in front of this man and gazed around the room.


    "There''s a summon for you, my lord." spoke this fireborne in a submissive tone.


    At this moment, he noticed the fate of the young girl and the mature woman with his own eyes.


    Two corpses wereying across the room in different directions. Both these bodies had dozens of bruises and signs of r*pe on their genitals.


    The young girl''s head was detached from her body while the rest of it was thrown at a side of the room.


    Some part of flesh on her stomach and thighs was missing as if she was devoured by a wild beast while her left arm was nowhere to be seen.


    On the left corner of the room, was the corpse of the woman hung down with a rope around her neck.


    There were multiple arrows piercing her body here and there along with a horrified expression on her face.


    Just then, he saw a chunk of flesh fallen on side of the chair this man was sitting on and his mouth was still fresh with blood.


    On the right side of the chair¡­ was a crossbow that still had an arrow nocked.


    Despite this gory and cruel scene, this new arrival wasn''t surprised in the slightest as if this was amon urrence.


    The man in front of him first brutally r*aped these women like a fiend to the point both the victims had damaged private parts as he did not hold back his real strength of a saint.


    There were manycerations on their bodies and the young girl''s lower half of the body was disfigured because of his brutality and was bleeding profusely.


    And after having his fill of lust¡­ he had hunted them down for fun and then he thrashed them until they died. Andter, he gorged on the young girl''s tender flesh.


    The woman seemed to have suffered the most and for a longer period as she was shot with arrows while her neck was tied to the rope, barely struggling to keep her life while suffering iprehensible pain as she was shot with these arrows and bled to death.


    "Azerog, when do we have to go?" asked the man sitting on the chair as he gave a look of fulfillment and exhration while gnawing on the left arm of the young girl.


    "We leave at sunset." said this fireborne who seemed to be a 4th stage saint from his aura.


    He then continued his words and revealed the name of this person he often brought such helpless human women for¡­


    "Lord Axel."

 Chapter 595 Behind the Mask

    Chapter 595 Behind the Mask


    Azerog Musgarf was a 4th stage saint and also an heir of the Musgarf n, one of the six main Fireborne ns of the Vulcan empire. In terms of manpower, standing and authority, they were only below the Imperial n and served thetter loyally since the very beginning when this empire was founded.


    As the unparalleled genius of his generation, Azerog was famed to be the biggest rising star 10 years ago among all the prodigies of the empire just at the age of 25.


    During those times, he rightfully won the title of n heir and would inherit the position after his grandfather and father were done with their term.


    Yet, a once-in-a-century genius like him was now forced to do the dirty job for a monster like the Hero of Fire, Axel Lobethrox.


    And the main reason was¡­ it was a task he was assigned to do by two grand figures of the empire. One being his grandfather, who was the current n leader and the second being Demiurge Val Arhlem, the Pope himself.


    Because 5 years ago, when he was chosen to be a member of the Hero''s Party¡­ he came to learn a particr truth about the new generation of summoned Heroes and what they signified for each empire.


    As for Axel himself¡­ this man had a very dark past even before he was chosen by their god Hetrax and then summoned into their world.


    Once an individual of honor and dignity like Azerog was now reduced to a handyman who had been tasked with controlling people and having them kidnap such defenseless and weak women from the past 5 years because of his loyalty to his n and the empire demanded him to.


    Even though he never thought highly of the human race like most of his kinsmen and the nobles of this empire¡­ the acts Axelmitted every month in the past 5 years were testing him to his core.


    This was the real face of Axel, the chosen Hero whose acts of bravery and morality were spread across the empire and the normal poption worshipped him as the embodiment of their god''s will.


    Even the other members of the Hero''s Party were unaware of the hideous truth about Axel in any way.


    On the surface, he looked like an admirable human with integrity and ethical values, a facade he was an expert at portraying in front of others. But his true nature¡­ only the Pope and he knew about it.


    And on top of it¡­ he was a cannibal. Precisely, he only liked to eat the flesh of women after he was done fulfilling his psychotic acts with them.


    Before the Imperial Decree, nobody cared about human lives and authorities didn''t even register missing humans because of the prejudice their social structure had against the race¡­


    But after the Emperor''s announcement because of the acts of Rogis Hos Sigfreed, the second prince became public¡­ now people started paying attention to humans.


    Thus, it came extremely hard to randomly kidnap women from the capital Arkensan like before.


    Hence, just like the two victims, they started to hunt in small towns and ces where no one had the means to do thorough investigation in case they kidnapped such women demanded by Axel.


    Azerog on the other end¡­ was forced to follow the orders even if his very being opposed him to do so. And the only reason he could use to justify his crimes and deceive himself¡­


    Was that he did it for the greater good of their empire.  the main headquarters of the church of Hetrax, Axel and Azerog kneeled in front of the Pope.


    Looking at Axel¡­ Demiurge tried to hide his disgust towards the Hero of Fire and spoke in a kind tone.


    "Things are about to get in motion. I need to know if you have the resolve." he said.


    Regardless of his position, Demiurge had his own set of beliefs.


    He didn''t care about human lives or how many people he had to kill to keep his authority and the strength of the church intact.


    He was someone born among and raised by the church. To him, it was the only thing that mattered even before he became the Pope over a century ago.


    But after the summoning of the new Hero¡­ even he abhorred Axel''s acts.


    Because not every killer was a rapist or liked to torture people. Some killed for necessity and to meet their end goals¡­ in their eyes, it was done for the greater purpose. Demiurge belonged to that category himself.


    But some killed just for fun. That sense of power and control over someone''s life¡­ gave them the highest form of ecstasy. And Axel Lobethrox belonged to that kind of psychopath while he hid his face behind the mask.


    Axel was the kind who first ruined the world of these women. Then toyed around with their lives and finally when they hadpletely broken down¡­ he killed when they lost all hope to live.


    There was a time when even Demiurge wondered why their God chose such a man in the beginning.


    But after finding out a certain truth about Axel''s origin and his Divine Abilities¡­ he had no choice but to make do with their situation.


    In reality, the Musgarf n leader, Azerog''s grandfather was actually an old friend of Demiurge who had secret ties with the church while on the surface, they still served the imperial n.


    Thus he ordered Azerog, whom they had nted when the Hero''s Party was formed, to work as his aide since they couldn''t risk his monstrous side getting exposed to the empire.


    And now, only the two of them knew this horrifying truth about the Hero of Fire.


    ----------------


    Soon, the pope told Axel about their n that would happen after the cksmithing Duel between Kahn and Helsi.


    "So tell me¡­ are you in or not? This is something that would help you greatly as well." spoke the pope with somber eyes.


    And in response, Axel gave a devilish smirk as he licked his lips and spoke in an ominous tone.


    "Finally¡­ I will be able to get my hands on her."

 Chapter 596 The Artificing

    Chapter 596 The Artificing


    Unbeknownst to Kahn¡­ many ploys and hidden schemes were being orchestrated that he had no idea about in the slightest. He had no ties with the church or the imperial n and even his contact with their official representatives was minimal as Throk was the figurehead of thispany.


    So sticking to his usual routine¡­ Kahn had now developed into apletely different person. He was calmer, more patient during the forging and had mastered utilizing his skills.


    The Mineral Transmutation skill he got from the mountain titan greatly helped him in advancing his skills and in the past few days alone, he could feel that he was about to have a breakthrough in the cksmithing craft in uing days.


    And like promised, Throk started teaching both his students about Artificing. A branch of the cksmithing profession that he had heard about since the time he lived in vot city but never had the chance to learn much about it.


    Because he had to hide his identity as Hero of Darkness, he couldn''t inquire much about it from the old man Albestros either.


    But now, his new master named Throk Oakenshield was finally going to teach him this intriguing part of the trade that only the most experienced elves and the extremely talented cksmiths like Albestros Winston, the top cksmith of Rakos Empire as well as the top 5 Saint rank cksmiths of Vulcan empire could master.


    "Listen brats¡­ forget whatever you learned till this point.


    Although this is half the part of bing a saint cksmith¡­ it has no rtion with the skills you''ve acquired and mastered previously." spoke Throk.


    Then he took out few books out of his space ring and ced them on a stone table ced at the western end of his private forge where he was making Kahn''s weapons and armors using the Guardian Dragon''s body from months since their deal was agreed upon.


    But today, he stopped the work just to teach them the basics of this field.


    "Artificing is also an integral part of the study of magic. Something only an individual of a mage ss can master while learning and perfecting their control over mana and world energy." he revealed and continued in a somber tone.


    "But even among the mages, you''ll find that not even 10% know how to make proper magic formations or use the runes.


    Unlike the Enchanter ss that creates objects and constructs by infusing mana and world energy¡­ Artificers use magic formations to bypass the restrictions of their ss and mana reserves." he iterated and handed down two both to Kahn and ckwall respectively.


    "In reality, these magic formations are just a conduit to impart mana and world energy to enhance the object such as a weapon, an armor or even an artifact to perform a specific function or an ability.


    And those magic formations, no matter how small or big they are¡­ they''re categorized as Runes." exined Throk.


    "I see. So they''repletely different from the magic formations cast by mages to use a skill or a spell?" queried Kahn.


    "Correct. The normal magic formations by mages are often cast in order to convert their mana and world energy into a particr force associated by an elemental skill.


    Some can use it to protect themselves by casting a barrier or even use it as an offensive skill while adding an element their bodies arepatible with." said Throk like he was imparting a great wisdom of the world.


    "But then how does one use that energy on a weapon or an armor? If the caster has stopped using their skill and thus closing the supply of mana¡­ without it, the object or the artifact should no longer be able to hold it.


    There''s no medium to store that world energy and mana at all." queried ckwall as he folded his arms.


    To his thoughtful question, Throk nodded in approval and answered¡­


    "That is what makes itpletely different than normal magic formations.


    They are cast to instantly attack or protect the caster for a prolonged period.


    But Runes¡­ they''re not cast to use for either of the purposes but rather storing and circting the caster''s mana and world energy.


    . ???


    As if they''re embedded on the targeted objects while functioning like a part of it." he exined.


    "How? There''s no source to sustain them after being drawn on the objects." queried Kahn with a perplexed expression.


    But to his question, Throk opened the books books he gave to them and opened the first pages with each of his hands.


    "Your answer lies here." he said with a content expression.


    He was already impressed by their queries because it attested to their thirst for knowledge as well as their mindset to seriously learn Artificing.


    Kahn and ckwall started reading the first few paragraphs of the information written on the pages and soon, their eyes were wide open.


    "This¡­ this shouldn''t be possible. How can it function like this?" asked ckwall.


    "That''s what makes it really hard. And even the most talented among the magician ss fail to master it because of the same reason.


    This practice of magic in itself takes years and lot of resources.


    Even though we don''t have that much time¡­ I will use the secret dwarven methods that our ancestors have been using to help you greatly improve those skills in short time." he said with a coy smile.


    "But know this¡­ it will need your undivided attention as well as full focus andmitment.


    You will need to master every single rune and understand how to imbued your own mana and magic in them.


    Otherwise the battle is already lost." spoke Throk as he forewarned his disciples.


    Kahn and ckwall nodded in response, their eyes full of battle intent as if they were ready to face in millions of adversities thrown at them.


    To them, Artificing was a hurdle they wanted to pass with their skills aftering so long in this journey.


    Thus, both of them were now fully prepared for mastering this new technique.


    "Alright then¡­ let''s make some graffitis."

 Chapter 597 lnfinite Possibilities

    Chapter 597 lnfinite Possibilities


    On the second day of training in Artificing, just like before, Throk started exining the ins and outs of the craft to build Kahn and ckwall''s sturdy foundation and thus, he started with the advanced knowledge from the get-go after seeing how much potential both of them had disyed after receiving the enlightenment.


    He drew the sign of two ovepping circles curved and connected to each other.


    "Do you know what this sign represents?" he asked.


    "Infinity." replied Kahn the very next moment.


    "Hah? Did you read about it in the books?"


    "Ah¡­ yes." replied the human disciple.


    Kahn was a man of science in his previous life. So he obviously recognized the infinity ( ¡Þ ) sign.


    "Let me ask you something.


    Imagine that this is a flow of mana and world energy represented through this sign.


    Can you tell me what principle this sign represents?" he asked in a serious voice.


    "Limitlessness." spoke ckwall although he had no prior knowledge about this sign like Kahn.


    "What does this signify to you?" asked Throk to Kahn.


    "No true end, incalcble, something that is impossible to be quantified." he replied like the true nerd he was in past life as Elric.


    "Good. How would you two feel if I told you that we can apply the same principle while carving runes?" asked the old dwarf with a coy smile.


    To his statement¡­ both the disciples had their eyes wide open.


    "Impossible! Mana and world energy don''t work like that." spoke ckwall.


    "Ha ha! Then tell me something¡­ Where is the point of origin and where is the end.


    Also, which direction is it flowing in?"


    To his question¡­ both Kahn and ckwall were too stunned to speak.


    Because if this logic could be used in Rune carving¡­ there were simply infinite possibilities.


    "Now do you understand how Runes can sustain and integrate themselves?" asked Throk as he tested the cleverness of his disciples.


    Both Kahn and ckwall spoke in unison as they finally understood why Runes worked the way they did¡­ they finally understood the very foundation of Runes and Artificing itself aftering to this mind-boggling realization.


    "Self-reforming, self-regenerating and most importantly¡­ self-sustaining."

 Chapter 598 Two lssues

    Chapter 598 Two lssues


    Everything was carrying on as it was supposed to happen. Whether it was Kahn studying and perfecting his Rune training or the Church making their moves before the cksmithing duel that was about to happen in 4 months from now on in order to overthrow the imperial rule.


    As the days closed by, Hector was making rapid decisions among his followers and trying to sway as many people as he could whether they were influential people in the empire, owned big franchises, selling favors to nobles or even using his authority as the prince to make underhanded and hical deals just so he could increase his support to be the Crown Prince.


    Venessa on the other end fared far better because to many of her followers, she was on good terms with Throk who asionally called her to meet her or Kahn, the old dwarf''s disciple who was to participate in the duel.


    In their eyes, Throk also represented the support of the Church of Hetrax. And even if he were to lose at this point¡­ they were ready to extend their hands and support the dwarf because the endgame was more worth to them.


    And everyone was already aware howpared to Hector and Rogis, one of whom had lost the rights as a prince¡­ Venessa was smarter, stronger and her potential surpassed her brothers by a lot.


    Although many had qualms about her heritage as half-human¡­ the visionary people also had their minds working differently and could see many possibilities that would actually help them reign supreme if they supported Venessa instead of Hector.


    Because the rumors of the Hero of Fire being enamored with Venessa had already reached their ears recently.


    The source obviously being the church of hetrax, just that they didn''t reveal their face and used their other side branches hidden from the public to deliver this information to these figures.


    In reality, the church had ns of their own and both Hector, as well as Venessa, yed a part in it. This rumor¡­ was just one of the seeds they were nting for the future.


    Because soon, there was going to be a change in the ruling powers.


    ----------------


    While everyone went about their daily lives, there was apletely different scenario in the imperial castle.


    Five figures were seated in the throne hall of the emperor. 4 of whom were adorned inpletely red robes. These four figures, each of whom was a 5th stage saint themself was seated on the luxurious chairs below the main throne.


    And on this red and golden throne, was a fireborne with crimson hair that moved and floated like a zing me. These four figures were the official advisors who appeared during the imperial trial for Rogis, the second prince and the person seated on the throne who emitted the saint pressure of an 8th stage saint was the Emperor of the Vulcan empire himself.


    Havi Hos Sigfreed, the 6th and the current ruling emperor of the empire of fire had an agitated expression on his face as his 4 trusted advisors made reports about the current happenings of the empire.


    "So nothing on Hero of Darkness even now?


    It''s been a year already and our spies found nothing about him in both the enemy empires?


    What kind of joke is this!" his voice thundered in the room, sending shivers to even his advisors.


    "We apologize, your majesty. But we know for certain that he isn''t in our empire either.


    There hasn''t been any new emergence of any noticeable human in our empire. Someone like a chosen hero would not be able to keep quiet for long.


    And even the Hero of Fire used Sage''s Eye divine ability to track him at the starting point of the No Man''s Land to our empire.


    He reported that the Hero of Darkness indeed hasn''t entered our empire." spoke the elderly fireborne with white hair as he tried to maintain gaze with the emperor with his frail body.


    "Tch! Then at least confirm if he''s in the other two or not. You all know how important the key is.


    We have Axel to hold our end¡­ but another key will decide our future and standing during the war against the Demon God when the timees.


    The Hero of Darkness is the only one without any powerful allies or an empire protecting him unlike the rest." he spoke in a discontent voice.


    "What about the church and dwarven council? Any major movements from them?" he asked.


    To his query, a female fireborne advisor responded in a meek tone¡­


    "Recently, both the church and the dwarven council are working hard to spread the matters of the cksmithing duel. The face-off between the disciples of master Throk Oakenshield and master Bifur Tawerik." she responded.


    To her report, the Emperor had aplicated expression.


    "First both of my children, then the church and finally the dwarven council¡­


    Why do I feel like this matter is overblown many times?


    It''s not like there haven''t been such duels in the past.


    But none of them became the empire-wide sensation.


    What angle is everyone ying at?" he questioned in a hushed tone to himself.


    But after hearing his word, one of the advisors decided to speak.


    "I have a report regarding that matter as well, your majesty." he said in a hoarse voice.


    "Speak."


    "Recently, we found out that the Oakenshieldpany is directly selling their products to prince Hector and princess Venessa.


    The quality is superb and using those high-ranked weapons and armors¡­ both of them have been secretly luring many top figures, militarymanders and nobles to join their side.


    And from the past 10 months¡­ it has been working in their favor.


    Compared to before¡­ the number of retainers and followers who support their im to the throne as your sessor has risen by 30 times already.


    These numbers¡­ they even surpassed your majesty''s in the past." he reported.


    "Oh¡­ so that was why they got mixed up with him after Rogis'' matters became public in the imperial court.


    And here I thought they did it because of my history with Master Oakenshield when I was not even the crown prince¡­ To win my praise and blessings." he said after contemting a few things on his own.


    The emperor suddenly remembered his old days as a brash and hot-headed prince of the empire.


    To him, dying as a warrior on a battlefield while basking in the glory was more important than bing the emperor.


    He never wanted to be the emperor in the first ce. Only because of his father''s untimely demise due to illness and his elder brother, the crown prince falling in a battle against the Zivot empire, their neighbor and enemy empire that was ruled by the Elves¡­ Havi was forced to step in and rule as the emperor as his responsibility 35 years ago.


    But before all that¡­ he had a good friendship with Throk Oakenshield who had be a saint cksmith only a couple of decades ago and had known Havi as Throk was the one who made his first set of weapons and armors.


    After bing the Emperor¡­ he couldn''t be associated with many people from his past for too many reasons. And even when he heard about Rogis targeting the old dwarf, he couldn''t directly intervene.


    As for his 2nd son who was a total scum¡­ he had no care about him at all.


    Even to an emperor or an empress¡­ their children are born mainly because of alliances and political gain¡­ Havi was no exception to this.


    Thus he did not bat an eye while sacrificing his useless son to bring down the church and nobles after Rogis'' deeds were exposed.


    As for two of his children using Throk to gain influence¡­ it was understandable to him. Because not every strong individual was inherently powerful or had many skills.


    To many warriors and mages, their weapons and armors yed a vital role in their overall performance and battle prowess. The higher-ranked weapons and tools obviously gave them more edge so it was alreadymon knowledge that everyone wanted epic rank weapons and armors.


    Thus using a Saint cksmith to their advantage after supporting hispany and using the goods he sold them directly to make business and also gain the support of influential figures¡­ it was indeed genius nning.


    Little did he know that it wasn''t his children who had this idea but rather the very human he was trying to find.


    ----------------


    Back to the present moment¡­ the advisor told him superficial information first but then his expression contorted.


    "There are two main things I think your majesty should know." he said.


    To his words, the rest of the advisors also hadplicated expressions as if they already knew what he was about to reveal.


    "One of them concerns the issue of those who are protecting it. To be honest it''s not the issue of their rank but their numbers.


    The Oakenshieldpany has a total of seven saints as guardians."


    "What?!" even the emperor himself was bamboozled after hearing this revtion. Because Saints were powerhouses no matter which empire or force.


    And seven of them guarding just a weapon productionpany... It was something that even he couldn''t digest easily.


    But the second is very critical." he said and sighed.


    "What are you talking about?" asked the emperor with a suspicious gaze.


    "It''s about the rtionship between princess Venessa and the master Oakenshield''s human disciple." replied the advisor and spoke in a grim voice¡­


    "Kahn Salvatore."

 Chapter 599 The Suspicion

    Chapter 599 The Suspicion


    Havi Hos Sigfreed, the current emperor of the Vulcan empire sat stunned on his throne as his loyal advisors informed him about two issues that even the emperor had to know of them.


    The advisor fireborne continued.


    "Firstly¡­ those seven saints have questionable origins. Their appearance, their strength and even their weapons are very different." he continued his report.


    "One is a 1st stage saint who goes by the name Jugram Diablos. He''s a giant human who usually guards the entrance of thepany, making a statement that no one can do any funny business there.


    When the Hero''s Party acted haughty and disrespectful, he pretended to be a semi-saint. But from the intel we received.. at the time of confrontation with the hero''s party; he emitted saint pressure that is not seen in our or any of the neighboring empires at all.


    His origins are unclear but some of our experts say that he has strength enough to fight a couple of saints of the same rank on his own.


    We fear that in terms of potential, he''s already way ahead of most of the heirs and veteran warriors of the six Fireborne ns." spoke the advisor with a grim expression.


    Obviously¡­ none of them were aware that Jugram actually possessed a higher version of the True Demon bloodline called as Superior Chaos Demon.


    And since the Vulcan empire was far away from the Demon Empire, they had no substantial information avable about it. Thus, no one could make sense of Jugram''s chaos elemental aura.


    "And the biggest threat is their leader. As per our information¡­ he goes by the name Omega Hrodvitnir.


    Just like the former, even he has mysterious origins. And he is a legitimate 3rd stage saint himself.


    Our spies reported that he has a very unique aura just like this Jugram Diablos. And this swordsman stopped one of the Hero''s Party members, who is a first stage saint himself.


    His special skill that was enough to destroy the wholepany building was frozen still in the air as soon this Omega Hrodvitnir appeared on the scene.


    And if our ancient records are correct¡­ This is something only achievable by those who study the Gravity Law or have Telekinesis abilities since birth." entuated the advisor.


    "The only solid information we have on him is that he might have been born in the Erdve empire." he revealed.


    "What makes you think that he''s from the empire that serves the God of Space?" queried Havi with a curious gaze.


    "Because of his weapons, your majesty.


    He has 4 curved des as his weapons¡­ the one we know as Katanas. A signature weapon from the Erdve empire''s culture and also the 6th Hero of Space was renowned for using a Katana instead of his divine weapon.


    We all know how he transformed the empire 500 years ago and established his world''s culture there.


    If I''m not wrong, this Omega Hrodvitnir is what they call a Samurai Swordsman."


    "I see¡­ two saints with unexinable origins and varying skills and abilities. They can''t be natives.


    What about the others?" asked the emperor with a thoughtful expression. In his mind, he was already thinking of many possibilities.


    However, the fireborne advisor shook his head.


    "We don''t have any other information. No one has seen them and master Oakenshield has kept their identities secret.


    But during the confrontation with the Hero''s Party¡­ they made their presence known.


    And also¡­ their attitude towards the Hero of Fire was totally disrespectful as if they didn''t worry about offending him at all." said the advisor.


    They were the imperial n after all. Even though they couldn''t barge into the Oakenshieldpany because of the attention on Throk¡­ their spies managed to get enough information easily.


    Little did they know¡­ Kahn and Rathnaar had already nned to willingly provide them with this information.


    Although only Church seemed like the issue when Axel and his gang of warriors knocked on their door and tried to make a scene¡­ both of them were already farsighted to predict that sooner orter, the imperial n would also do a background check on them.


    That was why, Jugram and Omega, who were already exposed during that event purposely revealed their general information while adding their species as their surname.


    To make the imperial authorities do the guesswork on their own while they kept going about their lives.


    "Seven saints¡­ with no prior information.


    Even master Vivaldi has only 3 saints protecting him and hispany." spoke the emperor as his voice turned grim.


    "First, we thought it was either your highness Hector or Venessa. But they do not have that type of influence yet since none of them has been crowned officially¡­


    And during the incident with the Hero''s Party at the gates of thepany building, it was princess Venessa who stopped the fight between these saints and the hero''s party." he revealed and continued.


    "But after that very day, the church officially announced their support to the cksmith." he revealed and gave a cryptic look to the emperor as if implying something else.


    "Ah¡­ those bastards. They must think we''re a bunch of children.


    They had the Hero of Fire and his team pick a fight with the people of Oakenshieldpany''s saints knowingly and create a scene as if they were at hostile to each other.


    Venessa stopping the fight would make it look like it was the Imperial n who hired these outsiders or my children were the ones to do it.


    In reality¡­ it was the church all along who brought them in our empire." spoke Havi Hos Sigfreed who also misunderstood the situation just like Demiurges Val Arhlem, the pope himself.


    "What is it that they could gain from this cksmithing duel?" he wondered.


    And now that the first issue was discussed¡­ the advisor started sweating a bit as if he didn''t want to talk more.


    He gave a look at the other advisors but they all averted their eyes and looked in random directions.


    One was intensely staring at the carvings on the chair he was seated on while the second was admiring the painting work done on the ceiling.


    Sigh!


    The advisor let out a deep sigh again and continued¡­


    "But the biggest issue at hand isn''t that at this moment.


    It''s the rtionship between the princess and the disciple of master Oakenshield." spoke the fireborne advisor and dered in a grim voice¡­


    "Kahn Salvatore." he emphasized again.


    Previously, the emperor didn''t seem that worried about this human disciple because the emergence of seven saints was a bigger issue since they were always rare no matter which empire it was.


    Soon, the advisor gave a background report on Kahn¡­ a normal human with no authority or standing who used to be a handyman and do small jobs such as acting as the Throk''s substitute.


    They even found about his first noticeable appearance in Oslo city, the main trading hub of the southern border where he filled in as Throk''s representative and bought the body of the Jatvuarym for 40 trillion harlen.


    And then how he got mixed up between Oakenshield and Tawerik after the former''s students abandoned him and joined thetter''spany because of Throk''s beef with Rogis and the second prince having cklisted him everywhere.


    Their Intel even mentioned how Kahn was forced to sign up a contract against his will by Throk.


    This was an altered story. In reality, it was Kahn who willingly volunteered.


    "Skip to the main point." said the emperor as he found these details unnecessary.


    The rtionship between Throk, Hector and Venessa was already logical in his eyes.


    But he knew nothing about Venessa''s rtionship with this human disciple.


    "The thing is your majesty¡­ in the past 10 months¡­ the princess has personally met with this human disciple many times.


    Among her supporters¡­ we have a second stage saint who personally witnessed her trying to recruit this person as one of her vassals.


    And he mentioned that she thinks of Kahn Salvatore as some business genius." informed the advisor.


    This second stage saint the advisor spoke of was actually one of the two fireborne saints who were present with Venessa when she invited Kahn to recruit him.


    Unbeknownst to her¡­ he was one of the emperor''s people himself. Someone they nted to keep an eye on his daughter.


    "But after that incident¡­ she has been meeting him quite a few times under the name of recruiting him since it''s already given that he will lose the duel." spoke the advisor again.


    "And what''s so surprising about that? A loyal vassal is a backbone for any ruler." said Havi with uninterested eyes.


    "Recently¡­ we received intel acquired from the workers in thepany that whenever the princess meets this Kahn Salvatore¡­


    Their rtionship seems to be very close." he said in a fearful tone.


    To this, even the emperor rose his right eyebrow.


    "And based on their behavior and how they treat each other during their ''meeting'' which always involves both treating each other as equal and talk informally¡­ or how they are alwaysughing and acting carefree around each other¡­" he spoke and almost froze on his spot while mustering the courage to speak their final conclusion.


    "Princess Venessa seems to be in love with Kahn."

 Chapter 600 The Lone Princess

    Chapter 600 The Lone Princess


    One by one, the advisor started giving the details of Kahn and Venessa''s encounters that they managed to learn about through the insider in Venessa''s camp. And how her bodynguage is always gleeful as if she has unearthed a lot of mental pressure from her shoulders.


    Although, this seemed like an overstretched conclusion in the beginning¡­ the more the emperor heard about their encounters, the more he started to worry.


    Because this waspletely opposite to how Venessa had behaved in 30 years of her life so far.


    Havi was already aware of his daughter''s upbringing.


    Ever since her mother died, Venessa eventually faced a lot of scrutiny from the nsmen and those from the two fireborne ns whose heiresses were married to the emperor.


    This made Venessa, an 8-year-old girl mature very quickly on her own and close her heart to the world in order to survive.


    Because if not for her being the Emperor''s daughter¡­ she would''ve died long ago. Yet, the young girl who had no one to rely on; not even her own father¡­ learned the hard truth of the world even before she came of age.


    That in this world¡­ power ruled everything!


    It wasn''t just physical strength or political power. And neither was it only some pretentious influence or position of authority.


    Real power meant transcending above all these sectors and conquering them with an iron fist to the point where no one would even dare to look you right in the eyes or defy your orders.


    That became the definition of the Absolute Power for Venessa.


    The only thing she had ever since growing up was the Sigfreed family name and a small vi to live in where she received enough support from the imperial n to live leisurely.


    However¡­ when her step-brothers were growing up while being doted and loved by their families¡­ Venessa grabbed her mother''s sword, her only memento and chose to practice swordsmanship.


    The little girl in her died a long time ago. And now, only a woman who strived for power and determination to sit at the top remained.


    And hence, to see her smile freely and act happy after having rxing conversations with Kahn after every time they met¡­ made everyone including the emperor feel that it was not just any normal rtionship but a¡­


    Connection of hearts.


    ----------------


    Unbeknownst to everyone, Venessa had a different outlook on her association with Kahn.


    Because of her being a half-human and also losing all support from her mother''s side after her death along with the emperor leaving Venessa alone to fend off for herself¡­ She had put up a guard against everything.


    There were times when she let people in and became friends with them¡­ only to find that they had ulterior motives and wanted to use her because of her heritage for their personal gain.


    She learned the hard way that once people do not see any merit in having a connection with you¡­ they will abandon you as soon as they see a better alternative.


    Hence, till this point¡­ she never really had friends growing up or wholeheartedly trusted anyone because of her own goals.


    Many people gave credit to her bloodline being strongerpared to her brothers but no one knew how hard it was for Venessa to learn everything by herself.


    That when girls of her yed house, she was struggling to lift a heavy sword. When they dreamed of being a princess and getting saved by a prince charming¡­ Venessa''s palms were full of callousness and her fingers bled as she practiced with her mother''s sword.


    Many staked their future on her after seeing her potential and rise to strength in the past 10 years. But no one was there when she trained day and night, for months and then years.


    The only thing she had to learn and perfect her skills were her mother''s sword and a book that had her family''s swordsmanship techniques.


    Just based on these two things¡­ Venessa struggled, she stumbled and she got up, again and again to reach where she was now.


    She chose to defy this fate that was forced on her and now that she knew her mother was strategically killed by the other two prince''s ns¡­ the fire in her heart raged more intensely.


    Venessa was well aware that she was a hot-headed person because she had a controlling personality.


    Not because she was a control freak but she grew up being vignt about everything around her. Thus, once she set her mind to achieve something¡­ she would not stop no matter what.


    However¡­ there was this one human called Kahn Salvatore.


    Ever since she met him¡­ he was the only person who never had any malicious intentions towards her and expected any form of gain from her.


    ? He even rejected her offer to join her side despite her pestering him a dozen times.


    And the more they interacted¡­ the more indifference he showed towards her.


    Normally¡­ everyone would gentle down their tone, bow their heads and treat her better than their own parents as soon as Venessa appeared in front of them¡­


    But in the case of this human¡­ he treated her like she was a nuisance.


    Forget honorifics¡­ Kahn didn''t even call her with any titles andined when she pulled him out of his training forcefully using her identity.


    While others, including her retainers, gave a sense of hidden intentions¡­ Kahn was least interested in her life.


    In the beginning¡­ it made her furious and filled her heart with hatred.


    Now, for some reason¡­ he was the only person she felt rxed and carefree around.


    Venessa also guessed a while ago through their interactions that Kahn didn''t have any romantic feelings for her.


    Given her beauty¡­ even the firebornes who hated humans desired her but this human¡­ always looked like he had a yearning for someone else in his heart.


    Just in their previous meeting, she asked about it and Kahn told her that there was indeed someone in his life. But as things stood¡­ they could not be together and had to strive towards their own goals.


    Him honestly expressing his feelings made Venessa trust Kahn even more and she too started telling him about her life once in a while.


    As their conversations got personal¡­ Venessa found one thingmon in her and Kahn.


    That both of them were Survivors.


    Although Kahn never went into details and only offered vague words¡­ she understood that he had a past of his own and secrets he couldn''t tell anyone.


    And knowing how secretive he was¡­ Venessa never tried to pry into his personal affairs. Just knowing that he had no ill intentions towards her was more than enough.


    Just like that¡­ Venessa, for the first time in her life, had found a¡­ Friend.


    ----------------


    In the main throne hall of the emperor¡­ a woman in green and white armor while having a sword strapped on her waist walked in towards the end of the hall.


    She had her gaze full of curiosity as she looked at the being who was seated on the throne¡­ Havi Hos Sigfreed, her biological father and the reigning emperor.


    Schwoa!!


    A burgundy-red aura was emitted from his body and in an instant, it encapsted the entire one kilometer long hall as the emperor gave an uneasy expression towards his daughter.


    Soon, everything around her including the pirs that supported the hall, the chairs, different seats and tforms and even the ceiling caught fire in a few seconds.


    However, Only the emperor and Venessa remained untouched while the rest of the hall became a pit of fire as the emperor used his Domain.


    Yet despite this method of asserting dominance that would''ve made others instantly cower in fear¡­ Venessa had an indifferent expression.


    Her unbothered countenance piqued the Emperor''s interests and he spoke in a grim voice.


    "Do you know why I called you here?"


    To the emperor''s tyrannical voice that was enough to make anyone fear for their life¡­ Venessa let out a sigh.


    "May I know why I have been summoned¡­ Lord Father?" she asked, still treating this matter casually.


    Venessa had no respect for this fireborne seated on the other side. There was nothing fatherly he ever did for her.


    There was even a time when she hadn''t met him face to face for over a decade when she was training on her own.


    Forget trying to console his grieving daughter after her mother''s death¡­ this father of hers never showed his face until she came of age and joined the military to gain experience and raise her strength.


    Only after bing amander and gaining the support of the generals did her father acknowledge her existence as his daughter.


    For others, he was their absolute ruler and a being only second to their god Hetrax¡­ but for Venessa, he was a failure excuse of a father and a husband.


    "What is your rtionship with Oakenshield''s disciple?" he asked.


    Venessa suddenly had a surprised expression as this question dide out of nowhere.


    "Why does my rtionship with anyone concern lord father?" she asked in return.


    To her subliminally defying words¡­ Havi released some of his saint pressure¡­ the aura of an 8th stage saint that was enough to crumble a mountain into small sand grains.


    "Whatever it is¡­ stay away from him. You have an important part to y for the future of our empire.


    Getting mixed with someone ofmoner birth must be avoided no matter what." he said to Venessa who was forced to kneel on the foot.


    And finally, he gave a warning in a grim voice.


    "Unless you want him to get killed."

 Chapter 601 Reason Behind Existence

    Chapter 601 Reason Behind Existence


    Venessa had her expression frozen after she heard the emperor dere that they''d kill Kahn if she kept associating with him. At this moment, she could not grasp what reasons caused such a great reaction from the emperor himself.


    To her, Kahn was only her friend and nothing more. Even though they treated each other as equals and shared stories of their lives¡­ their rtionship never went past that barrier.


    Soon, she mustered her courage and tried to stand up but still failed to raise her head and look her father in the eyes.


    "Why? Why are you going as far as saying that you''ll kill him?" she asked with a heavy expression after gathering all her strength just to speak normally while bearing the brunt of this leaden aura of an 8th stage saint.


    "Because your fate has already been decided after your birth.


    Any ties with others, especially a human should not happen. As my daughter and the princess of the empire¡­ you have a part to y.


    There''s something only you can do and make our empire prosper in the future." he replied ambiguously.


    "And what¡­ what is that? Why am I not aware of what meaning my life has?


    Have I not done enough already?"


    At this moment¡­ Venessa''s voice suddenly turned sorrowful as if welled-up emotions were surging and trying to get out.


    "Ever since childhood¡­ I did everything to be worthy to get called as your daughter and became the rightful empress.


    I have already proved myself many times already. You know thatpared to Hector and Rogis¡­ only I have enough strength, talent, potential and experience to be your sessor.


    But you would not dere me as the crown princess even after all this time." she spoke in a scornful voice.


    What she said was indeed the fact. Her worth was proved a long time ago and by the rules of the imperial n¡­ she should''ve been dered as the crown princess a decade ago because she excelled in all the necessary qualities and checked all the boxes.


    "Is it¡­ is it because I''m a half-human?" she asked with a hateful voice.


    TREMBLE!


    As soon as her words reached the emperor''s ears¡­ his resolve shook and his domain started shaking.


    The image of the burning throne hall started flickering and the fire subsided on its own as they returned to the previous environment of the throne hall¡­pletely unharmed while looking exactly like it was when Venessa entered.


    Havi closed his eyes, took a deep breath and replied in a thunderous voice.


    "Yes. It is because you''re part human.


    Tainted blood can never sit on this throne."


    The emperor had an emotionless expression as he revealed the reason why Venessa was denied what was her by birthright.


    Venessa''s eyes were wide open and soon, they were filled with fury as she tightly clenched his fists until blood seeped out of her nails.


    She dedicated her entire life since young to bing qualified and finally hold enough influence as well as the power to be the empress in the future.


    "Do you know why I married your mother despite her being a human?" asked Havi in an uncaring tone.


    Venessa''s rage suddenly vanished and she looked at her father with a look of expectancy. It was one of the questions she had from decades.


    "It was a political marriage. Something I agreed upon in order to save and stabilize the empire when I became the emperor." he rified.


    Although she had expected this answer¡­ it still hurt to hear that her loving mother was nothing but a political alliance in eyes of her father.


    But the following second, Venessa raised her voice as well and spoke¡­


    "Then what about her death? Since you care so much about your position and authority¡­ why didn''t you do anything about her death?" she asked in a sarcastic tone while hiding many of her other emotions.


    "What about it?" questioned Havi as he raised a brow.


    "I know that it was Hector and Rogis'' familial fireborne ns who killed my mother by slowly poisoning her over years¡­


    And I also know that you are aware of the truth!" she eximed.


    SHOCKED!!


    The emperor was baffled and lost his calmposure.


    Because the truth behind his third wife''s murder was only known to him, his advisors and the two fireborne n leaders.


    To the rest of the empire¡­ she died because of a terminal illness. Yet, his daughter somehow managed to find one of the most well-guarded secrets of the empire.


    As for Venessa¡­ her father''s expression confirmed her suspicions and verified the truth she heard from the secret helpers who suddenly appeared a year ago and helped her take down Rogis as well as establish her side for the race to be the crown princess.


    "You knew everything¡­ and yet you did nothing!" she spoke loudly and gave a look of disgust to her father.


    "You''re a failure! As a husband¡­ as a father¡­


    And as an Emperor¡­ you''re a joke!" Venessa bellowed without any restraints.


    She didn''t care if her words would offend the emperor and lead to capital punishment. Now that her entire life was already destined to not get what she worked hard for¡­ she didn''t bother hiding her true feelings anymore.


    "Mind your tongue, girl!!" shouted the emperor as he released his aura again.


    BOOM!!


    This time, Venessa herself activated her bloodline and used it to stand firm against her sorry excuse of a father.


    Her nose and eyes bled as she used every bit of strength in her body just to withstand this pressure.


    "Do not forget your ce. You''re nothing but a chess piece since you were brought into this world.


    Do you know why I have entertained your petty arguments till now?" he spoke in a contemptuous voice.


    "Because your life has only one purpose. To serve the empire." he said in a grim tone.


    Venessa''s gaze turned even more hurt and vengeful at the same time.


    Although she was confronting her father with every inch of her being¡­ she was far away from even scratching the surface of his immense strength.


    If her father willed it¡­ he could kill her with just his saint pressure alone.


    Soon¡­ Havi Hos Sigfreed, the emperor and her father told Venessa what part she had to y for the sake of the empire and what fate awaited her.


    Like a predetermined and predestined life¡­ her future was already decided and there was nothing she could do to avoid it.


    This very second, Venessa copsed on the floor as her entire life was overthrown with a single sentence.


    All of her life''s efforts¡­ her tirelessly training to be the empress¡­ her will to survive and the revenge she wanted to exact after learning the truth about her mother''s death¡­


    All of it turned meaningless. As one would say¡­ Venessa''s whole life turned out to be aplete lie.


    Now¡­ nothing mattered to her and Venessa, in her mind was having an existential crisis.


    All those feelings¡­ all that pain and suffering that she had kept hidden inside her finally erupted and her mind was bombarded with a plethora of emotions one after another.


    "Why did I work so hard? Why was I even born?


    Living a life like this¡­ I won''t ept it!" she shouted and quickly pulled out her sword from the scabbard.


    She grabbed the hilt and pointed the tip of the de towards her.


    Stab!


    Venessa quickly tried to stab her stomach with her own sword¡­ the very sword her mother left behind and had been with her since childhood.


    Because at this moment¡­ this princess of the empire hadpletely broken down and wanted to end her life instead of suffering the misery that awaited her because of her position as the daughter of the fireborne sitting on the throne.


    Shing!


    But before the tip of the de could even pierce her armor and her belly¡­ an intangible force suddenly stopped her from moving.


    Other than her head¡­ her entire body was frozen¡­ rather covered in a dense saint pressure that prohibited her from moving an inch.


    Venessa looked at her father as streams of tears dropped from her eyes. This time¡­ they were not only full of hatred but also unimaginable suffering and killing intent at the same time.


    "Even wild monsters treat their children better than you!


    They raise them to get strong enough to survive on their own no matter the cost.


    You on the other hand¡­ you trade them for power and keep your so-called reign and this pretentious pride of the imperial family intact." spoke Venessa with a scornful gaze and spat on the ground.


    Because just minutes ago¡­ she heard what her father said and realized how her entire existence had only one purpose that she did not even get to decide for herself from the very day she was born.


    Venessa recalled the Emperor''s words that destroyed her life''s meaning in mere seconds¡­


    "You were born¡­ only to get married to the Hero of Fire."

 Chapter 602 Face Unknown

    Chapter 602 Face Unknown


    After Venessa cried her heart out while cursing her father, the emperor¡­ she eventually exhausted herself. And because of the immense psychological blow she received¡­ it became hard for her to maintain consciousness and thus, Venessa ended up fainting.


    But despite all of her curses and badmouthing¡­ Havi''s temperament was also so strong that he did not give to her profanities or made a wrong move.


    Before Venessa fainted, her willpower was drained to the bottom and Havi ced a seal on her body just by raising his palm.


    Venessa had studied about this seal while she was educating herself about warfare.


    This seal ced a restriction on the target''s body¡­ prohibiting them from taking their own lives or physically harming themselves to the point of no return.


    In the Vulcan empire, this seal was often used on prisoners of high value or spies from the other empires during investigations. But only a fifth stage saint or above could use this because leaving an imprint on someone''s soul needed a lot of word energy and precise handling.


    But still, it was a very effective method to get useful intel from enemies of the empire.


    And now¡­ she, the princess herself was treated like one.


    After Venessa fainted, their image flickered and the next moment, she was lying on her bed while a wave of burgundy-colored aura encapsted her body.


    "Heal well. And¡­" spoke Havi before and left only two words behind before he disappeared into thin air.


    "I''m sorry."


    ----------------


    A few minutester¡­ the emperor arrived on a secretly guarded floor that was under the protection of 2 imperial guards.


    "Your majesty!" said the guards loudly and instantly kneeled.


    "Leave the chamber and let no one inside till I''m done." said the emperor and entered through the door without sparing a nce at the guards.


    Both the guards quickly disappeared from the room while leaving the aura of first stage saints themselves.


    As soon as the door closed, Havi ordered his armor to disappear and the following second, he was wearing tight ck clothes.


    Soon, hundreds of archaic runes and magic formations appeared andyers afteryers covered the entire hall.


    In truth, this was thest protection hall of the imperial family in case there was a coup or someone tried to kill them. A hall made by the best dwarven cksmiths hundreds of years ago that could even withstand an attack from a 9th stage saint.


    This was thest resort to protect the imperial family members and only the reigning emperor or empress had the right to open or close this hall.


    However¡­ the expression on his face went from calm to that of an enraged man real quick.


    "Even now¡­ I''m still failing to keep my promise." he spoke to himself as his voice reverberated in this quiet hall.


    Howl!


    Howl!


    Strong winds suddenly appeared from his body and howled in the surrounding atmosphere.


    BOOM!!


    The very next moment, Havi released all of his saint pressure to the full extent and even the small dust particles in the airpletely froze.


    If he had revealed this aura before¡­ forget being unable to move; Venessa would''ve been reduced to small atoms as this pressure was thousands of times higher and stronger than what she experienced in the throne hall.


    But unlike his domineering aura¡­ a teardrop suddenly dropped from his left cheek and the cruel and emotionless emperor who didn''t even botherforting his crying daughter was nowhere to be seen.


    Instead¡­ a face of a lost and helpless man came into sight.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Like an active volcano, one after another¡­ massive explosions and bursts of saint pressure filled this vast hall.


    Hundreds of defensive barriers, runes and magic formations that were ced to protect this ce activated all at once and tried to subdue this insurmountable and unbearable saint pressure.


    If Rathnaar was present here¡­ he would be able to quantify how destructive this saint pressure was. Because he too had been on this level of strength once.


    Even someone like Kahn could guess that this terrifying aura was enough to destroy over 500 kilometers of area and incinerate everything in that radius.


    The temperature of the room itself was no less than that of sizzling moltenva and even with the Magma Drake''s abilities¡­ Kahn would be turned into ash in just a couple of seconds.


    "Aaaaaaeeeeerrrrrgggghhhh!!!!" screamed Havi as if he was suffering from excruciating pain.


    His screams consistently created shockwaves and sent ripples that barged against the runes and protection barriers inside the hall.


    This walking-talking nuclear warhead called Havi Hos Sigfreed was letting out all of the anger and bloodlust he had held inside of him.


    This rage and killing intent wasn''t directed at anyone else but himself!


    "What''s the point of being the emperor if I have to sell my daughter just to maintain peace?" he asked himself as both of his eyes let out more tears of regret.


    But they instantly evaporated because of the temperature of the room.


    "Father¡­ Brother¡­ I wish you two were here.


    I don''t know how long can I carry this on¡­" said Havi as he curled down and started bawling in sorrow.


    No one would be able to believe that the strongest person of the entire Vulcan empire¡­ the emperor who ruled over billions with an iron will was now crying like a helpless child.


    This was a facepletely opposite of the cruel, merciless and indifferent emperor that everyone including his own children had never seen.


    Havi pulled back his saint pressure and in just a minute, the room returned to its original temperature as the runes and formations splendidly did their job.


    Havi summoned a photo frame from his space as his tears appeared again and started rolling down like a river.


    He sniffed and wiped off his tears¡­ a futile attempt that didn''t stop his grief in any way.


    As he stared at the image in the frame¡­ his countenance turned unsightly because another wave of regret and sense of loss hit the emperor.


    The most prestigious and powerful person in this empire now looked like a beggar cursing the world for his fate.


    His crimson and floating hair that were aze like a violent fire dimmed and stopped moving.


    Havi then looked at the person inside the photo frame.


    A human woman in her mid-30s. Long ck hair and a refreshing expression on her face.


    Her eyes had green iris and her overall appearance gave a feeling of kindness andpassion.


    The resemnce between this woman and Venessa was uncanny. Even Havi looked at her photo with a sense of unending yearning as he spoke in a defeated voice¡­


    "I have failed our daughter again¡­ Freyja."

 Chapter 603 Burden of the Throne

    Chapter 603 Burden of the Throne


    As the emperor cried while weeping tears of helplessness¡­ the atmosphere of the room was filled with pain and suffering. At this moment when no one was watching him letting his sorrow out¡­ Havi reminisced about the happenings of 38 years ago.


    His father was the only child of the former empress who married a worthy fireborne warrior even though he didn''t belong to any of the six fireborne ns.


    And his father also followed the same tradition because no matter how loyal these ns were¡­ in the end, they just needed an opportunity or an excuse to usurp the reigning emperor or an empress if they were not strong enough or didn''t possess a scheming mind.


    But one day, his father, who was a seventh stage saint himself, passed away out of the blue because of some sickness no one was aware of.


    After that, Havi''s elder brother Vili, who was also the crown prince at that time tookmand and became the new emperor. He was someone with great qualities of a ruler.


    But as if the cmities had no end¡­ His elder brother died in a skirmish against the Zivot empire, one that served God of Life and was ruled by the Elven race.


    Back then, Havi was only 24 years old. A youngd who had no interest in politics or bing an emperor.


    He aspired to be the number one spearman in the empire and had been relentlessly training and roaming through the empire to improve his skills while hiding his real identity.


    But after he heard of his brother and father''s death¡­ he had to return as the burden of the throne befell on his shoulders. Free?ebnovel.c?m.


    And at that time, everyone including the loyal fireborne ns, his rtives who were in the line of session after him and some of the loyal aides of his father¡­ all of them coveted the throne.


    Because in their eyes, Havicked every single quality and was nothing but a useless and undeserving heir to handle such a great position and reign the empire. All of which was indeed true.


    He was but an inexperienced and helpless young man who had different priorities and very few people he could trust. Back then, the only people he knew well were some people who had great talent but were nothingpared to top powers and influential figures¡­ Throk Oakenshield being one of them.


    Thus, after he rightfully ascended the throne¡­ there were many people who had qualms about him bing the emperor and tried to create problems one way or another.


    And finally¡­ Havi was forced to make a hard decision.


    Before things escted¡­ he made a proposition to the six fireborne ns who held most of the power after the imperial n.


    That he would marry the heiresses of the two of the strongest fireborne ns.


    This in a way¡­ opened a new door for them at the same time.


    Because even if these Fireborne ns served the throne; none of them were allied or saw an eye to eye. For them, their benefits came before others and even joining hands with other ns would eventually end up as a loss.


    All of the leaders of the ns were aware that if their forces started a coup, not only would the other fireborne ns use that as an excuse to oppress them¡­ and if things came to the worst situation¡­ their entire n of a hundred million people would be eradicated to set an example.


    Everyone was a Viin but they liked to portray themselves as righteous Hero.


    Also, there would be too much bloodshed with no guarantee of sess and gaining control over the empire either.


    The losses were not worth the hefty price.


    But in this proposition by Havi¡­ they at least had a chance to get their n''s heirs topete for the throne with a full im that couldn''t be opposed in any aspect.


    Thus, Havi married the two heiresses of the two of the strongest fireborne ns to stop their advances and avoid a cmity. A sacrifice he made to keep his family and its prestige intact.


    To the fireborne ns¡­ Havi was someone who could be oppressed easily in the future since he was only a 1st stage saint despite being the emperor. Thus, helping him solidify his rule also worked to their benefit.


    And with their support, the Emperor managed to subjugate any potential rise of traitors and uprisings nned by those who wanted to benefit in times of crisis.


    But while doing so¡­ the elven empire saw that the Vulcan empire was currently unstable and started a full-scale invasion.


    And the Vulcan empire with a shaky structure was having a hard time since not all the forces were unified and still, some people would rather let enemies create chaos in their empire and use it to dethrone Havi than save their mothend.


    For power-hungry people¡­ there were no morals or sense of responsibility towards their mothend.


    Thus, Havi had to rely on one of the neighboring empires that had signed a treaty to help each other in times of need when his grandmother was the Empress of the empire.


    But even so¡­ they tried to back down from their previous agreement. So as a form of reassurance to hold an oath of support¡­


    The emperor married their princess who was the second child of their emperor and her brother was the crown prince. In a way, this was a purely political alliance that would benefit the future of both empires.


    This was already a very good deal in every way for them.


    Thus, with another empire''s military help and unified manpower¡­ Havi managed to save the empire, stabilize it and soon he seeded in bringing peace and order.


    Using those times¡­ he established himself firmly over the years and while everyone was looking down on him for being weak and always relying on others for help¡­ he started his real n.


    To raise his strength quietly and be so strong that no one would ever dare look down on him or try to oppress him in any way.


    The once naive prince was gone and this experience reformed himpletely to make Havi understand the truth of being an emperor¡­


    Heavy is the head that wears the Crown.

 Chapter 604 Biding For Time

    Chapter 604 Biding For Time


    Havi kept thinking about what happened in the past which led to his current predicament and made his own daughter hate him while he couldn''t even control her in any way and had to force her to a fate she would rather die than living it.


    In his youth¡­ he learned the real price one had to pay to hold such a big position as emperor.


    The throne had too many knives and thorns and whoever sat on it must possess enough strength to endure and ovee these obstacles.


    After bringing peace and order to the Vulcan empire¡­ With his resolution, he started advancing through saint ranks using his bloodline and hard effort while being surrounded by enemies in every direction.


    In the meantime, he had fathered two children with the two empresses as a formality because that would shut up and control the fireborne ns.


    The other two¡­ they had to unwillingly marry him just like he did. There was no love or sense of attachment even if they had to appear as his partners in front of the whole empire.


    As for his third wife¡­ while he was suffering alone and bearing the burden of keeping the empire safe and the imperial n intact¡­ his human wife stayed by his side.


    While he was bearing the burden of responsibilities of billions of lives on his shoulder¡­ Freyjaforted him, consoled him and unlike the others¡­ she saw the real him. She became the friend he needed the most when he was at his lowest.


    As years passed¡­ Pure love bloomed between the two and soon, their bond deepened from a political marriage to that of a real husband and wife.


    Havi could still vividly remember the day Venessa was born. It was the happiest moment of his life.


    But Venessa''s birth also indicated a great obstacle for the fireborne ns at the same time. Because rightfully¡­ She too had a im to the throne.


    Soon, they nted their spies among Freyja''s loyal servants and started poisoning her food and even the water she drank in extremely small dosages so that it couldn''t be tracked.


    And after 8 years¡­ Frejya started falling ill because of the consumption of this untraceable poison and her body had lost its ability to function.


    Their assassination n was so perfect that even the experts failed to detect the real cause and called it a terminal illness.


    Some even said that because empress Freyja was a normal human with no ability to use world energy and magic. Thus, giving birth to Venessa who possessed the imperial fireborne bloodline took a toll on her and hollowed her body from the inside.


    And in just a couple of months¡­ Havi saw the love of his life die as he could only watch from the side helplessly in her final moments.


    Only a couple of yearster, the emperor found out the truth via the Church of Hetrax about how the two fireborne ns meticulously nned Freyja''s death.


    He almost went berserk and wanted to wipe out the two fireborne ns for this treachery.


    But his 4 advisors stopped him, telling him to think about the consequences and chaos it would bring if he were to exact his revenge.


    Their subordinacy also came under an oath that was agreed upon since ancient times.


    That the six ns should never harm the imperial blood and the reigning emperor or empress should never punish them for unjustifiable reasons.


    And technically, Freyja wasn''t the imperial blood and nor did have solid evidence that it was the two ns who nned her death.


    Also, the other fireborne ns would definitely retaliate knowing that the emperor coulde for them next.


    Because these ns had more than 800 million people themselves¡­Havi was forced to control his rage so he could avoid war and not let innocent people get dragged into it and die and keep the empire running.


    These six ns were also the six pirs of the empire at the same time.


    On the other side, the Church of Hetrax was already full of foxes.


    They''d disassociate themselves from any war or an uprising since they only cared about maintaining their institute regardless of who ruled the empire as part of the ancient pact.


    Havi, who was only a 3rd stage saint at that time, felt like he didn''t hold enough strength even if he was the emperor.


    He couldn''t kill the people who killed the love of his life because he needed them to keep the legacy of his family intact and had to avoid a war that would cause bloodshed so big that it would break the entire empire''s foundation itself.


    And the only way he coulde close to exacting his revenge was to silently be strong until he became an absolutely terrifying force that could make everyone pay while scaring others to the point when no one would even think about retaliating.


    And to make everyone not have any suspicions about him trying to exact his revenge and pose a threat to them¡­


    Havi appeared as a cold and uncaring person as if he never loved Freyja.


    It was then Havi made an imperial decree and ced those restrictions on the human race.


    All that just to unify the empire by giving them amon point to hate. He had to be a cold-blooded tyrant and his decree made thousands of humans suffer a cruel fate while being ostracized and treated like animals in the Vulcan empire for the past 3 decades.


    To bide for time and reach his goals¡­ he condemned an entire race to damnation even if it meant going against everything he stood for as a ruler.


    Soon, he cut off his ties with Venessa to make everyone think that he didn''t care for her at all. To the six ns, it became evident that Havi was never going to make Venessa his sessor either.


    This was the only way he could use so they''d not see her as a threat to their ns and target her like Freyja for the time being.


    "Freja¡­ my love. I''ve failed you¡­ and I have destroyed our daughter''s life." spoke Havi as he wallowed, his appearance looking as miserable as it could be.


    Because while Venessa was enduring and struggling, giving her best effort to be the empress¡­ there was only one way Havi could protect Venessa''s life and ensure her safe future. Thus, he made a deal¡­


    A deal with the Pope.

 Chapter 605 Lonely At The Top

    Chapter 605 Lonely At The Top


    Havi finally reached the end of the story he was reminiscing by himself. To ensure his daughter''s safety and avoid a civil war¡­ he had turned into a viin in her eyes while bing a cold and ruthless ruler to the human race of the empire.


    But every step he took was done out of absolute necessity and give him enough time to cement his rule for the sake of his family and his children¡­


    Because although Venessa was a half-human, she had more of his pure bloodline as it was the dominant part of her body.


    But the small portion from her mother''s side gave her the appearance of a real human and nothing that of a halfbreed or a hybrid between two different species.


    But due to that phenomenon, the fireborne bloodline grew stronger and denser as Venessa grew.


    At this point¡­ Havi was aware that Venessa had the potential to even surpass him if she ever became an 8th stage saint in the future.


    Her being half-human was a curse to her im to the throne. But it was also the biggest blessing in her journey to strength.


    Yet¡­ Venessa''s fate even if she became the empress was limited. The bigger threat she became, the more risk of her getting killed rose before she became strong enough to defend herself.


    Although she had proved her worth till this point¡­ Venessa hadn''t really seen what horrors awaited even if she became the ruler one day.


    Because sooner orter¡­ she would have to marry one of the heirs of the fireborne ns to carry the imperial bloodline even if she became the empress.


    Marrying some prince of the other empires for the empress was already prohibited if she held that position.


    And the one to marry her would naturally have their n control the fate of the empire unofficially.


    The price was too great to pay¡­ something that broke even once a righteous and straightforward man like him to be a ruthless leader who even condemned the entire human race just to keep order and his authority intact even if he didn''t inherently hate humans.


    And finally¡­ there was only one way he could protect her from the same fate as her mother.


    The only way topletely subjugate and restrict the six fireborne ns while keeping the imperial n as the ruling power even if he went against their leaders to take his revenge. And that was¡­


    Unifying the Imperial n and the Church of Hetrax.


    Because if these two forces joined hands¡­ even the six pirs of the empire couldn''t do anything. Even the smallest kind of retaliation would be treated as treason and Havi could use it as an excuse to punish them.


    If his n and the church worked together, the two fireborne ns couldn''t do any significant damage to the empire and naturally, the other four ns would also change their stand to not get eradicated in the process.


    Thus, Havi had made an agreement with the Pope, Demiurges Val Arhlem.


    That since the chosen Hero they were going to summon after 2 decades would be a human by default like in the past, and if it was a man¡­ then they''d arrange the marriage between that Hero and Venessa.


    This deal was made when Venessa was only 10 years old. Havi had already made his moves more than 20 years ago.


    This way, she won''t get dragged into their political warfare and also help solidify the imperial n''s rule. With church fully backing them while him leading the imperial n and gaining strength in the years toe¡­


    Havi would get everything he want while also securing the future of the empire without causing millions of innocent deaths.


    As for Venessa herself¡­ she would be safe and will have time to grow in the future.


    To him¡­ he was ready to ept her hatred and would suffer her anger for the rest of his life as long as he could protect his daughter even if it meant bing the viin in her eyes.


    Because little did anyone know that Strength wasn''t always the solution to ovee all of the problems in the world.


    Sometimes¡­ one had to even sacrifice themselves for the greater good and maintain peace.


    To Havi¡­ this was the bitter truth that he hade to learn the hard way.


    To everyone, the emperor was the strongest person in the whole empire¡­ yet in reality, he was the most helpless.


    Bound by his duties and his heritage¡­ paying the price of being the emperor at the cost of his sanity and his integrity.


    While his daughter hated him¡­ his sons only coveted his position¡­ he was sacrificing his soul.


    Despite standing on the summit of the mountain¡­


    He was lonely at the top.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, there was one particr who was unaware of how many problems his involvement with Venessa had caused as he was fully engrossed with his Artificing training.


    Just two days ago, Kahn stopped other doppelgangers and put a pause on his weapons training,bat techniques training with different kinds of weapons.


    On the side, the doppelgangers also stopped studying magic and spacew. And all of the 15 copies of himself along with the original him¡­ they kept practicing and increasing his efficiency in the study of rune and magic formations.


    Just like how Calligraphy needed years of experience and perfect control over one''s body, particrly the movement of their hands¡­ Runes and Engravings also demanded profound control and understanding of this craft.


    But after the gifts from Brokkr and Eitri along with his hacks called the Doppelgangers¡­ Kahn''s mastery rose 15 times than it normally should''ve in the past one month alone.


    He managed to raise most of the skills and his knowledge as well as experience in Runes and Magic formations to SS Rank in such a short time.


    And finally¡­ just when the cksmithing Duel was only one week away¡­ he heard a notification in his mind.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a Semi-Saint Artificer!]

 Chapter 606 Leaendarv Sets

    Chapter 606 Leaendarv Sets


    Kahn now stood in Throk''s secret forge where the old dwarf worked on extremely importantmissions of weapons and armors. So far, only Kahn and his subordinates were aware of this ce.


    Kahn even spent some time here during his initial training period butter, he and ckwall were ordered to work in the production line to actually increase their crafting speed and efficiency while improving their skills since mass production of goods demanded skilled craftsmanship.


    And just 5 days after he became a semi-saint Artificer by training 16 times harder and faster for the past 1 month to meet enough requirements¡­ The saint cksmith summoned all of them together here for the 2nd time.


    Kahn and the crew looked around the forge. After Kahn was done withpletely absorbing the remaining darkness attribute and elemental aura in the body, he gave the remaining half of the body as well.


    But now, there wasn''t a single trace left of the ginormous dragon that was guarding the final barrier in Vessen fiefdom when Kahn and the group went there to acquire the tablet of Arcana.


    "As I promised¡­ they''re all done." said Throk as he yed with his grizzly white and unkempt beard and had a prideful as well as a content smirk on his face.


    Swoosh!!


    A white light suddenly shed out of nowhere and quickly in front of Kahn and the Six Generals¡­ a set of Armor and Weapons for all of them appeared respectively.


    Only Omega was the one left out here.


    And the aura¡­ even Kahn and ckwall who were now knowledgeable and on par with the majority of famous cksmiths of the empire were simply too stunned.


    Other subordinates didn''t understand how incredibly fantastic and top-notch quality work this was but both of them just couldn''t help admiring these with a look of worshipping.


    Every single one of these armor sets was made with the dragon''s body parts and all the weapons were forged using the dragon''s horns; which was the sturdiest and hardest part to process while forging.


    Even when Kahn and ckwall were frozen due to their enlightenment, Throk hadn''t stopped forging these even for a day and just like their agreement, he was finally done after 1 and a half year.


    Kahn first looked at the newly upgraded Drakos Armor.


    This Drakos Armor that was made by Albestros Winston using the Magma Drake''s body was no longer ck and Red in color but rather ck with Violet outlines.


    Kahn understood this new appearance came to be because of the guardian dragon whose body they used for reforging had only ck and violet scales, ws and horns.


    Previously, the armor was sturdy yet bulky. Like that of a Tank or a Knight. But after Throk reforged it while keeping the base and mixing it with the higher quality materials of the Lesser Dragon''s body¡­ the result waspletely out of Kahn''s expectations.


    Because now¡­ it was lightweight,pact and had no excess of design ws in any part of the armor. Forget a warrior¡­ it looked more like armor made for an Assassin from the overall look with even a hood made of dragon''s hide.


    But at the same time, Kahn could feel that it was sturdier and the defense was 3 times higherpared to the time after Drakos Armor was upgraded to Legendary Rank after Kahn himself became a Saint.


    Kahn used Mimir''s Eyes and Prometheus'' Forethought. Two of the gifts given by the cksmithing Deities aka Brokkr and Eitri.


    And after he and ckwall inspected and hidden runes that were intrinsically carved and perfectly hidden under theyers of furnishings¡­ both of them were left speechless again.


    This was a major upgrade instead of just adding some extra look and designs because these runes were the top-grade Dwarven and Elven runes mixed to form the perfect bnce.


    Both of them were now Semi-Saint Artificers¡­ so they couldn''t instantly tell how greatly these archaic runes would enhance and buff these armors during a battle.


    "Listen brats. I wanted to use the Dragon''s hide for your normal clothes too. But your normal attires are made from the Invimarak skin.


    Among all the legendary monsters¡­ Only the Invimarak doesn''t have any specific element attached to its body.


    So these are still the best for defense and agility when you lot are going about your normal lives." he said in a thoughtful tone.


    ckwall nodded in response but it was indeed the fact.


    "But whenever any of you equip these armors¡­


    The Dragon''s Aura will naturally leak and it will be noticeable. Although I made it so that no one other than you guys can use them¡­ it''s better to avoid the greedy eyes of the people.


    Anything made of a dragon''s body is considered a treasure trove even for the Imperial n.


    So I''d advise you to use them only when you''re in a pinch and not for just any casual fights you are confident in winning." he exined.


    All of them understood his worries because even they could feel this oppressing aura filled with Regality oozing out of the armors and their respective weapons.


    [And I''m sure this won''t be the end effect.] thought Kahn.


    He was certain that System would give him good news after scanning the armor and the Draconian Bloodline effect kicked in.


    Even with only 5% Draconian Bloodline purity, Drakos Armor was already better than many Epic Rank armors. And now that Kahn possessed 35% purity¡­ once the bloodline effect was applied during a fight¡­ his battle prowess was going to rise by a lot.


    Hell, he felt like even fighting a 3rd stage saint while using the new Drakos Armor would be enough to even the ying field. And that too without using the Asura Mode or Berserk God Mode.


    This was much more than what they had initially expected.


    So overall, what Throk made for Kahn is already the best of the best with the type of materials he gave him to reforge their armor sets that Albestros previously made for them in the Rakos empire. Every single one of them was now at the Legendary rank thanks to his master''s skills.


    While everyone rejoiced, there was one member of the crew who hadn''t received anything.


    "As for you,d¡­"


    Throk spoke and then looked at Omega with a grin.


    "I have made something very special."

 Chapter 607 The Complete Set

    Chapter 607 The Complete Set


    Throk nced at Omega, the only one among Kahn''s subordinates who didn''t get an armor made for himself from the guardian dragon''s body. And the main reason being Omega himself asked the old cksmith to not make him one.


    Throk however, gave him a new set of gears such as gauntlets, pants, waistband and straps for his hands that he normally wore. This was actually the spare set Albestros built for him back in Vessen and now Throk improved its quality to legendary as well.


    As for why Omega didn''t want a new armor made for him?


    Because the Moonlight Armor & Twilight Armor that he acquired after gaining the Fenrir bloodline from Skoll and Hati along with the remnant Will they both imparted to Omega¡­ there was no need for him to rely on any other armors even if they were made by using a legitimate dragon.


    The Moonlight Armor gave Omega a 4 times boost in speed and 2 times in precision/uracy while equipped. The Twilight Armor on the other side greatly enhanced his total damage output and firepower by 3 times while increasing his defense by 2 times.


    In other words, these two armors were basically tailor-made armors for him and they will keep improving their strengths and usefulness as Omega''s rank rose along with his Fenrir bloodline purity. Hence, using Draconian armor would greatly hinder his fighting capacity instead.


    But this wasn''t the end¡­


    Throk handed him the reforged Raijin, the first Katana he had that was also made by Albestros back when they all lived in capital Rathna. This Katana specialized in lightning and wind elemental attacks and after Albestros made improvements upon it using the Invimarak tusk, it was already the best of best I''m Epic Rank weapons category.


    "Invimarak tusk is still the best option that could conduct and help you use lightning and wind elemental attacks efficiently without holding you back. So I didn''t reforge Raijinpletely and only added some runes to elevate its rank to legendary rank." spoke Throk.


    Yet for some reason, Throk still had that coy smirk as he snickered.


    Woosh!!


    And the next moment, he summoned a weapon and everyone else present in this massive 3 kilometer wide forge was agape in shock.


    A pitch-ck Katana that leaked an oppressive aura while the edges on its de let out a glowing red light came to be.


    This was also a legendary rank weapon butpletely made out of the dragon''s horn.


    "This de is my own version of a Katana.


    That human cksmith made you Raijin while not even being a saint cksmith¡­ so there''s no way I would take credit for his work just because I made some improvements.


    This one however¡­ is created using the dragon''s heart." he said.


    To this statement¡­ even Kahn stood stupefied on the spot. Because he had already absorbed the dragon''s core which resided in its heart. But the rest of it had no use.


    "What kind of effect does it give?" asked Omega with excitement on his face.


    "You''re a magic swordsman, right? Try infusing fire element in it." said Throk with a grin.


    Omega nodded and grabbed the Katana which had a simr design as Raijin but lookedpletely different. One was a glimmering white de like the moon at night while the other was a ck de with the red glow of a volcano.


    SIZZLE!


    SIZZLE!


    Sizzling noises filled the grand forge halls as this new katana quickly released scalding heat and soon, the temperature of the room instantly rose by 50 degrees.


    If a normal human was present in this room, they wouldn''t be able to stand this heat at all but since all of them were saints, everyone was left unaffected.


    "Do you feel it?" asked Throk.


    Omega nodded and spoke with a tone filled with gratitude.


    "Thank you, master Oakenshield. I shall forever cherish this weapon."


    Omega bowed in respect but didn''t tell others what kind of effects this new weapon had as if this type of information should be revealed only in a serious battle.


    "Master¡­ a name." he looked at Kahn who stood at the end of the line.


    Thest time Albestros made his first katana¡­ Omega had asked Kahn to name it and now, it was called Raijin.


    Thus, this new katana also deserved a name of its own.


    Kahn walked forth and looked at the katana, the coiling veins over the glowing red edge¡­ the pitch-ck body with a sturdy yet extremely well-bnced de.


    "Full of unending and inexhaustible scorching fire¡­" spoke Kahn with a thoughtful expression as he ransacked his mind for a fitting name.


    Then, he went through his knowledge of a specific country''s cultural lore and mythologies as he tried to remember a fitting name, the same as he did when he named Raijin.


    "From now on, this new katana should be called¡­" spoke Kahn as his voice reverberated in the entire forge.


    "Kojin."


    ----------------


    Omega kept ncing at his new katana and started testing out its bnce by making attacking moves in a corner.


    With this new weapon¡­ Omega finally had two legendary rank katanas for himself.


    He had a Dual Swords Samurai legendary ss now. Although he had 4 katanas before, only Raijin was noteworthy while the rest were just normal epic rank ones.


    But with Raijin and Kojin in his hand, he would be able to invoke his DSS ss-specific effect that increased his total attack stats by twice and dexterity by one and half times.


    Finally, Omega was a proper dual sword samurai.


    "I did my best. Since I had the second horn you gave me, instead of using the ws and the skin for the weapons¡­


    Now, all the dragon''s ws and hide have been used since for armors and robes." spoke Throk as he felt a great weight lifted off from his chest.


    But Throk then smiled again as if he wasn''t done with showing off his great craftsmanship skills.


    "Now, let me show you why I am called one of the top 5 saint cksmiths."


    Throk then took out something and disyed it in front of everyone.


    At this very moment, a loud voice rang in Kahn''s head.


    Rudra, the Basilisk subordinate, loudly shouted as soon as he saw what Throk revealed¡­


    [Human, I want this weapon!]

 Chapter 608 The Weapon

    Chapter 608 The Weapon


    Kahn and everyone were stunned and dumbstruck as soon as Throk took out another weapon which even riled up Rudra who preferred to stay quiet all the time.


    Because at this moment¡­ all of them felt an insurmountable and familiar aura filled with killing intent towards all of them. This was something all of them remembered vividly because they faced and barely managed to escape alive from the owner of this grim and terrifying aura.


    If not for Kahn being a special case and a chosen Hero, none of them would''ve managed to live till this point. Because right now, the aura exuding from this new weapon that instantly put them on edge belonged to¡­


    The Guardian Dragon!


    To everyone''s reaction¡­ Throk kept smirking as if he was expecting the scene in front of him. One of the reasons why he chose to reveal this weapon at the very end.


    "Unlike the other weapons, this one took the most effort.


    I concentrated and infused the blood that I managed to extract from the dragon''s heart in this weapon. It contains a trace of its bloodline and some remnant will of the Dragon when it was alive since it was a mythical rank dragon who lived for more than 300 years.


    Hence it is more overbearingpared to the others." exined Throk with a prideful expression on his face.


    Kahn and ckwall were speechless and dumbfounded again. Because by now¡­ they already had an idea about how hard it was to directly infuse a bloodline inside a weapon.


    Not only was this technique extremely hard¡­ there was only one in a hundred chance for sess. Plus, concentrating a bloodline of a mythical rank monster was aplicated method.


    Because the amount of blood needed was too much and also filtering the purest part of the blood with the highest density was very difficult.


    Even a saint cksmith without decades of experience in this forging technique would definitely fail, much less noobs like them.


    Another sense of respect emerged in their hearts towards their master.


    Although Throk had a short temper most of the time and did things out of rage¡­ he had more than enough skills to back up his prideful manners.


    "However, because of this¡­ both dragon horns are used since you asked me to use them to make weapons for these guys.


    As for you, I could only reforge your sword and make some extra weapons that you asked me to." he said to Kahn while still gloating.


    The look on his face screamed ''praise me more, you plebeians'' type of feeling as he spoke in enthusiasm.


    Kahn nodded since he understood how hard it was to process the horn of a dragon. A lot of it would eventually get wasted in sweltering and processing like any other metal while forging a weapon.


    It wasn''t some metal that could be liquified and reused again and again for forging.


    And since the guardian dragon himself was 1 kilometer tall even when he normally sat on the two forelegs and hindlegs¡­ many parts of its body were too big.


    But even with that much quantity¡­ just the fact that Throk managed to make out all of their weapons, armors and reinforce them by formingyers of the same material again and again, then create this long weapon that carried the guardian dragon''s bloodline and the remnant will was already a feat worthy of a standing ovation.


    Their master was simply flexing on them and they could only be awed.


    [Brat¡­ that it is indeed one of the best weapons I have seen. Even my sword made with the Elder Dragon''s horn wasn''t able to carry the bloodline and its remnant will.


    This is a matter of skill and experience. This Throk Oakenshield is indeed worthy of his title as one of the top 5 cksmiths of the empire.] said Rathnaar, the Peak Saint.


    [Even many Heroes that I fought didn''t have this quality of gear. Even their legendary rank armors would pale in front of the ones ced in front of you.] he praised the work wholeheartedly.


    To Kahn, it was obvious already. Because not everyone could kill a dragon and even Ymir Whitlock, Rathnaar''s descendant from 200 years ago, who was an 8th stage saint magician could only secretly enter the Dragon Empire and only subdue a mythical rank Lesser Dragon that was only past level 300.


    Fighting a Superior or Royal Dragon would''ve caused a greatmotion. Plus he didn''t need that high-ranked dragon to use for the formation he set up in order to protect the Tablet of Arcana in Vessen.


    While Kahn dwelled and epted the fact about how lucky they were¡­


    Rudra spoke in his mind again.


    [Human, you guys can have everything else. But that weapon only belongs to me.] he said like an impatient child who desperately wanted a toy.


    [Because it can use the dragon bloodline better? Is that why you want it?] asked Kahn in return.


    [Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!


    Ignorant as always.] admonished the basilisk subordinate.


    [This is why I can''t help but look down on you idiots. None of you know how to make use of your bloodlines properly even now.] Rudra berated Kahn and everyone else through their inner mind connection.


    [Alright, you legless and wingless lizard¡­ enlighten us.] said Ceril in a retorting voice as he took that statement personally.


    [Hmph! At best¡­ you lot can harness the bloodline in a battle with great effort. But since none of you possess the Draconian bloodline like me and the human¡­ you will never be able to utilize it properly.] scoffed off Rudra and continued...


    [But since this idiot human of ours doesn''t know anything about bloodlines even now¡­ it''s given that this weapon should go to me.] he iterated.


    [Hmm¡­ What kind of logic is this? I have more draconian bloodline purity than you.] rebuked Kahn.


    [You don''t understand. Although this weapon is created using the dragon''s blood and its horn¡­ I can sense that it has the capacity to do more.


    As for why it should be me who uses this weapon¡­ it should be pretty obvious.] he said in a prideful voice and continued in an overbearing tone.


    [Because not only can I use the dragon bloodlines better than any of you¡­] he stated and dered the reason why he should be wielding this weapon.


    [But I can also infuse my Basilisk bloodline.]

 Chapter 609 The Fitting Name

    Chapter 609 The Fitting Name


    As soon as Rudra dered what he could do with the new weapon that Throk disyed in front of them¡­ everyone including Kahn gasped in shock.


    Because by that logic¡­ this weapon was not only extremely powerful already¡­ but Rudra could even make it stronger by mixing the Basilisk bloodline.


    Who were the Basilisks? In ancient history, out of all the Godbeasts¡­ only the Basilisks were strong enough to stand toe to toe against the Dragon race. Many records even said that there was a time when both species nearly went extinct because of each other.


    Although Rudra had a 50% Basilisk bloodline¡­ even he wasn''t a true Basilisk but only a Variant that Kahn created using the Synthesis divine ability.


    Yet, he had the advantage of being able to absorb and purify both these bloodlines. An oddity that never existed before.


    On top of it¡­ if he could use this weapon with Dragon''s bloodline and add Basilisk''s on top of it¡­


    It''s like the exam was of 100 marks. But Rudra would be able to score 150 marks instead. Breaking all the rules of the examination system.


    [But you''re not even in a human form yet even though you''re done absorbing the Jatvuarym''s mythical rank metamorphosis bloodline.] spoke Kahn.


    Because for some reason, Rudra still hadn''t managed to gain a human form even after he was done withpletely eating and absorbing the Jatvuarym''s body in the past year.


    To his words, the variant replied in an indignant tone.


    [I need a strong bloodline to incorporate Basilisk and Dragon bloodline together. Your human bloodline is simply too weak to help me take a humanoid form that can sustain and bnce both of them at once.


    I need a better specimen or a body to absorb.] said the bloodline expert of their crew, shifting all the me on Kahn instead for not being able to take a human form.


    [He is correct, boy. There have been hybrids of both bloodlines in the past. But in both cases, a strong bloodline capable of bearing the pressure of these two species was needed.


    A Lion may be able to breed with a Tiger. But it''s not the same case with a rabbit.] said Rathnaar.


    [Fine. I don''t know how to fight using this weapon either. I will keep it reserved for you.] said Kahn.


    All of this conversation took only 10 seconds in real-time of the world since all of them were saints and above while possessing minds that were dozens of times faster and stronger than normal people.


    "Give it a name." said Throk.


    Kahn then walked close and grabbed this weapon.


    [This is a weapon worthy of a King. Give it a fitting name, human.] Rudra chimed in again.


    Kahn gave it a thought as he looked at the long weapon in hand.


    Three ck and sharp-edged prongs, the one in the middle being the longest. All three ends had pointed ends that could easily stab and tear apart anything whether it was an armor, a weapon or a living being. And the design of these prongs was robust yet elegant at the same time.


    Just a single swing and it would be able to overpower an enemy with its momentum alone.


    The ck and violet colorbination gave it a sense of mysteriousness and also represented Destruction just at the first nce.


    The weapon Kahn held in his hand was a¡­


    Trident.


    "A weapon fitting for a king that represents regality, dominance and destruction¡­ I guess I do know a perfect name for it." said Kahn as he looked at the majestic trident that exuded the aura of the guardian dragon.


    "An."


    ----------------


    Kahn let out a sigh and inwardly¡­ he was extremely ted. Because all the trouble he went through to make the deal with Throk nearly a year and a half ago finally bore fruit, a very juicy and rewarding one at that.


    None of them even tried these weapons and armors but they were already certain how amazing they would fare in a life and death battle.


    All the time they invested in helping Throk to get out of his predicament because of the second prince, then help Oakenshieldpany get the support of the first prince as well as the third princess, having a confrontation against the hero''s party which led to the Church also getting involved. Lastly, Kahn epting this cksmithing challenge between Oakenshield and Tawerik in the Dwarven Council¡­ all of it had greatly benefitted him.


    Although he was not even worth mentioning in the same line as his master¡­ Kahn knew that he indeed had the solid foundation of a great cksmith. Just that needed more time, experimentation with different types of weapons and perfecting these different skills taught by Throk.


    He wasn''t an ignorant idiot who would think that he was already the best cksmith in the world because of his sudden rise in the cksmithing and Artificing profession.


    He had the advantage of being taught by one of the best cksmiths of the empire. And the Weapon Mastery blessing given by the War Deity helped him increase his efficiency by a hundred folds.


    On top of it, the Gifts he received from the cksmithing Deities Eitri and Brokkr yed a vital role in his skills and techniques greatly advancing in a short time.


    Nheless, although he was using all these cheat codes along with his Doppelgangers¡­ the fact also remained that Kahn too worked himself to the bone while bearing the mental pressure of 16 different consciousnesses at the same time.


    The cksmithing Duel¡­ even if he lost, it could not take away this rich experience and knowledge he painstakingly earned in the past 18 months.


    Now all he had to do was continue his training and umte real experience in the future toe and maybe one day, he would be able to surpass both Albestros and Throk in his lifetime.


    All the effort and risks they took till this point were indeed worth it. And the best part of it was that¡­


    It was just the beginning.

 Chapter 610 The Epic Feature

    Chapter 610 The Epic Feature


    While Kahn''s pleased expression was noticeable to everyone as he thought about how all the risk and efforts were worth it after getting his armors and weapons made by Throk¡­ thetter decided to speak up¡­


    "Do you think that was the end? Are you looking down on me?" asked the old dwarf with a wicked grin.


    "There''s more?" asked Omega with his eyes wide open.


    The other subordinates also had a simr expression as they were all taken aback. Throk smirked and then revealed in a prideful manner.


    "Although I couldn''t use the dragon''s blood on all the other armors and weapons since it was limited¡­ I used the ancient dwarven techniques to make them superior as well. They''re no less powerful than the trident or the katana. Also, if they''re all equipped at the same time¡­ they will grant additional powers to the users." he revealed.


    "What kind of powers?" questioned Kahn as he felt like there were bound to be even more surprises.


    "Although they''re made from a dragon''s body¡­ I noticed that the body itself didn''t have any particr elemental affinity to it." he said.


    Kahn nodded.


    Since he had already absorbed every bit of darkness element in the body and kept extracting the remaining residue while the dragon was kept inside the Dimensional Domain¡­ the body itself had no element left to it when he handed it to Throk.


    "And due to that fact¡­ I was able to make some improvements on them and add additional features." he said and then activated a red orb-like artifact and soon, all the armors and weapons emitted a faint yellow as the runes imprinted on them glowed under Throk''smand.


    Kahn and ckwall had a baffled expressions again because they knew what these articte and varying runes represented.


    "Yes. These runes you see¡­ They will allow the armors and the weapons to absorb and gain additional elemental attributes based on the user''s preferred and mostpatible element with their bodies.


    Gasp!


    Dumbstruck!


    The group couldn''t help but reveal shock collectively after this revtion. As for why they were so stunned? Because it was indeed a big deal.


    This was something even Albestros couldn''t do back in Aesir when he gifted all of them with gears made from the Invimarak''s body.


    Back then, their gears only allowed them to directly summon and unsummon them while having a very good elemental affinity. They could even change the colors of their gear based on will.


    But one thing still remained that the Invimarak monster itself didn''t have any element attached to its body. So these gears were like a neutral elemental in nature and even with the old man Albestros'' impable work¡­ there was a limited type of effects they could gain in a battle.


    Even Kahn''s old Drakos Armor had Magma and Fire leaking out of it despite both not being his element. But since the Magma Drake was a being of that nature, Albestros couldn''t help but make the armor in that fashion.


    But after Throk reforged those very armors with the guardian dragon''s body¡­ they basically had a clean te and could imbue their particr elements in their respective gears. For normal people, it didn''t matter much but for variant monsters like them¡­ it meant a lot.


    Because although they looked like humans and hybrids¡­ their elements were different.


    ckwall was a Titan with Earth element but in the future, he''d get new elements if he found and absorbed the bloodlines of other titans.


    Jugram was a higher and upgraded version of True Demon species with Chaos element. On the surface, it resembled fire but even the fire Jugram summoned was actually Hellfire. So there weren''t any suitable armors for him either.


    Ceril was an Undead Necromancer with Darkness element affinity. Even now, he had no suitable gear that catered to his element perfectly or helped him increase the attack and efficiency of spells and skills.


    The same situation was the case for Ronin who had Venom and now a Spirit element that thrived on the souls of the enemies.


    Armin still didn''t have a perfect set that matched his wood elemental and life force healing skills.


    As for Oliver¡­ other than the epic rank bow¡­ he didn''t even have a noteworthy archer set that could increase his lightning and wind elemental attacks perfectly.


    But because of these weapons Throk made for them, they would finally be able to get past this biggest setback that hindered their potential and growth in the future. Hence, all of them were caught off guard by Throk''s statement.


    A newfound sense of respect rose in their minds towards Throk because till now, only Kahn and ckwall admired him because they were his disciples.


    But now, Omega and the remainder of the Generals finally had a reason to admire the old cksmith.


    "Alright, all of you touch and inject your armors and weapons with mana, world energy and elements you''repatible with.


    The subordinates followed hismands and one by started infusing their elements, mana and world energy.


    Jugram''s berserker armor turned ck and fiery red. ckwall''s tank armor turned dark gray as of it was made from earthly metals and minerals. Ronin''s light assassin gear turned ck and yellow. Armin''s robes for healers that were mostly made from the dragon''s hide with turned green because of the wood elemental affinity.


    Oliver on the other end, had very few parts since archers needed more speed and flexibility just like the assassins and soon, his armor turned into abination of blue and golden parts.


    Ceril declined with an excuse that he''ll do itter as he wanted to study his mage robes and scepter first.


    Kahn also did the same because both of them had a Darkness element and Dark Magic affinity. This was something they couldn''t risk revealing in front of Throk.


    Omega didn''t have armor made by Throk¡­ because he didn''t need one. He was already very happy with Kojin so there was no problem from his end.


    Finally, after the armors gained their particr element, the five of the generals could feel the weapons and armors resonating with their minds. As if they weren''t external objects but part of their bodies. It was the same connection Kahn felt whenever he used Lucifer or the Drakos Armor.


    Throk smiled as he saw the gang admiring his craftsmanship that was indeed deserving of every single praise. He nced at Kahn and spoke in a joyous tone.


    "Brat¡­ every single weapon and armor here is worthy and is of a Legendary Rank. So it''s a given¡­"


    Before he finished his sentence, Kahn nodded in an understanding manner as he said¡­


    "Time to name them all."

 Chapter 611 The Nomenclature

    Chapter 611 The Nomenture


    Kahn gave a thoughtful expression as he looked at the armors and weapons kept in front of him. Soon, Throk revealed two more weapons that he specifically made for him. But this time, he didn''t dwell too much on their details as he already knew of their quality.


    Drakos Armor & Lucifer stayed the same since they were only reforged and upgraded.


    The two new weapons revealed by Throk were a Legendary rank Spear and a set of Brawler fighting gear that had Gauntlets, Shoulder pads and Greaves.


    The ck and golden spear was obviously given the name Gungnir.


    As for the Brawler gear, there were some small nailsing out of the gauntlet that was made from the dragon horn but these small nails were made from the dragon''s w.


    Kahn named this whole set that he might use in the near future as Beowolf.


    ----------------


    After he was done with his own sets and weapons, he gave a serious expression towards the gears of the subordinates and started inspecting them since most of them were now infused with the generals'' respective auras and elements.


    Jugram''s red giantsword that exuded scorching hellfire and raised the temperature of the room was named Ares.


    Ronin''s two daggers which were ck and green with yellow patterns on them were named as Erebus.


    Ceril''s scepter which resembled a particr famous god''s scepter was given the name of Anubis.


    For ckwall¡­ his gear consisted of a dark gray colored shield and battleaxe. Kahn named the shield as Aegis.


    As for the massive battleaxe that could cleave through a massive boulder in a single swing was named as Heracles.


    Armin who finally got a legendary rank Healer ss staff was inwardly excited when Kahn named his new weapon as Hermes.


    Finally, Oliver received a sense of fulfillment after Kahn bestowed his bow with the name Neith.


    ----------------


    Soon after finishing the names for the weapons of the generals, Kahn then moved next to their armors and robes that would assist them in a battle and save their lives.


    Jugram''s armor which consisted mostly of ck parts due to horns, ws and hide of the dragon and had dark red hellfire around it was given the name of Balrog set.


    Ronin''s new ck and yellow lightweight armor set that greatly emphasized design which allowed the user to make use of extreme agility and precision was named as Shinigami set.


    Ceril''s pitch ck mage robes with golden outlines, chestte and pauldrons all over it along with a hood was given the name of Hades set.


    ckwall''s dark gray set which had a very bulky and sturdy build was now named as As set.


    Armin''s green and white robes with a hood revealed the aura of life force and nature just from the first nce and now Kahn named the whole lightweight armor as Nirvana set.


    As for Oliver, the one who was undefeatable while fighting in the sky, Kahn named this armor set which already revealed strong and sharp noises of a typhoon and gusts of winds as Shu set.


    ----------------


    Now that everyone on the team finally had their special and custom-made armors and weapons, they all revealed a satisfied smile on their faces.


    As for the trident with guardian dragon''s remnant will aka An, Kahn decided to keep it inside his space ring for the future as he promised Rudra.


    To wrap things up¡­ now there remained only one thing that had to be done. And that was the¡­


    Blood-bind Ritual.


    Unlike their time with Albestros, this time¡­ Kahn and ckwall also participated since Throk had already taught them how to perform this ritual that bound a weapon and armor to a particr individual and also connected their minds to it.


    "Alrightds, now you all can rest assured that you''ll be able to summon these armors and weapons back to you even if someone stole them. It exists as long as you all live." spoke the dwarven cksmith master after they were done performing the ritual.


    Everyone instantly summoned their armors and hid them in their respective space rings at will now that their gears had formed a sort of mental connection like that of between living beings.


    The old dwarf then looked at Kahn and ckwall as he spoke¡­


    "If you ever decide to reforge them¡­ make sure that you do it only when there are body parts avable of higher ranked dragons like Superior or a Royal dragon.


    You can also use other beings and monsters but I''d rmend making a new armor set because it will be a downgrade for these sets. Dragon bloodline is ipatible with all the other bloodlines so it''s better to not ruin these perfect armors and weapons.


    Do you understand?" questioned Throk.


    "Yes, master." replied the disciples in unison.


    "Good, now let me tell you what kind of additional upgrades I added to Pendragon Formation.


    I perfected what that human cksmith couldn''t do because he wasn''t a saint rank person." said Oakenshield with a smug smile.


    Soon, he started borating his genius work and the new functions he added to the armor sets and weapons.


    A FEW MOMENTS LATER¡­


    "You''re the best cksmith of the empire!" shouted ckwall vehemently.


    "No, you''re the best cksmith in the entire world!" eximed Kahn.


    The scenario in the room hadpletely changed in just a few moments after Throk revealed the final upgrade he made.


    All of the attendees present in the forge were kneeling on the ground while their hands raised up, bowing while circling Throk as if they were worshipping a god inside a temple.


    But instead of feeling overwhelmed by this reaction, Throk was reveling in it without hiding his smug smile as an aura of pure shamelessness was oozing out of him.


    "Alright. Don''t try to tter me." he said and gazed at Kahn.


    "If you want to repay¡­ you know what to do." he said with a firm tone.


    He had held the end of the deal from his side. And now, it was time for Kahn to show the results of his training so far.


    Kahn in return gave a fearless and determined look. Because the next day was very important to him as well.


    Because tomorrow was the day of the¡­


    cksmithing Duel.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : I know we spent like 6 Chapters on the armors and weapons, their names and properties alone¡­ but this is an important setup and not just some filler chapters. You''ll know soon why I took my time and how these will impact the foundation of uing arcs and events. As for their actual appearance and stuff¡­ I will soon share their reference arts when the time is right. So you should look forward to it. Ciao!]]

 Chapter 612 Symbolic Duel

    Chapter 612 Symbolic Duel


    The next day, a grandiose scenario of celebration and festivities urred throughout the entire Vulcan empire akin to their biggest cultural event. A few hundred thousand spherical projection screens that disyed the holograms of a particr arena''s live feed to the popce had upied all the major streets and gathering spots in cities, towns and viges.


    At this moment, a grand colosseum in the capital Arkensan that was situated in Dvalin, the city which was also the main headquarters of the Dwarven Council. And the entire site that was disyed at this moment was called Thamur Colosseum.


    In the annals of history, all the major cksmithing duels in the history of the Vulcan empire were held in this very arena to pay respect to Thamur, an ancient and renowned cksmith who was the figurehead in leading the dwarven race to reform the empire after the Firebornes overthrew they old rulers and freed their species from very.


    And now, this ce where the best of the best cksmiths disyed their talent and decimated enemies with pure cksmithing knowledge and skills alone. This was the battlefield of the craftsmans.


    ----------------


    In the middle of the rounded colosseum that spanned 2 kilometers in perimeter and had over a hundred thousand spectators seated over different tforms and the arena was filled with people from different species and races. The Dwarves and Firebornes being the majority while Humans being the least in numbers.


    In the middle, were two sections made of ck hard stone by the best stonemasons of the empire. Each of these sections resembled a working ce of a renowned cksmith that had furnaces, racks to ce the equipment, various devices and machines that aided in the forging and crafting altogether. All and all, it was no different than two separate forges specifically made for the two participants.


    The lowest and closest levels in the sitting arrangement were filled with the nobles, military officials, influential business organization leaders, the top management of the six fireborne ns as well as some of the members of the imperial n.


    Additionally¡­ A separate pavilion entirely made of marble for the judges and the top figures of the Dwarven Council as well as the Church of Hetrax was situated at the end of the round arena.


    The three judges for the duel were none other than the Trinity themselves.


    Master Ivaldi, Master Druvagar and Master Fili¡­ the top 3 saint cksmiths of the Vulcan empire were appointed as the judges who would inspect and give their opinions as true experts and decide the victor of this duel.


    Above their tforms were 10 seats. 5 of them were upied by the five High Elders of the Dwarven Council from the left side while the rest 5 had the Pope, two Cardinals and two Archbishops from the right side respectively.


    These two institutes were the official organizers of the cksmithing Duel between the human and the dwarf disciples of Throk Oakenshield and Bifur Tawerik. In the beginning, it was only going to be the dwarven council but since the church also dered their support for Oakenshield, they had to be brought in as organizers.


    With their help, the duel now reached a level where the whole empire knew about it and were looking forward to it. Because for the majority of the citizens, it wasn''t just a duel between two people¡­ But the matter of pride.


    To Dwarves, cksmithing and Stonemasonry were their forte, something they were unrivaled in. The dwarf contending in this duel was representing centuries of history and pride.


    And for humans who were just liberated because of the imperial decree and finally had a fair chance to live their lives equal to the other races¡­ the human challenger was acting as the culmination of their freed spirit.


    So in many ways, this wasn''t just a normal duel between two individuals but a symbolic battle between two races as well as a matter of pride and heritage that yed a vital role in the culture of the Vulcan empire.


    And finally above the topmost part of the pavilion, was a room specifically made for the Imperial family. And the two individuals upying different luxurious chairs were none other than Hector and Venessa, the first prince and the third princess of the Vulcan empire respectively.


    Hector had an excited expression on his face. This whole arrangement with Throk after being advised by his secret helpers who contacted him during the events with Rogis, the second prince, had greatly benefitted him till this point.


    Although Venessa had a great start and overall momentum in the race for the position of the crown prince or princess¡­ a few weeks ago, she pulled out from the race for some reason and no longer wished to stake her im for the throne.


    As things stood¡­ she no longer had any support from the nobles, themanders, generals of the military and everyone who previously sided with her till now.


    Thus, Hector was assured that he would now be the Crown Prince and the future emperor as well.


    Hector nced without hiding his ted smile as heughed inwardly at Venessa because now, his decades of nning somehow resulted in Venessa giving up.


    The third princess however, had a solemn expression but there was no longer a light in her eyes as if she was a defeated woman who had given up on her life while wondering if there was any meaning to her existence.


    After learning of her fate told by the emperor¡­ Venessa had simply broken down because there simply seemed no point to all of the hard work and training she did to be the empress. Her fate was not in her hand since birth from what Havi, her father told her.


    At this same time, there was another pavilion exactly on the opposite side of the arena where a group of nobles and a few saints were seated. At the front of this group were 8 seats. These people were someone who were portrayed as the group who represented the empire''s future¡­


    The Hero''s Party.


    Axel snickered as he looked at Venessa''s lifeless expression as a wicked smile appeared on his face.


    While the whole empire was excited and expected a great match, two individuals were standing in the center of the arena.


    For someone who had been the center of attention for billions of people for years in the Rakos empire, Kahn wasn''t slightly dazed or nervous as everyone''s gaze was pointed at him.


    As a craftsman who had been mastering his skills for decades at this point¡­ Helsi was as confident and full of battle intent as one could be.


    Finally, a middle-aged fireborne announcer stood in the middle of the arena and exined the rules to the audience across the colosseum and the people throughout the empire.


    After he was done, he loudly shouted and his stoic voice resounded in the whole Vulcan empire at the same time¡­


    "Begin the cksmithing Duel!"

 Chapter 613 The First Round

    Chapter 613 The First Round


    A red-skinned fireborne with an elegant outfit that was abination of white and purple stood in the middle of the arena as both the challengers faced each other with eyes filled withpetitiveness.


    Soon, the fireborne announcer spoke in front of an indigo colored gem-like artifact that transmitted his voice to more than a hundred thousand spectators as well as the organizers.


    "To our esteemed audience and the people looking through the projection screens throughout the empire¡­ I would like to take a moment to exin the rules of the duel." he said in a calm and gentle tone.


    In the past, not a single cksmithing duel was broadcasted throughout the whole empire and only the people rted to the craft and some big names knew about the rules. So the announcer took the liberty to exin them in simple words to themon popce.


    "The duel will have 5 rounds in total.


    Each round will have a fixed time limit set by our judges. This time limit will be different for each round based on the type of object to be forged.


    At the same time¡­ both the challengers will get the same set of materials for that particr round. Both of them will have to forge that equipment or a weapon and it should have the rank already decided on. The designs will vary based on the ability of the cksmith and what shape they want to give it." he dered to the audience.


    "Since not everyone is familiar with the cksmithing craft and the grade or rank of the weapons and armors¡­ let me enlighten you all." he iterated with a benign smile.


    "Following are the ranks based on quality and their overall performance. Each one is better than the former.


    Normal, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Ancient and Divine.


    Thest three being the hardest to forge and even in our empire, there is only one Ancient Rank weapon." exined the announcer.


    In reality, Axel had a Divine Weapon but this wasn''t information people were supposed to know about Heroes no matter which empire it was.


    To many, this was also the first time they heard about it because not everyone in the world was a warrior or could use mana and had invoked a fighting ss.


    Even the majority of the soldiers in any empire''s army only had military training while those who could use the mana were treated differently as long as they were at least an Intermediate Rank in their respective profession.


    Thus, this information was obscure and irrelevant to 95% of the poption.


    "In the end, the winner of that round will be decided on the quality of the finished weapon or armor.


    The one who wins 3 out of 5 rounds will win the duel." he announced.


    "In the first round, both the challengers have to forge a Silver rank shield. And the time limit is 2 hours." he revealed to the audience and came in between Kahn and Helsi


    He raised a white handkerchief in his right hand and instantly threw it on the floor as he loudly shouted¡­


    "Begin the cksmithing Duel!"


    ----------------


    Rumblings noises filled the entire colosseum as people screamed in excitement. Meanwhile, Kahn and Helsi looked at each other, uncaring towards the ear deafening cheers.


    "Give it your best. I don''t want to win by default just because you''re ipetent." said Helsi with a look of disdain.


    He trained for more than 3 decades at this point and now¡­ he was forced to challenge a human who wasn''t even worthy to be an apprentice in Throk''spany... All because of the bet made by two saint cksmiths.


    For Helsi, it was like a tiger forced to face a small chicken. Everyone knew who was the stronger among the two. And there was no glory in winning such a fight.


    That''s why he urged Kahn to at least make some effort before losing miserably.


    Kahn, who was now wearing a white cotton shirt with his forearms exposed and brown leather pants, had his arms folded.


    "What a coincidence¡­" said Kahn with a smile and continued in a hushed voice.


    "I was about to say the same to you."


    Shock!


    Helsi was surprised to hear these words from Kahn. An ant was telling a giant to be careful of him. What a joke!


    But instead of responding, Helsi scoffed scornfully and headed towards his side of the arena as he quickly started forging while Kahn walked towards his end.


    The metal provided for this round was Abysmithium. A metal that had high ductile properties and could also absorb the shock of higher momentum and power.


    This metal was very popr because if a skilled cksmith made a shield out of it¡­ it could be a lifesaving piece of gear in an all-out war or in a dungeon raid for Tanks and Knights.


    Both sides quickly started their forges and took out the tools. The first procedure was melting the metal and casting a thick sheet that they would use to make the design outlines which would decide the final shape of the shield.


    While they started their procedures, the audience went into chattering mode like a default setting. .


    "Who do you think will win? Maayhh!!" asked a white goatkin to a purple orc sitting beside him.


    "Isn''t it obvious? The dwarf for certain.


    I heard rumors that this human named Kahn hadn''t even held a hammer in his life before the duel was agreed upon." he said in a carefree tone.


    "Yeah, I heard the same. Maayyhhh!


    I wish there was some sort of better system like those warrior battle arenas. I would''ve made some good harlen. Mmaayyhh!!" said the goatkin with two red horns as he bleated.


    "As if! The money would depend upon how many people bet on the other side. In this case¡­" spoke the orc and snickered¡­


    "Everyone would''ve bet on the same guy. Ha ha!" heughed.


    "Damn it! Ha ha! You''re right. Mmaayyhhh!!"


    Simr scenarios urred where people started discussing things and expressed their opinions about the duel.


    Soon, dozens of new remarksnded on Kahn''s ears. His expression turned ugly and full of rage while he was smelting the materials.


    The pettyments from spectators didn''t bother him in the slightest but rather a different matter. He looked at the metal ingots being melted in the furnace as he cursed inwardly¡­


    [These motherfuckers gave me low-quality materials!]

 Chapter 614 Probing Situation

    Chapter 614 Probing Situation


    Kahn sneered inwardly in contempt as he looked at over a hundred abysmithium cores that sized that of a grown man''s fist. At this moment, he was barely controlling his anger and tried to maintain his calm. Because this act of messing with the forging materials wasn''t as easy as it seemed.


    If Kahn chose to retaliate¡­ there would be too many questions raised regarding the duel but as an effect, he won''t be able to pinpoint the main culprit either.


    Someone wanted him to lose even if everyone was under the impression that he''d lose regardless because he was a duck facing a crocodile inside a pond. And the only merit he had in this fight was that he could choose to fly away in order to flee. Which would eventually dere his loss.


    But still¡­ It was a better choice to probe the situation first than making a scene and tantly point fingers at people when he didn''t even know who was the real guilty party that orchestrated this ploy.


    Also, if he said the duel was rigged from the get-go, many people would use that against him, saying that he was just making an excuse to justify his ipetence as a cksmith.


    The only proof he had was the ores he received but if he said it was intentional, the responsibility could be easily shirked away by saying that it happened by mistake or some other bullshit excuse.


    Kahn couldn''t even use his subordinates to find out the truth because every single one of them was hiding inside his shadow at the moment just to be safe.


    Because the highest authorities of the church, including the Pope himself were present among the audience along with over a dozen or so people who were above 5th stage saint rank.


    His situation now was different from when he participated in the emperor''s chosenpetition where all the eyes were focused on different participants and no one was looking for monster auras.


    Back in Rakos, nobody cared who was among the audience and there were no people from the church who excelled in detecting anomalies like his subordinates among the crowd.


    Naturally, the Pope, Cardinals and Archbishops would be able to detect the auras and nature of his subordinates if his gang was exposed and sat in the open. Thus, he had already prepared beforehand and everyone was doing their best to perfectly mask their aura in Kahn''s shadow.


    Nevertheless, Kahn understood that making any sort of move at this point would turn futile given the circumstances. Hence, probing the situation first seemed like the smart thing to do.


    So regardless of the oue¡­ Kahn decided to y along in this first round.


    ----------------


    Soon, Kahn decided to carry on with the forging and first, he put all the ores in a big crucible andter put it in a big furnace to start heating the metal ores.


    He patiently waited till the ores started melting and all the g started umting above the hot liquid with time.


    "Tch! Look at the galls of that human. Acting as if he knows how to make a shield.


    Since when can humans evene close to standing in the same room as skilled dwarven cksmiths in our empire?" said a dwarf on the 5thyer of the audience seats.


    Many who heard it nodded in agreement because they too shared the same opinion. To them, Kahn was only putting on some airs to not look like he didn''t know a single thing.


    "He''s just putting on a facade. Just ept your loss and spare us the most obvious result!" shouted a gray tigerkin among the crowd.


    These words were loud and thousands of people could hear them, but how could a true cksmith just get wavered from simple provocative attempts? So Kahn only focused on the job at hand, his mind and body not responding to these petty nders.


    Once the metal was liquified properly, Kahn used a 4x5 cast and poured the molten liquid. He then used a machine that used mana ores to start crystallizing the abysmithium metal. A crucial step while dealing with this metal because the longer it took to cool down, the weaker it will be.


    In the following minutes, he started framing and marking the design of the shield and then cut apart the metallic sheet that was 5 centimeters in thickness, very big and heavy based on earth standards. But in Vantrea, it was very easy to lift by anyone who was a Beginner Rank individual.


    After the shape was cut, he started hammering it down to create a bulge at the center which he wouldter use to expand into a hyperbole shape that was good to face enemies in a battle.


    Afterward, Kahn used a grinding tool simr to ones on earth and smoothened the edges which would give it a decent look. Later, he started hammering to perfect the remaining edges and reformed the entire shield matching that of a Knight. Compared to Tanks, their shields were medium-sized and could be used by anyone as long as they had the strength.


    Kahn then started finishing as he refurbished the whole shield and added handles in the back to properly hold it while bearing the brunt of a spell or a physical attack.


    And finally¡­ the part that would ensure the quality of the end product¡­ The Runes.


    He took out a glowing yellow Chisel. This wasn''t a normal chisel tool but Artificing equipment that was the equivalent of runebrushes in the Vulcan empire. But these runes won''t be painted like how he practiced during his training when he was performing something akin to Calligraphy.


    Rather, the cksmith had to engrave the rune markings on the shield using the chisel while infusing a bit of their mana into each of their strikes.


    Like how an artisan would perform their work, Kahn engraved the runes effortlessly, Kahn wentyer byyer without messing up and finally finished thest job as an artificer as he drew basic level runes but was very efficient.


    The end product was supposed to be a silver rank shield so there was no need to expose his skills too early in the game.


    Two hours passed and finally, both sides presented their finished works and the three judges walked towards their presentations.


    Kahn didn''t know how much time it would take on earth to make these kinds of shields but here, only 2 hours were more than enough.


    He and Helsi stood proudly as they ced their shields on a wide marble table in front of the judges. Their eyes filled with confidence as both the challengers did their best. And finally, it was the time¡­


    To decide the victor of this round.

 Chapter 615 First Round Result

    Chapter 615 First Round Result


    Both Helsi and Kahn ced their respective shields on the big white marble table in front of three saint cksmith judges. The opponent''s shield had green and beige patterns here and there while the center had a head and horns of a ram. The shield made by Kahn on the other side had ck and silver coloring with the shape of a demonic head in the center simr to a yokai.


    Although both the shields were only of Silver rank¡­ they emitted a faint glow because of the attributes added to them via the runes by their respective makers. Helsi''s shield gave off a faint blue aura while Kahn''s glimmered with a yellowish green aura.


    "The Judges will check the quality of the finished shields by themselves now. We will hear about their expert opinions soon."mented the announcer of the duel.


    In the following moments, Master Ivaldi dressed in red attire, Druvagar in blue and Fili in yellow started with Helsi''s shield first.


    Back in the day when Throk and Kahn visited the Dwarven Council where the High Elders tried to intervene in the matters of the two cksmiths, these three saint cksmiths also appeared that day.


    Master Ivaldi, the number one cksmith of the Vulcan empire and Throk as well as Bifur''s former mentor sided with Kahn''s master during that skirmish.


    Master Druvagar, the number two cksmith took Tawerik''s side. Kahn had an impression of this dwarf as someone who greatly hated humans and opposed Throk taking in a human disciple.


    Master Fili on the other hand had chosen to take a neutral. He wasn''t associated or familiar with any of the parties involved and he already dered his intentions to not pick a side back then.


    And now these three top cksmiths were going to judge the quality of their shields and decide the winner of the first round.


    ----------------


    Master Ivaldi, the long white-haired bearded dwarf took a Punch and banged it against the shield made by Helsi.


    Tanggg!!


    The loud noise resounded in the arena and the empire through the screens. He nodded in approval after inferring the built.


    Master Druvagar used his world energy to lift the shield high in the air and in the following moments, 3 orbs containing three different elements such as fire, wind and lightning came to be. Their size was very small but the power concealed in these orbs could be felt by everyone.


    BOOM!!


    Right in front of the audience, he bombarded the shield with all three orbs at the same time.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Smoke from the point of impact subsided and he out down the shield back to its ce.


    All three masters nodded in approval after seeing that the shield was unscathed and had no cracks over it.


    Master Fili finally took his turn and started studying the engraved runes and using his own saint pressure, he tested the shield''s capacity to absorb the damage and how the rune helped it sessfully alleviate it based on the type of rune.


    The three masters did not give any type of statement or remarks, only giving each other an understanding nod.


    And without waiting for another minute, they moved towards Kahn''s shield.


    One by one, they repeated the same actions and started discussing among themselves using an artifact.


    While their solemn expressions on the screens throughout the Vulcan empire piqued everyone''s curiosity and attention¡­ the three masters finally came to a collective conclusion.


    The announcer walked close to the masters and held the mic close to their mouths since it was the moment of truth.


    "Both are equally durable and can easily withstand a lot of damage." spoke master Ivaldi.


    Gasp!


    Millions of gasps were heard regardless of the location within the empire. This reaction came because nobody expected Kahn to be in the same league as Helsi. Just the fact that both shields were equally matched in durability meant that the challengers also were equal to each other in terms of crafting skills.


    "The built, as well as the ability to maintain its shape and structure despite the bombardment of three different elements speaks for itself.


    In my eyes, both the shields made by the challengers are top-notch work among the Silver rank shields." spoke Druvagar like a true professional.


    He gazed at Kahn with an indignant expression that expressed his acknowledgment toward Kahn''s shield even if he abhorred him because of thetter being a human.


    And finally, Master Vili stated his opinion.


    "I have inspected the runes on both the shields so I will make a thoroughparison." said the old dwarf in yellow attire.


    Soon, he started pointing out ws in both shields without holding back.


    Like how the size handling is catered to only heavy and strong build people and not universal use for Helsi''s shield.


    As for the one made by Kahn¡­ it was very handy despite the shape in that manner but also prone to getting bludgeoned. Not too sturdypared to Helsi''s shield.


    "Quality is equally matched in many aspects but then it alles to runes." said Ivaldi with a somber expression.


    The first shield by challenger Helsi is made for sustaining great damage but not only it can absorb it while facing attacks in a frontal sh but also would expel it on the enemies after a specific interval.


    This shield is extremely good for an offensive approach in a battle." said Druvagar with a stern expression.


    Then atst, Fili decided to give his expert opinion on Kahn''s shield.


    "This shield is lighterpared to the first one and also, the maneuverability is more flexible and also can be used by anyone regardless of their position in a battle formation.


    The runes engraved on it will help increase defense by absorbing damage with time.


    This is a fine shield specially made for a battle of attrition. Even a Tank can benefit from using it." spoke the number 3 saint cksmith as he gave his honest analysis.


    "Both shields are good but in a battle, the one made by challenger Kahn iscking only in total defensive capacity for this weapon after taking everything into ount.


    While it can umte and improve its defense over time¡­ it''s not ideal to face a sudden and unprepared onught." said Ivaldi.


    "In the end, although the quality is equally matched for both the shields¡­" spoke Druvagar.


    "It depends on the response time and the position of the user in a battle formation. So if we were to personally choose the most preferred one¡­ I think we have amon consensus." said Fili and all three saint cksmiths dered the result.


    "The winner of the first round is¡­" they took a moment of pause and their loud voice reverberated throughout the entire Vulcan empire at the same time.


    "Challenger Helsi!"

 Chapter 616 The Decision

    Chapter 616 The Decision


    A loud cheer echoed in the Thamur colosseum as soon as the judges dered the winner of the first round. Billions of people varying from different races had victorious expressions on their faces as if this was their own win.


    What caused this great reaction? It was obviously due to their lingering hatred towards the humans of the empire. Helsi may be a dwarf but the majority still abhorred humans and thus, his victory represented their notions of being superior to this species.


    The humans of the Vulcan empire however felt an invisible sense of pressure as the majority of the popce cheered andughed. There were many scornful gazes towards humans among the audience whether it was the colosseum or any city in the empire.


    ''Humans should know their ce.''


    This was the type of contemptuous look they received from everyone else even though no one openly spoke those words because of the fear of going against the imperial decree in public.


    As for the winner of the round¡­ Helsi raised both his hands, making a victorious pose as he strolled around the arena with an ted expression. The loud cheers and words full of praise became music to his ears as he reveled in his victory.


    Not just him but his new master, Bifur Tawerik was loudly apuding his disciple as so were the people from hispany.


    The members of High Elders from the dwarven council as well as the six fireborne ns also shared the same enthusiasm and did not hold back while uttering flowery words.


    Kahn, the loser of the first round had a solemn expression as if he wasn''t slightly surprised or bothered by his loss at all.


    However, Throk and other skilled dwarven cksmiths, including the 3 judges of the duel had a somber expression on their faces at the same time.


    Although Helsi won, it was because of certain conditions the judges stated based on the usability of the shield he made. His shield won because it was preferable in a battle as the judges concluded.


    But this did not null the fact that Kahn was already on the same level as Helsi. And he was someone who only started training in cksmithing Craft one and half years ago.


    At best, he should''ve made a decent shield thatckedpared to one made by Helsi in many aspects. But the fact that the three judges couldn''t find any major w despite his inexperience also symbolized that Kahn possessed a tremendous talent as well.


    To normal people, a win was a win¡­ but to the experts of the trade, they saw too many possibilities instead of just a win-loss situation.


    [That kid isn''t simple. Even I''m amazed by his growth.] said master Druvagar as he conversed with the other saint cksmith judges.


    Druvagar hated humans¡­ but when it came to cksmithing; he had his own honor and respect for his craft. Thus he did not shy away from admitting Kahn''s talent.


    [Indeed. And I didn''t see any signs of cheating either. For someone under the age of 30 years and exceeding our expectations by this much even though he barely trained for a year and half¡­


    This human is indeed not someone who should be looked down upon.] spoke master Ivaldi.


    [To reach this level in such a short time¡­ How great was his talent?


    Even though I''m not familiar with Throk Oakenshield, I must say he found a diamond in the rough.] praised master Fili without restraint.


    Hundreds of dwarven cksmiths also shared the same opinion as they discussed among themselves. They had their pride as members of the dwarven race so they were happy for Helsi.


    But they were also loyal to their craft. And would never shy away from giving credit where it was due.


    At this moment, Kahn did not show any expression on his face which caused Helsi to stop celebrating. To him, it felt like Kahn was already aware of losing.


    The opposite challenger however, was inwardly happy that despite the bad materials, he could make a good shield that was on par with Helsi''s who had more than 3 decades of experience.


    And all of it happened because of his doppelgangers which greatly raised his experience. And in the past 1 month, all 15 of them were at work instead of just 5. So his shield being on the same level as one made by Helsi meant that all that hard effort during his tireless training wasn''t in vain.


    And Kahn was able to bridge the gap between himself and his opponent by a huge margin.


    But the result also raised some suspicions in his mind.


    Mainly because of the reason the judges gave to dere Helsi as the victor. Obviously, the situations to use both shields were different.


    Helsi made a shield for Tanks while Kahn made for Knights. So of course itcked defensepared to the one made by the former.


    And Knights don''t directly face and defend against the enemies. They''re the 2nd line of defense who protect the middle part such as healers and mages and fight alongside the swordsman or other melee ss during a battle.


    It was made for a war of attrition. Helsi''s was made for quickly ending battle while his shield would increase defense over time in a long war.


    But the judges still chose Helsi as the winner. And because of this¡­ Aplicated feeling arose in Kahn''s heart.


    [Were the judges also part of this ploy?] wondered Kahn.


    Still, he couldn''t reach a conclusion because of two reasons. One, because although the decision didn''t go in his favor, their reasoning was also sound.


    Two, Ivaldi supported Throk while Druvagar supported Tawerik. But master Fili was neutral. And during the evaluation, none of them spoke ill of his shield either.


    The first round Kahn fought didn''t give him any desirable evidence or hints to find the real truth about who the real culprit was.


    ----------------


    Finally, after one hour break, the 2nd round officially started but soon, Kahn''s face turned constricted.


    [Again? These guys are too unscrupulous!]


    Because for this round too, the materials were of trash quality. It felt like the culprits weren''t even trying to hide it.


    [Since they''re being too shameless. Looks like I too need to use the same method as well.] spoke Kahn as he firmed his resolution.


    From the results of the first round, Kahn knew that he was already a capable cksmith on his own.


    Since the ying field was already rigged and Kahn was no saint either who would simply take it down when someone was punching him in the face... So it was time for him to y this biggest card as well.


    At this moment, Kahn decided to do what he was best at. And that was¡­


    Cheating!

 Chapter 617 Defying Expectations

    Chapter 617 Defying Expectations


    While the spectators who were vocally and vehemently expressed their support for Helsi didn''t stop¡­ Meanwhile Kahn, the loser of the first round had a tranquil expression as a devious n hatched in his mind on the spot after receiving another set of trash materials for the 2nd round.


    Now that everything was evident about the intentions of the organizers, Kahn also didn''t mind discarding his ethical values as a cksmith in thispetition. Since they didn''t n to y fair and square¡­ he had no reason to follow his moral code either.


    Kahn then looked to the left, his gazending at Throk sitting in a pavilion among the other high valued audience group. He gave a look at his master and nodded.


    Sigh!


    Throk let out a sigh and understood what Kahn''s gaze meant. And in return, he raised two fingers. This was a code between him and his disciple.


    Before the cksmithing duel started, there was a sort of agreement between them. That Kahn wouldn''t go all out from the start.


    As for the factors of him receiving trash materials or some sort of disadvantage, Throk already predicted that something like this might happen. And once it did¡­ he would allow Kahn to use his real skills without holding back.


    At this moment, Kahn understood the signal and quickly started forging. While everyone was under the impression that he would fail again¡­ without anyone noticing, Kahn finally decided to use his 3 gifts given by the cksmithing Deities aka Eitri and Brokkr.


    He used cksmith''s Intent and Prometheus'' Forethought, two of the three gifts.


    The former was a passive ability that allowed him to figure out characteristics of the metal or material and decide the most optimal temperature to use the said material in order to refine and forge a weapon out of it.


    Thetter was an active skill that allowed Kahn to focus and predict the quality of the end product. It was more of a guide that would help him decide on the final oue of weapon or armor by carefully showing Kahn the possible oue of his forging techniques.


    There was another gift called Mimir''s Eyes that could help him appraise any material''s quality, grade and purity, a crucial part that would decide the rank of the product. But currently, he didn''t need one as this was just a basic level forging.


    The weapon for this round was a Halberd and the metal was turquoise jadeite. This metal was mostly used to make ice elemental weapons and armors. As for the rank of the weapon, the judges decided to go for Gold Rank.


    Kahn had already mastered using the three gifts during his training so this wasn''t his first rodeo either. Without anyone knowing, the iris in his ck eyes turned faint golden but it was well hidden due to red and yellowish glistening lighting out of the furnace. Thus, not a single soul including the saint cksmiths noticed this change in his eyes.


    One by one, Kahn went through the process of melting, casting, sweltering, tempering, elongating and finishing. These were the necessary steps in forging a halberd while creating three different pieces.


    He joined them allter by performing welding and finally, he refurbished them and started with the rune encrypting process.


    As the pole, he used a bone of a monster that was sturdy, lightweight and 2 meters long. Any trained halberd user would prefer it over some random wooden pole to support the des of the halberd.


    4 hours passed in a blink of an eye. And finally, the judges decided to assess the finished weapons in front of the eyes of the audience.


    Just like before, they inspected Helsi''s halberd first, decides its quality and tested its damage output by pitting it against a wooden block.


    Crack!!


    The entire wooden block was shed in two with a single swing while traces of ice shards appeared on the area that was separated after receiving the attack.


    Afterwards, Kahn''s turn came and the judges did the simr test.


    This time, it was Druvagar who used Kahn''s weapon inbat by moving it in the air via his saint aura alone.


    BANG!!


    A loud noise resounded in the colosseum as not only the audience but even the judges had their eyes wide open.


    Because unlike Helsi, the halberd forged by Kahn not only cut apart the wooden block but also froze it entirely to the point it crumbled in seconds.


    Thousands of splinters fell on the ground like broken ss shards after the swing was made.


    "What kind of rune did he use?" questioned master Fili and quickly infused his saint aura in the halberd.


    A well-polished golden rune was perfectly inscribed over the ttened de of the halberd that glowed golden. To normal onlookers, it appeared as a single rune but to true experts like the Trinity¡­ they found the real cause in just 10 seconds.


    [Hehe! Looks like they noticed. Let''s see which side they pick now.]


    At the present moment, all three judges quickly noticed that there were a total of 4 different runes interwoven perfectly on the de without hindering each other in the slightest. And their collective powerpletely exceeded the expectations of the judges.


    The judges tried their best to hide their surprise and looked at Kahn with eyes full of amazement. Because what this human cksmith just achieved now was something only an experienced individual of their profession could do.


    The Trinity conversed between themselves telepathically and reached amon consensus.


    "The winner of this round is¡­" spoke master Fili and his sentence waspleted by master Ivaldi as they dered the result in front of the whole Vulcan empire.


    "Challenger Kahn!"


    Instantly, the audience went silent as they gasped in surprise. Whether it was the colosseum or people watching from different corners of the empire.


    But before their shock and bewilderment subsided, the judges quickly chose to reveal the reason.


    "The materials provided for this round should''ve allowed both challengers to create a gold rank weapon.


    But the one created by challenger Kahn is of¡­" said master Druvagar and rose the halberd in the air using his aura as he revealed why they dered Kahn as the winner¡­


    "Rare Rank Halberd!"


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author''s Note : Apologies to my readers. Health issues have resurfaced again and I need proper rest. At best, I will be able to provide 1 chapter daily. But I will make it up with a mass release next month. Creating a stockpile is already a big challenge in my current condition.]]

 Chapter 618 Top to Bottom

    Chapter 618 Top to Bottom


    Everyone watching the cksmithing duel throughout the vulcan empire was too perplexed to even react to this new information quickly. First, it was Kahn winning the second round, the one no one thought about happening. Secondly, his forged weapon being of higher rank than the expected one.


    These two surprises hit them in session and billions of people were left bbergasted on the spot. This progression was something not even the judges of the duel expected to see.


    "Impossible! How can that be? The materials were clearly suited only for a gold rank weapon! He must have cheated?!" shouted Tawerik who sat on the right side of Kahn.


    Even in the pavilion of the imperial n, Hector and Venessa were also left speechless. Even though they had no grasp of the cksmithing craft, they knew how hard it was to make quality weapons with limited grades of materials.


    While everyone was unable to ept this fact, Kahn gave amand to his subordinates hidden in his shadow.


    [Note down everyone''s reaction and give me reports from now on. This round was to gather enough attention and see all of their reactions.] he ordered.


    [Yes, master.] all of them replied collectively.


    "Hmph! Do you think we are fools?


    He has no space ring or an artifact on him.


    How could he have cheated? And all of us were keenly watching both the challengers. If he cheated, then a majority of us would''ve noticed a long time ago." rebuked master Druvagar, clearly feeling offended after the decision of the judges was questioned.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    The next second, master Ivaldi walked forth, gazing around the quiet colosseum as he revealed his wisdom to those who couldn''t decipher how Kahn''s halberd turned out superior.


    "The secret lies not in the materials but the Runes." he spoke in a gentle tone.


    "Challenger Helsi could make only two runic inscriptions on the limited space on the halberd while challenger Kahn made four." he calmly revealed this information.


    Gasp!


    Even someone with two brain cells could piece information together after this revtion. They could easily guess why Kahn won this round.


    But among the experts including the dwarven cksmiths, another wave of discussions rose instantly. At the same time, Tawerik also shut up and Helsi had his eyes wide open.


    He was a semi-saint cksmith himself. He too could make 4 runes on the halberd. But the issue wasn''t the number of runes but how Kahn managed to bnce their effects.


    Weapons and Runes were different identities in the end. One used Runes to add additional effects to a weapon such as an element, some type of attack buff or a boost that helped the user to perform desirable moves and techniques.


    In terms of crafting¡­ the difference between the quality of the weapon and grade of the runes differed greatly.


    Each rune was like an infinity stone. Not everyone could wield it. Thus, the more stones added to a weapon aka the wielder in this case¡­ the greater the burden on them will be. This pressure was enough to explode the user itself. A gold-grade material would not be able to sustain a rare rank rune ording to this logic. One had to be either Hulk or Thanos to wield them all at once.


    But what Kahn did was he used 4 of such infinity stones and gave them to a normal human. And somehow, he managed to achieve synergy without obliterating that user itself.


    This level of mastery only meant one thing to all the experts. That Kahn was at least a semi-saint cksmith. A very experienced one in using Runes at that.


    At this moment, some of the top-level Elven artificers of the Vulcan empire who were seated in pavilions of VIP guests also gave an incredulous look at Kahn,pletely out of their wits.


    Because if he could achieve that level of skilled rune casting on a weapon of lower grade which resulted in rising one rank above in terms of quality¡­ It meant only one thing.


    That Kahn was already a Semi-Saint Artificer!


    [This human¡­ Where the hell did Oakenshield find this monster?!] thought the head of the Elven Artificing Association of the empire.


    Many people tried to question the quality of the weapon, still unable to ept the fact that Kahn won. But as soon as the Trinity revealed their angered saint pressures, all of the displeased voices stopped.


    Going against the decision of the top 3 saint cksmiths¡­ even the Dwarven Council will have to choose their words carefully lest they end up offending these three mighty figures.


    Thus, the second round concluded and after an hour break, the third round began.


    ----------------


    Soon, the sound of ngings against metal reverberated in the surroundings as the spectators could feel small vibrations from each of the hits made by the challengers when they hammered down the weapons being forged.


    This time, the expected weapon was a Rare Rank war Scythe. The materials given to Kahn this time were also trash quality again but he showed no qualms or even a surprised expression as if he didn''t even care at this point.


    But inwardly¡­ he wasughing like a maniac.


    [Good, good, good. You idiots are walking into my trap just like I expected.] he thought.


    4 hourster, both sides were finished with their weapons¡­


    Many people in the audience had indignant and anxious expressions just like that of Tawerik and his people.


    The judges didn''t beat around the bush and followed the same order of inspecting and personally testing the weapons.


    Just from the glimmering aura alone, Kahn''s scythe seemed superior to the one made by Helsi. And during the testing, the scythe made by thetter exuded a sharp and deathly aura as it instantly shed apart an iron pole like a hot knife through butter.


    And there wasn''t a single bulge or scratch on the edge of the de. This was enough to assess how well made this scythe was.


    Finally, the judges tested the scythe made by Kahn, the one they had even more expectations from after Kahn revealed his talent in Artificing.


    But in the following moments¡­ even the three judged had their jaws dropped on the ground as soon as they tested the scythe against the iron pole.


    Forget cutting through the pole¡­ as soon as they made the strike and the scythe touched the target¡­


    It shattered into small pieces!

 Chapter 619 The Trick

    Chapter 619 The Trick


    The atmosphere of the whole empire turned silent. Whether it was Kahn, the judges, the people present in Thamur Colosseum or numerous ces across the empire¡­ all of them were rooted on the spot as soon as the scythe made by Kahn shattered into small pieces.


    "No!!" bellowed Kahn in disbelief as he ran close to the testing area and tried to run his hands over the shattered pieces of the scythe''s de.


    Even Throk was taken aback because he had no idea why things took this turn so suddenly.


    "Hah! Can''t even make a sturdy weapon and wants topete against a dwarven cksmith." one of the spectators spoke loudly, mocking Kahn openly.


    "What a joke¡­ his weapon broke apart as soon as it touched the target¡­ putting shame to all the cksmiths of our empire." said a dwarven noble.


    "What a shame¡­ and here I thought he had some skills." chimed in one of the leaders of the fireborne ns.


    "He must have overexerted the de with higher grade runes to raise the rank of the weapon just like before.


    But this time, his attemptpletely failed.


    Sometimes being over ambitious can ruin you." said an elven artificer in one of the pavilions. His voice resounding in the whole colosseum, thus reaching the ears of all the people of the empire through the live broadcast.


    This exnation from an expert was more logical and eptable to everyone and thus, all of them instantly believed it to be the cause.


    Soon, a barrage of mockery and words expressing disdainnded on Kahn''s ears. And he did not even hide his anger towards this tant verbal bullying either.


    The three judges, on the other hand, were questioning themselves.


    [What is this? Did he lose this round on purpose?


    Even if he messed up a few steps, the weapon shouldn''t have shattered like a y pot.] asked Fili to the other saint cksmiths.


    [With his talent, his weapon should be on part with Helsi in this round as well. So why did he mess up?] questioned Druvagar.


    They were experts, even better than Throk and Tawerik in this field¡­ so they naturally had their suspicions. This notion was shared by many others among the cksmithingmunity because Kahn went from 100 to 10 real quick.


    "The winner of this round is challenger Helsi." deres master Ivaldi, the number one cksmith of the Vulcan empire.


    Helsi won the 3rd by default. However, his face had no sense of joy or aplishment. He felt like this victory wasn''t achieved with his own skills.


    Among the audience, Tawerik was fully berating Kahn and Throk and so were his people for this uneptable disy.


    Even many Humans across the Vulcan empire were cursing Kahn loudly. Saying that he''s a shame to the entire human race.


    Throk on the other end kept his mouth shut.


    Because given Kahn''s skills¡­ He couldn''t mess anything up even if he was just woken up from sleep.


    Means there was a reason why he chose to lose this round. Something that he didn''t know. But given how crafty his disciple was when it came to nning and putting machinations¡­ he chose to stay silent and endure the trash talking from Tawerik and others.


    This surprised Helsi who was stunned on his side of the arena. Because knowing his former master, the old dwarf would''ve already burst out in rage and cursed everyone''s mothers already. But for some reason, he was quiet.


    Normal people couldn''t guess anything at this moment but experts like the judges and many renowned cksmiths were aware that something was wrong in this situation.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, while Kahn showed a dejected face in front of the whole empire while bearing mocking words and berating from billions of people from their respective ces¡­ inwardly, he wasughing.


    [How many?] he asked his subordinates.


    [12 people.] reported his subordinates.


    [I see. Helsi and the judges also don''t know anything. Means it they aren''t part of it.


    Alright then, we will find everything in the next round.] he replied and carried on with their next forging round.


    In reality, he used Mineral Transmutation skill to ruin his own scythe. This was a skill he received from the Mountain Titan in Vessen during their hunting spree.


    This skill had two main uses. One was to transmute different metals and minerals while at the same time, it could also break them during that process in order to level up theirposition.


    Kahn first created the scythe to the best of his abilities. But while imprinting the runes using the chisel, he used mineral transmutation skill to break the strength of the body from the inside.


    This way, no one suspected that he was doing the job half-heartedly and couldn''t see how the weapon got damaged either¡­


    And right when the judges used it during the testing, it shattered like a thinyer of hollow ss and instantly shattered into small pieces.


    All of this¡­ was part of the n.


    For the fourth round, the weapon to be forged was a greatsword and the crafting materials were Mythril and Adamantite. These two metals were extremelyplementary to each other and thus, the grade expected for the weapon was Epic Rank at best.


    But making an Epic Rank weapon wasn''t something that could be done easily. Normally, it took days and an entire team of experienced people to make them.


    Since they werepeting individually, Helsi and Kahn had to do everything by themselves and now that both of them were revealed to be at least Semi-Saint cksmiths themselves¡­


    The judges gave them only 10 hours.


    This was a long period for many. Soon, many people across the empire went about their lives, many people left and returned to the colosseum based on their own convenience.


    Yet the judges, the organizers and the people from the cksmithingmunity didn''t move from their seats. Even someone like Hector and Venessa didn''t stand up.


    Just 10 hours of wait was nothing to saints like them. And finally, the finished products were presented to the judges.


    This time¡­ both weapons were simr based on the aura they leaked.


    But after checking Helsi''s greatsword, they moved to Kahn and without even testing it¡­


    The judges dered in unison¡­


    "The winner is challenger Kahn!"

 Chapter 620 The Real Rank

    Chapter 620 The Real Rank


    Everyone was dumbfounded as soon as the three saint cksmiths directly dered Kahn as the winner of the fourth round without even touching the greatsword he made.


    For the first time, even the Pope himself was surprised and greatly paid attention to the results and so did his fellows from the Church of Hetrax. It was one thing if the Trinity inspected andpared the weapons first but they dered the result as soon as they saw Kahn''s forged weapon up close.


    "What nonsense is this?!" many people roared among the audience even if they had no direct connection to either of the challengers.


    "Is this duel rigged? How can they decide the winner even without checking the weapon?" many suspicious queries arose throughout the empire.


    But without heeding these unsatisfied voices, the three judges released their saint auras and picked up the greatsword, making it float in the air as the whole empire watched it.


    "This is why we decided him to be the victor." spoke Druvagar and all three of them mixed their mana in the greatsword.


    BOOM!!


    A loud shockwave burst out of the greatsword that had a gray hilt and three different colored runes on the ttened surface of the de while the edges from both sides glimmered white.


    The three runes that exuded green, yellow and purple aura flickered on the de from time to time. And the aura that burst out from the greatsword instantly revealed a great pressure from the de itself.


    "Impossible!" shouted one of the dwarven cksmiths.


    "He couldn''t have achieved that. Unless¡­" spoke the head of the Elven Artificing Association with a bewildered expression.


    [What kind of monster is he?! Don''t tell me¡­ he''s already close to bing a Saint cksmith!] thought Tawerik with an ashen expression.


    The normal and uninformed audience couldn''t make sense of this scene apart from the deduction of this weapon being very strong.


    Helsi, the brown bearded dwarf opponent, was frozen on the spot as soon as he sensed the aura. This was a familiar aura to him and he experienced it more than a dozen times when he trained under Throk Oakenshield.


    [Tch! Why is he revealing it so early?] wondered Throk who had both his arms folded and wasn''t slightly surprised.


    "Both weapons are of Epic rank and should be equal.


    But the effects of the forged base weapon and the epic rank runes make too big of a difference." spoke master Fili.


    "The greatsword made by challenger Helsi is an Epic Rank one. Worthy of praise and represents his capabilities as a semi-saint cksmith.


    But what challenger Kahn made is what we call in their trade as¡­" said master Ivaldi and took a deep breath before revealing.


    "A Quasi-Legendary weapon."


    ----------------


    Minutes passed but many people were still having a hard time digesting the fact that someone like Kahn, a newbie cksmith who even had his weapon shattered to bits in the 3rd round suddenly made a Quasi-Legendary rank weapon.


    No one needed an extra exnation about what that rank of a weapon meant even if they were not informed about the cksmithing craft.


    The weapon ranks were already exined to themon popce of the empire before the duel began and hence, there was no doubt about who made the superior weapon.


    By making a Quasi-Legendary weapon¡­ Kahn already proved his worth as someone capable to be in the top 20 cksmiths of the empire.


    If he ever made a Legendary weapon or armor¡­ he would be one of the bonafide top 10 cksmiths of the Vulcan empire.


    At this moment, Kahn smiled inwardly because this was the first time when he went all out in this duel.


    Previously, he used only two out of three gifts given by the cksmithing deities.


    The 3rd one named Mimir''s Eyes had only 3 hours of activation period per day so he had been avoiding using that ability.


    But for this round, Kahn used all three gifts along with the Mineral Transmutation skill. All four of them were his biggest cheat codes when it came to the cksmithing ss and finally, they shone the brightest in this round.


    For the 4th round, he alleviated the quality of the minerals and metals to create a superior and 100% pure version of them. Thus, adding his Artificing skills and mastery over rune inscriptions ¡­ the result was finally here¡­


    A Quasi-Legendary greatsword.


    This weapon was on par with Lucifer back when Albestros forged it for the first time using the Magma Drake''s ws. The weapon itself had the confirmed potential to reach a Legendary rank weapon if reforged with higher quality materials in the future.


    This was the best Kahn could do as things stood.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ you''re already¡­" spoke Helsi in a broken voice.


    "Yes."


    Kahn nodded in affirmation and walked closer to Helsi. He bent down a bit and spoke on his left ear in a hushed voice, no longer trying to hide the fact at this point.


    "I''m already a Saint cksmith." he replied nonchntly.


    Shock!


    Gasp!


    As if his soul left his body, Helsi was rooted on the spot when Kahn chose to reveal the truth.


    As for his rank¡­ Because Kahn was already a first stage saint¡­ he was already qualified to be a Saint cksmith.


    Just one week before the duel¡­ He reached Semi-Saint Rank in both cksmithing and Artificing. Meeting the two main conditions of a breakthrough as a Saint cksmith.


    But he still needed much more umtion of years in experience. That was why he couldn''t make a legendary weapon.


    People like Throk, Albestros and the Trinity were no joke. Unlike the warrior ss, their ranks rose differently and the only restriction was their levels andprehension.


    Kahn could be titled as a beginner saint cksmith and had much to learn and improve upon in the future. However, he had already passed the qualifications to surpass Helsi in every way.


    Now, the score was 2-2 for both challengers and the one to win the final round will be the victor of this duel.


    As for thest round¡­ like no exceptions, he still received the trash quality materials. Even more so than before because the duel had reached the main deciding round.


    And as soon as the round officially started, Kahn let out a wide grin and spoke softly¡­


    "It''s time." he said and then looked around the group of people who he deduced to be the main culprits.


    "To give a grand performance."

 Chapter 621 The Perpetrators

    Chapter 621 The Perpetrators


    The fifth and the final round began under the discerning eyes of all the poption of the Vulcan empire. The powerful, rich, poor and middle ss¡­ all of them paid their full attention to thisst bout of skills that would decide the final victor of this duel.


    At this moment, Helsi is under extreme stress as he was still unable to ept the fact that Kahn, who trained under Throk was already a Saint cksmith in just a year and half. This revtion by his opponent was simply too mind-boggling.


    Kahn made sure that his words were heard by no one else than Helsi so even the judges were still under the impression that both the challengers were of equal rank.


    [How did this happen? This is impossible!


    I have been training in this craft for more than 37 years and even I am only a semi-saint cksmith.


    What kind of freak is Kahn? He clearly wasn''t even a saint when I first met him that day.] he kept questioning himself again and again over and over because he just couldn''t wrap his head around this information.


    What did it mean if Kahn was a Saint cksmith?


    Wouldn''t it be enough for Kahn to win the final round as well?


    And what would happen to Helsi if he lost?


    The entire dwarven race and all the people of the empire were looking at him as their representative and fully supported him since the first round.


    But if he lost this duel? His entire life would bepletely destroyed as a result. A dwarf cksmith who lost to a human in a duel¡­ he would be the first one to shame all his ancestors in the history of this empire.


    On top of it¡­ he joined Tawerik and had plenty of people who invested in his training. He had made a lot of connections in the past one and half year, something that Throk hadn''t been able to offer.


    Thus, he also had a lot to losepared to Kahn and seeing that his loss was eminent¡­ Helsi was extremely nervous to the point he couldn''t even hold his hammer without his hands shaking constantly.


    But unbeknownst to him¡­ there were billions of people who were in a simr situation as him. Even in the colosseum, no one is even dared to breathe loudly, cheer for the dwarf or even discuss anything among themselves.


    This created a huge mental pressure on people who were eagerly waiting for Kahn''s loss, wanting to feel good about themselves and had the halo of superioritypared to the human race.


    The nobles, the fireborne n members, the dwarven race people¡­ Even Tawerik and his people; everything hadpletely quieted down at this point.


    Because if Kahn won thest round¡­ then Tawerik will lose thepany and everything he built over the past 100 years of his career in this trade.


    Throk only had hispany to lose.


    But Tawerik had an entire corporation that not only made weapons but traded in many other sectors. He had 100 times more wealth and influence to lose than Throk.


    And now all of it was risked because of his overconfidence and just because he wanted to destroy his long-time rival cksmith.


    [Alright then¡­ let''s start!] Kahn suddenly stopped forging and walked into the middle of the arena.


    "I have a favor to ask to the judges." spoke Kahn loudly, his voice instantly echoing in the colosseum.


    "What is it?" asked master Druvagar.


    Without wasting a second, Kahn looked at Helsi and pointed his left forefinger at him¡­


    "Let me switch positions with him."


    ----------------


    The entire audience had their mouths agape and even the judges were bamboozled after Kahn made this request. No one had any idea why he wanted to switch ces with his opponent.


    "No!" suddenly, Tawerik shouted. And at this moment, Kahn''s subordinates also noticed 6 more surprised faces who seemed to be aware of the fact that he was given trash quality materials.


    Out of the 6 other people, five belonged to none other than the High Elders dwarven council.


    [It was like that. Tawerik must have made some inside deal or the Dwarven Council itself wanted me to lose.


    Given the fact that they''re one of the organizers¡­ they fully had control over the forging materials given to both of us.] thought Kahn.


    He had finally found out the main perpetrators. Although it was the first ce he should''ve looked¡­ Kahn''s n was more borate and diabolical than just saying the duel was rigged.


    Kahn already predicted that it could be Tawerik who could be behind it. But the High Elders of the Dwarven Council also being involved was unexpected.


    Nevertheless, till this very round¡­ he had already set a perfect trap for the main culprits regardless of who they were and now¡­ it was time to expose them in front of the whole empire.


    Kahn didn''t care if it was Tawerik or the whole fucking Dwarven Council.


    He was already well experienced in screwing over authority since his time in Rakos Empire. And he still remembered one of his mottos in this new life.


    That he will not mess with random innocent passersby. But if someone threw stones at him¡­


    He''d throw a fucking mountain on them!


    Since these people were trying to screw him over for their personal gains¡­ he would fuck over them ten times more. And boy Kahn was a very vengeful man.


    All of these thoughts only took a second in real-time and Kahn formed another strategy on the spot.


    Because he was fully capable of dealing with Tawerik and the Dwarven Council as per his previous ns.


    But the biggest surprise that he didn''t expect in the slightest was the identity of the 7th culprit.


    Never had he thought that this person would also have joined hands with the people who wanted to see him fail and Throk lose hispany. And the final main culprit was none other than¡­


    Hector Hos Sigfreed, the First Prince.

 Chapter 622 According to Plan

    Chapter 622 ording to n


    While everyone around him was befuddled, Kahn was inwardly happy because finally, he unveiled all the culprits after his subordinates finally noticed the changes in their faces as soon as he asked to swap positions with Helsi.


    Unlike others, these seven people didn''t have an expression of surprise but extreme worry since their interests were at stake. Their aghast expressions gave away their involvement in providing Kahn with trash-quality materials.


    If Kahn had been hasty, he wouldn''t have even been able to find the real culprits. And the biggest one of them all he hadn''t even expected.


    The first prince Hector was also part of this scheme for some reason.


    Kahn quickly racked up his brain and deduced some possible reasons that could''ve caused the first prince, who was also one of his master''s backers to take part in this ploy.


    [Don''t tell me¡­ he¡­] thought Kahn and looked towards Throk sitting under a pavilion.


    Normal people wouldn''t understand the long game. But Kahn certainly did after weighing the benefits Hector could achieve in case Kahn lost the cksmithing duel.


    If he lost, Throk would lose thepany and all his assets would be gone as per the bet they made. It was alreadymon knowledge to the whole Vulcan empire at this point.


    And because of Kahn''s actions a year and a half ago when they orchestrated a n to take out Rogis, the Second Prince who was now locked up in a cell¡­ allegedly. It involved getting Hector and Venessa backing Throk and bing his official sponsors.


    Just having a Saint cksmith at his disposal had already cemented his follower base and helped him gain tremendous support from influential people around the empire.


    Hector had already seen through the merits of having a saint cksmith associated with his force. And in case Kahn lost¡­ Throk would be penniless soon and then won''t be able to recover the same level of respect in the field or create anotherpany anytime soon.


    Later, Hector could simply extend a helping hand and make Throk work for him instead with the promise of riches or helping him in restoring his lost reputation.


    And through nning and schemes, he''d be able to put Throk under his thumb, making him one of his pawns in a few years.


    This was the only usible reason that could exin why someone like the first prince had gotten involved in petty espionage.


    Why was Kahn so adamant about this being the main reason?


    Because if Kahn was in Hector''s position¡­


    He would''ve done the same.


    ----------------


    But before the judges could ask more questions, Kahn quickly turned his gaze and walked towards the direction of a particr person sitting on the tform above the seats for the judges.


    Kahn stood in front of the Pope himself and quickly kneeled as he pleaded.


    "Your holiness¡­ Only you can bring me justice." he spoke in the voice of a man who had been greatly wronged.


    "What do you mean?" asked Demiurge, the pope who was slightly taken aback after being brought into the limelight.


    At this moment, Kahn went to the Pope because they were also the part organizers of the duel. But the culprits were Tawerik, the Dwarven Council and the First Prince.


    Among all the people present here, the only person who had authority and prestige above them was the Pope himself.


    The Dwarven Council had no authority over the people other than the dwarven race while the imperial prince couldn''t do anything other than exerting some authority using the imperial n because of his heritage.


    In the Vulcan empire, because of its religious structure, the Pope was only below the Emperor.


    Kahn already knew that the Church had nothing to do with this, so they were the best choice to use as a shield and an axe to deal the final blow on his behalf.


    "The materials I received in this round have been tampered with." said Kahn in an obedient tone.


    "Lies! This human is lying!" suddenly, one of the high elders burst out in rage. Kahnughed hysterically in his mind Freewebn?vel.


    "This is a big usation, young man. You better not be messing with us!" said another one of the high elders.


    "Prove it." said the Pope with a stern gaze. As if he had no time to spare for any of these small quarrels and had to go somewhere important.


    Kahn simply walked towards his end and threw down the container of materials that he was given for this round.


    "If the judges would be so kind." said Kahn and looked at the Trinity.


    The saint cksmiths didn''t waste another moment and quickly used their auras and senses to quickly check the materials.


    Druvagar simply pulled the materials and crushed a few metal ores with his bare hands.


    Ivaldi and Fili did the same with the samples and used their respective methods to check their quality.


    "These materials have been adulterated. Too many low quality ores have been mixed. Completely unsuitable for forging!" spoke master Fili as he used his saint pressure and turned a block of metals and ores into dust within a few seconds.


    Soon, an argument started from the dwarven council and Tawerik''s side that it might have happened by mistake for this round.


    [Bingo!] said Kahn inwardly and right in front of the whole empire that was watching this current predicament¡­ he walked towards his forging and assembly table.


    "Then what about these?" loudly asked Kahn.


    One by one, he took out four objects and ced them in front of the tables.


    Gasp!


    Shock!


    The High Elders of the Dwarven Council, Tawerik and his people and even Hector had grim expressions.


    Because what Kahn presented in front of the judges at this moment were¡­


    The materials from the first four rounds!


    Kahn purposely said that the materials were tampered with for thest round only when he pleased the Pope, knowing that the Dwarven Council would use the most obvious excuse first.


    Ivaldi, Druvagar and Fili didn''t spare another moment and quickly assessed the quality of these materials too. And instantly, their faces turned furious.


    Kahn on the other hand gave a smirk towards Tawerik whose forehead was full of sweat already. This final move was something he already nned ahead.


    Because of his meticulous nning from the very first round, all of the conspirators had fallen into his trap.


    And now he was awaiting on the most crucial part of the n that he was expecting¡­


    The Results.

 Chapter 623 Final Result

    Chapter 623 Final Result


    At this moment, everyone in the empire was clearly aware of how the whole duel was a setup in order to make Kahn lose. And the sanctity of this ancient tradition of the dwarven cksmiths was now thrown out of the window to achieve that goal.


    With this, the whole truth was revealed, many people had eyes full of disbelief and everyone became certain of one thing¡­


    The entire cksmithing Duel waspromised and the culprit was¡­ The Dwarven Council.


    And the victim of this ploy aka Kahn Salvatore was actually the one who goaded and exposed it by himself.


    Kahn nned everything since the first round.


    He lost it on purpose to make the culprits think that he couldn''t differentiate between poor materials and good ones¡­


    In 2nd, he won by a big margin as he leveled up his crafted weapon by a whole rank; evidently making them anxious and thus, he received another batch of trash materials.


    In the 3rd round, he used Mineral Transmutation to break down the scythe from the inside after he sessfully forged it.


    At this point, Helsi had 2 wins already. And like greedy foxes who wanted to benefit the earliest¡­ The conspirators sent another batch to confirm that Helsi won the fourth round.


    But in the fourth round, Kahn made a Quasi-Legendary rank weapon by using all of his trump cards and gifts. Making the score 2-2.


    And because of this result, he subconsciously forced the council to send another set of trash materials for the final round. Because now, they had no choice due to Kahn''s capabilities he already disyed and Tawerik, High Elders and Hector were simply afraid to see all their ns failing in the end.


    And finally, Kahn used those materials and previously gathered samples to expose them in front of the whole empire.


    BOOM!!


    At this moment, the judges released their full saint pressure and spoke in an infuriated voice.


    "The most sacred rules of the cksmithing duel that have been practiced since ancient times have been broken." said Ivaldi.


    "An unfavorable situation created for a particr challenger in the duel so that he''d lose... It''s a great crime against the rules of the cksmithing profession." spoke Druvagar with a look of disgust visible on his countenance.


    "This conduct during this duel hasmitted the great taboo against thews of our ancestors and the dwarven race." said Fili as he was barely holding in his anger.


    Despite their differing personalities and set of beliefs, all the judges shared one thing inmon. And that was respecting thews and traditions of the cksmithing craft that were passed on by their ancestors since the empire itself was founded.


    And now, all three of the judges were thoroughly infuriated after seeing how rules were broken and the whole duel was nothing but a sham.


    "As per the rules in case a duel has been tainted¡­" spoke Ivaldi and the rest of the judges joined together as their loud voices echoed in the entire empire through the projection screens.


    "The cksmithing Duel has been forfeited!"


    ----------------


    An atmosphere of chaos formed over the empire and among the audience. Every ss of citizens went into an uproar and many questions were raised by the spectators.


    But to many, it was already evident that the duel was nothing but a sham so nobody tried to go against this decision.


    As for the perpetrators¡­ It was the Dwarven Council who was in charge of providing the crafting materials and also the High Elders just tried to shirk away the responsibility, saying that it happened only by mistake for the final round.


    Unlike the Judges, the high elders of the dwarven council weren''t cksmiths. They did not follow the creed ofpeting with skills. Thus, they sabotaged the whole thing to make Kahn lose miserably before thepetition even began.


    Thud!


    Helsi dropped on his knees, his entire beingpletely shocked and his eyes wide open in disbelief.


    Because if the duel was rigged from the beginning¡­ that also meant he didn''t win those two rounds because of his skills but because Kahn''s materials were of low quality, making his crafted weapons turning inferior to his.


    "No¡­ I cannot ept this! I will not ept this!


    This can''t end up as a draw! I didn''t even win those two rounds with my own abilities.


    All of my achievements¡­ they weren''t because I was better but because Kahn was dealt with a disadvantage." said Helsi.


    His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear it clearly.


    His current state of denial showed Kahn that Helsi was a cksmith with pride and had a moral code even as hispetitor.


    But he was unaware of how his new mentor aka Bifur Tawerik was a devious person who would do anything to win even if it meant discarding their honor.


    Forget feeling angry¡­ many felt pity for Helsi at this point. Because his name was also dragged into the mud because of the acts of the dwarven council.


    At this moment, even the Pope is also looking at the High Elders without hiding his scornful expression.


    Did Demiurges care about thepetition being rigged?


    Hell no!


    But on the surface, the Church of Hetrax supported Throk and thus, he had to show this expression of disdain on his face.


    In his eyes, he cared only about their own image but since he was appearing on a live broadcast, he had to maintain his just and righteous persona.


    In another scenario, he might have as well joined the whole arrangement to deepen the ties between the church and council for the sake of mutual benefits.


    "I agree with the decision made by the three judges. The duel has been forfeited.


    As for the matters of rigging the duel¡­ the Church and Imperial n will soon set up an investigationmittee. And we will find the true culprits and every single person involved.


    They will be severely punished by ourws.


    That I promise you in the name of our great god Hetrax!" dered the Pope in front of the audience and the people of the empire.


    On the surface, his face was oozingw and righteousness. But in reality, he had other ns. Because Kahn just now gave him the best tool¡­


    To control the Dwarven Council.

 Chapter 624 Real Motive

    Chapter 624 Real Motive


    Although the Pope talked big about punishing the guilty party¡­ given the position, influence and power held by the Dwarven Council in their empire¡­ He knew that taking any drastic measures against them would do more harm than good.


    But this also meant who could get them out of their predicament and put a leash on them. As for the matter of rigging the duel¡­


    Who the hell cared if one man or an entire human race was conspired against? Their opinion didn''t matter to the church or any ruling authority.


    But this newfound information also gave him a lot of opportunities.


    In reality, Kahn had just presented him with an excuse to suppress the council because after this incident, the High Elders would need a lot of help in correcting their public image.


    And who better to help them spread lies and reform a person''s image in society and on themon popce other than a religious institution that had great importance in their culture?


    [Good. They will have no choice but to side with us soon.] thought Demiurges.


    Meanwhile, many people including the famous dwarven cksmiths and elven artificers felt dread and fear towards Kahn.


    Because this man was too exceptional. All of his achievements happened in such a short time and it was simply too stupefying even if he was trained by a saint cksmith.


    If not for the faulty materials¡­ Kahn would''ve easily won this duel.


    Some people who did not hold anything against the human race as they only valued skills and achievements in their craft openly started praising Kahn for his attainment.


    Some said that he was unlucky and would''ve officially won the duel, etching his name in the history of their empire as he''d be the first human to ever win a cksmithing duel against a dwarf.


    As for the cksmithing Duel being forfeited¡­


    It was exactly what Kahn wanted.


    ----------------


    While the duel was nulled and many people were greatly disappointed and some even inwardly happy as they feared a human winning the duel¡­ the human challenger was dancing in joy in his head.


    Kahn already knew of the rules and the duel getting canceled seemed the best way for him to benefit from all sides.


    Because himpeting in this duel was due to his intentions to save Throk.


    He did it to protect his future prospects in the empire and also not gain unnecessary attention. If Kahn won¡­ there would be too much troubleing his way instead.


    Both Kahn and Throk had no interest in Tawerik''spany because his identity as a human would always be a problem even if he won.


    Kahn only wanted to protect his assets and that was Throk Oakenshield''s weapon forgingpany where he had a lot of authority and controlled the flow of money.


    He wasn''t a fool to get mixed into high stakes after several years of experience at this point.


    In the Rakos Empire when Kahn won the Emperor''s Chosenpetition¡­ he risked it all because he was going to get a goddamn fiefdom for himself. A very fitting and tremendously helpful ce he needed for the future growth. If the circumstances with the Tablet of Arcana hadn''t forced him to flee¡­ he would have had a smooth sail in Rakos Empire till he became a 6th stage saint.


    But in the Vulcan empire¡­ the whole battle of skills was only to protect Throk''s reputation and hispany. Any more than that would be a huge liability.


    Nevertheless, screwing over the Dwarven Council and Tawerik was also important at the same time. Because it would deter them from causing trouble for him or Throkter.


    And with the duel nulled, the contract would be voided as it could also be considered a draw. Helping Kahn achieve a peaceful life while giving him time to grow quietly. This was the best oue for Kahn in every way.


    As for representing the Human race or improving their position in this empire''s social structure¡­


    Kahn couldn''t give two shits about it at this point.


    Throughout the duel rounds, many humans cursed Kahn and flung up profanities whenever he lost. Many people saying that he would doom whatever reputation they regained after the imperial decree.


    Little did they know¡­ that it was this very man whose actions led to Rogis being exposed, the imperial court taking drastic measures and finally, the Emperor being forced to lift the restrictions on the human race to quell protect the image of his reign and the pride of the imperial n.


    If not for Kahn, they''d still be treated like animals in a ughterhouse before he came to this empire.


    But Kahn also didn''t want to get into unnecessary trouble.


    He was neither a Hero of Justice nor a Revolutionary.


    And even if he wasn''t a human¡­ It was the same regardless of the species. The sense of poprity and fame worked very simrly to earth.


    You were a Hero when you won the battle or you were a pathetic loser who would be scorned even by your own family when you lost.


    Kahn had already experienced that first-hand in his previous life since his parents were the prime example of this mentality. So he was well aware of this nature of people no matter what part of the world they came from or where they stood in society.


    So because of this result¡­ Kahn would save his assets, hold even a bigger influence by showcasing his skills as a cksmith and not piss off the wrong people in order to maintain his background.


    ----------------


    After many promations by the Pope¡­ the matter was finally settled and this empire-wide event finally ended.


    [It''s time.] said the Pope as he signaled his allies and vanished from the colosseum.


    While people were leaving the colosseum, Kahn was having a chat with Throk in a room as they too prepared to leave.


    Just then¡­ a brown bearded dwarf walked through the door, standing in front of him and Throk.


    Thud!


    This dwarf suddenly kneeled on the ground. His expression was full of loss and helplessness.


    "I''m sorry master¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I failed you."


    Spoke the dwarf whose eyes had tears welled up as he spoke in a stuttering tone because his heart was heavy with guilt.


    This dwarf with a haggard and miserable face was none other than¡­


    Helsi.

 Chapter 625 The Retribution

    Chapter 625 The Retribution


    Throk and Kahn faced Helsi who had a miserable and crestfallen look on his face. Based on their senses as Saints, they already noticed his presence but didn''t show any hostility on their faces.


    "And why are you here?" asked Throk in a serious voice.


    "I¡­ just found out that it was master Tawerik who messed with the duel by joining hands with the High Elders.


    I had a big argument with him and now¡­ I have left his tutge." spoke Helsi with a guilty expression.


    "And? Now that your new master has thrown you out like a dog, you want to return to my master?" asked Kahn with a suspicious gaze.


    "No¡­ it''s not that. I just wanted to exin things with the master first. About why I left back then." he said.


    "Shut it! I don''t want to hear anything. All I know is that you betrayed me right when I needed you the most. And now you think that making some excuse will make me forgive you?!" shouted Throk as his blood boiled in rage after remembering those moments.


    When he was dealt with a low blow, even his most trusted disciple from the past 3 decades abandoned him and joined the enemy side. This was a memory that was etched in his mind.


    "No¡­ I''m not deserving of your forgiveness." Helsi looked up while still kneeling on the floor, two big teardrops poured down on his cheeks.


    Soon, Helsi started citing his end of the story and exined why he did what he did.


    To summarize¡­ Helsi was a talented cksmith even before Throk took him in as one of his disciples.


    He had his aspirations, his talent came through a lot of hard work. He lived and breathed for this craft, unlike others who only wanted fame and make riches out of it.


    Under Throk''s mentoring, his talent reached a whole new level and soon, Throk became an idol for him in many ways and Helsi wished to even surpass Throk one day. But after Throk''s beef with Rogis happened¡­ It also scared him to his core.


    Even someone like Rogis couldn''t kill Throk because he was a famous person in the empire. But what about innocent bystanders like him whocked both strength and standing?


    He was amon citizen with no connections or backing. A cksmith with no skills or abilities to fight against someone. Hell, he couldn''t even protect himself.


    People like Helsi often died as a medium to set an example or coteral damage in the feuds of the powerful. On top of it, Helsi had to look after his parents, his wife and children. He wasn''t someone who could afford to risk his life when many people depended on him.


    Because as things appeared back then, Helsi felt that his life would be forfeited or he''d be ruined sooner orter.


    Thus he became even more afraid for his life because messing with an imperial prince was no different than a death sentence.


    Sniff!


    Sniff!


    "I''m sorry master¡­ I am aplete failure. Both as a cksmith and as a Dwarf of honor.


    Instead of standing on your side in turbulent times¡­ I ran away like a coward. I have repaid your kindness with nothing but betrayal.


    Someone like me doesn''t deserve any redemption." spoke Helsi as the tears poured like raindrops.


    Although he was forced to betray his master due to the circumstances back then¡­ it didn''t change the fact that he had broken the trust Throk had in him.


    "After this¡­ I will quit cksmithing and leave Nidavellir.


    These hands of mine do not deserve to hold a hammer again. My feet do not deserve to walk into a forge again. This part of my life is over." said Helsi and got up on his feet.


    "Farewell master. Thank you¡­ for everything for me even though I have only let you down." he said and wiped off his tears.


    Even Kahn could see the conflict in his eyes.


    Grown men did not cry until they could no longer bear the suffering. This was something Kahn also experienced in his previous life on the day when hemitted suicide. He had beenpletely broken down because of his miserable circumstances.


    [At least try to talk it out with him.] said Kahn to Throk.


    [What do you mean? You want me to mend differences with this traitor?! You think I''m a forgiving person, boy?] retorted the old dwarf.


    [This is not my ce to speak. But you''re no saint either, old man.


    Remember the first day we met¡­] Kahn rebuked and continued with a somber expression.


    [Although I have a habit of repaying kindness ten times and enmity hundredfolds¡­ sometimes circumstances force you to do things that go against your morality and creed.] he spoke to Throk.


    [Also, you too should''ve swallowed that insult by Rogis and thought about the people who work for you.


    You also forced him to make that choice. You said he was your most prized pupil but you did not think of the consequences before you burst out in rage.] he reminded the old cksmith.


    Throk was a person with anger issues and a loud mouth back when Kahn met him.


    [It''s not like he''s entirely guilty¡­ but he isn''t innocent either.


    But Helsi was never part of the plot set by Tawerik and the Dwarven Council and still adhered to the rules of smiting and teachings you taught him. Throughout the duel, he only wanted to win with his own skills and talent. I never sensed any hostility or malicious intent from him either.


    He too was a victim just like you back then. Think of this whole development as him being lost for a while.] iterated Kahn.


    "Alright, I will leave you two alone. Talk it out or kill each other, that''s up to you both."


    Kahn then walked out of the room and closed the door. Some people deserved a second chance unlike many but forcing his own opinion on Throk wasn''t a good thing either.


    Whatever happened from here... Whether Helsi gets his chance at retribution or not would be decided by the duo of former master and pupil.


    YAWN!


    Kahn yawned and decided to leave the colosseum.


    Just then¡­ a mysterious red hooded figure appeared in front of him along with a group of people.


    Kahn was quickly taken aback because the group of people included Venessa, Hector and the Hero''s Party.


    "Kahn Salvatore, you have been summoned." spoke this hooded figure as he revealed his face.


    An old and bald fireborne revealed his face.


    [Careful boy. He''s a 5th stage saint.] warned Rathnaar.


    "By whom?" asked Kahn as he spoke in a scared and bewildered voice to maintain his appearance of a weak human.


    To his question, this old fireborne replied in an authoritative voice¡­


    "The Emperor."

 Chapter 626 Plot Twist

    Chapter 626 Plot Twist


    As soon as this 5th stage saint revealed that the Emperor himself summoned Kahn, thetter was rooted on the spot,pletely bbergasted. This was something he hadn''t seening from any possible angle.


    Then he looked at the members of the group. It included Venessa and Hector, the two imperial scions. And there were 8 members of the Hero''s Party including the Hero of Fire himself.


    [What the¡­ do they know?] he wondered after looking at the lineup including this person in the front who was a 5th stage saint.


    [Don''t panic boy. You make a wrong move and they might get even more suspicious. First, try to inquire what this summon is about.] said Rathnaar in an observing tone.


    The old fireborne in front of Kahn was a 5th stage saint. A being who could kill him before he even moved a muscle.


    "May I ask what is it about?" queried Kahn in a submissive voice.


    "Shut up ande along! His Majesty summoning you is a great honor to you." spoke the fireborne as he slightly released his saint pressure.


    "Maybe lord father is impressed with your performance, human.


    Don''t ask unnecessary questions." spoke Hector, hiding his hatred towards Kahn.


    Because the duel was forfeited, it greatly damaged his future ns. And the main cause of this was Kahn, a pesky and weak human.


    [When the time is right¡­ I''ll kill him with my own hands for making me suffer such a huge loss.] thought Hector inwardly.


    Venessa on the other hand simply nodded from behind the old fireborne, signaling Kahn toply.


    But to an observant man like Kahn, he quickly noticed that Venessa was somehow reluctant to have hime with them.


    [Tag along. You have a divine ability that can help you escape whenever you get a chance.] said Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    "Apologize for my discourteousness, my lord." spoke Kahn and quickly summoned his usual ck and gray longcoat which instantly turned his image from an unkempt and untidy cksmith to an heir of some noble n.


    The aura of ss and regality oozed out of Kahn as soon he equipped the attire that Albestros made using the Invimarak Hide he had been wearing since he was in Vessen.


    His sudden change in appearance also surprised many members of the hero''s party. Because now, he looked no different than someone of equal standing as them.


    To their surprised gazes, Kahn casually replied¡­


    "What? I wanted to look presentable in front of his majesty."


    The next moment, the old fireborne took a square-shaped brown artifact and activated it.


    All of them were quickly enshrouded by a red barrier and the following moment, all of them disappeared from the spot.


    Swoosh!!


    A few dozen kilometers away, their figures reappeared inside a grand hall of a ginormous warship.


    "This¡­ this is the Church''s warship given to the Hero''s Party." spoke Hector as soon as he saw the sigil and the crew operating the warship.


    [Why are we here instead of the warships owned by the imperial n?] wondered Venessa in her mind.


    But since the man in red robes was a trusted figure of the emperor, she and Hector did not dare question unnecessarily because currently, this old man had a bigger prestige than both of them.


    ----------------


    Soon, an hour passed and the capital borders were already crossed a while ago.


    "Where are you taking us?" asked Hector as found something odd happening.


    Because this old fireborne said that they were summoned by the Emperor, none of them brought any of their saint rank guards or security with them. Even their departure with this old fireborne wasn''t known to anybody.


    Kahn with his Eidetic Memory remembered where he had seen this old fireborne before.


    But instead of replying to Hector''s question¡­ this old fireborne gave a nod to Axel and his group.


    Ching! Ching! Ching!


    The very next moment, all the members of the Hero''s Party quickly distanced themselves from Venessa, Hector and Kahn as they encircled the trio in seconds and now, the three of them were trapped inside a pentagram-shaped suppression barrier.


    "Arghhh¡­." groaned Kahn as he was instantly forced to kneel while Venessa and Hector fared no better because of this sudden move.


    "What the hell are you doing?!" shouted Venessa as she quickly released her aura, trying to break through the barrier.


    But the next second, she retracted it as soon as she thought of Kahn who would die because of her saint pressure.


    Hector and Venessa loudly asked questions to this 5th stage saint but their words weren''t audible outside the suppression barrier.


    3 hours passed and they traveled over 5 thousand kilometers away from the capital Arkensan.


    Finally, they stopped in an unknown grasnd,pletely secluded from any civilization for more than 50 kilometers.


    Soon, the trio was teleported outside the warship. But this time, there was no suppression barrier.


    However, the Hero''s Party quickly surrounded them and the 5th stage saint took an artifact he started recording this whole scene.


    "I believe you can handle it from here." he said to Axel.


    "You may leave. Tell the Pope that we will aplish our mission after I receive the signal." replied Axel who was donning his usual Red and ck armor.


    Without replying, the old fireborne quickly took off with the warship and departed towards the capital.


    "What the hell do you think you''re doing, you miscreants!" shouted Hector as his eyes revealed the rage filled in them.


    This time, the members of the Hero''s Party that also included Azerog, who was a 4th stage saint, had prideful expressions. Their look towards Hector, Venessa and Kahn hinted that they didn''t care whether they were offending the imperial prince and princess.


    "Apologies, lord Hector. Things have taken a troublesome route." said Axel as he snickered.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    One by one, all the members of the Hero''s Party revealed their saint pressures as they revealed their hostile killing intent towards the Trio.


    "Don''t you get it, you dimwitted moron? This ce¡­" spoke Axel as he too redirected all of his murderous aura towards Hector.


    "Is your execution ground."

 Chapter 627 The Spiders Web

    Chapter 627 The Spider''s Web


    A few hourster, inside the Imperial Pce where the imperial trial was once held, a figure of a hooded fireborne in red robes suddenly appeared.


    "What is it, advisor Aikbach?" asked Havi Hos Sigfreed, the Emperor of the Vulcan empire.


    "Your majesty! We''re in a great emergency!" shouted this fireborne and took off his hood.


    "The Hero''s Party has kidnapped prince Hector and princess Venessa!" shouted this fireborne as he revealed his shining-like-sun bald head to the emperor.


    This was the very fireborne who left Kahn, Venessa and Hector with the Hero''s Party few hours ago.


    This old fireborne was one of the 4 advisors of the emperor. One who also partook in the imperial trial and actually backed Venessa during the trial when she revealed Rogis'' deeds in front of the whole empire.


    "What?!" shouted Havi, his eyes revealing his bewilderment.


    Without wasting another moment, the advisor named Aikbach took out an artifact and a holographic video of the Hero''s Party surrounding Hector, Venessa and Kahn in the sky while revealing their hostile intentions appeared in front of the emperor.


    "I just received a secret transmission from our spies. The Hero''s Party somehow managed to kidnap both of them.


    Your majesty¡­ they''ve gone rogue!


    I think they want to kill them." he bellowed with a gloomy expression.


    BOOM!!


    Havi did not hold back and quickly revealed his intense saint pressure of an 8th stage saint.


    For the first time since he became the emperor, someone openly tried to harm his children.


    "Why?!" he asked hurriedly.


    "Your majesty, I don''t know. But we don''t have much time to assemble our forces. We must leave quickly or it will be toote!" said Aikbach.


    "Where?" asked Havi without a second thought since both of his children''s lives were at risk.


    "The Northern ins." replied Aikbach.


    "But if we leave through a warship, it will take us hours." spoke the old advisor.


    "We don''t need that. Let''s go!" spoke Havi and soon, a massive bird-like entity made of blistering mes that were expelled out from his body amassed in between them.


    This entire broke through the ceiling of the imperial pce, quickly alerting the royal guards. But Havi had no time to spare and inform them of the situation.


    He was the strongest person in the entire empire, he was fully capable of protecting himself.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Multiple shockwaves were released as Havi and Aikbach boarded this bird-like creature that broke the sound barrier because of its tremendous velocity.


    In just 10 seconds, they were already out of the imperial n''snds.


    "Those bastards! I''ll kill everyone if anything happens to my children." spoke Havi to himself.


    ----------------


    Within an hour, Havi and the advisor appeared in the middle of the northern ns as this bird entity traveled at a supersonic speed whilepletely protecting the passengers with its aura.


    [Terrifying! He didn''t even use his bloodline and just this creature created from his body''s mes is enough to burn down the capital itself.] thought Aikbach as he shuddered in fear.


    So far, no one had seen Havi''s peak strength after he became an 8th stage saint just a few years ago.


    "What''s this? Didn''t you say they''re at the central region of the northern ins?" asked Havi as he looked around the opennds of this region.


    This area called the northern ins had no fertile soil and environment suitable for living for normal people within one thousand kilometers of the area because of a battle between a Godbeast and the Emperor of the old generation 600 years ago; leaving this ce with nothing but barrennds that could not grow a single nt life after the fight.


    "I don''t sense anyone except the two of us in 800 kilometers." said Havi after activating his peak senses.


    Because of their fast traveling ride, he could not do so before but now that he did, Havi couldn''t sense Hector or Venessa at all.


    "Because they''re not here at all."


    Shing!


    BOOM!!


    Before Havi could react to this sudden arrival of another individual, over a thousand different pirs of white light erupted at set distances within all of the span of the northern ins.


    Each of these pirs was a couple of kilometers in width and their height rose to more than 15 kilometers (around 50 thousand feet) high in the sky.


    And finally, at that height, all these ginormous pirs started connecting their lights in different directions, their speed so great that it only took 10 seconds before all of the ends of the bright pirs extended and connected to each other like spider-webs in the sky. Thickyers of imprable barriers formed on top of this magical formation, forming a thousand kilometers perimeter barrier that isted everything from the outside.


    "Arggghhhh!!!" bellowed Havi as his body was greatly suppressed and his mouth started throwing up blood in session.


    "The ancient me Killer formation¡­ isn''t it majestic?" asked the new arrival with a smug expression on his face that floated in the sky like standing on the solid ground 5 kilometers away from Havi. In his hand was a Legendary rank artifact with the insignia of the Church of Hetrax.


    Aikbach had already appeared behind this figure who had a calm and collected expression.


    "You¡­ what''s the meaning of this? Are you trying tomit treason¡­


    Demiurge!" said Havi as he looked at the Pope who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, evading even the senses of an 8th stage saint like him using a mysterious artifact.


    "It took us 50 years to set this ancient formation here without anyone noticing. But since the northern ins was nothing but full of barrennds¡­ the security here was non-existent.


    And to set up this me Killer formation, the only suppression barrier that can prohibit the imperial fireborne blood from activating their primordial bloodline at full capacity¡­ We made a lot of sacrifices.


    Finally, I''m relieved to see it being used." said Demiurges, revealing unnecessary information instead of directly responding to the emperor''s question.


    "And now¡­" he looked at Havi whose chest and stomach convulsed because of the effects of the suppression barrier while he kept throwing up blood again and again.


    Demiurges then dered with an ted smile¡­


    "You will be its first victim."

 Chapter 628 The Hidden Ones

    Chapter 628 The Hidden Ones


    The entire area of the northern ins that spanned a thousand kilometers in total perimeter was nowpletely isted from the outside world while only three saints remained inside.


    "What are you trying to do, Arhlem?! Where are my children?!" asked Havi in a thunderous voice.


    "Hah! How umon to see you care about the lives of your children.


    Don''t worry¡­ they''re being guarded by the Hero''s Party in the middle of the eastern grasnds. But even I can''t tell for how long they''ll stay safe." he replied in an insidious tone.


    Havi was thoroughly infuriated at this point. He came here quickly without a second thought without informing his forces because he feared for his children''s lives. But he didn''t expect that one of his most trusted aides had already joined hands with the Pope.


    "You¡­ Advisor Aikbach¡­ Why? Were you also part of this too from 50 years?" asked Havi with a rage-filled expression. Aikbach was the Imperial advisor since the time his father reigned as the Emperor.


    "You¡­ why did you side with the church? You were my father''s most trusted aide. Why did you betray me?" he asked Aikbach.


    Although it looked like Havi was greatly disheartened by this betrayal¡­ in actuality, he was just stalling for time while barely containing the bacsh on his body and trying to adapt to this suppression.


    "A loyalty bound by soul-oath is no loyalty, Havi.


    It was your father who took advantage of my fealty to the throne and made me ept soul-oath. But afterward¡­ He basically turned me into a ve of the imperial family, making me cover up his failures and the wanton massacres he caused in the name of eradicating rioters.


    That is why I chose to betray the imperial n." revealed Aikbach. His tone filled with disgust as he recalled the previous Emperor, Havi''s father.


    Havi did not show any expression of disbelief as if he too was aware of this fact since long.


    There were no righteous rulers. Even the kindest monarch would have to bloody his hands in order to maintain peace in the empire.


    He was no exception because he too ruined the fate of the human race for the sake of maintaining his reign intact during the turbulent times.


    "Then why aren''t you dead yet?" asked Havi,pletely unshaken by this information.


    "Because the soul-oath ritual was performed by me. I obviously know the way to undo it." replied Demiurge instead.


    "It was when you became the emperor, I granted him freedom in exchange for spying on you.


    And given his hatred towards the imperial family¡­ he dly joined our ranks." said Demiurge.


    Pthew!!


    Havi spat out another mouthful of blood. He could feel the flow of blood in his body slowing down, greatly diminishing his strength to a degree that he now possessed powerparable only to a 6th stage saint.


    He tried to reveal his strength but his body greatly received bacsh instead. For someone of his rank¡­ Losing two ranks in strength meant losing around 28% of your totalbat power. And this was when he wasn''t even engaged in a battle. As for how much he''d be suppressed when the fight broke out¡­ even he couldn''t predict at the moment.


    "So are you ready to die?" asked the Pope as he folded both arms behind his back.


    "Kill me? Heh!!" said Havi in a mocking tone.


    "Ha ha! Ha ha ha!" heughed hysterically.


    "Just with you two? Although I''m suppressed¡­ I can easily kill a 5th stage saint and a 6th stage saint. And both of you are very weak because of your ss." said Havi in a tone filled with disdain. His title as the strongest person in the empire wasn''t just for show.


    But he wasn''t an idiot to blindly charge and try to kill them. He wanted to gauge the opponent''s tricks first because a moment of negligence would cost your life in a battle.


    "Oh¡­ that would indeed be the case." replied Demiurge.


    "But you''re not fighting us¡­ you''re fighting them." he said with a carefree expression.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Three massive bursts of energy exploded in 3 different directions. Each one was at least 20 kilometers away from Havi. Yet because of their power levels and ranks, this gap was no different than a few footsteps for them.


    Havi could clearly see these three hooded figures in white and red even from this far distance. For someone from the earth, Havi was already in the realm of gods and he had yet to reveal his real strength.


    Without standing at a ceremony, these three figures who had perfectly hidden themselves using the same artifact as Demiurge, took their hoods off and finally revealed their real identities.


    "Long time no see, your majesty." spoke one of these firebornes who seemed to be a pugilist/brawler ss individual.


    But the next moment, Havi waspletely shocked as soon as he recognized him.


    "Thest time I appeared to the outside world¡­ your father had just be the emperor." said the second figure who held a double-ded spear in his left hand.


    "You¡­ how are you still alive?" asked Havi as he recalled the real identity of this second fireborne.


    "The ''Hos Sigfreed'' bloodline is indeed worthy to lead our empire.


    In just 4 decades, he already became an 8th stage saint. Even the six fireborne ns can''tpete against the imperial family''s bloodline." Finally, the third figure spoke who had a shield and a sword, revealing his Knight ss.


    Havi was bbergasted again. Because this person was already a great figure in the history of the Vulcan empire.


    "How? You were supposed to be dead over a century ago!" Havi kept questioning as he could not believe what he was seeing.


    Given his bloodline effects, he could easily take down the two traitors in front of him.


    But now¡­ these 3 people who were hidden all this time¡­ they were someone even he had to be worried about because of their identities and skills.


    Because every single one of these three individuals who was supposed to be dead a long time ago¡­ Was once the Holy Champion of the Church of Hetrax in their respective eras.


    But the most threatening part wasn''t their titles but their ranks.


    Because every single one of these new enemies was a¡­


    7th Stage Saint!

 Chapter 629 The Champions

    Chapter 629 The Champions


    Havi still had a perplexed expression as he gazed at the three saints who revealed their malevolent aura directed at him. All three of them¡­ were the supposedly deceased Holy Champions of the church of Hetrax.


    The first one died 30 years ago, Havi himself attended the grand funeral. The second was supposed to have died during a fight at the southern border against the army of the Rakos Empire close to 50 years ago. And thest one died during the previous Empress and his grandmother''s reign more than 90 years ago.


    But not only all of them turned out to be alive, but they were also 7th stage saints, surpassing their previous rank before their supposed deaths.


    Previously, Havi thought that this treason was nned when he became the Emperor¡­ but now, it looked like all of this was nned way long ago even before his father was the emperor.


    At this moment, Demiurge revealed a coy smile, feeling proud of himself.


    This was exactly the hidden method the church had which Demiurge mentioned when all the top ranking members had gathered for the annual congregationst year.


    The pope had dered his intentions to plot and kill the emperor after the incident with Rogis and the imperial decree where thousands of powerful figures from the Church were involved in the crimes against the human race.


    As a result, many important figures of the church were hunted down and killed by the imperial n. On the surface, it looked like the Emperor was punishing evil to the masses.


    But in reality, it was the political move to tip the bnce in his favor in the name of enforcing justice.


    During the congregation, it looked like it was the main reason why the Pope had finally lost and decided tomit treason to the majority of the members of the church.


    But the whole treason itself was something nned way ahead in reality.


    Havi looked at the three seventh stage saints in three different directions who surrounded him from 20 kilometers afar.


    "Donatello Strvenee." he spoke as he looked at the fireborne with the purple glowing double-ded spear.


    "Leonardo Wright." he said as he nced at the Knight ss fireborne with a shield and a sword.


    "Raphael Broxter." he mumbled as he looked at the brawler ss saint.


    Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael¡­ all three of them were the Holy Champions of their times. The strongest warriors of the church that even the imperial n had to acknowledge.


    "Tell me something¡­ Since when did you n this?" asked Havi as his body finally managed to adapt to this thousand-kilometer-wide suppression formation.


    "Do not think so highly of me. I only followed the instructions of my predecessors after I became the Pope a century ago.


    After the Great War in the Rakos Empire where the three 7th stage saints killed the Emperor 100 years ago and overtook the empire, the Church also decided to groom their champions in case we needed to do the same in the future." revealed the pope in a carefree tone.


    "All these people who had the potential to be 7th stage saints and had absolute loyalty only to the church had their deaths disguised in the eyes of the public. And the church had been secretly nurturing them with all of the resources and means we had.


    Feel proud of yourself, Havi. You were the only Emperor who forced our hand to make them all reveal themselves." he said and then looked at the old advisor. He quickly handed him the mysterious artifact he was holding.


    "You may leave." spoke Pope to Aikbach.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" asked Havi. Because having another fighter on their side was helpful in times of emergency. Yet Demiurges told Aikbach to leave.


    "Someone has to lead the imperial n and the fireborne ns in different directions.


    Nobody knows you''re here and I''ll make sure that no one is prepared to defend against the church''s forces when they attack the imperial n.


    We carefully nned everything, your majesty." said Aikbach with a mocking tone and disappeared from the me Killer formation using the artifact given by Demiurge.


    At this moment, Havi was indeed trapped from all sides and he understood that soon, a fight was inevitable as he was slowly recovering his strength.


    "Then tell me one thing¡­ Why go this far?


    The deal I proposed with the Hero of Fire and Venessa''s marriage would''ve greatly helped you without shedding a single drop of blood or risking the lives of your people." he asked with a somber expression.


    "That was indeed a good deal you offered me all those years ago. But the reason why we chose to go this route wasn''t because of you.


    But because of the Hero of Fire himself. Your arrangement wouldn''t have worked because of his nature." spoke Demiurge with a stern gaze.


    "What do you mean?" asked Havi with a curious countenance.


    "Ha ha! You don''t even know his real personality or his origins. Yet you were ready to sacrifice your daughter in order to protect her from the six fireborne ns.


    But instead, you ended up condemning her to even a worse fate."ughed the Pope loudly as if he was looking at a fool.


    In the following seconds, he took out a recording artifact and activated it¡­


    3 Minutester¡­


    Havi was bbergasted and also terrified after Demiurge revealed Axel''s deeds that they had filmed without thetter having no knowledge of it.


    The emperor had an ashen expression after watching what kind of person Hero of Fire truly was.


    Previously, he hadn''t inquired or put a tail on Axel to show his good faith regarding the deal he made long time ago. But because of it¡­ he had no idea what kind of monster Axel was in reality.


    "He¡­ he isn''t a human, is he?" asked Havi with a gloomy face.


    "He is¡­ Well, not entirely.


    The world he came from is a very unique one. And because of his lineage, god Hetrax chose him.


    Let me tell you something.


    Among the new generation of summoned heroes, Axel is the only one¡­" said the Pope as his loud voice reverberated in the open destends of the northern in¡­


    "Who can kill the Demon God."

 Chapter 630 The Machinations

    Chapter 630 The Machinations


    Demiurge openly dered that Axel had the potential to even defeat the Demon God. The very entity all the chosen Heroes were summoned to kill in Vantrea. But no one had seeded in the past 3 thousand years thus very being. Yet, the pope spoke confidently that the new Hero of Fire would certainly be able to do the job as soon as he became a Demi-God.


    "Although Axel has the potential¡­ he still needs time to be a Demi-God.


    And after that¡­ he might as well even surpass someone like the 8th Hero of Darkness, 6th Hero of Space, 5th Heroine of Lightning, Emperor Rathnaar of the Rakos Empire, the 3 living Archangels and thest remaining Elder Dragon, Baltaraaz.


    He will be able to be stronger than all these untouchable legendary figures one day." spoke Demiurge vehemently as if he could already see the bright future.


    "We will have Venessa marry Axel and since your daughter will be wed to him, he will have a legit im to the throne as well.


    Later, we will take over the empire and then make him the Emperor on the surface.


    Since he''s the chosen Hero of our god Hetrax¡­ people wille to ept him as the new ruler very soon." the Pope revealed his intentions.


    "As for the fireborne ns¡­ once you''re dead¡­ they will look for their own survival and eventually join us after we reveal our three 7th stage saints." he iterated.


    "Aren''t you being too overconfident?" asked Havi with a contemptuous gaze.


    "The previous emperor of the Rakos Empire was only a human in the end despite being an 8th stage knight. He had no bloodline-rted abilities that raised his battle strength.


    Even with your big cannons¡­ I''m fairly capable of facing all three of them myself if I use my bloodline.


    It seems reckless of you to not consider that fact." said Havi as if he was still looking down on his opponents.


    But truth be told, he was trying to probe them first and get the overly chatty Pope to reveal some more information by trying to instigate him.


    "My my¡­ Did you really think we were that ignorant?" smirked the Pope.


    "We went to great lengths to prepare everything from a century ago. Everything was going to fall into order after your father''s death. But things took an unexpected turn in the past 3 decades.


    Because you''re even a bigger nuisance and harder to kill¡­ Compared to how easily we finished off your father and elder brother."


    BOOM!!


    Without even waiting for another moment and thinking about the bacsh on his body, a massive burst of fire exploded from Havi''s body and spread across 5 kilometer radius as soon as Pope mentioned his father and brother.


    "You! What did you say?!" shouted the emperor in a tyrannical voice that sent shockwaves in the surrounding.


    Demiurge on the other had retreated 10 kilometers far from him in a second, he still maintained that smug smile as he riled up Havi whose body was now covered in mes while the surrounding area turned into arge pit of fire akin to a volcano.


    "You really don''t know anything. Did you think this whole n was orchestrated just for you?


    No¡­ it was for the entire imperial n. Just that we had to alter a few things here and there." he replied in an ted voice.


    "It took us decades to weaken the previous emperor''s body through many methods.


    Unlike you, he was a devotee of our god Hetrax. Thus he visited the church very often. Through many interactions and feasts we held for him, we slowly poisoned him.


    And finally when his health dwindled, we weakened him even more in the name of curing his condition.


    Your father was a 7th stage saint but he couldn''t even lift his hand in his final days. Just achieving that took us over 20 years." said Demiurge gleefully.


    "After his demise, we targeted your elder brother, Vili. But we couldn''t use the same method.


    However¡­ the Elven empire''s attacks on the western border presented us a great opportunity as he went there to lead our forces." he grinned.


    "You bastards!! Don''t tell me¡­" shouted Havi as his eyes were wide open with shock.


    "Yes. It was us who contacted their forces and revealed the crown prince''s location as well as how to infiltrate the area he was staying in.


    All I can say is that he did put up a good fight despite only being a 4th stage saint back then." replied the pope without the slightest hint of guilty consciousness.


    They even joined hands with the enemy empire to kill Havi''s elder brother, betraying their mothend just so they could cripple the imperial family and take control over the empire amidst the chaos.


    "But you and that cunning mind of yours¡­ you married the heiresses of the two strongest fireborne ns and even married a princess of the neighboring empire to stabilize the whole situation.


    That was when we had no choice but to dy our ns." he spoke.


    "You¡­ you killed my father and brother. And that poison¡­" Havi stuttered.


    "Yes. It was the Church of Hetrax who provided those two fireborne ns with that poison.


    But instead of targeting you¡­ those morons used it to kill that human wife of yours." said the Pope as he unveiled one secret after another.


    Why was he revealing all this information like an idiot?


    It was because he wanted Havi to lose his calm and get enraged to the point he''d lose his sanity as they engaged in a battle soon.


    Sometimes breaking your enemy''s mind can lead you to a swift victory.


    "It was me who told you about them being the guilty party. And look what you did¡­


    You traded your daughter''s fate in order to protect her life by joining hands with me¡­ the one who yed a part in her mother''s death. Ha ha ha!!"ughed Demiurge loudly.


    Havi was losing all of his rationality as he found the truth about the deaths of his family and his true love.


    The church has ruined his entire life just to be the sole ruler of the empire.


    He fell into their diabolical ns and even ruined Venessa''s life thinking he was doing it for her own sake.


    "Like I said¡­ we did note here unprepared."


    Finally, the pope suddenly revealed his own aura and Havi''s expression turned grim.


    Because just now¡­ Demiurge revealed their final trump card as he revealed his real rank at this moment.


    As if the previous situation wasn''t precarious enough, the emperor was now facing¡­


    Four 7th stage saints!

 Chapter 631 On The Other Side

    Chapter 631 On The Other Side


    While Havi was entrapped in an ancient formation while being surrounded by four 7th stage saints in the deste and barrennds of the northern ins, the middle of the eastern grasnds had a simr scenario where his children aka Hector and Venessa along with Kahn were surrounded by the 8 members of the Hero''s Party.


    The trio had anxious expressions as they were surrounded by enemies who did not hide their hostile intent from all sides.


    "Take this. This will protect you in case a fight starts." spoke Venessa as he handed Kahn an artifact.


    This exchange was noticed by Axel and his countenance turned furious but he quickly hid his malicious intent.


    The very next moment, he took a golden cross-shaped artifact and quickly activated it.


    A pir of white and blue aura rose and ascended high in the sky at a rapid pace. Within just a few seconds, a massive dome that spread over 50 kilometers in radius came to be.


    Before the trio could react to what just happened, this dome turned invisible.


    "There''s no point, princess. The space is sealed in 50 kilometers. Apart from me, the one who holds the artifact, no one else can leave.


    Unless you kill me, there''s no way you can escape." spoke Axel with a smug smile on his face as he folded both of his arms together.


    "You''re after us, right? He has nothing to do with it. Let him leave!" shouted Venessa.


    "As if they will let a witness leave." said Kahn who stood a few meters behind her.


    [System, is the space around here sealed?] he queried.


    [Yes. Teleportation scrolls would not work under this dome. However¡­


    With the host''s attainment in the Dimensional Law divine ability and his current rank¡­ the host can leave this ce anytime he wishes using the dimension void crack.] reported the system.


    [I see.]


    If he willed it, Kahn could instantly leave using the dimensional void crack just with a thought. But that also meant risking his identity being exposed to the Hero''s Party.


    On top of it¡­ he still didn''t know why or how he got entangled in this.


    Why was he added to the group of people to be kidnapped?


    Before, Kahn thought that the Hero''s Party or the Emperor possibly knew about his real identity. But from the looks of it¡­ this was actually a plot to trap the imperial scions. As for the truth about his background¡­ nobody seemed to have a single clue.


    [Means there is another reason why I got caught in this situation.] he thought inwardly.


    However, Kahn couldn''t just leave. Because although he could escape using the true dimension, Venessa couldn''t.


    She was his friend and Kahn never left his allies to die whether it was other living people or even his own generals and Omega.


    Thus, he decided to stay and also get a hint about the happenings he waspletely unaware of.


    Plus, the Hero''s Party members seemed to be looking forward to a fight.


    While Kahn was lost in thoughts¡­ Axel receives a transmission through amunication artifact.


    "Finally! They''ve trapped the Emperor. We''re good to go." he dered with a content smile.


    "What do you mean?" asked Hector who had his eyes wide open.


    "Ha ha ha! It''s just as you heard.


    We let you live till now only because we wanted to make sure your father fell into our trap while trying to rescue you two. One could say that both of you were our bargaining chips.


    And now that your father has been trapped. There is no reason to keep you alive." replied Axel as he snickered.


    "Now!" spoke Venessa as she looked at Kahn.


    He quickly activated the artifact given by her and a yellow-colored crystalline barrier instantly appeared around him,pletely encapsting his body.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    With two loud bursts of aura, one yellow while the other being crimson red¡­ Hector and Venessa took out their swords as they revealed their battle intent.


    Hector nodded at Venessa as he revealed his rank of a 2nd stage saint. She nodded back and brandished her sword which instantly caught fire.


    At this moment, both the imperial scions let go of their differences and formed a temporary alliance given the perilous situation.


    Meanwhile, Kahn was forced back over a kilometer distance as he was protected from the shockwaves of the aura explosions full of saint pressure.


    However, nobody paid attention to him as their targets were the imperial scions. To them, Kahn was only a cksmith with no fighting capabilities. And he couldn''t even leave the barrier even if he wanted to. So nobody paid attention to this newborn chick.


    All the figures suddenly ascended in the sky using their saint pressures and surrounded each other at reasonable distances of a couple of kilometers.


    Unlike Havi, both of them were not under some sort of suppression barrier. And right before Kahn''s eyes, a fight broke out between the members of the Hero''s Party and the imperial scions.


    Each one facing 3 members on their own.


    Kahn then looked at the two individuals who still hadn''t made a move.


    Axel and the ck armored trident user behind him¡­ these two were the strongest members of the Hero''s Party but only decided to watch from a distance for now.


    A fierce battle between two melee ss fighters and mages, tanks and archers took ce in a 10 kilometers region.


    But as time passed, both of them were suppressed because although they were strong, both the imperial scions were outnumbered.


    "Looks like we have no choice." spoke Hector as he nced at Venessa who was fighting on the other side.


    With a loud bang, tworge fire pirs rose in the sky and in just 20 seconds, two transformed figures appeared in front of everyone after the fire subsided.


    "Holy shit!" Kahn couldn''t hide his amazement as he was taken aback after seeing the bloodline transformations of the imperial family.


    Hector''s height was multiplied by twice while his waving fiery hair turned waistlengh. The two hornsing out from the sides of his head elongated and they too caught fire. However, unlike his normal appearance, a third horn protruded out of his forehead. The current aura he emitted was of a 3rd stage saint, equally rivaling that of Axel in every sense.


    The de of his greatsword also caught fire and exuded a threatening pressure.


    Before Kahn could get a glimpse at Venessa''s transformation, Rathnaar spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [Kid¡­ you''re in for a big show.]

 Chapter 632 lmperial Bloodline

    Chapter 632 lmperial Bloodline


    Kahn watched from afar how Hector''s entire physique was now transformed as soon as he activated his imperial fireborne bloodline. He was now twice the original size and his oppressive aura already hinted that he wasparable to at least a peak 3rd stage saint.


    And finally, Kahn got to see her transformation and he was quickly transfixed after looking at her form.


    p!


    p!


    Two massive wings made of pure and searing hot fire like that of some divine bird appeared behind her back.


    The burning sword in her hand had now transformed into a blood-red spear while leaking an intensely as well as terrifying aura.


    This time, the previous white and green armor Venessa wore for the cksmithing Duel also transformed.


    Her entire armor set revealed some parts of her skin such as belly button and arge portion of her thighs while many intrinsically designed golden and silver patterns stood out on her new appearance.


    There was a golden tiara that covered her forehead while green and long skirts spread like drapes also gave her a sense of royalty in terms of appearance.


    The cksmith in Kahn was appraising the quality of her armor using his senses.


    [Quasi-Legendary! Her weapon and armor are all of quasi-legendary rank.] spoke Kahn inwardly.


    Compared to her previous appearance when Venessa fought as a swordmaiden, the armor changed itself to aid her transformed style of a spearwoman. Even the gaps on her armor actually helped in rapid and flexible movements when fighting.


    Only a skilled craftsman like Kahn could instantly notice these changes.


    [So beautiful.] said Jugram in a worshipping tone after sensing the purity of Fire expelled out of those wings on Venessa''s back.


    [She doesn''t disappoint. Her control over the fire element is still the best I''ve seen yet.] spoke Rudra in an affirmative voice.


    Both of them sounded as if they were this close to start worshipping Venessa.


    [Pay attention kid¡­ her Fireborne bloodline is twice as effectivepared to Hector despite having the same father.] said Rathnaar as he too noticed these changes in her aura.


    To the first emperor''s words, Kahn replied calmly.


    [Well, it''s because her mother was a human.


    After her birth, Venessa only had the appearance of a human but her fireborne bloodline was a more prominent factor in her physiology. It kept bing stronger as she grew up and hence, it''s purerpared to her stepbrother without a doubt.]


    But the next moment, Rathnaar snickered and spoke in a conniving voice...


    [Kid¡­ try to win her heart if you can.


    Although that Mikealson n girlfriend of yours is a one-in-a-billion gem¡­ this Venessa isn''t bad either.


    Plus she''s a princess. Who knows she might turn into a useful chess pieceter.] said Rathnaar, cunningness exuding from his tone as he shamelessly suggested this notion.


    [Shut the fuck up, old bastard! She''s my friend. And I''m sure you''re just trying to use her in case you somehow gain control over my bodyter. Do you think I''m a fool to blindly believe you?] retorted Kahn.


    [Plus I''m alreadymitted.] he iterated.


    [Tch! So obstinate. What''s wrong with adding powerful women to your harem?


    Even I had 3 wives and 6 concubines when I was alive. Don''t think about this matter so seriously. It''s normal here unlike your previous world.] said Rathnaar without a shred of guilt.


    [Tch! That''s one of the genres I hate the most. No thanks¡­ I''m a one-woman type of guy.] said Kahn as they focused on the battle instead.


    Unlike thest time Kahn and thepany saw Venessa fight at the southern border of the Vulcan empire where she could only summon a hundred meter tall dragon head when she roasted a legendary rank Jatvuarym monster alive¡­Venessa could now summon 3 long dragons simr to the Asian culture mythologies Kahn used to read in the novels.


    All three of these long dragons had short legs and no wings but were at least 200 meters in total length while their bodies were made from condensed and scalding hot crimson red fire.


    Hector on the other had 4 summoned greatswords, each one was 50 meters in height that attacked enemies from long distances and also defended his blind spots when he was fighting against multiple enemies. These greatswords infused with his bloodlinepletely made up for his disadvantage of a melee n warrior as they covered both range and defense at the same time.


    Compared to Venessa, Hector appeared stronger than her because his aura wasparable to a 3rd stage saint while Venessa''s own saint pressure appeared to be that of a 2nd stage saint¡­


    However, Hector''s expression was full of amazement as he noticed Venessa greatly suppressing her three opponents as she fended off their attacks and even forced them to retreat few kilometers back.


    [She''s only using one-third of the bloodline while I''m using all of it. Yet she''s already this strong.


    No way¡­ has she even surpassed father in terms of potential?] he thought inwardly.


    ROARRR!!!


    Windstorms made with scorching fire appeared in the middle of the battlefield as Venessa''s dragons attacked her enemies and burned every ce they struck. Whether it was the ground filled with wild grass or the tall trees¡­ everywhere these dragons passed through instantly caught fire and smoke filled the surroundings as the battlefield went aze.


    Even Venessa herself was fighting like a truly seasoned spearwoman and wantonly beat the hell out of Tamak, Edna and Mike¡­ the three members of the hero''s party.


    Previously, Venessa was on the backfoot because all of them were 1st stage saints. But now that she was using one-third of her bloodline¡­ she easily turned the tables on them.


    Forget a princess¡­ Venessa now looked like a Warrior Queen who could obliterate an entire army on her own.


    Even someone with great battle experience with powerful people during his life, Rathnaar praised her fighting techniques and the way she was in control of the entire battle without leaving the smallest opening for her enemies.


    STAB!!


    But just when the situation seemed like it was getting under control¡­ a sudden cmity struck.


    Even Kahn failed to see this sneak attack and had his eyes wide open in disbelief.


    Out of nowhere, a sword had pierced a tall fireborne''s chest from behind. This sword belonged to none other than Axel who struck when his target was engaged in a fierce battle while fending close range attacks of three enemies at once.


    Before Kahn and Venessa could even grasp the situation¡­ Like a cold-blooded murderer¡­


    Axel killed Hector.

 Chapter 633 Battle of Saints

    Chapter 633 Battle of Saints


    A grim atmosphere ensued and Kahn, as well as Venessa, were too stunned to speak as both were rooted on the spot after Axel stealthily appeared behind Hector who was engaged in a fierce battle with 3 enemies at once. Before the first prince of the Vulcan empire could even react, the Hero of Fire plunged a sword into his back.


    Both of them were equally matched in terms of strength and saint rank already. But because Hector was distracted, Axelnded a decisive killshot without any resistance.


    Kahn quickly understood that this was the reason why Axel and the other saint beside him hadn''t engaged in the battle. And now, only he and Venessa remained, surrounded by enemies from all sides.


    Kahn''s gaze thennded on Azerog who was recording the whole scene using an artifact.


    [What the hell are they nning? Recording the murder of a prince¡­ what''s their angle?] he wondered.


    BOOM!!


    At the very next moment, Venessa attacked from the other side, instantly reaching towards Hector while Axel disappeared from the location.


    Hector''s body fell from the sky but was quickly grabbed by Venessa. The third princess noticed a horrified and indignant expression on Hector''s face, his body as lifeless as it could be.


    "Dammit!" cursed Venessa and looked towards the surrounding members of the Hero''s Party. However, she was thinking with a clear mind and wasn''t affected by her stepbrother''s death.


    What worried her most was the death of an ally during the battle and now, it was one against eight people.


    She then looked in Kahn''s direction who was still standing on the ground under the crystalline barrier.


    [If I''m defeated, they will kill him too. I need to protect both of us and stall for time.


    But I don''t even know if there will be any reinforcementsing. They must have taken every precaution beforehand.] thought Venessa as he quickly assessed the situation.


    Among all the three imperial scions, Venessa had the most experience in terms ofrge-scale battles and fighting multiple enemies. Hector was more of a politics guy and not a warrior. Thus he failed to see through the sneak attack and fell in battle.


    [Dammit! If he makes a move on Venessa, I''ll step in. All of you be ready.


    This battle will be ugly and might expose us.] said Kahn to his subordinates.


    Because now, their situation was bleaker than before with no certainty of life.


    "Send it." spoke Axel who appeared beside Azerog, the 4th stage saint fireborne.


    "It will take some time since it will go from many channels and finally reach them.


    What do we do about the princess till then?" iterated and asked Azerog.


    "We stick to the n, of course. We will capture her first. And then¡­" said Axel as he grinned while looking at Venessa. Next, his gazended on Kahn who was looking at the whole scene.


    "I''ll deal with him myself."


    ----------------


    Meanwhile in the northern ins, a heaven-shaking battle ensued as four 7th stage saints, who were just as strong as the three faction leaders of the noble factions in Rakos Empire were now engaged in a gruesome battle with the Emperor.


    Havi was now surrounded from four different sides while getting incessantly attacked by all four enemies while his strength was suppressed to the level of a sixth-stage saint.


    With the three fighter ss opponents, he was already in a dire situation. But after the pope himself was revealed to be a 7th stage saint as well¡­ he was only able to fend off while avoiding life-threatening attacks.


    Shwwooommm!!


    Havi quickly dodged and 300 meters long violet-colored windde that cleaved through 10 kilometers of barrennds in just a few seconds. The speed of the attack was impossible to evenprehend for someone like Kahn who was but a 1st stage saint.


    Havi quickly appeared 2 kilometers away as he evaded the attackunched by Donatello, the dual-ded spear user.


    But suddenly, a ginormous fist made with condensed world energy that sized around 100 meters in heightunched from above as Raphael, the brawler ss saint attacked Havi.


    BOOM!!


    5 kilometers of area was instantly turned into smithereens and nothing but a deep and endless pit remained in the ground.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Havi barely managed to escape at thest moment and appeared 7 kilometers away from the point of impact.


    The burst of the attack made from world energy on a whole different level than normal saints could ever imagine. And on top of it, this wasn''t even 10% of the real battle strength of a 7th stage saint.


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    ng!!


    ng!!


    More than 10 thousand blistering red swords and a massive 2 kilometer tall metallic gray colorunched them together at Havi was already on backfoot. And this time, there was no way for him to dodge this attack move made by Leonardo, the Knight fireborne.


    [Dammit!] cursed Havi and quicklyunched his own attacks.


    Soon, his legendary rank burgundy red spear made a thrusting movement towards these thousands of swords that sized 100 meters each, more than 20 thousand zing and highly condensed spears that were even longer appeared and faced the attack head-on.


    Hundreds of shockwaves appeared and broke through the sound barrier in session as the two sides shed and Havi''s figure was flung across and crashed on the ground until he finally adjusted his stance after getting thrown 10 kilometers away.


    Although it looked like these saints were trying to harm Havi¡­ in reality, they were just tiring him out.


    "Havi! I have good news." spoke Demiurge and quickly activated a projection artifact.


    A massive holographic screen appeared and soon showed a particr scenario of a battle.


    "NNNNNOOOOO!!!" Havi''s agonizing cry filled with grief resounded in the 20 kilometers of radius, instantly shattering nearby terrain.


    "I''ll kill!! I''ll kill every single one of you!! And that bastard¡­ I don''t care if even Hetrax turns against me¡­ I''ll kill that fucker with my bare hands!" shouted Havi as he finally lost his sanity.


    The next moment¡­ he thought about Venessa who was still facing the Hero''s Party by herself.


    As her father, Havi no longer cared and thought in his mind¡­


    [If I use it¡­ I won''t live for long. But I must save her at all cost.] he spoke to himself and took a drastic measure that would cost him greatly. But at this moment¡­ he stopped thinking about the consequences.


    He spoke in a grim voice filled with absolute wrath that sent shivers to all the seventh stage saints¡­


    "None of you are leaving out of here alive!"

 Chapter 634 First Transformation

    Chapter 634 First Transformation


    Havi let out the most threatening aura as his voice filled with bloodlust resounded across the battlefield. Just now, the Pope showed him the scene of Axel killing Hector, Havi''s firstborn and eldest son. This revtion instantly made him lose his calm and he revealed his enraged face.


    Havi did not stand the ceremony any longer and forcefully activated his bloodline powers. The bacsh was too great and under the me Killer formation, his body was no different than someone falling deep inside the sea, unable to bear the water pressure.


    However, as soon as he saw Hector''s death¡­ Havi lost his voice of reason and went berserk.


    BOOM!!


    RUMBLE!!


    RUMBLE!!


    The clouds in the sky parted ways as a massive explosion of scalding fire destroyed everything in the 20 kilometers radius and even the thousand kilometer wide suppression formation flickered for a while.


    In the middle of the sky, a 1 kilometer tall figure was suddenly revealed in the center of the explosion as the scorching mes subsided.


    [I won''t be able to keep using the forced bloodline transformations for long. I must find Venessa as soon as I can.] he spoke to him.


    As for the four 7th stage saints¡­ their expressions turned gloomy after seeing Havi''s transformed figure.


    [How?! Didn''t the me Killer formation seal his abilities to use the bloodline?!] shouted Leonardo.


    [Impossible! This shouldn''t be happening. How the hell is using his imperial bloodline?] spoke Raphael because they all could sense that Havi''s rank suddenly rose to 7th stage saint rank despite the restraints of the suppression barrier.


    [This¡­ the ancient records never mentioned anything. Could it be¡­ he''s using some sort of forbidden technique?


    Yes, that should be it!] thought Demiurges.


    [But it doesn''t matter. He won''t be able to maintain it for long. We will wear him down and then kill him when he''s suffering from. The bacsh.] suggested the pope.


    Finally, the mespletely dispersed and Havi''s figure became clear to all four of them.


    Havi was now a kilometer tall white-haired giant with 6 hornsing out of his head.


    Previously, he had only two hornsing out from sideways but now, two small horns protruded from his forehead while two long ones grew up in the middle of the head.


    Havi''s entire body was covered in a zing red flesh-like armor made of white bones as his hands grew long ck nails. Even his eyes turned dark red with no iris in them while on his back, 4 gigantic white wings made of bones that spanned 500 meters each spread around him while revealing his full killing intent.


    The very next moment, Havi summoned more than 100 blood-red spears, each one sizing 300 meters in length, made of those very mes that previously dispersed and Havi divided them into a group of 25 as they attacked all four opponents with lightning speed.


    For the first time since their onught against the emperor started, all four of the 7th stage saints felt a sense of dread now that he transformed himself into this form.


    Crackle!


    Whoosh!


    BANG!!


    Each of the spears filled with densely condensed world energy targeted the enemies like homing missiles covering the distance of 20 kilometers in just a few seconds as they left only sonic booms and shockwaves in their wake.


    Havi was no longer ying around, going straight for the kill in his enraged state.


    Soon, the tide of the battle turnedpletely and the seventh stage saints who were previously suppressing him were forced to retreat at least a hundred kilometers away while constantly dodging the spear attacks while using their own techniques and skills to fend them off.


    Their speed was so fast that even their afterimages formed a couple of secondster after they passed through an area.


    Everywhere these fire spears passed through, the ck and reddish soil was melting because of the heat exuded by each of them.


    Even a Priest ss individual such as the Pope himself was having a hard time fending off these attacks and providing support for the other fighters at the same time.


    All of them understood that their previous tactic of hit and run or chipping out Havi''s defenses would no longer work. And given their experience, all four of them became aware that if they didn''t go all out soon, Havi will take them down one by one before his transformed state ended.


    And in the end, it will be his victory and their 100 year old n wouldpletely fail.


    On the western side of the battlefield, Havi quickly appeared in front of Leonardo, with his original legendary rank spear that was also transformed at this point and grew in size. To him, Leonardo in his normal size now appeared like a small mosquito, waiting to be killed.


    SLASH!!


    Without even giving the former a chance to react, he made a vertical sh.


    Shatter!!


    A 400 meter wide crevice formed on the ground after the Havi made the sshing attack and cleaved open the surroundings while trying to kill the knight saint.


    Swoosh!!


    Leonardo barely escaped in a nick of time and had a haggard expression. If that beam of energy had hit him, he would''ve received a grave injury. And even if he managed to fend it off, his own armor and weapon would be greatly damaged.


    If ckwall were to be present here in his titan form, he instantly would''ve been incinerated after getting hit by those mes.


    Terrifying battle noises filled the northern ins as the fight between these mighty saints destroyed dozens of kilometers of ground in seconds. The clouds in the sky changed their directions from time to time just from the aftershocks of these attacks.


    In just an hour, all 7th stage saints were in a miserable state. If not for Demiurge, the pope healing them from time to time and granting them defensive buffs¡­ at least two of them would be dead by now.


    "Dammit!! It should be him in our position. Why are we being oppressed by him instead?" said Raphael.


    All of them were now working together in a team formation because fighting individually would not help in protecting themselves from Havi.


    "What do you all say¡­ should we use that Ancient Relic?" asked the Pope.


    All three of them instantly agreed as if they knew what Demiurge was talking about.


    "Although it will halt our rank as saints for a century¡­ it''s still better than dying." said Donatello.


    "Alright then. Together, we will use the¡­"


    The pope spoke with an aghast expression now that their hands were forced¡­


    "Pandora''s Box."

 Chapter 635 Source of Power

    Chapter 635 Source of Power


    After being forced to retreat and gather in a formation to defend themselves as the transformed Havi thwarted their ns to kill the emperor in a battle of attrition. Now, the Pope suggested a way to get out of their predicament and evade certain death.


    Because as things stood, the 100 kilometers of the battlefield was no different than a pit of fire because of Havi''s constant attacks even though his rank was simr to theirs. Forget about him getting weakened over time¡­ it will be all of them who would fall in battle first.


    But as soon as the Pope suggested using one of the church''s most prized relics that was handed down from one Pope to another¡­ they all agreed despite the repercussions of being unable to rank up for the next hundred years.


    Firebornes lived around 200 years on average. Even more if one was a high-ranked saint. And all of them were 7th stage saints, 3 of whom purposely faked their deaths while the 4th one had been patiently hiding his new rank up for the past few years.


    Waiting for another century after they took over the Vulcan empire was still a pretty sweet deal. But to do so, one had to stay alive.


    Thus, without even discussing for long, all of them instantly agreed.


    "I was saving Pandora''s Box for the Hero of Fire to use after he became a Peak Saint. It could help him cross that final threshold and help him be a Demi-God.


    But none of it will be possible if we''re also dead." spoke Demiurge with a gloomy countenance.


    His expression showcasing his unwillingness but none of them seemed to have any choice.


    "This power is enough to help in bing a Demi-God. But since four of us will be using it¡­ it will help us raise our ranks only by one.


    Still¡­ it should be enough for us to kill him before he uses 100% of his bloodline ability." spoke Leonardo, the oldest one among the four 7th stage saints as his 1 kilometer tall shield specter defended against Havi''s furious attacks.


    All of them were aware that Havi was forcefully using only 50% of his bloodline. And if he wasn''t suppressed because of the mer Killer formation, every single one of them would already be dead.


    Without further adieu, Demiurge quickly summoned a massive treasure box with ancient insignias and archaic formations and all four of them opened it together.


    SHRILL!!


    A high-pitched and terrifying noise filled the vicinity and Havi, who was already a 1 kilometer tall titanic figure¡­ was forced to step back.


    "Too much! So this is what a Demi-God is like.


    We are lucky that we''re sharing it¡­ otherwise even a 9th stage saint would''ve easily died because this power is simply too much for anyone below peak saint." spoke Raphael as all of their bodies were quickly encapsted in divine golden auras.


    This was one of the biggest assets of the church and kept hidden from over 700 years and now it was finally being used.


    An invisible barrier protected these four 7th stage saints and even Havi couldn''t break it with all its might.


    [Not good! I need to kill them before their rank rises!] thought Havi. He was an 8th stage saint originally, obviously he could tell the strength and density of world energy rising in them just by feeling it.


    DHAAAANGGGGGG!!!


    A sky-devouring explosion urred like a nuclear bomb going haywire and even Havi in his transformed state was forced to retreat 50 kilometers away.


    And finally when the battlefield settled after a minute¡­ 4 massive figures that were four times bigger than his own appeared in the region.


    All of the four assants had transformed into monstrous beings that gave off the auras of 8th stage saints on their own.


    Donatello turned into a 4 kilometer tall demonic figure with a skull for a head and had four ck horns; two nting downwards while two upwards. On his back, two bat-like wings that spanned half a kilometer each spread wide while a long serpent-like tail was revealed behind his waist.


    The middle of his chest glowed red as if a river of blood was running under it and his entire body possessed the appearance of rotten flesh.


    His double-ded spear also transformed into a massive 2 kilometer long spear and glowed violet.


    On the other side, Raphael aka the pugilist saint turned into arge red monster with no eyes but had four oversized arms while a lot of bone spikes appeared around the corners of his arms and shoulders. He too grew a tail akin to that of a lizard.


    Leonardo, the Knight saint was not averse to such terrifying transformation either.


    The shield he held transformed into a force field shield that had scalding fire in its core and appeared like it had demonic eyes in the center. The sword in right hand also became a 500 meter weapon that was made out of pure magma.


    Leonardo''s entire body transformed into pure fire with no bones or any physical outlines but instead, he had be one with the armor and the helmet he was wearing. He was now a walking-talking volcano himself.


    And finally, Demiurge also achieved a unique transformation by turning into a green-colored creature whose upper body was solid and looked humanoid in structure but the rest of his lower half turned into abination of pure fire and ck fog as if he was born from these two separate existencesbined.


    Every single one of them was now as taller than many mountains on earth and their strength and ranks also rose by one.


    In the Vulcan empire, only the imperial family had the ability to transform into such grand and terrifying beings. But now, the four saints of the Church of Hetrax also managed to achieve that feat albeit at a great cost.


    Havi, who was already running out of time had a countenance of trepidation. The whole flow of winning just changed sides and there was still no way to get out of this inconspicuous barrier.


    This was probably going to be thest battle of his life. He spoke in a tyrannical voice instead of cowering in fear, his tonepletely firm and resolute¡­


    "Looks like I have no choice but to go all in."

 Chapter 636 The Primordial

    Chapter 636 The Primordial


    After their incredibly enormous transformation that turned each of the seventh stage saints into a being akin to a world cmity, Havi stood stupefied and also facing mental pressure.


    But he understood that he no longer had a choice. And now¡­ his hands were forced to make a hard decision that could make or break his entire life and decide the oue of this dreary battle at the same time.


    Because if he did not¡­ these enemies who now wereparable to 8th stage saints each, Havi would die a gruesome death and soon, the Church would take over.


    And his biggest fear was that Venessa''s life would be destroyed if he allowed the church to seed. He did not wish to see the same fate as those innocent women who turned into Axel''s victims befall his own daughter.


    Before, Havi was using a forbidden technique mentioned in the imperial n''s ancient records that forcefully allowed him to activate his bloodline even under the suppression of the me Killer formation.


    But the downside of this technique was that the bacsh from the suppression was destroying his body from the inside as his bloodline was getting burned up forcefully.


    He was already putting himself at great risk by essing 50% of his bloodline in this state but the possible oues in case he didn''t¡­ were far more severe than just losing.


    Finally, Havi let go of his spear and ascended high in the sky, only after reaching over 10 kilometers did he stop.


    "What''s he trying to do?" asked Leonardo.


    "No! He''s trying to activate his full bloodline!" bellowed Demiurge, his new fire and mist form sending tremors in the surroundings as he spoke.


    SCREECH!!


    An ear-deafening screech of a monster suddenly permeated the 100 kilometers, just the shockwaves that reached the ground instantly ttened the already destroyed battlefield.


    But as a result¡­ even the me Killer formation was consistently flickering due to aftershocks. Hundreds of those massive 15 kilometers tall white pirs started flickering and fading as if being destroyed from the atomic level.


    Even the four ginormous 8th stage saints were thrown off 20 kilometers far like cannonballs, unable to bear the brunt of this aura expelled by Havi.


    If this battle was happening in a popted zone, dozens of millions would''ve already died and hundreds of kilometers of living zones would''ve been razed down just from these shockwaves alone.


    Finally after the dust settled¡­ even these ginormous saints felt like they were still not under the control of the battlefield.


    They already used their biggest trump card in the history of the church''s existence. But Havi just pulled one over them again.


    "He really did it¡­ he achieved the perfect transformation¡­" spoke the Pope in a bewildered tone.


    "Even the formation is unable to suppress him for long. If we don''t kill him soon, it might get destroyed in the process." spoke Leonardo as he took the front in order to defend their team.


    "Impossible! He really turned into one of the 3 primordial creatures." said Raphael as he revealed the name of the archaic creature that even the Godbeast Roc was said to be a direct descendent of¡­


    "Simurgh."


    ----------------


    SCREECH!!!


    Another soul-shattering battlecry resounded in the surroundings and Havi''s final primordial creature transformation was clear as day to everyone.


    High in the sky, an 8 kilometers tall bird that was even a bigger world cmity based on its size pped its 4 kilometers wide wings. Havi was now even taller than the frigging Mount Everest.


    This primordial bird creature had 2 heads, two wide wings and two legs with 300 meter long talons. But its body was divided into two regions.


    The left side of the body was abination of golden yellow and red. While the Eagle-like head had a beak breathing out red fire. Even the eyes of this head expelled fire simr to a cksmith''s furnace that could melt solid metal.


    The right side of the body was abination of blue and gray while emitting a dark blue fire from this portion of the body. And unlike the left side, this side of its body was expelling ice and clouds of it as if they were being created on its own whim.


    Havi, who had nowpletely transformed into an extinct species of the world, gazed at his opponents while emitting absolute and tyrannical killing intent.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ he''s now a 9th stage saint!" shouted Demiurge inplete disbelief as all of them sensed Havi''s transformed aura.


    Soon, another heaven-shaking battle urred. A plethora of unique and decisive battle skills were used by the 8th stage saints with impable teamwork.


    Hundreds of kilometers of space was devastated and destroyed during the battle no matter which side attacked.


    Havi not only had the advantage of rank, but the transformed form gave him too many powers. He now understood why Godbeasts had the word ''God'' in them. And he had transformed into something that even exceeded their level.


    As the fierce battle continued for a couple of hours, Havi adapted to the enemy side''s skills, formation tactics and carefully created openings using his new skills.


    Tornadoes and des made of blue fire that not only burned everything to cinders but also corroded everything it touched in few seconds gradually started depleting all the mana and world energy these enemies had.


    Even a brawler ss like Raphael couldn''t directly engage in a head-on battle against Havi. Leonardo''s defensive skills wearing down because of the red fire that was superior to his own and turned his skills against him after gaining control over the fire emitted from his body itself.


    As for Demiurge, there was no smug expression on his face. Because his transformed form after using the Pandora''s Box was half made of fire and the red fire was greatly leeching off his own powers and using it against himself.


    The blue fire on the other end messed with the mist properties of his body and started corroding him from the inside.


    And finally, this whole situation led to what Havi wanted to see the most¡­


    An opening in the formation.


    BOOM!!


    SHRILL!!


    Without giving them a chance to react, Havinded in between their battle formation as he gave a domineering look to all the four saints. Finally¡­


    It was time to kill.

 Chapter 637 The Final Strike

    Chapter 637 The Final Strike


    Havi in his Simurgh form was a terrifyingly titanic and monstrous bird-like creature. And even the four 8th stage saints now couldn''t defend themselves against his onught.


    If this was an open-scale battle between two empires, just the aftershocks were enough to kill tens of millions of people. Havi himself was capable enough to raze and pulverize thousands of kilometers of area and kill over a billion enemies easily after his transformation.


    And because of his primordial bloodline made him a beingparable to a 9th stage saint while forcefully gaining that much power against the suppression of the me Killer formation¡­


    Havi finally found an opening to make a decisive strike as soon as hended in the middle of their battle formation.


    All four of the enemies were 4 kilometers tall in size, halfpared to his own. But that also made them an easy target.


    Havi was now covered in blue corrosive mes controlled by the right side and the right head of his body while the golden fire expelled under themand of the left head was stealing strength from Demiurge and Leonardo who had be the creatures of fire after using the Pandora''s Box.


    For the first attack, Havi pped his wings and attacked Raphael, the brawler saint who stood 10 kilometers away from him. This great distance was crossed by him in mere seconds as the world energy reserves in his body were tremendously vast and overpowering.


    Before Raphael could even attempt to retreat, both of Havi''s talons grab Raphael''s lower arms while the two beaks of respective heads plunged themselves into both his shoulders.


    "Arrrghrrrrrrr!!!" wailed Raphael, the two different kinds of fires were burning him alive and the same time while the talons and the heads were pulling him apart with immense might.


    As for the others¡­ Forget attacking or helping their ally, no one could evene close in 2 kilometers proximity because of the firestorm covering his body.


    And right before everyone''s eyes, Havi tore Raphael into two from the middle as he screamed, dying a horrifying death.


    Shock!!


    Dread!!


    The remaining saints were dumbstruck and had an aghast expression of fear.


    "Dammit!! We can''t even leave. Otherwise, this barrier will break apart by itself. This bastard is even more terrifying than his grandmother." said Leonardo, who was the Holy Champion from the era when Havi''s grandmother was the Empress of the Vulcan empire.


    But because of his words, one of Havi''s heads turned to his the knight saint''s side and locked his killing intent of the saint standing 12 kilometers away.


    In just a few seconds, Havi shot himself like a bullet and appeared right next to Leonardo as if he directly teleported in front of him. The following second, the golden head plunges itself into Leonardo''s chest and started sucking in all the fire his body was made of.


    Even the once best warrior of the church of hetrax didn''t get a chance to react in time


    In the end, nothing but a colossal skeleton spine remained with no flesh or blood around it. Havi''s golden head from the left side of his body could absorb and control fire itself. Hence, Leonardo couldn''t even resist as he watched his entire existence being absorbed by Havi in dozens of seconds and died a helpless as well as pitiful death.


    Without even sparing a nce at the fallen enemy, Havi soared in the sky and now targeted the demonic creature with bat-like wings aka Donatello.


    Donatello''s attacks made from his world energy that looked like violet winddes were quickly repelled by Havi just with a p of his ginormous wings, he didn''t waste any time and used both unique mes of his to simultaneously burns down Donatello''s rotten flesh.


    "No!! Spare me!! Aeh!! Arrr!!" an agonizing scream assisted with a plead for mercy.


    But Havi didn''t even flinch as he granted Donatello a gruesome and terrifying death while thetter''s wails resound in the battlefield.


    With this, all the three fighter ss enemies, who were the big trump cards set by the church to kill him, were now massacred brutally.


    And finally, his furious eyesnded on Demiurge, the Pope who himself yed the biggest role in destroying Havi''s life and killing his family.


    With a p of the 4 kilometer wide left golden wing, 8 different fire typhoons appeared and soon surrounded the Demiurges from all different sides. And because of the ability of this golden fire to eat up fire and control it¡­ Demiurge, who was now partly in green fire and mist form was restricted from moving, stuck at the same spot.


    [You killed my elder brother by selling him out to the enemy empire.


    You killed my father and my wife by destroying them from the inside using that poison. Now your death shall be the same.] he transmitted his thoughts to Demiurge who was bewildered and fear-stricken to his core.


    Havi appeared in front of the Pope, he forced the corrosive blue fire and started roasting the pope alive.


    ROAR!!


    Demiurge roared like a wild beast under the extensive pain as the emperor burned his body to cinders slowly. In his final attempt to escape, the popeunched a terrifying attack¡­


    BOOM!!


    Havi''s left golden head exploded from the attack but the Simurgh form kept incinerating the pope under themand of the right blue head.


    Even though he felt unimaginable pain, his anger and hatred kept him going as he was exacting revenge for the death of his father, brother and wife.


    The most agonizing and excruciatingly painful torture took ce despite Havi losing a head. But soon, Demiurge stopped moving as he helplessly watched his own body turn into dust from the inside.


    Just like that¡­ the pope who wanted the church to reign supreme in the Vulcan empire, nning everything since over a century, finally lost his life at the hands of the emperor.


    Crack!!


    Crack!!


    Thousands of cracks were heard in the northern ins like the crisp sound of ss shattering¡­


    Havi quickly noticed that the me Killer formation was breaking apart as soon as he killed Demiurge who seemed to be the one controlling it since the beginning.


    However, Havi felt no sense of contentment or victory. Because there were more urgent things to do.


    Without wasting another moment, Havi with his remaining head ascended high in the sky and spread his wings wide open as he flew in the direction of the eastern grasnds.


    [Hang in there Venessa¡­ I''ming for you!]

 Chapter 638 No Choice

    Chapter 638 No Choice


    Havi finally managed to kill off his enemies and turned out victorious at the expense of sacrificing his bloodline and life force as he turned into one of the primordial creatures named Simurgh. But even after avenging his family¡­ he was still more worried about his daughter who was surrounded by enemies and hence, he quickly departed for the Eastern Grasnds of the Vulcan empire.


    ----------------


    THREE HOURS AGO.


    Inside the 50 kilometers wide istion barrier that sealed Kahn, Venessa and now deceased Hector along with the Hero''s Party¡­ was a decimated and burning battlefield.


    BOOM!!


    CRACKLE!!


    The six members of the hero''s party were riddled with wounds and hard 2nd-degree burn marks while seeping blood from many injuries. All of them were being healed using health and Stamina recovery potions while a massive and flickering protection barrier was constantly getting bombarded by massive meteor-like fireballs, each big enough to destroy a group of thousand soldiers instantly.


    The loud noises of the bombarding fireballs resounded and sent tremors in the 15 kilometer range, hundreds of massive crevices formed in the ground while thousands of trees and nts set aze as a gigantic flying creature hovered in the sky, creating andunching these fireballs at the hero''s party incessantly.


    Kahn also gazed at this enormous creature that was even twicerger than Oliver in his Thunderbird form.


    [Kahn! Run away, you idiot! Their target is me. But they will kill you for certain if you stay.


    I will create an opening for you. Use it and leave because I can''t maintain this form for long.] this bird creature transmitted its thoughts to Kahn.


    An hour ago, after Axel sneakily killed Hector and sent the recording Venessa used 100% of her bloodline and transformed into a one kilometer tall bird creature.


    Her head looked like that of a swan with a sharp and pointy yellow beak. Two rainbow-like ginormous wings that spanned 400 meters were fully spread across the battlefield. A 200 meter long red feathery tail and an overall iridescent blue and green plumage body akin to a peacock now flew high in the sky.


    On the border of the wings and the chest area was a thickyer of golden armor, part of Venessa''s original armor that too had transformed along with her.


    But even so¡­ this form was not a fully developed form since the transformation had no legs or talons as Venessa was only a 1st stage saint originally.


    After this transformation she achieved by using her imperial primordial bloodline, her strength and aura wereparable to a peak 3rd stage saint while she gained the ability to summon massive fireballs and firestorms constantly with her newfound abilities.


    [The moment I try to retreat, they will target me instead. And then you will be forced into taking a defensive stance instead of attacking them.


    It will give them opportunities to attack you. In the end, you will also lose your chance to kill them and it will change the direction of the battle.] replied Kahn as he analyzed the situation.


    [Huh¡­ how does he know of battle tactics so well?] thought Venessa.


    All she heard from Kahn was indeed the case. The moment she was distracted and lost the prerogative, they will turn into the losing side.


    Venessa aimed to break this barrier and destroy the cross Axel held in his hands which was the very thing keeping this barrier active. Otherwise, there was no way for them to escape.


    [Other than me, Jugram and Rudra, possibly ckwall¡­ no one can stand this type of heat.] thought Kahn to himself after seeing the intensity of the fire released from Venessa''s attacks.


    As for him leaving¡­ he could easily do so but a cksmith using a Space Law ability would risk revealing his identity. On top of it, Venessa would be stuck here, left at the mercy of the hero''s party after her transformation period ended.


    At this moment, because Axel and Azerog, who were a peak 3rd stage and 4th stage saints respectively; had taken the lead¡­ Venessa was unable to suppress the enemy side and destroy the barrierpletely.


    She also hadn''t developed her primordial form properly yet and could only exert strength up to peak 3rd stage saint so even her biggest trump card couldn''t turn the tide of the battle.


    Kahn on the other end didn''t intervene directly because from his understanding of the battle so far, their intention seemed to capture Venessa without hurting her and not kill her like they killed Hector whose corpse was ced on the other side of the battlefield.


    Although he could help using his dimensionalw skills, none of it would go unnoticed by any parties because there were no weaklings here and the enemy side had fighters who were above by 2 to 3 stages.


    On top of it, Kahn still hadn''t seen Axel use any of his Divine Abilities or the Divine Weapon.


    He didn''t want to waltz into the battlefield like an idiot, thinking he could win just because he had a plethora of skills. In the end, knowing your enemy''s moves could help you dictate the flow of the battle while overestimating yourself will lead you to certain death.


    Because of these reasons, Kahn still hadn''t acted out and patiently waited to gauge the enemy side''s battle prowess, all of their skills and abilities while deciding who would be the best to use against them.


    Another hour passed and finally, Venessa lost her ability to maintain the form. The ginormous body started shrinking and a massive cloud of smoke formed around her body.


    "Go! Capture her!" shouted Axel and the party members quickly surrounded Venessa who waspletely weakened, barely able to fly in the sky as her world energy reserves were almost depleted.


    The party members activated 6 identical artifacts and trapped Venessa, whose face was full of sweat under a one kilometer wide suppression barrier again.


    BOOM!!


    CRACK!!


    But as soon as it was formed, a massive 500 meter greatswordposed of six different elements suddenly appeared in the air out of nowhere and quickly struck the suppression barrier, instantly breaking it apart.


    "Looks like no reinforcements areing in the end." a loud voice suddenly resounded in the air and a man adorning a dark gray longcoat appeared next to Venessa.


    "Let''s not drag the fight than it already has." said this man and a ck greatsword suddenly appeared in his hand.


    He looked around at the baffled expressions of everyone including Axel and spoke in a domineering voice¡­


    "Alright, boys¡­ let''s get to work!"

 Chapter 639 Stepping ln

    Chapter 639 Stepping ln


    In front of the weakened and out-of-breath third princess of the Vulcan empire, hovered a man with a gray longcoat, white shirt, ck undercoat, a ck tie and open-finger gloves. His hairsbed from the right side of the head while his gaze was firm as his entire body emitted an aura of reality and dominance.


    In his right hand was a pitch-ck greatsword that gave off a terrifyingly oppressive aura, instantly putting everyone from the enemy side on alert mode.


    Lucifer had nowpletely transformed after Throk reforged it using the guardian dragon''s horn. Unlike before, it was no longer just a pitch ck greatsword with sharp edges and red magma veins spread across it.


    Now, there were multiple vibrant red outlines on both edges of the de while two small dragon heads were carved on the hilt, each of them appearing as if they were trying toe outside of the sword itself.


    The triangr-shaped edge of the sword was enough to quickly stab through anything but what made Lucifer more terrifying was the two extra small des following right behind it.


    If someone were to be stabbed with this greatsword now¡­ not only will their blood follow after the de was pulled out; but so will their flesh and bones with it.


    As for the central region, the design was intrinsically enhanced with dragon scales while a visible stream of magma appeared in the middle of the de and the guard. The two small dragons had their mouths opened and leaked some of the blistering fire of this magma.


    And finally, the hilt itself appeared as if it was made of pure magma as it glowed crimson red but didn''t harm the user in the slightest while the pummel also leaked a bit of scorching fire.


    This was Lucifer in its Legendary Rank Weapon form.


    And just by pulling it out, Kahn had warred off the hero''s party from making any unnecessary moves as soon as the greatsword revealed its aura. Because this aura was actually a pure dragon''s pressure.


    Previously when Kahn used the now perfected Dragon Strike attack, the strength in it was doubled just because Lucifer itself had upgraded and Kahn didn''t feel any burden on his body in the slightest.


    Compared to when he was only a semi-saint in Rakos Empire, Kahn had allocated 5 doppelgangers to master his upgraded battle skills and techniques. One of them was tasked withpletely mastering and perfecting Dragon Strike.


    And now it was no longer an amalgamation of different elements forcefully put together but a perfectly bnced and blended version of 6 different elements such as fire, water, lightning, wood, earth and wind in perfect sync as if they were all in a harmonious rtionship while incorporating with each other as part of a single being.


    Added with Lucifer''s upgrade and Kahn''s own world energy, the Dragon Strike made a statement and instantly deterred the enemies from making a move.


    "Alright, boys¡­ let''s get to work!"


    ----------------


    Axel and all the other members of the hero''s party had no time to react or counterattack.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!!


    First, it was Kahn who suddenly appeared in their battle unlike the time when he was only watching the whole battle from afar like a weakling with no powers or abilities to fight.


    And now¡­ 7 more figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere, instantly forming a battle formation around Kahn and Omega.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Loud Sonic shocks filled the 30 kilometers of the surroundings as all of them revealed their dreary and oppressive auras in session.


    All of these new arrivals were fully armed and equipped in their previous armors and gears they had since their time in Vessen. It was the extra set Albestros had made for each of them using the Invimarak''s body.


    ckwall floated in the sky at the front, creating the first line of defense as he fearlessly appeared between their group and the hero''s party.


    Omega and Jugram appeared a few hundred meters behind him on the right and left sides respectively.


    Ceril and Armin appeared in the middle, the Magician instantly cast a protection barrier on Venessa while the Healer epassed her body in a green aura, giving his best to heal her injuries and close the long and deep wounds she received during battle.


    Finally, Ronin and Oliver protected their backs as they appeared at the very end. The human and the Hawkman instantly brandished their daggers and bow respectively.


    Everyone from the enemy side was also bbergasted, giving them an incredulous look as these people appeared out of thin air.


    As for Venessa¡­ Kahn floated in front of her while the princess still had her eyes wide open and mouth agape.


    Among these people, she had only seen and knew of Omega and Jugram as saints before. Although saints were rare, the top 3 saint cksmiths had 2 to 3 of them hired. So she was never suspicious about their origins.


    But now, there were a total of seven saints.


    And top of it¡­ Kahn was also floating in the air and probably made that tremendously terrifying sword attack that instantly broke the suppression barrier in just a single strike.


    Means he too was a saint and not a semi-saint as she imagined after the cksmithing duel.


    However, Omega and Jugram were a bit familiar to them because they met before when the church sent them to create a scene in front of Throk''s mainpany building.


    "Aren''t these the outsiders hired to protect Oakenshield by the imperial n?" asked Tamak, the 3 meter tall orc battleaxe warrior.


    "The space is already sealed here¡­ no teleportation scroll should work.


    So how and when the hell did they get here?" asked Edna, the subus enchantress member.


    [Oh, looks like they really don''t know my real identity as Hero of Darkness.] thought Kahn because they all associated his subordinates with the perfect cover of hired bodyguards they made for thepany a year ago.


    But the main question still lingered in his mind as he asked himself¡­


    [Then why the fuck was I kidnapped?!]

 Chapter 640 Testing Waters

    Chapter 640 Testing Waters


    While everyone was taken aback by the arrival of 8 new saints on the scene¡­ Kahn was still perplexed after showing his real rank because even after running a few simtions in his software aka the brain, he still couldn''t find a valid reason about why he was brought along with Venessa and Hector here.


    [What am I missing? Should I try to extract more information from them?] he thought calmly.


    "All of you! Be ready! There''s only one 3rd stage saint.


    Rest of them are only 1st stage saints including that cksmith guy.


    We can still kill them and capture the princess!" ordered Axel who quickly recovered from his shock and brought back his team''s attention to the present moment.


    "Kahn¡­ when did you be a saint?" asked Venessa, her tone expressing her curiosity and worries together.


    "No time. I''ll exin everythingter.


    First, we need to get you out of this ce." spoke Kahn.


    The enemy side didn''t know his real identity even now. So he didn''t need to intentionally reveal it either.


    [Dammit! I have so many abilities to escape from here unscathed and without engaging in a battle. But I can''t get her out without destroying that artifact Hero of Fire is holding.] he thought to himself.


    As for why Kahn suddenly decided to reveal his rank and decided to intervene at this point?


    Although he could wait it out¡­ there was a risk of Venessa getting captured even if he hadn''t exposed his hand.


    He wasn''t willing to bet on her staying unharmed after that. Because many artifacts could seal her powerspletely after Venessa was captured by the hero''s party. Who knew what other ns they had?


    Even so, there was another reason that made him decide to step into the battlefield¡­


    That whilst in the time of peril, when Venessa was running out of strength and was on herst straw¡­ she still tried to create an opening to help Kahn escape without caring for her own well-being.


    Kahn wasn''t the kind of guy to leave his trusted people behind, especially in times like these when they tried to protect him by risking their lives while having absolutely no reason to.


    Unlike those who only called themselves as Friends only when things were advantageous and favorable for them¡­ Venessa had proved her worth as a true friend when the cmity struck, someone really trustworthy and reliable in the time of need.


    Kahn always repaid kindness and loyalty 10 times as one of his mottos. And it wasn''t going to suddenly change because the enemy side had two stronger fighters.


    Besides, he had already seen enough of the opposition side to know how to take care of them¡­


    As for Axel and Azerog¡­ he had his own means even if the situation became unfavorable for him.


    "Let''s test the waters first." said Kahn andmanded all the generals and Omega.


    Shing!!


    BANG!!


    Without wasting a single moment, all of them excluding Armin, was healing Venessa charged at the enemy sides.


    ng!!


    Omega directly shed against Azerog, the 4th stage saint and pushed him behind instantly, stopping only after they created a distance of a couple of kilometers between them and the rest of the hero''s party. Omega was so quick that even Axel only saw an afterimage a momentter after the dual swords samurai passed around him and struck against Azerog.


    Sparkle!


    Sparkle!


    Shrilling noises filled as Omega oppressed the fourth stage saint who barely reacted in time,pletely forced to backfoot because he hadn''t expected Omega to attack head-on.


    "Defeating you like this¡­ has no meaning." said Omega as he forced down Raijin against Azerog''s trident and sparks appeared in between the two weapons.


    "Be fully prepared, fireborne. After that, we''ll settle the matter." spoke the right-hand man and kicked Azerog, throwing him off a hundred meters in air just with a simple kick.


    [What the hell! How is he so fast? And why does he already have a physique as strong as a 4th stage saint?] wondered Azerog and recovered his stance. He was the strongest guy in the room based on the logic of ranks and levels, yet he was the one getting his ass pped.


    Jugram on the other end engaged with the orc called Tamak. A giantsword and a massive battleaxe shed against each other and both of them instantly engaged in fiercebat of pure strength.


    ng! ng!


    Shing!


    Crisp sounds resounded in the air as both sides equally exchanged moves with their respective opponents.


    Kahn also directly engaged in a battle against Axel who used an epic rank sword.


    "Nice sword. But I could''ve made it even better." said Kahn in a mocking tone with a smile.


    This was neither Axel''s Divine Weapon nor was it something noteworthy in his eyes. Kahn could instantly tell that Axel didn''t even use it often because of the crappy fighting skills he disyed while being pushed around by just a 1st stage saint.


    The Hero of Fire had his jaw dropped on because of surprise. This guy he thought of as a weak ant turned out to be someone capable of standing toe to toe in terms of physical strength despite being only a 1st stage saint.


    For the next 10 minutes, all of them fought their own battles and retreated to the center.


    [So what do you all think?] he asked them telepathically.


    "They''re equally matched." said Ceril.


    "They''re good. Worthy to be called the best-talented people of the young generation. They''re really strong¡­ but the thing is¡­" spoke Jugram.


    "We''re stronger if we lift the restriction on our bodies." replied Omega instead.


    Because in reality, all the subordinates had their 20 levels and stats ording to their ranks lowered when they were in their human forms. Thus during this exchange, most of them couldn''t fight at their peak, just more than enough to y on even terms because they were not in their true forms.


    "I guess we have no choice but to get involved in this fight even though we have been dragged into a war we know nothing about."


    And finally, Kahn gave them amand to equip their armors and weapons as he spoke with a diabolical smirk¡­


    "Let''s show them who''s the real boss here."

 Chapter 641 Balrog Armor

    Chapter 641 Balrog Armor


    As soon as Kahnmanded his subordinates to equip their respective armors and attack the members of the hero''s party¡­ everyone got out of the formation and targeted each member of the opponent team.


    Soon, after pushing them afar from the middle of this 50 kilometers radius¡­ the battlefield was divided into 8 parts.


    For safekeeping, Kahn sent Venessa with Armin who was fully capable of both healing and protecting her with his skills. The main purpose was to let her recover peacefully while they kept everyone at bay.


    And this is how¡­ The real battle began.


    ----------------


    At one corner of the battlefield, flew a 4 meter tall green orc battleaxe warrior whose opponent was none other than a 3 meter tall human donning a red armor. The former was a second stage saint while thetter was only a beingparable to a 1st stage saint.


    Tamak was now facing Jugram, the Hellzer general who was one of the hard hitters of Kahn''s group.


    The main reason why Jugram chose Tamak to fight was because both of them were Berserker ss warriors and the most important part was that Tamak could use Ice Element whilst Jugram had the Chaos Element that thrived on battle and blood of the enemies. On top of it, Jugram was associated with Hellfire because of his Superior Chaos Demon bloodline. One held a battleaxe while the other used a giantsword.


    This hellfire was many times more potent and powerfulpared to people with the normal fire element.


    If someone like ckwall stood against Tamak, then it would be a long and dragged-out battle instead of a head-on sh.


    "You stood very proudly that day after our party made a scene." spoke Tamak who was taller than average orcs.


    At this moment, he spoke about the time when the hero''s party caused trouble in front of Throk''s mainpany building.


    "And who are you, again?" asked Jugram in an overbearing tone.


    Rumble!!


    Tamak let out his green and blue aura as he gave a dreary look towards Jugram. Thetter just insulted him by hinting that he wasn''t even someone worth remembering.


    "Tch! A weak trash dares to talk down on me¡­ and a human at that?" he spoke in a scornful voice.


    "I''m a peak 2nd stage saint while you''re only a peak 1st stage saint. You''re overestimating yourself by trying to fight with me." said Tamak as he gave a contemptuous look to Jugram.


    "That would indeed be the case if I''m not in my true form. But now that master has permitted me to use the new gear, let''s Duke it out." replied Jugram.


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion filled the surrounding 2 kilometers region as Jugram revealed his full aura and summoned his new armor and the giantsword Throk made for him using the guardian dragon''s body, hide, ws and horns.


    RUSTLE!!


    RUSTLE!!


    Thend and trees on the ground instantly caught fire after Jugram revealed his full aura and now, he was donning his new legendary rank gear set and weapon.


    A greatly reinforced ck and Red armor with sharp and pointed yellow extensionsing out from here covered Jugram from head to toe. And in his hand, was a crimson red giantsword that looked like a weapon of some Demon Lord as it was covered in theyer of hellfire and blood at the same time.


    [Master, can you lend me that system of yours to get details of the effects of my new armor and weapon?] asked Jugram to Kahn who floated in the air 20 kilometers away.


    [System, use me as a medium and give them all details and information about their stats, their abilities, ranks of the skills and effects of their own weapons and armors through Telepathy Link ability.]manded Kahn.


    [Command epted. Beginning analysis.


    Analysisplete.] replied system in its usual lifeless and robotic voice.


    Jugram then asked.


    [Tell me system, what Buffs and enhancements I have now.] ordered Jugram.


    [The system detects that the new armor and the weapon are capable of absorbing and help general Jugram use his bloodline and true legendary rank form specifics abilities without fully transforming.


    Although those abilities will have only 50% of effectiveness, range and attack damage output, the user will be able to still use them without transforming.] reported the system.


    "Good. Means I don''t need to always fight in my true form. This way, I can battle without revealing my origin as a variant monster." spoke Jugram as he smirked.


    The very next moment, his red and fiery aura covered his body and the armor and the giantsword started absorbing it without wasting the smallest bit.


    And right before Tamak''s eyes¡­ Jugram''s appearance started to change.


    The short ck-haired Jugram went under a form of transmutation while expelling a chaotic aura out of his body.


    "Arrrggghhhh!!" roared Jugram like a monster who just made a battlecry.


    BOOM!!


    Another burst of chaotic aura full of hellfire filled 1 kilometer of radius and finally, Jugram''s new and terrifying appearance was revealed.


    He now had two big ck and red horns that leaked fireing out the sides of his head. Both sides of his horns joined together and formed a band over his forehead. Now, Jugram''s eyes glowed dark red with no iris in them while his once ck hair now turned into shoulder-length white hair simr to how Kahn had long white hair in his Asura Mode in vot city when he fought against Solomon. And around Jugram''s entire body, was an aura of scalding hot hellfire.


    Just then, the system started giving him details.


    [Following are the statistics of general Jugram including the effects of the Balrog Armor set and Ares giantsword :


    Name : Jugram


    Species : Diablos (Variant Superior Chaos Demon)


    Job : Hellzer (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 294


    Strength : 28760


    Agility : 19936


    Dexterity : 17658


    Defense : 14510


    Mana : 9371


    ---------------


    Following are the strongest abilities and skills the general is already in possession of.


    King of Fire (Saint Rank)


    Marauder King (Saint Rank)


    Wrath of Vajra (Saint Rank)


    Frenzy Berserker (SSS Rank)


    Rage Demon (SSS Rank)


    Hell Domain (Saint Rank)


    Blood Storm (SSS Rank)


    Chaos Emperor (Saint Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : True Demon


    Current bloodline purity : 57%] the system gave Jugram his basic information first.


    But as soon as he heard the full effects of the Balrog Armor set and Ares giantsword¡­ he gave a wide smirk to Tamak and openly challenged him for a battle by pointing his weapon at the orc.


    "Let''s dance."

 Chapter 642 Bloodthirsty Ares

    Chapter 642 Bloodthirsty Ares


    Jugram challenged Tamak in his own style as soon as he heard the effects of his new armor and giantsword from Kahn''s system.


    [Following are the effects of the legendary rank Balrog Armor set :


    Bloodline Transformation :


    Allows the host Jugram to infuse his Chaos Demon Bloodline into the armor, thus unlocking all of his abilities that could be previously used only in his true form.


    Hell Domain, King of Fire and Chaos Emperor can now be used without transforming into the Diablos form.


    All the physical stats and attack damage output has been doubled while using the Balrog Armor set.


    ----------------


    Limit Breaker :


    The suppression of 20 levels in the host''s stats has been halved. Now, general Jugram can use a total of 80% original strength in his legendary rank form.] reported the system.


    This also exined the transformation of Jugram suddenly growing those two fiery horns and white hair as part of the true demon bloodline effect.


    As for his new dark red giantsword Ares¡­


    This legendary rank giantsword was a 2.5 meter long weapon made for butchering and chopping off dozens of enemies with a single swing. Forget defending¡­ just the impact from this weapon could send the enemies flying.


    The weapon itself gave an eerie and dreadful feeling just from the design that had a demonic skull on the guard while two bat-like wingsing out of it. With the dark red de itself, it looked like the weapon of a demon king that was thirsty for blood.


    [Following are the effects of Ares giantsword :


    Blood Sacrifice :


    Allows the host to absorb the blood of the enemies to reinforce the weapon and increase its attack power with time.


    The more blood absorbed from the target, the higher chances of applying a Laceration effect on Ares which will increase the bleeding effect on the enemies.


    Apostle of War :


    The more time spent by the host using this weapon during a battle and more critical hitsnded on the opponents, the higher critical damage and total damage will be delivered against an enemy.] dered the system.


    For someone like Jugram who thrived on battle, both Balrog Armor and Ares were the best tailor-made sets for him. By no means did it fail in front of Kahn''s Drakos Armor and Lucifer in any way.


    ----------------


    Tamak was thoroughly infuriated at Jugram after being treated like a weak opponent by the enemy despite him being obviously stronger. However, he hadn''t made a move yet because not only Jugram''s armor and giantsword gave him an instinctual fear as soon as they were revealed¡­ but his transformation where he grew horns and appeared like a war god also made him be cautious.


    While he was contemting how to approach Jugram in a battle, thetter had no intention to give him time to think.


    Jugram had already watched Tamak fight through Kahn''s shadow and he knew about all the skills of the enemy.


    ng!!


    Two massive weapons of both the saints shed and the impact of a frozen battleaxe against a fiery red giantsword.


    des of massive icicles formed around Tamak and he quickly shed the battleaxe to cut Jugram in half.


    Ching!!


    Jugram was pushed a few hundred meters back. This was a battle of saints. Even a small swing of the weapon associated with world energy and their respective elements was enough to kill thousands of people with a single strike. Thus, just the aftershocks were enough to push your enemies few hundred meters away.


    "No time ying around. I''ll finish it quickly." spoke Jugram and decided to go all out because soon, there was going to be another battle.


    He quickly activated Hell Domain from the get-go and a massive 2 and half kilometer wide infernal domain instantly appeared around them as the whole surrounding was filled with scorching red hellfire.


    This was his special saint rank ability that helped him create a 5 kilometers wide battlefield filled with Hellfire. All the enemies in this field would have their strength and defense reduced by 75%.


    But because he wasn''t in his true form, the current limit was two and a half kilometers while the Tamak only lost 37.5% of his defense.


    Jugram activated his Hellzer legendary ss effect.


    The temperature of the surrounding 2.5 kilometers was instantly raised to 250 degrees celsius.


    Tamak in return summoned an Ice blizzard using his skills in one kilometer radius and tried to protect himself from this intense heat that was chipping down his strength.


    But little did he know that once both Hell Domain skill and Hellzer ss effect were activated together¡­ the defensive properties of all the armors, weapons and artifacts from the enemy side would be decreased by 50%.


    Under the influence of the Hell Domain, unless the weapons and armors had ice attributes and elemental properties¡­ they would start melting after a few minutes.


    But this didn''t mean Tamak was impervious to these attacks. Just that he wouldst longer than those without Ice elemental gear and affinity.


    While Tamak was using the world energy and various skills to protect himself from the hellfire, Jugram quickly activated Frenzy Berserker skill.


    This was a SSS Rank skill where Jugram could enter a frenzied state for 40 minutes during which, the strength and defense stats would also be raised by 300% while the attack damage would increase by 600%.


    Means Jugram who already had double the physical stats because of Balrog Armor, now received 6 times more strength while attacking.


    But as if this wasn''t enough¡­ Jugram decided to use Marauder King, which bypassed 80% of an enemy''s physical defenses. This skill was only usable by those who used a greatsword, giantsword or a battleaxe.


    So only Kahn, Jugram and ckwall could use it in their group.


    And as a result, Jugramunched a barrage of shing attacks filled with hellfire on already struggling Tamak whose entire body was steadily losing world energy because he was trying to protect himself from the hellfire.


    And because Jugram was using his peak level Berserker skills that were far superior than his own, Tamak started losing grip of his battleaxe and also received lots of injuries in the meantime.


    But soon, he noticed that the blood that fell from his wounds wasn''t dropping on the ground but flew towards Ares as the giantsword was absorbing it. As time passed, the weapon of his enemy wasnding even fiercer and more powerful hits.


    And finally after 30 minutes of battle¡­ Tamak ran out of world energy. His expression waspletely haggard and he was sweating profusely while the bleeding on his body increased because of Ares'' Blood Sacrifice and Apostle of War effect.


    Jugram was already a better and more experienced fighter than him.


    Unlike Tamak who learned his skills in an academy, Jugram learned and perfected his skills on a real battlefield.


    Shatter!!


    Tamak was left speechless as Jugram made a powerful horizontal sh with Ares and shattered his epic rank battleaxe covered in frost like breaking some thin ss.


    But before the disbelief in his eyes subsided, Jugram suddenly leaped higher and quickly plunged Ares into Tamak''s neck.


    "Urrgrgghhhh!!" groaned Tamak as his own blood started choking him.


    However, in the following moments, Ares started absorbing all the blood from Tamak''s body as it was thirsty from ages.


    Jugram then forced down Ares fully and cut Tamak in half without speaking a word or showing mercy.


    Even in death, Tamak''s mind was utterly shocked because he still couldn''t ept that he was killed by Jugram who was one rank below him and supposedly 5 times weaker than him.


    With a horrified countenance, his body fell from the sky on the ground while Jugram was looking at other battles with Ares on his shoulder,pletely unbothered by the fact that he just killed a 2nd stage saint as he spoke in an exasperated voice¡­


    "What a fucking boring battle."

 Chapter 643 Atlas Armor

    Chapter 643 As Armor


    While Jugram was done with killing Tamak, a second stage saint, on the exact opposite side of his battlefield that was still burning as an aftermath of Hell Domain activated by the Hellzer general¡­ was an ongoing sh between a mage and a tank.


    Strong gales of visible high pressured winddes and spears spread over a 3 kilometers radius bombarded against a shield held by a 3 meter tall human hybrid who had tworge bull-like brown hornsing out of the sides of his head.


    ckwall was now facing a Dark Elf mage from the hero''s party. Whether it was Rakos or the Vulcan empire¡­ Dark Elves were extremely rare and even rarer among the saints.


    However, the one faced by the Abyss Knight general was a Wind elemental saint magician and he was currently being suppressed by the barrage of the winddes and spearsunched by this opponent.


    "I, Rodan Wisdokaar will not lose to a mere tank who can''t even touch me." spoke this dark elf with pride.


    Although ckwall managed to push him to this end of the battlefield by making a surprise attack previously¡­ now that he had collected himself, Rodan had takenmand of the battle.


    In actuality¡­ ckwall was an Earth elemental primordial titan. This mage named Rodan excelled in using Wind magic skills and spells.


    Even the massive maelstrom that had surrounded and also secluded their battle from the outside world was no different than a dome of wind elemental spells and constructs that incessantly attacked ckwall, forcing him to retreat from time to time.


    Based on his characteristics and elemental affinity¡­ ckwall was only weak against 3 elements. Darkness, Lightning and Wind. On top of it, the opponent also was a long-range attacker with excellent speed and maneuverability in a battle. So in simple words¡­ Rodan was his natural nemesis.


    But as soon as Kahn gave the order to the system to let all the subordinates have ess to detailed information about their new armors and weapons¡­


    "System, give me details." he ordered.


    [Following are the Stats of the general ckwall :


    Name : ckwall


    Species : Kronos (Variant Titan)


    Job : Abyss Knight (Ancient Rank)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 297


    Strength : 29204


    Agility : 21894


    Dexterity : 17327


    Defense : 41985


    Mana : 22628


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities :


    Titan Physique (SSS Rank)


    Elemental Durability (SSS Rank)


    Titan''s Rage (SSS Rank)


    Marauder King (SSS Rank)


    Wrath of Vajra (SSS Rank)


    Terrain Maniption (SSS Rank)


    Titan Descent (SSS Rank)


    elerated Regeneration (SS Rank)


    Earth Sense (SS Rank)


    Mineral Control (SSS Rank)


    Transmute Minerals (SS Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Primordial Titan


    Current Bloodline purity : 32%] reported the system.


    "Good. Now let''s see the effects of my new gear." he said.


    ckwall also instantly changed into his new As Armor set while he equipped Aegis shield and Heracles battleaxe just with a simple thought.


    BOOM!!


    A massive burst of brown aura shook the flow of the maelstrom and pushed back Rodan who flew higher than his enemy in the air.


    And as the aura subsided, ckwall was revealed in apletely different armor and weapons that gave exuded overbearing and highly dense pressure.


    After ckwall infused his bloodline simr to how Jugram did after summoning his gear¡­ the appearance took a drastic turn.


    When Throk presented the As Armor back then, it was only a dark gray armor but now when infused with ckwall''s titan bloodline, the changes be very noticeable.


    A 3 meter tall massive and ripped man was covered in a thickyer of armor from head to toe. On his head, was a golden-brown helmet that had two hornsing out from the top, belonging to the titan subordinate himself.


    This helmet had only openings for his eyes and mouth while it appeared to be made of very sturdy material.


    ckwall''s entire torso was covered in the thick dark gray and golden yellow patterned armor that not only looked sturdy but also made him look like a murder machine on its way to destroy an entire army. The gauntlets, the shoulder pads and the chest area had golden-brown design outlines while the rest was made of dragon''s ws and hide with the hint of red glowing patterns as if a volcano was moving underneath.


    The waist had a reinforced yellow belt and his legs were covered with greaves and sabatons that would help him cement his standing on the ground.


    Compared to his previous appearance, ckwall now looked like the endgame boss of a video game himself. Even if you brought hundreds of yers, you still wouldn''t be able to kill this type of tank.


    "Details." hemanded in a stoic voice.


    [Following are the effects of the As Armor set :


    Immovable Mountain :


    Allows the host ckwall to create a defensive barrier made of earth elemental attribute by harnessing the physicalposition and rigidity of the ground and terrain in 5 kilometers radius without needing to use the user''s own mana or world energy.


    The stronger and sturdierposition of the nearby terrain, the stronger this barrier will be.


    ----------------


    Iron Will :


    The longer period of time faced by the user ckwall while defending against enemy attacks, the more defense buff will be added to his physical stats.


    Every 10 minutes will add 10% of defense that will be stacked on the user''s stats with passing time.] replied the system.


    "Good. Means I can drag this battle for a long until I aplish my main goal." he spoke in a masculine voice and looked at Rodan as he used Aegis to cover his front.


    Till now, ckwall was only defending against the Wind Magician. And he didn''t attack the enemy even once for a very good reason.


    Because Rodan was a wind elemental enemy. Even if he wanted to kill the dark elf¡­ this guy excelled in fleeing using his skills.


    But there was a reason why Kahn told ckwall to target this mage despite having a total disadvantage against this enemy who was proficient in long-range attacks and spells.


    If ckwall was being honest¡­ it was a very simple reason but also a bit childish reason. And that was¡­


    Target Practice.

 Chapter 644 Aegis and Heracles

    Chapter 644 Aegis and Heracles


    Inside a literal tornado, ckwall firmly faced Rodan who had the high ground¡­ the high altitude as they fought in the sky under the 3 kilometers wide battlefield that was now filled with high pressured winddes, spears, a variety of spells and now, the uprooted trees and nts from the ground had also entered the fray as the dark elf attacked the kronos general from all side periodically.


    An unscrupulous expression appeared on Rodan''s face as he saw his enemy struggling against the barrage of his powerful spells and attacks.


    The tank warrior ckwall was still moving in circles as he defended against turbid wind attacks that attacked him in no particr order. So the dark elf was ted as he felt a sense of superiority in his mind.


    But unbeknownst to the wind magician saint¡­ ckwall was hatching different ns of his own after infusing Aegis and Heracles with his bloodline.


    [Give me the details on Aegis and Heracles.]manded ckwall.


    Aegis was a 2 meterrge dark gray shield with a golden-brown head of a dragon at the top center region. It had an extremely sturdy and rugged body along with small spikes poking out of the borders that allowed it to not only protect the user but also be used to damage and attack the enemies when needed.


    [Following are the effects and powers of the shield Aegis.


    Gluttony :


    Aegis shield now has the ability to absorb the damage received from attacks and spells and convert it into its own defense to reinforce itself.


    In simple words¡­ the shield will be unbreakable even against extremely strong attacks after a prolonged battle.


    ----------------


    Royalguard :


    Aegis shield has the ability to store the elemental attacks and naturally create resistance to that particr element with time. Means in front of a stronger opponent who also has elemental advantage¡­ the user ckwall will be able to bypass this disadvantage after defending against their attacks until Aegis ispletely immune against that element.] reported the system.


    [Now that''s more like it! As expected of my mentor.


    This shield would turn out to be extremely useful in a prolonged battle or an open war against multiple enemies. Even someone stronger than me won''t be able to oppress me for long with Aegis in my hands.] he spoke inwardly and rejoiced after hearing the effects of his legendary rank shield made by Throk from the guardian dragon''s horn.


    But this wasn''t the end of it all¡­ soon, the system resounded in his head again as soon as he looked at the massive battleaxe in his right hand.


    Heracles was also a dark gray colored massive 2 and a half meter tall battleaxe. But after getting infused with ckwall''s titan bloodline, the intrinsic patterns on the battleaxe also turned golden brown like the As armor.


    Now, it gave an oppressive aura of authority and dominance. Just the aura alone was dreadful enough to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies.


    [Following are the effects of the battleaxe Heracles :


    The Twelve Labors :


    Heracles has the ability to not only attack at great strength by doubling the damage based on the original strength of the user¡­ but it will umte general ckwall''s earth elemental aura on the ces it has attacked.


    If attacked on an enemy, it will inflict their body with a debuff that will slow down their physical movement.


    If the hits havended too many times, it will trigger an effect that will leave the enemies stunned and paralyzed for some time.] informed system.


    This effect suffered from Heracles would make ckwall''s enemies unable to move and paralyzed. During that period, the enemies will be no different than defenseless babies, easy to kill like cutting grass.


    ----------------


    For the next 30 minutes, ckwall only defended and acted like he was suffering a great deal of damage and lost a lot of stamina. In reality, he was letting Aegis build upplete immunity against the wind element because this immunity would be forever stored in Aegis and would stay as part of its characteristics even in future. Thus, he was using this chance to save time.


    And finally after he was done, ckwall decided that it was time to make the move.


    At this point, Rodan had depleted 80% of his mana and world energy by constantly attacking ckwall using his skills. And also this typhoon skill of his was active since the very beginning of this battle which also yed a big part in it.


    This whole fight was actually good training for ckwall who was undefeated in defense butcked range in attacking long-distance enemies so Rodan was the best candidate for ckwall to create some battle tactics. And now, the abyss knight general finally revealed his hand.


    Finally as his world energy wasing to end, Rodan realized that outside of the typhoon he summoned¡­ were hundreds of massive spears made of stones, boulders and ground soil. Meanwhile, the whole battlefield itself was epassed under a sandstorm.


    Rodan was left speechless because he never noticed that he was actually jailed inside ckwall''s own cage.


    All this time, the general wasn''t just defending by carefully creating this domain using his Terrain Maniption skill that allowed him to control all earth elemental objects in the world using telekinesis.


    This was the Mountain Titan''s exclusive ability which he got after merging with it.


    During the battle, the maelstrom of wind elemental des and spells had also destroyed the ground below and brought in a lot of stones, sand and soil as Rodan was bombarding ckwall with his spells.


    But without even realizing, ckwall was secretly manipting these very objects and carefully controlling them, waiting for the moment when Rodan lost most of his mana and world energy reserves.


    However, Rodan was also an experienced mage so he quickly summoned another windstorm and decided to use it to create an exit and escape this cage.


    But when he tried to create wind spells¡­ something unexpected happened and he quickly analyzed the root cause.


    ckwall was using the sand in the air and ordered them to rotate in the opposite direction of the wind spells and attacks the dark elf created, instantly breaking their momentum and making Rodan unable to properly cast the skills.


    In simple words, ckwall rendered Rodan useless by letting him think that he was besting the opponent without even sensing the fact that he was providing the tank enemy with a weapon using his own spells and techniques.


    However, now that he couldn''t even use his spells and ran out of his mana and world energy¡­ he was as defenseless as one could be.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Without even being unable to sense the iing attacks in this sandstorm, Rodan was pierced by a stone spear in his right shoulder and left thigh from behind.


    "Ahhh!!" he wailed in agony.


    But the next moment, ckwall quickly appeared in front of him and swung Heracles, quickly cutting off his left arm.


    "Arrgghhhhh!!" he screamed in excruciating pain.


    But before he could recover from the pain, ckwall unsummoned Heracles and picked up Aegis with both hands.


    "No! Please let me go!" he made a final plea¡­


    BANG!!


    Without thinking for a second, ckwall started bashing the elf''s head until blood spurted like a fountain and his skull was crushed while brain matter sttered in the air.


    ckwall didn''t have any victorious feeling at the moment because although the battle took some time¡­ he had to stand on his guard and only made a few moves before he mercilessly killed the 1st stage saint magician.


    ckwall looked towards Rodan''s falling body in the air and spoke in a discontent voice¡­


    "And here I was¡­ looking for a real challenge."

 Chapter 645 shinigami Armor

    Chapter 645 shinigami Armor


    As soon as ckwall was done with taking care of his opponent aka Rodan, the dark elf magician¡­ he too shifted his gaze towards the middle of this 50 kilometers radius battlefield. His gaze fixated on the happenings at the center.


    Meanwhile, on the southern end of this massive istion barrier was a scene where two enemies were probing each other by exchanging various moves.


    p! p!


    In the air, was a first stage saint female archer with the head of a raven and two ck wings on her back.


    From the first impression, one could tell that it was Mika, a hybrid archer of the Tengu species and one of the two saint rank archers of the hero''s party.


    And before Mika, floated her opponent who was a human with a ck mask covering half of his face from the left side and had dark green eyes.


    His long shoulder-length ck hair fluttered slowly while he was donning a pitch-ck lightweight assassin''s gear with two red daggers in his hand.


    This assassin who was effortlessly dodging dozens of lightning element arrows was none other than Ronin, Kahn''s left-hand man who was also the main person in charge of gathering intel, setting schemes and thinking of ways to overtake the enemies like a war tactician.


    But now, this assassin who didn''t have a single long-range attack skill was facing an archer who had excellent speed, dexterity, elemental advantage and long attack range.


    Everyone knew how Assasins only had the advantage in a battle as long as they were not sensed, exposed and had the opportunity tond the one decisive strike to kill a target. But once they were out in the open¡­ all of their advantage in a battle was gone. In simple words¡­ It was like Ronin was fighting the one enemy he was most vulnerable against among all the sses.


    After receiving Kahn''smand, Ronin also asked the system about his current stats.


    [Following are the statistics and abilities :


    Name : Ronin


    Species : Thanatos (Variant Soul Reaper)


    Job : Spirit Assassin (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 295


    Strength : 19459


    Agility : 25169


    Dexterity : 23620


    Defense : 7890


    Mana : 12378


    ---------------


    Following are the abilities and skills :


    Spiritual Sense (SSS Rank)


    Poison & Venom Immunity (Legendary Rank)


    Spiritual Replica (Saint Rank)


    Phase Shift (Saint Rank)


    Soul Collector (Legendary Rank)


    Quicksilver (SSS Rank)


    Phantasm (Saint Rank)


    Invisibility (SSS Rank)


    Fear Toxin (SSS Rank)


    Grappling Extension (SSS Rank)


    Shadow Walk (SSS Rank)


    Hunter''s Domain (Saint Rank) :


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Vilgax


    Current bloodline purity : 100%] reported the system.


    Finally, Ronin summoned his new gear and armors, infused his bloodline and quickly, his entire look changed.


    Even Mika was taken aback by this sudden and saw her enemy''s appearance change instantly.


    A slim man donning apact assassin gear that was abination of ck white and yellow. Many parts in this armor were made of ck dragon hide including the hood, the ck mask which covered his face horizontally had yellow outlines.


    The gauntlets, the shin, boots and the shoulder had golden yellow and pointy partsing out that were no different than sharp daggers themselves. And on the back, 3 long ck stripes came out that looked very simr to the grappling extensions Ronin had in his real legendary rank Thanatos form, just many times smaller.


    Overall, the Shinigami Armor set equipped by Ronin was the best assassin armor set one could get that didn''t hinder the user''s speed but rather looked like it would enhance it instead.


    [Following are the effects of the Shinigami Armor :


    The Eminence in Shadow :


    The Shinigami Armor will enhance the user''s speed, dexterity and perception of time by 200%.


    General Ronin will get an additional 50% boost in attack power while using this armor during nighttime.


    Note : Spirit Replica, Invisibility and Phase Shift skills are now essible to the general without transforming into the real form.] reported the system.


    [Good. Means I already have an advantage in speedpared to her. That way, I can fend off her attacks and those arrow attack skills easily. And with my increased speed, I can close off the distance between us as well.] thought Ronin as he sidestepped and dodged an arrow aimed at his head.


    Ronin then quickly brandished his new daggers that too had a change in appearance.


    The long daggers that previously had only ck curved des now glimmered green while all the patterns and runes on them turned golden yellow. The twin daggers now looked like the sharpest des that could even cut through a boulder swiftly.


    [Following are the effects of the Erebus Daggers :


    Death is a Mercy :


    Erebus Daggers will improve general Ronin''s critical hit chance by 80% and critical damage by 30% during a battle.


    Once hit with it, the fear toxin that was mixed with them using the user''s bloodline would apply the same effect as the fear toxin and the opponent will start hallucinating, greatly affecting their senses and response time.


    ----------------


    No Time To Die :


    Once used against an enemy via a surprise attack, the daggers will activate a stun effect that will incapacitate the target for 10 seconds regardless of their rank.


    However, the hit must be critical andnded without the enemy noticing the iing attack.


    Note : Shinigami Armor and Erebus Daggers can also be used during Phase Shift and Invisibility ability since they''re now extensions of general Ronin''s body after being infused with his bloodline.] revealed the system again.


    [I see. I was going to overwhelm her with my speed alone but now, I must test these daggers in a different way.] thought the Spirit Assassin general


    Ronin kept evading the barrage of attacks made by Mika as sheunched hundreds of electrified arrows in session using her epic rank bow and skills of an archer.


    Just then, Ronin formed a perfect n that would help him test his new armor set and the daggers while he met perfect conditions to see their highest output.


    He nced at the tengu archer who flew a few hundred meters higher than him using her wings and spoke in a solemn voice as he gave his new battle strategy a name¡­


    "The early bird catches the worm."

 Chapter 646 Erebus Daggers

    Chapter 646 Erebus Daggers


    A perfect n formed in Ronin''s mind to take down Mika who had the advantage in terms of elemental attacks, long-range attacks and distance between them while her opponentcked in all three of them.


    As Mikaunched another volley of arrows on Ronin, he sprinted forward using Quicksilver skill. This was a quick movement skill created by Kahn and only Omega and Ronin were qualified when he imparted his skills to the subordinates.


    And just within another second, he crossed the distance of 100 meters and reached 500 meters range from the tengu archer''s location.


    "No, you don''t!" shouted Mika and soon, over 300 lightning elemental arrows appeared on both her sides and instantlyunched themselves towards Ronin.


    However, instead of trying to evade them, the assassin instead threw over a dozen bombs at the arrows.


    BOOM!!


    A loud noise filled the surrounding 2 kilometer radius as the small bombs and the arrows collided. In the following moments, a massive white cloud burst from the point of impact and instantly spread across the battlefield.


    This white cloud of smoke surrounded the opponent and encircled the 1 kilometer radius in just a few seconds.


    "Using smoke bombs against someone who can fly higher¡­ what an idiot." said Mika and pped her wings.


    But before she could move, she sensed a murderous intenting from behind her back.


    ng!!


    Ronin''s daggers shed against Mika''s bow after he used the Shadow Strike skill and instantly appeared behind her.


    The female archer was quickly forced to retreat a few hundred meters in the smoke cloud.


    Next, 5 pointed extensions that looked like the tip of a spear appeared from different directions and tried to stab Mika.


    But in the end, she was an archer who also had sensory skills of her own. She quickly used one of their trump cards and the next moment, a whirlwind full of lightning creatures appeared around her, instantly warding off these hidden attacksing within the smoke.


    Croak!!


    Croak!!


    Croak!!


    The female archer just used one of her bloodline abilities and summoned over 300 ravens who had blue lightning roaming all around their bodies. Their loud croaks instantly echoed in the 5 kilometers of area.


    Because of the wind pressure, the smoke cleared in the 500 meters radius and finally, Mika saw the assants who attacked her from the smoke cloud.


    Gasp!


    She gasped as soon as she saw her attackers that she barely managed to detect in time, her expressionpletely baffled and a sense of dread appeared on her countenance. Because at this moment, she was surrounded by¡­


    Five different Ronins.


    [Is that a mirage skill? No¡­ even saint rank assassins can''t make more than 3 mirage copies when they''re at 1st stage saint rank.


    Looks like my opponent is a talented and formidable fighter.] she thought and quicklymanded her lightning ravens to target and attack these 5 Ronins encircling her.


    In truth, these were the doppelgangers created by Ronin to aid him in battle. Among their group, only Kahn and Ronin had this ability.


    Even she understood that 4 of them were fakes while one was real. And she didn''t wish to give her enemy a chance to distract her and then attack sneakily.


    As the battle progressed in all 5 directions, Mika ordered her ravens to attack fiercely while he shot her killer moves one after another whenever she found a Ronin struggling against her flock of summoned ravens.


    ng!


    Shing!


    BOOM!


    Noises of metal shing filled the surroundings and finally, Mika sessfully killed one of the copies.


    She properly isted and kept each copy engaged in battle with her summons andunched lethal strikes whenever she got the chance. But during that time, each copy kept throwing those smoke bombs towards her to blur her vision and she had to change her location too many times in just 10 minutes.


    BANG!!


    Finally, the 4th copy died and disappeared into ck smoke and only the real Ronin was left.


    "Argh! What''s happening?" asked Mika to herself as she felt her sense dulling out of a sudden and her body movements greatly slowing.


    Soon, the world around her started giving off an eerie feeling and a sense of impending threat appeared in her mind.


    [No! He could be using some skill. I need to kill him quickly!] she thought andunched his biggest summoned arrows and most fatal archery skills while the summoned ravens surrounded the real Ronin from every direction and angle.


    STAB!!


    Amidst the frenzy and chaos¡­ An arrow pierced right through Ronin''s chest and instantly electrocuted him on the spot.


    But the female tengu archer was not in the mood of taking risks. Sheunched another valley of attacks and with a bang¡­.


    Arge hole was created in Ronin''s chest as he was shot dead by the enemy. His eyes lost the light in them and his body started falling towards the ground.


    Stab!


    Another arrow pierced his heart and Mika used her saint aura to pull his body close to her.


    "What a useless fight. You''re as weak as theye." she spoke in a content and victorious voice as Ronin''s corpse flew in front of her.


    STAB!!


    STAB!!


    But before she could revel in victory for long¡­ two daggers suddenly stabbed her head and her heart from behind. Her body was instantly frozen and hundreds of ck veins spread on the exiting tips of the daggers.


    Mika didn''t even realize the fact that she died, only having a shocked expression because of the pain.


    And finally, the real Ronin appeared from behind her, giving a look of disappointment through his now golden eyes.


    Although it looked like Ronin was toyed around by Mika throughout the entire battle¡­ one couldn''t be any more wrong.


    First, he tested her senses and reaction time when he threw the smoke bombs the first time and appeared right behind her to make a lethal strike.


    But after he sensed that Mika was equally matched with him even with his buffed speed and dexterity because of her own senses¡­ he decided to use decoys.


    After Mika attacked the doppelgangers, each of them threw smoke bombs at her. But unlike before, these weren''t just normal smoke bombs but the ones made with his own fear toxin.


    This was the ability that Kahn and Ronin often used during their time in vot city when Kahn was hunting down criminals and the noble n heirs while masquerading as Azrael. It not only made the enemies hallucinate but also affected their sensory organs and abilities.


    And in this battle, whenever Mika started breathing the smoke in after the doppelgangers threw those bombs at her, her senses were being affected with time.


    And when the final doppelganger died, Ronin allowed it to keep its physical form which made the female archer think that she finally got him.


    But the truth was that Ronin had been using the Invisibility skill that he got after merging with Vilgax. This ability made his entire existence undetectable unless one was above the 5th stage saint rank.


    And right when Mika let her guard down and her senses were greatly affected because of the fear toxin, he used Erebus daggers that had Bjormngandur, the Basilisk descendants'' venom coated on them which caused those ck veins on her body, making sure she was deader than dead.


    Ronin perfectly nned every step of this confrontation and killed an enemy who had an advantage over him in every aspect using his Battle Tactician mind.


    Mika''s corpse dropped from the sky and Ronin gave an unimpressed gaze as he looked at the crashing corpse¡­


    "You''re slow, even when you''re falling."

 Chapter 647 Hades Armor

    Chapter 647 Hades Armor


    Another member of the hero''s party fell in battle against the newly arrived saints who seemed to be having ample battle experience as they effectively took down their respective opponents. It hadn''t even been an hour since they showed up but already 3 members of their party were killed.


    "No!! Mika!!" shouted a subus enchantress in grief as she saw the closest member who battled 10 kilometers away from her location getting killed by an Assassin from the enemy group.


    BOOM!!


    However, before she could react, red pentagram-shaped archaic magic formations appeared 2 kilometers high in the air and quickly created a 10 kilometers wide istion barrier,pletely sealing off any areas to exit and also suppressing this Enchantress'' body to a small degree.


    "You bastard!" eximed Edna, a 2nd stage saint Enchantress from the Hero''s Party who was also the heiress of her n.


    As for the origin of this istion barrier¡­ it was cast by the only subordinate who excelled in using magic aka Ceril, the Necromancer.


    Edna was an Enchantress¡­ this ss excelled in using magic formations to perform different purposes. Whether it was attacking, defending or enhancing a team member''s attacks and damage output¡­ Enchanter ss was a perfect support ss for a team as they could not only use various spells and skills of their own but also aid their teammates from time to time.


    Compared to a normal magician, they were hard toe by because their ss needed excellent control of mana and in-depth knowledge of magic formations that couldn''t be messed up while casting them.


    Even someone like Ceril excelled in using 6 different elements but his knowledge was subparpared to Edna because he also had another hidden ss and never felt the need to dig deep. The only magic formations he was proficient in using were istion, invisibility and suppression formations that he often used to create a barrier just like the one he cast just now.


    Edna on the other end was infuriated to see her friend who was the closest to her among all the party members die so horrifically. Yet instead of avenging her, she is dragged into a fight by this 1st stage saint magician in white and purple robes who wore sses and had a blue scepter.


    Meanwhile, Ceril was looking at his own stats at this moment, paying no heed to the curses of the subus whose bosoms were half exposed.


    [Following are the Stat and abilities of general Ceril :


    Name : Ceril


    Species : Necromancer (Variant Undead Summoner)


    Job : Apostle of Necromancy (Ancient Rank ss)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 298


    Strength : 7224


    Agility : 8237


    Dexterity : 9361


    Defense : 6289


    Mana : 21679


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities :


    Monarch of the Dead (Saint Rank)


    Darkness Barrier (SSS Rank)


    Shadow des Barrage (SSS Rank)


    Void Realm (Saint Rank)


    Rapid Mana Recovery (SSS Rank)


    Dark Magic Absorption (SSS Rank)


    ----------------


    Following are the Gifts received by general Ceril :


    Scythe of the Reaper (Saint Rank)


    Chains of Judgment (Saint Rank)


    Book of the Damned (Saint Rank)


    Note : The subordinate must be in his true form to use all 3 of these gifts.] reported the system.


    [Good, good. Soon I''ll beparable to a 2nd stage saint.] he spoke to himself.


    "Now let''s see what difference can the new gear make."


    Ceril also summoned his new robes and scepter. Previously when Throk handed them their newly reforged armors and weapons from the guardian dragon''s body¡­ only he and Kahn hadn''t infused their auras and elements to avoid revealing their real identities.


    Unlike the other subordinates, Ceril had no bloodline or something of that sort. He was a pure and honest undead lich¡­ well, a variant undead lich and became a legendary rank creature through his own understanding and hard efforts, unlike the rest who were mixed with other legendary monsters and beings to cross that rank.


    So he could only infuse his darkness element aura.


    BOOM!!


    A ck pir of darkness element under this red istion barrier. However, no one from the outside could sense or detect this sudden burst of dark magic. Edna, the one who saw this transformation had her eyes bewildered.


    Dark Magic was forbidden in their empire from the past 300 years and only undeads and monsters in the wild or inside dungeons possessed it. But somehow, there was a first stage saint who had this forbidden element associated with his body.


    Soon, the massive ck pir faded and the grim and oppressive aura started fading.


    Ceril was now donningpletely pitch-ck robes made from the dragon''s hide.


    The transformed set had a hood, chestte, gauntlets and a waist belt as part of his armor. But even so, the defense was many times better than any other mage could possibly have in the entire Vulcan empire.


    On the shoulders and chest were newly emerged small yellow skulls and one big skull appeared on his belt as well. The entire ck robe and the cloak had golden outlines and patterns while exuding ayer of dark green aura around the whole robe.


    [Following are the effects of the Hades Armor set :


    Speak of the Devil :


    Hades armor set will enhance general Ceril''s mana and world energy reserves by 50% of the original stats.


    All the dark magic and darkness elements attacks and spells now have additional 60% effectiveness, range and damage output.


    Casting time for all the spells made from dark magic has been reduced by 35% and the activation time limit for all of them has been increased by 25%.] replied the system.


    "Good. Means I can fight on equal terms with her even without transforming into my real form.


    It is better this way since master ordered us all to not reveal our true forms unless absolutely necessary." he spoke regardless of the worry of his enemy flying 2 kilometers away from him.


    "Hey there, exhibitionist subus¡­ would you like to listen to a song?" asked Ceril.


    Edna was instantly riled up and responded by releasing her killing intent.


    "It''s called¡­" said Ceril and revealed an insidious smile as he revealed the melody he wanted Edna to listen to¡­


    "Song of the Dead."

 Chapter 648 Anubis Scepter

    Chapter 648 Anubis Scepter


    Ceril gave a dubious smile at Edna who was already pissed off as it is with a mundane and roundabout talk. The words ''Song of the Dead'' clearly signified his true intentions. In simple words, Ceril implied that Edna was already good as dead and then the song of the dead would be sung at her funeral.


    Edna who had long white hair and tworge ck horns of the subus species was currently adorning purple revealing robes that exposed her cleavage, her belly and her long slender thighs. Behind her back were two bat-like wings. To anyone of the opposite sex¡­ she would appear incredibly alluring and entrancing.


    In her right hand was a long scepter with a ram''s head at the top that leaked blue fire through its eye sockets.


    But by just looking at Edna; Many would feel the popr phrase that went like this¡­


    ''Something is definitely rising. And it isn''t the Shield Hero.''


    However, to an undead like Ceril¡­ he couldn''t care less if Edna was a desirable female or a shining skeleton. He''d rather get intrigued by thetter.


    As Edna charged her scepter and summoned five 300 meters wide magic formations, Ceril let out a grin as he held his new scepter in hand that was named Anubis.


    It was a golden scepter with a circr curve of a half-moon. And along the curve were three golden spherical runes that shone brightly.


    [Following are the effects of the Anubis scepter :


    Feather of Maat :


    Grant general Ceril an ability to corrupt the enemy spells and attacks, breaking them from the inside and decreasing their total attack damage and effectiveness by 30%.


    Ammit''s Judgment :


    General Ceril can now create wormholes of dark magic and darkness element that can devour and restructure the enemy''s elemental spells and attacks to either use as mana or world energy supply for himself or use it to counter the attacker instead.] revealed the system.


    "Ha ha ha ha!


    Great! No wonder master sent me to fight her.


    I''m basically invincible now." spoke Ceril as he let out a diabolicalugh.


    Both the Hades Armor and now the Anubis Scepter gave Ceril plenty of long-term boost that will also increase with his ranks and levels as they increase with his stats.


    Anubis scepter itself would be extremely useful in this fight for many reasons.


    Kahn sent Ceril to face Edna simply for two main reasons.


    One, they had already seen how Edna was a master in using magic formations. Among their group¡­ Only Ceril had the understanding of them and could counterattack properly unlike others who were solely weapon-rted job sses¡­ except for Armin of course.


    Second, it was because Edna excelled in Light magic. It was the only element that was not only rare even among saints but also the biggest weakness of dark magic.


    On top of it, Ceril also had most of the dark magic and darkness elemental skills that Kahn had.


    So Kahn simply sent Ceril to collect data for the future and check how disadvantageous it would be for them to face someone with light element affinity. Thus, Ceril was the best choice to face Edna in this battle.


    "Alright, horny woman. I shall test your limits." dered Ceril as he licked his lips.


    Edna''s mind short-circuited on the spot because not only did Ceril call her a horny woman because of her appearance but also said he''d test her mettle while still being a rank lower than hers. No saint with self-pride would let such a remark pass.


    Little did she know that Ceril called her horny because of the two ck horns on her forehead and said he''d test her limits because he was looking for a thorough assessment of an enemy with Light elemental affinity.


    But because of his twisted choice of words and that smirk which made him look like a lecherous man¡­ Edna felt like she was being sexually harassed.


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    Five different elemental beans of attacks charged from Edna''s side who was constantly chanting her spells.


    Ceril quickly cast the Darkness Barrier which now had double the defense and range because of Hades armor set.


    He quickly used Anubis to use Feathers of Maat and Ammit''s Judgement to decrease his spell casting time and create wormholes outside of the barrier that started engulfing the varying elemental beams of world energy that incessantly bombarded his barrier.


    Through those wormholes, he started absorbing the attacks and used them as an auxiliary source of world energy for his own use.


    Little did Edna know that she was empowering her enemy with her relentless and furious attacks while thinking of ways to kill the opponent who disrespected her just now.


    Soon, without adding any dramatic effects or battle strategies¡­ Ceril was simply chipping down Edna''s world energy reserves and from time to time, he used Shadow des Barrage skill andunched over a thousand des made of dark magic that forced her to focus on defense from time to time.


    Because she was already infuriated due to Ceril''s constant banters and derations on how he was going to perform experiments on her corpse¡­ or how he was going to cut off her limbs and mix them with different species and stuff¡­ she was losing her temperament.


    And finally¡­ Edna came to her senses and started using light elemental attacks.


    A volley of beams and barrage of weapons made of Light element shed and quickly broke the darkness barrier despite the reinforcing Ceril had done and now he waspletely exposed to Edna''s attacks.


    However¡­ there was one key and decisive difference between their situation.


    Edna had barely 15% world energy left while Ceril was still at 100% because of his new personal hack called Anubis scepter.


    He let Edna attack him again and again as he was conducting tests about damage received from her light element spells and attacks. Like how one collects data in a researchb.


    "This should be enough." spoke Ceril and put away the book he was writing all the data in.


    However, the next second¡­ Ceril summoned another book. Contrary to the previous one, this was 10 meters in height and floated beside him.


    Ceril just summoned Book of the Damned and activated its effect. His mana and world energy capacity instantly rose by 600% and the effectiveness of all of his attacks and spells increased by 300% for a short time.


    Without giving a moment of respite to already tired Edna, Ceril summoned Chains of Judgment.


    BOOM!!


    Hundreds of ck chains arose from the ground below and quickly stabbed Edna''s body in multiple ces as she was already on herst straw.


    "Lord Axel, save me!!" screamed Edna as she pleaded and wailed in agony.


    Axel, who was currently facing a man in a ck longcoat clearly heard her voice. He nced at her from afar but then looked away,pletely ignoring her plight.


    Edna''s expression turned gloomy. Because everyone in the hero''s party already knew that Edna had fallen in love with Axel a long time ago. However¡­ the man she wanted to be with didn''t even bother to look at her when she was at death''s door.


    Rip!!


    Rip!!


    Cerilmanded the chains of judgement and tore Edna into 7 different pieces. The subus enchantress didn''t even get a final chance to scream in pain because her head and lungs were already torn apart.


    "Hehe he he!!"ughed Ceril as he gazed at the falling pieces of Edna''s body, a goddamn 2nd stage saint at that and spoke in an ominous voice¡­


    "Congrattions! You have been a great test subject."

 Chapter 649 Nirvana Armor

    Chapter 649 Nirvana Armor


    After Ceril took care of the subus enchantress, one of the stronger ones among their party¡­ the rest of the members including the 4th stage saint had a gloomy expression as their countenances turned worried. Because now, all three of the 2nd stage saints among their group were killed off by people who were only 1st stage saints themselves.


    20 kilometers in the southeast end of this wide battlefield, was a different scene. Because in this skirmish, there were three people involved unlike the first four.


    However, one side that had only a wolfkin archer was repeatedly attacking and oppressing two opponents who took a defensive stand from the very beginning of this battle.


    At this moment¡­ Armin was facing a 1st stage saint Wolfkin archer from the hero''s party. This wolfkin was the same archer who had tried to attack the Oakenshieldpany''s main building when the Hero''s Party visited theirpany grounds more than a year ago.


    Back then, under Tamak''s instigating, Volka attacked the building''s entrance but before the arrow could evennd a hit, it was frozen in the air by Omega''s gravityw skills.


    Armin was hiding in thepany building back then under Kahn''s orders and had revealed his aura with others to ward off the hero''s party. Thus, his face was unknown to Volka and now, thetter was engaging against this Healer general of Kahn''s group.


    A Healer vs an Archer in an open battle¡­ Everyone knew the obvious results. However, the blue wolfkin had a sullen expression after seeing 4 of his allies getting killed mercilessly.


    Tamak, the 2nd stage berserker, fell against a human who suddenly turned into a demonic warrior. Rodan, the long-range and wind elemental expert mage, fell in a battle against a tank;pletely opposite of how the battle was supposed to go.


    Mika, someone who was a 2nd stage archer and a rank above him¡­ was killed by an assassin who had no advantage against her during the fight in any way.


    Andstly¡­ Edna, the strongest among the 3 of them, was killed by a mage who could use the forbidden dark magic.


    Even though Volka was in an advantageous position¡­ he was also cautious at the moment. Winning wasn''t his first priority but rather surviving this whole ordeal was more important because their side had already lost the advantage of numbers.


    The only thing that stood between him and certain death was Hero of Fire and Azerog, both of whom were 3rd stage & 4th stage saints respectively. Under their protection and assistance, Volka believed he coulde out of this situation alive.


    As for sadness, anger or pain of losing hisrades¡­ he didn''t care about that in the slightest. In the past 5 years alone, he already knew that he was just a side-character in the party who nobody gave a fuck about.


    There were already 5 people stronger than him in the group and one of them was an archer at that. He was just a substitute to fill the quota of team members. And the worst part was that he couldn''t even leave the party at this point.


    It was always team members bootlicking the Hero of Fire every chance they got and even someone like Edna, whom he once developed interests in, was lovestruck after Axel despite him being a human.


    The popr guy always gets the girl even if that guy is a textbook asshole while the calm and quiet person gets looked down on just for existing. Volka had be a background character for their group but even he had to resort to the methods of praising the Hero to maintain his relevance in the group for the sake of it.


    "No! I''m not dying a useless death like those fuckers." thought the blue wolfkin who was 3 meters in height and had silver armor and gear for archers.


    But the next moment, Volka started at the 2nd person behind this healer who was currently standing inside a green-colored massive sphere made of wood, vines and green leaves, having a thin transparentyer like ss which made it easy to look at what was inside.


    Even though he wasn''t a mage, he could feel that inside of this spherical construct was highly condensed and enriched life force that appeared as green aura from outside.


    And the person being healed and protected inside this massive sphere that floated in the air was none other than Venessa, the princess and their main target herself.


    After Kahn and his band of saints suddenly showed up, he ordered Armin to heal Venessa who was riddled with wounds and had lost all of her fighting capacity because she faced 8 saints on her own and got heavily injured after using her primordial bloodline for an entire hour.


    The bacsh on her body along with the injuries while having all of her world energy used up had put her in a pitiful state. Thus, Kahn let Armin heal and recover her condition as the rest of the group handled their own opponents.


    At this point, many of Venessa''s visible wounds had healed but still, her mana and world energy reserves werepletely depleted because she expended all of it during her primordial bird transformation.


    [Ha ha ha! Idiots¡­ leaving the queen under the protection of a weak guard. If I capture her now¡­ we might as well get an upper hand.


    If worsees to worst¡­ I could use her to escape outside of this barrier in case our side loses. It''s better to have a contingency n.] thought Volka as he looked at the only weak guardian who flew in between him and Venessa.


    A brown-haired human with green archaic runes spread across his forehead and arms looked silently at Volka.


    The moment Armin received Kahn''s transmission, he too asked for his current strength to the system.


    [Following are the statistics, abilities & skills of general Armin :


    Name : Armin


    Species : Erdtree (Variant Yggdrasil)


    Job : The Pathfinder (Legendary Rank ss)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 291


    Strength : 7381


    Agility : 4983


    Dexterity : 23750


    Defense : 5782


    Mana : 24709


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities :


    Telepathy Link (SSS Rank)


    Life Force Restoration (SSS Rank)


    Roots of Nature (SSS Rank)


    Nature Control (SSS Rank)


    Monarch of the Forest (Saint Rank)


    Flora & Fauna (SSS Rank)


    Atonement (SSS Rank)


    Restoration (SSS Rank)


    Guardian Spectre (SSS Rank)


    Chain Heal (SSS Rank)


    Elixir of Life (Saint Rank)


    Brewing (SSS Rank)


    Infusion (SSS Rank)


    Resurrection (Saint Rank)


    Soul Reformation (Legendary Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Edenmir


    Bloodline purity : 32%] reported the system.


    "Good. I guess I can handle this guy on my own." spoke Armin and quickly summoned his new armor set and healer staff.


    And without waiting for another second, he infused his bloodline in it and the whole appearance changed in a dozen seconds.


    Now, Armin was donning a lightweight armor with green hood, gauntlet and greaves while on his torso was a ck vest that appeared like it was made with dragon''s hide. On the whole attire, were dozens of white archaic patterns here and there, giving it more mysterious and refined look.


    In reality, his entire set was made of dragon''s hide and only his staff was made with its horn.


    [Following are the effects of the Nirvana Armor set :


    Bnce of Life :


    Allows general Armin to gather life force from the nt life and wood elemental creatures regardless of their species and structure within 10 kilometers radius in order to replenish the general''s life force reserves. This effect will greatly increase the user''s health and will help in healing thousands of allies at once without needing external sources such as mana cores and ores.


    ----------------


    Price of Salvation :


    Allows general Armin to forcefully steal vitality from targeted enemies; by restructuring itsposition, the general can use it to replenish his own mana and world energy reserves.


    Note : Resurrection, Soul Reformation, Monarch of the Forest, Guardian Spectre, Elixir of Life skill can now be used by general Armin without transforming into his true Erdtree form.] informed the system.


    "Great! Means I''m no longer at a disadvantage in terms of lifesaving skills. I will be able to survive even facing an army on my own as long as there''s a forested area in 10 kilometers vicinity." he spoke in an ted tone.


    Because at this moment¡­ the entire battlefield was actually a vast forested region.


    As for the 2nd effect, it was less useful but would help greatly in an open war with thousands of enemies.


    Then, he looked at the Hermes staff that had big and green jade crystal on the top, surrounded by brown vines all around its body and was exuding life force constantly after Armin infused his bloodline.


    [Following are the effects of the Hermes Staff :


    One for All :


    Allows general Armin to use his life force to create living creatures by merging the life force with trees and wood elemental beings. All of these creations can be transformed and reconstructed based on the user''s choosing and imagination.


    As long as the general can provide an ample supply, there''s no end to how many creatures he can create.] informed the system.


    "Amazing! The Nirvana armor and Hermes staff greatlyplement each other in terms of use.


    The armor''s effects can help me create an endless supply of life force, mana and world energy and the staff''s effect could help me create an army of my own on the spot." said Armin in an exhrated tone.


    Because although he could control wood elemental creatures and nt life¡­ they had to exist there first. He couldn''t create lifeforms out of nothing.


    But now, Hermes allowed him to do just so by using his own life force as a driving medium to create and control such creatures. And Nirvana Armor would not only protect him but also work like a personal power generator by stealing life force from the surrounding.


    Volka nocked an arrow, ready to attack this harmless and weak enemy of his. However, little did he know that Armin was neither helpless nor alone. He was¡­


    A One Man Army.

 Chapter 650 Hermes Staff

    Chapter 650 Hermes Staff


    After gaining a huge boost in skills and ess to an unending supply of mana and world energy for free thanks to Nirvana Armor and Hermes Staff¡­ Armin was no longer a weak link of the group.


    Previously, he could make use of flora and fauna around him but saints always battled high in the air. So there were a lot of restrictions on how he could face an opponent in an open battle. But now¡­ things finally turned in the Pathfinder general''s favor.


    "Give the princess to me and I won''t have to kill you." spoke Volka, the blue wolfkin saint archer after he nocked an arrow, giving onest warning.


    "I''m tasked with protecting the princess. So if you want to touch her¡­ you''ll have to do that over my dead body." replied Armin without the slightest hint of fear in his tone.


    "Ah, so even weaklings look down on me now I see." said Volka and the next moment, he raised his bow towards the two suns in the sky and shot the red glowing arrow.


    Shoot!


    Whoosh!


    The arrow went as far as 2 kilometers in the sky in just a few seconds. Saint archers were no different than cavalry themselves. Their skills, range and the damage output imbued with world energy were on apletely different level. Now, Volka was no longer holding back on his skills.


    Shing!


    Soon, the arrow reached its peak height and started descending towards Armin and Venessa''s position in the sky.


    But as soon as it started its descent¡­ the arrow burst on the spot but instead of getting destroyed, it dispersed in the 1 kilometer radius in the form of small splinters.


    "Not good." spoke Armin and quickly cast a yellow-colored protection barrier over himself and Venessa inside the wooden sphere. He could sense what was about to happen already.


    In the following moments, all of the thousand splinters quickly started transforming and every single one of them started increasing in size as they turned into 10 meter long arrows made of condensed and highly vtile red glowing arrows like raindrops turning into lightning bolts.


    That one arrowunched by Volka turned into thousands of massive arrows in just a dozen seconds.


    Rumble! Rumble!


    Armin quickly used Monarch of the Forest skill. This skill was his own exclusive ability he gained after Kahn merged Armin with the legendary rank monster Ashokvatika in Vessen fiefdom close two years ago.


    It enabled Armin to telepathically control and restructure nt life as well as wood elemental creatures as their supreme monarch.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    The ground instantly started cracking as hundred of trees, their long and deep roots coiled together and started ascending in the sky after forming a 500 meter wide protective covered with wood, leaves, vines and even varieties of flowers.


    This veil-like erupted and quickly covered them under the protection barrier, forming anotheryer of defense.


    BANG!!


    Shatter!!


    Under the intense barrage of those destructive and powerful arrows, the first protection barrier started cracking and shattered in matter of minutes.


    Thud!


    Tuck!


    Tuck!


    The arrows that survived the previous collision struck the newly formed defensive and shed against the defensive veil of nt life. But soon, Volka noticed that not a single one of his arrows could pass through.


    SKRAA!!


    ROAR!!


    Crackle!


    "What the¡­" before he could make any sense of it¡­ apletely different scene appeared in front of his eyes.


    Because while he was focused on breaking through Armin''s defense, Hundreds of Treants, a wood elemental creature came into existence out of nowhere.


    Their bodies were mostly dark brown and green while covered in leaves and vines. However, unlike the normal treants¡­ their eyes glowed green.


    "Impossible! Are these created by him?" Volka asked himself in a terrified tone. He didn''t even sense when these creatures appeared around him in the battlefield on the ground.


    BOOM!!


    Volka hadn''t even managed toe out of his daze but suddenly, over a dozen 50 meters tall and massive Tree Sentinels formed around him and rose high in the sky.


    Dozens of glowing green orbs left Armin''s body and shot themselves inside these giant tree sentinels that were twice the height and width of the Colossal Titan.


    Just like how Ceril could create his Six Guardians undead giants from thousands of bones of his undead army¡­ Armin too could now create such gigantic creatures using the trees and nt life within the 15 kilometers radius.


    But this wasn''t the end¡­


    p!


    p!


    SCREECH!!


    Hundreds of bird-like wood elemental monsters with wings created from grass and leaves soared high in the sky.


    Finally, Armin who had been hiding under the wooden protective veil revealed himself.


    Armin had no attacking skills¡­ but now, he could create an army that can defend, attack, fly and control the entire battlefield.


    "You¡­ You aren''t a human, are you?" asked Venessa who saw everything from behind Armin.


    "Apart from my master¡­ no one here is a pure human. Not even that Hero of Fire." replied Armin to the princess as he sensed a very dangerous and horrifying aura from Axel who was currently facing Kahn in the middle of this 50 kilometers radius barrier.


    Venessa also gazed in Kahn''s direction and asked herself.


    "Kahn¡­ who the hell are you?"


    ----------------


    Soon, a fierce battle started between Volka and Armin''s army of Titans.


    Volka faced attacks after attacks from the tree sentinels that were being created every passing minute by Armin while from the sky, many 10 to 20 meters hawk-like monsters with glowing green bodies attacked him from all sides relentlessly.


    In the end¡­ Volka was only an archer. He only had an advantage in range and firepower but had no defensive abilities or hiding skills in a battle happening in the sky¡­


    He was currently facing over two thousand monsters who were resurrecting even after he killed them with his archery skills and abilities.


    Meanwhile, the main boss of this army of titans was watching this whole battle from behind the army of massive creatures like the Founding Titan.


    Volka was losing his mana and world energy as time passed while trying to evade sharp vines with thorns on them, making them akin to torture whips; but Armin wasn''t slightly fazed even though he was creating more and more monsters.


    Stab!


    Rip!


    Finally, the three meter Volka was struck and pulled towards the ground by a vine whip created by a tree sentinel.


    "Argghh!!" he screamed in pain as the big thorns pierced and cut deep inside his body. Soon, the other tree sentinels The vines quickly coiled themselves around the blue wolfkin''s body as well, strangling himpletely as all he could do was struggle.


    For some reason, even these tree sentinels were too strong to the point that even a saint like him couldn''t free himself using sheer physical strength.


    "I''m sorry! Please let me go! I will nevere in your way! Please spare me!" he quickly started pleading for mercy as if it was his second nature whenever he got into trouble.


    "Tch! That is such a beta mindset. At least ept your defeat and die with dignity, would you¡­" spoke Armin in an unimpressed tone.


    Compared to Volka who ran out of most of his mana and world energy reserves and could no longer fight at his peak because of the constant onught from Armin''s army that attacked the archer from both ground and sky while surrounding him from every direction¡­


    Armin didn''t even break a sweat and his expression was full of vigor and tion despite spending a great amount of his own mana, world energy and life force to create this army that could even face 10 thousand opponents easily.


    Because Nirvana armor and Hermes staff were passively generating and replenishing all of his power sources without him even having to do anything.


    Thousands of Treants and Tree Sentinels cleared the way as Armin flew towards the now entrapped Volka who had a sullen and terrified expression.


    His body was riddled with wounds and the wounds caused by the thorns were making him bleed excessively. Little did he know that his vitality was being sucked by these thorns and vines, making him anemic and weaker with every passing moment.


    "Anyst wish?" asked Armin as he floated in front of the first stage saint archer.


    "Please¡­ let me go. I will do anything you tell me." spoke Volka in a pleading tone, no longer having any sense of superiority against the Healer.


    "Denied." replied Armin and ced his right palm on Volka''s forehead.


    "Arrgrhhh!! Noooo!!" shouted Volka in agony and struggled to break out of the vines relentlessly, his body trembling and shaking haphazardly like a fish out of water. Because at this moment¡­


    Armin was absorbing in Volka''s entire life force.


    Soon, the ripped body of the wolfkin started bing thin as if he was losing all the blood and muscles present inside. Within a minute, his body started shrinking and hardening as if not a single drop of blood and water was left in his entire being.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Volka''s skin and bones cracked as he finally lost his life with horrified eyes while Armin drainrd his life force with a smug smile on his face, turning the former into a dried husk.


    Before the battle started¡­ Volka wanted to be inmand of his fate for once and didn''t want to be a side character in his own story anymore. He wanted to survive regardless of the cost and thus nned to take Venessa hostage and use her as a bargaining chip no matter which side this war shifted on.


    However, this harmless Healer from the enemy team turned out to be a world cmity himself who could create an army using just nts and trees on the battlefield.


    Volka died with regret in his heart because in the end¡­


    He still died as a background character.

 Chapter 651 Shu Armor

    Chapter 651 Shu Armor


    After draining out life force from Volka, Armin let go of the body as it fell towards the ground. Thisst move of his had a part to y soon thus he chose to give the saint archer a terrifying death.


    Thud!


    Volka''s withered body dropped on the ground but his killer paid no attention. Instead, Armin had different things to do.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Thousands of small green orbs burst out from Armin''s body as he released the life force he had absorbed from his enemy''s body.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crackling noises filled the surrounding the gigantic tree sentinels, treats and flying wood elemental creatures that he previously created returned to the ground and started to disassemble themselves through the assistance of Armin''s aura.


    Now, all the trees, vines and leaves were broken, twisted and shattered mostly after they grounded themselves in the soil. But as soon as these thousands of small green orbs filled with life force were absorbed by the flora and fauna of the battlefield¡­ they started healing on their own as if they were being rejuvenated.


    In just 10 minutes, the entire forest was back to its former state as if there was never a battle in the first ce.


    Even Venessa who watched Armin perform this miracle was left speechless. Because what he did just now wasn''t possible even for the best healers and druids in the entire Vulcan empire no matter how high ranked they were.


    Armin just brought 15 kilometers of the forested region back to life, even more vigorous and denser than before. And all she could do was watch in amazement.


    Other members of Kahn''s group were at a far distance but due to the span of their respective battlefields, Venessa sensed that none of them were normal just like Armin before her.


    [Their background isn''t simple. Could they be an elite force of some empire that tried to infiltrate into ournds?] even she was forced to question herself because what she saw didn''t make sense in the slightest.


    BANG!!


    Crackle!!


    Thunderp!


    Venessa quickly looked towards her left and noticed an inconceivable scene that she didn''t expect to see here at all.


    "Seriously¡­ Who the hell are you people?!" shouted the princess as she saw a half hawk and half man at the center of the storm full of wind elemental attacks and lightning.


    And the source of this mayhem was an archer who seemed to have created an entire battlefield of his own. The one causing this chaos was none other than¡­


    Oliver.


    ----------------


    18 kilometers away from Armin''s location, was a battlefield full of typhoons and lightning strikes. There was nothing but utter destruction and not a single portion of thendscape was left untouched.


    Trees, grass and roots were uprooted by the terrifyingly strong winds while the ground caught fire because of the lightning bolts striking the ground from time to time in the 5 kilometer radius.


    At this moment, Oliver now faced a ck snakekin tank warrior with arge red shield and a giant mace in his hand as he faced again this Hawkman archer with a dark brown body and wings.


    [Following are the statistics for general Oliver :  .


    Name : Oliver


    Species : Thunderbird (Variant Garuda)


    Job : Tempest Archer (Legendary ss)


    Rank : Legendary Rank


    Level : 289


    Strength : 12791


    Agility : 18220


    Dexterity : 15738


    Defense : 7902


    Mana : 10482


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities :


    Stormbringer (SSS Rank)


    Cdrius Wings (SSS Rank)


    Soul Distortion (Saint Rank)


    Sky Emperor (Saint Rank)


    Jetstream (SSS Rank)


    Thunderbird Wings (SSS Rank)


    Horus Eye (SSS Rank)


    Guardian of the Squadron (SSS Rank)


    Arrowstorm (SSS Rank)


    Descent of the Sun (SSS Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Godbeast Roc


    Bloodline purity : 37%] reported the system after Oliver asked for the details just like the rest.


    To the onlookers, this battle would look no different than a faceoff between an Eagle and a Snake.


    Oliver summoned his new set and quickly mixed his variant bloodline that the potential to surpass even the Godbeast Roc in the future.


    The sky blue armor with green hue transformed and quickly turned into abination of blue, golden and brown colored armor set. And now, Oliver no longer looked like a barbarian Hawkman with a bare chest andrge wings but a properly geared archer.


    Because of his bloodline merged with the armor¡­ Oliver''s figure grew from 3 meters to 5 meters tall and so did his entire gear and wings that automatically expanded themselves to fit his new appearance.


    Even his talons and wings now possessed an aura of supremacy as if an overlord of the sky was looking down on all earthly creatures.


    "Effects." said Oliver without wasting another moment.


    [Following are the effects of the Shu Armor set :


    Shoot for the Sky :


    General Oliver can now create an invisible Sky Domain which will have the wind pressure, formation of clouds and condensation of lightning fully under the user''s control.


    Any enemy under the Sky Domain will have their agility and dexterity reduced by 30%.


    ----------------


    Don''t fly too close to the Sun :


    The flight capacity of the enemies will be reduced by 40% and they will feel a suppression that will restrict their physical movements while trying to ascend higher than general Oliver.


    This suppression will apply to any enemy regardless of their rank and levels whether they''re higher or lower ranked than the general.


    ----------------


    pA??? ?(O)??? Note : Sky Emperor, Thunderbird Wings, Stormbringer and Soul Distortion can be used now without general Oliver having to transform into his true form.] reported the system.


    "Ha ha ha! Good. This means inside the sky domain, I''m basically in control of the entire battlefield.


    Once my levels and rank increase, so will my range and effectiveness. This new armor is indeed incredible for the long-term use." he spoke in tion.


    Becausepared to other members of their crew, Olivercked proper gear the most. And now with the help of Shu Armor set, he was basically the endgame boss who couldn''t even be reached no matter how high you tried to fly in order to catch him.


    Oliver then looked at his opponent who was getting tired out because of the continuous attacks from hundreds of wind elemental arrows and des made of highlypressed air.


    "Whatever you do¡­ wherever you go." said Oliver in a grim tone as if a hunter was looking at its defenseless prey.


    His eyes locked with that of the snakekin as he spoke in a domineering voice that sent shivers in his opponent''s spine¡­


    "I''ll be watching you."

 Chapter 652 Neith Bow

    Chapter 652 Neith Bow


    After learning the effects of Shu Armor from the system, Oliver gave a cynical nce at the Snakekin opponent who was surrounded by a maelstrom of strong winds and lightning bolts striking furiously and destroying the entire battlefield they were fighting inside this 5 kilometer wide storm.


    As soon as Oliver dered that he would hunt him down like a predator, the ck snakekin''s expression turned grim because the aura Oliver exuded and the change in his appearance gave him the hint that the archer opponent of his had either used some kind of bloodline ability or received a huge buff in strength.


    "Dammit! Now he looks as if he received some kind of boost! Why is my luck so bad?!"ined the Snakekin.


    Garakh was a 1st stage saint with exceptional abilities when it came to his ss. One of the main reasons why he won the spot to enter the Hero''s Party. He and Tamak were the guys who fought at the front line with the support of other team members whenever they fought.


    But after being separated from his allies and seeing them getting killed one by one¡­ Garakh was frightened to his core for the first time in the past 5 years.


    Oliver then infused his bloodline with his new legendary rank bow that Kahn named as Neith.


    A white and golden bow that had multiple intricate and intrinsically carved patterns as well as on and within the body of the bow itself was revealed. The aura this bow emitted was that of perfection and serenity as if symbolizing the characteristics of nature itself.


    [Following are the effects of Neith Bow :


    There is no Escape :


    Allows General Oliver to mark an enemy and all the arrowsunched from the bow will automatically redirect themselves towards the target regardless of the direction arrows have been shot in.


    ----------------


    Predator''s Mark :


    Increases Critical Hit Chance and Critical Damage by 200% and 400% respectively.


    This damage will be dependent on the strength stats of the general. The higher leveled and ranked the user is, the more damage will be dealt based on the stats of the general.


    ----------------


    Note : General Oliver''s gift given by the Sky Deity, Indra called as the Vajra attack skill can now be used with the help of legendary rank Neith bow without having to transform into the Thunderbird form.] reported the system.


    "Good. Another long-term use weapon. Now I no longer have to look for good gear anymore." spoke Oliver in his content voice.


    Now that both Shu Armor and Neith Bow gave him a way to use his powerful abilities and attack skills that were essible only in his true form as well as a lot of benefits and battle-rted Buffs respectively¡­ Oliver was now fully ready to go all out.


    The whole tornado and lighting strikes¡­ they were just small gimmicks of his bloodline. The real battle would start from this moment.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    Soon, waves after waves of golden and blue aura were emitted out of Oliver''s body like ripples caused by a drop of water in a stagnant pond.


    These ripples soon dispersed into the nearby 5 kilometers of radius in a dozen seconds.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Hundreds of lightning bolts dropped like arrows from the sky as the dark clouds suddenly appeared and covered their entire battlefield like a dome. Visible volleys of winddes started appearing andpletely surrounded the entire battlefield.


    Neither could one enter nor could anyone leave.


    "What the hell is happening?" wondered the two and a half meter snakekin tank warrior with a bbergasted expression as he sensed a great deal of suppression on his body.


    His body and movement already felt sluggish for some reason and he was having a hard time breathing at the same time.


    Little did he know¡­ this was Oliver''s new personal domain aka the Sky Domain. And under the Don''t Fly Too Close To The Sun effect of Shu Armor, his flight capacity was reduced by 40%. And because of the SKY Domain effect, his agility and dexterity were already suppressed by 30%.


    Before, maybe the snakekin had the chance to retaliate or fight as equals with Oliver¡­ however, the situation was no longer favorable for him.


    BOOM!!


    BANG!!


    Rumble!!


    Thunderous noises filled the 5 kilometers radius under the imprable barrier of the sky domain and Garakh waspletely surrounded by Oliver''s lightning bolts and winddes, afraid to make a move because there was no guarantee that he won''t be lethally wounded by a fatal attack from some random direction.


    "What the hell is this?! How can an archer use skills like this?" he questioned with an ashen expression.


    Even someone like Rodan who was a wind elemental mage couldn''t create storms of this degree. And on top of it, not only this archer could use plenty of skills, he could use two elements mixed in his attacks. This was something even the 2nd stage saint archer like Mika from their group couldn''t do.


    Garakh was an earth elemental tank. But now¡­ his opponent has the two elements infused in his skills that were his bane as a Tank warrior.


    ''An unstoppable force meets an immovable object.''


    It was what he thought at the beginning of their battle. But in reality, it was a goddamn mountain against a thin sheet of paper.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    A sense of impending destruction could be felt on the battlefield and without wasting another moment, Garakh quickly activated all of his defensive skills and 4 differentyers of protective barriers activated and encapsted his entire body.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    "Impossible! How''s that even possible?!" he shouted and looked at the Emerald Archer ss enemy.


    "Will of the Heavens, grant me thy strength. Lend me your wrath to punish my foes." spoke Oliver, his tyrannical voice resounding in the entire battlefield.


    Soon, a 100 meter tall phantom bow appeared in the sky. This massive bow was exactly identical to the Neith bow that was being held by Oliver at this moment.


    BOOM!!


    More than a hundred lightning bolts thundered in the battlefield, their ear-deafening noise and bright light blinding Garakh, making him quickly hide behind his massive red shield.


    Soon, these summoned lightning bolts intermingled with each other and became a single entity.


    "Fuck this! Fuck the Hero and fuck the empire! I want to get out of this battle." said Garakh in a jarring voice because at this moment¡­


    Oliver''s phantom bow had a 50 meter long massive lightning bolt nocked and aimed at him.


    "Heaven''s Judgement¡­" spoke Oliver as heunched his biggest killer move.


    "Vajra!"


    BOOM!!


    A massive burst of white and blue light quickly turned the entire 5 kilometer region into a dome of lightning as an enormous explosion shattered the 2 kilometers region instantly.


    The ripples and aftershocks from the explosion finally dispersed after 5 minutes and only a 500 meter wide and 100 meter deep hole and hundreds of cracks and crevices had filled the surrounding area after Oliver used his biggest trump card while restricting the opponent''s movements.


    And at the very center of this deep pit¡­ was a charred body that was destroyed in 4 different parts.


    Like shooting at a Rabbit stuck in a hole with a goddamn Bazooka¡­ Oliver did something none of the other generals managed to do so far.


    He killed his opponent in a single shot!

 Chapter 653 The Recap

    Chapter 653 The Recap


    After Oliver made an Overkill strike, straight up nuking his enemy and killing the first stage saint tank snakekin with a single shot¡­ the 6th member of the Hero''s Party fell in battle.


    Now, only 2 of them remained but unlike the others¡­ both of these individuals were the strongest members of the entire party. Each one was a rank higher than their respective opponents. While Kahn faced Axel in the middle of the battlefield¡­ there was an intense battle happening at the western end of this 50 kilometers wide istion barrier where the entire battlefield was crumbled and scattered.


    ng!!


    ng!!


    A two meter tall firebornes ck trident shed against a curved de held by a swordsman.


    Sparks flew in the air as their weapons shed against each other from time to time.


    [Dammit!! Garakh also died¡­ this leaves only me and the Hero of Fire.


    Who the hell are these people and why are they so strong?!] cursed Azerog, the trident user fireborne who was also a 4th stage saint.


    Based on his rank and levels, his attack range was 20 kilometers at minimum and his senses were heightened to the point he could sense everything within the 40 kilometers radius if he used all his skills. Thus, he waspletely aware of what was happening on all the battlefields.


    First, it was Tamak. The 2nd stage berserker saint, one of the strongest fighters of the group... was mercilessly killed by a human saint who suddenly transformed and grew two red horns on his head. To his memory, this human was only a 1st stage saint with the Berserker ss as well but still managed topletely overwhelm a veteran warrior like Tamak.


    Second, it was Rodan. He was a wind elemental mage with a plethora of skills and an expert in long-range attacks while having the ability to escape easily if there came a need. Yet, he was killed by an earth elemental tank who had the disadvantage in terms of elemental attribute, range of abilities and offensive skills.


    The Dark elf mage was trapped like a bird in a cage by his opponent using the sand and stones of the battlefield and had his head bashed by the enemy''s shield, dying a horrifying death.


    Third, it was Mika. A 2nd stage archer who was an expert of the group in long-range and rapid attack skills and probably had the most agility and dexterity if he excluded himself and hero of fire based on her species and ss.


    Not only was her opponent an assassin whocked long-range attacks but he was alsopletely exposed, losing the advantage of hiding and making a sneak attack to kill off the enemy. On top of it¡­ he was only a 1st stage saint assassin at that.


    The obvious result should''ve been Mika poking a hundred holes in his body but instead¡­ her opponent killed her by stabbing his daggers through her head and heart, giving her a swift and helpless death in the end.


    Fourth, it was Edna. The 2nd stage subus enchantress, who was also the best support member of the entire party and had mastered 5 elements along with the study of extremely powerful magic formations. However, her fate was worse than the first four people''s.


    Somehow, a mage who could use the forbidden dark magic turned out to be her opponent. Not only this mage could use the dark magic spells and cast barriers¡­ he could somehow absorb Edna''s attacks and replenish his own world energy and mana reserves.


    And finally, he summoned a massive ck book and chains, instantly increasing his strength that even dwarfed that of Edna. In the end, those chains plunged themselves into Edna''s worn-out body and tore her into 7 pieces. The once beautiful and entrancing subus who had millions of admirers throughout the Vulcan empire was ripped apart and died a brutal death.


    Fifth, it was Volka. Although Azerog found him weak and someone with a cowardly mentality¡­ he had not expected him to die at the hands of a Healer.


    But this Healer was an oddity who could make wood elemental creatures from nt life. Making Volka lose his advantage in range and defense after how he was surrounded by thousands of enemies from both ground and the sky. Azerog noticed how Volka had his life force drained out of his body, something he never saw a healer capable of doing before.


    Sixth, it was Garakh. Azerog had a good impression of the snakekin because he was not only strong but had plenty of defensive skills along with great experience. In the past five years, Garakh had proven his worth many times already.


    Yet, the main tank of their party died a death that wasn''t even worth pitying. Although Azerog couldn''t sense what was happening inside the battlefield created by Oliver that was filled with typhoons, winddes and lightning bolts¡­ he could feel the power of the massive 50 meters long lightning bolt this archer summoned.


    In front of his killer shot¡­ their strong and dependable tank died instantly despite using all of his skills and protection barrier. That in itself was a testament to how strong this killer move was.


    The 4th stage saint now came to realize that although his party members were strong in a group battle¡­ they were weak individually after being separated by these saints from the enemy side.


    Azerog himself wanted to charge in and help them¡­ However, this opponent of his who appeared to be a 3rd stage saint instantly blocked his way, stopping him from helping any of his teammates.


    "Why do I feel like none of them are normal?


    Their abilities and skills can''t be exined by normal reasoning. And their bloodlines and auras arepletely strange as well.


    It''s as if they''re not saints but some kind of monsters." thought Azerog.


    [And on top of it¡­ why the hell is this bastard so strong and fast despite me being a rank higher than him?


    I''m supposed to be 5 times stronger than him but he''s equally matching me in every aspect.] wondered the opponent as he looked at his enemy who appeared a kilometer away after their recent exchange.


    Azerog gave an incredulous look to his enemy whose most of the upper body full of abs and ripped muscles was exposed.


    A man with waist-length silver hair, having eyes that had red iris in them while the right arm of his was pitch ck, resembling that of some kind of demonic creature.


    He wore only gauntlets and white straps on his arms and loose pants that didn''t hinder his movements in the slightest.


    "Let''s have a Duel¡­" just then, his opponent aka Omega challenged him with a smile on his face.


    BOOM!!


    An oppressive aura filled the battlefield after he took out the 2nd katana that Throk forged for him.


    Omega was now dual wielding his katanas for the first time in a battle and his voice reverberated in the surroundings as he continued his words.


    "To the death."

 Chapter 654: Kojin Katana

    Chapter 654: Kojin Katana


    Azerog now faced a human-hybrid enemy whom he had met once in front of the main building of the Oakenshield weapon forgingpany. And now, he was facing this very saint who was a rank lower than him but matched him in terms of strength and speed.


    Throughout their sh, Omega was using Raijin, the de made by Albestros using the Invimarak''s tusk which waster upgraded to Legendary Rank katana by Throk who reforged it. But now that only Azerog remained among the hero''s party¡­ Omega decided it was time to put the nail in the coffin.


    BOOM!!


    A domineering, tyrannical and dreadful aura instantly spread across 1 kilometer radius and instantly put Azerog on alert mode as soon as he saw the source of this insurmountable and oppressive pressure.


    For the first time since their exchange of moves started, Omega decided to use his new katana forged by Throk which Kahn had named as¡­


    Kojin.


    [Give me details.]manded Omega as he wanted to prepare a proper battle tactic before he seriously started battling Azerog.


    [Following are the statistics of the first subordinate Omega :


    Name : Omega


    Species : Hrodvitnir (Variant Fenrir)


    Job : Dual Swords Samurai (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Mythical Rank


    Level : 420


    Strength : 43920


    Agility : 39118


    Dexterity : 38910


    Defense : 34720


    Mana : 29183


    Effects of the Legendary rank job Dual Swords Samurai :


    Dual Swords Samurai (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    While using dual katana wield during a battle, the subordinate will have a 200% increase in agility and strength attributes.


    With each passing hour during a battle, the subordinate shall receive an additional 50% effectiveness increase in all physical and magical attacks and skills.


    Following are the abilities and skills :


    Gravity Domain (Legendary Rank)


    Gravitational Upforce (Saint Rank)


    Gravitational Downforce (Saint Rank)


    Attraction (Saint Rank)


    Repulsion (Saint Rank)


    Gravity Imprisonment ( Saint Rank)


    Sword King (SSS Rank)


    Sword Battlemaster (SSS Rank)


    Bloodline Boost (SSS Rank)


    Bloodlust (SSS Rank)


    Fenrir''s Howl (SSS Rank)


    Wolf Sovereign (SSS Rank)


    Devourer (Legendary Rank)


    Quickdraw (SSS Rank)


    Sword Will (Saint Rank)


    Mirage des (Saint Rank)


    Elemental Domain (SSS Rank)


    Bloodline : Godbeast Fenrir


    Current bloodline purity : 75%] reported the system.


    [Good. Now that I''m using both katanas¡­ I can ovee the difference between our strength with the doubled speed and strength.] he spoke inwardly and looked at Kojin after he infused his bloodline.


    A pitch ck curved de made from the guardian dragon''s horn that had multiple small red vein patterns. But on the edge of the katana, the entirety of it glowed scarlet red as soon as Omega took it out.


    He gazed at Azerog who had prepared for a serious battle after Omega challenged him to a duel to the death.


    "He''s still a rank higher than me. Plus my temporary strength boost abilities won''t work for long.


    I guess I have no choice but to use Kojin in that form." spoke Omega and the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    A massive red pir of scarlet red fire rose and instantly shattered the nearby ground below just from the aftershocks and impact of the explosion.


    When the pir of fire finally subsided, Azerog had his mouth agape in surprise as he saw apletely new look of his enemy.


    Omega''s entire body was covered in ck and red mes and so was Kojin.


    Unlike before when they exchanged moves, there was a hint of chaotic aura filled with bloodlust emitting from Omega and the surrounding was suddenly filled with an oppressive force that made Azerog feel like he was drowning inside a sea of blood.


    And finally, Omega donned in ck and red armor, silver hair, and a ck mask with white fangs on it was revealed to him.


    On his left shoulder was the head of a ck wolf while the other one was covered in ck fur. Kojin and Raijin retained the same appearance but the edge of the former was on fire.


    Omega''s left arm and leg were on scarlet red fire around the corners while Kojin itself emitted intense mes as the entire de itself looked hot as magma.


    And contrast to Azerog''s appearance who was also donning ck and red armor, Omega''s form looked domineering and terrifying even though he was a meter shorter than the fireborne saint.


    Omega was finally using his second battle mode also called the Twilight Armor form.


    In this form that he got after merging with the mythical rank wolf monsters aka Skoll and Hati in the forbidden zone during their hunt for the Tablet of Arcana¡­ Omega acquired two battle forms after the two descendants of the Godbeast Fenrir gave him their Wills as a form of imparting knowledge to a junior.


    Compared to Omega''s normal form and Moonlight Armor form, he was slower but his Strength stats rose by 4 times and the total damage output and effectiveness of all of his skills and abilities were doubled at the expense of sacrificing speed and dexterity.


    However¡­ with the help of Dual Swords Samurai legendary ss effects¡­ he overcame that demerit and now, he was back to his normal speed like his usual human form.


    In simple words¡­ Omega was 4 times strongerpared to when he faced Azerog since their faceoff started. And this power boost would remain active as long as he was using the Twilight Armor form.


    Omega then grabbed Kojin with both hands. A ck and red fire suddenly appeared around the de of the katana and soon, an iprehensible majestic aura that signified supremacy resonated within the 10 kilometers radius.


    Even Kahn and Axel who were having a bout of their own as well as all the generals turned around to look in Omega''s direction after sensing this terrifying aura.


    "Impossible! How can he use that fire?!" spoke Azerog, showing an aghast and terrified expression despite being a higher-ranked saint than Omega.


    Visit ?????????????.??? for a better_user experience


    There were 5 kinds of fires in Vantrea that were superior to the ones used by the Fireborne species. And among them¡­ was the one kind that everyone regardless of their species feared the most.


    And Omega''s katana was revealing that very powerful and destructive force that was 2nd to none. Also known as¡­


    The Dragonfire.

 Chapter 655 All is Lost

    Chapter 655 All is Lost


    Under everyone''s surprised gazes, Omega finally revealed his new trump card that even made Azerog, who was a fire elemental warrior himself, feel dread and fear for the first time since they started their sh.


    [There are 5 strongest types of fires in the world.


    Fifth is the fire used by Fire elemental Titans which are extremely rare.


    Fourth is the fire that the Fireborne species can use as part of our innate talent if one also masters the element.


    Third is Hellfire which only the royalty among the True Demon species can use.


    Second is fire used by the imperial n of the Vulcan empire since they''re the direct descendants of a primordial creature of fire.


    And the first which is unrivaled in the whole world regardless of their rank or species¡­ is the Dragonfire.] thought Azerog.


    He himself had studied and mastered the fire element after spending 2 decades of his life. So he knew very well how to differentiate them or which one was more powerful and potent.


    In this field, Dragonfire stood at the top and had been unrivaled from millions of years in their world. And even among the Dragons, only the Lesser Dragon and above could use the authentic Dragonfire while others such as Wyverns, Wyrms and Drakes could only have it as their physical element and that too in a very minute quantity.


    Yet somehow¡­ the opponent in front of him was using rare Dragonfire that even their Fire Empire didn''t have ess to.


    "No¡­ it''s not him. That armor is misleading me¡­ it''s that damn sword!" spoke Azerog as he noticed the source being none other than Kojin unlike those without experience mistakenly thinking that it was because of the Twilight Armor form taken by Omega that made him look like a walking volcano.


    [So that''s what the sword does!] eximed Jugram. He too was a master in the fire element. But he was adept at using Hellfire because of his True Demon bloodline.


    [Aha! No wonder he didn''t reveal it back then. It could''ve killed us if he used it inside the forge that day.] said Ceril in their telepathic chat group.


    [Kojin is able to use Dragonfire since master Throk used a Dragon''s heart while forging it.


    It allows Omega to use normal fire aura since he is a magic swordsman and can use 5 different elements. Based on need, his normal fire element gets converted into dragonfire after it passes through Kojin''s de.] exined ckwall as the too was a legit cksmith at this point. Just that he hadn''t gathered enough experience to breakthrough to Saint cksmith rank yet.


    Unlike Kahn, he didn''t have doppelgangers or a way to raise his experience to make it happen in a short time. But his knowledge and experience were enough to let him get a hint of the functionality of the katana forged by Throk.


    Other generals nodded in agreement, feeling no need to intervene in Omega''s battle.


    "Heaven''s Subjugation¡­" just then, Omega spoke loudly and quickly swung his katana in a vertical sh.


    [Holy mes of Hetrax! What the hell!] thought Azerog and tried to fly away with all his might.


    "ck Fang Strike!!"


    BANG!!


    Rumble!!


    Crack!


    Shatter!!


    A massive sh attack of dragonfire incinerated everything that came in its way.


    The sky rumbled and the ground shattered as two kilometers of the battlefield was split apart instantly and a 400 meter wide crevice was revealed associated with the burning and pulverized ground.


    The clouds were already parted into two just from the aftershocks and the nearby 10 kilometers of space shook as if there was an earthquake.


    Swoosh!


    [That was close! How is he able to use dragonfire to this extent? What kind of freak am I fighting?!] questioned the fireborne who just nearly escaped death.


    The attack skill performed by Omega just now made a 5 kilometers long crevice, razing everything that came across its way to nothing but dust. And the intense scarlet red fire was burning everything it touched on the ground and even melting stone boulders with no exceptions.


    However, Azerog had no idea that ck Fang Strike was a skill Omega could use only when he was using the Twilight Armor.


    This strike was imbued with his Gravity Law skills and made the attack more terrifying.


    With the dragonfire at his beck and call¡­ Omega infused it with the attack move, making it even more terrifying than it originally was.


    He was also agility and strength based warrior just like Omega. So he understood the power delivered through that attack.


    Even Azerog now felt like his own fire attacks were not potent or strong enough as this strike and if he hadn''t made it in time¡­ not even his ashes would have remained.


    [Should I convince him to retreat? Our allies are already dead. And this guy in front of me is no weaker than me either.


    The enemy side has 6 more saints along with the princess. That''s 9 against 2 of us.


    Also, the pope still hasn''t informed or sent a confirmation about killing the Emperor. There are too many factors going against us at this point.] analyzed Azerog in just a second.


    He weighed the pros and cons in his mind and finally decided to make his own move.


    [No matter how I look at this¡­ this battle is already lost.] he thought and quickly dashed towards Axel''s position.


    Swoosh!


    But before he even escaped 5 kilometers, Omega suddenly appeared in front of Azerog just a few hundred meters away in the sky.


    "If you want to get close to my master or the Hero of Fire¡­


    You''ll have to walk over my dead body." dered Omega from under his ck wolf-faced mask.


    "Get out of my way! I can end this battle and convince him to leave the princess alone.


    Do you really want to force the Hero of Fire to use his divine abilities? Even I won''t be able to survive them.


    There is no reward in such a pyrrhic victory." spoke Azerog with a grim expression.


    "He doesn''t seem to care. And neither does my master. So as their right-hand men¡­ we should settle our score first."


    SHING!!


    SHRILL!!


    Before Azerog could react, an intangible force erupted from Omega''s body and quickly, a cascading and translucent barrier formed and separated 15 kilometers of radius, matching the appearance identical to that of patterns on a diamond.


    "The winner shall get to see the end of it all." spoke Omega in a domineering voice.


    Because at this moment, he was finally using his biggest trump card. And that was the¡­


    Gravity Domain!

 Chapter 656 Gravity Domain

    Chapter 656 Gravity Domain


    After Omega obstructed Azerog from leaving their duel and regrouping with Axel, the dual sword samurai quickly used Gravity Domain skill, separating 15 kilometers of space in matter of seconds and taking away thest chance to retreat.


    "Impossible! How the hell does he have a domain?! He''s not even a 5th stage saint yet!" eximed Azerog in shock.


    This was going against everything he knew about being a saint so far. First, Omega could use Dragonfire using a katana and now, he cast a domain of his own without even meeting the prerequisite condition of being a 5th stage saint.


    This waspletely unheard of and even their empire''s imperial family couldn''t aplish such a feat.


    [Gravity Domain (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Subordinate Omega can create and control a gravitational field within a 15 kilometers radius based on his current levels and rank.


    Allowing the subordinate to move faster, be more agile, conserve stamina, or fly, all by decreasing the effects of gravity on himself.


    Excluding the host and fellow subordinates, all the other beings from the opposition shall have their Defense reduced by 40% and Agility reduced by 90% inside the Gravity Domain.] replied the system as it gave Omega the updated stats.


    Previously when Omega turned into a mythical rank creature, Gravity Domain had 10 kilometer radius of effectiveness. But now that his levels rose and he wasparable to a 3rd stage saint rank being, the range increased by 5 kilometers.


    This was more than enough for him to face down a 4th stage saint like Azerog in front of him.


    "Don''t waste my time, let''s fight!" he shouted and charged at Azerog.


    CLANG!!


    Both Kojin and Raijin shed against Azerog''s ck trident and the fireborne was flung 400 meters away.


    "What the hell is happening? Why can''t I move at my top speed?" he asked himself with a stifled expression.


    "This is my domain. There''s no escape unless you kill me with your strength." dered Omega as he looked at the fireborne with disdain.


    [Dammit! So that''s his domain''s effect. I have no other choice but to fight now.] he spoke inwardly and decided to go all out.


    He could feel that although his speed was not even 10% of his original capacity, his strength and dexterity were left untouched by Omega''s domain.


    "Fine then¡­ Bring it on!" shouted Azerog and released his full saint pressure.


    ----------------


    BOOM!!


    Omega came out of a massive explosion that put him in a disheveled state after he faced the attack from the 4th stage saint head-on.


    Despite having the suppression on his movements due to the gravity domain, Azerog''s attacks were enough to obliterate everything within a 20 kilometers radius. His rank as a 4th stage saint wasn''t just for show.


    Only now did Omega understand that Azerog wasn''t trying to avoid a battle because he was afraid¡­ but rather, he had different priorities until he was forced by Omega to fight.


    Even with his speed, there were very few openings in the fireborne''s defense and not a single hitnded on the enemy. This made Omega be certain that the opponent was an extremely skilled and talented warrior.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Azerog panted as sweat appeared on his forehead. Only he knew how much world energy he was expending in those massive fire sh attacks that vaporized 5 to 10 kilometers of the battlefield. If not for his speed under restriction¡­ he would already have killed Omega.


    Even the Hrodvitnir subordinate was aware of this fact. Although he wouldn''t have died because of the defense provided by Twilight Armor¡­ He would certainly receive lethal injuries.


    Even now, Azerog was still at least 20% stronger than him so Omega was looking for a proper chance tond a killing blow.


    "I guess I have to reveal my hand then. I was saving that in case I had to use it in front of Hero of Fire¡­ but I need to finish this guy first." he thought.


    "Eyes on me!"


    A thunderous battlecry filled the surroundings as Azerog''s aura condensed and 5 massive 100 meter long tridents made of pure and intense fire.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    The five massive tridentsunched themselves at Omega in session and quickly covered the distance of 5 kilometers in just 10 seconds. Omega didn''t even bother evading because he knew these tridents were locked on him like a homing missile.


    However, instead of running away, Omega extended his open palm towards the approaching tridents.


    Shing!


    As soon as the tridents came 1 kilometer close to him¡­ they stopped midair instantly, unable to move an inch closer like stopping bullets in the air before they hit him.


    The next moment, his left palm moved and the tridents changed their directions to his left side, making them travel afar from the intended target.


    BANG!!


    Another loud noise resounded as the 5 tridents obliterated everything in the 10 kilometer radius after theynded on an open field.


    "Impossible! Is that the Gravity Law?" spoke Azerog in a bewildered tone.


    "Dammit! I need to kill this bastard quickly!" he shouted and thenunched a barrage of oversized and destructive attacks one after another.


    Omega then started using Attraction, Repulsion, Gravity Upforce and Gravity Downforce skills to divert all the attacks.


    He pulled Azerog closer and farther when needed to avoid the attacks. And sometimes when Azerog was creating a killer move, Omega forced his body to move up and down, ruining his battle skills and techniques as a result.


    These were the exact skills Skoll & Hati used when the generals fought against them. Although Omega was not on their level of mastery and needed to learn and perfect these skills to a greater extent¡­ it was more than enough for this battle as they came in handy.


    Whenever Omega used Skoll''s skills¡­ his eye color changed to blue and when he used Hati''s skills, they turned crimson red contrary to his original blood-red eyes.


    Finally, after Azerog ended up using all of his skills and world energy just to escape Omega''s gravity domain¡­ he was no longer in control.


    Omega quickly used the Bloodlust skill on Azerog to put him under stun debuff and before the fireborne could break free¡­


    Omega used his 2nd most powerful and ace in the hole.


    Azerog''s entire body stopped moving, his mind going haywire because he couldn''t make sense of anything that was happening. Unbeknownst to him, Omega was using the most decisive skill that could change the direction of battle. And that was...


    Gravity Imprisonment!

 Chapter 657 For Honor

    Chapter 657 For Honor


    Finally, Omega used his 2nd most useful and powerful move that he had under his holster. The first was obviously the Gravity Domain. And the 2nd being none other than Gravity Imprisonment skill.


    This was a skill that allowed the Hrodvitnir subordinate to focus and concentrate the entirety of his Gravity Domain on a single spot andpletely freeze that target, unable to even move an inch of their body or even bat an eye.


    This skill could be used on any target within 15 kilometers based on the dual sword samurai subordinate''s current power levels. But there was a reason why Omega hadn''t used it throughout the battle.


    Because this skill had one big w. And that w would be the undoing of this skill and would jeopardize Omega''s life if failed.


    The biggest w of this skill was that if the opponent had some type of burst of energy type of skills that could explode and throw off the exerted gravitational force on their body¡­ not only the skill will get nulled but Omega''s entire Gravity Domain, which was the main driving force behind this skill would instantly crumble.


    And as a result, Omega would receive a severe backsh that could incapacitate him as a consequence. Thus, he carefully used his other skills and used the Gravity Domain''s suppression on Azerog till the fireborne depleted all of his strength and could no longer use anyst moment life saving skill.


    And finally¡­ it was time, to seal the deal.


    The very next moment, a white armor suddenly appeared out of nowhere and Omega waspletely covered under it as if this armor was part of his body.


    His ck arm remained the same and his right leg part of the army also turned ck but this time, there was blue fireing out of the corners. Along with these two noticeable changes, some parts of the armor also turned ck.


    Around his right shoulder was the head of a white wolf while the left shoulder was covered in fur. Even Omega''s eyes turned bright blue in this transformation. His eyes turned bright blue and as for the head, it was covered in a white mask thatpletely hid his face.


    This was the Moonlight Armor form Omega inherited from Skoll. This was the battle form where Omega was 4 times faster and his uracy and maneuverability increased by twice.


    Azerog''s entire being shuddered with fear and disbelief.


    Omega quickly took an attacking stance as his back slightly hunched along with his legs while he ced his right hand on Kojin which was sheathed at the moment.


    QUICKDRAW!!


    In the next second, Omega appeared 2 kilometers behind the frozen and restrained figure of Azerog, the 4th stage saint.


    Shatter!!


    With this¡­ Omega''s Gravity Domain instantly shattered and the restrictions on his body were removed.


    Azerog turned his head around and looked at Omega, wondering what just happened. But then he noticed that Omega no longer had Kojin in his right hand while Raijin was still sheathed in the scabbard.


    Shock!!


    An instant wave of shock hit his body and mind as Azerog finally noticed what happened in that microsecond.


    The fireborne saint turned his head back and looked down as he finally noticed where the missing Kojin was¡­


    Splurt!!


    Azerog had a fear-stricken and bewildered expression. Not Omega was equally matched in strength but could use Gravity Law. And under his domain, when he was stunned for just one second and due to his agility was restricted by 90%... He couldn''t even escape the killing strike that came his way. Because at this moment¡­


    Kojin was stabbed right inside his chest.


    "I will give you onest chance.


    Would you die as a coward or¡­" spoke Omega in a domineering voice and continued in a tyrannical voice.


    "Die with honor."


    ----------------


    Azerog''s body slowly descended to the ground as the wound started spewing blood from the ce of the wound. Yet the saint didn''t try to take it out or used any potions to protect his life.


    Because he heard Omega''s words¡­ the enemy was giving him ast chance to die with honor instead of a merciless execution.


    If thetter tried to make a move¡­ Kojin would activate and he''d die an agonizing death because of the dragonfire. And he no longer had any means to protect himself or retaliate in the slightest at this point.


    Azerog could feel the life force leaving his body and soon, he''d die. But instead of having an indignant expression in his final moments¡­ he had a tranquil expression and tears dropped from his eyes.


    With each passing moment, the 4th stage saint started recounting his journey in the past 5 years ever since he joined the Hero''s Party.


    And how he turned from a person with morals and ethics of a prideful warrior into a scum who kidnapped women and brought them to Axel under the order of his n and the Church of Hetrax.


    Those deeds were something he was ashamed of till this moment but throughout all this time¡­ he told himself that it was for the sake of the empire. To help the church reign and then bring a unified peace after they threw away the imperial rule.


    "Maybe this is the punishment for my crimes. I have failed my n¡­ my empire. And I have discarded my honor as a warrior.


    A heinous criminal like me doesn''t even deserve this type of kind death." he spoke to himself as he revealed an expression of agony and regret on his countenance.


    Not everyone was inherently bad.


    Sometimes, they were forced to do things that didn''t go along with their character because of their lineage and background.


    Not every rich heir of a noble n like Azerog was a vile and cruel individual and not all weak and poor people were righteous or good.


    Unlike the stories of heroism, bravery, chivalry and justice¡­


    The world wasn''t ck or White¡­ rather it had always been Grey.


    Azerog was an example of such people. A good man standing on the side of Evil.


    He was a talented prodigy and an honorable warrior. Comparable to a valorous and loyal knight of a king. But his very background and identity forced him to serve a master who was no different than a living monster.


    As his consciousness was getting affected because of the blood loss¡­ He looked at Axel who didn''t even bother trying to rescue him or any of the fallen party members until now.


    "May you rot in the eternal hell, you bastard!


    For every crime you made memit and every woman and their family''s lives you destroyed¡­ I hope the gods above give divine punishment.


    I will pay for my crimes if there''s an afterlife. But as for you¡­


    I hope your death is much worse than anyone can ever imagine." spoke Azerog as he came to terms with his death.


    All those thoughts took only 10 seconds in real-time.


    Azerog then sat down on his knees. Omega appeared behind him on his left, raising Raijin high.


    "Do it!" shouted the fireborne saint with determined eyes.


    SLASH!!


    A cleanly cut head dropped on the ground that had a look of containment and eptance; as if thanking this killer for granting him a swift and painless death.


    Omega killed Azerog in a traditional samurai execution style called Seppuku.


    With this, he ended the life of a person bound by duty and lineage. A person who was forced to do things while going against their values.


    Was this person deserving of swift and painless death? Nobody knew. But at least Omega could infer from the expression on Azerog''s face that he died¡­


    With the honor of a warrior.

 Chapter 658 Figuring the Truth

    Chapter 658 Figuring the Truth


    HALF AN HOUR AGO.


    Kahn suddenly appeared in the middle of the battlefield after he broke the newly cast suppression barrier with his perfected Dragon Strike which was twice as effective and perfectly synergiespared to his time in Rakos Empire when he was only a semi-saint.


    After his allies came out of his shadow and targeted each of the hero''s party members under his instructions¡­ the battlefield was split up into 8 parts; Kahn and Axel being in the center of it.


    Kahn used the newly upgraded legendary rank Lucifer to face Axel head-on while the subordinates were tasked with getting rid of the teammates of the Hero of Fire.


    Kahn quickly used Sword Emperor, the saint rank upgraded version of Sword King skill. After rising in rank because Kahn himself became a saint, the skill now allowed him to create 500 aura swordsprised of different elements and world energy together.


    And now that he used world energy instead of mana to use this skill, each massive 10 meter long greatsword was twice effective than before. However, because his physiology and stats were already equal to a peak 2nd stage saint thanks to the effects of War Deity Body¡­ Kahn was already a formidable opponent unlike what one would expect from a 1st stage saint.


    Throughout his attacks, he only used the swordsman skills and didn''t make any killing moves or revealed his darkness element or dark magic skills either. He could exin his rise in strengthter but he could not afford to reveal his real identity even now.


    Half an hourter, multiple scenes urred where the hero''s party members were brutally and mercilessly dying at hands of his subordinates.


    "Lord Axel, save me!!" screamed Edna as she pleaded and wailed in agony.


    But unlike what one would expect, Axel didn''t bother retreating and trying to save his allies¡­ instead, he was focused on fighting Kahn while evading his greatswords of 5 different elements targeting from all directions.


    And unlike some dumbfucks and impatient morons would think that the fight was getting unnecessarily dragged on¡­ Kahn wasn''t in a hurry to blindly charge and engage Axel in a battle. All of it was actually a strategic move since the moment he revealed himself as a saint by stepping into the battlefield.


    Kahn was aware of a very crucial thing mentioned in the Art of War.


    ''Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.


    But tactics without a strategy is just the noise before certain defeat.''


    First, through the battle with Venessa and Hector, he saw through the abilities of all the members of the Hero''s Party.


    Later, he isted them by choosing the best candidates from his team who could kill the members for certain.


    Because even if he had the same numbers¡­ he hadn''t seen Axel using any of his Divine Abilities. And he certainly had more than Kahn. Having a war with equal numbers would be the most stupid way to fight the Hero''s Party.


    Among the enemy side, the biggest threats here were Axel and Azerog.


    So he sent Omega to pin down Azerog because only Omega in their group had the strength and the Gravity Domain and Gravity Imprisonment skill that could help kill the 4th stage saint.


    Although Kahn too had some of the Gravity Law skills¡­ his attainment was no different than a poser in thiswpared to Omega who practiced these skills and abilities during his daily training from the past one and half years.


    There was another reason why he himself faced Axel. Because in case Axel used any of his Divine abilities that could kill the opponent¡­


    Only Kahn here had the Dimensional Void ability that could help him escape just with a single thought.


    And what was his aim?


    No, it wasn''t to kill the Hero of Fire at all¡­ Rather, to destroy the artifact that controlled this istion barrier and get Venessa out of here.


    He was already clear that the church started a coup and nned to kill the emperor.


    If Havi survived, good for him. But if he died¡­ then Kahn would help Venessa to gather the imperial n''s forces. If things came to worst and church was the final victor¡­ he''d at least escape with Venessa and ensure her safety.


    She tried to protect him even when her own freedom was in jeopardy. So Kahn wasn''t going to abandon her in the time of need¡­ that''s what he wished to do as her friend.


    But what surprised Kahn the most was that despite watching his team members getting killed by Kahn''s crew one by one¡­ the Hero of Fire showed an expression of indifference.


    As if their lives didn''t matter to him at all.


    And now that Azerog also fell in battle, Axel was all alone and Kahn had control of this battle.


    This was exactly what Kahn wished to achieve.


    By cornering the hero of fire using their sheer numbers and using this opportunity to force Axel to forfeit the artifact, thus being able to leave this ce.


    Kahn did not want to stay until some powerful reinforcements of the church arrived.


    Finally, Kahn and all of his subordinates surrounded Axel from all sides. Not leaving him a single escape route.


    As for fighting Axel¡­ Why the fuck would Kahn do that?


    Making a heroic entrance to save the princess from the clutches of the bad guys worked only in fictional stories. Only an idiot without thinking of the consequences would pull such a stupid move.


    As for killing the hero''s party members¡­ no one would care about a few beginner saints when there was a goddamn uprising in the empire.


    But Axel was a different case. He was a chosen Hero and Kahn didn''t n to repeat history and follow in his predecessor''s footsteps.


    If he could settle the matter without shedding his blood¡­ then that would be the best option for him.


    Thus¡­ One hourter, it brought them all to this present moment.


    "Forfeit the artifact. Let us leave and maybe you''ll live to fight another day.


    There are 9 of us and even if you''re some chosen Hero¡­ you won''t survive a battle to the death." warned Kahn with a serious expression.


    He had the upper hand now and he could use it finally get Venessa out of here.


    However, Axel didn''t bother responding to his warning and the next second¡­ his body let out a scarlet red aura and soon, a 10 meter tall massive ethereal eye that glowed yellow and radiated a divine aura came to be.


    Axel then sped his hands and closed his eyes. In the following moments¡­ the divine eye expelled a yellow beam of light and illuminated the whole 2 kilometers of the region.


    [Brat! That''s the¡­] said Rathnaar in Kahn''s eye.


    Although he hadn''t seen it, based on its appearance and his memories when he was given the choice of selecting divine abilities¡­ Kahn figured out what it was.


    "Dammit! It''s the Sage''s Eye!" he eximed.


    "Ha ha ha! Who would''ve thought¡­ that you were the one I was looking for all this time." spoke Axel with an insidious grin as he continued in a grim voice, sending shivers in Kahn''s spine¡­


    "Hero of Darkness."

 Chapter 659 Real Reason

    Chapter 659 Real Reason


    Kahn and all members of his group stood with perplexed expressions and were shocked for the first time during their battle with the hero''s party. The Hero of Fire just used a massive eyeball to reveal Kahn''s real identity as Hero of Darkness. And that too in front of Venessa, the 3rd princess of the Vulcan empire.


    [Boy¡­ be careful. The Sage''s Eye can give many details about you than just names. He probably knows about your strength, ranks of armors, weapons, and all the bloodlines along with their effects.


    The only things he can''t know automatically about are your skills and fighting techniques unless you use them at least once. So all the skills you''ve used till now against him¡­ he has seen through the ws in all of them.


    However, the Sage''s Eye can''t reveal the identity of other Divine Abilities since they''re also on par with it in terms of rank.] spoke Rathnaar as he warned Kahn to tread carefully from now.


    [Good thing that I didn''t go all out since the beginning. Otherwise, I would''ve revealed a lot of my skills and a few trump cards.


    This is also good. Means he might mistake some of my legendary rank skills for my divine abilities.


    I can still have a chance if ites to a fight.] said Kahn.


    "To see that you were hiding so well under our nose all this time¡­


    I lost your trail after you came to Arkensan. But never in my wildest imagination did I think that you''d quickly create an already established background as Throk Oakenshield''s disciple.


    And even when our party created a scene in front of thepany building, you never revealed your rank despite us provoking you¡­ rather, you let your goons take the lead.


    That was indeed clever." said Axel, exining his side of the story.


    And it was indeed true in many ways. Kahn established his background in just 4 days aftering to the Vulcan empire.


    One, he met Venessa in the auction house.


    Two, he was dragging into the matters of cksmithing Duel.


    Three, he made a deal with Throk and turned him into an ally because of his situation with the 2nd prince.


    That was indeed many times faster than anyone without any prior knowledge of a new ce could do. And this ended up helping him hide perfectly¡­ till this point.


    "Hero¡­ Hero of Darkness? What the hell is he talking about, Kahn?!" asked Venessa from 5 kilometers away.


    She just recovered from all of her injuries and started to amass some world energy in her body after being aided by Armin.


    "I guess there''s no reason to hide it any longer." replied Kahn and nced towards Venessa''s direction.


    "I''m indeed the Hero of Darkness of this generation of summoned heroes." he dered without a second thought.


    And there was a good reason for not hiding or denying it.


    "Tell me, Venessa. Does my origin as the new Hero of Darkness affect our rtionship?


    What is your stand on this matter?" he asked.


    First, he at least needed to know what she had to say. If she suddenly turned into an enemy¡­ then he''d leave without a second thought.


    Even now, Kahn was engaging in this battle only because of two reasons. To keep his identity secret and to protect Venessa. But now that the truth about the former was already out in the open¡­ he needed to reconsider things.


    Venessa on the other end had a baffled and anxious expression. Her mind seemed to be experiencing many turbulent thoughts as her entire body almost froze.


    Venessa kept thinking for ten seconds, but inside her mind, she had thought for a couple of minutes given how fast the thought process of a saint was. And finally, she spoke with a resolute voice.


    "You never wished to associate with me since the beginning. It was me taking the initiative to establish any form of partnership with you and it was also me who voluntarily decided to be your friend." spoke Venessa with a thoughtful countenance.


    "The matter of heroes, churches and gods do not affect me or my life in any way.


    So be assured¡­ if we manage to get out of here alive, your secret will stay safe with me." she affirmed.


    Kahn was already ustomed to Venessa because of their often meetings with each other. So it didn''t take him a second to know that Venessa meant every word of what she said.


    Kahn only nodded in acknowledgement and then turned back to Axel.


    "Tell me something¡­ why did you bring me here along with Hector and Venessa?


    If your n was to capture her alive and kill Hector¡­ I don''t see a reason why I should be brought into this matter." queried Kahn.


    "Oh that¡­ well, I simply wanted to kill you in front of her. To break her mind." he replied while folding his hands.


    For some reason, Axel still acted like he didn''t worry a bit if Kahn was also a chosen Hero. As if he was certain that no matter what happened¡­ he would be able to kill thetter.


    "Why? What made you think so?" asked Kahn.


    "Because you two are lovers."


    Shock!


    Other than the Hero of Fire¡­ every single individual present inside this 50 kilometers radius battlefield was rooted on the spot and had their mouths wide open.


    After a few seconds, Kahn looked at Venessa while pointing out his left forefinger at Axel.


    "What the hell is he talking about?!" he shouted.


    "How would I know?


    People are just making assumptions themselves! Even my father thought the same." said Venessa as she shrugged her arms.


    "What the fuck?! Even the emperor thought the same?!" he bellowed in disbelief.


    Kahn then remembered how once Venessa called him as her ''man'' in front of the Hero''s Party. Meanwhile, their friendship was already known to many at this point. So he linked that incident to the current predicament.


    [So this misunderstanding actually stemmed because of her impulsive and wrongly chosen words?]


    He was brought here because of a big confusion by coincidence despite his best efforts to hide because of not something he did but because Venessa ran her mouth off in the wrong situations.


    Kahn took a few moments as he absorbed this revtion. But suddenly, his expression turned serious.


    "But even so¡­ you said something about breaking her mind. What''s that was about?" asked Kahn as gave a skeptical gaze to Axel.


    "Well¡­ now that no one is watching and I''m going to kill you and your allies anyway¡­ I might as well tell you the truth." Axel said with an insidious grin and exined his reason.


    "Only after watching her lover die, she''d lose her will to fight after we seal her rank and her bloodline.


    After the church takes over this empire, she is to be wed to me and then I will be the new Emperor.


    A chosen Hero of God Hetrax¡­ My reign would be unopposed. With her as my wife¡­ My im to the throne would also be legit.


    People don''t want war, they just want to live their pathetic lives while feeling safe.


    They don''t care who is the emperor and what''s their background as long as their lives are better than the previous reign.


    The church had thought of everything after they were done killing Emperor Havi.


    If I''m not wrong¡­ he should be already dead now." exined Axel.


    Kahn and Venessa finally understood why they were separated here.


    Killing Hector was the best choice since the emperor would also be dead. Rogis was shunned and had no im to the throne because of the imperial decree by Havi himself.


    Thus, it left only Venessa as part of the imperial family who qualified to be the next ruler.


    And by marrying her, Axel would indeed have the im if she was sealed and could not protect the empire.


    All of this was indeed a meticulous n.


    "But¡­ there was another reason why I wanted Venessa." suddenly, Axel spoke with a lecherous gaze, even from 7 kilometers afar, his malevolent gaze was easily noticed by Venessa.


    Kahn stepped in midway, having a grim expression.


    "What other reason?" he asked, tightening his grip on the hilt of Lucifer.


    "What other use can a woman provide in life other than cooking food and taking care of a man''s sexual urges? That''s all they''re born to do anyway." said Axel unapologetically.


    Venessa clenched her fists, her eyes turning bloodshot red.


    "I have long admired her beauty since I was brought here. I used to be a crown prince in my previous world as well. So it''s only right that a princess bes my sex ve. Ha ha ha!" dered Axel, his lecherous gaze and eerieugh resounding in the surrounding region.


    After hearing this reason given by Axel¡­ Kahn only looked back at Venessa and asked.


    "Tell me¡­ What do you want me to do with him?


    I will not back down from whatever decision you make."


    Venessa was thoroughly infuriated after hearing Axel''s true intentions. She was a woman of pride and honor. Everything she achieved in her life was through her own hard work.


    If not for her condition and inability to fight anymore due to the weakened state after using her bloodline transformation¡­ Venessa would''ve lunged and attacked Axel without waiting for another moment.


    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Kahn awaited her reply and was ready to act instantly. He too was angered to his core but in the end¡­ it was Venessa''s right to make the final decision.


    The next moment, Venessa opened her eyes and dered in a tyrannical voice filled with rage and hatred¡­


    "Kill him!"

 Chapter 660 The True Form

    Chapter 660 The True Form


    Kahn faced Axel with eyes full of hatred and disdain after thetter told him about what he''ll do to Venessa after killing Kahn. But the current situation was very dire for him at the same time.


    His identity as Hero of Darkness was exposed and there was a chosen Hero as a witness on top of it. Even if Venessa chose to side with Kahn and they somehow managed to leave this istion barrier¡­ Axel would inform the church and soon, the entire empire would be after him.


    The church could also use this news in their favor saying that the princess is allying with the hero of darkness and thus, their crusade against the imperial rule is righteous.


    On the other hand, Kahn thought of Venessa as a friend at this point and after seeing how she tried to let him escape even by risking her life while fighting against the Hero''s party by herself¡­ he already held her in high regard.


    "Kill him!"


    Venessa''s rage-filled voice reverberated in the surroundings and Kahn also got ready for a fight.


    Before, he was only looking for a safe way out but now due to these two factors¡­ one was circumstantial while the other was personal. Kahn decided that no matter what¡­


    Hero of Fire must be killed.


    "Alright then¡­ you heard thedy. Looks like you''re not leaving out of here alive." said Kahn and not only him but the seven subordinates also brandished their weapons.


    "Ha ha ha! You''re a fool, Salvatore.


    Do you really think you can kill me with just this measly group of yours?


    The Sage''s Eye showed me what kind of creatures they are. Monsters posing as hybrids and demi-humans¡­ You must look down on me too much to think that I can''t massacre all of you." spoke Axel haughtily.


    "Your entire crew is gone. And so is that 4th stage fireborne saint. You can''t escape from us." spoke Kahn as he gathered Space Force around Lucifer''s de.


    "And that''s where you''re wrong.


    I never needed those weaklings in the first ce.


    With them watching, I would not be able to use all of the divine abilities that required me to get into my true form." revealed Axel.


    "True form? What the hell are you talking about?" Kahn readied himself for a battle but didn''t attack. He felt like he was missing some key information here.


    However, in the following moment¡­ Axel''s entire figure started glowing yellow and soon, his body started erging¡­ his flesh turned bright red.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Axel''s body started deforming and bones started cracking as his entire figure grew in size at an extremely fast rate. However, despite the immense pain, Axel had a wide and sinister smile on his face.


    After a dozen seconds, theyer of human skin started tearing from the inside and a demonic and horrifying face appeared. On his back, two ginormous bat-like wings came out and spread widely. Yet there seemed no end to his transformation.


    But soon, Kahn stood rooted as multiple faces of females came out of the flesh of Axel''s ginormous figure that was still growing.


    "Let me go!"


    "Spare me, lord Axel!"


    "No! Stop!"


    "Please¡­ please let me go!!


    I have a son¡­ I have a husband. I have a family who''s waiting for me.


    I beg you¡­ I beg you! Please let me go."


    Soon, the atmosphere of the 10 kilometers radius turned grim and horrifying as hundreds and then thousands of loud wails and screams of women continuously filled the battlefield. All of them were either begging for mercy or trying to protect themselves while suffering some sort of torture.


    At least that was what Kahn and the group could infer from the voices they heard.


    [Boy¡­ those are the souls of these women.


    Wasn''t he supposed to be a human?] Asked Rathnaar.


    "Those are all women.


    It''s as if he ate them and their flesh is now part of his body." spoke Venessa from behind.


    Little did Rathnaar and Venessa know that their guess hit the mark.


    "In my world¡­ Human flesh is a delicacy. Males of my species eat women and females eat men." spoke Axel who grew horns on his head, no longer looking like a human.


    "Aren''t you a human yourself?" asked Kahn with a constricted expression as he was still amassing enough space force to end the battle in a single attack.


    "Me? Haha ha! You''re wrong.


    I look like a human because I have their bloodline and souls from thousands of women I ate.


    That allowed me to bypass the restrictions to enter this world when Hetrax chose me as his Hero." revealed Axel.


    [That fucker Hetrax! He used this guy''s ability as a cheat to bypass the restriction of choosing a human hero.


    And if he can absorb the bodies and souls¡­ means he has other abilities as well.] said Rathnaar.


    "But this human form¡­ is nothing but a restriction. I can use only 2 of my divine abilities in it.


    As for the rest¡­ I''ll show you why you''ll die." dered Axel and finally ended his transformation.


    Soon, multiple white archaic formations appeared around his body and the following moment, a suction force appeared at the center.


    Around the corners of the 50 kilometers radius battlefield¡­ were the fallen members of the hero''s party.


    A white orb with a blue-ish hue appeared out of them and quickly charged towards these white formations.


    [Don''t tell me¡­ this bastard chose the Soul Eater?!] eximed Kahn.


    Just now¡­ he mentioned the divine ability named Soul Eater.


    Kahn had the Eidetic Memory so he still remembered the use of this divine ability.


    It gave the user extra lives by absorbing the soul of the strong deceased entities. But it worked only when the soul belonged to someone who could use world energy, in other words, only a recently dead Saint.


    It was different from Axel''s own abilities where he absorbed someone''s soul by eating them first. This divine could not only directly absorb someone''s soul but quickly turned it into a life force equivalent to having another life.


    Kahn didn''t choose this ability because he was a different case and back then, he didn''t even know what saints were or how important world energy was.


    If he had chosen this ability even with his precarious situation where the whole Vantrea was hunting him, he wouldn''t have been able to make use of it in any way and could''ve died before even bing a saint himself.


    But their current situation also wasn''t favorable either, because this meant that they weren''t fighting with Axel alone.


    Their current situation basically meant that they were facing¡­


    8 Hero of Fire.

 Chapter 661 Three Abilities

    Chapter 661 Three Abilities


    Kahn hovered in the air at least 100 meters high in the air while in front of him, was the ginormous figure of Axel who was at least 250 meters tall after he transformed and revealed his true form as a monstrous creature.


    Just now, he figured out the 2nd divine ability Axel had known as Soul Eater. It could allow the user to absorb souls from recently deceased saints to gain an extra life.


    However, the biggest w of Soul Eater was that it had the condition of needing a dead saint. Not something you see happening often. This was one of the reasons why Kahn didn''t choose it but for Axel¡­ it was the best choice.


    Right now, Kahn''s team killed 7 saints from Hero''s Party to pressure the Hero of Fire by cornering him with their numbers and forcing his hand to give up the artifact.


    But eventually, because of the Soul Eater ability¡­ he ended up empowering Axel instead.


    And now¡­ Axel finally finished his transformation.


    A 250 meters tall blood-red body, 6 massive arms, 2 of which wereing out of the joints of the massive bat-like wings on his back. Most of Axel''s body was covered bone-like exoskeleton which had a gushing stream of blood constantly moving about on the surface.


    The head had no eyes but a skull with winged ears. On his chest and stomach was a red glowing hole that looked like it was a pit of fire. The red flesh had more than ten thousand small faces which disappeared after hepleted his transformation.


    From the waist region, it was all skeletons and thest two remaining arms grew out of the monster head made of bones and flesh that appeared below the waist.


    A 100 meter tall spine-like boney tailnded on the ground and shook the surroundings. While on the main body itself were thousands of small pores leaking drops of blood. As the blood coagted with time, massive blood drops, each sizing that of a water bucketnded on the ground.


    At this moment, Kahn finally amassed enough space force and using quicksilver, he quickly appeared just 2 kilometers away from Axel''s 10 meter tall head.


    DIMENSIONAL CUT!!


    Kahn took the opportunity to cut off Axel''s head with an instantaneous shing attack that could cut through all creations in the world.


    Thud!!


    A cloud of dust rose as Axel''s head dropped on the ground.


    Crack!!


    The following second, one of the 7 white formations that previously absorbed the souls of fallen saints shattered and released the white orb it held.


    Axel just lost one soul that could be counted as one of his lives.


    [Ronin!] shouted Kahn and using Shadow Swap, Kahn switched positions with the spirit assassin subordinate.


    A blue light emitted from Ronin''s body and he finally used his exclusive Legendary Rank ability that no one else had.


    Soul Collector.


    This was the ability he inherited from Vilgax who was a spirit monster. Soul Collector allowed Ronin to steal and absorb souls from fallen enemies in battle to increase his levels and strength.


    SCHWOAAH!!


    The blue light formed into an ethereal demonic arm and quickly pulled the soul that was sealed in the middle of the formation.


    Axel just lost one life and the soul was being snatched away by Ronin.


    The Thanatos subordinate quickly absorbed the soul in his body and using the Invisibility and Phase Shift skills, he disappeared from the spot.


    5 secondster, he appeared 5 kilometers away and started absorbing the soul properly.


    "You bastard!!" a loud and malicious voice thundered in the battlefield and one of the arms grabbed the fallen head. Soon, it ced the detached head on the neck that had a fountain of blood spurting out.


    In front of everyone, the head returned to its previous appearance and there wasn''t even a single trace left.


    [So he has some kind of instant regeneration ability.] analyzed Kahn from a distance.


    "Good. Now you''ve infuriated me. Let''s see how you can survive against my army then." spoke Axel and from his six arms, numerous blood droplets were flung in the nearby 10 kilometer radius.


    Kahn and the group quickly retreated and stood away from this shower of blood as a precaution.


    HOWL!!


    ROAR!!


    SKRAA!!


    WHRRAAA!!


    SCREECH!!


    One after another, multiple roars and warcries filled the surroundings as hundreds of thousands of monstrous creatures that none of them had ever seen before starteding to life from every single drop of blood that was thrown off from Axel''s palms.


    [Holy mother of Alucard¡­ is he creating all these soldiers from his blood?


    How many people did this bastard kill to summon so many monsters?] wondered Kahn and tried to remember if this was anything familiar.


    [Wait¡­ that''s the Blood Monarch divine ability!] just then, Rathnaar eximed in Kahn''s mind.


    [I have fought a hero who could use this skill.


    The user of this divine ability can create monsters just from a single drop of blood. The more blood they have stored in their bodies¡­ the more blood monsters they can create.] he exined.


    [Dammit! You''re right. I saw this one too. But there was a limit due to the amount of blood one can hold because of their species.


    But for Axel who isn''t a human and eats the flesh of others and probably drinks their blood too¡­ this is a perfect choice.


    However, that''s not all. You might not know this old man; one of the hidden effects is that if an enemy is killed by his blood monsters; he can use their blood to create more monsters of the same quality.


    It gives him an absolute advantage in arge-scale battle.


    Added with his saint rank, enormous blood supply and regeneration abilities¡­ This guy has an endless supply of a monster army.] said Kahn and a grim expression appeared on his face.


    Back then, Kahn didn''t choose it because it had to be the person''s own blood and the stronger he was, the collective strength each soldier will have.


    This divine ability heavily relied on the user''s own blood quantity. This was unfavorable for many but given Axel''s species, whatever it was called¡­ it was tailor-made for him.


    "No wonder he didn''t use this skill before in his human appearance. Only his original form has that much amount of blood to create this endless army."


    With this revtion, Kahn and the group found out about 3 of Axel''s divine abilities.


    However, their group wasn''t afraid of the enemy.


    "So what if he has an endless supply of army? We aren''tcking on our own either."


    A dubious n formed in Kahn''s mind and he spoke loudly, inviting two of his hard hitters.


    "Ceril and Armin! It''s time for you to take the stage."

 Chapter 662 Countering A Divine Ability

    Chapter 662 Countering A Divine Ability


    Out of 8 times, Kahn killed Axel once by using Dimensional Cut, his killing move. But now that Axel revealed another one of his Divine abilities called Blood Monarch that allowed him to create a blood monster to attack the enemy force from a single drop of blood¡­ a dubious n formed in Kahn''s mind.


    Who said Kahn had to fight Axel one on one just because both of them were chosen heroes?


    He had the advantage in numbers so there was no reason for him to y fair against the guy who was already 10 times stronger than him based on his rank.


    Axel obviously had more divine abilities so Kahn was going to make up for their difference in his own way.


    The battlefield was now filled with more than 10 million monstrous creatures. Each sizing at least 2 meters and all of them looked like amalgamations of various species and appearances he had never seen before.


    Some had 3 arms and 5 legs while some floated in the air without having wings. Apart from their blood-red bodies, there wasn''t a single thing that resembled the creatures of Vantrea. Kahn could only deduce that these were the monsters from Axel''s original world because the Hero of Fire himself wasn''t a human or looked anything like what they had seen in this world.


    The Blood Monarch divine ability was indeed on par with the Necromancy divine ability. But there was a reason why Kahn didn''t choose it back then. And now¡­ he was going to use the very w that made him discard this divine ability.


    "Ceril and Armin! It''s time for you to take the stage."


    Kahn called out the two subordinates and they both appeared right beside him, gazing at tens of millions of monsters that were being created at a rapid pace and had epassed around 20 kilometers of radius already. Yet there seemed no end to their numbers.


    "You know what to do." spoke Kahn and gave them a nod.


    Both subordinates nodded and disappeared the next second. A few secondster, Ceril took the east side and Armin took the west side of the monster army.


    [Venessa¡­ do not be surprised.] said Kahn to the 3rd princess through theirmunication artifact.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    A massive ck pir soaring in the sky appeared on the eastern end while an explosion of green aura permeated the western side.


    Finally, a 100 meter tall figure of an undead in a ck cloak, four ck feathered wings and a hood with a 10 meter tall book along with an 80 meter long ck scythe appeared in the west.


    On the other end, a 100 meter tall and four-legged green wood elemental creature who appeared like an embodiment of nature itself was revealed on the western side of this blood monsters army.


    Ceril and Armin had taken their Dark Summoner and Erdtree legendary rank true forms respectively.


    Venessa and Axel werepletely shocked from their respective positions and without wasting another moment, the transformed generals acted on the spot.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Ceril summoned a 10 kilometers wide archaic red formation that spread on the ground and soon, the ground below shattered and thousands of undead skeletons and monsters starteding out.


    Thud!!


    Thud!!


    And as the spearheads leading them¡­ Ceril''s Six Guardians that he created in capital Rathna of Rakos Empire, whom he also used against the legendary monster Ashokvatika in Vessen; came to be. Each of them sized over 50 meters in height and all wereprised of thousands of bodies and bones.


    However, unlike some mindless monsters¡­ they were created using Peak Grandmasters and now because of their size¡­ they were already on par with a 1st stage saint themselves in terms of skills and battle strength.


    This is what made Ceril a formidable opponent who had the abilities and skills to even kill a 3rd stage saint.


    And following the Six Guardians were the millions of undead monsters that were created using different species and fighting sses.


    In a way, Axel''s army was now facing 7 saints on the eastern end.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    On the western end, Armin created even more Treants, Tree Sentinels and flying wood elemental creatures. This time, because he was in his true form¡­ the range had expanded to 30 kilometers, which was basically the 60% of the entire battlefield and thus, the total number of creatures he created was twicepared to when he fought Volka just half an hour ago.


    If Axel had an unending army of monsters at his beck and call¡­ Kahn''s two generals didn''t lose out in any way either.


    "Do it." spoke Kahn, his voice being heard by both of them through their telepathic link.


    BANG!!


    Shatter!!


    Cerilunched his undead army that had proper weapons, armors and battle formations. He himself used Shadow de Barrage skill using the Scythe of the Reaper that was one of the gifts from the Deity of Necromancy;unching thousands of 10 meter long darkness elemental des, cutting through 20 to 30 thousand monsters with each wave easily. At this moment, Ceril looked like the personification of the Grim Reaper himself.


    The Six Guardians also killed 10 to 20 thousand monsters with each of their attacks while facing millions of enemies from all sides.


    Armin on the other hand summoned more wood elemental creatures along with thousands of vines and rootsing out of the ground, decimating and engulfing the blood monsters in the ground while stabbing and binding them before they even moved. The flying monsters were taken care of by his own flying creatures.


    The hero of fire only created an army filled with bloodlust. But he couldn''t control every single one of the monsters¡­ the duo of Ceril and Armin however, could.


    Even Axel, who was still creating way too many monsters, was rooted on the spot as the battle prowess of these two was dwarfing his own army.


    ----------------


    20 MINUTES LATER.


    Kahn was spectating the battle from afar as Venessa floated beside him.


    The well-controlled armies of Ceril and Armin were equally matching Axel''s blood monster army, killing them off easily while giving them no upper hand whatsoever.


    There was a reason why he chose the two to fight off against this divine ability.


    Because the army of undeads and wood elemental creatures by the two generals didn''t have a single drop of blood in them.


    This way, Axel couldn''t use the blood from fallen enemies to create more of his monsters at all.


    However, there was still no way topletely suppress Axel or his army either.


    "I see¡­ the key element is the blood of the fallen monsters that Axel is using to replenish his numbers again and again.


    This divine ability is just as broken as the ones I have." spoke Kahn.


    [Then cut off the source.] said Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    Kahn thought for a second and smirked as another n formed in his mind.


    "Get ready to make a surprise entrance¡­" said Kahn as he called out the next general who was going to overturn the battle.


    "Jugram."

 Chapter 663 l Have An Army

    Chapter 663 l Have An Army


    The battle between Axel and Kahn''s two generals was at its peak but in a way, it was still a standstill situation because the number of enemies remained the same as time went by.


    The root cause of it was the blood of the dead blood monsters that Axel was using again and again. This function was something even Kahn didn''t know of as. The only thing he could link it to was Axel''s own physiology that allowed this change in the divine ability named Blood Monarch.


    "Give up, Salvatore. Your possies can''t ever stop me." spoke Axel through his skull mouth.


    "I have an army."


    Kahn on the other end, smiled and replied in a coy tone¡­


    "We have a Jugram."


    BOOM!!


    Before Axel could react¡­ behind him, a massive crimson red burst of hellfire rose and quickly burned down the surrounding 1 kilometer region just with its scorching mes.


    ROARRR!!!


    An ear-deafening and ground-shattering roar of a ginormous creature sent shockwaves in the surroundings as a 500 meter tall creature appeared just 5 kilometers away from Axel.


    Two enormous horns on fire, a massive demonic face with red eyes, ripped and muscr arms that had an exterioryer like a boney armor came to be.


    The entire nt life, trees, grasnds and the blood monsters that were caught in this hellfire in the two kilometer radius area started burning on the spot.


    Venessa who watched this from behind Kahn was bbergasted on the spot as well.


    Axel already knew of Jugram''s origin but learning was different from experiencing in the end. And now, the former finally saw a creature that was twice his own size.


    Without further ado, Jugram quickly activated Hell Domain and the temperature of the surrounding 5 kilometers radius rose to 500 degree celcius. Also, all the monsters had 75% of their strength and physical defenses lowered under the perimeter of the hell domain.


    In just a few seconds, a few hundred thousand blood monsters had their bodies incinerated as they instantly turned into ash. Not a single drop of blood remained in their bodies.


    "Bastard!!" bellowed Axel in his eerie voice andunched 5 massive orbs of fire.


    BANG!!


    BANG!!


    These fire orbs were enough to nuke 5 kilometers of the region with a single strike¡­ but instead of killing the Hellzer general; Jugram''s body quickly absorbed them from the point of impact.


    The Sage''s Eye only told Axel about the generals and their true forms. But not their abilities they didn''t disy before. Little did the Hero of Fire know¡­ that Jugram had a unique skill of his own. And that was¡­.


    King of Fire.


    It was a Saint Rank passive ability that made Jugram immune to all types of fire attribute attacks and helped him absorb such spells and attacks in order to turn them into his physical attributes and increase his stats.


    The maximum rise in stats could be up to 500%. Means Jugram would be able to be 5 times stronger in time based on the fire orb attacks Axel wasunching to kill him.


    However, this wasn''t the end at all.


    Jugram then started jumping from one ce to another, causing a wanton massacre and his other passive ability started doing its work.


    Blood Storm!


    This was SSS Rank passive ability that allowed Jugram to drain out the blood from dead beings during a battle and use it as a high-pressure blood storm for 2 kilometers.


    Another effect was that he could create any form of weapons using the blood by mixing his aura and world energy in it.


    But as fate wouldn''t have it¡­ the already powerful Jugram who was enough to massacre an army of millions by himself, had another passive ability just for a battle of this scale.


    Chaos Emperor!


    Another one of Jugram''s Saint Rank passive abilities was doing its work at this moment.


    The more enemies Jugram killed and their blood was absorbed by him in a 5 kilometer radius¡­ the more strength, defense and attack buff will be gained by the Diablos general over time.


    Right in front of Axel''s eyes, Jugram started absorbing the gushing blood from the iling bodies of the blood monsters and created over a thousand 20 meter long giantswords, each of which looked identical to Ares.


    sh!!


    Rumble!!


    Crackle!!


    Unlike Ceril and Armin who had to be stationary in their respective positions to use their skills andmand their armies, Jugram was a frontline warrior.


    He charged into the battlefield without a second thought, killing thousands as he turned their bodies to cinders just with his presence alone and the massive giantswords created from the blood of the enemies massacred millions within 20 kilometers radius.


    At the same time, the blood that wasn''t absorbed by Jugram was turning into smoke. So in a way, Axel was losing his own blood and battle prowess continuously while having no supply of extra blood to create more monsters for his army.


    Axel was thoroughly infuriated because Jugram was not only massacring his forces the most but also stole his supply while Armin and Ceril were dwindling his numbers.


    If Axel had the blood, he could create more blood monsters but if the blood was sucked away by another entity, he''d be losing a good amount of his firepower. Let alone affect his physique at the same time.


    ----------------


    HALF AN HOUR LATER.


    Jugram obliterated more than 20 million monsters just on his own and finally received a total of 10 times buff using King of Fire and Chaos Emperor.


    Now, he wasparable to a legit 3rd stage saint and equally matched against Axel in terms of physical stats and strength.


    "Do it."manded Kahn.


    Jugram quickly activated Frenzy Berserker skill that gave him 5 times increase in strength for half an hour.


    SHRILL!!


    Even Axel felt a sense of impending doom as he retreated 20 kilometers away, escaping Jugram''s wrath because he could tell that if he stayed there any longer¡­


    Jugram would''ve ripped him in two parts.


    Axel had a Divine Ability. But Kahn had 3 Legendary rank monster generals who had the abilities to counter it by coborating.


    Blood Monarch was a divine ability that could be used to fight and win against even an Empire''s entire army if Axel was a higher ranked saint. But now¡­ The three generals of Kahn had made itpletely useless in a battle.


    "I''ll kill you, you fucking bastards!" bellowed Axel, no longer having that confident expressionpared to when the battle started.


    "You''ve forced my hand." he said in a grim voice and ordered all of his minions to return. Soon, he used bloodline-specific ability and mixed all the blood monsters together.


    Just 5 minutester while Axel avoided getting hit by Jugram attacks and giantswords¡­ another monstrous creature was formed by Axel that was over 1 kilometer in height alone.


    A ginormous monster made of thousands of human skulls and rotten flesh appeared on the battlefield and Axel shouted in a victorious voice.


    "You can''t defeat me!!"


    "I know." spoke Kahn with a firm voice.


    BOOM!!


    A massive explosion of brown aura erupted behind Kahn and Axel was shocked to his core while the former spoke with a wide grin on his face.


    "But he can."

 Chapter 664 Titan vs Titan

    Chapter 664 Titan vs Titan


    Axel pulled a killer move and created a gigantic creature as big as Venessa during her primordial creature form. Now, millions of his blood monsters had unified and turned into a single entity. Before everyone, a ginormous creature with thousands of small heads, skulls of women and rotten flesh that revealed a pungent stench came to be.


    But before Axel could revel in the fact that he now had a helping hand which had the collective strength of his entire blood monsters army¡­ a burst of brown aura erupted behind Kahn and a massive titanic being, equal in size to the summoned creature he had also made an appearance.


    WRRRAAAAA!!!


    GROWL!!


    The skull monster roared and growled in anger as it sensed an enemy behind Kahn.


    A massive 1 kilometer tall titan with 2rge horns, golden yellow eyes, whose outer body seemed to be made of hard and ck metallic mineral, stood in front of everyone.


    Under this armor-like body that covered his entire torso, shoulders, arms, thighs and everything below the knees¡­ was stone-like skin as if it was made from hard rocks.


    ckwall plunged his right hand into the ground and using Mineral Transmutation skill, he concentrated and greatlypressed minerals and hard stones present in the ground to create an 800 meter tall battleaxe.


    Venessa too was shocked to see that the fellow apprentice of Kahn who trained under Throk was another one of the monstrous creatures like the first three saints who engaged against Axel''s army.


    "What happened? The Sage''s Eye didn''t tell you?" asked Kahn in a mocking tone.


    One of the downsides of the Sage''s Eye was that it revealed the truth about what was in front of it. Thus, Axel knew that all of Kahn''s subordinates were actually monsters in humanoid form. But it never revealed their true appearances or their skills.


    And the second but the most detrimental demerit was that the Sage''s Eye could be activated only once in 24 hours. After that, the user will have to wait for another 24 hours to activate it again.


    Axel already used it today so he no longer had the ways to know about the battle prowess of ckwall in his titan form.


    "Attack!" ordered Kahn and got out of the way.


    As if acting on instinct, the blood monster itself charged at ckwall. Thetter on the other end braced for an impact as he used the battleaxe to cover his front.


    BANG!!


    Shockwaves and tremors resounded in the ground as the humanoid-shaped monster hit its fist against ckwall''s weapon.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    The impact from this monster''s hit was so strong that even ckwall was pushed off a kilometer away, destroying the lush greenery on the ground.


    [Master, it''sparable to a 3rd stage saint.] he informed Kahn.


    [I see. This guy could create another strong being of the same rank using the blood monster army. It''s like having another 3rd stage saint fighting beside him.


    Alright, you can use that move.] ordered Kahn.


    In the following moments, instead of directly engaging it, ckwall shoved the battleaxe into the ground and started running around the monster while creating deep crevices.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Shatter!


    The ground shattered and the crevices spread even wider as the blood titan followed ckwall. Little did it know, that it was actually helping the enemy side.


    For the next 10 minutes, Axel rejoiced after seeing the current situation while evading and dodging Jugram''s attacks who too was close to losing the strength buff of his skill.


    Axel''s true form was simply too agile for Jugram to catch up to and after 20 minutes of chasing, Jugram lost the effect of the Frenzy Berserker skill. And because he was no longer engaged in a battle and hadn''t killed any enemies in the past 20 minutes, he was losing the Chaos Emperor and King of Fire buff as well.


    Another 10 minutes passed and finally, Jugram was brought back to his original strength.


    [Get back. ckwall is almost done.]manded Kahn from 10 kilometers away.


    Crack!!


    Finally, ckwall''s battleaxe crumbled from a powerful hit from the blood titan and thetter gave out a victorious roar.


    But instead of getting disgruntled, ckwall let out a smirk as his arms plunged into solid ground.


    "Earth Style Jutsu, Deep Prison!" his ginormous figure spoke loudly.


    Crack!!


    Shatter!!


    Before the blood titan took another step, a deep and massive hole appeared in the battlefield. Without even having a moment to react, the enemy monster fell into this deep hole that was even longer than its height.


    Stab!!


    Stab!!


    Hundreds of earth and mineral spears protruded from the ground and stabbed into its body. Its humongous size now turned into its biggest weakness as it couldn''t even turn around or do anything to protect itself.


    Unlike the blood titan, ckwall had fighting skills of his own and he was using Marauder King skill at the monster to reduce 80% of the enemy''s defenses, causing it to suffer deep injuries.


    The enemy monster haphazardly tried to get out of the deep pit and ckwall didn''t stop it either. Because he had another killer move ready.


    Since the past 30 minutes, he had been carving up the ground with that battleaxe of his while running away from the blood titan. And there was a big reason for that.


    ckwall then sped his hands and a massive wave of brown aura spread across the surroundings. Soon, the shattered ground, massive boulders and minerals spread across the 10 kilometers region started floating in the air as he the Kronos general used his biggest trump card.


    Terrain Maniption!


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Gigantic pieces of earth and boulders from the destroyed terrain started converging together and formed various shaped weapons that were sized a few hundred meters made of hard stones andpressed earth.


    Thud!!


    The blood titan finally managed to get out of the deep pit but before it could react, ckwall ordered all these weapons to attack the blood titan.


    Stab!


    sh!


    Rip!!


    One by one, more than 20 of these weapons stabbed and punctured the gigantic monster, making big holes all over its body and streams of blood started gushing out like the water released from a dam.


    ROAR!!!


    It roared in agony but before it could suffer more, ckwall deformed and changed the shapes of these weapons after they were done incapacitating the enemy.


    Whooosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    In the following seconds, the 10 kilometer region started cracking and soon, all of the terrain coagted around these massive clumps of soil and stone.


    BANG!!


    All of the summoned clumps quickly surrounded and covered the blood titan. Forget fighting back, it could no longer move and inch and right in front of Axel, a 1 kilometer tall and round sphere made of stone and soil, resembling the moon itself hadpletely encapsted one of his biggest trump cards.


    Crack!!


    Massive cracks formed over the sphere that buried the blood titan inside itself under immense pressure as ckwall used his telekinesis ability called Terrain Maniption.


    Splurt!!


    Axel threw up a mouthful of blood and even his figure staggered, almost his standing.


    Because at this moment¡­ the titan from the enemy side aka ckwall¡­


    Had buried and killed the blood titan inside an earth coffin.

 Chapter 665 Setting Terms

    Chapter 665 Setting Terms


    ckwall performed live entombment on the blood titan with his terrain maniption ability and Axel threw up a chunk of ck blood as a result after the titan died. However, this wasn''t going to be the end of his misery.


    [A bacsh from the divine ability?] asked Rathnaar.


    [No. Blood Monarch divine ability is dependent on blood supply but there are no bacshes on the user.


    Looks like that monster was Axel''s own creation. Must be his bloodline ability and now that the monster is dead, he is receiving the aftershock of the skill getting destroyed.] responded Kahn.


    [Good for us. Now get rid of it.] said the peak saint''s soul.


    Kahn quickly appeared on the left side of this massive 1 kilometer tall spherical boulder that had the collective blood of all the monsters Axel created using the Blood Monarch divine ability.


    Swoosh!!


    The very next second, a ck shadow instantly formed a thickyer of coating and spread across this massive sphere rapidly, giving Axel no chance to retract or call back the blood that was locked inside the body of the blood titan.


    Schwooaa!!


    "You! What have you done?!" shouted Axel as he started throwing up more ck blood.


    "Nothing much. I''m just collecting some quality food for the mosquitoes in my house. I bet they''d love it." said Kahn nonchntly.


    Just now, Kahn pulled the entire structure inside his dimensional domain, cutting off its connection with Axel so thetter would lose his best weapon so far.


    [Dammit! Soul Eater, Sage''s Eye and now Blood Monarch¡­ 3 of my divine abilities are already useless. I can''t use Chrono Vision either since it''s only useful to run through the past events.


    Thest one¡­ I still have 7 more lives now. So only that one can keep me alive till I manage to kill this Hero of Darkness and all of his allies.] thought Axel.


    At this moment, Axel lost his advantage of 3 of his Divine Abilities because Sage''s Eye was used up for the day. The three subordinates of Kahn could perfectly nullify the use of Blood Monarch. And Ronin could snatch away the souls of his fallen saint rank party members that he was using as a source for extra lives.


    And to put the nail in the coffin, ckwall already killed one of his biggest trump cards which was like having another 3rd stage saint on the battlefield.


    However, he could still salvage the blood to keep on fighting. But this really wasn''t his day as Kahn somehow made it all disappear under a ck shadow, cutting off the connection with his blood bankpletely.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Axel''s true form that maintained a distance of 10 kilometers from everyone started shrinking back and within 20 seconds, Axel reverted to his human appearance once again.


    The main reason being that in Vantrea, his true form had the restriction of an enormous blood supply that he could also use for Blood Monarch. But now that Kahn took away his main source and had allies to get rid of the remaining blood even if he recovered it¡­ he could no longer maintain his true form. Otherwise, with the constant loss of blood, he would lose his ability to fight.


    "To think that a wretched pathetic weakling like you would force my hand to this extent.


    Tell me, Salvatore¡­ Do you dare fight me one on one?" asked Axel with a scornful gaze towards Kahn.


    "Nope."


    Kahn declined on the spot without even thinking twice.


    "What?! Are you a coward then? Where is your honor as a man?!" shouted Axel, trying to provoke the enemy.


    "Do I look like an idiot to you? You ganged up on Venessa with 8 saints including yourself.


    Where was your ''honor'' back then?" rebuked Kahn.


    "Now that you''re on the losing end¡­ you''re resorting to the childish method of riling me with such cliche provocations.


    And on top of it¡­ you have 7 more lives while I have only one. What kind of dumbass would agree to such a hopeless and unfair fight." he said loudly.


    Just then, the woman behind Kahn spoke¡­


    "Hah! What a loser. Acting like he''s some big shot while using a deceitful tactic.


    Aren''t you a chosen Hero? So much of a man you are¡­


    Fight him one on one with your life on the line if you dare." Venessa mored, her voice filled with disdain reaching Axel''s ears.


    "You whore! I''ll show you who''s the real man when I turn you into my ything and make you submit to me.


    Just wait till I kill this bastard and capture you!" shouted Axel with a gaze filled with wrath.


    [Good job. He''s a textbook Misogynist so this provocation hit the mark.] spoke Kahn to Venessa through the artifact.


    [But can you fight him? You will have to kill him 7 more times. And if my information isn''t wrong, the Hero of Fire has 5 divine abilities.


    We have seen only 3 so far.] said Venessa.


    [That''s not the problem. I have my ways to kill him. What I''m worried about is the type of his divine abilities.


    Do you have any idea about it?] asked Kahn in return.


    [No. They''re all well-guarded secrets and only the Pope knows about them. It''s a rule set for every generation of summoned heroes.] replied Venessa truthfully.


    Kahn nodded and then looked back at Axel.


    "Alright, shitface. I''ll take up on your challenge.


    We will have a one vs one battle of our own." dered Kahn.


    Axel''s face turned happier after hearing that statement. However, his joy didn''tst for long.


    "But after you have only one life left." he said with an evil smirk.


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    BOOM!!


    Rumble!!


    One after another, all of the remaining subordinates started revealing horrifying oppressive auras while the 4 generals also reverted to their humanoid appearances.


    The 50 kilometers radius battlefield turned into a destroyed terrain as these beings who were akin to natural disasters on their own targeted their killing intent at Axel.


    "Alright, boys¡­ it''s time." said Kahn, the main boss of this group let out a grin as he continued with a tyrannical voice¡­


    "To use the Pendragon Formation."

 Chapter 666 Formation of Death

    Chapter 666 Formation of Death


    As soon as Kahn revealed his intentions to let his allies gang up on Axel, thetter lost the color on his face. Because Axel himself had experienced their strength by watching them kill off his group members and even facing Jugram inbat who somehow even became someone equally matched in strength against him.


    The Hero of Fire no longer had a smug or confident face as before.


    [Dammit! Will I have to use those three methods?


    No! The first two¡­ I can manage. But thest one will cost me greatly since I''m not even a Peak Saint yet.] thought Axel as he ran a few calctions on the counter moves he could take.


    "Alright, boys¡­ it''s time."


    "To use the Pendragon Formation."


    Kahn''s voice reverberated in the surroundings.


    Without waiting for a grand reveal¡­ all the generals and Omega let out a grin and soon, 7 different archaic formations appeared above their bodies, each containing their different colors and auras with their respective owners.


    7 massive pirs rose and formed a that spread across the 20 kilometers radius of the battlefield. And finally¡­ 5 Dragon heads appeared and formed a Pentagram-shaped barrier around this battlefield.


    [System, scan the newly upgraded Pendragon Formation for me. I need to see what changes Throk made other than what he told me.]manded Kahn.


    [Scanningplete.


    Pendragon Formation has been upgraded to Legendary Rank.


    Following are the effects :


    All the targets sharing the linking runes through the clothes, armors and weapons will get a buff of additional physical stats by 3 times and magical abilities effectiveness by 2 times.


    At least 5 of the targets should be present for this formation to be active.


    The current range of this formation is only 20 kilometers radius.


    The range shall increase based on the levels and ranks of all the targets.


    The mean average of the levels and ranks for the targets will increase the range and buff effects under this Archaic Formation.


    Each user will grant an additional 7.5% increase in all the stats of the users.


    Currently, 7 users are activating the formation, granting a total of 52.5% increase in all of their physical and magical stats.] reported the system.


    [Good. Means they''re basicallyparable to an intermediate 2nd stage saint even without using any of their boosts and abilities.


    Throk really outdid himself. When all of their levels and ranks rise¡­ this formation will also increase in range and so will their physical stats.


    This is like having the best team battle effect. Only the dragon''s body can sustain such tremendous pressure and since all of our armors and weapons are made from it¡­ it provides a long-term help in a group battle.] thought Kahn with a content expression. Because this made his entire group strong enough to face higher-ranked saints easily.


    [Alright, all of you can start. If anyone dies, I''ll quickly revive them. Just be careful of him using that¡­] ordered Kahn.


    There was a reason why Kahn personally didn''t participate in activating the Pendragon Formation.


    Because even up until now, he had no clue of the 2 divine abilities Axel had and the most threatening one of them¡­ Axel''s Divine Weapon.


    [Hey, old fart. Why isn''t he using his Divine weapon?] asked Kahn to Rathnaar.


    [I already told you, kid. Using a Divine Weapon requires your Soul Essence. You should know how important soul essence is.


    The stronger and higher ranked you are, the more restriction on using the soul essence is lifted. Based on his rank, even the current Hero of Fire can use only 30% of his soul essence.


    And anyone below the 5th stage saint using Soul Essence forcefully will cause a great bacsh. One might even lose their rank and levels.] replied Rathnaar.


    [What? You didn''t tell me about thest part before.] Spoke Kahn.


    [Do you have your divine weapon to use it?] asked Rathnaar.


    [No.] replied Kahn.


    [That makes my point.] said Rathnaar sarcastically.


    Kahn rolled his eyes and then focused on the present moment. Because what Rathnaar exined was something Kahn personally experienced once.


    [In the past, the Heroes I fought didn''t use their divine weapons until absolutely necessary.


    You can''t use a weapon of mass destruction that can obliterate everything in hundreds of kilometers easily without having to pay a price.] he iterated again.


    Back when Kahn willingly sacrificed 10% of his soul to save Kassandra, Armin extracted that amount of Soul Essence out of his body.


    As a result, Kahn lost 20 levels and his ability to level up for an entire month as repercussions. And he wasn''t even a saint back then. With rise in ranks and levels, the aftereffects would be more detrimental to him.


    And if Divine Weapons relied on the summoned Hero/Heroine''s soul essence, then it was not a weapon that someone could use without paying a great cost.


    But this condition was also logical in many ways. Otherwise, a chosen Hero with a Divine Weapon would be an unstoppable force even to someone like other higher-leveled Saints and Dragons in this world.


    The world of Vantrea didn''t give free ess to unimaginable power without following the Law of Equivalent Exchange.


    And this seemed to be the reason why Axel still hadn''t used his divine weapon even now because he was afraid of losing his allover battle strength and even risk dropping in a rank.


    [Alright¡­ force him to the corner.]manded Kahn with a somber expression.


    "On my lead." spoke Omega and he charged at Axel with both of his katanas in hands.


    ng!!


    Raijin and Kojin shed against Axel''s sword and started pressuring the Hero Of Fire. Both of them were peak 3rd stage saints so Axel had no advantage over here. On top of it, Omega was more skilled than him.


    Sparks flew in the air for a few minutes while a scarlet red and a crimson red aura filled the battlefield within 5 kilometers radius as the two opponents shed against each other.


    [Now!] he ordered and quickly activated Gravity Domain, enhancing his own strength while limiting Axel''s agility and dexterity, just like how he did while facing Azerog.


    His 15 kilometers wide translucent domain had onlye into existence, but this wasn''t the end.


    BOOM!!


    Jugram also activated Hell Domain from the side and the 5 kilometers radius was filled with Hellfire.


    "Idiots! I am invulnerable to all kinds of fires in this world. What the hell is this hellfire going to do?" mocked Axel as he sent Omega flying using his own strength-enhancing skill.


    "Is that so? Then look above you." snickered Jugram as he pointed his left forefinger above.


    In the air, Oliver was charging Neith Bow and at the same time¡­ dozens of typhoons and winddes surrounded the Hell Domain.


    At this moment, Oliver had also used his Sky Domain, even forcing more physical restrictions on Axel''s body and his movement.


    Jugram''s Hellfire was just a distraction. The Hell Domain also reduced 50% of the enemy''s physical defense. And Axel was a 3rd stage saint so they had to bring him to their level first.


    "Heaven''s Wrath!" shouted Oliver.


    "Vajra!"


    Before Axel could even move a muscle, a massive 50 meter lightning bolt shot down from Neith bow''s phantom. Oliver was not messing around and nned to obliterate Axel just like how he killed Garakh, the snakekin tank.


    BOOM!!


    5 kilometers of the battlefield was turned into smithereens as Vajra struck Axel while he waspletely oppressed under the effect of 3 different domains.


    The others had already moved out of the line of fire and finally, a 100 meter deep pit was revealed to everyone.


    Axel''s charred body with a massive hole in his stomach was revealed.


    Shatter!!


    Just then, another one of the white floating formations shattered as the next soul was released.


    Swoosh!!


    Ronin appeared out of his invisibility mode and captured the escaped soul just like before when Kahn killed Axel using the Dimensional Cut.


    "Two down." said Kahn.


    Schwoom!


    Schwoom!


    Crackle!


    The charred body of the Hero of Fire started recovering its vitality as the Soul Eater divine ability provided Axel with another massive supply of life force, reviving andpletely healing him on the spot in just a dozen seconds.


    This was a procedure none of them could interfere or attack those incorporeal formations. Thus, they had no choice but to watch and let it run its course.


    "You Motherfuckers! I''ll fucking rip you apa¡­" shouted Axel.


    sh!!


    Before he could retort and curse everyone properly¡­ the 3 domains were still active and Axel''s body stopped moving.


    Omega had used Gravity Imprisonment skills and activated Moonlight Armor while Axel was being revived. And thetter didn''t even get toplete his sentence before Omega shed open Axel in two vertical parts, killing him instantly.


    Another formation shattered and Ronin captured the 3rd soul. As usual, he disappeared using Phase Shift and Invisibility skills, awaiting the next opportunity.


    Venessa, who saw this scene from behind Kahn was bbergasted and had her eyes wide open.


    She had fought against Axel herself and was perfectly aware of thetter''s strength and defense. Because of his invulnerability to all kinds of fires in this world, she couldn''t even oppress him in battle.


    Yet the 3rd stage saint, the Hero of Fire of this generation of summoned heroes was getting¡­


    Absolutely. Brutally. Massacred!!

 Chapter 667 The Calling

    Chapter 667 The Calling


    First Oliver and then Omega killed Axel with Vajra and White Fang Strike respectively. The former was a 50 meter long lightning boltprised of hundreds of lightning bolts while thetter was a gravityw attack skill that was only second to Kahn''s Dimensional Cut.


    After the Hero of Fire died for the 3rd time, Ronin collected and absorbed the escaped soul again using Soul Collector. At this moment, Ronin''s body was going under tremendous changes but the spirit assassin willingly halted his progress.


    Stealing the souls of the saints Axel was using as Extra lives was a precautionary move made by Kahn. Because Soul Eater definitely had some more uses and Kahn didn''t want to take risks and allow Axel to get any more advantages.


    Who knew if he could use Soul Eater to control these souls and regain more lives? If he could, then it would be a big problem for them.


    Based on the appearances of the souls, they released a very distinguished aura and seemed to have a lot of Soul Essence themselves since they belonged to saints.


    Blood Monarch was already too OP. If Axel had risen to Peak Saint rank, the army would be many times stronger and who knew what kind of powerful monsters he could create.


    Even his subordinates might have had to face trouble because if even a dozen of the blood monsters were on their level, they would''ve eventually lost after a long-drawn battle because nobody had an infinite supply of mana and world energy.


    They didn''t have a Peak Saint''s core like Kahn to use as a source. However, Axel chose that ability for futuristic purposes and he hadn''t expected to find and fight Kahn here when he nned to capture Venessa.


    And luckily, Kahn''s crew had abilities to counter his divine ability.


    Because having extra lives was no joke. But with Ronin''s help alone, they could ovee the Soul Eater divine ability. Thus, Kahn also had no ns to give Axel any leeway.


    Why give your enemy more firepower when you can take away their every possible move?


    "Arghh¡­" groaned Axel after being revived again. His indignant expression revealed his infuriated mind but currently, he was thoroughly suppressed.


    [These runts! They dare kill me like some random goon? I''m the goddamn Hero of Fire!


    And why are there 3 of them with Saint Domains? Even I don''t have one and neither did Azerog.


    The Sage''s Eye didn''t reveal these skills at all!] cursed Axel in his mind as he felt humiliated.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Oliver summoned a thunderstorm using his abilities as a Thunderbird monster and Axel who was entrapped inside the effects of the 3 domains still couldn''t breakthrough despite using his own saint pressure. And whenever he tried to move, Omega was straight upe in his way.


    Compared to others, Omega was too fast even for him and the three domains had already greatly suppressed his body.


    Cling!


    Cling!


    However, suddenly¡­ Axel''s entire body froze again and this time, it wasn''t Omega but another member of Kahn''s subordinates.


    Omega had just used Gravity Imprisonment so he needed some time due to skill cooldown. But there was another member who could temporarily freeze a weakened enemy.


    Void Realm!


    Under a 5 kilometers radius pitch-ck dome, the Hero of Fire couldn''t even bat an eye as Ceril suddenly appeared 1 kilometer in front of him.


    The Dark Summoner didn''t make any grand movements and summoned Book of the Damned and Chains of Judgement just like before.


    With thebination of two gifts from Deity of Necromancy along with the bonus effects of the Pendragon Formation, his overall strength rose to an intermediate second-stage saint, only a bit weaker than Axel.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Stab!


    18 ck chains made of pure dark magic stabbed into Axel''s body including his private part as his entire physique''s defenses were now negligible in front of their group because of the three domains.


    Rip!


    Axel couldn''t even scream in agony as his most prized possession was pulled off by a chain under Ceril''s order.


    Even Venessa had averted her eyes because the scene seemed too cruel even to her. But Kahn and the group weren''t bothered in the slightest as they had a history of torturing people since their time in vot City.


    This wasn''t something new or noteworthy for them at all.


    Rip!


    Rip!


    One after another, Axel was ripped and torn apart in small different ces as Ceril mercilessly killed the Hero of Fire. Darkness had an advantage over Fire in terms of elemental hierarchy. Thus, Axel couldn''t even resist or scream as he died another gruesome death while his entrails, lungs, limbs and prized jewel still hovered in the sky, unable to move on their own.


    Shatter!


    The fourth white archaic formation shattered and Ronin did what he was supposed to do.


    [Why the hell isn''t he using more fighting skills?] wondered Kahn.


    Because so far, Axel only used the most obvious and rookie-level fighting skills and most of them were dependent on brute strength as a 3rd stage saint.


    [Why do you think I managed to kill so many heroes despite being weaker than them?


    These guys rely too much on their divine abilities and don''t work hard to masterbat skills and techniques.


    Although you have blessings from the War Deity, you at least have your priorities straight when ites to mastering and perfecting your fighting skills and abilities.


    This guy seems like he never worked hard enough to gain and raise the ranks of skills and techniques after he was summoned here. And obviously, very few things from his world can work here since thews of reality are different.


    Compared to heroes of my time¡­ this guy is a rookie.] berated Rathnaar.


    Even Kahn understood that the first emperor was right.


    2 Minutes Later.


    Axel was reborn again and this time, it was Armin''s turn.


    The Pathfinder ss general used Nirvana Armor and Hermes Staff effect to drain the entire life force out of Axel''s body who was frozen inside the Void Realm after being reborn.


    Axel''s body turned into a husk and another soul formation shattered.


    With this¡­ Axel had died for the 5th time.


    However, after Axel was brought to life again¡­ the humiliation of being killed by Kahn''sckeys had finally pushed him on the edge.


    "All of you¡­ I''m going to make every single one of you suffer far more than I have." proimed Axel and hundreds of red runes appeared all over his body.


    "Kahn, get everyone out of there. He''s going to summon him!" shouted Venessa with fear in her eyes.


    "Summon who?" Kahn asked quickly.


    To his question¡­ Venessa had an aghast expression as she revealed with a terrified voice¡­


    "The Fire Deity."

 Chapter 668 The Deity

    Chapter 668 The Deity


    Void Realm activation time ended and Axel could freely move again after getting killed for the 5th time.


    "All of you¡­ I''m going to make every single one of you suffer far more than I have." shouted the Hero of Fire and multiple red runes appeared all over his body.


    As soon as Venessa informed Kahn about Axel trying to summon a deity, Kahn quicklymanded, "All of you! Get out of the formation!"


    His quick warning saved them all just in time as without wasting another moment, all of them deactivated the Pendragon Formation and created a distance of 15 kilometers.


    "Master¡­ he''s sacrificing his entire life force and trying to summon something." informed Armin from his location as he noticed the changes.


    "Venessa¡­ tell me about this quickly so I can form a n." spoke Kahn.


    Just the word ''Deity'' was enough to get Kahn alert because he had fought Valkyrie Brunhilde who too was a summoned deity herself.


    "The condition is that only the Fireborne Imperial n, the Hero/Heroine of Fire can summon the Fire Deity by sacrificing their entire soul and life force.


    There''s also an ancient rank ss called Deity Summoner where the one who unlocked that ss can do it without sacrificing their soul. But there isn''t anyone in the entire world in the past 300 years as far as I know." informed Venessa.


    Little did Venessa know that Kassandra had invoked that ss but there was no reason for Kahn to reveal that to her.


    [Old man, What kind of deity are we fighting here?] asked Kahn to Rathnaar who was the most knowledgeable amongst them.


    [One of my descendants, the 6th Empress of Rakos Empire, had the Deity Summoner ss 600 years ago. She had made a contract with 7 deities at her peak as a 7th stage saint. The Fire Deity wasn''t one of them.


    But I have only heard of it once. The fire deity can help the summoner to rise by 1 rank for an hour.


    However, there will be restrictions on the summoned entity''s overall strength as the deity''sbat power is dependent upon the user. But I don''t know what powers it has.


    We''re lucky that Axel isn''t a 5th stage saint. Otherwise, the deity would be able to use their own domain. And then¡­ all of us be dead for sure.] informed the peak saint with a somber expression.


    "Venessa, do you know about the deity''s powers?" asked Kahn the next second.


    "Not exactly. But I read once that it can summon a great army for fire creatures that respawn very easily as long as the summoner''s body is safe." she revealed.


    "This bastard is cheating big timepared to us.


    He is using someone else''s life force and soul to summon a deity. Even if he died, he''d be brought back to life because of the Soul Eater divine ability.


    Although there are few conditions and suitable circumstances to use them¡­ He indeed thought of the best option in the long term while choosing his divine abilities." said Kahn.


    [But there''s a limit boy. He is only a 3rd stage saint so the Deity''s power is restricted to a 4th stage peak saint.] said Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind while Venessa was unaware of a hidden existence in Kahn''s body.


    [I can go to a peak 3rd stage saint at best. Omega has also used all of his killer moves twice already and he will need hours to use them again.


    Nobody else is capable enough to fight a beingparable to a 4th stage saint here.] replied Kahn.


    He was quickly lost in thoughts as he tried to form a counter strategy on the spot.


    Meanwhile, the 15 kilometers radius was filled with scalding heat and everything had either incinerated or pulverized instantly. Even all the onlookers could feel the intense heat.


    Finally, when the massive pir of fire subsided, a 1 kilometer tall being with a massive greatsword, covered in armor from head to toe while having dark red fire being expelled from its body was revealed to everyone.


    "That''s the Fire Deity¡­ Kagutsuchi." informed Venessa.


    There was no outrageous burst of aura or an explosion. But the presence of this mighty persona was enough to everyone get a hint of what kind of entity they were facing.


    Compared to the Blood Titan, the Fire Deity was of the same size but looked more domineering as if it was a tyrant king.


    "I guess I have no choice but to fight him myself.


    Because the rest will die just from this heat alone." spoke Kahn.


    "So you summoned me, Axel. You''re the first Hero of Fire to do this.


    And here I thought my lord, God Hetrax chose a stronger candidate this time.


    What a disappointment." a jarring and authoritative tone filled the 20 kilometers radius instantly.


    "You''d understand why I did it so. See that guy¡­ that''s the new Hero of Darkness." spoke Axel who floated inside the chest region of this summoned deity; simr to how Kassandra once upied a tiara on Valkyrie Brunhilde''s head.


    "Oho¡­ what a pleasant news to hear. I guess I can give God of Darkness a payback on behalf of my Master." spoke Kagutsuchi who had two demonic hornsing out of his head.


    "Ha ha ha! He has 3 divine abilities created by 3 different gods. What a fool!


    And he also received the blessings from Kravel." spoke Kagutsuchi just after a nce at Kahn.


    Thetter was frozen on the spot because his secret was so easily out.


    "I have a score to settle with the War Deity. I guess I''ll get even by killing him.


    The 8th Hero of Darkness screwed us all over.


    Now it''s time they lose theirst chance and pay us back for thest time." his overbearing voice resounded throughout the burning battlefield.


    Before everyone''s eyes, the fire from his body spread across the 20 kilometers radius and in just a dozen seconds, over 5 million armored fire soldiers equipped with weapons, armors while having battle formations appeared and gave off a very strong aura.


    Althoughcking in numbers, this army was many times stronger than what Axel summoned using Blood Monarch.


    [Master¡­ I''ll take care of the army. I can withstand their fire without a problem and I''m better suited for arge group battle.] spoke Jugram.


    Other subordinates were out of question here already because of the fire spread on the battlefield.


    "Good. At least we two can face them head-on." said Kahn.


    Just then, another voice resounded in Kahn''s mind.


    [Human¡­ I''m done absorbing Bjormngandur''s body, bloodline and increasing my strength.] Rudra spoke after a long time.


    The next moment, he spoke in a voice filled with surging battle intent.


    [And I''m ready for a challenge!]

 Chapter 669 Mega Upgrade

    Chapter 669 Mega Upgrade


    While they faced Axel and the Fire Deity who were now looking down on Kahn and his subordinates like looking at small ants¡­ Rudra had finally decided to join the battle on his own ords.


    Currently, only Kahn and Jugram were physically capable to fight the enemy side because other subordinates couldn''t participate in a direct confrontation due to the scalding heat that was at least close to 1800 degree celsius.


    This was enough to even melt an armor entirely in just a few minutes so at best, all they could do was give support from the sidelines.


    As for Jugram and Kahn, the former had immunity against all kinds of fire while thetter could withstand 2000 degrees celcius temperature because of the abilities he acquired from the Magma Drake dungeon boss back in the day in Bromnir Dungeon while Kahn started his journey in vot city.


    However, now that Rudra was also ready to pitch into the battle¡­ their side was no longer the weaker one.


    [Alright, system. Give me his details first.] ordered Kahn.


    In just 10 seconds, he waspletely surprised to the point he felt like Rudra was no longer in the same league as them.


    [Following are the statistics of the subordinate Rudra :


    Name : Rudra


    Species : Voronir (Variant Basilisk)


    Job : None


    Rank : Mythical Rank


    Level : 483


    Strength : 83923


    Agility : 64801


    Dexterity : 74912


    Defense : 81392


    Mana : 60291


    ----------------


    Following are the skills and abilities of the subordinate :


    Lucid Reality (Saint Rank)


    Neurotoxin Venom (Saint Rank)


    Poison Immunity (Legendary Rank)


    Thermal Body (Saint Rank)


    Drake Scales (Saint Rank)


    Basilisk Scales (Saint Rank)


    Dominator''s Aura (Saint Rank)


    ----------------


    Subordinate Rudra has created a new exclusive bloodline ability.


    Corrosive Magma (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the subordinate to infuse the corrosive venom of the legendary rank Bjormngandur with the magma stored inside the body.


    Compared to normal magma, this Corrosive Magma cannot be defended against even if an enemy has fire immunity and will corrode, disintegrate as well as poison anything it touches, rendering the opponent unable to move or fight as time went by.


    Note : This ability will work on an enemy as long as they''re not in an ethereal or spectral form.


    ----------------


    Bloodlines : Godbeast Basilisk & Draconian Bloodline


    Current Bloodline purity : 80% & 20% respectively.] reported the system.


    Rudra was a mythical being since the beginning and he had a Basilisk and Draconian Bloodline. Two of the strongest amongst the Godbeast and any other monster species in the entire world.


    Kahn could instantly tell that Rudra used Magma Drake and Bjormngandur''s innate abilities and somehow managed to merge them using their bloodline as the drake was a creature of magma while the basilisk descendant had a neurotoxin venom.


    Since all Rudra did was study and perfect bloodlines he absorbed while freeloading on Kahn who gave him top-grade cores and ores to raise his levels¡­ the result wasn''t too surprising for thetter.


    Resulting in his stats being way higher than his levels should allow. Even Kahn had to acknowledge that Rudra was now a lot stronger than Omega.


    If not for the Gravity Law skills, even Omega wascking in brute strength and wouldn''t survive against the Voronir subordinate if they fought to the death.


    [I guess it would be the first time¡­ that we will battle together.] spoke Rudra in Kahn''s mind.


    "Alright then¡­ Come out!" ordered Kahn to the variant Basilisk subordinate after he heard of Rudra''s mega upgrade.


    Swoosh!!


    Suddenly, a massive ck shadow descended from Kahn''s figure and instantly spread for at least 8 kilometers in length.


    BANG!!


    Rumble!!


    Crackle!


    Shatter!


    Every nook and cranny around the destroyed grasnd suddenly started shaking under a leaden pressure and soon, a ginormous creature appeared out of this ck shadow.


    HISSSS!!!


    A high-pitched hissing resounded in the 10 kilometer region and right in front of everyone, a massive and simply too long ck and red creature appeared while revealing an insurmountable and terrifying aura that even made Axel shudder in fear while the Kagutsuchi''s expression turned grim.


    Venessa, who also felt like bowing down because of this heavy pressure was bbergasted on the spot.


    "What the hell is this monster?" she asked with a constricted face as if she was looking at her natural archenemy.


    A 500 meter tall snake-like creature whose length was at least 8 kilometers while its width was at least 300 meters rose its head proudly.


    Even its width was close to 3 football fieldsbined. Even a mountain would be too easy to wrap around for this terrifying creature.


    Two ck and long horns, each being at least 10 meters in length, appearing like a crown of a king revealed themselves while two massive eyes, each of which was literally made from magma, were now looking at the enemy side.


    Hundreds of ck pike-like teeth as its maw revealed the glowing red tongue while a stream of magma ran like a river as the basilisk hissed loudly.


    Thousands of cracks were spread across the body of this variant Basilisk that leaked magma while the thick and hardyer of skin was abination of both Basilisk and Dragon hide.


    Kahn could feel that it was another upgrade to Rudra''s body after he ate and absorbed Bjormngandur''s body and transformed into apletely different creature, even stronger than before.


    SHRILL!!


    A massive burst of pitch ck and red aura suddenly spread across the 10 kilometers radius as Rudra used his Dominator''s Aura skill that affected the minds of opponents and broke their mental fortitude before the battle even began.


    Kahn and the crew were ustomed to it but Axel and Kagutsuchi felt as if they were in a pinch already.


    "You¡­ you have the bloodline of Dragons and Basilisks¡­ what kind of creature is this?!" asked Kagutsuchi, taking a defensive stance.


    Even for a monster who originated from a snake-like species¡­ Rudra was too tall while his blistering hot body covered in the ck scalesbined using the properties of two different species was way too long.


    But Kahn and Rudra had no intentions to make a formal introduction as the former instantly activated the Dimensional Domain for the first time since the battle with the hero''s party started, enshrouding 5 kilometers of radius under a pitch ck dome.


    But at this moment, more than Axel and Kagutsuchi¡­ there was another individual who had her eyes wide open.


    Venessa was suddenly hit with a realization and shouted in disbelief¡­


    "Son of a bitch!... It was you!"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author: Sorry for the dy in chapters. I was suffering from high fever and migraine from the past 4 days. Not in a position to write or even focus on doing anything. Finally recovered now so we''ll continue our daily chapters routine.

 Chapter 670 New Battle Mode

    Chapter 670 New Battle Mode


    Venessa waspletely baffled at this moment after she noticed a familiar ck dome that suddenly appeared across the battlefield as she stood away from its perimeter.


    A revtion hit her mind like a wrecking ball because this scene was simr to the events of one and half years ago.


    Back then, a group of supporters suddenly appeared and helped her with information and strategy to take the second prince and her other half-brother aka Rogis Hos Sigfreed for his actions against the human race.


    During those times, Venessa thought a 5th stage saint was supporting her to be Empress because only those beings could use a domain of their own.


    And now¡­ it turned out that it was Kahn all along. A chosen Hero whose existence she didn''t even know of before.


    Venessa tried to run her brain at full speed and after recounting the old events¡­ she reached a final conclusion¡­


    Kahn did it for Throk and himself. He was bold enough to take down an empire''s prince just to make his own life easier and create a perfect cover-up for his background in their empire.


    However, she no longer had any qualms about it because whether Kahn did it for his own sake or not¡­ he was now battling for her sake against powerful entities.


    "Axel¡­ that domain." spoke Kagutsuchi in a grim voice.


    "What?" asked the Hero of Fire.


    "That''s rted to Space Law. If I''m not wrong¡­ then he has unlocked the Dimensional Law divine ability.


    Although nobody knows what that divine ability can do¡­ We shouldn''t step inside his domain carelessly.


    Anything made by the first God in existence, the God of Space; shouldn''t be looked down upon." warned the Fire Deity to Axel.


    "No need to worry. We can still kill them without even entering his domain." snickered Axel.


    However, at this moment, Kahn and Rudra who were inside the Dimensional Domain nodded at each other and quickly made their move.


    Swoosh!!


    In just a blink of an eye, Kahn suddenly appeared 3 kilometers away from the ginormous body of this summoned deity and without getting a chance to react, both Axel and Kagutsuchi were now covered inside the Dimensional Domain.


    "What the hell?! How can his domain move so suddenly?" shouted Axel.


    Because unlike others, Kahn''s Dimensional Domain moved along with his body and he could instantly cast it just with a thought. This was an advantage even Omega, Jugram and Oliver didn''t have with their respective domains.


    As soon as Axel, Kagutsuchi and his army were encapsted by the ck domain that spread over 5 kilometers radius, all of them felt like their total strength bing half of their original limits.


    This was the main effect of Dimensional Domain during a fight. Any enemy brought inside it will have all of their physical stats including the mana capacity reduced by 50%.


    Even if someone was a 4th stage saint, they''d still be brought to the level of a 2nd stage saint while fighting against Kahn inside this domain.


    Kahn hadn''t used the Dimensional Domain till this point for two reasons¡­ One, he was being cautious because Venessa would definitely remember it. Two, he did not want to give away one of his biggest cheats to the enemy side.


    Rumble!


    .


    Rumble!


    Rudra''s massive serpentine body slithered on this burning battlefield,pletely unaffected by the extensive heat that had turned the 15 kilometers region into an incinerated and melting open ground.


    BOOM!!


    Jugram turned into his real Diablos form again and summoned his massive giantswords made of world energy, directly starting a wanton massacre of the millions of soldiers.


    He wasn''t just a random monster but a massive warrior with battle experience, fighting skills and a clear mind while facing millions of these fire soldiers.


    [Dammit! Why the hell is my strength reduced to half?] cursed Kagutsuchi.


    By logic, he should''ve had the strength of a peak 4th stage saint now but suddenly, he was barely at peak 2nd stage.


    Axel on the other hand felt like he was no better than an intermediate second stage saint, losing his battle strength instantly and now, he was even weaker than Kahn in terms of physical strength.


    "Bring it on, bastard! Give us your best shot!" bellowed Axel as he challenged Kahn without a hint of fear in his eyes.


    BOOM!!


    "With pleasure." spoke Kahn and soon¡­ a mixed burst of ck and red world energy erupted like a volcano from his body and soon, an ethereal form of himself that was around 90 meters tall.


    This spectral form of his only had the upper torso above his waist and Kahn stood below it. Soon, this form started growing 6 horns on its head.


    The first pair of two on the forehead belonged to True Demons, the ones behind were Dragon Horns and finally, the longest horns behind his head that looked simr to Rudra''s horns belonged to the Basilisks.


    Crackle!


    .


    Crack!


    Spectral Kahn''s entire body turned rock hard simr to the Mountain Titan and then, numerous scales of basilisks and dragons started appearing on its skin while tworge red wings of legendary rank monster bird aka Cdrius spread from the back.


    The ws on its hand were simr to Skoll and Hati. On top of it¡­ Kahn granted it this form Invimarak skin, Dragon Physique, Bjormngandur''s Eyes that could cast Lucid Reality.


    Kahn then granted it Titan Transformation that rose the size of this spectral form by 30 times and the total height became 270 meters, even bigger than Axel''s true form.


    "What form of power is this?"


    Venessa asked with her mouth agape in shock. Axel and Kagutsuchi however, had an indignant expressions.


    Kahn had finally used the Spirit Replica skill that he absorbed from Vilgax back in Vessen and was unlocked after Kahn became a saint.


    And finally¡­ the entire form started covering itself in a purpleyer of Samurai-like helmet, armor made of the Guardian Dragon''s aura while a Dragon head appeared in the center of the chest armor.


    A spectral form of 200 meter long Lucifer suddenly appeared in its right hand while 500 small replicas of his greatsword, each being 10 meters long appeared and floated behind this massive figure.


    Kahn, who now had his own version of a summoned warrior deity then shouted with a tyrannical voice filled with absolute killing intent¡­


    "Bankai¡­ Kokuj¨­ Tengen Myo''o!!"

 Chapter 671 Finally in Use

    Chapter 671 Finally in Use


    Kahn finally used the Spirit Replica by infusing many skills, abilities and bloodlines in it after he was finally forced to go all out against Kagutsuchi, the Fire Deity.


    One of the 5 doppelgangers of Kahn who were tasked to train inbat skills and techniques while he was increasing his skills in cksmithing Craft was in charge of perfecting Spirit Replica.


    This new battle form of his didn''t juste out of nowhere or was perfected on the spot as the doppelganger who was also Kahn, had experimented with various bloodlines and effects and formed a perfect synergy in this battle mode after many months from going through arduous trial and error.


    And finally, Kahn decided to use it against Axel and his summoned Deity to shift the battle in their favor from the get-go.


    Unlike Kassandra, Venessa and Axel¡­ Kahn had no way to summon a Deity himself. However, this battle form would also grow in size and different abilities with more powerful skills, abilities and bloodlines he acquired along with the rise in his rank as a Saint. This version was only Prototype 1.0 and there would certainly be many upgrades in the future.


    So in a way, this would be one of Kahn''s biggest trump cards even when fighting against other Heroes.


    [This form¡­ is it one of his divine abilities?] asked Axel.


    [No. He had mixed many monster bloodlines including that of some descendants of different Godbeasts, Basilisk and Dragon.


    We just need to wait till his form gets deactivated on its own.] forewarned the fire deity.


    But little did they know that this form would be active as long as he could provide it with a constant supply of world energy. And because Kahn had Rathnaar''s core linked to his soul¡­ he had an endless supply. Thus, he was fully nning to use his hacks to put an end to this battle quickly.


    [System, from now on¡­ we will call this form as Shura.] said Kahn.


    [Shura Mode name registered.] responded the system.


    ----------------


    ng!!


    A burst of shockwave resonated in the battlefield as the massive Shura faced Kagutsuchi in a head-on battle. The spectral Lucifer was as strong as the original one and the 500 small summoned greatswords using Sword Emperor skill attacked the opponent from different sides, stabbing the deity''s knees and achilles heels.


    BANG!!


    Rumble!!


    Rudra suddenly barged into the 5 kilometers radius as he waltzed in while destroying thousands of fire soldiers, some of whom were 100 meters tall and had different weapons of their own. However, not only did the voronir subordinate have immunity against their fire elemental attacks, his defenses were imprable while the magma he spewed from his mouth started corroding thousands of them on the spot.


    Kahn performed various attacks and Shura followed his exactbat techniques while stabbing and shing at vital points of the fire deity who was still 3 and half times bigger than his new battle form.


    p!


    p!


    Shura quickly pped the Cdrius Wings on its back that granted 4 times flying speed and Kahn evaded a massive beam-like attack from Kagutsuchi.


    Jugram was killing thousands of fire soldiers with his skills while Rudra took down 5 of the 100 meter tall generals Kagutsuchi had in his army. Some of them disintegrated after getting struck with Rudra''s Corrosive Magma while the rest were just torn into big pieces by the basilisk''s massive maw filled with fangs and sharp teeth.


    ng!!


    Rumble!


    For the first time, Kagutsuchi was shoved backward for at least 500 meters as Lucifer and the deity''s greatsword shed against each other.


    The former was only 200 meters long while the deity''s greatsword was 800 meters long.


    However, even without any buffs¡­ Kahn was alreadyparable to a peak 2nd stage saint just like Kagutsuchi under the suppression of the Dimensional Domain.


    And with the added strength of Shura form, he was thoroughly suppressing the enemy without any trouble at all.


    30 MINUTES LATER.


    The battle between Shura and Kagutsuchi was now at a standstill because both were equally matched in terms of strength.


    [Do it quickly!] ordered Kahn to Rudra who just chewed off an army general''s upper torso.


    Rudra slithered at a fast pace and approached Kagutsuchi who was fending off Shura''s attacks whileunching firestorms and fireballs at Kahn while thetter kept pping his wings and evaded these lethal attacks thatunched at him like cannonballs.


    Crackle!!


    Crackle!!


    Rudra''s gigantic 500 meter tall figure finally reached close to Kagutsuchi and quickly bit his left leg from behind and flung it away.


    BANG!!


    Shatter!!


    Nearby 3 kilometers of the region was devastated and filled with crevices as the fire deity fell on the ground.


    Kahn quickly cast Dragon Strike skill and attacked from the air while Rudra started shooting the corrosive magma from his mouth at the center of Kagutsuchi''s chest.


    This wasn''t a fair fight in any way¡­ rather, Rudra and Kahn were ganging up on the deity who was already suppressed to a great extent.


    BANG!!


    The dragon strike hit Kagutsuchi and a massive dark red explosion spread across 5 kilometers of the battlefield. The fire army tried to interfere but Jugram, who was now fully buffed up to the level of a 3rd stage saint, jumped in and barricaded them all.


    Rudra on the other end swept his tail and swatted away thousands of soldiers, killing them instantly. And finally, a haggard figure of Kagutsuchi was revealed in front of them.


    The main target of Kahn''s Dragon Strike apanied with Marauder Skill and


    Rudra''s corrosive magma¡­ was none other than Axel.


    Ever since the fire deity was summoned, Axel stood in the chest of this ethereal being to be protected by the enemy side.


    He was already suppressed and couldn''t fight because if the summoner died, the Deity would instantly disappear anyway. And this was why Kahn and Rudra were targeting him after they took control of the battlefield.


    [Dammit! The magma spewed by that basilisk may not damage me, but it''s breaking past my defenses and corroding my body.] cursed Kagutsuchi and got up.


    Nheless, Rudra charged in again and slithered around the deity''s whole body, in just a few seconds, the enemy had their entire body tied by a mythical rank rope.


    In the following moments, Shura quickly stabbed Lucifer in the fire deity''s chest but barely missed Axel who shifted his position in a nick of time.


    But even so, Kahn wasn''t disappointed in the slightest as he let out a grin.


    Schwooom!!


    Schwooom!!


    Suddenly, a ck wormhole appeared at the end of Lucifer''s de that was plunged inside Kagutsuchi''s chest.


    Both Axel and the Fire Deity had horrified expressions while Kahn let out a devilish smirk because at this moment, he was finally using his Legendary Rank skill in a battle that he got from the Guardian Dragon. Also called as¡­


    Energy Plunderer.

 Chapter 672 Pushed To The Edge

    Chapter 672 Pushed To The Edge


    After Kahn and Rudra joined arms and managed to incapacitate Kagutsuchi, the Fire Deity waspletely unable to move an inch.


    Kahn in his Shura battle mode plunged down Lucifer in its chest and finally activated the Energy Plunderer skill for the first time in a battle.


    Energy Plunderer was a Legendary Rank skill he got from the Guardian Dragon which allowed Kahn to create a ck wormhole that could absorb mana, world energy, elemental attacks, spells, and various forms of energy sources.


    The wormhole would then deconstruct and reconstruct these forms of sources to filter out the purest energy that can be received by Kahn in any desirable form. And at the moment, Kahn could feel his reserves getting filled and his levels rising¡­ enough to make a breakthrough to 2nd stage saint at the spot.


    But Kahn willingly halted his progression because he would be unable to fight during that state. As for the enemy¡­


    In the end, Kagutsuchi was a summoned entity purely made of world energy and soul essence that Axel sacrificed to summon him.


    This was Kahn''s n all along when he decided to jump into the battle with Jugram. Rudra tagging along was just a cherry on top which made things easier for them as thetter could do a better job at restricting this massive 1 kilometer tall being''s body and movements.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    The ckhole inside Kagutsuchi''s chest exerted a tremendous amount of suction force and started engulfing his body from the inside at a rapid pace as if trying to devour it as fast as it could.


    HISSSS!!


    Meanwhile, Rudra hissed loudly and used Lucid Reality on Axel since he was higher leveled, making the hero of fire unable to fight or aid Kagutsuchi in any way.


    [Axel! Use your divine weapon!] shouted Kagutsuchi in Axel''s head.


    However, the recipient didn''t even hear the cry for help as he was currently inside a different reality where everything around him looked as if he was in a different world.


    "Stop resisting¡­ You''re my prey." spoke Rudra, his voice sending tremors across 3 kilometers radius.


    Rudra opened his maw and shot a massive stream of corrosive magma on Kagutsuchi''s face while Shura kept absorbing and weakening the enemy using Energy Plunderer.


    Soon, under Rudra''s attacks, Kagutsuchi''s face started corroding and turning into ash because of the high temperature of his own body while Kahn used Dragon Strike again tond devastating blows to its legs and arms.


    Rip!!


    Rudra started targeting the fire deity in his vital spots and chewed off a big chunk of fiery red world energy as if he was eating off a wild animal.


    "ARRGHHHHH!!!" screamed the fire deity as for the first time ever since he became a deity, was he thoroughly humiliated and treated like a weakling after being summoned by Axel for the first time in the history of summoned heroes.


    Yet, the fire Deity was not only oppressed because of its limited rank, but it also couldn''t even fight because all of its skills were useless against Kahn and Rudra. Just a p from Shura''s wings was enough to redirect any summoned attack skills or fire spells.


    "No!" bellowed Kagutsuchi as his figure started disappearing and his dark red body was turning transparent because Kahn was draining all of its world energy.


    5 more minutes passed and now¡­ after 30 minutes of battle, the Fire Deitypletely disappeared, not even leaving a single trace behind.


    Swoom!!


    In a blink of an eye, all the fire surrounding the 20 kilometers region, millions of fire soldiers army alsopletely disappeared, leaving only a smoldering and charred battlefield.


    Cough!!


    Cough!!


    Axel, who wasying silently on the decimated open ground, started throwing up blood and started choking on the spot from bacsh after Kagutsuchi was killed by Rudra, Shura and Kahn.


    Crack!!


    Crack!!


    Shatter!!


    The sixth white archaic formation shattered but this time¡­ there was no soul left to escape because Axel had sacrificed it to summon the Fire Deity.


    ----------------


    3 minutester, Axel was revived by the Soul Eater divine ability and had recovered to his peak health again.


    However, this time¡­ Axel was thoroughly infuriated. He died 6 times already and now, only 2 lives remained. Thest being his own and then he would be finished for good.


    He had a constricted and incredulous expression as he revealed his killing intent and anger towards the enemies from the opposite side.


    [This isn''t going to cut it. I can''t afford to lose any more lives from here on.


    But thanks to myst Divine Ability¡­ there''s nothing he or his allies can do to me anymore.


    I guess I could risk losing another life to use it to win this battle.] thought Axel with a scornful gaze towards Kahn and Rudra.


    "You''ve forced me to the edge, Salvatore.


    Be proud of yourself for forcing me to use it for the first time in a fight." dered Axel loudly, his voice echoing in the 5 kilometers region.


    "Bring it on, ye wanker!" taunted Kahn without any fear while all the subordinates had surrounded Axel from 8 different sides, ready to pounce on the Hero of Fire and end this battle.


    But even with just 2 lives left¡­ Axel was confident to be able to kill Kahn for some reason.


    "It''s time I settle the score with you bastards." spoke Axel and soon, a mix of ck and white aura appeared around his body and his heart started glowing with a red and yellow light.


    In the following moments, the ck and white aura started coalescing while the red and yellow aura around his heart suddenly moved across his body and stopped at Axel''s left palm.


    In front of everyone''s gazes, these 4 different auras merged and soon, a big orb of flickering me consisting of all 4 auras came to be.


    BOOM!!!


    A burst of highly dangerous and terrifying aura spread in 20 kilometers region and even someone like Omega and Rudra, both of whom wereparable to a 3rd stage saints felt a sense of dread.


    The orb of fire glowed brighter and its multicolored presence emitted an insurmountable pressure.


    [It''s been close to a thousand years since Ist saw it.


    Be careful boy¡­ That''s the Eternal me and the Divine Weapon of Hero of Fire.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind with a grim voice.


    Venessa suddenly spoke with a terrified voice and revealed the name of this divine weapon¡­


    "Amaterasu."

 Chapter 673 Divine Weapon

    Chapter 673 Divine Weapon


    The four-colored big orb of fire flickered in Axel''s hand, emitting a threatening aura so intense that even Kahn, Rudra and Jugram who had resistance against the fire element felt like they''d die miserably if hit by this weapon.


    "Be careful Kahn¡­ The Legends say that Amaterasu was forged using a fraction of God Hetrax''s own soul.


    Even though it''s not in its peak form because of Axel''s rank¡­ it''s not something you should face head-on." warned Venessa.


    Kahn nodded and asked Rathnaar.


    [How did you face and win against it back then?]


    [I know how it works but I was too powerful when I faced the Hero of Fire in my era. Back then, I had many long-range attack skills. But you¡­ your strength and range are way too small since you''re only a 1st stage saint.


    We have no advantage against him.] replied the peak saint''s soul.


    Swoosh!!


    Before Kahn could asses the situation, Axel appeared 5 kilometers away from him and directed Amaterasu in his direction.


    Shoot!!


    A massive 500 meters wide spherical archaic formation suddenly appeared in front of flickering Amaterasu and started charging itself.


    [Kid, run!!] warned Rathnaar while Kahn''s survival instinct blessing rang like a siren in his head.


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    Rumble!!


    In just a few seconds, Kahn moved 3 kilometers away as a massive and incredibly fast multicolored beam of fireunched itself and covered the distance of 5 kilometers in just 1 second.


    BANG!!


    However, although Kahn managed to escape in time using Quicksilver skill¡­ his Shura form was too big to move along with and was instantly struck by Amaterasu.


    Crackle!!


    Sizzle!!


    "Aaaarrrr!!" wailed Kahn in pain as soon as Amaterasu''s intense me started burning his 270 meters tall gigantic battle form instantly and in just a few seconds, half of its body was burned and turned to ash without putting up a single resistance.


    Kahn then quickly deactivated the spirit replica skill to not suffer from a bacsh of the skill getting destroyed¡­ however, his expression turned fearful for the first time since their battle began.


    Because his Shura mode wasn''t weak in any aspect. It had the defense of a Primordial titan, Invimarak, Dragon and Basilisk. Even Kagutsuchi had a hard time fending off Shura mode and hadn''t even managed to break apart the armor made from the guardian Dragon''s aura.


    But given how quickly Amaterasu engulfed and burned that body as well as how easily it destroyed half of the gigantic figure in just seconds¡­ it didn''t take a genius to understand that Kahn would''ve died instantly if he was hit by Amaterasu.


    If not for Quicksilver skill, even Kahn''s ashes wouldn''t be left.


    Just then, Rathnaar spoke in his mind again.


    [Boy¡­ your domain can''t do anything against Amaterasu. And you can''t even touch Axel from this distance.


    Based on my estimations¡­ his current range of attack should be 15 kilometers since his body is suppressed by your domain''s restrictions on his physical stats.


    Also, your subordinates will instantly die if they''re struck by Axel''s divine weapon.]


    [All of you, maintain at least 20 kilometers distance and protect Venessa!] ordered Kahn to his group.


    sh!!


    [Dammit!!] cursed Kahn as he tried to evade another Supeser attack from Axel''s Death Star aka Amaterasu.


    Sizzle!!


    Although Kahn managed to escape by the slightest distance¡­ his left arm was grazed by the firebeam.


    "Aaaaahhhh!!!" screamed Kahn but while suffering the immeasurable pain as the fire instantly burned and ate away his entire arm¡­


    sh!!


    Kahn quickly used Lucifer and cut off his entire left arm up to shoulder without a second thought and he instantly used quicksilver again to create distance.


    If he hadn''t acted at that very moment¡­ he would be turned into ash right now.


    [Armin!]manded Kahn and in just two seconds, the pathfinder subordinate appeared behind Kahn.


    "Stand still." spoke Armin and a blue aura emitted from both of his palms.


    The blue aura covered Kahn''s left shoulder and soon, it elongated and reformed his cut-off arm in just 10 seconds.


    Armin just used his SSS Rank skill called Restoration which allowed him to restore any damaged body parts of a target and bring them back to their previous state 1 minute ago. This ability worked as long as the target wasn''t dead.


    Kahn clenched his left palm. His gray longcoat was damaged. Although it could repair itself with time, it would take a while.


    [Dammit!! His Divine Weapon is too fast, has no restriction on the direction and even if I create a distance¡­ it can still kill me easily no matter how strong my defense is.] thought Kahn.


    His gray longcoat was made from the Invimarak skin. The legendary rank monster had impable resistance to many known elements, yet it turned to crisps in just a second.


    Kahn felt dread after realizing how powerful Axel''s divine weapon was. Even a 5th stage saint wouldn''t survive after being hit by Amaterasu which wasn''t even in its peak form because of the suppression on Axel''s body.


    At full capacity¡­ Kahn wouldn''t even be able to evade any of his attacks.


    [I still have some tricks left. But I can''t be certain if they''ll work.] he thought to himself.


    [Kid¡­ I have a n.] just then, the first emperor chimed in.


    [Be quick. Although I can escape on my own¡­ I want to kill that fucker at any cost.] he replied. The thought of running away crossed his mind because he and his group had no way to face Axel''s divine weapon. Even the Legendary rank Lucifer would be melted after getting struck by Amaterasu. Yet, Kahn wanted to take the risk to kill Axel for good.


    In the following moments, Rathnaar quickly told him a n he came up with on the spot.


    [You think you can manage it?] asked the peak saint.


    [If luck is on our side¡­ maybe I will be able to pull it off. Let''s give it a shot.] replied Kahn.


    [Good. It''s time you used them together.] spoke Rathnaar while Kahn on the other end, evaded another attack from Amaterasu.


    The ground that was hit with the firebeam was instantly pulverized and a 3 kilometers deep crevice formed in the battlefield.


    As soon as Kahn created 10 kilometer distance in the air between him and Axel¡­


    BOOM!!


    A massive burst of ck and violet aura appeared on the battlefield and Axel felt like he was being targeted by a powerful predator.


    "Impossible!! Even the imperial family doesn''t have something like that¡­" he spoke in a frightful tone as he looked at a man donning pitch-ck armor with glowing violet outlines over some parts.


    Because at this moment¡­ Kahn was using one of his biggest cards that he chose to hide till now. And that was¡­


    The Legendary ranked Drakos Armor!

 Chapter 674 Legendary Upgrade

    Chapter 674 Legendary Upgrade


    Kahn finally equipped the newly upgraded Drakos Armor that was now reforged with the guardian dragon''s body parts. Before, Kahn was warned by Throk not to use it casually because the dragon''s aura would alert a lot of people. However, Kahn was saving it for thest battle till this point.


    But after hearing Rathnaar''s n¡­ Kahn had no choice but to use it without having another option.


    [System, give me the details on new effects and buffs.] ordered Kahn.


    [Following are the bonus effects and bloodline buffs to the reforged Drakos Armor :


    Dragon Armor (Legendary Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Physical Defense while wearing this armor has risen by 70% and Agility has increased by 55%.


    ----------------


    Reformation (Saint Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Using the host''s mana, world energy and draconian bloodline as a source, the armor will be able to repair itself over time once it has been broken. This bloodline effect will be active as long as the host is still alive.


    The Attack, Defense and Agility of the armor effects will increase with the rank and levels of the host.


    ----------------


    Dragon''s Momentum (Saint Rank) (Upgradable) :


    Strength stats while using any weapon made of dragon species, including the host''s sword Lucifer will be increased by 60% and Dexterity will be enhanced by 56%.


    Note : The armor and weapons can be upgraded using materials belonging to the Draconian species body parts and to increase their buffs and rank of the skills, the host must absorb more Draconian bloodline.


    ----------------


    The host can activate Dragon Physique and Dragon''s Sovereignty indefinitely while using the Drakos Armor.


    It will provide an additional 30% increase in all of the host''s physical and magical stats.


    ----------------


    Current Draconian Bloodline purity : 35%] reported the system.


    Kahn instantly noticed that the word ''Drake'' was reced with ''Dragon'' this time after the armor set was reforged. And this increase in stats and buffs the Drakos Armor was offering also rose by at least twice.


    He understood that it was due to the rise in rank of the armor as well as his increase in draconian bloodline purity.


    BOOM!!


    A sonic boom resonated in the surrounding 1 kilometer radius after the bloodline effect kicked in and Kahn''s appearance under the ck armor with violet outlines changed.


    The next moment Kahn opened his eye¡­ even Axel and Venessa who saw it from afar, felt like Kahn was no longer a human.


    His ck hair turned white and grew shoulder-length while his human eyes now transformed into vertically nted red eyes of a dragon. His entire skin turned faded violet while the armor kept leaking a tyrannical dragon aura.


    Kahn then quickly activated Dragon''s Physique skill that gave him 3 times boost in all physical stats for 20 minutes. But since he was equipping the new Drakos Armor, it had no time restriction anymore as Kahn received a special treatment of owning a legendary rank armor and weapon while having a bloodline that resonated with and amplified the armor''s bonus effects.


    At this moment, the guardian dragon''s aura had be one with Kahn because of the bloodline which was triggered after he activated the Dragon Physique.


    Dragon''s Sovereignty was currently useless to him since Axel wasn''t a mindless monster and was higher leveled than him.


    "Alright¡­ this should do. I''m at least close to an intermediate 3rd stage saint with all these buffs." spoke Kahn and returned to the present moment.


    This whole report took only half a second in his mind and now, Kahn was ready.


    BANG!!


    Just then, Axel recovered from his fearful state and broke free from the dragon''s aura and attacked Kahn with Amaterasu again.


    Swoosh!!


    However¡­ this time, Kahn easily escaped and turned out to be unscathed from Amaterasu''s fire beam and appeared 5 kilometers away in the sky.


    "You can''t run from me forever, Salvatore. You''ll die very soon." spoke Axel as he was agitated for some reason.


    [Stick to my n, kid. He doesn''t even realize that he''s making a big mistake at the moment.] said Rathnaar.


    [I know. So sit tight¡­ it''s gonna be a wild ride.] responded Kahn and the next second¡­


    Swoosh!!


    Swoosh!!


    15 Doppelgangers looking identical to Kahn while having a Drakos Armor and Lucifer of their own appeared beside him in session. All of them had 50% of Kahn''s physical stats and abilities.


    If this was before he came to the Vulcan empire¡­ Kahn wouldn''t even be able to use these many doppelgangers at once. But during his training period for cksmithing and Artificing skills¡­ his mind had be many times stronger and he no longer had any problems controlling each of them.


    Axel had an ashen expression while Venessa was bbergasted after seeing that there were a total of 16 Kahns present.


    With their numbers and stats¡­ it was like 8 first stage saints on his side. But Kahn had no ns of attacking Axel because the chances of him dying were bigger than Kahn killing Axel even with the help of his doppelgangers.


    However¡­ Axel didn''t know that. And this was Kahn''s n.


    Without needing any form of orders ormunication, the 16 Kahns quickly spread and surrounded Axel from different directions, making the original body unable to track as they all exuded the identical aura.


    The real Kahn had chosen to limit his aura to match with others so nobody could even tell a difference. Forget Axel, even his own subordinates couldn''t tell which Kahn was the real one.


    All of them started charging the Dark Lightning Strike, one of Kahn''s strongest attack skills at once and revealed their killing intent.


    "Fight me by yourself, you bastard!!" Axel shouted as he tried to antagonize Kahn.


    But in reality¡­ Axel was mortified after this maneuver because he was being besieged from all sides.


    Amaterasu could destroy or pulverize everything in its wake¡­ but it had the restriction of a single direction attack. It couldn''t split in different directions or parts to attack all fronts.


    sh!!


    All Kahns attacked using Lucifer at the same time at Axel from a distance of 2 to 3 kilometers away.


    Crackle!!


    The lightning bolts assisted with darkness turned the entire battlefield blinding white as they struck in Axel''s direction.


    BANG!!


    Sizzle!!


    BOOM!


    Axel''s body catapulted on the ground after being zapped by the dark lightning strike and getting heavily injured.


    At thest moment, he used Amaterasu and killed one Kahn. However, that turned out to be a fake one.


    [He doesn''t even realize it. The one to cause his downfall won''t be me¡­] thought the real Kahn acting and attacking Axel just like others.


    [But Axel himself.]

 Chapter 675 The Downfall

    Chapter 675 The Downfall


    The battlefield trembled and dozens of kilometers of space was pulverized as Axel used his divine weapon as the main driving force to attack Kahn. The opponent however was ganging up on him whileunching a barrage of attacking skills from time to time on all fronts.


    BANG!!


    Axel barely evaded a Dragon Strike attack and saw the ground below exploding from the impact, he quickly retreated 3 kilometers away and used Amaterasu to attack the Kahn who just made that lethal attack on him.


    Schwooom!!


    The 500 meter wide archaic formation charged itself and targeted the man in Drakos Armor.


    Shoot!!


    The supeser attack from Amaterasu only took 3 seconds before it not only killed Kahn but also destroyed a cliff that stood tall behind him, leaving only a massive circr hole in its body.


    Crack!!


    The entire cliff copsed after it was thoroughly poked through without any resistance.


    [Phew! That makes the 3rd one.] thought Axel.


    In the past 5 minutes, he managed to kill 3 doppelgangers and 13 remained.


    [Which one of them is real?...


    That armor they''re wearing is perfectly masking their existence and I can''t use Sage''s Eye again to find the real body either.] thought Axel as he looked around for signs to identify the real body.


    "Hey, cunt! Your aim sucks.


    Why don''t you admit defeat already? I feel like I''m bullying a little girl." spoke one of the Kahns hovering above Axel on his left-hand side.


    "What did you say, you piece of shit?! Fight me with your real body if you dare?!" eximed Axel as he was outraged.


    Kahn had been purposely instigating and antagonizing Axel by calling him names. He had already figured out that Axel had the halo of entitlement. So being called ipetent or beingpared to a woman because of his misogynistic nature always struck a nerve.


    Swoosh!!


    Instead of receiving a reply, the Kahn behind himunched another dark lightning strike. Axel was quickly alerted and used Amaterasu,unching another massive and destructive beam that was enough to turn everything to smithereens within 15 kilometers range.


    Another Kahn was pulverized.


    However, this offered him no relief because the others were already waiting for an opening.


    sh!!


    BANG!!


    Axel was hit with another wave of 100 meter long and wide lightning strikes, although he was a 3rd stage saint, he was already suppressed under the Dimensional Domain.


    He had no idea that the original Kahn needed to be within 5 kilometers proximity for him to get affected by this domain. And thus, each strike heavily wounded him because his defenses were already halved. Plus lightning and darkness were two of the strongest elements of reality. So they hit even harder than they should''ve.


    Huff!!


    Huff!!


    After 10 more minutes passed and Axel sessfully killed 7 Kahns¡­ he started sweating and his body started bing heavy for some reason.


    [Kid, he''s finally getting affected by the soul essence depleting. As I said¡­ he''s using a borrowed soul in the end. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been affected at least for an hour.


    Keep doing what you''re doing. We have him trapped in a cage.] said Rathnaar with a coy smirk.


    This was Rathnaar''s main n all along.


    The divine weapon ate the soul essence. And even if Axel was using someone else''s soul¡­ their soul would be much weaker than a Hero''s soul by at least 10 times.


    So obviously, the soul essence consumption would be much more since the quality was already subpar than the intended source to use a divine weapon.


    And thus, the divine weapon would be the very thing chipping away the borrowed life Axel had.


    ng!!


    BANG!!


    Shatter!!


    One after another, Kahns in Drakos Armor started attacking with various attacking skills such as windcutter, lightning, multiple aura des and Dragon Strike. Making Axel retreat and defend himself again from time to time while Kahn kept mocking and insulting the hero of fire.


    "My my¡­ who would''ve thought Hetrax summoned such a pussy.


    Hey, are you even a real Hero? I bet a sissy like you can''t even defeat one of my generals on your own.


    So why don''t go back to whatever shithole you came from, strap up your favorite panties and send the real Hero of Fire here." said a Kahn who hovered 5 kilometers away in front of Axel, his gaze filled with mockery.


    "You motherfucker!! I''ll kill you and cut you into thousand pieces! And I''ll make Venessa watch it when I do it!" shouted Axel and his eyes turned red, filled with bloodlust and killing intent.


    BOOM!!


    Axel was infuriated to the point he wantonly attacked the Kahns in whichever direction he saw them.


    Simr scene urred for a few more minutes and Axel mindlessly attacked his enemies. Although he managed to kill 3 more Kahns in the process, his body started feeling heavier with each attack.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Cracks started forming on thest white archaic formation hovering over his figure which held the soul of a saint.


    Finally, because of these outraged attacks¡­ Axel has used up the entire soul essence and as a result, he started losing control over his body because of the bacsh he was receiving from Amaterasu.


    At this moment, he barely had any soul essence left but his divine weapon was forcefully sucking in the essence.


    [Not good! At this rate, I will¡­]


    Shatter!!


    Before he could take any measures, thest formation shattered and Axel received a huge bacsh, losing control over his body and Amaterasu at the same moment.


    Swoosh!!


    Axel was shocked but quickly reacted as Kahn suddenly appeared behind him.


    "You''re dead, you fucker!" shouted Axel and quicklyunched Amaterasu floating in his hand at this close range.


    BANG!!


    Sizzle!!


    "Arrgh!!"


    But unlike his ns¡­ Kahn was struck by the four-colored me and couldn''t evennd the finishing blow on Axel. Instead, he was getting incinerated alive.


    In the following seconds, not only the Kahn in front but the other Kahns surrounding him disappeared after the one in front of him turned to small blisters, fading into nothingness.


    "No!!" shouted Venessa from afar.


    "Ha ha ha!! I finally killed that bastard!"ughed Axel in joy and a sense of relief spread in his body.


    With this timed shot¡­ he killed Kahn right before he lost full control over his divine weapon.


    Shing!!


    Shing!!


    Axel could feel that his connection with Amaterasu was severed and the divine weapon no longer responded to him because the soul essence was dried up.


    Axel would die soon but he would be revived again so he still had an ted smile on his face.


    sh!!


    Just then, a 3 meter tall void crack opened, behind it¡­ was an incredibly strong suction force that quickly pulled in Amaterasu. Before Axel could even move, the eternal me disappeared from his world.


    "No!!" shouted Axel as soon as he realized what was happening.


    Because just now¡­ Amaterasu was pulled inside the¡­


    True Dimension.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : I have been hospitalized for 7 days. Pain crisis in entire back, waist, left leg and the whole right arm. So I won''t be able to post any chapters in the meantime since my writing hand is suffering the most from the pain. Sorry for the dy.]]

 Chapter 676 Final Trump Card

    Chapter 676 Final Trump Card


    Axel hovered still in the air with a stupefied expression on his face because at this moment, he had lost his soul connection to his divine weapon Amaterasu as soon as Kahn pulled it inside the true dimension.


    Divine Weapons were akin to how a novel or a manga Protagonist was often given a Holy Sword to kill the Demon Lord... But now, Kahn stole that Holy Sword from the protagonist instead.


    Kahn on the other hand could still see the unending fire of Amaterasu violently burning inside the true dimension after focusing the space force in his eyes.


    [What a powerful thing¡­ even the true dimension isn''t able to annihte or extinguish it. Anything else would''ve been destroyed on the atomic level as soon as it entered inside.] thought Kahn as he looked at Hero of Fire''s divine weapon that didn''t lose a single bit of its power.


    "You bastard!! Give me my weapon back!" shouted Axel in a helpless and infuriated voice.


    "Not in a million years." spoke Kahn with a smug grin on his face and grabbed Axel''s neck.


    Crack!!


    Axel, who was already on the verge of death because of using all of his soul essence to use Amaterasu was already weakened to the point of being unable to even put up a resistance, died instantly as Kahn broke his neck with left hand.


    BANG!!


    His body dropped on the charred ground below while Kahn contemted the happenings in thest dozen minutes.


    During the entire battle, he swapped ces with several of his doppelgangers whenever he was about to get hit with Amaterasu''s supeser attacks.


    But right when Axel killed a doppelganger that appeared close to him while he was about to lose control over his divine weapon, Kahn used the Invisibility and Phase Shift abilities topletely erase his existence.


    And just to make Axel feel assured of his victory, he deactivated all the other doppelgangers to make him carefree and thus, it made Axel let down his guard, thinking that he killed the real Kahn.


    The real Kahn however, appeared close to Axel and opened a Dimensional Void crack at his will and pulled the divine weapon away when thetter lost control over it after making thatst moment attack.


    As for why Kahn pulled away Amaterasu in the true dimension instead of using this chance to kill Axel again?


    It was for two main reasons.


    One, Amaterasu was the biggest gun Axel had, even the fire deity Kagutsuchi and Blood Titan couldn''t bepared to the divine weapon that could pulverize and annihte everything in its way despite Axel only being able to use 30% of its original power because of his rank.


    But even so, a single attack was enough to destroy 15 kilometers of space easily even with such a restriction. Kahn didn''t dare imagine what would be the case if Axel was a higher-ranked saint instead.


    Second reason being that even if Axel died because of overusing Soul Essence¡­ he''d still be revived and get to use his Divine Weapon. This time¡­ with his original Soul Essence that was many times bigger, purer and potent.


    With such a qualitative change, who knew if Kahn would even be able to escape an attack from Amaterasu even with Drakos Armor. At that time, even escaping won''t be possible for them unless Kahn chose to abandon Venessa and hide in the true dimension.


    But even then, he won''t be able to hide for long because he had used Dimensional Cut twice already. His space force reserves were already reduced by 75% at this stage.


    However, now things had finally turned in his favor for good.


    Axel no longer had any lives left. He had no allies or a Deity to summon and he even lost his divine weapon. One by one¡­ Kahn and his subordinates had taken away every chess piece Axel had.


    And now¡­ it was only Axel and himself left for a final bout.


    ----------------


    3 minutester, Axel was revived again, however this time¡­ his head was groggy as if he woke up from a bad dream.


    But Kahn didn''t wish to give him any time to recover, he still had the dimensional domain active and as soon as Axel flew high in the air¡­ Rudra appeared behind Kahn and cast Lucid Reality on Axel again by looking into his eyes, making him fall under another hypnosis.


    sh!!


    Kahn used Dimensional Cut and hacked Axel in two¡­ ending his final life.


    "Phew!! I guess it''s finally over." said Kahn as he heaved a sigh of relief. Thest attack depleted the space force again and Kahn had barely 5% left now.


    But now that their enemy was dead, the istion barrier would soon disappear and they''d be able to leave.


    All of them waited for a dozen seconds but still, nothing happened.


    "What the¡­ why isn''t this barrier disappearing? Shouldn''t it be deactivated after the user died?" wondered Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    However, before they could think for longer¡­ a massive red aura burst from the ground, from the ce Axel''s chopped body fell off to be precise.


    "Ha ha ha!!


    Did you think it was that easy to kill me?" a malicious and dreary voice filled the surrounding 5 kilometers region as a red sh suddenly appeared in the air again and a 100 meter tall massive red wunched itself at Kahn.


    Swoosh!!


    Kahn appeared one kilometer away and looked at the attacker¡­


    "Why the fuck is he still alive?" asked Kahn with a befuddled voice.


    Venessa and his subordinates had a simr expression of bewilderment on their faces.


    [All of you, with me!] ordered Kahn and all of them attacked Axel from all directions.


    Apart from Rudra who was too big because of his size and Venessa who was still recovering, everyone else attacked Axel from different directions.


    Kahn, Jugram, Omega and Oliver activated their respective domains to thoroughly suppress Axel to a point he couldn''t even fight back.


    Soon, he was turned into mincemeat. But Kahn and the group didn''t get to celebrate their victory as just in 10 seconds, Axel was instantly revived and back to his previous state.


    HISSSS!!


    Rudra alsounched his Corrosive Magma but Axel easily dodged it.


    Omega killed him using his Moonlight Armor form again, Jugram tried to suck away his blood, Ceril used Chains of Judgement, Armin tried to drain his life force, Oliver used Sky Domain again while Ronin and ckwall used their own killer moves to kill Axel.


    But to no avail¡­ every time they did so, Axel was revived on the spot, even faster than how Soul Eater divine ability resurrected him.


    No one understood why he wasn''t dying from Kahn''s dragon strike attack either.


    Suddenly, Kahn remembered something as he tried to make sense of why Axel wasn''t dying at all.


    "Motherfucker¡­ this guy is fucking genius. If he ever became a Demi-God¡­ I don''t think anyone in the entire world would be able to kill him." spoke Kahn with surprise filled in his voice.


    [What do you mean, boy?] asked Rathnaar to Kahn.


    [I figured out hisst Divine Ability.] replied Kahn.


    [Which one is it?] asked the peak saint.


    Kahn gave a solemn look towards Axel was resurrected again after being killed by his allies and spoke the name of this terrifying divine ability that made the Hero of Fire nigh invincible at this point¡­


    "Death Absolution."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.]]

 Chapter 677 The Only Method

    Chapter 677 The Only Method


    Kahn revealed the final divine ability Axel had that made him unkible at this stage after recalling through his own memories when he was given a choice to select his divine abilities.


    DEATH ABSOLUTION.


    It was a divine ability which made it so that once the user died by a particr method or under a peculiar scenario, he or she cannot be killed by that same method again.


    It didn''t matter how many times the user of the divine ability died, once there was amon factor in each death, the user would automatically gain invincibility and couldn''t die by the new method as long as a factor or scenario wasmon from the previous death.


    And the scenarios of the recent death would be registered and stacked up on the next life, making the user no different than an immortal.


    Just when Kahn was lost in his thoughts, Rathnaar inquired¡­


    [Kid, you said the st'' divine ability. Even after counting this one, it''s still four divine abilities.] he said.


    [Well, whatever his 4th divine ability is¡­ He hasn''t used that divine ability because he can''t use it in a battle at all.] replied Kahn after analyzing the whole situation.


    And his guess was indeed right. Among all of his divine abilities, Axel couldn''t use the Chrono Vision because it wasn''t battle rted.


    Chrono Vision could reveal the past of a particr ce.


    On the surface, it looked like it was for Investigation but in reality, it could help Axel to find anything that he wanted.


    On a scene of a homicide, Axel could use it to run back in past to see who the killer was.


    To find an ancient tomb''s or some inherence''s secret¡­ Axel could just run back in time and see the secrets or how to ovee the obstacles.


    Sage''s Eye could uncover all the secrets in the world, and look through loopholes if there are any.


    With thebination of these two, nothing would be hidden from him. Making him unstoppable from finding the truth about something. Even Kahn escaped from it because of his own divine ability called Dimensional Law which these two divine abilities couldn''t look through since they were of the same rank.


    [Every single one of his divine abilities is chosen toplement each other.] he iterated.


    Which was indeed the truth. If Kahn chose his divine abilities while thinking about the long run, so did Axel.


    Soul Eater gave him extra lives because Saint''s souls were rare but not extinct. That would make him unkible.


    With Blood Monarch, he had the strength and unending supply of an army in arge-scale battle that could even overthrow an empire''s army because no matter what, he would get an indefinite supply of blood on a battlefield. Added with his true form which had a tremendous supply of blood, he could even take down an empire''s army by himself.


    And Death Absolution would basically make him an immortal on top of it¡­ this was the main reason why even Demiurge Val Arhlem, the Pope himself believed that Axel could even kill the Demon God in the future.


    ----------------


    Sizzle!!


    Axel''s entire body melted under Rudra''s corrosive magma. However, Axel reverted to his previous state again in just 4 seconds, developing another immunity from this method of death.


    "Dammit! He''s bing invulnerable to all types of attacks at this point." cursed Kahn as he saw Axel grinning at him.


    They were just diminishing their chances to kill Axel and now, even Rudra''s attack was used up and Axel received immunity from it.


    Kahn then realized something. In mere moments, he realized why Axel didn''t die in his 8th life.


    And Kahn could pinpoint as the main reason was something he did himself.


    Dimensional Domain!


    Axel had already died at the hands of others, inside their domains and after Kahn killed him on the ount of hisst life¡­ Axel had already died under dimensional domain after receiving bacsh his summoned Fire Deity aka Kagutsuchi disappeared.


    The dimensional domain was amon factor after dying for the 7th time and thus, Kahn couldn''t kill Axel using Dimensional Cut in the final life. And now¡­ Axel had immunity to all the attacking methods they had.


    Kahn on the other end was already out of space force, having barely 5% left and even opening a void crack was risky because Axel would be able to reestablish his connection with Amaterasu if Kahn chose to do so.


    "All of you¡­ retreat!" ordered Kahn and all the subordinates stopped killing Axel.


    At this moment, Axel was immune to all forms of attacks and skills they could use to kill him again. Kahn had also used up all of his tricks and skills and if he wanted to kill Axel for good¡­ he''d have toe up with apletely new, different and bizarre way to get the job done.


    "Ha ha ha! There''s no point now, Salvatore. I have turned invincible to all the means you could use to kill me." said Axel with a coquettish tone.


    "Don''t be overconfident, dipshit. It''s not like none of the previously chosen heroes hadn''t selected Death Absolution as their divine ability.


    They still died anyway. I''ll just have to be a bit creative and you''re a dead man." said Kahn, showing no sense of fear.


    [Looks like I have no choice but to use it.] thought Kahn and deactivated Drakos Armor, unsummoned Lucifer and removed Dimensional Domain. At this moment, Kahn was willing to go to the extreme after a very long time.


    Axel on the other end felt all of his physical strength of a peak 3rd stage saint returning as he too looked forward to a deathmatch with Kahn.


    SHRILL!!


    An ear-deafening and soul-shaking shrill filled the 5 kilometers region as a massive burst of ck and red aura filled with insurmountable pressure and bloodlust resonated in the surroundings.


    Even Venessa felt like she was standing against a predator even though she wasn''t the main target.


    Crack!!


    Crackle!!


    "What the hell is this¡­ don''t tell me Kahn isn''t a human either." she spoke after Kahn''s transformed figure was revealed as the dense ck and red aura finally dispersed and his new appearance came into everyone''s sight.


    A gray-skinned man with long and sturdy ck horns, each having 3 consecutive stackings of Dragon, Basilisk and True Demon horns in its being appeared in the middle of the battlefield. Pitch-ck dragon ws, broad shoulders, and a ripped body of a bloodthirsty being flew firmly in the air.


    Most of his body was covered in ck patterns and visible magma running through his veins; akin to a tyrannical demon.


    There wereyers of Basilisk and Dragon hide, having waistlengh white hair in addition. A red glow emitted from the center of his chest while two sharp fangs came out of his mouth as the man kept releasing a domineering and oppressive aura.


    Dark red eyes with yellow snake-like pupils in them glimmered brightly as this demonic being started at Axel, exuding his intense killing intent.


    Even Axel felt a sense of uneasiness because he felt like the being in front of him was no weaker than himself.


    Kahn had decided to discard all of his previous methods and skills as he chose to decide the final victor with the good old fashion of fighting with pure raw strength.


    Because at this moment¡­ After 3 and half years of gap, Kahn was finally using the¡­


    Asura Mode!

 Chapter 678 Hero vs Hero

    Chapter 678 Hero vs Hero


    Kahn removed all his previous skills, weapons, armor and battle modes just to start with a clean te as he activated Aura Mode after a long time. This was a form where he could mix and utilize the most effective and prominent bloodlines and their particr skills absorbed to this day. And now, a newly transformed and upgraded version of the Asura Mode appeared in front of everyone on this battlefield.


    Was there a way to kill Axel using differentbinations and techniques at this point?


    There could be a way but the Hero of Fire had already received immunity against hundreds of such ways to die and even onemon factor was enough to waste their whole efforts just because Kahn acted overconfident. Hence, he decided to use only new and different ways their crew hadn''t used before because the clock was ticking and they couldn''t risk waiting till any reinforcements from the Church arrived.


    [System, how strong am I with all the bloodline effects and physical buffs thate with them?] asked Kahn to his guide interface.


    [The host is nowparable to a peak 3rd stage saint because of the enhancements received from Dragon, Basilisk, Primordial Titan, Fenrir, True Demon and Invimarak bloodline.


    All the Stats have been increased by 500% for 1 Hour.] reported the system.


    "Good. It''s more than my previous expectations. I thought it''d give me a buff up to 3 times only. I guess the quality of bloodline from Godbeasts is indeed worthy of its reputation." he said to himself.


    Next, Kahn diverted his challenging gaze at Axel and spoke loudly¡­


    "Axel! You asked me to fight with you one on one before. Don''t tell me you''re afraid now." he said with a contemptuous gaze.


    <sub></sub>


    "This bastard¡­ Do you still think you can kill me even now after I''ve turned invincible?


    Let''s have it then. I''ll give you the most horrible and gruesome death." responded the Hero of Fire with confident eyes. He no longer feared Kahn or his group in the slightest because Death Absolution had made him invulnerable to everything Kahn and his group could do.


    Axel also unsummoned his red and ck armor since Kahn was now also barechested, both half-naked men with ripped and bulging muscles floated 2 kilometers away from each other.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Before everyone, Axel''s arms turned into boney ws and multiple white horns grew on his head and shoulders as he too activated his bloodline and received a buff in his physical strength.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    A ck and red aura exploded from Kahn''s body while a dark red aura exuded from Axel.


    Swoosh!!


    BANG!!


    In just a second, both chosen heroes shed against each other, their wed fists shing against each other, sending shockwaves in the surrounding 1 kilometer radius just with a single strike.


    Axel''s blood-red boney fist struck against Kahn''s ck dragon-wed fist as both gave each other a hateful gaze.


    Kahn quickly grabbed Axel''s left arm and pulled him closer.


    Crack!


    His fish made an uppercut punch with right arm and struck Axel''s jaw, disorienting him instantly. But before thetter could even recover, Kahn quickly squatted, swinging his left fist towards Axel''s ribcage.


    Dhang!


    Crack!


    Axel was thrown 1 kilometer away, just a single punch from Kahn cracked his ribcage and broke 2 bones while the sonicbooms from the impact shook two kilometers of the decimated battlefield.


    Axel on the other end had a dislocated jaw, but soon¡­ a surge of blood spread across it and started repairing and healing the damage at a rapid pace.


    [So he too has rapid regeneration ability because of his bloodline. Well, I gotta get rid of it soon so I can kill him.] thought Kahn and his figure shed, appearing only a few meters away from Axel who had put on a guard with spiky and boney arms.


    Swoosh!


    But before Kahn could make another move, a bone from Axel''s right arm shot itself towards Kahn''s head, instantly breaking the sound barrier.


    Kahn tilted his head in time but could feel the strength and lethality from the spike he just dodged in time.


    Axel appeared above Kahn and made a joint fist attack.


    Flicker!


    Kahn''s entire figure flickered and he evaded this attack in a microsecond.


    BOOM!!


    Axel''s bodynded on the ground, a 500 meter wide hole dug in the ground just from the impact of his fists that would''ve easily broken a few of Kahn''s bones had he not dodged it.


    Even a bystander like Venessa could tell that every single swing and punch both men hurled at each other had the strength to destroy a mountain¡­ This was nothing but apetition between raw power.


    "Are you blind? I''m here you moron!" bellowed Kahn as he looked down on Axel from the sky.


    Axel had bloodshot eyes and quickly lunged at Kahn, shattering the ground below him as he jumped in his enemy''s direction.


    Soon, another exchange of fists and kicks started, each time a hitnded, the other party was flung 2 to 3 kilometers away from the impact.


    Crack!


    Kahn twisted and broke Axel''s left arm and headbutted him, sending him flying. Meanwhile, his ws had dug into the arm and a small as well as unnoticeable yellow liquid had spread from the tips of his ws.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Axel repositioned his footing after getting thrown 3 kilometers away.


    "This fucker!!" shouted Axel in an infuriated voice because although Kahn wasn''t killing him¡­ he was still beating Axel like a toddler fighting against a special ops soldier despite having more strength than the former.


    But because of his anger, Axel hadn''t realized what Kahn''s main intention was.


    The yellowish liquid oozing out of Kahn''s w tips was actually the legendary rank monster Bjormngandur''s neurotoxin venom. Little did Axel know that during each exchange of moves, Kahn was scratching him here and there and poisoning him.


    30 MINUTES LATER.


    "Ora! Ora Ora Ora!"


    Shouted Kahn as he was beating Axel thoroughly because ten minutes ago, the neurotoxin venom had finally affected Axel''s regeneration ability as well as affected his movement.


    The neurotoxin venom wasn''t made by some manufacturingpany rather it belonged to a legendary rank monster, a descendant of the Godbeast Basilisk itself. Thus, even Axel''s bloodline failed to form natural immunity against it.


    Rip!!


    "Arrghh!!"


    Kahn''s dragon w ripped apart half of Axel''s face as thetter screamed in pain.


    Despite using several of his strength-enhancing innate abilities, Axel''s nervous system no longer responded to himself while Kahn was thrashing him with a grin on his face.


    BANG!!


    Axel''s figure shed on the open ground after Kahn punched him in the chest, cracking his bones again.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn suddenly appeared in front of Axel''s haggard and pitiful figure. He quickly stepped on the Hero of Fire''s caved chest as thetter was choking on his own blood.


    "Don''t worry, sunshine. I''m not gonna kill you that easily.


    It''s been a while since I have been creative in a fight. And you¡­ I have ns for you." he said with a devilish smirk.


    Axel was breathing slowly because of the injuries that were no longer healing. He had an ominous feeling as he looked at Kahn.


    "I heard all those screams of women begging for mercy and crying in pain. You said something about breaking your targets, didn''t you?


    So allow me¡­ To give you the same fate." spoke Kahn as he dered in a murderous tone. Because Kahn was going to do something he learned back in vot city in his beginning days. And that was¡­


    Torturing people to death.

 Chapter 679 Words of Wisdom

    Chapter 679 Words of Wisdom


    A bustling city full of people was filled with noises of the popce going about their lives. Shopkeepers and merchants shouted to sell their wares while taverns and restaurants were full of customers.


    tter!


    tter!


    Just then, the entirety of this city started shaking as tremors filled the surrounding, instantly vibrating all that existed in this settlement; even the tall towers and stone fortresses in the vicinity were no exception.


    "What the hell is happening?!" mored thousands of people at the same time as they ran out to the open areas.


    SHING!!


    An insurmountable pressure filled with majesty and dominance suddenly filled the surroundings and millions of people were instantly forced to kneel on the ground under a heavily oppressive aura.


    "There!" said a dwarf as he pointed towards the sky.


    SHRIEK!!


    A high-pitched shriek of a massive bird-like creature spread and resounded in the entire city as a ginormous with majestic wings that spanned 4 kilometers on each side suddenly appeared over 5 kilometers high in the sky.


    It passed at the speed of lightning while a single p of its wings created hurricanes and almost the entire city was filled with strong gusts of winds that sent thousands of people flying here and there.


    Like a natural cmity, this two-headed monster appeared and disappeared in matter of seconds but almost devastated 20 kilometers of the region with the strong winds that it left in its wake.


    Yet in the eyes of this 8 kilometers tall creature, none of it mattered because it was in a hurry to reach a particr ce in the Vulcan.


    Over 40 minutes ago, Havi had finished his battle with four of the eighth stage saints, namely the 3 Holy Champions and the Pope himself. And now, he was rushing towards the Eastern Grasnds from the Northern ins, to the other side of the empire just to save his daughter despite suffering from the bacsh of forcefully using his bloodline.


    Yet he did not care for his pitiful stage but for his daughter who was at the mercy of the Hero of Fire.


    ----------------


    BANG!!


    "Only brute strength! No technique!" spoke Kahn as he punched Axel in the face, sending him crashing against a mountain peak.


    The whole peak cracked into hundreds of massive boulders and crumbled like a house of cards.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    Axel coughed out a chunk of blood after his pitiful and bloodied figure was revealed.


    "Where did you learn to fight? Or a farm?!" berated Kahn and his figure suddenly appeared in front of Axel.


    Crack!!


    Kahn raised his leg high and stomped on Axel''s left shin, instantly breaking all the bones.


    "Arrrrgggggghhjjjj!!!" screamed the Hero of Fire because of the unbearable pain.


    In the past 10 minutes, Kahn was thoroughly torturing Axel as he broke thetter''s arms and legs one by one, his fingers and toenails were ripped by Kahn''s ws and the right corbone was also shattered.


    And each time, Kahn would antagonize Axel with nders like a vindictive person as if he carried a great hatred towards Axel.


    But Axel couldn''t even fight back as his own body wouldn''t listen to hismands because of the neurotoxin venom.


    Axel had immunity from Rudra''s Corrosive Magma which was an upgraded version of Bjormngandur''s venom. But it didn''t mean that Kahn couldn''t use it to weaken Axel. And hence¡­ Without killing him, Kahn was torturing him greatly by breaking his bones and body one by one.


    "You think everyone is at your mercy, don''t you?" spoke Kahn with a disdainful voice.


    He then quickly grabbed Axel''s head and both their figures flickered. The next moment, both of them appeared in front of Venessa who was surrounded by Kahn''s subordinates a few kilometers away on the ground below.


    "Apologize!" said Kahn as he tightened his w around Axel''s head, making thetter bleed profusely from his forehead.


    "I¡­ I¡­ am sorry." said Axel as he mustered all the strength in his body. Now he understood why Kahn was so furious with him.


    Kahn had been torturing him instead of killing him. Axel often tortured women and girls after he raped them and finally after he had his fill, he ate them. But For the first time in his life¡­ Axel was on the receiving end.


    Axel had trampled on Venessa''s pride as a woman when he said that he''d make her a sex ve and a ything. And Kahn treated her as his friend. So he was exacting revenge in her stead instead.


    "Kill off this piece of shit! He doesn''t deserve any forgiveness from me." said Venessa as she looked down on Axel''scerating figure, her gaze filled with contempt and fury.


    "You fucking slut!" bellowed Axel in rage.


    Suddenly, his right arm finally responded to hismand during this rageful state and without even wasting a second, Axel attacked Venessa.


    STAB!!


    Gasp!!


    But before Venessa could even react in time¡­ Axel''s w had stabbed into something.


    But instead of Venessa¡­ Axel''s w had stabbed Kahn who appeared in front of her at thest moment. And the ce his w had stabbed through was¡­


    Kahn''s heart.


    "Ha ha ha!!"ughed Axel as soon as Kahn''s figure slumped and his expression turned grim, as if being on the verge of death.


    "Die, you fucker! Didn''t I say you can''t kill me!..." shouted Axel as he rejoiced. Finally, out of pure luck¡­ he managed tond a killing blow on Kahn and now thetter was as good as dead.


    But instead of losing the light in his eyes, Kahn pulled Axel closer by grabbing his right shoulder.


    STAB!!


    But this time¡­ it was Kahn who stabbed Axel in his chest.


    Suddenly, Axel realized that his w had indeed pierced through Kahn''s chest but there was no friction from inside his body. In other words¡­ he couldn''t feel Kahn''s heart at all.


    "You know Axel¡­ there''s a saying that we often tell our enemies in the world I came from." he spoke in a soft and kind tone.


    Kahn then changed his expression, letting out a devious grin and spoke in a benign and gentle voice¡­


    "Eat shit, motherfucker!!"

 Chapter 680 The Key

    Chapter 680 The Key


    Kahn had his dragon w stabbed in Axel''s chest while thetter could only feel a hollow gap inside Kahn''s. For the first time in a battle, Kahn was using one of the skills that came under Dimensional Law divine ability.


    The whole thing with Kahn torturing and Axel was actually just a big distraction. What Kahn wanted to do was catch Axel off guard and make him do something that wasn''t precedent.


    Unbeknownst to Axel Lobethrox¡­ Kahn still vividly remembered 2 of the biggest loopholes of Death Absolution divine ability.


    One was that the user had to be prepared for and expect death. Dearth Absolution Divine Ability was an active ability that was directly dependent on the user''s mind at the time of death.


    As long as they thought that Death Absolution was in Active Mode¡­ the user wouldn''t die. But if they''re killed surprisingly when their mind is distracted¡­ then it wouldn''t work at all.


    Two, the invulnerability to a particr manner of death didn''tst permanently. After a day gap, the received invincibility against a particr method of attack would vanish.


    Death Absolution was indeed a divine ability that would make you an immortal in a fight. But after a while, you would be back to normal.


    Kahn had his doubts that this divine ability was chosen many times by the heroes of different gods who came in the past. But the Demon God still wasn''t dead.


    Then it could only mean that it too had ws and limitations that could be easily ovee by the opponents.


    These were the two main reasons why Kahn hadn''t chosen this divine ability back when God of Darkness made him choose. And now, using those loopholes, Kahn finally made a decisive strike.


    "Do you know Axel, I have a creed." said Kahn as he tightly held Axel''s hand that stabbed through his chest.


    "An eye for an eye.


    A tooth for a tooth.


    And¡­" spoke Kahn.


    Rip!!


    Before Axel could say another word¡­


    Kahn ripped out a big pulsating red organ from Axel''s chest and said in a grim voice.


    "A heart for a heart."


    Axel had a petrified expression because at this moment, he could feel the life force diminishing in his body as a big and wide hole in his chest could be seen.


    Death Absolution hadn''t worked and now¡­ he was counting hisst moments.


    [How did it happen? What did I do wrong?] wondered Axel as his consciousness faded for thest time.


    The Hero of Fire¡­. DIED.


    ----------------


    A few minutes passed as everyone let out a sigh of relief because just now¡­ the 50 kilometers wide istion barrier started scattering, signifying that its user was finally dead.


    Kahn on the other hand was sweating profusely as he grunted in exhaustion.


    In the final moment when Axel tried to kill Venessa¡­ he purposely appeared in front of her and allowed Axel to stab him in the heart. But at the exact moment¡­


    Kahn used the remaining space force in his body and used the Dimensional Shift skill to send his heart inside the True Dimension.


    Huff!


    Huff!!


    Kahn deactivated the Asura Mode after the massive hole in his chest regenerated and he brought back his heart to the world of the living.


    He had almost reached the limit and soon, he''d be forced to undergo a weakened state after the time ran out. But now¡­ he could have enough strength left to escape.


    "Master! His soul is leaving his body." informed Armin.


    [Ronin!] quickly ordered Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    An ethereal massive white orb with a bluish hue containing otherworldly energy that was sized as big as a house suddenly became visible to everyone as Ronin appeared close to Axel''s corpse and activated the Soul Collector skill that allowed him to snatch away people''s souls.


    But right before he couldpletely grasp and cover it under his aura¡­ 5 different colored orbs covered under archaic runes came out of this massive soul and instantly shot themselves towards the sky at the speed of light.


    Kahn and the others didn''t even get a chance to react before they quickly disappeared into the sky.


    "Damn it! Those must be his Divine Abilities that were tied to his soul. I didn''t get a chance to capture them." spoke Kahn.


    This was one of his main agendas when he asked Ronin to collect this soul.


    [The host would be unable to absorb them anyway. Only a Demi-God has the ability to absorb divine abilities from the chosen Heroes.


    However, there hasn''t been a new Demi-God in the past 10 thousand years.] informed the system.


    "Tch! Still¡­ I would''ve liked to try.


    Well¡­ I guess there''s no point being greedy since it would''ve adversely affected my soul in the long run anyway." spoke Kahn to himself.


    "Master¡­ I would like this for myself. Only I can absorb it here and given the size and quality¡­ I think I''ll be able to level up greatly." spoke Ronin as his own blue and translucent aura enshrouding the soul tightened its grasp.


    "It''ll do more than it if I am correct. Well¡­ take it. It''s yours." spoke Kahn with a thoughtful face. Ronin was the only one capable of absorbing another being''s soul and using them to level up. So he was the best choice among their group to use it.


    Kahn then quickly activated Ability Absorption divine ability and surprisingly¡­ he was done in just 5 minutes.


    But he had no intentions to go through the list for now because time was of the essence.


    [Human¡­ I want his body.] spoke Rudra as he slithered from afar and gazed down at Axel''s corpse with covetous eyes.


    "For what?" asked Kahn.


    [Didn''t I say that I needed a strong bloodline to mix and bnce both of my Draconian and Basilisk bloodlines¡­


    The unique bloodline this Hero of Fire has seems just strong and capable enough to act as a perfect catalyst to bind them together.


    And once I''m done with it¡­ I''ll be able to take a humanoid form as well.] exined the Voronir subordinate.


    "Alright¡­ it''s yours. We shouldn''t leave behind any traces so it''s better this way if you could be usefulter." said Kahn as he heaved a sigh.


    He directed his palm towards Axel''s corpse and used Gravitational Upforce skill to throw Axel into Rudra''s massive mouth filled with thousands of pike-like teeth.


    Rudra quickly swallowed Axel without a second thought. Although his size was too small in human appearance, Axel''s real size was 250 meters tall and the amount of blood he had was enough for Rudra to work with.


    Finally, Kahn then looked at the heart in his right palm.


    "Arghhh! Alright¡­ let''s go." he grunted and got up on his feet. But during his effort¡­ Axel''s heart got squashed under Kahn''s palm and as soon as his body touched the shining white core inside.


    BOOM!!


    But before Kahn could even react, a massive ck aura appeared from the center of his chest and moved towards Axel''s heart, instantly engulfing it.


    Kahn didn''t even understand what was happening but just then, the system suddenly gave him a notification that shook him to his core¡­


    [Divine Key : mescion acquired!]

 Chapter 681 Following the Footsteps

    Chapter 681 Following the Footsteps


    Kahn stood stupefied as soon as the system informed him about something called a Divine Key after the burst of ck aura from the center of his chest.


    [System, what the hell is a divine key? Howe you never told me anything about it?] he queried in an aghast tone.


    [Information sealed temporarily as the host hasn''t met a hidden prerequisite condition.] responded the system in a lifeless voice.


    [What''s the condition? And what does a divine key do?


    The keyword is ''key''. So does it open a door or a path to something?] he asked again, his voice filled with curiosity.


    [Information sealed temporarily.] replied the system again as if it didn''t care about Kahn''s query at all.


    [What the fuck?! Why are you hiding something so crucial?!


    I touched and absorbed his core without being able to stop or control the process. It''s important for me to know this vital information.


    And if his core is a divine key named mescion¡­ What about my core? Is it a divine key as well? What''s it called?] Kahn barraged the system with a plethora of questions because he was also shaken by this sudden revtion.


    [The host''s divine key hasn''t been awakened yet.


    The host mustplete the prerequisite condition first.] replied the system again, giving Kahn only unclear answers.


    [Then tell me what''s the condition, you dimwit!!


    That damn God of Darkness and Kravel didn''t tell me anything and you''re withholding this information from me as well.


    How the hell am I supposed to survive like this?] nagged Kahn.


    [Old bastard, do you know something?] asked Kahn to the peak saint in his soul.


    [I don''t know about the matters of Heroes and Gods.


    I only killed those heroes who came in my way or tried to attack my empire back then.


    I had no reason to get entangled in these matters because I had different priorities.] responded Rathnaar, his voice sounding as clueless as Kahn.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Ding!


    But before Kahn could ask any more questions, a system notification resounded in his mind and Kahn''s eyes widened in surprise as well as worry.


    "All of you! Get away!" shouted Kahn in a hurry, confusing everyone.


    Venessa and his subordinates quickly retreated in just a few seconds and stopped 12 Kilometers away in the air.


    BOOM!!


    A sudden burst of ck and red aura filled with dense and terrifyingly destructive saint pressure suddenly exploded and spread across 10 kilometers in just a dozen seconds.


    All of the stones, boulders, crevices and cracks in this already destroyed battlefield were razed down and turned to smithereens under this condensed and oppressive saint pressure while a 1 kilometer tall and half-a-kilometer wide pir of darkness and fire element arose at the center of this terrifying saint pressure.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" spoke Venessa with an aghast expression.


    "Master''s entire aura is changing. It''s as if¡­" spoke Ceril, the magic expert among the group.


    "Not just his aura¡­ his life force is also transforming." said Armin with an incredulous expression.


    All of them had worried expressions because no one knew what the hell was happening at this moment.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, in the capital Arkensan of the Vulcan empire¡­


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Hetrax''s massive statue in the main Church headquarters, situated in the capital Arkensan started cracking and a massive volcanic eruption of blood-red fire appeared from the statue and dozens of kilometers of sky was covered by the red light.


    Millions of people from different races and species were taken aback, most of them cowering in fear because the aura released from this statue had spread within 100 kilometers radius and every living being in this range could feel the wrath and vengeful aura on their bodies.


    Even high-ranked beings such as Saints were no exception to this. All of them concluded that something has angered their god Hetrax.


    Something¡­ FORBIDDEN.


    ----------------


    Unbeknownst to the citizen of the Vulcan empire¡­ At this very moment, all the other Gods had sent their decree to their Empires that served them through the official spokespersons such as Popes and Monks because they sensed a familiar phenomenon that happened 300 years ago.


    All the remaining Gods had dered to the world¡­


    That the Hero of Fire was dead. And the one to kill him was the Hero of Darkness!


    In their eyes, the new Hero of Darkness¡­


    Was following the footsteps of his Predecessor.


    ----------------


    "ARRRGHHHHH!!!" roared Kahn who stood at the center of this massive pir.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Every inch of his body felt like it was burning and getting incinerated while his bones felt like they''d crumble and turn into dust any moment.


    Kahn was suffering under immeasurably excruciating pain, far more agonizing than when he sacrificed a part of his soul back in Vessen.


    BANG!!!


    Another explosion urred and this time¡­ the previously exuded aura and saint pressure was thrown off and all of it started disappearing at a rapid pace.


    Sizzle!!


    Sizzle!!


    A 500 meters wide crater was formed on the ground, filled with sizzling sand and stones while streams of moltenva appeared here and there.


    [Congrattions to the host!!


    Divine Key : mescion has been sessfully absorbed and merged with the host''s own divine key.


    Host''s body has been transformed and gained perfect immunity against the Fire element.] reported the system.


    Kahn on the other end, waspletely naked in the massive crater as his clothes were burnt to crisp despite having a top-notch defense against many elements including fire.


    All the burn marks werepletely healed as if nothing ever happened and he wasn''t burnt to cinders just a few minutes ago.


    Kahn took a deep breath while sensing that his body felt a bit different than before. But the system sent another notification.


    [Congrattions to the host!!


    The host now has ownership of the divine weapon Amaterasu!


    The host must awaken his own Divine Key to gain full ess to this Divine Weapon.]


    "What the¡­" before Kahn could even react in disbelief¡­


    [Congrattions to the host for bing¡­]


    The system gave another mind-boggling notification, making Kahn too stunned to speak.


    [Second Stage Saint!!]

 Chapter 682 Unexpected Arrival

    Chapter 682 Unexpected Arrival


    Not only Kahn but also all of his subordinates along with Venessa were taken aback after the massive explosion of saint pressure. The system then notified that Kahn had be a 2nd Stage Saint after a one and half year gap.


    Kahn quickly summoned his dark gray longcoat attire again, looking exactly like the way he was when the Hero''s Party brought him here. In the following moments, he absorbed this information and recounted the moments that urred a few minutes ago.


    Kahn was already Level 296 and during the battle when he absorbed the world energy from Kagutsuchi, the Fire Deity by using the Energy Plunderer skill, the system notified him that he met the condition to ascend to a 2nd stage saint already.


    But he purposely dyed his breakthrough because they were in a battle and he''d be vulnerable during the process since it couldn''t be abruptly stopped and Kahn couldn''t move during the breakthrough. But right after he inadvertently absorbed Axel''s core aka the Divine Key : mescion, the system forcefully made this breakthrough and now informed him.


    "Tell me my levels." ordered Kahn.


    [The host is currently at level 387.] informed the system.


    "That much already? I guess a 3rd stage saint''s core is indeed powerful.


    And I still feel that I haven''t absorbed or converted all the world energy from Axel''s core and Kagutsuchi yet. Means my levels will rise soon as soon as my body bes ready for another breakthrough." he said and clenched his fists, making a Mission Aplished pose.


    At this moment, Kahn could finally tell the difference that he was 5 times stronger than before, unlike the time when his mind was in a hazy state due to the sudden breakthrough.


    In the following moments, Kahn''s expression turned curious.


    "If by absorbing another Hero''s Divine Key, you could get ownership of their divine weapon¡­


    Is that why the previous Hero of Darkness killed all the other heroes?" wondered Kahn with a clueless expression.


    Because as per his knowledge, divine abilities were tied to the soul. And divine weapons consumed Soul Essence to attack.


    But binding a divine weapon to the soul would be too much of a burden on it since they were already carrying divine abilities. It''d do more harm than good, especially with Heroes & Heroines with more than 3 divine abilities.


    So that left only their Core as the most suitable conduit to form that link with the owner and the weapon; like Albestros and Throk used the Blood-bind ritual to link their weapon and armors.


    Means as long as a chosen Hero could get a divine key from another hero, he or she could also use their divine weapon.


    "Maybe because he wanted their Divine Keys and gain ess to their Divine Weapons as well as rise in ranks rapidly; he killed them one by one because of his greed for power¡­" hypothesized Kahn.


    This seemed like the only usible reason to Kahn since he knew nothing about the history of the events that happened 300 years ago.


    But any theories he had based on the little superficial information at hand would often reach apletely different verdict that the actual truth.


    Thus, Kahn didn''t want to form an opinion based on just some guesswork.


    SHING!!


    However, Kahn''s entire body froze at the very next second as an unbearably tyrannical and horrifying saint pressure dropped on him. His entire body was forced toy down on the ground under this leaden pressure.


    [Kid, run! A powerful saint is targeting you from 200 hundred kilometers away!!] suddenly, Rathnaar shouted in Kahn''s mind.


    [Dammit! This must be the people from the Church of Hetrax!


    I don''t have any space force left to escape either.] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    He had already expended all the space force during the fight against Axel and he didn''t have any other skill that could work against this mountainous saint pressure that was enough to kill him just with a thought.


    Everyone except Venessa was forced into the same situation under this insurmountable killing intent while the princess was also bamboozled as she could tell who this saint pressure belonged to.


    SKRAAA!!!


    An ear-deafening cry of a monstrous creature resounded in the air, the origin being so loud that all of them could hear from 50 kilometers away.


    p!!


    p!!


    A massive and unimaginable long bird-like monster suddenly appeared 15 kilometers away high in the sky, its ginormous figure was so big that even they could see it from this far distance.


    [An aura of a 9th stage saint and that double-headed body¡­] said Rathnaar as he tried to remember something from a distant memory.


    "Impossible¡­ what the hell is that thing?!" mored Kahn as he still struggled to move an inch of his body.


    [That¡­ so the legend was true. Look carefully boy¡­


    That''s one of the three Primordial Creatures of this world. The beings that came before all the other species of the world and even someone like an Elder Dragon or an Archangel couldn''t bepared to when it reaches the peak of its strength.] replied Rathnaar in a grim voice as he stated the name¡­


    [The Simurgh.]


    ----------------


    Kahn and the group had an incredulous as well as jarring expression. Because they had no idea who this new arrival was.


    SKRAA!!


    Another wave of bird cry filled the surroundings and right before everyone''s eyes¡­


    The 8 kilometer tall creature started transforming and shrinking. In just a couple of minutes, the massive bird no longer existed. However, he turned into a humanoid figure with two long red horns and fiery red hair that floated in the air.


    "The Emperor!" eximed Kahn in disbelief.


    Havi Hos Sigfreed, the emperor of the Vulcan Empire had finally arrived.


    Venessa too had an aghast expression. This was the first time she had seen her father''s primordial creature form. But what surprised her even more was the current state of the emperor himself.


    Havi had lost his left eye, his body was riddled withcerations and deep wounds from head to toe as he bled excessively.


    The mighty emperor who was an 8th stage saint was gravely injured to the point he looked like a man¡­


    On the verge of Death.

 Chapter 683 Meeting the Emperor

    Chapter 683 Meeting the Emperor


    Kahn and the group were terrified at this point. Because the strongest being in the entire Vulcan empire had shown up at the site of battle while looking like he had been in a life and death battle.


    Neither Kahn nor any of his subordinates could move a muscle under Havi''s tyrannical saint pressure. To him, it felt like drowning at the bottom of the deepest ocean in the world; every second feeling like he had died horribly due to suffocation as Kahn couldn''t even breathe at this moment.


    Swoosh!!


    Suddenly, Venessa showed up in front of Kahn since she wasn''t targeted by Havi.


    "Lord Father, hear me out first!" mored Venessa because she felt like Kahn would die any second.


    She widened her arms, acting like a human wall to protect Kahn from the Emperor''s rage.


    Her indomitable and resolved gaze surprised Havi because he had assumed Kahn and his group to be part of the Church''s people because the moment he came here, Venessa was surrounded by many saints.


    Havi then instantly lifted off his saint pressure and looked around the battlefield.


    On his left¡­ he saw Hector''s corpse under a protection barrier that was actually cast by Ceril under Kahn''s orders.


    Havi clenched his fist tightly, his expression turning that of loss and suffering at the same time.


    He had used the forbidden ability of their bloodline in order to kill the four 8th stage saints that included the 3 Holy Champions and the Pope.


    By doing so¡­ he had basically thrown away his life to protect his children. Yet, he failed to save his son and was toote.


    His gaze then turned to Kahn. Despite his sorry state, his aura was as terrifying and domineering as someone sitting at the epitome of strength should be.


    Everything before such a being was nothing but dust.


    "You¡­ you''re the new Hero of Darkness?" asked Havi as soon as Kahn stood up.


    Shocked!


    Kahn was instantly taken aback. All the emperor did was just look at him once and already unveiled his real identity.


    "These people¡­ none of them are humans. And that Basilisk¡­ there''s something strange about it." he spoke with a confused yet curious gaze.


    But this wasn''t the end either¡­


    "You have another soul inside you¡­ Half-soul of another person."


    Shocked!


    Bewildered!


    Just 10 seconds in and Havi already figured out all of Kahn''s secrets without even trying.


    [Kid¡­ speak the truth. That''s the only way we will survive here. Otherwise¡­ he will kill everyone without a second thought.] said Rathnaar in a gloomy voice.


    Even the Peak Saint knew how dire this situation was. A single lie and they''d be for sure because the Emperor was a being who could kill Kahn and everyone else just by looking at them.


    "Your Majesty¡­ please let me exin." spoke Kahn in a calm tone.


    In reality, he was just as terrified as any living being would be. This wasn''t a situation he could escape from even with all of his tricks.


    "I will hear from my daughter." said Havi in a majestic voice and looked at Venessa.


    Venessa then told Havi about the treason by the church. How Axel and the members of the Hero''s Party kidnapped them here and killed Victor.


    "That much¡­ I know already. They sent me a recording of Axel killing Hector.


    But where is that bastard?! I see the corpses of his allies but not him." said Havi in a vengeful voice and enraged expression as if he was about to burst out at any moment.


    "That snake ate him." said Kahn as he pointed at Rudra.


    [You fucking traitor!!] bellowed Rudra in Kahn''s mind.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Venessa walked forth and told Havi about how Kahn and his allies showed up at the crucial moment, saving her life and protecting her all this time while they killed the enemies one by one.


    And finally, she told him about the battle between Kahn and Axel, including the details such as Axel''s true form, the Blood Titan and Fire Deity Kagutsuchi being summoned by Axel.


    How Kahn even risked his life while facing Amaterasu, the divine weapon of Hero of Fire and how he almost got killed when Axel aimed at her heart.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    Havi spat a big chunk of blood, his internal organs were already in a dire state and his regeneration abilities weren''t working because of the bacsh of forcefully using his bloodline.


    [Master¡­ I sense the Emperor''s life force dwindling.] informed Armin.


    "Your majesty¡­ allow my subordinate to heal you." spoke Kahn as he maintained a worried expression.


    "Tch! I won''t work. I don''t need healing¡­ I need life force. And that''s not possible." said Havi as he wiped off the blood from his mouth.


    Shing!!


    Suddenly, a green aura encapsted Havi''s body.


    Armin quickly started using Nirvana Armor and Hermes Staff''s set effects and converted the life force of all the nt life in the 15 kilometers region and started healing Havi.


    Even the Emperor had his eyes wide open because converting life force from other beings and using it to heal someone waspletely unheard of. Even the best Healers of the Vulcan empire had to expend their own life force to achieve that feat.


    10 MINUTES LATER.


    The emperor was no longer bleeding and his life force was bing stable. Armin on the other hand was sweating profusely because he was using all of his mana, life force and the external life force absorbed from the nt life to rejuvenate Havi''s body.


    And finally¡­ Havi was out of danger. The emperor could feel that the bacsh of the bloodline was gone for now.


    He looked at Armin and Kahn, nodding at them as a way to show his thanks.


    "There''s something I must do first." said Havi and a small yellow orb coalesced over his left forefinger.


    Before they could even react, he appeared in front of Venessa and pushed that orb towards her forehead.


    "AAAHHHHRRRRGG!!" shouted Venessa in agonizing pain as she grabbed her head and fell on the ground, wriggling as if she was suffering immense physical and mental pain.


    [What the fuck?! Does he n to kill us?!] wondered Kahn with an ashen face, almost feeling as if this was going to be hisst moment.


    However, Havi showed no hostility towards Kahn and looked at Venessa as if he too was hurting to see his daughter suffer in pain.


    Five minutester, Venessa stopped screaming¡­ but as soon as she stood up, she gazed at Havi and a stream of tears dropped from her eyes.


    "Why?... Why didn''t you tell me?" she questioned her father.


    "I¡­ I had no choice. It was the only way." said Havi, his face full of regret and guilt.


    "For my sake¡­ for the empire''s sake¡­" spoke Venessa as the grief welled up in her heart showed on her face as she continued crying¡­


    "You chose to suffer alone."

 Chapter 684 The Aftereffect

    Chapter 684 The Aftereffect


    A gloomy silence ensued in the surroundings. Winds howled and the smoke from the charred battlefield made the entire region foggy.


    Yet the way Venessa had spoken to Havi¡­ it epassed the ce with sadness and pain.


    Kahn and the group had no idea what was happening and why Venessa suddenly started wailing in pain but next, she started crying.


    As far as he knew about their rtionship from the times he and Venessa talked with each other¡­


    Venessa and Havi were father and daughter only in name. Thetter did not care if she lived or died but suddenly, their rtionship took a u-turn out of nowhere.


    In reality¡­


    What Havi showed Venessa through that yellow orb were his memories.


    For some unknown reason¡­ Havi had decided to share his biggest secrets about how things happened back then.


    How Freyja, his most loved wife and Venessa''s mother actually died because of the conspiracy.


    What part did the 2 strongest Fireborne ns y and how did the Church provide them with the untraceable poison that was used to kill her mother.


    The memories show how those events broke Havi as a man.


    To maintain the peace in the empire, avoid causing a war that''d have led to hundreds of millions of citizens dying in the crossfire and to protect Venessa enough though he loved her the most among his children¡­ Havi made all those choices and he alone carried that burden.


    Venessa was weeping and kept staring at her father. She was angry¡­ yet full of grief at the same time.


    Those memories also included how it was Church that killed the previous Emperor and Havi''s older brother. And how they had been nning it for over a century.


    The battle where Havi had to get out of the me Killer formation and the price he paid for it wasn''t hidden in those memories either.


    Venessa was knowledgeable enough about their bloodline to know the consequences of Havi''s choice.


    Her father¡­ didn''t have long to live.


    Step!


    Step!


    Venessa walked forth and quickly hugged Havi tightly. Soon, the sobs turned into cries.


    Because of Havi''s decisions¡­ Venessa had suffered for the past 22 years of her life. She wanted to be the Empress to prove herself. Yet one day, Havi told her that she was forcefully being married to Axel. That created a lot of deep hatred in her mind for her father.


    But after seeing the truth behind it all¡­ she came to understand why her father did what he did.


    Still¡­ Was it forgivable?


    No, it wasn''t. But Venessa wasn''t a little girl who saved the world in only ck and White. She understood that the burden, pain, grief, anger, hatred and responsibility Havi had carried all these decades was far many times heavier than what she went through.


    She tightened her arms around her father''s slumped and regretful figure.


    Although Havi tried his best to maintain hisposure as the almighty Emperor¡­ even he couldn''t help it for long, resulting in both father and daughter crying their hearts out.


    In a way, this moment¡­


    Was the new beginning of their rtionship as Father and Daughter.


    ----------------


    15 Minutes Later.


    Kahn and the rest of the crew had a very awkward and ufortable expression as the duo before them started crying out of nowhere.


    [Master¡­ while healing him with the life force, I also checked the Emperor''s body.


    His bloodline is destroying itself at a rapid pace. At this moment, his physical body and rank as an 8th stage saint is keeping him alive.


    But the way his life force is diminishing¡­ He will die within 2 decades at this rate.] informed Armin with a stern voice.


    [Dammit!! Is that why they''re crying? No¡­ it must be some other reason. Otherwise, Venessa wouldn''t be affected to this degree.] thought Kahn.


    Just then, the sobbing stopped and the Emperor spoke to Kahn.


    "You''ve fought for my daughter''s sake even though you could''ve easily escaped.


    Even those people who share blood and family ties or call themselves as best friends won''t risk their lives in the type of world we live in. Yet you didn''t abandon my precious daughter. So you can be at ease¡­


    I won''t kill you." said Havi as he let go of Venessa.


    "Now that the church has betrayed us¡­ there''s no point in capturing you either.


    And I have to reform my empire and groom Venessa into bing the next Empress now.


    So I don''t have time to deal with the Heroes and Gods. Just protecting my empire would be a big challenge at this point." he iterated his intentions.


    [Luck is on our side, boy.


    In a way, the Church causing this coup d''¨¦tat and you saving Venessa''s life has saved your own. Otherwise, the emperor would never choose to spare your life.] said Rathnaar in a merry tone.


    Although he could take over Kahn''s body in the direst situation¡­ the current Kahn was too weak to bear the burden and allow Rathnaar to make any significant impact in a battle against someone like Havi. But in the end¡­ things turned out in their favor.


    "With the Pope gone¡­ no one can track Axel''s divine key or use any methods to know about your whereabouts." revealed the emperor.


    "What do you mean? Is the pope dead?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    "Yes. Kidnapping all of you here was just a bait to lure me into their trap and kill me.


    You being brought here by Hero''s Party was Axel''s grudge.


    But if not for you being the Hero of Darkness and having enough strength to repel them¡­ things would''ve turned ugly and they would''ve managed to ckmail me using Venessa even after I killed their strongest fighters.


    In a way¡­ you have greatly helped me and the imperial n by saving my daughter." said Havi with a tone filled with genuine gratitude.


    Just then, Kahn asked a question of his own.


    "Doesn''t that mean you can now get rid of the Church of Hetrax for good?" asked Kahn with a gaze full of curiosity.


    "No. It''s not as easy as you think.


    Something that''s ingrained in the culture for centuries after centuries can''t be overthrown just because of a coup or hostile takeover. I may be able to get rid of the church but then it will put the entire empire in a situation of a civil war.


    People''s faith can be¡­ blinding.


    It''s better that nobody knows the truth about what happened here." revealed Havi.


    "Why? They nned to kill the emperor, already killed an Imperial Prince, your son.


    Isn''t that a righteous reason for you to exterminate them?" asked Kahn hurriedly because he couldn''t understand why Havi wouldn''t just exterminate the church of this high treason.


    [Boy¡­ he''s an Emperor. You''ve never been one so you wouldn''t understand.


    The ruling figurehead can''t use the Eye for an Eye method for the troubles happening inside his own territory. It''ll do more harm than good.] informed Rathnaar who too was the emperor of the Rakos Empire and understood Havi''s reasoning very well.


    "It''s not that simple at all. Because once the house is breaking apart from the inside¡­ the outsiders will smell the blood and band together to take everything from you." responded Havi with a serious voice.


    "Huh? Can you borate please?" asked Kahn in a puzzled tone.


    "What I mean is¡­ although you killed Axel to save my daughter. You have also¡­" said Havi as he revealed the main reason why he was talking about keeping everything a secret¡­


    "Doomed the entire Vulcan empire."

 Chapter 685 Unfair Consequences

    Chapter 685 Unfair Consequences


    The Emperor''s promation that Kahn''s actions of killing Axel, the Hero of Fire had doomed their empire resounded in the surroundings.


    Kahn and the group had dumbfounded expressions on their countenances. Even Rudra in his ginormous Voronir aka variant Basilisk form had his eyes wide open.


    "By now¡­ Kagutsuchi must''ve told Hetrax about you and all the other gods should already know about you killing the Hero of Fire. But based on what you two told me¡­


    Kagutsuchi has no idea that you fought Axel to save Venessa." he exined.


    "Currently, your identity is unknown to everyone among the living and all the empires, as well as gods, would assume that the new Hero of Darkness is following his predecessor''s footsteps." he spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "We will fake your death as Kahn Salvatore. A body would be arranged and all the me will fall on the battle between Hero of Fire and Hero of Darkness.


    The news will say that the Pope got involved but he too died during the battle." he said hastily.


    "What the¡­"


    Kahn couldn''t get the full picture of what Havi was nning. Among their group¡­ Only Rathnaar understood where this conversation was going.


    "Why are we talking about faking my death? I literally saved your daughter''s life. Can''t you at least help me hide?" questioned Kahn.


    "For that, I''m thankful to you.


    But by killing the Hero of Fire even for the sake of saving my daughter¡­ you have already put a target on your back and implicated 4 billion innocent people living in my empire." spoke Havi, his expression turning grim.


    "How?" asked Kahn because he had no grasp of the situation. He understood why the first choice of hiding the truth was reasonable but leaving the Vulcan empire¡­ didn''t fit well with him.


    "Listen¡­ If the news of you killing Axel to save Venessa leaks out; the other Empires will use that as an excuse to attack us; saying that the Imperial family harbored the Hero of Darkness all along and betrayed God Hetrax.


    That would give them enough cover to gang up and destroy the Vulcan empire in the name of a righteous cause.


    That''s why my daughter''s involvement or the church''s treason absolutely cannot be revealed to the world." replied the emperor in a serious tone.


    "And that''s not the end of it." spoke Havi and then, even his expression turned ugly and hateful as he spoke in an indignant voice¡­


    "There is a certain group hunting you." he revealed in a grim voice.


    "What?!" eximed Kahn as this was the first time he heard about it.


    "A treaty was made after what happened 300 years ago with the previous generation of summoned heroes.


    You were already the main target. And now that another hero has died by your hand¡­ they wille for you. When they do, even I will have toply because of the rules of the treaty.


    That group is so strong that even an 8th stage saint like me would die for certain if I fought against them." revealed Havi.


    Unbeknownst to Kahn, Havi was indeed trying to help him despite the precarious situation his action of killing Axel had put the emperor in.


    Havi himself had averted many wars within the empire and even controlled the recent situation with Rogis, the Second Prince perfectly. He was more than capable of handling such situations and was apetent emperor.


    But this situation would put him in a state where they''d be attacked by 4 to 5 neighboring empires all at once and those forces had Emperors and Empresses just as strong as him.


    No empire had the strength to fight the full forces of 5 empires at once even if they were a behemoth.


    On top of it¡­ the mysterious group was supposedlyprised of people who would be able to overpower him if he fought them alone.


    This level of war would be nothing but futile and terrifying bloodshed. Thus, avoiding this war when his own situation was their best way out.


    "And you''re already a known figure in this empire because of the cksmithing Duel. Taking any risks is a luxury I cannot afford as the emperor of the Vulcan empire.


    At best, I can cover your tracks and give information that would divert them in the wrong direction." he spoke with an expression of helplessness.


    "Who will being for me? Some empire''s force?" asked Kahn.


    "I took a blood-oath. I can''t say their name or provide any direct information.


    Just know this¡­ They''re a force exclusively made to hunt you down once your existence bes known to the world.


    Only the Dragon Empire and the Demon Empire can go against them at this point." iterated Havi. This was a situation that couldn''t be avoided.


    "In other words¡­ If you want to live¡­" said Havi and continued in an authoritative tone as if he would not take a ''No'' for an answer.


    "Leave the Vulcan empire."


    ----------------


    30 MINUTES LATER.


    It had been close to 5 hours at this point ever since the Axel, the Hero''s Party and the Church of Hetrax started their coup. But now, the situation was reversed. However¡­ this also led to a big consequence that Kahn had to face no matter what.


    After discussing and quarreling among themselves¡­ Without having any other choice, Kahn decided to leave the Vulcan empire.


    Because it wasn''t just about himself but the fate of the entire Vulcan empire and billions of people living in it.


    Without holding back, Havi told how things would go from here if Kahn was caught. And how he was going to take measures to protect Kahn''s identity.


    "You should go somewhere that even I have no idea of. That is the only way." mored Havi.


    The emperor was a scheming mastermind himself and had already thought about 20 steps ahead.


    But as a result of this n that would save Kahn''s life; there was a price that he''d have to pay. Because after this incident, Kahn aka the Hero of Darkness was going to be turned into¡­


    The enemy of the World.

 Chapter 686 Hardest Decisions

    Chapter 686 Hardest Decisions


    The emperor Havi Hos Sigfreed of the Vulcan empire created a perfect escape n for Kahn to escape while he himself promised to cover his tracks and made necessary arrangements that''d also help him keep hidden unless Kahn himself exposed his identity.


    In his ns, Kahn as Kahn Salvatore, the mega-talented Saint cksmith who became famous just this day and almost won the cksmithing Duel would be dered as coteral damage during the battle between Hero of Fire and Hero of Darkness.


    After that, Havi nned to use this incident as a pretense to temporarily assumemand of the church in the name of protecting it as their empire''s vital institution.


    Later, he''d subjugate the Church of Hetrax and pull it under the direct control of the Imperial n. And then, he''d root out all the traitors and conspirators, reforming the church and deterring all the possibilities of any other coup or treason.


    And once he achieved that, no one would dig into the matters of this battle between Kahn and Axel and the former would be safe as his identity would be hidden even from the mysterious group that would soon show up to hunt the Hero of Darkness.


    This was the only thing Havi could do to repay Kahn for saving Venessa in the time of peril and overturning the situation in their favor while maintaining the peace in the empire at the same time.


    As for the truth behind the whole situation with Hero of Fire, the Hero''s Party and the Pope... They were going to get something they didn''t deserve. Because for this n to work, Havi had no other choice but to turn all the culprits into...


    Martyrs.


    ----------------


    Kahn epted his proposal because if Havi was right, then nobody in the entire world could protect him if he stayed.


    "Before I go¡­ I have a request." spoke Kahn as he firmly gazed at the emperor.


    "My master¡­ Throk Oakenshield, is not to be touched or brought into the crosshairs.


    He had no idea about my true identity and still thinks of me as his normal human pupil.


    I hope you can keep him safe even if someone from that group investigates me and my background." he requested humbly.


    Although he wanted to bid farewell to his master¡­ it would put his life in jeopardy if someone tried to look into his background after this incident became clear to the public.


    Havi nodded in affirmation.


    "As for them¡­ can I take their corpses with me?" asked Kahn as he pointed towards the deceased members of the Hero''s Party that his subordinates killed by themselves.


    "They''re the traitors of my empire. I was going to incinerate them anyway to clear your tracks.


    Just leave their weapons and armors around. I can use those to stage the site of the battlefield." responded the emperor.


    Soon, Ronin collected all 7 members of the Hero''s Party including their cores that were still intact since a saint''s core wasn''t that easy to destroy.


    Kahn on the other hand had a discouraged and helpless expression. Because so far¡­ he had created a perfect background for himself in this empire and was basically set up for life as he rose in ranks and hid perfectly.


    But now¡­ by choosing to fight and protect Venessa, his only friend in this empire¡­ he had forfeited all that effort.


    Because in this arrangement¡­ Bad guys like Axel, Hero''s Party, and the Pope were going to be glorified heroes of the Vulcan empire while the good guy who yed the dragon and saved the princess was going to be turned into a vile and evil viin who ambushed and killed the virtuous and honorable Hero of Fire.


    Sometimes, the truth did more harm than the lie. Thus, Kahn had no other choice but to getbeled as the Murderer who will be on the wanted list in all the empires that served the gods.


    And all Kahn had as reward for the past 1 and half year was that he was now a Saint Rank cksmith.


    Other than that, everything else he achieved was in vain.


    ----------------


    The moment of departure finally came and Kahn faced Venessa who was still unable to ept the fact that the only friend in her life so far¡­ The one who chose to protect her at the cost of revealing his identity as Hero of Darkness and ended up putting the entire world''s ire on his back¡­ was now going to leave.


    "I¡­ I¡­ am sorry." she spoke with an expression filled with guilt.


    Although it wasn''t her fault in any way, Venessa couldn''t help but me herself.


    "It''s neither yours nor my fault. Things just didn''t go well for either of us." spoke Kahn as he tried tofort her.


    But before he could react¡­


    Swoosh!


    Venessa suddenly appeared in front of him and hugged him tightly, her eyes still carrying small droplets of tears.


    The brave and fierce warrior princess of the Vulcan empire seemed so¡­ vulnerable.


    Pat!


    Kahn patted Venessa''s head and hugged back.


    "If you ever need my help in the future¡­ all you have to do is ask." she said in a gentle tone.


    "You are my only friend. Someone I can trust with my life.


    Yet I can''t even protect you¡­" murmured Venessa in an apologetic tone.


    "My my¡­ don''t carry any guilt over your mind. You have to face many problems of your own.


    So help your father in dealing with the church and managing the empire. You have to be a strong individual and a capable ruler for all our sakes.


    I believe in your capabilities and conviction." responded Kahn and he gave a gentle and genuinely thankful smile at Venessa.


    Shing!!


    However, the next moment¡­ Kahn felt an immense killing intent targeting him.


    Havi¡­ was giving him a death stare!


    Kahn stopped hugging Venessa and averted his gaze somewhere else to not irk this overprotective father in front of him.


    "Alright then¡­ I guess it''s time I leave." he spoke and in the following moments, all the subordinates entered his shadow.


    A void crack opened and Kahn disappeared inside it, his entire existence was erased from the spot.


    Kahn chose to leave using Dimensional Void with the little bit of Space Force he had umted in this short time to remove his tracepletely so no one could track his direction of retreat from here.


    Winds howled strongly as Venessa bid farewell to Kahn with a stern expression, promising to herself that one day¡­ she''d repay him for what he did for her today.


    To her¡­ this incident was something that had changed her entire life and shifted the direction of her fate.


    This day also marked the end¡­


    Of Kahn''s journey in the Fire Empire.


    [[THE END OF THE NOVEL. I''M DROPPING IT.]]

 Chapter 687 Peaceful Sanctuary

    Chapter 687 Peaceful Sanctuary


    ONE WEEK LATER.


    Inside a dark and damp cave, a man sat on top of a stone tform that was carved perfectly horizontally using a sword''s shing attack.


    The man had his eyes closed as he was immersed in meditating under nket of darkness.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    The droplets dripped from the spiky ceiling in a natural basin of water, reverberating in the entire cave as it gave a sense of mystery to this whole scenario.


    Swoosh!


    A gust of wind entered through the entrance of the cave and in the following moment, a figure rose from the ck shadows in front of the meditating man.


    "Master¡­ I have returned." said a man with shoulder-length hair and a ck mask covering the left half of his face while his green eyes glowed.


    The meditating man slowly opened his eyes and asked in a stern voice that resonated in the entire cave.


    "What''s the situation there?" queried the man in a dark gray longcoat attire with silver patterns on shoulders and sleeves.


    One week ago, Kahn and the group had returned¡­


    To No Man''s Land.


    The reason why he did so was because it was currently the only safe ce for him.


    "Give me the detailed report." spoke Kahn as he looked at Ronin who emerged from the shadows and knelt in front of him.


    "Because of the recording of Celine Armitage killing Ezekiel, the situation took a dire turn.


    To avoid a full-scale war, some of the n members who were vying for the leader''s position killed Celine.


    Later, her head was offered to the Nabi n as a form of apology. Yet the Nabi n''s leader, who is also Ezekiel''s grandfather, did not ept it.


    And since the Neutral Faction thought the Armitage n was intentionally hiding Tablet of Arcana, no one came to their aid and some tried to extort them in time of need.


    But in the end, a great battle happened and more than 20 million soldiers from both sides died and finally, the n leader of the Nabi n killed the Patriarch of Armitage n.


    With the help of other ns from the Pureblood faction, they wiped out the entire Armitage n." he said and handed out a written report to Kahn.


    "I see. So her entire n of millions was massacred because of my machinations when I faked my death.


    I should be feeling guilty. But for some reason¡­


    I don''t." said Kahn with a carefree expression as he shuffled through the pages of the report.


    The noble factions and all of their ns were going to kill him to get their hands on Tablet of Arcana anyway. For the past 200 years, more than a billion innocent people of Vessen fiefdom died because these ns had abandoned it, using the excuse of no Saint being able to enter there.


    Thus Kahn faked his death and hisst recording screwed over all the noble factions big time.


    As for the fate of the Armitage n and millions of lives lost¡­ It wasn''t like Kahn told them to massacre each other instead of peacefully resolving the situation.


    So Kahn felt no responsibility since he was no longer much of a good guy with overwhelming moral values and guilty conscience at this point of his life.


    "Ever since your supposed death¡­ All the three noble factions have been ruined." he reported in a stoic voice.


    "The 3 factions are now only a shadow of their past¡­ all of them took a big hit to the point of no recovery.


    Despite their power and connections¡­ they couldn''t deal with the consequences of your death that they allegedly caused.


    There''s a great change in their leadership as well. All the 3 Faction Leaders were forced to give up on their governmental positions as Chief Justice, Head of Ministry and General of the Military.


    Majority of the nobles lost their position of authority in the government while many powerful ns fell." spoke Ronin with lifeless eyes as if this change in Rakos Empire didn''t affect him in any way.


    In the end, it was up to the public to cause a revolution.


    Kahn''s death greatly impacted the government structure and now it was undergoing aplete reformation that would take at least a decade topletely stabilize.


    "What about my fiefdom?" asked Kahn in a serious tone.


    "In Vessen, Every major city has your statue in the main square. You''re perceived as the fiefdom''s hero even now. Many regions of the Rakos Empire treat you the same." exined Ronin.


    "And what about those three?"


    "Sir Albestros Winston has broken through to the Saint Rank nearly 4 months ago.


    He is now the only Saint Rank cksmith of the Rakos Empire." reported Ronin with a pleased expression.


    "This¡­ does put a smile on my face."


    "Mister Sirius ke is controlling funds of both the government of Vessen that was elected through public voting as you willed it in yourst recording and he is also the main treasurer of Seven Deadly Sins organization that has expanded even in many parts of the empire now." said Ronin gleefully.


    In a way, Kahn, Ronin and Ceril were the biggest masterminds and contributors behind creating the Seven Deadly Sins underworld organization.


    And now their fruits ofbor were growing up. With the three factions weakened, they had more room to expand and cement their own authority across the Rakos Empire.


    "What about him?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Tobias has leveled up and he is nowparable to a 2nd stage saint.


    As you ordered, he is protecting sir Albestros who lives just outside the borders of Vessen fiefdom. But given your rtionship and history with him, nobody has dared to make trouble for Sir Winston.


    They all know that the moment they touch your former allies, the citizens of the empire would boycott whatever that''s left of their ns and respective forces." iterated the Spirit Assassin general.


    "In the past 1 and a half year¡­ Tobias killed over 22 semi-saints from the 3 noble factions discreetly. All of them were the spies who infiltrated and tried to take over Vessen after your death." spoke Ronin, the head of the Intelligence and Scouting department among Kahn''s generals.


    And finally, Kahn''s expression turned solemn.


    Ronin understood what this gaze meant and the following second, he took out a cube-shaped artifact.


    Soon, the dark cave was filled with multicolored lights as a holographic image of a lean and beautiful figure donning a ck and yellow battlemage outfit appeared at the center.


    A hologram of a woman going through various documents ced on a wide table while the room around her was filled with books rted to summoning magic, war tactics, ancient magic spells and formations came to be.


    This woman who looked like she was going through some meticulous research and nning for something significant was none other than¡­


    Kassandra Mikealson.

 Chapter 688 Old Ties

    Chapter 688 Old Ties


    After Kahn and the group returned to No Man''s Land, he had 4 objectives in mind.


    One was the temporary asylum he desperately needed.


    Two, he wanted to check up on people he cared about that he had to leave behind in the Rakos Empire.


    He sent Ronin who could turn into a spirit form to cross the border undetected andplete the other two objectives.


    Third objective was to contact Tobias and get all the resources they had amassed such as SS Rank Mana Cores and Ores since the time they left.


    Kahn and the group didn''t need money¡­ they needed these resources to level up and be stronger.


    Since they were forced to leave in a hurry and didn''t want to leave a trace behind, Kahn didn''t go back to the Oakenshieldpany building and bring all the resources they had siphoned in the name of managing Throk''spany.


    The ones they had on hand would deplete in a few months given how their demand for resources rose with every level up by a huge margin, especially for Kahn who needed twice the World Energy to rank up to the next stage.


    Ronin then handed out 300 space rings to Kahn in a box.


    "These are 100 million SS Rank mana cores and ores that Tobias managed to gather till now." informed Ronin.


    "Good. These should be enough for all of us for at least another year." spoke Kahn with a pleased countenance.


    As for the 4th main objective¡­ it was all about Kassandra.


    "Lady Kassandra is now a 2nd stage saint herself and recently revealed her rank to the Mikealson n.


    I have followed her for a few days. As for her personality¡­ She has changed a lot.


    She can be said to have be very¡­ Conniving." he said.


    "Well, even this recording is enough to show those changes in her. That was expected after what the Mikealson n and her parents did to her.


    She also promised me that she won''t be the same naive girl as before who lived for the sake of her n and its prestige." spoke Kahn as he gazed yearningly at Kassandra''s face in the hologram.


    Kassandra now seemed more jaded, focused and cunning. Her entire character was reformed and from a protected and devoted daughter¡­ she seemed like an ambitious woman who was no different than a Queen in the making.


    She was no longer the type who only lived by morals and codes instilled in her since childhood. She no longer cared about her n or family and even the blood ties meant nothing to her.


    "There''s a struggle going on for the position of the n heiress between Kassandra and Veronica.


    After Lady Kassandra revealed her ability to use magic again, the n higher-ups became conflicted.


    Veronica Mikealson, her cousin also became a first stage saint 2 months ago. So there''s a lot of internal struggle within the Mikealson n." said Ronin.


    "I see. Once she received the treatment as the heiress, Veronica also changed.


    She was one of the people who abandoned Kassandra back when they basically sold her to me for the Tablet of Arcana.


    Well¡­ That''s her battle to fight. Even if I could¡­ Kassandra would never ept my help in that matter." smirked Kahn, feeling a bit proud to hear about Kassandra''s progress and the necessary changes in her personality.


    For some reason, she seemed even more beautiful and divine to Kahn, just looking at her projection made his heart race a bit faster.


    5 minutester¡­


    "Did you deliver them?" he asked his left-hand man.


    "Yes, master.


    After meeting Tobias, I gave them enough resources that would help them be at least 5th stage saints. The strongest one among them was alreadyparable to a 3rd stage saint.


    They couldter replenish the resources from Tobias again." spoke Ronin.


    The mysterious people Ronin was talking about were none other than the new legendary rank subordinates Kahn created.


    Before leaving the Vulcan empire, Kahn asked Havi to give him the bodies of the Hero''s Party members who were killed by Kahn''s subordinates.


    And because all of them had their cores intact, Kahn decided to create new subordinates to increase his firepower.


    Using the 7 bodies, he created 3 new legendary rank subordinates that had the abilities and skills of the saint from Axel''s group.


    Kahn named them, killed them and then after they met the Skill Impartation criteria, he gave them weapons and armors as well as all the skills he had that suited their respective sses, skills and bodies.


    Two of them were males while one was a female.


    Using Edna, the Subus Enchantress and Mike, the Tengu Archer¡­ he created Agatha; A variant Summoner ss that could provide support in battle greatly while acting as a long-range DPS at the same time.


    Using Volka, the Wolfkin archer and Rodan, the Wind Elemental Dark Elf mage¡­ Kahn created Jarvis.


    Jarvis was a variant Archer-ss individual with wind elemental skills that greatly aided his attack skills, he was a terrifying opponent. Only Oliver from his generals could best this guy and that too only because of his bloodline advantage of the Godbeast Roc.


    Andstly¡­ Using Tamak, the Halfbreed Orc Berserker and Garakh, the ck snakekin Tank and finally¡­ Azerog, the 4th stage saint trident warrior; Kahn created Riolet.


    Riolet was the strongest in that group, alreadyparable to a 3rd stage saint because he was created using 3 saints with their cores during the Synthesis process.


    Riolet had a variant Trident user ss named Inquisitor.


    He could use both Fire and Ice elements while fighting and provide group defense skills as well as have his own buff and berserker skills. Riolet even had his own domain where all his allies received a 50% buff in all their stats and skills while the enemies lost 30% of their total strength.


    To Kahn, Riolet was like mixing ckwall and Jugram into one guy.


    Although none of these new subordinates had any ancient Godbeast bloodlines or possessed the abilities of unique monsters¡­ Kahn had given them the majority of the skills suitable for their ss that he possessed.


    These 3 new creations did not dwarf his generals in terms of skills¡­ just that they didn''t have any monster form or transformation techniques.


    As for their main purpose¡­


    It was to protect Kassandra.


    ----------------


    When Ronin met Tobias and got the gist of things in Vessen, he secretly departed to monitor Kassandra as Kahn had ordered.


    Using his Phase Shift and Invisibility skills, infiltrating the Mikealson n''s castle was not a problem and he helped Agatha, Jarvis and Riolet to hide in Kassandra''s shadow.


    Although it looked like Kahn wasn''t trusting Kassandra''s abilities¡­ he just couldn''t help but worry about the only woman he had fallen in love with.


    Kassandra''s goals about exacting revenge on those within the Mikealson who sold her out like a cheap object were bound to make enemies way stronger than her while there was a risk of her being found out or facing danger any day.


    Even with her transformed soul because of Kahn, it would take her a long time to be strong enough to achieve her revenge.


    So Kahn sent these three new subordinates to guard Kassandra.


    Besides, they were to show up only when she was in mortal danger and help her survive as well as escape.


    Kahn cared about Kassandra but she also had her pride. So this was the only way he could ensure her safety while not being around her.


    Also, if any of the three subordinates died, the System would alert him regardless of his location and he''d know that Kassandra was in danger.


    She was on her own journey that Kahn couldn''t apany her on. But this way¡­ he could also keep her safe without being near her.


    ----------------


    While Kahn was lost in thoughts¡­


    Swoosh!


    Omega entered the cave. The rest were on guard duty because Kahn and his 20 doppelgangers inside the Dimensional Domain were gathering enough space force to travel for a long journey.


    "Master¡­ it''s time we leave." he said.


    "Yes." replied Kahn solemnly.


    Because of the matters in Rakos Empire, Kahn already waited for 7 days till Ronin was done with the job. And any further dy would risk their lives.


    "Where are we going?" asked Omega in a curious tone.


    Kahn had already decided which empire he''d go to the very moment he left the battlefield using the Dimensional Void in front of Havi and Venessa.


    Kahn then replied in a tranquil voice as he determined their next safe haven.


    "To somewhere they wouldn''t expect us."

 Chapter 689 Mysterious Pursuer

    Chapter 689 Mysterious Pursuer


    3 DAYS LATER.


    A deste and charredndscape of 50 kilometers with nothing but shattered ground and barrennds that carried the feeling of devastation was filled with strong gusts of winds that carried smoke and dirt.


    This ce was none other than the central region of the Eastern Grasnds where the battle between Kahn and the Hero of Fire took ce a week ago.


    Outside this perimeter, there was tight security and 4 warships guarding this perimeter while 20 thousand fireborne soldiers under the directmand of the imperial n were stationed to monitor the borders.


    Rustle!


    Rustle!


    But unbeknownst to everyone, suddenly a big whirlpool of ck, white and green smoke appeared in the middle of the sky out of nowhere; taking the shape of a spherical cloud.


    Swoosh!!


    "Looks like I''mte."


    A calm yet domineering voice appeared from the very spherical cloud that was moving like a blob of fog.


    Schwoaa!!


    The coalesced smoke quickly exploded and dispersed in the surrounding area and a tall figure was revealed.


    A six feet tall handsome and mature silver-haired vampire with stark-white skin and glowing red eyes floated calmly in the air. The ck and green armor made for the royalty adorned by this individual emitted the aura of Sovereignty and Power, enough to make anyone instantly bow before this mysterious figure.


    "I guess I arrived before those people since I was already searching for him in the nearby empires. Good thing they need toplete the formalities as per the old rules before entering an empire.


    Let''s see what happened here first." spoke this vampire in an authoritative tone.


    Snap!


    He snapped his fingers and the very next moment, over 50 kilometers of the radius was instantly covered under a ck and white dome that flickered and disappeared instantly.


    To the outside world, this change was too fast and instantaneous to even notice the fact that the whole region was isted under a domain.


    To the guards and assassins, the battlefield looked just the same¡­ shattered and destroyed everywhere. However, the inside world had turnedpletely opposite to their expectation.


    Simr to the True Dimension¡­ everything under the Vampire''s domain had turned into either ck or White. But in this 50 kilometers circumference¡­ there were 22 ces where things turned into different colors.


    Each color represented a particr individual or a being.


    The vampire''s body flickered and he appeared close to each distinct color that represented different auras and saints.


    Soon, he started waving his hands in anticlockwise circr motion and then split that imaginary circle he made.


    Within 10 seconds, half of this intangible circle turned white with a ck dot in it while the other half turned ck with a white dot.


    This circle resembling the Yin-Yang pattern erged for 50 kilometers and quickly spread around all these colors and their respective locations.


    "A fireborne who achieved the 2nd phase of primordial bloodline transformation. Even though he or she was only a first stage saint¡­ this is a big aplishment.


    And I sense a bit of human bloodline in it as well.


    Wait¡­ I have seen this bloodline signature before.


    Could it be one of her descendants?" he analyzed and asked himself.


    The person he mentioned was indeed Venessa Hos Sigfreed.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    One after another, he appeared at different ces and checked the auras. He needed only a second to quickly form an opinion about what happened here and who partook in the battle in that particr area.


    "Someone has tampered with this battlefield.


    The aura of that 6th stage fireborne¡­ that person''s corpse was brought here only recently and the blood was spread in this region." spoke the vampire in a thoughtful voice.


    The one he was thinking of was none other than the Pope whose corpse waster brought by Havi to fake some traces on the battlefield.


    "Aplete imperial fireborne bloodline. Means the Emperor was also here." he hypothesized.


    Soon, he moved to all the separate battlegrounds where Kahn''s subordinates and Hero''s Party members fought individually.


    "What the hell is this?!


    A variant of Godbeast Fenrir, someone alreadyparable to a 4th stage saint with the abilities and skills of a Magic Swordsman?


    That person has even acquired the Gravity Law!" eximed the vampire in disbelief.


    Next, he moved to another battlefield.


    "A primordial titan?!


    A variant of the Godbeast Roc!


    A True Demon bloodline individual with their own domain?


    What the hell happened here? These people shouldn''t even exist!" he mored in bewilderment.


    He had found the existence of ckwall, Oliver and Jugram respectively.


    And right when he checked Ceril''s battlefield¡­


    "An Undead with Darkness element¡­ with the gifts from the Deity of Necromancy. How does this make any sense?" he wondered again.


    "A variant of Spirit beings¡­ he or she has strong control over souls. And they can shift through space or any object momentarily." he said with a grim expression as he analyzed the ce where Ronin fought.


    "This ce¡­ is filled with Life Force. As if it was the epicenter of all life in this area. If I''m not wrong¡­ this person has traces of the Ashokvatika bloodline." he spoke in a solemn tone after investigating Armin''s battlefield.


    But after he moved to the final ce¡­ he waspletely baffled because 5 different auras fought within a 15 kilometers radius and the highlight of the battlefield was the Soul Essence.


    "The Hero of Fire used his Divine Weapon.


    He also created some sort of blood monster.


    And if my assumption is right¡­ then he must have summoned a Deity at this ce." said the vampire as he tracked Axel, Blood Titan and Kagutsuchi''s presence.


    He could even trace the soul essence to predict that Axel used Amaterasu during the battle.


    Andstly¡­ he moved to the enemy side that these 3 faced.


    "Am I dreaming? A variant with the Dragon and the Basilisk bloodline?


    What the hell is this creature?!" he mored and facepalmed himself after detecting Rudra''s bloodline.


    But when he came to Kahn''s aura¡­


    "He has 3 divine abilities. And 6 Blessings from the War Deity.


    I sense 4 gifts. One by the War Deity Kravel and 3 gifts granted by the cksmithing Deities Brokkr and Eitri as well.


    Seriously¡­ this guy has surprised me a lot." he spoke with a sense of relief.


    But the next second, his countenance turned extremely ugly.


    "BLOODY! FUCKING! MORON!!!" he shouted and grabbed his head, as if having a mental breakdown.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ he chose the Synthesis divine ability and created those monsters.


    That titan and the undead even have Pseudo-souls. That''s not good." he spoke with an aghast expression.


    He started pulling his hair in annoyance.


    "Too many different abilities, skills and bloodlines. He must have absorbed abilities from other monsters and fighter sses. And then gave them to his monsters somehow.


    He chose the damn Ability Absorption!" he raged and clenched his fists tightly.


    And finally, he came next to the ce on the ground where Kahn left the battlefield using the Dimensional Void crack.


    At this point, his stark-white skin turned even whiter as if life was sucked out of him.


    "Oye¡­ someone please tell me that he didn''t choose the Dimensional Law." said the vampire as if he was speaking hisst words before death.


    "I give up. The new Hero of Darkness is already a lost cause." spoke this vampire as his figure slumped in defeat.


    "This fucking idiot!


    Did he really think that his predecessors and those heroes of other gods in the past were braindead retards who couldn''t see the potential of these divine abilities and chose to ignore them for small and short-term gains?" he asked himself with an infuriated voice.


    "Ability Absorption made by the God of Life.


    Synthesis made by the Goddess of Knowledge.


    Dimensional Law made by the God of Space." his helplessness could be detected in his voice.


    "There''s a reason why no one ever chose these 3.


    This moron chose the very 3 Divine Abilities that will kill him one day." said the vampire in a tone filled with disappointment.


    "He should''ve at least chosen 2 divine abilities like Death Absolution and Abyss Sanctuary created by God of Darkness.


    At this rate¡­ How the hell will he ever be a Demi-God?!" he eximed in an exasperated voice.


    "Killing the Demon God?


    This imbecile won''t be able to go toe to toe against even the Demon Emperor''s 12 Rakshasa." he berated Kahn in his mind again.


    "Why didn''t God of Darkness tell him about the consequences of choosing these 3 divine abilities?


    Did he intentionally hide this information because of what happened with the 8th Hero of Darkness?


    Or does he have different ns of his own with this newly summoned hero?


    This situation is turning into a bigger headachepared to other chosen heroes of this generation." he kept wondering because of the current situation.


    "And he doesn''t even have the Divine Weapon in his possession.


    How the hell am I going toplete the mission given to me 300 years ago?" heined to himself, losing his previousposure of a supreme being.


    "Although he has 2 Divine Keys already¡­ I''m sure he doesn''t even know what to do with them.


    No¡­ I need to find him within the next 5 years. Otherwise, it will be toote and he will¡­" thought the vampire andpleted his sentence with bitterness in mouth.


    "Die a miserable death."


    ----------------


    Dozens of minutes passed as the vampire keptining, cursing his luck while also badmouthing Kahn for the choices he made.


    But while he was letting out all the frustration¡­ his expression turned serious as he sensed another powerful beinging towards him from 500 kilometers away.


    Yet, this vampire didn''t bother hiding his presence anymore. He deactivated the domain and calmly folded his arms together.


    15 minutester¡­ Another being d in burgundy-red armor while traveling atop a massive bird-like creature made of scarlet red fire, revealing a tremendously oppressive and domineering saint pressure, appeared in the sky.


    "You took longer than I expected." spoke the vampire with a smile on his face.


    "What the hell are you doing in my empire?!" asked Havi, his eyes full of battle intent and ready to fight.


    He pointed out his legendary rank spear and spoke the name of the intruder in front of him¡­


    "King Belmont."


    Author : Remind me to post Argos Belmont Reference Art in chapterments.

 Chapter 690 The Leverage

    Chapter 690 The Leverage


    Havi appeared on the battlefield that was already turned to smithereens in just 20 minutes after this vampire secretly invaded the Vulcan empire.


    "What the hell are you doing in my empire¡­


    King Belmont." said Havi who floated 3 kilometers away high in the air as his bird-like flying ship made of mes disappeared.


    "Oh, so you do know about me. I''m honored." replied the vampire with a benign smile.


    "Who wouldn''t? There are only four 9th stage saints in this entire world known as 4 Sovereigns.


    Only one of them is a vampire titled as the Revenant Sovereign.


    And my imperial family''s records also mentioned your name¡­


    King Argos Belmont." said Havi with a solemn voice.


    "Then you should know about our arrangement since you''re the reigning emperor.


    I''m here to honor the pact I have with your Imperial family." said the vampire as his long silver hair waved in the air because of strong gusts of wind.


    "The pact¡­ as per my knowledge¡­ it wouldn''t apply if the situation put the Vulcan empire at risk.


    As you may have already heard¡­ the current situation isn''t just about the Hero of Fire or the imperial family but the entire Vulcan empire." iterated Havi.


    "I do not expect you to honor it to that great extent. I too would like to avoid bloodshed even if it''s your empire.


    Just tell me¡­" spoke Argos Belmont, one of the 4 sovereigns.


    "Where is the Hero of Darkness?" he asked in a dreary voice while exerting his saint pressure.


    "I don''t know. He ambushed and killed our Hero of Fire as well as the Pope.


    He was already gone before I appeared here." replied Havi without changing his expression.


    The being in front of him was a 9th-stage saint who also had a hidden rtionship with his family since 200 years ago.


    "Tch! Spare me the nonsense.


    I know you staged the battlefield.


    That 6th stage fireborne saint¡­ your Pope from the Church of Hetrax, I assume; didn''t die here but somewhere else.


    And if I''m not wrong, one of your scions was involved in this battle. He or she fought against the Hero''s Party members instead of the Hero of Darkness and his minions.


    I have already seen through it all." replied the vampire king.


    Havi was instantly shocked but controlled his expression, not showing surprise in the slightest.


    "Do you want me to reveal this information to the other empires¡­ or particrly to them when they reach here?" asked Argos with a slight grin, trying to ckmail the emperor.


    [Dammit!! Why did a 9th stage saint out of all the peoplee here?!] cursed Havi in his mind.


    At this moment, Havi''s mind was conflicted. Because this was a being even he couldn''t get rid of. On top of it¡­ Havi still hadn''t fully recovered.


    Ever since Kahn left, Havi had been creating a trail in different parts of his empire to cover his tracks and also suppress the people from the church after forcefully assumingmand.


    But just this morning, a 9th stage saint suddenly appeared out of nowhere and found out about the real situation in just minutes.


    "Previously, the nearby empires failed to find him since that group wasn''t assembled ever since its founding 300 years ago.


    I assume you also know that the 9th Hero of Darkness can travel using the True Dimension and that''s probably why no one was able to track him till now.


    But now that a chosen Hero was killed by him, all those people who had been hiding since 3 centuries wille out and band together again.


    Among that group¡­ They have a 7th stage saint from the Erdve Empire.


    Space Magic and Space Law is their specialty. They will be able to detect that he has the Dimensional Law divine ability.


    Once that happens¡­ he will never be able to hide properly." spoke the vampire as his majestic aura spread in the surrounding 50 kilometers.


    Both Argos and Havi were trying to talk it out instead of fighting. Because both of them knew that their involvement would be revealed if they fought now.


    "So tell me, Havi Hos Sigfreed¡­ will you tell me the whereabouts of the new Hero or not?" he questioned again, this time he held a big leverage over the emperor.


    "What do you n to do with him?" asked Havi, gritting his teeth while having a constricted expression.


    "That''s none of your concern. Just feel lucky that I''m not exposing you.


    I will also erase his trackspletely and leave a trail that couldn''t be seen through.


    Even that 7th stage saint from the Empire of Space won''t be able to track him." said Argos nonchntly.


    However, Havi''s countenance turned grim.


    "I gave him my word that I will help to cover up for him.


    So go and threaten someone else. I''m the kind who doesn''t betray those I''m indebted to." said Havi in a firm tone.


    His saint pressure also rose as Havi prepared himself to use his bloodline to fight.


    But instead of responding to this challenge¡­


    "Arrsshh¡­ you''re much ruder and hot-blooded than your grandmother. Looks like your entire family is filled with thick-skulled idiots." said Argos in an annoyed tone.


    Havi also had a surprised expression after hearing this.


    "You knew her?" he queried in a curious voice.


    "Of course I did.


    I trained her, you ignorant ingrate.


    I have this pact with your imperial family because I groomed her to be the Empress and also solved the biggest drawback of your primordial bloodline." said Argos, the vampire king as if he was greatly wronged.


    "How do you think your family knows about my existence when other empires had no clue about me until 50 years ago?" he rebuked Havi.


    "Besides¡­ Are you crazy?


    Why do you want to hasten your death by fighting me in that condition?" he questioned in an overbearing voice.


    "Wh.. What do you mean?" queried Havi with a somber voice.


    "You know what I mean. The way your bloodline is burning itself¡­ You''ll die in 15 years." said the Vampire.


    "So tell me, do you want to be my enemy or do you and the Vulcan empire want to be¡­" spoke Argos as he made a proposition.


    "My biggest Ally."

 Chapter 691 The Value

    Chapter 691 The Value


    It hadn''t been even 5 minutes and Argos Belmont already found out about his situation regarding the forceful bloodline transformation he used to get out of the mer Killer formation and kill the Pope along with the Holy Champions.


    But now, he was suddenly talking about bing allies with Havi and the Vulcan empire out of nowhere.


    "You¡­ how did you know that?" asked Havi, his mind even more rmed and cautious of the vampire in front of him.


    "Hey, I''m a vampire. We rise in our ranks using blood and world energy.


    And even among the 4 Sovereigns¡­


    I''m the most experienced and knowledgeable when ites to bloodlines and characteristics of different species and monsters." replied the 9th stage saint while rolling his eyes as if he was tired of answering the same question again and again.


    "Do you know why a fireborne like you doesn''t live more than 200 years even if you be an 8th stage saint?


    By logic, your kin should live longer than a thousand years at that rankpared to humans and many other species in the world.


    But you people use your bloodline to advance too quickly in ranks.


    Do you really think there wouldn''t be a price to pay for this shortcut?" he stated as if he was a certified person of authority on this matter.


    "Tell me honestly¡­ How many decades did it take for you to be an 8th stage saint?"


    Havi on the other end had been taken aback¡­


    "Nearly 40 years." he replied.


    This was indeed the case. Because of the situation and his eagerness for revenge, Havi greatly depended on his Imperial Fireborne bloodline to ascend in ranks and be strong enough to protect the Vulcan empire.


    "Do you think that''s easy to do? Even I took close to 250 years to be a 9th stage saint despite my unparalleled talent.


    Even someone like the 8th Hero of Darkness took 150 years to be a 9th stage saint.


    In the history of the world, people like the 6th Hero of Space, the 6th Heroine of Lightning needed more than 200 years to reach the pinnacle of their strength.


    Compared to them¡­


    You''ve already wasted your lifespan. And that bacsh of forcefully using your bloodline has reduced your life by three times." he said, striking the nerve of the emperor.


    Havi couldn''t even respond because of the revtion because it was the ultimate truth.


    "Even your descendants won''t be able to rise high in rank in the next 2 decades. So your empire is already doomed when other Emperors and Empresses find out about your situation.


    What do you think will happen to the Vulcan empire after your death?" he questioned, gripping Havi into anotherplicated situation.


    But even so, Havi did not waver.


    "Still¡­ I won''t give him up even if you ckmail me.


    Because I really don''t know where he is now." spoke Havi with a firm voice, his domineering stature seemingly unwavering.


    "My my¡­ only if others were just as honorable as you. Well, you won''t give up to provocations or ckmail¡­


    That''s why¡­" said Argos and let out an evil grin.


    "I''m going to make you an offer you can''t refuse."


    ----------------


    Argos Belmont, one of the 4 sovereigns who was also titled Revenant Sovereign presented a proposition in front of Havi, the emperor of the Vulcan empire.


    "Do you promise? That you''ll look after my empire until my daughter bes strong enough to be the Empress and protect it?" asked Havi with a cautious gaze.


    "Want to make a Soul-Oath with me? Even a Peak Saint can''t break or bypass it." said Argos nonchntly as if it wasn''t a big deal.


    "No empire would dare touch this one as long as I dere my open support to your daughter.


    Because many are still afraid since the past 50 years that I can just destroy or take over their own empire if they piss me off.


    Do you know how hard it is just to contain myself in a small kingdom?


    Provoking me would be just the very thing even my neighboring empires don''t want to do." spoke Argos as his clothes fluttered.


    "However¡­ you have to include the Hero of Darkness in this deal as well.


    You cover up for him and I will search for him using my own methods. You will also give me every detail about his minions and whatever there is to know about him.


    I can manage the rest." he said in a stern voice.


    "I have a condition¡­" responded Havi with a conflicted expression.


    "After you find him¡­ you''re not allowed to harm, torture, imprison or kill him." he stated his terms.


    "What the hell does that have to do with you? Why do you even care about the guy who put a target on your empire?" asked the vampire king.


    Havi then told him the truth about the whole situation and what Kahn did to save Venessa despite having a choice to abandon her. And what kind of abilities and skills he used to fight against Axel.


    "So what? He has a few exceptional skills that shouldn''t be possible for someone of his rank; it doesn''t make a difference.


    He is already a lost cause because of the divine abilities he chose. I''m not sparing him just because you see him in a different light." retorted Argos.


    The following moment, Havi told him the real reason why he felt like Kahn was worth protecting.


    "That guy¡­ he may not look like it, but he has potential. He even survived against a divine weapon and a deity despite being a 1st stage saint.


    No summoned hero has been able to do that in the past 3000 years. Not even the 8th Hero of Darkness achieved that feat at that level of strength.


    Besides¡­ you may not know this.


    But he has the Half-soul bound to his own via a soul-oath." iterated Havi, trying to add a plus point for why Kahn should be spared.


    "You talk as if it''s something new or important.


    Many powerful beings in the past have left a remnant soul behind." replied the vampire, showing no interest.


    "It''s not about the soul¡­ but the one it belonged to." said Havi.


    "Who the hell that could be? Even if it''s a chosen Hero from the past¡­ it won''t change my decision." declined Argos again.


    "The one¡­" said Havi as he insinuated with a coy smile.


    "Who stood at the pinnacle of strength."

 Chapter 692 The Strongest

    Chapter 692 The Strongest


    The vampire king had a confused reaction to this information. Only ten seconds after did he show apletely befuddled expression as his eyes widened.


    "He has Rathnaar Whitlock''s soul?!" mored Argos in disbelief.


    Havi didn''t hurry and basked in the vampire sovereign''s dumbfounded expression.


    "Yes. I figured it out the moment I met him.


    Although they tried to hide it, I managed to sense it because our empire had great enmity with the Rakos Empire before the imperial family was overthrown. We know the Whitlock Family''s soul signature.


    Even as a half-soul¡­ a Peak Saint''s soul is on a different level.


    And the only Peak Saint in the world in the past 2 thousand years was their founding emperor, Rathnaar Whitlock.


    A chosen Hero with 2 Divine Keys who also has a Peak Saint''s soul bound to him.


    Don''t you think that makes him more precious than any other hero of this generation?" asked Havi with a slight smirk.


    Even the 9th stage saint was left speechless for a few minutes.


    "If he has Rathnaar Whitlock''s half-soul bound to him¡­ it means he has the rumored Tablet of Arcana. The legends say it''s one of the 6 creations left by Demi-Gods.


    Rathnaar Whitlock used it to be a Peak Saint and now, he may be able to be one too.


    This¡­ this changes things.


    There is still hope for him." said Argos and took a deep breath.


    "Although Rathnaar Whitlock died during his attempt, he certainly knew about the conditions to even call for the Tribtion of Ascension.


    You''re a 9th stage saint yourself but even you can''t be a Peak Saint in your entire lifetime.


    I''m sure someone like him wouldn''t just die without making sure that he returns to the world of the living.


    So it''s highly possible that there''s another half-soul which holds that secret to bing a Demi-God." revealed Havi, giving Argos another reason to protect Kahn.


    But the next moment¡­


    "Ha ha ha!! Ha ha ha!!


    This is amazing!" shouted andughed Argos maniacally.


    "Alright then, I should still give it a try. It''s better than having useless hope." said Argos as he was fully convinced by Havi.


    [Sorry, kid. But this is all I can do for you right now. Rest is up to your fate.] thought Havi.


    Instead of getting threatened or being forced to give up on Kahn, not only did Havi protect his own empire but also got a powerful backer for Venessa since he was going to die soon and the Vulcan empire would be unprotected.


    He also managed to avert the Revenant Sovereign''s decision to kill Kahn and turned him on thetter''s side instead.


    ----------------


    Soon, both the parties made a soul-oath, simr to how Kahn and Rathnaar made the pact back in the Vessen fiefdom.


    All the conditions of their agreement were mutually beneficial to them. And if either party breaks the oath, they''d die on the spot as their souls would explode.


    There was no room for loopholes such as ordering someone else to do the job or purposely orchestrating things to go back on their deal.


    Havi then shared a few of his memories and everything he knew about Kahn.


    "So he goes by Kahn Salvatore¡­ his subordinates are also unique.


    Especially that variant Basilisk and the variant Fenrir with Gravity Law.


    Alright¡­ let''s take care of things here first.


    We have to send your forces away. This battlefield needs to be increased to an even bigger scale.


    As for the Hero of Fire''s divine key¡­ only that member of the Fireborne imperial n will have a way to track him.


    But it won''t work unless he''s at least 1 thousand kilometers close to Kahn." said Argos.


    "What member?" asked Havi as it was the first time he heard about it.


    "Your Grandmother''s uncle, the 2nd prince of that time.


    He was there when the 8th Hero of Darkness killed the 7th Heroine of Fire.


    Based on my information¡­ They were lovers." revealed the vampire saint.


    "What nonsense is that? I would''ve known about it if one of my ancestors was part of that group." said Havi,pletely doubtful of this im by Argos.


    "After her death, he swore vengeance on the 8th Hero of Darkness.


    But after finding that the 8th Hero died, he joined that group to kill the new chosen one.


    Unlike the rest of your family, he chose to not utilize his bloodline to rise in ranks. He left the Vulcan empire and soon, news of his death spread among all the empires." exined the vampire king as he let out a deep sigh.


    "That entire group is made of people who were involved with the previous generation of summoned heroes one way or another.


    Some were emotionally attached, some were the members of the Hero''s Party of those heroes back then while some owed those chosen heroes a life and death debt.


    All in all, majority of them are the survivors of that great battle and all of them have deep hatred and vendetta against the both 8th Hero and God of Darkness.


    All of them also took part in the destruction of the Abyss Empire back then.


    This Kahn Salvatore¡­ he''s just a victim of the war and ancient rivalry he yed no part in." said Argos as he revealed another inside information.


    "Soon, all the empires will reveal his existence and God of Darkness. Your Vulcan Empire has to be the first to do it.


    All empires afflicted with God''s will vilify him and that group must have been brought together again.


    If I''m not wrong, they''ll arrive in 2 days." stated the vampire king.


    "How do you know all of this? Their identities and abilities have been kept secret from the past 300 years. Is your source even trustworthy?" asked Havi with a skeptical gaze.


    "That''s what I do. I drink and I know things." joked Argos, trying to change the topic.


    Havi then told Argos about the treason by the Church of Hetrax and what narrative they had to prepare.


    "Arshhh¡­ why can''t these Churches and Cults be satisfied? This has happened too many times in history already. Sometimes it''s the Heroes who betrayed the empires and led these coups themselves." said Argos in annoyance.


    Soon, both of them discussed a meticulous n that wouldpletely erase Kahn''s tracks.


    "You have to spread the news to all the empires.


    That the new Hero of Darkness has two 7th stage saints as his powerful supporters.


    They''re the ones who killed the Pope as well."mended the vampire king.


    "And where would I get those two individuals? If you can track someone''s auras and bloodlines¡­ they will be able to do so too." queried Havi.


    "And that''s where Ie in.


    I can create world energy signatures with a particr element that will resemble two 7th stage saints.


    And given the nature of that element¡­ even those people will be under the impression that Kahn has supporters from the ancient Cult of Darkborne.


    "The Darkborne? Weren''t they wiped out of existence during the fall of the Abyss Empire?" questioned Havi with a somber voice.


    "Ha ha! Let''s not share all the secrets in our first meeting." chuckled Argos.


    "But even so¡­ can you really do that?" queried Havi again.


    "Of course, I can. After all¡­" responded Argos casually.


    SHING!!


    The next second, the entire 50 kilometers radius intently froze and everything including trees, smoke and crumbling sand stopped moving under a pitch ck aura that spread and covered everything like the water of the deep sea.


    This pressure was so terrifying even made Havi, an 8th stage saint shudder in fear as he sensed the element of reality used by Argos while thetter continued with a devilish smirk.


    "I''m the strongest Darkness element user in the world."

 Chapter 693 The Destiny

    Chapter 693 The Destiny


    Argos revealed one of his secrets to Havi to disy his strength and capabilities in front of thetter.


    The Darkness element was forbidden in the world and anyone who practiced it was to be killed on sight in all the empires associated with the gods. However, Argos Belmont himself turned out to be a Darkness elemental user.


    This was a secret that no one knew until this moment. So even Havi was gobsmacked.


    Then right in front of Havi, Argos created two entities. One of whom was of the normal-sized humanoid species individual while the other was a 5 meter tall demonic creature who had hundreds of red bleeding eyes spread across its pitch-ck body. And both of their saint pressures resembled that of a 7th stage saint.


    [Just how strong is his control over the Darkness element? Even I can''t do something like that.] wondered Havi.


    7th Stage Saints stood at the peak in Rakos Empire. Yet, Argos created such beings within a minute.


    "Get to work." ordered Argos.


    In a few moments, these two new creations started causing wanton destruction to nearby regions while Havi ordered all his troops to evacuate 100 kilometers of the region.


    Argos then turned to Havi and spoke.


    "This will help you justify how a 6th stage saint like the Pope was killed. These 2 will also go in different directions to create a diversion.


    This will also bide me more time." stated Argos with a thoughtful expression.


    "Bide time for what?" asked Havi.


    "Once I find him. I have to train and prepare him¡­


    For the Conve of Heroes." revealed the revenant sovereign.


    And as soon as he revealed his intentions¡­


    "Then count me in as well." spoke Havi hastily.


    Even Argos had a shocked countenance after hearing this.


    "Why? Wouldn''t that be troublesome for you? Our deal protects your empire and your daughter.


    But if you show up for the Conve of Heroes after what happened¡­ this will put you at risk." he asked.


    "Our Hero of Fire is already dead.


    Hetrax will probably abandon us soon if we don''t elect a new Pope.


    But given how the Church defected¡­ even electing a proxy Pope would be too risky.


    And I don''t want to give them any power to do potential harm in the future." responded Havi.


    "Even with the situation due to the church''s treason¡­ you''re still risking your empire''s fate just for the guy who saved your daughter.


    Or is it because you''re aiming for the Tablet of Arcana?" Said Argos teasingly.


    "What other choice do we have?


    Even if we continued to serve Hetrax¡­ we have no Hero to represent or back up for the im on that ce during the Conve of Heroes. And Kahn has even a bigger im after he killed Axel because of the 2 Divine Keys." iterated Havi with a solemn voice.


    "Well, it''s your decision. Let''s add this to our pact as well.


    You must keep your promise. You will show up for the conve regardless of the consequences to yourself or your empire.


    Otherwise, I cannot trust you." spoke Argos in a serious tone, his face showing conflict that arose in his mind.


    Havi nodded and both added new terms to their oath.


    After they were done, Argos pulled a big blood-red hexagonal crystal out of a wormhole and handed it to Havi.


    "This is one of my creations.


    Take this. It will help you cure the bacsh of the bloodline.


    You will need 5 years to heal. You won''t regress in rank or die either.


    But you will never be able to rise to a higher rank and at best¡­ you will live for another 50 years. That''s all I can help you with." he said.


    "You son of a¡­ You could''ve given me this before." said Havi, surprised but yet also feeling wronged.


    To his words, Argos winked yfully and replied with a smug grin.


    "Ha ha!


    It''s because we weren''t allied a few minutes ago and I had no reason to trust you."


    The vampire sovereign had pulled one over Havi.


    Havi took the artifact with a sense of relief. 50 years was much better than just 15 years to live. This would also help him pave the path for Venessa in the long run.


    "Tell me something¡­ why are you even doing this?


    You know too much for someone who wasn''t directly involved in the events of the massacre 300 years ago.


    You even know about the members of that group. Even my imperial n doesn''t have that much information on them." queried Havi since they were now bound to help each other.


    Argos then finally decided to tell Havi now that they''re bound by the soul-oath and both couldn''t betray each other. No one could force out his information from them by using any means either.


    "Because the 8th Hero of Darkness told me himself. After all, he was¡­" revealed Argos why he was involved in this matter greatly and was eagerly looking for Kahn.


    "My adoptive Father."


    ----------------


    A silence ensued and even Havi took a few minutes to absorb this sudden revtion.


    It exined a lot of things about how Argos had extensive knowledge about the matter of Heroes and Gods. He probably searched and gathered a lot of information in the past 250 years to know all the secrets as well.


    Argos then told Havi some superficial information about his history with the 8th Hero of Darkness.


    "I was an orphan of war and would''ve died in the street.


    He saved my life when he was on the run after the massacre of other Heroes and the destruction of the Abyss Empire.


    He raised me till I turned 30. In all my time with my father¡­


    There was something he wanted to do desperately. But in the end, his human body had reached its limits and he died while attempting to be a Peak Saint 20 yearster." revealed Argos.


    This meant that the 8th Hero of Darkness died 250 years ago right when he was about to reach his peak strength.


    "Before his death, he had already prepared for the worst and paved the way for me to be what I''m today.


    My father also knew that once the new Hero is summoned¡­ the world would hunt him or her.


    During hisst days, he gave me a mission that in case he died, I was toplete a mission no matter what it took or how many years it needed." he exined in a heavy tone.


    Argos then told Havi about the objectives of the tasks as part of his mission and what he was going to do other than grooming Kahn.


    "This¡­ I understand. So the 8th Hero did what was absolutely necessary even if it meantmitting the biggest sin.


    I don''t think anyone without a resolve as strong as him could do that." spoke Havi.


    He too was now affirmed that he made the right choice by sparing Kahn''s life.


    "With you and me¡­


    It''d be good if Kahn had two powerful backers during the conve." said Argos in a stern voice.


    "Agreed." spoke Havi and nodded in affirmation.


    The reason behind the 8th Hero of Darkness'' actions was way bigger than him or his empire.


    "Besides, when the timees¡­ he may need us to be his main force for the final war since no Empire is backing him." iterated Argos in a cryptic tone.


    "Why? Don''t we have like 90 more years?" asked Havi with a puzzled expression.


    "Not anymore. Because the Demon God¡­


    Has already reached the final stage." he revealed with a sigh.


    "Impossible! How can it happen so early?!" eximed Havi in disbelief.


    "Because those 4 idiot empires are still at war with the Demon Empire despite my warning. They''re fueling the fire with more oil.


    More than 8 billion lives have been lost in just 5 years." replied Argos, clenching his fist as he revealed an exasperated face.


    "I also contacted the Elder Dragon Baltaraaz as well as the remaining 3 Archangels.


    Their response is the same as in the past 3 thousand years.


    The Elder Dragon is still stuck on the Ancient Prophecy. Waiting for the ''One'' to show up in the world.


    And because of his orders, the Dragon Emperor won''t be helping us either.


    As for the 3 Archangels¡­ they wouldn''t even help their new Hero of Light.


    All 4 of these powerhouses won''t interfere in this war or help kill the Demon God even if it meant the destruction of the world." said Argos and sighed helplessly.


    It was Havi who then spoke with an exhausted face.


    "There was a time when all the empires worked together and the Demon God was hunted by all the Heroes who joined hands.


    Yet none ever seeded."


    Argos then spoke his own opinion.


    "It wouldn''t havee to any of this if the 5th generation of heroes, their empires and churches hadn''t messed with the Rakos Empire.


    Rathnaar Whitlock would have managed to kill the Demon God because he was the only Peak Saint in the world back then.


    That man could kill the chosen Heroes, Royal Dragons and Godbeasts like ughtering cattle despite being a normal human with no powerful bloodline or divine abilities." spoke Argos in a stoic voice.


    "That''s why the 8th Hero chose to do what he did. But even someone as strong as him failed.


    And now because of his actions¡­ we''re in a situation where everyone is looking for their own gains and heroes as well as their empires aren''t working together anymore." said Havi as he also expressed his honest opinion because he too had a simr stand.


    But after hearing the truth from Argos, even he had a guilty expression.


    "That''s why¡­ I need to find Kahn within the next 5 years. I need time to train him properly and see if he is indeed worthy of cing all our hopes on.


    Because in the next 20 years¡­ The Demon God will reach the Demi-God rank.


    And after that¡­ no Hero or Heroine would be able to stop him." said Argos.


    ----------------


    Unbeknownst to Kahn¡­ at this moment, he had gained 2 of the most powerful saints as his allies.


    First was one of the 4 Sovereigns while the second was one of the 14 Emperors in Vantrea.


    "So what do you n to do first once you find him?" asked Havi their time to part wasing near.


    "I will take him there." replied the vampire king with a lifeless expression.


    "That ce? Even a 9th stage saint like you would die there." said Havi with a constricted face as he felt a great threat just by imagining the ce Argos was talking about.


    "What choice do I have? It''s one of the 3 main objectives my father gave me in that mission.


    Since I''m the only one in the world who can awaken his Divine Key.


    And I''m the one who has¡­" spoke the vampire, looking towards the cloudy sky as he revealed the biggest part he had to y in Kahn''s story¡­


    "Kahn''s Divine Weapon."


    -------------------------------------------------------


    ------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 4--------------


    -------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 694 Arc 4 Epilogue

    Chapter 694 Arc 4 Epilogue


    Author : Hello there. Wee to our customary Epilogue chapter. Let''s get to the main issue at hand first.


    For the past 2 months, I have been suffering from a lot of health issues and at the end of August, I was hospitalized for an entire week. And even after being discharged, it took me close to 12 days to properly recover.


    But during my recovery period, I wasn''t even able to hold the phone properly or type on aptop let alone write an entire chapter daily.


    If I was at my peak form, this arc would''ve finished in August already.


    And since I knew that I wouldn''t be able to provide much and didn''t want people to waste money on something they wouldn''t receive...


    All the chapters in September werepletely free. So no money earned for me anyway.


    I''ve mentioned my situation regarding the health issues in the previous arc from time to time but everyone keeps asking for more chapters, cursing and calling me names and shoving shit in my face as if I''m earning millions for the free work instead of taking the whole month off to recuperate.


    On one side, I was struggling with my health both physically and mentally. But on the other hand, I''m being berated and receiving profanities for not writing chapters daily.


    As if losing most of my earnings to piracy wasn''t already enough¡­


    These recent events made me think of dropping the novel for real. Like why the hell am I still doing this?


    Turns out that I too am a human as well who possesses those mythical things we call ''emotions''.


    As for why I decided to rethink and resume the novel?


    I guess during the time of pain, suffering and depression when I was going through one of the worst stages of my life so far, I gave in to all the negativity and hatred instead of all the support and appreciation from the fans since the barking dogs often shout louder than the thankful and silent admirers.


    I have to admit that for a while, I gave in to the barrage of hatefulments masked under the name of criticism instead of trusting the love and support of the loyal fans. So I wholeheartedly apologize to the loyal supporters who read on official website Webnovel and felt hurt by my previous decision.


    And for those who have paragraphs and essays full of Criticism for the novel and me ready, I will address them in simple words.


    If you don''t like it, stop reading the novel. No need toin about every single chapter everyday as if I killed your entire family.


    Do better things than focusing so much time and energy on hating a novel if it doesn''t meet your standards or expectations. Just move on and do what you love.


    So much negativity is not good for your mind and overall health. Take this advice from someone born with Sickle Cell Anemia, who also has to work under stress daily.


    ----------------


    I''m also fully aware of the majority of theints about chapters rted to Kahn learning cksmithing Skills, his process and progress to be a Saint cksmith. Also the chapters regarding the details of all the new armors and weapons for the subordinates.


    I could''ve just skipped them and simply made it about Kahn banging a hammer on a metal sheet and saying he became a saint cksmith without mentioning the actual techniques, procedures and methods of this craft.


    But then, these same people would say that it''s just a mainstream novel with no effort put into research and has hollow world-building.


    As for the battles being prolonged¡­


    Giving time for all the subordinates in their individual battles as well as the skills of their armors and weapons, it''s a necessary setup even if the readers didn''t bother paying attention or care to remember their skills.


    Details of Stats, armors, weapons, and their skill effects were important.


    Otherwise, it would be just weapons shing and characters getting power-ups without any exnation and winning against the Hero''s Party members for absolutely no reason other than the advantage of belonging to the Protagonist''s side.


    I will certainly not apologize for any of those chapters and won''t be recalling all those details or exnations in the future either. I have done my part, you have to do yours as readers too. Just don''t ask questionster how did a certain attack or skill worked and what was its function or effect.


    And the long battle with Axel Lobethrox aka Hero of Fire himself¡­


    Remember, Kahn isn''t the only Hero with cheat codes and Divine Abilities. He barely managed to kill Axel because of help from his subordinates, their individual abilities and specialties that proved useful in particr scenarios to counter Axel''s divine abilities.


    Armin, Ceril and Jugram got rid of Blood Monarch. Ronin got rid of Soul Eater by using his own unique skills.


    Omega, Jugram and Oliver overpowered Axel with their Domains.


    ckwall took care of the Blood Titan.


    And finally, Kahn and Rudra took down Kagutsuchi, the summoned Fire Deity by working together.


    If Kahn fought Axel alone¡­ there''s no way he''d win and will have no other choice but to run for his life.


    If only the Protagonist is allowed to be overpowered and gets to act all badass without skills or allies backing him and all the scenarios went in his favor without having to use his brains and finding ways to ovee the adversities¡­ then there''s no point in writing other Heroes in the story at all.


    Plus the history of Vantrea is greatly influential in the story and has a lot of importance in the uing arcs as you have read in the chapters involving Argos Belmont and Havi Hos Sigfreed.


    Kahn is just someone caught in the crossfire.


    All in all, Kahn at least has 2 strong allies in the world now.


    ----------------


    [Congrattions to the Readers for reaching this part of the chapter. Hours of research went into finding these proper references and even twice the time to look for fitting Reference Arts that were used throughout the Arc 4.] notified the System.


    I know many of you have gotten some of the references and meanings but I''m sure not all of them.


    So here is the list of all the References rted to Names, Characters, Locations and Mythology lore used in this arc :


    Locations and Characters :


    Vulcan Empire : Vulcan is the Roman God of Fire. The Vulcan Empire is addressed as the Fire Empire in the novel so I couldn''t see any other better name for it.


    Narnia Empire : Original name of the Vulcan empire before the Firebornes took over. Reference to the Narnia movies. (Only 90s kids will remember it.)


    Nidavellir : In Norse Mythology, Nidavellir is one of the 9 Realms and home of the Dwarven race that specialized in cksmithing.


    Nick and Judy : Characters from the animated movie Zootopia.


    Throk Oakenshield : Reference to Thorin Oakenshield, the Dwarf King from The Hobbit books.


    Arkensan : Reference to Arkenstone from The Hobbit books and movies.


    Alex, Morty and Gloria : I like to move it, move it!


    Dvalin : This is the city where the Dwarven Council has its main headquarters in the empire. Dvalin is the name of one of the first four Dwarfs to exist in Norse Mythology. Mainly associated with lore rted to Yggdrasill aka the World Tree.


    Master Ivaldi : Ivaldi was one of the most renowned and ancient Dwarven cksmiths in norse mythology.


    Master Fili : Another character from the Hobbit (one of the nephews of Thorin Oakenshield.).


    Demiurge Val Arhlem : The name Demiurge means a subordinate of a God or the Creator.


    In this arc, Demiurge Val Arhlem is the Pope, a spokesperson of God Hetrax; one of the 13 Supreme Beings of the world of Vantrea. That''s why I decided on that name.


    cksmithing Deities Brokkr and Eitri :


    In norse mythology, Brokkr and Eitri/Sindri are renowned Dwarven cksmith brothers and they''re also the creators of Thor''s hammer Mjolnir.


    Demi-God Jotnar : Jotnar is how the Giants in norse mythology are addressed as a race.


    Thamur Colosseum : Thamur was one of the giants of Jotunheim who yed a big part during the war between the Aesir Gods and the Jotnar race.


    Trial of Verdr : Norse word for Worthy.


    Kahn was being tested to see if he is worthy to be the Apostle of the cksmithing Deities.


    Mimir''s Eyes : This is one of the gifts Kahn received from the cksmithing Deities.


    In norse mythology, Mimir is renowned for being the wisest and having exceptional wisdom among the Aesir Gods.


    Prometheus'' Foresight : In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan god of fire.


    Prometheus is also known for defying Zeus by stealing fire from Olympian Gods and giving it to Humanity.


    Havi Hos Sigfreed : In norse mythology, Havi (High One) is one of the names of Odin himself. Havi also uses a spear as his main weapon simr to Odin.


    In Arc 4, Havi also loses his left eye. A reference to the lore about Odin sacrificing his eye to gain Wisdom and Knowledge from the World Tree.


    Freyja : Havi''s wife and Venessa''s mother.


    Freyja is the Nordic Goddess of fertility, beauty and war. She is also the wife of Odin and mother of Baldur.


    Leonardo, Raphael & Donatello : The 3 Holy Champions and 7th stage saints. Reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters.


    Pandora''s Box : Pandora''s box is an artifact in greek mythology. After being opened, it released physical and emotional curses upon mankind.


    Simurgh : One of the 3 Primordial Creatures in the novel story.


    Simurgh is portrayed as a benevolent, mythical bird in Persian mythology and literature.


    ----------------


    Armors and Weapons references :


    Kojin : Omega''s new Katana forged by Throk Oakenshield.


    Kojin, also known as Samb¨­-K¨­jin or Sanb¨­-K¨­jin, is the Japanese God of Fire. He is associated with Hearth and Kitchen fire, siding more with prosperity.


    An : The legendary Trident made by Throk Oakenshield.


    Reference to DC character Aquaman. The first Antean king is named An whose trident is now wielded by Aquaman.


    Gungnir : Kahn''s new spear. This is the spear wielded by Odin.


    Beowulf : Kahn''s new set of Gauntlets, Greaves and Shoulder Pads.


    Beowulf is the title of the earliest existing Anglo-Saxon epic. It tells the story of Beowulf, a Norse hero and warrior who fought and conquered several monsters that terrorized Denmark and Sweden.


    Balrog : Jugram''s Armor. It''s a reference to Lord of the Rings. Balrog is a strong demonic creature associated with Hellfire, same as Jugram in this novel.


    Ares : Jugram''s Giantsword is named after the Greek God of War, Ares.


    Shinigami Armor : Ronin''s armor set trantes to Death Reaper in Japanese.


    Erebus Daggers : In greek religion, Erebus is the god of a dark region of the underworld and the personification of darkness. Ronin often travels and finishes his missions using shadows and darkness so this name fits perfectly.


    Hades Set : Ceril''s mage armor set. Hades is the Greek God of the Underworld and the ruler of the dead.


    Anubis Scepter : Anubis is the Egyptian god of the dead who judges souls after their death and guides lost souls into the afterlife.


    As Armor : ckwall''s Armor set is named after As, a greek mythology Titan condemned to hold up the heavens or sky over his shoulders for eternity.


    Aegis Shield : The Aegis shield is carried primarily by Zeus in greek mythology, which he sometimes lent to Athena.


    Heracles Battleaxe : Heracles was a divine hero in greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene.


    Note : Greeks called him Heracles while Romans called him Hercules.


    Nirvana Set : Armin''s armor set is a reference to the Buddhist term Nirvana.


    Nirvana is referred to as a state where one has let go of all the desires of life and transcends to a higher realm of existence.


    Hermes Staff : Hermes is considered the herald of the Olympian gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds.


    Shu Armor : Oliver''s armor is a reference to Shu, the Egyptian God of Air and Wind. Who is also one of the Primordial Gods in egyptian mythology.


    Neith Bow : Reference to egyptian Goddess Neith who is the goddess of war, hunt, wisdom and creation.


    ----------------


    Armor & Weapon Set Effects references :


    The Twelve Labors effect for ckwall : Reference to the 12 Labors of Hercules.


    The Eminence in Shadow : Ronin''s Shinigami Armor set effects.


    Reference to a popr Japanese novel and manga The Eminence in Shadow.


    No Time to Die : The new James Bond movie.


    Feather of Maat : One of Ceril''s Armor and Scepter effects.


    Reference to the egyptian goddess Maat who is the personification of truth, justice, the cosmic order and also is the daughter of the sun god Ra.


    Ammit''s Judgement : In ancient egyptian religion and mythology, Ammit was a beast (some depict her as a god) associated with the time of judgment and she punishes/devours evil.


    One for All : Armin''s Hermes Staff effect. Reference to All Might from My Hero Academia.


    Don''t Fly Too Close To The Sun : Oliver''s set effects.


    Reference to the famous story of Icarus in greek mythology.


    Pendragon Formation : Reference to King Arthur Pendragon and the Round Table.


    Kagutsuchi : Japanese God of Fire, also called Homusabi. Unlike Kojin, Kagutsuchi is associated with destructive fire in the japanese culture.


    Shura Mode : Kahn''s new battle mode is named after the Buddhism Demi-God of War, Shura.


    Amaterasu : Axel''s Divine Weapon, the Eternal me.


    Amaterasu is the Goddess of the Sun and Queen of all the gods since she is the strongest of them all in Japanese mythology.


    Argos Belmont : The 9th stage saint and one of the most vital characters in uing arcs of the novel. He is a Vampire named Belmont.


    Reference to the Castlevania franchise since Belmonts are the ones who usually hunt and kill the Vampires.


    ----------------


    Important Notice : From now on, all arcs will be finished in under 100 chapters.


    I''m also trying to improve and reinvent my writing as well as restructure the narration style after this arc. Changes will be visible with time.


    No more politics or mind games. There won''t be extra exining behind someone''s mindset or hidden motives since everyone hates that part itself and prefers quick progression.


    You''ll see more about the history of events from 300 years ago, the story behind 8th Hero of Darkness and his actions. Characters who were present in those times and other Heroes from the current generation as well as the impact of the previous different generations of heroes on Vantrea.


    There are important characters to be introduced such as the Mysterious Grouping after Kahn and 3 major characters that are to y a much bigger and more important part in the core story of the novel will soon appear.


    From now on, new and different species, their abilities and fan arts will be introduced in uing arcs. So you should look forward to it.


    See youter and take care of yourself and your loved ones.


    - CrimsonWolfAuthor

 Chapter 695 The Ambush

    Chapter 695 The Ambush


    1 YEAR LATER.


    Under the nket of bright moonlight and chilly breeze that gave a sense of serenity¡­


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    A densely forested region had thousands of trees caught on fire while the surrounding 45 kilometers region was either getting destroyed at dozens of ces by attacks from the entities fighting in the air or the warships that were shooting hundreds of magic cannons at the gigantic monstrosities flinging elemental attacks at the army of 50 thousand soldiers in white and green armors.


    Over this region, was an imprable white and blue intangible dome that had isted this entire space from the outside world.


    If one looked at it from outside this dome, this region had nothing else but lush greenery and a tranquil environment while the wild monsters and animals made small noises.


    Inside the dome however, the army was desperately fighting against these powerful enemies who ambushed them out of nowhere.


    This army consisted of Elves, Humans, Demi-Humans, Hybrids and many people of different species that no one had ever seen in the Rakos or Vulcan empire.


    MRAAA!!


    A massive blue flying monster with two heads simr to a shoebill stork in appearance that carried hundreds of soldiers mounted on its back bellowed and fell on the ground after a 50 meters long massive trident made of world energy and hot red magma stabbed through its neck.


    "No!!" screamed one of the elven soldiers in terror as their group fell amid tall trees and long vines.


    Therge tree trunks shattered from the impact and the majority of the group was either stabbed or poked through byrge splinters.


    Among the now dead hundreds of bodies, only a handful survived. But before any of the lucky people could rejoice in being alive¡­


    THUD!!


    A massive foot of a titanic figure as big as a mountain stepped on this group, instantly ttening all of them including the flying monster into meat paste.


    Simr scenes of brutal massacre urred across this battlefield. But as the fight between these gigantic figures, and warships continued, few new members arrived.


    BANG!!


    Hundreds of lightning bolts struck a white and yellow colored warship that sized 200 meters in width as a masked archer in ck, blue and yellow armor floated 3 kilometers high in the air. The clouds in the sky turned dark as hundreds of lightning strikes were summoned by this saint archer.


    This masked archerparable to a 2nd stage saint charged his bow and just in a couple of seconds, a massive 100 meter tall phantom of a white and golden bow appeared above this gigantic warship.


    "No!! This can''t be! We''re all going to die!" shouted one of the members of the piloting crew inside the cockpit of this warship as they saw this terrifyingly powerful bow amassing all the lightning bolts in the sky into one.


    Shoot!!


    The sound barrier broke twice as the archerunched his killer move and a 10 meter wide and 80 meter long destructive and terrifying lightning bolt shot itself towards the gigantic warship.


    BOOM!!


    st!!


    The massive lightning bolt shot and sted the entire warship carrying over 10 thousand people and soldiers, tearing it apart from the inside and exploding everything in its way as itpletely destroyed the entire warship in seconds.


    Thud!


    BANG!


    Thousands of pieces of debris and charred corpses that were cut into dozens of pieces dropped from the sky while the flesh and bones of the soldiers were ground to dust because of the explosion.


    ----------------


    While the masked archer took down a warship by himself, a swordsman covered in stark-white armor from head to toe appeared 20 kilometers away.


    In front of this being with bright blue eyes, another warship with hundreds of magic cannons and thousands of people manning it appeared 5 kilometers away in the sky.


    "Attack!!" ordered the captain of the warship and all the cannons charged themselves to attack and pulverize this warrior who seemed to be a legitimate 4th stage saint.


    But before the warship couldunch their magic cannon beams made of different elements¡­ this swordsman quickly unsheathed one of his swords.


    sh!!


    He grabbed the hilt with both hands and made a vertical shing attack using the curved sword that had blue lightning running its de.


    However, nothing appeared out of this de and no attack was released yet the swordsman slowly put it back in its sheath.


    Kaching!


    The moment he finished sheathing his sword¡­


    Snip!


    The entire warship was cut open in half even from this far distance and both parts fell apart.


    Thousands of people screamed in fear as the warship started falling on the ground.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Both sides exploded after dropping on the ground as the charged mana cannons malfunctioned at the same time¡­ killing more than 10 thousand soldiers and warship personnel.


    There was no sense of empathy or regret in this swordsman''s eyes instead, he felt relieved that he finished the job in a single swing.


    ----------------


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    On the western end of the battlefield, three new figures appeared in the sky.


    A white-haired figure in a ck and blue longcoat and battle gear with a pitch-ck greatsword on his back stood in the center.


    "I have taken care of everything. No one can send a distress signal outside of this dome or even get out of here." spoke a mage in white and blue robes with a ck and golden scepter that had a blue dragon coiling around it.


    This mage stood with a proud expression on the former figure''s right side.


    The white-haired figure in the middle then looked to his left.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked a tall hooded individual in white and green robes.


    "As hard as it may be¡­ I have to do it." responded the hooded figure on the left whose appearance wasn''t revealed in the slightest.


    Schwoah!


    Just then, a man with shoulder-length ck hair and green eyes suddenly appeared out of thin air and bowed towards the three figures.


    "We found her and also killed all of her saint-ranked guards." reported this assassin.


    The three figures nodded in response and all of them flew as they followed the assassin.


    Meanwhile at another scene of battle and a broken down warship¡­


    "Ha ha ha ha!! Haha haha hahahaha!!


    This will be the first time I get to experiment on someone of your standing. Haha haha!!"


    And at the center, was a mage d in ck robes and a yellow scepter. He and hundreds of undead monsters were now surrounding a female figure whose body was riddled with wounds and her clothes were sprayed with blood.


    She waspletely terrified of the undead monsters surrounding her as she cried for help and begged to be spared to the mage who wasughing like a maniac.


    Swoosh!


    The white-haired figure along with the mage and the assassins appeared on the devastated battlefield that was filled with undeads who were tearing through the corpses of soldiers.


    The girl had her eyes wide open in disbelief as soon as she looked at the white-haired person in the middle.


    "You¡­ Why are you doing this? Aren''t you afraid of the consequences?!" she shouted in a tone filled with anger.


    "If anything happens to me¡­ They will alle for you.


    He will find and kill you himself!" she threatened this group of saints in front of her.


    But the next moment, her countenance changed as she realized that her spiteful words could make the situation very dire instead.


    "You people work for money, right?


    I will give you 5 times whatever they''re giving you. Just spare my life." she proposed and pleaded at the same time.


    "Ha ha ha! Do you think I''m doing this for money?


    You haven''t even realized who you fucked with yet." said the white-haired person in ck and blue attire as he released his immense killing intent at the female in front of him.


    "What did I even do for you to go this far?


    We aren''t even enemies or had any conflict with each other." asked the female with incredulous eyes as she pressed on an open wound on her left shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.


    "It''s not what you did that angers me so.


    It''s who you did it to." responded this figure in a jarring voice.


    Just then¡­


    Swoosh!!


    The final figure also appeared behind the four individuals.


    It was none other than the figure in white and green robes who previously stood with them.


    And right before this bleeding and terrified female, he removed the hood and revealed his face.


    "Impossible! How are you still alive?" asked the girl with a horrified expression as if she had seen a ghost.


    Her entire body was shivering in shock and she revealed her rtionship with this mysterious figure.


    "Brother."

 Chapter 696 The Wwar Cry

    Chapter 696 The Wwar Cry


    4 MONTHS AGO


    In a massive city filled with the crowd of millions of people from dozen of different species and parts of society, having varying jobs, professions and ways of making a living flooded across the stoned paved streets of this 150 kilometers wide city, going about their daily lives.


    At the southern end of this enormously wide city filled with lush nt life that had perfect ensembled within the architecture and topography was a particr estate that spanned 10 kilometers in the perimeter.


    However, the atmosphere around this estate was that of a merry celebration as thousands of people adorning weapons and armor along with their families including the young children had gathered in the widespread open spaces as if there was some cultural festival.


    There were no guards or soldiers to maintain peace, rather it was the people amassed here who were the ones in charge of making sure that no one caused any form of trouble since everyone present thought of this asion as a life-turning event.


    Among the crowd, were people from different races and species simr to Rakos and Vulcan empire. However, there were many that had never been seen before.


    The only familiar amongst the distinctive group were species such as Lamias whose upper body was simr to humans with white and bluish-hued skin. All of them had snake-like tongues and even the iris in their eyes differed. Some Lamias were 5 meters in length since their lower half was nothing but snake tail as they slithered like a cobra.


    There were yellow, blue, green and ckmias. And among them, the females had their upper body exposed, even their torsos were covered only with their long hair while the back was without any clothing.


    Yet no one looked at these females with lecherous eyes or treated them differently than the rest of the crowd since this was a normal urrence.


    Aside from this group, there were some new Demi-Human species mixed in the crowd.


    Many green-bodied Dryads and tall Leshens wearing attires made of green vines and leaves were also present. Just their presence alone reinvigorated the surroundings as people felt a breath of fresh air.


    There was also another group of warriors with a body with crocodile-like gray skin but their head was simr to a chameleon with spikey teeth. These individuals with spears in hand resembled a group of tribal men who lived and thrived in deep and muddy forests.


    There were over a dozen of such new species including those who had heads of a buffalo but had 6 to 8 horns protruding from their heads and shoulders while some people were made of nothing but white mist.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Tall and monstrous creatures with horns and different colors of furs also trode among this crowd.


    Some even resembled giant tigers while some looked like enormous felines as they carried their respective owner on their backs.


    SCHRAAA!!


    Over 50 Pterodactyl-like flying monsters having bodies full of scales and spikes with 4 wings and beak akin to a hawk flew high in the air as they pped their fleshly wings without any feathers.


    This mixed group was enough to let anyone know that these people present here didn''t originate from a single ce or shared anything inmon. Yet all of them had their eyes glued towards the tall tower at the end of this open ce that was surrounded by dozens of 4 to 5 floored buildings.


    In reality, these were just the main administration buildings while there were plenty of housing and business settlements such as ration stores, restaurants, trade posts and even fighting colosseums spread in the 10 kilometers region.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Just then, the main tower surrounded by various buildings had a tform extended forward towards the crowd below.


    A group of people walked on this tform, adorning different armors and weapons of their own.


    A white-haired hybrid, a mage, an assassin, a berserker, an archer, a healer, a tank and finally, a trident warrior appeared at the top of this tform and the crowd turned silent.


    Just from their auras alone¡­ everyone could sense that all these 8 individuals were strong Saints.


    But soon, all 8 of them parted ways and divided into 2 groups of 4, standing quietly on opposite sides.


    Step!


    Step!


    Finally, a short white-haired humanoid figure came out of the top of the tall tower and walked forth towards the end of this tform.


    After he reached the end of this long tform and gazed down at the crowd of 30 thousand people, the majority of whom were warrior and magic ss fighters¡­ the surrounding froze and no one even dared to breathe loudly given the prestige of this person.


    "Wee to my humble settlement." said this young person who looked like he just entered his 30s.


    "Kya!! He''s so handsome. I''m going to marry him!" spoke a white-furred foxkin woman with a bodacious body.


    "You bet! He''s mine!" rebuked a yellowmia girl as her snake tongue swirled around her lips as she salivated in lust after looking at this person standing on the tform.


    Just then, someone hushed them and signaled to not make a sound.


    The white-haired individual then continued in an authoritative tone.


    "Free education for your children. Free living quarters allocated to each of you and your families.


    We have already built practicing grounds to hone and perfect your battle skills and spells for each ss and profession.


    Soon, there will be multiple hospitals built and free medical care will be provided to everyone who is registered as part of our organization.


    After we are officially open, there will be work for everyone who can''t use magic including women and the elderly based on their experience and capabilities in the businesses in the settlements we''re to establish.


    For those who can use magic or invoked any particr skills¡­ we will provide them with resources and training facilities to increase their strengths and mastery of their skills." dered this person with long ears.


    All the people who heard these words spoken by this saint in the 5 kilometers vicinity had an excited as well as worshipping expression towards the individual who had given them a new life and provided a haven for their families.


    "So tell me, Misthos¡­" spoke this prestigious and domineering figure as his eyes gazed from one end of the crowd to the other.


    "What is your profession?!"


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    Suddenly, the entirety of the crowd chanted together.


    Everyone belonging to a fighting profession ss started banging their weapons on shields or with other weapons. The mages, enchanters and summoners stomped their staves and scepters on the ground.


    While the archers on flying monsters shot their arrows high in the sky that exploded loudly, releasing different elements and colors simr to grand disys of fireworks.


    "This isn''t just some settlement of hooligans and a ragtag bunch of ouws. You''re no longer without a ce you belong to." said the white-haired individual as he raised his right fist high in the air.


    Everyone present here looked towards this enigmatic yet oddly reliable figure with vehement eyes as if they were gazing at their life savior.


    "This is your sanctuary! This is your new home!" he roared like a lion, his voice reverberating and sending goosebumps to everyone present.


    "This is Sparta!"


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    Chanted more than 30 thousand people collectively spread across the 3 kilometers wide open grounds as they released their War Cry.


    Those without weapons and fighting professions started stomping their feet. Even the ground trembled from the vibrations and loud cheers.


    "All hail our mighty leader." screamed thousands of people in joy and excitement as all of them praised their ultimate leader to whom they had pledged their loyalty.


    "The Mercenary King!!"

 Chapter 697 The New Empire

    Chapter 697 The New Empire


    1 YEAR AGO


    A man sat inside a quiet diner and slowly enjoyed the delicious food of this new ce he hade to. He sipped a fragrant and vibrant herbal tea concocted using different flowers and leaves that grew in this empire.


    Exactly one month had passed ever since Kahn left the Vulcan Empire and entered this enemy empire of the former called as Zivot Empire also known as¡­


    The Elven Empire.


    There was a reason why Kahn decided toe to the empire which served the God of Life instead of running far away from the Vulcan empire and No Man''s Land.


    The Eastern Grasnds was a region that bordered 2 adjacent empires, one of whom was an ally of the Fire Empire while the other was an enemy just like the Zivot Empire.


    But due to the location¡­ the Mysterious Group that woulde looking after Kahn would be conflicted and choose to either investigate one of the two empires or split themselves into 2 groups since those two were the closest escape routes and after Kahn supposedly ''ambushed'' and killed the Hero of Fire, they''d be in a hurry to run away.


    On top of it, was very less likely for them to realize that Kahn actually came back to No Man''s Land which was on the other side of the Vulcan empire and went to their enemy empire.


    Kahn also used this opportunity to cover his tracks because after the incident with Axel¡­


    Because from now on¡­ even those who hunted him would be looking for a ''Human'' Hero of Darkness.


    Thest time when he came to Vulcan empire, Kahn had no choice but to stick to his original appearance because of the Legendary rank weapons and armors he wanted to be made by Throk.


    Previously, Kahn didn''t have the Dwarven bloodline to turn into a dwarf and neither did he n to kill innocent people for it.


    However this time¡­


    Kahn nned to use his shape-shifting ability to the full extent.


    His ability to morph into different species as long as he had theirplete bloodline was a secret nobody aside from his subordinates including Rathnaar knew about.


    Paired with his new Mythical Rank Metamorphosis bloodline he got from the legendary rank monster Jatvuarym back in Vulcan empire¡­ not even a 7th stage saint would be able to see through it at this point.


    So even if someer forced Havi to give up on him¡­ no one would be able to find Kahn unless he intentionally exposed himself as the Hero of Darkness.


    Besides, Kahn didn''t wish to make the same mistakes as he did in the past.


    After silently infiltrating the Zivot Empire, Kahn made no stop at any major city or appeared in crowded ces.


    He only stopped at small viges and inns for a single night to get the general idea of the empire.


    10 Days Later.


    Kahn and the group stopped at a small town that had an adventurer''s guild where they managed to create fake identities for themselves by bribing some people with a lot of gold, diamonds and jewels.


    And to create a record to cement the background of these identities, their group masked themselves as Master Rank individuals and epted a few dungeon hunting jobs and killed a few monsters as part ofmissions.


    This was the first step to creating a trail of their citizenship of this empire as Adventurers were often the people who hadx rules for registration since their profession risked their lives daily.


    During this time, they made nomotion or created any enemies. After a few days, Kahn finally gathered all the important information he needed about the Zivot Empire.


    After learning everything to know about the topography, religious aspects, social structure,ws, economy, different species and lifestyles of the people throughout various parts of the empire, Kahn finally had the general idea of how they could blend into this new home of theirs without attracting unnecessary attention.


    ----------------


    The Zivot Empire served the God of Life named Gyvenimas. It was nearly 8 thousand years old and was one of the 3 ancient empires that still existed to this date.


    Unlike Rakos and Vulcan¡­ Zivot Empire was under the rule of a symbiotic Theocracy.


    The Imperial n controlled both the Empire and the Monasteries who worshipped their god, unlike Vulcan where Imperial n, Fireborne ns and the Church were separate entities.


    The current Abbot was the younger brother of the emperor. The Emperor was an 8th stage Magician while the Abbot was a 7th stage Summoner saint.


    As for the religious practices among the popce¡­


    The people of the Elven empire believed in Monotheism. That their God of Life was the one true God who created the world and the rest were the False Gods.


    They looked down upon other gods and those empires who served them.


    Thanks to the All Languages Known to the War Deity blessing by Kravel, Kahn and the Group could read, speak and understand the ancient Elvennguage named shor.


    Here, no coin system was used as the currency was Itikar, a form of the paper denomination which was marked with elven runes. The base material was the same but the runes rose the value of the currency.


    Simr to how Dors and Pound worked on Earth where the number on the note rose its value.


    As for the social structure in this empire¡­


    Here, the Elves stood at the pinnacle. Their distinction was mainly as High Elves and Elves.


    High Elves were those who were the direct descendants of the first generation of people who founded the Zivot Empire.


    This group of the TOP 1% included the Imperial n and the High Nobles.


    However, there were also ranks among the High Elves.


    The one at the top known as the Imperial Family was the Elven Emperor ss.


    Below them was a group that directly served the Imperial family called High Kings.


    Elven High-Kings wereparable to Dukes in the monarchy system.


    They often held positions of power such as Leaders in the Military, Governors, Magistrate and many influential positions.


    Below them were the High Nobles. These wereposed of only elven ns with more than 2 thousand years of history.


    No other species in the history of this empire had managed to overthrow the elves and that was because of the way they reigned over this ancient empire. And that was¡­


    Endogamy.

 Chapter 698 The Culture

    Chapter 698 The Culture


    The ruling ss of the Zivot Empire, called High Elves, practiced Endogamy in their culture.


    They preserved their bloodlines and did not allow the males and females of their families and ns to marry anyone outside or below their social standing; not even with the normal elves of the empire.


    Premarital sex and post-marital affairs for the High Elves were taboo as per thews.


    The punishment for these 3 crimes was straight-up execution of the culprit and the person they married to or had an affair with.


    But this was also the most effective and viable practice that maintained their bloodline purity and elite standing in the empire above everyone else.


    After the High Elves, the highest standing regardless of their origins were the normal Elves.


    No matter whichever field it was, Elves were in the highest position of basically everything. Even if someone from another species was better than an elf or more fit for a position of authority¡­ they would never receive that no matter what because of the Reservation System.


    However,pared to the Vulcan empire, Kahn found this ce much better to live because of the 2nd most influential species in the Zivot Empire. And those were none other than¡­


    Humans.


    ----------------


    After the High Elves and Elves, the most widely acknowledged and favored species in the elven empire was Humans.


    Due to their abilities to use magic and various sses and professions rted to it¡­ humans were 2nd only to elves.


    Although Humans were not the masters in Magic, didn''t have towering strength or defense like Demi-Human, and weren''t as fast as even wild animals¡­ But because of theirrge numbers and higher birth rate, they were spread basically everywhere.


    Out of 100, at least 30 humans could use magic and invoke fighting sses, making them the bestmodity to use for the Elven species that had a much lesser poption and fertility rate.


    Hence, the Elven Empire and itsws gave Humans preferential treatmentpared to all the other species, unlike the Vulcan empire where humans stood at the bottom of the social structure.


    Even among the Nobility ss of the empire, there were two groups.


    One was the High Nobles which was part of the High Elves groupposed of only Elven nobles of rich history and standing in the empire.


    While the Human Nobles were addressed as Exalted Nobles.


    These were the ones who gained the title through great service to the empire through either economic or military achievement. Even the human ns and their people were given many favors such as tax exemptions, favored rise in ranks of government and military as well.


    This setting led humans to be the most reliable force who greatly aided Elves in maintaining the rule.


    And finally, below the Humans were the Demi-Humans, Lukion, Tolorus and Enasios.


    Thest three were the species that Kahn hadn''te across in his new life so far.


    As for the species such as Vampires, Demonkin and Dwarves¡­ they were non-existent here at this point because of the cultural differences and also the enmity with the Vulcan empire where Dwarves were among the top of the order.


    There were fights over architectural history, weapon crafting and many things because Dwarves were among the people where the majority of the species couldn''t use magic to a great degree unlike humans and other Demi-Human species.


    As for the Vampires who lived on blood¡­ the Elven religious customs addressed them as heathens and blood devils just because their existence did not fit well with their perception of culture and ethnic beliefs.


    Demonkins on the other hand were actually the descendants of True Demon but only with 5% of their original bloodline. Thus, their situation was no different than Vampires.


    Both these special social standing was the same as that of humans in the Vulcan empire before Kahn solved the issue.


    Thus, Vampires and Demonkins had moved to Rakos Empire when Rathnaar founded it over a thousand years ago and 90% of the native dwarves went to the Vulcan empire after the Firebornes assumedmand.


    So Kahn had two choices now before he decided to settle here for good.


    He already had the Elven Bloodline at 100% purity ever since his time in Rakos Empire and now, Kahn could utilize it if it was favorable.


    However, Kahn decided to wait patiently before he made a decision. And that was because the religion and social customs weren''t exactly unified as one would expect.


    In the end, although everyone worshipped God of Life in the empire¡­ their customs and ways to pray to their god differed greatly.


    Although the elven monasteries were the main authority of the religious institutions, some species and regions of the empire didn''t join or serve under any cult and had rituals of their own.


    And after extensive research, Kahn finally found out the main cause of this difference in customs. The main reason why there existed different ways to worship the same god was¡­


    The 4th Hero of Life.


    ----------------


    Kahn learned about the events that changed the history of the Elven Empire and created new branches of customs and practices to worship the God of Life, Gyvenimas was the 4th Hero of Life.


    The 4th Hero was summoned 1800 years ago and led the Elven empire against enemies who either attacked them and even helped the imperial n expand their borders to a great degree.


    The most peculiar fact was that he established a lot of his own world''s cultural customs in the empire and given the huge influence he had which even dwarfed the elven emperor of that time, hundreds of millions of people regardless of their species and origin had epted his cultural and religious doctrine.


    And given his identity, strength and importance, the Monasteries and Emperor had no choice but to acknowledge it because at the end of the day, he was still worshipping their god.


    Kahn had a surprised expression when he finally came across the information about the 4th Hero of Life who left a mark in this ancient empire''s history that was still standing strong.


    There were 2 key factors that made Kahn drop his jaw in shock.


    The first reason was that the 4th Hero of Life was also from Earth.


    And the second reason being the fact that this chosen Hero was¡­


    A Viking.

 Chapter 699 The lnfluence

    Chapter 699 The lnfluence


    Kahn was astonished after finding out that the 4th Hero of Life was also from the Earth just like him. And he was a Viking at that.


    Kahn himself had seen some people during his time in vot City that had appearances influenced by Viking culture.


    The first person that came into Kahn''s mind was Stragabor Sigurd. A Grandmaster Rank individual who had tried to kill Kahn in the name of avenging his brother named Illya who tried to ambush and kill Kahn back when he had just entered the world of Vantrea.


    Their entire n looked like they were descendants of vikings based on their appearance and tattoos.


    [[Author : See how far I had nned even a year and a half ago when I started this novel? This is how you connect all dots in a homogeneous world-building. *pats myself on the shoulder shamelessly*]]


    Later, Kahn killed Stragabor and ate his core to be a Grandmaster himself.


    So Kahn was already aware of the existence of Viking culture in Vantrea. But to find that the supposed viking was actually a summoned Hero of Life in the Elven Empire¡­


    Somehow, this summoned Hero''s influence reached even to Rakos Empire a thousand yearster.


    Later, Kahn then checked the records and finally found out the name of this figure who even made the long-living and tenacious elves give up.


    The Viking hero was someone even Kahn in his previous life as Elric had heard of. Because it was one of the most famous viking kings in the history of the earth. The 4th Hero of Life was¡­


    Bjorn Ironside


    ----------------


    Kahn grasped his forehead as he still found out the name.


    Although as Elric, Kahn hadn''t used his Eidetic Memory for making an exceptional life for himself¡­ he had spent his time acquiring a lot of knowledge for his hobbies.


    Other than being a geek, a weeb, a novel reader, a gamer and an otaku¡­ Elric also learned 11 Languages and studied many mythologies varying from country to country.


    So he knew a lot more about historic events, wars, kings and emperors as well as religion and gods of plenty of dominant and renowned cultures. So obviously, he also knew about the Vikings and their famous leaders.


    Who didn''t know about the legendary Bjorn Ironside?


    He was the son of King Ragnar Lothbrok who earned the moniker and was renowned as Bjorn Ironside.


    He was the one who led the attack on Ennd in the 9th century along with his brothers and was also an explorer who sailed to the Mediterranean and raided theirnds.


    But the biggest highlight being he was also a Norse Chieftain, well respected and also appreciated for his Leadership qualities and his capabilities as a fearless Warrior who also became the first King of Sweden.


    Just like his father, Bjorn Ironside was a true king in his own right.


    "Wait¡­ did it happen after he died?


    Did the God of Life revive him from the dead after summoning him in Vantrea just like God of Darkness reincarnated me?" wondered Kahn.


    Because that would exin why the dead viking king would be alive and kicking ass as a chosen Hero in this world.


    "But the timeline doesn''t fit. Does that mean the Gods can summon any world''s people from different times?


    Wouldn''t that mean there could be or could''ve been a summoned hero from the earth who lived in my future era?" he kept asking himself.


    But then, Kahn decided to push those Conspiracy Theorist thoughts aside and paid attention to the matter at hand.


    He then did some deep study about why Bjorn Ironside became a colossal figure that even other Heroes and Heroines of Life could not achieve in the past 3 thousand years.


    Unlike the Elves who were proficient in using magic and corrted jobs¡­ Bjorn Ironside had created his own army of fearless warriors who would rather die than run for their lives during a battle.


    These melee and long-range forces were personally trained and managed by him. And during the 400 years of his life in this empire, there had been many times when he personally led the charge and destroyed the empire''s enemies when even the emperor of that time failed to protect their borders.


    Bjorn Ironside was a war chief with both wisdom and courage at his side and lived a life of war and bloodshed during his time on earth. Thus, he was far more experienced when it came to war even than the high elves who lived for centuries.


    This made him a hero to all the people in the empire, not only in name but also in their hearts.


    However, being a hero who wasn''t an Elf¡­ he was not allowed to be royalty, get a major position of power in the empire or marry someone from the imperial family because of Endogamy practices.


    Bjorn Ironside on the other end had greatly influenced people so he also started spreading his cultural beliefs and their customs, rituals, hisnguage and many more things.


    Throughout his life here, he had been with more than hundred females including elves, humans and demi-human, as well as many species Kahn heard about for the first time.


    The 4th Hero of Life spread his genes extensively and now, at least 10% of the entire poption of the Elven Empire were the descendants of the viking king in one way or another.


    However, this phenomenon led to great fear among the High Elves whose only merit was that they were the descendants of the people who founded this empire.


    But after a battle with the Demon God back then, Bjorn Ironside was gravely injured and died a couple of yearster.


    The details of that battle were hidden by the imperial family and nothing was ever revealed about what exactly happened.


    "He didn''t die due to injuries. They assassinated him to preserve their power and authority." spoke Kahn.


    He himself was a sovereign albeit for a short time. He knew how big of a threat a different ruler was to an already established power structure. Kahn had also been conspired against many times already so he knew that the 4th Hero had the chance to survive but was betrayed and killed by the High Elves in the end.


    "May you drink ale from the curved horns and battle amongst great warriors and gods in the glorious halls of Valha." said Kahn as he paid respect to Bjorn Ironside.


    As for the impact on the Elven Empire left by the 4th Hero''s death¡­


    Kahn was going to exploit it for his own benefit.

 Chapter 700 New ldentity

    Chapter 700 New ldentity


    The influence Bjorn Ironside aka the 4th Hero of Life had on the people of Zivot Empire and the tales of bravery and heroism he earned didn''t die even after his death since elves lived far longer and even the imperial n couldn''t silence the people because of their ownws and beliefs.


    Subjugating or oppressing the people for personal gains was against the Elven Laws. Even the Emperor would not be spared from the punishment.


    Thus, the cultural influence Bjorn Ironside left never vanished and his bloodline only expanded over the past 1400 years even if it wasn''t exactly how he taught them.


    Even to this day, there were still different ns varying from different species and family trees but identified themselves as the 4th Hero''s direct descendant.


    As per the information Kahn collected, the 4th Hero''s descendants called themselves ''The Ironborn''.


    In Zivot empire¡­ even a pureblood elf could actually be a descendant of the 4th Hero and have a trace of his bloodline.


    Thus, the culture in some parts of the elven empire itself evolved and now, a symbiotic culture with Viking and Elven customs existed that prayed to the God of Life.


    In these parts of the empire and ns, people used their own methods of worshipping their God.


    Some people sacrificed farm animals while some nted more trees as the God of Life represented life given and taken to the world.


    ----------------


    Kahn then weighed a few pros and cons in his mind.


    Even a weak elf lived up to 150 years. A powerful elf above the 6th stage saint would live at least up to 700 years. This was the case for the current Emperor who was an 8th stage saint and was 658 years old as of now.


    However, there were no free coupons for the buffet. The long life and immense control over the mana Elven race had came with a price¡­


    Not only did they age slower than other people, but their ranks as saints also rose 2 to 3 times slower as most of the mana and world energy they absorbed was directly used to increase their longevity. Thus their progression was much stagnating sometimes than other species and races of Vantrea.


    This also led to low fertility and birth rate and hence, only 30% of the poption was Elves while all the others belonged to different races and species.


    However, this also gave Kahn a few alluring ideas of his own and he finally decided on the most important decision he was conflicted about.


    His New Identity.


    ----------------


    Being a High Elf was out of the equation and the normal Elves would often have names and family trees known to each other. There was a risk of him getting exposed.


    On the other end¡­ There were so many branches and family trees among the Ironborns that at this point, no one cared to look into them.


    Thus, it made a perfect cover for Kahn if he used the Metamorphosis bloodline to turn into an Elf who stood at the highest hierarchy in the social system without the risk of exposing himself as the ''Human'' hero of darkness.


    Finally, afterpleting his deep study of the Zivot Empire, Kahn and the group chose to depart for a particr location.


    This time, Kahn chose to avoid the capital of the empire or anything close to the noble factions, imperial ns or any authority since he wanted no trouble knocking at his doorsteps.


    And after changing many modes of transportation while hiding their identities as Saints, they finally reached the far northern end of the Zivot Empire.


    Their new residence was going to be one of the most important ces of the empire where they were going to make a living by doing what they were extremely good at.


    After 12 days of travel and making a few stops, they finally reached their main destination.


    After getting out of a magic flying hotel made of pure wood and water, the group saw the entrance of their new home.


    A grand entrance made of two massive trees as tall as Burj Khalifa on both sides that spanned 500 meters in width alone had a 1 kilometer wide pathway where thousands of people passed through using their vehicles, ships, flying beasts and on foot.


    The group used their fake Adventurers IDs to enter the ce and as the night came, they rented a nice suite with the money they made so far in this empire.


    Even the buildings and architecture were assimted and blended perfectly with plenty of enormously spread trees as if Kahn hade to live amongst tree spirits.


    Kahn looked outside the window and saw that the first two gigantic trees that weed the people weren''t even the tallest ones.


    There were dozens of ginormous trees that thousands of people carved houses in and livedfortably given the size of these unending and terrifying trees.


    "Feels like I''m at the feet of the World Tree." spoke Kahn.


    Thus began the first day of the life of Kahn and The Boys in the region filled with the highest number of Dungeons in the whole Elven empire called¡­


    Alfheim


    ----------------


    Kahn then decided to discard his previous appearance and race as a human for the first time since he came to Vantrea.


    With the help of the Elven Bloodline and the mythical rank Metamorphosis bloodline, Kahn now morphed into a different being.


    His hair turned stark-white while his ear stretched and elongated upwards.


    The iris in his eyes turned red and his figure turned a bit skinnier but even fairer than before.


    The slightly wide masculine and chiseled jaw turned into a sharp and pointy one while Kahn''s height was also shortened by 3 inches, making him only 6 feet tall now.


    And now, a much leaner and fairer skinned Elf stood in front of everyone.


    "My Geek senses are tingling." said Kahn as he took up a new persona that would be his fresh start in the Zivot Empire.


    "I''m in an empire of Elves and I''m going to use Bjorn Ironside''s lineage as a cover.


    Since I''m changing appearance, I should also create a fake identity with a new name as well." he dered.


    "The name should be Elven while the surname should be that of a Viking.


    I guess it''s decided then.


    From now on, I should be called¡­" spoke Kahn as he wasughing maniacally in his mind and he chose the most fitting name that would satisfy the geek inside him¡­


    "Legs Ragnarsson."

 Chapter 701 New Approach

    Chapter 701 New Approach


    The next day, Kahn and the group decided to depart in different directions and take a city tour around Alfheim. The main purpose was to learn everything useful that they needed to know to perfectly mix with the popce and understand how everyone behaved or conducted themselves in their day-to-day life.


    Kahn wasn''t oblivious to the fact that what could seem outrageous or immoral to you, could just be a normal code of conduct in different cultures or civilizations. And being ignorant about such details would just leave a lot of plotholes in their storyline.


    And while taking notes of locations of monasteries, historically important ces, authorities and the overallyout of the city that spanned 150 kilometers in perimeter alone¡­ Kahn came to know about one odd thing.


    very.


    Yes, the Elven Empire legally allowed very.


    However, it was not like selling people and the owner gets to do whatever the hell they want with them.


    Here, the very system worked differently.


    The condition was applied only in terms of either crimes or economical fraud or bankruptcy.


    Zivot Empire allowed one to use themselves, their spouse and even their children in mary dealings as a form of coteral.


    However, the High Elves weren''t idiots.


    Every party involved had to willingly agree to these terms, the children also had age requirements based on their species and no such thing as sexual service or abuse was allowed.


    If one party failed to pay the other and had this sort of agreement¡­ then the former as well as their partner would be sold as ves to thetter if they were part of the agreement.


    The imperialws would facilitate such pacts in a process of what they called Moral Repayment.


    Under these rules, no party was to harm each other and the ves would be forced to perform manualbor for their masters.


    A predetermined price of monthly wages would be set by the authorities and the ve would work until the original amount under the contract is repaid no matter how many years it took.


    But the said Master also had the responsibility to provide for food and housing for the ves and they could not intentionally cause trouble for the ves.


    The Elven Laws did not allow the low quality of housing or rations for the ves either.


    However, this wasn''t the same case for Criminals. They were subjected to a whole different level of treatment that had harsh living conditions, unfair treatment and no help from authorities even if the master starved them for days.


    For someone from the earth, it would appear immoral and too extreme. But in the Zivot empire, it was the most effective way to live up to one''s moral obligation and pay back what you owed.


    This also yed a big part in their culture as it prevented people frommitting crimes and running away with someone''s money. If one couldn''t afford the consequences, they shouldn''t make such exchanges and contracts either.


    And since the Master had to provide for the housing and meals of the ves, it was already an expensive alternative so very few opted out for this method.


    But the rich among the masses had no problems with this arrangement so many upper-ss people often made such agreements.


    Compared to the form of illegal very Kahn had seen in Rakos and Vulcan Empire, this system seemed more like¡­


    Forced Employment.


    ----------------


    Inside the suite Kahn and the subordinates booked, a war table was arranged and all the members were discussing and reporting all the information they collected and what they needed to pay attention to solidify their future in Alfheim.


    "There are only two ways for us to do what we''re good at while avoiding unnecessary attention.


    One is joining the Adventurers Association or a Mercenary Guild." said Ronin who had gathered the most information.


    "Dungeon Hunting is our forte. That''s how master created all of you in the first ce. And given our ranks and abilities, it shouldn''t be a problem for us to gain a lot of resources either since there are hundreds of dungeons spread across this region of the empire.


    It''s a win-win situation for us." spoke and proposed Omega.


    Just then, Rathnaar decided to meddle.


    [You kids are forgetting something. To form theserge numbers of dungeons in the 300 kilometers so easily¡­ just imagine how strong the source of the mana and world energy would be.


    Don''t you think that''s something worth investigating?]


    His question indeed alerted all of them.


    "You''re right. Even your core hidden close to vot city had created over a dozen dungeons." spoke Kahn as a realization struck him.


    [And my core was sealed by Lezron Mikealson, a 9th stage saint. It was hidden for 800 years and once the protective formation dwindled due to the passage of time, it created those dungeons within a century.


    So think how big and terrifyingly vast the source for all these dungeons must be. What kind of being had something so powerful that could even create 20 times more dungeons than a Peak Saint''s core?] hypothesized Rathnaar.


    "Holy shit! You''re right.


    There must be a big secret behind it all. Otherwise, these many dungeons should be impossible to form in a single saturated region." spoke Kahn because this seemed like the only possibility to him.


    "But you know what¡­ let''s not dig into the matters that could create trouble for us.


    Let''s not visit these dungeons at all." dered Kahn.


    Staying out of trouble was exactly what they wanted right now. And they had enough resources to sustain themselves for another year. So making hasty decisions would be simply foolish.


    "Then we must discard these fake Adventurer IDs as well.


    Besides, there won''t be any dungeon good enough for us to gain any useful abilities or fight powerful enemies at all since our group is enough to kill even a 5th stage saint at this point if we work together." iterated Kahn with a solemn voice.


    "That''s it then. We all should join a Mercenary Guild." spoke Ceril with an ted tone.


    "I''ll do you one better.


    Why don''t we create a mercenary guild of our own?" asked Kahn with a smile.


    Soon, he discussed the merits of choosing this route and all of them came to a unified consensus.


    "As for the Mercenary Guild¡­ I have a fitting name." said Kahn and decided to embark on a different journey this time.


    "Misthios."

 Chapter 702 Take Names Kick Ass

    Chapter 702 Take Names Kick Ass


    Kahn decided on the name ''Misthios'' as their soon-to-be-founded mercenary guild. As for why did he choose to form a new guild instead of joining already existing ones in Alfheim?


    Being a Mercenary, the risk of their identities getting revealed would far be less and they could choose whatever type of job they want.


    From finding herbs in forests like a beginner RPG game to killing an army of monsters¡­ the Mercenary trade could do whatever their clients demanded.


    Also, this trade had much more money and fewer restrictions than Adventurers Associations that kept tabs on you and had means to know your whereabouts in the name of offering protection and following the rules of the institution.


    Just like the Mobile phones on the earth, the Adventurer Association''s IDs were like tracking devices and chips that could be used to find you byw enforcement and authorities.


    Besides, working under rules and regtions while being monitored by someone from a position of authority¡­ was simply beneath them at this point even if they had toy low.


    Kahn never liked to keep looking around his shoulder while doing things that would work in his favor. And during his short time in vot city where he was an Adventurer¡­ Kahn had no intentions to return to those rookie days.


    He was simply too powerful and experienced to go through the same cycle again.


    Although they would have to create a reputation for themselves first to make it big in this profession and could even make a few enemies in the name ofpetitors¡­ Kahn and his group had never been the kind to abide by the rules.


    Whether it was Rakos Empire where Kahn and the gang screwed over the 3 Noble factions who governed for over a century or Vulcan empire where they massacred the Hero''s Party and thwarted the Church''s coup.


    Besides, Kahn didn''t n to implicate anyone innocent in his affairs this time and neither did he want to be responsible for the lives of millions of people again as he did in Vessen.


    Given how a group of powerful entities that even someone like Havi could not defeat were after him¡­ Kahn wanted to be as secretive as he could.


    As long as one paid them good as Mercenaries, they''d even go as far as taking out someone in power.


    Kahn and Ronin alone had perfect skills for assassinations that couldn''t be tracked in any way.


    Thus, being mercenaries was more lucrative and well suited for their situation.


    ----------------


    After a few hours of running through their ns, Kahn made another deration.


    "All of you also need to change your appearances and names before we create our new fake identities and create the guild."


    Soon, all of them started changing their appearance since Kahn had already imparted the mythical rank metamorphosis bloodline to all of them long ago.


    However, what happened was that none of them could remove the distinctive features that came from their original appearance.


    For example, Omega still had the ck right arm and silver hair while ckwall still couldn''t get rid of his two brown Ox-like horns from his head.


    Although Ronin managed to remove the in-built mask on his face, his eyes still remained green.


    Only Oliver somehow managed to remove his wings and eagle-like head but even he couldn''t hide his beak and hawk-like eyes.


    Armin couldn''t erase the archaic vein-like green tattoos on his forehead and body while Ceril could only change his hair color to white.


    "What''s happening?" wondered Kahn.


    [The system detects that apart from general Ceril, the original bloodlines of subordinates are repelling the metamorphosis bloodline.


    Given how strong these bloodlines of the godbeasts arepared to the Jatvuarym''s metamorphosis bloodline, removing their distinctive features of the base bloodline is not possible.] reported the system after thorough analysis.


    "I see. Means no matter what bloodline I give them, they can''t just transform into those beingspletely since their own bloodlines would not allow those changes?" asked Kahn.


    [Yes.] the system responded solemnly.


    "Dammit¡­ Well, nevermind.


    Just tweak a few things here and there. Besides, no one knows about your ties to me in Vulcan empire. So they won''t be looking into any of you either." said Kahn nonchntly.


    In the following moments, Omega''s hair shortened by a bit but overall changes in their appearance didn''t differ by much.


    Oliver and Ronin only changed their hair color while both Jugram and ckwall managed to reduce their size to only 2 meters in height instead of their previous 3 meter tall bodies.


    But after a while, Kahn was left speechless¡­


    Because whether intentionally or not, everyone except Omega and ckwall had turned into familiar appearances.


    "This is more fitting. I kind of missed this." said Ceril with a devilish smirk.


    "This isfortable as well as convenient." said Armin.


    Because at this moment, these subordinates had assumed their old identities as¡­


    The Sins.


    ----------------


    The new appearance for everyone else except for Omega and ckwall resembled their past as the heads of the Seven Deadly Sins.


    Even Kahn gave up because that''s the best they could do after their own bloodlines had evolved and they couldn''t just transformpletely like Kahn.


    As for Oliver, he did remove the wings and now chose to hide his face behind an archer''s mask and hood.


    Jugram''s hair turned bright red while Ceril''s turned white.


    "Alright then¡­ looks like the world doesn''t want you to get apletely new appearance.


    And since you resemble your previous identities, let''s go with those names too.


    It''s not like anyone outside of our organization knew your names or identities in Rakos Empire.


    And even those identities as the Sins were fake." spoke Kahn as he gave them a go.


    So the only thing now remained were the names.


    Since Kahn chose to be an Ironborn and these were his supposed allies who came from the same ce as him as per their background cover-up story¡­ he had to think of suitable surnames.


    Kahn then looked at them one by one and named their new personas.


    "From now on, to outside people¡­


    Omega is Raiden Hrodvitsson.


    Oliver is Icarus Vedrfolnir.


    Jugram is Dante Surtrsson.


    ckwall should be called Sigurd Suttungr.


    Ceril will be Loki Vitkisson.


    For Ronin, it''s Scorpion Banamadr.


    Andstly, Armin is named Darwin Groedari." finished Kahn in one go.


    These were the names of the subordinates based on their identities as heads of Seven Deadly Sins. Kahn just added Nordic surnames for them using either their species or jobs.


    None of them were Elves so their names could be from any other culture. This was a well-thought setup.


    And since they couldn''t use their armors made by Throk using the guardian Dragon''s body in public, changing the appearance of the clothes made from the legendary Invimarak''s skin made by Albestros was their best option.


    "Alright then, let''s go."manded Kahn and the boys left like a group of bandits, ready to loot innocent travelers. Their next destination being a very important ce.


    The Mercenary Association.

 Chapter 703 Hero of Life

    Chapter 703 Hero of Life


    Meanwhile at the center of the Zivot Empire was a 250 kilometers vast city. This rich city filled with ancient elven architecture with thebination of enormous trees, giving it aplexion of white, gold and green was the biggest settlement as well as the capital of the elven empire called Eletnall.


    Whether it was economic hubs, markets or trading posts, the poption here was in tens of millions while thousands of t hovercraft-like flying ships and ginormous monsters carrying hundreds of people on their backs like people sitting on a rollercoaster kept entering the premises through the sky.


    On the ground, hundreds of pathways and roads built on different levels and leading to desirable locations as per your requirements came into sight. Once you chose a particr route, you will end up reaching your destination without wasting time or getting stuck in traffic via flying vehicles that were like bullet trains, just flying a few meters above the surface of the roads.


    Compared to Rathna and Arkensan, the technological advancements were akin to a higher upgrade and not a single cloud of smoke or pollution could be seen.


    This settlement was flourishing in every corner and exit gates while more than 100 million people were hurrying and going about their lives.


    And at the very center of capital Eletnall was the residence of the Imperial n and the High Elves. All theirnds collectively spanned 50 kilometers in radius as the top 1% of the Zivot Empire had their mansions, castles and garrisons located here.


    Finally, a 10 kilometer radius property came into sight, filled with dozens of massive and tall towers with 8 pces on different corners.


    Among one of those pces, was a particr property where one of the most important individuals in the world lived.


    ----------------


    A fragrant and soothing scent of orange-colored tea spread across a teahouse in a lush garden filled with dozens of varying flowers and trees. The permeating scent from the flowers and the fragrant tea soothing every person sitting on the chairs across a long white marble table.


    There were totally 13 individuals present, all of them belonging to the elven race.


    However, only one amongst them had shorter ears than the others who seemed to be High Elves based on their attires and archaic elven tattoos made on their bodies and in some cases, their face or forehead.


    Yet all of them disyed the utmost sense of respect towards this individual despite him being a halfbreed.


    On the far end of this table, was their host who invited all these individuals to this little tea party.


    A golden-brown haired elven girl adorning pristine white and turquoise colored attire let out a worried expression and asked in a pleasant yet sensual tone.


    "For some reason, my heart is filled with worries, my lord.


    I fear that someday, that vile and treacherous Hero of Darkness who ambushed and killed the Hero of Fire like a coward would target you as well.


    I hope such fate may never befall you or any of your friends." said this young woman who seemed to be around 23-24 years of age based on her appearance.


    "You shan''t worry about such matters, your highness. No matter how devious or cunning he may be¡­ing to our empire would be no different than walking into an unending pit. Only death awaits such sinners." responded another female elf who seemed older than the former.


    "Still¡­ our information tells us that he has two 7th stage saints with him.


    Lord Abbot said those two are from the ancient Cult of Darkborne and they killed the Pope of the Vulcan empire as well. This is something that shouldn''t be looked down upon." she insistently forewarned with a worried expression.


    "Ha! What can those people do? Even if there are two of them, Lord Abbot is alone enough to deal with them since a High Elf.


    Those vile beings cannot bepared to someone like him or your majesty, the emperor.


    Coming to our Zivot empire is akin to begging for their doom." spoke a middle-aged elven swordsman d in white and purple armor.


    Just then, the person on the other end of the table spoke.


    "Princess Eleanor, I understand your worries but you shouldn''t stress yourself over such matters. It''s not good for your health.


    It would worry me more if you''re feeling uneasy over such useless affairs and fell ill again." spoke the white-haired half-elf on the other end of the table.


    This person in gold, blue and white attire for a summoner ss fighter with a radiantly glowing purple staff beside him was none other than the 10th summoned being by the God of Life and the current Hero of Life¡­


    Ervalen Baark.


    ----------------


    The summoner ss Hero of Life had a gaze filled with affection and genuine worry towards the princess of the Zivot empire named Eleanor. Even those present here could sense their superfluous staring at each other.


    Both Ervalen and Eleanor had their gazes transfixed at each other as if they were two bodies but one soul.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    "Arhmm¡­ if only would someone care about my well-being like that.


    I''d be happy to embrace death." said an archer ss elf.


    "You bet! Given how clueless you are on a battlefield, you''re likely to die before getting married anyway." scoffed the swordsman elf.


    "Ha ha ha ha!


    He''s right! Plus, you are already past the age to get married. Nody would want you anyway."


    A series ofughter resounded in the teahouse.


    "Hey, I''m only 200 years old. There''s no need to rush. Plus, I don''t wish to get married until I''m at least a 5th stage saint." rebuked the elven archer d in golden lightweight armor.


    The host of this party was the princess of the empire who was actually 170 years old. But given her species as the High Elf, her appearance was that of a teenage girl.


    As for the rest of the High Elves present here¡­ they were the Hero''s Party members.


    Not a single one of these individuals was below 150 years of age, yet all of them looked like a standard isekai manga group of youngsters forming a party.


    The only 2 people who looked like middle-aged men were already past 230 years of age and were the strongest of the group given how they were 5th stage saints.


    The mostmon factor apart from them being High Elves was that all of them were the heirs or scions of the Elven Kings ss of High Elves social structure. All of them being loyal only to the imperial family and their respective ns.


    Among them, Princess Eleanor seemed to be an Enchantress ss elf and carried a blue cube clipped to her waistband, simr to how Kassandra carried a yellow orb with her when she fought Kahn in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition.


    And finally, the man of the hour spoke.


    "Don''t worry, princess. Even if he came looking for me¡­ because of my divine abilities, he will never be able to kill me.


    And I will find everything there is to know about him in due process." dered the 9th Hero of Life with a proud expression.


    Ervalen was 80 years old in reality, yet his appearance made him look like 20 years old, at least 8 years younger than current Kahn.


    "If our fates bring us to face each other one day, I shall show no mercy." spoke Ervalen with a confident smile.


    "I will hunt and kill him myself."

 Chapter 704 The Mercenary Association

    Chapter 704 The Mercenary Association


    Meanwhile at the northern end of the Zivot empire and the southern-western end of the Alfheim was a 5 kilometers wide estate filled with many 10 floors buildings. Each of these ces having thousands of people entering and leaving their premises as if bees flocking towards their nest.


    "What the hell?! What kind of nonsense is that?


    I know the rules, alright. Since when did the requirement rose that high?!" argued an elf as he sat across a well dressed wolfkin.


    "Mister Ragnarsson, I don''t know what small town you came from¡­ but those are the rules of the Mercenary Association in Alfheim.


    You must bring in at least 500 people already registered with our association to form a guild. Otherwise, you can stick to being a small team and live like the bottom feeders.


    The choice is yours." responded a distinguishable dressed brown furred wolfkin.


    His stature was only 5 feet but given how well dressed he was and the walking stick with a carving of a wolf''s head he carried¡­ one could easily detect that he was someone in the position of authority.


    Kahn was now in the presence of one of the five Executive Assistants of the Alfheim Mercenary Association.


    The gentleman in front of him was called Logan Vargr.


    ----------------


    This morning, they hade to register as mercenaries after forging few documentation by bribing the honest and forting people in the identification department of the association.


    But when they came to meet the executive assistant who was only below the Chief Operating Executive, they were presented with a very hard-to-meet condition.


    Mercenary Association were the legal authority who facilitated the transaction between clients who needed particr jobs done and the well trained fighters aka the Mercenaries.


    These Mercenaries were categorized in 3 sses.


    Mercenary Team which had less than 20 members.


    Mercenary Envoy which had more than 100 members.


    And finally, the Mercenary Guild which had more than 500 active members.


    The main job of the Mercenary Association was to verify and legalize the said groups and their abilities and then when a particr client was in need of their services, they''d set up a contract between both sides.


    There were all sorts of jobs such as guarding an envoy, protecting a VIP or even acting as a small army for skirmishes between powerful ns and nobles. The Mercenary Association was the only ce where you could easily get those jobs and make it into a valid agreement acknowledged by thew.


    And as a legal fee, they''d take a predetermined 5% cut no matter how big or small their payout was.


    Unlike the Adventurers Associations, the Mercenary Association had very different modus operandi.


    Here, nobody cared if you lived or died as long as you could finish the work given by the client.


    Also unlike the Adventurers Association, they didn''t buy material from the adventurers that came from monster hunting or dungeons and sold it in the outside market or even provide these mercenaries any support in case their guilds and teams were in danger.


    It''s strictly give and take exchange where the association got their cut for bringing clients and mercenaries under the same roof.


    Whether you aplish your deal or you fail¡­. Whether you live or die; that is up to your own capability.


    However, the conditions ced in front of Kahn were not favorable. He wanted to quickly set up a guild to make it big and earn enough resources that they''d need after the ones they had were depleted within a year.


    But the condition for the first two sses was that they either joined some already existing mercenary groups and envoys and stayed there for another year as per the rules, or they had have at least 500 members to form a guild to get a shortcut.


    And all those people must be registered in the Mercenary Association and nobody can bring in people and start from scratch.


    "Even among those members, at least 100 of these individuals should have been registered with the association for at least 1 year." stated the wolfkin in a stern voice, his tone full of authority.


    These were actually sensible rules. So no random people could just create short-lived and proxy Mercenary Guilds.


    But these rules were bing a hurdle to Kahn.


    Yet Kahn didn''t give up. The businessman in him actually saw this as an opportunity.


    Suddenly Kahn took out a small chest out of his space ring and ced it on the wolfkin''s desk that was filled with dozens of paperwork blocks.


    "What the hell is this?!" questioned the wolfkin with an angered tone.


    "A gift¡­ in good faith." responded Kahn.


    "If you sell it to correct people or even the ck market, it will make you a fortune." said Kahn and opened the chest.


    Shimmer!


    Glitter!


    The wolfkin''s eyes blinked in session and after a dozen seconds, he finally managed to nce at the contents of the job.


    "You¡­ Why are you giving me this?" asked mister Logan with his eyes and mouth wide open.


    Because the chest was filled with gold ornaments, rubies, diamonds and jewels of all different kinds and extremely high quality.


    "You already know how things work here. Your kind is 3rd in the social hierarchy. This position as an Executive Assistant will probably be as far as your career will go.


    Given the structure of the organization, you will never reach the top 2yers of management." iterated Kahn as he pushed the chest toward the wolfkin with a benign smile.


    "But you seem like a person who has ambitions and is trying to make it big¡­" he said, using the psychological method of suggestive assertion.


    "Following rules of the organization does not mean you can''t be rich or exploit the system to your own benefit.


    I''m sure there''s already a lot of corruption within the association where the top brass fill their pockets to do favors to big guilds and bring them top tier clients.


    So why shouldn''t you make some pocket change as well?" asked Kahn with a coy smile.


    He let out a smug grin and proposed a deal.


    "Let''s hope this is a new beginning¡­ Of our mutually beneficial friendship."

 Chapter 705 Making New Friends

    Chapter 705 Making New Friends


    Kahn proposed an under-the-table deal to the brown wolfkin executive associate of the mercenary association named Logan Vargr on the spot without any forewarning or talking in roundabout ways. He was not worried about any ramifications of thetter acting out or causing trouble for him.


    Kahn was dealing with a grown and experienced person who had seen the ins and outs of the business and not some noob on the first day of his job who had moral and ethical values.


    "Point me in the right direction, make a few rmendations for us in the future and I will make sure to fill your pockets to the point you can''t carry the weight." he spoke nonchntly.


    Corruption and Favouritism existed in all sorts ofpanies, organizations and even the government. So Kahn intended to make use of those precedents and set a few things in stone.


    As for the jewelry and gold¡­ Kahn didn''t need these. He had enough of these shiny objects to form a mountain. But selling them in bulk or even on the ck market would gain too much attention even from the imperial authorities given how these were mostly from Rakos, an enemy empire.


    So revealing these to the masses was a big risk to their lives. But using them for a small exchange wasn''t going to leave any traces behind because the person next wasn''t an idiot who would put it on disy to the world either.


    The brown wolfkin on the other end was still trying to grasp the situation given how quickly things happened.


    He was already under the impression that Kahn needed him because he was an Iroborn, the kind of elves who sometimes get looked down on even by normal elves among the same species since they didn''t serve and pray under the customs set by the monasteries.


    As for Kahn''s offering¡­ the chest filled with gold and jewels was enough to set him up and live avish life for a couple of years.


    But the way Kahn casually passed it around¡­ Logan''s intuition told him that Kahn and the group were some big-shots starting anew in Alfheim.


    Getting in the good books of these people would only be beneficial and won''t hurt him as long as he used thews of the association as a pretense.


    He already knew how his higher-ups were giving preferential treatment to top ns, exalted nobles and high elves while not even throwing breadcrumbs to them when in reality, he managed the whole department and did all the paperwork as well as shouldering all the responsibilities and consequences.


    The higher-ups reaped the rewards all these years yet he got nothing for his hard work only because he was a Demi-Human and not a Human or an Elf.


    [This could be my only chance to change my life.] he thought to himself as he made an important decision.


    Logan nodded and then pulled the chest in his own space ring made by Elven Artificing techniques.


    Honesty, Loyalty and Morality¡­ he had seen how valuable those things were in real life and how they amounted to nothing in their social structure.


    One was bound to be stuck in a cage made by the powerful as soon as they were born in any other species than Elves in this empire.


    So now that a great opportunity came knocking at his door, he would be a fool to let it go.


    A few secondster, Logan took out a red book and gave it to Kahn.


    "Find these people. And you can try your luck there. If things don''t go as you want¡­ you never met me." said Logan in a stern voice.


    Kahn nodded in affirmation. Both parties stood up and then shook hands, thetter responding in a pleased tone.


    "I hope you will have something useful for me ready when Ie next time."


    ----------------


    1 WEEK LATER


    Inside a massive auditorium, more than 700 individuals from species to species and different fighting sses and professions had gathered after being paid a good sum just to attend this meeting.


    The mainmon factor being that everyone belonged to small mercenary teams that stood at the bottom of the food chain.


    After getting the book from Logan Vargr, Kahn and the group had spent an entire week locating and contacting all these mercenary teams and some envoys and lured them with hefty offerings to attend this meeting.


    Other than being mercenaries, these groups were ousted by Logan in a separate book because there was anothermon factor that no one other than him knew.


    All these groups¡­ were about to be disbanded.


    Not getting enough clients or making way too less money put them in an economic crisis¡­ all these groups were the victims of the wealthy guilds taking away all the juicy meat and not even leaving a few bones behind for these bottom feeders.


    As for the hosts of this event, all of them were said to be peak grandmasters. Thus, many came to get the free money that was promised after the end of the meeting and also due to curiosity to see the frivolous people who were throwing it away just to make them attend this gathering and witness what all this fuss was about.


    7 peak grandmasters stood on the stage while all these invitees were calmly seated, waiting for the main event to begin.


    Omega stood at the center and announced their new names to all the people present as part of the introduction.


    And finally¡­


    Step!


    Step!


    Kahn in his Legs Ragnarsson appearance walked on the stage as Omega and all the Generals bowed in respect, giving everyone a hint that the main boss had arrived.


    "Wee everyone. Thank you for receiving our invitation.


    Before I begin, let me assure you all that whether you like what we have to say or not¡­ you will still receive the money." he started off the bat with the main thing everyone came from.


    "Ha ha! That''s more like it. Finish this chatter quickly then." spoke a Tank ss orc warrior.


    Others alsoughed and chanted the same thing.


    "Alright, alright. I won''t beat around the bush." spoke Kahn and continued in an elegant yet domineering manner.


    "I present you all... A life changing opportunity."

 Chapter 706 The Ray of Hope

    Chapter 706 The Ray of Hope


    Kahn brazenly announced his intentions of wanting all these people to join the new mercenary guild he was creating. This deration came out unexpectedly so all the attendees were taken aback and many didn''t believe their ears.


    "Think about it. All your teams are currently struggling to make ends meet and most of you are already nning to disband your groups as soon as the mandatory period expires.


    Some of you might as well be leaving this profession for good given how bad your luck has been so far." iterated Legs as his enchanting red eyes gazed around the auditorium.


    "Because you lot do not have any backing and no sources ofrge funds to keep carrying on, most cannot even get your weapon and armors repaired.


    Although our work differspared to the adventurers¡­ fighting people and monsters is unavoidable.


    The maintenance cost and your own expenses are hard to cover just with a few clients within a month.


    On top of it¡­ there''s no guarantee of life and zeropensation is provided to your families if you die during a job.


    Compared to adventurers¡­ Mercenaries live in a harsher and cutthroat world." exined Kahn.


    His words struck the nerve of everyone present because that was their truthful situation at the present moment.


    Just then, some of the unhappy people who had the habit ofining spoke in return.


    "And what? All of our problems will be gone just because we join your guild?


    So what if all of you are peak grandmasters? There are plenty of Mercenary Envoys in Alfheim with more than 10 grandmasters.


    Yet, even they don''t dare to form a guild. So who are you guys? Can you promise any safety for our future?


    Why should we join just because you offered us some money toe here?" questioned a human among the crowd who seemed to be a peak master rank mage.


    "Yeah! He''s right! There''s no profit or job security in it. Nothing has changed anyway." rebuked a violet tigerkin archer.


    Legs had already expected this rebuttal. There were always pessimistic people who would refuse any help because of their prior experiences.


    Some people among the crowd showed their will to join the guild but then started bargaining for advantageous conditions. Most of them being aware that the group standing on the stage needed them more than they needed these grandmasters.


    "Even a lone saint can only form a Mercenary Envoy at best.


    So what if you''re all peak grandmasters? It won''t ensure any great future for us to join your guild." said an elven Thief ss individual.


    "And once a guild is formed, it cannot be disbanded for the next 6 months as per the rules.


    What if you fail to provide for all of us with work?


    We will have to ept only measly jobs and won''t be able to feed our families let alone ourselves." stated a purplemia knight with her tone filled with concern.


    "All right then. I should rid you of all of your concerns." said Legs with a confident smile.


    The next moment, Loki aka Ceril formed a red patterned istion barrier and epassed the entire auditorium.


    The magic ss individuals were quickly shaken to their core because they sense the quality and rank of the spell instantly.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    "Then what about now?" said Kahn with a charming and mischievous smirk.


    Loud noises rang across the hall and everyone present finally found out the truth about why Legs was so confident in his ims.


    In front of all of these people¡­ stood 8 Saints!


    ----------------


    All these mercenaries present in the auditorium were already grasping at straws to make a living.


    And now that there stood 8 saints in front of them, none could believe their eyes.


    Many people were bbergasted and no one dared to speak another word. Just a single person among these 8 saints was strong enough to kill them all with their saint pressure alone.


    As far as guilds went¡­ normally, even one saint was good enough to form a reputable mercenary envoy in Alfheim while two were more than enough to form a reputable Mercenary Guild.


    But now there were 8 of them¡­ and Raiden aka Omega also seemed to be a 3rd stage saint himself. This instantly changed their opinion about the proposition made by Legs.


    "I did my research. There are a total of 43 mercenary guilds in Alfheim.


    But only 27 of them have a saint as their leader.


    Only 8 of them have more than one saint in the guild.


    And finally, there are only 3 guilds that have more than 5 saints." stated Legs loudly.


    "If we''re added to the list and when the firepower is counted¡­


    We would be the 2nd strongest guild in Alfheim." he stated in a stern voice.


    "So think about it¡­ once the news spreads¡­


    It won''t be us in the need for clients, rather people wille flocking towards us." he said nonchntly and gave another semnce of hope to these people.


    Just then, Raiden stepped forward and spoke in a rustic voice.


    "We will take care of the big ones.


    All of you can deal with small ones within your capabilities. This way, no one has to die while biting more than they can chew due to desperation and funding won''t be an issue for the guild." he spoke while releasing his aura of a peak 3rd stage saint.


    Another voice then resounded in the hall.


    "And even if you do not participate in the work, we will give you other jobs such as running errands, protecting our assets, providing guard duty. As long as you''re doing what''s expected of you, everyone will receive small percentage of profits as monthly bonus regardless.


    Which should be enough to feed yourself and your families." spoke Scorpion, a masked and hooded assassin saint who was actually Ronin.


    "So¡­ who wants to make money without risking your lives?" asked Dante aka Jugram in a stoic voice, sending a chill in their spine.


    At this moment, Legs had not only given them a ray of hope during dark times when they were struggling to afford a single meal a day but also promised them confirmed wages.


    This lucrative offer was like a godsend opportunity for most who had been living with an obscure vision of their future.


    So instead of getting pressured or feeling threatened, the majority of the attendees stood out with exhrated expressions and shouted in unison.


    "Count us in!"

 Chapter 707 Making Arrangements

    Chapter 707 Making Arrangements


    After the mind-boggling revtion about all of the hosts being Saints was revealed to the attendees, most of them quickly agreed to join the guild these powerhouses were forming on the spot.


    Why?


    None of them were new to this profession. They already knew the importance of powerful fighters like Saints who stood at the pinnacle of strength in the world. Even in the Zivot Empire, there were only 103 saints among the poption of 3.2 billion people.


    However, these monstrous beings rarely joined the Mercenary profession as most used their strength in either military or other fields of the ruling structure to gain prestige and benefits.


    So a single saint was already rare but 8 were akin to gods bestowing their blessings without restraint.


    Also, given their own battle prowess, skills and ranks all these attendees had¡­ 90% of them wouldn''t even qualify to join a guild led by so many saints in the first ce.


    Thus, the majority took upon this offer because no way in hell would they get another opportunity like this.


    "Alright, alright. Those who want to join, form a line in your row order.


    Those who don''t, take the promised amount and you may leave." spoke Legs.


    Everyone orderly formed ques and started signing Contracts of Employment and also received the signing bonus.


    Here, unlike the Rakos Empire... no one used the Blood-binding contracts.


    Rather, they used the ancient elven method of Lifespan Contracts.


    In this method, instead of a body part, one''s life force was at stake. The breach of contract by the guilty would reduce their life by the number of years mentioned in the contract.


    And this varied on the grade of the Lifespan Contract that had a range of 10 years, 20 years and 50 years; going from low, high and supreme rank respectively.


    This was their version of Blood-binding and Blood-oath token. The higher the rank, the more lifespan could be added to the contract.


    ----------------


    The procedure carried on without any trouble and ended in 3 hours. However¡­ Some people still didn''t sign.


    But Legs and the group were unaffected because he had already expected this oue.


    Not all people came with the intention to join in the first ce.


    Some had their own arrangements and means to survive while others were either going to act like informants and ry the information about the events of this gathering to other envoys and guilds in Alfheim.


    In a way, this was still a good thing for Legs and their soon-to-be-established guild to get fame and be popr in themunity.


    As for those who tried to cause trouble for them¡­ Kahn and thepany had fucked over 2 empires already with his actions and involvement.


    What the hell could these pesky little guilds do to those who once ruled over millions of people?


    And finally as the evening came, Legs visited the mercenary association.


    ----------------


    Thud!


    Legs dropped a small heap of employment contracts on the desk.


    "So you did manage to do it. I''m impressed Mr. Ragnarsson." spoke Logan as he smoked a cigar and offered one to Legs.


    "And what''s the next procedure? There should be a fee to register and stuff, right?" asked the elf on the other side of the desk as he too lit it up and leisurely enjoyed the distinctive scent that packed a punch in both his mouth and mind.


    "Given how you have a total of 634 members, the price would be close to 200 thousand Purple Itikar." dered Logan after tallying a few things.


    Purple Itakar was the highest denomination in the Zivot Empire''s currency structure. 1 Itikar being equivalent to 100$ on earth.


    "That much? Just to get certified and legalized in the business?


    Man, you guys really swindle us poor and needy people. Can I get some discount?" cajoled Legs shamelessly.


    "There''s no room for bargain. This isn''t a vegetable market.


    Besides¡­ there''s a problem." responded the brown wolfkin executive associate in a serious voice.


    "I''m listening." said Legs without any worry.


    "My superiors¡­ 3 of them are Elves and 2 humans who have held those positions for decades now.


    Normally, when a big-shot client wants mercenaries to work for them, these people favor the guilds they have under-the-table arrangements with.


    The association gets their cut but my superiors also get their share from the guilds for bringing in a huge source of ie.


    A new guild means dividing big time and prestigious clients because new guilds often approach and steal away those clients from already popr and well-established guilds." exined Logan who had the voice of an old man.


    "So you mean approving my guild is a conflict of interests?" asked Legs with curiosity filled in his eyes.


    "Yes. If one is well connected to them, they''d get you approved within a day.


    But if you creating a guild poses a threat to their potential ies¡­ then they''d stall you for months in the name of technicalities.


    This business¡­ is very unfair." iterated Logan as he sighed.


    "I see.


    And I assume approving a new guild also gets you some rewards as well. That''s why you''re telling me this, right?" asked Legs with a coy smirk.


    "You''re a smart person, Mr. Legs. It is indeed the case.


    That is why I''m telling you this inside information. To smoothen your situation that is." replied the wolfkin.


    "Mr. Vargr¡­ I do not have the time nor the will to y mind games and politics with these people.


    Instead of making friends with them and losing too much money investing just to please these people and receive a few breadcrumbs¡­ I tend to work differently.


    So I have another proposition. This should be a win-win situation for both of us." spoke Legs and leaned forward as Loki who stood behind him isted the room under a barrier.


    Legs then told Logan a n that just hatched in his mind.


    "Nonsense! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!


    How could you do that?"ined Logan in a voice full of disbelief.


    "Arr¡­ Mr. Executive Associate, you should know what kind of strength we possess by now, right?" asked the elf gleefully.


    Suddenly, Logan''s expression turned grim.


    "I have heard." he said with an incredulous expression.


    Because among the mercenaries who attended the gathering, he sent a few of his own people to the auditorium.


    [This elf isn''t simple. More than a mercenary, I feel like I''m talking to a businessman and war strategist.


    He''s cunning, ruthless and doesn''t even trust me. He already saw through my initial ns.


    They''re all saints and destined to make big waves after their debut as a guild. That''s why I wanted to deepen our ties.] thought the wolfkin.


    His initial ploy was to use the higher-ups as an excuse to make Legs feel cornered and then make thetter reliant and indebted to himself.


    So that in the future, he''d see Logan as his only ally in the association. With that happening, Logan would also get to catch a few fish in the pond.


    [But now¡­ he''s taking the initiative instead.


    The idea he proposed¡­ it''s radical. But also beneficial to me as well. However, I can''t blindly trust this elf.


    This Legs Ragnarsson¡­ is a very calctive person who sees 10 steps ahead.] he recollected his thoughts because soon, things might get out of hand.


    "So what do you think?


    Who do I have to deal with first?" asked the Elven saint whole smoking the cigar like a connoisseur.


    "My direct superior in this department¡­ the Chief Operating Executive.


    You get rid of him and we won''t have to worry about anything." responded Logan.


    "Give me all the details. I''ll be thorough." said Legs and took out a pen and paper from his space ring.


    "How are you going to do it? You''re not going to kill anyone, right?" asked the wolfkin cautiously.


    "No such thing. We''re honest people in an unjust world.


    Besides, how I solve our problems shouldn''t be of any concern to you.


    You just have to provide the intel." said the elf in ck and blue longcoat attire.


    Logan then wrote down everything he knew about this superior of his who would cause them troubleter.


    Both Legs and Logan wanted to get rid of an enemy even before they stood in their way.


    Legs and Loki left the association and came to their suite.


    Just today, they had used up all the money and were left penniless at this point. Yet there seemed no sense of urgency on the elven saint''s face.


    Because the n he proposed would not only help them progress in their objectives to establish themselves in Alfheim quickly but would also solve a lot of their adversities too.


    ----------------


    When the night came, Kahn and Ronin appeared in the northeastern end of Alfheim, in a region where only the noble ss lived in their pristine and luxurious mansions in widespread properties.


    Soon, they infiltrated inside a particr estate using Invisibility and Phase Shift, facing no obstacles as they passed through walls and all forms of protection barriers and magic formations.


    And finally, they stood inside a master bedroom where they saw a figure sleeping soundly.


    "It''s nothing personal."


    Spoke Kahn as he looked at the person who was going to be their victim. His soft and gentle voice masking theck of empathy in his eyes.


    "It''s just good business."

 Chapter 708 Harmless Crime

    Chapter 708 Harmless Crime


    Inside a wide building with 10 floors, were thousands of people either working their daily jobs or they were people who came to do transactions. This massive building with intrinsic and pleasant architecture colored in red and white was one of the 3 biggest banks of Alfheim named as the Vikjah Bank, meaning ''The Fortress'' in shor, the ancient elvennguage.


    On the topmost floors where the top officials of the bank worked, a room akin to the office of a billion-dorpany''s CEO had a quiet yet very tense atmosphere.


    "How may I be of help, lord Xelvar." spoke a well-dressed elf with sses as he bowed respectfully towards the person sitting across his desk.


    This middle-aged elf was the Deputy General Manager of the Vikjah bank but even someone of such a prestigious and powerful standing was talking respectfully to the visitor in front of him.


    A golden-haired obese elf adorning a red and yellow coat with blue straps on his shoulder who had a double chin and round face spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "I havee to do some ''checking'' on behalf of our President.


    We heard some news that your bank is no longer safe for us to keep doing business with you."


    "What? My lord¡­ there must be some misunderstanding. I''m sure someone has been spreading lies.


    We''re definitely far more secured even than the other two top banks of Alfheim." responded the deputy general manager, hiding a bit of anger and disdain in his mind.


    But he couldn''t talk back because although he was an Elf¡­ the young and oversized elf in front of him was actually a High Elf, someone with the family lineage of the High Nobles ss.


    "Oh¡­ So are you implying that my uncle is a fool who sent me on a useless errand without gathering valid information?" asked the noble high elf to the middle-aged manager.


    "No! I didn''t mean it like that. Please, be at ease, my lord. Your money and all the assets are safe with us." said the manager in an obedient tone.


    "I''ll be the judge of that. Let me take a tour of your safe house and see if our information is wrong or not." said the fat elf in an overbearing tone.


    "But my lord¡­ that''s against our policy. Only the acting president of your association can be allowed to do so." he responded in a calm voice.


    "Is that so? Then do you want me to report to my uncle that there''s indeed something wrong and that''s why you wouldn''t let me inspect the safe house?


    Tread carefully, Mr. Manager. This could be thest time our organizations speaking with each other." said the high elf with an offended expression.


    The deputy manager had a constricted expression for two reasons.


    One, he couldn''t afford to defy or offend the high elf who seemed to be in his 30s because of their social standing. Just a single word from thetter could get him out of the job since the organization he presented was one of the top 2 clients of their bank.


    Two¡­ he couldn''t recheck the story this person told because of the familial ties he had with the President of the organization this high elf represented.


    After thinking for a while, the former could only give up and nodded in agreement.


    30 MINUTES LATER


    The deputy manager brought the noble high elf to an underground facility that was 8 floors below their main building.


    As they walked inside and followed 3 to 4 methods of certifying the manager''s identity and passed through a group of guards, magic cannons directed at the entrances and the protection barriers¡­ both of them finally arrived at a 1 kilometer wide and securelypartmentalized floor.


    Here, there were thousands of safes as well as a few hundred fully armored guards holding high-grade weapons, varying from different jobs and ranks.


    Most of these safes held a lot of private and incriminating belongings of powerful people who wanted no one to find them.


    The tour continued for quite some time and finally, they reached a ce where the bank minted their own money.


    This was a part where the money that had to be released in the market would be made and then get registered before they spread it in the economy.


    Unlike how things worked on earth, the verified banks in the Zivot Empire had the rights to create their money for day-to-day transactions. But the condition was that it was done under the supervision of the imperial ns and the Ministry of Economics who also worked for the imperial n itself.


    "Alright, I''ve seen enough.


    I conclude that our money and assets are in safe hands. My uncle would be pleased and so will the other officials of the Mercenary Association." spoke the high elf as he walked with heavy steps.


    [Pleased my buttocks! Who the hell are you to judge our capabilities, you heap of meat?!] cursed the manager in his mind.


    This was a total waste of time for him while he should be doing more important work instead of acting as a guide for a spoiled noble.


    But he kept his misgivings in his mind and put a smile on his face as he escorted this man back to the entrance.


    However, without him or any person working in the minting section realizing¡­ something, or someone¡­ walked out of a void crack at one of the dark corners.


    While the duo of elves was heading back to the entrance of this guarded facility, the fat elf also revealed a light smirk as they ascended to the ground levels using a crystalline ssed magic lift.


    As for the figure who appeared out of the void crack, he had a tall stature and waspletely covered in a ck cloak and was masked toe to toe to the point one couldn''t even tell his species.


    Soon, a dozen more individuals appeared out of his shadow and all of them were well cloaked just like the former.


    "Master¡­ are we going to steal all this money? Wouldn''t that greatly affect innocent people of this city who have ounts here?" asked Ronin telepathically.


    "That was never my intention, Ronin.


    It''s called stealing when you take away something that belongs to someone else.


    But it is not stealing¡­" replied Kahn with a smirk as he revealed his real intentions of infiltrating here.


    "If you print your own money."

 Chapter 709 Financial Problems

    Chapter 709 Financial Problems


    The heist had begun after one of Kahn''s doppelgangers used the appearance of the high elf while adorning thetter''s clothes that they took from the noble elf''s mansion when they infiltrated it under the cover of night.


    Meanwhile, they had already portrayed his character perfectly while the metamorphosis abilitypletely hid Kahn''s existence as a fake. The real Kahn on the other hand was following the doppelganger through the True Dimension ever since they entered the bank.


    This allowed them a perfect opportunity with no forceful entry and finally, Kahn had sessfully infiltrated one of the most secure ces in Alfheim easily.


    A few hours had passed since Kahn, Ronin and Assassin subordinates from the Legion army had sessfully taken control over this floor.


    First, using Earth Sense skill¡­ they removed all modes of rm systems, detection barriers, recording devices and dmissioned the guards silently. No one outside this underground floor even knew that their most secure ce was currently going through a heist.


    Kahn then threatened the workers to keep working in the mint and carry till they received an order from him.


    During this process, Kahn and Ronin had modted their voice and theirpletely cloaked and well-covered figure didn''t reveal their faces or even their species. One couldn''t even tell if the enemies were humans or elves or any humanoid hybrids.


    There were new entries and guards came as part of their shifts but their group easily neutralized them and forced them to respond that everything was alright in the mint.


    In the meantime, Kahn received his aura as a semi-saint to these people and acted like a tyrant by beating some guards from time to time so no one would get any ''funny'' ideas.


    Unlike the denominations of other empires Kahn had been to so far¡­ Itikar also had invisible runes and mana signatures hidden in them simr to how Serial Numbers worked on notes to check the legitimacy of the notes. So it took longer than expected.


    There was already an enormous amount of hard cash stored and within 24 hours, they minted and ''runed'' the desirable amount.


    All of this wealth was unregistered in the system and was to be circted in the economy soon.


    But this legitimate money wasn''t part of the system yet and Kahn didn''t steal anything else from the locked chambers and lockers because he didn''t want to make an enemy of the big guns of the empire who''de after him for their precious belongings.


    Finally, he made everyone faint using war dominance, amplifying his aura and then pulled everything inside his Dimensional Domain with just a single tap of his foot.


    Later, Kahn dressed as one of the guards and left the bank without leaving a trail. This way, even if the bank brought in some Space Magic expert, they wouldn''t be able to track him furthermore.


    Kahn felt no regret doing this heist because he wasn''t actually hurting anyone innocent this way except for the corporation which minted money when the top 1% needed it while taxing themon citizens extensively to make up for the defaulted money or tax fraudmitted by powerful people.


    Banks worked mainly on credit instead of hard cash. Thus the money was only 200 million itikar and Kahn printed 300 million in one day, making him the owner of half a billion itikar without even working from the bottom like he had to in Rakos Empire years ago.


    And since no jewelry or belongings of high-level clients kept in lockers were stolen¡­ even the bank would be forced to keep the matter inside their close circles.


    Plus the bank wouldn''t announce it to the world because they''d lose all their customers if things were stolen right from their most secure treasury. Then who''d even keep a single coin in this bank?


    As for the aftermath of this heist¡­ Kahn was looking forward to it.


    ----------------


    The Next Day¡­


    There was utter chaos in the top management of the Mercenary Association.


    The COO High Elf was arrested by the imperial authorities under the charges of aiding and abbeding a heist. Of which he had no idea of till the royal guards came into his office.


    This arrest suddenly put even the President of the association and everyone managing all the departments of the association in shambles.


    In the high elf''s office, some of the unregistered stolen money was found and the clothes Kahn wore yesterday were also shown to be half burnt as if the obese elf had tried to erase the evidence.


    As for the stolen¡­ created money, Kahn and the gang had spent most of it yesterday for their new guild building big enough for now as well as all the supplies needed tost them for the next few months easily.


    Hard cash couldn''t be tracked easily if it was used for transactions before it was reported missing.


    Kahn in his Legs appearance himself hade to witness this arrest as one of the attendees in the main hall.


    He felt no regret in using this fat elf noble as a scapegoat for the job because they had investigated his history beforehand.


    Thanks to good ol'' Nepotism, this high elf got his position only because he was the current President''s nephew and thus got the job despite not having the skills and brains for it.


    In the Elven Empire, a High Elf who never even held a weapon in their entire life could be named as the General of the Military just because of their lineage even if there were hundred war veterans with experience and wits for it.


    Sexual harassment of the female employees, even forcefully making employees to serve in his private affairs that had nothing to with the association business, money embezzlement, favoring his partnered guilds as well intentionally causing the downfall of many mercenary groups and envoys to make them submit to his allies¡­ he had done it all.


    He always dumped all the work on his associates, Logan Vargr being one of them; while living leisurely as he only ate like a pig and enjoyed the pleasures of life.


    But no one had raised a voice because of how things worked in Zivot Empire where High Elves reigned supreme.


    Even now, due tock of evidence, he''d get to leave the custody soon with a p on the wrist since he was part of High Noble lineage.


    But he''d have to leave the position to make a disy of faith to the bank. And with him gone, there''d be a struggle for the vacant position.


    As for the politics and struggle for power that was toe¡­


    Kahn had no interest in it because now, he had solved their financial problems for now.


    And the next objective being the top of the list.


    Establishing the ''Misthios'' guild.

 Chapter 710 lnside the Closet

    Chapter 710 lnside the Closet


    A serene environment filled with lush greenery and strong winds was currently covered under the pristine white as the two bright moons spread their tranquility in the atmosphere.


    At the very center of the capital, was the residence area of the imperial family which had many mansions and pces that were the most secure ces in the entire Zivot Empire.


    One of such pces was a familiar site where the Hero''s Party had their meeting very recently. This white and yellow pce was one of the most beautiful buildings that represented the epitome of elven architecture, filled with 4 tall towers that touched the sky and looked down upon all the other constructs in peripheral view.


    "Mmmhhh¡­ You''re being so rough today."


    A feminine voice of a naked elven woman with fully developed physical features that would allure any male regardless of race or species resounded inside a heavily guarded room at the top of one of those four towers.


    "What can I do¡­ you''re looking too beautiful today." spoke a slim figure who was clinging to this elven woman from behind as their naked bodies were clinging to each other.


    "Oh, my love¡­ it''s you who makes me this way." responded the elven woman as she looked behind.


    Two individuals had their hot breaths colliding against each and finally locked their lips. The other being behind this female elf belonging to the same gender.


    Their salivating tongues twirled around each other''s as thetter''s hands ran amok the big and plump mountains on the chests of the former as she started caressing them gently and ying with those curves as she grabbed and squeezed them.


    "Ohhh yeah!" the more endowed elf woman slightly moaned.


    "Ahh!" she let out a grunt as the other woman licked and then yfully bit the former''s earlobe.


    "He he! I know all of your weak spots." said the other woman.


    "Give it to me¡­ Eleanor." said the woman being pleased.


    The other elven woman indulging in the act of ''Elopement'' was none other than the princess of the elven empire.


    "You asked for it Myrienne. Don''t regret itter." said the princess as she teased the elven woman who was being yed with.


    If one could recognize the other woman, they''d instantly remember her as one of the female members of the Hero''s Party who was also present at the recent tea party.


    Eleanor revealed a mischievous expression and tightened her grip and pinched the pink resin on Myrienne''s mountainous melons.


    "Oh yeeeaahh!!" moaned the recipient but quickly, her mouth was filled with two fingers of the princess as Eleanor then bit her neck, leaving a hickey.


    Myrienne muffled under this pain, yet her expression was that of relishing as she enjoyed this pain.


    Panting!


    Panting!


    Both elven women had their bodies turned hot and a red tinge appeared on their cheeks.


    Smooch!


    Another session of intense kissing started as they yed around with each other''s tongues and bosoms at the same time.


    10 Minutes Later¡­


    "Remember, your body belongs to me." said Eleanor and put on a lubricated ck strap-on over herher region.


    Myrienne on the other had a flushed yet expectant gaze as if he greatly yearned for something.


    The princess then let out ascivious gaze, her eyes filled with lust as if she was a predator who wanted to devour this woman in front of her.


    "Be patient. If you want it¡­ you''ll have to beg for it." said the princess and widened Myrienne''s hips, going down on thetter''s sacred monastery.


    "Haaaaeeee!


    Oh my God!" moaned Myrienne as Eleanor stretched the former''s estate and ran her wet tongue across the bodacious elven woman''s Grand Canyon.


    "Mhhhh!!"


    "Aaaahhh!" Grunted Myrienne as Eleanor wantonly licked and sucked her round ''holy spot'', showing no restraint.


    Myrienne had a flushed expression and red tinge on her face as he enjoyed one of the most fundamental desires of living beings.


    Finally after a dozen minutes, she was left catching for breath as Eleanor had invaded and conquered the territory.


    "I can''t wait any longer¡­ do me! Ravage me, princess!" eximed Myrienne as she was aroused to her peak.


    Eleanor grabbed her chin and kissed her again, devilishly biting the tip of Myrienne''s tongue. Instead of feeling pain, thetter received another rush of dopamine and started breathing heavily.


    "Do it like you always do."mended Eleanor with an evil grin.


    "Myrienne wants Lady Eleanor''s intense love!" she begged, unable to resist the temptation anymore.


    This seductive voice instantly turned the princess'' expression akin to a domineering woman and she pulled Myrienne closer. And finally¡­


    The ck Eiffel Tower on the strap-on invaded the great Wall of China.


    "Oh god, yeessss!!


    Yes, yes, don''t stop!!" thumping noises of flesh banging against each other as both women went all out and started enjoying the ecstasy in their own ways.


    One liked to dominate while the other preferred to be conquered.


    Soon, the princess'' chamber was filled with thrusting noises and the incessant sound of groans filled with joy and kissing.


    15 minutester, the positions were changed and now, Eleanor pulled Myrienne''s hair from behind for some reason while thettery on her stomach on the bed.


    In the following moments, a lot of ''pping'' noises resounded in the room as the women continued their erogenous act.


    Thwap!


    Humping!


    Moaning!


    p!


    "Owweee!!" moaned Myrienne in pleasure as Eleanor rose her speed and horsepower and the consecutive attacks in the enemy''s weakest opening.


    "Oh yes!! Oh yes!!


    I''m Cumming!" shouted Myrienne as she reached her limit.


    "Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!"


    A loud moan filled the room as a stream of fluid erupted like Niagara Falls.


    The sweaty and exhausted bodies had been doing it for 2 hours already without a stop and finally reached the peak of contentment.


    After half an hour of rest¡­ Myrienne spoke with a smug grin as she looked at Eleanor.


    "Now my turn."


    ----------------


    4 HOURS LATER.


    After having their hearts filled during the sacred ritual¡­ both the elven women wore white robes and walked out to the balcony, reveling in the beauty of the night.


    "How long do we have to hide it, Eleanor?" asked Myrienne.


    "I don''t want to hide it either. But we have no other choice.


    Given both of our heritage and the customs of our empire¡­ they will never allow us to be together in the open." said the princess.


    "That¡­ I havee to terms with.


    But I hate it when you have to look at him like that." sheined but with a cute smile.


    "I do too. That halfbreed dares to think that I can be won over by flowery words and care about a trash like him." she said with a disdainful look.


    "I''m close to a century older than him¡­ how can I, princess Eleanor Sar Insalor Venric, can be tempted & won over by a mud-blood just because he''s a chosen Hero?" she spoke as a scornful gaze appeared on her face.


    "But what can we do?...


    In our customs, females are only objects of political marriage and means to produce heirs.


    The men can fuck around 100 whores and still gets to act holy and people of chivalry.


    And we on the other end have to protect our chastity for our entire lives for someone who we have never met or seen before our marriages are arranged.


    How can High Elves be so advanced in magic and knowledge but yet so limited in thinking?"ined Myrienne.


    "It is what it is¡­. We have to perform our duties regardless of what we think.


    Maybe I can change a few things one day." said Eleanor with a calm and determined countenance.


    "My father will die within the next 30 years. After that, I will inherit the imperial throne." she dered.


    "But what about him?" asked Myrienne quickly.


    "''He'' has been missing for 200 years now. If I''m not wrong, he''s most likely dead.


    Which makes me the only heir in line of session since my uncle can''t be the emperor as he discarded his im to be the Abbot all those centuries ago." iterated the princess.


    "But the Elven Emperor ss and the High Kings ss won''t ept you as the Empress.


    There has never been a female elf sitting on the Elven Throne." spoke Myrienne with a helpless expression.


    "I have a way¡­ although they want me to be close to him for the sake of binding him to the imperial family¡­ if my ns go the way I want, I may be able to rule the empire one day." spoke Eleanor.


    "How? By epting him as your ''King Consort''?


    Would you really go along with the orders from the Emperor and your uncle?" asked Myrienne, showing a dejected face.


    "There are no free things, my love.


    This is an equivalent exchange.


    Faking my love for Ervalen and making him my pet would serve us both better in the long run.


    I know that sorry excuse of a hero only likes to put up a front. Controlling him won''t be a problem because I know his biggest weakness. And that is¡­" she revealed.


    "He is starving for Love and Attention."

 Chapter 711 The Opening Ceremony

    Chapter 711 The Opening Ceremony


    3 DAYS LATER.


    In the eastern section of Alfheim at the time of night, an estate spanning 2 kilometers in radius which consisted of several buildings with multiple floors and wide open grounds in some sections came into sight.


    The atmosphere was filled with loud noises and a crowd of more than 600 individuals of different species chatting and singing loudly was revealed inside thergest building of them all.


    The scenario was of the feasting and celebration and the main cause of this joyous asion being the¡­


    Official opening ceremony of the Misthios Mercenary Guild.


    The current ce of this event was actually the new main headquarters of the Misthios guild that Kahn and the group bought a few days ago.


    This 2 kilometers wide estate had multiple buildings and even living rooms allocated for all the members of the guild with every facility avable to them.


    This was one of the requirements for a guild. That every new guild had to have a base headquarters and their mercenaries should be living in it.


    There were also a few buildings dedicated to departments such as medical care, food halls and armory in this establishment.


    On the left end, was an open training ground for the members where they could train and fight together as a team because it was the most important part of the trade.


    Whether one had to guard an envoy or kill an enemy force¡­ both types of battles demanded teamwork and understanding of each other as fighters and as a person. So this was a part that couldn''t be skipped no matter what.


    Kahn and the group had officially received the approval to set up the guild after all the documentation and necessary formalities were verified.


    Because in the meanwhile after Kahn had sessfully performed a heist and made half a billion in a single day¡­


    Logan had gotten into an advantageous position after the high elf COO was kicked out of his post and the matter was still being investigated.


    Logan was now the interim senior executive temporarily and received the authority to approve a guild based on his judgment.


    Although this position was most likely to be taken away until the association found another capable person¡­ or more likely another ''elf'' for the job, Logan would hold the reign.


    Kahn as Legs had already instructed the brown wolfkin on what to do in the small time frame where he had ess to the sensitive matters of the top brass.


    And soon, they''d start the real work without anyone ever finding out that the leader of the Misthios guild was the main culprit all along.


    With this, Kahn created a strong ally in the association and also solved their current financial problems in a single shot.


    ----------------


    The merry celebration and the feast continued in the hall as everyone ate to their heart''s content. Although this was a members-only party, the way these people wolfed down the meat and delicious food made Kahn question his previous conceptions of this civilization instead.


    "I hope this doesn''t turn out like the Red Wedding."


    At the end of the grand hall that was to be their main assembly hall where all the important announcements regarding the guild would be made from now on; was a long and wide table where Legs and the othermanders of the guild were seated and exchanging conversations with the members who came to make a small chat.


    As for the structure of the guild itself¡­


    Kahn divided the members based on ranks.


    Each group was made based on sses and abilities that aided them in a battle.


    Currently, the members had the order from F Rank to S Rank.


    Some groups have their team Captains who were given that position based on their rank as fighters and experience in the trade.


    ----------------


    As the celebration wasing to an end at the midnight, a group of 5 people, all of whom were at Peak Grandmaster rank signaled each other through eye contact and then walked towards the sitting arrangement where Kahn in his Legs appearance was enjoying an aromatic wine as he reveled in the sweet and sour taste.


    As these people came forward and stopped in front of the long and wide table, all the attendees suddenly stopped


    "What is it?" asked Legs in a carefree tone.


    "Leader Ragnarsson¡­ now that every member of the guild is present here, we''d like to talk to you about something." spoke a stone-skinned swordsman whose head looked like a chameleon but had a wider mouth with sharp teeth akin to a crocodile.


    "Speak." said Legs and munched on a big piece of sulent meat ced on his golden te on the table.


    "We feel that we need to alter a few terms of the contract in good faith. It will also help us bring in more people to the guild and spread its fame." said an elven mage donning yellow robes.


    "Oh really? What do you propose?" queried Legs with an anticipating gaze.


    Soon, the 5 members started talking about how to create different groups and hand them particr areas to live in based on their prior connections, areas of expertise and knowledge of different parts of Alfheim.


    They also talked about expanding the guild''s reputation and some incentive for members if they brought in new people and had them join the guild.


    Legs and the saintmanders listened to this suggestion. However¡­ their expression wasn''t that of joy or approval.


    Rather, all of them revealed a slightly gloomy countenance.


    "Do you represent the will of everyone else present here?" asked Legs in a soft voice.


    All 5 representatives nodded together.


    It didn''t take a genius to guess that all of them had banded together and then making these ''suggestions'' wasn''t out of coincidence. There was some sort of hidden motive going on here.


    However, in the following moments, the elf ironborn''s eyes turned red, fuming with anger.


    Someone had orchestrated this whole thing from outside and was just using these people as an excuse.


    So this was a time to react instantly.


    "Ah¡­ this is so exhausting." frowned Legs and the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    Legs used War Dominance aura and instantly put unbearable and leaden pressure on all the members who were previously enjoying the feast; the 5 representatives on the other hand also received the edge of his immense killing intent.


    Legs'' ck and dark red aura was so terrifying and chaotic that no one could even breathe properly.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Right in front of everyone¡­. More than 800 elemental greatswords appeared out of nowhere and floated above their heads as if one blink of an eye and they''d sh them apart in two.


    Kahn was currently a 2nd stage saint now.


    His limit was 1000 swords using the Sword Emperor skill which was a saint rank version of Sword King. And he was forced to use it on not his enemies but his allies instead.


    His gaze then turned grim and infuriated as he looked at all the people around the hall.


    "I gave you fuckwits a helping hand when you were struggling to make a living.


    I already gave you lot a signing bonus and offered terms favorable to you and your families in case you die on the job.


    But now you fucking ingrates are already demanding more than what I offered?" refuted Legs in an angered voice as he jeered all the members.


    "The guild hasn''t even received our firstmission and you''re already talking a big game.


    Or are you still under the impression that we need you?" he asked, his stern and domineering voice reaching all their ears.


    "Didn''t I make this clear?


    We will deliver on promised terms as long as you do what you''re told to do.


    Who the fuck said you have a say in the decision-making of this guild?!" bellowed Legs as he stood up and gave a death stare to all the members.


    "You''re bound by the contract. You can''t abandon the guild for the next 6 months.


    I don''t care what arrangements or rtionships you people had before this.


    But this isn''t a ce you y family.


    Follow the protocols we set and your life will be easier.


    Make unnecessary trouble and you''re easily receable!" he dered in an overbearing and authoritative voice.


    Legs then retracted his saint pressure and let everyone breathe again.


    This action of his turned the whole environment of joy into a scary scenario.


    But the elf felt no regret in doing so.


    Kahn had no ns to be a righteous leader or cared about these people.


    This was a give-and-take rtionship for both sides.


    They needed the numbers to form a guild while these people needed strong leaders to make a living.


    If anyone started voicing their opinions or forming factions in their group, the guild would fall apartter¡­ like how Democrats and Republicans divided the country.


    A monarchy was often what maintained order andw more than the free will and voice of the people in the world of Vantrea.


    Thus Kahn had to set a hierarchy from the very beginning.


    [Ronin, change of ns. Create new teams and put everyone in different groups as well as rece their living quarters.


    Nobody should be in a group with any of their former friends and allies from their previous teams before they joined.] ordered Kahn.


    To hismand, Ronin spoke his own opinion.


    [But master¡­ It will bring instability to the guild.]


    [It''s worth the wait. Reformation takes time but it''s better if we get rid of the problem before it causes any trouble.


    These lots will get ustomed to working with each other in time and we won''t have to worry about them creating factions in the guildter.


    I don''t have time to deal with these petty mind games, dramas and quarrels inside the house.


    Our goals are beyond their understanding.] ordered Kahn.


    [I will arrange it so.] responded Ronin.


    ----------------


    The next day, a secret letter arrived at Kahn''s new mansion where he and the subordinates lived for now.


    Ronin came and handed him a letter.


    "I guess today is going to be our official debut." spoke Kahn after he read the contents of the letter.


    Because this was the most crucial part for any mercenary guild that was formed.


    Their First Client.

 Chapter 712 First Client

    Chapter 712 First Client


    At the time of the sunset, Legs was sitting in his new office in the main headquarters while the newly hired staff for official paperwork and management was arranging things in order, a woman dressed in ck and velvet attire simr to that of a flight attendant walked in and informed about the arrival of an important individual.


    Step!


    Step!


    A set of footsteps echoed in the hallway as a group of people steadily walked in through the door.


    Legs got up and weed his new guests.


    This was their first client, and on top of it, they belonged to a particr species.


    Qebika.


    A species native to the Elven empire that was unlike anything Kahn had seen in Vantrea so far.


    Because the members of these species were nothing but humanoid figures madepletely out of white and translucent mist.


    Kahn had learned about this species during his time when he was conducting extensive research on the Zivot Empire.


    Qebikas were one of the very few species in Vantrea that did not have a core inside their bodies.


    Due to their physical state, they could not form a core, had eyes or any facial features. Every member of this species was akin to a walking talking miniature tornado. Just that the intensity of the mist in their body was negligible.


    As for the way they reproduced¡­ when 1 Qebika died, their body would be split into 4 parts and 4 new orbs of mist would form.


    These newborns needed intense care and suitable situations to grow up otherwise they''d die soon. Thus, the Qebika were a united species, always looking after each other and working by joining hands to preserve their species.


    In front of Legs, stood 3 Qebika, all adorning white robes with golden outlines and a hood over them.


    "Pleasure to meet you. I am Legs Ragnarsson, the leader of the Misthios guild." spoke Legs and raised his hand, making a gesture of creating an imaginary wave of water.


    The Qebikas on the other end were taken aback. Although no one could guess their expressions, it was evident that they were moved.


    All 3 of them greeted Legs in the same way. In reality, this was how their species greeted each other.


    Not many people cared to follow this custom so Legs taking the liberty to follow their customs left a good impression.


    All 4 of them then sat on the luxurious sofas at the meeting section of the room and the one in the middle spoke.


    "My name is Ruben Landograv. This is Hariv Mastograv and Zipon Tervigrav." the client introduced himself and the others.


    Even their voices carried an aftersound of gales of wind.


    "So tell me, Mr. Landograv¡­ what can I do for you?" asked the elf in a nonchnt voice.


    Soon, the group started telling Legs about their situation and what kind of help they needed.


    The 3 Qebika were part of the same n and were the owners of 3 differentpanies who worked together and did the import and export business from different ends of the Zivot Empire and brought their collective goods to trade in the capital.


    However, in the past 5 months, their envoys were attacked by a group of armed pirates along the way many times and all their belongings were stolen.


    During a few incidents of retaliation by their side, the pirates killed thousands of their guards and workers who were only doing their jobs.


    "This has happened 4 times already. And now, close to two thousand of your workers have died at the hands of those pirates.


    During thest attack, we learned that the other side has a 2nd stage saint as bandit group leader." spoke Ruben in an exasperated tone.


    "Every time, our travel route is leaked and the flying ships carrying out goods are besieged and stolen." said Zipon, the 3rd Qebika.


    Legs heaved a sigh and queried a few things.


    "Why didn''t you hire other mercenary guilds with saints then? Even if the imperial authorities take long to respond, the guilds would''ve done the job for a fair price."


    "We did, 2 of such guilds with saints did take up the job to protect our envoys¡­ However, both lost their saints stationed on the job.


    After that¡­ no one tried to ept our offer." said Hariv, the 2nd Qebika.


    "There are obviously stronger guilds with even more saints. What did they say?" questioned Legs with a curious gaze.


    There was no shortage of capable mercenary guilds who had stronger saints as well. So the client not hiring them raised suspicion in his mind.


    "The truth is, Mr. Ragnarsson¡­ They charge too much.


    Given the losses we''ve incurred recently along with thepensation we had to provide to the families of the deceased employees¡­ We don''t even have even half the amount left they''re asking for themission." spoke Ruben, his defeated voice signifying their precarious situation.


    "Mr. Logan Vargr said you''d be ''understanding'' of our situation." suddenly, Zipon spoke in a hurried tone as if he was agitated.


    Legs then nodded in response.


    By ''understanding'' these Qebikas meant doing a favor to them and cutting a cheap price for the job.


    This was like making a desperate plea and Legs knowingly cutting off his profits.


    But these Qebikas were their first client and he needed to make some sacrifices to establish themselves as a capable guild for now.


    "Normally, that''s no way to do business but since Mr. Vargr sent you in good faith¡­ I''ll make a preposition." said Legs with a yful smirk.


    "Half payment in Itikar & half in SS Rank cores. What do you say?" he asked.


    "How many?" queried Hariv


    Legs then showed them 5 fingers of his palm.


    "5 million? That much?" Zipon asked in a worried tone.


    "Don''t be so surprised¡­ People like you need hard cash more than materials to barter with someone.


    The more cash you save, the more transaction money you will have for future deals.


    Doesn''t that appeal more to you than just cores that are used in machinery, day-to-day life & appliances?" asked Legs carefreely.


    "But SS Rank cores are amodity for the rich. Especially for people of high standing and powerful forces.


    What use do you have for them?" asked Zipon again.


    "That''s my part to worry about. So tell me¡­ what is your decision?" asked Legs.


    "We agree." spoke all 3 Qebikas in unison.


    Theirs was a desperate situation and no one was willing to help them for half the price. In many ways, they were hanging by a cliff at this moment. So this deal seemed more suitable even if it came with a high number of mana cores and ores.


    "Good. Then I''ll send two of my experts." said the elven leader of the guild.


    p!


    p!


    Legs pped his hands twice and two figures instantly appeared in the room, standing behind him.


    "Meet two of my reliablemanders." spoke Legs in a merry voice as he introduced the two generals who were to handle their first job.


    "Dante & Loki"

 Chapter 713 On the Job

    Chapter 713 On the Job


    Legs introduced Dante & Loki, who were actually Jugram and Ceril in their new personas. Both generals stood proudly behind the chair Legs was sitting on, revealing domineering nature through their gazes.


    Jugram as Dante now had crimson red hair falling to his shoulder and red iris in his eyes while Ceril as Loki had long white hair, falling close to his chest as his blue eyes also came into sight.


    Both thesemanders of the guild were donning their respective armors and gears made by Albestros back in Rakos Empire.


    "These two will do the job." said Legs as he introduced the two saints behind him.


    However, Ruben spoke in a concerned voice.


    "How? Both of them are only 1st stage saints. The enemy leader is a 2nd stage saint.


    Are you just taking it too casually because we''re paying less?" asked the Qebika leader in a straightforward tone.


    But in response¡­


    "You don''t need to worry about that.


    Although they may seem weaker than that said pirate group leader¡­


    Believe me, they''re very capable fighters." chuckled Legs.


    "But if we want to get rid of the enemy¡­ we need to lure them out first without risking your goods and the lives of your employees." he proposed.


    All 3 Qebikas nodded. Too many lives had already been lost because of these pirate attacks.


    Legs then told them his n.


    "But what if the n fails? We''re also putting our lives at risk here." spoke Zopin in a discontent tone.


    "Then I won''t ask you for a single note of Itakar.


    You also won''t have topensate me for any of my losses either." responded Legs with a confident and charming smile.


    The three Qebikas didn''t know that although Dante & Loki were only 1st stage saints¡­


    They were already close to a breakthrough in levels. And on top of it¡­ both of them were fairly capable of fighting a 3rd stage saint on their own.


    Thus, a secret arrangement was made between the Misthios guild and the Qebika clients.


    ----------------


    The Following Day.


    Hundreds of massive flying helicarrier made with elven technology and craftsmanship were carrying loads of merchandise in crates and boxes through amon traveling route. This massive envoy carrying close to a thousand personnel was heading towards Eletnall, the capital of the Zivot Empire.


    This was amon and widely popr route towards the capital used by peopleing from Alfheim. Thus, the security provided by the imperial authorities was tight.


    However, the captain ship which was leading the envoy suddenly changed direction and headed left, the rest following behind it.


    The crew on this main ship was actually the new mercenary members of Misthios guild dressed as normal staff and workers while Ruben, Hariv and Zipon were in the main cockpit, waiting along with Dante and Loki.


    The merchandise crates were empty, just for disy under Legs'' devices and apart from the pilot crew, only selective individuals were the normal employees.


    After half an hour, their flying envoy finally appeared through a deste forested region that they never used before.


    But suddenly¡­


    Swoom!!


    Swoom!!


    SHRILL!!


    Humming sounds rose intensely and soon, a couple of enormous white and ck patterned warships suddenly rose high in the sky, revealing themselves on the other side of mountains just 5 kilometers away.


    "Just as we expected¡­ There was a mole in your enterprise who leaked the secret route we were taking this time.


    That''s why these pirates were waiting here so leisurely." said Loki in a soft yet creepy tone.


    "We''ll handle things from here." said Dante and both saints disappeared from the spot.


    They both appeared at the wide and long deck and gazed at the warships tagged along by a dozen flying ships that were heading towards their envoy.


    "You know what to do." said Dante and prepared himself.


    "Man¡­ I want to kill some people. This isn''t fair."ined Loki as if he was bored to death.


    "Just do what you''re told to do.


    Master sent us both to cover both defense and offense at the same time." spoke Dante, paying no heed to his fellowmander''sints.


    "I can do both of that." rebuked Loki.


    "Not without revealing your identity as an Undead Necromancer or your Darkness elemental skills." scoffed Dante.


    "You sure you don''t need my help?" asked Loki again, this time¡­ not having the slightest worry in his eyes.


    To his question, Dante only chucked lightly.


    "Since when have I ever needed someone''s help in fighting against an army?" he spoke and lunged high in the air.


    "Alright then. Do as you wish. Just remember what master ordered us to do¡­


    Leave none alive." he said in a mischievous tone.


    A few secondster, Dante''s figure appeared in the middle of both groups.


    "Now!" hemended.


    Loki who stood on the deck quickly stomped the bottom of his scepter and in just 10 seconds, he cast a thick red barrier that rose high in the sky and quickly epassed all the flying envoy like a round dome in a 2 kilometers radius.


    But due to this protection barrier he made, no one could see what was happening outside.


    "What the hell are you doing? Your ally is fighting them alone outside!


    How are you going to defend us?!" mored Ruben from the cockpit, his voice reverberating inside the entire barrier.


    "Don''t worry¡­ it''s not us you should be worried about. It''s them." responded Loki with an insidious grin.


    At this point, even the members of the guild who hid their identities as employees were curious because they had never seen any of theirmanders fight before.


    But right when everyone was lost in thoughts¡­


    BOOM!!


    A massive crimson-red aura exploded outside the protective dome, sending most of the pirate flying ships a few meters backwards.


    And at the center of this massive and chaotic eruption filled with hellfire, Dante''s transformed figure was revealed to everyone.


    Suddenly, his hair turned shoulder-length white.


    Two long and pointy horns came out of his forehead and formed a band. These horns were full of blistering red fire and looked like hot magma was running under them.


    Shing!!


    A massive red giantsword appeared in Dante''s hand while an armorprised of ck, red and yellow appeared over his body.


    Just now, Dante aka Jugram had reced the old armor that they wore for normal work and day-to-day lives.


    And after more than a month, he summoned them again. These were his new biggest trump cards in a battle.


    Balrog and Ares.

 Chapter 714 The Pirates

    Chapter 714 The Pirates


    Jugram floated in the sky, giving an indomitable and fierce gaze towards the approaching army of warships and flying ships of the pirate crew whilst equipping Balrog armor and Ares giantsword. And now, he was free to use his most powerful skills without turning into his true Diablos legendary rank form.


    On the enemy side, one of the 100 meter tall warships was the main captain ship where the leader of this group, who was a 2nd stage saint was seated in. He carefully observed Jugram''s aura with a skeptical countenance.


    "He''s a 1st stage saint but that armor and giantsword gives off a very dreadful feeling.


    Let''s not waste time here.


    Charge all our cannons and kill him in a single shot!" analyzed andmanded a broad figure in the main cockpit.


    Tung!


    Tung!


    The metallic cannons on the sideways of the warships and small artillery guns at the front of the small flying ships started charging different elemental beams and shots as they targeted the Hellzer general.


    "Bringing guns in a fight against me¡­ so primitive." spoke Jugram in a jarring voice.


    He raised Ares high in the air and released the Sword Emperor skill.


    Shing!


    ng!


    Clink!


    Before the warships even managed to charge themselves fully, over 400 massive crimson red giantswords, each being 10 meters long suddenly appeared above his head, almost forming a small hurricane as they floated clockwise.


    "Attack!!" ordered the leader of this pirate group.


    BOOM!!


    BANG!!


    All the guns and cannons shot their bullets and elemental beams, attacking Jugram with all their force.


    A massive red cloud burst and spread in the surrounding 1 kilometer region, sending dozens of shockwaves as the sky and the ground was covered in red light.


    The trees on the ground were uprooted and trembled just from the aftershocks as the entirety of the 2 kilometers region was devastated after the explosion.


    Many among the pirate crew sighed in relief as a rush of victorious feeling swept over their minds while the people inside the dome, who couldn''t see what was happening outside, were bing afraid with each passing moment.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Finally, the cloud of fire subsided and a grim voice echoed.


    "Is that all?"


    A tall 20 meter wall made of 400 aura giantswords appeared and behind it was Jugram,pletely unscathed.


    "What the¡­" the saint leader of the pirate group had his eyes wide open in shock.


    "Alright then¡­ my turn!" eximed Jugram and the very next moment¡­


    Another burst of crimson red aura spread in the surrounding 3 kilometers,pletely epassing their battlefield while leaving the envoy behind him untouched.


    Massive and fervent waves of hellfire spread and covered both the ground and the sky.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    The temperature inside this battlefield suddenly rose to 500-degree celsius and all the trees instantly caught fire as wide pirs of hellfire erupted from the ground from hundreds of ces, some even directly hitting the hundred or so flying ships.


    Hell Domain!


    Jugram had activated his Hell Domain.


    "Arrghh!!" shouted a human among the pirate crew as his skin started drying at a rapid pace and then the clothes were getting overheated, making the vast majority sweat profusely in just a dozen seconds.


    Soon, most of the fighters started feeling the scalding heat in the atmosphere.


    Anyone without good quality armor and ice elemental ss was getting roasted alive while the flying ships started malfunctioning because of the instant rise in temperature.


    Jugram had crucially overturned the situation just by activating his domain. But the next moment, all of his aura giantswords pointed their pointy edges towards the enemy group and started attacking.


    In the meantime, half of the summoned weapons encircled the flying ships, leaving no room for escape as Jugram himself lunged at the main warship.


    He quickly activated Blood storm and like a rainstorm, the blood from the dying enemies flew towards his body.


    With each passing second, his body was absorbing the blood and his Strength Stat was rising rapidly.


    sh!!


    Jugram made a horizontal sh and a massive and wide elliptical wave of hellfire struck a flying ship and burned the entire crew alive as well as destroying the ship.


    Jugram was a variant True Demon with Chaos Element. The more people died in a battle against him, the stronger he became.


    In just 5 minutes, his Strength Stat doubled and then he used the Blood Sacrifice skill.


    This time, it was Ares who started sucking in the blood from the enemies and the dense deathly aura around the giantsword rose by a huge margin.


    Soon, the Limit Breaker skill took effect and all of his stats rose by 2.5 times, making him reach his peak strength while hundreds of people were dying just by being present inside the hell domain.


    In the meantime, the stronger opponents started attacking him but failed tond any injuries because Balrog armor had an in-built defense of a dragon''s body. Even a powerful attack from a fellow saint wouldn''t be able to kill him in a single strike.


    "Run!!"


    "Retreat!!"


    Dozens of people of different species mored in fear as the madman saint fiercely attacked their ships and wantonly massacred their fellow pirates, opposite of what one would expect when surrounded by thousands of enemies.


    Wails and screams of helpless people resounded in the surroundings as both Jugram and his summoned swords absolutely shed apart and destroyed dozens of ships in just a few minutes.


    It had only been 5 minutes and more than 400 people from the enemy side were dead. However, these were the weakest among the bunch who had subpar skills and armors. Yet they aplished their job¡­ that was making Jugram strong enough to face the real enemy.


    Just then, a 100 meter tall ginormous ck and white colored fist appeared in the sky, descending with unfathomable might as it targeted Jugram with extreme killing intent.


    BOOM!!


    A dreary and loud sh echoed on the battlefield, the aftershocks vibrating the ships and the ground equally.


    But the enemies were simply bbergasted as they saw the aftermath.


    The massive fist was stopped midair by Jugram¡­


    With his bare hand.


    And right then¡­


    "Who the hell are you?!" a begrudging and loud voice echoed as a middle-aged man with ripped build and long brown beard appeared in the sky.


    "Dante Surtrsson of the Misthios mercenary guild.


    Who am I talking to?" responded Jugram and waved his left hand, sending the massive fist crashing on the ground below.


    "I''m Stephen. Leader of the Panda Raiders pirate group."


    The 2nd stage brawler saint who had two epic rank gauntlets equipped announced his identity as well as the name of the pirate readers¡­ raiders.


    "For some reason¡­ I do not like those two names in a single sentence." spoke Dante and gave a deathly stare.


    [Who is this guy¡­] wondered Stephen but just then¡­


    [Dammit! He has a legendary rank armor and weapon. Who the hell did we mess with?!] he quickly asked himself.


    Legendary rank armors and weapons were extremely rare even among the Imperial n of the empire. But Dante using them during the battle meant he was someone with deep background and high standing.


    Well¡­ that was nothing but a deduction made by the pirate group leader.


    "You killed my men and damaged my ships¡­ there''s no way you''re living out of here alive!" mored Stephen in rage.


    To his deration¡­ Dante replied only with a smirk.


    "Let''s dance."


    ----------------


    30 Minutes Later.


    The scene of the battlefield hadpletely changed.


    Almost all of the battlefield was charred and filled with smoke, many ships and both warships were destroyed beyond recognition.


    sh!


    Snip!


    One of the aura giantsword shed a group of 5 in half instantly, spreading their entrails and half-torn bodies on the floor of a ship.


    Simr scenarios urred where Jugram''s giantswords were cutting the pirates in half, chopping them vertically from the head and having their brain-matter sttered on the floor.


    Some Demi-Humans had their fur burnt first till they were roasted alive due to the scorching hellfire while many magic ss fighters had their barriers and skills broken into smithereens, killing them effortlessly.


    Their cries for mercy resounded loudly to the point that even the people inside the protective barrier made by Loki could hear their agonizing screams.


    At this point, all their weapons and armors were melted into liquid form and as for their leader¡­


    "Blergh!!"


    Stephen retched a chunk of blood as his lower half and little friend was turned into squashed tomato under Jugram''s foot.


    And finally¡­ All the Panda Raiders were brutally massacred.


    Thanks to his own abilities, Jugram was nowparable to a 3rd stage saint after killing more than 2 thousand pirates and because of Hell Domain and Wrath of Vajra being in effect, his enemy was no different than a 1st stage saint in front of him.


    Jugram had shattered his leg bones, both of his arms and then pulled his gauntlets out of his hands.


    "Man¡­ I fucking hate pirates." said Jugram in a ghastly tone as he revealed his peak bloodlust.


    He turned over the wailing Stephen who was screaming in agonizing pain and begging for mercy¡­


    "Arrgggghhhh!!!"


    A terrifying scream echoed, sending shivers to everyone who heard it as Jugram shoved that gauntlet inside Stephen''s ass.


    This time¡­ the pain was so unbearable that Stephen fainted on the spot.


    "Tch! So weak. He couldn''t evenst for 3 minutes." said Jugram in a disappointed tone.


    Step!


    The following moment, Jugram stomped on Stephen''s head and crushed it to paste, coloring the ground red as the brain matter spread like crushed watermelon.


    "Alright¡­ let''s do the thing." he said and started using his saint pressure to gather all the bodies.


    ----------------


    5 minutester¡­ Loki removed the protective barrier around the envoy.


    But as soon as he did so¡­ all 3 Qebika clients along with the members of the Misthios guild were shocked to their core.


    A burning ck battlefield with charred trees and white smoke was revealed to everyone.


    And in the center of this destroyed area¡­ there was a ck throne mended out of burnt bodies, bones and ashes.


    A man with crimson red hair was seated on it like a king.


    At his moment¡­ Everyone realized something. This wasn''t a fair battle.


    But a Death Sentence.

 Chapter 715 Corporate Espionage

    Chapter 715 Corporate Espionage


    The Following Day.


    Legs was seated in his new mansion as he met Ruben, Hariv and Zipon again in his office after yesterday''s brutal massacre of enemies.


    Due to the group of enemies being pirates, now held them ountable for defending their own lives and thus, the firstmission as hired bodyguards was a clean sess.


    Legs gazed at the three Qebika clients who hade to visit in his main office.


    "Thank you for your help, Mr. Ragnarsson.


    Your warriors have indeed helped us greatly. Now, we will be able to go back to our previous lives without worries." spoke Ruben, his voice revealing a satisfied and confident feeling.


    The next moment, all 3 of them took out a small box filled with elven space rings and handed them to Legs.


    "Half in Itikar and half in SS Rank mana cores and ores as per our agreement." spoke Zipon.


    Legs nodded and Scorpion, who stood behind him took the boxes.


    "Well, we did only what were supposed to do in the first ce. It was a pleasure doing business with you." responded the elf guild leader dressed in a ck and blue longcoat.


    "However¡­ I don''t think this whole thing is over.


    There is still a mole in your organization." he iterated in a stern voice.


    "But now they can''t do anything to us, can they?


    I mean¡­ the pirate group targeting us is already finished. So there won''t be any harm from now." said Hariv in a curious tone.


    Step!


    Step!


    Just then¡­ the man of the hour who saved the day walked in.


    "I wouldn''t say that, esteemed sirs.


    Those pirates were extremely well-geared and equipped. Their leader had Epic rank weapons as well.


    Those things can''t be acquired easily." spoke Dante in a stoic voice.


    Legs then chimed in and continued in a grim voice.


    "I''m afraid they weren''t pirates.


    But hired goons by your enemies." he iterated out of nowhere.


    Gasp!


    "What do you mean?" asked Ruben.


    "They had Warships and hundreds of flying ships.


    And think about their leader himself.


    Which saint in this empire would be so stupid as to lower himself to be a pirate group leader when he could be in a position of authority because he was a 2nd stage saint and a Human at that.


    He could easily work for high nobles or join the military. His life would''ve been full of prestige and luxury. Yet he went as far as specifically targeting your envoys and merchandise for the past 5 months.


    What does this tell you?" asked Legs after revealing some hard facts about the situation.


    "You mean?..."


    "Yes. You''re being targeted by a powerful enemy.


    A business rival or corporation I presume." stated Legs confidently.


    Soon, he started stating some more facts about the attack and how the people from the authorities didn''t help their respective organizations, making the 3 clients even more afraid for their lives and the future of their business organizations.


    "Please, Mr. Legs. You have to help us!" pleaded Ruben, the other 2 nodding with him.


    "I will¡­ if we can carry on with our previous arrangement.


    From now on, I will send Dante and Loki with your envoys whenever you make such big transactions or travel to the capital." assured the elven ironborn.


    Few more details were discussed and the clients left with a sense of relief.


    The Misthios guild didn''t just be a mercenary guild but a Savior in their eyes who helped them in times of peril when others didn''t even bother them to give a nce because of their economical problems.


    ----------------


    Finally, it was only Kahn and Ronin in their alternate personas left in the office.


    "So how do we find the mole and the people targeting them?" asked Ronin in a curious voice.


    But to his question¡­ Kahn let out a devious smile and chuckled as he responded.


    "That''s the neat part. We don''t."


    Ronin reacted with a curious expression.


    "Why do you think I told Jugram and Ceril to not leave anybody alive?" asked Kahn with a grin.


    "So they won''t have anyone left to investigate.


    And after we revealed this fact about someone intentionally targeting their business¡­


    The clients will be reliant on our guild for protection." he revealed his true intentions.


    "And since this arrangement of half payment with Itikar and half with SS Rank cores benefits them¡­ they will keep doing business with Misthios guild for a long time." spoke Kahn as he startedughing.


    In a way, Kahn made their First Client as their long-term customer just by working for them once.


    "I see. Then what do we do from now on?" asked Ronin again.


    "Spread the word about our arrangement with the 3 Qebikas and their business organizations.


    And how one of the 1st stage saintmanders of our Misthios guild single-handedly killed 2 thousand enemies, destroyed 2 warships, hundreds of flying ships and killed a 2nd stage saint by himself.


    Use people from information organizations or criminal groups of Alfheim to spread this matter to the poption and big corporations." ordered Kahn.


    This was just one of the main steps he had nned a long time ago.


    "Once people confirm this from the 3 Qebika clients and their organizations¡­


    People will give more thought about us instead of giving preference to other guilds since they''d save half the money and only spend extra cores they have ess to." Kahn exined his reasons.


    SS Rank cores were rare in Vantrea no matter which empire.


    But powerful ns, noble houses and top leading business organizations in goods and manufacturing sectors had nock of them.


    1 SS Core was 10 times more potent than S rank core. But absorbing them depended on a person''s capability who had invoked magic and fighting sses.


    For other Saints, 1 million SS Rank cores would be enough for 2 to 3 years for them topletely absorb.


    But for Kahn and his subordinates who had Chamber of Exaltation along with Energy Plunderer skill¡­ the same amount wouldn''t evenst for a month if they seriously cultivated.


    The current resource Kahn and the gang had wouldst them only for a year and provide a rise in ranks and levels only by one.


    Thus, they needed money only for the management of the guild but their main goal was always the SS Rank cores and ores.


    Even hunting inside Dungeons would give them mostly low-quality cores and ores at best. This was more waste of time and resources instead of gaining anything significant.


    This was also one of the main reasons why Kahn decided to open a Mercenary guild instead of bing an adventurer this time.


    ----------------


    "So tell me¡­ what have you found about the people who targeted us before we even made our debut?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Ronin handed Kahn a report and all the details.


    "Master¡­ How do we deal with this? They too have Saints."


    "Isn''t it obvious? We''ll send a message." stated Kahn as he revealed his next step.


    "The one that will set an example."

 Chapter 716 Setting An Example

    Chapter 716 Setting An Example


    In the evening of the same day.


    On the opposite side of the Alfheim was another guild headquarters mostly filled with red and green colored buildings while thousands of mercenaries and normal people who were customers, roamed the perimeter of this 5 kilometer wide settlement.


    LNP


    That was the name of this Mercenary Guild which was also currently the 2nd strongest guild in Alfheim because of its rich history and therge number of 25 thousand mercenaries in the guild.


    From low-levelmissions for local merchants to high-end customers such as business corporations of different sectors¡­ This guild had its ws stuck in all ces.


    This guild was the 2nd biggest and strongest guild in Alfheim for one big reason. And that was the number of their saints.


    7 Saints.


    LNP guild had seven powerful saints as their main leaders in management. Before the debut of the Misthios guild, they had the 2nd highest number of saints in a guild.


    Even so, the current Misthios guild was nowhere close to their level despite the lineup of saints.


    As the two suns set in the sky, a massive building with 5 floors was revealed. And at the end of it, was the President''s main office.


    "So it didn''t go as we nned, huh?


    Looks like their guild leader is a very cautious individual." spoke an Elf adorning red and blue attire and his aura revealed his rank of a 4th stage saint.


    "We can keep trying with other methods, President." responded a human with a schr-like appearance who himself was a 3rd stage summoner ss saint.


    "Our people contacted the new guild members of the Misthios guild even before it was approved.


    If not for our connection in the Mercenary Association suddenly getting abdicated from his position and the C.O.O., we would''ve stalled their debut for months before getting rid of the group entirely.


    I had our members tell the guild members of the Misthios guild about how many top-notch guilds offered extra money for bringing new mercenaries as part of the incentive.


    But I guess their leader didn''t fall for that." revealed this human summoner.


    With an indignant expression, the president responded in a hoarse tone.


    "Vice-president Ranobes¡­


    That Legs Ragnarsson seems like a smart person.


    He saw this thinging from a mile away when his own guild members demanded this rule to be added to their contacts.


    I don''t think we are dealing with someone new in the business.


    Rather¡­ that Iroborn seems very experienced in this trade." he iterated with a dissatisfied expression.


    The duo inside this office were the main culprit behind the incident caused during the opening ceremony of the Misthios Guild.


    They had goaded most of the members of the newly formed guild into presenting the incentive to the main management.


    On paper, this seemed like a good opportunity for guild members to gain extra cash and also help a newly found mercenary guild quickly acquire more members and gain more firepower in the meantime.


    But the experts in this profession knew the real truth.


    Carelessly adding too many people to the guild in the long run¡­ it''d reduce the quality of members as the guild grew in size.


    This would make the entire guild''s foundation hollow from the inside right from the beginning.


    Many starting guilds and envoys used this ''Incentive'' method to increase their numbers and gain fame but they had no idea of the aftereffects that would show up a lotter.


    This had affected many guilds in the past and then¡­ Most of them had no way to deal with it unless they cleared the majority of the guild members from within or disbanded the guild itself.


    The already-established guilds also used this method to get rid of thepetition and neers quite often.


    It was like leaving a Trojan horse to destroy Troy.


    ----------------


    Inside the main headquarters of the Misthios guild, Kahn was facing Omega and Ronin, his right-hand man and left-hand man respectively.


    Although it looked like Ronin found out the real truth about who was targeting them¡­ but it was Kahn whoid down the trap himself.


    On the night of the celebration, Kahn as Legs let out an outburst of anger to subdue the voice of new members who proposed the incentive idea to be added in their contracts.


    During that time, he also exuded his dense ck and red aura that filled the entire assembly hall.


    But unbeknownst to all the guild members who felt like they''d die any moment under this insurmountable saint pressure¡­


    Kahn used the nket of darkness to send his Assassins from the Legion force who directly worked under Ronin inside the shadows of every member present during the celebration.


    They were ordered to report who contacted their members if they met again.


    Soon, the people of the Misthios guild met other people who talked about the incentive and how great their own guilds were, trying to persuade them again to propose this idea to top management.


    Through these meetings, the assassins then hid in the shadows of those people and found it was the members of the LNP guild who orchestrated these encounters and told them the setting.


    Misthios guild members were innocent of this and had no idea. This setting also didn''t breach their contract because they weren''t harming the guild with malicious intent knowingly.


    The LNP guild was just trying to poison the roots of Misthios guild since the very beginning.


    "Alright¡­ it''s time." said Kahn and all 3 of them disappeared from the spot.


    ----------------


    The Next Morning.


    The Elf President of the LNP guild suddenly received an Emergency Transmission.


    "No!" he eximed in disbelief and quickly left the building, appearing at the front gates of the guild headquarters.


    A crowd of thousands of mercenaries and customers alike was gathered at the front gate, mostly baffled and murmuring among themselves.


    Because at this moment, there was a pike stabbed in the ground. And above this pike, was a detached head.


    "Ranobes!"


    The president shouted in grief as he looked at the terrified expression of their Vice-president whose head was hung like a beacon and deration.


    Below this head was a stone te and a warning written in blood that even made the 4th stage saint feel a chill in his spine.


    "Next time¡­ it will be your head, Mr. President."

 Chapter 717 The Guildmaster

    Chapter 717 The Guildmaster


    Two Days Later.


    The word about the murder of the vice president of LNP guild had spread like a wildfire in the entirety of Alfheim.


    Whether it was normal people,w authorities, adventurers associations or even small mercenary teams; everyone heard the news of the 3rd stage summoner saint being killed and his head put on a pike while making a public disy in front of the guild''s main entrance.


    But even the imperial authorities andw enforcement officials who came to investigate, couldn''t find a single clue about who and how they killed Ranobes.


    Plus the deration targeting the President of the guild himself aroused even more suspicions and changed the direction of the investigation.


    The motive behind the murder appearing to be an act of deep hatred and vengeance to many.


    Even those who had nothing to do with this matter or got affected by this incident remotely started making assumptions and theories of their own.


    Like who was so brazen and courageous enough to dere a war on the 2nd strongest guild in the entire city?


    What did the President do for someone to kill their vice-president out of rage and without fearing the consequences?


    And there wasn''t even a big battle. How could a 3rd stage saint die so easily?


    On the other hand¡­ This news itself shook the entiremunity of mercenaries guilds, envoys and teams.


    Even other top guilds became wary of this and tightened their own security as a precaution.


    Although the Elf couldn''t talk about the truth to anyone and had many enemies¡­ he already knew whose deed this was. However, he could do nothing else than y the part of an oblivious fool.


    Because he''d have to exin exactly what they did and how they targeted Misthios guild just because they felt insecure about an emergingpetitor.


    This sort of practice was already deemed hical and if the truth got out¡­ it would greatly damage their reputation in the whole Alfheim.


    Sometimes¡­ Glory and Fame could also be your Chains and Weakness.


    The 4th stage Elven President was shaken and full of grief after the death of the Vice-president.


    He and the Ranobes built this Mercenary Guild from scratch when they were young and rookies in this trade.


    Both were outcasts of their respective ns a few decades ago. But fate brought them together and they became lifelong friends.


    At this moment, the president of the guild swore to himself¡­


    "Misthios guild¡­ You shall know my vengeance."


    ----------------


    Among the regions surrounded by the sky-touching and ginormous trees ced in Alfheim, there was a 10 kilometer wide region filled with naval boats, trading outposts for sea products and bartering facilities for merchants and customersing from different regions of the empire.


    Additionally, this region wasn''t under the domain of imperial authorities or anyrge business corporations who handled the economy of this settlement¡­ rather, it was actually the main headquarters of a mercenary guild.


    A wide building colored in blue and yellow that was surrounded by dozens of 3 story buildings and lush greenery incorporated with the architecture came into sight.


    This was the main building of the top management of this mercenary guilds. And in the main office of their leader¡­ was a 6 feet tall figure with long brown hair and multiple blue tattoos on the face, arms and legs, was working quietly.


    Behind the main desk, there was a big ck battleaxe carefully ced in a rack while the owner was busy going through a lot of paperwork.


    Swoosh!!


    A gentle gust of wind shook some of the papers on the desk as a lithe figure covered in ck and brown attire while having their face hidden behind a dark yellow mask arrived on the other side of the desk.


    This figure quickly knelt in front of the leader, not even breathing loudly.


    "So what is the intel?" asked a feminine voice as the spy appeared hastily.


    "Not good, Guildmaster. Even our spies ced in LNP guild couldn''t find anything.


    However¡­ there''s even a bigger threat." spoke the spy, giving a hint of his old age.


    The one he knelt before was a 4th stage saint.


    Lagertha Skjoldottir.


    The Guildmaster of this Mercenary Guild who was also a direct descendant of the 4th Hero of Life aka Bjorn Ironside.


    Nobody dared to look down on this woman who was a battleaxe warrior.


    Because not only was she one of the strongest saints, but also the leader of the strongest guild in the entire Alfheim.


    The 12 Valkyries.


    ----------------


    The 12 Valkyries, the number one mercenary guild of Alfheim which was established only 5 years ago but took the number one position under their leader''s irondmand.


    This was a guild with the highest number of saints. And based on the name, it was a peculiar one.


    Because all the saints in this guild¡­ were Females.


    Whether one was human or an Elf¡­ regardless of their species, only female saints were allowed in this guild gained the moniker of a Valkyrie. This peculiarity also made them gain attention way too quickly, especially in the females of the mercenary profession.


    "So what happened? Are we in trouble too?


    To kill a 3rd stage saint without even leaving a trace¡­


    It can only be done by someone with more saints and powerful abilities." iterated Lagertha in ck and brown armor which was made with custom viking designs and had wolf fur on shoulders.


    The spy then replied in an obedient tone¡­


    "We don''t know about that. But there''s news spreading about a new guild named Misthios." he iterated.


    In the following moments, he exined the news of this new guild that formed only 5 days ago but became a hot topic soon.


    He also informed about Dante''s aplishments during their first ever job and how he instantly gained fame in themunity.


    "All of them are Saints. We don''t know about their ranks either.


    But they''re all ironborns just like you, leader." spoke the spy and continued in a gloomy voice.


    "The leader is an Elf with Iroborn descent." he dered.


    "What''s the name of their guild leader?" asked Lagertha in a dominant and authoritative tone.


    A vertical battle scar on her left eye and cheek giving her fierce appearance despite her gorgeous face.


    "Legs Ragnarsson." informed the spy.


    "Someone has the audacity to have the same surname as our great ancestor Bjorn Ragnarsson?


    I guess I''ll have to meet this Legs soon." spoke Lagertha as she looked out of the wide window of her office, gazing down at thousands of people under her domain.


    "Are you going to make an enemy out of him?" asked the spy with an uncertain voice.


    "Why the hell would I do that? I''m just curious.


    8 Saints, all Iroborn and making a mercenary guild at that instead of joining the military or serving High Elves of the empire.


    This doesn''t seem like some random people making a guild. Rather¡­ A super force settling their roots in Alfheim." she spoke in a firm tone, her face revealing curiosity and concern of mind at the same time.


    "Ry my orders¡­ keep a close eye on the Misthios guild.


    And do not intentionally provoke them or their saints unless necessary.


    We need to tread these matters carefully and see if they will be a friend."manded Lagertha, nning her future steps at the moment.


    "Or be our biggest Rivals."

 Chapter 718 The Second Client

    Chapter 718 The Second Client


    Kahn as Legs sat quietly inside his office while reminiscing the events of the death of the vice president of the 2nd strongest guild of Alfheim.


    After learning through their hidden assassins of Legion, Ronin reported that both the top 2 main guys of the guild were behind the ploy.


    Thus Kahn and the group decided to send a loud and clear message from the very beginning.


    It didn''t matter if the President tried to throw a tantrumter. As long as one wasn''t a 5th stage saint, their crew was capable enough to easily get rid of anyone who came in their way.


    As for the death of Ranobes, the old human 3rd stage summoner saint¡­


    The members of the legion acted as a beacon of his location and Kahn traveled using True Dimension to his location.


    However, he didn''t use Dimensional Cut to kill the saint.


    Dimensional Void didn''t leave a trace behind because all it did was connect both world of the living and true dimension as a gateway.


    However, Dimensional Cut was a condensed attack made out of Space Force. Thus, it left a signature of Space Magic when used.


    Kahn didn''t want to create a trail that could link it to them so he quietly traveled to Ranobes'' bedroom and Omega, as well as Ronin jumped out of his shadow.


    Ronin quickly used Phase Shift and Invisibility to disappear and erase his existence.


    Kahn activated Dimensional Domain, and Omega activated Gravity Domain, making the 3rd stage incapable of using 75% of his strength.


    Kahn''s Dimensional Domain was apletely different space so no one even sensed their saint pressures or auras, leaving no room for rming anyone.


    And when the saint awoke from his sleep, Kahn then used Lucid Reality.


    Although it didn''t take full effect since it didn''t work on targets who were stronger than Kahn, the saint was under an illusion for just 1 second.


    In that very second, Ronin appeared behind the saint and using the curved Erebus daggers, he cut off Ranobes'' head without a problem.


    The trio robbed all the space rings he had while Ronin stole the soul of the saint using the Soul Collector skill.


    When the suns had yet to appear in the sky as the morning came, Kahn and the group hung the head and wrote a message with the saint''s blood to dere their clear intentions targeted specifically at the president.


    This was a message to the 2nd strongest guild, showing their stance that no one could mess with them just because they were a new force in the business.


    And soon, if they willed it¡­ Kahn could reveal it to others through rumors if any other guild tried to make an enemy out of them.


    ----------------


    While Kahn was lost in thought, a human female feline-kin, the one with ears and tail of a cat while dressing in Misthios guild''s uniform walked in.


    The female with a slim build was Kahn''s official attendant.


    "Guild Leader, there''s someone here to see you." she spoke in a meek and humble tone.


    "Send them in." replied Legs.


    A human noble in yellow and ck outfit simr to Victorian-era clothing walked in through the door and humbly bowed against him.


    Legs Ragnarsson was an Elf even if he was an Iroborn. So it was a precedent for humans to show respect towards the Elves in Zivot Empire.


    "It is my honor to meet you, Sir Ragnarsson." said the human with a short mustache.


    "And who might you be?"


    "I''m but a humble messenger. I brought an invitation sent by my lord." spoke the man and respectfully handed Kahn an invitation envelope.


    Legs then read through the invitation and nodded.


    "There''s a flying ship waiting for you." said the human.


    5 Hours Later.


    Legs and two of hismanders traveled outside Alfheim and reached a city surrounded by a mountainous region and waterfalls.


    The flying ship thennded in an opennding zone and the Trio was escorted to meet their soon-to-be client if things went smoothly.


    Finally, they reached the main hall of the owner of this region who was an Exalted Noble.


    Exalted Nobles were just Human Nobles who earned a region to rule and manage by the Imperial rule after making great contributions to the empire through military or economical contributions. The one who sent Legs the invite was one of such people.


    A meeting was held in the close circle as 3 individuals from Misthios guild as guests were now facing the opposite side of the host.


    Each side having only their main leader sitting on a luxurious chair while the 2 handymen standing behind them.


    An elderly noble with an extremely long gray beard and mustache appeared on the other side.


    His wrinkled skin and round golden sses gave him an appearance of a well-experienced ruler and a businessman.


    "Greetings, Mr. Ragnarsson. This is our father and also Count of this region, Lord Horik." introduced one of the two young men standing behind.


    "It is my pleasure to be in your presence, Lord Horik." spoke Legs and slightly bowed in respect.


    The other party was a noble in the end and had a rich territory from what he had seen whileing here. So being respectful towards such a big potential client was already given.


    Soon, an exchange of information started between both groups.


    "The job¡­ is hunting a group of Legendary rank monsters that are wreaking havoc in our territory.


    Too manymoners and city guards have died or have been injured." spoke the old man.


    "How many? And exactly in which sectors?" asked Legs with a curious gaze.


    "4 of them. In all 4 directions." replied the exalted noble with an exasperated voice.


    Soon, they told Legs about what exactly happened.


    These legendary rank monsters were actually high-level dungeon monsters who escaped their dungeons somehow in other territories owned by other nobles.


    But instead of dealing with these monsters by themselves¡­ all those lords who ruled those regions redirected their course and led them towards this territory owned by the human noble.


    "This doesn''t sound right. It''s as if they''re targeting your region intentionally." spoke Legs with a thoughtful expression.


    "Ah, you''re a smart one. This is indeed the case.


    They''re from the rival noble factions. I wouldn''t go into details for your own good.


    Just know that it is our misfortune to be surrounded by people of the rival faction." revealed the old man.


    "This has happened for the 3rd year in a row. Thest two years took a toll on our treasury and we lost too many soldiers.


    That''s why we''re hiring outsiders for help this time." iterated the old man.


    "So will you ept thismission?" asked the nobleman, his hoarse voice resounding in the room.


    "Of course. But before that¡­ we need to discuss something very important." responded Legs.


    "What?"


    The elf guild leader then revealed a shameless grin and made a demand as this was the best time for haggling.


    "The Payment."

 Chapter 719 The Haggling

    Chapter 719 The Haggling


    Legs suddenly decided to discuss the payment for the job in front of the client after epting it. However, this tone was unclear about what exactly he meant by his previous words.


    However, the two sons of the Exalted Noble named Lord Horik revealed a gloomy and hateful expressions. Because they understood that Legs was going to rip them off because of their precarious situation.


    "Are you trying to raise the price?" asked the son who stood on the right of count Horik.


    "Hmph! Why am I not surprised¡­ People in your profession always demand more than they deserve based on the situation.


    I think we made a mistake calling you here." said the son on the left as he openly revealed his grievance.


    "Shhh!! Silence!


    Let him speak." spoke count Horik as he raised his right hand in the air and signaled his sons to shut up.


    "My, my¡­ please don''t be too quick to judge us, young lords.


    Based on standard rates and the severity of the job¡­ we should be asking you for 60 million Itikar.


    But since we take half payment in SS Rank cores¡­ it should cost you only 30 million.


    The rest¡­ you can pay easily in cores given how vast and flourishing your territory is even withcking funds and damage caused by those monsters.


    Isn''t that why you came to hire us instead of going to some other guilds?" iterated Kahn confidently.


    The expression of all 3 men changed the very next second.


    Because this was nothing but the truth.


    "Are you implying that we can''t pay you?" asked one of the sons.


    "No, it''s just how I do business.


    Let''s make some alterations in the payment method instead." he said and looked at the old noble in his eyes.


    "Instead of paying us in half with Itikar¡­ we''ll take only the SS Rank cores.


    As for the other half¡­ I want something else in return." replied Legs, his gaze firm and his countenance that of someone with upper in this deal.


    "Once the monsters are dead¡­ I want all 4 of their cores." he proposed in a loud voice.


    "What?! Why do you want that?" asked count Horik in a hoarse tone.


    "Even if you sell them in the market, they can fetch you 20 million at best. But I''d let go of the extra 10 in ''good faith'' if you give me the cores instead of money." responded the elf leader.


    "Think about it. It saves you money¡­ saves the lives of your soldiers and also the ammunition you would need to kill them by your own means.


    This is aplete win-win situation for your side." said the elf as he presented the most appealing offer to the clients.


    Kahn had Ranobes'' core already. They didn''t leave it for anything after killing the 3rd stage saint summoner.


    Becausest time when he had saint cores, he had used all the cores to create new subordinates for Kassandra''s safety.


    On the other end, his body had yet to absorb Axel''s divine keypletely and Kahn expected to receive another breakthrough in the uing months.


    Ranobes''s core was something he wanted to boost his levels once he became a 3rd stage saint.


    As for Rathnaar''s core¡­ Kahn couldn''t even absorb it unless he became a 4th stage saint first. Thus, arranging for greater quality resources was the top priority.


    As for the other 4 legendary rank cores¡­ why did he desire them and suddenly changed the terms of their deal on the spot?


    Because currently, many of his generals were still stuck at their levels.


    Only Ronin didn''t need cores because he still had the souls of Hero''s Party members and Axel''s soul too. His abilities allowed him to use them as a source to level up.


    But he too would need some time to see tremendous growth.


    This time, Kahn decided to not go for the bodies.


    Kahn himself already had too many abilities and he only used the most powerful and handful of them. Even looting the corpses to create new subordinates was extremely risky.


    So he had no interest in new ones unless the monsters were mythical rank beings who naturally had plenty of legendary rank skills.


    Thus he made the proposition of the cores only.


    Also¡­ Kahn''s subordinates were one of the main reasons why he was able to kill Axel and Hero''s Party in the first ce.


    Thus, investing and making arrangements to rise the rank of his subordinates was also a main priority for Kahn in the long run.


    As for the money¡­ Kahn already had half a billion. This was enough to run the guild for many years unless he expanded the guild to greater numbers and territories.


    On the surface, he was losing a lot in this sort of transaction. But in reality¡­


    He would be the biggest winner.


    ----------------


    After spending a dozen minutes discussing among themselves, the count and his sons came back to Kahn.


    "We ept this deal. Let''s sign on it first." spoke count Horik.


    They had already called an employee of the Mercenary Association to facilitate the contract. This individual was actually an underling of Logan Vargr, Kahn''s biggest ally in that department.


    Finally, both sides shook hands on the deal.


    "Who is going to do the work then?" asked one of the sons.


    Just then, a white-haired, bare-chested man with two katanas who stood behind Legs walked forth.


    Without standing at the ceremony, he revealed his aura of a 3rd stage saint being.


    "I''d like you to meet my right-hand man." introduced the elf proudly and revealed the person who was going to finish the job by himself.


    "Raiden Hrodvitsson."


    ----------------


    1 warship arrived at the northern end of this Exalted Noble''s territory, a region that was currently devasted as a Legendary Rank monster was inhibiting it.


    This was the border between two separate regions and the monster had entered through this side of the territory and already destroyed a few towns and killed thousands of citizens.


    As the warships were heading towards the site of the battle, Legs and Ronin saw too many remains of destroyed ships, troops and corpses that were beyond recognition.


    Legs then turned his head to the right and talked with the count and his sons with a grim voice.


    "Leading 4 different legendary monsters isn''t easy. Especially not for weak force and thousands of soldiers." he iterated.


    "What do you mean?" asked count Horik.


    "Leading a legendary rank monster to the direction of your region can''t be done just by attacking them.


    Because normally, any legendary rank monster would most likely retaliate and kill the armies of their attackers.


    Once enraged, they''d go on a rampage and might as well even destroy their territories out of rage." he exined.


    "So you mean, this is the work of an external force? Of only one individual at that?" asked one of the sons.


    "Yes. If my assumption is correct¡­ then all these 4 nobles surrounding either have at least a 3rd stage saint on their beck and call¡­ or rather¡­


    They hired people like us." spoke Legs without restraint.


    His reasoning was sound because he had hunted plenty of legendary rank monsters himself.


    "Don''t be so cryptic. Are you saying that it''s the same person?" asked count Horik hurriedly.


    "Maybe or maybe not.


    But one thing is sure. It''s an enemy you can''t fight on your own."


    ----------------


    The warship stopped 15 kilometers away andnded in a grasnd.


    "From here on¡­ it''s all on you.


    If your people die or something bad happens. It''s not our responsibility." said Horik in an authoritative tone.


    "Perks of the job. No need to worry. We won''t be asking for anypensation." said Legs and turned to Raiden.


    "Make it quick. We have to return to the guild by night." said the elf.


    Raiden''s figure flickered and he disappeared from the spot. The noble clients couldn''t even see an afterimage or where he went.


    In just 5 minutes, Raiden aka Omega appeared a few hundred meters above the ground and sensed a mighty and dreary existence in front of him.


    GRRRGRGGG!!


    A grunting noise resounded in the surrounding 2 kilometers of the region as a massive 100-meter-tall body woke up from its sleep as soon as it sensed an enemy who suddenly appeared in the sky out of nowhere.


    ROARRRR!!


    An ear-deafening battle cry resounded in the atmosphere as a massive green body stood up.


    This was the first time Raiden and Legs, who was seeing the scene through the former''s eyes had seen it in their lives.


    This monstrous creature had no eyes. But every part of its body was filled with vines and yellowish liquid dropped from their ends.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Everywhere the liquid dropped, the ground sizzled as if it was some sort of toxic venom that could even melt metal easily.


    [System, what monster is this?] queried Kahn.


    [The species in front of the subordinate Omega is named Salvikan. A boss-level monster only found in high-tier dungeons.] reported the system calmly.


    After the battle cry, Raiden then unsheathed Raijin and took an offensive stance in the air.


    Just then, Kahn''smand rang in his head.


    "Commence the hunt."

 Chapter 720 Commence the Hunt

    Chapter 720 Commence the Hunt


    Omega aka Raiden hovered quietly in the air as he faced Salvikan, one of the 4 legendary rank monsters that haunted this territory of their client.


    The green and gooey monster that was hundred meters tall and had hundreds of vines that dropped yellow liquid from their pointy edges took an offensive stance as soon as it sensed Omega in its domain.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    The ground sizzled as the drops of toxin burned everything it touched.


    Kahn as Legs was seeing this monster through Omega''s eyes using the Hive Mind skill and then queried its weaknesses to the system.


    After the system informed about this legendary rank creature''s weaknesses and shorings, Kahn ryed the information to Omega.


    "I see. I''ll do as you say, master." responded Omega.


    Till now, he had been hiding his levels from the monster so it wouldn''t run away instead of fighting him now that Kahn told him how to get rid of it¡­ Omega decided to reveal his full power.


    Shing!!


    BOOM!!


    A massive pir of silver aura erupted and Omega quickly equipped the Moonlight Armor.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Blue shes of lightning ran across Raijin''s de as Omega pointed the pointy edge towards Salvikan.


    "This shall be your grave." he announced and released the Bloodlust skill.


    RAWWRRR!!


    After detecting that Omega was a stronger opponent, the Salvikan bellowed. Its loud war cry trembling the ground and trees in the surrounding alike.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    It stabbed hundreds of its vines in the ground and pulled out a big chunk of soil and debris, covering them in its yellow toxin that could even melt iron instantly.


    Swoop!


    Swoop!


    It rotated its body haphazardly and created momentum in a circr motion, while the toxin-coated debris also gained speed because of it.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    And quickly, the Salvikan flung hundreds of the toxin debris at Omega who floated in the air like shooting bullets at him.


    Dash!


    Dash!


    Omega''s figure started flickering as he activated Quicksilver skill, leaving only afterimages behind as he dodged a volley of hundreds of toxin attacks.


    [So that''s how it destroyed the armies sent by the count.


    The speed and uracy of those toxin bullets are too terrifying. Even a first stage saint can''t dodge them easily without getting hit.


    Flying ships and soldiers were easy targets for the Salvikan like turtles facing machine gun turrets in a battle.] thought Kahn who was witnessing it from afar.


    Just then, he looked at Scorpion aka Ronin who now had green hair and the yellow attire of assassins.


    He gave him amand and themander disappeared from the spot, heading towards a particr location.


    sh!


    Omega activated the Mirage des skill and created over 900 elemental katanas, each being 5 meters long.


    Soon, these mirage des started attacking and countering the bullets hurled in his direction, some of them also making a protective shield that was bearing the brunt of all the attacks while defending him.


    Then he used Sword Emperor skill to summon even more aura des made from his saint pressure. But this time, all the des were of the lightning element.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    "Let''s try this¡­" he spoke to himself and started merging all the newly summoned des made of world energy and soon, a 100-meter-long blue katana which had vtile and shining lightning running amok.


    Omega quickly put Raijin back in its sheath and took the iaijutsu stance of a samurai as he half squatted and tightened his grip on the hilt.


    His eyes closed and his mind became extremely focused on the opponent ahead. At this moment, his senses discarded all the attacks and barrage of bullets shot at him, his mind trying to sense the existence of the Salvikan as if it was a moving target.


    ROAAARRRR!!


    The enemy monster ripped out a massive boulder from the ground and threw it at the elemental shield made by Omega.


    However, the very next second¡­ the massive boulder stopped midair as Omega quickly activated the Gravity Domain.


    Using Repulsion skill, he threw away the boulder to the side while the hundreds of bullets with frozen in the air.


    He used Upforce and Downforce skills to clear the way and then activated Attraction to pull the ginormous body of the green monster.


    If they were of the same level, Omega wouldn''t be able to achieve this feat. Even the temporary shield made from mirage des would''ve shattered long ago if he wasn''t stronger than the enemy. But the current Omega was at least 200 levels higher than the opponent.


    Shing!!


    tter!!


    The surrounding area froze as Omega activated Gravity Imprisonment and the legendary rank monster quickly froze on the spot, unable to move a single vine or its arms.


    Crackle!!


    Crackle!!


    The 100-meter-long lightning Katana behind him shone even brighter than before, releasing a dangerous and malevolent pressure.


    Omega''s eyes suddenly opened and his blue iris shed, he instantly activated Quickdraw skill and shouted.


    "Kaminari Surrashu!"


    sh!!


    In the next nanosecond, the massive and sharp katana followed his movement and shed through Salvikan''s neck.


    BOOM!!


    Rumble!!


    Thunderous noises resounded in 5 kilometers radius as lightning katana cut through and struck the ground below, instantly causing earthquakes and shuddering the entire region as if the sky dropped a massive bolt of lightning as a form of divine punishment.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    Hundreds of crevices formed on the ground and most of the soil and stones turned into small granules because of the destructive lightning attack.


    Swoosh!


    Omega appeared behind the massive monster''s figure and slowly started sheathing his katana in the scabbard on his waist.


    Clink!


    The moment hepletely sheathed Raijin¡­


    Thud!


    The Salvikan had its green glowing eyes wide open in disbelief as it finally realized that its head was cut off while it even failed to move a muscle.


    Thud!!


    The 10 meter tall massive head lost the light in its eyes while the 20 meter wide massive figure of the legendary rank monster dropped on the ground,pletely lifeless.


    Omega unsummoned the moonlight armor. The armor greatly rose his speed and coupled with the gravityw skills, he killed this terrifying creature that could kill a hundred thousand soldiers and even destroy warships easily from afar in just 5 minutes.


    "Good. I have finally created my own attack skill." spoke Omega, feeling joyous for sessfully performing his new skill for the first time in a battle.


    "Now then¡­ where is it?"


    ----------------


    On the other side, Legs and the troops of the count were waiting.


    Thud!


    Suddenly, the head of Salvikan dropped from the sky, it was as big as a mansion so it instantly shook the open grounds of the grasnds, scaring off the exalted noble and his forces.


    Raiden then appeared beside Legs and nodded.


    "It''s done, guild leader." spoke the dual swords samurai and looked at the noblemen who had their eyes full of disbelief.


    The group was bewildered because this battle was finished way too quickly and Omega hadn''t even suffered an injury.


    "How¡­ how did you not get injured? Our forces had too many casualties facing it." spoke Count Horik with a bewildered expression.


    "It cannot hit you if you''re too fast.


    Now then¡­" responded Omega with a stern gaze as he asked.


    "Where''s my next target?"

 Chapter 721 The Confluence

    Chapter 721 The Confluence


    The count, his sons and all soldiers from his force were gobsmacked. The head Salvikan was proof that Raiden had killed the invading monster in just 5 minutes and didn''t get hit during the battle even once.


    In their case, they had lost over 150 thousand soldiers and 4 warships to fight that very legendary rank monster and still failed, adding more salt to the wound instead of achieving their mission.


    An intense surge of realization hit count Horik.


    "Is he¡­ is he your strongest warrior?" asked the exalted noble with a perplexed expression.


    Legs on the other end nodded with a light smile.


    Sigh!


    This also assured the count and his sons that they did right by asking the Misthios guild to work for them.


    Now, even losing those legendary monster cores that were worth a fortune didn''t feel like a bad deal at all.


    What use could wealth provide if you were dead?


    The priority was to get rid of these cmities first and recuperate their losses first. Besides, the lives of millions of people were also at risk. As the leader, the count had to worry about that more than money.


    In their agreement, Misthios guild was leaving the bodies of the monsters to them, which could be sold in the market and gain a lot of money and resources to make up for their losses.


    For the first time, they felt apologetic for their haughty behavior against the elf and his guild just because they were nobles. Because people of their caliber stood at the peak of strength and skills.


    Something their status as ''Nobles'' could never help them achieve.


    Count Horik then slowly bowed towards the elf and the hybrid samurai warrior and so did his sons, no longer having a halo of superiority in their demeanor.


    Swoosh!


    Just then, Scorpion also appeared and nodded at Legs.


    "Tell your people to quickly harvest the body.


    Other people from your rival noble factions were actually keeping an eye on this battle." he informed.


    This revtion shocked the three noblemen, their hearts filling with trepidations.


    Not only did their surrounding forces send these monsters into their domain but were also monitoring their borders without them finding out.


    If not for Raiden killing the monster, the rival force could''ve used that as an excuse to invade theirnds and forcefully acquire their territory in the name of ''helping'' to kill the monster.


    This was a grave matter and they wouldn''t have found it out if not for a saint assassin like Scorpion directly informing them.


    "This way, please." spoke the old count as he led both saints towards the warships.


    One of his sons and some of their ships as well as battalions decided to stay behind to take control of the situation and salvage the body of the Salvikan.


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later.


    The warships reached a vast open region of the territory that was filled with river banks andkes. During their flight, Legs saw many towns destroyed and sunken boats that looked rotten to their core as if some sort of ailment had afflicted this region.


    "The next one¡­ we failed to kill it from time to time.


    It''s a sea serpent type of monster.


    The reason why it couldn''t die was because the confluence was toorge and deep.


    No matter how many times our forces attacked, the monster would hide in the deep waters and escape to the estuary." exined the count.


    "I see. So it was no different than having a home-ground advantage while always having a few escape routes ready." spoke Legs with a considerate expression.


    Finally, they stopped 20 kilometers away from the riverside and Raiden left to look for his next hunt.


    Omega was alreadyparable to a peak 3rd stage saint, close to breaking through to the next level.


    However, thest 5 levels were always hard to ovee for some reason and took way too much time despite having enough resources.


    Rathnaar had already exined that this was their bodies reading themselves to adapt to the next transformation of strength. This phenomenon applied to both monsters and saints alike since thews of reality were the same for everyone living in Vantrea.


    Swoosh!


    Raiden''s figure then shed in the air and this time, he hid his aura.


    The priority was to find the target and lure it into a beneficial battlefield. The closer this said sea monster was to the sea, the easier it could escape and their efforts would be wasted.


    And legendary rank monsters weren''t just brainless things who could be fooled easily. Even the Salvikan he killed earlier was smart enough to attack using the debris and shot at him with hundreds of bullets coated with the toxin in the sky. This was more than enough to kill a 1st stage saint easily.


    Meanwhile, Legs also was sharing the sight and wasmanding the samurai warrior through Telepathy Link.


    [Reveal some of your aura first. Let it think that you''re weaker and invading its territory.


    You know what to do next.] he ordered Raiden from his location inside the warship.


    Schwooom!


    Schwooom!


    Raiden followed themand and revealed his saint pressure, masking his original aura of a variant monster.


    The silver aura permeated the surroundings and after a dozen minutes¡­


    Growl!


    HISSSS!!


    HISSSS!


    First, it was growling and then a hissing sound echoed in the region.


    Soon, the noise of plunging tides echoed in the region as a massive gray body emerged 8 kilometers away at the center of a confluence of rivers.


    Sensing an external invader, the sea monster had finally decided to show itself.


    Omega sensed this aura and let out a smirk.


    Flickr!


    His image flickered and reappeared right above this sea monster''s body in the deep waters.


    6 heads with eyes, hundreds of massive teeth while breathing out yellow gas appeared out of the body of water.


    There were thousands of bone spikesing out of its body and even the chest region had a wide and deep mouth filled with thousands of sharp teeth.


    [What kind of creature is this?] queried Kahn to the system.


    [It is called Venialkarto.


    It''s a high-tier dungeon boss of Aquatic type of dungeons. Its breadth is venomous and can instantly rot and paralyze anyone who breathes it.] reported the system.


    [I see. That exins the rotten towns and boats. This monster used its breath to destroy those ces.] said Kahn.


    [Master, let me do it my way.] urged Omega as he wanted to use his own method to kill this legendary rank creature.


    [Go ahead. Just keep the body intact.]mended Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Violent mes suddenly burst in the sky as Omega summoned and equipped the Twilight Armor this time. This was his Burst Mode armor which tremendously rose his strength and overall damage output.


    And he took out Kojin this time, equipping it in the main hand while releasing the dark red dragonfire over its de.


    He looked down at the hydra-like monster that was already fear-stricken after sensing Omega''s real strength.


    Thetter on the other hand only gave a grim and murderous look at the former and spoke in a ghastly tone.


    "Land or sea¡­ there''s no escape from me."

 Chapter 722 Fish out of Water

    Chapter 722 Fish out of Water


    Raiden, who had equipped the Twilight Armor gave an astute expression as he saw the 200-meter-long snake-like creature running for his life after sensing the former''s overbearing and horrifying aura.


    But instead of rushing anything, he snickered under his ck mask, his crimson red eyes in this form revealed a spark as if he had already caught the target.


    He directed his left palm towards the sea monster that was descending deep at an extremely fast speed underwater.


    "Gravity Extraction!" eximed Raiden and suddenly¡­


    Burble!


    Burble!


    The wide and deep river suddenly parted into two as all the water was pulled in the sky, leaving only a wide bottom visible.


    On top of it, no water from the river stream entered this ce or left outside. Millions of gallons of water was lifted by Raiden in the sky as if it was as easy as breathing for him.


    Unlike Kahn who had Gravity Law skills only in name¡­ Omega was the actual sessor of Skoll and Hati, the mythical rank wolf brothers who acquired the Gravity Law through their own skills and efforts.


    Before their deaths, they had parted a fragment of their souls, carrying their knowledge and wisdom of the Gravity Law that Omega had absorbed in his mind.


    Whenever Omega wasn''t in action or had anything to do¡­ instead of resting or wasting time, the Hrodvitnir subordinate trained himself in his swordsmanship skills and Gravity Law skills.


    In the past year, his control and understanding of thisw rose to apletely different level, something even Kahn could not achieve without receiving enlightenment or inherent talent.


    And now, he was getting a chance to use the skills he was developing all this time in a battle for the first time.


    HISSS!!


    The six heads of Venialkarto hissed loudly, reacting to this phenomenon and started slithering as best as it could towards the other body of water. Only a few kilometers away, there was the estuary.


    Once it reached that part, it could directly escape to the seas so deep that even someone like his powerful enemy wouldn''t be able to capture it.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" asked Raiden in an amicable voice as if they were long-time friends.


    MRRAAAA!!


    SCREECH!!


    HISSS!!


    The monster let out several bellows and screeches but the following moment, its massive 50 meters tall body started ascending towards the sky as if some invisible force was lifting it high in the sky.


    It moved its body rampantly and haphazardly but to no avail¡­ as if a fish out of water, it couldn''t do anything since it was an aquatic dungeon boss and not an aerial one.


    The massive and maw-like mouths it had suddenly targeted the enemy in the sky, and as soon as they both reached the same altitude¡­


    All the eyeless heads of Venialkarto spread wide and spewed a massive stream of yellowish-green venomous gas at Raiden, intending to rot and kill him on the spot with its most dangerous ability.


    However¡­ As soon as thetter was covered inside this enormous cloud of venomous gas¡­


    Sizzle!


    Crackle!


    BOOM!!


    A loud explosion resounded, sending sonicbooms in the surrounding area which shook all the trees and nt life over the borders of the river.


    The massive cloud of gas was now reced with nothing but a ck and red fire that burned and engulfed the venomous gas from within.


    In his hands, was Kojin burning with ck and red Dragonfire.


    The monster shuddered, gravely scared for its life and feeling helplessness at the same time.


    "Gravity Imprisonment!" shouted Raiden and the next moment, the massive bodies of water dropped on the ground as the dual swordsman focused all of his Gravitational force on Venialkarto, making it freeze on the spot.


    The Venialkarto started exerting all of its might but couldn''t move in the slightest. The control of the gravitational force its opponent had was too strong.


    Swoosh!!


    Raiden appeared on the left of the massive monster and soon, he raised Kojin high in the air.


    But this time, he joined both of his hands.


    BOOM!!


    A loud burst of dragonfire rose and right before the terrified Venialkarto¡­ a massive 100 meter long katana madepletely out of oppressive and destructive ck and red dragonfire came to be.


    The scorching heat was enough to hint at how lethal this weapon was.


    All the heads of the sea monster were pulled to the front by gravitational force and Raiden made a decisive strike.


    "Katon Surrashu!!"


    sh!


    Raiden made a vertical sh as the massive and long katana chopped all the heads of the legendary rank creature in a single move.


    The monster''s body instantly caught fire while the heads started suspending in the air under Raiden''s will.


    For a dozen seconds, its entire body was covered under dragonfire as Raiden roasted this sea snake to medium rare.


    No one saw how Raiden easily killed the sea monster that was untouched all this time despite facing an army of hundred thousand so far.


    It wasn''t just a matter of rank and levels¡­


    But pure talent and skills.


    ----------------


    Right on the open grasnds where the count''s forces and warship had stopped¡­


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Thud!


    As if cannonballs attacked from the sky, the Venialkarto''s six decapitated heads descended on the open field, shaking the ground and all the people standing on it in a 500 meter radius.


    The noble and his son as well as all their soldiers were left speechless again as Raiden effortlessly killed another legendary rank monster despite so many adverse conditions.


    Raiden appeared next to Legs and spoke.


    "Get your men, I left the body at the riverside." he spoke, showing no haughtiness but also disying his proud demeanor.


    The noble nodded and left a few ships behind to take custody of the body.


    ----------------


    One Hour Later.


    Thud!


    A 20 meter tall head of a legendary rank monster dropped in front of the exalted noble''s forces.


    This monster had 5 meter long horns, brown leather-like skin and snout simr to a bison.


    This species was called Ovaaket. An earth elemental monster that could control the rocks, boulders and terrain around it. Plus the defense its skin had was imprable even to an attack from the strongest cannon of a warship.


    Yet, Raiden brought its finely chopped head.


    He then looked at the count who had a pale expression, now¡­ he was more afraid of Raiden than these legendary monsters.


    In a calm voice, Raiden asked count Horik.


    "So where''s myst kill?"

 Chapter 723 The Last Kill

    Chapter 723 The Last Kill


    The group traveled to the southern end of the exalted noble''s territory, exactly on the opposite side of where they started the first hunt.


    Count Horik had a perplexed expression and his heart was racing with anticipation. He looked at Raiden, Scorpion and Legs and spoke in a hoarse tone.


    "I think all of you should fight this one together. It''s the strongest of them all." he iterated in a jittery voice.


    "Why? Does it have some unique ability?" asked Legs with a concerned gaze.


    "We don''t even know what it looks like. But our armies couldn''t evene 10 kilometers close to its den let alone do reconnaissance.


    They were destroyed before they could even send a distress signal. Even the reinforcements barely managed to bring back the survivors." he revealed with a helpless gaze.


    Soon, count Horik started recounting their experience in dealing with this final legendary rank monster so far.


    Legs, Raiden and Scorpion nodded in response. They were all skilled hunters in their own right. So they knew how to prepare for this situation first.


    Finally, the warship stopped 40 kilometers away from thest monster''s upied territory.


    "Nobody leaves ores closer." ordered Legs in an authoritative tone.


    Swoosh!


    All of them appeared few kilometers away in the sky and formed a n.


    Legs created 20 doppelgangers on the spot while Ronin created 10. All of them heading to encircle this region, to form a perimeter where no one could enter or interfere in any way.


    Raiden aka Omega did not have the doppelganger skill so he was in charge of making the first contact with the said monster.


    10 minutester, Raiden covertly entered 20 kilometers close to the den but suddenly¡­


    ROARRR!!


    An ear-deafening roar that shattered ground, trees and made tall peaks tremble in this forested region erupted, dering that the opponent had already noticed Omega.


    p!


    p!


    In just a minute, a titanic 700 meter tall body of a legendary rank creature with wings appeared andnded on the ground, giving a deathly stare at Raiden as if giving thest warning.


    [Master, don''t interfere. It''s too strong. Comparable to a 4th stage saint.] quickly spoke Omega.


    Kahn then saw the creature with their shared vision.


    [What the hell is this monster? I''ve never seen anything like it.] spoke Kahn.


    A 700 meter tall violet-colored monster with the head of a lion, having a long and imposing white mane stood 10 kilometers away from Omega. But even so, its size was simply too big for anyone to notice as soon as they were at least 300 meters high in the sky.


    The monster of this caliber was probably the strongest one they had seen in Zivot Empire so far.


    On its back, two massive bat-like wings spread and pped themselves, sending strong gales in the surrounding area.


    On its head, 5 massive red horns that were interconnected at the base, forming the shape of the crown of a king, came into sight. On the forelegs and hindlegs, red bones extended from the joints.


    Like a tiger, its body was filled with white and red straps over some parts, signifying its uniqueness.


    [The species in front of the subordinate Omega is called Drigger.


    This is one of the strongest 12 legendary rank monster species only under Godbeasts and Dragons.


    This species is proficient in sound and vibration abilities. The roaring skills alone have a tremendous range and can disorient thousands of enemies inrge-groupbat.


    The host is advised to not engage it directly.] reported and warned the system.


    [Engage it? Even Omega is being cautious.


    Also, my dimensional cut skill isn''t long enough to cut its head off.


    We need a different strategy.] thought Kahn.


    [Master¡­ leave this to me.


    Like you said¡­ this is my job.] spoke Omega through their link.


    Kahn let out a disgruntled sigh but then spoke¡­


    "Fine, do as you wish. But run away in case you can''t win." he ordered from his location.


    Raiden then fixated his gaze on the enemy monster. Compared to those he killed so far¡­ this one looked more intelligent and sentient.


    First, it let out its roar to warn an intruder in its territory.


    But after sensing that Raiden was as strong as him¡­ it only made a stand to gauge his strength.


    However, it didn''t attack out of nowhere either, rather¡­ waited for the invader to make the first move.


    Raiden on the other end quickly equipped Moonlight Armor and summoned a 100 meter long lightning katana.


    He quickly activated Gravity Domain, reducing his enemy''s agility and physical movements.


    "Kaminari Surrashu!" shouted Raiden, quickly assaulting the enemy with the lightning sh attack while using Quickdraw skill.


    sh!!


    The massive and decisively urate katana quicklyunched itself, to make a vertical shing strike at the speed of light.


    Clink!


    BOOM!


    Rumble!


    However, before the terrifying katana could evene 1 kilometer proximity¡­ a massive burst of intangible and indomitable pressure quickly repulsed Raiden''s gravity domain.


    This eruption of the sound explosion was so strong that it even threw off the Kaminari Surrashu attack and destroyed it in a few seconds.


    "This¡­" said Raiden with an anxious voice


    For the first time, his new killer move was thrown off and destroyed by an opponent.


    [Be careful¡­ this one isn''t even at mythical rank but its powers are too deadly.] warned Legs in his mind.


    Next, Raiden switched to Twilight Armor and quickly charged at Drigger.


    "Katon Surrashu!" heunched the katana made of dragonfire.


    BANG!!


    However, just like before, the massive and long katana that easily killed and roasted the Venialkarto not too long ago was expelled aside, its fire being extinguished into nothingness.


    GROWL!!


    Drigger growled at Raiden, taunting and hinting that thetter wasn''t its match.


    The sound vibrations and shockwaves it sent were already enough to break the gravity domain effortlessly.


    To this provocation¡­ Raiden then spoke in a grim voice.


    "I see. It''s not a battle that can be won with skills and techniques.


    Rather it''s the kind that''s fought with¡­" he dered and soon, his own figure started transforming and his final words echoed in this battlefield.


    "Raw Strength."

 Chapter 724 The Monsterverse

    Chapter 724 The Monsterverse


    An eerie and terrifying scene urred at the center of the battlefield as Omega in his Raiden personal decided that the enemy monster was equally matched in strength and had abilities that could counter his own.


    Thus¡­ he came to a tacit conclusion.


    ''To defeat a monster, you must be one.''


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Massive explosions after explosions and their aftershocks filled the 10 kilometers radius and the forested region including tall trees and nt life closest to the source was pulverized and thousands of massive cracks and deep crevices spread across the whole perimeter.


    Thousands of giant boulders rose from the ground and suspended themselves in the air. Soon, even these massive and heavy boulders started shattering and crumbling into small pebbles in the matter of seconds.


    The whole fifteen kilometers of topography was turned into smithereens, tall peaks were ttened and the cracks werepressed to sink deep below as if the gravity in this region had gone haywire and no longer functioned as before.


    The hard rocks turned into granr sand and the hundreds of lightning strikes that came from the dark sky stopped midway as if they were frozen in time.


    AAAWWWOOOOOOOOO!!


    An ear-piercing and ground-shattering howl filled the 15 kilometers of space and the surroundings froze under a highly dense andpressed heavy pressure.


    GROWL!!


    Boulders rose from the ground again, and tornadoes made of sand swirled around a massive silver body. Dozens of lightning struck around his body and finally, the gravitational force that basically ttened everything within the 15 kilometers radius subsided.


    A 900 meters tall and 350 meters wide and close 1 kilometer long ginormous body of a Silver wolf with ck scale-like spikes around its forelegs and hindlegs as well as under its maw came to be, appearing as dominant and terrifying one could be.


    GRRRR!!


    Four massive fangs with hundreds of sharp teeth were revealed along with ws that were 50 meters in length alone as this ginormous wolf growled.


    Omega had transformed into his real Hrodvitnir form.


    This time, he was even taller and broaderpared to his first evolution. Because now, he had risen in levels and so did his world energy reserves.


    In Vantrea, for all the monster species¡­ the more mana and world energy one''s body had, the bigger they grew in size.


    Even with these massive sizes, these titanic beings were not slow or had their movements hindered in the slightest. Their strength and range of abilities were simply too great beyond metrics and understanding for a normal person from earth to fathom.


    And let''s not even mention the normal Saints¡­ an 8th stage saint like Havi could travel 500 kilometers just in 12 to 15 minutes easily.


    Kahn had gotten used to these facts long ago. But still, he too couldn''t help but feel amazed at how humongous his subordinates were in their true form.


    In terms of size, the current Omega was only second to ckwall who was a variant Primordial Titan.


    Even Drigger, who was equally matched in strength was astounded, his instincts telling him to run away.


    But how could a prideful monster that could kill hundreds of thousands of enemies alone get scared and be submissive so easily?


    RAWR!!


    The legendary rank creature let out a challenging roar, signifying that he wasn''t afraid of the opponent who suddenly transformed into a giant monster.


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Soon, both sides charged, baring their fangs at each other.


    The distance between them was seven kilometers but given the speed and size of these beings¡­ it didn''t even take them 30 seconds to close that distance.


    p!


    p!


    But right when they came a few hundred meters away, Drigger took off high in the air, his wings effortlessly lifting his ginormous body in the sky, leaving Omega with nothing to hit.


    Thud!


    Omega stopped midway through his charge and quickly used his newly created ability aka Gravity Extraction, this time he pulled his opponent downward instead.


    Even Drigger revealed a baffled expression because unlike before, the gravitational force had be much stronger.


    Little did it know that in human form, Omega would only exert 70% of his strength and his stats were also suppressed by 20 levels. But now¡­ he was at his peak strength.


    BANG!


    Drigger''s figure was instantly bashed on the ground, sending tremors in the surrounding area as the ground was left with a massive hole big enough to form a pond.


    Omega then opened his massive and long maw, filled with thousands of spikey and sharp teeth as he pounced on the enemy.


    Stab!


    His fangs stabbed into Drigger''s back while his ck ws tore the fleshy part of the wings that helped the enemy fly so easily.


    BOOM!!


    SHING!!


    However, his body was thrown aback,nding on his back and turning around as Drigger''s mouth let out a sonic cry.


    This burst of sound was so intense that it nearly disoriented Omegapletely and he almost lost the bnce of his body.


    Omega had the Gravity Law but Drigger had sound amplification abilities, both being able to hinder their rivals.


    p!


    p!


    Drigger tried to fly away again.


    [Don''t let it gain a higher altitude. It can do long-range attacks then. You will be a toy to y with if it got that advantage.] warned Kahn who was watching this battle as if he was part of it.


    Omega then used Gravity Extraction again and pulled Drigger down again, thetter crashing heavily on the ground. This time, he was already prepared and jumped a few hundred meters high in the air.


    Stomp!!


    He directly bit thetter''s spine where the bones of the wings wereing from.


    RAWRR!!


    This time, Drigger didn''t even have a chance to recover his stance before Omega forcefully ripped off one of his wings, rendering his ability to fly.


    Chomp!


    Chomp!


    But this assault didn''t just stop there, Drigger too swung his w and made a massive gash on Omega''s neck while he plunged his fangs into Omega''s left foreleg.


    Their rampant struggle was sending aftershocks and causing strong gusts of wind and dust that spread in the nearby region.


    The loud noises of their roars and bellows spread 20 kilometers of the forested region.


    Rip!!


    And finally, Omega ripped out the second wing from its foundation.


    Drigger then used his Sonic Roar again, sending Omega flying.


    Thetter wailed in pain while the former was also heavily injured during this exchange.


    Omega bled from the neck and his left foreleg was punctured deep, revealing a big hole and his bones.


    Drigger on the other end had his back gushing with violet blood.


    Both sides dropped gallons of blood as they received deep and fatal injuries. But their mouths were filled with each other''s blood as they revealed intense bloodlust and killing intent.


    However, none of them showed an expression of cowardice. This wasn''t just a battle between two monsters.


    This was a battle of pride and supremacy. This was a battle of¡­


    The Tyrants.

 Chapter 725 Two Tyrants

    Chapter 725 Two Tyrants


    As the battle continued, both of the heavily injured sides red at each other vengefully after suffering equally during the first round. Both Omega and Drigger revealed their monstrous auras, trying to suppress and establish dominance over each other.


    GRRR!!


    Growled the Hrodvitnir subordinate and in the following moments¡­


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    The ttened ground instantly started cracking as massive boulders and debris arose from the surrounding 10 kilometers radius and started hovering high in the sky.


    All these boulders and debris then startedpressing together, changing their original shape and soon, hundreds of 50 meters long spears and swords made of stone and hard soil came to be.


    Dhang!


    Over dozens of 100 meter tall spheres formed as Omega excavated the nearby 10 kilometer of region easily. And on top of it¡­ this wasn''t even the full range of his capabilities.


    Omega was using Gravity Law and his Magic Swordsman skills even in his monster form


    The entirety of the sky above the battlefield was now filled with round boulders, spears and hundreds and thousands of trees were also uprooted as Omega turned their trunks turned into pikes, akin to wooden bullets against his ginormous opponent.


    And now that he had torn off Drigger''s wings, it could no longer fly like before.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The variant fenrir charged at the legendary rank creature.


    This battle had now turned into a faceoff between a Lion and a Wolf.


    One was the King of the Jungle while the other was the most Lethal Predator.


    However this time, not only did Omega attacked the profusely bleeding enemy but also all of his created weapons and massive boulders charged along with him.


    Digger had an aghast expression because now, he was being attacked from all sides and he no longer had any room to escape like before either.


    ROAR!!


    It roared again and released another burst of visible and vibrating sound attack that shook the 5 kilometers of region, shattering the ground into dust and the objects and weapons that were hurled at it by Omega.


    Crack!


    Crumble!


    Majority of the stone swords and spears turned into small pebbles and dust after getting hit with this attack and the following moment, Drigger opened his mouth wide open, aiming at the charging enemy.


    BANG!


    It hit Omega will the whole sonic beam attack concentrated at him.


    Step!


    But as if already expecting it, Omega leaped to his right in just a nick of time and missed the attack by a dozen meters.


    Omega''s then lunged at Drigger again. Because Kahn had told him the enemy''s biggest weakness.


    Although the sonic and vibration attacks were extremely dangerous and could shake the entire battlefield¡­ this attack couldn''t be performed consecutively by the enemy monster.


    For each attack, there needed a time interval of a couple of minutes till the user''s internal organs and body recovered and started amassing these soundwaves inside cumtively. Otherwise, the attack would be extremely weak, unable to stop any enemy.


    Meanwhile, all the boulders and spears that were turned to dust because of the sound wave attacks from its mouth were lifted by Omega again and were transformed into their previous weapon shape.


    BANG!


    Omega''s body crashed into Drigger and his ws stabbed into thetter''s spleen, hisrge fangs however aimed at the neck under the mane of the enemy.


    At this moment, Drigger''s body was still in the transition state to create another attack.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    sh!


    Just then, over dozen of those spears stabbed from the other side of the battlefield and dug deep into Drigger''s hindlegs, making thetter fall on the ground as it lost its footing due to intense pain.


    The swords however were shing and creating massive gashes and open wounds, making it lose a lot of blood at the same time while the enemy was busy resisting the biting and w attacks by Omega.


    Finally, Omega was able to use his skills to his advantage and overpowered the enemy with both brute strength and sheer numbers as there was no ce where the opponent could retreat.


    BANG!


    Dhang!


    Crumble!


    Both sides started wing at each other and bit wherever they could as their bodies collided, sending shockwaves in the region while the ground was filled with deep crevices.


    BOOM!


    Omega dropped one of the 100 meter tall boulders on Drigger''s left hindlegs.


    Crack!


    The bones in that leg cracked while Drigger also ripped out a big chunk of flesh from Omega''s right foreleg.


    This second round cost both a great deal again butpared to Drigger, Omega''s injuries were not that grave.


    Although both of their in-built regeneration were doing their work, the wounds were too deep and big to heal in just a short time. The shattered bones needed even more time to mend again before the flesh also started recovering.


    1 Hour Later


    This was the 7th round of exchange.


    Now, Drigger had lost his entire left foreleg while Omega''s entire body was filled withcerations as his red blood almost turned him into a ''Crimson Wolf'' instead of a silver one.


    At this point, both sides bled gallons of blood and the 20 kilometers of the surrounding waspletely devastated beyond recognition.


    And right when both sides were on theirst straw¡­


    Drigger opened its mouth again, using the most powerful sonic attack that he had been preparing.


    ROARRRR!!


    This time, a terrifyingly lethal roar was directed at Omega, this sonic beam being the strongest attack made by Digger so far.


    But instead of trying to run away in his fatally wounded state¡­


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Omega took heavy steps and started walking towards the attack skill instead.


    GRRRR!!


    He growled and kept walking towards Drigger, his body reacting solely to his sheer will.


    But as a consequence¡­ Omega had to pay a great price for disying this battle intent.


    In the following moments¡­ his mouth, eyes, nose and ears started bleeding as waves of vibrations passed through his titanic body, making him bleed even more excessively.


    The dripping blood didn''t touch on the ground, instead it was shoved away by the sonic beam attack.


    But even while facing the opponent in such as sorry state, his indomitable and unyielding eyes disying his unwavering resolve.


    Who was he?


    He was a goddamn variant of a Godbeast!


    A mythical rank at that one.


    Even if the opponent could perfectly counter his gravityw skills and destroy his creations¡­ it didn''t mean that Omega couldn''t kill them with his own physical strength.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Each time, he cemented his steps deep in the ground and marched forward.


    The walking then turned into pacing, and the pacing then turned into sprinting.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Drigger''s expression turned pale because at this very moment when Omega marched at it with his bloodied body¡­ the sonic skill ended.


    Lunge!


    Omega lunged with all of his leftover strength.


    Stab!


    Finally, Omega''s fangs bit and stabbed deep inside Drigger''s neck and before the enemy could even whimper or bellow in agony¡­


    Rip!


    Omega ripped out Drigger''s entire head.


    A spray of violet blood akin to a tall waterfall spread on the battlefield.


    Drigger''s body dropped on the ground while the detached head in the killer''s mouth had a horrid expression.


    Thew of the jungle respected only the strongest. It didn''t matter if it was a lion or a wolf. The one with absolute might would rule over all things in creation.


    Omega threw Drigger''s head on the ground while his bleeding figure put both forelegs on the massive body of the enemy.


    Even in this gravely injured state, his appearance was no different than a supreme being who stood at the top of the food chain.


    AWWWOOOOO!!!


    Omega raised his head and howled the loudest he had so far ever since he was created, sending shockwaves in the battlefield while his voice resounding in a 20 kilometers radius as if an earthly cmity had struck and the heavens were angry.


    His figure still had the aura of supremacy and sovereignty.


    The battle between two tyrants had ended, the one who emerged didn''t just be the strongest of the two. But rather, this fierce battle was a birth¡­


    Of an Overlord.

 Chapter 726 Creating Ties

    Chapter 726 Creating Ties


    The battle of titans finally ended and Omega emerged as the final victor, asserting his dominance over the ginormous corpse of the fallen enemy. Even with the bleeding figure and mauled legs, he still stood firm like a supreme overlord.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Kahn and Ronin in their Legs and Scorpion appearance came close to the now barely recognizable battlefield while their doppelgangers still guarded the borders, allowing no one to enter in the 40 kilometers of radius.


    Wheeze!


    Wheeze!


    The Hrodvitnir subordinate was breathing heavily and finally, he transformed into his human form again.


    Two broken arms with a lot of flesh missing, face and chest full of w marks while both the legs werecerating heavily.


    Ronin quickly supported Omega and Kahn used whatever makeshift healing skills he had.


    Unlike Kahn and ckwall, Omega didn''t have Rapid Regeneration skill and given his identity as a variant mythical monster, even the high-grade healing and vitality potions wouldn''t be effective. Thus, both of them assisted Omega in whatever way they could since Armin wasn''t here.


    "I''m fine. I just need some time to heal." said Omega, his natural regeneration abilities of fenrir working even faster than the healing spells from Kahn.


    Just then, one of the doppelgangers showed the sight that the count''s forces were trying toe here and the ''Legs'' present at that part of the border was deterring them from entering, saying that the battle wasn''t finished yet.


    "This one¡­ was very strong despite not being at Mythical Rank." spoke Omega, his victorious smile revealing his satisfaction.


    Kahn then nodded and used Attraction to pull out its massive 5 meter tall golden core from its chest.


    "This is your reward. You earned it." he spoke and gave an understanding gaze.


    Omega then used the Energy Plunderer skill and the ck hole quickly absorbed it. Soon, the world energy inside the core started diffusing inside Omega''s body and his situation became stable as this source of mana and world energy also rose his regeneration ability by manyfolds.


    Kahn then looked at the corpse and gave amand.


    "Absorb!"


    ----------------


    Two Hours Later.


    Kahn was done absorbing Drigger''s abilities without even touching the corpse thanks to the newly evolved Ability Absorption divine ability.


    "Dammit! None of the abilities are helpful to me or anyone in our group." spoke Kahn with a dejected expression.


    The abilities he got heavily depended upon the size of the user since the umtion of sound and vibration waves needed to be done inside the user''s body and their throat needed to be built up in a way it would facilitate using that Sonic Roar skill.


    Kahn was only a 6 feet human and currently an elf. Unless he was as big as Drigger or Omega and his lungs were at least a few hundred meters wide like these two ginormous monsters, the skill wouldn''t work.


    The only way he''d ever be able to use it is if he transformed into a Titan like ckwall. But currently, even Kahn''s Titan Transformation skill allowed him only to be 60 meters tall at best.


    "Nevermind¡­ let''s leave it for the future." he said and all 3 of their figures then headed in a particr direction.


    ----------------


    Scorpion and Raiden appeared in front of the count and their forces while Legs used Shadow Swap to take his doppelganger''s ce without anyone noticing anything.


    Count Horik and his son were too stunned to speak and gasped in disbelief after seeing Raiden''s sorry state which looked like he wouldn''t make it.


    "What happened there? We could hear all those battle noises even from here." said the old and long-bearded exalted noble.


    "It''s done. But our guy got injured. He''s recuperating and needs rest.


    We need to go back to our guild quickly to heal him properly." said Legs in a hurry.


    To see that even a 3rd stage saint like Raiden was wounded so severely and gasping for air¡­ the count and his son could only imagine how terrifying the battle must have been.


    Their forces never managed to enter 10 kilometer radius even from the air but Raiden had not only done so but also killed the legendary rank creature.


    Just then, Legs spoke with a disdainful look.


    "You''re lucky that it was us.


    Other guilds would''ve charged you 50 million for just killing that one monster." he said in a slightly angered tone.


    But the count and his son could not speak a word against his tone as they were the ones at fault since they didn''t provide any prior information as the clients.


    "We''re grateful to you¡­ Sir." responded the old noble in an apologetic tone.


    This time, the noble didn''t address Legs as ''Mister'' or ''Guild Leader'' but as ''Sir'', showcasing his thankfulness and also guilt.


    The agreement they had before didn''t mention additional benefits apart from the cores of the legendary rank creatures. Still, the count felt like they had wrongfully taken advantage of the Misthios guild.


    Hence, he called Legs as ''Sir''... Revealing his willfulness to form a good connection with the former.


    "I hope you don''t forget this, lord Horik.


    Maybe one day¡­ you could introduce me to your friends from the close circle who are in simr situations as you." spoke Legs, showing no restraint in his demanding tone as he ''requested'' the noble to do him a favor.


    Finally after an hour, Legs and the group received the payment and left using a flying ship provided by the count.


    As the night came, they reached their headquarters and Omega was moved to a medical care room where Armin took the lead to heal him.


    "Master¡­ I need to go there." he said to Kahn.


    He had absorbed Drigger''s core and now was the best time to make the qualitative rise in strength and levels.


    Kahn nodded and summoned the Tablet of Arcana and Omega entered inside to use the Chamber of Exaltation where Rathnaar was to guide Omega on how to use it.


    At the same moment inside the exalted noble''s territory¡­


    All the bodies of the massive creatures were brought to their headquarters for salvaging.


    As for Drigger''s mountainous body that couldn''t be moved¡­ the Count sent a few thousand experts to harvest it properly.


    After looking at how big the monster was¡­ the count and his sons felt like they had survived the biggest trial of their lives.


    This was going to be a good haul and the majority of their expenses and losses they incurred till this point would be recovered just from selling the bodies and parts.


    Just then, the eldest son spoke¡­


    "Was that elf a fool?


    Why didn''t he try to ask for more money or take some share in the profits from these bodies?


    Why give all of them to us?"


    "Fool you say?


    That elf is a visionary individual. He knowingly took such a big loss and made us owe him greatly.


    With these resources, we will be able to stand back at our feet again. All of the credit goes solely to the Misthios guild for it.


    Do you think the debt we have to repay will be small?" he said with a sarcastic voice.


    "You mean¡­ he purposely gave the bodies to us and only took the cores with a hidden intention?" asked the youngest son.


    "Yes. Not only we''re greatly indebted to him¡­ I''m certain all those people who were watching from other noble houses, the ones who led these monsters in our domain would also receive the information soon about how the Misthios guild killed all 4 of the legendary monsters.


    Soon, the guild itself will be very famous not only in our region but the top yers and noble sses whether they''re from our side or the rival factions.


    The other noble houses might as well try to establish a friendship with them seeing their capabilities." revealed count Horik.


    He was a nobleman and a businessman possessing deep knowledge and experience in both sectors for decades. Others may not see the future implications but he was an expert who could foresee how things were going to turn out.


    "Remember, no matter what¡­ we must get close to this Misthios guild. Establishing deep ties with them and their guild leader should be our top priority."mended the old noble.


    "But why? Aren''t they just a hired force?" queried the eldest son.


    "You damn idiot!


    This was just one of their saints who fought and killed all those monsters by himself.


    And they have a total of 8 Saints in their guild." he rebuked with an exasperated voice.


    "Imagine what they could do in a battle if we hire them as our main force. Unless someone hires the top guild of Alfheim¡­ there''s nobody else who can match their strength." he dered in a somber voice.


    Both the sons were surprised but soon, they understood the truth behind it all.


    "You''re right, lord father." spoke the youngest son.


    Although Kahn had given up on many benefits and should''ve charged them a lot of extra money for the job¡­ the intentional losses he made didn''t go in vain.


    Because now this opened a path for him and the Misthios guild.


    To be a Super Force.

 Chapter 727 Next Stage of Plans

    Chapter 727 Next Stage of ns


    On the following day, Kahn again met Logan in the Mercenary Association, sittingfortably in his office as Legs Ragnarsson. The expression on his face was cheerful and anticipating while he faced the brown-furred wolfkin on the opposite side of the desk.


    "Do you have it?" he asked in a soft tone.


    "Yes."


    Logan replied without showing any expression and took out a blue and gradient diary from his space ring.


    "Soon, I will be demoted to my original position. They''ve already found a recement." spoke the wolfkin in a helpless tone.


    "See, I told you.


    Just 10 days and they already made arrangements. No matter who it is, they''re most likely to be from the close circle of the High Elven Noble ss.


    You''d be going back to do all the work for the next person that sits in your current chair." taunted Legs yfully.


    "Yeah¡­ thankfully, you told me where to look and what to look for. So I barely managed toplete the list in time.


    I''ve investigated everything that was to know about it." replied the interim COE of the association.


    "Now¡­ It''s ours for the taking." he spoke with an ted expression as a surge of joy spread over his mind.


    The list Logan had created was the affiliated guilds and people his predecessor aka the fat High Noble elf had made during his time when he was in the position of authority.


    It also contained much information about high-end clients throughout Alfheim, their respective trades, and businesses that required the mercenary work that the fat elf dealt with and brought the client and the guilds together for.


    Most of these deals in the list were unofficial and were done under the table. The predecessor had done a good job of hiding them by showing them as marginalized contracts or small payment deals.


    Most of the Clients probably never even knew that the 5% cut they paid for the legal charges for the association¡­ Not a single dime of it went to the Mercenary Association but to the elf noble''s own pockets.


    As for how did Kahn know this to be the case, how to hide these transactions in in sight and where to look for them?


    Because that''s exactly what Kahn would''ve done if he were in the elf''s shoes.


    Logan was moved by his future prospectus and Kahn needed an inside man for the job. Thus, the wolfkin gathered all the secrets right through the official channels and saved Kahn a lot of trouble.


    Now that the elf lost his position, he no longer had the authority or say in officiating any of the deals and contracts. He had be a useless party for both sides and now was expendable.


    The High Elf was a tiger without teeth and ws unable even to kill a boar.


    Soon, the clients would look for someone who''d do the job for them while saving some money in due process and the mercenary guilds would look for someone in authority whom they could make ties with and get the best and highest-paying jobs easily.


    Once the new elf came, they''d approach him since he''d be the boss.


    And that''s why Kahn instructed Logan to find this information in the little time he had as the chief operating executive after they framed the elven official.


    As for the contents such as list of the clients and the guilds who had arrangements with the old COE¡­ Kahn had a simple n.


    The system was still standing¡­ however, Kahn nned to use this inside information and already established infrastructure to do what he was now an expert at. And that was¡­


    A hostile takeover.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile at the same time in one of the territories surrounding count Horik''s domain¡­ was a small base of operation. Although this base was smallpared to the estate of Misthios guild headquarters, the number of people and ammunition stationed was already twice the number.


    Bang!


    Inside a bright and windy office¡­ A redhead woman with blue eyes donning a blue, white and gray attire banged her fist on the desk while fuming with anger.


    This headquarter was actually a temporary residence of this 2nd stage saint and one of the outposts of a reputable force.


    Given the appearance of this tall yet devilishly beautiful redhead, one could tell that she was a powerful Swordsmaiden.


    "Commander Rose Hightower¡­ all 4 clients areining and some are even asking to return half the payment." reported a masked assassin in ck clothes who had a dark yellow mask, hiding the entirety of his face.


    A strong breeze entered through therge window, fluttering the swordmaiden''s long hair and revealed her dark and gloomy countenance.


    "Tell me everything in detail. How did it happen?" she ordered in an annoyed voice.


    The assassin then started recounting how yesterday, all the legendary rank creatures surrounding count Horik''s domain were ughtered.


    "Dammit! We worked so hard to redirect those Boss monsters from their dungeons to that region as per our agreement with all the clients.


    We even lost 500 warriors and a warship in our attempts, all because the payout was good. I was stationed here by the Guildmaster to be the first force of response and maintain those monsters in that noble''s territory!" she iterated and eximed in anger, her countenance turning hateful.


    "So who did it? Chasing away a Legendary rank Dungeon Boss is achievable but killing them and all 4 at that can be done only by a powerful force as good as ours." she asked.


    But to her query, the assassin rose only one finger.


    "One. It was done only by a single Saint. He killed all 4 of them by himself without any external help or even assistance of warships." stated the assassin in a gloomy voice and continued¡­


    "He''s from a new guild in Alfheim. That person is a peak 3rd stage saint and is one of theirmanders." he revealed in a helpless voice.


    But suddenly, the woman''s expression turned aghast.


    "Dammit! My luck is so bad. I''ll have to report this to the Guildmaster quickly lest she mes me for all the failures." she said and activated an Elven transmission artifact shaped simr to a green hibiscus flower.


    But while doing so, an emblem was revealed on her chest.


    A vertical sword above a spear and a scepter carved on a round shield.


    From both sides, there were 6 wings of feathersing out as if an angel was getting ready to soar in the sky.


    This was the official emblem of the guild this 2nd saint redhead belonged to. She was one of themanders of¡­


    12 Valkyries.

 Chapter 728 Two Monarchs

    Chapter 728 Two Monarchs


    While Kahn was getting ready to quickly act and execute his ns to be a Super force in Alfheim after getting the inside information¡­ The 12 Valkyries had their first encounter with the Misthios where they took a big loss after how Omega killed all the legendary rank monsters himself.


    But unbeknownst to both these guilds, there were far greater and more important matters being discussed in the Imperial Hall situated at the center of Eletnall, the capital of Zivot Empire.


    A tranquil environment and soothing music yed by various instruments exclusive to the elven culture that were hovering in the air while being yed using magic.


    A scene of a long line of seats on various tforms was revealed and on the top, were two thrones.


    On these thrones, two golden-brown haired high elves who revealed the auras of powerful saints were conversing with each other. One belonged to the Emperor while the other was upied by the Abbot of Zivot Empire.


    These two individuals looked to be in theirte 50s but their real age¡­ was unfathomable.


    A 7th stage summoner elf in brown and golden attire, having a book on hisp that contained the records of their religious doctrine spoke to the next party.


    Maeral Sez Insalor Venric, the 7th stage summoner saint also known as the Abbot of Monastery of Life, spoke in a stern voice¡­


    "Brother¡­ the time ising closer. We will have to send the Hero there."


    Nievan Triscal Insalor Venric, the 8th stage saint Magician donning ck and golden robes also known as the Emperor of the Zivot Empire responded to his younger brother¡­


    "The previous 2 heroes failed, 600 years ago, the summoned hero and his entire party died there.


    Although I''m reluctant to send Ervalen¡­ But he has the highest chance to achieve it." said the emperor with an anticipating voice.


    "Yes. Even our great god Gyvenimas helped us this time after we proposed this arrangement before the Summoning Ritual.


    That''s why he chose Ervalen given his own powers and history in his previous world.


    Aftering to our world, he became a 4th stage saint in just 5 years. His bloodline and inborn talent can''t even bepared by High Elves despite him being a halfbreed." spoke the Abbot with a pleased and proud countenance.


    "If Ervalen managed to control that ''thing'' in Alfheim¡­ He will be able to not only kill the Demon God but will help us overturn the hierarchy of the species, making us High Elves as the most supreme race.


    And if he bes a Demi-God¡­ even the Elder Dragon and the Archangels won''t be able to stop us.


    In the future, Elves shall rule this world." said the Elven Emperor enthusiastically.


    "We would''ve turned victorious long ago if that ce didn''t have the restriction of a 5th stage saint." he revealed.


    "Do not worry brother. Our God chose Ervalen''s divine abilities himself.


    Even the Demon God won''t be able to kill him unless he bes a Demi-God rank being first. But given our hero''s talent and bloodline, he will be such a being within just 20 years." gloated the Abbot.


    The talks between two of the strongest individuals continued in a merry tone. But suddenly, the conversation took a grim turn.


    "What about my son? Hasn''t he been found yet?" queried the Emperor.


    "We even sent our spies to Rakos, Vulcan and the Amser empire. And yet¡­ there was no trace of him." spoke the Abbot.


    This was something they were investigating privately and no one including the closest confidants of the emperor knew about this matter.


    "I think we should stop now. He is most likely dead." said the Abbot reluctantly.


    "No younger brother¡­ We need to keep searching.


    Both you nor I don''t have more than 50 years to live now.


    You chose the vow to not marry or have children to serve our God as his spokesman while I could produce only 2 heirs.


    Given our current situation, finding my son is of utmost priority no matter how long it takes." spoke the emperor in a dejected tone.


    "We need him to be the Emperor and my daughter to be the Abbess."


    But to these words, the Abbot quickly refuted¡­


    "She¡­ I cannot approve of it. We both know about her. She''s¡­ tainted." he spoke, suppressing his rage.


    "Brother¡­ we have no choice. We lived for more than 600 years and our lifespan is at its limits unless we both miraculously break through to the next rank before our deaths.


    But if the worst was toe¡­


    We need to at least ce our family in these two positions or else, there will be a war and our Elven Emperor ss might get usurped by the Elven High Kings ss.


    We both will go down as the biggest jokes in our ancestry if that happens." revealed the emperor as he sighed helplessly.


    "Then not her.


    How about we wed her to Ervalen and make their firstborn as the contender for my position?


    That child can be groomed from a young age and we will maintain our hegemony as well." proposed the Abbot.


    "Agreed. This is a better alternative.


    As long as our family name continues¡­ then it''s all worth the sacrifices." spoke the emperor.


    ----------------


    Soon, the topic of their conversation shifted to another grave matter.


    "What about the Hero of Darkness?" queried the Abbot this time.


    "Since Ist heard¡­ ''They'' found his trace and are looking in nearby empires of the Vulcan empire.


    They can''t enter the Rakos Empire or the No Man''s Land anyway so it''s good news that they traced him to other empires.


    It''s only a matter of time before he''s caught." revealed the emperor.


    "Then what about his Divine Keys? The Vulcan empire can no longer use them since their Pope and Hero are dead." questioned the old elf.


    "The matter will be decided during the Conve of Heroes when he''s caught.


    Till then¡­ we also have to be vignt.


    We must protect Ervalen at all cost." replied the emperor.


    "Well¡­ it''s not like anyone can kill Ervalen anyway." spoke the Abbot confidently.


    To his reply, the emperor alsoughed off as he dered vehemently.


    "All in all¡­ He is going to save this world."

 Chapter 729 Knowledge is Power

    Chapter 729 Knowledge is Power


    In a vastly spread settlement across a seashore on the eastern end of Alfheim, a scene of hundreds of massive ships docked on this 15 kilometers wide harbor came into sight.


    At the main control headquarters, was a meeting going on between the head of this widespread settlement which was also a transportation and fishing enterprise. The individual across the table was an Elf in ck and blue longcoat attire.


    Legs Ragnarsson, the elf with white hair and red eyes gave a sympathizing look to the ck man with short and curly hair, dressed in the gray and red coat of a businessman.


    Denzel Harrington was the head of a big shipping and fishmonger enterprise and established himself as one of the biggest yers in this sector who also controlled a part of the economy.


    The tales of this man were extremely inspiring to many as he started thispany while being only a son of a fisherman and also greatly provided jobs and economic stability to the nativemunity as he thrived along the way.


    "Dammit!! I knew something was off!" cursed the man, fuming with rage and hatred.


    On this table, were a few official documents that looked exactly the same but one differing factor was seen in them¡­


    The amount of money.


    These were the official contracts from his side and also the records registered in the Mercenary Association of Alfheim.


    The contract was an annual deal of security service provided by the LNP guild, the 2nd strongest guild of Alfheim.


    "You''re not the only one, Mr. Harrington. Others were also scammed by him.


    Here, you paid 20 million itikar when the actual cost should''ve been just 16.


    Not only did the LNP guild get 2 million extra for the annual contract for providing security for your shipments and the helicarriers...


    But the high elf also ransacked two million into his own pockets." spoke Legs in a calm tone as he rested his chin on the left palm.


    "How did you get it?" queried Denzel who was 35 years old.


    "You could say I stumbled upon it by ident." joked Legs.


    "But I do have a proposition myself." said the elf guild leader.


    "Mr. Ragnarsson¡­ although I''m thankful for bringing this to my attention¡­


    I''m not in the mood of trusting another elf at this point." spoke the short-haired ck man.


    "I''m not saying you should trust me. I brought these to you to simply let you know the truth.


    At least, now you know who your friends and enemies are." said Legs in a friendly tone.


    Legs then told the man about their modus operandi in making deals for mercenarymissions and arrangement of half payment in cash and the rest in SS Rank cores.


    "And what are you getting out of it?


    This is a losing deal for you." skeptically queried Denzel.


    "I don''t know¡­ If this conversation goes in the right direction, maybe your long-term business?"ughed Legs in a nonchnt manner.


    However, Denzel''s expression revealed his upset mood. He had just found out that his trusted person in the mercenary association who he had developed a close rtionship with over the years had been ripping him off by such a high margin. Naturally, he would be distrustful of anyone who even offered a helping hand at this moment.


    "Think about it. Not only we''re offering you a great deal¡­ but we''re also currently the 2nd strongest guild in Alfheim and nearby 500 kilometers.


    I''ll be honest. We need the work to establish ourselves in our profession and you need effective people while cutting the cost. This way, you could not only save money but also recover the losses you''ve had in the past few years.


    I''m willing to take the loss on my side as long as you agree to my terms.


    We can even sign a Lifespan Contract for it." proposed Legs in a confident voice as he lightly smiled.


    "And why should I believe that you''ll hold your side of the deal?" asked Denzel in a grim voice.


    "You don''t have to. But know this for sure¡­


    I got this information because the high elf who scammed you was overthrown and someone else took his position temporarily to find out about this.


    What do you think will happen when another High Elf sits in that position? Do you think their treatment of you would be any favorable?" questioned the elf in a taunting manner.


    "Both of us already know the High Elves are much more prideful and merciless than an Ironborn Elf like me whoes at the bottom of all Elven sses in our empire.


    As for what happened and how you were ripped off¡­ the Mercenary Association will not do anything because the President is the uncle of the guilty party.


    Even if you go to the imperial authorities and sue the High Noble elf¡­ they will not even let your case stand in the imperial court on the ords of ''illegally obtained evidence being inadmissible''.


    He is bound to walk away with your money and not even get a single day''s jail time for conning you and your entire corporation of millions of hard-working people for the past 5 years.


    So who better as a choice than the guy who needs you as much as you need them?" iterated Legs carefreely as heid down his cards in front of the man.


    Denzel gave it a thought for a while and then spoke in an exasperated tone.


    "Do you know why I still travel and do my business using seas and rivers throughout the empire?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?... Because warships, although they''re fast and reliable¡­ there''s a limit to how much goods you can carry on them and there is also the requirements of hundreds of thousands of A rank cores just for one long voyage." responded Legs.


    Kahn himself was a professional businessman in this life. He understood Denzel''s position more than anyone else.


    "Correct.


    And that''s why we use the sea. It''s cheaper and also the maintenance cost is affordable even if it takes time for the shipping." he exined.


    Legs also nodded in agreement.


    "Is there anyone who can protect my crew and goods?" queried Denzel.


    "I have a guy. If he''s protecting your envoy¡­ whether it''s the sky or the sea¡­ no one can harm them." spoke Legs.


    He then told Denzel about a certainmander of his and offered a few more enticing terms.


    "Fine then, Mr. Ragnarsson. I''m hoping that at least you won''t stab me in the back.


    My contract with LNP is expiring next week. I will send my people and the official agreement via the association to set up a new contract on terms we discussed now." said Denzel. This was also an opportunity he wouldn''t get anywhere else.


    Both shook hands, making a verbal pact on the spot.


    This way, Kahn had secured one of the biggest enterprise in Alfheim as a long-term client.


    ----------------


    For the next 2 weeks, Kahn was using the information provided by Logan in the blue diary to the fullest.


    It had contracts, details, clients and the guild, the copies these people had been falsified and many people were ripped off by the fat High Elf.


    ''Knowledge is Power.''


    Kahn was using it to simply poach these clients in broad daylight.


    And with proof in hand, everyone was enraged after knowing that they were fooled big time, not a single one of the big leaders of these enterprises had a good countenance.


    But even so¡­ What could they do?


    What happened to Denzel was the same case for them.


    Given the social structure¡­ nothing would happen to the thief while they suffered immense losses.


    With this same tactic of approaching these big names, Kahn reeled in 23 major corporations and clients and only 4 decided to refute him.


    To him, this result was far better than expected.


    Not everyone knew about their guild and had heard about many aplishments other than them having 8 Saints.


    In the end, rank was still a factor.


    Both 12 Valkyries and LNP had a 4th stage saint individual as their leader while Legs was only 2nd stage saint.


    And the strongest person was Omega who was a 3rd stage saint. But even in the first two guilds, a 3rd stage saint was only worthy to be the Vice-president at best.


    Thus, some took a stance of testing the waters despite seeing the great benefits of the deal.


    Kahn on the other end, wasn''t worried in the slightest.


    Why?


    Although hecked the manpower and was new in the business¡­ once their sess rate spoke for itself; it will be these very leadersing to his office one day to propose the deals.


    One needed to be able to ept losses and take a retreat in the business world before they created a strong customer base.


    Like how people offered lower tariffs on call rates and inte data packs at the beginning years of their telmunicationspanies while receiving losses in abundance.


    But once the consumer base rose immensely, they charged as much as everyone else, sometimes even higher.


    And by that time, when the customers were hooked and reliant on their service, even with these hikes in price, at least 70 to 80% would stay.


    The risen price would not only make up for the losses of gone customers but would also graduallypensate for the losses you had at the beginning days of thepany.


    All it took was patience and futuristic nning.


    Not many had the guts to stay the course and thus, not many became rich by umting wealth over the course of time.


    Kahn held this book like a warhead in his hands now. His ambitious goals were no longer far from reality. And soon...


    He''d dominate the Mercenary Profession.

 Chapter 730 The Special Race

    Chapter 730 The Special Race


    Kahn sat in his office as he reveled in his recent silent victories. The clients he poached were going to officially start their deal in the uing weeks while ditching their old contracted guilds after learning the truth about how they were being scammed till this point.


    And there''s nothing the mercenary association or those guilds could do about it. Thus, Kahn used the truth as his sword to y thepetition without shedding a single drop of blood.


    As far as the ire of those said guilds went¡­ Kahn and thepany were already experienced enough to deal with such matters during their days as a weapon manufacturingpany in Rathna and his time as Sovereign of Vessen.


    The most decisive factor was always Strength.


    The one with the biggest fist was righteous and honest while the weak were evil and treacherous. This was how things worked I''m this world.


    Kahn had Ronin already investigate the people they were going to steal the business from and thus he approached the clients based on whom they can afford to offend.


    Other than the reputable 12 Valkyries guild, none could stand toe to toe against them. And if anyone tried to harm their guild members or the saint¡­ Kahn intended to leak the information about how they dealt with the LNP guild. This would be a warning that most could not dare to test if it was true or not.


    All of this was achieved in just 1 month while others would''ve taken years or maybe even a decade to aplish.


    And this was how Kahn reached the final stages to establish themselves so quickly that even their possible rivals wouldn''t get a chance to react.


    ----------------


    3 Days Later.


    An envoy of a powerful tribe arrived at the main headquarters, escorted by a thousand soldiers and luxurious carriages.


    Step!


    Step!


    Over a dozen people walked out of these carriages and soon, the numerous servants carrying yellow banners with a rising sun behind a mountain etched into them stood on both sides as the hooded figures walked slowly in a straight line.


    On the receiving side, Legs and Dante stood at the front as hosts and escorted this group of guests in gray and golden robes to the main meeting room.


    Finally, after everything settled and the mood for the meeting was set¡­ the important discussion began.


    The leader of this group and the people behind him finally revealed their faces.


    The species these guests belonged to was called Lukion.


    A physical appearance matching with humans but havingpletely white eyes with no iris in them. The entire body of these Lukions was made of dark gray metal.


    Their kind had tall stature, every member being at least 2 meters in height while their slender but strong bodies moved slowlypared to normal humans.


    Kahn had learned about this species during his information-gathering days about the Zivot Empire.


    In the social hierarchy, Lukions stood at the 4th spot, below only Elves, Humans, and Demi-Humans.


    Unlike the 3 species, their bodies were made of solid metal and their eyes were no different than white ss. Even the silver hair of these beings were as hard as steel threads and the entire species was greatly valued and treasured in the Elven empire.


    In their stomach, was a glowing purple orb as if it was an in-builtntern in their bodies.


    Although theycked speed and weren''t adept in practicing mana, having the least amount of saints in their species, all Lukions were extremely strong ever since birth because of their bodies.


    If a newborn Lukion infant was shot in the head¡­ the bullet wouldn''t even scratch their skin. This was the reason nobody dared to make an enmity of this species.


    In the Elven Empire¡­ the Elves were only prominent in Magic and fighting sses because of their natural affinity with mana and world energy.


    They also excelled in Artificing.


    Humans were Jack of All Trades but they never had any specialty.


    Demi-Humans also had advantages but they also differed based on their respective species.


    But Lukions¡­ were no different than Dwarves of the Vulcan Empire.


    Why?


    Because in the Zivot Empire¡­ all the arms, weapons, massive warships and tools were made by the Lukions.


    This species had inborn control and affinity with metals and ores. Coupled with their immense strength, they overwhelmingly ruled the Smithing and Forging trade in this empire.


    Kahn had learned from the history books that Lukions were actually descendants of a variant species birthed from Humans and Bew, thetter species being extinct at this point.


    Lukion species evolved from time to time on their own in the past 10 thousand years and now they resemble humans.


    But still, they would not associate themselves with any other species and lived in their own tribes across the empire.


    "I am Orion Grayborne, leader of the Grayborne tribe." introduced the leader himself.


    Even the voice of this individual sounded like rusted metal rods rubbing against each other.


    Legs nodded in return and asked.


    "How may I be of service to your tribe."


    "Sir Legs, we are in need of your people''s strength, especially from your Saintmanders." spoke Orion and exined their situation.


    The Grayborne tribe owned a vast territory outside the southern-eastern side of Alfheim. Theirnds being full of ores and cores that were important in forging most of the high-quality weapons and armors. The Grayborne n itself was one of the top 3 arms dealers in the 500 kilometers perimeter thanks to their species specialty.


    However, theirnds had a misfortune¡­ they were surrounded by 3 dungeons. Among which, one was a High-Tier Dungeon, the big one of their kind.


    Even the Adventurers in that region had failed to conquer them ever since they were formed hundreds of years ago.


    But every year, due to dungeon outbreaks when the mana was overly saturated and the dungeon expelling all of its monsters to start anew¡­ there were annual monster tides in their region.


    Given therge scale of this monster army¡­ it was a type of battle that not many people could stand against even with numbers because the monsters had the territorial advantage.


    The loss of life has been great and even many mercenary guilds no longer epted the job because the losses greatly dwarf the gains.


    "I see. Then you don''t need many Saints.


    We have one person who can defend yournds all by himself." dered the elf confidently.


    Legs then summoned one of hismanders who was possibly the best in their group toplete this job.


    A tall 2 meter figure walked in, d in brown armor and a massive battleaxe and a shield on his back.


    "This is¡­ Sigurd Suttungr." introduced Legs proudly.


    This was finally the time for this subordinate who had been busytely toplete his training in cksmithing skills. The one to take charge of this task alone was none other than¡­


    ckwall, the Titan General.

 Chapter 731 The Wall

    Chapter 731 The Wall


    Two Days Later.


    There was an army surrounding all four sides of a region that spanned 60 kilometers in total perimeter filled with many mountains and mines at their foot while being inhabited by over 100 thousand people.


    Among this popce, at least 40% belonged to the same species as the clients that came to visit the Misthios guild recently.


    This ce was called Lukania, the home of the Lukion species and thends ruled by the Grayborne tribe.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    Few flying ships passed over the air as people from Misthios guild arrived. However, their entire envoy of 300 people only had 1 Saint.


    "Tch! The Misthios guild leader is mocking us it seems. Sending only one Saint while others in the past couldn''t even stop the monster tide with 3 saints."ined one of the members of the main council.


    The people who followed Orion Grayborne back then were all the members of the Tribe Council who appeared during their previous meeting.


    "At least they epted our request while others declined it even after we begged them.


    Even the 12 Valkyries refused to ept this job, saying the pay wasn''t enough for this level of battle." refuted another council member who seemed much older than the former.


    "No time to quarrel among ourselves. The guild leader boasted that this Commander of his will be able to finish the task.


    If not, we don''t have to pay them a single itikar. It''s not like we''re losing out much.


    The only issue is¡­ protecting the lives of our people and our settlements that get decimated every year." spoke Orion in a somber voice.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The flying ship descended and Sigurd''s tall figure walked out. To the Lukions, he was a Demi-Human, a rank above them in the social hierarchy so they all gave a respectful bow.


    "Let me investigate the terrain first and I also want all the intel about entry points for the monster tide." spoke Sigurd aka ckwall and quickly disappeared.


    1 hourter.


    A scenario akin to a war council came to be where Sigurd received the requested intel.


    "So that''s how it is. No wonder other guilds didn''t ept this job.


    You have to fight on 4 fronts at the same time with at least 5 to 8 thousand warriors while killing the monsters as well as guarding the people inside the settlements.


    Why didn''t you build a wall to protect your borders yet?" he iterated and asked.


    "We couldn''t. The dungeons appeared only 9 years ago and most of the region has hundreds of deep mines.


    Excavation of ground to build walls would only causendslides and the territory would be destroyed.


    If not for that issue, we would''ve built a wall already." responded Orion.


    "I see. Then I have a proposition." spoke Sigurd in a stern voice, his confident and domineering gazending on all the Lukions in the room.


    He then proposed them a method but all the listeners only had their eyes and mouths wide open.


    "Impossible! If you can do that, I swear in my tribe''s name that we will pay your guild triple the amount!" dered Orion Grayborne.


    "Ha ha! Just make sure that no one is in those regions and nobody bothers me during my work.


    I''ll be done by tomorrow morning and we will be ready for the monster tide." dered Sigurd nonchntly and left the building.


    His figure soon disappeared as he headed to work on the deal he just made. As for the Lukions going back on their word¡­ he wasn''t worried in the slightest because he was a saint in their eyes, more than capable enough to destroy their entire territory if they did not hold the end of the deal.


    The Next Morning.


    The leaders and all the people inside Lukania had a look of disbelief, everyone gossiping about the same thing.


    Out of nowhere and without even making any noticeable noises or damage to theirnds¡­ the entirety of the 60 kilometers of the region now had 50 meters tall walls surrounding the territory from all sides.


    And on top of it, these walls were made out of hard metal, minerals and ores that were extremely hard tobine.


    Even if the entire Grayborne tribe had invested their time in building such walls surrounding theirnds¡­ it would''ve taken them at least a couple of years and not to mention the manufacturing costs and other expenses.


    "How? When?" asked Orion to his people.


    "He did it all in the dark of the night.


    Not only that¡­ there are deep pits surrounding the walls outside and our experts found that those pits are filled with thousands of spikes made from solid rocks.


    If a monster tidees¡­ forget climbing the wall, most of them would not even be able to cross the pits themselves.


    The entire Lukania¡­ is now an Impregnable Fortress." reported the head of intel from the Tribe Council.


    Swoosh!


    Just then, Sigurd appeared in front of their group. He didn''t exin how he did it¡­ but the actions spoke for themselves.


    What they didn''t know was that ckwall had used Earth Sense skill to check the terrain and chose which ces he could extract the minerals and ores from.


    Then he used Terrain Maniption skill to create these massive walls.


    And finally, he used Mineral Transmutation skill to change them entirely into solid metallic walls that could also be used as a ce to monitor the borders like a watchtower.


    The deep pits, all of which were more than 5 meters in width alone were actually where he took the source material for the construction from and the spikes were there to kill the monsters that fell in them.


    ckwall was a variant Primordial Titan with Earth Elemental affinity. This made everynd and battlefield made with the solid ground as his own territory even though he didn''t have a Domain of his own like Omega, Jugram and Oliver.


    So contrary to how the story went where the Titans destroyed the Wall¡­ he created one by himself.


    The Lukions had an expression full of bewilderment.


    Forget the triple amount they had to pay¡­ most were amazed by how profound ckwall''s control over the earth element and metals was.


    Lukions were the species with the highest affinity with earth and metals in Zivot Empire, yet there was a being whose aplishments were far greater than even their ancestors.


    At this moment, as if having a deep sense of inkling towards the saint tank warrior in front of them¡­ all of them instantly knelt on their knees and spoke in a worshipping tone.


    "Thank you¡­ Lord Sigurd."

 Chapter 732 The Outbreak

    Chapter 732 The Outbreak


    At this moment, an unexpected urrence came to be as all the Lukions including the tribe leader suddenly knelt in front of ckwall in his Sigurd form after getting a look at his deeds and aplishments overnight.


    What they vehemently worshiped at this moment wasn''t the Abyss Knight general but his skills and affinity to both earth element and metals while addressing him as ''Lord''.


    "My eyes have been opened.


    I never thought someone could be superior to our race in perfecting the earth element to this degree.


    Even the powerful saints of our kin never managed to achieve such control in the past 10 thousand years." said Orion in a respectful tone. Others behind him also nodded in agreement.


    "Alright¡­ there''s no need to get so overwhelmed.


    The monster tide would arrive soon as per your estimations. So let me prepare beforehand." spoke Sigurd in a rustic voice.


    On the surface, he seemed humble¡­ but inside¡­


    [Ha! You have good eyes, people of the Lukion species.


    I am a being of an unparalleled primordial bloodline. How could I bepared to your mere race?


    Just wait till I find other titans and absorb their bloodlines. None shall dare to look down upon me then.] thought the general without revealing any hubris or arrogance on his face.


    In reality, his confidence and self-praise weren''t undeserved.


    Even whenpared to other saints who practiced the Earth element, ckwall was leagues above them. Just that he rarely had the chance to showcase his skills and supremacy.


    As for going overboard and doing more than necessary such as creating the protective wall for the Lukion clients¡­ he wasn''t so stupid.


    All of it was done under Kahn''s orders before he even arrived here.


    The Lukion tribe was one of the special species in the empire and their guild needed an extraordinary deep rtionship with them for future purposes and goals Kahn had nned.


    So when it came to making a first impression¡­ ckwall had knocked it out of the park.


    ----------------


    At noon, the surrounding region outside of Lukania started trembling as a stampede of a monstrous army started going awry.


    Just as they estimated, the dungeons had started throwing out all the inhabitant monsters outside because of the oversaturation of mana inside.


    The only relief people of Lukania had was that the dungeons didn''t expel the Dungeon Bosses with them. Otherwise¡­ there would be nothing but a brutal massacre.


    The guild members of the Misthios guild were stationed at the top of the walls in batches across all four points of entry. And since ckwall hadn''t even left an entry point while creating these walls, none could even breach them.


    Yet, the issue here wasn''t the rank but the overwhelming numbers of the rabid monster army.


    As they marched towards the local citizens¡­ some monsters were already out of control and started attacking their fellow monsters.


    There was no leader in this army so they had no order and only followed their instincts.


    But because of this, the weaker monsters ran towards the walls after smelling living beings.


    Sigurd floated in the air while the Misthios guild member teams were tasked with informing him if a strong monster that could damage the walls appeared.


    But nobody here knew that ckwall had a separate set of instructions from Kahn.


    While making these walls, he had purposely made some parts hollow from the inside. Although they looked imprable¡­


    Lord Rank monsters had enough physical strength to break past these walls. However, they were extremely rare and even at best, there''d be only 4 Lord Rank monsters and 2 High Lords at best.


    This way, there was still leeway for an attack and thus, the Lukion Tribe would still be needing them in the future.


    ----------------


    Soon, the numbers of this monster army rose to a few hundred thousand in just half an hour and surrounded the perimeter of Lukania from all directions. On top of it¡­ this was just the first wave.


    "I guess it''s time for me to act." spoke Sigurd in a thoughtful voice, revealing a prideful expression.


    Soon, he appeared at the north entry point of the monster wave.


    Growl!


    Roar!


    Wraaa!


    Screech!


    Shrill!


    Various kinds of monsters that he had never seen before, which were exclusive and native to the dungeons in these regions roamed and rampantly destroyed everything that came in their way.


    In just this one entry point, more than 30 thousand giant monsters had amassed and many of the flying monsters were being attacked by the Grayborne tribe''s own forces.


    The main task for ckwall here wasn''t to massacre these monsters but to defend the people.


    Yet, he had different ns of his own.


    "Lord Sigurd¡­ we will be relying on you." spoke one of the Lukion council members who was stationed in this area and flew on a flying ship.


    Sigurd nodded and soon, he waved his hand.


    Just when the entry point was overwhelmingly crowded and the stampeding monsters full of bloodlust were crashing into the walls while thousands had already fallen into the deep pitfalls¡­


    Crack!


    Crackle!


    Shatter!


    The nearby 3 kilometers of ground that these monsters were running on suddenly started cracking as hundreds of cracks and crevices suddenly formed.


    Thud!


    Bang!


    Dhoom!


    Dhoom!


    Right before everyone flying in the sky, an unexpected scene urred. Because at this moment¡­


    The entire battlefield had turned into a ginormous 3 kilometers wide pitfall!


    ckwall hadn''t been sitting idly since the morning. Without letting anyone find out¡­ he had been changing the entire perimeter of Lukania, making a battlefield suitable enough for him to deal with this innumerable army of monsters in a single go.


    Inside these, were millions of pikes made of sharp edges and hard stone. The majority of the monsters who fell inside were instantly killed before they even got the chance to adjust their footing.


    Blood and flesh filled this deep pitfall as more and more monsters kept falling and dying with no exception.


    Even those whonded on the bodies of others were soon crushed under those who fell upon them. There was no room for escape in any way.


    While everyone was gobsmacked after looking at Sigurd''s immactely nned battlefield¡­ The saint had smirked devilishly.


    Because this was just the first phase of his ns.


    And now¡­ it was time for ckwall to mete out his final judgment.


    A Slow and Painful death.

 Chapter 733 The Undisputed

    Chapter 733 The Undisputed


    A scenario of an absolutely ruthless massacre was in front of everyone whether they were stationed on the wall or in the flying ships. Just with a single wave of his hand, ckwall aka Sigurd had given a death sentence to more than 20 thousand monsters at once as the 3 kilometers region had be nothing but a pitfall of death.


    Even the Lukion tribe council member stationed was speechless and couldn''t help but be stunned. This was a simple but unattainable battle tactic to even their race.


    [What kind of monster is this person?


    Even a 1st stage saint of my species can affect only 1 kilometer of ground and change the terrain after great effort.


    Yet hepletely reformed the terrain of 3 kilometers with just a simple wave of his hand.


    Powerful! He''s simply too powerful!] thought the middle-aged Lukion with a slim build.


    But soon, his expression turned stiff and even he felt a chill in his spine.


    He gazed at the battlefield below and saw the bellowing monsters howling, grumbling and roaring as they fell on the sharp spikes and got mortally wounded.


    Many of the massive monsters started wailing as their bodies and heads were poked through. No ability was helpful because of this sudden destruction of the battlefield and the majority were just like water balloons falling on a needle¡­ their fate already sealed.


    With this move, ckwall subjugated 90% of the monsters, the lucky ones running away due to their survival instinct. Even so, some lucky and powerful monsters did not die, they had defensive capabilities and physiques that saved their lives.


    However, this was just the first phase of his ns.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    A rumbling echoed in the surroundings as ckwall moved and soon, some of the tall mountains and peaks in the nearby terrain started cracking on their own as if an earthquake had shaken their entire being. Despite so, they weren''t falling or breaking from below, rather most of them crackled and turned into thousands of boulders, being lifted high in the air by an invisible force.


    The saint then used his insurmountable pressure to pull down the flying monsters in the sky inside the pitfall.


    This was ckwall using his saint pressure and Terrain Maniption skill.


    3 mountains were rooted out and restructured, turning into thousands of massive boulders, almost covering the entirety of the sky as they started moving together like cannonballs ready to beunched.


    Roar!


    Growl!


    Monster cries filled in the region again as the massive army of giant boulders floated right above this widespread and deep pitfall.


    As if doing the ''mic drop'' pose¡­ ckwall simply made a gesture and soon¡­


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    Bam!


    Thud!


    St!


    Thousands of these incredibly heavy and hard boulders dropped like raindrops on the bodies of the pitiful monsters and crashed onto their bodies from above, instantly crashing them like a stone ttening a grape, thetter having no way to resist and getting turned into mush.


    Sigurd then looked around, his hands moved parallel to each other as he released his dark brown saint pressure and infused the earth elemental aura in between the gap of his palms.


    Soon, a massive brown orb formed that shimmered and revealed an incredibly oppressive pressure as if ckwall was summoning Kamehameha.


    Whoosh!


    Without wasting another moment, he shot the brown orb towards the pit like a cannon.


    BANG!


    However, instead of causing an explosion, the world energy in the orb instantly spread in the 3 kilometers wide region and right before the monster tide could even react¡­


    Rumble!


    Crack!


    The nearby terrain started changing again¡­ most of thend and trees started cascading towards the pit and covering all the cracks and air gap between those massive boulders that fell before.


    Screams and roars filled the surrounding environment as the remaining monsters who luckily survived were now buried alive.


    This was no longer a battlefield¡­ but a massive graveyard.


    ----------------


    Silence ensued and everyone who saw the aftermath of this first wave of the attack was stupefied.


    Sigurd on the other end had a carefree expression.


    What would happen if all your enemies were buried underground¡­ alive?


    Did it matter if they had strong bodies or incredible strength?


    What if they couldn''t even breathe?


    How would they even resist or struggle?


    What if they just suffocated to death while unable to move?


    What if their bodies were poked through by spears and stone projectiles while being crushed from above?


    What ckwall did here wasn''t just utilizing the terrain to his advantage¡­ no, he turned it into a ughterhouse.


    First, he created a big wall to attract and amass all the monsters of the enormous tide in a single spot.


    Then, he made the ground hollow from the inside and created spikes within while controlling the surface as the monster army marched upon it.


    And once most of them were gathered in the ce of battle¡­ they simply fell to death.


    Yet, this wasn''t enough topletely eradicate the enemy force. So ckwall used the soil to simply seal the deal as thousands of monsters had no choice but to devotee their bodies and be fossil fuel for future generations of living beings.


    "Alright then. Let''s go to the other side." spoke Sigurd merrily and flew away to the other 3 sides.


    In an hour¡­ he performed the same battle tactic andpletely subjugated the monster on all fronts.


    There wasn''t even a single casualty or any of their soldiers had a scratch on their bodies.


    Not only did Sigurd single-handedly stop the monster tide¡­ there wasn''t even a drop of blood or a body on the ground except for extremely well-paved and t grounds akin to a football field.


    At this point, all the soldiers of Lukania, the Lukion tribe council members and anyone who was in a position of authority or fought in this battle had seen how one Saint alone killed more than 150 thousand monsters without even drawing his weapon or the shield.


    Orion Grayborne was simply dumbfounded after witnessing the battle himself.


    [If this person fought in an open battle against an army of soldiers¡­ who can even face him on the ground?


    He will simply bury them alive before they even draw their weapons.] he thought, his mind running wildly.


    Not only him but everyone present was truly impressed because what Sigurd did was something no other guild had managed to achieve ever since these annual monster tides started 9 years ago.


    But all of them knew the deciding factor here.


    It''s not that other saints of other guilds and their mercenary warriors were incapable.


    Just that they had the wrong approach towards the issue.


    They faced the enormous monster tide in a direct sh andcked earth elemental abilities or had any incredibly astounding control of the terrain like Sigurd.


    Finally, the supposed 2nd wave came and their fate was no different. As for the Lord and High Lord rank monsters that appeared, Sigurd killed them with a single sh of his battleaxe, showing his great might to the clients.


    After the tide was taken care of¡­ all the inhabitants of Lukania came to learn of what transpired during the tide. Without suffering a single loss of life or having their homes destroyed this time¡­ the doom was averted and they all had only one person to thank for saving their lives.


    On this day, the Great Wall of Lukania came into existence and Sigurd Suttungr of the Misthios guild and their Savior was now titled as¡­


    Lord of Battlefield.

 Chapter 734 Expanding Numbers

    Chapter 734 Expanding Numbers


    The Grayborne tribe of Lukania was overwhelmingly grateful towards ckwall and after seeing how he easily defended theirnds and swept away the entire battlefield as well as provided long-term security to their terrain from the ground level attacks and enemy breaches¡­ the entire popce titled him as Lord of Battlefield.


    As expected, the higher-ups paid 3 times the promised payment as well as SS Rank cores ording to their word and also requested ckwall to open several entrances in the wall that they''d use for the poption to enter and exit.


    Given their specialty in crafting and smithing trade, they nned to invest in making ginormous gates that would be unreachable in the future.


    ckwall in his Sigurd form showed a humble expression and used a respectful tone towards the council members, sometimes praising Legs aka their guild leader who instructed him to protect the innocent inhabitants of thesends even if it meant working more than what was expected of them.


    Because of this generosity, a form of verbal pact was formed with them and the entire tribe of 400 thousand Lukions who specialized in weaponry and making flying ships in the entire Alfheim were now strongly allied with the Misthios guild and also promised to give them preferential treatment in the future.


    What none of them knew that Kahn had already predicted this to be the case when he epted the job in the first ce.


    Lukion species had their position as 4th superior species in the empire because of their innate abilities and bodies. Some saints of their kind even worked as forefront warriors in the military. But the case was that their numbers were very few and the reproduction rate was also low.


    Thus, they greatly emphasized the preservation of the lives of their people even though they had enormously strong bodies and couldn''t be killed easily. This was something ingrained in their minds because of their customs. Thus, Kahn specifically told ckwall to go all out because sooner orter¡­ he was going to need their help in uing ns.


    A grand celebration was held by the tribe and Sigurd was their honorary guest for the night.


    The next day, ckwall told everything about what happened and how he tripled their gains in a triumphant tone.


    "Good. As expected of you. So did you bring them as well?" asked Kahn with an anticipating voice.


    "Yes, of course." spoke ckwall and Kahn activated his Dimensional Domain.


    As both entered inside the separate ne of dimension exclusive to Kahn that now spanned for 10 kilometers in radius after Kahn broke through to 2nd stage saint rank¡­ he took out over 30 space rings and unloaded their contents.


    Whoosh!


    tter!


    Thud!


    One after another¡­ thousands of bodies of dead monster corpses varying from species to species and sizes spread and formed hundreds of small mountains in the entirety of the domain.


    Kahn used Hunter Domain and sensed the total numbers.


    "Great. Close to 700 thousand corpses, most of them in good condition.


    This shall do." said Kahn in an apuding voice and revealing an excited expression.


    All of these monsters were ckwall''s kills during the monster tide.


    What others didn''t know was that when he dropped those massive boulders created from nearby mountains; he butchered only the ones on the surface and suspended them at a level in the air before using the ground and soil to bury them alive.


    After all the monsters died, he used those pointy and sharp stone pikes and turned them into pirs that supported the now hollow ground.


    This way, he had preserved many bodies while everyone thought that he turned them all into t meat using his skills. Later, the Assassins that Kahn left in ckwall''s shadow secretly went into the hollowed ground when everyone was celebrating their victory against the monster tide.


    They all collected their corpses and came back to ckwall without anyone noticing anything.


    The monster tide was also a great opportunity for harvesting monster corpses if one could sessfully subdue them.


    And no way someone as shrewd and greedy as Kahn would let this opportunity go.


    "With this¡­ we can sell most of their bodies and parts in the Adventurer Association or ck Market.


    As for the fully intact ones¡­ they should serve the main purpose." he revealed as a grin formed on his face.


    "System, get to work." he ordered.


    In response, the system replied after a long time.


    [Ability Absorption activated!]


    In just one hour, the absorption was done and then when Kahn moved to Synthesis¡­ he was sadly left disappointed.


    Although the numbers and abilities varied greatly¡­ he couldn''t create any Saint Rank or Legendary Rank skills and abilities. At the end of the day, these were only small mob monsters and not the dungeon bosses.


    "Alright then¡­ I guess I''ll have to focus on the main objective at hand." spoke Kahn and then continued in a stern voice¡­


    "Awaken."


    ----------------


    10 hourster, the Synthesis divine ability finished its work and now¡­ other than the bodies Kahn nned to sell, there stood an army of massive and ferocious monsters from different species, many being amalgamations of two to three different monsters.


    200 Thousand.


    These were the new members of the Legion.


    During the battle against Axel and his Blood Monster army¡­ Kahn understood one of his drawbacks.


    That unlike Axel, who could recreate and increase a massive army of millions of fodder monsters¡­ Kahn severelycked in that sector.


    Although he had powerful subordinates but sometimes¡­ the advantage of numbers, especially against arge enemy force could not be overlooked.


    A powerful attack from a saint could easily raze the battlefield and turn it into a pool of blood but most of those bodies would be beyond recognition, destroyed into small pieces.


    Thus, Kahn had an inspiration from that incident. From now on, he''d target these monsters to keep increasing the numbers of the Legion army.


    Who knew if one day, he''d have to face an unending army or millions of monsters all at once and even his Legendary Rank abilities didn''t help during the battle of this scale?


    Then, he''d have to fight numbers with numbers. So it''d be a good thing if he had a bigger force.


    "Added with the 150 thousand legion monsters I created in Vessen during my time as the Sovereign¡­ now I have 350 thousand subordinates in my own army who can always fight for me at a moment''s notice.


    Out of them, 230 thousand are pure monsters while the rest are fighting ss subordinates with weapons and armors.


    Among them¡­ I have 30 thousand Elite Rank monsters.


    Close to 10 thousand Lord Rank monsters and only 2 thousand High Lords.


    Man¡­ Only if I had some suitable monsters such as dungeon bosses, I could''ve created at least a dozen Legendary Rank monsters with the amount of SS Rank cores and ores I have on hand." spoke Kahn with a dejected face.


    However, if any other Saints of the empire heard Kahn¡­ they''d choke on their saliva.


    What were Legendary Rank monsters?


    Those were the creatures that stood on par with saints and could easily kill an army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on their own if a saint didn''t interfere during the battle.


    Even the entire Zivot Empire barely had 80 legendary rank creatures spread in various sections and regions. Each one being no different than a world cmity.


    Yet Kahn wasining that he didn''t get a chance to create a dozen of them as if they were sold in the farmer''s market.


    Forget Legendary rank monsters¡­ even 1 High Lord rank monster required at least 5 to 10 thousand well-geared troops. In many middle-tier dungeons, High Lord monsters were often the Dungeon Bosses themselves.


    But Kahn already had 2 thousand High Lords in Legion. This was a feat that even a Necromancer like Ceril hadn''t aplished yet despite having more than 10 million undeads in his army.


    "Tch! I guess I''ll have to kill a few dungeon bosses in the future and maybe I can create a few more reliable subordinates." he expressed with a countenance full of loss.


    "Alright then¡­ I hope thest phase of the ns goes perfectly. After that¡­ I will bepletely set up in this empire." spoke Kahn.


    ----------------


    At midnight, inside a deep and forested mountainous range a few thousand kilometers away¡­ a mysterious figure under green robes came out of a dark and humid cave that was protected by various barriers and formations.


    This tall humanoid being looked at the bright stars and two dazzling moons in the sky, basking in the tranquility of nature while taking a deep breath.


    "I am finally awake after over 100 years." spoke this person in a hoarse and grim voice.


    "My rank has fallen to 5th stage saint now. Being a High Elf surely takes a toll on one''s mana and world energy.


    Still¡­ I guess it''s time for me to start making my move.


    That ce¡­ and that ''thing''... It''s about time everyone starts putting their chess pieces together." he spoke, his voice being icy cold and his eyes brimming with evil intentions.


    "I shall depart¡­ for Alfheim."

 Chapter 735 The Manpower

    Chapter 735 The Manpower


    1 MONTH LATER.


    In the central region of Alfheim, a meeting was being conducted inside a grand manor where a heated discussion was going on in the big main hall that could hold over a thousand guests at once.


    Despite the intricate, pristine architecture and refreshing decor of this hall, the topic of discussion had left all 26 individuals feeling despondent and agitated at the same time.


    Arge round table was arranged at the center where the leaders among their respective groups were seated and representing their interests as well as arguing among themselves.


    The rest of their people stood behind them varying in numbers for each leader.


    However, there were no normal people or even servants in this massive manor. The secrecy of this meeting was something no low-ranked ormoner individual would even dream about because all of these people present here were¡­


    Saints.


    At this moment, out of 31 saints in Alfheim that were in the Mercenary business, 26 had gathered together.


    There was onemon factor that brought all these people to this meeting, a threat that greatly affected them¡­


    The Misthios Guild.


    Bang!


    "This cannot go on! Many of us have lost a lot of our clients and suffered too many losses.


    And all of that because of that crafty bastard Legs Ragnarsson!" an Elf who appeared to be in his 40s spoke loudly, openly revealing the hatred filled in his eyes.


    However, no one dared to make any remark or even speak anything that could offend this person given his identity as a 4th stage saint.


    Sedaris Evarn, the elf in red and blue attire of a businessman, spoke with a vengeful voice.


    His identity was none other than the President of the LNP guild. The one who tried to obstruct the procedure of the Misthios guilding into existence and his machinations ended up in being the Misthios guild sending him a ''message'' in the form of a detached head of their vice-president as well as his friend named Ranobes.


    "This cannot go on. Although my guild had suffered the least¡­ but we can never be too cautious." spoke a female warrior who sat besides Sedaris. But her standing and prestige in this meeting was no lesser than the former.


    Lagertha Skjoldottir, the guildmaster of 12 Valkyries hade with all of their saints as well.


    Behind her, was a group of extremely strong, well-equipped and unusually attractive females. All of them were none other than the female saints of their guild titled as the Valkyries.


    Yet, despite their differing clothing, fighting sses and demeanor¡­ they stood in order, giving an oppressive aura that sent a subconscious message to not even look at them the wrong way.


    "Should we target them? If all of our guilds create trouble and ostracize them in ourmunity¡­ it won''t be hard to make them abandon their guild." spoke Sedaris.


    To his words, many of them nodded as this seemed like an effective way.


    "Wishful thinking. The other side has the 2nd highest number of saints in their guild now.


    Do you think it will be that easy?" asked Lagertha, her heavy and thunderous voice sending shivers down their bodies.


    Although she had a brutish demeanor, many already knew how insightful she was. Otherwise, the 12 Valkyries would not be the number 1 guild of Alfheim.


    Just then¡­ Sedaris and everyone else had their eyes wide open, then their expression turned solemn.


    "They''re here!"


    Creak!


    The massive metal door to this meeting hall opened and silhouettes of many figures appeared.


    Step!


    Step!


    Thud!


    Step!


    7 figures walked in with firm and loud steps. 2 of them being 2 meters in height while the rest were close to 6 feet tall.


    The new arrivals also did not bother hiding their auras and revealed their saint pressures without restraints.


    Sedaris revealed a scornful gaze as he spoke¡­


    "The Misthios guild."


    Kahn in his Legs personal, along with the 6 generals with their alternate identities as hismanders had also appeared with him leading the group. He was revealing his aura of a 2nd stage saint and others were only 1st stage saints. Yet their numbers were only second to the 12 Valkyries.


    Rose Hightower, one of the valkyries who was previously implicated in the matters of Lord Horik''s territory and the legendary rank monsters, was also present with other Valkyries. She walked forth and whispered something in Lagertha''s ears who was seating on the chair.


    Just with Legs and hismanders appearing, the atmosphere of the meeting hall instantly turned tense and grim.


    All of the saints revealed their difort and hate towards his group without hiding it.


    Legs then walked close to the table, yet there was no chair left for him.


    "Tch! You all invited me here for a meeting but there''s no seat for me." he spoke in a discontent voice.


    The other leaders other than Lagertha revealed an uptight expression as if they felt some sense of superiority with this action.


    "Ah¡­ so petty." spoke Legs.


    Thud!


    But the next moment, he pulled out something from his space ring and ced it away from the round table.


    Unlike the rest¡­ this wasn''t a chair but a throne.


    Without showing any sense of shame or manners, Legs sat on this ck and golden tall throne with his legs folded.


    He then took out a cigar from his ck and blue longcoat and summoned a small me on his forefinger, lighting it up and having no sense of fear or courtesy towards any of the saints as he started smoking it.


    "I heard all of you were talking shit about me." he spoke fearlessly and looked around the hall, having no sense of respect for anyone in this meeting.


    This conduct arose the ire of many saints.


    BOOM!


    The entire manor was then filled with intense killing intent as the leaders were offended so casually by the Ironborn Elf guild leader.


    BOOM!


    However, Legs activated War Dominance and his ck and red aura filled with sovereignty and bloodlust while his 6manders also revealed their highly murderous and oppressive aura; instantly repelling all of the auras revealed by the other side.


    Even 4th stage saints like Sedaris and Lagertha were taken aback. Both could sense that Legs was much powerful than he looked.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    The entire manor started shaking because of these saint pressures and even the walls shook while the furniture vibrated continuously.


    Luckily, no normal individual below saint rank was here. Otherwise, they would''ve died¡­ more like stered on the floor already.


    Soon, some of the saint guild leaders who were oppressed and felt threatened by the auras from the Misthios guild''s side started talking.


    A heated discussion filled with severalints echoed in the hall.


    "What you did is immoral and beyond the ethics of themunity." spoke Sedaris in a ghastly voice.


    "Bullshit! If that was the case, why isn''t every guild leader of Alfheim present here?


    Only those who lost their clients to us are gathered in this meeting." rebuked Legs as he kept smoking his cigar.


    "And what morals and ethics are you people talking about?


    If you hadn''t made underhanded deals and scammed your own clients for money, I wouldn''t have been able to reel them in to my side in the first ce.


    So don''t try to use this fake facade of righteousness in front of me. After all¡­" said Legs and continued in a stern voice.


    "There''s no honor among thieves."


    ----------------


    The expression of all the leaders had turned aghast after Legs spoke those words without hiding his thuggish conduct.


    But his words were indeed the truth that none of them openly wanted to admit.


    No criminal ever admitted tomitting the crime when caught.


    These guild leaders were no different than the prestigious figures akin to people in high ces of power. So no way would they openly admit ripping off their own clients for personal greed.


    Finally, the president of LNP spoke¡­ unable to hide his hatred.


    "So what? Everyone looks after their interests!


    Yet you dared to steal from all of us! Aren''t you afraid?" this time, he openly threatened Legs as he revealed his enraged face, full of malice.


    "You''re all surrounded by people who despise you¡­ the people you offended by poaching clients.


    If we all banded together¡­ not a single one of you will leave this ce alive and neither will anyone ever know about what happened here." he dered loudly, trying to make his rival fear by borrowing the name of other saints who also hated them equally.


    "There are 31 saints. You''re only 7... More than 4 times your numbers.


    You think you stand a chance?" asked Lagertha, her gaze being stern but showing no interest in a skirmish.


    In a way, she was trying to gauge the elf on the other side of the table.


    "Oh¡­ I wonder why I didn''t bring up any backup then?" spoke Legs to himself. But the next moment, a sly grin appeared on his face.


    "Oh wait¡­ I did."


    BOOM!


    Crackle!


    The entire manner shuddered and cracks formed on the walls while the ceiling started crumbling in some parts of the manor.


    ng!


    ng!


    Step!


    Just then¡­ another new entry arrived through the main door, giving an eerie aura while the intense bloodlust had basically frozen everyone from the rival side.


    A man with tall build and silver hair walked in. His bare-chested upper body and two Katanas were the striking features.


    Omega aka Raiden Hrodvitsson had appeared in this meeting hall.


    However, everyone present here including the two strongest saints were taken aback and surprised to their core because of the aura he revealed.


    A 4th stage Saint!

 Chapter 736 New Commander

    Chapter 736 New Commander


    Suddenly, Raiden appeared in this meeting hall and everyone was left speechless after he revealed his aura of a 4th stage saint.


    Kahn''s subordinates were a mixture of fighting-ss humans and monster species, so replicating the aura of a Saint was never an issue for them since all of them were hybrids anyway. Thus, everyone felt like a legit saint was standing in front of them.


    Raiden quietly walked and stood beside Legs who was grinning while smoking his cigar.


    "I love it when everything goes ording to the n." he said in a smug tone.


    "What do you mean?" asked Sedaris with a gloomy expression.


    "Did you all really think I would dare offend the entire mercenarymunity without having my own arrangements first?


    There is only one rule in this world¡­" he iterated, his voice turning solemn in the following moment.


    "The strong always win while the weak can only allow themselves to be oppressed." he stated loudly.


    "History is written by Victors."


    "If you are the winner¡­ you''re righteous and virtuous.


    If you are the loser¡­ then you''re evil and treacherous."


    Legs then gave a deathly stare to Sedaris in particr.


    "I already knew that one day, you all will band together to create trouble for me.


    But I don''t have time to deal with these pesky skirmishes.


    I have but a simple rule¡­" spoke Legs, his voice resounding in the hall as he revealed.


    "I don''t like to mess with innocent passersby.


    But if you throw stones at my house; I''ll throw a fucking mountain at yours." he openly threatened. This time, it was him being overbearing.


    His stern gaze filled with killing intent gave everyone a sense of dread.


    Everyone was under the impression that with their numbers, they could put a leash on the Misthios guild and also make thempensate for the losses. But with a 4th stage saint in the form of Raiden¡­ the tables had turned.


    The strongest members in this hall were 4th stage saints, both were the undisputed leaders of their respective guilds. Yet now¡­ there was another individual of the same strength. And on top of it, he was just amander of the guild who stood besides the ironborn elf like a loyal guard.


    "Hmph! So what?!


    There''s only one 4th stage saint. And there are two of us!" rebuked Sedaris.


    Lagertha''s expression on the other end turned ugly.


    [This cunning elf! He''s trying to use my name and reputation against the Misthios guild, trying to sow discord between us.


    But if I back out now¡­ my guild will lose face in front of everyone here.] thought Lagertha with an indignant feeling.


    [If this was before¡­ it wouldn''t have been a problem. But now¡­ they have a 4th stage saint as well.


    Why would we make an enemy out of them just for few clients that won''te back to us anyway?]


    Legs still had a carefree expression as he replied.


    "Oye¡­ do you think I''m here to y house with any of you?


    I simply took an opportunity that appeared because you people had fucked up in the first ce. It''s not like none of you haven''t done this to yourpetition before.


    So don''t expect me topensate your guilds a single dime. Besides¡­ how many of you are willing to get killed just because president Sedaris here is provoking you?" he openly said without hiding the mockery in his tone.


    Clink!


    Omega put both hands on the hilts of katanas, giving a deathly stare around the room.


    Everyone here was as hypocritical as one could be. And with Raiden being a 4th stage saint¡­ 90% of the guilds and their saints lost the right toin.


    If a fight broke out here¡­ these people would be the first to die; only Sedaris and Lagertha would have a chance to get out alive.


    Right now¡­ although most of the saints were infuriated, they chose to shut up.


    "Let me make things clear here first.


    We''re done establishing ourselves so there''s no reason to cross paths with any of your guilds from now on.


    So let the bygones be bygones." he ''requested'' in a domineering tone.


    Now¡­ who could rebuke him?


    Everyone here came to an understanding. That finding trouble with the Misthios guild was no longer an option¡­ rather, avoiding them like a gue would be in their best interests.


    BOOM!


    However, the 4th stage elf was still hellbent on stretching this matter.


    "Don''t think it''s that easy, Ragnarsson!" shouted Sedaris as he revealed his battle intent.


    "Arrsh¡­ You''re really dense, aren''t you?


    You think I''d be so confident just because I have one strong guy?" he asked with a coy grin.


    Lagertha''s heart was filled with trepidation as if she sensed something wasn''t right.


    Right in the very next moment¡­


    SHRILL!


    An ear-piercing shrill noise resounded in the surroundings and a terrifyingly monstrous aura suddenly encapsted the entire manor.


    Dhang!


    Thud!


    Most of the saints including majority of the leaders were hit with insurmountable pressure that made their bodies drop on the ground and cave in without any forewarning.


    Sensing this aura¡­ even Sedaris and Lagertha were gobsmacked because this was too big of a surprise.


    "Don''t tell me¡­" spoke the elf president and just then, a new figure who hadpletely hidden their existence till the point walked through the main door.


    A man with waist-length white hair, a body made of gray skin, having pitch-ck ck eyes with yellow iris in them revealed himself.


    This figure with an exposed upper body, having ripped build while adorning ck pauldrons on his shoulders, had two wildly spread violet hornsing out of both sides of his head.


    Just like Raiden, this new arrival did not hide his aura in the slightest and revealed himself to be another 4th stage saint.


    The right arm of this being was covered in violet snake-like scales while the hand was like a w of a ferocious monster.


    Tung!


    Tung!


    A ck and yellow trident in his hands hit the ground with each step as a grim and stoic voice resounded in the entire hall.


    "The hierarchy of power in this city is about to change." he openly dered.


    Next, he stood besides Legs on the other side of the throne and asked¡­


    "Guild Leader¡­ who do I have to kill here first?"


    He spoke while looking at Sedaris and Lagertha with eyes full of murderous battle intent, a smirk visible on his face.


    Legs then decided to do the introductions.


    "Everyone¡­ I would like you to meet the new Commander who just joined our Misthios guild." he said with a benign smile.


    This man let out a ruthless, domineering and devilish grin as Legs introduced his name to everyone.


    "Rudra."

 Chapter 737 Hierarchy of Power

    Chapter 737 Hierarchy of Power


    It had been 2 and half months since Rudra ate Axel''s body and was continuously processing his bloodline to use it as a catalyst in order to bnce his Basilisk and Draconian bloodlines.


    Just over a week ago, he had finally seeded in doing so and managed to take a human form for the first time since Kahn created him inside the Abyss Forest.


    But under Kahn''s order¡­ he had been hiding from the outside world as the former expected this current predicament and gave Rudra to a fitting stage to make his official debut.


    The Voronir subordinate was alreadyparable to a 3rd stage saint based on stats alone but after he ate Axel''s body that was none from this world¡­ he gained an immense boost in strength and levels and now, he was alreadyparable to a 4th stage saint just in terms of physical strength.


    In his hands, was An.


    The legendary rank Trident was created by Throk. The one which carried the will of the Guardian Dragon.


    Rudra had the ability toprehend and use the bloodline effects the most in their group. Thus, he managed to subdue the will and control the aura of this weapon perfectly.


    On the surface, An looked like an Epic Rank weapon normally. And only when Rudra willed it, it would show its true strength and the Dragon''s aura during a battle.


    Kahn as Legs had told Rudra to hide his presence previously and introduced Omega as Raiden, showcasing only him as their 4th stage saint.


    Omega had also broken through after eating Drigger''s core to be a beingparable to a 4th stage saint after breaking the final threshold inside the Chamber of Exaltation.


    So now¡­ Kahn nned to break thest line of resistance and send a clear warning to all the saints gathered here. Thus, Rudra made his appearance and overturned the situation in their favor.


    With two 4 saints present on their side¡­ their total strength became too terrifying.


    "This is Rudra Fafnir. An old acquaintance of ours who recently arrived in Alfheim and decided to join our guild." revealed Legs with a coquettish tone, not hiding his shameless grin.


    "Ah¡­ since we''re revealing our battle prowess¡­ let me go a bit overboard." he said and the very next second¡­


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Three bursts of shockwaves filled the entire hall as one crimson red, one brown and one blue pir emerged from behind Legs.


    The source being 3 of hismanders.


    The entire group of saints on the opposite side were left bbergasted again as Dante aka Jugram, Loki aka Ceril and Icarus aka Oliver also revealed their strength as 2nd stage saints respectively.


    The Misthios guild had 6 saints apart from Legs when they entered this hall. But everyone was under the impression that they were only 1st stage saints. But suddenly¡­ 3 of them turned out to be 2nd stage saints.


    Along with the two 4th stage saints¡­ this was too big of a powerful force.


    The cores from the legendary rank monsters Raiden killed in Count Horik''s territory went to these subordinates back then, allowing them to break past their limits and make a breakthrough alongside Omega. Just that Kahn had ordered them to hide their strength to gauge the true intentions of these saints amassed here.


    All these subordinates were given the cores based on priority.


    Omega was Speed, Ceril was Magic, Jugram was Attack power and Oliver was Sky Force of their guild.


    They were needed for many of the mercenary jobs based on the demand of many clients when Kahn poached them using the intel acquired from Logan. Thus, they were the best choices for him to upgrade first.


    Now, only ckwall and Armin were left as Ronin didn''t need cores. But fortunately, Rudra had also finished and given them a surprise.


    With this lineup¡­ their situation hadpletely changed.


    "Hiding behind your subordinates. Some strong leader you are." scoffed off Sedaris, still trying to pick a bone with Legs as if he would not stop no matter what.


    Even the other guild leaders including Lagertha sneered inwardly. None of them had the will or confidence to go against this group anymore.


    "Ah¡­ you''re right. In the end, nobody would look up to a weak leader when his subordinates are way too stronger than him.


    Thew of the jungle only acknowledges the strong." responded Legs with discerning eyes.


    "But I never said I was done with going overboard." he spoke and let out an evil grin.


    BOOM!!


    Once again, Legs revealed his ck and red oppressive saint pressure¡­ but this time, there was a big qualitative change.


    "3rd stage saint!" shouted one of the guild leaders who was an orange tigerkin knight.


    Everyone''s eyes were popping out in shock.


    One after another¡­ the people from Misthios guild were just flexing their manpower, almost giving a heart attack to the onlookers at this point.


    In the past month¡­ Kahn had also finished absorbing Axel''s Divine Key. He was currently level 458,parable to an intermediate 3rd stage saint.


    Axel himself was a legit 3rd stage saint but he was a chosen Hero. This divine key was different from a normal saint''s core. So it took Kahn a lot of time to absorb it. And since Chamber of Exaltation along with his War Deity Body boost required 2 times normal resources, his breakthrough was stalled for quite some time.


    From outer appearance¡­ he was a 3rd stage saint but in terms of raw fighting power, range and physical stats¡­ Kahn was actuallyparable to a normal Beginner 4th stage saint at this moment.


    Yet¡­ he chose to disy his rank at this moment instead of hiding it.


    The main reason why Legs and all of hismanders were going overboard instead of choosing to act like an underdog was simple.


    Not all battles were won with fists and weapons. Some battles were won with spirit.


    Legs used a simple effective battle tactics from Art of War.


    ''Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy''s resistance without fighting.''


    And with this overwhelming disy of strength in both numbers and ranks¡­ they didn''t just send a loud and clear message of might and superiority but also established their unquestionable hierarchy as they broke their enemy''s willpower.


    Everyone understood one thing clearly at this point. The Misthios wasn''t a rookie guild anymore.


    It was the new Overlord of Alfheim.

 Chapter 738 Final Stage

    Chapter 738 Final Stage


    With Legs revealing himself as 3rd stage saint, no one had the guts or even slight courage to go against the Misthios guild anymore. The number one guild aka the 12 Valkyries was no different.


    Misthios had a total of 9 saints. 2 of them were 4th stage saints while one was a 3rd stage. A total of three 2nd stage saints and three 1st stage saints. This was a lineup far stronger than any other guild.


    Even the 12 Valkyries had only one 4th stage saint and one 3rd stage saint. Among their group, four were 2nd stage saints and the rest were 1st stage saints. In terms of overall firepower based on rank, the Misthios guild outshined even with 3 less saints on their side.


    What no one here knew at this moment was that it wasn''t the end of it all.


    Kahn still had Ranobes aka the 3rd stage saint''s core that he would soon absorb in uing months. Even if it didn''t help him breakthrough, it would still be enough to make him a peak 3rd stage saint.


    Then who would be able to even touch their guild?


    On that level, Kahn could at least fight an intermediate 5th stage saint by himself if he went all out.


    On top of it¡­ both Rudra and Omega, given their Mythical Rank and current levels, were fully capable of even killing a peak 5th stage saint. If they both fought together, maybe even standing on the same footing with a 6th stage saint wouldn''t be impossible.


    The strongest person in the entire Alfheim was a 6th stage saint, namely an Elf from the Imperial Guard. But their line of people didn''t mix with mercenary guilds unless someonemitted a crime, which they were caught of.


    So other than that person¡­ not a single soul could go against their guild now.


    Forget suppressing them¡­ they''d be lucky if the Misthios guild did not find trouble with them.


    Now¡­ all the guild leaders were in a lurch. Because soon, this news will spread and it would be a problem to keep the current clients they had.


    Because the type of people they dealt with preferred the strongest as it ensured the safety of their assets.


    Business was not a family rtionship. The preferences shifted as soon as interests did.


    Everyone present in the meeting also understood that Misthios, on paper, was already the strongest guild in the entire Alfheim.


    Means, Legs Ragnarsson hadn''te here to settle their misgivings and give in to their demands, knowing that he could be oppressed with 31 saints present here.


    No¡­


    He came here to establish his dominance.


    That there was a new Overlord of this domain.


    And without knowing, all of them were just witnesses of his official Coronation.


    "So¡­ are we done discussing?


    I will keep my word. And your guilds do not find trouble with us, we won''t find with yours.


    If your peoplee across mine where our interests collide¡­ look the other way or heads will start rolling.


    There won''t be a second warning." Legs gave a final intimation.


    This warning was also given to the 12 Valkyries as he daringly gazed at Lagertha and her saints.


    "So let''s hope there won''t be another incident where all of us have to meet like this again." said Legs and got up from his throne.


    The throne disappeared and the ironborn elf walked out, followed by his two strongestmanders and the rest of his subordinates.


    After they left the manor¡­ no one dared to kick up a fuss.


    Sigh!


    Most of them sighed as after the Misthios guild left, majority could now stand up on their feet again.


    Everyone had a dejected and also infuriated expression but nobody dared to curse or even speak loudly.


    For the first time in their lives¡­ all of them were thoroughly suppressed and also humiliated by a neer in town.


    Why did it happen?


    The answer was obvious... It was because of Strength.


    It was a form of power that intelligence and knowledge couldn''t always ovee. It was as important as thetter two and you could never stand at the top without it.


    ----------------


    In the evening of the same day¡­ the 12 Valkyries held a group meeting in their main headquarters.


    This group had only 4 Humans while others belonged to different races. And all of them were showing their anger and cursed their entire ancestry.


    "Who cares! They were really hot.


    Especially that Raiden Hrodvitsson and Rudra Fafnir.


    I could barely stop myself from pouncing on them." spoke a female saint with saliva dripping from her mouth as she revealed ascivious expression.


    But the other Valkyries rolled their eyes and chose to ignore her as if they expected nothing else from this female belonging to a Subus species.


    At the front of this long table where the Valkyries were seated, 3 human females had a gloomy expressions.


    One of them was Rose Hightower, a 2nd stage swordsmaiden while the one on the opposite side was the vice-president of their guild.


    "Those Misthios bastards¡­ who do they think they are?!" she bellowed in rage.


    "Don''t do anything stupid! We''re not their match." said Lagertha with a constricted expression.


    "How can you say that, guildmaster? You''re our strongest saint." spoke the silver-haired vice-president who seemed to be a magician.


    "I bet none of you could feel it because you''re not a 4th stage saint like me.


    Raiden Hrodvitsson and Rudra Fafnir; they may be 4th stage saints... But their aura and saint pressures were nothing like I''ve seen before.


    Forget me, if both I and Sedaris fought together with just one of them¡­ we would still lose." she revealed with a helpless countenance.


    "Because I''ve already faced a simr aura once before.


    Their auras were simr to that of a 5th stage saint." she exined.


    Gasp!


    All the female saints gasped.


    "But then why do they follow that Ironborn Elf? He''s too weak tomand them." queried another member who was an archer.


    "Their identity is still too mysterious.


    Let''s stay out of their way for now. There''s no shame in being the number 2 guild.


    At least, we won''t be as miserable as the LNP guild." spoke Lagertha.


    Unlike her appearance, she wasn''t a hot-headed woman but a very calm and calctive one.


    "Because those men aren''t the type to settle a score with just words or diplomacy." she iterated.


    "What do you mean?" asked Rose.


    "Did none of you notice this?" the guildmaster asked as she looked around her group.


    "Notice what?" queried the magician saint.


    Sigh!


    Lagertha sighed and exined¡­


    "The way Sedaris was hellbent on making an enemy of Misthios guild and trying to get all the guilds to act against them, even going as far as instigating a battle¡­ His motives weren''t professional but personal.


    I could tell the real cause after noticing his expression." she dered.


    "It is because the Misthios guild¡­" she dered the reason why she chose not to make an enemy of this new guild with a somber voice.


    "Killed their vice-president just to make a statement."


    ----------------


    Back in the main headquarters of the Misthios guild headquarters¡­ Kahn stood outside the topmost balcony of his mansion and looked around the current settlement.


    "Finally I''m done settling my roots in this empire. Now I have nothing to worry about." he spoke with a content smile.


    "Now I guess I have to spend a few months on myst n." he revealed an exhrated expression.


    "The Expansion."

 Chapter 739 The Expansion

    Chapter 739 The Expansion


    3 MONTHS LATER.


    Tung!


    Tung!


    The noise of hammers banging on metallic joints echoed incessantly throughout the surroundings while burning mes arose, joined by the sound of wood being cut by multiple carpenter workers.


    Legs looked at the construction going on in front as thousands of workers from numerous species were carrying on with the work of constructing new buildings in the 5 kilometer radius of the Misthios guild headquarters.


    At this moment, the total number of guild members had risen to 7 thousand people and the guild was expanding its territory.


    In the past 3 months, Misthios guild had a meteoric rise in fame and also in their clientele after their lineup of powerful saints was revealed to most of the top brass in various sectors of Alfheim.


    And their way to take half payment in cores and ores was affordable to many so like a moth attracted to the me¡­ nearly 60% of all the high-end clients who needed the help of mercenaries had approached them and made deals with them.


    Just as Kahn had predicted, the way he set the foundation of his guild had shaken the very foundation of thismunity and established themselves as the number one guild of Alfheim to the point that they didn''t have enough people to send for these jobs.


    Hence, Kahn decided to expand the guild and with their rising poprity and extremely appealing offers set for the members, many people joined their guild.


    And the ongoing construction in front of Legs was the result of that event. Now, they didn''t have enough facilities to house all these people so he decided to invest in building new lodgings for their guild members to live in.


    "At this rate¡­ I will have to expand in the next few months again." spoke Legs with a tranquil expression.


    Just then, two figures arrived from the sky and stepped through the balcony of his office.


    "How did it go?" asked the elf guild leader to the new arrivals.


    These two powerful saints were none other than Rudra and Omega.


    Instead of responding to him, Rudra took out something from his new high-tier space ring and held it in his hand.


    A horrified expression of a middle-aged Elf on a detached head came into sight.


    Legs then nodded and sighed in relief.


    "This should be enough to make everyone lose any ideas to make trouble for us." he said in a somber voice.


    The detached head belonged to none other than Sedaris Evarn, the 4th stage saint president of the LNP guild.


    ----------------


    Over a month, the LNP guild had been creating unnecessary trouble for them despite the disy of overwhelming might during that meeting 3 months ago.


    Purposely takingmissions from the rival parties who stood in way of the clients that hired Misthios guild for the job¡­


    Then harassing some low-ranked members of their guild in restaurants, mercenary association and even their homes.


    Under their president''s orders, they even tried to poach the clients the Misthios guild already had by offering lower prices despite taking tremendous losses.


    Legs aka Kahn understood that Sedaris was a very vengeful elf who would stop at nothing to get back at them.


    But Kahn couldn''t just outright kill him.


    Sedaris was a native of Alfheim and had a lot of allies in this city, something their guild couldn''t oppress in such a short time when they had just settled themselves properly.


    Thus Kahn decided on a different strategy this time. The one which would kill even the slightest chance of suspicion towards them and no one would even look into the matter seriously.


    So since the past month, Kahn and the gang had been taking down all the influential and powerful people connected to Sedaris by either revealing their dark secrets or some crimes such as scams, bribery cases, and many more things.


    Soon, all the people in power who had ties to him started losing their standing in society, and offices, got caught and punished by the imperial rule, and even the top-ranking officers of the military weren''t spared in their quest.


    This was no different than a surgical strike.


    In the end, Legs had taken out all the people this elf was relying on, even the ones from the underworld organizations and the ck market.


    Recently, many people took a hint that someone very powerful was targeting Sedaris and the LNP guild. Thus, they started avoiding the elf and cut off all business ties with him. Even 30% of the guild members whose mandatory period was over abandoned the guild.


    As for killing the Elf¡­ Even luring him out by himself to a secluded ce took a lot of nning and weeks to set everything in motion.


    But after he fell for it, Rudra and Omega ambushed him outside of Alfheim in a barren area where no one would usually go.


    In this battle however, Omega only used Gravity Domain but did not engage inbat.


    Rudra chose this fight as a testing ground.


    "So how would you assess it?" asked Kahn to Omega who was currently in his Raiden persona.


    Omega rolled his eyes out and looked at Rudra with disdain.


    "He has only brute strength and no fighting skills or any techniques.


    Even a beginner rank trident or spear user has more skill and finesse." dered Omega as he sneered, not hiding his disgust towards this newmander of their guild in the slightest.


    "Hey! I''m not like any of you who were created using fighting ss people of different jobs.


    Even all of your swordsman skills originated from that peak grandmaster swordsman Arkham. So don''t give me that attitude." rebuked Rudra angrily.


    "So what?! Other than the skills master gave me, I improved and perfected most of them by myself. Everyone else has done the same so far, freeloader!


    If you didn''t have that overly strong body and imprable defense¡­ that elf would''ve killed you easily." he revealed about the happenings of the battle.


    "Tch! I would''ve eventually killed him anyway. I have high-rank regeneration abilities." said Rudra and sat on a chair in the office.


    "That''s not the point, you dimwitted buffoon!


    What if he had run away?


    We got the guy because I was obstructing all of his escape routes. So you only swung that trident like a rookie.


    In the end, I had to use Gravity Imprisonment so you couldnd the killing blow." he iterated and continued¡­


    His following words even left Kahn gobsmacked.


    "You''re a disappointment to this family."

 Chapter 740 Family Drama

    Chapter 740 Family Drama


    Right before Kahn, Omega dered Rudra as the disappointment of the family like an Asian parent looking at the bad grades of their child.


    But the very next moment¡­ Rudra red up in rage after being talked down so candidly.


    "Oh really? Then why don''t we have a bout?" provoked Rudra as he pointed the end of his trident towards Omega.


    "dly!


    Let''s see if I can cut your head or not." replied Omega with eyes filled with battle intent while cing his hand on the katana.


    Kahn on the other end had a tired face.


    This wasn''t the first time of their quarrel ever since Omega became a 4th stage saint & Rudra managed to get a human form.


    Every week, these two would argue over one thing or some minor issue.


    And sometimes, these two would even leak their auras of 4th stage saints unrestrained, which resulted in many people fainting inside their headquarters settlement spread over multiple buildings.


    Yet, Kahn was helpless, no different than a helpless parent watching his sons fighting each other.


    "Enough! Can''t you two at least act like grown-ups?


    Who the hell in the guild will respect you two if you keep acting like this?" he reprimanded both manchildren in front of him.


    Both of them shut up but kept taunting and cursing each other through their gazes.


    GRRR!


    Omega growled.


    HISSS!


    Rudra hissed at the former.


    "Silence! He''s right. A saint has a particr job and their mastery of at least one of their weapon skills is also at Saint rank.


    Since you chose a trident, you will have to practice daily and unlock those skills on your own. Otherwise, it could blow up our cover." iterated Kahn.


    "Or do you want to fight people stronger than you without having anybat techniques at all?" he asked mockingly.


    "Fine! I will start practicing them. Just arrange a trainer for me who would keep his mouth shut." said Rudra with an indignant tone.


    "Alright¡­ did you bring his body?" asked Kahn to thetter.


    Rudra then pulled out the rest of the corpse from his space ring.


    "Absorb!"manded Kahn.


    3 Hours Later.


    "What the hell is wrong with this guy?! Was he a fake saint?" wondered Kahn with an incredulous gaze.


    Sedaris only had one Saint Rank skill rted to swordsmanship. However,pared to Kahn''s Sword Emperor, Sword Apostle, Dark Lightning Strike and Dragon Strike¡­ it was mediocre at best. Hence, Kahn was greatly disappointed.


    What he didn''t know was that all of his abilities were merged using different and very strong abilities at Grandmaster Rank. Because of which, when they rose to Saint Rank¡­ their effects were 2 to 3 times stronger than a saint of the same rank as him.


    After calming himself, Kahn moved to the next important issue.


    "Anyone wants it?" he asked as he used Attraction to pull out the 4th stage saint''s core that now hovered in the air.


    "No. I need a high-tier core than this." spoke Rudra.


    "Likewise." replied Omega.


    Just then, a ghastly voice resounded¡­


    "Master, others aren''t high-level enough to use it. Their bodies will explode if they try to absorb it.


    And you also need to be a 4th stage saint soon.


    So naturally, you should have it." said Ronin who appeared out of nowhere.


    At this moment, all three of them had rmed expressions.


    Forget Omega and Rudra¡­ even Kahn hadn''t sensed Ronin in the slightest despite having an innate connection with him.


    "When the hell did you arrive?" asked Omega and Rudra in unison.


    "I have been here before you even arrived." spoke Ronin, unbothered to even spare a nce at the two strongest people in their group.


    Then, the topic shifted back to the issue.


    "I became a 3rd stage saint just a few months ago. And Although I used Ranobes'' core, it wasn''t even to make a breakthrough, only brought me to the final stage." he revealed.


    [Kid, I''m telling you¡­ you still need at least 5 more months till your body has be adapted to your current rank.


    Each Saint rank upgrade transmutes the body in many ways. Each rank-up should have a long break.


    Otherwise, you''ll ruin your body''s potential and won''t be able to rank up effectively in the future.] spoke Rathnaar, his voice echoing in all of their minds.


    [Besides, the Chamber of Exaltation also concentrated mana and world energy by twice, so it will take double the time than a normal saint.


    And after 5th stage saint, you will have to wait at least a year or two before your next rank up. Or you can forget about finding the other half of my soul to be a Demi-God.


    It will be a lost cause to hasten your strength so rapidly.] he spoke like an authority on this matter.


    Kahn nodded and agreed with his statement.


    Because he could already tell the difference.


    After he became a 2nd stage saint, he broke through the 3rd stage saint only in close to 3 months because of Axel''s powerful core.


    Then, using Ranobes'' core, he became a peak 3rd stage saint and was currently level 497.


    But thest 3 levels weren''t rising as if his body was shutting down excess absorption of world energy altogether.


    And with what Rathnaar said, Kahn found this logical.


    You couldn''t go from Level 1 to 100 just in a couple of days. Otherwise, all the people in the world would''ve easily be a saint in just a few months if they had enough resources already arranged.


    It was one thing if he went from a beginner to a grandmaster within a month, but going from 2nd stage saint to 4th stage saint in session wouldn''t be possible even if he was a chosen Hero.


    The body would either reject these sudden changes or it would explode due to oversaturation of energy while the container itself was weak and thin.


    Even someone overpowered like Rathnaar needed more than 300 years to be a Peak Saint with the help of the Chamber of Exaltation.


    Even with his Divine abilities, Kahn too had to follow the rules of reality. And the more ranks rose, the longer time he would need in the future.


    "All right then. I will keep it for the future." said Kahn.


    "So what''s new? Why did you suddenly show up?" he asked the Spirit Assassin general.


    "I have a message from Armin. He is bringing us a new client he met today in the Alchemy Association of Alfheim." stated Ronin with stern experience.


    "What''s so special about it? We already have the big guns of the city as our client." asked Kahn curiously.


    "Because the client¡­"


    Ronin revealed he came in a hurry to ry this message.


    "Is a Saint Rank Alchemist."

 Chapter 741 The Alchemist

    Chapter 741 The Alchemist


    Half an hour passed and finally, Armin came through a flying ship andnded in their main headquarters. A group of guards and servants escorted this supposed client and brought them to Kahn''s main meeting room.


    Legs finally gazed at the guest who was brought here by Armin out of nowhere.


    A 5''7 feet tall human with ashen hair whose lower half face was covered under a brown cloth, adorning the white robes of an Alchemist which had golden intrinsic patterns in various parts of the clothing while wearing a blue shirt underneath, came into sight.


    "This is sir Edmund Thandruil." introduced Armin in a respectful tone.


    Legs nodded and shook hands with this human saint. If Armin was giving him such respect, then Kahn evidently understood that the Alchemist in front of him was no joke.


    Soon, Armin exined how he met this person as they sat onfortable sofas and shared a drink.


    Edmund just arrived in Alfheim today and registered himself in the association.


    There was a discussion among Alchemists in a hall sharing their knowledge and opinions about Alchemy recipes.


    Armin frequently went there in his free time because like-minded people gathered there and shared a lot of knowledge of their craft. Some people also sold alchemy recipes and ingredients if one paid the right price. So it was like Heaven to all the alchemists in this part of Zivot empire.


    Armin himself had no shortage of money but he went there to broaden his horizons and also find ways to improve upon his skills.


    Unlike other subordinates, he wasn''t the kind who often fought battles despite being a part Healer.


    And he had mastered a lot of recipes and stuff but he was still stuck at Peak Grandmaster Alchemist rank ever since their time in the Vessen fiefdom of Rakos Empire.


    Because he had abilities received from both Prithvi, a peak grandmaster alchemist Kahn met in the capital Rathna and Ashokvatika, a legendary rank monster they hunted in Vessen¡­ he possessed top-notch skills for long. Many of them couldn''t be matched by the top healers of all 3 empires they''ve traveled to so far.


    But this was also Armin''s cage.


    Because he never managed to surpass his own skill ranks or created new techniques in Alchemy. Hence, there was no growth in this sector over the past 3 years.


    Thus, to look for inspiration and think outside of the box, he often visited the Alchemy Association.


    But today, suddenly two saints challenged each other over their mastery of a recipe to cure a type of poison, ending up causing amotion that led to officialpetition.


    This was amon urrence in their field and there were facilities in the association to hold such bouts.


    Alchemists didn''t fight with their fists but with skills and knowledge. And many times, even other Alchemists got inspiration from watching these matches so it was always full.


    But today, suddenly one of thepetitors turned out to be a Saint Alchemist. Others couldn''t sense it but Armin was already a beingparable to a saint so he figured out the truth.


    Even in Alfheim, there were only 3 saint Alchemists despite the heavy demand. Each one was a brand on their own. These people were just as respected and in demand as Saint cksmiths and Artificers.


    Saints were already rare in the world. Even among them, those who reached this rank in Alchemy were like miracles.


    And there were over 20 Peak Grandmasters like Armin already so this general had no advantage in this empire in terms of skills.


    Armin took this chance and made Edmund''s acquaintance while introducing himself as Darwin Groedari, his current persona in the Elven Empire. As he himself was a saint, Edmund decided to give him face and shared a meal with him.


    There, they talked about various things rted to Alchemy.


    But during that exchange of pleasantries¡­ Armin learned that Edmund came here to establish apany of his own and was actually a very rich person with a backing of an Exalted Noble n.


    And thus, he needed a lot of resources that grew in either natural habitats or dungeons to officially start hispany.


    Right then, Armin revealed his background to the saint alchemist as one of themanders of Misthios.


    Even Edmund was taken aback because he had already heard about Misthios guild.


    Alchemists often needed resources that risked their lives in finding, thus hiring adventurers and mercenaries was amon thing. So he obviously inquired about the top guilds of the city.


    Hence, Edmund decided toe and meet Legs after Armin''s rmendation.


    Legs then shifted the topic of conversation to business real quick.


    Edmund was in need of arge amount of resources and didn''tck money. But time was of the essence for him.


    Legs then told how they usually did business in terms of payment policy.


    The 2nd stage human saint was ted and also felt inclined to officially hire them as well.


    But right when they were at the end of their conversation¡­


    [Master¡­ make a deal beneficial for me.] said Armin and ryed a few ns of his own.


    Kahn then decided to make a proposition.


    "Mister Edmund¡­ actually, I have a business n for you since you''re nning to settle in Alfheim.


    This will be beneficial to both you and our organizations in the long run." spoke Legs in a calm voice.


    Edmund was surprised but then gestured that he would at least listen.


    "From now on, our guild will provide your organization that you will establish with all the materials required.


    Also, our services to yourpany will be provided free, it includes the protection of your assets and employees as well." proposed Legs.


    "Well¡­ it does sound like a tempting offer. So what''s the other side of the deal?" queried Edmund, his voice revealing his age to be a man in his mid-30s.


    "In return¡­ I have two conditions.


    One, yourpany should be our official business partner." he stated confidently.


    "Hmm¡­ I might consider it. What''s the other?" asked the human alchemist with a curious gaze.


    A deal like this would greatly save his expenses and solve many troubles even if he had to share profits.


    Because in the end, he too knew about the reputation and might of Misthios guild.


    "As thest one¡­ it''s a very simple one." spoke Legs as he revealed his intentions.


    "Make Darwin your disciple."

 Chapter 742 Business Prospects

    Chapter 742 Business Prospects


    Legs outright proposed his idea for a business n for the Saint Alchemist''s futurepany and tried to reel him on their side.


    Although they had Armin as Peak Grandmaster alchemist¡­ Alfheim already had 3 saint alchemists setting their enterprises since decades. Thus, they had to use his skills only for taking care of their own people and creating their own supplies such as potions for health recovery and poison antidotes.


    But after Armin introduced Edmund to him, he felt like this was a godsend opportunity for them to venture into a new business sector. Hence, the elf guild leader couldn''t help but make this proposition.


    Edmund on the other side was too stunned and was absorbing this information. One could feel that he was lost in deep thoughts despite half of his face being covered under a mask.


    With each passing second, he racked his brain and went through the pros and cons.


    Saints could think at an extremely fast pace than normal inhabitants of the world so it only took him 10 seconds to reply.


    "I ept this arrangement. If you hold your end of the deal, I will hold mine." spoke the man in alchemist robes.


    Although it seemed it was a quick decision, the human saint had given it a thorough thought.


    Because in this setting, there were too many benefits for him no matter how he looked at it.


    First, one had to spend a lot of money to buy the ingredients and raw materials for alchemy products at market price. Unless one had billions of itikar or owned a vast territory full of resources¡­ there was no other way around it than purchasing all these resources by themselves.


    Second, the operational cost could not be overlooked either. Acquiring and processing these materials, then using storage facilities as well as spending a great amount on transportation costs along with the money spent on the security of their products; the burden on one''s wallet was never negligible.


    But in this deal proposed by Legs¡­ the Misthios guild was going to acquire these resources, take care of transportation as well as security and deliver the materials to theirpany safely. And all of that for free.


    Even if Edmund shared 50% of profits, he''d make a ton of money than normal standards because he''s saving a lot on manpower, protection, and buying resources on his own.


    Three, taking Darwin as his disciple¡­ It wasn''t a big deal.


    Instead, having a Peak Grandmaster Alchemist working under him would save him a lot of trouble than hiring one to work for hispany at a high sry. This would also greatly alleviate pressure from his own shoulders.


    In all ways, this was a winning deal for him.


    The only downside was that he''d be greatly dependent on the Misthios guild and will have to share his assets and ie.


    There was no free joyride in the real world. You had to lose something to gain something of higher value.


    In the end, overwhelming benefits always won against considerable sacrifices.


    Thus, the saint alchemist epted this business proposal instead of ying hard to get.


    Legs and Edmund then formed a contract between themselves and the former also promised to provide help in establishing thetter''s newpany in Alfheim.


    What he didn''t know was that Kahn Salvatore¡­


    Was as devious as theye.


    ----------------


    2 Days Later.


    The Misthios guild''s envoy arrived at a particr region, the group was led by none other than Raiden and Rudra, the two poster boys of the guild who were famed to be 4th stage saints.


    And the territory they hade to visit was ruled by one of their oldest clients.


    Count Horik, the Exalted Noble and their 2nd client for whom Raiden had killed 4 legendary rank monsters for.


    This time, seeing both Raiden and Rudra¡­ the count and his sons were perplexed and felt a lot of pressure on themselves.


    Last time, because of the arrangement with cores in the payment and giving them the bodies, their territory and treasury recovered by a lot and their losses were mostly recovered by now.


    Raiden was already a very powerful being in their eyes but now after seeing Rudra, another 4th stage saint, the old count with waistlengh gray beard was dumbfounded.


    Omega then handed out a letter written by Legs to count Horik.


    Thetter was already thankful for thest job they did for his territory. Thus, they wanted to create deep ties with their guild.


    With the Misthios guild now bing really popr even among other noble factions as well as having another powerhouse join them, he was even more eager to do so.


    "So he is calling in the ''favor'', huh?" said the old man after reading the letter.


    The sons also read the letter and frowned. But after discussing a few things between themselves¡­ they resigned to their circumstances.


    What Legs was asking them to do was going to cause them a few losses in earnings.


    In the letter, he was "requesting'' to give the Misthios guild special treatment for a particr form of a deal. And the trade they were going to deal was¡­


    Natural medicine ingredients that grew in the county''s territory. Legs was proposing to purchase them at a cheap cost.


    Previously, when Legs came to this Exalted Noble''s territory¡­ he saw how it was filled with natural resources, more than what people could harvest from dungeons.


    The territory''s mainmerce came from these very things as they were one of the biggest trade points for alchemy resources found in the nearby 500 kilometers.


    Thus, Legs decided to use the favor they owed him after he gave a very big discount when they killed all the 4 legendary rank creatures.


    To Edmund, it would seem like Misthios guild bearing the operational cost to get the materials that obviously would note cheap.


    But in reality, Legs was spending 20 to earn 50. His profit being 30, one and a half times more than what he invested.


    ----------------


    1 Week Later.


    A group of tall humanoid beings visited the guild headquarters. And the guests being their 3rd clients.


    Orion Grayborne of the Grayborne tribe,posed of Lukion species, showed up with the tribe council members.


    In this meeting, Legs made an agreement with them. That they will provide security for the n every year for free from now on during the monster tide.


    But in return, they had to sell them natural minerals, ores and metals that were mined in their territory at a big discount to the Misthios guild.


    Sigurd aka ckwall was specifically present in the meeting.


    Feeling his presence, the envoy of the Grayborne tribe was instantly reminded of his skills and how he single-handedly saved their tribe without causing any bloodshed.


    He was the only person in Misthios guild they honestly respected.


    Thus, they didn''t show much reluctance and made a deal with Legs.


    However, none knew that this was a crucial part of the elf''s ns he made the very day they came to him as clients.


    ----------------


    2 Weeks Later.


    Legs met with their first ever clients, the 3 Qebika merchants.


    In the end, using a quick and effective route was a really important factor. The Misthios guild needed a travelingwork to easily roam across various regions close to Alfheim.


    So who better a choice than a corporation that had widespread channels of trading routes and multiple flying ships.


    Legs made a simr deal with the the three Qebikas namely Ruben, Hariv and Zipon.


    He proposed to lower the payment in return for having easy ess to their caravans, flying ships and space to store the raw materials that they were transporting.


    This way, they also saved a lot of money and could traverse to various regions for other jobs and clients easily as well.


    ----------------


    1 MONTH LATER.


    The Misthios Weapon Forging Company officially made its debut.


    And the enticing, as well as selling point of thispany was that it was led by a Saint cksmith.


    The person whose name was on the banner was a newly ascended old human who was also Saint cksmith.


    And that was none other than¡­ Zeus.


    Zeus was a persona Kahn used in the Rakos Empire as the main leader of Seven Deadly Sins. Even there, other than the core members, no one had seen him.


    So using this identity here was no problem at all.


    One of the doppelgangers Kahn had allocated for cksmithing practice took Zeus'' identity. In reality, all 5 of them were going to work for thispany and make top-grade weapons and armors.


    This was also a way for Kahn to make use of his skills and knowledge he learned from Throk in this empire.


    A Human cksmith saint¡­ this was more than enough to gain instant fame in Alfheim.


    There were a few Saint cksmiths in the city. But given Misthios guild''s reputation and big guns¡­ even if they started apany of their own; who in the hell would dare to create adversities for them?


    So the new business avenue got settled real quick and they offered their services to a lot of their high-profile clients as well.


    Kahn and his subordinates already had great experience in running a business in both the Rakos and Vulcan empire at this point. So it came in really handy to stabilize their new businesses and assets.


    This way, the situation was turning favorable to the guild in many ways.


    Now, they mainly dealt in the mercenary business, had a reputable Alchemy Company as their partner and owned a renowned cksmithpany as a subsidiary corporation.


    One after another, Kahn was expanding at a rapid pace and also creating his business empires with all his knowledge from both lives.


    As for now, the total number of employees in the guild and the cksmithing had risen to 18 thousand people and the headquarters was furthermore evolving as new buildings and sections were being built.


    With these factors in their favor¡­ Misthios guild had gained way too much attention, fame and created connections in top ces of Alfheim let alone be it the business world, nobles or the military.


    And because of the rising fame and being the leader of all of this skyrocketing enterprise¡­ Legs Ragnarsson gained a new moniker given by the people of Alfheim.


    The Mercenary King.

 Chapter 743 The Hunting Dogs

    Chapter 743 The Hunting Dogs


    As more weeks passed and the Misthios guild was bing a publicly recognized powerhouse in Alfheim, Kahn''s ns to quickly establish themselves and make a good standing in the Zivot Empire were finally realized.


    With Sedaris and Ranobes dead¡­ LNP guild was now an empty husk. With internal infighting within the guild for the leader''s position¡­ many people tried to annex the guild and even forcefully took over their territories and clientele.


    All because their leaders created trouble for the guild led by the Ironborn Elf, the establishment that existed for 3 decades was now destroyedpletely.


    Now, even the 12 Valkyries had no choice but to adapt to the situation and hand over their title as the number one mercenary guild to Misthios. What they achieved in 5 years was aplished by Legs Ragnarsson aka Kahn Salvatore in just 6 months with his cunning nning, experience as a businessman and exploiting the weaknesses of hispetitors.


    However, this was his limit. Because monopolizing the trade and taking away the food from other people''s tes furthermore would create unnecessary threats and enemies. Who knew if suddenly, another force came from outside of Alfheim or from the capital Eletnall and started targeting them because he pissed off the wrong people?


    One should always leave a leeway for the opponent. Otherwise, even an injured dog wouldn''t hesitate to fight against a tiger when pushed to the edge.


    ----------------


    The next day, thousands of kilometers away¡­


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    One after another, 12 cloaked figures varying in sizes and species suddenly appeared in a deste mountain range filled with dpidated constructs and ruins of an ancient civilization.


    Every single one of them was a Saint of different sses and even the weakest among them was a 6th stage saint. And the ce all these powerful individuals appeared at was¡­


    No Man''s Land.


    One of the saints who was 4 meters tall and had two brown hornsing out of his hood while having his entire body covered in a gray cloak, slowly descended towards a dark cave entrance.


    This cave was the very spot Kahn had stayed in for over 10 days after running away from the Vulcan empire.


    He stretched out his gray-skinned hand with long ck nails and soon, a ripple of blue pulsating magic formation spread across the cave.


    He opened his eyes which had yellow iris in them and flew back towards his allies in the sky.


    "No wonder we didn''t find him in those empires till now. The Hero of Darkness was hiding here quite some time ago." spoke this tall being who seemed to be a 7th stage saint based on his aura.


    "So he used those two 7 stage saints to create a decoy, so we''d follow them and meanwhile, he came back here. If we had known it before¡­ we would''ve found him long ago.


    This new Hero is indeed crafty." said a female in a blue cloak who had gills on her neck and lustrous skin with fish scales on her arms.


    "Yes. But there is no more trail left.


    Just as I suspected¡­ he has unlocked the Dimensional Law and even received enlightenment in it.


    Given the way he chose to travel using True Dimension¡­ I''m confident that he has received at least 2 enlightenments in Space Law." spoke this figure who investigated the cave.


    This 7th stage saint was a being from the Erdve empire¡­ the one which served the God of Space.


    "Then it leaves us with only two possibilities.


    He is either hiding in Rakos Empire or the Zivot Empire." said a being under a yellow cloak who was very thin in stature and had a voice that of an old aged man.


    "Can''t you track back time and see where he went from here?" asked the female from the Tenger empire which served the God of Sea.


    "Not possible. My time tracking skills can''t track someone if they left that ce more than 2 months ago.


    If we hade here sooner, he would already be in our custody." replied this individual who had wrinkled skin and the aura of a 6th stage saint.


    "Then where should we go?


    Rakos Empire¡­ they''re very hostile to us.


    Even though they don''t have an 8th stage emperor now¡­ the empire still has many arrangements made by the previous imperial family as well as magic formations to detect and kill us.


    Not only that¡­ If we go there, it will be a deration of war.


    No diplomatic approach would solve the misunderstanding and both Vulcan and Zivot empire would be the ones to bear the brunt of an open war.


    If we are the root cause of this incident¡­ none of us will be able to bear the consequences despite our previous agreements.


    There''s a limit on what we can do." spoke a being in a dark red cloak whose body was constantly emitting small waves of fire.


    This individual was none other than the Fireborne prince who faked his death to avenge the 7th Heroine of Fire after the 8th Hero of Darkness killed her 300 years ago.


    "Yes, our authority does not reach there and we will be attacked. Even staying in No Man''s Land for too long is risky enough to cause an international dispute.


    Our time is limited here." spoke the 4 meter tall saint from the empire of space.


    "So I guess it leaves only one choice.


    We must leave for the Elven Empire." another 3 meter tall saint who was also a 7th stage saint, cloaked in brown clothes spoke with a grim voice.


    Just then, one of the saints donning a green cloak decided to speak up as he took off his hood.


    Long ears, golden hair and bright white skin.


    This individual revealed himself to be a High Elf.


    Nobody here knew his origin other than the fact that he belonged to the Elven Emperor ss from the imperial n of the Zivot Empire.


    "I will ry the message to his majesty.


    That we will conduct our search in my home empire first. If we do not find him there within a year, then we will have no choice but to infiltrate the Rakos Empire despite the risks." he spoke with a reassuring voice.


    "You''re right. Entering the Rakos Empire should be ourst choice." spoke the saint who had perfectly hidden his appearance in a brown cloak.


    Just then, the fireborne prince spoke again.


    "The new Hero of Darkness¡­ we have to find him at any cost. Otherwise, he will create a great imbnce with his 2 Divine Keys when the timees."


    In truth, all of these people had a secret mission other than capturing Kahn.


    To find and get his core for themselves and their respective empire.


    This whole Revenge team setup had hidden intentions as well. In truth, everyone was as divided as they could be while maintaining the facade of unity under amon cause of hunting the new Hero of Darkness.


    But little did they know¡­ that their next destination was exactly the ce where their prey was hiding.

 Chapter 744 sudden Upgrade

    Chapter 744 sudden Upgrade


    The following day, Legs was running through some documents while going through a tally of records regarding their ie and expenditures along with all the new tiers of mercenaries they had rearranged after hiring thousands of new employees recently.


    With each passing day, he had to do more work inside the office than out in the field. Thankfully, he had 5 more doppelgangers after his rank up to 3rd stage saint who worked inside the Dimensional Domain. Thus, his workload was greatly reducedpared to his beginning days.


    But right when he waspletely focused¡­


    "Master! Pull me inside your domain!" suddenly, Ronin in his Scorpion persona appeared out of nowhere and urged Kahn.


    "What happened?" asked Kahn.


    "No time to exin! Just do it!"


    Kahn didn''t spare another moment and pulled Ronin inside his domain at a particr region of his domain which was now 30 kilometers in total range.


    Right at this moment¡­


    [The subordinate Ronin is making a breakthrough.] informed the system.


    BOOM!!


    A massive and chaotic burst of green and ck aura erupted and Kahn was thrown a kilometer away just from the shockwaves.


    Thankfully, his domain was like a separate pocket dimension that didn''t exist inside or affected the real world, otherwise this eruption of world energy would''ve destroyed their entire building like an atomic bomb.


    Kahn adjusted his footing after deactivating the Darkness Barrier he had used to protect himself at thest instant and saw the aftermath.


    "Arrrghhhh!!" screamed Ronin in pain as if he was undergoing some sort of torture.


    [Congrattions to the host. The subordinate Ronin has leveled up and be a beingparable to a 2nd stage saint.] reported the system in its usual lifeless voice.


    However¡­ this wasn''t the end of it.


    Visible ripples and waves of white and golden aura suddenly started exuding out of Ronin''s body and he transformed into his Thanatos form.


    This was Ronin''s true legendary rank form that he had only used once in a battle so far.


    He had only one red eye at the center of his head while two 10 meters long des as his forearms. There were four blue extensionsing out of his back while the waist had a 50 meter long tail. His entire body was covered in white and red exoskeleton armor and his entire figure was 150 meters tall.


    But in the following moments, his aura started bing denser and more oppressive even to Kahn as Ronin was undergoing a transmutation and his body was reforming at a visible rate.


    Soon, his height rose by an additional 100 meters and the de forearms were covered under golden flesh as they turned into proper arms this time.


    The red eye disappeared from his face but then reappeared at the center of his chest.


    Many golden vine-like extensions came out of his back along with 4 long horns on his head and soon, his white and red exoskeleton armor turned into abination of white and golden.


    The transformation finally stopped and Kahn walked closer to him.


    [Master, stop!] warned Ronin despite his sorry state.


    BOOM!!


    Another massive explosion erupted and sent Kahn flying again. This time, the intensity was 5 times stronger and covered 5 kilometers of radius inside the dimensional domain.


    "Ah¡­ I''m going to die soon." spoke Kahn with his haggard and charred face as ck fumes appeared in the perimeter.


    This time¡­ Ronin''s aura hadpletely changed from Green and ck to Golden and White as Ronin himself had transformed into apletely new being.


    [Congrattions to the host. General Ronin has ranked up to Mythical Rank.] reported the system out of the blue.


    "What the bloody hell?" spoke Kahn with a befuddled voice.


    "Show me his details, quickly!"


    [Following are the statistics and abilities :


    Name : Ronin


    Species : Thanatos (Variant Soul Reaper)


    Job : Spirit Assassin (Legendary Rank)


    Rank : Mythical Rank


    Level : 460


    Strength : 45719


    Agility : 60183


    Dexterity : 509342


    Defense : 16037


    Mana : 29402


    ---------------


    Following are the abilities and skills :


    Spiritual Sense (Saint Rank)


    Poison Immunity (Legendary Rank)


    Spiritual Replica (Saint Rank)


    Phase Shift (Saint Rank)


    ----------------


    Soul Collector (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    General named Ronin can absorb and collect the souls of his victims to increase his rank, levels and effectiveness of all skills.


    Note : The stronger the soul consumed, the more additional effects and levels will increase.


    ----------------


    Phantasm (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Ronin can use the collected souls of the enemies in a battle and turn them into a supplementary source of world energy.


    The subordinate can use this energy to replenish his reserves of world energy and use the skills that require it without running out of reserves.


    Note : The more souls are collected by the subordinate, the more energy will be absorbed and converted.


    ----------------


    Existence Concealment (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    This is an upgraded version of the Invisibility skill.


    General Ronin canpletely seal his presence while turning invisible and erase his energy signatures. No being under a 7th stage Saint rank or Mythical rank will be able to sense his presence.


    Note : This ability can rank up only after the next evolution to Godbeast rank.


    ----------------


    Following are upgraded abilities and skills :


    Fear Toxin (Saint Rank)


    Grappling Extension (Saint Rank)


    Shadow Walk (Saint Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Vilgax


    Bloodline purity : 100%


    ----------------


    New ability acquired by the general after this rank up :


    Soul Transfer (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the general to create a spectral form of himself and possess any living being''s body right at the moment of his death.


    Note : The time limit for soul possession is only 48 hours. After that, the subordinate''s soul will be kicked out from the possessed body automatically.


    The possessed body cannot be of a higher rank saint or a monster than general Ronin.] reported the system.


    "Wait what?! How did he suddenly break through to Mythical Rank?" asked Kahn, his eyes widened in disbelief.


    "And how can he use that Soul Transfer skill when he doesn''t have a soul?" he questioned again, the doubt in his mind being conspicuous.


    Just then, the system sent another warning thatpletely shocked Kahn.


    [Subordinate Ronin now has a Pseudo-Soul.]

 Chapter 745 The Spectre

    Chapter 745 The Spectre


    With the system''s sudden notification that was even more surprising than Ronin suddenly rising to Mythical Rank, Kahn was left bamboozled.


    What transpired here in just 10 minutes took him off guard as he couldn''t find a proper exnation for it.


    What was a Pseudo-Soul?


    It was something not everyone could create and so far, only Demi-Gods or True Gods could grant it to other beings without a soul.


    Kahn looked at Ronin''s new transformed figure that looked extremely strong and agile at the same time if he were to fight someone like Rudra, ckwall, Jugram and Omega in their true forms.


    In terms of stats alone, he was now 4th strongest individual in their group if Kahn counted himself on the list. In terms of speed, he was only second to Omega.


    As for hiding his aura and possessing skills to assassinate someone¡­ even Kahn wasn''t his match because now, even a 7th stage saint couldn''t sense or track Ronin after his rank up.


    "How?" asked Kahn to Ronin.


    At this moment, Ronin was level 460¡­ he had broken through twice in session and became a beingparable to a 3rd stage saint on the spot. This was an urrence that didn''t happen normally.


    "Did you get it from a Deity as well?" he queried cautiously.


    "No." responded in a tranquil voice as his massive figure, which was 250 meters tall in total.


    "Master, I have absorbed 9 souls so far.


    7 from the Hero''s Party, 1 belonging to that 3rd stage saint from LNP and finally, the Hero of Fire.


    Even after I finally managed to absorb and use their souls to rank up¡­


    Axel''s soul was too strong. It was bigger, denser and more potent than the others by at least 5 times.


    Even after I ranked up and used all the souls of the saints¡­


    There was still a considerable part of it left and it merged with my body.


    Since I''m now a being who has control over Souls, I managed to harness and transform it into a Pseudo-Soul on my own." exined Ronin in a stern voice.


    Kahn finally understood the real reason and found itpletely logical.


    Ronin not only had the skills but also his body catered towards collecting and using souls of other beings let it be legendary rank monsters or saints.


    Just then, Kahn suddenly remembered the time while he was talking with Rudra and Omega when they brought Sedaris'' head¡­ Nobody including himself had managed to sense Ronin when he appeared out of thin air.


    His powers were developing on their own without anyone noticing and his skills were far beyond what Kahn could even achieve by his own means.


    Thus, this situation could be exined.


    "Hey system, check Ronin''s soul." ordered Kahn vigntly.


    After a while, system replied in its lifeless voice.


    [General Ronin''s is not affected by anything and there are no traces of any foreign will or remnant soul.] reported the system.


    "Phew! Good.


    Means there is no will or anything that could influence himter." said Kahn as he sighed.


    Because the matter of souls wasn''t that easy. For example¡­ Rathnaar died 800 years ago and even half of his soul that Kahn was extremely strong.


    If not for the help from the system, Rathnaar was fully capable of controlling Kahn''s body and pushing him into the backseat at his will.


    Thus, Kahn was wary of Axel''s soul somehow affecting Ronin.


    "Soul Transfer, huh¡­" spoke Kahn with a skeptical tone.


    Although Kahn had the means to resurrect his subordinates as long as he could provide the required resources¡­ Ronin''s new ability was simply too terrifying.


    This was a life-saving ability even for someone like him as it would give you a 2nd life and a chance to resurrect yourself if you had made prior arrangements such as a suitable body in advance.


    So in a way, if Kahn had this ability, he won''t truly die and could resurrect himself within the next 2 days after his death.


    Even though it couldn''te close to Death Absolution or would get him the same body¡­ it was still an ability that could greatly extend your lifespan.


    All you had to do was look for a fresh corpse in good condition and then possess it after your death. An old man could simply possess a young kid with this ability and start his new life. Or a sick person can possess the healthy body of a strong individual.


    Even for Ronin¡­ this was very useful as he coulde out alive if he was ever caught by a powerful being and Kahn couldn''t resurrect him for some reason.


    "I guess it should be given at this point. We didn''t have anything mind-boggling in the current arc so far. This checks the box." said Kahn as he moved to the next topic.


    Now¡­ Kahn had 3 subordinates at Mythical Rank. Each having their own unique abilities and skillsets that were rare even among both monsters and saints alike.


    In the end, it was good news for him. Because their total manpower was rising by a tonpared to his time in Rakos & Vulcan empire where they had to keep low for many years.


    At least in Zivot Empire, they could do things freely and weren''t being oppressed by others.


    The days of Kahn having to act like an underdog while hiding his strength were long gone at this point.


    Their current lineup was something like this¡­


    Rudra and Omega were at the 4th stage saint rank.


    Kahn and Ronin were at 3rd stage saint rank.


    Jugram, ckwall and Oliver were at 2nd stage.


    And finally, only Ceril and Armin were still stuck at 1st stage saint.


    Thest two seemingly having some sort of strict conditions to breakthrough to the next rank even with all the cores they had on hand.


    But even so, Kahn was ted to see that they were no longer weak and could hold themselves in a battle even against a 6th stage saint at this point.


    If Axel and his party fought them at this point¡­ they''d bepletely decimated within an hour.


    "I guess good things doe to those who wait enough." said Kahn in a merry voice.


    Little did he know that Ronin''s sudden upgrade to Mythical Rank¡­


    Was going to y a very crucial part in the uing future regarding the matter of life and death.

 Chapter 746 New Disciple

    Chapter 746 New Disciple


    The next evening, Legs came to visit a particr building with intrinsic architecture full of light brown and green, giving it a sense of calmness and a ssic forest-like feel as the massive 10 story building spread across 2 kilometers came into his sight.


    Trismegistus Alchemy Enterprise.


    This was the name of thispany which was owned by Edmund Thandruil aka the Saint Rank Alchemist and also the official business partner of the Misthios guild.


    Legs was escorted by official attendees and then came to visit the human alchemist. However, the ce he met them was not an office but an Alchemy Laboratory.


    Various equipment such as beakers, sks, boilers, tripods and many different forms of machinery that operated on magic cores as a source of energy was revealed to him.


    It hadn''t been even a month yet the entirepany was set up in the best way possible. This showed Kahn that Edmund wasn''t a neer to running an operation of this scale and apany this big where more than 3 thousand employees worked to produce quality products.


    The section Legs was led to being the ce where the main boss himself along with Darwin aka Armin''s alternate persona worked on different and extremely difficult recipes themselves.


    "Greetings, Mr. Ragnarsson." spoke Edmund in a hasty voice without even sparing Legs a nce as he was partially submerged in the process of extracting medicinal properties of a few delicate materials while using both the equipment and infusing his world energy inside the material at hand.


    Legs then looked around the fully ventted wide room and after seeing hundreds of small but varying pieces of equipment as he asked in a curious tone.


    "It''s very different from how I imagined.


    I thought you guys used a cauldron and some sort of mystical me that burned the raw material and revealed the medicinal extracts to create pills or something."


    However, the following second¡­ both Edmund and Darwin stood rooted on the spot and looked at Legs.


    Darwin had his jaw wide open and facepalmed himself, averting his gaze from this ignorant and stupid master of his.


    "To be honest¡­ We''re not that close. I don''t even like the guy." spoke Darwin as he refused to acknowledge Legs as his acquaintance.


    Edmund on the other end had his eyes turning red as he questioned¡­


    "What the hell did you just say?!" mored the alchemist, his voice being overbearing.


    "You know¡­ like burn raw material, extract the useful stuff and then mix them to form medicine and stuff¡­ that''s how it works, right?" spoke Legs with a visible confusion on his countenance.


    "Which! Fucking! Idiot! Told you that?!" eximed Edmund in rage as if he was greatly offended at this moment.


    "Wait¡­ that''s not how it works?" asked Legs, slightly retracting his footsteps.


    This time¡­ Edmund let out a deep breath and tried to calm himself.


    "If that''s how it worked¡­ all of the ingredients will burn.


    Most of the materials are vulnerable to fire or any kind of heat and will get destroyed on the spot.


    And on top of it, all ingredients require different methods, temperature as well as procedure to extract their efficacies.


    And even while mixing them, we have to measure the proportions and perfectly bnce them for the desired effect.


    Otherwise, it would turn into a poison instead of a cure." exined Edmund with great control on his face.


    [Master, if it was someone else instead of you¡­ my mentor would''ve kicked you out of this building already. And let''s not even mention the beating you would''ve received during the meantime.] warned Armin through their mind link.


    "Even if there were to be such ingredients¡­ the majority will lose the medical efficacies during the procedure.


    Next time someone tells you this nonsense¡­ punch them in the face for me." spoke Edmund as he contained his rage.


    [Ah¡­ So those fucking Chinese Cultivation novels lied to me.


    That whole using spiritual qi and random divine fire to refine pills was nothing but bullshit.] thought Kahn, ashamed of his prior assumption.


    "Why are you here?" asked Darwin.


    "Actually¡­ I was here to negotiate the terms of our contract with you, sir Edmund." spoke Legs in an apologetic tone.


    "What alterations do you want?" asked Edmund with a slightly hostile expression.


    I hope you can include him in this deal." said Legs and pointed towards the exit door.


    Step!


    Step!


    In the following moments, a young man in his teenage years who had slightly long and wavy ck hair walked in.


    This young man with blue eyes was donning a very high-quality white and blue robe of alchemists.


    His height was short and his overall figure was lithe. But the impression he gave off was that of an intellectual schr.


    "Who is he?" asked Saint.


    "His name is Merlin Kimiya." introduced Legs.


    "It''s an honor to make your acquaintance, sir Edmund." spoke Merlin, the young alchemist.


    "I hope you can ept him as your disciple as well." requested Legs.


    In reality, this was another one of Kahn''s new doppelgangers he gained after the rank up to 3rd stage saint.


    Just from the earlier exchange, it was apparent that Kahn was nothing but an oblivious fool to the Alchemy Profession.


    And since Kahn was busy leading Misthios as Legs and most of the other doppelgangers were already busy with their respective tasks¡­ he decided to use one of the new 5 doppelgangers to learn Alchemy.


    Mind connection, skills and memories were shared between him and his doppelgangers in real-time. Thus whatever he acquired through knowledge and skills would go to the original body as long as the doppelganger was within 100 kilometers radius of the original body.


    So this morning, he created a new persona of a youth who aspired to be an alchemist.


    He changed his appearance using the metamorphosis bloodline, he looked like a young and thin and short stature man. But his enema was that of a schr.


    As for why Kahn was asking to learn from the Saint Alchemist?


    It was because he had already seen the tremendous benefits of learning from the best in the profession.


    What he learned and gained from Throk as his disciple was something he could never aplish on his own.


    And he didn''t have time to acquire knowledge bit by bit like the others.


    Given his blessings from War Deity and his Eidetic Memory¡­ it was going to be a much rapid growth if he learned from a Saint Alchemist himself.


    Even if he only worked as an assistant and started from the basics¡­ He would avoid too many mistakes and improve really quickly.


    So why would Kahn let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?


    This was also something he nned back a while ago.


    First, he let Armin in his Darwin persona be a backbone for the saint Alchemist to rely on in the past month.


    And after seeing the results and help he was getting for free¡­


    Edmund was not only impressed but also subconsciously reliant on thetter.


    Now¡­ having Merlin as his new assistant was going to be like gaining another helping hand.


    Once Merlin learned the basic skills and gained experience¡­ Edmund would also be certain that this new guy Legs rmended would turn out to be another great pawn.


    Little did he know¡­


    Although Kahn was doing the work for free¡­ in the future; he was developing himself to excel in this profession too.


    Not only Kahn was gaining a lot of wealth by partnering up with the Alchemist''spany¡­


    He was getting the best of both worlds.

 Chapter 747 The Dungeon Boss

    747 The Dungeon Boss


    After giving it a thought¡­ Edmund was certain that Merlin had some sort of huge background or belonged to some house with high standing in society.


    Otherwise, why would Legs Ragnarsson, the ironborn elf leader of the strongest and most popr mercenary guild who had numbers of people lined up to hire them, would personallye and rmend this teenager to be his disciple?


    On the ords of appearance, Merlin was a human and didn''t even have the insignia of the Misthios guild on his clothes. Also, his clothing was that of someone from a noble background.


    [Who is he?] asked Edmund to Legs using a telepathicmunication artifact.


    [Although I cannot tell you his true identity¡­ just know that he''s the son of an Exalted Noble.


    They made me a promise to be a long-term client of yourpany if you let their son learn from you. And trust me¡­ the number of profits would be huge.] responded Legs.


    Kahn had already created a backstory for his Merlin persona and was going to persuade the alchemist to ept his proposition one way or another.


    [Good. Means it will be worth sparing some time in grooming this child.] said Edmund and nodded back at Legs.


    Kahn had already figured out that not only this saint alchemist was a talented fellow¡­ but he also coveted wealth and fame greatly.


    The more poprity and prestige he had, the more satisfied he would be.


    This personality trait could be associated with narcissistic behavior so Kahn created this fake story.


    Because even someone like Edmund understood that Merlin could bring him a lot of benefits and by being his mentor¡­ this noble house would also be his unofficial backer.


    In the end, Merlin was just going to receive his tutge and learn the basics of the trade while all Edmund had to do was act as his mentor figure.


    Edmund wasn''t being hired as his teacher or had any obligation to turn this boy into a great Alchemist either. Given his reputation and rank, many noble ns were already queued up to have their members learn from him.


    Just that Legs brought this boy who was going to bring him the most benefits in the long run.


    What Legs was doing is favoritism and making a ''rmendation'' to ept him as a disciple.


    Merlin would be the one to do the work and Edmund would be doing a big favor to Legs while also benefiting at the same time.


    "Alright, boy. From now on¡­" spoke Edmund as he dered his final decision.


    "I''m your mentor."


    ----------------


    Counting this day¡­ it had been 6 months since Kahn started the Misthios guild and close to 7 months since they entered the Zivot empire after fleeing from the Vulcan empire.


    "Alright then¡­ who''s up for this job?" asked Kahn to his subordinates.


    "Meh¡­ too boring." said Rudra as he rolled his eyes.


    "I''m simply too busy these days." spoke Jugram.


    "I have a mission to escort 3 helicarriers today. I''mmitted." replied Oliver, under his mask and hood.


    "I''m busy with my magic study. I have to make a breakthrough soon. I can''t be behind these dimwits." responded Ceril as if he was running against the clock.


    Given his infatuation with being Kahn''s strongest subordinate and yet being the only a 2nd stage currently, Ceril was greatly disappointed in himself and thus he was training and trying to make a breakthrough day and night.


    "Master, I''m busy at the Alchemypany. I''m close to making a breakthrough soon." spoke Armin.


    Omega and ckwall were also busy with a lot of work for top-tier clients so they also declined.


    "I guess I''ll have to do it this time." said Kahn as he sighed.


    Just then¡­ Ronin, who had been resting and concentrating his world energy and aura inside the Table of Arcana ever since he broke through to the Mythical Rank showed up out of thin air.


    "Master¡­ you''re needed here to protect the headquarters and also do a lot of work as the guild leader.


    Also, you can''t be seen in both the office and on a job at the same time.


    So I''ll go." he dered in a deep voice.


    "On top of it¡­ it''s just a mere high-tier dungeon anyone." he said in a casual tone.


    "This fucker! Now he''s treating a high-tier dungeon as nothing worth worrying.


    Just wait! I will break through to Mythical Rank as well!" eximed Ceril in an infuriated tone as if Ronin was stepping on his pride.


    And Ronin being Ronin¡­ he just ignored Ceril as if he didn''t hear anything.


    "Alright. But be careful. You''re supposed to be an assassin and not a damage dealer.


    With your skills¡­ killing a high lord dungeon boss won''t be a problem either. But you''re not going alone. So maintain secrecy." warned Kahn.


    "Alright then¡­ it''s decided. Go and earn us more cores. At this rate, we will cross our target of 80 million SS Rank cores soon." said Kahn and pped.


    The next moment, all of them disappeared from the spot and went to different tasks and ces they were supposed to.


    [I must say, boy. Although you''re by yourself and without any backing of an empire like the other summoned heroes¡­


    Your group isn''t any weaker than their parties at all. Besides¡­ you''re earning a lot of money by yourself.


    The majority of the summoned Heroes were too much dependent on their empires and churches for even their single meals. Compared to them¡­ you''re very independent.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    However, thetter scoffed off.


    "What''s there to be proud about?


    I always have to work for money and resources to increase my strength and also train by myself at the same time inside the dimensional domain.


    Don''t you know how taxing it is on me?


    I''d rather ck off and depend on some sugar-mommy instead of working day and night tirelessly."ined Kahn.


    Although Kahn was not under any empire''s control¡­ he never had the option to be dependent on anyone else either.


    "Besides¡­ none of them have a group of powerful saints hunting to kill them.


    I''d dly switch ces with any of those heroes." he iterated in an exhausted and helpless voice.


    [Ha ha! Well, that¡­ I can''t argue against.] even Rathnaar took joy in Kahn''s misery.


    ----------------


    Two Hours Later.


    Ronin stood in front of more than 3 thousand mercenaries and employees grouped together in one of the open assembly grounds of their headquarter.


    "All of you, I have exined what you have to do after we reach there.


    I will not allow for any detours and anyone wasting time doing something we''re not supposed to.


    Anyone who breaks the rules will be kicked out of the guild without any second warning.


    So do you all understand?!" mored the spirit assassin general aka Ronin in his Scorpion persona.


    AHOO!


    AHOO!


    A group of B-rank guild members shouted in unison.


    This was the War Cry of Misthios guild. It meant that they were ready for the job or a battle.


    In response, Scorpion replied calmly.


    "Good. Now get inside those magic trains¡­


    We''re going on a dungeon raid."


    ----------------


    5 Hours Later.


    50 kilometers outside Alfheim, was a high-tier dungeon named Demeter.


    The main reason why Ronin chose this job was because it included harvesting rare minerals that only grew inside the final floor of this high-tier dungeon.


    Unlike their time in vot City, dungeons in Zivot Empire were ssified in tiers.


    A high-tier dungeon was the 2nd hardest dungeon and had a total of 81 floors.


    Thest being the Dungeon Boss floor.


    But right now¡­ the Misthios guild was warily on guard while the miners of their guild who also worked in their cksmithingpany were fearlessly doing their work. Not worried in the slightest.


    However, at this moment¡­ it wasn''t only the Misthios guild that was present inside this vast final floor.


    More than 15 thousand people¡­ mostly Adventurer armies from guilds were present and stood in battle formations.


    "Give us the dungeon boss! It''s our kill, your mercenary bastards!" shouted an Elf Archer donning golden armor.


    GROWL!


    GRRR!


    To his rude demand, a heart-wrenching growl resounded in this 15 kilometers wide floor.


    A 200 meter tall ck monster whose upper body was simr to a human but the head and lower portions along with multiple legs were that of a scorpion.


    This was none other than the legendary rank Dungeon Boss.


    Normally¡­ one would require a group of at least 5 thousand soldiers to kill this beginner legendary rank monster. But for some reason¡­ the boss was greatly in pain and terrified. It didn''t attack any people from the Misthios guild who were working around 1 kilometer radius of his body and excavated the rare materials from his domain right under his vision.


    Just then¡­ another loud voice reverberated in the surroundings, reaching every Adventurer force in 5 kilometers radius.


    "Shut the hell up! I already said we''re not here to kill this boss.


    We''re only here to mine the rare minerals." a stern voice revealed its presence and soon¡­


    SHRILL!


    A ghostly shrill spread in the region as a powerful being revealed their killing intent.


    And the source of origin being the head of this massive dungeon boss.


    "Master said killing the boss would create unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, I would''ve killed all these morons already." said a green-haired individual who was casually sitting on this massive monster''s head.


    Ronin is simply sitting on the boss'' head while resting, using his saint pressure that had greatly upgraded with his rank up to suppress the dungeon boss while ordering his men to harvest the material.


    There was a time when Ronin couldn''t even face a High Lord on his own.


    Now¡­ he was sitting on top of a Legendary Rank dungeon boss while chilling.


    After he revealed his aura¡­ thousands of adventurers on guard were forced to kneel and felt like facing great cmity.


    Even the people from the Misthios guild wondered and asked themselves¡­


    Who''s the real Dungeon Boss?

 Chapter 748 Chessboard Pieces

    748 Chessboard Pieces


    2 Days Later at the capital Eletnall.


    At the central region of the capital, the Emperor and the Abbot were sitting quietly in the throne hall.


    Just like before, the two Thrones at the top were upied but this time, there was another individual kneeling in front of them at the bottom of the stairs.


    "You may now speak, Iskamir." spoke Nievan Triscal Insalor Venric, the 8th stage emperor of Zivot Empire in a domineering voice.


    This blonde-haired elf with bright white skin and the aura of a 6th stage saint spoke in an obedient voice.


    "Thank you for granting me this audience, your Majesty." spoke this elf.


    This individual was none other than the elf from the mysterious group tasked with hunting the new Hero of Darkness.


    "Leave the pleasantries aside, nephew.


    What is your progress in finding the Hero of Darkness?" asked Maeral Sez Insalor Venric, Abbot of the Monastery of Life.


    By lineage, Iskamir Vegar Insalor Venric was one of the members of the imperial n and also their family rtive.


    "Lord Uncles, we did make some progress.


    He''s not in the Vulcan empire. Previously, we tracked him to the nearby empires but found that it was just a decoy.


    Now¡­ we''re certain that he''s either in Rakos Empire or in ours." he reported.


    "But everyone is too cautious around each other. There''s no guarantee that everyone won''t turn on each other as soon as we catch him." he added to his report.


    "So what do you know about him?" asked the emperor.


    "We investigated the site of the battle between him and Hero of Fire.


    He indeed has two 7th stage saints with darkness element as his aide like the Emperor of Vulcan Empire informed us." he revealed while still bowing his head.


    "I thought the Cult of Darkborne was eradicated. But it seems like there are still descendants of the cult who still wish to use him to reestablish the Abyss Empire." spoke the young elf.


    "Of course, how can the cult that existed for more than 10 thousand years get wiped out so easily?


    Even with the fall of the Abyss Empire, there were bound to be few secret branches left in other empires.


    I''m surprised that they found Hero of Darkness first before anyone else." said the Abbot with a stern voice.


    "Iskamir, You must make sure that he falls into our hands. He is too precious to let go after he absorbed the Hero of Fire''s Divine Key."mended the emperor and the next moment, a bright green orb appeared in front of the 6th stage high elf saint.


    "This¡­" spoke the elf with great surprise.


    Soon, the orb lost its luster and a jade pendant appeared, floating slowly in the air.


    "Yes, this is the former Hero of Life''s pendant. You already know that this was one of his most useful life-saving artifacts." said the emperor.


    "With each use, you will lose 30 levels. But you will be transported out of the danger zone and get teleported to 1000 kilometers away.


    Use it wisely and only after you capture the Hero of Darkness." revealed the Emperor.


    "We allowed you to join that group 300 years ago because we know he was like a big brother to you until the 8th Hero of Darkness killed him and all the other members of your Hero''s Party¡­


    But you shouldn''t forget that although your revenge is necessary, you must bring the Divine Keys for the current Hero of Life." spoke the Abbot in an authoritative tone.


    "Once Ervalen absorbs both divine keys¡­ he will be a 6th stage saint. His soul and body would also transform.


    You know the aftereffects of absorbing another Hero''s core, don''t you?" asked the emperor.


    "Yes¡­ not only can they get partial ownership of the divine weapon, but they can also fuse both their original divine weapon with the new one since their bodies also gain affinity of the other Hero''s element.


    Once the hero breaks through the 5th stage saint, they will be able to perform that feat and be even more powerful.


    This was rumored to be one of the reasons why the 8th Hero of Darkness caused that massacre." replied Iskamir as he clenched his fists tightly, his eyes turning bloodshot.


    Iskamir was the only survivor of the previous generation''s Hero''s Party and had witnessed the massacre of all his friends and teammates. The previous Hero was a kind individual and he greatly admired him.


    But after that massacre and losing all the people who were close to him¡­ Revenge became the only goal in Iskamir''s life.


    He gave up on his im or any right to the contendership to the throne despite being in the line of session only after the Emperor''s son, to join the group that was formed to hunt the 8th Hero of Darkness at that time.


    He also partook in the destruction and massacre of billions of people of the Abyss Empire in heat of rage 300 years ago while he was only a 4th stage saint.


    "After all¡­ they can establish a domain of their own. The more elements it has, the more powerful that domain will be." spoke Iskamir.


    "Correct.


    This cannot be achieved by any beings in the world other than the Heroes if they absorb other Divine Keys." revealed the Abbot as he nodded approvingly.


    "Your majesty¡­


    If Ervalen gets the divine keys¡­ not only will he gain Hero of Fire''s absolute control on fire and Hero of Darkness'' control of the darkness element¡­


    He will also gain the Dimensional Domain." spoke Iskamir as he revealed intriguing news.


    "What is this Dimensional Domain?" asked the old Abbot.


    "My lords¡­ so far, we know for certain that one of the Divine Abilities he chose is the Dimensional Law.


    This was confirmed by the saint from Empire of Space as well.


    And not only that¡­


    He has received 2 enlightenments in Space Law." informed the elf.


    To this revtion, both the emperor and abbot were shocked.


    "2 Enlightenments in one of the strongest and hardestws to master?


    All on his own and without a Saint in Space Law as his teacher?


    What kind of talented freak is this summoned hero?" the emperor couldn''t help but be astonished by this news.


    "As per my information, even the current Hero of Space has received only 1 enlightenment in Space Law despite being mentored by top experts of Erdve Empire." added Iskamir.


    "His growth is too astounding. He should already be a 2nd stage saint after absorbing the Divine Key, mescion.


    This can''t do." spoke the Abbot with a wary tone.


    "So tell us, what do you need?" he asked curiously.


    "As per the pact our n made with other empires¡­ we need authority and ess to search for his traces in our empire.


    If he is indeed in Zivot Empire, then we''re sure to find him within a year by working together.


    All the empires have ways to track him using artifacts and formations we acquired while destroying Abyss Empire.


    But they are restricted by range. Thus, we need unimpeded ess to all the regions and people to aid us in the investigation while keeping these matters secret." he stated.


    "Then you and that group shall have it.


    Let''s hope he''s here and not in Rakos. Otherwise, things will be unfavorable." spoke the Emperor without a second thought.


    The early bird gets the worm.


    Any dy and they''d lose the advantage.


    What if Hero of Darkness was in some other empire?


    Then they''d be restricted and couldn''t use many ns and means to capture him for themselves.


    After a few discussions, Iskamir left the throne hall.


    Soon, the brothers started talking between themselves.


    "The time ising close. After 2 months¡­


    Ervalen and Hero''s Party will have to go to that dungeon." spoke the emperor.


    To his words, the Abbot replied confidently.


    "This time, I believe we will definitely seed."


    ----------------


    On the southern end of the Zivot Empire, inside Alfheim¡­


    Kahn held a meeting with his group in their main headquarters building.


    "Our growth is fast. We earned 2 trillion itikar in just 7 months.


    And our main goal to earn 80 million SS Rank cores is also close to being achieved.


    All of that thanks to the cksmithingpany and our partnership with Trismegistus Alchemy Enterprise." revealed Kahn to his subordinates.


    "Yes, we wouldn''t have managed to achieve all of this while only being a mercenary guild." spoke and nodded Ceril.


    "So what''s our next n?" asked ckwall.


    "There is no next n. We have perfectly settled ourselves in the Elven Empire.


    Each year, we can also go and collect Resources from the Rakos Empire.


    Given our numbers and resources at hand along with the Chamber of Exaltation¡­


    All of us can at least rank up easily once a year for the next 5 years." dered Kahn with a satisfied expression.


    "After that¡­ our demand would greatly increase.


    But by then¡­ we will be strong enough to make big moves and do things on a bigger scale.


    We just have to be patient." he iterated calmly.


    "So it leaves only with our expansion." spoke Omega in a doubtful tone.


    "Yes, the only question remains about how we are going to expand our numbers and reach from here.


    tantly hiring would send a message that we''re desperate for expansion to everyone else." said Jugram as he folded his arms.


    "I have an idea." spoke Kahn.


    "We will simply use a strategy.


    It''s the thirsty man who goes to the Well.


    Not the other way around. Here, we are the Well." stated Kahn with an evil grin.


    "We need to exploit that fact in our favor." spoke Kahn and gave amand.


    "Announce this to the whole Alfheim.


    We''re creating a safe haven for all the mercenaries and all their families.


    Regardless of their job, profession and origin, everyone is weed to join.


    From now on¡­ Misthios won''t be just a mercenary guild." said Kahn as he revealed a very big move that would greatly affect their future.


    "It will be a Sanctuary."

 Chapter 749 New Settlement

    749 New Settlement


    One Month Later.


    Thousands of people were heading towards the southern end of Alfheim after anticipating and being excited as they looked forward to a particr event that was about to happen today.


    All the roads, flying ships and magic trains were full of people whether they were someone who was going to partake in what was about to transpire or just act as spectators.


    In the past month, the entire city spanning 150 kilometers in radius had heard of the Misthios guild officially establishing a new settlement as they expanded their headquarters and also hired new mercenaries as their guild members.


    However¡­ this new announcement didn''t just include offering employment to anyone with fighting ss professions and the ability to use magic, but to their families as well.


    The Misthios guild was basically going to adopt the entire family as their employees and other than the individual with required qualifications, they''d also offer homes and various forms of facilities and institutions such as free education, magic academics and work rted to the families of these members.


    This was a step no one had ever taken in the history of their empire, especially not in the Mercenary profession.


    In a way¡­ this step was too enticing for thousands of people regardless of their race with the ability to use magic.


    Because not only their employment along with fairpensation to their families was promised should they die during a job¡­ but their families would get a lot of benefits and job security.


    However, if not a single member of the family could meet the conditions, then this offer wasn''t avable to them.


    Yet, to many people at the bottom of the social structure and those who were poor and needed jobs, this was a huge opportunity.


    Thus¡­ thousands of people who awaited this day were flocking like birds towards the main headquarters of the Misthios guild.


    ----------------


    Kahn in his Legs appearance was waiting inside his office while all the subordinates were tasked to overlook the affairs of theunching ceremony.


    Many top-tier clients, their respective forces, business organization heads, people of the imperial rule and even officials from the military were invited for their opening ceremony.


    There was a section arranged especially for these top figures of Alfheim and were treated with care and respect while receiving a warm wee.


    As for why did Kahn go so far?


    He knew that just having a mercenary headquarters and a cksmithpany wasn''t going to cut it. There was a limit on what they could achieve as just a group of hired bodyguards or hunters.


    Kahn was once a sovereign in the Rakos Empire, the person who made decisions that decided the fates of 230 million people depended on when he was their Sovereign.


    So he decided to make an establishment of their own. Like a small town that they would use as a base to further their ie.


    Soon, they''d start their own businesses in various sectors and build buildings and houses.


    As for the Business¡­ Kahn used his connections here.


    First, he offered Denzel, the 3 Qebika, Lukions and count Horik to establish their branches here, out of their domain.


    And thus, their establishment was going to be a massive trade hub let it be a mercenary or adventurer.


    They even made an academy for magic practice.


    Thanks to the efficient elven construction methods and dozens of massive machines that worked on magic and earth element¡­ their construction greatly expanded in the past month and now, 80% of the establishment was developed and ready to use at this point.


    As long as people signed up ording to the qualification¡­ they''d be taught skills to make a living in the world.


    They''d also be given jobs in the settlements and newpanies or establishments Misthios was building like restaurants, constructionpanies, service sector.


    With their connections with powerful people and bribing the honest men and also offering to do work for them at half the usual price no matter what it was¡­ Legs had gotten clearance from imperial authorities.


    His identity as an Elf came in handy and his top-level clientele which also included a lot of Exalted and High Noble houses yed a big part.


    Even the President of the Mercenary Association was now trying to create a friendly rtionship with their guild given their prestige and standing in society.


    In the end, strength was the quickest way to rise in Vantrea.


    The strong and powerful would also be favored upon.


    Thus¡­ it led to the current scenario where the 10 kilometer radius established filled with houses, enormous buildings and many squares were full of visitors and those who nned to join their guild.


    However, the atmosphere around this estate was that of a merry celebration as thousands of people adorning weapons and armor along with their families including the young children had gathered in the widespread open spaces as if there was some cultural festival.


    There were no guards or soldiers to maintain peace, rather it was the people amassed here who were the ones in charge of making sure that no one caused any form of trouble since everyone present thought of this asion as a life-turning event.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Tall and monstrous creatures with horns and different colors of furs also trode among this crowd.


    Tap!


    Tap!


    Finally, when the mood was settled¡­ the main tower surrounded by various buildings, extended a tform forward towards the crowd below.


    A group of people walked on this tform, adorning different armors and weapons of their own.


    A white-haired hybrid, a mage, an assassin, a berserker, an archer, a healer, a tank and finally, a trident warrior appeared at the top of this tform and the crowd turned silent.


    Raiden, Loki, Scorpion, Dante, Icarus, Darwin, Sigurd and Rudra made their appearance.


    But soon, all 8 of them parted ways and divided into 2 groups of 4, standing quietly on opposite sides.


    Step!


    Step!


    Finally, a short white-haired humanoid figure came out of the top of the tall tower and walked forth towards the end of this tform.


    Legs Ragnarsson aka the guild leader had his arms folded behind his back as he proudly gazed at all the people down below.


    After he reached the end of this long tform and gazed down at the crowd of 30 thousand people, the majority of whom were warriors and magic ss fighters¡­ the surrounding froze and no one even dared to breathe loudly given the prestige of this person.


    "Wee to my humble settlement." said the ironborn elf.


    "Free education for your children. Free living quarters allocated to each of you and your families.


    We have already built practicing grounds to hone and perfect your battle skills and spells for each ss and profession.


    Soon, there will be multiple hospitals built and free medical care will be provided to everyone who is registered as part of our organization.


    After we are officially open, there will be work for everyone who can''t use magic including women and the elderly based on their experience and capabilities in the businesses in the settlements we''re to establish.


    For those who can use magic or invoked any particr skills¡­ we will provide them with resources and training facilities to increase their strengths and mastery of their skills." dered Legs, using various artifacts, his voice resounded in 5 kilometers radius and reached the ears of all the attendees.


    All the people who heard these words spoken by this saint in the 5 kilometers vicinity had an excited as well as worshiping expression towards the individual who had given them a new life and provided a haven for their families.


    "So tell me, Misthios¡­" spoke Legs as his prestigious and domineering figure gazed from one end of the crowd to the other.


    "What is your profession?!"


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    Suddenly, the entirety of the crowd chanted together.


    Everyone belonging to a fighting profession ss started banging their weapons on shields or with other weapons. The mages, enchanters and summoners stomped their staves and scepters on the ground.


    While the archers on flying monsters shot their arrows high in the sky that exploded loudly, releasing different elements and colors simr to grand disys of fireworks.


    "This isn''t just some settlement of hooligans and a ragtag bunch of ouws. You''re no longer without a ce you belong to." said the elf as he raised his right fist high in the air.


    Everyone present here looked towards this enigmatic yet oddly reliable figure with vehement eyes as if they were gazing at their life savior.


    "This is your Sanctuary! This is your new home!" he roared like a lion, his voice reverberating and sending goosebumps to everyone present.


    "This is Sparta!"


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    AHOO!!


    Chanted more than 30 thousand people collectively spread across the 3 kilometers wide open grounds as they released their War Cry.


    Those without weapons and fighting professions started stomping their feet. Even the ground trembled from the vibrations and loud cheers.


    "All hail our mighty leader." screamed thousands of people in joy and excitement as all of them praised their ultimate leader to whom they had pledged their loyalty.


    "The Mercenary King!!"

 Chapter 750 Reaping Profits

    750 Reaping Profits


    One month passed in the blink of an eye.


    Sparta, the settlement established by Kahn was now one of the biggest trading outposts in the southern region of Alfheim and thrived unceasingly.


    Sparta became too famous and sessfully took over the economic lead very quickly in the past month after Legs and themanders pulled all their connections and made use of all of their assets, making arge investment, spreading it further to a 20 kilometers wide region.


    Over a million people of all races and various jobs came to Sparta for their own purposes. The avability and range of products in this settlement was something that exceeded Kahn''s previous expectations.


    At this point, even Adventurers and many merchants who dealt in various goods came here to do business.


    This ce sold the best stuff around the southern region of Alfheim altogether.


    High-quality natural resources from Count Horik and many other Noble House''s territories, various provisions and materials sold by the Merchant Guild established by 3 Qebikas; rare minerals and ores for crafting, construction and forging sold by the Lukion tribe, then top quality Alchemy products by Edmund''spany which was their partner.


    To add to the menu, Sparta also had a newly established branch regarding marine products and rare aquatic goods from Denzel Harrington''s organization which was already a reputed and famous brand.


    As for the Misthios guild, they provided high-grade weapons and armors through their own cksmithingpany and sold their products to all fighting-ss individuals as well as many of their powerful clients and nearby territories. As long as you needed a weapon, you could buy them here no matter which profession you were from.


    On top of it, Kahn as Legs had offered the same deal to many of his top clients to open their branches here and gave them security at the same time for a mutually agreed percentage from all these respective businesses.


    Even so, how could this be enough for him?


    This was just the attraction and why people came to visit Sparta. To find products they wanted and also sell their own stuff to big organizations here.


    Just through the percentage in profits, Kahn and the gang earned 200 million itikar in only 1 month.


    But it wasn''t their biggest gain because the real money¡­ was made using some other means.


    With Sparta being bustling with millions of people on daily basis, what became the source of ie that was the Service Sector.


    Restaurants, food vendors, hotels, inns, transportation services, tour guides and every form of service a guest or an outsider roaming Sparta oring here to do business would need was actually owned by Misthios guild. And all the people working as employees in these fine franchises were none other than the guild members and qualified individuals from their families.


    Service sector always made a lot of money and if you owned all of it along with the share of profits from many renowned businesses¡­ it would even outrank the profits you made by more direct jobs.


    Passive ie was always the best ie even on earth. So with Kahn''s business mind and his experience, he ventured into this field for the first time but still managed to make huge profits.


    So far they made 550 million itikar just using these sources of ie.


    In simple words, business was booming.


    And this was just the beginning era of their territory. There was always some room for improvement.


    ----------------


    In the beginning, Kahn suffered immense losses with the half-payment policy and had to spend a lot of money from his own pockets, the money that he printed on his own, to be honest.


    But along the way, that very approach helped them establish a lot of connections in high ces and create bonds with those who were in need of their help. And now¡­ all those people turned into his reliable allies as well as business partners to a small degree, which helped him build this small domain within just 9 months of their arrival in the Zivot Empire.


    Whether it was money or resources¡­ Kahn and the group now had everything in Alfheim and just their name was enough to be a force of deterrence.


    Now, nobody even dared to create trouble for this behemoth in Alfheim. Because everyone understood one thing. That this wasn''t achieved through luck but pure skills.


    History tells us that powerful peoplee from powerful ces.


    Well¡­ history has always been only one depiction from the side that won the battle in the end.


    What history written by those who do not want you to know the truth often doesn''t tell you is that¡­


    Powerful people make ces¡­ Powerful.


    ---------


    One weekter in the evening.


    Schwooom!


    Schwooom!


    Multiple green and golden warships flew over Alfheim and stopped in the vast open grounds of the military headquarters of this city which was located at the western end.


    Thousands of soldiers formed lines and the grandest wee was offered to the VIPs who exited out of the 200 meter tall warship.


    "The Hero''s Party and Lord Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life have graced us with their presence.


    Let us all formally wee them to Alfheim!" shouted a military officer.


    Thousands of soldiers bowed in respect along with 4 saint rank officials who were the highest authority here.


    "My Lords, allow us to escort you to living arrangements. Also, there will be a banquet held for you since this is the first time your lordships have visited Alfheim." spoke a 3rd stage saint official.


    But the very next moment, a gentle voice reverberated in the surroundings.


    "No need. We need to rest and n for tomorrow.


    I reckon you have everything ready for our ''adventure''?" said and asked Ervalen, the halfbreed elf chosen hero.


    "Yes, lord Hero. Please rest tonight.


    We leave tomorrow at noon." replied the official in an obedient and respectful tone.


    At this very moment, inside the headquarters of the Misthios guild¡­


    A meeting was held in Legs'' main office with all the subordinates present.


    There was another saint present who was familiar to all of them since he was an ally.


    "I want to hire your entire guild." spoke Edmund Thandruil, the saint alchemist and their business partner.


    "For what job do you need our entire guild?" asked Legs with a confused and curious countenance.


    To his query, the human 2nd stage saint replied with a smile.


    "For a Dungeon Exploration."

 Chapter 751 Strongest Dungeon

    751 Strongest Dungeon


    Most of the members from Misthios were puzzled after the human saint suddenly proposed to hire their entire guild just for a dungeon exploration out of nowhere.


    "You care to borate? It''s not like we haven''t done dungeon exploring for harvesting raw materials for alchemy before." spoke Loki aka Ceril.


    "Arghhmm! Let me exin properly.


    The thing is¡­ I have been secretly developing a new recipe that will be even able to save a gravely injured person like performing a miracle for a couple of years now.


    Only few days ago did I make a breakthrough and finally deduce the core ingredients needed to enhance and perfect it.


    If I seed in perfecting the recipe¡­ then the product will be a huge sess and instantly take over the market as well as the Alchemymunity in a single swoop.


    Based on my estimation alone¡­ We will be making 5 times the investment and manufacturing cost.


    Just imagine how rich we would be once the product isunched." he spoke with an enthusiastic tone.


    As soon as Kahn heard the word ''rich'', his ears perked up and he revealed an interested face.


    "Tell me more." he spoke.


    Edmund then told them about a few rare materials needed for the recipe.


    But the requirement was that they need a lot of resources and that too in very high quantities.


    "I barely managed to get a few of them and in small quantities. But if I have more potent and better alternatives, it will definitely be a sess." revealed the alchemist excitingly.


    "So which ones do you need? And where can we find them?" asked Legs.


    "That''s the main problem. We will not only need thousands of people to properly harvest them¡­ I will also need to be there to guide them.


    I can''t expect my alchemist to risk their lives for this task and there''s also a risk of inside information leaking to ourpetitors. That''s why, I need all of your manpower." responded Edmund with a gloomy voice, one could even feel his dejection through the mask on his face.


    "Also¡­ the ce where the materials can be found is the biggest issue. Since all of them can only be found in the biggest and hardest dungeon in the entire Zivot Empire." revealed the alchemist with a helpless voice.


    "You mean¡­" spoke Ronin and revealed an incredulous expression.


    Not only Ronin but everyone else had a serious expression while the saint revealed the ce they had to go to.


    "Yes, the Immortal Dungeon."


    ----------------


    In the Zivot Empire, there were 4 tiers of Dungeon ssifications.


    Low Tier dungeon. These had 10-15 floors at maximum. For example, The Bromnir dungeon where Kahn usually hunted in and acquired Rathnaar''s hidden core in vot city was one of such dungeons.


    Medium Tier dungeons had up to 50 floors. And their bosses were often legendary rank creatures naturally formed within the dungeon. These were the rare kind.


    Recently, Ronin had visited one of such dungeons and led his people to harvest materials and minerals from the final floor while he suppressed the boss using his aura alone.


    High Tier dungeons had up to 81 floors and usually, the boss was at least a monsterparable to a 3rd stage saint.


    Nheless, these hard-level dungeons were only 2nd in ranking. The ones above them were the Supreme Dungeons.


    These ones had 101 floors.


    Throughout the elven empire, there were only 5 Supreme dungeons.


    However, the hardest and the most threatening one of them was situated on the outskirts of Alfheim.


    Native inhabitants of Alfheim called it the Immortal Dungeon.


    Because this one was the only dungeon in history that hadn''t been cleared by anyone in the past 1 thousand years ever since it was formed. And no being above the level of a 5th stage saint could enter them either because of the restrictions ced by the dungeon itself.


    Additionally, ording to history and ancient records, no one ever managed to get past floor 81 boss that was a mythical rank monster.


    As for the final dungeon boss¡­ no one had even seen it. People only made spections that it would be a high-level mythical rank boss.


    Thus¡­ even Kahn and his allies had aplicated expression because they too weren''t confident in sessfully exploring it.


    "The Immortal dungeon is being opened to public. This is ourst chance." said Edmund, sighing again.


    Legs then weighed the pros and cons in his mind. The profits were too good to let go and it would also greatly help them in the long run as well.


    "How many people do we need?" he questioned.


    "Like I said¡­ all of your guild.


    The only downside is that it would take at least a few months.


    This is not a dungeon where you can enter and leave at will. Many might even lose their minds along the way." replied Edmund. But in the following moments, he continued¡­


    "But if it''s just us Saints¡­ then the 10 of us would do.


    If Ie, I have epic-rank artifacts to harvest those materials and resources in bulk. With Darwin''s help here¡­ we can speed up by twice.


    All you have to do is protect us in the meantime.


    Because as far as the ancient rumors go¡­ There are Mythical rank bosses." he iterated calmly.


    "Yes¡­ Too many people would die if we brought them with us." spoke Raiden who stood on the left side of the office.


    Kahn also didn''t want to let go of this opportunity and he had confidence in his escaping skills as well. Besides¡­ their group wasn''t exactly a normal bunch, but made of monsters, 3 of whom were mythical rank creatures themselves.


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    "Alright. We will make arrangements." dered Legs.


    "When do we have to leave?" he asked.


    Edmund then replied with an ted smile.


    "Tomorrow noon."


    ----------------


    Next day, Kahn left 5 of his doppelgangers to overlook and takemand of Sparta and his guild under different identities and their main group of saints traveled to Immortal Dungeon using their recently bought warship.


    Finally, when they traveled 200 kilometers away from Alfheim, they came across an unexpected scenario.


    Millions of people from both the Mercenary and Adventurer professions as well as many independent forces from various parts of empire had suddenlye into the vicinity of the Immortal Dungeon.


    Just then¡­ Legs saw the force that was in charge of maintaining order.


    The Military.

 Chapter ?752 First Encounter

    ?752 First Encounter


    Legs gazed out of the window and saw the odd force they hadn''t expected to see here. Normally, it was Adventurer Association who looked after and mandated dungeon entry points.


    "Wait a minute¡­ Why is the military here?" asked Legs as he gazed at hundreds of thousands of soldiers d in the imperial army''s armors standing in toons while revealing their banners.


    Finally after theynded, all the saints flew into the sky and headed towards the entrance where military forces had barricaded the dungeon entrance.


    Legs Ragnarsson had a few ''friends'' in the military so he and his group was allowed to meet the people in charge.


    "Commander Astofoll, what is happening?" asked Legs.


    Before him, stood an old bearded 3rd stage human knight saint.


    But before he could respond, another warship arrived andnded across the open grounds created by soldiers.


    Millions of onlookers and people were astonished to see the new arrivals.


    Everyone in the Elven empire was aware of their existence and even Kahn and their group was shocked to see them here.


    Obviously, the new group of people was the Hero''s Party.


    ----------------


    One after another, total 12 members exited the warship and were escorted towards this temporary base where only the top officials weed them with the utmost respect.


    The members of the Misthios guild were simply pushed behind and forced to stand on the back behind these 3 saint officials.


    Soon, a warm wee was offered and arrangements were made.


    The Hero''s Party with Ervalen, the Hero of Life was a proud bunch who had prideful expressions as if they were busy with great matters at hand.


    [All of you, keep your heads down and conceal your auras.]manded Legs to his group as well as Edmund who stood with them.


    Just like everyone else, Kahn and the group half-bowed to the newly arrived group.


    "Huh! An Iroborn Elf?


    What''s trash like that doing here?" suddenly, a 5th stage saint swordsman elf from the hero''s party gazed at Legs and scoffed loudly.


    However, Legs gave no exnation and kept his mouth shut.


    High Elves hated those with Bjorn Ironside''s lineage. And given the fact that Kahn didn''t have Elven tattoos on his face or body, means he didn''t associate himself with the Monastery of Life either.


    This was the least likable elf in their eyes.


    The other members of the group had the simr look. Only Ervalen looked at Legs with a curious gaze instead of showing any animosity or hatred.


    "They''re from the Misthios guild, my lords. It''s the strongest mercenary guild of Alfheim.


    They wanted to witness your grand figures arriving here so they joined us." spoke Commander Astofoll, the one who had good rtions with Legs as he tried to fetch a story on the spot.


    "Hmph! Just a local force ofmoners wishes to wee us¡­ With what right?" asked a blonde archer elf.


    All these members were High King ss individuals among High Elves. They were only below the Emperor ss aka the imperial family. Their status and standing were far above the High Nobles that Kahn was in touch with.


    [Hey, human. I don''t like the way they''re looking at us.] spoke Rudra through their mind link.


    Just then¡­


    One of the members spit in front of Rudra.


    "Low-level hybrid trash. Why are these mudbloods even allowed here?" spoke a blue-skinned high elf with white glowing tattoos on his face.


    Although he looked like a schr and an intelligent person¡­ his conduct was simply demeaning.


    BOOM!


    Those words instantly riled up Rudra and he revealed killing intent without a second thought.


    At this very moment, all the hero''s party members could finally feel his aura of a 4th stage saint.


    Their entire group as well as the military officials were alerted and some of the High Elves had their hands on their weapons.


    Just then¡­


    A hand reaches out from behind Rudra''s head and quickly grabbed it.


    BOOM!!


    Before having a chance to react, Rudra''s entire head is buried in the ground.


    And the one to do that is none other than Legs.


    This shocked everyone present here but quickly, Legs gave revealed an amicable smile to the party members.


    [Don''t make unnecessary trouble.


    This is the Hero''s Party and all of them are High Elves of the highest ss in the empire.


    Do you want the entire Zivot Empire hunting us?] said Kahn in mind.


    [But these bastards just insulted us!] rebuked Rudra as he groaned.


    [So what?! A wise person knows when to be domineering and when to give in to circumstances.


    This is neither the time nor the ce. On top of it, there are millions of witnesses.


    So just keep your head down and let me handle it.] said Kahn.


    All of this conversation took only a second in real time.


    "My apologies, your lordships. He iscking in manners.


    Please do not let it bother your holy conquest.


    I hope all of you can be magnanimous and forgive myrade for this transgression.] spoke Legs in a respectful tone.


    "Tch! As long as he knows his ce." spoke Myrienne, who was also present within the group.


    She was the main Priestess of the party, tasked with healing and buffing their group.


    "Yes, mydy. I will be sure to discipline him." responded Legs as he kept bowing.


    Even Rudra got back up and bow reluctantly while controlling his urge to absolutely obliterate these people. But he was restricted by Kahn''s warning despite being thoroughly humiliated.


    Kahn as Legs wasn''t going to risk their identities being revealed or attract the ire of High Elves and all the efforts they made in the past 9 months go in vain just over some provocations.


    Besides¡­ who knew what kind of Divine Abilities this Hero of Life had?


    Killing Axel was already such a long-drawn battle. Plus the other side had two 5th stage saints.


    Even Omega and Rudra alone could fight a peak 5th stage on their own. But there were 2 of them here.


    This was not a ce where they could test each other''s mettle.


    Messing with the Hero and his party was simply a no go for them at this point.


    They werepletelycking in both authority, stature and battle prowess here. So bowing their head to avoid unnecessary repercussions was the only choice.


    Suddenly, Ervalen spoke for the first time before things got out of hand.


    "Let''s go. We don''t have time to waste here."

 Chapter ?753 The lmmortal Dungeon

    ?753 The lmmortal Dungeon


    As soon as Ervalen''smanding voice resounded in the surroundings, even the high elf party members stopped speaking, many revealing discontent and incredulous expression. However, in front of all these witnesses¡­ they had to show him face and follow his orders as per the rules.


    In the present moment, even Kahn thanked Ervalen in his mind.


    Soon, all the members left, paying no heed to their group. And finally, when they reached the entrance, the blue-skinned elf took out a light gray crystal covered under golden magic formations which sized as same as an infant.


    [Space magic!] thought Kahn instantly as he felt thew of reality surrounding that crystal.


    "That''s the renowned Dungeon Imperial Pass.


    It allows the user group to directly go to Floor 50.


    It''s like saving a month''s worth of time in exploring." informed Edmund who seemed to have prior knowledge about this artifact somehow.


    Soon, a 100 meter wide and round magic formation appeared below their feet and encapsted all the members under white light.


    Swoom!


    In the blink of an eye, the hero''s party disappeared from the spot as if they were never here.


    "They didn''t even use the main door. That''s one handy artifact." spoke Legs.


    Over six ck doors, each 10 meters tall and 6 meters wide under a mountain came into their sight.


    Finally, the gates of the dungeon were officially opened for the people and one after another, people flocked towards the multiple entrances like migrating birds.


    The Misthios guild was the first one to enter given the number of their saints and how close they were to the entrance. All of them used the same door and as soon as they passed through, a bright light shed before all of them were transported into an unknown ce.


    Finally, their group managed to enter quietly without causing uninvited trouble.


    But this wasn''t the end as thousands of people started appearing behind them one after another.


    "Let''s take a look around first." spoke Legs and they all flew high in the sky.


    Soon, all of them revealed slightly astonished expressions and nced at each other while gazing at the surroundings.


    Ahead of them, wasn''t just a standard floor with some normal terrain. Rather, it was a peculiar one.


    Because this was no longer just a dungeon floor but apletely different world.


    ----------------


    In Vantrea, dungeons were always separate entities from the outside world. Here, the dungeons had their own sentient wills because of the oversaturation of mana. Like how the earth had its own climate system that repeated a cycle of seasons on its own.


    But a Supreme Dungeon like the Immortal Dungeon also had World Energy in abundance that something like a low-level dungeon like Bromnir dungeoncked.


    Thus, the dungeon was not only able to set the terrain, but it was also able to use the elements in the world, reshape terrain and also twist or adjustws of reality to its will.


    In simple words, a supreme dungeon is like a pocket dimension on its own.


    For example, the scene in front of the group was not usually seen in the world outside.


    Because even the first floor was like a vast mountainous terrain with thousands of small peaks and boulders hovering in the air, most of which were covered in green nt life present everywhere.


    "We have to wait till all the people are done entering.


    Only then will the dungeon acknowledge all the entries and the door to the next floor will start." spoke Scorpion.


    Finally after waiting for 5 hours, all the personnel had officially entered which consisted close to 2 million soldiers, adventurers and mercenaries for expeditions.


    "Which floor is our target?" asked Dante aka Jugram.


    "Floor 81." responded Legs.


    "We don''t necessarily need to kill the floor boss either. You all have to only stall for few hours and get the battle to a stalemate.


    After collecting the ingredients, we can leave using our passes." responded Edmund.


    Dungeon passes were simr here just like Rakos Empire. Used for entry and exit. However, they wouldn''t work if you were engaged inbat or died before using them.


    "I wish we had an imperial pass, it would have saved us a lot of time.


    Still, what do we have to worry about?


    We''re all saints. Clearing these floors easily shouldn''t be a problem, right?" spoke Edmund under his mask.


    "I''m afraid that''s not the case." replied Legs and looked around the millions of people from different professions, forces and backgrounds on the ground.


    "Every floor after the 50th floor would be associated with thew of reality of a particr element.


    Some will even have terrain effects that could kill us. This dungeon isn''t unconquered for no reason." Scorpion replied in a somber voice.


    Ronin had already gathered everything avable in the market and through their connections avable in high ces.


    They even knew which floor had which kind of setting, where the exit doors were and what were the conditions to clear the floor.


    Furthermore, the hidden traps and locations for harvesting materials as well as monsterirs on each floor were also marked on their maps. This was just basic intel gathered.


    The Immortal Dungeon was thoroughly searched and raided for over a thousand years already. So naturally, all the knowledge till floor 80 was avable to many as long as one paid good money for it.


    Every floor had different conditions and minimum limits to clear it. Only the party who cleared it would be allowed to progress through to the next floor.


    "Now the real problem begins." spoke Legs with a serious voice.


    However, the main reason it took so long to clear a supreme dungeon was because of the daily passage limit.


    Only 1 party that cleared the floor after fulfilling the quota for that respective floor would pass. After that, the door will be closed for the next 24 hours.


    And only the next group who cleared it would be able to pass again while the rest will have to wait for their turn.


    This filtered out many weak groups. But also¡­ it caged the others for an additional day.


    Thus, many couldn''t even progress for months.


    The only loophole here was that if you were part of arge group and cleared the floor, all the members who were part of it would be granted a passage.


    Thus, a supreme dungeon always had a big issue. And that was¡­


    Who was strong enough to pass to the next floor first?

 Chapter ?754 Setting Leadership

    ?754 Setting Leadership


    A supreme dungeon like the Immortal dungeon was strict on rules about the passage of groups to the next floor. Because it would greatly restrict the progress of others who werete toplete the objectives and progress.


    Usually, many forces over a thousand years had used the Biggest Fist Makes The Rules approach.


    But that was only applicable when there were few opponents and you had overwhelming might.


    However, this caused a lot of bloodshed hundreds of times and even many saints in history lost their lives because of the fights.


    Thus, it became an unspoken rule to avoid unnecessary battles because no way would someone could dominate millions of people just because they had overbearing strength. Others also had their fighters and means to get rid of the tyrant.


    In the present moment, the first floor itself had over 48 saints present including the members of Misthios guild.


    6 of whom were 4th stage saints while 2 members were 5th stage saints who were the hired guns of a few noble factions.


    Thus, it led Kahn and thepany to examine theirpetitors.


    "Tch! Why are they here?" asked Raiden.


    "It should be given. The Immortal Dungeon opens only once a year for a day only.


    So no way they''d leave this opportunity. And unlike us, they brought their whole guild." spoke Loki aka Ceril.


    There were 32 forces with saints that came here today, manying from across the Zivot empire.


    And among them¡­ was a group even they had to worry about.


    Suddenly, a woman with over a dozen saints behind her appeared close to their group.


    "It''s been a while since we met¡­" spoke Legs as he looked at thepetition.


    "Guildmaster Lagertha." he revealed the name of the leader of the opposition.


    "I assume you know why our group approached you first." she spoke.


    "It''s obvious, you want to join forces and overpower others so our groups can progress to next floor first." spoke Legs with a slight smile on his face as he folded his arms behind his back.


    "You''re right. All the saints of different forces havee together. If both our guilds join hands, we make 45% of the total saints.


    We have the advantage of this big our home ground. And if we count other saints from adventurer and mercenary guilds native to Alfheim, we can easily make up to 60% of total saints.


    We will be without any opposition." exined Lagertha with a broad ck battleaxe over her shoulder.


    "If you''re expecting us to take the lead, it won''t happen.


    Although it will save some time¡­ I''m not in the mood to make an enemy out of half of the strongest forces across the empire.


    We should include everyone in a formal meeting and then decide how to progress.


    Moreover, you brought thousands of your guild members. Their lives would be jeopardized if you make an enemy out of the wrong people.


    Especially those two 5th stage saints. We''re lucky enough that they don''t belong to the same force." Legs revealed his stance on this matter.


    1 Hour Later.


    A formal meeting between the leaders of all the forces, even those who did not have a Saint leading them was held at an open grasnd.


    "We''ll let you decide. With all these saints present excluding us¡­ there''s nothing to worry about. We aren''t interested in looting any cores, monster corps or materials either." he openly dered his intentions


    "Then what about the floor boss?


    There are too many people and not enough loot." asked a female foxkin saint mage who was the leader of an adventurer guild.


    "Like I said¡­


    I''ll let you guys decide. We have no interest in the leadership." spoke Legs.


    Kahn didn''t have the time nor the will to engage in politics over these trash resources from lower floors.


    His goals were bigger and wanted to make a revolutionary product for the sake of the world by making more money for himself.


    The 5 times profits couldn''t bepared with these pesky bosses and materials.


    So that''s why, he let others decide and fight between themselves while they watched from the sidelines.


    Because the one leading the charge had the biggest headache to deal with people and forming a bnce between different forces.


    "However, don''t expect us to do any free work either.


    If we''re forced to partake in a fight, we will take our share based on the input.


    You better notinter." he revealed.


    Many leaders felt good about this arrangement and agreed. Because for them and their respective forces, Misthios guild was basically leaving everything by notpeting for the resources.


    In the end, everyone was here to make money. The more the people, the lesser gains they had.


    Hell, if a legendary boss showed up and they killed it, Legs and his group won''t receive anything at all.


    What these people didn''t know¡­ was that Kahn didn''t need any of those resources at all.


    His group was way too powerful than any of them and had the abilities of Dragons, Basilisk, Descendants of Godbeasts, Ashokvatika, Vilgax, Necromancer and True Demons.


    How could these mainstream mob-level monsterspare to them?


    And when the time came, they could easily detach themselves from these forces.


    The 5th stage saints tried to make a firm stance but they were gradually cornered because of theircking numbers.


    Finally, all the leaders set a few rules and the arrangement was agreed upon.


    And after a few hours of discussion, the 12 Valkyries was chosen to be the leader of the group despite many people from noble house forces kicking up a fuss solely due to having the highest number of saints and Misthios guild had given up their right topete.


    But Kahn wasn''t worried.


    Because the dungeon floorster would be hard toplete and low leveled forces and low-rank individuals won''t be able to stay for longer.


    Although they will have peace and order, soon¡­ Everyone was going to let their greed and desperation take over and create trouble.


    But that would be someone else''s problem to deal with.


    This was one of the reasons why Kahn didn''t want to be the leader of this temporary alliance.


    Kahn wasn''t a delusional idiot to dere himself as the Leader of the Free World.


    He had his own priorities but to maintain public appearances and not make enemies of half of the powerful forces across the empire who came here¡­ he was ying along.


    In the end¡­


    All of them formed a single force and engaged in battle at the same time by activating one or two skills that the dungeon counted as actively participating inbat.


    On the first floor, there were simply thousands of goblins which were eradicated in just 10 minutes.


    And finally, the gates at the exit points opened.


    "This is good. With this¡­ we will be able to bypass the first 50 floors within a month." spoke Edmund.


    Now all that remained for them to do was be patient and progress. Only after floor 50, would there be any challenge left for them.


    What no one here managed to sense that although they were acting as the leaders¡­


    Someone was hiding among the millions of people. This person was the strongest among all the saints yet chose to hide in in sight.


    Waiting for the right time to strike.

 Chapter ?755 Breaking Up

    ?755 Breaking Up


    1 MONTH LATER.


    A battlefield filled with corpses of over a million soldiers of different forces and species were littered across came into sight.


    Most of these people were small forces and low-ranked individuals who had survived till now.


    At this moment in the sky¡­


    A massive 500 meter greatswordposed of 5 different elements appeared and struck forward vertically.


    BOOM!!


    3 kilometers of region was shed apart and the enormous monster army was destroyed, killing thousands of them in a single swing.


    The monster army species was called Kikiba.


    These monsters had short hands, heads akin to otters but their bodies were red and their back was filled with hundreds of pikes like a porcupine.


    But what made these monsters extremely lethal against an army was their unbending numbers and incredible speed along with the massive size as big as an ox.


    Not only that, these monsters could use body-hardening magic while their sharp and steel-like teeth could rip apart a big chunk of flesh or wood in a single bite. Making them extremely hard to kill while also giving them the time to break past the defensive barriers as well as the shields of knights.


    Even saint magicians in the sky were having a hard time maintaining their protection barriers for long.


    The reason why over a million people died on this floor was because although there was an agreement, none of these forces fought like a single entity but as their own.


    No proud saint or leader of a massive force liked to work under anyone else so they fought their battles with their own judgment and not under a unified front.


    Even though 12 Valkyries was anointed as the leader 1 month ago, it was only on the surface at this point.


    There had been many infightings and behind the scene politics for resources and harvesting materials.


    Some people even went as far as secretly assassinating the rival group''s leaders, poisoning their rations or purposely leading a monster army towards their opponents to dwindle their numbers and tire out their forces.


    Greed and lust for power were very strong forms of motivation.


    And although the previous agreement still stood¡­ everyone present here was far from acquaintances or allies despite fighting together for a month.


    This floor was floor 50. And after this floor, was the next floor boss.


    Volleys of magic attacks, arrows and orbs of different elementsnded on the ground.


    Over 100 kilometers of the region this floor had was now a bloodied battlefield and humans, elves, demi-human as well as monster corpses filled the surrounding.


    Their blood and guts spread a repugnant stench that permeated the region while the monster army didn''t stop at all.


    "Stupid fucks! They wouldn''t have lost all these people if they had listened to me." spoke Kahn as heunched another Dragon Strike attack while killing over 40 thousand Kikiba monsters.


    All of his subordinates were also fighting on different fronts.


    Although they looked like they were fighting with all their strength, most of the saints belonging to different forces were holding back.


    Just today morning, they appeared on this floor and had the chance to progress easily.


    But one of the 5th stage saints who came from a High Noble''s forces demanded that they wanted half of the resources from this floor.


    This made others unhappy because they too had to hunt for resources and earn money for their people.


    Because of which, a fight broke and the 5th stage saint killed 8 Saints in a fit of rage.


    Just because of the aftershocks from their battle¡­ all the dormant kekiba monsters on this floor awoke andunched their entire armies from all sides.


    Thus, it led to their current predicament.


    [You know what¡­ these shitheads can keep fighting between themselves and these monsters.


    We no longer need to stick to the rules. We''ve waited and endured enough.] thought Kahn and in the following moments, not only him but all of the saints from Misthios stopped fighting.


    Kahn in his Legs persona contacted all the saints using amunication artifact.


    [I have a proposition. My group has the skills and abilities to detect and kill the leader of this army that''s hiding somewhere.


    Once the ringleader is gone, all of you can get rid of the mobs.] he proposed.


    [And what do you want in return? If you''re after half the resources, then forget about it!] replied a 4th stage saint who led a business corporation''s forces that came from outside of Alfheim.


    [Yeah, forget about it! We lost too many people because of that brute.


    We won''t let their deaths go in vain.] responded another saint.


    One after another, people started opposing without even hearing him first.


    [Nothing about that. All I want is that after we help clear the floor, we get to enter the next floor first.] Legs stated his condition.


    But soon, he was replied with profanities and cursing. Because in their eyes, Misthios guild was after the next boss that''d appear on the next floor.


    And he wanted all of that for himself.


    Normally, if it was a normal floor, the monsters would be respawned by the dungeon within a day.


    But a floor boss who appeared only after 10 floors took an entire week to respawn after being killed.


    If Legs and his people killed it¡­ there''d be nothing for them for another week.


    Although they could rest and recuperate on the boss floor for a week¡­ inside this dungeon, time was both money and resources.


    It was more valuable than a person''s life.


    After half an hour of discussion, Legs yielded no result.


    [I guess that''s the end then¡­ we are officially breaking ourselves from the alliance.


    Let''s see how many of you can progress to the next floor without us then.] responded Legs in an exasperated tone.


    From here on, each floor would be associated with aw of reality. He no longer had the patience to look after weaklings.


    Today''s incident had already created an unrecoverable gap in their alliance and Legs had no care for the fate of these people fighting.


    None of these warriors belonged to his guild and he wasn''t responsible for their lives.


    It was time to do things their own way and progress at their own pace.


    Finally, Kahn gave amand to one of his generals.


    [ckwall, do it!]

 Chapter ?756 Background Story

    ?756 Background Story


    Kahnmanded ckwall who was flying 20 kilometers away above a battlefield to act. The Kronos general then descended on the ground and ced both his palms and activated the Terrain Maniption skill.


    The reason why no one was able to find the leader of this monster army was because they only searched on the surface terrain.


    Both ckwall and Kahn had the Earth Sense skill which they got from the Mountain Titan in Vessen, so they had found the location of the leader a few minutes ago.


    It was hiding 5 kilometers deep in the ground in awork of tunnels and couldmand the army telepathically while beingpletely undetectable as even a 5th-stage saint couldn''t search that deep in the ground unless they excelled in use of Earth element.


    Thus, Kahn decided to propose a peaceful solution while trying to distance themselves from the unnecessary trouble that was toe in this temporary alliance. But now that the negotiations had failed, there was no need to y ording to the rules.


    Henceforth, it was every man for himself.


    Meanwhile, all the other generals, Omega, Rudra and Edmund who were already informed about his next move darted towards the exit door leading to the next floor which was still closed.


    But ckwall had already acted after receiving themand.


    With the usage of Terrain Maniption skill, ckwall killed the High Lord rank leader monster inside the ground by performing Live Entombment just like he did while fighting Axel''s Blood Titan in the Vulcan empire.


    Under the absolutely terrifying and crushing pressure of rocks, the leader was turned into a cube of meat and bones and died miserably.


    It only took ckwall 10 seconds to perform this feat and now, all the saints from their group headed towards the exit door.


    A bright light shed as the doors opened as soon as all of them finally reached the exit.


    "Stop those bastards!" shouted the 5th stage saint who was fighting 60 kilometers away and led his group to fight against the endless army of kekiba.


    Kahn and the rest already appeared close to the exit door and soon, the dungeon identified their group as the party toplete the condition of passage.


    Just then, a group of 4 saints appeared close to the exit door. But everyone was a saint here. It only took them a second to cast a protection barrier while they passed through the door.


    Legs, who was thest one to leave, left warm and friendly parting words behind with two middle fingers as his figure disappeared behind the door.


    "Adios¡­ bitches."


    ----------------


    At this exact moment, inside the capital Eletnall, particrly in princess Eleanor''s pce, a somber atmosphere ensued.


    "It''s okay¡­ you can tell me." she spoke with a heavy voice and held onto both hands of the person who sat next in front of her.


    Her eyes were filled with sadness but her tone was full of affection and worry, revealing genuine care for this person.


    "I''m not proud of it¡­ but since you''re the only one I can trust wholeheartedly in this world. I''ll tell you my story." spoke an individual with short white hair who was donning white clothes.


    "I was born as a bastard of someone very powerful. Ever since I could remember, my mother went through a lot of hardships to raise me.


    But she could never tell me who my father was, saying that it was for my own sake." spoke this male with a saddened voice.


    "When I was only 20 years old, a group of soldiers suddenly attacked my vige and massacred everyone.


    I and my mother fled by were chased by hunting hounds till we reached the edge of a mountain close to our vige." he iterated.


    "In the end, we were almost found by the soldiers who were specificallying after me for some.


    But to save me¡­" he spoke and suddenly stopped.


    A drop of tear fell from his eyes on the back of the palm of princess Eleanor who held his hand tightly.


    "I was so weak, scared and pathetic that the only thing I still get nightmares about was the screams of my mother as the hounds tore her into pieces and killed her most brutally.


    She sacrificed herself, offering as a distraction to let me escape that day." said the slim individual in white as a stream of tears ran over his cheeks.


    "Only after surviving for a few years and coincidentally managing to the capital, I learned the truth.


    My father was the¡­ previous King." revealed the white-haired person.


    Gasp!


    "Does that mean?..." gasped and asked Eleanor.


    "Yes. When he was dying, his legitimate heirs found out about my existence and sent people to kill me.


    They killed all the vigers and my mother just because they wanted to find me." he revealed with a gloomy voice.


    "After that day¡­ I swore vengeance and made it my life''s mission to exact revenge and take my rightful ce." he spoke with a determined voice.


    "For some reason¡­ I was able to use the royal family''s bloodline much better than other heirs. And with it, I managed to advance rapidly and unlock an ancient ss named Spirit Archmage." he added, this time¡­ his expression turned slightly grim.


    "It took me 50 years to overthrow all those people who were after my life and be the King.


    But in the end¡­" he spoke and looked at Eleanor with a defeated expression.


    "I was betrayed and killed by my best friend and the woman I loved.


    Only in my final moments, they told me the truth.


    That they were using me since the beginning to get the throne." he spoke with great pain, his eyes tearing up incessantly.


    Swoosh!


    Just then, Eleanor hugged this individual tightly and spoke in a soft tone.


    "It''s not your fault. It''s them who took advantage of your kind and trusting nature.


    I promise you. I will never leave you alone.


    I will be with you¡­ till thest line." she spoke and caressed his cheeks.


    Before the other party could react¡­


    Smooch!


    Eleanor intimately kisses him while he on the other end, tightly embraced her.


    At this moment, the princess of the Zivot Empire was kissing a person who wasn''t supposed to be present in the capital at all.


    To the outside world, this person should still be fighting inside the Immortal Dungeon. In reality¡­ he was actually fighting inside the dungeon at this moment but somehow, an identical person¡­ no, he himself was kissing the princess passionately.


    Because this white-haired person was none other than¡­


    Ervalen, the Hero of Life.

 Chapter ?757 Temporary Relief

    ?757 Temporary Relief


    On floor 51 of the Immortal Dungeon, a battle between the Floor Boss and a Trident warrior ensued that destroyed the terrain of this floor covered under the chaotic purple-colored sky and dark clouds.


    This dungeon floor didn''t havend or water. Only hundreds of massive meteorites floating in the sky slowly as if they were surrounding a.


    Yet, each of these meteors was few hundred meters in total perimeter while the entire floor seemed to be 60 kilometers in perimeter.


    In the sky was a 100 meter tall being with a massive exoskeleton body with hundreds of blue straps over its boney hands while arge white cloak around it. This creature didn''t have a lower body or legs either.


    The skull-like head with blue fire running through its eyes and multiple horns over its head exuded an aura of death. Meanwhile, the massive boney chest that glowed brightlyunched beams of condensed light elemental attacks at the opponent.


    One would think that this was a battle between equals. But the truth was far from expectations.


    BOOM!!


    The nearby 2 kilometers of ce was pulverized when the attacknded on the enemy¡­ but soon, the attacker fled in the opposite direction because the target had blocked this attack with his bare hands.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    "Eh? It gave me a first-degree burn? I guess the light element is indeed noteworthy." spoke Rudra as he looked at his bare palm.


    But the very next moment, his regeneration ability healedpletely.


    "Why are you running?! Come here! I have yet to test a few more things!" he shouted and flew after the legendary rank floor boss that was suddenly fleeing.


    Normally, a legendary rank monster or a floor boss was a mighty being that could kill at least 200 thousand warriors on its own. But here¡­ Its strongest attack that could pulverize 5 kilometers of region instantly had only grazed Rudra a little bit.


    Rudra was simply using it to test some of his skills.


    Legs and Edmund who were inhabiting a stationary and t meteor were eating food across a luxurious table while enjoying wine made from rare fruits found only in Zivot Empire.


    The rest of his subordinates were spread across these meteors and were keeping a guard even though there was no need.


    Even Edmund was terrified after looking at this sight.


    It wasn''t their first time seeing a legendary rank floor boss. But till now, everyone including the 5th stage saints from the alliance treated them with caution.


    However, the scenario waspletely different when the Misthios guild was fighting them on their own for the first time.


    "How can this be so easy? Although it''s only a beginner legendary rank monster, it should still be able to fight back a little.


    But instead of fighting, it''s running away frommander Rudra." he said while sipping the wine as he partially lifted his mask.


    "It''s nothing special. You haven''t fought on the field so you wouldn''t know.


    The higher ranked a monster or a floor boss is, the more alert their survival instincts are.


    It knows that Rudra is stronger so it''s not engaging in a fight and running for its life." he said.


    "I see. But shouldn''t we leave quickly? Others might manage toe to this floor tomorrow." said the Alchemist.


    "Maybe they will. But even so, they won''t dare to fight us." replied Legs.


    "Why?"


    "Because once they are done fighting the monster army¡­ they will fight each other first.


    Most of them won''t make it even if they''re saints." he iterated in a carefree tone.


    "How? Everything was going smoothly till now." queried the alchemist with eyes full of doubt.


    "It''s just part of nature for sentient beings.


    Greed and desperation makes you lose rationality.


    Now, they will see everyone else as their enemies after the incident. The alliance is as good as gone.


    This is why I chose to ditch them behind so we won''t get dragged into the mud." responded the ironborn elf.


    "I see. We have avoided unnecessary bloodshed.


    So what''s our next move?" asked the human saint.


    "Even without a floor boss, traversing the floors would be trouble even for us saints from now.


    Some floors won''t even allow us to fly so we will have to travel on foot.


    There are few floors which need us to avoid detection by monsters and quietly find the exit door without engaging in contact." he iterated.


    Just then, another voice resounded.


    "Some floors have mechanisms to cut our connections to world energy as well. While some will limit our senses to the point we can''t even feel the presence of monsters standing 10 meters away.


    So soon, other than our physical strength and fighting skills¡­ we will be no different than normal people." spoke Scorpion aka Ronin who appeared out of thin air.


    "It will be less about hunting and more about survival from this point." exined Legs in a somber voice.


    This made the human alchemist feel a lot of mental pressure. Only he was without any fighting capabilities even though he was a saint.


    So he was heavily dependent on the Misthios guild for his safety.


    At this moment, he felt lucky that they were his business partners and not just temporary allies so would ditch him behind to save their lives in times of peril.


    What Edmund didn''t know was that although they''d be no different than powerless people soon¡­


    Kahn, Ronin, ckwall and Oliver had a plethora of passive skills that could be used to detect danger from 10 to 30 kilometers easily.


    And even if they didn''t work for some reason, Kahn had the Survival Instinct blessing given by the War Deity.


    The other saints may face trouble because of the changes inws of reality on each floor, but their group had the skills and abilities to smoothly get around without inviting trouble.


    Little did Kahn know that this advantage of theirs was soon going to be useless in the uing days after they reached a particr floor.


    Because the Boss of that floor¡­


    Had just killed the Hero of Life.

 Chapter ?758 Desperate Times

    ?758 Desperate Times


    1 Hour Ago.


    While Legs and the group were enjoying a moment of respite, there was a bloody battle going on the 71st floor of the Immortal Dungeon.


    "Arrghh!" screamed a blue-skinned elf in agonizing pain as his lower half of the body was rotting and his legs had turned into fleshly mush.


    sh!


    Just then, a middle-aged elf swordsman came from behind and shed his legs before the rotting poison spread furthermore.


    He quickly grabbed the elf who was about to fall on the green swamp of a battlefield they were on and fled towards their right while avoiding massive orbs of different elemental attacks.


    This elf was a 5th stage saint and his speed was so fast that it felt like there was a fighter jet flying close to the surface of the swamp, leaving strong tides in his path.


    In just 20 seconds, both figures appeared 30 kilometers away.


    "Myrienne, heal him quickly. He lost too much blood!" shouted this elf as he left the high elfrade of his in the care of their Priestess.


    At this moment¡­ there were totally 9 saints fighting a ginormous 1 kilometer tall and 7 headed creature in a swamnd that spread for over 100 kilometers.


    Yet despite all of them being Saints¡­ they had no choice but to fight on the ground.


    "Dammit! If only we could use mana or world energy.


    We don''t have enough strength to kill it even as a team." spoke an archer high elf in golden armor.


    "This creature is the 3rd strongest monster after Dragons and the 5 Godbeasts. Even one of the powerful legendary monsters called Drigger would not for a day in a battle of attrition against it.


    We''re lucky that it''s only an intermediate mythical rank,parable to a 5th stage saint." spoke the 5th stage saint high elf swordsman who just returned to encircle this massive creature.


    "Lucky? Are you insane?!


    It killed 3 of ourrades already in the past 10 hours since we started fighting. We barely managed to clear those 20 floors in the past 1 month only to lose our friends to this bastard.


    If not for Ervalen''s divine abilities, we would be either rotting in this swamp or melted by its toxin.


    Let''s not even talk about that icy breath and that green fire."ined the elf as heunched another volley of wind elemental arrows using his skill.


    "Even a 5th stage saint like me can''t face it head-on with our skills and ability to use mana and world energy sealed.


    No wonder the only people to pass this floor before was the current Emperor and previous parties of the summoned Heroes of the past." spoke another 5th stage saint who was a Knight.


    Just then, Ervalen who was summoning hundreds of lightning and fire attacks through archaic magic formations spoke in a grim voice.


    "I''m running out of my mana reserves stored in the cubes we brought. This thing isn''t even receiving much damage even from my strongest attacks.


    Soon, I won''t even be able to cast these magic formations or summon elemental beings to fight." he dered with a pained expression.


    This floor had a peculiar rule.


    One couldn''t harness the mana and world energy on this floor unless they had an external source. And because of that, even the 5th stage saints had no choice but to use their own reserves stored inside their bodies.


    Nheless, with a prolonged battle, they lost their ability to attack and fly because they ran out of mana and world energy in the end.


    If not for their monstrous stamina and physical attributes as saints that were enough to lift a mountain on their shoulders, most of them would''ve already died.


    Currently, only Ervalen and Myrienne, the ones with the ss benefits of being able to use artifacts to harness mana from them were in a better situation.


    "I have a n to kill this thing. But we have no choice but to use the artifact that his majesty, the emperor gave me." he proposed an idea.


    "Have you gone mad?! You''re not a 5th stage saint yet!


    It will use all of your mana and world energy if you activate it. Even I have a low chance of surviving after using that artifact.


    You''ll die right away." bellowed the swordsman elf.


    "Besides, even using that won''t kill it easily. Its defenses are too strong." spoke the blonde archer elf.


    But to this rebuttal, Ervalen let out a smirk and responded in a coy tone.


    "It can." he said with a gaze full of confidence as he looked at his fellowrades and revealed his n.


    ----------------


    After dodging and putting a n in motion while discussing it telepathically throughmunication artifacts, Ervalen took a lead as he directly charged at their enemy, catapulting himself into the sky.


    "This better work¡­ otherwise, we''re all good as dead." said one of the high elves who was an assassin.


    Both 5th stage saints then used their Domains and spread in 60 kilometers radius collectively. Although it looked like the range was unnecessarilyrge, they had their own reasons.


    One of them had innumerable light elemental chains, each being 10 meters in width alone, falling from the sky and tying the body of this boss in thousands of chains.


    The domain of the other saint on the opposite end created massive rectangr blocks and columns made of the wood element, erupting from the ground and binding it from below. Soon, they created a cage, restricting its movement.


    ROAARRR!!


    The roar of the ginormous monster sent tremors in the surrounding 20 kilometers and cracked thousands of these restraints easily, making both saints suffer a great bacsh.


    If they could use mana and world energy borrowed from the outside world, the monster wouldn''t have managed to even fight back.


    Still, not all the heads were suppressed and they started to tear apart the joints of chains and columns that restrained its body.


    During its attacks, 3 more members of their party fell victim since both the 5th stage saints suffered a huge bacsh and there was no one to help them escape in time.


    "Do it! We can''t hold it much longer." shouted the knight saint as Ervalen finally reached close to the middle head and fiercely gazed at the yellow eyes of this tyrannical creature that killed half of their group at this point.


    At this moment, everyone was heartbroken. Some of these people knew each other for a century while growing up. But now, they couldn''t even collect their corpses because killing the boss was the main priority.


    Swoosh!


    But before the boss could attack the flying summoner ss hero; like a bullet shot from a sniper gun¡­


    Ervalen jumped inside its mouth.

 Chapter ?759 Desperate Measures

    ?759 Desperate Measures


    Right at the decisive moment when even the strongest members of the party were struggling to cage this tyrannical being afront, Ervalenunched himself into the Hydra''s mouth without a single moment of hesitation.


    Swoosh!


    Right when he reached inside the 300 meter long throat and slid downward, he quickly cast a protection barrier on himself while charging towards the stomach with all the strength remaining in his body.


    Ervalen used thest remaining world energy he had stored in the artifact for summoners and dived inside the gate to hell as hisst resort. Yet, his expression didn''t have a shred of fear.


    Desperate times require desperate measures.


    This saying perfectly fit their current circumstances because they had no other way left after half of their party members were brutally massacred by this mythical rank floor boss.


    But the deeper he got, the protection barrier started flickering and crackling with each passing second because of the stomach fluid inside the throat.


    This monster had a venomous body and it could breathe out multiple elemental attacks at the same time. Thus, the protection barrier which was already maintained on scarce world energy reserves started breaking after some time while Ervalen slid down the throat forcefully.


    [Dammit! At this rate, it''ll break before I even reach close to its heart.


    Just destroying one head won''t be enough. I must go deeper to kill it.] thought Ervalen with an agitated countenance.


    "I''m sorry everyone. If I knew this would happen¡­ I would''ve used this method earlier despite the cost I have to pay for it." he spoke, his gaze turning wrathful as he remembered his deceasedrades who had fought many life-and-death battles by his side.


    But reality didn''t always just go as you nned because you were courageous.


    Shatter!


    Shatter!


    The cracks widened and the barrierpletely shattered in just 2 minutes.


    "Argh!!" shouted Ervalen as he was partially submerged inside the acids at the bottom of the throat. His legs started and robes started sizzling as the firstyer of skin started corroding at a visible rate.


    "No! I can''t afford to stop now!" he spoke while tightly clenching his teeth in pain.


    Afterward, he kept walking despite his flesh being exposed and swam inside this acid which started eating out his flesh.


    Blood started spreading across this yellow pool of acid inside the fleshly innards of this monster. The entirety of this ce was dark but Ervalen was still swimming with great pain using his detection abilities.


    The deeper he got, his body kept melting at a much faster pace because of stomach acid.


    "Just. A. Little. Longer!" he groaned.


    If one wasn''t as determined as he was¡­ they would''ve stopped in the very beginning.


    Finally, a person with nothing but flesh and exposed bones was revealed as he got out of stomach acid.


    Ervalen wascerating incessantly from head to toe. His hair and skin had already melted and the immeasurably agonizing pain he was feeling could drive even the strongest of minds crazy.


    Thud!


    His left leg broke down, exposing his bones with few remaining veins and tendons while Ervalen himself looked on the verge of death.


    And finally, he took out a green jade saucer-like artifact from his space ring and started chanting despite the excruciating pain he was suffering through.


    Vengeance!


    This was the only driving emotion that made his mind more determined despite the suffering he was going through. His heart was filled with both courage and anger at the same moment.


    "Run!"


    On the outside, all the remaining people had already evacuated 10 kilometers of the region of this battlefield using their movement skills in the meantime while avoiding the attacks from this frenzied monster.


    "Enrkai akavle sanak zadarimana!" chanted Ervalen in an ancient dialect as soon as he reached right below the heart of this boss monster.


    "Za Warudo!"


    In the end¡­ he activated the artifact in his hand and¡­


    BOOM!!!


    A terrifyingly destructive explosion erupted from the center of this humongous monster''s body and colored the sky red with flesh and blood.


    Thud!


    Thump!


    Thwack!


    Thousands of pieces of meat and organs dropped from the sky after the 10 kilometer wide explosion shook the entire floor.


    Ervalen had blown himself up from the inside of the monster''s body like a suicide bomber.


    ----------------


    At this very moment, Kahn as Legs was enjoying a scrumptious meal with Edmund inside the 51st floor.


    A couple of minutester on the 71st floor.


    The green swamp was now filled with the shredded meat of the dungeon boss whose entire body had blown up, not even leaving behind one of its heads or tails.


    Crushed bones and massive chunks of flesh piled up in many ces.


    Even the remainder of the hero''s party members had ghastly expressions.


    "Did he¡­ did he just kill himself?


    Hey! Hey! That wasn''t the n!


    He was supposed toe out before the explosion!" shouted the blonde elf archer with a bbergasted expression.


    But before any of their worriessted for long.


    BOOM!!


    A massive green pir of light rose at the center of the battlefield. Everyone used their senses and sights of the saints to see the source from 10 kilometers afar and finally saw something unexpected.


    At the center of this light, a white and shiny core hovered peacefully. But soon, it was covered in ayer of flesh out of nowhere.


    As moments passed, thatyer of flesh turned into a heart. And soon, white bones and red flesh spread and encapsted.


    In just a dozen seconds, a ribcage was formed and soon, 4 limbs came into existence. And finally¡­ a skull appeared along with newly formed eyes.


    This impossible existence then took a form and ayer of skin appeared.


    Everyone among the onlookers gasped, their minds failing to ept this revtion.


    Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life¡­ Resurrected himself.


    Ervalen, who waspletely nude at this moment, spoke with a victorious voice as soon as the door leading to the next floor opened and revealed a bright light on the other side.


    "Now¡­ we have 1 more boss till we finally reach and control that sealed thing on the final floor.


    After that¡­" he spoke, revealing a confident and indomitable countenance.


    "I will be the Strongest Hero in history."

 Chapter ?760 Equivalent Exchange

    ?760 Equivalent Exchange


    While the Hero of Life heroically killed the 71st floor boss by suicide bombing, Kahn''s group finally decided to kill the boss on the 51st floor and progress to the next floor.


    Since this was their own kill, they harvested the corpse, storing it in multiple high-grade space rings given the massive size and kept its core forter use.


    Kahn still had 2 allies left who were stuck at their levels, namely Armin and ckwall. As for absorbing the boss''s abilities and skills¡­ Kahn couldn''t do that because Edmund was present with them.


    Revealing his divine abilities to a stranger who himself was a saint would create unnecessary doubts and leave a trail.


    In the following moments, they appeared on the next floor where the scenery waspletely changed.


    An environment full of millions of stark white rectangr-shaped crystals, each being 10 meters tall while having ayer of reflective ss-like coating on them.


    Right now, Legs and his entourage appeared on the surfaces of these crystals


    "What''s happening? I can''t use my mana or world energy at all." spoke Edmund with an rmed expression.


    "This floor seals everyone''s ability to use mana or world energy while messing with our innate senses.


    You can''t use any of your species'' bloodline abilities. And us saints can''t even fly here." responded Legs.


    He wasn''t just wasting time when the alliance was clearing floor after floor from past month.


    They worked for the shares from the loot while the members of the Misthios were preparing in their own way.


    Because of his Eidetic Memory, Legs aka Kahn remembered everything and how to pass through them after he studied all the avable information at hand.


    To someone like Edmund who was in charge of gathering alchemy resources, this expedition was something he had no experience in. Thus, Legs and hismanders were tasked with gathering everything there is to know about Immortal Dungeon.


    "Let''s go. Since the previous floor boss won''t respawn for a week, the alliance forces won''t be far behind us." hemended and started walking while creating a guarding formation.


    Here¡­ none of Kahn''s or his subordinates'' innate abilities worked. Even their bodies were no different than normal people who couldn''t use mana. The only thing they could use was their weapons and armors to fight with battle techniques.


    Thankfully, there were no monsters on this floor.


    But as soon as they walked forth for 10 meters¡­ something unexpected happened.


    Rudra, who was in the lead suddenly disappeared and appeared 200 meters away on their left.


    The same happened to Omega but he appeared 2 kilometers away from their group on the right side.


    "What''s happening?" asked Edmund.


    "Don''t worry. It''s just a mirage.


    They''re actually still standing in front of us.


    And those monolith-like crystals are reflecting our images to confuse us.


    So from now on¡­ everyone listens to mymands." said Legs.


    In the following moments, Ronin aka Scorpion took out a map from his space ring and handed it to Legs.


    "What is this?" asked the human alchemist.


    "This floor seals every single skill, ability and detection sense one could have.


    And those crystals that act like mirrors, forming an endless grid of images would also confuse your sight.


    Thousands of people who appeared on this floor were never able to pass it and many were stuck here for months before they died.


    Only a handful of people who managed to pass this floor by luck created these maps.


    After hundreds of years, the route has been perfected. But it''s still something one shouldn''t be careless about.


    One wrong turn would send you in a direction where you can''t find your way out.


    So from now on, no one even takes a step further without mymand." ordered the ironborn elf.


    When it came to focusing and mental fortitude, Kahn was the strongest among their group because of the constant training and operating his doppelgangers from the past 10 months.


    Consequently, he was the only qualified person to lead this floor.


    "Based on our estimation¡­ It will take us a few weeks at best." spoke Legs with a stern voice and continued¡­


    "If we don''t mess up our route, that is."


    ----------------


    The Hero of Life and his remaining party members also entered the next floor with heavy hearts while the Misthios guild also tread carefully.


    Meanwhile in the capital Eletnall, there was one particr pce which was a residential area of a particr person.


    Inside the main training facility at the basement of this pce, was a massive and wide room filled with glowing archaic elven magic formations and runes.


    At the center of this room, was a white-haired halfbreed elf seated quietly in a meditating position.


    This person being none other than the ''other'' Ervalen.


    As he was focused in the middle of a magic formation while constantly absorbing mana and world energy, the formations suddenly started glowing more brightly.


    "Fuck!" he shouted as his mind suddenly received a key information from the Immortal Dungeon.


    BOOM!


    A burst of green aura spread like shockwaves from his body and Ervalen''s body shook violently.


    "Arrghhh!!"


    He groaned in terrifying pain and right before his eyes¡­ his body started melting. First, his hands turned into a puddle of meat paste.


    His bones started crumbling from inside like a sand castle falling and in the following seconds, even his brain matter turned into mush.


    But suddenly, his body shuddered and he sprawled on the ground.


    BOOM!!


    This time, a massive green aura erupted and Ervalen''s body exploded on the spot, small pieces of flesh and hot blood sprayed across the room.


    This Ervalen died in the same fashion as the one in Immortal Dungeon did.


    ----------------


    Dozens of minutester¡­


    Step!


    Step!


    Another being walked in, dressed in a white and golden patterned shirt and pants. His gaze was icy cold as he looked around the room.


    The Ervalen who died recently was the one whose life force and body was exchanged to revive the one who died inside the dungeon to kill the floor boss.


    "Ugh! Now I have only 2 bodies left. This one and the one in the dungeon.


    It will take me years to recover from this loss and I can''t create a new one unless I be a 5th stage saint first.


    I hope I can at least reach the final floor and control that thing." spoke this being, revealing himself to be another Ervalen.


    "Princess¡­ I won''t disappoint you." he spoke with an ted voice.


    "I''m not going to be useless in this life.


    If I manage to control that thing¡­ the Emperor said he would let me ask her hand." he said and took out a projection artifact, looking at the hologram figure of a beautiful high elf girl as he spoke.


    He grasped his face, his eyes erged and a wicked smile appeared on his face.


    His gaze at the hologram was so infatuated and obsessed that it would send shivers if there were any onlookers as he revealed a psychotic expression.


    "I will be able to marry my beloved Eleanor."

 Chapter 761 The Mythical Boss

    3 Weeks Later.


    The exit door opened and a total of 10 people were flung on the other side, crashing onto the sandy ground like ragdolls.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Legs and the group took deep breaths and tried to get up.


    Thud!


    Dante tried to stand up but dropped on the ground halfway.


    "Fuck this! I feel like we should quit and leave the dungeon using our passes.


    We barely made out alive from thest one." spoke Legs as his face was buried in the ck sand of this floor.


    "Finally, I can feel world energy again. We should be able to recover within half a day." spoke Edmund whose clothes were tattered in many ces at this point.


    Unlike the rest, his gear wasn''t made of Invimarak skin and had very few defensive properties. So the alchemist basically looked like a dirty street beggar at this moment.


    "Imagine if this is happening to our group¡­ then millions of people from the alliance must have suffered greatly.


    I wonder how many died at this point." said Legs, gathering every iota of strength as he spoke up.


    To his words¡­ even someone as prideful and strong as Rudra had a gloomy expression.


    The past three weeks felt like a nightmare to them. So far, every floor they had traversed through was a unique and peculiar setting where they couldn''t take advantage of being Saints at all.


    Their journey was too hard and even with their sheer will and freakishly strong bodies, they barely escaped death too many times.


    One of the floors had a -50 degree celsius temperature and an unending blizzard that froze half of their group midway.


    But thanks to high-grade Ice Resistance potions brought by Edmund, they managed to pass it without dying in a couple of days.


    Although Kahn, Jugram and Rudra wouldn''t be affected by it, it was not the case for the rest of their crew.


    On a different floor, everything was made out of the ethereal fire that could even melt boulders easily. Since none of Kahn''s subordinates excelled in Ice Element, Ceril who was a magician became the only being who could protect the rest.


    Even though the previous 3 people weren''t affected, the rest felt like their bodies were burning every second.


    They managed to cross that floor because Kahn was constantly supplying Ceril with world energy that he borrowed from Rathnaar''s core.


    One of the floors was another mind-boggling experience for them as this floor had a twisted gravity.


    This ce had no ground but flying blocks of stones that hovered in the sky like a belt of meteors surrounding a.


    One step, you''re moving forwards but in the next step, you''re flying upwards.


    If you walked right, you''d be falling and when walking left, you''d go back as gravity would relocate your entire body based on these movements.


    If this was for a short distance, one could get familiar with the pattern and then follow particr criteria. However, the Immortal Dungeon wasn''t so kind to them.


    Because the stone tform they all stood on divided themselves into different blocks and sent everyone in random directions while making unpredictable movements themselves.


    The only way to leave these was to step on another block of the tform that touched their footing from any random direction at any moment.


    Even if you changed the perception of your mind, you couldn''t anticipate where or when the next tform to step on woulde from.


    And the entire group had to travel 100 kilometers of space to find the exit door like this.


    During those times, everyone wished that the supreme dungeon would be very kind just to send them a horde of monsters to kill and clear the floor because that was easier than getting your mind fucked over and over, again and again for every single second.


    And finally, they came to Floor 61 where they fought a legendary rank boss which wasparable to 3rd stage saint.<sub> </sub>


    Thankfully, this floor did not limit their mana and world energy.


    The floor boss was a spectral creature that affected their souls and restricted their ability to fight as soon as they got within 10 kilometer radius.


    However, it couldn''t have imagined that two of his natural enemies were part of Misthios guild''s team.


    Oliver used Soul Distortion skill which was a Legendary Rank skill he got from Cdrius monster, the one that nearly killed Kahn and also took Kassandra''s life back in Vessen.


    Thanks to Shu Armor and Neith Bow, Oliver was able to use it without turning into his true Thunderbird legendary rank form.


    With Soul Distortion skill, he managed to overthrow the boss'' ability to oppress their souls.


    A soul for a soul.


    Oliver took away its ability and Ronin finally managed tond the killing blow using Existence Concealment and Phase Shift skill.


    The former was his upgraded ability which he got after ranking up to Mythical Rank and made him undetectable even by a 7th stage saint.


    They kept the body and the core forter use and kept their journey filled with dread and torture awaiting on every floor.


    And finally, they reached floor 71 after another week of travel.


    "Phew! I guess this is it. We should get some time to rest" said Edmund.


    But as if jinxing their luck¡­ all of them lost the ability to use mana and world energy again.


    At this moment, all of them could feel that none of their detection skills worked either.


    [WARNING!! THE HOST IS IN EXTREME DANGER!] suddenly, the system notification rang.


    ROARRR!!


    "Ah fuck¡­" said Legs as immense killing intent, far stronger and denser than anything they felt till this point targeter every single one of them.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    A massive 7 headed being roared 40 kilometers away as soon as they all appeared on this floor. Just the roars alone would be enough to destroy an entire city from its shockwaves alone.


    [Boy, it''sparable to a 5th stage saint!


    And it''s not 5 but 7 headed, each with different elements of nature. So it must be a mythical rank as well.] suddenly, even Rathnaar warned Kahn as soon as their gazesnded on the massive 1 kilometer tall creature that stood far away.


    [Give me its details.] ordered Kahn.


    System informed in Kahn''s mind and thetter''s expression turned extremely ugly and a bit terrified.


    [Looks like my bad luck from the previous life is back.] thought Kahn as soon as he heard the details.


    "With our ability to use mana and world energy sealed¡­ only our physical strength can be of use.


    Looks like all of us are screwed big time." he spoke openly after sharing the details with his subordinates.


    "Yes. At this rate¡­ Some of us are definitely going to die." said Omega.


    Because the being that they were all afraid of at the moment¡­ the mythical rank boss which killed half of the Hero''s Party and even made Ervalen, the Hero of Life sacrifice himself, was not some pesky monster but a powerful existence only below Dragons and Basilisks.


    It was a being only heard of in myths and was greatly feared among my cultural lore even on earth, namely¡­


    The Elder Hydra.

 Chapter 762 Limited Options

    Right now, all the neers on this floor looked at the 7-headed Elder Hydra with incredulous expressions after seeing its presence and rank.


    "What the hell? Wasn''t this supposed to be only a 5-headed Hydra and only at the legendary rank that was supposed to beparable to a 3rd stage saint?


    Why is it an Elder Hydra at Mythical Rank and possesses strengthparable to a 5th stage saint?" asked Legs with a bamboozled expression.


    Obviously, they had prior information about this boss because it was noted to be one of the hardest bosses and this floor was cleared only a few times in the past thousand years.


    Kahn and the group also didn''t know that the Hero''s Party also cleared this floor few weeks ago, albeit at a great cost.


    Nheless, thest time a group reached here was 30 years ago and back then, those people fought a 5 headed hydra, unlike the one that stood in front of them.


    "When did it evolve? Is it normal for dungeon bosses to evolve?" asked Edmund, his heart filled with trepidations as he felt the immense threat because of the killing intent released by the boss.


    [Boy, a supreme dungeon can indeed evolve itself and the floor bosses after centuries and over saturation of world energy as per legends.


    But those are extremely rare cases and even in my time, I never heard of a supreme dungeon doing so.


    There must be a big reason for it to happen.] informed Rathnaar inside Kahn''s mind.


    [What does it matter? Our situation isn''t going to turn out any good even if we find the reason.


    Should we abort and use our passes? It''s been more than a month and half at this point so we are eligible to leave.] thought Kahn in his mind.


    ROARR!!


    Just then, the elder hydra, whose most of the body was submerged in the deep waters of this poisonous swampir, raised its heads a bit higher.


    All of its 20-meter-tall heads had different elements and properties.


    Gray head had Venom, Green head Corrosion, Red had Fire, Blue had Ice, Yellow head had Lightning, the White head possessed Light element and finally, the pitch ck head had Darkness element.


    All of these elements of nature could be sensed from the 7 heads respectively.


    "It''s like an amalgamation of all the lethal elements. No wonder it''s the boss that has been cleared only 5 times in the past thousand years." spoke Raiden as he took both Raijin and Kojin out of their sheaths.


    Venom from a mythical rank creature could easily kill even a saint of the same strength levels. Thankfully, Kahn and his subordinates had Legendary rank poison and venom immunity.


    The Corrosion breath would erode their armors and weapons easily. Only Rudra among their group would be unaffected by it because of his Magma element and Physique which itself had corrosive resistance after the Basilisk subordinate absorbed Bjormngandur''s bloodline.


    Fire was very good for AoE damage, Ice could halt the movements of the target when hit, Lightning would simply destroy everything in its way, Light element had great piercing strength and finally, the darkness element which was enough to obliterate everything no matter what it was.


    [Boy, if a mythical rank Elder Hydra is just the 71st floor boss, then imagine how strong the 81st floor boss would be.


    And then there are thest 2 bosses of this dungeon.] spoke Rathnaar.


    [We''ll think about itter. First¡­ we need to find a way to get rid of it while preserving our mana and world energy that''s in our bodies.


    Physical strength alone won''t be enough.


    At best, I can use Dimensional Cut 6 times given my current rank and Space Force reserves. But there will still be another head left.


    On top of it, it still has the terrain advantage, has a lot of range and I sense a very strong physical defense.


    Even our group won''t be able to one-shot this boss just with weapons and techniques alone since mana and world energy basically runs all of our fighting skills.] he said, his voice resounding in the minds of all of his subordinates.


    [That''s still useless, boy.


    An Elder Hydra can regrow its heads very quickly. So cutting them off won''t make a difference at all.] informed Rathnaar again.


    [What? It''s supposed to be a Hydra¡­ not the goddamn King Ghidorah!


    Looks like I didn''t read enough about Hydra''s abilities in my past life.


    System, tell me the weaknesses of this monster.]ined and ordered Kahn.


    [An Elder Hydra''s only weakness is its heart.] reported the system.


    [Great. If I use Phase Shift skill and pass through its internal organs, I can destroy its heart using Dimensional Cut.] thought Kahn as he came up with a battle strategy.


    [The system would like to inform the host that if the heart is destroyed, at least 10 kilometers of the radius will be pulverized after its destruction.] informed the system in its usual lifeless tone.


    [Then I''ll just use the Dimensional Void and enter True Dimension to avoid getting killed by the explosion.] he revealed an insidious smirk.


    But to throw water on his face, the system quickly informed¡­


    [The system detects that because mana and world energy is sealed in this environment, the space is also sealed and the host would be unable to use Dimensional Domain or Dimensional Void skill.


    Only the Dimensional Cut skill can be used due to Space Force stored inside the host''s body.


    Also, the other subordinates would be unable to use their Domains as well.] reported the system.<sub> </sub>


    [Seriously¡­ I envy those Time Regressor novel protagonists now.


    Those fuckers know everything from the future and have key information on how to kill these OP bosses easily.


    Wish my story was something like that.] Kahn cursed in his mind.


    At this moment, the boss started moving towards their direction on its own ord.


    Additionally, as if some sadistic bastard was writing Kahn''s story whileughing maniacally¡­ the system gave another bad news.


    [An Elder Hydra can relocate its heart at will and its regeneration abilities are second only to Dragons and the 5 Godbeasts. If the core is left intact, it can regenerate the heart as well.] reported the system again.


    [What the fuck?! Stop telling me reasons why I can''t kill this boss and give me actually helpful information, would ya?!]ined Kahn, his countenance turning ugly.


    [Boy, it''s extremely hard to kill by normal means. But I have a n.] said Rathnaar in a stern voice.


    Compared to Kahn, Rathnaar was a war veteran who was feared by the entire world at one point.


    He had been in thousands of battles and many unfavorable situations whether it was against a monster, a saint, or even the chosen Heroes with Divine Abilities.


    [Did you ever fight one?] queried Kahn.


    [I did. But it was only a legendary rank 5 headed Hydra. And we lost many of my capable allies back then.


    On top of it¡­ you guys are short on attack skills because the world energy is inessible here.


    Let''s not forget that the swamp itself is poisonous. It will not only restrict your movements but also kill you slowly.] he iterated in a somber voice.


    [All of us have a legendary rank poison immunity and I haveplete Darkness and Fire element immunity now.


    So we have 3 less things to worry about.] replied Kahn instantly.


    [But you can still be killed with lightning and light elemental attacks easily. Those two elements are your weaknesses, am I right?] asked the Emperor''s soul to Kahn.


    [Yes. We''re greatly restricted on ns and approaches we can take here.


    Even sacrificing some of my subordinates won''t ensure a confirmed kill if I can''t destroy the heart and escape at the right time.] responded Kahn.


    To his words, Rathnaar spoke in a thoughtful voice.


    [I guess then we can''t have a battle of attrition here.


    All of you will need to finish this fight as quickly as you can.


    Going All-Out from the start is your only option before you lot run out of your own mana and world energy.] said Rathnaar and then revealed his n to all of them.


    Kahn himself heard it and couldn''t help but approve of this strategy.


    It wasn''t like he couldn''te up with this n¡­ the problem was that he had no prior experience in fighting with a Hydra before.


    This world wasn''t some typical light novel where Hydra were barely 5 meters tall and could be killed by Level 10 Protagonists just because they had the almighty plot armor.


    Even with the plethora of skills Kahn and his group had, there were very few tactics they could use at this moment.


    [This n could work. But the problem is¡­


    Edmund.] thought Kahn and looked at the useless and helpless ally of theirs who didn''t have any redeeming qualities that could help them in this faceoff.


    [We will have to reveal many of our secrets but him being here as a witness is a huge risk.] said Kahn and made a quick decision.


    Just then¡­


    [Do it!]manded Kahn.


    Whoosh!


    Just then, Ronin suddenly appeared behind Edmund and attacked the human saint''s head from behind.


    Bang!


    He knocked down the alchemist before the saint could even sense him, making him unconscious in the next second.


    Armin checked his state and confirmed that the saint was done in and wouldn''t wake up for a long time.


    "Alright boys¡­ it''s time." spoke Kahn as all of them revealed their full killing intent.


    "To bully the Mythical Boss!"

 Chapter 763 Overwhelming Numbers

    After a battle strategy was finalized and Edmund was left unconscious, Kahn and the group decided to go all out right from the very start as nned by Rathnaar.


    One after another, Kahn''s subordinates created a distance of 5 kilometers away from each and revealed their true forms.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!!


    One after another, 8 different auras revealed by massive monstrous beings came into sight. Their overwhelming and dreadful pressure destroyed nearly 40 kilometers of the region in different directions as they encircled the Elder Hydra.


    For the first time, every single one of Kahn''s subordinates had taken their true legendary and mythical rank forms all at the same time.


    As for Kahn himself¡­ he activated the recently upgraded Asura Mode using all the powerful bloodlines he had after nearly a year.


    Thest time he took this form was when they fought Axel Lobethrox aka the Hero of Fire. And now, he was using it against this incredibly powerful floor boss.


    "Let''s fight this floor boss¡­ with overwhelming power." spoke Kahn to his group.


    Was their battle tactics to fight one enemy using 9 of them honorable and chivalrous conduct?


    Hell no!


    But the current Kahn was not the one to follow any code of honor. It was a Kill or be Killed situation. Morals and Ethics didn''t mean shit if you were dead and your corpse was rotting inside a swamp.


    With subordinates who are no different than dungeon bosses themselves, they charged at the Elder Hydra.


    "Be careful. All of you must stall for enough time and create an opening." hemanded and dashed, because of his current form, Kahn was the smallest,parable to an ant against the enormous sizes of his subordinates but he was the fastest at this moment.


    BOOM!!


    Jugram in his Diablos form leaped high in the air and faced the head of the elder hydra with Ice element.


    ckwall in his Kronos primordial titan form plunged his hands inside the deep waters and soon, he created a canal while surrounding the nearby 10 kilometers of radius using the earth at the bottom of the swap.


    His part was to clear terrain and restrict the Hydra as it was a sea creature with extreme agility inside water. The more water he got out through the canal, the more agility this boss would lose while he blocked all escape routes.


    Oliver in his massive Thunderbird form flew high in the sky, spreading his 500 meters wide wings on each side while summoning dozens of typhoons as he targeted the head with Fire element.


    Contrary to how one would think, extremely condensed and high pressure was capable of easily cutting through the most destructive fire attacks if used correctly. Thus, Oliver was tasked to face this head on his own.


    Omega in his Hrodvitnir form, who was now the 2nd biggest subordinate in Kahn''s troop after ckwall, faced the head with Light element because he had Lightning element.


    Kahn and Ceril were weak against the Light element and the only element to overpower Light was Lightning element in this world.


    Armin had taken his Erdtree form, turning into a 4 legged massive green monster who exuded enormous life force.


    He engaged the Hydra''s head which let out Corrosion breath that could rot everything.<sub> </sub>


    The reason why he was tasked with facing this head was because he had a lot of life force and can regenerate easily in a matter of seconds.


    Ronin in his new Mythical rank form faced the head with Venom that would instantly melt even another legendary rank monster. Because not only did he have immunity against it but also his movement and ability to pass through attacks was extremely useful in the current scenario.


    Ceril in his Legendary Rank form which was an undead with Scythe of the Reaper as weapon and 6 ck wings on his back which helped him fly even without the use of world energy engaged the head with Lightning element.


    He had plenty of darkness elemental long-range attacks such as Darkness Mirage de Barrage skill that allowed him to attack with thousands of curved des made with darkness element.


    He was one of the 3 people capable to face lightning element in the group since both darkness and lightning were equally matched in terms of strength and also called as the 2 strongest elements of nature.


    Now that the 6 heads had their respective counter-opponents engaged in a battle with them, only Kahn and Rudra, both of whom had a considerable part to y as well.


    Kahn in his Asura form left shockwaves after shockwaves as he sprinted on the surface of swamp water as if he was using his Chakra to run on it.


    His target was the head taking on the head with Darkness element. Because not only was he impervious to the darkness element, but he also had a very useful skill to fight against creatures of this element.


    Swoosh!


    He summoned Lucifer in his hands and blue lightning ran across its de wildly as Kahn himself leaped close to 500 meters high in the air.


    Although he was a 3rd stage saint, his body was as strong as a legitimate 4th stage saint. This much distance in a single leap was like taking a normal step on the ground for him.


    ROARR!!


    At this moment, the Elder Hydra was enraged as it saw all of its heads being targeted on all fronts, yet it felt no sense of danger, but rather an excitement that told him to trample on these enemies.


    Soon, it rose high, revealing its full 1 kilometer tall body with snake-like heads that were 300 meters long each.


    HISSSS!!!


    All the heads shot out a beam of their respective elements and targeted their opponents that were charging from few kilometers away.


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    Extremely dangerous elemental attacks crashed against their respective targets and destroyed the nearby terrains while wounding their opponents. Each breath was strong and wide enough to kill 10 thousand enemies at once when faced directly.


    However, during this faceoff, the Elder Hydra felt fear for the first time.


    A massively oppressive aura with terrifying killing intent bombarded its body, trying to set its dominance and supremacy over it. And the source of his majestic and domineering aura was¡­


    Rudra!

 Chapter 764 Bullying The Boss

    The Elder Hydra, an existence which was far stronger than the other legendary rank beings, felt a sense of dread for the first time as Rudra suddenly released his full killing intent.


    In the present moment, Rudra used the Dominator''s Aura skill, which was exclusive to himself and brought out the terrifying auras of his own Dragon and Basilisk bloodlinebined.


    Compared to other subordinates including Omega who had Godbeast bloodlines, Rudra''s was much more powerful and terrifying since others only had the bloodline from the descendant species and became variants of the said bloodlines. None of them were true Godbeast in the end.


    In his case, Basilisks were one of the Godbeasts while Dragons were beings who stood above the godbeasts in the hierarchy of powerful species in this world, only below the Demi-Gods. Hence, his Dominator''s Aura was the culmination of the best of the best.


    If Rudra was of the same level as the elder hydra, a beingparable to a 5th stage saint, then this effect would be even more powerful.


    Nheless, this was currently more than enough.


    ROARRR!!


    All the heads of the hydra roared loudly and frantically started attacking their targets,unching massive beams after beams of highly condensed elemental attacks that could even overpower another 5th stage saint like those from the Hero''s Party.


    BOOM!!


    Jugram was hit with a massive and quick frost breath that instantly froze his entire body, forming a 500 meter tall pir of ice while freezing the nearby 3 kilometers radius.


    The aim was extremely fast and urate despite being a 5 kilometer range gap between them.


    And now that it stood up with its full body revealed, everyone saw its massive ws on the four legs and the 2 kilometers long tail at the back. The Elder Hydra was 5 kilometers long in total despite being already so big.


    RAWWRR!!


    This time, Jugram let out a massive burst of hellfire and broke through the gigantic ice pir.


    Even though he was only 2nd stage saint and couldn''t use his buffs because they were fighting a single enemy, he was fairly capable to stall and protect himself against the ice elemental head.


    Simrly, all the subordinates faced their respective opponents while using many of their attack and defense skills. Other than Omega and Rudra, everyone was having a hard time because although it looked like the 7 heads would be weak¡­ their attack power, range and overall destructive capabilities were on par with 4th stages on their own.


    Even Kahn, who was using Asura Mode was barely able to match the one he was fighting.


    [Now, go for the central head.] ordered Rathnaar, the main tactician of the battle.


    This time, Rudra''s serpentine yellow eyes glowed brightly as he targeted the middle head from afar.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    Crumble!


    And suddenly, the world around the Hydra started changing at a visible rate. In just a dozen seconds, the Elder Hydra felt like he was no longer on the dungeon floor but in apletely different world where there was nothing butva and barrennds with ck soil, boulders and dozens of tall mountains.


    Slither!


    Slither!


    The distracted central head look around and felt like a ck figure was slithering amongst the gaps in these mountains.


    But soon¡­


    HISSSS!!<sub> </sub>


    An ear-deafening hissing reached its ears and the elder hydra was horrified for the first time.


    A massive two-horned Basilisk that was 10 times bigger than itself arose amidst these mountains and red at the hydra. Threatening its entire existence and revealing a disdainful aura as if it was looking down on this mythical rank floor boss.


    In reality¡­ this was just one of Rudra''s illusions.


    Rudra''s Lucid Reality skill was even stronger than the one Kahn could use. And unlike thetter, it worked even on the beings who were stronger than him.


    Just like Rathnaar suggested, the central head seemed to be the main CPU of the elder hydra which alsomanded and attacked through the other heads in real time. So when Rudra put it under hypnosis, the other heads also stopped attacking.


    This was an advantage Hero''s Party didn''t have because they were small-sized High Elves and not gigantic monsters with unique powers like Kahn''s group.


    Crackle!


    BOOM!


    In the real world however, Kahn and his group of Kaijus took this opportunity to kill the other heads in quick session.


    Kahn used the Dark Lightning Strike and obliterated the head he faced in a single shot.


    However, the heads regenerated in matter of seconds.


    [Human, it won''tst for long. Isn''t he done yet?] asked Rudra who was maintaining the illusion with great focus.


    Suddenly, the Hydra broke free from the illusion and regained its senses. In the end, it was a powerful being on its own. Rudra''s hypnosis wasn''t going to affect it for long.


    [Master, I''m done!] a stoic voice resounded in Kahn''s head.


    SHRILL!!


    The Elder Hydra started rampantly attacking all the opponents as it felt great dancing, its mind telling it that something was amiss.


    And as part of its instinct, it tried to retreat backward.


    "Toote!" shouted Armin in his Erdtree form, his thousands of vines each being few hundred meters long and sturdy at the same time restricting the elder hydra from moving.


    Omega also activated Gravity Imprisonment skill to stop the floor boss from moving.


    All in all, this entire exchange was nothing but a pure distraction. The real objective was something else.


    And now it was time for their gang¡­ Tond the finishing blow.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Dozens of Sonic booms resonated in the surroundings as the elder hydra tried to use its world energy to break free. Still, as Kahn said¡­ it was already toote.


    And finally, the Elder Hydra felt a sense of impending doom as a massive shadow was cast on its own body and it found where the life-threatening attack wasing from.


    A loud and majestic voice resounded from the general who hadn''t engaged in directbat with the hydra even till this point, his words reverberated in the 10 kilometers radius as he announced the name of the finishing skill.


    ary Devastation!"

 Chapter 765 Meticulous Planning

    The almighty Elder Hydra was undergoing immense pressure because of the constant attacks and barely managed toe out of Rudra''s hypnosis gaze. However, right when it regained consciousness, a ginormous moon-like boulder dropped from the sky.


    BOOM!!


    10 kilometers of region shook and the ground shuddered from the impact. Thousands of cracks and crevices formed as high tidal waves of swamp water rose high like a tsunami.


    In the end, because of Rudra''s hypnosis, the Elder Hydra failed to sense that while it was fighting their group¡­ ckwall, who stood at the back of this enemy group despite being the biggest and tallest of them all, had been excavating the nearby region quietly and created a massive 1 kilometer tall round orb simr to the shape of the moon in the sky using the Terrain Maniption skill.


    As a result, the hydra was caught off guard by theary Devastation attack the Kronos general created for the first time.


    ROARRR!!


    HISSSS!!


    All the heads of the floor boss roared frantically and wailed in pain as this massive and incredibly leaden orb was hammered down on its body, basically squashing most of it in a single strike.


    To add to the pressure, Kahn also used War Dominance and Dragon''s Sovereignty. Making the enemy lose its rationality because of its enraged and endangered state.


    At this moment, the nearby terrain had been cleared of water because of the impact through the canals ckwall created previously while he had surrounded the boss. Due to which, the boss also lost its mobility since it was a water creature with limited maneuverability on open ground.


    Every single step was nned from the very beginning.


    The boss was now stomped by the massive boulder, screaming and screeching in agonizing pain. It could no longer move because of losing the terrain advantage as well as destroyed internal organs.


    All the heads attacked the ginormous mini with their elemental breaths despite in being pain. But it was simply too big to destroy in a single wave.


    "Now!" shouted Kahn and all the subordinates attacked with their physical bodies from all sides, this time, their goals were not the heads but something else.


    Rip!


    Tear!


    Omega, Jugram, Armin, Ceril and Ronin attacked all at once and started tearing apart its massive 5 kilometers long body while evading the attacks from its heads.


    Rudra also slithered quickly, approaching the enemy from behind and he bit off the entire tail while spewing his Corrosive Magma, making it unable to regenerate in that part.


    But since both of them were creatures with venom and poison immunity, the Elder Hydra wasn''t dying. Yet the injuries were still lethal.


    Even though most of the body was regenerating at an extremely fast pace, the Elder Hydra couldn''t move and Kahn''s group of walking world cmities kept tearing apart its flesh and bones before the healing could evenplete.


    [Now is your chance, boy.] spoke Rathnaar in a kingly manner.


    This was an opportunity they needed as orchestrated by Rathnaar, the first emperor of Rakos.


    The biggest key factor which dictated the result of this battle was whether they could destroy the Elder Hydra''s heart or not.


    Nheless, the avable space for it to move the heart was simply too big.


    So all these steps were taken in order to force their enemy to act ording to their needs instead.


    And now, there were only a few ces where the heart could be shifted because its central body parts such as the spine, rib cage and tail were crushed and other parts were being torn apart by the Kahn''s subordinates.


    Since there was no way for them to easily find the heart without losing all their mana and world energy stored in their bodies during the battle.


    Hence, they forced the hydra to move the heart to a safe ce¡­ a ce where they wanted it to be.


    "Got it!" said Kahn after he used Hunter''s Domain which expended half of his world energy reserves because of the restrictions ced by this floor.


    [All of you, inside!] he ordered at the same time as Lucifer was instantly covered under space force.


    Everyone else was already waiting for thismand and quickly entered his shadow without wasting a single moment.


    sh!!


    Kahn used the Dimensional Cut skill and shed apart the 20 meter wide heart of the hydra in a single swing.


    SHING!!<sub> </sub>


    As soon as the heart was cut, a massive surge of golden aura erupted.


    BOOM!!


    And Kahn, who was still present just half a kilometer away was obliterated into ash as the entire ten kilometers of radius was pulverized from this nuclear bomb-like explosion.


    Destroying the core of a mythical rank beingparable to a 5th stage saint was no joke.


    Millions of soldiers in this perimeter would die even if they sessfully managed to kill the Elder Hydra. This was also the reason why nobody could easily kill this boss in a thousand years.


    5 secondster.


    "Phew! Barely survived."


    Spoke Kahn as he stood besides Edmund''s unconscious body which was located 20 kilometers away.


    Before the battle even began, he had created 2 Doppelgangers, stationed and hidden perfectly using Invisibility skill at set distances.


    As soon as he destroyed the heart, he switched ces with them one after another in milliseconds at a distance of 10 kilometers each, making his escape in time using the Shadow Swap skill while sacrificing his fake bodies.


    Swoosh!


    All the subordinates came out of his shadow and heaved a sigh of relief.


    If there was even a single second''s dy¡­ all of them would''ve died with Kahn.


    This was a very risky n. But as a result, only blood, chunks of flesh and crumbs of shattered bones were spread across 30 kilometers radius, none of which was theirs.


    "Man¡­ I could''ve gotten a lot of useful abilities."


    The entire body and core of the Elder Hydra were gone.


    Sadly, harvesting it was not an option for them otherwise Kahn would''ve used it for his rank up to a 5th stage saintter.


    But wanting everything without sacrifices didn''t always happen in the real world.


    Little did he know¡­


    What Ervalen, the Hero of Life achieved with the death of half of their party members and sacrificing himself¡­


    Kahn and the gang achieved that without a single casualty.


    Although it seemed like everything was taken care of very easily with no mishaps and great struggle¡­


    All of it was possible because they nned each step very meticulously with their limited abilities and restrictions on their bodies while avoiding all the possible mistakes that could happen and get themselves killed as a result.


    Once again, Rathnaar proved why he was superior in terms of experience and war tacticspared to Kahn.


    Having a Genius mind didn''t mean you could always outsmart people with great Experience. This was something the current Kahn still needed to work on and umte over time.


    And finally¡­ they passed one of the biggest hurdles that even millions of soldiers and dozens of saints couldn''t aplish¡­ with just 9 fighters.


    ----------------


    Two Hours Later.


    Edmund finally woke up from his slumber and had a groggy expression. In the end, he was a human, someone without natural or innate regeneration abilities, so it took him time to recover despite being a saint.


    "What the hell happened?! Did I die?


    And where is the boss?" he questioned loudly.


    Kahn who had turned back into Legs again gave a benign look as he responded with a charming smile.


    "Gone. Reduced to atoms."

 Chapter 766 Price For Salvation

    Legs informed Edmund, their ally in this expedition that they had killed the boss and not even its body was left.


    But in reality¡­ Armin had gathered all the chunks of flesh, extracted the blood and bones under Kahn''s orders. To remove the evidence of the fight and how they killed the boss.


    Legs also told Edmund that the boss had a mental attack skill that targeted him, the weakest of the group, and made him faint. Thus, he was knocked out during the whole battle.


    As for how they killed it?


    He iterated a fake battle strategy with some truth to it such as surrounding and overwhelming the boss with numbers.


    Because in the end, killing a mythical rank boss was a great feat so they didn''t want the alchemist to ask unnecessary questions that could unravel their secrets.


    The more oblivious Edmund was about their true battle prowess, the better.


    All in all, they were now free to leave this floor and progress further.


    Now, only 10 floors were left and they''d be able to leave this hellish dungeon afterpleting their main objective of gathering the resources on the 81st floor.


    All of them took deep breaths and finally entered the exit door, hoping for smooth sailing from here on.


    ----------------


    Two Days Later.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Over 500 people passed through the entrance door and appeared on the 71st floor, all of them being battle-worn and vignt towards each other.


    In this group, not a single person was below Grandmaster Rank and they had close to a hundred Semi-Saints and 25 Saints.


    Two of these powerful beings were 5th stage saints, 3 were 4th stage saints while the rest were 3rd and below.


    However, none of them had any joyful expression but grimness in their eyes.


    Lagertha Skjoldottir, the guildmaster of the 12 Valkyries arrived with her group of saints. By now, the number ofbatants still progressing through the Immortal Dungeon had greatly diminished.


    "Dammit!! Only if we had prepared more." she spoke with a constricted expression.


    At least half of her guild members had died during their journey so far. Although they hade with ample preparations, a supreme dungeon was not a ce where everything went ording to their n.


    Sometimes, unprecedented and unpredictable factors arose and caused numerous casualties.


    Although saints were powerfulbatants, not all of them were proficient when it came to protecting thousands of people at once.


    So recently, they had no choice but to let most of their guild members return to the outside world as only the strongest of their forces kept traversing these dangerous floors by themselves.


    This was the same case for the majority of the forces whether they were mercenaries, noble house envoys or adventurer guilds. So only the strong-willed and powerful individuals gathered and traveled together at this point.


    The previous alliance no longer existed. It was everybody for themselves and half the group held animosity towards the other half for various reasons.


    Yet, they could always settle the score outside so no one had openly attacked the other party.


    "Guildmaster, both mana and world energy is sealed on this floor." spoke the white-haired vice-guildmaster of the 12 Valkyries who was a magician.


    Lagertha then revealed a curious gaze as she looked around.


    "Where''s the Hydra?" asked one of the saints from the other groups.


    "Wait¡­ looks like the floor is cleared. The hydra must be respawning now." said an Enchanter ss saint.


    "Does it mean someone killed it within a week?" asked a berserker ss saint.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ the Misthios guild cleared it already?<sub> </sub>


    They were the ones who had a lead for half a month." said Rose Hightower of the 12 Valkyries.


    One after another, hundreds of these new arrivals revealed amazed expressions.


    Because this floor was the 2nd most feared boss in Immortal Dungeon that was cleared only 5 times in history.


    And this was also one of the main reasons why all of them had decided to stick around and kill it by joining hands despite their grievances with each other.


    Yet, the Misthios guild which had only 10 saints and only 8bat ss individuals among them somehow killed the boss on their own.


    Not a single person here could help but feel a sense of mental oppression, thinking how strong this guild was to achieve such a feat while they had no ess to their most powerful skills.


    Even Lagertha, who was 4th stage saint herself couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed and wonder¡­


    "Misthios guild¡­ just who are you people?"


    ----------------


    At this very moment, a different scenario came into sight on the 81st floor.


    And colored in red and a massive body of a ginormous monster came into sight.


    Blergh!


    A high elf saint spat a mouthful of blood as he adjusted his breathing and gathered all the strength in his body to stand up.


    He looked around the battlefield and used his senses to detect his allies.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Ervalen was barely able to stand as he used his staff to support his body while revealing a disheartened expression.


    Myrienne, the Priestess of this group, stood a few hundred meters away, her forehead full of sweat and her breathing inconsistent.


    The 5th stage saint slowly walked and stopped near a body on the ground.


    "Farewell, my friend." he spoke and closed the eyes of a corpse.


    This individual was none other than the Knight saint who was also a 5th stage saint like the former. But now¡­ he had lost his life after this arduous and intense battle.


    The Hero''s Party had killed the 81st floor boss. Achieving a feat no one had managed to do in the past thousand years and bing the first people to clear this floor.


    However¡­ this victory didn''t bring any of them joy at the moment.


    During the battle, the blue-skinned elf and the blonde archer elf, both of whom were 3rd stage saints, had lost their lives.


    And they barely managed to achieve their goal after the 5th stage saint knight chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of saving his allies and creating an opportunity to kill the boss.


    Their group originally had 12 members. But the Elder Hydra had killed 6 of them already.


    And now, they lost 3 more of theirrades on this floor.


    Who would''ve thought that the overbearing Hero''s Party that was all prideful and acted almighty in front of Kahn''s group would be killed off not by Rudra or Kahn, whom they offended publicly but by the Immortal Dungeon floor bosses instead.


    Now, only Ervalen, Myrienne and the elf swordsman remained.


    This was victory without a great price to pay.


    What did it cost?


    Everything.

 Chapter 767 The Resolve

    3 Days Later.


    On the 91st floor of the Immortal Dungeon, a long-drawn battle hade to an end.


    Thud!


    Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life dropped to his knees and gasped. His figure was drenched in blue blood and every inch of his body was running out of strength.


    At this moment, they had killed a ginormous creature that existed only in myths and even made the Elder Hydra look like a weak monster that couldn''t even hold a candle to it.


    After 15 hours of constant battle, they finally managed to kill the boss. But just like before¡­ his face was full of helplessness and grimace.


    "No! Uncle!


    Please wake up!" shouted Myrienne, trying her best to heal the body of the fallenrade with whatever world energy she had left in her body as she cradled a middle-aged high elf swordsman in her arms.


    This was the remaining 5th stage saint of their party who fell in this battle after ying a vital role.


    Myrienne was crying loudly, her expressionfilled with pain because this swordsman was her blood rtive whom she had a strong bond with all her life.


    It was because he tried to save her from the dungeon boss, the saint acted like a meat shield despite his sorry state.


    Step!


    Step!


    "Ervalen! Do something!" she pleaded with teary eyes.


    But Ervalen apologetically shook his head.


    "Myrienne¡­ You should use the pass and leave." he spoke with a disgruntled expression.


    "But¡­"


    "No buts."


    "Your lives were entrusted to me.


    Sadly¡­ I have no way of bringing back the dead to life." he said with an indignant countenance.


    "In the end, a divine ability can work only for the Hero and can''t resurrect his allies." he iterated.


    "And now¡­ there are only 10 floors left.


    We don''t know how hard they will be since nobody came this far before.


    Even I''m not sure if we''d be able to survive from now on." he spoke and ced his hands on the shoulder of the fallen elf.


    "Although my divine abilities helped us get this far and protected many of you from time to time¡­ this is as far as they can take us.


    Other than me and you, there''s nobody left." he said and pulled the corpse into his space ring.


    "You''re princess Eleanor''s best friend.


    What kind of a man would I be if I let the closest friend of the woman I love to die on my watch?" he spoke with a guilty expression.


    "Listen to me Myrienne. Your uncle and all of our friends have sacrificed their lives for the sake of this mission and our empire." he spoke and pulled out the space ring from his finger.


    This was a ring where they stored the corpses of all their fallen allies till this point. To give them a proper funeral with dignity.


    Next, Ervalen handed this ring to Myrienne and continued¡­


    "You should tell the outside world about what happened here.


    Their houses and ns should know of their sacrifice and chivalry regardless." he said and got up.


    "And what about you?" she asked while wiping off her tears.


    "I will continue." he responded in an emotionless voice.


    "Ervalen, you''ll die!


    This is no longer possible for us to progress furthermore. And there''s no one left to fight with you." spoke Myrienne, her voice was still hoarse because of her exhausted state.


    "And there''s still thest Dungeon Boss we know nothing about."


    To her words, the Hero of Life replied calmly.


    "You don''t understand, Myrienne.


    Now¡­ it''s my responsibility toplete the mission and make sure that their lives didn''t go in vain.


    So going back is no longer an option." he spoke while tightly clenching his fist.


    "It will take me a lot of time and we might lose ourst chance.


    But to seed and use that rumored power in order to be the strongest Hero, to protect the Elven empire and then face the Demon God in the war that''s toe¡­


    It is absolutely necessary." stated the 10th Hero of Life.


    "I''d rather die trying than give up at this point." he said as a chivalrous aura emanated from his body.


    After giving some thought, Myrienne also spoke.


    "I understand. I''ll go." she replied.


    Her state was currently the worst one in her entire life so far. And she had just also lost a family member who gave her the confidence to survive till now.<sub> </sub>


    So she was inherently afraid for her life as well.


    In the following moments, she activated a golden tabloid-like pass and her figure disappeared from the floor in mere seconds.


    "I must seed."


    Ervalen said after he was left alone as he walked toward the exit door to the next floor.


    Continuing in a voice filled with unyielding resolve.


    "For the sake of my beloved."


    ----------------


    At this very moment on the 81st floor.


    The entry door shed white and 10 people appeared.


    It was as expected, the Misthios guild.


    After killing the Elder Hydra, luck had been on their side.


    Because the previous 10 floors didn''t pose too much trouble for them. Using the subordinates and their unique abilities which proved helpful in particr terrain andws of reality, they managed to reach this floor very easilypared to previous floors where they were greatly restricted.


    "What the hell?


    Why isn''t the boss here?" asked Rudra as he didn''t sense a single living being in 50 kilometers radius.


    "Then it can only mean that the boss was killed and it hasn''t even been a week since it didn''t respawn." said Ronin in his Scorpion appearance.


    "Who could it be?" asked Edmund.


    The only answer was¡­


    "The Hero''s Party." spoke Legs.


    Their main goal was toe to this floor made of natural resources spread over around 150 kilometers.


    But miraculously, someone had gotten rid of their biggest headache for them.


    "This is a great opportunity. We''re truly blessed by the God Gyvenimas!


    We should get to work and gather these resources.


    Darwin and the rest, take these artifacts and help me. We can''t risk the boss reappearing before we''re done." said the saint alchemist in an exhrated voice.


    The rest followed his orders and spread across the floor. But unknown to the human saint, all of them were talking telepathically through their mind link which now had a range of 200 kilometers after Kahn became a 3rd stage saint.


    [Boy¡­ the Hero was 4th stage saint Summoner.


    And his group was also very strong for this dungeon''s level of difficulty.


    But if they passed this floor means that his group is the first one to cross this hurdle.


    In a way¡­ they have created a path for you.]. iterated Rathnaar.


    To his words, Legs aka Kahn responded with a suspicious voice¡­


    "This ce has no restrictions on mana and world energy. And given that they had two 5th stage saints, it is indeed usible that they were strong enough to clear it.


    But what I''m worried about is¡­" he said and asked in their group chat.


    "Should we continue or not?"


    [Human, If there''s no restriction on mana and world energy, we are capable enough to progress from now on, aren''t we?] queried Rudra, more like suggested that they should keep traveling.


    [And if the Hero''s Party is ahead¡­ then it means that there''s a chance that they have also gone to further floors.


    What if wee across their way?


    That''s like taking unnecessary risks.] stated Omega aka Raiden from his end while he used the artifact that sucked all the resources such as minerals and nts and objects around him like a wormhole.


    [Boy¡­ Don''t you think something is fishy?


    Why would a chosen Hero, the one who should be protected and guarded by the empire''s forces after your fight with the Hero of Fire, risk his lifeing to a supreme tier dungeon?


    He should be focusing on raising his rank while being surrounded by the strongest people of the empire instead.] said the peak saint.


    [Yeah, you''re right. Besides, it''s been a year and they still haven''t dered my identity or existence as well as what happened in the Vulcan empire to the public of Zivot Empire.


    For some reason, they''ve done a thorough job hiding those events in this empire despite having no reason to.


    Could it be rted to the thing called Divine Key which the System told me about?] wondered Kahn on his own.


    [Wait¡­ I have my own doubts.


    Do you remember that when we came here, we talked about how unnaturallyrge numbers of dungeons are in this ce?] asked Rathnaar.


    [Yeah, even your core which became active only 100 years ago after the seal weakened, formed over a dozen dungeons at best.] replied Kahn quickly.


    [Yes. And then there''s this Supreme Dungeon which has existed for a thousand years.


    I bet on my guts that the Source of all thiswork of dungeons must be inside this Immortal dungeon.] he spoke with a smug tone as he revealed his hunch and made a proposal.


    [Let''s find the Dungeon Boss.]

 Chapter 768 The Last Hurdle

    Rathnaar suggested the group should keep moving forward to next floors despite their main objective beingpleted here. Yet, his proposition was met with silence.


    [So what are you suggesting? That we should go just based on your hunch?


    There could be many dangers that might as well kill us.] asked Kahn with a suspicious voice again.


    [Eh? Since when did you start cowering from taking risks?


    We even screwed over all the Noble Factions in my empire, an Imperial Prince, the Church of Hetrax and even killed a chosen Hero.


    Compared to that, it''s a walk in the park.


    What''s there to worry about?] asked Rathnaar unhappily.


    ? [And let''s say whatever it is and somehow we managed to get it¡­ what''s there to guarantee that we won''t get caught into the crossfire?


    I already established myself properly in this empire without raising suspicion. I''m not in the mood to risk it all.] responded Kahn in a lifeless tone.


    [Don''t forget, kid¡­ the greater the risk, the greater the reward.


    Who knows if you can get the treasure that even this Hero of Life is so diligently trying to acquire by risking his life?] he kept suggesting persistently.


    [What if you find something that could instantly raise your rank or give you an absolutely amazing ability that could help you fight other heroes or protect yourselves from those people who areing to hunt you?


    You''re a smart guy¡­ you should know the benefits.] said the peak saint and finished his piece.


    Kahn was perplexed after hearing this rebuttal and gave it a thought in his mind.


    Because it wasn''t even confirmed that they''d get caught or even get the so-called ''treasure'' in the first ce.


    Suddenly, a wide grin formed on Kahn''s face, the corner of his lips rising as high as they could be. Meanwhile, Rathnaar had a simr greedy and covetous grin inside his soul.


    Because Rathnaar was also a risk-taker. He too had the history of acquiring the Tablet of Arcana by taking risks and making sacrifices.


    Because what Rathnaar suggested was indeed the truth.


    Being over-prepared was hundred times better than being under-prepared.


    Who knew if the mysterious group suddenly found him? The more cards he had to escape or protect himself, the better.


    As for the subordinates¡­ all of them were confident in their skills and abilities to survive.


    On top of it, if the situation turned dire, Kahn was the kind to prepare an escape route first. Thus, this decision reached a unified consensus.


    The expedition shall carry on.


    ----------------


    2 Hours Later.


    The group finished ransacking the entire floor''s natural resources and alchemy ingredients since they had the manpower and the floor boss was nonexistent.


    And finally, they regrouped. However, Legs spoke with Edmund.


    "We''re thinking about continuing to further floors.


    But we have alreadypleted our main goal here." he said.


    Edmund was suddenly taken aback. It took him a dozen seconds to respond anxiously.


    "It will be too hard from now on. We may lose our lives." said the saint alchemist.


    "Yes. We were lucky to aplish their mission without having to fight the boss.


    But from here on, we can''t guarantee your safety if youe with us." said Legs.


    The human saint quickly understood what the ironborn elf was trying to imply.


    They wanted Edmund to leave on his own volition instead of bing a burden on their group since things were going to be even more dangerous.


    "I understand. Our main goal is realized so there''s no need for me to tag along.


    I''ll leave." said the masked saint as he sighed.


    In the end, although they were business partners¡­ the matter of Misthios guild and his own Alchemy Enterprise was different. He had no say in their decision and neither did they owe him an exnation.<sub> </sub>


    Besides, Edmund himself was aware that other than being able to provide some power boost and healing potions, he''d be no help during a battle. And Darwin was the member of the Misthios guild who could fill in that role already.


    In the past couple of months since they entered the Immortal Dungeon, he had grown ustomed to all the people present here. He was aware of how strong these people were.


    So him sticking around made no sense.


    "I will be waiting for you in Sparta." he said and activated his dungeon pass as he bade farewell to the group.


    Everyone watched him disappear into thin air, a sense of relief washing over their minds.


    Kahn then turned to his subordinates and gave amand.


    "We will progress on the coattails of the hero''s party.


    Let''s hope we catch up and won''t have to face another floor boss."


    ----------------


    Just 2 Hours Laters


    Another being covered in a white and green cloak appeared on this floor,pletely alone.


    The aura of this individual was that of a Peak 5th stage saint.


    "This has made my job easy. I shall keep following them and progress without having to fight myself.


    As for the Misthios guild¡­" he spoke with an ominous voice.


    "I''ll get rid of them as soon as I reach the final floor."


    ----------------


    10 Days Later.


    The entry door shed and a slim figure of a 4th stage saint summoner who was halfbreed elf appeared on the final floor of the Immortal Dungeon.


    Ervalen managed to achieve what nobody had done before.


    But as soon as he appeared on the floor¡­ an intangible force pulled him away towards the center of this floor at supersonic speed.


    "Impossible!


    How can such a thing exist in this empire?" he asked in disbelief as soon as the Dungeon Boss revealed its existence.


    Just then¡­ an insidious and terrifying voicended on his ears.


    "Oh, they sent another Hero of Life?


    This one is unqualified as well. Simply too weak." spoke this ginormous being that was whooping 5 kilometers tall. Something that only few mountains on earth managed to reach.


    "Wait! If there''s some sort of test¡­ I can prove myself worthy!" shouted Ervalen.


    "Is that so? Well then¡­ I will use only 5% of my power and attack you.


    If you manage to defend against it or even counter with your own skills¡­ I shall deem you qualified." spoke this being. Just these simple words shook the nearby 20 kilometers of region.


    "Prepare yourself¡­ you damn elf!" shouted this tyrannical being.


    But the next second¡­


    A bright blue light shed as the final boss used its weakest attack.


    BOOM!!


    The nearby 5 kilometers of ground disintegrated while there was a 500 meter deep pit in the ground in this charred vicinity.


    Ervalen, the Hero of Life, who arduously worked to get here and even had his allies sacrifice their lives toplete this mission¡­


    Was simply pulverized into nothingness. Not even leaving his ashes behind.


    "Impetuous otherworldly bastard. They should''ve told you already." spoke this majestic and tyrannical being that existed in this dungeon for a thousand years, revealing a vengeful expression.


    "I hate the Heroes and Gods."

 Chapter 769 Political Move

    After Ervalen was killed by the Dungeon Boss in mere seconds without even getting a chance to protect himself... this incident ended his journey inside the Immortal Dungeon.


    Blergh!


    The remaining body or should we call as the remaining Ervalen threw up a lot of blood as he retched, suffering immense pain at the same time.


    At this moment, 3 different colored orbs covered in archaic formations passed into the center of his body at the speed of light.


    "Dammit!! The divine abilities I left with that body returned!


    I have failed my mission." he spoke with a regretful and infuriated tone as his eyes turned blood red from rage.


    Unlike Kahn''s doppelgangers¡­ Ervalen could create real copies of himself who also possessed the same rank as him and had methods that allowed him to impart a set of his own divine abilities to a particr copy.


    In Kahn''s case, none of his doppelgangers could use the Divine Abilities, the Blessings given by War Deity and the Deities of cksmithing or even the bloodline abilities like his main body. But this was not the case for Ervalen Baark, the Hero whose abilities were chosen by the God of Life himself.


    And every time Ervalen died, he could exchange life force and resurrect himself using the spare copy.


    However, in case all the copies died, the information and memories experienced by that Ervalen would go back to the main body.


    And this wasn''t the end of it either.


    As long as even one copy remained, the divine abilities as well as all the memories could be passed to it, making that one into ''real'' Ervalen.


    This made him basically unkible unless all Ervalen were standing at one ce and killed together.


    However, these were just 2 of his divine abilities. The rest were chosen to make it impossible to kill by oveing that w as well.


    This was why nobody who knew of his secrets believed that Hero of Life could be killed.


    At the present moment, Ervalen used his healing abilities while processing the set of information that just appeared in his mind.


    "What the hell!!" he shouted in disbelief as soon as he processed the memories from the copy that died on the final floor.


    His entire countenance was that of a terrified man who had given into despair and forsaken life.


    Only after a few minutes did he manage to return to reality as sweat dripped from his entire body and chin.


    "Why didn''t the emperor tell me anything about it?" he asked himself,pletely confused.


    In an hour, he requested for an urgent council with both the Emperor and the Abbot who resided in their respective pces.


    "How can that thing exist in a dungeon?


    It shouldn''t be possible for a supreme dungeon to create that creature." he spoke in front of the two monarchs of Zivot Empire in a heavily secured chamber.


    "Did you see it with your own eyes?" asked the Emperor with an expectant gaze.


    "Of course, I did. Only because one of my divine abilities allowed me to retrieve my memories." spoke Ervalen and exined what he saw on thest floor.


    Both the Emperor ss High Elves were taken aback slightly.


    "Brother¡­ it''s weakerpared to the time when our Grandfather reigned over this empire. But it''s still very resentful." said the Abbot.


    Then his gaze turned to Ervalen as he iterated¡­


    "To tell you the truth. You''re not the only Hero of Life who reached the final floor.


    The imperial family had spread the rumor that no one was able to cross the 81st floor to keep its existence a secret. That ''creature''... You know what will happen if the whole empire learned about it." he spoke in a stern voice.


    The 8th stage saint rank emperor then cut in.


    "But there was one big problem.


    Nobody, not even the Hero of Life from those times ever managed toe back alive.


    Except for your predecessor, the two Hero of Life that came before also died after reaching that floor." he exined.<sub> </sub>


    "But can such a powerful creature be contained there?


    It''s not really the dungeon boss is it?" asked the short and white-haired hero.


    "That monstrous being didn''t even use 5% of its strength but killed me, a 4th stage saint in a blink of an eye." spoke Ervalen, revealing a devastated and frightened expression.


    "What do you think is the source of those dungeons in Alfheim?


    Its power has been consumed and drained over a thousand years now to create those dungeons.


    If the normal people or the nearby empires found out¡­ they would all attack the Zivot Empire to take control over that being."


    That''s why we hid the truth. Otherwise¡­ there would be no Zivot Empire in existence." exined the Emperor sternly.


    "But now that you know¡­ you have a higher chance to prepare and seed." said the Abbot in a joyous tone.


    "I¡­ I do not have the confidence anymore.


    Besides, everyone else is dead. Only I know what exists there. No one woulde with me to die." he said in an exhausted tone.


    Through his memories, he already knew how hard it was to even reach there. Even his body with 3 divine abilities at his disposal barely managed to do it.


    To his defeated countenance, the Abbot replied in a warm tone.


    "Ervalen, you''re different from all of your predecessors. That''s why we offered you the deal that was never even considered for any chosen Hero, not even the 4th Hero of Life, Bjorn Ragnarsson.


    If you manage to control it, you''ll not only be our family and marry the princess, which goes against our ancestralws¡­ but you will also be able to wield an unimaginable power that would decide the fate of our empire in the uing war against the Demon God."


    Next, the emperor spoke with an amicable smile.


    "The Immortal Dungeon will open next year again. You always have the opportunity to try. We will provide you with whatever you need."


    "I can''t.


    Not unless I be a 5th stage saint first.


    I need at least 5 more years to create more bodies and try again." he spoke, partially declining themand.


    Both the monarchs had a gloomy faces after hearing this response. But they were patient enough to let it slide.


    "And what about myrades?" he asked.


    The Emperor and the Abbot had heard about what happened.


    Ervalen was once a King who had led the Uprising and also overthrew the previous rule. He led powerful people during his rise to power and journey to be the King.


    But now that his subordinates were dead, there were bound to be repercussions within the top High Elf sses.


    The reason?...


    It wasn''t even a glorified war with other empires but a dungeon expedition that even the public knew about. Their deaths couldn''t be covered so easily and the Hero''s Party would be aughingstock for not only the empire but the entire world.


    His capabilities to lead as a chosen Hero would also be questioned by the people if that happened.


    Just then, the emperor spoke calmly.


    "We have a way to justify their deaths.


    We purposely held important information and now we are going to use it to our advantage."


    "You mean¡­" Ervalen''s eyes widened as he could already think of the best way to get out of this predicament because of his past life experience.


    "Yes. We will dere it to the entire Zivot Empire and change the narrative of the truth by ming their deaths on¡­" revealed the emperor and dered their intentions.


    "Hero of Darkness."

 Chapter 770 The Gaslighting

    The two beings who stood at the top of the hierarchy of the Zivot Empire aka the Emperor and the Abbot revealed their n to me the deaths of Hero''s Party members on the notorious Hero of Darkness in order to cover up the incident that transpired inside the Immortal Dungeon.


    The secret well hidden since the past millennia was worth far more than the lives of their own people that loyally served them.


    And to keep it hidden, Hero of Darkness was the best excuse they could use to me for the deaths.


    Currently, other than the emperor, the Abbot, their loyal servants, Ervalen and Myrienne were the only people who knew about their deaths. Even the families of the fallen had no idea about their demise.


    Myrienne had yet to arrive in the capital so they already told her to keep this matter secret and arrive covertly.


    "As for the group which is hunting the Hero of Darkness who could raise questions about the incident¡­


    We would create a site of the battle and fake a few scenarios which would make it seem like the Hero of Darkness and his forces wanted to kill you, the Hero of Life, they ambushed your party just like how it happened with Hero of Fire in the Vulcan empire.


    But luckily, two of you escaped while the rest died while defending to protect the future of the empire.


    This would be our story and we will perfect every detail after Myriennees here." revealed the emperor with a persuasive tone.


    "All of them would be turned into virtuous warriors and their respective ns and families would be offered greatpensation as well.


    Compared to the importance of the secret of that being, it''s a very small price.


    And in the end¡­ Hero of Darkness would bebeled as the enemy of the Elven Empire.


    In simple words, we''re killing two birds with one stone." iterated the Abbot.


    It looked like the duo had already predicted this oue and prepared before Ervalen even started his expedition a couple of months ago.


    [So that''s why they didn''t announce anything to the people of Zivot Empire. Both of them are cold and ruthless, but the n is indeed genius.] thought the Hero of Life.


    All 3 of them agreed upon things between themselves. And he wasn''t even bothered about the sacrifice of hisrades. Not that he was heartless¡­ but sometimes, to protect peace and stability, lying was the only option.


    As for Ervalen''s next expedition to the Immortal Dungeon¡­ They had both time and resources.


    And now, his only target was to breakthrough to 5th stage saint.


    ----------------


    An hourter, Ervalen arrived at Eleanor''s pce and told her what actually happened.


    Eleanor was heartbroken and terrified after hearing that everyone died. Her head spun around in shock and sadness.


    "Don''t worry¡­ your best friend Myrienne is still alive." he spoke with a smile.


    "What?! How? Didn''t you say everyone died?" asked the princess haphazardly.


    "I made her leave before facing the dungeon boss. She should arrive in a couple of days." he replied in a caring voice.


    Only now did Eleanor let out a sigh of relief and recovered from the shock.


    Unbeknownst to Ervalen, he had inadvertently saved his romantic rival, the female elf who Eleanor was truly in love with.


    As the conversation continued, he exined what was about to happen from now on.


    Eleanor nodded in affirmation andplied.<sub> </sub>


    After Ervalen left and she was alone in her bedroom, Eleanor let out a devious smile and spoke¡­


    "Well done¡­ my puppet."


    ----------------


    Giving it another thought, the princess thought about the times when she actually started her n 6 years ago when Ervalen was summoned to Vantrea.


    Ervalen died in his previous world but the God of Life already had his eyes on him to summon as his new Chosen Hero.


    All he did was revive him again and chose the divine abilities for Ervalen. Giving him a chance to restart his life in his original body.


    But when Ervalen was brought into Zivot Empire, his mental state was still full of loss and hatred.


    It took him months to even ept his new identity and role as a chosen Hero.


    This was when her father and uncle revealed their intentions.


    They nned to tie Ervalen to their family through marriage, using the excuse that he was half-elf so it was eptable. But her position would still be the same and her brother, who went missing was still going to be the Emperor.


    But she would not ept such a fate. Thus, Eleanor started her ns to be the Empress of the Elven Empire using the Hero of Life.


    After making dozens of attempts and finally befriending Ervalen through numerous efforts, she learned many things about him.


    But sheter deduced that Ervalen had Abandonment Issues.


    In his previous world, Ervalen''s mother died protecting him and his best friend betrayed him for his throne.


    The woman he loved never actually cared for him and was also using him for her own gains, joining hands with his treacherous friend.


    This betrayal had broken his psyche from the inside, leaving a deep scar on his mind.


    Not everyone took life experience the same way. Ervalen ended up thinking that his life was bound to be filled with loneliness and he would never be truly loved by anyone.


    In the beginning, he was distrustful of everyone including her. But she patiently left hints and made him trust her after sharing many things regarding the empire and the matters rted to Heroes and Gods.


    A broken person who had a tendency to me themselves for not being enough, getting abandoned by others, and suffering heartbreak after heartbreak was prone to yearn for love and affection no matter how small it was. These type of people often lost their reasoning in the process.


    In their mind, anyone who showed them affection and sense of belonging would be the center of their world and their life.


    Only after 5 years, Eleanor sessfully turned him into her chess piece by gaslighting him again and again, making him think that it was he who loved and wanted the princess, not the other way around.


    Over a year ago, Ervalen finally confessed to her after gathering all the courage he had.


    But ''unexpectedly'', the beautiful and kind princess also said she loved and admired him equally.


    And finally, she deepened their rtionship by manipting the Hero slowly through their ''romantic rtionship''.


    Now, Ervalen was nothing but a chess piece that would pave the way for her to achieve her goals.


    A pawn who danced on the tip of her finger.

 Chapter 771 The Variant Boss

    While everyone was ying the game of Political Chess and progressing in their own ns quietly; there was one person who was oblivious about the uing storm as he and his entourage focused on their journey.


    Even without doing anything this time¡­ Kahn was going to be med for another ''massacre'' of a chosen hero''s party just so the top ruling powers of the Elven Empire could shirk the me for their ipetence and irresponsibility on him to hide their secrets.


    10 Days Later.


    "Phew! This is enough for today. We will rest and recuperate for a day here.


    Tomorrow, we will go for the 91st Floor Boss."manded Kahn as they rested on the 90th floor.


    After killing the Elder Hydra, they didn''t face many problems and in the meantime, all the varieties of monsters that appeared on these floors were killed by their group.


    But now that no one was watching, Kahn and Ceril decided to use this opportunity to raise the number of their respective armies.


    Kahn absorbed the abilities of these mobs and then turned them into new members of the Legion. In the past 10 days alone, he added 50 thousand more new subordinates from varying and unseen species, all of whom had different uses, skills and fighting abilities.


    Some of them were even useful to fight in a sea-like terrain and Kahn also gained a few water elemental abilities and attack skills.


    Ceril on the other end, created 150 thousand undead soldiers and monsters instead after causing a great massacre with a maniacal look on his face as if he waspeting against everyone.


    So their journey in the past 10 days had been fruitful despite being time-consuming. And finally¡­ they were prepared to face the next dungeon boss.


    Kahn and thepany had no idea that this boss was the reason behind the death of a 5th stage high elf saint swordsman, specifically the one who sneered at Legs in front of the dungeon entrance and called him lowlife trash.


    However, the Hero of Life and Hero of Darkness had different types of supporters. The former''s allies were standard and mainstream fighting ss saints found throughout the world while thetter''s group was filled with unique monsters that had legendary rank abilities, bloodlines and strength that far exceeded the norm.


    And with the confidence in their eyes as well as thoroughly nning a few battle strategies¡­


    The group entered the next floor.


    ----------------


    A vast and unending ocean filled with dark blue waters and raging tides came into sight. The rainstorm on this floor was so strong that even flying metallic ships would have a hard time navigating in the sky. As for saints¡­


    They were lucky that the mana and world energy was essible on this floor. Otherwise, all of them would''ve dropped inside the deep waters as soon as they appeared out of the suspending entry door in the sky.


    There were only 4 to 5 stone tforms in the nearby 50 kilometers radius while the rest was nothing but cold and erratic sea.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    The lightning shes in the sky rumbled as the dark and cloudy clouds poured rain all over their bodies.


    "Where is the boss?" queried Ceril.


    Kahn and Ronin both activated the Hunter Domain which expanded to 45 kilometers based on their current rank, allowing both to track and locate living creatures whether they were in the sky or the ground.


    But as soon as they used their skills to detect the floor boss, thetter itself detected them instead.


    BOOM!!


    A massive pir of saltwater erupted, spanning 500 meters in radius alone and the strong tide rose even higher as a ginormous being revealed itself.


    A 3 kilometers tall water elemental monster with a massive 100 meter tall head that had glowing red eyes and hundreds of octopus-like tentacles wriggling around its mouth.


    GROWL!!


    The shape of this enormously humongous being that even made ckwall in his true form look like a dwarf inparison, growled and sent shivers in their spines with its tremendously oppressive killing intent.


    The two 600 meters wide massive and fleshly wings in its back which allowed it to fly in the sky spread open majestically and pped consequently.<sub> </sub>


    Just the strong gales from these wings were akin to natural tornadoes that would destroyrge living areas in a single gust.


    ROARRR!!!


    And finally, its full figure was revealed to the group as the Floor Boss roared loudly, challenging the intruders to a deathmatch with its dreary and tyrannical warcry.


    But as soon as they saw the Floor Boss¡­ everyone including even Rathnaar, who only watched from Kahn''s soul, spoke in a dejected voice¡­


    "We should''ve given up."


    ----------------


    Everyone had bamboozled and ashen expressions on their countenances as they maintained a distance of 40 kilometers, not daring to move by a single step lest they make the boss of this floor attack them.


    "No wonder we got so many sea monsters andws associated with water on the previous floors.


    It was just a Calm before the Storm." said Kahn who was now in his original appearance.


    "Master¡­ we have no terrain advantage or many useful abilities to use against it even if we all turn into our true monster forms." spoke Omega in a gloomy voice.


    "Yes, human. Even I can''t fight it inside the sea if I turn into my real form." said Rudra, admitting his shorings in front of this enemy that was ring at them from afar.


    "What about you, Oliver?" asked Kahn.


    "I can get rid of the storms, the clouds and those lightning strikes while using them to attack it instead. But I don''t think it''ll make much difference." said the Emerald Archer general.


    "As for me¡­ my movements will be restricted as soon as I drop inside the deep sea." said ckwall.


    The rest of the group had no confidence in themselves either.


    But right at this moment, the system notified quickly.


    [The host has found a variant Primordial Titan of Water Element.


    It is advised to the host to kill it and absorb its abilities.]


    "So this thing is a variant Primordial Titan in Vantrea?


    I wondered if it was a Godbeast instead." said Kahn as he chuckled.


    "It''s a good thing that we no longer have to hold back since Edmund isn''t here." spoke Kahn and gave an order.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    One after another, all of their auras suddenly changed and turned more potent and powerful.


    This time¡­ all of them had quickly equipped their legendary rank armors and weapons made by Throk.


    As for Kahn¡­ he instantly summoned the Drakos Armor while the Dragon Bloodline effect turned his skin gray, his hair long white and eyes started glowing red.


    Because their opponent was a mythical rank creature,parable to a peak 5th stage that was very famous in mythology even on earth.


    The variant Primordial Titan they were facing was¡­


    A Cthulhu.

 Chapter 772 Ruler Of The Sea

    After facing the domineering and ginormous boss that was three times the size of ckwall''s original form and approaching them at a steady pace, the group had somber expressions.


    If there was solid ground, all of them would''ve chosen to use their true forms and massive bodies to overpower them.


    But other than Ceril, Ronin and Oliver, none of them could fly in their legendary and mythical rank forms. Thus, it would''ve troubled their group instead.


    And now with the legendary armors and weapons in y, they decided to go all out from the start.


    [System, tell me its abilities.] ordered Kahn.


    [The mythical floor boss named Cthulhu has abilities such as Instant Regeneration, Impervious Defense to all elements, Absolute monarchy over Water element and a long list of aquatic skills and abilities that allows it to control the nearby 50 kilometers of the sea to attack and defend at the same time.] reported the system.


    But it continued in a lifeless tone again¡­


    [However, the Cthulhu has a very unique ability because of its physiology.] it iterated.


    "What is it?"


    The system then told Kahn about the unique ability.


    Kahn sneered with discontent after hearing the details.


    "Seriously¡­ it''s like the creators of this dungeon didn''t want people to clear the dungeon at all.


    This one is just too OP even as a floor boss." he spoke with an indignant expression.


    "And weaknesses?"


    System quickly revealed the weaknesses of the floor boss that was rapidly heading towards them.


    "I see. Then I guess we have a n." said Kahn and then devised a battle strategy in mere seconds.


    "Let''s go!" hemended his allies.


    ----------------


    ckwall in his As Armor while equipping Aegis and Heracles quickly took the front of their formation.


    ? Soon, the ginormous, to whom these intruders were even smaller than ants, decided tounch a barrage of massive water cannon-like attacks towards all of them.


    ckwall quickly activated the Iron Will skill that came with his armor and created a 50 meter wide brown barrier made of world energy.


    Bang!


    ng!


    He then used Gluttony and Royalguard skill effects from Aegis shield while facing these massive cannonballs that were no different than heavy stone boulders because of their density.


    His main purpose was to absorb and build water elements resistance while defending his group.


    However¡­ his hopes didn''t take long to crash down.


    Whooom!


    Whoosh!


    Rumble!


    Right before their eyes, the dark and pouring clouds in the sky resonated with the high tides from the sea that arose whooping 100 meters under Cthulhu''s control.


    But right at this moment¡­


    Swoosh!


    Oliver in his Hawkman form while donning Shu Armor and Neith Bow flew high, breaking the sound barrier consequently as he used the Jetstream skill.<sub> </sub>


    As soon as he reached the troposphere of this floor. His body emanated a blue and golden aura, quickly spreading in the 10 kilometers radius as Oliver activated his Sky Domain.


    The moment he assumedmand of the sky, all the pouring clouds stopped while the rumbling and erratic lightning stopped.


    ROARR!!


    The Cthulhu roared in rage as it detected that Oliver had hijacked this perimeter, breaking his control. In the end, it was a water elemental being, not a wind elemental creature who controlled the sky like Oliver.


    The Thunderbird general had now taken away the advantage of using the storm and lightning strikes to attack the intruders.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Right then¡­ 5 massive 500 meters long tridents made of blistering and sizzling magma came to be in Cthulhu''s sight.


    Because finally, Rudra was using his trident warrior skills to create these threatening weapons made of his corrosive magma and pointed them towards the iing boss.


    He had been practicing for months from an instructor and even used the 51st Floor Boss as his punching bag to test his mastery. So now, it was time to disy his skills against a powerful opponent.


    But suddenly, a massive 10 kilometer radius red-colored dome came into existence as soon as the boss came close to them.


    Jugram activated his Hell Domain and the temperature instantly rose to 500-degree celsius. Making most of the water on Cthulhu''s body and the surface of the sea evaporate at visible rate.


    As a result, the floor boss'' physical defenses decreased by 50% because of his domain while Oliver''s Sky Domain also reduced its agility and dexterity.


    Shing!


    However, this wasn''t the end of the surprise.


    Omega, who was donning the Twilight Armor and hovered on the left side, also activated his Gravity Domain, instantly pressuring the boss and halting its steps to a great degree.


    He was fully capable of fighting Cthulhu on his own just like Rudra. But they were not acting out based on their instinct because of Kahn''s orders.


    RAWWWRRR!!


    The massive blue-bodied Cthulhu roared, sending shockwaves in the surrounding 5 kilometer radius to break free from these domains. However¡­ how could breaking free from domains, that were created by associatingws of nature, be that easy?


    Soon, the 20 kilometers of the region was covered under a visible ck dome as Kahn activated Dimensional Domain, instantly reducing all of Cthulhu''s physical stats and ability effects by 50%.


    Armin who was wearing Nirvana Armor and had Hermes Staff in his hands put various buff effects on all of their skills and the damage output of killer moves.


    "Activate it!" shouted Kahn.


    Kahn''s voice reverberated in the surroundings.


    Without waiting for a grand reveal¡­ all the generals and Omega let out a grin and soon, 7 different archaic formations appeared above their bodies, each containing their different colors and auras with their respective owners.


    7 massive pirs rose and formed a that spread across the 30 kilometers radius of the battlefield. And finally¡­ 5 Dragon heads appeared and formed a Pentagram-shaped barrier around this battlefield.


    All of their physical Strength Stat rose by 3 times and Mana capacity as well as skill damage output rose by 2 times under the effect of their biggest battlefield killer formation.


    Just for a single floor boss¡­ they were going to the extreme preparations as if they were fighting a chosen Hero like they fought in the Vulcan empire.


    Why?


    Because after hearing about Cthulhu''s unique abilities the system told Kahn, he realized one thing very clearly.


    All of their killer moves, overbearing domains and the powerful pendragon formation, which should be an overkill to face this Ruler of the Sea¡­


    Were not enough.

 Chapter 773 Overpowered Enemy

    While Kahn and the group were preparing to face the mythical rank Cthulhu¡­ the outside of the Immortal Dungeon was in an uproar.


    Because at this moment, thousands of people had surrounded the dungeon while making hundreds of camps and barracks in the nearby region within 5 kilometers radius. All these people belonged to different forces and organizations.


    As for the Military¡­ they left a long time ago.


    Cling!


    Cling!


    Soon, a massive spherical formation in front of the Immortal Dungeon glowed bright blue and over 30 figures appeared.


    "Finally! We''re outside!" eximed a female elf saint.


    "I''m alive! I''m fucking alive!" shouted a human berserker saint, his eyes tearing up in joy.


    All of them had downtrodden countenances while most of them were gravely injured and covered in blood.


    Soon, the people started thanking their God of Life for helping them survive the hellish nightmare called the Immortal Dungeon.


    Hundreds of people who were observing this entrance from their respective bases flocked towards this group.


    The newly arrived group wasprised of their leaders. And every one of these survivors¡­ was a Saint.


    Lagertha, whose body was full ofcerations and shallow wounds looked around.


    Her heart was filled with dejection and guilt. Because out of the 12 Saints they had¡­


    Only 7 came back alive. And even her close friends such as Rose Hightower and the Vice-guildmaster had already died during the fight.


    The other groups were also no different.


    Out of the two 5th-stage saints that were part of the previous alliance¡­ both of them were already dead.


    As for the origin of their miserable state¡­


    It was the 81st Floor Boss.


    Back then¡­ Ervalen and the Hero''s Party had taken care of it and Kahn''s group arrived just within a week so they didn''t have to fight it.


    But when Lagertha and the other saints, who were thest force to arrive there¡­ it was well past 10 days and the boss had respawned.


    Just remembering its monstrous appearance sent shivers down her spine and rose goosebumps on her skin.


    Why?


    Because for the survival of the masses¡­ a sacrifice was made.


    When they couldn''t take down the mythical rank floor boss and there seemed to be no way; they had to abandon some of their allies behind to distract the boss and enter the safe zones and had to be out ofbat for quite some time.


    And only then did they manage to use their dungeon passes to exit the Immortal Dungeon ande out alive.


    A survival that greatly cost them and the guilt would forever weigh on her mind.


    Lagertha was escorted to a medical bay quickly and the remaining people were getting healed.


    She then asked one of her people that was a peak grandmaster golden masked assassin who was the head of her intel group.


    "Who else exited before us?"


    "There was only one person, a High Elf priestess. I believe she was part of the Hero''s Party.


    But as soon as she came, the military generals escorted her and left this ce within an hour." reported the assassin in ck light armor.


    "Then what about them?" she queried while panting slowly.<sub> </sub>


    "The Misthios guild¡­ is still inside." informed the assassin in a rustic voice.


    Lagertha was speechless after hearing the reply. Why?


    Because if the Misthios guild didn''te out¡­ then it could lead to only two conclusions.


    "Means they''re all either dead¡­ or they''re still exploring the dungeon."


    ----------------


    In the meantime, Kahn and his group were done with setting their battle formations and encircling the boss from all sides. Yet the size of Cthulhu was way too big for them to even make a significant injury.


    As for why Kahn used all of their trump cards since the very beginning?


    Because the biggest disadvantage here was the battlefield itself. The floor boss could use the water from the sea to fight them back, using it like its ally while fighting on multiple fronts at the same time.


    And it could also use the deep sea to escape easily. A battlefield catering to the boss while making endless trouble for the intruders.


    And even though Kahn had few S Rank skills to swim and breathe in water¡­ how could hepare against Cthulhu, the Ruler of the Sea?


    Plus, only Kahn, Omega and Rudra had the physical strength as well as rank to withstand its pressure in a close-range fight.


    Others like Ceril and Armin wouldn''t even be able to move under that pressure.


    Thus, closing off its route to escape was the best thing while reducing most of its stats to bring it down to the level of a beingparable to a 4th stage saint.


    "Everyone, start attacking now!" shouted Kahn and he himself quickly activated Dragon Strike, even mixing Darkness element in it right from the start.


    Ceril then used the Book of the Damned and Chains of Judgment. These skills boosted his mana capacity and spell output by 5 times. He could even fight a 4th stage saint despite only being a peak 2nd stage saint with these skills.


    However, the skills weren''t enough to hold back this monster called one of the old sea gods on earth.


    Swoosh!


    BANG!


    Five titanic sizzling tridents, each being 500 meters long and made of magma, struck the Cthulhu which was moving slowly because of the several debuff effects from 4 different domains on its body.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Roarrrr!!


    The tridents plunged into Cthulhu''s chest, shoulders and thighs in a session.


    But in just 10 seconds, all the injuries created by these enormous tridents that could even destroy a warship in a single hit, were instantly regenerated.


    Although Rudra''s Corrosive Magma attacks were helpful because he activated An''s ability to harness the Guardian Dragon''s will to use the Dragon''s aura¡­ the creature was not receiving any significant damage.


    sh!


    At this exact moment, Kahn also acted out after Dragon Strike failed to make a deep injury and used the Dimensional Cut skill as his intangible shing move made of space force swung quickly towards the neck of Cthulhu.


    sh!!


    A shockwave resounded in the 2 kilometer radius.


    But instead of giving them any satisfaction¡­ the Cthulhu gave a mocking look to Kahn.


    Because even Kahn''s strongest attack skill, which was unrivaled by all of their group''s killer moves¡­


    Couldn''t even cut Cthulhu''s neck.

 Chapter 774 Final Option

    Even Kahn was bamboozled at this point because even his unparalleled and probably one of the most sure-shot killing moves aka the Dimensional Cut that could cut anything in 3 kilometers range with a single swing at this point¡­ failed to cut off Cthulhu''s head.


    "What the hell happened here? Is its unique ability that much overpowered?" asked Kahn himself in a befuddled voice.


    The system had already informed him about Cthulhu''s unique ability. If even an entire arm was cut down, it could reattach and recover instantly without any ramifications.


    But the neck region was always the weakest part and an unrivaled attack skill like Dimensional Cut should''ve been enough to cut off Cthulhu''s head.


    [Boy¡­ your attack did cut its neck. But the cells regenerated and healed it so fast that you couldn''t even see it happening.] informed Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    "Katon Surasshu!"


    BANG!!


    While Kahn was taken aback because of this incident, Omega in Twilight Armor quickly used Kojin while harnessing the dragonfire to make a powerful katana sh strike.


    This was one of his newly created skills that killed the legendary rank Venialkarto monster in a single swing.


    RAWWRRR!!


    The Cthulhu roared in pain for the first time as he was hit with the attack and although the massive 100 meter long katana didn''t prate its defense¡­ the Dragonfire still spread across its entire body.


    But even after getting burned alive by the strongest fire on the¡­


    Its instant regeneration ability was healing it continuously and itpletely recovered in just 15 seconds.


    "Truly worthy of being a descendant of the Primordial Titans." said Kahn with an incredulous and hateful expression, almost jealous at this point.


    With their current attack skills, restrictions ced by domains on the physical stats such as attack, defense, agility and health¡­ even the Elder Hydra would''ve died easily because of this unified onught.


    But the Cthulhu was so strong, being impervious to most of their attacks. Even the strongest attack skills Kahn, Omega and Rudra had were just barely enough to temporarily injure it.


    This regeneration speed was even 5 times faster than the Elder Hydra.


    GROWL!!


    This time, the Cthulhu revealed a murderous aura, much denser than before because it was thoroughly infuriated from the previous attack.


    And to counter this onught, the Cthulhu just waved its hands and its eyes glowed even brighter.


    Swooom!


    Swoom!!


    Soon, hundreds of massive pirs of whirling water rose and thousands of des made of high-pressured water came to be.


    All of these creations rotated in a circr motion and encircled the massive titan descendant, creating an imprable wall of protection.


    The nearby 3 kilometers of area was now full of this typhoon-like barrier and all three of them were forced to retreat.


    Because these des were more than capable of injuring their bodies even if they could make only shallow cuts. However, if thousands of those des attacked together¡­ even someone like Rudra, who had the strongest defense in their crew, would be turned into minced meat after some time.


    ckwall was holding one front but in the end, the enemy was still 15 times stronger than him and there was very little he could do.


    Even Cthulhu''smand of water was simply too powerful.


    Just the water des made of iprehensible pressure were big and sharp enough to cut through Adamantine and Orichalcum, two of the hardest metals in this world easily.


    If they weren''t using all these domains and pendragon formation to repress the floor boss, all of them would already be dead.


    This creature was a descendant of the primordial titans. Those beings existed even before Dragons and Godbeasts in the world.


    Even the Legendary rank Mountain Titan they fought in Vessen was something they barely managed to kill because of luck and Dimensional Cut divine ability.


    "Looks like all our methods are useless.


    Even Dimensional Cut won''t kill it because it''d be able to regenerate instantly even if I cut the core." spoke Kahn in dejection.


    The regeneration abilities and imprable defenses made it a nigh-invincible enemy. And a prolonged battle would only benefit Cthulhu because of the unending supply of water from the sea.<sub> </sub>


    In the end, it''d be them who ran out of world energy while the boss simply stood quietly without even having a scratch on its body.


    "Even destroying its core won''t do the job." said Kahn.


    This was the 2nd unique ability of Cthulhu.


    Even if they destroyed its heart, cut the core or even butchered its entire body¡­ the mythical rank boss would still be able to pull back all of its destroyed body parts and regenerate on the spot.


    In simple words¡­ Cthulhu was unkible with their current skills and abilities.


    "I can use a skill to get out of this situation. But losing the core would be way too big a loss. I''m pretty sure the Elder Hydra would''ve given me a lot of useful abilities if I wasn''t forced to destroy its core.


    So this time¡­ let''s kill and harvest the body properly." Kahn dered his intention.


    Just then, Rathnaar decided to speak.


    [Kid¡­ you have no choice but to use that.]


    To his voice, Kahn replied with a somber expression.


    "Yeah¡­ but I still can''t fully control it and it''s really taxing on mind and burdens my soul greatly." he iterated.


    Because Kahn remembered the only weakness of Cthulhu that system told him about.


    ? Sigh!


    Kahn sighed in helplessness but the following moment, his expression turned full of fortitude and sovereignty.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Suddenly, a dimensional void crack appeared beside Kahn.


    Flick!


    Flickr!


    A massive orb emanating ck, white, red and yellow light came out from the True Dimension.


    Even the Cthulhu was instantly rmed and faltered in its steps.


    ROAR!!


    The mythical rank boss roared in anger as it felt the threat from this 5 meter tall object.


    "Tell me. Do you bleed?"


    He spoke in an overbearing voice and suddenly and the next second¡­


    BOOM!!


    A horrifying and insurmountable aura arose from this object, terrifying the boss for the first time since the battle began.


    "You will."


    Kahn dered majestically and the orb started raging wildly as intense and scalding mes arose from it.


    Since even the Dragonfire wasn''t being helpful against Cthulhu, a bigparable to God in their eyes.


    Kahn had his own Godkiller.


    At this moment, he decided to utilize the strongest weapon he currently possessed.


    The Divine Weapon¡­ Amaterasu.

 Chapter 775 The Godkiller

    For the first time since he got it, Kahn was now using the Hero of Fire''s divine weapon aka Amaterasu.


    Currently, he only had partial ownership of it and the Divine Weapon itself hadn''tpletely submitted to Kahn as if it had a sentience of its own.


    Kahn couldn''t even store it inside his Dimensional Domain because this thing would literally burn everything and everyone it touched.


    Thus, Kahn could only keep it inside the True Dimension and subconsciously carry it with him since even thews of space couldn''t destroy the divine weapon. The plus point here was that Amaterasu also couldn''t harm anything from the real world.


    The only problem here was that the current Kahn couldn''t use it for more than one attack based on his current control on the weapon and his rank.


    If he hadplete ownership¡­ maybe he''d be able to use it just like Axel did during their fight.


    [Dammit! It''s already pressuring my soul and consciousness.] thought Kahn as he felt a mountainous burden on his entire being.


    [Don''t worry, kid.


    I''ll help you use it. But still, it has to be your own Soul Essence to make the attack.] spoke Rathnaar.


    Kahn did not know how to use his Soul Essence or harness it to use a Divine Weapon since he didn''t have his own. Plus no one had taught him anything about it. And this wasn''t the time to start learning it either.


    [System, allow him to take control of only the required portion of my soul essence.] ordered Kahn vigntly.


    Rathnaar then took control of a small 10% of Kahn''s soul which thetter allowed through the system.


    Suddenly, a massive 100 meter tall archaic formation appeared ahead of Amaterasu and emitted a terrifying aura of a godly creation.


    [Oliver, now!] hemanded hurriedly.


    Oliver, who was maintaining the Sky Domain distance for a while and flying 10 kilometers away in the sky, finally reacted.


    He used Neith bow and suddenly, a 100 meter long and glowing white phantom bow appeared in the sky.


    A blue lightning element arrow appeared. And at the tip of the arrow, was a 5 meter tall white orb made of mystical energy.


    Shoot!


    Oliver shot the arrow at the speed of light, breaking the sound barrier in session.


    BOOM!!


    This time, Cthulhu''s ginormous body itself became the biggest disadvantage and the arrow struck its back.


    Bang!


    However, the attack didn''t even hurt the floor boss because it had a perfect defense against lightning.


    But the next moment¡­


    SHRILL!!


    The white orb that came with the arrow suddenly let out a shrilling noise and exploded.


    Even Cthulhu''s 3 kilometers tall being faltered in its steps, almost dropping to its knees as aftermath.


    Soul Distortion!


    This was one of the unique skills for Oliver. Although Kahn could use it¡­ Oliver was just many times faster and more effectivepared to him.


    The Cthulhu lost control over its body as its soul was damaged. This was the type of attack its instant regeneration skill couldn''t recover from easily.


    And finally¡­ with visible pain on his face and beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, it''s entire body stopped moving.


    Nheless, this was a window and the perfect situation for Kahn to attack.


    Shoot!!


    BOOM!


    A massive white superbeam attack that could pulverize mountains, was instantlyunched from the archaic magic formation and hit the Cthulhu''s torso region, incinerating everything in its wake and creating a 100 meter wide hole in its chest while the right side of the torso including the arm and shoulder were simply obliterated.


    Sizzle!


    Crackle!


    And unlike before, even the instant regeneration was failing to rapidly recover the burnt flesh, a feat even the Dragonfire couldn''t achieve against Cthulhu.


    [Ronin, now!]manded Kahn quickly.


    Just then¡­ Ronin, who had been using Existence Concealment since the battle began, appeared inside the massive chest after he used Phase Shift to bypass the stormy barrier made by Cthulhu,pletely uninjured.


    His gazended on the beating heart on the left side of Cthulhu''s remaining torso.<sub> </sub>


    BOOM!


    A shockwave was released as he took his mythical rank form and using his 50 meters long arms, he pulled out the 100 meter tall blue and spherical heart from Cthulhu''s body.


    But without wasting another moment, he quickly threw it towards Omega, who had switched to Moonlight Armor and raised his speed by 4 times, to appear close to the floor boss instantly.


    Omega pointed his left palm towards the heart that was flung in his direction.


    Gravity Extraction!


    Omega used his newly created skill for the second time so far and pulled the core towards him instantly using his gravityw skill.


    Ronin on the other end quickly jumped out and the hole itself was healed and closed. Yet, hundreds of fleshly vines and tentacles flew after the heart, trying to get it back.


    [It''s just like the system said.] thought Kahn with an expectant gaze.


    This was the 2nd unique ability Cthulhu had which the system warned Kahn about.


    Cthulhu could survive without its heart for many hours as long as there was some sort of intangible connection between them.


    On top of it, could even break its own heart and the core into pieces and then absorb it back inside its body, regenerating it easily.


    This was a power that was not found even in any descendant monsters of Godbeasts.


    Making it even more difficult to kill even than the Elder Hydra.


    Back to the present moment.


    The heart was instantly shot at light speed towards Kahn who flew 5 kilometers away in the sky and was already prepared.


    "All right. I leave this to you guys now." he said.


    Using his saint pressure like the Force, Kahn stopped the heart midair and deactivated the Dimensional Domain while pulling the heart inside his pocket dimension.


    ROAARRR!!


    The Cthulhu was furious and went into a frenzied state and pped its wings to fly towards Kahn.


    Given his size, it only took it 12 seconds to cross 5 kilometers of distance. But before it could attack¡­


    Kahn let out a devious smirk and quickly created a Dimensional Void and entered inside.


    And just like that¡­ The connection between Cthulhu and its main source of power aka the Core was severed.


    With the heart and body connection severed¡­ the mythical rank boss went berserk, losing its rationality.


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    Swing!


    It started attacking all the subordinates frantically in rage.


    And because Dimensional Domain was removed, most of its strength returned, making it even more dangerous than before.


    Omega and Rudra were no longer its match so all they could do was run around and dodge its attacks.


    For the next 3 hours¡­ all the generals, Omega and Rudra could only run away, dodging and evading the attacks from the flying boss that was using the remainder of its world energy to attack them.


    But suddenly¡­


    GRRRR!!


    Cthulhu groaned in exhaustion and its body started bing docile.


    As time flew by¡­ it couldn''t even move properly as if it no longer had any energy to even take a single step.


    Thud!!


    Finally, its titanic body dropped on one of the 1 kilometer widespread stone tforms in the open sea, its breathing bing slower each moment.


    Another 30 minutes passed. None of the subordinates even attacked it and instead, they spectated itsst moments from afar.


    Without using any over-the-top battle skills, causing explosions and destroying the battlefield¡­ they strategically dominated the battle and let the enemy run out of its life force with time.


    Finally¡­ the floor boss'' glowing red eyes turned dim and became pitch ck.


    The mythical rank boss Cthulhu, an existence that none of them could defeat on their own¡­ had finally died.

 Chapter 776 The New Title

    As soon as the 91st floor boss died, a void rift opened and a man in ck and blue longcoat attire jumped out.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Kahn panted loudly and descended on the dead Cthulhu''s body while his entire countenance was that of an exhausted man.


    "Phew! I''ll still need a few days to recover." he said as big beads of sweat dropped from his forehead and chin.


    Using Amaterasu tond that fatal strike at the expense of his soul essence had taken a huge toll on Kahn''s body, mind and soul all at once.


    Even after 3 hours, he was still in a weakened state and out of breath.


    "System¡­ How many?" he queried with a pained expression.


    [All of the Host''s physical stats have dropped by 15 levels while the soul is at 90% capacity.] reported the system.


    "Ah, 15 levels and 10% of my soul essence sacrificed to kill one unkible enemy¡­


    I guess I have no right toin." he spoke, letting out a contained sigh.


    Swoosh!


    Armin quicklynded on Cthulhu''s corpse and started using the Soul Reformation skill to heal Kahn''s soul while using his saint rank healing skills to lessen the burden on his body.


    And now¡­ Kahn did what was of the utmost priority.


    [Ability Absorption activated.]


    ----------------


    16 Hours Later.


    The divine ability finally did its job after such a long time despite Kahn being a 3rd stage saint at this point and having reduced the ability absorption period by manyfolds. So because of this extended time, Kahn could already foresee that rewards were going to be amazing.


    "System, report." he ordered with an expectant expression.


    [Following are the newly gained abilities and skills :


    Instant Regeneration (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to instantly regenerate any body part or an organ by using the world energy and life force stored inside the body as long as the host''s brain (mind) and heart (core) are still intact.


    The host also may recover a detached body part, the severed body part will be rejuvenated and reattached while making aplete recovery instantly.


    This ability applies to all body parts including the Head and the Heart.


    Note : The host can also forcefully sacrifice his levels and physical stats to keep regenerating his injuries even after he runs out of world energy reserves.


    ----------------


    Ocean Eddies (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to cause underwater whirlpools, hurricanes and all forms of water storms in a 15 kilometer radius while manipting their height at will.


    Note : There must be arge amount of open water bodies avable for this skill to work.


    ----------------


    Waterdes Hurricane (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to create a domainprised of millions of high-pressure water des akin to a storm and surrounds the host as a form of protection barrier as well as a battlefield that ispletely under the host''s control.


    Note : The host needs to practice this skill to increase his mastery and efficiency of this skill.


    Current range : 5 Kilometers radius from the host''s body.


    ----------------


    Psychokinesis/Telekinesis (Legendary Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to influence and move outside objects at will using an intangible mind force regardless of their size or state of matter.


    Note : This was supposed to be only a Saint Rank skill. But due to the host''s immense mental fortitude and adaptability to exert mental pressure caused by constantly managing the host''s doppelgangers, the gained ability enhanced itself to fit the host''s current physical and mental endurance.


    ----------------<sub> </sub>


    Aquatic Resonance (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The host now possesses an extremely high affinity with the Water Element of nature and can easily breathe underwater and even survive the deep sea pressure without any repercussions on the body.


    Congrattions to the host!


    From now on, all the physical stats and movement skills will be unhindered in water and the host can control all water bodies and mass easily at will.


    ----------------


    Primordial Titan Immunity (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    Congrattions to the host!


    Because the host now hasplete bloodlines of legendary rank Mountain Titan and mythical rank Cthulhu; 2 descendant species of the Primordial Titans and Invimarak, a descendant of Godbeast Behemoth¡­ the host''s physiology has undergone a transmutation.


    Henceforth, all the physical damage received from any elemental attack, skills and spells except for the Light and Lightning element will be reduced by 70% regardless of their output.


    Note : The total immunity received will increase with the host''s rank.


    100% immunity can be achieved if the host bes a Peak Saint.


    ----------------


    King of the Sea (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The host can nowmunicate with water elemental and sea creatures telepathically as well asmand and subdue them at will as their Sovereign ruler.


    Note : This ability will work only on creatures who are weaker than the host in terms of rank and levels.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host for gaining a new Title!


    Monarch of Water (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The host now hasplete invulnerability against water elemental attacks, skills, spells and creatures with water elemental affinity.


    The host also can travel at the speed of sound by propelling himself underwater while facing zero resistance on his body.


    ----------------


    Bloodline acquired : Cthulhu


    Current Bloodline purity : 100%


    ----------------


    Primordial Titan bloodline collected : 50%


    Note : The host still needs 2 more different elemental descendants of Primordial Titans toplete the bloodline.] reported the system.


    At this moment, Kahn''s entire body was shivering¡­ in excitement.


    He looked at the ginormous body of the Cthulhu he was standing on, which he still couldn''t seepletely because of its size.


    "Ha ha ha!


    Ha ha ha!!


    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"


    Kahn startedughing maniacally. This was a sight only seen when he gets way too many overpowered abilities or too much money.


    "Goddamn 8 Legendary Rank abilities and skills!


    Fucking 8 legendary rank abilities and skill!" he shouted as if experiencing peak euphoria.


    "This is why descendants of Godbeasts and Primordial Titans are the best!


    They always give the most OP abilities!" he eximed in an ted voice.


    "The gains this time are too immense. I wouldn''t have found any of such skills if we hadn''t persevered till this floor and given up halfway." spoke Kahn, barely able to contain his happiness even now.


    Fighting an enemy that was many times stronger than them and seemed insurmountable at the beginning¡­


    All of their struggles till this point were worth it!

 Chapter 777 Worth The Journey

    At the present moment, traveling till the 91st floor while risking their lives from the past couple of months had finally shown how it was worth the journey.


    Kahn was overjoyed after counting the fruits of theirbor. All the abilities he received from Cthulhu were of Legendary Rank and every single one of them was mind-boggling and overpowered to the point even Kahn couldn''t hide his happiness.


    Instant Regeneration was already the quickest regeneration ability he gained till this point. It could even help him reattach his severed head instantly and even help him recover his heart.


    Paired with Psychokinesis/Telekinesis, even if someone cut off his arms, legs and head¡­ he would still be able to reconnect or regenerate them at will as long as his mind and core were intact.


    This greatly worked in Kahn''s favor more than it did for Cthulhu, the original owner of these tremendously powerful and handy skills.


    "If I put my heart inside the true dimension, I can''t be killed as long as the Space around me isn''t sealed." he spoke with an evil grin.


    Because Kahn had the Dimensional Shift skill that came with his Dimensional Law divine ability. This skill allowed him to temporarily shift his body parts and organs inside the True Dimension as long as he wasn''t caught off guard and had enough space force reserves in his body.


    Currently, Kahn could shift 4 organs at 3rd stage saint rank. Means he could always send both his head and heart inside the other dimension of reality while consistently regenerating during a battle. Making him an opponent who couldn''t be killed easily even if the enemy was stronger and more powerful than Kahn.


    This was a deadlybo of different skills that basically made Kahn invincible in a way.


    As for other abilities¡­ they had their own circumstantial but amazing usage.


    Water Element was always thest element Kahn had any mastery over because he didn''t have any affinity to it till this point and neither did he study it wholeheartedly due to its limited usage.


    And as for opponents fighting inside a battlefield surrounded by water or in a sea¡­ he didn''t have a single S Rank skill that could be used in such scenarios.


    But now¡­ Monarch of Water, Ocean Eddies, Aquatic Resonance and King of Sea skills, all of which were at legendary rank solved his shorings because with these skills, he was extremely powerful even underwater without having a single w or disadvantage.


    Plus he now achieved perfect immunity against Water Element, making it the 3rd element of nature he was impervious against since Kahn already hadplete Darkness and Fire element immunity because of the Monarch of Darkness title and absorbing Divine Key : mescion respectively.


    Moreover, his immense gains didn''t stop just here.


    Invimarak both Titan bloodlines he gained till now made a huge change on his body.


    Primordial Titan Immunity.


    This innate ability that was just created on the spot, was something he cherished the most.


    Why?


    Given his War Deity Body, defensive abilities that he had till this point such as Somir Scales, Dragon Scales, Invimarak skin and many others¡­ Kahn was already a tougher opponent to kill for someone of the same rank as him.


    But due to Primordial Titan Immunity ability, he was now greatly resistant to most of the elemental attacks and their damages as long it wasn''t Light or Lightning element.


    But as a reminder¡­


    Kahn already had Phase Shift to pass through many attacks regardless of their element. So even in life-threatening situations, he was less likely to get injured at this point in his new life.


    Then Telekinesis/Psychokinesis ability in itself was something he wanted since long ago.


    The immense mental pressure he had been bearing for the past 2 years ever since he started training his cksmithing skills and learned to endure while using his 15 doppelgangers at that time¡­ they evolved the ability during the Ability Absorption procedure and now, he was basically Mao, who could control everything; not just metals.


    Although he had gravityw skills, his attainment and mastery were negligiblepared to Omega.<sub> </sub>


    On top of it, he could use only one skill such as Attraction, Repulsion, Upforce and Downforce only one at a time and not move objects in the desired direction or fashion he wanted.


    As for the Waterde Hurricane¡­ this ability was just too OP.


    When Kahn, Omega and Rudra engaged in a direct sh with Cthulhu, all of them could see how this skill would be able to kill millions of enemies easily.


    Since Kahn couldn''t always use Dimensional Domain in a fight because it would reveal his identity as the Hero of Darkness¡­ this was akin to having his own auxiliary or secondary domain that could be used to fool enemies once he became a 5th stage saint.


    In the future, with those high-pressure des that could cut through metals and even Godbeast bodies¡­ Kahn could turn the tide of the battle in his favor as long as he raised hisbat mastery in that skill.


    The only demerit was he needed to be close to a pond, ake or a sea. But Kahn had noints because it was better than having nothing. Because they could always find a way to ess enough water supply.


    "Should I grow a long and grizzly beard?


    Because with all these water elemental skills and abilities¡­ I''m basically Aquaman now." spoke Kahn in a shameless voice.


    "Alright, system. Impart all the suitable skills to my subordinates." he ordered.


    [Command epted.] responded the system.


    However, it quickly alerted him the very next moment.


    [None of these skills can be imparted to any of the subordinates.]


    "Huh? Why?" queried Kahn with a curious tone.


    [Because their respective bloodlines and unique physiology associated with different elements of nature are ipatible with each other.


    As for the subordinates from the Legion, they are too low leveled and weak in terms of rank to handle any of these abilities, even the aquatic species subordinates are no exception to it.] informed the system in a lifeless voice.


    "Dammit!


    Looks like I have no choice." said Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, he pulled the massive blue-colored and spherical heart of the Cthulhu out of his dimensional domain and looked around.


    He looked at a particr subordinate who was among the two weakest members of their crew.


    "Alright, time to evolve." he said with a confident smile.


    Thud!


    One of the generalsnded on Cthulhu''s corpse and gave an understanding nod to Kahn.


    As anyone with a good memory and at least two brain cells would guess¡­


    It was ckwall.

 Chapter 778 The Amalgamation

    Kahn started the Synthesis divine ability while using the Cthulhu''s core and body to merge with ckwall instead of choosing it to power himself up to make up for the lost levels and be a 4th stage saint instead.


    Why?


    Because using your Soul Essence and sacrificing your levels also made his body unable to level up for a considerable amount of time.


    While healing Kahn, Armin already told him that given his rank and levels, he''d need at least 7 days to make aplete recovery and be able to absorb world energy again.


    So instead of waiting, he decided to evolve ckwall who was the only candidate that fit the bill.


    Besides, System had already informed Kahn about how ckwall could gather different Primordial Titan bloodlines and inherit their powers altogether ever since their time in Vessen. And now¡­ it was time for the Kronos general who stayed the weakest in the current story arc so far, to gain an immense boost.


    9 Hours Later.


    The Synthesis divine ability took its time and Kahn along with the rest of the crew were already at 12 kilometers of distance in the sky as none of them wanted to get blown up because of the aftermath. And finally¡­


    BOOOOMMMMM!!!


    An enormously destructive explosion made of a brown and blue aura suddenly erupted and spread across 10 kilometers of open sea while causing tsunamis and typhoons made ofrge water bodies and tides as well as clouds made of evaporated water.


    The sky almost cracked as thunderous noises filled and parted the dark clouds forcefully while the height of the explosion itself rose whooping 5 kilometers high.


    The mushroom-shaped explosion finally subsided but an unnatural phenomenon suddenly urred that changed the entire terrain.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    One after another, dozens of solid mountains arose from the deep sea while whirlwinds and storms made of high-pressure waterdes epassed the 5 kilometer radius from the origin.


    Even from afar, all the onlookers had their clothes fluttering wildly from the shockwaves caused by ckwall''s evolution.


    GRRR!!


    A terrifying growl that sent shivers even to Kahn, Omega and Rudra suddenly resounded in the 25 kilometers perimeter, sending tremors in the sea while an insurmountable pressure almost made all of them drop into the sea below.


    "System, what the hell is happening?!" asked Kahn in surprise.


    [The system detects that because of small traces of the Mythical rank Metamorphosis bloodline that the host imparted to the subordinate, an unexpected transmutation has urred.] reported the system hurriedly.


    [How?] queried Kahn again.


    [The system detects that although both primordial titan bloodlines are of the same origin, the superior one obtained from Cthulhu tried to take over the one acquired from the Mountain Titan as the former was a mythical rank creature while thetter was only a beginner-level legendary monster.


    The mythical rank Metamorphosis bloodline obtained from the Jatvuarym monster was suddenly triggered during Synthesis and while acting as a catalyst, it reformed the entire physical structure to perfectly bnce both uneven bloodlines, causing this Transmutation.] exined the system in detail.


    ROARRR!!


    An ear-deafening bellow of a monster suddenly resounded in the surrounding at this moment and finally, ckwall''s unexpectedly transformed figure came into sight amidst the storm and mountains.


    A titanic 3 kilometers tall humanoid figure filled with red and gray fleshly skin with thousands of massive thorn-like spikesing out of all the limbs, joints and skin appeared.


    A massive 300 meter long tail waved behind it while 6 massive spider-limb boney extensions came out of the back.


    At the center of the chest, was arge and wide red hole that looked identical to the mouth of an active volcano as scalding red fire arose from it.


    The entire ribcage of this monstrous being was covered in bone-like exoskeleton armor and had 3 sets of glowing red eyes on each side while being separated by skeletal spikes. So in total.. there were 18 eyes.


    The torso and shoulders were covered under this fleshly and boney armor, providing it the maximum defense while the wed arms were so massive and ripped that even a mountain could be excavated in a single swoop.


    As for the head¡­ the mouth was nothing but a maw made of thousands of sharp and pointy teeth while the top had 3rge and sturdy horns. However¡­ the eyes were no longer on the head but transferred to the chest.


    But simr to Cthulhu, dozens of massive fleshly tentacles extended below the mouth, akin to his own beard.


    Kahn saw this new transformed state with a stupefied expression and asked himself¡­


    "What the hell is this? Isn''t he supposed to look like a Titan?


    Why is he looking more like abination of Godzi and Gundam?"


    Although he was aware that the metamorphosis bloodline bnced both primordial titan bloodlines and caused a transmutation¡­ this new form was still way too out of the norm.


    ckwall was now a creature that was even more terrifying than the Mountain Titan and Cthulhu. Even the Elder Hydra, Rudra in his true appearance would look like cute little snake babies.


    As for the terrifying and ginormously mountain-like appearance...


    Forget the kids¡­ It will give their parents nightmares.


    "System, show me all the abilities."manded Kahn.


    [Following are the Stats, Abilities and Skills of the subordinate named ckwall :


    Name : ckwall


    Species : Kronos (Variant Titan)


    Job : Abyss Knight (Ancient Rank)


    Rank : Mythical Rank


    Level : 614


    Strength : 103694


    Agility : 60982<sub> </sub>


    Dexterity : 58910


    Defense : 155899


    Mana : 89741


    ----------------


    Following are the Skills & Abilities :


    Titan''s Rage (Saint Rank)


    Marauder King (Saint Rank)


    Wrath of Vajra (Saint Rank)


    Titan Descent (Saint Rank)


    Earth Sense (Saint Rank)


    Mineral Control (Saint Rank)


    Transmute Minerals (Saint Rank)


    ----------------


    Following are the upgraded abilities that the subordinate previously had :


    Titan Roar (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the subordinate to stun anyone present in a 30 kilometer radius except the host & fellow subordinates for 240 seconds.


    ----------------


    Defense Amplifier (Saint Rank) (Active) :


    The longer the subordinate defends against an enemy, the more defense will increase in a set amount of time.


    The subordinates can also grant twice the defense to all the subordinates in a 15 kilometers radius.


    ----------------


    Health Reserve (Saint Rank) (Passive) :


    When health is closer to depletion, allows the subordinate to instantly recover 80% of maximum health.


    ----------------


    Following are the abilities that have ranked up because of the evolution and newly acquired titan bloodline :


    Elemental Invulnerability (Legendary Rank)


    Terrain Maniption (Legendary Rank)


    ----------------


    Following are the newly acquired skills and abilities :


    Monarch of Water (Legendary Rank)


    King of the Sea (Legendary Rank)


    Primordial Titan Immunity (Legendary Rank)


    Aquatic Resonance (Legendary Rank)


    Psychokinesis/Telekinesis (Legendary Rank)


    Waterdes Hurricane (Legendary Rank)


    Ocean Eddies (Legendary Rank)


    Instant Regeneration (Legendary Rank)


    ----------------


    Bloodline : Primordial Titan


    Current Bloodline purity : 50%


    ----------------


    Note : The Host is advised to acquire more primordial titan bloodlines to evolve general ckwall as he now has the highest potential to surpass all Godbeasts and Dragons.] reported the system.


    Kahn ryed this information to all the subordinates and just like him, they were also too stunned to speak.


    ckwall not only became a Mythical Rank creature; but based on his levels and stats alone, he was now the strongest subordinate among them all.


    Even if both Omega and Rudra fought him together, they''d be able to do nothing against him based on his bloodline abilities alone.


    As far as the standards ofparisons went¡­ ckwall outmatched everyone including Kahn. Because at this moment, he was¡­


    A 5th Stage Saint.

 Chapter 779 The Lncredible Gain

    ckwall was nowparable to a legitimate 5th stage saint based on levels and stats while having a total of 10 Saint Rank skills along with 8 Legendary Rank skills. This was the highest number of powerful skills than any of the generals, Omega and Rudra had.


    In every aspect, he was far superior to all of them since other than Kahn, nobody else here possessed any skills that could kill him even if they all banded together during a battle to the death against ckwall.


    But things didn''t just end here.


    "Master¡­ I have finally acquired one of my own." a monstrously terrifying and domineering voice resounded as if lightning struck the ground.


    And the very next second¡­


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Crackle!


    The dozens of tall mountains that arose from the deep sea suddenly during ckwall''s evolution¡­ started rumbling and in the following moments, massive pirs of brown aura erupted and acted as a triggering mechanism for something ominous.


    Soon, all those pirs rose as high as 10 kilometers (32808 feet) in the sky and spread like a spider''s web, connecting themselves and forming a 50 kilometers wide radius dome.


    But things didn''t end there¡­ soon, hundreds of massive and whirling pirs of water arose from the surrounding deep sea and formed waterde storms in the entire 50 kilometers perimeter, making the whole region inside the dome full of hurricanes while these pirs exuded a blue visible aura spread and encapste everyone''s bodies including Kahn.


    At this moment, everyone felt their bodies experiencing extreme danger as the immense pressure not only froze them on the spot, making them unable to move. But soon, their physical strength also underwent huge suppression.


    All of them instantly understood what was happening.


    A DOMAIN!


    ? This entire 50 kilometers radius dome was ckwall''s newly created domain!


    Even Kahn was stupefied because so far, only Kahn, Oliver, Omega and Jugram among their group had a domain of their own. And now, ckwall finally created one of his own after evolving into a mythical rank being.


    "System¡­ give me all the details." ordered Kahn.


    The system conducted an analysis and finally gave a detailed report.


    [Following are the effects of general ckwall''s new domain :


    Any enemy or hostile entity surrounded by the Abyss Knight general''s domain will have all of their physical movements such as Agility and Dexterity reduced by 30%.


    All of the Physical and Armor defense regardless of their rank will be reduced by 50%.


    Every enemy''s health regeneration abilities will lose 40% of their effectiveness inside the Kronos general''s domain.


    General ckwall can also forcefully extract the enemy''s blood, which contains water because of his new abilities obtained from Cthulhu.


    And due to enemy bodies getting dehydrated, the general can also affect and weaken their consciousness with time.


    Thousands of stone pebbles and waterdes can be controlled by general ckwall using newly acquired Telekinesis skill and he can target all the enemies inside the domain endlessly to attack from any desired direction at will. as long as there is earth and water avable in the 50 kilometers radius.


    General ckwall will have absolute control and authority over earth and water elements like a peak sovereign of these two elements.


    If any creature or enemy also has Earth or Water Elemental affinity or skills, the general is now able topletely control their bodies, making them his puppets inside the domain.


    Furthermore, inside this domain, general ckwall''s Defense and Attack stats are multiplied by 500% (5 times).


    Additionally, the Health regeneration ability is boosted by 2 times.<sub> </sub>


    Durability against all elements including Darkness and Lightning is increased by 50% when the general is using his new Domain.


    As time goes by¡­ the more battle progresses and more enemies killed, general ckwall will get a 30% increase in all physical stats per hour.] reported the system, dropping a bomb.


    Kahn shared this detail with everyone else and now all of them were simply stupefied and perplexed. Nobody dared to even speak a word, lest they incur the anger of this general.


    Why?


    Because he was even stronger than the Floor Boss aka Cthulhu they barely managed to survive against.


    "Thank goodness, he''s my subordinate and not an enemy.


    If Cthulhu had this domain¡­ forget killing it¡­ all of us would be turned into dried jerky first before we could even attack it." spoke Kahn in a dumbfounded tone.


    Because inside this domain¡­ most of their physical attributes were suppressed and ckwall himself had an immense boost in attack and defense. Paired with his regeneration abilities and terrain maniption skill¡­ even a couple of 5th stage saints will have trouble facing him in a head-on battle.


    The same strategy they used to kill Cthulhu such as pulling out his heart and throwing it inside the True Dimension would be very difficult to achieve because progressing inside the domain was already extremely hard.


    They''d be attacked by thousands of stone spears and waterdes from unpredictable directions and manners at the same time and just getting close to ckwall would be impossible.


    Only Kahn had the ability to do so because he could use the True Dimension.


    As for others¡­ only Ronin coulde close to ckwall in a frontal sh while the others wouldn''t even be able toe close to 5 kilometers before getting their blood sucked out of their bodies.


    Based on boosts and abilities¡­ ckwall was already capable of fighting a peak 5th stage saint despite being a beginner. But inside this new Domain¡­ he could easily face an intermediate 6th stage saint by himself without a doubt.


    And if the fight was a battle of attrition¡­ then the enemy would lose for sure.


    So simply¡­ ckwall was now their biggest and strongest fighter who was akin to an indestructible and imprable war fortress.


    "Master, give it a fitting name." ckwall requested, yet his voice still sounded overbearing to everyone because of his massive form.


    "Hmm¡­ able to control both Earth and Water at the same time. I know of only one good name that is befitting for this amazing domain.


    From now on, it shall be called¡­ The Gaia Domain." dered Kahn confidently.


    "Gaia Domain¡­ I like it." dered ckwall majestically while exuding a dreary and prideful aura at the same time.


    Swoosh!


    ckwall returned to his humanoid form. This appearance hadn''t changed much apart from the previously spread yellow archaic runes all over his body now also had dozens of blue glowing runes.


    Unless he was bare naked, no one would be able to see them so they did not need to worry about keeping them a secret.


    "Alright. We''re all at our peak form now.


    With all of our legendary armors and weapons equipped as well as ckwall''s new evolution, we are not weaker than the Hero of Life''s party." spoke Kahn and dered his intention.


    "Onto the final floor." hemanded and their group departed towards the exit door.


    What they didn''t know was that the world would always bnce out both gains and losses.


    Today, they achieved a very huge gain¡­ as for the loss¡­


    It was just waiting for them.

 Chapter 780 Meeting The Dungeon Boss

    10 Days Later.


    This time, their journey had been much easier and less time-consuming because every floor that came after the 91st floor was either sea-themed rted or one of the elements their group excelled in using.


    In majority of them, ckwall''s new skills yed a huge part and saved them all from many life-threatening situations since he could basicallymand the terrain and open paths for them at will.


    As for the 100th floor¡­ there was no ess to world energy and had 20 times the normal gravitational force. On top of it, no one could use any of their bloodline abilities or fighting profession skills.


    But the most peculiar thing was this entire dungeon floor had no ground or sea in it, only white clouds with no end or bottom below.


    Kahn and the group kept falling for 30 minutes.


    Only then did Oliver somehow forcefully manage to transform into his Thunderbird form and carry everyone on his back.


    He kept flying in this endless, bottomless, borderless and unimaginably vast floor for an hour. Luckily¡­ this seemed to be the clearing conditions for this floor as suddenly, the exit door and a 500 meter wide steel tform suddenly appeared out of thin air.


    Afternding on the steel tform, they finally regained their ability to use world energy and ess to their skills.


    Although their group was no weaker than the Hero''s Party at this point before they arrived in the Immortal Dungeon¡­ thews of reality on each floor along with the conditions that needed to be met were always tricky.


    "Are you guys ready? It''s the final floor and we will see the dungeon boss after we enter." said Kahn.


    But after seeing how everyone was already over the edge, he spoke in a thoughtful voice¡­


    "If we see something that we can''t handle¡­ We will leave quickly.


    No treasure is worth risking our lives."


    Others nodded in unison and soon, all of them started discussing their ns to attack, escape and plot based on any possible scenario they might face on the final floor.


    And finally¡­ they entered the 101st floor aka the final floor.


    ----------------


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    The bright white light faded and 9 figures finally entered from the shing 100 meter wide door.


    ng!


    But the very next moment, the door closed loudly and disappeared from the spot.


    "Man¡­ is that a death g?" asked Kahn to himself.


    Every time something like this happened¡­ he pretty much died. So Kahn could already sense a foreboding of trouble.


    Bang!


    Rumble!


    Crackle!


    Their group''s gazesnded on the terrain filled with charred soil, dark and cloudy storms as well as thousands of massive lightning bolts thundering constantly while destroying the ground below while forming pits of magma.


    The entire floor was full of thunderstorms and the 60 kilometers of the radius was more like a hovering ind covered under innumerable and ginormous archaic formations that span for dozens of kilometers on their own while covering the entire floor like a made of highly condensed world energy.


    [Boy! Use your passes! This isn''t a dungeon floor.


    It''s an Arcane Prison!] suddenly, Rathnaar shouted in Kahn''s mind and warned haphazardly.


    GROWL!


    Rumble!


    Finally, amidst the smoke and massive lightning bolts¡­ a being revealed its existence.


    Two massive glowing red eyes with vertical irises in them came out of a fog.


    Thud!<sub> </sub>


    Shatter!


    The dungeon boss stood out on its hind legs and its height went as far as 7 kilometers. Although Kahn and the group couldn''t see its full appearance covered in smoke and lighting from 20 kilometers away¡­ its size was still the biggest they had seen inside this dungeon.


    Even someone like Cthulhu seemed like a normal average man in front of this being.


    "Oh hell no! We''re leaving." spoke Kahn and decided to leave. All the subordinates felt the same emotion.


    All of them quickly took out their dungeon passes. But just then¡­


    "Where do you think you''re going?"


    A ghastly voice resounded, sending tremors in the surroundings and before anyone could even react¡­


    Crack!


    BANG!


    Suddenly, all of their dungeon passes exploded before they could even activate them.


    With their only way of leaving getting turned into dust¡­ Kahn and the group were extremely rmed and took a defensive stance while activating all of their legendary rank armors and weapons while Kahn also activated his own one.


    [Fuck! This can''t be happening!] cursed Kahn his luck.


    [Boy¡­ we should leave no matter what.


    Even if hundreds of people like your group fight it together¡­ You can''t do anything.] spoke the peak saint in his mind.


    However, the next moment¡­


    SHRILL!!


    Suddenly, all their bodies were frozen, unable to even bat an eyelid.


    The grim voice continued in an amused tone¡­


    "Oh¡­ how curious. It''s a Hero of Darkness this time.


    Come here, child¡­ You seem very unique." spoke the dungeon boss and pointed its w towards them.


    "Let me decide if I should kill you instantly¡­ or torture you to death."


    ----------------


    As everyone was lifted into the sky and stood like lifeless mannequins¡­ they were pulled by the dungeon boss and stopped only 5 kilometers away in the air.


    The dungeon boss was so big that even a small grain of sugar would be an overstretch whileparing their heights and size against the dungeon boss.


    "Hmm¡­ You''re differentpared to the Hero of Darkness I used to know.


    By the way¡­ howe there''s another hero of a different god?


    Is it because I already killed the Hero of Life?


    Have the Abyss Empire and Zivot Empire joined hands?" the ginormous and terrifying being questioned.


    "Wait, there is something different about you."


    But the very next second¡­ his gaze turns furious.


    "What kind of abomination are you?!


    You shouldn''t be existing!" he bellowed in rage after detecting multiple bloodlines from Kahn''s body.


    The intense pressure exuding from this dungeon boss''s body wasparable to a peak 6th stage saint. However, given its majestic aura¡­ all of them were certain that even a 7th stage saint wouldn''t be able to face this tyrannical creature.


    Right at this moment¡­ Rathnaar spoke in Kahn''s mind with absolute dominance.


    [Boy¡­ let me take control.]

 Chapter 781 Sealed And Forgotten

    A sense of dread and ominous feeling spread around the entire floor as the dungeon boss whose true appearance was still clouded in smoke and hundreds of flickering lightning bolts while revealing only its eyes.


    But after it revealed its intentions to toy around with Kahn first instead of killing him on the spot¡­ Rathnaar suddenlymanded Kahn to let him take over his body. His majestic and overbearing tone hinting that he wouldn''t take a No for an answer.


    [And why the hell would I do that? You trying to pull something here, you bastard?] refuted Kahn.


    The situation was already dire and he couldn''t even move his body but now, Rathnaar suddenly wanted to assume control.


    [I said let me take over your body for a while and I''ll do the talking. If you want to leave this dungeon alive that is.] he spoke in an overbearing tone.


    Kahn argued for a few seconds but eventually, heplied and allowed the system to temporarily give control to the peak saint.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, a majestic and tyrannical golden aura burst out from Kahn''s body.


    Unlike his usual ck and Red one¡­ this Golden aura belonged to the Peak Saint.


    In the following moments¡­ Kahn''s entire aura changed and he broke through the intangible force of the floor boss.


    Kahn''s entire mannerism changed and instead of being a frightened and cautious person, his expression turnedx and authoritative.


    "It''s been a while. What are you doing inside the Elven Empire instead of your own?" asked Rathnaar in a kingly tone, showing no signs of fear on his countenance.


    At this moment, he disyed a temperament of a supreme being that stood on the equal standing with the dungeon boss.


    The dungeon boss himself was quickly taken aback. It gave a suspicious look at Kahn¡­ now Rathnaar.


    "You¡­ Who are you? You''re not that human child from before.


    And how do you know who I am?" asked the enormous being that was veiled in smoke and lightning.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, a golden throne appeared behind and the peak saint, who was now in charge and he casually sat and leaned on it while folding his right leg over the left one.


    He rested his right hand on the armrest and revealed an indomitable countenance.


    "Is it that surprising? Well, I am bound to this new Hero of Darkness via a Soul-Oath.


    And we have met each other before." responded Rathnaar nonchntly.


    "Nonsense! You''re lying.


    I should be dead to the outside world. On top of it¡­ there are only a few people who know my true form to even recognize me." queried the dungeon boss while ring at Rathnaar furiously, not believing the first emperor of the Rakos Empire.


    "Hmm¡­ I didn''t know your kin lost their memories with old age just like us humans.


    Besides¡­ You''ve be much weaker than before.


    There was a time when both of us were equally matched." spoke Rathnaar as if he was some sort of mafia boss discussing a territorial dispute.


    "Seriously, who are you?!


    I do not recall a human being familiar with me, much less being as strong as me." raged the dungeon boss and the surrounding dark clouds started bing wilder.


    "Kastvabaan." said the emperor.


    "Should be 1100 years now since west met in Kastvabaan." spoke Rathnaar with a visible shameless grin.


    "Svatlforkin." Rathnaar spoke a name, leaving no hint.


    [What the hell are you talking about old man?] Kahn yelled again, having no clue or any control over this situation.


    But as soon as he spoke that name¡­ the Dungeon Boss''s glowing red eyes turned wrathful.


    BOOM!!


    The very next second, a tremendously destructive blue aura shot towards their group.


    BANG!!


    A massive explosion urred and the nearby 3 kilometers of the region was simply pulverized.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!<sub> </sub>


    However, a massive golden dome that had encapsted their bodies and freed Kahn''s subordinates revealed itself as their bodies werepletely unharmed.


    [What are you doing, old man?! You''re angering it for no reason!] shouted Kahn from the inside.


    [Shut up, you little twat! Let adults do the talking.] rebuked Rathnaar and maintained a carefree appearance.


    [I''m using some of my Soul Essence to protect you and your subordinates. But it won''tst for long.] he iterated and continued.


    This was indeed the truth. If Rathnaar wasn''t using a fraction of his own soul essence, Kahn and thepany would''ve been instantly obliterated into nothingness just like how the dungeon boss killed Ervalen, the Hero of Life in just a single moment.


    "Rathnaar Whitlock! So it''s you, you bastard!!


    I''ll kill you, you impertinent and vile vermin!!


    You shall know my vengeance after a millennium!!" bellowed the Dungeon boss, its voice sending shockwaves in the entire floor.


    "Ha ha ha ha!


    Ha ha haha!"


    But instead of feeling threatened or worried¡­ Rathnaar startedughing as if he heard a joke.


    "It took me a while to figure it out. But this formation¡­" he gazed around the hundreds of archaic magic formations that were dozens of kilometers on their own and were stacked on each other in various ces and angles.


    "Someone sealed you with the Maskaanxavir Formation¡­ the Commandment of Fellowship, didn''t they?" he asked nonchntly in a mocking tone.


    "To see that you, of all powerful enemies I once faced, would be caged and sealed like this for a millennium¡­ I can barely contain myughter.


    Ha ha ha ha!" said Rathnaar and startedughing hysterically, adding more salt to the wound.


    Kahn, who was in the backseat, quickly asked the peak saint¡­


    "Do you know who this is?"


    "Yes, I do." responded Rathnaar as he kept leaning on his throne without a worry.


    "Kid¡­ Do you remember the time when Throk Oakenshield was done forging your gear?


    And during our conversation, I told you that I killed one to forge my sword.


    That was his cousin. One of the 5 who were the strongest of their kind." revealed Rathnaar about how he knew this dungeon boss and what kind of history they had.


    "Do you mean he is a¡­"


    But before he could speak, Rathnaar interrupted Kahn.


    "He¡­ isn''t someone who should be existing in the Zivot Empire. Rather, the strongest empire in the world where he should be reigning like an undisputed monarch."


    Rumble!!


    Finally, the smoke surrounding the dungeon boss spread pushed around, surrounding the entire 5 kilometers radius.


    And as the lightning storm and the smoke subsided, Kahn and the group saw the true appearance of the dungeon boss.


    6 massive wings, each being 1 kilometer in width on their own came out of the dungeon boss'' back.


    4 ginormous ck horns.


    Incredibly sharp ws and hind legs as big as a mountain.


    A 3 kilometer long tail that was even stronger than Rudra''s entire body.


    A maw full of shining sharp teeth that could chomp on the hardest metals in the world easily.


    And finally¡­ an entire body made of ck, golden and blue scales that was akin to an Ancient Rank armor in itself.


    ROAARRRR!!


    The 7 kilometers tall being roared and left everyone bbergasted as they shivered while feeling the life leaving their bodies.


    Rathnaar then finally introduces the being''s species.


    "This¡­ Is a Royal Dragon." he spoke with a smirk as he revealed the real identity of the dungeon boss.


    "The Lightning Dragon Emperor, Vildred."

 Chapter 782 The Ancient Rivalry

    Rathnaar Whitlock, the Peak Saint who was once the most feared entity in the world of Vantrea; the one who ughtered chosen Heroes like cattle and even killed a Royal Dragon showed a temperament of pride while introducing the dungeon boss'' real identity.


    "The Lightning Dragon Emperor, Vildred."


    His words echoed on this floor while everyone was simply too gobsmacked by this fact.


    As the words exactly meant¡­ the being in front of them was the Emperor of the Dragon Empire, the strongest empire in the entire world.


    [What the shit?! That''s the ending arc plotline main boss of the story! Why did such a being appeared out of nowhere?] he asked in a baffled tone.


    "What is that child talking about?


    Ending arc plotline main boss, what gibberish is he spouting?" asked the humongous and titanic Royal Dragon who was even taller than ckwall''s mythical rank form.


    "Ah, don''t mind him. He''s an otherworlder like all the summoned heroes.


    I never understood half of the things they said. Their knowledge and choice of words are confusing." spoke Rathnaar, still showing an unnerving expression.


    Even though the Dragon Emperor showed hostility towards him, the former peak saint showed no interest.


    "I see. Listen, otherworlder summoned hero.


    My name is Vildred Xyvsor Gown Ivrar Mortelix." introduced the dragon emperor in a majestic voice.


    "Too long. Didn''t read."


    Responded Kahn to this unnaturally long-ass name.


    The dragon emperor''s chest constricted after hearing this unexpected response. This was the first time someone didn''t show awe or a respectful tone after he took the liberty to introduce his name.


    Although he could kill Kahn for this ill-mannered response¡­ the golden dome made by Rathnaar was imprable to the current him.


    "So tell me¡­ why are you tied to a chosen hero, Rathnaar?


    I thought you hated them and the gods as much as I did." he asked, still leaking his vengeful aura.


    "Well¡­ all my descendants are dead and he happened to be the one to find my sealed remnant soul in my empire.


    Things led to other things and now we''re here. Besides¡­ I hated being confined for a century, all by myself." said Rathnaar using Kahn''s body.


    Just then¡­ Kahn also spoke using his own body''s mouth.


    "Can somebody clear out a few confusions for me?"


    "How do you two even know each other?" Kahn queried openly now that their situation was at a standstill.


    Sigh!


    Rathnaar regained control and sighed.


    "Listen kid¡­ hear very carefully.


    Vildred and I¡­ we were enemies." he revealed.


    "Back when I was only an 8th stage saint and just created the Rakos Empire, many chosen heroes and empires associated with Gods were insistently attacking my empire since they couldn''t have an existence that didn''t worship the gods.


    Although I killed few of the chosen heroes who were just as strong as me in those times¡­ they kepting after me and my people.


    Thus, the dwarven cksmiths who served me asked for a Royal Dragon''s horn to forge a sword that could help me kill all the other heroes and even withstand a frontal sh against multiple 8th stage saints such as the Emperors and Empresses of those empires.


    So with no other choice left and the fate of my empire at stake¡­ I went to the Dragon Emperor." iterated Rathnaar.


    His expression turned somber right after revealing this information.


    "Kastvabaan is one of the four regions protected by Dragon Kings." he spoke.


    "Wait¡­ there''s a Dragon Emperor and a Dragon King?" asked Kahn.


    To his question, it was Vildred who responded in a dreary tone.


    "In my empire¡­ the strongest Royal Dragon of that generation gets to be the Dragon Emperor.


    The others who are in the line of session but failed are titled as Dragon Kings.<sub> </sub>


    And there were 5 Royal Dragons at that time.


    I was the reigning Dragon Emperor and my brothers and cousins were the 4 Dragon Kings." he exined.


    From here on, Rathnaar continued again¡­


    "Kastvabaan was the western region of the dragon empire. In a way, it was simr to Vessen fiefdom.


    Unlike the other empires¡­ It''s very big and thus, one Dragon King was appointed to protect the 10 thousand kilometers of that part of the region.


    I chose that ce because it was the closest to me. And there¡­" he spoke, his expression turning heavy.


    "I challenged the Earth Dragon King, Svatlforkin." he stated.


    "If I won¡­ I would get one of his dragon horns and if he were to win¡­ he''d get to make me his ve via a Core-binding ritual." he stated, but soon¡­ he let out a smirk while trying to hide hisugh.


    "That idiot, who was too overconfident since he was a royal dragon, fell for it and lost. Ha ha!" heughed openly.


    Rumble!


    Vildred let out his wrathful aura again but couldn''t help but keep listening.


    "When the time to honor the deal came¡­ Svatlforkin attacked me instead.


    So one thing led to another and I ended up killing him." revealed Rathnaar as if he was greatly wronged.


    "And after his death¡­ this lightning bolt of a dragon here reached the site of the battle.


    I left since my goal had already been realized." spoke Rathnaar in a chivalrous tone.


    "Left my buttocks! You ran like a coward!" shouted the dragon emperor in rage as he remembered their fight, his blood boiled from rage after reminiscing the old hatred.


    "And don''t trust this lying scum, child. This bastard never tells the whole truth.


    He actually attacked Svatlforkin with the full intention of killing him.


    Just to make a statement to all the other empires and deter them from attacking his own empire for a while." rebutted the dragon emperor.


    "Hey hey! What''s with thatnguage?


    We could be said to be peers. So please refrain from spouting such lies." spoke Rathnaar as if he was wrongly used of something he didn''t do.


    Kahn, Vildred and even all his subordinates rolled their eyes, none believing his righteous words. All of them were fully aware of what kind of lying and cunning man Rathnaar was ever since they first met in Rakos Empire.


    "Peers my w nails!


    I''m a thousand years older than you. Show some respect, you buffoon!" eximed Vildred in fury.


    "Heh? Why would I be respectful to someone who couldn''t beat me?" taunted Rathnaar.


    "Beat you? I remember we fought for a few hours and you ran away. He he!" the dragon emperor made a questionable im.


    "As I recall¡­ you were screaming in anger because you couldn''t catch me even while I ran away with your cousin''s corpse with me. Ha ha ha!" mocked Rathnaar in return.


    "Ha! Do you want to go for another round, you impertinent trash?!


    Oh wait¡­ you can''t.


    Because you''re dead! Haha ha ha!!"ughed Vildred, hisugh leaving shockwaves after shockwaves in the 20 kilometers radius.


    "Whatever. It''s still better than being sealed in a cage for a thousand years.


    If I was in your ce¡­


    I would''vemitted suicide out of shame." said Rathnaar as he flipped a middle finger to the Dragon Emperor.


    Dozens of minutes passed and both peak existences kept insulting the other side in one way or another while name-calling and hurling profanities at each other.


    Kahn understood one thing clearly. That two of the supposedly strongest beings in the world¡­


    Were actually just the Strongest Nutjobs.

 Chapter 783 The Hidden Intentions

    Kahn listened to the childish and unbearable rambling between Rathnaar and Vildred back and forth as neither of the two would yield while trying to prove themselves superior.


    "What the¡­ and these two are supposed to be 2 of the strongest beings in the world?


    They fight like 10 year old kids." spoke Kahn in disappointment, his image of these two almighty beings going under the drain real quick.


    "Oye¡­ stop this already." he said.


    "Shut the hell up!!" both Rathnaar and Vildred shouted together at Kahn.


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later.


    "Alright¡­ ytime''s over.


    Who is this? Is he your sessor?" queried the Dragon Emperor.


    If not for Rathnaar''s presence and the protective dome made of his soul essence, he would''ve already killed everyone here. But now that he couldn''t¡­ he controlled his anger and was in the mood to talk.


    "Not exactly. We made an agreement over a few things. But that shouldn''t be the subject of conversation at this point.


    Tell me¡­ why are you here?" asked Rathnaar in a serious tone.


    "Hey¡­ if you want me to tell you my secrets, you should tell me first about how you even got here, don''t you think so?" Vildred made a demand.


    "Ah fine¡­ it''s not like it''s that big of a secret at this point." spoke Rathnaar in an irritated tone.


    Rathnaar told their situation to Vildred.


    About how the 8th Hero of Darkness massacred all the other chosen heroes 300 years ago for some reason and why Kahn, his sessor was being hunted by the world and powerful saints.


    He told the royal dragon about their time in Rakos Empire, then Vulcan Empire which included details such as killing Axel, the Hero of Fire and acquiring his Divine Key.


    Then he revealed how they fled to Zivot Empire and acted as mercenaries. And how they ended up reaching the final floor of this Immortal Dungeon due to an expedition for resources while hiding their real identities.


    "That''s it. We came here out of curiosity. We have no ties with the High Elves who sealed you here." he spoke calmly.


    Just then¡­


    [What the fuck are you doing, old man?!


    Why are you telling my secrets to an enemy?!]ined Kahn furiously.


    [Kid, you want to leave out of here alive, don''t you?


    You may not know this¡­ but I''m also a great negotiator. So just let me handle things.] replied Rathnaar.


    In real-time, Vildred''s expression was also puzzled but soon¡­


    "Ha ha ha!!


    So a chosen Hero screwed over all those shameless and hypocritical bastards calling themselves as gods. And now, this brat is suffering from the consequences.


    So that''s why no other Hero came in the past 300 years until recently.


    Human child¡­ you''re even more pitiful than the new Hero of Life I killed a few days ago. Ha ha ha!" heughed, reveling in Kahn''s misery.


    "Wait¡­ what did you just say?


    You killed the Hero of Life?!" mored Kahn in disbelief.


    "Of course, I did. He came here to take the trial and I killed him using only 5% of my strength." gloated the dragon emperor with a visible grin.


    Even Kahn was stupefied after hearing this new revtion.


    A 4th stage saint chosen hero¡­ killed by the Dragon Emperor with only 5% of his strength.


    Just how monstrously powerful being was this royal dragon?<sub> </sub>


    Only now did Kahn understand the severity of this situation.


    If Rathnaar wasn''t here with them¡­ all of them would''ve died long ago just like the Hero of Life. Because if the dragon emperor could easily destroy their dungeon passes; he could also seal the Space in this entire floor before Kahn could even do anything.


    Once he ran out of Space Force, Kahn would have no choice but to exit the true dimension and all his Dimensional Law skills would also turn useless if his space force reserves were depleted.


    This made him even more anxious with each passing moment.


    [Old man, for how long?] asked Kahn secretly.


    [Not much. 3 hours at best.


    After that, this dome will start eroding and we will be at Vildred''s mercy.


    Don''t be fooled just because he is talking nicely.


    Dragons are very vengeful creatures. And Royal Dragons stand at the top of their hierarchy.


    He will destroy my half-soul because of the old grudge and you for being a chosen hero the moment this protective dome disappears.


    We have no choice but to deal with this matter differently.] responded Rathnaar.


    All this time¡­ although their conversation looked like things were calming down and they were on good terms; the reality couldn''t be farther from such a naive assumption.


    Just then, Rathnaar made a proposition.


    "Hey, Vildred. What if we free you?


    Will you let us go?" he asked as if this was the exact opportunity he was aiming for.


    "Oh, we''re done with the pretending part, are we?" asked the dragon emperor as his gaze turned wrathful again.


    "Why should I trust a word from a human who killed my family member?" he questioned in a hostile tone.


    "Well, we don''t have an eternity to stay here and besides¡­ I presume you also don''t want to be imprisoned here for another millennium till you run out of your natural life force, am I right?" soundly responded Rathnaar.


    "After my death¡­ you should have be even more powerful,parable to at least a 9th stage saint even if you didn''t work hard to raise your strength thanks to that royal dragon bloodline of yours.


    So tell me what happened and I''ll see if we could help each other." proposed Rathnaar again.


    "Hmph! Who do you think can seal me?" scoffed the dragon emperor.


    Rathnaar also had a confused expression.


    "If you were sealed here a thousand years ago¡­ There were only two who could stand on equal footing with you if I was out of the picture." spoke Rathnaar in a thoughtful voice.


    "Yes¡­ they made a deal with those High Elf bastards. Those two lured and ambushed me here.


    I was heavily suppressed under thousands of ancient formations, had my ability to fight sealed and I fought 3 people who wereparable to 8th stage saints all on my own while unable to use my peak strength.


    The surrounding 300 kilometers of the region was our battlefield." revealed the dragon emperor.


    [Son of a¡­ means the entire Alfheim of now was actually Vildred''s battleground a thousand years ago?] thought Kahn as he reached a conclusion.


    "Who were those 3 beings you''re referring to?" he openly asked the dragon emperor.


    To his question, the dragon emperor gazed down and responded in a stern voice.


    "One of them was the Emperor of the Zivot Empire back then.


    As for the other two¡­"


    In the following moments, his eyes fumed with rage as he revealed thest two attackers, the main reason why he was sealed inside this dungeon since the past thousand years.


    "My Brothers."

 Chapter 784 The Plothole

    Now that they all came to the main topic at hand and discussed the important thing that would decide how things would progress from here¡­ Vildred decided to reveal the truth behind what happened.


    And the perpetrators behind the ploy were none other than the brothers of the Dragon Emperor, causing him to be sealed inside the Immortal Dungeon for a millennium.


    "In every millennium, hardly 10 to 15 Royal Dragons are born. Every one of them will live at least 600 years easily without any problems.


    Out of them, barely 6 to 7 manage to live past the age of a thousand years by constantly bing strong and increasing their lifespan.


    And if the reigning dragon emperor dies, the strongest royal dragons who are past that age requirement and strengthparable to at least a 7th stage saint from the next generation are allowed to contend for the seat of the next Dragon Emperor.


    Back then¡­ My uncle was the reigning emperor and after he died, there were 5 Royal Dragons who contended for the position.


    As for my cousin Rathnaar killed, he was the son of the previous emperor." revealed the lightning dragon.


    "Unlike other species who have natural abilities and affinity rted to a specific element, Royal Dragons are different.


    Us Dragons aren''t just a species in Vantrea.


    You could say that we are the favored child of mother nature.


    Every royal dragon is born with extreme ess to an element or aw associated with such an element of nature and our mastery over that element outshines all the other species in the world when we reach our peak strength.


    For example, a Royal Dragon with Light Element will be the strongest being associated with that element once he bes a beingparable to a Peak Saint.


    His or her strength and mastery will be even greater than the Angels who are born with innate connection and constitution favoring the Light element.


    And in every generation, no other royal dragon is born with the same element." said Vildred in a solemn voice.


    "I see. Means in other words¡­ you were probably one of the strongest Lightning elemental beings in the world, am I right?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. And also¡­ We dragons do not care about hereditary session. As long as you''re strong enough¡­ you can contend for it.


    Even our existing Elder Dragon wouldn''t interfere in those matters.


    As for me¡­ Not only was I born with the Lightning element; but I was also the strongest during the contendership for the throne.


    Followed by my 2nd and 3rd brother respectively." he exined and then his expression turned prideful.


    "I naturally won the right and became the emperor. And my brothers and the two cousins became the 4 Dragon Kings.


    However¡­ It was just over a century of my reign when Rathnaar suddenly attacked my empire and killed my cousin Svatlforkin." he spoke and his intense killing intent targeted Rathnaar, who was still unbothered after his deed was exposed.


    "We also cherish blood ties greatly.


    ? So when I heard that they found this human bastard who killed our kin¡­


    I followed my brothers who brought this information to me to avenge Svatlforkin." he iterated and from here on¡­ everyone could predict what happened.


    "They ambushed me in this ce by setting up an archaic array that suppresses our royal dragon bloodline. But still, it wasn''t enough to stop me because by the world''s standards, I was alreadyparable to a peak 8th stage saint.


    But because of my bloodline and body, I could even fight a 9th stage saint on my own." he spoke vehemently.


    [Boy, remember. Only Royal Dragons, Godbeasts, True Demons and the Fireborne can fight a 9th stage saint while being only 8th stage saints themselves.


    The rest will face many troubles but Royal Dragons won''t have the slightest problem.


    And a difference between an 8th stage and a 9th stage saint is no different than the gap between a Beginner Grandmaster and a legitimate 1st stage Saint.


    A Royal Dragon can easily fight against an opponent 3 ranks above them because of their physical strength, bloodline as well as control over mana and world energy.


    That''s why Dragon Empire is still the strongest empire in the world since ancient eras.] informed Rathnaar.


    Vildred on the other end continued his story.


    "Both of my brothers, who wereparable to Beginner 8th stage saints along with the High Elf emperor managed to suppress me long enough to activate the formation set over the 300 kilometers."


    Just then, Kahn asked again.


    "Even if that was the case¡­ Still, how can you be defeated since you could even take on a 9th stage saint?" he questioned in a suspicious tone.


    To his query, Vildred replied in a somber voice¡­


    "Which element is the one that could rival Lightning?"


    Both Rathnaar and Kahn reached a unanimous conclusion instantly.


    "Yes, the strongest being among the attackers at that time and my 2nd brother...


    Is a Darkness element Royal Dragon." he exined.


    "Ah¡­ that exins a lot. No wonder you were beaten in that weakened state if your brother was born with darkness element." said Kahn in an understanding tone.


    "And my 3rd brother is a Fire elemental Royal Dragon." he revealed in a vengeful voice.


    "Although I was the strongest and had the elemental advantage¡­ I was born a few decades before them so there wasn''t much difference in our ranks and overall strength.


    But to ovee the advantage of my lightning element¡­


    Both of my brothers conspired against me and handed me to the Elven Empire after sealing me here since they couldn''t kill me." he spoke while revealing a grim aura.


    "Wait¡­ Why didn''t they kill you?


    It would''ve been easier for them to kill you for the throne instead of sealing you, wouldn''t it?" asked Kahn.


    Because this was indeed a big plothole in the story.


    But neither Vildred nor Rathnaar revealed any surprise on their faces, instead, they treated this revtion as if it was normal.


    "Does this child know nothing about thews of Vantrea?" he asked Rathnaar.


    "Eh¡­ the kid doesn''t have a tour guide except me. But that doesn''t mean I have to tutor him without gaining anything.


    I''m not exactly his mentor or some old grandmaster''s soul, you know." replied the peak saint with an irritated countenance.


    "Exins why he is so oblivious to the rules of nature." he said and then addressed Kahn, revealing the main reason why he was sealed instead of being killed.


    "It''s because of the Mark of Sin."

 Chapter 785 Mark Of Sin

    The lightning Dragon emperor aka Vildred revealed why he was sealed by his brothers instead of getting killed to get his position. And the root cause being something called the ''Mark of Sin'' that Kahn heard for the first time.


    Vildred then decided to exin exactly what it was to Kahn.


    "Like I said, child¡­ Dragons are the favored species by mother nature. And Royal Dragons are like its favorite children.


    Each of whom is an embodiment of a particr element of reality since the moment they are born to the day they die.


    If someone else kills a Royal Dragon, they will not be branded by the mark.


    But if a Royal Dragon kills another Royal Dragon¡­ they are cursed with the Mark of Sin by mother nature itself.


    And the Mark of Sin would act like a beacon, telling the whole world about what that Royal Dragon did." he exined in a tranquil voice.


    "This case is important especially if you''re in the line of session.


    If you kill the reigning dragon emperor¡­ that branded mark will be telling everyone that you betrayed the oldws.


    That''s the biggest shame for anyone who wants to be the Emperor in our culture." he iterated.


    "I see. So it''s like branding and banishing a traitor." said Kahn.


    "Ha ha!" suddenly, Rathnaarughed and asked.


    "You think it''s gonna be that easy? You think all the Royal Dragons care about theirws?


    Those who do not follow the ancient rules wouldn''t be afraid of the Mark of Sin just because it acted like a streetmp.


    The real reason why even Royal Dragons are afraid of it is because of the ''Consequences'' of the curse thates with the mark."


    Vildred also chuckled lightly and exined.


    "And the one who is marked¡­ will lose their ability to ess world energy and mana as well as the ability to control the element they''re born with.


    On top of it, that Royal Dragon will lose all their strength, their bones will erode slowly, their blood will burn every single day for the next 200 years while they couldn''t even kill themselves or have anyone else kill them.


    Finally, that Royal Dragon would die an agonizing death while being all alone, tormented and afraid.


    Even to a being as strong as a Royal Dragon¡­ no other form of death could be more terrifying." revealed the lightning dragon.


    Even Kahn was terrified after hearing that sort of painful curse. Constantly suffering for every waking moment for the next 2 centuries as a form of punishment for killing your own kin¡­ even the strongest of minds would cower in front of a such horrifying death.


    "Hence, my brothers had no choice but to use this way to take what was mine." spoke the dragon emperor.


    Finally, Rathnaar interjected now that they were done exining the so-called ''plothole''.


    "Well, what do you say then, Vildred?


    Want to tell us how we all can leave? My proposition still stands." he insisted again.


    To his pestering, Vildred shook his head.


    "You know what kind of formation this is, don''t you?" he questioned the peak saint with a light smirk.


    "Maskaanxavir Formation¡­ the Commandment of Fellowship." he spoke and grumbled.


    "What''s a Maskaanxavir Formation, old man?" queried Kahn.


    "It''s an ancient formation created by the Deity of Subjugation over 50 thousand years ago.


    In simple words, it''s a magic formation for taming someone and forcing them to be your servant." revealed the first emperor.


    "You see all these humongous formations?


    They''re actually not only sealing Vildred here but also act like runes which would be imprinted on his soul." he iterated.


    Just then¡­ Rathnaar had a shocked expression and looked at Vildred.


    "So that''s why the High Elves joined hands with both your brothers.


    By using this formation¡­ they wanted an opportunity to control you after one of the summoned heroes managed to pass the predetermined trial thates with the formation itself!" he eximed in a baffled tone.


    "Correct. I have tried everything I could in the past thousand years. You know what my ss was right?


    Unfortunately¡­ There''s no other way for me to leave this cage unless one of the people whoes here passes the trial." stated Vildred but the very next moment, he revealed an evil grin with his draconic maw.


    "Doesn''t mean I have to let them pass it.


    I''d rather die than be chained to a High Elf, a chosen Hero of a God or anyone else!


    I, Vildred Xyvsor Gown Ivrar Mortelix, would rather die than be a ve to anyone in my life." he dered in a thunderous voice.


    "Yeah yeah, I know how you royal dragons are. You''d rather break than bow before anyone even if it means certain death." spoke Rathnaar with a conflicted expression.


    Because this also meant that the Negotiations with Vildred wouldn''t result in their favor.


    "So You can''t kill us without following the rules, can you?" he questioned in a sly tone.


    However, Vildred gave an evilugh at that statement.


    "Ha ha ha!


    Do you think I''m stupid?" he asked with an insidious grin.


    "You''re but a remnant half-soul now, Rathnaar.


    Although that dome is very strong and can withstand even against me. But if I decide to keep attacking without any rest¡­


    How long can you maintain thatstyer of protection before your soul essence runs out and you get wiped out of existence?" he asked mockingly.


    Vildred''s gaze then turned to Kahn inside the body and then to his subordinates.


    "All of them are easy to kill like dropping an egg from a tree." he stated in a menacing tone.


    And finally, he locked his eyes on Rudra.


    "You there¡­ anomaly.


    Do not be under the impression that I can''t sense your bloodlines.


    You''re on top of my list to kill." he said andughed loudly again.


    Everyone''s expression turned gloomy because their current situation was as bad as it could be.


    The negotiations wouldn''t work because Vildred would rather die than watch them live because of his past with Rathnaar as well as Kahn being a chosen Hero.


    And the issue was that Rathnaar''s protection barrier wouldn''t protect them for long.


    As for destroying the archaic formation made by a Demi-God of the past?


    Even a Royal Dragon like Vildred who was once a beingparable to an 8th stage couldn''t break it so how would they?


    2 Hours Later.


    Finally, the dome started flickering on its own and Rathnaar had expended a lot of his soul essence.


    Normally, it would''vested for decades but to protect Kahn and the group against a mighty enemy like Vildred, he had no choice but to use the most potent portion of his soul essence.


    Now, their lives were hanging by a thread.


    "Alright then¡­


    We will take the trial!" suddenly, Kahn shouted and took control of his body again.


    BOOM!!


    But right at this moment¡­ the entry door of this floor became visible and a being walked in.


    "Then let mepete as well." spoke a person under white and green robes, his face covered under a hood.


    Kahn and everyone else were stupefied by this new arrival, none able to grasp this sudden turn of events.


    [Boy, this person is a peak 5th stage saint!] warned Rathnaar.


    And in the following moments, the man in the robe who had been following them till this point finally removed the hood, revealing his appearance to everyone.


    Gasp!


    Everyone gasped in bewilderment as soon as they saw this peak 5th stage saint''s real face.


    "What the hell are you doing here?!" asked Kahn with his mind full of trepidation and eyes full of disbelief.


    "Edmund."

 Chapter 786 The Hidden Prince

    Kahn who was in his original human appearance was gobsmacked and panicked and blurted out the name of the surprising arrival. And the person turned out to be a peak 5th stage saint but also someone they knew.


    Edmund Thandruil aka the human alchemist, who was also their business partner andpanion.


    In actuality, he was the main reason why they started this expedition in the Immortal Dungeon in the first ce.


    Edmund let out a turquoise-colored saint pressure and quickly revealed his hostile intent in an overbearing way.


    As for the question asked by Kahn, he didn''t bother answering it or even spare their group a nce.


    "You¡­ who are you? And how did you arrive here?" asked Vildred, his expression being full of surprise as everyone else.


    "You definitely didn''t engage in a single conflict. Otherwise, I would have sensed your presence a long time ago." he iterated in a stoic voice.


    "I followed behind a group of fools who cleared the path for me." replied Edmund as he chuckled lightly under his mask which covered half of his face.


    Vildred''s gaze then turned towards Kahn as he asked him¡­


    "How do you know him?"


    "He is a human Alchemist we know. He was ourpanion. But we thought he left long ago.


    Now I''m also suspicious of his identity because he was clearly a 1st stage saint till this point." responded Kahn with a stern countenance.


    "Child¡­ He is no human." suddenly, Vildred decades and the very next second.


    BOOM!!


    Massive thunderous bursts of lightning bolts fell from the stormy sky and the entire floor started rumbling.


    Vildred revealed an intense murderous aura, targeting Edmund as he spoke in a vengeful tone.


    "I sense the same bloodline as that of that bastard who sealed me here along with my brothers."


    "You¡­ What is your real identity? Tell me the truth, now!!" he bellowed in rage.


    "My great grandfather." responded Edmund in a lifeless tone.


    He then let out a mischievous smirk and continued in a prideful tone¡­


    "I am Aragorn Travion Insalor Venric."


    His loud voice resounded in the surroundings and everyone including the dragon emperor was taken aback again.


    Obviously, they all knew the surname Insalor Venric. It was the surname of the High Elf imperial family.


    So in simple words¡­


    Edmund Thandruil, no Aragorn Travion Insalor Venric¡­


    Was the Prince of the Zivot Empire.


    ----------------


    Kahn revealed an incredulous andplicated expression.


    For some reason, this alchemist friend of theirs revealed himself to be the Prince of the Elven empire.


    [Not possible! He is a human and not a High Elf.


    Or maybe he is using some sort of artifact or magic spell to hide his species and identity?] wondered Kahn in his mind.


    Just then, the peak 5th stage saint spoke aloud.


    "I do not have the time to exin myself."


    His stern gaze locked onto the ginormous Vildred as he spoke¡­


    "I invoke the ancient right to contend for the trial of Commandment of Fellowship." he dered openly.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Crackle!


    Lightning ran smoke on the entire floor as Vildred''s entire ginormous being turned furious.


    "You bastard! You dare contend for the trial?!


    You think I will let that happen?!" he questioned while exuding peak killing intent.


    "To get bound to a descendant of the very high elf who ambushed and sealed me here?


    In your dream, you insect!"


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    In the following moments, hundreds of terrifying and destructive lightning bolts merged and attacked Aragorn altogether at Vildred''smand.


    Each of these lightning bolts were simr to the one which killed Ervalen previously when he came here. But the unified force was at least 10 times stronger and dangerous, disying how resentful Vildred was.


    SHING!


    SHING!


    CLANG!


    CLANG!


    But soon, hundreds of the massive archaic formations surrounding the entire 60 kilometers of the floor shone brightly as thousands of massive and multicolored chains shot at Vildred, plunging them into his 5 kilometers tall body from all sides and chaining him on the spot as they made him unable to move.


    Swoosh!


    The dust from the impact finally settled but the aftermath shocked Kahn.


    Because Aragorn on the other end, was covered under a spherical orb-like formation made of these exact formations,pletely untouched.


    Instead of getting terrified or cowering¡­ Edmund aka Aragorn gave a confident gaze at Vildred and spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "Do you not know the properties of the Maskaanxavir Formation, you foolish dragon?


    You cannot harm or kill anyone rted to the person whose bloodline was while casting this formation." he sneered at the dragon emperor.


    "I''m not like one of those stupid Heroes of Life who came before.


    So stop wasting my time and start the goddamn trial!" he shouted, showing a demeanor that of a prideful ruler himself.


    Vildred was thoroughly infuriated at this moment but his strength was greatly suppressed because of these thousands of chains made of mystical energy which not only stopped his physical movements but also the ability to use world energy and mana.


    [Dammit! If this formation hadn''t drained my world energy and made my strength drop to that of a 6th stage saint in the past thousand years¡­ I would''ve been able to break this restriction and kill this bastard!] he cursed in his mind.


    However, the next moment, Rathnaar suddenly spoke in his mind.


    [Pick a side, you stupid numbnut!


    Let the boy also partake in the trial.


    We don''t know what his motives are¡­ but he''s obviously our enemy as well.


    Or would you rather be a ve of the descendant of the High Elf who confined you here for thousand years?] he cajoled the royal dragon.


    Now that a new variable has appeared¡­ it also overturned Kahn''s situation as well.


    Previously, Vildred would''ve most likely waited for Rathnaar''s soul essence to deplete and then kill Kahn without even giving them a chance to use the Trial of Commandment of Fellowship.


    But now that Aragorn aka the prince had appeared out of nowhere and revealed his intentions to take part in the trial, it also created an opportunity for them to use it as a means to get a chance to survive.


    Hence, Rathnaar couldn''t just let go of that opportunity and y a big gamble since their circumstances were in turmoil.


    Finally, with a greatly indignant and aggrieved expression, Vildred dered.


    "Fine! I shall allow both of you to take the trial."

 Chapter 787 First Trial

    Finally, another chance to get out of their current predicament appeared, both Kahn and Aragorn were finally going to contend for the Commandment of Fellowship because now, even Vildred was forced to give him a chance due to the Elven Prince''s appearance.


    But right when he thought things were salvageable¡­ Aragorn spoke in a loud voice.


    "Consider this as me thanking you for the free ride you provided me till now.


    If you fail from here¡­ it''s on you." he spoke with a confident voice as if he was certain that Kahn would fail the uing trial.


    Kahn then asked Edmund aka Aragorn about something he was curious about.


    "Since when did you n to use us?"


    To his question, the long and gray-aired Aragorn responded with a mocking tone.


    "Don''t feel so special. Whether it was your Misthios guild or the 12 Valkyries¡­


    Your lives were only meant to be used as my meat shields since the beginning." he revealed without sugarcoating anything.


    "It wasn''t yourrade who approached me in the Alfheim Alchemy Association but instead, it was me who lured him to myself and create ties with him after knowing his position in your guild which happened to be the strongest mercenary guild.


    But things went even smoother than I expected because of your greed." he spoke, taunting Kahn.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn with a gloomy expression.


    "Do you think I''m unaware of your nature?


    I''m 280 years old now. I have met many people like you in my life.


    Back when you approached me as a business partner by yourself, I could already see that you wanted to earn a lot of money and resources quickly and be powerful as soon as you could.


    That''s why I epted your proposal very quickly and turned you into my ally under the pretense of establishing my ownpany with your help.


    You''re just a fool driven by greed so you couldn''t see through the deception." he stated as he sneered while looking down on Kahn.


    At this moment, Kahn suddenly recalled the moments of the day when Armin brought Edmund to their guild headquarters and introduced him.


    It wasn''t him who ''luckily'' met a saint alchemist but instead, everything was pre-nned by Aragorn.


    "And your people outperformed my expectations. I expected you lot to go as far as 81st floor but luckily, that stupid Hero of Life had already cleared the path for us.


    But evwn so¡­ the way you cleared the 91st floor boss without even having the imperial n''s bloodline token; I must say I underestimated your abilities." he iterated nonchntly.


    [Dammit! Now he already knows that Legs Ragnarsson is a fake persona. Well, at least, he doesn''t know my real identity.] thought Kahn, cursing his luck.


    "Legs Ragnarsson or whatever your real name is¡­ when you and your warriors killed the Elder Hydra, I was only pretending to be knocked out." said the Elven prince with a devilish grin.


    Kahn and the entire group were suddenly rooted on the spot.


    "Who would''ve thought¡­ that the group I was using to reach this floor would be so unique, filled with monsters disguising themselves as normal people." he spoke and a sinister smile appeared on his face.


    "But after giving it some thought¡­ I am fully confident in my hypothesis. You are¡­


    A chosen Hero, aren''t you?"


    ----------------


    Utter Silence.


    This time, even Kahn and Rathnaar were simply stupefied.


    [Great! Fucking everybody knows my identity these days.


    This plot is getting too repetitive now.] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    Who would''ve thought their supposedpanion will turn out to be the Prince of Zivot Empire and on top of it, they would end up exposing their secrets while killing the Elder Hydra.


    [That''s not the issue here, boy. Think carefully¡­


    Aragorn can''t be killed inside this dungeon because the Maskaanxavir formation and the imperial bloodline''s token he spoke of, is protecting him from all of us.


    And if he passes the trial and bes the owner of that Royal Dragon¡­ he will definitely make Vildred kill us allter.] spoke Rathnaar in a somber tone.


    [That means I must pass this trial no matter what.] said Kahn with a grim expression on his face.


    Vildred on the other side started chanting something in anguage Kahn couldn''t understand even with his All Languages Known to War Deity blessing.


    And after 2 minutes, two translucent white doors covered in archaic runes and formations appeared in front of both Kahn and Aragorn.


    "There are 3 trials in total. This is the first part of it.


    Enter inside and the one to find andplete the true objective of the trial will pass it.


    Know this¡­ there is no time limit.


    But if you mess things up and don''t pass this¡­ you''ll die." spoke Vildred in a somber voice.


    At this point, even he had no choice but to let fate decide who was to be his owner.


    If Aragorn, who seemed to have prior information about the trial and the rules set by the Maskaanxavir formation, hadn''t shown up¡­ he was simply going to kill Kahn and be done with it.


    Yet, because the descendant of high elves who for some reason, looked like a human; he was forced to allow them to take the trial.


    Sigh!


    Without further ado, Kahn sighed and entered the bright light as soon as the door opened.


    ----------------


    Bang!


    Intense pain suddenly woke up Kahn as something hit his stomach.


    "Get up, you smart-ass!"


    A low-pitched voice reached his ear and Kahn opened his eyes.


    His head felt groggy while his legs, arms and stomach hurt.


    In front of him were 3 kids in school uniforms,ughing at him.


    Kahn then noticed something as soon as he regained consciousness.


    He was now in a Spectral form simr to a ghost as his body was no different than that of a hologram.


    But suddenly, the image in his sight flickered and changes happened to his entire body.


    His arms were turned short. He was wearing sses while gasping for breath.


    His clothes were dusty and his left sleeve was tattered.


    "Argh¡­." he groaned lightly and an immense surge of pain hit his mind again.


    Afterpletely regaining his consciousness, Kahn spoke.


    "This ce¡­ I know this ce."


    "Ugh!" he groaned again and noticed that his face was full of bruises and his lips as well as gums were bleeding.


    "I told you to bring the money, you prick!" said the boy in front of him and¡­


    Punch!


    He punched Kahn and soon, the other kids joined in and all of them started kicking his fallen body again and again.


    [What the hell is happening?!


    Wait! I know those three.] he thought as memories started flooding his mind like the surging tides of a tsunami.


    Soon, Kahn was separated from this small body of his and like a ghost, he left it as the kids kept beating the ''small'' Kahn.


    [This can''t be! No!


    I can''t go back there!] he eximed in fear for the first time.


    Because at this moment, whether it was the Soul Kahn or the small Kahn¡­ he was feeling all the pain and helplessness.


    Even though these two forms were separated, they felt everything as if they were a single entity.


    Because at this moment, Kahn was back in¡­


    His childhood as Elric.

 Chapter 788 The Family

    Kahn watched his school bullies beat the young and weak him as Elric. As per his Eidetic Memory, this was the 3rd time he was beaten by these 3 kids in front of him in a downtrodden warehouse close to his school.


    "These assholes!" his fist clenched tightly and he quickly lunged at his bullies to beat the shit out of them.


    s¡­ his body in spectral form passes right through them, unable to do anything to protect his younger self.


    "Elric, get up! Fight back!" he shouted and tried to pull up his younger self.


    But just like his childhood bullies, he couldn''t even touch or speak with Elric either.


    With great resentment¡­ all Kahn could do was watch himself from the past getting beaten up again and again until the bullies got tired.


    "Next time, bring the money unless you want to get beaten up again." warned the main blonde kid who was their leader in a way.


    Kahn was thoroughly infuriated as he relived this old memory, something he wanted to forget for a major portion of his life in the past.


    "What the hell is happening? Why am I back in my previous life?


    Is this the standard ''go back in past and ovee your fears'' sort of trial?" he wondered.


    "But the setting doesn''t feel right. I should be in the main body and not get separated as a soul form who can''t even touch or do anything.


    What¡­ is the main objective of this trial?" he asked himself in a confused state.


    Because if this was the standard trial of testing one''s mental strength¡­ Kahn would''ve absolutely beat the shit out of these bullies even with his weak body as Elric.


    However, things werepletely out of the norm.


    And now¡­ all he could do is watch the young and weak Elric get up on his feet helplessly while enduring the pain, humiliation and horror no 12-year-old kid should suffer from.


    ----------------


    sh!!


    The very next moment, the scenario in front of Kahn''s eyes changed and he found himself in his old home.


    "Alright, Janice. I''ll being in an hour. Just make sure all the arrangements are done without a problem.


    We can''t let anyonein aboutcking preparation. I will definitely win this election to be themittee chairwoman." spoke a silky-smooth brown-haired woman while talking on the telephone.


    "Ah¡­ been a while since I saw your face again, mom." spoke Kahn who appeared in the living room of his house.


    Sophia Johnson, Elric aka Kahn''s mother in his past life was a very gorgeous woman for her age despite having 3 kids, 2 of whom were already more than 15 years old.


    Yet Kahn didn''t have a good impression of her after he grew up.


    ? What kind of son would abhor his mother?


    Well¡­ there was a reason for it.


    Clink!


    The door opened and the thrashed Elric came into the house.


    "Mom!" he spoke with teary eyes and ran towards his mother, quickly hugging her as he was extremely scared and felt like he almost died recently.


    "Elric, what happened? What did you do?!" eximed Sophia as he noticed her youngest son''s sorry state filled with dust and blood stters here and there.


    Elric told her everything about how the kids have been bullying him after school and even the teachers who said they''d intervene didn''t do anything about it.


    "Hmph! There''s no point telling her." scoffed Kahn with a disappointed gaze.


    Sophia then cleaned up Elric and put off some bandages in hurry.


    "Okay, honey¡­ I wille to your school tomorrow and deal talk with the principal.


    But for now, mommy''s gotta go. I have an important meetinging up so get rest and we will deal with this whole thing tomorrow, okay?" she said, showing little concern about the whole thing instead of fuming with rage as a normal mother would.


    Like an obedient child, Elric nodded and watched his mother leave the house.


    "Seriously¡­ what kind of mother leaves her child behind after he is traumatized and beaten to a pulp just for some neighborhood wives'' meeting?


    What kind of priorities does this woman have?


    Still pretentious just like I remember it." spoke Kahn with a dejected face.


    The younger Elric couldn''t see through many things because he was just a kid learning from his parents and had no outside-world experience.


    But the grown him knew what was the case.


    His mother aka Sophia Johnson¡­ was a Poser.


    She liked to look good in front of other people in society and always maintain a righteous image of an elite who had a great standing in themunity.


    She cared more about ''What would people in the Society say'' than what was actually happening in the house.


    Instead of consoling her son, she went off to a gathering of neighborhood women who only held kitty parties where they showed off how rich and ssy they were in front of other women.


    Kahn shook his head in indignation, still being resentful of this memory while he saw the young him hiding his fears and anger inside his heart.


    Those were the growing years of his life and as he was born with a very weak constitution, Elric was unable to even fight back for his own sake.


    ----------------


    And in the following hours, Elric asked for help from his older brother David, who was 17 years old and was on his High School''s baseball team. He was also the Pearl of the Eye for his parents since he had a promising talent in his.


    And just as Kahn vividly remembered¡­


    "Man the hell up!"


    Those were the words his brother responded with.


    "Yeah, yeah, sure¡­ you fucking future drug addict!


    Such a reliable brother you are." he scoffed as the scene unveiled in front of him.


    As for talking with his older sister Synthia¡­ Elric didn''t dare bother this emerging Diva who was nothing but an attention seeker.


    ----------------


    Finally, his father Robert Johnson came at night from his work.


    His father was a sales manager in a home appliancespany and was always swarmed with work, leading him toe to the housete at night while being stressed.


    The shocked and shivering Elric then told his dad about today''s incident and asked for his father''s help.


    In response¡­ Kahn recited the words his father told him that day.


    "Don''t bring such small matters inside the house!"

 Chapter 789 Finding Purpose

    As soon as his father''s exact same dismissive words Kahn just spoke now resounded, the young him aka Elric had a frightened and sullen expression.


    On the other side, Robert''s apathetic gazended on Elric, full of contempt and conceit.


    The young and naive Elric couldn''t understand why his father was furious towards him at the moment instead of quickly getting angered at the kids from his ss who bullied him.


    "This bastard¡­ still ming everything on me." spoke Kahn with an exasperated tone.


    The young him back then had no idea why his own father treated him so heartlessly but the older and wiser him had figured out the truth long ago.


    Robert Johnson was always stressed due to work and was actually a very petty man.


    Office life was hard for him despite his position and he also had anger issues. On top of it, he had 3 children.


    Given the fact they lived in a country that was also called the mother of ruthless taxes and overpriced economy aka the United States of America¡­ They were already struggling marily.


    With his good-for-nothing wife who paid more attention to pretenses, he was the one to shoulder all the responsibility and worked hard to the bone.


    But at least, he was proud of his son and daughter because in his opinion, they had a promising future and would make big in life.


    As for Elric¡­ he was the unnned child that was not only born frail and a coward but also couldn''t show any prospects.


    And given his personality¡­ he eventually started redirecting all the stress and anger on his youngest son, ming him for all the misfortunes that befell him and the family.


    This was the reason why Kahn had zero respect for his own family as he grew up.


    Instead of understanding the fact that their youngest son was differentpared to their first two children and raising him with a different approach¡­ both his parents either showed him neglect orbeled him as the root cause of their problems.


    Many times, Elric even felt like he was never their family to begin with.


    "I know I was the unwanted child but this is too much.


    How was it my fault that you guys were suffering in the outside world or had shitty ways to deal with life?" said Kahn in a tone filled with discontent.


    "It''s a parent''s job to shelter and protect their children while upbringing them to be a better person.


    Why are you letting out your frustration on me instead?


    Why did you bring me into this world if you couldn''t afford to raise a 3rd child?!" cursed Kahn loudly as he almost wanted to take a swing at his own father.


    And just like thest time¡­ the meek and distraught Elric silently went into his room, feeling terrible in every possible way.


    ----------------


    At midnight, Elric sneaked on top of the house and used the attic''s window to get on the roof.


    The moon in the sky shone brightly, giving a sense of serenity to the atmosphere. But for Elric, it was as mncholic as it could be.


    Kahn also phased through things and hovered in the air behind the sobbing Elric who could do nothing but whimper in sorrow.


    "These people have scarred me since childhood. If I had better and caring parents, maybe I would''ve grown up to be a different and confident man." he Kahn in an incredulous tone.


    A gust of wind followed and a cold breeze hit the young Elric as he spoke suddenly.


    "You there, mister. Who are you?"


    Shocked!


    Kahn was shocked on the spot as Elric spoke to him for the first time.


    "You¡­ You can see me?" he asked in a bewildered voice.


    "I can. I could see you after they were done beating me this morning.


    Are you a ghost?" asked Elric as he settled his uneven sses.


    To his response, Kahn sighed in relief. Because so far, he felt like there was nothing he could do but relive these old memories while spectating everything happening again without being able to meddle in.


    "Would you believe me if I said I''m you from the future?" replied Kahn with a slight smile.


    "Liar!


    Your hair and eyes are ck. Mine is brown and blue.


    How can you be me from the future?" rebuked the young Kahn aka Elric.


    "Well, I kind of skipped the part to mention that I''m you from the future but also a different world." he responded honestly while folding his hands behind his back.


    "Liar!


    You''re just an imagination. I know they call it a hallucination or something if you hit your head hard.


    It will just go away." said Elric and looked away.


    "Ah¡­ I''m both smart and stupid for my age at the same time." spoke Kahn in helplessness.


    But now, he was at least happy to see that he couldmunicate with the young him in this world from his memories.


    "Listen¡­ I know it''s confusing but I''m not lying.


    I''m indeed you from the future. And I know what''s going to happen.


    So if you listen to me¡­ I''m going to help you get rid of those punks so they won''t bully you." he dered confidently.


    However, his words fell on deaf ears.


    "As if I would believe a ghost. You''re not even real, just a figment of my imagination." spoke Elric, rejecting his proposal.


    "This little shit! He has no respect for the future him." said Kahn as he wanted to p the younger him.


    Still, he told Elric about what was about to happen next week.


    "I''m serious. Your mom and dad aren''t going to help you. They never have and never will.


    It''s always going to be you on your own even in the future.


    So let me help you and at least, you won''t be so miserable like I was." he spoke in a serious tone.


    Nheless¡­ the young brat named Elric paid no heed to this warning.


    ----------------


    The Next Week.


    Gurgle!


    Gurgle!


    "Pfffwaaahh!" Elric groaned as his head was pulled out of a water drum by his bullies.


    Despite Kahn''s warning, he kept believing that his mom woulde through and protect him by meeting the school''s principal.


    But nothing happened and again, he was suffering from his stupid notions as the bullies beat him again.


    Kahn wanted to punch the fuck out of those kids but he couldn''t do anything.


    And the peculiar fact here was that when Elric was suffering while drowning, he was too.


    But he couldn''t touch anything or intervene.


    And after the beating was over and Elric returned home¡­ he berated the dumbass him of the past who just couldn''t muster the courage to stand up for himself.


    "What could I do? If I fight back¡­ then they will hit me and I will be hurt again more painfully.


    If I just keep enduring it, they will get bored and stop bullying me." spoke Elric as his figure was lying on his bed.


    "Yes, they eventually will give up on bullying you.


    But the long-term repercussions are going to be more severe than just physical wounds." spoke Kahn as he reminisced how greatly these incidents during his childhood impacted his mind and personality in the uing years.


    He looked at Elric''s sorry state and then at himself as a revtion hit his mind.


    "I understand now." he said in a determined voice.


    "The purpose of this trial isn''t about the current me helping the young me." his gaze thennded on Elric whose eyes were full of self-doubt and dejection.


    "It''s about the old me choosing to help himself."

 Chapter 790 Taking A Stand

    Kahn finally understood the main purpose behind the trial and why he was in a separate spectral form and not in charge of his own body. The objective was about making the young him take a stand for himself and make an effort to bring out changes in his personality.


    At this moment, he recalled what consequences these incidents had on his personality while growing up.


    Back then, since Elric never received help from anyone or had somebody to cheer and support him while growing up, he had resorted to ''running away'' from his problems while suffering alone.


    Because of this, as he grew up¡­ he ended up seeking afort zone instead of facing adversities and oveing his fears.


    In his previous life, he couldn''t see through these psychological patterns but now with his memories of past life and his position in the current scenario as a 3rd person spectator, he understood how serious the situation was.


    Unlike how many impulsive idiots who quickly jumped to conclusions usually thought¡­


    Real life was not simr to that of a story, a novel or some tv show where a weak-willed person gets bullied, trampled on and abandoned by his own people just to emerge powerful and victoriouster through hard work and sheer effort alone.


    Every single person''s mind worked differently and they adapted to situations based on their outlook on the world and present circumstances.


    Some people emerged better and stronger while many would forfeit their lives to fate instead of fighting back after the world breaks them down from the inside.


    For Kahn as Elric in his past life¡­ he had resorted to escaping from the harsh reality and endured the suffering all alone as he believed that no one actually cared about him and he was inherently weak to even fight back.


    His instinct wasn''t that of a predator but a docile herbivore that couldn''t escape the clutches of his hunters no matter what he did.


    Hence, he subconsciously believed that as long as he didn''t cause trouble for anyone or received someone''s attention whether good or bad¡­ he''d be left alone; unhurt and without any enemies.


    All he had to do was be ''Average'' and ''Mediocre'' while keeping his head down since no one had any sort of big expectations from him to begin with.


    And if he maintained that very approach, he would get by just enough to survive and live peacefully.


    "They really broke my mind back then, huh¡­" spoke Kahn to himself.


    Now that he was used to being powerful, cunning and also determined¡­ Kahn saw through the blooming shorings of his past life which would dictate his future.


    "No, I can''t let it happen again. This time¡­ no matter what I have to do; I won''t let myself be a pushover who was so weak and pathetic that one wouldn''t even bother caring about his existence." he proimed with eyes full of indomitable resolve while exuding a kingly aura.


    ----------------


    2 Days Later.


    The ssic reenactment of bullying started as Elric''s ssmates started thrashing him out of habit.


    This time, 2 more kids had joined for the fun of it.


    "Help me!" Elric shouted while being choked to death by a fat and burly kid who was thrice his body weight.


    "Ha ha ha! Who is he asking for help?


    Have you gone mad, Johnson?" taunted one of the kids.


    Swoom!!


    A pulse of shockwave phased through his spectral form.


    As soon as Elric sought help from him, Kahn felt an indescribable and intangible connection between him and Elric.


    In his mind, Kahn could feel that connection was asking for protection and help that Elric desperately wanted for the first time since he entered this old memory.


    Kahn opened his eyes that were now filled with amazement.


    "I see. It was my own will as the younger me that had expelled the current me outside the body previously when I entered this trial.


    My mindset and willpower werepletely different in my past life and were extremely ipatible and contradictory in terms of ideology.


    Hence, I was thrown out of my body and the direction of the trial itself shifted to a different objective." spoke Kahn to himself as he finally figured out why the changes urred as soon as he took the trial.


    Kahn didn''t waste any extra momentsmenting and quickly stood in front of struggling Elric who was barely able to breathe because of the chokehold over his neck.


    Kahn touched Elric''s forehead and soon, his entire figure was swallowed by an unknown force and dispersed like a fog, inside the head.


    And the next moment he opened his eyes¡­


    ----------------


    20 Minutes Later.


    A big heap of flesh aka the fainted and almost half-dead bodies of the 5 kids aka the bullies appeared on the scene.


    Despite them being children, Kahn didn''t hold back in the slightest as he broke their bones, joints, and beat all of them to pull one by one till the point their faces and eyes were swollen and their clothes were covered in blood.


    Because of his weak body as Elric, it took him some time to adjust and use the minimum stamina he had to strategically and precisely attack his opponent''s weak and vital spots.


    Butpared to Vantrea¡­ the trash bullies of Earth didn''t have any overbearing strength or even fighting techniques.


    So even with these disadvantages in physical strength and endurance¡­ Kahn, who was also the Apostle of the War Deity, took them down one by one.


    Still, he didn''t torture them to death like he always did to his enemies in Vantrea. He didn''t want to give the past him another trauma.


    And during this whole exchange, his will as young Elric was in the backseat and saw that even his weak body could fight these bullies who had been tormenting him for months.


    Kahn, who was sitting on top of these scumbags, spoke in a domineering voice.


    "See¡­ that''s what all there is to bullies.


    You may find yourself weak and frightened at times. But if you decide to take a stand for yourself and once they see that they can''t push you around or control you¡­ they no longer seem scary at all." he spoke to the younger him with a tranquil expression.


    He exited the body and let young Elric take control again.


    "I just want to be just like you." said Elric with an excited expression, feeling assurance and confidence that was long gone from his eyes.


    To his innocent gaze, Kahn ruffled Elric''s hair and responded with a cheerful smile.


    "And I want you to be better."

 Chapter 791 The Decisive Memory

    Kahn faced Elric who was not even half his height at this point as thetter finally decided to make a change in his life, embedding a spark of striving for betterment in his mind.


    "You just saw that even if you''re weak¡­ you can still fight back and protect yourself, didn''t you?" he asked while exuding a charismatic aura.


    Elric nodded in response, feeling ted for the first time.


    "I''m not always going to be around. So in the end, it will be you who has to take a stand for yourself.


    I can teach you. But the important thing is¡­" he spoke in a serious tone.


    "What is the purpose of you bing stronger?


    Will you run away while facing hopelessly intense training?


    Or do you want to face difort and pain for now to be strong in the future?" he questioned solemnly.


    "Do you want to be someone who can not only protect himself but also others who are suffering just like you¡­ Or do you want to keep staying just the way you are now for the rest of your life?" he questioned in a firm tone.


    Why was Kahn asking this question and letting the young Elric make a decision instead of leading the charge by himself to pass the trial?


    Because he had figured out what the young and frightened him from the past needed the most.


    In the end, the 12 year old Elric was but a child who was lost and all by himself.


    Having no one to guide him or teach him the ways of life.


    When a child falls and let''s say they hurt themselves.


    In their perception, when you say ''you''re okay'' and they know they''re not because they are scared or they are hurt¡­ It is very confusing to a child''s mind.


    To know that they''re not okay but the person who''s supposed to tell them ''what''s what'', is telling them that they''re ''fine'' despite knowing they''re not.


    It will always create a state of dilemma in the psyche of a growing child.


    And it''s true for both physically and emotionally etched traumatic experiences or abuses which often end up shaping the entire personality of that child as they grow up.


    So even if all of this was just some trial or some illusion¡­


    Kahn wanted to be that person for the young Elric.


    The Guardian Angel and the Mentor he never had in the previous life.


    And finally, after thinking for a long time¡­ Elric made a decision and spoke.


    "Teach me¡­ how to be strong."


    Kahn nodded in affirmation and shook hands with Elric now that they could corroborate at will.


    ----------------


    2 Months Later.


    A familiar scene appeared in front of Kahn.


    This time, 8 kids were lying on the ground,pletely unconscious while their faces were filled with bruises.


    However, this time¡­ it wasn''t Kahn who did the beating to these kids who suddenly ambushed him while ganging up due to resentment in their hearts.


    Elric was panting heavily while barely having the strength to stand on his feet.


    In the past 2 months, Kahn had been training him like some remnant soul of an ancient master and teaching him self-defense as well as making his body through intense training which eventually raised Elric''s stamina and endurance while giving him instincts to survive multiple enemies stylebat.


    And finally¡­ when this opportunity came, he managed to make a firm stance for himself. His expression was that of containment and relief instead of feeling exhausted or acting like he was victorious.


    For the first time in his life¡­ Elric felt like he wasn''t just some pathetic loser who couldn''t even protect himself.


    "You have done well, my disciple." spoke Kahn as he brushed off his imaginary long white beard with his palm.


    But the very next moment¡­


    Suddenly, the world around Kahn started cascading into transparentyers of ss as hundreds of golden threads emitted from Elric''s body as he himself started glowing like a miniature sun.


    Hispassionate eyes and bright smile gleamed in front of Kahn as the feeling of fulfillment arose in his heart and mind.


    "Thank you¡­ for staying by my side.


    From now on¡­ I will never give up on myself." he spoke in a tone filled with gratitude.


    The golden light aura in the surroundings and Kahn closed his eyes because of this blinding light.


    With a peaceful and joyous expression¡­ Elric had dispersed into the divine light and shot towards the sky.


    ----------------


    Swoosh!


    In the following moments, Kahn opened his eyes and looked around as the dazzling light finally subsided.


    "Is this it? Is this the end of the trial?" wondered Kahn.


    Soon, he felt changes happening to his body and now, Kahn had a solid body instead of some ghost form.


    "I see. Him making the decision was the key to growing a different and firm mindset." he spoke with a sense of aplishment.


    But then¡­ Kahn looked around the surroundings he was currently in.


    Winds howled along with the passing cold breeze. At the time of midnight, in the glitter of lights from skyscrapers and malls along with multiple vibrant neon signs; the city life kept running as usual.


    Amongst these sky-touching buildings and millions of people going about their lives, stood a man at the edge of the highest roof in one of such office buildings. He heaved a sigh, looked towards the bright moon and closed his eyes. Thinking and contemting how and why his life came to be this way.


    Kahn, who saw this brown-haired man with sses while wearing a blue office coat who now stood close to the ledge of the parapet; shuddered in fear instantly.


    "Man, why am I the only one living so miserably? Will anything for once, go the right way for me?


    Why am I the only one always getting the short end of the stick?


    It''s as if the world itself is trying to tell me that I really don''t matter at all." spoke this man with a tone filled with grief and desperation.


    Kahn was terrified at this moment because how could he forget the most decisive day of his previous life?


    The one in front of him was the person whose single decision changed Kahn''s destiny.


    This ce, this environment and this scene were etched in his mind vividly since it was the memory¡­


    Of the night hemitted suicide.

 Chapter 792 Lingering Regrets

    Strong gusts of wind hit his body as Elric was partially in a trance while affirming his resolve to jump down from the edge. The worst day of his life had broken his will to live and give up on everything as a living human being.


    Step!


    And finally, with a loud step, he stood over the ledge and looked down below at the street and the bustling crowd.


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as a cold breeze trickled on his face, speaking in a depressed voice¡­


    "Man, what a pathetic life it was".


    However, unlike thest time in his story¡­ an anomaly urred.


    "It''s not worth it." spoke a man in ck and blue longcoat attire of nobility and a warrior mixed together.


    "She wasn''t worth it." he spoke in a solemn voice.


    "Your family wasn''t worth it." he walked forth and stood behind Elric who was still on the ledge.


    "You¡­ Who are you?" asked the stifled Elric who had a pale expression as he was crying from the past 7 hours.


    But with that question alone, Kahn understood that this grown-up Elric and the younger Elric were from separate memories and had no connection between them.


    "I''m you, but stronger." responded Kahn while revealing a mysterious aura.


    "But who is ''I''m you, but stronger''?" asked the confused Elric.


    Kahn rolled his eyes in response and leaned towards the parapet beside Elric.


    "Don''t! If youe close, I''ll jump for real!" eximed Elric.


    "Yeah, I know you will." responded Kahn as he gave a lifeless expression.


    "Because you already did."


    ----------------


    Soon, Kahn started a casual and random small talk instead of trying to deter Elric from jumping down.


    Because at this moment in his mind¡­ at this moment, he hade to understand why things transpired that day the way they did.


    This was the truth Kahn hadn''t figured out back when hemitted suicide.


    But now from a 3rd person''s view and his old memories¡­ there was much more story behind why he decided tomit suicide that night.


    It wasn''t just loneliness, heartbreak or depression but a culmination of too many emotions and failures in his life that pushed the old him aka Elric to the edge.


    And finally, Kahn decided to address the important topic.


    "I know of your suffering. I know you have been desperate and yearning for love andpanionship all your life.


    And yet, you chose to run away from reality because you were afraid of being hurt again. You were scared that you would be abandoned in the end just like your parents did.


    Since childhood, you were all alone by yourself." he spoke in a crestfallen voice.


    "Who are you?! How do you know so much about me?" asked Elric in bewilderment.


    "Come down and I will tell you everything." replied Kahn nonchntly as if he didn''t really care if Elric jumped or not.


    This made even Elric feel like something was happening behind the curtain.


    But in reality¡­ Kahn was just fooling his oversuspicious old him. Naturally, he knew his own personality back then so he tricked Elric into overthinking his approach.


    However¡­ Elric didn''t move even with the risk of falling with a single strong breeze.


    Watching his conduct, Kahn sighed and spoke.


    "Reading those mangas, novels and watching those anime, movies and tv shows were just a distraction to the core problem.


    You were suffocating inside. And you used them to escape reality temporarily.


    However¡­ it never solved the deep psychological trauma and issues you had even after all these years.


    And tonight¡­ it became unbearable." he spoke with a gloomy voice as he directly gazed into Elric''s eyes.


    The dazzling moon in the sky and the cold breeze in this tranquil atmosphere fluttered both of their clothes but at this moment, both Elric and Kahn felt an indescribable form of connection between them.


    "Before you make that decision to jump down¡­ Let me tell you a story." said Kahn, his tall figure standing firmly and revealing an enigmatic aura.


    He iterated again¡­


    "Let me tell you¡­ ''OUR'' story."


    ----------------


    3 Hours Later.


    Kahn told him the truth and everything that happened after hemitted suicide as Elric.


    His reincarnation by God of Darkness, his entry in Vantrea, the subordinates, close friends and allies he made in his new life as well as his gradual journey to the present moment when he took the trial.


    Kahn did not hide a single thing from Elric learning from his experience with the young Elric from before.


    The brown-haired, blue-eyed and spectacles-wearing Elric was overwhelmed after hearing all of this information.


    "So you mean I''m not real? And this is just a test from your¡­ from ''our'' memory?" he asked in a skeptical tone.


    And all Kahn could do was nod.


    "Ha ha ha!


    It sounds messed up." suddenly, Elricughed as if this was some kind of joke.


    "So you''re telling me that you reincarnated into a different world like those novels and still didn''t make it big despite being some sort of ''Protagonist'' halo around you?


    Which kind of a noob and pretentious moron of an author wrote this novel then?


    You''re not following any standard story pattern I''ve ever read or could imagine." heughed off, attempting to provoke Kahn in a way to check his ims.


    "It is true. Unexpectedly, I''m not following any standard isekai story trope.


    I don''t even have half the important and necessary information about the world I''m in even till this point." spoke Kahn truthfully.


    "Tell me something¡­ what do you expect from this ''new'' life?" asked Elric in a somber tone.


    Kahn chuckled and gazed at the bright moon in the sky.


    "Even I don''t know.


    I''m just trying relentlessly to survive and hide until I no longer have to.


    I just do not want to live the same way ''we'' did in the past.


    I have many things I wanted to do differently. Both on Earth and Vantrea.


    But things such as Fate and Destiny are mysterious things that cannot be fathomed by anyone.


    No matter how smart I act or n for everything... I cannot control what''s happening outside in the world.


    I''m not an omnipotent or omniscient god, you know." he replied with a sorrowful gaze.


    "So I will eventually seek to be more than what I am today.


    And I don''t wish to stop till I no longer need to hide or fear anyone.


    As for what higher purpose or goal there is to life¡­


    I will search for it once I have everything else." he replied and a light smile appeared on Kahn''s face.


    "I see. In other words..." spoke Elric as he too found this situation ironic.


    "We''re still confused in another life as well."


    Unlike the young him, Elric had seen more of the world and was mature at this point.


    Thanks to Kahn, he hade out of his depressed statepletely after hearing about his adventures in the ''new'' life and could finally let go of his anger and hatred at himself and his ''current'' life.


    "If what you''ve told me is indeed the real truth; for your sake and mine¡­" said Elric as he revealed a resolute and confident expression after hearing Kahn''s and his own ''future'' story. And finally, he made a life-changing decision.


    "I won''t make the same mistake again." he dered.


    "And I hope you don''t ruin your second chance as well." spoke Elric, his countenance showing that he was convinced as he came down from the ledge and looked at Kahn who was taller than him.


    He then shook Kahn''s hand and spoke in an appreciative tone.


    "Thank you¡­ for being the person who came for me in the lowest moment of my life.


    The one I needed the most at this point.


    And I want to ask you to do something for both of our sake." he said with an amicable smile.


    "Do what?" questioned Kahn with a suspicious gaze.


    "It''s okay... You can let it go now."


    Those were Elric''sst words as he turned into a gray fog and entered Kahn''s palm where they had been shaking hands.


    Elric''s figure faded into nothingness as Kahn was bamboozled.


    "What did he mean by those words?" he wondered.


    Hum!


    Hum!


    In the very next moment, a surge of heavy and indescribable feelings hit Kahn''s mind as a tsunami of emotions appeared in his consciousness.


    For the next couple of minutes, Kahn was speechless and frozen on the spot with his eyes closed.


    Hatred, anger, self-doubt, pity, helplessness, the feeling of never being good enough as well as regret of never making necessary changes to achieve happiness in life... All those emotions hit Kahn''s consciousness.


    And finally, when he opened his eyes, he intently gazed at the sky filled with bright stars and moon and spoke in a crestfallen voice¡­


    "Man, I hate these kinds of trials. Who the hell wants to do soul searching at this point." he said like he detested this scenario created by this trial.


    But soon¡­ two drops of tears appeared in his eyes, slowlying down towards his jaw while Kahn himself clenched his fists tightly.


    After so many years since being summoned in Vantrea¡­ Kahn genuinely cried for the first time from the depth of his heart.


    What did Elric mean by hisst words? What emotions did he convey to Kahn after he was absorbed by thetter?


    "I''m still so pathetic. Even after dying and reincarnating¡­ Even after getting a 2nd chance at life¡­


    I still can''t let go of my past life''s lingering regrets." he spoke in a heavy tone.


    "Elric was right. What''s the point of living a new life if I am still shackled by the regrets and mistakes of my past?" he spoke in a somber tone.


    As the moments passed, his pitiful countenance started changing.


    "It''s time I let go. It''s time¡­" said Kahn.


    He wiped off his tears and revealed a content expression as he spoke with a resolute mind with a feeling as if he was reborn.


    "To move on."

 Chapter 793 Second Part Of Trial

    After finally embracing his past and letting go of his lingering regretspletely¡­ Kahn was left with a gloomy and dejected expression.


    Swoom!


    Soon, the surge of blinding white light shed before him and the next moment he opened his eyes, he was back inside the final floor where he previously stood.


    However, Kahn did not speak anything or revealed an ted expression after passing the first part of the trial, rather he was as solemn as one could be.


    At this moment¡­ It felt like a mountainous burden was lifted from Kahn''s heart and he had finally found peace within himself. His countenance was that of a man who had just been reborn again and moved on in life.


    Finally, after absorbing all the happenings during the trial and letting go of his past life regrets in the next couple of minutes, Kahn spoke again¡­


    "How much time has passed?"


    Omega among the group responded in a somber voice.


    "Master, it has been more than 2 hours since you went inside that door."


    Kahn nodded as this was something he already expected. He then queried again after gazing at Aragorn, the Prince of the Elven Empire who hid himself perfectly till this point as Edmund Thandruil.


    "When did hee out?"


    But this time¡­ all of Kahn''s subordinates had a terrified expressions.


    "Only after 10 minutes." responded ckwall in a heavy and rustic voice.


    At this revtion, even Kahn was taken aback and his eyes widened in surprise.


    [This bastard¡­ He definitely knows more about the trial even than Vildred.


    Well, since he is the prince¡­ then he had ess to critical information about the trials and how to pass them.] hemented while running down a few possible reasons about why Aragorn was so quick in his mind.


    [The main question is¡­ why didn''t the High Elf imperial familye here before and control Vildred in the past thousand years?


    Is there a reason why they sent only previous Heroes of Life including Ervalen?


    Dammit, I hatecking key information.] he thought and fixed his gaze on the Elven Prince.


    In the present scenario, Kahn could conclude the cause of their predicament only on one anomaly.


    The main reason why Aragorn was able to enter the final floor¡­ It was themselves.


    Kahn and his crew had cleared the way for Aragorn till now and killed all the floor bosses for him so thetter never needed to fight them by himself.


    [As for the Hero''s Party¡­ Why didn''t Aragorne with them instead?


    Could it be that he is here for his own reasons, has different motives and he didn''t enter on the orders of the imperial n?


    There is definitely something fishy going on.] hypothesized Kahn again.


    [Dammit! All these many abilities but I still don''t have a single mind-reading skill.


    I need to find out something that we can use to our advantage.


    Otherwise¡­ I''m as good as dead.]


    ----------------


    Now that the mood was set, Vildred spoke in a thunderous voice while exuding a terrifying aura.


    "Now that both of you are here¡­ It''s time for the 2nd part of the trial.


    The Trial of Mind was the first part.


    And now¡­" he spoke in a ghastly tone.


    "It''s the trial of Endurance." he dered in a majestic voice.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn.


    Vildred then spoke to borate the rules of the 2nd part of the trial.


    "You have to withstand 5 strikes from me.


    First will be done at 10% of my power. And every other will be increased with the increment of 10% again.


    Means thest strike will be 50% of my overall strength." he exined.


    However, Kahn was left speechless.


    [Boy¡­ this is not good. Although Vildred is only at 6th stage saint power level now¡­ he is a Royal Dragon in the end.


    His strength is no different than a peak 7th stage saint even if he is using only half his strength.] warned Rathnaar in a somber voice.


    Kahn had an ashen expression after hearing this information.


    "The purpose of the trial is to test your physical body''s endurance.


    You can use armor, magical artifacts, magic formations or any other means to survive this trial.


    As long as you don''t die during the 5 strikes from me¡­ you will pass the test." he iterated.


    Soon, the mncholic atmosphere of this floor started bustling with sparks and lightning bolts in the dark sky.


    "Since Ipleted the trial first, it should be given that I get to face it first." suddenly, Aragorn spoke with a haughty expression.


    "As you wish. Stand there." said Vildred and soon, a 5 kilometers radius disk-like tform appeared a dozen kilometers away in the sky, made of an unknown metal even to Kahn and ckwall.


    Aragorn flew andnded in the middle. And without waiting for long, the lightning dragon emperor charged his attack.


    But the very next moment¡­


    Aragorn used a particr artifact to create an ancient rank formation, just simr to the glowing formations ones surrounding this entire floor of 60 kilometers that has trapped Vildred.


    "This conniving bastard!" raged Kahn as soon as he saw the artifact.


    Because the elven prince was using the imperial n''s bloodline token.


    Bang!


    BOOM!!


    A blinding and destructive lightning strike hit from the sky. However, only the surrounding area was damaged.


    As for Aragorn¡­ he just stood inside the protection barrier as not a single hair on his head was touched.


    "He''s cheating!" shouted Kahn.


    To his im, Aragorn only smirked and spoke in a  shameless tone.


    "The trial rules didn''t mention that I was prohibited from using it.


    Why do you think my great-grandfather created this token in the first ce?" he questioned with a smirk.


    Because of the Maskaanxavir formation¡­ the user of the imperial n''s token who carried the blood of the creator, cannot be killed by Vildred and his attacks can''t harm the user even if it was done in the name of the trial.


    This was a big loophole Aragorn was exploiting at this moment.


    Even Vildred was thoroughly infuriated but had to follow the rules of the trial and keep attacking Aragorn.


    As an aftermath¡­ the nearby 10 kilometers of the area was turned into smithereens. Most of it was either obliterated or turned into small sand grains because of his lightning attacks.


    Yet to no avail¡­ the Elven Prince waspletely scratch-free.


    Now, even Kahn felt a chill in his bones as Aragorn easily passed this part of the trial.


    "It was good knowing you, Ragnarsson." mocked Aragorn with a smug smile.


    And now¡­ it was Kahn''s turn to face those horrifying and lethal attacks.


    When Kahn was brought on the same tform, he made up his mind.


    "Well, since he is cheating and using loopholes in the rules¡­" Kahn spoke and revealed a devilish smirk.


    "I''ll show him who''s a better Cheater."

 Chapter 794 The Hackerman

    After Aragorn Travion Saar Insalor aka the prince of the Zivot Empire shamelessly cheated and passed the 2nd part of the trial of Commandment of Fellowship¡­ Kahn, Rathnaar and all the subordinates had fuming expressions as they helplessly watched the elven prince treating this matter as if it was an expected result.


    But what could they even do? Because Aragorn was basically untouchable even by Vildred inside the Immortal Dungeon.


    Just then¡­ Kahn also revealed a resolute expression as a n hatched in his mind on the spot.


    "The trial prohibits you or anyone from interfering in any way, right?" he gazed and asked Vildred whose titanic body was 5 kilometers away but still appeared humongous.


    "Yes. Neither I nor anyone can interfere. Otherwise, you will pass the trial by default.


    But do mind it, you can''t bend the rules and use your allies to obstruct it. It is still seen as breaking the rules." iterated the dragon emperor with an aghast voice.


    "I see. So if I''m using some sort of skill and youter figure out its weakness, you can''t stop me from using it again, right?" Kahn questioned again with a curious gaze.


    Vildred only nodded in affirmation.


    "Good thing. Now I''m ready." said Kahn as he gave his space ring and clothes to Omega while preparing to face the trialpletely naked.


    In the end, he didn''t want his Legendary rank gear to get destroyed during the trial.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Hundreds of lightning bolts rumbled in the sky and their thunderous noises resounded on the entire floor as Vildred decided to use 10% of his strength to make the first strike.


    BANG!!


    The first lightning bolt, which was 10 meters in width alone hit Kahn''s body who hadn''t put up any resistance or activated any of his defensive abilities.


    BOOM!!


    An ear-deafening explosion urred as right in front of everyone''s eyes¡­ Kahn''s entire body was pulverized, turning into ash.


    His flesh, bones and organs were instantly incinerated, leaving nothing behind.


    Even Vildred was taken aback because in the very first strike¡­


    Kahn died.


    ----------------


    "Hah! This generation''s Hero of Darkness was so disappointing." spoke Vildred with an obvious look of conceit.


    Facepalm!


    Even Aragorn also facepalmed himself.


    "Did I guess wrong? Was he not actually a chosen Hero?


    How could he not have a single life-saving skill?" he wondered because he too was unable to ept this fact.


    However¡­ none of Kahn''s subordinates revealed any sorrowful expressions or showed surprise.


    Thump!


    Thump!


    And just then¡­ on the sizzling metallic tform, the smoke finally dispersed as Kahn''s head and his beating heart was revealed.


    Thump!


    Thump!


    "Wait¡­ why are his head and heart still intact?" asked Aragorn in a baffled tone.


    In the following moments¡­ Both Kahn''s head and heart started levitating in the air and floated close to each other.


    Soon, hundreds of fleshly veins and cells starteding out of his heart and head which still had his face untouched, connecting and forming a nervous system.


    Bones came from his head and formed a spinal cord, then rib cage and internal organs one by one while precisely connecting the organ tissues and positioning themselves in a predetermined order.


    This phenomenon was so fast that the entire process only took 1 minute until Kahn''s fully developed naked body was formed in front of everyone,pletely as good as new.


    "What is this?!" eximed Aragorn in bewilderment.


    "What kind of abilities are those?!" mored Vildred with a bbergasted countenance.


    "I don''t need to exin them to you, do I?" Kahn smirked, paying them no attention.


    Obviously, he wouldn''t let out this secret in front of the elven prince and the royal dragon, both of whom were their enemies.


    In truth¡­ At this moment, Kahn was using the Dimensional Shift skill from the Dimensional Law divine ability to put his heart and head inside the true dimension.


    And then used Psychokinesis/Telekinesis to lift them high in the air.


    And finally, he used the Legendary Rank Instant Regeneration skill which he got from Cthulhu just 10 days ago to regenerate his entire body from scratch.


    This was the bestbination of skills he could use to stay alive.


    Also, the trial rules clearly stated that he had to survive the trial and not die in the meantime. It didn''t mean he had to physically defend himself against Vildred''s attacks at all.


    And although 95% of his body was destroyed in the process as Kahn felt unbearably excruciating pain¡­ it still didn''t break the rules since he hadn''t died for real.


    [Good idea, boy. I''m sure Vildred must be associating it with your divine abilities.


    But even he isn''t aware of your dimensionalw divine ability skill. Since no other hero chose it before.]mended Rathnaar.


    [Let''s not give him a chance to guess the reason.] said Kahn.


    "Again!" shouted Kahn with a confident gaze in front of the dragon emperor.


    Vildred attacked again, this time using 20% of his total strength.


    And just like before, Kahn was cremated on the spot again but still returned to his former state after some time.


    Unlike Aragorn, he wasn''t relying on external sources such as the bloodline token to protect himself.


    Rather suffering immense pain as his entire body was exploding and turned to ash and repeating the process akin to Resurrection.


    What Kahn didn''t know was that although he didn''t have any resurrection-type divine ability like Axel or Ervalen¡­ he had just as an amazing alternativebo.


    Although he didn''t have extra lives¡­ he was fully capable of surviving like an undying cockroach at this point.


    Soon, one after another¡­ the Vildred''s devastating attacks that were more than enough to level an entire city with a single strike, destroyed the 30 kilometers of perimeter as the dragon emperor was enraged and revealed his battle strength, easily demolishing half of the floor which was basically devastated more than it already was.


    However¡­ Kahn still survived and regenerated himself again and again albeit at the cost of suffering from excruciating and agonizing pain.


    But the current Kahn was someone with the mental fortitude of a Sage who had lived for thousands of years. Even this unbearable and horrifying form of death did not break his resolve and willpower.


    After watching this predicament, even the elven prince was left speechless.


    Aragorn was exploiting the rules to pass the trial, but Kahn¡­ he went 10 steps ahead and used an out-of-the-box method.


    Aragorn passed the trial using the loopholes in the terms and conditions.


    But Kahn... He was hacking the entire game.

 Chapter 795 The Final Trial

    Kahn recovered after the final strike and summoned his clothes as well as the space ring back again as he royally passed the 2nd part of the trial like a boss.


    Even Vildred couldn''t link this method to him using the Space Force to survive and resurrect himself again and again.


    Because Dimensional Shift didn''t exude a single trace of space force to the outside world when he shifted his body parts or organs to the true dimension and the instant regeneration skill in itself was a big distraction as it made an extremely quick recovery of the entire physique in matter of minutes.


    [Divine Ability! He definitely has some sort of resurrection rted divine ability.


    Means I couldn''t kill him in the first ce.] thought Vildred, oblivious to the fact that all he needed to do was seal the space around this floor to kill Kahn.


    Aragorn on the other end had a visibly irritated expression.


    "You sure have some tricks, Ragnarsson.


    But fret not, it won''t make any difference." he spoke haughtily. But unlike pretentious upstuck morons, his confidence was warranted.


    Clearly, he already knew what was going to be the 3rd and final part of the trial and prepared for it beforehand.


    "Vildred, let''s start it." he spoke.


    The Dragon Emperor then nodded and soon, he started chanting something in the previously spoken unknownnguage.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    Soon, hundreds of round ancient archaic formations, each one being 5 meters in height, having elven runes and patterns running across them came into sight and parted into two sides.


    Kahn and Aragorn had a long queue of magical formations, identical to each other and floating in front of them with their respective positions a few kilometers away.


    Two hundred of them glowed brightly in front of him and the elven prince.


    "This¡­ is the trial of Wisdom." dered the dragon emperor.


    "The one to find the ws and fix these formations in the sessive order would win the trial and also invoke the Commandment of Fellowship." he spoke, his voice sounding dejected and indignant.


    However¡­ Kahn was stupefied after hearing the format of this trial.


    " What nonsense is this?!


    Isn''t this trial basically saying only Mages and Enchanters, who have knowledge of magic formations and runes will win the trial?


    How is this even a fair trial?!" mored Kahn, his voice filled with aggravation.


    "Hey, I didn''t set the terms of the trial.


    I''m the victim and the prisoner of this trial here, remember?" rebuked Vildred.


    s, Kahn was simply exasperated and did not hide the knot of disdain in his brows.


    Why?


    Because he was still an Intermediate Magician with limited knowledge of magic formations.


    Although one of his doppelgangers was studying magic and had Solomon''s books to study from¡­ the fact always remained that Kahn had no teacher or an experienced mentor when it came to magic.


    Thus, his rank was still stagnant even after 2 years ever since he started studying magic.


    Even the blessings from the war deity such as Weapon Mastery and Combat Techniques Mastery could only help him progress and perfect his skills to a degree. The progression in the rank woulde only after receiving enlightenment that came naturally.


    And to understand and decipher these formations made in ancient elven runes¡­ he would need to be at least a Saint Rank mage and need deep study and ess to books in this field regarding archaic formation magic.


    Hence, Kahn was in apletely disadvantageous situation.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    But while he was lost in thoughts¡­


    Aragorn confidently started on his side and quickly deciphered the first 2yers of formations, fixing them using his mana and world energy within just 10 seconds.


    [Fuck! We''re as good as dead!] cursed Kahn with a hateful countenance.


    Just then, a voice resounded in his mind.


    [Master¡­ let me guide you.]


    ----------------


    At this moment, the one to speak in Kahn''s mind was none other than Ceril, their magic expert among his generals.


    So far in Zivot Empire since they started the Misthios mercenary guild, Ceril was mostly busy working for high-end jobs and didn''t get enough resources to experiment his Necromancy skills on various subjects as he was always surrounded by people working under him.


    However, he didn''t spend his time sitting idly and spent most of his free time studying the elven magic that was practiced particrly in this empire.


    He often practiced high-tier and Saint Rank spells, studied magic formations, enchanting skills and even learned many old and terrifying spells, all on his own.


    Although he didn''t have ess to ancient elven grimoires since they were well-guarded secrets of the High Elves, his attainment was still incrediblepared to Kahn.


    And now that the situation arose¡­ he decided to help Kahn through their innate mental connection.


    [How confident are you?] asked Kahn.


    [I will be able to guide you toplete at least 159 of them.


    The rest are beyond my current capabilities.] spoke Ceril truthfully.


    "Dammit! This is going wrong in every possible way." spoke Kahn loudly.


    Hearing his words from afar, even Aragorn couldn''t help but chuckle.


    However, after contemting for a few minutes¡­ Kahn started the trial on his own ord for some reason.


    With Ceril''s guidelines, he was also slowly finding the ws in magic formations that floated in front of him and using his world energy, he waspleting them in session.


    But unlike him¡­ Aragorn was just too fast and incredibly quick to fix them.


    Meanwhile, Vildred had an incredulous expression.


    Because in the end, whether it was Kahn or Aragorn¡­ he would be bound to either of them.


    Kahn was a chosen Hero of God, the kind he deeply hated; while Aragorn was a High Elf, a blood descendant of the very person who partook in the ambush and sealed him here for a thousand years, someone he had long rivalry towards.


    For Kahn, it meant survival.


    For Aragorn¡­ controlling Vildred was a desperate measure he needed for his own unknown reasons which none had any hint of even now.


    But for Vildred¡­ it was like someone putting a leash on his neck like a ve.


    The fate he would not ept as a prideful member of the Dragon species.


    A Royal Dragon like him would rather choose death than be turned into someone''s servant who mindlessly followed orders.


    [Should I¡­ destroy my core and die?] he wondered himself.


    In the passing few minutes, Vildred resolved to kill himself as this seemed to be the old way out.


    2 Hours Later.


    With the passage of time, Aragorn justpleted the 195th formation while Kahn could only do the 150th. The difference between their knowledge and skill was clearly speaking for itself.


    As the order of formations increased, theplexity of the formation, their ws and patterns also arose by manyfolds. Thus it took longer for both sides.


    If not for Ceril guiding Kahn, he wouldn''t have managed to even clear the first 20 formations.


    However, unlike Kahn¡­ Aragorn was deeply entranced and highly focused as it was a critical situation for him.


    At this moment, Aragorn was in a state where he couldn''t afford to make the slightest mistake, otherwise the formation would be destroyed and it would blow up to the point that even he, a 5th stage saint, could be gravely injured from the bacsh.


    Although he had the advantage, he still didn''t want to take any risks or be ignorant.


    For him¡­ it was a matter of his life and death if he failed to win the trial.


    ----------------


    10 Minutes Later.


    Aragorn finally finished the formation and was fixated on the next one, having the victory within his reach.


    And Kahn on the other end, was still stuck on the one he was solving.


    Yet the very next moment¡­


    Kahn let go of his own formation and the formation before him dispersed into thin air.


    Kahn¡­ lost the trial.


    [Yes! Now I have only 4 more to go and I will win the trial without a doubt!] thought Aragorn with a victorious feeling emanating from his body.


    HUM!


    "Nevaldka Sor Buia Hdali Jivskal!"


    Vildred suddenly spoke loudly.


    "Nevaldka Sor Buia Hdali Jivskal!"


    And this time, it was Kahn who repeated the same words.


    Soon, Vildred started chanting words in his ancient Draconian dialect and Kahn kept repeating those exact words after him.


    [What''s happening? What are they doing?] thought Aragorn with an rmed expression, his focus almost dwindling and he nearly lost control over the formation.


    However, he couldn''t afford to take a step back or the consequences would be dire for him because of the bacsh.


    Hum!


    Hum!


    Humming sounds echoed in the surroundings and a wisp of Kahn''s soul that had a sky blue hue around it emerged from his heart aka the core while a bright and dark blue wisp, many times bigger than Kahn''s suddenly came out of Vildred''s chest.


    These two wisps instantly shot towards each other and quickly started mixing together.


    And right when Aragorn was done finishing thest formation and officially winning the trial¡­


    Bang!


    The bloodline token in his hand was destroyed, turning into dust.


    ng!


    tter!


    Crumble!


    The thousands of ancient and unbreakable chains that tied the dragon emperor suddenly became visible again and started corroding and crumbling from the inside.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    And right before Aragorn could even get a grasp of the happenings¡­


    Vildred roared and dered in an ted and tyrannical voice.


    "Finally¡­ I''m free!!"

 Chapter 796 The Negotiator

    1 HOUR AGO


    While both human saints were contending the final part of the trial of Commandment of Fellowship, many things were happening behind the scene that were unknown to the elven prince.


    With each passing moment, Vildred was pushed over the edge as both Kahn and Aragorn were solving and fixing the ws of each magic formation in the final test because the way things looked¡­ he was going to be turned into a ve no matter who won.


    On top of it¡­ Aragorn was in lead and clearly prepared beforehand as he could easily solve most of the archaic formations.


    A feeling of dread welled up in his kind.


    Because if things went as they guessed¡­ Aragorn, a blood descendant of the person who sealed him here, was sure to win.


    However, right at this moment when Vildred was anxious and on tip of his toes¡­ a secret transmission resounded in his head.


    [Listen, you old fool! Let go of your stubbornness and help us out!


    Otherwise, we will be dead and you will be enved by the High Elves till yourst moment.] the peak saint aka Rathnaar''s voice resounded in the dragon emperor''s mind.


    Because although there were no Good or Right sides, there was one thing inmon for both Vildred and Kahn. That Aragorn was an enemy whom both of them detested and had to get rid of.


    [I can''t interfere with the trial in any way. And I can''t hurt him either because of the restrictions ced on my body and soul.


    Besides, it''s not like this Hero of Darkness is an ally to me either.] resounded Vildred in a ghastly tone.


    [Then I have an idea. But you will have to make a small sacrifice on your end.] spoke Rathnaar and revealed in a stoic voice.


    [The Maskaanxavir formation has bound your Soul inside this dungeon, right?


    And even the archaic formations and runes can only restrict your body if you attack the high elf.


    So what if we changed the root of the problem itself?] he proposed in an insidious and cunning tone.


    [What are you suggesting?] asked Vildred while hiding his expression from the outside world.


    [Let''s cut iron with iron and neutralize poison with another poison.] he iterated.


    [At the end of the day, the Commandment of Fellowship ced with Maskaanxavir formation was made by the Deity of Subjugation.


    And the only way to overpower it is by using another spell of the same level. And in the current situation¡­ you know which spells or contracts would work the best without you or us suffering any loss.] said Rathnaar with an evil grin.


    [Like hell I''ll go with any of those! The only choice we have now is that contract!] raged the dragon emperor in an indignant voice.


    [You think I want this?! If the prince wins, he''ll be your master and have you kill us all to maintain secrecy. This is not favorable for us in any way either.


    But at least this way¡­ both of us will get out of here alive rather than being at the mercy of that high elf brat.] rebuked Rathnaar and spoke again in amending tone.


    [As I said before, we are not associated with any Gods and although Kahn is a chosen Hero¡­ he is not engaged in their war or worships the God of Darkness.


    So choose the Lesser Evil.] said Rathnaar, putting the royal dragon in a dilemma.


    What Vildred didn''t know was that Rathnaar had been waiting for this moment as soon as Kahn started the trial.


    He didn''t even bother telling Kahn about this because of the risk of Kahn losing his focus and failing the trial at the very start.


    And now that Aragorn was progressing at an astounding speed, even Vildred''s mind was in turmoil, making him unable to think straight due to nervousness.


    However, as time passed and Aragorn finally reached the 190th magic formation without any trouble in just 1 and a half hours, the dragon emperor finally lost his patience.


    He could no longer afford to wait it out in the hopes of the high elf prince failing the trial.


    Through Rathnaar, he conveyed his message.


    [Boy¡­ I have a n. But know that it won''t be favorable to us either.] said Rathnaar as he revealed the results of the negotiations with Vildred.


    [What the hell! Something like that could be done?


    But the terms¡­ I''m not getting out any major benefit from it.


    Let''s renegotiate.] he spoke while hiding his surprise lest Aragorn sensed something was amiss.


    [You stupid brat! Do you think it was easy to make Vildred agree to this?


    Do you not want to stay alive?!] berated the first emperor.


    [Although we''re both in a sinking boat¡­ at least our side has the means to survive for longer.


    At this speed¡­ Aragorn will finish the trial within half an hour.


    So ce my terms in front of him.] replied Kahn and gave a new set of terms.


    [You shameless bastard! Your appetite is too big!] even Rathnaar was amazed by Kahn''s terms.


    Even in the time of crisis, Kahn was still a hardcore businessman.


    And as soon as Rathnaar ryed his message¡­ Vildred almost threw up blood.


    [Preposterous! Does this child not know what he is asking?!


    Does he want to die by my own hands?!] he red up in rage but still contending his killing aura at Kahn.


    But as soon as Aragornpleted the 197th formation, his expression paled, feeling even more anxious.


    [Fine! I''ll do it.]


    ----------------


    Since time was of the essence and Aragorn was stuck with thest set of formations¡­ Vildred suddenly started chanting in ancient Draconian that was known only to Royal Dragons as he prepared a spell for a Soul-Oath between him and Kahn.


    However, this soul oath was nothing simr to the one between Kahn and Rathnaar. Rather¡­ it had good as well as restrictive terms and conditions set for both sides.


    And finally, as soon as they established a soul contract by merging the wisps of their souls, forming a new bond¡­ Vildred''s entire Soul Signature changed.


    [It''s working!] eximed Rathnaar, the main Negotiator of this deal as he saw Vildred being freed from the Maskaanxavir Formation.


    At this moment, the Elven prince was perplexed after this sudden turn of events, unable to understand what the hell just happened right now.


    What he didn''t know was that unbeknownst to him, Kahn and Vildred yed an underhanded move instead of waiting for the trial to end and used an ancient spell made by the Deity of Subjugation. Also called as¡­


    The Contract of Familiarity.

 Chapter 797 Deitys Contract

    Now that the Dragon Emperor was freed from the bindings of the ancient Maskaanxavir formation and was no longer at the mercy of the trial of Commandment of Fellowship, the situation had overturned in their favor while the Elven Prince aka Aragorn''s mind was dibobted because of this sudden turn of events.


    Although it looked like Vildred suddenly performed an ancient spell out of nowhere¡­ only Rathnaar here knew that Vildred had a unique ss that Kahn or Aragorn had no idea about.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Vildred''s ginormous figure which was no smaller than a few of the tallest mountains on earth, stood on his hind legs and widely spread his 6 wings while revealing a majestic aura.


    "Let''s be quick, child. I won''t stay free for long. Let''s officiate Contract of Familiarity and leave this ce." he spoke in a hurried tone as Kahn was also fully prepared.


    "Since you''re the contractor, my rank and levels will be tied to yours until I regain my original strength of an 8th stage royal dragon.


    So I hope you can keep your promise." spoke Vildred.


    "Yes. I will honor my oath as long as you honor yours after I have delivered on my promise." responded Kahn with a content expression.


    This was the key difference between the Commandment of Fellowship and the Contract of Familiarity, both of which were created by the Deity of Subjugation.


    The former made a ve out of the subject while thetter put both parties on an equal level and made them codependent on each other.


    Previously, Vildred wouldn''t even think of it because everyone who came here before wanted to enve him just like Hero of Life and Aragorn.


    But for the first time, Kahn was an oddity who was in the same crisis as him.


    In their case, Kahn was the Contractor since their objective was to change the Soul Signature of Vildred so he could get freed from Maskaanxavir Formation which was imprinted on his soul temporarily.


    And now that he was free from it, they were going to make a drastic change in his entire being to nullify the effects of the archaic formation once and for all.


    Both of their lives were under an oath which would also affect their future in this world.


    The stronger Kahn became, the more strength Vildred would be able to recover in the uing future.


    And once Kahn himself became a 6th stage saint, Vildred would start raising his own levels to get back to his peak form.


    So in a manner, Vildred was now more like a Contracted Familiar for Kahn but who was more of an Ally instead of a tamed beast ve or a ve.


    As for the deal Kahn made with Vildred which was conveyed by Rathnaar before they even made their move¡­


    That was a matter left to discuss after they left this ce alive.


    ----------------


    Soon, hundreds of spiraling and erratic blue-colored magic formations appeared around Kahn and Vildred as thousands of threads made of world energy emerged and connected from both ends.


    "We need a source to use for the contract to be active.


    It will drop both our ranks and world energy reserves though. So you better be prepared." spoke Vildred in amanding voice.


    "How about using something as a medium?" asked Kahn.


    "Do you have something which can be used for it?" queried Vildred with a curious gaze.


    "How about this?" asked Kahn and quickly pulled out a small golden wooden box.


    And as he opened the small box, a white and glowing orb was revealed inside it.


    This orb was a core¡­ A peak 4th stage saint''s core.


    Instead of losing another rank and dropping his levels for the contract to be established¡­


    Kahn decided to use the Elf president of the LNP guild aka Sedaris'' core as a medium for this contract.


    "Ha ha! This is much better." even Vildred chuckled and nodded in approval.


    Bang!!


    However, the very next second¡­ a turquoise-colored aura beam made of condensed world energyunched at Kahn, carrying the full strength of a peak 5th stage saint.


    BOOM!


    The nearby 5 kilometers of space was devastated by the ripples of the impact.


    But as soon as the smoke settled¡­ a tall figure of a man with a giant shield and battleaxe on his back revealed himself.


    Aragorn, the attacker, was taken aback as ckwall perfectly defended against the sneak attack with his bare hand protecting Kahn.


    "You overestimate yourself, elf." he spoke in a grim voice while revealing his surging killing intent towards the elven prince.


    "Now shut the fuck up and stay right there like an obedient brat.


    Try to attack them again and you''ll not live for another minute." he openly threatened Aragorn in an overbearing and tyrannical demeanor.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Soon, both Omega and Rudra also appeared behind him, revealing their murderous auras as well.


    Although Aragorn was a Peak 5th stage saint himself while ckwall was only a Beginner 5th stage saint at the present moment, due to his primordial titan bloodline and newly acquired skills from Cthulhu as well as his evolution to the mythical rank¡­ he alone was more than enough to deal with the Elven prince by himself as it was possible for him to even kill an Intermediate 6th stage saint on his own if he activated the Gaia Domain.


    And with Omega and Rudra behind him, they also had an advantage in numbers.


    Like a Guardian Knight, ckwall stood like an unmoving and indestructible mountain in front of the elven prince to protect his master.


    Vildred on the other side had already started the ritual tomemorate the Contract of Familiarity.


    Sedaris'' core was hovering in the air and being absorbed by both Kahn and Vildred''s cores and also left archaic rune-like imprints on their souls, binding their fates and lives together.


    BOOM!!


    A tremendous surge of energy erupted as a mix of blue aura filled with erratic lightning bolts spread in the 20 kilometer region while another explosion of ck and red aura spread to 20 kilometers radius after some sort of world cmity had struck this entire floor, parting the sky and ground alike.


    With this, Kahn and Vildred had officially be Partners in Crime.


    Moreover, this procedure to officiate the contract also brought a great and pleasant surprise for Kahn, making changes in his body.


    Because at this moment, the system gave him a notification.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a 4th stage saint!]

 Chapter 798 At Standstill

    Finally after more than a year, Kahn became a 4th stage saint after stagnating for a long time. And this time as well, his rank-up came with a surprise because of the Contract of Familiarity.


    Due to Sedaris''s core being used as a medium to officiate the contract between Kahn and Vildred, his body absorbed the excessive world energy and instantly raised Kahn''s level to the point he achieved another breakthrough.


    Kahn on the other side felt his body bing 5 times stronger than before and even the range of his skills such as Survival Instinct and Hunter''s Domain to expand as far as 40 kilometers radius.


    And naturally, he could estimate that all of his skills received a boost by multiple times as well.


    This pleasant surprise also gave Kahn some confidence to a degree.


    And now, Kahn could feel that if he went all out, he could at least face at least an intermediate 5th stage saint as equals in his peak strength.


    As for Aragorn, Kahn could at least survive in a long-drawn battle even if he couldn''t kill the Elven Prince with strength alone.


    With ckwall''s upgrade, Vildred bing their ally and now his own rise in ranks, the once unfavorable and ghastly situation waspletely overturned in their favor.


    On the other end, Vildred was alsopletely freed as soon as his soul connection with Kahn was established and the Maskaanxavir formation could no longer control him because the royal Dragon''s soul itself was changed by a considerable margin than the original one. Hence, changing the fundamental foundation of this ancient formation and its effect on Vildred.


    [Child¡­ Since I, the captured entity itself is gone, the Maskaanxavir formation detects us as outsiders.


    I no longer have any control over this floor. At the present moment, I can only get us all out of this dungeon.] spoke Vildred in Kahn''s mind.


    [I see. But the main problem is what do we do about him?


    The current situation doesn''t mean I have to let this bastard go for backstabbing and trying to kill me.] responded Kahn and gazed at Aragorn with vengeful eyes.


    All of this happened only because Edmund Thandruil aka Aragorn lured them inside the supreme dungeon under the pretense of future profits, just to use Kahn and his mercenary guild as his personal pawns to progress the floors of this dungeon smoothly without having to fight and risk his life.


    [It''s not a good idea to fight inside this ce anymore. Otherwise, the formation will treat us as hostile entities and we will be attacked with all of its might.


    And I definitely do not want to be caged inside again. I assume you share the same notion?] said the Dragon Emperor.


    [But he doesn''t know that, right?] Kahn spoke while revealing his angered countenance at the high elf.


    "You bastards! You ruined everything!


    Why couldn''t you just y your part and leave the dungeon after some time?


    Why did you have toe to the final floor, you mongers!" cursed Aragorn while floating 3 kilometers away from their group.


    For the next couple of minutes, he kept cursing incessantly because all of his ns had failed and he was frustrated to his core.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, everyone including Vildred surrounded Aragorn in a group of 2 in. five directions.


    With his Imperial Bloodline Token gone¡­ Aragorn also didn''t have any way to leave on his own unless he had some sort of spare dungeon token.


    "Give us one reason why we shouldn''t kill you?" asked Kahn with a devilish smirk as he summoned Lucifer in his hands and equipped Drakos Armor again.


    His hands were itching to beat the elf in human appearance because one thing Kahn didn''t like at this point in his new life was being betrayed or used as a pawn by someone else.


    He had suffered a great at the hands of powerful people such as the Vandereich n and the Pureblood faction in Rakos Empire, making him fake his death and flee the empire despite working so hard to set up his own rule as the Sovereign of Vessen fiefdom.


    And now, Aragorn had rubbed on that very old wound.


    "I have none." spoke Aragorn with a carefree voice.


    "But you should rethink. Because I''m more useful alive than I''m dead." he said, revealing apletely unafraid demeanor despite being surrounded by enemies from all sides at the moment.


    "Besides¡­ You really don''t want to kill me for your own good." he revealed a haughty grin.


    "And why would that be so?" scoffed Kahn.


    But in the following seconds, Aragorn took out a red glowing amulet with ancient runes on it.


    [Dammit! Is that what I think it is?!] eximed Rathnaar in surprise.


    [Well, this elf brat is their prince so it''s not surprising that he has it.] said Vildred in a grim tone, barely containing his exasperation.


    [What is that amulet? I sense a very strong and mysterious energy from it.] queried Kahn with a somber expression.


    [That''s the elven imperial n''s Amulet of Annihtion.


    It''s an ancient artifact used by their imperial n throughout history ever since their empire was established 8 thousand years ago.


    It''s passed from one generation of the future ruler to another.] revealed Rathnaar as if he had a bad memory of this amulet.


    [If you kill the user, it will activate on the spot and the nearby 50 kilometers of space will be pulverized instantly. Even a peak 7th stage saint can''t react or run away from it when it activates.] exined Vildred.


    [As for you kid¡­ it also seals all the space in nearby 50 kilometers and no spirit or phase shifting skills would work either.


    You''ll be dead even before you used that Dimensional Void or Phase Shift skill of yours.


    And that''s the worst-case scenario. If you even attack him or injure him in any way¡­ the attacks and damage will be amplified by 10 times while the skill or damage itself will be inflicted on you, the source of it.


    This is one of the most prized possessions of the high elves who want to protect their heirs and future rulers of the empire.] exined Rathnaar.


    [In simple words¡­ there''s no escape for anyone.


    Plus Vildred will also die.


    But because you''re bound to him because of Contract of Familiarity¡­ You will also die as a result.] he iterated in a ghastly tone.


    [What the fuck?! There was this type of condition?] asked Kahn,pletely bamboozled.


    [Of course! You can''t purposefully leave him to die either just as he can''t do that to you.


    Why do you think Vildred even agreed to use the Contract of Familiarity?


    If you decided to kill this elf brat¡­ you''re both as good as dead.] the peak saint revealed the whole truth.


    [So this bastard came prepared for every possible scenario, huh¡­] said Kahn with a dejected expression.


    [Now what?


    He already knows our identities and also the fact that Vildred is freed from the formation.


    And once we are outside this dungeon¡­ he will have absolute freedom and a chance to reveal the truth to the outside world.


    No matter which way¡­ we still won''t get scot-free.] responded Kahn after analyzing their current situation.


    Presently, they were all out of options.


    Aragorn on the other side was still furious but he too is helpless because Vildred was no longer bound to the formation and couldn''t be controlled in any way.


    But just then, the Elven prince spoke in a stern voice.


    "Ragnarsson¡­ Let''s talk."


    Now that their situation was at a standstill¡­ Aragorn decided to make an unexpected move.


    "How about we make an agreement?"


    Shock!


    Everyone who heard those words was shocked.


    "The reason why I came here in this dungeon to win the trial set by my ancestors was not because I wanted to control the lightning dragon emperor.


    It''s because he is the only being in this entire Zivot Empire who can help me achieve an impossible task that I can''t do on my own." he spoke in a somber tone.


    "So if you make a deal with me¡­ I will go as far as make a soul-oath with you that I will keep everything that transpired here as a secret." he proposed in an amicable tone.


    "Oh, how generous.


    I have already seen how skilled Enchanter you are. Runes and Formations are your expertise. You could even solve those archaic formations very easily.


    So how do I not know you will keep your word and then use some way to nullify your soul-oath?" he questioned in a domineering voice.


    "Killing you is more favorable to me than even making a deal with you.


    So why would I take unnecessary risks?" spoke Kahn as he declined right off the bat.


    Aragorn on the other end had a constricted and irritated expression. But all he could do was simply stand still.


    Although he had the Amulet of Annihtion, a prized heirloom of his family¡­ it didn''t mean that he could kill anyone here or act like he was an invincible being.


    The only use this ancient Ancient Rank artifact had was to protect the user from sudden dangers or attempts on their life.


    It couldn''t help him if he attacked the other side first.


    Thus, even Aragorn was forced to make a proposition to persuade Kahn now that his efforts were already turned useless.


    Kahn on the other side did not want to make any arrangements.


    But right at this moment, both Rathnaar and Vildred spoke in his mind.


    [Let''s hear him out first.]

 Chapter 799 Behind The Story

    At this instant, both  Rathnaar and Vildred suddenly suggested Kahn hear out Aragorn''s proposition for some reason while thetter was adamant on not making any form of agreement with thetter because he was already tricked by him once, causing the former to be dreadful.


    The Lightning Dragon Emperor Vildred then decided to exin their reasoning in a solemn tone.


    [As much as I want to kill this damn elf, I''m now I am onlyparable to a 4th stage saint because of the contract between me and you.


    At best, I can take down a beginner 7th stage saint on my own. And I won''t be able to fight against anyone of 8th stage saint rank unless you at least be a 6th stage saint yourself.


    But if we kill him now, the imperial family will know as the Amulet of Annihtion will send a signal to the imperial n and then we will be hunted down the moment we leave this dungeon.


    I''m pretty sure there are many strong people in this empire who even I can''t defeat in my current limited strength.] revealed the royal dragon, his voice full of concern.


    [Dammit! You''re correct indeed. There are three 7th stag saints in this empire.


    Two of them are from the Imperial military while thest one is the current Abbot.


    The Abbot of Monastery of Life is a peak 7th stage summoner while the Emperor himself is an intermediate 8th stage magician saint.] spoke Kahn, even he was now put in a dilemma.


    At this moment, they were thinking more about the consequences of silencing the prince.


    [So let''s listen to him first and then we can make our decisionter after hearing out his proposition.] said Rathnaar.


    "Alright, talk." said Kahn with a stern gaze.


    Finally, Aragorn told them his request in a heavy voice.


    "I want you to ambush and help me capture my younger sister, the princess." stated the elven prince.


    bbergasted!!


    Everyone who heard those words was rooted on the spot, speechless and bbergasted.


    "Oh, hell no!" eximed Kahn, declining the deal from the get-go.


    "Do you think we''re all stupid?


    How is this no different than killing you?" said Vildred, his domineering voice shaking the nearby 10 kilometers radius.


    "That''s a risk no sane person would take! And besides, why do you want us to ambush your own sister?" he questioned.


    This request itself felt more like a trap set by this dubious High Elf.


    "Think about it carefully. Besides, you don''t have any other option either.


    Do this for me and not only will I keep both of your secrets¡­ I will also help you evade the suspicion of the Imperial n.


    Nothing wille back to you or this gigantic dragon." he iterated with a voice filled with great hatred for his sister.


    ------------------


    1 Hour Later.


    After a long discussion, they were forced to agree with Aragorn without thetter telling them why he wanted to ambush his own younger sister.


    And with Vildred''s help¡­ Both Kahn and the Dragon Emperor make a pact with Aragorn, one that didn''t have any loopholes even if someone found the truth as the other party won''t be able to snitch on them.


    Even Kahn was curious about Vildred''s expertise in ancient formations, and soul pacts such as Contract of Familiarity. However, this was something that could be discussedter.


    An agreement that required Kahn and Vildred to actively ambush nor, the princess of the Zivot Empire and deliver to Aragorn was made. As for what he did afterward, it was none of their concern.


    "Now that everything is settled¡­ I think you should tell us why you lured me and my guild here and why you wanted to pass the trial to control Vildred." said Kahn in a grim tone, demanding that they heard the truth.


    Sigh!


    "Fine, I''ll tell you why." said Aragorn and then nced at Vildred.


    "Commandment of Severed Fate." he spoke in a crestfallen voice.


    "Ah¡­ So that''s the case. It exins everything." spoke the lightning dragon emperor.


    "What the hell is a Commandment of Severed fate? Another spell by Deity of Subjugation?" asked Kahn to Vildred.


    "Yes. But unlike the Commandment of Fellowship, it is inflicted on a single person.


    He is free to roam the world unlike me. But he can never return to his old life." spoke the dragon emperor.


    The royal dragon then gazed at Aragorn.


    "Howe your family has so many ancient spells from the Deity of Subjugation?


    Even us Royal Dragons know only a few of them." he asked the first prince.


    Just then, Rathnaar spoke in their mind.


    [Because the Deity of Subjugation was actually an Arcane Elf. The ones from whom the High Elf species came from.] replied Rathnaar but he didn''t exin how he knew this information.


    "It has been in my family from the times when the Zivot Empire was formed. I have no idea of the origin." revealed Aragorn truthfully.


    Kahn on the other end rolled his eyes.


    "What exactly is the problem here then?"


    "Listen here, child. This prince¡­ is cursed." revealed Vildred.


    Although Vildred wanted to kill Aragorn previously, now he almost pitied him.


    "When Commandment of Severed Fate is used¡­


    The target will be forgotten by every other person they knew or had been seen by anyone in their entire life.


    Their name and face will be unknown to everyone while thinking that there was indeed such a person but no one would have a proper memory of them other than a fictional appearance which would vary from person to person.


    Also, the race of the target would be changed as well as their identity will be forgotten by themselves over time.


    In simple words¡­ his fate has been ''severed'' from this world." exin the royal dragon who was 2 thousand years old.


    From here, Aragorn took the lead.


    "And I can''t reveal my true identity to anyone rted to me or someone who knew me before.


    If I try to do so¡­ I will die on the spot." he said with a distraught expression.


    Even Kahn was taken aback since it was the first time he heard about something like this.


    So in simple words¡­ Aragorn was both cursed and forgotten by the world and he couldn''t even reim his own identity without dying in the process.


    "That is why I want you to capture and deliver me my younger sister." said Aragorn.


    "Why? What did she do?" asked Kahn with a curious voice.


    "Hmph! What did she do?" scoffed the elven prince and replied in a stern voice.


    "She''s the one who cast it."

 Chapter 800 Strongest In The World

    Finally, Kahn and the rest found out why Aragorn wanted his own sister to be captured and also why he needed Vildred''s help due to the Commandment of Severed Fate.


    "Other than the caster of the spell and peoplepletely unrted to my old identity, I can''t confront or reveal the truth to anyone.


    And if the person to whom I revealed my identity tries to reveal the truth on my behalf or in any way possible; I would still die a gruesome death as it can be considered a breach of rules set by the spell." he spoke and marched towards their group in the air.


    "To preserve my memories, I have been sleeping under a forcedatose spell from the past 100 years so I could lose my rank and be a 5th-stage saint to enter the Immortal Dungeon.


    I came here to use the trial to control the former dragon emperor who could lift the spell by doing the most necessary things which I''m unable to do with my current strength.


    This¡­ this is the only n I coulde up with to overturn my fate and regain what is rightfully mine." revealed the Elven prince.


    This situation exined why Aragorn looked like a human and had to disguise himself as Edmund Thandruil.


    It also exined why he lured their mercenary group in order to pass the trial set by his ancestors and note with the Hero''s Party who also had the same ambition.


    But suddenly¡­


    "Pfttha ha ha ha!! Ha ha ha!!!


    Ha ha ha ha!!" Kahn startedughing hysterically as he gazed at Aragorn.


    "So you betrayed me to get here.


    To get revenge because you were betrayed by your sister.


    To control Vildred who was betrayed by his brothers." stated Kahn as he keptughing incessantly.


    "You got betrayed, I got betrayed, he got betrayed!


    Everybody gets betrayed!


    Ha ha ha ha!!" he shamelessly and unapologeticughed while pointing both his forefingers at Vildred and Aragorn.


    "Seriously, why is there so much backstabbing and betrayals like Game of Thrones no matter where I go? Ha ha ha!"


    Finally after controlling his brokenugh, Kahn spoke again.


    "Show me what you have to make sure that nothing will be tracked to us and then I will make a n.


    However, you will have to follow mymands if you want to have your ''revenge''." spoke Kahn adamantly, dering that he was calling the shots here.


    Soon, Aragorn exined the means he had avable to execute the ns.


    However, both Kahn and Vildred rejected them. Because they were highly circumstantial and if even one thing went differently, their entire n would backfire on themselves instead.


    Here¡­ Rathnaar disyed his experience as an emperor who was also a peak war strategist back in the day. Through Kahn, he conveyed his tactics since the prince wasn''t aware of his existence inside Kahn''s soul, the information they wanted to keep a secret.


    "Still¡­ we need more information and would have to set up backup ns. That can be done only after we leave." spoke Kahn and Aragorn also gave an understanding gaze.


    Finally¡­ it was time for their journey inside the Immortal Dungeon to end for good.


    "Wait, I can''t leave this dungeon in my current form." spoke Vildred.


    A 7 kilometers tall terrifying existence of a royal dragon would shake the entire popce of Alfheim.


    "I shall get into my humanoid form." he spoke and in the following moments¡­


    Hum!


    Hum!


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Vildred''s entire body was covered in white and blue lightning bolts as his ginormous body started shrinking at a fast pace, almost blinding everyone with intense light during the process.


    As the intense light finally dimmed, like a Transcendent being descending from the heavens, a slim and tall figure slowly floated and stopped on the same level as the group flying in the sky.


    A short silver-haired person wearing sses with two noticeable ck dragon hornsing from both sides of his head, dressed in abination of white and blue robes along golden patterns on the border came into sight.


    In his hands, was a ck and golden scepter that had an ornament shaped like a long blue glowing dragon with yellow wings coiling around it.


    Everyone including Kahn and Aragorn were simply astounded after looking at Vildred''s humanoid appearance.


    Kahn on the other end was almost irritated, cursing his luck.


    Because despite being a dragon, Vildred had the appearance of a handsome and sophisticated schr akin to an Immortal Cultivator who could kill women with just his looks alone.


    "Why is everyone around me so good-looking?!


    Everybody keeps stealing my thunder!" heined in annoyance.


    "Wait¡­ he''s a Magician? I thought he would be some brawler or melee fighting ss given how big he was as a ginormous Royal Dragon." said Kahn.


    However, Rathnaar borated in his mind the very next moment.


    [Vildred wasn''t one of the strongest beings in the entire world just because he was a lightning elemental royal dragon.


    Even my friend and my closest confidant Lezron Mikealson, who was a 9th-stage saint magician back then didn''t dare call himself the strongest magician in the world.


    Because he knew how Vildred was superior than him.] revealed Rathnaar in a solemn tone, almost as if he was proud of his once biggest rivals.


    [Despite being a Royal Dragon, Vildred had also achieved and invoked an Ancient Rank ss that no one has done in the history of the Dragon species in Vantrea.] he said in a calm and collected voice.


    [And due to thebination of his own strength and this ss¡­ Nobody except me dared to even provoke Vildred or the Dragon Empire.


    Although he didn''t kill any Heroes, he was feared by all of them in my time regardless of how strong they were or whatever divine abilities they had.] he exined.


    [What ss is that?] asked Kahn as he gazed at Vildred''s overly charming but still very mysterious appearance.


    Rathnaar didn''t hold back on ceremony and revealed the Ancient ss which made Vildred the strongest mage in the world a thousand years ago.


    "The Sage of Preservation."

 Chapter 801 The Sage

    Rathnaar revealed the unique Ancient Rank ss achieved by Vildred which made him the strongest Magician back in the day when he was at his peak.


    Sage of Preservation.


    Just the name of this ss was something that made Kahn feel amazed. Because so far, he had seen only 3 individuals with an ancient rank ss.


    First being his sweetheart Kassandra Mikealson, who had the Deity Summoner ss. She was an absolute beast who could use the skills and abilities of 3 different sses namely Magician, Summoner and Enchantress. A powerhouse that could absolutely wreak havoc on the world when she grew up stronger.


    Second being ckwall who had the Abyss Knight ss which made him absolutely unkible and probably the best tank in the world at the moment after his rank up and gaining Cthulhu''s abilities.


    And third being Vildred himself.


    Given how the first two sses were extremely top of their field and undeniably unrivaled by everyone else¡­ Kahn was already certain that Vildred would be no different.


    [He was the best of the best and basically had a lot of extensive knowledge about ancient spells and everything else rted to magic.] revealed Rathnaar.


    "How do you think I knew a spell made by an ancient Deity?" asked Vildred, shamelessly gloating since he could hear both Rathnaar and Kahn''s thoughts even without any restrictions due to the pact they made.


    "How do you think I easily performed the Contract of Familiarity, which would take others days, within a few minutes?" he asked again, as if saying ''Worship me, plebeians''.


    "If the Commandment of Fellowship wasn''t imprinted on my soul itself, which no one can actively change, sealing my ability to break the spell¡­ I would''ve freed myself a thousand years ago already." he said in a magnanimous tone.


    "Tch! But you still got caught unprepared and trapped inside that formation, didn''t you?


    What''s there to gloat about falling for such a petty ambush?" asked Kahn, ending Vildred''s parade of shameless boasting.


    "So what does this ss do to make you so special?" he queried openly.


    "Why don''t you let that thing inside your head tell you?" asked Vildred with a devilish smile.


    Vildred¡­ had found out about the existence of the System.


    ----------------


    Kahn swallowed this fact in a few seconds. Naturally, he was prepared for revealing the System''s existence to Vildred in the future. But to think that thetter found it on his own was simply shocking.


    [Following are the effects of the ancient rank ss Sage of Preservation :


    Overlord of Magic (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    The user has an extensive affinity with mana and world energy and possesses the ability tomand all free and unused mana and world energy in the surrounding 10 kilometers at will.


    ----------------


    World''s Chosen (Legendary Rank) (Passive) :


    All skills, spells and formations cast by the user will have an automatic increase in efficiency, range and damage output by 500%.


    User''s mana will be increased by 5 times with each increase in ranks, making the user possess 5 times more reserves and potency in terms of mana and world energy usage capacity.


    ----------------


    Sovereign of Recreation (Ancient Rank) (Passive) :


    Grants the user the ability to destroy and recreate as well as restructure mana and world energy at an atomic level.


    The caster shall possess an extremely profound understanding of all the spells and formations that he casts and learns with the increase in their mastery, eventually elevating those spells and formations to a higher rankpared to those cast by others of the same level as the user.


    ----------------


    Note : This ss effect can be ovee only by spells made by a Deity rted to the magic ss.] reported the system.


    "What the¡­ and I thought I was supposed to be a living hack with cheat codes called the Divine Abilities.


    Why the hell does he have so many OP passive abilities that people would kill for?!" eximed Kahn after processing the information.


    Kahn understood very clearly why even someone like Rathnaar acknowledged Vildred as a worthy rival and why the summoned Heroes of the past were afraid of Vildred despite having multiple divine abilities.


    If Rathnaar was a badass among badasses, the kind who was feared by the entire world¡­


    Vildred wasn''t also behind him when he was onlyparable to an 8th stage saint.


    If he was a 9th stage saint at that point¡­ nobody in the world would dare to say that he wasn''tparable to a Peak Saint himself.


    This was the truth that Kahn had to ept if he wanted to travel along with Vildred and fulfill their secret promise which they made while making the Contract of Familiarity.


    "Alright, let''s leave."


    ----------------


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    All of their figures reappeared on the circr tform in front of the supreme dungeon aka the Immortal Dungeon, ending their long journey as bright sunlight shone on their bodies.


    Kahn and the crew finally left the Immortal Dungeon after close to spending 2 months inside.


    As soon as their figures reappeared at the tform outside, Vildred quickly cast a barrier with just a thought, making them invisible and unable to be sensed by anyone as if they never existed.


    Both Aragorn and Ceril on the other end were left speechless.


    "That''s Mind Chanting!" eximed Ceril in disbelief.


    "What''s that? What''s so special about it?" asked Kahn.


    "It''s something impossible to achieve by mages and enchanters. Only a Sage with 5 Enlightenments in magic can do it." exined Ceril, his tone filled with respect and awe.


    "They don''t need to chant spells or even use their scepters to cast a spell, formation or a barrier. Everything can be done without even speaking a single word." iterated Aragorn while gazing at Vildred with vehement eyes.


    Even he couldn''t help be give a worshiping look at the Sage of Preservation despite being a prince of the empire.


    [This thing is different from casting a Domain that uses one''s elemental affinity and world energy.


    It''s peak-level magic mastery. Extremely formidable. That''s why even I had trouble fighting Vildred back in the day.


    Because you could never predict what kind of spell, barrier or formation he would use next.] exined Rathnaar.


    And now that Kahn knew the effects of Sage of Preservation ss¡­ he was thanking his luck that Vildred was no longer an enemy.


    Because in simple words¡­ it was as if Vildred wasmanding the mana and world energy in the surroundings to work at his will.


    At this moment, Vildred spoke¡­


    "Although I can''t use my domain anymore since my rank and levels are bound to yours, this much is nothing worth mentioning."


    The schrly aura emanated from his body as he did not hide his supremacy inmanding magic.


    Both Ceril and Aragorn were gritting their teeth in annoyance.


    This guy was acting so casually about it while flexing his absolute dominance over mana and world energy, something all magic ss rted individuals wished to achieve in their lives.


    Kahn too had a gloomy expression.


    As if having Rathnaar wasn''t enough¡­ now they had another old Grandpa in their group who was also a Serial Flexer.


    But the next moment¡­


    Suddenly, Kahn received a set of information from his doppelgangers. He was shocked to his core and shouted in rage.


    "Motherfuckers! What the actual fuck!"

 Chapter 802 The Scapegoat

    As soon as Kahn received the word from his doppelgangers he left in Alfheim through their Telepathy Link skill, he was thoroughly furious and cursed loudly with a grim and ugly countenance.


    "What happened?" asked Omega.


    "One of my doppelgangers I left behind as Zeus just informed me about what happened when all of us were stuck inside." spoke Kahn as he clenched his fists tightly.


    "2 weeks ago¡­ the Imperial n dered something throughout the entire Zivot Empire.


    That the Hero''s Party was ambushed and most of the members were killed." he spoke.


    Everyone else was bamboozled after hearing this news.


    "What nonsense is that? They had two 5th stage saints in their party. Even a peak 6th stage saint won''t be able to easily kill them off.


    And there are only 5 people of that rank in the entire empire, all of whom serve the imperial rule." said Edmund as he didn''t understand what was happening either.


    "The problem isn''t them dying¡­ but the culprit." he spoke as he looked over his entourage and revealed his worries.


    "They dered that the culprit was me¡­ the Hero of Darkness."


    Stupefied!


    Everyone else was rooted on the spot as their figures nearly trembled in shock.


    "Not only that¡­ the emperor himself dered this to the entire Zivot Empire.


    Saying that I killed Axel, the Hero of Fire in the Vulcan empire a year ago and now tried to kill the Hero of Life, following the footsteps of my predecessor." he spoke in a solemn voice.


    "The entire imperial rule has revealed what happened 300 years ago and how they had to keep this a secret for the sake of peace and stability within the empire.


    Supposedly, I had two 7th stage saints with me as my underlings who helped me ambush the Hero''s Party." Kahn iterated with an irritated countenance.


    "However, the Hero and Priestess barely escaped because of protection artifacts that were provided by the Imperial n and Monastery of Life.


    They even held a funeral rite, honoring the dead members and turning them all into martyrs who died for the sake of protecting the future of the empire." he revealed with a helpless expression.


    Vildred then chimed in, unfazed by this predicament.


    "Only the Hero of Life came to meet me that day. As for his allies, all of them had already died when they fought on the 91st floor." he spoke.


    Vildred was the Dungeon Boss even if he was sealed. So he obviously had some knowledge about the Hero''s Party members who fought the Floor Bosses.


    " So Cthulhu killed the remainder and the Hero of Life somehow managed to kill him to pass the floor?


    That guy must have some amazing divine abilities to kill Cthulhu." spoke Kahn as he revealed a thoughtful gaze.


    "The Priestess must have left then and then Ervalen came to the final floor.


    But if you already killed him¡­ How is he still alive?" he asked the dragon emperor.


    [Boy, he''s a Hero of Life.


    He must have had some divine abilities to help him reincarnate himself or maybe undo his death, just like Death Absolution divine ability used by the Hero of Fire.] hypothesized Rathnaar, unknowingly hitting the mark.


    "The Hero''s divine abilities are kept secret. Only known to the Abbot and the Emperor of that generation.


    So I don''t know anything." said Aragorn, a true member of the imperial family whose fate was changed.


    "Well¡­ let''s hope we don''t meet Ervalen again.


    Because if he can Reincarnate himself, then he must possess the memories before his death.


    I definitely can''t afford to have any interactions with him from now on." said Kahn.


    All of them then unsummoned their legendary rank armors and weapons, switching to their usual Epic rank ones.


    One after another, everyone returned to the alternate personas they used in the elven empire while Kahn himself returned to his Legs Ragnarsson appearance.


    "So what do we do now?" asked Rudra, who was slightly angry at the fact that they were used as people to put the me on.


    "We follow the n as per our oath." said Kahn and then gazed at Aragorn.


    "But know this¡­ things have turned very dangerous for all of us.


    So after we''re done¡­ You and I don''t know each other. And you can''t try to get rid of me or my people afterward either as per our oath.


    So do you still want to get on with our original agreement?" he asked firmly.


    All Aragorn did was nod. The pact was already in effect and neither side could give up on it but also, they couldn''t make the other side annul the oath either.


    Aragorn needed Kahn and Vildred''s help while they needed the elven prince to keep the truth about Kahn being a chosen Hero and the royal dragon being freed from the Maskaanxavir Formation a secret.


    "After I''m done lifting this curse, we won''t need to see each other anyway." said Aragorn, revealing a confident look.


    Kahn on the other hand was lost in deep thought for many reasons.


    This was a serious issue. Although they were using him as a scapegoat to bury the matter about what happened inside the Immortal Dungeon¡­ the fact remained that everyone was under the assumption that he, the Hero of Darkness, was indeed in the Zivot Empire.


    Which was coincidentally true.


    [I''m more worried about those people of that mysterious group who Emperor Havi Hos Sigfreed warned me about.


    If any of them tracks me to Alfheim or even investigates the Immortal Dungeon¡­ I''ll be at grave risk.] said Kahn.


    [No, you won''t be.


    The dungeon refreshes all the floors and their mana periodically. So even if you used the Darkness element, they won''t be able to track it.


    Also, one had the follow the rules. I don''t think these people you speak of will have so much time to do a dungeon exploration.] said Vildred.


    He was already aware of Kahn''s situation in the world and how everyone was hunting him.


    [But still¡­ We''re forced to ambush the princess¡­ it''s even riskier.


    But we can''t go back on our promise or both of us will die anyway.] he replied.


    ----------------


    A Few Hours Later.


    Kahn and the group came back to their headquarters of the Misthios guild.


    The news of their mainmanders returning alive from the Immortal Dungeon brought joy to worried members of Misthios guild.


    The hidden doppelgangers who were maintaining Sparta also appeared, sharing all the memories about what happened in the past 2 months with the original body.


    "Time is of the essence. So let''s n everything thoroughly." he said to his allies.


    "We can''t afford to make a single mistake."

 Chapter 803 The Ambush : Part One

    1 WEEK LATER.


    "Man¡­ I wish we could leave the normal soldiers out of this. They''re just doing their duty." said Kahn as he contemted their battle strategy.


    [Kid¡­ if you don''t have the balls to do it, let me handle this matter.


    You know by now that whether you kill someone for personal gain, goals or you kill them in the name of justice, revenge or some higher purpose even if it''s for the sake of the world; whether they are a criminal who deserved it or an innocent child who was but a bystander¡­


    Killing is still killing.] said Rathnaar harshly, giving Kahn a reality check.


    [I''m not going tofort you with some twisted logic to justify what we''re about to do. And I''ll definitely not sugarcoat the cruelty and evil we''re about tomit.


    So stop acting like a fucking hypocrite bitch and get the job done!] he berated thetter without a shred of pity.


    "Listen, child. I do not know how things worked in your previous world but in Vantrea¡­ strongest rule the world while the weak are helpless against the events nned by fate.


    If you do not wish to taint your sanity or bear any responsibility¡­ it''s better that you don''te at all." said Vildred who floated beside Kahn and Aragorn.


    Kahn took a deep breath and spoke again, this time revealing a firm gaze.


    "It doesn''t matter what I think. My hands are already covered in the blood of innocents even when I didn''t mean to kill them." he spoke.


    "In my previous world, a wise warrior once said¡­" he continued in a stoic voice as he recanted the words of a certain God of War.


    "Close your heart to it. Close your heart to their desperation. Close your heart to their suffering.


    Do not allow yourself to feel for them. They will not feel for you."


    His words resounded in the surroundings as he mentally prepared himself for a massacre.


    The one he wasn''t going to be proud of¡­ but the necessary one.


    ----------------


    At Midnight.


    Under the nket of bright moonlight and chilly breeze that gave a sense of serenity¡­


    "This is the day when imperial heirs have to mandatorily travel to a hidden graveyard to pay respects to our ancestors every year no matter what.


    We will not get another chance to catch them off guard." spoke Aragorn.


    "All of you! In position. Don''t leave a single survivor." said Kahn as all of his subordinates disappeared across the site that they had chosen.


    In a vast and densely forested mountainous region that was more of a secret route used only by the imperial n.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    The mountainous had thousands of trees caught on fire while the surrounding 50 kilometers region was either getting destroyed at dozens of ces by attacks from the entities fighting in the air or the warships that were shooting hundreds of magic cannons at the gigantic monstrosities flinging elemental attacks at the army of 50 thousand soldiers in white and green armors.


    Over this region, was an imprable white and blue intangible dome that had isted this entire space from the outside world.


    This imperial envoy carrying one of the most important people in the entire Zivot Empire was attacked out of nowhere.


    And in just 10 ten minutes¡­ the scenario of tranquility was turned into that of chaos.


    If one looked at it from outside this dome, this region had nothing else but lush greenery and a tranquil environment while the wild monsters and animals made small noises.


    Inside the dome however, the army was desperately fighting against these powerful enemies who ambushed them out of nowhere.


    This army consisted of Elves, Humans, Demi-Humans, Hybrids and many people of different species.


    MRAAA!!


    A massive blue flying monster with two heads simr to a shoebill stork in appearance that carried hundreds of soldiers mounted on its back bellowed and fell on the ground after a 50 meters long massive trident made of world energy and hot red magma stabbed through its neck.


    Rudra''s trident attack skill from 5 kilometers away had taken down this gigantic monster carrying arge number of soldiers.


    "No!!" screamed one of the elven soldiers in terror as their group fell amid tall trees and long vines.


    Therge tree trunks shattered from the impact and the majority of the group was either stabbed or poked through byrge splinters.


    Among the now-dead hundreds of bodies, only a handful survived. But before any of the lucky people could rejoice in being alive¡­


    THUD!!


    ckwall''s massive and titanic figure as big as a mountain stepped on this group, instantly ttening all of them including the flying monster into meat paste under his foot.


    On one end, Jugram in Dante appearance was fighting 4 warships and thousands of soldiers manning small flying ships on his own, showing no regard for the lives of the people he was killing surrounded by his Hell Domain.


    Simr scenes of brutal massacre urred across this battlefield. But as the fight between these gigantic figures, and warships continued, few new members arrived.


    BANG!!


    Hundreds of lightning bolts struck a white and yellow colored warship that sized 200 meters in width as a masked archer in ck, blue and yellow armor floated 3 kilometers high in the air.


    Oliver in his Icarus persona was hovering high in the sky, showing no sense of fear even though he was being attacked from all sides, evading thousands of magic bullets and cannons swiftly as if the sky itself was his yground.


    Soon, the clouds in the sky turned dark as hundreds of lightning strikes were summoned by this Oliver.


    Oliver, who was nowparable to a 2nd stage saint, charged his bow and just in a couple of seconds, a massive 100 meter tall phantom of a white and golden bow appeared above this gigantic warship.


    Neith Bow''s transcendent figure shook all the onlookers.


    "No!! This can''t be! We''re all going to die!" shouted one of the members of the piloting crew inside the cockpit of this warship as they saw this terrifyingly powerful bow amassing all the lightning bolts from the sky into one.


    Shoot!!


    The sound barrier broke twice as the archerunched his killer move and a 10 meter wide and 80 meter long destructive and terrifying lightning bolt shot itself towards the gigantic warship.


    BOOM!!


    st!!


    The massive lightning bolt shot and sted the entire warship carrying over 10 thousand people and soldiers, tearing it apart from the inside and exploding everything in its way as itpletely destroyed the entire warship in seconds.


    Thud!


    BANG!


    Thousands of pieces of debris and charred corpses that were cut into dozens of pieces dropped from the sky while the flesh and bones of the soldiers were ground to dust because of the explosion.


    All of them died without knowing why they met such a cruel fate.

 Chapter 804 The Ambush :Part Two

    While Oliver took down a warship by himself, a swordsman covered in stark-white armor from head to toe appeared 20 kilometers away.


    In front of this being with bright blue eyes, another warship with hundreds of magic cannons and thousands of people manning it appeared 5 kilometers away in the sky.


    "Attack!!" ordered the captain of the warship and all the cannons charged themselves to attack and pulverize this warrior who seemed to be a legitimate 4th stage saint.


    This was none other than Omega in Moonlight Armor.


    But before the warship couldunch its magic cannon beams made of different elements¡­ he quickly unsheathed Raijin, the lightning katana.


    sh!!


    He grabbed the hilt with both hands and made a vertical shing attack using the curved sword that had blue lightning running its de.


    However, nothing appeared out of this de and no attack was released yet the swordsman slowly put it back in its sheath.


    Kaching!


    The moment he finished sheathing his sword¡­


    Snip!


    The entire warship was cut open in half even from this far distance and both parts fell apart.


    Thousands of people screamed in fear as the warship started falling to the ground after Omega used the White Fang Strike skill.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Both sides exploded after dropping on the ground as the charged mana cannons malfunctioned at the same time¡­ killing more than 10 thousand soldiers and warship personnel in 3 kilometers radius explosion.


    There was no sense of empathy or regret in Omega''s eyes; instead, he felt relieved that he finished the job in a single swing, leaving no survivors.


    ----------------


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    On the western end of the battlefield, three new figures appeared in the sky.


    A white-haired figure in a ck and blue longcoat and battle gear with a pitch-ck greatsword on his back stood in the center.


    Kahn in his Legs Ragnarsson persona had decided to watch the aftermath of his decisions.


    "I have taken care of everything. No one can send a distress signal outside of this dome or even get out of here." spoke a mage in white and blue robes with a ck and golden scepter that had a blue dragon coiling around it.


    This mage stood with a proud expression on Legs'' side. As for the battle between the soldiers¡­


    Vildred also showed an unaffected expression as cries for help and terrorizing screams of agony reached his ear.


    Legs then looked to his left.


    "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked a tall hooded individual in white and green robes.


    "As hard as it may be¡­ I have to do it." responded Aragorn inside the hood on Kahn''s left while his true appearance wasn''t revealed in the slightest.


    In truth¡­ he was horrified to the core after watching how Kahn''s subordinates mercilessly ughtered everyone, thanking the God of Life that he didn''t fight them inside the Immortal Dungeon back then.


    Schwoah!


    Just then, a man with shoulder-length ck hair and green eyes suddenly appeared out of thin air and bowed towards the three figures.


    "We found her and also killed all of her saint-ranked guards." reported Ronin, the spirit assassin general.


    Kahn, Aragorn and Vildred nodded in response and all of them flew as they followed Ronin.


    Meanwhile at another scene of battle and a broken down warship¡­


    "Ha ha ha ha!! Haha haha hahahaha!!


    This will be the first time I get to experiment on someone of your standing. Haha haha!!"


    And at the center, was a mage d in ck robes and a yellow scepter. He and hundreds of undead monsters were now surrounding a female figure whose body was riddled with wounds and her clothes were sprayed with blood.


    She waspletely terrified of the undead monsters surrounding her as she cried for help and begged to be spared to the mage who wasughing like a maniac.


    Ceril was enjoying his time while toying with  Eleanor, the princess.


    Swoosh!


    The trio of Legs, Vildred and Ronin appeared on the devastated battlefield that was filled with undeads who were tearing through the corpses of soldiers.


    Eleanor had her eyes wide open in disbelief as soon as she looked at Legs in the middle.


    "You¡­ Why are you doing this? Aren''t you afraid of the consequences?!" she shouted in a tone filled with anger.


    Obviously¡­ Eleanor was a well-informed woman who wanted to be the Empress of the Zivot empire. So she had studied and familiarized herself with all powerhouses across the empire.


    How could she not know about Legs Ragnarsson, the ironborn elf leader of Misthios Mercenary Guild, the strongest guild in Alfheim, which was one of their biggest economic hubs?


    "If anything happens to me¡­ They will alle for you.


    He will find and kill you himself!" she threatened this group of saints in front of her.


    She referred to her imperial and in the end, used Ervalen''s name to threaten Legs.


    But the next moment, her countenance changed as she realized that her spiteful words could make the situation very dire instead.


    She already didn''t know why the top guild of Alfheim was targeting her and even went as far as to ambush the imperial heir.


    "You people work for money, right?


    I will give you 5 times whatever they''re giving you. Just spare my life." she proposed and pleaded at the same time.


    "Ha ha ha! Do you think I''m doing this for money?


    You haven''t even realized who you fucked with yet." said Legs in ck and blue attire.


    "What did I even do for you to go this far?


    We aren''t even enemies or had any conflict with each other." asked Eleanor with incredulous eyes as she pressed on an open wound on her left shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.


    "It''s not what you did that angers me so.


    It''s who you did it to." responded Legs in a jarring voice.


    Why did Kahn say so?


    Because if this crazy bitch hungry for the throne hadn''t cast the Commandment of Severed Fate¡­


    Kahn would still be sitting in Misthios guild''s headquarters, counting his money and resources and living an honest life while silently getting stronger.


    If not for her, he wouldn''t have met Edmund, then gone to Immortal Dungeon, almost dying at the hands of Vildred and then being forced to make a pact with him to survive.


    And finally, having no choice but to ambush her right when he was used by the echelons of the elven empire as a scapegoat for the deaths of the Hero''s Party members.


    All of this happened because this over-ambitious and greedy princess betrayed her own brother over 100 years ago.


    Just then¡­


    Swoosh!!


    The final figure also appeared behind the four individuals.


    It was none other than the figure in white and green robes who previously stood with them.


    And right before this bleeding and terrified female, he removed the hood and revealed his face.


    "Impossible! How are you still alive?" asked the princess with a horrified expression as if she had seen a ghost.


    Her entire body was shivering in shock and she revealed her rtionship with this mysterious figure.


    "Brother."


    Aragorn Travion Saar Insalor, the prince of the Elven empire, gave a devilish smirk as he spoke in an ominous tone.


    "My dear sister¡­ let me show you what happens." he spoke while his eyes glowed in fury.


    "When you betray your family."

 Chapter 805 Sibling Bonding

    Finally, Aragorn had a face-to-face time with his sister who was ambushed by Kahn and his allies due to the soul-oath they made with the elven prince.


    One of the reasons they killed all these soldiers and saint rank royal guards was that Aragorn couldn''t be seen by any of them or even his existence couldn''t be known by anyone. Also, he could only confront the princess on his own. Otherwise, he''d die due to the effects of the Commandment of Severed Fate.


    "You¡­ how are you still alive?" asked Eleanor while shivering in fear.


    "Shouldn''t you ask if I have been well¡­ sister?" asked Aragorn in a mischievous tone.


    She was his younger sister whom he cherished and always had been helpful to since the time she was born. Yet, she was also the reason for his misery.


    At the end of the day, Aragorn was the prince of the Zivot Empire, born with responsibilities and obligations as the future ruler of his people.


    "As we both grew up¡­ you know how we were forced to learn and unlock the Enchanter ss and learn magic despite having no interest in it, right?" he asked with a somber expression to his sister who was riddled with wounds.


    Then his gaze turned to Legs who stood behind him.


    "Ragnarsson, do you want to know what happened between me and my sister?" he asked slyly.


    "I''d rather not. I''m not here by choice." spoke Legs, showing an uninterested gaze.


    "Well, let me tell you anyway." spoke Aragorn and continued¡­


    "Other than being the prince of our empire¡­ I am also one of the few talented people in the world who have the Dual ss.


    As you already know¡­ I''m both an Enchanter and an Alchemist." he spoke as his gaze turned to Eleanor who was frightened, trying to avert her brother''s vengeful gaze.


    Kahn also knew of such people and how rare they were in the world.


    "I helped you when you were learning magic and needed proper guidance, I stood by you while you grew up when everyone treated you as nothing but a chess piece useful only for a political marriage.


    And yet¡­ you backstabbed me, your elder brother who blindly loved, cared for and trusted you." his voice turned heavy and his saint pressure raged wildly.


    Bang!


    He hit his fist on the side of the metallic debris Eleanor was leaning on in her injured state.


    "Why Eleanor, why?!"


    But instead, Eleanor asked as she shuddered¡­


    "How¡­ how¡­ how do you even remember what happened?


    You should''ve even forgotten your own identity long ago."


    Aragorn scoffed and responded in return.


    "You didn''t expect me to remember everything, did you?


    I used one of the spells made by our ancestors to preserve the life force of our imperial n.


    I used it to force myself to sleep for a century and lose my rank to be a 5th stage saint." he iterated and exined with a stern gaze.


    "But you didn''t know this fact, did you?


    That Father already gave me the Imperial bloodline token and taught me how to pass the trial of Commandment of Fellowship, as part of the rules set by our great-grandfather." he revealed.


    "I used that information to enter the Immortal Dungeon and tried to get the aid of the Dragon Emperor, Vildred."


    Terrified!


    Eleanor was terrified as soon as she heard it.


    Although she didn''t know what kind of rtionship they had¡­ just the fact that Dragon Emperor who was sealed inside the Immortal Dungeon had been freed, shook her to the core.


    Even Ervalen had failed to aplish this task but her supposedly gone brother freed this world cmity.


    "You¡­ You''re free?" she asked as she gazed at Vildred, the Sage.


    Vildred only gave a lifeless nce at the princess and did not speak a word.


    "You see¡­ I did some inquiry.


    Everyone believes that I went missing 200 years ago but in truth, it happened only 100 years ago.


    My face¡­ my identity, and even the memories they had of me have been distorted.


    All of that for what?! So you could sit on the throne?!" he eximed in rage.


    "You know very well that I wanted nothing to do with it. I''d rather live my days as an Alchemist, doing my research than rule the empire.


    If you wanted it¡­ you could''ve just asked for it!" he proimed his honest feelings.


    However, Eleanor''s countenance also turned furious.


    "Then no one would''ve said that I earned it!!


    And just because I''m a woman, no one would''ve ever truly respected me as the ruler or thought I deserved to be there!!" she rebuked.


    "Then how the hell is that my fault?!


    Did I ever abhor you? Did I ever say you weren''t deserving? Did I ever undermine you?!


    All I ever did was guide you and treat you as my equal despite being 113 years older than you. Despite being the fated ruler of this empire¡­ I never thought of you being any lesser than me.


    And yet¡­ you do this to me; to your own flesh and blood." said Aragorn in a crestfallen and infuriated voice while two drops of tear came from both of his eyes.


    In the following moments, Eleanor responded with a gloomy tone.


    "What you tried to discard away is something people go to war for.


    You should''ve just forgotten and nevere back.


    Now that the Hero of Life was summoned and I have him under control¡­ all of my ns were going to be reality anyway." she revealed while gasping for breath as her head was covered in sweat.


    "It''s you who doesn''t deserve to be born as the prince. I should''ve been the sole heir to the throne!


    Only¡­ only if you never existed, I wouldn''t have to do any of this." she justified herself.


    But unexpectedly¡­ it broke Aragorn''s heart to hear this.


    "So for the sake of your ambition¡­ would you go as far as kill your own family?" he asked in a heavy tone.


    In return, Eleanor responded unapologetically.


    "I''d do it a hundred times more without thinking twice." she chuckled menacingly.


    Just then¡­ Vildred spoke in a firm tone.


    "It''s time to undo the Commandment of Severed Fate." he said to Aragorn.


    Kahn asked the royal dragon.


    "How do we break the curse?"


    "There''s only one way." replied Vildred and gazed at the Elven Prince again.


    "This is your decision. You will have to live with it for the rest of your life."


    Kahn in the side was puzzled and stifled¡­


    "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "To break the Commandment of Severed Fate¡­" spoke Vildred again.


    But before he could say anything¡­


    Kacha!


    Aragorn took out a dagger that broke past all of Eleanor''s defensive artifacts and barriers instantly.


    Stab!


    Kahn shifted his gaze and all he saw was a dagger stabbed into Eleanor''s heart.


    The Elven Princess threw up blood with a horrified expression in her eyes.


    "The caster has to die at the hands of the target."

 Chapter 806 As Fate Would Have Lt

    As soon as Eleanor took her final breath and the light in her eyes disappeared¡­ Aragorn pulled out the dagger from her heart as he slowly put her down with a heavy heart.


    HUM!


    HUM!


    Suddenly, a dozen of small thread-like archaic formations appeared around the elven prince''s boy, surrounding him from all sides.


    The humming noises echoed and in the following moments, ttering sounds reverberated from Aragorn''s solemn figure.


    Within a few seconds, Aragorn''s appearance started changing as his ears were elongated and his hair turn golden brown just like Eleanor''s. His height rose by at least 40cm and now he was even taller than Legs.


    Finally, the multicolored formations which appeared around his body started crystalizing.


    Crack!


    The formations shattered, leaving shockwaves in a 1O meters radius.


    Aragorn had returned to his old identity.


    -------------------


    At this very moment, inside the capital Eletnall, an odd phenomenon urred.


    Out of nowhere, people from the imperial n and those who served the imperial rule across the capital suddenly started remembering Aragorn. His image, countenance and facial structure were no longer hazy or obscure to anyone who previously knew or saw him.


    Even the Emperor and the Abbot suddenly felt that some deeply buried memories had resurfaced.


    "My son¡­ Why did I suddenly remember his face as if I couldn''t before." spoke the 8th stage saint emperor.


    Commandment of Severed Fate was an Ancient Rank spell created by the Deity of Subjugation himself.


    Its influence could not erase a person''s existence¡­ but it could also affect billions of people living inside the Zivot Empire had they seen Aragorn''s face.


    As the rush of memories flooded their minds¡­ everyone was certain of one thing.


    That the prince was alive!


    ------------------


    At an unknown location in the elven empire, inside an istion dome, a grim and bloody environment came into sight.


    Sniff!


    Sniff!


    All of a sudden, Aragorn started weeping, his mind dibobted and his heart filled with sorrow.


    Despite making a decision andnding the finishing blow¡­ he couldn''t help but feel agonized over the fact that he just killed his own sister.


    Even if it was done to preserve his life and memories before he lost his identity due to the curse¡­ he still could not firmly grasp the harsh reality.


    Not everyone was an inherently cold and ruthless person who wouldn''t blink twice before killing their own family just because the other party tried to do so.


    With great regret and sorrow¡­ Aragorn had to kill for the first time in his life.


    And the person was none other than his sister whom he watched grow up, the one he deeply cared for throughout his life.


    If there was any other way¡­ he would have preferred that method. However, the only condition to break the Commandment of Severed Fate was to kill the caster aka Eleanor.


    Thus, to get his identity and fate back¡­ he did what he never even dreamt of doing.


    Kahn, who was only a bystander, understood that the sin of killing your family even if done for revenge or in the name of righteousness was something that would never leave your mind because of the memories you shared with them while growing up.


    It will always weigh on your consciousness and hunt you down again and again as an unending nightmare if you were a remorseful person.


    Aragorn''s sobbing echoed, unable to control his emotions.


    Throughout this mncholic atmosphere¡­ no one spoke a word.


    -------------------


    1 Hour Later


    Aragorn finally recovered from his depressed state. Despite being 280 years old¡­ he was not used to killing anyone, much less a family member.


    Kahn and the group were also done nting some evidence they got from Aragorn as part of their previously agreed n.


    The second purpose of killing all these soldiers had a major part to y¡­ Ones that would help them evade all suspicion.


    "What now?" asked Legs.


    Using an artifact, Aragorn regained his human appearance.


    "I will keep hiding for at least a year as Edmund Thandruil, the alchemist.


    If I miraculously show up in front of the imperial n right after my sister died, it will attract unnecessary attention.


    I could always im that I returned as soon as the news of her death reached my ears.


    This way¡­ both of us will stay safe." responded Aragorn.


    He had already thought of the aftermath and how to avoid all forms of suspicion.


    Legs nodded, feeling assured and the group finally left¡­ leaving behind Eleanor''s corpse.


    ----------------


    2 Days Later.


    The news of Princess Eleanor Sar Insalor Venric being found dead along with the imperial guards spread across the entire Zivot Empire, shocking all the popce.


    Based on rumors, there was some evidence found that the attack was carried out by a secret enemy force of a nearby empire that was at war with the elven empire.


    This was all due to the evidence nted by Kahn and the group.


    In actuality, these were the debris of armor and weapons Aragorn collected long ago when he was once attacked by them a couple of centuries ago.


    The reason they chose this empire to put me on was because it was an enemy the High Elves couldn''t wage a war on easily.


    As for the truth?


    Since when did people who loved to gossip and exaggerate rumors cared about the real truth?


    As for the site of battle¡­ it was prohibited for anyone to enter including the mysterious group hunting Kahn since it was an internal matter of the imperial family.


    Yet¡­ no one could find any trace left behind by the attackers.


    Although they had extremely skilled investigators and powerful saints¡­ how could theypare to Vildred who was also the Sage of Preservation?


    He had the ability to recreate and restructure mana and world energy on the atomic level. So there wasn''t a single clue left behind when he cleaned out the battlefield.


    A funeral rite was held for Eleanor and everyone from the empire watched it on various broadcasting artifacts.


    Every high-ranking and important individual was present. Except for two people.


    Myrienne had lost her mind after losing her lover, unable to ept this fact.


    As for Ervalen¡­ he was traumatized.


    In both of his lives, as fate would have it¡­


    He was to live without ever finding true love.

 Chapter 807 Necessary Decisions

    ONE WEEK LATER


    Kahn and the group had gone back to their old lives as the members of Misthios guild while the Zivot Empire was still in an uproar regarding the murder of princess Eleanor.


    This was a matter of the prestige and authority of the High Elf ss but so far, they were only able to find other empire''s involvement and not anything else.


    Inside the Trismegistus Alchemy Company, Kahn in his Legs persona came to meet Aragorn in his Edmund form.


    "Since you''re going to continue hiding for the time being, do what you''ve been doing.


    I don''t want to risk any form of suspicion arising that could reveal the truth." he spoke in a demanding tone.


    What Legs meant by these words was that Edmund should maintain his facade in front of the world, resulting in him teaching Merlin and Armin alchemy as per their previous arrangement before everything became so chaotic.


    ----------------


    On the same night, Kahn held a meeting with his subordinates to discuss an important matter.


    "It''s time for me to go." he spoke in a solemn tone.


    Everyone including Omega and Rudra were shocked as soon as they heard these words.


    "Go where?" asked Ceril in a curious voice.


    "There was a secret oath made between me and Vildred when we performed the spell called Contract of Familiarity.


    That deal entails me aiding Vildred to regain his former rank and in return, he has to do something for me as well.


    I cannot exin it to any of you but know that I too have no other choice." he said in a somber tone.


    "Due to the contract, Vildred and I cannot be farther from each other than 100 kilometers or both of us will die. Thus, staying in Zivot Empire is no longer possible for me." he iterated and gazes around the group.


    "So when do we leave?" asked ckwall in a stern voice.


    "Not us. Just me." replied Kahn.


    "But master, why can''t wee?" inquired Ronin with a dejected countenance.


    To his query, Kahn leaned back on his chair and replied.


    "Because what we set up in the Vessen fiefdom and Zivot Empire as the Misthios guild is the best foundation we needed.


    With what we have at our disposal, there''s no need to go to a different ce and start from scratch.


    Besides, all of you must stay in Sparta and protect our guild so that there won''t be any need for resources for any of you from now on." Kahn gave his reasoning.


    "As for me¡­ I have Rathnaar''s core.


    I will be able to absorb it steadily from now on and break through higher saint rank as time passes by." he said with a cheerful smile.


    However, all the subordinates only showed an expression of reluctance.


    "Don''t think of it like I''m abandoning you guys. This is also important for us.


    If all of you disappeared with me, it will bring more trouble and it will lead to my identity getting revealed to the empire and peopleing after me.


    Besides, I''m still leaving 7 of my doppelgangers here.


    One will act as Legs, 5 as Zeus and thest one as Merlin.


    And now that I can create 5 more doppelgangers, I''m notcking in options.


    Know that all of them are just me without my divine abilities and blessings even if they''re weak. So in a way, I''ll still be with all of you.


    So from now on¡­ all of you need to power up steadily with time and when I return or call for you, you need to be much stronger than you already are." he revealed his true intentions.


    "But master¡­ what if you get in trouble that you can''t handle on your own?" asked Jugram.


    "Well, I have far more life-saving skills than any of you. Besides, even if I don''t have any of your bloodline-specific abilities or domains¡­ I still possess 90% of all of your skills.


    Besides, it''s not like anyone below 7th stage saint can kill me now and with Vildred around, we can even fight with one easily by working together." he exined why he was confident.


    "Where are you going?" asked Oliver, revealing an incredulous expression.


    Kahn then told them their next destination.


    "But master¡­ it''s the same empire we used to put the me of the princess'' murder." spoke Armin, his eyes full of anxiousness.


    "Well, it is one of the two empires thates between our final destination. So I can''t skip going there even if I want to." he said in a carefree tone.


    This time¡­ It wasn''t like he was running away because he was forced to. Rather, he was already aware when he made the contract with Vildred inside the Immortal Dungeon to protect their lives.


    This deal with Vildred when they were in a pinch, was something that was bound to make him strong beyond measure in the future.


    Something Kahn desperately needed to survive in this world given how the mysterious group of people that even an 8th stage saint couldn''t afford to fight wereing after him.


    Besides, the Zivot Empire had already used him as a scapegoat, putting the me of killing the Hero''s Party members.


    Kahn wasn''t an oblivious fool to think that those people wouldn''t naturallye here one day.


    He simply couldn''t take that risk because not only he but 20 thousand people who worked for his guild would also get their lives jeopardized.


    If something happened to his subordinates, the system would naturally inform him and he could revive themter anyway. This would also act as a beacon to let him know that his identity was exposed.


    So in simple words, this time he was leaving to be much stronger than he was.


    The Next Morning.


    Using various barriers and spells cast by Vildred, Kahn and the Dragon Emperor departed while leaving everything behind.


    Marking the end of Kahn''s time in the Elven Empire.


    ----------------


    1 Day Later.


    Inside a ck castle, a figure of a silver-haired individual, d in ck and green armor while meditating in a secret chamber came into sight.


    Suddenly, he opened his blood-red glowing eyes and spoke in an ted voice.


    "So I finally found you¡­ Kahn."

 Chapter 808 Old Acquaintance

    As soon as Kahn and Vildred departed from the Zivot Empire, a powerhouse of Vantrea who also happened to be searching for him detected his whereabouts.


    Inside the Belmont Kingdom¡­ Argos Belmont, one of the four 9th stage saints in the world who was also titled as the Revenant Sovereign finally located Kahn.


    "This kid¡­ is he fleeing the elven empire?


    What kind of trouble did he cause this time?


    I hope it''s nothing like what he did in the Rakos and Vulcan empires." spoke Argos in a deep and rustic voice.


    At this moment, he had several artifacts ced inside arge magic formation with him in the center.


    These were some of the tools he was using to track Kahn.


    "But why did he kill the Hero''s Party members this time?


    From what the emperor of the Vulcan empire told me and how Kahn operated inside Rakos as per my findings¡­ he isn''t the kind to impulsively get into trouble.


    So it''s still not clear why he ambushed Hero of Life." he said with a solemn voice.


    "But thanks to that news¡­ I was able to locate him Zivot Empire in nick of time.


    At least those people haven''t found him yet." he heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Given the direction¡­ he''s heading to that empire huh.


    Well¡­ luckily I have an old acquaintance there. It''s about time I contacted him again." he revealed a charming smile.


    ----------------


    One hourter, a dark fog appeared in one of the sealed chambers of his vast ck castle and Argos emerged out of it.


    Inside this dark chamber, a peculiar scene came into his sight.


    Cling!


    ng!


    tter!


    In the air, hundreds ofrge shards of ss were suspended freely while revealing shes of bright light incessantly.


    The refractive property of these shards made them look like a diamond.


    Argos then started chanting a spell in an indescribable dialect and soon, all these floating shards started moving in an orderly manner.


    "Activate Mirror of Fate!"manded the vampire sovereign.


    Soon, all the shards joined together and formed a 3 meter tall massive mirror that glowed blue.


    Argos ordered it to contact a particr individual and soon, at this very moment 130 thousand kilometers away, an intangible mirror appeared in front of a powerful saint.


    The only noticeable thing about this mysterious person was covered in shadow and was 3 meters tall with a burly and ripped body.


    He too was suddenly caught off guard but then saw Argos'' figure through this mirror.


    "Look what we have here¡­


    It''s been more than 50 years since youst contacted me, Argos." spoke this massive humanoid being who exuded a tyrannical aura.


    "I need your help with something." replied Argos without standing on the ceremony or beating around the bush.


    "What kind of help?" asked this mysterious figure with an rmed tone.


    "I need you to take in someone and protect him for the uing few years." said Argos.


    "Why? Normally, you wouldn''t ask anyone for a favor. It''s usually the other way around." responded this being.


    "You will soon hear this from your Empress as well so think of it as hearing beforehand.


    The war with the Demon Empire just took a crucial turn." said Argos in a grim voice.


    "What happened?"


    "The Demon Emperor¡­ he has be an 8th stage saint." replied Argos with a hateful expression.


    "What?! Are you sure?!" mored the tall figure veiled in shadows.


    "Yes. He was already a big headache even as 7th stage saint.


    Now¡­ all 4 sovereigns are forced to step in since the 12 Rakshasas were already at 6th stage saint level.


    With the Demon Emperor ranking up, the power bnce in Vantrea has shifted greatly.


    Hence, I''m also going to be upied for quite some time." he iterated with a helpless expression.


    "And what about the Demon God?" queried the mysterious figure.


    "No idea. But he has entered seclusion.


    We believe he will reappear only after bing a 9th stage saint." spoke Argos with a gloomy countenance.


    "Dammit! Everything is going wrong all at once!


    You should''ve listened to me, Argos. You should''ve married our Empress when she made that offer to you.


    You could''ve had our entire empire at your disposal to fight in the war." the figure sternly iterated, showing a look of disappointment.


    Argos on the other end revealed a constricted face.


    "I have no intentions to marry that entric psycho you call the Empress."


    "But now¡­ this is getting out of hand. Soon, all the empires will have no choice but to act." spoke the figure hidden under shadows.


    "Yes.


    That''s why I want you to take in this person and also train him in the meantime till the Conve of Heroes."mended Argos.


    "Wait? Why till the Conve of Heroes?


    Who is this person exactly?" queried the tall figure.


    Argos replied with traces of guilt on his face as he revealed the identity of the said person.


    "The new Hero of Darkness."


    ----------------


    SILENCE.


    A total uninterrupted silence ensued as the other side was left bamboozled and speechless.


    "What the hell?!


    Are you out of your mind?!" bellowed the mysterious being in rage.


    "Why the hell would I do that? Do you think I''ll take him just because you asked nicely, you brat?!" he berated the vampire king.


    "Hey hey! Don''t forget that I''m still a 9th stage you know. You should mind your tone with me." spoke Argos in a sly tone.


    "So what?! You want me to destroy everything I''ve built up in this empire for the past 280 years just because you asked me?


    Do I look like a pushover to you?!" he rebuked in a furious voice.


    "Don''t make me do this.


    Otherwise, I will be forced to tell everyone about your real identity.


    And given your position in that empire¡­ no one will leave you out of hook till the day you die." spoke the revenant sovereign.


    "Even your Empress wouldn''t think twice before killing you since you were once¡­" Argos spoke and revealed key information about the mysterious being he was talking to.


    "A member of the 8th Hero of Darkness'' party."

 Chapter 809 Past And Future

    Argos Belmont, the Revenant Sovereign and also the King of Belmont Kingdom revealed the past of the entity he was conversing with through the Mirror of Fate.


    The 7th stage saint individual he was talking with had a terrifying past as he was once a member of the 8th Hero of Darkness'' party. This type of background was enough to get anyone killed even to this day although these events took ce 300 years ago.


    "You dare, Argos! You think I''m afraid?!" he bellowed in rage while expressing visible hatred.


    And the target of this hatred wasn''t the vampire king but the deceased 8th Hero of Darkness himself.


    "I trained with him, I fought by his side in many battles.


    I trusted him like my brother!" he spoke in a furious voice.


    "I believed in him blindly without ever questioning his judgment.


    And what did he do?


    He went on a suicide mission and caused mayhem in the entire world by killing the other Heroes.


    He even killed those Heroes and Heroines who were supposed to be his friends during the war." he revealed a memory of the past.


    "And for what?! He failed in the end against Demon God!" his frustration could be felt even from this side of the mirror connecting them from 130 thousand kilometers away.


    To his rageful countenance, Argos replied in a somber tone¡­


    "You know very well why he did that. It wasn''t like there was another choice."


    "So what?!! Did his efforts yield a result in the end?


    And what about the consequences of his actions?" he asked while revealing a tyrannical and deathly aura.


    "6.3 Billion people of my Abyss Empire were massacred because of his selfish actions.


    Because of what he did¡­ all the empires serving Gods dered a war on us; resulting in a river made of blood of the innocents, the people who swore to protect in the first ce!" he bellowed while unveiling a dire and harsh truth of the past.


    "So do not talk to me as if your father was some righteous hero or a saint who sacrificed himself for the sake of the people.


    He has no right or deserves to be called one." his exasperated voice echoed in the surroundings.


    "Don''t think that ckmailing would work on me.


    You may know my secrets but so do I." he openly threatened Argos, a 9th stage saint without a shred of fear in his eyes.


    "Oh really?


    What are you going to do? Tell everyone about my secret? That I''m the adopted son of the 8th Hero?" asked Argos with a visibly mocking expression.


    "I''m one of the 4 sovereigns in the world.


    Whose word do you think has more weight to it?" he questioned and taunted the shadowy figure on the other end.


    "Besides¡­ Think about the people you''re leading now.


    What do you think will happen to them if your past is revealed and you''re removed from your position?


    Do you really think they''d be let go easily?" Argos also gauged the opposition''s resolve.


    "Everything you did to serve and protect your new home would bebeled as treason or part of some heinous scheme if the truth got out.


    Even your disciples will be used as a sacrifice to appease the public''s anger." the vampire sovereign showed no mercy while revealing the consequences.


    "Don''t you dare bring them in this matter, brat?!


    If you decide to even spread rumors¡­ I will dly reveal to the world about what you''re hiding inside that little kingdom of yours." he too overbearingly gave the vampire king a reality check.


    Argos then heaved a sigh of helplessness and calmed his anger.


    "I''m not asking you to go back to your old ways.


    I''m just asking you to train the new Hero and safeguard him till the Conve of Heroes.


    After that, I wille for him myself." proposed the revenant sovereign.


    "Why do you think I can even train him?" asked the other being.


    "Well¡­ you trained the 8th Hero of Darkness. And unlike my father, this child has special blessings and gifts which might even surprise someone like you." said Argos with a dignified voice.


    He then told about the new Hero of Darkness'' blessings and gifts received from the War Deity himself.


    "What?! Great Ancestor Lord Kravel himself granted him blessings?


    Are you kidding me?!" asked the 3-meter-tall being with a bewildered voice.


    "Yes. He has potential.


    That''s why I contacted you since he was heading in your direction.


    Even if you don''t feel like it¡­ It will be worth training him. After all¡­" spoke Argos with a mischievous smile.


    "You were the one everyone hailed as the True Battle King." he revealed another fact about this powerful saint.


    "Here''s what you need to know about him and how he looks."


    He told Kahn''s divine abilities and skills including his appearance.


    After an hour, their discussion finally came to an end.


    "Fine! I will intercept him.


    But if he is a moron like many of the Heroes¡­ I will not take any responsibility." spoke the tall and ripped-bodied being with an indignant expression.


    "Good. When you meet him¡­ I want you to tell him something."


    At this moment, what Kahn didn''t know was that trouble was brewing on many fronts while he was quietly leaving behind the Elven Empire.


    Unbeknownst to Kahn¡­ his fate was already sealed.


    ----------------


    2 DAYS LATER.


    In an empire unknown¡­ was the towering pce and among these sky-touching buildings that touched the clouds¡­ was a particr room where one of the most important people in the empire was in a trance.


    BOOM!!


    The surroundings trembled as yellow waves of world energy burst open from a slim figure veiled in yellow robes and a hood shook the entire room.


    "Argh!"


    Blergh!


    This individual suddenly opened his eyes and started vomiting blood as if he received an immense and life-threatening backsh.


    For the next few minutes, his figure was caved on the pristine golden floor as he kept coughing blood.


    Finally after great difort, did the individual manage to recover.


    His forehead was full of sweat while his body was shaking in fear.


    "Kahn Salvatore, you bastard!!" he shouted with eyes full of rage and intense killing intent.


    "You will regret killing me!" he roared like a man going berserk while exuding a murderous aura.


    "Dammit!! Now¡­ I have already lost my biggest trump card.


    I can no longer use it against Demon God or go back in time anymore." he spoke with a great sense of loss.


    "Hero of Darkness¡­ you ruined my life!


    You ruined my reputation!


    You ruined everything I worked so hard for!


    I will find you and kill you myself!!" he kept shouting in a furious and thundering rage.


    Soon, he walked close to a mirror on the wall and checked his appearance as well as his rank.


    "No! I''m only a 4th stage saint!


    Does it mean I have returned to 10 years ago instead of 5?" he questioned himself, his heart full of disbelief and trepidation.


    "Did the spell fail?


    But God of Time said it would send me back to the most suitable period which I could use to my advantage to win the war against the Demon God." he spoke in a mildly hushed voice.


    "Well¡­ even if I can''t interfere with Demon God anymore¡­ at least I know what happened in the future and what''s about to happen in my personal life as well as other empires from now." spoke this chosen Hero.


    "These bastards have used me since the very beginning.


    My teachers, my party members and the imperial family¡­ I was nothing but a pawn to them." he spoke with a vengeful tone.


    "Well, at least now¡­. I know who my enemies are and I can unveil a lot of truth about what happened in the past at the same time.


    With my knowledge of the future¡­ I can be many times stronger than I was before I regressed in time." he said and finally, a clear and smug grin appeared on his face.


    "I shall seek vengeance on everyone who wronged me.


    I will mercilessly ughter those who took advantage of my emotions, my friendship and my loyalty.


    I will n and get rid of all those bastards who had been using me as nothing but a sacrificial goat while telling me how much they believed in my strength. Ha ha ha!" heughed maniacally.


    "Just wait, you fuckers! You wille to regret the day you backstabbed me." he said with an ominous smile.


    "As for the Hero of Darkness¡­ I willy a trap to kill him before he bes that ridiculously strong to even go toe to toe against the Demon Emperor." he iterated with a confident voice under the hood.


    "But where do I start?" he wondered and asked himself.


    "Oh, that''s right. The first time he appeared in front of the world¡­" said this Hero of Time and revealed an event of the future unknown to anyone else in the world.


    "The Conve of Heroes."


    -------------------------------------------------------


    ------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 5--------------


    -------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 810 Arc 5 Epilogue

    Wee to our traditional and customary Epilogue chapter. This is your host and announcer for the day¡­ The Author.


    So let''s address the main topics at hand.


    Compared to previous arcs, I had to make many changes in the storyline for various reasons and discard many plots, limit character exposure and events as well as omit interactions in the story itself. All done so the arc could be shortened since most of the people haveined about them ever since the 4th Arc aka the Vulcan Empire arc.


    As long-term readers, you deserve to know behind the scenes of the creative process of the novel.


    So here are some discarded ns that went into the trash bin :


    The 12 Valkyries :


    Lagertha Skjoldottir was supposed to be a prominent character, a very good leader of her guild who would end up inspiring Kahn and make him understand his shortsighted qualities as someone who is supposed to be a figurehead of thousands of people in Misthios Mercenary Guild and Sparta.


    After the Immortal Dungeon expedition, she and the 12 Valkyries were to join hands with Kahn and the guild itself was going to be absorbed by Misthios guild¡­ On equal terms and honest reasons instead of plotting and mind games.


    Making their guild even a bigger powerhouse.


    ----------------


    Sedaris Evarn aka LNP guild president :


    One of the secondary antagonistic figures who was to create a lot of trouble for Kahn and the group, making their rise in Alfheim filled with a lot of hardships and scrutiny.


    In the end, getting his core was going to be worth it.


    But to limit the arc storyline, I had to kill him off without even showing his fight against Omega and Rudra.


    ----------------


    Logan Vargr :


    Also had to skip Logan Vargr aka the Executive Assistant Officer from the Mercenary Association, to limit the storyline.


    He was going to have a bigger role and y an important part after Misthios became the top guild. He was going to be a reliable and trustworthy support character like Albestros Winston, Sirius ke, Venessa Hos Sigfreed and Throk Oakenshield.


    But sadly, had to remove his involvement to reduce the chapter count.


    ----------------


    On the other side¡­ I also had to skip on a lot of World Building and lore about Zivot aka the Elven Empire.


    One of them was the very System.


    In my original ns, Kahn was going to use it to increase his forces like a glitch in the program.


    But then the idea was discarded because I did not want to waste chapters in introducing characters that wouldn''t impact the story significantly and I didn''t want to touch the whole social structure side of the Elven culture like I did in Rakos & Vulcan empire arcs.


    The second part was about the different and unique species in Zivot Empire.


    I could only introduce Qebika (the fog/mist folks) and Lukions (the metal people who were also the biggest cksmiths and craftsmen of this empire).


    There were two to three more different species and plots rted to them. Just like Jugram, Omega and ckwall... They would have provided the limelight to Ceril and Oliver in this arc.


    But again¡­ would''ve been seen as unnecessary information and I would''ve been used of stretching the chapters.


    ----------------


    Cities and Locations :


    I was nning to show the significance of many cities, locations and terrains such as Alfheim, Count Harold''s territory, Qebika and Lukion tribe headquarters.


    Due to the workload¡­ I simply forgot to post art for these cities and ces despite having Reference Arts saved months ago.


    So from the next arc¡­ New city, location and scenery arts will be shared. (Ask for them if I forget to post.)


    ----------------


    I shortened Kahn''s journey inside the Supreme Dungeon and focused only on the Bosses to limit the storyline.


    I have arts, references, storyline ns for every important dungeon floor and thews of reality they were supposed to be associated with ready¡­ but again, thrown into the bin.


    ----------------


    Characters who were supposed to y a bigger and more significant role :


    Eleanor Sar Insalor Venric :


    She was going to be the main antagonist for this arc and was going to be a ruthless and conniving character whose ambitions were going to keep the chapters more interesting as well as create a lot of trouble for Kahn and the group.


    And the aftermath of Eleanor''s death was originally going to involve the Mysterious Group hunting Kahn.


    Iskamir was going toe back again (for those who don''t care or bother remembering character names and theninter, he was the member of the High Elf imperial n who would''ve been the heir to the throne if he hadn''t given up his im to join the group and hunt the new Hero of Darkness.)


    Don''t worry¡­ he will reappear again.


    I wanted to give more information on them and some of their specialties in this arc but I guess we will have to wait for future developments.


    ----------------


    Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life :


    My original ns included dwelling more into Ervalen''s character and his psychological traumas¡­ and why he became the way he did.


    He was originally going to be a more important character in thest 5 to 10 chapters of this arc and was going to impact the story and build up for the future appearance.


    ----------------


    Myrienne : The Priestess who is also Eleanor''s lover. She too will appear again with Ervalen and both of their motives and character developments will be disyed next time.


    ---------------


    So evidently¡­ I skipped a lot of characters, arc routes, storylines, world-building and many more things such as descriptions of each dungeon floor, theirws and stuff, to keep the arc short since peoplein a lot about these factors.


    Why am I telling you all about the food that you didn''t get to taste?


    To let you know that this is what happens when an Author is forced to limit their ns to appease the readers.


    Well¡­ I at least got the chance to introduce Vildred aka the Lightning Dragon Emperor properly, so I guess that''s a constion.


    ----------------


    As for those who stillin about the area of destruction caused by Saint and Mythical Rank monsters fighting to be in kilometers as well as these creatures being way too bigger even than even the Colossal Titan or Godzi¡­ I just want to ask these people something.


    Why would a world that operates on differentws of reality and isrger by many times, be the same as Earth?


    I have already exined again and again, over and over that monstrous beings are bigger due to their bloodlines, species, rank, mana and world energy reserves. Any of these things could end up as the deciding factor for their ginormous sizes and range of attacks and abilities.


    Their physiology, appearances, powers and characteristics won''t work like humans or any animals from the earth at all.


    Even humans in Vantrea are different from humans on Earth.


    Like how many times do I have to exin these things for these self-proimed intellectuals?


    Normal readers seem to understand this pretty easily and can picture these scenes effortlessly.


    On the other side of the spectrum¡­ Kahn may have to fight a Demi-God or a literal God one day.


    How do you expect him to fight such beings while he can''t even destroy 10 kilometers of radius with his strongest attack skill alone?


    Is this some watered-downic book movie where even a god like Thor can''t even defeat a bunch of metal bots or shadow monsters on his own?


    The hypocrisy of this situation is that¡­


    These are the same type of people who have no problems reading Wuxia/Cultivation Novels where MC destroys thousands of kilometers, heaven and earth, gxies and universes with a single Palm of their hand.


    A 12-year-old girl being millions of years old and every female character introduced being a kingdom toppling and heaven defying, as white as jade beauty is eptable; but here, peoplein about these things despite the world setting being set at early arcs of the novel.


    As the Author¡­ I''m disappointed by these people''sck of imagination and restricted mindsets.


    ----------------


    Alright¡­ time for the references used for names in this arc :


    Misthios : Greek word for Mercenary.


    Alfheim : In Norse Mythology, Alfheim is the realm of Elves.


    Lagertha : Character from The Vikings tv show who is a Shieldmaiden.


    Logan : You guessed it right, my chiggas.


    Omega is Raiden Hrodvitsson : Nordic names add son and dottir at the end based on gender.


    So Hrodvitsson would be Omega being the son of Hrodvitnir aka the Fenrir.


    ----------------


    Oliver is Icarus Vedrfolnir : Icarus was already mentioned so I''ll exin theter part.


    In Norse mythology, Veerf?lnir is a hawk sitting between the eyes of an unnamed eagle that is perched on top of the world tree Yggdrasil.


    Oliver is a variant of Godbeast Roc and also has a Hawkman form so this was fitting.


    ----------------


    Jugram is Dante Surtrsson :


    Reference to Dante from Devil May Cry franchise. Since both are One Man Army.


    Surtr in Norse mythology is a fire demon or fire giant who ruled in the fiery wilderness called Muspelheim.


    At the time of Ragnarok, the end of the world, Surtr was destined to lead the fire giants into battle against the Norse gods.


    ----------------


    ckwall is Sigurd Suttungr :


    Sigurd is of the V?lsung line and is the great-great-great-grandson of Odin aka the Allfather.


    As for Suttungr¡­ he was a Giant/Jotnar who also has a storyline with Odin. Given how ckwall is a variant Primordial Titan, this was the best surname I coulde up with after doing research.


    ----------------


    Ceril is Loki Vitkisson :


    Loki is already known to you guys.


    Vitki means Sorcerer in Norse. No big lore here.


    ----------------


    Ronin is Scorpion Banamadr :


    Scorpion name was always referenced to Scorpion from Mortal Kombat games since Ronin also has extensions abilities that he can use as Kunai Spear.


    Banamadr means Assassin in Norse (at this point, I was justzy.).


    ----------------


    Armin is named Darwin Groedari :


    Reference to sir Charles Darwin.


    He was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology in human history.


    Armin is an Alchemist and a Healer so I just had to do this one.


    Groedari also means botanist and alchemist in ''old'' Norse.


    ----------------


    Rudra Fafnir : Rudra''s surname was introduced as Fafnir. Named after Fafnir the Dragon.


    Fafnir, in Nordic mythology, is the name of the great dragon who is also referred to as a symbol of Strength.


    ----------------


    Note : Since most don''t pay attention while reading.


    Norse names were chosen in this arc because Kahn as Legs Ragnarsson as well as all the other subordinates were supposed to be descendants of Bjorn Ironside/Ragnarsson who was a Viking. Hence, these names were chosen with a purpose.


    ----------------


    Denzel Harrington : I''ll just leave you with a quote said by the person I''m referring to.


    "Withoutmitment, you''ll never start. But more importantly, without consistency, you''ll never finish."


    ----------------


    Merlin (Kahn''s alter ego who learns Alchemy) :


    Reference to Merlin from the King Arthur saga.


    ----------------


    Edmund Thandruil :


    Reference to Elven King Thranduil from the Hobbit books.


    In a way, I already foreshadowed him being a member of the elven imperial family since the first time I introduced him.


    ----------------


    Aragorn Travion Saar Insalor :


    Reference to Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. Name of the main protagonist.


    ----------------


    Mirror of Fate :


    Used by Argos Belmont, the Vampire King aka Revenant Sovereign.


    Reference to Castlevania anime. Drac also uses the same Mirror to connect and talk with his allies from thousands of kilometers away.


    ----------------


    Author''s Personal Note :


    As you can see, I had to skip a lot of plotlines. But there were a lot of mythological references.


    I was nning to dig deep into Aztec or Mayan cultural lore in the next arc.


    But from now¡­ Many mythologies and different cultural references, anime, TV shows, games and CBMs won''t be used.


    Because people do not seem to like or appreciate them anymore so I guess I will have to erase that part from the novelpletely.


    P. S.


    It will also save me hours of doing research since there''s no point in it anymore.


    ----------------


    Conclusion and Future Premise :


    From now on, Kahn will no longer be able to skip from the matters rted to the 8th Hero of Darkness, the war with Demon God and the foundation he has built will show their effect in the future arcs and you''ll see why I took more than 800+ chapters just to reach this stage.


    There will be some unique, entric and interesting characters introduced and Kahn himself will gain a lot of experience regarding a few aspects that he''s stillcking as a character.


    Consider the uing arc as the pivotal point of the novel which willpletely change the direction of the story.


    If you have patiently read and carried on with the novel till now¡­ consider your time and support being rewarded.


    From the next arc, you''ll see a lot of improvement in characterization, world-building, deep exploration of fighting styles, weapons, magic,ws of reality and other stuff.


    Your love and support will be rewarded. So see you in the next arc.


    - CrimsonWolfAuthor

 Chapter 811 Temporary Stop

    5 DAYS LATER


    Both Kahn and Vildred entered the borders of a sensitive area that was on high alert with thousands of warships with apletely different design and structure than anything he had seen before.


    To lead this border, there were even 5 saintsmanders stationed, 2 of whom had the rank of a 4th stage saint. This region of the empire was heavily guarded due to recent events in the Zivot Empire which led them to believe it was this empire that ambushed and killed their princess Eleanor due to hundreds of years of enmity and war.


    This notion spread quickly and the imperial military of the Elven Empire was also showing signs of battle while declining their offer to have a chat and negotiate for peace.


    And the main reason being that close to 200 years ago, this empire had indeed tried to assassinate their currently missing prince aka Aragorn, and failed the attempt under the orders of their previous emperor.


    Hence, now that the Zivot Empire, the Emperor and the Abbot were fuming with rage¡­ a future filled with War and Blood didn''t seem so far.


    As for Kahn and Vildred who were currently traveling at supersonic speed using their respective flying skills and abilities¡­ their journey was without any hurdles.


    p!


    p!


    Finally after securely crossing the border, Kahn deactivated his ck feathered Cdrius Wings while Vildred also retracted his 6 Dragon wingsing out of the back of his humanoid form.


    Due to their abilities, their speed was no different than a peak 5th stage flying in the air at their maximum speed.


    The reason why no one could detect or suspect their arrival despite having hundreds of detection, protection, istion magic formations and arrangements set across hundreds of kilometers was because of thepanion who had the Sage of Preservation ss.


    The former Dragon Emperor who was now onlyparable to a 4th stage saint just like Kahn was so efficient and excelled in using mana and world energy that he literally deconstructed all the security measures, formations and detection barriers and then reconstructed them right after the moment they passed through them.


    These were at least Legendary Rank formations but all it took Vildred to nullify them were just a couple of seconds.


    After passing through, he remade them the exact same way as before. And throughout this process, no one even noticed that the powerful methods to protect their borders were breached so easily by someone.


    This amazed Kahn even more because this was by far, the best and most effective way of using magic he had seen in his new life.


    Vildred wasn''t once the strongest mage in the world for no reason.


    As for their next destination¡­


    It was the Nadur Empire. To outsiders, it was also known as¡­


    The Beast Empire.


    ----------------


    Currently, Kahn and Vildred were flying through aerial borders of the eastern end of the Nadur empire while being undetected.


    And before leaving the Zivot Empire¡­


    Kahn and the group had used this one as a scapegoat. It was on the other side of the Elven empire, unlike Rakos and Vulcan which were adjacent empires where Kahn had previously traveled from.


    Nadur empire aka the Beast Empire served the God of Nature, Termeszet.


    Their entire civilization including the military garrisons and fortresses they had seen seemed one with nature as most of them were either situated at or converged with mountains, dense forests filled with massive trees that were 30 meters tall and 8 meters wide in circumference on average.


    The density of enormous trees, wild rivers, creepy marsnds and wildlife would even put the Amazon rainforest to shame.


    And these were just the military settlements that lived frugally and had minimalistic standards of living.


    As for the normal civilization¡­ Kahn had no idea.


    "What do you guys know about this empire?" asked Kahn to Vildred and Rathnaar.


    "No idea. Back then¡­ this ce was the territory of the Morgel Empire. I''m unaware of who runs it now." responded Vildred in a calm voice.


    Rathnaar''s stance was the same.


    Although Kahn himself had gathered some information on different empires currently existing in Vantrea¡­


    There wasn''t much information avable other than superficial notions about this empire being run by the Beastkins.


    It was an empire fully made up of Beastkins and other Demi-Human races.


    And as per the history books, Humans were barred from entering this empire and would be killed on-site as soon as they were found.


    This strictw was applied mainly due to some human empires of the past having waged war on them and enved them for centuries until 700 years ago.


    Even the summoned Heroes of this empire were subjected to constant monitoring by their rulers.


    As for why Kahn chose this ce as his next target to traverse?


    He was going through here because of the pact he made with Vildred. And the Nadur Empire was going to be one of their temporary stops.


    Both of them had no ns to spend any extra time here despite there being no time validity on their pact.


    ----------------


    Another hour passed as Kahn and Vildred traveled close to 100 kilometers inside while having their existencepletely erased to the outside world under Vildred''s magic formations that surrounded them like a massive sphere, invisible and undetectable to the outside world.


    But right then¡­


    Kahn''s Survival Instinct blessing quickly alerted him about an approaching danger.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Abruptly, 10 massive yellow-colored pirs of light, each reaching up to 2 kilometers high in the sky, appeared at different sides and intervals of distance, instantly sealing them off inside a 50 kilometers radius pentagram-shaped Legendary rank istion barrier.


    The system then notified Kahn that Space in these entire surroundings filled with mountains, grasnds and dense forests was nowpletely sealed.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crumble!


    Suddenly, the spherical spell formation protecting Kahn and Vildred shattered and quickly dispersed into thin air.


    Even the dragon emperor had his eyes full of disbelief¡­


    "Who dares to break this supreme being''s formation?!" he bellowed in rage.


    Whoosh!


    Just then, a figure appeared 3 kilometers away in the sky as if another bright and red sun had appeared out of nowhere.


    This new arrival fiercely nced at Kahn and Vildred who were now exposed to the outside world, with a look of disdain.


    "You have some guts intruding inside our empire."


    A grim, terrifying, tyrannical and domineering voice resounded in the surroundings as the being who was covered under a thickyer of dazzling and radiant mes spoke.


    For some reason¡­ Kahn''s Survival Instinct blessing was ringing like a fire rm, telling him to run away as soon as he could.


    [Kahn, Vildred¡­ run!]


    Rathnaar who was done gauging the strength of this being quickly eximed in Kahn''s mind.


    [This is a Peak 7th stage Saint!]

 Chapter 812 The King

    Rathnaar quickly warned the duo about the strength of this powerful being who suddenly appeared and confronted them out of nowhere. Not only both of them were taken aback but also started nning their escape routes at the next moment.


    Shing!


    Hum!


    Swoom!


    Multiple waves of powerful aura exuded from the being covered under a thickyer of blistering fire, instantly freezing both of them on the spot with his unfathomable and dreary saint pressure.


    The being revealed his killing intent and both Kahn and Vildred are perplexed, their expression contorted as both be paranoid.


    And finally¡­ the thick wall-likeyer of scorching fire diffused and they saw the true appearance of this peak 7th stage saint.


    A 3 meter tall and ripped body with a waving dark red mane and fur covering it.


    Strong and big arms, biceps and triceps with visible muscles and a strong upper torso came into sight.


    As for the head¡­ it had two glowing red eyes with no iris in them and even the eyebrows of this saint were on fire.


    Extremely high-grade armor setprised of golden and spikey pauldrons, gauntlets, shin guards and a belt over the waist along with dark red loose pants gave imagery of a great warrior as this being''s terrifying aura spread in 30 kilometers of space swiftly.


    If any normal person was here¡­ they would''ve instantly died under this overbearing and ghastly pressure alone.


    With two long and wide perked-up ears, sharp as well as deadly ws and a mouth with a long jaw and snout¡­ the peak 7th stage saint resembled¡­


    A Wolfkin.


    But unlike any other wolfkin Kahn had seen in Vantrea so far, whether it was Rakos, Vulcan or Zivot empire¡­ this one was different in a sense.


    Because unlike the former, this peak 7th stage saint had an anthropomorphic wolf and human-like body.


    Normally, in the world of Vantrea¡­ Werewolves aka the Wolfkin were just tall and hairy wolves who could walk on two legs. Yet this one seemed very different.


    His upper body regions such as the bare chest and abs were not covered in fur and looked more like that of a human. And over the chest¡­ were hundreds of glowing red vein patterns as if magma was running under his chest.


    These glowing veins spread across the massive arms, shoulders, deltoids and back akin to some archaic runes.


    Kahn could even feel a sense of kinship with him and instantly remembered something that happened years ago.


    Those rune-like patterns were actually manifested due to this being''s bloodline. Simr to how Omega also had these types of tattoo-like patterns on his body in his human form.


    The only difference was Omega had ck colored patterns while this individual had Red ones.


    As if he waspletely superior in every aspect¡­ this wolfkin seemed far beyond the level of normal wolfkins as he was apletely different breed.


    At this moment¡­ the fiery red wolfkin''s eyes interlocked with Kahn from afar and then moved next to Vildred who was flying beside him.


    "So a Lesser Dragon is apanying you." he spoke and the pressure on their bodies increased by a dozen times as if a bunch of mountains dropped on them.


    "This lowly trash!" shouted Vildred in fury as he was greatly offended.


    The dragon emperor was getting furious because being called a Lesser Dragon was an insult to him.


    Among true dragons¡­ Lesser, Superior and Royal Dragons were the tiers of the hierarchy. So obviously he would be offended when being mistaken for the bottom tier.


    [Don''t reveal it! Maybe he will underestimate us.


    We need to find an opportunity to escape. The more cards we have, the better.] Kahn said through their mind connection and started forming an escape n on the spot.


    However, the very following moment¡­ he flicked his finger in Vildred''s direction.


    BOOM!!


    Hundreds of golden pirs of light shot from the sky above and instantly sealed Vildred inside a barrage of formations.


    In just mere moments, the royal dragon was teleported 40 kilometers away, caged in these innumerable magic spells and barriers.


    Vildred quickly reacted and started countering and unraveling these spells that trapped him. But soon, his expression turned ugly.


    "Dammit! If I was at least a 5th stage saint level, I would have been able tomand the world energy used by this artifact and get out of this cage instantly." cursed Vildred as he was temporarily restricted due tock of his strength.


    [Sorry, kid. But you''re on your own for a while. I will break free from it as soon as I can. But till then¡­


    Try not to die.] he ryed his words to Kahn.


    On the other side, the wolfkin also made his move while Kahn quickly equipped Drakos Armor and Lucifer.


    Their Legendary Rank set and his Draconian Bloodline effects made himparable to a beginner 5th stage saint instantly.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    SHRILL!


    The 7th stage saint also summoned thousands ofrge wormholes behind him while the Wolfkin himself stood with his arms folded, disying an uncaring expression.


    And soon swords, halberds, spears, polearms, maces, shields, daggers, greatswords, longsowrds, battleaxes¡­ any weapon you can name it suddenly emerged out of these wormholes.


    A scene of entire sky being covered by these immeasurable and extremely threatening weapons became a reality.


    All of these weapons were 100 meters long on their own. An atrack from them was more than enough to eradicate an entire vige with a single strike.


    And all of them revolved behind the Wolfkin like a literal storm of lethal weapons while thetter only had a lofty demeanor.


    As if some sort of War God was looking down on him¡­ even Kahn was terrified to his core.


    But for some reason, the Wolfkin kept ring at Kahn as if trying to gauge his strength, yet his countenance was filled with indifference.


    "It''s just as he said¡­ you have potential.


    Your body and physical strength areparable to a beginner 5th stage saint despite you being only a beginner 4th stage saint.


    You have immense durability and regeneration abilities because of various bloodlines absorbed from different beings and monsters.


    But what you''ve learned till now will never help you reach your peak mastery whether in magic spells,bat techniques and weapon skills." the wolfkin dered as soon as he was done inspecting Kahn''s entire being.


    Even Kahn was dumbfounded and stupefied as soon as he heard those words. It seemed as if the Wolfkin had prior information about Kahn.


    Otherwise, how could he detect so many things about Kahn in such a short time when even Vildred couldn''t see through them back in immortal dungeon?


    "Who are you?" asked Kahn while barely withstanding this immense pressure by activating War Dominance and various other body-strengthening skills he had, all at the same time.


    "I''m one of the 4 Heavenly Kings of the Nadur Empire."


    "As for my name¡­" replied this saint who seemed to be a Brawler ss warrior based on his appearance as he revealed his identity.


    "Romulus Lykaios."

 Chapter 813 True Domain

    Kahn was stifled as soon as the supposed ''wolfkin'' revealed his identity as one of the 4 Heavenly Kings of the Nadur Empire called Romulus Lykaios. His senses were on high alert and he was already ready to use Phase Shift and all the other life-saving skills.


    Just the title of a Heavenly King made Kahn''s heart run awry in trepidation because no way any weak or untalented individual would gain such a form of recognition in any empire.


    In Rakos Empire, the three faction leaders such as Allister Mor Vandereich, Jeremiah Themis, and Stalin Joseif, all of whom were peak 7th stage saints¡­ they were the peak powerhouses that deterred all the enemy empire who had 8th stage saint emperors and empresses from attacking the empire.


    And now¡­ A powerful being who stood on the same level was confronting Kahn while fully revealing his murderous aura.


    And the majestic sight of him summoning thousands of 100 meter long weapons, each of which was made of highly condensed world energy and many times stronger than even his strongest attack skill aka the Dragon Strike, hovered in the sky as they created an imprable wall-like phenomenon.


    "Scared with just this much? This is only a saint rank battle technique.


    So disappointing." he said and shook his head.


    [What the hell?! How can this be just a Saint rank skill?


    This has to be at least Legendary rank one.] thought Kahn.


    [Focus, boy! That''s not the issue here.


    That guy¡­ I feel like I''ve fought someone or something with his bloodline. I just can''t remember where and when.


    But know that all those summoned weapons are highly dangerous.] spoke Rathnaar.


    Vildred on the other side was doing his best to solve and get rid of restriction barriers on him at a fast pace.


    Romulus then gazed at Kahn and dered in a majestic voice.


    "Let me test your strength, boy.


    Survive against my 10 strikes and I''ll let you live." said the 7th stage saint.


    Soon¡­ All the floating weapons pointed towards Kahn as he revealed an insidious smile.


    Kahn quickly activated the Dimensional Domain without a second thought. Because if he didn''t¡­ There''s no way he''d be able to survive against a direct strike from a peak 7th stage saint.


    But unexpectedly¡­ Instead of lowering his enemy''s physical stats by 50%... Kahn felt like his own grasp over his domain was loosening.


    "Such a powerful domain. But have you actually fought with anyone with a domain?


    Based on your attainment in thisw¡­ It''s simply too weak." spoke Romulus whose mane and beard floated and glowed, waving like a raging fire.


    p!


    Romulus quickly pped his hands and in just a few seconds¡­.


    Crack!


    ng!


    Shatter!


    Crumble!


    For the first time in Kahn''s new life¡­ the entire Dimensional Domain shattered like a ss window falling on the floor.


    Blergh!


    An immense bacsh hit Kahn as his internal organs and consciousness received a blow, making him retch blood from his mouth while his eyes and ears also bled.


    With just a simple p alone, the Heavenly King had put Kahn in a miserable state by destroying the Dimensional Domain like House of Cards; something Kahn could never even imagine would happen one day.


    "You were lucky that other Saints and Heroes you met so far didn''t use a domain of their own.


    With this poor mastery over thew¡­ you will never survive against a powerful enemy above the 5th stage saint even with your domain.


    You have so much to learn." said Romulus, almost sounding greatly disappointed.


    "Who the hell are you?! How do you know me?!" shouted Kahn while creating distance between Romulus and himself as he fled 4 kilometers away and now, the distance between them was a total of 7 kilometers in the sky. Yet Kahn felt like it wouldn''t be safe enough because of how strong the attacker was.


    "Hah! So pitiful. I just had to simply p my hands to overthrow your domain.


    Do you want to see how a true domain looks and feels unlike that cheap imitation of yours?" he mocked Kahn openly.


    BOOM!!


    A massive red burst of aura erupted like a volcano, sending tremors into the ground below while shaking the clouds in the sky.


    Kahn himself was shoved another kilometer backwards from the shockwaves as the 7th stage saint revealed his domain.


    DEATH!


    WAR!


    FEAR!


    HELPLESSNESS!


    Those were the feelings that suddenly arose in Kahn''s mind as he indescribable terror as the red dome erupting from Romulus'' body encapsted Kahn and the nearby 50 kilometers radius effortlessly.


    And finally¡­ A horrifying scene emerged in front of Kahn.


    Millions of corpses and skeletons spread over the ground.


    More than 50 thousand pale green and yellow wraiths in varying sizes and ghastly shapes floating in the sky came to be.


    Amidst these things¡­ Hundreds of fire pits erupted out of the ground while blood flowed like a stream river on the ground.


    From the sky, fell thousands of massive and spiked ck chains, each being 1 kilometer in length and 10 meters in width alone.


    Afterwards, the summoned weapons by Romulus grew ten times their initial size, bing one kilometer in height and overall perimeter based on their respective designs.


    Thud!


    Bang!


    Each of these weapons dropped and fixed themselves in the ground, appearing as a tall watchtower on their own while exuding insurmountable killing intent towards Kahn.


    [WARNING!


    All of the host''s physical stats have been reduced by 90%!


    WARNING!


    All of the host''s skills and abilities have been dropped by one rank and 90% effectiveness.


    WARNING!


    The enemy entity''s domain is greatly affecting the host''s consciousness.


    WARNING!


    The Drakos Armor and Lucifer have lost 90% of their bloodline and armor set effects.


    WARNING!


    All of the host''s bloodline-specific abilities and passive skills have lost effectiveness by 90%.


    WARNING!


    The host is nowparable only to a peak 1st stage saint!] alerted the system in Kahn''s mind.


    bbergasted! Stupefied! Terrified!


    Kahn was petrified and too stunned to even move a muscle under this nightmarish onught of emotions and restrictions on his mind and body at the same time.


    "Allow me to wee you inside¡­" spoke Romulus with a prideful tone.


    "The Domain of ughter."

 Chapter 814 Place In The Food Chain

    Romulus Lykaios activated and introduced his Domain of ughter, terrifying Kahn and making him feel mortified as thetter not only had his own domain crushed and turned into dust like a sand castle¡­ but all of his physical stats, skills and abilities were also lost 90% of their effectiveness.


    Kahn on the receiving end couldn''t differentiate whether this domain filled with death, blood and war was real or just his imagination. Due to this immensely terrifying feeling, his heart kept palpitating.


    This was also the first time Kahn had actually faced a powerful saint''s domain ever since he was summoned inside Vantrea and it broke all of his previous assumptions.


    As things were unraveling themselves¡­ He found out that even his strongest AoE skill which basically allowed him to fight people stronger than himself was nothing but a cheap imitation.


    And now¡­ He couldn''t even muster the strength to move his body willingly as if he was paralyzed.


    "Prepare yourself." spoke the wolfkin saint as he clenched his right fist.


    But suddenly, he just flicked his forefinger towards Kahn.


    Silence!


    For the following seconds, nothing happened and even Kahn was confused.


    "What was he trying to¡­"


    However, he didn''t get to finish the sentence as an invisible force suddenly hit the body.


    Bang!


    Like a cannonball, Kahn''s entire body shot towards the ground below as an intangible object simr to a mountain struck him.


    BOOM!!


    Kahnnded on one of the mountains and entered so deep until the impact was absorbed¡­ He almost entered the very core of the mountain.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Due to the impact and the vibrations, even the mountain formed dozens ofrge cracks.


    Whoosh!


    Using all of his strength, Kahn jumped out before the mountain buried him.


    "Argh!"


    Kahn groaned in pain as his entire body felt like it was hit with a hammer, almost cracking all of his bones and destroying his internal organs.


    The regeneration skills and his defensive skills protected him despite their negligible potency at this point. Otherwise, Kahn would probably be entombed inside the mountain like an egyptian pharaoh.


    "Good. You could at least survive that much." spoke Romulus, nodding in approval.


    He then sent one of his massive 100 meter tall greatswords filled with blistering red aura towards Kahn.


    From the other side, Kahn also summoned his 100 meter tall greatsword made with 5 different elements.


    Dragon Strike!


    BOOM!!


    A ground-shattering shockwave resounded in the surroundings and the thousands of bloodied corps on the ground were flung hundreds of meters due to the aftershocks.


    However¡­ Kahn was extremely distraught. The cause being the fact that his strongest and most destructive skill¡­ was destroyed.


    "Two done. 8 to go." said Romulus, revealing a mischievous smile.


    BOOM!


    Bang!


    Those were the only noises heard as every single attack from Romulus nearly killed Kahn.


    Here, his doppelgangers didn''t even help and neither did his Dimensional Cut skill.


    All Romulus had to do was think and he was already a couple of kilometers away from the attack.


    There was even a time when he tried to fake his death using one of his doppelgangers but the wolfkin sneered instead, saying such cheap tricks would only fool a retard.


    "You''re good for someone self-taught. You have incredible abilities and skills as well that many don''t have.


    But how long can you survive?" asked the peak 7th stage saint.


    The difference between Kahn and Romulus was like ''Heaven and Earth'' indeed.


    If thetter willed it¡­ Kahn would instantly die.


    The only useful skills that could work at the moment were phase shift, his regeneration abilities and Dimensional Cut as Romulus had basically sealed off all the other skills and abilities he had acquired till now.


    "See, without multiple of your abilities¡­ You''re nothing.


    You have no technique unique to your own.


    You have not created any specific abilities or signature attack skills other than that massive greatsword made of elements.


    Don''t think that the world is filled with weaklings like the ones you''ve fought till now." he openly berated Kahn as he put thetter in a half-dead state with his 8th attack.


    "What do you think would happen if you fought someone many times stronger than yourself?" asked the heavenly king in contempt.


    "Stop flexing your strength. You''re a peak 7th stage saint bullying a 1st stage saint now.


    How is that even fair?" retorted Kahn whileing out of a massive pit of blood and corpse where he was thrown into after getting hit.


    Romulus on the other end scoffed and responded in a grim voice.


    "Huh! Do you think the battlefield will be fair?


    Your enemy will be fair or have the honor to fight you as equals?


    In a war¡­ You''re either the predator or the prey."


    "Nobody cares if you''re weaker than them.


    You''re just another dead body to your enemies." his tyrannical voice shook the nearby region.


    "I''m not even using my peak strength or using many of my attack abilities and physical attacks. Yet you''re already so helpless.


    And you want to know a shocking fact?" he questioned with visible mockery on his face.


    "I''m not even the strongest person of this empire."


    ----------------


    10 Minutes Later.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Kahn had lost his right arm and left leg while hey on open ground that was previously a mountain but now turned into smithereens.


    Luckily¡­ He survived the final strike from the enemy.


    "Everyone praises the summoned Heroes too much because they''re the representatives of the Gods and the public pays too much attention to them.


    But the real truth is that they''re just puppets and chess pieces for the truly strong." his ghastly voice echoed as he looked at Kahn from the sky like an ancient transcendent deity.


    "If you take out a few exceptions like your predecessor¡­


    The truly powerful and strong people who reigned supreme have always been the native people of Vantrea." he stated with a domineering demeanor.


    "Chosen heroes are just people with immense potential.


    But even people like them can be killed easily before they reach their peak.


    How are you going to fight and survive against those types of old freaks and monsters with these meager and circumstantially useful skills of yours?" he mocked Kahn again whose body was regenerating.


    At this moment¡­ Kahn was alive solely because of Drakos Armor.


    "See how pathetic you are?


    I''m only using 10% of my strength but the moment I activated my domain¡­ you became unable to even withstand that much.


    In terms of the truly powerful people of this world...


    Your ce is at the bottom of the food chain." he dered in an unempathetic and disregarding tone.


    [This bastard! He''s mocking me again and again.] cursed Kahn in his mind.


    [Boy, don''t lose your rationality.


    If he wanted to¡­ You''d be dead already.] even Rathnaar had to admit that Kahn was indeed a headless chicken and a fish on the chopping board in front of Romulus.


    "s¡­ you have survived 10 attacks. So you have passed my test." said the 3 meter tall wolfkin with a firey body.


    "So from now on¡­" said Romulus and his figure appeared beside Kahn and he dered his intentions.


    "You''re under my tutge."

 Chapter 815 Secrets Unveiled

    Kahny on the ground, perplexed and dumbfounded as soon as Romulus dered that he would be Kahn''s new guardian. This was an urrence he didn''t expect to see happening given the fact that the peak 7th stage saint almost killed him 10 times already.


    "Kahn!!"


    Just then, Vildred broke free from all the formations that previously caged him and quickly charged towards the saint while casting a tremendously terrifying lightning bolt that was 300 meters long.


    Shoot!!


    The destructive attack that could raze down an entire town in a single strike shot at Romulus while another protection barrier was cast over Kahn by Vildred.


    BOOM!!


    A massive and chaotic explosion filled the nearby 3 kilometers of space, shattering the terrain as hundreds of deep crevices formed on the ground from the point of intact.


    Whoosh!


    Kahn''s figure appeared behind the royal dragon as he was teleported by thetter in an instant.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Kahn took deep breaths as he was still recovering from his grave injuries and waiting for his arm and leg to regrow.


    "What did he mean by those words?" asked Vildred to Kahn as he prepared a protection barrier around them while keeping a vignt gaze at the explosion.


    Just then, a grim and dreadful voice resounded.


    "Stop interfering in our matters¡­ Dragon."


    Swoosh!


    The massive cloud of dust from the explosion quickly dispersed as an open palm which took the full brunt of Vildred''s spell was revealed. Romulus had stopped the attack with his bare palm,pletely unaffected by the lightning bolt.


    The next moment, the wolfkin warrior deactivated his Domain of ughter after giving Kahn a hint of how powerful and overwhelming a saint''s domain could be.


    Even when the 7th stage saint was using only 10% of his strength inside this domain, Kahn was no different than aplete rookie who was fighting for the first time and almost forgot how to even fight properly.


    In the meantime, the terrain regained its previous appearance. All the mutted corpses, the rivers of blood and the massive and imposing weapons that stood tall as a building disappeared. The surrounding turned lush green again and apart from the mountains and ground that was destroyed, everything else became just like before.


    "Do you understand your shorings boy?" he asked Kahn with a solemn countenance.


    Just then¡­


    [All of the restrictions on the Host''s physical stats, skills, bloodlines and abilities have been lifted!] informed the system.


    And now, Kahn started recovering at a rapid pace and his arm and leg were regenerated in a matter of seconds.


    One after another¡­ Kahn started recovering both in consciousness and bodypletely and he understood something very clearly.


    Inside Romulus'' Domain of ughter, he had basically lost his mind and ability to think properly and prepare a n to counter the saint.


    Otherwise, how could someone like him who was well versed in battle and could use plenty of things to save himself didn''t think of the plethora of abilities he could''ve used?


    "That domain¡­ It was suppressing my ability to think.


    It also made me fear for my life; eventually making me attack without thinking and acting only on impulse." spoke Kahn after he quickly analyzed the situation.


    "Because of which¡­ I stopped thinking rationally and the more beating I got, the more unorganized I became.


    I also lost myposure and reasoning due to fear of death." he said with a gloomy expression.


    Right then¡­


    "Ha ha ha!!


    Ha ha ha!!" the Heavenly King startedughing loudly.


    "This is the first time someone quickly self-analyzed how badly they lost under the influence of my domain.


    Well done, boy." said Romulus, almost praising Kahn for his quick thinking.


    "You''re indeed correct.


    My domain not only suppresses the opponent''s body but also breaks their mental fortitude.


    As my enemies lose their will to fight¡­ They turn into nothing but cattle inside a ughterhouse." he revealed while grinning.


    "However¡­ Don''t mistake that you''ve figured it all out.


    That''s barely the surface-level skill of my domain. I didn''t even use the other phases of it." he replied with an approving smile.


    [Dammit! Now I remember where I fought someone like him before.] suddenly, Rathnaar spoke in bewilderment as he too recovered from the influence of the domain.


    [This wolfkin¡­ is an Apostle of Mors, the Deity of ughter!] he dered in Kahn and Vildred''s mind.


    Both of them were rooted on the spot as soon as Rathnaar revealed this.


    [No wonder that domain and his aura felt familiar.


    The Apostle of Mors I fought 1200 years ago was a vampire who had this exact domain.] he iterated in a grim tone.


    [Boy, all of us were very lucky. If he used the full power of his domain¡­ unless you were an 8th stage saint yourself, there''s no way you or vildred would''ve survived.] he informed with an incredulous expression.


    Vildred then calmed himself and asked in a firm voice.


    "What is your true identity? How do you know the boy? And how did you know we wereing here in the first ce?" asked the royal dragon while silently preparing a spell to escape if needed.


    "Kahn Salvatore, the 9th Hero of Darkness.


    Once the Sovereign of Vessen Fiefdom in Rakos Empire and also an aplished Saint Rank cksmith in Vulcan empire.


    You were recently hiding inside the Zivot Empire as an elf named Legs Ragnarsson while masquerading as a Mercenary Guild Leader.


    You also have 3 Divine abilities and 9 blessings from deities.


    6 from our Ancestral Lord Kravel and 3 from Deities of cksmithing called Brokkr and Eitri.


    On top of it¡­ You made a soul pact with Rathnaar Whitlock, the legendary Peak Saint and the first emperor of the Rakos empire.


    Am I right?" stated Romulus with a wide grin as he basically gave a memo of Kahn''s entire history in Vantrea so far.


    Kahn, Rathnaar and Vildred were simply shaken to their cores. Unable to speak even a word as Romulus revealed all these well-hidden secrets so casually.


    Outmatched! Petrified!


    Kahn had no idea how the wolfkin knew about all of his well-guarded secrets.


    What terrified him the most at this point was an undeniable fact.


    That he was no longer in charge of his own fate.

 Chapter 816 The Guardian

    Kahn''s heart was in turmoil again as Romulus recited his biography and revealed everything important there was to know about him including his identity as chosen Hero and his soul pact with Rathnaar. Where he lived and what identities he previously used were no exceptions either.


    "Surprised?" asked Romulus nonchntly.


    Kahn''s face paled as if life was sucked out of him, turning him into a white sheet of paper.


    Romulus then turned his gaze towards Vildred and spoke in a stoic tone.


    "Stop that teleportation spell. It won''t work." he warned the royal dragon whom he had mistaken for a lesser dragon.


    "And where are you two nning to run away anyway? Back to the Zivot Empire?" he asked with a mocking tone.


    "Do you want me to reveal this kid''s real identity to the High Elves and my own people?


    Do you think there will be any ce safe for him afterwards?" he openly threatened and ckmailed Kahn, Vildred and Rathnaar.


    "What do you want?" asked Kahn who had fully recovered.


    Although Romulus retracted his overpowered domain, the fact remained that they were still surrounded by this istion barrier that closed all escape routes.


    And usually, the only way out was to kill the user who used the artifact.


    However, given how strong and terrifying Romulus was as he demonstrated earlier¡­ Both of them had no confidence.


    Even Vildred could barely protect himself against the wolfkin given the difference in their rank. If thetter was only a beginner 7th-stage saint, they at least had some confidence.


    But after seeing the Domain of ughter¡­ they''d be fools to engage in any confrontation against him.


    "Before I answer, let me ask you something.


    Where are your created monsters?" his deep voice resounded in the nearby region.


    [Dammit! He even knows about my subordinates.


    He probably knows that my monster army is hiding inside the shadow. It''s very likely that he came prepared to apprehend me in every possible scenario.


    Any form of resistance is just futile against him.] concluded Kahn.


    "I left them inside the Zivot Empire to grow their levels and abilities." responded Kahn with an indignant countenance.


    "Good Choice." spoke Romulus and nodded in approval.


    "Otherwise, all of them would''ve been easily detected by the upper echelons and other Heavenly Kings as well as our Empress easily." he iterated with a thoughtful expression as he folded his hands behind his back.


    "Unlike the ces you have been so far¡­ We pay a lot of attention to our bloodlines and heritage.


    Bringing them here would''ve raised too many questions no matter where you went." he said.


    "Stop beating around the bush and tell us the truth already!" bellowed Vildred inside the protection barrier.


    Kahn already continued his query.


    "You still haven''t answered any of our questions.


    Who are you?


    How do you know everything about me?


    And what do you want?"


    Romulus Lykaios, the Heavenly King of the Nadur empire, chuckled lightly and replied.


    "Well, you already know my formal identity. But for your case¡­ I have a past that has forced me toe here and intercept you.


    And like I said¡­ you''re under my tutge now."


    "Argghhh! Another cryptic response." even Kahn was exasperated at this point.


    "Ha ha ha! I''m just messing with you.


    Listen carefully¡­"ughed the wolfkin and his expression turned serious.


    "I''m a former member of the Hero''s Party. But unlike what you''d expect¡­


    I was part of the Hero of Darkness'' party." he finally revealed his hidden secret to the trio.


    "What?! You mean¡­" Kahn was taken aback,pletely caught off-guard.


    "Yes. I fought alongside the 8th Hero of Darkness." replied the 7th stage saint without omitting the truth furthermore.


    "I have been living with a disguised identity after what happened 300 years ago.


    And now¡­ The Beast Empire is my home." spoke Romulus in a solemn voice.


    "However¡­ Someone who knew of my past recently asked me to find and intercept you.


    He''s the one who told me everything there is to know about you and hence I''m here." he iterated sternly.


    "Who¡­ who is that person?" asked Kahn with a vignt mind.


    There was someone who knew everything about him whilepletely hiding in the shadows. And Kahn ran a few possibilities in his mind but nobody he knew beforehand fit the bill.


    However, Romulus only shook his head.


    "I can''t tell you for your own safety. His identity is rather special. If others ever found you and figured that it was him¡­ It would do more damage to the world instead.


    That''s a risk I can''t take." he spoke.


    "But he did tell me to ry his words to you." he iterated and repeated what he was told to say to Kahn once he found thetter.


    Romulus'' expression turned serious and he recanted in a grim voice.


    "Time for running and hiding is over. You no longer have a choice.


    I can find you whenever I want from now on. If not for me, you would''ve been found and killed already.


    Don''t even bother running away or hiding using a different persona.


    Stay under Romulus'' wing and learn from him in the meantime.


    And patiently wait for the day I personallye for you.


    After that¡­ You will find all the answers you''ve been looking for."


    The 7th stage saint repeated Argos Belmont, the Revenant Sovereign''s words.


    "He is doing his best to protect you but he can''te here now. Until then¡­


    I''m your Guardian." revealed Romulus.


    There was no need to lie to Kahn. Hiding the truth would only create problems and distrustter. So he decided to choose the path of honesty from the start.


    After 10 minutes of discussion, Kahn finally came to ept his current predicament.


    Even if he ran inside the True Dimension¡­ He couldn''t abandon Vildred because of the Contract of Familiarity and thetter wasn''t his subordinate who could jump in his shadow either.


    Besides, he was already aware that Romulus knew about his Divine Abilities as well. So there was no point in any useless struggle.


    As for declining? Not a chance either.


    He could either go with Romulus on his own ords or get taken in as a prisoner and god knows what kind of torture he''d have to suffer if he retaliate.


    So, escaping was no longer an option for Kahn.


    "Change your appearance fitting for a new identity.


    And choose a main element you are going to prominently use till you''re staying under my wing." he ordered in an authoritative tone.


    He then gave Kahn a few instructions and finally, Kahn used the metamorphosis bloodline to create a new persona.


    15 minutester¡­


    A 3-meter-tall blue wolfkin with a ripped body and blue glowing eyes came to be.


    In terms of appearance, he was simr to Romulus in many ways as Kahn based the design on the wolfkin. The key difference was Kahn chose to be a Water & Ice elemental warrior for personal reasons and had small frozen iciclesing out of his shoulders and nape.


    His chest glowed blue with rune-like tattoos that spread across his torso.


    Kahn then equipped his Legendary rank Gauntlet, Pauldron and Boots set collectively called Beowulf.


    Next, he used the Draconian Bloodline to repress its rank to Epic Rank so no one would find them suspicious.


    After he was done with everything¡­


    If one didn''t know better, they''d feel like Kahn and Romulus were blood-rted, just with different element affinity.


    "Good. It will work perfectly with the identity I have already set up for you.


    And from now on, your name is¡­" spoke Romulus and dered Kahn''s new persona he was to live with inside the Beast Empire.


    "Atreus Betor."

 Chapter 817 Striving For Strength

    A feeling of resignation crept up in Kahn''s mind as he chose to ept his current circumstances and decided to follow Romulus without making any more effort or retaliation.


    Why did Kahn ept being under someone else''s control contrary to how he always preferred to be his own man and didn''t submit to others?


    Because of 3 main reasons.


    First being the so-called Powerhouse who not only knew about Kahn''s identity, where he had been or what personas he used till now but also was aware of all of his Divine Abilities, Blessings and pact with Rathnaar as well.


    And if he was aware of Kahn''s pact with Rathnaar, means there was a possibility that he also knew about him possessing the Peak Saint''s core as well as the Tablet of Arcana.


    These were the type of secrets even the most prominent empires in the world of Vantrea would wage a war for.


    The second reason being that this said Powerhouse had actually ckmailed Romulus Lykaios, a Peak 7th stage Saint who was also titled as a Heavenly King of the Nadur empire.


    Kahn wasn''t an idiot to presume that you could just ckmail and powerful being like Romulus only because you had some key information about their past or hidden secrets.


    You needed to have absolutely overwhelming might and a cunning mind to force someone like Romulus to do your bidding.


    On top of it¡­ If this mysterious being could find Kahn''s identity and track him easily¡­ So could the peopleing after him.


    Hence, he was more afraid of this ''Well-wisher'' who had been hiding his identity from the rest of the world.


    Besides, based on their interactions, Romulus and this powerhouse were associated with the 8th Hero of Darkness in one way or another even if they didn''t agree with each other.


    He too wanted answers about the past and needed to know whom he could rely on and whom he should consider an enemy.


    And the 3rd reason was the most crucial factor which changed his mind.


    Today, Kahn learned again the hard way that all of his strength, skills and abilities were just good on the surface.


    And what frightened him more was his own inability to fight back against someone like the heavenly king in front of him.


    The truly strong people such as Romulus were on apletely different level.


    The only advantage Kahn had against such people was he could run away to save his life if the Space around him wasn''t sealed.


    But if it was¡­ Then he was no different than a fish on a chopping board.


    Like a bucket of icy water thrown in his face, Kahn was pped in the face with this harsh reality today.


    Something that he needed to remember again, something crucial he had forgotten during all his time carefully hiding so far.


    That his true enemies were not some cliche novel story type of viins who were just one or two ranks higher than him and he could always beat them by coincidence or some sort of plot armor.


    Those who were after his life were at least 3 to 4 stages above him, had unfathomable abilities as well as iparable experience.


    Besides, this was just Romulus giving Kahn a testing experience.


    Romulus was so overpowered that he didn''t even attack Kahn physically. All he did was flick his fingers and used invisible forces to nearly beat him to death.


    He didn''t even use his basic attack skills or personally wielded any weapon to break Kahn''s bones.


    In simple words¡­ Romulus did not even consider Kahn as someone worthy to use his opponent or use his full strength.


    If this was just the case for one 7th stage saint¡­ Then what about other saints who had different types of domains, sses, andbat skills?


    Kahn was very lucky that Romulus was a friend and not someone who wanted to kill him.


    Otherwise, this would''ve been hisst day in Vantrea.


    Because even with his blessings from Kravel, Kahn never had a real teacher and powerful skills other than the Dragon Strike skill he created by himself.


    The majority of his skills came from Divine abilities and the ones created by the System.


    Being an ignorant and oblivious fool about the matter of Gods, other chosen Heroes and the past itself was no longer an option for Kahn.


    All in all¡­


    Unless Kahn himself closed that gap between skills and strength¡­ he couldn''t even amount to much more than a frog in a well.


    If he didn''t be overwhelmingly strong, then he was as good as dead.


    Thus, Kahn wanted to learn real skills and raise his own strength instead of relying on his luck and coincidences.


    Moreover¡­


    Why did Kahn choose the Water/Ice Element for his new identity as Atreus Betor?


    It also had sound and logical reasons.


    One being hisplete immunity against fire.


    Obviously, Kahn couldn''t expose his perfect immunity against the Darkness element to the world. And if he chose Water and Ice element as his main element of reality his body had an affinity with¡­


    His enemies would use Fire element to suppress him in their attacks and abilities. But since he was perfectly immune to now, he could always use it as one of his trump cards to overturn the situation or even catch his enemies off-guard in a life-and-death battle.


    And thanks to Cthulhu¡­ He currently had 2nd most affinity with Water/Ice Elemental skills, making him one of the strongest people in that element among his peers of the same rank.


    Kahn had thought about everything very carefully while thinking about his future in the Beast Empire.


    ----------------


    3 DAYS LATER.


    Romulus brought Atreus to his main base which was 28 thousand kilometers away, on the Northern Forest range of the Nadur Empire.


    This was the region of the Nadur empire under Romulus'' rule called the Elysium.


    Throughout their journey, Vildred hid himself perfectly and traveled beside the two wolfkins while beingpletely invisible to the outside world.


    In the meantime, Atreus had seen never-ending forests, civilization perfectly merged with these terrains while widespread cities made of stones and woods while some cities were literally part of enormous mountains that were a few kilometers in radius alone.


    Finally, they stopped in the central region which was where Romulus reigned as the supreme lord.


    This city was also settled on a mountain, had dozens of floating hills in the air around it where people had built their houses and settlements. This was a 3 kilometers wide fortress-like city, surrounded by a calm seashores on two sides while the lower region of the mountain was upied bymon citizens.


    This unique city created using inconceivable architecture and nning was going to be Kahn aka Atreus'' new home called as¡­


    Aurelius.

 Chapter 818 Setting New Background

    Amidst the open skies and vast mountainous region, Romulus and Atreus stopped in Aurelius, the heart of Elysium.


    The city itself was a marvel in Kahn''s eyes because half of it was standing on a carved half-moon shaped body of the mountain while the region at ground level was bustling with a popce that varied greatly even though he had seen some of them in the other empires he had been to.


    Although Aurelius city was only 8 kilometers in perimeter while two of its fronts were surrounded by seashore¡­ the structure of the city, naval forces, fortresses at the borders and massive warships that protected the sky made it look like an impregnable stronghold.


    But additionally, there were at least 15 to 20 other species he hadn''t seen before at all. Also, many flying monsters he had seen so far that filled the sky were new to his sight.


    [[Author : Refer to the Aurelius City Reference Art if you missed it in the previous chapter.


    And I will soon start sharing their reference arts in uing chapters for every species. This arc has a lot of species and unique characters.]]


    Soon, hundreds of flying ships akin to saucer-shaped UFOs on earth flew in the sky, and multiple warships made of pure ck wood which made them look like metal also approached Romulus and Atreus.


    Both of them stopped on the deck of one of such 500 meters long warships that floated in the sky.


    "Lord Heavenly King, we are ready." spoke the captain of the warship who came to greet Romulus.


    This captain was a brown and grizzly bearkin who knelt in front of Romulus.


    "Alright. It''s better that everyone knows it beforehand than somebody spreading unnecessary rumors." spoke the fiery red wolfkin and then the warship proceeded towards the central fortress where their main headquarters was.


    Throughout their short travel, hundreds of demi-humans kept ncing at Atreus, trying to guess his connection with the peak 7th stage saint


    [He he he! I will finally have what I have been looking for all these years.


    Someone with blessings from our Ancestral Lord Kravel; If what Argos said was right¡­


    Then Kahn is the best-suited candidate and the identity I created for him would be the most appropriate for the situation.] thought Romulus.


    Unbeknownst to everyone, beneath his aloof and domineering countenance¡­ Was a mischievous smirk while the 7th stage saint tried his best to cover the greedy and covetous grin from everyone else.


    Finally, they reached an open ground inside a massive red fortress with 5 stories.


    The space where the warshipnded in the middle looked no different than a diator Arena.


    Thousands of armored soldiers in battalions, forming lines after lines stood orderly while brandishing their respective weapons.


    The official attire and design of the Nadur Empire''s military contained many archaic patterns carved on yellow and brown armor sets.


    And in front of them, stood various elderly saintmanders, all of them varying in size and species.


    However, there were 4 different individuals, 3 males and one female, who looked much younger than the others despite being saints themselves. And the strongest two among them were also 4th stage saints just like Atreus aka Kahn.


    All of them had solemn and uneasy faces while a halo of curiosity enshrouded their countenance.


    The onlymon thing among all 4 of them was that they were white wolfkins.


    Not just them, but everyone present here was curious about Kahn''s identity as he fearlessly and carefreely walked behind Romulus.


    Unlike how many would react in such a condition, Kahn wasn''t slightly fazed after watching so many powerful people and thousands of soldiers.


    Why?


    Because he once ruled the Vessen fiefdom as its Sovereign. The prestige and authority he held was hundreds of times more than this.


    There were times when a few hundred thousand soldiers respectfully bowed in front of him while amassing in a couple of kilometers.


    Compared to his time in the Rakos Empire, this type of wee was hardly worth mentioning. Hence, Kahn felt zero pressure from thousands of these curious gazes.


    Finally, a wide and tall altar covered under a red carpet came into sight where three throne-like chairs were arranged.


    On one of them, was a beautiful and mesmerizing white wolfkin adorning pristine white and golden noble-is attire.


    Even for someone like Atreus who was originally a human, her appearance was akin to a goddess blessing the world of mortals.


    "That''s my wife." said Romulus with a grim voice.


    "And those four¡­ Are my children." he continued in a prideful tone.


    Kahn was suddenly brought back to reality, almost feeling like he nearly got killed by Romulus again.


    Vildred was invisible at this moment and casually walked around. He suddenly spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [They are all very strong. Especially her.


    She''s a 5th stage saint herself and I sense an unfamiliar but very strong bloodline from them just like Romulus.] said the royal dragon.


    Kahn''s expression also turned vignt because now he was affirmed of his suspicion.


    Ever since they met Romulus back at the border of the Nadur empire¡­ He felt an indescribable and inconceivable innate connection and familiarity with him.


    And now, he could feel the same from his wife as well.


    [Could it be ''that'' bloodline?] suspected Kahn.


    At this moment, some people were gossiping among themselves, wondering if this blue wolfkin brawler warrior was someone rted to Romulus.


    When they finally reached the altar, Romulus stood tall and gazed at thousands of people who didn''t even bother to breathe loudly in his presence.


    "To everyone present here¡­ I have an important announcement to make." spoke Romulus, his voice resounding in the 8 kilometer radius while reaching everyone''s ears who were present in the fortress and lived in Aurelius city.


    "This is Atreus Betor." he spoke and nced at the blue wolfkin on his left.


    Beside him, Atreus also stood with a fearless and domineering attitude, his tall and ripped body exuding the aura of a strong and indomitable will.


    "From this day, let it be known to the entire Elysium and Nadur Empire.


    That Atreus Betor is¡­"


    Finally, he revealed Atreus'' new identity in front of everyone gathered in open grounds, a background he had set beforehand.


    Even Kahn was unaware of what Romulus had nned for him.


    "My Shadow Disciple."

 Chapter 819 The Shadow Disciple

    In front of thousands of people present on the arena-like grounds and the normal popce across Aurelius city heard his promation. And as a result¡­ millions of people turned dead silent.


    Everyone was shocked since none of them expected this sudden revtion.


    Even the 5th stage saintess aka Romulus'' wife had her eyes wide open in bewilderment as if this was the first time hearing about this matter as well.


    Atreus aka Kahn on the other end had an astonished expression.


    [What the fuck is a Shadow Disciple?] he wondered.


    Romulus then revealed a tyrannical aura as he openly dered in a majestic voice.


    "Atreus will be participating in the Elysium Tribal Tourney next year as the official representative of the Fenrirborne Tribe." he announced with a prideful tone.


    [The what tribe now?!] Kahn''s blue glowing eyes widened again, filled with confusion.


    He had no idea what the hell was happening here.


    But soon, he noticed conflicting responses from all the people present among the soldiers and high-ranking officials who stood on the sides.


    Some people almost gave a look filled with pity for Atreus.


    But Romulus'' children, his wife and some other wolfkins who seemed to be from the same n as him seemed envious of Atreus.


    A formal introduction ceremony was officiated where Atreus Betor aka the new Shadow Disciple introduced himself to the masses and received loud cheers and roars in response tomemorate his arrival.


    After a feast, the ceremony finished and everyone went their own way.


    At night, Romulus and Atreus were together in a wide hall that was no different than a war strategy room, enough to hold a meeting between hundreds of high-ranking officers and even had a War Table with the map of the entire Elysium carved on a wide wooden table.


    "What''s a Shadow Disciple?" asked Atreus in a stern voice.


    "In the Nadur Empire¡­ We have a tradition." replied Romulus.


    "Unlike many empires, we are one of the few who emphasize greatly on strength of a warrior." his voice turned serious.


    "Unlike the Vulcan or Zivot Empire¡­ Our rulers are never decided on Royal or Imperial lineage but the strongest person bes the Emperor or the Empress.


    It doesn''t matter which family line, bloodline, background or social standing one belongs to. Here, only the one with Absolute Power will reign supreme." the wolfkin revealed a stoic expression.


    "And to contend for the throne¡­ We have an ancient custom.


    And that tradition is called¡­" said the 7th stage saint in a confident demeanor.


    "The Trial by Combat."


    ----------------


    Kahn didn''t have time to gather information about the Nadur Empire since he arrived so naturally, he had no idea about the cultural practices of the Beast Empire.


    "If you have an unresolvable dispute or you want to settle a deep grudge¡­


    There will be a way to settle them.


    And that''s the Trial by Combat." he revealed.


    ? "The winner is the right one and the loser is the wrong regardless of the truth and what actually happened." his grim voice resounded throughout the entire hall.


    "Our current Empress is an 8th stage Saintess.


    She acquired the throne from the previous emperor using the rules of duellum as per the ancientws." he exined in a somber voice.


    "And what happens to the loser?" asked Atreus.


    "There''s only one oue.


    Winner is the one who is left standing.


    And the loser¡­ Dies." iterated the red wolfkin.


    "I see. But what does it have to do with me being a shadow disciple?" he queried with an anxious expression as if having a sense of foreboding.


    "There are 4 Heavenly Kings in the empire.


    All of us are 7th-stage saints; I could be said to be one of the strongest ones among them.


    But even I have to follow the ancient traditions.


    One of them is the Tribal Tourney." this time, his expression turned a bit mischievous.


    "In the empire that decides the fate of someone''s life and billions of citizens based on strength and power¡­


    We also allocate many things such as resources, tenders, trading rights, mining rights, businesses and many other things using the Trial by Combat that''s held between various Tribes across the empire.


    And for these exact trials bybat¡­ Every tribe leader takes 2 disciples." the wolfkin leaned on a massive red throne.


    "One is the official disciple who will be their sessor and seed their master''s position as the future leader.


    Here¡­ We don''t care about one''s own kin to choose them as our inheritors.


    For example¡­ Since I''m also a leader of my tribe; my position would be given to my official sessor also called the Official Disciple.


    And that person could be anyone." he exined with a benign smile.


    "From my children, someone with family ties or even a random person from the street could be my official disciple as soon as they show great promise and surpass everyone else among their peers of the same generation in terms of strength,bat techniques and skills.


    They''re nurtured to inherit everything from the master to lead the tribe." he ended his exnation for the first case.


    "And then there''s the Shadow Disciple.


    They are the ones secretly chosen and trained by the tribe leaders, unknown to everyone but them.


    Their only purpose is to fight in the Tribal Tourney."


    Atreus then asked in a curious voice¡­


    "Then why did your children seem unhappy with me bing the Shadow Disciple?"


    The wolfkin chuckled and replied¡­


    "Because if the Shadow Disciple wins the tourney, then he will be the official sessor even if there was already an official disciple.


    That''s the reward our tradition allows.


    Also, it''s seen as an honor to fight for the future of the tribe since all Shadow Disciples are seen as the best fighters of that tribe''s young generation." said Romulus.


    "But if they don''t possess enough strength¡­ Their fate is to die in the tournament." he said with a devilish smile.


    Kahn was suddenly perplexed¡­


    [Son of bitch!] he cursed in his mind.


    "So you basically made me your suicide warrior?" he questioned with his expression turning gloomy.


    "Ha ha ha ha!


    Ha ha ha ha!"


    Romulus burst out and startedughing hysterically.


    "Did you think I was going to give you some amazing, carefree, well-protected type of background?" he questioned with a provoking tone.


    "Why would I do that when I''m forced to take you under my wing?


    Besides, this type of setting makes things¡­ Fun." he spoke with a shameless grin.


    [This fucking bastard!]


    At this moment, Kahn was barely able to hold his anger with an incredulous countenance.


    His frowned with a contorted expression while his heart was filled with bitterness as he wanted to lunge and beat the shit out of Romulus.


    If his situation could be exined using an analogy...


    What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined ne wrapped helically around an axis?


    The only answer was that Kahn was simply¡­


    Screwed.

 Chapter 820 Tradition And History

    Kahn was both dumbfounded and petrified after learning the truth that came along with the position of being the Shadow Disciple. And no matter how he looked at it¡­ This position came with way too many forced conditions that put his life in danger.


    Why?


    Because not only he was going to be forced into life and death battles when the Tribal Tourney started¡­ But he was also prone to be targeted by other tribes and people who coveted his position within the tribe itself.


    Romulus then took a deep breath and exined a few more things.


    "In the Nadur Empire, we don''t have Noble Factions or ns. We have Tribes.


    Unlike the first two, our Tribes are connected through bloodlines.


    Many ns that share traces of the same bloodlinese together and form a tribe.


    The strongest person among all those n leaders gets to be the Tribe Leader.


    As for me¡­ Apart from being one of the 4 Heavenly Kings, I''m also the Tribe Leader of the Fenriborne Tribe." revealed the wolfkin.


    Kahn too revealed an astonished expression.


    "So that''s why I felt a sense of Familiarity and Kinship with you.


    Because you have the Godbeast Fenrir''s bloodline." said Kahn.


    "Let me tell you one important secret¡­" spoke Romulus and leaned on his throne.


    "Although everyone believes that the strongest always rules the empire¡­ The truth is that all the rulers of the Nadur empire and the top echelons have always emerged from species heritage and bloodlines.


    If we were to ssify that group, they''d be called¡­


    The True Descendants." he iterated with a solemn countenance.


    "What are the True Descendants?" asked Kahn with a curious gaze.


    "The people who are the direct descendants of the Godbeasts. But unlike the monsters you might have seen so far¡­


    The True Descendants can shapeshift themselves into taking small forms instead of being massive monsters.


    This body of mine isn''t even my final form." he revealed.


    Kahn was simply perplexed. Because this meant that all the top powers of the Beast Empire were actually world cmities just like his subordinates in their true monster form. And that too happened with any of them possessing any Metamorphosis bloodline.


    This was simr to how the Fireborne Imperial n such as Venessa and Havi, could transform into a primordial creature called the Simurgh.


    But in the Nadur Empire¡­ Many people had the same ability and not just some imperial n if there ever was one.


    "I''ll tell you more about it when the time is right." spoke Romulus and moved to the next topic.


    "Currently, I don''t have an Official Disciple yet.


    And since you won''t be staying here in the future, there''s no point in making you one either.


    But I couldn''t make you a random tribe member either since you''re a Saint.


    Hence, this was the best identity for you since no one would ask questions rted to your origin as part of the tradition." he exined why he made Kahn his Shadow Disciple.


    "Besides¡­ I am to train you till your stay here.


    This pressure is what you need to diligently practice." he gave his reasoning.


    The 7th stage saint then asked what kind of skills Kahn aka Atreus had along with their mastery.


    After going through the entire list¡­ Romulus was simply petrified.


    "What the hell have you been doing with your divine abilities and blessings?


    Did you spend your entire time just hunting powerful monsters in dungeons and forests?" he questioned with a constricted face.


    "Aside from your swordsmanship skills¡­ all of your other skills, weapon mastery and proficiency is practically shit.


    Although you have reached Grandmaster level at some of them by acquiring from others¡­ They''re all mediocre abilities at best.


    And your control over mana and world energy is subpar even with your rank as an Intermediate Grandmaster Magician.


    All the other Heroes and Heroines of Darkness'' were much better than you." he spoke with a discontent expression.


    Kahn replied with a helpless voice¡­


    "Well, I did not actually have someone to teach me overpowered and forbidden skills.


    And neither did I have a plethora of highly skilled teachers in the world or an empire''s support to help me so far in case you''ve missed to notice." he too made a rebuttal.


    Just then, Vildred showed up out of his invisibility barrier and interjected.


    "Battle techniques are not my forte. As for magic study and everything else rted to them¡­ I can see to that." he openly proposed on the spot.


    Kahn and Romulus were taken aback at the same time.


    "You''d do that for me?" he asked the royal dragon.


    To his hushed voice¡­ Vildred replied with a confident smile.


    "Child¡­ until our deal is done, we''re both tied to each other.


    Besides¡­ I too noticed that you are much weaker when ites to your control over world energypared to all the Heroes I''ve seen and met.


    To be honest, I knew the 5th Hero of Darkness over 1400 years ago. He was a magician who I met by coincidence.


    He was simply too powerful for a human and his control over mana and world energy was one of the best I have seen." exined Vildred.


    Right at this moment, Rathnaar also chimed in.


    [Same for the 6th Heroine of Darkness in my time. She was a very powerful Sorceress over 1 thousand years ago.


    She was one of the few people who didn''t have an enmity with me and we even fought beside each other against a Godbeast that terrorized the Rakos and Abyss empire''smon borders.] iterated the Peak Saint.


    Vildred then continued¡­


    "If my guess is right, you have received 2 enlightenments in Laws of Magic but you can''t progress from there.


    That is shackling your breakthrough, am I right?" he made a guess.


    Kahn simply nodded in response.


    Romulus, the red wolfkin saint also spoke again.


    "Remember how I broke your domain without any effort?


    It was because your control over itsw and world energy were like a frail and dried tree branch.


    Compared to that, my Domain of ughter is like an entire forest." he said, almost in a bragging tone.


    And finally, both Romulus and Vildred asked Atreus aka Kahn in a domineering voice.


    "So which one do you want to learn?"

 Chapter 821 Time To Rise

    Both Romulus and Vildred presented him with a choice of either learning Combat Techniques for various weapons or learning Magic of the highest caliber. Both of these areas were the ones where Kahn was severelycking even now because in the end, everything he had till now was either because of his divine abilities or his blessings.


    Apart from the Dragon Strike, Kahn hadn''t created a single skill by himself. And even that attack skill became possible only because of the other skills Kahn had acquired from different people and monsters which the system filtered and altered for his use.


    "Because of your current shorings, you can''t skip on studying either of the 3 unless you want to be killed by anyone above 5th stage saint." said Romulus.


    Kahn then responded in a somber voice¡­


    "My Dimensional Domain came with divine ability. I thought it was perfect as it was."


    Vildred shook his head at Kahn''s obliviousness.


    "It can''t be helped. You must study and receive more enlightenment in Space Law.


    I can only teach you magic spells, skills, formations and world energy. You have to do the rest by yourself." iterated the dragon emperor.


    As the royal dragon mentioned¡­ There was still the study of Space Law.


    As Romulus stated before¡­ His Dimensional Domain was simply too weakpared to other saints because his mastery and control were below average than a normal 5th-stage saint.


    Hence, there were 3 different sectors Kahn needed to cover up to get rid of his weaknesses and be truly strong.


    "Let me tell you something, child¡­ I''m 360 years old now.


    In here, everyone including my wife and children thinks that I''m a Brawler ss fighter. But I have hidden my past even from them.


    Back in the Abyss Empire, I was called the True Battle King in my generation.


    Because I invoked the interests of Mors, the Deity of ughter and received his blessings." spoke Romulus while emanating a warrior-like aura.


    "Unlike many powerful saints in the world¡­ I


    I can actually practice and use many weapons and I''m not restricted by a ss when ites to any method of ''ughtering'' my enemies.


    Yet this is also the most obvious part of my identity that can be used to uncover my truth.


    That''s why I''m hiding as a different person, name and profession.


    Many haven''t even seen my real domain that you saw this morning."


    "Magic may not be my forte but I can surely train you in most of the weapons in the world.


    With your blessings from the Great Ancestral Lord Kravel¡­ You have the potential to surpass even me." he iterated but then his gaze turned serious.


    "But that''s all there is to it. You only have ''potential''.


    It doesn''t mean you actually can. The same is the case for many other heroes with divine abilities.


    That''s why there are only 6 Heroes in the past 3 thousand who surpassed the native people of the world, including 2 of your predecessors." he revealed another fact about the past.


    "So you will have to divert all of your attention on mastering them till you''re with me.


    Also, you can''t reveal your domain to anyone either.


    Given the time limit of one year when the Tourney will start¡­ You can only choose one side to train in.


    The rest is up to you." said the wolfkin solemnly.


    Next, Rathnaar''s voice also resounded in Kahn''s mind.


    [Brat, given the situation¡­ I cannot teach you any of my skills either unless you be a 5th stage saint first.


    But what Romulus and Vildred said is indeed true.


    You can no longer put off your training in any of these aspects. Besides¡­ You will be mentored by some of the best Masters in the entire world.


    Vildred was once the Strongest Magician in the world.


    And this Romulus Lykaios is the current Apostle of ughter. He is definitely one of the top 10 strongest 7th stage saints in the world because of the title and blessings.


    No matter which side you choose, you will receive great benefits.] dered the Peak Saint.


    Vildred then asked Kahn with a calm demeanor.


    "So which one of the two do you want to train in?"


    Kahn''s expression was filled with thoughtfulness as he ran down a few options in his mind.


    Finally after making a decision¡­ he spoke while revealing a shameless grin.


    "Why not both?"


    ----------------


    Both Romulus and Vildred had puzzled expressions on their faces after Kahn''s tant question.


    Kahn then chose to reveal all his 33 Doppelgangers in front of both.


    Including the 7 he left in Zivot Empire, his current capacity was 40 Doppelgangers.


    Kahn had previously omitted this ability because it was one of his life-saving skills where he could switch between the doppelgangers instantly and even fake his death.


    Previously, under the influence of the Domain of ughter when facing Romulus, he had simply forgotten to use it since the domain itself broke his psyche and made him unable to think of this ability to survive.


    Vildred also didn''t have much knowledge of this ability other than the memory of Kahn leaving some of the doppelgangers in the Zivot Empire.


    But the hidden function such as sharedbat skills proficiency, techniques and skills with the original body was something both of them didn''t know.


    Kahn then exined how these abilities worked.


    But instead of bing astonished, Vildred and Romulus said¡­


    "Do we look like idiots to you?"


    Romulus continued with a disappointed look.


    "You think learning through your doppelgangers will help you be stronger?


    Not in the slightest.


    Whether it''s physical skills rted to your profession or magic training¡­ You will have to unlock and experience themselves." he spoke with a discontent voice.


    "Maybe that''s why you haven''t been able to progress further.


    Because you''re relying on your doppelgangers more than your own body.


    Some things and transformations cannot be skipped and you must undergo these experiences yourself." iterated Vildred while sighing.


    "You must even gain enlightenment and practice yourself first." the wolfkin''s voice echoed in the hall.


    After a dozen seconds, Vildred came with a proposition.


    "Let''s do one thing¡­


    We both will teach you. You will learn and unlock these skills, abilities, andbat techniques by yourself first like how it''s actually supposed to happen instead of just relying on your divine abilities anymore.


    After learning and unlocking them by yourself first¡­ you could leave them to your doppelgangers to increasebat mastery, proficiency and effectivenesster." he revealed his ns.


    "But can you handle it? It will drastically drain you mentally." asked the royal dragon.


    But what both the Fenrirborne and the Royal Dragon didn''t know was that in terms of mental fortitude and perseverance when it came to psychological stress and resilience¡­


    Thanks to his experience in the past 3 years, Kahn was already way ahead than all the other summoned Heroes.


    Finally, an arrangement was agreed upon.


    Romulus and Vildred were going to train Kahn in regards for their respective fields.


    Rathnaar was going to help him increase the strength of his Domain with his past life experience.


    In his spare time, Kahn was to study Space Law on his own when he wasn''t training in these two fields.


    And finally after spending more than 4 years inside Vantrea ever since his arrival; under the guidance of 3 of the strongest people in the world¡­


    Started Kahn''s real rise among the True Powerhouses of the world.

 Chapter 822 Old Vs New

    The following day, Atreus formally met the Tribe Elders of the Fenrirborne Tribe. And as expected, all of them contained traces of the bloodline from Goodbeast Fenrir albeit in very small amounts up to 15%.


    Atreus on the other end already had 70% of this bloodline which also made him look more imposing and somewhat superior as per their basic instinct. Many of these Tribe Elders praised Romulus for finding such a gem and secretly training him for all these years without anyone noticing.


    Apart from Atreus, only Romulus Lykaios, his new master, had 35% of Fenrir''s bloodline. But unlike the people present here, he wasn''t actually from the Nadur Empire but was born in the Abyss Empire.


    Kahn had no idea about the history of the empire that once served the God of Darkness. But he found it unnecessary to inquire especially from Romulus since this was a sore spot for him due to the events of 300 years ago.


    He was more of a paying guest at the moment. So there was no need to dive deep into the Landlord''s personal life affairs. Besides, the supposed ''well-wisher'' of his was to answer all his questions once he came to meet Kahn himself.


    So for now, prioritizing his advancements as per their previous arrangement was of the utmost importance than gathering information.


    ----------------


    In the afternoon, a warship arrived in the diator arena-like open grounds at the center of the fortress. And soon, 4 entities escorted by dozen of armored guards came out.


    However, the expressions of all these new arrivals were filled with difort, anger and contempt. Everyone looked like they were thoroughly infuriated about something.


    After the meeting with tribe elders ended, these four figures entered the council hall and prostrated themselves in front of Romulus who was sitting on his 2 meter tall throne.


    "Is the mission I gave you allpleted?" asked the fiery red wolfkin who was seated like a tyrant.


    In response, all the newly arrived wolfkins nodded without speaking another word.


    Atreus was also present in the room and sat on one of the chairs.


    Today was supposed to be the first day of his training but they were preupied with the tribe meeting and his introduction to all the elders and n leaders under the Fenrirborne Tribe.


    And now¡­ He was just waiting for his new mentor''s instructions.


    "Atreus¡­ These are my disciples I told you about." spoke the peak 7th stage saint as he introduced these people.


    [Boy¡­ The strongest ones among them are 4th stage saints just like you, including that female wolfkin. The other two are 2nd and 3rd stage saints respectively.] informed Rathnaar.


    The blue wolfkin with glowing blue eyes and archaic runes ran through his chest and the rest of the torso was astonished. Because all of these people¡­ were Saints.


    [To have 4 legitimate saints as his disciples. Looks like I undermined Romulus.] thought Kahn to himself.


    A saint was a backbone and a powerhouse for powerful ns with millions of people. Yet instead of living like top echelons¡­ These saints were still downying themselves and kneeling in front of Romulus like obedient children.


    At this moment, Kahn telepathically contacted the wolfkin.


    [What''s the difference between them and your official disciple?]


    To his query, the wolfkin replied¡­


    [They''re someone I was obligated to take in as the tribe leader after they met certain criteria and showed immense future prospects as per the tribe rules.


    Although none of them are Brawler ss, I was training them in perfecting their ways of war and honing their battle skills wholeheartedly.


    Trust me¡­ They''re all really good.] he replied secretly while maintaining a stern expression in front of his disciples.


    Just then, one of the 4th stage saints stood and spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Master¡­ Is he the Shadow Disciple I heard about on our way here?" asked a white wolfkin with a tall and mesomorphic build.


    Both his and Atreus'' eyes locked in together as thetter sensed hostility.


    "If you allow us¡­ Let me test him." said the ripped-bodied wolfkin.


    "He he he! Just as I expected."


    Suddenly, one of the other disciple wolfkins with an ectomorphic build chuckled with a psychotic expression.


    "I''m of the same opinion, master." spoke the female warrior-like female wolfkin.


    Based on her appearance and demeanor¡­ She was the prime example of Muscle-Mommy.


    By the wolfkin standards, she was both beautiful and fierce like a domineering queen.


    Within the depth of her eyes, Atreus could feel that she looked at his entire existence as if she was looking at an insect from above.


    The other two who were weaker shared the same intent.


    [Well, that''s to be expected. People here will respect you only if you''re stronger than them. Your heritage and family background have no value in the Beast Empire after all.] thought Kahn in his mind.


    "Ha ha ha! Well, I saw thising already." said the wolfkin as heughed loudly.


    "I''ll let you all spar and see if my choice was good or not." he dered.


    "And Atreus¡­ You can go all out.


    Don''t think of them as my disciples or yourrades.


    Think of them as your " he spoke, hinting something with his gaze.


    "I''ll arrange the arena." he spoke and his figure flickered.


    ----------------


    10 Minutes Later.


    All of them stood in the open grounds of an underground training facility. However, there were no other people and the tform Atreus and others stood on was glowing with multicolored archaic runes.


    Whoosh!


    In the next moment, another figure appeared in the facility and stood behind Romulus.


    "Is it okay to let them fight?


    Aren''t they all your disciples?


    Besides¡­ When and Where did you find him?" asked a pristine white female wolfkin who looked no different than an angelic existence. Yet her strength was of a peak 5th-stage saintess.


    "Prisci, my dear wife¡­ You know I can''t tell you that.


    Just think of it the same as your father finding me and making me his shadow disciple 80 years ago." he spoke while others were waiting but couldn''t hear their words.


    "Well, you ended up winning the Tribal Tourney, then became the official disciple and now, you''re the tribe leader after he passed away.


    But still¡­ I need to know if this Atreus can be trusted." she spoke with a skeptical tone.


    "Well, only time will tell. I haven''t offered him any reason to be loyal to us.


    Besides¡­ there was a reason why I chose him." iterated the 7th stage saint.


    "What would that be?" asked Prisci Lykaios, thedy of the Fenrirborne Tribe.


    "He is needed to show them their shorings." replied the red wolfkin with a somber expression.


    Romulus looked at his 4 disciples with an incredulous expression.


    By no means they were like ignorant morons or some young master of ns who thought the world owed them something.


    But recently¡­ They were so focused on bing his Official Disciple due to the pressure from their respective ns and families.


    And in a way¡­ they were striving away from the path he needed them to walk to seed him and benefit the tribe in the future.


    Finally, a blue barrier encapsted their tform and red pentagram-shaped runes on the floor glowed brightly.


    "Aren''t youing?" asked Atreus as his gaze swept through all of them.


    "Which one of us do you want to fight?" asked the female wolfkin disciple.


    "Isn''t that obvious?" asked Atreus with a confident and ominous grin.


    "All of you at once."


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : Sorry for the recent gap in chapter releases. I have been sick in one way or another from the past 3 days. Winter season is extremely adverse for my health and thus I wasn''t in a position to focus or write a single chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience and inconsistency.]]

 Chapter 823 First Lmpression

    Out of nowhere, Kahn suddenly challenged all of the disciples of Romulus who wanted to test him instead of fighting with them one at a time. This urrence caught everyone off guard including Romulus and his wife Prisci.


    This sort of promation meant one thing for certain¡­ that Atreus was looking down on all four of them.


    "Insolence! What an impetuous man!" spoke the tallest and strongest intermediate 4th stage saint white wolfkin among the group.


    The beginner rank 4th stage saintess also had an incredibly ugly and hateful expression on her face as she red at Atreus with killing intent.


    This sort of casual treatment signified that this Shadow Disciple who their master had been secretly training didn''t even acknowledge their existence or saw them as his peers in terms of strength.


    It took them all more than 50 years to be what they are now after tirelessly training and absorbing resources. All of them were bound to y a vital part in the future of their tribe which consisted of more than 300 million people and spread across thousands of kilometers.


    Each one of them was a prodigy and thus were recognized by the tribe leader to be his disciples.


    Yet this no-name wolfkin who never even showed up before them suddenly mocked their entire existence by challenging them altogether.


    "What? Do you want me to lower my strength to half as well?


    Aren''t I giving you guys too much of a handicap already?" the blue wolfkin spoke with a contorted expression.


    "Arrsshhh¡­ You guys are simply too shameless." he spoke and rolled his eyes in annoyance.


    "This bastard!" eximed the tall white wolfkin as he growled and bare his fangs at Atreus.


    "Dorian, Juno, Ivaar and Mephisto!"


    Suddenly a loud voice resounded in the hall as Romulus aka their master called out their names with respect to their rank and strength levels in descending order.


    "What did I teach you before?


    There is no such thing as honor or fairness on the battlefield.


    If Atreus wants to challenge you all to battle at once without the strength to back it¡­ Then it''s his ignorance.


    If someone looks down on you, do not be ashamed of using that as an opportunity.


    Not every battle is a Knight''s Duel." spoke Romulus with a terrifying and overbearing tone.


    The wolfkin knew his disciples very well.


    Although they were once in a hundred years geniuses¡­ Everyone had ws in their nature.


    Dorian, a Halberd user, was simply too chivalrous and valued honor as a warrior.


    Juno, who had a unique ss called Spirit Enchantress, was simply too stuck-up as someone with great strength. She looked down on her opponents by default if they were even slightly weaker than her.


    Ivaar, an Assassin, was simply a psychopath despite his frail-looking body. He liked to toy and torture his opponents before killing them; like a predator ying with its food. This made him an unreliable ally during the war because he''d rather y his little games than cooperate.


    Mephisto, a Magician who was the weakest among them, was simply too hesitant and could be called the master of overthinking. He lost many opportunities during battle because of his unnecessarily cautious behavior.


    Thus, instead of using this as a learning experience, they got offended by simple words.


    A warrior who acts on impulses and could be hookwinded with simple provocations would never be a good leader.


    Romulus was also impressed by Atreus aka Kahn on the other hand. Because he was already ying mind games before the battle even began.


    After the wolfkin''s scolding, all of the disciples simply gritted their teeth and entered the formation.


    Kahn had learned a peculiar thing about the beast empire. Here, battles were mostly simted using some sort of ancient techniques, formations and mechanics that were unique to the Nadur Empire.


    And finally¡­ A


    A mountainous region appeared around Kahn.


    This was neither an artificial battlefield nor it was an illusion. Rather¡­ It was more like a pocket dimension created solely for the sake of battle training and fights to settle grudges between people.


    The Trial by Combat tradition being the origin behind such an approach.


    As for why was Kahn doing this?


    He had no time to waste on the infighting, secret ploys and entertain these people like some cliche plot of a novel where he would fight them one by one or try to win their hearts.


    Kahn had learned already that trying to please others to like him and mix with the crowd was nothing but a waste of time.


    If someone had malicious intent towards you or nned to backstab you¡­ They would do so no matter how kind and generous you were towards them.


    The sooner he put them in their ce, the more time he''d save which could be used to focus on his training.


    He wasn''t here to make friends or y happy family with any of these people since he''d leave this ce one day anyway. To him, the Beast Empire was simply a temporary asylum.


    But it didn''t mean he''d repeat the same cycle of being looked down on or suppressed by others as he was in the past.


    Like people often said¡­


    ''First Impression is Last Impression.''


    As for fighting with the Brawler ss.


    Kahn only knew the basics as one of his doppelgangers trained with the ss skills for a while and currently, he was already a Beginner Grandmaster Rank in using Gauntlets as a weapon.


    And him fighting with the water element?


    This was going to be the first time for both of these cases.


    Hence, to avoid unnecessary and repeated plotlines he already had been through, Kahn openly challenged all of them at once.


    ----------------


    Tall mountain peaks, lush greenery, well-developed trees and a wide water stream appeared in this arena while Atreus was surrounded by the group in all four directions.


    Dorian, Juno, Ivaar and Mephisto already took their well-practiced battle formation that they often used to take down stronger opponents.


    To them, Atreus was just way over his head to challenge them all at once.


    But in the mind of the blue wolfkin brawler saint¡­


    They were just practice dummies.

 Chapter 824 One Vs Four

    Atreus was surrounded by all of the 4 disciples of Romulus that have been training under him for decades at this point. The purpose of this bout was very simple but significant.


    To set the Hierarchy.


    Kahn had his Survival Instinct blessing on high alert as well as Hunter''s Domain activated from the get-go. Now, 40 kilometers of this pocket dimension was no different than a hand-drawn map for him where he could detect, feel and predict even the most minute details.


    BOOM!


    This time, a dreary and terrifying dark blue aura erupted from his body as he activated War Dominance aura infused with his Water and Ice element, sending shivers in the bodies of his opponents.


    With this blessing raising the quality of his oppressive aura by 5 times, everyone else was instantly on alert mode because now, Atreus'' aura resembled that of a peak 4th stage saint who was about to break through to 5th stage saint rank very soon.


    But what terrified them more was somehow¡­ They felt that the blue wolfkin''s bloodline was suppressing their bodies to a great extent as if their own bloodline was bowing in front of the majesty of the one disyed by Atreus.


    What they didn''t know was that Atreus aka Kahn had 70% of the Godbeast Fenrir bloodline. 3 times purer and denser than their own.


    In a way¡­ They were akin tomoners in the presence of Royalty.


    This made Atreus look like a terrifying monster and broke their confidence to fight him head-on from the get-go.


    [We have to be cautious. This guy is definitely very strong despite his rank.


    Even my body is shivering and my mind feels reluctant to attack him.] said Dorian to the other disciples through a telepathicmunication artifact in the form of an earpiece.


    [What is this freak?! How can his bloodline suppress all of us at once?


    Where did the master even find him? He''s definitely not somemoner or even from the ns under our tribe.


    If I''m not wrong¡­ he must be from one of the True Descendants families like our master.] replied Juno as two glowing blue orbs appeared in her hands.


    [The way his body is built and those runes over his chest and arms¡­ They''re definitely rted by blood.


    Is he master''s hidden son or something?] said Mephisto, the mage.


    [Who cares? We just have to beat him to death since he was so arrogant to challenge all of us at once.


    Boy am I going to take my sweet time torturing him. He he!] responded Ivaar, the assassin with a psychotic expression.


    [All right! Since he isn''t any weaker¡­ Let''s fight him seriously from the start. He isn''t going to be fazed by our basic skills.


    Is everyone on the same page?] he questioned his fellow disciples.


    This entire conversation took only 3 seconds in real-time and all the disciples nodded.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    4 different auras suddenly erupted from all four directions as the white wolfkins also released their saint pressures.


    Dorian released a blinding white aura infused with Light Element.


    Juno released a flickering and erratic light blue aura with Lightning Element.


    Ivaar revealed a green Wood elemental aura as if he was one with nature itself.


    And finally, Mephisto revealed 5 different auras, disying his mastery and control over five different elements as an elemental magician.


    A Light Swordsman, Lightning Enchantress, Wood elemental Assassin and an Elemental Mage¡­ all of them surrounded a Water & Ice elemental Brawler warrior.


    ----------------


    Inside the underground facility, Romulus and Prisci watched this scene on a holographic screen disyed by an artifact ced on the tform from where the disciples entered the pocket dimension.


    "Isn''t he too arrogant? Not only he challenged them all at once, but he also revealed his full strength from the start." said the white wolfkin 5th stage saintess.


    "Besides¡­ Why does his bloodline feel purer and denser than all of us?


    I thought he was somehow rted to you. But his bloodline is even purer than yours; who has the highest purity among all of us." he queried with a confused countenance.


    Romulus on the other end shook his head after hearing his wife''s words.


    "That''s not the case. We aren''t rted in the slightest.


    All I can tell you is that I took him in for reasons I can''t exin to you, not now and not ever.


    As for this battle¡­" the red wolfkin with a massive and ripped body gazed at the screen with an incredulous expression.


    Inside the battle arena¡­


    [Begin the Hybrid Formation!]manded Dorian.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Thousands of vines suddenly arose from the ground below and quickly surrounded Atreus in a square-shaped 2 kilometers wide region as if forming a cage as Ivaar used his skills.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    The sky rumbled as dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky and lightning ran amok the clouds as Juno started harnessing them to create her attack skills.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Dozens of multicolored runes carrying different elements appeared in all 4 directions and soon formed a of magic formations, the caster being none other than Mephisto.


    Clink!


    Clink!


    And finally, 4 ginormous stark white swords, emanating a holy aura suddenly appeared in the sky as Dorian activated one of his killer moves.


    Just from this battle formation alone, one could tell that they were treating this battle seriously and didn''t n to give Atreus any chance to resist or escape from their attacks at all.


    Atreus on the other end took notice of the swordsman and the enchantress first.


    Although he was greatly resistant to most of the elements, the only two weaknesses he had were the Light and Lightning elements. Thus, Dorian and Juno were the biggest threats in this battle.


    Bang!


    Massive beams of elemental attacks shot towards the blue wolfkin from all directions.


    Whoosh!


    Atreus used Quicksilver and appeared 500 meters away within half a second.


    But suddenly¡­


    ng!


    He turned and used Beowolf gauntlets to block an attack from behind as Ivaar suddenly appeared out of thin air, trying to aim at his neck.


    But thetter suddenly disappeared again.


    Crackle!


    BOOM!


    A massive lightning strike from the sky suddenly shot at Atreus as Juno was surrounded by lightning bolts as if a deity descending from the sky.


    Atreus quickly appeared one kilometer on left but before he could react¡­


    sh!


    The light elemental sword shed at his position.


    Bang!!


    A massive explosion shook the surroundings as Atreus was hit by the 500-meter-long sword.


    His fate unknown to everyone.

 Chapter 825 Part Of The Plan

    Amidst the loud white cloud-like mushroom-shaped explosion, Atreuspletely disappeared from everyone''s sight under the unified onught of the white wolfkins.


    "It''s just the beginning but they all fell for it." said Romulus in an exasperated voice.


    Prisci on the other side was taken aback by her husband''s words


    "What do you mean? He couldn''t even dodge in time against their perfectly coordinated attack." spoke the saintess.


    In response, the peak 7th stage saint only shook his head in denial.


    Bang!


    On the battlefield, as soon as Atreus appeared again, he was again shed by the light elemental sword skills and almost got cut in half.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    The blue wolfkin took deep breaths as he dodged the massive sword''s de at thest moment which was enough to kill him. His figure appeared as if he was barely managing to escape from the onught.


    Clink!


    And just like before, Ivaar made another attempt at the Atreus'' life without giving him a chance to react.


    Shoot!


    Boom!


    Right then, Mephisto also shot dozens of elemental beams from his summoned formations but this time¡­ they actually hit the target.


    Atreus was catapulted and crashed against the wooden wall created by the assassin werewolf. His figure appearing as if he took great damage.


    Crackle!


    Thunderp!


    But before he could even recover from the impact, a massive 10 meter wide lightning bolt struck from the dark sky as Juno, the lightning enchantress was waiting for the very opportunity.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Atreus was roasted and his fur was almost charred after getting struck by this attack which was enough to destroy an entire building in a single strike.


    "Argh!"


    His countenance now appeared extremely haggard while he groaned in pain.


    sh!


    BOOM!


    The 3rd sword from Dorian struck again as part of their premeditated teambo and Atreus was swatted down like a fly, thrown into one of the water currents flowing in this battlefield.


    This time, he barely looked like he was alive.


    "Hah! That should teach you how to be humble." spoke Juno.


    "Ha ha ha!


    Ha ha ha!!" suddenly, Atreus emerged out of the stream and startedughing.


    "Is that the best all of you can do?


    Sheesh, what a letdown." spoke the wolfkin with glowing blue eyes as he openly dered his grievance.


    "This bastard!" eximed Dorian in rage.


    The other 3 were also riled up after this provocation and revealed a hateful countenance.


    ----------------


    5 Hours Later.


    "Again, you weak ants!" shouted Atreus as his figure was burnt and bleeding under the constant onught of the 4 wolfkins.


    So far¡­ all he did was get beaten up and dodge in nick of time.


    In the meantime, he would keep taunting and berating these opponents of his.


    Calling them children, weak and pathetic losers, cursing their ns and even going as far as calling them a waste of time.


    By now¡­ He had sessfully pissed off all the 4 disciples but no matter how well-coordinated attacks they made or how badly Atreus was injured¡­ He just wouldn''t give up and kept mocking them again and again.


    Their bodies were now drenched in sweat and all of them barely had any world energy reserves to keep fighting despite pushing their limits by activating their bloodlines and attacking Atreus.


    Many of theirbined attacks were enough to kill a 4th stage saint easily but for some reason, this Shadow Disciple would just get back up as if nothing happened.


    "Are we done ying?" asked Atreus in a mischievous tone.


    The group of wolfkins who were panting heavily had an ugly and gloomy expression.


    "Alright then¡­ My turn."


    ----------------


    One after another, the surrounding suddenly changed as storms and hurricanes formed and strong gusts of winds filled the surrounding 15 kilometers radius.


    This span epassed the entire battlefield and the range was 7 times wider than their team battle formation.


    Out of nowhere, the entire surroundings were filled with highly condensed waterdes as Kahn aka Atreus activated Waterde Hurricane, a legendary rank ability he acquired from Cthulhu.


    Violent surging tides of water erupted from the ground and he used Ocean Eddies, another legendary rank skill that allowed him to create massive reserves of water using world energy.


    Now¡­ all of them had a mortified countenance because unlike how people wouldn''t even be able to lift their fingers after getting beaten to a pulp¡­


    Atreus was full of vigor and revealed an ted expression as if everything went ording to n.


    Unlike the wolfkins, Kahn wasn''t using his own reserves but Rathnaar''s core as the source for these skills so in a way¡­ There was no restriction on him in any way.


    "These fools haven''t even realized what he was doing while getting beaten up." said Romulus, greatly disappointed in his own disciples.


    "What exactly is happening here?" asked Prisci as she also didn''t understand how things transpired the way they were now.


    Logically, Atreus should be half-dead or out of breath to even continue fighting. But instead¡­ He was as energetic as before and was full of energy.


    "It''s not him who lost the initiative. It''s them." he responded to his wife.


    "When they were beating him with theirbat techniques and unique abilities again and again¡­


    He saw most of their skills, speed, reaction time and team battle synergy.


    Atreus actually lost the first exchange on a purpose. His real goal was to make his opponents reveal their hand and all the tricks.


    In the end, all of them were forced to use their bloodlines and raise strength by at least half a realm.


    But now¡­ they are all weakened to the point that none of them can fight for long." he iterated, almost praising his new disciple in a way.


    "He strategically drained them down both mentally and physically. And Atreus doesn''t just n to beat them in a simple exchange of fists anymore." his expression turned somber as he predicted what was about to happen next.


    Given the centuries of experience, he had seen through Kahn''s devious and ruthless n.


    "He intends to break their will to fight."

 Chapter 826 Stormy Battlefield

    As soon as Romulus dered his well-thought assumptions¡­ A sudden change urred inside the pocket dimension acting as a battle arena.


    One after another, hundreds of massive pirs of water arose from the ground while the surging tides submerged the entire surroundings up to 50 meters high as if a new sea was formed.


    Even the dark clouds summoned by Juno suddenly started acting under the influence of this new battlefield as the blue wolfkin hijacked the control from the enchantress.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    In just a few moments, the sky started pouring down as loud and thunderous noises resounded.


    Hurricanes, thunderstorms, typhoons¡­ All of them were summoned at once and rampantly charged from all directions while rising up to 4 kilometers in height alone, targeting the white wolfkins as a barrage of millions of high pressured water des that could cut down a boulder in a single sh attacked all 4 of them at once.


    Previously, the disciples of the peak 7th stage saint had surrounded him inside a 2 kilometers wide battle formation that acted like a cage. But now¡­ It was Atreus who trapped them inside a 15 kilometers radius battlefield that swirled like a whirlpool, enclosing all the escape routes whether it was ground or the sky.


    They were no longer surrounding Atreus. Rather, he was surrounding them.


    Swoosh!


    Right exactly the group was stifled because of this sudden turn of events that caught them off guard, Atreus quickly appeared a few meters behind Mephisto who was protecting himself under a protection barrier while getting hit by hundreds of waterdes.


    If he wasn''t a 2nd stage saint, he''d be cut into thousands of small slices already.


    Yet, the onught was still too much for him and this attack purposely charged at him from the front. He didn''t even sense Atreus suddenly appearing behind him.


    The blue wolfkin on the other end amassed his full strength inside a punch.


    BOOM!!


    Crack!


    A shockwave resonated in the battlefield as Beowulf struck the barrier and broke past all of its defenses, shattering it instantly.


    Mephisto quickly turned his head around with a terrified expression. He hadn''t even sensed the Brawler wolfkin and before he could react¡­


    Bang!


    His chest caved in as a solid punch delivered by Atreus quickly broke his ribcage and sternum.


    "Aaarreghhh!!"


    Mephisto threw up a mouthful of blood as his entire body shook and his lungs and liver were damaged.


    Before the other 3 disciples evading and fighting on different fronts could even react¡­


    Atreus one-shot Mephisto.


    The elemental mage''s body dropped to the surface of the erratic sea below as he fainted due to intense pain.


    Whoosh!


    "You bastard!"


    A figure appeared behind Atreus and aimed his two daggers at his neck.


    Grab!


    However, Atreus didn''t give Ivaar any chance to even activate his assassination skills or prepare for some killer move.


    Bang!


    He pulled the 3rd stage saint and headbutted him on the spot. Without wasting another moment, the blue wolfkin quickly used Executioner''s Gaze, paralyzing the assassin and rendering his body from moving.


    Punch!


    Punch!


    Atreus'' left hand punched in session and broke the assassin''s jaw and his right shoulder. His speed was so fast that only the powerful spectators aka Romulus and Prisci saw through this attack.


    This skill was a SS Rank skill named Precision Hit. It worked only at close range and the opponent needed to be slow to react to this attack. Thus, Kahn used this to knock out Ivaar.


    Plop!


    Just like before, he threw the opponent into the sea and moved to the next target.


    Whoosh!


    On the right side, amidst the storm of waterdes, Juno was using her lightning elemental formations and destroying the des as hundreds of lightning bolts easily broke through them.


    But the problem here was the unceasing quantity of the des which were taking a toll on her already low world energy reserves. And since the Enchanter ss couldn''t use an external source or an artifact like a Summoner to make their attacks, she was greatly struggling.


    Punch!


    Shatter!


    Her protective measures shattered from a random-looking punch from Atreus and Juno received an immense bacsh.


    This time too, Atreus grabbed and choked the opponent''s neck with an evil grin.


    "You like to use those lightning bolts a lot, don''t you?" asked the wolfkin with a devilish smirk.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    The dark sky rumbled as hundreds of lightning bolts amassed together.


    "Impossible!" spoke Juno while struggling to breathe.


    Flickr!


    The blue wolfkin''s image flickered but before Juno could even react¡­


    Thunderp!!


    The thunderous lightning bolt shot from the sky and hit the enchantress.


    Bang!


    A fainted female wolfkin whose entire figure was now charred ck, dropped into the sea below as Atreus ironically used a lightning bolt by controlling the clouds in the sky to take down this lightning enchantress.


    sh!


    Right then, Dorian shed one of his 500 meter long Light Elemental swords and hundreds of swords, each sizing 5 meters in length swarmed around him.


    Atreus was so fast in taking down his allies that he didn''t even get a chance to help them.


    [I see. Those 4 massive swords are part of his Saint Rank skill. He doesn''t have too many killer moves as I thought.] thought Atreus.


    "You¡­ You shouldn''t be able to even stand straight after getting directly hit by mine and Juno''s attacks.


    You''re just cheating, aren''t you?" asked the 4th stage saint while panting heavily.


    By logic, the Light and Lightning elements were currently the strongest elements if one took the Darkness element out of the equation.


    Yet, Atreus waspletely unaffected even after getting hit by more than a dozen times in the past 4 hours. So Dorian was both befuddled and skeptical.


    "Is it cheating if I''m using my own skills to protect myself?


    Who says any of you guys were strong enough to take me down with those trash skills in the first ce?" asked Atreus in an indifferent tone.


    What he didn''t know that every time Kahn was hit by Dorian and Juno''s attacks, at thest moment, he used the Phase Shift skill to pass through the attacks, receiving zero damage.


    And after the explosions from those attacks subsided, he purposely appeared as if he was greatly hurt and wailed in pain.


    Atreus was using both his Fighting and Acting skills in this battle.


    "Alright then." spoke Atreus and made a challenging gesture to thest standing disciple as his overbearing voice reverberated in this battlefield.


    "Show me what you got."

 Chapter 827 Will To Fight

    10 Minutes Later.


    "Is that all? I thought you were supposed to be the strongest among them." spoke the blue wolfkin with a disappointed gaze.


    Unlike what he thought¡­ The battle with Dorian was simply too anticlimactic.


    After figuring out all of the white wolfkin''s skills, attack patterns, andbat techniques¡­ There was nothing new that the disciple used against Atreus.


    Dorian only had 2 Saint Rank skills. One being the 4 massive and 500 meter long light elemental swords and second being the hundreds of swords that hovered like a swarm of bees around the user which were good for offense and defense.


    But for someone like him who had more than 30 Saint Rank skills and close to 16 Legendary Rank skills, 6 of which were usable in actualbat in his present scenario and elemental affinity without revealing his identity as a chosen Hero¡­ The end result was simply underwhelming.


    All he had to do was close off their distance and make some critical strikes using Wrath of Vajra skill till Dorian was heavily injured and expended all of his world energy.


    Kahn now understood that although he wasn''t as strong or skillful as Romulus, Vildred or Rathnaar¡­ He was many times stronger than others of the same rank.


    It''s not that the 4 disciples were weaker. They had impable teamwork and strategies for open war and also taking down a beginner 5th stage saint if they worked together. But their luck was just too bad because they faced him of all people they shouldn''t have.


    "Now shut up and wait till I think of something to finish you all off." spoke Kahn as he stepped on Dorian''s chest, further humiliating the strongest disciple among the group.


    This terrifying victory by Atreus wasn''t achieved through some Deus Ex Machina stylebat.


    Although Kahn was supposed to be weaker, he was alreadyparable to a beginner 5th stage saint and all of his physical stats already exceeded Dorian by a huge margin, hence his attack power and speed were multiple times faster than thetter.


    And the others were already many times weaker than him because of their ranks and sses which didn''t have much defense to begin with.


    Like Romulus said, none of them realized what he was doing while getting beaten up by the four.


    And finally, he used the Psychokinesis skill associated with water from the sea below, making it look like the water itself was moving at his will as the entire water body moved away, revealing the destroyed open ground below. He then brought the other 3 disciples and used Lucid Reality on them.


    Andstly¡­


    Swoom!


    Hum!


    Hum!


    Whoosh!


    Atreus disappeared and the next time he appeared in the sky¡­ the rising water started coalescing and formed an enormous 300 meter wide and 150 meter tall w that was further reinforced by hundreds of icicles from the nearby terrain.


    A terrifying and malicious aura erupted from the fist and the 4 disciples felt a chill in their bodies.


    ? "Azure Dragon Fist!" shouted Atreus and made a punching gesture towards the wolfkins.


    [Such a chuunibyou name! Well not like I have named many skills any better.] thought Kahn.


    Shoot!


    Like an arrow released from a bow, this massive fist made of moving ice descended from the sky.


    BANG!!


    The nearby space ruptured and the shockwaves from this attack froze the nearby terrain.


    And when everything became clear to them¡­ All that was left was a massive fortress-like iceberg.


    Inside of it¡­ Were the 4 disciples who were now turned into ice sculptures.


    The density of this ice was hard and strong that no matter how much saint pressure they used¡­ none could escape.


    ----------------


    For a saint¡­ The only two things that made them look like a God in the eyes of mortals were their uncontrobly strong bodies that were enough to destroy a mountain due to their rank and their world energy reserves.


    Without both¡­ They were as weak as a normal person.


    And Atreus exhausted them all while fighting on all fronts in the past 4 hours.


    Outside the arena, even Prisci was taken aback.


    It wasn''t that Romulus trained them for nothing. It was just that Atreus was in control of this battle from beginning to end.


    And without even realizing, they overestimated themselves as he appeared weaker. And right when they thought they had proven themselves superior¡­


    He turned the tables on them.


    "Let''s see what you all do with the second one." mocked Atreus like a supreme god looking down on ants.


    Finally, Atreus summoned another Azure Dragon Fist.


    [What the hell! He can attack with more of those?] thought Juno with a terrified mind as she struggled to move inside her ice prison.


    [No¡­ This one is different. It''s stronger than the first one.


    If we''re hit in our current condition¡­ I


    I don''t think any of us will survive.] ryed Dorian to his fellow disciples.


    But this time, Kahn used the Dragon Bloodlines effect.


    Beowulf was originally a legendary rank brawler warrior set made from the Guardian Dragon''s horn and now with the Kahn utilizing the bloodline effect, it increased the overall attack power of the fist by 350% and the aura also became terrifyingly strong.


    This was extremely rming to his opponents and all they could feel like a certain death was ring at them.


    But right then¡­ the arena suddenly deactivated and all of them were summoned back to the training facility.


    Romulus looked at his disciples with a gaze filled with disappointment.


    "Do you see the reason why I made him my Shadow Disciple?" he asked in a tyrannical voice.


    One after another, Romulus told them about their mistakes during the battle.


    And as soon as he finished¡­ All of them had sullen expressions.


    "Tell me why you chose this type of strategy." he ordered Atreus.


    "I simply used a battle strategy I read about a long time ago." replied the blue wolfkin brawler.


    "Tell us what it is."mended the red wolfkin.


    "Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirm their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, upying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment¡­


    That which they cannot anticipate." he said while looking down on all 4 of the disciples.


    All 4 of the white wolfkins had an almost ashamed expression after hearing these words.


    Whether it was strength, battle tactics, versatility¡­ Atreus was superior in terms of everything.


    Against such a powerhouse¡­


    They no longer had the will to fight.

 Chapter 828 Cause And Conclusion

    Any hopes of excelling against this new Shadow Disciple faded into nothingness as Dorian, Juno, Ivaar and Mephisto realized that their efforts to make Atreus submit to themselves had gone in vain as thetter not only beat all of them together as one but also trumped them in regards of battle strategy.


    Kahn on the other end decided to use this approach of bullying them using his superior cheat skills because he wanted to break their will to fight and any ideas to cross him in the future. So they don''t stand in his way now or ever.


    He used the exact strategy he just cited.


    First, he intentionally provoked them and goaded them into fighting all at once, making them reveal their hand while they were under the impression that Atreus was at their mercy during the battle.


    Then he made them expend all of their world energy through attacks and skills while constantly evading and sometimes getting hit by their attacks.


    Meanwhile, he also toyed with their minds, irritated them, saw through all of their abilities, skills and weaknesses and finally used the ws in their team fighting strategy to easily take them down at once.


    Now¡­ he knew about everything there was to know about them including their aces under the sleeve and most powerful skills as saints.


    Not only did Atreus have overbearing strength despite being the same rank as them, but he also was a better strategist, allowing him to face 4 enemies by himself.


    This made them all feel ashamed and indignant as their halo of being the best of their generation in the entire Fenrirborne Tribe was shattered to bits.


    A visible expression of distraught was revealed on all of their expressions as their master, his wife and the new shadow disciple left the training grounds.


    ----------------


    "Did I overdo it?" asked Atreus after they reached a new ce which was Romulus'' personal training facility.


    "What are you talking about?" said the red wolfkin with an ted countenance.


    "That was exactly what I wanted." he iterated with a content smile.


    "Why?" questioned Atreus with a puzzled face.


    "Because they all have grown conceited in the past few years and think they''re the best because they stand at the pinnacle among their peers.


    No matter how much I tried to get this fact in their head¡­ They would always return to the same mindset as spearheads of the young generation who are supposed to be great leaders of the tribe." he exined the inside matter.


    "And that''s why¡­ I needed someone of the same generation to break their delusions and presumptuous notions.


    Now¡­ They will never think too highly of themselves and will remember that there''s always someone stronger than them regardless of how talented or genius they are." he said openly.


    [In the Nadur empire, we only respect the strong. No devious nning or plotting which helps you win will ever be epted.


    You must settle with your own two fists.


    Now, you have also earned their respect.] he spoke secretly to Atreus.


    [But isn''t that like putting an infant against a full-grown adult?


    I''m after all, a chosen Hero of a God.] responded Kahn.


    [But they don''t need to know that, do they?] asked Romulus with a devilish smirk.


    Prisci understood what was about to happen now that they were in this private training facility filled with dozens of magic formations, each having a different purpose.


    She nced at Atreus and gave a nod of approval, thinking that this shadow discipline indeed had what it took to be worth training and investing in for the sake of their tribe.


    Romulus took a deep breath and spoke in a somber tone.


    "All right then. Let''s start your real training."


    ----------------


    Inside the private training facility, two wolfkins stood tall as the important lesson finally started.


    "Kahn¡­ You''re officially the Apostle of War Deity and Apostle of cksmithing at this point. So never undermine them any longer and utilize them in order to be overwhelmingly strong.


    I know that you never had a proper teacher so far and you are still many times stronger than your peers. Maybe even stronger than many of the other summoned heroes. However¡­" he said in a serious tone.


    "It does not mean you''re any special or the first to do it." his voice reverberated in this massive hall.


    "There were many natives and heroes who have done it before. But not all of them even became 7th stage saints.


    This is why you need to restructure your entire foundation again and discard what you knew before." spoke the heavenly king with a stern gaze.


    Kahn nodded in response. He''d let the expert do the talking and follow his instructions. Because whatever Romulus knew wouldn''t be avable inside many books he read till now.


    The truly powerful always held outstanding methods and techniques for themselves while the oblivious masses cherished the average ones as if they were unrivaled.


    "Tell me¡­ What do you know about World Energy?" he questioned.


    "A higher form of mana which let''s one be a saint and achieve godly strength and expands the range and power of one''s skills and abilities." stated Kahn.


    "That''s just general knowledge. But know this one fact.


    Although absorbing the world energy to breakthrough to ranks is amon factor¡­


    Different species have different speeds, affinity and ways to utilize it. Some use their environment, some people like Saints use their physique while few use their bloodlines to harness it to consume and turn it into their own strength." he stated in an intelligible tone.


    "Monster species imbued world energy in their bodies and skills like Legendary Rank ones. That''s solely circumstantial because their elemental affinity, species and age are deciding factors.


    While the Fighter sses from different species consciously use them in the desired forms which they train their bodies for.


    But many don''t pay attention to world energy itself.


    I will let that dragon teach you about it.


    For now¡­ I''m going to teach you how to incorporate the basics as well as the best way given how we''re going toy a new foundation for you." he stated and soon, they entered inside a formation, reappearing in a different pocket dimension.


    "This technique is what you must master to perfection if you want to face others without fear. It''s called¡­" said the wolfkin and showed Kahn a demonstration as he revealed the name.


    "The Harnessing."

 Chapter 829 First Day Of Training

    Romulus suddenly gave Kahn a hint of something he was about to teach Kahn as the first step of their training. But thetter couldn''t make any sense of it since it was a very often used term in the world of Vantrea.


    The red wolfkin with a torso full of glowing scarlet runes spoke solemnly.


    "We store the world energy in our body to increase our strength. The more reserves stored, the higher rank you will attain over the years as your body bes strong enough to reach a new rank.


    But this is where majority of the people including many powerful saints in the world make a mistake." he iterated.


    "What they don''t realize is that although our body is a vessel¡­ it''s also a medium to convert the world energy.


    Converting it willingly to use as an attack spell or skill consciously is just providing an outlet to the energy that''s already stored in our bodies.


    The stronger skill or attack is¡­ The more world energy is consumed.


    This is also why many powerful saints above 6th stage saints don''t usually fight others of the same rank." the peak 7th stage saint revealed.


    "Because when they release their full strength, the world energy in that surrounding 100 kilometers is also being controlled WITHOUT their will.


    That''s why even a simple attack can obliterate everything in dozens of kilometers." he exined why the damage range was always so vast when Saints fought.


    "But like I said¡­ It will also depend on your own world energy reserves because you''re the one making that attack in the end.


    The natural world energy that is outside of your body is only responding to the one stored inside you whether you want to or not." said the heavenly king in a stern voice.


    "Wait a minute¡­


    Doesn''t that mean world energy itself is a double-edged sword for Saints?" he asked with a wide-open gaze in surprise.


    "Correct. The stronger you are, the harder it bes to control the world energy present in the world.


    But you can''t notice it until you be at least a 5th stage saint first by creating your own domain." he revealed another vital information.


    "You can''t hope tomand the world energy in nature at will without it hijacking your own control.


    That''s why many saints use their reserves to make small attacks and only go all out when they''re far away from normal people who could die because of their battle ore in their way.


    Because it''s extremely hard to control it while exuding your peak strength when you''re a 7th stage saint or above.


    Not only our strength is enough to destroy dozens of cities and sometimes even 8th stage saints and above can destroy over 100 kilometers at their peak." his loud voice filled the hall as Kahn was taken aback again.


    Although he knew that range always rose with ranks, but to hear that it was not only because of your strength but also because of the interference from the world itself.


    Romulus spoke again solemnly.


    "When I fought you¡­ I used that artifact to not only trap you but also cut the flow of world energy beyond 50 kilometers.


    And only inside my Domain was I able to use just 10% of my strength.


    Had I not done it¡­ I would have ended up forcefully using at least 50% of my strength even with great control and you would''ve died before you could even think." he revealed a fact about their first meeting.


    That terrifying might disyed by Romulus a few days ago was actually him trying his best not to kill Kahn while also hammering down the true difference between the strength of the powerhouses of the world and him.


    "You can ask Rathnaar Whitlock if I''m right or not." he said nonchntly.


    Inside Kahn''s mind, the peak saint also spoke in a carefree tone.


    [He''s right about it, boy. Although my method was slightly different, he covered the fundamentals.]


    "And when were you going to tell me about these things, you old bastard?" asked Kahn with an indignant countenance.


    [Are you a 7th stage saint yet?


    No, right? Then what''s the point in telling or teaching you anyway?


    It''s not like our soul pact mentioned me imparting my knowledge and techniques to you as if you were my sessor or something.


    I''m merely enjoying a free ride.] said Rathnaar shamelessly.


    Unlike Romulus, Rathnaar never had any obligation to teach Kahn as some sort of mentor about anything other than how to use the Table of Arcana and Chamber of Exaltation.


    So all this information was indeed new to Kahn.


    [Oh, if I''m not wrong and based on how he mentioned ''Harnessing''... He is nning to teach you that dangerous technique.


    But I think it''s too early even for a chosen Hero like you.


    This Apostle of ughter is even a bigger madman than the one I fought.] he spoke with a grim voice that gave even Kahn goosebumps.


    "Then what''s this ''Harnessing'' you''re talking about?" asked Kahn aka Atreus to the wolfkin.


    To this query, Romulus responded somberly¡­


    "The only way to escape the matrix is to unlearn everything you''ve been taught and rebuild your entire belief system based on critical thought and analysis. Discovering your true self is a process of removal rather than addition."


    As if imparting some sort of wisdom of the world, the Fenrirborne Tribe Leader spoke with his arms folded.


    Next, he covered his right fist with a glowing red aura.


    "What do you see?" he asked the blue wolfkin in front of him.


    "There''s ayer of world energy."


    "Good. Can you tell me how much world energy thisyer has?"


    "Not much." replied Kahn without a second thought.


    But instead of agreeing, Romulus shook his head.


    "That''s just natural world energy.


    If I harness it and simply attack with a skill using the standard method, I will cause great damage.


    Now look carefully." said the mentor.


    Bang!


    The entire hall was suddenly filled with bursts and tides of visible green world energy.


    Suddenly this permeating and visible world energy turned red and fire appeared in the entire hall like flowing red water tides.


    "Although I''m not a mage¡­ my control is so much that I changed it into the Fire element because of my personal affinity." he stated in a smug tone.


    "What''s the difference between this and the spells used by a mage?


    Because it shouldn''t be possible because you''re not a legit mage at all. In the end, this is just an external source and not your own reserves." wondered Kahn.


    "That''s where people get it wrong.


    How does one be a saint?


    By essing, storing and then using the world energy to make a breakthrough, right?" he asked with a curious gaze at Kahn.


    Kahn nodded in response.


    "They treat their bodies as a Container. But my methods will teach you how to use world energy in many different ways.


    The first lesson is that not only your body is a container.


    But also the Refiner." he dered with a smile.


    "What I''m going to teach you¡­" said Romulus with an ominous tone as a chill ran down Kahn''s spine.


    "Will make you want to kill yourself."

 Chapter 830 Tormenting Technique

    The red wolfkin gave Kahn a forewarning about the dangers of the Harnessing technique to raise his strength.


    "Summon some world energy around you like I did." spoke Romulus.


    Kahn followed the instructions and stood, a green smoke-like world energy was gathered over his palm.


    "Now try to move it like it''s trapped inside a rectangr box. It shouldn''t cross that imaginary boundary while increasing the speed of the flow." he instructed again.


    Under hismand, Kahn tried to move this amount of world energy as he tried to condense this rampantly running smoke.


    And after a great effort, it sped up so fast that it resembled photon particles revolving at light speed inside a reactor.


    "Now tten and condense it just like this." said the peak 7th stage saint and gave a demo.


    However this time, Kahn could barely move them at will despite being an intermediate magician himself.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    After 10 minutes of consistent effort, he finally managed to form a thin film like a white sheet of paper.


    "Now form ayer of it on your fist." said Romulus.


    "This is just 0.5% of this technique''s full potential.


    But if you hit an enemy with it¡­"


    Bang!!


    Suddenly, the thin film of world energy touched Kahn''s skin and his entire forearms exploded.


    "Arrrggghhh!!" groaned Kahn aka Atreus in great pain as his flesh and shattered bones spread on the floor.


    He patiently waited for the intense pain to subside while his Instant Regeneration skill healed him fully.


    Even after recovering, he had an ugly expression.


    "You could barely move them slowly and yet the result was your forearm getting exploded to bits with this just thinyer of world energy.


    Imagine what would happen if you were touched by my fist." spoke Romulus.


    Kahn was stupefied and rooted on the spot.


    Because Kahn''s demo was like him wearing surgical gloves while Romulus'' condensed world energy was like him wearing a boxing glove.


    As he watched and tried to fathom the aftermath, Rathnaar spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [Not even ashes of your body will be left.


    Also, the nearby 5 kilometers of space would be destroyed just from the explosion alone.] exined the peak saint how powerful this skill was.


    He then requested to switch bodies with him.


    As Rathnaar took control, his majestic aura changed.


    "Aren''t you going overboard? The kid isn''t even a 6th stage saint yet.


    His body can''t withstand it. The moreyer he forms and harnesses world energy, the more vtile it will be.


    He could even die if he is neglectful even for a second." he spoke with Romulus.


    Thetter quickly recognized the presence of this aura and understood it was the Peak Saint speaking.


    "Well, if he doesn''t do this¡­ will his chances of bing strong rise just because he is a chosen Hero with divine abilities?


    You''ve killed 9 Heroes back in your time. You know that even divine abilities can''t always guarantee your safety." spoke the wolfkin somberly.


    "If someone seals the Space, this kid can''t even escape to save his life.


    With this, he will be able to at least fight someone 3 ranks above him or stall for time once he masters it." he iterated in an affirming tone.


    "We''re basically changing his entire foundation as a warrior and as a saint itself.


    Without it¡­ He won''t be different than all the other heroes of this generation.


    And let me tell you something¡­


    The current Hero of Nature is already a 5th stage saint. If Kahn was to fight someone like him one day, there''s no way he''d win." dered the heavenly king.


    "Why do you say that?" asked Rathnaar in a curious tone.


    "Although I can''t reveal what his Divine abilities are because of the pact we have.


    He once killed a mythical rank monster that wasparable to a 3rd stage saint while he was only a 1st stage saint¡­ All by himself.


    He had no help, there was no suppression formation on the monster and all his party members did was watch.


    As things stand¡­ He too can fight 3 ranks above him because of his Domain." revealed the peak 7th stage saint.


    "He isn''t the type to admit defeat even in the face of the impossible.


    If we want Kahn to stand against people like him or at least have the strength to protect himself¡­ he has to learn it." exined the fenrirborne again.


    "Dammit!


    Why aren''t the empires working together? Should that Demon God be the biggest threat to the entire world?


    Is there no Peak Saint in the current Era?" asked Rathnaar with a visibly incredulous expression.


    Romulus shook his head in response and spoke in a stern voice.


    "The situation would be salvageable at some point...


    Had Kahn not killed the Hero of Fire." he exined with a helpless countenance.


    "The precedent set by the 8th Hero of Darkness was already so impactful on all the empires.


    And now this Kahn also followed his footsteps¡­ He is already following the same path ording to them.


    That is why I must teach him these extremely dangerous techniques." he gave his reasoning.


    "He will keep making mistakes. Sometimes, he might get severely injured, and lose an arm or even his head if he doesn''t practice it to perfection.


    But unless he learns the ''Harnessing'' perfectly, I can''t teach him the next techniques andbat skills.


    His foundation needs to be discarded and reconstructed from scratch.


    Because there is no other way left for him if he wishes to survive." said Romulus in a tone filled with both worry and resignation.


    Kahn who was in the backseat of his mind also realized that he had no other choice.


    This extremely painful method where his entire body would explode, mutted, sometimes resulting in him getting blown up to death was by far the most dangerously horrifying method of training.


    And like Rathnaar said¡­ He was way too weak to even start practicing it now.


    But he also understood why Romulus wanted to teach him this technique. Because he simply had no other way to make Kahn strong in a short time.


    However, no matter how one looked at it¡­ This type of training was self-harming, would probably destroy his body every time he made the smallest mistake and then there would always be a possibility of him dying.


    And the con was that he couldn''t leave this to any of his doppelgangers either.


    It''d be his real body going through all that pain and suffering by himself.


    Now he also understood why Romulus said Kahn would want to kill himself. This type of mental and physical torture¡­ People would rather kill themselves than suffer from something so painful day and night.


    As the saying went, ''There are no free things in the world''.


    One must follow the Law of Equivalent Exchange.


    To attain great power¡­ Kahn had to sacrifice his own body and live through the dreadful and mortifying pain again and again akin to killing himself knowingly.


    Kahn then took back control and dered with a determined experience.


    "I''ll do it¡­ Master."

 Chapter 831 The Hard Reboot

    Kahn officially acknowledged Romulus as his master after hearing his ns.


    There was no shame in epting the truth about someone mentoring you bing your master in all senses.


    Because the one who does not respect their teacher can never truly learn from them in the first ce.


    Now, it was time for Kahn to start his training for real.


    First, he tried to understand the basics of Harnessing exined by the peak 7th stage saint.


    Like the word implies, one must ''harness'' the world energy. But it wasn''t just as same as absorbing it. Rather, refining it using your own body as a medium and then elevating it to the next level.


    And then use it to incorporate into their attacks.


    What Kahn got wrong the first time during his attempt was he only formed ayer and let it touch his body without having formed the ability to refine that world energy acquired from the outside source. Which resulted in two different and ipatible forces of nature, the world energy stored in his body and the one from the environment that he was forcefully controlling, colliding against each other and causing that explosion; resulting in his forearm exploding.


    His body needed to go through this procedure and only then he''d be able to use the same amount of world energy like Romulus and stack over a hundredyers of it as the wolfkin did.


    "First we need to change how your body processes world energy." said the heavenly king as he folded his arms with a somber expression.


    "How?" asked Atreus aka Kahn.


    "By draining it down till there''s nothing left.


    And then I will use a form of technique to restructure how your body circtes it and also make it flow more rapidly inside your body such as through veins and the nervous system.


    But do know that it will be extremely painful.


    And you will feel like you''re being pierced by millions of sharp needles in every inch of your body." he revealed the painful experience that was toe beforehand.


    "The only thing that can be a hurdle is your inability to withstand both mental and physical pain.


    Well¡­ You can withstand it given your regeneration abilities and bloodlines.


    The problem is your mind will give out soon." he spoke with a face full of concern.


    "So now¡­ Fight against me first and show me your strongest skills." ordered the new master.


    ----------------


    5 Hours Later.


    BOOM!!


    Inside the pocket dimension they were training, Kahn was going all out.


    He used the new Asura Mode which now contained Cthulhu''s regeneration abilities and resilience against many elements.


    Then, he also simultaneously used the Shura Mode, forming a half-a-kilometer tall phantom this time.


    This was his most world energy-consuming skill if Kahn didn''t use Rathnaar''s core to use as an auxiliary source of world energy.


    However, both Kahn and Romulus didn''t acknowledge it as his own because the system created both of these modes of battle forms and not Kahn himself.


    And exactly when he was on thest straw, Kahn used Berserk God Mode after 2 years again.


    During those 20 minutes, he wasparable to an intermediate 5th stage saint.


    However, no matter which skill or attack he used, Romulus'' defenses were unharmed.


    Even the Dimensional Cut skill couldn''t cut through a red barrier he summoned as the wolfkin only received the attacks and did not fight back at all.


    Kahn didn''t know what kind of skill or techniques the peak 7th stage was using¡­ But even his strongest and sure-shot killer move no longer worked.


    And if it didn''t work against the wolfkin, means many other powerful saints with unique abilities and skills could also remain unscathed against Dimensional Cut.


    In a way, Romulus was many times better and more powerful than any of the Mythical Rank monsters Kahn had faced till this point in Vantrea.


    But thanks to this experience, he became aware of how powerful this world was, filled with people that could even find ways to nullify the divine abilities of a chosen Hero.


    [No wonder Rathnaar was able to kill so many heroes despite having no divine abilities.


    They can be countered if you have the correct methods and skills prepared.] thought Kahn as he finally expended all of the world energy in his body as the activation time ended.


    His body was now full of sweat and he dropped on the ground, panting heavily.


    "I can''t move. Hell¡­ I can''t even breathe properly." he said with an exhausted countenance.


    "Good.


    Now let me open your world energy pathways and force out any remaining reserves." said Romulus.


    He put a palm over Kahn''s head and the very next moment¡­


    St!


    Thousands of small pores opened on his entire body and Kahn''s blood was expelled out.


    "You have too many bloodlines. Some of them even counter each other.


    You''re lucky that you have a Mythical Rank Metamorphosis Bloodline as well.


    Otherwise, it wouldn''t have bnced out the rest of the powerful bloodline at this stage.


    Your blood itself could''ve been turned into poison and deformed your body and mind, eating it from the inside." he warned Kahn openly.


    [It''s just like Argos says¡­ His Divine Abilities will kill him soon.


    I can only cleanse some of the toxicity for now. I will have to leave the rest to him since my knowledge of bloodlines is just superficial and he''s a true expert in them.


    This brat¡­ His luck was too good to not have died till this point.


    The question is why did the God of Darkness allow him to choose these divine abilities despite knowing the consequences?


    Well, that''s not my problem.


    I can help him to live for a couple more years by doing this. Argos can take care of the rest.] thought the wolfkin.


    Kahn''s blood churned and as Romulus said, he felt like being pricked by millions of needles in every inch of his body.


    Tears dropped from his eyes as Kahn felt like his skull, skin, spine, bones, arteries, veins and entire nervous system was getting demolished, ground, shattered, and torn from the inside.


    Every passing second felt like an eternity and in those moments, he felt like dying dozens of times.


    This was a pain that would make someone faint on the spot but Kahn''s quivering yet unwavering figure revealed his unyielding and indomitable will.


    Hours passed and now the floor was covered in liters of ck blood.


    Finally, all the smudge and blood turned into ash under the fire released by Romulus.


    [This kid is good. That type of mental fortitude and perseverance¡­ Even among saints, there are less than 15 people in the world who can withstand such pain without going mad.


    I can''t say about strength but as far as mental capacity is concerned¡­] thought the Apostle of ughter and gave his verdict.


    [Kahn is definitely the strongest one among all the new Heroes.]

 Chapter 832 The Biggest Secret

    The next day, inside the Heavenly King''s personal training facility surrounded by hundreds of archaic formations and runes that not only isted and protected this vast hall, but also held dozens of small pocket dimensions where Romulus himself trained without destroying dozens of kilometers from the real world.


    Squirm!


    Squirm!


    A set of veins, flesh and bones squirmed and regenerated like movingrvae at a rapid pace while flesh and blood were sprayed across the floor.


    A deformed jaw bone relocated itself, the teeth started growing again. A new left eye grew itself while an ear grew back. Finally, an entire left side of the skull was regenerated and a newyer of fair white skin formed.


    As an aftermath of a failed attempt at learning Harnessing for the 73rd time¡­ Atreus aka Kahn''s entire left side of the skull and face blew up, exposing his brain and everything inside.


    However, this time, his mind and heart were inside the True Dimension, averting his certain death again.


    "Again!" eximed Romulus, Kahn''s new mentor.


    They have been training since early morning and every time Kahn lost control over the external world energy and failed to assimte inside his body¡­ he kept exploding from the inside, losing an arm, a leg, and even his eyes.


    Every single time¡­ the pain was unimaginable and agonizing as Kahn felt the feeling of death.


    If someone else was attempting this dangerous technique¡­ They would''ve died 73 times already.


    Only an anomaly like Kahn who was a chosen Hero could stay alive after such self-harming and dreadful technique to gain strength in a short amount of time.


    "This isn''t going how it was supposed to be." said the peak 7th stage saint with an indignant voice.


    However, it still didn''t change the fact that even with Combat Technique blessings which allowed him to raise proficiency, Kahn still didn''t make too much progress despite getting blown up by just using 0.5% of world energy he controlled using the Harnessing technique.


    Even Kahn couldn''t guess what was happening as he was doing his best but no matter how careful he was, his control over the world energy kept loosening whenever he tried to refine it using his own body.


    [Could it be that his body has already been tempered differently?] wondered Romulus.


    "Switch with him." he ordered.


    Soon, the Peak Saint took control and Romulus exined his worries, suspecting that Kahn''s different bloodlines were the cause of this problem.


    "Leave it to me. I can find a way to resolve this situation and he will be able to perform Harnessing by tomorrow." spoke Rathnaar and left the training facility.


    Soon, he returned to Atreus'' current small vi that was given to him for staying.


    Inside the vi, Vildred was resting while being undetected by everyone in the 50 kilometers range.


    "Set up an ancient rank Shadow Realm barrier around this vi." hemended the royal dragon who was in meditation pose.


    "Why? My current barrier is enough to hide everything from those below the 8th stage saint." said the lighting dragon emperor.


    "There''s something you need to see. And its aura will be known once we take it out.


    But we can''t tell Romulus about it." said Rathnaar, trying to maintainplete secrecy.


    "Fine. But I''m not at my peak so it will take some time." responded the Sage of Preservation as he sighed.


    ----------------


    4 Hours Later.


    Vildred set up an ancient rank magic formation with over 3 thousand archaic formations and runes spread in 200 meters radius.


    Kahn was astonished after seeing the result because he felt like they were no longer in the same ne of existence like the outside world.


    This wasn''t the True Dimension but it wasn''t the real world either.


    [What kind of formation is this?] He asked from the backseat.


    "It''s one of the most powerful formations in the world''s history.


    All the other istion barriers are derived from it. Not even an 8th stage saint can create it easily." replied Vildred in a calm tone.


    "It''s exactly what I used to hide that thing from the world." said Rathnaar who was still controlling the blue wolfkin''s body.


    "It''s time to use it again." he spoke and the very next moment¡­


    Swoosh!


    BANG!


    Finally, a massive 3 meter tall golden b covered with archaic runes of an unknownnguage appeared in the room.


    The Tablet of Arcana.


    As soon as Rathnaar summoned the tablet of Arcana, Vildred was bbergasted and almost trembled in astonishment as he felt a sense of familiarity with it.


    "Is this one of the 6 rumored creations of Demi-Gods?" he questioned with eyes wide open.


    "Yes.


    This is what I used to be a Peak Saint when I was alive." spoke Rathnaar in an indifferent voice while folding his arms behind his back.


    "I see, the rumors were indeed true then.


    Some of these runic engravings do resemble the Mask of Eternity we have. I guess both of them were created by the same Demi-God." revealed Vildred, breathing heavily.


    "Oh, so the Dragon Empire has one as well.


    Back in the day, I found that Lightbringers also had one of the six creations." he spoke in a stern voice.


    [You mean Empire of Light?] asked Kahn from the inside.


    "Yes. If my guess is correct¡­ All the Heroes and Heroines of Light have been trained using whatever they have since the beginning of this whole thing started 3 thousand years ago.


    Those guys have always been one of the first ones to be unnaturally strong even among the other Heroes." he iterated, revealing something unknown to most of the empires of Vantrea.


    "That leaves the whereabouts of the remaining 3 creations.


    Never mind, that''s something we should leave for the future." he said and moved to the topic at hand.


    "Maybe our approach was correct, just the ce was wrong." he spoke.


    "Remember how the Chamber of Exaltation changes your body itself in order to make you twice stronger than other Saints of the same rank¡­


    Maybe that''s why you can''t practice Harnessing." he spoke with a worrisome countenance.


    Vildred says¡­


    "Wait! Harnessing?


    Are you teaching him to control the outside world energy using his body as a medium to refine and restructure it?" queried the royal dragon with a surprised gaze.


    All Rathnaar did was nod.


    "Isn''t that too dangerous for Kahn? He could easily die if anything went wrong.


    He''s not strong enough to keep practicing it for long." spoke Vildred, revealing his unhappiness.


    Kahn then told the royal dragon about his regeneration and dimensionalw abilities.


    "This could work. But what if you run out of world energy to use as a source? You will definitely die." he spoke in a gloomy voice.


    "We have this." spoke Rathnaar again and soon, activated Kahn''s Dimensional Domain to reveal a particr blinding white spherical object that was 3 meters tall.


    This was¡­ the Peak Saint''s core.


    "So much world energy!


    This source¡­ I have never seen something like this in my entire life.


    Even the remnant core of one of the ancient Elder Dragons didn''t have so much world energy condensed inside!" eximed Vildred in disbelief, losing his decorum as a dignified ''strongest mage in the world''.


    [How strong is it exactly?] queried Kahn again.


    "Enough to obliterate everything in 800 kilometers normally.


    If you use some external formation to increase the range like a chain reaction¡­ It will go as far as 1200 kilometers." revealed the dragon emperor.


    [Holy mother of Oppenheimer!


    So I have been sitting on an unstable nuclear bomb all these years, huh?] even Kahn was perplexed after hearing these words from Vildred.


    Rathnaar soon told Vildred about the function of the Chamber of Exaltation.


    "This thing¡­ It''s like giving a Superior Dragon''s body to Kahn." iterated Vildred in a dumbfounded tone.


    One after another, he was receiving way too many mind-boggling revtions.


    Both Rathnaar''s core and Tablet of Arcana were probably one the biggest treasures in the entire world of Vantrea.


    "If Kahn ever bes a Peak Saint¡­ He will be able to fight a Demi-God on equal footing for at least 2 hours." hypothesized the royal dragon who was the prime expert on world energy and magic among the three.


    "That powerful?


    Well¡­ I didn''t have a Demi-God to test out my full strength against. I only knew how powerful they were from the ancient records I acquired alongside the Table of Arcana." said Rathnaar, almost shamelessly flexing.


    "The other half of my soul must know something about it.


    That part also holds most of my powerful techniques and killer moves." he revealed.


    [Only if you weren''t so upstuck, you would have your entire soul.] said Kahn.


    "Boy¡­ like I told you when we made the pact; you''re too weak to even enter the ce I arranged.


    At least be an 8th stage saint first and then we can think about it." he berated the oblivious fool.


    "Alright, let me test my theory." spoke Rathnaar and soon, he and Vildred were sucked inside the Tablet of Arcana like entering a wormhole.


    Inside this ce, Kahn regained control over his body while a 10 meters tall figure of a white bearded old man donning a white and golden ancient rank armor and a greatsword appeared in front of them.


    This was Rathnaar''s true appearance in soul form.


    "Let me show you¡­"


    He looked at Vildred and spoke as a multicolored door appeared in front of them.


    "The Chamber of Exaltation."

 Chapter 833 Chamber Of Exaltation

    Rathnaar took both Kahn and Vildred from the temporary nk white passage inside the Tablet of Arcana to the actual Chamber of Exaltation. And the next moment, all 3 of their figures appeared inside apletely different scenario, in a realm that was unfathomable and unknown to the outside world.


    And as they opened their eyes again, a vast and unbelievable scenery appeared in their sight.


    A new worldposed of dozens of color, unforeseeable topography andbinations as if different gxies were intertwined with each other, filled with tranquility came to be.


    There were 5 differentyers akin topartmentalized parameters of the sky and each of them revealed a unique glow and glimmering lights from within.


    In these differentyers of skies, were dozens of different sections made of meteorites, each being as big as a mountain on its own while floating seamlessly inside the marvel of creation.


    Even someone like Vildred couldn''t guess and fathom how vast this realm was but based on instincts and his knowledge of the magic itself¡­ he could tell that the world energy here was at least 5 times denser, purer and enriched than the outside world.


    And each section spread across this realm differed greatly based onws of reality, elements and density of world energy. Something even the Royal Dragon hadn''t seen existing all together at once.


    Also, these floating bodies in this ce had thousands of ancient formations and mechanical constructs like ancient castles and fortresses that spanned for a few kilometers where at the center, were different training grounds and halls catering towards a particr field such as skill mastery or magic.


    Kahn also sensed that one of those ces was calling out to him through some indescribable connection but for now, he kept his mouth shut.


    "This is a different Chamber of Exaltation than we used previously." he said and looked at the old emperor who now adjusted himself to the same size as theirs.


    "Yes. The one which simply converted SS Rank cores after you poured them down in a glowing well was just a low-level section.


    This is the real Chamber of Exaltation¡­ a realm created by a Demi-God sealed inside the Tablet of Arcana." spoke Rathnaar as he revealed the truth.


    Vildred on the other side was not only astonished but his entire body was trembling.


    "So this is a work of a Demi-God, huh?" he questioned as his voice was full of uncertainty.


    "Yes. By my guess¡­ It was made millions of years ago and their civilization was probably more advanced than any current empires in Vantrea.


    But they too were wiped out with annals of time and now only this relic of the past remains." spoke Rathnaar with a somber expression.


    "That''s not all of it¡­ This creation of that Demi-God kept evolving on its own, gathering world energy for who knows how long.


    And now, this realm upgraded itself. This ce is simply¡­ unreal." spoke Vildred, the magic and world energy expert.


    "This is too much! No wonder you were so strong to even fight against us Royal Dragons." he spoke with an infuriated voice.


    Because this Chamber of Exaltation¡­ No, this Realm of Exaltation was something the world would go crazy for.


    What kind of dogshit luck did Rathnaar have to find something so invaluable like this.


    No wonder he was the only Peak Saint in the world in the past 2000 years despite being a human at that.


    There were only two humans in the history of Vantrea who reached that level in billions of years since their world came to exist.


    One being Kravel, the first ever War Deity who became a Demi-God over 10,000 years ago while the second was Rathnaar Whitlock, the founding emperor of the Rakos empire.


    This was a feat even Royal Dragons couldn''t achieve easily unless they lived for 3 to 5 thousand years while stably progressing their strength and rank.


    Out of every new generation of Royal Dragons, not even one could cross that level to be an Elder Dragon.


    The current Elder Dragon Baaltaraaz crossed that threshold after living for more than 12 thousand years. And his real age¡­ Even Vildred had no idea.


    As for the Chamber of Exaltation which was left behind by one of such Demi-Gods¡­ it was something even Vildred, the former Emperor of the Dragon Empire greatly envied.


    "It''spletely different than the Mask of Eternity but in a way¡­ It''s no less valuable.


    This type of thing will get you killed even by your own family." remarked the royal dragon.


    "Alright kid¡­ let me test my theory." spoke Rathnaar.


    And soon, their figures shed and appeared at the central circr chamber of one of such ginormous meteor-like constructs emanating a green glow even through the walls and the floor.


    "Try using Harnessing here." ordered the peak saint.


    Kahn put millions of SS Rank cores from his space ring in sections akin to a cauldron-like objects. In just a few seconds, it started rotating white revealing bright yellow light as it steadily converted those cores into visible world energy that soon spread into the chamber.


    Kahn also started coalescing world energy in the environment like Romulus taught him. But this time¡­


    Kahn''s body was able to process it properly and regte faster from the pathways opened by Romulus without hurting him in any way or his body exploding.


    "No wonder¡­ The Fenrirborne taught you correctly.


    But the key difference was that none of us noticed that your physiology was already changed because you previously used that normal chamber before you became a 1st stage saint.


    In the end, you became twice stronger than others just like I was back then." he stated after affirming his theory.


    "How was that blocking me from practicing Harnessing then?" asked Kahn in his Atreus persona.


    "Since the base of your physiology as a Saint was changed¡­ You''re unable to use small bits of natural world energy because your body is too strong in the outside world and the world energy in the environment is too dispersed as well as vtile to resonate with your transformed physique.


    Hence, you were unable to control it for longer and ended up in failure no matter how hard you tried." exined the Peak Saint.


    Rathnaar was the most knowledgeable person regarding the uses of the Chamber of Exaltation and its impact on the body of those who used it.


    There was a time even his descendants used the tablet of arcana under his guidance to be the emperors and empresses of Rakos Empire.


    But Kahn was a different case than all of them and Rathnaar never had a chance to train anyone outside of the tablet so he too was unable to discern the difference at the start.


    "From now on, you must practice it inside the Chamber of Exaltation. The outside world energy from the real world is simply too weak and vtile for you to use for Harnessing." he stated.


    But right at that moment¡­


    "Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!!"


    Vildred suddenly startedughing with an ted expression.


    "This ce¡­ there''s no doubt about it." he said with a greedy expression, almost salivating.


    "This is the most perfect ce in the entire world to teach you magic."


    ----------------


    After he dered his intentions, Vildred exined why this ce is better than the outside world to study magic.


    "Because of theposition, this ce is best for you to quickly stabilize your world energy reserves.


    If I keep you teaching inside this ce¡­


    We will actually cover everything there is to it by 3 times quicker." he iterated with a joyous smile.


    "And once you learn Harnessing, I will be able to speed up your training as well, which will further enhance what you''ve learned from Romulus." he said frantically.


    "Do you mean¡­" even Kahn had his eyes wide open as he sensed a great possibility.


    "Yes, not only will you be able to be 3 times stronger than you already are as a physical ss fighter¡­


    But you will also be a mage with moretent talent and potential." proimed the royal dragon.


    "But things just don''t end here.


    If you manage to incorporate the advantages of any of these training modes with the other¡­ You will benefit the other field of training as well." he stated as if he was going mad with excitement.


    "Can you borate?" asked Kahn with a puzzled countenance.


    "What I mean is once you excel inplementing both physical fighting skills and magic spells along with the knowledge of each other¡­


    You will be many times stronger than the current you." he said and looked at Kahn with an ominous expression as if he was looking at a test subject.


    "For now, you can only fight 2 ranks above you because of your War Deity body and many other abilities you received from monsters and their bloodlines.


    But if you seed in mixing both sides'' techniques¡­


    You will not only be able to fight 3 ranks above¡­ you will simply dominate the opponent." he revealed a conjecture.


    "Because by then, you will basically lord over the world energy in the outside real world." the dragon emperor gave his analysis.


    "Isn''t that basically¡­" asked Kahn with a baffled voice.


    "Correct. If you utilize the Chamber of Exaltation in the way I mentioned¡­" spoke Vildred with a smug grin.


    "It''s exactly the same effect as my Sage of Preservation ss."

 Chapter 834 Unceasing Efforts

    After ascertaining a few hypotheses and possible oues, Kahn started his strict and disciplined training to master the Harnessing technique in order to elevate his strength to a different level.


    This time, he was able to form the firstyer of harnessed world energy and let it touch his body without exploding as an aftermath.


    Now, the natural world energy inside this section of the Chamber of Exaltation, which was a different realm on its own and his body were like a single entity; forming a sense of codependency.


    This time, his blessing called the Combat Techniques Mastery given by the War Deity also helped him a lot.


    "Hey, wouldn''t the natural world energy from the outside world oppose me if it tried to control it?" he diverted his gaze towards the royal dragon who was overseeing the practice.


    "No. Because that world energy is five times weakerpared to this one.


    Once you learn how to properlymand it from me, I will teach you how to perfectly integrate it with your skills and spells.


    Then, you will be able to absorb it at great speed and condense it to make it simr to the one here.


    Eventually, it will be the same as the world energy inside this realm and your skills, spells and attacks will be 5 times stronger than their maximum capacity." iterated the lightning dragon emperor.


    "However, it will take a lot of time and practice. So don''t think anything will be easy.'''' he said but the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    Kahn suddenly exploded as his entire body sprawled on the ground as chunks of flesh and bones spread on the floor after he lost focus while conversing with the royal dragon.


    Thankfully, his Dimensional Shift was in active mode so his heart and brain were safe enough for him to regenerate again.


    Passive Cirction wasn''t still achieved by Kahn. Vildred was going to teach him this ability after Kahn met a few criteria first.


    As for this sudden explosion¡­ This wasn''t the first time.


    Even if the world energy inside the Chamber of Exaltation wasn''t hostile, it was still running at supersonic speed and Kahn was absorbing it through his pathways opened by Romulus.


    If the speed and mismatched control went out of route, his body would still explode like petrol meeting fire.


    His current mastery could hardly be said to be 1%pared to what Romulus could achieve. So this was still expected.


    Yet¡­ This was more of a reality check.


    1 WEEK LATER.


    "He''s in that Zone again." exined Rathnaar to Vildred while both gazed at Kahn who was now in a state of trance while subconsciously practicing the Harnessing technique.


    Rathnaar was familiar with this scenario as he had seen it before.


    "What zone?" queried the Sage.


    "Thest time he was like this¡­ He was learning cksmithing skills in the Vulcan empire from a dwarf." revealed the peak saint.


    This current situation was exactly simr to the state of mind when Kahn was focused on bing a Saint cksmith and trained day and night under Throk Oakenshield in the Fire Empire.


    "Let''s not disturb him. He is very tenacious and a hard worker when he enters that state."mended the first emperor.


    ----------------


    1 MONTH LATER.


    Romulus revealed an ted expression after one of Atreus aka Kahn''s attacks finally managed to crack his protective barrier that even the Dimensional Cut couldn''t damage in the slightest.


    "Good. I don''t know how you did it¡­ But this result is weed.


    Even I took close to 3 months to get on the same level as you in mastering Harnessing technique." praised the red wolfkin aka the Heavenly King.


    Against him, Atreus stood tall while using glowing blue aura enshrouding his fists like boxing gloves on both his arms, shins and feet.


    Although he expected Kahn to be faster because of the blessings from Kravel¡­ It was still way quicker than his previous anticipation.


    What he didn''t know was that the Chamber of Exaltation yed a big factor in it as well.


    However, Kahn didn''t achieve it just because he was using the Chamber of Exaltation.


    Like Romulus said, it should have taken him at least 3 months. But to make up for it¡­


    In the past month, Kahn didn''t eat anything or even slept for a single night.


    He had tried and failed thousands of times while forming each newyer and perfecting his control.


    His body had blown up to mangled flesh more than 2 thousand times already.


    Each time, he regenerated to his former state and carried on the training to the point that even Vildred felt like Kahn had lost his mind and turned off his brain receptors for fear and pain.


    Kahn hadn''t spent a single moment outside of the daily training by Romulus and perfecting himself inside the chamber.


    And finally, his unwavering resolve yielded this result which would''ve taken other normal people more than half a year even if someone so talented and skillful as Romulus was teaching them.


    Vildred and Rathnaar were also proud of this result.


    Because one thing that wasmon between Rathnaar, Vildred and Romulus were that they didn''t be the strongest just by working hard.


    If only hard work was the key to sess, then millions of people would''ve be saints and thousands of them would be Peak Saints already.


    The other and most important factor in bing truly strong was the disciplined mindset.


    Bing an Ascetic to achieve your goals¡­ Forgetting hunger and sleep while losing the track of time to achieve your mission was the one traitmon among the peerless geniuses.


    And Kahn proved himself to be one of such Ascetics and Abstinent people of the world.


    Making his mental resolve and endurance reaching even greater levels than before.


    His unceasing efforts finally yielded fruit. And now seeing his changes, even Romulus was content.


    Because the current Kahn had achieved exceptional results as mastery was at 100% and Kahn could not only form over hundredyers of harnessed world energy without getting blown up to bits¡­


    He could do it on both arms and legs at the same time.


    On top of it¡­ He could also apply it to the Grappling Extensionsing out of his body.


    They were definitely going to be his aces during a life-and-death battle as a surprise element.


    "Good. Now that you have learned the first step, it''s time I teach you how to use Harnessing to fight.


    Harnessing is just like picking up a sword. In a way, you have a lethal weapon in hand.


    Now, I will teach you how to swing that sword. Which leads us to the second stage." proimed the Fenrirborne saint as he revealed the next step of Kahn''s training.


    "The Conceptualization."

 Chapter 835 Second Technique

    After revealing the name of the second technique that Romulus intended to teach Kahn, both of their figures suddenly appeared inside a new dimension.


    Here, there was nothing but a metallic floor with no end and a vast sky with no clouds. There wasn''t a single construct, soil, trees or anything but pure and unimpeded ne metal ground.


    "As the name suggests, it''s about conceptualizing and turning your thoughts into reality." spoke the red wolfkin.


    "Summon that Dragon Strike skill of yours without using Harnessing." he ordered.


    Kahn followed the instructions and summoned the 500 meters long and 100 meters wide greatsword made of 5 different elements in this surrounding with no end.


    "Add the Darkness element." said the peak 7th stage saint.


    And as soon as Kahn did so, the aura exuded by the ginormous greatsword became 3 times stronger than before.


    "Attack in that direction."manded the wolfkin.


    sh!


    BANG!!


    This time, visible marks of a massive sword shing spread and the area of destruction was 3 kilometers in total length.


    "Now summon a new one. But using Harnessing techniques." ordered Romulus.


    It took Kahn some time but managed to create one without faults.


    Moreover, this time¡­ the greatsword was emanating a gravely dangerous aura and suppressive force. Even Kahn could tell that it felt much more powerful.


    "Attack on the opposite side."


    sh!


    BANG!


    This time¡­ Kahn was simply gobsmacked after seeing the output damage as the total length of destruction became 15 kilometers and 3 times wider than before.


    "It''s at least 5 times stronger and more powerful in attack power and damage output." he spoke with a bbergasted expression.


    "Why?" he asked the heavenly king.


    Because although Kahn could achieve such a result based on his rank as a 4th stage saint even before Romulus took him under his tutge¡­


    He''d have to use multiple of his abilities such as Draconian Bloodline, Drakos Armor, Asura Mode, and Shura Mode; all of them needed to be in effect to achieve such a result.


    And if he added the Hero of Darkness title in the mix, the attack could reach up to 24 kilometers at his current strength level.


    But this attack¡­ It achieved that degree of strength and range with just a simple attack even without using any single of those.


    In simple words¡­ Kahn could now destroy 15 kilometers of the area just with a simple Dragon Strike.


    And if he used all those abilities and his title altogether¡­ Maybe decimating 50 kilometers of area won''t be a problem if he went all out.


    But the biggest and obvious decisive factor here was the effect of the Harnessing Technique taught by Romulus.


    "Wait a minute¡­ If someone like me who''s only a 4th stage saint can go this far using Harnessing technique¡­ Then how much can you destroy as 7th stage saint?" asked Kahn with an astonished gaze.


    "Someone like you?


    Brat, stop being ignorant.


    If I taught my disciples this ability, even they can''t do more than 30 kilometers of damage.


    You''re a chosen Hero with too many abilities and skills.


    As for me¡­ theoretically, it should be close to 80 kilometers if I go all out.


    But there are always external factors such as impact absorbing and impeding the damage range and stuff.


    So the total damage and range are short-lived considering outside factors." iterated the master with a stern voice.


    "s, you understand why I taught you Harnessing first, right?" he asked with a smug grin.


    Kahn nodded in response.


    "Good. Because Harnessing is just the basic foundation for the next step.


    Now, make that sword again." he ordered again.


    "But this time, Romulus also summoned a sword of his own but with fire element.


    "Now summon another weapon made of world energy."


    Kahn then summoned a Bow.


    "You could summon them because you''re experienced with their use, shape and techniques, right?" asked Romulus as if leading to another piece of information he was to reveal.


    "So in a way, you conceptualizing them was the driving factor when summoning.


    However, my summoning wasn''t done on the same method as yours." he exined and gave anothermand.


    "Try switching their shape." he ordered.


    Kahn was slightly taken aback.


    "That can be done?" he asked with a baffled tone.


    He tried but all his attempts failed.


    Instead, both of his summoned weapons broke apart and exploded, making Kahn receive a strong bacsh.


    However, this was how Romulus always trained him.


    He let Kahn taste the consequences of failing first so thetter will be vignt while training.


    "Now look here¡­"


    Soon, the 1 kilometer tall sword summoned by Romulus made of fire using Harnessing suddenly weakened and dispersed like a cloud of smoke.


    But instead of breaking or exploding and causing a bacsh to Romulus¡­ the fire flew like free water and swirled around in the sky.


    And soon, under Romulus''mand¡­


    The shape changed and it turned into a long halberd with a fiery curved de.


    "How?" asked Kahn, stupefied.


    Because first, suddenly transforming your summoned weapon was the first time Kahn had seen anyone do so far.


    Second, the sword and halberd were both created using Harnessing technique.


    Here, world energy condensation and maniption were very dangerous and could end up in a devastating explosion if you messed up the technique in the slightest.


    Yet Romulus casually achieved both features in just a couple of seconds.


    The wolfkin then changed the shapes and turns them into multiple weapons at will.


    To flex, he summoned 10 more weapons and changed their shapes at will at random, controlling every single one of them.


    "What''s the difference?" asked Kahn.


    "I''m not actually changing the summoned weapon.


    Rather, Imand the harnessed world energy before the weapons were even summoned.


    On the outside, it looks like a sword or a halberd but actually, it''s like floating elemental energy, always moving and unpredictable inside that shape.


    The moment I think about reforming its shape, it bes whatever I want.


    In a way, it''s simr to water." iterated the wolfkin solemnly.


    "How?" queried Kahn again.


    "Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it bes the cup.


    You put water into a bottle and it bes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it bes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash." he spoke in a tone filled with wisdom.


    "Conceptualization isn''t about summoning, controlling or maintaining.


    It''s about bing the Water." he spoke and exined the truth behind the technique.


    "Have no form, shape or restriction."

 Chapter 836 Ways Of Concept

    Romulus gave his insight into the Conceptualization technique that seemed as the next evolution of Harnessing. And his wisdom of using water as a reference and applying its properties while studying and learning it opened a new path for Kahn.


    "How do I change that?" he queried sternly.


    "Before that¡­ Know this fact.


    Even many 7th stage saints in the world can''t use Harnessing and Conceptualization.


    Apart from our current Empress, I haven''t seen anyone else also do it inside the Nadur Empire. And she is also a True Descendant like me.


    But she uses her mastery over her bloodline and aw she has been practicing for decades to use them.


    That is not the case for me or you." he iterated.


    "Then how can you do that?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Because I''m the Apostle of ughter. Which yed a vital role in me learning Conceptualization as I can use any weapon in the world and master them if I train enough.


    And since you''re the Apostle of War Deity who can also wield different weapons and gain perfect mastery in them because of the blessings you received¡­ this technique is the most fitting one for you in the long runpared to the other ones I know." he exined.


    "Now that you have mastered Harnessing, this sets up a solid foundation for Conceptualization.


    In a way, we have already saved half the time." he spoke and soon, his domineering aura permeated this vast dimension with the metallic floor.


    "Follow my instructions. Create a sword.


    Purposely weaken it to 30% of its density." hemanded.


    Kahn followed the instructions and did exactly as his master ordered.


    "Hold right there.


    Now think about another weapon." instructed the heavenly king.


    Kahn then imagined a dagger and tried to change its shape slowly.


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later.


    Kahn was sweating heavily and had a headache at this point. Yet in the end, he finally managed to transform the whole sword into a dagger.


    "Nicely done. It didn''t explode on the first try." spoke the Fenrirborne with a pleased expression.


    But the fact remained unchanged that what took Romulus just a couple of seconds took Kahn an entire hour.


    "Now condense it slowly and make it 100% denser. Do it steadily otherwise it will blow you up." he gave amand.


    Kahn used Harnessing again to solidify the dagger.


    But he quickly noticed that while trying to do so, his world energy reserves were consumed and depleting.


    "Why is this so harder than Harnessing?


    All my world energy is mostly drained." questioned Kahn while panting heavily as his forehead was full of sweat.


    "Because to make adjustments, your body is subconsciously using extra world energy reserves." exined Romulus.


    "Wouldn''t that be a big problem? Because it will deplete twice my reserves during a battle." spoke Kahn.


    "Not exactly. It''s happening because your current control is negligible. The more proficient you be, the less unnecessary world energy will be consumed." said the red wolfkin, reassuring his mentee.


    Another half an hourter¡­


    Finally Kahn was done reaching 100% manifestation and the dagger waspletely at its full capacity.


    "Now, you can use this method to change the shapes of any element you have, create weapons and then shift their shapes.


    But that''s not the end. Since you have so many affinities with different elements unlike me who only has Fire affinity¡­" he spoke with a grin.


    "No way! Don''t tell me¡­" spoke Kahn with his eyes full of disbelief.


    Romulus then replied with a smile.


    "Yes. You can change the shape of the weapon and element at will." he dered merrily.


    Kahn on the other end was simply dibobted.


    Why?


    Because this meant that he could use Conceptualization to change the shape and element of the weapon at will.


    He could turn a water sword into a fire bow. An earth elemental spear into a darkness elemental shield at will during a battle.


    Based on the situation during the battle and the elemental affinity of the opponent¡­ Kahn can now turn the whole battle in his favor instantly.


    If someone thought he was a Water & Ice elemental warrior and they could attack or kill him because they themselves were lightning or fire elemental fighters¡­


    Kahn could suddenly turn his water attacks and summoned shape of the weapon into a darkness elemental one topletely overpower and decimate them before the enemy could even react.


    It was like the most harmless attacking your way, the one you were fully confident of neutralizing easily; but then it instantly turned into the most lethal strike that you don''t have a way to defend against.


    This would simply be a nightmare for Kahn''s enemies during battle.


    If Harnessing was OP, then Conceptualization was like a Super Upgraded version of it which added a tremendous tactical advantage.


    "Ha ha ha!!


    This is genius!" eximed Kahn with an ted expression.


    "And yet, I haven''t received a ''Thank you, Master'' for nning such an amazing training route for you." said Romulus while folding his arms together.


    Kahn held both his fists together and bowed in respect. Because Romulus had indeed created a great path for him that no one else would have done for Kahn in this world.


    "There are 3 more techniques after this. But I can''t teach them until you master Conceptualization.


    And not only that¡­ I need you to be able to control it so well that you can even summon dozens of weapons at will and then change their shapes and elements in matter of seconds without the slightest mistake." hemended in a thoughtful voice.


    "I will do so¡­ Master." obliged Kahn.


    ----------------


    1 Week Later.


    Kahn is struggling greatly. His time was reduced to 30 minutes in using Conceptualization for a single weapon. But his master was barely 10% even now.


    Still¡­ It was many times better than his first attempt.


    Although he carefully followed every step, this technique was moreplex because every weapon shape and element he used to create them had different densities, viscosity, permeability, attack power, malleable properties and varying nature when conjuring and transforming them.


    Even if Kahn met the condition to use this technique¡­ It waspletely different from Harnessing technique because thetter was only the foundation.


    "Looks like I have no choice but to keep using it." thought Kahn and spoke with Rathnaar, revealing his worries.


    An hourter, Kahn entered the Chamber of Exaltation again.


    "There is a particr section that will greatly aid your training to master this technique." spoke Rathnaar, impressed by what Romulus taught Kahn since he himself couldn''t practice this technique when he was alive.


    After some time they reached a tform in the center of multicolored cloud-like creations that dazzled with ethereal and otherworldly aura as if different aspects of reality wereing together.


    The facility in the center itself looked like the linchpin that joined these different aspects.


    "This cloud-like section is something you won''t find in the outside world. It''s called¡­" spoke the Peak Saint as he revealed the best ce for Kahn to master Conceptualization.


    "Convergence of Reality."

 Chapter 837 The Convergence

    Kahn gazed at the multicolored cloud-like section that spanned 5 kilometers in radius alone, filled with a variety of elements of reality including Darkness and Chaos in the mix. Unlike how it usually happened, these elements didn''t cause some sort of natural disaster or odd urrence that could be seen as dangerous.


    There were other elements of reality but Kahn had no idea what purpose did they have and he couldn''t even feel them properly.


    "You''re too weak to do anything about them as youck enough enlightenment in the Law of Magic.


    Just focus on the normal ones you can sense for now." spoke Rathnaar to the amazed Kahn.


    As per his instructions, Kahn flew towards the epicenter where a circr formation of a stone-like ancient mechanism appeared and he sat there in a meditative position.


    "I brought you here because this is the only ce inside the Chamber of Exaltation that can help you harness and experience all different elements at a rapid pace.


    Although you have many elemental affinities and skills¡­ they''re just makeshift and temporary. You don''t actually have any mastery other than for Darkness and Water element." his majestic voice reverberated in the surroundings.


    "You don''t even know how to use Chaos element despite having the True Demon bloodline yourself.


    Also, your mastery over the Darkness element is barely passable despite having the highest affinity to it." he spoke the harsh truth in front of Kahn from the get-go, reminding thetter how truly weak he waspared to real native powerhouses and experts of Vantrea.


    "For this Conceptualization study, this ce is the best for understanding and utilizing them since the Convergence of Reality has ess to all of the elements in the world.


    And using Harnessing, you will have an unlimited supply for practicing as well." revealed Rathnaar about why he brought Kahn here of all the different sections inside the chamber.


    "Back then, I also used this ce to perfect my skills. But unlike you, I had only one element." he iterated solemnly.


    "Which element andw did you use?" queried Kahn.


    "I don''t remember. That part of memories is sealed with the other half of my soul." he revealed nonchntly.


    "Smart. You sealed all the important and useful information with the other half along with the secret of bing a Demi-God." said Kahn with an almostining voice.


    "Back to the topic.


    Sit there and I will tell you a chant. Use it to activate the whole setup and you will be the one in charge of this section till you''re practicing." said the peak saint.


    "Anek Jutva Cahfk Olegwakeo Sanvaraskin."


    Kahn repeated the exact same words and soon, he started feeling changes in his body.


    Dozens of runes emerged from the floor he sat on and quickly imprinted themselves on various parts as if bing one with his physique.


    Kahn on the other end suddenly felt like his body was filled with unimaginable energy and his mind became hazy with too much pressure.


    Soon, he felt that most of his elemental affinities were barely on the surface levelpared to the quality and quantity of the ones spread across this section.


    Even his Darkness element was hardly at 50% capacity despite him being the representative of the God of Darkness.


    "Man, I really need to perfect myself in so many things. Otherwise, I will forever stay ignorant and get smacked over by everyone." he thought and sighed with a helpless expression.


    Ding!


    After months of silence, the system suddenly notified him.


    [Congrattions to the host for improving body-mind connection with mana, world and elements of reality.


    All elemental affinities except Light raised by 10%]


    "Heh? What the hell is that?


    I got a boost just by staying here for a while?" wondered Kahn with a bewildered countenance.


    "This Chamber of Exaltation is indeed one of a kind in the entire world.


    My luck was simply truly great to find it in Rakos Empire." he said and started focusing on the connection with various elements he felt through those archaic runes embedded in his physique.


    [Author''s Note : This is why I didn''t go too much into detail about the function of the Chamber of Exaltation when Kahn was in the Rakos, Vulcan and Zivot empire ever since he got it in the 3rd arc. All of this was nned half a year ago just for this arc and Kahn''s real training regime.]


    He then activated all the abilities he received from Solomon and the Elven bloodline provided him which were greatly beneficial to sense elements in the world.


    In the uing moments, all the elements except Light and Lightning started surging towards his body and got absorbed at his will.


    However¡­ He suddenly opened his eyes as a covetous grin appeared on his face.


    Kahn ''Greedy'' Salvatore was a smart man and always made the best use of opportunities when he came across them.


    And now¡­ He wanted to use this environment to maximize the effect for the Conceptualization technique.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    Out of nowhere, 4 ck wormholes appeared and started sucking in the abundance of the elements converging in this section as Kahn activated the Energy Plunderer skill.


    Even Rathnaar was surprised after seeing this progression.


    "This brat! He''s hacking the rules again." he rolled his eyes again with an exasperated face.


    Kahn then summoned the Dragon Strike and started using Conceptualization to change its shape to turn it into a different weapon.


    Yet this time¡­ his control became at least 3 times more stable than all his previous attempts.


    "Good, if this carries on¡­ I will be able to reduce the training period by months and yield results without too many failures." he thought and let out a smug smile.


    ----------------


    At this exact moment, a brutal scene came to be a few hundred thousand kilometers away in a different empire.


    In front of the corpse of a saint, stood a young man around the same age as Kahn.


    His eyes were full of ruthlessness and also tion at the same time.


    "Good riddance." spoke this person under a golden-yellow hood.


    "This bastard was going to be one of those who opposed me in the future.


    But his death won''t cause the butterfly effect and change the timeline since he didn''t y any pivotal role in the important decisions.


    I must let events happen the way they didst time so I can properly use the knowledge of the future to benefit me greatly." spoke this person under the hood whose face couldn''t be seen.


    "With this core and the Dual Core Incorporation technique I learned in the future¡­ I will be able to be a 5th stage saint before the Conve of Heroes and even make my Domain of Chronokinesis many times more powerful than before." he said in an ted voice.


    "Next, I will have to form to trap and kill Kahn Salvatore before ''He'' finds the Hero of Darkness during the conve.


    And once I seed¡­" he spoke with an ominous aura and revealed true intentions.


    "I will be the Overlord of that ce with 3 Divine Keys."

 Chapter 838 The Offering

    Unbeknownst to him, the Hero of Time was nning to kill Kahn with the knowledge of future events while making enough preparations to trap thetter.


    Meanwhile, Kahn kept training in Conceptualization and his grasp over this technique started increasing steadily.


    Inside the Chamber of Exaltation, Kahn managed to perform the technique on one weapon within a minute after 2 weeks of hard effort in increasing his proficiency.


    "Phew!"


    Kahn exhaled in an exhausted voice as he leaned on the floor.


    "This is still so taxing on my mind.


    If the old me from Rakos Empire was doing this, he wouldn''t have even managed to reach this stage in half a year." he said and sighed.


    Unlike Harnessing, theplexity of Conceptualization, especially when changing different elements into one another while reforming the shape of the weapon was simply too demanding.


    Although he shortened the time required by tons, he was still unable to stop the excessive consumption of his world energy reserves.


    Kahn met Romulus the next day and showed him the results of his training.


    "This is way faster than I imagined. But still, you have a long way to go." spoke the heavenly king while perfectly hiding his surprise from seeing this result.


    "How are you doing this?" he suddenly asked with a curious gaze.


    [I''m teaching the kid.] suddenly, Rathnaar spoke in the wolfkin''s mind steps


    The peak saint decided to step in and cover up for Kahn at this moment. Because this was the only safe and believable reason they coulde up with.


    The Chamber of Exaltation was a secret that not many people in the world knew of. And they couldn''t wholeheartedly trust Romulus even if he was an ally.


    In the real world, everyone had their own secrets.


    Secrets that even blood brothers, husbands and wives as well as most trusted confidants shouldn''t know about. Some secrets were meant to be taken with you inside the grave.


    Thus, Rathnaar gave an eptable ''truth'' to Romulus.


    After hearing the reason, even the wolfkin was convinced. Because Rathnaar was the Peak Saint of Vantrea whose knowledge and prowess exceeded everyone else in the world at one point in history.


    And if he was also helping Kahn at the same time, then his drastic and sessive progression of the mastery of Harnessing and Conceptualization would be least surprising.


    Hell, if Kahn couldn''t even do this much, then Rathnaar''s name would be tarnished instead.


    [Good. At this rate, I can teach him everything before the time to departes.] thought Romulus.


    Although he was doing it out of obligation and coercion by the Revenant Sovereign¡­ He too had a few expectations of his own and hadn''t held back in grooming Kahn to be a Fearless Warrior.


    ----------------


    1 MONTH LATER.


    Kahn showed up one day and gave a demo of his mastery in the same dimension with the vast metallic floor.


    He summoned a sword and turned it into a shield by expanding size while turning this earth elemental sword into a darkness elemental shield in just 5 seconds.


    But this wasn''t the end of his newly achieved mastery either.


    One after another, he summoned up to 5 weapons.


    Sword, Dagger, Bow, Spear and Gauntlet.


    "I''m only proficient in using these many." he spoke and disyed his proficiency.


    "I need to learn other weapons and theirbat techniques to Conceptualize them properly." he iterated while swiftly changing their shapes and size within a couple of seconds.


    Although he wasn''t on Romulus'' level¡­ This result was something many couldn''t achieve even after practicing for 2 to 3 years.


    Kahn had entered the ''zone'' again for Conceptualization in the past month. This time, it wasn''t his body that did the work but his mind.


    Because of this hard training regime, his mind andprehensive abilities also enhanced greatly.


    Romulus nodded in approval as this was more than enough.


    "Good. But now¡­ I will halt your training before I teach you the next technique." he dered somberly.


    "Why?" asked Kahn with a puzzled expression.


    "Because your foundation is extremely solid now.


    But the next technique requires you to have at least Saint Rank mastery and skills in all the weapons I can teach you.


    Until you be a Saint Rank fighter in all of them¡­ I can''t teach you the next steps." he revealed in a stern tone.


    Kahn nodded as he understood that some steps couldn''t be skipped.


    Even now, apart from Swordsmanship, Kahn didn''t have a single weapon skill and mastery at Saint Rank. Thus, he was already not utilizing his blessings.


    But since he never had a proper teacher to begin with, his training in other weapons halted at Grandmaster level and couldn''t progress any further.


    "However, you no longer need to train day and night. Only 3 to 5 hours per day as your body gets used to thebat technique and weapons with time." said the red wolfkin with glowing red archaic tattoos all over his torso.


    "So now, you can allocate your time to the dragon when you aren''t practicing the weapons." hemended.


    In a way¡­ He meant that it was time; for Kahn to learn Magic.


    ----------------


    Kahn returned to his vi where Vildred was meditating quietly.


    "Romulus says it''s time for me to start studying the Law of Magic." he informed the royal dragon.


    "I see. I thought it would take longer for you to master those techniques. Anyway, before we begin¡­ I need to make the bond." he spoke.


    "Bond? What bond? Aren''t we already bonded through the Contract of Familiarity?" asked Kahn in a confused voice.


    However, Vildred shook his head and spoke.


    "We dragons have our own customs. We can''t take in a disciple just through mere words.


    For us, a mentee is a lifetimemitment." he revealed.


    "First, I need you to make the offering.


    Only then I will be your ''master'' and you will be my ''disciple''." spoke the Sage of Preservation in a solemn tone.


    "What is the offering then?" queried Kahn.


    Just then, Rathnaar informed in Kahn''s mind¡­


    [The offering is the one thing that Dragons see as their sign of pride.


    I don''t know the details but Dragons don''t usually take disciples even in their own species or families.


    They don''t have some sort of magic academy or a system to train smaller dragons or their descendant species.


    Mainly because their species and even those who carry their bloodlines have naturally strong physiques and affinity to mana and world energy.] exined Rathnaar.


    [Vildred never had one either.


    But there is a ritual called ''Oath of Pride''.


    And the offering he speaks of requires you to give something you take the most pride in.


    Only that would be seen as the acknowledgment of the bond between a Mentor and a Mentee.] revealed the peak saint.


    "How do you know this?" asked Kahn with a suspicious tone.


    [When I was a 2nd stage saint before the Rakos Empire was even formed, I came across a Superior Dragon who was a swordsman in his humanoid form.


    But back then¡­ I had nothing to offer him because I was just a military officer for a Noble.] exined Rathnaar while revealing some of his past.


    "What do I take the most pride in?" Kahn asked himself because he too was lost.


    "I don''t have anything I''m prideful of. I don''t have a n, family or something I feel connected to the most.


    I''m a young man in his prime who got rid of his previous life''s traumas and insecurities just a few months ago.


    So pride is thest thing I can possess." he said in a reluctant voice.


    This was the truth.


    No matter how strong Kahn became and how greedy or materialistic he was¡­ He didn''t attach enough value to anything or anyone else in his new life so far.


    There was no object or even person he took pride in having. Simply, he was never a prideful person to begin with.


    Since he always acted based on circumstances to protect himself first.


    He thrashed his opponents when he could afford to do so without having dire consequences and bowed to someone many times stronger to avoid getting his identity exposed or his life getting sacrificed because of some foolish ego.


    "What do I take pride in?" he asked himself again with conflicted emotions.


    Even his Legendary rank weapons and armors didn''t fit the bill and nor did something like Rathnaar''s core or Tablet of Arcana was close to his heart.


    After almost 10 minutes of deep thinking, Kahn''s eyes gleamed with confidence as he came to a final conclusion.


    In front of Vildred, he knelt on one knee and summoned Lucifer in his right hand.


    "My most prized possession¡­" spoke Kahn in an adamant tone but the very next second¡­


    Swing!


    Kacha!


    He swung Lucifer over his neck.


    Thud!


    His headless body dropped on the floor after this greatsword made a clean cut.


    In the uing moments, Kahn used Psykokinesis and his head floated towards Vildred as drops of blood sprayed over the floor.


    Vildred on the other end revealed a pleased countenance and smiled, content with this offering.


    "Is my Intelligence."

 Chapter 839 Pride And Foundation

    Vildred revealed a pleased smile as Kahn offered his head.


    This was probably the most bizzare thing he had done in this new life and also the most absurd offering one could present to someone who was to be their master.


    The royal dragon on the other end seemed ecstatic as if this was something within his expectations.


    "What a narcissistic and arrogant bastard." he spoke as he gazed at Kahn''s floating head in front of him.


    "Worthy to be my pupil! Ha ha ha!!" his loud voice resounded inside this ancient rank formation called the Shadow Realm that isted their entire existence from the outside.


    A yellow rune suddenly appeared on Kahn''s forehead and disappeared the next moment.


    "The Oath of Pride is established. You''re now officially my First Disciple." dered Vildred.


    He had no doubt in Kahn''s conviction when he said that the most prized possession which he was proud of being none other than his intelligence.


    As for why Kahn said so?...


    Even though Kahn was extremely lucky as a chosen Hero and had the opportunity to select his own divine abilities¡­


    He didn''t just be a 4th stage saint solely because of them.


    Whether bing an entrepreneur, running a business empire, being the sovereign of Vessen and a mercenary guild¡­ None of it was achieved with solely his Divine abilities.


    And even the battles with legendary and mythical rank monsters along with the Hero''s Party members as well as Hero of Fire were won only because Kahn formed strategies and used whatever assets, ns and abilities he had toe out as the final victor.


    Recently, all the effort he put in cksmithing skills and now Harnessing as well as Conceptualization were also achieved by his intelligence which grasped them quickly which practicing them for months without sleep or eating anything.


    Others would''ve gone mad in his ce but Kahn kept persevering until he seeded no matter what he price he had to pay or torture he had to suffer to mastering them in order to be strong.


    This was why he imed his intelligence as the only thing he was proud of.


    A sage like Vildred who had fought and seen many powerful people including chosen heroes has his insight about Kahn so he had already figured out this to be the undeniable truth.


    Hence, the dragon emperor did not dwell or counteract Kahn''s statement and epted him as his disciple in mere moments.


    He sent back Kahn''s head back to its ce as thetter''s body reattached quickly.


    "For us Dragons¡­ Pride is one thing that ismon among all of us.


    And when you try to enter someone''s tutge, it is demanded that you let go of your pride.


    It''s not disregarding their identity but showing their conviction.


    That you can let go of your pride to receive your master''s teachings and wisdom." exined Vildred, the Sage of Preservation.


    Kahn nodded and bowed in respect.


    "Tell me your views on mana and world energy. Be detailed this time." he spoke.


    Kahn then revealed his opinion based on his experience on both earth and vantrea.


    Just like on Earth, where atoms created matter, magic was the binding force that was present along with these atoms. But given the amount of magic that was present in this world and its density present in nature itself.. It waspletely negligible.


    Since the external force itself was so dense, many living creatures didn''t even feel any magic present inside their own bodies. And because of that, a very small amount of inhabitants in this world could use magic.


    Let it be a magician or a swordsman, all of them had to use magic as a form of medium to perform their skills & abilities. But only the ones who had the affinity towards mana, a condensed form of magical energy, could efficiently use them. And by either utilizing mana ores or monster cores, they could raise their levels and then raise their affinity, physical strength andpatibility with the mana itself.


    Even if you belonged to a physical ss job or had physical traits that made you strong, mana was the main driving force behind it which made your physique far stronger than someone without any ess to mana ever could.


    And that''s why those who could use and manipte it were like powerhouses more than those who couldn''t. Even a beginner fighter ss was stronger than 10 beings of their species and race. And the key difference was mana which made it possible.


    Thisw also applied to monsters, other magical creatures and beings in the world. Just that they didn''t go through some test but rather lived it as if it didn''t matter.


    For them, rising in levels and rank meant an increase in physical growth and abilities. And the higher the rank, the more evolved creatures they would be.


    In Vantrea, you must have the core knowledge and understanding of the type of element you were using to cast a spell. For example, if you wanted to cast a water-rted spell, you must study and understand the mana signature of these elements. Just like how DNA inside every human differentiated them from others of their species.


    Then use that knowledge to adjust and manipte the mana you had ess to for matching the properties of these elements. After your mastery over mana maniption over that element increased, you could ingrain the sameposition in a spell.


    So that way, as long as you have enough understanding and experience of a particr element, you could cast spells rted to it and then increase your mastery.


    But since Kahn''s foundation itself was non-existent when it came to magic and knowledge of mana maniption... All the magical skills he had by absorbing others were like a house of cards. Easy to break with a small breeze.


    Due to his levels and rank, they were far more deadly to many people he faced till now.


    And this was the main reason why Solomon hadpletely suppressed him during their fight just with 4 different types of elemental attacks. Compared to the elven mage''s spells, the ones Kahn could use were like a sheet of paper facing a bullet.


    If someone like him was on Kahn''s levels¡­ Without the divine abilities and the other life saving skills he had; solely based on their knowledge and mastery as magicians¡­


    Kahn was still a juvenile.


    ----------------


    He then shared the list of abilities with Vildred through the system, the ones he got from the elf that he previously used to study magic back in Rathna, the capital of Rakos Empire.


    [Elemental Fusion (A Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to create elemental mana orbs and use them as a source for Elemental spells and long-range attacks.


    ----------------


    Elemental Transformation (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to transform the form of the elemental spells to another element.


    Casting time for magic spells reduced by 35%


    ----------------


    Space Haste (A Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to use space magic to travel to 1 kilometer space in any direction.


    The host is required to study andprehend this ability.] replied the system in Vildred''s mind.


    "Idiot! That''s the biggest and most damaging shortcut I''ve ever seen." shouted Vildred in exasperation.


    "So you just use them without unlocking them by yourself because you absorbed all those skills and abilities using your divine abilities.


    You should have at least used that bloodline.


    By now, you would at least be at Semi-Saint Magician." berated the royal dragon.


    "How?


    I have zero control over any of the bloodlines I have since they''re not my own.


    Even when I use their effects during battle, the system automatically activates them for me.


    I never had a chance to learn how to use them in the first ce." he exined.


    Sigh!


    Vildred sighed and spoke in a helpless voice.


    "Bloodlines and their effects are something thates naturally.


    You don''t have to focus on them.


    Well¡­ You''re a broken individual already since you are already a saint.


    But that''s also a good thing for our current situation." he said in a rhroighful tone.


    "I won''t have to wait for you to be a saint first, so I''ll get to the first and most important criteria." he iterated solemnly.


    "What is it?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Isn''t that obvious?...


    It''s Enlightenment." he stated calmly.


    "What you learned from that Elf''s books is indeed correct.


    However, that knowledge omitted one crucial factor.


    There is a certain degree of knowledge and enlightenment required to increase control over world energy and mana no matter which magical ss it is.


    Only then you can be a Saint for a magical ss job." exined the lightning dragon.


    "A Summoner must make a breakthrough in his or her field of summoning magic and the creatures they created or forms of attacks they summoned from the environment.


    An Enchanter must receive enlightenment in casting magic formations and rune magic and using them to summon attacks or reinforcement of their own skills and spells.


    A Magician or Sorceress must use the world energy to convert them into elements at will from the surrounding world itself and then use them as base to cast their spells and skills.


    In all three cases, you need to receive enlightenment first to move forward as you progress in your rank.


    Otherwise¡­" he revealed a crucial factor that Kahn had no idea about.


    "Your soul will extinguish."

 Chapter 840 Total Overdose

    Vildred suddenly revealed a terrifying fact that Kahn had no idea about even now. This information wasn''t mentioned in any books he read regarding magic either. Not because it was some sort of taboo but because Kahn was probably the first ever person in the world of Vantrea to have aplished this without the standard approach.


    "Many who unlock these magic jobs and sses must cross these thresholds of natural affinity, bloodlines and enlightenment to adapt and ovee their body''s restrictions.


    This is different from physical sses who need to train in their respective weapons,bat techniques and break past their limits as well as achieve overwhelming talent and skill in their respective profession.


    Only then you can be a saint magician or so." he stern voice reverberated in the room.


    "Because of your divine abilities, you already unlocked the body strong enough to endure these transformations and ability to withstand world energy.


    Which allowed you to directly use these skills and spells, something that shouldn''t be happening in the first ce." he iterated in a domineering tone.


    "Although you have already met the physical conditions, your mind and soul are not tempered enough in the magic field and that is why despite your blessings, you still haven''t been able to get past the Intermediate Grandmaster stage in Law of Magic ever after all these years.


    But even so, you too need to receive enlightenment for your body and soul to form that synergy and be a saint magician." he spoke.


    Exining how serious this situation was.


    Kahn was mortified that all this time, there was a risk of his soul getting destroyed.


    The next moment, Rathnaar also spoke in Kahn''s mind.


    [Even the War Deity Kravel had to follow this rule when he perfected magic and all elemental spells before bing a Demi-God.


    His blessings are useful in achieving that feat as well.


    However, your divine abilities are far more powerful and terrifying as well.


    It has given you way too many shortcuts till now. Shortcuts that go against thews of nature itself.] the peak saint offered his insight.


    "So in a way¡­ You''re lucky that you still haven''t directly be a Saint in any magic ss.


    Otherwise, your soul wouldn''t have been able to withstand the imbnce of soul and body as you would have basically skipped too many steps.


    And the end result would be¡­ Destruction." dered the royal dragon.


    Kahn was petrified once again.


    Turns out that him still being only an intermediate grandmaster magician actually kept Kahn alive till this point.


    Vildred then asked in a somber tone.


    "So which ss do you want to pursue?"


    To his query, Kahn replied with a determined tone.


    "Enchanter and Magician."


    Both Vildred and Rathnaar had a skeptical expressions.


    "Summoner ss is not my forte and I can''t create creatures and constructs out of nowhere without practicing for years.


    Learning from Romulus has already made it very clear to me." he gage his reasoning.


    "However, thanks to him teaching me Harnessing and Conceptualization, my control over various elements and world energy has risen by ten folds.


    Those are two sses I can also integrate with my fighting style as you said before." he iterated and then continued with a thoughtful gaze.


    "Besides, I''m already a Semi-Saint Artificer as it was one of the conditions to be a Saint cksmith.


    Also, I have 3 Blessings from the Deities of cksmithing. They can greatly help me in learning Magic formations too.


    Like you said, I should start utilizing my blessings in the best way possible.


    With them, I can learn Enchanter ss by mastering Magic and Runic formations quickly.


    As for the Magician ss, thanks to the abilities I gained along with natural passive affinity to many elements from various monsters whether legendary or mythical¡­ I''ll have fewer disadvantages while learning spells and attack skills." he revealed why he chose these two sses.


    "And if I did manage to get them integrated into my skills along with the ones taught by Romulus after gaining enlightenment¡­


    I can be terrifyingly powerful." he revealed a confident smile.


    But to his words¡­ Vildred scoffed as if he heard a joke.


    "Gaining Enlightenment¡­ It''s easier said than done."


    "Is that so? How many did you have then?" asked Kahn.


    "5 Enlightenments in Law of Magic." revealed the Sage of Preservation.


    "First enlightenment is enough to help you be a Grandmaster Mage. I''m sure you already had one yourself.


    2nd for essential to be a Semi-Saint.


    3rd enlightenment is the minimum threshold to be a Saint Magician, Enchanter or Summoner.


    4th is the prerequisite for a person, no matter which element orw they use, to be an Archmage in their respective field.


    An Archmage is extremely rare, the kind that is one in a billion people in our world." revealed Vildred.


    "And finally¡­ The 5th and the final enlightenment¡­ It helps you be a Sage." he revealed a big ancient secret that was hidden from most of the world.


    Only very few people in Vantrea were privy to this information.


    [He speaks the truth, boy.


    So far there were only 3 Sages I knew in my lifetime.


    One was Vildred, 2nd being my friend Lezron Mikealson who was also called the First Sage of Rakos Empire, the one you received my core from.


    If I wasn''t present, he would definitely be the emperor instead of me.


    Back then, he was also titled Elemental Sovereign.


    A Sovereign is a title given only to 9th stage saints in the world of Vantrea.] exined the Peak Saint.


    [As for the 3rd¡­ It was a True Demon who was also the Apostle of Blood Deity.


    He too was a 9th stage saint many believed he was aiding the Demon God over a thousand years ago.] revealed Rathnaar.


    [Let me tell you something clear boy¡­ An Archmage is akin to 4 Saint Mages of the same rank because of their control and inherent reserves of mana and world energy.


    And a Sage¡­ Is Like 7 to 8 of such Archmagesbined.] he revealed an astonishing fact.


    [Even at 8th stage saint rank, a Sage can go toe to toe against a 9th stage saint. On top of it, Vildred is a royal dragon at that.


    If Vildred reached Peak 9th stage back then, he would be at least able to draw with me when I was Peak Saint, the strongest in the world.] he stated without holding back.


    Kahn was already aware of Vildred and Rathnaar''s ancient enmity. But even the peak saint himself admitted that a Sage and Royal Dragon like Vildred would have be his match if he was a 9th stage saint magician.


    [You''re lucky that this old ancient freak of a royal dragon, who once stood at the peak of this field has now epted you as his disciple.


    Even Ancient Rank spells that take weeks and months to cast are not a big problem for him.


    ? So learn from him as much as you can.] he advised.


    Kahn nodded in response, fully acknowledging that his new Master was indeed a worldwide terrifying existence.


    "So what do I need to learn first?" he asked.


    "Well, you have already broken many rules and how one normally studies the Law of Magic.


    That''s why, I''ll teach you differently in both these sses." he spoke.


    Next, they entered the Chamber of Exaltation, and stopped at the Convergence of Elements where Kahn mastered Conceptualization before.


    "This is the best ce for you to learn." spoke the dragon emperor.


    "How do we start?"


    Vildred smirked and let out an ominous smirk.


    "By Overdosing."


    ----------------


    Kahn stood stupefied at the Convergence of Elements.


    What did Vildred mean by overdosing?


    "This is also the best way for me because once you be a 7th stage saint¡­ I will also be able to rise my ranks rapidly and make up for my lost rank of an 8th stage saint.


    Once that happens¡­ Our contract will be fulfilled much quicker than spending decades for it." he revealed, without exining anything to Kahn.


    "What do you mean by overdosing?" asked Kahn in a suspicious tone.


    "You''re a unique case whose existence goes against all the normal people and even all the Heroes who came before you since no one else chose your divine abilities." replied the Sage.


    "You are not a legitimate mage like me and you still don''t have a defined ss because of your divine abilities even now.


    But this is a way for you to achieve a simr effect." his voice resounded in the chamber.


    Kahn was perplexed because he could feel something dangerous was going to happen.


    Vildred spoke again in an insidious tone¡­


    "The basic principle here is that I will forcefully increase all of your body''s elemental affinities in one element at a time.


    And then, we will bnce them out with another element countering them.


    This way, your own elemental affinity to these elements will no longer be a problem in your breakthrough and it won''t hinder your progress or pose a requirement to master certain spells and magic formations or elemental attackster." his voice echoed.


    "So in a way, we will be using a shortcut instead of me naturally building up my affinity steadily in each element one by one?" he questioned with a baffled expression.


    "Correct. Since your body is already that of a saint and you have ess to world energy and mana without even meeting the requirements in the first ce, it can endure this surge of elements and then gradually raise your affinity." revealed the dragon emperor.


    "I sense a ''but''ing." spoke Kahn with an incredulous gaze.


    Vildred smirked and responded¡­


    "Naturally¡­ It won''te without consequences." he spoke in a grim voice.


    "This surge will feel¡­ Intoxicating."

 Chapter 841 Carrot And Stick

    Vildred exined the side effects of this technique he was going to use on Kahn in order to forcefully raise his elemental affinities as thetter nced at him with a confused expression.


    "Each time we do this¡­ you will feel like you''re overdosing on some pleasure drug.


    But the biggest danger is that your body will not be able to restrain itself, even after the elemental affinity and reserves are at the highest capacity and saturation based on the current threshold¡­ your body will keep asking for more without thinking of the consequences." he exined.


    In a way, it was simr to a drug addict who would keep asking for more ''good stuff'' despite knowing that it will definitely kill them.


    "Wouldn''t that mean I could just explode from this overdose?" asked Kahn with a suspicious countenance.


    Vildred only nodded and continued in a cautious voice.


    "But that''s not the end.


    Since we would need another element to bnce it, we will have to move to the next element that is either more powerful than that element we injected or it''s weaker and naturally adverse to it.


    Means if we were to start with fire, next we will have to go with water." he simplified.


    "Well, I can endure those two." responded Kahn.


    Vildred on the other hand, shook his head.


    "Here, your identity as Hero of Darkness is your biggest enemy.


    Because for this condition to fulfill and bnce out all the elements of reality in your body¡­ I will also have to fill your body with those two elements as well." he revealed in a grim voice.


    As soon as Kahn heard it¡­ He revealed an aghast expression, fully understanding what the dragon emperor meant here.


    "Lightning¡­ I can control it even inside your body because I currently have the highest affinity to Lightning in the entire world.


    Even the Hero of Lightning of this new generation can''t bepared to be. Just like you can''t bepared to my brothers who have Darkness and Fire elements.


    You will have to be at least a 9th stage saint to be their equal or superior in those elements." he iterated somberly.


    "However, You have some resistance against Lightning. You at least won''t die easily against it.


    But the problem is the Light element." dered the Sage of Preservation.


    "During this reformation procedure, we can''t skip on it no matter what.


    Otherwise, the other elements will go out of control.


    And when I forcefully inject your body with light element¡­


    You will suffer immense and immeasurably terrifying pain. Something that''s enough to kill any being with the darkness element easily." he said with an indignant countenance.


    "However, due to your regeneration abilities and your title as Hero of Darkness¡­


    You won''t die. But the agonizing pain will be burning your blood, your flesh, disintegrating your bones and everything in your body.


    It will be like you''re being annihted and pulverized every waking second.


    Each moment will feel like you''ve died hundreds of times already." he revealed another tormenting side effect of this technique.


    "Is there no other way?" asked Kahn with a helpless tone.


    "No. Not unless you want to spend a century to achieve this feat.


    If not for you having ess to the Chamber of Exaltation, I wouldn''t have even suggested this method because it''s impossible to do in the outside world." spoke the lightning dragon emperor.


    "This is just the Law of Equivalent Exchange again. Nothinges without a price.


    The carrot and stick method where the carrot is as small as a finger while the stick is as big as a tower." said Kahn as he analyzed the situation from his perspective.


    But the next moment, Vildred chimed in again and dered the aftereffects.


    "However¡­ Once we go through this and if we seed.


    Out of the 12 Heroes, 6 of whom are representatives of the Gods who represent 6 elements of the creation of Vantrea¡­"


    In the following moments, Vildred''s eyes gleamed and his voice became confident and tyrannical at the same time.


    "None of them will ever be able to kill you."


    ----------------


    10 MINUTES LATER.


    Kahn sat in the epicenter of the Convergence of Reality where all elements in the world gathered.


    "Kaidbh Ksbmroa Bmaodbek Opktbsna Jagfange!"


    Vildred started chanting in ancient Draconiannguage which neither Kahn nor Rathnaar could understand.


    Soon, 10 glowing yellow small formations, only as big as a tea saucer, appeared at Kahn''s shoulders, wrists, and knees. One on his chest, another on his back and the backside of waist.


    And thest one above his head.


    Soon, they let out a suction force like a ck hole.


    Vildred used his ck and golden scepter with a blue dragon coiling at the top, to create a barrier and only allowed fire elements to pass through.


    "Know this¡­ It will hurt like hell even with your immunity to fire water and darkness.


    Because it''s not an enemy attack but rather, we''re forcefully injecting it inside every vital part of your body to create these reserves.


    Your affinity to elements will help a bit but once the threshold that your body as a 4th stage saint is met, it will be painful and start to be unbearable.


    You must endure it and not faint." he exined the pain that was to follow.


    Even Kahn could tell that this was the purest and most potent condensed form of the fire element, at least 5 times more powerful than the outside world.


    Finally, the wormholes spread over his body and started sucking it in.


    "Now, start using Harnessing and try to create a thinyer of fire elemental world energy.


    Slowly and steadily spread it over your entire body." he ordered Kahn.


    "What is this called?" asked Kahn.


    "It''s an Ancient technique created by a Deity who served the God of Nature.


    It''s called¡­ the Elemental Transfusion."


    Just then, the system warned Kahn.


    [WARNING!


    Forceful Elemental Transfusion has begun!


    The host''s body is under protective mode.]


    "No, shut down all the protective measures." he ordered with a voice filled with indomitable willpower.


    "Do not use them no matter how much it hurts."


    [Command epted.] responded the system.


    At this moment, what Kahn didn''t know was thatpared to the physical and mental torture he faced while practicing Harnessing and Conceptualization; He was going to suffer a fate¡­


    Worse than Death.

 Chapter 842 Worse Than Death

    Kahn agreed to follow Vildred''s suggestion and let go of all the defensive mechanism


    or the aid from the system to yield the perfect result from Elemental Fusion as he didn''t want to waste this opportunity by using his body''s resistance to the fire element granted by his various passive abilities, the bloodlines or the Divine Key mescion.


    Soon, the wormhole-like formations suddenly glowed and formed thin needles of fire, each carrying the strength of an unimaginable amount of blistering and zing mes that could burn down cities instantly.


    Even Kahn''s temple region of the head was pierced by it.


    Those needles then pierced Kahn''s body in all the ces the wormholes appeared and injected all the amassed fire by Vildred.


    "Arrrhghhhh!!"


    Wailed Kahn in agonizing pain as if someone was drilling a metal rod in his head, flesh and bones in all these points.


    Swoom!


    This pain was so intense that he felt his entire body shuddering and vibrating like hot magma was running through it while destroying him from within.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    Every bone in his body started crumbling and shattering.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    In uing moments, Kahn''s flesh started burning from the inside as the orifices also started bleeding including his eyes.


    Scorching heat appeared throughout the point of piercing and in a matter of seconds, Kahn waspletely coated by a thin film of pure and potent fire as if being engulfed by mes.


    "Arrrrrregggggg!!" groaned Kahn and screamed despite trying his best to endure the pain.


    Soon, the damaged nervous system lost connection with his mind and the pain receptors turned useless.


    But as an aftereffect, Kahn started having seizures in session as his body was no longer in his control.


    At this moment¡­


    Kahn was burning as if he was bathed in magma inside an active volcano.


    However, this immense and terrifying pain Kahn was enduring¡­ Was just the beginning.


    Minutes passed.


    But in the meantime¡­ Kahn was dying, scorched and burned to cinders alive every waking second.


    Unlike how God of Darkness killed him thousands of times when he met them before being thrown into Vantrea¡­


    This wasn''t only momentary death which also reincarnated him in picoseconds.


    Because here¡­ he could feel every bit of pain and agony in his body and consciousness amplified by a thousand times.


    His fate¡­ was Worse than Death.


    ----------------


    Hours passed and Kahn kept enduring the horrifying pain as his Instant Regeneration skill and his various bloodlines activated on their own and kept bringing him back to life.


    But each time, he kept feeling like his body was churned and turned into ashes as his charred skin kept dropping on the ground, formingrge heaps of ash around it.


    This pain was many times more terrifying and mortifying than anything he had experienced before.


    And for the first time even after mastering Harnessing and Conceptualization, Kahn felt like he no longer had the will to live.


    At this point, whether it was his body or his mind¡­ Both of them had broken.


    The light in his eyes¡­ was of a dead man.


    ----------------


    Another hour passed as Kahn kept living through torment and was no different than burnt coal as his hair and skin hadpletely charred beyond the point of recognition.


    Right then¡­ The system sent a notification.


    [Elemental Transfusion for Fire Elementplete!


    Congrattions to the host!


    The host has achieved 100% Natural Affinity with the Fire Elemental.


    The host can now achieve instant transformation of World Energy into Fire Element at will.] the system notified.


    But Kahn on the other side hadpletely lost his mind.


    Soon, his regeneration skills started recovering his body and in minutes, the outeryer of charred skin cracked, revealing the perfectly healed and rejuvenated skin and all fleshly organs.


    BOOM!


    A massive aura erupted as the ash and dust from the burnt skin were shoved away with a gust.


    A scorching red aura suddenly revealed itself, full of violent and terrifying might.


    This was the aura full of the Fire Element of Vantrea in its peak form.


    Just like the one present at Convergence of Reality, Kahn now emitted the same fire that previously entered his body via the formation created by Vildred.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    The dragon emperor also revealed an expression of victory and contentment.


    [If I was at my peak¡­ This process wouldn''t have taken so long.


    And he wouldn''t have experienced death for so many hours.] thought the Sage, clenching his fist in self-hatred as he med his current weakness.


    He had seen what Kahn went through and could understand how it felt being turned into cinders and then recovering just the next second to live through that horrifying pain again and again for so long.


    During the Elemental Transfusion procedure that took more than 5 hours and by his estimation¡­


    Kahn had died and returned from the dead more than 18,000 times.


    Something that was not even the top powerhouse such as 8th stage saints in the world could easily go through.


    "Kahn¡­ wake up!" he eximed.


    But Kahn didn''t move as if he was in some sort of trance.


    His eyes were open but his mind was nk.


    The air permeated through his skin but he couldn''t feel anything.


    His bodypletely regenerated, revealing even more monstrous strength and fiery aura. But his countenance revealed lifelessness.


    To outsiders, Kahn would lookpletely fine under this domineering aura, akin to a King.


    But inside¡­ He waspletely a dried husk of his former self.


    ----------------


    A few more hours passed but Kahn still didn''t move or respond.


    Rathnaar also used his core and provided Kahn''s body with an abundance of World Energy to pull him out of this state.


    Yet there seemed to be no life as if his soul had left his body.


    However, at this very moment¡­


    Whoosh!!


    Kahn appeared in an astral soul form inside a space unknown. His ethereal body floated in the air.


    In this space, everything was made of fire.


    ck, white, blue, green, red and yellow colored mes epassed basically everything in this dimension with no sky or ground.


    However, a 1 kilometer tall entity stood atop a throne made of liquified fire and gazed at Kahn with glowing eyes full of discerning countenance.


    Kahn also gazed at this entity with whom he felt an indescribable connection.


    "Who are you?" asked Kahn with a vignt expression.


    "Ah¡­ Didn''t think I would see you like this one day.


    Especially not after you killed my previous contractor." spoke this massive being made of multicolored mes that didn''t have a fixed position or direction.


    "Who are you? Do you know me?


    Have we met before?" queried Kahn again, revealing no fear in his demeanor either.


    "Of course I do¡­ Hero of Darkness.


    Didn''t they tell you that ''we'' have a sentience of our own?" spoke this ginormous being with a tyrannical, terrifying and ghastly voice.


    "My name is¡­" revealed the being in a majestic voice as if it was an Overlord of all the Fire in the world.


    "Amaterasu."

 Chapter 843 Divine Fire

    The being akin to a deity that lorded this ne of existence where Kahn was suddenly thrown into revealed its true identity to be none other than the Divine Weapon, Amaterasu.


    Kahn''s eyes were left wide open as he was speechless and too stunned toprehend this predicament as not even in his wildest dreams did he imagine this scenario.


    "Where am I? And why did you suddenly appear?" he questioned with a cautious gaze.


    The first thing Kahn needed to know was if he was in danger.


    "This realm is inside the Divine Key, mescion.


    The part which has merged with your own." revealed Amaterasu, whose entire body was made of multicolored mes and sat on a massive throne that was at least 600 meters in height alone.


    The tiny ant-sized Kahn then questioned the divine weapon with a look filled with hostility.


    "Why am I here in my soul form? Why did you summon me suddenly?"


    To his words, the fiery being with a humanoid structure and a face with glowing red eyes replied.


    "I didn''t. You appeared here by yourself.


    And the only way for a chosen Hero to appear in this realm is meeting the prerequisite condition to form the contract." responded the divine weapon carefreely.


    "Conditions? For what?" asked Kahn with a puzzled countenance.


    "Looks like you have met the 100% affinity condition for the Fire Element." he revealed with a discerning gaze as he scanned through Kahn''s spectral form.


    "This was why I hadn''t acknowledged you as my contractor." he iterated solemnly.


    "Contractor? You mean your owner?" asked Kahn.


    However, Amaterasu shook its head and replied¡­


    "There is no fixed owner for a divine weapon like me.


    We only have temporary contractors, all of them are the Heroes and Heroines of the element we were created with.


    For me, it has always been a Hero/Heroine of Fire."


    Kahn finally understood what was going on here. Neither did hee here willingly nor did Amaterasu summon him.


    Without knowing, he must have met a condition he was unaware of.


    "What are the conditions you speak of?" he asked in a stern voice.


    "One of the conditions to form a control between a divine weapon, which is created solely for the chosen Hero is 100% Natural Affinity with that element.


    Otherwise, the heroes cannot wield us at our full power. Because our powers will end up killing them instead." exined Amaterasu.


    "The Divine Key of that element has 3 main uses.


    One is to grant the hero or heroine a body that has full immunity and natural affinity with the element.


    The second use is that the  Divine Weapon can only be bound to the Divine Key as already using us consumes a lot of Soul Essence.


    If we were directly tied to the soul itself, the user would die in the matter of months.


    Hence, a divine weapon can only be used by a chosen hero." he revealed truthfully.


    "And the third use¡­ like the word says, it''s a ''key''." the divine weapon''s voice echoed.


    "A key to what? A lock, some formation or a door?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Soon, Amaterasu spoke and revealed the truth.


    However¡­ for some reason, Kahn couldn''t hear it and Amaterasu''s mouth didn''t produce any sound when he tried to speak the truth again.


    "Looks like gods made sure that it can''t be shared with other heroes." spoke Amaterasu after assessing the situation.


    He then nced at Kahn.


    "You''re at least different¡­ than your predecessor."


    ----------------


    Amaterasu suddenly mentioned the 8th Hero of Darkness out of nowhere, raising Kahn''s curiosity.


    "You''re not like him. Unlike him, you actually have 100% affinity to Fire." he spoke.


    "You knew him?" asked Kahn with a baffled expression.


    "Of course. That bastard killed my 7th contractor and forcefullymanded me along with other Divine Weapons which were not meant to be used by him.


    He primarily had the Divine Keys. That was his main objective.


    We divine weapons were just something that came along with them since we''re actually bound to the Divine Key and not the Hero/Heroine in the first ce." he exined a part of the truth of the past.


    "So what did he want? Why did he kill all the heroes?" asked Kahn hurriedly.


    This was one of the answers he had been looking for since long ago.


    "No idea. I was under forcedatose just like others until he died.


    After his death, all of us returned to the empires that store and protect us through True Dimension, to keep us protected for the next summoned hero." he revealed honestly.


    "Do you know about my divine weapon?" asked Kahn.


    "Him? Do you not have him?" questioned Amaterasu, a visible surprise revealing on his face.


    Kahn shook his head in response.


    "No wonder I didn''t get that ominous and eerie feeling from you.


    That guy¡­ even with the short time I shared with him¡­


    I couldn''t see through him or even understand. It was like endless darkness that consumed everything in the world." he spoke and was lost in his own thoughts.


    Kahn on the other end was processing this whole advancement and decided to make a few choices of his own.


    "The current Hero of Fire is dead." he said to the divine weapon.


    "I know. That was a very shameful defeat.


    Even worse than Fringi, the 7th Heroine of Fire when we fought against the 8th Hero and your divine weapon.


    If only that useless runt had focused more on training and bing stronger instead of ying savior in front of others just to feel good about herself¡­ I wouldn''t have lost against your divine weapon so miserably.


    This is why I hate Attention Seekers. I had 3 of such contractors already and none of them could help me reveal my full power duringbat." he spoke with discontentment.


    "Now, at least for this generation¡­ You have no owner.


    So what do you say? Will you acknowledge me as your contractor?" asked Kahn without any hesitation.


    To his out-of-the-norm and obtuse proposition¡­ the divine weapon replied calmly.


    "Well, you have the divine key and 100% fire immunity as well as natural affinity now.


    You met all 3 conditions to be my contractor, same as Axel." he dered.


    But the next moment, he asked in a grim voice, showing a domineering countenance.


    "But why should I?

 Chapter 844 Terms Of Contract

    This time, Kahn''s proposal was denied by the Divine Weapon despite the former meeting the required conditions to be its contractor as thetter asked him for a valid reason about why he should ept this proposition.


    "Because without me, you''re just floating inside the true dimension with no end." said Kahn firmly.


    "Tch! So what?


    I will only be a secondary weapon and a discarded toy once you find your own divine weapon.


    Besides¡­ There''s no point." said the divine weapon with a discouraged countenance.


    "Why?" asked Kahn.


    "Because no matter what¡­ None of you can defeat him." dered Amaterasu.


    "Who are you talking about?" Kahn queried.


    "There''s only one being I hate more than your divine weapon.


    The one everyone calls¡­ the Demon God."


    Kahn was suddenly taken aback after hearing these words.


    It meant that Amaterasu had at least encountered the Demon God.


    "Tell me what you know about him or it." said Kahn with a stoic expression.


    "Four of my contractors have fought him till now in the past 3 thousand years since I was created.


    He killed 2 of them, 1 fled from the fight and thest one was gravely injured 900 years ago which ultimately led to his death." said Amaterasu as he revealed a bit of the past.


    "By my guess¡­ He Should already be way too powerful than all those centuries ago.


    Whether it was Axel or even you¡­ you''re both just too weak to even stand in front of him without dying." said the divine weapon, heaving a helpless sigh.


    "Is that so? Tell me something¡­ How does he look or what powers does he have?


    Why haven''t all the heroes with divine abilities and divine weapons managed to kill him in the past 3 thousand years?


    And why can''t all the powerhouses of the worlde together and kill him along with the heroes?" asked Kahn, throwing a lot of questions at once.


    "So naive¡­ Let me tell you what I know from my personal experience fighting him.


    Other than an extremely strong hero and a divine weapon at full capacity¡­ No one can fatally harm him.


    Someone will have to be at least a Peak Saint already to ovee hisw of reality." he exined.


    "Whatw?" asked Kahn.


    Obviously, he knew about how Demon God was born. But he had no knowledge of his powers.


    Amaterasu spoke and revealed.


    But just like before¡­ This formation too couldn''t be heard or spoken by both parties.


    "Dammit! Just know this¡­ The Demon God cannot be killed easily.


    He has no fixed body, appearance, or identity. Also, he isn''t bound byws of reality or elements of nature, and a confirmed way to be killed.


    No matter what divine abilities any hero has¡­ He is a being that simply cannot die." he spoke in a ghastly voice as his ming body shone brightly, reflecting his anger and hatred against the Demon God.


    "Out of all the times I faced him, he was apletely different being.


    Sometimes a monster, sometimes a saint, once he was just a pure form of unknown energy and once, he had multiple bodies that were differing in race, species, regions of vantrea they existed in.


    As for the reason why we can''t kill him¡­ No one knows.


    Some have seeded in killing him and even destroyed his body and soulpletely but he always came back alive after some time. And his next appearance was hard to trace. " revealed Amaterasu.


    "Son of a bitch! This means forget fighting and killing him¡­ You can''t even find him or think of a way to kill him unless you had prior information.


    And based on what you said¡­ the method of killing him is probably always changing each time as well." hypothesized Kahn.


    Otherwise, at least one Hero would have seeded till now.


    "Well, that''s just my opinion based on personal experience.


    There could be many other reasons why no one including your predecessor seeded despite being one of the 3 strongest Heroes ever summoned in this world.


    Back then, your predecessor was a 9th stage saint, the strongest one among all the summoned heroes.


    With all the Divine Weapons and Divine Keys in his hand¡­ He was possibly the strongest Hero in history." he stated without shame or indignation.


    "Also, I do know that he used me and all the others during a fight.


    If I wasn''t forced to sleep, I would''ve known what happened during their battle and the aftermath. Maybe your own divine weapon will tell you since he was most likely awake." spoke Amaterasu.


    "Then grant me your strength.


    Do you not want to settle the score with him if I evere to face him?" asked Kahn, trying to instigate the eternal me named Amaterasu.


    "Now¡­ That is a great motivation.


    However¡­ How do I know you will actually strive to be worthy to yield me at full potential?" he questioned the Hero.


    "To be honest¡­ My situation isn''t any better." said Kahn in response.


    Soon, he revealed everything about his situation in Vantrea and how he was being hunted.


    "Oh, so you have no choice but to be stronger than everyone else if you want to survive.


    Well, that at least guarantees a few things." said Amaterasu and started giving a few thoughts and analysis of his own.


    Finally after hours of discussion and pestering, Kahn managed to appeal to the divine weapon''s decision.


    "Fine! Build up your soul essence first.


    I will share my knowledge and techniques to reinforce your soul so I can use my strength and you also don''t waste excessive soul essence.


    But know this¡­


    These methods are different for every divine weapon based on their elemental affinity." revealed the eternal me.


    "Wouldn''t Hetrax be angry?" queried Kahn curiously.


    "I''m aware that I was made from a small portion of Hetrax''s divine essence condensed in his heart.


    But I don''t know him.


    Although I was created from him¡­ I am my own being. I have no loyalty or allegiance to anyone." he dered fearlessly.


    "We divine weapons solely exist to fight and kill.


    Just that all of us need the Divine Key and a Contractor to gain soul essence and use our powers. The stronger the contractors, the more powerful a divine weapon.


    So I will lend you my aid only if you promise to keep practicing and be stronger unlike my previous two contractors who simply didn''t take these matters seriously and died so pathetically.


    And together¡­ We will kill that Demon God bastard." said Amaterasu as he set up his own terms.


    Kahn only nodded in response. Even he could tell that one day, he would be facing the Demon God even if he didn''t want to.


    "Alright then. I ept."


    ----------------


    Inside the Chamber of Exaltation¡­


    Kahn''s soul finally regained control over his body sitting at the epicenter of Convergence of Reality and he opened his eyes.


    And in the very next moment, the system sent notifications in his mind.


    [Congrattions to the Host!!


    The host has made a contract with Divine Weapon Amaterasu. The divine weapon has acknowledged the host as its contractor.


    The host gained 100% control on Divine Weapon Amaterasu.] it reported.


    Kahn also had a satisfied smile.


    Dying for more than 18,000 times just to gain 100% natural affinity to fire element gave an unexpected result that no one sawing.


    Because now¡­ even though it happened out of pure coincidence; Kahn finally had true ownership of Amaterasu, a full-fledged divine weapon.


    After all these years spent hiding and building his strength silently¡­


    Kahn was no longer defenseless.

 Chapter 845 Soul Technique

    Kahn finally absorbed his current advancement and finally had full control over Amaterasu, the divine weapon that originally belonged to all the Heroes/Heroines of Fire, which was passed down from generation to generation of summoned heroes since the past 3,000 years.


    "System, based on my current rank and soul essence, how much and for how long can I use Amaterasu?" asked Kahn to the system.


    [Based on the host''s current rank as a 4th stage saint, the host can only use 40% of his total soul essence in order to utilize the divine weapon.


    Currently, the host can make only 8 attacks using the divine weapon Amaterasu.


    More than that would adversely affect the host''s soul and physique, causing an immense bacsh that would incapacitate the host and render him unable to fight or even more for close to 3 months.] reported the system.


    "Damn! No wonder no hero likes to use their divine weapon unless absolutely necessary." he sighed.


    [However¡­ Based on current physical stats and purity of the soul itself, the host can fight even a being 3 ranks higher than him.] notified the system.


    "What?! You mean I can at least face a 7th stage saint if I''m using Amaterasu?" asked Kahn,pletely bewildered.


    [Yes. The host can at least fight a beginner 7th stage saint on his own if he uses the divine weapon Amaterasu.] responded the system.


    "Amazing! This is definitely going to be one of my biggest trump cards and could save my life when I''m out of options such as having no means to flee and being forced to fight." spoke Kahn with an ted expression.


    The advantage of finally having a divine weapon of his own was already showing its effect.


    "Now¡­ I need to check the Divine Technique imparted to me by Amaterasu." said Kahn and started meditating again.


    ''Reminiscence of Eternal me.''


    This was a divine technique that Amaterasu gave Kahn and imprinted in his consciousness after they made their promise and the former finally approved of thetter as his contractor.


    If one was to exin this divine technique, it would be like this¡­


    While practicing it, Kahn had to break 1% of his soul and infuse it with Amaterasu''s fire which was now essible to him at will as he finally became its owner.


    However, based on his understanding of the technique¡­ It was extremely taxing on the soul, body and mind at the same time.


    And then, he''d have to absorb that portion of the transformed soul back into himself, which was even harder since their base properties and form were now different.


    It was like trying to mix a drop of oil inside a ss of water, both unable to form a homogeneous solution due to their physical properties.


    However, the divine technique had a way to assimte these two slowly but surely.


    And as a result, it will help Kahn''s soul to be more familiar and correspond to the Eternal me that ranked even higher than the Dragonfire in this world.


    If he carried on practicing, Kahn''s control over his soul would be powerful over time and then his Soul Essence would undergo a qualitative change; resulting in his soul essence reserves bing potent as well as bringing qualitative changes.


    And finally, after all these changes are brought, Kahn could use Amaterasu without burning excess Soul Essence, like how Axel wasted most of it during their fight.


    Unlike him, Kahn didn''t have Death Absolution. Hence, he didn''t have extra lives to waste his soul essence on either.


    And because he was currently only a 4th stage saint, he could ess only 40% of his soul essence as stated by the system.


    This procedure was going to take a lot of time. Because even the previous Heroes/Heroines of Fire took years to fully cultivate this technique.


    Because here, Kahn''s blessings weren''t going to help him and neither would something like doppelgangers were going to be useful.


    This wasn''t abat technique and neither did his doppelgangers possess a soul for any boost in training or some hack to work in terms of mastering it.


    Now¡­ There was one big side effect.


    Every time Kahn practiced and sacrificed 1% of his soul essence, all his physical stats would decrease by 1% as well.


    And during that period, Kahn couldn''t level up either as his soul was constantly under tempering.


    "System, why can''t I level up during practice?" queried Kahn out of curiosity.


    [Because the Soul, Mind and Body are interconnected.


    If one of them is being affected or undergoing some sort of transformation or tempering, the other two aspects would also be affected.


    The host may have not realized it but during Elemental Transfusion for Fire Element, the host''s mind and body were in great pain and now emerged stronger as the body became powerful due to elemental transfusion.


    As a result, the host''s soul has also transformed and it is 10% purer than before.] iterated the system.


    "Wait! Does that mean once I reach elemental affinities for all 8 elements¡­ My soul will be 80% purer than before?" he asked with a befuddled countenance.


    [Yes.]


    "Doesn''t that mean my using divine techniques will make my soul even denser over time after I''m done with elemental transfusion for all elements?" he questioned again.


    [Yes.] reported the system in its usual robotic and lifeless tone.


    "To put it simply¡­ My soul could have close to 180% purity, almost 2 times more than the other Heroes?" he asked again.


    [Yes.]


    "Holy cow!


    Means if I keep working on it¡­ I will not only reduce the amount of Soul Essence required to use the Divine Weapon, but also my Soul Essence will be 2 times more than other chosen heroes!" eximed Kahn in astonishment after recounting everything.


    "That''s too OP and broken!" Kahn said as he grabbed his head in disbelief.


    "Dammit!


    If Armin was here, he could''ve used the Soul Reformation skill to heal my soul again and again, making it denser and purer while I practiced the Remembrance of Eternal Fire technique.


    Then my soul essence would''ve been more than 2 times, maybe even 3 times." spoke Kahn as he revealed a greedy and insatiable grin.


    "Such a missed opportunity." he thought and heaved a sigh of helplessness.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Both Rathnaar and Vildred quickly arrived after noticing that Kahn was out of his trance.


    Soon, they too learned about what happened. And both of them shouted at the same time¡­


    "This shameless greedy son of bitch!"

 Chapter 846 Last In The List

    Both the lightning dragon emperor and the peak saint red up in rage and openly shouted at Kahn without hiding their discontent and incredulous expressions.


    "Why is he getting such a huge power up?!" spoke Rathnaar with discontent.


    "Eh? What do you mean?


    I''m the one who is still losing a lot." Kahn shamelessly imed that he was suffering a great loss.


    But in the uing moments, he told them that if Armin was here, the results would be even greater, his tone was akin to a braggartining about how great ''loss'' was.


    Rathnaar on the other end fumed with anger and almost lunged at Kahn.


    "This shameless bastard! He''s getting something even I did not have as a Peak Saint and he''s stillining!" shouted the first emperor as if he would beat the shit out of this gluttonous individual.


    Vildred stopped him and pulled him back.


    "Seriously¡­ I have never seen someone who''s so lucky but greedy and shameless at the same time." spoke the royal dragon in a grumpy tone.


    "You have me, the Sage of Preservation, the once number 1 mage in the world teaching you magic.


    There''s an Apostle of ughter teaching youbat techniques and weapons, the kind thates only once in a thousand years.


    And finally, a Peak Saint sharing his wisdom and knowledge that other saints would sell their souls for.


    Then the Tablet of Arcana, which the empires and even 8th stage saints would go to war for.


    On top of it, you''re the Apostle of the War Deity and Apostle of cksmithing at the same time.


    This is something even royal dragons like me would feel envious of." said Vildred, almost feeling like a street beggarpared to Kahn.


    Rathnaar then spoke with a visible frown in between his eyes¡­


    "If I had that kind of luck, I would''ve be a Demi-God long ago." he alsoined.


    "Shut the hell up! I''m the unluckiest person here!


    You both have lived as powerful beings and rules over billions for centuries.


    I on the other hand have been without anyone looking after him since day 1 here.


    Say that I have more only after I''ve reached the peak of strength and magic like both of you did." said Kahn as he rolled over his eyes.


    "Well, looks like my days of hiding and being on my own are finally over.


    It felt like the world was making up for all the misfortunes I suffered ever since I was summoned." he said with visible arrogance.


    "Every dog has its day. Mine has finallye."


    ----------------


    After an hour of quarreling and fighting like little toddlers whoined about not having enough candies to eat, the three anomalies of the world of Vantrea finally stopped bickering.


    "All right then. Let''s see how things are carrying on." spoke Kahn.


    He then started recounting what he has been covering and the gains he made in the meantime so far.


    First, he had Romulus teach him how to increase his strength with the techniques such as Harnessing and Conceptualization as a warrior. And there were 3 more techniques to learn.


    Soon, Kahn was going to receive proper and top-tier weapons training. Where once he mastered them, he could leave increasing proficiency to his doppelgangers.


    Second, Vildred had already proven his worth as the Sage of Preservation who once ranked as the number one magician in the world.


    The dragon emperor didn''t even start teaching him properly but the very first Elemental Transfusion he performed on Kahn already helped thetter gain the divine weapon Amaterasu''s recognition and be its contractor.


    And once the Elemental Transfusion for all the elements was done, Vildred would also start teaching him top-level spells, barriers and formations since his entire body was going to transform and with the help of the Chamber of Exaltation, he would progress at terrifying speed as stated by the Sage himself.


    So as per their previous discussion, things were in order.


    Along with the Reminiscence of Eternal me art given by Amaterasu, Kahn was going to be even busier since increasing his Soul Essence was also part of the priority for his future growth.


    Now¡­ All it needed was time and consistency till the seeds grew up to be a tree and bore fruits.


    ----------------


    "Kid, it''s time. Since your body is changing, it''s also the best period for you to learn and condition yourself for it." said Rathnaar as he stood beside Kahn at the epicenter of Convergence of Reality.


    "Time for what?" asked Kahn curiously.


    The peak saint heaved a sigh and in the following moments¡­


    Shing!


    Clink!


    Suddenly, the space around them fractured like shattered ss and a door akin to a void crack emerged.


    "Follow me." he said and the other two followed the emperor.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    After they passed through the void door, all three appeared in a different section of Chamber of Exaltation that was previously hidden from their senses.


    A widespread great hall with gigantic pirs and in its center was a 10 meter wide cloud-like wormhole, emanating a golden glow filled with unknown energy.


    "Is this¡­ Is this what I think it is?" asked Vildred as he nced at Rathnaar with disbelief.


    "Yes. This is where I trained and perfected it." he replied without exining anything to Kahn.


    "This isn''t the same as the floor outside.


    The first one is for condensing world energy and raising your levels.


    Those Convergence of Reality and other sections that are associated with different Laws of reality are also great. But they''re good only if you practice in particrw.


    However¡­ none of them can help you like this section as it caters to what you need most." said the peak saint solemnly.


    "Perfect it, break it, and master it.


    And then you start studying and infusing yourw with it." said Rathnaar in a cryptic tone.


    "Exactly what are we talking about here?" asked Kahn with a puzzled countenance.


    "This region is something every 4th stage saint in the world would give up everything to train in. It is important to decide your future as someone beyond 5th stage saint." he spoke and continued in a grim voice.


    "Romulus already showed you how weak and frail the one you possess is. And how much you have downyed its potential since you never even tried to perfect it." spoke Vildred, agreeing with Rathnaar''s judgment after analyzing this great hall.


    "It''s called the Hall of Sentience."


    Finally, Rathnaar revealed the purpose of this hall to Kahn who had no idea.


    "This one¡­ Is for your Domain.

 Chapter 847 Hall Of Sentience

    Kahn and Vildred stood with solemn expressions as Rathnaar introduced them to this new majestic hall with grandiose and artictely built hall that had intrinsic designs and architecture, named the Hall of Sentience.


    "Why is it called the Hall of Sentience?" asked Kahn.


    "Because this thing¡­ It''s alive. It has ''Sentience'' of its own." responded the peak saint in a stern tone.


    "It feeds on impurities and the imperfections of elements and regenerates them in the purest form.


    To put it simply¡­


    It is like a Sun in the sky, full of energy and unimaginable power.


    But on the other side, it was also like a ck hole that would suck in the domains,ws and elements like a voracious beast." he shared his insight with the other two.


    "The energy in the center is not an element found in the outside world anymore.


    It''s called the Element of Origin." he revealed while pointing his finger at the golden glowing central part of the cloud-like orb that was emanating an unknown form of energy that Kahn had never seen or heard of before.


    "Whateverw you practice or element you possess, it can absorb and fine-tune it for you since all the elements are derived from it in the first ce.


    Unlike the Convergence of Reality, they don''t meet or coexist here. Rather, they originated here.


    In a way, it''s one of the world''s best element-purifying mechanisms in the entire world." said the first emperor of Rakos.


    "Boy, you need to use your domain here.


    This ce has a mechanism that will destroy it and rebuild it from scratch.


    And they will also absorb yourw essence.


    In your case, it''s the Space Force since you use the Dimensional Law which also created your Dimensional Domain." he iterated in a confident tone.


    "In the outside world, if your domain is destroyed, your entire body and world energy reserves will receive a great bacsh. Sometimes, even saints are bedridden for months because of it.


    But here, that restriction doesn''t exist since the Element of Origin will quickly absorb it, feeding on it. And then, it automatically expels out a purer form." he exined.


    Kahn on the other end was stupefied.


    "What kind of genius built this?" he couldn''t help but wonder.


    In simple ways¡­


    This seemingly harmless and normal-looking thing, which didn''t look majestic or terrifying or some immensely otherworldly region such as the Convergence of Reality was actually the most amazing and powerful section of Chamber of Exaltation.


    "This Hall of Sentience will save you decades of study and efforts a normal 4th stage saint has to go through to be a 5th-stage saint by creating a Domain of their own first." he spoke in an almost proudly manner.


    "Know this, there aren''t even a hundred 5th-stage saints in the world. Many don''t even reach that rank even with having a core to absorb world energy from.


    Because having a Domain of your own which is made with thew of reality you practice, have an affinity with and have achieved enlightenment goes against thews of nature." iterated the peak saint again


    "When a Domain is created, we are forcefully establishing our dominance and creating space that bends, mends and defies the elements of reality itself. It''s like creating a small world that benefits us, the user with thews beneficial to us during a fight.


    Thus, creating a domain is like posing a threat to thews and elements of nature. Hence, it is seen as a hostile entity by the world." suddenly, Vildred exined his own analysis.


    "Wow, I never knew that." replied Kahn, still baffled.


    "Well, because you had the shortcut called the Divine Abilities.


    Your current Dimensional Domain is more of a poor-quality base version of what it can actually achieve if you perfect it.


    Now, I will teach you how to use it." proimed the peak saint.


    "But it will be no different than what you have endured so far.


    First, try to learn and master as much as you can to your maximum capacity.


    After that, I will show you the other ce." he stated in a grim tone for some reason.


    ----------------


    Kahn activated the dimensional domain, encapsting this entire hall that was akin to an emperor''s Throne Hall.


    But the next moment, the entire dimensional domain which had the ability to reduce any enemy''s physical and magical stats by 50%, quickly shattered and crumbled into small granules.


    "Exert out some of your space force."manded Rathnaar.


    Kahn followed the orders and a burst of space force was expelled from his body.


    Yet in just a few seconds, it was quickly absorbed by the wormhole-like and cloudy thing in the air at the center of the hall.


    Kahn on the other side felt that he had no connections left with his Dimensional Domain.


    Soon, he tried but couldn''t activate it again either.


    "Wait¡­ Did this thing steal my domain?" he asked, his mind dibobted.


    Vildred then started inspecting this whole procedure.


    "Oho¡­ This is simply brilliant.


    This is both the devourer and source of the world energy, mana,ws and all the elements of reality at the same time.


    We''re lucky this thing exists only inside this Chamber of Exaltation." he spoke as if they evaded a great danger.


    "If it was in the outside world¡­


    The entire world of Vantrea would have been destroyed in just a couple of months.


    With ess to both mass and everything that exists in the world, it would have engulfed it.


    Then purified it and then expelled it again. This time, the saturation of world energy, mana,ws and elements would be many times denser." he exined.


    He then looked at Kahn and asked Kahn.


    " And what happens when energy is oversaturated?"


    "It explodes." replied Kahn as he folded his arms.


    "Correct. But things don''t end here.


    It would have engulfed whatever remained of the world after that explosion, purified it and ejected outside again.


    Then there would be another explosion, many times more powerful.


    And this process would have repeated itself indefinitely and infinitely." the royal dragon replied with a terrifying truth.


    "Doesn''t that mean it is even more dangerous than a ck hole or a nuclear explosion?


    Even the sun would be eaten by this thing and turned into a bomb." he spoke, his heart full of trepidation.


    "Seriously¡­ How is this thing even operating?


    This breaks all the notions of Law of Conservation of Energy or Law of Equivalent Exchange." he said again with a perplexed countenance.


    Because out of all things he had seen so far, Kahn could not grasp the logic behind this Hall of Sentience at all.


    Vildred on the other end has his own queries¡­


    "I''m more curious about which Deity made this. What kind of civilization was so advanced that even the current world we live in cannot match their genius and technological advancements?"


    To his question, Rathnaar replied¡­


    "Although I''m not sure, I feel like this has to be the work of the First Walkers." he stated.


    "Who are they?" asked Kahn.


    "Descendants of Primordial Titans.


    Let me tell you something¡­


    Primordial Titans weren''t just overwhelmingly gigantic monsters or creatures without intelligence.


    They were creators, world changers and no matter whatw, element or whichever region of the world they resided in, they impacted thousands of kilometers of the region around them greatly.


    Many of the species in the world are rumored to be their test subjects spread around the world by Primordial Titans ording to ancient records.


    Only Dragons and Godbeasts have been existing since the ending period of the same immemorial era as them." he shared a hidden truth about the world.


    "We''re just looking at a creation made by one of their Paragons." he spoke, unable to hide his curiosity and vehement respect.


    Finally, the glowing yellow orb-like source released energy and it automatically entered Kahn''s body.


    [Congrattions to the host!]


    The very next second, the system sent a notification to Kahn''s mind.


    [Space Law infused with the Dimensional Domain.]

 Chapter 848 Law And Effect

    Kahn stood bamboozled with a petrified expression after he was taken aback by this sudden notification.


    The main factor behind his surprise being the fact that he never knew about a Law being able to merge with a Domain.


    "How is that possible?" asked Kahn and shared the information with Vildred and Rathnaar.


    "You idiotic and ignorant fool.


    Your Dimensional Law only granted you a pre-made domain. It was like giving you the ability to speedrun before you even learned how to walk.


    However, it only had the function of lowering the enemy''s stats at best." spoke the royal dragon with an annoyed expression.


    "Didn''t you see Romulus'' Domain of ughter? That did so many things than just lowering your strength. And we saw only its first form.


    So obviously, your domain is no different either." he iterated.


    "If you were a 5th stage saint¡­ then


    I would be at that rank as well. Then I would''ve shown you my Domain.


    Just know that a proper and powerful domain has multiple uses than just limiting an opponent''s strength or fighting abilities.


    Although you received a shortcut, it''s barely an entry-level domain. And the only method to strengthen your domain is merging and assimting your Law in it." the Sage of Preservation dered.


    Kahn finally understood the difference. This was knowledge he never heard of and wasn''t avable in any books.


    Obviously, the powerful people, especially those who were 5th stage saints and above wouldn''t naturally dere it for the world.


    If not for Vildred and Rathnaar, Kahn probably wouldn''t have even found that his own Dimensional Domain had much more to offer.


    System then notified Kahn about what effects did he receive.


    [The host can now willingly teleport to any point within the span of his dimensional domain, without needing any other movement skill or evading ability.


    The host can also oppress and slow an enemy''s attack or skill targeting him by a few seconds.


    The host can also decrease the enemy''s psychological thought process by 10% during battle.


    Note : All these ability effects will rise with the increase in Space Law assimtion with the Dimensional Domain.


    Current infusion rate : 5%] informed the system.


    "Damn! This is so useful.


    In a battle between saints, even a single second is enough to decide life and death.


    If I can slow down someone''s thought process, then I can possibly reduce their perception and reaction time during a fight.


    This ispletely different than just reducing someone''s physical stats." spoke Kahn.


    Because this effect was something he had to use many different abilities separately to achieve.


    But now that Space Law merged with his Domain, these became passive abilities. And it was only 5% of effectiveness. With the increase in his mastery and proficiency, the effects would also rise gradually.


    System then mentioned that Kahn could go as far as 40% merging of Space Law with Dimensional Domain at best based on his current rank.


    After he crosses 50%, only then he would be eligible to develop a 2nd form of Dimensional Domain.


    "How do I improve it?" he asked the two ancient freaks in front of him.


    "Whether it''s magic,w, or a domain¡­ Your progression is dependent on a single decisive key factor." spoke Rathnaar and revealed in a majestic tone.


    "Enlightenment."


    "Correct. You need a 3rd enlightenment in Space Law to cross that threshold.


    It was the same for us with our domains as well." responded Vildred.


    "We can''t help you with that. It''s something only you can achieve on your own.


    Complete the 40% merging first in the uing months. Then I''ll show you a useful ce." spoke the Peak Saint, hinting that he also had a few ns of his own for strengthening Kahn''s domain as he previously promised.


    ----------------


    1 MONTH LATER.


    Romulus inspected Kahn''s body with a bbergasted countenance.


    "What the hell happened to you?!" he eximed in disbelief.


    Because Atreus aka Kahn now felt like apletely different being.


    Every part of his body whether it was blood, bones, veins and even the skin was in an optimal condition which was nigh impossible to achieve for even someone like him.


    What he didn''t know was that in the past 1 month¡­ Kahn underwent a literal massacre.


    Him being the one who was massacred.


    All of this was the result ofpleting the Elemental Transfusion procedure for all elements.


    This experience was no different than what he suffered through for the Fire element.


    For water, his body burst out and froze, crumbling to bits and then erupted like a jetstream because of the uncontroble water pressure.


    For the Wind element, the kind Kahn only used in the early stages of his life in Vantrea, he once entirely turned into fog and even almost became a raging storm with his body parts, intestines and flesh flying in it.


    For Earth elemental, he turned into a  boulder and even his blood turned into slurry. Kahn couldn''t even move in that state and felt like he was mummified.


    Chaos Element was a nightmare because Kahn''s mind turned frantic and full of bloodlust as he went berserk. All he could think about was killing and going on a rampage. His flesh was overgrown and his blood became as hot asva.


    Thankfully, Vildred was here to stop him and keep him sane. Otherwise, he would''ve gone on a murder spree.


    For Wood element, his body exuded Life Force and almost vines grew from his arms and roots from his legs while the hair and skin turned leafy and dried respectively.


    Then there was the metal element, the extremely rare kind.


    Kahn was no different than a metal ore, with no life, no movement and no consciousness. Kahn felt like he was dying from suffocating for hours.


    As for Lightning, he was turned into a charred wood and electrocuted every waking second, fuming with smoke as result.


    Kahn literally underwent the Heavenly Tribtion that those traditional cultivation novel protagonists faced every time they made a breakthrough.


    But unlike how those stories portrayed invincible might and domineering stature of the MC who didn''t bow to the heavens despite getting obliterated while defying normal sense and logic at the same time¡­


    Kahn''s bones and muscles cracked like dried wood on fire. He was akin to a b of charcoal that was getting hit by the most terrifying lighting bolts possible at the same ce again and again for hours.


    Dying was like breathing to Kahn at this point. But it didn''t mean that it hurt less or the pain subsided any less.


    And finally, there were the two elements thatpletely changed his body. Namely¡­


    Darkness & Light.

 Chapter 849 Apostle Of Death?

    At the end of his Elemental Transfusion procedure, Kahn was left with only two elements which were very important to bnce all the other elemental affinities and finally grant him a body perfectly made for practicing the Law of Magic in every aspect.


    Vildred carried on this procedure with extreme precision as Darkness and Light element were too vtile and uncontroble even to him.


    Finally, both he and Kahn started another session of painful and gruesome torture that would kill thetter again and again as part of their daily routine.


    An hour passed as Vildred started saturating all the pure and dense darkness element present at Convergence of Reality and infused it within Kahn''s body.


    However¡­ the Darkness element was surprisingly way too overwhelming for Kahn as he felt like his body was constantly under the bottom of the ocean because the pressure was so tremendous that his body almost got ttened, hollowed and shattered many times from the inside.


    This effect was different than Lightning which was too rampant and uncontroble. s, in terms of strength and destructive power, Darkness was evenly matched.


    Hours passed as Kahn died hundreds of times, his entire body getting sucked in some sort of ck hole andpressed to the point his skin was sticking to his bones.


    This was a feeling many times more powerful than any saint pressure he felt in his new life, the aura emitted by Romulus being no exception to this.


    But after 14 hours of consistent torment and dying more than 25 thousand times during the process, the 50% affinity to darkness element in Kahn''s body finally became 100%.


    In the oue, his entire physiological strength arose tremendously as his resilience to all other elements including lightning rose to a whole new level.


    3 Days Later.


    Finally¡­ It was time for the bane of his existence aka the Light element.


    Here¡­ Kahn was turned into smithereens most of the time and annihted from every inch of his body.


    He turned into ash and small sand granules many times as if he was disintegrated from the inside.


    Kahn had barely any resistance against this element and thus, his affinity to build up with the Light element was the hardestpared to both Lightning and Darkness.


    It took them 2 days and Kahn died more than 100 thousand times during this procedure. If not for Rathnaar using his core to provide Kahn with world energy consistently and allowing his Instant Regeneration and Phase Shift skill to work all the time, he would have died in the early stages of this session for thest element.


    Although he finally achieved 100% affinity, it didn''t mean he became impervious to this element.


    Affinity and Resistance were twopletely different things.


    It was like fish having an affinity with Water. But if someone used a high pressured water jetspray against them, the fish would still die.


    Any powerful being with light element could still easily kill Kahn.


    But the aftereffects were all worth it.


    Thanks to all the elemental affinities rising to 100% in his body¡­


    Kahn now achieved a physique many times stronger than before. Every element reforged and caused transmutations in Kahn''s body in their own way.


    As an aftermath, many of his skills and abilities now rose to apletely higher rank.


    S Rank elemental skills, abilities and magic spells now rose as far as up to SSS Rank.


    Some SSS Rank skills rted to his physiology and elemental affinity straight up rose to Saint Rank.


    And the already existing ones also got an 80 to 100% efficiency boost in total damage, range and effectiveness thanks to this massacre and destruction Kahn underwent.


    Kahn was now literally akin to Convergence of Reality. As for all the elements in his body; they were ''perfectly bnced''.


    In conclusion, Kahn was now fully capable of fighting an Intermediate 5th stage saint with his physical strength alone without even using a single one of his power buff abilities.


    And at his peak strength such as Asura Mode & Berserk God Mode¡­ Kahn could even go against a Peak 6th stage saint.


    And if he used what he learned from Romulus, then even facing a beginner 7th stage won''t be a distant and impossible dream.


    "Isn''t there an Apostle of Death title? I have died too many times at this point and came back alive." spoke Kahn.


    "There''s an Apostle of Masochism. You want that title?" asked Vildred with a grin.


    Kahn then met Romulus as thetter checked his body, bewildered after inspecting it.


    Kahn qualified to achieve this impossible feat by suffering and dying more than 500 thousand times in an entire month.


    And now, he had the perfect body to master any kind of elemental magic present in the world.


    "Well done. You should start it now that your body has reached its peak potential."mended the heavenly king.


    "It will even elevate your control over Conceptualization to a higher degree." he implored Kahn.


    A few minutester, Kahn went back to his vi and met his magic mentor.


    ----------------


    "Alright, we will start with Magic Spells first." spoke the royal dragon who was in the center hallway of this vi.


    "From now on, even the weakest A Rank spell you use will have 100% of its maximum capacity.


    Because you have achieved 100% affinity to the 10 Elements present in the reality and thus, the resultant spell will always have the potency to the max since your body, mana and world energy is the one generating them." iterated the Sage of Preservation.


    "So since the source is pure and powerful, the output will also be at maximum capacity by default?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "Correct. Now, let''s start with your basic foundation first.


    The technique I''m about to teach you is simr to Conceptualization. But it doesn''t apply to weapons or their elements¡­ Rather the spells, formations and how you integrate your elemental affinity in them." said the dragon emperor.


    "Many use chanting to harness elements in the world and produce spells through practice methods.


    However¡­ we''re taking a shortcut since your body and mind have transcended normal magicians in the world." he dered.


    The very next moment, a glowing blue archaic formation appeared on the floor and before Kahn could react¡­


    Bang!


    Vildred''s open palm struck the center of Kahn aka Atreus'' chest and Kahn appeared in the air.


    However¡­ the blue wolfkin body remained and fell on the ground while the real Kahn in his human appearance floated in the air as a soul specter.


    He looked at his mentor with a bewildered expression.


    "Because of Elemental Transfusion, your body and mind became optimal to study and learn magic. Your potential is already on par with the High Elves and even Superior Dragons who have a natural inborn affinity to many aspects of magic.


    Now, this is thest step to make you perfect." he dered.


    "And that''s training your Soul."


    Kahn in soul form watched as Vildred revealed his ns.


    "Not many people in the world know of this. Even I found it because it was left by one of my ancestors who lived 300 thousand years ago.


    This technique is how I achieved my 3rd enlightenment in Law of Magic and it can at least make you an Archmage in the future." said the Sage.


    "It''s called¡­ Mindless Revisitation."

 Chapter 850 Mindless Revisitation

    Vildred pushed Kahn''s soul form out of his body to teach him the technique which he imed to be helpful for thetter to be an exceptionally powerful magician in the long run.


    Kahn in his spectral form floated in the air as his intangible, translucent and glimmering figure was still stifled and taken aback.


    "This is the only way to help you practice this technique." spoke the dragon emperor.


    "Okay¡­ Ancient One." replied Kahn.


    Soon, the Sage of Preservation started chanting and as a result, 10 blue and glowing threads came out of Kahn''s spectral form and attached themselves to Kahn''s body which was in the Atreus persona.


    "Hmmm¡­ Now what is this?" asked Vildred himself after he noticed something odd while forming a connection between the soul and body.


    "Your soul¡­ there''s something inside of it." he spoke with a concerned gaze.


    "There''s something akin to a parasite that is attached to your soul but it has always been inactive." spoke the royal dragon.


    "What?! What are you talking about?" asked Kahn,pletely bewildered.


    "Is it harmful?" he asked hurriedly.


    "I cannot say. I have never seen anything of this kind. But by the looks of it, I don''t see a threat to you from it." replied the dragon emperor.


    "Will it hinder me from training?" queried Kahn again.


    "No. Not in the least.


    But it''s better to stay vignt." replied Vildred with a worrisome expression.


    His gaze then turned to the old man Rathnaar.


    "Howe you didn''t find it? You were a peak saint weren''t you?" he asked the first emperor in an admonishing tone.


    "Who do you think I am? I''m but a remnant soul now. I have my limitations to notice something so well hidden.


    Besides, it took a Sage like you to notice it. I''m sure no other mage would even have sensed it in the first ce." argued the peak saint.


    "Just a poor excuse for hiding your ignorance." scoffed the royal dragon.


    "This is not my area of expertise anyway.


    And even you didn''t notice this before making the Contract of Familiarity. So aren''t you to me as well?" rebuked the old man.


    "Alright! Stop your bickering, you two!" shouted Kahn.


    "Since it''s not something hazardous and we don''t have a way to find out anyways¡­ Let''s focus on the topic at hand." he spoke, almost irritated by these two former archenemies.


    As the discussion progressed on its own¡­


    Without all 3 noticing, a red and archaic formation akin to a massive rune etched on Kahn''s back suddenly appeared.


    This formation imprinted on Kahn''s soul was something he had no idea of and none of them could even see it for some reason.


    It quickly disappeared as the 3 of them were engaged in conversation.


    And to this day¡­ The truth behind this red formation shall remain a mystery.


    ----------------


    Vildred taught Kahn to chant a spell.


    Kahn followed the instructions suddenly¡­


    His bodyying on the ground stood up and cast the spell instead of his soul.


    Kahn was stupefied to see his unconscious body activating the skill as if he was controlling it like a puppet.


    The gust of wind element coalesced on his palm and the whirling winddes des created friction and then Kahnpressed it like an orb.


    This seemingly small orb of wind full of hundreds of winddes was actually carrying the strength of a full cyclone.


    If Kahn used it and threw it in the middle of a city¡­ The full strength will be revealed and like a raging storm, the entire city will be uprooted and decimated easily.


    Suddenly, Kahn felt great pain and his spectral body caved in like all the strength was leaving out of nowhere.


    "What¡­ what''s happening?!" asked Kahn as he groaned.


    "At this moment, your mind is at rest.


    However, your soul ismanding your physical body using your soul essence.


    Although the amount is extremely negligiblepared to what using a Divine Weapon demands¡­ The aftereffects of using it are still there." responded the magic mentor.


    "Each time you use it, your soul will be weaker for a short span. But it will also recover naturally in a few seconds.


    So without using your ''mind''... You''re ''revisiting'' the state of casting spells and attacks.


    That''s why it''s called Mindless Revisitation." exined Vildred.


    "What''s the use of doing this?" asked Kahn as soon as he recovered.


    "To reform and build the resilience of the soul.


    This way, your soul will keep strengthening in terms of quality and your soul essence will be denserpared to others.


    I have already perfected your body while you get all the credit for your mind which is already on the level of an Archmage due to the trials and torture you persevered through.


    By using it, we will bring your soul essence to the point where surpassing the restrictions of body, mind and soul can be achieved.


    And only that way¡­ you can achieve your 3rd enlightenment in Law of Magic to be a saint magician." he iterated in a schrly tone.


    "What about Archmage and Sage?" queried Kahn again.


    "That can only be achieved once you get 4th enlightenment and cross the 5th stage saint.


    As for Sage, 5th enlightenment and a rank of an 8th stage saint is a must."


    "I see."


    "Now, you have to practice all elements to strengthen your soul.


    Although you can''t use the Light element, perfecting the rest will do the job."mended the royal dragon.


    "This¡­ this will extinguish my soul for real." spoke Kahn as he was feeling constantly tired after using the skill again.


    1 WEEK LATER.


    [1% soul strengthening achieved.] reported the system.


    Ever since that day¡­


    Kahn was practicing incessantly.


    He trained in using Reminiscence of Eternal me art, and on daily basis, he kept merging his Space Law with his Dimensional Domain in the Hall of Sentience.


    He was being taught in using basic weapon skills under Romulus, on the other side¡­ His training in Magic by Vildred in basic spells and performing Mindless Revisitation every day without any breaks or rest didn''t stop either.


    This strict regime would''ve broken a normal person and they would''ve gone mad already.


    However¡­ Kahn didn''t give up.


    Why?


    ''No great things were achieved without great sacrifices.''


    He was continuing for the sake of his future. Because he did not want to be at anyone''s mercy any longer.


    And even among summoned heroes¡­ he no longer wished to stay at the bottom of the food chain.


    He didn''t just want the strength to protect himself anymore. The current Kahn¡­ wanted to dominate everyone.


    Kahn was tired of being the prey of the world. And now¡­


    He wanted to be the Predator.

 Chapter 851The Decisive Choice

    While Kahn''s exhausting and relentless training regime in all important fields carried on every day with no rest or breaks, breaking the bounds of human capabilities even as a saint¡­ Some important matters regarding the fate of the Beast Empire were being discussed in the capital of the Nadur Empire.


    Tenochtin, the ancient and cultural center and the heart of the Nadur empire was a bustling city that spanned 160,000 kilometers square area by itself and was the epitome of the beastkin cultural heritage and architecture.


    This city had more than 60 million residents of varying species. Some seemed descendants of lizardkin, some had bodies made of stone. There were many pandakins while some species were literally ghosts. Yet all of them coexisted without trouble.


    And at the very center, was a humongous pce and its total span along with wide grounds surrounding it in a fortress-like setting in itself was 10 kilometers in radius.


    On earth, this area was enough to form a town but here, it was only the residence of the Empress.


    "Your highness¡­ We have bad news." spoke a being with the eyes of a reptile and a mouth full of sharp and long teeth. His green skin, elongated maw and glowing green eyes made him look like an alligator.


    This saint covered in golden armor and robes was currently in the imperial hall while facing the Empress on a heightened throne below a wide window as the bright sunlight covered the entire throne from behind, making one unable to see the appearance of the being seated on the throne as she was covered in shadows.


    "What is it, Zyatzin?" a domineering and authoritative voice resounded in the 1-kilometer long empty hall, big enough to hold the council of 10 thousand people at once which now had just two of them.


    "The Demon Emperor¡­ a few months ago, he became an 8th stage saint." spoke this imperial advisor.


    "What?! How is that possible?!


    He was a 7th stage saint just 2 years ago!" eximed the empress in disbelief.


    Soon, the countenance of the Empress veiled under the shadow of the throne became that of exasperation.


    "Yes, your highness. It has been confirmed by the 4 sovereigns. We are thest one to receive this information because of our geographic location.


    And I believe that now¡­ We can''t stay away from the war." spoke the imperial adviser in a shaking voice.


    BOOM!!


    A burst of green aura suddenly spread in the hall as the Empress released a killing intent while trying to control her anger.


    "And the 4 Sovereigns are also pressuring us to take a stand like all the empires." said the crocodile-kin.


    "Damn it! Why is it happening so suddenly? We were supposed to have at least 80 more years." she spoke with a contorted face.


    "This isn''t going to be simple.


    Although the 4 sovereigns are acting as a team, they are divided due to their origins and the empires they back up.


    Except for the Revenant Sovereign, Argos Belmont¡­ everyone else has pledged allegiance to someone or some empire." she revealed in a grim tone.


    "I tried to get him to our side by proposing a marriage but he wouldn''t budge or get swayed in any way despite the benefits our marriage can bring him and his kingdom." responded the Empress with a visible dejection.


    "If we look at it¡­


    He gains nothing from it. Even if we offered our whole empire''s army¡­ he alone is more than enough to massacre even greater numbers by himself.


    What prize could get in his eyes?" questioned the advisor who was a 6th stage saint himself.


    "What prize, you say?


    I''m the prize!" shouted the Empress as she clenched her fists in annoyance.


    "He gets to marry an Empress! And he knows that I''m also a True Descendants with the bloodline of the strongest Godbeast of them all.


    Yet he didn''t even spare a moment to think before he rejected me!" she eximed while remembering a hateful memory of the past.


    The imperial advisor then tried to calm her down and spoke in a polite tone.


    "Maybe it''s because of our custom. It''s not your fault, your highness.


    He knows that he won''t be the Emperor or even King Consort by marrying you.


    And the offspring you two would have won''t inherit the throne and even your position can be challenged in the future if one of the Heavenly Kings bes an 8th stage saint as well.


    Argos Belmont is a very smart and experienced vampire. So he didn''t find the proposition ensuring his future prospects." said the advisor, ming their customs to appease the anger of the empress.


    "Hah, why is everything going so bad for me recently?" asked the Empress to herself as her figure slumped.


    "Others¡­ I have no worries. The only one who bothers me¡­ Is the Fenrirborne Tribe Leader.


    Although others are strong as well¡­ Only Romulus Lykaios is someone who gives me a sense of threat.


    Must be because he''s a True Descendant of Godbeast Fenrir." she spoke, revealing an expression full of concern.


    "Even in the past, only Fenrir was on par with your bloodline''s ancestors.


    There''s no point in dwelling." spoke the advisor.


    "That''s not all, Zyatzin. We have other problems too." spoke the Empress.


    "Our great God, Termeszet hasn''t sent a decree through the Priestess'' divination recently.


    The Temple of Termeszet previously stated that our God ordered us to solely focus on making the Hero of Nature strong and hunt the Hero of Darkness.


    Yet even now, we have no clue despite him being rumored to have recently ambushed the Hero of Life and killing his party members in the Zivot Empire.


    On top of it, their Princess getting assassinated and the me falling on us has already stressed the enmity between the two empires a lot on our borders." she said.


    "Do you know how hard it is to rule the empire when all the borders are on the verge of imminent war?


    We''re lucky that we have 4 seventh-stage saints unlike many where even 2 or 3 of them are extremely hard toe by. Otherwise, it would''ve been impossible for me to manage everything despite my strength." she admitted an undeniable fact.


    "Still¡­ Hero of Nature became a 5th stage saint just half a year ago. He needs time to perfect his Domain furthermore.


    Even if we are to partake early in the war against the Demon Empire¡­ I would like to postpone as much as possible." she dered her intentions.


    "And not only ours but all the other empires except Rakos and Vulcan will make their final decisive choice..." stated the Empress solemnly.


    "After the Conve of Heroes."

 Chapter 852 Weapon Of A King

    In the main training halls of the Fenrirborne Tribe leader aka Romulus Lykaios, a blue wolfkin stood in front of his master as it was the first day of weapons training for a new weapon.


    Since Kahn was already a legitimate saint in Swordsmanship when he created Dragon Strike when he was only a semi-saint¡­


    In the past month, the red wolfkin was teaching Kahn all the skills and helped thetter in perfecting his already existing ones to a great degree. Now, all of Kahn''s Swordsmanship skills were at Saint Rank.


    This created room for new weapon mastery and bridged thecking knowledge and mastery as a swordsman for Kahn. So it was time for them to move to the next one and learn it with undivided attention.


    As the first weapon was¡­ Spear.


    "Take out your spear."manded the heavenly king.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, a ck and golden spear appeared in Kahn''s right hand and revealed a greatly oppressing aura that of a legitimate dragon.


    Even Romulus revealed a baffled expression as soon as he sensed the quality of the spear summoned by Kahn.


    It was a Legendary Rank spear made from a mythical rank dragon''s horn by the saint cksmith aka Throk Oakenshield. Named by Kahn as¡­


    Gungnir.


    ----------------


    The heavenly king assessed Kahn''s spear and gave an affirming nod as he too found the spear extremely well-suited for his pupil.


    "Do you know why spears, halberds and tridents are rarely practiced by saints?" he questioned Kahn in his Atreus persona.


    "Because they''re not as effective as a sword other than the long range they provide?" Kahn questioned back.


    "It is indeed one of the reasons." nodded the Apostle of ughter.


    "But that''s not all.


    A sword can be used by either your prominent hand or both hands to create more force and momentum.


    It can also be quick to draw and do both shing and piercing. It saves time and can help you protect yourself at a moment''s notice by deflecting an attack.


    Whereas in using long-range melee weapons like spears, halberd, polearms and tridents¡­ You must use both hands to perfectly wield it no matter which situation. It''s also risky once you lose the advantage of the range and momentum.


    The reaction time is also too long if you''re facing a surprise attack and have a weak posture to counter it." stated the heavenly king from his experience.


    "But there are two ways to get rid of those shorings.


    One is obviously your skills. Can you guess the other?" he nced at Kahn, testing his knowledge.


    "It''s your body." replied Kahn with no hesitation.


    Romulus nodded, pleased with the answer.


    "Correct. If your body is strong as a mountain and your agility and senses are as fast as a lightning bolt, you can make up for the shorings.


    But it''s easier said than done." he expressed in a tone of a veteran.


    "You can''t just be massively big or ripped to use any of these 4 long-range weapons. And you can''t be too shredded or slim either.


    A firm footing and arms that are not only strong but shaped in a way to wield a spear and quickly use fighting techniques rted to these weapons, whether you''re attacking or guarding yourself, must be developed over the course of time.


    In your case, although you are already fit enough and have blessings from the War Deity¡­ Your body needs work and some reforming in your build so we can not only make it optimal for using spears but also Gauntlets and heavy weapons such as shields, battleaxes and giantswords." spoke the master.


    "In simple words¡­ you can''t be ectomorphic anymore. You need to bulk up." he dered.


    "How? Should I start overeating and then train in order to change my physical build?" asked Kahn with a puzzled countenance.


    "No need. I will create a diet n as well as what exercises you need to do. Our objective is to gain more muscles, make your arms and chest bigger and maintain your lean stature at the same time.


    Besides¡­ You''re 28 already. Your prime years as a human have started. So it is also a perfect time to cause some metamorphosis for the long run." he exined.


    So in a way, Kahn had to leave behind his body that would make women drool like Chris Hemsworth. And now¡­ He needed to be like Chris Bumstead aka Mr. Olympia.


    "You''re no longer a young boy¡­ But a man." spoke Romulus.


    To his words, Kahn vehemently replied in an ted voice.


    "Alright¡­ We go jim."


    ----------------


    1 Week Later.


    Kahn was practicing under Romulus'' supervision.


    Boom!


    He suddenly felt a sense of danger as his master summoned his own legendary rank spear.


    A fiery red shaft and a golden-ck de revealing the full might of a ferocious beast.


    "This red spear made from a Fenrir''s fang who died thousands of years ago, named as¡­ Draupnir." spoke Romulus.


    "Swords are overrated and mainstream.


    There''s a reason why Spears and Tridents are called the ''Weapon of a King''.


    Because once you be skillful enough in using them, you can easily face multiple swordsmen by yourself." he spoke without sugarcoating a fact that would easily trigger plenty of weebs and chuunibyous.


    "Remember, unlike a sword¡­ Spears aren''t meant to be utilized as a whole.


    The best way to control it is by using the shaft to create direction and momentum.


    Whether you''re thrusting, pulling or shing, the de will do the work effectively only if you''ve mastered your control over controlling the shaft itself.


    Your grip must be firm but your palm must be flexible enough to quickly let go in order to match your stance in ordance to the momentum you''ve created.


    And with nimble movements of your body, it''s a very dangerous weapon to face in a battle.


    That''s also why the front line soldiers in armies are spear or polearm soldiers rather than swordsmen." he iterated.


    "If you don''t master them and just mindlessly sh and thrust like a rookie, then it will just create more openings for your enemies.


    Remember¡­ Never treat a spear, trident or a halberd just as a weapon.


    Always treat them as an extension of your body. The kind which feels no different than your arms and legs." he imparted his wisdom again.


    ----------------


    2 Weeks Later.


    Kahn was making visible progress at a rapid speed.


    And unlike before when he learned everything on his own¡­ Romulus fixed all his mistakes, errors and doubts he was having during practice.


    Learning directly from a person who was once hailed as the True Battle King, who was also an Apostle of a Deity himself was tremendously helpful than he could have ever learned from anyone else.


    And finally during the arduous training Kahn was immersed in, the system gave a notification in his mind.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a Grandmaster Spearman!!]

 Chapter 853 The Spear

    Kahn revealed an ted smile as the system notified him about his rank up as a spear user. And under hismand, the system then reported the cause of his rank up.


    [Congrattions to the host for unlocking the following skills physical and magic skills :


    Gungnir''s Call (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to summon the spear Gungnir after throwing it at a target at will. The current range from which the spear can be called back is 15 kilometers radius from the host''s location.


    ----------------


    Precise Thrusting (A Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to pinpoint the weak points of the target during a thrust attack and do 30% critical damage on a sessful hit.


    Note : This skill will rank up after crossing 50% mastery.


    ----------------


    Greater Pration (S Rank) (Passive) :


    Allows the host to make critical damage by bypassing 20% of physical and armor defense while shing and Thrusting.


    On a sessful hit, the total damage will increase by 25%.


    ----------------


    Spear Maelstrom (A Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to summon a 200 meter radius storm filled with replicas of Gungnir made from mana and world energy.


    Note : The skill will rank up based on the host''s proficiency and rank as a spear user.


    ----------------


    Elemental Siphon (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to create 100 elemental spears made from his own affinity.


    Each spear can be controlled by the host''s mind and their elemental structure can also be changed by the host using Harnessing and Conceptualization.


    The host can quickly change a darkness elemental spear into any other element at will and vice versa.


    Due to the Elemental Transfusion procedure, all the summoned spears will have additional 200% total attack power.


    Note : Additional buffs to attack power will increase with the future rank up of the skill and the host''s rank as a spear user.


    ----------------


    Impaling Thrust (A Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to make a 5 consecutive strike attackbo and make a lethal strike at the opponent''s neck or chest to impale them.


    The skillbo moves will increase with the host''s weapon mastery.


    ----------------


    Phnx Breaker (S Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to break enemy defense through powerful shing strikes continuously and reduce the enemy defense by 30% for 2 minutes.


    ----------------


    Gale Force (S Rank) (Active) :


    Creates a whirlwind of elemental spears and surrounds the enemy from all directions. The host can blindside the enemy and attack from any direction at will.


    ----------------


    Spear Drill (SS Rank) (Active) :


    Enhances all of Gungnir''s melee attacks by 15% with significantly increased Stun and impact for 10 seconds.


    When used in a battle, the spear will rotate at an extremely fast speed to make critical hits and break enemy defense.


    Note : The melee damage output and Stun period will increase with the host''s weapon andbat technique mastery and rank as a spear user.


    ----------------


    Spear Summon Mirage (SSS Rank) (Active) :


    Allows the host to summon 500 elemental spears, each spear will be 10 meters in length and their base element can be changed during battle.


    The current radius of this skill is 15 kilometers and the host can willingly control every single spear within this perimeter.


    Note : The amount of summoned spears, total range and damage output will increase based on the host''s rank as a spear user.


    ----------------


    Congrattions to the host!


    Gungnir is now part of the Drakos Armor and Bloodline set.


    It will now share the same bonus effects as Lucifer.] reported the system.


    "Finally!" eximed Kahn in joy.


    3 A Rank skills, 4 S Rank skills, 2 SS Rank attack skills and 1 SSS Rank skill.


    All of these were unlocked within just 2 weeks of training under Romulus.


    Kahn was subconsciously perplexed by this result.


    Because it was the first time he unlocked so many skills on his own and not by absorbing them from someone or relying on the system to make them.


    Due to Romulus personally teaching him everything while perfecting his posture, momentum, movesets and form while training, the unnecessary mistakes that a newbie like Kahn could make were minimized to minimal.


    And hence, along with the aid of his blessings from Kravel, Kahn achieved something so astounding in just 2 weeks that would take a normal person of Vantrea almost a decade at least.


    Recently, the heavenly king also created a strict diet and workout regime for Kahn to reform his body structure that would aid him to use these skills efficiently, it helped him perfect somebat techniques seamlessly.


    When the physical transformation finally started showing in the uing months, his mastery of spearmanship would also improve.


    Kahn told his progress to Romulus who was guiding him.


    "Good. You''re officially a Spear Battlemaster with a SSS Rank skill.


    It will take some time but once you get any of these skills or create a new Saint Rank skill¡­ You''ll be a Spear Legend." spoke Romulus as he nodded approvingly at his disciple.


    "That''s a distinction for the spear user ss?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. Above that is the Hermit title. But I guess no one told you before." he replied.


    Kahn nodded in agreement.


    "These skills have a huge potential as your rank improves.


    If you can be at least a Spear Hermit in the future, you are already in the top 0.1% in the world." spoke the red wolfkin.


    Kahn nodded back as he too knew how great these skills were in the long run.


    Gungnir in itself was so powerful that it would be even more OP when Kahn used the Draconian Bloodline or Drakos Armor, then the boost will be immensely terrifying.


    The Legendary rank spear finally earned the name that Kahn gave him.


    It was a weapon wielded by Odin aka the Allfather in the Norse mythology on earth. The spear never missed its mark and also made the most lethal attack no matter how big or small the target was. It didn''t matter if your enemy was a small Rabbit or even a Titan.


    And just like the one on earth, Kahn''s spear also earned its title to be called as¡­


    The Spear of Heaven.

 Chapter 854 The Results

    8 MONTHS LATER.


    BOOM!!


    A ground-shattering and ear-deafening explosion urred, the energy revealed from the center of this explosion was akin to a nuclear explosion that was powerful enough to pulverize everything in 30 kilometers radius in the blink of an eye.


    However, before the energy could damage anything at all, it was sucked inside a glowing blue cloud-like structure with a golden orb devouring everything like a ck hole.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a 5th stage saint!] the system suddenly notified Kahn as he was meditating inside the Hall of Sentience.


    The creation of an ancient civilization kept inside the Chamber of Exaltation had not only aided him to rank up but also quickly absorbed all the expelled energy, rendering this breakthrough harmless and undetectable to anyone in the outside real world.


    The reason behind this sudden rank-up being that after crossing the 4th stage saint rank, Kahn no longer needed any cores of monsters or other saints to level up and thus could rank up to the next stage efficiently.


    [Following are the Statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn Salvatore (Host)


    Titles : Hero of Darkness, Apostle of War Deity, Apostle of cksmithing.


    Species : Human


    Job : All for One


    Rank : Fifth Stage Saint Rank


    Level : 604


    Strength : 392994


    Agility : 385029


    Dexterity : 311351


    Defense : 305698


    Mana : 413947


    World Energy Reserve Capacity : 51.8%]


    Kahn revealed a content smile after going through his stats.


    As for all his list of abilities¡­ A certain being was toozy to go through and write all of them at the moment.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    [Congrattions to the host!


    Space Law infusion rate : 51%


    The host is now eligible to create the Second Form of the Dimensional Domain.


    Effectiveness of all abilities and skills increased by 20%


    All elemental spells and formations will have additional 10% effectiveness and attack damage output.


    The Magic Formations and Barriers cast by the host will have 20% more effectiveness and activation time.


    All unique battle modes such as Asura Mode, Shura Mode and Berserk God Mode will have 20% extended time respectively.] reported the system.


    However¡­ The notifications didn''t stop just here.


    [Synthesis Divine Ability time has decreased by 10% and Ability Absorption Divine Ability has now 30% less time required.] it iterated in the usual lifeless tone.


    "Good. It was about time I started yielding the results."


    A more stoic and manly voice resounded as Kahn stood up.


    The current Kahn now looked different than before.


    His body had undergone a transformation in terms of appearance, build, muscle weight, width and overallposition.


    He was no longer just a handsome face with a shredded and lean build. But now¡­ He looked like a mature and full-grown person in his prime years.


    Kahn''s jaw became a bit broader and his shiny ck hair touched his shoulders and all the body parts screamed masculinity to the point his veins also became visible.


    Through consistent training and workout regime along with all his other fields he was practicing and mastering¡­ Kahn had be apletely different individual.


    Even in terms of aura he emanated and his stature gave an imposing aura that no one would dare to defy. Even his big arms, biceps, broader back and firm legs could be noticed through his attire.


    His countenance would seem less appealing to women but would definitely represent an Alpha to the other males regardless of their species.


    Kahn was no longer a young adult but a Man.


    ----------------


    "I''m 29 years old now. Soon, I will be 30¡­ the age when I killed myself during the previous life." he spoke to himself and recounted his gains in the past 10 months since he came to the Beast Empire.


    "System, tell me my rank as a Magician, Enchanter and cksmithing ss." hemanded.


    [The host is currently at Schr Saint Rank in both Magician and Enchanter sses.


    The host has mastered 10 Saint Rank and 3 Legendary Rank spells.


    The host has mastered 5 Legendary Rank and 1 Ancient Rank magic formation.


    The host has be a Master Saint in cksmithing by creating 3 Legendary Rank weapons and 1 Legendary Rank shield.] reported the system.


    "Ah, great. Now it only leaves the Alchemist ss. But then there''s also the 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law that I must attain if I''m to create the 2nd form of my Dimensional Domain." spoke Kahn and left the Hall of Sentience.


    In the past 8 months, Kahn learned a plethora of astonishing skills,bat techniques, spells, weapon mastery, and magic formations from both Vildred and Romulus.


    They were also done with teaching him their respective techniques that Kahn previously needed to be eligible to learn back then.


    As for the Divine Weapon, Amaterasu¡­ Kahn had sessfully managed to transition 10% of his soul essence using the Reminiscence of Eternal me technique given to him by the divine weapon.


    As a warrior¡­ Kahn now also learned, unlocking terrifying skills and achieved Saint Rank in Spear, Shield, Battleaxe, Warhammer, Giantsword, Halberd and finally¡­ the Gauntlets.


    It had been more than 10 months since Kahn arrived in the Nadur Empire and entered Romulus'' tutge.


    He did nothing else other than train tirelessly while learning everything he could from the Heavenly King.


    Thanks to the Chamber of Exaltation¡­ Vildred Xyvsor Gown Ivrar Mortelix aka the Dragon Emperor and the Sage of Preservation also managed to impart all his knowledge to Kahn and teach him everything as his mentor.


    Although Kahn was still nowhere close to his mentor''s level¡­ He had a firm foundation with immense potential that would make everyone envy him.


    Moreover, like the Apostle of ughter promised, he taught everything he knew to Kahn and using his doppelgangers, Kahn achieved 100% mastery in all of them as time went by.


    Finally¡­ Kahn bridged the gap between himself and all the other summoned Heroes/Heroines, who had the full support of empires and excellent teachers behind them.


    The current him was no longer a prey. In every sense¡­


    Kahn was now a Powerhouse and a Predator.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author : I have ns for everything. But I''m using the timeskip as a medium to show progress. Otherwise, this training montage alone will be stretched too long and there would be no story progression.


    As for what additional abilities, skills andbat techniques Kahn learned and what Vildred and Romulus taught him will be exined soon in the uing chapters.


    So all in all¡­


    End of Training Mini-arc.]]

 Chapter 855 Important Role

    The next day, Atreus was summoned to the main tribemittee hall where he previously met all the Tribe Elders with Romulus. However this time, the red wolfkin''s 4 disciples were also already present, kneeling in front of their master.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    A set of heavy footsteps resounded in therge hall as a 3-meter-tall blue wolfkin with a bulging and big stature along with a ripped and bulky body entered through the door.


    Compared to before, the rune-like tattoos on this Shadow Disciple glowed more fervently and the icicles protruding out of his shoulders quickly spread a chilling breeze across the hall.


    Unlike the time when the heavenly king first brought him here¡­ Atreus was now bigger, bulkier and more imposing as his aura was many times more potent and oppressive.


    "You summoned me¡­ Master?" asked Atreus as he respectfully knelt in front of his master while revealing a domineering pressure.


    Danger!


    Dread!


    Death!


    These three emotions suddenly appeared in the minds of the 4 disciples as their basic instincts went on high alert after Atreus made his existence known to them.


    And this time¡­ None of them could even sense how strong he was or what his rank was.


    [What the hell is happening?! Why does his aura and bloodline feel so powerful?


    Even I can''t see through him.] conveyed Dorian to his fellow disciples.


    Even as a Peak 4th stage saint at this point, the white wolfkin couldn''t sense anything from Atreus.


    Finally, seeing that all his disciples were gathered, the Fenrirborne Tribe Leader spoke in a tyrannical voice filled with absolute majesty.


    "All 4 of you have been assigned your tasks as my disciples.


    It''s our duty as the representatives of the Fenrirborne Tribe to contribute to our empire." he dered without responding to Atreus.


    "Now go and aplish the mandatory mission given to us by the Imperial order." he spoke.


    "We won''t disappoint you, master!" eximed Juno, the spirit enchantress in a vigorous tone.


    Ivaar and Mephisto also showed a determined expression and then all 4 of them left together.


    ? After only Romulus and Atreus were left in the hall, thetter asked in a curious voice¡­


    "What''s this about?"


    Romulus was already aware that Kahn became a 5th stage saint yesterday and he personally tested his enhanced Dimensional Domain along with Vildred.


    Because Kahn now became a 5th stage saint, the Royal Dragon could also use his domain again, making him a terrifying being who could even fight with an intermediate 7th stage saint once he activated his domain.


    "I am aware that you know how to lead like a king since your time in the Vessen fiefdom in the Rakos Empire." spoke his master.


    "But you always led the charge by yourself and fought alongside your subordinates who were anomalies themselves.


    And even the ones inside your shadows are your own creations who are not afraid of death. They would do whatever you say without thinking about any consequences." he iterated solemnly.


    "But what about real people? What about real soldiers?" he questioned with a firm gaze.


    "Where exactly are you getting at, master?" asked Kahn with a slightly puzzled countenance.


    "Kahn¡­ You''re a chosen Hero. You may not have been informed of this matter by anyone yet¡­


    But your role isn''t just to fight against the Demon God." said the tall wolfkin who was seated on his throne.


    "For all the other heroes and the empires¡­ A chosen Hero/Heroine is a symbol.


    A symbol of Hope. A symbol of Protection.


    In the eyes of the popce, they are a Guardian sent by their God who is to kill the Demon God who threatens the world and everything dear in their lives.


    To them, a chosen Hero is their Savior." he stated with a stern gaze.


    To his words, Kahn replied¡­


    "Yeah, I''m aware of that. But it''s not like I have any way to be that for anyone since the Abyss Empire no longer exists.


    And I have no people who look up to me or care about my role as Hero of Darkness either."


    Romulus on the other end, shook his head.


    "That may be so. But it doesn''t change that you must learn a few things as a necessity for your future.


    I have taught you everything I could in these past 10 months. I haveid down a path and the strongest foundation you could possibly have with your divine abilities, blessings and gifts that were given to you.


    How you build your future as a warrior is up to you now." dered Romulus.


    After learning the remaining 3 techniques from the wolfkin, Kahn became terrifyingly powerful and even Kahn with all his divine abilities, subordinates and battle tactics could not bepared to the current Kahn who was now a Fearless Warrior.


    He looked at his master and nodded in affirmation.


    This was indeed the truth in this case as after learning everything from Romulus, the former True Battle King of the Abyss Empire and the Apostle of ughter¡­ the current Kahn was at least 15 times stronger than before whether in terms ofbat experience, skills, adaptability, weapon mastery,bat techniques andstly¡­


    The training did not only change Kahn''s physical body but also his mind. And Romulus indeed had a lion''s share in it.


    "What I want you to learn is not only to perfect yourself as a warrior...


    But as a beacon of hope and an icon who people would follow to their deaths in a war without hesitation." spoke Romulus as he wanted to impart something important to Kahn.


    "You have a very important role whether you like it or not. And to be the person you''re expected to be¡­


    I will make you experience something different than just training." he dered in a soft tone.


    "What exactly do you mean?" asked Kahn again as he had no idea about the situation or what his master was implying.


    "I want you to learn¡­" spoke Romulus as he revealed the final part of Kahn''s training.


    "How to be a War General."

 Chapter 856 For The Empire

    The heavenly king aka Romulus Lykaios expressed his concern regarding Kahn''s future openly and decided to exin why he thought so.


    "In the Nadur Empire, all powerful tribes and saints are subjects under imperial rule.


    Things such as Noble sses, Factions and Elites of the society and having their allegiance to certain groups, tribes or leaders is useless and considered taboo.


    No matter where youe from, which n or tribe you belong to and what position you have in imperial rule or the military¡­


    You''re expected to serve the empire and protect it from both external and internal conflicts and enemies alike." he spoke in a serious tone.


    "Protecting the peace within the empire is the responsibility of all the forces in our empire.


    Thus, all the 12 major tribes are expected to do certain missions to serve the interests of the empire. You can''t deny them for any reason either.


    And since someone of my standing is always busy with affairs of both the tribe and the empire¡­ we have to send our best fighters toplete these missions." he iterated solemnly.


    "Doesn''t anyone everin?" asked Atreus.


    "Why would they?" spoke the Fenrirborne with a small smirk.


    "This arrangement also serves as a great life experience for the next generation of saints who are supposed to lead the tribes in the future.


    Gaining battle experience, surviving ordeals to emerge as a strong, wise and experienced leader is all we want for the sake of our tribes.


    Thus, I have sent all of them to their respective missions as per the rules." he said and leaned back on his throne.


    Kahn understood the reason and nodded.


    "So everyone is the same under imperial rule. There is no favoritism, elitism and partiality between the popce and different races?" he questioned and folded his arms.


    "No. Not on the surface at least." replied Romulus casually.


    "So what do you want me to do then master?"


    "When I brought you here for the first time, my disciples were returning from one of such missions. Now we have 4 new missions at the same time." stated the tribe leader.


    "Some situations arose recently in all 4 of those missions.


    So you will have to follow Dorian to his mission. He already left so leave quickly." he replied.


    "Ah, why didn''t you tell me this beforehand?" Kahn aka Atreus rolled his eyes.


    "I told you this information in secret because it is supposed to bemon knowledge. If I exined it to you in front of them, they would have suspected your background that we have built up so perfectly." revealed the wolfkin.


    "Take this token. It''s an artifact that will guide you.


    There are coordinates and you have to fly there on your own since you''re faster than a warship." spoke Romulus andmanded Kahn.


    Soon, Kahn used the device akin to a holographic radar by injecting his world energy and flew at supersonic speed in the direction of his new mission, breaking sound barriers multiple times.


    7 hourster, he arrived 15 thousand kilometers away in a different area of the Nadur empire which wasn''t part of Elysium.


    This region was part of the section of the Beast Empire called Azn.


    Atreus stopped at the east-southern end and finally met Dorian at a military base.


    During his flight, he saw over 60 kilometers of perimeter covered in devastation and mes. Screams and cries of helpless people filled the surroundings as military soldiers tried to rescue many victims.


    The number ofmon people belonging to various races that were brutally massacred came into his sight.


    "What happened here?!" he asked Dorian who was donning a golden armor.


    "A mythical rank monster.


    The report says it was hibernating in a close forest to the city for decades before this city was even established.


    The locals treated it as a forest guardian since its presence deterred monsters toe in these regions.


    But for some reason, it suddenly woke upst night." exined the white wolfkin who was of the same height as Atreus.


    "Do they do that?" asked the blue wolfkin with a curious voice.


    "Some do. Some even sleep for over a century to undergo a transformation or while ranking up to a legendary or mythical rank.


    This one is one of those." responded the Light Swordsman.


    "But then why did it attack this city?" queried Atreus.


    "ording to military witnesses, it was minding its own business and wasn''t hostile at all." responded Dorian with a gloomy expression.


    "Wasn''t there an emergency response?" asked Atreus again.


    "There was. A 4th stage saint who is also the son of themander tasked to guard 100 kilometers of this area of the empire.


    The leader himself is a 3rd stage saint but he was visiting the capital. So the son was the temporarymander-in-chief.


    "But the matter isn''t that easy." sighed Dorian helplessly.


    "Why? Did he fail to stall it?"


    "No¡­ ording to the reports, he idiotically provoked the monster and tried to kill it without any proper n.


    Some people do that for fame throughout the empire.


    And when he couldn''t kill it and got seriously injured¡­ He fled." revealed the disciple.


    "But then why did the monster destroy this city?" asked Atreus again with a puzzled countenance.


    This monster was supposed to be slumbering in the forest for decades, there seemed to be no reason for it to attack the city and kill all these people without any proper cause.


    "Because when he was scared witless for his life¡­ that moron fled in this direction instead of taking a detour." Dorian revealed the truth.


    "Son of a bitch! Are you telling me that more than a million innocent citizens died because of a mistake and ipetence of one guy?" asked Atreus in bewilderment.


    "Yes. Although no one dares to admit it because of his rank as a saint and position as the son of themander¡­


    Once the monster came across the city¡­ It went rampant and caused this massacre because it was following him in an enraged state.


    And now¡­ There are barely 20 thousand people left alive." spoke Dorian with a ghastly expression.


    "Who the fuck is that bastard?!


    Fucking idiot! Where the fuck is he?!" asked Atreus furiously.


    Because of the cowardice and stupidity of one person¡­ a million of innocent people, who were supposed to be protected by that same person, died a miserable death.


    Death of an innocent bystander was often termed as ''coteral damage'' by the people in power. But no one understood how many lives it destroyed and how many undeserving people lost everything they held dear due to battles between powerhouses such as a saint and a mythical rank monster.


    Kahn always hated these types of people who had no sense of ountability whether it was while reading a novel or in the real world.


    At one point, he too foolishly ended up causing a riot in vot city¡­ Although his actions were right and on the side of justice at that time; it still lead to death of over a thousandmoners who were protesting against Noble ns.


    This was one of the regrets he still had to this day.


    The next second, instead of encouraging him, Dorian spoke with a reluctant voice.


    "Stop! We can''t touch him or do anything to him."


    "Why? Because he''s the son of amander?


    So what?! He should be held responsible for this!" eximed Atreus as saint pressure started surging.


    "No. There''s another reason. Because¡­" spoke the white fenrirborne with an indignant expression as he revealed the truth.


    "He''s a member of the Hero''s Party."

 Chapter 857 Party Member

    Dorian revealed the true identity of this 4th stage saint who foolishly waltzed in and attacked a mythical rank monster who woke up from decades of slumber just for the sake of adding Glory and Fame to his name.


    And on top of it... He lured it towards this vast city which was inhabited by more than a million citizens.


    The monster ended up destroying this entire 60 kilometers perimeter city and nearby region while it went berserk, killing everyone like stomping on ants. And the guy who caused this... was still breathing.


    "Tell me everything you know about him." spoke Kahn in his Atreus persona, controlling his anger.


    Dorian revealed all the information he gathered so far.


    Conan Doykle.


    A 4th stage white tigerkin swordsman who was a young genius and once-in-a-century talent found even among saints.


    When the new Hero''s Party was formed, he was rmended since the position of the Commander-in-chief wasn''t passed on to the kin in Beast Empire.


    Him being a 4th stage saint alone wouldn''t cut it because as per the traditions andws, any position in the military also required great experience. The one Conancked since he spent most of his life training.


    And currently, he had prestige as one of the strongest swordsmen in the Hero''s Party.


    Apparently, this guy was here for personal matters and suddenly when the mythical rank monster awoke, he was the one to lead the response team of military soldiers as the strongest saint present at that moment.


    But instead, he became overconfident in his strength and started fighting the monster instead of acting as a wall to protect the people in case it attacked the city''s border.


    "Damn, these dimwits! This is why strength doesn''t always mean you''re worthy to lead people.


    If it wasn''t for their customs, this idiot would be on the guard''s duty instead of leading soldiers in a battle." spoke Kahn indignantly as he looked around the massacre across the city.


    There were literally bodies being dug out of the rubble of buildings, most were already turned into meat paste.


    Whether it was children, newborns, elderly or women... No one was spared.


    "Tch! Most of them probably died from that monster''s aura alone before they could react." spoke Dorian with an incredulous gaze.


    "Let''s go and meet this fuckwit." spoke Atreus without hiding his enraged expression.


    ----------------


    30 minutester, both of the wolfkins arrived at a grand military base over 80 kilometers away and entered arge castle that spanned 5 kilometers in perimeter due to its long and wide training facilities for soldiers along with their living quarters.


    An official weed them and the duo finally entered a luxurious room where a few Lizardkin healers and a few Leshen druids were treating a 3 meter tall white tigerkin.


    "Sir Dorian and Sir Atreus of the Fenrirborne Tribe havee to visit." announced a soldier on guard duty.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Their loud footsteps resonated in the room as they saw Conan Doykle, a white tigerkin covered in bandages across his chest and legs.


    However, his haggard state did not earn any sympathy from both disciples of the heavenly king.


    "Finally! They sent someone to assist me." spoke Conan in a rustic voice as his grasp over his massive greatsword tightened in a victorious tone.


    [This bastard! Is he really feigning ignorance as if nothing happened?


    Does he not feel any remorse for causing this bloodshed?] wondered Kahn.


    Soon, Dorian expressed their task to Conan as per the imperial rule''s mission.


    The main reason why Dorian and Atreus were sent here was to act as the... Clean-up crew.


    Yes, a clean-up crew. Not in the sense of clearing the demolished city... But to bury this matter in the ground.


    "Nonsense! I was the one to engage it first and I should be the one to kill it.


    You''re both just support provided to aid me in this conquest!" shouted Conan, unpleasantness visible on his face.


    Even Kahn could tell that this guy had a halo of entitlement since he was a member of Hero''s Party and had no sense of ountability for his actions.


    He cared more about the prestige and aplishments added to his name than feeling guilty about the massacre he caused.


    Atreus was infuriated by this attitude but kept controlling his anger.


    Why?


    Because in the end, he wasn''t a guardian of this ce and neither were these people his responsibility.


    Yet the natural empathetic consciousness he had as both Elric and Kahn was still somewhat dictating his emotions.


    "My underlings have tracked its location.


    We will leave as soon as I have recovered in a couple of days." spoke Conan in aidback manner.


    However...


    BOOM!!


    A grim and murderous aura suddenly erupted in the room, targeting the tigerkin with horrifying killing intent.


    "You are staying here, you piece of shit!"


    Atreus'' grim and threatening voice resounded in the room as everyone else was quickly forced to bow under his saint pressure.


    Even Dorian couldn''t help but feel like he was at death''s door despite Atreus targeting Conan and no one else.


    "You! How dare a mere servant speak to me like that?!" eximed Conan in rage as he too revealed his killing intent.


    "A servant you say..." spoke Atreus as his glowing blue eyes with no iris gleamed even brighter.


    Whoosh!


    The very next moment, he suddenly appeared next to Conan and before the tigerkin could even react...


    Atreus grabbed him by the neck and lifted the tigerkin in his left hand.


    He choked thetter''s throat with full strength.


    But for some reason, Conan could no longer use his strength or saint pressure to fight back.


    And the credit went to none other than Vildred, who was invisible under an ancient rank barrier as he cast a spell that cut off the tigerkin''s ess to world energy from the outside world and within his own body.


    "You''re even allowed to stay alive because of the imperial orders. If it were up to me... I would execute you in front of the whole empire." spoke Atreus.


    Just then, Dorian spoke in a serious tone...


    "Atreus!... We have our mission. That''s why master sent you along with me.


    It''s not our ce to meddle in this matter." he reminded Kahn why they were here.


    Thud!


    Atreus threw the tigerkin on the floor and scoffed off.


    "If a trash like this is a member of the Hero''s Party, I wonder how the Hero is in reality." spoke the blue wolfkin.


    Next, Dorian walked forth and interjected as he looked at Conan who was throwing daggers at them with his eyes.


    "Sit this one out. Your foolishness will cause more deaths than solving the problem.


    Like I said... We''re here to clean up after your mess.


    But it does not mean that our job is to assist you. It''s about..." he spoke in a ghastly tone.


    "Killing that monster."

 Chapter 858 Cleaning After The Mess

    3 Hours Later.


    Atreus and Dorian flew at supersonic speed after forcefully making Conan spit out the information regarding the current whereabouts of the mythical rank monster that rampages and destroyed the city filled with a million inhabitants.


    And finally, they located the gigantic beast as big as a mountain while it was only crouching. Kahn''s senses picked up the strength levels of this worldly cmity and even he had a stiff expression despite being a 5th stage saint as they floated 30 kilometers away.


    A saint''s range of sight and ability to sense auras of living beings rose by 5 kilometers with each rank up. Some monsters like Cdrius who had a longer range, could even see 20 kilometers farther from the sky even at levelsparable to a 1st stage saint.


    Since Kahn also had the Horus Sight skill, he could clearly see this monstrous being that destroyed 60 kilometers of radius easily from the sky and see its entire figure.


    A ginormous mountainous figure made of gray metal and fangs as big as a Titan. The metallic body was covered in fur that was akin to a legendary rank armor in itself.


    A head akin to an ancient beast and 4 ck horns as long as a 50 meter tall tower while the maw was filled with thousands of massive teeth that could crush buildings like eating blueberries.


    While this creature was silentlyying on the ground, its body alone was close to 700 meters tall. So both of them could already feel that its actual size was even bigger.


    [System, what is this creature?] queried Kahn.


    [The being in front of the host is one of the direct descendant species of the Godbeast Behemoth.


    It is called the Hodag.] reported the system.


    [What are its abilities?]


    [It is impervious to all kinds of physical attacks, and has 90% elemental resistance to all elements except Darkness and Light element.


    It has great regeneration ability and extremely high defense due to it being a metal elemental being.


    And it can also use Mind and Sensory Distortion skills.


    It can also absorb and redirect all the physical attacks by turning them into a pure form of energy.] reported the system.


    [Any weaknesses?] he asked.


    [The only weakness is that it is very slow due to its 4 legged physical structure and metal element.


    And only the insides of its body are easy to harm. The outside fur and body parts are simply imprable even among the other descendant species of Godbeast Behemoth.] the system informed in a lifeless tone.


    [Ah¡­ So it''s just like Invimarak, the descendant species of Godbeast Behemoth I fought back in Vessen.


    Even the armor and weapons Albestros made for me and my subordinates were top quality until we got a dragon''s corpse to forge legendary rank sets.


    But this is definitely bigger and stronger than Invimarak. Besides, it''s my first time fighting a metal elemental monster. They''re just as rare as descendants of primordial titans.] thought Kahn as he ran down a few fighting simtions in his mind.


    "You sure you want us to kill it?" asked Atreus to Dorian.


    "Imperial orders cannot be defied. You must follow them if you''re part of the empire''s military forces.


    As the disciples of a Heavenly King¡­ It would be dire to our master''s reputation as his position if we fail to kill it." exined the white wolfkin.


    "Still¡­ It''s a mythical rank monsterparable to a 5th stage saint. Even with both of us here, it will be extremely hard to even injure it." said Atreus with a skeptical gaze as he stared at the sleeping Hodag.


    "Hmph! What kind of attitude is that, Atreus?


    I know you''re stronger than me but you have still yet to ept the responsibility as a member of the Fenrirborne Tribe.


    In the military forces¡­ We don''t ask questions and get the job done even if we have to risk our lives.


    And what do you think will happen if this monster goes on a rampage again? How many millions of people would die again?" he sarcastically asked.


    "Then do you even have a n? This thing is a descendant of a Godbeast.


    Even you should know how powerful they are?" asked Atreus with an incredulous gaze.


    "That idiot Conan Doykle did the mistake of fighting it without even knowing its powers and abilities.


    Look at it¡­ There''s not even a scratch or an injury on its body. You think we have any better chance just because there are two of us?" spoke Atreus in a mocking tone.


    Fighting such a powerful enemy due to overconfidence was the very reason why an entire city was razed to the ground.


    Kahn did not wish to repeat the same mistake. Also, there was a reason why he was reluctant to fight this Hodag monster.


    In reality, Kahn could kill it but it would require him to reveal his rank as a 5th stage saint and also use his Dimensional Domain and Dimensional Cut attack skill.


    Alone, he was more than enough to kill it if he used Asura Mode and Shura Mode.


    But due to Dorian''s presence here¡­ If he used other bloodline abilities, his domain or attack skills that shouldn''t be possible¡­ Kahn''s cover would be blown.


    Now, Kahn''s identity as a Water/Ice Elemental Brawler wolfkin aka Atreus became a hurdle in this situation because he couldn''t use skills that went against his bloodline, ss and elemental affinity.


    [Should I use them?] wondered Kahn.


    Even in this case¡­ Kahn could fight this monster by using Harnessing, Conceptualization and the remaining 3 techniques taught by Romulus.


    But there was a reason even that was out of the equation.


    Because his master had already warned that these skills should be used only when no one was watching.


    Some of these techniques were unknown to people of the Beast Empire and practiced only in the Abyss Empire before it was destroyed.


    Theming to light would be too big of a risk, especially in front of Dorian who was a well-informed and patriotic saint of the Nadur Empire.


    [There''s no choice¡­ I have to cooperate with him.


    Wait a minute¡­ Isn''t that what Master wanted me to learn?] suddenly, he realized a fact he missed before.


    What Romulus wanted Kahn to learn here wasn''t leadership. Rather it was¡­


    Camaraderie.

 Chapter 859 The Camaraderie

    Atreus aka Kahn finally understood why he was sent here after his master, Romulus said that he wanted him to learn how to be a War General.


    Previously, he spoke of the part where he expressed his opinion about Kahn learning how to lead.


    But ''Leading'' didn''t always mean taking charge in a battle. It also meant clearing a path and cooperation with your allies to take down the enemy side. Like how a captain of the Cavalry often charged at the front of offense and led his subordinates in a battle formation to decimate their opponents.


    Kahn had no problem doing so with his subordinates but Dorian was a different case. He wasn''t an ally with no fear for his life and neither was he Kahn''s puppet who would obediently follow his orders without questioning his judgment.


    So maybe he was sent by Romulus here to learn that very aspect as arade during a battle. Something he never had experienced before.


    "Look, I have read about this monster once."


    Said Atreus and then expressed a n to the white wolfkin to take down this monster.


    "And do what? Give you all the credit for it?!" mored Dorian furiously after hearing the n.


    "I don''t care for credit. You can say that you did it alone." spoke Atreus as if he didn''t care at all.


    However, the next moment... Dorian red up, his expression revealing that he was pissed off.


    "You think I''m that pathetic and pitiful to take credit for someone else''s doing?!" he shouted, feeling wronged.


    Atreus rolled his eyes and responded helplessly...


    "Alright, 50/50 it is then. Master gave this mission to both of us in the end so that should be eptable." he said to appease the other party.


    At this moment, Kahn also realized one thing about hisrade here.


    Dorian obviously had developed an inferiorityplex since Atreus came along 10 months ago and beat them in the 4 vs 1 battle where he absolutely toyed around with them.


    His master personally trained the blue wolfkin alone in the past 10 months and the defeat all 4 of them had suffered at thetter''s hand was still vivid in his memory since he was of thepetitive nature.


    "So will you follow my lead?" asked Atreus.


    Dorian revealed an indignant countenance but responded...


    "Fine! But don''t think that I have acknowledged you as my better.


    I''m only doing this because killing this monster is more important than my pride." he dered while ring at Atreus intently.


    [My my... This guy is a textbook tsundere.] thought Kahn but suddenly a chill ran down his spine.


    "Alright then. We know our roles. Let''s go!"


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later.


    [Get lost, you vermin!] a grim voice resounded in Kahn''s mind. The one to speak these words was none other than Hodag.


    It was a fully sentient being just like Skoll & Hati and could converse telepathically with them.


    For the past hour, Atreus engaged inbat with this majestic creature that was 1.5 Kilometers tall as soon as it stood up on all 4 legs.


    Hodag also revealed that he was minding his business after waking from his hibernation but Conan attacked him for no reason.


    And as a result, he chased the perpetrator. The city being destroyed... He didn''t even care who these people were.


    Although Kahn also understood his reason, he had no choice but to attack this mythical beast because of the mission.


    And even if he acted magnanimous or Hodag felt remorseful for killing all those innocent people like some forced ''victim plot'' of a story...


    The damage was already done and there was no going back.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Atreus panted heavily and his body was full of sweat. One could tell that he was nearly exhausted from this battle which destroyed close to 50 kilometers of radius, forests, nt life and ttened valleys and mountains.


    All this time, he was using Beowolf to attack Hodag from afar by creating icebergs using summoned water from a nearbyke and also used Azure Dragon Fist skill multiple times to stop the enemy from moving.


    But Hodag''s size was too big and the monster itself was impervious to water elemental attacks. Hence, it easily broke past them.


    On the side, he had great psychic skills to make one lose control over their own mind and body. If someone like Conan or Dorian fought it... They would end up killing themselves instead of attacking Hodag.


    But Kahn, who had died more than a million times and suffered through excruciating pain in every possible method and manner.


    He was able to break past the effects of these skills easily and maintain his sanity. And thus, he kept attacking incessantly without holding back.


    To onlookers, this would appear as a very stupid move. However, Kahn had his own ns.


    Kahn could use only these skills as a Brawler without using what Romulus taught him or his personal abilities but he could still make 40 to 45 of such fist attacks.


    The only disadvantage Hodag had was its slow speed. Otherwise, it could easily escape from this situation a long time ago.


    All in all, the situation was at standstill.


    Atreus couldn''t kill it and Hodag couldn''t escape either.


    But what thetter didn''t understand was each time those water elemental attacks hit its body, his metallic fur was getting drenched in water and the burden of its own weight was impeding his movements more than they usually did.


    And finally... Atreus made the move.


    Raging storms filled the battlefield and the sky started rumbling. The ground was crackling as dozens of massive pirs of water arose from beneath.


    Atreus activated the Waterde Hurricane skill andunched an onught of millions of waterdes made of his pressure andpressed water.


    Soon, 20 kilometers of the area was filled with water like a tsunami and even the massive Hodag was partially submerged under this unnaturally high and dense sea made by Atreus.


    [It''s time.] thought Kahn and snapped his fingers.


    The massive volume of water that was seeped into the fur and body of the monster suddenly reacted and froze instantly on the spot, entirely freezing this ginormous creature that could kill millions of soldiers with its aura alone.


    Next, surging tides suddenly turned into two 100 meters wide arms made of hard ice that looked exactly simr to Atreus'' arms.


    They quickly lunged and forcefully grabbed the mouth of this beast and opened it wide.


    Atreus let out a devious smirk at this moment and spoke to himself.


    [I love it when a nes together.]

 Chapter 860 Undefiable Order

    Throughout this entire exchange, Kahn aka Atreus was evenly matched against Hodag, a mythical beast who was on the same level as him. But due to it being a descendant of a godbeast, it was as strong as a 6th stage saint based on physical stats alone.


    To others, it would appear like Atreus was handling it easily but no one could imagine that just bearing the brunt of psychic attacks that would instantly drive even a 5th stage saint mad was no easy matter.


    Kahn was using multiple defensive abilities to withstand the opponent''s pressure and also used some of his unique skills while attacking the opponent that wouldn''t expose his identity.


    All the skills he absorbed from Cthulhu were just on the surface. He also used Defense Breaker, Royalguard, Wrath of Vajra, Lycan Tyrant''s Roar, Lucid Reality and the new abilities he gained after bing a saint Brawler warrior.


    Secretly, he was also using Rathnaar''s core as a source for constant attacks while acting like he was running out of world energy reserves so the opponent would feel that he could kill Atreus as soon as the wolfkin ran out of his strength.


    However¡­ Even with all these skills that decimated the region during their battle as they moved around, the descendant of the Godbeast couldn''t be injured in any sense.


    The defensive abilities were already better than what Cthulhu had. s, Kahn had to limit himself to not use his useful skills to kill the opponent and all he could do was y the part of the front attacker.


    Also, this was apletely different situationpared to when he usually fought mythical rank monsters with his subordinates.


    Normally, they took care of such monsters easily with teamwork but now, Kahn was doing everything on his own while withholding his real strength.


    [Now!]manded Atreus.


    Finally, after opening Hodag''s mouth by catching it off guard¡­


    Whoosh!


    Before Hodag could even react or sense anything, a bright white light suddenly emerged from those high tides of this artificial sea created by Atreus and entered the mythical rank beast''s mouth in a sh.


    Even till this point, Dorian hadn''t engaged in a fight with Hodag in the slightest since the beginning.


    And this was exactly the opportunity Kahn was creating all this time. To forcefully make the enemy unable to move and make this surprise attack, catching this monster off guard as he created a safe passage for hisrade to make thest move when the enemy was taken by surprise and couldn''t use its mind and sense-altering skills.


    Now, it was time for the intermediate 4th stage saint to utilize this opportunity created by Atreus.


    Stab!


    sh!


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, a 500 meter long light elemental sword emerged from inside Hodag''s skull like a divine strike made by a deity, instantly killing this mythical rank monster while thetter''s ck brain matter erupted and spread across a 300 meter radius within the battlefield.


    Dorian used his biggest and most powerful killing to puncture the monster''s brains out from the inside, finishing it without much effort.


    The result was exactly what Atreus anticipated.


    Kahn remembered that the system said that Hodag was weak against only Darkness and Light elemental attacks and the only fragile body parts it had was from inside the figure while the outer body wasparable to an impregnable fortress.


    And since Kahn couldn''t afford to reveal his origins or raise any suspicion, he decided to let Dorian, who had the Light elemental affinitynd the killing strike.


    Unlike how Kahn usually did things¡­ This was the very first time he fought alongside someone else other than his subordinates and cooperated to get the job done.


    ----------------


    Dorian emerged from the fountain of gray blood and ck brain matter, nodding at Atreus and giving an understanding nod.


    He too acknowledged the fact that this single opportunity wouldn''t even be possible if the former hadn''t given his all and fought tirelessly for the past hour against himself.


    [Perhaps he isn''t that bad. He was clearly stronger than he revealed back then but still went easy on her.


    Maybe I need to stop being so immature and picking fights with him.


    Master was indeed right¡­ I have becent and ignorant.] thought Dorian.


    Although he had his pride as a warrior, he wasn''t ignorant in judging people.


    He felt no shame in admitting his immature behavior that stemmed from his inferiority that recently affected his perception of Atreus.


    Right then, 3 rectangr warships colored in green and golden yellow patterns arrived in their range of sight.


    "Let''s go. Our job here is done." spoke Dorian.


    Although Kahn wanted to absorb Hodag''s abilities¡­ Luck wasn''t on his side as thousands of soldiers arrived here and Dorian himself was with him.


    1 Hour Later.


    They arrived back in the city but Atreus had a grim countenance.


    The reason being¡­


    There was another massacre.


    ----------------


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    "What the fuck happened here when we were away?!" mored Atreus as he saw thousands of corpses spread over a widespread ground.


    The blood and detached body parts of all the victims of the previous massacre by Hodagy on the ground.


    In addition, along with all the rescued victims¡­ were the corpses of the native soldiers.


    The newly arrived soldiers in green and golden armor were gathering the corpses while mages prepared powerful spells to incinerate the remaining 20 thousand victims.


    Kahn himself was unable to grasp the situation and couldn''t find a reason why all these people and the soldiers who previously helped rescue the victims were ughtered.


    Whoosh!


    The next second, a group of saints d in epic rank armors appeared in the sky along with Conan Doykle, the white tigerkin saint.


    "Unlucky bastards." he spoke casually, without sparing a nce at the terrified expressions of themoners that were ughtered wantonly.


    BOOM!!


    At this moment, a dark blue aura erupted from the other end of the city.


    Atreus quickly appeared in front of this group of saints, his eyes filled with fury.


    "You¡­ Did you have them all killed to get rid of the witnesses of your failure?!" he questioned while tightly clenching his fists, barely able to control his rage.


    Kahn concluded that unlike how he thought before¡­ they literally wanted to bury this entire matter about how a member of the Hero''s Party fucked up big time and caused the deaths of more than a million innocent citizens.


    "Tch! Why do you care?" asked Conan, his countenance unfazed.


    "You fucking bastard!!" shouted Kahn and summoned the Azure Dragon Fist in the sky, ready to attack the 4th stage saint tigerkin as he lost his control.


    Instead of protecting the people they vowed to serve¡­ Everyone was doing exactly the opposite.


    But due to his moralpass dictating his mind, Kahn just lost his calm even though none of these people were his responsibility or meant anything to him.


    "Stop!"


    Just then, Dorian spoke in a grim voice before Atreus attacked Conan.


    "Atreus! Let him go!


    It wasn''t him who ordered their deaths." he said with an incredulous expression.


    "Then who the fuck did?!" mored Atreus as he nced back at hisrade.


    Dorian''s expression turned heavy and with great indignation, he finally revealed the truth.


    "The Empress."

 Chapter 861 Undeniable Truth

    861 Undeniable Truth


    Atreus hovered in the sky, stupefied and bewildered as Dorian revealed the person who ordered this ughter of the remaining victims and soldiers alike. He quickly concluded that this was done solely to bury the hatchet of this incident and not let a member of the Hero''s Party be the target of scrutiny and public outrage within the Beast Empire.


    "How can this be¡­ Aren''t you all supposed to protect them even at the cost of your lives?


    What wrong did they do other than being victims of tragedy?


    There are even young children and babies among them! Who the fuck kills a newborn child?!" shouted Atreus, thoroughly outraged.


    To his enraged words¡­ Dorian responded in a stern voice.


    "A soldier does not ask questions.


    He doesn''t let his emotions sway him.


    He does not make his judgment and he does not disobey.


    He simply follows the orders no matter what they are or how inhumane or cruel actions we have to take.


    That is thew of the Military." he said with a conflicting mind.


    As soon as Atreus heard those words, he wanted to go on a rampage and absolutely beat the shit out of everyone here. Especially Conan who was the cause of this tragedy.


    BOOM!!


    His murderous aura erupted and he decided to act on his instincts.


    [Control yourself, boy!]


    Right then, Rathnaar spoke to Kahn and brought his mind out of turmoil.


    [Do not mess things up when there are only two months left.


    You revolting in this situation isn''t going to change anything and neither will it bring back the dead.


    Let go of your past life''s morality. Vantrea is not a world where justice exists for the weak.] he spoke in a berating tone, bringing Kahn back to reality.


    "Let''s go. We have to report it to the master." said Dorian.


    Burying his emotions in his heart¡­ Kahn quietly followed before losing control of himself.


    "Tch! What a busybody.


    Who the hell does he think he is to seek justice for the citizens?


    Weaklings and poor are just ants waiting to be squashed." scoffed Conan with a look of scorn.


    Atreus heard those words but did not react as he quietly left.


    Why?


    This was the imperial order. Something cannot be refuted or disregarded.


    If he acted now based on his emotions, he would get into a lot of trouble.


    Besides¡­ What difference would it make?


    Everyone was already dead. There was nothing he could do and neither was it his ce to meddle in this affair.


    He was solely sent here to kill Hodag; not to y the role of some Warrior of Justice.


    ----------------


    Under the dark and serene environment of the night, Atreus and Dorian returned to Aurelius.


    Both of them then met their mentor and reported what happened.


    "Dorian, you may leave. Atreus, you stay." spoke Romulus with an astute countenance.


    Right after Dorian left, he created a barrier and talked with the shadow disciple.


    "You seem aggravated." he said while looking at Kahn''s despondent face.


    "What the hell was that?!" suddenly, Kahn lost his calm and asked.


    To his infuriated expression, the heavenly king replied in a serious voice.


    "Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices for the sake of the empire."


    "Bullshit! This wasn''t done for some greater good.


    It was to bury the ipetence and a huge fuckup by both Conan and the military.


    All those people were massacred just for the sake of burying this mess and not some greater good." retorted Kahn.


    "And you think that the Empress feels no remorse for ordering that massacre?


    Do you think the ruling authorities kill people on a whim?


    Are you aware of the consequences?" asked the Fenrirborne tribe leader.


    "What righteous or justifiable reason could there be to massacre the very people you''ve sworn to protect?" questioned Kahn sarcastically.


    "What do you think will happen if this incident reached the ears of the popce across the empire?


    Do you think it will just end up with some gossip betweenmoners while sharing a drink?


    No¡­ The aftermath will bring great imbnce of authority, riots and bloodshed." he dered with a domineering countenance.


    "To the public, the chosen Hero and the members of his or her party are the epitome of belief and personification of their god''s will.


    Many use that faith to get on with their lives. It''s what gives them a reason for hope and a will to carry on.


    To them¡­ These figureheads are their Salvation." spoke Romulus.


    "Whether it''s the imperial rule, the church or the temple of the gods or goddesses¡­ The hero and their party members are key figures in controlling the masses.


    It''s something that helps thew enforcement, the temple and the military to keep order.


    If this notion is broken¡­ There will be an uprising." he iterated solemnly.


    "And what do you think happens when there''s an uprising?" he questioned with an agitated gaze.


    Kahn on the other end turned silent.


    Obviously, he knew the consequences as he clearly remembered what happened years ago when he masqueraded as Azrael.


    The result always stopped at great bloodshed and countless lives being lost over the conflict of opinions and societal structure.


    "Those who want to use chaos in order to thrive on war will fan the mes till it burns everything and everyone.


    Those who are ambitious will use the public''s outrage to gain things that they couldn''t achieve.


    A skirmish for power and authority is never settled on intellectual conversations in the real world.


    This isn''t some democratic rule where people''s opinions are valued.


    To those who sit at the top¡­ The lives of the citizens are just ''Numbers'' and nothing more." revealed Romulus.


    Even Kahn knew that this was nothing but a harsh truth of the world whether it was Earth or Vantrea.


    "Hence, to avoid further casualties that would be hundreds of times greater than this¡­ The Empress ordered this matter to be buried.


    Kahn suddenly spoke while tightening his fist.


    "I already knew what was to be done when you and Dorian were done killing that monster. Yet I sent you there regardless instead of hiding this fact from you." said the master while intently staring at his disciple.


    "And before you me or lecture me on the bounds of morality¡­ Know that things like this have been happening from all across the world no matter which kingdom or empire it is.


    It wasn''t the first time and it won''t be thest." he stated an undeniable fact.


    "Have you not taught him anything?" Romulus asked Rathnaar.


    Rathnaar then spoke grimly to Kahn.


    "There was a time when I also did that.


    You may call it oppressing the voice of the weak or saying we''re just immoral hypocrites¡­ And it is indeed true from a certain point of view.


    But to maintain the peace and power of the empire¡­ We are often forced to make choices and decisions that will haunt us for a long time.


    One day¡­ you will also be forced into a situation where you will have to make the same decision as us.


    When that dayes, you will understand the plight and the pressure of responsibilities on your should.


    If you want to be a great Leader or a War General¡­ Just remember this one thing." said the peak saint as he revealed the harsh truth.


    "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

 Chapter 862 The Matrix

    862 The Matrix


    Romulus and Rathnaar revealed a different side of cause and effect to Kahn as they made him understand why such a heartless decision was taken for the sake of maintaining peace across the empire.


    But Kahn wasn''t still sold on this. To him, it appeared more like a hypocritical justification to maintain the rule.


    It reflected on how to maintain the status quo and authority, the top echelons would even kill every witness and victim to cover up for their failures.


    As for the innocent people who died¡­ Their lives were just amodity.


    They were expendable and sacrificed not for the greater good but because the top powerhouses of the empire could afford to.


    As Romulus said, they were just a ''number'' and their lives didn''t mean anything more than that to even the Empress of the Empire.


    Why?


    The answer was obvious.


    Because they were weak.


    Kahn was given another harsh reminder that the world he lived in was no better than Earth where weak people and masses governed by a government or an organization were just unimportant and insignificant.


    In another scenario, if all those million citizens had high standing in the society, affected the economy of the empire, held authority in any way, belonged to some powerful ns and tribes or some of them were Saints¡­ would they be treated as sacrificialmbs?


    Conan would have been put on a trial and then executed in front of the whole empire for messing with the powerful people.


    This was just a gradatim method of brainwashing one to get ustomed to such decisions in their journey of power and strength.


    Kahn didn''t know what would he do if one day, he was to be faced with a simr situation or had to make the same decision as the Empress.


    Would he keep silence to avoid bacsh or hold the culprit responsible?


    Whichever decision it was¡­ It was easier said than done when you judged it from a bystander''s viewpoint.


    ----------------


    TWO DAYS LATER.


    The incident at the border of Azn was officially revealed to the popce of the Nadur Empire.


    That a mythical rank monster species named Hodag suddenly emerged after decades of slumber and wantonly massacred an entire city nearby, causing the death of more than a million civilians including the soldiers and other forces stationed across the city.


    And finally, it was a member of Hero''s Party aka Conan Doykle who arrived at the scene as the first response and killed the monster by himself, avenging the innocent victims and putting their souls to rest.


    An empire-wide funeral ceremony was held in remembrance of the victims and broadcasted using thousands of projection artifacts.


    As a reward, Conan was then given the title of Sword of Retribution by the imperial authorities,memorating him as a valiant warrior and engraving his name in the history of the empire.


    Atreus and Dorian also saw this ceremony that was arranged for the public through their fortress.


    No one knew that it was Atreus and Dorian who killed Hodag and avenged the dead.


    Neither of them wanted the credit for it.


    As soldiers¡­ They followed the orders but what irked them the most was the glory, valor and fame received by Conan.


    How ironic it was to see the main perpetrator of the great tragedy being rewarded as the warrior who brought justice to the deceased.


    The Killer was hailed as the Savior.


    "What a fucking joke." spoke Atreus with visible wrath on his face.


    Sigh!


    Dorian sighed but he too had no answer or any remark to make.


    Something like this was his first time. Back when he experienced a simr situation, he too reacted the same way as Atreus but now, he had given up on resisting knowing that no matter what he did¡­ he would never be able to make a difference.


    The normal citizens of the Nadur Empire who held Conan in high regard after the ceremony didn''t know how the Matrix was brainwashing them while hiding the brutal truth.


    That all of their lives mattered little to the ones who were supposed to protect them.


    That every single one of them was just a coteral chess piece that can be discarded for the so-called ''Peace'' as long as it fit the narrative of the system controlling their lives.


    "To think something like this has been happening ever since Heroes were summoned to kill the Demon God¡­" spoke Dorian with an incredulous voice.


    "You''re wrong. Demon God or not¡­ People have always been this way.


    Both Evil and Good have always been the different sides of the same coin.


    What is Evil in your perspective is Good in the eyes of those who are from the opposite side.


    But it doesn''t change the fact that both options are fundamentally simr." spoke Atreus in a gloomy tone.


    "How?" asked Dorian as he gazed at the grand expanse of Aurelius city from the tall walls of their fortress.


    "Whether you kill someone in the name of Greed or Revenge, both sides have one thing inmon." responded Atreus as he folded his arms.


    A chilling gust of wind passed by both the wolfkins and the brawler saint replied with a stern countenance.


    "Self-preservation."


    He just didn''t stop there and exined.


    "You can justify a deplorable action such as massacring innocents for the sake of survival or to maintain peace based on the story you tell yourself inside your mind.


    On the other side, your target or rival will assume that you did it because you coveted what they had or because you were simply a chaotic person who sought after war and bloodshed." he replied.


    "People with power obey neither policy nor principles.


    No one is different. No one is¡­ Neutral." spoke Atreus in a serious tone.


    "Then tell me, shadow disciple¡­ What choice would you have made in such circumstances?


    Would you own up your failures or you''ll bury the incident for the sake of peace like our Empress did?" questioned Dorian as he wanted to see the blue wolfkin''s honest take.


    "I¡­ Do not know. My heart says the first choice while my brain says the second one.


    But in the end¡­ We do it based on self-preservation and convenience. Whether it''s you or me, there''s a harsh truth of reality.


    When you''re forced to make a decision that goes against your ideals but will protect you and everything you have amassed in your life¡­" stated Atreus as he gave an honest opinion about people from his personal experience.


    "Everyone in the world is a Hypocrite."

 Chapter 863 The Conjunction

    In an alternate reality, a strange yet distinctive phenomenon appeared.


    Thump!


    Thump!


    Like the heartbeat of a man upon seeing his crush, a vast area spanning thousands of kilometers vibrated rhythmically, resonating with the endless sky filled with thousands of reflective gateways, each spanning between one to two kilometers and floating in perfect harmony.


    Among them, a few hundred were linked together to form the shape of a hexagonal prism, resembling beehives.


    However, at the center of this realm sat a man with shoulder-length ck hair on a tform exuding a greenish glow. He sat naked in a lotus Buddha stance, with a tranquil and ted expression, radiating peace.


    Hours passed as he meditated in this entrancing world, while an ethereal blue fog coalesced around and got absorbed into his body.


    "Phew! I can never feel content enough no matter how much time I spend inside the Conjunction of Space." spoke the man with a rustic yet authoritative voice.


    He gazed at the thousands of floating gateways that suspended themselves in the vast sky, forming a massive school of fish.


    Through each gateway, he could observe a different reality, or to be precise, apletely different dimension.


    Despite their great numbers, surprisingly not a single one of these gateways led to any ces or regions that were part of Vantrea.


    Nevertheless, the man''sposure was that of devotion as he kept gazing at this unceasingly beautiful dance of dimensions.


    This man was the current Hero of Darkness... Kahn Salvatore.


    ----------------


    Several months ago...


    Upon his initial arrival, Kahn was awestruck by the First Walkers, the supposed best architects and creators of the world and the first civilization of Vantrea,prised of the Primordial Titans, as ryed by both Rathnaar and Vildred.


    Unlike their mindless and wild brethren, the First Walkers were colossal beings bigger than tallest mountains; capable of controlling various elements andws of reality as part of their inherent abilities, unlike how Titans were typically depicted on Earth.


    This ce was entirely surreal, and it should not have been able to exist harmoniously without tearing reality to shreds or copsing in on itself like a ck hole. All the dimensions, which were akin topletely different worlds on their own, even moved through time differently, and yet, they managed to coexist in perfect bnce.


    But why did Kahne to this specific area of the Chamber of Exaltation?


    The reason was straightforward yet subtle.


    Back when Kahnmenced his actual training under Romulus and Vildred, Rathnaar divulged the actual function of the Chamber of Exaltation and revealed the true form of this deity-born creation. Upon Rathnaar bringing Kahn inside the Chamber of Exaltation for the first time, thetter felt a sense of calling from this ce.


    However, he had other priorities and training regimes to follow, so he let go of this mild connection.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As the days went by after Rathnaar taught Kahn how to utilize the Hall of Sentience, the birthce of the Element of Origin, Kahn managed to achieve a 30% Space Law infusion with the Dimensional Domain by consistently feeding it his Space Force daily.


    And for some inexplicable reason, his gradual progression in infusing his Space Law also strengthened his mental connection to this ce, although Kahn could not trace its origin.


    However, only after crossing the 50% Space Law infusion with the Dimensional Domain, did a surge of emotions cloud his mind. It was as if Kahn was connected to this ce via threads of destiny, feeling a strong pressure that was akin to suffocating under an unknown weight that he could not identify.


    But the moment Kahn entered the Conjunction of Space through a well-hidden gateway that even Rathnaar had no knowledge of, a new and different feeling arose in his heart, one that he had never felt before on Earth or in Vantrea.


    It was the emotion of ''belonging''.


    For the first time in the past few years... Kahn felt rxed, carefree, and reborn.


    He felt like he was finally¡­ home.


    ----------------


    After entering the Conjunction of Space, Kahn and hispanions encountered an enigmatic bluish fog of an unknown energy that even Vildred, a sage in thew of magic, could notprehend.


    The origins of this fog were the gateways in the sky which leaked an ethereal energy from their interconnecting points.


    Remarkably, the fog seemed to have a will of its own, as it assimted into Kahn''s body without causing any harm to his physical, mental, or spiritual being.


    Upon researching, Kahn discovered that the bluish fog was referred to as Cosmic Aether, a byproduct of different dimensions and their respectivews blending together to some extent.


    From Vildred''s personal archives and ancient records that he gathered centuries ago before he was imprisoned, it became evident that the only ce where such reserves of Cosmic Aether were found was in the Erdve Empire, also known as the Empire of Space.


    As Kahn absorbed this Cosmic Aether, he felt his control over spacew increasing at a rapid pace. He also recognized that the Cosmic Aether was simr to his Space Force, but denser and more potent, akin to how mana and world energy were interrted.


    However, they were not fundamentally the same either since the Space Force seemed more reclusive and only relevant to Vantrea while Cosmic Aether was a mixture of spacew but from different worlds and realities, unrestricted to a single dimension.


    Most importantly, with every moment spent absorbing this cosmic aether, Kahn felt a transformative process urring within his Dimensional Domain, as if it was evolving into a higher form.


    Finally, Kahn understood why the conjunction was capable of creating a perfect synergy between gateways leading to distinct worlds, a feat that seemed nigh impossible even in Vantrea.


    His previous assumptions were only half-true as heprehended why or how could such a realm exists inside a creation of a deity.


    It was not just a simple construct of the First Walkers; rather, it was either a fragment or a linchpin¡­


    Of the Multiverse.

 Chapter 864 The Linchpin

    What did ''Linchpin of the Multiverse'' mean?


    To put it simply, the Conjunction of Space served as a convergence point for different dimensions and realities, much like how various seas around the globe meet at amon point.


    Supposedly, millions of years ago, the creator of the Chamber of Exaltation, a Deity of unknown identity, managed to capture and relocate one such linchpin or fragments of the multiverse on Vantrea, constructing a separate realm within to hold the conjunction.


    Even Kahn was now curious about the creator''s identity, wondering whether they employed the First Walkers to build the separate realms within the Chamber of Exaltation, such as the Convergence of Reality, Hall of Sentience, and Conjunction of Space, or if the creator itself was one of the First Walkers before bing a deity.


    Many realms within the Chamber of Exaltation remained unexplored, each with its ownws, reality, and elements of nature, surpassing humanprehension.


    But for now, Kahn wished to maximize his gains through the Conjunction of Space.


    ----------------


    After spending time meditating inside the Conjunction of Space, Kahn felt his body bing more adept at sensing and controlling the space around him. It was as if the dozens of kilometers of space around him were an extension of his body, responding to his will.


    Months passed, and Kahn continued to visit the Conjunction of Space daily as part of his study and training in Space Law.


    However, the books he had acquired after killing Solomon Elfenheim were no longer useful, as Kahn''s control over the Space Force underwent a qualitative change. The information he gained as part of his studies proved less and less useful each day.


    To the current version of himself, who had experienced the wonders of this ce and felt exhrated as well as thrilled every time he visited, the knowledge from the books felt¡­ limiting.


    Following the recent event involving the member of the Hero''s Party, who had caused the deaths of a million innocent people yet was now celebrated as a champion of the masses and a source of pride for the empire, Kahn needed to calm his anger and regain focus. He visited the Conjunction of Space again, removing all his clothes to absorb as much cosmic aether as possible.


    As he lost himself in thought while studying the different dimensions, a sudden inspiration struck Kahn, and he entered a trance-like state without even realizing it.


    "Space will always exist regardless of the time in the Space-Time Continuum.


    It will persist whether it is unupied or not whether in the past, present, or future.


    Time is rtive only to beings and objects within space, but not to space itself. It ispletely independent of the linear flow of time, regardless of the world or dimension it upies."


    Kahn had an unconventional thought that struck him suddenly.


    "Even nothingness is space. Even a universe with differentws of reality is still space that allows everything to exist within it." He delved deeper and came to a firm conclusion that shook his previous assumptions of reality.


    "A boulder merely upies space temporarily. One day, it will no longer exist, and the space it upies will be unupied again. Our mistake is measuring space in terms of dimensions such as meters or feet by quantifying them with numerical terms that are only understandable to us." he analyzed his sudden thoughts.


    "But that does not imply that space functions simrly.


    Even the sun, the, and living beings temporarily upy space. Even the air in the atmosphere merely passes through space.


    Ultimately, space is timeless, boundless, dimensionless, and independent of all aspects, the flow of time, elements, andws of reality."


    As the cosmic aether started coating Kahn''s entire body hundreds of times faster than before, his belief in his mind cemented firmly with each passing moment.


    However, before he couldprehend the newfound discovery, the next moment...<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    BOOM!!!


    The entire realm known as Conjunction of Space shook as a pir made of blue cosmic aether burst and shot itself in the center of the sky, and the shockwaves from this explosion spread for thousands of kilometers like soundwaves traveling underwater.


    All the gateways leading to different dimensions also vibrated while exuding gentle waves of energy, as if they were merrily weing this sudden explosion that shook the entire realm.


    And the origin of this explosion was none other than Kahn, whose entire body along with his long hair glowed blue as he floated in the sky. His eyes no longer had an iris and turnedpletely stark white, radiating like the morning sun.


    Kahn was no longer a human¡­ but a being of cosmic aether.


    ----------------


    Several minutes had passed as Kahn remained suspended in the sky with a mesmerized gaze. During this time, his eyes went through a metamorphosis, shing brightly as they disyed various scenes from different dimensions.


    These weren''t just random images or colorful lights, but perfect replicas of the gateways that led to the alternate realities.


    Kahn, now entirelyposed of the blue cosmic aether, regained consciousness.


    He didn''t speak a word, nor did he show any signs of changed behavior, yet he felt like a different person who had just undergone a life-altering experience.


    In a picosecond, he vanished and reappeared at the conjunction, intently gazing at the gateways. However, the hexagonal prism of gateways trembled, as if trying to resist Kahn in his transformed state.


    "I see. I am still not powerful, proficient, or knowledgeable enough in Space Law to break the dimensional barriers." spoke Kahn, interpreting the trembling signal as a sign of his inadequacy.


    In a way, the vibrations from the gateways conveyed some sense of information to Kahn,municating with him through indescribable soundwaves.


    There were no words involved, only a familiar understanding from both ends.


    "I need to master space and dimensions hundreds of times more than I currently have to cross these barriers.


    Otherwise, thews, resonance frequency, gravity, and elements of the respective dimensions will annihte my body and soul the moment I cross these gateways." he continued in a dignified tone.


    Kahn''s physical state now felt as if he had merged with space itself, granting him heightened senses to perceive even the tiniest particles and sounds around him.


    He could even sense someone taking a breath from thousands of kilometers away within this realm.


    "I have be one with the Cosmic Aether after absorbing it for months. Although I cannot generate it on my own yet, I can rely on the conjunction to replenish it," he remarked.


    As he assimted all the newfound knowledge and understanding¡­


    [Congrattions to the host!!] the system quickly sent a notification his Kahn''s mind.


    [3rd Enlightment in Space Law acquired!]

 Chapter 865 Achievement & Milestone

    ''The universe is an immense and uncharted expanse, filled with countless enigmas waiting to be unveiled by those brave enough to explore it.''


    These were the words that Kahn had read in his past life, and now they had be his reality, unfolding right before his very eyes.


    Unwittingly, he had embarked on a journey into the unknown, with the intention of mastering spacew, but instead, he had stumbled upon a fragment of the multiverse.


    As he absorbed the cosmic aether, Kahn achieved his third enlightenment in the field of spacew, undergoing a transformation into apletely different being.


    The system on the other end rified the events that had just transpired.


    [Congrattions to the host for attaining the 3rd enlightenment in spacew through the highest form of transmutation and self-analysis.


    As a result, the host has unlocked the following features and benefits:


    The spacew infusion with the dimensional domain is now increased to 63%.


    Congrattions to the host!


    The second form of the dimensional domain has been unlocked!


    The host may now create or infuse new battle and magic skills, abilities, and elements of reality that will be effective in the second form only after it is fully developed.] informed the system.


    The influx of information continued as the system announced yet another achievement by Kahn.


    [Congrattions to the host for unlocking a Legendary Rank ss!


    The host has invoked the Void Sentinel ss.] dered the system.


    [The following were the effects and abilities of the Void Sentinel ss:


    1. The host can now open multiple Dimensional Void cracks simultaneously at will. These void cracks will be interconnected like tunnels, allowing the host to exercise an unprecedented level of dimensional control.


    You can enter through any crack and exit from any other end, regardless of their direction, distance or location.


    Current range : 10 kilometer radius from the host''s location.


    ----------------


    2. The host can now use the cosmic aether, a byproduct of dimensional synergy, to encapste and bring any entity other than himself into the true dimension without forming any physical contact.


    As long as the host willingly provides them with cosmic aether, the entity will not be harmed by thews of the true dimension. The current limit for amodating a living being inside the true dimension, based on the host''s cosmic aether reserves, is 10 days.


    Note: The time limit will be halved if the host brings more than one individual. The same case will be applied based on the number of additional entries.


    ----------------


    3. The host can also create replicas of himself using cosmic aether. These replicas or doppelgangers will have the exact same soul signature, elemental aura, and saint pressure as the host.


    Currently, the host can create up to 5 cosmic replicas, each possessing the same fighting skills, magical spells, ability to cast barriers, and magic formations as the host.


    They can also use the Dimensional Cut skill on their own.


    Note: The host is advised to periodically replenish his cosmic aether reserves and increase its potency to enhance its effects further. The quantity of the cosmic energy reserves will increase with the host''s rank as a Saint.] the system finished the report.


    Despite the astounding report from the system, Kahn only revealed a light smirk as he received the news.


    For the first time since arriving in Vantrea, he had invoked a proper ss that he never had in the past six years.


    This was no longer a ''Jobless Reincarnation'' in an isekai world.


    ----------------<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With his newfound Legendary ss named Void Sentinel, Kahn could now create multiple doppelgangers and open more than one dimensional void at the same time, a feat that was impossible before he gained the 3rd enlightenment in Space Law.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Five more versions of Kahn appeared, their bodies made of the blue cosmic aether, each exuding the same amount of saint pressure of a legitimate 5th-stage saint.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Over a dozen void cracks appeared within a 10 kilometer radius, and all the doppelgangers quickly entered them in a nanosecond.


    Momentster, everyone reappeared through different cracks, some of them entering through the closest cracks but exited through the farthest ones, all in just a couple of seconds.


    This demonstrated how greatly Kahn''s control over the spacew had excelledpared to before.


    Kahn''s new Legendary ss, the Void Sentinel, gave him a wide range of possibilities.


    With the ability to create multiple doppelgangers and open multiple dimensional voids simultaneously, he could now face multiple saints at once with ease. The 5 blue aether doppelgangers around him, each exuding the same amount of saint pressure as a legitimate 5th-stage saint, were no longer just useful to confuse opponents but also create an illusion that several legitimate 5th-stage saints were fighting with them.


    Kahn was pleased with his newfound power. This ability would be a valuable asset in his arsenal whether he needed to attack his enemies, save his allies, or make a quick escape.


    Even a 8th-stage saint would be deceived by his doppelgangers.


    What added to the legendary ss was that he could easily swap between his doppelgangers and use multiple routes to attack using the void cracks.


    Before, his doppelgangers were only effective against opponents on the same or lower level than him. But now, he could use them to deceive even the strongest of opponents. His control over the spacew had greatly excelledpared to before. The multiple void cracks within a 10-kilometer radius showed the full extent of his power. Kahn had yet to explore the full extent of his abilities, but it was clear that this Legendary ss would prove to be a game-changer.


    Furthermore, he had the option to remain in the True Dimension and let his doppelgangers fight his enemies, adding to his already diverse array of tactics. This strategy was just as effective as using his Dimensional Shift ability to protect his vital organs by sending them into the True Dimension.


    The Void Sentinel ss proved to be the perfectplement to his Dimensional Law divine ability, as if they were designed to work together.


    The advantages of this newfound ss did not end there.


    Kahn could now transport another living being into the true dimension without any physical contact, which was particrly important to him. With this ability, he could bring Vildred into the true dimension, where they could rx while one of his cosmic replicas acted as the real Kahn in the physical world.


    To sum it up, Kahn''s recent achievements, including his attainment of the 2nd form of Dimensional Domain, his new legendary Void Sentinel ss, and his ability to use cosmic aether to bring others into the true dimension, were all significant milestones.


    ----------------


    At this moment, in an unknown ne of existence that resembled an endless gxy, an ethereal beingposed of billions of stars and hundreds ofs as part of its body awakened.


    The entirety of this being''s intangible existence seemed like a convergence point of different universes and realities, as if all these worlds, along with all the living and sentient beings within them, were part of it.


    "How intriguing... It is the first time that a hero of another God has achieved the 3rd enlightenment in Space Law.


    And this Hero is from the same world as him." spoke the transcendent entity.


    Even its words caused the destruction of hundreds ofs surrounding it, eachrger than Earth, turning them into tiny granules in mere moments.


    "If he manages to attain the 4th enlightenment in the Space Law..."


    The curiosity on the entity''s face remained, as it spoke with an anticipatory tone.


    "I will meet him."

 Chapter 866 The Tribe

    Upon exiting the Chamber of Exaltation, Kahn''s body reverted to its human form, having shed its cosmic aether state. Taking a moment to gather himself, he turned to the system andmanded¡­


    "Calibrate and disy my current stats and bloodlines."


    [Following are the current statistics of the host :


    Name : Kahn Salvatore (Host)


    Titles : Hero of Darkness, Apostle of War Deity, Apostle of cksmithing.


    Species : Human


    ss : Void Sentinel (Legendary Rank)


    Sub-ss : Schr Magician (Saint Rank), Arcane Enchanter (Saint Rank), Master cksmith (Saint Rank).


    Enlightenments : 3rd enlightenment in Space Law, 2nd enlightenment in Law of Magic, 2nd enlightenment in Law of cksmithing.


    Rank : Fifth Stage Saint Rank


    Level : 611


    Strength : 412994


    Agility : 405029


    Dexterity : 336351


    Defense : 319698


    Mana : 440737


    World Energy Reserve Capacity : 52.3%


    ----------------


    Following are the most prominent and powerful bloodlines acquired by the host :


    Metamorphosis Bloodline : 100% (Mythical Rank)


    Vilgax Bloodline : 100%


    Basilisk Bloodline : 80%


    Primordial Titan Bloodline : 56%


    Draconian Bloodline : 55%


    Fenrir Bloodline : 55%


    True Demon Bloodline : 46%


    Godbeast Behemoth Bloodline : 32% (Acquired from Invimarak)


    Edenmir Bloodline : 32% (Acquired from Ashokvatika).] reported the system in a lifeless tone.


    "Not bad." Kahn mused, his countenance thoughtful.


    "This progress is much weedpared to the times when I was on my own, clueless about what to study and how to perfect my magic skills andbat techniques. Even my Space Law control should beparable to only a handful of people in this world."


    Deciding to forgo listing his various abilities for the time being - a task that would take days and dozens of chapters toplete - Kahn instead informed Rathnaar and Vildred of his recent ascension, which left them suitably surprised.


    Just then, amand echoed in Kahn''s mind.


    A tyrannical and soul-shivering voice resounded in his head.


    [Come to the main tribe council hall.]


    Without dy, Kahn assumed the persona of Atreus Betor, a 3-meter-tall Water/Ice elemental Fenrirborne.


    Whoosh!


    In the blink of an eye, he appeared in the main hall and knelt before his master, Romulus Lykaios. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Several n Leaders and Tribe Elders of the Fenrirborne Tribe sat on both ends of the hall, arranged ording to their hierarchy and authority within the tribe.


    "Atreus, I have another task for you. I wouldn''t have asked you to do it if Dorian were avable at the moment." spoke the crimson-red wolfkin, whose fiery mane made of blistering mes fluttered steadily in the air.


    "You need not ask, my master. Whatever youmand, I shall deliver upon it." replied Atreus, keeping his head down.


    The n leaders and tribe elders collectively smiled at Atreus'' response.


    They were pleased to see the Shadow Disciple of the Tribe Leader being so obedient and devoted to the tribe, expressing toplete the job without even questioning the nature of the task.


    To them, it was a testament to Atreus'' devotion to the tribe and respect for the hierarchy.


    "Ivaar has encountered some... ''altercations'' on the mission assigned to us by the imperial rule. And since none of the n leaders, tribe elders, or myself are allowed to intervene as per thews of the empire... the responsibility now rests on your shoulders."manded one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Nadur Empire.


    "Usually, a Shadow Disciple is exempt from participating in these matters due to the nature of your position in the tribe.


    However, it reflects poorly on our tribe''s prestige if our warriors fail their missions. This is why I must ask you to quickly leave and assist Ivaar in resolving this issue." he iterated calmly.


    "And it should also be an excellent opportunity for you to stretch your muscles and solidify the recent results of your training." dered Romulus in a domineering tone.


    Atreus, aka Kahn, grinned slightly at the hidden message from his master. On the surface, it was an irrefutable decree from the Tribe Leader. But in reality, his master had given him an opportunity to test the newbat techniques he had been taught.


    "I shall return with victory and add to the glory of our Fenrirborne Tribe''s prestige." replied Atreus with a vehement tone.


    To everyone present, he appeared to be a true devotee of the tribe, despite not being born or raised in it. To them, this form of loyalty was an admirable quality since the pack of wolves worked harmoniously based on hierarchical position and discipline among its members.


    Soon, a flying golden orb with thin wings came to a stop in the blue wolfkin''s right palm.


    "Coordinates and objectives," spoke Romulus, and Atreus nodded in response, understanding what he had to do.


    In a sh, Atreus disappeared, leaving Aurelius city in a hurry toplete his mission.


    ----------------


    A couple of minutes after Atreus left, one of the tribe elders, a 4th stage halberd warrior saint, spoke up in a dignified tone.


    "Tribe leaders, if I may be honest, I had my misgivings when you brought this unknown warrior to our home and dered him as your shadow disciple." said the yellow-furred wolfkin in silver armor.


    "Back then, I thought it was only because Atreus was a prodigy with our tribe''s bloodline that you chose him topete in the Elysium Tribal Tourney."


    Each individual present in the hall was a saint and had lived for more than two centuries. Some were even older than Romulus himself, but theirw only respected the strongest.


    "But seeing his veneration towards the tribe... I no longer see a reason not to like him." the elder spoke, nodding in approval.


    In the following moments, a female turquoise-furred n leader, a saint archer, voiced her opinion...


    "I too agree with that statement. To be honest, many of us were worried that we might not have a great genius in the future years of the tribe.


    But given the aura and presence Atreus gives off, he definitely has more Fenrir bloodline purity than all of us. I think he might even surpass you in the future." she stated.


    Many nodded in agreement and began expressing their opinions.


    "If Atreus does win the tourney, I will fully support the decision to make him the Tribe Leader''s sessor." said one of the oldest tribe elders.


    The same sentiment was echoed by many individuals, who also affirmed their unwavering support for the cause.


    At a certain point in time, all of the n leaders were once pupils of the former tribe leader, while the tribe elders themselves had also previously held the mantle of n leaders.


    Thetter group made a conscious decision to relinquish their positions in order to serve the best interests of the entire tribe.


    The elderly members, with a wealth of experience and knowledge, deeply cherished and understood the importance of preserving their tribe''s traditions, culture, heritage, and overall well-being.


    Thus, a potential candidate who could safeguard the tribe''s future was more than just a mere shadow disciple who might perish in a tournament.


    However, only Romulus was privy to the truth¡­ that irrespective of everyone else''s desires, his shadow disciple was destined for a path already paved for him.


    His identity was so crucial that could it either revolutionize the world for the better¡­


    Or cause its downfall.

 Chapter 867 The Altercation

    6 Hours Later¡­


    BOOM!!


    As the peaceful atmosphere filled with clear clouds was shattered by a deafening sonic boom, a brilliant blue beam of light suddenly appeared in the sky, tearing across it at a blistering pace that seemed almost faster than the speed of light itself.


    Kahn had a mission to fulfill... To assist Ivaar in purging a radical group of saints who were agitating against imperial rule and seeking to spark a revolution.


    Although in many ways, Kahn''s own moralpass usually aligned with this cause, having once taken a stand for the oppressed and excluded people of society back in the Rakos Empire, he knew that supporting any notions of revolution required a deeper understanding of the situation than merely following his instincts.


    Kahn''s mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation. He knew that violence and chaos could not be the answer, even if he sympathized with those who sought change. His own experiences in the Rakos Empire had taught him that.


    The Nadur Empire was a ce where thew of the jungle prevailed. The strongest would alwayse out on top, reaping the biggest rewards while the weak were left to pick up the scraps.


    Yet in contrast... there was no oppression or discrimination based on ethnicity, race, or species. Rather, everyone had the right to fight for their ce in society; whether it was a job in the administration, a business opportunity, a position in the military, or even a ce in the imperial court.


    The Beast Empire was a meritocracy that had no room for favoritism or partiality. This had been the bedrock of their culture since the empire''s inception.


    Given this context, Kahn was perplexed as to why there was a call for a revolution. What could be the cause behind this uprising? He sought to understand the motivations of the radical group that Ivaar was seeking to eliminate.


    Kahn knew that revolutions were never easy, and that taking a stand against the established order could have serious consequences for both the guilty and the innocent.


    ----------------


    As Kahn''s Atreus persona entered the region of Kunlun, he marveled at the vast and mountainousndscape that spanned for several hundred kilometers in all four directions. The people who lived in thesends had their daily lives built around the professions offered by the region, such as agriculture and medicine production.


    In the empire''s history, Kunlun was known as the Divine Mountain Range, as it was once the home of the Godbeast Basilisk for a few centuries.


    After the Basilisk moved on to another domain, the empire''s forces decided to cultivate thend and noticed a unique urrence¡­


    Thends were enriched in every sense, with fertile soil, nourishing water flowing in the rivers, mountains filled with rare ores and minerals, and trees thriving with lush greenery.


    The biggest change was the amount of World Energy condensed in thesendspared to other regions across the Nadur Empire as if the Godbeast Basilisk still lived here.


    As a result of this enrichment, Kunlun was given significant importance in the empire''s cultural history since Godbeasts were considered the next spiritually and religiously significant things after their Gods and Demi-Gods to the beastkin races.


    The region was held in high esteem and considered sacred ground by many, leading to a decree by the first Emperor of the Beast Empire stating that no major n set their roots here and harvest the natural resources in abundance.


    Thus, also prohibiting Saints from entering thesends as their battle prowess might destroy the region in many ways.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As he traversed through these Lands, even Kahn couldn''t help but feel a sense of awe at the natural beauty and sheer abundance of World Energy in the environment surrounding him.


    ----------------


    After a dozen minutes had passed, Atreus finally arrived at the main operation base, which was strategically located close to a magnificent temple dedicated to Termeszet, the God of Nature.


    The base itself was an impressive structure, stretching for ten kilometers and boasting the capacity to house an army of fifty thousand well-trained soldiers. Standing guard in different locations were three warships that towered over the base like the Eiffel Tower.


    As soon as he arrived, Atreus was greeted by a group of semi-saints who had been waiting for him. Without dy, they led him through the base, their steps echoing on the steel floors. After a brief journey, they arrived at the war room, which was situated in the tallest and most secure military fort.


    In the war room, Atreus finally came face to face with Ivaar Banev, one of his master''s disciples and a formidable wood elemental assassin.


    Atreus recalled theirst encounter, where he had defeated Ivaar and the other three disciples of Romulus in a 1 vs 4 battle. Despite their shared history, they hadn''t exchanged a single word since that fight.


    As they settled into the war room, dozens of people began to report on the events of the past 3 days and how the situation had escted to its current state.


    Three days ago, a radical group of saints had organized a siege on Kunlun''s four main entry regions, which had nearly caused a massacre. However, the cities were surrounded by powerful protective barriers and legendary rank magic formations that prevented the saints from entering.


    The next day, the imperial rule sent a decree to the Fenrirborne n as part of their customs. Since Atreus and Dorian, the two strongest disciples of the Heavenly King were tasked with fighting a mythical rank monster named Hodag¡­ Ivaar had been dispatched to help quell the uprising of radical extremists.


    But the situation had taken an unexpected turn when a massive and deadly monster tide descended upon the borders from multiple directions, with millions of creatures bearing down on them.


    The soldiers of thesends were well-prepared and able to hold off the monster tides on various fronts. However, whenever Ivaar attempted to eradicate the monster tides using his wood elemental abilities and his status as a 2nd stage saint, one of the radical saints would attack the other fronts, creating openings for the monster tides to break through. As a result, the city walls were decimated, and thousands of soldiers were killed.


    The protective formations that surrounded the city were designed to prevent any saint from entering unless they possessed the imperial token.


    In this case, the golden orb with wings that Romulus had given to Kahn served as one of these tokens that also provided him with objectives and coordinates.


    As the day went by, the magic formations began to lose their effectiveness, and it became clear that many of them would soon be unable to stop the radical saints from entering. It was only a matter of time before the city was overrun and the people within were subjected to brutal ughter.


    The situation seemed like it could still be salvaged if they could just hold off the monster tides until reinforcements arrived.


    However, the real issue at hand was the temporarymander of the Kunlun forces¡­


    Ivaar Banev.

 Chapter 868 The Psycho

    Atreus heard about what happened with Ivaar Banev, who was supposed to lead the defense of the region. Despite no one openly expressing dissatisfaction with his approach, Atreus could read between the lines and sense that something was amiss.


    As he listened to all the reports, he could not help but reveal a slightly irritated countenance.


    The story went like this¡­


    Instead of leading his troops and ensuring the safety of the innocent civilians within the cities on all 4 fronts, Ivaar chose to frantically fight with the rebel saints, leaving the regr soldiers to fend off the never-ending onught of monsters.


    Despite the immense firepower of the Warships, the military forces were unable to fully rid the walls of the attacking creatures.


    Unfortunately, Ivaar''s actions proved to be a significant liability for the Kunlun forces.


    As the representative of the Fenrirborne tribe, his misguided actions and reckless behavior could also tarnish the reputation of his people and cause further damage to the already dire situation.


    It was for this reason that the Tribe Leader and Council members sent Kahn, also known as Atreus, to take control of the situation and clean up Ivaar''s mess.


    "So the rebel saints brought the monster tides?" questioned Atreus.


    "Yes, Lord Betor. Our scouts have confirmed that one of them possesses the ability to control the minds of the monsters native to the Kunlun borders." responded one of the officers with the head of an elk.


    "What is it that they hope to achieve?


    If their goal is to fight against the imperial rule, why involve innocent civilians in their so-called revolution?" he too found the situation odd.


    Ivaar, with a sarcastic tone, interjected and spoke¡­


    "Isn''t it obvious? What do they gain from attacking Kunlun of all ces in the empire?"


    Atreus furrowed his brow, quickly running through all possible scenarios in his head.


    Suddenly, it dawned on him, and his expression became constricted as he came to a realization.


    Atreus instantly understood the rebels'' motive, which would not be apparent to those who did not appreciate the core values and history of their own civilizations.


    What was the best subtle yet devastating tactic that could shatter the pride and sanctity of an entire nation in a single blow?


    The answer was simple¡­


    By destroying the cultural and religious monuments.


    ----------------


    After concluding the main objective of the rebel saints and their forces¡­ Atreus was slightly worried.


    Kunlun was the equivalent of the Vatican City in terms of its monumental value on earth. And at the heart of it all, the Temple of Termeszet was no less important than the Notre-Dame for the Nadur Empire.


    Once, this sacrednd was protected by an array of saints, but given the scarcity of saints in the Nadur Empire that was asrge as the Asian continent; the decision was practical, but it left Kunlun vulnerable.


    No one could have anticipated that a group of rebel saints would attack the holiest ce in the empire, putting the lives of 80 million people at risk merely to make a statement against imperial rule.


    If their objective were to be achieved, even the Empress and the Heavenly Kings would bepelled to intervene.


    Atreus shook his head in disbelief.


    "It''s as if these rebels have a death wish or something."


    ----------------


    "We need to act swiftly and with precision if we''re going to eliminate this threat once and for all." dered the brawler saint,ying out a strategy for everyone in the war room to hear.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "From this moment on, all of you will follow mymand to the letter. We can''t afford any missteps or deviations if we''re going to seed."


    Once the n and chain ofmand had been established, the team members quickly dispersed to their designated stations, ready to follow Atreus''s orders.


    But there was a sense of unease among them, as the n seemed straightforward andcking inplexity.


    Nevertheless, they knew they had to trust their new war general and carry out their duties with diligence. They could only hope that Atreus wouldn''t make the same mistakes as Ivaar, who had cost them dearly in the past.


    Meanwhile, Atreus had Vidred cast a legendary Istion barrier, so powerful that not even Ivaar would be able to detect it. With this barrier in ce, they could carry out their chat without fear of interference or detection.


    "Why did you feel the need to act on your radical impulses, instead of waiting for the Imperial Guards or the Hero''s Party to arrive?" asked Atreus, his voice heavy with disappointment and frustration.


    Ivaar chuckled, a devilish smirk ying on his lips.


    "Why, you ask?" he said, his tone mocking.


    "Because waiting around for someone else to do the job is boring. I wanted to spice things up a bit."


    Atreus was left speechless, struggling toprehend Ivaar''s twisted logic.


    "You were sent here to quell the uprising, not to endanger innocent civilians or put our own soldiers at risk." he retorted, his voiceced with anger.


    Ivaar shrugged nonchntly.


    "The mission assigned to me by the tribe only mentioned purging the uprising.


    It said nothing about protecting the people or the cities on the border." he said shamelessly.


    "And besides, if I could kill whoever was controlling those monster tides, that would be killing two birds with one stone.


    Can you me me for trying?"


    Even Atreus couldn''t deny the logic in Ivaar''s reasoning.


    If he seeded in killing the mastermind behind the monster tides, it would solve the problem at its root and bring glory to his tribe.


    But as a militarymander, Atreus knew that Ivaar''s actions had put the lives of his subordinates at risk.


    "Your strategy may be logical, but as a leader, you abandoned your troops to fend for themselves." Atreus pointed out, struggling to contain his anger.


    "A military force cannot function without a proper chain ofmand and clear orders in the face of an enemy attack. If any of those entry points had fallen in the past three days, the rebels and their saints would have breached Kunlun and massacred millions of innocent people." he shook his head in disappointment.


    "As a saint of the empire, it is your duty to protect and serve the people. You should have considered the welfare of those under your leadership before acting on your impulses." Atreus continued, his voice firm and unwavering.


    "As a leader, it is your duty to protect both your subordinates and the civilians under your jurisdiction. A leader who values only his own goals and disregards the lives of others is no different than a rabid dog drunk on power and authority.


    Do not treat people''s lives so lightly, even if you are not directly responsible for their protection."


    "Believe me, I have made impulsive decisions myself. And the price was paid in the blood of those who didn''t deserve to die.


    The guilt of my mistakes still weighs down on me to this day." he spoke from memory.


    Regardless of how far he hade, Kahn never shirked away the fact that he too had blood on his hands whether he intended or not.


    Yet to hisints and advice, Ivaar revealed a smug grin and spoke in a carefree tone¡­


    "Not my problem."

 Chapter 869 Attack By Stratagem

    An eerie silence descended like a pin dropping as Ivaar seemed to disregard the weight of responsibility that came with his position as a militarymander. His actions also appeared to show ack of consideration for the millions of lives at stake.


    "Maybe I''m a rabid dog then. I just don''t care as long as I enjoy the fight and killing."


    [Ah, this bastard. Why do all the saints I meet have some screw loose?] heined to himself with an exasperated countenance.


    As much as he wanted to beat some sense into Ivaar, he knew about thetter''s history.


    Before Romulus was scouted by the previous Fenrirborne Tribe Leader and turned into his Shadow Disciple, the previous tribe leader''s younger sister was wed to the n leader of the Banev n. Both of them were none other than Ivaar''s parents, and he was the sole heir.


    Moreover, Ivaar was also rted to Prisci Lykaios, his master''s wife as they were cousins.


    While thew was supposed to be equal for everyone, given Ivaar''s background and since he was a saint of the younger generation, Romulus had no choice but to take him in as his disciple because of the tribe''s customs, much like how he had epted his other disciples.


    However, Ivaar''s privileged status had given him a sense of entitlement, and he always did whatever he pleased, unlike others who were working hard to be the Official Disciple and eventually the Tribe Leader.


    Based on what Romulus had told Kahn about Ivaar, the assassin had an Impulsive Personality Disorder. This disorder made him impulsive, reckless, and prone to acting without thinking things through.


    It was no wonder that he had such a carefree attitude towards fighting and killing. For Ivaar, it wasn''t about justice or the greater good and neither was it about duty or responsibility.


    For a psycho like him, it was all about the thrill of the fight and the satisfaction of taking down his enemies.


    "I see." replied Atreus coolly, undeterred by Ivaar''s smug demeanor.


    "But I have different orders, and they don''t require me toplete the mission with your help."


    As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden, deafening thud echoed through the air.


    Ivaar dropped to the ground, convulsing uncontrobly as a bolt of lightning zapped him out of nowhere.


    A few momentster, the Lightning Dragon Emperor aka Vildred Mortelix emerged from his invisible barrier, having carried out Kahn''s orders with brutal efficiency.


    "Did you kill him?" asked Kahn as Ivaary frothing on the ground, his fur singed and smoking.


    "Kill him? That lightning bolt was barely enough to destroy a mountain. He''s a saint, he''ll live." replied the sage nonchntly.


    Kahn on the other end, spoke while heaving a helpless sigh¡­


    "This is why I do group projects alone."


    ----------------


    The very next morning, the rebel forces,prising of over 40,000 warriors apanied by a saint on all four sides,unched an attack on the region.


    The assault was like a swarming tide of mindless monsters of varying species, shapes, and sizes, creating chaos and destruction wherever they went.


    One after another, the semi-saint captains informed Atreus of the invaders'' arrival. Unlike before, the enemy forces attacked all at once, realizing that the previously formed defensive positions would not hold for long.


    With entry points at least 100 kilometers apart on opposite ends of the battlefield, the rebels utilized the ensuing chaos to their advantage, invading Kunlun from all directions.


    Despite Ivaar''s abilities as a saint, he could not be present everywhere at once. Moreover, since all the saints were at the 2nd stage like him, it was almost certain that the rebel forces would emerge victorious.


    However, little did they know that the War General had been reced overnight, and he had his own set of strategies that he nned to implement.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Atreus, having undergone extensive training under Romulus, had learned about the intricacies of warfare on multiple fronts. This knowledge would prove invaluable in the battle ahead, as the rebel forces were now attacking from various directions.


    The change in leadership had given the Kunlun army an edge, and Atreus was determined to use his newly acquired skills to defeat the enemy.


    ''The highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy''s ns; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy''s forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy''s army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.''


    This lesson in warfare was highly relevant in the current situation. The enemy had already revealed their tactics, which showed their arrogance.


    Now, the only viable approach was to attack their armies in the field. Besieging walled cities was deemed a poor strategy, as it could lead to a singr battle approach, leaving no room for tactics or maneuvers.


    The rebels had been guilty of doing precisely that, making it easier for Kahn to devise a counter-attack strategy. As a war general, he was tasked with defending the walls under siege, but that did not mean he was out of options for attacking the enemy.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Themunication artifacts blinked and Atreus heard the reports of onught by the rebel forces and the monster army.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    Atreus took to the skies and flew towards one of the locations that were currently under siege. As he soared through the air, he saw a sea of rebels dressed in ck and red attire, with a swastika sign on their arms, reminiscent of some heretic tribe.


    Atreus gazed down at the aerial army of rebels on warships and flying monsters, attacking the defense barriers with their long-range skills while the monster army weakened the barriers from the ground.


    He had already activated the Hunter''s Domain, which allowed him to locate the saint hiding among the troops, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.


    Despite the looming danger, Atreus remainedposed and showed no sign of concern. He knew that the battlefield was unpredictable, and he had to be prepared for any eventuality.


    Tremble!


    Tremble!


    The ground trembled as a massive wall of crystalized ice, 200 meters thick, rose from the ground, repelling the monster army attacking the city walls. However, this was no ordinary wall of ice. It was made of Permafrost, the baddest and meanest kind of ice.


    As hundreds of monsters attempted to climb the walls, they were met with bone-biting chills, freezing them instantly. The permafrost walls rose up to 10 meters high, making it impossible for the monsters to breach them.


    However, the enemy forces continued to attack the walls with magical spells and other techniques. Despite their incredible durability, the permafrost walls started to thaw, and the surrounding half-kilometer region became a slurry of mud. Thousands of monsters on the ground began turning into ice sculptures due to the freezing temperatures of the thawing ice.


    Despite the destruction caused by the thawing walls, they remained an effective defense mechanism, forcing the enemy forces to rethink their tactics and strategies.


    Kahn''s mastery of the water and ice elements was on full disy, as he unleashed his power against the invading monster army. Even the normal ice he created was elevated to the level of permafrost, which caused an icy blizzard and brought the temperature below -40 degrees Celsius in just a matter of seconds. This incredible feat deterred millions of monsters from ceaselessly attacking the walls and allowed the defenders to catch their breath.


    Atreus knew that the biggest shoring on their side was theck of saints, who couldn''t be present everywhere to face the enemies on all sides. However, with Kahn''s leadership and battle tactics, they stood a chance against the enemy forces.


    Kahn had a clear n - he did not intend to lose a single soldier, and he wished to lead by example.


    He remembered an outstanding, yet incredibly challenging battle tactic that he had learned during his training under Romulus...


    ''With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will beplete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.''

 Chapter 870 Testing Ground

    Back when Kahn as Atreus was in the war room, discussing his ns with his fellow soldiers and officials, he knew that his strategy was not particrlyplex or groundbreaking.


    It was a simple n, relying on his own mastery of thetestbat techniques to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.


    But despite its simplicity, Kahn''s n was devastatingly effective. With lightning-fast reflexes and incredible strength, he was able to take out entire hordes of monsters with ease, his blowsnding with deadly uracy.


    RUMBLE!!


    Suddenly, there was a deafening bang that shook the ground beneath their feet. Everyone in the war room looked outside to see a massive Azure Dragon Fist descending from the sky, obliterating every monster in a 2-kilometer radius.


    WAR DOMINANCE!


    It had been almost a year since Atreus had arrived in the Beast Empire, and he knew that the time hade to unleash one of his most powerful blessings - War Dominance.


    With a fierce determination in his eyes, Atreus activated the blessing, and the ground beneath him began to shake as a massive shockwave emanated from his body. In an instant, all of the monsters on the ground, as well as the aerial forces and battleships in the sky, were decimated.


    Warriors on the ships were sent tumbling to their deaths as the vessels themselves were torn apart by the sheer force of Atreus'' saint pressure.


    The once-chaotic battlefield was now eerily silent, the only sounds being the moans of the wounded and dying. Atreus stood amidst the carnage, his body still pulsing with the residual energy of his devastating attack.


    Even so, this was not even a proper attack, just him leaking out his aura of a 5th-stage saint.


    RUMBLE!


    RUMBLE!


    As the rain poured down in torrents, Atreus began to focus his mind, tapping into the power of the Waterde Hurricane, a Legendary Rank skill he had acquired from Cthulhu. In mere seconds, the sky turned dark and the clouds roiled overhead, lightning shing and thunder booming in the distance.


    With a fierce cry, Atreus unleashed the full force of the Waterde Hurricane, creating a massive domain that stretched for five kilometers in every direction.


    The domain was nowpletely under Atreus'' control, and he knew that he could use it to devastating effect against his enemies. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of water des shing through the air, cutting down any monsters that had survived his previous attack.


    Atreus was now like a god of the storm, his power absolute and his enemies left cowering in fear.


    "Impossible! Even for a saint...that level of control is unprecedented.


    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® Wait, the information said Lord Atreus is only a 4th stage saint.


    But why does this feel like a domain of a 5th-stage saint?" the semi-saint captain''s face was full of disbelief as he watched unparalleled control of the water element and spoke with awe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the battlefield, the atmosphere was quickly filled with agony and screams of the rebels as Kahn''s millions of waterdes rained down on them. Each de was made of highlypressed water, simr to a water jet used to cut metal sheets. Despite the hundreds of magic barriers erected by the enemy, the barrage of waterdes cut through them like a hot knife through butter,pletely unopposed.


    Atreus looked around at the battlefield, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene of destruction and chaos.


    "What I''m about to do¡­ I don''t think I can have witnesses." he said quietly, his voice filled with determination.


    Without hesitation, he began to cast a legendary rank magic formation that he had been preparing since the moment he arrived on the battlefield. As he chanted the incantation, brilliant and dazzling blue lights erupted from his body, illuminating the area around him.


    At the same time, the 10-kilometer-long city walls behind him were instantly covered by a barrier that thickened with every passing moment.


    This was the Reality Separation spell, a powerful magic taught to Kahn by Vildred himself.


    With this spell, Atreus could not only create an istion barrier, but also block all sorts of views, the flow of sound, vibrations, light, and aura of living beings. In other words, the region behind the barrier would bepletely cut off from the outside world, unable to see or sense anything about the ongoing battle between Atreus and the rebels.


    However, the battle was far from over. Despite the barrier separating Atreus from the rebels, the effects of his skill were still felt.


    As Atreus watched, all of the rebels and monsters that had been struck down by the attack began to twitch and foam at the mouth, paralyzed by the potent Neurotoxin Venom, another one of his abilities, mixed in with the water falling from the clouds.


    In uing moments, a figure suddenly appeared in the midst of the paralyzed rebels.


    It was a tall and burly warrior with the head of a lion, his muscles bulging with power.


    "Oh, you have finally decided to show up, NPC no.1." Atreus said casually, a small smile ying at the corners of his mouth as he looked at the saint who was in charge of these troops.


    "I was getting worried that I might have killed you along with these cockroaches."


    This was all part of his grand strategy, as Kahn resolved to separate the strong yers from the rest of the mobs first. He knew that the key to winning a war was to eliminate the toughest opponents first, and he was determined to do just that.


    As thousands of people and monsters fell to his ruthless waterdes, Kahn didn''t even bat an eye.


    He knew that as a War General, he couldn''t afford to show any mercy to his enemies, even if it meant taking the innocent lives of those who were simply following orders or fighting for a cause they were deceived into believing.


    Because if he did show any signs ofpassion, it woulde at a great cost - the lives of his own soldiers and the citizens he was supposed to protect. This was the cold and harsh reality of war, and Kahn understood it all too well.


    He knew that to win this war, he had to be ruthless and upromising, and that was exactly what he did.

 Chapter 871 Display Of Power

    Kahn found himself in a unique position, fighting for people who were not his own and over whom he had no direct responsibility.


    As the shadow disciple of the Heavenly King, the lives of these soldiers and the civilians of Kunlun were simply part of his mission. However, he did not take the gravity of the situation lightly.


    When his master tasked him with learning what it meant to be a War General, he didn''t know it was about more than just going to battle and killing enemies.


    But now he understood that it was about taking responsibility for the lives of those under hismand.


    Now, as a leader responsible for the well-being of millions, Kahn found himself faced with a difficult decision.


    He knew that to protect these people, he would have to throw away his own code of conduct. It was a weighty burden, but he could not let his personal beliefs get in the way of fulfilling his duty.


    He realized that as a War General, he needed to be adaptable and make tough decisions for the greater good, even if it went against his own values.


    Even after once being the Sovereign of Vesslen, the old Kahn would have recoiled at the mere thought of killing thousands of rebels and monsters who were forced to attack the walls against their will. However, the situation demanded a clear course of action, and the conflict of interests led to a full-blown war...


    And Kahn did what a war general should¡­ He closed his heart to the pain and suffering of his enemies.


    ----------------


    Atreus observed the 2nd stage saint who struggled to withstand the relentless barrage of waterdes, his defenses barely holding up against the powerful attack. Meanwhile, the brawler wolfkin was relentlessly butchering the saint''s troops without even moving from his spot.


    Suddenly, a ck and golden throne materialized out of nowhere from Kahn''s space ring, and he gracefully sat on it, folding his right leg.


    "I believe it''s time to begin the trial." he announced, and with a snap of his fingers, the downpour ceased, and the sky cleared up.


    The rebel foces and monsters on the battlefield let out a collective sigh of relief, as Atreus deactivated his Waterde Hurricane skill.


    However, the calm was short-lived, as a bone-chilling voice echoed across the battlefield, sending shivers down everyone''s spine.


    "What are you all getting excited about?" the eerie voice taunted them, making everyone quiver in fright.


    The saint leader of the enemy troops seized the opportunity to flee, hoping to escape the wrath of this new mysterious figure who had just arrived.


    But before he could take more than a few steps, a jarring voice echoed in his mind, freezing him in his tracks.


    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® [Did I say you could leave?]


    The lionkin froze in terror as Atreus deftly wielded his Telekinesis skill, halting the saint''s movement in its tracks.


    Thetter instead took out a cigar and relished in its rich and earthly scent.


    Clink!


    Clink!


    Suddenly, a strange and nightmarish phenomenon began to unfold before their eyes. Thousands of multicolored pirs of light materialized in the sky, each representing a different element of reality. The atmosphere grew tense as the pirs began to converge and condense, forming the shapes of various weapons.


    The sound of metal nging against metal filled the air as the weapons took form, one after another. Each weapon was a massive 10 meters in length and carried a different elemental attribute, save for light and darkness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As the weapons took shape, Atreus remained poised and ready, his eyes locked onto the hapless saint.


    The scenario was eerily reminiscent of Romulus, the Heavenly King''s Domain of ughter, which he had used to devastating effect against Kahn.


    The lionkin watched in awe as Atreus summoned the weapons with ease, his mastery over the elements on full disy. The sight was truly terrifying, a reminder of the sheer power that this Fenrirbornemanded.


    Despite the terrifying disy of power, Atreus knew that this makeshift battlefield was a mere beginner level, with a range that was limited to a radius of only 5 kilometers. In contrast, Romulus had a staggering 50-kilometer radius, making him a force to be reckoned with.


    In truth, this entire scenario was an experimental skill that Kahn had been attempting to create, using Harnessing and Conceptualization skills he had learned from his master. With this technique, Kahn could replicate dozens of weapons using the world energy in the surrounding area, and manipte their elemental attributes at will.


    However, as impressive as the skill was in theory, it still required practice and practical demonstration in a real-life battle scenario. And as his master had hinted before Kahn was sent to Kunlun, this battle presented an ideal opportunity for him to test out his newfound technique on the field for the very first time.


    ----------------


    As the battle raged on, one of the semi-saint captains managed to establish contact with his counterparts stationed at the other end of the battlefield. He activated a smallmunication artifact, which projected a miniature hologram of himself to the other captains.


    "The general is protecting us. How are things on your end?" asked the elk captain who previously attended the meeting in the war room.


    "What the hell are you saying?! The general is¡­" a baffled response came from the other side as the responder waspletely filled with disbelief.


    He spoke with a frightened tone and continued his answer¡­


    "He''s fighting the enemies right in front of us."


    Within minutes, moremunications came in, all bearing the same message. Each captain reported a simr scene: their general, Atreus Betor, was purging the rebel forces and monsters with ease, using his formidable skills to protect the city and its inhabitants.


    The captains also reported that they were being protected by a powerful barrier that covered the entrances to the city, preventing any enemies from entering. It was clear that Atreus was not only a powerful fighter but also a skilled tactician, capable of using his abilities to their fullest potential.


    As the reports continued to pour in, the city''s millions of inhabitants breathed a collective sigh of relief. They knew that their general was more than capable of protecting them, and that they could rest easy knowing that their safety was assured.


    "Ahhhh!"


    "Run for your lives!"


    RAWRRR!!!


    The sound of wails and screams filled the air as the rebel forces and monsters were mercilessly ughtered by a single warrior.


    Fireballs rained down from the sky, burning many to death, while wind des sliced through flesh and bone with ease. Swords made of water cleaved through their bodies, while weapons and spears crafted from stones and metals crushed them underfoot. Lightning arrows struck down countless foes, and massive vines entangled their feet, sapping the life force from their bodies.


    It was a one-sided massacre, with millions of enemies falling to the might of a single man... Kahn.


    Kahn watched the battle unfold in other 3 entry points of Kunlun through his cosmic replicas that fought on the other battlefields, without lifting a finger.


    The rebel forces and monster army, which would have required hundreds of thousands of soldiers, dozens of warships, and at least five saints to defeat, were being decimated by Kahn''s power alone¡­


    As he watched this ughter while smoking a cigar on his throne.

 Chapter 872 The Revolution

    One hour had psed since the carnage had finally ceased. Kahn, disying his immense power, had mercilessly wiped out the rebels and the monstrous creatures, leaving no being alive. He showed no mercy, not even sparing a single survivor out of pity.


    In the current moment, Kahn had concluded his inquiries about a crucial factor that would ultimately determine the oue of this rebellion. As he reflected on the information gathered, a somber toneced his words as he dered...


    "I understand now... it is time to bring an end to this."


    The Reality Separation spell dissipated into thin air, and the forces of Kunlun were greeted with the sight of a Fearless Warrior suspended in mid-air,pletely unscathed by any visible injuries. Instantly, they became alert and bolstered their defenses, anticipating another assault. However, what unfolded before the captains and soldiers manning the warships left them utterly speechless.


    To their astonishment, there was not a single trace of the enemy on the battlefield. No lifeless bodies, no stters of blood, not even a shred of clothing remained on the bare ground. Aside from the devastated terrain, with uprooted trees and the remnants of shattered warships strewn about, there was no evidence to suggest that a colossal battle involving millions had ever taken ce.


    This peculiar phenomenon was not limited to this particr front alone. Kahn had cunningly utilized his Dimensional Domain, which now spanned a massive perimeter of 25 kilometers, capable of amodating millions of corpses. By employing his Quicksilver and Shadow Swap abilities repeatedly, he efficiently transported the in adversaries into his domain while simultaneously recing himself with cosmic replicas. This strategic maneuver allowed him to effortlessly collect the spoils of war.


    Kahn ''Greedy'' Salvatore was not one to squander such an astonishing assemge of monsters, powerful magic, and skilled fighters. Rather than letting their numbers go to waste, he saw an opportunity to bolster his own formidable Legion force.


    Additionally, the saint warriors who had led the troops were nowhere to be seen. They had vanished just as mysteriously as the enemy forces, leaving no trace behind.


    "Take charge of clearing the battlefield and ensure that the citizens are informed that their perceived imminent doom has been vanquished by the representative of the Fenrirborne Tribe." hemanded his subordinates before disappearing from the scene.


    ----------------


    After the passage of 10 minutes, deep within a vast, dark, and oppressively humid hall, an archaic formation illuminated the surroundings with a dim, red glow. Spanning several hundred meters, this ancient arrangement served as the focal point of the scene.


    Scattered across various locations within the formation were the severed heads of different monster species, each one belonging to the very creatures that had ruthlessly besieged the city walls. These grotesque remnants served as a macabre testament to the fierce battle that had recently unfolded.


    At the heart of the formation, a 4th stage saint with the head of a rhino was seated.


    Blergh!!


    He suddenly stood up as the magic formation backfired and hurt him instead.


    Standing at an imposing height of two meters, the saint''s face contorted in a mixture of agony and anger as he retched, sttering his once pristine white garments with his own crimson blood.


    "What in the world is happening?! How can they all be dead?!" the saint bellowed furiously, his voice echoing through the hall in a disy of his seething rage and frustration.


    Interrupting the saint''s outburst, a voice chimed in with an apologetic tone¡­


    "Sorry about that."


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Suddenly, from out of the shadows, dozens of chains made of darkness and predatory aurashed out, slicing through the air with deadly precision before impaling the 4th stage saint''s body with a sickening squelch.


    The saint''s eyes widened in horror and disbelief as the dark chains tightened around his form, constricting his movements and causing him to gasp in agony. Blood spilled from his wounds, pooling on the ground beneath him as he struggled to break free from the grip of the darkness elemental chains.


    As he fought against his restraints, a figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the dim light of the formation. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was Kahn whose face twisted into a wicked grin as he surveyed the scene before him.


    "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" he mused aloud, gesturing towards the impaled saint with a flick of his wrist.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom "It seems that I have stumbled upon a rather unfortunate soul, caught in the act of relishing in a fetish by decorating his room with severed heads."


    The saint gurgled and coughed, blood spilling from his mouth as he struggled to speak.


    "W-who...who are you? Why are you doing this?"


    Tap!


    Tap!


    A magnificent blue wolfkin materialized from a rift in the fabric of space, its piercing gaze fixed unwaveringly upon the revered rhino saint.


    "So you''re the one I was tasked to kill as my final objective?" spoke Atreus.


    Confusion and frustration engulfed the saint''s thoughts like a tempest.


    "What in the world is happening? Why am I unable to harness my world energy or cast any spells?" he pondered, his mind a whirlwind of disbelief and dismay.


    Struggling to even shift his position, he felt a profound sense of helplessness settle upon him.


    Observing the saint''s plight, the blue wolfkin''s eyes widened in astonishment.


    "My goodness... This is the first encounter I''ve had with someone of the esteemed Shaman ss. Individuals possessing such a rare ssification are as scarce as the mythical phoenix." he remarked, his gaze momentarily shifting to the hall adorned with a macabre disy of severed monster heads.


    The saint, caught in a state ofplete bewilderment, found himself unable to fathom how he had been so easily discovered; his mind swirled with disbelief.


    The brawler saint, undeterred by the unsettling ambiance emanating from the hall, nonchntly remarked...


    "I surmised that you must have been in close proximity in order to exercise control over all those formidable monsters."


    With an air of confidence, he continued...


    "Locating this concealed hideout, cleverly disguised as a mountain through the cunning employment of an illusion barrier and a handful of artifacts with stealth-enhancing properties, wasn''t as arduous a task as one might imagine."


    Thud!


    Thud!


    However, in the blink of an eye, his hand slipped, and an object ttered to the ground.


    Instantaneously, a paralyzing dread enveloped the rhino saint, leaving him frozen in sheer terror as his gaze fell upon the ghastly sight before him...


    The 4 severed heads of his fellow saints.

 Chapter 873 Price Of Servitude

    The former emperor''s son was ovee with dread and began to shake with fear as heid eyes on the weing gift presented by the blue wolfkin. The sight of his fellow saints'' decapitated heads filled him with a profound sense of horror and agony, causing him to lose any remaining will to fight.


    Nonchntly, Atreus spoke, his tone carrying a chilling indifference.


    "Do not be too taken aback. The torture was not as gruesome as it may appear." he offered a measure of sce to the captive saint, but his wide grin bore a devilish edge.


    "All it took was the utilization of one of my recently acquired skills... and ask them nicely." he revealed with a benign smile.


    Atreus'' voice then resonated with a somber tone as he spoke...


    "It is still difficult for me to fathom that it was the son of the previous emperor who kindled this insurrection."


    Following a thorough interrogation of the saints captured during the battle, Atreus had unearthed the unadulterated truth behind the rebellion. The prime instigator of this upheaval was none other than the son of the former emperor himself, who had assumed leadership of a long-fallen tribe.


    A sudden outburst erupted from the wounded saint, his body writhing in pain as blood gushed from his wounds. His gaze was now brimming with unbridled hatred directed towards Atreus.


    "What do you know! My tribe was reduced to nothingness, our power and authority ripped away after that wretched bitch you call the Empress killed my father and usurped the throne.


    I am worth so much more than being just a mere no-name saint from a feeble tribe!" he bellowed with fury and resentment radiating from his words.


    "After my father''s demise, a motley crew of unremarkable nobodies ascended to positions of power without a shred of great background. My tribe was once the most formidable force in this empire, and now... we are forced to kowtow to these inferior ones!" his voice echoed with a deep-seated disdain.


    "Let me get this straight. Are you insinuating that others have obtained their positions of power by taking what was rightfully yours, rather than earning it through their own strength and merit? That you were entitled to be the next emperor?" inquired Atreus.


    As the shadow disciple strode towards the saint, he dered... "I am not the type to condone nepotism."


    Rage and disgust seethed in his voice as he continued, "You wretched piece of shit! You made me kill thousands of people and millions of monsters just because of your self-entitled delusion.''''


    Atreus spoke with an authoritative tone...


    "Under thews of the Nadur empire, you possess every right topete for the throne, just like any other individual born within its borders."


    He then posed a question to the bound saint.


    "So why did you not pursue the throne? Do you believe that the world owes you something? That thews of the empire should grant you some kind of preferential treatment?"


    Atreus'' inquiries were relentless, probing deeper into the saint''s twisted sense of entitlement.


    Swoom!


    Suddenly, the brawler saint''s appearance began to transform.


    His features softened, revealing a handsome face with ck eyes and shoulder-length hair. He now donned a striking dark gray attire with silver outlines and intricate patterns, giving him the aura of sovereignty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "A¡­ A human?!" eximed the rhino saint in bewilderment.


    "You know¡­ where I am from¡­" said Kahn, sighing in a heavy tone.


    "Something such as equal rights, freedom of speech and ''every person can be anything in life as long as they want it'' is told to the masses from a very early age.


    But it''s all an illusion¡­ a beautiful lie." his somber tone resounded in the hall, paying no heed to the surprised countenance of the saint who just saw the fenrirborne Atreus turn into a human Kahn.


    "Equality from birth is nothing but a myth. Opportunities are not distributed equally, and not everyone is given a fair advantage from the start." he continued in his weighty tone.


    "In my world¡­ one''s race, skin color, religion, and social status in the world all y a crucial role in determining their fate." he spoke of the harsh reality on earth.


    "Those who are born into less fortunate circumstances or without influential backgrounds are seldom able to realize their aspirations or achieve their dreams." he continued with a touch of bitterness.


    "From early childhood, the world and those in control of it deceive us with false promises and illusions." he spoke in a helpless voice as his figure slumped.


    "By the time wee to the realization that it was all a mere facade, we find ourselves trapped in a life of servitude to those in power... be it the government, some corporations, the families of politicians, or entitled individuals like yourself who have undeservingly obtained such positions." he spoke with a solemn tone, emphasizing the gravity of his words.


    "In this empire, individuals can attain their desires through their own efforts. At least, thews of this empire are truthful from the moment of one''s birth." Kahn''s eyes zed with anger, sending a menacing chill down the saint''s spine.


    "You imed to your fellow saints and tribe members that your aim was to bring about a revolution against the prejudiced imperial rule.


    However, the instant you endangered the lives of innocent individuals, all of whom already endure endless struggles and hardships, you crossed a line that cannot be justified." His features contorted with a mixture of tyrannical rage and loathing.


    "Your actions do not reflect a noble cause. You are not a revolutionary, but rather a delusional, despicable asshole."


    "Violence, violence, violence. I don''t like it. I avoid.


    But violence likes me, I can''t avoid."


    Although he maintained a nonchnt attitude towards killings, Kahn''s demeanor suddenly shifted as his gaze turned icy cold.


    Swoosh!


    With a swift movement of his forefinger, he executed the dimensional cut skill, causing a head to roll onto the floor.


    Kahn spat out with contempt and spoke as he saw the light in the saint''s eye fade¡­


    "You''re nothing but a fucking terrorist."

 Chapter 874 Deity Of Slaughter

    In an alternate reality, a horrifying and macabrendscape materialized as a new realm unfolded.


    Within this realm, a gut-wrenching and terrifying environment filled with death and misery, apanied by the deafening screams of millions of tortured beings, manifested itself. The agonizing screams of dread and indescribable pain echoed through the air, permeating the atmosphere with an oppressive aura of despair.


    As far as the eye could see, the realm was littered with the corpses of countless species that Kahn had never even seen in Vantrea.


    A vast expanse of mountains and rivers of blood stretched for hundreds of kilometers, forming a gruesome and chilling scene.


    Among the corpsesy the remains of titans from a bygone era, elder dragons of legend, and even the chained, yet radiant skeletons of archangels with six wings.


    Some of the corpses were so massive that they dwarfed the tallest mountains in Vantrea, like the bones of the primordial monster known as Simurgh that had crumbled andy discarded in a corner of the realm.


    At the other end of the realm, the rotting corpses of Godbeasts and Variant monsters towered several kilometers high, even in their sleeping positions, adding to the eerie and unsettlingndscape.


    The rivers of ck blood snaked their way through the realm, staining the ground with a sickly shade of red. Charred bodies were strewn everywhere, adding to the macabre and oppressive atmosphere that enveloped the surroundings in shades of ck and red.


    At the summit of thergest mountain, a massive ck tform hung suspended in mid-air, stretching for dozens of kilometers as if it belonged to the overseer of this realm.


    Two imposing arches made of the skulls and bones of godbeasts and primordial beings rose up on either side of the tform, serving as a grim reminder of the immense power which belonged to the being that ruled over this domain.


    Standing before the tform was a colossal humanoid figure, shrouded in a scaly and metallic armor that gleamed with a lustrous golden sheen. The figure''s helmet resembled that of a lion,plete with a majestic mane, but despite the armor''s intimidating appearance, no one could discern the true identity or species of the being beneath it, save for the piercing glow of its white eyes.


    In the figure''s left hand, a blood-red weapon pulsed with a life of its own, flowing with fresh blood as it constantly reshaped itself into different forms. At times, it took on the shape of a spear, then a giantsword, a battleaxe, or even a scythe, yet it never seemed to settle on a final or definitive form.


    The entity then sat at the end of the tform, seemingly engrossed in observing a particr ongoing battle within Vantrea, disyed on a panel-like screen made of blood. Its gaze was fixed on the disy, as if intently studying the unfolding events with a keen interest.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    The entire realm shook as a ck and red void tore open the fabric of space and time, splitting the very air with a deafening roar.


    From within this crack in reality, emerged another entity, draped in ck and spikey armor that bristled with ominous power. Its back bore two massive des, each imbued with primordial fire that crackled with raw energy. Each de was five kilometers in length, and the being exuded a dark red aura that could tten hundreds of kilometers in mere seconds.


    "Have youe to fight again, War Deity?" spoke the golden armored being, its voice booming across the realm.


    "Why are you under the impression that I''m here to fight? Can''t Ie to visit an acquaintance?" responded the being d in ck armor, its voice tinged with a hint of amusement as its burning red eyes shone from beneath the helmet.


    This being d in ck armor, with burning red eyes and a dark red aura that exuded an overwhelming sense of power, was none other than the current War Deity, Kravel.


    "Acquaintance? Who''s your acquaintance? The only time we met was 5 thousand years ago when you challenged me.


    Are you here to gloat about your title as the strongest deity?" replied the golden-armored being in a despondent and irritated tone.


    "Don''t be like that, Mors. I only won by an inch in ourst duel 5 thousand years ago. Yet everyone says I''m much stronger than you, just because I managed to score a single victory.


    It''s not like I''m telling other deities to herald me as the strongest." Kravel responded in a carefree tone, attempting to quell Mors''s dissatisfaction at his unwee intrusion.


    The owner of this realm was none other than Mors, the Deity of ughter.


    The inhabitants of Vantrea were unaware of the events unfolding in the world of deities and gods, including the power struggle between Kravel and Mors.


    Currently, Mors was ranked as the second strongest deity, with Kravel holding the top spot. However, before theirst duel 5 thousand years ago, Mors held the number one position.


    "What''s your perspective on the current situation? The world might end in a few decades." inquired Kravel, seeking the viewpoint of the deity he considered to be his equal.


    "I do not care. And don''t think that I don''t know why you''re here.


    I never pledged loyalty to any god, even before I became a deity 20 million years ago, and nor do I wish to do so now." replied Mors with a lifeless and uninterested tone, dismissing any notion of allegiance or cooperation with Kravel.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Even Jotnar, who used to be the strongest before you and I emerged, serves a god despite being one of the first five living beings of our world.


    Even in death, his corpse gave birth to primordial titans, and yet he now bows before the God of Nature." Mors revealed casually, highlighting the surprising choices made by powerful beings.


    "In my case, it would have been natural for me to pledge allegiance to the God of Darkness, considering myw of existence revolves around death." Mors continued.


    "But given the current state of affairs with the Demon God, I''m d I held off.


    Otherwise, I too would have been entangled in this war." he confessed, a sudden sense of relief evident in his tone.


    To his carefree response, the War Deity replied somberly¡­


    "You will cease to exist just like the others because as long as the concept of killing someone or ughtering others out of selfish goals or rage exists¡­ You will stay a Deity.


    But if all life is eradicated, your establishment of the Law of Existence will vanish as well."


    Despite the rming words of the War Deity, Mors remained unfazed and responded calmly.


    "Kravel, you and I are not the same.


    Unlike you and the others, I never aspired to be a Deity. World domination or being the strongest being in the world was never my goal."


    Mors'' voice grew heavy as he reminisced about the past.


    "All I wanted was to kill the next strongest thing I encountered. I continued to ughter and kill living beings until, through sheer luck, I met the conditions to be a Deity.


    And one day, I realized that I had already be the strongest being in the world."


    Despite his immense power, Mors'' voice was tinged with helplessness as he spoke.


    "If our world had not denied me death and forcibly turned me into a Deity, I would have ended my life with my own hands."


    "Why?" asked Kravel, his words disying the curiosity in his voice.


    "There was no longer a reason for me to live once I had be the strongest being in the world." Mors confessed, his voice filled with a profound sense of loss.


    "In my relentless pursuit of ughter, I realized that the only way to quench my insatiable thirst was to kill the most powerful being of all... myself."


    "Hmph! It seems like you''re mocking not only the other deities but also me." Kravel scoffed in response to Mors'' words.


    "Moreover¡­" Kravel continued, his tone growing stern.


    "Do you think there was another choice?


    Your actions caused a tremendous imbnce in the delicate fabric of life."


    Even I''m responsible for only a few billion lives my enemies when I was on my way to world domination." he said, expressing his displeasure.


    "Everyone is afraid of Demon God now." he said, his tone heavy with a sense of resignation.


    "But there was a time when even the gods themselves were wary of you. After all¡­"


    Kravel''s words carried a sense of burden as he delved into a long-forgotten historical event from the past.


    "You once nearly ended all life in the world."

 Chapter 875 Dark History

    Kravel shared a dark chapter of history, one that few living beings could fathom, let alone remember. Only the Gods and Deities were aware of this dark chapter in the history of their world.


    "Nearly 98% of all life in the world was almost wiped out." Kravel spoke gravely.


    "And you, out of all the deities, were the one who nearly eradicated all life on the.


    You were responsible for the extinction of the three Primordial species, including many Elder Dragons and Archangels that emerged a few hundred thousand years after their demise.


    These creatures were as strong as Demi-Gods at their peak, yet they fell to your weapon."


    Kravel surveyed the mountainous corpses thaty around them, a somber reminder of the once-powerful beings who inhabited this realm.


    "Only a handful of Godbeasts and their descendant species survived because you deemed them too weak to kill." Kravel continued, his voice tinged with bitterness.


    "All of this was because you couldn''t control your urge to kill."


    Kravel''s words conveyed the enormity of the loss of life and the pivotal turn in history that urred. The silence that followed was heavy, as if the very air were mourning the fallen.


    Throughout history, many people and civilizations of their respective times believed that the reign of ancient races, such as the First Walkers and other primordial civilizations, came to an end and faded into the annals of time. Some even postted that a meteorite fell millions of years ago and wiped out all the powerful monsters and titanic beings.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel However, as Kravel revealed¡­ it was Mors, the Deity of ughter, who brought about the end of the era of Primordial beings and decimated the great numbers of Elder Dragons and Archangels.


    Mors'' actions were so devastating that even the current number of Elder Dragons, Archangels, and Godbeasts could be counted on one hand.


    It was hard to imagine just how powerful Mors was back then, and the incalcble number of deaths he caused across Vantrea in his pursuit of annihting the strongest beings.


    The extent of Mors'' power was almost unfathomable. In fact, Mors achieved this feat even before bing a Demi-God.


    The world itself had to make him a Demi-God so that it could throw him out after he was forced to be a Deity.


    The sheer scale of destruction caused by Mors was beyond anything that Kravel, the War Deity, had ever aplished. Despite being the all-feared and a World Conqueror during his era, Kravel could not match the bloodshed caused by the Deity of ughter.


    But Mors seemed to read his thoughts and replied¡­


    "Hey, stop judging. Not everything in life needs to have a reason or sense behind actions.


    Besides¡­ My onught is the very reason why many new species came into existence and even weaker species like Humans and Demi-Humans could survive and cultivate themselves for millions of years."


    Mors went on to say, "You were born as a human yourself. Do you think your entire human species even had a chance of survival if the old civilizations and monster species existed?


    The current world is thriving because of my thirst for killing. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be standing here either."


    Kravel was stunned by Mors'' words.


    He couldn''t deny that Mors'' actions had, in a strange way, allowed for the evolution of new species and the survival of weaker ones. However, the price of so many lives lost was too high to justify.


    "Don''t be so naive. The strong will always prey on the weak, and the world will always be a brutal ce. I merely expedited the process. If not me, then someone else would''ve done it anyway." added Mors after sensing Kravel''s hesitant expression.


    "I have lived long enough to grow bored of killing long before I became a Deity." the Deity of ughter stated, shifting the discussion to a different topic.


    A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he continued¡­


    "Something interesting has happened recently."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He paused for effect before revealing, "My Apostle has taken the new Hero of Darkness as his disciple. Hehe. And look what I found..." He let out a snicker, relishing in the intrigue.


    "You made him your Apostle without him even knowing it when you sent him to Vantrea, you sneaky bastard." heughed yfully, teasing Kravel.


    The War Deity, confronted with this revtion, didn''t even attempt to refute it.


    He acknowledged the truth in Mors'' words, understanding the cunning scheme that had unfolded.


    "The new Hero believed he manipted me by provoking my loyalty to the God of Darkness." Kravel spoke in front of Mors, the only deity unaffiliated with any God.


    "He thought that by challenging me and my allegiance, I would grant him my blessing through impulsive decisions made to prove myself to him and my liege."


    "What a foolish child. Did he truly believe he could deceive Deities and Gods so easily?" said Kravel and his voice held a hint of pity.


    "Ah, these idiots summoned from other worlds... They always think they are the cleverest.


    Even now, none of them knows the truth behind this entire war against the Demon God." responded Mors, disappointed.


    The revtion brought a sense of disillusionment. The heroes, brought from other realms, were oblivious to the intricate machinations of the Deities and the hidden agendas of the Gods behind the conflicts they found themselves embroiled in.


    "It was only the 8th Hero of Darkness who found out about it, and that''s precisely why he ughtered all the other heroes three centuries ago." the deity of ughter remarked, his voiceced with a hint of joy.


    "Although, I must admit, it made things more interesting for me. If Romulus had not already be my Apostle and if he himself were not a hero of the God of Darkness, I might have considered that man as a potential alternative." he spoke openly.


    Kravel, now facing the deity''s imposing figure, was curious.


    "Your Apostle had also trained the 8th Hero to some extent. But why the sudden interest in these matters after 320 years?" he inquired.


    Mors smirked in response.


    "I have no interest in your Apostle, nor do I care about my own taking him as his disciple.


    Instead, I''m more intrigued by that individual over there." he spoke, gesturing towards the blood-screen on which he had recently watched a battle, zooming in on a particr figure.


    A fiery-haired man dressed in ck and red armor with yellow highlights held a giantsword that emitted a blood-red aura as he single-handedly massacred thousands of soldiers.


    The battlefield was a gruesome sight, with mangled and melted bodies and burnt flesh littering the ground while ck smoke filled the sky.


    The battle seemed to be between noble lords and their armies, and some of the people he killed were even saints, just as strong as him.


    As the redhead continued to mercilessly ughter his opponents, who were desperately fleeing for their lives, Mors couldn''t help but express his admiration for the man''s bloodline, abilities, attitude, and ruthless tactics.


    "I like his style and potential." Mors said, openly revealing his fascination.


    Kravel too was taken aback by the individual''s disy of power and began to examine him closely.


    "Even with such a limited amount of that bloodline... his abilities and skills have the potential.


    And if guided to follow the Law of ughter¡­" Kravel spoke, acknowledging the person''s immense potential with a hint of bewilderment.


    "He can be as strong as the Demon Emperor!"

 Chapter 876 Unwarranted Decision

    Mors continued to watch the fiery-haired man on the blood-screen with interest before turning to Kravel, revealing his previous intentions. The War Deity on the other hand was shaken after noticing this certain individual''s immense potential that could even rival the current Demon Emperor whom even the 4 Soveirgns were finding problematic to kill.


    "Yes. If granted proper blessings and given his inner thought process that already aligns with the Law of ughter¡­ he does have the potential to be as strong as the Demon Emperor." spoke Kravel in a cautious voice.


    "But he does need the True Demon bloodline for it. And the Demon Monarch rank bloodline at that, the one only current Demon Emperor and his 12 Rakshasas have in the world.


    To his remark, Mors scoffed loudly and reprimanded¡­


    "Are you looking down on me, Kravel?


    Did you forget who I was before I became a Deity?"


    Kravel sighed instead of getting agitated by this haughty response.


    "Yes, but even though none of them were your descendants¡­ a single drop of your blood caused transmutation and a few millenniater, it gave rise to a whole new species." stated the War Deity.


    "To be honest, I had initially considered the Demon Emperor as my 2nd Apostle, but as he was created by the Demon God, our world wouldn''t allow me or any deity to associate with him." Mors said, his tone somber.


    Kravel, the War Deity, was stunned by Mors'' revtion, unable to believe what he heard.


    "You don''t mean to say..." Kravel trailed off, unable to continue speaking due to the sheer amount of disbelief.


    With a mixture of shock and horror on his entire countenance, Kravel finally asked¡­


    "You were nning to join the Demon God?!"


    ----------------


    The atmosphere in the realm had grown increasingly tense as Mors revealed his intentions of joining forces with the Demon God. Even the War Deity himself was taken aback by the news, his expression reflecting his confusion and concern.


    The other deities were unaware of the potential ramifications of such an alliance, but the War Deity had faced the Deity of ughter himself and knew all too well the consequences that coulde with such a decision.


    As the gravity of the situation began to sink in, Mors spoke up with a casual indifference that only served to further unsettle the group.


    "That''d be fun, wouldn''t it?" he said, seemingly unfazed by the weight of his words.


    "To go against all the Gods just for your amusement...you truly have gone mad." the War Deity''s face darkened as he responded.


    Mors merely shrugged in response, his nonchnce in stark contrast to the concern etched on the faces of those around him.


    "Why not?" he said.


    "I wasn''t on the side of the Gods in the first ce."


    The room fell into an uneasy silence as the War Deity attempted to convince Mors to reconsider his alliance with the God of Darkness.


    Despite an hour of discussion, the two were unable toe to an agreement, and the War Deity eventually decided to leave.


    As he prepared to depart, the War Deity issued a stern warning to Mors.


    "Don''tplicate things." he said.


    "Thest thing we need is another Demon Emperor who could upset the delicate power bnce of the world."


    Swoom!!


    With the void crack closing behind him, Mors couldn''t contain his satisfaction, a sinister grin forming beneath his helmet.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was evident that he had his own twisted agenda, separate from the concerns of the War Deity and the Gods.


    "Romulus..." Mors spoke, his voice tinged with a mix of fascination and anticipation.


    "He is already a unique individual with the bloodline of Fenrir running through his veins. Such potential for entertainment." yet Mors paused for a moment, reflecting on the past.


    "For the past 80 years..." he continued somberly.


    "Romulus has been consumed by his duties as a leader, dedicated to safeguarding his tribe and protecting his empire."


    A hint of empathy crept into Mors'' voice as he mused further.


    "Perhaps he is just afraid." he said, his tone tinged with understanding.


    "Afraid of losing yet another home, another family, just as he did when the Abyss Empire was destroyed."


    In that moment, Mors unintentionally revealed a glimpse into his Apostle''s traumatic past. It was a revtion that shed light on the origins of Romulus''s apprehension, the lingering pain of past losses still weighing heavily on his soul.


    "But I need someone else to keep me upied." he spoke in an exhausted tone, tired of boredom.


    "Velsharoon, the Deity of Necromancy and Indra, the Sky Deity also chose a new Apostle just a couple of years ago. Many other deities have chosen members of Hero parties as their new apostles even if they didn''t deserve it or met the conditions.


    And even those dwarf cksmithing Deities also recently chose 2 Apostles at once as well; so why can''t I?" he spoke, reasoning with himself while looking for a valid justification.


    "It''s not like this world is going tost for more than 2 decades anyway." he spoke nonchntly and an ominous smile formed on his face underneath the helmet.


    Now that Kravel warned him not to do it, Mors was even more fired up.


    Finally, he waved his hand and the warrior fighting the grotesque battle suddenly disappeared from Vantrea.


    Flickr!


    An intense dark red aura erupted as Mors summoned this red-haired individual.


    "Wee to my Realm of Carnage.


    I''m your friendly and magnanimous Deity of ughter, Mors." he said with a grandiose gesture.


    But the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    The summoning of the red-haired individual had triggered an explosive release of energy, causing the surrounding area to shake and tremble with its raw power. As the terrifying aura spread outwards, it engulfed everything within a 10-kilometer radius, leaving nothing untouched.


    However, the source of this energy explosion was not just the summoning itself, but the transformation that followed. As the red-haired individual was consumed by the overwhelming power, they underwent a metamorphosis unlike any other.


    Two enormous horns burst forth from their forehead, zing with an intense me that seemed to consume everything in its path. A massive demonic face with red eyes emerged from the swirling energy, contorted with a terrifying expression of pure rage.


    But it was their physical form that truly left Mors and those around him stunned. The summoned individual grew to a monstrous size, towering over thendscape at an astounding 500 meters tall and 200 meters wide. Their entire body was covered in ck bone-like armor that extended over their shoulders, arms, chest, legs, and back.


    But to the Deity of ughter who watched this transformation, a new feeling arose in his mind.


    It was a feeling of Pride.

 Chapter 877 Apostle Of Slaughter

    Mors proudly watched as his summoned being in the Realm of Carnage revealed its true form.


    The rest of this Demon''s form was nothing but a writhing mass of fire, coursing and pulsing underneath the armor like a living entity. This ancient demonic being, now unleashed upon the world, seemed to radiate a palpable sense of dread and unease.


    Yet, despite the sheer terror that emanated from the creature, Mors remained unfazed.


    He regarded the demonic form before him with a sense of satisfaction; that his choice wasn''t wrong.


    Despite its immense size, the monstrous being stood no chance against the true form of Mors, who revealed himself as a Deity.


    In an instant, with a resounding thud, the colossal monster was swatted down as if it were a mere insect, crashing onto the tform constructed from the bones of godbeasts and elder dragons.


    Mors, in his true form, exuded an overwhelming presence that surpassed even the terrifying power of the defeated creature. The sheer magnitude of his presence was enough to render the monster insignificant inparison.


    With a hint of apology in his tone, Mors exined the reason behind his dominance.


    "Oh, sorry about that. It''s just my bloodline." he said, retracting the tyrannical and absolute pressure that could have annihted millions in a single second.


    "Since you possess only minute traces of my bloodline, you naturally feel overwhelmed in the presence of the main source of your origin."


    He paused for a moment, a hint of pride evident in his voice.


    "Aside from being the Deity of ughter..." Mors continued, "I can also be called the founder of the entire True Demon species.


    Allow me to share with you my title from those times." his words resonated with an air of authority and reverence.


    The deity in golden armor dered, his title echoing with power and significance. It was a name that carried weight, symbolizing his status and his dominion over death and destruction in ancient times and eons ago.


    "Mors, the Vajrayaksa."


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel ----------------


    Following the revtion of his true identity, Mors cast his gaze down upon the defeated monstrous being, asserting his authority with unwavering confidence. Without even seeking the being''s opinion, he announced his decision with a tone that brooked no dissent.


    "I have decided to choose you as my second Apostle." Mors dered, his voice firm and resolute.


    The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, leaving no room for argument or refusal. It was amand, a promation that bore the weight of his power and position as a deity.


    The being, still reeling from its defeat and awestruck by Mors'' overwhelming presence, could do nothing but remain silent in response. The significance of being chosen as an Apostle by the powerful deity was not lost on it, and a mix of emotions swirled within its being¡ªawe, apprehension, and perhaps even a glimmer of excitement for the path thaty ahead.


    In the presence of Mors, the being understood that it had been singled out for a purpose, one that aligned with the deity''s grand design.


    What role it would y as an Apostle, what tasks and responsibilities would be bestowed upon it, remained to be seen. But one thing was certain¡ªit had be entangled in the machinations of a being of immense power, and its fate was now irrevocably tied to Mors'' ns for the future.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The silence continued, each passing moment filled with anticipation and uncertainty, as the being awaited further instruction from the deity, knowing that its life had taken a monumental turn, forever changed by the words that had just been spoken.


    Mors, the Deity of ughter, continued to assert his dominance and control over the situation.


    With his blood divine weapon in hand, he made a deliberate cut on his forefinger, causing a single drop of his blood to fall. As the drop descended towards the creature shrouded in blistering hellfire, its true size was revealed to be more than 100 meters.


    The moment the drop of blood approached the summoned entity, it underwent a profound transformation.


    The blood was ensnared by ancient runes, which danced and intertwined around it, infusing it with an insurmountable aura. The pressure emanating from this small drop alone was capable of obliterating dozens of kilometers.


    Eventually, it halted right in front of the summoned being, radiating a power that seemed to defyprehension.


    Mors, his voice carrying the weight of his authority,manded the being before him.


    "Drink it." he decreed, his words leaving no room for negotiation.


    "Within it, contains not only my bloodline and my power but also a Pseudo-soul and all of my blessings.


    I will also teach you the ways of cultivation and guide you in establishing the Law of ughter."


    He paused for a moment, his tone taking on a domineering edge.


    "In return..." Mors continued, his wordsced with expectation.


    "When the inevitable great war arrives and the world is filled with chaos, I demand that you provide an enjoyable show for me."


    The monstrous being stood in awe and trepidation, fully aware of the magnitude of what was being offered to it. It understood that by epting Mors'' blood, it would be able to ascend to higher rank and evolve into a new being while breaking his own past limitations.


    The weight of this responsibility was both thrilling and daunting, for it knew that its path would be one of unceasing ughter and destruction.


    As the silence settled once again, the creature contemted the choice before it.


    The allure of power, guidance, and purpose shed with the uncertainty and potential consequences. Ultimately, it knew that there was no other option but toply with the deity''s irrefutable decision.


    The figure standing before Mors bore a striking resemnce to a malevolent demon, hailing from the depths of Hell itself.


    Despite currently being at the level of a 3rd-stage saint, in a life-or-death confrontation, he possessed formidable power and strength, rivaling even that of an intermediate 5th-stage saint.


    Even Kahn would be surprised to see this individual in the Realm of Carnage.


    The name of the individual who stood before Mors was none other than¡­ Jugram.

 Chapter 878 Time For Reward

    Following the cataclysmic battle of Kunlun, which had been brought to an end by the sheer might of Atreus, who had served as the war general, the time hade to report the details of the conflict andplete the necessary paperwork for the imperial authorities.


    Unlike his usual modus operandi, this time, Kahn had no choice but to relinquish the saint cores and their corpses to the authorities.


    He found himself acting like a dutiful police officer, meticulously registering each and every detail of the conflict, down to thest bullet in his metaphorical gun. It was the price he had to pay for operating under the government''s jurisdiction, something that he had always sought to avoid since his arrival in Vantrea.


    Despite secretly absorbing the saints'' abilities, Kahn could not help but feel that it was yet another letdown.


    Kahn was well aware that many of his preexisting abilities were far more unique, high-ranked, and superior to those possessed by the saints.


    The majority of his skills were derived from legendary and mythical rank monsters with exceptional bloodlines and physical abilities. In stark contrast, saints primarily possessed skills that were solely oriented towards their ss.


    Moreover... the defensive abilities, magic spells, andbat skills that Kahn had learned from Romulus and Vildred far surpassed those of the saints. This led him to question the authenticity of these five individuals and whether they were in fact true saints or just fakes.


    As for the other rebels and monsters, thanks to the Reality Separation spell, none of the soldiers and the captains had witnessed the events of the battle.


    And Kahn ''Greedy'' Salvatore wasn''t the type to let go of profits so easily.


    Given the sheer scale of the battle, which had involved millions ofbatants, Kahn was not about to let such an opportunity slip away easily.


    The saints, whose identities had been recorded and cataloged, possessed the most sought-after resources in the world; their cores.


    Even Empires themselves needed these cores to cultivate the next generation of saints. However, oncebeled as traitors, there would be a fierce struggle to obtain them.


    Kahn had no desire to be a part of that struggle. The current version of himself sought to remain as far away from politics and the prying eyes of the empire''s top figures as possible.


    Given that rebels and monsters held no significant value as resources and were ultimately disposable, there were no questions raised about their whereabouts. Even the flying battleships possessed more worth to the empire than their corpses and gear.


    Taking advantage of this fact, Kahn utilized his Dimensional Domain to pull them inside. As a 5th-stage saint, the current range of his Dimensional Domain extended up to a 25-kilometer radius from his location.


    Since the battle had taken ce in four different directions and the total number of monsters and rebels were divided in four different ends of Kunlun, all Kahn had to do was use Shadow Swap with his cosmic aether replicas to pull them inside in a single sweep.


    Moreover, as the War General, no one dared to question the whereabouts of the enemies, allowing Kahn toplete this task without any issues.


    With the rebels and monsters safely tucked away within his Dimensional Domain, the only task left for Kahn was to utilize Synthesis to create a new variant of stronger monsters. This would increase the total count of his Legion members to more than just a couple of million.


    Who knew if he was lucky and ended up creating another legendary rank subordinate?


    ----------------


    Under the veil of night, a highly important meeting took ce in Tenochtin, the capital of the Nadur Empire. The meeting was held in the main hall of the imperial pce, a ce of great significance and importance.


    During the meeting, the imperial advisor, Zyatzin, who was a green-skinned crocodile-kin, reported to the empress about the oue of the battle at Kunlun. It was a crucial report that would affect the future of the empire.


    As the report was being delivered, the Empress sat on her throne, with her tworge ck wings spread wide open, listening intently to the details.


    The Empress''s authoritative tone reverberated through the vast 1-kilometer-long hall, which was capable of holding up to 10 thousand people at once. Her sharp gaze fixed on the imperial advisor, Zyatzin, as she inquired...


    "Who is this Atreus Betor?"


    Zyatzin spoke in a serious tone, detailing Atreus''s actions in the battle at Kunlun.


    "He managed to kill the Hodag by creating an opportunity for his ally to strike a lethal blow. It was a direct descendant of the godbeast Behemoth, and a mythical rank monster at that."


    The Empress''s expression turned grave as she listened to the report. She knew the importance of such a feat, as killing a mythical rank monster was not an easy task. It took exceptional skill and power, and Atreus'' actions could not be ignored.


    As the holographic screen disyed the scene of Atreus leading the military forces of Kunlun on four different fronts simultaneously, the Empress''s skepticism grew even stronger. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She remarked, her voiceced with suspicion...


    "Even for a disciple of the Heavenly King, his identity is too cryptic. There were no signs of his identity as a saint within our empire. It''s as if he emerged into existence just ten months ago when Romulus announced him as his Shadow Disciple."


    Her doubt deepened further as she continued...


    "Moreover, he is a True Descendant of the Fenrir bloodline, yet there is no record of his birth in any of the true descendant families. We will need to investigate him."


    However, the imperial advisor, a 6th-stage saint himself, spoke in a stern tone, interrupting the recording on the holographic screen that became useless after Atreus used the Reality Separation spell to conceal the battle and his eradication of the rebels and monster tide.


    "Your Majesty." the imperial advisor interjected, emphasizing the importance of the situation.


    "What matters most is that he has thoroughly decimated the rebels and rebel saints. If you had directly intervened, the survivors would have used you of intentionally targeting the tribe of the previous emperor.


    It could have been manipted by others for personal gain or to cause unrest among the twelve tribes."


    He continued, highlighting the underlying truth of the situation.


    "Our tribe has greatly benefited since the fall of the previous emperor, as you have granted many rights to our tribe and friendly ns that were previously struggling for decades."


    Both the imperial advisor and the Empress belonged to the same tribe, despite their different ns.


    "He has unknowingly done us a great service, and there is no point in investigating him further." the imperial advisor concluded, his words tinged with malevolent intentions.


    "He is but a Shadow Disciple." the imperial advisor sneered, his voice filled with delight.


    "Perhaps he will meet his demise during the Elysium Tribal Tourney in the uing month."


    The Empress acknowledged his remark with a sense of agreement.


    "You''re right. For now, we shall allow him to proceed. Let us observe if he can survive the tourney." she responded, her tone carefree yet filled with confidence.


    "Considering the power held by the Shadow Disciples of the other three Heavenly Kings¡­" she continued, alluding to the strength of the other three disciples of the Heavenly Kings.


    "I doubt he has long to live."


    ----------------


    Upon his return to Aurelius, Kahn brought Ivaar along, who was securely bound. The sight of Ivaar in such a restrained state surprised most of the council members.


    Despite Ivaar''s reputation as a deranged individual, he possessed formidable skills as a wood elemental assassin. Escaping by creating wooden clones was one of his specialties.


    However, even Ivaar was unable to break free from the glowingsso adorned with intricate runes that kept him tightly bound. This was a spell that Kahn had cast, a culmination of his talent as a mage and an artificer.


    "I must say, your recent performance has left me impressed." Romulus acknowledged, his voice filled with admiration.


    "You have proven yourself to be a formidable warrior and an insightful leader in both missions we assigned to you."


    Romulus continued, his tone magnanimous...


    "The tribe council wishes to reward you for your achievements. What would you like as your reward?"


    Atreus paused for a moment, considering the options, and then replied without hesitation.


    "Money."

 Chapter 879 Losing Battle

    In an unknown world and unknown era¡­ A castle was under siege, and the gates had been breached.


    The sh of weapons, armors, shields, and the sight of bleeding bodies echoed in the battlefield as two human armies faced each other in a death battle. Detached limbs and intestines were strewn across the bloody ground, and the screams of horrified men could be heard across the battlefield.


    However, their screams were quickly suffocated and muffled under the battlecries that followed them.


    "Hold the line! Hold the line!!" roared a spearman, his voice booming above the sound of shing weapons as he and hisrades defended the vanguard, despite facing a toon of shield warriors.


    Suddenly, the air was pierced by a loud bang, as a spikey mace collided with the head of one of the soldiers. The force of the blow punctured holes in his entire face while cracking his skull, killing him instantly.


    Despite the loss of theirrade, the soldiers fought on, determined to hold the line and defend their castle from the invading army. The sh of swords and shields continued to echo across the battlefield as the battle raged on, with neither side willing to yield.


    ng!


    The sound of spears shing against shields filled the air as a fully geared soldiers in red and yellow armor deflected yet another attack from the spearmen soldiers in white and blue armor.


    In the following moments, the red and yellow soldier bashed his heavy shield against his opponent, causing thetter to lose his bnce and fall to the ground.


    "No!" the other soldiers shouted as they saw theirrade fall and the shield warrior charging towards him. But before he could even grab his spear...


    Bang!


    There was a loud bang, as the shield warrior bashed the fallen soldier''s head, cracking it open and spraying the red and mushy brain matter onto the ground.


    Suddenly, anotherrge troop of attacking soldiers barged through the breached gates, and the tide of the battle started shifting in favor of the attacking side. The defending forces were losing their men at a rapid pace, and the situation looked dire.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Amidst the chaos, a whooping 2-meter-tall Berserker warrior with a battleaxe entered through the gates. His presence alone was enough to bring the remaining defenders to their knees. The Berserker was covered head to toe in scaly armor, and his eyes glowed with a fierce determination as he charged towards the remaining defenders.


    ng!


    The defending soldiers tried to hold their ground, but they were no match for the Berserker''s strength and ferocity. His battleaxe struck down one soldier after another, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. The once proud defenders of the castle were now reduced to a mere handful, desperately trying to hold off the invading army.


    ng!


    sh!


    With a single sh of his massive baatleaxe, he cut three soldiers in half.


    "Surrender or die!" he shouted.


    The Berserker warrior, a captain of the invading army was a fearsome warrior, leading his troops through sheer might and overwhelming force. He was a towering figure on the battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of his enemies with his imposing presence.


    One after another, hundreds of defenders fell to the enemy forces as they swarmed through the gates and took down all means of defense. The captain himself had a lion''s share in the massacre, cutting down anyone who dared to stand in his way with his sharp sword and brute strength.


    His imposing figure brought dread and death on the battlefield, and the sound of his battle cries echoed through the air.


    "Die, you insects of the kingdom!" he bellowed as he charged towards a group of soldiers, breaking apart their defensive formation with ease. His sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of blood and gore in its wake.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The defenders fought valiantly, but they were no match for the overwhelming force of the enemy army. The captain led his troops with ruthless efficiency, crushing anyone who dared to oppose them.


    He intently red at a soldier that barely managed to evade his attack and¡­


    sh!


    The soldier in white and blue armor struggled to get up after being knocked down by the enemy captain.


    But before his battleaxe cut down the soldier¡­


    BOOM!


    The massive battleaxe shed against a shield that perfectly absorbed the impact.


    Just as he was about to be finished off, an imposing figure appeared before him. The neer was just as big and intimidating as the berserker warrior, but he was on the side of the defenders.


    "Lieutenant!" the soldier screamed, relieved to see a friendly face.


    The neer approached the fallen soldier and helped him to his feet. "The captain is dead." he said grimly.


    "It is up to us now to defend the border until our people can escape. So stand up and fight!"


    Whoosh!


    With a mighty shove, the neer pushed off the enemy captain and took up his shield and greatsword. He moved with a fluidity and grace that belied his massive size and the weight of his equipment.


    As he fought his way through the enemy forces, the defender revealed himself to be someoneparable to a Guardian Knight in Vantrea, a warrior ss known for their unmatched prowess and unbreakable spirit on the battlefield.


    He marched forward without fear, determined to protect his allies and repel the enemy forces at any cost.


    His greatsword shed in the air as he struck down one enemy after another, his shield deflecting blows and protecting his allies from harm. With each passing moment, the tide of the battle began to shift in favor of the defenders.


    The Knight continued to fight with all his might, piercing the neck of the enemy captain with his sword and turning the tide of the battle decisively. But just as the defenders began to gain ground, disaster struck.


    Multiple cannons rained down fire on the fortress, destroying the walls and making it impossible to defend the fortress with their dwindling numbers. The Knight and the remaining soldiers fought on, undeterred, but the situation was dire.


    "We must retreat." said one of the soldiers to the remaining defenders.


    "We cannot hold this position any longer."


    The war was in an unfavorable situation and people on their side kept dying.


    But instead of retreating, the Knight''s determination burned brightly.


    He reached into his armor and pulled out a blue glowing dagger. With all eyes upon him, he made a bold and sacrificial decision.


    Without hesitation... he plunged the dagger into his own gut.

 Chapter 880 Chivalry And Valor

    Suddenly, the Knight warrior decided to stab himself in the stomach as the raging troops of enemies charged through the destroyed walls, causing gasps of shock and disbelief to ripple through the remaining defenders.


    The knight quickly began to chant an ancient spell, invoking the formidable powers of their world.


    "Oh, the old gods and the new... I offer my life in exchange for power." he spoke, his voice resolute despite the pain.


    "Use my life force to create an imprable wall that protects my home." as his words echoed across the battlefield, the air crackled with energy.


    The knight''s life force surged forth, intertwining with the incantation he had spoken. A vibrant green aura erupted from his body, expanding outward and enveloping the fortress.


    In a breathtaking disy of magic, a massive wall materialized, encasing the fortress within its protective barrier. The enemies were thrown back by the sudden surge of power, their attempts to breach the fortress halted by the imprable barrier.


    The remaining defenders stood in awe, their hearts heavy with both gratitude and sorrow. Because the sacrifice of the Knight had ensured their safety, but it hade at a great cost.


    "Lieutenant dius!" shouted one of the soldiers, his voice heavy with emotion.


    Theirs was a small kingdom, nestled on the border of a powerful neighboring empire. As tensions escted, the fortress stood as thest line of defense, protecting the kingdom and its people.


    However, amidst the chaos of war, politics and betrayal reared their ugly heads.


    The ministers and feudal lords, consumed by their own ambitions... had betrayed the kingdom to secure their positions in the eyes of the empire. When the enemy forcesunched their attack, no reinforcements were sent to bolster the defenses of the fortress. The kingdom and the normal citizens were left to fend for themselves.


    Amidst this dire situation, the knight warrior, serving as the lieutenant of the troops, valiantly fought on the front lines. Surrounded by enemy forces, he stood as a beacon of courage and resilience.


    And now, in a selfless act of sacrifice, he was giving his life to the gods of their world, pleading for the protection of the fortress and the precious time it would provide.


    The knight understood the weight of his sacrifice. He knew that by offering his life, he would buy valuable moments for the citizens of the kingdom to escape the horrors of an impending massacre.


    It was a heavy burden to bear, but he bore it willingly, driven by the love and duty he felt towards his people.


    As the knight''s life force surged forth, intertwining with his plea to the gods, his purpose was clear. He was fighting not only for the survival of the fortress, but for the millions of innocent lives that awaited their fate within the kingdom''s borders.


    "So this is my end? Is that all there is to my story?


    At least, my subordinates will live to fight another day.


    My people will have a chance to survive. My kingdom will keep on fighting." he spoke with a sense of relief.


    The knight knew that his sacrifice would only impede the enemy for a single day, until the protective wall dissipated on its own. Yet, in his heart, he believed that even a single day could make a significant difference. The lives that would be saved, the opportunity for the kingdom to regroup and rebuild... it was all worth the ultimate sacrifice he chose to make.


    He was doing what every soldier dreamt of doing for their country¡­ Protect and Serve.


    With a serene smile gracing his face, the knight spoke with unwavering conviction...


    "One day, the peace will prevail and...


    The sun will shine on us again."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His words carried the weight of hope and determination, resonating with those who stood witness to his noble act.


    Closing his eyes, he embraced the inevitabledeath as he lost his ability to speak and move, his warrior''s spirit unyielding until the very end. In that final moment, the knight''s sacrifice became a testament to the indomitable will and unwavering loyalty that defined him.


    SHING!!!!


    But in the very next moment... the world around the warrior vanished, and he was enveloped by blinding white light.


    When he opened his eyes, he found himself in apletely different dimension of reality.


    The air felt different, charged with an otherworldly energy, and the colors were more vibrant than anything he had ever seen before.


    As the warrior looked around, he saw that thendscape had changed too. He was no longer standing on the battlefield, but in front of him appeared a vast and unending expanse of a transcendent being.


    This being had a humanoid appearance but with a mixture of all the elements of reality such as water, earth, metal, wood, wind, and fire; leaving many others he could not even recognize. It was like looking at a living embodiment of the world itself.


    The eternal being sat in a meditative pose, its eyes closed as if lost in thought.


    The warrior estimated that it was several hundred kilometers away, yet it felt as if the being was right in front of him. He felt a sense of awe and reverence wash over him, as if he was in the presence of something truly divine.


    For a few moments, the warrior stood there, unable to move or speak. Finally, he found his voice and asked...


    "Who are you? And why have you brought me here?"


    "I am Termeszet." spoke the divine being, its voice carrying a soothing quality that put the warrior at ease.


    "In my world, I am known as the God of Nature."


    The warrior listened intently as the being continued...


    "You died heroically in your world." it said.


    "But before your bodypletely perished and your soul was dispersed, I pulled you into my realm and cured your condition."


    The warrior felt a mix of confusion and gratitude.


    However, the impact of watching hisrades and those who served under him being brutally massacred right in front of his eyes was still vivid and imprinted on his mind.


    "There''s a reason why I preserved your life, child." revealed Termeszet in a benign tone.


    The warrior waited with bated breath to hear what the God of Nature had to say next.


    "I want you to be my chosen Hero."

 Chapter 881 The Shellshock

    In Vantrea at the present moment¡­


    Huff!


    Huff!


    A man jolted awake in the wee hours of the morning, his entire body drenched in sweat.


    He took a moment to catch his breath and surveyed the room he found himself in, which was akin to a majestic abode fit for a king.


    Despite the grandeur of his surroundings, an inexplicable sense of misery permeated the air, and his ghastly countenance betrayed the terror that gued his mind.


    In an attempt to calm himself down, the man made his way over to the window, dressed only in his trousers, which revealed his impressive shredded and endomorphic physique.


    Standing at a staggering 2 meters tall, he could easily be mistaken for a professional bodybuilder, yet thanks to the standards of this world, even his height fell shortpared to some of the towering humans who reached even 3 meters tall.


    Gathering hisposure, the man muttered under his breath...


    "That dream again? Even after eight years in Vantrea, I can''t seem to shake off these nightmares of that dreadful battlefield."


    The man in question was none other than the current Hero of Nature, chosen by the God of Nature to protect the empire and its inhabitants.


    Little did anyone know that the Hero of Nature carried with him the vivid memories of hisst battle in his own world.


    Despite the passage of time, the memories of that dreadful day continued to haunt him, refusing to let go. The thought of therades he lost, the battles he fought, and the overwhelming sense of despair that engulfed him all came rushing back, like a floodgate that refused to be tamed.


    As he gazed out of the window, lost in thought, he couldn''t help but wonder if he was truly worthy of the title bestowed upon him.


    He had been chosen as the Hero of Nature, yet he couldn''t even protect those closest to him, let alone the entire empire. It was a weight that he carried with him every day, a burden that only grew heavier with each passing moment.


    Though he had sacrificed his life to save his kingdom and giave them enough time they needed to regroup and attack with full force the following day... the oue was far beyond his expectations.


    As the hero watched from the afterlife, shown by the God of Nature, he bore witness to the horrors that befell his people and his fellow soldiers.


    The royal family had been captured and offered to the empire, breaking the chain ofmand.


    Themoners were left defenseless, with no one to protect or fight for them as the strongest warriors had already joined the empire, lured by promises of a brighter future and rare resources to be even stronger.


    While the honorable soldiers fought valiantly on the battlefield for the sake of their families, friends, and loved ones at home... the hyenas known as Politicians and Nobles had already sold their mothend to the highest bidder.


    The traitorous ministers and feudal lords who already sold out the kingdom to the enemy forces got a reward for their betrayal, they received even morends and positions in the imperial administration.


    The empire then decided to make an example out of this war,ying waste to his entire kingdom in their conquest.


    The wounds of failure and the fall of his entire kingdom scarred the Hero of Nature mentally, giving him nightmares even in this new world where he had been chosen as a hero. The memories of his failure continued to torment him, a constant reminder of the consequences of his actions and the price he had paid despite his heroic sacrifice.


    The Hero of Nature had always been a soldier, a warrior who was willing toy down his life for his people and his country. Despite being an intermediate 5th-stage saint, he knew that no amount of power or wealth could heal his wounded soul, and the hollow ache that had taken root in his heart after watching everything he had fought for crumble to ruins.


    As a result of his experiences, the Hero of Nature developed Shellshock, also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that gued him with shbacks, nightmares, and anxiety.


    Because the memories of his past haunted him, he struggled to find a way to move forward and heal from the trauma he had endured.


    This nightmare he just woke up from wasn''t the first time and it definitely won''t be thest either.


    Yet, despite his sorrow and regret, he knew that he had to carry on and fight for thend that had given him a second chance.


    Despite his struggles, he knew that he had to keep fighting, not just for himself, but for all those who had suffered and died because of the actions of others just like people of his kingdom.


    ----------------<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Over time, the Hero of Nature began to find sce in his role as a hero in this new world, using his powers to protect the innocent and fight against those who would seek to do harm. He knew that he could never forget the past or the pain he had endured, but he also knew that he could use his experiences to make a difference and help those in need.


    Within the confines of the Nadur Empire, a longstanding animosity had divided the human and beast races. The scars of an ancestral war and the memories of envement at the hands of humans had left deep wounds within the hearts of the beast empire''s inhabitants.


    Consequently, when the Hero of Nature, a human, arrived in the Beast Empire, his presence was met with disdain and suspicion from both the general popce and the imperial rule.


    The masses, as well as those in power, could not easily overlook the historical grievances that had shaped their perspectives.


    However, they found themselves at an impasse when faced with the undeniable truth that their God had chosen and sent this human hero to theirnds. They were forced to reconcile their prejudice with the divine will that brought him among them just like the previous times when human heroes were summoned.


    Years rolled by, and the Hero of Nature found himself subjected to constant supervision and stringent restrictions. The wary eyes of those around him, including his own party members, who were no different than an enemy spy... Every move he made was scrutinized, his actions weighed and measured.


    Yet, despite the challenging circumstances, the weight of responsibility he had willingly undertaken kept him steadfast. The God of Nature had entrusted him with the task of ying the Demon God, a burden he could not shirk. And so, he endured the relentless partiality and constraints, for he understood that the fate of the world rested upon his shoulders.


    Slowly but surely, the Hero of Nature began to regain his sense of purpose, his heart filled with a renewed determination to fight for what was right. He may have been scarred by his past, and his entire existence might not have been pleasant to others... but he was also stronger because of it.


    ''A hero forged by the fires of war and the horrors of betrayal.''


    ----------------


    Step!


    Step!


    A few momentster, a demihuman soldier, a foxkin to be precise, appeared outside the Hero''s door and rapped on it urgently.


    Knock!


    Knock!


    The tall man quickly opened the door and inquired, "What is it?"


    "Lord Hero, we have an emergency!" the foxkin soldier eximed.


    "What has happened?" the Hero inquired, his voiceced with concern.


    The soldier swiftly ryed the news...


    "A mythical rank monster has appeared 200 kilometers away. It hasunched an attack on the nearest city, which is home to approximately 15 million people.


    A Saintess from the Fenrirborne tribe has been leading the military in battling the creature, but she has requested assistance as the monster surpasses her in power."


    Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Hero''s eyes narrowed with determination.


    "And I am the closest avable saint." he dered.


    The soldier nodded, his expression filled with urgency.


    "That is correct, Lord Hero. You are needed immediately."


    "Say no more." the Hero responded resolutely.


    With a swift motion, he summoned his legendary armor, adorned with intricate designs, along with a massive shield and a greatsword of equal rank.


    The Hero of Nature ordered the soldier, confirming his readiness for battle.


    "Point me the direction."

 Chapter 882 Holding At Bay

    As the sun rose over Aurelius City, casting its golden hues across thendscape, the city began to awaken to the new day.


    Meanwhile, Kahn''s request for money as a reward from the council the previous day had not been made without reason.


    In his current circumstances, he possessed everything including resources. But despite his arrival in the Beast Empire eleven months ago, he found himself without a penny to his name.


    Though his stay in the empire would not be lengthy, Kahn knew that he needed money to avoid a life of begging and to maintain the appearance befitting a saint.


    This money would serve various purposes, including acquiring items or doing certain things in the eyes of others that would solidify his identity as a member of the Fenrirborne Tribe.


    While acquiring money may not have held great importance in the grand scheme of things, Kahn had reached a point where he required nothing else; so he asked it out of pure habit.


    Given he possessed a soul of an ountant, the sum he had asked for caused many council members to recoil in surprise, their eyes widening in disbelief.


    Yet, considering the circumstances, it was the only request that seemed appropriate for Kahn aka Atreus, serving as a means to secure his ce and provide him with the necessary resources to navigate his new life as a brawler saint.


    As he basked in the morning sun, a message was ryed in his mind.


    [I have an important task for you.]


    An rmed voice resounded, instantly recognizable as Romulus.


    As Kahn listened to the urgent mission being ryed to him, a sigh escaped his lips, his frustration evident.


    "Are there no other saints in this empire?


    I feel less of a shadow disciple and more of a minimum-wage construction worker." he eximed in exasperation.


    "And why are these mythical rank monsters, who have slept for centuries, suddenly awakening andunching attacks on cities?" he continued toin.


    However, before he could delve further into his questioning, Romulus''s voice cut through his thoughts with amanding tone.


    [Just shut the hell up and help Juno!] Romulus ordered, leaving no room for further debate.


    And then, he provided his reasoning.


    [Because you''re probably the only one who can stop this monster.]


    ----------------


    In one of the rugged regions of the Nadur Empire, where thend met the sea in a stunning disy of nature''s power, a fierce battle raged.


    A tumultuous storm crackled overhead as dozens of colossal creatures, conjured from pure lightning, shed with a towering being that stood a staggering kilometer in height.


    Along the shores and the surroundingnd, the aftermath of the battle was evident. The fallen bodies of hundreds of thousands of soldiersy strewn across thendscape, while the remnants of destroyed warships dotted the sea. The scale of devastation was immense, a testament to the ferocity of the conflict.


    Amidst the chaos, the defender and leader of the forces was a Fenrirborne Spirit Enchanter saintess.


    With all her strength, she fought valiantly to hold the monstrous entity at bay, buying precious time for the civilians to evacuate to safety.


    However, the strain was taking its toll. She had depleted her reserves of World Energy, and now, critically injured, she found herself hurtling through the air, crashing onto a nearby seashore.


    Rumble!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bang!


    The towering lightning monsters, each reaching heights of several hundred meters, relentlessly assailed the mythical beast with their electrifying attacks.


    However, to their dismay, their efforts seemed futile against the colossal creature''s colossal frame, encased in a shimmering crystalline exterior. Despite the immense power behind their strikes, the lightning monsters could not breach the barrier provided by the monster''s resilient form.


    What instilled fear and horror in the hearts of those witnessing the battle was the monster''s ability to transform into a spectral form whenever an opportunity arose.


    Just as the conjured spirits managed to create a fleeting opening in its defenses, the creature would seamlessly shift its physicalposition, rendering the attacks ineffective against its ethereal manifestation. This unsettling ability added an extrayer of challenge and unpredictability to the already daunting task of defeating the monstrous foe.


    The battlefield crackled with fric energy as the sh between the lightning monsters and the mythical creature intensified. Sparks illuminated the sky, casting an eerie glow on the surroundingndscape.


    It was a desperate struggle, as the lightning monsters fought against an adversary whose resilience seemed almost insurmountable.


    Each strike, each attempt to weaken the creature, was met with its relentless countermeasures and spectral transformations, prolonging the confrontation and heightening the tension.


    Time was running out.


    Juno knew that with her incapacitated, there was little standing between the colossal monster and the vulnerable citizens who were still seeking refuge.


    The creature''s mere aura alone had the potential to im millions of lives. Urgency gripped her as she mustered what strength remained, knowing that she had to find a way to stall the impending disaster and protect those who were fleeing for their lives.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    With each advancing step of the monstrous creature, fear continued to grip Juno''s mind, tightening its hold on her.


    ROAARRRR!!!


    However, in a sudden turn of events, the colossal beast unleashed a furious roar, a disy of anger that seemed to indicate it was being threatened.


    The sound of its deafening roar sent shivers down her spine, as if foretelling imminent doom.


    BOOM!!


    And in that moment, a dazzling golden beam of light pierced through the air, striking the mythical creature from behind Juno with a resounding impact.


    Rumble!!


    Astonished, Juno turned her gaze to witness the unexpected arrival of a mysterious figure.


    A tall and robust man stood before her, his back turned towards her. Though Juno herself was taller than him, at that moment, his presence seemed to dwarf her, his broad back and stature resembling an immovable mountain.


    The field was hushed as the figure''s heroic voice resonated through the battlefield, instilling awe and hope in the hearts of all who heard it.


    "Do not fear." he proimed with valor, his arrival giving everyone hope and confidence.


    "Because I am here."

 Chapter 883 Setting The Battlefield

    The once tumultuous battlefield fell into an eerie silence, disrupted only by the distant echoes of fierce shes. In this moment of despair, a glimmer of hope emerged as an imposing presence made its way through the chaos,ing to Juno''s aid and offering salvation to the dwindling group who valiantly stood against the mythical creature.


    Before Juno and the survivors, a figure materialized, captivating all with his striking appearance.


    His shoulder-length golden locks were meticulouslybed backwards, framing a face adorned with bright blue eyes that shimmered with determination. A wide, infectious smile graced his lips, radiating a charismatic aura that had the power to inspire even the most weary souls with a single nce.


    As he stepped forward, his strong and muscr physique came into view, emanating an aura of unwavering resolve and indomitable might.


    His well-defined muscles rippled beneath his attire, conveying a sense of power that seemed to permeate the air around him. The sheer force of his presence exerted a domineering and overbearing pressure, leaving no doubt of his capability to confront any challenge that stood in his way.


    The man was adorned in a legendary rank ck and yellow armor, its impressive design fitting him perfectly as if it were molded to his form. Even the gauntlets he wore could barely mask the bulging veins and sinewy muscles that rippled beneath his skin, a testament to his immense strength and prowess.


    In his left hand, he carried a golden shield standing at an imposing height of one and a half meters. Its surface glinted under the sun, giving off a lustrous sheen that added to the man''s already impressive appearance.


    In his right hand, he wielded a legendary rank greatsword of the same height as the shield. The de emanated a shimmering and heavy aura, as if it could cleave a mountain in half with a single, effortless swing. The mere sight of it instilled a sense of awe and dread in the hearts of those who beheld it.


    And looming before this imposing figure, a catastrophic cmity hovered in the distance, a mere three kilometers away. It hung suspended in the air, a menacing presence just a few hundred meters above the turbulent sea, as if defying thews of nature itself.


    "What is this one called?" inquired the hero, his voice resonating with rustic authority and unwavering firmness. The depth of his voice alone was enough to convey his inherent masculinity and strength.


    "It''s called Cherufe." Juno responded, her voice steady as she regained herposure.


    "It is an Earth elemental mythical monster typically found within volcanic ranges. Cherufe sustains itself by consuming minerals and ores, dwelling within vastkes of molten magma." answered Juno and stood up, regaining herposure.


    "Who provoked it? The sea is thest ce it would want to be, correct?" the hero queried, his readiness to strike evident in his poised stance.


    "We don''t have that information. Sightings of Cherufes have been nonexistent for several centuries, and there are no volcanic regions in thesends." Juno disclosed, her toneced with a mix of concern and uncertainty.


    "I happened to be present on an imperial mission when itunched its attack. Had I not been here, there would have been no one left to defend the nearby cities and protect the citizens." Juno''s revtion shed light on the events that led to the dire situation they now faced.


    The Hero of Nature redirected his gaze towards the monstrous creature that had mercilessly imed the lives of few hundred thousand soldiers and decimated three warships while leaving no trace of damage or even a scratch upon its own body.


    Standing at an awe-inspiring height of one kilometer, the mythical monster exuded a magnificence that surpassed imagination.


    Its entire form wasposed of glistening crystals, creating a mesmerizing spectacle. Althoughcking visible legs, four colossal crystal pirs floated around its lower region, adding to its imposing presence. The head was adorned with a brilliantly shining white helmet, crafted from the highest grade of diamonds, while the massive arms extended up to an astonishing length of 700 meters each. Beneath its pink-red exterior, blistering magma coursed through its body like the lifeblood flowing through veins.


    Despite its immense weight, the creature possessed the ability to soar through the skies, defying gravity and reaching a certain altitude above the tumultuous sea.


    "Very well." the Hero of Nature dered with authority. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I shall take charge from this point onward. You and everyone else, retreat a dozen kilometers away and ensure your safety as soon as I engage in battle."


    Juno could only offer a solemn nod in response, acknowledging the vast difference in rank and power between herself and the Hero. His strength far surpassed hers, leaving her no choice but toply and trust in his abilities to confront the impending threat.


    The moment everyone else left and the monster had finally recovered from the previous attack, now enraged to its core¡­ the imminent battle started.


    Without dy, multiple greenish tattoos began to manifest on the Hero''s face and arms, glowing with an intense radiance as he bellowed out a powerful incantation.


    "Sage Arts 1st Form: Thousand Hands Battlefield!" he shouted.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    In a sh, the Hero''s incantation caused an overwhelming surge of power, as thousands of hands burst forth from the earth and sea, while some even ripped open the sky like wormholes and descended like divine judgement, rising up to encircle thend, sea, and sky without exception.


    Each one of these thousand hands stood at a towering height of 500 meters, imbued with a condensed amount of world energy.


    Among them were thoseposed of light, lightning, wood, fire, water, wind, darkness and even metal, containing all eight physical manifestations of natural elements.


    Despite their varying properties, every single hand possessed the devastating power to annihte a couple of kilometers through their respective elemental attacks.


    The battlefield expanded rapidly, stretching out to a massive radius of 15 kilometers, all connected through invisible barriers of world energy.


    With the creation of this separate battlefield, the Hero and the Cherufe were free to unleash their full powers, without endangering the lives of innocent bystanders.


    Juno and the remaining soldiers stood frozen in awe, their eyes transfixed on the battlefield that emanated terrifying auras and exuded boundless destructive power. The sight before them surpassed their wildest imaginations.


    "It''s my first time witnessing such a spectacle. The rumors must have greatly underestimated its true power." Juno murmured in disbelief, her gaze filled with incredulity as she tried toprehend the magnitude of whaty before her.


    The sheer intensity of the battlefield left no room for doubt¡ªthis was a force to be reckoned with.


    "That¡­" Juno continued, her voice hushed with reverence.


    "Is the Hero of Nature''s Terra Domain."

 Chapter 884 Terra Domain

    Juno, the solitary saint, stood motionless, her eyes transfixed on the awe-inspiring disy of the Hero of Nature''s Terra Domain''s boundless versatility.


    Rumors had previously circted that a Hero of Nature had achieved the unfathomable feat of mastering all natural elements as part of their domain, something no other summoned Hero of Nature had aplished in over three millennia, even during the reign of humans when beastkin races were enved.


    Juno had heard these rumors, but witnessing it firsthand left her speechless. However, she knew that the Hero was only preparing the battlefield. The real battle was about to begin, and it was time to even the odds against Cherufe, the towering monster that stood at a height of over a kilometer.


    "Divine Ability: Izanami''s Champion!" suddenly, the Hero bellowed.


    The onlookers watched in awe as his body began to transform at visible rate.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    In an instant, the Knight Hero''s body, along with his weapon, shield, and armor, began to grow exponentially, as multiple elements of reality coalesced and engulfed him. What transpired was an unbelievable transformation.


    Within just 15 seconds, the Hero of Nature had be a being equal in height to Charufe, standing at a towering 1 kilometer tall. However, this was no mere increase in size.


    His eyes were like lightning, his arms and shoulders transformed into thergest tree trunks in the world, and his legs turned into the hardest of metals. His once-golden hair now zed like the sun.


    In his hand, the 700-meter-tall and 300-meter-wide shield turned dark gray, carrying both earth and metal elements, while his 500-meter-long greatsword became a destructivebination of lightning and darkness.


    Using one of his battle-oriented divine abilities, the Hero of Nature ceased to be human and became an embodiment of Mother Nature herself, her champion.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    It was hard for anyone to believe that such an enormous and weighty being could effortlessly walk on the turbulent sea''s surface.


    SCREECH!!


    SHRILL!!


    Meanwhile, on the other side, Cherufe let out a deafening war cry that echoed across the battlefield. It raised its massive arms and pointed them menacingly at the advancing enemy.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    The Cherufeunched a barrage of thousands of missiles, firing 120-meter-long, pointed pirs of crystal-like bullets from its body, akin to a Gatling gun.


    Dhang!


    Dhang!


    Enormous shards of diamonds and rare minerals, worth millions of gold coins, shed against the Hero''s shield as he used it for cover while closing the distance between them. These massive projectiles, if used in a normal war between armies or a siege, would be enough to destroy a tall wall made of nothing but stones. However, the Hero''s shield, enhanced by both earth and metal elements, withstood the barrage of crystal-like bullets.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bang!


    Bang!


    The Hero, now in his titanic form, also used his enormous sword tounch waves of darkness and lightning beams that could obliterate an entire mountain in a single shot. However, despite the devastating power of his attacks, they were barely enough to leave small scratches on the mythical monster''s body.


    As if in response, one of the fire elemental hands surrounding the battlefield vanished and reappeared beneath the sea, striking Cherufe with incredible speed.


    BOOM!


    With the force of a massive boulder hurled into the sky, Cherufe was flung several hundred meters away.


    Woosh!


    But before it could regain control of its momentum...


    A 500-meter-tall metal elemental hand struck the monster with a devastating blow, breaking the sound barrier and shattering the foremostyer of crystalline armor on its body.


    BANG!


    The impact caused the sea to surge and the ground to shake as Cherufe was flung back for several kilometers.


    The attack didn''t stop there.


    Rumble!


    Two enormous hands floated in the sky, one made ofpressed wind and the otherposed of blinding, erratic lightning, and theyunched themselves at Cherufe.


    The resulting explosion was of pure world energy, causing shockwaves of destruction that rocked the sky and sea. The force of the st created uncontroble tides that could have easily flooded entire cities if the battle were fought onnd. Over a dozen kilometers of space would have been decimated by the sheer power of the attack.


    Such was the overwhelming power of the Hero of Nature''s Terra Domain. It was a battlefield capable of annihting armies numbering in the millions, as well as saints and legendary or mythical monsters, leaving them with no time to react before the Herounched his attacks.


    With each element having a corresponding counterpart, the Hero of Nature possessed a multitude of options to dismantle his opponents, regardless of the elemental nature of their attacks or spells.


    ording to the rumors circting, what Juno witnessed was merely the first form of this awe-inspiring Terra Domain,parable to Kahn''s own Dimensional Domain. The extent of its true potential remained a mystery yet to be unraveled.


    The Divine Ability known as Izanami''s Champion was perfectly suited for the Hero of Nature, considering his Domain, which harnessed the power of nature itself to defeat his adversaries. The potential of this divine ability could only be matched by someone possessing multiple bloodlines and elemental affinities of the Primordial Titans.


    Even ckwall, a 3-kilometer tall mythical rank variant of the Primordial Titan with an affinity for earth and water elements, would find it impossible to possess such abination. The Hero of Nature, despitecking the bloodline of the Primordial Titans, stood on par with them, possessing control over all elements through this divine ability.


    It was evident to anyone observing that the Hero of Nature had not yet reached his maximum potential. With each advancement in rank as a saint, he would continue to grow stronger and more formidable.


    So unless someone did not rely on elemental skills, spells andbat techniques while using only the Laws of Reality such as Space Law or Gravityw¡­ they couldn''t even hope to be this hero''s match even if they were a rank higher as a saint.


    Even Romulus had previously admitted long ago while training Kahn that the Hero of Nature was destined for even greater heights of power.


    Even among the present generation, no one could deny that the Knight on the battlefield¡­


    Was one of the strongest Heroes.

 Chapter 885 Immovable Mountain

    The battle raged on between the Hero of Nature and Cherufe, shaking the heavens and threatening toy waste to the earth. Neitherbatant showed any inclination to surrender, their determination unwavering.


    sh!


    With a tremendous swing, the Hero of Nature''s colossal greatsword, infused with darkness and lightning, shed through the outer exterior of Cherufe''s armor-like body. The strike created a deep wound, causing the mythical monster''s chest to shatter like fragile ss, its form crumbling under the immense power of the blow.


    "Useless heap of crystals! Is that all there is to you?


    Did all those people die to a braindead monster?!" shouted the Hero and kicked the opponent''s chest, sending it flying 3 kilometers away.


    Undeterred, the monster continued its assault on the Hero''s titanic figure, relentlesslyunching iprehensibly hard and lethal diamond bullets. The projectiles, driven by the monster''s immense strength, aimed to pierce through any defense the Hero could muster.


    Boom!


    Bang!


    The relentless exchange of attacks and counterattacks persisted between the Hero and Cherufe, each side refusing to yield.


    [Get out of my way! You have no idea what''sing!] a sudden telepathic message echoed in the Hero''s mind.


    "There''s no chance, no room for negotiation after what you''ve done!" the Hero retorted, his tone resolute. As he spoke, he deftly evaded one of the four pirs that had acted as Cherufe''s legs, which were revealed to be the strongest and hottest long-range extensions of the monster''s body.


    The pir attacks left deep dents and holes on the Hero''s near-indestructible shield, which had been faithfully protecting him from the onught of diamond bullets. If even a single one of these attacks hadnded, it would have ripped through a 20-story building, causing it to copse like a house of cards.


    [Have it your way then, Human.] Cherufe responded, his tone betraying a sense of urgency.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, Juno and the remaining soldiers, though not saints themselves, observed the battle from a vantage point that allowed them to witness the unfathomable size and scale of thebatants. The enormity of the battle was such that it could decimate cities on Earth with the sheer magnitude of destruction unleashed when both sides attacked with their full power.


    Even Juno, a 3rd stage saint, knew that she would suffer fatal wounds if caught in the crosshairs of this grand and terrifying sh, which appeared like a skirmish between gods to their mortal eyes.


    However, despite the awe-inspiring nature of the battle, such confrontations between saints and mythical monsters were considered rtively normal in Vantrea.


    SWOOM!


    At this critical moment on the battlefield, a tremendous surge of world energy emanated, filling the air with its palpable intensity. The Hero, seizing the opportunity, executed a powerful vertical shing maneuver, channeling the immense power of his Terra Domain into a single devastating strike.


    Boom!!


    As the Hero''s attack connected with Cherufe, the sheer force and intensity of the strike caused the sea to momentarily part in a dramatic disy. For a fleeting moment, the water split into two distinct paths, creating a mesmerizing sight that defied naturalws as the power unleashed by the Hero''s attack reverberated through the battlefield.


    Sizzle!


    Rumble!


    The seawater sizzled as the Hero''s sword plunged into the ocean, sending a massive burst of smoke and steam spreading in a three-kilometer radius. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the nearby inds, signifying a decisive strike against the mythical monster.


    For a moment, the Hero''s expression became ted, convinced that their opponent had finally been defeated.


    However, as the smoke cleared, a gasp escaped the Hero''s lips at the sight before them.


    The undamaged figure of the mythical monster had reappeared, towering over the ocean''s surface. This time, however, it was different.


    The monster was not only unharmed but appeared to havepletely healed, as if none of the previous attacks had even touched it.


    The Hero''s heart sank at the realization that they were not dealing with an ordinary foe.


    "How is this possible?" the Hero muttered, eyeing the monster warily.


    [That is its most powerful life saving skill it can use periodically.] messaged Juno.


    The Hero''s mind raced, searching for a strategy to defeat the formidable monster before them. They knew that they had to act fast before the monster could unleash its full power once more.


    "I see." the Hero said, his voice firm.


    "Then I will have to kill it before it can use it again, or I''ll just injure it too many times till it can no longer use it." responded the Hero of Nature.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At this moment, those two were the only viable battle tactics anyone could use.


    ----------------


    An hour passed¡­


    With the help of his domain and divine ability, the Hero of Nature dominated the entire battle.


    But the monster kept shifting through a different spectral form whenever the hero tried tond the finishing blow.


    [Get out of my way or die!] the Cherufe threatened the Hero while his aura burst and shook the entire battlefield.


    "Is that so? Then why didn''t you use this ability to get past the forces before I came?


    That''s the biggest drawback of your skill, isn''t it?" a smirk appeared on the titan hero after he realized a fact.


    The Cherufe, a mythical monster of immense power, was not without limitations. Whenever it desired to move to another location, it had to manifest itself in the physical world. This meant that it couldn''t use its incorporeal form to traverse distances, rendering it vulnerable to physical attacks.


    And that was the reason why Juno was able to stall it for all this time.


    If the Cherufecked the ability to phase shift or if it were merely another 5th-stage saint, its demise at the hands of the Hero would have been swift and certain. However, it was precisely due to this limitation that the mythical monster found itself trapped, unable to escape the relentless onught of the battlefield and the colossal Hero of Nature.


    Though the Cherufe skillfully evaded the Hero''s attacks, it could only manage to do so by the narrowest of margins, clinging to survival amidst a barrage of powerful blows. This constant dance of evasion and near misses kept the mythical monster confined to its current location, unable to venture beyond the battlefield''s bounds.


    [You know that you can''t kill me on your own. Yet why do you try to insistently?] asked Cherufe, suffering from intense exhaustion.


    "Because a soldier doesn''t care about the consequences when ites to protecting people back at home."


    ----------------


    5 Hours Later¡­


    The tide of the battle had undergone aplete reversal, leaving the Hero of Nature battered and exhausted. Because the Cherufe itself revealed its hidden powers...


    The relentless onught of crystalline projectiles, capable of momentarily bypassing solid objects, had taken a severe toll on the Hero.


    This unique ability of the mythical monster turned each projectile into an unavoidable homing missile, leaving the Hero with little room for escape. The Hero''s titan physique, once formidable, now bore the marks of severe injury.


    Yet, despite the onught, the Hero had not sumbed to defeat. The key to his endurancey in his constant regeneration of life force, a power derived from absorbing the surrounding world energy. This remarkable ability allowed the Hero to continually replenish his strength, providing a lifeline amidst the chaotic battlefield.


    The Hero of Nature''s remarkable endurance owed much to his 2nd Divine Ability, Undying Pyres.


    Like a fruit nurtured and preserved by nature itself, as long as the Hero remained connected to the world around him, whether it be the ground or the sea, he could not die. The life force of the surrounding world would continue to heal him even if he was on the brink of death.


    Though not as instant as Kahn''s regeneration skill he received from Cthulhu, the Hero''s power could heal wounds that spanned 100 meters in width and depth on his titan form.


    Coupled with the fact that the battlefield was his own domain, his ss also allowed for periodic healing.


    The ability was a testament to the Hero''s deep connection to the world and his unwavering resolve to protect it. His haggard state was no match for his unyielding spirit, for he was a knight who would never stop fighting even in the face of inevitable death.


    [Lord Hero! The evacuations are nearly done. I and the rest will hold the front even if we die.


    Once your world energy runs out¡­ even your domain will vanish and your divine abilities won''t be effectively able to heal you. You should leave and call back for backup.


    Your life is more important than mine and everyone else.] said the fenrirborne saintess out of genuine concern for the man who saved their lives.


    "I don''t trade lives,dy." replied the Hero with a serious voice, his tone full of resolve to stop the mythical monster here before it took any more lives.


    The Hero of Nature chuckled in response and asked...


    "Besides... What are you talking about?"


    His titan body stood tall and proud, reinvigorated while taking a deep breath as he tightened his grip on both the shield and the greatsword. His eyes shone with an indomitable will, the kind that could defy even the heavens themselves.


    "I can do this all day."

 Chapter 886 The Knight

    The Hero of Nature had discovered the Cherufe''s weakness, but victory still seemed elusive. Because they still had no means to kill the monster, and the battle was taking a toll on the Hero''s body and world energy.


    The Hero''s determination remained unbroken, however he understood that, in order to defeat the Cherufe, he would need toe up with a new strategy, one that would take advantage of the monster''s vulnerability without exposing himself to danger.


    As the battle raged on, the Hero pondered all the options, considering every possible approach. He knew that victory was within reach if he persisted longer, but also the fact remained that one wrong move could mean his defeat.


    The Cherufe continued to evade the Hero''s attacks, its phase-shifting ability allowing it to slip away from the Hero''s grasp at thest possible moment.


    It was a frustrating and exhausting battle, one that seemed to have no end.


    But the Hero refused to give up. With every passing moment, his resolve grew stronger. He would need find a way to defeat the Cherufe, no matter what it took.


    "Alright¡­ I will have to use it here." spoke the titan hero to himself and soon, the two suns in the sky suddenly sent massive beams of heat that saturated across the Hero''s ginormous figure.


    "Sage Art 2nd Form : Apollo''s Decree!" roared the hero of nature as he gathered all his strength and the sr beams coalesced into a massive 800 meters long sword made of blistering heat, evaporating the clouds above and the seawater beneath.


    Even Cherufe, a mythical creature of magma and earth element, felt terror.


    As the suns began to set, the Hero''s domain red to life, a burst of energy that signaled the end of the battle.


    The Hero knew that this was his moment, their chance to turn the tide of the fight.


    With a mighty roar, the Hero charged forward, their body infused with divine sword granted by the suns in the sky.


    The Cherufe tried to phase-shift away, but this time, the Hero was ready.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Dozens of those massive hands blocked its vision, some even attacking it at the same.


    The Cherufe barely managed to phase shift through those attacks but now, the Hero of Nature knew how long it will be able to stay in that form and then be forced to materialize again.


    The whole charging with that massive sword was a ''feint'' move. His real objective was to create that one-second window.


    sh!


    With a swift motion, the Hero struck the monster, his attack striking true the moment Cherufe returned to the real world.


    BOOM!!


    A shockwave shook the nearby 10 kilometers of sky and sea as the attack finallynded.


    SCRAAAA!!!


    The Cherufe let out a terrible cry as its crystalline form dissipated, vanishing into the crumbs that submerged into the sea below.


    The battle was over, and the Hero of Nature had emerged victorious.


    Thud!


    He copsed onto the ground of the seashore, exhausted but triumphant, knowing that he had saved countless lives by defeating the Cherufe.


    "Finally... I can rest." spoke Hero of Nature, thoroughly exhausted.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    But as fate would not allow him a victory¡­ another unbelievable phenomenon urred.


    The presumably dead Cherufe came back to life, just as new when their battle began.


    This time, Juno and others were simply terrified. They met an unkible enemy and now, even the Hero of Nature failed to end it.


    [Should I use my divine weapon?


    No! It''s not safe to use it here.


    Especially not so close to other people and the cities within 100-kilometer radius.


    I would be doing more harm than good even if I managed to kill this monster by using it. I would be destroying their lives instead.] he thought to himself.


    The battle had drawn for over 6 hours and all the people in danger were evacuated. But for some reason, the Hero of Nature wasn''t willing to his Divine Weapon even as thest resort for reasons unknown.


    ----------------<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Swoosh!


    At that very moment, a new presence arrived on the battlefield. A blue-furred fenrirborne warrior, covered in icicles on the shoulders and ancient runes across his body, stepped forward.


    It was Kahn in his Atreus persona, who had been sent to the battlefield by Romulus.


    But without surprise, he too was bbergasted after looking at the battlefield of elemental hands and the Hero of Nature''s titan form.


    Vildred who was with Kahn, using his new abilities after the 3rd enlightenment, watched everything from the True Dimension.


    [He is very impressive. Even the Heroine of Nature in my time wasn''t as good at controlling all the natural elements to this degree.


    I killed her very easily back then. But if it was him¡­ I believe I would have to struggle a bit.] said Rathnaar, the Peak Saint.


    Vildred, the Dragon Emperor also spoke sternly¡­


    [Indeed. He has formed perfect synergy between elements despite not having 100% affinity to all of them or using the Elemental Fusion technique on himself.


    Even for a chosen Hero, this is a truly great aplishment.


    Looks like there''s another Hero in this generation who is as hardworking as you are despite the pain and suffering it causes to achieve such mastery and strength.] he spoke, showing approval to Hero of Nature after seeing his forms firsthand.


    Atreus quickly absorbed what was happening and made his presence known by releasing his aura as a 4th stage saint to everyone. Revealing his real rank as a 5th stage saint was unnecessary here.


    "I''m here to help." he spoke directly to Hero of Nature.


    "What can you do? Even my strongest attack move can''t end it." responded the hero.


    "Keep fighting it. We can''t kill it because of its abilities.


    But we can stop it from using them." he spoke, offering a way to kill the mythical monster.


    "How?"


    "I have an artifact given by my master.


    I can create a legendary rank formation by setting coordinates and artifacts. You only need to keep stalling for time." replied Atreus.


    Romulus had already given vital information about Cherufe, the main reason why Kahn had to be here to help Juno.


    But unexpectedly, he met the Hero of Nature instead.


    In truth, the artifact he spoke of was actually a legendary rank formation taught by Vildred, especially useful against monsters and beings made of crystals that can phase shift. But it took time to set over a big battlefield.


    And Kahn couldn''t reveal that he was also a saint magician. So he used this excuse of installing an artifact.


    "Alright, I''ll do that. It''s better to stop this thing here." agreed the titanic hero as it dodged another barrage of crystal missiles.


    "But given your conditions¡­ you might die if things don''t go ording to n or we run out of time before the formation is set." said Atreus.


    To his cautious words, the hero let out a visible smile.


    "Soldiers should always be prepared to die for the country and their families at home.


    Because our citizens, our families and children who are the future of the empire¡­ We must protect them at all cost.


    For that¡­ I''m willing to make any sacrifice." he replied.


    "Aren''t you scared? You might die for real." spoke the blue wolfkin.


    Yet another adamant response came from the ginormous knight hero.


    "When you''re fighting in a war, the first thing you have to kill is not your enemy¡­" his voice echoed as he spoke in a valiant tone.


    "It''s the fear of death."


    The echoing words fell on Kahn''s ears and for the first time, he felt that his mind was swayed by someone else''s conviction to protect others.


    This was a resolution of a true warrior and a knight who would fight for the defenseless even at the expense of their life.


    This was the Hero of Nature. This was¡­


    Maximus dius.

 Chapter 887 Perfect Synergy

    So far, the two other heroes chosen by the gods whom Kahn had encountered were quite the characters, based on his personal experience.


    The Hero of Fire proved to be a ruthless and narcissistic psychopath. It seemed that the lives of everyone around him held no value whatsoever. His actions and demeanor reflected aplete disregard for the well-being of others.


    On the other hand, the Hero of Life disyed apleteck of manners and consideration towards anyone, even when the whole world was watching. He appeared to ce no importance on anyone or anything beyond himself, exhibiting a self-centeredness that was difficult to ignore.


    However, in his guise as Atreus, Kahn finally encountered the Hero of Nature.


    To his surprise, this hero made a conscious decision to fight for the people, despite not having any obligation to do so. Rather than fleeing to preserve his own life, he valiantly battled until the bitter end, pouring every ounce of his being into the fight.


    And for what purpose did he endure such hardships?


    Kahn was no longer oblivious to the dire situation that Maximus dius, the Hero of Nature was in.


    His master, Romulus Lykaios, had already informed him about the constant surveince the Hero of Nature had been subjected to by the highest authorities of the Nadue Empire. This scrutiny hadmenced from the very first day of his summoning in Vantrea nearly 8 years ago.


    On the surface, the Hero of Nature was treated as a savior and even regarded as royalty by the imperial rule. However, beneath this facade of adoration, he was nothing more than a prisoner.


    Every action he took, every step he made, was meticulously nned by the top echelons of power. Even his public appearances were carefully orchestrated with underlying political propaganda. He possessed a semnce of freedom in name only, as others dictated when and where he was allowed to go.


    In such circumstances, it would be understandable for anyone in his position to harbor bitterness towards the authorities and the people of the Beast Empire. Yet, surprisingly, he continued to fight for the very people who were not even his own, and perhaps never truly liked him due to his identity as a human hero.


    This revtion struck Kahn deeply, causing him to question his previous assumptions. It became abundantly clear that the Hero of Nature was cut from a different cloth altogether.


    ----------------


    10 Minutes Later¡­


    As Maximus continued his prolonged battle with Cherufe, Atreus utilized his dual skills as a magician and an artificer. He vanished from the battle scene and reappeared in a solitary location, located about 15 kilometers away.


    With his vast reserves of world energy, he began to imprint runes and magic formations on various surfaces such as the ground and water. Each formation was massive, spanning dozens of meters and varied in color, shape, and pattern.


    Like terminal points in a grid circuit system, the formations started to glow, filling gradually.


    Atst, after much effort and focus, Atreus managed to create a circr legendary rank magic formation, Spirit Solitary.


    This formation had a diameter of 25 kilometers and was designed to trap and halt the target''s ability to phase shift through objects.


    "Excellent, step one isplete." Atreus muttered to himself.


    "Now, it''s time to finish what only I can do."


    [Time for you to go all out.] he informed Maximus telepathically.


    In the midst of the battlefield, where thousands of hands surrounded him, Maximus began his frantic assault on the Cherufe. Unlike before, the monster could no longer phase-shift through objects and was forced to face Maximus head-on.


    "It''s working." Maximus said as he continued his lethal onught.


    Just as he was about tounch the decisive strike that would have ended the monster''s life, a sudden disturbance interrupted his attack.


    Blip!


    The ginormous 1 kilometer tall mythical monster disappeared from the battlefield.


    Soon, in a dimension where everything was ck and gray while time itself moved 10 times slower, the massive body of the crystalline Cherfufe appeared.


    This was one of the main reasons why Maximus was not able to finish the killing blow because the Cherufe had absconded to was¡­ the True Dimension.


    Beneath the Cherufe''s seemingly invincible phase-shifting abilitiesy a far more formidable trump card: its ability to temporarily enter the True Dimension when it neared the brink of death.


    Within this realm of existence, where time flowed at a sluggish pace, the Cherufe always underwent a process of recuperation and self-healing, restoring itself to a perfect state. Once its time in the True Dimension wasplete, it would reemerge into the real world, appearingpletely unscathed.


    The true extent of the Cherufe''s abilities remained shrouded in mystery, primarily due to the species'' extreme rarity even among legendary and mythical monsters. Its unique attributes and the secrets held within the True Dimension made it an enigma, leaving those who faced it unaware of the immense challenges they truly faced.


    "My my¡­ you are so shameful."


    Suddenly, a ghastly voice resonated in the true dimension.


    Kahn, in his resplendent blue cosmic form, stood alongside his 4 cosmic replicas, patiently awaiting the moment when the Cherufe would enter the True Dimension.


    How did he possess knowledge of this hidden ability?


    It was through the experiences of Romulus, who had encountered a Cherufe in the past during his time as a member of the 8th Hero of Darkness'' party, back when the Abyss Empire still existed.


    In a fierce battle against the mythical creature, they had narrowly managed to emerge victorious. However, it was a fellow party member, well-versed in the study of spacew and having attained the 3rd enlightenment in it, who had uncovered the Cherufe''s hidden ability.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This revtion became the reason why Romulus entrusted the task of stopping the monster to Kahn alone. Because without the 3rd enlightenment in spacew, even those who cultivated the profound knowledge of thisw would find themselves powerless against this mythical beast.


    BOOM!!


    Five auras, each emanating from a fifth-stage saint, erupted simultaneously, sending shockwaves rippling through the surrounding area. As the ground shook beneath their feet, a massive 500-meter-long greatsword, an exact replica of Lucifer, materialized in the true dimension.


    Unlike the usual practice of Kahn, who fused different elements to create his weapons, all of these swords were made entirely of pure cosmic aether. The sheer power they emanated was enough to strike fear into even the bravest of souls.


    But the terrified Cherufe didn''t even get a chance to react. Kahn, now the de facto leader of the true dimension,unched a full-scale attack on the monstrous being with all his speed and might.


    "y all¡­ Dimensional Judgement!"


    sh!


    sh!


    Inside the true dimensions, the five beings unleashed a barrage of hundreds of shing attacks upon the Cherufe, slicing through its formidable defenses before it even had a chance to contemte escaping this realm.


    Shatter!


    Shatter!


    As Kahn unleashed his newly developed attack skill, the very fabric of space ruptured and shattered like ss on a tiled floor. The energy released from the attack cut through everything on an atomic level, leaving nothing untouched in its wake. The power of the attack was such that it seemed to defy thews of physics, as the very essence of reality trembled and broke apart under its might.


    Dimensional Judgement¡­ a skill that worked only in the true dimension was performed perfectly.


    Thanks to the 3rd enlightenment in Space Law, even Kahn''s doppelgangers aka cosmic replicas could also use Dimensional Cut skill that was impossible for his duplicates before since none of them had any space force of their own.


    But that was no longer the case for these replicas as they were made of cosmic aether, a higher form of space force itself.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    However, this was not the end as the creature''s defeat was not yetplete.


    The body that Kahn had destroyed was merely a dimensional state of the original body, simr to how Kahn had his cosmic replicas made of cosmic aether.


    What he truly wished to aplish was to seal Cherufe''s ability to phase shift and take refuge in the true dimension. And with both options now eliminated, the Cherufe had no choice but to return to the real world.


    Crack!


    Through a space rift, the real Cherufe finally reappeared in the real world.


    BOOM!!


    However¡­ there was someone eagerly waiting for it.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    "Grant me the strength to uphold justice. Give me the fortitude to safeguard peace."


    A deafening roar reverberated through the heavens and the earth, as if the entire universe was responding to the hero''s plea.


    In an instant, all of the world energy present in the Thousands Hands Battlefield vanished.


    Meanwhile, the titan Hero of Nature stood tall with his right fist clenched, as if he had gathered all the energy within as the elements of reality aligned in perfect synergy; a surge of energy both dreary and blinding rose to its zenith.


    Maximus, poised for battle, clenched his fist, his eyes locked on Cherufe as the crystalline mythical creature reappeared.


    "Grant me the strength to ovee destiny..."


    Woosh!


    With a deafening warcry, the hero unleashed his ultimate attack, pouring all of his strength and world energy into a single devastating blow.


    Before the mythical creature could even react, it saw the final blow hurtling towards it. The one that would bring about its downfall...


    "INFINITY SMASH!!!"

 Chapter 888 With Great Power...

    With a powerful finishing blow that demonstrated the perfect synergy between the elements of reality, the Hero of Naturended the final hit.


    BOOM!


    A massive multicolored pir of pure, destructive energy tore through the sky as Maximus'' Infinity Smash obliterated everything in a 15-kilometer straight line.


    Fortunately, the attack urred in a vast sea filled with only saltwater and no inhabitants. Otherwise, it could have killed millions of people in an instant.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    As the blinding light subsided, two enormous figures came into view: the Titan Hero and the Cherufe. This time, however, a massive 500-meter-long right arm passed right through the mythical monster''s chest, creating a gaping hole.


    The Titan Hero breathed heavily, his body pulsing with the residual energy from his attack.


    "It is done." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.


    Crumble!


    As the light in Cherufe''s eyes finally faded, the battle came to an end.


    Shatter!


    Shatter!


    The colossal, one-kilometer-tall body shattered from the inside out, crumbling like pottery on the ground.


    Amidst the rubble and debris that fell into the turbulent deep sea below, the only thing that remained intact was the core of the mythical beast, now lying in Maximus'' palm.


    He gazed down at the massive, glowing orb, a sense of awe and wonder washing over him.


    The Cherufe''s core was a staggering 150 meters tall, despite its spherical shape. It emanated condensed world energy that could obliterate everything within a 50-kilometer radius, many times more powerful than a nuclear bomb.


    The surviving soldiers in their flying ship soon arrived to safeguard the core, which Maximus had gently ced on their deck. The core of a mythical creature that was close to the level of a 6th stage saint was a national treasure, and as per thews, only the imperial authorities were authorized to keep it.


    Woosh!


    Kahn, disguised as Atreus, also carefully flew over the location without revealing his Dimensional Law skills to the Hero of Nature.


    To Maximus, it appeared as though the work was solely done by the legendary artifact that Atreus had received from his master, which had stopped Cherufe from using its abilities so that Maximus could finish the job.


    To him, all Atreus had done was activate the formation and watch from afar as he fought the mythical being by himself. However, there was no sign of pride or entitlement on his face. Even he knew that had the blue wolfkin not appeared, the long-drawn battle would have ended in his defeat the moment his world energy reserves were depleted.


    As he thought back on the battle, Maximus couldn''t help but feel a sense of gratitude towards Atreus. He knew that the wolfkin''s help had been instrumental in their victory, and he made a mental note to thank himter.


    But he also couldn''t shake the gut feeling that there was more to Atreus than met the eye. He wondered what other abilities the blue wolfkin possessed or how capable he was in a frontal sh.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Maximus finally deactivated his divine ability called the Izanami''s Champion and turned into a 2-meter-tall and muscr human.


    "Thanks to you, we managed to end it." he spoke to Atreus, appreciatively.


    "All I did was use the formation. My contribution is not even worth mentioning." responded Atreus humbly.


    Though he knew the truth, Kahn chose to keep it to himself.


    He had spent all of his cosmic aether reserves to kill Cherufe''s dimensional body inside the true dimension, in a single, powerful move that had paved the way for Maximus tond the final blow.


    Despite his crucial role in the victory, Kahn decided that it was best to let Maximus take the credit. He knew that the Hero of Nature was a symbol of hope and inspiration to many, and that acknowledging his own contributions would only detract from that and might as well bring him unnecessary troubleter.


    [What do you think, brat?


    Isn''t he super powerful even for a chosen Hero?] asked Rathnaar.


    [Yes, he is. And he did all that without his divine weapon.


    He is much more experienced inbatpared to the Hero of Fire I fought. If not for my Dimensional Law abilities, I don''t think even I would''ve survived thatst move of his.]


    Despite his own impressive skills and cheat codes, Kahn was not one to underestimate someone with greater strength, especially when they possessed such formidable abilities.


    ----------------


    After the chaos had subsided and the surviving soldiers had left with the mythical creature''s core, Maximus and Atreus found themselves alone, looking out over the vast sea and the innocent aquatic creatures that had perished in the battle between the two powerhouses.


    "May I ask you something personal?" questioned Atreus who was taller than Maximus by 1 meter.


    "Go ahead."


    Atreus turned to Maximus with a curious look, his voice filled with genuine curiosity.


    "Why did you choose to fight and not run for your life even when you were at yourst straw?" he asked, eager to understand hisrade''s motivations.


    Maximus paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the horizon.


    "I fought because I had to." he replied atst.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Running away would have meant abandoning my duty as a hero and leaving innocent lives at the mercy of that beast."


    "To be honest, that sounds like a lie you prepared in advance. Tell me honestly." said Atreus, being immodest in his question.


    To this out-of-the-line behavior, Maximus let out a small smirk and replied calmly¡­


    "The world where Ie from wasn''t so full of magic, world energy, or these gigantic monsters.


    Someone like a Saint would be akin to a God in our eyes.


    As for my reasons¡­ it started when I was but a child." he spoke in a heavy tone.


    "One day, the enemies of our country invaded and killed everyone in our vige.


    My grandfather barely managed to save and escape with me while my parents and all of my rtives were mercilessly ughtered.


    I lost everything I had back then." he spoke, revealing a traumatic past.


    "Later, we immigrated to the capital, looking for work to survive." he continued, his voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia.


    "My grandfather was the cksmith of our vige. He was a skilled craftsman, and he managed to get a job even in those difficult times."


    He paused for a moment, as if lost in thought.


    "But life was not easy even for an old man.


    My grandfather worked tirelessly, day in and day out, for minimum wage just to put food on our tes.


    We lived in a small wooden hut that could fall with a strong downpour, and it was all we could afford." he sighed heavily, the weight of the memories evident in his voice.


    "Despite all the hardships, my grandfather was a kind and loving man. He worked hard to ensure that I had a good upbringing, and I will always be grateful for that."


    As he spoke, it was clear that the memories of his childhood were bittersweet. He had learned to appreciate the simple things in life, and had developed a deep sense of gratitude for the sacrifices his grandfather had made for him.


    "A decadeter, my grandfather also died.


    I lost the only family I had in the world and truly became an orphan." he spoke somberly.


    The surroundings turned grim as Maximus tried to light up the mood with his smile as if it wasn''t something worth getting sad over, yet the pain in his eyes betrayed his smile.


    "Since our kingdom was frequently at war, I enlisted in the military as it was the only way for me to cope with loneliness in my life.


    I spent 15 years of my life in service to my kingdom. I rose to the rank of a Lieutenant in the military andmanded hundreds of warriors under me.


    But even after sacrificing my life to the Gods of my world, for the sake of my people¡­ They were eradicated by the enemies in the end." he exined his situation.


    "So that''s why¡­


    I failed to protect one home. I''m not losing another." he revealed his reasoning on why he kept fighting.


    "I don''t mean to be rude, Lord Hero. But there''s something I''m curious about." said Atreus.


    Kahn was curious about one thing¡­ Something he shared inmon with Maximus.


    "This world is not yours. People or the authorities of the Beast Empire do not like you either.


    So why do you keep fighting for their sake?" he asked without restraint.


    Both the Hero of Nature and the Hero of Darkness shared amon trait - they were hated simply for being who they were. The world held a prejudice against them, and they had no one to protect.


    Even Kahn, the Hero of Darkness, had very few people he cared about in this world. The idea of fighting for empires and billions of people whom he did not know, had no responsibility towards, and did not even care about saving, still eluded him to this day.


    How could anyone be willing to risk their life for the very people who detested them, berated them, and wished they would just disappear?


    For Kahn, this was a concept that he could notprehend. He was a man who had experienced firsthand the bitter sting of rejection and hatred from those around him in his past life.


    But again¡­ Maximus lightly chuckled and responded¡­


    "Maybe it''s my paradigm. It''s the soldier in me who just can''t mind his own business when he sees the lives of people in trouble.


    Besides, growing up in those years with my grandfather, he used to tell me this one thing." he borated.


    "It is easy to bring chaos and destruction in the world with unimaginable power.


    However, even the most powerful man is powerless when ites to bringing evesting peace and prosperity." his firm voice echoed in the surroundings.


    The world was always gued by suffering and inequality, and even those with power had done nothing to change that.


    "You can''t create order and security without causing bloodshed. That is something even the strength I have can''t achieve without sacrifices.


    My grandfather¡­ he often told me¡­" said Maximus and his mouth turned heavy, thinking of the one man who raised him to be who he was today.


    "Those who have been blessed with power have a responsibility to the world¡­" he recounted his grandfather''s teachings.


    "The powerful have the responsibility to protect the weak."

 Chapter 889 The Code Of Conduct

    Maximus dius, the Hero of Nature, revealed his dark past and the reason for his modus operandi, despite being ostracized by the entire Nadur Empire. As he spoke, Kahn was swayed by Maximus''s honorable conviction to protect the weak, even if his work went unappreciated.


    ''Man conquers the world by conquering himself.''


    The quote he read in the past life seemed to embody Maximus perfectly.


    The Hero of Nature, Maximus dius, did not care what the world thought of him. He had faced rejection and scorn from those around him, but his moralpass remained unshakable.


    ''External things are not the problem. It''s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.''


    A philosophy Kahn had forgotten to apply recently in his new life. This outlook on the way of life carried great wisdom that many could not understand.


    Yet, Maximus seemed to be living by it without even knowing.


    "I guess my preconceived assumptions about you were wrong. I apologize if I have offended you in any way, Lord Hero." spoke Atreus, his tone filled with genuine respect.


    And soon, he extended his arm to shake hands with the Hero of Nature.


    [System, Scan him.] hemanded.


    The system soon reported in his mind, giving him Maximus'' sats.


    Just a dozen secondster, Kahn was left asunder.


    Why?


    Because although Maximus was only 30 levels stranger than him, all of his stats were much higher than they should be.


    Why did it garner such a reaction?


    Kahn was significantly stronger than any other saint, and even his base stats wereparable to those of a saint 2 ranks above him. This was due to the blessing called the War Deity Body, which also made him five times stronger than other saints of the same rank.


    Despite having ess to perks like Rathnaar''s core and the Chamber of Exaltation, Maximus surpassed Kahn in terms of strength. The former did not even have the same blessings as Kahn, but his sheer power dwarfed thetter.


    Soon, Kahn with his curiosity now peaked to the brim, asked respectfully¡­


    "May I ask why you didn''t use your Divine Weapon?


    The battle could have ended much faster with that."


    "Do you have any information regarding my Divine Weapon?" asked Maximus.


    Atreus only shook his head.


    To ensure the safety of the Hero and protect their secrets, the Divine Abilities and Divine Weapons of past and present chosen heroes were never revealed to the general public.


    Throughout history, even members of the Hero''s Party had sometimes neverid eyes on them during their lifetimes.


    "If I used my divine weapon, many soldiers would''ve died.


    And the nearby 100 kilometers of the region would''ve been turned into an infertilend and dead sea." revealed the Hero of Nature without exposing the hidden secrets.


    "People in thesends would have no means to make a living if I did that.


    All of them will have no forests, water, natural resources, agriculture and source of food." he said in a cautious tone.


    "It would also keep destroying additional terrain with each passing day and everyone living here would be forced to immigrate. Their lives would be permanently destroyed.


    As someone who had experienced the consequences of war and immigration since childhood¡­


    I know how big of a suffering it is. That''s why I couldn''t use it." he exined in a serious tone.


    Upon hearing the reasoning behind Maximus'' actions, Kahn''s opinion of him was greatly elevated.


    In contrast to Conan, whose actions caused the deaths of millions of people, Maximus, as the Hero of Nature, not only ced the lives of innocent citizens above his own but also took into ount the potential consequences of using his powers on their lives for future generations.


    Maximus was both thoughtful and considerate in his actions, and was willing to risk his life to preserve the well-being of themon people. This was a quality that powerful saints in the world often disregarded with ease, something that Kahn himself had experienced on numerous asions.


    Kahn himself had not always been so considerate in the battles he had fought thus far. As he pondered and assessed Maximus as a person, Kahn ultimately arrived at a conclusion...


    Maximus dius, the Hero of Nature, was a true warrior and "HERO" by definition.


    Maximus did not earn this title simply because he was chosen by a god; rather, it was due to the way he chose to uphold his own sense of morality and ethics. In contrast to many other powerful individuals who used their abilities solely for personal gain.


    He carried himself with a code of conduct simr to the quote that said¡­


    ''Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to nt yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say¡­''


    ''No, you move''.


    ----------------


    Minutes passed after their conversation ended, as both Maximus and Kahn were depleted of their world energy and in need of time to recuperate.


    Kahn''s use of the Legendary rank Spirit Solitary formation had drained 99% of his entire world energy, leaving him with nothing left to spare. Furthermore, his reserves of space force and cosmic aether had beenpletely depleted, as he had utilized them in his battle against Cherufe, attacking with his powerful Dimensional Judgment skill.


    Maximus, too, had exhausted his Divine Ability during the entirety of the battle, and was now on the brink of falling from the sky they hovered in.


    BOOM!!


    Rumble!!


    The surrounding 20 kilometers of space shook and the deep sea became terrifyingly erratic.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As if the Goddess of Luck had a grudge against them, the fight was far from over.


    Suddenly, from a vast whirlpool in the sea, reminiscent of the Bermuda Triangle, a creature emerged, its anger and killing intent directed towards both Maximus and Atreus.


    The creature was massive, and its sheer size caused the water around it to churn and boil.


    "Who killed my, the great Varuna''s prey?!" a terrifying and domineering voice resounded in the 25 kilometers region.


    "I think I understand why the Cherufe was so restless and entered this border of the empire." spoke Maximus, barely withstanding the insurmountable pressure even though they stood so far.


    Now Maximus understood why Cherufe was so adamant on running away and why it said that they had no idea what wasing.


    ROARR!!!


    The sea creature that had emerged from the whirlpool was unlike anything Maximus and Atreus had ever seen.


    It had four wings that spanned two kilometers in width individually, and its massive maw was filled with thousands of razor-sharp teeth, like that of a ferocious predator.


    As the creature revealed its entire form, the yellow horns on its head emitted an aura of absolute tyranny and respect, signaling to the two heroes that they were facing a powerful adversary.


    Lustrous dark green scales shone brightly as light danced off of its skin. Long and pointy fins on its back gave it a majestic appearance.


    Despite being 5th stage saints, Maximus and Atreus couldn''tprehend the creature''s full size. Its body was so enormous that they couldn''t even see the end of it.


    "Four Wings¡­ Fuck!" spoke Atreus, looking at a certain being inside the true dimension.


    "It''s a freaking Superior Dragon!" he bellowed in rage, cursing his luck.


    Vildred, who was just about to inform Kahn as soon as he detected it, halted his words.


    [Other than running away¡­ there is no way for the both of you to keep your lives.] spoke Rathnar, the peak saint.


    Why did even the man who once reached the pinnacle of strength in the world advise Kahn to run away?


    Because the strength of this Superior Dragon based on its aura wasparable to that of a freaking Peak 7th stage saint!


    And given its species as a superior Dragon, it was already on par with a beginner 8th stage saint at least.


    [Kahn¡­ This is not a Superior Dragon born in my time as the emperor.


    It shouldn''t even be here in the first ce as per thews of the Dragon Empire.] informed Vildred.


    [Even with my restricted rank and strength because of our contract¡­ I can fight it.] revealed the former Dragon Emperor.


    Yet the good news didn''tst long.


    [But I will need to transform into my true Royal Dragon form.


    And once I do that, your secret might be brought to questioning since all the empires have ways to track the existence of Royal Dragons once we fight in a foreign territory.


    When they find me, they will find you as well.


    The fight itself could destroy hundreds of kilometers even with my skills and ss as a sage.


    Those millions of people who previously escaped would get caught in the crossfire even if I tried to contain the battlefield.] spoke Vildred, giving a harsh reminder of the bitter truth in front of their eyes.


    [So make a choice¡­ Would you let those people die or choose to risk your life?] he presented Kahn with limited options.


    ----------------


    Ever since Kahn arrived in this world, Self-preservationn was always the main driving factor behind all his decisions since the entire world was hunting him due to his identity as Hero of Darkness.


    Now, faced with the choice to make a decision for his own life and the millions of people who would die once they failed to stop this Superior Dragon¡­ What choice would he make?


    Will he choose to be a Hero like Maximus or be a heartless selfish bastard who thought about nothing but himself?


    ''No one is Neutral. Everyone is a Hypocrite.''


    Those were the words cited by Kahn just a few days ago.


    And now, he had to make a life-changing decision. One that woulde with very dire consequences regardless of which choice he made.


    But right when everything was running in turmoil¡­ an unknown voice resounded in Kahn and Maximus'' mind.


    [You both have done well, children. Now let me handle things.]


    As if an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, someone with great strength had arrived.


    Flutter!


    Flutter!


    Strong gusts of wind shook the clouds in the sky as a powerhouse of the Beast Empire made an appearance.


    Both Kahn and Maximus were shaken to their cores after seeing this entity.


    It was the one being who was both revered and also feared to the point that one couldn''t help but bow in front of. It was¡­


    The Empress.

 Chapter 890 The Strongest Authority

    Right when the future seemed bleak and Kahn was forced to make a decision that would bring dire consequences regardless of which choice he made¡­ the strongest being in the entire Nadur Empire made her appearance.


    "We bow before your Majesty!" spoke Maximus and made a kneeling gesture while floating in the sky.


    Kahn aka Atreus didn''t even get to nce at her properly before he had to avert his gaze down as he knelt.


    "Leave this ce. It''s an enemy even you, a chosen Hero can''t handle." shemanded.


    Right behind her, Juno also appeared and informed.


    "All the civilians and soldiers have been relocated 500 kilometers away by her majesty. Everyone is safe now."


    "You three¡­" spoke the Empress and before Kahn could even life his head, all three of them were enveloped by a golden world energy and traveled even faster than light speed.


    In just two seconds, all three of them were sent 80 kilometers away from the battle, to an entirely new region.


    "Ugh¡­ I still can''t believe it even after experiencing it by myself. She used the same method to transport more than 15 million people at once. And it took only 12 minutes because of their great numbers." said Juno who was leading the evacuation when Maximus was fighting Cherufe.


    Her words brought greatfort to Maximus but terrified Kahn.


    To move millions of people 500 kilometers away even with warships would have taken a couple of days. Yet the Empress, who was an 8th-stage Saintess, did it in just a dozen minutes.


    And not a single one of them was harmed or suffered any aftereffects despite traveling 500 kilometers at such great speed.


    Just how strong were 8th-stage saints to be able to do that without using skills or formations like Teleportation and not hurt a single individual among them?


    [If you''re impressed just by that much, then you will drop your jaw when you meet a 9th-stage saint.] taunted Rathnaar.


    [Her skills are good. I approve.] spoke Vildred from true dimension.


    Kahn quickly used Horus Eyes ability and increased his vision range by 30 kilometers adding on his own range of 25 kilometers.


    BOOM!


    But before he could take a glimpse at the Empress'' face, a massive golden lightning bolt erupted from her body and parted the sky and sea.


    SCREECH!!!


    An ear-deafening screech resonated in 30 kilometers radius, causing hide tides and uprooting thousands of trees situated beyond the seashore. Many boulders and peaks were ttened to the ground as the Empress decided to reveal her true form against Varuna, the Superior Sea Dragon.


    Atreus, Maximus and Juno shuddered on the spot and froze up in sheer terror as another terrifyinglyrge and domineering existence came into sight, the being that was cause for this destruction aka the Empress manifested into a godly existence.


    In the sky, hovered a ginormous serpentine creature with tworge ck feathered wings that spanned 3 kilometers in length alone.


    As though the world hade to an apocalyptic end and the gods themselves were exacting divine retribution, a torrential downpour of golden lightning bolts rained down from the heavens, obliterating everything within a 30-kilometer radius.


    At the center of this devastation was a monstrous, serpentine creature stretching 20 kilometers in length. Its jagged teeth and four massive fangs served as harbingers of death, while its head was adorned with a crown of hundreds of lustrous brown feathers. Its dark brown, hexagonal scales were decorated with shimmering golden patterns, covering its entire body in a fearsome sheen.


    The creature''s arrival brought forth destruction and chaos, leaving nothing but ruins in its wake. Its mere presence evoked a sense of doom, as if the world wasing to an end.


    The onlookers like Kahn could barely make out the Emperess'' height since she was floating as if she owned the sky while golden lightning ran across this 20-kilometer-long body.


    [Is this a True Descendant?] wondered Kahn.


    [System, give me details.] he ordered.


    [The being in front of the host is the direct descendant of the Godbeast Basilisk with highest bloodline purity among all the descendant species.


    Also called as the Kukulkan.] reported the system.


    Kahn had his eyes widened in shock after this report.


    [You mean the Feathered Serpent God also called as Quetzalc¨®atl?] he queried.


    [The system has no idea of the simr creatures resembling the species of Vantrea in the host''s original world.] it replied in a lifeless tone.


    [Ah, the Chief God in Mayan culture on earth is actually a descendant of a Godbeast in Vantrea?


    Just how much our worlds are interconnected?] he pondered to himself.


    Right at this moment, the superior dragon Varuna also took upon the challenge without even bothering to share a word with the Empress.


    Why?


    Because by nature, Dragons and Basilisks have always been archenemies since the immemorial era that ended with the fall of all primordial races.


    The moment they saw each other, the moment they wanted to kill each other by instinct.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    This time, the scale of the battlefield was entirely different.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In the past, Maximus had utilized his powerful Infinity Smash, one of his most devastating finishing moves, to cleave through the sea in a straight line, leaving a path of destruction that spanned 15 kilometers. However, inparison, a seemingly 2-kilometer-long spear made of hundreds of lightning bolts discharged by the Empress now wreaked havoc on everything in its path within a 25-kilometer radius, akin to a nuclear bomb.


    It was a testament to the Empress''s incredible power and the sheer magnitude of her destructive capabilities. Even the most formidable of attacks from the Hero of Nature paled inparison to the devastating force unleashed by her single lightning bolt.


    "We need to run as far as we can." spoke Kahn in a serious tone.


    Meanwhile, Vildred who intently gazed at the Empress from the true dimension was barely containing his urge to fight.


    He was a lightning elemental Royal Dragon while she was a lightning elemental Kukulkan. There was a time when he too was as strong as a peak 8th-stage saint. And watching this battle kindled his fighting spirit.


    [Control it. Both of your lives will be at risk if you reveal yourself.] said Rathnaar after noticing Vildred''sposure.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile¡­


    The water elemental dragon and lightning elemental Kukulkanengaged in a fierce battle above the sea. The dragon pped its wings, sending a barrage of waterdes into the air, while the Kukulkan crackled with electrical energy, illuminating the sky with each powerful move.


    The two beings circled each other, sizing up their opponent before the fight began.


    The dragon attacked first,unching towards the Kukulkan with its jaws open. But the lightning elemental serpent was quick to react, sending hundreds of bolts of condensed lightning she summoned towards the dragon''s head.


    The dragon narrowly avoided the attack, twisting it''s ginormous body to the side and unleashing a torrent of water that could tear through even legendary-rank armor from its mouth. The water crashed against the Kukulkan, momentarily blinding it and allowing the dragon to take advantage.


    Just this small exchange caused ripples and tremors in the 20-kilometer radius as if two gods were fighting.


    This made the battle between Kaijus on earth look like ame joke.


    The dragon swooped in, its talons on the small legs extended towards the Kukulkan. The lightning elemental Empress responded byunching herself into the air, evading the dragon''s attack and shooting dozens of those 2 kilometer long spears of lightning at the dragon''s underbelly.


    ROAR!!


    Varuna roared in pain as the electricity coursed through its body, but it quickly regained itsposure, turning to face the Kukulkan once again.


    The Empress flew straight at the dragon, her wings creating a massive beam of golden lightning as she approached. The dragon responded with a powerful p of its wings, creating a wave that knocked the Empress off course. Varuna took advantage of the opportunity, grabbing the Kukulkan in its jaws and mming it into the rocky mountain range below.


    The nearby mountains and valleys crumbled like sandcastles and turned into smithereens just from the sh. Even a single impact from this unimaginably big body of the Empress had the strength to level cities.


    But the Empress was far from defeated. She emerged from the deep pits, her eyes crackling with electricity.


    Sheunched a series of lightning bolt spears at the dragon, striking it again and again.


    Varuna roared in pain, but it refused to give up. He retaliated with a burst of water, drenching the Kukulkan and temporarily short-circuiting its electrical powers.


    The two beings continued to fight, each one determined to emerge victorious. The dragon used its powerful wings to summon and create whirlpools in the water, while the Kukulkan darted through the sky, striking the dragon with spears made of lightning bolts.


    There were no magic spells or formations. Both of them weren''t even using their respective domains as if it was a sign of weakness. This was a battle of pure physical strength and the fierce nature of thebatants.


    Mainly because even the Legendary Rank weapons, skills, spells and magic formations couldn''t even graze their bodies given how strong both fighters were and how great their bloodlines were.


    As the battle raged on above the sea,nd and mountains, Varuna and the Empress shed with ferocity.


    The dragon used its powerful water-based attacks to try and douse the lightning beast''s electrical powers, while Kukulkan used its agility and speed to dodge the dragon''s attacks that could cut mountains in half with a single sh as she struck back with thousands of bolts of lightning that could incinerate even the strongest mythical rank monsters.


    Despite Varuna''s size and strength, the Empress was a master of aerialbat, using its lightning-fast movements to outmaneuver the dragon andunch surprise attacks.


    The dragon, on the other hand, was a skilled strategist, using the water it summoned to create waves and whirlpools to try and throw off the Empress'' aim.


    Throughout this entire battle, they traversed around 300 kilometers in various directions in the past few hours. And no matter where they went, only destruction and annihtion followed.


    Kahn, who watched this battle from 50 kilometers away in the sky, understood why True Descendants were only 2nd to the Godbeasts.


    Because once they reached their peak and learned to harness their bloodlines to the fullest¡­ No other beings unless it was a Royal Dragon or a 9th-stage saint, could do anything to them.


    They were basically the world cmities roaming the world.


    As the battle wore on, it seemed that the dragon had the upper hand. The Kukulkan was battered and bruised, and its powers were beginning to wane. But then, something unexpected happened.


    After 4 hours of constant battle, it came down to the finale.


    STAB!!


    The Empress in her injured state managed to bite Varuna in the throat and using her enormous wings¡­ she forcefully flew higher in the sky.


    "Is she?" wondered Atreus in disbelief.


    [Yes.] replied Vildred and cemented Kahn''s suspicion.


    [She''s taking him to the Outer Space.]

 Chapter 891 The Pinnacle Of Hierarchy

    The long and devastating battle between Varuna, the Superior Dragon, and the Empress of the Beast Empire took a pivotal turn when she gravely injured her opponent, forcing him to take to the sky. With her enormous, 20-kilometer-long serpentine body coiled around Varuna, she matched his physical structure.


    Unlike Vildred, the sea dragon didn''t haverger arms and legs, but his sharp ws easily tore through Kukulkan''s body, spraying her ck blood in gallons as they ascended into the stratosphere.


    Despite her deep wounds and mauled flesh, thecerating Empress did not weaken her grip on Varuna''s throat, and their struggle continued. ck and blue blood decorated the ground below, belonging to Kukulkan and the Dragon, respectively.


    Her determination was evident, and she was not going to let go until she had aplished her goal.


    The battle reached new heights, and the sky became a canvas for their fight.


    And as Vildred had predicted, the Empress'' aim was the Exosphere.


    In Vantrea, it was 1800 kilometers above the ground level unlike earth where it was only 800 kilometers.


    [You will kill both of us!] said Varuna telepathically while suffering great anguish.


    [Are you scared, Dragon?


    You should have thought before daring to enter my empire!] bellowed the Empress, her tone filled with fury as their enormous bodies kept flying higher at incredible speed despite their size.


    [Who sent you?!] she questioned in a furious voice.


    [Was it the Dragon Emperor?] her words turned rageful.


    But in response, Varuna spoke¡­


    [I do not serve that tyrant! I have already pledged myself to a new master.]


    The pride in his voice was noticeable as if his new master was above the current Dragon Emperor.


    [Who?] asked the Empress, still ascending with all her might.


    [You know who.


    He will wipe out every inferior species from this and we Dragons will once again achieve our golden age.] mored Varuna.


    [You have no pride even for a Superior Dragon. Those I fought before would rather die than bow to someone like him.


    s, it makes no difference. You shall pay for invading my domain!] dered the Empress, her voice disregarding the information.


    She knew whom Varuna spoke of. But she didn''t fear that entity in the slightest.


    And finally, they reached the border of the Exosphere.


    Given her size, sheer strength and rank, it only took the Empress 20 minutes and finally¡­


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    With her body crackling with energy, the Empress gathered all the lightning bolts that ran across her entire body and focused them in her mouth.


    A ginormous orb of erratic and vtile golden lightning began to take shape, carrying with it the strength to disintegrate everything within a 30-kilometer radius.


    The energy crackled and surged, causing the air around the Empress to ripple and distort. The orb grewrger and more intense, and the Empress strained under the immense power she was summoning.


    Shoot!


    Breaking the sound barrier, the attackunched like aserbeam and hit Varuna.


    BOOM!


    Varuna, the Superior Dragon, was thrown out of the exosphere with incredible force, hurtling through space like a bullet shot from a gun.


    He may have been a water elemental dragon, nigh indestructible on sea andnd, but thews of physics were unforgiving in the vacuum of space.


    What happened to a drop of water in the outer space was exactly happening to Varuna.


    In space, where there is no air, there is no air pressure... As air pressure drops, the temperature needed to boil water bes lower with each passing moment.


    Varuna''s body churned and writhed as he hurtled through the void of outer space. Even though he was a water elemental dragon, he was not immune to thews of the universe.


    At first, it was just a slight warmth, like the feeling of being in a hot bath. But soon, that warmth turned to heat, and the heat turned to searing pain.


    Varuna''s body was heating up by a hundred degrees celsius every second, and he knew that if he didn''t find a way to cool down soon, he would be burnt to a crisp.


    And this time, as if he was cut off from Vantrea itself, no matter what he did, he couldn''t use his powers to descend from the exosphere.


    Without ess to the world energy that sustained him, he felt his body heating up rapidly.


    Crack!


    Varuna''s body continued to heat up at an rming rate, and soon his bones and internal organs began to dry up and crack. It was like his body was being reduced to ash, crumbling into bits like burnt paper.


    He screamed in agony, but no sound escaped his lips, for there was no air in the vacuum of space to carry it.


    As the temperature rose, Varuna''s body began to evaporate from the inside out. His once mighty form was reduced to a wispy, ghostly vapor, shimmering in the starlight.


    In the end, Varuna, the 16-kilometer-long sea dragon, was reduced to nothing but dust, drifting away into the endless expanse of space.


    The battle between the top terrifying beings was finally concluded.


    And the Empress of the Nadur Empire was the final victor.


    ----------------


    Half an hourter, the Empress descended the skies and took her humanoid form,pletely healed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A female figure materialized, standing at an imposing height of 2 meters. She was a woman, with shimmering blue eyes and faint violet hair, and a human-like face that seemed to radiate power and strength.


    But what set her apart from any human woman was the pair ofrge, ck feathered wings that sprouted from her back. They spread wide, as if ready to take flight at a moment''s notice, and their feathers gleamed in the light of the room.


    The Empress was d in a suit of Ancient Rank armor, crafted from a mix of gold and ck hide as well as bones of a basilisk. The armor was intricately designed, with swirling patterns etched into the surface, and it seemed to pulse with energy, as if alive.


    Despite her imposing physique, the woman emanated an aura of regal authority thatmanded respect and awe.


    Her golden crown-like helmet only added more to her majestic aura, making others to want to worship her. And her muscle-mommy build and striking beauty were but a small part of her overall presence, which felt almost god-like in its power and might.


    Even a casual nce at her was enough to make one feel as though they were in the presence of a being of immense strength and wisdom, a goddess descended from the heavens to walk among mortals.


    This was the ruler of the Nadur Empire, a figure loved, respected, revered and adored by more than 6 billion citizens regardless of their species and standing in the society¡­


    The Empress¡­ Kaali Adisesha.


    ----------------


    Kahn, Maximus and Juno were the only witnesses of this battle and watched everything from afar.


    Swoosh!


    In a picosecond, the Empress appeared in front of the 3 saints.


    She looked at the Hero of Nature and spoke in an authoritative tone.


    "It was a foolish decision to engage in that fight against Cherufe. You could''ve died.


    You''re lucky that I traveled 30,000 kilometers from the capital the moment I heard that you were fighting it.


    And that Dragon would''ve definitely killed all of you had I not appeared here." she spoke with visible discontentment in her eyes.


    "But millions of people would''ve died if I didn''t act." spoke Maximus, unapologetic.


    "It doesn''t matter.


    Are you not aware of the role you have to y?" she spoke with visible anger on her face.


    "You barely managed to be a 5th stage saint just a year before the Conve of Heroes.


    After what happened with Hero of Fire and the recent war that started with the Elven Empire, thest thing we want is our own Hero dying before even entering that ce." her firm voice made everyone feel a great sense of pressure.


    Right then, Atresu asked¡­


    "What ce?"


    However¡­


    Bang!


    As if dozens of mountains were dropped on his body, the blue wolfkin was forced to kneel.


    "Did I give you permission to speak or ask questions?" asked Kaali, her gaze extremely cold and unforgiving.


    "Atreus Betor, is it? The Heavenly King of Fire surely chose someone with higher Fenrir bloodline purity.


    But you''re officially not part of True Descendant families.


    Still, I will spare your life for this impetuous behavior this time given how you aided the hero in killing Cherufe." she spoke with a sense of hostility.


    "I apologize, your majesty. I misspoke." said Atreus, barely managing to maintain his stance.


    "Next time, know your ce." said Kaali and gazed at Maximus.


    "Maximus, you wille with me.


    It''s time you reunite with your team members again." dered Kaali Adisesha.


    All Maximus could do was nod. This was an order he couldn''t refuse. In the end, he gave an understanding gaze to Atreus.


    Both had a good impression of each other. But their time together hade to an end.


    After both the Empress and Hero of Nature had left¡­ Atreus and Juno were the only remaining people.


    "Atreus, are you an idiot?


    Why would you be so brazen in the presence of the Empress?" she asked in an exasperated tone.


    "Don''t you know that Basilisk tribe is hostile towards us since she dislikes the tribes and disciples of the 4 Heavenly Kings?" she questioned his judgment.


    "Why?" asked Atreus,pletely oblivious to the reason.


    "Because those 4 are the only people who can one day threaten her position and challenge her for the throne.


    Our master is one of the 2 Peak 7th stage saints and the day he bes an 8th stage saint¡­ he might challenge her one day in trial bybat.


    And you just handed her a reason to kill you. She stands at the pinnacle and you''re not even in the top 5 hierarchical positions in our empire." exined Juno, the Spirit Enchantress.


    "Your identity as Shadow Disciple saved you here as they are protected by thews of the empire which prohibits anyone from harming them before the tourney." she revealed why the Empress did not go far.


    All Kahn could do was ask with a baffled face...


    "So I nearly escaped death?"

 Chapter 892 The Invader And The Competition

    Kahn had barely escaped the wrath of the Empress by a hair''s breadth. His ignorance of the hierarchy, which barred him from asking even simple questions due to his identity as the Shadow Disciple, had almost cost him his life.


    Meanwhile, 700 kilometers away from the Aurelius city, another terrifying battle was unfolding.


    The once-lush grasnd and vast mountain range that spanned 250 kilometers in total perimeter were now a ruined and charred battlefield. Millions of creatures that had inhabited thesends for their entire livesy lifeless, their bodies strewn across the destendscape.


    In the center of a 500-meter-wide crater stood a towering, two-kilometer-tall creature, its red and white body riddled with thousands of deep wounds. Glowing red tusks covered its massive physique, and three long, scaly tails extended from its bipedal form, giving it a distinct appearance.


    Despite its size and power, this monstrous entity was the loser of the battle, barely gasping for breath as ity defeated on the ground.


    The victor of the battle stood on the opposite side, just three kilometers away from the defeated creature.


    The area within a 50-kilometer radius was now filled with thousands of towering, kilometer-tall fire elemental weapons, each varying in shape and type. Amidst this array of deadly weapons and the intense killing intent they emitted, stood a towering True Descendant, three kilometers tall.


    The creature''s ck fur was aze, and its four legs were wreathed in mes. Its massive jaws, filled with four fangs and countless razor-sharp teeth, were on full disy. The heat emanating from its body had turned the surrounding area into nothing but magma.


    The creature had nine tails, each stretching 1200 meters and carrying a massive yellow eye in it that moved independently. On the head of this terrifying being were four eyes on each side of its face, and arger one on its forehead that gave off a domineering aura.


    Golden stripes, each 100 meters wide, extended across its fur and outside of its body like a heavenly robe of an immortal. The devastation and smoke emanating from the battle had turned the sky ck.


    This was no ordinary monster, but a True Descendant of one of the five Godbeasts. Its bloodline purity was the highest among all descendant species, making it an exceptionally powerful and feared creature.


    This was the true descendant of Godbeast Fenrir, also called as¡­ Kurama.


    But given the appearance of its domain and having experienced it once by himself, Kahn knew this walking world cmity as¡­


    Romulus Lyakaios.


    ----------------


    The battle had already reached its end, and the enemy was now at itsst breath. However, Romulus, the Heavenly King of Fire, had yet to deliver the final blow.


    "Hmph! Is that all?" he snarled, his ghastly tone sending shivers down the enemy''s spine.


    "How dare one of the 12 Rakshasas invade my Beast Empire, right at the border of Elysium, the domain under my protection?" his words were filled with murderous intent, and his imposing presence alone was enough to petrify the enemy.


    "Just kill me already! I will not spill any secrets.


    Besides, my work in this empire is already done." spoke the demonic creature with a fearless smirk, unafraid of death.


    "Idiots¡­ Don''t act like we''re a pushover by attacking our borders and awakening the dormant mythical monsters across the empire.


    It took us some time but we already figured out the motives of the Demon Empire." spoke Romulus in his true Kurama form.


    "Is it because the Demon Emperor became an 8th-stage saint that pests like you are no longer worried about brazenly attacking and seeking war with the rest of the empires?" he taunted the enemy.


    The enemy on the other side was perplexed.


    [How did they figure it out so easily?] it thought.


    "Looks like your attempt to cause a diversion and spread chaos across the entire empire has failed." Romulus remarked, his voice oozing with disdain.


    "And you were overconfident to choose my territory among the 4 Heavenly Kings to infiltrate." he continued, his eyes narrowing as he red down at the enemy.


    "Just because you have the Royal True Demon bloodline doesn''t mean you''re on par with us True Descendants."


    His words wereced with a sense of superiority, as he looked down on the enemy who was nothing more than an intermediate 7th stage saint in his eyes.


    Despite the fact that the enemy possessed the bloodline of a Royal True Demon, which made him as strong as a beginner 8th stage saint, it meant nothing to Romulus.


    Being a True Descendant of a Godbeast himself, he had a considerable bloodline advantage.


    Moreover, as the Apostle of ughter, he possessed knowledge of thousands of battle strategies,bat techniques, and weapons of war. These three factorsbined made him far more powerful than any Rakshasa who served directly under the Demon Emperor.


    "I know what your other objective is. But this is your end." said Romulus and soon¡­


    Without warning, a1 kilometer wide blood-red and golden formation, shaped like the Moon itself, materialized behind Romulus''s nine tails.


    HUMM!


    HUMM!


    The ancient formation hummed with power and its mere presence seemed to stop time, restricting the movements of the demonic creature before him.


    "Domain of ughter, 2nd form¡­" he spoke in a dreary tone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Kami No Tsukiyomi!" he bellowed and the demon entity before him was stabbed with massive chains that shot forward from the enormous golden archaic formation.


    ROARR!!


    The hundreds of massive golden coins stabbed the demonic creature and quickly started sucking in its blood and life force at extremely fast pace as the enemy couldn''t even gather the strength to move.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    But before the massive finishing move couldplete its task, a deafening rumble filled the air as a massive crack tore through the fabric of space.


    BOOM!!


    A demonic w of equal size to the 2-kilometer-tall monster reached out, grabbing hold of it and pulling it inside the void.


    Despite Romulus''s attempt to stop the creature, it seemed that something else had intervened.


    Momentster, the formation behind Romulus''s nine tails dissipated, and he released a heavy sigh.


    The chains binding the Rakshasa broke and shattered into bits as Romulus revealed an ugly expression.


    "Cowards! They need the Demon Emperor to act himself to save their lives." he spoke with eyes full of wrath.


    Yes, this ginormous w that was of the same size as the opponent belonged to none other than the Demon Emperor himself who decided to meddle in and save his underling at thest second.


    "If it''s just the Nadur Empire and given the kind of trouble they''re causing everywhere¡­


    I wonder what''s happening in other empires across the world." he spoke in a tone filled with concern as if a great cmity was on its way.


    "Demon Empire¡­ They have started making their moves. If we don''t act now, things will get troublesome before¡­" he spoke and continued in a despondent voice.


    "The Conve of Heroes."


    ----------------


    As the sun rose on the next day, Kahn, who was disguised as Atreus, made his way to the designated meeting ce where he was to rendezvous with Romulus and the council members of the tribe. He had no idea that just the day before, Romulus had also been engaged in a brutal deathmatch, just like him.


    "Now, it is time¡­" said Romulus.


    "For the Elysium Tribal Tourney."


    Afterwards, Romulus invited Kahn to his private vi where they discussed the intricacies of the Tribal Tourney and the twelve tribes of the Nadur Empire. Romulus exined how the tournament worked and what was at stake for each tribe.


    This time around, the tournament was being held in Elysium, which was one of the five regions of the empire. The other regions were protected by the Heavenly Kings while the capital was protected by the Empress herself.


    Fenrirborne Tribe was the leading force in charge as the strongest and wealthiest tribe among the 3 prominent tribes in the Elysium.


    The Combat Tourney was an annual event that took ce in different regions every year. It was a fiercepetition where local powers would pit their strongest warriors against each other to prove their might. The victors of the tournament were granted various privileges, such as the rights to trade and lease particrnds for mining and harvesting.


    In the Beast Empire, strength was the only currency that mattered. There was no concept of civil rights, democracy, or elitism. As long as one had the ability to overpower their opponents, their origin or background was irrelevant.


    This is why every n and force put great emphasis on cultivating powerful warriors who could represent them in thepetition.


    However, the true pinnacle of the tourney urred once every 20 years¡­ called the Tribal Tourney.


    This was known as the Empire-level tournament, a massivepetition that involved only the 12 biggest tribes of the Beast Empire. The scale of this tournament was unmatched, as it included not just the local powers, but also other regions of the empire.


    The stakes were incredibly high in this tournament, as the main forces and tribes wouldpete for licenses and rights to control and harvest from various regions of the empire.


    As a result, only the most elite warriors of the young generation, who were at the peak of their strength, were chosen to participate in the 20-year tournament.


    The 12 tribes each sent their strongest warrior to the 20-year Tribal Tourney. Each warrior wouldpete in three matches, and based on their results, they would either progress to the next stage or be eliminated. The first three warriors with the lowest wins would be eliminated, having only nine left.


    The remaining nine warriors would then each have three rounds, and three more warriors would be eliminated based on their performance. The six remaining warriors would thenpete in two matches, with only those who won both matches progressing to the semifinals.


    If only two warriors won both matches, they would proceed directly to the finals. However, if three warriors won both matches, they wouldpete in two more rounds, and the final two warriors with the most wins would battle for the championship.


    Yet, like everything else... Things were not going to be so simple for Kahn.


    Because unlike the Emperor''s Chosenpetition he had fought in the Rakos Empire, every singlebatant in the Tribal Tourney was...


    A 5th-stage Saint.

 Chapter 893 The Heavenly Kings

    Kahn learned of the bws on which the Tribal Tourney operated on.


    The winner of the tournament and the tribe or force they represented would be granted the right towfully control a part of the Beast Empire for the next 20 years. This property would be theirs until the next 20-year tournament, where they would have the opportunity to fight for their im and potentially expand the prosperity of their own tribes.


    This event was steeped in tradition, so much so that not even the reigning Emperor or Empress could veto or stop it. And it had a profound impact on Atreus, also known as Kahn, a Shadow Disciple.


    Eachbatant was a Shadow Disciple, just like him - someone who had been secretly trained by the Tribe Leaders and honed throughout the years in preparation for this tournament. While not every tribal tourney had 5th stage saints as thebatants, this one had set a minimum requirement of 5th stage saints, and every single Shadow Disciple was a prodigy, born once a century.


    But the biggest twist of all was that every match would end with a clean victory. This meant that no quarter would be given, and the stakes were high. Atreus knew he would have to give it his all if he wanted to emerge victorious.


    In a departure from previous tournaments, killing was only allowed in the Semifinals and Finals. Kahn could tell that this rule was intended to preserve the strength of the empire since 5th stage saints with domains were a raremodity, with fewer than 30 even in the Nadur Empire. Losing one or two was eptable, but losing them all could be catastrophic. As a result, the stakes were extremely high this time around, but losses would be kept to a minimum.


    If a Shadow Disciple emerged as the winner, they would have the right to demand to be the Official Disciple, even if the Tribe Leader himself did not approve. This was a highly coveted prize, as the winner would be the official sessor of their tribe or n.


    Throughout history, very few Shadow Disciples had declined this prize. In the rare cases where they did, the ruler of the empire would grant them something of significant value, such as a title, a position in the imperial rule, or evennds to inherit as their lord, simr to a noble.


    There was one important caveat, however: the total length of thend granted could not exceed 100 kilometers. In the past 700 years since the Nadur Empire had been freed from envement by its former Human race oppressors, there had been fewer than five instances where a winner had requestednd, so no one considered it a significant threat.


    However, there was one loophole that had been exploited before.


    On one asion, a winner had declined to be the official disciple but had requestednds. However, a few yearster, the tribe leader had turned him into the Official Disciple, giving him both benefits.


    This loophole had not gone unnoticed, and thews of the empire had been amended to prevent its exploitation. Now, winners could only choose eithernd or position, and they had to relinquish their right to be the Official sessor until theirst moment.


    With all this in mind, it was now time for Kahn to put his skills and abilities to the test. He had spent the past year learning from Romulus, Rathnaar, and Vildred, and he was confident that he was more than prepared for this challenge.


    ----------------


    Three weeks had passed since the announcement of the tournament, and now it had officially begun throughout the empire. Millions of holographic screens and thousands of city-wide celebrations were held in every corner of thend. At the very center of Elysium, a town was created solely for hosting the Tribal Tourney, and the main attraction was a colossal 3-kilometer-wide Coliseum with a circr arena that was one kilometer in diameter.


    The host of the tournament was none other than the Fenrirborne Tribe Leader, the Heavenly King of Fire, known as Romulus Lykaios. Throughout the Coliseum, there were four pavilions dedicated to the other three Heavenly Kings and the Empress, along with many influential figureheads of the empire.


    The arena was smaller in size than one would expect, considering that allbatants were 5th-stage saints. However, the actual fights were set to happen in pocket realms, simr to the ones where Romulus taught Kahn his skills, such as Hardening and Conceptualization.


    Here, Atreus finallyid eyes on the other three Heavenly Kings.


    The Beast Empire was protected by four powerful leaders on outer fronts, known as the Heavenly Kings. Each king was a formidable beastkin warrior, with exceptional strength and unique abilities that made them nearly invincible on the battlefield.


    One of the Heavenly Kings was a White Lionkin named Haldor, who held the title of Heavenly King of Light. He was a Peak 7th-stage saint and general of the Western region of the Nadur Empire.


    Another Heavenly King was an intermediate 7th-stage saint Blue Apekin named Kaida, who was known as the Heavenly King of Water. Kaida was the leader of the Eastern region of the empire, and he was feared for his ability to control and manipte water. He could summon massive waves and tidal surges to crush his enemies, and could even use water to heal himself and his allies even if they were in millions.


    The third Heavenly King was a ck Pantherkin named Jaro, who held the title of Heavenly King of Metal. He was an intermediate 7th-stage saint and reigned over the Northern region of the empire. Jaro was a master of metal maniption, able to control and shape metal with ease. He could summon sharp des of metal to slice through his foes, or create imprable shields and walls to protect himself and his allies.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Kahn was surprised to learn of the existence of a fifth Godbeast, in addition to Fenrir, Basilisk, Behemoth, and Roc. He had only recently discovered that two of the four Heavenly Kings, the White Lionkin and the ck Pantherkin, were from the True Descendant families of the Godbeast Baihu.


    Kahn''s knowledge of various cultures and mythologies from his past life had prepared him for this revtion. He knew that on Earth, especially in Chinese mythology, the Godbeast Baihu was also referred to as the Heavenly White Tiger.


    However, in this world, it was not exactly a tiger but a feral monster that resembled a Sabertooth.


    The Baihu''s descendants included Lionkins, Tigerkins, Pantherkins, Felinekins, and species that looked like Cheetahs, all of whom carried a trace of the Godbeast''s bloodline. The Baihu was known for having the most descendant species across the world, and many of its descendants were territorial by nature.


    Many of its descendants did not associate with other descendant species and guarded their territories fiercely. Simr to how Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Panthers did not share the same mountain on earth.


    Even Drigger, the Legendary Rank monster that Omega had fought and killed in the Elven Empire, was not a direct descendant but a variant species of the Baihu. Despite being a rank lower, Drigger was already strong enough to face someone like Omega, a variant of the Godbeast Fenrir.


    Despite its prominence, information about the Godbeast Baihu was scarce and often hidden by design due to the infighting between the descendants.


    Kahn didn''t pay much attention to the arena''s details, as it was simr but also uniquepared to the one he fought in inside the Rakos Empire. Instead, he focused on his opponents. Not one of them was weaker than him in terms of aura, and most of them were True Descendants themselves.


    Kahn wasn''t worried about his opponents turning into monsters, as one had to be at least a beginner 7th stage saint to transform and use their bloodline to the fullest. However, their bloodlines gave them a significant advantage in stats.


    Compared to normal 5th saints, every single one of them was on par with an intermediate 6th stage saint, thanks to their origins. This was also one of the reasons why True Descendants were often the leading forces.


    Kahn was particrly impressed by the current Empress, who was a True Descendant and had demonstrated her incredible strength by killing a Superior Dragon with sheer brute force alone.


    ----------------


    After a weing speech from Romulus, the host, the participants and the audience were treated to several cultural dances and prayers to the God of Nature, followed by various rituals. The preparations took several hours, but eventually, it was time for the first match of the opening day.


    The Empress had decided to draw the matchups through a gacha draw, and the announcer was now ready to dere the names of thebatants. With bated breath, the audience waited for the first name to be called out.


    "The first warrior to step into the arena is the Shadow Disciple of the Ganesha Tribe... Gaja Ekdantay!" the announcer dered, his voice echoing throughout the stadium.


    Kahn watched with interest as Gaja Ekdantay walked towards the arena, his footsteps measured and confident.


    "His opponent," the announcer boomed, "... is none other than the dark horse whom no one had even heard of before the announcement."


    The crowd''s excitement grew as they eagerly awaited the arrival of the unknown challenger. Suddenly, the arena fell silent as a massive 3-meter-tall blue wolfkin strode confidently into view.


    "The Shadow Disciple of the Fenribone Tribe..." the announcer paused for effect¡­


    Gasps and whispers rippled through the audience as they tried toprehend the power and skill of this enigmatic warrior. The tension was palpable as the twobatants faced each other, ready to begin the fight.


    "Atreus Betor!"

 Chapter 894 Warhammer And Gauntlet

    894 Warhammer And Gauntlet


    In the opening match, Kahn, also known as Atreus, faced off against his first opponent, the Elephantkin, or Gaja Ekdantay, of the Ganesha tribe. This tribe consisted of many descendant species of Behemoth, whose ancestors resembled mammoths. However, over time, the Ganesha tribe had evolved to look like other beastskins, with the exception of their distinctive elephant heads.


    The uing match was highly anticipated by many, as bothbatants were skilled Close Quarter Combat (CQC) warriors. One was an Earth elemental Warhammer warrior, while the other was a Water/Ice elemental Brawler warrior. It promised to be an intense showdown of strength and skill.


    As the two fighters walked into the center of the arena, they were greeted by a legendary rank formation that had been set up across the entire space. It was clear that this match was going to be something special.


    The Elephantkin, Gaja Ekdantay, was an imposing figure with dark grey skin that towered over Atreus at a height of five meters. He sported a feather headdress adorned with abination of white, red, and blue colors that added to his intimidating presence. His most distinctive feature was his two one-meter-long curved tusks. To match his impressive stature, he wielded two massive warhammers, each adorned with spikes that extended outward.


    As Atreus sized up his opponent, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of awe and trepidation.


    However, he quicklyposed himself, knowing that he had trained for this moment and was ready to face any challenger that came his way. Though the Elephantkin was taller and more physically imposing than Atreus, he was not intimidated by his opponent''s size or strength.


    As the twobatants circled each other, Atreus noticed the skill with which the Elephantkin wielded his giant warhammers. Despite their size, he swung them with impressive speed and precision. Atreus knew he would have to rely on his agility and quick reflexes to evade his opponent''s powerful blows.


    However, there was a twist. In a not so surprising move, bothbatants were suddenly enveloped by a powerful energy field and transported to a different pocket dimension.


    But the excitement didn''t end there. In fact, the arena was capable of replicating the entire environment and world energy of the fighters in real-time. The audience would be able to feel the intense battle between two 5th-stage saints as if they were fighting right inside the arena in front of them. They could even feel the elements of nature as if they were present in the fight.


    Every single member of the millions-strong audience would experience the rush of the battle as if they were the ones fighting themselves. This was the magic of the Tribal Tourney, a truly unique event in their culture.


    This experience was not limited to the arena either. Anyone willing to pay the ticket fee could also experience the same feeling across the entire empire. Nodes that broadcasted the match would carry the same sensory experience to billions of viewers across the empire.


    It was no wonder that the Tribal Tourney was such a highly-anticipated event in their culture. Even the weakest citizens could feel the surge of power like they were saints themselves in this format of fight, instead of just spectating it. This feeling was too intoxicating, and as a result, the money amassed through the event was astronomical.


    But the event served another purpose too. People could evaluate whichbatant was a better and more skilled warrior, since they experienced the entire battle themselves. This led to intense discussions and debates among the audience, adding an extrayer of excitement to the already thrilling event.


    In the end, the Tribal Tourney was much more than just apetition between two warriors. It was a unique experience that brought people together from across the empire, allowing them to share in the excitement and power of the fight. It was a celebration of strength and skills that left the audience with a sense of awe and admiration for the fighters who participated.


    Thud!


    "Surrender before I identally kill you." Gaja growled.


    Atreus replied with a smirk, "Funny, I was going to say the same thing."


    Gaja was not amused, and with a swift movement, he got into battle position. The twobatants were then sent into a deep forested region to fight, and as they arrived, both activated their domains.


    Gaja could create warhammers of earth element while Atreus activated his Waterde Hurricane, which people assumed was his domain. Both had strong domains for beginner 5th stage saints, and the audience could feel the power emanating from them.


    The forested region came to life as the two warriors battled each other. The trees swayed and the ground shook with each blow, as Gaja swung his warhammers with great force and Atreus countered with his water des. The battle was intense and both fighters were evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand.


    As the fight continued, the audience could feel the energy of the battle growing stronger. They could feel the elements of nature being manipted by thebatants as if they were standing right there in the forest with them.


    Despite Gaja''s size and strength, Atreus held his own, using his Waterde Hurricane to deflect the warhammers andunch powerful attacks of his own.


    The battle raged on, with neitherbatant able to gain an advantage.


    The audience was on the edge of their seats, caught up in the excitement of the fight. The air crackled with energy, and the forested region around them seemed toe alive with the intensity of the battle.


    Gaja taunts as he continues to charge forward.


    Kahn smirks and responded... "Not a chance."


    He then unleashed a powerful Azure Dragon Fist made of permafrost from his domain, forming a towering wave that crashes towards Gaja.


    But Gaja was quick to react, using his warhammers to create a protective barrier of earth around himself.


    The fist collided with the barrier, causing a massive explosion of ice and earth.


    As the dust settles, Gaja emerged from the debris, seemingly unscathed.


    Kahn''s eyes widen in surprise as he realizes the extent of Gaja''s strength and durability.


    Without hesitation, Gaja charged towards Kahn with his warhammers at the ready.


    Kahn grits his teeth and prepares for the impact.


    However... This was all just within his expectations.

 Chapter 895 The Biggest Elephant In The Room

    895 The Biggest Elephant In The Room


    As the entire Nadur Empire spectated the match¡­


    BOOM!!


    Atreus and Gaja, the twobatants collided with a thunderous boom, causing shockwaves to ripple throughout the forest.


    The audience watching the battle from the safety of the arena could feel the intensity of the impact as if they were right in the middle of the battle.


    Despite the overwhelming force of Gaja''s attack, Kahn managed to hold his own, using his mastery of water and ice to create walls, icicles and fist to deflect and counter Gaja''s blows.


    The two continued to exchange blows, their domains shing in a spectacr disy of power and skill.


    As the battle raged on, the audience watched in awe,pletely engrossed in the fight.


    "Is that all you can do?" taunted the Elephantkin, trying to rile up Atreus.


    Despite the mocking, Atreus remained focused and determined, using his training and instincts to anticipate the Elephantkin''s every move and hit at his vital spot right when the opponent made unnecessary swings.


    As Gaja tried to regain hisposure, Atreus unleashes a barrage of water des that slice through the air towards his opponent. But Gaja was quick to react, and he dodged them with ease. He charged towards Atreus, swinging his warhammers with tremendous force.


    Atreus, however, remained calm and collected. He continued to carefully dodge and weave, using his waterdes in various fashion to either deflect Gaja''s attacks or make a lethal swing strike and sometimes act as a protective wall. With each attack and dodge, he inched closer to his opponent, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    And then the moment finally came.


    Gaja swung his Warhammer with all his might, leaving himself wide open due to his own momentum. Atreus took advantage of this andnded a devastating blow, sending Gaja flying through the air.


    However, his figure suddenly turned into water and drizzled down. But before the enemy that was catapulted 3 kilometers away could evennd, a swift figure shot up from the water below.


    Boom!


    The force of a punch to Gaja''s gut by Atreus broke the sound barrier and throw the former away.


    Observers could even feel the impact as if they were the ones who delivered the punch, making it evident to everyone how strong it was.


    Kahn who swiftly switched ces with one his doppelgangers in hiding, appeared in front of Gaja, who swung his warhammer with a single hand. But he quickly ducked and delivered an uppercut to his opponent''s jaw.


    of their seats, feeling as if they were the ones deciding the fate of the match with every devastating 11:01


    blow and terrifying attack made by thebatants.


    Gaja staggered backward, his head spinning from the blow.


    Atreus maintained his focus and stance, not rejoicing just because hended a hit. He knew that the fight is far from over and remains prepared for his opponent''s next move.


    ----------------


    The fight between Atreus and Gaja had been going on for hours, and the audience was on the edge of their seats, feeling as if they were the ones deciding the fate of the match with every devastating blow and terrifying attack made by thebatants.


    But as the fight continued, the spectators began to notice a pattern.


    Gaja was in a hurry to finish the match, while Atreus was using his opponent''s height to find weaknesses and create opportunities tond powerful blows.


    Despite being seasoned warriors, Gaja was getting exhausted rapidly due to the excessive physical force and movements he had to make to swing his weapons.


    As 5th stage saint, he should have been able to fight for days without tiring, but something was amiss.


    The audience wondered why this was happening.


    Was it because Gaja was using his legendary rank warhammers?


    But even a 100-ton weight was like lifting a tablespoon for him, given his rank. Only then did they realize something crucial.


    All of Atreus''s physical attacks did not carry any world energy. He was fighting with pure brawler skills and technique, depending solely on his physical strength.


    In contrast, Gaja, as a shadow disciple of the Ganesha tribe, was not only using his domain but also all his skills, and even his weapons were greatly consuming his world energy. This was the reason for his exhaustion.


    Atreus''s strategy of using his opponent''s height to create opportunities andnding powerful blows was working, while Gaja''s excessive use of world energy to cover his offense and defense was tiring him out.


    The audience watched in awe as Atreus slowly but surely gained the upper hand, his physical strength and brawler skills proving to be a formidable match for Gaja''s Domain as thetter kept destroying his massive summoned warhammers in the sky while also beating the Elephantkin physically.


    It was a testament to the power of pure physical prowess.


    ----------------


    Finally, Atreus made his move. He let his opponent close in and attacked the most damaging parts of his anatomy¡ªthe tusks.


    Atreus''s blow hit the tusks with such force that they broke, causing direct damage to the enemy''s skull and nervous system.


    This caused great confusion and disorientation, giving Atreus the one-second window he had been waiting for all this time.


    With his opponent dazed and reeling, Atreus finally unleashed his most powerful attack.


    Woosh!


    Atreus sped his palms and made a joint fist and right before gaja could evene out of daze...


    BOOM!!!


    He made a double-fist drop, causing the ground to shake and the trees to sway within a three-kilometer radius.


    After few seconds, the entire empire saw the result...


    Gaja was buried deep in a hole,pletely knocked out and covered in a pool of his own blood.


    Atreus, on the other hand, didn''t even break a sweat during the entire battle.


    He emerged as the clear winner, having proven that pure physical strength and technique could triumph over world energy even if you used a Domain.


    The audience erupted in cheers and apuse, marveling at the disy of sheer power and skill they had just witnessed.


    Atreus basked in their adoration, knowing that he had given it his all and emerged victorious.


    As he walked away from the arena, Atreus couldn''t help but reflect on the strategy he put to practice in this fight.


    This was neither a bloody battle and nor did he make some outstandingst moment move that no one sawing.


    In terms of strategy, it was simply a long drawn battle with only ocassional plot twists and limited disy of skills.


    Kahn as a warrior hadn''t even used 50% of his strength in this battle.


    But he realized that sometimes just like Romulus taught him, it wasn''t just about raw power or shy techniques.


    The ability to seize opportunities when they presented themselves also yed as a huge factor than just headbutting your enemy from the get-go just because you had more strength.


    It was not a matter of shy movements or devastating attacks...


    It was a matter of Patience and Endurance.

 Chapter 896 Offending The Masses

    After defeating Gaja in the arena, Atreus made his way to the Pavilion of the Fenrirborne Tribe. As he sat down to rest, many spectators believed that the battle had been won with a decisive move.


    However, what they didn''t know was that Kahn had barely used 30% of his strength throughout the entire fight.


    By physical stats alone, Kahn was alreadyparable to a 6th stage saint. He used the battle as a test of his skills, pushing himself to see how long he couldst without relying on his other abilities andbat techniques.


    Despite his formidable power, Kahn refrained from using any of the fivebat techniques taught by Romulus. He repressed his strength during the entire fight, concealing his true potential.


    Few knew the extent of Kahn''s abilities, and even fewer understood the true nature of his power. He possessed a rarebination of strength and strategy that made him a formidable opponent. While some might have considered his decision to hold back in battle as foolhardy, to Kahn, it was a necessary test of his own limits and a way to refine his skills.


    As he sat in the Pavilion of the Fenrirborne Tribe, Atreus contemted the true nature of power and the importance of strategy inbat. He knew that to truly master his abilities, he needed to approach each fight as a test of his own limits.


    The path to greatness was not just about raw strength but also about mastering the art of strategy and discipline.


    In reality, Kahn wanted to create the impression that he was struggling against an equally ranked opponent, so that no one would consider him to be the strongest enemy.


    He recalled the words of Sun Tzu...


    "Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent''s fate."


    Kahn was following this philosophy, using his subtlety and mystery to manipte the perceptions of those around him.


    Kahn''s decision to appear weak instead of showcasing his strength was a calcted move.


    He knew that if he revealed his full power too soon, his enemies would be prepared for his attacks in future battles. By concealing his true abilities, he could keep his opponents guessing, always one step ahead.


    Even Romulus taught him back then that true power was not just about physical strength, but also about mental fortitude and strategic thinking.


    And Rathnaar had also advised him that sometimes, the greatest strengthy in appearing weak and allowing one''s opponent to underestimate them.


    ----------------


    After the battle with Gaja, Atreus decided to spectate other matches taking ce in the arena.


    As he scanned the crowds, he spotted the Kun Peng Tribe, descendants of the Roc, who were considered the second strongest tribe in Elysium after the Fenrirborne Tribe.


    Despite their formidable strength, the Kun Peng Tribe was often overlooked and undermined,rgely due to Romulus being the Heavenly King and the Fenrirborne Tribe''s dominant position in terms of total members and influence.


    Atreus watched with interest as the Kun Peng Tribe''s warrior showcased his skills and battled fiercely against the opponent despitecking physical strength and only having agility as his advantage in the battle. He admired this warrior''s perseverance and determination, despite the odds being stacked against him.


    As he continued to watch the matches, Atreus realized that there were many other talented warriors in Elysium who had yet to make their mark. He felt a sense of excitement and anticipation, wondering who he would face next and how he would fare against them.


    As Atreus continued to spectate the battles in the arena, he saw many strong contenders who could potentially be his next opponents.


    One of the most impressive fighters was the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Metal, who was both strong and fast in battle. He dominated his opponents with his skills from start to finish, even making Kahn feel a sense ofpetitiveness.


    Another formidable fighter was a female from the Tendua tribe, who was also the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Light. Throughout her entire two-hour-long battle, she wasn''t even hurt once, showcasing her incredible speed and affinity for the lightning element. Her lightning-fast strikes were a great deciding factor in her victory.


    Additionally, there was a green Basilisk-kin who looked like a man with the head of a python. He was from the Basilisk tribe, same as the Empress, and excelled in using his abilities to hypnotize and slow down his opponents through his venom.


    However, to achieve these effects, he intentionally left openings for his opponents to attack him, just so he couldnd a direct hit of his venom. This made for an interesting and unorthodox fighting style that caught Atreus'' attention.


    Lastly, there was one particr Apekin named Harambe of the Kong Tribe who wielded a staff.


    He was the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Water, and his fighting style was a unique blend of powerful wood element-based attacks and staff techniques. Atreus watched as he effortlessly defeated his opponent, leaving them battered and bruised in the arena.


    As Kahn continued to observe the matches, he was also collecting data on his potential opponents and their fighting styles. He used this information to simte how to defeat them using his only Brawler Saint skills and Water/Ice Elemental affinity.


    Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the current match, where a light gray snow leopard-kin was taunting his opponent, a Pandakin warrior with a straw hat on his head and a bamboo stick in his mouth.


    "You''re just a big fat panda" with scorn, his opponent, a snow leopard-kin spoke.


    But the Pandakin confidently replied...


    "Oh, I''m not a big fat panda... I''m THE big fat panda."


    As the snow leopard-kin attacked, the Pandakin effortlessly caught his fist and held onto his pinky finger.


    "Is that the Wushi finger?" asked the leopard-kin, baffled and terrified.


    But the Pandakin simply replied with one word:


    "Skadoosh!"


    BOOM!!


    The massive wave of golden energy reverberated and spread across the dimension they were fighting.


    As the aura finally fainted, the leopard was knocked unconscious while the Pandakin won the match with ease.


    Facepalm!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Kahn who sat in his pavilion facepalmed himself, worrying about the copyrightwsuits.


    ----------------


    Finally, after a long time, his opponent was decided.


    He faced the opponent in the arena.


    "Hey Leopard, try not to die." he spoke to his opponent who was none other than the shadow disciple of the Heavenly King of Light.


    But after hearing those words, the feline spoke in disdain¡­


    "You damn wolfkin bastard! I''m a Jaguar-kin!" she bellowed in anger.


    "Ah¡­ Is that supposed to matter? You both look the same to me." responded Atreus.


    Gasp!


    Billions of people gasped.


    "Haha ha ha!"


    The Heavenly King of Waterughed.


    He spoke to Romulus telepathically.


    [Your Shadow Disciple does take after you. He knows how to get in his opponent''s head before the fight even starts.]


    Even the Heavenly King of Light and Heavenly King of Meal were appalled. They wouldn''t even dare to joke about something like that despite their positions.


    Because what did it mean?


    That all the descendants of the Godbeast Baihu looked the same?


    Even Romulus felt a bit pressured. This was politically going to give him a lot of trouble.


    Atreus had at least pissed off a billion citizens across the Nadur Empire, including the other shadow disciples belonging to this bloodline.


    "You made this personal. And things turn ugly when I get personal." she threatened.


    Atreus shrugged as if he didn''t care.


    "Stop bragging. All I have to do is throw a ball of yarn at you and my victory is assured."


    Gasp!!


    This time, the response was even bigger.


    The fight finally started and bothbatants were sent to a separate pocket dimension.


    2Hours Later...


    The fight ended with Kahn''s victory and all the spectators watched with their mouths wide open and jaws dropped.


    Why?


    Because this moment, the opponent was under his feet, she had already tapped out and forfeited the match but Atreus kept stomping on her neck for some reason.


    "Bad pussy. Naughty pussy." he said in an admonishing tone.


    He summoned a ball of water and drenched the opponent.


    "Did the pussy get wet?" he asked with a devilish grin.


    The opponent was getting thoroughly humiliated in front of the whole empire.


    "What''s the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he asked carefreely.


    This entire battle was just Atreus taunting his opponent while beating the shit out of her as he kept making offensive jokes to her species and bloodline.


    At this remark, millions of audiences went berserk across the empire.


    Kahn previously wanted to act like an underdog after his first battle but now, he was gathering the ire of billions of people for some reason only he knew.


    Even the Heavenly Kings and the Empress were speechless and barely contained the urge to intervene.


    Because without even realizing¡­ Kahn may have caused the next Civil War.

 Chapter 897 Discarding Old Mentality

    Rather than choosing to be an underdog and carefully progress through the tournament rounds as his enemies underestimated him, giving him the chance to turn the tide of battles at thest moment, Kahn decided to do the opposite during his second battle.


    Why did he make this decision?


    As Atreus, watching the match between Pandakin and his opponent named Tai Kung, Kahn came to a sudden realization.


    The Pandakin appeared harmless and barely made any outstanding moves or disyed his strength. One might even describe him as a jungle panda rather than a saint. However, one thing was evident - his eminent victory that came with unshakable resolve throughout the battle was the final result.


    Regardless of what others thought of him or how they perceived him as abatant, the Pandakin''s victory was undeniable. Other people''s opinions, expectations, and predictions about the battle didn''t matter.


    Kahn had a moment of epiphany. He realized that his previous strategy of being the underdog and relying on the enemy''s underestimation had a significant w. He could never be sure if his enemy would underestimate him or not.


    He realized that he had been downying himself and hiding his strength, regardless of where he went and how powerful he waspared to his enemies ever since he reincarnated in Vantrea.


    Whether it was Rakos Empire''s Emperor''s Chosenpetition or the Nadur Empire''s Tribal Tourney, he always chose to be the underdog.


    At one point, this approach made sense and was logical, given his circumstances. However, times had changed. Kahn was no longer fighting for himself but as the representative of the entire Fenrirborne Tribe, as well as his master, Romulus Lykaios, also known as the Heavenly King, in front of the entire Beast Empire.


    He was no longer just a nobody with no background who would face dire consequences by defeating the prodigies of the top tribes. Instead, he would be looked down upon if he won his matches by only a hair''s breadth.


    Kahn realized that he needed to change his mindset and strategy. He understood that he had to show his full strength and not hold back, as he had done in the past.


    And prove that the decision to make him the Shadow Disciple was not a mistake.


    He understood that continuing to downy himself and hide his true strength would tarnish the reputation of his master and the entire Fenrirborne Tribe, who were looking forward to his impressive performances in the tournament. He realized that he shouldn''t always have to be the underdog and cower in front of people to hide his identity.


    It might have been eptable in the past when he had no background, influence, or force backing him. However, now he had all these things at his disposal, and he was clearly stronger than everyone in the tournament. There was no reason for him to hide like someone avoiding the eyes of the top powers.


    Kahn could even conceal his bloodlines and auras from an 8th stage now, so there was no point in acting like a guy who only revealed his true battle prowess at thest moment.


    He realized that he had to be confident and show his full strength to represent his tribe and master to the best of his ability as this was the only way to help him in the future where he would be treasured instead of being looked down.


    At this moment, he realized another saying¡­


    ''The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.


    Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy''s resistance without fighting.''


    When this strategy was realized¡­ Forget choosing to fight you¡­ Your enemies would either surrender or run away from the battle itself.


    Bing a figure who can break the enemy''s will to fight was something Kahn hadn''t experienced ever since he was reincarnated in Vantrea.


    "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." spoke Kahn.


    "I don''t want to be a trash who can do nothing but y the mindgames to win.


    My entire training and all those million deaths I suffered through would mean nothing if I am still acting like someone who can be undermined by their opponents.


    It is my opponents who should tremble in fear as they stand in front of me." he spoke to himself with a tone filled with indomitable resolve.


    And right after making this doctrine as his approach for the rest of the Tourney¡­


    Kahn overwhelmed his next opponent while disgracing her in front of the entire empire.


    Why did he make derogatory remarks about her species and mocked her tribe?


    Because no way his opponents would take him seriously or decide to go all out unless they hated and feared him first.


    All the power he achieved through training would never be brought forward if the opponents didn''t treat the battle seriously as if their and their entire tribe''s honor was on the line against Atreus.


    He voluntarily chose to be the bad guy whomanded hatred and disdain as he crushed his enemies under his feet.


    And that was why he purposely attracted the ire of billions of people and the other shadow disciples. To test himself to the best of his abilities and cement himself as the strongest of this tourney so no one looks down on him and also his master as the representative of the Fenrirborne tribe.


    ----------------


    Crack!


    Under his feet, Atreus crushed the feline''s entire arm and the opponent passed down from intense pain.


    "Tch! So weak¡­ Couldn''t even withstand this small injury. So disappointing¡­


    I wonder if all the descendants of the Godbeast Baihu are this weak." he spoke with an exhausted voice as if it was he who was wronged.


    sh!


    The battlefield suddenly changed its appearance and then Atreus and his opponent were brought back into the arena. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Boo!"


    "This bastard wolf! I''ll show you who''s weak!"


    "Somebody kill this trash! How dare he talk down on all of us!" shouted people in the audience.


    More than a billion citizens across the entire Beast Empire shared this resentment against Atreus.


    Right at that moment, a voice resounded in Romulus'' head.


    [Heavenly King of Fire¡­ Your shadow disciple better lose soon.


    Because otherwise, I will have my disciple kill him if he reaches the finals.] spoke the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro.


    [Same from me. If he survives the Tourney somehow¡­ I''ll make sure he is taken care of.] remarked the Heavenly King of Light, Haldor.


    [Is that so? Then don''t me me if I end up wiping both of your tribes from the face of this along with you two with them.] replied Romulus in a menacing tone.


    He wasn''t going to let others talk down on him just because of Kahn''s behavior.


    So what if he insulted his opponents?


    He wasn''t weak himself and Romulus had already decided to back him up all the way.


    Just a minor issue like this and others were acting like Atreus massacred millions and his crimes were uneptable.


    He didn''t care if someone tried to use this against him.


    Romulus had only one creed throughout his life ever since Abyss Empire fell and he was left alone in the world.


    He would go to the depths of hell for his family, loved ones and those who loyally followed him.


    If anyone dared to harm the people he cared about, the Fenrirborne would pull out their damn spine from the back and make them watch as he ripped it apart.


    [Silence! All of you need to contain your anger.


    The Tribal Tourney is not where you act like a war is going on.


    As demeaning as Atreus'' remarks may be¡­ It''s not something that has happened for the first time in history.


    Stop making a big issue out of it.] the grim and domineering voice by the Empress, Kaali Adisesha echoed in their minds.


    Although this issue was going to cause civil unrest for some time, the Empress was more eager to see if Atreus actually had the power to back his bold and arrogant behavior.


    She wanted to see if he was all bark and no bite. Thus, instead of jumping to conclusions, she chose to ce her bets after the tourney.


    And if the results went against Atreus¡­ Then he would have to pay a great price for this transgression.


    ----------------


    As everyone kept cursing Atreus while other species membersughed and cheered Atreus for thrashing his opponent like a boss¡­ The warrior came back to his pavilion, where everyone gave him a thumbs up in approval.


    On the surface, they condemned such behavior. But inside their soul¡­ They enjoyed it.


    4 Hours Later¡­


    Another 2 matches ended and now, it was time for Atreus to fight his next opponent.


    He was the first one to arrive in the arena.


    Thud!


    His opponent jumped in.


    Before Atreus stood a massive Apekin, towering at a height of four meters. The creature had a striking resemnce to a gori and was d in legendary rank armor. His weapon of choice was a staff, which he held confidently in his hand. The sheer size and strength of the Apekin were intimidating, even for someone like Atreus, who was no stranger to formidable opponents.


    Despite the imposing figure in front of him, Atreus remained calm and collected, his blue fur shining under the light.


    The tension in the air was palpable as the twobatants locked eyes, sizing each other up.


    This new opponent was none other than the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Water¡­


    Harambe of the Kong Tribe.

 Chapter 898 Time To Bargain

    Atreus stood before Harambe of the Kong Tribe, the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Water, Kaida. The opponent was donning a brown and blue armor with a golden staff in his hand.


    With a shameless grin, the wolfkin asked...


    "How many bananas will it take for you to forfeit this match?"


    "Do I look like a monkey to you?" he retorted. Harambe''s irritation was palpable.


    In a benign tone, Atreus offered, "I will provide you with a free supply for the next year if you ept."


    "Ha ha ha!" he mocked. Harambe scoffed at this foolish proposition,ughing derisively.


    But Atreus was not deterred.


    He raised the stakes, "How about 5 years?"


    "Nonsense! Do you think I''m a fool to fall for something like that?!" bellowed Harambe, incensed at being treated like a wildlife gori for the first time.


    Undeterred, Atreus pushed even further.


    "10 years!" he spoke with conviction.


    Gulp!


    Harambe faltered, his movementing to a halt as he gulped, clearly taken aback.


    The arena fell silent as billions of people watched in bbergasted disbelief.


    "Is he seriously considering it?!" a foxkin in the audience eximed.


    The Heavenly King of Water facepalmed himself in exasperation at this turn of events.


    "What kind of childish shenanigan is this? Just start the match!" he shouted, his frustration visible as this was thest thing he expected to happen in this arena.


    SWOOSH!


    In the next moment, thebatants were transported to a battlefield crafted from a world of multicolored ss and high-grade crystals.


    Harambe red at Atreus, still incredulous at the audacity of his proposition.


    BOOM!


    As the battlemenced, both warriors summoned their weapons but this time, Atreus finally revealed the true strength of his Legendary Rank weapon aka Beowolf, crafted from the body of a dragon.


    As the two opponents faced each other, the tension in the arena was palpable. The spectators held their breaths in anticipation, wondering what would happen next.


    The top powers of the Beast Empire on the other hand, quickly recognized the weapon and marveled at its quality.


    "How the hell did he get his hands on a Mythical Rank dragon''s corpse?" eximed the Empress.


    "Even though it''s only a weapon made from a Lesser Dragon''s body, the craftsmanship is simply too extraordinary, as if a Master Saint cksmith made it." remarked the Heavenly King of Metal, awed by the weapon''s impable quality.


    Bang!


    As the twobatants shed, their weapons struck with a force that shook the very foundations of the battlefield. Sparks flew as their weapons met, illuminating the battlefield with a dazzling array of colors.


    Harambe proved to be a formidable opponent, matching Atreus blow for blow.


    Harambe, determined to turn the tide of the battle, summoned ten massive stavess that were at least two kilometers in length. The staves attacked Atreus from multiple directions at once, creating a barrage of strikes that threatened to overwhelm him.


    However, Atreus was not one to be caught off guard. He summoned dozens of Azure Dragon Gauntlets, each identical to his weapon, to defend himself from the onught of staves.


    Bang!


    ng!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The twobatants exchanged blows, the sound of metal striking wood echoing throughout the ss realm.


    Despite Atreus''s skill and the formidable nature of his weapons, he found it difficult to gain the upper hand against Harambe. As a wood elemental saint, Harambe was able to regrow his staves with hand signs, making it challenging for Atreus to dealsting damage.


    Undeterred, Atreus continued to dodge and weave, using the realm of ss constructs to hide andunch counterattacks. His agility proved to be a valuable asset, allowing him to evade Harambe''s strikes andnd devastating blows of his own.


    As the battle raged on, the twobatants fought with all their might as their figures shed across this pocket dimension, their weapons striking with such force that the ss realm trembled beneath their feet.


    The spectators watched in awe as the two warriors shed, unsure which of them would emerge victorious.


    Right then, Atreus started flying away and hid within a vast expanse of ss and crystals.


    Harambe was puzzled.


    "What the hell are you doing?!


    We''re both 5th-stage saints! I can sense you even from 50 kilometers away, you idiot!" he eximed as Atreus tried to hide across this realm by flying at supersonic speed.


    "You sure about that?"


    But the very next moment, his aurapletely disappeared.


    Even the audience couldn''t sense or feel him while everyone struggled to locate him.


    "There!" a saint in the audience saw a blue sh.


    Woosh!


    Atreus appeared right above Harambe, ready tounch a lethal fist attack.


    Bang!


    Atreus appeared above Harambe, his fist poised to deliver a devastating blow. But before he could strike, Harambe raised his staff to block the attack.


    RUMBLE!!


    With a thunderous bang, Atreus''s fist collided with the staff, unleashing a shockwave that sent ripples throughout the ss realm. Despite the incredible strength of the attack, Harambe managed to absorb the shock, his staff glowing with a green aura as it absorbed the impact.


    Atreus was momentarily stunned, his attack having failed tond.


    Harambe saw his opportunity andunched a counterattack, swinging his staff with incredible speed and precision. Atreus barely had time to react, dodging the strike with a lightning-fast movement that left the audience gasping in awe.


    The two warriors continued to trade blows, their attacksing faster and faster as the battle raged on. With each passing moment, it seemed as though the arena would shatter under the force of their strikes.


    Finally, with a final burst of energy, Atreus managed to gain the upper hand. With a swift movement, he dodged one of Harambe''s strikes andnded a powerful blow to the side of his opponent''s head. Harambe stumbled, dazed by the force of the attack.


    Atreus saw his opportunity andunched a flurry of strikes, his fists striking with incredible speed and precision. Harambe tried to defend himself, but it was no use.


    An hour passed as their battle continued with both sidesunching and evading devastating attacks that could easily kill each other in a deathmatch.


    Once again, Atreus used the same strategy to hide in the ss realm and attack from above.


    And just likest time, he was stopped by Harambe.


    "Your attack failed." spoke the wood elemental staff warrior.


    "Did it?" asked Atreus with a smug grin.


    Blergh!


    However, the moment Harambe blocked Atreus''s attack, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He doubled over, coughing up blood as the realization dawned on him...


    Atreus hadn''t been aiming for him at all.

 Chapter 899 Resolve and Result

    Chapter 899 Resolve and Result


    The intense battle between Atreus and Harambe took an unexpected twist as their weapons collided with a resounding sh. But in a startling turn of events, Harambe suddenly convulsed, coughing up a spurt of crimson blood.


    A surge of urgency coursed through his veins as he grappled with the realization of what had caused this unforeseen reaction. Contrary to his initial assumptions, it became clear that the blue wolfkin was not targeting his vital spots as he had previously believed.


    Instead, Atreus had set his sights on those ten massive 2 kilometers long staves that Harambe had summoned. These staves were a manifestation of a saint''s condensed world energy, and they were directly linked to the summoner''s consciousness and body.


    While he was busy defending against Atreus'' surprise attack, the attacker originally intended to strike at his skill instead.


    Although Atreus aka Kahn had many skills to end this battle in 1st minute, it would require him to use a variety of his skills, buffs, bloodline effects and Drakos Armor. And those were the very things he did not want to reveal to the world.


    In the first hour, he had found Harambe''s weakness. The Apekin saint had great strength, defense and stamina. He was very skilled with his weapon and didn''t leave too many openings at all.


    However¡­ Even now, he hadn''t used his Domain.


    What did it mean?


    That either his domain was weak or it was still fully not perfected to be used.


    Even Rathnaar informed Kahn of this possibility because it was amon urrence.


    Many 5th-stage saints developed a domain based on their ss, abilities, skills and elemental affinity but not all of them were usable inbat until the domain had evolved to a particr level of strength and mastery.


    Thus, the most powerful skill Harambe could have at his disposal were those summoned staves that could wipe out an army of 10 million soldiers easily on their own.


    And then, Atreus decided to devise a battle strategy for this match.


    He was going to use the opponent''s weapon against them.


    At the present moment¡­


    Harambe watched in horror as Atreus unleashed a series of devastating blows on the staves, a single staff was attacked by 3 to 4 of Atreus'' gauntlets, shattering them one by one. With each strike, Harambe felt a powerful bacsh coursing through his body, his mind reeling from the pain.


    Right then¡­


    A thunderous roar erupted from Atreus as he summoned every ounce of strength within him.


    "Beast Uppercut!"


    With a swift and calcted motion, he unleashed a powerful uppercut,nding a solid blow to Harambe''s jaw. The impact reverberated through the air, resonating with a mix of force and determination.


    BOOM!


    The warrior was sent hurtling through the air, his body careening uncontrobly until he crashed onto a colossal structure resembling a mountain 10 kilometers away. This remarkable construct used to be an awe-inspiring sight, crafted entirely from vibrant green ss and glistening crystals but now... it was turned into a shattered ssware.


    Suddenly, a resounding battle cry pierced the air, shattering the silence that had settled over the battleground.


    "Rising Dragon!"


    In an instant, a magnificent creature materialized, its form reminiscent of an ancient blue dragon steeped in the traditions of the Eastern cultures.


    This majestic entity, forged from the very essence of permafrost, surged forth like an unstoppable wrecking ball, obliterating the ss and crystal mountain before making a devastating impact on the shadow disciple of the Kong tribe.


    These strikes were amongst the most formidable techniques Kahn had honed in his arduous training as a Brawler ss saint under the tutge of Romulus.


    The Gauntlets and Greaves, his trusted weapons, unleashed their true power, unleashing a disy of unparalleled might.


    The opponent, caught off guard and unable to withstand the onught, suffered grievous injuries and found himself losing control over his own body, teetering on the brink of defeat.


    Swoosh!


    But before he could recover his stance, Atreus appeared and charged with dark blue water/ice elemental aura, he attacked with his greaves.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Bang!


    ng!


    With each sessive Beowolf kick, the sheer force behind Atreus''s strikes propelled Harambe backward, causing him to be forcefully pushed across the battlefield for hundreds of meters. Yet, in a blink of an eye, Atreus closed the distance between them once again,unching another lightning-fast kick towards his opponent.


    Atreus''s arsenal extended beyond mere gauntlets, for he wielded a pair of greaves as well. These unique greaves were crafted from the formidable teeth of a guardian dragon, imbuing them with a ferocious might and devastating strength that surpassed ordinary weaponry. It was with thisbination of gauntlets and greaves that Atreus unleashed his relentless assault, each blow delivering an overwhelming disy of power.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    With each merciless kick, Harambe''s body endured excruciating pain. His muscles, ligaments, and tendons strained under the relentless assault, incapable of withstanding the relentless force, even with the staff serving as a feeble buffer.


    Kahn''s overwhelming strength far surpassed Harambe''s, amplifying the intensity of each blow to an unbearable degree. It was as if a colossal truck collided with him repeatedly, leaving him powerless to halt the onught or mount any resistance whatsoever.


    SILENCE!


    A profound hush descended upon the Nadur Empire as they bore witness to the battle''s unforeseen twist. What was once a sh between adversaries ofparable strength now transformed into a disy of dominance by Atreus.


    No longer was this a sh between evenly matched opponents, for Atreus unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks. The previously formidable wood elemental assaults and strikes proved to be mere illusions in the face of Atreus'' overwhelming prowess.


    Harambe''s body endured relentless strikes, each blownding with bone-crushing force, causing his summoned staves to splinter and fracture. The shattered remnants of his defenses only added to his torment, as the bacsh intensified, further tormenting his already beleaguered form.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Atreus made horizontal punches and broke the opponent''s ribs, and then kicked his sheen.


    "AHHH!" groaned Harambe in pain but tried his best to endure.


    Snap!


    Relentless assaults took their toll on Harambe, rendering his arms numb and causing his left shoulder to dislocate in agonizing pain.


    Initially, onlookers held high hopes for Harambe, anticipating his triumph over Atreus.


    However, as the battle unfolded, the tides shifted dramatically, and a wave of sympathy washed over the spectators. Each kick delivered by Atreus sent Harambe hurtling through the air, obliterating buildings, trees, towers, and the intricate structures made of multicolored ss that adorned this ethereal realm.


    The direness of Harambe''s situation became evident to all. It seemed as though Atreus took pleasure in mercilessly tormenting his opponent, prolonging the suffering rather than swiftly concluding the match.


    Bang!


    A tremendous surge of brown aura erupted from Harambe, engulfing a vast radius of five kilometers, as his Legendary Rank staff shattered into two halves.


    The Apekin''s countenance lost all its former luster, his visage dimming in the wake of his most cherished possession''s demise. The staff, an invaluable artifact that had been his faithfulpanion throughout decades of training,y broken before him.


    This was no ordinary weapon; it held profound significance as a symbol of Harambe''s indomitable might, tireless dedication, and unwavering perseverance over the years. And now, Atreus had callously rent it asunder through his merciless onught.


    With a voice filled with anguish, the Apekin uttered...


    "My soul... that is what you have taken from me!"


    "In that case¡­" retorted Atreus, his eyes devoid of empathy.


    "Perhaps your soul was meant to be shattered if it crumbled so easily." His words dripped with cold indifference.


    Upon hearing those callous words, Harambe''s resolve, unshakable for countless years, faltered for the first time in recent memory.


    The piercing impact of Atreus'' response left him momentarily unsettled, his spirit shaken by the profound weight of those heartless remarks.


    Thud!


    Overwhelmed by the sudden onught of emotions, Harambe sank to his knees, his spirit crushed beneath the weight of his adversary''s cold remark as he dered in front of the entire Beast Empire¡­


    "I admit defeat."

 Chapter 900 The Shaman

    Chapter 900 The Shaman


    After sessfully breaking the willpower of Harambe Kong, the Heavenly King of Water''s Shadow Disciple, Atreus calmly made his way back to his pavilion without sparing a single nce behind him.


    Contrary to the previous round where millions of spectators in the arena showered him with derogatory remarks and insults, a disconcerting silence hung in the air this time. The absence of cheers or jeers added to the eerie atmosphere that enveloped the arena.


    Apart from the members of the Fenrirborne tribe, hardly anyone seemed pleased with Atreus''s victory. Due to his previous actions, the majority of people had hoped for his defeat and to witness him being mercilessly condemned. However, their desires held no sway in the face of Atreus''s thorough domination of his opponent, even going so far as to destroy a weapon of legendary rank in the process.


    To add to the frustration, Atreus emerged from the battle rtively unscathed, with only a few superficial cuts and grazes marring his otherwise imposing figure. His formidable presence exuded an aura of absolute and indisputable might, further solidifying his position as a force to be reckoned with.


    Thepetition was ted to continue for several more days, and thus far, all of today''s matches had concluded with Atreus emerging as the victor.


    Of the first three mandatory matches, he had emerged triumphant in all three, establishing himself as a formidable contender in the tournament.


    The selection process to determine tomorrow''s matches was about tomence, and soon the participants who had earned their ce would be announced. Based on the results thus far, Atreus would soon discover the identities of his next two opponents, shaping the path he would tread in the uing battles.


    ----------------


    The Next Day¡­


    Taking the center stage of the arena as the secondbatant, Atreus faced none other than the Shadow Disciple of the Kun Peng tribe. This particr tribe boasted a lineageprising various descendant species of the mighty Godbeast Roc.


    Before him stood a bird-like demihuman with long feathery neck, characterized by two sturdy legs and hands made of the talons of a predatory bird, and a pair of magnificent wings adorning his back.


    The shaman, adorned in lightweight brown armor, emanated an aura of stormy energy, indicative of his wind elemental affinity.


    Clutched firmly in his hand, he wielded a glowing golden Khakkara, a staff-like weapon imbued with formidable power.


    "I''m H¨­¨­ Basan, from the Basan n of the Kung Peng Tribe." he introduced himself to Atreus.


    "Look, I don''t have time to be polite or something.


    Like I offered a chance to surrender to others... I''ll do the same for you.


    Give up and I won''t have to pluck your feathers." replied Atreus in a haughty tone.


    "Ha ha ha! Such hubris.


    Others¡­ you were able to at least attack them. That won''t be the same case with me." replied H¨­¨­, disregarding Atreus'' final chance to concede.


    "I guess I''ll be having chicken drumsticks for dinner tonight." replied the brawler saint in an insidious grin.


    Clink!


    Clink!


    As the battlemenced within the vast expanse of a dimension filled with nothing but verdant sands, it was the opponent who seized the initiative. With a swift shake of his Khakkara, the bells adorning its upper rings emitted a resonating soundwave that engulfed the surroundings, rendering the world eerily silent.


    The Khakkara, resembling a magician''s scepter in appearance, differed in its functionality. Unlike traditional weapons that relied on harnessing the wielder''s own energy reserves, this unique weaponmanded the very forces of nature itself. It had the ability to manipte the natural elements, summoning their might to carry out its wielder''s bidding. While not inherently destructive, the unleashed natural disasters held the potential to wreak havoc and unleash catastrophic consequences.


    Among the Shaman ss, practitioners were rare and possessed varied specialties. Some focused on controlling living creatures such as monsters and animals, while others wielded their powers tomand specific aspects of nature, treating them as sentient beings andpelling them to act in ordance with their will.


    Only weeks prior, Kahn had confronted and defeated a shaman who was the mastermind behind the so-called revolution in Kunlun. This particr shaman specialized in employing sacrificial rituals to exert dominance over others of a specific monster species. And now, by sheer luck or fate, he found himself facing yet another shaman as his opponent in the current battle. However, this shaman standing before him was distinctly different, harboring abilities and tactics that set him apart from his previous adversary.


    The resonating chimes of the bells reverberated throughout the expansive pocket dimension, their ethereal sounds permeating the very fabric of the space. In response to the silence, H¨­¨­, the bird-like demihuman shaman, began reciting ancient Sutras with a voice filled with mystic power and reverence.


    The sacred words flowed from his lips, carrying an aura of profound spirituality. Each syble held a deeper meaning, resonating with the forces of the universe. As H¨­¨­ recited the Sutras, the air around him seemed toe alive, charged with a potent energy.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    As the opponent initiated his domain, a myriad of runes and glyphs materialized around Atreus, resembling ancient Sanskrit and Pali script found in the pages of old Buddhist scriptures. The intricate symbols radiated an aura of mysticism, bearing a resemnce to the very essence of magic.


    Being an Arcane Enchanter, a ss honed in the arts of runes and formations, Kahn swiftly discerned the nature of the opponent''s actions. It became clear to him that these manifestations were not conventional spells¡­


    The power used carried a malevolent intent, seeking to inflict harm and hinder Atreus''s abilities. They were designed to manipte the flow of energy, impede movements, or disrupt vital connections between mind and body. It was a sinister tactic meant to weaken and confound the opponent, leaving them vulnerable to further attacks.


    If not for having Vildred as his Magic mentor and Arcane Enchanter as his sub-ss... the old and ignorant KAhn would never have been able to know the nature of this dark energy at first nce. Since the domain of the opponent that filled the current battlefield wasn''t part of some grand spell or formation. Rather...


    These were the Curses.

 Chapter 901 Soul Soothing

    In a world where mana and world energy governed the forces of magic, the utilization of curses seemed unnecessary and umon. Few possessed the capability to wield such dark arts in the first ce.


    However, as moments ticked by, Kahn experienced an unsettling phenomenon. He felt an inexplicable drain on his strength, as if his very essence was being siphoned away. His once-potent powers became suppressed, their usual might diminished, and even his mental faculties were affected, clouded by an unseen force.


    Amidst this disorienting turn of events, a sinister dark fog began to rise, engulfing the entire battlefield. Its presence cast an eerie pall over the once-vibrant arena, shrouding it in an imprable darkness. The malevolent haze seemed to seep into every crevice, distorting perception and instilling a sense of foreboding among all who witnessed its arrival.


    "V?ddhi Shappa Sariram!"


    "Manas tu si namo!" chanted H¨­¨­ in a dialect unknown.


    In the midst of the engulfing darkness and the oppressive fog, Kahn''s senses were assailed by a cacophony of unsettling whispers. Each voice carried an air of terror and dread, akin to a chorus of tormented spirits speaking simultaneously within his mind.


    "I am blinded by the imprable fog." Atreusmented, his words filled with frustration and unease.


    "My senses have been dulled. I can no longer see clearly into the distance, my sense of smell is rendered useless, and even my hearing has been dampened as if I am slowly losing my ability to perceive sound.


    My very body feels weighed down, as if I cannot muster the strength to lift even a finger.


    And all the while, the world around us descends further into darkness." he analyzed the situation


    It became evident that these afflictions were the result of the curses cast by their opponent, a manifestation of their malevolence and desire to cripple Atreus in battle. The curses had sessfully ensnared both his physical and sensory abilities, leaving him vulnerable and disoriented amidst the gloom.


    In this crucial moment, rather than seeking assistance from Rathnaar and Vildred, Kahn made the resolute decision to rely on his own resourcefulness and find a solution unaided.


    Closing his eyes, Kahn recognized that his powers as a saint were rendered ineffective in the face of the curses. It was clear that he needed to tap into a different well of strength.


    Activating his Waterde Hurricane technique, Kahn harnessed its power while simultaneously masking his cosmic replicas as water dopplegangers. The duplicates swiftly vanished, relocating to another area within seconds.


    Ordinarily, Kahn possessed a vast arsenal of skills, spells, and formations at his disposal tobat such challenges. However, with the eyes of the entire empire upon him, he was constrained from utilizing his full repertoire, let alone tapping into the abilities granted by the Dimensional Law.


    Left with nothing but the oppressive fog impeding his senses and physical strength, Kahn delved deep within himself for a solution.


    Curses were vastly different from debuff skills and spells that only temporarily hindered your movements or reduced the range and attack output of your abilities by a small margin. In contrast, curses were incredibly potent and had the power topletely seal off your ability to use specific physical traits and abilities, rendering you utterly helpless in front of the caster.


    The devastating effects of a curse were not limited to your physical abilities. It also had the power to prate your mind, clouding your thoughts and making it impossible to focus on anything other than the overwhelming feeling of despair and hopelessness.


    Once afflicted with a curse, your only hope was to either find a way to dispel it or wait for its effects to wear off over time. However, even the most experienced mages struggled to dispel the most powerful curses, and the process was often time-consuming and resource-intensive.


    The effects of a curse could be felt by the victim for days, weeks, or even months, depending on the strength andplexity of the spell. Those who were unlucky enough to be the target of a curse often found themselves living in a constant state of fear, knowing that any misstep could result in a potentially fatal consequence.


    It was no wonder that curses were considered one of the most terrifying forms of magic, and few mages dared to delve into this dark and dangerous territory. Even those who specialized in curses were often viewed with suspicion and fear, for their powers had the potential to cause untold destruction and chaos.


    In conclusion, curses were not to be taken lightly. Their effects were far-reaching and devastating, and those who were afflicted with them were left with little hope of escape. As such, it was crucial for mages to be wary of the power of curses and to use them only as ast resort, lest they unleash a force that they could not control.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There was nothing but fog and all his senses and physical strength were oppressed so what could Kahn use at this moment?


    The answer was simple¡­


    The Soul of the Enemy.


    ----------------


    Kahn''s Hunter Domain had undergone a significant evolution over the years as he honed his sensing and tracking abilities throughout his arduous journey. One of the invaluable skills he acquired was the Spiritual Sense, a gift bestowed upon him by Vilgax during his time as the Sovereign of the Vessen fiefdom in the Rakos Empire.


    This remarkable ability granted him the power to perceive the essence of a living being''s soul, enabling him to track their very existence. Ordinarily, Spiritual Sense seamlessly integrated with his Hunter Domain skill set. However, with most of his skills rendered ineffective by the curses that now gued him, Kahn found himself heavily reliant on this particr ability.


    With a determined resolve, Kahn closed his eyes, calling upon the depths of his Spiritual Sense. Like a resounding sonar, a wave of ethereal soul essence emanated from him, reaching out across the expansive battlefield, spanning an impressive range of 30 kilometers.


    The soul essence swept over the terrain, searching for any trace of life amidst the chaos and destruction. It was as if a metaphysical current flowed through Kahn''s being, guiding him towards the presence of his elusive opponent. With every passing moment, he sharpened his focus, honing in on the subtlest vibrations within the realm of souls.


    Despite the curses that had gravely impeded his abilities, Kahn''s unwavering determination and his reliance on Spiritual Sense fueled his pursuit. The weight of the curses may have restricted his physical and magical prowess, but it had not extinguished the fiery spirit that burned within him.


    As the wave of soul essence expanded, the battlefield transformed into a tapestry of ethereal energy, revealing the hidden threads that connected all living beings. Kahn''s mind became a conduit of perception, deciphering the intricate patterns of the souls around him.


    [There! This guy is very cunning.


    He is hiding inside a stealth formation while leaving a fake replica of himself that I would end up attacking in order to break the curses.


    In this situation, I would be expending my little world energy and then he would show up to get rid of me very easily.


    This battle tactic is very useful to confuse an enemy and finish them off when they least expect it.] spoke Kahn after tracking the real body of his Shaman opponent.


    [But that''s where he made a mistake. For his disguise to work perfectly and not leave any trace of world energy behind that his opponents could use to track his real location¡­ he ispletely defenseless.] he evaluated the situation and formed a n to win this match.


    Boom!


    Rumble!


    Crackle!


    The battlefield trembled after H¨­¨­ Basan, the Shadow Disciple of the Kun Peng Tribe cast more offensive curses to one-shot Atreus in his weakened state.


    And right exactly then¡­ Kahn made his move.

 Chapter 902 Kindness And Compassion

    Kahn, also known as Atreus, devised a battle strategy as soon as he discovered the location of H¨­¨­ Basan. With a determined focus, he set his sights on the illusory body created through a curse, a deceptive technique that tricks people into believing their enemy is present while the true caster remains hidden.


    Without hesitation, Kahn soared through the sky, his movements swift and precise, reminiscent of a relentless predator on the hunt. Rather than sumbing to mindless aggression, he honed his approach, seeking to dismantle the illusion with calcted precision.


    Summoning his Khakkara, H¨­¨­ unleashed a tempestuous windstorm, unleashing spiral tornadoes of devastating power capable of leveling entire mountain ranges. The sheer force of nature was unleashed upon the battlefield, leaving no doubt as to the magnitude of H¨­¨­''s mastery over the elements.


    The Shaman adversary on the opposing side retaliated, conjuring a ferocious storm of yellow lightning that crackled and seared through the air, aimed directly at Atreus.


    Bang!


    Rumble!


    Rendered defenseless by his weakened state, the blue wolfkin warrior found himself unable to evade even a single blow from the relentless barrage of elemental attacks. The full force of the onught left his body charred and his flesh seared, a testament to the unrelenting devastation he had endured.


    With each agonizing step he took toward the enemy, his blood dripped down, painting a chilling tableau of unwavering determination and unyielding resolve. Despite the excruciating pain that wracked his body, he pushed forward, undeterred by the overwhelming odds stacked against him.


    "Why won''t you fall?!" the shadow disciple of the Kun Peng Tribe eximed, his voice dripping with rage and frustration.


    The ferocity of his attack was enough to obliterate any ordinary being at the fifth stage of a saint''s power, yet Atreus defied all expectations, rising to his feet time and time again, undeterred in his relentless advance.


    Crack!


    With a resounding crack, another colossal lightning bolt crashed down upon the fenrirborne warrior. The sheer force of the impact wrought havoc within a two-kilometer radius, reducing everything in its path to ruins. The ground quivered beneath the assault, leaving behind a gaping chasm that plunged an astonishing 300 meters into the earth''s depths.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Atreus'' figure became fully exposed, but this time, a startling revtion awaited those who beheld him. His left arm waspletely severed, torn away by the relentless onught of the battle.


    Finally,Atreus found the severed arm across the charred soil and picked it up.


    Rustle!


    Rustle!


    As the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation, a rustling sound akin to vines swaying in the wind filled the air. All eyes in the Nadur empire were fixed upon Atreus, witnesses to an astonishing sight unfolding before them. The cells of his severed arm began to realign and reconnect, like a meticulously choreographed dance of regeneration.


    With bated breath, the onlookers marveled as the detached arm seamlessly rejoined itself, eachponent finding its rightful ce. A sense of awe washed over the spectators, for they bore witness to a remarkable disy of vitality and restoration. The restored arm, once broken and lifeless, now appeared as if it had never been separated.


    BOOM!


    A dark blue aura erupted as Atreus'' haggard figure stood proudly and in front of everyone, hepletely healed, without a scratch!


    Back in the arena, Romulus smirked.


    The Heavenly Kings and the Empress stood in utter shock, their expressions mirroring disbelief and awe.


    Though they too possessed exceptional regenerative abilities bestowed by their elevated ranks and bloodlines, the revtion of Atreus'' seemingly effortless healing left them astounded. They grappled with the realization that, if faced with the same cursed circumstances where their minds and bodies ceased to respond to their will, they would struggle to heal, let alone survive, in such dire circumstances.


    Unbeknownst to them, Atreus, known as Kahn, possessed abilities far beyond theirprehension.


    His bloodline intertwined with those of the mighty Godbeasts and Primordial Titans, particrly drawing power from the Basilisk, Fenrir, and Cthulhu. These bloodlines he absorbed long ago granted him regenerative capabilities that far surpassed anything they could fathom. Even their individual bloodlines paled inparison to thebined potency of Atreus'' own.


    The irony of the situation was not lost on them¡ªa warrior of such immense regenerative capabilities was, astonishingly, not relying on the defensive attributes apanying his bloodlines.


    The weakness of the Shaman ss became evident in this encounter. Their curses could manipte and afflict the mind and bodies of their targets, utilizing the world around them as a conduit for their malevolent magic. However, even their potent spells fell short when it came topletely severing or subduing the innate and passive skills and abilities tied to an individual''s bloodline.


    In the case of Kahn, he had yet to tap into the immense power of his Dragon Bloodline.


    If unleashed, not a single scratch would mar his body, despite the curses that had befallen him. Furthermore, the potential for devastating strengthy dormant within him. Through activating Asura Mode, Shura Mode, or the Berserk God Mode, Kahn possessed the capability to overpower and vanquish his opponents with his bare fists alone.


    ----------------


    After getting out of the crater, Atreus kept pursuing the fake body.


    Attacking it every chance he got while still suffering through great damage.


    "What a shame. Although he is incredibly strong¡­ he isn''t much perceptive.


    If I was in his shoes, I would''ve realized that I''m fighting a fake by now." said the Heavenly King of Light, Haldor.


    "At this rate, the shadow disciple of the Kung Peng Tribe will tire him out and then win without even suffering a single injury on his body." spoke the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro.


    "This is why talent is hardly useful against experience." remarked Heavenly King of Water, Kaida.


    Romulus kept his cool and replied calmly.


    "Is that why this foolish and musclehead of a shadow disciple of mine beat your disciples to death?


    Thest I recall¡­ both of them admitted their defeat after getting brutally thrashed and humiliated by Atreus." asked Romulus, with a devilish grin on his face.


    "This!..." the two of the Heavenly Kings red up in rage but couldn''t retort because that was indeed the truth.


    Even the Heavenly King of Metal was silent because he too could''ve been the same as them if his shadow disciple was defeated by Atreus.


    Right then¡­ the Empress thought somberly.


    [There is something different about this child. Why do I feel a form of kinship from him and at the same time¡­ I feel like he is my natural enemy?]


    Back in the pocket dimension¡­


    "Graagh!!"


    After getting the left side of his chest almost sted by a fire and wind tornado attack that could destroy a small vige in a single shot¡­ Atreus got up again and kept walking like a madman.


    The real H¨­¨­ inside the illusion barrier was sweating profusely despite not being the one directly getting pursued by this undying maniac called Atreus Betor.


    [What would''ve happened if this battle wasn''t part of apetition and a real-life deathmatch?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even with my domain and my curses¡­ I''m still unable to get rid of him.


    At this rate, I will run out of my world energy within 10 minutes, and once my curses are gone¡­ He will be even more terrifying to face.] thought the descendant of the Godbeast Roc.


    Another weakness of the Shaman ss became apparent in contrast to mages who could wield elemental spells and powerful magical attacks.


    The Shaman ss heavily relied on the support of the external world, but it begged the question: Why would the world be so benevolent as to assist them without reason?


    The Law of Equivalent Exchange made no exceptions, and the shamans had to rely solely on their own world energy stored within their bodies tomand and manipte their surroundings.


    No external artifact, mana source, or otherworldly energy could aid them, as these elements were not harmoniously attuned to their own world energy. It was akin to trying to mix oil and water¡ªa futilebination. Furthermore, the extensive consumption of world energy during their rituals and spellcasting meant that the domain and curses of the Shaman ss had a limited duration,sting no longer than an hour.


    In addition to these limitations, H¨­¨­ had strategically concealed himself within an illusion barrier, intentionally minimizing defensive capabilities to avoid alerting his opponent.


    This vulnerability highlighted the susceptibility of the Shaman ss to be attacked and defeated easily, particrly when their defenses werepromised.


    It was through these weaknesses that the true nature of the Shaman ss wasid bare¡ªa delicate bnce between their reliance on the world and their own inherent limitations.


    What H¨­¨­ didn''t know that Kahn was exactly aiming for this weakness.


    ----------------


    Finally, the hour-long window passed and the fog-like domain along with the curses ced on Atreus'' body shattered and vanish with glowing lights.


    "You leave me no choice but to use my strongest attack.


    Do not me me if you lost your ability to use World Energy as a saint!"


    This time, the real H¨­¨­ Basan emerged from the barrier and summoned a terrifying storm along with Sutra symbols.


    "Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuniye Svaha Om!" his voice echoed in the entire battlefield.


    Every symbol grewrger andrger and covered 5 kilometers radius sky and earth.


    "Om Mani Padme Hum, Namo Amitabha!"


    A ginormous palm made of sacred golden and divine energy appeared in the sky.


    "Buddha''s Dharma Seal!"


    Tremble!


    Rumble!


    BOOM!!


    The entire pocket dimension that spanned for 100 kilometers shook like a boat in a raging sea storm. The ground trembled and sky rumbled as a massive cloud of energy akin to a nuclear bomb attack rose and devastated the nearby 5 kilometers of space, incinerating everything within.


    And after the cloud of dust faded, Atreus'' devastated and unconscious figure was revealed to the public.


    "Yes! He won!"


    "YEAAAHH!!! That bastard wolfkin has lost!" people across the empire cheered as if it was their own victory.


    The victory was not only celebrated by themon masses but also the ardent devotees of the God of Nature, those who held a deep reverence for the Temple of Termeszet. H¨­¨­ Basan''s resemnce to the monks and people of the temple was uncanny, leading many to perceive the defeat of Atreus Betor as a manifestation of divine retribution enacted by their revered deity.


    In their eyes, it appeared as if the god himself had descended to deliver a potent and fitting punishment upon the audacious warrior who previously badmouthed many species during his previous 2 matches.


    The sight of this seemingly divine intervention filled them with a profound sense of awe and vindication, reinforcing their unwavering faith in the power and justice of their god.


    H¨­¨­ Basan heaved a sigh of relief and approached the unconscious body of his opponent.


    "I feel sorry for doing this to you. I have sealed your ability to use world energy as a Saint.


    I hope you can forgive me one day." spoke the shadow disciple and shook his Khakkara, acting polite even in his victory, unlike Atreus who trampled on the pride of his opponents even after their defeat.


    People across the arena and the Nadur empire were swayed by this virtuous and polite Shaman.


    But right then¡­


    "I forgive you."


    A dreary and murderous voice resounded in the arena out of nowhere.


    The Atreus on the ground turned into nothing but a blob of water and seeped into the battlefield.


    Grasp!


    A firm hand suddenly grabbed H¨­¨­ from behind, clenching his w over his neck.


    "I hope that you also forgive me¡­"


    Rumble!


    Right then, the sky turned dark and a massive lightning boltunched and attacked the Shaman.


    BOOM!!


    The terrifying 100 meter wide lightning bolt attacked instantly.


    After the dust settled and inside that same crater¡­y H¨­¨­ Basan, his feathers all burnt and his skin charred as the Shaman waspletely knocked out while looking like a roasted chicken.


    Atreus joined his palms and bowed as he spoke in a kind and tender tone¡­


    "Namo Amitabha."

 Chapter 903 Lineage And History

    After Kahn, also known as Atreus, emerged unexpectedly and executed a decisive finishing move on his opponent, H¨­¨­ Basan, thettery unconscious on the battlefield, unable toprehend how he had been outsmarted.


    H¨­¨­ Basan wondered why Kahn had chosen this particr approach instead of relying solely on brute strength to defeat him.


    Little did he know that Kahn had purposely revealed his doppelgangers to the audience.


    While the replicas endured the onught of attacks, it was the real Kahn who bore the true brunt of the battle. The duplicates, being merelyparable to a 3rd stage saint and not a genuine 5th stage saint, would inevitably be destroyed.


    Thus, Kahn willingly subjected himself to the punishing blows.


    Yet, this was nothing new to him. Under the guidance of Vildred and Romulus, Kahn had already experienced death countless times¡ªover a million, to be exact.


    At this stage of his training, even the most excruciating torture was a mere stroll through the park for Kahn, and he had grown ustomed to the agonizing pain.


    That''s precisely why he allowed H¨­¨­ Basan to wear him down.


    Clearly aware of the vulnerabilities of the Shaman ss, Kahn devised a strategy to make his victory even more astonishing. Sensing the perfect moment, he swiftly swapped positions with his cosmic replica when H¨­¨­ Basanunched the devastating Dharma Seal attack.


    Seizing the opportunity when his opponent''s confidence was at its peak, Kahn concluded the match with remarkable finesse.


    GASP!


    A collective gasp reverberated throughout the arena and the entire Beast Empire, leaving people utterly stunned to their very cores. Even the Heavenly Kings and the Empress couldn''t escape the grip of astonishment.


    Meanwhile, a proud smile adorned Romulus'' face, for he had anticipated this very oue all along.


    "When given an illusion of a certain victory, even the most admirable warriors make the mistake of dropping their weapons." spoke the Heavenly King of Fire, his voice echoing through the arena and also the entire empire through the broadcasting screens.


    Finally, billions of people grasped the truth behind the spectacle that unfolded before their eyes. From the initial sh to the climactic conclusion, Atreus fearlessly confronted his adversary, while the shadow disciple of the Kun Peng tribe cunningly concealed himself within an illusion barrier.


    Throughout the relentless onught of devastating attacks, spectators believed Atreus was inevitably marching towards his own demise. And when H¨­¨­ Basan depleted his reserves of world energy and unleashed his most dreaded technique to bring the match to a close, the audience epted it as the ultimate oue.


    Little did they know that their assumptions couldn''t have been more misguided.


    ''Let your ns be dark and imprable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.''


    This was precisely the strategy Kahn used in this entire match.


    Kahn''s strategy throughout the entire match revolved around meticulously crafting an illusion of struggle and resistance. He skillfully manipted the situation, allowing his opponent to bring him to the brink of defeat. And just when his adversary let their guard down, confident in their assumed victory, Kahn literally finished the match with a thunderbolt.


    The individuals who had fervently desired Kahn''s defeat and reveled in the anticipation of his downfall were now rendered speechless and bewildered. Their hearts sank as they struggled toe to terms with the stark reality that unfolded before them. epting the truth that contradicted their hopes and expectations proved to be an arduous task, leaving them in a state of disbelief.


    Finally¡­


    Bothbatants were summoned back from the pocket dimension and a group of healers and druids ran toward the unconscious H¨­¨­.


    [Man, if this wasn''t apetition¡­ Oliver would''ve liked his abilities and bloodlines.] spoke Kahn to himself and quietly entered his pavilion.


    In response to Romulus''mand, Kahn took his ce beside his master on the throne, exuding an air of pride and confidence. Seated regally, he cast a gaze upon the onlookers, disying an undeniable sense of self-assurance, seemingly indifferent to their very presence.


    Billions of people clenched their teeth, their faces contorted with venomous expressions as they perceived Atreus'' cold and dismissive demeanor as a direct affront to their pride. It was a harsh reality that unfolded before their eyes¡ªa world where the weak often yed the victim, conveniently shifting me to others, while the masses reveled in witnessing the downfall of those who had rightfully achieved their sess through their own strength and abilities.


    The narrative of justice and chivalry had be a tool wielded by the weak to mask their animosity towards individuals of power and authority. However, Atreus, known as Kahn, remained unfazed by these perceptions. He had learned not to foolishly assume that the weak and impoverished were always virtuous individuals deserving of sympathy.


    ----------------


    As Kahn quietly recuperated, both physically and mentally, the next match among the remaining contendersmenced.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Four hourster, he stepped back into the arena, realizing that this could potentially be his final qualifying match. A victory here would secure his position as a finalist, considering his undefeated streak throughout thepetition.


    Facing him now was Sobek Slytherin, the Shadow Disciple hailing from the Basilisk Tribe.


    Draped in resplendent golden and emerald armor, the descendant of the godbeast Basilisk exuded an air of pride as he stood confidently before Atreus. His piercing green and yellow eyes radiated an unmistakable aura of danger and hostility.


    Sobek, with a head reminiscent of an ancient serpent species, made no effort to conceal his enmity. To him, this battle held profound significance¡ªit was a matter of pride for his entire tribe. Atreus, being a warrior of the Fenrirborne Tribe, stood as the opposing force that challenged the honor and legacy of the Basilisk Tribe.


    Through the annals of history, the Dragons and Basilisks had perpetually been embroiled in conflict. However, there existed an exception to this animosity¡ª an anomaly that prevented them from engaging in warfare.


    That exception was the Godbeast Fenrir and his descendants, who remarkably managed to pose a threat to both species.


    Kahn, upon learning this revtion from Romulus before themencement of the match, found himself astounded by the truth.


    Among all the mighty Godbeasts and even the Royal Dragons, Fenrir stood as a unique enigma. Not only did it possess size and physical strengthparable to its counterparts, but it also possessed a distinctive characteristic bestowed by its bloodline. This rare trait allowed the Godbeast to absorb and purify the bloodlines of others, setting it apart from the rest.


    One of the most extraordinary abilities possessed by the Godbeast Fenrir was known as the World Devourer.


    This awe-inspiring power allowed Fenrir to consume, engulf, and literally devour everything in its path, akin to a formidable ck hole. ording to ancient legends, during the immemorial era when primordial species roamed thends of Vantrea, the Fenrir of that time devoured several hundred thousand kilometers ofnd and sea, causing a cataclysmic event of immense proportions.


    To halt the reshaping of the world, a coalition consisting of the First Walkers, Elder Dragons, and an Archangel had to unite forces and ultimately y the formidable creature.


    The records of antiquity revealed that as a consequence of Fenrir''s rampage, at least half of Vantrea''s topography underwent drastic changes, leading to the formation of new continents. These continents, in present times, are known as Empires, each now ruled by different species.


    It was due to the potent abilities of Fenrir, particrly its capability to kill and absorb the abilities and bloodlines of other beings, that both Dragons and Basilisks harbored a deep reluctance to confront the Godbeast. The Fenrir had the power to even vanquish these mighty creatures and assimte their powers, further enhancing its own strength.


    Even Kahn''s divine ability, Ability Absorption, drew inspiration from Fenrir''s World Devourer ability. However, even now, Kahn''s power paled inparison, only managing to reach half the magnitude of the original Godbeast''s immense might.


    ----------------


    In the present moment...


    As Kahn reconciled with his current situation, he resolved to embrace the role bestowed upon him as the representative of the Fenrirborne Tribe. Understanding the gravity of the uing battle, he decided to adapt to the circumstances and act ordingly.


    Sobek, exuding a grim aura, broke the silence, his voiceced with warning.


    "Surrender. I cannot guarantee your survival in our impending sh."


    With a hint of sarcasm, Atreus retorted...


    "How amusing. Every time when someone uttered those words to me... They ended up dying instead."


    Both warriors were keenly aware of the importance of not yielding an inch, be it in physicalbat or the psychological warfare that unfolded between them. They refused to grant their opponent any advantage, striving to maintain an equal footing on all fronts.


    Despite Kahn not being a direct member of the Fenrirborne Tribe and possessing the bloodline of the Godbeast Fenrir solely through Skoll and Hati, the Mythical Rank descendants of the divine beings, he found himself inescapably burdened with the responsibility that came with his fake identity.


    The significance of his role extended far beyond his personal identity. It epassed the legacy and heritage of the Fenrirborne Tribe, tying him to a lineage that demanded his participation and representation.


    The weight of this Lineage and the History it carried rested heavily on his shoulders, leaving him with no choice but to bear the responsibility and fulfill his role with utmost determination.


    And thus began¡­


    The Battle of True Descendants.

 Chapter 904 Master Of Illusions

    The impending sh between Sobek Slytherin and Atreus Betor, representing the Basilisk Tribe and Fenrirborne Tribe respectively, held an unparalleled allure, surpassing the excitement generated by the previous matches.


    Sobek wielded two Khopesh swords, curved sickle-like des imbued with formidable shing power. As a true descendant of the Basilisk Tribe, he possessed the skills of an earth elemental skilled swordsman,plemented by his bloodline''s affinity for illusion techniques. Thisbination made him a formidable adversary, capable of deceiving and disorienting his opponents.


    While Kahn had showcased his attack strength in previous matches, the full extent of his abilities remained shrouded in mystery. Illusion-based powers, such as those possessed by Sobek, were not easily graded or measured unless one experienced them firsthand. Thus, the true scope of Atreus'' prowess in countering illusions was yet to be unveiled, adding an element of suspense and uncertainty to the impending battle.


    Ding!


    Ding!


    Without dy, thebatants were transported to a pocket dimension, marking the beginning of their intense confrontation.


    They found themselves in a vast and scorching world, consumed by relentless sandstorms and barren deserts. Towering pyramids, stretching for kilometers in width, dominated thendscape, casting elongated shadows across the arid expanse.


    This unforgiving realm offered no respite, as the searing heat intensified with each passing moment. Not a single drop of water could be found in this parched domain, setting the stage for their battle in a harsh, arid wastnd.


    "Begin!"


    The moment the announcer dered, bothbatants vanished from the spot.


    At first nce, the battlefield seemed to pose a disadvantage for Atreus. However, hisplete affinity to all elements rendered him impervious to the adverse conditions.


    Swoosh!


    Swiftly, emerging from within the swirling sandstorm, the green-skinned swordsmanunched his assault upon the blue-d brawler saint, capitalizing on the veil of sand as his camouge.


    ng!


    As the swords and gauntlets shed, an eruption of sparks ensued, illuminating the battlefield. The sheer force of their collision sent reverberations across a radius of 500 meters, signifying the intensity of their evenly matched strength.


    True to his previous approach, Kahn had no intention of concealing his true power. Acknowledging the significance of the match, he swiftly retaliated with a relentless barrage of devastating blows, utilizing abination of kicks and punches aimed precisely at Sobek''s vulnerable points.


    Confronted with the stark reality that Atreus surpassed him in physical strength, despite Sobek''s formidable bloodline granting him amplified powerpared to others of the same rank, the shadow disciple adapted swiftly to the situation. Employing the surrounding sandstorms and the unique terrain to his advantage, Sobek tactically retreated, cautiously maneuvering to create distance between himself and his relentless opponent.


    "Domain of Illusion." spoke Sobek and let out a burst of a green pir of world energy.


    In that crucial moment, Sobek unleashed his domain, enveloping the surrounding 25 kilometers of space with a dense mist and fog. Thebination of his domain and the prevailing sandstorms amplified the dreary atmosphere, creating an even more challenging environment for Atreus to navigate.


    Contrary tomon expectations, Sobek''s domain served a purpose beyond mere obscurity and disorientation.


    [Careful, boy. He has infused poison into this mist. Normally, even a 5th-stage saint would fail to detect it given the negligible quantity, but as time goes on¡­ the target won''t even know how they suddenly stopped functioning properly.] warned Rathnaar.


    [That gives me another idea¡­] replied Kahn and let out a mischievous smirk.


    The opponent was generous enough to use poison via his domain so Kahn also nned to reward those efforts and schemes by the opponent.


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later¡­


    Undeterred by the treacherous conditions of Sobek''s domain, the fierce battle raged on without any significant shift in their positions. Atreus, disying unwavering courage, maintained a dominant presence on the battlefield,unching relentless attacks against his adversary. Meanwhile, Sobek remained vignt, constantly seeking opportunities to deliver a decisive and lethal strike that would bring an end to the battle in a single stroke.


    But right then¡­


    "Argh!.." groaned Atreus and suddenly his figure slumped as if losing control over his body.


    [Finally, my poison is showing its effect. I was worried for nothing thinking that it failed.] thought Sobek and then his green eyes turned purple.


    Thump!


    Thump!


    In a sudden and dramatic turn of events, the once-illuminated battlefield was engulfed by an all-epassing darkness, transforming the pocket dimension into an abyss of ckness. The previously visible surroundings vanished, leaving only an imprable void in its wake. The palpable sense of foreboding that emanated from this eerie darkness sent a shiver down the spines of those witnessing the battle.


    "Come¡­ pay for your sins." a grim and terrifying voice resounded and right in front of Atreus; a ginormous being sizing up to 2 kilometers in height alone appeared.


    Sobek now revealed himself as a God who carried the divine judgment on others in this dark domain.


    As Atreus found himself on the receiving end of Sobek''s divine judgment, he appeared visibly affected, his movements seemingly restricted and his demeanor weakened. This disy of vulnerability led spectators across the empire to believe that he had sumbed to the poison''s influence to such a degree that he was rendered immobile.


    Swing!


    Swing!


    The colossal Khopesh des swung through the air with menacing intent, aimed at Atreus as if they were instruments of divine retribution, poised to condemn him for any transgressions he may havemitted.


    Yet, in truth, the seemingly gigantic Sobek was actually his normal self who charged fiercely at Atreus, intent on delivering a fatal strike aimed directly at his neck.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    sh!


    A fierce and precise sh was made as Sobek appeared right in front of the blue fenrirborne.


    SHING!!


    However¡­ before his swords hit, Atreus grabbed the des of the swords with his gauntlets out of nowhere.


    "Is that it? I was expecting more." a somber yet ghastly voice echoed as the target of this attack revealed an evil grin.


    Crumble!


    Crumble!


    With calcted precision, the illusory dark world shattered into fragments, dispelling the deceptive atmosphere that had enveloped the battlefield. This turn of events came as no surprise to Kahn, as he had anticipated this moment and carefully orchestrated it to his advantage.


    Having attained Legendary Rank poison immunity, Kahn remained unaffected by any form of toxic substances, rendering them futile against him. This immunity provided him with a significant advantage, allowing him to counter Sobek''s attempts to incapacitate him.


    In a sudden shift, Kahn''s eyes flickered with a yellow hue, a sign of his heightened focus and unleashed power. This unexpected turn caught Sobek off-guard, momentarily disrupting his concentration and leaving him vulnerable to Kahn''s impending retaliation.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    In a breathtaking instant, the entire battlefield underwent a dramatic transformation. The once-scorching desert and towering pyramids dissolved into nothingness, giving way to the vast expanse of outer space. Gleaming stars dotted the void, while colossal meteorites hurtled through the cosmic backdrop, their destructive potential evident.


    Sobek, who had exuded unwavering confidence until now, found himself trembling with fear for the first time. The drastic shift in the environment had caught him off-guard, leaving him disoriented and uncertain of how to navigate this newfound astral battleground.


    In a pivotal moment of the Elysium Tribal Tourney battle, Kahn, now utilizing the formidable Lucid Reality skill, unleashed a disy of his true power. Sobek, despite being a descendant with a limited Basilisk bloodline, stood as no match for the might and capabilities that Kahn possessed.


    Soon, a yellow mist spread on the battlefield as Kahn used the Neurotoxin Venom.


    As the yellow mist spread across the transformed battlefield, Kahn tapped into his Neurotoxin Venom ability. This skill, inherited from Bjormngandur, a legendary rank direct descendant of Basilisk with a higher degree of bloodline purity, held a potency far surpassing anything Sobek could conjure.


    Thebined effects of Kahn''s Lucid Reality and the intensified illusion capabilities made possible by his superior bloodline lineage left Sobek helpless inparison.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    As the thousands of meteorites propelled forward with tremendous force, their impact with Sobek was nothing short of devastating. Each collisionunched the swordsman through the air, causing him to be propelled several kilometers away with each sessive hit.


    However, to everyone''s astonishment, the meteorites swiftly changed their trajectory, converging around Sobek in a protective formation. They clustered around him, forming an imprable barrier that shielded him from any iing attacks, including the slightest ray of light.


    The once-bright battlefield was now enveloped in an eerie darkness, casting a shroud of uncertainty and apprehension over the spectators who watched in awe and anticipation of the battle''s oue.


    Crack!


    Crunch!


    The meteorites started terraforming and created a tomb around Sobek.


    Shrink!


    As the tomb continued to shrink around Sobek, the air grew thin, depriving him of the ability to draw a breath. Every movement became increasingly restricted, leaving him immobilized and powerless within the tightening confines.


    In a climactic turn of events, the shrinking tomb metamorphosed into a colossal pyramid, stretching across a vast expanse of 10 kilometers. Sobek found himself entombed within this imposing structure, encased by the weight and magnitude of the surrounding meteorites.


    Kahn had ingeniously devised a fate reminiscent of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh''s burial, immortalizing his opponent in a cosmic tomb. While Sobek''s Basilisk heritage granted him resilience against the neurotoxin venom, the effects would render him incapacitated for several hours. During this time, he would be confined to stillness, unable to move or engage inbat.


    Atreus then grabbed both Khopesh, previously aimed at his neck, and tightened them around Sobek''s neck instead.


    "Admit defeat or I will pull them. Don''t me me for burying you here." his terrifying and nerve-wrackingmandment resounded.


    Sobek''s mind was consumed by fear as he grappled with the grim reality unfolding before him. It wasn''t solely Atreus'' superior strength that caused his terror to surge; rather, it was the realization that his opponent wielded the same venomous and illusionary techniques, only with greater mastery. Decades of honing these skills had bestowed upon Atreus a level of proficiency that Sobek could only dream of attaining.


    The sheer helplessness of his current situation gnawed at Sobek''s consciousness. His inability to breathe or move under the weight of the tomb left him at the mercy of Atreus. With a mere thought, his life could be extinguished. The overwhelming vulnerability that engulfed him intensified his fear, amplifying the knowledge that his fate rested solely in the hands of his adversary.


    Sobek''s mind raced, desperately seeking an escape from this nightmarish predicament. But every attempt to resist, every flicker of hope, was swiftly crushed by the relentless grip of the tomb. He could only bear witness to the magnitude of Atreus'' power and the consequences of underestimating his opponent''s abilities.


    In the end, with great effort and mustering all his strength¡­ Sobek''s pitiful voice echoed in the arena.


    "I concede!"

 Chapter 905 Night Before Finale

    Under the dim moonlight, Sobek found himself standing before the formidable figure of Empress Kaali Adisesha, the epitome of power and authority in the Nadur Empire. Her presencemanded respect, and her piercing gaze seemed to prate deep into Sobek''s very soul.


    The meeting took ce in her temporary living amodations, a ce where the weight of her responsibilities and the aura of her rulership were palpable. Sobek, still reeling from his defeat at the hands of Atreus, couldn''t help but feel a sense of trepidation as he awaited the Empress''s words.


    "You asked for me, your majesty?" he queried in a subservient tone as he knelt in front of the empress.


    Swoom!


    The entire hall was instantly covered by a purple aura and isted itself from the outside world.


    As the purple aura enveloped the hall, it served as a testament to the Empress''s immense strength and authority. The istion from the outside world intensified the gravity of the situation, creating an atmosphere of absolute dominance.


    BOOM!!


    In that moment, Empress Kaali Adisesha''s killing intent permeated the air, suffocating Sobek and causing him to instinctively bow before her overwhelming power. The sheer force of her presence rendered him powerless and filled him with a deep sense of fear.


    "Give me a reason why I should keep you alive?" the intensely terrifying pressure cracked all bones in Sorbek''s body as if he was put in a grinder.


    Sobek, trembling on the ground, could feel the weight of the Empress''s gaze bearing down on him. He understood that he stood before a force capable of ending his life with a mere thought. The intensity of her killing intent pressed upon him, leaving him feeling vulnerable and insignificant inparison.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "You have brought immense disgrace upon our tribe, consisting of 35 million individuals spanning the vast empire, with your defeat at the hands of a Fenrirborne.


    Not a single tear shall be shed if I were to end your life this very moment.


    Instead, our people would express their gratitude towards me for eliminating the stain of shame that you have be." her chilling voice reverberated through the hall, leaving Sobek feeling as though the weight of a mountain was crushing him against the floor.


    As hey prostrate on the ground, Sobek could only hope for mercy from the Empress, knowing that his fate rested solely in her hands. The experience left an indelible mark on his psyche, serving as a constant reminder of the consequences of failure and the unforgiving nature of those who held absolute power.


    Step!


    Step!


    Right then, a familiar figure entered the room, swiftly dropping to both knees and bowing his head to the ground, his voice filled with urgency.


    "Your Majesty... I have been by your side for over half of my life, even during the days when you were merely an official disciple of your n and I was but a humble figure in my own.


    Throughout these two centuries of unwavering loyalty, I have never dared to ask anything of you." expressed the Imperial advisor.


    "But now, for the first time, I implore you... Please, I beg for your mercy upon my nephew."


    Such was the bond between Zyatzin Slytherin and Sobek Slytherin¡ªa connection forged through blood and family.


    On the opposing side, Kaali''s face disyed an expression of exasperation as Zyatzin interfered, with her struggle to contain the anger that was aimed towards Sobek.


    In addition to her role as Empress, Kaali held the unofficial position of Tribe Leader.


    The Adisesha n held the distinction of being the most formidable n within the tribe, and Sobek happened to be the nephew of her trusted advisor, Zyatzin. Both individuals belonged to the prestigious Slytherin n, the second most influential lineage within the Basilisk tribe.


    "Advisor Zyatzin, please understand that this matter is far from being as straightforward as it may appear." the Empress responded, her voice tinged with a sense of gravity.


    "Thest instance of a shadow disciple from the Basilisk Tribe losing to a shadow disciple from the Fenrirbone Tribe in the history of the Tribal Tourney took ce exactly 80 years ago.


    It coincided precisely with the year when Romulus Lykaios, the current leader of the Fenrirborne Tribe, made his inaugural public appearance within our Empire. It was during that very tournament that he emerged as the Shadow Disciple representing his tribe." she disclosed, shedding light on a significant incident from the past.


    "And now, history has repeated itself with his very own shadow disciple." Kaali remarked, her toneced with coldness.


    "Can you notprehend the dire political implications of this oue?" she inquired sharply, her fury barely contained.


    Despite the Empress''s anger, the Imperial Advisor persisted in pleading for mercy, fully aware of Kaali''s reputation for ruthlessness and unforgiving nature towards those who failed in their missions or brought shame upon the tribe.


    After allowing a dozen minutes to pass, during which the Empressposed herself, she let out a deep sigh and addressed Sobek in amanding tone.


    "What transpired? How could you possibly lose to an opponent of his caliber?" she demanded, her voice carrying authority.


    In response to her straightforward question, Sobek summoned the courage to rise from his prostrate position, as the Empress lessened the weight of her presence. Fear evident in his voice, he replied without hesitation.


    "Your Majesty, he is far from ordinary. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In fact, I dare say he might not even be a true Fenrirborne." he uttered, his words tinged with a mix of trepidation and conviction.


    The Empress raised her left eyebrow, seemingly surprised.


    "Why do you say so?" she queried.


    "Because I could feel that he was using the abilities of our bloodline, including that illusion that''s only natural for our tribe''s powerful people with higher bloodline purity.


    And he wasn''t even affected by my poison, which is capable of killing even a 5th-stage saint within an hour." Sobek exined his reasoning.


    Empress was slightly taken aback and then revealed a curious expression.


    "So my hunch was right when I felt a sense of kinship with him back when I went to help Maximus and when I saw him fight in the tourney arena." he proimed, revealing her preexisting suspicion about Atreus.


    "He is hiding his origin very well. Let''s wait¡­ Until the finale." she spoke in a jarring and malicious tone, revealing her future ns for Atreus.


    "After that¡­ I will personally act and interrogate him myself."


    ----------------


    Simultaneously, in a secluded vi elsewhere, a private conversation unfolded. It served as the present dwelling for Jaro, the Heavenly King of Metal.


    Standing before him was a towering figure, reaching a height of three meters. This individual bore a striking resemnce in physical attributes, appearance, and bloodline to Jaro himself.


    "Thest match will end with either your or his death." he dered, stressing the gravity of the situation.


    "Do not underestimate him. We believed Sobek would be your biggest adversary in this tourney but even he was defeated.


    And the terrifying fact is that despite being a Fenrirborne, he too can use illusion techniques and doppelgangers." spoke the Heavenly King with a grim countenance.


    "And even now¡­ I feel as if this Atreus Betor hasn''t revealed his full strength and abilities.


    You cannot make the same mistakes as others and undermine him. Who knows what kind of unique abilities and powers he is hiding." he spoke in a stern voice.


    "You were famous even before I dered you as the Shadow Disciple.


    But we knew nothing about Atreus Betor as if he was born yesterday.


    So I hope you be cautious to win without letting him control the flow of battle and bring great glory to our Tribe." spoke Jaro.


    The other being in front of him was none other than the finalist who would face Atreus in a deathmatch tomorrow.


    "My Shadow Disciple... that Fenrirborne has now be despised by all the descendants of the Godbeast Baihu." Jaro articted, his eyes filled with anticipation.


    "If you eliminate him and emerge victorious in the tournament, not only will everyone extol your immense strength, but they will also acim you as the warrior who avenged the pride and heritage of over a billion people.


    Furthermore, this triumph will clear the path for you to assume the mantle of the next tribe leader, facing no opposition whatsoever. And who knows, one day you may even ascend to the rank of Heavenly King after I step down." he concluded, his gaze expectant.


    "The result of this match is greatly crucial to the future of our tribe, and your reputation in the long run."


    To those words, the other finalist replied in a confident yet prideful tone.


    "His death by my hands has already been decided by our God."


    ----------------


    In the Aurelius city''s main fortress, Romulus also summoned Atreus to the council hall and spoke in private with a grave expression.


    "Thest battle won''t be easy. And even if you win, the victory won''t be without consequences." said the Heavenly King of Fire.


    "Why?" asked Atreus.


    "Because your next opponent is not only a shadow disciple¡­" said Romulus as if having a headache because of the uing match. And with a sigh, revealed the reason for his worries¡­


    "He is also the youngest son of the Heavenly King of Metal."

 Chapter 906 Final Opponent

    The following day arrived, and the entire Beast Empire was swept up in a jubnt atmosphere of celebration. The streets buzzed with excitement as people indulged in the thrill of making illegal bets, willing to risk everything they owned on the victory of either of the mighty warriors. The stakes were high, and individuals gambled their very futures on the oue of this monumental sh.


    This asion held such significance that it felt like a national holiday, with hardly anyone engaging in their usual work routines. Only those involved in the food and entertainment sectors remained active, aware that this grand event presented a profitable season for them. They prepared delectable dishes and captivating performances, catering to the masses immersed in this fervent spectacle.


    Regardless of age, whether they were young children or the elderly, and irrespective of their species and race, everyone eagerly awaited this monumental match. The anticipation reverberated through the air, uniting the diverse popce of the Beast Empire in their shared excitement.


    The hopes and dreams of countless individuals were intertwined with the oue of this sh of titans.


    Behind the scenes, the arena of politics was in full swing, as influential figures engaged in shrewd maneuverings. Promises were made and alliances forged among the top echelons of the empire, with each faction vying for supremacy and using this event as a tform to further their own agendas.


    The stakes extended far beyond the physical prowess of the warriors, as power dynamics and intricate webs of influence yed out in the shadows.


    As the day progressed, the atmosphere grew even more charged, and the crowds swelled, creating a sea of eager faces. The entire city pulsated with anticipation, the energy electrifying as the decisive moment drew near.


    The fate of the warriors would undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences, not only for the individuals pitted against each other but also for the destiny of the Beast Empire itself.


    In the heart of this colossal celebration, there existed a profound sense of unity and collective spirit. The sh of these extraordinary beings transcended the boundaries of personal interests and highlighted the shared aspirations and dreams of the empire''s inhabitants. The oue of this battle held the potential to shape the course of history, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all those who bore witness to it.


    As the final preparations were made and the stage set for the epic confrontation, the air crackled with anticipation. The empire stood on the precipice of a momentous event, where the power struggles, dreams, and desires of an entire realm converged in a single arena.


    The next chapter of the Beast Empire''s legacy and the strongest Shadow Disciple of this generation was about to unfold, and the world held its breath, eager to witness the oue of this grand spectacle.


    However, Kahn found himself with little time to spare, as he delegated the responsibility of dealing with these peripheral matters to Romulus. After all, Kahn had the weightiest role to y as the representative of the esteemed Fenrirborne Tribe, and his focus had to be undivided.


    This uing confrontation was not for the faint of heart¡ªit was to be a deathmatch, with the victor only dered when one of thebatants breathed theirst.


    Assuming his Atreus persona, Kahn took his ce in the center of the resplendent arena.


    Billions of eyes from all corners of the Beast Empire were fixed upon him, both within the physical confines of the arena and on the holographic screens that spanned across the vast expanse of the Nadur Empire.


    Standing before him was his most formidable opponent yet in the Elysium Tribal Tournament.


    A colossal figure, towering at an imposing height of three meters, possessed an ebony-huedplexion that seemed to absorb all light. Arcs of crackling lightning danced across his muscr frame, emanating an aura of raw power. The intensity in his eyes betrayed his unwavering intent to kill.


    This formidable adversary, who had emerged victorious from every match thus far, stood as the final obstacle in Kahn''s path.


    With bated breath, the crowd awaited the revtion of the warrior''s name, who possessed the strength to match Atreus blow for blow. And as the tension mounted, the name finally resounded across the arena, sending ripples of anticipation through the onlookers.


    "Dahaka of the ck Panther Tribe."


    The name echoed through the hearts of the spectators, stirring a mix of awe and trepidation. Dahaka, the epitome of power and ferocity, embodied the indomitable spirit of his tribe. Now, he stood as thest line of defense, ready to challenge Kahn in a battle that would push both warriors to their limits.


    The atmosphere crackled with an electric energy as the two titans locked eyes, the weight of their respective tribes'' hopes resting upon their shoulders.


    The fate of the future powerhouses who would lead their respective tribes and contribute to the safety and growth of the Beast Empire teetered on a knife''s edge, awaiting the oue of this cataclysmic sh between Atreus and Dahaka.


    ----------------


    With a resolute gaze, Dahaka of the ck Panther tribe locked eyes with Atreus, his expression tinged with hostility. He spoke, his voice filled with grim determination, addressing his adversary without any pretense of surrender.


    "I won''t be asking you to yield like the others. No, I eagerly anticipate ending your life with my own hands.


    I want you to fight with every ounce of strength you possess." Dahaka dered, his words dripping with disdain.


    "You will pay for besmirching the descendants of the godbeast Baihu. It is your very arrogance that shall lead to your downfall.


    I yearn for the satisfaction of witnessing your futile struggle in your final moments.


    Only then will it be a victory truly worth celebrating."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As Dahaka''s chilling promation echoed through the arena, millions of people across the empire stood rooted in silence, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air. The gravity of the impending battle was palpable, as spectators absorbed the gravity of the sh between these two formidable opponents.


    In response to Dahaka''s death sentence, Atreus smirked, his voiceced with haughtiness as he delivered his retort.


    "I hope you have bid farewell to those you hold dear. It would be a shame for them to miss the chance to share their feelings, as I will be snuffing out your life right before their eyes.


    This way, I won''t be burdened with excessive guilt for extinguishing your story here and now."


    His words carried an overbearing arrogance that was expected of someone of his caliber.


    Atreus reveled in the tension, stoking the fire of rivalry between them.


    The previous night, Kahn and Romulus had engaged in a brief conversation about Dahaka.


    They shared details of Dahaka''s lineage, revealing that he was the third offspring of the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro.


    The eldest son, who surpassed the age of 150, had reached the impressive 6th stage of a saint. His aplishments and power had earned him the esteemed title of Official Disciple.


    The second child, a female, possessed the strength of a 4th stage saintess and held a position among the imperial advisors, showcasing her intelligence and strategic prowess.


    Lastly, Dahaka, the third child, emerged as a Lightning elemental Beawler ss saint, much like Atreus.


    Despite being significantly younger than his siblings by 50 years, Dahaka had already attained the impressive level of a 5th-stage saint. His prodigious talent had garnered recognition and admiration from all corners of the empire for decades.


    As the stage was set for the ultimate sh between Atreus and Dahaka, the knowledge of their respective backgrounds added an extrayer of intrigue and anticipation to the forting battle.


    However, the proceedings took an unexpected turn when the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro, stepped forward and dered Dahaka as the Shadow Disciple¡ªa title bestowed seemingly out of nowhere.


    Confusion rippled through the popce back then as they struggled toprehend Jaro''s decision.


    Why would he condemn his own son to the perilous fate of potential death in this unforgiving match?


    While the masses grappled with this revtion, the truth behind Jaro''s actions gradually unfolded. Those astute enough to see beyond the surface such as the other Heavenly Kings and the Empress, understood the motivations at y.


    Dahaka, it appeared, was driven by an insatiable ambition and an inherentpetitive nature. His aspirations stretched far beyond merely participating in the Tribal Tourney.


    He coveted the position of Tribe Leader and harbored dreams of ascending to the rank of a Heavenly King in the future.


    In Dahaka''s eyes, the tournament became a crucible through which he could showcase his untapped potential, proving his mettle to the entire empire. It was a strategic move, leveraging the grand stage of the Tribal Tourney to demonstrate his strength, courage, and undeniable prowess as a warrior.


    By emerging victorious, he aimed to etch his name in the annals of the Nadur Empire''s history, solidifying his im to future leadership and securing his ce among the pantheon of Heavenly Kings.


    Such circumstances had now brought Dahaka to the present situation, where he faced Atreus in the climactic finale. The weight of his ambitions, coupled with the desire to prove himself, fueled his determination to ovee the formidable opponent standing before him. It was a battle that transcended personal glory, intertwining the fate of two warriors and the destiny of an entire empire.


    ----------------


    Atreus and Dahaka found themselves transported to a pocket dimension, a surreal realm devoid of solid ground.


    Above them, the sky stretched endlessly, dotted with billowing clouds, while beneath them, an expanse of water extended as far as the eye could see. It was within this ethereal battleground that the destiny of both warriors would be determined, where the echoes of their shes would reverberate through the annals of history.


    "Begin!"


    With the stage set, the air crackled with anticipation as the battlemenced. The atmosphere grew heavy with tension, each breath pregnant with the weight of their aspirations and the hopes of their respective tribes.


    And thus began¡­


    The Deathmatch.

 Chapter 907 The Law

    The momentous sh between a True Descendant of the Godbeast Baihu and Fake Descendant of the Godbeast Fenrirmenced, causing the entire Nadur Empire to hold its collective breath. The battleground chosen for this extraordinary confrontation was a realm of ethereal beauty¡ªan expanse of nothingness, with only billowing clouds above and an unending deep sea below. The absence of solid ground ensured a level ying field, enabling bothbatants to showcase their skills without any inherent advantage.


    The choice of this unique battlefield was deliberate, taking into ount the elemental affinities of the two warriors. Dahaka, the Lightning elemental brawler saint, and Atreus, the Water/Ice elemental brawler saint, stood on equal footing.


    The limitless expanse of the sky and sea provided an ideal environment for them to unleash their respective powers to their fullest potential.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    The expansive sky overhead rumbled ominously as the once serene and pristine clouds transformed into a dark and dense mass, a visible manifestation of the power unleashed by Dahaka. In a bold and unprecedented move, he activated his Domain from the very outset of the battle.


    This marked the first time Dahaka revealed the true extent of his capabilities in the Elysium Tribal Tourney, as none of his previous opponents had pushed him to unleash his full potential. However, facing Atreus, he recognized the need to treat this match with utmost seriousness.


    Both warriors were acutely aware of each other''s abilities andbat techniques, having observed and analyzed one another throughout thepetition. Engaging in a mere exchange of basic attacks would be a futile waste of time. They stood on equal ground, each possessing immense strength and skill, rendering conventional tactics ineffective in this pivotal encounter.


    With the activation of Dahaka''s Domain, the atmosphere crackled with an intensified energy. The domain served as an extension of his elemental prowess, augmenting his lightning-based abilities and allowing him to exert even greater control over his surroundings.


    The darkened clouds became charged with electrical currents, ready to unleash devastating bolts of lightning at Dahaka''smand. The stage was now set for a battle that would push bothbatants to their limits and beyond.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    The vast sky crackled with an awe-inspiring disy of power as thousands of lightning bolts cascaded downwards, each possessing the potential to decimate an entire small vige with a single strike. The raw force of nature reverberated through the arena, apanied by the resounding roars and growls that echoed with the fury of the unleashed storm.


    ROAR!!


    GROWL!!


    As the bolts of blue lightning converged, they coalesced into ethereal forms, taking on the shape of feral animals. The spectators across the Nadur Empire watched in astonishment as Dahaka''s Lightning Panthers emerged within his Domain. More than 5,000 monstrouslyrge panthers materialized, each standing a towering 100 meters tall.


    The sheer size and ferocity of these creatures sent a shiver down the spines of those who bore witness, even from outside the confines of the pocket dimension.


    Through the tokens that granted the spectators a tangible experience of thebatants'' strength, the onlookers could feel the immense power coursing through the Lightning Panthers.


    They realized that the release of just one of these awe-inspiring creatures would be enough toy waste to a sizable town within a matter of minutes, reducing buildings to rubble and leaving behind only charred remnants of unfortunate victims.


    Yet, in his peak strength, Dahaka possessed the ability to summon and control more than 5,000 of these formidable Lightning Panthers. It was a testament to his mastery and control over his lightning-based domain, a demonstration of his status as a 5th stage saint and a stark reminder of the cataclysmic power wielded by individuals of such caliber.


    The sight of these massive creatures served as a stark reminder to all present that those who reached the 5th stage of sainthood and beyond were no different from world cmities when they unleashed their wrath upon the helpless, non-magical popce.


    It underscored the precarious nature of their existence, where the line between protector and destroyer blurred, and the unleashing of their powers could bring about devastating consequences for those caught in their path.


    As the immense army of Lightning Panthers prowled within Dahaka''s domain, their presence sent waves of trepidation and awe throughout the empire.


    The spectators held their breaths, realizing the magnitude of the battle unfolding before them. It was a disy of power that left an indelible mark on their hearts and minds, a testament to the extraordinary capabilities of those who had transcended the limitations of ordinary beings who couldn''t use magic.


    "Not bad. Looks like I should also go all out from the start then." spoke Kahn aka Atreus as he saw the spectacle from 10 kilometers away in the sky.


    BOOM!!


    A dark blue aura erupted from his body and the massive surge of world energy emanating from his position spread in the sea below.


    Gurgle!


    Gurgle!


    From the depths of the seemingly endless sea below, a transformation began to take shape. Whirlpools emerged, swirling with ferocious energy, while colossal pirs of water shot upward, reaching heights of hundreds of meters.


    Atreus harnessed the power of his legendary skill Ocean Eddies and tapped into the depths of his abilities inherited from Cthulhu during his time in the Zivot Empire, also known as the Elven Empire.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Ocean Eddies granted the current 5th stage saint Atreus the ability to manipte water in all its forms within a 25-kilometer radius. With a mere thought, he could create underwater whirlpools, conjure devastating hurricanes, and manipte water storms, all at his whim.


    The scope of this skill was limited only by the presence of substantial open water bodies, and in this battlefield, there was no shortage of it.


    Embracing his mastery over water, Atreus then unleashed his pseudo-domain, the Waterde Hurricane. Within a radius of 25 kilometers from his position, billions of razor-sharp water des materialized, each a mere 10 meters in length yet possessing an incredible cutting force capable of cleaving a typical house in two.


    The sheer magnitude of this power left the spectators in disbelief as they witnessed Atreus'' iparable control over hurricanes, whirlpools, and the lethal arsenal of water des.


    The impact of Atreus'' abilities resonated with the onlookers, whoprehended the devastating potential thaty within hismand.


    If Dahaka represented a walking disaster capable of leveling cities with his lightning-based domain, Atreus embodied a force thatmanded billions of water des and unleashed hundreds of destructive hurricanes. With a flick of his will, he could drown life and structures beneath the unforgiving currents or wield his domain to carve through anything in his path.


    The spectators, attuned to the catastrophic implications of such power, could not help but gulp in disbelief. The mere thought of billions of water des and the vast destructive force of the hurricanes filled them with awe and trepidation.


    Even on Earth, a single hurricane passing through a popted city or settlement caused billions of dors in property destruction. Now, at this moment, Atreus had created an environment of unparalleled disaster, one that surpassed any previous devastation on a scale hundreds of times greater.


    The gravity of the situation sank in, leaving the spectators in awe of the immense power wielded by Atreus.


    RAWR!!


    ROAR!!


    As if the spectacle of hurricanes, whirlpools, and water des wasn''t enough, Atreus continued to astound the onlookers with his mastery over water. In a stunning disy of power, thousands of colossal sea dragons erupted from the depths of the sea, their immense forms stretching up to 500 meters in length.


    These majestic creatures were crafted from scorching hot water and freezing ice, their presencemanding the battlefield with resounding roars that reverberated through the air.


    The ear-deafening echoes of their roars surpassed even the intensity and terror evoked by Dahaka''s Lightning Panthers. The sheer magnitude of these massive sea dragons shing against one another sent shivers down the spines of all who witnessed it.


    The mere thought of these colossal beings engaged in a battle of epic proportions was enough to evoke goosebumps in every spectator present.


    Even the Heavenly Kings and the Empress, who held positions of immense power and authority, found themselves taken aback by the awe-inspiring abilities disyed by the two finalists.


    They couldn''t help but be impressed by the raw strength and skill exhibited by Atreus and Dahaka.


    The entire Nadur Empire, from the lowliest citizen to the highest-ranking officials, stood united in their astonishment. They marveled at the extraordinary powers on disy, understanding that they were witnessing an unparalleled battle between two formidable opponents.


    It was a moment that etched itself into the memories of all who bore witness, forever capturing the magnitude of the strength, determination, and sheer might of these warrior elites.


    The battlefield had be a convergence of unimaginable forces, where the sh between lightning and water, panthers and sea dragons, created a symphony of power that resonated through the very fabric of existence. The spectators stood in awe, unable to tear their eyes away from the spectacle unfolding before them.


    "Both of them are talents that could hardly be found in centuries. Shame that one of them must die today." said the Empress Kaali Adisesha from her pavilion.


    The profound words of Empress Kaali Adisesha echoed throughout the arena, permeating the hearts and minds of all who heard them. Her poignant observation captured the sentiment that had settled upon the entire Nadur Empire.


    The realization that both Atreus and Dahaka possessed rare talents and abilities that appeared only once in centuries hung heavy in the air. It was a bitter truth that one of them would meet their end on this fateful day.


    The Empress''s words carried a weight of mncholy, for she recognized the immense potential held by both warriors. They were individuals of extraordinary strength and prowess, capable of bing the pirs that would safeguard and propel the empire into a prosperous future.


    The undeniable truth was that they embodied the essence of power, possessing talents that surpassed the realm of ordinary saints.


    The sentiments shared by the Empress resounded across the Nadur Empire, reaching the ears of countless citizens. It was a solemn reminder that despite their remarkable potential and the contributions they could make, the traditions and customs of the Beast Empire dictated the oue impartially.


    Thisw, deeply ingrained within the fabric of their society, demanded that a sacrifice be made for the sake of determining the rightful victor.


    The weight of this tradition, while steeped in honor and respect for strength, cast a somber shadow upon the proceedings. The empire''s citizens understood the gravity of the situation, recognizing that the oue of this battle could dictate the course of their future.


    The sacrifices demanded by their tradition stood as a testament to the unwavering pursuit of strength and the indomitable spirit that defined the Beast Empire.


    The Law of the Jungle¡­ Only the strongest shall Survive.

 Chapter 908 The Disrepect

    Chapter 908 The Disrepect


    From the very outset, as Atreus and Dahaka unleashed the full extent of their powers, a hushed silence descended upon the arena, captivating every spectator in the Nadur Empire. The atmosphere was palpable, with the audience transfixed, not daring to make even the slightest sound, as they sought to imprint every fleeting moment of this monumental sh deep within their memories.


    Crackle!


    "Lightning Fury Barrage!"


    The sky crackled with an electrifying energy as Dahaka summoned forth his formidable army of colossal lightning panthers, each towering at an impressive height of 100 meters. In a breathtaking disy of power, these majestic creatures unleashed a blinding assault that traversed a staggering distance of 5 kilometers within a matter of seconds.


    Dahaka, with his ws aglow in a shimmering, violent electricity, mirrored the luminous gaze of his lightning panthers. With unwavering determination, heunched his own simultaneous attack upon his adversary. The convergence of theirbined might intensified the already electrifying atmosphere, filling the arena with an otherworldly aura of raw power and anticipation.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    In a breathtaking disy of speed and power, the lightning-fast legion of colossal panthers, bolstered by the presence of a formidable 5th stage saint, tore through the formidable array of millions of razor-sharp waterdes and colossal 500-meter-long sea dragons. This relentless charge shattered the supposedly impregnable defenses of Atreus'' domain in a mere 10 seconds.


    However, Atreus, ever the cunning strategist, opted not to bear the brunt of the onught head-on. Instead, he swiftly conjured multiple hurricanes, their swirling vortexes unleashed in a torrential disy of elemental fury. In addition, he summoned billions of razor-edged waterdes, forming a formidable barrier against the encroaching army.


    In a sh of titanic proportions, the gargantuan sea dragons emerged as Atreus'' greatest weapons of retaliation. These massive beasts, their immense size matched only by their ferocity, surged forward to meet the lightning panthers head-on, their colossal frames colliding in a cataclysmic collision of raw power and primal might.


    The resulting sh shook the very foundations of the arena, an awe-inspiring spectacle that left spectators breathless with anticipation.


    "Hah! Look at this. He''s just for show.


    See how strong lord Dahaka''s lightning panthers are. They easily broke past through those dragons and typhoons in mere seconds.


    This Fenrirborne is dead for sure." spoke a Saint member of the ck Panther tribe loudly, revealing his disdain as he berated Atreus openly.


    However, his bootlickingment wasn''t received well because the As the colossal sea dragons, crafted from abination of ice and intensely boiling water, joined the fray, they fulfilled their intended very next second in the pocket dimension¡­


    Bang!


    As the colossal sea dragons, crafted from abination of ice and intensely boiling water, joined the fray, they fulfilled their intended purpose with devastating effect.


    Despite suffering significant losses in the face of the relentless assault, these formidable creatures managed to exact a toll of mutual destruction. Among the charging legion of lightning panthers, numbering in the thousands, at least 300 were swiftly cleaved apart and dissipated into nothingness even before Dahaka closed in on Atreus.


    BOOM!!


    The resounding echoes of thunderous shes reverberated throughout the battlefield, as the collision between these ethereal beings forged from lightning and water/ice sent powerful tremors across the expansive sky and vast sea. The sheer force of their sh created an awe-inspiring disy of elemental might.


    Among the onlookers, the saint hailing from the esteemed ck Panther tribe felt a sinking sensation of dejection wash over him. Instant regret flooded his thoughts, feeling embarrassed for the ill-fated remark he had made about Atreus in the heat of the moment.


    Why?


    In the grand scheme of things, the lightning panthers and sea dragons were mere manifestations of the boundless world energy assimted with the unique elemental affinities of Dahaka and Atreus, respectively.


    The abundance of world energy reserves and the level of mastery in controlling them served as clear indicators of one''s talent and prowess as both a saint and a warrior. In this particr scenario, Atreus stood out with his overwhelming advantage,manding a staggering force of over 20,000 sea dragons, with many still emerging from the depths of the sea.


    On the other hand, Dahaka''s capabilities allowed him to create aparatively modest army of 5,000 lightning panthers, which proved to be significantly outmatched.


    Despite the lightning panthers holding an elemental advantage over the water/ice-based sea dragons, the sh resulted in the destruction of more than 300 of Dahaka''s creations.


    This fact held a profound meaning. It showcased the extraordinary strength and resilience of each sea dragon, as it took only two of them to ovee and vanquish a single lightning panther.


    Simple arithmetic reveals that Atreus would require a mere 10,000 sea dragons to annihte the enemy''s 5,000, leaving him with an ample reserve of 10,000 still at his disposal.


    This stark numerical disparity further emphasizes Atreus'' unparalleled proficiency and control over his element and skills. Despite sharing the same rank as Dahaka, Atreus unequivocally demonstrated his superiormand of world energy.


    The culmination of his mastery was evident in the typhoons and billions of waterdes thatplemented his awe-inspiring abilities.


    This initial sh, replete with its thunderous impact and astonishing disys of power, served as a resounding testament to Atreus'' unmatched control over world energy and his exceptional talent. It spoke volumes about his unassable dominance as a saint and warrior in the face of formidable opposition.


    Unbeknownst to the spectators and even some of thebatants Atreus faced previously in their matches, Kahn had been deliberately utilizing a mere 50% of his vast reserves of world energy at that very moment. Unlike Dahaka, who had already unveiled his full power, Kahn had not even tapped into his peak capabilities, keeping them shrouded in secrecy.


    Moreover, Kahn possessed a unique advantage that set him apart from his adversaries ¨C the boundless supply of world energy known as Rathnaar''s core. This limitless source meant that he would never exhaust his reserves of world energy, granting him an unparalleled advantage in the battle.


    To those observing from the sidelines, it might appear as though the match was uneven, with Kahn holding an unfair advantage.


    However, true warriors understood the deeper truth¡­


    That every tool and weapon at one''s disposal in a battle was an integral part of their strength. It was the culmination of their skills, strategies, and ess to resources that defined their true prowess as a warrior.


    Swoosh!


    As Dahaka transformed into a bolt of ck lightning, closing the distance in a mere microsecond, his aim was set on Atreus'' heart, his sharp ws poised for a devastating strike.


    However¡­


    Grab!


    In a stunning disy of reflexes, Atreus swiftly intercepted Dahaka''s w, snatching it from its trajectory before it even made contact with his skin. With a look of disdain in his eyes, he locked his gaze onto Dahaka''s.


    "You dare to humiliate me by not even wielding a legendary rank gauntlet as your weapon," Atreus spoke in a grim voice, his tone filled with an undercurrent of anger and contempt.


    Dahaka, seemingly unfazed by Atreus'' disy of power, responded in a condescending tone, his figure appearing a few hundred meters away from the initial encounter.


    "I have no need for a mere weapon to triumph over the likes of you." Dahaka retorted, his voice dripping with superiority and arrogance.


    Unfazed by Dahaka''s words, Atreus maintained his serious countenance, his voice growing even grimmer as he prepared to share a crucial piece of information that would undoubtedly alter the course of their battle.


    "Is that so? Then let me enlighten you before things take a turn for the worse." Atreus dered, his somber tone and serious demeanor casting a solemn atmosphere over their surroundings.


    "My skills are not made for some fancypetition.


    My skills are honed to kill." his tyrannical voice resounded, sending shivers to the audience across the Beast Empire.


    "So anyone who wants topete with me should pay with his or her life should they choose toe unprepared or look down upon me." he openly dered with no fear or hesitation.


    "I also do not need anyone''s respect.


    I''d rather have people fear me." his angered expression revealed his killing intent as Atreus increased his aura.


    His expression contorted with rage, revealing the unmistakable aura of a true killer. As the intensity of his aura grew, the surrounding atmosphere became charged with an overwhelming presence, further emphasizing his deadly intent.


    BOOM!!


    In a stunning turn of events, Atreus, driven by his unyielding determination, unleashed the power of the War Dominance blessing. The arena was enveloped in an unprecedented surge of energy as his aura surpassed all expectations, surpassing even the assumed strength of a 5th-stage saint.


    Everyone including the Heavenly Kings themselves were caught off guard, their expressions filled with a mixture of awe and astonishment.


    Dahaka, on the receiving end of Atreus'' overwhelming power, was ovee with a profound sense of dread and an undeniable feeling of impending doom. Even his very body seemed to freeze with sheer terror, his confidence in his own strength for the first time wavering.


    He questioned his own judgment in choosing not to bring his own weapons for this momentous deathmatch.


    With a malevolent voice that echoed through the arena, Atreus coldly addressed his opponent and those who dared question his strength. His words dripped with a sinister intent, designed to strike fear into the hearts of all who listened.


    "Kill one formidable enemy, and the rest will think twice before foolishly disying their meager skills and questioning your true strength." Atreus dered, his wordsced with a twisted sense of satisfaction.


    He had grown tired of the challenges and doubts cast upon his abilities.


    "So from now¡­ I won''t give you the chance to die with the honor of a warrior.


    From now¡­" he revealed his unscrupulous intentions to the masses.


    "I''m going to make an example out of you."

 Chapter 909 Etiquette of Warriors

    Chapter 909 Etiquette of Warriors


    In the midst of the Elysium Tribal Tourney, Kahn, fighting under his Atreus Persona, found himself seething with an unprecedented fury. Never before had he been so thoroughly infuriated by an opponent''s arrogance and disregard for his worth as a warrior, particrly in a high-stakes deathmatch.


    The fact that Dahaka had entered the battle ill-prepared, failing to bring his best gear and underestimating Kahn, served as a tant sign of disrespect. It was a direct affront to his skill and abilities, disregarding the countless hours he had devoted to training and self-improvement over the past 11 months.


    Throughout that time, Kahn had dedicated himself relentlessly, forsaking even the most basic needs of sustenance, pushing himself to the limits of his physical and mental endurance. He had honed his abilities, aiming to be a force to be reckoned with, all in preparation for moments like this.


    However, due to the restrictions of the previous matches, where killing was prohibited, Kahn had not yet revealed the true extent of his merciless nature to anyone. He possessed the capabilities to dispatch his opponents with ease, yet he had chosen restraint. Instead, he had fought only with an Ice Elemental Brawler ss warrior, adhering to his new identity within the empire.


    But now, faced with Dahaka''s tant undermining, it felt like a personal p in the face. All the sacrifices Kahn had made, enduring countless deaths and excruciating pain, just to master his skills, felt disrespected and belittled. This insult, inflicted by an opponent who failed to understand the depths of his journey, pierced him deeply.


    Of all the encounters since his arrival in Vantrea, this was by far the greatest insult Kahn had received.


    The present incarnation of Kahn, embodying the persona of Atreus, was not a mere product of his Divine Abilities or fortuitous circumstances. He had earned his reputation as a true warrior through unwavering dedication and relentless effort.


    With a voice filled with wrath and determination, Atreus openly dered his intent to make an example out of Dahaka. His words carried a weight that resonated with the spectators, leaving no doubt that he would exact devastating retribution for this unforgettable transgression.


    Atreus had endured countless trials and tribtions, facing death in its most harrowing forms to refine his skills and forge an indomitable spirit. His journey had molded him into a warrior who would not tolerate disrespect or belittlement. Dahaka''s underestimation of him, fueled by arrogance and a disregard for his true power, had ignited a me of wrath within Atreus that could not be extinguished.


    BOOM!!


    The battlefield was engulfed in a swirling, dark blue aura that erupted ceaselessly, a visual manifestation of the immense power surging through Kahn''s body. With the activation of War Dominance, the strength of his aura increased fivefold, leaving even the formidable Dahaka feeling helpless and insignificant.


    Dahaka''s body seemed to betray him, his movements faltering, as the overwhelming killing intent exuded by Atreus shook his very soul. A sense of dread enveloped him, as if he stood on the precipice of the underworld itself.


    "This aura¡­ it''sparable to at least a beginner 6th-stage saintno matter how I look at it. Yet he is definitely only an intermediate 5th-stage saint.


    And it feels like this is barely half of his strength." spoke the Heavenly KIng of Light, Haldor.


    The aura emanating from Atreus surpassed the expectations of even a beginner 6th-stage saint. Yet, by all ounts, Atreus was only an intermediate 5th-stage saint.


    Haldor couldn''t fathom how such immense power could be contained within him, and he sensed that Atreus was only utilizing a fraction of his true strength.


    The realization left Haldor and the other Heavenly Kings awestruck. They had witnessed countless battles and faced formidable opponents, but the might radiating from Atreus surpassed theirprehension. It was a testament to the depths of his power and his unrivaled prowess as a warrior.


    Especially the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro who was also the father of Dahaka.


    "This Atreus¡­ exactly who is he?" murmured the Empress to herself, a glint of curiosity in her eyes.


    ----------------


    In the secluded pocket dimension, Atreus''s wrathful gaze carried the weight of a Final Judgement. The veneer of concealment that once shrouded his true power had been cast aside, no longer relevant in the face of his overwhelming strength.


    The wrathful gaze by Atreus seemed more of a deration of Final Judgement as the blue wolfkin no longer cared to hide his strength.


    "Come here. Let me teach you the basic courtesy of a warrior." spoke Atreus and a massive Wolf w made of those waterdes formed in a mere moment, instantly captured the staggered Dahaka.


    With an authoritativemand, Atreus directed his vast legion of 19,400 remaining sea dragons, along with hundreds of raging typhoons and billions of razor-sharp waterdes, to surge forward as a unified force. There was no room for escape, not even the open sky above offered a reprieve for the army of lightning panthers.


    BOOM!!


    BANG!!!


    RUMBLE!!


    As the sh intensified, the very fabric of their battlefield quaked under the sheer magnitude of their powers. The earth trembled, and the vast expanse of sky and sea seemed to shudder as if bearing witness to the impending cataclysm that unfolded before them.


    In the face of this unfathomable onught from all directions, the might of Kahn''s powers proved devastating. The lightning panthers, once formidable creatures under Dahaka''smand, were decimated by the relentless assaultunched by Atreus and his forces.


    With each sh, the energy surged and shed, unleashing bursts of blinding light and crackling electricity. The thunderous reverberations echoed through the air, mingling with the roars of the sea dragons and the howling winds of the typhoons.


    The battlefield became a chaotic symphony of destruction, where water and lightning shed in an epic disy of power. Dahaka''s domain was crumbling under the overwhelming might of Atreus, his skills honed to perfection through countless trials and tribtions.


    In this pivotal moment, the true strength of Kahn, known as Atreus, emerged as an unstoppable force, leaving no doubt in the minds of all who bore witness to this extraordinary battle. The world itself seemed to hold its breath, in awe of the power that unfolded before it.


    Blergh!


    At this same moment, Dahaka who was like a chick caught by a wolf, retched and threw up a lot of blood. His situation turning dire as Kahn''s own barrage of skills started destroying his domain.


    "Even War Generals adorn their armors and weapons when facing the war general from the enemy side.


    It is seen as an etiquette among warriors to acknowledge and respect the opponent in their bout where one of them is bound to die." spoke Atreus in a grim tone.


    "Yet you came here wearing neither of them. Aren''t you just being too unscrupulous towards the code of conduct among great warriors?


    Or do you feel way too overconfident in your skills, having the notion that you''re too strong to even bepared to such people in history?" he asked sarcastically.


    Swoosh!


    And the very next moment, Atreus quickly appeared in front of Dahaka and his eyes glowed yellow as he used Lucid Reality and Executioner''s Gaze.


    Thebination of skills instantly paralyzed thebatant of the ck Panther tribe as thetter was pushed into delirium.


    The world around him changed and as the bacsh of getting his domain destroyed by Atreus kept worsening his situation, his own control over his thoughts was inplete disarray.


    Rip!


    "ARRGH!!!" wailed Dahaka in agony as before he even realized what was happening, Atreus had forcefully ripped out one of his fingers on the right palm.


    Blood seeped from the wound as a ghastly voice resounded. Yet even so, Dahaka could only let out a muffled scream as his body didn''t listen to him.


    "You dishonor not only me but all those warriors who partook in the Tribal Tourney over all these years.


    By showing such attitude in the finale, it''s as if you''re looking down on all those who fought in the tourney and died with honor to bring glory to their tribes." his words echoed across the entire Nadur Empire.


    Billions of citizens and all the warrior sses and magic sses were taken aback by these words spoken by Atreus.


    Because his words were sound and urate if one looked at him from a different perspective.


    To not bring even his armor and weapons while staking his life in the entire tourney¡­ Wasn''t Dahaka basically saying that he didn''t even need those like the warriors of past; that he was better than them?


    Even those who couldn''t use magic and never fought a battle in their entire lives found those words reasonable.


    "Look at you. I didn''t even need to do much to destroy your Even as a newly ascended 5th stage saint, I find itughable to see such a weak domain in front me from a person who reached that domain.


    Even as a newly ascended 5th stage saint, I find itughable to see such a weak domain in front me from a person who reached that rank years before me." spoke Atreus with a condescending look.


    "You were acting all haughty with these meager skills and weak domain?" he kept questioning.


    "Now I feel even more offended."


    Rip!


    "WRAAAAGHHH!!!"


    However this time¡­ it was just a finger.


    Atreus had ripped off Dahaka''s entire arm.


    People gasped in surprise and goosebumps ran across their bodies. However, little did they know¡­


    That this was just the beginning.

 Chapter 910 Old Habits

    Chapter 910 Old Habits


    In a stunning disy of power and precision, Atreus forcefully tore Dahaka''s entire right arm from his body, causing thetter to emit a heart-wrenching cry of agony. Despite being a 5th stage saint, Dahaka found himself unable to tap into his world energy, leaving his physical defenses significantly weakened. It was as if Atreus effortlessly snapped a fragile tree branch, overpowering Dahaka''s defenses with ease.


    Unbeknownst to the spectators, this incredible feat was a result of Kahn''s utilization of the legendary rank Marauder Emperor skill, an upgraded version of the Marauder King skill.


    In one-on-one battles, this skill granted Kahn the ability to bypass his opponent''s physical defenses by an astonishing 80%.


    During his intensive training under the guidance of Romulus, Kahn''s journey to master new fighting skills andbat techniques had been anything but idle.


    His unwavering dedication led him to forsake sleep and rest, devoting every waking moment to refining his existing skills and abilities.


    As he ascended to the 4th stage saint in the Immortal Dungeon of the Zivot Empire, many of his SSS Rank skills and abilities had evolved into the esteemed Saint Rank, thanks to his tremendous growth in strength.


    Through meticulous training and relentless practice, unaided even by his doppelgangers, Kahn reached unprecedented levels of mastery and proficiency in these evolved skills. His unwavering determination and tireless efforts were now bearing fruit on the battlefield, leaving the astonished onlookers in awe of the immense power he wielded.


    With the formidable Marauder Emperor skill in his arsenal, even the sturdiest of defenses crumbled before the might of Kahn''s onught.


    What was once an imprable steel wall became as fragile as a mere cardboard in the face of his power.


    Combining this devastating skill with his other formidable abilities such as Lucid Reality and War Dominance, as well as his already exceptional physical prowess that surpassed that of an ordinary saint, Kahn held absolute dominion over the battlefield.


    Dahaka, once a formidable opponent, now found himself reduced to nothing more than a helpless fish on a chopping board, with Kahn wielding the knife of his wrath.


    The mismatch in power and skill was ringly apparent, leaving little doubt as to the oue of this fateful encounter. The spectators watched in awe and disbelief as Kahn''s overwhelming strength and calcted precision dismantled his opponent with ruthless efficiency.


    "You¡­ were you¡­ always¡­ this¡­ strong?" asked Dahaka as his arm started healing slowlydue to his innate bloodline of the Godbeast Baihu.


    Despite Dahaka''s impressive regeneration ability, fueled by his lineage as a true descendant, it paled inparison to the extraordinary powers acquired by Kahn.


    As a bearer of multiple Godbeast bloodlines and the inheritor of Cthulhu''s abilities, coupled with his direct descent from the Primordial Titans, Kahn possessed an unmatched level of prowess and resilience.


    While Dahaka''s severed arm would regenerate over time, the overwhelming might of Kahn''s attacks continued to relentlessly assault him, hindering his recovery and further weakening his defenses.


    The power gap between the twobatants remained insurmountable, and it seemed that even Dahaka''s exceptional regenerative abilities would ultimately prove insufficient to withstand the onught of Kahn''s formidable skills and prowess.


    The spectators watched in both awe and dread as the battle unfolded, witnessing the sh between an unparalleled warrior and a descendant of legends. It was a testament to the unyielding strength and indomitable spirit of Atreus, whose strenth and mercilessness was showcased in front of them for the first time.


    "The warrior who offers deception of being weak to the enemy is the one who will find the quickest opportunity to defeat them." spoke Atreus in a grim tone.


    "That is what my Master taught me. If not for his teachings, I wouldn''t have been holding myself back.


    And if I didn''t hold myself back¡­ Not a single one of the people I faced in this tourney would be alive right now." his domineering voice echoed.


    In their respective pavilions, Gaja Ekdantay, Harambe Kong, Hoo Basan, and Sobek Slythrin, the defeated opponents of Atreus, were struck with a profound sense of unease.


    The revtion that Atreus had never unleashed his full strength against them sent a shiver down their spines. They realized, with a mixture of awe and dread, that they owed their lives to the mercy of a warrior whose power surpassed their own.


    As they watched the ongoing battle between Atreus and Dahaka, the true extent of Atreus'' might became evident.


    Even Dahaka, the strongest among them, struggled to withstand the relentless onught. The realization dawned upon the defeated opponents that their previous matches had been mere glimpses into the immense power that Atreus possessed.


    In that moment, a mixture of gratitude and fear washed over them. They were alive because Atreus had chosen to spare them, withholding the full force of his abilities.


    Yet, witnessing the overwhelming disy of power against Dahaka, they couldn''t help but wonder how different their fates would have been if Atreus had unleashed his true strength during their encounters.


    The gravity of the situation settled upon them as they realized that their defeats were not due to their own ignorance but rather Atreus'' mercy.


    "Now then¡­ What should we go with next?" an insidious smirk formed on the blue wolfkin''s face.


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later¡­


    The entire Nadur Empire was dead silent, whether it was people watching the match on holographic screens across the empire or the people in the arena. All of them had a terrified countenance as the disy of absolute and horrifying brutality had shaken their souls.


    First, it was the right arm¡­ but then, Atreus showed a vicious side of him and ripped off Dahaka''s left leg before his arm even regenerated halfway.


    Then he used his ws to cut the pantherkin''s ears. Soon, he pulled out the paralyzed enemy''s tail and made Dahaka swallow it in front of the whole empire.


    One after another, he plucked off Dahaka''s fingers, the arm and then shed his stomach.


    As the true descendant''s guts were put on a disy¡­ the inhabitants the Beast Emipire who had seen many brutal sights of brutality over the past 7 centuries in the Tribal Tourney as part of their tradition, felt a shiver in their spines.


    Due to Dahaka''s innate regeneration capabilities, he wasn''t dying as Atreus gave him enough time to recover, but then would find a new way to physically torture and psychologically humiliate his enemy.


    Majority of people lost their will to watch the match when Atreus made Dahaka eat his own liver while thetter wriggled in mortifying pain from having his innards pulled out by the blue wolfkin.


    The battle had stopped long ago and by now, Atreus should''ve been dered the winner.


    But since the results would only be dered after one them died, Kahn took his sweet time in reveling his old habits when it came to torturing his enemies.


    He used that loophole in rules to not only crush Dahaka physically, but also broke his spirit as a warrior by meting out a humiliation that would make any person want to kill themself.


    "This is too cruel! How is this even allowed to happen?!" shouted the Heavenly King of Metal, barely holding his fury after watching his own son, the one he was most proud of and saw him seeding as a Heavenly King in future, experiencing the greatest shame any prideful warrior has went through in the history of the Beast Empire.


    "Stop the match!" he bellowed in indescribable rage.


    But right then, an intense and insurmountable pressure was exerted on everyone in the arena.


    "Atreus has not broken any rules. This is not the first time in our cultural history that a warrior has tortured his enemy during a deathmatch.


    "The only thing that distinguishes the present from the past..." spoke the Empress in an unforgiving tone, "Is that none of them ever went to such extreme lengths."


    Deep within, she couldn''t help but find a certain satisfaction in such a grand disy, acknowledging Atreus''s immense creativity in incorporating the ears, tail, and fur¡ªthe most cherished aspects of their physical beings among the majority of beastkin races.


    By now, Atreus had managed to incur the wrath of nearly 80% of the Beast Empire through his audacious actions.


    However, the Empress perceived this as an opportunity to further her own ulterior motives, subtly intertwining her agenda with the unfolding chaos.


    "It is time, to decide your end. So tell me, do you ept defeat?" asked Atreus in a jarring voice.


    Dahaka only nodded in fear while enduring his unimaginable pain.


    SWOOM!!


    Bothbatants were summoned back to the arena, their presence required even after Dahaka had reluctantly admitted defeat.


    However the ancientws of the Beast Empire dictated that the match was far from over.


    "What bes of you..." Atreus''s voice resonated with sinister undertones...


    "Shall not be determined by me alone.


    The arbiter of your life or death shall be..." with a dramatic flourish, Atreus unveiled the entire assembly of the Nadur Empire, the very beings who would hold Dahaka''s fate in their hands.


    "My Master."

 Chapter 911 Ancestral Laws

    Chapter 911 Ancestral Laws


    Unleashing a horrendous and bone-chilling spectacle upon the entire empire, Atreus pronounced the individual who held the power to determine Dahaka''s destiny.


    The ultimate judge would be none other than Atreus''s own master, Romulus Lykaios, the esteemed Heavenly King of Fire.


    As per the rules, the match would only conclude with the death of one of thebatants, even if the defeated party surrendered.


    However, there existed a use within the ancientws. In the climactic finale, if one party yielded and a reigning Heavenly King exercised their vote to spare the life of the vanquished, they could be granted mercy.


    This rule had faded into obscurity over time, as it was an exceedingly rare urrence in the annals of tribal tournaments for the victor to extend clemency to their defeated adversary.


    The previous night, Kahn and Romulus had engaged in a private conversation, delving into the intricate details of the matter. During their discussion, Romulus revealed Dahaka''s true origins and the potential ramifications of his demise, considering he was the son of Jaro, the Heavenly King of Metal.


    Throughout the match between Atreus and Dahaka, Romulus maintained a stoic silence, his countenance reflecting deep contemtion as he weighed the gravity of his impending decision.


    And at this pivotal moment, Atreus boldly proimed that Romulus would wield the final authority, casting the spotlight upon his master for the ultimate verdict.


    "ording to Act 3, use 39 and section C of the Tribal Tourney Laws, I can act as the interim adjudicator since I am the winner''s mentor as well as a Heavenly King." dered Romulus as he stood up from his throne.


    Billions of people who had no idea what thesews were then told by the announcers about thews of the tribal tourney, enlightening them about the ancient rules.


    "I will follow your decision, Master." spoke Atreus loudly.


    If Romulus opted to spare Dahaka, he would be hailed as the ultimate victor, triumphing without resorting to the pantherkin''s demise.


    A collective gasp escaped from the millions of onlookers, rendering the atmosphere pregnant with anticipation.


    The preceding spectacle of brutality and the extreme humiliation inflicted upon Dahaka had managed to evoke sympathy even from those who had initially relished the prospect of witnessing one of thebatants meet their demise.


    Romulus scanned the various pavilions, his gaze eventually settling upon Jaro. The Heavenly King of Metal appeared visibly distraught, hisbored breathing and pleading countenance silently beseeching for his son''s life.


    [What is your counsel in this matter?] Romulus inquired of Kahn, assuming his Atreus form, seeking his Shadow Disciple''s honest opinion on this matter.


    Kahn responded with unwavering confidence...


    [Make a judicious choice, one that takes into ount the potential consequences of both decisions, and whether we possess the means to confront them or not.]


    Meanwhile, the Empress and the two remaining Heavenly Kings nodded in agreement, signaling their alignment with Romulus''s impending verdict, in ordance with the age-old ancestralws.


    Step!


    Step!


    With measured steps, Romulus stood up from his throne and advanced, capturing the attention of all the broadcasting devices and the individuals present within the arena. Every eye turned towards the Heavenly King of Fire, their collective hopes yearning for a merciful resolution.


    Finally, Romulus directed his gaze to the heart of the arena, where millions of spectators watched intently, witnessing Atreus relentlessly trampling upon Dahaka''s back.


    In a pivotal moment, Romulus raised his right palm, holding the power to shape the destiny of Dahaka, and locked eyes with Atreus.


    His piercing gaze met Atreus''s, their silent exchangeden with significance.


    Then, with deliberate intent, Romulus made a subtle gesture with his fist.


    A collective gasp of shock rippled through the billions of individuals witnessing this defining moment¡ªthe ultimate decision of the Tribe Leader of the Fenrirborne tribe.


    Thumb down!


    In a scene reminiscent of diatorial arenas, where the Emperor''s decree held supreme authority, Romulus delivered a fateful verdict with a simple gesture of dissent.


    "No, wait!!" shouted Jaro with utter disbelief and Dahaka had his both eyes widen in bewilderment.


    RIP!!!


    However, before the father and son duo could even process the shocking turn of events, an even more gruesome sight unfolded before the eyes of the entire Beast Empire.


    With barely a moment''s pause after Romulus pronounced his decree, Atreus sprang into action with lightning speed, acting swiftly and mercilessly.


    And now, in his outstretched hand, Atreus held Dahaka''s ripped out head along with the entire spine.


    In a way, this was a trophy of Kahn''s victory.


    "NOO!!!!" bellowed Jaro in pain and sorrow while billions ofizens of the Beast Empire were simply shaken at this sudden phenomenon.


    Contrary to their previous expectations¡­ Romulus chose to give Dahaka the death penalty.


    "You!!" roared Jaro and the very next moment, he appeared in the middle of the arena, directly facing Atreus.


    BOOM!!


    As the sight of Dahaka''s decapitated form registered within the depths of his being, an overwhelming surge of intense and heaven-shaking saint pressure burst forth from Jaro.


    His aura erupted with an unprecedented disy of unfathomable fury and wrath, rattling the very foundations of the arena. The air crackled with an electric charge, and a palpable tension settled upon the onlookers, who found themselves in awe and trepidation in the face of such raw power.


    The unleashed wrath of a Heavenly King reverberated throughout the Beast Empire, leaving an indelible mark upon the collective consciousness of all who bore witness.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    However¡­


    In the very next moment, Haldor, Kaida and Romulus appeared in the arena. The 3 Heavenly Kings meddled in mere moments.


    Woosh!


    As the Empress observed the grisly scene, her countenance shifted, and she made a decisive move to directly intervene and appeared on Atreus'' side.


    With amanding presence, she approached Atreus, her gaze fixed upon the dangling head and spine of Dahaka.


    The pantherkin''s lifeless body writhed on the ground, akin to a headless serpent, while his vacant eyes held a ghastly and terrified expression. Dahaka had met his demise in a state of sheer shock and fear, hisst moments consumed by a horrifying realization.


    Simultaneously, the remaining Heavenly Kings, stirred by the unleashed fury of Jaro, united their strengths and released their formidable auras.


    Theirbined powers surpassed even the oppressive force emanating from Jaro, effectively cornering him in a seemingly helpless predicament.


    The sh of auras created an intense struggle, each force vying for dominance, as the fate of Jaro, the Heavenly King of Metal, hung in a precarious bnce.


    "I, Empress Kaali Adishesha of the Nadur Empire dere Atreus Betor as the final victor of this year''s Elysium Tribal Tourney!"


    The Empress'' grand and majestic voice resounded throughout the entire empire as she dered Atreus as the winner of thepetition.


    Gasp!


    All people could do was gasp in bewilderment, many still unable to absorb what just transpired here.


    "Atreus has rightfully won the tourney. And the Imperial Rule epts this verdict.


    However given the situation¡­ if the ck Panther tribe and you as their Tribe Leader decide to retaliate to this decision and kill Atreus now or in the future because he killed your son¡­


    As per thews of the empire¡­ All the 12 Tribes and the Imperial Force will have to band together and ughter your entire tribe.


    So make your decision wisely, Heavenly King of Metal." dered the Empress.


    In the midst of the unfolding chaos, a crucialw came to the forefront, one that protected the Shadow Disciples who emerged victorious in thepetition. Thisw served as a safeguard against those harboring deep grudges, preventing them from seeking revenge and eliminating the victors for ying their representatives.


    Jaro''s eyes burned with an all-consuming fury, his face etched with an overwhelming thirst for revenge. The murderer of his beloved son stood a mere meter away, within his reach, and Jaro possessed the capability to end his life if he so desired.


    Yet, he faced a grim and agonizing choice¡ªone that would determine the fate of his entire tribe,prising 35 million individuals. Should he sumb to his seething rage and impulses, the consequence would be theplete annihtion of his people.


    Warriors, men, women, the elderly, and even innocent children, including helpless infants¡ªall would be subject to obliteration should he allow his fury to consume him.


    This was the brutal reality governed by an archaicw within the depths of the Beast Empire, one capable of eradicating Jaro''s entire tribe from the face of the world. The weight of responsibility and the dire consequences hung heavily upon Jaro''s heart, as he grappled with the choice between personal revenge and the preservation of his people.


    Swoosh!


    In a moment of profound significance, another Pantherkin emerged from the shadows, revealing themselves to be a 6th-stage saint. Towering over even the Heavenly King himself, this individual possessed an imposing stature and an air of authority.


    It became evident that he was none other than Jaro''s Official Disciple and his eldest son.


    "Father¡­ please restrain yourself. As much as I want to kill this Fenrirborne¡­


    You carry the fate of our entire tribe on your shoulders at this moment." he implored his father to not make a rash decision.


    But in truth, he was one of the happiest people here since Dahaka was vying for his position by winning the tourney. Yet, he put up the act of a grieving and enraged elder brother in front of everyone.


    While the tension mounted and the stage was set for a sh between Jaro and Atreus, thetter maintained an unnerving silence. His countenance exuded an unwavering fearlessness as if he harbored no trace of trepidation in the face of the fearsome Heavenly King of Metal.


    Jaro''s body quivered with an overwhelming surge of wrath, his every fiber resonating with unimaginable killing intent. The desire to unleash his fury and exact vengeance consumed him, threatening to plunge him into a maelstrom of impulsive action.


    Yet, in the midst of his seething emotions, the words of his eldest son resonated deeply within him, serving as a grounding force.


    The weight of responsibility pressed upon Jaro''s consciousness. The lives of millions of his tribe members hung in the bnce, their very existence dependent on his singr decision.


    With this realization, Jaro fought against the overwhelming tide of his own rage,pelled to consider the consequences of his actions with utmost care.


    The primal instinct to retaliate shed with the weight of his duty as a leader and protector.


    As Jaro struggled to regain control over his tumultuous emotions, the fates of his tribe members rested in the bnce, their lives intertwined with the impending judgment that would shape the course of their collective future.


    "I, the Heavenly King of Metal and the entire ck Panther tribe¡­" spoke Jaro and with great reluctance, he made a vow in front of the entire empire.


    "Shall not seek Vengeance."

 Chapter 912 The Proclamation

    Chapter 912 The Promation


    Forced to relinquish his seething rage and unyielding killing intent, Jaro, the indomitable Heavenly King of Metal, found himself with no alternative but to dere that neither he nor the entire ck Panther tribe would seek vengeance against Atreus, the blue Fenrirborne responsible for the gruesome demise of Dahaka¡ªa spectacle witnessed by the entire Beast Empire.


    Bound by the unyielding shackles of the Ancestral Laws, Jaro''s hands were tied, leaving him no recourse but to relinquish his vengeful desires. The weight of thesews loomedrge, their consequences threatening to engulf not only him but his entire tribe and the affiliated ns that stood under their banner.


    Though ruthless and unforgiving, these ancientws were the foundation upon which the Nadur Empire thrived, ensuring order and equitable treatment for its popce. Even the Empress herself was not exempt from their jurisdiction, let alone a Heavenly King, the second-highest authority within their social hierarchy.


    The obsoletews of the Nadur Empire, while not necessarily favorable to the individuals involved, had served as the backbone of their civilization, ensuring stability and maintaining a delicate bnce of power.


    As Jaro reluctantly bowed to their upromising demands, he recognized the gravity of the situation and the potential consequences that would befall his tribe should he dare to defy these long-standing traditions.


    Overwhelmed with a sense of resignation, the Heavenly King of Metal and his son, apanied by the saints from their tribe, gathered Dahaka''s corpse and slowly departed from the arena.


    Each step carried the weight of Jaro''s vow, his solemn promise to uphold the decision he had made in the presence of the entire Beast Empire.


    Although their hearts still burned with grief and the desire for retribution, they recognized the irreversible consequences that would befall their tribe should they dare to break their promise. Reluctantly, they turned their backs on the scene of the battle, leaving behind a sense of unresolved tension and unspoken resentment.


    Swoosh!


    As they made their way out of the arena, the onlookers watched in a mix of awe, sympathy, and lingering apprehension. The Beast Empire bore witness to the disy of honor and restraint demonstrated by the ck Panther tribe, as they chose to abide by their leader''s solemn pledge, even in the face of tremendous loss and seething anger.


    [Phew! So this is how it feels like being in power, huh?] wondered Kahn.


    Despite maintaining a seemingly unaffected demeanor as Atreus, Kahn couldn''t help but release a deep sigh within the recesses of his mind. The turn of events had brought about a significant shift in his circumstances, one that carried both relief and a sense of newfound power.


    In his second life, this marked the first asion in which Kahn had publicly taken the life of another being... However, what set this particr instance apart was the protection and backing he received from formidable powerhouses, namely the three Heavenly Kings and the Empress herself.


    Their presence, acting as his unwavering bodyguards, stood as a testament to the ancestralws that governed their society.


    Unlike his previous encounters in the Rakos, Vulcan, and Zivot empires, where he had to navigate the intricate webs of power and acquiesce to influential figures even after rightfully emerging victorious, Kahn now experienced a different reality.


    The weight of their support and the absence of any immediate ramifications for his actions served as a profound revtion. He found himself trulyprehending the influence wielded by those in positions of power, surrounded by the unwavering backing of the strongest individuals in their society.


    In this moment, Kahn couldn''t help but acknowledge the significance of his newfound standing. The strength and support disyed by the Heavenly Kings and the Empress, coupled with hiswful victory without any immediate consequences, opened his eyes to a new realm of understanding when you had absolute authority.


    In a sense, he almost felt like he was a Royal Prince who would be untouched regardless of whose life he took.


    "Atreus Betor is the new champion!" the announcer dered with great excitement.


    However¡­


    His zealous promation was not met by excitement nor celebration as even now, all the audience across the arena and the empire were simply silent.


    "Woo hoo!! All hail Lord Atreus! All hail the Fenrirborne Tribe!"


    As the news of Atreus''s actions spread throughout the Beast Empire, a wave of disapproval and criticism surged among theizens and general popce. The sacred lineage that held a revered ce in the hearts of the empire''s inhabitants.


    brutality and uncouth demeanor disyed by Atreus had left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of the people, tarnishing their perception of him.


    Other than the 30 million members of the Fenrirborne Tribe, no group of masses celebrated this victory.


    One of the key factors contributing to the widespread disapproval was Atreus''s tant disrespect towards the descendants of Godbeast Baihu. This act alone had struck a nerve among many, as it showcased ack of reverence and disregard for the sacred lineage that held a revered ce in the hearts of the empire''s inhabitants.


    Furthermore, the manner in which Atreus had tortured Dahaka during their match sent shockwaves throughout the popce. Even those who typically relished in battles and savored disys of strength found themselves unsettled and disturbed by the extreme lengths to which Atreus had gone.


    His actions had crossed the line of eptability, pushing the boundaries of what was considered honorable conduct on the battlefield.


    In a society where strength was revered and respected, Atreus had failed to embody the virtues and character expected of a great warrior. Theck of honor, glory, and noble conduct in his actions left theizens and the people of the empire disillusioned and unable to find any aspect of his behavior to idolize or admire.


    The disapproval echoed through the virtual realm as theizens voiced their dissatisfaction and disappointment, highlighting the stark contrast between Atreus''s raw power and his wed character.


    Despite the rising anger and resentment among the masses, Atreus remained unperturbed by the public opinion, disying aplete disregard for the bacsh he received.


    "Hmph! Weaklings acting like they have the right toin against the strong." said Atreus condescendingly.


    In a brazen disy of arrogance, he openly dismissed the opinions of those he deemed weak, considering them inconsequential in the face of his own strength. His words, dripping with disdain, only served to further fuel the ire of the people who felt marginalized and belittled by his callous attitude.


    This unprecedented turn of events marked a significant departure from the usual celebration and adtion bestowed upon the champion of the Tribal Tourney. Instead of being hailed as a hero and revered for his prowess, Atreus found himself inundated with a barrage of abhorrence and abuses voiced by the public.


    The anger that emanated from the masses stemmed not only from his brutal actions within the arena but also from his tant disregard for the sentiments and values cherished by the Beast Empire''s poption.


    In the end, even the weak masses did not like being told that they were weak and their lives didn''t matterpared to the strong and elites of the society.


    Theizens and citizens of the empire, once filled with anticipation and excitement, now channeled their frustration and discontent towards Atreus.


    They expressed their disdain, condemning his character and behavior, denouncing hisck of empathy and his disdain for those whocked power. The champion of the Tribal Tourney, who was meant to embody the ideals of strength, honor, and heroism, had instead be the target of their collective scorn.


    As the public vented their anger and disappointment through various tforms, the atmosphere surrounding Atreus remained charged with palpable animosity.


    "Silence!"


    The Empress''smanding voice reverberated through the grand hall, casting a hush over the entire gathering. Not a single soul dared to break the solemnity by uttering even a single word.


    "As the victor of this arduouspetition and as a formidable Shadow Disciple under the tutge of the revered Tribe Leader of the Fenrirborne Tribe..."


    Her voice,ced with authority and grace, filled the vast space, leaving no corner untouched by its resonance.


    "I hereby proim Atreus Betor as the Official Disciple!"


    "After the Fenrirborne Tribe Council bestows their official seal of approval upon him, he shall ascend to the esteemed rank of Romulus Lykaios''s rightful sessor." she announced, her words resounding with a majestic fervor thatmanded unwavering attention.


    "As his position entails, from this moment on, Atreus Betor is the future tribe leader of the Fenriborne Tribe." she dered in a majestic tone.


    "And the final and predetermined reward... Atreus shall now choose the regions for the Fenrirborne Tribe to acquire and manage for the next 20 years as per thews." she proimed.


    Ultimately, the Tribal Tourney had been orchestrated for precisely this purpose. For the Shadow Disciples, the ultimate prizey in securing the prestigious title of Official Disciple, a coveted status that symbolized their future as the next Tribe Leader. However, for the tribes themselves, the true allurey in the rewards andnds they would gain the privilege to govern, oversee, and reap bountiful harvests from.


    True to his master, Romulus'' guidance, Atreus meticulously selected the choicest regions across the Nadur Empire to rule under the Fenrirborne Tribe''s authority.


    The repercussions of his decisions left a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of rival tribes, as well as those within the Imperial Rule. These territories represented the most lucrative and desirable spoils that had been fervently sought after by all participants throughout the duration of the Tribal Tourney.


    However, just as the dust was settling and thepetitors and onlookers alike anticipated the fruits of Atreus''s triumph, a sudden turn of events unfolded, shocking the entire Beast Empire.


    Atreus suddenly pulled in all the broadcasting artifacts using his saint pressure and now faced the popce of the Nadur Empire, his voice carrying the weight of a solemn promation.


    "I, Atreus Betor..." Kahn''s voice rang out,manding attention and stirring a ripple of curiosity among the witnessing masses.


    "Hereby renounce and forfeit my right to be the Official Disciple."

 Chapter 913 Planned and Executed

    Chapter 913 nned and Executed


    Unexpected to all theizens of the Nadur Empire as well as the top echelons, Kahn aka Atrus suddenly decided to proim his letting go of the right to be the Official Disciple.


    Gasp!


    bbergasted!


    As if there was no end to today''s shocking events one after another, entire Beast Empire''s citizens gasped collectively from their respective locations across the nation.


    The news of Kahn''s surprising decision reverberated not only within the confines of the grand assembly but also throughout the digital realm, captivating the attention of countlessizens within the vast expanse of the Nadur Empire.


    From the bustling city streets to the most remote corners of the realm, whispers of disbelief and spection spread like wildfire among the popce.


    The top echelons of society were equally taken aback by Kahn''s unexpected promation. The influential figures, the nobles, and the advisors who had closely observed the intensepetition and anticipated the rise of a new leader were left astounded.


    Their carefully crafted strategies and predictions now crumbled in the face of this unprecedented turn of events.


    As the news rippled through the virtualworks and discussion forums, debates erupted among theizens, each voice moring to decipher the motivations behind Kahn''s shocking renouncement.


    Spections flourished, with theories ranging from hidden agendas to secret alliances. The unexpected twist injected an electrifying energy into the conversations, captivating the collective attention and leaving everyone eagerly awaiting further exnations from the enigmatic Atreus himself.


    Even the Heavenly King of Light Haldor, Heavenly King of Water Kaida, and Empress Kaali were bewildered after the sudden turn of events.


    "Why do you reject this reward?


    Isn''t that why you fought in the Tribal Tourney in the first ce?" asked the Empress, still bamboozled.


    If not to be the Official Disciple and the future Tribe Leader, what reason could there be for Atreus to stake his life at a gamble in thispetition?


    And for some reason, he used the words ''Renounce'' and ''Forfeit'' in the same sentence.


    "I participated because my master asked me to win the rights to govern the elected ces for the sake of Fenrirborne Tribe.


    I had no intention to be the future tribe leader at all." responded Atreus.


    Shocked!


    This unexpected turn of events left not only the spectators within the arena and the broader Nadur Empire in a state of bewilderment but also the members of the Fenrirborne Tribe themselves.


    The esteemed elders of the Fenrirborne Tribe Council, along with the influential n leaders, stood frozen in disbelief, their minds struggling to grasp the sudden twist of fate.


    legacy continue through Atreus. Their expressions mirrored a mix of confusion and surprise, as they exchanged perplexed nces Among those who found themselves taken aback were the disciples of Romulus, who had been training diligently under his guidance, their dedication fueled by the prospect of witnessing their master''s legacy continue through Atreus. Their expressions mirrored a mix of confusion and surprise, as they exchanged perplexed nces with one another.


    Even Romulus''s own family, including his wife Prisci and their children, were not immune to the shock that rippled through the arena. They stared at Romulus with a blend of confusion and concern, silently seeking answers in his eyes, longing for an exnation to reconcile this unexpected development.


    In the midst of the bewildered crowd, the Heavenly King of Fire, a figure known for his profound insight and unparalleled might, did not disy surprise.


    Instead, a glimmer of anticipation sparkled in his eyes, hinting at a hidden understanding or expectation thaty beneath the surface.


    "Let me exin the reason why Atreus used the word ''Renouce'' to everyone." his domineering and regal voiced resounded.


    "Although he won the matches with his own might, he never wished to be my sessor. So other than the benefits for the tribe, he is relinquishing this right to be the Official Disciple." he reiterated the words spoken by his mentee.


    "As for the word ''Forfeit''... there is a big reason for that." his voice turning serious.


    In this crucial moment, the unfolding events revealed a carefully orchestrated n that had been conceived between Romulus and Atreus in the depths of the previous night. Their intentions, now bing apparent, shed light on the greater purpose behind Atreus'' unexpected decision.


    ----------------


    It had been long foreseen that there woulde a day when Kahn would depart from the confines of the Beast Empire, once his training had reached its culmination and a certain unfathomably entity sought him out, as they had discussed in a conversation almost a year ago when Kahn had first encountered Romulus after his escape from the Elven Empire.


    Romulus, with meticulous precision, had crafted the persona of Atreus Betor for Kahn Salvatore and deliberately unveiled him as the formidable Shadow Disciple who would participate in the Tribal Tourney.


    Simultaneously, this strategy ced immense mental pressure and imposed a strict deadline on Kahn,pelling him to train rigorously and with unwavering focus, ensuring his survival in thepetition.


    As a result, Kahn emerged victorious throughout the entirety of the tournament, astonishingly triumphing over his adversaries without even employing the five uniquebat techniques imparted by his master, nor utilizing any of the magical skills and spells taught by Vildred.


    This unparalleled feat distinguished him from the most talented and prodigiousbatants within the Beast Empire, all of whom had already achieved the esteemed rank of 5th stage saints.


    Furthermore, Kahn achieved these victories while masquerading as a Brawler ss saint, a status he had attained a mere few months prior. Astoundingly, he never resorted to utilizing his Harnessing, Conceptualization, or even his Dimensional Law abilities, yet he triumphed over the future powerhouses of the Nadur Empire.


    Now that their initial objectives had been sessfully aplished, the time hade to establish apelling reason for Kahn to break free from the confines of the Beast Empire''sws and traditions, providing him a route to bypass them.


    "Because even though he won rightfully¡­ Atreus does not meet one of the conditions that are stated in our ancestralws of the Tribal Tourney." he revealed a hidden secret.


    "What reason is that?" queried the Empress.


    Romulus nodded and then gave a signal to Atreus through his eyes.


    With a nod of confirmation from Romulus, a silentmunication passing between them, Atreus discerned his master''s unspoken directive. Without hesitation, he extended his right hand, retrieving a gleaming dagger from the depths of his space ring.


    The audience held their breath, their eyes fixed on Atreus as he brought the de to his palm, drawing it across the flesh with a controlled precision. A thin line of crimson appeared, seeping forth from the wound.


    Gasp!


    The collective gasp that escaped the onlookers echoed through the air, mingling with a mix of curiosity.


    Atreus''s stoic expression remained unchanged as he held his bleeding palm aloft, the blood slowly trickling down his fingers.


    Drip!


    Drip!


    As Atreus''s blood dripped onto the polished floor of the arena, a collective murmur spread among the empire''s popce.


    The Heavenly Kings, known for their insight and wisdom, exchanged curious nces, attempting to decipher the true meaning behind Atreus''s shocking disy.


    The Empress, the embodiment of authority and sagacity, observed the scene with a mix of intrigue and anticipation, her sharp gaze piercing through the veil of mystery.


    Each drop of blood that fell carried an untold narrative waiting to be unveiled. It was clear that Atreus had a profound intention behind this act, a revtion that he intended to disclose through his own blood.


    [Do you think it will work?] he asked Romulus telepathically.


    [It should. I originally had different ns but ever since you met Hero of Nature and the Empress by coincidence, this is the only method left for us to keep your secret well hidden.] responded the red wolfkin.


    [And if my guess is correct¡­ then she is already very suspicious of your identity ever since the day you two met.


    So it is better for us to use this upper hand to our advantage before she makes a move of her own to expose you.] said Romulus.


    Their telepathic conversation only took a second in the real-time of Vantrea and the very next moment in the arena¡­


    BOOM!!!


    As the blood from Atreus''s palm mingled with the polished surface, an unforeseen phenomenon unfolded before the astonished eyes of the onlookers.


    A sudden surge of energy, in contrasting shades of ethereal white and profound ck, erupted from the pooling blood, casting an otherworldly glow that enveloped the arena.


    Shock!


    "This¡­ How can it be¡­?" stuttered the Heavenly King Kaida with utter shock.


    "This has never happened before. This shouldn''t be possible!" mored the Heavenly King Haldor with bewildered eyes.


    "This is¡­"


    And in the wake of Atreus''s awe-inspiring revtion, it was the Empress herself who bore the brunt of the profound shock.


    Her regalposure shattered, and her entire being trembled uncontrobly with a mix of astonishment, disbelief, and a touch of trepidation.


    The magnitude of what she had just witnessed had left her speechless, her usually poised demeanor crumbling before the overwhelming truth thaty before her.


    With the unexpected and unforeseeable revtion in front of her eyes, the Empress finally revealed the cause of such an intense reaction in front of the whole Beast Empire¡­


    "The Basilisk Bloodline!"

 Chapter 914 The Background Story

    Chapter 914 The Background Story


    As the Empress unveiled the truth behind Atreus''s bloodline, the impact of her revtion rippled through the airwaves, reaching not only the Beast Empire but also every corner of the Nadur Empire where citizens were tuned in to the momentous broadcast.


    In an instant, a collective hush fell upon the viewers, their bodies immobilized by a shock that coursed through their very cores.


    The powerhouses, the esteemed figures upying the upper echelons of the empire''s hierarchy, found themselves rooted in ce, their faces etched with disbelief and astonishment.


    The implications of Atreus possessing the Basilisk Bloodline, a lineage that carried with it an ancient and formidable legacy, struck them with the force of a thunderbolt.


    It was a revtion that shattered preconceived notions and challenged the very fabric of their understanding.


    Not only the powerful individuals, but also the ordinary citizens who watched in awe, were paralyzed by the revtion. They had been unaware of the depths of Atreus''s heritage, unaware of the intertwining forces that flowed within his veins.


    The revtion that the white aura symbolized Fenrir''s bloodline and the ck aura represented the mighty Basilisk''s bloodline sparked a surge of realization andprehension.


    In this moment, the Nadur Empire collectively grappled with the enormity of what they had witnessed.


    "How is this even possible? This has never happened in the history of our empire.


    Such anomaly¡­ I have never heard of it." spoke the Empress.


    The revtion of Atreus possessing both the Fenrir and Basilisk bloodlines sent shockwaves throughout the Nadur Empire, for it was a phenomenon previously deemed impossible. The Empress herself was privy to this knowledge, as she hailed from a lineage of Kukulkan, the bloodline with the highest purity of the Godbeast Basilisk among the True Descendant tribes.


    Although the Empress''s own bloodline held a greater degree of purity than that of Atreus, the astonishing truth remained unchanged: Atreus possessed a concentration of both the Fenrir and Basilisk bloodlines that far surpassed even the most revered ns within the Basilisk Tribe.


    In the immemorial era when the Three Primordial Species and the First Walkers still roamed, Fenrir and Basilisk were not inherently enemies.


    However, due to the immense power and distinct attributes of their respective bloodlines, a deep-seated ipatibility and rivalry emerged, mirroring the ancient enmity between the Draconian and Basilisk bloodlines.


    [Is this the reason why I sensed a form of kinship with him that day when I went to save Maximus and killed that Superior Dragon?] she asked herself, questioning her previous assumptions.


    This shook all the Heavenly Kings because this was not supposed to be possible.


    Sigh!


    Romulus then took a deep sigh and continued with a crestfallen look.


    "Atreus is the son of Augustus Constantine and Theresa Agrippina." his voice resonated across the empire.


    "What?!" eximed the Empress in bewilderment.


    The other 2 Heavenly Kings and all the members of the 12 Tribes were also bemused.


    Those 2 names had a history known only to them because it was a huge deal to many who still lived in those times.


    "For those who do not know¡­" spoke Romulus somberly.


    "Augustus Constantine and Theresa Agrippina were actually the Shadow Disciples of the previous Tribe Leaders of both the Fenrirborne and Basilisk Tribe." he openly dered.


    "And they were also the people who had broken the sacredw of the 12 Tribes¡­


    To love someone who belonged to a different tribe of a rival True Descendant family." he revealed the dark past that was unknown tomon people of the empire.


    "As per thews of the 12 Tribes, you are forbidden to love or marry someone from a different species, a true descendant bloodline and tribe with the bloodline of a different Godbeast.


    And both of themmitted that very crime." his gaze turn heavy.


    This well-guarded secret of the 12 tribes was now left bare open in front of the entire Nadur Empire.


    Among the masses, there was no restriction on loving and marrying someone from a different n. However, the 12 Tribes, many of whom were part of the True Descendant families, forbid it.


    However, themoners never knew that if you broke thisw¡­ You''d get killed for it.


    Right then¡­ another bewildered voice echoed¡­


    "What the hell are you talking about?!


    You said you found me in a jungle¡­ That I was abandoned by my parents and left to die in a monster-infested area!" Atreus spoke full of disbelief as if he heard it for the first time as well.


    Romulus shook his head.


    "That was to protect you given the identity of your parents.


    Besides, if I told you that your parents were killed instead¡­ you would''ve grown up to be a resentful and vengeful person.


    You would not have trained so hard under me for the past 80 years if I didn''t give you a reason of creating your own identity and make your parents regret abandoning you.


    For that, as your Master¡­ I''m truly sorry." He spoke in an apologetic and remorseful voice.


    "My entire life¡­ You have been lying to me!" roared Atrreus in rage but at the same time, a defeated and sorrowful expression appeared on his face with eyes full of tears.


    The fierce roar of Atreus reverberated through the arena, carrying with it a tumultuous blend of anger, betrayal, and a deep sense of sorrow.


    The conflicting emotions etched upon his face, a battleground of rage and heartbreak, stirred a collective empathy among those who bore witness to this dramatic revtion.


    The people of the empire, now caught in the crosscurrents of Atreus''s emotions, grappled with their own conflicting sentiments.


    The realization that Romulus, his revered mentor and father figure, had been concealing the truth all along shook the foundations of trust and understanding that had been built over time.


    It was an act born out of love, a desperate attempt to protect and fortify Atreus, but the cost of this deception had left deep wounds within his soul.


    Atreus''s journey, from his upbringing as an orphan, through the relentless pursuit of strength and the attainment of his current stature as a formidable 5th-stage saint, resonated with the hearts of many across the empire.


    Yet, in this moment of revtion, the very foundation of Atreus''s identity had been shaken to its core.


    The pain of growing up without a family, the sacrifices made in the pursuit of strength, and the heavy burden of expectations now mingled with the bitterness of deceit.


    Tears welled up in Atreus''s eyes, a poignant reflection of the profound inner conflict that raged within him.


    As the people of the empire witnessed this sh of emotions, they, too, found themselves torn between empathy and bewilderment.


    Unbeknownst to the billions of people in the Beast Empire, whose teary eyes and heavy hearts were captivated by the unfolding drama, a secrety concealed behind the curtain of deception.


    Kahn and Romulus were just improvising their acting skills on the spot, crying in front of the viewers as both shamelessly and hystericallyughed in their minds.


    ----------------


    Romulus then revealed another history page¡­


    "Your father was my benefactor when I was only a Peak Grandmaster. He saved my life from a monster tide.


    In a sense, we had be friends over the years." Spoke Romulus and then exined his connection to Atreus'' parents in front of the empire.


    "But one day¡­


    Augustus and Theresa showed up at my home, riddled with battle wounds.


    In Theresa''s hand¡­ was a newborn." he let out a deep sigh.


    "He gave me his son to safeguard it for a few weeks.


    But only a few dayster, I heard the news of Augustus and Theresadied while fighting a monster. I did not understand the story behind it back then¡­ but they were obviously killed by their respective tribes." he looked in the sky, his countenance heavy with loss.


    "To repay the person who saved my life back then¡­ I decided to look after Atreus.


    And ever since then, I have been raising him in secret.


    It was also during those times I was scouted by the previous Fenrirborne Tribe Leader who met me a couple of yearster after I had just be a saint and then I became his Shadow Disciple." he connected the dots and recounted the things of the past that many were aware of.


    "But I still couldn''t reveal Atreus to anyone, not even my former master." he iterated solemnly.


    And then Romulus'' gaze turned to Empress Kaali.


    "Atreus is a natural oddity that shouldn''t have been born.


    He is 80 years old. Same time as their death and my recruitment." he spoke in a stoic tone.


    The timeline''s chronological order here was perfect.


    "He has Fenrir bloodline prominent while his Basilisk bloodline is still dormant because they will make him go mad due to imbnce.


    In the fight against Sobek, many of you saw him use an Illusion technique on his opponent who is of the Basilisk Tribe." he recounted the happenings of yesterday''s match.


    "We all know how Hypnosis and Illusion techniques are attributed mainly to the saints of the Basilisk Tribe due to their bloodline.


    Unless one is a mage studying illusion arts like the ones practiced in other empires even before they be a grandmaster, no one can be as effective as the mastery showed by Atreus in that match." he shed light on already known facts to the masses.


    These words made everyone recall the fight between Atreus and Sobek just yesterday.


    Back then, many people were puzzled and shocked to see that Atreus could use illusion techniques just like Sobek. Yet they attributed it to his hidden talent.


    But now that Romulus exined it¡­ It made sense that Atreus could use the powers specialty of the Basilisk Tribe members such as Sobek who spent close to a century perfecting them.


    [This¡­ So this was the reason?] thought the Empress.


    At this moment, the Empress had an ugly countenance.


    Because Sobek himself raised this question yesterday night when she summoned him to her amodations.


    He too said that Atreus might not even be a Fenrirborne since he could use the illusion skills and was unfazed by Sobek''s natural venom.


    And ording to what Romulus exined, it made perfect sense.


    [Damn it! I was going to use this as an excuse to interrogate and imprison him in the future, to find his origins, using the excuse that his birth was not registered in the True Descendant families.] cursed the Empress Kaali Adisesha.


    She looked at Romulus while hiding her killing intent. Her future ns had been thwarted by the Heavenly King of Fire after he revealed this fact in front of the whole empire.


    Now, she had no justification to imprison or even interrogate Atreus since his origins were now public knowledge.


    What she didn''t know was that Kahn intentionally used that Illusion Techniuqe skill named Lucid Reality during his match against Sobek Slytherin.


    This was also something Romulus had told him to do yesterday morning as he was already creating a perfect way to reinforce Atreus'' background.


    "Atreus is now a 5th-stage saint and can''t be killed indiscriminately even if the 12 Tribes oppose his existence." spoke Romulus and the very next second¡­


    BOOM!!


    His unrestrained killing intent arose and the entire Beast Empire saw the fiery maned wolfkin''s tyrannical countenance.


    "He is my, the Heavenly King of Fire''s disciple. Anyone who touches him will be my enemy.


    And I do not care if I have to attack an entire tribe and burn them to cinders should they dare to harm Atreus." his deathly re shook the hearts of everyone in the Beast Empire.


    With the strongest Heavenly King, the 2nd strongest being in the empire backing him, who would even dare to raise a finger against Atreus let alone kill him?


    "Atreus has to be at least a 7th-stage saint to use and control both of his bloodlines.


    However¡­ Only a Pureblood is allowed to be the Tribe Leader as per thews agreed by all the 12 Tribes since our Ancestors founded this empire.


    But due to his origin, he is unqualified to lead the Fenrirborne tribe as per our tribe''sws."


    Romulus had already prepared the backstory of Kahn''s origin as Atreus and now they had a perfect and logical justification for him to not be bound by tradition and be the next sessor to the Tribe Leader''s position.


    The plotline was so perfect that...


    Even his fake background story had a fake background story.

 Chapter 915 The Greatest Reward

    Chapter 915 The Greatest Reward


    As the profound revtion of Atreus''s true identity reverberated through the empire, the air grew heavy with anticipation. The momentous truth, unveiled in the presence of billions, demanded further elucidation.


    Added with the conviction disyed by Romulus, the Heavenly King of Fire¡­ the situation was now at a standstill where even a misunderstood word could lead to a great conflict.


    Moreover, the Empress found herself in a precarious position when it came to enforcing the 12 Tribe Laws upon Atreus.


    As a 5th-stage saint, Atreus had ascended to a level of power that made him a formidable force within the Beast Empire. His status as a future powerhouse further solidified his position and granted him a certain degree of autonomy.


    While the 12 tribes held significant influence and boasted thergest number of saints and poption within the empire, they were not the sole authority. The presence of other influential ns and tribes meant that the power dynamics within the empire wereplex and multifaceted.


    The Empress understood that taking any action against Atreus would inevitably lead to a confrontation with Romulus, his steadfast mentor and protector.


    Romulus''s reputation, expertise, and unwavering dedication to his disciple made him a force to be reckoned with, a staunch defender of Atreus''s rights and interests.


    The Empress found herself in a predicament, her authority constrained by the hierarchical power structure deeply ingrained in the empire''sws and culture.


    Despite being the strongest individual in the empire, she could not simply disregard the existence of Romulus, for thews established by the 1st Emperor of the Nadur Empire, who happened to be Haldor''s great-grandfather, posed an imprable barrier.


    Thesews included a use that limited the actions and decisions of future generations of Emperors and Empresses. Even though the Empress had achieved the rank of a beginner 8th stage saint, a remarkable feat she aplished just two decades ago, her powers were overshadowed by the presence of two Peak 7th stage saints.


    Among these two powerful figures, the Heavenly King of Fire, Romulus Lykaios, and the Heavenly King of Light, Haldor, it was understood that Romulus possessed far greater strength. This knowledge was known only to the Heavenly Kings and the upper echelons of the Imperial Rule.


    Additionally, there was the intermediate 7th stage saint, the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro, who had recently departed from the scene. And finally, there was the Heavenly King of Water, Kaida, whopleted the lineup of the Heavenly Kings.


    If the situation had merely involved exerting brute force or strong-arming her opponent, Kaali Adisesha might not have hesitated to assert her authority.


    However, the 1st Emperor, known for his wisdom, had implemented a crucial restriction to prevent irrational decisions that could endanger millions of lives or be driven by personal greed or hatred.


    Thew enacted by the 1st Emperor aimed to safeguard against the potential havoc caused by a madman or a tyrant ruling the empire.


    It stipted that the reigning ruler could not engage in unreasonable conflicts or employ their authority as a tool for eliminating futurepetition or settling personal grudges... The consequences of such actions would be severe.


    Thus, the 1st Emperor established the second order of hierarchy, the Heavenly Kings.


    To the general public and those uninformed of the empire''s inner workings, the Heavenly Kings appeared as the second most powerful figures, with their true purpose concealed.


    In truth, their role was to serve as a check and bnce against the Emperor or Empress.


    To enforce this bnce, thew was enacted.


    If the ruler made a detrimental decision involving the Saints, the 12 Tribes, or the Heavenly Kings that could harm the future of the empire, the existing Heavenly Kings and Heavenly Queens had the authority to unite and eliminate the Emperor or Empress. Once this was aplished, the Heavenly Kings wouldpete amongst themselves for the position of the next ruler, ensuring a smooth transition of power.


    It was almost as if the 1st Emperor had foreseen the need for such aw.


    After 400 years, the 2nd Emperor became the first to fall under thisw''s jurisdiction. This historical precedent prevented Kaali from making rash or self-serving decisions regarding Atreus'' fate.


    Furthermore, Romulus was not just a Peak 7th stage Brawler ss saint...


    The Heavenly King of Fire held significant influence within the Imperial administration, maintained friendly ties with many of the leaders of the 12 Tribes, and cultivated positive rtionships with Haldor and Kaida over the years.


    If Kaali intentionally provoked Romulus, he, as a contender for the throne, could utilize the use and align with at least the other two Heavenly Kings to eliminate her.


    Thus, the Empress found herself grappling with the limitations imposed by thews and the power dynamics of the empire. Her role as the Empress, while conferring great authority, did not grant her unrestricted freedom to act as she pleased.


    The presence of Romulus and the Heavenly Kings served as a reminder of the constraints within which she operated, forcing her to consider her options carefully and strategically.


    These invisible chains bound Kaali Adisesha, the strongest individual in the empire, preventing her from taking action against Atreus.


    ----------------


    Finally, after the air cooled down, Kaali came to terms with the current predicament¡­ she announced in front of the empire.


    "As you can all see¡­ Atreus Betor is ineligible to be the Official Disciple of the Fenrirborne tribe leader.


    Thus, I take away his ims to that position even in the future regardless of the circumstances." she openly dered.


    Kaali''s announcement resonated throughout the empire, revealing that Atreus Betor was no longer eligible to be the Official Disciple of the Fenrirborne tribe leader.


    This deration left a mixed reaction among the people, and not everyone was content with the decision, particrly the other four Disciples of Romulus.


    Having been defeated in a 4 vs 1 battle against Atreus, these Disciples held differing opinions about him but couldn''t deny his earned respect as a formidable warrior.


    However, many n Leaders and Tribe Elders of the Fenrirborne Tribe disyed displeasure upon learning the truth about Atreus''s origins. They felt deceived and betrayed, with some even harboring internal curses towards Romulus for keeping the truth hidden until this moment.


    Given Atreus''s impure bloodline in rtion to the Fenrirborne Tribe, the n Leaders and Tribe Elders were resolute in their stance. They would not allow him to be the next tribe leader under any circumstances, as they considered the purity of bloodline a crucial factor in assuming such a leadership role.


    The revtion had shattered their previous hopes of Atreus ascending to the position of tribe leader in the event of his victory in the Tribal Tourney, leaving them feeling cheated and resentful.


    "However¡­" the Empress suddenly spoke.


    "Like few of the previous champions of the tribal tourney in history who willingly gave up their ims to be the Official Disciples and instead, receivednds to rule and govern¡­


    I cannot allow Atreus Betor to im that reward." her authoritative words resounded in the empire.


    "It is due to thews of our empire which emphasize on the strength of an individual and heritage such as the bloodline they carry or their tribes since all the Shadow Disciples are from the 12 True Descendant Tribes in the first ce.


    Hence, Atreus Betor is disqualified to reap that reward as well." she dered her reason.


    "And due to his mixblood origins and the bloodlines of Godbeast Fenrir and Basilisk at the same time¡­


    He poses a threat to muddle the ancient sacrilege of the tradition which has always decided the influential positions in the empire.


    Someone with both of such powerful bloodlines breaks the bnce of equality in terms of opportunity for others to contend for positions such as Generals and Heavenly Kings of the Nadur Empire." she exined her reasoning again.


    So in simple words¡­ Atreus was an anomaly who could not be the Official Disciple.


    But he could also not gain the benefit of a regional lord either as it went against the old rules.


    On top of it, he was a mixblood¡­ he would not be epted in positions of power in the imperial rule either since it will be unfair to others.


    "Moreover, although reluctantly¡­ I must impose another restriction on him." spoke the Empress in a helpless voice as if she was against her next decision.


    "Atreus Betor is prohibited from marrying anyone or producing any offspring.


    This is to maintain our traditional social structure and bnce the bloodlines of the future generations since such mixed bloodlines between the descendants of godbeasts will cause mutations in the uing generations, creating the cycle of pain and suffering for many lives."


    The Empress, enforcing her authority, issued a harsh decree that further added to Atreus''s burdens.


    From the perspective of an ordinarymoner, it seemed that Atreus had lost the opportunity to live a happy and fulfilling life.


    Due to his unique origin and the specificws of the empire designed to address such anomalies, Atreus was condemned to a life of celibacy. He would be deprived of the ability to experience love or have children in the future.


    The prospect of a solitary and detached existence awaited him, despite possessing the remarkable status of a 5th-stage saint, a feat that billions of people could only dream of.


    Atreus''s life became marked by sacrifices and metaphorical chains that robbed him of the joys and fulfillment that others take for granted. The weight of his godly strength and the burden of his extraordinary bloodlines seemed to overshadow any semnce of personal happiness he could hope to attain.


    "However¡­ It does not change the fact that he is the rightful champion of the tribal tourney.


    In case the first two benefits could not be rewarded to the champion of the tribal tourney under special circumstances¡­" spoke the Empress in a majestic tone.


    "The reigning Emperor or the Empress can grant the champion a special status or reward." she spoke in a benign tone.


    [Did you really think you could escape from my clutches that easily?] behind the benign smile of the Empress in front of masses of the empire, was a sinister and malevolent grin.


    "I, the Empress Kaali Adisesha bestow a great honor on Atreus Betor in front of our entire empire.


    From this day forth, Atreus Betor is¡­"


    The Empress did not even give Atreus or Romulus a chance to speak and dered her decision that would trap Kahn in a cage that he wouldn''t be able to escape from.


    "A member of the Hero''s Party!"

 Chapter 916 Loyalty or Compliance?

    Chapter 916 Loyalty or Compliance?


    While Kahn''s fate was now dangling in the threads hanging in the hands of the Empress of the Beast Empire, a secret meeting took ce in a faraway empire.


    In a grand hall, bathed in opulence and adorned with intricate designs, a group of saints stood in awe-inspiring splendor. The hall, with its towering ceilings and majestic archways, emanated an aura of regality and magnificence. The air was heavy with a sense of reverence and power, as if each step taken resonated with the weight of their presence.


    The saints, dressed in resplendent attire befitting their elevated status and warrior sses, formed a tableau of strength and grace. Their garments, embellished with shimmering threads and adorned with intricate embroidery, reflected the wealth and prestige theymanded. Each saint exuded an air of confidence, their postures tall andmanding, as they navigated the expanse of the hall.


    As they conversed and exchanged words, their voices carried an air of authority and wisdom. Their discussions wereced with a deep understanding of the intricacies of power and the responsibilities that came with their elevated positions.


    This was a meeting of an important group, a convergence of individuals with a shared purpose and a desire to deliver upon the The hall itself seemed to listen, its walls holding the echoes of their words and conferring a sense of importance upon their every utterance as they shared opinions about a great event that wasing.


    The hall''svish decor further entuated the grandeur of the gathering. Ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm and golden glow upon the scene. borate tapestries, depicting scenes of mythical battles and ancient legends, adorned the walls, their vibrant colors and intricate details capturing the imagination.


    This was a meeting of an important group, a convergence of individuals with a shared purpose and a desire to deliver upon the responsibilities that they shouldered.


    At the head of the table, a figure exuded an air of authority and wisdom. His voice, steady and measured,manded attention as heid out the purpose of their gathering.


    "What are we doing here, lord Hero?" asked a 2nd stage saint to the man seated at the center of the table while the rest of the group was seated on the opposite sides.


    Before them, was a man in regal yellow garbs for the Battlemage ss. This individual who was of different species than the rest of the members, revealed a stern and determined countenance.


    "I want you all to train with me for an ambush." he dered his intentions.


    "Ambush who?" asked a female member of this group in a sweet and pleasant voice.


    "A specific individual. And out of the main objectives we have to aplish, it will be just as important to us¡­ to me specifically." spoke the Hero.


    "I know many of that individual''s powerful skills and battle techniques.


    Yet, I want all of us to be prepared for every possibility." he borated.


    But right then, a voice of disagreement echoed in the hall¡­


    "This isn''t part of the Imperial Decree. We must report it to our supervisors and ask for their permission." a middle-aged individual who belonged to a particr species even Kahn hadn''t seen or heard of before, made a rebuttal.


    "Am I to consider as insubordination?" asked the Hero with a cold gaze as if his eyes were alone enough to take this person''s life.


    Next, a grim and domineering voice resounded in the hall.


    "You can all act patriotic and preach about your devotion to the empire or even bber about the incidents of this meeting to the Imperial family.


    However¡­ Do remember this." his voice then turned sinister and his gaze rendered all the members of the party full of worry.


    "Once we enter that ce¡­ All of your lives will be dependant on me to return.


    And I cannot guarantee someone''s safety who can''t even show their loyalty towards me." he spoke with a benign smile.


    As the words settled in the air, a heavy silence enveloped the room. The contorted expressions on their faces mirrored the weight of the information they had just received. Eyes darted nervously, brows furrowed in deep concern, and whispers of unease circted among the gathered individuals.


    Glimpses of fear flickered across their eyes, betraying their inner turmoil. The magnitude of the task they had undertaken began to sink in, overshadowing the initial sense of purpose that had brought them together. Doubt crept into their hearts, casting long shadows over their resolve.


    As the minutes ticked by in tense silence, the weight of the Hero''s words settled upon the room. His subliminal threat hung in the air, casting a shadow of coercion over his loyalpanions. Reluctance and apprehension painted their faces, betraying the internal struggle each person wrestled with.


    Gritting their teeth, they exchanged nces, searching for sce or support amongst themselves. The gravity of the situation pressed upon them, causing their resolve to waver. The Hero, their trusted leader, had put forth an ultimatum that demanded their cooperation and silence, effectively binding them to his secret venture.


    Inwardly, they grappled with conflicting emotions. Loyalty warred with fear, and trust teetered on the precipice of doubt. Each individual weighed the consequences ofpliance and the potential fallout of betrayal. The line between obedience and self-preservation blurred in their minds.


    With heavy hearts, one by one, they reluctantly nodded their consent. Their agreement, tinged with resignation, was a testament to the power the Hero held over them. They had fought side by side, faced countless dangers together, and shared a bond forged through trials and victories. Yet now, that bond strained under the weight of the Hero''s insidious intentions.


    As the agreement settled, a smug smirk curled upon the Hero''s lips, betraying his true nature. He reveled in his dominance, his control over their fates. There was no attempt to hide his intentions, for he derived satisfaction from the submission he had elicited. The mask of camaraderie and heroism slipped, revealing a darker aspect of his character. The room, once filled with camaraderie and trust, now simmered with an undercurrent of unease.


    [Kahn Salvatore,e to your death.


    I shall be waiting for you to arrive there as Atreus Betor just like thest time.


    But this time, I will get rid of you before ''HE'' or that vampire sovereign finds you.] he thought with a malevolent grin.


    The Hero''s insidious intentions cast a pall over their shared mission. Doubt lingered in their hearts, mingling with a sense of unease that apanied their eptance of hismand.


    [This time... It will be me who ends your story.]

 Chapter 917 Shifting the Strategy

    Chapter 917 Shifting the Strategy


    Meanwhile¡­


    In the heart of a different artificial dimension, a breathtaking natural scenery unfolded before the eyes of the mysterious group of 12 Saints.


    Enclosed within a vast dome-like ethereal barrier, they gathered amidst an expansive open garden that bloomed with vibrant flora and cascading waterfalls while surrounded by mountain peaks. The air was pure and infused with serene energy, creating an atmosphere of tranquility.


    The Saints, their identities concealed by voluminous robes that draped their bodies, possessed an array of physical forms and sizes. Each robe bore the distinct mark of their elemental affinity, indicating their mastery over different forces of nature. Despite their varied appearances, a sense of unity permeated the air, binding them together as an enigmatic assembly.


    Within their ranks, even the weakest among them boasted the impressive stature of a 6th-stage saint, a testament to their formidable prowess and overall dangerous strength that even an 8th-stage saint could not face on their own.


    "Dammit! Everyone isughing at us at this point!


    Despite having the best ways to track him, we still haven''t caught him."


    A towering figure in the brown regal cloak mmed his fist against a nearby stone pir, his frustration palpable. His voice boomed with a mix of anger and exasperation, echoing through the secluded meeting space. Standing at an imposing three meters tall, he exuded an air of authority and power.


    The other eleven Saints in the group exchanged nces, their expressions a mix of concern. They understood the weight of their failure and the growing mockery that surrounded their pursuit.


    Despite possessing unparalleled tracking skills and resources, their target continued to elude them, evading capture with a maddening prowess.


    "The Empress of my empire will have my head if I don''t show any results within a month." spoke this veiled saint.


    Right then¡­ a female saint in blue robes, her skin adorned with lustrous fish scales and gills adorning her neck, voiced her frustrations with a sense of urgency. Her words reverberated through the state-of-the-art meeting ce, adding to the already charged atmosphere.


    Her voice trembled with a mixture of concern and desperation as she continued¡­


    "The Empress of the Beast Empire isn''t the only one. Even our Emperors and Empresses have given all of us an ultimatum.


    None of them are pleased with our progress in finding him."


    The other saints in the room exchanged uneasy nces, their expressions mirroring the growing unease within their hearts. They knew all too well the weight of the consequences that awaited them should they fail.


    The murmurs of agreement filled the air as the other saints nodded in acknowledgment of the difficulties they faced.


    They were the chosen few, entrusted with the task of capturing the Hero of Darkness by their respective empires due to the grudges and scars that were left on their minds because of the ughter caused by the 8th Hero of Darkness 300 years ago.


    Yet, their progress seemed to fall short of the lofty expectations set upon them.


    "Yes, we didn''t find him in the Empire of Water either.


    Every time we feel like we''re close to catching the Hero of Darkness, we are left with nothing but dust at thest moment." said a Fireborne saint whose fiery hair swirled and floated in the air like seaweed underwater.


    "Don''t you all find it strange? Every time, there is always some new clue and some pivotal information that suddenly appears after we fail.


    And then we go to those empires following the signals given by the artifacts that were gathered by our empires during the purge of the Abyss Empire 300 years ago.


    And every single time, we return empty-handed, and then all the artifacts each of us possesses give us all another clues and directions." spoke another individual among the group of saints, a figure stood out with distinctive features that hinted at their affiliation with the Viden Empire, the esteemed servants of the Goddess of Knowledge.


    This individual possessed four magnificent wings on his back; resembling those of a bird, adorned with intricate patterns of shimmering gold and soothing turquoise.


    Right then, another voice echoed¡­


    "We have searched through 6 Empires now in the past 3 years. Yet we have nothing to show for it." his serious voice turned the That either all of our tracking artifacts made by Cult of Darkborne are faulty from the beginning¡­" said another saint in a dark gray surroundings somber in just a single sentence.


    "Do you all understand what that means?


    That either all of our tracking artifacts made by Cult of Darkborne are faulty from the beginning¡­" said another saint in a dark gray cloak then shared his honest insight into their current predicament.


    "Or someone has been messing with all of us using our reliance on these artifacts.


    Like a shepherd leading a herd of sheep, dictating our direction and leading us away from the real location of the Hero of Darkness." he dered.


    The other members of the mysterious group formed solely to hunt the Hero of Darkness had incredulous expressions.


    The atmosphere in the room grew heavy as the saint in the dark gray cloak voiced his concerns, cutting through the tension with his stark analysis. His words resonated with a sense of urgency and a hint of frustration. The other saints listened intently, their expressions reflecting a mixture of contemtion and apprehension.


    His statement brought forth two unsettling possibilities, both of which had grave implications.


    The first possibility implied a fundamental w in the tracking artifacts created by the Cult of Darkborne, the very tools they had relied upon to guide their search for the elusive Hero of Darkness. If this were true, it meant that their efforts thus far had been in vain, leading them astray and wasting precious time.


    The second possibility, however, presented an even more unsettling notion. It suggested the presence of a maniptive force deliberately misleading them, using their reliance on the artifacts as a means to divert their attention from the true location of the Hero of Darkness. This implied a level of cunning and deception that left the group feeling vulnerable and exposed.


    "Who could it be?


    The Cult of Darkborne was wiped out and no one except the Magus Patriarch of their cult could know how to alter the functions of those artifacts from this far.


    And that person too would need to be at least an 8th stage saint." spoke the saintess whose beauty would even give an inferiorityplex to female High Elves.


    "There is no such foolish being in the world left and if there was someone who had sided with them despite knowing the consequences, all of our empires would have found out with our shared intelligence by now ording to the pact made between the Emperors." spoke a saint veiled in yellow garbs, someone who belonged to the Empire of Time.


    To this deration, a 4-meter-tall saint with two brown horns protruding from his forehead, long ck nails on his gray-skinned arms, and dark red shoulder-length hair spoke in a skeptical tone¡­


    His physical features filled with tattoos written in Kanji, reminiscent of both Humans and the ancient Dragon and True Demon races, set him apart from the others in the room.


    This was a saint from the Empire of Space, the very individual who confirmed that the Hero of Darkness chose the Dimensional Law divine ability.


    "I do not think we can go around pointing fingers at any of the Emperors and Empresses.


    However, I do believe we need to stop this mindless search and gather at that ce instead." he proposed an idea.


    "Are you out of your mind?!


    It''s like dering to the world and our respective empires about how ipetent we are." eximed the four-winged saint as his beak nearly became visible out of his hood.


    "So what?


    By now, we know that he must need to go there. Otherwise, he would die if he didn''t show up.


    Even with the help of the Cult of Darkborne, he cannot skip this vital custom.


    His very existence as the Hero of Darkness will force him to go to that ce even if he didn''t want to." spoke the Fireborne saint and a glint of excited smirk appeared on his face.


    "And this time we all will be waiting¡­" his grim tone then resounded in this artificial realm.


    "At the Conve of Heroes."

 Chapter 918 Gods and Deities

    Chapter 918 Gods and Deities


    In the realm of darkness called the Eternal Abyss, amidst an ethereal atmosphere swirling with shadows and whispers apanied by trillions of corpses of hundreds of varying species and millions of wandering souls, an overwhelmingly tall figure that spanned for more than 50 kilometers in height while seated on a throne was revealed.


    This realm was the one created and ruled solely by the personification of Death and Darkness that existed in the world of Vantrea¡­ also called as the God of Darkness.


    Before him, knelt a warrior d in ck and red armor with a towering figure of 12 Kilometers even in the kneeling position. This was none other than the strongest being among the roaster of Deities also knowns as the war Deity Kravel.


    The God of Darkness, emanating an aura of power and mystery with glowing red eyes that exceeded the bloodlust and killing intent any being in vantrea could possess, looked upon Kravel, awaiting his report.


    "What did Mors say?" inquired the God of Darkness, his voice resonating with an otherworldly timbre.


    Kravel, with unwavering loyalty, ryed the oue of his encounter with Mors, the Deity of ughter.


    "As you expected, he declined." Kravel responded, his tone a mix of resignation and admiration for Mors'' defiant spirit.


    The God of Darkness contemted this response, his piercing gaze fixated on Kravel.


    "Yes, Mors has always been a being of chaos, unpredictable and fiercely independent." he mused.


    "He would rather embrace death than bow down and serve another being than himself."


    A knowing smile tugged at the corners of the God of Darkness'' lips.


    "However, it is precisely his unpredictability that makes him¡­ predictable." he continued, his voice filled with a blend of intrigue and admiration for Mors'' unique nature.


    Kravel nodded in understanding, his eyes reflecting a deepprehension of God''s words.


    Mors'' inclination towards chaos and rebellion may seem contrary to expectations, but it was this very characteristic that allowed the God of Darkness to anticipate his actions to a certain extent.


    "Even though I went there to recruit him to our side, I found a pleasant surprise.


    And as you advised me beforehand, my liege¡­ I made a few suggestions here and there." cited Kravel with a light smile under his helmet.


    "By suggesting that he not be told to create trouble, I inadvertently led his next course of action." revealed Kravel.


    "And you believe that our adamant Deity of ughter has taken the True Demon subordinate created by Kahn as his Apostle?" he inquired, seeking confirmation.


    Kravel nodded, affirming the God of Darkness'' deduction.


    "Yes, my liege. It is highly likely that he has recognized the potential and strength of that particr subordinate, and thus elevated them to the position of Apostle since he is bored since the past few decades."


    God of Darkness reveals a smirk made of his bones and teeth.


    "Whether it''s a Human, a Dragon or even a Deity¡­ There is onemon thread that binds them all.


    No one can betray their true nature." he dered a truth of the world known only to the enlightened.


    "Those who believe they can elude their true selves, hiding behind masks of loyalty or righteousness or some higher purpose, will ultimately be exposed. Their true intentions, their darkest desires, will alwayse to light when no one is watching them." he stated a hard fact of the world that was true regardless of civilization or era.


    "No matter how they may try to conceal their true nature, it will inevitably reveal itself when one feels like no one would judge them."


    "Mors always sought chaos and to ensure his entertainment, he ended up aiding us.


    Being told to not do something is the very thing that ticks him off even before he was a saint. Thus, his very nature worked in our favor." spoke the God of Darkness in a ghastly tone even though it appeared as if he was joyful.


    "Velsharoon, the Deity of Necromancy and one of my first two servants, has chosen Ceril as his Apostle, adding the forces of death and armies of undeads to our cause." the God of Darkness stated, acknowledging the strategic move made by one of his most loyal retainers even withoutmanding him.


    He continued sternly, "Brokkr and Eitri, the divine cksmiths, bes a formidable asset with the potential to be as simr as the ones from the immemorial era who created wonders with recognizing the potential that Kahn and ckwall possess, have blessed both of them, bestowing upon him their gifts.


    With the Primordial Titan bloodline and their blessings, ckwall bes a formidable asset with the potential to be as simr as the ones from the immemorial era who created wonders with their knowledge and craftsmanship."


    A smirk yed across the God of Darkness''s skeletal visage as he reveled in the cunning maniption at y.


    "The Sky Deity Indra, seeking a new Apostle to fill the void left by the traitor who defected to the Empire of Light, found himself in need.


    Following your suggestion, he chose Oliver, further strengthening our side with another Apostle."


    The God of Darkness contemted the situation, the pieces of the puzzle falling into ce.


    "This makes the 4th subordinate of Kahn an Apostle of a Deity. Added with Kahn himself as Apostle of War Deity, there are a total of 5 Apostles in his group.


    The God of Darkness leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with sinister delight.


    "With these many Apostles aligned with our cause, each bringing their own unique strengths and powers, we have assembled a formidable force.


    Due to such diverse and powerful Apostles by his side, Kahn will no longer be without loyal forces to fight beside him as he keeps bing stronger.


    These many preparations should be more than enoughpared to our previous expectations." stated the God of Darkness.


    "Yes, these preparations should indeed be sufficient." affirmed Kravel, his voiceced with confidence.


    "Now it only leaves Omega, Armin, Ronin and the one they call Rudra.


    However, Ronin already has a Psuedo Soul. The offer of bing an Apostle might not be so lucrative for him at this point.


    I believe that with his abilities¡­ Only the King of the Underworld can give him any proper blessings that would enhance his innate potential." spoke Kravel, sharing his honest opinion.


    "Good thing Yama has always been my loyal retainer." responded God of Darkness, further nning his next objectives.


    "I am aware, my liege. Yama and Velsharoon were the first two deities who pledged their allegiance to you millions of years ago." he revealed the order of the first two deities who pledged their neverending loyalty to the God of Darkness.


    The God of Darkness''s voice resonated with a mixture of caution and anticipation as he addressed the assembled saints.


    "Yes, the wheels of fate are turning, and the deities and gods are making their moves." he acknowledged.


    "Among them, there may be other Apostles within the ranks of the other summoned Heroes and Heroines'' parties, aligning themselves with different forces of Empires serving other Gods."


    He paused for a moment, a skeletal hand reaching up to stroke his bony chin in contemtion.


    "However, our primary concern lies with the one chosen by the Goddess of Knowledge, Minerva.


    She is known for her meticulous nning and strategic thinking, many of her previous summoned heroes have always caused trouble and we must be prepared for her schemes with this new one as well." spoke God of Darkness in a grim voice.


    The God of Darkness''s empty sockets seemed to gleam with a mixture of caution and determination.


    "It is crucial that Kahn maintains his sanity and focus amidst the trials and challenges that lie ahead.


    He has run afar from his supposed mission to fight the Demon God for all these years while we orchestrated many things that would help him in the long term without his knowledge."


    He looked towards Kravel, a silent acknowledgment of the assistance they had provided to Kahn thus far even though thetter waspletely oblivious about it.


    "We have done what we can to support him, but the path ahead is treacherous. Our aid can only go so far, and ultimately, it is up to Kahn to ovee the trials that await him."


    The God of Darkness''s voice carried a sense of intrigue and confidence as he revealed their hidden strategy.


    "And finally¡­


    If the God of Time believes just because his own chosen Heroing to the past, altering the timeline and manipting the current events with his knowledge of the future will secure their victory¡­" he mused, his voice filled with a hint of amusement.


    "But little does he know that we possess our own tricks, our own ns that have been set into motion since the very day Kahn was chosen as the Hero of Darkness." revealed God of Darkness in a sinister voice.


    Kahn had no idea that without him even knowing, things were already set into motion on the very day he was chosen as the Hero of Darkness and sent to Vantrea. Without any knowledge, many ploys were implemented in the realm of Gods and Deities that would shape his future in the uing great war.


    "After all, the archaic formation on his back is a¡­" stated God of Darkness, hinting at their biggest ace under the sleeves that even Kahn had no idea of.


    "Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence ."


    -------------------------------------------------------


    ------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 6--------------


    -------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 919 Arc 6 Epilogue

    919 Arc 6 Epilogue


    The traditional Epilogue chapter of the arc that all of you hate. Well, let''s dive into the details and references that most of you missed in this arc. I promise to keep it short, kinda.


    --------------------------------


    Character Names, their Meaning and Symbolism in the Beast Empire arc.


    Atreus Betor : Atreus is the Greek word for Fearless and Betor is Roman for Warrior.


    So Kahn''s persona for this arc literally means Fearless Warrior which signifies his evolution as a Warrior and a War General after his intense training under Romulus, Vildred and Rathnaar.


    However, even his battles in Elysium Tribal Tourney were just groundwork for what is toe. You will see how much this changes Kahn''s characterization in the next arc.


    ----------------


    Romulus Lykaios :Reference to the Legend of Romulus and Remus in Roman culture.


    ording to tradition, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC. They were twin brothers, sons of a human mother and the roman god of war, Mars.


    After their birth, the king ordered them killed. They were ced in a basket and put into the Tiber River - left to die from exposure in the outdoors. But their basket washed up on the river bank where a female wolf found them. The wolf nursed the hungry babies and cared for them.


    Lykaios is a reference to Lycaon, the first ever Werewolf in greek mythology.


    ----------------


    Maximus dius :


    Maximus is Roman for Greatest and dius means diator. So the name transitions to Greatest diator, the type of character I wanted to introduce Maximus as Hero of Nature.


    He is also a bit inspired from Maximus Decimus Meridius from the diator movie.


    ----------------


    Kaali Adisesha :


    Reference to Kaali, the Goddess of ultimate Power and Destruction from Hindu mythology.


    Adisesha is a reference to the cosmic serpent Adisesha who is associated with God Vishnu in Hindu religion. The empress is a descendant of Basilisk who is also a snake-like mythical monster so it was the best surname for her.


    Even her character is showcased in the novel as someone who gets angered easily and is very wrathful when making decisions as the Empress.


    ----------------


    Sobek Slytherin : Reference to the Egyptian God Sobek, also called the God of Crocodiles.


    Slytherin is a reference to one of the House in Hogwarts which Dumbledore never gave any points to.


    ----------------


    Dahaka of ck Panther tribe :


    Reference to Dahaka, one of the main viins of the Prince of Persia games.


    As for the ck Panther tribe¡­ Yibambe!!


    ----------------


    Gaja Ekdantay :


    Gaja is Sanskrit for Elephant and Ekdantay is one of the names of lord Ganesha, the God of Prosperity, Wisdom and Intelligence in Hindu religion.


    ----------------


    H¨­¨­ Basan :H¨­¨­ is a creature from Japanese folklore.


    H¨­¨­ are beautiful, peaceful phoenix-like creatures that are honored across East Asia and worshiped as divine spirits.


    Basan is also another bird-like creature from Japanese mythology. ording to the folklore, it resembles arge chicken and breathes ghost-fire from its mouth. It is described as having a bright red cockb and spits an equally brilliant-hued fire. The fire is a cold fire, a glow, and it does not burn.


    This character is from a descendant tribe of Godbeast Roc so these references seemed suitable for it.


    ----------------


    Harambe Kong :


    Honestly¡­ Life ain''t been the same since Harambe died.


    Kong name is a reference to King Kong. Tell me a better name for this character if you''ve checked the reference art, I''ll wait¡­ *sips tea menacingly*


    ----------------


    Conan Doykle :


    Reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author and creator of Sherlock Homes.


    *people who already understood the reference* : No shit, Sherlock!


    ----------------


    Juno : One of the 4 disciples of Romulus, named after Juno, the Roman Goddess of Love & Marriage.


    ----------------


    Ivaar Banev : Reference to viking king Ivaar the Boneless, also one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok.


    --------------------------------


    Mythical Creatures and Cultural Mythology in the Beast Empire Arc:


    Kukulkan : The chief god in Aztec/Mayan culture is the feathered serpent god who was a creator god, and the god of rain, wind, storms, and life.


    ----------------


    Kurama : Name of a Japanese Mountain.


    And no, it''s not a reference to the fox from, you know where. I was actually basing it on Gumiho (Nine-tailed Fox in Korean Mythology) or Kitsune (Japanese folklore demon), but Romulus is a Wolf and not a Fox so I settled on this name.


    ----------------


    Kami No Tsukuyomi : Reference to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Japanese god of the moon, a proud deity of order and beauty.


    The estranged husband of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi spends eternity chasing her across the sky.


    This ability when used by Romulus looked like a moon when I was writing and imagining it, hence I named it after Tsukuyomi.


    Kami also means ''God'' in Kanji, so Romulus'' 2nd Form of Domain of ughter literally means God of Moon. You will see the full effects of it inter arcs. This was just foreshadowing for now.


    ----------------


    Cherufe : It is the mythical creature Hero of Nature fights in his introduction chapters.


    The Cherufe is arge man-eating mythical creature found in the Mapuche religion of the indigenous Mapuche people of south-central Chile.


    The Cherufe is depicted as an evil humanoid creature made of rock crystals and magma. It is said that Cherufe inhabits the magma pools found deep within Chilean volcanoes and are the source of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.


    ----------------


    Hodag : The mythical creature and descendant of Godbeast Behemoth that Atreus/Kahn and Dorian fought.


    In American folklore, the hodag is a fearsome critter resembling arge bull-horned carnivore with a row of thick curved spines down its back. The hodag was said to be born from the ashes of cremated oxen, as the incarnation of the umtion of abuse the animals had suffered at the hands of their masters.


    ----------------


    Godbeast Baihu : Reference to White Tiger from Chinese mythology.


    The White Tiger (B¨¢ih¨³), known in Chinese as Baihu, is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constetions. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (X¨©f¨¡ng B¨¢ih¨³). It represents the West in terms of direction and the Autumn Season.


    ----------------


    Heavenly Kings : Reference to 4 Heavenly Kings in Buddhism also called as Buddhist Gods or Devas¡­ namely Komukuten, Jikokuten, Tamonten and Zachoten who respectively represent Light, Water, Earth/Metal and Fire.


    The Four Heavenly Kings are the protectors of Dharma, which we can think of as the proper and good teachings passed down by enlightened people such as the Buddha.


    Each king holds a different object, which symbolizes a different teaching. Their teachings exin how to have a good life and a prosperous society.


    In the novel, Heavenly King of Light, Haldor rules West of Nadur Empire, Heavenly King of Water, Kaida governs East while Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro ruled North.


    Andstly, the Heavenly King of Fire, Romulus Lykaios governed and protected the South.


    All the Heavenly Kings in this arc are a counterpart of the mythological Heavenly Kings.


    --------------------------------


    Locations in the Beast empire arc and their cultural and mythological references :


    Do think about supporting me on Patreon or I will have to open an OnlyFans due to poverty.


    09:31


    https://. patreon./CrimsonWolfAuthor/posts


    Aurelius city : Reference toRoman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, mostly famous for his wisdom on Meditation and Stoicism.


    ----------------


    Tenochtin : Reference to Tenochtin, the capital of the Aztec Empire, that was founded by the Aztec or Mexica people around 1325 C.E.


    Tenochtin, also known as Mexico-Tenochtin, was arge Mexican altepetl in what is now the historic center of Mexico City.


    ----------------


    Elysium : This is the southern part of the Nadur/Beast Empire ruled by Romulus as a Heavenly King.


    Elysium, otherwise known as the Elysian Fields or Elysian ins, is a conception of the afterlife in Greek mythology that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults.


    It was initially separated from the Greek underworld ¨C the realm of Hades. Only mortals rted to the gods and other heroes could be admitted past the river Styx.


    Later, the conception of who could enter was expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic. They would remain at the Elysian Fields after death, to live a blessed and happy afterlife, and indulge in whatever enjoyment they had enjoyed in life.


    In simple words for people who can''t read, it is simr to Valha from Norse mythology without the whole bloody fights and war thing.


    ----------------


    Kunlun : This is the ce where Kahn was sent to suppress the revolution and lead the native military forces as their war general.


    Kunlun Mountain is a very famous mountain in Chinese mythology. Legend has it that in ancient times this was the birthce of Taoist Kunlun School.


    Mount Kunlun is also known as Kunlun Xu, Immortal Mountain of China, the Forefather of Mountains, Kunlun Qiu or Yushan (Jade Mountain).


    The Kunlun Mountains is a mountain chain of southern Central Asia and is eulogized as the "backbone" of Western China.


    --------------------------------


    CrimsonWolfAuthor : Sorry for taking another break. I had some personal life issues that I cannot exin here and needed some time to sort out real-life stuff.


    Also, the next arc storyboard and characterization were half-baked at that point so I needed time to perfect the storyline and many plots as well as characters that are to be introduced in the next arc.


    ----------------


    Do think about supporting me on Patreon or I will have to open an OnlyFans due to poverty.


    https://. patreon./CrimsonWolfAuthor/posts


    (remove space after first and second dot)


    ----------------

 Chapter 920 Gods Decree

    Chapter 920 God''s Decree


    10 Days Later¡­


    In an unknown empire was a mountain filled with lush greenery and bamboo shoots. This mountain was filled with natural waterfalls and rich wildlife.


    At the peak of the mountain, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, stood the imposing Dobei castle. Its grandeur and size were unparalleled, stretching for a kilometer and featuring multipleyers of intricate architecture.


    The castle''s walls boasted a pristine white and golden color, shimmering under the sunlight andmanding attention from afar. It was a fortress that symbolized strength and protection, capable of amodating a vast number of warriors during times of conflict.


    As one approached the castle, they would notice the meticulous carvings and designs adorning its structure. These engravings depicted monsters, deities, and divine beings that were unfamiliar to the inhabitants of Vantrea, giving an air of mystery and enchantment to the fortress.


    Guarding the castle were hundreds of warriors, armed with spears and swords, positioned strategically throughout the fortress.


    Among them, two formidable 3rd-stage saints stood out, their presence exuding power and authority. The warriors hailed from various backgrounds, with only a third of them being humans.


    The rest disyed distinct characteristics reminiscent of demons, showcasing a diverse array of skin colors, shapes, and sizes.


    Despite their differences in appearance, the warriors worked in harmony, their shared purpose uniting them in the defense of the fortress. The sight of humans and demons standing side by side was a testament to the diverse nature of this unknown empire and itsmitment to protect this stronghold.


    Step!


    "We greet the Sun of the Empire, the Heavenly Emperor!!" shouted a group of royal guards as they weed a new arrival in this castle.


    In front of them, stood a middle-aged 8th-stage saint swordsman with a red and golden armor perfectly lined with his clothes.


    "All of you may leave. I will be talking with the Ancestor alone." ordered the Emperor whose long ck hair mixed with white strands came to sight.


    Although he seemed like a normal human, the golden aura he emanated was undoubtedly demonic.


    As this powerhouse, the strongest being in this empire walked in a hidden and highly guarded room with few legendary rank formations and runes came to be.


    "You''re here." an archaic and deep voice resonated in a grand hall of 100 meters and the 8th stage saint, the emperor himself, quickly bowed and knelt on both of his legs.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    In front of the emperor, shone a divine white light and this condensed stature of a powerful being was revealed.


    A 5-meter-tall Soul specter of a white-haired elderly man spoke in an authoritative tone.


    The grand persona glowing in white light through its body was dressed in a regal blue and ck Kamishimo was seated on a Tatami mat, his two curved swords strapped to his waist.


    The air carried an air of reverence as he the Emperor disyed the utmost sense of respect for this being.


    It was a simr scenario when Kahn first met Rathnaar in Rakos Empire since the ancient being in front of the Emperor was also a¡­ Remnant Soul.


    "I pay respect to Sosen no Ten''n¨­!" spoke the emperor as he finally lifted his head, revealing his vehement expression.


    "Ah, wee. It''s good to see you, my descendant. You came very quickly despite your busy schedule." spoke this soul specter in a kind and gentle tone.


    "But I told you many times to not call me that.


    A dead man''s soul doesn''t deserve such respect." he smiled lightly as his long and majestic white beard somehow signified his great wisdom and honorable personality.


    "My apologies, but how can I be disrespectful to my great great great grandfather and the first Emperor?" spoke and rebuked the Emperor politely.


    "But why have you summoned me so suddenly? Is something amiss?" he quickly shifted the topic to the main point.


    With a change of his expression, the remnant soul spoke in a serious tone¡­


    "There has been a new God''s Decree, a divine order that demands our immediate attention." revealed the specter.


    In this particr empire, there were no Churches, Temples or Monasteries to convey their God''s word.


    Rather, a divine saint or saintess was chosen and tasked to serve as the spokesperson of their God. But the only requirement was that this person needed to have achieved at least the 4th Enlightenment in thew that represented their God.


    Currently, this Remnant Soul of once a living emperor was now taking up on that role since centuries.


    "I understand. What is it that needs to be done?" asked the Emperor.


    "I have heard themand from our God. This timeline has been altered, and we must act with caution." spoke the remnant soul with a contemtive expression.


    "Altered?! How can this be?


    Isn''t this against the rules set by Gods?" asked the Emperor in a hurried tone.


    Changing the timeline was something that could shift the fate of the world entirely. It posed a great threat to all the empires and even the world itself if someone used it for the wrong purpose.


    "Do you think God of Time would care about rules and broken promises even if his pride was on the line?


    We are on the verge of the nigh destruction of Vantrea. So it is not surprising that he broke the rules if things were to go in his favor." admonished the remnant soul to his own descendant.


    "Seems like the current Hero of Time has at leaste 10 years back in time.


    So far, our God believes that only he and the God of Darkness has figured out the changes in the branches and flow of the timeline." he exined to the emperor.


    The emperor''s expression turned grim after hearing the details.


    10 years of time wasn''t short, rather¡­ one could use the knowledge of future to even cause downfall of the most powerful empires or even kill the strongest beings of such empires with proper scheming and utlizing the information from the future events.


    "So what should be our course of action as per our God''s will?" asked the emperor hastily.


    "Tell our representatives in that group to exercise restraint. Instruct him not to kill but aide that person if they ever find him."manded the ancestor.


    "What?! Who are we talking about?" asked the Emperor with apletely shocked and bewildered countenance.


    "Our God''s orders for us are..."


    The remnant soul did not hold off the suspense and stated their God''s will.


    "Protect the Hero of Darkness."

 Chapter 921 Joining Forces

    Chapter 921 Joining Forces


    The emperor listened intently to the words of his ancestor, his voice stern and filled with curiosity. Their God''s Decree to safeguard the Hero of Darkness was something he could not even fathom in his wildest dreams as they were enemies to this day after the events of 300 years ago.


    "But why spare the Hero of Darkness? What purpose does it serve? How can a single Hero affect the changed timeline?"


    He questioned the purpose of sparing the Hero of Darkness and how a single individual could have such an impact on the altered timeline. The emperor sought to understand the significance and reasoning behind this decision.


    "Our God has informed me that it was the Hero of Darkness from the future who killed the Hero of Time.


    And our God wishes to protect him in the altered one instead.


    As for the reason¡­ The answers lie in the intricate tapestry of destiny.


    Our God sees something within this individual, something that may tip the scales in the grand scheme of things."


    The remnant soul conveyed the gravity of the situation, emphasizing that the survival of their empire depended on the oue.


    "It is detrimental for our survival whether our Hero or the Hero of Darknesspletes the task¡­


    We now have reasons to betray other gods and empires. And the Hero of Darkness will be present during the Conve of Heroes.


    And thus, if our Hero and his party also meet him in that ce, order them to assist in Hero of Darkness and ensure his survival." decreed the remnant soul.


    To thismand, the emperor asked in a gloomy tone¡­


    "But what about our God and his previousmands? What caused him to shift his previous goals so suddenly? I fail to understand why he would go to such great lengths." stated the Emperor.


    To his justified query, the glowing remnant soul responded kindly¡­


    "He has decreed that he no longer cares who kills the Demon God as he will not cease to exist even if no Hero/Heroine seeded.


    But he wishes for our survival. So having 2 heroes sharing our interests is more than enough for him and for us." the remnant soul shed light on the truth.


    Emperor gave an understanding nod. Although the objectives deviated from the past, the fact that their God chose to make such an altruistic decision for their survival was more than enough to agree with this divine decree.


    However, his expression suddenly turned gloomy as he spoke¡­


    "But we don''t know how to track Hero of Darkness. The artifacts we had from the Abyss Empire were given to ''him'' in that hunting group."


    To this, the ancestral soul remnant lightly chuckled and replied¡­


    "But we do have a way. Our God just told me about a certain somebody helping the Hero of Darkness from the shadows.


    Someone no one has been able to know of. And the very reason why no one has found the Hero of Darkness in the past 3 years." revealed the remnant soul.


    Their God did not just send an ambiguous instruction but also provided aid for them to act effectively and immediately.


    "Who?"


    With a calm tone, the ancestral specter then told the current emperor about the identity of that being.


    "Impossible!!


    How can he be rted to the Hero of Darkness?! He has no reason to." said the emperor, unable to digest the revtion.


    "It is of no concern to us. We need not care about what agenda he had or what reason caused him to protect this Hero.


    However, it is imperative that we must join hands with him if we wish to seed anyway." spoke the remnant soul in an adamant voice.


    The remnant soul''s response was resolute and unwavering. He acknowledged that the motives and reasons behind the said person protecting the Hero of Darkness were not their concern. What truly mattered was the necessity of forming an alliance with him if they were to achieve sess in their endeavors.


    The emperor himself did not dare to rebuke since the remnant soul''s adamant voice left no room for doubt or hesitation. It emphasized the critical nature of their decision and underscored the importance of setting aside personal reservations or preconceptions in order to forge a cooperative alliance with the person aiding Hero of Darkness.


    This being had sessfully evaded the suspicion of the entire world and no one in their wildest dreams would imagine him being the supporter of the very chosen Hero who was on the world''s most wanted list. Yet somehow, this individual had managed to stall their search for the Hero of Darkness using means unknown and hence, no one had seeded even now.


    This alone was a testament to how powerful and farsighted this person was and how it would only be a wiser choice to join forces with them after their God''s divine decree.


    "Then I shall contact him through our emissary ced at the border of the Demon Empire." replied the Emperor in apliant tone and bowed again.


    "And I will make sure that no one else even finds our connection to him before the Conve of Heroes starts this month." spoke the Emperor with a resolute countenance.


    The Emperor contemted the magnitude of the task before him. With a sense of duty, he acknowledged the necessity to redirect his resources and the loyalty of his Hero and their party. While the rest of the Gods and Empires wished to hunt the Hero of Darkness for his Divine Key, the same as their own previously wished to¡­ The fate of the altered timeline now rested upon their actions.


    And even if it means garnering the enmity of other empires or even risking a war had they been exposed at the wrong time¡­ The emperor was willing to risk it for the survival of his people which he was responsible to protect.


    "Good, bring me¡­" spoke this ancestral remnant soul with a great sense of foreboding as the fate of not only their empire but the world itself dangled on a thin thread.


    "Argos Belmont."

 Chapter 922 Accepting Reality

    922 epting Reality


    Meanwhile, as night fell, an enigmatic scene unraveled in a war-trodden battlefield.


    A magnificent ck pce, its architecture spanning multiple floors, dominated thendscape.


    At its epicenter, a towering structure rose above all else, adorned with ancient spherical formations that spanned an astonishing 2 kilometers in width alone. This awe-inspiring edifice stood majestically on the other side of a grand canyon, an unexpected presence that seemed almost haphazardly ced beyond the border.


    What distinguished this pce from any other was its extraordinary suspension, defying thews of gravity as it hovered a staggering 100 meters above the ground.


    At the very top of the tallest tower, was an ominous chamber brimmed with dark magic, its ambiance filled with an air of foreboding.


    Within the depths of this otherworldly hall, an enchanting spectacle unfolded.


    Thousands of fragmented mirror shards floated in perfect harmony, gradually coalescing into an orderly formation to unveil a screen that spanned an impressive 5 meters in width.


    And then, as if guided by an unseen force, the surface of the mirror shifted, revealing the fiery countenance of a figure unlike any other.


    An imposing figure of a Crimson Wolfkin stood tall, towering at a height of 3 meters. His intense gaze was entuated by fiery eyebrows, while his flowing mane resembled a cascading stream.


    The saint''s fiery gaze prated through the screen, seemingly reaching out to each observer in the hall of this ck pce. His presence emanated a palpable energy, a raw power that crackled in the air.


    "Why did you suddenly contact me out of nowhere, Romulus?" asked a tall and handsome figure with silver-colored waist-length hair as his eyes glowed red.


    This figure in ck and green ancient rank armor was a being that even the Emperors and Empresses of various empires admired and feared at the same time.


    As the figure spoke, his voice resonated with a deep, resonant timbre, echoing within the confines of the hall.


    From the other side of the screen, Romulus Lykaios, renowned as the Heavenly King of Fire, reached out to Argos Belmont, the formidable Vampire King also known as the Revenant Sovereign.


    Being one of the mightiest individuals in the world of Vantrea, Argos stood tall, his dark presence casting an imposing shadow across the hall.


    Their connection was no ordinarymunication, for it was facilitated by an ancient artifact known as the Mirror of Fate.


    This mystic tool granted ess to unprecedented meetings, allowing the Fenrirbrone Tribe Leader to beseech an audience with Argos from more than three hundred thousand kilometers away.


    The urgency in his gaze spoke volumes, as if a dire shift in events had transpired, pushing him to act hastily.


    "Things went south here. When are youing?" asked Romulus with an incredulous countenance.


    "How amusing. Things aren''t good on my end either. The Demon Emperor almost killed one of the Soveirgns yesterday." replied Argos, the 9th-stage saint with an exasperated tone as if he was having a headache.


    "And now I''m stationed at the front using my castle as a frontline warning to deter them from attacking again until the situation bes stable.


    We''re lucky that the Demon God has entered seclusion. Otherwise, at least 2 of the Sovereigns would have died yesterday''s battle if he were present." he revealed the direness of the situation that seemed as important as the one Romulus was to talk of.


    "Well, you didn''t contact me because you like me¡­ So what happened?" he asked while taking a seat on his ck and golden throne.


    Romulus then told Argos everything about what happened during the tribal tourney about how Kahn as Atreus Betor won and became the champion; but the Empress Kaali rewarded Kahn by making him a member of Hero of Nature''s party.


    "Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" yelled Argos, thoroughly outraged.


    "I told you to train the boy, not send him to partake in a tournament that is simply but a suicidal deathmatch!" he bellowed in visible fury.


    However, Romulus simply yawned, disregarding Argos'' infuriated expression and replied carefreely.


    "No great warrior was ever forged under the illusion of having time, safety and leisure.


    If he didn''t feel a sense of threat to his life and a metaphorical clock ticking in his mind during every waking moment¡­ He wouldn''t have been able to even learn half of what I taught him within a year." proimed the Heavenly King in an unapologetic tone as he folded his broad and muscr arms.


    "You sent him to me and I have done what was necessary as his master. I would not ept anyints about it.


    And now¡­ All that remains is his strength and rank rising. He will need time to consolidate and evolve his skills as years go by.


    As for his potential¡­ I''m afraid ''we'' have created a monster who might as well topple empires in the near future after he bes an 8th-stage saint." stated Romulus without a shred of hesitation despite making such a grand and controversial im.


    The ''we'' he referred to was himself and Rathnaar as per Argos'' assumption. Yet, Romulus did not inform him about the other mentor called Vildred Mortelix.


    "On top of that, he has 2 divine keys. You know what will happen when he enters that ce during the Conve." he spoke and gazed back at Argos through the mirror.


    The Revenant Soverirgn on the other hand revealed a gloomy face as he spoke¡­


    "Dammit! Only if I could take him to those ancient ruins and awaken his divine key.


    But that would take weeks even for me to reach there. And without an awakened Divine Key, he can''t use it even if he enters the sacred site."


    A grim atmosphere ensued on both ends.


    "Looks like fate is mocking us.


    The Empress pulled her moves that were out of my predictions and now Kahn has to go where you were nning to take him anyway, just under the disguise as a member of the Hero of Nature''s party.


    But at the same time¡­ His divine key is practically useless to him despite going to the ce he was destined to. Meanwhile, you can''t leave your position because of the war with the Demon Empire.


    The things we need the most arepletely out of our control." said Romulus in a somber voice.


    "And I have no other choice but to send him as a member of Hero''s Party.


    Either that¡­ Or we risk his identity being revealed to the Empress." his voice turned heavy.


    And in that fleeting moment, as the weight of their respective responsibilities settled upon their shoulders, both formidable saints found sce in epting the grim reality before them.


    Like most men who had witnessed their world crumble in an instant, yet had found the strength to confront it, they stood as one, their voices melding into a harmonious chorus as they spoke in unison...


    "It is what it is."

 Chapter 923 Impure Blood

    Chapter 923 Impure Blood


    The sun rose on a new day, casting its warm rays upon the Council Hall of the Fenrirborne Tribe, where Romulus Lykaios, the Heavenly King of Fire, and Kahn in his Atreus persona, the recently inducted member of the Hero of Nature''s party, found themselves entangled in a precarious situation.


    The weight of their shared predicament hung heavily in the air as they engaged in a conversation fraught with tension.


    The revtion of Atreus'' true background as a mixblood, born of Fenrirborne and Basilisk lineage, a fictional narrative carefully crafted by Romulus during the Elysium Tribal Tourney, had caused a seismic upheaval in both their lives.


    The ramifications rippled through the tribe, setting off a wave of unease and uncertainty.


    For centuries, the Fenrirborne Tribe and the Basilisk Tribe had been bitter rivals, their enmity deeply rooted in the ancient conflict between the Godbeast Fenrir and the Godbeast Basilisk, transcending generations and eras.


    Unlike dragons, Basilisks had no other natural adversaries, yet the descendants of Fenrir instilled a sense of unease and perceived threat within them.


    The longstanding animosity between the tribes had kept them at odds, never allowing them to findmon ground. And now, with the revtion of Kahn''s true parentage as the supposed son of two deserters¡ªa betrayal of their respective tribes, as they had defected and allied themselves with the Shadow Disciple of the opposing tribe, mingling with the enemy¡ªthe situation had be intolerable.


    After the tourney ended and the official procedure to make Atreus enlist as a member of the Hero of Nature''s party began¡­ the way others treated Atreus changed as well.


    As the Tribe Council n Leaders and Elders cast their scornful gazes upon Atreus, the air in the Council Hall grew heavy with disdain and hatred.


    Once regarded as a precious gem by the Tribe Council, a potential sessor and future leader of the Fenrirborne Tribe, Atreus now found himself shunned by those who had previously showered him with praise and support.


    The reason for this sudden shift in their perception was painfully straightforward. Atreus stood as an anomaly¡ªa living embodiment of the shame and betrayal that had befallen their tribe.


    His very existence carried the stain of his parentage, a connection to the despised Basilisk Tribe that had been the object of their animosity for centuries.


    The Fenrirborne Tribe, steeped in their ancient traditions and bitter rivalry with the Basilisk Tribe, saw Atreus as a living reminder of their past grievances. The blood that flowed through his veins bore the traces of the very enemy they had despised for generations.


    To them, he was an embodiment of impurity, a constant reminder of the betrayal that had tarnished their honor.


    Even the other four disciples of Romulus, who had once stood by Atreus''s side asrades and allies, now distanced themselves from him. They, too, felt the weight of society''s disdain and chose to shield themselves from the perceived impurity that ran through his veins.


    Their actions spoke volumes, as they refrained from even touching him, fearing contamination by his tainted lineage.


    Atreus stood alone in the face of this collective rejection, the weight of his mixed heritage pressing heavily upon his shoulders.


    "All of you may leave."manded Romulus as the n leaders, Elders, and his disciples left the grand council hall.


    Under an istion barrier, the Heavenly King of Fire and the Champion of Elysium Tribal Tourney began their private conversation.


    "Just two days ago, they were cheering for me when I won the tourney and now, they look at me as if I''m the embodiment of an incurable disease." said Atreus.


    "Well, it is better this way. I foresaw this when I created that fake background story for you.


    But my n included you secretly disappearing when the time came.


    However, even I could not predict that damn Empress making you a member of the Hero''s Party.


    And I believe she has ulterior motives as well." spoke Romulus with an incredulous expression.


    "What kind of motives do you mean?" queried Kahn.


    "On the surface, she does not like you very much. But even she can''t deny that someone with both Fenrir and Basilisk bloodlines would definitely be a powerful figure in the future of the empire.


    Not just her but even the other Heavenly Kings are aware of this." exined the crimson wolfkin.


    "Although she can''t publicly have ties with you in any way¡­ By making you a member of Hero of Nature''s party¡­ She can monitor you." proimed Romulus.


    "She could have granted you any reward but chose to make you join the Hero''s Party as the first step of her schemes. Her real ns will start after you officially be a member.


    After joining the Hero''s Party¡­ You will no longer be a member of Fenrirborne Tribe. And I assume the council members will soon create a ruckus to have you cast out from the Tribe as well.


    With that, I will no longer have any justification to support you or meddle in to solve your troubles.


    You will be on your own from now on." said Romulus with a dejected face and clenched his fists very hard, barely containing his rage.


    However¡­


    "It''s okay." replied Kahn confidently.


    This response took Romulus aback, anticipating an answer.


    "We were going to part ways at some point anyways. In case you haven''t noticed Master¡­ But I''m damn good at surviving on my own.


    On top of it, I have him with me." he spoke and suddenly, a schrly figure appeared out of a dimensional crack behind Kahn.


    "The boy is right. This was supposed to be our temporary stop anyway.


    In a sense, we overstayed our wee for a year." spoke Vildred, the Sage of Preservation and let out a light smile.


    "Besides¡­ Do you not trust your disciple and what you''ve taught him so far?" he asked with a grin.


    As the weight of worry for his disciple began to lift, Romulus experienced a sudden jolt of realization.


    How could he have forgotten the true identity of Kahn Salvatore?


    He was not just a mere warrior or a member of the Fenrirborne Tribe. No, Kahn was something far more formidable ¨C


    The goddamn Hero of Darkness and the Apostle of the War Deity.


    But that wasn''t all; Kahn''s illustrious resume continued to extend.


    He was also the mentee of the fearsome Apostle of ughter and the Sage of Preservation who once held the prestigious title of the former Dragon Emperor.


    He hade to know Vildred''s true identity very recently after they willing told Romulus, so now, he was even more confident.


    The sheer magnitude of Kahn''s current abilities and potential surpassed even their own.


    Despite the current unfavorable circumstances and the Empress'' animosity towards Atreus, Romulus understood that it didn''t change the undeniable truth: Kahn was a force to be reckoned with, someone who demanded utmost caution.


    Romulus realized that fearing for Kahn''s safety was pointless; rather, he should show sympathy towards those who willingly chose to stand against him.


    "Alright, you made your point." spoke Romulus and nodded at Vildred.


    "As for your next move, Kahn¡­ I need to tell you something." he spoke in a serious tone.


    "You must go to the Conve of Heroes no matter what." he stated with amanding voice.


    "If you do not do so or miss it for any reason¡­" spoke the Heavenly King of Fire with a bated breath as he revealed the cause of his warning.


    "You will die."

 Chapter 924 Not By Choice

    Chapter 924 Not By Choice


    Two weeks had passed since the tumultuous events that had unfolded within the Fenrirborne Tribe. In the capital city of Tenochtin, the heart of the Nadur Empire, all eyes were fixed on the grand imperial pce, a sprawlingplex that served as a symbol of sovereignty and strength.


    Within its ten-kilometer expansey castles, imperial department halls, and the renowned Hall of Justice, each structure representing a pir of the empire''s power.


    Unlike other empires, the Nadur Empire did not follow a hereditary session system. Instead, their emperors and empresses were determined through a Trial by Combat, where challengers fought to the death for the throne.


    This unique approach ensured that only the strongest and most capable individuals ascended to the position of ruler.


    Given the significance of the imperial pce, many vital institutions and offices were strategically located in its vicinity. This arrangement facilitated the swift gathering of thousands of people who came for various purposes, be it conducting important affairs of the empire or seeking an audience with the Empress herself.


    The close proximity of these institutions to the pce created an efficient system that allowed the Empress to convene meetings with key figureheads from different departments with ease.


    However, on this particr day, the atmosphere within the imperial pce was charged with anticipation. Within the grand hall of a golden castle, adorned with banners bearing the insignia of the imperial guard, a select few had gathered for a momentous asion¡ªthe coronation ceremony.


    This solemn event, held at the very heart of the pce, was reserved for those who held positions of utmost importance within the empire.


    Within the hallowed halls of the imperial pce, a momentous ritual unfolded. The Empress, apanied by the four Heavenly Kings, presided over a ceremony where Atreus, the newly appointed member of the Hero of Nature''s Party, would take an oath of allegiance before these formidable powerhouses.


    Standing before an ornate altar, Atreus cast his gaze to his right, taking in the sight of his fellow party members. Apart from Maximus dius and a certain Tigerkin, most of them were unfamiliar faces to him.


    It was a gathering of individuals united by amon purpose, bound by the calling to fight against the demon god.


    A priest, whose appearance resembled that of a white-feathered peacock¡ªa clear indication of their lineage as descendants of the Godbeast Roc¡ªstepped forward. His voice carried a solemn authority as he began to speak, guiding Atreus through the oath.


    "I, Atreus Betor, shall ce the interests of the empire above all else. I pledge my unwavering servitude to the cause ofbating the war against the demon god, as a dedicated member of the Hero''s Party." the Priest cited with unwavering conviction.


    Kahn, in his Atreus persona as a towering 3-meter-tall ice and water elemental Wolfkin, echoed the words of the oath after citing the Priest''s exact words.


    As the priest intoned the final incantations, a mystical golden and emerald pentagonal formation materialized in the air, gradually descending upon Kahn and imprinting itself upon his chest and head.


    This sacred symbol, known as the Mark of Servitude, was a legendary rank seal that adorned all members of the Hero''s Party upon their official induction. It signified the acknowledgment and formalization of their position within the party by the authorities.


    However, Romulus had confided in Kahn a few days prior, revealing a darker truth behind this revered mark. It was not only a symbol of servitude but also a ve mark, designed to track the whereabouts and monitor the mental state of its bearer.


    The imperial authorities held the power to supervise the behavior of party members, and in extreme circumstances, they could mete out capital punishment.


    In simple words, it was like a bomb ced in your chest and brain with the imperial authorities holding the kill switch.


    [It is done.] spoke Vildred from the True Dimension.


    Kahn was not one to willingly submit to a ve contract, especially when he had a master of magic like Vildred by his side.


    Vildred, a 2,000-year-old Royal Dragon who had attained the rank of Sage, possessed unparalleled mastery and profound knowledge of magic spells and formations.


    Among the vast empires of Vantrea, he was counted as one of the world''s three living Sages.


    During the ritual, Vildred used his immense magical expertise to subtly manipte the Mark of Servitude that had been imposed on Kahn. While the mark would still appear to be imprinted on Kahn''s body and mind, its true effects were altered in a way that deceived the imperial authorities.


    The mark would give the illusion that Kahn waspliant to their orders and showed no intentions of betraying the empire. This would pacify the authorities and give them a false sense of control.


    Furthermore, Vildred ensured that the tracking aspect of the mark could be severed at Kahn''s will.


    If the need arose for them to escape from the clutches of the empire, Kahn had the power to sever the connection, rendering the authorities unable to track him and hispanions.


    Most importantly, Vildred''s maniption of the mark ensured that it had no hold over Kahn''s life. Even if the imperial authorities attempted to activate the Mark of Servitude as a means to kill him, they would find themselves powerless.


    The mark, as modified by Vildred, would be rendered inert, leaving Kahn unharmed andpletely immune to its lethal effects.


    With Vildred''s magic weaving its protective web, Kahn now possessed a safeguard against the potential dangers imposed by the empire. The apparentpliance of the mark would grant them a semnce of safety while concealing their true intentions.


    They would remain one step ahead, their lives untethered by the control of the imperial authorities.


    ----------------


    As evening fell and the ceremonies of the day came to a close, Atreus made his way to the dedicated vi of the Hero''s Party.


    This secluded abode served as a meeting ce where the members would gather to discuss their priorities, strategies, and the protection of the empire''s citizens in the name of their revered deity.


    Officially, this vi was a hub of activity, where important discussions took ce and decisions were made. However, in reality, it was primarily a space for the members to gather and engage in casual conversations amongst themselves.


    The vi saw little use outside of their monthly meetings, and most of the members resided in their own estates within their respective ns and tribes.


    Their actual missions were rtively minor, involving the asional monster subjugation to maintain a facade of bravery and justice, appeasing the public''s expectations.


    The majority of their time was spent maintaining the appearance of heroism and fulfilling the public''s perception of their role.


    However, due to the coronation of Kahn, also known as Atreus, the members were summoned to the vi on this particr day. The significance of the event warranted their presence, gathering them together for a purpose beyond the usual mundane activities.


    As the members of the Hero''s Party gathered in the vi, Atreus found himself face-to-face with his fellowrades. Among them was Maximus dius, the current Hero of Nature, who greeted Atreus with a mix of surprise and acknowledgment.


    "It''s good to see you again, Atreus. I didn''t expect our paths to cross under these circumstances." Maximus spoke, his toneced with a hint of genuine curiosity.


    Maximus held a favorable impression of Atreus, formed during their shared battle against the mythical rank monster known as Cherufe.


    In that encounter, they had engaged in deep conversations about morals and the reasons behind Maximus''s unwavering dedication to protecting the lives of those who often failed to appreciate their sacrifices.


    Furthermore, during the Elysium Tribal Tourney, where all the members of the Hero''s Party were present as spectators, they witnessed the remarkable disy of Atreus''s overwhelming power.


    His victories were ruthless and upromising, leaving an indelible mark on their memories. Particrly, the finale, where Atreus tore out Dahaka''s head along with his spine, remained vivid in their minds.


    Despite Maximus''s positive impression, many of the other members harbored doubts and reservations about Atreus.


    They questioned whether his brutal nature and unconventional methods made him more suited to be an executioner rather than someone who embodied the virtues of righteousness and justice that they strived to uphold.


    These misgivings were carefully concealed beneath polite exchanges and cordiality during the ceremony in front of others. However, now that they were gathered together, it was time for their true faces and opinions toe to light.


    Each member would have the opportunity to express their thoughts, concerns, and apprehensions about Atreus, forging the path for future interactions within the Hero''s Party.


    "Oye, new guy. Let me tell you something before you get all of your hopes up." spoke one of the members. A tall lionking with green mane and golden glowing eyes.


    This was one of the 6th stage saints of the group.


    "All you have to do is keep your head down and not make a mistake during the Conve of Heroes.


    Don''t talk, ask questions or be a hindrance to us. Do you get that?" hismanding voice resonated in the hall they entered.


    "Airsh¡­ Who the fuck starts a conversation like that? I just sat down." said Atreus after he casually sat down on a luxurious chair and gave a disregarding look towards this lionkin.


    "Don''t get me wrong, but unlike you losers¡­ I''m not here by choice.


    I bet all of you feel prideful for being the member of the Hero''s Party; while I feel like I''m in a cage.


    So no matter what happens, just know this..." said Kahn unhesitatingly and revealed his honest thoughts¡­


    "We''re not the same."

 Chapter 925 Disrespect and Contempt

    925 Disrespect and Contempt


    After Atreus'' tant and disregarding words, an indescribable tension arose in the atmosphere.


    In his tone, it sounded as if Atreus was telling the rest of the members that they were nothing but fakes and didn''t deserve to bepared with him as members of the party in any sense.


    [System, give me their details.] ordered Kahn as he used the system after so many months.


    In the Hero of Nature''s Party, there were several members, each possessing unique species, sses, and appearances.


    [Here is an introduction to the party members:


    1. Vikaat


    Species: Tengu (Roc Descendant)


    ss: Halberd warrior


    This Tengu member has ck feathers covering their body, with sharp, piercing eyes. They wield a long spear with deadly precision, showcasing their expertise in closebat.


    2. Rkan


    Species: Snakekin (Basilisk Descendant)


    ss: Elemental Mage


    The gray Snakekin mage possesses scales of a muted gray hue, with a serpentine tail extending from their lower body. He emanates an air of mysticism, their eyes filled with ancient wisdom as theymand powerful arcane spells.


    3. Pokawor


    Species: Naga (Serpent-like humanoid with multiple arms)


    ss: Spearman


    The Naga spearman stands tall and imposing, with a muscr physique and four powerful arms. Their scaly body glistens in shades of green and gold, and their mastery of the spear is evident in their every movement.


    4. Xavolees


    Species: Bearkin (Bear-like Beastman)


    ss: Battleaxe Warrior


    The silver Bearkin warrior is a formidable sight, towering above others with their powerful build and imposing presence. Covered in thick silver fur, he wield a massive battleaxe with ease, exuding strength and ferocity.


    5. Borat


    Species: Lionkin (Baihu Descendant)


    ss: Knight


    The Lionkin knight possesses a regal aura, with a mane of vibrant green surrounding their head. Their golden fur radiates nobility and courage, and they don a suit of gleaming armor as a symbol of their dedication to protecting the innocent.


    6. Svana


    Species: Feline-kin (Baihu Descendant)


    ss: Assassin


    The bipedal cat assassin moves with agility and stealth, her lithe body and keen reflexes making her the perfect predator. With sleek fur and sharp ws, she can blend seamlessly into the shadows, ready to strike with deadly precision.


    7. Speki


    Species: Avian (Roc Descendant)


    ss: Fire Elemental Summoner


    This unique member resembles a red feathered peacock, with vibrant plumage adorning their body. They possess hands along with two wings emerging from their back, and they possess the ability to summon and control powerful fire elementals.


    8. Conan Doykle


    Species: Tigerkin (Baihu Descendant)


    ss: Swordsman


    The white Tigerkin swordsman exudes an aura of grace and elegance. Their snowy white fur isplemented by piercing blue eyes, and they wield a finely crafted sword with precision and finesse.] reported the system about the Hero''s Party member in one go.


    Kahn remembered thest member very clearly.


    Conan Doykle, the individual responsible for the loss of countless lives, was also present among the party members. This member is the one Kahn had previously encountered, rewarded with the title as the Sword of Salvation, famous for avenging the deaths of millions.


    But in reality, it was he who caused their death by attacking a mythical rank monster named Hodag.


    Despite his role in the tragedy, his expression betrayed fear, for he is well aware of the formidable strength and ferocity disyed by Atreus when they metst time.


    Atreus, feeling the weight of his circumstances and frustrated by theck of true heroism in the Hero''s Party, decided to be brutally honest with hispanions.


    He addressed them with a firm and direct tone, making his opinions known:


    "I''m not here by choice, and I don''t have any time to y little mind games within this group. So, I''ll be upfront with my opinion of this so-called Hero''s Party." he spoke unhesitatingly.


    He looked around at hispanions, his gaze piercing and unyielding.


    "Other than the Hero himself, I haven''t seen or heard about any of you doing anything worthy of your title. Stop acting like you''re all someone important.


    I know that every single one of you is just discarded pieces from your tribes and ns. Some of you are here solely because being part of this party is beneficial to your ns and tribes in terms of public image."


    He paused briefly, letting his words sink in before continuing.


    "And from now on, when you speak to me... You will address me with respect.


    11:38


    "But the truth doesn''t change the fact that you''re all just poster boys for the most part. Most of you have never even truly fought for the sake of people or saved lives while risking your own.


    So, do not talk to me as if you''re all standing on some high moral ground just because you joined before me."


    Atreus takes a moment to gather himself, his eyes narrowing as he assesses hispanions.


    "And from now on, when you speak to me... You will address me with respect.


    Never forget how I got here."


    The warning in Atreus'' voice is clear, leaving no room for misunderstanding. He demanded respect and reminds them all of his own journey and the trials he has faced to reach this point.


    With his promation, he seeks to establish his own position within the group and make it clear that he will not be treated as anything less than an equal.


    "Ha ha ha!! Is this for real?!"


    One after another, all the membersughed at Kahn.


    As Atreus''s bold statements were met withughter and disdain from the party members, tensions within the group rose furthermore.


    Displeased with his attitude, they expressed their dissatisfaction and gave a condescending look.


    One member spoke up, fueling the animosity.


    "Has this trash gone mad? This bloody halfbreed bastard is acting like he owns the ce." spoke Xavolees, the Bearkin warrior.


    Another member eagerly joined in, eager for confrontation.


    "Let''s put him in his ce. Who wants to go first?" said Speki, the red peacock summoner.


    However, amidst the growing hostility, Maximus, a voice of reason, stepped forward, attempting to diffuse the situation.


    "This is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. Today''s meeting was for deciding the strategy for the Conve of Heroes and how we all fight as a team. That is more necessary than inner strifes."


    Maximus''s intervention aims to remind the party of their greater purpose, urging them to focus on the impending challenges rather than engaging in internal conflicts.


    Nevertheless, his words were met with contemptuous looks, highlighting the disdain some party members hold for his attempt to prevent further esction.


    "I oppose this decision, ''Lord Hero''." Borat, the 6th stage saint lionkin dered.


    "He has disgraced us and the sanctity of the Hero''s party by his remarks. No one with a shred of pride will ept this disrespect."


    The opposition to Maximus''s plea for unity and his defense of Atreus''s respect showed the deep division within the group.


    Their pride and honor had been wounded, furtherplicating the already strained dynamics within the Hero''s party.


    The underlying tension andck of respect towards them by Atreus created a challenging dynamic within the group.


    On the other side... Despite his title and the authority bestowed upon Maximus, the other party members harbored deep-seated prejudices due to his human lineage. This prejudice undermined his ability to effectively lead andmand the group.


    Maximus, being aware of the contempt directed towards him, often found himself facing opposition and resistance whenever he made decisions or tried to assert his authority.


    His voice carried little weight, and his attempts to lead were met with skepticism and resistance from the others.


    The members of the party, driven by their own preconceived notions and biases, looked for opportunities to challenge Maximus''s decisions indirectly. They found ways to circumvent his authority and assert their own agendas, often disregarding his leadership altogether.


    As tensions escted within the Hero''s party, one member expressed the desire to test Atreus''s fighting prowess and ensure their safety.


    Atreus, fueled by his own confidence, weed the challenge, eager to put hispanions in their ce.


    "Besides... we should know the real fighting prowess of our new sidekick before he ends up risking our lives due to his weakness." spoke Svana, the feline assassin.


    "Alright then, it''s better this way. I was raring to put you losers in your ce anyways." suddenly, Atreus'' haughty and unapologetic voice resounded in the hall.


    The decision was made to engage in a training session within the vi, utilizing the training formations avable. As they stepped into a pocket dimension filled with a forest and ancient ruins, tension hung in the air like debris.


    However, Maximus, observing the situation, voiced his opposition, recognizing the injustice towards the new member.


    "Count me out. This seems nothing but bullying the new guy." he spoke with a dejected countenance.


    His refusal to participate highlighted his moral objection to the proposed confrontation.


    Nheless, the green-maned lionkin was undeterred, suggesting someone step forward to teach Atreus a lesson.


    "So, who wants to teach this bastard a lesson first?" spoke Borat in a tyrannical voice.


    But before anyone else could respond, Atreus interjected, his tone dripping with arrogance.


    "What do you mean ''who''? Looks like I didn''t make myself clear. I''m going to fight..."


    His wicked grin betrayed a sinister intention as he challenged his entire party, seemingly relishing the opportunity to prove his strength against them collectively.


    "All of you together at once."

 Chapter 926 Center Of Hatred

    Kahn''s bold challenge to the entire Hero''s Party sent shockwaves through the room, leaving even Maximus, who had refrained from participating in the previous antagonism, stunned. The members of the party, each regarded as exceptional talents and sources of pride within their ns and tribes, found it difficult toprehend how this neer could openly challenge their authority and disy such audacious hubris.


    Borat, unable to contain his outrage, voiced his disbelief and anger at Kahn''s audacity. His words carried a mixture of shock and indignation, reflecting the sentiments shared by the rest of the Hero''s Party members.


    The atmosphere in the pocket dimension grew tense as Kahn''s bold deration hung in the air. The challenge he posed, to fight them all together, seemed nothing short of madness. The members exchanged nces, their faces a mix of incredulity and determination. They were not ustomed to having their authority questioned or facing open opposition, and Kahn''s words struck at the core of their pride and self-assurance.


    "What the fuck did you just say? Are you out of your goddamn mind, you bastard?" asked Borat.


    While they each possessed exceptional abilities and backgrounds that had earned them their esteemed positions, Kahn''s sudden appearance had shaken their assumptions of superiority. The notion that this neer believed he could take on the entire Hero''s Party was a direct challenge to their individual prowess and the collective might they represented.


    The hostile atmosphere within the Hero''s party took a dark turn as the members contemted the consequences of Atreus''s challenge.


    "Is this bastard on some suicide mission? Is he not afraid of death?" said Speki.


    However, amidst the unsettling discussion, Rkan, the snakekin mage, presented a sinister suggestion, reveling in the opportunity to exploit Atreus''s regenerative abilities.


    "Ha ha ha! Good for me. Although we don''t have a healer in our group, I heard the Fenrirborne tribe members have great regenerative ability. We can''t kill him since he''s part of the group now, but it doesn''t mean we can''t rip apart his arms and legs.


    He will keep regenerating over time, and we will keep torturing him until he begs all of us for forgiveness." spoke the mage with a sinisterugh.


    Rkan''s sadistic proposal disyed a disturbing desire to inflict pain upon Atreus, taking advantage of his regenerative capabilities as a member of the Fenrirborne tribe. The suggestion hinted at a cruel intention to subject him to prolonged suffering, intending to break his spirit.


    The air grew heavier as the party members contemted Rkan''s idea, the group''s unity fracturing even further. The conversation took a dark turn, leaving an ominous cloud hanging over their interactions and the impending battle that awaited them in the pocket dimension.


    As the tension in the Hero''s party reached its peak, Atreus grew increasingly exasperated with their empty words andck of action. He folded his arms, disying a bored expression, and called out their perceived shorings.


    "Bah, are you guys only good at talking? It would''ve been useful if you guys spent this much time on training instead of bullshitting." remarked Atreus, giving a look of disdain towards the party members.


    His statement struck a nerve with Pokawor, the Naga spearman warrior, who had been harboring anger towards Atreus.


    "This fucker! I''m gonna fuck him up!" his rageful voice echoed in the surrounding.


    The Naga warrior''s face revealed his pent-up frustration, his desire for a confrontation with Atreus growing stronger. However, rather than backing down, Atreus embraced the challenge with mischievous glee.


    "Hey, hey... Stop talking and fight me already. And fight me seriously."


    A mischievous grin yed on Atreus''s face, indicating his eagerness to engage in a genuine battle. He made it clear that he had no intention of going easy on any of his fellow party members, asserting his determination to prove his own strength and expose their weaknesses.


    "Because I''m not intending to go easy on any of you posers either."


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    As the tension escted within the Hero''s Party, a powerful energy permeated the surroundings, causing the ancient ruins toe alive. Eight distinct, vibrant auras emerged, each representing the unique abilities and strengths of the party members.


    The colored auras enveloped the vast expanse of the white ancient ruins, creating a mystical and awe-inspiring spectacle that stretched across a 15-kilometer radius.


    Conan, who had initially harbored fear towards Atreus, now found a newfound sense of confidence. The shared cause and the unity among his teammates emboldened him, allowing his own resentment towards Atreus to surface.


    Previously, Conan had hesitated to act upon his resentment, aware of his own limitations as a 4th stage saint. However, with the collective power and support of his fellow party members, he felt a renewed sense of courage.


    "You brought this on yourself, you damn blue mutt!" said Svana as she took her daggers out.


    "Let''s show this shithead who''s he messing with. He wanted to face all of us together, right?


    Then let''s show him what happens when a roadside garbage dared to hold their head up against people who belong to the top of food chain." dered Borat and one after another, all of the spread up in mere moments.


    Swoon!


    Swoon!


    The very next moment, a massive pir of emerald auraing out of Borat, one of the 6th stage saints of the group quickly arose and spread on the ground.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    "Domain Expansion : Nature''s Fury!" shouted the green-maned lionkin.


    As the emerald aura permeated the ground beneath them, an astonishing transformation urred within the ancient ruins. Terraforming magic surged through the debris, causing the emergence of a mesmerizing sight. From the shattered remnants of the ruins, thousands of colossal vines, trees, and vibrant multicolored flowers sprouted forth.


    These towering flora, shrouded in a deep green hue, reached heights of hundreds of meters and spanned dozens of meters in width.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    This wondrous and unnatural phenomenon was none other than Borat''s domain. His mastery over nature and the ability to manipte nt life manifested in this breathtaking disy of power. The vines intertwined and coiled, creating a sprawling canopy that stretched above, while the colossal trees stood as sentinels of Borat''s domain, their branches reaching towards the sky.


    The air became saturated with the scent of earth and vegetation, as the vibrant flowers bloomed, adorning the surroundings with a kaleidoscope of colors.


    The once deste and crumbling ruins were transformed into a vibrant, living sanctuary¡ªa testament to Borat''smand over the natural forces.


    However, things didn''t just end there.


    Rumble!


    Tremble!


    As the sky above them darkened and the clouds multiplied, an ominous presence filled the air. In a matter of moments, the temperature in the vicinity plummeted to freezing levels, reaching zero degrees within a mere 10 seconds.


    The sound of a frigid blizzard echoed through the surroundings, sending a shiver down Atreus'' spine. This was the Snow Domain of Xavolees, the silver bearkin battleaxe warrior and the second 6th stage saint within the Hero''s Party.


    Xavolees'' control over ice and snow was unparalleled, and his domain unleashed a powerful blizzard that could freeze millions of soldiers on a battlefield with its bone-chilling intensity. The howling winds and icy gusts carried the potential to incapacitate even a 3rd stage saint within a mere 10 minutes of exposure.


    The party members, familiar with Xavolees'' Blizzard Domain, braced themselves against the biting cold and the onught of the blizzard''s fury. Atreus, in particr, felt the frosty tendrils of the blizzard creeping towards him, a stark reminder of the dangers posed by his fellow party member.


    The sh of domains within the Hero''s Party grew more apparent, as Borat''s vibrant and verdant domain stood in contrast to Xavolees'' chilling Snow Domain.


    [Dammit! Are they insane?!


    At this rate, Atreus would sustain grave injuries. I should meddle in if things get serious.] thought Maximus from afar.


    The tense atmosphere within the Hero''s Party escted as Atreus intentionally provoked the members with his challenging words.


    While Maximus wasn''t inclined to initiate a fight with his own teammate solely based on words, Atreus''s unyielding attitude andck of consideration left him with little reason to defend or support such behavior.


    Complicating matters further was the Law of the Jungle, a prevalent ideology in the Nadur Empire that governed their interactions. ording to thisw, defending one''s honor and reputation was considered a valid cause for physical confrontation.


    Atreus''s deliberate provocation had provided the members with a perceived justification to attack him, as they sought to defend their pride and maintain their standing within the Hero''s Party.


    In the midst of this charged atmosphere, Maximus found himself torn between the desire to maintain unity within the party and the internal conflict caused by Atreus''s provocative behavior.


    As a battle-hardened warrior, he understood the significance of honor and reputation, but he also recognized the importance of cohesion within their group. It was a delicate bnce to strike, one that required careful consideration of the potential consequences.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    As tensions soared within the Hero''s Party, Speki, the red peacock-kin and fire elemental summoner, took center stage. With a wave of his hand, he conjured massive fireballs, each resembling a destructive cannonball, and summoned hundreds of towering firebirds that resembled majestic phoenixes. The fiery creatures circled around him, radiating intense heat and power.


    In an impressive disy of mastery over his domain, Speki activated his powerful domain, known as the Assembly of Purified me. This domain intensified the heat and intensity of his fire-based attacks, adding anotheryer of danger to his already formidable power.


    Targeting Atreus, Speki directed his arsenal of fireballs andmanding firebirds towards him. The fireballs, resembling zing cannonballs, hurtled through the air with devastating force, while the firebirds soared overhead, their fiery plumage leaving trails of scorching embers in their wake.


    By logic, Fire and Blizzard should have canceled each other. But instead, they coexisted in a heterogeneous arrangement as one part was scorching hot while the other was freezing cold at the same time on different multitudes and directions.


    Under thebined pressure of Speki''s domain and the previous domains unleashed by Xavolees and Borat, Kahn, in his Atreus persona, found himself constrained. The immense power and unified assault of the three domains created a formidable challenge that tested his resilience and ability to withstand the onught.


    As the battlefield became enveloped in a maelstrom of elemental forces, the sh of domains intensified. The air crackled with heat and energy, and the sheer power of thebined attacks threatened to consume everything in their path.


    And these were just 3 members.


    The rest 5 members were strategically located in different directions, ready to attack as part of their teamwork against enemies.


    [Warning! The host is under the debuff effect of 3 different domains.


    All physical and magical stats are reduced by 30%.


    Warning!


    The host''s senses and agility have been decreased by 40%] the system informed, warning Kahn about his precarious situation.


    "All right then, that should be enough for a warmup." said Atreus carefully as he flexed his shoulders, cracked his neck and took the Goku warmup posture.


    His gaze thennded on the party members that had spread afar dozens of kilometers in all directions.


    Yet, there was no hint of fear or worry on his face as he asked in an insidious voice¡­


    "Shall we get started?"

 Chapter 927 Setting Bar Too High

    The battle within the Hero''s Party intensified as the three elemental domains¡ªWood, Ice, and Fire¡ªmerged and converged upon Atreus, overwhelming him with theirbined might.


    From the domain of Wood, hundreds of towering trees and vines shot forth, resembling spears thrusting towards their target. The already-established domain expanded its reach, seeking to ensnare and pierce Atreus with its vegetative assault. Alongside the trees, the colossal flowers radiated a blinding light, their petals creating a dazzling spectacle meant to disorient and confuse their opponent.


    Simultaneously, the domain of Fire manifested through hundreds of raging phoenixes, their battlecries resonating across a vast expanse of 20 kilometers. These majestic creatures, fierce and relentless, unleashed their fiery attacks, aiming to engulf Atreus in a storm of scorching mes and searing heat.


    Adding to the onught, the domain of Ice presented a chilling and formidable disy. Hundreds of 10-meter-long icicles, shaped like deadly bullets, formed within the domain, each iceberg possessing the power to freeze entire towns into ice statues in an instant. These icy projectiles hurtled towards Atreus, their sharp points threatening to pierce and freeze him in ce.


    The unified assault of the three domains showcased not only the individual power of each member but also their exceptional synergy as a team. Despite the different elements at y, none of the saints'' domains neutralized or diminished the efficacy of the others. Instead, they seamlesslybined their strengths, maximizing their collective might against their target.


    "Good. They should be able to do this much in the past 8 years since this party was formed." said Atreus.


    Swoosh!


    As the battle raged on, an unexpected turn of events unfolded. Rkan, the mage of the Hero''s Party, conjured a multicolored formation in the sky, creating a magic formation that further enhanced thebined effectiveness of the three elemental domains. Acting as the team''s support character, Rkan utilized his magical abilities to buff the team''s attack skills, amplifying their collective power.


    The formidable synergy of the three elemental domains, now augmented by Rkan''s magical enhancements, unleashed a tyrannical and terrifying pressure. The sheer intensity of theirbined efforts would have sent a normal 5th-stage saint into a state of fear and distress, potentially causing them to tremble with terror and even pee their pants.


    However, what the others in the Hero''s Party failed to realize was that Kahn had been testing them all along. He had intentionally allowed them to activate their domains and unleash their attacks, giving them the false impression of gaining the upper hand and weakening him with their debuffs.


    Kahn''s true intentions were hidden beneath hisposed demeanor. He wanted to observe the full extent of their abilities and test the unity and resilience of the Hero''s Party. By waiting and enduring their onught, he could gauge their strengths and weaknesses, understanding how they operated as a team and whether they could maintain their cohesion under pressure.


    [System, how much now?] asked Kahn to his royal advisor.


    [All stats have been suppressed by 45% and senses as well as agility is further decreased by 53%.


    The host is nowparable to a peak 3rd stage saint with the current stats.] reported the system.


    [Nice! This is better than I thought.] replied KAhn, relishing in the further decrease in his strength.


    Shoot!


    As thebined forces of the Hero''s Party converged upon him, Atreus stood steadfast, facing the onught of fireballs, vines, icicles, and lightning attacks. The air crackled with energy as the elements collided in a cataclysmic disy of power.


    The massive fireballs hurtled towards him, trailing tongues of scorching mes. The vines, like living spears, sought to ensnare and pierce his defenses. The icicles, sharp and menacing, aimed to freeze and immobilize him. Above, the magic formation in the sky unleashed a barrage of lightning attacks, crackling with raw electricity.


    BANG!!


    BANG!!


    The battlefield was engulfed in chaos as massive explosions reverberated and shattered the sound barriers, their earth-shattering impact sending shockwaves rippling through the three-kilometer radius. The rumbling of the sky matched the intensity of the explosions, and the blinding light that emanated from the epicenter forced everyone to squint their eyes against its brilliance.


    As the dust and mes gradually subsided, a solitary figure emerged from the remnants of the devastation. The figure stood in the epicenter, a haunting sight that sent shivers down the spines of those who bore witness.


    The humanoid figure''s appearance was a grotesque spectacle. Its once majestic fur was all but gone, revealing a skeletal framework and mangled body parts.


    Bloodied internal organs spilled forth, and pulsating veins snaked across the exposed flesh. The absence of a jaw left a ghastly sight, exposing the inner workings of the figure''s cranium. The right leg was entirely missing, adding to the overall image of muttion and destruction.


    Despite the brutal injuries and the staggering disy of resilience, it remained defiant, its beating heart pulsating behind the sternum and costal cartge. This survivor bore the scars of battle, a testament to the harrowing trials endured during the sh.


    This ghastly sight terrified even Borat, Xavoless and Speki, the attackers as they watched in disbelief.


    Squirm!


    Squirm!


    As the onlookers watched in astonishment, a miraculous transformation unfolded before their eyes. The veins within the battered body writhed and squirmed, reminiscent of snakes in motion.


    Broken and shattered bones began to elongate, weaving together with newfound strength and resilience. From the spinal cord and femur, new bones sprouted forth, rapidly regenerating at a visible rate.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    In a matter of mere seconds, the missing bones and organs were fully restored, as if they had never been injured in the first ce.


    The wounds healed, and a newyer of skin and fur grew, covering the once-mutted body.


    Atreus, in a disy of extraordinary regenerative abilities, made a full recovery, emerging unscathed from the devastation.


    The scene was nothing short of soul-trembling.


    The power of rejuvenation and regeneration, inherent within Kahn''s Fenrirborne lineage, had mended his broken form with astonishing speed and efficiency. It was as if the very essence of life itself flowed through his veins, granting him the ability to transcend the limitations of mortal injury.


    "This¡­ This should be impossible!


    He regenerated 60% of his body despite our debuffs and his reduced stats in just 18 seconds! That''s impossible even for a True Descendant." spoke Conan who saw this from 15 kilometers as he was charging his attack skill while others attacked Atreus.


    Shing!


    But before anyone could even grasp this unbelievable sight¡­


    "Three fully developed domains and so many debuffs at the same time, and y''all still can''t one-shot me." he stated while his blue eyes glowed light shlight.


    "You are just a fucking disappointment."


    Kahn''s wrathful voice resounded and sent shivers to all the opponents.


    Even Maximus, who did not partake in this fight was shocked beyond belief.


    "Shame on me for setting the bar so high. I shouldn''t have expected something from rejected losers like you who can''t even be your n or tribe''s leaders." said Atreus, thoroughly infuriated.


    With his wounds fully healed and his body restored to its prime, Atreus stood tall and unwavering. The harrowing ordeal he had endured and his subsequent rapid recovery stood as a testament to his resilience, determination, and the incredible depths of his abilities.


    He just survived abined attack of 3 domains, 2 of which were from 6th stage saints.


    The Kahn of the past, with his limited training and experience, would have been utterly overwhelmed by such an assault.


    In those circumstances, he would have had no choice but to activate his Drakos Armor and Asura Mode simultaneously to even stand a chance of survival. However, after undergoing intense training under the guidance of Romulus, Vildred, and Rathnaar for a year, Kahn had grown exponentially in strength and skill.


    And the funny fact was that he was solely using the Godbeast Fenrir''s bloodline to face the brunt of thatbined attack. He didn''t use Basilisk or even Dragon bloodline''s defensive scales or armor.


    What no one also realized that Kahn was alreadypletely immune to Fire and Water/Ice element.


    The only element that damaged him was the wood element and that too because Kahn actively chose to let himself get hit.


    An intriguing aspect that went unnoticed by the others was Kahn''splete immunity to the Fire and Water/Ice elements.


    His resilience against these forces was absolute, rendering them ineffective against him. The only element that seemed to cause him any damage was the wood element.


    However, what others failed to realize was that Kahn deliberately allowed himself to be struck by the wood attacks, using it as an opportunity to gauge his physical capabilities and endurance in the face of different types of attacks.


    "I''m deeply hurt to the point that I might start crying because of you people''s ipetence." dered Kahn, his gaze turning furious for the first time.


    BOOM!!


    Revealing his intense killing aura that spread and encapsted the 30 kilometers radius in a few moments, Kahn spoke in a domineering voice.


    "Let me show you who is the Alpha Wolf of the pack."

 Chapter 928 Result Of Training

    The Hero''s Party members stood in awe, realizing the profound resilience and endurance disyed by Kahn in the face of their collective attack. The fact that he, despite being suppressed and limited by the debuffs and his current stage, had not sumbed to their assault was nothing short of remarkable.


    While Kahn''s immunity to Fire and Water elements provided him with a degree of protection, the wood elemental attacks from a 6th-stage saint should have posed a significant threat, potentially proving fatal. Yet, even without invoking his defensive abilities or life-saving skills, Kahn withstood their assault, defying their expectations.


    The members of the Hero''s Party had intended to incapacitate him, perhaps even render him unconscious, but their collective attack failed to achieve its desired oue. Kahn, driven by his experiences and newfound resilience, proved unyielding in the face of their assault. Little did he know that the trials he had endured had not only forged his physical strength but also transformed his mental fortitude.


    Unbeknownst to Kahn, his survival and countless experiences had rewired his brain and heightened his sensory functions to an extraordinary level. Even the most excruciating pain or torture, such as a hot iron rod poking his eyes, would fail to elicit the expected response from him. His threshold for physical suffering had been raised to an unparalleled degree, surpassing the limits of human endurance in history.


    The Hero''s Party members were far from weak. They were bona fide saints, individuals of extraordinary talent and skill who possessed the power to vanquish millions of enemies single-handedly. Their aplishments and abilities were a testament to their strength and prowess.


    However, unbeknownst to them, the current Kahn had undergone a profound transformation, growing exponentially in power and capability. The trials he had endured, the training he had undergone under the guidance of his mentors, and the experiences he had faced had elevated him to a level of power that surpassed his previous self by a staggering magnitude.


    Little did Kahn realize just how overwhelmingly powerful he had be. His subconscious utilization of the space force,bined with his Dimensional Shift ability, allowed him to keep his brain and heart within the true dimension, ensuring his safety and preventing true harm. Even if his entire physical body were to be turned to dust, he would remain unscathed, his consciousness intact.


    The disparity between Kahn''s current power and his perception of it led him to underestimate himself. He mistakenly believed that others could easily inflict harm upon him due to the reduction in his levels and stats. In reality, his strength far surpassed the limitations imposed by numerical values and statistics.


    It was thisck of awareness regarding his own immense power that allowed him to question the capabilities of the Hero''s Party members, despite their formidable skills and talents.


    "All right. I don''t have time for this.


    I will end this quickly." dered Atreus and dark blue killing intent spread like wildfire and sent shivers to the enemies.


    Woosh!


    With lightning speed, Atreus vanished from his previous location, his figure bing a blur of motion. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared 17 kilometers away, within the confines of a room housed within a tower constructed from pristine white stones. Yet, his attention was not directed toward his immediate surroundings. Instead, his gaze fixed upon an empty space in the center of the room.


    With a surge of power and precision, Atreus''s fist shot forward, piercing through the air at an astonishing speed. The force behind his punch was immense as if he sought to strike an unseen adversary or release the built-up tension within him.


    The impact of his strike resonated throughout the room, the air crackling with energy. Even though his fist connected with nothing tangible, the sheer intensity and velocity of his motion hinted at the immense strength and agility he possessed.


    BOOM!!


    Crack!!


    With a thunderous impact, the force of Atreus'' strike resonated throughout the tower, shaking its very foundations. The sound echoed through the air, reverberating with a deafening roar that seemed to reach the heavens themselves.


    The sheer power of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the structure, causing it to tremble violently. Cracks snaked their way along the walls, the floor quivered beneath their feet, and the ceiling groaned under the strain. As the vibrations intensified, the tower could no longer withstand the force unleashed within its confines.


    In a spectacr disy of destruction, the tower crumbled under the weight of the explosion. Dust and debris filled the air, creating a haze that obscured the remnants of the once-proud structure. The copse was swift and decisive, reducing the tower to a heap of rubble on the ground.


    Thud!


    With incredible speed and force, a figure hurtled through the air, propelled like a cannonball. The velocity of their descent was astonishing as they closed the distance rapidly, closing in on a cluster of buildings that resembled a smithy.


    The impact was catastrophic as the figure crashed into the structures with immense force, the buildings it crashed against, unable to withstand the sudden assault, crumbled and copsed under the weight of the collision. Dust and debris filled the air, creating a scene of destruction and chaos.


    The sound of crumbling stone and splintering wood reverberated through the area as the force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling outward. The surrounding structures trembled and shuddered, unable to withstand the unleashed power.


    As the dust settled, the aftermath revealed a scene of devastation. Buildingsy in ruins, reduced to rubble and scattered debris. The area filled with smithy buildings was now a scene of destruction, its former structure a mere shadow of its former self.


    Blergh!


    Suddenly, this invisible figure materialized and this entity''s true appearance was finally revealed.


    "Ugh!! My ribcage!


    This bastard wolfkin!" shouted Svana, the gray feline assassin of the Hero''s Party who was a 4th stage saint herself.


    Her chest was convoluted and three of her ribs were cracked from that punch.


    Swoosh!


    "Tch! I know a guy who would have been so disappointed for an assassin of such high rank being found so quickly due to meager mastery of their own skills." spoke Atreus aka Kahn as he gave a look of disappointment towards this feline who was coughing up blood.


    How did Kahn easily find a high-ranked assassin-ss saint like her?<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The answer was Kahn''s Hunter Domain.


    Kahn''s ability to easily locate a high-ranked assassin-ss saint was attributed to his Hunter Domain, a formidable skill that spanned an impressive radius of 30 kilometers. This extraordinary domain was a fusion of several powerful abilities, including Earth Sense and Spiritual Sense.


    Earth Sense, a Saint Rank skill, allowed Kahn to sense everything within a 25-kilometer radius as long as he or his targets were in contact with the ground or any object attached to it. This heightened perception granted him an acute awareness of his surroundings and made it difficult for anyone to hide from him.


    The second ability, Spiritual Sense, enabled Kahn to track all living beings within a 25-kilometer radius. By detecting their unique soul signatures, which influenced the surrounding mana and world energy, he could discern their presence even if they attempted to conceal themselves.


    In the past, when Kahn acquired this merged ability after defeating Vilgax, a legendary rank hybrid monster in the Vessen Fiefdom of the Rakos Empire, it was a formidable Saint Rank skill. However, through intense training and the utilization of his doppelgangers and his own physical body over the past year, the ability had evolved into a Legendary Rank skill, granting him 5 times keener senses to the point that even a saint assassin of the same rank couldn''t mask their existence for even a second.


    As a result of his unwavering dedication and extensive training, Kahn''s Hunter Domain had reached unparalleled heights. It allowed him to track and locate the high-ranked assassin-ss saint in a mere two seconds.


    "Go to sleep." spoke Atreus and clenched his fist.


    Bang!!


    With a forceful and precise punch, shockwaves reverberated through the air, causing a tremor that spread over a radius of 1 kilometer. The impact was so powerful that it disrupted the surrounding settlement, sending debris flying and stirring up a cloud of dust that obscured the scene.


    As the dust settled, the true extent of the devastation became apparent. Amidst the scattered debris and remnants of the settlement, a sight that sent chills down the spines of onlookers was revealed. Svana''s head, buried deep in the ground upside down, emerged from the ruins.


    The sight was chilling and unsettling, a grim testament to the power and wrath unleashed by Kahn''s punch. The once formidable assassin, who had held a position of fear and respect in the party, nowy defeated and vanquished, her fate sealed beneath the earth.


    "Svana!" shouted Rkan, the snakekin mage.


    WOOSH!


    Before Rkan could even get out from the shock, Atreus'' figure appeared in the sky, just 2 kilometers away.


    [No, he''sing for me next!] thought the snakekin,pletely frightened.


    And without any hesitation, he quickly used a legendary rank artifact attached to his waist-belt and cast a barrier instantly.


    This was the biggest life-saving artifact this mage possessed, to guarantee his safety in time of peril.


    "Ha! Suck it, Fenrirborne! This is a legendary rank barrier. You can''t pass through it or break it even if you attacked me for an entire day!" eximed Rkan, with visible arrogance in his tone.


    "Is that so?" asked Atreus and before the other party members could even intervene and assist the mage¡­


    sh!


    Atreus'' blue figure shot forward like a missile and crashed against the barrier.


    BANG!!


    Rumble!


    An ear-deafening explosion urred.


    "Idiot! I told you¡­ No one can destr¡­"


    But before the snakekin could evenplete his sentence¡­ a blurry figure appeared in front of him and grabbed both of his arms.


    RIP!!


    RIP!!


    "AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!"


    Rkan screamed in unimaginable and agonizing pain as Atreus ripped apart both of his arms like a dried twig of a tree branch.


    "Oye¡­ did you really think that someme Legendary Rank magic barrier can stop me?" spoke Atreus in a grim voice, his eyes revealing a terrifying killing intent.


    "Your impertinence insults my pride."

 Chapter 929 Man Of Many Talents

    ?


    Kahn''s ability to easily pass through Rkan''s legendary rank barrier without apparent effort left everyone bewildered.


    However, what went unnoticed by those present was that it all happened in a mere second.


    Contrary to what one would assume, Kahn did not employ brute force, nor did he shatter the legendary rank barrier.


    Unbeknownst to his newpanions, Kahn had unlocked a unique ss known as the Schr Saint Magician, one of the two magic sses he had recently invoked. This ss, achieved through the entire past year of training, held special benefits that he had yet to reveal to others.


    The key aspect of this ssy in the term ''Schr'' but in what area did Kahn possess schrly expertise?


    The answer resided within Magic Formations and Barriers.


    With his newfound abilities as a Schr Saint Magician, Kahn possessed a deep understanding of magic formations and barriers. He possessed the knowledge and skill to manipte them with precision and finesse. It was through his mastery of these intricate magical structures that he found a w or weakness in the legendary rank barrier.


    What Vildred imparted to Kahn went beyond the mere casting of spells or the maniption of elemental forces while training him to be a bonafide Mage.


    It epassed a profound understanding of the intricacies of magic as a whole, allowing Atreus to not only wield its power to cast elemental spells and barriers but also discern, harness, and neutralize them effectively.


    Under Vildred''s guidance, Kahn learned to identify the vulnerable points and gaps in the flow of mana and world energy within a magic formation or barrier crafted by other mages or even derived from enchanted artifacts.


    This knowledge was a revtion, as most magicians, including those of the esteemed Saint Rank, remained oblivious to the fact that the magic formations and barriers they had spent years honing were not invincible.


    These formations and barriers were simply channels, mechanisms through which mana and world energy were directed in specific patterns to achieve desired effects. However, the truth remained that the maniption of mana and world energy was not without consequences or limitations.


    The reality was that there were vulnerabilities, ws, and exploitable weaknesses within the very foundations of these magic formations and barriers.


    These malleable entities could be altered at your will without any repercussions even if an enemy caster used them against you.


    When an individual cast a protection barrier, their focus was solely on fortifying their defense. In order to achieve this heightened level of defense, sacrifices had to be made in other areas, such as mobility and attack power.


    This strategic trade-off was necessary to create a specific cirction pattern of mana and world energy within the barrier, which effectively condensed these forces and bolstered its defensive capabilities.


    However, it''s important to note that the very nature of this circting pattern set the barrier apart from a stationary solid wall. Unlike a motionless structure that remained unchanged, the cirction of mana and world energy within the barrier was a dynamic process.


    This constant influx of energy rendered the barrier inherently vtile.


    The vtile nature of the barrier arose from the continuous intery of mana and world energy, constantly shifting and adapting to maintain its defensive integrity.


    It was akin to a delicate bnce, where the influx and utilization of energy were in a constant state of rebuilding and maintaining itself. Any disruption or interference in this intricate equilibrium could potentially destabilize the barrier, exposing its vulnerabilities.


    Thus, understanding of these dynamics allowed one to exploit the vtility inherent in the barrier''s structure by pinpointing and capitalizing on the momentary instabilities within the cirction pattern.


    And if someone with keen eyes and experience could track the small gaps in these circuits and pathways of mana and world energy, they could easily disrupt the flow and get rid of the said formation and barrier.


    However, the stronger and higher ranked barrier or formation it was, the lesser of such ws on loopholes would exist.


    Right when Kahn targeted Rkan, he traced one of these breaking points that appeared only for 2 seconds before returning to its impervious state.


    And that 2-second window represented his sole opportunity, a fleeting moment in which he had to act swiftly.


    However, merely identifying the weakness did not guarantee the destruction of the barrier. It required an immense amount of raw attack power and the ability to strike the pinpointed region with unparalleled precision.


    Without these essential elements, the knowledge of the weakness would be rendered utterly futile.


    In this critical moment, Kahn used his second specialty as an Arcane Enchanter.


    This remarkable title belonged to a unique ss within the realm of magic, which Kahn had unlocked and developed during his intensive training.


    The path to invoking this ss was paved by his mentor, Throk Oakenshield, a master in the Vulcan Empire who had imparted the wisdom of Artificing upon him.


    Through diligent study and practice, Kahn had be proficient in harnessing the powers of both Dwarven and Elven runes in order to be a Saint Rank cksmith.


    Furthermore, under the tutge of Vildred, he delved deep into the skills of the Enchanter ss, bolstered by the gifts bestowed upon him by Brokkr and Eitri, the Deities of cksmithing. This amalgamation of knowledge and blessings culminated in an unexpected oue¡ªhis ability to invoke the Arcane Enchanter ss.


    What ensued were transformative effects.


    If the Schr Saint Magician ss had empowered him toprehend, master, and dismantle even the most formidable Legendary Rank magic formations or barriers, then the Arcane Enchanter ss bestowed upon him the means to break, neutralize and even alleviate them.


    And how did he aplish this extraordinary feat?


    The Runes.


    Harnessing the powers bestowed by the Arcane Enchanter ss, Kahn wielded plethora of perfect runes capable of obliterating or mitigating the weakness of different barriers or formations.


    However, it would be remiss to underestimate the sheer potency of this rune.


    When Kahn forcefully collided with the barrier, unbeknownst to anyone, a diminutive fist-sized octagonal rune materialized just inches above his clenched fist.


    Adorned with archaic symbols, this seemingly innocuous rune concealed within it a cataclysmic force capable of reducing a small vige to ruins. Astonishingly, this destructive power had been condensed into a thin film, no thicker than a sheet of paper.


    In a disy that went unnoticed by onlookers, at the precise moment when Atreus/Kahn struck the barrier at its weak point, the rune pierced through the density of the barrier, momentarily nullifying its formidable effects.


    However, breaching the Legendary Rank barrier proved to be no easy feat. This temporary weakness, albeit fleeting, wouldst no longer than a mere moment. As soon as the flow of world energy changed, the weak spot would vanish, leaving no trace of its existence.


    Therefore, Kahn only had a minuscule 0.1-second window to enter through the weakened barrier.


    It was during this infinitesimal timeframe that he employed one of his exceptional skills, Phase Shift.


    This extraordinary ability allowed him to temporarily transform his entire body into an ethereal form, granting him the power to pass through any material obstacle, including formidable magic barriers.


    Thus, the unfolding events were far from a disy of shy techniques or earth-shattering explosions that could decimate the surrounding area with their shockwaves. There was no overwhelming skill that would render onlookers speechless and awestruck.


    Thanks to the harmonious amalgamation of his two Unique sses invoked and his remarkable Phase Shift skill that he improved through intense and relentless training recently...


    What would take other 5th-stage saints 1 day to achieve, Kahn aplished within just 1 second.


    To the casual observer, it appeared as though he effortlessly passed through the legendary barrier. However, in truth, it was the culmination of his grueling and torturous training, a journey that would have driven lesser individuals to madness.


    And the result was in front of everyone to see.


    ----------------


    In the present moment, the entire hero''s party stood in stunned silence, their minds reeling from the astonishing revtion before them. Each member was left speechless, their thoughts tangled and disoriented by the magnitude of what they had just witnessed.


    They had all witnessed Rkan employ this formidable barrier on numerous asions, fully aware of its imprable nature. Even for the members of the party, breaking through it seemed like an insurmountable challenge.


    Yet, here stood Atreus, effortlessly passing through the barrier as if it were nothing more than a figment of their imagination. It was an awe-inspiring sight that left the party in a state of bewilderment and disbelief.


    "You bastard!" screamed Rkan in pain as his arms were bleeding profusely.


    But in response, Atreus responded with an insidious grin.


    "Although we don''t have a healer in our group, I heard the Basilisk tribe members have great regenerative ability. I can''t kill you since you part of the group, but it doesn''t mean I can''t rip apart your arms and legs.


    You will keep regenerating over time, and I will keep torturing you until you beg me for forgiveness." dered Kahn.


    Everyone was shocked again.


    Why?


    Because these were the same words Rkan spoke before the showdown between Atreus and the Hero''s Party members began.


    "No¡­ please!" said the mage in a terrified and trembling voice.


    However, his plea fell on deaf ears.


    The Legendary Rank magic barrier was still active and only Rkan and Atreus were present inside while others couldn''te.


    And at this moment, the snakekin couldn''t deactivate it because he lost both of his arms.


    "You know¡­ I''m kind of a Sadist myself."


    Kahn dered as he sharpened his w.


    "I call this routine¡­"


    With Rkan caged with him inside this barrier¡­ Kahn decided to disy one of his favorite talents to the rest of the members of the Hero''s Party.


    "Asian Parenting."

 Chapter 930 Asian Parenting

    930 Asian Parenting


    After Kahn in his Atreus form and Rkan were the only two people left inside this 2-kilometer radius legendary barrier¡­ a horrific scenario emerged in front of everyone''s eyes.


    Soon, Kahn started using his ws to shred Rkan''s serpentine skin and pucked out his hexagonal scales one by one.


    "No, don''t¡­ AHHHHH!!!" the snakekin wriggled and screamed loudly.


    As Kahn started peeling off the skin from his face, chest and arms, the wolfkin''s legs also stomped and crushed the bones in Rkan''s hips and the long tail that came out of his waist.


    "ARRRGHHH!!! STOP!!!" wailed the snakekin in excruciating pain again but instead of showing empathy¡­


    Bang!


    Kahn quickly punched and broke his ribcage.


    "That''s just the appetizer. Here''s the main dish." spoke Atreus in a ghastly tone and his eyes glowed yellow.


    Lucid Reality was activated and Rkan found his surrounding changing into a terrifying hellish atmosphere thousands of Rkan, his exact replicas, were tortured in various ways.


    Some were fried in massive woks filled with oil, some had their innards pulled out, and some were shed and hacked into multiple pieces by Atreus using nothing but his wolven ws.


    "Got any preferences?" asked Kahn with a wicked smile, appearing as if he was the lord of this version of hell.


    Right then¡­


    BOOM!!!


    A massive explosion happened over the barrier as the remaining saints attacked the barrier to help Rkan.


    "Gughhh! Guggghhh!!"


    Rkan was on the verge of fainting due to sheer pain.


    "Oh no, not so soon. The meal just started."


    Kahn then summoned and used high-grade regeneration, stamina and vitality potions so that Rkan would recover quickly¡­ all so that Kahn could shatter his bones, skin his flesh and then rip apart his limbs from time to time.


    Rkan was screaming and crying, pleading for mercy as Kahn was enjoying torturing him.


    The rest of the members of the party attacked the legendary rank barrier with all their might but their collective strength was barely making a difference.


    And even with their collective forces, it would take at least 4 hours for this barrier to deplete its world energypletely.


    Maximus, who observed the horrifying scene from a distance, was deeply unsettled by the brutality unfolding before his eyes.


    Overwhelmed by his concern, he reached out to Atreus through a telepathic connection, seeking an exnation for the extreme measures being taken.


    [Atreus¡­] Maximus spoke empathetically.


    [I witnessed your unforgiving and ruthless nature during the Elysium Tribal Tourney, particrly towards your enemies and those who dared to disrespect you.


    But in this instance, are you not taking it too far?


    Is it truly necessary to subject Rkan to such torment simply to assert your dominance over the others?]


    However, Kahn''s response resonated with a stern and resolute tone as he addressed Maximus''s concerns.


    [I''m doing what you should have done years ago when this party was formed.


    You might not know about their deeds since you have been under surveince all these years and no one actively informs you about the affairs behind the shadows.


    Just know that what I''m doing¡­ they had iting.] he spoke in aposed voice.


    Why would Kahn suddenly provoke the members of the Hero''s Party on the very first day of his annotation?


    It was because he was simply giving them a reality check.


    As he observed Rkan writhing in excruciating pain, his screams piercing the air, Kahn reflected on the fact that what Rkan was currently experiencing was merely a fraction of the pain and suffering he himself had once inflicted upon innocent individuals in the past. It served as a stark reminder of the depths of agony he had once subjected others to.


    2 weeks ago, Kahn received details on all the members of the Hero''s Party before he officially joined.


    Svana, the feline assassin of the group had caused an ident due to her mistake during a mission, causing an entire vige and its poption to lose their homes due to a poisonous curse caused by a legendary rank monster''s corpse.


    Like an idiot, instead of luring it away, she fought it near a vige and the corpse of the monster released toxic fumes that gushed out of its body and spread across the vige.


    As a result, hundreds of people died and those who survived developed an illness simr to Blood Cancer. Also, many of them, including newborn infants, the elderly and children had their bodies deformed due to mutation and side effects of the curse that the monster''s corpse released.


    The Imperial authorities buried the matter and even to this day, many of the survivors were imprisoned in experimentbs and facilities somewhere across the empire for the alchemists and mages to create cure and perform experiment on their bodies likeb rats.


    The single punch that knocked her out with dozens of broken bones was actually Kahn showing her mercy since he couldn''t kill her.


    ----------------


    As for Rkan, this guy was even more deplorable.


    3 years ago, a snakekin mage was assigned the responsibility of overseeing and temporarily acting as the protector of a town, which was thriving due to the sighting of mountains with rare ore mines, promising to boost the empire''s economy.


    The mines employed nearly 600 workers, providing them with much-needed jobs and contributing to the town''s prosperity. These mines were abundant in mana ores, with some sections even containing S-rank ores.


    However, this irresponsible mage neglected his duty as the town''s guardian and instead ventured deep into the mines.


    In these mana-rich depths, the delicate flow of mana required careful handling, something any sensible mage would understand. Unfortunately, this snakekin mage threw caution to the wind and recklessly tested his magic spells for his own amusement.


    The consequences were devastating. The sudden surge in mana condensation caused by his uncontrolled and unfiltered magic usage triggered a cataclysm.


    The mines erupted in a series of explosions, shattering the connected tunnels and reservoirs of mana ores. This disastrous chain reaction not only resulted in the tragic deaths of every single worker in the mines but also caused the neighboring mountains, linked by underground passages, to erupt uncontrobly.


    The humongous debris flew in the sky and where did itnd?


    On the town.


    In an unimaginable turn of events, a meteor shower of destruction rained down upon the unsuspecting residents, leaving chaos and devastation in its wake. The majority of the townspeople perished in this unforeseen cmity, caught off guard by a disaster of such magnitude.


    All of it happened just because Rkan forgot to follow the Safety Protocol due to his curiosity and excitement.


    Obviously, Rkan being a saint and a mage, used this very legendary rank barrier to protect himself and survived without a single injury.


    Following this harrowing incident, the responsibility of the cleanup fell upon one of the 12 Tribes, much like Kahn as Atreus, and Dorian had acted as the cleanup crew for Conan just a few months ago.


    The negligence disyed by Rkan had unfathomable consequences, leading to the tragic deaths of over a thousand individuals.


    Astonishingly, despite the magnitude of his actions, no one ever held him ountable for the immense loss of life and the irreversible damage caused solely because he was part of the Hero''s Party.


    But at this very moment, Kahn was torturing Rkan under that very legendary rank magic barrier that once protected his life, acting as his cage and aiding Kahn who tortured him.


    In a way, Kahn was simply exercising what people called as Asian Parenting on earth.


    You fuck up big time and cause irrecoverable consequences¡­ You get the beating of a lifetime.


    That was the ancient way of the Asians when it came to raising their children. And it actually worked in raising responsible men and women in their cultures.


    The only thing Kahn was missing at this point was a sandal and a leather belt, otherwise, it would be perfect.


    ----------------


    Now¡­ Why was Kahn suddenly ying a hero here by acting like a Warrior of Justice?


    The current Kahn always expected the worst in people and his days of ying a righteous hero were long gone.


    Due to his experience in the past few years, he had long abandoned his aspirations of being a savior, bing a cynic who anticipated the worst in people even if they were weak and poor.


    However, in this particr situation, he found himself ying the role of a divine punisher due to a personal request from his Master, the Heavenly King of Fire.


    Romulus, being in a position of authority within the empire, faced limitations in officially punishing those responsible for their crimes.


    Understanding the need for justice to prevail, Romulus turned to Kahn, his trusted disciple, and bestowed upon him the responsibility of meting out justice on his behalf after thetter was forced to join the Hero''s Party.


    It was a significant task for Kahn, one that went against his disillusioned nature and his skepticism towards the inherent goodness of people.


    Yet, driven by loyalty and a sense of duty to his Master, he reluctantly agreed to take on the role of the divine punisher.


    As for the rest of the members¡­


    Kahn never made exceptions or showed mercy to those who deserved his wrath.

 Chapter 931 Getting Iced

    ?


    Having exacted his retribution upon Rkan, Kahn''s thirst for justice was momentarily quenched.


    Seizing the opportunity, he brazenly snatched the artifact Rkan had used to summon the legendary barrier, openly disying his act of theft before the astonished onlookers.


    As the barrier dissipated, the remaining six members of the group unleashed their saintly pressure, their murderous aura fixated on Atreus.


    A suffocating wave of intimidation cascaded towards him, seeking to overwhelm him with a horrifying and oppressive aura.


    BOOM!!


    But in a sudden explosion of power, a dark blue aura surged forth, enveloping the area within a five-kilometer radius. The sheer force radiated from Kahn, disrupting and scattering the collective oppressive aura directed at Atreus.


    WAR DOMINANCE!


    With his unrivaled mastery of War Dominance, Kahn single-handedly thwarted the intense killing intent, overpowering it with his indomitable will.


    Thebined domain effect, which had previously burdened him with debilitating debuffs, instantly diminished by half in the face of his overwhelming power.


    At that moment, the atmosphere shifted.


    The previously confident and menacing six members found themselves facing a force they had not anticipated.


    Kahn''s disy of War Dominance was something they had seen in the Elysium Tribal Tourney and now, not only it halted their aggression but also served as a stark reminder of his prowess to easily overthrow their saint pressures.


    Without wasting a single moment, Kahn swiftly directed his attention towards Vikaat, the Tengu halberd warrior adorning golden armor.


    Vikaat, a master of long-range attacks as a metal elemental halberd warrior and a True Descendant of the Godbeast Roc, posed a formidable challenge with his skillset.


    As Vikaat realized that Atreus had set his sights on him, he summoned hundreds of golden halberds that unleashed devastatingser beams, leaving behind ten-meter-long craters in the ground. The destructive disy showcased Vikaat''s prowess and the formidable power at his disposal.


    Yet, to Vikaat''s surprise, Atreus evaded the onught ofser beams effortlessly, gracefully moving with a fluidity that resembled dancing. In the blink of an eye, Atreus dodged the destructive attacks, narrowly avoiding their path while maintaining an imaginary partner in his embrace.


    "Is he¡­ Dancing?" wondered Vikaat with a gobsmacked countenance.


    Vikaat''s astonishment was evident, his countenance disying a mix of disbelief and awe. Observing Atreus maneuver with ease, it became apparent that he was not simply evading the attacks but performing intricate dance-like movements that defied logic.


    Unbeknownst to Vikaat, Atreus was indeed dancing, executing the elegant steps in midair.


    His precise footwork and nimble agility enabled him to navigate through the onught of destructive halberds in a mesmerizing disy of skill and grace.


    Anyone from Earth witnessing Kahn''s astounding feat would have recognized the artful dance.


    In mere microseconds, Atreus effortlessly avoided the devastating halberds, which left trails of destruction in their wake, obliterating ancient ruins in a two-kilometer radius.


    In the midst of battle¡­ Kahn was doing Tango.


    ----------------


    Vikaat was simply speechless and almost wondered if he was dreaming.


    Grab!


    But the very next second... Seizing the opportunity, Kahn swiftly seized two of the 10-meter-long golden halberds, their surfaces shimmering with a radiant glow.


    With a deft maniption of his ice element, he infused the halberds with his frigid power, causing them to freeze and be encased in ayer of glistening permafrost.


    A whirlwind of motion surrounded Kahn as he spun with calcted precision, channeling his energy into a devastating javelin throw.


    The frozen halberds, now transformed into icy projectiles, were propelled forward with remarkable force and uracy.


    With a swift and fluid release, the frozen javelins streaked through the air, leaving behind a trail of icy mist. Their lethal potential and the biting chill of their icy exteriors posed a formidable threat to anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    As the confrontation escted, Atreus swiftly shifted his focus, redirecting his attention from his own attack to a strategic maneuver. With precision and quick thinking, he aimed his own weapons at Vikaat, the Tengu halberd warrior, preparing to unleash a counterstrike.


    As Atreus unleashed a barrage of projectiles towards Vikaat, the Tengu warrior reacted swiftly.


    Drawing upon his arsenal of halberds, he skillfully manipted them to form a shield-like barrier, an impromptu defense against Atreus'' assault.


    Halberds shed with halberds, creating a cacophony of shing metal as Atreus'' projectiles collided with Vikaat''s makeshift shield. The shield held steadfast, warding off the iing onught with a resolute determination.


    BOOM!!


    CRUMBLE!!


    And all the weapons used to create this shield crumbled, destroyed in mere seconds.


    As Vikaat witnessed the destruction of his own weapons at the hands of Atreus, disbelief and astonishment washed over him. The realization that his own arsenal had been turned against him, only to crumble and disintegrate, left him shaken to the core.


    "Impossible! He used my own weapons against me, and then effortlessly destroyed dozens of them simply by infusing his own world energy.


    What kind of monster is this guy?" he spoke with sheer terror in his eyes and his voice quivering with incredulity.


    [Topletely rearrange the world energy, change the elemental structure and infuse his own world energy to make the weapon even stronger than the original¡­ And all of that done in a single second¡­


    Even Rkan and Speki can''t do that despite being magician sses themselves.] he thought to himself.


    Inwardly, Vikaat grappled with the magnitude of Atreus'' power. The sheer mastery disyed in his ability to manipte world energy topletely rearrange the elemental structure and infuse his own world energy into the weapons was beyond anything Vikaat had witnessed before.


    Thoughts raced through Vikaat''s mind as he contemted the implications of Atreus'' abilities.


    Even among magician sses such as Rkan and Speki, the feat Atreus had just demonstrated was beyond their capabilities.


    Topletely alter the world energy and strengthen the weapon, surpassing its original power, all aplished within a single second¡ªsuch extraordinary skill defiedprehension.


    Vikaat, known for his own prowess as a True Descendant of the Godbeast Roc, felt a shiver run down his spine.


    SWOOSH!!


    Atreus appeared behind the Vikaat who was taken aback. And the very next moment...


    RIP!!


    Atreus used his maw to bite and rip apart Vikaat''s right wing from its roots on the back and shed the other one with his left w.


    "ARRGHHH!!" screamed the Tengu but before his terrifying scream reverberated in the surround.


    Atreus, seizing the opportunity, firmly grasped Vikaat''s arms, allowing the permafrost to rapidly spread across the Tengu warrior''s body. The icy tendrils snaked their way across Vikaat''s form, encasing him in a frozen prison.


    As the permafrost enveloped Vikaat, his once formidable movements came to an abrupt halt. He stood frozen, as if transformed into a statue carved from ice, his body locked in a state of immobility.


    And now Vikaat had be¡­


    A Frozen Princess.

 Chapter 932 Pay To Win

    ?


    After Atreus unexpectedly grabbed the Tengu halberd warrior''s body and encased him like a frozen princess.


    The chill of the ice permeated Vikaat''s entire being, rendering him powerless and unable to resist. Every limb, except for his head and torso, sumbed to the freezing embrace of the permafrost, turning his limbs into lifeless, frozen appendages.


    The scene before the onlookers was one of surreal stillness, as Vikaat stood frozen in time, captured within the icy grip of Atreus'' power. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, as if acknowledging the momentous turning point in the battle.


    [What the hell is happening? Why isn''t Vikaat using his world energy to escape?] asked Borat to Speki via a telpathicmunication.


    The Fire Summoner ss mage then paid attention to the surrounding atmosphere around Atreus and Vikaat.


    Gasp!


    The red peacock-kin gasped in shock and quickly ryed to his fellowpanions¡­


    [I don''t know how he did it or which artifact he used without us noticing¡­


    But that Atreus has somehow blocked the flow of world energy in Vikaat''s body.


    Vikaat is no longer capable to even use his own world energy reserves.] said Speki.


    [What nonsense is that?! How can someone block a saint''s world energy unless they''re using a domain or a legendary artifact to seal it?


    And this guy isn''t even a mage either.] questioned Xavolees, the white bearkin.


    [All of you, stop! Don''t move. Vikaat''s body is in danger!] shouted Speki in bewilderment.


    Other members of the group suddenly halted their movements. Because they were experienced enough to know that if they tried to attack Atreus now, they might as well hurt theirrade instead.


    Crack!


    The silence was shattered as cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of the ice, a testament to the immense strain ced upon it. With a resounding shatter, the frozen shell that entrapped Vikaat burst apart, scattering shards of ice in all directions.


    However, the momentary peace didn''t even like 3 seconds and¡­


    BANG!!


    With a swift and powerful punch, Atreus delivered a direct blow to Vikaat''s head, sending the Tengu warrior crashing to the ground.


    RUMBLE!!


    The impact reverberated through the battlefield, the force of the strike rendering Vikaat immobile.


    As the dust settled, revealing the aftermath of the devastating blow, a somber scene unfolded. Vikaat''s once formidable bodyy shattered, his limbs crumbling like fragile ss.


    Only his head and torso remained intact, a stark contrast to the broken fragments scattered around him.


    The sight of Vikaat''s body with only the head and torso sent a chilling silence through the onlookers. The battle hadn''t even reached its climax but the toll of the conflict was now painfully evident.


    The raw power disyed by Atreus had shattered the once indomitable warrior, leaving him¡­ broken.


    ----------------


    After taking out Vikaat using his premade runes that carried the might of a legendary rank formation to seal a saint''s world energy just through physical touch¡­ Kahn turned his attention to his next target, Xavolees, a 5th stage saint with a formidable snow domain.


    "Everyone, attack him together!" shouted Borat and directed the forces of his domain and attacked Atreus without giving him another opportunity.


    They had done the mistake of not taking Atreus seriously and using their all might from the start.


    And their ignorance caused the fall of 3 of theirrades so far, each suffering a fate worse than the other.


    Soon, hundreds of wood elemental constructs such as weapons, projectiles and even puppet-like creatures, acting as soldiers attacked from below while dozens of gigantic ice elemental battleaxes and hundreds phoenix-like birds made of scalding heat attacked the blue wolfkin.


    BOOM!!


    Another massive explosion erupted, sending shockwaves in the sky above and ground below.


    The rubble from the ancient ruins turned into smithereens after such massive and destructive explosion.


    However, when the explosion cleared¡­ Atreus was nowhere to be seen.


    "Did we get him?" spoke Borat with a confused expression.


    Despite being a 6th stage saint himself, for some reason, he could not sense Atreus at all.


    And right then¡­


    SWOOSH!


    Like a sudden sh of sunlight, Atreus appeared 3 kilometers away, but his new location instantly put everyone on alert.


    Because right now, he appeared behind Xavolees.


    Thump!


    Thump!


    Like a pulsating heart, the Beowulf gauntlets reverberated and condensed huge amounts of world energy in them.


    And in just a microsecond, Xavolees''s entire body shuddered in fear.


    Atreus'' fist suddenly looked like a massive mountain to the bearkin, his 4 meter tall figure appearing to be insignificant in front of his terrifying killing intent.


    "Ah, fuck¡­" said Xavolees and quickly used his epic rank battleaxe to block the attack.


    However, much to Xavolees'' dismay, his domain and weapon proved utterly ineffective against Atreus/Kahn.


    The battlefield became a stark contrast, with Xavolees'' battleaxe shivering from the cascading fist attack by Atreus.


    [This! This is too strong!... Argh!]


    The frustration etched upon Xavolees'' face was evident, his confidence waning as he realized the immense challenge before him.


    SHATTER!!


    With a surge of raw power, Atreus shattered Xavolees'' epic rank battleaxe with a single forceful punch, using the full strength of Beowolf, Atreuspletely turned the tide of this battle in just 1 second.


    The resounding impact echoed through the battlefield, leaving a trail of shock and disbelief in its wake because just now¡­ Xavolees'' battleaxe instantly shattered like ss from Atreus'' punch.


    As Xavolees witnessed his weapon crumble before his eyes, a mix of anger and frustration clouded his expression. His pride wounded, he seethed at the taunting words that escaped Kahn''s lips.


    "A 6th stage saint and still unable to afford a legendary rank weapon... Your poverty disgusts me." said the blue fenrirborne.


    Kahn''s voice dripped with contempt as he addressed Xavolees, emphasizing the perceived inadequacy of his opponent''s equipment.


    RUMBLE!!


    Suddenly, a massive 200 meters wide Azure Dragon Fist descended from the sky.


    [That previous attack was just a feint¡­] thought Xavolees, frozen on the spot because he knew he couldn''t dodge this attack at this critical moment.


    "Go spend money and buy an OP weapon to kill the main story''s final boss... That is me." spoke Kahn as his grim voice resounded and before Xavolees could even recover from the shock¡­


    BOOM!!


    A monumental sh turned the heaven and earth blind for a second¡­ more than enough to signify that this was a one-shot move.


    Finally, the bearkin''s heavily injured body dropped on the debris of the ancient ruins, creating a massive 300 meters wide gaping hole.


    And right before Xavolees started losing his consciousness, he heard Atreus'' disappointed voice¡­


    "I hate fighting poor people."

 Chapter 933 Fire Vs Ice

    As Atreus unleashed his power upon Xavolees, the battle unfolded with shocking speed. In a mere 20 seconds, Atreus swiftly dismantled his opponent''s defenses, leaving Xavolees incapacitated and defeated. The efficiency and precision of Atreus'' assault left those witnessing the spectacle in a state of astonishment.


    The onlookers, including Borat, were taken aback by the swiftness with which Atreus shattered Xavolees'' weapon and subdued the white bearkin battleaxe warrior.


    Xavolees, despite his status as a 6th stage saint, was expected to put up a formidable fight,sting for hours against his opponents. However, Atreus'' dominance over the encounter defied all expectations.


    Confusion rippled through the crowd as they grappled with the realization that Xavolees'' world energy had failed to activate to its full capacity, much like Vikaat''s.


    The unusual circumstances surrounding both battles added an air of mystery and intrigue, leaving those present questioning the nature of Atreus'' power and the forces at y.


    Borat, himself a 6th-stage saint of equal strength to Xavolees, stood dumbfounded by the disy of Atreus'' overwhelming prowess. The disparity in their abilities and the ease with which Atreus dispatched Xavolees left Borat questioning his own strength and the limits of his own power.


    And right after Xavolees fainted, Atreus looked to his right and saw the stupefied lionkin saint.


    Atreus pointed at Borat who is floating 3 kilometers away in the sky¡­


    "Hey green beard, wait for your turn." he openly warned.


    Swoosh!


    With a calcted motive, Kahn swiftly closed in on Pokawor, the 4-armed Naga spearman.


    Recognizing Pokawor''s status as a 3rd stage saint, Kahn deemed him a potential threat that needed to be neutralized swiftly and decisively even if he was one of the weakest links of the group.


    In a seamless motion, Kahn lunged forward, his hand firmly grasping Pokawor''s own spears.


    STAB!


    Before the Naga warrior could even register Atreus'' presence behind him, the fenrirborne drove the spears into Pokawor''s body with a forceful stab, causing the warrior to cry out in agonizing pain.


    BANG!!


    Kahn then swiftly followed up with a powerful punch, delivering a resounding blow to Pokawor''s wriggling body. The force of the impact sent the Naga warrior sprawling among the ruins of the ancient structures, the echoes of the sh fading into silence.


    With this, Atreus had the shortest encounter in this fight, not even sparing the Naga spearman more than 5 seconds.


    ----------------


    In the following moments, his gazended on Speki, the Fire Summoner ss peacock-kin.


    As soon as Speki noticed Atreus'' malicious gaze, a chill ran down his entire body.


    "That bastard is gonnae for me next." he spoke as his entire being shuddered in fear.


    sh!


    Before others could get the gist of the situation¡­ Kahn appeared 2 kilometers away and took out a rectangr ck object that emitted a golden aura.


    SWOOSH!!


    Quickly, a 5-kilometer-wide spherical dome-like structure appeared in the sky and covered Atreus and Speki in a dark red istion barrier.


    "Dammit!" cursed Borat, his countenance revealing his helplessness.


    Because what Kahn activated¡­ was the same legendary artifact he took from Rkan to iste themselves in a different battlefield.


    [That idiot was too weak to use this artifact to its full capacity.


    In an open war, this artifact can save thousands of soldiers and many troops while also enhancing theirbat capabilities. Yet that Rkan idiot was using it just as a mere barrier.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    As a Saint Rank artificer, he knew how to handle artifacts that were created using runes much better than anyone else present here, thus he found a way to fully maximize the artifact and created a 5 kilometer diameter barrier instead of just 2 like Rkan did.


    And right then, a notification rang in Kahn''s head.


    [All restrictions on the host''s physical stats have been reduced by 20%.


    All restrictions on the host''s movement skills and agility have been reduced by 30%.] informed the system.


    [Good thing I knew that legendary rank istion artifact can throw away the effects of enemy domains like this as well.] spoke Kahn to himself and grinned as he looked at Speki.


    Both of them were 5th-stage saints, equal by rank. Yet the disparity in their strength and battle prowess was already established to everyone.


    And after seeing what Kahn did to Rkan under this very magic barrier¡­ Speki felt his soul leaving his body.


    "Don''t fuck with me, you bastard!" shouted Speki in rage.


    Woosh!


    Woosh!


    Without waiting on a ceremony, the Fire Summoner created a force field made of fire to protect himself.


    And outside of that barrier, he summoned hundreds of firebirds with sharp peaks and talons.


    Screech!


    Screech!


    The flocks of firebirds screeched like eagles and set their sights on Atreus.


    ng!


    Cling!


    On the other side, Kahn, in a disy of his mastery over ice element, summoned thousands of icicles from behind him. Each icicle stood at an imposing height of 5 meters, forming a formidable army of artillery weapons under hismand.


    The field was transformed into a dazzling spectacle as the glistening icicles hovered in the air, reflecting the ambient light. Kahn''s ice army represented a force to be reckoned with against the flying wall of firebirds.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    Like bullets and missiles, both sidesunched a barrage of their respective elemental attacks.


    ng!


    Shing!


    Boom!


    Fire vs Ice.


    As the battle reached its crescendo, the sky became a canvas of chaos and destruction. Incessant explosions reverberated through the air, shaking the very foundation of the surroundingndscape. The forces of nature, embodied by Kahn and Speki, shed with an intensity that defied imagination.


    The explosions echoed with an unyielding ferocity, sending shockwaves through the atmosphere. The sheer power unleashed by these two formidable opponents rent the air, tearing through everything in a 5-kilometer radius.


    The ground quaked beneath the weight of the impact, ancient structures crumbling in the wake of the relentless assault.


    The sky became a spectacle of chaos and fury as explosions blossomed like deadly fireworks, their brilliance and devastation intertwining in a macabre dance.


    The ear-deafening sound and blinding light emanating from each explosion painted a vivid picture of the titanic sh that unfolded above.


    [Dammit! I can''t find a battle of attrition with him after he took down Xavolees.


    Because he isted us in this formation, Borat''s domain can''t debuff him inside either.


    I need to go all out from the start or I will meet the same fate as the rest.] reacted Speki.


    He was a magic ss saint so he quickly discovered his shorings and disadvantages in this sh.


    And the only option that appeared in front of him was to go All Out from this point.


    In the following moments, the surviving firebirds quickly returned and assimted with Speki''s figure covered and protected by the barrier.


    Atreus on the other side, didn''t react.


    [I see. He''s going all out.


    Maybe I should prepare myself as well.] he thought and apetitive smirk appeared on his face.


    And as if resonating with each other''s thoughts, both Kahn and Speki used their elemental mastery over Ice and Fire, starting to transform into enormous beings.


    BOOM!!


    A red and blue aura erupted on opposite sides, sending tremors even outside of the barrier as the remaining onlookers watched in disbelief.


    What appeared inside this isted battlefield was something none of them had imagined.


    Against scalding fire appeared a bone-chilling frost as two enormous creatures, each being 100 meters in height appeared.


    SCREECH!!


    GROWL!!


    And this sh between a Summoner and a Brawler had turned into a battle between a¡­


    Phoenix and Dragon!

 Chapter 934 Pheonix Vs Dragon

    ?


    In the midst of the chaos, the battlefield was suddenly transformed as two colossal beings emerged, each standing a towering 100 meters in height. One radiated an intense aura of scorching mes, while the other exuded an icy chill that seemed to freeze the very air around them.


    These colossal figures represented the embodiment of the Fire and Ice elements, their presencemanding awe and fear.


    The isted battlefield, epassing the entire 5-kilometer radius, became a stage for this epic sh of elemental forces. The ground trembled beneath the weight of their immense forms, cracks forming in the earth as they took their first steps.


    The Fire elemental Pheonix zed with fiery brilliance, its colossal form wreathed in roaring mes that licked at the air. Its very presence exuded an overwhelming heat that caused the surroundingndscape to smolder and char.


    Opposite it, the Ice elemental Dragon stood, emanating an aura of bone-chilling cold from his wings. Frost and ice encased its massive figure, glistening in the ambient light. As it moved, the ground beneath its feet froze, leaving a trail of icy destruction in its wake.


    As the two titanic beings locked eyes, a palpable tension filled the air. It was a battle of opposing elements, a sh of raw power that threatened to reshape the very fabric of the battlefield.


    The sky darkened with swirling clouds, as if reflecting the elemental turmoil about to unfold.


    With each step the Dragon took, the ground quaked and trembled, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.


    "Hey hey! You''re a descendant of Roc who looks like a peacock.


    Why is your transformed form a Pheonix?" he asked nonchntly.


    "Are you having an identity crisis? Stick with your character''s background setting, will you?" spoke Atreus in an admonishing tone.


    "You bastard, you''re a Fenrirborne. Why is your transformation a Dragon?" asked Speki.


    And with a kind and friendly smile, Kahn casually replied¡­


    "Because ''Fuck You!'', that''s why!"


    Shoot!


    Like a cannonball, the Ice Dragon shot forth towards the Phoenix, assisted by massive Ice pirs thatunched themselves like spears at the enemy.


    SHRILL!


    The piercing sound, like a high-pitched crescendo, filled the air as Speaki unleashed a devastating attack akin to a fireyserbeam, harnessing the full force of his abilities.


    ROAR!!


    In response, the Ice Dragon let out a mighty roar, a primal and thunderous sound that reverberated with power and dominance. The roar carried an undertone of challenge and defiance, a deration of his unwavering resolve to confront and ovee his opponent.


    Instead of dodging this superbeam attack by the Pheonix, the Dragon charged in front of it, facing the full brunt of it head-on.


    BOOM!!


    The sh of Fire and Ice reverberated through the air, a symphony of elemental fury that resonated with a power beyond mortalprehension.


    The sh between Atreus and Speki reverberated through the pocket dimension, its impact shaking the very fabric of their surroundings. The air crackled with energy as their powers collided, creating a symphony of shrill and roaring sounds that echoed through the sky.


    The sh between these two formidable beings intensified as their powers shed, their immense strength and determination on full disy.


    The sky became a battleground of explosions and shockwaves, the shrill and the roar intertwining in a symphony of raw power.


    Everyone just became a spectator in this dazzling battle of two ginormous creatures as Red and Blue lights shed and blinded their sights.


    ----------------


    As the battle raged on, the sudden transformation of Atreus into an Ice elemental dragon left those present in a state of bewilderment. The origins of this newfound form remained a mystery to the onlookers, but there was no time for questions or spection amidst the chaotic sh.


    Little did they know that the answer to Atreus'' transformationy in the 5 Combat Techniques taught to him by Romulus.


    Among these techniques, the first two were known as Harnessing and Conceptualization.


    The journey to master these 2 techniques had been arduous and fraught with challenges.


    Atreus had faced countless trials and experienced death itself more than 20,000 times in his pursuit of mastery. Through sheer determination and unwaveringmitment, he had persevered, unlocking the true potential of Harnessing and Conceptualization.


    Initially, it was believed that these techniques were limited to the maniption and enhancement of weapons.


    However, Atreus had discovered that they resonated far beyond the realm of weaponry because one day, they found an unusual effect.


    Driven by curiosity and a desire to understand the weaknesses of his enemies, Kahn sought knowledge from Vildred, the Sage of Preservation, on the weaknesses of the Summoner ss.


    In his pursuit of understanding, Kahn attempted to summon elemental creatures but found himself unsessful.


    However, under the guidance of the Lightning Dragon Emperor, he discovered a new path.


    With the umted world energy enveloping him, Kahn sought to encase himself within its embrace, aiming to take on the form of a dragon.


    To his surprise, the dormant Draconian bloodline within Kahn''s body responded on its own, resonating with his transformation attempt.


    At that moment, a revtion unfolded before him - he possessed the ability to temporarily transform into an elemental dragon, choosing the very element he desired to embody.


    The transformation, however, came with limitations. As the Draconian bloodline within Kahn''s body was iplete, he could only sustain his dragon form for a mere 10 minutes.


    In addition to his ability to transform into an Ice elemental dragon, Kahn now possessed the capacity to assume the forms of other powerful beings, including a Basilisk, a Fenrir, and a Primordial Titan.


    Each transformation allowed him to harness the unique strengths and abilities associated with these extraordinary creatures while choosing the element at his own will such as bing a Darkness Dragon or even an Ice Fenrir.


    However, during this particr encounter, Kahn chose to manifest his Ice elemental dragon form. This decision was rooted in practicality and strategic thinking, as it aligned with his Ice elemental Brawler ss andplimented his renowned attack, the Azure Dragon Fist.


    By assuming the form of an Ice elemental dragon, he could wield his signature techniques seamlessly, while drawing upon the power and attributes of his chosen element.


    Opting for the Ice elemental dragon form also had an additional benefit - it allowed Kahn to maintain a level of familiarity and reduce suspicion.


    Unlike his Fenrir bloodline, which he had not publicly showcased during the Tribal Tourney, his reputation as an Ice elemental Brawler who could use Azure Dragon Fist skill was already established.


    Thus, transforming into an Ice elemental dragon would appear less out of ce or raise unnecessary questions about his abilities.


    Kahn''s strategic approach demonstrated his keen understanding of the importance of perception and how his choices would influence others'' perceptions of him.


    By aligning his transformations with his established skills and reputation, he maintained a sense of consistency and minimized potential scrutiny.


    As Kahn embraced his Ice elemental dragon form, the culmination of his Ice elemental Brawler ss and his inherent Draconian bloodline merged, enhancing hisbat prowess and amplifying his icy attacks.


    So in simple words, Kahn was at the level of a beginner 6th-stage saint instead of a 5th-stage saint unlike everyone thought.


    And thus, the difference in strength and skills between him and Speki was already akin to a child and a grown-up.


    As for what kind of punishment would Kahn give this new colleague of his¡­


    No one was prepared for it.

 Chapter 935 Scrumptious Meal

    Chapter 935 Scrumptious Meal


    As the battle raged on, the 10 minutes of Kahn''s Ice Dragon form came to an end.


    With a final disy of devastating power, the Ice Dragon tore the Phoenix form of Speki apart, rendering him helpless and forcing him to revert back to his true form.


    Meanwhile, Atreus, seizing the opportunity, utilized his runes with deftness and precision, discreetly executing a strategic move. His actions went unnoticed by the Fire Summoner, who remained oblivious to the maniption happening right under their nose.


    Through his cunning and quick thinking, Atreus managed to seal the Fire Summoner''s ability to cast magic spells.


    The suppression of the Summoner''s powers left him weakened and stripped of his most potent abilities. He could barely muster the strength to conjure even a small me, reduced to the level of summoning a mere fire torch.


    As the aftermath of the intense battle settled, Kahn, in his Atreus form, stood victorious over the unconscious Speki. The battlefield, torn and ravaged,y in silence, offering a moment of respite.


    Approaching the fallen opponent with a determined stride, Atreus spoke with an authoritative tone¡­


    "Stop acting... I know you''re still awake."


    His words cut through the silence, leaving no room for deception or evasion.


    With a calcted step forward, Atreus ced his foot upon Speki''s feathery chest, asserting his dominance and ensuring his opponent''spliance. It was a stark disy of his power and control, a physical manifestation of his triumph.


    In this pivotal moment, Atreus demonstrated his unwavering resolve and refusal to tolerate deceit. Despite Speki''s apparent unconsciousness, Atreus saw through the facade, refusing to be deceived by any pretense.


    Crack!


    As Atreus exerted pressure, deliberately cracking one of Speki''s ribs, a searing cry of agony erupted from Speki''s lips.


    "Arrrghhh!!" shrieked Speki in intense pain, his eyes turning bloodshot red.


    The intense pain coursed through his body, causing his eyes to turn bloodshot red, reflecting his torment and fury.


    [This fucker! Just why is he beating us so much? What kind of enmity did he have with us?] asked Speki to himself.


    In the midst of his suffering, Speki''s mind raced with questions, grappling to understand the reasons behind Atreus'' relentless assault.


    Atreuses down and looks at the defeated Speki.


    "He! he! he!" Kahn gave out a sadistic snicker.


    "Why are you snickering?" asked Speki, terrified.


    "I wonder if you will taste like a chicken?" spoke Kahn as his maw of sharp teeth and fangs started drooling.


    Speki was horrified. To him, Atreus'' figure now resembled a butcher with a massive knife.


    RIP!!


    But before the fear was even etched into his mind, Kahn ripped out his entire left arm.


    "ARRRGGHHHHH"


    "SKRRAAAA!!"


    Speki''s screams and screeches echoed through the battlefield, reverberating with his unbearable pain. His body convulsed and wriggled in agony as the intensity of the suffering overwhelmed him. Each moment brought forth waves of excruciating torment, causing his entire being to contort and twist.


    As Speki''s cries filled the air, the once pristine ground became adorned with crimson red blood, a stark reminder of the brutal consequences of the battle. The sight served as a haunting testament to the violence that had unfolded.


    Meanwhile, Kahn, resolute in his actions, pulled out all of Speki''s feathers with a calcted and deliberate motion. The feathers, once vibrant and beautiful, were now strewn across the ground, discarded remnants of the avian warrior.


    Using his waterdes, Kahn skillfully and swiftly skinned and cleaned Speki''s arm.


    "This part looks juicy enough." he spoke in a skeptical tone and next, his gaze turned to Speki.


    "Hey¡­ I need fire to roast this, mind giving me some?" he asked nonchntly.


    Speki was terrorized to his core.


    "Psychopath! You''re a fucking psychopath!!" he shouted while barely enduring the agonizing pain.


    stepping on Speki''s neck.


    11:50


    Kahn in return only revealed a benign smile as he replied with a light bow¡­


    "Thank you for thepliment."


    Afterpletely overpowering and putting the opponent at his mercy, Kahn was stepping on Speki''s neck.


    "Do it or I''ll kill you." he warned in a grim voice.


    "You wouldn''t dare! The empire will not let you go unpunished." retorted Speki with heavy and muffled breath.


    "Oh, I dare very much. However, is that what you really want?


    Because whatever that may or may not happen to me¡­" asked Kahn.


    He then graced the groveling opponent a psychotic and terrifying smirk.


    "You wouldn''t be alive to see it."


    ----------------


    5 Minutes Later¡­


    Apletely petrifying scene appeared in front of everyone.


    Kahn was roasting Speki''s juicy and tender arm full of delicious meat on the fire provided by Speki himself.


    "Hey, your flesh is very juicy and tender. Though it could use some seasoning.


    Do you have any?" he asked while relishing the arm of the enemy.


    "You fucking lunatic! Just kill me already!" Speki shouted while crying.


    As the fire crackled and the scent of cooking flesh permeated the air, Speki, a 5th-stage saint with over 170 years of existence, found himself trapped in a harrowing and unprecedented situation. Throughout his life, he had been regarded with fear and respect, his very presencemanding authority and reverence.


    Yet, in this moment, all of that seemed to crumble. The humiliation and torture inflicted upon him by Kahn shattered the facade of invincibility that he had carefully cultivated over the years.


    It was a profound blow to his pride, leaving him vulnerable and exposed in a way he had never experienced before.


    The weight of the torment he endured bore down on him, both physically and emotionally. The agony of the physical painbined with the psychological torment of being subjected to such debasement created a deep sense of despair.


    The reason behind Kahn''s choice of such a method of torture was rooted in a deeply personal and tragic history.


    5 years ago, Speki had caused a catastrophic incident at a military outpost where he During his temporary stay at the military headquarters, Speki had conducted experiments, one of which involved his transformation into a Phoenix.


    was stationed as part of an Imperial Mission assigned by his tribe.


    During his temporary stay at the military headquarters, Speki had conducted experiments, one of which involved his transformation into a Phoenix.


    However, the trial went horribly wrong during his initial attempt, resulting in a devastating explosion that stretched over a 10-kilometer radius, decimating the entire area.


    Within the headquarters were not only the garrison of 50 thousand soldiers but also management workers and numerous civilians who had dedicated themselves to protecting and serving the empire.


    They had innocently lost their lives, their existence reduced to ashes by the mes that consumed everything in their path.


    The lives that had been lost were individuals who held noble intentions and weremitted to the empire''s well-being. Their sacrifice had been in service of a cause greater than themselves, but their lives had been snuffed out in an instant.


    And then Imperial authorities, seeking to conceal the true nature of the incident, had masked it as an attack by the Zivot Empire, the empire of Elves.


    Since the fateful day of the devastating incident caused by Speki, Romulus, the Heavenly King of Fire, had been closely monitoring his actions.


    Romulus, aware of the profound tragedy and loss that resulted from Speki''s experimentation, recognized the need for justice to be served.


    With Kahn now a member of the Hero''s Party, Romulus saw an opportunity to fulfill this imperative.


    The Heavenly King of Firemanded his disciple to subject Speki to a simr treatment, a means to ensure that Speki faced the consequences of his actions and experienced the pain he had inflicted upon others.


    At this moment, even Maximus, who watched this from afar was distraught by the inhumane conduct disyed by Atreus.


    However, he chose not to interfere because he was certain that there was a reason why Atreus went this far since his actions seemed driven by a strong cause than just a simple tyrant''s tantrums.


    "Hey, time for you legs. I love giant drumsticks." said Atreus with a sinister grin.


    Today, the world of Vantrea witnessed the birth of KFC... Kahn Fried Chicken.


    Borat on the other end was shaking in fear, his body shivered as if it was drenched in cold water.


    "This guy¡­" spoke the green-maned lionkin as his body barely dared to move.


    "Is a menace to society."

 Chapter 936 Menace to Society

    Chapter 936 Menace to Society


    As the torture of Speki continued for the next hour, the pain and trauma inflicted upon him reached a crescendo.


    The torment endured had pushed him to the brink of his physical and mental limits. Unable to withstand the intensity any longer, Speki''s body and mind sumbed to the overwhelming shock.


    The depths of his agony and the relentless torment inflicted upon him had taken a toll that his body and mind could no longer bear. With his consciousness fading, Speki''s brain, overwhelmed by the trauma, triggered a temporary shutdown, plunging him into a state ofatose.


    The battlefield, once consumed by the grisly scene of torture, now fell into an eerie silence. The air was heavy with the weight of what had transpired, the aftermath of violence and suffering. The atmosphere seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the next turn of events.


    As Spekiy in his temporaryatose state, the gravity of the situation became apparent. The extent of the physical and mental trauma inflicted upon him was starkly reflected in his lifeless form.


    The battle, once filled with ferocity and animosity, now seemed suspended in time.


    Atreus, having yed a pivotal role in this macabre ordeal, stood amidst the aftermath, his actions having left an indelible mark upon the battlefield and the hearts of those present. The haunting stillness provided a momentary respite, as the consequences of their actions weighed heavily upon the minds of those who had borne witness.


    "Tch! Such poor resilience. This is barely 20% of what I underwent during my training and this guy already fainted. Some saint he is." scoffed off Kahn.


    As Atreus continued to devour the barbecued flesh of his defeated enemy, there was a noticeable absence of guilt or remorse on his face.


    The grotesque act of consuming the cooked meat of his foe did not faze him in the slightest.


    It was as if he had be desensitized to the horrors of violence and suffering, a result of the grueling trials and tribtions he had endured under the guidance of Romulus and Vildred.


    Throughout his journey of mastering various techniques and elemental skills, Atreus had faced countless deaths, each one serving as a stepping stone in his quest for power.


    The inhumane tortures and unimaginable pain inflicted upon him had shaped him into a being seemingly impervious to the horrors that would drive others to madness.


    The unsettling calmness with which he consumed the flesh of his enemy hinted at the depths of his detachment from the realm of empathy andpassion for his enemies...


    What he had disyed thus far was merely the tip of the iceberg, the entry-level manifestations of his torturing skills and he had much more left in the bag.


    ----------------


    As Atreus deactivated the magic barrier, his piercing gaze fell upon Conan Doykle, a 4th-stage saint swordsman and a formidable adversary.


    Standing at an imposing height of 3 meters, Conan was a white tigerkin warrior with whom Atreus had crossed paths even before joining the Hero''s Party.


    Conan Doykle had recently earned the prestigious title of Sword of Retribution from the Nadur Empire. This recognition was bestowed upon him for his valiant act of ying Hodag, a mythical rank creature that had wreaked havoc, causing the deaths of millions of citizens. The creature''s rampage had been fueled by centuries of slumber, awakening with a destructive fury that had threatened the lives and safety of countless innocents.


    Yet no one here apart from Atreus knew that he was the very cause of that massacre.


    Shiver!


    The hair on Conan''s body perked up. Even his whiskers became as straight as needles when he saw Atreus ring at him.


    [Borat, help me!] he contacted the green-maned lionkin.


    Because after seeing everything happen so far, he was certain that he would meet the same fate as the others; or even worse.


    [What can I even do? He took down everyone when he was suppressed by 3 domains. Now, even my domain can''t make a difference if we fight.


    We are at his mercy now.] responded Borat.


    Swoosh!


    Atreus quickly appeared in front of Conan and spoke with a casual smile¡­


    "How have you been Conan? Not gonna greet your elder brother?"


    bbergasted!


    Conan stood bbergasted in the sky after Atreus approached him.


    [Who the fuck is your brother, you sadist psycho bastard?!] thought Conan and gulped with a palpitating heart.


    10 minutes after being beaten to death¡­


    "Go gather their bodies in one ce." said Atreus as he clenched his bloodied fists.


    "Yes, elder brother." bowed Conan with a swollen face and a broken arm and leg.


    He quickly absconded to fetch the others with an expression showcasing how much he was terrified for his life.


    Kahn had single-handedly destroyed the Hero''s Party. And now only one member remained to hunt down.


    Next, he appeared a few meters away from Borat, the strongest among all the members of the Hero''s Party apart from Maximus.


    Step!


    "Atreus, stop! I concede!"


    Borat, caught in the midst of the charged atmosphere between Atreus and Conan, felt his survival instincts kick in.


    A primal urge to retreat and escape the looming danger surged within him. His subconscious mind screamed for him to take a step back, to distance himself from the impending sh if he wanted to preserve his own life.


    However, an invisible force seemed to grip Borat, preventing him from fullymanding his body as he desired. The intense killing intent emanating from Kahn, the aura of power and dominance he exuded, had an insidious effect on Borat''s psyche.


    It undermined his ability to act in ordance with his own survival instincts, leaving him in a state of inner turmoil and vulnerability.


    Kahn casually walked towards Borat who was of the same height.


    Wipe¡­


    Kahn wiped off his bloodied ws on Borat''s shoulders with menacing eyes.


    "What did you call me now?" he asked the lionkin in a hushed but threatening voice.


    "Atreus." replied Borat, shivering despite being a rank higher than Atreus.


    "Uh?" he asked again and leaned forward towards Borat''s left ear.


    "Atreus." spoke Borat hesitantly, his countenance disying the terror in his heart.


    "SIR!" shouted Kahn.


    "Call me ''Sir''." he dered in a tyrannical voice.


    "Yes sir? Okay, sir." his domineering voice echoed in the surroundings.


    "YES SIR!!" he solidified his tyranny.


    "Yes, sir." spoke Borat, still shivering but barely gathering strength to speak.


    The reason Kahn let Borat go was that although the lionkin was the haughtiest and the most prideful among them due to him being the nephew of Heavenly King of Light, Haldor and a former candidate to be the Official Disciple¡­ He was the only member of the Hero''s Party without any innocent blood on his hands.


    Usually, one beats the strongest warrior from the enemy side and then deals with the weak onester.


    However, Kahn chose the opposite as he beat everyone else to death and then tortured them till they fainted from pain and trauma.


    By doing so, he instilled the fear of death in Borat, the strongest warrior of the opposition without even touching him.


    And now, even he bowed his head against Atreus, admitting that the Fenrirborne was the strongest among them.


    One might as well call this approach unorthodox or a waste of time. But Kahn hadpleted all the objectives he had in mind. And now, among the Hero''s Party and its members¡­


    Kahn established his position at the top of the hierarchy.

 Chapter 937 The Repercussions

    ?


    After the intense battle came to an end, Kahn emerged victorious, solidifying his position as the highest authority within the Hero''s Party.


    Under Kahn''smand, Conan gathered all the unconscious members who were knocked out by Atreus in their bout.


    As they returned to the real world, the Hero''s Party emerged defeated and broken.


    Kahn''s ascent to the highest position of monarchy within the party marked a miserable chapter in their journey. The experiences they had shared and the terrifying torture they had undergone had scarred them mentally.


    Now, all of them were seated in the very hall where the meeting was supposed to happen when Atreus came into the vi first.


    "Wake up, you dipshits." spoke the blue wolfkin.


    Crackle!


    As the bone-biting frost filled the air, its icy tendrils reached out and enveloped the unconscious bodies of the Hero''s Party members. The freezing cold seeped into their very beings, prating the depths of their consciousness and stirring them awake from their slumber.


    One by one, they jolted back to consciousness, their eyes snapping open as they were greeted by the chilling embrace of the frost. The sudden awakening brought them back to the reality of their surroundings, their memories of the intense battle flooding back with rity.


    Gasp!


    Tremble!


    Gasps and shivers resonated through the group as they shook off the remnants of unconsciousness, their senses alert and minds reawakened. The bone-chilling frost acted as a potent stimnt, rousing their bodies and minds from the fatigue and exhaustion of the battle.


    "All of you deserve a fate much worse than this. Yet your positions are protecting you from me." dered Kahn in a lifeless tone.


    "Never forget that you''re all alive at this moment because I allowed it.


    If this was outside of this current arrangement and there were no restrictions¡­ I would be talking to a bunch of corpses at this moment." he stated in a domineering voice.


    Most of the party members had yet topletely regenerate their organs and heal fully even with their bloodlines and high-tier healing potions in effect.


    "You made a mistake. We will make you pay for this." spoke Xavolees, the white bearkin whose forearms were nowhere to be seen.


    The other members also sneered inwardly while some of them were scared to death after looking at the fenrirborne in front of them.


    "I don''t make mistakes. I''m not "just like the rest of you."


    I''m stronger. I''m smarter. I''m better." spoke Kahn without a shred of hesitation as he looked down on all of their existences with disgust.


    "I AM BETTER." he proimed in a tyrannical voice, leaving no room for argument.


    Why was Kahn acting so arrogant out of the blue?


    Because Strength was the only fundamental measure of authority that the people of Beast Empire acknowledged and listened to.


    And those who held such terrifying strength had all right to be so arrogant.


    "From today onwards¡­


    You all will behave like obedient children and listen to Maximus'' orders." said Kahn while pointing on the Hero of Nature standing behind his back with his left thumb.


    At this moment, Maximus was not disying any intentions to meddle.


    The Reason?


    It was because Kahn specifically told Maximus about what every single one of them did and how many lives


    Every time he beat a party member, Kahn telepathically told Maximus about exactly what they did years ago and how many innocents lost their lives as these saints paraded as Warriors of Justice.


    One could say that Maximus was choosing to be quiet at this moment because there was no guarantee that he might not end up killing them with his own hands given his own sense of morals and justice.


    As for acting as the leader of the group?


    Maximus was never acknowledged in the past 8 years since he was summoned due to him being a human.


    If Atreus beating them to death brought order to this party, then he would wee it instead.


    "Why should we?!" Svana, the feline assassin rebutted.


    "Because this time, I didn''t even use my domain since I wanted to take you all out one by one.


    If you don''t obey me¡­ I won''t hold back next time." Kahn warned while releasing his petrifying killing intent again.


    "Howe none of you have realized this yet...


    Thest time your domains affected me and almost killed me...


    It wasn''t because you guys managed to hurt me." he spoke without a shred of fear.


    "It was because I allowed you to hurt me." his tyrannical voice echoed in the surroundings.


    "Now imagine what would happen if someone like me who none of you can even touch, hurt or overpower in terms of strength despite working together, is after your life..."


    His wrathful eyes hinted that if someone spoke another word, he might as well kill them right here.


    [This was him holding back? Why don''t you just kill us instead?!] thought Speki, the one who suffered the biggest torture and humiliation at Atreus'' hands.


    "So before you forget today''s beating and since all of us are already here¡­ Let''s discuss our strategy¡­ For the Conve of Heroes." dered Kahn in a solemn voice, acting as the judge of their fates.


    ----------------


    As for the repercussions?


    There weren''t going to be any.


    Why?


    The reason behind thisy in the potential fallout that would ur if the Empress and the Heavenly Kings were informed of the true events of the battle.


    Imagine how the Empress and the Heavenly Kings would react upon hearing that a single saint, Atreus, had fought against all these powerful and talented saints from different tribes and ns, who were meant to be the future pirs of the empire.


    These individuals, highly regarded and esteemed by their respective factions, were soundly defeated, tortured, and left begging for mercy on Atreus''s first day as the new member of the Hero''s Party.


    Such news, if revealed to the outside, would undoubtedly cause shockwaves throughout the empire, shattering the carefully cultivated image of invincibility and superiority that these powerful ns and tribes held.


    To avoid such a massive upheaval, it is likely that the Hero''s Party members would keep the true events of the battle hidden.


    And all of them had very valid reasons to hide the truth as well.


    In the culture of the Beast Empire, ganging up on someone in a battle was considered an act of cowardice and dishonor ording to the Code of Warriors.


    It was a disgraceful act that went against the principles of fairbat and was frowned upon by the entire society. If the truth of their defeat and humiliation at the hands of Atreus were to be exposed and the fact that they ganged up on a single opponent shamelessly, it wouldn''t just bring shame upon the defeated individuals, but also upon their ns, tribes, and entire species.


    The reputations of the defeated saints would be tarnished, and their authority within their respective factions might be questioned. It would undermine the confidence of the Empress and the Heavenly Kings, leaving them with doubts about the strength and capabilities of their supposed future generation of powerful saints...


    The shame and humiliation would be so profound that it might tarnish the reputation of not just the individuals involved but also their entire bloodlines and might as well drive some to the brink of despair, considering even suicide to escape the burden of disgrace.


    The prospect of such a revtion would be a horrifying prospect for the defeated individuals, and they would go to great lengths to keep the truth hidden, even if it meant taking the secret to their graves.


    This understanding was precisely why Kahn/Atreus, had never been worried about the consequences of his actions. He knew that the defeated saints would never dare to reveal the truth of their defeat, and thus, the battle would remain a secret known only to those who were present on that fateful day.


    And now with one week remaining, came the time for the Conve of Heroes.

 Chapter 938 The Instructions

    Chapter 938 The Instructions


    2 Days Later¡­


    The atmosphere in the imperial throne hall was tense yet filled with a sense of anticipation as the hundreds of people gathered, waiting for the Empress of the Nadur Empire, Kaali Adisesha, to speak.


    As the female figure materialized, the entire room fell silent, awestruck by her imposing presence. She stood at an imposing height of 2 meters, radiating power and strength. The shimmering blue eyes and faint violet hair added an otherworldly beauty to her already majestic appearance.


    In her god-like might, the Empress seemed almost untouchable, and those in her presence couldn''t help but feel a mixture of awe and admiration. Her presence alone seemed to inspire worship and loyalty, and it was clear why she was the ruler of the Nadur Empire.


    As the reigning ruler, Kaali''s presencemanded respect and awe, and all eyes were fixed on her as she began to address the assembly that included the presence of all the Heavenly Kings and the entirety of the Hero''s Party.


    With an authoritative and majestic tone, Empress Kaali Adisesha spoke, her voice resonating with power and authority¡­.


    "I reckon all of you have been informed about where we are going and what your objectives are, right?" Her words carried the weight of expectation, and she looked expectantly at the members of the Hero''s Party.


    In unison, the members of the Hero''s Party replied, "Yes, your imperial majesty."


    Their voices echoed through the hall, a clear indication of their unity and readiness to fulfill hermands.


    At this event, no one spoke openly about the battle that had taken ce, and the memory of Atreus''s overwhelming power and mercilessness hung in the air like a dark cloud. Many present felt a sense of terror and unease in his presence, uncertain of when he might explode with rage or unleash his devastating abilities.


    Atreus had be an enigma, a ticking time bomb that no one dared to approach or provoke. The fear of facing his wrath and power kept many at a distance, and they would rather avoid being in the same room as him if they could.


    Yet, despite the lingering fear and unease, the members of the Hero''s Party had no choice but to be present in the throne hall.


    Also, they had taken an oath to serve the imperial orders, especially for the Conve of Heroes, as this was the primary reason for them bing a member in the first ce.


    "Good. Tomorrow morning, I and the Heavenly King of Fire will be escorting you to the Sacred Isle where the Venerable Monk from the Temple of Termeszet will perform the ritual that will give all of you ess to enter the Sacred Grounds of the Gods." she dered with a in emotion, yet her voice carried absolute authority.


    "Once we enter¡­ Make sure to stay quiet and not cause any trouble or get into fights with any of the other Heroes and their Party Members.


    Your main objective is to reach the Holy Site, Hesperides." she gave them their next instructions.


    "This time, things will be tense and everyone will be extremely vignt since Hero of Darkness and the rumored Cult of Darkborne might finally make their appearance.


    Although the Abyss Empire no longer exists, there''s no guarantee that the Cult of Darkborne doesn''t have their own means to be present at the Conve of Heroes." she revealed in a stern voice.


    The Heavenly Kings also revealed a serious countenance.


    "And due to the pact between the Gods, we won''t be able to hunt or kill him when he does¡­ at least not until he exits afterpleting his main task.


    And given his history, he might target Maximus just like he did with Hero of Fire and Hero of Nature as we believe that he is following the same path as his predecessor." she proimed, warning them all to be vignt.


    "As for the other Heroes and their party members, they might also use his name to hunt and kill other Heroes since there is a loophole in the rules for the first time in the history of the Conve of Heroes." stated the Empress, revealing another dangerous oue.


    Obviously, there were always going to be some loopholes in the rules one way or another and in a world where strength and cunningness triumphed everything. Thus, everyone would be looking forward to exploiting those loopholes for their own gains.


    "They might as well attack you, kill everyone including the Hero, and me it on the Hero of Darkness and his group since there won''t be a way to know who actually did it on the sacred grounds.


    On top of it, since the other Emperors and Empresses will also be present, even someone like me won''t risk going to war with others because of the Transcendent Sanction of the Gods." the Empress'' voice jolted the members of the Hero''s Party.


    "And even if someone seeds, no empire would go to war with another over a dead Hero/Heroine who can''t even fight against the Demon God.


    To put even more stress to this already precarious situation, Emperor Havi Hos Sigfreed of the Vulcan Empire is alsoing despite the death of Hero of Fire, Axel Lobethrok." she dered in a grim tone as if having an unpleasant memory of this person.


    "What stance will he take after catching the Hero of Darkness is also very crucial.


    Because now, he has every justification to either kill or imprison the Hero of Darkness.


    And any other empire meddling or opposing his actions would go against the bws of the Conve of Heroes." she shed light on the other side of the foreseeable future.


    "There is so much politics involved to the point that even an 8th-stage saint like me cannot do anything but follow thews since this matter includes the Gods and Goddesses themselves.


    I and Romulus will handle those matters outside by ourselves.


    However¡­ what happens inside will be left all on your capabilities to fight and survive." she spoke as if motivating them to do their best.


    "So all of you have to put your lives on the line for the sake of the Nadur Empire so Maximus canplete the main task and return safely." spoke the Empress with a benign and enchanting smile.


    And with that entrancing smile, she finished her words in a kind and tender voice¡­


    "If he dies, so do all of you."

 Chapter 939 The Venerable

    Chapter 939 The Venerable


    The sacred isle was shrouded in an aura of mystique and ancient power. It was a ce of great significance, known only to a select few and hidden from the prying eyes of the world. Protected by a formidable 5th-stage saint, the isle was a sanctuary where sacred ceremonies of utmost importance were conducted.


    As the ceremonymenced, the Venerable Monk of the Temple of Termeszet, a wise and revered figure, led the proceedings. The atmosphere was solemn and charged with spiritual energy as if the very air was infused with the blessings of the divine.


    Kahn, disguised as Atreus, stood beside Romulus, his mentor and guide. Romulus was a figure of great influence and power, respected by all as one of the Heavenly Kings. Together, they exuded an air of authority and strength, which drew the attention of those present.


    On the other side, the empress Kaali, apanied by the other members of the Hero''s Party, arrived at the sacred isle. They too carried an aura of importance and power, each of them a formidable warrior in their own right.


    The ceremony itself was a deeply symbolic and ancient rite, meant to invoke the blessings of the gods and the spirits of thend. It was a moment of profound significance, as it marked the beginning of the Conve of Heroes.


    As the ceremonial rituals and praying towards the God of Nature carried on, Maximus gave Atreus a nod that was missed by many. However, at the same time, both conversed telepathically.


    [Did you think about my proposition?] he asked Kahn.


    [Are you sure you want to do this? There are too many variables and conditional situations. It''s unnecessary, to be honest.


    If even one of them goes wrong, we are done for. And most importantly¡­


    Can you live with yourself by having that on your consciousness?] asked Kahn in return.


    [After knowing it¡­ I don''t think I will be able to live with myself if I didn''t do anything. As for the consequences¡­] responded Maximus and his voice turned heavy¡­


    [I will take the responsibility.]


    ----------------


    As the ceremony proceeded, archaic runes were etched on everyone''s bodies including Romulus and Kaali.


    The sight of the Venerable Monk was both awe-inspiring and curious. A 2-meter-tall green tortoise, standing with a sense of serenity and wisdom, held a staff in his left hand while his right palm was raised sideways, as if in a gesture of peaceful greeting or blessing.


    His appearance defied expectations, for a tortoise to possess such stature and presence was unusual. Yet, his demeanor exuded a sense of ancient wisdom and spiritual power. The wrinkles on his face told a story of countless years of experience, and his eyes held a depth of knowledge that seemed to reach beyond the boundaries of time.


    The empress and all those present could feel the Venerable Monk''s spiritual energy radiating from him like a gentle, calming wave. It was as if his very presence brought tranquility to the surroundings, washing away any lingering tension or nervousness.


    As the sacred ceremony continued, the Venerable Monk led the prayers and rituals with quiet and profound grace. His words carried a weight of authority and reverence, drawing the participants into a deeper connection with the spiritual realm.


    "Venerable Oogway, what do the divinations tell you?" asked Kaali after she created an istion barrier, leaving the only 3 strong saints to discuss the things between themselves.


    "I fear they will all lose. Until they find a battle worth fighting." replied the Venerable Monk with a calm and soothing smile.


    "What?!"


    Suddenly, the Empress and Romulus were taken aback.


    "What does it mean? Are they all going to die?" asked Kaali haphazardly with a bewildered countenance.


    "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." replied the monk with an unchanged attitude, showing great control over his emotions and speech.


    "What can we do to prevent it?" asked Romulus.


    Because he was genuinely concerned for both Kahn and Maximus.


    "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.


    That is why it is called the present."


    The Monk''s words echoed inside the barrier as he imparted his wisdom.


    After some time, the barrier disappeared and the Venerable Monk walked forth towards the members of the Hero''s Party.


    [What do you mean by Divinations?] asked Kahn to Romulus telepathically.


    The barrier was ineffective against Vildred, the bonafide Sage watching the conversation from the true dimension.


    [Master Oogway can see the glimpses of future. He practiced the Law of Divinations throughout his entire life.] replied Romulus.


    [Is that simr to my Space Law?] asked Kahn.


    But instead of the Crimson Fenrirborne, it was Vildred who cleared his doubts¡­


    [Out of the 5 hardestws of reality to master, Space Law is the 3rd toughest one.


    Law of Divination is the 2nd one. And even among 10 billion people, hardly one can master it.] revealed the former Dragon Emperor.


    [Which is the hardest then?] queried Kahn gain.


    [Law of Time.] this time, it was Rathnaar who responded from within Kahn''s soul.


    [Thatw is something only the people of the empire serving God of Time practice. And even among millions of them, barely a hundred people can master it to Saint Rank.] informed the Peak Saint from his own experience.


    [Although Law of Divination mostly gives abstract and doesn''t give exact information about the events or the person¡­ There wasn''t a single time he was wrong in the past 400 years.] spoke Romulus, shedding light on the great wisdom of this Venerable Monk who appeared like a kind and old grandpa.


    [Just what rank is he?] queried Kahn.


    Romulus replied with a bated breath¡­


    [He is¡­ a Peak 8th stage saint.]


    [What?! Doesn''t that mean he is the strongest person in the empire?!] eximed Kahn with a bewildered expression.


    [Yes. But he does not wish to rule, never did.


    He has devoted his life to the God of Nature.] revealed Romulus with a tone filled with respect.


    Venerable Oogway was the strongest being in the empire, even above Kaali who was the current empress.


    Yet, this powerhouse had chosen a life to serve the God he believed in, heralding the institution that revered the God of Life.


    [Kid! There''s a problem!] suddenly, Vildred shouted in Kahn''s mind with an rmed countenance.


    Because at this moment¡­ Venerable Oogway was exactly looking in a nk space where there was nothing but air.


    However, that was for those who didn''t know that Vildred was hiding in that very space inside the True Dimension.


    [He¡­ He can see me. And if I''m not wrong¡­] spoke Vildred, ready to get into battle th situation arose.


    [He is a Sage, just like me.] replied Vildred.


    [What the fuck?!]


    Kahn''s entire body was filled with goosebumps as he went into survival mode by activating all of his defensive and dimensionalw skill, ready to run away within a moment.


    At this moment, Kahn was terrified and on edge.


    [My divinations told me that I would see someone unexpected here¡­]


    But before Kahn could even prepare any countermeasures, a profound and sagacious voice resounded in his head.


    This old andposed voice belonged to none other than Venerable Oogway who had his eyes closed with a friendly and gentle smile on his face as he conveyed his words to Kahn¡­


    [Hero of Darkness.]

 Chapter 940 Sage Of Divination

    ?


    As Kahn and Vildred faced the formidable Venerable Oogway, their shock and tension were palpable.


    Their situation wasplicated further by the fact that Venerable Oogway seemed to have seen through Kahn''s disguise as Atreus Betor and his true identity as the Hero of Darkness.


    Vildred prepared his Ancient Rank spells, anticipating the possibility of a fight breaking out. However, to their surprise, there were no signs of enmity or retaliation from the Venerable Monk.


    [Kid... If I was at least a Beginner 7th-stage saint, I could match him in strength. But at this point, our only option is to run away.] spoke Vildred with a wary expression.


    Even Vildred realized the vast power difference between the current him of the 5th stage saint rank and Venerable Oogway, leaving them with little chance of victory in a direct confrontation.


    The only viable option seemed to be to escape, especially considering the dire consequences.


    [I already have the mark to travel inside. But we need this turtle to open the sacred passage first. And don''t you remember... I''ll die if I don''t go in now.] replied Kahn as he was racing his mind to find other options to get out of their current predicament.


    Vildred too understood the gravity of the situation. Kahn''s life was at stake, and they needed Venerable Oogway to open the sacred passage.


    And due to the Contract of familiarity which bound both of their lives together¡­ Vildred would also die if Kahn failed to enter this sacred site where the Conve of Heroes was to be conducted.


    Running away might buy them some time, but it wouldn''t solve their ultimate dilemma.


    Despite this revtion, the Venerable Monk had not disclosed this information to anyone, including the Empress.


    [Why hasn''t he revealed my true identity? Does he have a hidden motive?] wondered Kahn.


    More than a minute had passed but Venerable Oogway acted as if there was nothing surprising or worth mentioning to the Empress.


    The situation was precarious, leaving Kahn and Vildred unsure of how to proceed.


    They had to weigh their options carefully, considering both their immediate survival and the long-term implications of Venerable Oogway''s actions from this point.


    However, instead of paying attention to Kahn/Atreus¡­


    Venerable Oogway approached Maximus, he could sense the conflict within the young man.


    Apart from Kahn, no one else knew what was going on with Maximus.


    With a gentle touch, he ced his tortoise-palm on Maximus''s head, emanating a sense of serenity and understanding.


    "I know you are in turmoil. I know you question the very reason for your existence in this world." spoke the Venerable in a soothing tone.


    "I... I do not know what my purpose is anymore." spoke Maximus with a conflicted countenance.


    "Your mind is like this water, my child. When it is agitated, it bes difficult to see.


    But if you allow it to settle, the answer bes clear." advised the strongest saint of the Nadur Empire.


    His words carried a pearl of profound wisdom, likening Maximus''s restless thoughts to the ripples in agitated water.


    Venerable Oogway was encouraging him to find both tranquility and resolve within himself, to let his thoughts settle so that he could gain rity about his path and purpose.


    "I have lived more than 400 years and among the many lessons life has taught me¡­ One of them fits perfectly in your situation.


    So I will depart the wisdom of this old monk¡­" spoke Venerable Oogway with an erudite countenance.


    "If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now."


    Right then¡­


    Maximus'' eyes wide-opened in shock as a wave of enlightenment washed over him. He felt as if some of the chains that trapped him in his previous world and in Vantrea had just shattered, helping him break past his reckoning.


    This simple yet profound statement held a significant message. Others may not be able to make sense of it but to Maximus¡­


    It seemed like the answer he was looking for.


    ----------------


    After speaking with all the other members of the Hero''s Party¡­


    Venerable Oogway finally spoke with Kahn in from of everyone''s eyes.


    [Do not worry, child. I have no intention to reveal your identity.


    At first, I was skeptical. But now that I have seen you and the people associated with you¡­ I have be certain of one thing.] spoke the monk with a gentle smile.


    [That you are one of the people who have a key part to y in the fate of this world.] he dered.


    Kahn was simply dumbfounded and bewildered at the same time.


    "Use your skills for good, young warrior. Find the one thing you were denied so long ago ¡ªpassion." the Venerable Monk''s words echoed in the surroundings.


    Again¡­ Kahn could not help but be frozen on the spot.


    Although it was good news that the monk in front of him, who resembled a particr tortoise of the same name in an animated movie had chosen not to reveal his identity to the Empress, the words he spoke openly had left Kahn asunder.


    Gasp!


    [Wait¡­ does he also know about my past life?] gasped Kahn and asked himself.


    Those words of wisdom would not seem usible if someone knew Kahn''s miserable and lonely life as Elric.


    Yet the words spoken by Venerable Oogway struck the right point as if he had seen through both of his lives.


    He had done his best to bury the memories of his previous life, to forget the pain and loneliness he had endured as Elric. But now, it seemed that those memories were being brought to the surface once again.


    Kahn''s mind raced with confusion and curiosity.


    How could the Venerable Monk know about his past life as Elric? It was a secret that he had kept hidden from everyone, even his closestpanions. Yet, the words spoken by Venerable Oogway seemed to resonate with the truth of his existence.


    "People like you who have great power and responsibilities¡­ You are not the type of person who needs to find his purpose.


    Rather, your purpose wille and find you." he dered in front of everyone.


    He ced his palm on the blue wolfkin''s chest and his green aura suddenly broke the previously ced mark on his body without anyone noticing.


    [This is the only help I can give you, child. No one from the Beast Empire shall be able to track you after your part in this Conve of Heroes is finished.


    But you must make a choice when the timees.] he spoke telepathically.


    Kahn did not understand what the Venerable Monk implied with those words¡­ But he knew that hard times were ahead and his participance in the Conve of Heroes was not going to be without any extraordinary turn of events.


    "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." said Venerable Oogway.


    This impacted Kahn''s mind again.


    Because so far, he had been actively avoiding his part as Hero of Darkness and even hiding his identity so far in this new life.


    Yet somehow, fate had brought him to this very ce using one reason or another.


    "Just remember this. You being present here¡­" spoke the Sage of Divination as he imparted his final words of wisdom to Kahn.


    "There are no idents."

 Chapter 941 Leap Of Faith

    ?


    Kahn couldn''t help but feel a mixture of curiosity and gratitude towards the enigmatic Venerable Monk. He wondered what the monk had seen or sensed in him that led him to keep his secrets hidden. It was clear that the monk''s wisdom went far beyond the affairs of the mortal world, and he seemed to have a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of all things.


    Perhaps the Venerable Monk saw a potential in Kahn that extended far beyond the scope of the Conve of Heroes. Maybe he perceived that Kahn''s true purpose and destinyy in something greater, something that transcended the boundaries of the empire and even the mortal realm.


    Whatever the reasons, Kahn knew that he would have to trust in the monk''s wisdom and guidance. The Venerable Monk had lived a long and enlightened life, and his insights were likely based on profound experiences and spiritual knowledge.


    Kahn was trying to understand the profound meaning behind the line¡­


    ''There are no idents.''


    What did it mean in Kahn''s case?


    [No matter how I see it¡­ it feels like everything has worked in my favor although it didn''t go ording to how it was supposed to be.] thought Kahn to himself.


    Empress making him a member of Hero''s Party despite Kahn not wanting to.


    And that too when the Conve of Heroes was right around the corner.


    Then the supposed powerhouse whom Romulus previously spoke of not being able toe for Kahn after the end of the Elysium Tribal tourney...


    Andstly, a Sage of Divination expecting Kahn''s arrival at the present moment and willingly choosing him to pass.


    All of it felt that it was somehow¡­ Predestined.


    [Is this my Canon Event?] wondered Kahn.


    What was a Canon Event?


    Something that was supposed to happen regardless of the changes in ns, timelines or even destiny itself.


    The crucial aspect of a Canon Event is its inevitability. While the means to achieve the event may change and deviate from the original route due to unexpected turns of events, the oue remains fixed.


    Many times, the Canon Event must happen for the sake of the world.


    Also, it can not be shifted, skipped or changed no matter what you did.


    Whether one changed the timeline or even the universe itself¡­ The Canon Event will take ce despite different interventions.


    And the way everything went on so far, Kahn was certain that this was one of those pivotal milestones of his journey.


    [But why do I feel like I''m almost walking at death''s door?


    This is a clear Death g from my past life''s experience as a Weeb and Otaku.


    Hell, someone with years of experience can easily predict such a plotline.


    Yet here I am¡­ With no choice but to go along with it.


    Because if I don''t, this will be myst day in this world.] spoke Kahn and sighed.


    At the present scenario, he truly didn''t have any other choice but to go along with the current situation regardless of his reservations.


    [But I guess there must be a good reason why event this monk is letting me pass despite serving an empire that wants to hunt and kill me.


    For what reason¡­ I will have to see for myself.]


    He chose to take a leap of faith first, leaving his fate in the hands of the sage who seemed to have seen a part of Kahn''s destiny.


    "Wear these cloaks. It will mask your appearances, species and auraspletely." spoke Kaali and summoned golden and emerald patterned cloaks with intricate designs with the sigil of the Nadur Empire on the back.


    After everyone adorned those cloaks, a small illusion sphere was cast on them that changed their appearances and even height.


    Forget the others, one would be fooled by their own aura as if it belonged to someone else.


    "Although some of the Heroes and Heroines have made public appearances, there is no information avable on the likes of Hero of Lightning and Hero of Space.


    Even Hero of Light has never shown his face to anyone as if he was never summoned in the first ce."


    "We can''t let everyone know which one is the Hero among the group and let others mark them from the very start." spoke the Empress, exining her reasoning.


    After everything was said and done, the final moment came¡­


    Their golden and partially transparent shapes acted as keys to open an invisible door that came into existence out of nowhere.


    Dhang!


    As the Venerable Monk, Oogway, chanted in an ancient and mysteriousnguage, a profound aura filled the air. Hundreds of golden and partially transparent sutras materialized, hovering in the air like floating keys.


    These sacred symbols acted as the means to unlock an invisible door that seemed to materialize out of thin air.


    With a resounding sound, a brilliant blue light emanated from within the doorway, illuminating the surroundings. The passage to a different dimension had been opened, revealing a path leading to an unknown realm beyond.


    This was the entrance to the sacred and hidden realm which was to host the Conve of Heroes.


    As the door opened, it beckoned the members of the Hero''s Party to step forward and embark on their journey into the unknown, where destiny and fate awaited them.


    The Conve of Heroes would test their mettle, forge their character, and shape their paths in ways they could not yetprehend.


    And for Kahn, this moment marked the beginning of a profound and life-changing adventure.


    Finally after walking through the long passage¡­ Kaali, Romulus and the members of the Hero''s Party saw an otherworldly environment that went beyond normal sense of existence.


    "We''re here. This is¡­ Hesperides." dered the Empress while everyone was entranced in the beauty of this realm.


    Since ancient times, this realm was addressed as Sacred Grounds or Holy Lands by the Empires serving the Gods.


    But it had a different name long ago. It was also called as¡­


    The Land of the Gods.

 Chapter 942 Sacred Ground

    ?


    In the realm known as the Hesperides, a breathtaking sight awaited those who entered its domain. Floating castles adorned the skies, perched atop meteorite-like mountains that floated gracefully in the boundless expanse of space.


    Each castle was a marvel of architecture and magic, representing a different aspect of reality. Some were lush gardens of vibrant colors, housing flora and fauna that defied thews of nature.


    Others were towering citadels of light, emanating a celestial glow that illuminated the cosmos. Each castle existed in harmony with thews of its own reality, a testament to the infinite possibilities of creation.


    Rivers of world energy crisscrossed the open space, flowing in multicolored streams like a natural web of interconnected energy. These currents held the secrets of the cosmos, granting those who could harness their power a glimpse into the fabric of existence itself.


    The environment was a symphony of energies and realities, merging and colliding in an intricate dance of cosmic proportions.


    At the center of this celestial wondend stood the 13 Towers, towering structures that seemed to bridge the gap between this world and another dimension.


    Each tower represented a different aspect of reality, representing aw of reality and served as a gateway to the adventures thaty ahead for the Hero and Heroine''s parties.


    "I greet your majesty, the Empress."


    As soon as they exited the gate, a humble voice resounded in the surroundings as a powerful entity was waiting for them at the exit.


    This 3-meter-tall warrior was of an intermediate 7th-stage saint rank, someone qualified to be a Heavenly King in the Nadur Empire.


    [Be careful around him. He is a member of THAT group.] warned Romulus to Kahn, signaling him to do his best toy low.


    And thanks to the cloaks that the Empress provided to them, it became much easier for Kahn to do so. One could say that Kaali was the biggest helper Kahn recently came across.


    "Markgrav¡­ Can''t say I am pleased to see you." spoke Kaali with a hint of anger in her tone.


    Before her, stood a lionkin spear warrior in a silver ted armor from head-to-toe.


    Markgrav represented the Beast Empire in the mysterious group created to hunt down the Hero of Darkness, and his dedication to this cause was evident in the relinquishment of his title and candidacy to be a Heavenly King decades ago.


    However¡­ Markgrav, though lower in authoritypared to the Empress, carried himself with utmost respect and deference.


    The Empress revealed a disappointed countenance as this representative has still not been able to find the Hero of Darkness despite having the means and resources provided in abundance.


    Once a member of the previous Hero of Nature''s party, Markgrav had undergone tremendous growth in strength over the centuries.


    From a mere 3rd-stage saint that he was 300 years ago, he had risen to be an intermediate 7th-stage saint, a true powerhouse akin to Romulus himself.


    His prowess was such that even the current Kahn, with all his training and power, would not be a match for him. Their battle would require Kahn to at least reach the level of a beginner 6th stage saint, considering the difference in ranks and the formidable bloodline of Godbeast Baihu possessed by his opponent.


    Markgrav''s journey to find and confront the Hero of Darkness spanned three long years, showing his unwaveringmitment to the task.


    However, the one he had been looking for to seek vengeance all this time, was standing among the group he respectfully weed in Hesperides of his own volition.


    "Are they ready?" asked Kaali to Markgrav.


    "Yes, we will only take action if the Hero of Darkness shows up.


    Otherwise, we will not intervene in the proceedings of Conve in any way." spoke the lionkin with a majestic mane.


    "I hope he does show up. Otherwise, all of your sacrifices would have been for naught.


    And I will have to take harsh decisions due to your ipetence." spoke Kaali, openly threatening Markgrav in front of everyone.


    "I shall disappoint you no further, your majesty." spoke the lionkin and led the way.


    At this moment, a simr situation urred for the other 10 sacred passagesing from different empires.


    After a few minutes of travel through air, Kahn finally saw the groups of other Hero and Heroine''s parties.


    However, everyone was hiding their auras in cloaks and masks just like them.


    The towers stood tall and majestic, each leading to a different entry point in the second dimension, essible only by the Hero''s Party members.


    This second dimension was a ce exclusively reserved for those below 7th stage saint rank, making it suitable for the Hero''s Party members who were mostly 6th stage saints.


    However, finding such powerful individuals willing to risk their lives by joining the Hero''s Party was a challenging task, and it had taken considerable effort to assemble each team.


    Yet, this restriction suited Kahn perfectly.


    Being a 5th-stage saint himself, he was well within the qualifications to explore this enigmatic realm. He felt a sense of anticipation, eager to face whatever trials and secrets this dimension held.


    As all the 11 groups gathered in utmost quiet and secrecy, a profound silence enveloped the area.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, a divine being appeared in the skies, capturing the attention of everyone present.


    This enormous four-armed humanoid being that have epassed the entire sky, emitted a lustrous white aura, and its dark blue orb that acted as the head, seemed to prate the very souls of those who gazed upon it.


    Its size and shape was changing every passing minute, yet the overwhelming aura established its authority.


    The presence of this celestial entity filled the air with an otherworldly essence, leaving the Hero''s Party members in awe of its power and majesty.


    They could feel an almost overwhelming energy emanating from the divine being, hinting at the unfathomable mysteries of this realm.


    The overseer of the Hesperides was a being of cosmic energy, simr to the Cosmic Aether entity Kahn had be in the Conjunction of Space, took on various forms after short intervals that defied earthlyprehension.


    The celestial possessed multiple elements andws of reality in their body beyond measure, and their purpose was to guide and observe those who ventured into this dimension for the Conve of Heroes.


    With mind that held the knowledge of countless eons, they were the highest authority, ensuring that thews of the conve were upheld and that the sanctity of the Hesperides was preserved.


    However, this celestial being had no eyes, nose or mouth as it was made purely out of world energy.


    Finally, an archaic voice resounded in everyone''s minds.


    "The Gods wish sess upon all. I hope you abide by the ancient rules of the Conve of Heroes and pass your tests." it spoke as a pristine white aura emanated from its body.


    Thud!


    But right then¡­ Another person showed up with a 7th-stage saint from one of the gateways leading into Hesperides.


    Both of these individuals were full-fledged Fireborne with wavy fiery hair that floated in the air.


    However, the one in the back was an 8th-stage saint with an ancient rank red spear.


    At the Conve of Heroes, Emperor of the Vulcan Empire¡­


    Havi Hos Sigfreed finally showed up.


    Step!


    Step!


    Kahn was baffled to see the Emperor again. It had been more than 2 years since hest saw him.


    Havi on the other end, did not speak with any other Emperors or Empresses and directed his gaze towards the celestial being.


    "I havee to invoke a use. Hero of Darkness has killed the Hero of Fire before the Conve of Heroes.


    And as per the ancientws made during the first-ever Conve of Heroes 3000 years ago¡­" spoke the emperor in a domineering tone as he dered his intentions in front of rulers of all the powerful empires of the world that served the Gods.


    "I have the right to im his life."

 Chapter 943 Claiming Life

    Chapter 943 iming Life


    Havi Hos Sigfreed, the formidable Emperor of the Vulcan Empire, stood tall and imposing as he dered his audacious intentions to im the life of the Hero of Darkness at the Conve of Heroes. His empire, home to Firebornes, Dwarves, and other Demi-Human races, was devoted to serving the powerful God of Fire, Hetrax.


    With his crimson armor and ming cloak, Havi exuded the essence of a ruler bound to the element of fire. His eyes zed with determination and a hint of arrogance, reflecting the immense power he wielded as the emperor.


    As news of his bold deration spread through the realm, it sent ripples of apprehension and anticipation among the Hero''s Party members and the attending representatives from different Gods and Empires.


    [What the hell is wrong with him?! I literally saved his daughter''s life and even helped him purge the coup caused by the Church due to my involvement when the Hero of Fire killed his son and tried to imprison Venessa.] thought Kahn to himself with his mind in shambles.


    As the Conve of Heroes approached, Emperor Havi, the ruler of the Vulcan Empire, had a hidden n in mind. Instead of seeking to harm or challenge Kahn, he aimed to create a way for Kahn to safely leave the Conve with him. His goal was to avoid any interference from other empires or factions and protect Kahn from potential threats.


    To achieve this, Emperor Havi astutely utilized a specific use in the bws of the Conve. This use stated that if one of the summoned Heroes or Heroines were killed by another hero or heroine from a different empire that worshipped a different God or Goddess, thetter would have the right to im the life of the perpetrator.


    Essentially, if the Hero were to be harmed by someone from a different empire, that empire would have the right to capture and bring him under their authority.


    Considering that the new Hero of Darkness did not have any empire backing him, Emperor Havi saw an opportunity to legally provide protection to Kahn. He aimed to ensure that no other empire could harm or capture Kahn during the Conve, as doing so would give him the authority to im Kahn and keep him safe.


    By implementing this n, Emperor Havi intended to forge a bond of trust with Kahn, safeguarding him from any potential threats while granting him a secure path within the Conve of Heroes. This strategic move showcased Emperor Havi''s foresight and desire to protect the Hero of Darkness, rather than capture or kill him as others would believe.


    "Once found¡­ Whether I kill him or gain his immediate custody as my prisoner is up to me. I hope the Celestial Guardian would approve my appeal." spoke Havi with a countenance full of resolve.


    In response, the celestial guardian of Hesperides spoke with contemting voice¡­


    "And so shall you have, child. As long as he is found to be here that is.


    And due to the previous arrangement between Gods in case a Hero kills another before the Conve of Heroes, you can force the Hero to relinquish thend inside that he, as Hero of Darkness, has rights to." spoke the Celestial being as it changed the shape of its body into another anthropomorphic form.


    "In other words¡­ If you are to capture him, you can have bothnds for Hero of Fire and Hero of Darkness.


    The resources are also yours to im in case the Hero of Darkness enters bothnds and finds them inside." dered the Celestial Guardian with an authoritative tone.


    [What ''Land'' are they talking about?] asked Kahn to Romulus.


    [The one inside. It has another purpose.


    But exactly what¡­ Even I do not know. As per my knowledge, only the reigning Emperors and Empresses are privy to that information.] responded Romulus with a reserved face.


    Right then, Kaali and some other rulers decided to speak¡­


    "This is unfair. Benefits of two God''s Domains given to a single empire¡­


    It will shift the power bnce in the entire world." spoke the Empress with an irritated countenance.


    "Correct! How is he given that right just because his hero was ipetent enough to get killed by Hero of Darkness?" asked another Emperor whose body was full of fish-like scales and held a golden trident, indicating that he was the ruler of the Empire of Water.


    The celestial guardian on the other end, replied in a lifeless tone as he looked at Kaali.


    "Do not dare mock the rules made by the Gods.


    It may seem unfair to you but it is the right decision ording to the previous agreements.


    Remember, even the previous Emperors and Empresses, many of whom belonged to empires that existed in those times, some of which are long gone and now you take their ces followed these very rules.


    So do not try to teach me." dered the Celestial Guardian in a displeased tone.


    Kaali quickly retorted and spoke loudly¡­


    "The bws also prohibit the guardian to be biased or favor any Heroes or the Empires. Their judgment must be impartial." her voice resounded.


    BOOM!!


    However, those words were not met with kindness as the Celestial Guardian revealed its otherworldly aura and its insurmountable pressure quickly forced Kaali to kneel as if the fury of the heavens had dawned upon the Empress of the Beast Empire.


    "Do not cite the ancientws to me, child.


    I was there when it was written."


    ----------------


    After a few minutes passed, the moments that felt like suffering through numerous deaths to Kaali, the Celestial Guardian spoke in an authoritative tone that resounded in everyone''s ears¡­


    "It is the will of the gods that honors the ancient pact.


    Any opposition and I as the guardian of Hesperides will have to act."


    "Honor my will the way I see it.


    Or perhaps any of you wish to make me enforce thosews by annihting your empires for breaking the rules made by Gods?" he asked in a grim tone.


    A feeling of terror suddenly ran across everyone''s bodies and even the Emperors and Empresses of these powerful empires, the ones who were at 8th stage saint rank, shuddered.


    They realized that rebuking Havi''s im on Hero of Darkness was like walking on ake with thin ice at the surface. One wrong move and they would drown till certain death.


    And the death won''t be just theirs but their entire empire.


    Why? Because the Celestial Guardian, the protector of Hesperides, was a soul projection of a Demi-God.


    "Do not be under the impression that I share some sort of bonding or amon cause with any of you.


    I am the Guardian tasked with protecting this ce. I have no interest in politics and the power struggle of the mortal world.


    However, for those who break thews¡­" dered the celestial guardian, now turning into the shape of a cute little rabbit.


    "I am the Divine Justice!"


    ----------------


    As the Celestial Guardian revealed his overwhelming power through his soul-projection, even the mighty Empress Kaali found herself kneeling before him. Witnessing this awe-inspiring disy, the other emperors and empresses had no choice but to silently ept the arrangement proposed by Emperor Havi.


    Just a soul-projection of this Demi-God which did not even contain half of his strength was enough topletely dominate and overpower an 8th stage Saintess like Kaali. And that too when he was merely exerting his aura due to displeasure.


    Only an idiot would dare to mock and question such an entity furthermore.


    After a collective discuss, all of them hade to ept the Celestial Guardian''s decree.


    Under this agreement, if the Hero of Darkness were to appear at the Conve of Heroes, they would be obliged to hand him over to the Vulcan Empire without any resistance. The sheer force and authority disyed by the Celestial Guardian left them with no room for defiance.


    While some emperors and empresses might have agreed reluctantly, it was clear that theirpliance was motivated by a deep understanding of the Demi-God''s unforgiving nature.


    He cared little for their individual concerns or struggles, leaving them with no other viable option but to acquiesce to his decision.


    Thus, the presence of the Celestial Guardian acted as an unyielding force thatpelled everyone to conform to the proposed arrangement.


    His power and status as a Demi-God solidified the authority behind Emperor Havi''s n, ensuring that the Hero of Darkness would be safeguarded and protected during the Conve of Heroes, as per the Vulcan Empire''s desires.


    Shing!


    As others hade to terms with the decision, right then¡­ The Guardian sensed something and looked at Kahn under the cloak.


    [I feel the Darkness from him. But it''s as if the beacon has yet to be lit up.


    His Divine Key¡­ Is not awakened.] spoke the Celestial Guardian to himself.


    The Celestial Guardian had sensed and found the Hero of Darkness.


    [Well, it is not my problem to uncover his truth and hold him responsible.


    Compared to the previous generations, this Conve of Heroes is full of surprises for the first time in the past 3000 years since I was tasked with this job.


    All of them have failed to even find him all this time and he is actually present here at the moment.


    So why should I do their job for them?] he thought with a sense of superiority, reveling in the ipetence of the Empires.


    He was the Guardian of Hesperides, and the Enforcer of the bws of Conve of Heroes, not the Hunting Dog for these empires.


    [I shall allow everyone to pass through.


    What happens inside¡­] he thought while hiding his surprise.


    [The fate will decide for itself.]

 Chapter 944 Too Many Plot Twists

    Chapter 944 Too Many Plot Twists


    As the Celestial Guardian, a powerful Demi-God with a sense of duty and neutrality, discovered Kahn''s true identity as the Hero of Darkness, he found himself perplexed by the series of unusual connections and circumstances surrounding the young Hero.


    [Seriously, what the hell is going on here? Why is a chosen Hero masquerading as part of another Hero''s Party?] he thought to himself.


    Despite his sense of superiority and his knowledge of Kahn''s true nature, the Celestial Guardian decided to keep the secret to himself, honoring his duty to remain neutral and not interfere in the grand scheme of things.


    As his observations extended to the other members of the party, he couldn''t help but raise more questions.


    [Why is the former Dragon Emperor tied to this child through a Contract of Familiarity?] he pondered with confusion as he looked at Vildred who hid in the True Dimension.


    The mysterious connection between Vildred and Kahn intrigued him, and he wondered about the implications of such a bond between two significant figures.


    Next, his gazended on Romulus who stood behind Kaali.


    [And why is this Fenrirborne here again? Wasn''t he part of the 8th Hero of Darkness'' party 300 years ago?]


    The Celestial Guardian could almost see through everything that happened in Hesperides if he willed so. He had the recollection of all of those who previously attained the Conve and was familiar with everyone''s aura and soul signature.


    The presence of Romulus, a figure with a history tied to the Hero of Darkness'' party from centuries ago, added anotheryer ofplexity to the situation.


    His investigation didn''t stop there; the Celestial Guardian delved further into Kahn''s soul, uncovering yet another intriguing link.


    [What is Rathnaar Whitlock, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea, doing here?


    Didn''t he fail to be a Demi-God and die?


    Why is his half-soul tied to the new Hero of Darkness via a Soul-Oath?] he kept wondering,pletely taken aback by this revtion.


    The discovery of Rathnaar Whitlock''s connection to Kahn through a Soul-Oath raised even more questions about the interwoven destinies of these individuals.


    As the Celestial Guardian observed the unfolding events at the Conve of Heroes, he couldn''t help but be struck by the unprecedented and bizarrebination of circumstances.


    [A Hero hiding in another Hero''s Party.


    A former member of the Hero of Darkness'' party reappearing with a different empire''s entourage.


    A Royal Dragon is present at the Conve for the first time in history.


    And the soul of a Peak Saint who was unaffiliated with any Gods and Empires.] spoke the Deity to himself, contemting the plot twists.


    The convergence of these unique individuals at the same time and ce was nothing short of extraordinary, defying conventional expectations and adding an air of mystery and intrigue to the proceedings.


    [This is the most bizarrebination I have ever seen. I really shouldn''t have epted this job.


    If only I could leave this ce whenever I wanted and chat with other Deities.


    There''s too much happening in the outside world and I''m stuck with this watchman''s job.


    I should contact others, only then I would be brought up to speed.] thought the Demi-God as he contemted his Life-Choices.


    The Celestial Guardian found himself longing for the opportunity to discuss these unfolding events with other divine beings, hoping to gain insight into the deeper meanings behind this seemingly unusual gathering of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.


    "Dammit! I should have brought the Divine Popcorns. This time, things are getting way too interesting.


    I''m dying to read the next chapter!"


    Despite his duty to remain neutral, the Celestial Guardian couldn''t help but be entertained by the unexpected turn of events.


    The uniquebination of characters and their unexpected presence at this Conve of Heroes had piqued his curiosity, making the unfolding drama more fascinating than he initially anticipated.


    "At this stage¡­ just make someone regress back in time, and we will have a masterpiece!"


    ----------------


    "Urgh!!"


    Amidst another Hero''s Party, a slim figure wrapped in a cloak expressed his difort, groaning in response to an unknown presence he suddenly felt.


    "Are you okay?" asked a 6th-stage saint.


    The 6th-stage saint, whose two white wings were concealed beneath his white and golden cloak, approached the figure, disying apassionate demeanor while having eyes full of genuine concern.


    "For some reason, I feel like a very repulsive existence that feels threatening to me is present here. This is the first time I''ve felt like this ever since I was summoned nine years ago." spoke this person with a feeling of unease.


    He was a 5th-stage saint but even he felt sick for some reason.


    The perplexing sensation puzzled the 5th-stage saint, leaving him uneasy and on edge.


    However, the 6th-stage saint offered a possible exnation.


    "Maybe it could be the pressure from the Celestial Guardian. He is a Demi-God after all.


    Just bear with it. We have more important tasks to achieve."


    Understanding the significance of their mission and the role of the Celestial Guardian, the 6th-stage saint encouraged the 5th-stage saint to endure the difort and focus on the task at hand.


    "And for both of them, we need you to be in your perfect health and full power. So, focus your attention on the task at hand." he emphasized on the importance of their mission.


    Aware of the vital role the 5th-stage saint yed in their endeavors, the party member stressed the importance of maintaining perfect health and power to aplish their objectives sessfully.


    Meanwhile¡­ At the same time, Kahn suddenly feels an innate connection with someone standing among another Hero''s Party in Green and White cloaks.


    [What are you doing here? And why is she here as well?] he asked that entity.


    A voice whispered in his mind and replied¡­


    [I will tell you everything if we meet inside.]


    this person.


    This Hero''s Party was a group of 11 people, donning resplendent golden cloaks [Alright. Keep your character and aid him to your best ability.


    We cannot risk another empire knowing your identities. All of your work there would go in vain if the truth is exposed.


    So follow the orders. We all shall meet again if we''re lucky.] replied Kahn as if he knew this person.


    This Hero''s Party was a group of 11 people, donning resplendent golden cloaks adorned with intricate patterns, stood together in the presence of the gathering.


    After Kahn ryed his words, most of them nodded in agreement and understanding, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.


    As the stage settled and the momentous asion reached its pinnacle, the Celestial Guardian, embodying his divine presence, spoke with a voice that resonated with majesty and grandeur.


    "All right then... I shall open the gates." he dered.


    nk!


    nk!


    Soon, one after another, other than the ones made for Hero of Darkness and Hero of fire, the 11 towers lit up and the gates to those massive towers, reserved for each Hero''s Party and their respective empire, had finally opened.


    The anticipation in the air was palpable as everyone present held their breath in anticipation of what woulde next.


    "To the Heroes and Heroines summoned in this generation, I wee you to the Domain of the Gods..."


    His words echoed throughout the Conve of Heroes, and a hush fell over the assembled crowd as they listened intently.


    "Babylon."

 Chapter 945 Gods Domain

    Chapter 945 God''s Domain


    As their Party walked towards the assigned tower''s gate that led to their next destination, a man in another Hero''s Party looked towards their direction.


    As the man with the wicked glimmer in his eyes gazed upon Hero of Nature''s Party, a sense of foreboding filled the air.


    The group, concealed within their golden hoods, exuded an aura of mystery and danger. The chilling words spoken by the man held an unsettling promise.


    "I''ll see you inside¡­ Kahn Salvatore."


    The utterance of Kahn''s true name instead of his Atreus persona was signaling that it was clear that this enigmatic figure knew more than what was readily apparent.


    His gaze seemed to pierce through the cloak of secrecy that surrounded Kahn''s identity as the Hero of Darkness.


    ----------------


    They entered the 2nd dimension aka the Domain of the Gods called Babylon.


    And finally, as soon as they appeared on the other side, a notification rang in Kahn''s head.


    [The host has entered one of the God''s Domain.


    The host''s Divine Key has started absorbing the Divine Essence of the God of Nature.


    The host will require 3 days until his core is stabilized and his life is no longer in imminent danger.] informed the system.


    [It''s just like my master said¡­ Any God''s divine essence is enough for me to survive.


    This will do for now. But I still need to find my way there.] thought Kahn to himself.


    This time, it was solely Kahn who entered in this realm called Babylon.


    Vildred and Romulus had no choice but to wait outside. Only Rathnaar, who was embedded in his soul was able pass through with him.


    This so-called Divine Essence of a God was exactly what Kahn needed to keep living on and hence he was forced toe to the Conve of Heroes.


    Babylon was actually a vast expanse of 2000 kilometers divided into 13 Peninss. Each of these regions were created by a God or Goddess while possessing their Divine Essence that a Hero''s Divine Key needed after all the Heroes had be a Saint.


    And the time limit for it was 5 years. And those who did not attend the Conve of Heroes and did not get their Divine Keys aka their cores to absorb enough of this Divine Essence before that 5 years window ended, they would simply die as their core would crumble from inside like a shattered marble.


    Unlike Hesperides which was called as Land of the Gods, Babylon was where the Gods had left an Altar for a ritual-like process that also allowed the Gods to directly speak with their chosen Heroes and Heroines.


    However, no saint above 6th-stage was allowed to enter due to restrictions ced by Babylon. Thus, the strongest members of a Hero''s party were never at 7th-stage saint or above.


    Kahn by himself was fully capable of even fighting a single beginner 7th-stage saint so he had full confidence in his survival.


    Thus, Romulus allowed him to go even if Argos didn''t show up on time.


    There were 2 main objectives at hand given by the Empires to the Hero''s parties.


    One was to protect and assist the Heroes to reach and safely enter the Alters left by the Gods where they would be able to talk with them.


    But the biggest task was not only that but also to break the Limit.


    Beforeing here, all the Hero''s Party members were informed of the main reason why they had to assist Maximus in the first ce.


    Because after entering the Alter of the God of Nature, a ritual will be performed by the mechanism left by the Gods that would break the limit of the Heroes to raise their ranks in session without any consequences by 3 Ranks altogether.


    Means Maximus would be confirmed to be at least an 8th-stage saint just like the Empress. All he needed was enough resources such as Saint Cores and methods to absorb the world energy within in short time.


    He would not need to wait for years before his body adjusted to his current strength and became stable enough for next breakthrough.


    If another Hero killed and absorbed the core aka Divine Key of another Hero/Heroine¡­ they will be able to enter the tower and finally to that Altar made for that hero as well.


    And with that, they could Limit Break themselves up to 5 Ranks instead.


    But there was a twist.


    The realm of Babylon held a wondrous opportunity for the Heroes and Heroines who ventured into its sacred confines.


    With the Divine Essence of the Gods infused within the Divine Keys, it served as a limitless source of power and potential for these chosen individuals.


    For Kahn, as the 9th Hero of Darkness, this realm called Babylon offered a chance to expedite his growth as a Saint.


    Typically, it would take him around 15 to 18 years to ascend to the 8th stage, even with his extraordinary Divine Abilities.


    From that point on, each rank-up would demand minimum 20 years of his time. However, by harnessing the power of the Divine Key, he could be an 8th-stage saint within just 5 years.


    This remarkable boon meant that if a 5th-stage saint Hero absorbed the Divine Key of another, they could easily break through to be a Peak Saint within a mere decade.


    The potential for rapid growth and immense power was evident, and it piqued the interest of the empires present at the Conve of Heroes.


    For the other empires, acquiring the Divine Key and unleashing the potential of their chosen Hero would grant them a formidable advantage.


    With a Hero wielding Divine Abilities and possessing the strength of a Peak Saint at their side, these empires would have an unrivaled powerhouse under theirmand. Even the mighty Emperors and Empresses would find it challenging to match the strength of such a Hero.


    Moreover, by securing the Divine Key, they would secure a confirmed Sovereign in their empire, even if the Hero did not reach the Peak Saint stage. This assurance of power and authority would further cement their dominion and influence within the world of Vantrea.


    In the vastndscape of power struggles and territorial conquests, the significance of the Divine Keys and the realm of Babylon could not be overstated.


    The potential to shape the course of history and secure unparalleled strength drew the empires into a covert and intricate dance, each seeking to obtain this coveted source of power while concealing their true intentions from their rivals.


    That being said, the empires wouldn''t allow hunting their heroes¡­ not on the surface at least because it would mean a certain war with the other party having a righteous cause in the name of justice.


    Through Romulus, Kahn learned the truth behind the reason why the world was hunting him.


    Amidst the surface appearance of feigned justice and revenge, the true intentions of the empires and the group created to hunt the 9th Hero of Darkness were shrouded in secrecy and hidden agendas.


    While the empires could not openly hunt their heroes, the opportunity presented by the 9th Hero''sck of support and criminal status was too tempting for them to resist.


    The Divine Key he possessed, infused with the precious Divine Essence of the Gods, held immense power and potential.


    Added to the fact that he killed the Hero of Fire, the Hero of Darkness was currently the only one with a sure-shot way to be a Peak Saint.


    Under the guise of seeking revenge for their previous Heroes in by the 8th Hero of Darkness, each empire had its sights set on acquiring the 9th Hero of Darkness'' Divine Keys for themselves. The prospect of iming such a potent divine key and the power it would bestow upon the possessor was too alluring to ignore.


    Despite putting up a facade of righteous vengeance, deep down, everyone present at the Conve of Heroes knew the true motivations behind their actions. Each party had its hidden motives and ambitions, veiled beneath a thin veneer of camaraderie and justice.


    In the shadowy realm of politics and power struggles, none were without their own ulterior motives, and the pursuit of the Divine Key of the 9th Hero of Darkness became a focal point of ambition and intrigue even more than it already was.


    But outwardly, they remained silent, each ying their part in this borate dance of deception, waiting for the right moment to make their move and seize the coveted prize.


    In the end¡­ It wasn''t about seeking Justice or Revenge for what happened 300 years ago.


    It was all about Greed, Power and Authority.

 Chapter 946 Beyond the Limit

    Chapter 946 Beyond the Limit


    As Kahn pieced together the truth behind the incident, a clear realization dawned upon him. The empires'' motives were never about righteousness or the disy of divine wrath; it all revolved around his Divine Key.


    This coveted core of his held the power to grant their chosen Heroes a surefire chance at reaching the elusive realm of Peak Saint rank, a domain of power that had remained unattainable since the time of Rathnaar Whitlock, the first emperor of the Rakos Empire.


    Even Kahn knew that when Rathnaar was still alive during the battle against the Demon God, he was probably the only one capable of ying such a formidable foe that all the other Heroes in the past 3 thousand years had failed to kill.


    But their paths had never intersected, mainly because Rathnaar chose not to serve or worship the Gods when he founded the Rakos Empire.


    He had witnessed firsthand the bloodshed and conflicts caused by religious beliefs among different species, races, and cultures.


    As a result, he made a momentous decision to prohibit the formation of religious organizations within the Rakos Empire, a practice that persisted to this day.


    In those times, the existence of the Rakos Empire, led by Rathnaar Whitlock, posed a significant threat to the neighboring empires that were steeped in religious worship and allegiance to various Gods and Goddesses.


    Rathnaar''s refusal to follow suit and his decision to build his empire based on customs and principles that did not involve the divine doctrine of any God or Goddess made him a target for those who believed in the superiority of their own religious beliefs.


    As a result, these neighboring empires sent their summoned Heroes and Heroines to eliminate Rathnaar and his empire, viewing him as a dangerous renegade who posed a challenge to their own existence.


    Despite the odds stacked against him, Rathnaar managed to fend off these attacks and personally took down nine Heroes from that generation, gaining a fearsome reputation as one of the most formidable Hero Killers, second only to the infamous 8th Hero of Darkness.


    If Rathnaar had indeed been involved in that War, the course of events might have been vastly different, and Kahn might never have been summoned to Vantrea as the Hero of Darkness.


    Even now... The Rakos Empire stood apart from the rest, being the only domain where individuals were not ostracized or condemned based on their race, species, skin color, or societal background.


    The empire fostered an environment of inclusivity, where loving and marrying someone from a different species was not prohibited. Hybrids born from such unions were treated no differently from any other citizens, enjoying the same rights and respect as everyone else.


    Amidst the power struggles and hidden agendas of the other empires, the Rakos Empire stood as a beacon of unity and eptance, free from the shackles of religious conflict that had gued so many others.


    Though not without its imperfections, the reformed Rakos Empire now offered a far more equitable and just situationpared to its neighboring counterparts.


    The Vulcan Empire, for instance, had long been gued by deep-seated prejudices, where Firebornes, Dwarves, and Demi-Human races treated Humans with disdain and scorn, relegating them to an inferior status.


    Simrly, the Zivot Empire was characterized by the domination of High Elves, Elves and Humans, who held absolute power and treated other species as merebor and expendable resources.


    In contrast, the Nadur Empire epitomized a culture centered on strength, where might made right, and weakness was a fault to be punished. The people of Nadur engaged in lethal conflicts over matters of tradition and honor, even resolving ordinary disputes through Trial by Combat, where killing was permitted, and the victor''s perspective was deemed righteous while the defeated was branded as wrong and evil.


    While the Rakos Empire still had room for improvement, it had taken significant steps forward in creating a society based on inclusivity, equality, and fairness. The journey toward a more perfect system was ongoing, but the empire''smitment to progress and unity set it apart from the more oppressive and discriminatory regimes of the surrounding empires.


    Despite its progressiveness and inclusivity, the Rakos Empire still grappled with the challenge of the Noble ns and Factions holding significant sway over the government''s decision-making process.


    These influential groups had integrated themselves into the very fabric of governance, effectively dictating the empire''s structure.


    However, this state of affairs underwent a drastic transformation when Kahn assumed the mantle of Sovereign of Vessen and orchestrated his faked death.


    abdication of the Noble ns and Factions, paving the way for real democracy to take root and reshape the empire''s governance.


    This daring move triggered a revolution that resulted in the forced abdication of the Noble ns and Factions, paving the way for real democracy to take root and reshape the empire''s governance.


    ----------------


    At the present moment...


    Maximus, as the leader of the party and the Hero of Nature, offered an exnation to his allies.


    "As you all know, thendscape of God''s Domain keeps changing during each Conve.


    Thus, any form of map is useless. Afterpleting both objectives, we have to return through this entrance.


    And the Altar of the Gods is on the other end of this penins." his stern voice resounded.


    He continued, revealing the location of the Altar of the Gods and the time it would take him to break the Limit on his body.


    "It will take me 10 days of time. And during the procedure, I will bepletely vulnerable." he spoke and sighed.


    "We will act as your guards, as previously agreed, for those ten days." Kahn reaffirmed theirmitment to act as guards for the Hero of Nature during those times.


    However, Kahn raised a valid concern that weighed heavily on their minds.


    "The problem is... What do we do about the Realm Tears?"


    Now what was a Realm Tear?


    A realm tear, as the name suggests, is a tear or rift in the fabric of reality.


    It created a passage between different peninss within Babylon, each of which is created by a different god or goddess.


    When someone passes through a realm tear, they may find themselves in apletely differentndscape, facing new challenges and potentially encountering other Hero or Heroine''s parties.


    The existence of realm tears posed a unique set of dangers and uncertainties for the Hero''s Party.


    Because not only do they have to navigate the obstacles and threats within their own penins, but they also have to be on guard against potential encounters with other Hero parties from different peninss.


    This introduced the risk of confrontations and battles with other powerful individuals vying for the Divine Keys, the coveted keys that can lead to the coveted realm of Peak Saint.


    With the Hero of Darkness absent, other Hero parties may see this as an opportunity to seize the advantage and im the Divine Keys for themselves.


    If such an encounter were to take ce and lead to casualties, it could easily be attributed to the absent Hero of Darkness, as Empress Kaali had previously warned.


    Theck of supervision in God''s Domains allows for a degree of anonymity, making it challenging to identify the culprits behind any potential shes.


    In the midst of this uncertainty and potential danger, the Hero''s Party must remain vignt and united, facing both the known challenges of their own penins and the unknown threats that may emerge from the realm tears.


    As Maximus took charge and led the party forward, a solemn determination settled upon each member''s face. The challenges they would face in God''s Domain were going to be more demanding than ever.


    On top of it, the temporary suppression of their Semi-Saint levels and the inability to use their saint-rank skills and magic spells left them only with their raw skills, knowledge, and weapons to rely on.


    "Let''s go. Our challenges in this realm are going to be tougher since all of us are not brought on the level of Semi-Saints and none of us can no longer use our saint rank skills and magic spells.


    All we have at our hands is our skills, knowledge, and weapons." dered Maximus with a countenance filled with determination and vigor.


    The gravity of their situation hung in the air as they ventured further into the mystical realm.


    Each step they took was now dependent on their expertise, experience, and unity as a team.


    Their individual and collective strengths would be put to the test as they faced the unpredictable trials of God''s Domain.


    Kahn, now stripped of power and the familiarity of his saint-rank abilities, felt a mix of excitement and resolve. Because it was his opportunity to know how truly strong he becamepared to the previous times when he was a Semi-Saint in Rakos empire.


    Step!


    Step!


    Right then... an unknown existence revealed itself.


    The figure in the dark green cloak was a scout sent by an unknown force belonging to this realm, tasked with keeping an eye on the Hero''s Party as they entered the realm of Babylon.


    His appearance was inconspicuous, and he had been observing them from a distance, hidden on the cliff overlooking thendscape.


    Upon seeing the Hero''s Party set forth on their journey, the scout wasted no time and quickly activated an artifact, amunication device of sorts.


    Speaking into it, he ryed the crucial information to his lord, the person who had sent him on this surveince mission.


    "They are here, my lord." he reported, his voice hushed and discreet. This simple message conveyed the presence of the Hero''s Party in the God''s Domain, confirming their arrival in Babylon.


    The figure on the other end of the artifact, likely a powerful individual with authority, was now aware of the Hero''s Party''s location and actions.


    With this information transmitted, the scout returned the artifact to its hiding ce and continued his observation.


    He knew that his lord would have ns in motion, and it was now a waiting game to see how events would unfold.


    But most importantly, he was thrilled with anticipation. As their main mission was...


    To kill the Hero''s Party.

 Chapter 947 Taking Precautions

    Chapter 947 Taking Precautions


    As the Hero''s Party ventured deeper into the penins of Babylon, they encountered an array of strange inhabitants. The region was teeming with formidable monsters, each at least at the Lord Rank, possessing strengthparable to Area Bosses in the real world.


    Some of these creatures even rivaled the final bosses found in low-tier dungeons, making their presence in this realm even more daunting.


    Thendscape of the penins was a breathtaking sight to behold, filled with serene and dense natural wonders. Towering trees, cascading waterfalls, and majestic peaks adorned thend, creating a picturesque view for the adventurers.


    However, amidst this beauty lurked danger, as the skies were crowded with bird-like creatures, some of which were formidable High Lord rank predators, capable of posing a significant threat to unwary travelers.


    Adding to the mystique of the realm were floating meteorites made of crystals, seemingly scattered across the skies. These were not ordinary crystals but appeared to carry a unique elemental essence within their core.


    Some emitted an aura of light, while others exuded an aura of darkness, indicating the presence of highly dense elemental mana. The significance of these crystals and their elemental attributes was yet to be fully understood, but their existence added an enigmatic and otherworldly aspect to the already fascinatingndscape of Babylon.


    As the party continued to navigate through the ever-changingndscapes of the God''s Domain, Speki, the Fire Summoner, remarked on the unique nature of the realm.


    "It''s just like we were informed, this ce is a condensed part of all elements of reality."


    The God''s Domain indeed exhibited a fusion of various elements, a manifestation of the extraordinary power and mystique that surrounded them.


    "The problem is the trial itself. There is no record of it.


    No one was able to record using any artifacts, and even those Heroes and their party members whopleted them do not remember after returning from Babylon."


    Maximus, the leader of the group, added his insights regarding the trial they were about to face.


    Theck of any recorded history or memory concerning the trial was a troubling mystery. It heightened the tension within the party, knowing that they were venturing into uncharted territory, with no knowledge of what awaited them.


    "I wonder what kind of trial we will face." Rkan, the mage, voiced the curiosity and concern shared by all.


    The question hung in the air, leaving the group with a sense of uncertainty and apprehension. The unknown nature of the trial only added to the weight of their responsibility and the unpredictability of the God''s Domain.


    With Maximus taking charge, the party of adventurers moved through the dense jungles of the God''s Domain. Even though their powers had been suppressed to the Semi-Saint level, their bloodlines and passive abilities still proved valuable in their team formation.


    "Svana, you know what to do."


    Svana, the feline assassin, nodded in acknowledgment, understanding her role within the group. Her abilities as an assassin would prove handy in scouting and reconnaissance.


    "Vikaat, cover the air. But don''t fly too high. Use the trees and terrain to find a way for us to head forward while detecting enemies."


    Vikaat, equipped with the advantage of flight as a Tengu spearman, acknowledged Maximus''s instructions. He would use his keen senses and aerial advantage to scan for potential threats from above.


    "Pokawar, Xavolees, and Borat will move in one group while covering our left."


    The trio of warriors formed a formidable ground force, each with their unique strengths and abilities. Together, they would act as the vanguard, leading the way through the treacherous terrain.


    "Atreus, Conan, and I will move in a different group and cover the right side."


    Maximus, Atreus, and Conan formed another group, leveraging their respective skills to navigate the challenges thaty ahead. Atreus, with his identity as the Hero of Darkness concealed, would y a pivotal role in this endeavor.


    "Speki and Rkan will stay in the middle and provide support if either of the sides encounters enemies."


    Speki and Rkan took up their positions in the middle, ready to support either group as the need arose. Their magical prowess and support abilities would be crucial in bolstering theirpanions during skirmishes.


    With each member knowing their designated roles, the party moved with purpose and coordination through the lush jungles. Maximus''s strategicmand ensured that they maximized their effectiveness as a team while staying alert to potential threats.


    "And remember, our objective is to pass through quietly and inconspicuously.


    We are not here to wage war on the inhabitants of this realm."


    Maximus gave out his finalmand as team leader.


    Maximus, as the team leader, disyed his strategic prowess by dividing the Hero''s Party into specialized groups to maximize their strengths and cover their weaknesses.


    He assigned Svana and Vikaat, the assassin and Roc descendant capable of flight, respectively, for reconnaissance tasks. Their unique abilities made them ideal for scouting and gathering information on potential threats.


    To maintain a strong defense, Maximus split the powerful fighters into two groups, positioning them on the left and right sides of the formation.


    This ensured that they could swiftly respond to any attacks from either direction. Meanwhile, Rkan the mage and Speki the summoner were ced in the middle, ready to provide support and assistance to either melee group if needed.


    One crucial reason for this unconventional formation was the absence of a healer, Dryad, or priest in their party. Recognizing this weakness, Maximus devised a strategy topensate for theirck of healing abilities.


    By creating a formation that allowed for quick and effectivemunication between different sections of the group, they could respond swiftly to any threat and protect each other in times of attack or ambush.


    Kahn fully approved of Maximus'' strategic setup, not just because it covered their weaknesses, but also because it cleverly created an illusion of vulnerability to potential enemies. The formation gave the appearance of an exposed rear, tempting any hostile entity or group to see it as an opportunity to strike and bring down the entire party.


    However, what the enemies didn''t know was that it was a carefully orchestrated deception that would lead to their own demise. Unbeknownst to them, the two mages in the middle were silently casting barriers and spells using their mana.


    These hidden actions allowed them to leave tracking formations that would detect any ambushing from the rear. As a result, both sides of the formation would be quickly alerted and prepared to support the center in the event of an attack.


    In essence, the Hero''s Party hadid a clever trap, using their apparent vulnerability as bait to lure in their enemies. But little did those enemies know that they were walking into a well-prepared defense, and any attempt to attack from the rear would be met with swift and decisive retaliation from both nks.


    The strategic brilliance of the formation not only covered their weaknesses but also turned their supposed vulnerability into a strength. It showcased the expertise and adaptability of the Hero''s Party, making them formidable opponents in the dangerous and unpredictable realm of Babylon.


    [Just like my master, Maximus is indeed qualified to lead a toon of soldiers.


    I heard he was a lieutenant in the army in his original world. His setup that looks shoddy and full of openings is actually very versatile and instead of weakness, it''s acting like a bait to lure enemies in a way Maximus wants them to react.


    Kahn approved this because he too had simr experiences with his subordinates when they fought as a team, although on very rare asions.


    Hence, this battle formation was very carefully created for their specific party.


    As the group continued their cautious journey through the unfamiliar and treacherous realm of Babylon, they made excellent progress while skillfully avoiding any unnecessary confrontations with the formidable monsters that roamed the area.


    Using their artifacts asmunication devices, they stayed in constant contact, keeping each other updated on their movements and any potential threats.


    After nearly half a day of steady progress, the Hero''s Party decided it was time to take a break and set up a temporary camp. However, they were well-prepared and did not resort to traditional campfires or tents that might attract unwanted attention.


    Instead, they used their unique abilities and resources to create small igloo-like shelters constructed from sand and mud. These makeshift structures were properly insted and provided protection andfort without drawing undue notice.


    Within these temporary shelters, various artifacts were utilized to provide essential amenities. Small devices for lighting, heating, and even water creation were activated using their mana cores, making the camp both practical and inconspicuous.


    To ensure their safety, Speki and Rkan employed their expertise to create formations and barriers that masked their presence from the surrounding environment. These illusions concealed their settlements and made it nearly impossible for hostile creatures or beings to detect their auras or even their bodily scents.


    The decision to halt their journey at night was not due to fatigue but rather a wise precautionary measure. The realm of Babylon was full of unknown dangers, and attracting attention from hostile creatures or other entities could be disastrous.


    By remaining hidden and vignt, the Hero''s Party ensured they could continue their journey without unnecessary disturbances, increasing their chances of sessfully navigating the realm and reaching their objective safely.


    But despite their great efforts, someone was watching them from the shadows while even someone like Kahn hadn''t been able to notice their presence for some unknown reason.


    What they didn''t know that their moment of respite¡­


    Was actually the opportunity this enemy was waiting for.

 Chapter 948 Quick Response

    Chapter 948 Quick Response


    The Hero''s Party was well aware thatrger campfires or any other conspicuous activities could easily attract unwanted attention in the dangerous realm of Babylon. Noise and light could act as beacons, drawing the focus of predatory creatures or other hostile entities towards them. In such a perilous environment, it was crucial to remain discreet and avoid any unnecessary risks.


    By opting for smaller, more controlled methods of creating light and warmth, the group ensured that their presence remained concealed from potential threats. They knew that their very survival depended on their ability to remain undetected in this mysterious and hostilend. Thest thing they wanted was to be easy prey for the powerful monsters and beings that roamed the penins.


    Especially therger ones because those things would create more noise and alert others, acting like a beacon to all possible hostile entities, telling them¡­


    ''Hey, look! The food is located here. Let''s kill and eat them.''


    As the members of the party gathered in the center of their temporary camp, sitting on stone columns, Maximus urged caution and strategic nning.


    "Let''s summarize everything we have found so far and create a new strategy for tomorrow. Otherwise, we will be walking into death''s doors if we think that what we know is more than enough.


    Comcency often causes the downfall of even the greatest armies. So let us be careful and improvise."


    He emphasized the importance of not underestimating the challenges they faced in the God''s Domain and the need to adapt and improvise to ensure their survival.


    With their leader''s intentions clear, the exchange of information and ideas began in the settlement. Each member shared their insights and experiences, pooling their knowledge to devise aprehensive strategy for the days ahead.


    But unbeknownst to them, danger lurked in the shadows.


    Hundreds of yellow eyes suddenly appeared from the dark corners, surrounding their camp from all directions. Their unsuspecting gathering had caught the attention of an unseen threat.


    The hooded figure, who had earlier discovered their presence, emerged from the shadows, issuing a chillingmand.


    "Kill them all!"


    RAWR!!


    ROAR!!


    GRRAAA!!


    The sudden monstrous roars and screeches sent shivers down the spines of the Hero of Nature''s party members. They immediately sprang into action, their instincts and training taking over as they prepared for the imminent threat.


    The peaceful tranquility of their concealed camp was shattered, and they knew they had to respond swiftly to whatever danger approached.


    BOOM!!


    Crack!!


    The sudden cracks on the once-secure protection barrier and the buzzing of the rm formations sent shockwaves of panic through the Hero''s Party. It was evident that they were facing a coordinated and well-nned ambush from all directions.


    The monsters seemed to have anticipated their presence andid a trap, leaving the party surrounded and exposed.


    As they battled the monsters on the ground, the swarm of flying Manta Ray-like creatures descended from the sky, swooping down with deadly precision.


    KRAA!!


    BANG!!


    From the top of the dome of the barriers, they started making an opening. Now, even creating the extra breach in the barrier.


    "Strategy 7!" dered Maximus as he summoned his greatsword and massive shield.


    BOOM!!


    On the other side, Speki quickly summoned over 50rge fire birds and dozens of massive fireballs that spread in the sky and the borders of the barrier, lighting the entire area.


    The monsters that hadunched the ambush were momentarily blinded and disoriented by the sudden burst of light and heat.


    "Atreus, now!" ordered the Hero of Nature.


    Kahn did not waste a single moment and jumped 5 meters high and while he was midair, he charged Beowolf with his Ice-elemental mana.


    And as he descended¡­


    BOOM!!


    Both of his gauntletsnded on the ground, creating a huge wave of ice that quickly spread like spider webs and covered their entire camp area.


    Dhang!


    Dhang!


    In the following moments, pirs of ice arose from the ground at the outermost edges of the crumbling barriers and quickly connected themselves sideways, forming 10-meter-tall walls made of permafrost.


    The sudden eruption of ice pirs created an impromptu fortress around the Hero''s Party, shielding them from any potential follow-up attacks from the monsters. The walls of permafrost rose tall and sturdy, standing as a testament to Kahn''s mastery over his ice-elemental powers.


    Within the icy walls, the party members found themselves protected and concealed, hidden from the prying eyes of any remaining enemies.


    The walls were not only a barrier against hostile forces but also a strategic advantage, allowing the Hero''s Party to regroup and devise a n to deal with any further threats.


    Things didn''t just end here¡­


    Svana, the Assassin and Pokawor, the Naga Spearman of the group charged frantically and revealed themselves to be metal and earth elemental warriors respectively.


    Toplement the icy barrier, Svana and Pokawor revealed their elemental powers.


    Svana, an Assassin, utilized her metal elemental abilities, transmuting minerals and metals within the ground to create long spikes that emerged from the bottom of deep pits formed by Pokawor, the Naga Spearman.


    This additional line of defense acted as a hidden trap for any attackers who might attempt to breach the outer defenses.


    Swoon!


    Swoon!


    As the blizzard of frostbite sent shivers through the two entrances in the permafrost walls, Xavolees showcased his mastery over ice maniption, creating a formidable barrier against any potential invaders.


    At the same time, Rkan''s lightning and wind elemental projectiles crackled with destructive power, ready to strike down any foe attempting to breach their defenses.


    Vikaat, with his skill in summoning, conjured over 50 menacing metal halberds in the sky, each targeting the flying figures that sought to prate the protection barrier from above. His precision and control ensured that every strike was swift and deadly.


    Conan, on the other hand, summoned ten massive light elemental swords, illuminating the surroundings and acting as both guardians and weapons, prepared to fend off any enemy that dared to approach the walls. Their radiant glow further added to the Hero''s Party''s stronghold, instilling a sense of confidence and protection.


    Borat and Maximus, the valiant Knights, stood tall at the front of the created entrances, taking their positions to face any adversaries head-on.


    In a swift and synchronized movement, Atreus positioned himself alongside Borat, his defensive prowessplementing Borat''s own expertise in creating openings in the enemy vanguard.


    On the other side, Conan stood with Maximus, ready to capitalize on those openings and swiftly eliminate the enemy forces.


    This strategy, known as ''Strategy 7'' by Maximus dius, was a quick response formation designed to counter sudden ambushes while the party rested or hid at a camp.


    It was just one of the many strategies they had developed over time, tailored to different situations and types of enemies they might encounter.


    In mere moments, the Hero''s Party transformed the chaotic battlefield into a well-organized and coordinated assault. Each member knew their role and executed their part wlessly, seamlessly integrating their strengths to overwhelm their attackers.


    Despite being suppressed at the levels of Semi-Saints and their ability use the world energy as well as their respective saint rank skills since the moment they entered Babylon...


    All it took them was a minute to create a perfect battlefield.

 Chapter 949 Perfect Teamwork

    Chapter 949 Perfect Teamwork


    In the heart of Babylon''s unforgiving realm, the sh of man and nature intensified. The battle of elements continued, each side seeking to dominate the other in this epic struggle for survival and supremacy.


    And as the dust settled and the battle wore on, the true strength of the Hero''s Party would be put to the ultimate test.


    And finally, the member of the Hero''s Party saw their attacker.


    Step!


    Step!


    The Female Dryad Summoner stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and malice.


    She exuded an aura of ancient power, deeply connected to the essence of nature itself. Her hair was adorned with leaves, and her body had a faint green hue, giving her an otherworldly appearance.


    However, the face was covered in a ck mask that hid her true appearance while the tree branches sprung from her back, the green leaves on them made it look like she had grown wings.


    "Well, well, well, what a delightful surprise." she said, her voice carrying a melodic tone.


    "I must say, it''s been quite some time since I''ve encountered a Hero''s Party with such potential.


    Thest one from 300 years ago were simply too unorganized."


    Maximus and Atreus exchanged wary nces.


    Whoever this enemy was... They knew that facing a skilled Dryad Summoner in her natural domain was no easy feat.


    Her control over nature''s elements could be devastating, and her ability to summon powerful creatures was unmatched.


    "Who are you?" Atreus demanded, trying to keep hisposure despite the daunting situation.


    The Dryad Summoner chuckled, swirling her fingers in the air as vines and roots emerged from the ground, curling around her like an ethereal shroud.


    "You may call me Sylvana." she replied.


    "And I am one of the Guardians of this section of Babylon."


    "So, you nned this ambush?" Maximus asked, his tone stern.


    "Of course, my dear. I had to test your mettle, see if you were worthy of traversing this realm of the Gods... Or maybe I did that just because I was bored." smiled Sylvana and replied enigmatically.


    "You could have simply approached us peacefully." Borat retorted.


    "We didn''te here for conflict." said Rkan from the middle.


    Sylvana''s smile widened.


    "Ah, but where is the fun in that? A little ambush and few deaths never hurt anyone." she replied nonchntly.


    The Dryad Summoner''s intentions were clear ¨C she sought to test their strength and perhaps im their lives for herself.


    With a flick of her wrist, the battlefield erupted into chaos.


    Vines snaked towards the Hero''s Party, and creatures of the forest lunged from the shadows. The air crackled with wood elemental energy, and the ground trembled under the might of nature''s fury.


    Maximus, Atreus, and their party members stood firm, facing the onught with unwavering determination.


    The onught of wood elemental creatures added a newyer of challenge to the already intense battle. These humanoid forms made of tree trunks and splintering spikes on their bodies moved with surprising agility, their massive limbs swinging with destructive force.


    Bang!


    Fists and bodies crashed against tall shields and walls made of mana cast by the two knights.


    Stab!


    With Maximus holding the line, the monsters that managed to breach the exit point were swiftly dealt with. Conan''s light elemental swords sliced through the wooden limbs of the creatures with ease, while Maximus used his formidable strength and swordsmanship to overpower them.


    As the monsters attempted to charge through the narrow gap, Maximus took advantage of their clustered formation.


    He focused his elemental powers and unleashed a torrent of vines and roots that entangled the creatures, trapping them in ce and leaving them vulnerable to Conan''s attacks.


    It was barely 3 meters wide and given their size, when Maximus covered almost half of it, they had to enter through that small gap.


    And Conan being a light elemental seasoned swordsman, acted swiftly to cut down their legs, limbs and decapitated them.


    On Borat''s end, he did the same while cementing himself against such an onught.


    BANG!


    A massive Fist made of bone-biting frost appeared and punched through the heart of one of these Lord Rank monsters as Kahn simply created a big hole in its torso.


    But instead of waiting, he spoke to Borat.


    "I will kill as many as I can, you get rid of anyone who passes through the gap in case I fail to kill them in a single strike." he spoke in a resolute tone.


    "Yes, sir." replied Borat and quickly plunged his greatsword.


    Rumble!


    As the ground rumbled and the vines emerged, a secondyer of defense was created, reinforcing the permafrost walls that Atreus had erected earlier. The wooden walls with spikes acted as deadly barriers, impaling any of the wood elemental creatures that dared to approach.


    Borat''s wood elemental skills were put to good use, manipting the vines with precision and agility. With each movement of his hands, the vines acted as extensions of his will, striking down the enemies with deadly uracy.


    The ground around the exit point became a battlefield of thorns and splintered wood, as the wood elemental creatures struggled to breach the defenses.


    In the sky, Speki''s fireballs streaked through the air, their fiery trails leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The summoned firebirds swooped down from above, adding their elemental fire attacks to the mix.


    Vikaat''s metal halberds, controlled by his skilled summoning abilities, acted as deadly projectiles, piercing through the flying monsters with deadly precision.


    elemental power and coordinated teamwork. The battlefield was filled with chaos and destruction, as the wood elemental creatures Together, the Hero''s Party unleashed a devastating disy of elemental power and coordinated teamwork. The battlefield was filled with chaos and destruction, as the wood elemental creatures were met with a formidable force they had not anticipated.


    Jump!


    Kahn jumped high and summoned over 40 icicles that swirled behind his back like levitating spears.


    Even as a Semi-Saint, Kahn''s current limit was over 2 thousand at this point but he intentionally chose to use only 5% of his maximum capacity. So that others won''t get suspicious.


    Shoot!


    The volley of icicles shot like arrows, each one precisely targeting the heads and hearts of the monsters rampaging towards them.


    As Kahn''s icicles shot through the air, they struck with deadly precision, finding their marks in the heads and hearts of the rampaging wood elemental creatures.


    Each icicle acted like a lethal projectile, taking down multiple enemies with each shot. Kahn''s control over the ice element was masterful, and he disyed his prowess as a skilled marksman.


    At this moment, their strategy was working perfectly.


    Both entrances allowed them to whittle down the enemy numbers and even the sky was covered by their allies, leaving them in an advantageous situation despite being under siege.


    However, Kahn was not happy with this situation.


    Why?


    Because despite the number of monsters decreasing continuously¡­ Kahn sensed that they were revitalized by the Life Force.


    Their shattered and cleaved bodies were returning to the back of the armies and were being rebuild in mere minutes.


    And using his Hunter''s Domain, Kahn sensed the source of this unending life force to be¡­


    Sylvana.

 Chapter 950 Simple Exchange

    Chapter 950 Simple Exchange


    In the midst of the intense battle, Kahn''s unique abilities came to the forefront.


    His Life Sense skill, acquired from a legendary rank monster called Ashokvatika that they encountered in Vessen, allowed him to detect the life force maniption that Sylvana was employing.


    This skill,bined with his King of the Jungle ability, enabled him to sense the fluctuations in life force despite no longer possessing saintly powers or the ability to sense world energy.


    Maximus, who had his own heightened sensory abilities as Hero of Nature, also noticed the unusual regeneration phenomenon.


    The pressure was mounting as Kahn and hispanions fought against the formidable Lord Rank monsters. The urgency of the situation was not lost on him.


    As their battle strategy continued, Kahn''s mind raced with thoughts and calctions.


    [If this goes on, we will get tired out within an hour.


    All of them are Lord Rank monsters, and even with our strategy, we will expend all of our mana and then we will be at her mercy.] Kahn acknowledged, recognizing the limitations of their current approach.


    The powerful enemies they faced were wearing them down, and their resources were depleting rapidly.


    Kahn''s mind churned with possibilities, his thoughts racing as he assessed their dire circumstances.


    [I have plenty of skills that can overturn the situation within minutes, the problem is¡­] Kahn pondered, aware of the potential game-changing abilities at his disposal.


    He had techniques that could turn the tide of the battle swiftly, but there was a significant obstacle in his path.


    [I can''t use them without risking everyone questioning my identity. All of them are Saints; they know the limitations of bloodlines, elemental affinity, and skill.


    So no one would buy in some bullshit excuse if I do anything that goes against my current persona as a Brawler Saint.] Kahn mused, realizing theplexity of his predicament.


    His true abilities, if unleashed, could potentially reveal his identity as the Hero of Darkness, and that was a secret he had to protect at all costs.


    As Kahn''s mind whirred with thoughts and potential solutions, Sylvana continued her crucial role, reviving the fallen creatures they were battling.


    Her efforts provided another headache the relentless onught of enemies persisted, and the party''s stamina was wearing thin.


    Time was of the essence, and Kahn knew that a decisive move was necessary to shift the odds in their favor.


    But the constraints of his current persona as a Brawler Saint weighed heavily on him, forcing him to navigate a delicate bnce between utilizing his true abilities and maintaining his cover.


    With each passing moment, Kahn''s internal struggle intensified, and he knew that the next move he made could determine the oue of the battle. The pressure was mounting, but he was determined to find a solution that would ensure their survival without revealing his true identity.


    [The best way to get rid of the snake is to cut its head.


    But the problem is all these monsters charging at us.] Kahn mused quietly under his breath, his eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield.


    He recognized the need for a strategic move that could disrupt the enemy''s advance and potentially change the course of the battle.


    His thoughts were interrupted by themanding voice of Maximus, who was in the midst of the fiercebat, using his shield and greatsword with precision, cleaved through a 5 meter tall monster in a single swing.


    "Atreus! Let Pokawor take your ce." Maximus ordered, his voice cutting through the chaos.


    Kahn''s brows furrowed in momentary surprise at the unexpectedmand. He considered the implications of the order, weighing the potential consequences.


    He knew that leaving his position in the formation could weaken their defense and expose them to even greater danger.


    "Go for the summoner!" Maximus''s voice carried the urgency of the situation, and Kahn''s mind raced as he contemted his options.


    "This snake isn''t strong enough to hold the front in my ce." Kahn replied, his voiceced with concern for the integrity of their formation. He understood the importance of maintaining a strong defensive line to withstand the onught of monsters.


    "Don''t worry, I will assist him." Svana, the assassin, chimed in, her determination clear in her voice.


    With this support, Kahn was free to act on his own.


    ----------------


    Bang!


    Amidst the chaos of the stampeding wood elemental creatures, Atreus became a whirlwind of motion. His figure darted and weaved through the onught with unparalleled agility, his movements a masterful disy of martial prowess.


    Punches and kicks were delivered with precision, each movement calcted to maximize impact and minimize wasted effort.


    The close gaps between the creatures posed no hindrance to him; instead, they seemed to serve as opportunities for him to demonstrate his exceptional reflexes.


    As tempting as it might have been to unleash shy area-of-effect skills, Atreus understood the futility of such a disy. With Sylvana''s ability to revive the fallen creatures, a more strategic approach was required.


    He focused on efficiency, swiftly incapacitating the creatures in his path while carving out a trail through the stampede.


    In the midst of the battle, Sylvana, the Druid Summoner, took notice of Atreus'' approach. Her expression twisted into a devilish smirk, abination of amusement and arrogance.


    "How naive. To think that just one warrior who isn''t even a Hero dares to charge at me." she taunted, her voice dripping with scorn.


    At that moment, the ground itself seemed to respond to Sylvana''s intentions. A violent tremor shook the earth, and from below erupted a colossal wall of trees and thorns, thick and imprable.


    It rose with an imposing force, forming an impromptu barrier that shielded Sylvana from Atreus'' advance.


    But the obstacle was not the only surprise in store. The air resonated with a thunderous roar that reverberated through the battlefield.


    From behind the newly formed barrier emerged a monstrous entity, a hulking hound-like creatureposed of intertwining vines and menacing spikes. Its eyes gleamed with an eerie green light, and its very presence exuded a sense of primal power.


    The massive hound stood tall, a towering guardian created from the very elements of nature. Its appearance was both awe-inspiring and formidable, a testament to Sylvana''s mastery over her druidic abilities.


    Atreus came to a halt, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the formidable obstacle before him. The battle had taken a dramatic turn, and he now faced a challenge unlike any he had encountered before.


    With a focused gaze, Atreus braced himself, ready to confront the monstrous guardian and prove that even without shy skills, his determination and skills were more than enough to ovee whatever obstacle stood in his way.


    "Oh,e on! Why is it always have to be a dog?


    I''m a dog-person. I don''t enjoy killing monsters that look like them." spoke Atreus, rolling his eyes in exasperation.


    "Come here, puppy. Let daddy put a leash on you." he spoke and gestured to the hound with his left hand, as if challenging it for a bout.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The monstrous hound charged relentlessly at Atreus, its sheer size and power causing the very ground to tremble beneath its mighty footsteps.


    As it closed the distance, the tension in the battlefield heightened, and a palpable sense of anticipation hung in the air.


    Yet, despite the impending threat, Atreus remained resolute and unwavering. His expression shifted from determined to oddly serene, a hint of confidence dancing in his eyes.


    He seemed almost at peace as he stood his ground, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding around him.


    BOOM!!


    Then, in a sudden and explosive burst of energy, Atreus unleashed his hidden strength.


    With a forceful stomp that reverberated through the earth, the ground beneath him trembled and crumbled. It was as if the very earth yielded to his power, acknowledging hismand.


    But the disy of his might didn''t end there. As the ground shattered, Atreus channeled his energy into a profound disy of elemental mastery.


    A surge of permafrost erupted from the point of impact, radiating outward like a tidal wave. Its icy tendrils engulfed everything in its path, freezing both the charging monsters and the very air around them.


    Shatter!


    Crumble!


    The monsters, once formidable and relentless, now stood frozen and fragile, their bodies crystallized in an icy prison. The very fabric of their being sumbed to the freezing onught, shattering like delicate ss upon impact.


    The hound, too, felt the icy grip of Atreus'' power. The permafrost spread across its form, encasing its legs in a frozen embrace.


    The once thunderous charge slowed to a crawl, each movement weighed down by the relentless grip of the ice. It was a stunning disy of control over the elements, a testament to Atreus'' mastery over his abilities.


    As the frozen remnants of the monsters fell to the ground and the hound struggled against its icy restraints, Atreus stood amidst the aftermath, his affirming smile still in ce.


    "Tch! Not bad. It looks like he has some strong skills." spoke Sylvana and looked at Atreus.


    "Do you want to challenge me, Fenrirborne. I guess it should entertain me for a whi¡­"


    But before the Dryad couldplete her words¡­


    GRAB!!


    A figure appeared right behind her and grabbed her neck.


    "Shut the fuck up!"


    Crack!


    Without making any unnecessary and shy moves, the real Atreus grabbed and snapped Sylvana''s neck.


    And so fell the first enemy they faced in God''s Domain.

 Chapter 951 Unexpected but Expected

    Chapter 951 Unexpected but Expected


    In an instant, the tension that had filled the battlefield dissipated. The towering form of Sylvana, once so formidable, crumpled to the ground, her life extinguished by Atreus''s decisive action.


    The party members stood in stunned silence, the weight of the moment settling upon them. The first enemy they had faced in the Land of the Gods had fallen, a testament to their resilience, teamwork, and the unwavering determination of the Hero of Darkness.


    As the dust settled and the battlefield fell into an eerie calm, the significance of their victory became clear. The challenges of God''s Domain were formidable, but with strategic prowess and the strength of their teamwork, they had ovee the first trial that the realm had thrown at them.


    The aftermath of the intense battle left the party members collectively exhaling a breath of relief. Even with their heightened status as semi-saints, the sheer numbers of the wood elemental creatures had posed a significant challenge.


    However, their joy did notst long...


    BOOM!!


    A massive green aura erupted within the battlefield and everyone was shoved a dozens of meters afar.


    Amidst the easing tension, the sudden resurgence of activity caught everyone off guard. The fallen monsters, which had been scattered across the battlefield, began to stir once more.


    Their movements were eerie and unnatural, as if they were being guided by an unseen force towards that euption of green aura.


    Slowly, almost deliberately, the remnants of the creatures began to crawl and slither toward Sylvana, who was the very source of that aura, as if drawn by some invisible maic pull.


    Kahn''s reaction was one of bemused understanding. Amidst the confusion, his words cut through the unfolding scenario like a de.


    "Tch! Should''ve been obvious... it went too easy." Kahn''s voice held a note of sardonic amusement, his keen perception allowing him to see through the facade of victory.


    The plot twist, while unexpected, did not surprise him given his experience in battles.


    The realization of what was happening sent a wave of shock and confusion through the party members.


    Rumble!


    Soon, a towering figure started rising from the green pir of aura and emanated an intense killing intent.


    Sylvana''s transformation into a colossal, 200-meter-tall version of herself was an astonishing spectacle, her anger and power radiating from her immense form.


    The unexpected turn of events had caught everyone off guard, and the tension on the battlefield was reignited.


    As Sylvana''s colossal form loomed over the battlefield once more, the party members braced themselves for the challenges thaty ahead.


    The tide of battle had shifted once again, and the true extent of the trials they would face in the Land of the Gods was bing increasingly apparent.


    Sylvana''s voice rang out in a thunderous shout, her fury and frustration echoing across the battlefield.


    "You mongrels pests! I shall show you what happens when you mess with me."


    Maximus, his voice firm and resolute, stepped forward to address the towering figure before them.


    "Lady, or treedy... It was you who attacked us first. We didn''t do anything to earn your wrath. So stop acting like a victim all of a sudden."


    Amidst the tense exchange, Conan''s voice cut through the air,den with fear and trepidation.


    "She''s a witch! Burn her at the stake!" Conan''s words were fueled by the shock of witnessing Sylvana''s resurrection, an act that defied the boundaries of what he had known.


    Sylvana''s response was swift, her voice dripping with a mix of authority and indignation.


    "You dare undermine me? I guess I was too benevolent to hold back on you lot."


    A sense of unease settled over the party members as Sylvana''s words reverberated through the air. The power she wielded, coupled with her seemingly unstoppable resurgence, was a force to be reckoned with.


    Amidst the tension, Atreus''s voice cut through the charged atmosphere with an air of nonchnce.


    "Ugh! I guess the 2nd Boss Phase starts now." Atreus''s tone carried a hint of boredom, a reflection of his familiarity with the escting challenges they faced.


    The battlefield had transformed into a crucible of trials, and the party members were bracing themselves for whatever awaited them in this relentless gauntlet.


    The stakes had been raised once again, and the party members found themselves confronting an adversary whose power seemed boundless.


    As the exchange of words and the undercurrent of tension continued, they prepared to face the next stage of the battle, ready to prove their mettle against the formidable forces that sought to test their resolve.


    Sylvana''s transformation was nothing short of awe-inspiring as she assumed the colossal form of a 200-meter-tall wood elemental creature. Her voice boomed across the battlefield, carrying a mix of fury and determination.


    "You all shall pay for that transgression!" Her words reverberated like a dire warning, the sheer force of her presencemanding attention.


    But amidst the unfolding spectacle, a surprising twist took the party members by surprise.


    "Yes! You all shall pay!" Atreus''s voice echoed, mirroring Sylvana''s deration.


    Atreus, rather than opposing Sylvana, stood atop her immense form as if he had aligned himself with her cause.


    His unexpected show of solidarity with the towering creature raised eyebrows and puzzled expressions among the party members.


    Confusion rippled through the ranks, and Maximus, ever the voice of reason, voiced the question that was on everyone''s minds.


    "But why are you standing on her side?" Maximus''s expression mirrored the collective puzzlement of the entire Hero''s Party.


    Atreus''s response was delivered with an air of nonchnce that seemed almost out of ce given the gravity of the situation.


    "I always pick the side of the strong!"


    BANG!!


    Before anyone could fully process Atreus''s unexpected alliance, Sylvana''s towering form surged forward in a relentless attack, her fury channeled into a devastating assault against the very figure who had seemingly aligned himself with her.


    "Strategy 13!"


    Maximus''s decisive call echoed across the chaotic battlefield, his voice cutting through the turmoil with unwavering authority.


    This battle strategy was specifically made for instances where they faced a titanic monster out of nowhere.


    As if in perfect synchronization, the party members sprang into action, each executing their designated roles with precision. The calcted distance they maintained from the towering titan allowed them a strategic advantage, enabling them to target its vulnerable legs.


    Rkan''s role was pivotal as he began casting a series of debuff spells, each carefully chosen to weaken the titan''s movements. The arcane energies swirled around him, his focus unyielding as he worked to slow down their colossal adversary.


    Vikaat, his form now that of an eerie ck raven adorned with luminous yellow tattoos, moved with an ethereal grace. His presence was haunting yet mesmerizing, his aura suffused with an otherworldly power that lent a supernatural edge to his movements.


    Speki, too, underwent a transformation, his figure morphing into that of a phoenix wreathed in mes. Though smaller than his previous manifestation, the mere fact that he could summon such a form at this juncture was a testament to his prowess.


    The phoenix''s fiery onught held the potential to decimate thousands, a force that could turn the tide of battle in their favor.


    "She feels like she''s almost a Saint." said Maximus with an incredulous countenance.


    Coordinated attacks unfolded with seamless precision. The assault focused on the titan''s massive hands, with the party members converging from both the front and the back. Borat and Xavolees, disying their martial prowess, targeted the titan''s legs with calcted strikes.


    Atreus, ever the observant strategist, was quick to analyze the situation and offer his insight.


    "Because she is indeed as strong as a 1st-stage saint at the moment.


    Although I detect that this transformation won''tst for more than half an hour, it''s enough to kill us all." he replied.


    Maximus, his gaze unwavering, addressed Atreus with a firm nod. The weight of their predicament hung heavy in the air as they exchanged these crucial words.


    "You remember what you have to do, right?" Maximus''s query was met with a resolute affirmation from Atreus.


    "Yes."


    With an air of determination, Maximus began his transformation, his very being undergoing a profound metamorphosis that resonated with his role as the party''s leader. The energy that enveloped him was tangible, a manifestation of his unwavering resolve.


    "Divine Ability..." he roared.


    "Inazami''s Champion!" his battlecry echoed like a roar.


    As the incantation echoed through the battlefield, Maximus''s transformation unfolded before their eyes. His form expanded, elemental energies swirling around him in a mesmerizing disy.


    In an instant, the Knight Hero''s body, along with his weapon, shield, and armor, began to grow exponentially, as multiple elements of reality coalesced and engulfed him. What transpired was an unbelievable transformation.


    Within just 15 seconds, the Hero of Nature had be a being equal in height to Sylvana, standing at a towering 200 meters tall.


    His eyes were like lightning, his arms and shoulders transformed into thergest tree trunks in the world, and his legs turned into the hardest of metals. His once-golden hair now zed like the sun.


    In his hand, the 150-meter-tall and 30-meter-wide shield turned dark gray, carrying both earth and metal elements, while his 50-meter-long greatsword became a destructivebination of lightning and darkness.


    Kahn, his thoughts a whirlwind of observation, couldn''t help but interject with a mix of admiration and yful jest.


    "Why is his transformation so badass? It always gives me that Pacific Rim vibe."


    The tension was momentarily lifted by Kahn''s lightheartedment, a brief respite in the midst of their dire circumstances.


    "Go, Gipsy Danger!" cheered Kahn like a fanboy.


    With Maximus now in his awe-inspiring titan form, the battlefield was set for an epic sh that would determine the oue of this monumental confrontation.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Crackle!


    The air crackled with anticipation as Maximus charged forward, his shield and sword poised for action.


    And all that remained to add to this situation...


    Was an epic battle background music.

 Chapter 952 Making a Conversation

    Chapter 952 Making a Conversation


    As the rest of the group engaged in a concerted effort to divert Sylvana''s attention, Kahn silently vanished from the battlefield, his movements shrouded in a cloak of stealth.


    "You leave me no choice." spoke Maximus in his titanic form.


    sh!


    A resounding sh echoed as Kahn swung his greatsword, aimed at severing Sylvana''s right arm. However, his strike only managed to graze her, a testament to her formidable defensive capabilities.


    Dhang!


    With unwavering determination, Maximus sprang into action. He lunged forward, using his shield as a battering ram to propel the colossal dryad summoner nearly 20 meters away with a powerful crash.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Explosions of fireballs erupted from behind as Speki''s fiery projectiles found their mark, scorching Sylvana''s form. Simultaneously, Vikaat''s raven-like metal ws, honed to a lethal edge, tore into and sliced across her left thigh.


    From the ground, Borat and the others joined the fray, their concerted strikes adding to the onught. Maximus, unrelenting, continued tond fatal blows in rapid session.


    However¡­


    Yet, in the midst of this ferocious battle, Sylvana''s resilience proved astonishing. Despite the onught of attacks, her severed limbs and arms swiftly regenerated and reattached themselves, akin to veins reweaving into her form. The forested surroundings, rich with vitality, provided her an ample wellspring of resources. Drawing sustenance from the very trees to which she was bound, Sylvana bolstered her strength, healed her wounds, and regenerated her body.


    In essence, unless confronted by a genuine Saint or a Legendary Rank monster, Sylvana''s assured victory remained unchallenged.


    "You can''t defeat me with your weak strength and skills." dered Svana with a grin.


    Bang!


    This time, Maximus crashed against Sylvana with his shield again but for the first time¡­ the dryad did not budge a bit or was even slightly moved from her ce.


    [Dammit! Has she already be a Saint-level being? Even a 1st Stage saint will have a problem facing me when I''m using Inazami''s Champion as a semi-saint.


    Yet she seemspletely unaffected.] spoke Maximus to his team members.


    "Give up, Hero of nature. I''m invincible in thesends." spoke Sylvana with unadulterated confidence.


    Swoosh!


    In a sudden burst of blue light, a diminutive figure caught Sylvana''s attention¡ªan agile wolfkin, standing at a mere three meters in height, soared into the air with remarkable speed.


    Kahn, who had momentarily vanished from the battlefield, had now reappeared. Positioned strategically behind Maximus''s towering shield, he obscured Sylvana''s line of sight. Seizing the opportunity, Atreus swiftly descended from above, his form now adorned with the fierce visage of a wolf''s head.


    "Fenrir''s Rage!" Kahn''s voice resonated with unwavering determination as he uttered the incantation.


    In a breathtaking disy, a colossal wolf head, formed of unyielding permafrost, materialized directly above Sylvana, its immense form spanning an astonishing twenty meters in height.


    The appearance of the colossal wolf head was a manifestation of one of Kahn''s rarely used Brawler ss warrior skills¡ªa technique he had learned long ago but had refrained from deploying, even during the Tribal Tourney where its one-shot potential could have been advantageous.


    Its drawback was the extended charging time, leaving Kahn vulnerable to interruption.


    Yet, this moment was different. Hiding behind the imposing shield held by Maximus, Kahn had seized the perfect opportunity.


    Maximus had engaged Sylvana in battle, ensuring her focus remained elsewhere, allowing Atreus to approach undetected.


    The immense, cerulean wolf head, its red eyes radiating a chilling aura of bloodlust, materialized before Sylvana with an astonishing impact.


    The sheer sight of it was enough to paralyze her, an overwhelming surge of terror coursing through her being.


    Frozen in ce, Sylvana was gripped by the visceral dread that emanated from Kahn''s formidable killing intent, her ability to react or defend herself stifled by the sheer intensity of the moment.


    SNAP!!


    With a resounding finality, the colossal wolf head descended upon Sylvana, its massive jaws snapping shut and severing her head from her body.


    The once formidable dryad summoner met her end in a swift and gruesome manner, her reign of terror abruptly concluded.


    BANG!!


    As the lifeless body of Sylvana copsed to the ground, the thousands of trees that had been a part of her titanic form toppled and fell, their connection severed as her skill was destroyed.


    No longer bound by her influence, the forest regained its natural state.


    In the aftermath of the battle, Sylvana''s true form was revealed, her once-imposing stature reduced to her original size.


    Shey vulnerable and defeated before the Hero''s Party, the culmination of their strategic efforts and unwavering determination.


    Unlike before when the battle began and Sylvana had the upper hand¡­


    Now, she was at the mercy of Hero''s Party.


    ----------------


    Kahn and Maximus exchanged a significant nce, their curiosity piqued by Sylvana''s existence. Eager to uncover more about the Gods Domain and its enigmatic protectors, they decided to confront her about it.


    "You mentioned that you''re one of the guardians. How many guardians are there?" Maximus inquired, his voiceced with a mixture of determination and intrigue.


    Sylvana''s response was defiant, her resolve unshaken even in the face of defeat. "I won''t talk, even if you resort to threats or violence."


    A cold smile yed at the corners of Maximus''s lips, his tone taking on a more ominous edge. "Who said anything about killing you? There are other ways to make you talk."


    He leaned closer, his gaze unwavering as he continued, "We could simply subject you to a little... persuasion. We have time on our hands, and trust me, we won''t hesitate to use it."


    Sylvana''s defiance did not waver, her resolute demeanor holding firm. "Try as you might, I will never reveal anything, no matter the methods you employ."


    Maximus''s expression remained stoic, his response calcted. "Very well, if that''s your choice."


    With those words, his attention shifted to a particr member of their party, one whose reputation for sadistic tendencies was well-known. Glowing tattoos and icicles adorned this individual, and the mere anticipation of their involvement sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.


    The Hero''s Party collectively averted their gazes, their unspoken acknowledgment of the impending ordeal casting a somber shadow over the scene.


    At this moment...


    The entire Hero''s Party averted their gazes towards a certain sadist psychopath.

 Chapter 953 The Best Way...

    Chapter 953 The Best Way...


    After everyone suddenly gazed at the back of their group, at a 3-meter-tall Brawler Saint¡­


    In response, a certain torture expert among their group was wondering at everyone else intently staring at him.


    Gasp!


    "Why are you guys looking at me?!" asked the bbergasted Kahn and gasped in disbelief.


    "I am the most gentlemanly person there ever has been." he stated with an elegant and friendly smile.


    Silence!


    The surroundings turned dead silent as everyone looked at Atreus with a pokerface.


    His virtuous ims¡­ Nobody believed that.


    Sigh!


    Kahn sighed helplessly and spoke.


    [And it had to be a woman.


    No wonder peoplein that I''m too hateful towards women since the beginning of the first arc.


    I either beat them to death or torture them till they beg me for death.] he spoke to himself with a defeated countenance.


    [Well, it''s not my fault that 99% of the women I meet are either fucking psychos or want to kill me.


    But at this rate, I am going to getbeled as a Misogynist.] he thought and epted his fate.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Atreus''s fingers cracked in a chilling disy of anticipation, his deliberate movements carrying an eerie air of impending action.


    He extended his arms, his deliberate steps bringing him closer to the incapacitated Dryad Summoner, Sylvana, who was still reeling from the bacsh of her defeated skill.


    "Hello there, Bamboody. Let''s spend some quality time together." spoke the fenrirborne with an ominous smirk.


    On the other end¡­ Sylvana''s entire life shed before her eyes.


    Sylvana''s fear was palpable, her trembling form a stark testament to the dire situation she found herself in. The memories of her previous encounter with Atreus shed through her mind, a brutal reminder of the merciless fate that awaited her.


    First, it was him breaking her neck with his bare w and then the image of Atreus'' summoned Wolf head snapping her neck and tearing her head from her body was etched in Sylvana''s memory, a haunting reminder of the depths of cruelty he was capable of.


    Now, facing him once more, his wicked grin and ominous words served as a grim harbinger of the torment thaty ahead.


    Noticing her scared and shuddering figure, Atreus replied with a benign smile¡­


    "Don''t worry¡­ I''ll make it slow and painful."


    ----------------


    1 HOUR LATER¡­


    A chilling silence descended as Sylvana''s anguished cries came to an abrupt and harrowing halt. The aftermath of the torment inflicted upon her was evident in the blood that seeped from her eye sockets, the life force draining away along with her defiance.


    The scene was one of gruesome brutality, a testament to Atreus''s merciless resolve. Her limbs severed and her nails crushed beneath his unrelenting heel, Sylvana''s agony was unyielding, her form contorted in the throes of excruciating suffering.


    In a final, grisly act, the blue wolfkin forcibly extracted her eyes from their sockets, a macabre tableau that defied the boundaries of cruelty.


    The potion that followed was a cruel twist, a concoction that ignited an inferno of torment within her very being. The sensation was beyond the realm of imagination, a fusion of searing needles and molten fire that consumed her from within, a symphony of pain that defied description.


    What no one knew was that this potion was an extremely diluted version of Bjormungadur''s venom that Kahn recently added in his list of torturing techniques.


    Given Sylvana''s constitution as a Dryad and her mastery over Life Force, it wasn''t enough to kill her in a short time.


    But her natural resistance to the venom caused a chain reaction of mortifying pain that ran across her entire body.


    Tremble!


    Sylvana''s body trembled, wracked by convulsions as the potion''s vile effects tore through her. The boundaries of her endurance were shattered, her willpower no match for the unrelenting agony that now held her in its merciless grip.


    Sylvana''s torment had reached a realm of suffering that surpassed any previous conception. The methods employed by Atreus were a twisted symphony of pain, an orchestra of agony that pushed the boundaries of her endurance far beyond what she had ever imagined.


    "ARRRGGGGGHHHH!!!" wailed Sylvana.


    She felt like being priced by thousands of metals while all of her muscles and fleshly organs were being incinerated by hotva. A deadlybination that drove her insane with every passing moment.


    "Shhh! Stop overreacting. We''re just beginning." Kahn''s words slithered with a sinister edge, a chilling apaniment to the unrelenting torment being wrought upon Sylvana.


    Her regenerative abilities offered a cruel irony, denying her the mercy of unconsciousness even as her body was ravaged by excruciating pain.


    Atreus manipted this grim reality to his advantage, exploiting her own blessings to amplify her suffering, creating a cycle of torment from which there was no escape.


    Before¡­ Sylvana thought she could withstand any form of torture or humiliation. But now¡­ She wished to be freed from this agonizing and traumatizing punishment.


    "Wait! I''ll talk! Please stop!..."


    Amidst the aura of impending dread, Sylvana''s resolve crumbled, and the torrent of information they sought poured forth from her lips.


    Her voice quivered as she revealed the intricate details of whaty ahead in the God''s Domain and what type of powers they''d face going forward, her words a desperate bid to appease the impending torment that loomed over her.


    But even as she shared her knowledge, a palpable weight pressed upon her, the cruel reality of a binding spell restricting her from divulging certain critical information.


    Sylvana''s voice trailed off, her expression one of frustration and helplessness as she conveyed the limitations imposed upon her.


    She spoke of the guardians, their numbers, and powers, her eyes reflecting the depths of her knowledge. She revealed the pathway to the altar of the gods, a crucial detail that would guide their journey through this perilous realm.


    However, her tone held a note of resignation, an acknowledgment that despite her revtions, their path would still lead to confronting the guardians directly.


    In the midst of this intense exchange, Kahn''s voice cut through the tension with an unexpected question, his words carrying a touch of levity that contrasted starkly with the gravity of their situation.


    And finally, after they were convinced that Sylvana gave them the truth, Maximus made an understanding nod at Atreus.


    "Do you know what the best way to a woman''s heart is?" Kahn''s inquiry hung in the air, a surprising interjection that momentarily shifted the focus from their grim circumstances.


    "What?"


    Sylvana''s response wasced with weariness, drained of the nonchnce and confidence she had previously disyed.


    Her voice held a hint of exhaustion as she replied, her spirit broken by the hour of torture she had endured at Kahn''s hands.


    And right then¡­


    Stab!


    Kahn stabbed Sylvan''s chest with his wolf ws and pulled her heart out with an enigmatic and charming smile.


    "Like this."

 Chapter 954 To Break Free

    Chapter 954 To Break Free


    A chilling and eerie atmosphere seemed to settle over the surroundings as Atreus executed his gruesome act, his actions invoking a visceral sense of horror that hung heavy in the air.


    Sylvana''s voice, strained and feeble, pierced through the grotesque scene. "You will pay for this, soon." she warned, her words a desperate echo of defiance.


    "Oh, I''m quaking in my boots. You''ll wait for me in the depths of hell; yada yada yada¡­" responded Atreus with a callous, mocking tone.


    His taunts dripped with sarcasm, a stark juxtaposition against the gruesome tableau before them.


    Perplexed, Sylvana''s expression twisted into a bemused smile.


    "What are you even talking about?" she inquired, a note of confusion underlying her fading strength.


    As the grip of life gradually slipped from her, her form descending toward the ground, Sylvana uttered her final words with a mix of resignation and dark irony.


    She whispered with whatever strength she had left and made a haunting deration that seemed to reverberate through the very essence of the grim aftermath.


    "This is Hell."


    ----------------


    With Sylvana''s lifeless body sprawled before them, a sense of somber relief settled over the Hero''s party, their breaths carrying the weight of their recent ordeal.


    Rkan''s empathetic sentiment broke the silence.


    "I almost feel sorry for her." he mused, his words carrying a note of unexpectedpassion.


    Atreus''s response cut through the atmosphere like a chilling breeze, his voiceced with a sinister edge.


    "Oh, really? That''s touching.


    You should have spoken up earlier. I could have arranged a joint torture session with her, just for you." His eyes gleamed with an unsettling light, his grin sending shivers down the spine of those who heard his words.


    Rkan''s demeanor turned ashen, his memories of Atreus''s torturous tendencies suddenly vivid and unwee.


    Shifting his attention to Speki, Atreus issued amand that hung heavy in the air.


    "Hey, Peacock... burn her body." His tone held an unmistakable undercurrent of threat, casting a dark shadow over the Fire Summoner.


    Speki''s response was swift, hispliance tinged with a palpable unease as he conjured mes to consume Sylvana''s remains.


    In the dynamic of the Hero''s party, Maximus may have held the position of de facto leader, but Atreus loomed as a dominant figure of authority in his own right.


    His role as both enforcer and punisher was undeniable, enforcingpliance through fear and coercion.


    The chilling specter of his methods hung over them, ensuring their adherence to hismands through a potent mix of the Mark of Servitude and the ever-present threat of excruciating suffering. In this crucible of power dynamics, Atreus emerged as a formidable force, wielding his own version of leadership within their ranks.


    ----------------


    Amidst the aftermath of their harrowing encounter with Sylvana, the Hero''s party found themselves in a moment of respite, reflecting on the challenges thaty ahead.


    "Can''t believe that even here, we''re not going to get things easily done." Maximus voiced his frustration, the weariness of their ongoing struggles evident in his words.


    Kahn''s response held a touch of wry humor, tinged with a hint of irony.


    "Yeah, I''d rather face monsters in the thousands than these guys. At least we know what to expect from monsters.


    Even the information that Dryad gave us, I don''t think we shouldpletely rely on it."


    The conversation took a more serious turn as Kahn delved into their predicament, highlighting the unequal nature of their battles.


    "And the fact that we have to face others like her. Especially when they can all temporarily be saints while we''re all stuck at the semi-saint rank... It feels exhausting."


    [Oh my goodness. Look at the handicap you have. Ten semi-saints, two of them Heroes, and they''re forced to fight against saints.


    This world is so unfair.] Rathnaar''s voice interjected into Kahn''s thoughts, a blend of amusement and sarcasm coloring his words.


    The exchange between Kahn and Rathnaar continued, as thetter kept taunting and berating Kahn.


    [Just shut up, old man! I''m not worried about that.


    I''m just concerned that there mighte a situation where I will be forced to use my other skills that go against my established identity as Atreus.] Kahn''s frustration was palpable, his voiceced with an air of exasperation.


    He was grappling with the need to maintain his facade while possessing powers that far exceeded his outward persona.


    [Even as a semi-saint, I was fully capable of killing her in minutes, but I had to hold back and fight like a mob-yer just to hide my real strength.


    Others face problems because they''re not strong enough.


    I face problems because I''m too strong, to a level that I struggle to control my strength.]


    In his admission, Kahn touched on the paradoxical nature of his situation.


    While others might be struggling due to their limitations, his struggle stemmed from the excess of his strength,pelling him to navigate a delicate bnce between revealing his true capabilities and adhering to the persona he had crafted.


    Kahn fell silent and absorbed all the details Sylvana provided about the penins in the God''s Domain. As the information flowed, a clearer picture emerged.


    Within this particr penins, a creation of the God of Nature, there existed a total of 7 guardians, Sylvana being one of them. Each guardian was assigned to protect a distinct perimeter, forming a series of concentric circryers akin to barriers.


    And Sylvana, despite her formidable capabilities, was categorized as the weakest among them.


    Consequently, her responsibilityy in guarding the outermostyer, which predominantlyprised natural elements such as trees and the environment itself.


    However, this revtion signaled that the challenges ahead were far from over.


    The Hero''s Party would have to confront an array of guardians, each possessing unique powers and abilities.


    These guardians would hold sway over environments that favored their techniques, elements, and strengths, creating a series of distinct battles for the party to navigate.


    In this initial confrontation, their triumph over Sylvana hinged upon the wless teamwork and synergy disyed between Atreus and Maximus.


    Without their calcted tactics, leveraging the element of surprise and exploiting Sylvana''s own abilities against her, the task of defeating her would have been insurmountable.


    Their strategy was sessful in this instance, but as they progressed through the sessiveyers of guardians, the challenges would escte exponentially.


    The enemies awaiting them would grow in strength and resilience, leaving the Hero''s Party with a stark choice: either defeat these formidable adversaries or find a means to escape their clutches in order to advance toward God''s Altar.


    Among these guardians, one name loomed with particr dread: the final guardian, the entity Sylvana had spoken of. The party''s path to God''s Altar seemingly required their confrontation with this immensely powerful foe.


    Sylvana''s tone suggested that this guardian was an almost insurmountable challenge, an opponent whose defeat appeared to be the sole key to essing the altar.


    Her almost jubnt mention of this guardian''s name underscored the gravity of the impending battle and the potential threat it posed to the Hero''s Party''s mission.


    ----------------


    Within a castle-like towing construct at the opposite end of the penins, was a chamber filled with visible and vibrant Divine Essence, darkness enveloped the space, entuated by the presence of seven colossal crystals arranged in a circr formation.


    Each crystal emanated its own distinct hue, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the room''s interior.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    Abruptly, the tranquility was shattered as the green crystal, vibrant and captivating, fragmented into pieces that littered the floor in a cascade of destruction.


    Creak!


    Amidst this shattered disy, the chamber''s entrance creaked open, admitting the presence of a tall and imposing figure.


    Obscured by shadows, the being''s features remained veiled, but their emotions were palpable through the intensity of their gaze¡ªa mixture of disappointment and smoldering anger that filled the air around them.


    "Oh, Sylvana¡­ How many times did I tell you to not overestimate yourself and underestimate your opponents just because of your unique powers." spoke this tyrannical figure with a slight exasperation hinted in their tone.


    "A Hero''s Party is bound to be filled with powerful and knowledgeable people who could find loops in our powers and defeat people like you and the other guardians.


    Your arrogance has caused your downfall again. And here I stand¡­ looking at your shattered core." he dered in a somber voice.


    With a weighty solemnity, he activated a circr bracelet-like artifact adorning his hand, its surface pulsating withtent power. His voice resonated with authority as hemunicated his message.


    "Sylvana is dead. Her demise signals their approach.


    And now¡­ Their footsteps draw closer to you." he spoke in an authoritative tone.


    From the other end of this mysteriousmunication, a ghastly, masculine voice responded firmly, acknowledging themand.


    "I shall prepare ordingly, my lord."


    Satisfaction tinged the figure''s somber demeanor. The gravity of the situation demanded swift and decisive action.


    "Excellent. Ensure absolute surprise and eliminate any possibility of their anticipation or counteraction.


    We must kill all of them, including the Hero of Nature this time..."


    As his words lingered in the air, the figure''s eyes radiated a profound golden gleam, a manifestation of his terrifying killing intent as he revealed their reason...


    "To leave this Hell."

 Chapter 955 Sudden Ambush

    Chapter 955 Sudden Ambush


    After passing through the doorway, the Hero''s party found themselves in an entirely newndscape. The scene before them was deste and grim. Barrennds stretched out, the soil ckened and devoid of life. A haunting silence pervaded the surroundings, where once-mighty trees stood withered and lifeless.


    Moving forward, they found themselves navigating terrain that resembled a vast canyon. Towering rock formations enclosed them, forming walls that hemmed them in. Strangely, the sides of these imposing canyon walls featured numerous stone gargoyle heads, their expressions frozen in eerie grimaces.


    As they advanced cautiously through this unsettling environment, Maximus voiced the realization that had settled upon them all.


    "From what Sylvana divulged, it seems the second guardian shares a kinship with darkness element."


    Tensions ran high among the party members, each step a reminder of the imminent danger they faced in confronting yet another guardian, one who harnessed the power of darkness.


    Yawn!


    In the midst of this tense environment, Kahn''s casual yawn cut through the tension like a de.


    "Great. Wake me up after he shows up." he quipped, conjuring an ice b and reclining upon it as if it were afortable mattress.


    With an air of nonchnce, he dered his intention to catch up on some rest.


    "From now on, we will use Strategy 3."


    Meanwhile, Maximus took charge, issuing clear instructions that the group instinctively understood.


    Strategy 3 was invoked, a tactical formation that had been drilled into them through rigorous training and past battles.


    Svana assumed her role as a scout, surveying the terrain for potential traps or lurking dangers. Rkan and Speki focused on their protective duties, conjuring barriers to shield the group. The remaining members moved in unison, each with their designated task.


    Maximus and Borat formed the protective front and back of the party''s formation, their steadfast presence guarding against potential threats.


    Conan and Xavolees took positions on the nks, serving as the primary offensive force. Pokawor and Vikaat lent support from a distance, their skills enhancing the group''s effectiveness.


    And in a disy of stark contrast, Atreus seemed to have taken the instructions of "Strategy 3" quite literally, his icy resting ce a testament to his carefree approach.


    And finally¡­ Atreus was tasked with sleeping soundly.


    ----------------


    Their party treaded carefully, a palpable sense of apprehension coloring their every step. The destion of the surroundings seemed to be mirrored within their own minds, uncertainty gnawing at their confidence. The absence of the sun added an eerie dimension to the already unsettling atmosphere.


    As they traversed the deadnds and the mountains, they couldn''t shake off the feeling of being lost. The unfamiliarndscape yed tricks on their perception, heightening their sense of disorientation.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, an explosive shockwave shattered the uneasy calm. The resounding boom jolted them into immediate action, and Maximus wasted no time in issuing orders. With a swiftmand, the party rallied together, sprinting toward the source of the detonation through the rugged terrain.


    Minutester, they arrived at a colossal crater, its depths littered with metallic spears resembling macabre thorns.


    Amidst this gruesomendscape, a figure impaled upon those brutal spikes came into view. Blood trickled down her form, a testament to the severity of her wounds.


    "Everyone, hold your positions!" Maximusmanded, his voice carrying a mix of caution and concern.


    The party formed a protective perimeter around the scene, vignt for any sign of danger or an impending attack.


    It was clear that their journey was fraught with not only physical trials but also unexpected encounters that demanded their constant vignce.


    "No, Svana!" Vikaat''s anguished cry echoed through the air as he rushed towards the gaping hole.


    "Stop! It''s a tra¡ª" Maximus''s warning was abruptly cut off as an unforeseen horror unfolded before them.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    In a split second, as if sprung from the very earth itself, dozens of long spikes, each spanning three meters in length, erupted from the ground.


    They struck with deadly precision, skewering Vikaat mercilessly and piercing his heart and brain simultaneously.


    The tengu warrior''s life was extinguished in a harrowing instant, mirroring the cruel fate that had befallen Svana just moments earlier. The party''s shock was palpable, a collective gasp of horror and disbelief mingling with the air.


    The relentless and unpredictable nature of their challenges became abundantly clear, a stark reminder that their journey through the guardians'' realms was fraught with peril beyond their imagination.


    "Seriously... To walk into such an obvious trap when you haven''t even made sure that the assant isn''t present nearby...


    Is this really the group that defeated Sylvana?" A ghastly and condescending voice reverberated through the air, carrying with it an air of malevolent amusement.


    "My lord will be so disappointed to learn that a bunch of untrained warriors killed one of the guardians." the voice continued, its taunting tone echoing in the destendscape.


    "Then why don''t you show up since we are but insolent idiots, your archmagnificiency?"


    Atreus retorted, his voiceced with a mixture of defiance and sarcasm as he roused himself from his icy makeshift bed.


    "Do not goad me. Such efforts are futile.


    As long as you are here, your lives are at my mercy." the voice replied ominously, its words dripping with a cold and calcted malice.


    "And I am a very persistent individual. The only time any one of you sees me is when your final moments havee." the voice concluded before fading into an unsettling silence.


    With the weight of these dire words hanging heavily in the air, the party was left to grapple with the looming threat of an adversary who seemed to hold their fate in his grasp.


    ----------------


    The party fell into a heavy silence, the weight of their fallenrades and the looming threat of their adversary bearing down on them. Grief and shock mingled in the air as they retrieved the lifeless bodies of their friends.


    Speki and Rkan seemed to have known Svana the longest and seemed greatly affected by her demise.


    Pokawor was disheartened by Vikaat''s death since both were apparently sparring buddies over the years.


    Although Conan, Xavolees and Borat were not that close to the fallenrades, kept quiet in respect of their fallen team members.


    Maximus too was silent and had not shown any emotion, as if contemting something.


    As a leader, he was in a situation where he had toe with new ns to face uing dangers and prepare for more ambushes since two of their best reconnaissance members were now taken down by the mysterious assant that hid in the darkness of thesends.


    It was evident that he would attack them again and this time, even more lives could be lost.


    Hence, Maximus was in a situation where he could not even disy a semnce of empathy for the tworades he had known for close to 9 years at this point.


    Among them, Atreus remained unaffected by the loss, his countenance revealing no signs of sorrow. He assessed the situation with a pragmatic detachment, analyzing the missteps that had led to theirrades'' demise.


    [An assassin who excels in stealth and finding traps fell victim to her own oversight.


    And a long-range warrior let his emotions cloud his judgment, leading to his downfall...


    Both paid the price for their mistakes while ironically dying to the very thing they were supposed be good at.] Kahn''s thoughts echoed a sentiment of calcted analysis.


    Then, breaking the silence, Kahn announced his intentions.


    "I will go and scout the area. Ensure the group''s security from potential attacks." he stated.


    "Wait! That''s an unnecessary risk. Staying together has more chances of our survival.


    This terrain is the enemy''s territory. You will be walking towards your death." he implored Kahn to not leave.


    At Maximus'' cautious response, Kahn insisted, "Don''t worry. I''m experienced in dealing with this kind of threat.


    It''s better if I go alone. Others might inadvertently be... obstacles."


    With that, Kahn left, the tension in the group palpable as they grappled with the challenges of navigating a treacherous and unfamiliar environment, while facing an adversary whose capabilities seemed tailor-made to exploit their weaknesses.


    ----------------


    30 Minutes Later¡­


    "How did you find me?!" spoke a 5 meter tall creature with 2 bat-like wings and a snake-like tail.


    The tension-filled silence was shattered by the appearance of a formidable figure. Towering at five meters tall, this creature bore a menacing visage¡ªtwo bat-like wings extended from its back, while a snake-like tail coiled beneath it.


    Bull-like horns adorned its head, and its muscr, humanoid form exuded an aura of raw power.


    In response to its question, Atreus remained unfazed.


    "How did I find you?" he echoed, his demeanor steady.


    The creature''s response wasden with aggression.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter... Your fate is sealed, just like the others." spoke this massive figure.


    "What is your name?" asked Kahn.


    "And why do you bother asking? It''s not like we are going to be friends." berated the enmey.


    Atreus offered a calm retort, his voice carrying an air of detached curiosity.


    "It''s a simple courtesy I extend when I encounter individuals who are destined to meet their end at my hands."


    SWOOM!!


    Before the creature could react, Atreus took swift action.


    A resounding swoosh marked the activation of a dark, dome-like barrier that isted them from the outside world.


    Kahn had activated the Dimensional Domain as he dered in a tyrannical voice.


    "Consider that¡­ a professional courtesy."

 Chapter 956 Seeking Entertainment

    Chapter 956 Seeking Entertainment


    After being surrounded by the ck dome-like barrier that isted them from the outside world, the enemy was bbergasted and felt a sense of dread.


    "What is this?" the gargoyle-like creature demanded, his astonishment evident.


    "My Domain." responded Kahn, his toneced with wry amusement.


    "Nonsense! Everyone who enters God''s Domain bes a Semi-Saint! How can you wield your domain when even the Hero of Nature cannot?" asked the gargoyle whose disbelief was palpable.


    "Because I''m awesome?" responded Kahn, his retort dripping with sarcasm.


    Contrary to his towering figure and formidable presence, the gargoyle was, in fact, an assassin by trade.


    His mastery over darkness and shadows allowed him to strike from hidden openings, rendering his massive stature seemingly incongruous with his role. His unique advantagey in his proficiency in utilizing anything dark or ck to execute his stealthy skills, often without the need to be physically close to his target.


    Given the obsidian terrain of nothing but ck soil and mountains¡ª


    it provided the perfect backdrop for his lethal tactics, allowing him to execute wless ambushes.


    This grimndscape was tailored to his advantage, offering him an environment where every element served as a tool for him to eliminate the Hero''s Party.


    "You asked how did I find you, right?" but Kahn wasn''t done.


    Tremble!


    The answer emerged in a chilling revtion as hundreds of ebony shadows emerged from the very ground, encircling Zolvik, the gargoyle assassin.


    "I had my own assassins dispersed across thisnd the moment I set foot in this ckened environment." Kahn''s words unraveled the truth.


    "How is this possible?! I didn''t sense any of them as if they''re not alive." said the opponent.


    "Because they are not." responded Kahn with ease,


    "Then... Did you know about them as well?" the enemy''s inquiry held a tinge of uncertainty.


    "Yes." Kahn''s response carried an air of casual nonchnce.


    "Those gargoyle heads emerging from walls, mountains, and boulders? They''re your eyes and ears, allowing you to observe, listen, and gain insights into your adversaries." His taunt, veiled in amusement, continued...


    "Why do you think I decided to separate from the group? If I had revealed how you operated, they would''ve created a ruckus, leaving us even more vulnerable. And you would be aware that I was on your tail already.


    That''s precisely why I''vee for you alone." exined Kahn fearlessly.


    "You still haven''t answered my question.


    What is your name?" Kahn''s tone retained its calm expectancy.


    "I''m Zolvik." came the reply from his adversary.


    Thud!


    A sudden thud reverberated, and from within Kahn''s spatial ring materialized a magnificent ck and golden throne.


    With an air of leisure, he lowered himself onto the throne, recliningfortably.


    Swoosh!


    Another item conjured from the same mystical source was a long, brown cigar, which he brought to his lips. Exuding an air of rxation, Kahn gazed at Zolvik with a demeanor that suggested he was entirely at ease.


    "We are now separated from others in a 2-kilometer radius. No one can see or hear anything that transpires within these boundaries." Kahn''s voice carried an air of authority.


    "Even if you were to temporarily be a saint, no one would be privy to it.


    Rest assured, I won''t employ any debuffs from my domain to diminish your strength or seal your abilities." Kahn''s expression shifted into a tone of regal amusement.


    "So now¡­ Entertain me." implored Kahn majestically.


    At thismand, Zolvik was filled with fury due to being looked down so much by the blue Fenrirborne.


    "You insolent fool! Your pitiful tricks and bravado won''t save you from meeting your end at my hands, just like those two killed recently!" Zolvik''s voice reverberated with rage.


    A myriad of darkness elemental spikes, whips, chains, and colossal daggers materialized in the sky as Zolvik exploited the terrain to unleash his unique skills.


    Kahn''s assassins vanished, and there was only Kahn left, lounging on the throne with an air of nonchnce.


    "What kind of death do you want?" asked Zolvik, infuriated by Kahn''s nonchnce.


    "Surprise me." replied Kahn as he shrugged his arms.


    ----------------


    After the exchange of banters and threats was over...


    Zolvikunched a relentless assault from every conceivable direction except the sky, determined to overwhelm Kahn.


    Bang!


    ng!


    However, in a sudden turn of events, a barrier materialized, halting Zolvik''s barrage in its tracks.


    This was the Darkness Barrier skill Kahn acquired from Ajax, the Dark Summoner in the Bromnir dungeon during the first month after his arrival in Rakos Empire.


    The appearance of a darkness elemental barrier left Zolvik dumbfounded and perplexed.


    "Weren''t you a Water/Ice elemental brawler warrior?


    How can you wield a darkness elemental barrier like a mage?" Zolvik queried Kahn from a distance of 100 meters, clearly taken aback by this unexpected development.


    "Hush! Cease your pointless inquiries. Why don''t you try something I''m finding these types of attacks rather dull," Kahn retorted, his demeanor brimming with amusement as he savored the revitalizing aroma of his cigar.


    Rumble!


    Zolvik''s next move involved creating a sizable pit, an attempt to ensnare Kahn within its depths.


    Yet, Kahn countered swiftly, as countless rod-like extensions made of darkness, sprang forth from his throne, forming supportive pirs in a matter of moments.


    Woosh!


    Clink!


    Undeterred, Zolvik conjured hundreds of dagger-like projections, each measuring a substantial 5 meters in length.


    Shoot!


    In a swift motion, the daggers were released, hurtling towards Kahn with lethal intent.


    Crack!


    However, before they could reach their target, cracks emerged in front of Kahn, and in a split second, the projectiles were drawn into a spatial void.


    CRACKLE!


    In an instant, those same cracks reappeared, this time directly just a few meters above Zolvik.


    BOOM!!


    DHANG!


    tter!


    The very daggers he hadunched now descended upon him, resulting in a resounding explosion that bathed the vicinity in a cloud of ebony dust.


    a bit more original?


    When the dust cleared, Zolvik was revealed, bearing injuries inflicted by his own weapons and skills.


    To this haggard figure of the opponent, Kahn responded with a condescending smile.


    "Ah,e on! You can do better."

 Chapter 957 Feeling Fullfilled

    Chapter 957 Feeling Fullfilled


    Not only was he frustrated at his inability to finish off his target in this open confrontation¡­ this added mocking smirk revealed by Kahn fired up Zolvik even more.


    "You bastard! You think you can live after humiliating me?!" shouted Zolvik and soon, the sky rumbled as he amassed darkness from his body and soon, his aura rose to that of a saint.


    Amid Kahn''s condescending smile, Zolvik''s fury intensified. The skies themselves seemed to respond to his wrath, rumbling in unison with his tumultuous emotions.


    The very air around him began to swirl with an infusion of darkness, and his aura expanded, now emanating the distinctive presence of a 2nd-stage saint.


    Rumble!


    In response to his heightened power, thousands of spikes emerged from the ground, serving as a menacing testament to his abilities. Moreover, the heavens themselves seemed to yield to hismand as hundreds of small, gargoyle-like forms formed from the abyssal shadows took to the sky.


    These obsidian creatures moved in a coordinated symphony, resembling a flock of bats in the moonlit night.


    Their collective presence and movements were a tangible manifestation of Zolvik''s newfound power as a 2nd stage saint.


    In a calcted disy of power, the darkness elemental assassin, Zolvik, summoned andpressed his mana to form a formidable construct.


    This entity took the form of a colossal orb, its chaotic energies swirling within, ready to be unleashed.


    Shoot!


    With the intensity of a catapult''sunch, Zolvik propelled the orb towards his target, a seething force of destruction.


    BOOM!!!


    The impact was cataclysmic.


    The moment of collision resonated with the very fabric of the environment, sending shockwaves that rippled over a kilometer in radius.


    The ground quivered and shook, an ominous testament to the might contained within that chaotic sphere.


    Zolvik, wearing a self-satisfied grin, was confident in the overwhelming force he had wielded.


    "This is what gets you for disying hubris in front of me. You can''t survive against the wrath of a saint!" dered Zolvik, a prideful smile appearing on his face.


    He believed he had tested Kahn''s limits, confident that no being within the realm of semi-saints could endure such an attack unscathed.


    It was an attack worthy of a legitimate saint, amplified by the unique circumstances of the God''s Domain.


    However, as the cloud of darkness began to recede, revealing the oue of his onught, Zolvik was met with a scene that left him dumbfounded.


    "Fucking boring..."


    Kahn, despite being the intended target of that devastating assault, stood untouched, his countenance disying not a single sign of injury or strain.


    With a demeanor as cool as ever, Kahn addressed Zolvik''s bewildered expression.


    "I said try something better!" his voice held a tinge of admonishment, delivered with a poker-faced expression that seemed to underline the unassable nature of his strength.


    ----------------


    10 Minutes Later¡­


    Huff!


    Huff!


    Zolvik huffed and sweat profusely despite being a 2nd stage saint at the moment.


    He was trying his best to kill Kahn but whether it was physical attacks or any assassination rted unique skill, he hadn''t been able to injure the blue wolfkin in the slightest.


    Even his epic rank dagger imbued with his darkness element bounced off of Atreus'' skin as he made lethal strikes with all his might.


    This was what the Assassin ss excelled in, to kill opponent whiletter even failed to sense them from anywhere and falling to their de.


    However, for the first time, there stood a target whose skin itself was so thick an impervious to all of his attacks that even the daggers couldn''t make a gash.


    One time, Zolvik even tried to fist-fight with Atreus but forget injuring this carefree wolfkin, it was his fists that almost broke from the impact instead.


    And the worse part was that unlike Atreus, he couldn''t use any Domain either. Hence, he was forced to keep facing and attacking him if he wanted to escape this domain.


    And the most embarrassing part¡­


    Zolvik had run out of most of his skills andbat techniques to kill this terryfying enemy.


    "Why don''t you die?!" screamed Zolvik in rage as he kept attacking furiously.


    This time, he conjured a massive 100 meters long dagger, a very shy and noticeable skill despite him being an assassin.


    sh!


    As Zolvik''s colossal dagger hurtled through the air with unimaginable speed, it carried with it an aura of highly destructive darkness. The weapon''s sheer size and menacing energy were awe-inspiring, reflecting Zolvik''s proficiency in wielding his newfound saint-level powers.


    Utilizing the swirling mass of gargoyle-like shadows that obscured Kahn''s sight, Zolvik maneuvered himself into a strategic position behind his opponent.


    Shoot!


    The dagger followed suit, propelled with incredible velocity, aiming to cleave through anything in its path. A mere five meters stood between the dagger and Kahn, who reclined on his throne with an air of nonchnce.


    Shing!


    However, just as the dagger was about to close the distance, a sudden disruption urred.


    A circr ck hole, ten meters in diameter, materialized behind Kahn.


    In an instant, the dagger''s progress halted, suspended in midair, and its aura seemed to be absorbed by the ominous void. The contrast between Zolvik''s unleashed might and the mysterious power disyed by Kahn was stark, leaving a palpable tension in the air.


    As Kahn''s unique Energy Plunderer skill exhibited its prowess, the scene unfolded in an unexpected manner.


    The gargantuan dagger of darkness, once an emblem of Zolvik''s overwhelming power, was rendered powerless by the skill''s insatiable appetite for energy.


    Without triggering any explosive impact or cataclysmic event, the massive dagger was gradually and quietly absorbed by the skill, its destructive aura was devoured and nullified.


    Within a mere ten seconds, the imposing weapon had disappeared entirely, leaving only a faint amount of world energy.


    Burp!


    Kahn, seemingly unaffected by the monumental feat, emitted an unassuming burp and patted his stomach in a rather casual gesture. In a swift and unusual movement, the throne itself pivoted, turning slightly to acknowledge Zolvik.


    Amusementced Kahn''s tone as he spoke in the aftermath of his skill''s impressive demonstration.


    Kahn gently smiled at Zolvik as he replied in a pleased and satisfied tone.


    "Thanks for the food."

 Chapter 958 Planned Ahead

    Chapter 958 nned Ahead


    In a mesmerizing disy of dominance, Kahn had effectively controlled the tide of the battle against Zolvik, all while maintaining an air of detachment.


    While Zolvik had desperately thrown his most potent attacks, Kahn had repelled them without so much as a flinch, much less an injury.


    Seated upon his throne, Kahn directed his gaze towards his flustered opponent. With an air of casual curiosity, he questioned Zolvik''s remaining arsenal.


    "Do you have any more tricks?" his voice wasposed, betraying none of the intensity thaty beneath.


    Zolvik, caught between frustration and wariness, sought to understand the enigma before him.


    "You¡­ Why are you still unscathed? What kind of trick is this?" His demeanor was cautious, as his earlier confidence had crumbled against the reality of Kahn''s apparent invulnerability.


    "Not a trick. It''s a Plot Armor." Kahn''s response was as nonchnt as ever.


    Zolvik''s confusion only deepened, unable to fathom the significance of this term.


    "A plot what?!" he demanded, searching for an exnation.


    "Nothing noteworthy. It''s something you have to ignore to enjoy the story." Kahn''s response was dry and dismissive.


    With that cryptic answer, Kahn finally rose from his throne, signaling a shift in the battle''s momentum. The undeniable implication was that he had yet to unleash his full strength.


    "The reason I isted you here, knowing that you can''t kill me even if you became a saint..." Kahn''s voice carried a weight of purpose as he began toy out his intentions.


    "Information about what?" Zolvik''s voice was edged with curiosity, mixed with a hint of apprehension.


    "The Realm Tears." Kahn''s tone turned serious, revealing the gravity of the matter he was addressing.


    "Tell me where the realm tears in this penins is located.


    And how many are there?" Kahn''s words were deliberate, each one carrying the weight of his determination.


    "And what makes you think I would tell you?" Zolvik''s response was defiant, his anger evident in his tone.


    "I would rather die than tell you anything."


    "Be careful what you wish for." Kahn''s voice took on a grim quality as he started advancing toward the formidable gargoyle saint, his intent clear.


    BOOM!!!


    Kahn''s assault on Zolvik intensified, his strikes calcted and relentless.


    With each blow, he channeled his own darkness to counter and overpower Zolvik''s abilities.


    And again, Kahn used the Energy Plunderer skill to absorb Zolvik''s attackspletely while turning them into his own strength.


    The gargoyle assassin found himself unable to evade or retaliate, his strength rapidly draining as Kahn''s domination over his darkness took hold.


    And suddenly... His body stopped moving.


    "What is this? Why can''t I move?" Zolvik''s panic was palpable, his body betraying him.


    "Because after I absorbed and assimted it within my own body... Imanded the darkness within you to heed my call.


    I now control your body at my will." Kahn''s voice resonated with "Is because I want information." he dered, his eyes locked onto Zolvik''s.


    authority, a chilling revtion.


    "That is impossible!" Zolvik''s disbelief was evident.


    "It is possible." Kahn''s response was unwavering, his hold over Zolvik''s darkness unrelenting.


    "Who are you? This isn''t a power that any normal member of the Hero''s Party can use." Zolvik''s fear and confusion were evident in his words.


    "Me?¡­ I''m the herald of Darkness itself." Kahn''s voice bore an otherworldly resonance, a deration of his dominion over the very element that Zolvik wielded.


    In the wake of Kahn''s revtion, the control he exerted over Zolvik''s darkness intensified, overwhelming the gargoyle assassin''s resistance.


    BOOM!!


    A massive pir of darkness rose and ck fog spread inside the Dimensional Domain.


    Kahn''s aura erupted, a maelstrom of darkness and power swirling around him. His very form shifted, the familiar water/ice elemental wolfkin fading away to unveil a new incarnation¡ªa darkness elemental fenrirborne.


    His obsidian body was now adorned with intricate golden tattoos, a manifestation of his newfound dominion over this formidable element.


    "Now tell me¡­ Where are the realm tears, and which one among them leads to the penins created by the God of Darkness."


    Kahn''s voice resonated with an air of authority, his eyes gleaming with the weight of his intent.


    There was a reason, a grave purpose, why Kahn sought knowledge about the realm tears.


    ----------------


    *FLASHBACK*


    A day after the Elysium Tribal Tourney ended¡­


    "You must go to the Conve of Heroes no matter what." stated Romulus with amanding voice.


    "If you do not do so or miss it for any reason..." spoke the Heavenly King of Fire with a bated breath as he revealed the cause of his warning...


    "You will die."


    His promation resonated in the tribe council hall, casting a heavy silence over the assembled individuals.


    "What do you mean by that? Why would I die?" asked Kahn, his features set in his Atreus persona.


    "Because your Divine Key is not awakened." spoke the Heavenly King of Fire somberly.


    "And what does that have to do with me dying?" queried Kahn, his confusion evident.


    Romulus then proceeded to unveil the ancient customs set by the Gods after all heroes were summoned, exining the significance of the Conve of Heroes as a mandatory event for all heroes to attend, a condition for their continued existence.


    He delved further, revealing the crucial role of Limit Break within the God''s Altar, which would propel heroes to at least an 8th-stage saint level¡ªa necessary enhancement to stand against the looming threat of the Demon God.


    "So even if I enter as a member of the Hero''s Party¡­ the Divine Essence of the God of Nature would only provide a temporary extension of my lifespan as long as I''m in the God''s Domain?" asked Kahn, seeking rification from his master.


    "Yes. The Divine Essence will prolong your lifespan and prevent your core from shattering like ss, but it''s not a permanent solution.


    To fully address the issue, you need to enter the penins created by the God of Darkness.


    Only his Divine Essence can perfectly merge with your Divine Key and stop its deterioration entirely." exined Romulus.


    "Due to your Divine Key not being awakened, you won''t be able to ess the God''s Altar designated for you.


    However, by spending the required amount of time in the designated penins, your Divine Key will no longer pose a threat to you.


    As for entering your designated God''s Altar, that is a challenge we will have to tackleter." revealed the Apostle of ughter.


    Kahn absorbed this information, realizing the gravity of the situation and the necessary steps he had to take to ensure his survival and growth.


    "Then how can I reach that penins?


    Obviously, I can''t enter through the tower designated for the Hero of Darkness since it would attract attention from the empires.


    Plus, I don''t possess any ess spells or runes to enter the God''s Domain." Kahn expressed his concerns.


    "There is a solution, but it''s quite risky.


    I rmend you undertake this only after ensuring Maximus'' safety during his Limit Break ceremony." Romulus replied, his expression showing a hint of resignation.


    "And what is this solution?" inquired Kahn with a growing sense of curiosity.


    "The Realm Tears." Romulus dered, his voice bing more serious.


    He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in before continuing.


    "Those are the only means through which you can exploit the gaps in the fabric of space that connect different God''s Domains and ess other peninss created by various Gods and Goddesses.


    Thus, you must discover the locations of these tears without arousing suspicion, all the while fulfilling your role as a member of the Hero of Nature''s party. Your ultimate goal is to prate the penins crafted by the God of Darkness.


    There, you will need to absorb enough of his divine essence to halt the degradation of your core, ensuring your survival.


    Afterward, you must return safely to the Hero''s Party, maintaining the fa?ade that you''ve acted solely in their interests and shared no ulterior motives." Romulus exined.


    Atreus, his alter ego, reacted with a blend of frustration and skepticism.


    "This is much moreplicated than it sounds. It''s akin to invading a foreign country, enjoying a leisurely vacation there, all while deceiving my allies to ensure none suspect my true intentions.


    In reality, the execution is much more formidable than the concept itself. This is easier said than done." spoke Kahn with an exasperated countenance.


    "So you''re saying that you can''t do it?


    My my¡­ I feel so disappointed as your master." spoke Romulus in a smug tone.


    "Ugh! Fine! I will find a way once I go through whatever trials they have for us there.


    I will look for a method to gather information about the Realm Tears." said Kahn and gave a determined look.


    ----------------


    *Present Moment*


    "So, are you willing to talk or not?" asked Kahn to Zilvok.


    "Never!" retorted Zolvik.


    However, a wicked grin appeared on Kahn''s face as he ced his palm on Zolvik''s head.


    And then very next moment¡­ his eyes glowed yellow.


    Kahn had activated¡­ Lucid Reality.


    1 HOUR LATER¡­


    Atreus returned to the camp made by the Hero''s Party¡­


    Drip!


    Maximus, Rkan, and the rest of the group stared at the head in a mixture of shock and awe.


    ck liquid dropped on the soiled ground as a round object was noticed by everyone.


    In Kahn''s hands¡­


    Was Zivlok''s head.

 Chapter 959 The Next Challange

    Chapter 959 The Next Change


    In the hidden chamber, the darkness-infused crystal shattered with a resounding impact, mirroring the demise of Sylvana earlier. The room''s somber atmosphere seemed to echo with each fragment that fell.


    "Another one bites the dust." a voice murmured, its tone a mixture of resignation and bitter eptance.


    As if summoned by the events, the ominous figure emerged once again from the shadows, their presence as disquieting as before.


    "Even Zolvik has fallen. He should have been the one to at least halt their advance." the figuremented, frustration evident in their words.


    The weight of their mission and the constraints imposed by their circumstances cast a shadow over their intentions.


    A deep exhtion seemed to carry the weight of centuries of longing and restraint.


    "Damn this curse. If not for the restrictions ced upon us by the God''s Domain¡­"


    Their voice trailed off, bearing the frustration of being a prisoner within their own desires.


    "I myself would have gone and dealt with them already. Yet, I can''t even leave this castle because of this wretched curse," they continued, their tone tinged with both bitterness and longing.


    The passage of time, marked by multiple Conves of Heroes, weighed heavily on them.


    "No¡­ I can''t afford to fail again."


    Their resolve was palpable as they spoke, a determination driven by a long-held purpose. As the figure''s words continued, an anxious edge crept into their voice, hinting at their intense desire for retribution.


    "This time, I will ensure that the Hero of Nature from this new generation meets their end." Their vow hung in the air, charged with a mixture of anticipation and urgency.


    The figure''s intentions remained cloaked in mystery, a dark undercurrent to the unfolding events within the castle and the realm beyond.


    Subsequently, he activated themunication artifact that had previously served to establish contact and issuemands to Zolvik.


    "Even Zolvik has met his end. Their mastery of countermeasures against multiple elements and maniption of the battlefield has proven to be an obstacle for our cause.


    Underestimating their capabilities is a grave mistake. Presently, only the four of us remain."


    On the receiving end of themunication, a response echoed forth.


    "Understood, your lordship. I shall proceed with caution, avoiding unnecessary actions."


    The inquiry continued, probing into the strategy.


    "How do you intend to address this situation?"


    "The usual methods," came the confident reply.


    Acknowledging the statement, the dark silhouette offered a cryptic response.


    "I see."


    "Ensure that your approach is methodical and systematic. Their ranks contain individuals whose skills and experience exceed the surface impression.


    Among them, there may be one whose potential poses a greater threat than even the Hero of Nature."


    The assurance was met with a pledge from the other side.


    "I will appear before you only when I have promising news to share, sire."


    With these words, the enigmatic being departed from its cavernous dwelling, leaving behind an aura of intrigue and an unfolding n that remained veiled in shadows.


    Its form was a grotesque fusion of elements ¨C a quadrupedal body, two wings extending like twisted appendages, and a human-like visage crowned with the jagged horns of a bighorn sheep.


    A sinister hiss punctuated the air, emerging from a serpentine tail that bore the menacing head of a snake,plete with piercing golden eyes.


    The humanoid countenance bore an otherworldly aura, its eyes cloaked in darkness with a vivid yellow iris that seemed to glow. A wild, mane-like growth reminiscent of a lion''s framed this disconcerting visage.


    "It has been too long." the being intoned, its voice a mixture of eerie anticipation and malice that seemed to permeate the very air around it.


    With an unsettling deration, its words dripped with a sinister edge. The chilling tone resonated with an unmistakable sadism, heralding the start of a disturbing game that only this creature could conceive.


    "It''s time to have some fun."


    ----------------


    Kahn showed only the head. As for the body, hepletely absorbed it using Energy Plunderer.


    However, he was surprised to see that Zolvik had no core at all. As if he wasn''t a living being but a living corpse in perfect health without a heart.


    "Is this who I think it is?" asked Maximus.


    "Correct. He is the guardian of thesends." responded Atreus and threw the head on the ground.


    "Then that Darkness elemental barrier that I sensed a while ago¡­ was his doing?" asked the Hero of Nature.


    "Correct again. He is a darkness elemental assassin and this entirend is his yground.


    I had a hard time even finding him. But this idiot attacked me because I was alone and seemed like an easy target." stated Atreus.


    "Is that why you left by yourself?" asked Maximus.


    "Come on! Stop reading my mind already.


    People will think we''re dating or something." said Kahn in a sarcastic tone.


    "How did you manage to defeat him, then?" inquired Rkan, curiositycing his voice.


    Kahn''s gaze turned sharp, his eyes locking onto the basilisk mage, and an unsettling chill seemed to permeate the air.


    Shiver!


    The involuntary tremor ran through Rkan''s entire frame, a stark reaction to the potent and unsettling stare he was receiving from Kahn. His tone shifted dramatically as he quickly adjusted his approach.


    "How did you defeat him, sir?" he asked, now adopting a respectful tone and bowing his head slightly in deference.


    Kahn''s lips curled into a sly grin, the change in his demeanor palpable.


    "Ah, my dear snaky, you have already experienced the power of my illusion abilities firsthand.


    Merely locking eyes with me allows you a glimpse into what I''m capable of, doesn''t it?" he spoke, his words carrying a hint of wickedness.


    The memory of the torment Rkan had endured at the hands of Atreus''s illusion ability rushed back to him, the sensation of all his darkest fears and nightmares converging upon him.


    The recollection left him almost frozen in ce, the impact of that skill still vividly etched in his mind.


    "Atreus, as much as I appreciate you making bold moves for the sake of the party¡­


    I would prefer if you didn''t risk your life so thoughtlessly." said Maximus, his expression full of concern.


    Even as the leader of the group, the Hero of Nature thought of Kahn as a reliable ally and an honorableradepared to the rest.


    He was the only person in this group that Maximus considered as his equal ever since the fenrirborne joined the party.


    "I will have to disagree, Lord Hero." spoke atreus in a dismissive tone.


    "We''re not here to y friends or family. Our task is to protect you and also get rid of any potential obstacles that stop you from entering the God''s Altar.


    If you die, all of us are good as dead anyway. Hence, I took the initiative and got rid of an enemy I was confident in taking down.


    It was a calcted move from my side." exined Atreus and sat down on a stone b.


    "Just don''t be surprised if I do it again or vanish somewhere to get rid of potential threats." he dered.


    Sigh!


    Maximus sighed and epted this proposition.


    Although he was reluctant, he couldn''t refute Atreus'' logic.


    This was the true reason behind forming the Hero''s Party in the first ce. He couldn''t just tell them to not do their job.


    Not when their own lives were linked to his fate.


    He shifted his attention to Atreus, a sense of anticipation in the air.


    "Did he say anything of note during your... encounter?" he asked, and the rest of the party members leaned in, waiting for Atreus to shed light on the situation.


    "The guy wasn''t much of a talker. And I could hardly make a decent conversation as he was attacking me from all directions.


    However¡­ I did find the exit towards the next region.


    We should move soon." he revealed his intentions.


    Sylvana and Vikaat''s corpses were kept by Speki in his space ring.


    This was as per the imperial orders.


    They couldn''t just leave a Saint''s corpse or their core in God''s Domain. The empire wished to preserve them.


    Even if there was a funeral held for themter, the cores would still be kept by the Imperial Rule for helping other saints to breakthrough to the next level and fill the void of power left by the fallen saints.


    Finally, the party stopped in front of a secret tunnel that was previously hidden by an Illusion Barrier.


    As they traversed through the secret tunnel, the atmosphere seemed to shift with each step, growing increasingly oppressive. It was as if the very air weighed heavy with a sense of foreboding.


    The party members could feel the tangible shift in the surroundings, a subtle distortion that unsettled their senses.


    With Maximus and Kahn''s warning, their focus sharpened, and each step became more deliberate, every corner checked for potential threats.


    And as soon as they exited the tunnel, looking at the next region...


    Kahn and Maximus shared a solemn exchange, their expressions mirroring the gravity of the situation.


    Kahn and Maximus'' gaze turned somber.


    "Do you sense it as well?" asked Kahn to Maximus.


    "Yes. Thisnd is filled with¡­" spoke Maximus and his body and mind went on high alert.


    "Chaos Element."

 Chapter 960 Domain of Chaos

    Chapter 960 Domain of Chaos


    In the world of Vantrea, the Chaos Element was not merely a physical or natural force like other elements. Instead, it was a manifestation of the darker aspects of sentient beings and their tendencies towards destruction, chaos, and carnage.


    This unique element wasn''t tied to any particr bloodline or species; rather, it stemmed from the inherent nature of certain individuals or groups.


    Species or individuals that possessed a strong inclination towards violence, chaos, and mayhem could channel and manipte the Chaos Element.


    These were beings that found pleasure or empowerment through acts of brutality, and their connection to this element allowed them to harness its power.


    Unlike other elemental abilities, the Chaos Element wasn''t governed by the typical rules of elemental maniption. It was a force that drew its strength from the darker emotions and actions of individuals.


    The more chaotic and destructive the actions, the more potent the connection to the Chaos Element became.


    Those who could wield this element could bring about utter devastation, manipte emotions, and even bend reality itself in twisted and unpredictable ways.


    However, this power came at a cost, as the Chaos Element was known to corrupt and consume those who relied on it too heavily, turning them into agents of chaos themselves.


    In the third region of the God''s Domain, where the Chaos Element held sway, the Hero''s Party would face not only physical challenges but also the psychological and moral dilemmas that this element presented.


    Kahn understood that the utilization of the Chaos Element was closely tied to two distinct methods, both of which focused on harnessing the destructive and chaotic aspects of this unique power.


    Bloodline-Specific Abilities and ughter: For certain individuals with bloodlines predisposed to the Chaos Element, their abilities became more potent the more lives they took in battle.


    These abilities were likely tied to their heritage, and as they killed more enemies, their strength and proficiency in these abilities increased. This method fed on their innate connection to chaos and destruction, driving them to be even more dangerous as they continued to fight.


    2. Creating Chaos: The second approach to wielding the Chaos Element involved intentionally sowing chaos among individuals or specific targets. This maniption of emotions and actions triggered a massive power boost for the practitioner.


    The more disarray and chaos they managed to incite, the greater their strength and skills became. This method didn''t require a specific bloodline but rather relied on the practitioner''s cunning, strategy, and understanding of how to manipte and exploit vulnerabilities in people''s minds.


    Kahn had witnessed the first approach through his experiences with Jugram, whose True Demon bloodline gave him ess to abilities that grew stronger the more enemies he killed.


    This made Jugram exceptionally formidable in the midst of battle, and his power esction was a testament to the potency of the Chaos Element''s first utilization method.


    As for the 2nd way, he had no experience nor did he know someone who utilized the Chaos Element in such fashion.


    "Sylvana did not mention about the Chaos Element other than the fact that the 3rd guardian is some sort of Chimera." spoke Maximus with a stern gaze as he looked around the region.


    The Hero''s Party found themselves in a bleak and ominousndscape, the third region of the God''s Domain proving to be as foreboding as it was described.


    The chaotic nature of this region was reflected in its environment¡ª


    an unsettlingbination of dense marsnds, toxic fumes, and eerie lighting that defied the natural order. The absence of a sun and the persistent yellow hue in the sky added to the unsettling atmosphere.


    The environment itself seemed to mirror the concept of chaos¡ªthe marsnds hindered movement, the toxic fumes created disorientation, and the lifeless trees and murky water added to the sense of despair.


    As they navigated this deste region, the Hero''s Party had to be on constant alert for any signs of the guardian''s presence and the chaos they might unleash. The guardian''s Chimera-like nature only added to the mystery and potential danger thaty ahead.


    "Xavolees and Atreus¡­ We will depend on both of you for this one." spoke Maximus in amanding tone.


    "Borat and I will lead the front while Conan and Pokawor will lead left and right.


    Rkan and Speki will support and buff Xavolees and Atreus periodically after they use their skills." he ordered the group.


    As the Hero''s Party stood in the midst of the chaotic marsnds, Maximus took charge, devising a strategic n that capitalized on the unique abilities of each member. Their experience and coordination allowed them to adjust their tactics ording to the guardian''s potential Chaos Element maniption.


    The roles were distributed in a way that aimed to counteract the unknown chaos-based abilities they were likely to face.


    The Hero''s Party advanced into the chaotic marsnds, their strategy in ce and their roles well-defined. As they reached the edge of the marsnd and prepared to enter the challenging environment, Rkan and Speki cast a spell to enhance Atreus''s capabilities, augmenting his mana capacity by a significant 30%.


    Step!


    With this boost, Atreus took the first step onto the murky waters of the marsh, demonstrating his mastery over his water and ice elemental abilities. Almost instantly, he activated a skill, and the ground within a radius of 500 meters transformed into solid ice, as if it had been frozen in time.


    The ice was remarkably dense and unyielding, providing a stable and secure path for the party to traverse the treacherous marsnd without sumbing to the movement-limiting terrain.


    Kahn''s mana surged and the road made of ice kept appearing as his skill kept reaching further and creating a solid path for them.


    "You''re up." he spoke and looked at Xavolees, the Battleaxe bearkin warrior.


    Both magic ss members then cast buff spells on the bearkin as well.


    "Yes, sir¡­" said the 3 meter tall pr bear and his snowy-white aura spread in the surrounding.


    With the support of the magic ss members, unleashed his own abilities. His snowy-white aura expanded, generating a blizzard that covered a vast area of 300 meters around them.


    This frigid storm not only made the surroundings extremely cold but also caused the toxic fumes in the air to condense and settle, clearing the way for them to traverse without being harmed by the hazardous environment.


    But as a result, the toxic fumes in the air also condensed since they were basically made of water as a constituent.


    This way, they now had a clear and harmless path to walk and the environment was no longer hazardous for them as long as they moved as a group.


    The meticulous nning and distribution of tasks orchestrated by Maximus showcased his exceptional leadership skills. By leveraging the unique abilities of multiple team members instead of relying solely on one, he ensured both efficiency and preparedness.


    This strategy not only eased the burden on individuals like Kahn and Xavolees but also conserved their mana for potential challenges ahead.


    Maximus''s approach was marked by practicality, realism, and a deep understanding of his team members'' strengths. He recognized that each member brought their own set of skills to the table, and by carefully coordinating their efforts, he optimized the group''s performance.


    This strategic thinking and ability to capitalize on the diverse talents within the party set Maximus apart as a leader who prioritized coboration and effectiveness.


    Comparatively, Kahn''s leadership style might have been less honed in terms of teamwork and group dynamics.


    This made him a much better leader than Kahn who had less experience about working with others than his subordinates.


    Around the same time¡­


    Step!


    Step!


    Over a massive heap of fallen trees and stench filled with the purple smoke, arrived the guardian of this ce.


    HISSS!!


    The being''s various features reflected aplex array of emotions ¨C jubtion in its hissing tail, anticipation in its outspread wings, and a grim sense of purpose in its human face. As it watched the Hero''s Party draw closer, it was clear that this entity was not to be taken lightly.


    Its multifaceted and maniacal expressions suggested a depth of character and intent, hinting at a potential sh of wills and strategies as the party ventured further into this chaotic and dangerous territory.


    The sinister being seemed intrigued and slightly amused by Maximus''s tactical prowess and his ability to nullify the advantage of the chaotic environment.


    "Oho, their leader is smart. He took out my terrain advantage while having a perfect team formation that works well against ambushes from any side." praised this being with a human face but the body of several monsters.


    "As much as I want to kill them all in a physical confrontation and trample on their lives while scaring the hell out of them... It will be simply a waste of time."


    This being, with its human face and monstrous body, seemed to have some understanding of battle strategy and recognized the efficiency of the Hero''s Party formation.


    "I guess I have no choice but to use¡­" it dered with a sinister smile¡­


    The anticipation grew, setting the stage for a potentially challenging encounter ahead.


    "The Battle of Minds."

 Chapter 961 Back to the Past

    Chapter 961 Back to the Past


    The Hero''s Party continued their quiet progress through the frozen paths, their well-maintained formation helping them conquer the challenging terrain. [So there''s the guardian.] thought Kahn as he sensed the soul of the enemy hiding in the shadows.


    Kahn, in his role as Atreus, remained vignt, sensing the presence of the guardian that pursued them from the shadows.


    The abilities like Hunter''s Domain still granted him some range in his passive skills, allowing him to keep track of the enemy''s soul signature.


    Swoon!


    Even as a Semi-Saint, his passive skills were hardly limited and some abilities still worked perfectly even with the reduced range. SWOOM!! With a swift movement akin to a shadow, the guardian disappeared from Kahn''s senses, slipping deeper into the obscurity of the surroundings. The pursuit continued, but Kahn''s awareness of the enemy''s movements remained a step ahead.


    And in just a few minutes, the surrounding including the sky started to change.


    In a matter of minutes, thendscape underwent a dramatic transformation. The light that had illuminated the sky dimmed, reced by an eerie and oppressive purple fog that rolled in from all directions, enveloping the party.


    The environment changed drastically, casting an unsettling atmosphere over the group as their surroundings took on an otherworldly appearance.


    The party members reacted to the encroaching purple fog that was seeping into their protective barrier.


    "My snowstorm can''t repel this fog." Xavolees eximed in frustration.


    Atreus couldn''t help but make a snidement.


    "Tch! Great, another useless teammate."


    Xavolees retorted, "Hey, if you''re so good, why don''t you try?"


    However, his retort was met with a punch to the face from Atreus. Xavolees was clearly taken aback.


    "This bastard!" he grumbled, though he was eventually calmed down by the intervention of the others.


    "One day, I will make him pay for this humiliation." Xavolees muttered under his breath.


    "You''re right. Why does he get to act so brazenly? He''s not even stronger than you as a saint.


    You don''t have to tolerate such disrespect."


    Unexpectedly, an eerie voice resounded in Xavolees'' mind. It was as if his thoughts were being echoed back to him.


    In reality, the purple fog and the punch from Atreus were nothing but illusions. These illusions, however, were causing Xavolees to experience scenarios in which he felt belittled or humiliated by Atreus.


    "Hmph! Just wait until I burn Atreus to ashes. That day, my vengeance shall beplete." dered Speki, the fire summoner mage, his eyes shing with determination.


    "Man, I just want to go home and eat my mother''s cooking.


    I don''t care about this Conve of Heroes and all this bullshit. Let''s just get this over with as soon as we can." grumbled Borat, the lionkin with a mane made of green hair.


    "Svana¡­ I loved you!" Pokawor''s voice wavered as he spoke, lost in memories of a past love.


    "That damn bird Vikaat is finally dead. That asshole once made fun of my shiny scales.


    That''s what you get for messing with me. Ha ha!" Rolkan chuckled, the basilisk descendant mage clearly enjoying theeuppance of his supposedrade.


    Each of them seemed lost in their own thoughts, speaking their inner monologues as if the outside world and the people around them had faded away.


    Inadvertently, they were isted by their own musings, unable to hear the words uttered by others.


    In the present moment, an eerie sense of detachment had settled over the group, where feelings of hatred and anger seemed to hold sway.


    The party members were caught in a peculiar limbo, each experiencing their own inner visions and emotions as if they were the reality.


    [Kid, you noticed it?] Rathnaar''s voice sounded in Kahn''s mind.


    [Yeah. This guy is really cunning.


    I initially thought he might employ some sort of illusion skill to manipte everyone''s perception, but his method is far more sophisticated.] Kahn responded.


    [He''s using the entire environment as a grand illusion formation, weaving hints and visuals into the very fabric of the trees and stones.


    These objects and their colors are triggering specific emotions and responses in our minds.] Rathnaar exined.


    [Agreed. The marsnd and poisonous gas are just distractions.


    This guardian maniptes the Chaos Element to exploit our unpleasant memories,pelling us to act in certain ways he desires.


    He can provoke anxiety, rage, suspicion, or any other emotions he wishes, like puppeteering characters in a twisted y.


    And in this cruel game, the puppets are real living beings, with their deaths being permanent.] Kahn summarized with a disturbing sense of the guardian''s twisted strategy.


    [What a sadistic guy¡­ I like it.] said Kahn with admiration.


    ----------------


    The Chimera continued its maniptive assault on the minds of the Hero''s Party, adopting various forms to sow discord and paranoia among them.


    It skillfully incited skirmishes and fueled existing tensions, exploiting the emotional vulnerabilities of each member.


    In Xavolees'' vision, the Chimera targeted his fear of inadequacy, using his Ice element to demonstrate his vulnerability.


    The Chimera orchestrated a scenario where Xavolees'' powers faltered, leaving him defenseless and ultimately leading to his demise.


    For Maximus, the Chimera delved into his deepest fears. It transported him back to his previous world, where he relived his final battle.


    Despite his valiant efforts, the future it portrayed was grim¡ªa kingdom in mes, people impaled on poles, and the stench of burning corpses.


    As the illusions yed out, the Hero''s Party struggled against their inner demons and fears, each facing a personalized nightmare.


    [This is amazing! I can feel the chaos element rising in this domain.] thought the chimera whose existence was still unknown to others.


    The Chimera reveled in the chaos it had orchestrated, pushing the party members to their breaking points.


    ----------------


    Maximus was ensnared by the illusion, transported back to his original kingdom, where haunting memories took over his senses.


    His heart raced as he faced his grandfather, a pivotal figure from his past, who had shaped his sense of duty and honor.


    In the illusion, Maximus found himself reying a heart-wrenching loop. He attempted to avert the kingdom''s downfall, tirelessly striving to save it from its tragic fate.


    In one version, he resorted to drastic measures, even assassinating the nobles and seizing the throne in a desperate bid to secure victory.


    But it was alreadyte since with the figureheads of the forces gone and the internal corrpution with the military officers as well as court of ministers already causing mayhem, vying for power and authority¡­ instead of making it work, the soldiers who served different lords and noble houses didn''t unite.


    Rather, they either fled from the kingdom or surrendered willingly.


    Maximus did his best efforts to circumvent the situation and tried to save his kingdom... Yet, time and again, his efforts proved futile.


    The cycle repeated, the kingdom''s demise echoing relentlessly, and the weight of responsibility bore down on him, exacerbating his inner turmoil.


    In the throes of his PTSD, his grandfather''s presence became overwhelming.


    The figure who had once guided him now taunted him, his words twisting into cruel and disheartening advice.


    The illusion manipted his vulnerabilities, pushing him towards the brink of despair.


    "Why do you fight?" his grandfather''s voice echoed, a sinister whisper in the depths of his mind.


    "You''re burdened by the weak. It''s time to be selfish, to think only of yourself."


    The illusion''s influence tightened its grip on Maximus, his emotions entangled in a web of confusion and pain.


    But as the cycle of torment persisted, a moment of rity emerged


    ¡ªa spark of defiance that zed within him. Fueled by determination, he seized his opportunity.


    With a resolve that pierced through the illusion''s veil, Maximus confronted his grandfather.


    In a climactic gesture, he drew his weapon, a symbol of his unwavering strength, and struck a final blow. STAB!!


    He stabbed his grandfather''s chest with bare hands and pulled his heart out.


    In that moment, Maximus reimed his agency, breaking free from the chains of his past.


    The echoes of his grandfather''s influence faded, leaving behind a renewed sense of purpose and determination.


    As the illusion crumbled and the menacing figure began to transform into the grotesque Chimera, Maximus stood his ground.


    The monster expressed its astonishment at his escape, surprised that someone had managed to break free so early from its psychological torment.


    "How is this possible?!" it bellowed in surprise.


    In the face of the Chimera''s confusion, Maximus''s resolve burned brighter. He had seen through the illusion''s twisted machinations and regained his inner strength.


    With unwavering determination, he confronted the monster, his voice infused with valor and resilience.


    "This is a sick joke. I can''t believe I fell for it." Maximus dered, his words cutting through the air like a de.


    "But thanks to you¡­ my resolve as a Hero is even stronger than before."


    As the Chimera''s transformation continued, its monstrous form taking shape, Maximus''s voice rang out with a renewed purpose.


    He refused to be broken by the illusions, drawing strength from his own memories and beliefs.


    "How¡­ No one has escaped me this early before," the Chimera marveled, its surprise evident.


    Maximus''s response was resolute, a testament to his unyielding spirit.


    "You made one big mistake." he stated firmly, locking eyes with the monstrous creature before him.


    "Even in the darkest of times, even in the face of imminent death¡­" Maximus proimed, his voice carrying the weight of his convictions.


    "My grandfather would never give up on hope."

 Chapter 962 Completely Liberated

    Chapter 962 Completely Liberated


    Struggling against the insidious mind games of the guardian, Maximus found himself ensnared within his own memories, confronting his deepest regrets and failures.


    The guardian''s power aimed to exploit the chinks in his mental armor, dredging up moments of vulnerability and regret to sow chaos within his mind.


    Yet, even amidst the overwhelming flood of emotions, Maximus managed to break free from the cycle of despair. It was a memory of immense significance that provided him the key to escape the clutches of his own mind.


    The guardian had manipted his emotions, focusing on the failure he felt when he was unable to protect his homnd despite sacrificing himself. However, the true power to dispel the illusionsy in his memories of his grandfather.


    Maximus'' resilience and strength of character were deeply rooted in the teachings of his grandfather. The values and lessons imparted by his elder had shaped him into the honorable and virtuous man he was today.


    When faced with the guardian''s attempts to manipte his emotions and exploit his vulnerabilities, it was the memory of his grandfather''s teachings that ultimately became his anchor, guiding him through the tumultuous storm of illusions.


    Maximus'' realization that his memories and the wisdom of his grandfather held the key to breaking the nightmare showcased the profound impact of mentorship and familial bonds on an individual''s development.


    His ability to emerge stronger from the ordeal also highlighted his capacity to turn adversity into an opportunity for growth.


    By confronting his past, both its triumphs and regrets, Maximus harnessed the strength to ovee the illusionist guardian''s assault on his psyche.


    This triumph was a testament to his resilience, inner strength, and the enduring power of the values he had inherited and internalized from his grandfather over time.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile at the same time¡­ just like the others, Kahn was also brought into a nightmarish world where he faced his fears and shorings.


    Kahn now stood in his old apartment in his previous life. The metaphorical cage he had trapped himself in his previous life.


    In this nightmarish realm, Kahn was forced to confront the istion and loneliness he had experienced in his previous life on Earth.


    The apartment that had once provided him sce now turned into a symbolic representation of his self-imposed cage, a reflection of the emotional walls he had built around himself.


    Being the antisocial person Kahn as Elric was on Earth, after checking out of his office, he always directly returned to this Fortress of Solitude instead of mingling with his colleagues or creating any friends in the outside world.


    The peace and quiet were so addictive to him that he would rather stay cooped up in his apartment for months than have a single human interaction.


    And now, this enemy had brought him inside that Comfort Zone which was also one of the factors for his lonely and pathetic life on Earth.


    The enemy had exploited Kahn''s past insecurities and choices to create this mentalndscape, drawing him into the very ce where he had hidden from the world.


    Woosh!


    At the same time, a slim man with brown hair and blue eyes materialized out of nothingness.


    It was a confrontation with the consequences of his actions, as well as an exploration of the fears and regrets that had influenced his decisions. So the past Kahn, known as Elric had also materialized in this ce.


    "Remember this ce? Remember how it felt being left alone?


    You had no one to worry about. You had no one who expected anything from you." spoke the manifested Elric, his words dripping with a mix of nostalgia and bitterness.


    "All you used to do here was watch Animes, read Mangas and Manhwas as soon as it was avable.


    You cared more about the ''Next Chapter'' than other important things in life.


    It was a ce without worries and any form of pressure. This was a blissful paradise." he continued, his tone carrying a hint of wistfulness.


    Kahn stood there, immersed in the illusion of his past life''s solitude. The apartment felt eerily familiar, the sights and sounds evoking memories he had buried deep within.


    The conflict within him intensified as he was confronted with the allure of the uplicated existence he once sought.


    But as the words of his manifested past echoed in his mind, Kahn''s eyes began to reflect a different understanding.


    While the cocoon of istion had offered him refuge, it had also stunted his personal growth, rendering him emotionally distant and detached from the world around him.


    He looked around at the familiar surroundings, onceforting, now suffocating. The illusion was breaking, revealing the limitations of a life without connections, challenges, and aspirations.


    The realization dawned upon him that the paradise of solitude he had created was a gilded cage, isting him from the richness of life itself.


    And the next moment...


    "The fuck do you mean?" Kahn''s voice was sharp as he stared at his old self, his former life projected in front of him.


    "I watched so many Animes for decades that I could no longer remember their plots or characters despite my eidetic memory. My mind jumbled them all together and erased the excitement and respect for them." he said angrily.


    He continued, his tone reflective, "I read so many Mangas that I sought more and more of them just to fill my dopamine quota instead of doing real work or making myself better."


    "I spent so much time on reading Manhwas and Manhuas that at one point, I stopped appreciating them. I became a cynic who left hurtful reviews in the name of constructive criticism, thinking I could write better ones myself, solely because I read other people''s works." confessed Kahn with a hint of regret.


    "I became a spiteful person who acted like I was a genius, believing I could create novels or anime better than those who spent hours working, researching, and writing.


    I belittled their efforts, dismissing their sacrifices for their health and social lives, all for the sake of indulging my own arrogance." spoke Kahn as a touch of remorse entered his voice as he continued to recount his past.


    The room was heavy with the weight of realization as Kahn confronted the darker aspects of his past life.


    "Do you think it''s something I should feel proud of? Knowing nothing about what happens behind the curtain, yet feeling entitled for reading and enjoying other people''s work?" Kahn''s voice held a mix of frustration and self-questioning as he locked eyes with the projection of his past self.


    "It was simply an addiction, much like those who indulged in drugs or surrendered to their carnal desires.


    It was the easy way out, a hypocritical shield to mask my inadequacy andck of real achievements in life."


    "Acting like an asshole on the inte, believing I was somehow superior or had an intellectual or moral high ground, was nothing to be proud of." continued Kahn, his voice holding a touch of disappointment.


    "Instead of falling into that pit, I should have embraced discipline,mitted to my goals, and strived to better myself each day. Bing a decent human being and contributing positively to the world, mymunities, and the people close to me¡ªthat''s the way I should have lived." with growing intensity, he berated his former self.


    The room seemed to vibrate with Kahn''s self-reflection, a powerful confrontation with his own past shorings.


    "It took memitting suicide and undergoing intense training in this life to ovee those failures and the guilt that haunted me.


    I died countless painful deaths, each one a stark reminder of my ws."


    "I was supposed to live as a real man, not some deluded coward who med his childhood trauma and circumstances for the loneliness and misery I endured." his voice grew more resolute, a fervent admission.


    "I had every opportunity to turn my life around, to find happiness. Yet, I used my past as an excuse for my failures, rather than seizing the present moment to shape a better future."


    His self-reflection remained unflinching, "And now, you''re saying that I should value this rabbit hole of istion I dug for myself, where I judged the world through a screen, as something peaceful?"


    His words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of realization and regret.


    "The current me ispletely liberated of my past life." he dered sternly.


    Then Elric responded to Kahn''s thoughts with a challenging tone...


    "Do you believe you''re superior now that you''ve achieved the strength you so desperately sought?


    Do you think you''re finally courageous enough to break free from the mindset and limitations of your past?" asked Elric dauntingly.


    "Then why not prove it?" he continued taunting Kahn.


    In an instant, Elric''s form morphed into that of Atreus. The only difference was the recement of the usual glowing blue eyes with pitch-ck ones.


    Swoosh!


    However, Kahn''s reaction was swift. He hurled a small orb towards the duplicate Atreus.


    Grasp!


    With rapid reflexes, the other Atreus seized the orb without hesitation. Not taken by this surprise attack.


    But before he couldprehend the situation...


    BOOM!


    The orb detonated, releasing a cloud of green smoke.


    Cough!


    Caugh!


    Choking and struggling, the imposter Atreus copsed to the ground, weakened by the gas.


    His desperate coughs filled the air as he gasped for breath.


    "Breathe in. That''s fear." spoke Kahn in a domineering voice.


    Swing!


    The fake Atreus stood up at attacked Kahn with a powerful swing.


    Bang!


    But Kahn blocked it effortlessly with his left arm.


    "You''re not brave."


    The camera''s focus shifted to Kahn who revealed a stoic and tyrannical expression as he dered...


    "Men are brave."

 Chapter 963 The Dreamland

    Chapter 963 The Dreand


    After the fake Atreus failed tond a surprise attack on Kahn, thetter blocked it and dered that the opponent wasn''t brave enough.


    What did those words mean?


    Those who lived under the illusion that their life is messed up because of their background, their heritage, their upbringing and how the world was unfair around them often never acknowledged the fact that even if all these things were true, there was always a way to get out of it and turn their life for better.


    Obviously, the negative voice in their mind often told them that things will be too hard or other people will be hurt if they tried to change and whatnot¡­ there was always the self-talk that made people give up because the change was hard and it would cause a lot of pain in the process.


    However, there were very few people who embraced that hardship and pain. They were willing to endure that obstacle and suffering to be a better version of themselves.


    From a stoic and disciplined person''s perspective¡­ those were actually Brave people.


    The duplicate of Kahn tried to mimic the old habits and thought patterns that had brought misery to his past life, attempting to assert its simrity to Kahn''s previous self.


    But the current Kahn had evolved beyond that mindset. Through his trials and tribtions, he hade to realize the true nature of bravery: embracing change, confronting pain, and persevering through adversity to achieve genuine self-improvement.


    This made Kahn speak the controversial but undeniable truth that he hade to realize himself at this stage of his new life.


    "It''s funny that you think you can make me relive the past using my guilt and failures to trap me in some sort of illusion." spoke Kahn in a grim tone.


    Bang!


    He banged his head against the fake Atreus and made a job, a horizontal hook and kicked the opponent in the waist, instantly cracking his bones.


    "ARRGH!!" wailed the fake Atreus.


    And at the same time, the green gas that the fake Atreus had inhaled also started working.


    This was Kahn''s potent form of Neurotoxin Venom.


    His neurotoxic venom was so strong that the opponent could barely move other than keeping his eyes open, breathing and speaking.


    "So you''re supposed to be a Chaos Element user?


    Man, I am disappointed." Kahn remarked, his tone holding a mixture of resignation and assessment.


    He continued, "Although I guess it''s not entirely your fault. Maximus is an exceptional leader who understands how to nullify an enemy''s advantage even before the actual confrontation begins."


    "My approach is a bit different. I excel in rapid adaptation and counterattacks, and I tend to thrive when the fight isn''t under the eyes of arge audience.


    This way, I can unleash my abilities without as many restrictions, and I have a broader range of skills at my disposal to dismantle opponents more efficiently." borated Kahn.


    With these words, Kahn conveyed his recognition of Maximus''s strategic prowess while highlighting his ownbat style and preference for more private battles that allow him to fully exploit his capabilities.


    "So¡­ this is not the real body, I presume?" Kahn''s words held a tone of deduction as he attempted to unravel the nature of the Chimera before him.


    "Who¡­ who are you? How can you tell so quickly?" The imposter, appearing intrigued and somewhat startled, questioned.


    "Well, considering the entire region is structured as a grand formation and your illusion techniques are remarkably intricate, it''s only natural for someone with an affinity for both Artificing and Magic, like myself, to be fascinated by your skills." Kahn''s response was analytical and appreciative in a way.


    He too was genuinely fascinated by this pure talent and mastery.


    "However, achieving the level of realism you''ve demonstrated and delving into the minds of others requires more than just an illusion technique.


    There must be a catalyst that directly permeates their psyche and a strong linchpin allowing the caster to infiltrate and manipte the targets'' minds repeatedly." He continued.


    "Therefore, I specte that you''re somehow linked to the original caster and constitute a part of the primary body.


    Such a connection would be the only usible exnation for how this formation can affect multiple targets simultaneously." Kahn concluded with an astute observation. "The previous Darkness Assassin guy was also the same as you. His specialty became his demise when he faced me." Kahn stated with a confident air.


    In response, the neutralized opponent''s voice was filled with rage as he demanded...


    "You bastard! Are you the one who killed Zolvik?!"


    Kahn''s reply was cold and matter-of-fact, "So what if I am? It''s not like you will remember anything or what I tell you will be shared with the original body.


    You''re just an extension of the caster''s mind, not his real consciousness in the first ce. You''re not a living being.


    You''re just a replica that contains all the memories of the original body that will cease to exist as soon as I kill you."


    Having discerned the truth behind the existence of this false Atreus, Kahn had grasped the intricacies of this illusion technique.


    Unlike methods that might establish shared consciousness with the original caster, this approach employed linchpins formed from the caster''s memories.


    These linchpins acted within the formation, simultaneously targeting various individuals'' minds.


    Such a safeguard ensured that the original caster''s consciousness remained isted and protected.


    "You bastard! Don''t look down on me¡­" grumbled the false Atreus, his voice filled with indignation.


    "Hey, hey! Watch that mouth of yours.


    Is that a way to talk with a fellow practitioner?" Kahn berated him, though a yful smile yed on his lips.


    "Fellow Practitioner? Of what?" questioned the intruder with confusion.


    "Although mine doesn''t use such deep and well-crafted illusion formation and can''t affect multiple targets at the same time¡­" Kahn''s smile took on a wicked edge¡­


    "It works perfectly on a single target." Kahn stated, and in an instant, his eyes glowed yellow.


    Before the defeated impostor could react, he sumbed to Kahn''s own Lucid Reality.


    Yes, at this moment¡­


    Kahn was using an illusion technique on the guy who cast an illusion on him inside an illusion formation.


    This was like a dream within a dream, within a dream¡­ Kahn''s own version of Inception.

 Chapter 964 The Purpose of Life

    Chapter 964 The Purpose of Life


    Kahn delves into the depths of his own illusion technique, revealing to the enemy a poignant scene from his past.


    "Mother, Father¡­ don''t abandon me." sobbed a young being, their appearance quite distinct and different from the norm, their voice filled with desperate plea.


    "I can''t believe we gave birth to this monstrosity." spat out the father, his voice dripping with disgust.


    "This hideous thing can''t be my child." the mother dered, her tone a mix of horror and disdain.


    "You''re probably the worst thing I''veid my eyes on." sneered the father, his scorn cutting deep.


    "What did I do? You brought me into this world," the young being''s voice wavered, carrying the weight of confusion and pain.


    "I look the way I do because of both of you! Your bloodlines are the reason I was born this way!


    So what crime have Imitted just by being born?" the sorrowful being''s words trembled with a mix of anger and sorrow.


    "How is any of this my fault?" he retorted, anguish etched into every syble.


    "Tch! I hope you would just disappear." the father''s words dripped with resentment.


    "I regret the day I gave birth to you." the mother''s voice held a toxic blend of regret and repulsion.


    "Your entire existence is a curse to this world." the collective judgment of those around them hung heavy in the air.


    "You can''t me me for this! So what if I look different than everyone else?


    I''m not some evil monster. I have a heart and soul too. I have feelings too!" cried this being, their pain and frustration palpable, their words an anguished plea for understanding and eptance.


    His mother was a crossbreed, as was his father. Yet, he bore the brunt of the most undesirable physical traits from their mixed bloodlines, emerging as a being that defied any conventional categorization.


    "It''s not me who is wrong! It''s you." he dered with fiery determination, his voice tinged with righteous indignation.


    "If the world won''t ept me for who and what I am¡­ I will make it!" His words held a resolve that burned like an unquenchable me.


    "I don''t need your validation. I don''t want your approval of my existence,. he continued, his tone growing stronger with each word.


    "I will live and die on my own terms. I will live for my own sake and search for happiness.


    "You no longer have any hold over me." His promation carried fierce independence, a deration of liberation from the chains of others'' expectations.


    "Just die!" The parents'' venomous words struck like a thunderbolt, their rejection fueling the growing anger and hatred within their child.


    BOOM!!


    However, an unexpected event took ce...


    The being experienced a tumultuous transformation, its form contorting and expanding as a malevolent power surged within.


    Its once-human eyes zed a bloodshot red, radiating an aura of unrestrained bloodlust that seemed to engulf its surroundings.


    RAWWRR!!!


    A feral roar erupted, a visceral manifestation of the pent-up rage and torment it had endured.


    "I have been wrong about it all along." it began to speak again, its voice echoing with a mix of torment and rage.


    "My misery doesn''te from within me.


    It''s you and the outside world that have ostracized me just because I was born different.


    It''s you who are the cause of my sadness." he dered in a focused tone.


    "Why should I conform to your standards?


    After all¡­ it''s not like you would even care whether I lived or died." Its words dripped with a bitterness born of years of istion." proimed the transformed four-legged creature with mane and wings.


    "However¡­" The tone shifted, growing darker, more ominous.


    "It means that I also shouldn''t care whether you both lived or died." The being''s voice resonated with chilling finality, its anger solidifying into an all-consuming malevolence.


    The smoldering anger that had long festered within him finally erupted into an all-consuming ze.


    Swipe!


    With a vicious swipe of its wed hand, it mercilessly maimed and eviscerated its father, the very source of its torment.


    Blood and gore painted the scene in a gruesome tableau.


    Its maw opened wide, revealing rows of serrated teeth, and in a grisly climax, it sank those teeth into its father''s head, tearing it apart with a guttural growl.


    Then, its attention turned to the figure that had birthed it, its mother.


    "No! Don''t do this! I''m your mother!" she pleaded desperately.


    "Then maybe you should have acted like one ever since I was a child.


    Even animals and monsters don''t treat their children the way both of you have treated me since I gained consciousness." the being retorted, its voiceced with venomous scorn.


    "I''m only returning the kindness and love you''ve shown me my entire life." it said coldly, and in a ferocious lunge, it pounced on its mother.


    What followed was a scene of unspeakable brutality, a frenzied massacre and dismemberment that left no doubt of its all-epassing wrath.


    Finally, the once-rampaging being began to subside, the ze of anger transforming into an eerie calmness.


    The Chaos Element,tent within its bloodline, had awoken, triggered by the precipice of grief and madness.


    In the aftermath, the mangled bodies of its parentsy as grim evidence of its transformation.


    From this turmoil emerged two grimpanions¡ªanger and the newfound power of the Chaos Element, both now intertwined as the wellspring of its strength.


    ----------------


    The vision shifted once more, casting him into a reality that represented the passage of decades.


    And the once tormented and grateful being was now living a different life that he had never hoped; one made of triumph and fulfillment.


    He now stood at the pinnacle of society, respected by millions of people and holding dominion over unrivaled power.


    Despite his once-condemned appearance, he had found profound love and forged a family, happiness contrasting starkly with the anguish of his tormented past.


    BOOM!


    However, it didn''t even get a moment to relish that happiness.


    An earth-shattering explosion rent the world asunder. Amidst the ruins, countless lifeless forms sprawled in grotesque abandon.


    Bewilderment mingled with fear as he surveyed the devastation, taking hesitant steps backward.


    Yet, horror gripped him anew as he realized that his very movements trampled the lifeless bodies of his beloved wife and children.


    "No!"


    His heart-wrenching cry reverberated through the chaos, anguish painted across his contorted features as he clutched his family''s lifeless forms, tears mingling with the smoke and ash that surrounded him.


    Step!


    Step!


    Step by agonizing step, a new presence emerged from the inferno¡ªa figure equally shrouded in darkness as the vision itself.


    The mes danced upon his ebony hair, a long dark-gray coat adorned with intricate silver motifs cascading around his form.


    In his grip rested a mighty greatsword, its de coursing with liquid magma. Twin dragon heads adorned the hilt, their fiery breath an eerie reflection of the destruction that surrounded them.


    He spoke, his voice a low and ominous rumble, dripping with a malevolent allure.


    "How dare you live happily? Someone like you doesn''t deserve it."


    In the midst of this nightmarish tableau, Kahn''s true human form emerged, piercing the illusion with his presence.


    He confronted the figure before him, his voice cutting through the darkness like a de.


    The figure before him trembled, his anger and despair mingling with disbelief.


    "You... Are you the one responsible for this carnage? Did you destroy everything I held dear?"


    Kahn''s gaze was unyielding, his words dripping with condemnation. "You have a vile tendency to exploit the vulnerabilities of others, using their past traumas to push them to the brink of madness.


    By feeding upon their suffering and then forcing your targets to kill themselves. That''s how you tap into the power of the Chaos Element." spoke Kahn in a stern voice.


    "But your reign of maniption ends here. Your fortune has soured since the moment our paths crossed.


    And now, prepare yourself." His tone took on a dark and ominous edge, a wicked smile gracing his lips. He leaned in, his voice a chilling whisper, a foreboding promise.


    "To lose everything that gave meaning to your life."

 Chapter 965 Straight to the Point

    Chapter 965 Straight to the Point


    1 HOUR LATER.


    In the present moment, the Hero''s Party remained motionless and trapped within the suffocating grip of the encircling purple fog.


    Argh!


    Maximus jolted awake from the torment that had ensnared him, his breath ragged and his body slick with sweat.


    He had managed to wrench himself free from the nightmarish hold that had mped down on his mind.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    With heavy pants, he gradually regained hisposure. His eyes swept their surroundings, taking in the frozen scene.


    The formidable guardian of this region had ensnared them all in a mentalbyrinth, exploiting their deepest fears and vulnerabilities to shatter their resolve.


    Amid the chilling tableauy two lifeless bodies, their blood staining the frozen ground.


    The towering figure of Pokawor, the Naga warrior,y sprawled with his multiple spears piercing his own body.


    Nearby, the head of Xavolees, the grizzly bearkin warrior, rested disturbingly close to his severed corpse, the battleaxe used tomit the gruesome act still embedded in the remains of the sixth-stage saint.


    "I waste in breaking through that hell." Maximus sighed with a mixture of regret and frustration.


    He gazed upon the lifeless bodies of his fallenrades, the casualties of their mental struggle against the guardian''s insidious skills.


    The Chaos Element user had honed a technique that targeted their minds, driving them to despair and pushing them to take their own lives.


    It was a sinister and terrifying ability, one that bypassed physical confrontation and attacked the very core of their psyche.


    The mastery of this technique made Chaos Element users a formidable and dreaded force in the world.


    However, only a select few races possessed the ability to wield this element, and among them, even fewer could grasp the intricacies of the second method¡ªthe one that targeted the mind.


    Maximus recognized the immense danger posed by such abilities. The thought of facing an army of Chaos Element users, where some could enhance their power through killing and others couldpel soldiers tomit suicide through mental maniption, was chilling. The consequences of an entire species mastering these skills would be catastrophic, unleashing chaos and devastation on an unimaginable scale.


    "Perhaps that''s why the Demon Empire wields such overwhelming power, capable of challenging multiple empires simultaneously." Maximus mused, voicing his thoughts aloud.


    He was aware of the ongoing conflict with the formidable Demon Empire, a forceposed of the True Demon species, many of whom possessed the potent Chaos Element due to their unique bloodline.


    As the Conve of Heroes drew to a close, Maximus knew that he and his fellow Heroes and Heroines would eventually step onto the grand stage of conflict.


    The oue of the Conve held immense significance for all the empires that served the divine beings.


    With a determined resolve, Maximus employed his Knight skills to cleanse their immediate surroundings, erecting protective barriers to shield his allies from the lingering effects of the guardian''s maniption.


    Among the ten members of their group, four had already sumbed to the insidious assaults in the God''s Domain, even though they were contending with only the third guardian out of the six.


    Maximus recognized the potential danger posed by the guardian''s mental maniptions. He fortified his position, ready to intervene should any of his remainingrades be driven to madness and attempt to harm themselves.


    However, he understood the delicate nature of the battle raging within their minds. Interfering directly risked exacerbating the situation, potentially erasing their memories and rationality entirely.


    "Where is that damn guardian? I need to finish him." Maximus muttered to himself, his frustration evident in his tone. He was confronted with a crucial decision, torn between two pressing options.


    The first choice was to stay behind and safeguard his remaining party members, wary of the possibility that their fragile mental states could drive them to take their own lives.


    The second choice was to embark on a quest to locate and confront the guardian responsible for this nightmarish mentalndscape, hoping to shatter the illusions that held hisrades captive.


    Yet, the second path was fraught with peril. Engaging the guardian could expose them to grave danger, as the foe possessed lethal abilities that could annihte the entire Hero''s Party.


    Maximus found himself ensnared in a dilemma, trapped between two unptable choices, each with its own dire consequences.


    Both paths demanded sacrifice, and as he grappled with his decision, a calm voice resonated through the air, cutting through his inner turmoil.


    And right when Maximus was caught in this crucial dilemma, a calm andposed voicended on his ears...


    "Don''t worry. I''ll find him."


    Atreus'' eyes slowly opened, his expressionposed and focused.


    "You''re awake!" Maximus, relieved by his awakening, couldn''t help butment.


    "Tch! I thought I would be the first one to wake up." With a hint of a disappointed tone, Kahn retorted.


    It was as if emerging from the nightmare was apetition, and he seemed almost discontent with being the second to break free from its clutches.


    Maximus was quick to assert his determination...


    "No, I''ll go. It''s my responsibility as the leader to handle this." His voice carried a resolute tone, his gaze unwavering.


    Atreus'' response, however, was just as unwavering...


    "No, it''s better that I go. My skills as a Brawler make me ill-suited for protecting others.


    Besides..." He paused, his tone bing more determined as he continued...


    "I''ve identified his greatest weakness."


    Without further ado, Kahn dered his intention to depart, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. He left swiftly, aware that time was of the essence and that the safety of the party was at stake.


    ----------------


    RAWRRR!!!


    In a dimly lit cave, the Chimera''s anguished cries echoed, intermingling with the sound of retching as it spewed blood onto the rocky ground.


    "What is this madness?!" the Chimera eximed, its voice filled with disbelief and horror.


    The creature''s shock was palpable, a result of the countless tortures it had endured at the hands of Kahn.


    The linchpins that he had woven into the nightmares cast upon the Hero''s Party had turned the tables in a way the Chimera had never expected.


    Maximus had eliminated the specific threat within his own nightmare, causing a rtively minor bacsh to the Chimera''s skill.


    But Kahn, in his characteristic audacity, had taken a vastly different approach.


    He had inflicted upon the Chimera a torturous nightmare that left it teetering on the precipice of despair.


    Kahn had cleverly turned the tables, employing the equivalent of the UNO reverse card against the Chimera.


    The very powers that the Chimera had wielded to torment others had been deftly redirected back upon itself, subjecting it to its own malevolent creations.


    Yet, amidst the Chimera''s own torment, an even more chilling revtion struck him like a bolt of lightning.


    "Why is there another Chosen Hero in the Hero''s Party?!" the Chimera eximed, his voice a mix of astonishment and fear.


    The pain he experienced from the linchpin''s bacsh paled inparison to the psychological anguish inflicted by the nightmare limbo.


    As the linchpin returned, carrying with it fragments of Kahn''s memories, the guardian gained a horrifying insight: Kahn wasn''t just any party member, but a Chosen Hero in his own right¡ªthe Hero of Darkness.


    This revtion shook the guardian''s mind to its core, leaving him disoriented and overwhelmed by the implications.


    The very foundation of his understanding crumbled as he grappled with the idea that his tormentor was a Chosen Hero as well.


    SWOOSH!


    In the midst of this turmoil, a swift movement at the cave''s entrance caught his attention¡ªan ominous figure had arrived, a Wolfkin standing at an imposing height of three meters.


    And at that very moment, an enigmatic figure emerged at the cave''s entrance¡ªan imposing 3-meter-tall Wolfkin.


    "You! Who are¡­" the Chimera guardian began, his words cut short.


    sh!


    Before he could regain hisposure or utter another syble, a forceful and invisible de cleaved through him vertically, severing his form into two distinct halves.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Two equally chopped sides of the body dropped on the ground.


    The blood that sprayed on the soil turned the atmosphere inside the cave into that of death. The severed and squirming intestines gave a macabre feeling to this situation.


    Even as his brain stopped working and life faded into nothingness¡­


    The Chimera was in utter disbelief, not even realizing how it died.


    "Apologies, but I don''t have the luxury for idle conversation or some grand monologue." Kahn''s voice echoed, his gaze icy and his demeanor relentless.


    Kahn did not share any pleasantries with the guardian of this floor and nor did he give the Chimera opponent to use his powers or turn into a Saint like he did with the first 2 guardians.


    Kahn had a clear motive from the moment he woke up from the nightmare limbo and it was a matter of most urgency.


    "After knowing what you did in those nightmares¡­ I can''t have you revealing my true identity." spoke Kahn, his voice turning grim and void of any emotions as he dered the reason why he gave such a quick death to this guardian.


    "Your death became imminent the moment you saw my truth."

 Chapter 966 Choosing Self

    Chapter 966 Choosing Self


    With a swift and decisive movement, Kahn put an end to the Chimera''s suffering. The chapter of darkness and maniption that the guardian had orchestrated was now closed, leaving behind only the echoes of its malevolence.


    As he looked down at the lifeless form before him, Kahn couldn''t help but contemte the simrities and differences between himself and the fallen Chimera.


    In a sense, the chimera before him shared a simr life as Elric. Both had traumatic childhood and their parents yed a part in it. Both had experienced pain and trauma in their pasts, shaped by their upbringing and circumstances.


    However, this Chimera guardian had given in to the anger and hatred while Elric had fallen into loneliness and distanced himself from his family.


    Their beginning was simr in a way but their life choices created a different path for themselves.


    Maybe in another reality, Chimera and Kahn would have a decent conversation and maybe they''d be able to understand or even console each other.


    In another world, under different circumstances, perhaps Kahn and the Chimera could have foundmon ground and shared stories of their pasts.


    Maybe they could have been allies or even offered sce to each other''s wounded souls.


    But the reality of their situation had dictated a different course, one of confrontation and ultimately, the Chimera''s demise.


    The weight of Kahn''s actions was palpable in the air.


    The somber truth remained - in a world defined by survival and conflict, the boundaries between right and wrong could blur in the face of necessity.


    Kahn''s decision to end the Chimera''s life was a testament to that harsh reality.


    The sh with the Chimera, the battle of minds and wills, had shown him the depths of darkness that could reside within an individual.


    It had also affirmed his conviction to protect his identity and the truths he held close.


    In the grand scheme of things, Kahn''s actions were pragmatic, reflecting his determination to protect his own identity and keep his past hidden.


    "System, absorb!" Kahn''smand echoed in the air.


    However, the response from the system was less than satisfactory, with a tone of reluctance in its voice...


    [Error! The system has failed to use the Ability Absorption divine ability on the subject in front of the host.]


    Kahn''s brow furrowed as he considered the situation...


    "Hmm¡­ He does not have a core as well. And for some reason, I still can''t absorb their abilities."


    His mind cast back to a simr instance in the past.


    "Thest time I finished Zolvik, the darkness assassin guardian, I had indeed tried to use the Ability Absorption divine ability, but the same message rang in my head."


    "It''s as if none of the guardians are living beings in the first ce." He pondered aloud, his voice carrying a hint of frustration...


    "Even though I too took a glimpse into his past using his own ability..." Kahn''s voice dropped to a contemtive tone.


    "There was no exnation on his history or exactly what kind of life this guardian lived."


    "And why was he inside the God''s Domain in the first ce?" he questioned the mysteries surrounding the guardians.


    As Kahn muttered softly, his thoughts seemed to be spiraling with even more questions, further deepening the enigma that surrounded these entities.


    The more he thought about it, the more questions arose in "Well, it''s not my problem. All I have to do is ger Maximus safely to the God''s Altar and then enter the penins created by God of Darkness through the Realm Tear that''s in thest region.


    Once I do that, I can return safely without anyone knowing my truth and then leave the Beast Empire using some sort of excuse." he spoke to himself.


    This was the main objective he had in mind. To help Maximus properly Limit Break, keep his identity hidden till then and enter the God''s Domain created by the God of Darkness.


    So that his core wouldn''t crumble to dust and he would return safely.


    After interrogating Zolvik, Kahn had found that there were 3 Realm Tears in thest region where the God''s Altar was situated and among them, were the realm tears leading to the peninss created by God of Lighting, Goddess of Knowledge and finally, the God of Darkness.


    So it was evident that Kahn would have to apany the Hero''s Party all the way till the end and only then would he be able to seed.


    And finally, his life and identity would be at peace.


    ----------------


    As Atreus rejoined the party, he was met with a scene that he hadn''t quite expected.


    The aftermath of the mental ordeal caused by the guardian''s skills had left hispanions in a state of deep turmoil.


    "Why am I still alive? What''s the point of achieving strength if I can''t be happy and content in my life?" spoke Rkan.


    "I am a sinner. I have brought nothing but shame and dishonor to my family and n." spoke Speki, his eyes weeping.


    "Fuck this! I don''t want to be here!


    I want to be freed from the responsibilities of my family name and the ns.


    I just want to live away from this societal pressure and live a life of solitude!" spoke Borat in a helpless tone.


    "Die! Die! I don''t deserve anything. I should die!" said Conan with lifeless eyes and grabbed both his legs in embrace as he sat on the frozen floor.


    Their voices reflected defeated minds that they had recovered from after Kahn killed the Chimera and his ability stopped working on them altogether.


    However, unlike Maximus and Kahn, none of them had seeded in breaking past those nightmares and oveing their inner regrets.


    They were still stuck in limbo and were abruptly pulled out into the reality after Kahn killed the guardian.


    Hence, their minds were still in shock and hadn''t been able toe to terms with the reality.


    Some of them hadn''t even realized that they were brought back into the real world and no longer were inside the dream realm.


    "Did you find him?" Maximus inquired of Atreus, concern etching his face.


    "Found and Obliterated." Kahn''s response was firm, carrying an air of finality.


    "Thanks. I find myself relying on you to solve problems when I should be leading the charge.


    It''s quite pathetic, in my opinion." Maximus acknowledged his frustration at not being able to fulfill his role as the leader of the group.


    Atreus'' response held a touch of understanding.


    "It''s not about fault, Maximus. Different challenges require different skills.


    I may excel as a weapon, but leading that weapon is your forte.


    Besides, this one I had to deal with personally." he spoke in a solemn tone.


    "Why? Did he get under your skin too?" Maximus'' curiosity was evident, understanding that facing these guardians inevitably brought out strong emotions.


    "Something like that. He managed to dredge up memories I''d rather forget, trying to pull me back into a version of myself I''ve long outgrown and are quite ashamed of at this stage of my life." Kahn revealed, offering a glimpse into his motivations without revealing the full truth.


    "I can rte. He used my family against me in those nightmares, triggering emotions I thought I had long buried." Maximus nodded in understanding.


    With a shared understanding of the emotional toll the encounter had taken, Kahn then posed a question to Maximus...


    "So, what do we do now about them?"


    "Let''s give them time to recover psychologically. They''re in no condition to travel or fight.


    Pressing on now would only burden both of us further." Maximus suggested, his practicality evident.


    Acknowledging the wisdom in the suggestion, Kahn nodded, and together they set about creating a temporary camp to provide much-needed respite for their batteredrades.


    ----------------


    Shatter!


    A dark, crimson crystal within the castle shattered violently, allowing the heavy doors to swing open.


    Within the doorway emerged the silhouette of a mysterious figure, his anger palpable.


    "These useless, pathetic fools! They''re falling like dominos before a bunch of amateurs!" His voice seethed with a mixture of rage and disappointment.


    "Centuries of preparation and they can''t even eliminate the new Hero of Nature? Are we doomed to remain imprisoned here forever?" His words dripped with bitterness and frustration.


    Summoning a telmunication artifact, he established contact with the fourth guardian.


    "The fate of our ns rests on your shoulders now. Fail, and there will be no redemption." his words carried a sharp threat.


    "I assure you, my lord, I will not fail." a feminine voice from the other end responded with unwavering determination.


    In a valley shrouded in an eerie darkness, filled with ck seawater and hovering inds, a castle loomed atop one of these floatingndmasses.


    Inside, a winged woman with silver hair and blue eyes, adorned with horns like a crown on her head and wearing revealing attire awaited.


    Her voice held an alluring and cryptic tone as she addressed an unseen entity.


    "Wee to my domain, Hero of Nature." her words dripped with a seductive charm along with an arousing appearance that would invoke the basest desires in males regardless of their species.


    She then proimed with a beguiling voice...


    "Give in to your temptations and desires."

 Chapter 967 Beguiling Queen

    Chapter 967 Beguiling Queen


    After a necessary period of rest and recovery, the Hero''s Party of six -prised of Maximus, Atreus, Borat, Speki, Conan, and Rkan - finally emerged from the foggy grasp of the nightmares induced by the Chimera guardian''s abilities.


    Over the course of two days, they shook off the psychological weight and managed to regain their full senses.


    The experience had been humbling and embarrassing for the four members who had fallen victim to the relentless loops of nightmares. They had been psychologically exploited, their deepest fears and regrets twisted against them.


    But with time and support, they gradually epted the reality of the situation and emerged stronger from the ordeal.


    With everyone back on their feet, the party advanced to the fourth region. Guided by Kahn''s abilities, they located a Warp Gate a short distance from the location where the Chimera had been defeated.


    Passing through the gate, they arrived in a realm that defied belief.


    In this strange and surreal world, there was no solid ground. Instead, they found themselves on small inds that floated in the air, remnants of a civilization that had long fallen.


    Most of these indsy in ruin, inhospitable and abandoned.


    The sky above was an unsettling shade of red, dominated by swirling clouds. Unending storms raged, pushing the inds to and fro like pieces in a chaotic puzzle.


    The atmosphere itself seemed to be imbued with an otherworldly tension, as if the very fabric of reality was strained in this realm.


    Flutter!


    Flutter!


    Fluttering gracefully through the sky, a figure materialized before the Hero''s Party. She exuded an air of confidence and superiority, her bat-like wings extending and retracting with each movement.


    "My my¡­ howe a group of ipetent males came this far with such little strength?" spoke a figure as she appeared in the sky and her bat-like wings fluttered.


    Her alluring and voluptuous form drew immediate attention, but it was her expression that truly conveyed her feelings.


    With a condescending smirk, she surveyed the group of intruders before her.


    [System, what is her species?


    She isn''t a demonkin and the aura is familiar and yet very different.] inquired Kahn the very next moment.


    [This is a High Vampire species individual.


    She is a rare specimen even in the Beast Empire of the present.] borated the system.


    [No wonder she felt familiar.] thought Kahn as he was on guard against this guardian of this realm.


    Obviously, Kahn was reminded of the time when he made deals with the Vandereich n, the leading n of the Pureblood Faction in the Rakos Empire.


    He had met the likes of Allister Mor Vandereich, the 7th stage saint and the leader of the Pureblood Faction.


    Followed by Ismatrazel Mor Vandereich, the n leader of the Vampire n.


    And finally, his once-old friend Szayel Mor Vandereich.


    They all were the legitimate Vampires and Kahn was already ustomed to their aura.


    However, the female vampire in front of them gave off an even nobler aura and unlike others, she also had bat-like wings and horns on her head along with long ears.


    This physical attribute came with her higher vampire bloodline.


    RUMBLE!!


    A deafening rumble echoed through the sky, ripping through the momentary calm. Two colossal and ethereal eyes materialized out of the crimson expanse, piercing the heavens with their eerie presence.


    The sudden appearance of this unearthly spectacle caught the Hero''s Party off guard, rendering them incapable of forming any defensive strategies before the looming threat.


    Before any conscious thought could take hold, an overpowering force seized control, sweeping through their minds like a merciless storm.


    Their bodies, once their own, now yielded to an externalmand, the mysterious figure''s words resonating in their very being.


    "You''re all my ves now," she dered, her voice holding a mixture of seductive allure and undeniable authority.


    ----------------


    The Hero''s Party stood ensnared, their autonomy stolen away, as they became mere puppets to her bewitching power.


    With amanding presence, shepelled Conan to lower himself, his body sinking to the ground.


    In an almost surreal scene, she took her ce upon his back, her posture exuding a regal air as she settled herselffortably.


    "Now, carry me like the Queen I am." she pronounced, her words both a demand and a statement of her perceived status.


    "You there... bark!" Turning her attention to Borat, she manipted his voice into canine-like barks, emphasizing her authority over his actions.


    Woof!


    Woof!


    He obedientlyplied, expressing his subservience with each woof.


    "Good. All males are dogs." she remarked, her tone dripping with condescension, her words casting a sweeping judgment over the entire male gender.


    A chorus of agreement echoed as the Hero''s Party voiced their concurrence, their autonomy still held hostage by her enigmatic control.


    "You''re all below us women." she dered with unwavering arrogance, her words a deration of her superiority over them.


    "Toxic Masculinity needs to be eradicated. Men are born to be submissive and stay under our feet." she continued, her voiceced with disdain as she condemned a concept she deemed detrimental.


    In the face of her dominance, the Hero''s Party remained powerless, mere echoes of their former selves under her enchanting sway.


    "If you''re not okay with your partner having slept with more than 50 men and care about the body count¡­


    Or she ends up cheating on you because your pure love and dedication to your partner is boring, and you have a problem with that¡­


    You''re a sexist, a misogynist and an insecure little man." she expressed her opinion without a single reservation.


    "Very well, now amuse your queen.


    Engage inbat with each other." she articted, a malevolent grin spreading across her lips.


    1 Hour Later...


    The ensuing struggle saw Maximus emerging victorious against the others, showcasing his prowess as he defeated everyone including Kahn.


    "Tell me, are you the Hero of Nature?" inquired the High Vampire, her gaze lingering on Maximus''s well-built form and imposing presence.


    "Yes, that''s correct." he responded with lifeless eyes, barely revealing any forms of sentience on his face.


    She appraised his physique, her tone taking on a seductive quality...


    "You possess quite the muscr and imposing figure for a human.


    I anticipate quite the fleshly pleasure from having you as my personal entertainment." she spoke as her gazended on Maximus'' certain region.


    "Mydy, I wish to offer you a gift." Maximus spoke in a hushed voice.


    "Well, I do enjoy receiving offerings from desperate and feeble men." she responded yfully.


    "Here you go." he replied, extending his hand to her.


    An anticipatory grin spread across her lips, and she stepped closer to Maximus with a coquettish tone¡­


    "Give it to me."


    Just as she approached, poised to receive the gift, Maximus suddenly reacted¡­


    The Beguiling Queen couldn''t even react faster at this close range as a golden object appeared in Maximus'' hand. And with unexpected turn of events¡­


    Stab!


    Maximus stabbed her chest with his sword.

 Chapter 968 True Feminist

    Chapter 968 True Feminist


    The High Vampire guardian, who had previously exerted control over the Hero''s Party and manipted them into demeaning actions, now stood in shock and disbelief.


    Maximus had seized the opportunity, driving his sword directly into her chest. Her guard had been lowered due to her assumption that her bewitching techniques had them underplete control.


    "I''m sorry,dy... But what kind of Fatherless behavior is this?" asked Kahn who suddenly let go of the act of being under her mind control.


    [She''s a ssic example of Feminazis on earth. The ones who want privileges of both men and women but not responsibility or consequences of either side while they scream about sexism and misogyny.] spoke Kahn to himself.


    Maximus swiftly unsheathed his sword, and with a thud, a gush of blood spilled from her chest as she crumpled to the ground.


    Thud!


    "With that kind of attitude¡­" Kahn remarked as he approached, "You belong to the streets."


    Cough!


    Cough!


    Amidst coughs and splutters, the Beguiling Queen''s demeanor shifted dramatically, suddenly assuming a damsel-like persona as she spat up blood.


    "Stop overreacting." Maximus scolded. "We know you vampires possess formidable regenerative abilities. Moreover, a mere stab in the chest won''t end you, considering youck a core." he stated calmly.


    In the midst of this situation, the remaining members of the Hero''s Party managed to shake off the trance that had ensnared them.


    "What''s happening?" Rkan queried, clearly confused.


    "Guess who fell victim to another mind trick?" Kahn responded sardonically.


    "Again?!" eximed Rkan, Speki, Conan, and Borat collectively, exasperated at yet another mental maniption.


    Maximus turned his attention to Atreus.


    "Wanna have a go at this one too?" he asked the blue wolfkin.


    "Nope... I have a record of beating 9/10 women I meet. I don''t wish to turn the number into double digits." Kahn replied with a hint of reluctance.


    "Wait! Why isn''t my ability working?!" the high vampire could finally speak after her lungs and throat recovered and she asked in disbelief.


    "Really? That was your biggest move?


    That too right after we killed that guy who messed with our minds?" asked Kahn with a disappointed and annoyed voice.


    Kahn and Maximus were already in a league of their own when it came to mental fortitude.


    Even the previous Chimera''s mental attacks worked solely because it was a high level of skill apanied by many magic formations that increased the effect of his illusion technique and they were caught off guard before even realizing it.


    Yet, both of them had easily broken past it and right after their minds were in zone and on high alert against such psychic attacks, the vampire guardian tried to use the same type of tricks on them.


    Obviously, they broke past them easily but did not act like they were free to create an opening to take down the guardian.


    And it worked¡­ the High vampire was now at their mercy whenpletely taken aback because of her arrogance.


    Ching!


    In a calcted move, Speki swiftly retrieved a hexagonal artifact from within his belongings. With a practiced hand, he utilized the artifact''s power to create an intricate and potent magical seal.


    This seal took form around the female high vampire, ensnaring her within its mystical confines as it sealed her ability to use mana, world energy and any bloodline specific abilities.


    The transformation of the vampire woman''s demeanor was stark and immediate. Once radiating arrogance and dominance, her countenance now shifted to one of vulnerability and helplessness.


    The effect was profound ¨C the bewitching aura that once held the party under its sway was shattered by the sealing artifact.


    "We don''t have any intentions to y along with you and neither do I want to give you a chance to turn into a saint." spoke Maximus as the female high vampire''s countenance turned that of a weak and helpless woman.


    This was what Maximus nned to do the moment he realized that this guardian could use bewitching abilities to turn them into her ves.


    Maximus''s strategy had been meticulously devised, taking into ount the dangerous bewitching abilities possessed by this guardian.


    Recognizing the danger of allowing her to unleash her full powers, Maximus had acted swiftly, catching her off guard in a scripted manner. His approach was pragmatic and goal-oriented; it was aimed at achieving their primary objective ¨C reaching the God''s Altar.


    Their goal was to enter the God''s Altar as soon as they could, not y home sweet home with these guardians who were out for their blood.


    Hence, Maximus was going to be as swift and decisive as he could instead of engaging in some grand and prolonged battles just because someone craved chaos or wanted the thrill of battles.


    "I have some questions to ask. And you''re going to answer them truthfully." spokeMaximus is a somber tone, his eyes reflecting the dominance in his resolve.


    With a purposeful demeanor, Maximus drew his sword, his grip firm and his intentions clear. Addressing the captured vampire guardian, his tone was serious and unwavering as he announced his intent to extract information.


    However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Maximus introduced a seemingly unrted statement into the conversation. "I identify as a Feminist myself." he proimed, throwing the vampire off bnce with this unexpected deration.


    BANG!!


    What ensured for next few minutes was Maximus using his shield and sword to bash the Beguiling Queen as he taught her some manners for making them do all thoseme and infuriating acts.


    In a swift and impactful move, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. A resounding sound, akin to a gunshot, echoed as Maximus''s shield and sword were employed as tools of retribution.


    The once-confident Beguiling Queen found herself at the receiving end of a relentless barrage of strikes, courtesy of Maximus''s unadulterated wrath. By no means Maximus had anything against women, but he wasn''t the kind of person who would allow someone to ostracize him just because he was a man.


    "Stop! Why are you treating me so harshly?" bellowed the high vampire.


    Her appearance at the moment made her look like a beautiful woman who was being wronged by ruffians, adding to her pitiful feminine charm.


    "What kind of dishonorable and misogynistic man beats up a woman?" asked the guardian, trying to weasel her way out.


    "This isn''t misogyny¡­"


    However, Maximus replied as he clenched his grip on the sword and shield, replying in a cold and grim voice¡­


    "This is Equality."

 Chapter 969 Lies and Truth

    Chapter 969 Lies and Truth


    With her previous arrogance and dominance shattered, the Beguiling Queen, now identified as Melisandre, wore a countenance filled with a mixture of rage and humiliation.


    The tables had turned drastically, leaving her unable to move due to the magical seal expertly ced on her by Speki.


    "What is your name?" asked Maximus.


    Maximus''s inquiry cut through the air, demanding to know her name. In a tone that hinted at her disbelief and the dent in her pride, she reluctantly admitted¡­


    "It''s Melisandre." spoke the high vampire with an incredulous expression.


    The situation was undoubtedly a blow to her ego, as she found herself incapacitated and controlled by the very individuals she had attempted to manipte.


    Her inner turmoil was evident, her expression a mixture of seething anger and incredulity. She had underestimated her opponents and was now paying the price for her arrogance.


    Meanwhile, Speki, disying his resourcefulness, summoned a kettle, a jar of water, and rare, deep-earth scented coffee beans.


    Skillfully utilizing his summoned fire, hemenced the process of brewing coffee. The members of the party, recognizing the need for a respite, took this opportunity to rest and rejuvenate, perhaps taking a moment to revel in the ironic twist of fate that had befallen the once-dominant High Vampire.


    Melisandre''s expression remained a vtile mix of fury and humiliation, a stark contrast to her current immobilized state due to the effective magical seal cast by Speki.


    The oncemanding High Vampire was now confined by the very magic she had employed to manipte others.


    The bitter taste of defeat and her own arrogance was palpable, leading to an inner struggle she couldn''t ignore.


    epting the fact that she was being restrained by Maximus, whom she had intended to control, was a tough pill to swallow.


    Not long ago, she treated all of them like livestock and enjoyed demeaning them as if she was emascting all the males of this Hero''s Party. But now... the fate had yed a joke on her.


    As Speki orchestrated this brewing process, the rest of the party recognized the importance of seizing a moment of respite.


    They settled down, their bodies tired from both the battles they had fought and the psychological onught they had endured.


    Amidst this brewing silence, Kahn''s voice cut through the air, a touch of sarcasmcing his words.


    "You men are the biggest trash of the." Melisandre''s assertions echoed in the backdrop.


    "Who told you try all of them?" he continued, directing his words to her with a matter-of-fact demeanor as they awaited thepletion of the brewing coffee.


    Melisandre''s attempts to salvage some semnce of her pride were met with Kahn''s biting retort. The tension in the air remained thick as the conversation turned towards the dynamics between genders.


    Melisandre''s attempt to cast herself as the victim shed with the pragmatic and unyielding logic presented by Kahn.


    "You''re all a bunch of vermin who think ganging up on a woman is powerful." sheshed out in frustration, her words hinting at her resentment towards the party.


    Kahn''s response was swift and calcted, a verbal counterpunch that left her momentarily speechless.


    "So it was justified if all of us were females?" he posed, his words cutting through her argument with sharp precision.


    In an instant, her perspective was exposed, her skewed logicid bare.


    The moment hung heavy with the weight of introspection. Melisandre was forced to confront her own contradictions, the inconsistency in her reasoning ring in the face of Kahn''s simple question.


    Her silence spoke volumes, a testament to the unassable truth of the matter.


    As the conversation settled, Kahn''s snicker pierced the air, apanied by the sound of sipping the coffee cup handed by Speki.


    The irony wasn''t lost on anyone present ¨C a guardian who had once sought to manipte and subjugate others now found herself ensnared in her own web of contradictory beliefs.


    Melisandre''s tenacity remained unwavering even in the face of Maximus'' forceful interrogation. However, Kahn''s intervention brought a different kind of pressure to the situation.


    His words were sharp andced with a kind of authority that demanded obedience.


    "Hey, this dishwasher is now irritating me." Kahn''s remark cut through the tense atmosphere, apanied by Melisandre''s immediate indignation.


    "What did you just call me?!" Her retort was swift, a sign of her resistance and defiance.


    "Shh... just shut up," Kahn''s response was calm but firm, effectively silencing her.


    He continued, his tone tinged with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment...


    "Entitled and delusional women like you give a bad reputation to actually all the good women across the world."


    The weight of his words hung in the air, a critique of her behavior and a broadermentary on the potential consequences of actions like hers.


    Melisandre was reminded that her actions had broader implications, and her entitled attitude did a disservice to women everywhere.


    "Just be obedient and tell him what he wants or I will have to step in." Kahn''s voice turned ominous, his words promising a stark choice.


    "And believe me, you do not want me stepping in." He concluded with a chilling warning.


    The implication was clear ¨C defiance would not end well for her, and Kahn''s intervention could result in something far more dreadful than her current predicament.


    Maximus'' questions hung in the air, pressing for answers that could potentially shed light on the mysterious circumstances they found themselves in.


    "Now tell me, where is the exit from this realm?" Maximus'' voice was stern, a clear indication that he wouldn''t tolerate any evasive responses.


    "And what powers does the next guardian have?" he continued, showing his strategic mindset by wanting to gather information about the uing challenges.


    "Also, who is thest guardian?" Maximus'' inquisition remained unrelenting, his determination evident in his unwavering gaze.


    "And why are you people stuck inside Babylon in the first ce?" The final question carried a weight of curiosity mixed with a tinge of frustration at their predicament.


    Kahn''s attention was fully captured by Maximus'' probing questions. These were topics he too had been curious about, and he leaned in slightly, awaiting Melisandre''s response.


    The answers to these questions could potentially unravel the mysteries of this realm and the purpose of these guardians within it.


    ----------------


    After an hour of relentless questioning and a mixture of threats, asional beatings and sarcasm, Melisandre finally sumbed to the pressure.


    "I will talk... So please stop." she conceded, her defiant tone reced with resignation.


    Maximus pressed on, firing his questions with precision.


    "What is the next terrain like and what are his weaknesses?" he inquired, his desire for information undiminished.


    However, Conan, the white tigerkin swordsman, interrupted with skepticism.


    "Sylvana already told us what we needed to know. So why bother asking her?" he questioned, suggesting that they already had sufficient information.


    Kahn''s expression turned annoyed, his patience clearly waning.


    "Haven''t you realized it yet?" he retorted, frustrationcing his voice.


    "Realize what?" Conan''s confusion was evident.


    "That the information she told us was only half-truth. As a matter of fact, I believe her memories were distorted.


    After facing the Darkness Assassin and the Chimera who used mind control abilities on us, I am certain she was manipted to speak those words without even realizing it." Kahn analyzed, revealing his astute observation and his suspicion that they had been fed manipted information.


    "His name is Kaadrum, and he is a metal elemental archer." Melisandre began, her voice heavy with resignation.


    "The terrain is made of millions of metallic tendrils that he can use as cover, distractions, and even to immobilize opponents for a decisive killshot."


    Maximus absorbed the information, nodding thoughtfully.


    "Good. And where is the exit?" he inquired.


    "It''s inside the throne room of my castle." she answered, her tone carrying a hint of reluctance.


    "Alright. Then how do we deal with Kaadrum effectively?


    You all seem like a team designated to these different realms within the God''s Domain," Maximus pressed on, his curiosity apparent.


    Melisandre hesitated before divulging the strategy to defeat Kaadrum, her expression showing a mix of resignation and defeat.


    "See, it wasn''t that hard, was it?" spoke Maximus.


    "This better be usefulter. Or I''ming back to kill her again." spoke Kahn with a deathly gaze, acting as the Bad Cop in this investigation.


    "Now, the most crucial part..." Maximus''s voice grew firm, capturing everyone''s attention.


    "Who are you people? How long have you been trapped here? And why?"


    Melisandre''s expression shifted, showing the internal struggle of her memories.


    "That... I don''t remember. I don''t know how much time has passed.


    The flow of Time within the God''s Domain is... unclear." she said, her voice tinged with frustration.


    "Then, tell us about thest guardian and how to defeat him." Maximus demanded with urgency.


    "His name... his name..." Melisandre''s speech faltered as if she was grappling with her own recollections. But in the next instant...


    BANG!


    Stter


    Her body erupted in a violent explosion, sending gore sttering across the ground.


    Shock rippled through the group as her form disintegrated before their eyes.


    And suddenly...


    A set of ck eyes appeared in the sky.

 Chapter 970 Idle Conversation

    Chapter 970 Idle Conversation


    Melisandre burst apart like an overripe tomato, scattering her flesh, bones, and clothing in all directions.


    The Hero''s Party stood dumbfounded, their shock quickly giving way to action. Rkan and Speki conjured defensive barriers and formations, while the rest adapted to their roles, all the while adorned in the gruesome stter.


    In the midst of this surreal scene, the once-red sky turned a foreboding ck, and among the swirling clouds, two ginormous and pitch-ck eyes materialized.


    "Don''t delude yourselves into thinking you can escape," a sinister and grave voice resonated. "While you might have managed to eliminate the others, your luck will run dry if our paths cross. And I eagerly anticipate that moment, for I wish to end all of you with my own hands." The words hung heavily in the air, carrying a chilling promise of impending danger.


    Blip!


    The eerie eyes dissolved from the sky, vanishing as if they had never been part of this realm of floating inds.


    "Who was that? The voice and presence didn''t match what the vampire woman mentioned." Atreus voiced the confusion that gripped the group.


    "I share your sentiment." Maximus affirmed.


    "Guess we''ll have to proceed to the next location to find out." Borat said, his voice tinged with caution.


    The group recognized the potency of the being who had not only silenced Melisandre when she was on the brink of divulging crucial information but had also done so from a distance. The message was clear: underestimating this formidable adversary would be a grave error.


    Now, the only obstacle that remained in between them and the God''s Altar, was the next guardian named Kaaldrum.


    ----------------


    1 Hour Later¡­


    After regaining theirposure and strategizing for the uing confrontation, the Hero of Nature''s party ventured through the mystical doorway found within Melisandre''s castle''s throne room.


    Step!


    Step!


    Footsteps echoed as they transitioned into a new realm, and met with an astonishing sight.


    Clink!


    tter!


    ng!


    Metallic structures of all shapes and sizes filled their vision, an entire world crafted from multicolored columns, pirs, chains, and borate architectural wonders that could rival mountains. In this ce, there was no discernible sky or solid ground; even the surface they stood on seemed like a mere segment of a massive floating chain.


    "Well, well, who do we have here?" The deep voice dripped with curiosity.


    Suddenly, a resonating voice reverberated through the surroundings, capturing their attention. A figure d in ck ranger attire, carrying a golden bow on his back, materialized about a kilometer away on a hovering sphere.


    "Ah, I guess you killed Melisandre.


    I reckon I should thank you for it. Never liked that bitch!" spoke this person.


    Maximus and the party leaped a few hundred meters from these constructions and they closed off the distance between themselves and this guardian.


    "I guess you know why we''re here." spoke Maximus as they stopped atop a flying disc-like construct.


    "I do. But it doesn''t matter." spoke Kaaldrum whose appearance was veiled under his hood.


    "It ends only one way.


    Either you lot die, or I do." he dered fiercly and took out the bow from his back and nocked few arrows at once.


    "I like the second option." spoke Kahn and looked at his fellow teammates.


    Kahn''s retort cut through the charged atmosphere, asserting their readiness.


    Meanwhile, Maximus issued a brief order with an air of seriousness, a signal known only to their team. "Strategy 18." spoke Maximus with a stern countenance.


    The members of the party were in no mood for idle conversation; their intent was solely focused on the uing battle. Woosh!


    Swoosh!


    The battleground was dynamic and ever-shifting as the Hero''s Party split into different directions, seeking tactical advantage.


    Some climbed to higher ground, while others took positions lower down. Maximus positioned himself squarely in front of Kaaldrum, his shield aze with a golden aura.


    Shing!


    With a swift motion, Maximus summoned a hexagonal patterned shield,posed of condensed mana, as his first line of defense. Dhang!


    His red aura red up, casting a mesmerizing effect with his Knight''s Warcry skill, focusing Kaaldrum''s attention solely on him.


    "Fancy. But you idiots are forgetting one thing.


    This is my realm. And it bends to my will." spoke Kaaldrum and in the following moments, the disc-shaped floor Maximus stood on suddenly ascended in the sky like a flying saucer.


    At this moment, the 5th guardian was controlling the metal inside this realm¡­ in other words, basically everything in here.


    Crackle!


    Crackl!


    All the arrows Kaaldrum had crackled with golden lightning as he aimed at Maximus who was put in his range to attack from below.


    Shoot!


    Like violent lightning rods, Kaaldrum shot them in the air and as soon as those arrows came 2 meters close to Maximus¡­


    Crack!


    However, Kaaldrum quickly disyed his control over the realm itself.


    As Maximus stood on a disc-shaped tform, it unexpectedly soared into the sky and cracked apart, effectively exposing Maximus and rendering his defense ineffective and causing him to lose his footing, leaving the Hero vulnerable to the oing attack.


    Shoot!


    The metal elemental archer unleashed a barrage of arrows crackling with golden lightning, targeting Maximus from below.


    BOOM!!!


    The arrows hit with a resounding crack, creating a deafening shockwave that sent Maximus hurtling more than a kilometer away, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. The party members watched in shock as Maximus was forcefully flung from the impact.


    But exactly right then¡­


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    Amidst the chaos of Maximus being flung away, Speki took the opportunity tounch a barrage of fiery projectiles towards Kaaldrum.


    Dozens of massive fireballs and spears surged through the air with fiery intent, aimed directly at the metal elemental archer.


    "Huh, morons." snickered the archer and the following second, a hard metallic wall, 3 meters in width alone appeared behind Kaaldrum.


    Bang!


    It acted as an impromptu shield against the fiery onught that Speki had unleashed. The fiery projectiles mmed into the metallic barrier with powerful impacts.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    The wall resisted the onught, exhibiting a few minor cracks and showing signs of damage from the intense heat, but it held its ground steadfastly. To the party''s frustration, Kaaldrum remained unscathed behind this makeshift defense, his control over the realm''s metal proving to be an exceptional safeguard.


    sh!


    Conan seized the opportunity amidst the chaos,unching a shing attack imbued with the power of light. His de streaked upward from below, aimed at Kaaldrum''s blind spot. Bang!


    However, just as the attack was about to connect, a sudden obstacle intervened...


    A fragment of red metal, manipted by Kaaldrum''s control over the metallic realm, materialized and blocked the iing attack, thwarting Conan''s strike.


    Undeterred, the Hero''s Party was relentless in their assault. They continued to assail Kaaldrum from various directions, employing a coordinated effort to exploit his vulnerabilities and wear down his defenses. Each attack, however, seemed to meet an ingenious countermeasure or a wall of manipted metal, showcasing Kaaldrum''s unparalleled control over the metallic domain and making their task exceedingly difficult.


    "This guy is less of an archer and more like a mage or a summoner." said Borat after his attack failed.


    Despite their relentless efforts and strategic coordination, the Hero''s Party found themselves in a frustrating deadlock against Kaaldrum.


    His exceptional archery skills and heightened senses allowed him to anticipate their attacks and counter them with ease.


    It seemed as though he was merely ying a game, effortlessly deflecting every assault theyunched.


    As the battle continued, the Hero''s Party struggled to find a way to breach Kaaldrum''s defenses.


    His control over the metallic realm gave him an imprable shield against their attacks, leaving them with a daunting challenge.


    Frustration began to mount among the party members, but they knew that giving in to despair was not an option.


    They needed to find a weakness or exploit a gap in Kaaldrum''s tactics if they were to have any chance of oveing his formidable skills.


    There seemed no way to get rid of this guardian who was fantastic at covering all of his openings, responding quickly to sudden attacks and using the terrain to his advantage as a means of defense and also nullifying enemies by removing their footing or simply throwing them away before they even prepared their skills and abilities to harm him.


    As the battle raged on and Kaaldrum expertly deflected every attack thrown at him, a sudden realization struck him like a lightning bolt.


    "Wait a minute¡­ Wasn''t there another guy apart from these five people?" this sudden realization dawned on the metal elemental archer.


    Amidst the chaos, he remembered that there was supposed to be another member of the Hero''s Party, someone who hadn''t shown themselves yet.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    But before he could grasp the situation¡­


    In the midst of his confusion, the ground beneath him crackled and shattered as if responding to his unspoken thoughts.


    Two powerful fists of ice burst forth, gripping Kaaldrum''s legs in a vice-like grip.


    The shock and pain from the permafrost surged through him as the ice began to freeze and weaken his limbs, leaving him immobilized and vulnerable.


    Shatter!


    Both of his legs quickly shattered and he dropped on the metallic floor.


    Swoosh!


    From the newly formed fissure, a figure emerged.


    It was Atreus, the blue wolfkin whose cunning strategy had caught Kaaldrum off guard.


    "You focused so much on your enemies attacking from a distance¡­"


    His voice wasced with a sense of authority as he taunted Kaaldrum for overlooking his surroundings in favor of focusing solely on distant threats.


    Kahn''s presence was dominating, his eyes gleaming with fierce determination as he delivered his deration...


    "That you forgot where you were standing."

 Chapter 971 Psychological Warfare

    Chapter 971 Psychological Warfare


    With Kaaldrum''s downfall at the hands of Kahn''s unexpected and well-executed strategy, the tides of the battle had abruptly shifted.


    The enigmatic and veiled assassin, whose true identity remained shrouded in mystery, had been taken down by a series of moves that he hadn''t foreseen amidst the chaos ofbat.


    Atreus, the Water/Ice elemental brawler, emerged as the pivotal force behind Kaaldrum''s defeat. His precise timing and powerful maniption of ice had caused the once formidable guardian to crumble like a fragile sandcastle.


    The shock of the sudden turn of events was evident on Kaaldrum''s masked face, his hood unable to hide his surprise and torment as his body was rapidly encased in ice.


    Struggling to find his voice amidst the freezing grip of Atreus'' attack, Kaaldrum managed to rasp out a question filled with disbelief...


    "You... How?" The pain and confusion in his words were palpable, a testament to the unexpectedness of his defeat.


    "It''s simple." Atreus responded calmly, his icy powers still swirling around Kaaldrum. "Melisandre, although unwillingly, revealed your weakness to us. And we used that knowledge to our advantage." exined Atreus as he squatted down and looked at Kaaldrum with a gaze filled with pity.


    "What do you mean?" he asked with bated breath.


    In response, Atreus maintained a calm demeanor, his icy powers still enveloping Kaaldrum''s immobilized form. "What I mean¡­" he began, his voice steady, "Is that we understand the limitations of your abilities."


    "We know that you are a master at controlling anything made of metal.


    However, we also know that because of your ss as an Archer, there are plenty of restrictions on your abilities." said Atreus.


    "At the core of it..." Kahn chimed in, his tone analytical.


    "You can only manipte metal in a linear fashion, moving it in a single direction at a time. Additionally, you can exert enough force to break objects apart, but this requires intense concentration and significant mana expenditure, particrly over long distances."


    Step!


    Step!


    Maximus, now standing on the same metallic surface as Kaaldrum, began to elucidate the intricacies of their well-executed strategy.


    He cut straight to the core of their approach, highlighting the factors that yed into their victory.


    "The attacks you effectively defended against were allunched from a distance of around 20 meters." Maximus rified, emphasizing the significance of this distance.


    The exnationid bare the foundation of their tactical advantage.


    Speki''s exnation followed seamlessly, adding anotheryer to their understanding of Kaaldrum''s limitations.


    "While attacking you from multiple directions, we exploited the fact that your powers don''t extend to transforming the metal you control into various shapes or using it as projectiles to attack your enemies." Speki exined, his smirk underscoring their satisfaction at cracking the puzzle.


    Rkan''s voice joined the conversation, further revealing theirprehensive analysis of their opponent.


    "And as you faced attacks from multiple sources simultaneously, your consciousness was increasingly affected by the cumtive targeting." he elucidated.


    This revtion showcased their grasp of the mental aspect of their adversary''s abilities.


    The Hero''s Party had demonstrated not only theirbat prowess but also their strategic intelligence in dismantling Kaaldrum''s defenses.


    "Did you really think that members of a Hero''s Party, that are some of the best fighters in the empire... Would be so ipetent that they can''t ambush one enemy and break past his defenses for more than 10 minutes?


    My my, talk about being overconfident." spoke Atreus with a mocking tone.


    "So you weren''t aiming to physically harm me in the first ce?" asked Kaaldrum with a puzzled voice.


    "Bingo!" Kahn took his turn to exin the final pieces of their puzzle, revealing the intricacies that had allowed them to take advantage of Kaaldrum''s overconfidence.


    "Throughout the battle, we purposefully diverted your attention and upied your thoughts." Kahn reiterated, stressing how they had exploited Kaaldrum''s focus to their advantage.


    "Your sensory abilities, which should have been able to detect my presence as I hid and methodically moved closer to you using the metallic surroundings, were strained to the point of ineffectiveness."


    Kahn''s exnation continued, revealing thest step of their ingenious strategy.


    "Once I had positioned myself beneath you, I temporarily transformed ck ice and floated across this metallic terrain.


    The entire surrounding itself is ck, aiding my stealth by preventing your eyesight from detecting my movement." he stated with a triumphant smirk.


    "You bastards¡­ Don''t think that''s the end of me!" bellowed Kaaldrum and raised his aura.


    "Shh!! Don''t even think about it.


    I made sure that once I get to you, the frost made with my mana won''t allow your body to use your own mana reserves or world energy at all." said Kahn as he kept gloating.


    And next, it was Maximus who spoke¡­


    "We used the loopholes and limitations of your own powers that you are so proud of.


    But you know what made it easier for us to execute this n?" he said and looked at Kaaldrum with a disappointed gaze.


    "What¡­ What was that?" asked Kaaldrum with great pain as his lungs were now affected by the frost as well.


    "Your own Arrogance." admonished Maximus.


    "Had you chosen to use your abilities at the extreme and turned into a Saint from the very beginning of the battle, none of it would have been possible." he stated with a stern voice.


    "We allowed you to think that you could handle all of us easily from the very beginning.


    We used your overconfidence to wear your mana and mind out till you failed to notice Atreus.


    We gave you an illusion of supremacy where you felt like you were nigh invincible against us as we struggled to evennd a hit on you.


    In the end, this false sense of superiority and ignorance is what got you into this situation." spoke Maximus, his tone filled with pity for Kaaldrum.


    "Man, you have to give it to him when he creates battle strategies, don''t you think?


    That''s a befitting quality to be called a Hero." said Kahn as he gave a yful smile. Their exnation now painted a clear picture of their victory over Kaaldrum, illustrating how their multifaceted strategy, including misdirection, psychological warfare, and strategic use of their unique abilities, had brought down the seemingly invincible guardian. Kaaldrum then gazed at Maximus with a sense of defeat but also acknowledgment as he concluded with hisst breath...


    "So you didn''t y the game, instead¡­ You yed the yer."

 Chapter 972 The Last Guardian

    Chapter 972 The Last Guardian


    Kaaldrum drew his final breath, epting his defeat and acknowledging that it was his own negligence that had allowed the infiltrators from the Hero of Nature''s Party to exploit his weaknesses.


    "So, he was a Lukion." Atreus remarked as he finally uncovered the archer''s identity beneath the hood.


    This species was one Kahn had encountered previously in the Zivot Empire as Legs Ragnarsson, where his Misthios Mercenary Guild had beenmissioned to safeguard theirnds from a monster outbreak. At the time, he had learned that the Lukions possessed a natural affinity for the Metal element, allowing them to manipte metallic objects using mana. This unique trait made them the most skilled race in cksmithing within the entire Elven Empire.


    Consequently, Kahn, who had conducted business with them before, retained a vivid recollection of this particr species.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    Kaaldrum''s remains scattered like fragments of ss on the metallic floor as Atreus'' permafrost had sessfully invaded and crystallized every cell within the now-defeated guardian''s body.


    The Hero''s Party had triumphed over the fifth guardian of now-defeated guardian''s body.


    The Hero''s Party had triumphed over the fifth guardian of God''s Domain, but the final guardian remained shrouded in mystery.


    As Maximus contemted their next move, he acknowledged the unknown nature of theirst adversary.


    "Thest guardian... we know nothing about him." Maximus remarked, his gaze fixed on the remnants of Kaaldrum''s weapons and clothing.


    Kahn, drawing from his extensive experience, added his perspective. "Given how his eyes appeared in the region before, he is probably aware of everything and knows how we killed the rest. He is most likely to be well-prepared and not fall for any of our antics or mind games. I reckon he will fight us as a Saint from the very beginning."


    [Thankfully, I didn''t reveal anything more than my immunity against Darkness element when I fought Zolvik in the 3rd region.


    So my identity is safe for now.] thought Kahn.


    "So are we going in blind for the next guardian?


    We have no reliable intel on him and neither do we know anything about the terrain of the next region." spoke Borat with an incredulous gaze.


    Nearly half of their group was already killed and the remainder wasn''t confident to face thest guardian that protected the God''s Altar.


    Thus, this concern was indeed a pressing matter. But unlike the rest, Maximus and Atreus did not even have a shred of fear or reluctance on their faces.


    After looking at their dejected faces, Maximus spoke to the other four members of the group¡­


    "We havee so far based on our skills and abilities as well as our teamwork.


    Thest guardian might be the strongest opponent we would have to face but if anything this journey ever since we entered Babylon has taught us¡­


    We will survive if we keep persisting till thest moment." said the Hero of Nature in an uplifting tone.


    However, the very next moment¡­


    "Like hell we are!


    That Assassin in the 2ndyer killed 2 of us while that Psychic chimera made 2 more tomit suicide!


    And that High Vampire almost killed us all for fun while controlling our bodies against our wills." spoke Conan, his voice frightened.


    "He is right. All of us could have been dead if not for our luck. But do you guys really think that we could just survive against an enemy who will be at his full power and is possibly at a higher saint rankpared to all the others we faced so far?" asked Speki with a discouraged countenance.


    His logic was sound and also true in a sense based on what transpired so far.


    "We barely survived so far with our strengths and abilities sealed at Semi-Saint rank.


    It will be too stupid to simply charge in to fight thest guardian without any preparation." said Rkan with a slight hint of unwillingness to move forward.


    "Thatst guardian¡­ that''s the Endgame for us. How are you guys nning on beating that?" asked Borat, trying to muster his courage.


    "Together." replied Maximus in a stern and firm tone.


    "We''ll lose." said Conan, still unwilling to participate in the uing battle.


    "And we''ll do that together too." replied the Hero of Nature without any sense of hesitation in his eyes.


    The entire surrounding turned grim and the tension was palpable as their hearts raced.


    But right then¡­


    "Ah, fuck these cowards. We should go by ourselves." Kahn spoke as he rolled his eyes up.


    "This guy is a pussy." he spoke while pointing his finger at Conan, the tigerkin.


    "This guy is a chicken." he continued while pointing at Speki, the peacock-kin.


    "And this guy is a goddamn snake." he concluded as he pointed at Rkan, the basilisk-kin.


    "Let these losers stay here. We also won''t have to look after them in the next area.


    That''s better since we won''t have to hold back or feel the need to save their asses during the fight." he proimed in disdain.


    Kahn was tired of thoughts and opinions at this point because he was never the type of person who gave up on a mission right when he was close to the finish line.


    Hence, this sudden turn of cowardice among the members of the party seemed nothing more than a waste of time to him.


    Clink!


    RUMBLE!!


    Right then, the realm started changing after it detected Kaaldrum''s death atst and a pitch-ck 10-meter-tall gate emerged from the scattered remains of his corpse out of the ground.


    This was their cue to leave for thest battle.


    "We''re leaving, whether youe or not." spoke Maximus with a slightly disappointed gaze.


    "Wait, I''ming too." spoke Borat.


    Unlike the rest, his expression wasposed and his mind resolute as he gathered courage on his own to face the Last Guardian.


    [Will theye?] asked Maximus to Atreus telepathically.


    [Of course, they will. Because they have the highest chances of survival with you around them.


    They will change their minds because in the end, if you die¡­ their lives are also forfeited.] responded Kahn.


    The trio reached the gateway to the final region and as Kahn anticipated, the rest 3 remainder members followed them with hesitant expressions.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile inside the ck castle where thest guardian resided¡­ a bizarre phenomenon urred.


    "While alive, all of you failed to do what was expected of you.


    Now, do not disappoint me in death." spoke a slim figure in green and golden hooded attire and majestic robes.


    Before him, were 5 different colored heaps of crystalline cores.


    Green, ck, Red, Yellow and finally Gray.


    Squirm!


    Suddenly, the shattered cores started squirming like a school of fish on the dry floor.


    And in uing moments, those massive crystals started transforming and finally, five new figures arose.


    A Dryad, a Gargoyle, a Chimera, a High Vampire andstly, a Lukion. All the guardians that the Hero''s Party previously killed were now alive again.


    And this time, every single one of them had pitch-ck eyes with web-like veins spread across their faces.


    "Let''s see how they fare against me using all the guardians as my subjects.


    Let me test if the current Hero of Nature''s party canst against me¡­" spoke this figure as he finally took off his hood.


    A figure of a handsome and enigmatic man was revealed as the Last Guardian revealed his ss.


    "The Puppeteer."

 Chapter 973 Remnant of the Past

    Chapter 973 Remnant of the Past


    The Hero''s Party had reached the final realm, where God''s Altar was said to be located. This realm was vastly different from the ones they had previously traversed. It was an expansive, cold desert with a massive, glowing moon in the night sky. The eerie chill in the air sent shivers down their spines.


    Before them, a stone bridge stretched for hundreds of meters, leading to a foreboding ck castle with dreary architecture. The castle emanated an ominous aura that unsettled all who gazed upon it.


    The party hade a long way, facing numerous challenges and powerful guardians. With uncertainty looming over them, they now stood at the threshold of their final trial, ready to confront thest guardian and reach God''s Altar. The oue of this encounter would determine their fate and the fate of the Beast Empire.


    Step!


    Step!


    As the party made their way across the stone bridge towards the enormous ck castle, a dark fog surrounded them, prompting everyone to activate their defensive skills and heighten their senses.


    "Everyone be alert and assist each other in case there is a surprise ambush on us."manded Maximus as he took the lead, conjuring a massive 10-meter-tall golden shield of his imposing aura to protect the group from the front.


    [I sense nobody here. Its as if there is no living being inside this castle.] thought Kahn after he inspected this estate.


    Kahn, using his Hunter''s Domain skill, attempted to sense any presence within the castle but was met with an unsettling revtion. He couldn''t detect the souls of any living beings, nor could he sense any movement within the castle or the barren desert surrounding it. It was as if this entire realm had been stripped of life.


    CREAK!!


    And right then, the massive 15-meter tall and 6-meter-wide ck gates at the front, opened.


    "Come inside. I have been waiting for you."


    With the massive ck gates swinging open on their own, the party was greeted by a majestic yet ominous voice that reverberated through the realm, inviting them to enter.


    "Alright, everyone. Looks like the host was already looking forward to seeing us. There''s no point in staying here.


    Let''s see through this till the end." said Maximus with a resolute tone.


    The hero of nature, disying his characteristic determination, urged the group to press forward despite the potential risks. They all understood that this could very well be a trap, but finding God''s Altar was their ultimate goal, and confronting the Last Guardian was a necessary step on that path.


    With their resolve steeled and their senses finely tuned for any threat, the Hero''s Party stepped through the imposing gates and into the foreboding darkness of the ck castle, ready to face their final adversary.


    ----------------


    The group passed through hallways after hallways, climbed up floors and finally at the top floor of this castle, they ventured inside a grand hall that resembled a king''s throne room.


    Step!


    Step!


    With Maximus in the lead, the group finally saw a dark-brown-haired man with blue eyes, adorning the lightweight ck and red armor and cloak of a mage as he sat on a golden throne at the end of the hall.


    In his hands, was a scepter with a fist-sized glowing blue crystal at its top. "Wee to my humble abode." spoke this handsome and mature man who looked to be in his mid-30s.


    His gaze was intense despite the friendly smile on his face and the dimly lit room added to a sense of eeriness in the atmosphere.


    "You¡­ You know why we are here, don''t you?" asked Maximus, with his domineering posture of a leader.


    "Of course, I do. It''s been a long time since I have been doing this.


    But first, answer my question." said the man with short hair as he showed a hint of curiosity on his face.


    "Which number are you?" he asked.


    "What do you mean by ''which number''?" asked Maximus with a befuddled tone.


    "I mean which number of summoned Hero of Nature are you?" he borated.


    "And what does that have to do with you? Aren''t you just a guardian tasked to test the new Hero or Heroine of Nature during the Conve of Heroes?" questioned Maximus in return with a skeptical nce.


    A guardian bound to this ce should have no business knowing the happening of the world outside of Babylon and his designated god''s domain.


    "Stubborn, I see. Compared to the previous Heroine of Nature, you are not easily intimidated despite knowing that I can end your life whenever I want.


    I like that." spoke thest guardian and chuckled lightly.


    "Hah! We won''t know who can kill who unless we fight to the death first." responded Maximus, asserting his own dominance with a resolute stature.


    "Ha ha! They all say that until I start showing them their ce. The previous party that came 300 years ago was no different.


    Sadly, that coward Heroine survived by using her party members as her shields and entered the God''s Altar before I could finish her." he spoke with an incredulous tone.


    "Since you won''t answer my first question¡­ tell me what happened to the Falkor Empire."mended thest guardian with an expectant gaze.


    "What? I don''t know any Falkor Empire. Never heard of it." responded Maximus.


    Gasp!


    But right then, a loud gasp was heard from behind. And the person to gasp, having his eyes filled with shock and terror was none other than Borat, the green-maned lionkin knight.


    Everyone looked at Borat with confused countenances.


    "Do you know anything about this Falkor Empire?" asked Rkan to Borat.


    "Of course, I do. I''m a direct descendant of the First Emperor''s bloodline.


    Falkor Empire¡­ was the original name of Nadur Empire." spoke Borat with a bated breath.


    "You mean¡­" said Conan, as he connected the pieces together.


    "Yes, it was before the revolution when Humans had enved all the Demi-Humans and Beastkin races of the empire.


    That was 700 years ago." said Borat as he shared a knowledge passed down to generations of his family since their ancestor was the first emperor of the Beast Empire. Borat was a descendant of the powerful figure who threw the tyrannical rule of humans and brought freedom to all the non-human species andizens, renaming their home as the Nadur Empire.


    "Ah, so it''s been 700 years since then. Time flies by so easily." spoke thest guardian suddenly with a reminiscent gaze.


    "Wait a minute¡­ if you know about the Falkor Empire despite being inside Babylon, and given the fact that you are a human¡­" said Borat, his entire being bewildered to his core.


    "Yes, I am who you think I am." said thest guardian and stood up from his throne. A menacing smile appeared on his face as he let out a devilish grin.


    "Everyone!! Run!! He isn''t just some guardian...


    In my family''s records, he is called the First Fallen.


    He died 700 years ago inside the God''s Domain." eximed Borat, his heart palpating in sheer terror as he revealed the true identity of the Last Guardian...


    "The 7th Hero of Nature... Marcus Brutus!"

 Chapter 974 Taking the Burden

    Chapter 974 Taking the Burden


    As the Hero''s Party ventured deeper into the ck castle, Kahn received a stunning revtion that left him dumbfounded.


    "What?!" this time, it was Kahn who was bbergasted and left speechless.


    In his past life as Elric, he had a hobby of learning the history of powerful people, different religions, cultures, mythologies and the most powerful figures in the annals of history of Earth.


    So obviously, he knew who Marcus Brutus was.


    This man in front of them was the conspirator and the one who killed one of the greatest generals in human history.


    The Last Guardian they were about to face was not only a chosen Hero like himself and Maximus but also hailed from Earth, just as he did.


    This unexpected twist added an entirely newyer of intrigue andplexity to their final confrontation.


    [How is that even possible? Was he summoned just like Bjorn Ironside in this world?


    But didn''t he die bymitting suicide? He shouldn''t have been alive to be summoned inside Vantrea at all.] spoke Kahn to himself in bewilderment.


    Right then, Rathnaar spoke in his mind¡­


    [That shouldn''te as a surprise to you, kid. Just like the God of Darkness, God of Nature and God of Life can also resurrect dead people from different worlds and summon them as their Heroes.


    The Hero of Nature I killed back then was also one of such individuals. He himself mentioned that during our battle since he was a loudmouth.] borated the Peak Saint.


    What Rathnaar spoke was indeed the truth Kahn was unaware of. Hence, the immense shock he received was finally subsided.


    God of Life had brought back Bjorn Ironside from the dead and summoned him as the 4th Hero of Life in the Elven empire aka Zivot Empire around 1400 years ago. Meanwhile, God of Nature resurrected Marcus Brutus and summoned him as the 7th Hero of Nature when the Nadur Empire of the present was called the Falkor Empire under the human reign 700 years ago.


    So far, Kahn had heard of 2 of the heroes who were from Earth just like him and one of them was standing right in front of him.


    This newfound knowledge added depth to Kahn''s understanding of the situation and made it clear that Gods from Vantrea had their influence extended even into Earth''s history to some degree.


    ----------------


    At this moment, all the members of the Hero''s Party were on high alert and activated their lifesaving skills after learning the truth.


    "To think that a past Hero of Nature to be stuck here¡­" said Maximus with an incredulous tone.


    The Hero''s Party found themselves in a precarious situation. Their abilities and skills were limited to Semi-Saint rankpared to the unrestricted powers of the Last Guardian, Marcus Brutus, who was also a Hero.


    This revtion shattered Maximus''s confidence in their ability to protect their allies and achieve their goal, as he as a leader, had to assume that Marcus Brutus was likely to possess his own Divine Abilities as well.


    The ying field had be more challenging, and the Hero''s Party needed to devise a strategy that would level the odds against this formidable opponent.


    This unforeseeable confrontation with a former chosen Hero addedplexity to their mission, raising questions about the nature of their role in this final battle and what awaited them in this final showdown.


    "What? Are you scared already?


    This takes out the fun. Nevermind, I had no intentions to y any games with you lot anyways." said Brutus with a domineering tone.


    Next, his mocking expression turned dead serious as his eyes turned ck as if they were an endless pit of darkness.


    "I have watched all of you. How you killed the other guardians, my former party members and what skills you used to defeat them.


    Don''t be under the delusion that they will work on me or you could outsmart me in any way.


    Just ept your sealed fates and surrender your lives to me for killing myrades.


    That way, I will at least grant all of you a swift and painless death." dered Brutus in a grim and tyrannical voice.


    But right then, it was Maximus who smirked and replied sternly¡­


    "I have never seen anyone beg for an easy victory so passionately."


    BOOM!!


    A massive ck and red aura burst forth from Brutus'' body as he unleashed his killing intent and the entire hall trembled as if an earthquake was shaking the entire castle.


    "Big words for a mere Hero who couldn''t even protect half of hisrades inside the God''s Domain." spoke Brutus with visible disdain.


    "Such hubris for a Hero who died during the conve of heroes and failed to enter God''s Altar." mocked Maximus in return.


    "Hah! You¡­ I will relish the moment I end your life with my own hands.


    I will make you watch as all of yourrades fall before your eyes and there''s nothing you can do to save them." dered Brutus, revealing his contempt.


    The confrontation between Maximus dius and Marcus Brutus, was fraught with tension and mutual disdain. The massive release of Brutus'' dark aura signaled his malevolent intent, causing the very castle to quake.


    However, Maximus was unyielding in the face of this threat. He taunted Brutus for his past failures and made it clear that he wouldn''t back down. Their exchange revealed deep-seated animosity and a desire for vengeance on Brutus'' part since they had killed the previous guardians who were now revealed to be his former party members.


    [This guy¡­ We shouldn''t underestimate him. He was a skilled politician and a tactician.


    He also has experience as a warmander of the army. We can''t let Maximus be the main weapon without a strategy first.] thought Kahn.


    Kahn wisely recognized the need for strategy and nning to counter Brutus''s tactical and leadership experience. The battle ahead was not only a test of strength but also a test of wits, and they couldn''t afford to underestimate their formidable opponent.


    Also¡­ Being the intellectual person he was, Kahn had figured out quickly that Maximus was intentionally provoking Brutus during their exchange so that thest guardian would target all of his wrath on him.


    Because currently, only Maximus had the highest chances of survival due to his divine abilities as the Hero of Nature.


    Kahn''s keen intellect allowed him to grasp the subtlety of Maximus''s strategy.


    Also, Maximus'' tactic had a dual purpose: first, it would allow the rest of the party members a better chance of survival, and second, it would give Maximus the opportunity to assess Brutus''s abilities and tactics up close.


    Without even dering it, Maximus was taking all the burden of the uing battle on himself just so his teammates could survive this iparably powerful enemy.


    His role as the Hero of Nature, backed by divine abilities, made him the best candidate for this dangerous task.


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    "If it is a painful death you seek, then you shall have it." dered Brutus as his aura rose.


    Bang!


    He banged his scepter on the ground and soon, 6 spherical shadows appeared on the floor and from each of them, familiar figures arose one after another.


    Shock!


    All the members of the Hero''s Party were left sundered as they recognized all the previous guardians they faced before, all of whom were now at Saint Rank from the start.


    [Son of a bitch! This guy¡­] thought Kahn as he came to a conclusion with an irritated countenance.


    [He has the Necromancy Divine Ability.]

 Chapter 975 Lord of the Fallen

    <h4>Chapter 975 Lord of the Fallen</h4>


    Kahn had figured out just from the first encounter that the 7th Hero of Nature, Marcus Brutus was using the Necromancy Divine Ability after Maximus sessfully provoked him.


    At this moment, he instantly remembered the perks of this divine ability from the time when he was given a choice to select his Divine Ability after being resurrected by the God of Darkness inside the World Boundary.


    [Damn it! Thisplicates things.] thought Kahn as he recounted the effects.


    Necromancy as a Divine Ability was a formidable choice, especially for someone like Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature.


    Just like Ability Absorption and Synthesis divine abilities, Necromancy also came with a lot of sub-skills under it than just being a single use ability.


    It granted several significant perks and abilities. Kahn, with his eidetic memory, remembered all the information about this Divine Ability:


    1. Control over Dead : Necromancy enabled the user to control and manipte the dead. They could raise reanimate corpses and spirits, giving themmands and turning them into servants or soldiers. This can create a powerful and versatile army, particrly useful in battle.


    2. Life Drain: Necromancer Divine Ability can help siphon the life force from living beings, weakening their enemies while simultaneously enhancing their own vitality. This ability made them challenging opponents inbat.


    3. Summoning Undead Creatures: Users of Necromancy can summon various types of undead creatures that they previously killed or created by themselves, ranging from skeletal warriors to vengeful spirits. These creatures can be used strategically in battle or for other purposes.


    4. Curse and Hexes: Necromancers can cast curses and hexes on their foes, causing ailments or debuffs. These dark spells can inflict suffering, weaken their enemies, or even lead to their ultimate demise.


    5. Necrotic Magic: Necromancers wield potent spells associated with darkness element and decay at the same time which dwindled the opponent''s strength and mana steadily.


    6. Resistance to Light Element or Holy Energy: Having Necromancy as a Divine Ability usually grants resistance to Holy aka the Light element. This ability provides protection against holy spells and other harmful effects from sses like Shamans and Holy Priests.


    ----------------


    Compared to normal inhabitants of Vantrea, a hero with Necromancy divine ability had mountainous resistance to the very element that was supposed to bane of their existence.


    Marcus Brutus, with his chosen Divine Ability, presents a formidable challenge for the Hero''s Party. His mastery of necromancy makes him a potent adversary, especially when hebines it with his extensivebat experience and tactical knowledge. The Hero''s Party will need to devise a cunning strategy to confront him effectively.


    Apart from that¡­


    The reason why one would consider Necromancy Divine Ability as apletely broken cheat skill even among the other divine abilities was because¡­ it had no shorings when handling powerful summons and neither was there any level or rank restriction on the user.


    This meant that unlike Kahn who needed mana and world energy to use different types of summoned entities, most of which were dependent on his reserves¡­ Marcus Brutus had no such problem.


    He also didn''t need to be higher ranked to control or had to perfect necromancy skills or study dark magic for it like others.


    Also, Necromancy Divine Ability gave the chosen Hero or Heroine a Free Pass to create multiple powerful summoned creatures without any negative side effects on the caster''s body. They didn''t need to be a skeletal lich or a necromancer like Ceril and neither were they dependent on external artifacts to use as a source of power to maintain their undeads.


    Even Kahn''s own King of the Dead skill that he acquired long ago, which let him create an army of undead with the trigger word ''Awaken''... needed mana and world energy to activate, and Kahn couldn''t awaken a being stronger than himself as there was a level and rank restriction.


    The 7th Hero of Nature on the other hand was exempt from such hassle.


    Even Rudra, who was at Mythical Rank from the start was a product of Synthesis divine ability and not any of his necromancer-rted skills.


    Now¡­ Why didn''t Kahn choose this OP divine ability before the God of Darkness sent him to Vantrea?


    Because as amazing as it sounded for a chosen Hero or Heroine to use it¡­ It would be rendered useless for Kahn who was to be hunted by the world and all the powerful saints serving an empire that worshipped other gods and goddesses.


    Mainly because no one was going to kill powerful creatures, Saints and offer them to Kahn or teach him how to utilize Necromancy Divine Ability most efficiently.


    After being sent to Vantrea, Kahn would be in a situation where he had to survive on his own while hiding his true identity as Hero of Darkness from the world.


    On top of it, he had to kill start from scratch in his new body, and learn different skills, sses, and their powers to be self-dependent from the start unlike a Necromancer backed by an entire Empire''s powerhouses and had countless resources at their disposal.


    However, the biggest drawback of it was something Kahn noticed while making that choice.


    Although it helped one tomand and basically enve powerful beings without any sort of repercussion to the user''s body or need of mana and world energy, the fundamental problemy in the user itself.


    From a psychological perspective¡­ would you truly work very hard to the point every waking moment felt like death and misery like Kahn had to go through during his training as well as suffer immense and agonizing torture to both mind and the body in various gruesome ways as you died and kept reviving yourself again and again?


    With powerful saints and monstrous creatures at your beck and call, anyone in that position was prone to ck off and not work hard enough to be incredibly strong like Kahn did.


    Hence, eventually¡­ these Heroes would most likely be a Hollow Shell of themselves and relypletely on their undead servants whilecking in several areas such as their personal firepower, physical defense, magical skills and spell proficiency. You were more likely to be dependent on others than on yourself.


    A prime example would be any RPG or MMORPG yer with Necromancy skill or a ss.


    In almost all the media, these were always the sses where enemies took them down by destroying the caster in the end.


    The number of undead didn''t matter and neither the fact how strong were their summoned entities. You took down the caster and the game was over.


    So unless you were Ainz Ooal Gown himself, the Necromancy Divine Ability came with a huge price.


    From?Kahn''s perspective¡­ What''s the point of being guarded by a Dragon when a small nail on the ground could kill you?


    If he relied on the perks of this effortless and OP divine ability, he would have never reached the realm of power he was at now.


    Hence, Kahn decided to give up on the Necromancy Divine Ability back then.


    Yet at this moment, he was fighting a person who was from Earth just like him and having chosen this ability.


    ----------------


    Kahn stood stupefied again and contemted their current predicament.


    [Based on that saint pressure, he is a Peak 6th-stage saint. But unlike us, he isn''t suppressed by thews of Babylon.


    What can we do to defeat him and all those Saint guardians?] wondered Kahn as he racked his brain toe up with a strategy.


    But right when he was lost in his thoughts¡­


    [Don''t worry, boy. I have fought a Heroine with Necromancy Divine Ability before. I know the biggest weakness of this type of opponent.


    Although we don''t know what his other divine ability is¡­ I have a n to render this one useless against us.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    [Really? Tell me what is it?] asked Kahn haphazardly.


    [It''s not an easy one. I can guarantee your survival with this n.


    But in order for this strategy to work and help us defeat this Hero of Nature¡­] replied Rathnaar, the Peak Saint.


    However, his voice turned somber as he dered the implications of his n to defeat the enemy¡­


    [We''ll have to make¡­ Sacrifices.]

 Chapter 976 The Final Defense

    <h4>Chapter 976 The Final Defense</h4>


    Without sugarcoating it, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea, Rathnaar the Conqueror, candidly offered Kahn advice on a strategy that would ultimately result in the loss of some of Kahn''s allies. As this marked Kahn''s first encounter with another Hero of a god possessing the Necromancy divine ability, his knowledge and expertise in facing such a formidable opponent were severelycking.


    Despite drawing upon his memory, Kahn could only recall a handful of potential weaknesses that might be exploited, yet none of them provided a guaranteed solution. This was unsurprising, given that Brutus, too, possessed an additional Divine Ability. Furthermore, given Brutus''s previous roles as a skilled politician and tactician, it was evident that he had devised a strategicbination that would ensure his own survival.


    [Kahn, the biggest trump cards we have here are you and Maximus. You won''t die easily to Darkness and Rot used by a Necromancer and Maximus has an affinity to most of the natural elements of reality.


    Also, he can use Light Element even better than anyone present here.


    Instead of wasting time on a long-drawn frontal confrontation, you should focus on assisting him and exploit some of the weaknesses of Heroes with Necromancy divine ability.] revealed Rathnaar sternly.


    [As long as it gets us alive out of this situation.] replied Kahn.


    As for the whole strategy of ''sacrificing'' allies to secure victory, Kahn didn''t even hesitate to consider it.


    Why?


    The answer lies in the absence of any emotional bonds that might have deterred him from such a ruthless tactic. Although the battles they had faced thus far had been filled with camaraderie and teamwork under Maximus''s leadership, the current version of Kahn was emotionally detached enough not to form any meaningful connections with those around him.


    His presence in this perilous mission was driven by the need to maintain his fabricated identity as Atreus and gain ess to the God''s Domain designated for him. Inside that divine realmy the opportunity to absorb the Divine Essence left behind by the God of Darkness, which was essential for preserving his own life.


    Kahn''s purpose here wasn''t to y house or cultivate those typical ''Nakama-power'' rtionships often portrayed in manga and novels.


    Kahn was a rational individual, and his decisions were consistently guided by logic and self-preservation.


    In a scenario where the choice came down to sacrificing others, particrly those whom he didn''t regard as friends or individuals worth knowing in the long run¡­ Kahn''s obvious priority would always be himself.


    [Alright, kid. Now here''s what we are going to do¡­] whispered Rathnaar.


    Soon afterwards, he revealed his n based on his own experience when he was alive and used to kill Heroes for the sake of making a statement.


    [This is¡­ ingenious.] replied Kahn and a slight smirk formed on his face.


    Their whole encounter within his mind and the entire thought process was barely 15 seconds in the real world after Marcus Brutus had just dered his intentions and revealed the summoned Saints Guardians.


    "This ce is too small for my entertainment." said Brutus with a devilish grin.


    Stomp!


    He stomped his scepter on the floor and soon, the surrounding walls of the throne room turned into white dust, disappearing with a gust of wind.


    Before anyone from the Hero''s Party could react, they were all now transported to a pristine white desert filled with a chilling aura and a massive bright moon in the sky.


    "This is¡­ outside of the castle?" wondered Rkan, the basilisk-kin mage.


    This ce was indeed outside of the ck castle they previously saw after they entered through the gateway of this realm.


    Meanwhile, Kahn had his own worries.


    [That was at least a Legendary Rank spell that transported us all in a second. It''s not an illusion magic skill and neither was it rted to spacew.


    It was more like teleportation spanning hundreds of kilometers without even chanting a word and he somehow bent the reality to bring us here as if this realm beckoned to his will in mere seconds.


    He''s definitely not a foe to be taken lightly.] thought Kahn to himself.


    He himself was a proper mage and his master was none other than the former Dragon Emperor himself. So obviously, Kahn could infer and analyze the situation and what kind of spell was used in mere moments.


    "Make it entertaining. And most importantly, I want to see despair on the Hero''s face as all of hisrades are killed in front of him." spoke Brutus meancingly and slowly leaned on his throne.


    Shing!


    A blinding golden shield encapsted the Last Guardian and soon, his entire figure disappeared into thin air.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    One after another, massive auras made of leaden saint pressure erupted as the six undead guardians, now in their full saint rank form released their bloodlust.


    Spat!


    All of the Hero''s Party members including Maximus and Kahn were instantly forced to fall t on the ground made of nothing but white sand, their bodies unable to even move a muscle or take a breath.


    But right at that moment¡­


    "Divine Ability : Izanami''s Champion!"


    BOOM!!


    A massive and multicolored aura skyrocketed and all the saint pressure mad e of killing intent was thwarted and thrown off of their bodies.


    Thud!


    The rest of the party members were throne few hundreds meters backwards from the point of explosion as the aura erupted.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The blinding light finally faded and in this vast and cold white desert, a ginormous titanic figure appeared, looking down at the saint guardians as if looking at small ants.


    Maximus dius, aka the Hero of Nature had used his divine ability to transform into his perfectly synergized Titan Knight form as they faced the group of saints.


    "Strategy 21." spoke the massive Maximus as his golden hair fluttered in the air and evn his words resonated in the nearby 3 kilometers.


    "Atreus. I leave you in charge. If things go wrong, you know what to do.


    So quickly get away from here. Because the way things are going to happen here from now on¡­" spoke the Hero of Nature with a firm and resolute voice of a overlord as he dered¡­


    "I might end up killing you all by ident."

 Chapter 977 Knight vs Saints

    Chapter 977 Knight vs Saints


    Kahn and the rest of their party hastily retreated from the battlefield as the tumultuous sh of saints erupted, leaving Maximus to confront the formidable adversaries on his own.


    The opponents he faced were no ordinary foes.


    Sylvana, holding the rank of a 1st stage saint, radiated an aura of raw power.


    Zolvik, a 2nd stage saint, harnessed the very essence of darkness.


    Chimera, a 3rd stage saint, unleashed his primal might.


    Melisandre, a 4th stage saint, exuded an air of beguiling authority.


    Towering above them all was Kaaldrum, a 5th stage saint, whose strength seemed nearly insurmountable.


    Despite the ring disparity in their ranks and the fact that, due to the suppression enacted by God''s Domain, Maximus was reduced to the equivalent of a 1st stage saint, he stood resolute and unwavering.


    It was a one-against-five battle, with four of his adversaries boasting higher ranks. Kaaldrum, the 5th guardian, outshone Maximus in power by a staggering twentyfold.


    Most individuals ced in such dire circumstances would have been ovee by sheer terror, their spirits broken as they epted the inevitability of their defeat.


    However, Maximus was no ordinary warrior. He disyed no hint of resignation, as though the very concept of ''fear'' had been erased from his psyche.


    In response to Maximus''s solitary defiance, his formidable foes unleashed their devastating powers with unwavering determination. Their actions showcased a chilling disy of might:


    Sylvana, embracing her 1st stage saint abilities, assumed her towering 200-meter-tall Dryad form. The very earth seemed to tremble beneath her colossal presence as she loomed over the battlefield.


    Zolvik, the master of darkness, exerted his dominion over the nearby 10 kilometers of space. His darkness element transformed the once tranquil area into a foreboding and sinister battleground, shrouded in an imprable veil of obscurity.


    Chimera, manifesting his 3rd stage saint powers, underwent a startling transformation, morphing into a ferocious, 100-meter-tall behemoth. With calcted skill, he eroded the terrain, giving rise to treacherouskes of venom that added an element of treacherous peril to the battleground.


    Melissandre, known as the Beguiling Queen, harnessed her 4th stage saint abilities with an air ofmanding authority. She used the very essence of her aura to conjure a malevolent storm of red, boiling blood.


    In the ominous sky above, 3000 razor-sharp spears, forged from highly vtile blood, materialized, poised to pierce through any armor that dared to challenge them.


    Finally, Kaaldrum, the 5th stage saint, exhibited his overwhelming power. He summoned five colossal, 1-kilometer-tall towers positioned strategically in different directions around Maximus. These towering structures enclosed Maximus from various angles, creating an inescapable prison of immense proportions.


    This entire setup was actually Kaaldrum''s Domain.


    From these towering structures, thousands of 10-meter-long arrows rained down, firing from vertical openings as they relentlessly homed in on Maximus. The onught was unrelenting, a barrage of death aimed squarely at the lone warrior.


    In the face of such overwhelming power, Maximus stood unflinching, his resolve unwavering. His defiance against these insurmountable odds was a testament to his unparalleled courage and indomitable spirit.


    Maximus in his titan knight form was surrounded by enemies far beyond his current strength and capabilities he could face at the moment based onmon sense.


    And despite his perilous situation, he gave the tyrannical look of a fearless warrior as he asked in an overbearing tone¡­


    "Do you truly believe that only this much is enough for me?"


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, Kahn was running away from the saints and thanks to Maximus being the center of attention for now, they managed to run out of the battlefield range.


    "Atreus, what did Maximus talk about?" asked Borat who ran beside Kahn.


    Atreus quickly cast a dome-like structure made of permafrost and hid their existence in the white desert, using the camouge of the battlefield in their favor.


    "Alright, listen to me very carefully." gasped Kahn and spoke in a serious tone.


    "There is a n for situations like this. Maximus being Maximus¡­ he already made ns when circumstances arose that forced him to garner all the attention of powerful enemies which the rest of us could not face." he spoke somberly.


    "And whether you like it or not, all of us will have to put our lives in danger if everyone was toe out alive from such an ordeal." he forewarned.


    Everyone''s expressions turned grim after he told them his n.


    "Are you out of your mind?! This is goddamn suicide!" yelled Rkan in shock.


    "Correct! It''s like willingly leaving your head under a guillotine and hoping that it doesn''t fall." spoke Conan.


    "This¡­ this is madness." said Speki with an incredulous countenance, clearly unhappy.


    However, there was one individual lost in thoughts.


    "Although as dangerous as it seems, it is the most usible n we can work with based on our diminished strength as semi-saints." spoke Borat with a thoughtful expression.


    Then, it was Kahn aka Atreus who spoke¡­


    "This is the only way we can survive this. Because if Maximus falls, all of us are good as dead anyway." he stated firmly.


    "But what if the n fails?" asked Speki.


    "You better hope that it doesn''t¡­ for all of your sakes." said Kahn and started working on his n.


    In actuality, this wasn''t Maximus'' original n but rather the one Rathnaar told Kahn. Thetter was only using Maximus'' name to make all the other members of the Hero''s Partyply.


    ----------------


    BOOM!!


    Amidst the relentless confrontation, a colossal explosion of energy erupted from the battlefield, as Maximus intercepted a surging, beam-like attackunched by Melisandre. The impact of their sh was nothing short of cataclysmic.


    Even Maximus, in his towering 200-meter-tall Titanic Knight form, found himself forcefully propelled back a staggering 300 meters. The sheer power of this High Vampiress, a 4th stage saint despite her human-sized stature, had proven to be an overwhelming force. The shockwaves rippled through the battlefield, a testament to the incredible might at y in this battle of saints.


    "I am Maximus Tiberius dius! The 10th Hero of Nature and the one who is going to end this war against the Demon God.


    If you want to kill me, you will have to do better than this!" proimed Maximus.


    The incredible attack Maximus had just deflected came from an opponent who, by all calctions, should have been 15 times stronger than him. In the realm of logic, it was an attack that should have been lethal, capable of ending his life on the spot. However, to everyone''s astonishment, it merely pushed him back. Maximus had survived an assault that even other 1st stage saint-ranked Heroes would have struggled to withstand, emerging from it unscathed.


    Rumble!


    The ground trembled as thousands of colossal and thorny vines erupted from the sandy terrain. Sylvana, with her formidable skills, wove these vines into existence, seeking to entwine and overpower Maximus. The battlefield itself seemed to respond to her will, transforming into a perilous arena where the very earth conspired against him.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    At the same time, a volley of thousands of ck metallic arrows barraged Maximus from five directions.


    Clink!


    ng!


    These multitudes of arrows hit their target incessantly and kept barraging the titan like a swarm of ants befelling prey.


    Regrettably, Maximus found himself in a dire situation where he couldn''t ess his Terra Domain or Thousand Hands Battlefield. The former required him to attain the rank of a legitimate 5th-stage saint, while thetter demanded the use of World Energy, a resource he had no ess to.


    Thud!


    Maximus''s haggard state was painfully evident as he resembled a porcupine, with thousands of needle-like spikes piercing his battered body. The battle had taken its toll, leaving him in a state of anguish and suffering as the formidable forces arrayed against him continued their unrelenting assault.


    BOOM!!


    Maximus let out a burst of mana, throwing off all the arrows from his body using his sheer aura alone. And before the next attack even came¡­


    Stomp!


    With a hard stomp of his feet, the titan lunged high in the air and his raised his greatsword in the air.


    sh!


    Without wasting his moment, he made a strong vertical sh attack and his target was none other than Sylvana.


    RIP!!


    Before the Dryad Summoner saint could even move, the Hero of Nature cut her entire 200-meter-tall being into two halves.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Maximus wielded a greatsword forged from the elements of Darkness and Lightning, two of the most destructive and potent forces in the realm of reality. With a single powerful sh, he dispatched a legitimate 1st stage saint who stood asrge as himself. The sheer might of his de left no room for defense or escape.


    Before the wood elemental Dryad could begin the process of regeneration, Maximus swiftly took action. He released his shield from his left hand and ced two fingers beneath his lips, a subtle yet calcted move that hinted at a hidden strategy or power yet to be revealed.


    He then took a deep breath and filled his massive lungs made of earth and magma as he prepared for his devastating attack that would end the dryad summoner saint¡­


    "Sage Arts: Majestic Destroyer me!"

 Chapter 978 Twist and Turn

    Chapter 978 Twist and Turn


    In a sudden turn of events, the Hero of Nature seized an opening andunched a surprise attack. Sylvana, the Dryad Summoner, was caught off-guard, her usually gracefulposure momentarily disrupted.


    "Sage Arts: Majestic Destroyer me!"


    A deafening roar followed the incantation, and a furious deluge of scorching, torrential mes erupted from the colossal Maximus''s gaping maw. The inferno surged like a tidal wave, leaving nothing in its wake but blistering and incinerating devastation.


    "ARRRHHHH!!"


    A blood-curdling, bone-chilling scream reverberated throughout the 10-kilometer-wide battlefield. For the first time, the once-silent undead Saints uttered a word, though it took the form of an agonizing and terrified cry.


    Crackle!


    Crackle!


    Maximus''s fire skill raged on, engulfing Sylvana in an unrelenting sea of mes. Her once-graceful form was now a charred and crackling silhouette as the blistering inferno consumed her.


    The intensity of the scalding and pulverizing mes was nothing short of devastating, ranked only below the likes of Amaterasu''s fire and the mythical Dragonfire. It was the kind of fire that could only be defied by those withplete fire immunity like Kahn, a Royal Dragon with an innate affinity for fire, or the Hero of Fire themselves. Anything less, and their fate was sealed.


    The relentless ze could reduce even the hardest of metals to molten pools in a matter of seconds, leaving no room for escape or salvation.


    As the mes devoured Sylvana, the battle''s dynamics shifted once more, leaving the remaining adversaries to confront a newfound level of dread and uncertainty.


    [His mastery over the fire element surpasses even yours, despite Vildred''s training.] Rathnaar remarked.


    [That''s not surprising, considering he''s the Hero of Nature.] Kahn replied.


    [Not quite true. The Hero of Nature I faced in my time was only half as skilled as he is. He''s on par with the likes of Romulus and those Fireborne royals from the Vulcan Empire, such as Venessa and Havi.] Rathnaar praised, acknowledging the unparalleled talent of the Hero of Nature.


    [Listen, kid, no matter what, try to build a rapport with him, even after you leave the Beast Empire.


    Having him as a powerful ally might be crucial in the event you ever find yourself forced to confront that Demon God.] Rathnaar advised without hesitation.


    [Well, let''s hope it doesn''te to that. Even though I''m skeptical about trusting him too much, given his persona as a righteous hero with a saviorplex, I''d still prefer not to have him as an enemy.] Kahn exined his concerns echoing theplexities of alliances and enmities in their perilous world.


    As Sylvana was swiftly reduced to cinders, her body crumbling and turning into ash in a matter of seconds, Maximus revealed a hidden card from his arsenal.


    With a single, devastating fire skill, he incinerated a 1st stage saint, obliterating everything in its path.


    The tide of the battle had shifted dramatically, now pitting Maximus against four formidable adversaries.


    The challengey in the fact that all of them were 2nd stage saint-ranked or higher.


    Without ess to world energy or his domain, the odds were heavily stacked against Maximus. While he had proven his exceptional prowess, the task of defeating these powerful foes single-handedly was an arduous one, and the oue of the battle remained uncertain.


    [This¡­ I''m running out of mana. Using one of my trump cards while being restricted to semi-saint rank has depleted a lot of my reserves.


    I can hardlyst for half an hour at this rate.] thought Maximus to himself.


    As Maximus wrestled with his thoughts, his mana reserves dwindling due to the use of one of his trump cards while being confined to a semi-saint rank, he contemted the grim reality. His capabilities were waning, and he estimated that he could hardly endure for a while.


    However, just as the Hero of Nature grappled with his predicament, an unexpected phenomenon unfolded.


    Swoosh!


    BOOM!


    Out of nowhere, four enigmatic figures materialized behind the remaining saints. They released a surge of formidable auras that captured the undivided attention of those on the battlefield.


    In a bold and brazen move, Rkan, Speki, Conan, and Borat intentionally revealed themselves to the saints. While these saints had been aware of their presence all along, their focus had remained steadfastly fixed on Maximus, deeming the semi-saints as non-threatening distractions.


    "Hey, half-naked bitch! Didn''t your master tell you to catch and torture us first?!" shouted Borat, his words aimed squarely at Melisandre, who hovered in the sky.


    "Hey, you, Chimera bastard! My dog looks better than your ugly face!" Conan taunted with unapologetic provocation, his words intended for Chimera.


    "Hey, ckie... why do you like metal so much? Do you use those rods to put it in your ass?" Speki spoke with irreverence, targeting Kaaldrum, the archer.


    "Look at this giant bastard. How many houses did you eat this morning?" Rkan mocked, his taunts directed at Zolvik, the gargoyle assassin.


    One by one, the saints found their attention diverted to the members of the Hero''s Party, drawn by the audacious and insolent remarks. The situation had taken a sudden and unexpected turn, leaving the saints momentarily disoriented and conflicted as to whom to target first.


    "CATCH THEM ALL FIRST!"


    Amanding voice, as if resonating from the very fabric of the realm itself, emerged with authority. It was Marcus, who had been overseeing the spectacle from somewhere within the realm.


    His previous orders had been clear: capture all the members of the Hero''s Party and force Maximus to witness as hispanions were mercilessly ughtered.


    Now that these allies had daringly chosen to reveal themselves, the time hade for his orders to be executed.


    ----------------


    Shing!


    Shing!


    All the 4 saints used their saint pressure and like plucking a bud from the nt, they pulled the members of the Hero''s Party towards them respectively.


    "Dammit!" cursed Rkan as his bones shook and his mind was bombarded with the intense killing intent of a saint as Zolvik pulled the Basilisk-kin close to him.


    His life now literally hung in the grasp of the 2nd stage saint who could kill the mage with just a single thought.


    "Oh, fuck!"


    The same thing happened with others, all of whom now faced the same dangers as their fates rested in the hands of their captors.


    "Let them go!" bellowed Maximus, his ear-deafening voice sending tremors in the desert.


    And just like before, Marcus spoke again from ces unknown¡­


    "Haha ha ha. Look at you¡­ already faltering at the first sight of your allies in danger.


    Do you think I will end it so swiftly?" asked the 7th Hero of Nature.


    "There''s no swift death in my book. I will not only have them killed, but also turn them into my undeads and then make them fight you.


    I want to see the look of despair and helplessness as your own subordinates take your life." proimed the Necromancer Hero.


    Maximus revealed an incongruous expression due to this predicament. This was not going ording to his previousmand at all.


    [What''s happening right now? This was not the strategy I told him.


    Wait¡­ where is he?!] he thought.


    But right then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind¡­


    [Use the Strategy 37, now!]


    Maximus'' eyes were shocked but without wasting another second, he suddenly raised his aura.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Suddenly, both of his glowing white eyes sizzled as if an enormous amount of energy was being charged inside.


    And before any of the saints could react¡­


    Shoot!


    A massiveserbeam made of light element shot forward from his eyes, attacking and vaporizing everything that he looked at.


    BOOM!


    Rumble!


    Maximus in his massive titan form was literally shootingsers out of his eyes like Superman.


    Bang!


    All the saints had to summon and use their various defensive skills to protect themselves such as barrier and magic formations.


    Being saints, this was the only form of protection for them to avoid getting critically injured by a chosen Hero like Maximus even if he was reduced to only a semi-saint.


    Meanwhile, all of their attention was focused on the Hero of Nature to defend themselves as they caged his subordinates as their prisoners.


    And right when all the captors were pulled closer as the saints defended themselves from Maximus''ser eyes¡­


    Swoosh!


    In the blink of a moment, 4 blue figures jumped off from the bodies of these captured semi-saint.


    "Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherf*ckers!"


    Before any of the saints could even register this sudden ambush by 4 identical figures of a blue fenrirborne¡­


    sh!


    At the exact moment on all 4 fronts, Kahn as Atreus used the Dimensional Cut skill and shed apart all of their necks at the exact time regardless of where they stood on the battlefield, killing them instantly.


    "NO!!!!"


    A harrowing voice resounded in the desert realm as Marcus''s figure was revealed 5 kilometers away above a sand dune.


    Crumble!


    The yellow barrier he had around him shattered like ss and his figure fell on the dune.


    "Blergh!"


    The 6th stage saint coughed up blood as he suffered an immensely painful and agonizing bacsh.


    "And that''s howdies and gentlemen¡­" spoke Atreus on all 4 ends in unison as he dered¡­


    "You break the Necromancer Divine Ability."

 Chapter 979 Cornered and Neutralized

    Chapter 979 Cornered and Neutralized


    In a remarkable turn of events, Kahn had orchestrated a series of calcted moves that culminated in the takedown of all the saint guardians at the veryst moment, thanks to a well-executed surprise attack. However, this wasn''t a matter of sheer luck; every move had been meticulously nned.


    There was a specific reason why Marcus had summoned only the five saints and had refrained from summoning any other undead or skeletal monsters, as a standard Necromancer might. The keyy in the fact that the higher-ranked the undead, the more and denser energy they required. By summoning the saints, Marcus had already taxed his reserves to the limit, leaving him with minimal energy to spare for additional creatures.


    Rathnaar, the Conqueror, was the expert on dealing with a Necromancer Hero, and he had shared a crucial piece of knowledge with Kahn when he outlined the strategy. This insight revolved around the first significant weakness of the Necromancy Divine Ability.


    The crux of the matter was that if a Necromancer Hero summoned creatures or undead entitiesparable to High Lords, or individuals akin to Grandmasters or Semi-Saints, the ability was highly manageable. In such cases, all that was required was a sufficient reserve of mana, something a 6th stage saint like Marcus had in abundance. With an ample supply of mana, the Necromancer Hero could conjure millions of undead entities to overwhelm and eliminate the Hero''s Party.


    However, the dynamic shifted when it came to beings of legendary or mythical stature, such as Saints. These entities, when summoned as undeads,cked the possession of their own World Energy. This fundamental distinction marked the line between a proper living saint and an undead saint in Vantrea''s lore.


    Beings of such high caliber, when summoned as undeads, depended entirely on an external source for their World Energy to ess their saintly skills and abilities. The direct and immediate source of this energy was, unsurprisingly, the caster, which, in this context, was the Necromancer Hero. This vulnerability presented a crucial opening in any battle against a Necromancer Hero, as it offered a means to disrupt their control and the abilities of the summoned undeads, creating a critical weakness that could be exploited.


    After summoning them, Marcus Brutus was the sole source of the guardians'' strength and without his own world energy, they couldn''t use a single skill.


    This was also the main reason why Marcus Brutus hadn''t actually fought the battle by himself from the very beginning after he summoned the saint guardians and used a protection barrier to defend himself as he disappeared into nothingness in front of their eyes.


    This whole time, as the saint guardians fought Maximus, it was he who provided them world energy through their innate link between the Necromancer and summons. This was also the reason why he chose to hide since he was in a vulnerable state due to his mistake of summoning all of them at the same time.


    And then, Rathnaar revealed the 2nd biggest w that he himself found and used back when he fought a chosen Hero with Necromancer Divine Ability when he was alive.


    [Once you kill all the summoned creatures and saints used by a Necromancer Hero, the Divine Ability somehow shuts down and goes into a Reset Mode.


    However, it is nearly impossible to execute because the numbers are often too high and killing them all at once is without a second of dy is something unachievable by many.]


    This was what Rathnaar told Kahn from the memories. And afterward, he told Kahn how to use his own skills to achieve that feat when he nned to neutralize the Necromancer Divine Ability.


    Kahn following his orders, used his Cosmic Replicas that appeared as normal doppelgangers and hid in the shadows of the other Hero''s Party members when they made the n under that icy dome as they hid away from the battlefield.


    But the biggest advantage they had here was provided to them by none other than Marcus Brutus himself.


    Due to his own arrogance and the fact that Maximus had vexed him, he summoned his strongest summons at that moment aka the other guardians who were saints.


    This approach forced him to go into hiding and made him vulnerable, opening the door for Kahn to utilize the 2nd weakness of the divine ability.


    Again, the Goddess of Luck had favored Kahn who had the cosmic replica skill at this point and all of these copies were just exactly him in different bodies,pletely interlinked and sharing the same consciousness.


    When Kahn told his n to others, they all called it a ''suicide n'', and rightfully so.


    Since Marcus had ordered his summons to capture and torture the Hero''s Party members, it was evident that if they presented themselves to the guardians, the first thing they would do was to capture them.


    And after Maximus killed Sylvana again on his own, it left only 4 guardians that they needed to target.


    Hence, it was Borat, Conan, Speki and Rkan who intentionally revealed themselves as Kahn hid in their shadows while erasing his entire existence using the cosmic replicas.


    One could say that Kahn achieving the 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law was a godsend achievement that helped him in this situation because even a 6th stage saint like Marcus Brutus failed to sense his replicas since they used the cosmic aether and not mana or world energy like normal doppelgangers.


    And finally, as the members were captured, it was Kahn who executed them all at close range using Dimensional Cut with absolutely perfect timing with unfathomable precision.


    To Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature¡­ Maximus was the biggest threat so he had neglected Kahnpletely and that slight ignorance now caused the Last Guardian to cough up an ample amount of blood as his Necromancer Divine Ability was temporarily rendered useless.


    [Don''t worry. He won''t be able to use that Divine Ability for at least 24 Hours.


    Although this ability protects him from suffering many types of bacshes and consequences on his own body¡­ what we targeted here was not the ability itself but his core.] revealed Kahn.


    [So by using his own world energy that he supplied to his saint summons, we damaged his core by cutting off the connection abruptly when he was in a vulnerable state?] asked Kahn.


    [Correct. And no matter how good and overpowered a Divine Ability is¡­ It cannot subvert the direct damage to the user''s core.


    That is why killing all the summons at the exact same moment was important. His core could simply not handle such a shock that came from all the links he had with the summoned entities.


    That is exactly how I defeated a Necromancer Hero in my time.] dered Rathnaar proudly.


    [Wait¡­ I have to ask. How did you or what kind of skills did you use back then during your battle?] questioned Kahn curiously since he had no idea how Rathnaar became the man he was and what kind of powers he possessed.


    To this day, Kahn only knew that the former Peak Saint of Vantrea was a Swordsman by ss but what element he used and what kind of skill he had¡­ Kahn had no idea.


    And to his query, Rathnaar replied calmly¡­


    [I don''t remember. Did you forget that those memories are sealed with the other half of my soul?] responded Rathnaar satirically.


    Kahn rolled his eyes in annoyance and now focused on the injured Hero.


    Swoosh!


    His cosmic replicas disappeared and now he jumped down and joined the others.


    Maximus too had deactivated Izanami''s Champion divine ability and regrouped with them as they marched towards Marcus Brutus who was rendered helpless since the damage to his core had temporarily cut of his ess to world energy as his saint powers.


    "Atreus, we know you can use doppelgangers but what kind of invisible skill that was¡­ the one you used to cut their heads off?" asked Speki, the fire summoner peacock-kin.


    To him, Atreus replied sternly¡­


    "I can tell you. But then I''ll have to kill you."


    Gulp!


    Speki''s countenance turned horrified, remembering the times when Atreus literally cooked his arms and legs and ate them in front of him.


    "Forget that I asked."


    In just a few minutes, they covered the 5 kilometers gap between themselves and Brutus.


    Woosh!


    Woosh!


    And unlike the previous situation¡­


    It was the 7th Hero of Nature who was surrounded by his enemies from all sides.


    "Anyst words?" asked Maximus as the mages from the party cast barriers and formations, binding Marcus in inescapable magical chains while the melee ss activated their offensive skills to kill him the moment he made any suspicious moves.


    "You¡­ How did you know?


    That killing them all at once will neutralize my divine ability?"


    Instead of responding to Maximus, Brutus looked at Atreus with a wrathful countenance and asked with a pissed-off expression¡­


    "I don''t know. Maybe a ghost of some powerful venerable immortal whispered it in my ears." replied Kahn as he shrugged off his arms casually.


    This was something even Maximus was curious about but did not put too much importance on it since they were now one step closer to their main goal.


    "This ends now. Make your final prayers if you believe in any god." dered Maximus as he put his greatsword on Brutus'' neck.


    "Hah! Looks like you still haven''t realized. This isn''t just some random ce." said thest guardian and the very following moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    A massive surge of ck aura erupted and all the magical formations and chains on his body shattered like ss as the Hero''s Party members were thrown off far away in different directions.


    In the sky, the two moons suddenly turned ck like an eclipse as two massive red formations appeared on their surface.


    "This ce is Hell. More urately¡­" dered the Necromancer Hero with pride and a sinister voice¡­


    "THIS IS MY HELL!!"

 Chapter 980 Master of the Realm

    Chapter 980 Master of the Realm


    Marcus Brutus possessed the power to manipte reality using the ominous eyes that hung in the sky, granting him his freedom from captivity and overturning the situation.


    "Looks like I need to teach you all your ce." he spoke as his sceptor glowed yellow and shot a blinding white beam in the sky, towards the eyes-like moons.


    Crackle!


    Rumble!


    Under his control, the once arid desert was transformed into a battlefield crafted from magma and stone, with rivers of moltenva coursing through it. The very nature of gravity felt altered, making the battlefield a surreal and treacherousndscape. Thousands of lightning bolts rained down from the sky, heralding the manifestation of Marcus''s will in this altered reality.


    ''This is my Hell.''


    As his power took hold and the world around them transformed, the truth of his words became evident.


    And now, all those presentprehended the full extent of his dominion over the realm and the profound danger that loomed over them. The battle had entered a new and more nightmarish phase, where reality itself was a malleable canvas for the Necromancer Hero''s grim intentions.


    However, everything about this world was unnatural in many senses.


    BOOM!!


    But then, unexpectedly, a resounding boom echoed through the realm. In an astonishing turn of events, all the members of the Hero''s Party felt as if the restrictions on their bodies were lifting.


    They experienced a profound transformation, and in an instant, they reverted to their former state as Saints.


    "What''s this? Isn''t God''s Domain supposed to keep us limited to Semi-Saints?" Borat questioned, his expression one of perplexity.


    "No, we are no longer in God''s Domain... we''re in his Domain." Atreus remarked, having astutely analyzed the unique signature of mana and world energy that surrounded them.


    [I understand what his second Divine Ability is.] Atreus revealed, shedding light on the nature of the Necromancer Hero''s extraordinary power.


    [It''s called the Visionary''s Reality.] he proimed with a conflicted countenance.


    [What''s this? I never faced any Hero with this type of divine ability. As a matter of fact, it''s the first time I''ve heard about it.] said Rathnaar.


    [Well, I remember it because of my Eidetic Memory.


    This is one of the most OP but also one of the hardest to achieve divine ability just like my Dimensional Law.


    The reason I didn''t choose it back then is because even I could tell that one would need centuries to perfect and use this divine ability.] exined Kahn.


    [As far as I remember, this was one of those divine abilities that were chosen only once among all the summoned heroes till this day when the God of Darkness presented them to me.


    Now I can finally see that it was Marcus Brutus who chose it 700 years ago.] he iterated with aplicated expression.


    [Kid, are we in trouble?] askedRathnaar.


    [Very much so. Because this ability allows the user''s imagination or let''s call it his vision, to be reality.


    It''s not like my Lucid Reality where all of it is just an illusion, rather the world itself bends to the user''s will and everything will turn into whatever he was.


    He can turn mountains into rivers or icebergs intova. He can change anything he wants.] rified Kahn.


    [What?! If this type of Divine Ability exists, why did no other heroes choose it?


    This can even rival a Peak Saint if the Hero ever became a 9th stage saint.] Rathnaar gave his opinion.


    [That''s the main problem. Back then, one of the drawbacks I noticed while reading the skill description was that one must be able to influence the world around them first to unlock it.


    Now I understand that it meant unlocking your own Domain, which can happen only if you be a 5th-stage saint at least.


    And also, it would take mastering certain types of magic arts to reinforce it.


    The information about those arts was non-existent in those details. Even to me, it was like throwing a rock in an endless pit where you didn''t know if you will ever be able to use this divine ability at all.


    But this guy, Marcus Brutus¡­ he made it possible.] dered Kahn.


    Despite the fact that the 7th Hero of Nature, Marcus Brutus, stood as an enemy and a grave threat to his life, Kahn couldn''t help but feel a trace of respect and admiration for this formidable adversary. Having experienced the unlocking of his own Dimensional Law divine ability through a stroke of sheer luck, Kahn understood the magnitude of the risks Marcus Brutus had undertaken.


    The Necromancer Hero''s unwavering determination and the extent of his power were impossible to ignore, even in the face of their deadly conflict.


    [Wait¡­ this Hero, is indeed a formidable and experienced tactician.] said Rathnaar.


    [What do you mean?] queried Kahn.


    [Think about it... He chose the Necromancy Divine Ability to raise his rank, to amplify his firepower through his undead creations, and, most crucially, to ensure that he would emerge from any battle alive, as his opponents would typically remain unaware of the only weakness of this divine ability.


    And after bing a 5th stage saint, he unlocked and mastered the Visionary''s Reality Divine Ability as well.


    Regardless of the time it took him to perfect his second divine ability and the world he created within his domain, thebination of these two divine abilities would render him both unkible and unbeatable.


    It was undoubtedly a perilous and exceedingly challengingbination to achieve, but this Hero managed to make it possible.


    At the zenith of his strength, I firmly believe that this individual would possess the power to vanquish the Demon God.


    Even I, Rathnaar Whitlock, have to acknowledge his farsightedness." Rathnaar exined and praised, his admiration for the Necromancer Hero''s strategic brilliance evident in his words.


    What Rathnaar expressed was an undeniable truth. Marcus Brutus was a summoned hero, much like Kahn, and he possessed a unique set of abilities and potential.


    Yet, fate had woven its intricate and mysterious tapestry. The one hero who held the potential to vanquish the Demon God had been inexplicably confined within God''s Domain ever since he entered the Conve of Heroes nearly 700 years ago.


    The reasons behind this enigmatic imprisonment remained shrouded in uncertainty, but now, they found themselves on the brink of a harrowing battle against the very person.


    [Don''t be in such a hurry to praise, old man. There are also reasons why I didn''t choose this divine ability.] interjected Kahn.


    [Oh really, what are those then?] asked the peak saint with genuine curiosity.


    [There are mainly 2 drawbacks that could be used to ovee this divine ability.


    One of the drawbacks of using Visionary''s Reality is that although you can turn the world into whatever you want¡­ you''re also subjected to thews of reality that your imagination manifested.


    And the second is that this world that you created will defy and break apart all the restrictions andws ced by the outside world.


    That''s the reason why the suppression of semi-saint rank ced by Babylon no longer works on us.


    And now, Maximus, Borat are also capable of using our Domains in this different reality.


    So even if it''s the world Marcus Brutus created¡­ he has lost his advantage of being a 6th stage saint over us.] spoke Kahn with a grin.


    [If his Necromancy divine ability was still active and he could summon all the saint guardians in this world of his creation, it would have been extremely hard for us to survive.


    But now that we have disabled it for an entire day¡­ we still have a chance to defeat him.


    It''s now Six Saints vs One Guardian. And three of us are 5th-stage saints and above.


    You could say that his desperation after losing his ess to world energy because of the damage to his core and us forcing him to use his 2nd divine ability has helped us instead.


    Now, we no longer have to fear him. Instead, he should fear us.] dered Kahn as he too looked forward to ending this battle once and for all.


    Their entire conversation took ce within 10 seconds in the real world as Marcus Brutus had finallypleted establishing his world.


    Kahn in his Atreus persona quickly contacted Maximus.


    [I have a n. But it will need both of us to risk our lives.


    And also, you won''t be able to protect anyone but yourself.] he spoke in the Hero of Nature''s mind.


    Kahn was nning to use both the weaknesses of the Visionary''s Reality divine ability.


    However, even at the present moment, he needed Maximus'' help unless he wanted to reveal his secrets such as Dimensional Domain, his Cosmic Replicas, or the variety of his skills that should be impossible to perform given his identity as an Ice-elemental Brawler ss warrior.


    [Atreus¡­ I have to ask you something important before we start this fight.]


    However, in response¡­ Maximus queried in a grim voice as he continued his question¡­


    [What the hell is your real identity?!]

 Chapter 981 Deception and Reality

    Chapter 981 Deception and Reality


    Before the battle evenmenced, Maximus abruptly questioned Atreus about his true identity.


    This unexpected revtion left Kahn in a state of shock, as no one could anticipate such a direct and incisive inquiry at that moment.


    The tension and intrigue surrounding the impending conflict were further heightened by this sudden turn of events.


    [What do you mean?] asked Kahn in return.


    [I''ve known you since before you even became a member of the Hero''s party.] Maximus dered with a stern demeanor.


    [The circumstances of your victory in the Elysium Tribal tourney and your subsequent inclusion in this group are well-documented.


    Your remarkable feat of defeating everyone on the very first day of yourmemoration has not gone unnoticed.] stated Maximus in a stern voice.


    [However, ever since we entered Babylon, you have done things that shouldn''t be possible.


    Whether it was finding and killing the guardian of the 2nd region by yourself or leaving that Chimera and Melisandre''s illusion techniques¡­ you have achieved those things at the same pace as me, a chosen Hero.


    And just a few minutes ago, you skillfully neutralized thest guardian''s divine ability as if you knew its weakness from the very start.] he revealed his reasons for doubt.


    [Those are things that even I can''t achieve without going all out with my other 2 divine abilities and my divine weapon. And now, you already have a n to execute despite seeing this divine ability by Marcus for the first time.


    You even used that suspicious invisible attack that cut off their heads in an instant as if you were not a brawler but a swordsman or an assassin.


    It''s almost as if you already know a lot of divine abilities and heroes despite not being one.] he dered in a suspicious voice.


    [Do you expect me to believe that you''re just a normal member of the Hero''s Party and not someone with ulterior motives?


    I''d rather charge into the battle blindly than fight beside someone who might backstab me when I least expect it.] dered Maximus without hesitation in Kahn''s mind.


    [So tell me, who are you exactly?] he asked one more time while clenching his fist.


    Even Kahn could feel that if he didn''t answer Maximus right now¡­ things would beplicated to the point that he might end up fighting the hero instead of Marcus Brutus.


    [My my, looks like you have caught onto my truth.] responded Kahn with an incredulous countenance.


    [Who are you and why are you here?] questioned the Hero of Nature again.


    [Consider me as someone who was supposed to keep you in check in case you¡­ a human, decided to work against our Nadur Empire.] revealed Atreus in an almost threatening tone.


    [What nonsense is that?] asked Maximus with a bewildered tone.


    [It is exactly as you heard. I am a hidden card of the empire who was secretly trained by the Empress and my Master, taught the weaknesses and overall knowledge of Divine Abilities as well as Divine Weapons.


    All so that if one day you decide to betray us and your role as a summoned Hero of Nature¡­ I will be the one to take you on and capture you.] stated Atreus in a tyrannical voice.


    [What the hell is that supposed to mean? I would never betray my responsibility and the people I''m supposed to protect.] replied Maximus.


    [Don''t fret over it. I''m not necessarily your enemy.


    I am just a failsafe of the empire since we can''t trust you humans who once enved us.


    Looks like you don''t know what happened to the Heroine of Nature who was summoned 300 years ago.] he iterated mysteriously as if revealing an unknown truth of the past to Maximus.


    [What are you even talking about?] questioned Maximus in bewilderment.


    [That bitch was a human too and just like you, she too was shunned and discriminated by the people of our empire in the beginning.


    During the Conve of Heroes that happened 300 years ago, she almost betrayed the empire and tried to join hands with an empire run by humans.


    If not for already taken precautionary methods, that human bitch would have joined an enemy side after she sacrificed all of the party members to these guardians.


    That''s why I joined the Hero''s Party in the most unsuspecting way.


    I met you that day when we fought the mythical Cherufe and then won the tribal tourney just to put up a show in front of the whole empire.


    Everything was nned by our great Empress and no one, not even these baffoons besides you know anything about it.] exined Atreus in a serious tone, revealing his grim truth.


    [This¡­ is that why you know all these things about divine abilities?


    Is that all you are¡­ a spy of the empire?] asked Maximus in disbelief.


    [What? You expect me to be some righteous man like you?


    Not everyone fights for the sake of people, Maximus. Some people like me live to serve the ruling powers of the empire.


    And if it meant keeping an eye even on the representative sent by our God of Nature¡­ so be it.] dered Atreus again in his icy tone.


    Now, everything made sense to Maximus. Not a single encounter he had with the blue wolfkin was due to coincidence.


    The empire nned everything, trying to make Maximus trust Atreus as his close ally that he would divulge secret information to once their friendship became stronger.


    [If I hadn''t been suspicious of his actions since the beginning, I would have almost thought of him as my truerade in arms.


    That damn empress¡­ she still has her threads binding me no matter where I go.] he though with an incongruous countenance.


    [Now tell me what it will be, Maximus?


    I have already told you that I will act only if you show any signs of betraying the empire.


    But if you do what you are supposed to do, then I''m your strongest and most capable ally.


    So make a decision now.] spoke Atreus as he gave the hero a final intimation.


    After a few more seconds of thought, which was a couple of minutes for a saint, Maximus finally came to terms with their current situation and affirmed hispliance.


    [Fine. But after we are done with this whole Conve of Heroes, we are definitely not allies.] spoke Maximus as he prepared himself for the battle.


    ----------------


    As for this entire narration¡­ it was a big fat white lie.


    Whether Kahn had been operating as an undercover spy or his covert training in divine abilities, he had deftly woven a narrative on the spot that leveraged his wits and cunning.


    Crafting an effective deception required a keen understanding of psychology, and Kahn was well aware that the most believable lies were those mixed with half-truths.


    Kahn had chosen to acknowledge that he had a secret identity only after Maximus had already be suspicious. This strategic move was calcted to maintain a semnce of trust. Because if he tried to act innocent, then the Hero would pry more into the truth than Kahn could let on.


    He intentionally started this lie with the time when he first encountered Maximus during the battle against Cherufe, redirecting the Hero of Nature''s focus toward past events and the surprise they had elicited.


    Kahn also mentioned his victory in the tournament as part of therger n, adding credibility to his narrative.


    As for the matters concerning the previous Heroine who had entered the God''s Altar 300 years ago, it was Marcus Brutus who had casually revealed that she had used her allies as shields to escape.


    This detail was a crucialponent of Kahn''s deception, serving to corroborate his own fabricated story and make it more convincing to Maximus, giving a logical exnation as to why he was sent here as a member of the Hero''s Party.


    The diversion created by Kahn in the story was a masterful stroke that served to bolster his narrative of being an undercover spy tasked with monitoring Maximus due to the alleged treasonmitted by the previous Heroine of Nature.


    Also, Kahn could not reveal that his knowledge of the divine abilities came from his memories since he too was a chosen Hero and neither could he speak about Rathnaar, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea who had faced and overcame the Necromancy divine ability.


    So his entire narrative was carefully constructed to divert attention away from Kahn''s true intentions and his source of knowledge.


    In the end, what Kahn had provided Maximus with was an even greater adversary, the Empress Kaali Adisesha.


    By doing so, Kahn effectively framed himself as a mere pawn in a muchrger and more intricate scheme.


    This strategic move was calcted to refocus Maximus''s attention on the Empress and her potential machinations, thereby diverting suspicion away from Kahn and his true objectives.


    It was a brilliant maneuver that showcased Kahn''s adeptness at maniption and subterfuge.


    In the end, Kahn emphasized that Atreus would not be his enemy unless Maximus'' actions showed signs of treason.


    This deration allowed for a potential resolution that hinged on their actions rather than mere assumptions.


    As any mature adult would do when faced with a conflict of interests, Maximus considered the possibilities and recognized the need forpromise in this situation given that they had to fight a powerful enemy in just a few seconds.


    With the few details he already possessed and a touch of his own imagination, Kahn formted this borate narrative on the spot, showcasing the extent of his strategic thinking and his capacity to adapt toplex situations.


    It was a testament to Kahn''s quick wit and resourcefulness in navigating the intricate web of alliances and betrayals that surrounded them.


    The Art of Lying stated that¡­


    A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.


    If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.


    Thus, Kahn used Deception and mixed it with Reality to hide his true identity as Hero of Darkness.

 Chapter 982 Knight vs Necromancer

    Chapter 982 Knight vs Necromancer


    As soon as the matter was settled temporarily, all the members of the Hero''s Party, now in their Saint forms started positioning themselves with their weapons, armor, spells, and barriers to face Marcus Brutus.


    The battlefield was no longer going to be small like before but rather arge one spanning for at least 35 kilometers given the fact that the Necromancer Hero was a 6th stage saint.


    [Ha ha ha!! Boy, I must say you have a great talent in lying anding out with most surprising but believable nonsense on the spot.


    You surely deserve some sort of acting award for that bullshit you just convinced Maximus of.] spoke Rathnaar as heughed hysterically in Kahn''s mind.


    [Sorry, but the Academy isn''t worthy of judging my acting talent.] responded Kahn and he jumped from the desert ground and now flew in their air.


    [Are you ready¡­ ''Lord Hero''?


    There''s noing back once we start. And you can''t protect others since it''s you who has to do all the heavy lifting.] stated Atreus as he asked for final confirmation.


    [Fine, just tell me what to do.] responded Maximus.


    [Alright, this is the n¡­]


    Soon, after Kahn told Maximus his n and the others telepathically, everyone changed into a new battle formation with Maximus and Atreus at the front.


    Borat and Conan were now left in charge of protecting the mages aka Rkan and Speki.


    BOOM!!


    "Divine Ability: Izanami''s Champion!" shouted Maximus and his aura of a 5th-stage saint erupted, sending shockwaves in the3-kilometer radius.


    In an instant, the Knight Hero''s body, along with his weapon, shield, and armor, began to grow exponentially, as multiple elements of reality coalesced and engulfed him. What transpired was an unbelievable transformation.


    Within just 15 seconds, the Hero of Nature had be a ginormous being standing at a towering 1 kilometer tall.


    His eyes were like lightning, his arms and shoulders transformed into thergest tree trunks in the world, and his legs turned into the hardest of metals. His once-golden hair now floated and zed like the sun.


    In his hand, the 700-meter-tall and 300-meter-wide shield turned dark gray, carrying both earth and metal elements, while his 500-meter-long greatsword became a destructivebination of both lightning and darkness elements.


    "Sage Arts 1st Form: Thousand Hands Battlefield!"


    In the following moment, over a thousand hands made up of all the elements of nature started emerging from the newly realized battlefield within the 30-kilometer radius, each being 500 meters tall and covering the battlefield from all directions and ces as if Maximus had no intentions to let Brutus even catch a breath.


    "Hahaha! Are you stupid? Didn''t I tell you that in this realm, I control everything?" mocked the Necromancer Hero openly.


    [Good. Divert his attention. He can''t even use the world energy right now other than his Divine Ability.


    Whatever he does now to change thews of this world he created, it will never be as effective and dangerous to us at his peak strength.] informed Kahn.


    "You''re forgetting something. Even if it''s a divine ability¡­ you''re not fighting a single domain." replied the titan hero.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    "Domain Expansion: Nature''s Fury!" shouted Borat, the green-maned lionkin.


    As the emerald aura permeated the ground beneath them, an astonishing transformation urred within the ancient ruins. Terraforming magic surged through the scorching ground, causing the emergence of a mesmerizing sight.


    From the shattered remnants of the ck boulders, thousands of colossal vines, trees, and vibrant multicolored flowers sprouted forth.


    These towering flora, shrouded in a deep green hue, reached heights of hundreds of meters and spanned dozens of meters in width.


    This wondrous and unnatural phenomenon was Borat''s domain.


    His mastery over nature and the ability to manipte nt life manifested in this breathtaking disy of power. The vines intertwined and coiled, creating a sprawling canopy that stretched above, while the colossal trees stood as sentinels of Borat''s domain, their branches reaching toward the sky.


    The air became saturated with the scent of earth and vegetation, as the vibrant flowers bloomed, adorning the surroundings with a kaleidoscope of colors.


    The once deste and scaldingly hot battlefield was transformed into a vibrant, living sanctuary¡ªa testament to Borat''smand over the natural forces.


    From the domain of Wood, hundreds of towering trees and vines shot forth, resembling spears thrusting towards their target. The already-established domain expanded its reach, seeking to ensnare and pierce Marcus with its vegetative assault.


    Alongside the trees, the colossal flowers radiated a blinding light, their petals creating a dazzling spectacle meant to disorient and confuse their opponent.


    Schoom!


    One after another, Rkan and Speki cast multiple barriers and magic formations that buffed the first 3batants who could use domains and enhanced their attack prowess while creating multiple barriers and shields to safeguard themselves.


    [Kid, are you going to your domain too? That could create some trouble for you.] spoke Rathnaar.


    [No. If I use that, even Maximus will be hostile since Dimensional Domain is only possible with a Divine Ability or essible to someone who spent centuries practicing Space Law.


    However, I do have an alternative.] replied Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    The very next moment, his body surged forth with a domineering and insurmountable blue aura as a massive tsunami of permafrost emerged with Atreus as the epicenter.


    Dhang!


    Rumble!


    Massive pirs of water arose while the surrounding domains created by Maximus and Borat started synergizing with this wave of permafrost, intermingling perfectly with these tides and stormy bodies of water that Atreus created.


    Sizzle!


    Thisbination of liquid-like permafrost that moved like sea tides shed against the moltenva and the scorching heat, nullifying the intensity of Marcus'' own Domain he created using the Visionary''s Reality.


    And at the same time, it did not affect or impede Maximus'' titan form in any way. One could say that the Necromancer Hero was surrounded from all sides and had lost advantage of his own domain that should have acted in his favor, solely because of the perfect coalition between the domains of 3 saints.


    "Surrender now and we might grant you a peaceful death." spoke Maximus, his voice echoing in the 10-kilometer radius due to his titan form.


    "Hah! That''s funny. It was supposed to be my line. s, the time to show mercy has been gone long past.


    Now it''s time for me to show why I feel no sense of threat from the likes of you."


    The battlefield crackled with intense energy as the sh between the Hero''s Party and Marcus Brutus unfolded. Marcus, a master of manipting the Visionary''s Reality, utilized the transformed terrain to his advantage.


    Magma rivers flowed, and stone structures rose like ominous sentinels, creating andscape that seemed to obey his very will.


    Seizing control of gravity, Marcus employed the altered gravitational forces strategically.


    As attacks wereunched by the Hero''s Party, he deftly manipted gravity to redirect their trajectories, turning the onught against their own teammates.


    Sometimes he turned Borat''s trees into sand, Atreus'' Ice pirs and spears into water vapour and Maximus'' sword attacks into mere clouds.


    Maximus, with his imposing Titan Knight form, found himself challenged as Marcus exploited the terrain, using gravity as an unseen force to twist and distort the trajectory of every swing and strike.


    The thousand-hand battlefield that could destroy 30 kilometers of terrain easily with his will alone was losing its battle strength because Brutus was easily changing their elemental property and turning them into exactly different elements that countered the effects of the original ones, rendering them ineffective since it broke Maximus'' control of world energy.


    The Hero''s Party, despite their formidable skills, struggled against Marcus''s control over the environment.


    The battlefield echoed with the sh of attacks and the asional roar of the altered elements. The Hero''s Party found themselves not just fighting against Marcus but contending with a reality that was shaped by his very imagination, a reality that sought to dismantle their coordination and exploit their vulnerabilities.


    Even Maximus was alive at the moment thanks to his 2nd Divine Ability, Undying Pyres.


    Like a fruit nurtured and preserved by nature itself, as long as the Hero remained connected to the world around him, whether it be the ground or the sea, he could not die. The life force of the surrounding world would continue to heal him even if he was on the brink of death.


    Though not as instant as Kahn''s regeneration skill he received from Cthulhu, the Hero''s power could heal wounds that spanned 100 meters in width and depth on his titan form.


    Coupled with the fact that the battlefield was his own domain, his ss also allowed for periodic healing.


    But right then¡­


    The two red suns in the sky suddenly sent massive beams of heat that saturated the Hero''s ginormous figure.


    "Sage Art 2nd Form: Apollo''s Decree!" roared the hero of nature as he gathered all his strength and the sr beams coalesced into a massive 700-meter-long sword made of blistering heat, evaporating the clouds above and the magma beneath.


    sh!!


    He made a forward sh with all his might.


    This full-power attack held the power to pulverize mountains in 10 kilometer range if they came in the attack range. And now, the Necromancer Hero was taking the brunt of it at close range.


    A dozen secondster¡­


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Now, only a forward line of pulverized terrain remained, having no sign of life.


    Everyone looked around with bated breath, hoping that this was the end of the battle.


    Swoosh!


    But suddenly, a figure with no visible injuries appeared from the devastated battlefield.


    "How? Even a Beginner 7th-stage saint couldn''t have survived that." spoke Maximus in disbelief.


    "Reality is often disappointing. That is, it was." spoke Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature.


    The Necromancer Hero looked at the entire Hero''s Party with a sinister and contemptuous smile as he dered¡­


    "Now¡­ reality can be whatever I want."

 Chapter 983 Divine Vs Divine

    Chapter 983 Divine Vs Divine


    In the face of the joint assault from the Hero''s Party, Marcus Brutus, the Necromancer Hero, asserted control over every aspect of the surreal realm he had crafted. Countering their volley of powerful and life-threatening attacks, he rendered their efforts futile. The altered reality bowed to his will, deflecting their skills and neutralizing their attempts to break free.


    As the Heroes struggled against the relentless onught of Marcus''s dominion, he decided it was time to unveil his true strength. Surviving Maximus''s formidable one-shot skill, Apollo''s Decree, Marcus emerged unscathed. The attack, known for its ability to pulverize mountains in mere seconds, seemed to have had no effect on the Necromancer Hero. Not a single strand of his hair was out of ce, and his demeanor remained unfazed, revealing a level of resilience that defied the veryws of the created reality. The Heroes, witnessing this, could only ponder the magnitude of the challenge they faced in the formidable Marcus Brutus.


    [That¡­ That was Space-Time Distortion!] eximed Rathnaar in disbelief.


    Even Kahn was baffled because with his 3rd Enlightenment in Space Law, he could tell the difference between normal teleportation and change the space itself.


    [He didn''t move from his position. Instead, he twisted the fabric of reality along with the flow of time itself.] Kahn pondered to himself as he observed Marcus Brutus''s seemingly impervious stance. [He was present at the exact location when the attack struck, but the space acted like a temporal limbo from a time when he wasn''t standing in that position. This is a very powerful maniption of both space and time.]


    Kahn marveled at the intricate mastery Marcus disyed over the fundamental forces that governed existence. Theprehension of such advanced maniption left him with a profound sense of the challenges they were up against in their confrontation with the Necromancer Hero.


    [That seems like one of the perks of Visionary''s Reality divine ability it seems. He is the absolute master of this realm so controlling both time and space doesn''t seem impossible.] cited Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    [Seriously, he is doing something that only a person with 3rd enlightenment in both Space and Time Law can do in this world. And to imagine that Visionary''s Reality could be used for something like this just because he imagined it to be true¡­ Man, I thought my divine abilities were too OP.] wondered Kahn.


    [Do you think our n will work in this situation?] asked Rathnaar in a worried tone.


    [We only have a 30% chance of winning at this rate. And most of it depends on Maximus risking his life to create that opportunity for me.] responded Kahn with an incredulous expression.


    Things were not going as he initially nned at all. And the risk of losing was ever-increasing.


    [Atreus, I don''t think we can seed at this rate despite all of our powersbined.


    Marcus Brutus has had 7 centuries to perfect his skills and this divine ability. He obviously has ns toe out as the victor regardless of the situation we force him to.


    Your n¡­ it might not work at this stage.] spoke the Hero of Nature in Kahn''s mind from afar.


    Even Kahn in his Atreus persona had a despondent countenance because Maximus was indeed correct.


    [Not unless I use ''it''....] said the Hero in a grim tone.


    [Do you mean your Divine Weapon?] asked Kahn.


    [No¡­ I can''t use it here even if I wanted to. Otherwise, even the God''s Altar in this realm will be destroyed along with everything in here. What I mean is¡­ my 3rd Divine Ability.] iterated Maximus as he kept charging and attacking Brutus from a distance in his titan form.


    [If it can create an opening, so be it.] responded Kahn with a solemn voice.


    As for what the 3rd divine ability of the Hero of Nature was¡­ Kahn had no idea but had to act the part since he said he was a spy of the empire who knew about Maximus'' powers and their weaknesses.


    [It will be active only for 10 minutes and I will not be able to fight after the activation time ends. So it''s all up to you whether we live or die after that.] informed Maximus and stopped his attacks.


    Swoom!


    Swoom!


    BOOM!


    In the ensuing seconds, Marcus''s titanic form emanated thousands of ethereal orbs of energy, transforming the entire battlefield into a mesmerizing sea of stars. Within this cosmic disy, all elements of nature burst like bubbles.


    Each multicolored ethereal orb radiated a surge of elemental waves, epassing darkness, lightning, light, wood, metal, water, earth, and wind. The battlefield was now flooded with the manifestations of all 8 Elements of Nature, out of the 13 Elements of Reality.


    Meanwhile, Maximus underwent a profound transformation on the other end of the spectrum. No longer a massive 1-kilometer-tall titanic figure, he had condensed into a 10-meter-tall humanoid shapeposed of pure energy. [Kid, this is simr to your¡­] spoke Rathnaar in disbelief.


    [I know. To think that there was someone else among the other chosen Heroes¡­] muttered Kahn to himself, suppressing his shock.


    Because the current form Maximus had achieved was exactly simr to Kahn''s Cosmic Aether form!


    This was a form Kahn achieved only after gaining the 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law inside the Conjunction of Space that was part of the Tablet of Arcana.


    And unlike Kahn who had his entire being turned into a blueish cosmic entity, Maximus was made of all the 8 Elements of Nature.


    "To think that a divine ability would allow him to temporarily be a being with 3rd enlightenment in all the 8 Elements of Reality and have absolute affinity as well as control over them¡­ this is so BROKEN!" spoke Kahn in annoyance.


    [Just imagine how strong this divine ability will be when paired with both Izanami''s Champion and Undying Pyres.


    This guy will basically be unkible even by me who has the Dimensional Law divine ability.] thought Kahn. This was Maximus'' 3rd Divine Ability, also known as...


    PROGENITOR OF NATURE.


    ----------------


    The sh of these colossal forces promised a spectacle that transcended the boundaries of the physical and delved into the realms of elemental prowess.


    "Commandement of the Progenitor!" suddenly, Maximus eximed in his ethereal form in which all the elements of reality flowed across his body like converging rivers.


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    tter!


    Tremble!


    The very next moment, the entire new realm created by Marcus started shuddering as if some world cmity had arrived.


    Crack!


    The ground made of magma and hellfire started cracking and the dark skies started clearing at a rapid pace.


    Blergh!


    Cough!


    On the other side, Brutus started coughing blood as his divine ability was affected adversely.


    "You¡­ what have you done?!" he eximed in agony, his face revealing a furious expression.


    Maximus only smirked a little and replied casually¡­


    "You were so proud of this realm you created just a few seconds ago.


    So I decided to overwhelm it with my own elements of nature." [Son of a bitch¡­ that is ingenious. Maximus basically put a trojan horse inside this realm and if I''m correct, then those orbs of natural elements¡­] spoke Kahn to himself.


    [Correct. Only he can control the elements of nature that are spread inside this battlefield and not Brutus. Those powers are exclusive to him and will beckon only at his call.] it was Rathnaar whopleted Kahn''s sentence.


    Like sending a virus into aputerwork to crash the entire system, Maximus had evened the battlefield albeit for a short time.


    How did it affect this fight?


    Marcus Brutus could control the world around him using his imagination. However, Maximus could hijack that control and stop his creations from attacking them.


    In this domain, Brutus was like a God. However, Maximus was the one with the ability to defy the powers of that God.


    If Marcus Brutus was the Poison¡­ then Maximus was the Antidote. However¡­


    "NO!!"shouted Conan from the back.


    Shatter!


    Shatter!


    Kahn, Maximus, and Borat swiftly redirected their gazes toward the rear of their formation. Even Kahn, typicallyposed, found himself momentarily speechless.


    The realization dawned upon them that while Marcus Brutus had been temporarily overwhelmed and lost his advantage against Maximus, it did not equate to aplete defeat.


    Crumble!


    Suddenly, the defensive barrier at the back of their battle formation was shattered into pieces and crumbled like a sandcastle in mere moments.


    As they briefly celebrated the momentary victory and basked in a sense of relief, it became apparent that the Necromancer Hero was far from taken aback. Instead, he had already initiated the process of dismantling their party formation. The tide of battle had not yet settled, and Marcus Brutus was determined to regain control and turn the tables once more. BOOM!!


    "Arghhh!!!"


    In a sudden surge of ck hellfire, two figures were engulfed by the scalding pirs of heat.


    Several defensive formations, spells, magic barriers and artifacts all acted together to protect these two entities that were a 3rd and 4th stage saints.


    However, to no avail... Both of them were scorched and reduced to nothingness until not even their ashes remained. The horrifying event unfolded with such swiftness that none of the members of the Hero''s Party had the time to react.


    Brutus, strategically targeting the saints who yed pivotal roles in buffing their allies during the battle, had swiftly imed his victims. In an abrupt and devastating move¡­


    The Necromancer Hero had killed Speki and Rkan.

 Chapter 984 Simple but Effective

    Chapter 984 Simple but Effective


    The 7th Hero of Nature had taken out the two mages of the Hero''s Party right when things seemed going the right way for them.


    In the following moments, he did not even give them time to absorb this shock and attacked the Hero''s Party incessantly.


    Brutus created a meteorite made of fire and magma andunched it at Maximus. Maximus on the opposite end, created thousands of slingshots with Ice boulders in the centre.


    Brutus then created a dragon made of Lightning, in response, Maximus created hundreds of spears made of Darkness element.


    Brutus tried to shift the gravity and made the attacks fall on Maximus, using his own powers against him but Maximus simply changed the direction of the attacks in the opposite side.


    Brutus controlled reality but while using Progenitor of Nature divine ability, Maximus had control over all his elements and Brutus could not affect or control them in any way like previously.


    Both side then created massive 300 meters tall long snake-like creaturesthat started attacking each other.


    Brutus made one from magma while Maximus created one using Ice.


    Swoosh!


    At the same time, a blue figure hopped onto the body of this ginormous creature and started running on its scaly surface.


    While slithering and dodging through air, the two serpents shed against each other, twisting and turning their bodies over each other while trying to bite off big chunks of mass from the opponent.


    Screeches and battlecries filled the surrounding 20-kilometer radius.


    [Quick! I have only 5 more minutes!] spoke Maximus to Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    Kahn started running across the gaps between these two monsters and leaped off drom between them like he waspletely unaffected from the scalding magma and freezing ice.


    [The best way to take out an enemy who can create things just by imagining it¡­ is to overwhelm their senses and brain so much that they can''t think fast enough.] spoke Kahn.


    This was their n.


    However, why was Kahn openly attacking Brutus if their n was to overwhelm him?


    "You think this type of petty trick will work on me?" said Brutus and the very next second, he moved from his position and attacked on his left with a swing of his left forefinger.


    sh!


    Out of nowhere, a figure appeared from thin air and a blue wolfkin was cut in half.


    "I know you can use doppelgangers. I saw it when you fought Sylvana and Zolvik.


    I also know you have a natural immunity against darkness element. I know all of your aces already." proimed Brutus,pletely unfazed.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, a hundred meter long icicle dropped from the sky at attacked Brutus. This was Maximus attacking from a distance.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Soon, a massive of light element that was stretched for 3 kilometers in radius materialized and covered the sky while hundreds of metallic spears shot from the ground covered in lightning.


    "So persistent." scoffed Brutus as he gestured his scepter and tilted it horizontally.


    Crackle!


    Dozens of spherical shields made of darkness were created to stand against the onught of these spears.


    As for the massive and inescapable was attacked from several stone boulders that Brutus lifted from the ground that was once nothing but hard rocks.


    The whole transforming the sand into stone, metallic spear and even lightning attacks took mere seconds as Brutus was changing theposition of matter with ease, changing the elements with absolute no effort using his divine ability.


    "Not yet, biatch!" BOOM!!


    Suddenly, an extremely powerful punch hit Brutus in his back.


    Shoot!


    Like a bullet shot from a gun, the Necromancer Hero was shot below from that single punch, breaking multiple sound barriers in his wake.


    BOOM!!


    As his body descended and colluded at the stone peaks below and the magma shot upwards like an erupting volcano, the surrounding 2 kilometers was devastated.


    "How? I''m sure I killed the real you!" eximed Brutus as he leaped from the magma and looked at Atreus who just attacked him.


    In a sense, he wasn''t wrong.


    However the Atreus he killed wasn''t Kahn but his cosmic replica.


    Unlike the dopplegangers, the cosmic replicas could imitate his exact aura of 5th stage saint as if it was the real him. Forget Brutus but even Maximus was fooled when he saw the former cut Atreus in half.


    "That''s where you''re wrong." Woosh!


    Woosh!


    Soon, 4 more versions of him, each emitting the exact world energy signature appeared in the sky.


    "They''re all the real me." announced Kahn and all the 5 copies of himself attacked the Necromancer Hero after spreading in multiple directions.


    "Fenrir''s Wrath!" shouted one Atreus.


    "Waterde Hurricane!" shouted another one. "Azure Dragon Fist!" spoke the 3rd one.


    One after another, a volley of powerful attacks containing the might of a 5th stage saintunched from multiple sides.


    Even with the mind of a 6th stage saint, despite having a mental capacity of mutiple people at once, what Brutus could not ovee was the constraints of time that was taken while transforming the world around him to make his counterattacks.


    Things will take time to manifest even if your mind could think about them in a microsecond. And this was one of the limitations of the Visionary''s Reality divine ability.


    A second was more than enough for a 5th stage saint to make the killing move.


    BOOM!!


    The sky rumbled and hundreds of lightning bolts dropped and attacked Brutus as he was busy defending against Atreus.


    "Don''t forget about me. I''m still here." spoke Maximus in his Progenitor form with a visible mocking expression.


    Bang!


    Another wave of attacks hit the Necromancer Hero hard and his entire body suffered immense pain from being electrocuted.


    "Shameless bastards! Do you not have any honor of a warrior?! Ganging up against a single enemy like a bunch of cowards!" he eximed furiously.


    "Heh? Says the guy who summoned a gang of full-fledged Saints against a group of Semi-saints.


    Who''s the coward here then?" asked Kahn, taunting the Necromancer Hero as if thetter was a 3rd rate viin.


    "This¡­" the 7th Hero of Nature bit his lips in embarrassment but his haggard and hunched body that was hit by several attacks for the first time stood enraged.


    "This won''t work on me again." he spoke, angered to his core.


    This was a realm of his own creation and even the air worked at his will. But now he was being thrashed by a bunch of outsiders in his own battlefield.


    But it was this very moment, he sensed something was amiss.


    Swoosh!


    Brutus quickly dodged an invisible attack as if it came from a different dimension itself.


    [Oh, so he can sense me from the True Dimension. I guess this realm affects my presence in the true dimension somehow.] spoke Kahn who had been waiting for this opportunity from a while.


    He quickly then switched with one of his cosmic replicas in the real world.


    "Wait¡­ if that was also him, then it makes on;y 4 of them.


    Where is the fifth one?" A harrowing realization dawned on the Necromancer Hero as he remembered the exact numbers of Atreus when the battle started again.


    nk!


    nk!


    While he was lost in thoughts for a mere moment, Maximus had also cast a powerful skill on his end.


    Shatter!


    Shatter!


    The entire realm started shattering on its own as if some sort of heavenly tribtion had struck from the outside world.


    "You keep forgetting that I''m still here. I feel neglected now." spoke Maximus in a kingly voice as he was done breaking down this realm.


    "This.s. how is that possible?!" bellowed Brutus in utter bewilderment as he could not believe his own two eyes.


    "The light elemental I created¡­ it was just a temporary decoy, made to seal your senses as Atreus attacked you in that small space.


    Meanwhile, I have been attacking and decimating this realm from the outside using my divine ability while you were busy fighting just a single opponent." iterated Maximus with a smug and prideful grin.


    This was the n all along.


    To force the Necromancer Hero solely on the battle with Maximus and Atreus as the former actually attacked the realm while thetter created multiple attacks to distract Brutus while the former sealed them in a secluded battlefield.


    Rumble!


    Just as he finished his words, Brutus suffered an immense bacsh.


    Blergh!


    From the shock of his realm being thoroughly destroyed, Marcus Brutus suffered heavy damage both to his body aka his core and also his soul since divine abilities were directly tied to a hero''s soul.


    This was the second time his soul was damaged in a row and now, his body was on the brink of falling.


    "You wretched insects!... I''ll kill all of you even if I have to self-destruct myself!" bellowed Marcus Brutus with a vengeful expression as he finally lost all of hisposure.


    "Not so easy, sunshine." a grim voice whispered in his ears.


    Woosh!


    Right from the Necromancer Hero''s own shadow, the fifth and the real Kahn appeared.


    And because of his damaged state, the 7th Hero of Nature could not even run away.


    Shing!


    Kahn''s eyes suddenly turned golden-yellow and Marcus Brutus closed his eyes from sheer fear.


    However¡­ the next moment his eyes opened, the entirety of the battlefield had changed.


    He was no longer in the vast expanse of the white sand desert but in a grand hall made of stones and intricate architecture. This ce was filled with chairs, multipleyers of pavements and wooden desks as well as chairs, resembling a council hall.


    "This¡­ This can''t be! Why? Why the hell am I here again?!" spoke Brutus inplete disbelief as he recognized this ce from a life long forgotten.


    "Why am I back in Curia Julia?" he spoke to himself.


    "Why did you betray me, Brutus?!"


    Suddenly, a grim and resentful voicended in his ears.


    Brutus'' entire body was filled with shock and goosebumps as he instantly recognized the person to whom this voice belonged.


    He mustered his courage and turned around, only to see a face that haunted him even in his new life as the Hero of Nature.


    "How¡­ how are you¡­ still alive?¡­" stuttered Marcus Brutus as if he had seen a ghost and finally spoke the name of this entity¡­


    "Julius Ceasar."

 Chapter 985 Ghost of Rome

    Chapter 985 Ghost of Rome


    The surrounding environment in the senate hall turned somber and the air was filled with dread as well as horror as Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature met an unexpected and painfully forgotten relic of his past.


    A gray-haired old man in a long purple gown made for noblemen, who seemed to be in his mid-50s appeared in front of the Necromancer Hero.


    "You were my friend, Brutus. You fought beside me from time to time." the old man with short gray hair spoke in a resentful and grim voice.


    "I trusted you. I thought of you as arade-in-arms who would face any foe with me.


    I even granted you amnesty when you sided with my enemy, Pompey. All that trust and kindness that I have shown you¡­ You repaid it with a knife in my chest right inside Curia Julia where we stand now." dered Julius Ceasar.


    Only after a few minutes of absorbing and recovering from this shocking turn of events, did Brutus speak in an incredulous tone.


    "You were losing your mind, Julius! I stood by your side when the entire Senate of Rome was against you. I fought by your side even when Rome treated you as a madman during the Civil War. I repaid the kindness you gave me multiple times!" rebuked Marcus in a furious voice.


    "But what did you do?


    Your ambition was so high that you became a tyrant rather than a ruler chosen by the people!" revealed the 7th Hero. "And that is why I joined with the other Liberatores (Liberators); to stop you from destroying thews of the empire!" he eximed in a determined tone, carrying no sense of remorse on his countenance.


    "Hmph! Such nonsense." scoffed Ceasar as he looked at Brutus with a disappointed gaze.


    "The elites, whether they were nobles or the politicians of the empire¡­ instigated you and shamed you into believing that you were destined to follow your ancestors'' glory and put an end to my rising power.


    You were just a pawn in their scheme to remove me, Brutus. And despite all that knowledge and experience you had as a literate man, a general and as my friend¡­ you still fell for it and led the assassination by yourself." revealed Ceasar, the former dictator of the Roman Empire.


    "In the end, they wanted their own ambitions to prevail and I was a thorn in their sight. You just couldn''t see how the snakes used you to kill your own friend." dered Ceasar as he kept looking at Brutus with eyes filled with disgust.


    That is a lie! Said Brutus.


    "You wished to be the Dictator of Rome for life! It would have broken all of our ancestralws and liberty of Rome under your reign!


    I was simply the spearhead who brought down a man who was acting like a god instead of the servant of the people." dered Brutus in a resolute voice, firm in his own conviction.


    "Is that so?" asked Ceasar in a mocking tone.


    "Then what happened to you after my death?


    Did you take themand of Rome and make it a better ce than I ever did?" his haughty voice echoed in the senate hall.


    "Did you expand our empire, did you acquire morends and resources for our people to flourish?" his loud voice reverberated through every wall, pir and the floor of the hall.


    To this, Brutus turned silent as if he recounted another horrifying memory.


    "No, you didn''t do any of that.


    Instead, you hid like a coward for 2 years and then fled from Rome just to keep your head on your shoulders." spoke Ceasar in an admonishing tone.


    "My adopted son, Octavian, dered you and all the other Liberators as Traitors of the Roman Empire.


    You fought his forces in Philippi and when you lost¡­ You took your own life." said Ceasar as he openly taunted Brutus.


    "What would you know?! I was a hero who fought for justice and rights for the people of Rome.


    And I refused to die as a prisoner of war.


    Even if you might think of it as a disgrace, I call it taking control of my own fate where I decided to that myst moments will be of honor and dignity." retorted Brutus with eyes full of anger.


    Just his rebuttals was enough to raise the temperature of the entire surrounding.


    But suddenly, a realization dawned on the Necromancer Hero.


    "You¡­ how do you know that about my death?


    You were already dead for years by then." his voice faltered with shock.


    And just as he asked the most important question¡­


    The domineering figure of Julius Ceasar started transforming on its own.


    The body suddenly turned taller, broader, and the facial featurespletely changed along with the color of the hair.


    The Legendary Rank dark gray longcoat remained just as majestic as before but now the stature was more domineering than before.


    Julius Ceasar had now turned into Kahn, in his real human appearance.


    Stunned!


    "Who are you?!" asked Brutus loudly as he was stunned on the spot.


    His great friend whom he assassinated had suddenly turned into apletely different person.


    "I''m someone from Earth just like you. The only difference is that I was born more than 2 thousand yearster than your time." spoke Kahn who was now bigger, buffier and had long ck hair at the age of 30 years.


    Even his voice had turned more manlier and deeppared to before as if he had evolved into a different person.


    "And let me tell you something.


    Even after your death and the fall of the Roman Empire¡­ history remembers you differently than you think." he dered to Marcus Brutus who was still bewildered by this situation.


    "You were not praised or titled as some Liberator and neither were you hailed as the Hero of the Romans.


    No, even to this day¡­ the world thinks of Julius Ceasar as one of the greatest generals to live." revealed Kahn as he mentioned the truth of the history from present times on earth. "They sing praises of his des and treat his name with respect. You, on the other hand, history remembers you simply as¡­" said Kahn as he dered the moniker that history remembered the 7th Hero of Nature, Marcus Brutus, in his home world.


    "Brutus, the Coward."

 Chapter 986 The Two Paths

    Chapter 986 The Two Paths


    Devastation washed over Brutus as he learned how his name was etched in the annals of history.


    ''Brutus the Coward.'' The weight of this title struck at his pride and psyche in the most shameful and hurtful way. A man of pride, he couldn''t fathom how things had taken such a turn.


    For a brief moment, he was left in disarray, grappling with the reality that instead of being hailed as a liberator or a hero who did what was necessary, the world deemed him a traitor. The burden of this ignominiousbel weighed heavily on Brutus, casting a shadow over the very ideals and aspirations he had once fought for.


    "Is that true? Is what you said the absolute truth?" he asked Kahn with a desperate look on his countenance.


    Kahn in response, nodded silently.


    "Why should I believe you?! All of this could be an illusion!" rebuked the Necromancer Hero.


    BOOM!!


    But the very next second, Kahn let out his true aura of darkness. Gasp!


    "This!... This aura is exactly the same as the 7th Hero of Darkness, Darius Ashborne." spoke Marcus Brutus as he gasped in disbelief.


    "Oh, so that was his name. Well, it''s been a long time since then." said Kahn who was still in his real human appearance.


    "I''m the 9th Hero of Darkness, Kahn Salvatore." he introduced himself.


    "I was summoned to Vantrea 6 years ago. I have been in the Nadur Empire, the one you knew as the Falkor Empire, for the past 1 year." he iterated with a stern look.


    "You¡­ What are you doing here? I don''t think any empire or even gods would allow a coalition between 2 chosen Heroes.


    So what the hell are you doing inside Hesperides, precisely in the penins of Babylon created by God of Nature at that?" he asked quickly to Kahn with an intrigued expression.


    Kahn did not hold back and told him how circumstances forced him to enter Babylon this way to save his own life.


    Even Marcus was taken aback after hearing how fate had brought Kahn inside this ce.


    "So a lot happened in the outside world ever since I was stuck here." spoke Brutus with a contemtive countenance.


    Next, it was Kahn who asked the question¡­


    "Tell me something. Howe you''ve been trapped here for the past 700 years?


    To my knowledge, no empire would abandon their hero inside Hesperides during the Conve of Heroes." To his query, Brutus did not see any point in hiding for some reason.


    "I''m here thanks to a fault of my own.


    And if what that lionkin said is right, then there must have been an uprising in the Falkor Empire when the Conve of Heroes was happening back then.


    And as per my memory, the Emperor and the Abbot of Falkor Empire were also with us here.


    They probably went back to Falkor to fight the uprising and died there." he hypothesized.


    "That''s understandbale." said Kahn in a soft tone.


    "But what did you do to deserve such solitary damnation that made you stay here for 700 years?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Kahn could understand what happened outside when the Beastkin races had rose up against Humans who enved them and thrown them away as the ruling power of the Beast empire. But what he did not understand why was Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature who chose amazing Divine Abilities such as Necromancy and Visionary''s Reality was condemned there.


    "It''s because during the trial I had to face inside Babylon¡­ Imitted a taboo." spoke Marcus.


    "My trial was different than this one you have faced.


    It was more aboutpleting nigh impossible tasks that would make one question their own sense of justice and morality.


    After a lot of days and nonstop efforts, I managed to reach the final part of the trial.


    However, it required me to do something I never thought of." he divulged a harsh memory of the past.


    "In the final test¡­ There were four altars in front of us. Each required the sacrifice of a saint who had a particr element.


    And there weren''t just 6 of us back then¡­ there were 10." he spoke with a somber tone.


    Stunned!


    Kahn was stunned after hearing this.


    "So you sacrificed the lives of your own party members?" he asked.


    "Yes, I did so regrettably. I used my divine abilities to capture and sacrifice them to those altars to seed in the trial.


    Back then, I told myself it was for the greater good." spoke Brutus with an ashamed expression.


    His expression then turned that of a guilty and apologetic man.


    "I told myself that I needed to seed in the trial so that I could be strong enough to kill the Demon God and save this world, like I was supposed to.


    And to do so, I had to make a great sacrifice." he revealed. "But I realizedter that it was just an excuse I used to justify my cruelty against my ownrades. That I took the easiest route."


    "Hmph!" scoffed Kahn.


    "If I was in your ce, I would have never done so.


    I would have rather died with them than use their lives as means to advance in my own ambition.


    And trust me¡­ I''m the type who barely trusts other people." said Kahn in an admonishing tone.


    Marcus nodded and chuckled sarcastically.


    "You''re correct. That is what I should have done." he spoke and his shoulders slumped down.


    "Afterpleting the trial and entering the God''s Altar¡­ I met the God of Nature.


    But contrary to my belief, that I did what I had to do for the greater good¡­ The God of Nature thought otherwise." he iterated solemnly.


    "He then told me that thest part of the trial was a test that I had to ovee as a Chosen Hero.


    Instead of sacrificing myrades, I should have offered my own life since I was the Hero of Nature with maximum affinity to all those 4 elements in the first ce.


    The trial was designed so that my character would be tested and also offer me an opportunity to be a different man, a true hero... not by name but by conviction." revealed the 7th Hero of Nature.


    After hearing those words, Kahn spoke¡­


    "I guess that trial gave you an opportunity to receive redemption for betraying and killing Julius Ceasar who was once your friend and yourrade in arms.


    Yet you made a simr choice by sacrificing others in the name of the greater good for the world and betrayed them just like you did with Ceasar, saying that it was for the good of Rome." he dered his honest opinion.


    Only a sense of regret and face full of tears was revealed in the next moment as Brutus started to give up.


    "You are correct. I had a chance to change into a better man. But I chose the same path even in this life." he spoke with great regret in his voice.


    "Instead of bing the Savior, I chose to be the Sinner."

 Chapter 987 Opened Eyes

    Chapter 987 Opened Eyes


    Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature revealed the grave sin hemitted in the past just to past the trial set by the God of Nature for him inside Babylon to enter the God''s Altar.


    And the way he achieved that even left Kahn perplexed. "God of Nature was furious with me after seeing how I handled things.


    He said that I did not deserve to be a chosen Hero and he could never trust the fate of the world with someone like me who would even sacrifice his closest people, who fought with me even at death''s door; instead of fighting against the chains of fate." said Brutus and revealed the consequences of his choices.


    "That day¡­


    God of Nature cursed me and the remaining of my party members to be stuck here inside Babylon. And the only way to leave would be to kill another Hero or Heroine of Nature and offer their core as the sacrifice at God''s Altar to leave Babylon." revealed Brutus helplessly, his face still carrying the shame of his past decisions.


    "It was God of Nature''s divine punishment for memitting that grave crime." he spoke solemnly.


    Soon, his gaze turned to Kahn.


    "Tell me something, Hero of Darkness.


    If I''m not wrong, you could have killed me already since this is but an illusion and my real body is outside." he iterated in a calm yet curious tone.


    "So why go so far as to show me the memories of Ceasar when all you need now is to swing your palm to cut off my neck?" he asked with no fear.


    Kahn nodded at this query by the Necromancer Hero.


    This was the truth. Because Kahn and Maximus had already dismantled both of 7th Hero''s divine abilities, his means to ess world energy and also his core by severing his connection to his powers.


    At this moment, he was practically at their mercy and could be killed swiftly. Yet, for some reason, Kahn used Lucid Reality on him, reenacted the memories of the assassination of Julius Ceasar, and was still conversing with Brutus.


    "You are correct. I could have killed you minutes ago.


    But I created this illusion because I wanted to talk to you since we''re both from the Earth, albeit from different eras of human civilization." stated Kahn in a calm yet disappointed tone.


    "But after hearing you and knowing the reason¡­ I think you should give up now." he spoke in an estranged voice.


    "On earth, your name is a reminder of the epitome of betrayal by a friend.


    In Vantrea, people who are alive now don''t even know or remember your name.


    And even now, you used your dead allies to fight against us by using your Necromancy divine ability." he dered his views unapologetically. "Tell me something¡­ Do you still believe that you deserve another chance in life?


    What will change even if you somehow managed to kill us all and left Babylon?" asked Kahn without a shred of sympathy on his face.


    "There is no one waiting for you outside. Everyone who knew you is already dead, including your party members.


    There is no home left for you in Vantrea." said Kahn in an adamant tone. "And even if you tried to rece Maximus as the Hero of Nature to the outside world¡­


    You will either be captured and enved by the current Beast Empire which hates humans and even treats Maximus as a mere pawn, or you will be targeted by other empires for your divine key since it is not awakened just like me." spoke Kahn in an authoritative tone.


    "What?! How did you know that my divine key is no longer awakened?!" asked Marcus Brutus in disbelief.


    To his befuddled query, Kahn replied calmly.


    "Because I have killed and absorbed the Hero of Fire''s divine key, mescion.


    And since it was already awakened, now I also control his divine weapon, Amaterasu." exined Kahn.


    "A divine key''s main use is to bind the Hero and the Divine Weapon. The awakening process just activates that connection between the Hero and the Divine Weapon.


    And if I''m not wrong, without the Awakening process, no hero can use their own divine weapon and their divine key can be absorbed by other Heroes as well even if they lose ess to that hero''s Divine Weapon in the process. Afterward, all they have to do is enter that Hero''s designated penins and the God''s Altar meant for them to Limit Break by 2 to 3 stages." revealed Kahn.


    This revtion was something the divine weapon, Amaterasu had told Kahn on the day he acknowledged and decided to impart the soul technique after taking Kahn as his new master.


    All Brutus could do was nod in agreement since he too knew of this as a former Hero.


    "Since Maximus has the divine weapon now, means your divine key is no longer awakened. Hence, you are also a prey for the other empires just like me.


    Butpared to me, who has 3 divine abilities and a fully mastered divine weapon¡­


    Do you think you will survive?" asked Kahn in a pragmatic tone.


    Shock!


    Stunned!


    Brutus was suddenly hit with a sense of realization as he closed his eyes and contemted for a few minutes.


    "You''re correct. I neither have a home to go to and neither do I have a purpose left in this world.


    I would be hunted down just like you and won''t be able to protect myself.


    The only fate that awaits me is being enved and killed, a simr fate that I once ran away from on Earth before Imitted suicide rather than suffer humiliation.


    I am a man who deserves neither Redemption nor Retribution." spoke Brutus in a contemtive voice.


    A couple of minutester, he opened his eyes and looked at Kahn with eyes full of sorrow.


    "People say that everyone deserves a second chance.


    But I have squandered that chance of mine and chose to be the same person again.


    I¡­ I do not deserve any more chances to change my life. I might end upmitting even graver sins that I already have." stated Brutus as his entire countenance turned into that of a defeated man. "Thank you for making me realize what I need to do instead of holding onto my delusional perception of reality.


    As much as I would love to talk to you about the evolution of us humans on earth and what happened in the future¡­" said Brutus as he looked at Kahn yearningly.


    "I see no point in me carrying on further."


    Kahn nodded in response without showing any semnce of empathy. People like Marcus Brutus were the kind who always thought that they were born for higher purpose and did the right thing for the greater good¡­ but in reality, they were just delusional people who could not see past their ownck of character and integrity as human beings.


    Forget being a hero, people like Marcus Brutus were delusional righteous leaders who often got innocents involved in conflicts that ended in genocide instead of leading their cause to achieve victory.


    They were right only in their heads but in truth, they were something that a leader or a king should never be.


    At least, Marcus Brutus could realize his ws and admit his wrongdoings after his defeat.


    Instead of living as a delusional moron, he acknowledged his failures.


    "I will give you a reward for opening my eyes atst.


    I hope you never have to repeat my mistakes and maybe you seed in this war against the Demon God.


    Farewell to you¡­ Hero of Darkness." said Marcus Brutus as he spoke hisst words.


    Stab!


    Brutus took out a dagger from his waistband and plunged it into his own heart, killing himself by suicide just like his first life on earth.


    Shing!


    A blinding white light spread in the illusion world and Kahn quickly squinted his eyes.


    Woosh!


    Kahn suddenly opened his eyes in Babylon as the illusion crumbled.


    And in front of Kahn, was the scene of Brutus ripping out his own heart and raising it upwards in a particr direction.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Maximus, Borat and Conan were left speechless as Brutus'' heart turned to sand and now, the core of this Saint was revealed to them.


    A glowing purple core rose in the air and a few intangible threads spread from it, quicklyunching and connecting themselves to Kahn''s chest.


    [What the he¡­] thought Kahn as he too was quickly taken aback.


    But before Kahn could even react¡­


    [Congrattions to the host!] suddenly, the system notified in Kahn''s mind out of nowhere as itpleted the remaining part of the announcement¡­


    [The host has been gifted an unawakened Divine Key of a Peak 6th-stage Saint!]

 Chapter 988 The Parting Gift

    Chapter 988 The Parting Gift


    In an unexpected and dramatic twist of events, Kahn found himself in possession of the divine key belonging to none other than the Necromancer Hero, Marcus Brutus. This unexpected parting gift left Kahn grappling with a mix of emotions. The only usible exnation was that Marcus, in a moment of remorse and gratitude, had chosen to entrust Kahn with this powerful artifact.


    It seemed Marcus hade to realize the ws in his actions and appreciated Kahn''s role in helping him confront the stark differences between his delusions from his past on Earth and the reality of his failures as the Hero of Nature in Vantrea. The divine key now held in Kahn''s hands marked a significant turn in their dynamic, leaving Kahn with a potent symbol of an unexpected twist of fate amid the chaos of their conflict.


    With a sense of awe and realization, Kahn held not just any saint''s core but the divine key belonging to a chosen hero¡ªa peak 6th stage saint at that. The significance of this artifact was profound, representing the culmination of Marcus Brutus''s power and the essence of his conviction despite waiting for 700 years just to leave Babylon.


    If the God''s Domain hadn''t put the restriction of 6th-stage saint rank being the highest in thesends, Marcus Brutus of today would have already been at least a 9th-stage saint.


    [WARNING! System Overload!


    The influx of world energy is too substantial for gradual assimtion. The host is scheduled for a forced breakthrough to the next Saint rank in approximately 1 hour. This timeframe allows the system to efficiently assimte and create a secure pathway for the immense world energy in the host''s own core, mitigating any potential negative impact on the host.] informed the system out of nowhere.


    Kahn found himself stunned by this revtion.


    [This feels eerily reminiscent of thest time I inadvertently touched mescion.] pondered Kahn, drawing parallels between the two instances.


    Much like Axel Lobethrox, the Hero of Fire, the concentration of world energy within this core surpassed that of a normal inhabitant of Vantrea by 4 to 5 times. The unique ability of summoned heroes and their souls allowed them to absorb this energy at a significantly higher rate. Kahn himself was a viable example since he became a 5th-stage saint in just 6 years while many natives of Vantrea couldn''t even be a 4th-stage saint despite training and absorbing the natural world energy for decades, sometimes even centuries.


    Reflecting on the past encounter with Axel, when Kahn faced the 3rd-stage saint ranked Hero of Fire, he experienced an instantaneous breakthrough from 1st stage saint to 2nd stage saint. Now, history seemed to repeat itself as the same phenomenon unfolded with Marcus Brutus''s core. Although no longer awakened, the abundance of world energy within it was triggering an expedited breakthrough for Kahn, a development significant enough to prompt a warning from the system itself.


    Unlike Axel, who was a beginner 3rd-stage saint, Marcus Brutus stood as a formidable peak 6th-stage saint. His level of mastery and experience elevated him to a point where defeating him would have been nearly impossible, if not for the strategic coboration between Rathnaar and Kahn. The duo''s prior knowledge of Marcus''s divine abilities, coupled with Maximus''s own Progenitor of Nature divine ability, yed a pivotal role in dismantling theplexities of Visionary''s Reality.


    While some might argue that their victory against the 7th Hero of Nature was propelled by luck, given the specific conditions and thebined efforts of two chosen Heroes, the undeniable truth remained: Marcus Brutus was a saint with 700 years of experience, dwelling in God''s Domain where world energy was three to four times denser than the outside world. The only environment that could rival the density of world energy found in Marcus Brutus''s core was none other than Kahn''s Tablet of Arcana, a relic left behind by a Demi-God. In this analogy, it was akin to the gates of a dam being unleashed, with the only avable outlet being a narrow canal.


    If not managed with precision, the unleashed energy threatened to be an overwhelming flood, capable of sweeping away everything in its path. In this scenario, Kahn''s body acted as the vessel for this surge, even though he was already a peak 5th stage saint. Fortunately, the system was actively working to create a secure pathway for the imminent breakthrough, granting Kahn a crucial hour-long window to organize and prepare for the impending surge of power.


    ----------------


    Back in the final region of the Penins¡­ the remainder of the Hero''s Party approached Kahn in his Atreus persona.


    "Atreus, what happened?" "What was that purple light and the core binding itself to your chest?"


    As Maximus and the others inquired about the sudden development, Kahn began to exin the extraordinary events that transpired.


    "The 7th Hero of Nature attempted to take over my body by linking our cores in his final gambit." Kahn revealed, his tone carrying a mix of gravity and exnation. "However, he failed in this endeavor because his life force had already been extinguished when I ended him within the illusion world, sealing his fate and preventing any further intrusion into my being." he borated sternly.


    Kahn saw no reason to divulge theplete truth, refraining from sharing the details of how he exposed Marcus Brutus to the memories of his past in Rome and Caesar. There was no need to invite unnecessary questions or risk the revtion of his true identity.


    In his pragmatic approach, Kahn didn''t feelpelled to narrate the apologetic demeanor of Brutus in his final moments. Real life, he believed, was not a drama series where one might sympathize with a viin merely because they expressed remorse in theirst breath. Kahn recognized that not everybody deserved or needed a grand or impactful closure to their story.


    Finally, they departed from the battlefield, making their way back to the imposing ck castle. After some time, they reached the throne hall where they had initially encountered Marcus Brutus.


    Following a dozen minutes of settling arrangements, Maximus ventured into God''s Altar crafted by the God of Nature. Meanwhile, Kahn implemented several security measures before creating a doppelganger to upy his ce.


    A few minutester, with the creation of a Legendary Rank istion barrier, Kahn entered the Tablet of Arcana, gearing up for his next objective¡­


    To be a 6th-stage saint.

 Chater 989 Old Friends

    Chater 989 Old Friends


    As the Hero of Nature''s party finallypleted their objective to pass the final trial and defeated Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature, a simr scenario could be seen in multiple peninss inside Babylon.


    Meanwhile, in a particr penins filled with lush greenery, sky-touching trees and wildlife filled with monsters, unique ntlife, and species of various beings unseen anywhere in Vantrea¡­ a terrifying battle between multiple ginormous golems made of different elements of reality had concluded.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    The nearby 20-kilometer span was now a devastated battlefield with 8 mountain-like figures fallen on the ground, being the golems that were defeated by 8 warriors of different sses.


    The onemon factor among all these people was that they were abination of verdant and white cloaks with the golden emblem of a full-grown tree on their backs.


    The tree''s design itself contained multiple archaic runes and patterns specific to a particr race known for their mastery of magic in Vantrea.


    "Phew! Finally, we are done with this drawn-out battle." spoke a tall 6''3" warrior with two curved des in his hands.


    One of these swords had lightning running across the de while the other one was covered in smoldering dragonfire.


    There were two massive 100-meter-long shes on the body of the titanic golem thaty before this warrior with long waist-length silver hair, each sh meeting the other and forming an X-shaped cross while leaving traces of crackling lightning and scalding fire.


    "Thisst trial was especially harder because all these guardian golems of the God''s Domain wereparable to legendary rank monsters while we are stuck at Semi-Saint rank.


    It would have been very easy to defeat them if we could transform into our true monster forms or at least use our domains." spoke this man with a ck right arm with wolf ws.


    [Shh! Not so loud, Omega. Others might hear you.


    Besides, no one can know that we are not like other saints and can use our domain-rted skills inside God''s Domain either.


    Besides, turning into our true forms or even using the Pendagron Formation would have ended things too easily.] replied a slow and eerie voice in the Samurai warrior''s head.


    [Shut up, Ronin!


    It''s not like I don''t know. But I''m tired of ying weak and restrictedpared to the battles we usually had with master.


    Holding back just to not raise suspicion about our identity is just too¡­ Vexing.] replied Omega with an incredulous tone while assuming his persona as Raiden Hrodvitsson.


    [Besides, those two useless bums are getting on my nerves.


    Mainly that bitch of a priestess who is utterly useless and can''t do anything other than cling to that Hero.


    All she does is act weak and pretend to be out of mana when she has to support us during battles.] responded Omega again.


    Right then, another voice joined their conversation telepathically.


    [I agree with the Wolf on this one. Hell, even Armin is better at supporting, healing and even fighting others on his ownpared to that High-Elf bitch.


    And why the hell is an ipetent nuisance like her still in the Hero''s party?] spoke a warrior with two purple horns on his head.


    In his hands was a ck and golden colored trident as he faced his fallen opponent; a 500-meter tall and four-legged tortoise-like golem that was now split into two halves.


    To his misgivings, another voice responded¡­


    [Because she is from the High Kings ss of High Elves and was part of the Hero''s Party before they were massacred in the Immortal Dungeon.


    Although they med our master, based on what we heard from the Lightning Dragon Emperor, Vildred¡­ the Hero of Life was there before we arrived and got killed.


    His party must have died during the journey.] responded ckwall in his Sigurd Suttungr persona who had cut off the head of a water elemental golem with 4 heads of shark-like creature.


    [Yeah, yeah. I remember those bastards who made me bow in front of them.


    Had it not been for the human, I would have wrecked those fuckers right there.] replied Rudra, regretting the fact that he didn''t get to kill the Hero of Life''s party for them insulting him outside the Immortal Dungeon.


    [And you would have brought us a heap of trouble too, Snakey.


    Thanks to our master handling the situation, we didn''t have to flee from there too.] replied Ceril as he masqueraded as Loki Vitkisson in his mage robes as he stood on the corps of a flying red golem with wings simr to an Archaeopteryx.


    [You guys are worried about insignificant things.


    I''m more concerned about this good-for-nothing hero who got injured while fighting.


    Seriously, even I have better control of my mana and spells while I''m only a Healer.


    And this ''Hero'' ran out of it during the fight despite being a Mage.


    Howe I''m the one with more battle experience than a chosen Hero even though I practiced Alchemy day and night all these years?] iterated Armin in his Darwin Groedari persona as thousands of roots and a small army of Treants had brought down a gori-like golem made with metal element.


    [Haha ha! Why are you guys even surprised at their ipetence and inadequacy as warriors?


    Unlike our master, most of the saints or even Heroes who had the support of powerful forces, ns, noble families, and even empires at that¡­ Most of them relied only on resources and learned only the basic skills to raise their ranks and be a saint.


    Their total battle prowess and holster of skills are nothing worthparing to our master who trained countless hours in raising his mastery and actualbat experience despite acquiring skills for free from other beings such as warriors and monsters.


    The game is not too hard¡­ it''s their Skill issue.] spoke Oliver in his humanoid form as Icarus Vedrfolnir who had put dozens of 20-meter-wide circr holes through his archery skills inside his opponent.


    His deration was met with a nod as all of them agreed wholeheartedly.


    [But I do feel bad for her. She is also injured but still had to protect those useless cunts since we were all busy taking down these golem guardians.] said Ronin who was in his persona of Scorpion Banamadr.


    At this moment, there was a beehive-shaped violet magical barrier 10 kilometers away and a figure of a woman covered in cuts and bruises protecting it from the outside.


    Inside the barrier, was a fainted figure of Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life, being healed by Myrienne, the priestess of this Hero''s Party.


    And the one woman with Nordic tattoos across her body and wore brown armor made from the hide of a wyvern.


    In her hands was arge and ck battleaxe, dripping fresh blood while her gaze was full of warrior''s spirit as she faced the corpses of hundreds of monsters that now colored the ground red with their blood.


    If Kahn was present here, he too would have been surprised to see her of all people present inside this party.


    Because this fearless woman who enjoyed this battle against the army of monsters despite being on the brink of death was¡­


    Lagertha Skjoldottir, the guildmaster of 12 Valkyries.

 Chapter 990 Cause of Return

    Chapter 990 Cause of Return


    The turmoil had finally subsided as the battle concluded on the penins shaped by the God of Life. The triumphant party emerged as the Hero of Life''s group, consistingrgely of Kahn''s own subordinates.


    When Kahn initially entered Hesperides in the guise of Atreus, a member of the Hero of Nature''s party, he was taken aback by an unexpected revtion. His innate connection with his subordinates allowed him to sense their presence. Ronin, in particr, reached out to him through their mental link, exining the circumstances that led them to be part of the Hero of Life''s party.


    The main reason why they were here in the first ce was because Kahn himself sent them here.


    Technically, not the real Kahn but the doppelganger he left in the Zivot Empire aka the Elven Empire as Legs Ragnarsson.


    And the reason behind his action was due to the Hero of Life''s party being allegedly annihted by the infamous Hero of Darkness.


    After they died in the Immortal Dungeon when Ervalen Baark, the 9th current Hero of Life, tried to enter the final floor and control Lightning Dragon Emperor, Vildred¡­ the conve of heroes became a crucial point to the Elven Empire.


    Although the Emperor or the Abbot of the Elven Empire were prepared for things going south and med the reason for their deaths on Hero of Darkness just to avoid the responsibility and discontentment of the High Kings Elven ss¡­ Their cunningness also became their biggest mistake.


    The demise of the Hero of Life''s party in the Immortal Dungeon, coupled with the subsequent death of Princess Eleanor under mysterious circumstances, became a critical juncture for all the ruling figures such as the imperial family and even the Monastery of God of Life.


    Suddenly, the entire Hero''s party was massacred and then the death of Princess Eleanor two weekster under suspicious circumstances caused mayhem among the High Elves and Nobles sses of the empire.


    On the surface, the Nadur Empire aka the Beast Empire was the alleged murderer of the princess but many spected that it was the Hero of Darkness who killed her because he wanted to send a message to the Imperial Family.


    This development significantly influenced the High Kings ss''s stance on the reserved members of the Hero''s Party.


    The customary selection process for members of the Hero''s Party involved choosing individuals from the cream of the crop within the High Kings sses. Despite not being the designated heirs or sessors to their respective families and ns, these individuals were among the elite of the younger generation.


    In the context of the long-lived High Elves, who enjoyed lifespans extending for hundreds of years, members of the Hero''s Party were regarded as prized assets. The High Elves, facing challenges rted to low birth rates, cherished these individuals who represented the pinnacle of their society. Additionally, all members of the Hero''s Party held the esteemed status of Saints, reflecting their exceptional capabilities and contributions.


    Every single one of them was a warrior who could impact the fate of millions of people in the empire during the war with their enemies.


    And no matter what empire it was¡­ a Saint was akin to a national treasure and also considered as one of the main pirs of the ns and houses they belonged to.


    Whether it was to prove their loyalty or to gain favors of the imperial family¡­ all these families and ns from the High Kings Elven ss had sent one of their prized members to be a member of the Hero''s Party. And on top of it, all the deceased members were 2nd-stage saints to 4th-stage saints when they became party members.


    But because of the recent events, now even the almighty High Kings ss was afraid to send another member of their families and ns due to the risk of them being hunted down by the Hero of Darkness during the Conve of Heroes.


    They had already lost one pir of their families who would make an impact on their future but sacrificing another one for the sake of a pledge that no longer served them?...


    It made all of them withdraw from the previous arrangement with the imperial family for the first time in the history of the Elven Empire which stood tall for the past 8 thousand years.


    The situation was so dire that even the Emperor and the Abbot could no longer force or exert the oldws to send their saints as members of the Hero''s Party to the Conve of Heroes where danger was ever so high.


    Because if they forced the entire High Kings Elven ss, there was a huge risk of causing an uprising and then inciting a Civil War as thetter would use that as justification to throw down the current reign.


    The Monarchy was heavily dependent on the sses, families, and nobles who served them because in the end, they were but very few individuals even if they were the strongest beings of the empire.


    The Elven Emperor ss needed the High Kings and the High Nobles ss which was made of Humans, to maintain their rule as the undisputed rulers of the empire. The delicate bnce of power within the empire hinged on cooperation rather than coercion.


    Also, they could not send the direct blood descendants of the Eleven Emperor ss aka the Imperial Family for this endeavor either since princess Eleanor was dead, the crown prince Aragorn was still missing and Iskamir was part of the group that was hunting the Hero of Darkness. Thus, with all the heirs being out of the equation¡­ the only option they had was to hire an external force that could do the job and wouldn''t cause an uprising among the top authorities of the Elven empire.


    The intricate web of circumstances had led to a profound shift in the traditional dynamics and decision-making processes within the empire.


    And finally, the Emperor and the Abbot found the answer to all of their problems.


    After doing their research, the only group that stood out the most was none other than the no.1 mercenary guild of Alfheim, also known as¡­


    The Misthios Mercenary Guild.

 Chapter 991 Devil in Disguise

    Chapter 991 Devil in Disguise


    Due to the twists and turns of fate¡­ the Emperor of the Zivot Empire ended up asking for help from Misthios Mercenary Guild, the very guild created by the Hero of Darkness whom he had dered to be the killer of most of the members of the Hero of Life''s party in front of the whole world.


    As a consequence of his own choices, unbeknownst to him, he ended up contacting Legs Ragnarsson, originally the very person who yed a part in his daughter''s death.


    The most outstanding feat of this specific guild which made even the imperial authorities inclined to hire them was that it had a total of 14 Saints, the highest number of saints in any mercenary guild in the entire Elven Empire.


    This was a formidable number of Saints that not even Dukes, Marquises, and the High Kings ss of the Elven Empire had in their respective forces.


    If there came a day when there was a feud between different sses or factions of the empire due to some power struggle, those who hired Misthios had up to an 80% chance to win that feud solely based on the sheer number of saints and their ranks.


    Currently, there was one 5th-stage saint, then 3 of their members were at 4th-stage saint rank, 6 at the 3rd-stage rank including the guildmaster Legs Ragnarsson himself, and 4 members at the 2nd-stage.


    This was a formidable force that even made the Emperor feel a sense of caution.


    That''s why, a month ago, they approached Legs Ragnarsson with respect instead of ordering him to visit the Capital like usual.


    The person who led the Imperial Envoy to Alfheim and met Legs in his office situated at Sparta was none other than his brother, who was the Abbot of the Monastery of Life and also a peak 7th-stage saint.


    The 2nd strongest person in the entire Elven Empire who held as much authority as the Emperor now met with Legs, the doppelganger of Kahn who shared everything inmon with him except for his core and original body.


    Through a detailed conversation, Legs learned the seriousness of the issue and considered a few aspects of his self-preservation.


    He also found out through the Abbot that all the Heroes needed to attain the Conve of Heroes no matter what if they wanted to stay alive.


    And hence, their protection was of the utmost priority for all the empires. Due to their current situation, they needed the Misthios guild''s assistance.


    Obviously, the Abbot also shifted the me on the Hero of Darkness as part of the official story and tried to convince Legs to send his best people to assist and protect Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life during Conve of Heroes.


    [If I''m still alive, means my real body is also alive and well.


    But if I don''t know about this whole Divine Essence part of being a chosen Hero, then I''m as good as dead after the Conve of Heroes.


    Still, there''s a chance I will be present there either by luck, coincidence, or the machinations of the God of Darkness.


    The problem is I can''t personally go there since this is but a doppelganger body and I will be found out very quickly.


    But that''s not the case for my subordinates who have real bodies and can hide their true forms as well. Some of them even have Psuedo-Souls so no one will be suspicious about them.


    And if the original me somehow arrives at Conve of Heroes, I will need allies who can aid me once I enter that so-called God''s Domain.


    The original me will have to enter the penins created by God of Darkness to keep my core intact and even if I hide my identity like I usually do¡­


    It won''t be possible to have extra sets of eyes. If anything, I need more manpower.] thought Legs long and hard after hearing everything from the Abbot.


    "I ept this offer. However, I will not be able to participate there myself since I''m the guildmaster and thousands of people rely on me to maintain order in Sparta.


    At best, I can send you my most talented warriors to aid the Hero of Life in this Conve of Heroes.


    However¡­ do note that we will neither be pledging any alliance or loyalty to the imperial family or the monastery. This will be pure contract-based work like we normally do.


    As for the payment¡­ I would like something worth the risk since my guys may not return alive due to this threat you call the Hero of Darkness." proposed Legs to the Abbot.


    "I wouldn''t have it any other way either, child.


    And what do an Ironborne Elf like you want as fair payment?


    Do you want a Title or do you want a seat among the High Elves?


    As long as I and the Emperor give the word, anything can be done." spoke the old high elf who was more than 600 years old.


    "A title such as a High Noble is useless to me because it doesn''te with much authority.


    I''m not like those desperate humans who risk their lives and spend decades just to get recognition from the High Elves." responded Legs with aposed demeanor.


    "And neither do I want a seat amongst the High Elves since I''m an Ironborne.


    I will always be an outcast there. So instead, I want something of value, something far more worth than a title of a noble or the right to sit among the High Elves." he iterated calmly.


    "And what is that?" asked the Abbot curiously.


    Both of the options he presented were something people in the Zivot Empire would kill for.


    For centuries, Humans in this empire had devoted themselves to the nation and served the imperial rule in one way or another to receive titles and authority to control regions of the empire once recognized by the imperial family.


    Many had received ce in Military and some even be Counts and Viscounts in the Zivot Empire.


    Even the normal Elves, who were part of the upper ss by default due to their hierarchy system among the races, could only dream about being epted into the High Elf ss which was the main ruling poption of the empire.


    Yet, for some reason, this Ironborne Elf who descended from the bloodline of Bjorn Ragnarsson, the 4th Hero of Life, a heritage frowned upon by the High Elves¡­ chose to decline both of them.


    At this point, even the Abbot was anticipating what reward Legs wanted to send his people on this suicide mission.


    What he didn''t know was that he was trying to make a deal with Kahn Salvatore, the man who forced beings like Rathnaar Whitlock, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea, and the former Lightning Dragon Emperor, Vildred Mortelix to enter a life-and-death Soul-Oath as well as Contract of Familiarity with him even when he was at the brink of death.


    Kahn was the kind of greedy man who wanted everything he could squeeze out from the other side even in the face of imminent destruction.


    No way he was going to let this chance go when the other side didn''t know that they were making a deal with the devil himself.


    "To send 9 of my best warriors to their possible deaths just to protect a Hero¡­ I want something that''s worthy of being part of the 9 realms." spoke Legs with a devilish smirk.


    Chill!


    Even the Peak 7th stage saint felt a chill running through his spine as he saw the face full of unending avarice on Legs'' face as the guildmaster of the Misthios finally dered¡­


    "I want ownership of the entire Alfheim."

 Chapter 992 Demand and Repayment

    Chapter 992 Demand and Repayment


    The conversation between Legs and the Abbot took a surprising turn as soon as the Ironborne Elf demanded the entire Alfheim as his reward for sending his warriors as part of the Hero of Life''s party. This was an outrageous demand that even left the Peak 7th-stage saint like the Abbot speechless.


    Legs wanted Alfheim for many reasons.


    This wasparable to Vessen fiefdom he had in the Rakos Empire whether it was in terms of dungeons, monster resources, mining cores, economic hub and even authority in the empire''s matters.


    Having this under hisplete rule, independent of the empire''s jurisdiction was akin to having his own Duchy.


    Although Alfheim was only 600 kilometers in its total span, much smaller than Vessen fiefdom which spanned 8000 kilometers, the mary and resource values it held were astronomous.


    Just by controlling who entered Alfheim and who did what kind of business in thesends, Legs could gain arge amount of money in the name of tolls and taxes alone.


    Hence, with the pride of the entire Zivot Empire on the line, Legs did not hold back and directly asked for Alfheim as his reward.


    "Think about it, lord Abbot.


    What would all the other empires think if Hero of Life shows up without even a party?" he stated and asked calmly, hiding his greedy expression.


    "All the Emperors and Empresses as well as the chosen Heroes and Heroines will treat the Zivot Empire as a joke globally.


    And on top of it, if the Hero, in whom the empire has invested so much resources and is supposedly the representative of the great God of Life also ends up dying during the Conve of Heroes¡­ It will be too big of a problem for you." he cited in an articte tone, hinting further reprucussions.


    "Who will herald the Elven Empire during the uing war against the Demon God?" asked Legs in a coy tone.


    Abbot on the other end, waspletely surprised.


    "How did you know that? The war with the Demon Empire and the Demon God has not been made public yet by any of the empires that aren''t directly on their borders." inquired the Abbot.


    "I have eyes and ears in this empire too, you know. I didn''t be the no.1 mercenary guild of Alfheim within a year by pure luck." iterated Legs as he leaned back on the sofa.


    "Still, ownership of the Alfheim is too much of a price." said Abbot with a hesitant voice.


    Normally, they wouldn''t be making such a polite demand from anyone and used his strength as a Peak 7th stage saint to make others submit and serve them without question. But the circumstances had forced even him to tread carefully while talking with Legs.


    "Compared to the importance of Hero of Life safely returning to the empire and the faith of all the citizens staying loyal to the imperial family which will also keep the High Kings elven ss at bay¡­


    I''d say you''re getting a very favorable deal." responded Legs with a casual smile.


    "You can''t have everything for free in this world, lord Abbot.


    You need people to believe in your supremacy and in your capabilities as rulers and protectors of the empire.


    If you give them a reason to no longer support you¡­ there will be a civil war between both Commoner ss and the High Elves.


    The Hero of Life returning alive is far more important than keeping Alfheim under your control." said Legs as he implored the Abbot.


    Kahn was a master negotiator at this point in his life who knew how to use the opposition''s weakness to the fullest extent.


    To his proposition, the Abbot spoke softly¡­


    "A lot of people will be unhappy, especially all the High Elves sses across the empire." To this worrying words, Legs replied¡­


    "Let the dogs keep barking. If they try to bite me, I will pull out their teeth by myself.


    All you have to do is give me the ownership of Alfeim as its sole ruler and officially dere it in the whole empire.


    I will deal with the politics and potential threats without letting them affect you or the Emperor."


    "I have two conditions though." spoke the Abbot.


    "What is it?"


    "We want that newly ascended 5th-stage saint in this party.


    Also¡­ we want Lagertha Skjoldottir among the list of warriors." he cited his terms.


    "But why her?" asked Legs, hiding his surprise. Then the Abbot replied calmly¡­


    "We know you recently absorbed the entire 12 Valkyries after 7 of their saints died in the Immortal Dungeon.


    And since you can''t be present in the Hero''s Party yourself, we want someone with experience and strength to lead a group of Saints. Consider it as a safety measure." he exined.


    "That decision lies with Lagertha. I can not decide it for her myself.


    Also, iff she dies¡­ then all the members of her previous guild will me it on me that I sent her to the gates of hell." exined Legs.


    In reality, he could risk his subordinates because the original him could always revive them even if they died in the Conve of Heroes. But the same could not be said for Lagertha, the 4th-stage saint Berseker guildmaster of 12 Valkyries.


    After some time, Lagertha was summoned in Legs'' office and met the Abbot.


    "I''m not even the strongest person in the guild. Yet you considering me worthy to join the Hero''s Party is a great honor." replied Lagertha and bowed in respect.


    She then agreed to the Abbot''s terms and the contract was officially in motion.


    After few minutes, the Abbot used an artifact and talked with the Emperor in private. After an hour passed, both of them swear through an oath scroll, a form of conduit to make their contract official, that Legs will be granted Alfheim as long as Ervalen returned alive from the Conve of Heroes.


    ----------------


    After the Abbot left, Legs spoke to Lagertha in a solemn tone...


    "You know¡­ I didn''t want you to go there. It has been just 5 months since the remainder of the 12 Valkyries joined us as part of the Misthios guild.


    Most of them still think of you as their guildmaster.


    If anything were to happen to you, it would cause great chaos among the guild which would be deadly to not only the innocent guild members but also those who make a living in Sparta." he iterated.


    "I know that." said Lagertha.


    "But I have my own honor as well. This contract would be a pivotal milestone for you and the entire guild.


    And it was about time I repaid you, guildmaster Ragnarsson, for saving my people." she dered in a vehement voice.


    Legs in return, shook his head and spoke¡­


    "All I did was raise my own manpower, nothing more."


    Sigh!


    Lagertha on the other end, shook her head as well and sighed¡­ "I know that you don''t like taking credit for all the good deeds you do for the poor and helpless people¡­


    But you practically paid all of our debt, settled all the affairs with big clients, stopped other guilds from poaching my Saints and normal guild members, and stopped our old enemies from annexing us one way or another." she revealed events of the past.


    "You also stood like a wall and saved thousands of lives of my guild members from those who wished to devour my guild through their schemes.


    Even I would not have been able to hold it all together for this long despite being in this profession far longer than you." she dered in a thankful tone.


    "Thousands of my people now have homes in Sparta, they have honest and respectable work, and most importantly¡­ they can hold their heads high while making a living." said Lagertha in a content voice.


    "After most of my sisters died in the Immortal Dungeon, even I had lost all hope.


    Like a savior, you appeared in front of us and saved us from nigh annihtion.


    For that, as the former guildmaster of 12 Valyries¡­ I owe you my life." she stated resolutely.


    "And I wish to repay that debt by doing this job for you."


    Sigh!


    This time, it was Legs who sighed and spoke¡­


    "One thing I have learned while being a leader in my life so far is that your responsibility isn''t just to protect only your people but also themunity around you in the society.


    If one pir falls, so will the rest sooner orter. What I did was done for that very reason." he exined the reason behind his own actions.


    "Still, if you wish to repay me this way¡­ I won''t try to stop you and end up insulting your honor as a person and as a warrior." he replied with a smile.


    This arrangement between Legs and the Abbot, caused by the consequences of them ming the Hero of Darkness to hide their own failures created an unforeseeable coalition between the Imperial Family and the Misthios Mercenary guild.


    Legs ended up creating ns for supporting his own original self while also reaping huge rewards by using this opportunity to further extend his influence and authority in the Elven Empire.


    This was the very cause why Omega, Rudra, the Six Generals and Lagertha were present at the Conve of Heroes.

 Chapter 993 The Forgotten Bloodline

    Chapter 993 The Forgotten Bloodline


    Back in Babylon¡­


    Ervalen Baark, the 9th Hero of Life finally woke up after a few hours since Omega and the others killed the Legendary Rank golems.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    A golden beehive sharped barrier with a greenish hue encapsted Lagertha.


    And the one tending to her wounded and exhausted figure with his skills and high grade healing and stamina potions was none other than Armin. "Man, what a bummer. These elves are only good at magic and having a long lifespan.


    His regenerative abilities are nonexistent and his body is too weak to tolerate bacsh from his skills after he was forced to be a Semi-Saint again.


    We would have ended this whole thing a couple of days ago if not for his frail body." said Rudra as he held An, his trident, in his right hand.


    Ervalen, who had just woken, heard this remark and looked around with a surprised gaze¡­


    "Report to me about what happened." hemanded.


    Soon, Ronin in his Scorpion persona told him everything about what happened ever since he fainted.


    Gasp!


    "What?! There were 8 of them?!" he asked with a shocked countenance.


    To his taken aback figure, Omega in his Raiden persona spoke in solemn tone¡­


    "Yes. The one you attacked was somehow at the center of it all.


    After you lost and fainted due to your injuries, all the others woke up from their hibernation from their respective locations spread in thesends." "Thanks to Loki here, who is good at deciphering magic formations and has a lot of knowledge on Golems¡­ we found a way to defeat them." cited Ronin as he pointed at the mage.


    Ceril as Loki Vitkisson, spoke in a nonchnt tone...


    "All of them had a Rune written in ancient Elvennguage that represented a particr number on their cores.


    And the one you attacked was number fifth." "The only way to defeat thempletely was to kill all of them in under 10 minutes and start the order from thest to the first." he exined.


    "So how did you all manage to attack them individually while avoiding others?" asked Ervalen with a curious tone.


    Rudra then smirked and dered confidently¡­


    "We didn''t. We killed all of them in order by ourselves in a 1 vs 1 battle."


    "What?! That''s impossible!


    Even the one I fought was as strong as a Legendary Rank monster." said Ervalen,pletely stunned.


    This time, it was ckwall in his Sigurd persona who spoke in a stoic tone¡­ "Yes, and still each one of us killed one of them by ourselves while adjusting our timing.


    It was a bit challenging since we were all suppressed as Semi-Saints."


    bbergasted!


    Ervalen was in disbelief and could not utter another word.


    He then looked at Myrienne who sat close to him and all he received in response from the priestess was a nod.


    [Did I, a chosen hero, lose to these mercenaries who don''t even have a divine ability?] he thought.


    Myrienne, who was the secret lover of the deceased princess Eleanor, spoke in a condescending tone¡­


    "What''s there to be proud of? You all did what you were supposed to do anyway." Even the displeasure in her voice could be felt by everyone present.


    And this time, it was Oliver in his Icarus persona, who spoke in a pissed-off tone.


    "Says the most useless among us. It wouldn''t havee to this if he hadn''t attacked that golem first instead of letting me and Ronin do a proper reconnaissance to figure out what type of enemies we were facing this time." he openly disyed his hostility.


    Ervalen now had a downcast expression because he too understood that it was his hastiness that almost cost his own life.


    If all of these warriors from Misthios hadn''t defeated those monsters, even he would have died despite his divine abilities.


    "We will go and find the God''s Altar now." said the Hero of Life and stood up.


    However¡­


    "Before we move forward¡­ know one thing." said Omega in a spiteful tone.


    "Our job is to protect you and ensure your survival during the Conve of Heroes. But that doesn''t mean we''re going to let down our lives for you." he iterated in a grim voice. "Remember this ''Lord Hero''.... We''re not your dead subordinates and neither do we serve the imperial family of the Zivot Empire. We''re all just hired mercenaries whose job is to make sure you return alive. Nothing more and nothing less.


    But don''t expect us to act like your loyal dogs." said Omega, not even trying to hide his enraged expression.


    "You dare show hostility to me, you damn Mixblood?!"


    Ervalen in return, turned furious after he felt disrespected by Omega''s words. "Hmph! Says the Halfbreed." retorted Omega fearlessly.


    BOOM!


    Ervalen released his hostile aura mixed with his killing intent.


    Rudra for the first time, took Omega''s side and intervened¡­ "What? Do you have a problem with our attitude? Gonna cry about it after putting all of us in danger for the 3rd time ever since we arrived?" mocked Rudra, his voice criticizing the Hero of Life.


    [Ah, my blood pressure is rising again.]


    "Oye, you delinquent bunch!" shouted Lagertha and meddled in as soon as Armin was done healing her.


    He had crimson blood-red and waist-length hair, and on his back was a giantsword covered in glowing red runes.


    "Be nice and respectful or I''ll tell the guildmaster about how you almost fought with lord Hero and botched the job." said Lagertha in a patronizing voice.


    "Humph! Guildmaster is the reason why we haven''t done anything yet." spoke a certain man with his entire upper body exposed and covered in ck tattoos.


    He had crimson blood-red and waist-length hair, and on his back was a giantsword covered in glowing red runes.


    The middle of his torso was like any other human, exposing his ripped 6 pack abs.


    But his forearms had ck gauntlet-like bonesing out and both of his arms were crimson red just like the hair as if a stream of vibrant crimson red blood was flowing under his skin.


    Just his glowing red eyes alone looked like they belonged to a dangerous and terrifying predator.


    On his visage, two ck demonic horns protruded from both sides of his head.


    "It wouldn''t havee to this if he wasn''t so impatient and weak. A hero? That has to be a joke.


    Even our guildmaster was many times stronger than him when he was a Semi-Saint." said this man who was 6''4'''' in height alone.


    Bang!


    Ervalen banged his scepter on the ground as he was thoroughly pissed off at this point. "You¡­ What is your name?" he asked with an infuriated countenance.


    "Why? You''re going to pick up a fight with meter after we leave Babylon?" asked the red-haired man with red irises in his eyes.


    "And what if I intend to do so?" said the Hero with an insidious smirk.


    "Are you that afraid to even tell me your name?" he taunted, knowing that nobody would dare to go against him because he was the Hero of Life.


    When things came to this point, everyone had cowered before him in the past. "It''s Dante Surtersson." spoke the man.


    Stunned!


    Ervalen was suddenly visibly confused. "I read your profiles backst month when the imperial family hired your guild. Wasn''t Dante Surtersson supposed to be a 3-meter-tall human?" asked Ervalen as he looked at ckwall.


    "Well, since you never bothered to ask¡­ I''m called Sigurd." replied ckwall. Dante on the other side replied in a casual tone¡­ "Looks like your intel is very old. I used to be that big guy." "What nonsense is that?!" rebuked Ervalen with a puzzled expression.


    "How can your body go from 3 meters to 192 centimeters within a month? And how did you suddenly grow horns like the demonkins?


    Do you take me for a fool?" he spoke in a threatening tone.


    "Not my problem. I don''t owe you any exnation and neither do I care about your opinion." replied Dante in a carefree tone.


    "You have passed the final trial solely because of us defeating those legendary rank golems and Lagertha here fighting those hordes of monsters that attacked you while you were unconscious.


    She almost died while that priestess was healing you inside a protection barrier.


    But instead of thanking us or showing any form of gratitude, you are picking up fights because we are criticizing your rash decisions and ipetence." dered Dante in a kingly tone.


    "I guess your deadrades never pointed out what kind of idiotic and reckless leader you were just because of you being a chosen Hero of the Elven empire.


    But don''t mistake us for them since we don''t care about all that fancy custom." he iterated.


    Dante''s voice then turned serious.


    "In a world where strength is obsolete¡­ You don''t have the right toin if you''re weaker than everyone else." he dered in a domineering tone.


    Ervalen has veins visible on his face because of rage but he was holding back. Not because he didn''t want to attack Dante but because he couldn''t in his current state where his mana was very low.


    The same was the case for Myrienne but she could not gather the strength to speak a word under the murderous gazes of the members of the Misthios guild.


    Right then¡­


    Lagertha decided to calm the situation and spoke to Ervalen telepathically. [I apologize on their behalf, my lord. However¡­ You can pick a fight with others, but not him.] she stated.


    [Why? Is this red-haired bastard some big shot in your mercenary guild?] asked Ervalen.


    [No, not because of that reason.


    But because he may not have shown it throughout this entire journey till even thest part of your trials. And the truth is¡­ He is the strongest among all of them.] Lagertha exined why even the Hero of Life shouldn''t mess with Dante aka Jugram. [He is a¡­ 5th-stage saint.] Bewildered!


    Even the Hero of Life who was still a 4th-stage saint was left speechless after finding out that the strongest person in the entire Misthios guild was neither Omega nor Rudra¡­ but Jugram.


    What he didn''t know was that the one before him was no longer someone with the True Demon bloodline.


    Currently, he was the only being in the world of Vantrea who had the bloodline of a long-forgotten existence that once made even the Gods fear for the fate of the world. If one were to put in words... the current Jugram who was the new apostle of Mors, the Deity of ughter, could also be titled as¡­


    The new Vajrayaksha.

 Chapter 994 Limit Break

    Chapter 994 Limit Break


    As Maximus stood before the tinum door adorned with ancient engravings and runes, the mere presence of the entrance exuded an otherworldly aura that caused the Hero of Nature to stumble slightly in his steps. The atmosphere around the door seemed charged with divine energy, setting the stage for whaty beyond.


    [What is this feeling? It''s as if my soul is leaving my body.] thought Maximus.


    Because at this moment when he stood close to the door, it felt as if he was drawn to whatever it was beyond the door.


    His entire being felt like it was being pulled by an inexplicable connection towards this door.


    At the center of this 2-meter wide and 3-meter tall door, was a golden lion''s head, made out of an unknown metal that glowed purple and red periodically.


    And in that lion''s mouth, was a blue glowing orb.


    "Alright, the empress told me to put my hand on the orb when I see it." spoke Maximus and cautiously ced his palm on the blue orb.


    Swoosh!


    And the very next moment, his entire figure disappeared from the room, not even leaving a gust of wind behind.


    After he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a tinum tform in the form of a 10-meter radius disc.


    But soon, another phenomenon took ce in front of him.


    And eternal darkness surrounded Maximus, soon, that darkness was lit with light. After a few seconds, earth formed, and soon, the elements of reality such as water, metal, fire, wood, lightning, light, and darkness started epassing that earth.


    The awe-inspiring sight before Maximus unfolded like the birth of an entire''s ecosystem. As if witnessing the genesis of life, he observed thendscape taking shape, evolving, and flourishing before his eyes. The beauty and endless possibilities of creation left Maximus transfixed, momentarily forgetting his own existence in the face of this majestic disy. The unfolding panorama seemed to carry the promise of boundless potential and the wonder of life''s constant renewal.


    In front of Maximus¡­ an entire was being created.


    "Beautiful, isn''t it?"


    Right then, a voice resounded behind him.


    As Maximus turned his head around, in front of him appeared a vast and unending expanse of a transcendent being.


    This being had a humanoid appearance but with a mixture of all the elements of reality such as water, earth, metal, wood, wind, and fire; leaving many others he could not even recognize. It was like looking at a living embodiment of the world itself.


    The eternal being sat meditatively, its eyes closed as if lost in thought.


    The distance between them was several hundred kilometers away, yet it felt as if the being was right in front of him. Maximus could not help but feel a sense of awe and reverence washed over him, since he was in the presence of something truly divine.


    "Oh, divine god." spoke Maximus and bowed his head in respect.


    The endless and eternal being in front of him was none other than the God of Nature, Termeszet.


    "How are you, my child?


    It feels as if it was mere moments ago when I brought you into Vantrea as my chosen hero." spoke the God of Nature in a voice carrying the depth of transcendent wisdom.


    "Well, 7 years could be considered a mere moment for a God. But it has been a while for me." said Maximus, still in a bowing position.


    "Raise your head, child. I can see that you''ve be very strong in such a short time.


    Compared to all of my previously chosen ones, you have shown the highest perseverance, endurance, and will to learn.


    You even mastered the Progenitor of Nature divine ability that none of my other chosen representatives could in the past 3000 years.


    Your conviction in yourself and your dedication to living up to your role as a chosen hero who was brought to save this world is indeedmendable." said the God of Nature without holding his genuine praise for Maximus.


    Maximus nodded in appreciation and asked¡­


    "So this is the god''s altar?"


    "God''s Altar is just the name for the door to this dimension that you saw before.


    It''s like a tform only the Hero or Heroine of Nature can use after they prove themselves worthy through their trials.


    The expression on the God of Nature''s visage suddenly changed.


    It''s more of a symbolic representation than actually being an altar." exined the god.


    "I see. I did meet the 7th Hero of Nature.


    He was a very¡­ peculiar individual." spoke Maximus softly.


    The expression on the God of Nature''s visage suddenly changed.


    BOOM!!


    And right behind him¡­ the that was being formed exploded.


    "I¡­ I had high hopes from him back then. I was wed but a man of honor and responsibility.


    I believed that he deserved a second chance to be a great hero he was destined to be in his new life.


    But in the end¡­ he could not act against his nature." spoke the god with a voice filled with regret and disappointment.


    The god''s eyes gleamed slightly, illuminating thousands of kilometers in an instant.


    "The next Heroine I chose was a remarkable woman in her world. But after seeing the disparity in terms of strength and skills in Vantreapared to her original world¡­ she became a victim of self-imposed and ignoble thoughts.


    She had so much potential but always thought she didn''t deserve to be a chosen heroine as always med herself for not being the person she was supposed to be.


    On top of it, the people of the Nadur Empire added only fuel to the fire since she was a human.


    Her confidence in herself was shattered when she entered thest part of her trial during the conve of heroes that happened 300 years ago,


    In the end, she became fearful for her own life and even abandoned her party members when Marcus Brutus tried to kill her.


    She did not even gain my recognition when she entered the God''s Altar and I did not grant her what you call the Limit Break." iterated God of Nature in a solemn tone.


    "You on the other hand, Maximus¡­ were chosen because you had the good qualities of both but also had a mind that would not bend to the rules of the world no matter how tough and helpless the situation became.


    You are the kind who would not hesitate to die for their duty and protecting others even if the end of the world was in front of you." dered God of Nature.


    "And seeing you here and how you passed your trials¡­ I''m grateful to you." he spoke in an almost pleased tone.


    "Thankful for what?" asked Maximus.


    "For proving me right. That I did not make a mistake this time." responded Termeszet in a tone simr to a proud parent.


    However, despite his praise¡­ Maximus responded in a discontent tone.


    "I haven''t earned that praise yet. I''m stillcking and not strong enough to face the Demon God in the uing war.


    I heard that even the Demon Emperor who only became an 8th-stage saint recently is already on par with a beginner 9th-stage saint.


    Compared to beings like them, I''m not even worth being mentioned in the same sentence as them.


    And that is why¡­ I need your help." iterated Maximus in a firm tone.


    He was not the kind to shy away from his shorings right when they were in front of his eyes.


    Even as a hero, he was still not someone who could represent the Nadur Empire and the billions of people living in it, and neither was he strong enough to protect everyone.


    Even his strength as a 5th-stage saint was barely enough for him.


    "Good. I expected you to feel that way.


    And that is why you deserve my blessings to bridge that gap between yourself and the others." dered Termeszet and moved his right palm.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    The palm shone brightly and an ethereal multicolored aura suddenly encapsted Maximus'' entire body.


    Minutes passed the aura waspletely absorbed by Maximus.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crack!


    In 3 sessions, the crackling noises resounded in this dimension.


    Shatter!


    Suddenly, as if breaking an invisible case of ss, Maximus''s figure shattered the entire surroundings close to him as if the reality itself shattered.


    "Whoo! This¡­ I feel it." he spoke and looked at his arms.


    "My body feels like I have be immune to suppression of my own limits." he said in an astonished tone.


    "Yes. You have broken your limits. You will at least be an 8th-stage saint in your lifetime.


    But the journey beyond that¡­ it will all depend on your resolution and hard work." iterated the God of Nature.


    "Before you go. I have a favor to ask you." said the god and gazed at Maximus.


    "If you meet the Hero of Darkness during this conve of heroes¡­


    Help him escape."mended the God.


    Stunned!


    "Why?" asked Maximus with a shocked countenance.


    Because even to him, everyone told him that the Hero of Darkness was an enemy who must not be spared.


    "Consider it paying off a debt¡­" spoke the god of nature with a tone full of wisdom.


    "From a time that has note to existence yet."

 Chapter 995 The Realm Tear

    Chapter 995 The Realm Tear


    Maximus, after contemting the mysterious words of Termeszet, decided to give his word to help the Hero of Darkness if their paths were to cross.


    "Although I do not know why¡­ I will heed your words. I too would like to meet this infamous Hero of Darkness one day," said Maximus.


    Termeszet then urged Maximus to fulfill the other objective of his presence at the Conve of Heroes.


    "Good. Now it is time for you toplete the other objective ofing to the Conve of Heroes." Termeszet then urged Maximus to fulfill the other objective of his presence at the Conve of Heroes.


    "Also, tell the Empress of the Nadur Empire that I expect her to give it all when the war with the demon God begins.


    Otherwise, there is no future for anyone and our arrangement will have no meaning since the world will be destroyed." spoke Termeszet, the God of Nature with a stern voice.


    Blink!


    Behind Maximus, a glowing blue void crack in the shape of a door opened.


    "Time flows differently there.


    Just 10 minutes in there will be akin to 10 days in Babylon." informed the God of Nature and Maximus nodded in response with an understanding gaze.


    Maximus entered a door that appeared in the middle of the pedestal.


    Meanwhile¡­


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    Shockwaves after shockwaves spread within a particr section of the Tablet of Arcana.


    Explosions resonated within the vast expanse of the Conjunction of Space. This particr location held special significance for Kahn, as it was where he achieved his third enlightenment in Space Law, obtained his Void Sentinel legendary rank ss, and assumed his Cosmic Aether form for the first time.


    Choosing this expansive realm for his breakthrough had strategic importance. The Conjunction of Space spanned thousands of kilometers, ensuring that the explosive consequences of his transformation wouldn''t affect or destroy anything due to its isted nature. The continuous bursts of energy echoed through the spatial convergence as he sessfully absorbed Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature''s core.


    "Phew! The sudden surge of world energy within my body was surely hard to control.


    Thankfully my body didn''t get blown up this time." said Kahn with aforted countenance.


    Crack!


    But suddenly, crackling noises resounded and in the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!!


    Kahn''s breakthrough resembled a nuclear explosion, his body emanating a red and ck aura like an erupting volcano. Within a mere 10 seconds, a radius of over 30 kilometers from Kahn''s location was enveloped in visible world energy, spreading like a dense mass of water akin to a cosmic tsunami.


    Fortunately, the surrounding area was a vast expanse of cosmic aether sea, sparing any potential destruction. Otherwise, the aftermath of Kahn''s breakthrough could have obliterated everything within its span.


    The transformation left asting impact on his physicality. Bone density improved, skeletal structure attained heightened endurance, and his world energy reserves surged to five times their previous limit. Multiple abilities, skills, and bloodlines underwent a profound strengthening and evolution, signifying a new level of power for Kahn.


    [Congrattions to the host for bing a 6th-stage saint.] notified the system.


    Kahn could feel that his core was lighting on its own and the purple glow could be seen outside his chest.


    "So it became purple just like a 6th-stage saint''s core." "I guess I will see the real effects of my breakthrough after I leave Babylon." he spoke to himself. Blip!


    A figure of a man in white and golden armor, having a grizzly white beard and a crown on his head appeared.


    "Well, I''m only reaping the rewards of my own choices.


    This was Rathnaar in his real appearance since he could manifest his soul inside the tablet of arcana.


    "What a lucky brat. Vildred would have not believed that you received a core from a former chosen hero and even broke through the rank of a 6th-stage saint in a ce where your life was at risk in the first ce." spoke Rathnaar in a solemn tone.


    "Well, I''m only reaping the rewards of my own choices.


    If I had directly killed him instead of showing him memories of Rome, his core would have most likely self-destructed.


    It was my kindness and magnanimity that rewarded me." spoke Kahn in self-praise but without a shred of shame.


    "Don''t forget that it''s my secret technique that made you two times stronger than the other heroes in the first ce.


    You should also give credit where it''s due." berated the former Peak Saint.


    "Yeah, yeah. I should definitely give you for constantly nagging in my head, old bastard." replied Kahn as he rolled his eyes.


    Step!


    After an hour of solidifying his body through meditation, Kahn exited the tablet and returned to the penins.


    "Now, it''s time for my main objective." he spoke and directed his cosmic replica to keep acting like him as he disappeared into thin air.


    Because it was time for Kahn to decide his next move. And that was¡­ "To locate the Realm Tear."


    ----------------


    After 3 hours of searching, Kahn finally found the ce told to him by Zolvik, the assassinrade of the Necromancer Hero.


    Out in the endless expanse of white sand, like an oasis in the desert, Kahn found ake with pitch-ck water.


    Even the light from the moon did not illuminate or leave any reflection on the surface.


    Jump!


    Without hesitation, Kahn jumped into theke, and using the aquatic skills he had from Cthullu, it only took him a moment to locate the Realm Tear.


    Blop!


    Kahn jumped out of the water from an entirely different end and now saw a void crack in the middle of a dpidated room with nothing but rocks and remains of crumbled bones and armor.


    "Looks like some other Hero''s party mistakenly entered through this Realm Tear and could not go back.


    The bones and the condition of their legendary rank armors is so bad. It must have been at least 2000 years." spoke Kahn and stared at the void crack in front of him.


    "And this water must have not let them escape since it''s purely made of darkness and isn''t like normal water.


    Poor souls¡­" he said in an empathetic tone.


    That was the matter with Realm Tears that Romulus informed Kahn about beforeing to the Conve of Heroes.


    That Realm Tears were a one-way ticket and if you wanted to go back or enter a new region¡­ you must use another Realm Tear for it.


    It was done so that other heroes and their parties could not hunt the other god''s heroes by traveling through them to different peninss.


    Because to exit or go back to their own penins, they would have to look for the Realm Tear leading specifically to their designated spot.


    It was far more risky than just a strategic advantage to ambush another hero.


    Because there was no guarantee that you would ever be able to return alive since trials always changed for all heroes and so did the location of Realm Tears.


    "Alright, here goes nothing!" spoke Kahn and stepped inside the void crack.


    Swoom!


    Kahn, having undergone a powerful breakthrough, embarked on a journey through the gateway leading to the penins created by the God of Darkness. [Ding!


    Ding!


    The host has entered the penins created by the God of Darkness.


    Beginning the Divine Essence absorption.] alerted the system.


    As he entered, the system promptly notified him that his body hadmenced the absorption of the Divine Essence left by the God of Darkness.


    [The host must stay still in a meditative position for 2 days to fully absorb and integrate the Divine Essence in his Divine Key.] informed the system.


    Remaining on the penins for the full duration of two days, Kahn immersed himself in the assimtion process. His objective was to only ensure his survival and not face the trials meant for him because his divine key was not even awakened.


    Kahn could not even enter the God''s Altar of God of Darkness without it. So he did not even dare to venture what was in this penins other than the ck wastnds before his eyes.


    2 Days Later¡­


    Eventually, the system ryed the message that the Divine Essence had been fully absorbed and integrated into his core, ensuring that Kahn was no longer in danger.


    "Finally. Now all I need to do is covertly find the realm tear leading to the penins of God of Nature and we are all done with this conve of Heroes." said Kahn as he took a deep breath of relief.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    But right then, the Realm Tear behind Kahn saw a sudden change.


    Step!


    Step!


    Step!


    One after another, a total of 12 unfamiliar entities belonging to unknown species, adorning intricate and legendary rank attires, armors as well as weapons came in sight.


    The emergence of these unknown entities was so sudden that Kahn had no chance to act and hide himself since the change was instantaneous.


    And finally, among them, appeared a particr individual who was a human just like Kahn.


    And the first words he spoke after looking at Kahn in his Atreus persona were¡­


    "Found you... Kahn Salvatore."


    Kahn was thunderstruck at this revtion and asked in a cautious voice...


    "You know who I am?" "I do." said the man in golden and blue battlemage attire who seemed to be in histe-20s. His grim and sinister voice echoed in the surroundings as he dered...


    "You''re not the only one cursed with knowledge."

 Chapter 996 The Introduction

    Chapter 996 The Introduction


    Right when Kahn had finallypleted his main goal of absorbing the Divine Essence and his Divine Key was now stable, ensuring his survival¡­


    A total of 12 entities appeared from the very realm tear that brought Kahn into this penins created by the God of Darkness.


    And one person in particr looked at Kahn in his Atreus persona and without a moment''s hesitation, he dered¡­


    "Found you... Kahn Salvatore"


    [Warning! Host is being targeted by killing intent exuded by multiple Semi-Saints.] informed the system.


    Kahn looked around multiple of these semi-saints who showed hostility towards him for no reason.


    One of them was a figure d in white armor, adorned with ck horns and vulture-like wings, gripping a menacing white spear. His face remained shrouded, adding an aura of mystery to his presence. The hostility emanating from this semi-saint was palpable, and Kahn keenly observed the details of his appearance, preparing for any potential threat.


    The second individual possessed a humanoid figure, entirely enveloped in a vibrant shade of blue. Dark blue mage robes adorned his form,plemented by ck pauldrons and a wizard-like hat. In his hand, he wielded a glowing ck scepter. The most striking feature, however, was the ever-vtile blue mes that danced around his body, adding an otherworldly and formidable aspect to his presence.


    The third figure stood as a colossal presence, reaching a towering height of four meters. His muscr and ripped physique emanated strength, emphasizing the two massive trunk-like horns that adorned his head. Gray skin covered his formidable form, and his feline-like face, coupled with folded gauntlets, added to the intimidating aura surrounding him.


    The fourth figure presented an imposing and massive appearance, standing at an impressive height of five meters. This beastkin possessed a strikingly blue body, a rarity even in the Beast Empire, with a lion-like face and two bison-like horns entuating the majestic and domineering look. Unlike the others, this figurecked any visible weapon or armor, relying solely on its imposing presence.


    The fifth member, a female, exhibited a unique appearance with fish-scale patterns covering her body. Her face remained concealed beneath a helmet, and the distinctive color of her blue palms, glowing sky-blue antlers, and attireprising a pristine white and blue dress¡ªcreated an ethereal ensemble. In her hand, she wielded a staff with a radiant blue hue.


    The sixth individual possessed a quadrupedal form, presenting a beast-like face adorned with horns. His stone-like purple skin, apanied by a fiery red mane and a long reptilian tail, contributed to a menacing appearance reminiscent of a forest monster rather than a semi-saint.


    The seventh member was a blue monster with ck horns, resembling a demonkin. His eyes, devoid of irises, glowed yellow. His exposed upper body was adorned with white runic tattoos, and he wielded a silver and brown spear in his right hand.


    The eighth being was a humanoid female with a distinctive appearance. Shecked legs, instead having spikes resembling those of a spider. Multiple yellow eyes adorned her thighs, forehead, horns, and shoulders. Her bare naked body had a white and red exoskeletal texture, and she possessed ws and wings, giving her an otherworldly and alien-like appearance reminiscent of creatures from Hollywood movies.


    The ninth member appeared as an amalgamation of aquatic species. It was challenging for Kahn to discern whether this individual, wielding a sword, resembled a snake, shark, eel, or some form of humanoid sea lizardman.


    The tenth member, in stark contrast, didn''t even feel like a living being. Their entire 7-meter-tall body wasposed of rocks, with the center of the stomach being nothing but a massive hole that allowed visibility through. The most distinctive feature was undoubtedly the arched and rusty halo-like bones protruding from its back, while the face and the entire skull were engulfed in mes, giving the impression of a creature from hell.


    The eleventh person was even more terrifying, with a body consisting entirely of a skull and bones covered in a ck and gooey liquid. This substance flowed across their body like a separate but living symbiotic entity, and constantly glowing blue veins emitted crackling lightning, running across the entirety of their skeletal form.


    As for the final member, a human just like Kahn, he wore regal yellow garbs befitting the Battlemage ss. Despite belonging to a different species than the rest of the group, he revealed a stern and determined countenance after identifying Kahn.


    [Ah, hell. Now who the fuck are these people?


    They seem to be already looking for me.] spoke Kahn in annoyance.


    "Good to see you here again, Kahn Salvatore. Or should I call you by your title¡­ Hero of Darkness?" spoke the blonde and golden-eyed battlemage.


    [What?! He already knows my name and my real identity.


    How is that possible? I''m still in my Fenrirborne form and other than Vildred, Romulus, and my subordinates, nobody in the past 2 empires I''ve been to even knows the name Kahn Salvatore.


    And they''re surely not from the Vulcan empire either and Rakos Empire has nothing to do with Concalve of Heroes. So how do these people know me?] wondered Kahn and self-actualized many things, trying to remember where he left any possible clue.


    The mysterious group of semi-saints continued to approach Kahn, their expressions revealing a mix of hostility and determination. Kahn, still in his Fenrirborne form, couldn''tprehend how these individuals knew his true identity.


    His encounters in the past two empires were limited to Vildred, Romulus, and his subordinates, and he had not interacted with anyone from the Vulcan or Rakos Empires in the context of the Conve of Heroes. But despite his thought process of a 6th stage saint, Kahn failed to find any possible trace that could lead to this unknown group of people knowing about his true identity.


    "Hey, hey! Get into your real form. This fenrirborne appearance is stinging my eyes." said the yellow-armored battlemage.


    Swoosh!


    BOOM!! Kahn quickly went on alert mode and summoned Lucifer in the right hand and in the other hand, he summoned Gungnir. At the same time, he was still wearing his Beowolf gauntlets.


    Soon, his entire appearance started changing as Kahn turned into his true human form while adorning his dark gray longcoat.


    "You''re either a stalker or some long distant rtive my parents never told me about.


    And I have an eidetic memory which reminded me that I don''t have a single fucking rtive in this world." spoke Kahn as he pointed his sword at the group.


    Everyone here was a semi-saint but all of them wore legendary rank gear and had weapons of the same rank.


    And in the current situation, it was a 12 vs 1 faceoff.


    "Oh, you have gathered some different gear this time.


    But if I remember properly, you didn''t prefer using weapons." said the blonde-haired battlemage.


    "You used to say that¡­ A man''s body is his biggest, strongest, and most reliable weapon."


    Kahn on the other end was confused and made a skeptical face.


    "When the hell did I say that? Are you sure you''re not mistaking me for someone else?" he asked.


    [Kid, this is not good. Even with many of your skills and abilities, turning the tide of battle in your favor won''t be easy since many of your skills can''t be used due to the restrictions of being unable to use world energy.


    Now, it''s only a matter of purebat skills rather than saint rank abilities.] informed Rathnaar.


    [I know. But I do have a way to even the odds in case they decide to fight me.] replied Kahn while maintaining his calm demeanor. "Who are you? And how do you know my name as well as the fact that I''m the Hero of Darkness?" asked Kahn in a vignt tone, ready to react if any of them decided to act and tried to attack him.


    The next moment, one of the 12 semi-saints decided to speak politely¡­


    "Well, we haven''t officially met yet. So let us allow to introduce ourselves properly."


    Then, from the left side, these new guests decided to introduce themselves.


    "I''m Jargon Ultaos." spoke the white-armored spearman with ck wings on his back.


    "I''m called Sulek Lankstor." spoke the blue-skinned person who seemed to be a summoner by ss.


    "Neamon Stragvor." spoke the 4-meter tall bare-chested brawler ss warrior.


    "Hank Primos." spoke the blue beastman who was the only member without a visible weapon on his person.


    "Ariel Eckhart." spoke the woman with white and blue attire who seemed to be a priestess by ss.


    "Judas Sphinx." spoke the monster-like four-legged semi-saint with a long reptilian tail.


    " Cedric." said the blue-skinned and white-tattooed spearman.


    "Echidna Skullborne." said the woman with white and red exoskeleton armor and yellow eyes spread over her body.


    "Nanaue Willock." spoke the person with aquatic species lineage who resembled a shark.


    "Targos Boltan." spoke the golem-like individual whose entire body was made of stone and his skull was on fire. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Knull Symbitar." spoke the person with a symbiote-like ck tendrils running across his body.


    "And this is our lord¡­"


    And finally, it was Knull who introduced the identity of the blonde-haired battlemage with golden eyes.


    "Anakin Redfield, the Hero of Time."

 Chapter 997 The Warnings

    Chapter 997 The Warnings


    Kahn stood dumbfounded as soon as the group of semi-saints revealed their identities as well as the human among them being none other than the Hero of Time.


    [Fuck! Out of all the heroes I could have faced¡­ I met the one whose abilities I had no idea about. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Even my elemental affinities and resistance to many skills and attacks are mainly viable to the 8 elemental heroes.


    I wouldn''t mind if he was the Hero of Light or Hero of Lightning.


    But someone who deals with the Time-rted skills and possibly has Divine Abilities rted to it¡­ This is a dangerous foe even for me.] thought Kahn as his first instinct.


    "Why? Are you that surprised now that you know my real identity?


    I was expecting more of an ignorant and dismissive response from you since have always been an overbearingly haughty and indifferent narcissist who acts like he is better than everybody else." said the Hero of Time with a smug countenance.


    Even through his words, it felt as if he found Kahn incorrigible and held deep enmity with him for some reason.


    "Alright, don''t let him act first!" ordered the Hero and soon, every single member of his party, including him, started taking out crystal-shaped artifacts, each having a different color than others.


    Shing! Shing!


    Soon, the crystals shimmered and a beam of light with their respective color wasunched into the sky.


    Soon, dozens of archaic magic formations appeared in the sky and spread over 20 kilometers of distance, creating a dome-like golden barrier.


    Crumble!


    Shatter!


    In the following moments, all the crystals shattered on their own, and their auras were absorbed by the cores of these semi-saints.


    [Warning! The host is under an Ancient Rank suppression spell and all of the host''s physical and magical stats are being affected.


    Strength has been reduced by 65%


    Agility has been reduced by 54%


    Dexterity has been reduced by 49%


    Defense has been reduced by 37%


    Mana has been reduced by 43%.] notified the system.


    The entire activation time for this suppression barrier was only 5 seconds as if they came prepared from the very beginning.


    Even as a Semi-Saint, Kahn was already 2 to 3 times stronger than others even before Romulus and Vildred trained him.


    So now, with all of his stats being reduced by almost half in most of the aspects, he was like a normal semi-saint.


    But things didn''t stop there.


    [All of the host''s elemental defense to skills and spells has been reduced by 35%.] informed the system again.


    Woosh!


    sh!


    Without a hitch, Kahn instantly used Quicksilver and attacked one of them.


    Bang!


    But right then, an imprable barrier appeared like a protective shield in front of all of them.


    Even Lucifer had failed to pierce through it despite being covered with Space Force.


    [Oho, looks like he learned new tricks. Well, since I''m also different from the original timeline, there''s a possibility that the butterfly effect affected the time in the reverse direction from the point of my return, causing it to alter his past a bit as well and make him learn different skills and powers than the original him.] thought Anakin Redfield, the Hero of Time.


    [Well, I need to get rid of the source of his power first.] he thought to himself and this time, he summoned a big horn.


    POOOONGGGG!!


    A brassy and rustic voice echoed from the horn and shockwaves resonated inside the 20-kilometer radius in mere seconds.


    [That''s¡­ That''s the Warhorn of Confinement! It''s an Ancient Rank artifact of the Empire of Time!] warned Rathnaar in Kahn''s head.


    [Kid! Hurry before I¡­] But before the Peak Saint could continue, his voice suddenly stopped.


    nk!


    nk!


    Without even Kahn being able to react, dozens of folden chains appeared over Kahn''s body but they disappeared just as quickly.


    Kahn hadn''t even absorbed this instant yet seemingly precarious situation but then, he heard sirens in his head.


    [Warning! Soul connection to the Peak Saint, Rathnaar Whitlock has been severed temporarily.


    Warning! The host has lost connection to the Peak Saint''s core.


    Warning! The ess to Space Law has been sealed. Dimensional Shift is no longer effective.


    Warning! Dimensional Domain and Dimensional Cut can no longer be used.


    Warning! World energy in this region has beenpletely expelled. Any skills that are passively active because of the world energy cannot be used.


    Warning! Energy Plunderer skill cannot be used.


    Warning! Phase Shift skill can no longer be used.


    Warning! Effects of all the bloodlines as well as skills and powers granted by them have been reduced by 70%.


    Warning! Due to theck of mana and world energy, the Primordial Titan bloodline and the skills granted by it cannot be used.


    Warning! Void Realm skill can not be used because the flow of time and space within the 20-kilometer range is disrupted.


    Warning! Lucid Reality can not be used due to host''s diminished mana and physical stats.


    Warning! The effects attack powers of all the weapons and armor and their skills have been reduced by 80%


    Warning! Link with summoned entities through the King of the Dead skill is temporarily disabled. The host can no longer summon his monster army or the fighter ss warriors.


    Warning! The overall physical attributes of the host have been reduced by an additional 37%.


    The host is nowparable only to a Beginner Grandmaster.] informed the system.


    Stunned!


    Kahn was too stunned to even react because even his body felt like it was out of his control.


    [Who the hell is that bastard? It''s as if he has seen through me.


    He even sealed the space, my ess to Rathnaar and his core as well as my weapons, my dimensionalw divine ability, my abilities to summon subordinates, and even my bloodlines.


    It''s as if he knows everything about my skills and how I fight.] thought Kahn quickly as he was thoroughly suppressed by the new arrivals in a mere 10 seconds just by activating a few magic formation artifacts.


    [Wait! That''s it¡­


    He must have the irvoyance and Sage''s Eyes divine ability!] wondered Kahn because he found no answer to this current predicament.


    [Maybe that''s why he knew my name, my identity as Hero of Darkness and also my abilities that I would use in such type of battle when I''m outnumbered.


    Even if he doesn''t have thetter, the first one alone is more than enough to have me trapped like a rat in a cage.] he concluded.


    This was the only possible exnation as to why the Hero of Time knew almost everything about how Kahn operated and his holster of skills, weapons, and bloodlines.


    "Give up now. Maybe I will be magnanimous enough to grant you a swift death¡­ something that you don''t deserve after what you did to me." spoke Anakin with cold and vengeful eyes.


    However¡­ "Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!


    This is good. It''s been a long time since I was on the verge of death and I was thoroughly cornered.


    I missed the thrill and excitement of it." spoke Kahn, his expression turning sinister and sadistic as his eyes focused on the Hero of Time.


    "There are 12 of you and 1 of me. This is so unfair¡­


    For you." dered Kahn menacingly.


    "The hell is he talking about? Hasn''t he realized that we can crush him like an ant now?" asked the blue beastkin.


    However, Kahn did not give them a moment to converse and replied truthfully.


    "You fucking idiots. I have been holding back till now because I had to hide my identity thus making me use only a limited amount of skills and elemental powers. I was also restricted to acting and fighting like a Brawler ss warrior for almost a year now." iterated Kahn.


    "But now, since there is no one else other than us¡­ I do not need to hold back." spoke Kahn in a domineering tone.


    Woosh!


    Woosh!


    In session, ck shadows emerged from his body and soon, they transformed into Kahn as he created his doppelgangers.


    Since he was unable to use world energy, his dopdoppelgangers count had reduced to 6 as he was stuck at Semi-Saint rank.


    But since he wasn''t restricted to using cosmic aether since it was a different entity than the world energy, mixed with the dimensional essence, he could still create 5 cosmic replicas.


    But since he left one of them in the penins left by the God of Nature, he could create only 4 of them now.


    Including Kahn himself, he had a total of 11 versions of him against the 12.


    11 people against 12. The numbers were close now.


    "Don''t be so certain of getting out of here alive just because you created mere copies of yourself.


    With your strength reduced to a beginner grandmaster¡­ you have only brought yourself a few extra minutes." dered Anakin in golden and blue robes with a haughty expression.


    "You¡­ I don''t know what your beef is with me, but don''t bber nonsense."


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Kahn quickly activated War Dominance and his ck and red aura spread in the nearby 2 kilometers as all the doppelgangers followed the same suit.


    "I may be outnumbered. But you''re outmatched." dered Kahn in a tyrannical voice.


    Flutter!


    Flutter!


    "Looks like you guys haven''t realized it yet¡­


    I''m not some random side-quest NPC you can gang up on and kill easily."


    Soul-shivering gusts of winds spread in this deste battlefield as everyone''s clothes fluttered from Kahn''s aura of Darkness as he dered in a kingly voice...


    "I''m the Final Boss."

 Chapter 998 Grandmaster vs Semi-Saints

    Chapter 998 Grandmaster vs Semi-Saints


    Now that the battlefield was set and Kahn was reduced to a mere beginner grandmaster rank warrior while the 12 assants were bonafide semi-saints, the tension in the air was palpable.


    Not only the strength but also in terms of numbers, Kahn wascking. Thankfully, he could still use his doppelgangers and the cosmic replicas to even the odds.


    Even so, there were still plenty of skills in his vast catalogue that could be used even at this rank and without the need to spend too much mana or use world energy.


    "You all handle him just like we practised. I need to be in istion to maintain the Warhorn of Confienment." spoke Anakin confidently.


    [He has few new skills this time. But I already trained my people for all the possible scenarios based on my memories of him.


    I have already broken off his connection to Rathnaar Whitlock and Peak Saint core.


    No matter how much he improvises, he is bound to exhaust whatever mana and skill he has, only to end up being brought to knees in the end.


    And once he is at my mercy¡­ I will make him feel the pain and humiliation he inflicted on me.] thought Anakin.


    BLIP!


    In a moment, his golden armored visage quickly disappeared into this air as if he was never real in the first ce.


    "What the hell, where did that bastard go? He definately didn''t turn invisible or entered the true dimension." spoke Kahn.


    Now, the match had turned into 11 vs 11 opponents where 11 Kahn now faced 11 semi-saint opponents of unknown species.


    "Alright then, bozos. Let''s get the party started!" said Kahn and all versions of him sprung into action.


    One of the first people he that a doppleganger who shared the mental link with Kahn attacked the white armored and ck-winged winged spearman called Jargon Ultaos. p!


    Jargon quickly took flight and created a distance between him and Kahn''s doppelganger.


    This was a tactical advantage in a battle against a singr opponent and a wise strategy indeed. However¡­


    p!


    Kahn quickly used the Cdrius wings and four 2 meter wide and majestic ck wings came out of his back, spreading like the wings of an eagle as he did not waste a moment to let the opponent create extra distance.


    Then, just like Oliver, he took out an Epic rank bow, one of the many he had stored since his time in Rakos Empire.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    Kahn used the Wind Arrow Maelstorm skill, the skill which allowed him to create over 100 arrows ofpressed wind element that could shatter walls in a single hit.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    In the air, began a dance between a prey and the predator.


    If one saw it, they would feel like a sparrow was being hunted by an eagle.


    p!


    Jargon on the other side started using his Light elemental skills andunched a counterattack of massive 10 meter long spears that collided against the volley of arrows.


    BOOM!


    BANG!!


    The sky shook from the shockwaves as the two flying birdsunched their long-range attacks in session. But right when Jargon thought he had the upper hand since Kahn was most likely to expend his mana soon¡­


    Dhang!


    Dhang!


    Kahn suddenly switched all his Wind elemental arrows into the Darkness elementones midair, ending in Jargon''s spears destroyed and his skill getting destroyed.


    Swoosh!


    And just as the bacsh started to hit Jargon¡­ Kahn used the special ability called Jetstream and temporarily increases his speed by 300% in an instant.


    Woosh!


    Before Jargon could even react, Kahn appeared just 2 meters away and caught him off-guard.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    The spearman tried to fly away but Kahn used Grappling Extension skill, the one he often used back in his days as Azrael.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    The spikey tendrils pierced Jargon''s armor and his wings. However this was not enough to harm or overpower an opponent donning a legendary rank gear.


    sh!


    Without even offering a chance to retaliate, Kahn''s eyes shed yellow as he used the Executioner''s Gaze skill to quickly freeze the enemy and he pulled him closer.


    Shoot!


    Jargon hadn''t even absorbed the fact that his body waspletely stuck and Kahn to used a Darkness arrow and shot it at close range, aimed right at his neck in between the gap of the armor and the helmet.


    BOOM!!


    It had been only 3 minutes since their battle began¡­


    And Kahn blows Argon''s head off and quickly and then used the spike-like grappling extensions to pull his core out.


    ----------------


    On another side, there was a dark blue-skinned fire elemental mage who was using hellfire to attack Kahn. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    BOOM!!


    Multiple firebombs had decimated the 20 meter radius during their faceoff and from many sides, he was relentlessly attacking Kahn without even giving him a moment to breathe.


    Swoosh!


    Using Quicksilver, Kahn instantly appeared in front of this summoner named Sulek Lankstor.


    Smirk!


    "And you fell for the most obvious trap!" spoke Sulek with a victorious smirk.


    BOOM! A vortex of blue hellfirfire arose and Kahn''s figure disappeared within.


    "My Frozen Hellfire can even melt Mythril in mere seconds. Just this cheap copy is nothing." dered Sulek with a content and proud expression.


    Flutter!


    But right, then a ck figure emerged from the fire.


    "You sure about that?" a grim and terrifying voice resounded.


    Step!


    Step!


    Kahn stepped out from the vortex of blue hellfire,pletely unscathed.


    "Impossible! You''re just a mere knockoff!" spoke Sulek, shivering and trembling.


    "Oh no, I''m the original." dered Kahn.


    What Sulek didn''t know that suddenly, the real Kahn switched ces with the one he faced since the doppelganger was not immune to the fire of this degree.


    But the original Kahn had theplete immunity to all kinds of fire in the world since he killed the Hero of Fire.


    And the overconfidence caused Sulek to drop his guard.


    Stab!


    Kahn''s eyes turned yellow again and he used Executioner''s Gaze as well and stabbed Lucifer through Sulek''s chest. Squirm!


    Kahn''s forearm turned into the Drake w.


    Crush!


    Rip!


    Without wasting another moment, he grabbed abd crushed Sulek''s head and took out the core.


    Sulek belonged to a species who had their cores in their head instead of heart. Yet it made no difference to Kahn as he crushed the head using the mighty Drake w, the skill he got from the Magma Drake, the final boss of the Bromnir dungeon.


    ----------------


    On the other side, the third enemy was the 4-meter tall feline-faced and gray-skinned earth elemental brawler warrior named Neamon Stragvor.


    Bang!


    Two fists shed and sent tremors in the ground as Neamon wearing a golden gauntlet and Kahn wearing Bewolf faced each other.


    Thanks to the Invimark Skin skill that could absorb all forms of Kic Energy, Kahn sessfully absorbed the shock instead of being thrown away.


    [He''s earth elemental warrior with great strength and defense. I need to change the strategy.] thought Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    The Beowolf gauntlets disappeared and Kahn switched to Gungnir whose tip was crackling with lightning.


    Flickr!


    Kahn''s eyes turned violet as he used the Subterfuge skills, the one which affected the perception of direction of the enemy.


    This was the skill he once used tond the final blow against Solomon Elfenheim during his time in vot City.


    Lunge!


    He used the Impaling Thrust skill and in just 2 seconds, he stabbed the opponent over with 5 lethal thrusts thatpletely broke of his stone-skinned body. This was Gungir''s most lethal closebat skill.


    Other than the head, the entire body had 5rge holes and one could see what was beyond the body through them.


    Spurt!


    Blood spurted over like a fountain from Neamon''s body and in the next moment¡­


    sh!


    Kahn shed his neck open. Before the body even dropped, he used the Drake w and took the core out.


    ----------------


    The fourth battle was with a blue beastman called Hank Primos who had turned into a massive Ox-like monster and had lightning running across all over his body.


    And the skin of this semi-saint was so thick that not a single one of Kahn''s attacks had even de a small cut.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Tremble!


    Kahn created the Darkness Barrier to protect himslef andpletely hid himself behind the barrier.


    Woosh!


    Like a ferocious stampeding bull, Hank charged at the barrier and shed like a wrecking ball.


    Shatter!


    The barrier shattered but the very next moment, Hank found himself falling inside arge 10-meter wide and 8-meter deep pit.


    Thud!


    "What an idiot. As semi-saints, we already can''t fly. Yet he blindly charged just to break the barrier without even thinking what could be behind it." said Kahn with a disappointed gaze.


    "It would be a hassle to kill you using conventional methods since your skin is imprable to the current me. However, it doesn''t mean I need to kill you directly." he said and next, he took out something from his space ring.


    BOOM!


    Kahn threw a bombs at fallen Hank.


    Soon, the bombs ecxploded and spread a greenish-golden liquid that filled the entire pit.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    "Argh!" "This is the pure and unadulterated venom acid of Bjormagandur, a legendary rank monster who can melt mountains with its venom.


    No matter how resilient your skin and your abilities are¡­ there is no escape from it unless you have legendary rank poison and venom immunity like me.


    And even if it failed to melt your skin, flesh and bones, the neurotoxic venom will kill you eventually." revealed Kahn with an insidious smile.


    "So start counting yourst breaths and curse the moment you decided to join this assault on me." he dered¡­


    In mere 10 seconds¡­ Right before Kahn, Hank helplessly tried to get out as his flesh sizzled and bones crumbled and melted like leather inva.


    Kahn used the Grappling Extentions to pull out the core from his corpse just like he did with others.


    "This makes the four of them."


    His other copies were still fighting with other Semi-saints.


    "Now 8 more to go." spoke Kahn with a calm demonor,pletely unfazed.


    This was current Kahn''s level in terms of battle experience and skill mastery.


    He used the simplest of his skills that were not even at their peak strength and effectiveness.


    And yet¡­


    Kahn killed 4 Semi-saints despite being a Grandmaster.

 Chapter 999 Power of Magic

    Chapter 999 Power of Magic


    After Kahn was done killing the first four opponents, the doppelgangers passed the weapons like Beowolf, Gungnir, and Lucifer to other copies.


    And now, his attention shifted to the remaining of the bunch.


    The fifth enemy exhibited a unique appearance with fish-scale patterns covering her body. Her face remained concealed beneath a helmet, and the distinctive color of her blue palms, glowing sky-blue antlers, and attireprising a pristine white and blue dress¡ªcreated an ethereal ensemble. In her hand, she wielded a staff with a radiant blue hue.


    She was a Priestess by ss named Ariel Eckhart.


    RUMBLE!


    Temple!


    The sky rumbled and the ground trembled as erratic winds and roaring clouds suddenly appeared and surrounded them in the battlefield.


    Kahn had activated the skill named Stormbringer. A skill like the name, could create storms in a short time, one of Oliver''s most powerful skills when he wanted to create a battlefield to gain the environmental advantage.


    Even in its reduced effectiveness of only 20% of the original capacity¡­ it was enough to surround a 100-meter radius and soon, dozens of lightning bolts crackled along with the dark clouds that obstructed anyone from interfering.


    Snap!


    Kahn snapped his fingers and used a buff skill called Elemental Domain.


    This was a buff skill that temporarily enhanced all the elemental damage by 200% in a 200-meter radius.


    Kahn received this from Solomon long ago but the effective range never evolved like his other skills and also the fact that his elemental affinity was already at 100%, making his normal attack 2 to 3 times far more powerfulpared to others.


    But after leaving the Rakos Empire, Kahn had no reason to use it after bing a Saint since this ability didn''t stack with an additional buff effect either.


    But now that he was only a grandmaster, Kahn was using this buff to increase his total damage against this priestess who was overconfident to engage alone with him.


    She was a water elemental priestess and activated several of her piecing holy attacks, with a mixture of water spears.


    Shoot!


    Shoot!


    Multiple water and light elemental projectilesunched at Kahn and he quickly started dodging them haphazardly.


    [Is she dumb? Why is she using both holy magic and her water elemental skill at the same time? Does she think it will have some sort of effect on me because I''m the hero of Darkness?


    She is just wasting her mana by twice.


    Plus, who the hell said I was going to use Darkness element against her?] thought Kahn and the next moment, he sprung forth to attack.


    Crack!


    Next, over a hundred vines arose from the ground as Kahn used ura and Fauna skill tomand the nt life and used the roots beneath the ground to attack Ariel from multiple directions.


    Snap!


    Grab!


    They bound her from the sky while Kahn defended against the holy spells using a metal wall he summoned.


    Rumble!


    Crackle!


    The thunderous noises echoed, and from the sky¡­


    BOOM!


    Dropped a 2-meter-wide lightning bolt that zapped the Ariel instantly.


    "Kyaaa!!" wailed the pristine looking priestess.


    If Kahn wasn''t restricted to Beginner Grandmaster rank and was a semi-saint¡­ this one bolt would have killed Ariel in a single strike.


    [Is she really a semi-saint? She was focused so much on attacking me that she did not even cast a protection barrier on herself and forgot to mind the battlefield to the point she did not even notice that I was creating a massive lightning bolt as my decisive attack.] he wondered.


    Kahn walked towards the groveling and fidgeting Ariel''s charred figure.


    "I would have loved to turn you into my summon but currently I can''t use the King of the Dead skill. Such a shame. Armin would have loved apanion of the same skillset." spoke Kahn with a disappointed countenance and next¡­


    Stab!


    Kahn stabbed Ariels'' chest by using Lucifer''s tip to rip apart and pull her core out of her heart.


    ----------------


    Next, his opponent was the monster-like four-legged semi-saint with a long reptilian tail called Judas Sphinx. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Kahn switched to daggers and used smoke bombs to disrupt the sight of the enemy.


    Roar!


    The enemy roared and the sonic booms from it cleared the smoke instantaneously.


    But Kahn was nowhere to be seen.


    [Where did he go?] thought Judas.


    sh!


    Right then, a figure arose from beneath his shadow. The smoke was just a distraction because using it, Kahn performed Shadow Walk for the first time ever since he became a saint.


    And this time, when he obstructed the enemy''s sight with a smoke bomb, he used Shadow Walk to enter into his shadow.


    sh!


    Kahn used the dagged and made an X cut, instantly chopping off Judas'' tail.


    Why did he attack the tail first?


    Because for many quadrupedal animals, a massive tail based on their anatomy dictates their posture and body movement.


    If you cut a crocodile''s entire tail, it can neither walk or swim properly for a long time because the loss of such a huge organ will affect the nervous system and overall brain activity.


    Kahn had no intentions to waste time on testing this semi-saint and he quickly jumped high in the air, above its head, and switched those daggers with Lucifer.


    Thump!


    Crackle!


    Highlypressed darkness aura assisted with crackling lightning merged together as Kahn used his long-forgotten powerful strike after so many years.


    Thest time he used it was when he killed the Hero of Fire 2 years ago.


    Dimensional Cut hadpletely reced this skill as Kahn''s most powerful attack but now that Kahn no longer had ess to Space Law, the once reliable skill had been used again.


    "Getsuga Ten¡­


    I mean, Dark Lightning Strike!" eximed Kahn.


    sh!


    The dark lightning de passed through Judas'' head.


    Bang!


    Kahn made the superheronding.


    Thud!


    Judas'' petrified head dropped on the ground.


    He shed apart his lion-like body and pulled the core out of his stomach.


    With a calm and collected demeanor, Kahn spoke solemnly¡­


    "That''s for betraying my boy, Jesus."


    ----------------


    His next opponent was  Cedric, the blue-skinned and white-tattooed spearman.


    He was using Runes on enhance his body, embedded in the form of tattoos.


    "Who the hell are you trying to fool, you wannabe blue monkey from Avatar?" said Kahn''s doppelganger.


    Without even offering a chance to use his skills to attack Kahn¡­


    The Hero of Darkness summoned a halo of multiple elements over his body and an epic rank scepter for mages.


    "Sidvak Areku Opemann Lakwaros Sanik En Tvua!" chanted Kahn in a grim tone.


    5 different pentagrams made of archaic formations, appeared behind Kahn.


    1st formation created a barrier that isted both of them from the rest.


    2nd created a shield in front of Kahn to protect himself.


    3rd spread fire on the battlefield like a zing inferno.


    4th created a debuff on the opponent that slowed his movement by 30%.


    And 5th one stopped at creating multiple fire vortexes that surrounded the enemy from four sides.


    [Elemental Domain!] thought Kahn and activated the skill again.


    Kahn raised his elemental damage by 200% as he fought with a pure Fire Mage build.


    "What the hell is this? Since when were you a mage?" spoke Cerdic with a baffled expression.


    This isn''t what lord Anakin told us." he said in a terrified voice.


    "Such misinformation. Much sad." replied Kahn and attacked from all sides.


    BOOM!


    Battle spread for over 200 meters and Kahn relentlessly attacked with fire spells. The ground charred and started melting and in the meanwhile, the spearman was left with nothing but confusion because his sight was blocked and no matter how much he attacked Kahn by using his senses, the spear could not break the shield.


    "What a dumbass. Wasting his energy on skills he knows can''t overpower me."


    Kahn then used Armin''s wood elemental skills to tie him down just like he did with Ariel.


    Kahn walked towards Cedric and gathered all his mana and turned a massive fireball made from all the fire vortex.


    He pointed his forefinger and thumb, taking the shape of a pretend-gun at the enemy''s head while the small bullet-sized fireball was vibrating.


    "No, please don''t!" begged Cedric as he made a mortified plea.


    "Bang!" Kahn made a headshot at close range and killed the opponent easily.


    Sizzle!


    The neck sizzled as all there was left was a headless corpse.


    Kahn also took out the core and smiled for the easy victory.


    ----------------


    On the other side, another battle ensued between a semi-saint and one of Kahn''s cosmic replicas.


    Echidna Skullborne, the semi-saint with white and red exoskeleton armor, and yellow eyes spread over her body; targeted Kahn.


    She was spewing tendrils andunching bullet-like attacks and in the meanwhile, she was using telekinesis to lift the stones, boulders and dried trees from the dead battlefield to attack Kahn.


    "Oh ho, she must be a Psychic. First time I''m fighting one who is a semi-saint." spoke Kahn to himself.


    "Bad for you, girl. If you''re like an extraterrestrial Alien, then I''m like a Predator." dered Kahn with an expectant gaze.


    Because now was the time to watch a movie named¡­


    Alien Vs Predator.


    The movie began with the Alien and the Predator exchanging lethal pleasantries.


    However, Kahn used the Basilisk Skin and turned his body imprable. He deflected all the attacks by twisting Gungnir vertically so fast that it started looking like a circr shield as Kahn slowly walked forward toward her.


    "Die! You bastard!" eximed Echidna with horror as he was using skills far more effectively than her previous assumption.


    Rumble!


    Shoot!


    Echidna used the boulders and stones to attack Kahn but instead¡­ They all suddenly stopped.


    "I may not be able to the Primordial Titan Bloodline but I can still use the Gravity Law skills." spoke Kahn with an unfazed countenance.


    These were the skills Kahn received from Skoll and Hati in the forbidden region of Vessen when he went there to get the Tablet of Arcana.


    Currently, only Omega used them frequently but now that Kahn was facing a legit Psychic, gravityw skills were his most reliable assets.


    [Gravity Downforce.]manded Kahn.


    All the projectiles dropped as Kahn''s skills overpowered Echidna.


    "These are Saint Rank skills from two Mythical monsters with Godbeast Fenrir''s bloodline.


    Even at their weakest form, they are still stronger than a Semi-Saint''s psychic powers." said Kahn calmly.


    The movie began and soon, the sh started as Echidna started a full-on barrage of bony projectilesced with yellow venom.


    He then pointed Gungir at Echidna who was floating in the sky now using her powers..


    "You will never reach me!" said Echidna, acting haughty.


    Kahn smirked and replied.


    "Who said I need to reach you?"


    "Shinra Tensei!" eximed Kahn.


    Suddenly, Echidna felt like she lost all the control over her body and in mere moments, she was pulled towards Kahn as if a ck hole was sucking her in.


    In a single second, Kahn pulled her close to him entirely.


    And the direction Echidna headed was¡­ Gungir''s tip.


    Stab!


    Despite being a psychic herself, Echidna did not even get enough time to react before she was pulled close to Kahn and was impaled by walking into Gungnir''s tip.


    And just like that, Kahn killed another 4 semi-saints in a single chapter.

 Chapter 1000 Back To The Future

    Chapter 1000 Back To The Future


    After finishing more than 8 semi-saints, Kahn ganged up on the remaining 3 using his free doppelgangers and cosmic replicas¡­


    The result¡­ Kahn killed Nanaue Willock the hybrid with aquatic species lineage who resembled a shark.


    Then he killed Targos Boltan, the golem-like individual whose entire body was made of stone and his skull was on fire. All he did was use Permafrost and Fenrir''s Wrath to freeze him like an icicle.


    As for Knull Symbitar, the warrior with a symbiote-like ck tendrils running across his body¡­. Kahn simply used Lycan Tyrant''s roar that acted like a high-frequency sonic attack and then he used the Hell''s Inferno skill to burn him alive.


    Thest 3 semi-saints took an even shorter amount of time than the first 8.


    And finally after gathering all the 11 cores of these semi-saints, Kahn spoke with a confident smile¡­


    "Drakon El Tuscarvaya!" BOOM!! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Shatter!


    Soon, the 20-kilometer-wide istion barrier shattered that had trapped Kahn in a corner up until this point.


    Crumble!


    Like crumbling pieces of ss, the dome-like barrier disappeared into nothingness.


    Right then, the system notified¡­


    [The host is no longer under the suppression of the ancient rank magic formation. The host is now back to being a Semi-Saints along with all the previous debuffs on the body and stats removed.] reported the system.


    [Good. It was worth the wait.] thought Kahn.


    "Blergh!" suddenly, the Hero of Time appeared after he too suffered the bacsh.


    "You¡­ how did you know?" he asked in a petrified tone.


    "One would mistake it for an ancient Elven spell but in reality, this ancient rank magic formation that you cast on me was¡­


    The Dragon Magic." spoke Kahn with a confident smile.


    "Impossible! You shouldn''t be that knowledgeable in ancient magic and spells, much alone in the Dragon Magic." spoke Anakin with an incredulous voice.


    "The cores of your party members imbued and used as binding force for that spell using the ancient Dragon runic magic¡­ I figured them out after experiencing the suppression on my body.


    My mentor taught me the Dragon Magic some time ago. And the spell you used was one of the 2 Ancient Rank magic formation spells he made me learn.


    That''s how I knew it." replied Kahn casually.


    "A mentor? Which one?


    That fucking Fenrirborne or that Vampire?" asked Anakin with a befuddled voice.


    "Or was it Rathnaar Whitlock?


    No, magic was not his expertise." he said.


    "Enough chitchat!" shouted Kahn.


    "Let me ask you something¡­ If you can see the future and you knew my identity¡­


    Why didn''t you tell it to the world or the empire that summoned you?


    I also know of the group that is made for hunting me. You could have had me killed just by uttering my name to them since you obviously knew of their existence in the future because of your divine ability.


    So why?" stated Kahn and enquired.


    "You boor. You truly have no idea, do you?" scoffed Anakin and spoke in a disappointed tone.


    "I guess the you at this point still have no idea about the deal between the Gods and Empires." he spoke and armed himself with the trident-like scepter.


    "What deal do you mean?" asked Kahn curiously as he pointed Lucifer at Anakin.


    "Have you not suspected it till this point?


    There are 13 Gods and there are 13 Empires who serve them in the name of religion, culture, and whatnot.


    But what reason do these Empires have to always worship a God?" he made a question.


    Kahn himself was curious about this reason for years but never had the time to focus on it.


    "There are many empires that have formed, got destroyed, and disappeared in the annals of time.


    Yet the ones who emerge from the fall of those empires or even the new ones formed after their demise, made up of species and races who fundamentally have different mindsets, traditions, and ways of life always end up together to worship a single God or Goddess?


    Did it never garner your curiosity?" asked the Hero of Time with a smirk.


    "It''s because the Gods offer something that none of the new rulers of these existing, newly appearing, and those empires formed via hostile takeover can refuse.


    Something so alluring and iprehensible that these Emperors and Empresses can''t help but covet." stated Anakin in a schrly tone.


    "What is it, oh enlightened one?" asked Kahn sarcastically.


    "A guaranteed way to be a Peak Saint.


    And the direct source is ced inside the God''s Domain." spoke the Hero of Time.


    "What?!" eximed Kahn in disbelief.


    "The Hero with an awakened Divine Key will break their limits and be a powerful saint, at least an 8th-stage saint.


    But the reigning rulers will get the right to enter and cultivate in the sacred grounds inside the God''s Altar for an entire year after the Conve of Heroes ends.


    In those sacred grounds, once the empires gain ess to it through their Hero who earned the right to enter the God''s Altar¡­ They will have a confirmed way to be a Peak Saint after they have be a Peak 9th-stage saint." revealed Anakin.


    Shock!


    Kahn was stupefied after learning this truth.


    [So that''s why there have always been empires worshipping gods, summoning the heroes and nurturing them.


    All so that the reigning rulers could be a Peak Saint.] concluded Kahn. "But isn''t that too risky?


    Because I heard there are only 4 Sovereigns in this Era." he iterated in a stern voice.


    "Yes. Thend is just the cultivation site. Although extremely important to be a guaranteed Peak Saint, the said Emperors and Empresses need to be a peak 9th-stage saint first.


    And for that, there is a task given to every summoned Hero and Heroine. A task besides entering the God''s Altar for the Limit Break.


    Something that will provide a real boost in power and rise in rank as a saint and it is given by¡­


    The Apples of Eden." dered Anakin.


    "There are only 2 Apples of Eden in the sacred grounds of each God or Goddess.


    One is for the summoned Hero or Heroine since they can break past their limits immediately by 2 ranks after eating the apple.


    And the other is for the Emperor or the Empress of the empires backing them. A way to be a Peak 9th stage saint and then having a perfect and assured way to be a Peak Saint. Aren''t they worth sacrificing billions of lives for in this world where Strength and Authority mean everything?" asked Anakin in a patronizing tone.


    "You asked me why I didn''t tell anyone else about you, right?" stated Anakin and answered Kahn''s main question.


    "Because you possess 2 Divine Keys after killing that trash, Axel. Thus, you have ess to both the sacred grounds of Vulcan and the now-destroyed Abyss Empire.


    This means you have ess to 4 Apples of Eden and 2 apples that rightfully belong to you, providing you a sure-shot opportunity to be a Peak Saint." revealed Anakin.


    "For other empires, counting their own Heroes/Heroines, that''s 6 Apples and 3 confirmed Ascensions.


    That''s why all the empires agreed to hunt you down using the excuse of what the 8th Hero of Darkness did 300 years ago." he iterated in a majestic tone.


    "If anything¡­ Your predecessor was a Martyr who tried to do the necessary thing to kill the Demon God while all these empires and heroes were fighting among themselves for power and authority.


    There is no such thing as blind loyalty or devotion to Gods just because an Empire serves them.


    And to the Gods themselves, this is just a small entertaining game from the past 3000 years." said Anakin and raised his aura.


    "Is that so? Then why haven''t there been any Peak Saints in the past 2 thousand years?" asked Kahn.


    "Because the Conve of Heroes happens only after all the summoned Heroes are from the new generation or the old generation of heroes have diedpletely.


    There have been times when 90% of the Heroes were from the new generation but the Conve of Heroes didn''t happen because at least one from the previous generation was still alive.


    In the past 3000 years, the conve of heroes has happened only 4 times. This is the 4th one." exined Anakin Redfield.


    "Wait¡­ I was told that the conve must happen within 10 years after everyone has been summoned.


    And those who didn''t attend it would die." queried Kahn again.


    "True. But it doesn''t mean the Gods and Empires didn''t have the means to bypass that rule.


    In such cases, they just shared the Divine Essence with the Heroes to keep them alive.


    And thanks to your predecessor who killed all the others before his own death, an entire new generation was summoned for this Conve of Heroes to happen." spoke Anakin as he entered his own battle mode.


    "Good. Thanks for the long information.


    But mind telling me how did you know to find me? And how did you know my identity?


    It can''t just because of the irvoyance Divine Ability, right?" asked Kahn with a smile as he summoned the Drakos Armor.


    "Because you and I, Kahn Salvatore¡­ We are destined to be enemies." spoke Anakin with an insidious expression.


    He then summoned a Lotus-like artifact that seemed to be filled with stars and gxies.


    Shing!


    Soon, the lotus burst with an intangible force that spread in 40-kilometer radius in a single second.


    "This is my Divine Weapon¡­ the Finality of Time.


    And with this¡­ you and I are no longer bound to thews of God''s Domain.


    Both of us can fight as Saints again." spoke Anakin confidently.


    "Big mistake." said Kahn.


    [The host has returned to his peak strength as a beginner 6th-stage saint.


    The host can now use all of his skills, weapons, armor, bloodlines, and divine abilities at full capacity.] informed the system.


    [Good. Now I need to destroy that Warhorn of Confinement and then I will get Rathnaar and his core back.] thought Kahn.


    "Consider this as your character development. Your final one." dered Anakin.


    "If I have to go through any more character development¡­ My character will develop into a Viin." replied Kahn with a smirk.


    Now, he too was prepared to take out Amaterasu and fight a Divine Weapon with a Divine Weapon.


    Shing!


    But right then¡­


    Everything around Kahn froze as if every fabric of reality stopped functioning including the True Dimension. "Do you think I''ll let you move now, Salvatore?" a grim voice echoed in Kahn''s ear.


    Stab!


    Stab!


    Kah''s body now had a gaping hole in his chest and his heart was in Anakin''s hand.


    "How?..." spoke Kahn with a terrified expression as his body dropped on the ground.


    Because the heart also had his core and now¡­ Kahn was literally moments away from certain death.


    "Not ''how?'' but ''when?''" said Anakin with a sinister smile.


    He did not even get to activate any of his skills, the spacew and take out Amaterasu.


    "This is my Domain of Chronokinesis.


    It alters the flow of time and space and also messes up a target''s perception of reality.


    The truth is¡­ I killed you the moment I exposed my divine weapon, Finality of Time." spoke the Hero of Time.


    "You see, I came prepared after what happenedst time." he spoke in amanding tone.


    "Last time¡­ Hero of Light was the one who found you first. When we foughtst time, you were too powerful for me to handle and I died. But now¡­ I''m killing you before you attain that ridiculous strength again." spoke Anakin.


    "The fuck are you talking about, you bastard?" spoke Kahn as the light in his eyes started dimming.


    Every second now could be hisst moment in this new life. BOOM!!!


    RUMBLE!


    CRACKLE!!


    An insurmountable ck and blue aura erupted from Kahn''s body.


    Something unexpected happened that shocked even the Hero of Time.


    Suddenly¡­


    This unknown aura spread in the nearby 5 kilometers radius and a red archaic rune shone on Kahn''s entire back. Woosh!


    Kahn''s fallen figure suddenly disappeared and so did his heart that Anakin was holding.


    "I''m taking this back." spoke a new figure who emerged in the sky and the heart was absorbed into his chest.


    "Haha haha! This encounter turned out more interesting than I thought." a grim and stoic voice and mature yet maniacalugh echoed in the surroundings as a domineering aura spread like wildfire in the 40-kilometer radius.


    "Did you miss me¡­ Gideon?" spoke a figure filled with ck tattoos.


    The Hero of Time was stupefied again.


    "You¡­ No one knows my real name. Not in this timeline." spoke Anakin, trembling with horror.


    "This is impossible! You can''t be here!!" bellowed the Hero of Time with utter disbelief.


    A tall man with waist-length ck hair, the right side of his upper body, including the entire right arm, exposed while he was donning the slim ck robes of a monk-like warrior.


    He wore a ne made of small ck beads and a belt made of dragon hide on his waist.


    His arms were covered in ancient Draconic runes that no one had seen before.


    Swirl!


    Swirl!


    Out of nowhere, a ck Dragon with no arms or wings appeared and started revolving around him like a specter.


    The blue fire made up of cosmic aether ran around this dragon''s long figure but the warrior was not affected by them in the slightest.


    Apart from the clothes, this person had a striking resemnce in terms of body build and facial structure for some reason.


    The Hero of Time stood petrified and couldn''t muster the strength to move his body due to the sheer terror he felt.


    "You''re¡­ the Martial Emperor." spoke Anakin as he trembled.


    The person in front of him wasn''t Kahn. Rather it was Kahn¡­ From the Future.


    --------------------------------

 Chapter 1001 The Regressors

    Chapter 1001 The Regressors


    The Hero of Time, Anakin Redfield was rooted on the spot,pletely speechless and out of his wits as he witnessed Kahn return from the brink of death but also be apletely different person.


    "Not only you¡­ but he also returned in time. This shouldn''t be possible at all." he said as he looked at the floating specter of the ck dragon around Kahn. You did not have the spell or the required materials toe back in time!" eximed Anakin, his eyes still terrified while his body shivered.


    "My, my¡­ awfully curious now, are we?" spoke the older and the future Kahn.


    "Well, since you aided in my travel back in time, I should tell you this much at least." he said and continued.


    "Remember how you bragged about having an ace under your sleeve right when I defeated you?


    Your biggest mistake was telling me about the forbidden spell given to you by the God of Time and saying to my face about how using your own soul as a sacrifice, you were going back in time to kill me." revealed the future Kahn.


    "What you didn''t know is that I also had the ability to read memories of the dead. It was something I never revealed to anyone and it helped me know the spell God of Time gave you." he spoke confidently.


    "And after knowing it¡­ I talked with the God of Darkness and told him what you said before dying.


    As you know, the 3rd aspect of reality that came into existence in Vantrea after Space and Time was Death¡­ aka the God of Darkness himself.


    So he told me a method to go back in time before you kill me and change the timelinepletely where you have all the advantages in the war against the Demon God." he iterated in a stern voice.


    The next, it was the dragon hovering around Kahn who spoke¡­


    "Did you forget who I am, you ignorant child?" he questioned in an admonishing tone.


    "Unlike you, Kahn could not use his soul as a sacrifice to go back in time since he wasn''t the Hero of Time.


    However¡­ he had me." dered the dragon in a majestic tone.


    "It was me who used my knowledge and sealed both of us in a space that could not be affected by thews of time.


    And do you know the main ingredient we used for the spell to work?" he spoke in a coy tone.


    "It was your own core." revealed the dragon as both he and Kahn smirked shamelessly.


    "God of Darkness told us about the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscisene and I using my mastery of the Dimensional Law, carried both of us back in time by sealing ourselves in that rune." he revealed an event of the future.


    "And God of Darkness is one of the only few gods such as God of Space and God of Time who can read and detect the change in timeline much before the other Gods.


    So he used his powers to send the rune back in time as well." said the Dragon in a domineering tone.


    Then Kahn continued in a firm voice¡­


    "I did not know exactly when you were going to go back in time. I didn''t even know much about you to begin with.


    That''s why, the only way I could stop all this was going back to my own beginning since it was the only constant factor no matter which time in the past you went to." "All this time, I have been watching this another version of me while being sealed inside the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence on his back.


    And the only way for me to get unsealed was being touched by you¡­ the original bearer of the spell since your soul signature was the only thing that could activate the spell by God of Time.


    So ironically¡­ it was you who brought me back in this timeline." dered Kahn.


    "I¡­ I¡­ did what? Does it mean you wouldn''t have been able to return had I not targeted you in the first ce?


    What if someone else killed you¡­ you would be dead for real?" asked the Hero of Time, his heart palpating in anticipation.


    "Correct. And just like thest time¡­


    It was your arrogance and superiorityplex that brought forth your doom, Gideon." spoke the future Kahn with a benign smile.


    "See¡­ You and I are not so different. You''re what I call a ''Hero regressed in time''." spoke Kahn and continued in a smug voice.


    "Me on the other hand¡­ I regressed myself."


    The surroundings turned silent as the Hero of Time absorbed the fact that it was his own ignorance and overconfidence that allowed the future Kahn toe back in time just like him.


    But unlike him, Kahn regressed himself in a fashion and time of his choosing¡­ something that even he, the Hero of Time could not do.


    "Now¡­ Did you forget what I told youst time, Gideon?


    Whether I''m surrounded by millions of strong enemies or facing a single opponent¡­


    No matter the time or the ce¡­


    I''m not in danger." spoke future Kahn and dered in a kingly voice¡­


    "I''m the Danger."


    ----------------


    Minutes passed after Anakin aka Gideon, the Hero of Time finally grasped the surprise and epted the reality in front of him.


    That his Archnemesis aka the Hero of Darkness came back in time by using Anakin''s own core and the spell given by the God of Time, all because of his stupidity.


    "This doesn''t change anything! Everything will go the way I nned as long as I kill you in this timeline." dered Anakin, his heart burning with a zing me of vengeance.


    "Domain of Chronokinesis!" he spoke and soon, the surroundings 35 kilometers region of space was covered in a purple barrier.


    However, unlike the current Kahn who instantly died to it, the future Kahn looked unfazed and unaffected.


    [Hey, ''Kahn 2.0''. I know you''re listening from inside¡­ So let me show you how to deal with abilities and domains rted to Time.] he spoke to an entity aka the Kahn of the current timeline who was now in the backseat.


    [The reason they are so overpowered is because they can mess with one''s perception of time and affect the flow of time of the outside world in a set amount of area.


    And because the mind and the body are perceiving time differently, you can''t even react properly or see how the enemy attacked or even killed you.] he spoke but received no response.


    [You did not see him activating his Domain of Chronokinesis, right?


    It''s because he activated it at a different time, in this case¡­ he activated it in the future a dozen minutester and unlike your knowledge of time, based on how linear it is on Earth¡­ you did not see his domain affecting the past where you hadn''t seen him activate it yet.] he exined in details.


    [His divine weapon, the Finality of Time freezes the world in a fixed moment and the world energy and the mana present at that moment can continue to exist without thews of reality affecting them.


    As long as his divine weapon is active, thews of Babylon and the authority of Gods which suppresses everyone to a semi-saint are no longer effective as the world is no longer following thews of reality in this indefinitely frozen time.


    That is why both of you can fight as Saints.] he informed.


    [But because his Domain of Chronokinesis is also affecting and messing with the flow of time, I can move irrespective of his Divine Weapon''s powers.


    And Gideon needs to use it to move himself since his divine weapon also affects him to a degree.


    Everythinges at a cost. So he has no choice but to let me move as well inside his domain.] he iterated and kept on exining.


    [And that''s where you can use its weakness.


    You see¡­ the most powerful weapon against Time is Space.


    Since you have already achieved the 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law in this timeline¡­


    You know that True Space is independent of time, mass, and any form of energy. Everything is just temporarily upying it no matter how long that temporary time is.


    So to break the effects of any divine ability rted to time or a domain that functions onws of time¡­ the most effective way is to break the Space itself.


    Like this.] dered the future Kahn and in the next moment¡­


    Snap!


    Shatter!


    He snapped his fingers and the space shattered in the 30-kilometer radius.


    Crumble!


    Crumble!


    Whether it was the fabric of reality in the real world or the ck and white world of True Dimension where time was 10 times slower¡­ both nes of space and reality that coexisted together shattered, ovepping each other and creating an unbelievable sight of billions of cracks in reality. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Soon, the flow of time started moving again and the frozen battlefield within Anakin''s domain also became free like before.


    "Don''t be so full of yourself, Salvatore. This time, I will definitely kill you!" bellowed Anakin in rage, his vengeful eyes revealing his hatred.


    "Do not talk about Death in front of me¡­" replied future Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    He quickly activated War Dominance and dered in a tyrannical voice¡­


    "Unless you''ve died a million times."

 Chapter 1002 Battle of Armies

    Chapter 1002 Battle of Armies


    The battle was now on the verge of beginning as the Hero of Time dered his clear intentions to kill the future Kahn.


    "Do not talk about Death in front of me¡­" replied future Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    He quickly activated War Dominance and dered in a domineering voice¡­


    "Unless you''ve died a million times."


    This overbearing and majestic deration echoed in the dead and deste battlefield filled with nothing but ck soil, dead trees, and dark clouds in the sky.


    Cough!


    Cough!


    Thud! Anakin finally suffered through immense bacsh and fell to the ground from the sky.


    "What kind of power is that? Why is it simr to the one used by the Hero of Space?" asked Anakin in a terrified voice.


    "It was the Hero of Space who told me how to deal with powers like yours.


    You remember him, right? The always calm guy who acted like he didn''t care about anyone but deep inside, he did.


    He was the kind who pretended to be hard and cold from the outside but was actually a softie and warm person from the inside.


    The world where Ie from¡­ we call people like him a Tsundere." revealed Kahn with a smirk as he hovered in the sky.


    "I see. Nevermind¡­ no matter how much this timeline has divulged because of your intervention; it still won''t change your fate this time." said the Hero of Time and soon, he raised his spear-like scepter high.


    "Domain of Chronokinesis : First Form¡­


    Space-Time Intergrade!" bellowed Anakin and a golden shockwave resonated in the surroundings.


    Woosh!


    Woosh!


    Soon, millions of replicas of Hero of Time appeared on the ground and spread in a 30-kilometer radius. Although none of them were saints or even grandmasters for that matter, just the sheer numbers alone were terrifying enough to be considered as a kingdom''s army¡­ Especially when all of them were battlemages just like Anakin.


    "Petty tricks." scoffed Kahn from the sky as he looked down upon this terrifying number.


    "You can''t win against me, Salvatore. I have an endless army of myself." proimed Anakin with a vicious smile.


    Kahn on the other end, smirked and replied...


    "Summoning different versions of you from different times of reality isn''t a small feat.


    But it also weakens your overall mana and world energy since you have to share it with all of them as they''re relying on you, the actual body present at this time.


    Besides, as far as an army is concerned¡­ I''ve got one too." he dered the very next moment¡­


    "Awaken."


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s ck and blue aura suddenly spread in the 40-kilometer radius against GIdeon''s copies that existed in different directions locations.


    Rumble!


    Crack!


    Tremble!


    Both the sky and the ground shook as the entire domain created by the Finality of Time was now shaking and cracking.


    In the sky, thousands of flying monsters appeared from Kahn''s ck and blue aura, each one adept in flight and having different species and sizes.


    SKRAA!!


    SCREECH!


    They screeched and bellowed in their own way, sending shockwaves and strong gusts of wind on the battlefield.


    Crumble!


    The ground cracked open as soon, one after another, innumerable figures arose as if the gates of hell were opened. The sourc? of th?s content ?s nov?l(?)ire.?et


    And now, millions of soldiers that included Knights, Mags, Archers, Spearmen, and Healers added with rare sses also took a firm stand.


    Like an empire''s army, they systematically positioned themselves in various battle formations and took a defensive stance as if it were a war between armies of rivaling nations.


    ROAR!


    RAWRR!!


    This wasn''t the end to it either as following them¡­ arose millions of monsters varying in sizes and species making this warcry echo in this vast battlefield.


    Among these summoned monsters¡­ More than 2000 of them were already at High Lord rank which wasparable to a Peak Grandmaster.


    Hundreds of them also had abilities of both warriors of different ss and monster species since they were the amalgamations Kahn created using the Synthesis divine ability.


    If Anakin had millions of copies of himself by bending the flow of time¡­


    Kahn''s overall numbers were more than 5 million.


    "You¡­ what is this ?! You did not have such powers!" spoke the true Anakin,pletely gobsmacked.


    "It''s like you said Gideon¡­


    You''re not the only one cursed with knowledge." replied future Kahn with a smug tone.


    "Attack!" hemanded his monster army.


    Bang!


    ng!


    Thud!


    tter!


    Like a flurry of raging monsters and soldiers attacking fearlessly, the battle between Anakin''s army of himself was annexed on all fronts.


    Regardless of how talented he was as a battlemage, with an overwhelming number of fearless monsters and an army of well-versed soldiers as well as flying monsters assaulting from the sky¡­ the Hero of Time started suffering immense losses in mere minutes.


    This was the first time Kahn used his entire army of summoned monsters in arge-scale battle.


    If this was a war against an enemy nation¡­ it would turn into a one-sided massacre for the enemies. ----------------


    1 Hour Later¡­


    The apparent resulty before Anakin''s eyes as Kahn''s army of summoned entitiespletely ughtered his own and now, not a single copy of himself remained.


    The first form of his Domain of Chronokinesis, a form of power that could destroy an empire''s army given the right conditions¡­ was butchered to thest member by Kahn''s own army.


    After they got destroyed, Anakin was pushed to his limits.


    "You bastard¡­ what the hell was that?


    Why do you have the Necromancy divine ability?!" he exined in disdain while barely gasping for breath.


    "That''s the neat part, Gideon. I don''t." dered future Kahn with a smug smile.


    "Bullshit! Nothing can exin that army of monsters unless you''ve turned yourself into an Elder Lich." rebuked Anakin and started another spell.


    But soon, the Hero of Time started casting a massive spell that covered the nearby 5 kilometers of ground.


    Kahn just folded his arms and let himplete the spell as if he wasn''t worried at all.


    Schwoom!


    Schwoom!


    One after another, a total of 11 magic circles arose from the ground and soon, a massive surge of Saint Pressure erupted.


    BOOM!!


    The entire surroundings trembled with shockwaves as familiar faces reappeared.


    The Hero of Time¡­ had resurrected his Party members. And this time, all of them were also proper Saints.


    "My, my¡­ Using both Finality of Time and Domain of Chronokinesis just to bypass thews of the world and resurrect your dead allies¡­


    You have be desperate haven''t you, Gideon?" Kahn mocked the Hero of Time.


    [Do you see this, my other version?


    This is the type of battle where you use what you''ve been taught for the past year.


    So let me show you how to use your new powers and skills the best way so that when you are surrounded by these many enemies in the future, you will know how to deal with them effectively.] he spoke.


    The dragon swirling around him nodded and disappeared into thin air.


    "It''s time to use what master Romulus taught me." spoke future Kahn.


    He then called back all the summoned monsters and closed his eyes.


    ----------------


    **FLASHBACK**


    Back in the day when Romulus taught him 5 different skills that he created for Kahn¡­


    Thetter learned many skills.


    Harnessing Conceptualization Embodiment: In this skill, Kahn was able to enter a battle mode where he could create monsters and imitate their movements and fighting styles. For example, he could turn into a giant basilisk made of pure world energy and fight like it. Simr to how Rudra did.


    The reason why it was the 3rd technique Romulus taught Kahn was because it was heavily dependent on the first two techniques. Kahn needed to master Harnessing to greatly saturate and stack world energy to a degree that even his simplest attack or skill would be 5 times more effective than its maximum potential. Conceptualization was needed to increase his mental fortitude and control over both world energy and elemental mastery. So he could summon these creatures and change their elements at will just like he did it with his weapons. Thanks to Vildred, Kahn had 100% affinity to all elements in the world at this point. After learning the results, Romulus tweaked the technique to fit Kahn and used a different approach for Embodiment in a way that would best suit Kahn. But what Kahn didn''t know was that his master wasn''t just making random alternatives but something even he himself as the main subject couldn''t anticipate. And the biggest factor was¡­ Kahn''s bloodlines. Because Kahn possessed multiple bloodlines and had some purity of high tier, Romulus created a technique that would help him utilize those bloodlines in thisbat technique. Romulus said back then¡­ "There is a particr empire where their saints use a different but somewhat simr method of thisbat technique. Since they can''t turn into their primal forms like us True Descendants and not everyone is a summoner ss with mastery over various elements¡­ What they do is use their own elemental affinity and world energy to materialize a spectral form." he revealed to Kahn inside the training realm. "They use their bloodline to shape that spectral form into a bestial form based on their bloodlines which are corrted to their ancestors and the monster species they are from. For example, a normal-looking human saint could use his wind elemental world energy and summon the form of a flying monster or a bird that his bloodline has traces of. By no means they''re Beastkins or True Descendants, the bloodline itself is thinned into their lineage to the point that it doesn''t even affect their auras or any physical features to make them look distinct from other humans. But by using this technique, they can harness that dormant bloodline temporarily to assume such forms and fight as if they were those monsters themselves." he exined solemnly. "Like someone is looks like a human but turns into a werewolf made of mana if he has the bloodline?" asked Kahn "Correct. But instead of turning into a monster themselves, they can use their world energy as a medium to bring out thetent bloodline and shape it to use it forbat." iterated Romulus. "I see. But how does it help me?" questioned Kahn.


    To his query, Romulus replied in a menacing tone¡­


    "Because especially in your case... It willpletely turn the tide of the battle."

 Chapter 1003 New Battle Techniques

    Chapter 1003 New Battle Techniques


    Back to Present. After reliving a memory of the past when Romulus had created 5 special techniques custom-made for Kahn after considering all of his abilities, powers, and many other things¡­ the future Kahn decided to use them now that Hero of Time had miraculously resurrected his allies.


    "Lord Anakin! What is this? I remember that I died!" spoke Knull Symbitar.


    "Yes, you did. He killed all of you and now I am forced to use my divine weapon and my domain just so I could resurrect all of you.


    You all no longer have your cores and you will die again after I deactivate my domain and the divine weapon.


    I can''t fight him in this state because I have to focus and provide all of you with my world energy." exined the Hero of Time to his deceased allies. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "But this time¡­ all of you have returned to your former state as Saints and no longer are suppressed by thews of Babylon.


    I am offering you all a final chance. To kill the man who killed you and avenge yourselves with your own hands.


    That is the opportunity no one gets in their life." said Anakin with eyes full of conviction.


    As soon as he revealed what happened after Kahn killed them in their Semi-saint forms, all the members of the Hero of Time''s party turned furious and targeted their gazes at Kahn.


    "But why does he look and feel different than before now?


    It''s as if he has aged by a decade and even the aura around him is far more majestic and yet, it''s also many times terrifying as if he is apletely different person." spoke Jargos, the winged spearman.


    Kahn on the other side summoned 2 new weapons no one had seen before.


    In his left hand, appeared a 1 meter tallrge shield made of white bones with dwarven runes over it and in the center, was a ck rose emblem.


    And in his right hand, appeared a massive battleaxe with Nordic runes made from pure white fang that exuded a murderous aura of a predator.


    "Sigrun and Vidarr¡­ you are an idiot for not using such good weapons." spoke the future Kahn, his words directed at current Kahn.


    These were the names of the Shield and the Battleaxe respectively. Both of these weapons were made from Fenrir''s fang given to Kahn by Romulus. Kahn in return made a few legendary rank weapons for his master in the past 10 months. He gave the rest to Romulus since he already had simr weapons made from the body of the guardian dragon, but he kept these 2 because he didn''t have a proper shield and battleaxe even now.


    But even the 7 weapons he made took more than 10 months. If this was Throk Oakenshield, his cksmithing master¡­ He would''ve made at least 15 weapons and armor in the same amount of time. On top of it, Kahn also had 3 gifts from Deities of cksmithing. This showed the clear difference between Throk''s umted experience and Kahn''s cheat codes. He realized that he still had a long way to go. ----------------


    "Now, how do I get rid of these small fry quickly?


    It''s not like I have a whole day here or time to dilly-dally." said Kahn and soon, a smirk appeared on his face.


    "Let''s use Embodiment here. There''s a reason why master Romulus created this technique specifically for me." he said and the very next moment¡­


    BOOM!!


    A thunderous aura arose and sent shockwaves in the nearby 40 kilometers. The ground quaked and craters formed as if a meteorite had struck and caused earthquakes.


    Kahn was now a legitimate 6th-stage saint and against so many of these enemies, he was going to use the Embodiment technique for the first time.


    While within that terrifying aura, he activated the Shura Mode. A 500-meter-tall purple-colored warrior in a samurai armor, and Lucifer in his had appeared.


    Thest time he took this form was when he fought Axel Lobethrox, the Hero of Fire. And this time, he was many times stronger.


    However¡­


    His spectral warrior form of a human samurai soon started changing. Soon, his human face and ws turned to that of a wolf, and the skin and 2 horns appeared from the sides of his head, turning into that of a Basilisk. p!


    Wiggle!


    In mere seconds, a 600-meter-long massive tail and 500-meter-wide wings of a dragon.


    And now, he had be a formidable 1-kilometer tall being who had thousands of weapons including Lucifer, Gungnir, Beowolf, Sigrun, and Vidarr.


    Along with them, millions of 10-meter-long arrows, swords, spears, tridents, and daggers also spread in both the ground and the sky.


    This was the result of Kahn''s intense training that made him pass out hundreds of times. Why? Because this form was created using 4 different bloodlines from Fenrir, Basilisk, Dragon, and Primordial Titan. The four bloodlines with the highest purity that Kahn possessed. And the one to bind them together was the Legendary Rank rank Metamorphosis bloodline that worked in the background. So Kahn was using 5 bloodlines at once. [10 minutes! That''s how long this form will stay active. But it''s more than enough for me to deal with all of them.] he informed to the current Kahn.


    Because the first 4 bloodlines were extremely ipatible and could be considered rivals and hostile to each other. Simr to Kahn''s Asura Mode, they were used forcibly for this battle mode and it was creating a great burden on Kahn''s mind and body. But what did it yield as a result? That added to his already powerful strength, this was making Kahn additionally 5 times stronger due to their effects. Such as the Dragon''s strength, Fenrir''s agility, Basilisk''s Defense, a Titan''s great Regeneration and Vitality, andstly, his Speed as a warrior.


    In simple words, Although Kahn was already on par with an Intermediate 6th stage in terms of physical stats due to using Rathnaar''s method of raising his rank and Chamber of Exaltation despite being just a beginner in this rank¡­ Adding this mode temporarily made him into a Beginner 7th-stage saint for 10 minutes. And on top of it, Kahn could use any element to create this body and change the said element at will. This was Romulus'' technique called Embodiment he devised for Kahn considering all his potential, bloodlines, and elemental affinity.


    Something Kahn could never have even imagined achieving based on his current knowledge and experience had it not been for his master. "Good. Other than that spearman, there is no one else with Light Element. This time¡­ I am not holding back." proimed Kahn.


    BOOM!!


    Another surge of massive pitch-ck aura arose and his saint pressure sent shivers in everyone''s spines.


    "See, Kahn 2.0. This is how you use the Darkness element properly." spoke the future Kahn and in the next moment, a tremendous change urred.


    The previously purple body of the Shura Mode started changing its color and in mere moments, it solidified by 10 times as Kahn turned this entire spectral body into a Darkness elemental titanic figure. Unlike before, the body was now solid andpletely visible just like Maximus'' Titan Knight form. On top of it, all of his weapons increased by 3 times in size and length.


    "I call this form¡­"


    Spoke Kahn as his bipedal monster form d in samurai armor with thousands of weapons, let it be bows, swords, halberds, or all forms of weapons he could think of suspended in the air. "Apostle of War."


    ----------------


    The entire Hero''s party including the Hero of Time stood stupefied as they could not believe their own eyes.


    "You''ve gotta be shittin'' me!


    How the hell can he turn into such a monstrous creature while only being a human." spoke Ariel, the priestess.


    "Lord Anakin! This isn''t what you told us about him.


    Even when we fought him as Semi-saint¡­ many of his powers were different than the ones you told us about. That''s why he was able to kill us so swiftly by surprise.


    We fought an enemy we knew nothing about!" bellowed Hank Primos, the blue beastkin.


    "This¡­ Even I have no idea what''s happening now.


    This isn''t the Martial Emperor I fought. Everything is very different about him now." spoke Anakin, his face devoid of color as a cold sweat ran across his face.


    "You lot should feel honored since it will be the moment when someone sees my new powers for the first time in this timeline." spoke Kahn with a cold and menacing look.


    Crackle!


    Shatter!


    A void crack formed in the middle of the sky far above them and soon, a realm tear appeared.


    Shoom!


    Shoom!


    This newly formed realm tear suddenly started sucking in all the air around.


    "We''re not done yet." spoke Kahn and soon, he created a massive 500-meter-wide sphere of pure darkness.


    Shoot!


    He shot it at the realm tear in mere seconds and in the following moments¡­


    Engulf!


    The entire massive sphere of darkness was engulfed by that realm tear.


    Rumble!


    However¡­ what happened next was this realm tear in itself expanded with the aura of darkness as if the sphere it engulfed hadpletely assimted and had be one with it.


    Woosh!


    Woosh!


    Soon, iparably strong gusts of wind spread apart in 15 kilometers radius, and one after another, the massivendscape started crumbling and thend whether it was the soil, the dead trees, or even massive mountain peaks started suspending in the air, unable to hold their ground regardless of their weight orposition.


    All the saints from the Hero of Time''s party distanced themselves by a few kilometers in different directions just to avoid being sucked inside by this incredible force that somehow started sucking in their Mana and World Energy at the same time.


    "Did he just create¡­" spoke Anakin with a bewildered countenance as his face turned white with fear.


    "A ck hole?"

 Chapter 1004 Engulf and Devour

    Chapter 1004 Engulf and Devour


    [[Author: I have returned from thend of the dead.


    The truth is... I died. But I lived...


    So the novel shall continue again on a regr basis.]]


    ----------------


    The entire Hero''s party stood rooted in their spots as they saw the unimaginable anomaly that Kahn created out of nowhere in the middle of the sky.


    The future Kahn had already used Harnessing and Conceptualization at peak mastery and turned into a formidable opponent who was as strong as a Beginner 7th stage saint.


    But when he used the 3rd technique called the Embodiment¡­ he sessfully used his most powerful bloodlines and created his ultimate battle form that far exceeded the Shura Mode created by the current timeline''s Kahn.


    But things didn''t just end there as he created a ck hole in the sky that not only sucked all the objects in the nearby 15 kilometers radius but also devoured the mana and world energy of the Hero of Time''s resurrected party members, forcing them to retreat in a different direction.


    [This is how you efficiently use the 4th technique¡­ World of Gluttony.] spoke the future Kahn to the current Kahn.


    This one is made by merging the Dimensional Void, Energy Plunderer, the Gravity Law skills you received from Skoll and Hati, and thews of the True Dimension.


    It''s not the shabby space door you created while training under master Romulus.


    I based it on Godbeast Fenrir''s power called the World Devourer.] he iterated.


    [And this isn''t a skill created by the Synthesis divine ability or merging different ones through the system. Also, this is a unique power exclusive to only us.] he showed his expertise to the current Kahn.


    "I call it¡­ the ck Sun." dered the future Kahn to everyone.


    "A sun that engulfs all. The darkness that Devours the world around it. The more it eats¡­ the bigger it gets.


    And the biggest catalyst that increases its range and suction power¡­ is the world energy from Saints and Legendary or Mythical Rank monsters." he dered to the onlookers who saw it from afar and stated in a vicious tone¡­


    "Whether it is a magic spell, an attack skill, or even a lethal blow from a divine weapon, there is no exception.


    Your entire existence¡­ is food for my ck Sun." dered Kahn with a menacing smile.


    Shivers ran across everyone''s body because they too felt their entire being nearly sucked in by this ck Sun.


    In arge-scale battlefield between empires with hundreds of saints¡­ If someone used this skill during battle¡­ the devastation and loss of life it could cause would be in millions as time went on.


    And also, the mighty Saints of these enemy empires couldn''t do anything to even attack it since their powerful attacks and spells would only be engulfed and help it be bigger and stronger.


    In every sense, the future Kahn had created a manmade ck Hole in this battlefield.


    What they didn''t know was that among the 5 techniques taught to Kahn by Romulus, this was only the 4th one.


    [The reason I used this skill first is to push everyone away and hinder their movements.


    Now, all of them are forced to retreat in different directions and as I attack them, they won''t be able to move freely due to the fear of being devoured by the ck sun.] exined the future Kahn.


    "Martial Emperor! What is this?!


    Why do you have powers that you previously didn''t have in the original timeline?!


    I can see that this is simr to the Abyss Devourer skill you used in our battle but why do I sense Space Law, the Gravity Law, and the True Dimension from it?" asked Anakin, trying to grasp the situation.


    "Sheesh! As if I''m going to tell you my evil mastern just because you asked nicely.


    What do you take me for, a 3rd-rate novel antagonist who dies in 3 chapters?" replied Kahn sarcastically.


    "Let''s end this quickly." spoke the gigantic Kahn in Apostle of War mode.


    p!


    Despite being a ginormous 1-kilometer tall being and 200-meter-wide humanoid being with such massive wings and tails¡­ Kahn disappeared and covered the distance of 8 kilometers in a single second with a single p of his wings.


    "What?! How are you so fast?!" spoke Jargon Ultaos, the winged spearman.


    "Sorry, nothing personal. You have the Light Element so I have to kill you first." spoke Kahn.


    Woosh!


    However¡­ Instead of facing this titanic Kahn with the Wolf''s head¡­ Jargon decided to run away.


    "Smart. But I''m not your ''responsibilities'' that you could run from." said the Kahn and soon, he bashed the massive Vidarr battleaxe on his shield called Sigrun.


    The immense darkness and the wrathful power released from Vidarr which was now 500 meters long was absorbed by Sigrun, the shield made from Godbeast Fenrir''s bones.


    In mere seconds, not only did the shield absorb it, but also amplified it by 5 times.


    The ginormous Kahn then targeted the shield at Jargon who was a 4th-stage saint.


    Shoot!!


    A massive 100-meter-wideserbeam made of pure and iprehensibly destructive darkness shot and hit the saint before he even crossed 8 kilometers of distance in the open sky.


    Bang!


    The result was there weren''t even ashes left after theserbeam hit Jargon.


    It was barely a minute since Kahn took the Apostle of War form and already killed a 4th-stage saint in a single move.


    ----------------


    Swoosh!


    Next, his target was Hank Primos, the beastman who could turn into a massive Ox-like creature.


    BOOM!!


    And just like thest time, Hank opted to turn into his monster form which was now a 500-meter-tall creature, far deadlier and humungous as lightning ran amok his body.


    GRAWL!!


    He growled at Kahn whose eyes glowed red in this ck titanic form made of Darkness.


    "A mere forest beast dared to look the sovereign of monsters in the eyes¡­" spoke Kahn with a wrathful tone.


    "Dragon''s Sovereignty!" he shouted. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    BOOM!!


    An insurmountable oppressive aura spread in the nearby 10 kilometers as Kahn for the first time, used the Dragon''s Soverngity skill in a battle against saints.


    Hank Primos, a 5th-stage saint who could destroy cities in minutes with his monstrous charge alone was now suddenly frozen in his steps, unable to move because of unbearable terror.


    Soon, he let go of Vidarr and summoned the 500-meter-long Lucifer, bolstering the terrifying Darknesspressed a hundred times more than the current Kahn could ever use.


    "Dragon Strike!"


    BOOM!!


    A massive de sh of darkness passed through uninterrupted and unopposed, pulverizing everything in a 10-kilometer straight line just from Kahn''s single swing.


    And what remained¡­


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Hank Primos, who looked like a legendary rank monster in his primal form was now shed into two parts like a bull cut into half. His massive 500 meters tall four-legged body was now spraying streams of blood With this, the future Kahn finished two saints in just 2 minutes.


    The others could only tremble in fear after looking at this merciless and brutal ughter, each saint finished with a single strike.


    "Don''t be surprised¡­"


    Kahn''s murderous and ruthless voice echoed on the battlefield as he dered¡­


    "I''m just getting started."

 Chapter 1005 EXCELLING EXCELLENCE

    Chapter 1005 EXCELLING EXCELLENCE


    The battlefield resonated with the terrifying power unleashed by the Future Kahn, now an Apostle of War. The enemy saints, identified as significant threats due to their elemental affinities, were the first to face the wrath of this formidable entity.


    Despite attempting to flee, the first enemy saint met his demise under thebined assault of Sigrun and Vidarr, Kahn''s new Shield and Battleaxe. The indomitable aura of the Future Kahn proved overwhelming, leaving no room for escape.


    The second opponent, disying more courage, opted for a direct confrontation at full capacity. However, the oue proved unfavorable for him, as he miscalcted his own strength while underestimating the otherworldly power possessed by the Future Kahn.


    Just a single swing from Lucifer using the Dragon Strike skill was enough to split him in half like ughtering a cattle.


    In just 2 minutes, Kahn killed 2 saints from the enemy side.


    In just 2 minutes, Kahn killed 2 saints from the enemy side.


    The battle unfolded in a manner that even the current Kahn found challenging toprehend. Because this future version of him was already in a far higher league than he was.


    "Alright. The next one." spoke future Kahn and his figure disappeared.


    His next target was Ariel, the priestess with Water element affinity and also Holy spells.


    The reason Kahn targeted her after those two was that Ariel was someone who couldter be a hindrance ande in to save her allies.


    And now that the ck Sun had forced her into an isted ce away from her allies, it was the perfect opportunity.


    "You think I will make the same mistake twice?" asked Ariel in a vengeful tone.


    In seconds, she started casting numbers of holy spells that created hundreds of protective barriers around her from all directions and also, a tsunami arose in the 3-kilometer radius, attacking Kahn''s ginormous figure with highlypressed waterdes and attacks.


    "Huh! Just because she can use Holy Magic doesn''t mean it ensures her safety till her allies arrive." spoke Kahn in disdain.


    "Go help her you idiots! He''s trying to kill the only healer who can help and strengthen all of you!" yelled Anakin.


    Woosh! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Swoosh!


    The other saints who were more than 15 kilometers away in the sky suddenly jolted and sprung forth while keeping their distance away from the ck Sun that was now twice bigger in size.


    However¡­ the future Kahn had no intentions to wait for help to arrive.


    [Look at this, new me. This is how you deal with Holy Magic spells and barriers.] he spoke in a confident tone.


    Stab!


    He stabbed Vidarr in the ground and kneeled as if he was praying.


    "I invoke the Authority in the name of the almighty God of Darkness.


    As I, his herald¡­ Kahn Salvatore, the Hero of Darkness, demands to open the Gates of Abyss!" he bellowed in a majestic and authoritative tone.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    Soon, 4 gates made of pure darkness, each standing 200 meters tall with millions of bones of countless beings and skulls of dragons and godbeasts in the middle, arose from the ground.


    These were the literal Gates of Hell in Vantrea. And now, the future Kahn had opened them with a singlemand.


    The gates now surrounded Ariel, the priestess and she trembled in fear after sensing the ominous aura of death.


    Creak!


    Creak!


    In seconds, the gates started opening.


    BOOM!!


    And before even her allies reached close¡­ a massive surge of blue hellfire was shot forth from these gates and incinerated the barriers, the tsunami of water and¡­.


    "ARGGHHHH!!" A terrifying wail of anguish spread as the priestess was incinerated alive.


    As they watched from afar, the remaining saints were bewildered.


    It had been more seconds since they charged forth but Kahn had summoned the gates of abyss just to use the hellfire that appeared when they opened.


    "Hey¡­ Isn''t that an Overkill?" asked Judas, trembling in disbelief.


    "Did he just¡­ summon the gates of hell?! Are you fucking kidding me?!


    Who the fuck is this guy?!" shouted Knull in disbelief.


    "We¡­ we never should havee in the first ce.


    That bastard Anakin is the reason why we died and he''s the reason why we will die again!" bellowed Judas.


    Woosh!


    "Badmouthing your leader? I call this insubordination.


    And insubordination during a battle¡­ is punishable by death!" spoke Kahn in a vicious voice.


    "Void Realm!" SWOOM!


    Soon, the nearby 10 kilometers of space was suddenly covered in a ck dome-like barrier, and inside¡­ everything froze.


    The aura of darkness had stopped the time as Judas, the monster-like saint was now even unable to move or use any of his skills.


    Future Kahn used the Void Ream skill after so many years ever since he got it from Ajax, the Dark Summoner in the Bromnir dungeon.


    Usually, the current Kahn never used it because it could potentially expose his identity as Hero of Darkness. But the Future Kahn¡­ didn''t seem to give a fuck about it as he used it against Judas, a 3rd stage saint.


    Vidarr suddenly lit up with blue hellfire just like the one that emerged from the Gates of Abyss.


    sh!


    The 1-kilometer-tall titanic Kahn did not even waste another moment and shed it vertically.


    To him, it was like using a sword to kill an ant given the difference in their size.


    BOOM!!


    The ground shattered and the surge of world energy exploded.


    Crumble!


    The Void Realm shattered but Judas had already turned into ash.


    Kahn with the wolf''s head turned in the Hero''s direction and winked with a friendly smile¡­


    "Got rid of the traitor for you."


    ----------------


    His next target was none other than Targos Boltan, the golem-like individual whose entire body was made of stone and whose skull was on fire.


    And this time, Kahn did not even n to move.


    "Hey there¡­" spoke Kahn after appearing a kilometer away from the saint.


    "Dance for me!" ordered Kahn.


    "What the hell did you just say? You think you can toy with me, you fucker?!" bellowed Targos.


    But soon, the surrounding area was filled with rampaging storms and millions of waterdes.


    The Future Kahn had used the Waterde Hurricane skill, the legendary rank domain-like skill that he received from Cthulhu.


    1 minutester...


    Another dreary scene appeared as Kahn deactivated the skill. And all that remained¡­


    Were a bunch of smoldering and shattered bricks.

 Chapter 1006 Pulling the Curtain

    Chapter 1006 Pulling the Curtain


    The transition from the present Kahn to the future Kahn marked a significant power shift. The future Kahn showcased an array of new and spectacr skills, many of which surpassed the capabilities of the current Kahn.


    Even with the various skills that had allowed Kahn to navigate through life-threatening situations in the past, he had not reached the level of overpowering his opponents with effortless one-shot attacks until this moment.


    The battlefield became a showcase of unparalleled strength, with the future Kahn unveiling skills that surpassed even the creative imagination of his present self.


    The discrepancy in power was evident, and the enemies faced an adversary whose abilities seemed to transcend the limitations of conventional understanding.


    The Apostle of War mode proved to be overwhelmingly superior to Kahn''s Asura and Shura modes. Future Kahn effortlessly dispatched the resurrected saints with single moves, disying a level of mastery that made his opponents seem like amateurs. Despite the immense power exhibited, the future Kahn had not yet unleashed some of his most potent techniques, such as the Dimensional Cut.


    Despite holding back, he effortlessly turned the tide of the battle, showcasing his dominance inbat.


    The contrast between the current Kahn''s approach to battling saints and the future Kahn''s effortless dispatching highlighted the vast difference inbat prowess. While the current Kahn relied on abination of abilities, strategic thinking, and various tactics, the future Kahn showcased the ability to eliminate opponents with a single move, seemingly disregarding conventional restrictions such as ranks, elemental affinity, and bloodlines.


    It disyed the stark difference inbat and experience the future Kahn had along with the capacity topletely overwhelm his opponents in a fight where he was hugely outnumbered.


    ----------------


    Kahn in his titanic form with a Wolf''s head and Dragon Wings shifted his attention to the next saint called Neamon Stragvor, the 4-meter tall bare-chested brawler ss warrior. This time, he simply pointed his palm towards the saint who flew in the sky 4 kilometers away.


    "Get over here!" hemanded.


    "And soon, despite being a 5th-stage saint himself, this brawler-ss saint felt like his entire body was suppressed by an imaginable force.


    "Argh!" he screamed in fear.


    "Why can''t I activate my domain?!" he eximed and looked at Anakin''s direction.


    "Activate your domain? Are you an idiot?


    He is a 5th-stage saint himself who is providing his own world energy to keep you all alive and give you strength to fight.


    On top of it, he is using his Divine Weapon which eats a Hero''s Soul Essence.


    Even as we speak, he is losing his levels and world energy drastically.


    And on top of it, his Domain of Chronokinesis is also active." revealed future Kahn.


    "This guy is expending so much of his energy that he can''t even move from his ce to assist any of you in this fight. Yet, you expect him to give you enough supplies to activate your domain?" exined Kahn.


    This was the true reason why the Hero of Time was only watching from afar and not directly fighting Kahn despite seeing him obliterate his party members.


    Using his domain and the divine weapon simultaneously had already constrained him to a degree that he was akin to an immovable object.


    "And this is why you shouldn''t have resurrected them, Gideon.


    Using your Divine Weapon and Domain at the same time was already such an idiotic move. It''s like you still haven''t learned anything despite me beating you multiple times." said future Kahn in an admonishing tone.


    "If only had you focused on fighting by yourself instead of relying on your allies in this timeline.


    Besides, did you forget that I fought these losers and killed them thest time we battled?


    Hell, even the new version of me managed to kill them at Beginner Grandmaster rank when all of them were Semi-Saints. So what made you think that it would be any different than before?" mocked Kahn in a condescending voice, humiliating the Hero and his party members.


    "What¡­ what does he mean by that?


    He has fought and killed us before? And what did he mean by ''new version of me''?" asked Knull as his gaze shifted to Anakin.


    "Tch! Tch! Tch¡­ Gideon. You should have told them the truth already." said Kahn and dered to the rest of the Hero''s Party.


    "He and I are both from the future. He used a spell toe back in time.


    Also, he already knows that every single one of you fuckers were just pawns of the imperial family.


    That Ariel, the priestess who pretended to be in love with him in the future was secretly fucking the Imperial Prince and was only using this fool because the prince wanted to get the Hero of Time on his side to gain an advantage in the race to be the next Emperor." dered future Kahn.


    "He also knows that in the future, many of you will betray and abandon him in dire situations despite him risking his life multiple times to save you morons. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He does not see any of you as his friends or allies anymore¡­ No, he only sees all of you as expendable pawns that he is going to discard in the future.


    That''s why he brought you all with him to kill me despite knowing that most of you would die by my hands anyways." his kingly voice echoed.


    This sudden revtion by Kahn left all the enemies asunder because now all of them started connecting the dots.


    Anakin Redfield, the Hero of Time held a meeting over 4 months ago where he forced them toply during that gathering and also forced a contract seal on them which prohibited everyone from revealing this secret objective from the Imperial family.


    He had forced them to practice multiple ambush tactics and ways to counter certain attacks, skills, and abilities just so they could fight Kahn by saying that his irvoyance Divine Ability showed him glimpses of future.


    And now that the Hero of Darkness had pulled away the curtain, every single thing made sense to them.


    The only difference was that things did not go ording to the n as most of them were being killed for the 3rd time apparently.


    And the only one they could me it on¡­ was the Hero of Time.


    ----------------


    As the battle continued in Babylon¡­ a signal was lit up in a different ne of existence.


    In the realm of nothing but Death and Darkness, an imaginably huge being spanning thousands of kilometers, seated on a throne suddenly opened its blistering fiery red eyes.


    As soon as the future Kahn used the Authority of Hero of Darkness and opened the Gate of Abyss and used the Hellfire to kill Ariel, it acted as a beacon and awoke this transcendent being in the Eternal Abyss.


    "The Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence has been used.


    Kahn has returned." spoke this personification of Death and Darkness also known as¡­


    The God of Darkness.


    "Looks like the Dragon delivered upon his promise.


    Without him storing his soul along with Kahn''s in the future, he would not have been able to return to the past even with the Rune since the rune itself only activates by the blessings of God of Time." spoke God of Darkness.


    And right beside him, was a being whose height was 10 thousand kilometers.


    This Knight-like being with two massive des on his back and adorning a ck and Red ancient armor spoke in a stern voice¡­


    "Well, he was the strongest and noblest of them all in the history of Vantrea. Of course, he would keep his word."


    The being that responded was none other than Kravel, the War Deity.


    "So by now¡­ the Hero of Time must be fighting the future Kahn." he stated.


    "Correct. But I''m more concerned about the task he gave us before we sent him to the current Kahn of this timeline through the transcendent rune." said the God of Darkness solemnly.


    "I have gotten Yama and Mors to ept 2 of the subordinates as their Apostle.


    However, the Deities that could bless Armin and Rudra are mostly from the enemy camps who serve the God of Life and Goddess of Knowledge.


    Originally, I wanted to propose Rudra as the main candidate to Mors.


    But when I got there, he had already found Jugram who was far more suitable because of his bloodline." stated Kravel.


    "I see. This seems like a better choice to me.


    Rudra¡­ I have no hopes for him anyway. He will either be useful or stay like an expendable pawn in the future while others be far stronger.


    And he is no match for the Kahn of now no matter how noble his bloodlines are." spoke God of Darkness without much concern in his voice.


    But next, God of Darkness smirked but his expression couldn''t be seen because of the skull he had for a face¡­


    "As for Armin¡­ There is one deity though. She is most likely to take him as her apostle." he stated.


    "She?


    I do not think it will happen given how much she detests you, the Death itself." responded Kravel in an incredulous voice.


    "Yes, I know. But she loves this world. Her genuine concern for saving the world far exceeds her hatred for me.


    And did you forget about her falling out with the God of Nature 3 thousand years ago when we initiated the hero summoning for the first time?" stated God of Darkness.


    "I remember. She was the only deity who opposed bringing humans from other worlds whose souls allowed them to be a Demi-God in our world.


    Saying that they would break the great bnce of life with their existence." replied Kravel.


    "Yes. And after how close we are to nigh destruction, she will be forced to act up in the form of choosing Armin as her apostle, especially since he is a walking-talking personification of both nature and sentient nt species." spoke God of Darkness in a devious tone.


    "Make use of her desperation." he spoke andmanded Kravel.


    "As you say, my Liege¡­ I will contact Demeter." he responded and bowed.


    Finally, when Kravel was about to leave¡­


    "What do you think will be the result of the conflict?" asked God of Darkness.


    "Between Kahn and Hero of Time?" asked Kravel.


    "No, Between Kahn and¡­ Kahn." spoke God of Darkness.


    "Because in the end, whether it is the Future Kahn or the Current Kahn..." said God of Darkness with a bemused and sinister tone.


    "Only one will remain."

 Chapter 1007 All According to the Plan

    Chapter 1007 All ording to the n


    Within the God''s Domain, in a different penins forged by another God, a figure emerged from the imposing gates of a white castle seated atop a towering mountain. Rumble!


    Crackle!


    The air crackled with an ominous energy, and thunderous echoes reverberated across the vast opennds surrounding the mountain.


    The pristine white castle stood in stark contrast to the dark, foreboding clouds that gathered above, as if nature itself recoiled from the divine presence within. Bang!


    Shatter!


    Lightning struck repeatedly, illuminating thendscape in brief, eerie shes. The mountain, its peak obscured by the tempest, bore the scars of the celestial sh, revealing the raw power of the godly forces at y.


    In this realm of destruction, the figure from the castle surveyed the surroundings, and the relentless storm seemed to respond to the silent will of the god.


    Creak!


    The gate swung open, revealing a tall and robust figure. His hair, a striking blend of ck and white stripes, framed a weathered face adorned with a brown beard that spoke of both wisdom and battle-hardened experience. This imposing figure stepped forth, his legendary rank armor a testament to his might.


    The chest te, pauldrons, gauntlets, and waistguardposed an ensemble that emanated both power and authority. Despite the exposed upper half of his body, the man exuded a dominating aura that demanded respect from all whoid eyes upon him.


    As he moved, a mesmerizing dance of red, green, and blue auras encircled him, akin to streams of translucent water weaving an ethereal tapestry. The armor itself seemed alive, with numerous eyes sporadically ced across its surface, periodically glowing in sync with the divine energies coursing through it.


    Simultaneously, the man''s yellow eyes, devoid of any iris, radiated an overwhelming presence that left those who awaited outside the door in awe of the force of nature that had exited God''s Altar.


    "He''s finally out!" eximed a beastkin with the head of a goat, adorned in resplendent golden garments and shamanic gear.


    "Did you seed, Lord Hero? Have youpleted both the objectives?" inquired a peculiar humanoid entity, floating in midair without eyes or ears. Its entire form appeared crafted from white porcin stone rather than flesh.


    Finally, the hero spoke after emerging from God''s Altar.


    "Yes, I did. I have both met the God of Lightning to Limit Break and secured both the Apples of Eden, as per our main missions." he dered in a deep and resonant voice.


    "Good. With this, our part in this Conve of Heroes is done. We might as well leave now," dered the goat-headed party member.


    However...


    "No. I still need to find him. I heard he is pretty strong," the warrior-like hero spoke in a firm tone.


    "Lord Hero! We shouldn''t! Even the Emperor instructed us to directly return instead of looking for him. To the empire, your life is far more precious than just another chance at gaining a Peak Saint. We should return as previously agreed." urged another party member, hidden beneath ck mage robes.


    "It would be too big of a loss, wouldn''t it? I recently became a 6th-stage saint and still haven''t fought a worthy opponent in far too long. This is an opportunity too good to pass on. Besides¡­ wouldn''t you guys also like to know who is stronger among us?" The hero asked with a confident smile.


    "The Hero of Darkness or¡­" he dered with eyes full of fighting spirit...


    "The Hero of Lightning."


    ----------------


    BOOM!! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The battle in the penins created by the God of Darkness was now halfway through as the Future Kahn had restrained Neaman, the brawler saint using the Gravity Law skill.


    Just a minute ago, he revealed the truth about him and the Hero of Time being from the future and thetter knowing about their true nature.


    This made all the other assants halt their attacks and grasp the predicament they were in.


    After Kahn revealed some facts he knew about the future, not a single one of them had doubts and all concluded¡­ That their lives were wasted as mere pawns during the brawl filled with vengeance between the Hero of Darkness and the Hero of Time.


    Using this opportunity, future Kahn decided to impart some words of wisdom to his current self.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Millions of his summoned weapons, made of his world energy, that hovered around him were now coated with a translucent yellowishyer.


    What no one knew was that even these magic spells and attack skills that were already terrifying on their own were now coated by Bjormungandr''s neurotoxin venom. [This is how you should have used Bjormungandr''s venom since the beginning.


    Not only you should coat your weapons with it, but also forms an unnoticeableyer on all of your summoned weapons or spells.


    This will not only break apart many armors and enemy weapons since it can corrode them even if the attack fails¡­ when the opponent is sprayed with the venom, they will soon lose control over their bodies.] he stated solemnly.


    [You failed to use it despite being taught magic by a Sage.] he spoke in amanding tone.


    "Arghhh!" wailed Neaman as some of the summoned spears by future Kahn that were made of the lightning element attacked the saint and started drilling into his skin.


    Being a 5th stage saint, the attack wasn''t enough to prate his body this easily.


    Stab!


    Sting!


    But soon, Kahnmanded dozens of 10-meter-long spears to do the same, and as time went on¡­ the outer skin started melting as multiple wounds opened.


    If the weapons were not coated by the legendary rank monster''s venom, attacks of this degree wouldn''t even have prated his skin no matter how long it was.


    But the result was now that without even using a shy or lethal attack, the future Kahn had broken past all the defenses.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Neaman''s skin and flesh started sizzling as he felt immense pain across his body.


    "You''re going to die slowly, unable to move and soon, your breathing will also stop." spoke Kahn and threw Neaman into a corner of the battlefield.


    BOOM!!


    The daint''s body dropped like a discarded pebble on the side of the road and just like Kahn said, soon, he couldn''t even move his eyes or speak a word as the venompletely rendered him vegetative.


    Swoosh!


    Soon, Kahn moved to his next target, unbothered to even finish off this 5th stage saint that would be treated as a god by themon citizens of his empire¡­ fated to die like a mosquito at the hands of Hero of Darkness.


    ----------------


    As the time for the Apostle of War mode to end came close, Kahn decided to not waste another moment.


    "Dimensional Domain : First Form¡­


    Commandment of the King!" shouted the titanic samurai Kahn.


    Blip!


    The surrounding 40 kilometers, everything that was previously covered by the Hero of Time''s artifact, his divine weapon, and the Domain of Chronokinesis was now overtaken by Kahn''s Dimensional Domain without a single resistance.


    Normally, when Kahn used Dimensional Domain, it dropped all of the enemy''s stats by 50% and gave himself a 50% boost in all stats.


    But that was just the base function.


    The 1st form of the Dimensional Domain that Kahn created after the culmination of knowledge and training by Romulus and Vildred when he trained in the Hall of Sentience, assimting the domain with his avable abilities and intellect waspletely different.


    It was no longer just a pitch-ck realm, void of life or a single construct.


    Now, it created a different world where Mana and World Energy were manipted at Kahn''s will.


    Swoosh!


    In a mere second, despite his ginormous size, the 1-kilometer-tall Kahn in the monstrous Apostle of War mode teleported so fast that even other saints could not register his movements.


    This was one of the functions of the First Form.


    In contrast to the base form, Kahn could now teleport anywhere inside the domain, create illusions, and dy the reaction speed of enemies, making them unable to detect his movements even if they were a saint of the same rank as him.


    sh!


    BOOM!


    Sensing mortal danger, all the saints attacked despite the risk of being sucked by the ck Sun.


    However¡­ even after their attacks hit his enormous body made of Darkness, not a single scratch was seen. Kahn could now use any type of spell to lower the strength of enemies and perfectly counter their elemental attacks. Istion, Debuff, Weapons, and Element switching. Nobody even detected that their attacks were countered by multiple Saint Rank and a few Legendary Rank spells as well as Dimensional Cracks before they even touched the ginormous Kahn.


    In a sense, Kahn was akin to a Saint while it was them who were now reduced to the rank of a Grandmaster.


    "Infinite Dream."


    Kahn''s eyes then glowed golden and in mere moments, the surroundings for each of the saints changed.


    Lucid Reality now had 2nd form called Infinite Dream when used inside the First Form of Dimensional Domain.


    This change urred after Kahn learned to incorporate Illusion Magic from the Sage mentor aka Vildred. Kahn didn''t use it before because this skill couldpletely derange the target''s mind and turn them braindead.


    So far, he never needed to use this skill because he wasn''t always sure about killing his opponents and wanted to extract information from them most of the time after entering God''s Domain.


    This was the type of magic Kahn hadn''t heard of before. Mainly because even Saint Mages could only perfect it with the help of Legendary Rank artifacts which were extremely rare and also needed decades of practice.


    Shiver! All the saint enemies now stood rooted in their spots, each seeing and feeling a different reality of their own.


    Things were no longer just illusions but partly real as well. This made the skill more terrifying because one couldn''t tell the difference between reality and the illusionary world. Stab!


    Stab!


    One after another, the saints made their most lethal attacks and stabbed Kahn whom they saw in their vision.


    Blergh!


    "What the hell are you all doing?!" shouted the Hero of Time.


    Shatter!


    Crumble!


    As the Illusion finally broke, everyone returned to reality and finally saw the truth.


    The one they had collectively attacked and stabbed with their weapons and spells to kill wasn''t Kahn.


    It was the Hero of Time.


    Without even letting anyone have a chance to see through his skills¡­


    Kahn pulled the Aizen move on the Hero''s Party.

 Chapter 1008 The Last Option

    Chapter 1008 The Last Option


    The battlefield fell into an eerie silence as the remnants of the Hero''s Party stood, dumbfounded and horrified. The realization struck them like a hammer ¨C the devastating attacks they unleashed weren''t directed at Kahn but at Anakin. The sheer magnitude of this revtion could spell doom for anyone, even for those who held the esteemed title of saint.


    The once tumultuous battleground was now draped in a thick, uneasy silence, only punctuated by the lingering echoes of their own destructive efforts. Stunned and disoriented, the members of the Hero''s Party exchanged bewildered nces. What was supposed to be their triumphant moment now hung heavy with an air of dreadful realization.


    Kahn, or rather, the imposter Anakin, emerged unscathed from the onught, a living testament to the tactical genius that had orchestrated this grand illusion. An air of mystery and deception now clouded the once-clear battlefield, leaving the party members grappling with the implications of their unwitting attack on their own leader.


    In that critical moment, Anakin''s chest, heart, and lungs bore the brunt of devastating strikes. His countenance mirrored the profound disbelief that echoed through his soul. Just moments earlier, he had witnessed the concerted assault of all hisrades, united against Kahn. However, in the blink of an eye, the situation had inexplicably reversed, with him taking the fatal blows meant for Kahn.


    The sense of betrayal and bewilderment etched on Anakin''s face narrated a tale of confusion, an abrupt shift from certainty to a disorienting reality where allies had turned executioners. The unraveling events had left him grappling with a truth that defied the logic of his understanding.


    As Kahn stepped forward from the shadows, the enigma of his deception hung heavy in the air. Anakin, now lying wounded on the ground, nced at Kahn. It was a silent acknowledgment, a shared understanding of the strategic gambit that had unfolded.


    The Hero''s Party, caught in the aftermath of their own assault, stood frozen in a tableau of disbelief. Kahn, with a demeanor that bnced amusement and calction, addressed the unfolding scene. "Deception, my friends, is a potent weapon. It can turn the tide of battle in a mere second." he spoke in an authoritative tone.


    The unexpected transposition between Kahn and Anakin unfolded as a result of a newfound ability stemming from Kahn''s recently unlocked Legendary rank ss¡ª the Void Sentinel. Within this mysterious designation, a unique skill emerged, granting Kahn the power to switch ces with a chosen target.


    While Kahn had possessed the capacity for translocation with his Cosmic Replicas, this newfound ability went beyond. Limited to the First Form of the Dimensional Domain, Kahn could now seamlessly switch ces with a designated target within the domain. This move, a once-a-day privilege, became a pivotal tool in his arsenal, especially when engaged inbat within his domain with multiple opponents.


    The First Form of the Dimensional Domain called the Commandement of the King, a manifestation of Kahn''s mastery, provided an array of advantages. It not only facilitated the simultaneous neutralization of multiple adversaries but also exerted influence over their elemental affinities, manipted their skill output, countered attacks with opposing elements, and even harnessed the potent Infinite Dream skill against a multitude of targets. In simple words, he was a Nightmare for everyone when Kahn activated the first form of the dimensional domain.


    "You bastard! You still fight dirty." said Anakin with a furious gaze as his eyes turned bloodshot red.


    "Dirty you say? And who was it that attacked me with a whopping 11 Saints while using an ancient rank magic formation as well as an artifact?


    If anything¡­ I should be apuded for overturning the situation.


    Besides¡­ stop acting like this would kill you or anything." spoke Kahn as he smirked.


    And like he said, soon, all the weapons, spells that affected him, and the injured organs started healing themselves and even Anakin''s torn and tattered clothes returned to normal simr to before the battle even began.


    "Do you see this, new me?


    Reversing time and bing unkible inside his domain¡­ is one of the reasons why the Hero of Time was so hard to kill even if multiple heroes attacked him together.


    As long as his Domain of Chronokinesis is active, he cannot be killed by anyone since all it takes him a microsecond to turn his physical state back to a time when he was unhurt.


    The only drawback is that it expends a huge amount of world energy for Anakin." iterated the future Kahn.


    "I had to kill him a total of 23 times in the past in multiple ways and using many strategies until I finished him off for good.


    But even then, this bastard had an ace under his sleeves and came back to the past.


    So do remember that if I hadn''t returned to the past using the Transcendent Rune of Reminie, you would have been dead for real in this timeline.


    And if you died, I would also die and many events rted to my life which also impacted the war against the Demon God would changepletely." he exined.


    As the future Kahn was exining things to the current Kahn¡­


    BOOM!!


    "Go to hell, you useless scums! You are all a hindrance even in this timeline!" spoke the Hero of Time and soon, he started casting a spell.


    "No, Lord Hero! Please wai¡­" shouted Echidna.


    But before she or others could react¡­ Anakin deactivated the spell, allowing him to reverse time and resurrect his deceased allies.


    "No!..." spoke Knull before his body was turned into dust.


    The remaining saints shared the same fate as him as their part in this battle ended.


    As for why the Hero of Time willingly gave up the advantage in numbers?


    It was obvious that the future Kahn was simply way too overpowered for his allies to handle and at the same time, his resurrected allies were siphoning a lot of his world energy, rendering him unable to fight back or cast additional spells and formations.


    And the way things were progressing, Kahn would have eventually killed all of them and he would have received a major bacsh after the spell was destroyed.


    So there was no point in dying the inevitable and losing a lot of his fighting prowess for a futile strategy at this point.


    ----------------


    After a few more minutes passed, the Apostle of War mode finally ended and future Kahn reverted to his original state.


    Now, his muscr and half-exposed upper body with draconic runes appeared in front of the Hero of Time.


    "Ha ha ha! Looks like you have finally run out of all the petty tricks, Salvatore. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I was right to take away your ess to Rathnaar Whitlock''s core and sever your connection to his half-soul.


    If you still had it¡­ you would never run out of world energy." spoke Anakin as he started chanting another spell.


    "Break the world¡­ Finality of Time!" shouted Anakin and soon, the first form of Kahn''s domain was reversed and the domain itself vanished.


    Although Kahn had reduced his stats and spell output, the Hero of Time still had his divine weapon.


    "Your most powerful transformation is over. You don''t have a divine weapon in this timeline yet.


    And now even your domain has vanished. There is nowhere to go now, Salvatore.


    I shall stomp on you like the worm you are." proimed Anakin with a condescending tone.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    What happened next was the nearby battlefield shattered and multiple realities appeared in front of them.


    In one stream, Kahn was fighting for his life on thest with Anakin, and in another one, Anakin was being stomped under Kahn''s feet.


    "Ah, this again?! This was a great nuisancest time as well." spoke future Kahn as he gazed at hundreds of these streams of timelines where there were multiple endings to this fight.


    [You seeing this? This bastard can summon multiple timelines using his divine weapon and after a few minutes pass, he can choose the most suitable diverging point in those timelines to make it into the reality of the real world.


    This way, even if he is fated to die, he can always change the ending where he emerges victorious.


    Last time, I countered it using a unique method and with the help of something the Hero of Space had given me.


    But we are far back in the past where I haven''t even met him or have the artifact.


    So our chances are slim." iterated the future Kahn.


    "I was called the Martial Emperor in the timeline I am from. And I never used a single weapon.


    I only used my body to fight and my skills along with the martial arts that I mixed with Darkness.


    Just like you, I received the training from master Romulus. However¡­ the techniques were different for me.


    Also, I did not have any blessings from any Demi-god. Kravel did not make me his Apostle at all.


    So I had to rely on my own capabilities since the very beginning as I did not have War Deity Body or the Berserk God Mode like you.


    And among one of the most powerful skills I learned which is also the same for you in this timeline¡­ " said Kahn sternly.


    "It is time¡­" spoke future Kahn and his gaze turned determined.


    "To use the 5th and the final technique."

 Chapter 1009 The Final Technique

    Chapter 1009 The Final Technique


    After the conclusion of his previous Apostle of War mode, future Kahn decided that it was time to use the final technique taught by his master, Romulus.


    This was a technique created by his mentor, the Apostle of ughter, and wasmon in both timelines.


    In this timeline, Kahn learned a lot of overpowered techniques created specifically for him given his powers, skills, and bloodlines.


    First was Harnessing which allowed him topress and condense World Energy while constantly fluctuating it on the atomic level, simr to the Fission reaction used in a nuclear bomb.


    That raised the output of his summoned weapons, attack skills, and magic spells by 7 to 8 times.


    Second was Conceptualization which allowed him to turn a lightning weapon attack or spell to any attack of a different element best suited to counter an enemy attack in a mere moment along with changing the form of weapon and spell at the same time without suffering any form of bacsh.


    The third being Embodiment which allowed Kahn to use his different bloodlines and turn into a massive 1-kilometer-tall being with the best passive abilities of his 5 powerful bloodlines such as the Apostle of War mode.


    Unlike the Asura Mode or Shura Mode, future Kahn did not even need the assistance of System to create that form.


    The Fourth was called the World of Gluttony. By using it, Kahn merged plenty of his overpowered skills and even Space Law skills to create a literal ck hole that could not only engulf everything in the world, but also suck away World Energy from Saints like a vicarious beast with unfathomable hunger.


    And finally, it was time for the 5th and final one¡­


    Now, Future Kahn''s gaze turned to the Dragon hovering around him.


    "It''s time to fight together again, old friend." he spoke in a resolute tone and nodded with a sense of understanding.


    The massive dragon nodded as well and before the eyes of the Hero of Time¡­


    RAWR!!


    The massive dragon opened his maw and swallowed the future Kahnpletely, eating him alive.


    Swoosh!


    Things didn''t stop here as the dragon leaking cosmic aether soon shot itself towards the ck Sun.


    Anakin was left gobsmacked as he saw the dragon being swallowed and disappearing inside the ck Sun skill Kahn created. [That thing can kill even a hero. And he''s entering that block hole?] he asked himself,pletely bewildered.


    Shrink!


    Shrink!


    But soon, the ck sun started shrinking and all the world energy in it started coalescing into a small sphere.


    Squirm!


    Squirm!


    Finally, all the Darkness, and the World Energy gathered inside the ck Sun was merged with the blue Cosmic Aether leaking from the Dragon''s body.


    BOOM!!


    A massive ck and blue pir of darkness and cosmic aether exploded and an overwhelming presence appeared out of it.


    "This is the 5th technique¡­ The Personification." spoke the newly emerged being in a deep rustic voice that sounded anything but human.


    A head with multiple horns and a draconic face, a 10-meter tall ripped and muscr as well as scaly body with pitch ck darkness and blue cosmic aether running across its veins appeared.


    "This is¡­ My Dragonoid Form." dered this new entity.


    ----------------


    The silence ensued in the surroundings but things didn''t end as the 30-kilometer radius battlefield filled with millions of timelines started shaking.


    Flickr!


    Flickr!


    Soon, a blinding light appeared and a massive 100-meter-tall bursting me made of 6 different colors, giving off an otherworldly aura appeared in the sky.


    Future Kahn had summoned¡­ Amaterasu.


    "Gideon, did you forget about the Divine Keys, you idiot?


    In case you forgot¡­ I killed the Hero of Fire and gained his divine weapon too." dered this Dragonoid Kahn in a deep and domineering tone.


    "And unlike what you know, the divine weapons can acknowledge another hero as their master." he iterated.


    Flutter! Soon, the blue cosmic aether from Dragonoid Kahn''s body arose and flew towards the me as mixed his cosmic aether with Amaterasu.


    BOOM!


    Now, the entire Amaterasu turned into a dark blue fire that gave off the aura of both its destructive as well as chaotic nature and spacew.


    Shoot!


    Crumble! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Kahn started attacking with multipleserbeams and pulverized multiple streams of timelines that couldn''t be touched before.


    "How is that possible? Even in the past, you were not able to destroy them but only deactivate them for a short time." spoke Anakin,pletely gobsmacked.


    "Because I have a divine weapon with one of the most destructive powers among all the other divine weapons and now I mixed with cosmic aether, an essence only avable from the Linchpins of Multiverse." revealed Kahn in a majestic voice.


    "What?!


    Did you go to the Empire of Space already?" asked the Hero of Time in a befuddled voice.


    "Nope. I explored some more within a tool I already had." replied Kahn coldly.


    Kahn did not tell him about the existence of the Tablet of Arcana or the Chamber of Exaltation.


    This was something he hadn''t told the Hero of Time even in the original timeline.


    Anakin knew about his connection to Rathnaar and the Peak Saint''s core from the past timeline.


    The main reason he had found out about it was because of his own divine weapon, Finality of Time.


    Because in one of the streams of timeline, he saw Kahn never running out of world energy and after looking into the matter, he found a scenario where the connection was revealed.


    This was also one of the reasons why Anakin brought an Ancient Rank artifact called Warhorn of Confinement that severed this connection between him and Rathnaar to kill Kahn in this timeline.


    Had not it been for the future Kahn returning as well, he would have seeded just by activating his divine weapon and Domain of Chronokinesis which messed with people''s perception of time.


    But for some reason, the future Kahn had no sense of danger even now despite not having the means to counter it since those countermeasures hadn''t happened yet.


    Bang!


    Anakin did not get enough time to digest this predicament as Dragonoid Kahn attacked the streams of timeline with his bare fists covered in the cosmic aether.


    Boom!


    Shatter!


    Along with Amaterasu who kept attacking the streams of timelines before Anakin turned them into reality, the Draganoid Kahn was like a ferocious beast with overwhelming power who was relentless in his pursuit to kill the Hero of Time.


    Punch!


    BOOM!!


    Anakin''s figure shot forth like a bullet andnded in a small peak, destroying it instantly.


    And as the dust settled from this encounter, a massive 5-kilometer radius crater was formed.


    This was a battle of Saints with godly bodies. Just a normal punch was enough to decimate a mountain because of their use of world energy.


    Right then, another voice echoed in Kahn''s mind.


    [Haha ha! It''s been ages since I faced and fought the Finality of Time. Although you''re not the one I made the contract with, I have to thank you for the satisfaction.] spoke an archaic voice in Kahn''s mind.


    [No need to thank me over such a minor thing, Amaterasu.


    I should at least give you a show for acknowledging me as your master in this timeline.


    Besides, your fire is better even than the Dragonfire and Hellfire to merge my cosmic aether with.


    They would have merely affected the streams but with your divine fire and my dimensionalw, I can burn the timeline itself.] replied Kahn to the Divine Weapon, Amaterasu.


    "Hey Gideon, this is getting boring. I know your Soul Essence is running out and your world energy is at least half than before.


    So I will stop holding back and end things quickly." said future Kahn and smirked.


    His dragon face with sharp fangs and his burning blue eyes gave him a sinister look.


    Woosh!


    Woosh!


    He started attacking the Hero of Time. Soon, he started killing Anakin with mere punches and kicks.


    Once, he ripped out his heart and his head together. But Anakin reverted to his original form in a microsecond.


    Each time, Kahn was killing the Hero of Time differently.


    Previously, when the current Kahn fought the Hero of Fire with Death Absolution skills, it took him a couple of hours, and had toe up with different strategies to take him down each time.


    But the future Kahn was aplishing exactly the same feat but so frequently and quickly that it only had been a minute but he already killed the Hero of Time over 13 times.


    "Tch! This fucker just can''t die as long as his divine weapon and domain is active.


    I''ll just have to beat him senseless and kill him until he loses his world energypletely and most of his soul essence until he can''t carry on." he said and kept attacking in a frenzy.


    What carried on was something both the future Kahn and the current Kahn were experts on. And that was¡­


    Torturing their enemies to death.


    ----------------


    An hour passed and Kahn had killed the Hero of Time more than 246 times.


    Each time, Anakin went through a horrifying and excruciatingly painful death.


    Because he was using both the divine weapon and domain, he could not cast too many spells and countermeasures that would save him.


    Plus, the Dragonoid Kahn was already as strong as a Beginner 7th-stage saint just like when he used the Embodiment Technique while fighting the other saints from the Hero''s Party.


    No matter what defense he used, Kahn simply punched and kicked his way out of it.


    And now, Amaterasu had also destroyed up to 98% of the timelines before they became reality.


    As for the remaining 2%... it looked like they were left untouched for a reason.


    "Arghhhh! You bastard! I''ll fucking kill you!" spoke Anakin.


    Bang!


    Kahn just punched a hole through Anakin''s torso and only his shoulders and head remained. The rest of the body was incinerated in mere moments since the fire made of cosmic aether was also the Dragonfire.


    "You talkin mad shit for someone who I killed more than 200 times." spoke Kahn with a disgusted look.


    Shatter!


    Amaterasu finally finished the job and only 4 streams of timeline remained.


    "That''s it, you bastard! Your time is over!" spoke Anakin after reverting his physical state to perfect when he was untouched.


    "Now, I will make them into reality!" he eximed with a sinister smile.


    However¡­ instead of feeling worried, future Kahn only responded with a smirk.


    "Good. I would like nothing more.


    But at least look at them first." he suggested.


    "Did you really think I couldn''t destroy them in time? No, I spared those out of pity and gave you an option." dered Kahn in an overbearing tone.


    Anakin pulled all 4 streams of timelines closer to him and saw what was happening in them.


    Shudder!


    His body shivered in terror as he saw the result.


    Because in each one of them, the Dragonoid Kahn had killed the Hero of Time in the most gruesome and humiliating way possible.


    "Now tell me, O'' mighty Hero of Time¡­" spoke the Draganoid Kahn in a domineering voice¡­


    "Which timeline do you want to be reality?"

 Chapter 1010 A Promise Made

    Chapter 1010 A Promise Made


    After future Kahn showed him the remaining 4 timelines and what happened inside them, Anakin Redfield, the Hero of Time dropped to his knees, his resolve to fight shattered.


    As if those hundreds of cruel and gruesome deaths at the hands of the Future Kahn, whose strength was on part with a 7th-stage saint was not enough¡­


    He, as a 5th-stage saint had lost hisst resort of relying on his divine weapon, domain, and now the possible timelines that could have been used to emerge victorious.


    And now, Anakin was left at the mercy of this 10-meter tall half-man half-dragon whose fists were bigger than his own head. Shatter!


    Crumble!


    Soon, the Hero of Time ran out of Soul Essence and World Energypletely, and because of this prolonged use¡­ His Rank dropped to a peak 4th-stage saint from a beginner 5th-stage saint.


    "Why? Why did this happen?


    I brought everything with me. I trained my party members just to kill you.


    I even stole that ancient rank artifact and that spell from the imperial family just to secure my victory." spoke Anakin in a defeated voice.


    "Just because you came back in time doesn''t mean all my preparations should be countered so easily.


    I can''t ept this¡­ I won''t ept this!" bellowed Anakin with rage.


    "This is where you''re wrong, Gideon." replied future Kahn with contempt.


    "Did you really think I woulde back in time without making ns on how to get rid of you as soon as the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence activated? You only had a year or so to prepare for this ambush.


    I had 6 years. And unlike you, whose skills, powers, subordinates, divine weapon, and domain I already knew about¡­


    You knew nothing about me from this new timeline. And I had everything nned and all possibilities calcted with all the different abilities and bloodlines I gained in this new reality.


    Even my backup ns have backup ns, you dumbfuck. And all I had to do was wait for you to make contact with me." replied Kahn with a devious smile.


    This was the undeniable truth that Anakin still hadn''t grasped.


    "You were ever the arrogant and spineless coward, Gideon.


    Do you think nning and using underhanded means to win makes you better than others?


    Of all the Heroes I know, you were the only one who never did the hard work and relied too much on your divine weapon and domain instead of working hard to learn to fight like a warrior yourself.


    And now¡­ All I have to do is rip your head off your body." dered future Kahn in a stoic tone.


    "No matter how intelligent, maniptive, or deceptive one is¡­ some battles can only be won by the Strongest." he spoke solemnly.


    The Hero of Time''s eyes widened and mouth gaped as a sense of realization dawned on him.


    At this moment¡­ Anakin hadpletely epted his defeat wholeheartedly.


    He had no world energy left to even cast a single spell, no artifact or a way to get out.


    After Finality of Time was deactivated, both of them were turned into Semi-Saints.


    However¡­ the Dragonoid Form was akin to a Saint just with his physical strength alone.


    How could he even hope to escape from this sealed fate?


    He came to kill Kahn, get his divine key, and be strongest among everyone else to be the Hero of the world by killing the Demon God while exacting his vengeance from the original timeline.


    Everything was going ording to his n until he killed Kahn of this timeline and the one from the future aka the original timeline returned through the rune of reminiscence. And now¡­ it was he who stood an inch close from certain death.


    However¡­


    "Sadly, I''m not going to kill you." suddenly dered Kahn.


    "What? Are you taking pity on me, Salvatore?!" shouted Anakin as if he felt another form of humiliation.


    "Pity? Don''t think so highly of yourself, you damn urchin.


    I need to keep you alive for the sake of keeping the timeline intact so that few things happen simrly just likest time." spoke future Kahn.


    "My conviction to save this world is worth much more than taking your pathetic life." he spoke in a majestic voice.


    "But it does not mean I can''tpletely screw you over." his countenance turned insidious.


    "I brought a little present for you from the future." spoke Kahn and next¡­


    Swoosh!


    Future Kahn and the Dragon were separated from each other, returning to their original forms.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not gonna kill you¡­" iterated Kahn softly.


    "But I''m gonna make you wish you were dead."


    ----------------


    The eerie silence ensued after future Kahn made his final threat.


    "I brought you a gift from the future, Gideon." spoke Kahn in a menacing tone.


    "Sadvek Mein Al Ehsabu Dojka!" chanted Kahn and a glowing violet rune appeared in the air.


    In the following moments, it was the Dragon who spoke¡­


    "This is ancient Dragon Magic. Although we agreed on not killing you¡­


    We still can''t have you go around revealing the fact that Kahn has returned from the future and knows what''s going to happen during the Great War.


    So this is to shut you up." spoke the Dragon in a sinister tone as if he was about to enjoy what was to happen.


    Soon, the rune attached itself to Anakin''s forehead and was absorbed in a glimpse.


    "Now, look into my eyes." hemanded.


    After dering his intentions¡­ Kahn activated Lucid Reality again.


    "I reverse-engineered one of your domain''s powers you used during our battle in the original timeline. Now you will live a life of torment, at the expense of the very spell you created." he spoke in a grim voice. "And remember¡­ I wille for you.


    No matter what part of the world you''re hiding in or how many powerful beings are protecting you¡­


    Nothing will save you from me. Instill this fact in your mind¡­" iterated Kahn in a vengeful tone. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Remember that every breath you take, every living moment you experience¡­ you''re living your on borrowed time. Only because I decided that you were not worth killing this early.


    And one day¡­" dered Kahn in a ruthless voice...


    "I wille to collect."

 Chapter 1011 Just the beginning...

    Chapter 1011 Just the beginning...


    Kahn''s domineering countenance and his majestic voice echoed on the battlefield as he decided to impart cruel and unforgiving mercy on the Hero of Time. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Blip!


    The next second, Anakin''s entire surroundings changed and he was chained on a tform while thousands of citizens watched.


    "Give up, Gideon Var Melvinger. Your kingdom has lost the war and all of your royal knights are also dead." dered a middle-aged man with a majestic sword in his hands.


    This man wore a ck and golden majestic attire simr to a longcoat made for royalty.


    His cold ck eyes and long hair along with a beard were the striking features of his appearance, enough to instill fear in others as if they would be devoured in moments if they came close to him.


    In this setting, Gideon was in his mid-30s and so was the man holding the sword over his head.


    "You!... Don''t think this is the end, King Salvatore.


    People of my kingdom will rise again whether their king is dead or alive. That, I can promise you on my life." spoke Gideon as he bled from all his four severed limbs.


    This was not just some illusion, but rather a different world, a different timeline, and apletely different life for Anakin, the Hero of Time.


    In this world, Gideon was a righteous King who saw his people losing in war after being attacked by a neighboring kingdom out of the blue. Kahn Salvatore, the King of the enemy side had massacred all his people, butchered nobles and high-ranking officers, and tortured him by cutting his limbs and chaining him in front of the frightened civilian popce. One by one, he executed most of Gideon''s chivalrous knights just to set an example in front of the public¡­


    "It''s been an honor my lord." spoke an elderly man who was themander of the royal knights.


    sh!


    With a single sh, Kahn beheaded the old man as thousands of civilians watched it in the capital''s main square.


    Gideon closed his eyes, heartbroken by the fact that his once mentor and the most trusted knight was killed so mercilessly right in front of him.


    "You¡­ you will pay for this!" he spoke with bloodthirsty eyes.


    "Don''t get angry over the death of a small rat." spoke this older version of Kahn with a beard.


    "Bring the main dish!" hemanded.


    Step!


    Step!


    "No! Let me go!" shouted a blonde-haired and braided woman with blue eyes.


    "No, let her go! Your war is with me!" shouted Gideon haphazardly.


    The woman who was brought by the enemy knights was his wife and the Queen.


    Along with her, was a 13-year-old boy who had hair and eyes the same as Gideon.


    "This is the price of defying me, the one this world calls the ck Dragon Knight.


    This war would not have happened if you epted my proposal of turning your kingdom into my vassal state." dered Kahn and took out a dagger from his belt.


    He slowly walked behind the queen and let out a sinister smirk.


    Slit!


    Kahn slowly slit the Queen''s throat as Gideon stood rooted on the spot.


    Thud!


    The queen''s body dropped on the ground, gagging and covered in her own blood while having eyes full of terror.


    "Don''t just cry now. All of that was just the appetizer." spoke Kahn in a merciless and cold voice.


    Kahn then smiled and then pulled Gideon''s 13-year-old son towards himself.


    "No, not my son!!¡­ I beg you, please leave him alone. Take my life instead, but please spare him." pleaded Gideon, iling in those chains as he saw his son in the enemy''s clutches.


    Just now, he witnessed the love of his life getting killed in front of his eyes but he could not do anything as he didn''t even have arms or legs.


    But the shock wasn''t even absorbed and Kahn already targeted his innocent son, who was the pearl of his eyes. "Shh! Quiet. Do not disturb me." said Kahn coldly.


    Kahn then put his dagger back and pulled out his greatsword again as he looked at the shocked and frozen child who just witnessed his mother''s murder. "Nothing personal child. You have sinned of being born as this man''s son."


    sh!


    With a single swing, Kahn beheaded the innocent prince as his father watched helplessly.


    "No!! Not my son!... not my son¡­ Arhghhh!" bellowed Gideon in sorrow.


    Soon, his wails and screams full of sadness and loss filled the surroundings as if heaven and earth were weeping alongside him. Thousands of eyewitnesses who saw this horrifying execution of the royal family stood helplessly while being corned by the enemy kingdom''s armies.


    "Hey hey¡­ isn''t walking into a room and killing a bunch of children your thing, Anakin?" mocked the bearded Kahn.


    "You!¡­ Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil, I will exact vengeance on you! I will make you regret the moment you were born. My fury will know no bounds and even the gods can''t save you from me!" spoke Gideon like a hero of a novel as if this was the beginning of his revenge story. "Shut the hell up, you narcissistic asshole! You''re making my ears bleed with those cringy-ass dialogues." rebuked Kahn in annoyance. "Sure, sure¡­ Get reborn in the world and I will again take away everything you''ve ever loved in that life as well." said Kahn and walked towards the chained Hero of Time.


    "You¡­ Even if I have to make a deal with the King of Hell, I wille back and kill you!" dered Gideon, his eyes full of wrath and fury.


    "Is that so? Then why don''t I send you there?


    And when you meet Yama¡­" spoke Kahn and smirked.


    "Tell him I said, Hi." sh!


    With no sign of guilt or sympathy in his eyes, future Kahn beheaded Anakin aka Gideon.


    The cold eyes symbolized his disregard for empathy as he did not regret killing a wife and a child in front of a helpless husband and a father at all.


    However¡­ What the Hero of Time didn''t know¡­ this was just the beginning of his Nightmares.

 Chapter 1012 Broken Mind

    Chapter 1012 Broken Mind


    After granting a soul-shivering death to the Hero of Time, the surroundings changed again.


    The scene then shifted to apact courtroom.


    The room consisted of three military judges, a prosecutor, a defense counsel, and eight officers sitting as a panel of court-martial members. And in one of the booths, was Gideon in a Marshal''s uniform.


    In this setting, Gideon was a soldier who was facing court martial. The story went like this¡­


    Gideon was the leader of one of the top special ops units that fought on the borders and he was a patriot of his country. But just 2 months ago, his team received intel that someone from their side was selling the military supplies covertly to the terrorists and there were a bunch of corrupt officers within the military who were profiting from the deaths of their own soldiers by prolonging the conflict between the military and an extremist organization.


    Gideon made aint to high-ranking officers but his request for an investigation was shut down by his superiors.


    But having lived for his country for almost half his life, he followed his gut feeling and defied them, taking off with his unit to covertly investigate one of the enemy encampments to find the trail of how the weapons and supplies were being handed to the terrorist organization.


    After infiltrating the camp and taking samples, pictures, and video evidence¡­ they left through a secure route without a single casualty.


    But it''s as if the terrorist group already knew, they were ambushed during their return and killed the entire team of soldiers.


    Gideon was the only survivor after seeing the crewmates that he served with getting killed in front of his eyes.


    Two of his soldiers sacrificed themselves just to create a route for his escape and since that day, he lived with the trauma and guilt of leading his people to their deaths.


    After he returned to the base with the proof of the military weapons being stolen and sold to enemies and to make sure that hisrades didn''t die in vain¡­


    The whole thing turned upside down.


    Instead of working to root out the traitors, Gideon stood with gunshot wounds on his left shoulders and right knees while being questioned by the Military Court.


    Despite providing the proof, the judges dismissed it as fabricated evidence without even proof checking.


    "Officer Gideon St. John. You have been recused of your duty as of this moment.


    Your disregard for your superiors inmand, then leading your unit into an enemy encampment without evidence or approval of higher ranking officers; resulting in their deaths is a grave crime." said one of the 3 judges.


    "You will serve 2 years in the military jail after this Court-martial.


    You will be dishonorably discharged from the service along with the forfeiture of pay and allowances." spoke another judge.


    "No! This is wrong! I''m the victim here!" shouted Gideon. "We have traitors among our ranks who are selling our weapons to the terrorists just to fill their own pockets." he pleaded to the judges.


    But no one acknowledged his words and even his own defensewyer didn''t say anything.


    Despite his struggle, Gideon was put in confinement before being transferred to military jail.


    As he was contemting where things went wrong¡­


    Step!


    Step!


    A man in uniform appeared. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This man was Kahn¡­ his superior to whom Gideon reported the findings to in the first ce. "You fucking idiot¡­ I hate overzealous patriots like you the most.


    Do you not understand the simple thing, you idiot?" spoke Kahn coldly.


    "I was one of the people who was secretly shipping off the weapons and ammo in the name of patrolling units at the border.


    But I wasn''t the only one. There are plenty of people higher above me." he stated shamelessly.


    "And your entire trial was just a facade. Because the Prosecutor, the Judges and even your own Lawyer are part of the system.


    You would have made just good money if you kept your mouth shut." he spoke in a mocking tone.


    "But no¡­ you had to be the righteous soldier." spoke Kahn in a condescending tone.


    "We now live in a world where wars are not waged for the protection of the people or the country.


    Even in the old times, wars rarely urred for the good of the people or to protect them.


    War for religion, country, or whatever reason you give¡­ they always happen for profits." he iterated sternly.


    "In old times, it used to be mainly for thend or the resources. Nowadays, they happen for the money that these corporations who run the government want.


    Because we need a justification to tax the people in the name of war, while we kill innocents from the enemy nation and spend a shit-load of money on the weapons made by these very corporations using the taxpayer''s money.


    And this is where we send idiots like you to die on the borders." spoke Kahn with a grin, having no sense of honor.


    "The men and women of our great nation''s army are just disposable vermins, sent to fight a war that does not affect us or serves the benefit of the poption.


    And people like you die for it while people like me who run the system profit off your blood." he dered in a conceited tone.


    "That is how our sweet capitalism works. You should have just be one of us instead of trying to blow the whistle.


    At least that way¡­ your crewmates wouldn''t have died." he spoke with an evil smile.


    "You did this?!" asked Gideon as he realized that something was amiss.


    "Yes, I did. It was me who informed those terrorists about your arrival. Sadly¡­ you survived and here we are. s, it makes no difference." iterated Kahn solemnly.


    "You bastard! I''m gonna kill you." said Gideon in a rageful tone.


    "Tch! Tch! How are you going to do that while behind bars?" asked Kahn mockingly.


    "No matter how long it takes, the day I get out¡­ will be the day your clock starts ticking." dered Gideon, his eyes filled with pure hatred and thirst for revenge.


    "Hah hahaha! You''re really slow, aren''t you? Did you think you were going to jail just because you defied the military highmand?


    A dishonorable discharge and stripping off your rank would have been enough in such a case.


    But no¡­ the judges who sent you to the jail did it for a reason." revealed Kahn.


    "Because you''re noting back after 3 years.


    You barely have 3 days left until we bury you in the ground." he revealed their evil n.


    Gideon turned furious and yelled at Kahn, cursing him names and swearing an oath to seek vengeance for his deadrades.


    Kahn then got out of the holding facility and looked at the sunset.


    "Ah, this pretentious bastard with protagonist syndrome. Even in his worst dreams, he sees himself as the righteous one and a victim of circumstances. Well, not that I care." spoke Kahn as he left with a smile.


    2 dayster, while being transferred to the military prison¡­


    Gideon was shot dead by the very marshals who were escorting him and then the case was closed by saying that Gideon tried to flee during the transport.


    In the uing days, various cases and records of his abuse of authority, sexually assaulting female officers of his crew, and siphoning of military funds came out.


    In this life, Gideon, the patriot who fought and lost his soldiers for the sake of his country was branded as a traitor, a deserter and died as a corrupt and rapist officer.


    He died the most shameful and unfair death as the higher-ups made him the fall guy to cover their corruption.


    ----------------


    After thousands of such scenarios came to be and Gideon lived a different life in all of them¡­


    He felt like he was living multiple lives and perspectives of different people as if they were his own lives in different times and different worlds. And in every single one of them, he was tortured and suffered in numerous ways as Kahn was the great evil who always destroyed his life. In most of them, his loved ones were dying, and he was helpless to protect them. He was sometimes the monster who killed his own family. Sometimes he was betrayed by a lover or a friend and sometimes he devoted his life for his nation, but was sold to enemies because he knew too much. In these different lives, Gideon was living every possible worst-case scenario. Because of the Dragon Magic that Kahn used with the rune he imprinted on Anakin''s head¡­ the Hero of Time was living an Unending Nightmare.


    In just 10 minutes, the Hero of Time lived thousands of lives and endless possibilities to the point he couldn''t tell whether he was living in the past, present, or the original timeline from the future. This wasn''t done by the current Kahn who was still finding his purpose and ce in Vantrea, but by the future Kahn who was as many times stronger and ruthless after being hardened by battles against powerful foes in the future. In many of these dreams, future Kahn showed Anakin many realities where the Hero of Time hade out as the final victor, lived a fulfilling life, and even won the war against the Demon God¡­ But in the end, it was always Kahn who destroyed everything and took all his glory, and aplishments, and even turned him into the viin that the entire world despised.


    Through this process Kahn was mentally scarring the Hero of Time, turning him into a schizophrenic who was constantly in a time loop, reliving the same memories and repeating actions.


    After an hour passed in the real world¡­


    Finally¡­ Hero of Time turned braindead.


    "Alright, the job is done." spoke future Kahn.


    Kahn then took out Gideon''s space ring and took one of the golden glowing orbs out of it.


    This golden orb seemed to carry a vast amount of world energy and a transcendent essence that he had never seen or felt before.


    This was what all the empires sent their heroes to Babylon for¡­ an Apple of Eden.


    Kahn just took one of the Apples of Eden while intentionally leaving one for some reason.


    "Alright, the urgent matter is settled." spoke future Kahn and heaved a sigh.


    "Now, it is time toplete the overdue task." he dered and closed his eyes.


    Finally, the future Kahn entered his mental world.


    In here, he faced someone adorning a dark gray longcoat.


    And the one that stood before him; who watched this entire battle with the Hero of Time was a familiar man.


    Because now was the time for the faceoff between¡­


    Present Kahn and Future Kahn.

 Chapter 1013 Talking with Myself

    Chapter 1013 Talking with Myself


    A silence ensued in apletely white ne of existence aka Kahn''s inner world as the Future Kahn faced the Present Kahn who was now staring at him with a feeling of trepidation. Both of them were now in their soul forms and given the density of their auras, the future Kahn seemed more stronger and firmer by at least 2 times than the current Kahn.


    And now, the current Kahn''s countenance turned serious as he asked¡­


    "Tell me about everything that happened in the future."


    The future Kahn then summoned a couple offortable luxurious thrones while the Dragon behind him rested on the supposed white floor.


    "Have a seat... It''s gonna take a while." said future Kahn.


    After both of them sat, casually leaning off against the throne and folded their right leg over the other and rested their face on the right palm while relying on the armrest for support,pletely mirroring each other¡­


    "I guess some habits aremon regardless of the timeline." said future Kahn.


    Soon, he summoned a red archaic rune in between them that hovered in the air, resembling that of a fluttering lotus while multiple branching runes kept spreading and retracting on their own.


    "This is the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence. It has been the reason why I was able toe to the past and it has been on your back ever since God of Darkness sent you to Vantrea." iterated future Kahn with a casual smile.


    "It is one of the 5 Transcendent Runes created by Gods. This one is particrly created by God of Time himself. Back in the original timeline, God of Time gave an archaic incantation to Hero of Time which would help hime back in time in case he failed to kill the Demon God.


    It went against the rules set by other Gods but the God of Time simply didn''t care even if he had to cheat given what was on stake." he exined.


    The current Kahn nodded and asked the future him¡­


    "Then how did you use it?"


    To his query, the Martial Emperor responded¡­ "After my fight with the Hero of Time, which is about to happen 10 years from now¡­ I ended up killing him. But before his death, this bastard pulled this dirty trick that went against the rules agreed by the Gods.


    However¡­ In the original timeline, I acquired a skill that granted me the effects of reading a dead person''s memories. A necromancer whom I met in the original timeline taught me this skill after finding out my identity as the Hero of Darkness.


    It was one of my aces that no one knew about. From his memories, I found that his original name was Gideon Melvinger.


    He was a bastard son of a noble who pretty much had the story of a standard Weak to Strong genre protagonist of a novel.


    And he hated that name after being summoned in Vantrea as hero so he changed it to Anakin since it reminded him of his weak old self.


    But that''s not important information for us so we''ll skip that." he spoke nonchntly.


    "After learning about the spell, instead of absorbing his Divine Key instantly, I devised a n to overturn his move in our favor." exined the Martial Emperor. This Rune was something that was engraved on Hero of Time''s core since Divine Abilities were imprinted on his soul and it would not be able to bear the burden of this rune as well when he was chosen by God of Time and summoned into Vantrea. So the two main requirements were the archaic spell incantation and the core." revealed future Kahn. "By reading his memories, I learned the spell and created a ritual to use his core to perform the same spell and also use the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence along with it since I wasn''t the Hero of Time myself. Hero of Time came to 10 years in time instead of 5 because the spell wasn''t performed in a perfect and orderly manner. It sent him to his most suitable time. Which is the same as Conve of Heroes for you." revealed future Kahn on how the Hero of Time managed to ambush him exactly during the Conve of Heroes. "How does it work?" asked the current Kahn. "As the name exins itself, Transcendent Rune of Remininscane allows you to remember your memories. But since it was created by the God of Time, it transcends the flow of time itself. For example, using this rune, both Hero of Time and I came back in the past. But if there is a need and everything is nned properly¡­ One can even travel to the future." revealed the Martial Emperor.


    "All it needs is the divine key aka the core to exist in the future as well. As long as the host is alive, the memories can be sent to the future even if the timeline itself is altered, like the one we have now. You can travel in both the past and future regardless of the changes in the flow of time or events diverging from their original intended path." the future Kahn revealed the real truth about the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence, that it didn''t just cover the past but future as well. "This dragon you see here¡­ is the one who sealed both of us inside the transcendent rune.


    For him, his original body came with me but for me, it was only the soul and my memories." he exined in detail.


    "But the problem was that using the transcendent rune came with conditions. That it couldn''t be activated until I came in contact with Hero of Time, the original host of the divine key where the Rune was imprinted in the past. So it would only activate when the Hero of Time made physical contact with me¡­ I mean us." he iterated solemnly.


    "And then, I chose the time of my summoning right before God of Darkness and Kravel entered the World Boundary. I told them what happened in the future and how the future versions of ourselves nned to negate the danger of Hero of Timeing back since his primary goal was to kill me with the knowledge of the future events.


    Also, I exined a few events and how things were changed to both of them." revealed the Martial Emperor. After hearing his words, the current Kahn was not only stunned but absolutely gobsmacked.


    "So you were with me¡­ watching me since the moment I was summoned in this world?" he asked with a bewildered countenance.


    "Yes. But not only that¡­ I have been living this new life as well. Because in the end, you and I are the same person with the same soul." exined the future Kahn.


    "The only difference is that you were the one in charge of our every action and decision we made in this timeline while I was simply a spectator who could not do anything to help you or influence your mind in any way." iterated the future Kahn in a stern voice.


    "Then howe I never noticed your existence?" asked current Kahn. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Because two of the same person from different timelines cannot exist or control the body at the same time. And since I was sealed inside the transcendent rune, I had no other choice but to watch until the Hero of Time came for us." exined the Martial Emperor.


    "Oh, but I did take over the body once and saved us from certain death." spoke the future Kahn with a prideful smirk.


    "What?! When?!" asked Kahn, simply stupefied from disbelief.


    To his befuddled countenance and the question, the future Kahn revealed when he had appeared for the first time in the new timeline¡­


    "When that Undead Lich killed you inside the Bromnir Dungeon."

 Chapter 1014 A Debt Yet To Be Formed

    Chapter 1014 A Debt Yet To Be Formed


    Kahn was left dumbfounded after learning that not only the future Kahn had been with him, watching him and also living the exact same life as him in the new timeline¡­ but he also once took over the body in order to save current Kahn''s life.


    "Let me show you a shback." spoke future Kahn.


    Snap!


    He snapped his fingers and soon, the surroundings of Kahn''s inner world changed and turned into a dusty ck cave where a battle between Kahn and Ajax, the Undead Lich with the Dark Summoner ss had just managed to kill the current timeline''s Kahn.


    "Huh... How are his summoned creatures still alive? They should''ve disintegrated after the death of the caster." spoke the floor boss with a puzzled voice.


    BOOM!!!


    A ginormous and ground-shattering burst of dense and chaotic ck aura exploded in this cave and suddenly, the pressure that could even destroy steel filled the surrounding.


    This time, it was the Lich who found itself unable to move.


    The insurmountable dark and purple energy that was exuded by the undead Lich waspletely subdued under this ck aura that filled the entire cave.


    Hundreds of cracks formed in the surrounding walls and the ceiling... Almost enough for this entire ce to crumble like dust.


    And the source of this horrifying and domineering aura appeared in front of the undead Lich as it flew towards it.


    The Undead Lich for the first time decades of its life shuddered and trembled in fear as it saw the being that appeared in front of it.


    A 5-meter-tall andpletely ck Demonic figure with vertical red eyes as if they were from the pits of hell gazed at the Lich. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A tangible ck and neverending aura of death and destruction surrounded this being in the form of ck fire that was raised from its body.


    The creature floated in the air and approached the dark summoner and just with a wave of its hand... The Demonic figure broke past the imprable dark barrier that was unbreakable till this point.


    Swoosh!


    The dark barrier faded into nothingness as the demonic figure appeared in front of the Lich.


    A majestic and ancient voice filled this entire cave and echoed in every single corner of this dungeon floor itself.


    "GIVE ME MORE! FEED ME MORE! I WANT ALL OF IT!!"manded this ancient and domineering figure.


    "Impossible!!" shouted the undead after mustering all of its strength.


    GRAB!


    The Demonic being grabbed the Lich by its skull and suddenly... The dark aura this undead previously emitted started flowing toward the hand that was grabbing its skull.


    "No! Release me!!" roared the undead as it was no longer able to move under this aura from the demonic figure.


    It could feel that the dark energy inside its body or more urately its bones, was now being absorbed by this creature.


    The once vast and immeasurable dark energy that resided in its body was being sucked out by this ck figure like a voracious beast eating meat after starving for decades.


    "YOU SHALL BECOME A PART OF ME!" spoke the demonic figure in a grim and ghastly voice. Just in a matter of minutes, the dark magic and the aurapletely disappeared from Lich''s body, and waspletely engulfed by this demonic creature.


    Finally, the Lich lost the light inside its skull and died without being able to put up any resistance... Having the tables turned on it.


    The demonic figure however descended on the ground and threw away the skeleton of this floor boss. It slowly started reducing its height and the dark fire around its body started diminishing little by little.


    When the ck body of the demonic figure finally disappeared and revealed the body of a 6 feet 3 inches tall young human, a handsome yet mysterious face appeared.


    The young man being none other than Kahn who finally regained his consciousness again.


    SNAP!


    "You have made some very dumb choices in this timeline. Even dumber than mine in the original timeline, all because of your overconfidence." spoke future Kahn in an admonishing tone.


    "This form of mine was called Abyss Sentinel¡­ That was a failsafe I created in case you died before even meeting the Hero of Time in this timeline.


    And coincidentally, it was a darkness elemental necromancer who killed you." iterated future Kahn with a disappointed gaze.


    "I hadn''t invoked the Hero of Darkness title in the original timeline and didn''t know what was the exact condition either.


    But fortunately, you managed to gain another powerful ace under your arsenal because of me." he stated in a firm tone.


    However¡­ his countenance turned serious.


    "Talking about dumb choices¡­ You''ve caused a much bigger ruckus than I did in the original timeline. Not one but you screwed over 3 Empires." spoke future Kahn.


    "When I left the Rakos Empire, it was due to the group of those saints tasked with hunting me, finding my location.


    Most of them tried to create a diversion and all 7th-stage faction leader saints interfered on the border.


    While the empire was keen on defending their borders against the mysterious attackers whose intentions were unclear to the powerhouses of the Rakos Empire¡­ One of them infiltrated the empire and nearly killed me. I was only a 1st stage saint and survived only because Rathnaar took over my body for some time and killed the 3rd stage saint who cornered me." the future Kahn revealed a vital event of the original timeline.


    "After that I have been mostly on my own, hiding in different empires, hoping that the group won''t find me¡­


    Until I met him." he said and pointed at the dragon who was carefreely sleeping while coiling around the future Kahn''s throne.


    "One more thing¡­


    Looks like God of Nature gave you a favor and allowed you to pass." said the future Kahn.


    "What do you mean?" asked current Kahn, confused by this revtion.


    "Did you truly think that Venerable Oogway had no reason to let you pass without revealing your identity? Do you believe that he let it pass solely because of what he saw in his divinations?" asked the Martial Emperor with a coy smile.


    Kahn''s mouth opened wide and his expression turned full of disbelief.


    "No. Because it was the God of Nature who showed him those Divinations and allowed you toe to the Conve of Heroes." revealed the future Kahn.


    "And why would the God of Nature help me of all people?" asked current Kahn to his future self.


    "To thank you." responded the future Kahn.


    "Thank me for what?" queried Kahn.


    "For saving Maximus'' life in this timeline." iterated future Kahn.


    "What?! How? I never saved his life from certain death?


    Even during this conve, he would have easily survived on his own." said current Kahn, trying to understand why the almighty God of Nature made his passage to the Conve of Heroes possible.


    "You did. You just didn''t know it." replied future Kahn.


    "And how did I do that?" asked current Kahn, still unable to grasp the whole situation.


    To his genuinely curious query, the future Kahn revealed why even a God from an enemy faction decided to help him¡­


    "By killing the Hero of Fire."

 Chapter 1015 Changing the Fates

    Chapter 1015 Changing the Fates


    The future Kahn made a grand revtion to the current Kahn that his decision to kill the Hero of Fire, Axel Lobethrox saved the life of Maximus dius, the Hero of Nature.


    This information left the current Kahn asunder in shock as he stared at future Kahn with eyes full of disbelief. "Whether intentional or not¡­ the bonus point is you killed that bastard Axel Lobethrox. He was such a pain to deal with even for me because of his divine abilities.


    On top of it, you befriended Princess Venessa and kept the Havi Hos Siegfreed, the Emperor of the Vulcan Empire alive in this timeline." he revealed another major event of the original timeline. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "If I had them as my allies, there would have been be a perfect bnce of power in my timeline during the Great War." he iterated and let out a deep sigh.


    "What do you mean? What happened in the original timeline?" asked Kahn with a confused countenance.


    "Emperor Havi Hos Siegfreed died under unknown circumstances back then. But now I know that he was killed by the Church of Hetrax, led by Pope Demiurges.


    They kidnapped his children and lured him to me Killer formation.


    Soon after his death, both of his sons, Victor and Rogis were found dead under suspicious circumstances.


    With the Emperor and both the Princes dead, Venessa became the official heir to the throne." revealed future Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "Axel married Venessa and with the help of the Church of Hetrax,ter he gained support of the 6 Fireborne ns by marrying their heiresesses and finally, he became the Emperor of the Vulcan empire.


    And since Axel also seeded in Limit Break and had both Apples of Eden since he was the Hero and also became the Emperor, it ook him only 6 years and be a 7th-stage saint after I left the Vulcan empire." exined future Kahn.


    "That bastard killed too many peopleter, including Maximus, who was one of my few friends among the Heroes and some of my helpers from the Cult of Darkborne." said future Kahn somberly.


    "Wait! You met the Cult of Darkborne?" asked current Kahn.


    "Yes. Some of them had been hiding in the Vulcan and Zivot empire from decades, instilled as spies by the person master Romulus told you about.


    They were hiding there to find me after my existence became known to the world." he revealed.


    Only now did Kahn remember about this person who sent his master Romulus and made thetter to train Kahn in the first ce.


    His identity¡­ Kahn had no idea even to this day.


    "Honestly¡­ If I had fought the Hero of Fire during my stay in the Vulcan empire in the original timeline, I would have died for certain." admitted the future Kahn.


    "s¡­ Many things have happened differently already." he spoke in a stern voice.


    "Such as?..." asked Kahn.


    "The biggest deviating factor here is our mentor, Vildred Xyvsor Gown Ivrar Mortelix, the Lightening Dragon Emperor." revealed future Kahn.


    "In my timeline, he was controlled by Emperor Aragorn Travion Insalor Venric of the Elven Empire. My guess is he conquered the Immortal Dungeon and passed the trials of the Commandement of Fellowship, and became Vildred''s master.


    Back then¡­ Hero of Life was married to Princess Eleanor, the one you helped Aragorn kill in this timeline." stated future Kahn.


    One after another, he dropped many surprising bombs about the events of the original timeline.


    "In the end, Aragorn killed Eleanor using the Dragon Emperor because of what she did to him using the Commandement of Severed Fate forbidden spell.


    But a few yearster after the Conve of Heroes, the truth was revealed and he was killed by Ervalen Baark, the Hero of Life.


    Andstly, Vildred was then bound to the Hero of Life due to the Commandement of Fellowship which dictated that the one who kills the master, bes the new master." revealed future Kahn.


    This turn of events shocked current Kahn even more because not just the Vulcan empire, but also the fate of the Zivot empire was changed because of Kahn''s inadvertent intervention.


    "In the original timeline, Vidred was neither a friend nor a mentor. He was a dangerous foe no Hero or Heroine dared to actively fight. Not even that battle maniac called the Hero of Lightning.


    Because Vildred was one opponent neither he nor other heroes could beat.


    Even I could barely survive with my divine abilities against someone like him.


    So one of the biggest adversaries from the original timeline and Hero of Life''s biggest aces is now your ally and mentor.


    You practically stole his destiny." dered future Kahn.


    "There were many incidents in this timeline that you have affected significantly whether you wanted or not." he spoke solemnly.


    "Whether it was bing the sovereign of Vessen or about causing the social reform regarding the ss structure across the Rakos Empire¡­


    Changing the fate of the human species in the Vulcan empire by helping Venessa Hos Siegfreed.


    Saving both the Princess and the Emperor and turning them into your allies¡­


    Killing the Hero of Fire and saving Maximus'' life even if you had no idea about the future¡­


    Helping Aragorn kill Eleanor before she even married the Hero of Life, while making it look like the work of the Beast Empire¡­


    You have changed the fate of 3 empires already." said future Kahn as if he was praising the current Kahn.


    "However¡­ there is one empire you didn''t screw over in any way but saved it from destruction.


    As a result of you killing the Hero of Fire¡­ you have also saved the entire Beast Empire from imminent destruction." spoke future Kahn.


    "What?! How does that make sense?" asked current Kahn with a stunned expression.


    "Because after Maximus died, the bnce of power during the war between the Demon Empire and others who served Gods and Goddesses also shifted.


    "Do you remember Gideon talking to you about those Apples of Eden and how the Emperors and Empresses of these empires pledge their allegiances and serve the said God''s doctrine?" asked future Kahn.


    "Yes. He said that in return, they received one Apple of Eden and then the right to cultivate themselves inside Babylon to be a Peak Saint once they break through to 9th-stage saint rank." replied the current Kahn.


    In his act of hubris, the Hero of Time mentioned this information before their fight started and thus, future Kahn also mentioning it made the current Kahn turn serious. "With Maximus dead, killed by Hero of Fire in an ambush¡­ Empress Kaali no longer had a reason to support the God of Nature in the Great War.


    Because even with the apple in her hands, the Great War would''ve have ended the world and she would never have enough time to reach Peak Saint rank at all." iterated future Kahn with a cold expression.


    "And since the Nadur Empire lost their hero, the bastion who was supposed to be the representative of the will of their God¡­ she did something that broke the bnce of the war." spoke future Kahn with grim countenance as he dered the major turn of events in the original timeline¡­


    "She joined the Demon God."

 Chapter 1016 Impact on the Future

    Chapter 1016 Impact on the Future


    Kahn was left sundered after learning that the Empress of the Beast Empire had sided with the Demon God after Maximus'' death in the original timeline, the one he prevented in this new timeline by killing the Hero of Fire without knowing how his actions would affect the future.


    "What bullshit?! She was that ruthless?


    Howe she joined the Demon God just because Maximus died?


    Isn''t the Demon God literally going to end the world?" asked Kahn with a befuddled countenance.


    "Ah, you wouldn''t know I guess. At this point in your life, you still haven''t been pulled into the matters of Empires and Gods as a chosen Hero.


    Remember, the chosen Heroes and Heroines aren''t just the representatives of the Gods.


    But they also represent the Empires that serve these Gods and Goddesses.


    Both are mutually dependent on each other because no civilization would fight a war unless offered some grand motive for it.


    Like wars in the name of religion or God. Nobody can rile up an entire empire''s poption for a war that would decide their fates just with words even if you''re an Emperor or Empress." iterated future Kahn.


    "Think of this as a crusade like a Holy War between the forces of the Good and Evil.


    Heroes do the job of representing the will of the gods and whether we like it or not¡­ having a chosen warrior sent by the Gods does a damn good job of giving hope and strength to the soldiers when on the battlefield.


    That''s something a simple cause for survival can''t aplish because deep down, people seek their own well-being rather than care for the future of the empire.


    It brings them to despair and uncertainty about life which eats them away from the inside.


    An army like that will crumble from within before the battle even begins and you will have people cowering in their boots instead of warriors believing that even their sacrifice will have a greater purpose in the grand scheme of gods than just dying a nameless death without any meaning to it." exined the future Kahn about the psychology about great wars.


    The current Kahn also understood the meaning of those words because even on Earth, there had been many wars that had simr history throughout many millennia.


    "As for Kaali''s decision to join Demon God instead¡­ It wasn''t necessarily wrong or ''evil'' as per se. Given those circumstances, many other empires and their emperors or empresses would have done the same. It was a very pragmatic choice from her point of view as the leader of an empire." iterated the Martial Emperor.


    However, in the very next moment, his entire countenance turned grim.


    "But as a result¡­


    Our master, Romulus Lykaios, tried to stop her.


    In the end, master Romulus killed Kaali Adisesha during the Trial by Combat.


    Being once a former member of the 8th Hero of Darkness'' party as well as an experienced leader¡­ his main priority was to kill the Demon God and not aid the Demon Emperor in any way.


    And he rightfully won the title as the next Emperor of the Nadur Empire." he revealed.


    "Isn''t that a good thing? How did I change the fate of the Beast Empire then?" asked current Kahn.


    "That''s what I thought too back then. But the world doesn''t operate on our convenience or as we n.


    Instead of stopping the empire from forming an alliance with the Demon Empire during the Great War¡­


    It ended up causing a civil war as all the other Heavenly Kings who usually followed the Beast Empire''s customs now had no reason to stay their hand.


    Most of them suddenly chose to act upon their ambitions given that Maximus was dead, Kaali too had died and they were without a grand purpose to fight the war itself.


    As a result, the Nadur Empire ended up splitting between 4 regions under the 4 Heavenly Kings." said future Kahn with a sense of regret.


    "And using this opportunity, the Elven Empire and the Vulcan Empire who joined handster with Ervalen and Axel as their Emperors, attacked the divided Beast Empire.


    At least half of the poption died and only the regions under the Heavenly King of Fire, master Romulus, and the Heavenly King of Light, Haldor remained." revealed the future Kahn.


    Shock!


    Now current Kahn understood how his actions affected the fate of Beast Empire.


    "At that time, I was only a 7th-stage saint who was still making a name for myself and had just established myself as the Emperor of the Rakos Empire." he iterated sternly.


    "But my involvement in the Great War was simply toote.


    Because I wasn''t allied with any of the other Empires and couldn''t help master Romulus because not only Rakos Empire didn''t share any borders with the remainder of the Nadur Empire¡­, but his connection to me would have given others justification to massacre the rest of what remained of the Beast Empire." exined the Martial Emperor with an incredulous countenance.


    "All the Heroes did join hands once for the namesake and I too fought against the Demon Emperor.


    Among all the other Heroes, I was the only one who was equally matched with him.


    Given that I fought only using my martial arts and was the emperor of Rakos Empire¡­


    I soon gained the moniker of Martial Emperor as the whole world had now finally learned about Kahn Salvatore, the Hero of Darkness." revealed future Kahn in a stoic voice.


    "But when I killed the Hero of Time many yearster¡­ the situation of the war was far more severe.


    Because Axel, the Hero of Fire was originally a demonic creature from his original world.


    He then joined with the Demon God too and received powers just like the Demon Emperor." he revealed.


    This was a sudden revtion that made current Kahn open his mouth in shock.


    One hero was dead, an Empress was dead and one hero joined the Demon God at the crucial time. Kahn could imagine the impact of these events on the Great War. "At that time, many years had passed and I hunted down all of those saints from that group.


    Using their cores, I turned into a Peak 8th-stage saint myself.


    If this bastard Gideon hadn''t tried to kill me just because of his ego¡­


    My next target was going to be Axel." exined the Martial Emperor.


    "And do mind¡­ At my peak, I was the only Hero who fought against the Demon God himself and still barely survived while 6 Heroes and Heroines were killed by him in a single day." revealed future Kahn.


    bbergasted!


    At this point, the current Kahn was simply too stunned to even react.


    "If I''m not wrong¡­


    You have saved more than 8 billion lives because of your actions in the Vulcan Empire, Zivot Empire, and the Nadur Empire.


    The social reform in the Rakos Empire, because you faked your death, was just a cherry on top." spoke future Kahn in an almost praising voice.


    "The most favorable oue was you meeting a Royal Dragon like master Vildred.


    Without even meaning it, you not only saved billions of lives but also created many allies that I would have never managed to do in the original timeline." spoke future Kahn.


    "Even so¡­ despite messing around a lot; you made many decisions differently and better than me.


    Although very risky¡­ you came out triumphant from many of the life-and-death situations.


    Good things you have abilities I didn''t have." stated future Kahn calmly.


    "What do you mean? You''re me from the future, right?" asked Kahn, slightly confused.


    "Yes, I am. But unlike you¡­" replied future Kahn and made another grand revtion¡­ N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I did not choose those 3 Divine Abilities."

 Chapter 1017 Different Divine Abilities

    Chapter 1017 Different Divine Abilities


    The future Kahn just revealed the unexpected fact that he, in fact, did not choose the 3 Divine Abilities that current Kahn chose in this timeline.


    "What do you mean that you did not choose these 3? And why?" asked Kahn with a bewildered and shocked countenance. "In the original timeline, I chose different divine abilities after the God of Darkness told me why no other Hero or Heroine before me chose them." "Because choosing those 3 together would have been no different thanmitting suicide." iterated future Kahn sternly.


    "What?! How can they be so lethal to even a chosen Hero?" asked Kahn, puzzled to his core.


    "Since you still haven''t noticed the dangers of having these 3 divine abilities together. So let me exin to you¡­" spoke future Kahn and his face turned serious.


    "Ability Absorption doesn''t have any drawbacks on its own but the problem is that more different abilities and bloodlines you absorb to gain their skills, powers, and bloodline effects¡­


    The more imbnce it would cause in your body as well as your mana cirction even before you be a Saint.


    After bing a Saint, the prominent and the strongest bloodline will take over the others or try to destroy them by either expelling them from your body or by causing mutations that would nullify them.


    However, as a result, your own body will suffer in the long term and some of your organs might get permanently damaged." he stated.


    "What?! Doesn''t that mean I could have died long ago with some sort of severe illness?" asked Kahn, dumbfounded.


    The future Kahn raised his right palm and stopped Kahn from speaking again¡­


    "Obviously, if you had an entire empire providing you with the best resources, monsters to absorb abilities, and powerful beings such as someone with the Primordial Titan bloodline¡­ then it would be an amazing divine ability.


    But that wasn''t the case for me since I was going to be hunted since the day of my arrival. And neither was there anyone who could create a catalog of monsters, their abilities, and bloodlines for me.


    Also, even if no one was hunting me¡­ no Empire would willingly sacrifice the lives of their Semi-Saints and Saints just so the summoned Hero or Heroine could absorb their abilities.


    Not only because these saints were obviously better fighters and masters of their skills, but the battle experience and the standing they had in the empire was far more powerful to make them a sacrificialmb for a Hero.


    So considering the growth factor and potential alone, it would be limitedter unless the Hero somehow miraculously learned and perfected those powerful skills,abilities and bloodlines on their own in mere years; the kind that took decades for these saints to master themselves.


    Even in my case, this was not worth the risk. So I too rejected them just like all the other Heroes before me." exined future Kahn.


    "As for Synthesis divine ability¡­ It shines a lot with the ability to merge different skills and even create new subordinates from the corpses in the description. But the demerit is that it also relies on the bloodlines and also physical stats, and elemental affinities of the user.


    For example, you remember that there was a restriction about you being unable to create subordinates based on levels right?


    Unless the original subjects you killed were already of higher level and rank, the resultant won''t be stronger than you." he asked.


    Kahn nodded as the future him continued¡­


    "As time goes by, the subordinates you create would also affect you, the user because all of them would need different levels of control based on things such as your mana supply, your physical stats, your mastery of spells in a particr element, and your own elemental affinity.


    In our case, I was the Hero of Darkness¡­ so not a single one of my subordinates would have any other element than Darkness and all their skills would be rted to that particr element.


    On paper, it doesn''t sound rming but in practicality¡­ it''s like cutting off your own feet with your own hands.


    The effects would be extremely limiting and even the sses you choose would have to be rted to the Darkness element¡­. Like a Necromancer or a Dark Crusader ss.


    Based on the god you represented, Synthesis would have chained you down to that particr element for your entire life.


    And that is why it was left untouched by all the Heroes that came before us." he exined why no hero including himself chose the Synthesis divine ability.


    "Andstly, the Dimensional Law divine ability¡­ You yourself know how hard it was to unlock and how many others would have failed to even gain the 2nd enlightenment in the Space Law.


    It''s not like I even need to go deep and exin why it wouldn''t work in 99 out of 100 cases." spoke Future Kahn casually.


    "But then why did you say that it would be no different thanmitting suicide by choosing them?" asked current Kahn suspiciously.


    "Because when youbine all 3 of them¡­ you''re most likely to die by imbnce of many factors.


    Ability Absorption would force different bloodlines into your body, many of which will keep fighting them inside and would end up raising your blood toxicity¡­ consider it like Blood Cancer, an incurable one for certain.


    On top of it, among all the prominent species in Vantrea... Humans stand at the bottom when ites to innate abilities and bloodline effects or powers.


    Out of a billion people, hardly 30 to 40 can be Saints in their lifetime.


    Do you think a human like you would have been able to absorb and survive from the effects of those monster bloodlines just because you were from another world?" asked future Kahn mockingly.


    "Then Synthesis would restrict your path with subordinate''spatibility and the abilities you would merge. In simple terms, not only do you get a thin thread to move forward as a warrior, but you also can''t use your legs.


    So you won''t have any other choice but to use your hands to crawl like a snail, limiting your growth rate even if you were a hero.


    Finally, you have achieved the 3rd enlightenment in Dimensional Law and created a Cosmic body of your own using the Linchip of the Multiverse as a source.


    Do you think that form can be achieved by any normal human even if they were Saints in this world?


    That''s not possible even for a chosen hero because even if their soul might be many times stronger than the living beings of vantrea¡­ the body aka the vessel is simply too weak andcks bloodline effects to sustain such forms of energy such as the Cosmic Aether.


    You might have simply exploded after containing it in your body even if you were a chosen hero or a powerful saint." exined future Kahn why this was a deadlybination to choose these 3 divine abilities together.


    "Then howe I''m still alive?" asked Kahn, astonished by his foolishness but also curious about his survival until now.


    "Hey, give me some credit. Did you think I would return to the past without a n?" asked future Kahn with a prideful tone.


    "As contradicting as it may sound¡­ the lethalbination of these 3 were the only ones with the advantage of increasing chances to kill the Demon God in the end.


    But this time¡­ Knowing how my mind worked in the past and the memories of the original timeline, I nned everything." he stated.


    "Do you mean?..." asked Kahn with a baffled countenance as a sense of realization washed over him. "Yes. You did not choose your divine abilities on your own ord. And neither did you trick anyone. After I returned to the past through the Rune of Reminiscence¡­


    I told God of Darkness to hide the divine abilities I chose in the original timeline because we as Elric would have still chosen those in this timeline as well if the option was avable.


    Although they made me incredibly stronger in the end¡­ they were not the ones I needed to win this war." exined future Kahn and continued with a smirk.


    "I and this Dragon beside me chose them for you." he spoke in a stoic voice. "Also, as Elric¡­ you didn''t trick God of Darkness and Kravel at all. He didn''t give you those 3 divine abilities as a desperate move and neither did Kravel gave you his Blessings and Gifts because you questioned his loyalty as a way to piss him off.


    That was already nned by us since the very beginning. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Otherwise, how could you, a normal ountant and a buffoon who was yed by a petty girl on Earth could trick a God who lived for billions of years, along with a Deity who once nearly achieved world domination?" he asked with a disappointed gaze.


    "I remember vividly how my mind worked as Elric, thinking that I was too much of a smart-ass and knew the potential of these 3 Divine abilities better than God of Darkness himself." he iterated with discontent.


    "No one was an oblivious idiot who couldn''t see the potential of these divine abilities.


    As a matter of fact, God of Darkness and Kravel were intentionally acting like fools, making you think that you somehow tricked them into getting the best Divine abilities, Blessings, and Gifts.


    And just because you read plenty of those novels, mangas, yed games, watched TV shows and movies¡­ you thought everything was happening as per your wish." said future Kahn sarcastically.


    At this moment, Kahn realized how stupid and naive he was to think that he literally scammed God of Darkness and Kravel into giving him the best start after being reincarnated into Vantrea.


    It was just a simple n created by the future Kahn, acted by God of Darkness and Kravel as the fools who fell for Kahn''s scam.


    But in reality¡­ the biggest fool and the obvious clown¡­ Was Kahn himself.


    "Wait?! Then howe I''m still alive even now?" asked Kahn.


    "The answer to that lies in something I and God of Darkness created.


    And what you call as¡­" replied future Kahn majestically as he revealed the main reason current Kahn was still alive...


    "The System."

 Chapter 1018 The System

    Chapter 1018 The System


    After revealing how thebination of the 3 Divine Abilities could have killed the current Kahn, the future Kahn revealed the secret card that he created¡­ namely, the System.


    "Despite all those risks and uncertainty of you dying due to the aftereffects of the 3 divine abilities that you were bound to have¡­


    There was only one way left to circumvent it and prolong your survival until the Conve of Heroes." dered future Kahn.


    "You may not believe this but my ability to read the memories of the dead¡­ came from the God of Darkness himself." he stated firmly.


    "Although it happened only after I awakened my divine key¡­ it was something that often helped me not only to seed in my goals but also help me redirect my actions to ensure my survival.


    Look at us for example¡­ I would not be here if I hadn''t read Anakin''s memories and acquired the archaic spell God of Time gave him." he iterated confidently.


    "God of Darkness has the record of every being that lived and died, their powers, abilities, appearance, bloodlines, and physiological structure.


    He is the Death itself and all he had to do was gather the information through the memories of the dead souls in the Eternal Abyss." exined the Martial Emperor.


    "Then I, the future version of you, who had the memories from Earth and knew how this whole thing in various media worked, created the interface which you call the System.


    An interface thatpartmentalized everything based on mana, physical stats, bloodlines, skills description, abilities,ws of the reality, elements of nature, ranks of monsters, fighting sses, weapons, armors, and everything that was to know about Vantrea." he spoke in a smug voice.


    "After he gave me what was needed, simr to an Artificial Intelligence, I created simtions and an adaptability interface which would respond to you like a program simr to that of those System novels and MMORPG stories where things based on your choices of these 3 divine abilities would be exined." he iterated even more shamelessly.


    "But the main purpose was always to bnce out and not absorb anything that could be harmful to you in the long run.


    Not a single one of the abilities that you absorbed from anything you killed, whether it was just a fighting technique or a bloodline was taken from the outside sources, assimted inside your body for more than necessary. The system made sure that everything was bnced without you suffering any repercussions until you at least became a Saint." revealed future Kahn.


    "Also, I took that risk knowing you would follow my footsteps of raiding the Bromnir Dungeon and get the Metamorphosis bloodline that would help you bnce these bloodlines.


    Moreover, I kind of gambled on the fact that you would try to absorb the Jatvuarym monster and get the Legendary rank Metamorphosis Bloodline after entering the Vulcan Empire.


    So that it would keep you alive until the Conve of Heroes at least." he spoke in a coy tone. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "So you took such a big risk based on simple ''gut feeling''? If I hadn''t absorbed the metamorphosis bloodline, I would be long dead before even bing a Saint?" asked Kahn, a bit pissed off.


    Because the future him yed such a huge game of probability which could have risked his life in the new timeline.


    "Hey, we may be from different timelines, but we have the same personality as far as money and greed for new powers are concerned.


    I did not create the system based on a hunch alone. I also used my memories to make the best use of encounters I had with several monsters and their abilities that would help me survive in the new timeline." exined the Martial Emperor.


    "On top of it, Kravel wasn''t even present in the World Boundary when God of Darkness chose me as his Hero in the original timeline.


    I made hime there just so he could offer his Blessings and Gifts to you as his Apostle in the new timeline." revealed future Kahn.


    He did not make the current Kahn choose the 3 Divine Abilities and made the War Deity give him various Blessings without purpose and knowing how the encounters of the original timeline would end up helping him survive, he basically paved the way for Kahn.


    The future Kahn built the road so current Kahn could walk on it.


    ----------------


    After some time of contemting, the current Kahn absorbed this fact and spoke somberly¡­


    "I have noticed that you referred to Elric as if he is a different person.


    It''s as if you are ashamed to be called by our original name. Why is that?" asked Kahn sternly.


    This was a fact he noticed throughout their conversation so far and future Kahn always mentioned Elric Johnson from a 3rd-person perspective.


    To this sudden question, the future Kahn was quite taken aback and turned his head around as if he was anxious and also disheartened.


    "It¡­ it''s not something I''m proud of. We may be the same person but we have lived different lives if I''m to be honest." spoke future Kahn with an incredulous countenance as if he didn''t want to talk about it.


    "This new timeline¡­ For me,ing back in time was also an opportunity to correct some mistakes I made, the ones I''m quite ashamed of." he spoke in a defeated tone. "In the original timeline¡­ All I did was hide like a coward. I did not meet Albestros and neither did I go around acting as Azrael who punished criminals.


    Even after learning the truth, I did not avenge his children like you did.


    After reaching Rathna¡­ I did not start some weaponpany called Bloodborne, learn cksmithing skills from Throk, or open a Mercenary guild called Misthios.


    Unlike you, the first 6 years of my life were simply¡­ uneventful." he spoke and sighed.


    "I stayed in vot City for an entire year than just 2 months while working as Adventurer, thinking dungeon hunting was going to help me be incredibly powerful like some plot of a novel or manga. Even there, I barely took risks and dyed progressing to the final floor for an entire year unlike you who did it in the first month.


    Although you ended up dying once and I saved you using my Abyss Sentinel form, you received Rathnaar''s Core much faster." he borated.


    "After I moved to the capital, I acted as a hired soldier for those noble ns and was hardly making ends meet because of my hesitation to stand out, thinking that it would risk exposing my identity." he spoke in a hushed tone and continued with a tone full of pain...


    "And that... Was my biggest mistake in life."

 Chapter 1019 Different Lives

    Chapter 1019 Different Lives


    As the future Kahn started recounting the actions of the original timeline and the impact they had on his life, the atmosphere inside the inner world turned serious. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I did not even participate in the Emperor''s Chosenpetition and acted like a pawn of the noble ns until I became strong enough to show my skills.


    Hell, I was sent by the Nabi n instead of the Vandereich n in the Forbidden Zone to retrieve the Tablet of Arcana." he shed light on the events of the original life Kahn lived.


    "After Rathnaar told me what was about to happen to me, I fled the Rakos Empire.


    Unlike you, who became a 1st-stage saint in just 2 years¡­ it took me 5 years to reach that rank because of my hesitation and cowardice.


    I was always severelycking in resources despite doing my best, all because I did not take your approach of making it big or risking getting on the radar of powerful people of the Rakos Empire." he spoke with great regret.


    "I lived with the same mindset we had as Elric rather than changing myself for the better. Taking risks and venturing into the unknown¡­ I was simply too afraid to do that." he stated with a regretful voice.


    "Unlike you¡­ I did not enter the Immortal Dungeon in the Elven Empire or undergo the Trial of Mind on the final floor where you met master Vildred.


    I did not live through those memories of the past when we were bullied and did not ept that life.


    Unlike you¡­ I was never able to ept the misfortune of my old life and move on from my trauma." exined future Kahn, almost stopping in his words due to the heaviness he felt in his heart and mind.


    The atmosphere turned dead silent for a while as both Kahns turned mute.


    One was contemting the consequences of his choices and inaction and being unable to ept his past life and finally move on like the new version of himself.


    The other one also understood how different the future him was based on the kind of life he lived because of his own indecisiveness.


    If current Kahn had not made bold moves that often risked his life, maybe his fate would be no different than the future Kahn.


    "Because of the decisions I ran away from, I ended up not bing close to anyone in the early years. I didn''t have anyone to protect, I did not have anyone I could call a friend¡­ I didn''t have any responsibilities as a leader and I never opened up to anyone.


    Using the excuse that the world was my enemy because of my identity as Hero of Darkness, I created a small shell around me that protected me from the reality that I was simply looking for an easy way out.


    It took me meeting someone like Maximus, whose pain was many times greater than myself to even acknowledge the fact that I was just a coward by saying that I shouldn''t trust anyone.


    That I can''t rely on anyone or I can do it all alone." said future Kahn with an incongruous countenance. "But in reality, that was just me projecting my insecurities and hesitation on the outside world that actually had so much to offer and provide me with millions of possibilities and opportunities." revealed future Kahn with a tone full of sorrow.


    He then looked at current Kahn intently and spoke in a tone full of wisdom.


    "Remember this¡­ You don''t have to do it all alone.


    You don''t need to have all the answers and you don''t need to be perfect.


    Don''t be a narcissistic fool like me who thought relying on others, trusting and depending on them is a sign of weakness.


    Sometimes, things like love and heartbreak, trust and betrayal, strength and weakness are also necessary to forge your character.


    A great amount of fortitude and wisdom can also be achieved through your rtionships with other people in the world.


    There is nothing glorious or rewarding about being a Lonewolf or reaching the Pinnacle of Strength in the world." dered future Kahn as a form of retrospective self-inspection.


    "Because in the end¡­ Time is unforgiving to everyone and you will only end up with a pathetic death with no one to remember you. No one is affected by your legacy and no one will have fond memories of you if you walk the path of sce dictated by the past life''s experiences like I have.


    Even at my peak of strength and being crowned as the Martial Emperor, after being worshipped, respected, and feared by billions of living beings in the world¡­


    I did not have a single person who loved me or deeply cared for me.


    I was surrounded by thousands of people¡­" spoke future Kahn in a heavy and self-reflecting tone.


    "Yet I was Lonely." he dered with a heavy voice.


    "Just remember that it''s okay to have few people in your life whom you want to protect, feel responsible for, and also rely upon.


    Do not make the same mistakes I did." spoke future Kahn as imparted his own life lesson to current Kahn.


    Kahn on the other side, understood the words and the gravity of the situation.


    It seemed that to the original Kahn from the original timeline, the alternate future he lived in, wasn''t so kind to him.


    It took the future him toe back in time, set things in motion, and reroute his path through the Divine Abilities, Blessings, and knowledge of the future to change his fate for the better.


    In the new timeline¡­ Having his subordinates like Omega, Rudra, Jugram, ckwall, Ronin, Ceril, Oliver and Armin allowed him to get beyond the Lonewolf stage.


    Meeting people like Albestros, Kassandra, Rathnaar, Venessa, Throk, Vildred, and Romulus was the oue caused due to ripples in the timeline based on his different decisions in the new timeline which changed the course of his fate in this new life. But at the end of the day, both the future Kahn and the current Kahn were the same person¡­


    With different lives.

 Chapter 1020 Shocking Revealations

    Chapter 1020 Shocking Revetions


    After the future Kahn, the Martial Emperor, revealed the reason he was ashamed to be associated with his original identity as Elric, mainly due to him not changing and nearly wasting his new life in the earlier years unlike the current Kahn, thetter understood how starkly different their lives were despite being the same person.


    The future Kahn spoke like a defeated man¡­


    "Even aftering to Vantrea, I did not change much from my old self as Elric.


    I was a loner even here and did not rely on others. This made things difficult for me and instead of learning useful skills and crafts such as cksmithing, Artficing, Magic, and Combat Techniques¡­ I struggled to survive like every normal inhabitant of Vantrea for the first 5 years even with my divine abilities.


    Reading those mangas, novels and watching those animes and movies did not help me in the long term because you can''t truly feel and experience everything by living a pseudo-life through your imagination.


    And I was in the constant cycle of struggle, failure, and betrayal by plenty of people." "The first 10 years of my life were no different than hell even after I received support from that person as my backer.


    So do not expect this life to be like the one of some novel where there is a guaranteed happy ending.


    When you live through them by yourself, only then your real emotions and your personality will be revealed.


    Your reaction to circumstances, your ability to adapt and ovee challenges is tested and your character as a person is revealed to yourself." he spoke somberly and gazed at current Kahn with eyes full of regrets.


    "Rember this¡­" he spoke in a stoic voice¡­


    "The true measure of a man isn''t what he reveals to the world¡­


    But what he hides from it." A sense of wisdom emanated from his words, something the current Kahn was unable to understand on his own.


    "You have faced and ovee many difficulties and situations that I ran away from in the original timeline.


    You have questioned your own morality and ethics from time to time based on the circumstances and the perspective they provided you.


    Being pragmatic and rational in all situations, nning everything ahead sounds easy in stories only. But in the real world, it is the hardest thing to do since even small insects and rodents are swayed by their emotions and instincts, much less a human like me with a traumatic past and trust issues." he revealed somberly.


    "Throughout my life, I killed many who were deserving.


    But many more people died due to my inaction and cowardice." he spoke and then summoned an apparition of a woman in raven ck battlemage clothes.


    "Most importantly¡­ I never met Kassandra Mikealson during my time in Rakos Empire."


    ----------------


    Future Kahn made another shocking revtion that confused current Kahn.


    "How? Even if you didn''t participate in the Emperor''s chosenpetition, you should have met her in the Forbidden Zone while retrieving the Tablet of Arcana and Rathnaar''s soul¡­" spoke current Kahn with a befuddled countenance.


    "Yes, that''s how it should have happened. However¡­" replied future Kahn as his voice turned heavy.


    "In the original timeline, I never met Kassandra and only heard her name.


    She won the Emperor''s chosenpetition back then and became the Sovereign of Vessen instead of you." he revealed. "She was a great leader and fought those Legendary Rank monsters that you and your subordinates killed in this timeline.


    But before she even entered the Forbidden Zone¡­ she lost her powers for some reason and didn''t enter like me. The reason¡­ I don''t know even now.


    And by the time I returned to Rakos Empire and became the Emperor¡­ She hadmitted suicide many years ago." revealed future Kahn in a serious tone.


    Gasp!


    Kahn was shocked to his core after hearing this information. He could not grasp the fact that Kassandra did indeedmit suicide in the original timeline.


    Maybe unlike this timeline, there was no one by her side after losing her powers and neither did someone try to stop her from that final step unlike Kahn did in the current timeline.


    "What do you think might have happened?" asked Kahn with a serious expression.


    "Could be anything. She might have lost her powers because of Cdrius monster like in this timeline.


    Or maybe her n and her parents forced her to offer herself to some noble of a powerful n just like they in this timeline when they forced her to offer herself to you." responded future Kahn. "Listen¡­ I want you to do right by her. Not only because you care for her¡­


    But by saving her, you may as well have impacted this timeline even more, in a positive way that is." dered the Martial Emperor.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn in a puzzled tone.


    "There were originally only 3 people with the ancient rank Deity Summoner ss in the whole world in this era.


    One of them died at the hands of the Demon Emperor before the Great War even began.


    Even in this timeline, he should have already been killed." said Future Kahn as he gazed at Kassandra''s spectral apparition with a sense of resignation.


    "And the second one was Kassandra who died 3 years ago. However¡­ she is still alive in this timeline.


    And the third remaining person with the Deity Summoner ss¡­" spoke Martial Emperor as he made a grand revtion¡­


    "Is one of the 4 Sovereigns."


    ----------------


    The future Kahn dropped another big revtion from the original timeline.


    "That person is also among the 2 strongest Sovereigns of Vantrea.


    Imagine how greatly Kassandra being alive would have affected the original timeline during the Great War?" he asked.


    "In this one, you have transitioned her soul to that of a chosen hero even if you didn''t mean it to happen.


    And if she lives and bes at least a 9th-stage saint in this timeline, she might be one of the strongest allies in the Great War." dered the Martial Emperor without any hesitation.


    "So don''t let her die no matter what. Don''t make foolish and selfish decisions and go back to her as soon as you''re done with the Conve of Heroes and our ''benefactor'', whom you will meet soon.


    Also¡­ from here on, you need to stop running away from the matter of Gods and your role as Hero of Darkness.


    The sooner you get involved in this timeline, the better for your own good." he advised.


    "Why? Aren''t there people looking for my Divine Key since I have 2 divine keys as well as one Unawakned divine key from the 7th Hero of Nature?


    The moment I reveal myself to the world, they will send that so-called ''mysterious group'' to hunt me down.


    And thest time I heard from the Emperor Havi of the Vulcan Empire and master Romulus¡­ even an 8th-stage saint would die when fighting against them." spoke current Kahn and showed his concern.


    "You are indeed correct. This was also the reason why I also hid myself in the original timeline even after the Conve of Heroes.


    I met our ''benefactor'' more than 2 yearster after it happened.


    However¡­" spoke the Martial Emperor with a smug smile.


    "Haven''t you noticed it even now?" he asked the current Kahn in a confident tone.


    "Noticed what?" asked Kahn, confusion visible on his face.


    "That including you¡­ there are 4 Apostles in your group alone. And if I''m not wrong¡­ then Kravel must have convinced at least 2 or 3 more Deities to turn some of your subordinates into their Apostles at this point." he dered with an evil grin.


    "WHAT?!! What the hell are you talking about?" asked Kahn,pletely bewildered.


    "Hey, do you think they sell the rights to be an Apostle in an auction house?


    No, this is something I asked God of Darkness and Kravel to do after I nned for you to choose the Ability Absorption and Synthesis divine ability in the new timeline.


    To find suitable Deities and get their blessings for your future powerful Subordinates based on their abilities, sses, and bloodlines." revealed the Martial Emperor.


    Stunned!


    Kahn was simply too stunned to even move a muscle or bat an eye.


    But his shock didn''tst long as the future Kahn decided to make another shocking revtion.


    "Surprisingly, you even got acknowledged by Brokkr and Eitri. Those stubborn dwarves wouldn''t even look at the Heroes normally no matter how talented they were unless someone chose the Progenitor of cksmithing divine ability." "On top of it¡­ even ckwall received their blessings and became their apostle with you.


    A being with Primordial Titan bloodline given Blessings and Gifts from the Deities of cksmithing as their Apostle¡­


    Do you have any idea what kind of Divine Treasure you''re sitting on?" he revealed and asked current Kahn in a mocking tone.


    "I won''t get into details¡­ just make sure that you find all the other descendants of the primordial titans with different elements and merge them with ckwall.


    Because he is the only one among all of your subordinates¡­" spoke the Martial Emperor with a satisfied tone¡­


    "Who can receive the gift I brought from the future¡­" dered Kahn and soon a dark magical formation appeared beside him.


    BOOM!!


    Soon, a 2-meter tall ck figure arose and revealed a strong aura of darkness that even pressured the current Kahn.


    Neigh!


    Tap!


    Tap! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Neigh!


    "Easy there boy, easy¡­" spoke Martial Emperor as he got up from his chair and caressed the new arrival''s neck.


    "This is my horse¡­" said future Kahn and introduced this majestic beast with two wide feathery wings that resembled a horse¡­


    "Sleipnir."

 Chapter 1021 Ally from the Future

    Chapter 1021 Ally from the Future


    Future Kahn revealed the existence of a majestic 6 legged and two-winged ck stallion with burning red eyes.


    This was neither a monster nor a humanoid species of Vantrea as the aura it emanated simply felt otherworldly and divine.


    "Sleipnir has served me well and he is one of my most trusted allies in the original timeline.


    I brought him with me from the future because he was too good to be left behind." revealed future Kahn as he kept patting the imposing stallion.


    "Sleipnir? Isn''t that Odin''s horse?" asked current Kahn, puzzled by this revtion.


    "Yes. He is Odin''s horse in Norse Mythology on earth. There, he has 8 legs but this one has only 6 as well as wings.


    In Vantrea, he is actually the descendant of one of the 3 Divine Guardians that protect the gateway to a special ne of existence called Realm of the Transcendents." revealed future Kahn.


    "Those Guardians are simr to Heimdall who protects the Birfrost, the gateway between Midgard and the realm of Aesir Gods.


    They will only let someone after passing the Ascension and bing a Demi-God." the future Kahn gave a reference that the current Kahn would understand.


    "As a matter of fact, you already saw the first guardian aftering to Hesperides." spoke the Martial Emperor.


    "Do you mean?¡­" asked Kahn with eyes wide open.


    "Correct. The Celestial Deity is actually the first guardian of the Realm of the Transcendents.


    He is currently overseeing Hesperides after the Gods made a pact to kill the Demon God and also started the Conve of Heroes." revealed the Martial Emperor.


    "As for the guardian I''m talking about¡­ It has left two descendant species in this world." he spoke rxedly.


    "One is called Pegasus¡­ And the other is Sleipnir." he dered.


    "And if I''m not wrong¡­ the Hero of Light must have already found and made a pact with the Pegasus as events of the original timeline are the same for him.


    But because I changed your Divine Abilities and overall route of destiny¡­ It would be impossible for you to find and make the pact with Sleipnir in this timeline." revealed future Kahn in a solemn tone.


    "Whoa, whoa! Isn''t that risky since it could affect the timeline greatly again?" asked current Kahn.


    After hearing how he changed a lot of things from the original timeline like killing Hero of Fire, the Princess of Zivot Empire, and changing the fates of people like Kassandra, Venessa, Emperor Havi, and finally, Maximus himself¡­


    The current Kahn was fairly aware that his minor things could affect how the future would work from this point.


    "Yes. But he is also part of the original timeline as far as my life as Hero of Darkness is concerned. So the impact of deviating timeline will be adjusted to a certain degree,


    The only difference is that you are meeting Sleipnir a decade earlier than how it was supposed to be.


    But if I let him be¡­ he would never be released from the seal in this timeline and would have died at the hands of Hero of Sentience." said future Kahn as he made a shocking revtion.


    "Since Pegasus was already bound to the Hero of Light at that time, he came for Sleipnir.


    Yet he was not acknowledged so that psychotic bastard, using the seal that was imprisoning Sleipnir along with his own divine abilities, tried to kill him.


    That fucker has the habit of destroying and eradicating things he can''t use or possess for himself. Luckily, I was also there and stopped him." said Kahn and spoke in a stern tone... "Later, Sleipnir became one of my most powerful metaphorical weapons. So I just couldn''t let him die in this timeline since you won''t be able to go there now because of the changed fate. Besides, it won''t affect the future anyway because of his powers." iterated the Martial Emperor proudly.


    "Sleipnir here¡­ can exist in multiple timelines and traverse both past and future." said future Kahn.


    Bewildered!


    Current Kahn was simply too bewildered after what he just heard. "But he needs to be Free and at his full strength on both ends of time to make any difference. So it doesn''t work like how Hero of Time and I returned to the past." iterated future Kahn.


    Next, he leaned his head and gently touched it against Sleipnir''s.


    "Sebka Osawom Sdaru Bakyel¡­" chanted future Kahn and soon, an archaic formation in the shape of a sphere appeared and was ced on current Kahn''s chest.


    "Chant these exact words and transfer his ownership to ckwall when you meet him." said Martial Emperor in amanding voice.


    "Among you and your allies, only ckwall is suited to ride Sleipnir in this timeline." dered future Kahn.


    "Why? Shouldn''t you be giving him to me instead?" asked current Kahn curiously.


    "Because you''re not worthy to be his master in this timeline. Plus you have many bloodlines that he detests, especially the Fenrir and Basilisk ones." revealed the Martial Emperor.


    "Why? Does he have aplex against his supposed ''half-brothers'', Fenrir and J?rmungandr from the Norse Mythology on Earth?" asked current Kahn as he chuckled yfully.


    "Something like that. He also detests creatures like Undead and Demons from hell.


    Among all of your subordinates, he might like Armin a bit because he is a variant Yggdrasil.


    However¡­ ckwall has the Primordial Titan bloodline and is actually worthy." stated future Kahn with a satisfied countenance. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "And what makes him worthy?" asked Kahn skeptically. Now, even he wanted to know the reason why the future Kahn would rather give Sleipnir to ckwall than himself in the current timeline.


    Future Kahn chuckled and looked at Sleipnir and ordered¡­


    "Sleipnir¡­ Opinbera!" hemanded.


    Neigh!


    Neigh!


    Sleipnir neighed and strode off to their left.


    In just 2 seconds, he was already past 10 Kilometers away in Kahn''s inner world.


    BOOM!!


    A vastly terrifying and equally dense aura of Darkness arose as Sleipnir acted on Future Kahn''smand to transform and reveal his true self.


    Thud!


    Thud!


    Tap!


    Tap!


    This time, Kahn was gobsmacked after looking at the transformation and was simply astounded to the point his jaw hit the floor.


    Because now¡­


    Slephnir turned into a whopping 5-kilometer-tall horse, breathing out and emanating the aura of pure Darkness and creating an intangible force that even current Kahn could tell contained Space and Time Law together. "Ah, I forgot to tell you his title in Vantrea." spoke future Kahn and revealed in a kingly voice.


    "Sleipnir, the Divine Warhorse of Death."

 Chapter 1022 The Martial Emperor

    Chapter 1022 The Martial Emperor


    Kahn was left sundered in awe and disbelief as he saw Sleipnir''s true form that spanned 5 kilometers in height. Just each of his wings spanned for more than a kilometer in the periphery alone.


    Like the future Kahn said, the enormous size and the unique powers Sleipnir had made him no different than a metaphorical Divine Beast.


    Hell, even ckwall in his new Mythical Rank form wasn''t as tall as Sleipnir.


    But before he could ask another question, the future Kahn responded¡­


    "Pegasus represents Life, Sentience, and Light.


    Sleipnir on the other hand represents Darkness, Space, and Time.


    They have inherited different powers from the original being born in Vantrea that was blessed by all the Gods and Goddesses hundreds of millions of years ago and made into a Guardian of the Realm of the Transcendents." spoke the Martial Emperor.


    "The moment you take him out to the real world, his body will disappear from that sealed realm, teleport to your location, and will merge with this Sleipnir from the futurepletely.


    Once both of them merge and turn into a single entity¡­ Then, he will be free to roam Vantrea without any issues." said future Kahn.


    "He won''t acknowledge someone who isn''t strong or big enough to tame and ride him." stated future Kahn and the very next moment¡­


    SNAP!


    He snapped his fingers and soon the entire inner world turned into a vast 400-kilometer-wide battlefield with billions of soldiers from different sses, armors, and weapons; fighting in the name of their different empires. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Kahn could see that this battlefield had at least 6 different empires based on the species and their insignia as they watched this scene from the Stratosphere of Vantrea.


    Thousands of warships attacked each other, and hundreds of them were destroyed and left as mere debris on the battlefield.


    Hundreds of Saints, the beings who were rarely seen fighting in suchrge-scale battles were fighting against the enemy forces, devastating both the ground and the sky.


    And among this chaos of utter devastation,y more than 3 billion mauled and severed corpses, mostly belonging to the forces of the 6 empires.


    A macabre scenery of destruction and shredded corpsesy in front of Kahn.


    This was a scale of battle Kahn had never seen let alone imagined in his life.


    Many of the Saints even had their domains active, meaning that they were 5th-stage saint rank and above.


    And their target¡­ was just a single empire that they had allied against.


    Yes, all these billions of soldiers and hundreds of powerful saints had united against one single enemy.


    "Wait! Is that the banner of the Rakos Empire?" asked Kahn, shocked to his core.


    "Yes, it is. And these forces belong to the empires serving the Gods.


    Before you get even more surprised, let me tell you this¡­


    This battle was happening after it had been more than 6 years since the Great War against Demon God started.


    This was just 2 years after I saved and made a pact with Sleipnir in the original timeline." revealed future Kahn solemnly. "What?! Why were they attacking you instead of the Demon Empire?" asked Kahn with a bbergasted countenance.


    "Because regardless of species, most of the sentient beings are greedy and selfish.


    Even in times of crisis and impending doom, everyone is prone to look for their own interests and survival rather than fight together as a whole.


    That is the universal truth." spoke future Kahn in a contemtive tone.


    Dhang!


    However¡­ A sudden storm of darkness erupted and shook the 100-kilometer radius just with the insurmountable pressure of terrifying world energy.


    Neigh!


    Neigh!


    At the center of the battlefield, arose a 6-legged and two-winged figure as Sleipnir, adorning the warhorse armor across the ginormous body, made his entrance.


    But in the very next moment¡­ a massive pir of darkness condensed over his body and Kahn saw another entity whose saint pressure alone spanned a 200-kilometer radius.


    This was a ginormous humanoid figure, donning ck armor and a helmet with golden outlines, simr to that of a knight.


    Arge cape purely made of floating crimson blood spread from this entity''s shoulders as his own fiery red eyes sent shivers to millions of soldiers of these empires.


    Given the sheer size of this new arrival riding Sleipnir¡­ Everyone within the 20-kilometer radius saw the titanic figure that seemed like an overlord of death, terrifying millions with its presence alone.


    As for the saints who had much longer eyesight and normally flew in the sky¡­ they were simply unable to move from sheer terror.


    "What the hell is this?!


    Our Emperors and Heroes were supposed to fight him.


    Howe he is here?!" shouted a saint with the head of an elk as he spoke in amunication artifact that seemed to be present with all the other saints from different empires.


    But the same sense of terror and shock wasn''t shared by the defending empire.


    The soldiers and Saints from the Rakos Empire started screaming their lungs out.


    "Our Lord is here!! We''re all saved!


    All Hail¡­" shouted hundreds of millions of soldiers across this widespread battlefield in unison as they weed this almighty being¡­


    "The Martial Emperor!" ----------------


    The warcry of the soldiers and saints resonated across the entire 400-kilometer-wide battlefield as they screamed with joy and victorious feeling.


    The light in their eyes shone brighter as if the battle was already won.


    Current Kahn, who saw this as a mere spectator was too shocked and overwhelmed to even utter a single word.


    "This was me at the peak of my strength as a Peak 8th-stage saint.


    And my strength in this form was one of the reasons why the people of Rakos Empire who didn''t worship a single god epted me as their Emperor." dered Future Kahn with a stern voice.


    The current Kahn didn''t have a single shred of doubt about this because the aura he felt from the Martial Emperor was something he felt only from the God of Darkness and Kravel in the new timeline.


    Future Kahn looked so powerful, majestic, and so fearsome that he even made those Myrthical Rank monsters and Titans look like small pets, like cats and rabbits.


    He was already as big as Vildred, a Royal Dragon as far as height was concerned.


    When facing someone of that caliber¡­ People would rather run away in fear than even hope to fight him.


    Martial Emperor also only wore armor and did not have a single weapon in hand¡­


    Next, the scene progressed to the point that Martial Emperor started summoning something in his right hand¡­


    Blip!


    However, the scene suddenly stopped as future Kahn spoke¡­


    "Let me stop you there¡­ After this cutscene, everything is a huge spoiler for you and the readers." he iterated.


    "As for Sleipnir''s powers¡­ you can find them outter."


    "Why, what happened next?" asked current Kahn anyway¡­


    Kahn realized that the future Kahn didn''t earn the moniker of Martial Emperor for nothing. Just that he was hiding his powers from Kahn for the sake of not affecting the timeline negatively.


    "Because after this moment¡­" spoke the future Kahn with a kingly voice¡­


    "I used ''our'' Divine Weapon."

 Chapter 1023 The Future

    Chapter 1023 The Future


    Although Kahn was dumbfounded and yearned to see and know more about his ''divine weapon!... after hearing from the future Kahn, he knew it was something that should not be revealed quite yet.


    "To be honest... I want to show it to you but it will be problematic when you find it.


    In this timeline, I''m not even sure if the divine weapon will bepliant to you like it was to me." iterated future Kahn. "Why? Is it simr to Amaterasu?" asked Kahn.


    He knew that the Divine Weapons of heroes were actually sentient beings who also had a will like a living person.


    They could speak, think and evenmunicate reasonably despite being solely made to assist the Heroes to kill the Demon God.


    "It''s...plicated. You''d know when you finally meet it." responded Martial Emperor with a helpless countenance. "Alright, I won''t pry further. But I still want to know...


    Why were these empires attacking the Rakos Empire instead of joining you in the war against the Demon God?" asked Kahn with a firm countenance as if he would not let it go.


    Sigh!


    "Ah, that is within eptable spoilers so I''d tell you." said future Kahn after a slumped sigh.


    "Because at this time... I had killed the Hero of Sentience who came after me.


    To him, losing Sleipnir to me was like some sort of personal insult.


    And after I absorbed his Divine Key... I was going to be a Sovereign within a few months.


    On top of it, since I didn''t have an empire backing me beforehand, I had an extra Apple of Eden for the instant breakthrough to higher ranks by 2 stages...


    And added with the fact that the Hero of Sentience had killed the Heroine of Water, acquiring her Divine Key as well... I was sure to be a Peak Saint within a year since all of us had our divine keys awakened and eaten the Apples of Eden.


    It was also the main reason why Gideon, the Hero of Time also tried to kill me just so he could be a Peak Saint himself.


    It was just a few monthster after this battle that I killed him and nned to return to the past." exined the Martial Emperor.


    Kahn''s eyes were left wide open again from the shock.


    Now he finally understood why everyone was after future Kahn and attacked the Rakos Empire.


    He had already seen how everyone coveted his divine key because he also absorbed one from the Hero of Fire. And given the fact that the Martial Emperor had 3 of them along with a spare Apple of Eden... it was worth going to war for even if they had to sacrifice billions of their soldiers for it.


    Because a Peak Saint during the Great War would not only survive but also could kill the Demon God himself if they were lucky.


    Rathnnar was a prime example of this. Just that he fought against the Heroes instead of the Demon God because they attacked the newly founded Rakos Empire a thousand years ago.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Wait, one of those saints that their emperors and heroes were fighting you.


    What happened to that?" asked Kahn curiously.


    The future Kahn replied with a grim countenance.


    "I killed them all."


    Stunned!


    Kahn was left speechless again after hearing this revtion. "Do you mean you killed 6 Emperors, the kind that is usually 8th-stage saint rank beings along with 6 other chosen Heroes?" he asked in disbelief.


    To his query... the Martial Emperor replied coldly...


    "What of it? It''s not that big of a deal."


    bbergasted!


    Kahn''s figure turned ashen white from the shock.


    The future Kahn was simply too OP to not even bother with killing so many powerful enemies as if it was a walk in the park.


    "I couldn''t absorb their cores and divine keys because my breakthrough to the 9th-stage saint was already on its way. I needed to abstain for at least another year before I could absorb more divine keys and be a Demi-God atst.


    I was so close to victory... but this fucker called Hero of Time ruined it all for me with his Time-traveling mumbo- jumbo." spoke the Martial Emperor in a pissed-off tone.


    Only now did current Kahn understand that his existence would have not happened or even be needed if the future wasn''t filled with so many mishaps and plot twists.


    If the future Kahn had enough time, he would have possibly ended the war against the Demon God himself.


    But because Anakining back in time to kill him, he had to forgo all his ns and create countermeasures for the new timeline where he chose different divine abilities and blessings for the new version of himself.


    On top of it... he even arranged for God of Darkness and Kravel finding him Deities to turn his future subordinates into Apostles.


    "Why did you go so far? Gathering Apostles must have been important for the future to the point that even aftering back in time, you directly got God of Darkness and Kravel involved." asked Kahn with an expectant gaze.


    Future Kahn nodded and responded...


    "Now, you have so many Apostles and even my horse as your subordinates.


    This is something I was severelycking in the original timeline and even with the powerful allies I made, there were not even 10 people who could be helpful when facing the 12 Rakshsas.


    You need to be an Apostle or have a high purity bloodline of a Godbeast at least to face even one of them on equal footing without dying."


    "And now, you also have 12 of those powerful subordinates including the 4 you left in the Rakos Empire, 3 of which are in Kassandra''s shadow to protect her.


    Make use of those 4ter after you meet her again and merge them with powerful creatures that you will be fighting in the future." stated the Martial Emperor firmly.


    "I won''t tell you who or what they are because it would be a huge spoiler for everyone... so just follow my instructions.


    Not only yours but also the rise of your subordinates was set into motion the moment you chose those 3 divine abilities." instructed future Kahn.


    "You were already on the verge of bing a Demi-God. Even with the original timeline with your original divine abilities staying intact... You would have most likely won the war against the Demon God after you neutralized the Hero of Time in the new timeline.


    So why go to these extreme measures?" asked current Kahn.


    Because this was also the truth that many would not be able to see or think of in the present scenario.


    Apart from getting rid of Hero of Time when he attacked the original Kahn Salvatore during the Conve of Heroes where the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence would have activated, bringing the Martial Emperor back in time with all his memories and knowledge of future moments intact... He seriously did not need to choose different divine abilities, get Kravel''s blessings as the Apostle of War Deity, or even have other Deities turn his subordinates into Apostle.


    Apart from a few events, as long as he got rid of the Hero of Time, he was free to act on his own and gradually wait till the point he became a full-fledged Demi-God.


    So why did the future Kahn n so many things beforehand and create this new timeline with the current Kahn where the two of them now faced each other?


    "Because I saw how many limitations I had because I tried to do all things on my own.


    And it was only after the Conve of Heroes from the original timeline...


    I learned that even after bing a Demi-God; I wouldn''t be able to kill the Demon God." revealed future Kahn with a somber tone.


    "What?! Are you kidding me?!


    Even a Demi-God won''t be able to kill the Demon God?!"


    asked Kahn with a baffled tone.


    To his shocked countenance... the Martial emperor responded sternly...


    "Listen... the only people both of us have inmon in both timelines are Rathnaar, Romulus and the person who you will meet in the future.


    There was a 99% chance that you wouldn''t be able to find and make a pact with Sleipnir because of the different divine abilities I chose for you.


    And also..." spoke future Kahn and turned his head around.


    His gazended on the massive Dragon behind his chair as he spoke to current Kahn...


    "You did not meet him in this timeline, instead you met Vildred.


    These 4 taught me everything I needed." he revealed.


    "What Vildred is to you, is what Sazaar is to me." he stated.


    "Who is this Sazaar?" asked Kahn in a curious voice.


    He too wanted to know more about this Dragon who appeared along with the future Kahn as soon as the Rune of Reminiscene was activated.


    "There were 3 brothers originally.


    The eldest died 50 thousand years ago due to old age.


    The second one was killed by Kravel 10 thousand years ago before he became the War Deity.


    And the youngest is still alive and guards the empire." spoke the Martial Emperor.


    "Among them, I was the eldest." dered the dragon in a kingly tone.


    "What do you mean? Exactly who is he?" asked Kahn to the future Kahn.


    But instead of the Martial Emperor, this dragon named Sazaar spoke...


    "The divine me is called Sazaar Inbaris Sol Mortelix.


    I''m the reason why we made you choose the Dimensional Law divine ability." dered the dragon in a firm tone as he started floating in the air.


    "Back in my day, I was also called..." dered the Dragon with a domineering and majestic voice as he revealed his true identity...


    "The Elder Dragon of Cosmos."

 Chapter 1024 The Dragon

    1024 The Dragon


    Kahn stood awestruck and rooted as the Dragon behind the future Kahn finally revealed his true identity.


    This dragon without any arms, legs, or even wings; leaked the blue fire made of cosmic aether across his body and revealed himself to be an elder dragon.


    "Do not be surprised, child. This is not my main body or even myplete soul.


    I''m the only Elder Dragon in the history of Vantrea who achieved all 5 enlightenments in the Space Law." dered the Elder Dragon.


    Shocked!


    Kahn was still recovering from the shock but then the Elder Dragon revealed that he achieved all 5 Enlightements in the Space Law.


    Given how current Kahn himself had achieved 3 Enlightements in thisw... it was like a student doing their Major standing in front of a person with PhD in that very field.


    And this Elder Dragon revealed previously that he was the main reason why future Kahn orchestrated him to choose the Dimensional Law divine ability in the first ce.


    "Listen to me, child. There''s no point in divulging my origins or how I met the original version of you in the future. So I will tell you only what''s necessary.


    In the original timeline, I could only teach the original Kahn so much about the Space Law.


    His growth in this field was nonexistent despite having the same intellect as you because of his divine abilities.


    And after learning a secret about the Demon God from a certain someone...


    Both of us felt that if Kahn had the Dimensional Law divine ability since the beginning, he would have had a fair chance to defeat the Demon God after bing a Demi-God." revealed the Elder Dragon in a thoughtful tone.


    Soon, he started exining the secret reason why he made Kahn choose the Dimensional Law in this timeline.


    After 10 minutes, Kahn was shaking with goosebumps all over his body.


    "Dimensional Law... can do that?!" asked with his eyes wide open, full of disbelief.


    "Yes. But you need to reach the 5th enlightenment simr to that of a Sage to use that power.


    Look at my current form for example... This is only the 1/10th part of my soul yet it''s mostly infused with cosmic aether...


    A form of energy derived from the Linchpins of the Multiverse like the one you had in the Conjunction of Space inside the Chamber of Exaltation.


    Do you think even a Royal Dragon can survive with such ethereal energy inside their body if they don''t have the


    Enlightenment in the Space Law?" stated Sazaar in a proud tone.


    Having a Cosmic Form of his own, current Kahn shook his head and nodded in agreement.


    Even his own form was not permanent and needed a supply of cosmic aether periodically to use those powers. But the Elder Dragon in front of him felt as if he himself was the source of cosmic aether.


    "For every individual, the enlightenmentes differently.


    For me, it happened when I was fighting a Godbeast back in my time after he invaded my Dragon Empire.


    So it will most likely be different for you as well.


    And once you reach the 5th Enlightenment... A new world will be opened to you." dered the floating dragon.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "How... how did you end up like this?" asked Kahn as he looked at the Elder Dragon with admiration and genuine respect.


    Sazaar was like a Hero to a child-like Kahn who wanted to venture into the study of the Space Law.


    "To send Kahn back in time, I needed to create a separate realm that would be unaffected by the flow of time.


    We already had the spell from Hero of Time and his core as the main ingredient. Also with the use of Transcendent Rune of Reminiscene, we already had a way to return in time.


    But the problem was that if we did so, the original Kahn''s soul or his memories of the future would also get reset.


    Unlike the Hero of Time, he did not get a free pass from the Law of Time.


    Thus, I... the only being with the knowledge of Space Law and the 5th Enlightenment had to act." revealed the Elder Dragon of Cosmos.


    "Creating a dimension of your own is no big feat for someone like me. But sending that realm back in time while linking it to a Transcendent Rune while protecting another soul at the same time...


    It takes a huge sacrifice." he iterated somberly.


    "And to do that... I had to sacrifice my original body and most of my soul from the future to make it happen.


    This current form of me is what remained of my original body and soul." revealed the Elder Dragon in a gloomy tone. "Now, I need to impart some of my knowledge to you in a way that would help you in the battle against the Demon God." dered the dragon.


    For the next couple of hours, he revealed too many shocking methods and secrets to current Kahn.


    And like an earnest student, he listened and absorbed every single teaching.


    "I... I really was an ignorant moron. Thinking that I knew so much about the Space Law just because I achieved these enlightenments on my own...


    What a fool I''ve been." spoke Kahn with despondent countenance.


    "Do not worry, I was the same at that stage. So hopefully, your growth will be much faster and more perfect than me." said the Elder Dragon.


    "With this... I have told you everything needed and how you need to do it." dered the Elder Dragon of Cosmos.


    In return, all current Kahn could do was offer a bow of respect to his short-term mentor.


    The knowledge that the Elder Dragon shared, was something he possibly wouldn''t have found on his own even if he explored the entirety of Vantrea.


    So in a sense, Sazaar saved him centuries of time and effort after telling his secrets that took him thousands of years to master.


    Kahn''s gaze then turned to the Martial Emperor as he asked...


    "How strong were you before the regression?"


    "Like I mentioned before... I was a Peak 8th-stage saint capable of even fighting against the Demon Emperor.


    The one time we fought, the battle ended in a draw as the Demon God himself was forced to intervene.


    I was one of the 4 Heroes who reached that rank in my timeline.


    Only Hero of Light, Hero of Space, and Hero of Lightning were just as strong as me." revealed the Martial Emperor. "However, all of us are hostile towards each other.


    And I also had my divine weapon by that time in the future, which is 12 years from now.


    You also have Amaterasu in this timeline. Maybe you''ll do a better job than me." iterated future Kahn solemnly.


    "Now listen... there are few mistakes you shouldn''t make in this timeline, the kind that even made me regret my decisions." stated the martial emperor in amanding tone.


    "There''s someone that you will want to kill as soon as you see them. But you must not... if you don''t want to mess things up in this timeline that is.


    There are 3 people you must kill only after bing a Demi-God.


    You have already saved Maximus by killing the Hero of Fire so there are only 2 people you must save.


    And finally, there''s 1 entity you should absorb in this timeline using the divine abilities." he exined.


    But soon, his expression turned grim.


    "Also, there''s someone who will betray you when you won''t expect it.


    And when that dayes, I hope you have contingencies prepared for it." said the Martial Emperor.


    Soon, he gave the new Kahn the list of people in each category.


    "Seriously... who are these people to you? And why do I need to find them?" asked current Kahn.


    "Don''t ask for too many spoilers. You''ll know the reason why when you actually meet them." spoke the Martial Emperor in an admonishing tone.


    "Wait... What happened to Rathnaar in your timeline?" asked Kahn.


    Because so far, the future Kahn barely mentioned the Peak Saint as if he was not a major part of his life.


    In the very next moment... Future Kahn''s expression turned sullen.


    "That... I can''t tell you. It''s something you''ll have to know for yourself."


    Those were the only words he spoke while clenching his fist tightly as his eyes were filled with regret.


    "From now on... Brace for all the possibilities.


    And remember... Try to make more friends than outright killing those who try to kill you.


    Do not make hasty decisions just because the situation has forced your hand." said future Kahn in an imploring tone.


    "And trust the ''benefactor'' I told you about. Because of the way I have impacted the timeline by changing ''our'' path... Many events have changed. Although they have changed in our favor and might actually help in the war against the


    Many events have changed. Although they have changed in our favor and might actually help in the war against the Demon God...


    From this point onwards..." spoke the Martial Emperor in a grim voice.


    "The Timeline itself will be your enemy."

 Chapter 1025 The Timeline

    Chapter 1025 The Timeline


    The future Kahn aka the Martial Emperor warned the current Kahn about an uing enemy... the Timeline itself.


    "I''m not bound to this timeline since I''m from the future.


    There are many things I want to tell you but I can''t because it will mess up the timeline more than it already is.


    Although because of me changing your divine abilities,ing to the past and you choosing to kill and save certain people has changed many events and saved billions of lives...


    We have messed with the timeline even if we did it for a valid reason." said future Kahn in a solemn tone.


    "Wait a minute... wouldn''t that also create a sort of paradox and another separate timeline in the future you are from? Because the oue of the future has also changed because you''re back in the past?" asked current Kahn to the future him.


    "Don''t believe the nonsense concept of time and space from Earth.


    90% of them don''t apply in Vantrea at all.


    Although what you said should happen and affect the original timeline...


    Time in Vantrea is a conscious part of existence by itself. It knows how to fix the altered timeline." revealed the Martial Emperor.


    "The first thing that will happen after you leave the Conve of Heroes is that the original timeline will bepletely erased.


    And a new timeline will be established with changed oues and an undefined future.


    Soon, this timeline will be the Main Timeline.


    Even Hero of Time can no longer mess with it by changing major events or taking advantage of his knowledge of the future without restraint.


    The butterfly effect also doesn''t do much here.


    This isn''t some Regression type of novel where the Protagonist can exploit future events or go around saving people''s lives without consequences." spoke the Martial Emperor firmly.


    "Also, everything I and Sazaar told you regarding the events of the future as well as the war against the Demon God...


    The majority of them only affect you and your future actions and not the outside world from this point.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    And even so, those events can happen differently than the original timeline based on several things such as the survival of someone like Kassandra from the original timeline whom I never even met back then.


    Or the death of a certain individual that greatly affected the flow of time such as you killing the Hero of Fire, which saved Maximus, Emperor Havi, and Venessa." he iterated with a wisdomous tone.


    "The number of probabilities is in billions. And all you can do from now on is be in charge of your own actions.


    The more you try to change the timeline, the bigger the bacsh you will receive.


    Even the Hero of Time had to be cautious to not make major changes before he ambushed you here. Otherwise, his own life would be in jeopardy after the Conve." he exined.


    "How?" asked current Kahn.


    "You will learn the reason in the future, child.


    Just let the history run its course." spoke Sazaar, his tone full of caution and patience.


    "There are things I want you to focus upon if you want to kill the Demon Emperor and finally...


    The only method to kill the Demon God will be revealed to you by that ''certain someone'' I mentioned before.


    Just know that there''s a reason why no other hero was able to do it and even I couldn''t do it in the original timeline despite being on the verge of bing a Demi-God." spoke the future Kahn in a stern voice.


    "However, I can''t tell you the reason or it will change the course of the future.


    But I will tell you what you need to focus on in the uing years of your life.


    And far more importantly, there are some people you must meet.


    And few people you must save for the sake of the world." spoke the Martial Emperor.


    "One of them is Maximus dius. He was also my friend in the original timeline when I hid myself in the Nadur Empire as Atreus Betor.


    Despite finding out about my real identity... He chose to defy the Nadur Empire and helped me escape after Hero of Light found of my existence inside the Hesperides." stated future Kahn as he recounted what happened in the original timeline during the Conve of Heroes.


    "I do not know how the current Maximus would react... but if he is still the same as the one from my timeline... then you must befriend him and aid him without questions." ordered the Martial Emperor.


    Although the bond between current Maximus and Kahn was nothing more than just acquaintances... if the future Kahn told him to befriend and help the Hero of Nature, then Kahn knew it would be for an understandable reason.


    "Like I decided to spare the Hero of Time for now and turned him braindead...


    There are 2 more Heroes you must not kill no matter what.


    Also, you must be cautious of some of them... Especially the Hero of Lightning.


    As for the Hero of Space... although he wasn''t typically a friend... he wasn''t an enemy either. Just that he had his way of handling his responsibilities.


    Just never mess up or hurt people close to him and you will be okay." instructed the Martial Emperor.


    "Both of them could''ve been great allies to me in the Great War against the Demon God had our rtionships been so messed up since the beginning.


    Soon, the future Kahn gave a list of people he was talking about and the current Kahn made a mental note.


    There must be an important reason if the future him was telling him to deal with these people a certain way.


    "Alright... 3 to kill after bing a Demi-God.


    3 to save... I''m already done with Maximus.


    1 person to meet after the Conve of Heroes.


    Also, there''s that ''benefactor'' and the ''certain someone'' whom I will meet soon.


    Finally, the ''being'' I must absorb using my divine abilities...


    Am I missing something?" said current Kahn as he checked his to-do list.


    "And how am I supposed to meet them?


    Apart from a few of them and that powerful being you mentioned, I can''t even tell where or how am I to find the rest." he said in a puzzled voice.


    "Don''t worry... let the time run its course. They will find you instead." replied future Kahn.


    "Now... the timeline will find ways to correct itself in ordance to the original one by killing some people or even changing their fates altogether.


    So from now on... You''re no longer living this life for yourself!" spoke the Martial Emperor as he dered in a domineering tone.


    "You will be fighting for the fate of this world."

 Chapter 1026 Fate of the World

    Chapter 1026 Fate of the World


    Meanwhile, in the penins made by the God of Nature, a bizarre scenario urred.


    "You¡­ what are you doing?!" spoke a white tigerkin as he was shocked to the core.


    Currently, his body was bound to dozens of unbreakable chains made of darkness as his Light elemental aura was diminishing.


    "Don''t worry¡­ Borat won''t know anything since the formation and the barrier I made will give an illusion that everything is normal here." spoke an ice elemental blue fenrirborne.


    This was Kahn in his Atreus Betor persona and the person who he had tied up in chains and sealed abilities in a magic formation was none other than Conan Doykle.


    For some reason, this supposed ally from the Hero''s Party was now suffering from torture at the hands of the Brawler semi-saint while Maximus was still stuck inside the God''s Altar.


    Woosh! Soon, another Atreus emerged from his shadow and a doppelganger beside him.


    "What the fuck are you trying to do, Atreus?! Do you think others will let this slide?!" shouted Conan in anger.


    "Why would there be any issues, Conan? Even if I killed you here¡­ no one will know.


    Because you''re not going to die inside the Babylon¡­" spoke Atreus with a devious smile. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Squirm!


    Squirm!


    Soon, his entire visage started changing as his body transformed into that of a white-tigerkin, looking exactly like Conan himself.


    "This!... What kind of witchcraft is this?!" bellowed Conan in disbelief.


    Atreus used the Tigerkin bloodline he had from long before and transformed into Conan for some reason.


    "You see, Conan¡­ I still haven''t forgiven you for what you did with those million innocent civilians.


    I thought I could let it go¡­ but no matter how cold I have turned recently, this just doesn''t sit right with me.


    And you¡­ will pay for those million lives with your own." dered Atreus.


    His main intention was to kill Conan for a long while and finally, with no one watching¡­ he was acting on his decision.


    "I will be taking your ce and after returning to the Nadur Empire, I would stage a suicide.


    I will also leave a note behind in your name, confessing to the massacre and killing myself out of guilt." stated Atreus as he took away Conan''s sword.


    "You¡­ you won''t get away with this, you fucker!


    Maximus will find out the truth and he will expose you!" eximed Conan in fury.


    "Is that so? Well let me burst your bubbles¡­" spoke Atreus with a sinister smile and the very next moment¡­


    Stab!


    He stabbed Conan''s heart with his own sword and then using the w, Atreus pulled out his heart.


    "You see¡­ before the Conve of Heroes even began¡­ Other than Borat who didn''t have innocent blood on his hands¡­


    And whether you and the others were killed during the trial or not¡­" spoke Atreus in a grim voice and dered a tyrannical tone.


    "Maximus and I nned to kill you bastards anyway."


    ----------------


    In the penins made by God of Darkness, a serious conversation took ce.


    Suddenly, the future Kahn''s tone turnedmanding as if he had ryed an undefiable order to the current Kahn.


    "Before you ask questions¡­ I want to tell you something about the Demon God." iterated the Martial Emperor in a stern voice. "Do not even think about fighting him in this timeline unless you''ve be a Demi-God first.


    Because the truth about his existence and this entire war is not something I ever expected." he revealed.


    "What do you mean?" asked current Kahn with a serious tone.


    "The 8th Hero of Darkness was right to do what he did. Or this world would''ve ended 300 years ago.


    Right after the Demon God killed 6 Heroes in a single day, the massacre only me, the Hero of Lightning, Space, and Light survived¡­


    I came to know the truth." said future Kahn in a cryptic tone.


    "Care to fucking borate instead of talking in ciphers with me?" asked Kahn as he shrugged his arms. "Haha! Wish I could¡­ but that information is something you should receive only when the time is right.


    Soon, the ''benefactor'' whom master Romulus told you about wille for you. With that person, you must go and find that particr individual I mentioned in the list of people you must meet. Only he can teach you one of the necessary ways to kill the Demon God and prepare you for the Great War." said future Kahn. "I wish I could tell you more but it will change the future too much to the point nothing will work in your favor. But remember¡­ the timeline and this world will try to reset the course to what it was originally supposed to be.


    And then, you will have to make a choice that will decide the fate of the world." dered the Martial Emperor in a solemn voice.


    "What I meant by saying that you have to fight for the fate of the world is that¡­ many of your actions are going to greatly affect the newly established Main Timeline.


    Since the timeline will try to correct itself¡­ You could lose someone very dear to you or you will have to let them die for the greater good.


    There mighte a time when you may have to sacrifice billions of innocent lives or even ept your death to preserve the bnce of life." stated future Kahn in a somber tone.


    "You will have to pay a great price so the timeline can correct itself and it will be for the better.


    I hope that you understand the gravity of the situation and the consequences of your decision this world will face.


    Whether Good or Bad or for the sake of saving the world or protecting your own interests¡­


    Whatever choice you make¡­ it will all be up to you.


    Just know that even Good decisions might have bad consequences and something good mighte out of unfavorably Bad situations.


    I cannot speak for you even though we are the same person with the same soul, it''s just that the world has been different for both of us." spoke future Kahn, his tone full of wisdom and premonition.


    Finally, after a few minutes of contemting, current Kahn asked¡­


    "Why are you fighting against Demon God?"


    This question was something current Kahn wanted to ask for a while as he wanted to know how the selfish him who was mostly detached from the matters of Gods and the Demon God got involved in this fight to the point that he would even risk his own life.


    "The current you who was forced to act selfish and focus on self-preservation wouldn''t understand.


    Although I understand why we both had this mindset in both timelines¡­ we just hadn''t seen the sunlight on the other side.


    For me, it happened 15 yearster and for you, it still hasn''t happened.


    Just know this¡­" spoke the Martial Emperor in a serious yet firm tone¡­


    "This is bigger than you and me. There are many things far more valuable than your own life at stake.


    Killing the Demon God regardless of the cost¡­ even if it means our death¡­


    This is the only way to save this world¡­" he dered in a stoic voice.


    "To save everything."

 Chapter 1027 The Final Farewell

    Chapter 1027 The Final Farewell


    [[Author: I have returned from thend of the dead.


    The truth is... I died. But I lived...


    So the novel shall continue again on a regr basis.]]


    ----------------


    An eerie silence ensued after the Martial Emperor enlightened the current Kahn about how the fate of the world was at stake.


    "What do you mean by ''everything''?" asked Kahn to his future self.


    "That is something someone else will tell you. I am going to refrain from revealing it myself.


    You should find out about it when the time is right and from the right person to keep the timeline from deviating furthermore." iterated the future Kahn.


    "Fine. Keep your secrets." responded Kahn and asked another question¡­


    "So how does it end for you?" To this query, the Martial Emperor raised an eyebrow¡­


    "So you are aware?


    I guess there''s no point in hiding. I will simply¡­ leave." responded the future Kahn indifferently.


    "We have aplished what we had to do after returning to the past. We have told you all the important answers to the questions you had.


    I have told you whom to save, whom to meet and whom the kill, and when to do it." dered the Martial Emperor.


    Soon, he cast another Rune with his Soul Essence mixed with it and the rune merged with Kahn''s figure.


    "It''s called Descent of the Martial God. One of the strongest original powers I created in the original timeline.


    Consider that as a parting gift. Use it whenever you are facing a lot of strong opponents.


    Even if it can''t help you win... it will at least deter them from making any moves on you." spoke future Kahn with a reassuring tone. "As the sessor of my will¡­ I leave everything to you now. We have forged you a path and your only obligation is to walk on it. However, the path will still be filled with blood and bones of both the people you''re supposed to protect and the enemies you are supposed to kill.


    How you walk it, how you face those odds¡­ it''s something only you can decide for yourself.


    So farewell, other me. It''s time for us to depart." said the Martial Emperor and he looked at Kahn with an expectant gaze as he gave a final nod of affirmation. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Schwoom!


    Suddenly, Kahn was expelled from the mental world and now, only the Martial Emperor and the Elder Dragon of Cosmos remained in it.


    ----------------


    After the current Kahn left, the atmosphere of the white mental world turned somber and full of grief.


    "It is time for us to go.


    Thank you, old friend. Thank you for helping mee back in time even though you knew that you would cease to existpletely from both timelines." spoke Future Kahn as he gazed at Sazaar with a regretful expression.


    "Who do you think you''re talking to brat?


    I''m the great Elder Dragon Sazaar. I have already lived far longer than even some Demi-Gods.


    Even this small fragment of my soul has existed for more than 50 thousand years." spoke the Dragon with a cheerful smile.


    "Maybe it was my destiny.


    To meet you in the original timeline and bring you in this one so the new version of you could defeat the Demon God.


    I chose to do this not only for you but also for the Dragon Empire that will cease to exist in this world if he bes a Demi-God.


    This is a very small price to pay considering that I contributed in steering the fate of the world." dered the cosmic dragon pridefully.


    Next, he asked Kahn¡­ "You know that the God of Darkness will be very angry with your decision, right?


    Because you were supposed to take over this new version of yourself and have every information andbat skills that you have seen and experienced through the Transcendant Rune of Reminiscence." he stated firmly.


    "You too have lived this new timeline just like him. You can do an even better job as the Hero of Darkness than him who is still oblivious to the great responsibility.


    If you absorbed his soul and became one with it, nobody in this entire world would know. Not even his subordinates or Rathnaar. You''re basically throwing away the advantage of knowing the future.


    So why did you not choose to take over him?" questioned the Elder Dragon.


    To his question filled with curiosity and concern, the future Kahn chuckled and replied calmly¡­


    "Doesn''t matter. The Hero of Time is a prime example that even the knowledge of the future doesn''t mean anything if a major event deviates even slightly.


    Look at us¡­ Meing from the future basically ruined all his ns and preparations.


    And given this new timeline and how things have developed at this stage, changed by the new version of me¡­ I don''t think it will make a huge difference even if I took over his body." he stated with a content smile as if he had no regrets.


    "As for God of Darkness¡­ he can take it up to the new Kahn.


    I too had the same n before but now that I have lived this new life with him and as him¡­


    I changed my mind." he spoke with a hopeful tone.


    "Why?" asked the dragon.


    "It''s because he has lived a different life than mine in the original timeline. He has felt different emotions and made different choices as well as mistakes.


    But he has also met different people, formed different rtionships, and made better decisions in some aspects than I would have ever made." he spoke with anticipation in his tone.


    "Although I may have been the orchestrator of this new life for the new version of me¡­


    He is a different man than I am." dered the Martial Emperor in a stern voice.


    "Hopefully, he will be a better man than I ever was in the original timeline.


    He does not realize yet but he has a lot to protect, many people he holds dear, and a lot to fight for in the uing future than I ever did.


    We have created a path for him to defeat the Demon God, the path we did not know existed in the original timeline.


    However, this time¡­ he will have to walk it on his own instead me, the one who never had the chance to seed." he spoke as the surroundings started changing.


    "He''s not the Hero that this world wants or deserves... but the Hero they will need when the dark timese."


    Soon, the ne white world was turned into a vast garden filled with serene and enchanting trees and flowers.


    Arge wooden log appeared in front of the Martial Emperor and he sat on it while letting out a sigh.


    "I don''t think it would have been fair to him or even me to rob him of that opportunity that we sacrificed so much for. It is no longer my destiny¡­ but his." he said and looked at the lush greenery and transcendent image of the field full of colorful flowers around him.


    "We both knew that we did not have any way to defeat the Demon God, so we orchestrated everything for this new timeline after the opportunity arose when I killed the Hero of Time.


    Now let''s hope he does not fail like we did. For once¡­


    Let him be truly in control of his fate." dered the Martial Emperor with a countenance full of eptance. "Besides¡­ I''m tired. I want to finally rest, and watch the sunrise on a grateful universe." he spoke with an exhausted voice.


    After hearing the response¡­ Sazaar''s draconic maw let out a grin.


    "And this is why I chose toe back in time with you, Kahn Salvatore. You may not be perfect¡­ but you are a warrior of honor just like me. Having seen you making that Final Decision¡­ I have no regrets.


    Although I won''t be teaching and assisting this new version of you in this timeline¡­ giving him a path to walk on toplete his mission and defeat the Demon God for good¡­ is enough for me." dered the Elder Dragon with a content countenance.


    Woosh!


    "You''re a good man, Kahn Salvatore.


    It was an honor knowing you and calling you a friend." spoke the Elder Dragon of Cosmos as his entire being made of ck and blue cosmic aether started fading out of existence.


    Soon, the Martial Emperor who saw the Elder Dragon disappearing bowed in respect to his closest ally and friend with a sense of appreciation.


    Crumble!


    Crumble!


    Next, his own soul started turning into white ash and started spreading across the field with the passing wind.


    In just mere moments¡­ the future Kahn turned into dust and spread across the mental world, leaving no trace behind.


    Both the original Kahn and Sazaar disappeared with content expressions as the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscens vanished from Kahn''s back.


    The Martial Emperor and the Elder Dragon of Cosmos ceased to exist in the worldpletely regardless of space and timelines¡­


    In Babylon¡­ Kahn was back in control of his body while remembering everything the original Kahn and the Elder Dragon told him as he opened his eyes.


    Sigh!


    "Does he think I''m an idiot? It''s clear that he could take over me easily.


    As the creator of the System, he had the authority and power to be the ''One''." iterated the current Kahn with a thoughtful countenance as he gazed at the mncholic sky.


    "You could overpower my consciousness and soul within a second and I wouldn''t be able to do a damn thing. But whatever your reason may be to leave the fate of the world to me¡­ Do not worry.


    I will make sure that¡­" said Kahn in a resolute tone as he made an oath to himself.


    "Your sacrifice was worth it!"

 Chapter 1028 The Resolution

    Chapter 1028 The Resolution


    Kahn was now done in the Penins made by God of Darkness.


    He looked at the vast expanse.


    "I will have toe here one day after my Divine Key is awakened. Like the future me said, I can no longer stay away from the matters of the Gods." he spoke in a somber tone.


    He then looked at Anakin, the Hero of Time who was still kneeling on the ground.


    His eyes were wide open and he was drooling like a braindead person while murmuring gibberish to himself.


    [Good thing the future me nned ahead and turned him braindead.]


    Kahn walked up to him and took out the Warhorn of Confinement, the Ancient Rank artifact.


    "Segora Del Fati Saloom." chanted Kahn.


    Schwoom!


    Shatter!


    A golden aura was released by the warhorn and soon, Kahn felt the golden shackles on him shattering.


    And finally¡­


    [Kid! You''re alive!] shouted Rathnaar, the Peak Saint in joy.


    After Kahn deactivated the Warhorn of Confinement, the severed connection between him and Rathnaar was re-established again.


    [Soul connection to the Peak Saint, Rathnaar Whitlock has been re-established.


    The host has regained connection to the Peak Saint''s core.


    ess to Space Law has been regained. Dimensional Shift is back in effect.


    Dimensional Domain and Dimensional Cut can be used again.


    The expelled World energy in this region has returned. Any skills that are passively active because of the world energy can be used again.


    Energy Plunderer and Phase Shift skill can be used now.


    Effects of all the bloodlines as well as skills and powers granted by them have returned to their previous efficiency.


    The Primordial Titan bloodline and the skills granted by it are now avable to use.


    Void Realm skill can be used again because the flow of time and space within the 20-kilometer range is back to normal.


    Lucid Reality can be used again due to the host''s returned mana and physical stats.


    The effects attack powers of all the weapons and armor and their skills have returned to their previous strength.


    Link with summoned entities through the Sovereign of the Dead skill is re-established again. The host can summon his monster army or the fighter-ss warriors.


    The overall physical attributes of the host have returned to their former stats.


    The host is nowparable only to a Beginner 6th-stage saint.] informed the system.


    Kahn on the other end intently stared at the Warhorn of Confinement.


    "The ancient rank artifacts are indeed something else. No formation or artifact had made me this weak till this point.


    I''m sure I can use this as one of my trump cards when fighting even an 8th-stage saint.


    This is an artifact that even the most powerful empires would covet." spoke Kahn.


    [That is indeed the truth, boy. Even the Emperors and Empresses of the Empires have to be wary of these types of artifacts.


    I too once suffered from Warhorn of Confinement but failed to acquire it when I fought the Hero of Time from my era.


    This is a must-have treasure.] spoke the first emperor of the Rakos Empire.


    Kahn then looked at Anakin who had turned into an idiot.


    "I won''t kill you for now as per the instructions. But I will be taking this aspensation." he dered.


    "As for the cores of your party members¡­ They will be a great resource for my subordinates when I meet them again." he spoke with a devilish smirk.


    [Kid, how did you survive?] asked Rathnaar to Kahn.


    "Wow! Look at the confidence you have in me¡­


    Don''t tell me you thought I would lose to the likes of him?" rebuked Kahn in disbelief.


    He did not acknowledge the existence of the future Kahn, Sazaar, and the Transcendent Rune of Reminiscence. It was done so because the Martial Emperor had instructed him to never tell anyone about his return in time, neither to Rathnaar nor Vildred. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Kahn understood it was necessary to hide the truth because it would impact the timeline and actions of the people he knew.


    Also, Rathnaar''s fate was unknown to him so he intentionally chose to let the time take its course as advised by the future him and the Elder Dragon.


    [Hey, don''t me me. I waspletely seperated from you. I couldn''t see or feel anything after he used that artifact.


    Nevermind, it''s pointless to ask now that you have emerged victorious.


    Let''s kill this bastard and return to Maximus.] proimed the peak saint.


    "No, I''m not going to kill him." said Kahn with a thoughtful countenance.


    [And why is that? Are you leaving a potential threat behind willingly?] questioned Rathnar.


    "There''s no point in killing him. It would only turn me into an enemy of another empire.


    Let''s not give them more excuses to hunt me down than they already have. Besides¡­


    This guy is braindead now. He won''t be able to do much from this point." said Kahn and soon, he took out the Hero of Time''s space ring.


    He emptied all the contents except one Apple of Eden and pulled all the resources such as cores, weapons, magic scrolls, and potions into his own space ring.


    The reason he did so is that the Martial Emperor willingly left one Apple of Eden for Anakin aka Gideon.


    And there must be a big reason why he did so.


    [I guess the future me left that for the Emperor of the Empire of Time. They care more about the Apples of Eden than they care for the Heroes. It should be enough to keep them silent.


    And if I''m not wrong, Maximus must have eaten his share as well and must have kept one for Empress Kaali for her future use.] he thought to himself.


    Kahn then told Rathnaar about the deal between Gods and Empires.


    [Hah! Following a God''s divine teachings my ass! These bastards always wanted to be a Sovereign and that''s why they served them and protected these so-called Heroes.


    If only the people of these Empires knew¡­ that they were living a lie for thousands of years now.] scoffed off the Peak Saint.


    "All the Heroes who reached the God''s Altar and gained the Apples of Eden will soon breakthrough and gain 2 to 3 stages of Saint Rank after the Conve of Heroes ends.


    Compared to them, I, whose Divine Key is still unawakened¡­ am most likely to fall behind." spoke Kahn with a worrisome expression.


    [Do not lose hope, kid. We havee so far even without the help of God of Darkness or having your Divine Weapon.


    We will find a way¡­] spoke Rathnaar, trying to console Kahn.


    Soon, his gaze turned to the Hero of Time and he used Lucid Reality on him.


    "Return to your penins. Go back from your own exit of Babylon and never tell anyone about what happened here.


    If anyone asks, your party members died during the trials and you already ate your Apple of Eden." he instructed.


    Soon, like a puppet, Anakin got on his feet and walked toward the Realm Tear he came from.


    [The effect of Lucid Reality will stay for a couple of days before he returns to his previous state.


    Now¡­] thought Kahn and made a deration.


    "It''s time for me to reveal myself to the world. Not as Atreus Betor nor as anyone else."


    [What do you mean?] asked Rathnaar with a puzzled voice.


    "It''s time for everyone to know about Kahn Salvatore¡­" said Kahn as he made a firm and resolute announcement.


    "The Hero of Darkness."

 Chapter 1029 The Predestined Arrival

    Chapter 1029 The Predestined Arrival


    To Rathnaar, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea, Kahn divulged his intentions to suddenly reveal his identity as the Hero of Darkness to all the empires of the world.


    [What?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!


    Do you have a deathwish or something, boy?!] eximed Rathnaar in shock.


    "Trust me, as bizarre as it sounds, I have it on good authority that I must leave from the exit which will put me at the gate of the tower for the Hero of Darkness.


    And that too in my true human form." replied Kahn.


    [What nonsense are you spouting?!


    All the Emperors and Empresses will be waiting outside, along with that group of people tasked to hunt you down.


    There will also be other Heroes and their parties gathered together.


    Even with Vildred on your side, you are not strong enough to fight or survive against any of them!] he berated Kahn.


    [On top of it, how the hell are you nning to leave Hesperides?


    The only exit for you is the gateway of the Beast Empire. But if you use that, then your identity as Atreus will be revealed.


    Romulus will be branded as a traitor and probably killed as well.] informed the peak saint, out of his wits.


    "I know that what I said sounds absurd but think of it as a Premoniton.


    I must leave via the Tower of Darkness if we are to survive. Just follow my guts.] spoke Kahn.


    He did not reveal why he was choosing to do so because of what the future Kahn told him.


    The Martial Emperor told him that ording to the original timeline, there was someone called the ''benefactor'' who would be waiting outside for him.


    In the original timeline, because the Hero of Light had found the original Kahn, thetter had to change his ns and hide from several heroes who hunted him in Babylon.


    But he managed to escape their eyes, regroup with Maximus, and return from the tower made for Hero of Nature.


    And after leaving, he finally saw the ''benefactor'' who hade for him. But the problem was that it was already toote for him to reveal his identity.


    Because at that stage, if he did so, then his identity as Atreus would be brought into questioning and Romulus'' secret as the former member of the 8th Hero of Darkness'' party would have been revealed.


    Back then, the original Kahn requested the benefactor to not act and returned to the Beast Empire to keep their secrets.


    Only after 2 years of nning, he managed to fake his death and leave with the said benefactor without leaving any trace behind that the Empress Kaali could track and reveal about him being alive.


    So in this timeline, the Martial Emperor wanted current Kahn to reveal his identity as Hero of Darkness from the get-go and not dy any more than necessary so that he would be brought up to speed regarding the matters of Gods and the war against the Demon God.


    He also instructed Kahn to not use any fake persona or hide his identity for some reason as if doing so would hinder the future somehow.


    For that very reason, Kahn had decided to trust the Martial Emperor and reveal himself to all the Empires and their leaders as well as Heroes.


    "But first, we need to return to the Hero''s Party. There are few things I need to put into motion first before I reveal myself." spoke Kahn and walked into the Realm Tear.


    ----------------


    7 Days Later¡­


    The time for the departure came after Maximus returned to Babylon from the God''s Altar.


    When he returned, he received a message from Kahn in his persona as Atreus.


    [Conan is dead as we agreed. Borat has no idea so everything is going as we nned.


    However¡­ I have a request.] said Kahn as the blue Fenrirborne ryed his request to Maximus.


    Meanwhile, in Hesperides, most Heroes exited from their respective towers.


    Some had worn-out expressions while many had very few members of their parties than before.


    Among all of them, only the Hero of Lightning, Hero of Space, Hero of Light, and the Hero of Life, thest one containing Kahn''s subordinates had returned with their entire party alive.


    As for the rest of the Heroes and Heroines, they only had a somber countenance veiled under their hoods.


    Each of them met their respective Emperors and Empresses and handed them their share of the Apples of Eden. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Only Havi Hos Siegfreed of the Vulcan Empire and the empty spot for the Abyss Empire received nothing from this Conve of Heroes.


    [Father, do you think he''s here?] asked one of the 2 veiled individuals under red cloaks behind the Fireborne Emperor.


    [Venessa, you don''t need to worry about Kahn. I have received reliable intel that he sessfully entered Babylon and will most likely return safely.] spoke the one-eyed emperor with a crimson red spear in his hand.


    The one behind him was his daughter and the princess of the Vulcan Empire as well as one of Kahn''s very few friends in Vantrea aka Venessa Hos Siegfreed.


    [My only regret is that we won''t have an Apple of Eden of our own. I was nning to give it to you in the future after you became an 8th-stage saint.


    s, we need to confirm Kahn''s survival first before acting.] responded the Emperor.


    After hearing his words of affirmation, Venessa could only nod and clenched her fist tightly¡­


    [Kahn¡­ you better be alive. I have a debt to repay.


    If you are exposed¡­ we will fight for you.] thought Venessa with a resolute mind.


    BOOM!!!


    But right when she was lost in thoughts¡­


    A tremendous aura of darkness spread in Hesperides as a very powerful being arrived.


    "Oho, looks like we have a surprise guest here." said the Celestial Guardian, the deity who was in charge of conducting the Conve of Heroes.


    Tremble!


    Shiver!


    All of the Heroes, their party members, and the envoys of the Empires felt an insurmountable and life-threatening aura that sent shivers down their spines.


    Swoosh!


    Shing!


    All the Emperors and Empresses used their skills to create defensive barriers to safeguard their respective entourages as they felt a familiar pressure that suddenly turned their countenances grim with disbelief and fear.


    "What''s this¡­ why is he here?!" spoke Kaali with a bewildered face.


    Swoosh!


    And right then, a terrifying existence covered in a dark green aura suddenly exited one of the gateways that allowed everyone from different empires to enter Hesperides.


    However, the gateway this new entity arrived from sent shock to everyone as it was the only gateway where none of them expected anyone to arrive from in this Conve of Heroes.


    p!


    With a gust of wind, a tall and broody silver-haired Vampire in ck and green armor arrived at the gathering, his eyes filled with cold and murderous intent as he looked at the congregation of the Heroes and the top echelons of all Empires that served Gods. "What''s the meaning of this¡­ Revenant Sovereign?!" asked one of the Emperors.


    The person who arrived and revealed his terrifying aura in Hesperides was none other than one of the 4 Sovereigns of Vantrea named¡­


    Argos Belmont.


    ----------------


    The entire group of powerful saints from the 12 Empires was stunned along with the Mysterious Group assigned with hunting Kahn.


    The air was filled with a dreary aura and everyone''s heart were palpating with anticipation while clenching their weapons and readying their skills.


    "It is forbidden for Sovereigns to appear in the Conve of Heroes. Especially the one with no allegiance to any Gods." spoke Kaali with an incredulous tone.


    "Quite the harsh wee you''re offering, my beloved." spoke Argos Belmont, the Vampire King yfully.


    A small smirk appeared on his face as he stared intently at the Emperors, Empresses, and the Heroes.


    "Quite the assembly we have here. With these types of powerhouses, you might even be able to kill a Beginner 9th-stage saint." spoke Argos with a mischievous grin.


    "Who are you, child? I have no prior information about you." said the Celestial Guardian from the vast skies.


    The sovereign on the other end, slightly bowed in respect as he spoke in a firm tone.


    "My apologies foring unannounced. It took me some time toe here from the border of the Demon Empire.


    I had a hard time settling matters and establishing a temporary ceasefire between the armies of the 4 empires and the Demon Emperor.


    Luckily enough, our aggressive enemy too agreed to halt the war for few months.


    And thus, it took me some time before I coulde here." spoke the Vampire Sovereign in a kingly tone.


    "And what business does an Eldritch Vampire like you have here in Hesperides?" asked the Celestial Guardian in a curious voice.


    To this query, the Vampire Sovereign let out a sinister smirk as his gaze turned around all the members of the empires.


    "Ie to the Conve of Heroes to present and also dere myself as the newly elected and the official representative of¡­" he openly dered which sent everyone in another shock.


    "God of Darkness."

 Chapter 1030 The Domineering King

    Chapter 1030 The Domineering King


    Without any form of prior information, hint, or a warning¡­ Argos Belomont, the Vampire King also known as the Revenant Sovereign of Vantrea, one of the 4 strongest saints of the present era suddenly showed up at the Conve of Heroes and suddenly dered himself as the new official representative of God of Darkness. Shock!


    Gasp!


    Everyone waspletely befuddled after this revtion and could not believe their own ears.


    Many Emperors and Empresses as well as the summoned Heroes were shocked beyond belief as this powerhouse made this bold and unexpected promation.


    "The rule that says a Sovereign cannot be present at the Conve of Heroes applies only to those who do not serve any of the Gods or backed their respective Heroes in case there is already an empire representing them.


    I on the other hand am an exception because I now represent the God of Darkness as well as my Belmont Kingdom shall now officially back the Hero of Darkness." spoke Argos as he gazed at the Celestial Deity.


    "You wrote these rules yourself, O'' Celestial Deity, the first to pledge allegiance to God of Space and the first being of Vantrea to achieve 5th Enlightenment in the Laws of Cosmology.


    Tell me, am I still ineligible to be present here?" asked the Vampire King while revealing the truth about the Celestial Deity himself. "No, you are not. I wrote that rule to protect the Heroes and the Emperors of the Empires in case a Sovereign turned hostile and tried to kill them.


    There are ways such an individual could harm them without even lifting a finger or attacking them in any form.


    But since you proim to be the representative of God of Darkness, I need to see the proof." stated the Deity in a stern and calm tone.


    "As you should." said the Sovereign and summoned a star-shaped red object.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, an unbearable aura of death and darkness spread across Hesperides and even the Legendary Rank spells, protection barriers, and artifacts couldn''t stop the aura from affecting everyone present.


    "What the hell are you trying to do here?" spoke the Elven Emperor of the Zivot Empire which represented the God of Life.


    "Ah, the Key of Abyss. It''s been such a long time since I saw itst. Previously, the Emperor of the Abyss Empire presented it to me after the Conve of Heroes was agreed upon by the Gods over 3 thousand years ago.


    You having this means you have been chosen by the God of Darkness and represent his will." iterated the Celestial Deity and with one of his 6 palms, he swept away the insurmountable aura of darkness.


    "Well, now that it has been established¡­ I would also like to make an announcement.


    Since I now represent God of Darkness in ce of the fallen Abyss Empire¡­


    Anyone who dares to touch the Hero of Darkness after he exits from the tower¡­


    Shall meet death at my hands as per thews of the conve." dered the vampire in a grim and domineering voice.


    Argos Belmont then released his own aura of darkness, no longer hiding the fact that he was a Darkness element user.


    "All of you know that one can create the 3rd form of their domain only after you be a 9th stage saint. Many of you can''t even survive the 2nd form of my domain so what do you think will happen if I used the 3rd form in order to defend the Hero of Darkness?" spoke the Revenant Sovereign with a smug and sinister tone. "Out of the 12 Emperors and Empresses, barely 3 of you will manage to stay alive when we fight. Even if few of you survived, can you guarantee that your families, your children and wives; along with the Heroes you''ve brought here as well as some of the most powerful saints of your empires present here will share the same fate?" he kept rubbing salt on their wounds like an overbearing tyrant.


    At this exact moment, Havi Hos Sigfreed, the Emperor of the Vulcan Empire telepathically contacted him.


    [Just like you ordered, I came here under the pretext of capturing the Hero of Darkness.


    You also said I should dere my support to you and Kahn in case things turned sour.


    But why are you suddenly revealing yourself as the servant of God of Darkness instead of keeping it a secret like we agreedst time?] asked the Fireborne emperor.


    [Some¡­ unforeseeable predicaments urred recently.


    That''s why I had to parley with the Demon Emperor and suddenlye here instead of keeping it hidden since I''m the strongest guardian Kahn can have at this moment.] replied Argos without changing his expression in the slightest.


    [So should I also proim my support now?] asked Havi.


    [No, not now. It''s too early. There is someone else who joined our cause recently. So it''s better if you both are acting as insider spies in the opposition instead of revealing our alliance prematurely. I can''t fully trust the new ally yet and he doesn''t know about you already being on my side so I need your help to keep an eye on them.] iterated the sovereign as he too had his reservations about the new alliance he made recently.


    [Who is it?] asked Emperor Havi. Argos revealed who this new ally was¡­


    Shock!


    This time, even the Emperor of the Vulcan Empire had trouble hiding his shock.


    [Why him?] asked Havi. He didn''t move or look in any particr direction to not raise suspicion. [There is a reason, I''ll tell youter. But that''s why I need you to check if they are truly on our side based on the intel he provides and what you give me about the decisions that will happen after this incident. He can be trusted only if his intel matches with yours after the Empires decide to react and n on how to deal with Kahn.] exined Argos as he maintained his arrogant expression to the rest.


    This conversation urred in only 8 seconds in real time so no one suspected anything. Havi then decided to not act on their previous arrangements and stood on the side of other opposing emperors and empresses. Argos on the other hand, continued his threatening speech. "Hell, if there weren''t other 3 sovereigns present in this era, I could even kill all of you after leaving the Conve.


    Take my warning lightly and I willy waste to all of your empires and your Heroes as soon as we leave Hesperides if the Hero of Darkness is killed by any of you here." His arrogant countenance along with a threatening re sent shivers in everyone''s spines. "So tell me¡­ What''s it gonna be? Can any one of you bear the consequences?" he asked with a deathly aura spreading from his body.


    To his words, not a single one of the opposing empires decided to speak a word as their bodies could not even move at their will, not even the members of the mysterious group created to hunt the Hero of Darkness.


    "Good, now stay in line like obedient children." he spoke haughtily, oozing a tyrannical aura.


    "Besides, Hero of Darkness shouldn''t even be your concern." he made a deration.


    "Why?" asked an Emperor. "Howe none of you have noticed it?" he asked with a coy tone.


    And next, his gaze turned to Anakin, the Hero of Time as he pointed his finger at the hero.


    Without waiting another moment, the Vampire King made another grand revtion at the Conve of Heroes. "This bastard is a Time Regressor. He''se back from the future!" N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 1031 The Formal Welcome

    Chapter 1031 The Formal Wee


    In the middle of the chaos and surprises, the Vampire King, Argos Belmont suddenly told everyone that the Hero of Time is from the future.


    "He knows what''s going to happen in the future.


    So basically, he is even a bigger threat to all of us, our Heroes and the Demon God than the Hero of Darkness that you all have been searching for." dered the 9th-stage saint in a serious tone.


    Everyone''s gazesnded at Anakin who was simply shocked that his secret was out.


    But what others didn''t know was that he was still under Martial Emperor Kahn''s spell that he engraved on his head using the Dragon Runic Magic that Sazaar, the Elder Dragon of Cosmos brought from the future.


    Anakin was not to reveal meeting the Future Kahn and the fact that he already fought with him.


    He even told the Emperor from the Empire of Time that he already absorbed his Apple of Eden and had given the one for the Empire to the Emperor.


    So nobody suspected anything.


    But now that Argos Belmont, the Revenant Sovereign had revealed his truth, all the eyes were focused on him.


    Schoowmm!


    nk!


    Right then, the Tower of Nature lit up and 3 figures arrived.


    All of them were in a haggard situation and had torn-off clothes.


    "This bastard! I''ll kill you right here!" shouted Maximus.


    "He has to pay!" eximed Borat in rage.


    And finally, it was Conan who spoke¡­


    "This bastard¡­ he broke the agreement between the empires and attacked us inside Babylon." he dered furiously.


    "Heavenly King of Fire¡­ I''m sorry." said Maximus with a pitiful and tired voice.


    "For what?... And why are there only 3 of you?" asked Romulus in shock.


    "The Hero of Time ambushed us just recently. And to make sure that we escaped with our lives¡­" spoke the Hero of Nature apologetically.


    "Your Shadow Disciple, Atreus¡­ he sacrificed his life and was killed by the Hero of Time!" dered Maximus as he clenched his grip on his greatsword.


    "What?! Atreus is dead?!" asked Romulus with apletely bewildered countenance.


    He could not believe that Kahn was actually killed by the Hero of Time.


    But right then¡­ a telepathic message sounded in his mind. The one to speak was none other than¡­


    Vildred, the Lightening Dragon Emperor.


    [Don''t worry, Fenrirborne. If our disciple, Kahn was already dead¡­ then I too would have died due to the Contract of Familiarity.


    That means he''s still alive.] said the Sage of Preservation from the True Dimension.


    Romulus retained his shocked and devastated countenance.


    "This bastard! How dare he ambush our Hero?!" shouted Empress Kaali, thoroughly enraged.


    "He also killed Atreus¡­" she spoke with a sense of loss.


    [Dammit! The future pawn that I was going to cultivate for my benefit was killed so suddenly inside Babylon¡­] thought the Kukulkan Empress with eyes full of fury.


    "Exin this, Emperor of Amser Empire!" she shouted, pulling out her spear.


    "This¡­ this is a lie!" refuted the Emperor whose face was hidden under a veiled golden spherical hat.


    However, a thunderous voice echoed from Maximus.


    "A lie? He himself said that his original n was to kill the Hero of Darkness. But Hero of Darkness killed his entire party and he had to run away. And that''s why he ambushed us for my Divine Key!" the Hero of Nature also added to the im this time.


    This im was half truth and half lie. But for what reason was Maximus dius, the current Hero of Nature attesting it in front of all these representatives of different empires, no one knew.


    "What?! So the Hero of Darkness is indeed present at the Conve of Heroes?!" asked Kaali,pletely befuddled.


    Gasp!


    Shock!


    This emotion and surprise were shared by everyone because no one suspected or had found out that the Hero of Darkness had already infiltrated Hesperides and even entered Babylon. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    So with that established as the truth¡­ everyone could ask only one question to themselves¡­


    ''HOW?''


    As everyone was engrossed and trying to grasp the situation¡­ a majestic and divine voice echoed¡­


    "Hmmm¡­ the aura around him is normal and his body doesn''t show any signs of time disruption.


    Let me look carefully." spoke the Celestial Deity, the guardian of Hesperides.


    The massive being whose real size could not even be fathomed despite everyone looking at the sky filled with multiple worlds and auras of ethereal energy, stared at Anakin.


    "His soul¡­ it is indeed different than all the other Heroes.


    The aura of time disruption¡­ the one you lot call the Time Regression, does indeed exist in his soul.


    Looks like the God of Time pulled an unexpected move." said the Celestial Guardian.


    Stupefied!


    The Emperor backing the Hero of Time was simply stupefied. Because even a literal Deity had confirmed that the Hero of Time hade from the future.


    What did it entail for him as the Emperor and his Amser Empire that served the God of Time?...


    It meant that they were now going to be targeted by basically every empire and even the Demon Empire in the future once the word got out.


    Because a Heroing from the future and the information he held regarding the future was simply invaluable.


    Something that all the empires who were friendly only on the surface would eagerly covet and would attack their empire for because of the uing war.


    Argos Belmont revealing that the Hero of Time was a time regressor, had done one thing certainly¡­


    He royally screwed them over! Everyone''s attention was now on Hero of Time. But the Hero was simply standing without reacting or responding to anything as if he was unstable in his mind. Because at this moment, he couldn''t even tell that everything that happened in front of him was reality, a dream, or just an alternative timeline because of what Martial Emperor did to him. His brain was basically fried up to the point that he himself was doubting if he was the Hero of Time or someone else. BOOM!


    And exactly when everyone was least expecting¡­


    The Tower of Darkness opened and a long shadow was cast at the front.


    Step!


    Step!


    A figure of regal bearing emerged from the depths of the battlefield,manding attention with every step. d in a dark-grey longcoat, intricately adorned with silver patterns that seemed to dance in the flickering light, he exuded an aura of authority and power.


    At his side, a ck longsword, its hilt adorned with fearsome dragon heads, gleamed with an otherworldly sheen. In his other hand, he held a golden spear, its surface etched with ancient Dwarven and Elven Runes, pulsating withtent energy.


    With each stride, he carried himself with a confidence that bespoke of his formidable prowess.


    His attire, crafted from materials of mythical rank dragon, spoke volumes of his strength. Gauntlets and boots, forged from the bones of legendary beasts, adorned his form, enhancing his already imposing presence.


    This human with a ripped and muscr body, shoulder-length ck hair and ck eyes gazed at the entire entourage made up of Emperors and Empresses, Heroes and Heroines, their surviving party members, and the powerful saints of the group created to hunt him.


    Without showing any hint of fear, anxiety, or alertness towards the danger these powerful figures posed towards him¡­


    "This is quite the crowd for my wee party."


    The man spoke with a confident and authoritative tone as he made a proimation¡­


    "I am Kahn Salvatore¡­ your friendly neighborhood Hero of Darkness."

 Chapter 1032 The Unshakable Dominance

    Chapter 1032 The Unshakable Dominance


    The entire surrounding at the front gates of the towers of gods nowy at a standstill as everyone including the chosen Heroes, ruling authorities of empires, and even the Celestial Deity itself was stunned as soon as Kahn revealed himself as the Hero of Darkness.


    Stunned!


    Gobsmacked!


    As Kahn gazed at the powerhouses around him, those were the only two expressions he could see on their countenances.


    Other than most of the Heroes and their party members who were hiding under robes and cloaks to keep their identities secret... the Emperors, the Empresses, and the hunting group were out in the open and all he could see was disbelief.


    However, the two heroes had their faces exposed.


    Maximus dius aka the Hero of Nature and Anakin Redfield aka the Hero of Time had already revealed their appearances to everyone.


    Shiver!


    A cold shiver ran across Anakin''s body as his expression stiffened.


    And in the next few seconds¡­ a stream of questionable liquid ran down his trousers. After looking at Kahn''s menacing and overbearing appearance, the one man who was the very driving force of his nightmares¡­


    The Hero of Time pissed his pants in front of everyone. Because no matter which life or timeline he was living in at the moment; every time he saw Kahn¡­ his life would bepletely destroyed in the most horrible way in the end. "So you''re still here, huh?" said Kahn as he intently stared at Anakin.


    "Well, I spared you because I didn''t want another empire chasing me after that whole mess with the Hero of Fire in the Vulcan Empire.


    However, if I see you baring your fangs at me again¡­ there won''t be any mercy." dered Kahn in an overbearing voice.


    "So it''s true¡­ the Hero of Time did fight the Hero of Darkness and attacked the Hero of Nature and his party after thetter killed all of his party members." spoke one of the members of the mysterious group.


    This solidified Argos'' previous promation that Hero of Time was indeed a time regressor.


    Since only that could exin how he found the Hero of Darkness so easily while none of them even had any idea that he had already arrived at the Conve of Heroes.


    Kahn then looked at other Heroes and Emperors, the former kind being under their cloaks to hide their appearances and auras.


    "Good, keep hiding your faces and identities. Do not reveal them to me ore in my way like this fool here." said Kahn in a grim and sinister tone as if Death itself was speaking through him. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Otherwise, I may end up killing you identally." he dered in a menacing tone.


    His cold and murderous aura spread into the surroundings, leaving no room for rebuttal.


    Then Kahn''s gaze shifted to the Elven Emperor.


    "I did what to the Hero of Life''s party? You bastard Elves really are cunning. You me me for something I had nothing to do with.


    I haven''t even been to the Elven Empire but suddenly I hear that somehow, I, the Hero of Darkness¡­ ambushed the Hero of Life and tried to kill him just like I did with the Hero of Fire." he spoke in a threatening tone, directly facing the 8th-stage saint with no sense of fear or indecision in his eyes.


    Kahn both talked and walked confidently as if he was not facing the strongest saints of the world but roadside cats and dogs.


    "How about we make that false usation into reality?" he asked the Elven Emperor in an insidious voice.


    "You impertinent brat! How dare you talk to me in such a way?!" eximed the Elven Emperor in rage.


    BOOM!!


    However, instead of the Emperor, it was Kahn who aura released his aura of pure and terrifying Darkness.


    The very next second, everyone present at this gathering was stupefied.


    "What the hell?!"


    Many Emperors and Empresses were shocked.


    "He''s already a 6th-stage saint?! Didn''t he be a 1st stage saint just 5 years ago?!" said Markgrav, the lionkin representative of the Beast Empire from the group made to hunt the Hero of Darkness.


    "But the density and strength of his aura is no different than that of a beginner 7th-stage saint.


    Just how strong his foundation and body are to emit such an overbearing and dangerous aura?" spoke Kaali in utter disbelief.


    [He he he he! Of course, he is strong. He became a Saint after using my, Rathnaar Whitlock, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea''s breakthrough technique.


    Not just the aura but his body is also on par with an actual Beginner 7th-stage saint despite him being only a Beginner 6th-stage saint.


    Just bow in respect to my amazing aplishment, you damn plebians!] said Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind, gloating shamelessly.


    It was indeed the truth¡­ Kahn''s body consumed twice the resourcespared to other Saints and even Heroes but thanks to Rathnaar guiding him since the first time he became a Saint after acquiring the Tablet of Arcana and Rathnaar''s Half-Soul in Vessen fiefdom of the Rakos Empire¡­ He became overwhelmingly strong and his normal physical strength was always on par with others of a higher rank.


    Meanwhile, the Elven emperor and his entourage wanted to react to this bold promation.


    But right then¡­


    "Haughty and overbearing with the skills and strength to back that arrogance¡­


    I like it!." it was Argos Belmont, the Revenant Sovereign who spoke in joy.


    He walked close to Kahn and spoke in a stern voice¡­


    "I have been looking for you for quite some time. I wasn''t even sure you''d make it to the Conve of Heroes."


    "Well, one thing led to another and I ended up in one of their parties.


    All I had to do was fake my death during their trials and leave.


    As for which Hero or Heroine it was¡­ it''s their problem to figure it out." revealed Kahn with a smug countenance.


    "What?! He entered as a member of a Hero''s party?" said a Saint from the mysterious group.


    It was that very moment when all the top echelons of these almighty empires and the mysterious group of warriors specifically made to hunt Kahn realized collectively¡­


    That they were the very reason why the Hero of Darkness arrived safely at the Conve of Heroes.


    And now, instead of cowering in fear, hiding like a rat to save his life or running away like a weakling... Kahn Salvatore, the Hero of Darkness they had been looking for all this time stood in the most domineering and fearless manner despite facing the strongest powers of the world¡­


    Completely Unfazed!

 Chapter 1033 Respect the Past, Embrace the Future

    Chapter 1033 Respect the Past, Embrace the Future


    The atmosphere of the Conve of Heroes was now filled with palpitating hearts and anticipation as the supposed Prey of the Empires was now confidently standing before them without a shred of fear in his eyes.


    Kahn intentionally hinted that he faked his death ''during the trial'' and not after the trial was passed by one of the heroes.


    That way¡­ no one would suspect Atreus, the one who died after the ambush by the Hero of Time after Maximus, the Hero of Nature, passed the trial and also witnessed his demise at the hands of the Hero of Time.


    And given the number of survivors who were less than half the original numbers before all the Heroes and Heroines entered Babylon¡­ no empire had a chance to know which one of their party members was actually the Hero of Darkness or how he faked his identity to enter Babylon right under their nose.


    In honesty, no one would want to im that on themselves because they would face scrutiny and embarrassment if it was found that they were so ipetent that a lone hero even managed to enter their empire''s elite group of warriors who were tasked with assisting and protecting the heroes and passed right through the front door when all the empires were hunting the Hero of Darkness zealously.


    "So you didn''t attack the Hero of Life but they med it on you?" asked Argos.


    Kahn nodded and at this very moment, he telepathically messaged Romulus.


    [Master¡­ Thank you for all your teachings¡­ they kept me alive during the fight with the Hero of Time''s party.


    I would not have made it out if not for the techniques you taught me.


    But it''s time for me to depart for our good. So this is a farewell for a while. I need to leave right now and we may not meet for a long time.] he spoke to the Heavenly King of Fire in a humble and respectful tone.


    [I¡­ understand. It was bound to happen since the day I met you at the border of the Nadur Empire just a year ago. I''m content knowing that I could teach you everything in the small timeframe we had. As your master¡­ I''m proud of you.


    And I look forward to seeing what kind of Hero you will be.] replied Romulus, the Fire elemental Fenrirborne.


    [But you still have a long way to go. Do not ck off in your training or I will hunt you down and skin you alive.] he warned Kahn.


    [Ah, yes. Don''t worry about that master. I have been made to realize how much I''mcking in terms of using the 5 techniques you taught me.


    I also see that there is a lot to improve if I fight the Demon God one day.


    Even though I wasn''t looking forward to it¡­ I guess it''s my time to live up to the moniker of the Hero of Darkness for real.] responded Kahn in an obedient tone.


    [Good. The next time I meet you¡­ you better be stronger than me, or I will break every bone in your body.] said Romulus.


    Kahn almost chuckled to see the usual response from his sadist master who forced him to keep on training regardless of the pain he had to endure in the past year.


    Although he achieved a lot and died more than a million times during his training to learn the new techniques as well as unlock the first form of his domain¡­


    His responsibility as the Hero of Darkness would not allow him to ck off and his role was vital for the future of Vantrea in many ways. Thus, he dly epted the overwhelming expectations his master, Romulus Lykaios, had for him.


    Even the original Kahn aka the Martial Emperor had great respect for Romulus, who was his only true master in the original timeline. So the current Kahn also shared the same amount of respect and appreciation for the Heavenly King of Fire.


    In the real world, the conversation continued¡­


    "Looks like your name has been used for cover-up for many despicable things by these lot.


    Well¡­ our time here is over. We shall decide how to deal with themter." dered the Vampire King.


    Kahn nodded and walked behind Argos.


    He ryed a personal message to Maximus, who for some reason, wasn''t surprised to see Kahn as the Hero of Darkness.


    [Thank you, Maximus. With your help¡­ I can leave the Nadur Empire without any strings attached or traces left behind.] he said.


    [With what you''ve shown and told me¡­ I felt like it was the right thing to do.


    Besides¡­ I was paying off a debt on behalf of the God of Nature.] replied Maximus as he bade farewell to Kahn whom he knew as Atreus Betor.


    With this, unlike the original timeline¡­ the story of the Blue Fenrirborne and the Shadow Disciple of the Heavenly King of Fire ended 2 years earlier in the Beast Empire.


    But this wasn''t the only message he received¡­


    [You''re even more remarkable than I thought. Might as well have to take you in as my son-inw.] said Emperor Havi of the Vulcan Empire.


    [Hah! Stop joking, Fireborne Emperor. The war is just about to begin now.] responded Kahn in a yful tone.


    The next moment, he received another message from an old friend.


    [This is cheating, Kahn! Why are you stronger than me? I just became a 4th-stage saint and you''re already 2 ranks above me.]ined a young woman around the same age as Kahn in a yful tone.


    [Well, being a chosen Hero has its benefits. It''s good to see you doing well, Venessa.


    We shall meet next time when things are less¡­ chaotic.] responded Kahn as he greeted his old friend. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As he started to leave¡­ Vildred, the Lightening Dragon Emperor also followed behind from the True Dimension.


    [So this is the new course of our journey, my disciple?] asked the Sage of Preservation.


    [Yes, for now at least. But do not worry, master.


    I will fulfill our pact one day even if I''m entangled in the uing war with the Demon Empire.] reassured Kahn.


    [Master, when should we make a move?] asked Omega among the group representing the Elven Empire and Hero of Life.


    [I will find a way to contact you all when the time is right. We will reunite once I have figured things out as the Hero of Darkness and what my role will be.


    Till then, carry on as you have been and get strong; because we will be fighting powerful foes very often from now on.] instructed Kahn to all of his subordinates.


    Step!


    Step!


    Kahn folded his arms behind his back and followed after Argos.


    [Wait a minute¡­ there''s something I have left to do.] he spoke to the Revenant Sovereign.


    Kahn''s steps suddenly stopped as he turned around.


    BOOM!!


    Kahn''s bursting aura suddenly changed and turnedpletely ck and blue, revealing a perfect bnce of Darkness and Cosmic Aether as if they had perfectly merged and revealed a dark-blue dragonfire mixed within his aura. Kahn''s previously ck and Red aura now ceased to exist and the newly formed ck and Blue aura mixed with Dragonfire had be his newly evolved aura, setting a milestone in Kahn''s own evolution.


    Dhang!


    Dhang!


    As moments passed, even the mighty Emperors and Empresses felt a threatening aura epassing their visages while the heroes and heroines could barely move their bodies.


    And from Kahn''s new aura¡­ arose a 10-meter-tall mighty figure, materializing above him.


    Everyone stared with bewilderment at this new dark and grim figure.


    This wasn''t Kahn but the silhouette of the Martial Emperor that hovered above him.


    "This¡­ this is the aura of a Peak 8th-stage saint! How is this even possible?!" This time, all the Emperors and Heroes, including Kahn''s own hidden allies were simply befuddled¡­


    This was a power akin to a farewell gift left by the Martial Emperor to the current Kahn, called as¡­ Descent of the Martial God.


    "A word of advice¡­ whether it''s a chosen Heroes or Heroines, the Emperors or the Empresses, or even the said group that was formed to hunt me since the day I was sent in this world¡­


    Do not think that you can touch me or attack me just because I have no backing or guidance in this world." he spoke in a grim voice as his eyes revealed a terrifying bloodlust and his overbearing deathly aura of darkness spread around the enemies.


    "From now on¡­ If anyone even looks at me the wrong way¡­" spoke Kahn as he made a tyrannical and terrifying deration at the conclusion of the Conve of Heroes¡­


    "I''ll end your entire fucking bloodline!"


    -------------------------------------------------------


    ------------END OF ARC/VOLUME 7--------------


    -------------------------------------------------------

 Chapter 1034 Arc 7 Epilogue

    Chapter 1034 Arc 7 Epilogue


    Hello everyone, this is the customary Arc Epilogue chapter where I waste your time with things that retrospectively affected the novel plotline or chapter release rate.


    And I won''t be going roundabout ways or trying to shift the topic from the most important thing that affects both me as the Author and you as the Readers of Hero of Darkness.


    So let''s address the main issue¡­ which is my health.


    Suppose you are a long-term reader of the novel who has been with me since I started this novel almost 3 years ago or you joined the midway around 500 chapters during the Sovereign Arc. In that case, you are already aware of how often I get affected by various illnesses and chronic pain episodes because I have Sickle Cell Anemia.


    But in the past year, as in 2023¡­ matters became too dire to neglect and for me to not talk about them openly.


    A series of events have led to the fall of the novel in many aspects such as writing quality, choices of my vocabry for scenes, environment and character description and presenting their motives, etc.


    Let''s not even mention the dramatic fall in overall readers, my ie, or the rankings. The novel that used to be in the Top 30 novels on Webnovel has not even been in the Top 100 for almost a year at this point.


    So I feelpelled to exin what actually happened that has brought us to this pivoting moment.


    You can skip this entire chapter if you don''t care or stick with me if you still have expectations and attachments to this novel.


    So I''ll start the Doomsday Clock¡­


    By the end of 2022, I was simply way too stressed because of the work and both physically as well as mentally exhausted to the point where I wanted to simply give up.


    When January 2023 finally arrived, I was already on the brink of a mental breakdown where I asked myself what''s the point of working this hard while I''m not living a fulfilling life and working tillte night just to earn money that I don''t spend on myself while not being appreciated by my family for pulling us out of Mary Pinch.


    Everything is expected of me since I''m the only son and not a single word of care or appreciation from a single family member because they can''t brag about me to the neighbors or rtives since ''Writing'' as a profession is heavily looked down upon in our society, even less than a school peon in my region.


    Meanwhile, people here brag about their sons and daughters having Government or Corporate jobs even with half the srypared to what I used to earn in those days.


    So when I was pushed to the brink, I simply gave in to the depression and decided to put the novel on hiatus because I simply didn''t have it in me to carry on anymore.


    The breaksted for the next 3 months till I regained the will to write and live again.


    The novel carried on till September properly but then my body started giving up to the extent where even getting out of bed felt like a chore and I was out of breath just by climbing 30 steps of stairs.


    These circumstances were brought about by my sedentary lifestyle because the stress from work always left me mentally exhausted tillte at night, leading to imperfect sleep and then me being unable to find the will to get out of bed until 10 AM.


    So my physical health was in decline on every front. And then I had a desperate epiphany one night¡­ telling me to Go to the Fucking Gym!


    And I did¡­ rejoined the gym after almost 5 years and the reality sucker punched me again with the fact that even an 18-year-old teenager was fitter, more agile and stronger than me because of the neglect of my health in the past 2 years when I used to prioritize the novel till the point where my arms were swelling every day and my thumb couldn''t even hold a spoon while eating.


    s, things don''t go the way you want.


    The next 2 months were filled with agony and constant muscle pain, not from my disease but because of me breaking my muscles in the gym while doing Strength Training and mild Cardio almost 6 days a week.


    Only in December of 2023 did I adapt and resume the novel again.


    And wait for it!...


    BOOM!


    Got admitted to the ICU for a whole week, barely awake for the first 2 days because of the heavy painkillers and IVs I was given to reduce the pain. Took 4 days till I was finally off of the Oxygen mask and could breathe on my own. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Thus¡­ the remainder half of December also went on a hiatus.


    January of 2024 was rtively a good month where I updated chapters almost the whole month on a daily basis.


    But since the Universe wants me dead¡­


    Got admitted to the hospital twice in February, each time for a different reason but had to spend a week there. On both asions, I couldn''t breathe when I was hospitalized and had to survive on an oxygen mask for a couple of days simr to my days in the ICU.


    Just the recovery itself took half a month and thus there were no updates in February.


    I tried writing in March but again, the world seems to want me dead.


    Got affected with high fever and Bronchitis for another 10 days.


    There was a day when I wanted to just pull the plug on myself because I too get tired from constant suffering and constant pain and illness that justes out of nowhere.


    Feels as if someone has been trying to kill me with multidimensional ck magic with all these things.


    Maybe Demon God trying to end me before I even introduce him in the novel? Seems usible to be honest. So this is the Recount of the past year till now. Hence, the Conve of Heroes arc which should have finished in Augustst year, has been dyed, stretched and finally ended in March 2024.


    So I hope you can give me some leeway here. I too am aware of the good wishes from many readers and I yearn to deliver like my former peak form¡­ It''s just that the past year has been unkind to me.


    Like a certain purple alien¡­ I too want to rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe.


    ----------------


    NOW¡­.


    The only thing left to address is the uing arcs of the novel.


    I will admit in all honesty that for the first time since I started the novel¡­


    I''m going in without a n or an Arc Plotline written.


    All the ideas are in my head but I haven''t made the perfect storyboard like I have done for the novel till now.


    And I''m afraid I don''t have the will to spend 2 days just to write a storyboard for the arc plotline so if I lose the direction midway of the uing arc, do forgive me.


    I will try to update as much as I can but if I disappear for a while, know that it''s because I have fallen ill¡­ or probably dead.


    By the end of this year¡­ I''ll also be a 30-year-old virgin who never had a girlfriend. On that note¡­ Before bing Kahn; Elric too had a simr life.


    And given how my past year went¡­ is the 13th floor enough?


    P.S. God of Darkness is doing some serious foreshadowing right there. Let''s hope your boy CrimsonWolf survives for years toe. Because I already have ideas for 3 more novels other than Hero of Darkness and Drac Reincarnated With A System.


    Just that my mortal shell is not cooperating with me and helping me continue the work as I previously did when I started this novel.


    Given the amount of plots and storylines I have left, HoD alone will have at least 600 more chapters. No more unnecessary exploring, hiding identity unless for a plot and introduction of more Hero characters, different empires, species, and a lot more reference arts like I used to do before the apocalypse hit my body.


    So I beseech thee, O mighty Readers¡­ to keep walking with me through this arduous, dangerous, and unpredictable journey.


    And remember, if we persist through these trials and tribtions called Patience and Perseverance¡­


    The Sun will shine on us again.

 Chapter 1035 Setting New Course

    Chapter 1035 Setting New Course


    After the earth-shattering events that unfolded during the tumultuous 4th Conve of Heroes, the delicate bnce of power that had long governed the world stood on the brink of upheaval.


    The revtion of the Hero of Darkness sent shockwaves throughout the minds of the rulers of major empires, while the unveiling of the Hero of Time as a Time Regressor, wielding knowledge of the future, added anotheryer ofplexity to the unfolding saga.


    On top of it, Argos Belmont, the Revenant Sovereign who was heralded as one of the two strongest saints of this era dered himself as the new representative of God of Darkness and officially backed Kahn in front of all the powerhouses of the Empires serving Gods and Goddesses.


    His open threat to the Emperors and Heroes in case anyone tried to harm the Hero of Darkness was etched in their memories because he truly possessed the strength to wipe out their entire empire if he willed to do so.


    With these many predicaments that affected all of their futures, the Conve of Heroes ended, with no certain victor or a loser while everyone was aware of the fact that the entire timeline of Vantrea had been affected.


    The Next Day¡­


    Swoosh!


    Flutter! Two figures suddenly appeared in a vast valley, filled with numerous mountains on both sides that spanned 100 kilometers in length and 15 kilometers in width.


    The lush greenery and enriched wildlife brought a sense of serenity and natural charm to the environment.


    However¡­


    In the middle of this valley, was a ginormous and tall ck castle that spanned for 5 kilometers in width and 1 kilometer in height, floated quietly in the cloudy sky.


    "Wee to my humble abode¡­ the Bran Castle." spoke the Vampire King as he introduced his home to Kahn.


    Hundreds of massive 10-meter-tall humanoid creatures including Vampires, Gargoyles, Bruxas, Lamias, and Werewolves were guarding the grand castle on various fronts, turning it into a war fortress in a sense.


    Among them, Kahn sensed 4 Saints that resided in 4 towers on opposite ends.


    Shing!


    But the very next moment, Kahn''s senses went on high alert as his eyes widened.


    Creak!


    The massive 50-meter-tall gates of the castle opened and a small army of ck and red armored vampire knights revealed itself.


    But they were not the ones Kahn found rming but rather a single individual leading them.


    A tall and muscr old vampire with long golden hair, beard and gleaming yellow eyes, dressed in white and red suit akin to a butler in aristocratic attire walked with a confident gaze.


    As soon as Kahn and Argosnded at the front of the gates, the old butler who seemed to be in his 70s in terms of human years, revealed a gobsmacked expression. "This is my most loyal retainer¡­ Lucian Varangis." revealed Argos as he walked with slow steps.


    Thud!


    All the knights knelt on one knee while holding the banner of the Belmont Kingdom.


    "This vampire¡­ is an Intermediate 7th-stage saint." spoke Kahn with an astonished countenance.


    But at the same time¡­


    "My lord¡­ is he who I think he is?..." asked the old vampire.


    "Yes¡­ Meet the new Hero of Darkness, Kahn Salvatore." spoke Argos as he casually strode off with a steady pace while the other two followed behind.


    Lucian on the side, was perplexed and slightly ted.


    He bowed in respect towards Kahn.


    "It is an honor to finally meet you, Young Lord." he said in a gentle and caring tone. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Likewise." said Kahn and extended his right palm to greet the golden-haired vampire.


    Lucian suddenly stopped with an astonished countenance¡­


    "This lowly one is not worthy to shake the young lord''s hands." he spoke with a calm voice.


    On the other hand, Kahn was left puzzled¡­


    An intermediate 7th-stage saint was strong enough to be one of the top 5 strongest beings in any empire. Even the Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro was an Intermediate 7th-stage saint but he was one of the strongest n leaders whomanded millions of people in the Beast Empire.


    Much like his master, Romulus Lykaios¡­ Lucian was a powerhouse who would earn respect and authority no matter where he went.


    Yet for some reason, he was presenting himself as a mere servant in front of Kahn while addressing himself as unworthy to even shake his hand.


    Kahn awkwardly pulled back his hand.


    "My Lord, now that you have finally found the Young Lord¡­


    Please tell me why I did you to reveal yourself as the backer of the Hero of Darkness so suddenly?" asked Lucian with a slight resignation visible on his face.


    "I received an urgent message thatpelled me to act hastily since it was rted to Kahn''s safety.


    That''s why I had to hurry up and enter Hesperides on short notice." revealed Argos sternly in a regal tone.


    "So you know about the altered timeline?" asked Kahn.


    Argos nodded.


    However, their conversation was interfered by the retainer of the vampire king.


    "Ah, so the Young Lord''s life was in danger because someone altered the timeline?" asked Lucian with a bewildered countenance.


    "Yes. It was the Hero of Time who returned to the past. I had no choice but to reveal it to everyone present at the Conve of Heroes.


    For now, all of the Empires and their rulers will have their attention focused on him.


    The Empire of Time will also be busy dealing with the aftermath." he said calmly.


    "I also noticed the Royal Dragon but didn''t talk about it until you werefortable." said the Revenant Sovereign.


    Swoosh!


    The very next second, Vildred Mortelix, the Lightning Dragon Emperor, and the Sage of Preservation came out of an invisible barrier.


    "How much do you know?" asked the Sage Magician.


    "You¡­ since I attended the Conve. Him¡­" suddenly, Argos pointed towards Kahn''s chest.


    "Since the time Kahn killed the Hero of Fire in the Vulcan Empire." spoke Argos with a smirk.


    [Boy¡­ he knows about me too.] spoke Rathnaar in Kahn''s mind.


    "To make a Soul-Oath with the former Peak Saint of Vantrea¡­ I must say that you have impressed me a lot." cited the vampire king.


    "I reckon you survived the Hero of Time and his party''s onught with his help and guidance?" asked Argos curiously.


    But instead of Kahn, he received the telepathic response from Rathnaar himself¡­


    [It was all done by the boy. The Hero of Time came fully prepared and severed our connection using an Ancient Rank artifact called Warhorn of Confinement. I only regained my connection to him after he was done defeating the Hero of Time.


    But if you say that he traveled back in time¡­ that exins how he knew about me.] iterated the Peak Saint.


    Meanwhile, Lucian felt relieved. He was not even taken aback by suddenly seeing a Royal Dragon, rather, his priorities were different...


    He quickly appeared in front of Kahn and grasped both his shoulders.


    "Thank you! Thank you for staying alive, young lord!" he spoke in a jolted and overly ted high-pitched voice.


    Kahn was simply stunned to even react and stood awkwardly as Lucian shook his body back and forth because of his happiness. "Ah, don''t worry. He rarely gets this happy so his response to such news is always extreme. He will open up to you with enough time." spoke Argos with a mischievous smile.


    Stare!


    Lucian intently stared at the revenant Sovereign with an intense gaze,ining to his lord for embarrassing him without speaking a word.


    Argos'' gaze shifted sideways as he shifted the topic.


    "Any word from the battlefield?" he asked.


    Lucian''s expression rxed as he responded sternly while following towards the main door of the castle.


    "The Demon Emperor is honoring his word. If the Demon God hadn''t entered the retreat for his next breakthrough, he would have been fighting on the front himself.


    And during your visit to the Conve of Heroes, Sir Sylvester has taken the responsibility to guard the borders." reported the old 7th-stage saint vampire.


    "What?! Why is that upright bastard suddenly acting on his own?" asked Argos, slightly taken aback.


    "I believe he feared that the Demon Empire would make another move since all the Emperors, Empresses, and the summoned Heroes were busy with the Conve of Heroes.


    And since you too disappeared aftermencing the ceasefire with the Demon Emperor¡­


    In his words¡­ he was being cautious." stated Lucian as a long line of servants bowed in front of Argos and Kahn.


    Right then, Kahn asked with a curious tone¡­


    "Who is this sir Sylvester? To hold the Demon Emperor at bay with his presence?"


    Argos suddenly stopped his steps and replied in a stoic voice¡­


    "There are 4 Sovereigns in Vantrea.


    Two of them are Beginner 9th-stage saints while the other two, including me, are Intermediate 9th-stage saints.


    Although I''m usually regarded as the strongest among the two, he is not the one to look down upon even if it''s the Demon Emperor." stated the Revenant Sovereign.


    "His name is Sylvester Armstrong. The people also call him¡­ the Warfarer Sovereign." dered Argos as if advocating his peer''s strength and regality.


    "Oh, he also has a unique ss you probably never heard of."


    "What ss?" asked Kahn.


    Argos replied to Kahn nonchntly¡­


    "The Deity Summoner."


    Gasp!


    Kahn was shocked. It was the Ancient Rank ss simr to someone he knew very well.


    But right then¡­ he remembered something.


    [So the future me knew that he would be crucial for the Great War.]


    Because among the list of people the Martial Emperor aka original Kahn instructed him to meet in this new timeline¡­


    The Warfarer Sovereign was one of them.


    Kahn, Argos, Vildred, and Lucian entered the castle guarded by 10-meter-tall gargoyles, hellhounds, and 4 saints of vampire species.


    Kahn then asked Argos¡­


    "Where are we going now? This castle can''t be our final destination, right?" he queried.


    Argos let out a smile and responded¡­


    "To meet the one who informed me that this timeline has changed. Thus forcing me to reveal myself as the new representative of the God of Darkness prematurely." "And who is that?" asked Vildred as he too was fascinated at this point.


    "I''d rather have you meet him yourself first." replied the sovereign.


    "So there where does he live?" asked Kahn curiously.


    Argos then looked at Lucian and spoke in amanding tone.


    "Steer the course of the castle. We''re going to the¡­" revealed Argos the next immediate destination of Kahn''s journey as soon as he was revealed to the world as the Hero of Darkness.


    "Empire of Space."

 Chapter 1036 The Hidden Alliancee

    Chapter 1036 The Hidden Alliance


    1 Week Later¡­


    In a frigid, a breathtaking spectacle unfolded before the eyes of any who beheld it.


    An unbelievable sight came to be in a cold region with a massive tree made of crystalline ice that was touching the sky with its whooping 3-kilometer tall height and 1-kilometer radius.


    Thousands of massive boulders made of permafrost were rotating around this ginormous tree and the air was filled with snow, casting shimmering reflections in the icy air.


    The air was chilled to the point where one would get a frostbite just by breathing it.


    Rumble!


    Whoosh!


    Amidst this frozen tableau, a sudden disturbance ruptured the serenendscape. With a deafening rumble and a rushing whoosh, a grandiose ck castle materialized into existence, its imposing form dominating the horizon.


    This 5-kilometer wide and 1-kilometer tall ck castle appeared just 3 kilometers away.


    Encircled by a reddish barrier, the fortress hovered ominously in the sky, radiating an aura of formidable strength and power. Without entering the frost zone, the castle that was housing thousands of warriors and 8 saints shook the surroundings with its imposing aura.


    Finally, the red film of barrier-like formation that surrounded the Bran Castle waned on its own, and the gates of this mighty fortress-like castle were opened.


    Woosh!


    "We''re here. They should have learned of our arrival now." spoke Argos Belmont, the Vampire King.


    Kahn and Lucian along with the other 4 saint vampires who served Argos looked at the unfathomable creation of nature in front of them.


    "What''s up with that tree? It looks like it''s made of ice but why do I feel like something is different about it; something iprehensible." said Lucian Varangis, the most loyal retainer of the Revenant Sovereign.


    "That''s no normal ice. I can feel the Law from it¡­" said Vildred, the Royal Dragon in his humanoid form.


    "Whatw?" asked the golden-haired vampire.


    However, it was Kahn who replied in a stern voice and a serious expression.


    "The Space Law."


    Not only Lucian but the other vampire saints were also taken aback.


    It was their first timeing to the Empire of Space, so they had no means to sense or detect the Space Law.


    Only Kahn, who practiced the Space Law himself, Vildred, who was one of the most skilled and knowledgeable Magicians in the world and Argos, a Sovereign of Vantrea, were able to detect it at first nce.


    "That tree isn''t actually a tree and neither it is made from ice.


    It''s actually¡­ a Dimensional Tower." dered the silver-haired vampire.


    "Let me guess¡­ it''s simr to those cracks in space that lead you somewhere else by creating a direct passage between dimensions and space." said Vildred.


    "Correct. Although you''re a Royal Dragon¡­ You seem to have explored the outside world beyond the Dragon Empire." spoke Argos.


    Even at this point, Argos had no idea that Vildred was a Sage and the previous Dragon Emperor.


    To him, he was just a Royal Dragon akin to a pilgrim on a sabbatical.


    "Something like that." responded Vildred casually while showing an anticipating expression on his face, trying to study the operational mechanics of this astronomical-sized tree.


    Right then, Argos spoke with a confident smile¡­


    "They''re here."


    Crack!


    Crack!


    The surroundings reverberated as the ginormous tree started cracking like a burning wooden log.


    And finally, the ginormous tree opened a pathway in the middle while the thousands of those permafrost boulders stopped revolving.


    A bright blueish hue epassed everyone''s sight as multiple grand spaceship-like figures appeared from the 500-meter-wide pathway opened by the tree.


    "The hell¡­ who is that?" asked Kahn.


    "The one who contacted me." responded Argos with a carefree tone.


    Rumble!


    Rumble!


    The ships finally stopped and hundreds of tall armored figures came out at the hanger of the flying ship.


    But at the same time, they all seemed to guard someone while holding the banners of their empire.


    [Careful, boy. That''s an 8th-stage saint.] informed Rathnaar with caution.


    "Don''t tell me, that''s¡­" spoke Kahn but before he could continue¡­


    "Yes, it''s him." said the Vampire Sovereign.


    They allnded in the hangar and finally met the host.


    "So you''ve brought him without wasting time as we agreed." spoke an imposing figure.


    Before them, stood an old man with long brown hair and a white beard, adorning a Sokutai while having a katana on his waist.Y?ur f??vorite stories on ??/o/(v)??/lb??n(.)c??m


    If Argos hadn''t told him about this hidden ally beforehand, Kahn''s first instinct would have been to run away as far as he could.


    "Kahn¡­ meet Sakamoto Hideyoshi, the Emperor of the Erdve Empire." said Argos as he introduced the 8th-stage saint.


    The emperor, who seemed human by appearance but had a demonic aura to him looked at Kahn with a light smile.


    "Isn''t this the confident young man who said he''d end my entire bloodline at the Conve of Heroes?"


    Kahn was stunned but smiled awkwardly in return¡­


    "Had to do what I had to do. But even you would agree that the message did make an impact." spoke Kahn in a respectful tone.


    "That it did. Even our Hero was highly motivated by your disy of strength and the domineering aura you showed everyone at the end.


    He has been training intensely ever since we returned from the Conve, saying that he can''t fall behind you if he were to fight the Demon God one day." responded the Emperor, not holding any grudge against Kahn for such an open threat.


    "Admirable. But does he know about this alliance?" asked Kahn in a skeptical tone.


    "No, and I''d rather keep it this way. Even my family or my loyal Daimyos don''t know about this.


    The less people know about this coalition for now, the better." iterated the Emperor.


    Kahn nodded.


    "Let''s go. This ce is one of the Imperial Family''s secret Space Terminals that no one even in the Imperial Court knows about.


    It will lead us directly to the sacred resting ce of my family." said the Emperor and turned back.


    "Wait¡­ why are we going to his family''s ancestral tombs?" asked Kahn to Argos.


    "Didn''t I say¡­ He''s the one who ''contacted'' me.


    But now, we are following him to meet the one who ''informed'' me about the change in the timeline." revealed the vampire king and quietly followed behind the ruler of the Empire of Space.


    [Sakamoto Hideyoshi¡­ that''s a Japanese name. And if my guess is correct, they too use the surname first and nameter just like Japan and a few other Asian countries on Earth.


    Do they have some connection?] wondered Kahn.


    The Bran Castle was left behind as Argos and his entourage boarded the ship.


    Soon, the flock of flying ships turned around and entered through the pathway steadily.


    "You practice the Space Law, right?" asked Hideyoshi.


    "Yes, the 3rd enlightenment," responded Kahn.


    "Can''t help but say that I''m jealous of your talent. I''m only a fire elemental swordsman.


    Even among my children, no one has even achieved the 2nd enlightenment.


    Even our Hero of Space has been struggling to get past the 2nd enlightenment." revealed the emperor casually, divulging secret information so easily for some reason.


    "Well¡­ he''ll get there some day." spoke Kahn.


    Obviously, he couldn''t tell the Emperor that he achieved that 3rd enlightenment with the help of a literal Linchpin of the Multiverse within the Chamber of Exaltation that was inside the Tablet of Arcana, one of the six creations left by Demi-Gods.


    It wasn''t that he wasn''t exceptional¡­ just that he had the best help in the world to achieve the 3rd enlightenment.


    Soon, the surroundings of these flying ships were covered in a blueish barrier, shaped like beehives whilepletely encircling them.


    "Entering the Hyperspace." announced the pilot of the ship.


    Swoosh!


    Shing!


    As if turning into a ray of light, all the ships suddenly flew at hyperspeed.


    [This¡­ is just like the Hyperdrive from those Star Wars movies.


    The Empire of Space can use something like that?] wondered Kahn,pletely gobsmacked.


    It had barely been 3 minutes and the captain of the ship made another announcement¡­


    "Reaching destination in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1!"


    Rumble!!


    As if space itself was torn, a void crack appeared in a vast mountain valley and the entourage of the flying ships came out of them.


    A mountain filled with lush greenery and bamboo shoots. This mountain was filled with natural waterfalls and rich wildlife.


    At the peak of the mountain, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, stood the imposing Dobei castle. Its grandeur and size were unparalleled, stretching for a kilometer and featuring multipleyers of intricate architecture. The castle''s walls boasted a pristine white and golden color, shimmering under the sunlight andmanding attention from afar. It was a fortress that symbolized strength and protection, capable of amodating a vast number of warriors during times of conflict.


    As one approached the castle, they would notice the meticulous carvings and designs adorning its structure. These engravings depicted monsters, deities, and divine beings that were unfamiliar to the inhabitants of Vantrea, giving an air of mystery and enchantment to the fortress.


    Guarding the castle were hundreds of warriors, armed with spears and swords, positioned strategically throughout the fortress.


    Among them, two formidable 3rd-stage saints stood out, their presence exuding power and authority. The warriors hailed from various backgrounds, with only a third of them being humans. The rest disyed distinct characteristics reminiscent of demons, showcasing a diverse array of skin colors, shapes, and sizes.


    "So this is the Erdve Empire that serves the God of Space, Raum?" asked Kahn.


    Obviously, he noticed the architecture from Earth because of his past as a fan of the japanese culture as Elric.


    But all he could do was ask himself at this moment¡­


    "Who the hell created this empire?"


    The very next moment¡­


    "The one you''re here to meet¡­ My great ancestor. He was also¡­"


    Sakamoto Hideyoshi, the Emperor of the Erdve Empire, ended his curiosity as he dered¡­


    "The 6th Hero of Space."

 Chapter 1037 The Sixth Hero of Space

    Chapter 1037 The Sixth Hero of Space


    After the Emperor of the Space Empire revealed the identity of his ancestor, Kahn was shaken and also perplexed after learning that the person he was going to meet was a former Hero.


    [Wait, aren''t all heroes and heroines of previous generations dead?] he wondered.


    "I know what you''re thinking. Just follow behind." said Sakamoto Hideyoshi and walked into a beautiful pce.


    [This looks a lot like the Imperial Pce in Japan. I feel like I''m in the Sengoku Era.] thought Kahn to himself. Soon, they entered the top floor of this pce where someone was already waiting for them.


    In front of the emperor shone a divine white light and revealed the condensed stature of a powerful being.


    A 5-meter-tall and imposing white-haired elderly man awaited.


    The grand persona glowing in white light through its body was dressed in a regal blue and ck Kamishimo was seated on a Tatami mat, his two katanas strapped to his waist. The air carried an air of reverence as the Emperor disyed the utmost sense of respect for this being.


    It was a simr scenario when Kahn first met Rathnaar in the Rakos Empire since the ancient being in front of the Emperor was also a¡­ Remnant Soul.


    "Paying respect to Sosen no Ten''n¨­!" spoke the emperor as he knelt on both his feet, revealing his vehement expression.


    Kahn made a ny-degree bow as per the tradition he knew. However, Argos and Vildred didn''t even bother greeting.


    Kahn could tell that this Ancestor was a Remnant Soul just like Rathnaar.


    However, this apparition was aplete soul and not a half-soul like thetter.


    Kahn looked at the Emperor and then the Ancestor¡­


    "Thank you for inviting us. But may I ask why are we here?


    And why are we friends now? I bet you were keen on finding and killing me for the divine key just like everyone else before the Conve of Heroes." spoke Kahn abruptly and his tone carried a sense of caution as well as misgivings.


    The emperor''s expression went stiff but he regained hisposed demeanor soon.


    "Why this alliance all of a sudden just because the Hero of Time came back in the past?" questioned Kahn again.


    The emperor questioned in a stern tone¡­


    "You don''t shy away from tough topics, do you?"


    "Well, if I''m to trust an enemy, I need direct and valid reasons." replied Kahn.


    Argos and Vildred only maintained a stern countenance as if they too shared the same sentiment.


    "Well, it''s because although the appeal of your divine key to gain 2 more apples of Eden is lucrative¡­ in the end, we follow our God''s will above our greed for power and authority.


    Besides¡­ the Empires serving Gods have been fighting a shadow war among themselves for far too long now.


    There might not even be a world left after 8 years as per our God''s estimation. So what good would having a Peak Saint in our ranks do?" responded Hideyoshi.


    Kahn nodded and so did Vildred and Argos.


    This alliance wasn''t out of goodwill or benevolence but due to their need for survival.


    And now that the God of Space himself had intervened in this matter, the Emperor had no reason to target Kahn, the Hero of Darkness.


    For someone like him, the survival of his people and the empire was far more important than just gaining a powerhouse at this point.


    Thus, one of the Empires that was previously hunting Kahn was now his ally.


    "What about your warrior in that group?" asked Kahn.


    But right then, it was Argos who responded.


    "It was he who contacted me when I was leading the war at the border of the Demon Empire." revealed the vampire king.


    "Yes. He too is of the same opinion. Since we couldn''t leave as the Conve was close and couldn''t risk anyone attacking us when we were not looking, it was he who delivered the message." revealed Sakamoto Hideyoshi. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Then does that mean we also have a spy in the group that''s to hunt me?" asked Kahn.


    Hideyoshi nodded in affirmation.


    "What are they called anyway?" asked Kahn.


    "Given the nature of their task¡­ they gained the name Inquisitors." said the Emperor.


    "Do know that they will stille for you one day. Their whole operation method is very free from thews of the empires.


    Even our warrior agreed to let go of his grudge only because our God''s Decree demanded so.


    The rest still have very good motivation to hunt and kill you." responded the Emperor.


    "All that because of my predecessor?" asked Kahn.


    "You can''t me them. It''s the only way for most of them to move on in their life.


    The path of vengeance wasn''t chosen by them¡­ it found them. And all of them do not care about the politics of the empire but rather to offer peace to their loved ones and their oldrades." exined the Emperor.


    "I see. So that''s why you have chosen to hide our allegiance even from your family." said Kahn.


    The emperor nodded¡­


    "Not everyone can be understanding of the situation and let go of their hatred just because the world is about to end.


    Not everyone sees the bigger picture nor do they care about the fate of the world when their own revenge is clouding their mind." said the Emperor in a benign tone.


    Kahn nodded in understanding.


    That was also part of human nature. Not everyone was a great leader or a ruler who always saw the bigger picture or could let go of their grievances just because more important things were at stake.


    Even on earth, it was a verymon sentiment among the masses because not everyone was a weakw-abiding citizen who feared taking the life of someone who killed their loved ones or a family member.


    Forget others, even Kahn wasn''t a Forgiving Saint like that so it was understandable to him.


    "Now that we have done discussing¡­ let me and the boy talk in private." spoke the Ancestor.


    "And that goes for you too¡­ sir Rathnaar Whitlock." said the soul specter.


    [Tch! I thought I did a good job in hiding myself.] spoke the Peak Saint in a discontent tone.


    "That you did. But we are very alike at the present moment.


    Also, it''s only your Half-Soul. The Soul Essence you have is not enough to hide you from me." spoke the Ancestor.


    [Fine¡­ I''ll be away.] said Rathnaar and cut himself off from Kahn.


    Everyone else also left the room.


    Shing!


    The soul specter created a subspace that was different from the real world and true dimension.


    Kahn was simply astonished. Because it was neither an illusion, a domain, or some magic formation¡­ it was apletely man-made dimension.


    "Now then, child. There''s a reason why I called for you after receiving our God''s decree." spoke the Ancestor.


    "You have achieved the 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law, yes?"


    Kahn nodded.


    "Then among all the Heroes, including the current Hero of Space, you''re the most suitable candidate." proimed the ancestor.


    "Candidate for what?" asked Kahn, puzzled.


    "The truth is¡­ I''m the only Hero of Space who achieved the highest degree of control in the Space Law before my death among those who came before and after me.


    And our God, Raum was very impressed with my achievement." said the Ancestor.


    "In my generation of summoned heroes, I was also the strongest and killed the Demon God." dered the ancestor.


    Kahn was simply stunned to speak. To hear that the old man in front of him had actually seeded in killing the Demon God in his era.


    "Unfortunately¡­ Even I didn''t know the perfect way to kill him permanently. So the God of Spacemanded me to leave my consciousness behind as a Remnant Soul close to 600 years ago when I was at my prime as a Peak 8th-stage saint.


    To train a future Hero of Space who met the condition such as achieving at least a 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law.


    Sadly¡­ I have not found my sessor in that regard even now." iterated the ancestor.


    "Our current Hero of Space is a young man who values honor, ethics, and morality. He also has a strong sense of justice andpanionship.


    Unfortunately, his mastery over the Space Law is not as adept as yours.


    And that is why our God ordered me to teach you." exined the ancestor.


    "Teach me what?" asked Kahn.


    "How to achieve the 4th-enlightenment in the Space Law." Kahn was shocked.


    "Besides, I want to hear what happened in our world." spoke the old ancestor.


    "What do you mean by ''our''?" asked Kahn, partially anticipating the answer.


    "I too am from the Earth, just like you."


    Kahn kind of half expected this revtion at this point. So without wasting time¡­ he asked¡­


    "This type of architecture, the culture, some of the species I have seen, and even the way names and customs people seem to follow here¡­


    Just who are you?" asked Kahn to the old ancestor with two katanas on his waist.


    "Ah, I guess I should tell you the names people used to call me by." spoke the ancestor.


    "Some called me the Sword Saint, some called me the Dual Swordsman while others called me Dual-wielding Samurai.


    But you can call me¡­" spoke the old ancestor with a tranquil expression.


    The very next moment, the floor beneath Kahn''s feet shook as he was shocked to his core when the old ancestor, the 6th Hero of Space revealed his true name¡­


    "Miyamoto Musashi."

 Chapter 1038 The Sword Saint

    1038 The Sword Saint


    Kahn waspletely gobsmacked, his mind left in disbelief after learning that the 6th Hero of Space who was from Earth just like him was none other than the legendary Miyamoto Musashi.


    For the second time in his new life, Kahn had met someone who was from Earth just like him. In total, it was the 3rd person from Earth that he hade to know of after Bjorn Ragnarsson, the 4th Hero of Life, then Marcus Brutus, the 7th Hero of Nature, and now, Miyamoto Musashi, the 6th Hero of Space.


    Including Kahn, the 9th Hero of Darkness, that''s a total of 4 individuals who were summoned from Earth to Vantrea. Who knew if there were more in the past or whether someone else was also summoned from Earth in the current era just like him.


    And to top it off, the old ancestor was a historical figure he had learned and read about back in the day.


    Before him, sat Miyamoto Musashi, the very man who was hailed as the Greatest Samurai to ever live.


    The man who fought in life and death duels since he was 13, invented the Niten Ichi-ry¨± aka the dual samurai swordsmanship style which tranted to Two Swords as One.


    Not only was this man the greatest Samurai, but he was also one of the great philosophers of the 17th Century even though he hailed from a life of warfare and politics.


    His glory and achievements as well as wisdom were so superior that even in the modern times when Elric was alive on earth, millions of people held this man in high regard.


    "Do you perhaps know who I am¡­ was, before my death?" asked the 6th Hero of Space.


    Kahn made a 90-degree bow and told him about everything he knew of the man and how even the current era perceived the name, Miyamoto Musashi.


    "I see. So I did leave behind a legacy.


    And what happened to our Land of the Sun?" asked the 6th Hero with a curious gaze.


    "Well, after the Edo Era ended¡­" spoke Kahn and continued all the things that he was aware of rted to the wars, political changes, and development as a country.


    Kahn did not hesitate to hide what Imperial Japan did to other countries in the name of territorial expansion, their role in the World Wars, and how now it was famous for Animes, Mangas, Cuisine, Culture, and¡­ "I see. My homnd has always been a ce of war even before I was born and even when I held a lot of power. The peace they have now¡­ I hope itsts for a long time.


    Thank you, for telling me." spoke Musashi as he gently caressed his long white beard.


    Soon, they started discussing their arrangement.


    Kahn asked curiously¡­


    "Why me though? You could have helped your Hero of Space to achieve the 3rd enlightenment yourself."


    To those words, the old ancestor of the Erdve Empire replied in a benign tone¡­


    "The matter with enlightenment is that it cannot be taught, learned, or imparted to anyone.


    One can guide another''s way on the path of enlightenment but if the person walking does not understand the goal and the meaning behind that journey itself¡­ not even the greatest teachers can help one achieve it.


    The Hero of Space has shown his limits already regarding the spacew and even if I were to directly tell him everything¡­ his mindset, his body, and his senses would simply reject the powers thate with the enlightenment itself instead of embodying it." stated the samurai saint. "It''s like expecting a fish to fly like an eagle or a newborn to fight an army of soldiers." he iterated.


    "I see¡­ some things just can''t be forced, can they?" said Kahn in contemtion.


    Miyamoto Musashi nodded in affirmation.


    "How many Enlightenments did you achieve in your time?" asked Kahn skeptically.


    "I achieved only 4th Enlightenment before I died due to old age." replied the old ancestor.


    "Wait¡­ you were at least an 8th-stage saint to be the emperor, right?" queried Kahn.


    "Yes, a Peak 8th-stage Saint."


    "And how many years did you live?"


    "After being brought to Vantrea as a Chosen Hero, I lived for more than 340 years."


    But Kahn asked another question. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Shouldn''t you have lived for more than 500 years even if you were a human at that rank?" he queried.


    "Yes, however¡­ just because your rank as a Saint is higher, doesn''t mean that you will keep on living longer.


    There are many factors. Dying in battle is just one of them." replied the soul specter.


    "You must have noticed how big of a difference Bloodlines, Species, and elemental affinities make in this world, right?" Kahn lightly nodded.


    "By that logic, we Humans are at the bottompared to other species and even monsters of the same rank.


    Many live far longer but even there, some will live shorter." spoke the Samurai Saint.


    "How? And why?" asked Kahn.


    "Because many rely on their bloodlines to raise their strength and have physical advantages because of itpared to humans.


    But at a certain stage, the over-reliance on it causes their downfall.


    The Boon bes the Bane." stated the Old Ancestor in a tone full of wisdom and experience.


    Before Kahn could ask another question¡­


    The old ancestor made a STOP gesture with his palm and continued¡­


    "There are plenty of 7th or 8th stage saints in the world who achieved their rank within a couple of centuries but barely have a hundred years to live after gaining that almighty power.


    Take Demihumans for example, such as Tigerkins, Lionkins, Elves, and even Demonkins." said the sword saint with a stern countenance.


    "After a point, they stagnate at a certain rank and their life force starts dwindling rapidly, leaving them barely with a few decades to live just because they used their bloodlines and species-rted abilities to be strong.


    In a way, they used it as an irreceable fuel to create a foundation akin to a machine factory. But one day, that fuel is finished and then that factory bespletely useless, bing nothing but an empty shell.


    And soon, it starts crumbling from within." exined the old ancestor who had spent more time in Vantrea than Kahn.


    Kahn understood the logic.


    That''s why he had seen people like the Fireborne Emperor, Havi Hos Siegfreed who lived for close to 60 years but was already an 8th-stage saint while even his master Romulus, whose age was more than 300 years, was still a Peak 7th-stage saint.


    "And what factors caused your death then? Because you didn''t even have that advantage or some bloodline to cause anyplications.


    You even killed the Demon God once with only 4th Enlightment in Space Law." queried Kahn with a calm demeanor.


    "Just like it happened once¡­"


    The emperor replied in a stern but calm tone.


    "I died because of Cancer."

 Chapter 1039 New Arrangements and Goals

    Chapter 1039 New Arrangements and Goals


    Kahn was stupefied after listening to the reason why Miyamoto Musashi, the 6th Hero of Space died despite being strong enough to even kill the Demon God once in his era.


    It was an astonishing revtion to find that even Saints were not immune to Cancer.


    "Isn''t that simr to how you died on Earth?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. God of Space rejuvenated my body to a certain degree after he sent me here and I was close to 35 years old as the Hero of Space, but the Cancer from the original body remained.


    However¡­ bing a Saint only halted my Cancer for close to 200 years and as a Peak 8th stage saint, my body didn''t suffer too much until it inevitably got me." revealed the sword saint.


    "Understood. Everything you said exined a lot of my questions." responded Kahn respectfully.


    "So now that I''m the only capable Hero with 3rd Enlightement in Space Law, and might have a chance to kill the Demon God if I achieve the 4th Enlightement¡­" Kahn took a pause and a sudden grin appeared on his face.


    "What''s in it for me?"


    The entire hall''s atmosphere suddenly froze as soon as Kahn made that question.


    "What?!"


    Even the once greatest samurai was taken aback and could not believe his ears.


    "I''m allowing you to gain a power that can make you one of the strongest Heroes and even help kill the Demon God¡­ and yet, you want more?" asked Miyamoto Musashi with a contorted countenance, greatly displeased.


    "Yeah. What you''re offering me is indeed very lucrative but it''s not like I can''t achieve it on my own.


    Also, it''s your side that''s in a hurry and not me." spoke Kahn with a smug smile.


    Although there was a reason that the old ancestor asked for him under God of Space''s instructions¡­


    It didn''t mean he simply had toply without any conditions of his own or gain any benefit along the way.


    The man called Kahn Salvatore would never let go of an opportunity to gain something for himself or make a profit regardless of how fate forced him into difficult situations.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not gonna ask for something ludicrous like your family''s heirlooms or ask the princess'' hand in marriage.


    Now that I''ve met one of the greatest Samurai on earth¡­ I just want to make sure that I also make a gain that could be beneficial for me in the long run." spoke Kahn shamelessly.


    Kahn made this abrupt demand knowing that the old ancestor aka the 6th Hero of Space was also constrained in many ways because he was following the decree of his God.


    On the other side, Sakamoto Hideyoshi, the Emperor of the Erdve Empire was now an aplice in the crime of aiding and abetting the wanted criminal called Hero of Darkness.


    So he used this information to squeeze out the most from this supposed ''friendship''.


    Even the samurai saint understood this part because of his centuries of experience¡­


    The man before him wasn''t just some warrior or a chosen hero¡­ he was also a greedy and conniving businessman. "Fine! What do you want? Is it money? Women? Or resources?" asked the old ancestor with an incredulous tone.


    Kahn on the other side let out a shameless grin as he replied¡­


    "Something far more valuable."


    ----------------


    After some time, Miyamoto Musashi dispersed the separate dimension they were conversing in and let Kahn return to the real world.


    Kahn had just made a secret deal with the greatest samurai from Earth and was content.


    The samurai saint on the other end had an indignant expression on his face.


    A minuteter, the 3 saints waiting outside arrived, their faces filled with anticipation.


    "The arrangements have been made. The Hero of Darkness will stay here for some time until he achieves the 4th Enlightenment in the Space Law." spoke the ancestor in his ethereal soul form.


    Sakamoto Hideyoshi and Argos Belmont nodded in unison as if they too wished for it to happen although their respective reasons were different.


    "By the way¡­ why is there a Royal Dragon here?" queried Miyamoto Musashi in his spectral form.


    "I''m exploring as part of our customs." replied Vildred.


    Because of the Contract of Familiarity, Vildred was also a 6th stage saint just like Kahn. And added the fact that he was a royal dragon, in everyone''s eyes, he was as strong as an 8th-stage saint.


    "Right when the war with the Demon God is imminent?" asked the Emperor.


    "I know that a Royal Dragon does leave the Dragon Empire while hiding their presence at least once in their lifetime¡­ but to see one in front of me." said the sword saint.


    Vildred then asked out of curiosity¡­


    "Have you met others of my kind?"


    "I have. Fought one, to be honest.


    Though the battle ended in a draw, it was a good learning experience." said the sword saint proudly.


    "To fight and live through against a Royal Dragon¡­ well, it was expected from a Hero." spoke Vildred.


    [Oh my. And here I am¡­ killed one and made their emperor chase after me.


    Despite days of pursuit, I still left unscratched.] spoke Rathnaar in Vildred''s mind, boasting shamelessly.


    And all Vildred could do was hide his anger and clench his scepter tightly.


    Then, the Revenant Sovereign spoke in a calm voice¡­


    "You''re giving the Heroes too much credit. Many can barely make it out alive in front of a Royal Dragon.


    s¡­ looks like you and the Hero of Darkness are bound together." he revealed in front of everyone.


    However, Vildred wasn''t startled and didn''t feel like hiding. All these people present in this hall were some of the top powerhouses of the world, so obviously they''d notice.


    "Yes¡­ until he bes a Peak 8th-stage saint, that is.


    After that, our contract ends." he spoke calmly.


    Hideyoshi and Argos were curious but avoided prying into the matter as it was a very personal and private thing between two beings.


    "Hopefully that dayes soon. By our God''s estimation¡­ we barely have 7 to 8 years left until the Demon God achieves the Demi-God Rank.


    Even now, we are barelypeting against the Demon Emperor who is just his servant." spoke the Ancestor.


    Kahn, who was slightly taken aback, asked¡­


    "So is the Demon Emperor akin to Demon God''s Apostle or something?"


    "A bit simr in that context. But he''s more like a disciple than an apostle." responded the Emperor of the Empire of Space. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Argos then iterated¡­


    "From what we know, he was from the bottom of the food chain in the Demonmunity and rose in strength after facing hundreds of trials and tribtions.


    One could say he is simr to you who was being hunted by the world." "So in a sense, he is a protagonist of his own story." said Kahn with a contemtive countenance.


    "What now?" asked Kahn as he nced at Argos.


    "Since this is more important¡­ I will leave you here.


    There''s a ce where both of us have to go. It''d be greatly helpful if you attained the 4th Enlightenment in Space Law and rose your strength as well.


    Because even I cannot guarantee that we will return unscathed." responded the vampire king.


    Kahn nodded in return. He too understood that his said benefactor had to take care of a lot of troubles because he dered himself as the new representative of the God of Darkness and the backer of Hero of Darkness.


    Everyone had their part to y in this twisted web of destiny.


    As for Kahn, he had a few matters to deal with first.


    "I will need a month''s break before we actually begin the training." spoke Kahn to the Emperor.


    "Why?" asked Sakamoto Hideyoshi with a confused expression.


    Kahn sighed and responded with his eyes turning full of determination.


    "I have to forge a Katana."

 Chapter 1040 Changed Destiny

    Chapter 1040 Changed Destiny


    Two dayster, within a sprawling empire, unrest stirred within the walls of a magnificent golden castle crowned by a towering spire that seemed to reach the heavens.


    This majestic structure was none other than the Grand Cathedral of the Church of Vremya, dedicated to the worship of the God of Time, nestled in the heart of the capital city of the Amser Empire.


    High atop the central tower, a chamber unlike any othery concealed from view. Within its confines, a remarkable disy of modern technology intertwined with ancient mysticism captivated the senses. Blue-hued energy pulsed through the air, casting an ethereal glow upon the chamber''s surroundings, while its very essence seemed to hum with power.


    It was within this chamber, resembling a prison of arcane design, appeared a man familiar to Kahn.


    Anakin Redfield, known as the Hero of Time and the pivotal figure in the altered timeline thatpelled the Martial Emperor, also known as the Future Kahn, to journey back to the past to prevent his own demise,y suspended within the chamber. His once proud form now hung limp, ensnared by dozens of golden ethereal chains that pierced his flesh.


    Each chain bore the weight of his broken body, anchoring him to the walls of the chamber with merciless tenacity. The metallic links embedded themselves deep within his skin, their cruel embrace inflicting untold agony upon the Hero of Time.


    Though his physical formy in a state of torpor, his mind remained alert, a beacon of consciousness amidst the darkness that threatened to consume him.


    The Hero of Time, destined to be a powerful saint and even live as chosen hero during thete stages of the Great War against the Demon God... had his entire destiny changed in the new timeline.


    "Kill. Life. Love. Revenge. Betrayal. Power. Domination."


    At the same time¡­ Multiple specter-like versions of Anakin akin to his soul form tried to leave this chained vessel and were speaking cryptic and inconceivable words.


    To anyone listening, these incessant rants and unsynched words would sound nothing more than gibberish. Yet, there were dozens of robed researchers writing manuscripts, recording his every word and trying to make sense of it.


    Among them, was the Pope of the church itself.


    For some reason, every single person in this facility was clothed head to toe and didn''t reveal any physical or facial feature other than their doe-like eyes.


    The rank of the Pope was an intermediate 7th-stage saint and exuded a green aura around his visage.


    Swoosh!


    Flutter!


    Suddenly, another powerful entity appeared in this hall, dressed more regally but fully clothed just like everyone else nheless.


    "You have arrived, your majesty." spoke the pope.


    "Yes. My arrival was dyed since things have been hectic." spoke the Emperor in a deep and tired voice.


    "Ever since the Conve, there have been many incidents on the borders of the empire. We are facing small troops from 7 empires altogether, attacking our borders in coalition.


    Most of our saints are stationed in all outer provinces and even the capital is filled with mncholic atmosphere because of constant fear among the masses about a possible invasion." he iterated in a grim tone.


    "No matter how hard we try, we are unable to retaliate.


    For the first time in the history of our empire, we are unable to counterattack or retaliate against our aggressors because of their sheer numbers.


    Close to 6 million soldiers have already died. And even the nobles are showing signs of insurgency." he revealed with an incredulous tone.


    "All of that bloodshed and chaos¡­ because of this bastard." said the Emperor with his tone filled with fury.


    The Pope didn''t utter a single word because the same troubles were endured by him, albeit under different circumstances.


    "What''s his situation?" asked the emperor.


    "He haspletely lost all his senses. We even tried torturing him.


    But his body reacts while his mind doesn''t even register that he is being tortured.


    If we try to kill him, he probably won''t even understand that his life is in danger.


    It''s like his mind and body arepletely disassociated from each other." dered the Pope in a helpless voice.


    "What we are speaking in front of him, his brain is registering it so arbitrarily that he might react to our words many dayster.


    Whatever that''s happened to him during the Conve of Heroes¡­ it''s beyond our understanding." he iterated with a displeased tone.


    "Thank goodness that he at least had the Apple of Eden in his space ring." said the Emperor.


    But right then¡­


    "The Emperor! I will kill that bastard for backstabbing me!


    I gave them everything but all I received is betrayal from the Imperial family and even my teammates." shouted Anakin while looking upward as if dering his oath of vengeance to the skies above.


    "What is he talking about? We haven''t done anything to him and neither have I betrayed him in any sense." said the emperor, slightly confused.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    The very next second, a four-paneled device ced in front of the pope, turned red.


    "Your majesty¡­ I believe he is speaking about some future or timeline that we are unaware of.


    This device left by our ancestors turns red whenever he talks about future events or something that doesn''t belong in this timeline." exined the Pope.


    "So there''s a chance that we betrayed him in the future?" asked the Emperor.


    "No, more likely you and the imperial family have already betrayed him in the future." said the Pope, his tone filled with certainty as indicated by the device.


    "What about Warhorn of Confinement?" asked the Emperor in a tone full of concern.


    "I apologize, your majesty. But he doesn''t have the Ancient Rank artifact." responded the pope.


    "This bastard¡­ he knew about our ancestral heirloom that helped us in hundreds of battles and even subdued many uprisings in the empire.


    He stole the Ancient Rank artifact and took it to the Conve of Heroes without any of us even finding out up until now." said the emperor in a furious tone.


    "I believe he either lost it¡­ or the Hero of Darkness has it." spoke the Pope indignantly.


    The Emperor was distraught after hearing those words.


    "We can''t confirm anything¡­ The Hero of Darkness killed all of his party members and must have done something." said the Emperor.


    "About that¡­ I want to show you something¡­" said the Pope and the next moment¡­


    The device turned upside down.


    But soon, an unexpected marvel of glyphs spread in the air.


    "We found traces of some unknown magic.


    Thousands of these iprehensible runes in an unknown knowledge appear and disappear as if it''s abination of a spell, a curse, a formation, and runic magic."


    "What''s this?" asked the Emperor, taken aback.


    "We have no idea. However, some of the symbols do match one of the most ancientnguages in the world." dered the Pope.


    "Which one?"


    "The Dragon Magic." said the Pope with an irritated tone.


    "What?!" Even the Emperor was baffled after hearing this information.


    "Yes. But given theplexity of this spell that keeps forever changing and also evolves itself every second so that no one can break this spell ced on the Hero of Time¡­


    We believe that only an Elder Dragon can cast it." dered the Pope, firm in his hypothesis.


    "Impossible!


    The Dragon Empire has never been involved in the matters of Gods and Heroes. It''s pretentious to even assume so." retorted the Emperor, his eyes full of disbelief.


    "There must be a way for us to break this spell and make him talk about the events of the future. Otherwise, all those empires will attack us to get him and we won''t have anything to bargain our sovereignty for." said the Emperor,pletely enraged but helpless at the same time.


    "Sadly¡­ there is no way to make him talk. The only way this spell breaks¡­" spoke the Pope akin to that of a defeated man.


    "Is his death." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 1041 The New Weapon

    Chapter 1041 The New Weapon


    1 Month Later¡­


    nk!


    nk!


    Sounds of a Hammer banging on a curved de ced on an anvil resonated in a vast realm made of fiery pits of volcanos, blistering mountains made of ck stones, and rivers of magma.


    This was one of the sections, more likely a separate dimension simr to Convergence of Reality, Hall of Sentience, Linchpin of Multiverse, and inside the Chamber of Exaltation.


    Kahn named this realm that he was forging his new weapon in as¡­ Muspelheim.


    If not for his 100% natural affinity he acquired through the Elemental Transfusion technique operated by his mentor Vildred and the Complete Immunity to Fire Element he achieved after absorbing the Divine Key, mescion; which he got by killing the Hero of Fire¡­ Kahn would have been turned into ash a long time ago.


    Although it was 1 month in the real world, the time inside the Chamber of Exaltation worked differently.


    1 Day outside was 3 Days inside the Tablet of Arcana.


    So by that sense, Kahn had been forging his new weapon for the past 90 days, without even a single hour of break.


    Thanks to his tenacious mind and Rathnaar''s core¡­ he never ran out of world energy and could solely focus on forging this new weapon.


    BOOM!!


    A massive burst of overwhelming and insurmountable energy of unknown origin erupted and spread 20 kilometers in radius, shattering mountains and causing tsunamis of incinerating magmas as the Hammer made of Kahn''s own Darkness elemental world energy shattered and he was flung 1 kilometer away.


    "It is finally done!" said Kahn with a victorious smile and quickly appeared next to a glowing de that was pitch ck, had lightning running across it, and a blueish mystical energy epassing the entire Katana.


    The entire de had dozens of tiny and missable runes carved into it but the immense power and destructive force every single of them carried was beyondprehension.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Both Rathnaar and Vildred suddenly appeared inside Muspelheim and stood behind Kahn.


    "What was that?! I thought the realm fell apart." said Rathnaar in his human form.


    "My weapon is finally finished. I finally seeded inpleting those Draconiac Runes." replied Kahn with an ted expression.


    But right then, Vildred asked with a puzzled countenance¡­


    "What''s happening here? I gave you my Fang¡­ a Royal Dragon''s fang that''s 50 meters in length. What have you done to it?!" asked the former Lightning Dragon Emperor.


    Yes, the forging material used by Kahn for his new Katana was none other than Vildred''s Fang.


    In his true form, Vildred was a 3-kilometer tall Royal Dragon and both of his fangs were as big as the Colossal Titan.


    Kahn used one of his mentor''s fangs to create this weapon because he no longer had any suitable materials left.


    "You''re looking at it." responded Kahn as he pointed at the newly forged katana.


    "It''s how long? 70 centimeters (29 inches)?" asked the Sage of Preservation, baffled.


    "73 centimeters to be exact. However, it''s still the very fang you gave me." said Kahn.


    Next, a smirk appeared on his face.


    "Lift it."


    Vildred followed and lifted the katana but for some reason, he felt pressure on his arm.


    "This is¡­it''s heavy. And that''s the same weight as my fang when it plucked it out of my mouth." said the magic mentor.


    "It''s 4000 tons, exactly the weight of your fang." said Kahn.


    Even Rathnaar and Vildred were astonished.


    "How did you make it?" queried Rathnaar, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea.


    "You guys keep forgetting that not only I''m a Saint Rank Master cksmith, I''m also one of the two Apostles of cksmithing in the world. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I have Blessings and Gifts directly given by the Brokkr and Eitri, the Deities of cksmithing." said Kahn in a smug tone.


    "While forging this de, I used the Harnessing and Conceptualization technique taught to me by master Romulus on the fang.


    I also used multiple Dragon, Dwarven, and Elven runes on the original fang which helped me turn your 50-meter-long, 15-meter-wide fang into the size of a de. I even had to use the Dragonfire just to heat the fang to mend and mold it into the shape of a katana''s de.


    However, the strength and power it held is exactly the same as before." he borated.


    "Made from a Royal Dragon''s fang born with Lightning Element." iterated Kahn.


    The only person who coulde even close to Vildren in terms of the highest lightning affinity in the world at this moment would be none other than the Hero of Lightning.


    "Then infused with my Darkness Element while forging the de through every strike.


    And during the final phase, I merged it with the stream of Cosmic Aether falling right under the Linchip of Multiverse." he dered in a zealous tone.


    "So by default¡­ the de now has both Darkness given by the God of Darkness and the Lightning of the Lightning Dragon Emperor while possessing the Cosmic Aether from the Dimensional Cracks of the Multiverse.


    I also used the highest tier of the Dwarven and Elven Runes taught to me by my master Throk Oakenshield from the Vulcan Empire, along with the Draconiac runic magic by master Vildred." he emphasized this part again.


    "Even a normal attack from it contains both Darkness and Lightning merged to the highestpatibility possible and the collective destructive force is multiplied by 3 times.


    And the best part¡­ it responds to both the Dragon Bloodline and Darkness Elemental skills that I have from the Hero of Darkness title.


    This means my strongest attack can now be 9 times more powerful than the original attack.


    As a 6th stage saint, my strongest attack can destroy and pulverize up to 45 kilometers of space in a straight line." revealed Kahn in a stern voice.


    "45 kilometers? That''s as same as a normal intermediate 7th stage saint." said Rathnaar in an approving tone.


    "Yes. Although It''s not as far as master Romulus who can destroy up to 90 kilometers as a Peak 7th-stage saint at his full power¡­ it should be enough for me to hold my ground even if I fought that Light elemental saint called Markgrav from the Inquisitors.


    And that''s not the end¡­" revealed Kahn and continued solemnly¡­


    "Unlike with Lucifer and my other weapons¡­ I no longer need to be dependent upon my own reserves of Space Force or Cosmic Aether to use the Dimensional Cut skill or even need to replenish it.


    This katana can absorb the cosmic aether present in the Real World and the True Dimension all by itself, " he said and sighed in relief.


    "Just forging this weapon pushed me to my limits and now I have surpassed myself by a huge milestone. Much fartherpared to when I made Sigrun and Vidarr.


    Comparing all these factors and being forged by the Apostle of cksmithing¡­


    Something unexpected happened." spoke Kahn in an anticipating tone.


    "I didn''t realize until the system gave me the notification. But now I have broken through my limitation by making this katana. And achieved the 3rd Enlightenement in Law of cksmithing just like my mentor Throk Oakenshield." he dered.


    This was another huge milestone for Kahn.


    "I''ll name this katana as... Muramasa." dered Kahn pridefully.


    Ding!


    However, before he could relish that achievement¡­ The system gave another notification.


    [Congrattions to the Host!


    Muramasa, the new katana created by the host has surpassed its limitations due to the highest grade of Forging Material, cksmithing Techniques, Blessings & Gifts received as the Apostle of cksmithing along with the highest tiers of Runic Magic.


    The resultant weapon created by the host is of¡­] informed the system as it made even Kahn open his eyes wide in shock.


    [The Ancient Rank.]

 Chapter 1042 The Ancient Rank Weapon

    Chapter 1042 The Ancient Rank Weapon


    A wave of unexpected befuddlement washed over Kahn as the System suddenly informed him about the rank of his newly forged katana, Muramasa.


    "What the hell?! An Ancient Rank weapon?!" eximed Kahn with a bewildered countenance.


    "What?! Did you just say ancient rank?" asked Rathnaar with an astonished expression on his visage.


    "Howe it''s not a Legendary but an Ancient rank weapon?" even Vildred, the Lightning Dragon Emperor was taken aback.


    Although thetter two were powerful beings of their era, they didn''t have the skills or knowledge to differentiate the ranks of weapons unless a proper Saint cksmith told them.


    But the surprising factor was that even Kahn, the legitimate Saint cksmith among their ranks could not detect it and assumed Muramasa to be a legendary rank weapon just like them.


    "System, scan and report." he said and wielded Muramasa in his right hand.


    [Scanplete. Following are the effects and powers of the Ancient Rank weapon, Muramasa : 1. The Demon de effect : Grants the wielder of the de a massive surge in strength automatically and multiplies the output of all the attacks made using mana or world energy by 3 times due to being engraved with the highest tier of Draconian, Dwarven and Elven runes that amplify its destructive aura and potency of world energy cirction.


    2. Darkness of the Abyss : After the de was imbued with the darkness by the host, whose Darkness element originates from the God of Darkness, the ruler of the Eternal Abyss¡­ the de now has be highly condensed and attuned with the said element.


    Due to such crafting method, the katana can enhance and increase all the attacks made with the Darkness element of the wielder by 4 times the original strength.


    This effect will be further enhanced by 2 times while the Hero of Darkness title is active.


    3. Lightning Dragon''s Fury : Being made from the fang of the Lightning Dragon Emperor, the de has a natural affinity with the Lightning element and will enhance all the Lightning elemental attacks by 3 times.


    4. The Abyssal Lightning : Thebined attunement of both the host''s Darkness element and the based affinity of the Lightning element from the Dragon Emepror''s fang has formed a unified synergy while being crafted. Muramasa now possesses the highest degree ofbined and perfectly bnced harmony between these two elements and when the user wills it, a powerful single-strike attack can be made with both these elements merged perfectly and containing that collective destructive force. 5. Dimension Breaker : Due to the host''s Void Sentinel ss, a Legendary Rank ss achievable only by those who have gained by achieving 3rd Enlightenment in the Space Law; and the vast amount of Cosmic Aether being infused inside the de while being forged, the Ancient Rank weapon Muramasa, has now developed and created a new unique trait called the Dimension Breaker.


    This power shall allow the host to cut through the boundary between the material forms in the real world and void cracks of the True Dimension.]


    With this report, the System finally turned silent, and so did everyone who heard it.


    Kahn, Vildred, and Rathnaar could not simply believe what they just heard.


    "I need to test it." said Kahn.


    Swoosh!


    The next moment, he appeared in the sky of Muspelheim, filled with dark red clouds.


    "First, let''s test The Demon de Effect. Since I named the katana as Muramasa mainly because of the mythological lore, about the cksmith who went mad while forging it and his will carrying into the de.


    The de itself gave tremendous power to those who wielded it but eventually, they went mad the more they used it.


    Let''s see if the same happens to me." spoke Kahn, revealing why he named his new katana as Muramasa, the Demon de.


    He gazed at a mountain range made of ck stones and made a simple vertical swing while hovering in the air at 5 kilometers'' height. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Swing!


    Nothing happened after his normal swing and even Kahn felt like something was amiss.


    Rumble!


    But the very next moment, an invisible force made of tremendously dense and destructive world energy struck the entire mountain range.


    BOOM!


    Crumble!


    Shatter!


    In just a few seconds¡­ an entire mountain range, ranging up to 9 kilometers was decimated by the invisible force, turning all the mountains into nds and the valleys into crumbled stones as if God''s divine punishmentnded on them.


    "Nice. Although there was 1 second dy, the Runes along with Muramasa''s original strength increased the overall damage output by at least 300%." spoke Kahn, content with the result.


    Next, he tested the Darkness of the Abyss effect.


    This time, the visible pitch-ck darkness flew in a single direction after Kahn made the vertical sh.


    BOOM!!


    Rumble!


    Shatter!


    However, unlike the previous time, the mountains weren''t ttened nor the valleys turned to crumbled sand.


    Instead¡­ they were simply obliterated by the Darkness shot forward by Muramasa.


    And the total distance this time was 12 kilometers, indicating that the attack was amplified by 4 times just like the system informed Kahn.


    Kahn turned in a different direction and then tested the Lightning Dragon''s Fury.


    sh!


    Just like before, he made a vertical sh but the result surprised him.


    Because the attack didn''te directly from Muramasa, rather the skies above him struck the targeted mountains with hundreds of wide and terrifyingly destructive lightning bolts falling in a straight line.


    Kahn felt as if he could control the Lightning element as if he was born with it.


    "That¡­ that''s one of my skills!" spoke Vildred who saw this and had his mouth wide open in shock.


    "He can do that just because the weapon was made from my fang?" he asked himself,pletely bbergasted.


    Although the range was only 9 kilometers¡­ Kahn was simply stunned on his spot.


    "That is the most powerful lightning elemental attack I''ve ever made. And I didn''t even use any runic magic, formation or legendary rank skill or effects for it." he spoke, his hands trembling in sheer disbelief.


    Soon, he tested the Abyssal Ligning effect, the one attack with perfect bnce and synergy between Darkness and Lightning...


    Result left Kahn, Vildred and Rathnaar dropping their jaws on the ground.


    Because the range of the damage was straight up 20 kilometers and unlike the Darkness of the Abyss and Lightning Dragon''s Fury effect...


    The Abyssal Lightning simply pulverized everything that came in its way as if these tall and grandiose mountains and incinerating rivers of magma never existed in the first ce.


    "If it''s like this when he''s merely a 6th-stage saint... Just imagine what he could do if he ever became a Peak Saint." spoke Rathnaar, acknowledging Muramasa''s potential as an Ancient Rank weapon.


    Vildred could only nod in agreement because he too had his mind boggled with these unexpected results.


    On the other side, after a few minutes of absorbing these urrences in front of him¡­


    Finally, Kahn decided to use thest skill, the Dimension Breaker.


    But what he didn''t know was that Muramasa didn''t develop just some attack skill or unique trait because it was an Ancient Rank weapon made from various unnatural elements of craftsmanship. Rather thest skill¡­


    Could literally break the world.

 Chapter 1043 The Dimension Breaker

    Chapter 1043 The Dimension Breaker


    One after another, Kahn tested Muramasa in the 4 newly unlocked attack skills that surpassed his expectations by manifolds.


    Just his normal attacks in first to 4th skills varied from 9 to a whopping 20 kilometers.


    And now¡­ it was the time to test the 5th and final attack skill called the Dimension Breaker.


    This time, Kahn flew a dozen kilometers away and targeted a region of Muspelheim filled with multiple active Volcanos. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Muramasa''s de glowed dark blue as the cosmic aether condensed over the katana de and Kahn made an horizontal sh attack.


    sh!


    Shing!


    A massive wave of dimensional crack followed the shing attack instantly, and all the volcanos were split into two within a second. Their tops flew 100 meters above in the air while the middle part spewed the brewing magma.


    Just the area it affected was 4 kilometers in diameter and the length went beyond 25 kilometers in a straight line.


    One could say that this attack was no different than Kahn''s Dimensional Cut skill which could cut any living being and an inanimate object from both the real world and the true dimension on the atomic level. However¡­ something unexpected happened in the next moment.


    SQUIRM!


    Because instead of erupting and causing destruction¡­


    The active volcanos suddenly started shrinking and disappearing from the shed location made by Muramasa.


    And the ces where the cosmic ether had passed through¡­ turned into a void crack and everything that touched that wave started being absorbed inside, like a separate realm unknown to naked eyes was engulfing it.


    In just 4 seconds, the entire volcano range was engulfed by the Dimension Breaker skill as if it never existed and were simply vaporized out of the real world.


    While Kahn looked at the phenomenon with a baffled countenance, Vildred spoke in a trembling voice.


    "It''s¡­ its eating away the whole volcano range like an endless pit of infinite space.


    This type of attack¡­ it can destroy and basically devour any spell, magic formation, barrier or attack made of world energy." he said with his keen assessment as the Sage of Preservation.


    "What?! It can do that?" asked Kahn, shocked and thrilled with anticipation at the same time.


    "It didn''t just break that volcano range¡­ it broke the boundary between the real world itself, " the Royal Dragon said.


    Kahn switched his vision and filled it with space force.


    Soon, he too was stunned and spoke in a surprised voice.


    "It''s pulling the whole volcano range inside the True Dimension and nullifying all of its mana, world energy and matter on the atomic level. It''s as if it''s undoing the volcano range''s entire existence. And to think that the range is more than 25 kilometers¡­" he spoke after checking this with his Space Law abilities.


    "Master¡­ cast a Legendary Rank protection barrier." he beckoned his mentor.


    Vildred waved his scepter and cast a 20-kilometer radius dome-like golden barrier that covered a vast magma river region.


    sh!


    This time, Kahn made a vertical sh and the blue cosmic aether swiftly cut through the formation like it never existed; not only that, but the blue ether started spreading across the remainder of the barrier and swallowed it like a voracious beast.


    In just a minute, the legendary rank barrier that would take even a saint a whole day to break through, was wiped out of existence like it was a thin sheet of paper engulfed by blue mes.


    Even Rathnaar, the former Peak Saint of Vantrea was shocked to his core.


    "Compared to my sword made of Earth Dragon King''s horn, which was also of the Ancient Rank¡­ this weapon is far more terrifying and destructive.


    I believe unless someone is proficient in Space Law, even if it''s a 7th-stage or 8th-stage saint¡­ this katana can even kill a powerhouse like that." he hypothesized.


    Vildred also nodded and spoke in a serious tone¡­


    "That''s not all. If Kahn ever reaches 9th-stage saint¡­ I think it will be enough to kill even another Sovereign or a Royal Dragon.


    And at Peak Saint rank... he might as well be able to kill an Elder Dragon, an Archangel, or those Godbeasts.


    What an absurdly powerful weapon." dered the Lightning Dragon Emperor, Vildred.


    But the very next moment¡­


    Kahn suddenly looked at Vildred with covetous eyes and rubbed his hands like a fly with greedy expression.


    "My almighty and extremely powerful master¡­" he said while grinning.


    "What?!" asked Vildred with a sense of ominous feelinging from his mentee.


    "Can you give me another one of your fangs?" asked Kahn with a sinister smirk.


    "What?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" bellowed Vildred in fury.


    "I only gave my fang because you said you desperately needed it for a powerful weapon to ensure your survival.


    And now that it turned into an Ancient Rank weapon¡­ you''re asking for more?" he questioned with an exasperated countenance.


    "Even for me, it will take me a year to grow that fang back. It''s not something that can be given lightly." he said, controlling his displeasure.


    "Tch! For once, I thought you were cool. You''re just another stingy geezer." said Kahn and shook his head in disappointment.


    "You ungrateful brat! What''s next, you''re going to ask me for my horns, a dragon''s greatest pride, then my ws and my skin just to make more weapons and armor?!" iterated Vildred in a pissed off tone.


    Suddenly Kahn''s eyes lit up.


    "What a nice idea! I''m grateful to your generous donations," said Kahn shamelessly.


    "Ahhh!! Just kill me instead, you bastard of a disciple!" admonished the mentor.


    ----------------


    The Next Day¡­


    Kahn had changed Muramasa to his new main weapon. He no longer had Lucifer, Gungnir, Beowolf equipped on his body.


    Now, he simply had his dark gray longcoat and Muramasa sheathed inside a faintly glowing blue scabbard on his waist.


    The scabbard had multiple runes etched on it that hid Muramasa''s domineering aura and no one could tell that inside the sheath, was a powerful katana that could destroy an entire city in a single strike.


    Step!


    Step!


    The door slid away and a demonic monkey-like individual walked in and bowed in front of Kahn.


    "Salvatore-sama¡­ your guest has arrived." he spoke.


    Kahn nodded and followed behind the attendee.


    In a separate building, he saw a particr individual waiting for him.


    A long silver-haired man was sitting on a Zabuton, a sitting pillow from japanese culture.


    On it, waited a Samurai Swordsman with two katanas on his waist.


    "Wee to the Empire of Space¡­" spoke Kahn with a genuine smile on his face as he weed this new pleasant arrival.


    "Omega."

 Chapter 1044 Fruits of Labor

    Chapter 1044 Fruits of Labor


    Omega, the first ever subordinate Kahn created and also the most vocally loyalmander of Kahn''s forces, suddenly revealed himself in the secret ancestral site of the Imperial Family of the Empire of Space.


    "It''s been a while." said Kahn as he shook Omega''s hand and sat on a zabuton beside the samurai subordinate.


    Woosh! Woosh!


    However, Omega didn''t juste alone.


    Two ck silhouettes appeared from his shadow and manifested into the apparition of two familiar figures.


    One was a white-haired and red-eyed elf in a blue longcoat while the other was a spectacle-wearing young man who had a schrly mage appearance to him.


    These were none other than the two doppelgangers Kahn left in the Zivot Empire aka the Elven Empire. And these two figures were namely¡­


    Legs Ragnarsson and Merlin. Legs was his persona of the Guildmaster of Misthios Mercenary Guild while Merlin was his other form that he created to learn genuine Alchemist ss.


    And now¡­ both of them appeared beside Omega and extended their hands.


    Swoom!


    A wave of ethereal energy passed across Kahn''s body as he absorbed all the memories from both the doppelgangers.


    It had been 1 and a half years since he left Zivot Empire. And these two were particrly one of his biggest assets left there.


    Soon, Kahn was absolved and learned about the restructuring of Misthios guild. Legs, his other doppelganger version managed to get the entire Alfheim, one of the biggest economic hubs of monster core and resource trading and the highest amount of dungeons in the entire Elven Empire, as part of the deal with the Imperial Family after they were forced to hire the Misthios guild to assist the Hero of Life in Conve of Heroes.


    That was the reason why Kahn met his subordinates before entering Babylon.


    On the other end¡­ Aragorn Travion Insalor Venric, the Prince of the Elven Empire has also let go of his persona as Edumund Thandruil, the Saint Rank Alchemist just a few weeks ago.


    He revealed himself to the Imperial Family and the whole Empire, saying that he was on his pilgrimage of sorts and only returned because he just heard about the death of his little sister, Princess Eleanor.


    As per the Martial Emperor¡­ In the original timeline, Aragorn controlled Vildred but waster killed by Ervalen, the Hero of Life after thetter learned that it was him who killed Eleanor.


    That made the Hero of Life turn into Vildred''s new master in the original timeline, unlike the present one where the Lighting Dragon Emperor was Kahn''s mentor.


    Also,the 12 Valkyries were disbanded after the horrible expedition of the Immortal Dungeon and the surviving saint members were now part of the Misthios Mercenary Guild. Sparta, the settlement Kahn previously created, now has more than 500 thousand members, making it the biggest mercenary guild in the Elven Empire.


    As Merlin, he also learned proper Saint Rank alchemist abilities and skills, now possessing the knowledge to even save thousands of lives if he used skills and his potion creation abilities he got from Prithvi, the Grandmaster Alchemist back in Rukon District that once used to be hisir in Rathna, the capital of Rakos Empire.


    Also, Omega informed him about his other subordinates left in the Rakos Empire.


    Tobias, a Magician Summoner ss subordinate, who was in charge of controlling the Vessen Fiefdom after Kahn left the Rakos Empire, strengthened his grip and currently controlled it like a hidden ruler of the fiefdom as a 4th-stage saint, just like Kahn intended.


    The other 3 subordinates he left in Kassandra''s shadow had also gone as far as 4th-stage saint rank recently.


    Currently, every member among his subordinates was at least a 4th-stage saint.


    Omega then spoke firmly¡­


    "Jugram, Armin, and Ronin have be Apostles of Deities as well."


    Kahn on the other side, expected this and wasn''t surprised because the Martial Emperor had already told him about the task he gave to God of Darkness and Kravel.


    So it was apparent that at least 3 of his subordinates would be Apostles by the time he left Conve of Heroes and met Argos Belmont.


    "Jugram, ckwall, Armin, and Ronin are now 5th-stage saints with their own Domains.


    Unlike them, though I haven''t be an apostle, my Gravity Law skills inherited from Skoll and Hati have been refined and now I have mastered them to perfection.


    I have received the 2nd Enlightenment in Gravity Law on my own and I can feel that I will break through to gain the 3rd Enlightenment soon enough.


    It also helped me be a 5th-stage saint right after we returned from the Conve of Heroes." he revealed the pleasant news. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "What about Rudra?" asked Kahn.


    "He has improved a lot but just like me, he wasn''t chosen as an Apostle either.


    He is currently a 4th-stage saint simr to Ceril and Oliver." exined Omega in an obedient tone.


    Kahn nodded in affirmation and also felt slightly ted.


    Soon, he received a letter from Omega which was a report sent by Ronin.


    The letter contained updates on Kassandra Mikealson.


    The report stated that she also broke through to be a 5th-stage saint already. "Even Ronin was surprised because of her staggering growth.


    He said it must be because of what you did in Aesir to save her life by giving her a part of your soul." iterated Omega.


    Kahn nodded again. It was also expected because even the Future Kahn mentioned this to him.


    On top of that, he advised to meet Kassandra as soon as Kahn was done with something Argos had to do with Kahn after he was done in the Empire of Space.


    This made Kahn even more overjoyed.


    Because out of his 12 Legendary/Saint rank subordinates, 5 of them were now 5th-stage saints while the 7 were at 4th-stage saint rank.


    Thanks to the time he spent earning influence and various vital resources such as Monster Cores and Mana Ores in Rakos and Zivot Empire via Vessen Fiefdom and the Misthios guild, not only him but all of his subordinates were now powerful beings.


    At this moment, the vast amount of wealth and resources he possessed dwarfed even many noble factions in many empires.


    Although it wasn''t as big as the Imperial families, it was iparable for a single chosen Hero who wasn''t a king, an emperor or had any empire''s backing.


    "Here are the resources you asked for." said Omega and handed him space rings filled with billions of SSS Rank monster cores and mana ores. "These are enough for me to be an 8th-stage saint." iterated Kahn in a rxed voice.


    And now, he had enough resources to be even a 9th-stage saint if he took the Apple of Eden that Future Kahn took from Anakin Redfield, the Hero of Time.


    This was something even the Martial Emperor had failed to do in the original timeline until he became the Emperor of the Rakos Empire.


    But what he achieved in 18 years was achieved by the current Kahn in just 6 years after he arrived in Vantrea.


    One could even say that he was the richest Entrepreneur in the world right now.


    Kahn then created three new Cosmic Replicas as Legs, Merlin, and Zeus with the memories of the old doppelgangers.


    Because there was a limit on doppelgangers who heavily relied on mana ores and monster cores.


    Cosmic Replicas on the other hand didn''t need any of that and they could perfectly mimic his aura as a 6th-stage saint. This was a much-needed strategy to ensure that his identities were never judged because people wouldn''t dare to raise questions against a 6th stage saint, especially one with lots of influence as the guildmaster of the biggest mercenary guild in the empire and one who is also a Saint Rank alchemist.


    If anything, they would try to curry favors with him.


    "Both of you need to return to previous posts and carry on the role.


    Also, start investing in weapons, and potion productions to bolster our forces. Soon, we will be forced into having an army of our own with actual living beings and fighters of different sses." hemanded his Cosmic Replicas.


    "I''m no longer a lonewolf and my presence as the Hero of Darkness should send fear across the adversary forces whether I''m fighting Saints or an entire Imperial Army.


    Use the members of Sparta and the Misthios Guild." he beckoned. He then looked at his Zeus persona.


    "Use the fighter ss members of the Seven Deadly Sins we created in Rakos Empire and the Covenant Soldiers from Vessen Fiefdom. Start training them for warfare and supply them with the best weapons, and armors and nurture the individuals with great potential.


    I want at least 10 million able-bodied soldiers from all professions, sses, and skills." he spoke in a domineering tone.


    "I have already established Seven Deadly Sins, an Underworld Organization. Covenant Soldiers are a Military Force; Bloodborne has cksmiths, and Hippocrates has Alchemists in the Rakos Empire.


    And then there''s Misthios guild in the Zivot Empire.


    All of them are enough for me to raise a proper army of my own with no problems at all.


    The years I spent in developing my businesses, guilds,panies, and organizations are bearing fruits now." spoke Kahn, recounting his fruits ofbor.


    "And I want all of it done within a year." he spoke as he looked at the three Cosmic Replicas.


    But master, isn''t it too risky?" asked Omega, slightly worried.


    "You have just been revealed to the world and there are still people hunting you. If I''m not wrong, the empires will focus on you again once they are either done destroying the Erdve Empire to capture the Hero of Time or they will simply get bold and try to kill you for your Divine Keys again.


    You also have the protection of a Sovereign. So why the hurry?" he queried.


    To him, Kahn replied in a stern tone.


    "Because in just one year from now¡­"


    He remembered what the Future Kahn aka the Martial Emperor told him what would happen exactly 1 year after the Conve of Heroes.


    "The Great War will begin."


    ----------------


    [[Author''s Note : Hello guys, CrimsonWolfAuthor here. Sorry for the past few months of dy in chapter updates.


    I have been fighting and ying hide & seek with Death again and again in the past 2 months. Got hospitalized like 7 times; 4 times in August alone. 2 of them were spent in ICU and the doctor had to put me on Morphine for straight 3 days because of the excruciating pain I was suffering from. I barely recovered in the first week of September but even then, I keep falling sick now and then.


    I''m looking after my health but fate doesn''t want to see me live happily even for a week. That''s why the gaps in chapter releases. I hope to be able to write more chapters soon but only if my health allows it. I''m grateful for the support and kind words you''ve offered me so far.]]

 Chapter 1045 Terms of Contract

    1045 Terms of Contract


    Kahn revealed to Omega that in just a short amount of time, the Great War with the Demon Empire would start and thus, he needed to have an entire army of his own; not just summoned subordinates he made from monsters and warrior ss species, but actual living beings of Vantrea.


    [Kid¡­ how did you find that out? Even the Sovereign that brought you here doesn''t know this. Otherwise, we would have been warned already.] inquired Rathnaar.


    "It was the Hero of Time who babbled this when I fought him. He was from the future so he obviously knew much more than us." said Kahn as he put the whole me on Anakin.


    Obviously, he couldn''t tell Rathnaar or anyone else about the changed timeline or some events of the future due to his promise to the Martial Emperor.


    In the original timeline, the Martial Emperor aka future Kahn was still inside the Beast Empire, hiding his identity and met Argos Belmont only after it had been 2 years since the Conve of Heroes.


    As for the reason why the future Kahn told the current one about the exact time for the Great War to begin¡­ it was to prepare for what wasing.


    One of those preparations included Kahn having his own army of capable warriors that served only him and no one else.


    Kahn then turned to Legs replica and handed out the cores of the saints he killed recently.


    These were the cores of Hero of Time''s party members that fell by his sword when they fought as Semi-Saints in the penins created by God of Darkness.


    He threw one at Omega and ordered Legs to hand the rest to his other subordinates to help them increase their strength and hopefully break through to the next rank.


    "With these, everyone including the subordinates I left in Rakos Empire will at least be 5th-stage saints when I meet them.


    Having my army of saints with their own domains is something even the Heroes and Heroines backed by an empire don''t have. One after another, I have no weaknesses left at this point." spoke Kahn with a content smile.


    There was a time when he worked as an adventurer and a hired assassin just to get B rank mana cores and ores in vot City. And now, whether it was wealth, resources, strength and powerful forces that served him... the current Kahn was already on par with the most influential people such as imperial families and noble factions.


    The seeds he nted back in the day grew into trees and now those trees bore him fruits, returning his investment of time and effort a hundredfolds.


    "There''s someone I''d like you to meet."


    ----------------


    A few minutester, they entered the topmost floor of the imperial ancestral pce.


    Inside the wide hall, was a 5-meter tall soul spectre waiting for them, sitting quietly with his legs folded.


    "So it is time¡­" spoke the Ancestor.


    "This is the First Emperor of the Erdve Empire and also the 6th Hero of Space, Miyamoto Musashi." introduced Kahn.


    "Is this the person you talked about?" asked the Sword Saint.


    "Well, I can''t call him a person to be honest given how he is a creation of divine ability, having the bloodline of a Godbeast and possessing powers of various Saints of this world.


    He even has Gravity Law surrounding him." said the samurai saint.


    "He¡­ he can tell all that just by looking at me in a single nce?" asked Omega, slightly taken aback and astonished.


    "Yes, he is different from other saints of this world. Not because he is a chosen hero but because he too practiced the Space Law and had even higher enlightenment than me.


    Besides¡­" iterated Kahn and asked in a stern voice¡­


    "Do you still use Raijin and Kojin?"


    "Yes. I train whenever I can. But unlike my Gravity Law skills¡­ my swordsmanship skills have stagnated." replied Omega after nodding.


    Currently, simr to how Kahn had Rathnaar''s soul attached to him, Omega had the soul fragments of Skoll and Hati etched into him.


    The Mythical Rank wolves, also the Godbeast Fenrir''s direct descendants, were helping Omega master the Gravity Law skills.


    Kahn had no ess to them and could not listen to them just like his subordinates couldn''t listen to Rathnaar.


    Nheless, they had still helped Omega gain 2nd enlightenment in the Gravity Law and as per his own words, he was close to attaining the 3rd enlightenment within a year.


    However, as the Commander of Kahn''s subordinates mentioned before, his swordsmanship skills had stagnated.


    "And that''s why I brought you here.


    This remnant soul belongs to a man who was from Earth just like me.


    In my world, he was called the Greatest Samurai, just like those warriors you saw in my memories that were passed down to you." revealed Kahn to Omega.


    Bewildered!


    Omega''s eyes widened in shock and he stoodpletely rooted on the spot.


    "He is also called the Dual Sword Saint. And as of this moment¡­ He is your Sword Mentor." dered Kahn.


    ----------------


    A minute passed but Omega was still left thunderstruck and couldn''te to believe Kahn''s words.


    Meanwhile, the once greatest samurai on earth looked at Omega with a curious gaze as he evaluated the dual swords samurai in front of him.


    In his perceptive eyes, Omega showed a lot of potential to be his new Disciple.


    [[Author: nned this 3 years ago when I gave Omega the Dual Swords Samurai ss in the 2nd arc. For the 6th Hero of Space to be none other than Miyamoto Musashi who was the inventor of dual katana sword style and then Kahn meeting him and arranging Omega to learn from him¡­


    I know I''m a freaking genius at nning plots. No need to praise me. *gloats shamelessly*


    Muhahaha! Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! *evil maniacalugh continues*


    *cough* *cough* Well, anyway¡­ look forward to this arc because you will be seeing lots of things that were previously only subliminally hinted in the novel.]]


    "So you want me to train him too since he also uses 2 katanas just like I did throughout my life?


    To be honest¡­ he is more suitable to learn the Niten Ichi-ry¨± (Two Swords as One) technique than you." stated the sword saint in aposed voice.


    "It''s okay. I only wanted to learn because I created Muramasa.


    Sadly, all the swordsmanship skills I possess, whether Saint Rank or Legendary Rank, are mostly applicable to Greatswords, Longswords, and Giantswords.


    I will ept any good Legendary Rank swordsmanship skill that is best for a Samurai." responded Kahn in a chivalrous tone. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    [This damn scammer! Saying that he will ept ''any'' Legendary Rank swordsmanship skills as if they grow on trees.


    Even my blood descendants fight and train their entire lives just to receive my tutge after meeting extremely hard conditions and qualifications.


    Yet he speaks of learning my best skills as if I give them to random passersby or sell them like vegetables in the market.] thought the 6th Hero of Space as he cursed the moment when he made the deal with Kahn.


    Even his direct descendants from the imperial family could only dream about getting a few swordsmanship lessons from Miyamoto Musashi. Yet because of his God''s decree, he was now forced to teach his most prized techniques as a Samurai Swordsman to Kahn and Omega.


    Kahn on the other end, was overjoyed.


    Because the main reason Omega had hit a teau in his swordsmanship skills was because he practiced based on Kahn''s memories of the samurai culture from various media that thetter consumed as Elric.


    But he was by no means, an authentic samurai.


    So when he learned about Miyamoto Musashi and intentionally forged Muramasa as a Katana instead of upgrading Lucifer or creating a different weapon¡­ this was his main goal.


    To not only learn from the best in the world but also help Omega reach a new pinnacle of mastery as a Samurai.


    "However¡­ you do remember the part of our deal, right?" asked the sword saint.


    "I will teach you my single-handed samurai swordsmanship and my archery skills. And I shall impart my knowledge and techniques of Niten Ichi-ry¨± to Omega." dered the ancestor''s soul specter.


    Yes, contrary to popr belief, Samurai also used bows and were proficient Archery Masters. And Kahn was going to use this opportunity to learn them as well.


    "But in return¡­" spoke the 6th Hero of Space as he revealed the other side of their arrangement.


    "Both of you will join the Hero of Space''s party."

 Chapter 1046 Truth of the World

    Chapter 1046 Truth of the World


    After the First Emperor of the Empire of Space aka the 6th Hero of Space, stated his conditions as per their previous agreement¡­ Omega was left shocked.


    "Master, what does that mean? Why are we joining the Hero of Space''s party? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Is there something I''m not aware of?" asked Omega to Kahn, still befuddled.


    "Consider it as something unavoidable¡­ something preordained." said Kahn and didn''tin.


    When Miyamoto Musashi made this condition during their negotiation where Kahn proposed to be taught swordsmanship skills along with the knowledge of the Space Law¡­ this bizarre demand left him gobsmacked too.


    But then he remembered what Future Kahn told him. One of the things he had to do before the Great War officially began was also to forge ties with the Hero of Space.


    In the original timeline, both the Martial Emperor and Hero of Space had an ambiguous rtionship.


    In Future Kahn''s own words¡­ they were neither friends nor enemies. On asions, they joined forces but also fought against each other if the situation demanded it.


    The surprising part of the negotiation was this condition was particrly ryed to Miyamoto Musashi by the God of Space himself.


    So considering the future possibilities and things he was already told to do by the original Kahn, the current one epted it withoutining.


    Thus, he became fated to meet the Hero of Space many years beforepared to the original timeline.


    ----------------


    In a couple of days,Kahn began his training montage.


    He started learning samurai swordsmanship using Muramasa directly from the sword saint himself.


    Omega on the other side, received the tutge of the sword saint as thetter agreed to impart the dual-handed samurai swordsmanship technique called Niten Ichi-ry¨±.


    [[Author: I''m purposefully skipping the training montage here because we''ve had a lot of them and you guys will me me for another stretched-out arc if I write 10 chapters about the techniques, powers, skills, and achievements in detail.


    I will only reveal them when necessary and at a proper time such as a fight or a plot incident. But do know that I shan''t offer a detailed exnation and couldpletely skip over many of them since many readers find the info dump insufferable nowadays.]]


    Meanwhile, Kahn also received lots of books and research material that the 6th Hero of Space wrote when he was alive.


    It was all written in Kanji, anguage Kravel didn''t know of so his Gifts called ''Knowledge of All Languages known to War Deity'' didn''t work here.


    Rather, it was Kahn''s memories from Earth that helped him because, unlike 99% of weebs and otakus, he learned to speak, read, and write Japanese, which was derived from Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. So he was fluent in it. This was also a blessing to Kahn in disguise because the entire Erdve Empire, which was reformed by Miyamoto Musashi who was summoned here more than 500 years ago, now spoke Japanese as their mainnguage.


    In a way, the Empire of Space was very simr to Edo-era Japan but obviously had its own unique cultural differences.


    Weeks went by as their new training regime progressed.


    ----------------


    In the secluded realm forged by the sword saint''s mastery, a quaint vige nestled beside a winding river, frozen in the timeless embrace of its ancient allure. Here, amidst the ethereal beauty of a bygone era, the dual-sworded samurai materialized in his prime, a vision of formidable skill and unwavering resolve.


    d in the traditional garb of the samurai, a striking blend of ck and crimson, he stood with amanding presence, his two katana des resting resolutely at his left hip. His countenance bore the marks of a life steeped in honor and battle, a subtle beard framing rugged features that spoke of countless trials endured and victories won.


    "I guess you''ve noticed it too after spending so much time in Vantrea." said the sword saint while showing Kahn the basics of an advanced swordsmanship technique. "Noticed what?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "I didn''te across many cultures or countries during my era and the way to ess information was very limited in those times¡­ but even I could feel it." he borated.


    Kahn nodded in return.


    "In my time, we have something called the Inte.


    It''s an advancedmunicationwork that can be essed by anyone from any corner of the world with proper tools.


    Not only that¡­ you can gain ess to any desirable information and even learn about current events such as wars or even genocide happening in faraway ces like from a country that''s on the other side of the world." he spoke about the marvel of technological advancement humans had achieved.


    "Many cultures, religions, information, knowledge, and even their mythologies can be learned from a small device in your hand.


    Humanity has progressed beyond your imagination." said Kahn.


    "That sounds wonderful. But is it any better than Vantrea?" queried the sword saint with an expectant gaze.


    Kahn gave it a thought and replied in a calm voice...


    "Not really. Although the magic and world energy aren''t there¡­ Everything else is the same.


    Even the sense of freedom and democracy is just a sham if you pay attention.


    There are always people in power controlling everything and no one is truly free." revealed Kahn as he let out a sigh.


    "Wars are waged to acquirend, resources such as oil and minerals, or just some made-up excuse like the country being invaded having ''things'' that are a possible threat.


    Humanity, as a species, has not changed at all. Just that most of the world is at peace but many still suffer and die no less than how it was during your time." he stated with a burdened voice.


    "It''s just that many people are too blind to see the reality or acknowledge it unless they''re forced to experience it themselves.


    The time Ie from... at my side of the world, everyone was busy pretending to be morally superior than the other guy, yet absolutely doing nothing to change the world for the better."


    This was what Kahn perceived of the era he lived on earth as Elric Johnson.


    "The abstract of civilization called society is still pretentious, less bloody, but still pretentious.


    There is nomon ground until both sides benefit. The weak countries still suffer and the strong ones with more power still abuse others and call it¡­ Freedom.


    I wouldn''t go as far as to call it pure evil; because if the roles were reversed, the oppressed would be the oppressor in the kind of world earth has be." he said without a bias.


    "And funnily, the whole is in debt¡­ as if it loaned money from some other in the sr system.


    We work to live every day and survival is hard enough, no different than how it is in Vantrea." he said and continued emting his new sword mentor''s movements.


    "I see. So it looks like I didn''t miss much either way." said Miyamoto Musashi.


    Kahn then spoke¡­


    "However, since I''m from a generation who has ess to a lot of information if one were to look for it¡­


    I know a lot more than you when ites to different cultures, religions, countries, history,nguages, and mythologies as well as folklore.


    I have some suspicions. And I hope you can clear them for me" he iterated and his expression turned somewhat anticipatory.


    The sword saint nodded and replied...


    "I know what you''re going to ask."


    Kahn''s eyes widened.


    "So it''s true, isn''t it?


    Damn, there were so many obvious signs. I just didn''t see it because a lot of media such as mangas, novels, and literature took inspiration from them.


    I always wondered why this thing I read about in the history of the world, a particr empire, a person, a monster or an event¡­ was here." said Kahn as a sense of revtion dawned on him.


    The 6th Hero of Space nodded again and responded...


    "I too experienced it many centuries ago.


    There are simply way too many species, powers, skills, sses, societal hierarchy, ces, and beings in this world that feel like they belong in our times instead."


    "It all makes more sense now." spoke Kahn, his body shivering in anticipation and mild excitement.


    "You''re correct." spoke Miyamoto Musashi and made a firm deration.


    "Earth in itself¡­ is a variant of Vantrea."

 Chapter 1047 Multiple Realities

    Chapter 1047 Multiple Realities


    Miyamoto Musashi, the 6th Hero of Spaceid down his conclusion in front of Kahn, about how Earth was a variant of Vantrea.


    Even Kahn nodded in agreement given how a lot of things are exactly the same in both worlds. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "In the Erdve Empire, the poption is mostly made of the Yokai." spoke Miyamoto Musashi, their samurai instructor.


    Yokai were Japanese folklore monsters simr to how Werewolves, Elves, Dwarves, and Dryads existed on Earth in different cultures.


    "When I was first summoned and saw that there were Onis, Kitsune, Asuras, Tengus, Inugami, Kappa, Kyubi, and many other species that we had in my country''s culture as mere demons, ghosts, and monsters in our folklore." he iterated calmly.


    "It felt as if I was sent to hell at first.


    But after a while, I came to know that it''s not that these creatures existed on Earth and somehow materialized in Vantrea.


    The truth is that we are from one of the worlds where they exist solely in stories and mythologies of different cultures." he stated firmly.


    "Although no other Hero or Heroine was summoned from Earth during my time as the Hero of Space, I found traces of some who were summoned centuries ago in different empires." he revealed.


    Kahn nodded in affirmation as he was already aware of Bjorn Ragnarsson and Marcus Brutus.


    "I had my doubts too but in the time I lived in, many literature, stories, novels, and books had taken inspiration from them.


    There''s a whole section of entertainment media that is filled with stories, novels, movies, and even games where these creatures from mythologies and novels are normalized.


    So when I was summoned and saw these familiar names like the Godbeasts such as Fenrir, Roc, Basilisk, Baihu, and Behemoth and even things such as Dragons and Primordial Titans¡­ I was under the assumption that all these beings exist in this world are simr to those things I used to read and watch.


    But now I''m certain." spoke Kahn with a thoughtful expression.


    "They exist on earth as mere mythologies and folklore because those creatures and species exist on Vantrea in the first ce.


    And if I''m not wrong, there are also the Deities like Indra, Kagutsuchi, and many more that we have on earth as Gods in different cultures.


    But to what extent¡­ I don''t know." he concluded.


    Miyamoto Musashi too seemed to share this sentiment as he said¡­


    "That''s not it all. I''m afraid it''s moreplicated."


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn curiously.


    "That there''s not only our Earth¡­ But there are multiple Earths. It''s like things that exist here and on our earth are as real as the ones where we are not alive but exist in another form.


    And that although our earth didn''t have these things such as monsters or even saints¡­ there are Earths where some of them do." he shared his own findings.


    Kahn, again nodded in agreement.


    "You''re perhaps talking about the Multiverse.


    The multiverse theory suggests that our universe is not the only one and that many universes exist parallel to each other. These distinct universes have their own versions of lives, civilizations, and realities. Simply put, there are realities where many of us exist and many where many don''t. It applies to all living beings so by that logic, there are countless realities.


    Means many things such as Gods in various cultures, religions and even the realms they live in are also real in certain versions of earth." he iterated with a stern countenance.


    "There is something I learned when I reached the 3rd enlightenment on my own.


    Using the previous logic, there could be a reality where we are nothing but nonexistent people or one of us is real while the other is fictional too." revealed the sword saint as he sheathed his katana.


    "Yes, but not only that.


    There could be a reality that we are just part of some story and someone is reading about us just to pass the time because they''re bored." said Kahn.


    Both of them directed their gaze towards a specific point, their eyes settling on someone who seemed to exist far beyond the constraints of time, dimension and reality itself.


    But then they resumed their training again¡­


    [[Author: *starts sweating* Phew! We nearly got caught, guys.]]


    ----------------


    Just like that, another month passed.


    Based on their respective fighting styles, both Kahn and Omega had learned and mastered many Saint Rank samurai swordsmanship skills.


    Omega, in particr, used the Tablet of Arcana and spent time in one of the realms where he could perfect his gravityw when he wasn''t training his sword skill.


    In this particr realm called Shattered World, existed a that was literally shattered, and big pieces of it were spread across its hemisphere. While the itself was as big as Jupiter with different kinds of gravity andws of physics.


    Some sections, simr to ginormous meteors suspended the space, had incredible suction force while some disyed signs of immeasurable pressure due to their twisted gravitational force varying from region to region.


    Because of a ce like this, Omega''s inherent knowledge and the information he received from Skoll and Hati could be practiced and applied perfectly.


    Simr to how the Conjunction of Space realm helped Kahn make a breakthrough in the Space Law¡­ the Shattered World provided him with the best supportive environment in the world to study the Gravity Law.


    And as a result¡­ Omega achieved the 3rd enlightenment in the Gravity Law.


    Despite his great breakthrough¡­ Omega did not celebrate it but rather followed in Kahn''s footsteps.


    Following Kahn''s example¡­ he started infusing the Gravity Law into his attack skills just like how Kahn did it with Space Law by infusing the Space Force and Cosmic Aether into his attack skills and weapons.


    Omega was an elemental swordsman who could already master Lightning and Wind elements using Raijin while infusing Fire elements while using Kojin.


    But now, even the skills he previously developed such as Kaminari Surasshu and Katon Surasshu, where he created massive 120-meter-long katanas made of Lightning and Dragonfire respectively, also started affecting the gravity around everywhere the attack passed.


    Meanwhile, his other powerful skills like Lunar Fang Strike which was his fastest attack skill, and the ck Fang Strike which was his strongest attack skill in terms of raw strength, were also elevated to Legendary Rank after his 3rd enlightenment.


    And when he used the Moonlight Armor and the Twilight Armor mode, both of these skills were elevated to a whole new level by at least 7 times.


    And although Omega was only a Beginner 5th-stage saint, he too became strong enough¡­


    To kill a peak 6th-stage saint.


    In a way, Kahn''s deal with the greatest Samurai had be a massive help in bolstering their strengths more than what he expected.


    Like this¡­ another 2 more months passed and there was only half a year left before the Great War.


    And finally, the day came when inside the Conjunction of Space¡­


    BOOM!!


    A tremendous dark blue aura erupted and spread into a 100-kilometer radius.


    [Congrattions to the host!] notified the system before Kahn''s figure even came out of the blue fog made of cosmic aether.


    [For achieving the 4th-Enlightenment in the Space Law!]

 Chapter 1048 New Powers

    Chapter 1048 New Powers


    As soon as the system notified, Kahn''s figure in his Cosmic Form became visible.


    This time, his body was purely made of extremely condensed Cosmic Aether as before but his skin now had visible ck veins running across it.


    His arms and legs had turned pitch ck while his eyes started glowing brighter blue.


    For the first time, Kahn''s hair turned waist-length long and the color changed to stark white for an unknown reason.


    It felt as if his Cosmic Form had also evolved by a considerable degree since these ck veiny patterns signified high saturation of the ethereal energy made from the synergy between different universes called the Linchpin of the Multiverse.


    "I feel like my cosmic aether reserves have been amplified by over 100 times.


    At this rate, they canst me for years even if I didn''t replenish them using the Conjunction of Space." spoke Kahn to himself.


    He quickly summoned Muramasa and used the Dimension Breaker skill.


    sh!


    This time, not only the attack range was increased by an additional 5 kilometers, but Kahn could also see that the Dimension Breaker skill''s overall lethality increased by at least 30%.


    "System, report." hemanded.


    Soon, the system listed the new powers he received with the 4th Enlightenment in the Space Law.


    [Following are the new achievements unlocked by the host:


    Congrattions to the host. The Legendary Rank ss Void Sentinel has been upgraded to the Space Overlord ss.


    These are the new powers unlocked with the Space Overlord ss:


    1. Advent of Space Overlord:


    Allows the host to connect two different ends in space by creating a hyperspace tunnel in the True Dimension.


    The host can now connect his present location with the ce he already has been to.


    The host will no longer be restricted by True Dimension anymore where he needed to open a void crack first and had to travel through the True Dimension.


    Now, the host can directly connect the space of two different ces and travel to the other ce by taking a single step.


    ----------------


    The host can now lock space and freeze any space-traveling or teleportation skill, ability, magic spells, or artifacts. Meanwhile, the host himself can teleport anywhere with a single thought without having to open and use any void cracks.


    2. Dominion of Space Overlord:


    The host can now lock space and freeze any space-traveling or teleportation skill, ability, magic spells, or artifacts. Meanwhile, the host himself can teleport anywhere with a single thought without having to open and use any void cracks.


    Unlike the previous enlightenments, the host no longer needs to rely on the True Dimension to use his space traveling skills.


    The current radius is 35 Kilometers and will increase with the host''s rank as a saint.


    ----------------


    3. Space Overlord''s World Creation : Allows the host to create a separate dimension made of his own world energy, imagination, and characteristics as a person.


    The host can shape, reform, and develop this world further with his proficiency and mastery of the spacew, and also how his powers progress will affect this realm.


    Inside this world, the host can hide, store anything, bring in living creatures, developnd, and agriculture, and breed or rear other species.


    In a way, this exclusive realm created by the host is his own world where he is simply akin to God.] reported the system.


    Kahn was simply too stupefied to even react as one after another, waves of shocking information hit his mind. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Advent of the Space Overlord was like a direct teleportation door instead of some tower or tunnel. He no longer needed to create a void crack first and already had an exit strategy without even having to rely on the True Dimension anymore.


    Dominion of Space Overlord basically made him the overlord of space in the true sense. Unlike others, he trulymanded space in every sense and now could seal and freeze it at will without having to spend any time or use a legendary rank artifact or a magic formation for it.


    During a battle, this skill would certainly deter all his opponents from leaving.


    And finally, the Space Overlord''s World Creation was an even more surprising addition.


    Not only did this power help him create another dimension, but also allowed him to control basically every living thing, and matter or even create a new civilization like a God.


    Just the upgrade from the Void Sentinel ss to the Space Overlord ss had brought forth such tremendous gains.


    Kahn then closed his eyes and used the World Creation ability.


    Swoosh!


    Soon Kahn and Miyamoto Musashi''s soul spectre entered this new world.


    But after they saw it¡­ both of them had a gloomy and incredulous countenance.


    "Yours is much¡­ empty." said the sword saint.


    Because although there was an expanse of over 1000 kilometers¡­ it was nothing but a straight barrennd with literally nothing else.


    "What do you mean?" asked Kahn.


    "This power is called World Creation. Something only those who have achieved the 4th Enlightenemnt in the Space Law can use.


    When I first achieved it¡­ the world I created reflected on me as a person." he stated.


    "It was filled with mountains, castles, dojos, and battlefields.


    Many of them had something that acted as a reminder of the experience and memories I had of those ces.


    For example, the dojos were filled with swords and bows while the battlefield was a bloodied ground full of armored corpses, their flesh skewed by arrows or cut open by shes while a katana was plunged into their body.


    The mountains on the other hand were just full of bamboo groves and huts where tranquility and serenity subsided.


    The chirping birds, clear sky, and flowing water from the waterfalls and springs along with the warm embrace of nature made it peaceful.


    That was the kind of life I lived as a person who had multiple characteristics to himself." he revealed his own experience.


    "Your world on the other hand¡­ is just a barren ck soilednd. There aren''t even trees, mountains, or a river in it." he pointed out the overwhelming difference in their specific worlds.


    Kahn shuddered in disbelief and suddenly asked himself¡­


    [If the World Creation ability reflects on a person''s characteristics as a living being¡­


    These barrennds do not have any sign of life or even anything worth sightseeing.


    It''s no different than a vast expanse of deands.


    Does that mean my life and me as a person, are nothing but an empty shell?] he thought with a dejected expression.


    The obvious difference in Miyamoto Musashi''s world and Kahn''s own world made him realize something that was inherently wrong with him.


    [Is that what I am as a person even now after finally letting go of my past and embracing this new life?] he wondered and asked himself in a heavy tone.


    "Is this my real worth as a man?"

 Chapter 1049 The Self-Actualization

    Chapter 1049 The Self-Actualization


    After the sudden realization dawned on Kahn, he started evaluating his self-worth as a man given how empty and lifeless his created world was.


    It was a realm that reflected his characteristics as a living being but there was nothing else but darkness and vast deands.


    While he could not ascertain the exact meaning behind the lifeless world he created¡­


    The sword saint, Miyamoto Musashi spoke calmly¡­


    "However, based on my personal experience, this is not its final form." he dered.


    "What?" asked Kahn, surprised.


    "The riverside of the vige where I have been training you until now is just one of the sections of my world.


    And that came into existence after I had a lot of self-inspection." he said.


    "The ce where I taught you the samurai swordsmanship¡­


    Was a recollection of the memories of my hometown." he revealed.


    "It happened decades after I achieved the 4th-enlightenment.


    So if it can happen to me, then it shall happen to you." spoke the sword saint as he gently patted on Kahn''s left shoulder.


    "This world¡­ is not only the representation of what you have been or what you are right now.


    But also what you will be." iterated the samurai saint in a tone filled with wisdom.


    Humm!


    As soon as the sword saint spoke those words¡­


    Kahn''s entire body suddenly froze and he felt as if the time itself stopped suddenly as he received an epiphany.


    The realm he created reflected who he was and is as a person. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    And hearing those words from Miyamoto Musashi, he recognized another truth about himself as a person.


    [What have I ever done for the outside world?


    I killed people and monsters when I needed to, I saved others when I needed to or felt like it was my responsibility to do so.


    In the end, everything was done solely out of either an obligation or to serve me in one way or the other.] he thought to himself.


    [Hell, even achieving the 4th enlightenment was something someone else arranged for me. I did not seek to advance to it by myself. I say that I want to seek strength, authority, influence, and powers in terms of warrior sses, magic spells, and cksmithing¡­ to stand on the top of the food chain so that I no longer have to be looking over my shoulder.


    But have I ever done something if it wasn''t out of necessity?] questioned Kahn as he made a retrospective analysis of all his actions up until this point.


    Tremble!


    Shiver!


    Kahn''s body shook as he looked at his own hands with a shaken resolve.


    [Have I ever done something for someone else out of my own will or kindness of my heart?


    Hell, I even saved Kassandra that day because she reminded me of my past self since she was in a simr situation as the suicidal Elric.


    But what if it wasn''t the case? Would I have saved her out of my free will or any sense of protectiveness?] he questioned himself again.


    [I neither follow a code nor a decree as a man. I''m neither a man of god nor a man of honor. I do not believe in a cause or work to build something in this world.


    Have I ever done any good deed without a reason just because it felt the right thing to do?


    Am I even truly alive or I am just a soulless empty husk of a man?] he bombarded himself with these self-criticizing words.


    Even Miyamoto Mushashi was taken aback by Kahn''s countenance but a slight and pleasant smile appeared on his face.


    [This is good. He is going through the same thing that I once did.


    It''s something every man should go through at least once in their life.] he thought to himself.


    Although Kahn was having an existential crisis, the sword saint was ted with a content expression.


    Kahn''s body shivered and his heart palpitated as his eyes were locked into the void.


    For the first time, instead of celebrating his massive milestone and achievement, Kahn asked himself from the bottom of his heart¡­


    "What''s the meaning of my life?" he spoke out in the open.


    But as soon as he uttered those words of self-doubt¡­


    "Do not be harsh on yourself. One does not discover who they really are or what they stand for in a single day. It''s an arduous journey that takes many a big chunk of their lifetime.


    And very few are privy to understanding themselves instead of ming the outside world and circumstance for their life.


    People conform to their surroundings to survive and thrive. Yet they lose themselves in the process.


    Sometimes¡­" spoke the sword saint as he looked around the vast deste opennds.


    "One finds themselves by oveing the darkness within."


    A sudden surge of actualization washed over Kahn''s mind.


    "Maybe you''re right. This world reflects the darkness in my heart.


    That is why there is no life, no light, or a single living thing here. It is simply a ce of loneliness and hollowness." dered Kahn as he too understood the wisdom behind those words.


    "And this is the darkness I must conquer to find myself." he spoke and his expression calmed.


    Kahn then looked at the samurai warrior with a beard and revealed an appreciative expression.


    "I would not have made it if not for your books with your lifetime of discovery, experience and knowledge.


    If I didn''t have you directly guiding me and correcting my mistakes or my approach at every step of the way¡­ It would have taken me more than a decade to achieve this on my own.


    You didn''t directly tell me how to achieve it. But you helped me prepare a mindset that knew where I should look and where I shouldn''t waste my time.


    I don''t say this easily to anyone. But¡­" said Kahn to Miyamoto Musashi


    Kahn made a 90-degree bow in front of the Sword Saint and for the first time...


    "Thank you¡­ Sensei."

 Chapter 1050 True Calling

    Chapter 1050 True Calling


    Even the dual samurai swordsman was slightly taken aback as soon as Kahn called him ''Sensei''.


    It was the first time Kahn hadn''t even addressed him as anything else other than an Instructor up until this point. But out of nowhere, Kahn calling him his Master even befuddled the samurai saint.


    In a way, it was like Kahn finally epting his teachings as a proper disciple, not as someone forced to learn from him because of a prior arrangement between them out of necessity.


    Now, even Miyamoto Musashi showed an expression of contentment and pride.


    [This brat¡­ I''m not proud of his achievements because he''s from Earth just like me.


    But even among many generations of my descendants I''ve taught before after they proved their worth¡­ He was leagues ahead.


    They were bound to the versions of reality and their perspective of our world. It was always one of the biggest hurdles that stopped their growth.


    Even the most talented among them could never go past the 3rd enlightenment despite directly learning from me¡­ Yet, not only did he reach that milestone on his own without a proper mentor, but also absorbed all the knowledge and experience I imparted to him like a schr''s endless thirst for secrets of the unknown.


    I only guided his path, but he walked and reached the destination by himself.] thought the samurai saint.


    Meanwhile, Kahn had thoughts of his own.


    [With this¡­ I can finally start and apply the knowledge and experience that the Elder Dragon of Cosmos, Sazaar imparted to me before they both ceased to exist.] thought Kahn.


    He already received a lot of guidance, and theories and learned of a few methods that the Elder Dragon of Cosmos told him when he met the Future Kahn during the Conve of Heroes.


    However, the problem was that Kahn was incapable of applying and trying even a single one of them because he had yet to achieve the 4th Enlightenment in Space Law on his own.


    Now that he finally achieved it thanks to the 6th Hero of Space, Miyamoto Musashi; who himself, had spent centuries studying the Space Law, it was an open path for him.


    Finally, he could use the knowledge and training methods imparted by the Elder Dragon of Cosmos who spent thousands of years to achieve the 5th Enlightenment and even came back in time with the original Kahn just so he could help him achieve it ahead of time.


    [I have had a ton of help in this timeline.


    Original Kahn, Elder Dragon Sazaar, God of Darkness, and Kravel created apletely new path for me.


    And then there was the old man Rathnaar, master Throk, master Romulus, mentor Vildred, and now, master Musashi¡­ every single one of them has affected my aplishment, my skills, my training, and the powers I have achieved at this moment.


    Even with all my divine abilities or even with my eidetic memories¡­ I would not havee even close to half of it if it weren''t for them.


    All this effort, all this nning¡­ just so I could kill the Demon God.] he thought to himself.


    There was so much at stake that many people from different timelines, a Deity and even a Gods arranged so many things for Kahn just so he could stop the world from ending.


    "Talk about a massive plot armor¡­" he spoke and chuckled.


    Kahn did not achieve his strength solely because everything was nned for him from the beginning. He too had a lion''s share in it because of his hardwork and his willingness to never give up.


    But he felt no shame in admitting that he would not be as whole as he is now if not for all of these monumental and powerful figures.


    If anything, it was now his duty to embrace his role as the Hero of Darkness and see through this war with the Demon God till the very end.


    Otherwise, he would bring great shame to not only those who forged his destiny but also himself as a man.


    "Maybe this is it¡­


    I always took it as if it were some great burden because I was forced into bing the Hero of Darkness and sent into this world.


    I understand what the original Kahn, the Martial Emperor said to me that day." spoke Kahn as if a great revtion simr to an oracle dawned on Kahn.


    ''The true measure of a man isn''t what he reveals to the world¡­


    But what he hides from it.''


    Those were the words the original Kahn said to him. He did not understand them back then but now the meaning dawned on him.


    On the surface, Kahn was only ying the role of Hero of Darkness, creating business empires, learning skills, and increasing his strength so that he could survive.


    But in the end, all of it was only self-preservation. What other or greater goal did he have than simply surviving or protecting what was his?


    Up until now, his role as the Hero of Darkness was only a burden on him.


    But for the first time, he embraced it and from the bottom of his heart, he strived to shoulder all the responsibilities that came with it.


    No longer Kahn was a man whose fate and choices were controlled by others whether it was the original Kahn, Sazaar, or God of Darkness.


    Shine!


    Suddenly, a bright light shone in the sky of Kahn''s world. And for the first time, it was no longer an empty barrennd as a Sun was created, signifying Kahn''s eptance of himself.


    It also stood for the glimmer of Hope and rity he just received.


    "I see it now. What I am today and how I became what I am¡­ all these people who sacrificed so much for me, imparted their teachings and knowledge to me¡­


    It wasn''t their selfishness or their own motives that forced it upon me. It''s something I was always meant to do. Saving this world¡­" said Kahn as he finally embraced his goal and responsibility as the Hero of Darkness. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Is the true purpose of my life." Shing!


    Humm!!


    But right then... the world around Kahn started changing and before he could react... he was pulled into apletely different universe where millions ofs existed close to each other.


    "The time for us to meet has finallye, Hero of Darkness.


    My name is..." he heard an otherworldly voice.


    However, Kahn was shocked to his core as he could see that all these millions ofs, in all of their collectivity... created a silhouette of a living being.


    "Raum, the God of Space."

 Chapter 1051 God of Space

    Chapter 1051 God of Space


    Kahn floated in the unfathomable and endless expanse of space, surrounded by billions of stars, a transcendent being staring back at him. Despite the entity being thousands of kilometers away, its presence was so overwhelming that it felt like he was gazing up at an immense mountain from afar.


    There was no face, mouth, or eyes; just a specter-like visage that had floating gxies and even ck holes within. The entire apparition resembled that of a white-garbed humanoid being with a head made of a bluish hue.


    Kahn''s body was covered in goosebumps, his mind a whirlwind of awe and bewilderment. The ethereal entity, its silhouetteprised of millions ofs, radiated an aura of cosmic authority. "The time for us to meet has finallye, Hero of Darkness.


    My name is..."


    With a voice that resonated through the fabric of space, it introduced itself¡­


    "Raum, the God of Space."


    Shock!


    This sudden predicament now dibobted Kahn''s mind.


    But before he could speak and introduce himself, the God of Space spoke.


    "So you have the Dimensional Domain divine ability. No wonder you chose to study the Space Law.


    It is different from the original timeline." said Raum.


    Shatter!


    Crumble!


    As soon as the God of Space''s voice resounded, Kahn could see hundreds ofs surrounding him shattering and turning into dust.


    As if this phenomenon wasn''t a spectacle to behold¡­ Many of the Suns in the sr system within the god''s body ceased to exist while the ck holes also shattered like ss.


    This situation waspletely mind-boggling to Kahn as his perception of the world was twisting.


    To crumble hundreds ofs, snuff out dozens of suns, and shatter numerous ck holes with just a few words... Kahn could simply not grasp the God of Space''s unimaginable power.


    The sheer magnitude of Raum''s abilities was beyond Kahn''sprehension. He struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that this being could manipte the very fabric of the universe with a mere thought. The scope of Raum''s power made even the most powerful entities Kahn had encountered seem like insignificant specks.


    However, Kahn felt like the second part of God''s words had more twists to them.


    "So you''re aware of it too, O'' God of Space?" he asked in a respectful tone.


    Somehow, the outer space where sound couldn''t usually travel in the vacuum, his words still reached God without a problem.


    "Time is a spectrum that affects space differently.


    It''s not as linear or continuous as it is from the world you came from." dered the God of Space in a benign tone.


    "Here, it can vary from ce to ce, to and the realms that don''t follow the samews of space-time continuum.


    There are many universes in the multiverse where one''s perception of time and space differs based on their perspective, species, and intellect as sentient beings.


    I have seen worlds where thews of reality have bent to a bizarre degree.


    I have seen beings and races that have transcended even the concept andws of death itself.


    And I myself, am a 6th Dimension being that you call a God." stated the God, sharing some of his vast experience with Kahn.


    "Although I''m not like God of Time¡­ you know why I can sense the shift in the timeline, right?" he queried in an inspecting tone.


    Kahn on the other side, nodded as he responded¡­


    "Because space is a constant ne of existence, it remains independent of time," Kahn repeated, attempting to solidify the concept in his mind.


    "Two realms with identical dimensions and upied space can exist simultaneously in different realities, each with its unique flow of time, yet the space itself remains unaffected.


    Sure, it can be alternative versions of each other like a standing mountainpared against a precipice¡­ but thews of space still operate on their own." "Correct. It doesn''t make sense to many.


    But you are not one of the many." replied the God of Space, almost sounding satisfied.


    "No wonder you achieved the 4th Enlightenment so early. You have much free thinking and don''tpletely rely on what you know, much less base an entire assumption on the temporary information on hand." he spoke.


    With every word spoken by the God of Space, the destruction ofs and gxies continued.


    But Kahn couldn''t even dare to mention it or ask unnecessary questions that could irk the god.


    "You could say I had a good teacher. Without him, I would still be so ignorant." said Kahn as he bowed with a thankful expression.


    God of Space nodded and spoke.


    "That is the reason why I asked my spokesperson to guide your way to the 4th Enlightenment. I can also see that you have also met the Elder Dragon Sazaar." said Raum, revealing his knowledge of the changed fates in this timeline.


    "I reckon he already told you how to achieve the 5th Enlightenment." he spoke sternly.


    Kahn nodded and replied¡­


    "That he did. However, the knowledge he parted with me remains elusive since I haven''t gained enough experience myself.


    Even the world I created is only at the infant stage. I have a long way to go."


    God of Space''s visage with no face, started waving his hands.


    "I know the irony of me saying this but¡­ we''re running out of time."


    Kahn then asked seriously¡­


    "Why did you arrange Miyamoto Sensei to teach me?


    Shouldn''t your earnest generosity extend to the Hero of Space first?"


    God of Space replied sternly¡­


    "My level of control and the help I provide my chosen one has limitations ever since I sent him to Vantrea. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The same remains for all the other Gods and Goddesses. You know how this works." revealed the God of Space.


    Kahn nodded in understanding.


    Without a proper channel like a monastery, a spokesperson who serves directly under a god and has met prerequisite conditions¡­ talking to the Gods was impossible.


    He was certain that even meeting the God of Space was happening because he must have met certain conditions that allowed this temporary get-together.


    For that very reason, Kahn still hadn''t been able to contact the God of Darkness ever since he entered Vantrea. "To be honest¡­ I do not care about this war against the Demon God at this point.


    Even if the world is destroyed, I would be left unaffected and will continue to exist for hundreds of billions of years.


    Maybe I''d finally die and get rest after living for such long.


    But what I do care is how his actions will affect the rest of the existence." stated Raum, almost sounding mncholic.


    Kahn then asked in a sarcastic tone¡­


    "Why would the God of Space who seems to be an amalgamation of millions ofs and who knows how many universes, care about the fate of a single?


    Is it because Vantrea is in a way, an existence like a Mother to you?"


    To this question, the God of Space let out a sigh, destroying a few more universes within its body.


    "In a sense, yes. But my intentions and actions aren''t dictated solely by that fact.


    I could have let go and not interfered in this war but it''s not my existence at the stake¡­ rather the entirety of the multiverse itself." he dered.


    Kahn was left dumbfounded again after hearing those words.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    "You know of the Element of Origin, right?" asked the God of Space.


    Kahn nodded.


    He had seen the Element of Origin that was the source of all mana, world energy, and different elements of reality that he saw in the Hall of Sentience during his training period under Romulus and Vildred.


    It was the very thing that helped Kahn increase his Space Law infusion and even allowed him to create the First Form of his Dimensional Domain.


    "You call this world as Vantrea. But we Gods had another name for this world before any civilization or living beings came to be.


    It is, was, and always will be the First and the Last. We called it¡­"


    God of Space spoke in a somber tone as he revealed the forgotten name of Vantrea¡­


    "Prime Ultim¨¡tus."

 Chapter 1052 Birth of the Gods

    Chapter 1052 Birth of the Gods


    The God of Space suddenly revealed Vantrea''s original name, the Prime Ultim¨¡tus.


    The God''s voice carried a hint of mystery as he continued¡­


    "By now, you must have realized that your, Earth, is a variant of Vantrea.


    But it''s not the only one." he iterated.


    "Yes, I am aware. And if not wrong¡­ our Earth is called by that name because of the existence of God of Earth in Vantrea." said Kahn, expressing his hypothesis.


    "Yes. It is one of the many things that takes after Vantrea.


    But that''s not all of it. There exist realities where Earth is just the same, but also has Gods just like many religions that exist on Vantrea as well as the ones on those various variants of Earth." expressed Raum.


    "So the Gods in various religions and mythologies are real on some versions of Earth?" asked Kahn.


    "Yes. Not only that but even those versions of Earths have multiple realities where the world either thrives due to the existence of Gods or is destroyed by those very beings you humans worship.


    The number of parallel realities keeps branching from each version of earths, creating different versions of each other infinitely." exined the God of Space.


    "However¡­ in the end, all those versions of earth and millions of other worlds, that also have their own branches of realities; are in the end¡­ a mere and cheap imitations of Vantrea." dered the God of Space.


    "Like I said before¡­ this world is the First and the Last. Vantrea is the source of the Multiverse, all realities, timelines, andws of existence.


    And that is why we Gods called it Prime Ultim¨¡tus, the peak, and the ultimate existence as well as the origin of them all." spoke the God of Space in a stern tone.


    Shatter!


    Crumble!


    Even now, he didn''t care when his words were destroying thousands ofs with unimaginable numbers of lifeforms in them.


    Shudder!


    Kahn was simply shaken to his core and almost shivered in fear, imagining if one of those worlds was the Earth he came from.


    On one side, the God of Space talked about saving Vantrea but on the other side, just his words transmitted to Kahn were destroying universes. Yet, Raum showed no sense of care or tried to circumvent it.


    Watching his aghast countenance, Raum spoke in a domineering tone.


    "Do not worry. Those universes and realities were meant to be destroyed. It''s not yours or my responsibility to save or look after them.


    They are the ones with a ''Bad Ending''. " he exined in a disinterested voice.


    Raum then continued in a stern tone as he spoke¡­


    "All gods came from Prime Ultim¨¡tus after it created us in order to evolve its own existence.


    Prime Ultim¨¡tus existed before the Time itself. But to put parameters on the span of its evolution, it created the concept andws of Time, thus giving birth to its first sentient form¡­ the God of Time.


    The time had to flow and be finite over something that it upied. Otherwise, there would be no use of Time itself. So Prime Ultim¨¡tus created me, the God of Space.


    Once it settled down and formed itself into a, it wanted to create life¡­


    But what is life but an eternal existence with no end?


    So before the first life came to be in this world, it created the Law of Death." revealed the God of Space, making a shocking revtion so casually.


    "The God of Darkness." responded Kahn.


    God of Space responded calmly¡­


    "He represented not only Death but also the Darkness of the void with no time, space, life or light. Thus he became the first among the Gods to represent two aspects of reality. And once the concept of Death was established, Prime Ultim¨¡tus started the creation of this world.


    Then came the God of Life, followed by the God of Sentience.


    The lifeforms then needed to make sense and utilize the Life and Sentience they gained. Thus, was born the Goddess of Knowledge." dered Raum, sharing the order of the birth of Gods themselves.


    "One after another, the manifestations of reality were birthed by Prime Ultim¨¡tus.


    Hence, we also have the God of Nature, Light, Lightning, Sea, Fire, and Earth.


    There''s also the Goddess of Wind." He then exined how Gods were created by one after another billions of years ago by Prime Ultim¨¡tus.


    "However, the Prime Ultim¨¡tus of the past was such a terrifying existence thesews it created and manifested in the form of us Gods¡­ their reach exceeded far beyond its own expectations.


    Even us Gods, the beings with the highest authority in those aspects andws of realities, could only watch as new realities, universe, timelines and variants of them kept increasing every single moment." revealed the God of Space.


    [This is¡­ so fucking absurd and unfathomable!] thought Kahn to himself.


    "So it created some sort of uncontroble chain reaction, the one with no end as it keeps creating new worlds, universes, timelines, and realities?" he asked with a petrified countenance.


    To his quivering voice, Raum replied¡­


    "Yes. And that is why, we Gods had to act. We were like dutiful children of a mother who had nothing but absolute loyalty and instinct to protect their parent.


    However¡­ the more out of bounds Prime Ultim¨¡tus became¡­ the more destruction and chaos it followed in all those realities and timelines.


    In the end, we all broke free and started siphoning its powers through the veryws and aspects of reality we were created from." exined the God of Space. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "There was a time when all of us wanted nothing more than to stop this incessant creation and destruction cycle of billions of worlds, timelines, and realities.


    We all have spent hundreds of billions of years in maintaining that bnce. And by siphoning Prime Ultim¨¡tus'' unending and infinite powers¡­ let''s just say that all the gods aren''t just limited to Vantrea.


    I alone for example, am not just the God of Space in Vantrea." stated the God of Space and took a long pause.


    "I am the God of Space of the entire Multiverse."

 Chapter 1053 Gods Proposition

    Chapter 1053 God''s Proposition


    Raum, the God of Space, revealed that he was not only the God in Vantrea but also the entire multiverse.


    "I can control the space, and all dimensions just like the other Gods and Goddesses control their aspect of reality across the multiverse with a single thought.


    Even if there was already a God of Death in a particr universe or reality¡­ the one you met can easily intervene and take over them with no resistance." said Raum in a prideful tone.


    "Wait¡­ I remember that the God of Darkness once said that bringing my soul from earth consumed a lot of his powers and he can''t do that for a thousand of years.


    Isn''t that contradictory to what you said?" asked and queried Kahn.


    "So that''s what he told you?


    Take a hint¡­ he obviously lied to you. I reckon it was because of the arrangement he made with the original Kahn Salvatore.


    If the God of Darkness truly wants¡­ he can be to only God of Death & Darkness in the entire multiverse by killing every single one of them in a mere moment¡­ since he is their Creator." said Raum.


    This revtion left Kahn gobsmacked again. [Looks like I have been undermining God of Darkness a lot because the original Kahn made things easier for me.] he thought to himself, recognizing his own impudence.


    "It''s just that those petty Gods from worlds simr to yours y that useless part for us, without even the knowledge that they are mere ants to us.


    And we leave them alone because there are simply too many worlds, universes, and realities to even keep a count. It''s akin to willingly inviting an evesting headache for an eternity. We God''s aren''t that big of fools. So we leave these worlds as they are and focus on the most important one of them all¡­ That is Vantrea." dered the God of Space in a thoughtful voice.


    "So if Prime Ultim¨¡tus is destroyed¡­" asked Kahn as he realized¡­


    "Yes, the entire multiverse itself will also be destroyed." replied Raum calmly.


    Kahn then remembered what the Martial Emperor said¡­


    ''This is bigger than you and me. There are many things far more valuable than your own life at stake.


    Killing the Demon God regardless of the cost¡­ even if it means our death¡­


    This is the only way to save this world¡­ To save everything.''


    Kahn finally understood what the original Kahn said. He wasn''t talking about embracing his role as Hero of Darkness and ying his part in the war against the Demon God due to some sudden change in heart or some irrelevant reason.


    The Martial Emperor wanted the current Kahn to prepare for the Great War because he was trying to save the entire Multiverse.


    "Truth be told¡­ I wanted to see you since the moment you achieved the 3rd enlightenment.


    However, I have had my fair share of disappointments in the past hundreds of millions of years. Most never reach the 4th Enlightenment regardless of their talent or eagerness.


    There have been only 7 beings who even achieved the 5th Enlightment themselves.


    Only 1 could be a Demi-God, thus bing the Deity of Cosmos.


    Kahn asks¡­


    "The Celestial Guardian that oversees the Conve of Heroes?"


    "Correct. When the Gods agreed to hold the Conve of Heroes by creating their respective Peninss and Realms with their own Divine Essence.


    However, Hesperides in itself is a different realm that can be essed only through the gates that were created in each of the first empires that started serving Gods.


    It''s a tripleyer of multiple dimensions that ovep each other. So the only one who could send himself as a Soul Projection and maintain these realms without all of them destroying each other was my retainer." said Raum as he divulged this secret.


    Kahn understood why it was the Deity of Cosmos who took the role of the Celestial Guardian. Because other than God of Space, he was the only one eligible to protect and mandate the Conve of Heroes; otherwise, these realms would have torn and eaten each other.


    And the margin of error left behind was the Realm Tears that he used to travel between two different peninss. Otherwise, Kahn would not be alive at the moment had the Conve of Heroes not been overseen by the Deity of Cosmos.


    "And you have already met with the only Dragon ever to achieve the 5Enlightenmentent as well.


    Kahn nods at the mention of Sazaar, the Elder Dragon of Cosmos.


    "He was one of the most interesting ones. Godbeasts, Dragons, and the other 3 Primordial Species have always been defiant of Gods and do not acknowledge us since they are the strongest beings of the mortal realm.


    Hence, seeing a Royal Dragon, the one who was the strongest of his generation choosing to abolish his own element that he was born with just to learn and forge his own path by studying the spacew¡­ it was a remarkable experience." stated God of Space in a bemused tone.


    Kahn nodded. That was the Elder Dragon of Cosmos that even the Martial Emperor respected.


    "And he was prideful enough to bare his teeth at me when I summoned him to this dimension after he achieved the 5th Enlightenment." said God of Space in an amused tone.


    "It is sad that he chose to erase his existence from the world and all the timelines just to send the original version of Kahn Salvatore in the past and change the fate of this new timeline.


    I must admit¡­ the current you is the result of the sacrifice made by Sazaar and the original Kahn Salvatore. And they are the main reason why I sent my decree to my spokespersoMiyamotooto Musashi, instructing him to teach you.


    Although you have the talent and free thinking to achieve it on your own, it would have taken you decades to even reach the 4th enlightenment.


    Kahn agreed.


    "Had it not been for Miyamoto Sensei, I think it would have taken me at least 30 years to gain the enlightenment."


    Kahn felt no shame in giving credit where it was due.


    "So why would go so far and why did you say that we''re running out of time?"


    God of Space spoke, his voice resounding and destroying thousands ofs and gxies again¡­


    "My initial ns were to offer you my help and turn you into the Acolyte of Cosmos." he divulged his ns.


    "Is it different than an Apostle?"


    "Yes. It would be no different than you abandoning your role as Hero of Darkness and bing the new Hero of Space."


    Kahn was shocked.


    "You already have the potential and even the Dimensional Law divine ability that I created myself.


    To be honest, on the merit alone¡­ you have surpassed the necessary eligibility criterias evenpared to the person I chose myself.


    However¡­ Considering what''s about to happen soon¡­


    Thest thing I want is to go to war with God of Darkness when the end is so near." the God of Space revealed his intentions.


    "The original you already nned a lot of things in the original timelines and arranged for your creations to be apostles as well.


    Even I couldn''t notice such drastic change in the timeline until the Conve of Heroes was just 2 days away." spoke Raum in a firm voice.


    "That was why I arranged my representatives to side with you and even aid you if necessary.


    On top of it, you''re already the Apostle of War." he iterated in a slightly pleased tone.


    "Given the present situation, I can not extend any more help, some special ss or powers to you. Otherwise, your soul would explode." stated the God of Space, revealing the main reason why he had to change his prior ns for Kahn after summoning him into this infinite space, a realm of his creation.


    Kahn understood the God of Space''s pragmatic reasoning.


    His body was already hosting 3 Divine Abilities, 5 Blessings, 4 Gifts, 3 of which came from the Deities of cksmithing while bing a Cosmic Aether entity. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    If God of Space added anything else in the name of help¡­ Kahn was most likely to go nuclear.


    "So now that you have summoned me here and learned who I am¡­ what are your ns with me?" asked Kahn in a curious tone.


    God of Space made a small gesture and showed different versions of realities where the main focus was Elric. "After knowing your existence, I looked into your origin. And to be precise¡­ there was nothing remarkable and even something unique about your life since the moment you were born." stated Raum.


    "There are millions of you¡­ all of whom have lived and died as Elric Johnson in their respective realities and timelines.


    So I wondered what made you so special that God of Darkness chose you in the original timeline.


    And I finally found the reason." he dered in a joyous voice.


    "And what reason is that?" asked Kahn, his countenance turning serious as he felt an inevitable sense of threat.


    "Every version has lived as Elric Johnson. Some of them have even traveled to different worlds.


    However¡­ there is only one who called himself Kahn Salvatore aftering to this world in the original timeline.


    The reason¡­ you should ask that to God of Darkness. It is not my responsibility to reveal." said Raum, the God of Space in a cryptic voice.


    "However, in light of learning the truth¡­ I have a proposition to make, now that all of the ns have no meaning left." spoke the God of Space in a sinister voice.


    "What I want you, Hero of Darkness¡­" said God of Space as he revealed his new n.


    "Is to be my Vessel."

 Chapter 1054 The Unfettered

    1054 The Unfettered


    Out of nowhere¡­ the God of Space proposed that Kahn be his vessel, leaving thetter bewildered in sheer disbelief.


    Kahn could not fathom or absorb this unexpected twist appearing in this congregation, yet he tried toe to terms with it and soon, he dered his response¡­


    "How is that even possible? You said that giving me any help at this point would destroy my soul.


    And even if I''m a Saint, does it make sense for a God to be able to use a human as a vessel without any repercussions?" asked Kahn, slightly anxious.


    "Yes. It is possible... If you no longer have a Soul itself." replied the God of Space sternly.


    Shock!


    "No way in hell I''m doing that!"shouted Kahn in defiance.


    What Raum meant... Was simply Kahn dying, his soul disappearing and then the God of Space taking possession of his body right now during this meeting.


    He wanted Kahn to sacrifice himself for the sake of saving the Multiverse.


    But Kahn made his intentions very clear to the God of Space.


    To refuse an almighty God¡­ well, it wasn''t his first time so to speak.


    "Think about it¡­ you''re currently the most suitable person for me to do it, even better than the current Hero of Space.


    Maybe even the original Kahn Salvatore nned for it to happen." said Raum, suggesting an unforeseen mystery.


    Shake!


    Kahn on the other end, quickly shook his head in denial.


    "The way I talked with him and everything he told me to do¡­ there''s no way he nned for it.


    And I''m not a buffoon either, to fall for your words just because you''re a God." replied Kahn with a firm voice.


    Sigh!


    The God of Space''s sigh destroyed hundreds ofs again in their respective universes.


    "Even when the inevitable annihtion is at your doorsteps¡­ all the mortals, regardless of their species or powers, still choose to adhere to their own beliefs and think they can do better.


    That futile emotion you call ''Hope''... Is but a useless notion in face of destiny." he stated, reminiscing his own experience.


    "Who do you think will be far superior choice at destroying the Demon God? You or me?


    Can you even utilize the Dimensional Law divine ability to its fullest extent, better than me at that?" he asked in a cajoling tone.


    "What we have at stake here isn''t just one world or two, but the entire multiverse and everything that ever existed.


    Yet you can''t even relinquish your body and let me end this war?" asked Raum in a reprimanding tone.


    Kahn''s expression turned serious but his eyes became resolute.


    "You may be right. You possibly could end this war if I give you my body right now.


    But what you have is just an obstinate view of this world as a God and not a living being whose existence relies on the survival of Vantrea.


    Even if this world is destroyed¡­ you will continue to live and maybe even create new worlds out of boredom. You have backup ns¡­ but there is no n B for me." said Kahn firmly.


    "Besides, I owe it to a lot of people to see this through till the end." dered Kahn in a stoic voice.


    Raum found this sentimentpletely useless to their cause.


    "Shame¡­ First, the Hero of Space disappointed me with his stagnant progress in the Space Law, and now you, the most suitable vessel also denying my proposition.


    It seems as if all my ns are turning pointless now." he iterated in an exasperated tone.


    Kahn asked curiously¡­


    "And what ns were those, if I may ask?"


    To his query, the God of Space responded in a regretful tone¡­


    "Had the Hero of Space achieved the 4th Enlightenment by now¡­ I wouldn''t even have to ask you, a chosen Hero of another God."


    Tremble!


    Kahn''s eyes were wide open as he jolted in shock.


    "So you nned to take over his body from the start?" he queried with an aghast countenance.


    "Yes. The current Hero of Space wasn''t chosen solely for his qualities¡­ but because he knew very well that one day, he might be my vessel should the situation force our hand.


    And he is the kind of person who would have understood the responsibility we both have and the consequence if we failed to protect this world." revealed the God of Space.


    "He was keen on bing stronger to protect Vantrea and his home world. That is why he epted this responsibility in the first ce." stated Raum.


    To this divulged information, Kahn replied sternly¡­


    "Well, unfortunately¡­ I used to be a man who never took charge of his life, surviving in acent environment just because it was the safer way than redefining myself through challenges and risks. That has changed ever since I came to Vantrea.


    And now... I have be a very selfish bastard myself. I hate losing what is mine and I will do absolutely everything in my power to protect what I have.


    I may not be some righteous hero like your Hero of Space who would sacrifice himself for the sake of this world.


    But I''m the kind of man who would rather take control of fate itself than let it dictate my life. And for that very reason¡­ I humbly decline your proposition." said Kahn, this time, showing proper respect to the God of Space but resolutely stating his final decision.


    Raum showed no contempt towards Kahn''s refusal for some reason and continued in a sagacious voice¡­


    "We still have a few years¡­ but if you don''t be a Demi-God before the Demon God, then our only choice will be meeting like this again if you achieve the 5th Enlightenment in the Space Law.


    Do you understand how uncertain that kind of future is?" he said.


    "Would you still wager the fate of the entire multiverse just because you are ignorant of your own achievements so far?" he asked in an authoritative tone.


    One would consider those as an insult to Kahn. However, thetter was not irked by them.


    "I would, I would¡­ not because I''m overconfident. You may not know this about me yet¡­


    But unlike all the other Heroes summoned in this generation¡­ I didn''t achieve what I have just because of me being a chosen Hero of a God who had useful divine abilities.


    And certainly, the original Kahn and Sazaar indeed made my current life possible.


    It''s also true that I have received a lot of help from others too. I have no problem with it and neither would I deny their part in it.


    However¡­" cited Kahn as his entire countenance rxed.


    He pointed and tapped at his head with the right forefinger.


    "I''m what I am today because of my own mind and my nature." said Kahn as he made a firm deration.


    "I have made mistakes, but I have also learned from them.


    I have gained strength and willpower to survive in this world because I had no support or any kind of backing since the day of my arrival.


    I have killed for it; I have bled for it!" he loudly proimed.


    Raum too showed an interested gaze.


    "I have suffered immense torture and died more than a million times just to be the best at everything possible for me.


    And through all those struggles, hardships, and dangers I have faced in this new life¡­


    My mind and my wit have always been the strongest ally who helped me adapt and ovee every situation.


    To you¡­ I may be a selfish and an ignorant fool. But anyone close to me would wholeheartedly agree that¡­" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Kahn then ended his words in a resolute voice.


    "I''m a Survivor."


    The infinite expanse of space and universes suddenly stagnated, halting its cycle as the God of Space was intrigued by Kahn''s firm deration.


    "Such hubris.


    Even your predecessor, the 8th Hero of Darkness, who was the strongest Hero to exist so far, went above and beyond to kill the other chosen heroes; but still couldn''t kill the Demon God.


    You''re outnumbered, outmatched, and fighting for a hopeless war because even now, the other Gods and the Empires are still lingering over their petty politics and greed for power.


    With all of these obstacles, you''re bound for failure just like the 8th Hero of Darkness.


    So tell me¡­ what makes you think you can fare better?" he asked in a daunting tone.


    "What makes you think you''ll be any different than those who came before you?


    What says that you won''t fail in front of the destiny itself?" asked Raum, the God of Space.


    Kahn clenched his fist and raised his head as he replied with an unfettered and undefeatable will¡­


    "Unless I win."


    .


    .


    .


    [[Author''s Note: Good news, readers of the Hero of Darkness. I feel ted to announce that an official Comic Adaptation of the novel has been confirmed and will start serialization in 2025.]]

 Chapter 1055 The Conviction

    Chapter 1055 The Conviction


    Kahn floated in the infinite cosmos filled with millions of universes, billions ofs existing in unison as he faced Raum, the God of Space.


    The God on the other end, seemed slightly impressed with Kahn''s conviction.


    By now, both Kahn and Raum knew that without the former''s permission, thetter couldn''t take over his body.


    Even Gods valued the consent of their chosen Heroes, the people brought from other worlds for an unknown reason. And this yed into Kahn''s favor in this meeting with the God of Space.


    "Ah, you mortals and your stupidity... To think you can handle things better than us Gods.


    This war wouldn''t have carried on and ended 3000 years ago had there been a suitable candidate for me back then.


    But your defiance and pestilence knows no bound." spoke Raum in an irritated tone.


    "Fine¡­ have it your way, Hero of Darkness. But do know that if one day, Vantrea ispletely destroyed¡­ as you breathe your final moments, remember that you had a choice to stop all of it.


    But you didn''t do so mainly because of the arrogant beliefs that made you¡­ hopeful." dered Raum in an authoritative tone.


    "Well, if I agreed to be your vessel¡­ I would be dead anyway, wouldn''t I?" he asked the God sarcastically.


    "Yes, you would. But the soul of one Hero against the existence of the entire multiverse; I would call it more than a reasonable bargain." replied Raum. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Ah, it makes me feel sad for God of Darkness, given how things are unfolding.


    You found a Hero who wouldy down his life to protect the multiverse without hesitation¡­


    And then there''s God of Darkness, who chose a greedy and selfish bastard like me who would rather risk its destruction than embrace his death.


    Ironically, I wanted to die the moment I met him, and now¡­ I want to live and save this world by my own choice." said Kahn,menting how the past him and the current him were different andpletely opposite to each other in that aspect.


    "So I will do everything the way I see fit than to relinquish my body to you or anyone else." said Kahn firmly.


    The reassurance of his own decision Kahn made God of Space feel a bit excited in a way.


    Because on one hand, his own hero struggled with conviction while Kahn, a person chosen by another God, remained unfazed yet had a strong belief in himself.


    "Then this ends our encounter, Kahn Salvatore. Regardless of your decision to deny the proposal¡­ I hope you do seed.


    For me, it''s been a while since I spectated an interesting individual such as yourself. Yet, whatever it maye to; I hope we meet again before the end of this world." iterated Raum solemnly.


    Kahn gave an understanding nod in response because he too knew the weight of his responsibilities now that he met the God of Space himself.


    What was toe in the future¡­ it remained a mystery.


    ----------------


    BLIP!


    The next moment, Kahn found himself back inside the world of his creation, standing beside Miyamoto Musashi.


    "Kahn¡­ did you just¡­" asked the sword saint.


    "Yes¡­ I met him, I met the God of Space." replied Kahn, still remembering the surreal experience he had inside the infinite space.


    "That realm¡­ it was created by the God of Space?" asked Kahn as he gazed at his Sensei.


    "No. It was not.


    Rather, it was the point of origin of the multiverse. God of Space not only upies it but also oversees it like a silent guardian, a watchful protector." replied the samurai swordsman.


    "The number of universes,s, and realities I saw there¡­ were endless.


    Can someone like us even achieve a fraction of that power even if we were to be Demi-Gods or achieve the 5th Enlightenment in the Space Law?" asked Kahn with an anticipatory gaze.


    "I do not know. But what I do know is that bing a Demi-God is just the first step." responded Miyamoto Musashi with a light chuckle.


    "I died before I coulde close to that first step. Hopefully¡­ you at least get a chance to do it on my behalf." replied the first emperor of the Erdve Empire.


    Kahn made a 90-degree bow and spoke with a respectful tone¡­


    "I will try my best, sensei."


    He lifted his head and saw the world he created.


    "After looking at the Origin of Multiverse¡­ I think I understand few things about my own world." said Kahn.


    "Oho, and what would that be?" asked the sword saint, bemused.


    "That although the world is a representation of who I am and what I will be as a person¡­" spoke Kahn and halted his words.


    Tap!


    He tapped his right foot on the ground and the very next moment, his cosmic aether spread into the nearby 100 kilometers.


    "It doesn''t have to be limited to my own characteristics or imagination." he said.


    Rumble!


    Tremble!


    Woosh!


    In the following moments, the deste and dreary world created by Kahn which had nothing but ck lifeless ground before¡­ started evolving.


    Soon, the different multicolored creations such as mountains, rivers of fresh water, trees, and clouds started appearing in this empty world, beginning the start of an ecosystem.


    [The Elder Dragon Sazaar was indeed right. Space Law isn''t about just manipting or utilizing the space or the true dimension itself.


    I was a fool to think that it was limited to primitive stuff such as just teleportation or attacking using the space force.] he thought.


    "It is very well capable of not only creating a world that we can by achieving the 4th Enlightenment¡­ It can make it real." dered Kahn.


    "What?!" eximed the sword saint with his eyes wide open.


    "I felt it when I saw the God of Space¡­ He wasn''t just overseeing the multiverse.


    If my guess is right¡­ He was altering the course of the multiverse and all the universes in it.


    I saw many gxies and all the lifeforms in them dying. Yet I didn''t feel any life force from them even as a mere spectator." stated Kahn.


    "Do you mean¡­ those worlds were not real?" asked Musashi skeptically.


    "No, they were real. However¡­ all of them felt like replicas of the real thing, created perfectly with every minute detail.


    I believe that the God of Space doesn''t just control the multiverse¡­


    He''s bncing and preserving all lifeforms living in it." Kahn''s bold im even shocked the sword saint.


    "Maybe that''s what he hoped that I would understand by meeting him.


    In a way¡­ he might have just given me a strong weapon to use against this Demon God everyone speaks of." iterated Kahn and let out a confident smirk.


    Miyamoto Musashi stayed confused, unable toprehend what Kahn was talking about.


    "I know what I need to do than just train and increase my power.


    And I would also like to meet him." said Kahn as he eagerly gazed at his Space Law mentor.


    "Meet who?" asked the sword saint.


    Kahn smiled, looking at the evolving world around him as the pitch-ck world now started bing a serenendscape filled with nature. He spoke with an intrigued countenance as he mentioned the person he wished to meet after this encounter¡­


    "The Hero of Space."

 Chapter 1056 History of the Hero

    Chapter 1056 History of the Hero


    After expressing his intentions to deliver upon his end of the deal finally, Kahn asked Miyamoto Musashi about what kind of man the current Hero of Space was.


    "The present one is the 10th Hero of Space. He is older than you just by 3 years.


    Compared to his predecessors, those who came after me, he has a strong sense of duty and his willpower to carry out justice is one of the best I''ve seen.


    In a way, his discipline and hard work reminded me of myself when I was young.


    However, not every obstacle can be ovee just by hard work or sheer willpower. Some of them require talent and a free outlook on the world as well, simr to how you have." revealed the sword saint.


    "You are not bound by a certain sense of ideology, morality, or tradition. You''re not even a religious man despite being a literal representative of a God.


    You have no problem acknowledging the differences of opinions, customs, lifestyles, and even a sense of justice. You are much open-minded in that sense." he iterated, pointing out the difference between Kahn and the Hero of Space.


    Kahn''s ears perked up and with an investigative tone, he asked¡­


    "Then what about the Hero of Space? Why didn''t you teach him your swordsmanship skills just like you taught me and Omega?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    To his query, the Ancestor Emperor of the Empire of Space responded¡­


    "Because no one can use them without meeting certain criteria such as advancements in Spce Law or having unlocked a particr ss as a samurai warrior.


    Take you for example, you already achieved the 3rd Enlightenment in the Spcew before I even heard about your existence. All that by just reading books from someone who studied them for centuries and without even having a proper mentor.


    My other disciple, Omega¡­ he already had the Dual Swords Samurai ss unlocked, making him a perfect candidate for me to pass down my teachings of Niten Ichi-ry¨±." iterated the sword saint.


    Kahn nodded in agreement. Although Kahn''s first three achievements were significantly influenced by certain factors, such as the invaluable books and research material left by Solomon Elfenheim; the elf semi-saint he encountered in vot City, who had also dedicated his studies to the Space Law¡ªit was not merely external aids that facilitated his sess.


    By delving into Solomon Elfenheim''s extensive collection, Kahn gained his first two enlightenments in Space Law almost effortlessly. This profound library provided a strong foundation, allowing Kahn to build his knowledge and understanding rapidly.


    Furthermore, Kahn achieved his third enlightenment with the aid of the Linchipin of the Multiverse, a remarkable realm housed within the Tablet of Arcana. This mystical realm offered unique insights and perspectives that were crucial in advancing Kahn''sprehension of the Space Law.


    However, it is important to acknowledge that his achievements were not solely due to these external resources.


    Kahn''s open-mindedness and willingness to explore the world yed a pivotal role in his sess. His broad perspective allowed him to absorb and integrate diverse knowledge and wisdom, which was essential in reaching such profound levels of enlightenment.


    Kahn''s intellectual curiosity and adaptability enabled him to transcend the limitations that many others faced, highlighting the importance of a receptive and expansive mindset in the pursuit of knowledge and mastery.


    Soon, Miyamoto Musashi spoke with a thoughtful voice¡­


    "In his original world, the country he inhabited bore a striking resemnce to the current Erdve Empire, and even to Japan during the Sengoku era on Earth. The societal structures, cultural norms, and political intricacies mirrored these historic and fantastical realms, creating a familiar yet unique environment.


    One significant difference between his world and ours was the presence of noble bloodlines blessed by the Kami (Gods). These divine blessings endowed them with unique powers once they reached a certain age, powers that were intrinsically tied to their innate affinities with specific elements of nature. These affinities manifested in the form of Divine Spirits, which could appear as various animals, monsters, and sometimes even as Demons.


    Among the ruling authorities under the Shogun... each noble n was associated with different elements, and the sessors of these ns were destined to form contracts with the Divine Spirits upon assuming the role of the n leader." borated the sword saint.


    Miyamoto Musashithen continued in aposed tone¡­ "The Shogun''s bloodline, on the other hand, possessed a unique and unparalleled power. Unlike other ns, they had the ability to contract with not just one, but a total of five of the strongest Divine Spirits, rendering them far superior and stronger than any other noble families.


    Our Hero of Space was born into this illustrious lineage, destined to be the next Shogun in his world. However, his path was fraught with tragedy and challenge. When he was just seven years old, his father¡ªwho could only contract with three Divine Spirits due to failing to gain the acknowledgment of thetter two most powerful spirits¡ªwas assassinated. This treacherous act was orchestrated by his own Daimyos (Feudal Lords), who betrayed him.


    In the ensuing chaos, many members of his n and family sacrificed their lives to ensure his escape from the massacre. The young heir was forced into hiding, where he spent decades training under the Shogun''s loyal Hatamotos (Guardians of the g/Bannermen). These dedicated warriors honed his skills and prepared him for the arduous journey ahead.


    At the age of 25, driven by a burning desire for vengeance after witnessing the ughter of his entire family and n, our Hero of Space returned. By then, he had achieved what his father could not: he gained the acknowledgment and formed contracts with all the ancestral Divine Spirits. Furthermore, he subdued two Demonic Spirits, thereby wielding the powers of seven such beings¡ªsurpassing all his ancestors in power and might.


    Armed with this formidable strength, he embarked on a mission to reim his birthright. He systematically eliminated the traitor ns, exacting justice for the betrayal that had decimated his family. Finally, his journey for vengeance marked a turning point for his country; he became the Shogun, liberating hisnd from oppression and unifying it under one rule for the betterment of all." cited the 6th Hero of Space, recounting the current Hero of Space''s life story.


    "So you mean to tell me¡­"


    Kahn''s expression on the other side, was simply stifled as he spoke with a baffled voice.


    "The Hero of Space is the goddamn Main Character?!"

 Chapter 1057 The Hero of Space

    Chapter 1057 The Hero of Space


    Kahn was simply bewildered after hearing the current Hero of Space''s origin story, wondering if he was the main character of this saga. "This guy checks every single box," Kahn mused, cing his fingers on his chin in contemtion.


    What Miyamoto Musashi recounted about the Hero of Space was merely a summary. The tale was rich with ssic elements that define a protagonist''s journey. Witnessing the death of loved ones is a standard origin story for many heroes¡ªa prime example being a billionaire who dressed as a bat to fight crime.


    Simrly, the Hero of Space spent decades training under master-level warriors, much like the billionaire who honed his skills under Asian ninjas and African tribes before returning to his city tobat injustice. The Hero of Space followed the archetypal path of defying fate and surpassing all his predecessors in his bloodline.


    Just the Hero''s journey to find and make those divine spirits would be enough to provide a plotline for a whole arc. Contracting with 5 and then even going beyond to subdue 2 more demonic spirits was enough for half the story. Then returning to exact revenge and finally reiming his rightful ce as the ruler of the country¡­ By the very definition, the Hero of Space was the Main Character. [Hell, there''s a whole genre in entertainment media over centuries in historical literature and folklore that had this ssic setup.


    Add in support characters and establish proper world building¡­ One could write an entire novel with those ideas alone.] spoke Kahn to himself. That''s why even Kahn couldn''t help but wonder whether it was the Hero of Space who was supposed to be the main protagonist of this story. [Imagine reading a novel for more than a thousand chapters just to realize that all of this was just the prologue before the main character was finally introduced.


    Forget others, I myself will break the dimensional barrier and hunt down that fucking bastard author.] he spoke in an exasperated tone. But in front of his sensei, Kahn used a different tone to address his surprise¡­


    "Very admirable and inspiring I must say. On earth, he would have be a historical figure for future generations." said Kahn, acknowledging the strength and valor of the current Hero of Space.


    "But how did he end up as the Hero of Space? You said he is the same age as me, but in your case, you were summoned at the end of your life." he queried.


    But the very next moment¡­ the sword saint''s countenance turned serious.


    "Not everyone gets a happy ending. Just a yearter¡­ Foreigners came to hisnds.


    With their advanced weaponry and navalbat skills, while possessing the power of magic, they made a quick footing and established strongholds over the coasts of his country.


    The country itself was not even stabilized after the civil war and the newly established regiment of officials were barely settled¡­ but the sudden invasion put the warring country into chaos very quickly." exined the sensei.


    [Eh¡­ this feels like something I''ve read already.


    From the fall of the Shogunate, then bing the First Unifier of his country and then foreigners invading hisnds via ships¡­


    So this guy basically lived through 3 different eras of Japan''s history in his single lifetime.] thought Kahn to himself.


    "In the end, the Hero of Space made a decisive battle with the invaders, leading their country to victory." iterated the sword saint.


    Kahn then spoke¡­


    "I sense a ''BUT''ing."


    "Hah! You''re right."


    Musashi lightly chuckled as he responded...


    "In the final battle, he burnt his entire life force and used all the Spirits excessively, just to save the lives of thousands of soldiers from his army troops.


    After the war¡­ he fell sick and was on the brink of death from the severe bacsh.


    But he made sure that the people would not suffer from another invasion and that no other civil war would ur before his demise.


    However¡­ it was just moments before his death, that the God of Space summoned him, showing him the truth of his world and how it was just one of the infinite universes and timelines in the multiverse." exined Miyamoto Musashi.


    "After finding that his reality was just a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things¡­ he quickly took up the responsibility.


    He had seen war and bloodshed since young age. He rted to the suffering of the weak and poor since he spent decades living among them while hiding his true identity.


    He always thought that as the rightful ruler, it was his responsibility and life''s purpose to protect the innocent and weak. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    To put it simply¡­ he is a man of Honor." iterated the sword saint.


    Kahn gave an understanding nod. Although he wasn''t keen on following something like the Code of Honor akin to Bushido that the Samurai practiced¡­ he certainly knew few people who followed them.


    First, it was Maximus dius, the Hero of Nature whom he met in the Beast Empire. And now, it was the Hero of Space.


    "To meet him¡­ we will have to give you a separate new identity." said the sensei.


    "I already have one in mind. But you will have to help me use the name of some of your Daiymos." responded Kahn and thus began the preparations for his official meeting with the Hero of Space.


    ----------------


    Meanwhile, in a separate realm created for the sole purpose of training a powerful saint¡­ an intriguing scenario came to be.


    Amidst thousands of shattered mountains and craters big enough to epass a small town, stood a half-naked warrior with waist-length ck hair and glowing mauve-colored eyes.


    His ripped upper body filled with glowing ck, red and blue tattoos was now riddled with shing wounds and the katana in his hand was releasing a dense form of the space force. If Kahn were to be present here, he could tell that it wasn''t the conventional space force and neither was it cosmic aether¡­ rather an evolved form of the former created by this man himself.


    Crack!


    A void crack opened and a gray-haired samurai entered this realm.


    "You have been training hard. To see that you became a 6th-stage saint just in 6 months¡­ it makes me proud." said this man in royal attire.


    "I greet the Tenn¨­ Heika (His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor)." said this saint warrior as he knelt on one knee.


    This was Sakamoto Hideyoshi, the Emperor of the Empire of Space.


    The emperor gazed at the warrior''s wounds and spoke,


    "You do not need to push yourself so far. You have been like this ever since you returned from the Conve of Heroes." he stated.


    "What can I do? I have fallen behind so badly despite all the training and hard work." responded the samurai warrior.


    "Do not say that. Compared to the previous 3 Heroes of Space, your progress in just 8 years, to even be a 5th-stage saint ismendable." said Hideyoshi in a benign tone.


    But the Hero of Space''s expression turned sullen and harrowed.


    "Yet,pared to the Hero of Darkness who was summoned just 6 years ago, already bing a 6th-stage saint despite being hunted by all the empires¡­ I am nothing remarkable.


    The dominance he disyed, the unwavering fortitude in the way he talked and carried himself in front of all of the emperors, empresses, and heroes¡­


    He made me realize that I''m still not worthy to carry the burden of saving this world from the Demon God." iterated the Hero with a sense of admiration but also with a guilty heart.


    "Comparison is the thief of joy." said Sakamoto Hideyoshi as he looked at the destroyed 50-kilometer radius.


    Chuckle!


    "Hah! For me¡­ it a goodpetition, and source of motivation." said the Hero, and soon, his wounds healed in an instant as he summoned a set of ck hakama (traditional japanese indoor clothes for samurai and nobility in 16th-century). "Let''s go. It''s time you meet your new party members." said the Emperor.


    However, the Hero''s expression stiffened as he spoke...


    "I am still against recing my allies just because they were severely injured during the trials of the God of Space.


    I do not abandon people just because they''re no longer useful to me." stated the Hero firmly.


    "Do not worry. They''re just temporary substitutes. Both of them were against it more than you." said the Emperor and opened a void crack to leave this realm.


    As he turned his face, a content smile appeared on the old Emperor''s face, satisfied by the answer that the Hero did not like throwing away people like mere chess pieces.


    This was a man chosen by Raum, the God of Space.


    A man who did not shy away from hardships, or his responsibilities and even acknowledged the difference of caliber when someone was better than him.


    A man of honor and moral code, embodying the spirit of a Samurai¡­


    The 10th Hero of Space¡­ Sasakibe Ryuken.

 Chapter 1058 Meeting the Hero

    Chapter 1058 Meeting the Hero


    In a pristine castle, an epitome of ancient Japanese architecture and craftsmanship, the white and dark brown colors of the structure perfectlyplemented the blooming beauty of the spring season. The cherry blossoms in full bloom added a touch of ethereal beauty, their petals gently drifting in the breeze, creating a scene of tranquility and serenity.


    However, despite this peaceful and serene backdrop, an important meeting of powerful saints was underway. Within the castle grounds, amidst hundreds of vignt guards and over a dozen saint-rank warriors of various professions, stood a pagoda.


    This pagoda, constructed from the highest quality vibrant orange wood, served as the centerpiece of this grand meeting. Its elegant design and rich colors made it a striking contrast to the rest of the castle, drawing attention to the gravity of the assembly taking ce within its walls.


    Step!


    Step!


    A total of 8 figures, apanied by soldiers on both sides, walked in the center of the stone path as the ponds nearby were filled with golden and red carp, adding more life to this environment.


    Soon, the servants who were a mix of various races and species exclusive to the Erdve Empire, started offering refreshments and freshly brewed tea of the highest quality dried tea leaves avable.


    Sip!


    "They''rete. Sakamoto-sama said the new members would arrive right in the middle of the day." spoke an enchanting woman in a purple kimono as 9 white furry tails wiggled behind her gracefully.


    "To hear that Yukimura-dono and Hanzo-dono are being reced so soon just because of their fatal injuries¡­ it boils my blood, to be honest." spoke a giant red figure with two heads. Even while sitting on a Zabuton, his height was a meter and a half.


    "Stop it! To oppose the order of our Lord¡­ it is treason!" eximed a frail-looking man in the white and violet garbs of an exorcist.


    Tung!


    Tung!


    But before their conversation could continue¡­ the guards announced the arrival of the guests.


    Two tall and extremely fit warriors stepped in while being escorted by the servants.


    In the meeting hall, 8 people waited for these guests.


    Soon, the head servant started introducing everyone to the new arrivals as part of the customs.


    "This is Lady Kagura." said the old man while bowing slightly.


    Thedy he referred to was an enchanting beauty with fox ears and nine tails, elegantly adorned in a purple kimono. Her captivating feminine features and peerless beauty were so striking that they could make any straight man instantly fall in love with her.


    The purple kimono, intricately designed with delicate patterns of cherry blossoms and flowing rivers, only enhanced her ethereal charm. Twitch!


    Her fox ears twitched subtly, and her nine tails swayed gracefully behind her, adding an air of mystique to her presence. Every movement she made exuded grace and allure, her enchanting aura filling the room and captivating all whoid eyes on her.


    "This is Lady Tomoe," said the servant, gesturing towards a Yuki Onna (Snow Demon). She was veiled in a white kimono, her glowing eyes with crystalline blue irises and silver hair giving her the appearance of an Ice Queen.


    Her glossy white skin, paired with the cold, prating gaze in her eyes, added a tangible chill to the air around her.


    The ethereal beauty and icy demeanor of Lady Tomoe made her presence both captivating and formidable, as if the very essence of winter had taken human form. The intricate patterns on her kimono shimmered like frost on a windowpane, enhancing her regal and otherworldly aura.


    "This is Lord Shingen." said the old man as he pointed towards the twin-headed and four-handed red Ogre who had a Legendary rank Kanabo (club weapon) lying beside him.


    "This is Lord Isshin." introduced the head servant as he bowed towards the frail human who seemed to be an Onmyoji (Demon Exorcist/Priest) human with spiritual powers.


    "She is Lady Momoko," spoke the old man, respectfully addressing a Jorogumo (Spider Demon) who held a wagasa (Japanese wooden umbre).


    Despite her human-like appearance, she had four green eyes and four spider legs protruding from her back.


    Lady Momoko exuded an aura of danger mixed with mysterious allure, making those who met her gaze feel a shiver run down their spine. Her kimono, adorned with intricate spider web patterns, swayed gently as she moved, adding to her enigmatic presence. Thebination of her delicate human features and the menacing spider traits created a captivating contrast that left an indelible impression on all who encountered her.


    "Sitting next to her, is Lord Dosho." said the servant as he addressed a monk in yellow Buddhist garb with beads around his neck while a Khakkhara was ced in front of him.


    "May Amitabha and Mahak guide you." spoke the monk, greeting the guests gently.


    "Opposite to him is Lord Kensei." said the servant as he pointed towards a human warrior who used Naginata (Japanese halberd) as his main weapon.


    And as soon as the servant was about to address thest person at the very end of this sitting arrangement¡­


    A two-meter-tall fiery red tiger adorned with golden ornaments around its neck and legs, and a floating golden tenne (ethereal shawl) draped over its back,y majestically on the floor. Its presencemanded attention, serving as a regal chair for someone, making its formidable appearance known to all.


    This ethereal tiger who had two bright red glowing hornsing out of its forehead, was a Divine Spirit, the first of its kind witnessed by the two guests. Its fiery fur seemed to flicker like mes, and its golden ornaments shimmered in the light, adding to its majestic aura. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Restingfortably on the belly of this massive, ferocious tiger was a long ck-haired, handsome Japanese man with strong and imposing features. His presence exuded both endearment and authority, a kingly figure whomanded respect and admiration.


    This distinguished individual was none other than the Hero of Space, Sasakibe Ryuken.


    Step!


    Step!


    All of their gazes were now focused on the two new arrivals.


    At the front, was a silver-haired tall man with his upper body exposed, revealing the ck runic tattoos across his chest, waist, and back.


    His ck right arm resembled that of a w of a demon while the bracers on the left arm showcased a master-crafted part of armor.


    "Huh? What kind of Yokai is that?


    A dog? A wolf? Is he a descendant of the Inugami (Japanese dog deity)?" spoke Kensei with a curious tone.


    "Look at those Katanas¡­ both of them are Legendary rank. We barely have one weapon of such rank for ourselves while he is openly disying two of them." said Shingen, the tall Oni warrior.


    Raijin and Kyojin¡­ the two legendary rank katanas had attracted everyone''s attention from the get-go.


    GRRR!


    However¡­


    The massive tiger suddenly opened its eyes and growled at the two guests with hostile intent, deeming them threatening.


    "Calm down, they''re not enemies," said Ryuken in a gentle voice.


    Shing!


    Shing!


    Suddenly, the red tiger''s entire body turned into ethereal energy and was absorbed by the Hero of Space.


    The very next moment, a massive red glowing tattoo with some parts resembling the head and ws of the tiger appeared over both his arms.


    "Apologies. He is usually unweing towards new faces." said Ryuken and slightly bowed his head.


    "I, Raiden¡­ Greet the Hero of Space, Ryuken-sama." said Omega, sticking to his 2nd persona for their stay in the Erdve Empire.


    "Raiden, huh? The world Ie from¡­ it was the name of the God of Thunder and Lightning in mynds." spoke the Hero of Space in an amicable tone, weing Omega in a respectful tone.


    And finally, it was time for Kahn, the second person who had garnered everyone''s attention.


    Kahn had transformed his face and entire physical appearance to establish his new identity.


    He now appeared as a slender-looking Japanese man with a very handsome and striking face. His shoulder-length silky ck hair framed his features elegantly, enhancing his distinguished and captivating presence.


    The transformation was soplete that even those who knew him well would have struggled to recognize him. His new visage exuded confidence and charisma, traits that drew the attention of everyone in the room.


    As he stepped forward, the air seemed to hum with anticipation, the room falling silent as all eyes fixed upon him.


    Other than the Monk and the Hero of Space, most male members found this man''s appearance irksome for reasons unknown.


    The three female members, on the other hand, revealed interested and slightly charmed expressions, with a blush appearing on their faces.


    Kahn was adorned in a regal pitch-ck hakama, cradling the katana Muramasa close to his chest as he sat down on a zabuton. His demeanor exuded an air of quiet strength and nobility.


    There was one distinguishing feature about his new persona that stood out the most: Kahn now wore a ck headband that acted like a patch to cover his left eye. This subtle yet striking detail added an enigmatic edge to his noble and gentle appearance.


    To the onlookers, Kahn''s new persona, created solely for his deal with Miyamoto Musashi, presented an intriguing figure¡ªa man with only one eye.


    This distinctive characteristic,bined with hisposed and regal bearing, made him a captivating and mysterious presence in the room.


    "I greet all the members of the Hero''s Party." spoke Kahn with a changed voice that was as pleasant on the ears as it was polite.


    "In my n, they call me the One-Eyed Dragon. But all of you, including Ryuken-dono, may call me¡­" spoke Kahn as he gracefully introduced his new persona with a benign smile¡­


    "Masamune Byakuya."

 Chapter 1059 The Discourteous

    1059 The Discourteous


    Kahn introduced himself as Masamune Byakuya to the Hero of Space''s party and as soon as he did¡­ the entire congregation whether it was the party members, the soldiers, or the servants within the pagoda; turned dead silent.


    Because thest name ''Masamune'' had a very distinct history in the Erdve Empire.


    ording to everyone''s knowledge, when the First Emperor, Miyamoto Musashi created the Erdve Empire after throwing out the previous regime¡­ He had 5 Loyal Daiymos who fought alongside him during the revolt against the previous Emperor''s forces.


    The main reason for the revolt was that the old regime sacrificed plenty of citizens annually to monsters and supposed guardians who were nothing more than variants of Godbeasts. All so that their hunger could be appeased with the lives of thousands of innocent citizens and the nobles or royals wouldn''t have to fight those monsters and lose the lives of their saint warriors.


    They treated themoners of the empire as nothing more than essories to their rule and meat shields to discard when necessary. Thus, forcing the 6th Hero of Space to raise arms against the ruling authorities and free the innocent popce from this unforgivable tyranny as soon as he achieved the 3rd enlightenment in the Space Law.


    And to this day, even after more than 500 years, 4 of those ns survived and still served his descendants, such as the emperor, Sakamoto Hideyoshi.


    But thest n that fell was none other than the Masamune n.


    Masamune Honjo, their first founder, was not just one of the bannermen of Miyamoto Musashi but also a renowned cksmith of his era, even forging the Emperor''s Ancient Rank twin katanas that helped him usurp the previous rule and establish the Erdve Empire.


    The founder of the cksmithing n was given the title of the Noble and under his leadership, the Masamune n served as the main force that forged the Erdve Empire''s weapons, and machinery and even pioneered the technological advancements to a great degree.


    However¡­ close to 200 years ago, the n leader of that era stood on the side of one of the rivals who vied for the throne, directly opposing the im of the previous emperor, the father of Sakamoto Hideyoshi.


    When the rival prince of that time couldn''t get support from the majority of Daiymos and their respective ns, he tried to assassinate his elder brother. The only one who stood by his side and assisted in that assassination attempt was the leader of the Masamune n.


    After the attempt failed and the traitors were executed¡­ the Masamune n lost their title as a Noble n because of their leader''s doings.


    The previous emperor, however, was merciful enough to not execute all the members of the Masamune n, going against their tradition¡­ but the remaining n members were exiled, and stripped of their title, their ranks, and thends they owned.


    "Then¡­ are you by chance?" asked the old servant who previously introduced him to everyone. "Yes¡­ I''m her grandson. The imperial blood runs through my veins as well." said Kahn/Byakuya with aposed demeanor.


    The reason why the previous emperor spared the n members of the Masamune n was because his younger sister was wed to the traitor n leader. And he could not bring himself to end her and her children''s lives with his own hand.


    "Now¡­ Although I may be of the Imperial Blood¡­ I have to serve my penance as the descendant of the traitor.


    Currently¡­ the Masamune n resides on the northern end of the empire. And among their saints¡­ I have been in secluded training for over decades. His majesty, the Emperor, who is also my uncle by blood, offered me a chance to reinstate the Masamune n by devoting myself to the service of the imperial n by joining this party." stated Byakuya in one go. Shock!


    "What?! The Masamune n is being reinstated? Does that mean he''s also a candidate to be a Hatamoto (Guardian of the Banner) and is a high-ranking samurai in the direct service of the Emperor?" asked Isshin with a baffled countenance. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, Kahn quickly exined¡­


    "Do not make assumptions. I''m still a Ronin (Samurai without a Lord) without any allegiance. Joining this party is just a condition of my cause.


    So by no means, I''m a noble. Even the imperial court and other Daimyos do not know about my origin or this arrangement between me and the Emperor.


    So it would be best if you kept it to yourself; as leaking this information to your ns is akin to treason." rified Kahn.


    Gulp!


    Everyone present except for Ryuken, was taken aback by this revtion, gulping in shock.


    This was the perfect setup he created with the help of Miyamoto Musashi and Emperor Hideyoshi. If his referral came directly from the emperor himself, who would dare to question the authenticity of his ims?


    Half an hourter, the formal greetings and inquiries were done in a tense atmosphere.


    Right then¡­


    The members of the hero of space''s party suggested something in unison.


    That Raiden and Byakuya should show them their strength and prove that they are worthy to rece their former two teammates.


    Clink!


    Omega suddenly ced his hands on Raijin and Kyojin.


    "You dare test Byakuya-sama? With what right?" He asked with furious eyes, ready to pounce on the party members any moment.


    Kensei and Isshin quickly intervened.


    "Easy there, neer. What''s wrong with testing the strength of a fellow party member''s strength when we would have to fight together in the future?


    This incident can be used to fortify our party''s battle formations. There is nothing to lose here." said Kensei, the naginata warrior.


    Then it was Kahn who interjected.


    "As reasonable as it may sound¡­ I would have to decline this proposition." he spoke with a sly smile.


    [This bastard! What''s with his snake-like face and devious smile? I already find him insufferable.] thought Shingen to himself.


    Then Momoko, the Spider-Demon also spoke¡­


    "Ara ara¡­ It has been a long time since I''ve seen such an unmannerly man. However, I can''t seem to dislike it.


    Maybe I will get to put that face in my collection one day." she said in a seductive tone.


    "Impudent." said Tomoe, the Yuki Onna, in a cold tone while calmly holding her teacup, without even making eye contact with Byakuya.


    "You! Who do you think you''re sitting in front of?! You''re but a fallen noble n''s heir.


    Serving the Hero-sama is the greatest honor many saints could only dream of.


    We don''t know what kind of backhanded deal you pull off with his majesty, the Emperor. But you should at least be courteous enough to abide by the orders." said the nine-tailed Kitsune.


    "And whose orders are those? I didn''t hear Ryuken-dono saying anything regarding that.


    Don''t just throw out your whim in the air and use his name to make it seem like I''m the one being disrespectful." said Kahn calmly with a duplicitous smile.


    "This ruffian!..." said Kagura.


    Woosh! But before the conversation took a heated turn, Ryuken raised his right hand and gestured for everyone to turn quiet.


    Next, he locked his eyes with Kahn who was slowly sipping the fragrant tea.


    "I apologize on their behalf. The way you put it¡­ their words do appear as presumptuous.


    However¡­ their point does stand. So now I''m asking you as the leader of this party and as the Hero of Space¡­


    Would you show us the extent of your capabilities as a warrior?" asked Ryuken in aposed and courteous voice.


    Shake!


    Kahn shook his head in denial and spoke softly¡­


    "That¡­ is still not a viable option for me. And I mean no disrespect to you, Ryuken-dono."


    BOOM!!


    This time, it was Shingen who revealed his dark red saint aura and spoke in an angered tone¡­


    "Oye¡­ Why are you addressing Ryuken-sama with ''dono'' and not ''sama''? Are you under the illusion that you have the same standing as him just because you carry the imperial blood?


    You''re still nothing but a descendant of that traitor." The Oni warrior''s furious tone heated the atmosphere of this gathering.


    "Yes¡­ who are you to speak so casually with him?" asked Isshin, the youngest among them who looked like a teenager.


    But again¡­ Ryuken raised his hand and signaled them to keep their mouths shut instead of escting things.


    "And why is that so, if I may ask?" he questioned Kahn/Byakuya.


    To his tense-toned question, Kahn only replied with a question of his own.


    "Why should I have to prove my strength?..." he said.


    Kahn''s visage turned prideful as he continued with a sardonic smile¡­


    "To those who are weaker than me."

 Chapter 1060 The Blade

    Chapter 1060 The de


    Masamune Byakuya''s sudden provocative response, implying that he was stronger than everyone else present here, without even a shroud of respectced in his tone, triggered the united wrath of the entire Hero of Space''s party.


    BOOM!!


    One after another, heavily suffocating saint pressures erupted, following along with the killing intent full of rage and bloodlust.


    "You insolent bastard! How dare you speak such hubris and disrespect Ryuken-sama?!" shouted Shingen, standing up from his seat and grabbing his Kanobo, the mace-like club with spikes, his body ready to jump and attack Kahn.


    The same reaction came from Kensei, Kagura, and Tomoe. This tant disregard for Ryuken''s authority and honor being the fuel of their outburst.


    However¡­ Kahn/Byakuya remained unfazed, gently sipping his tea as their auras did not even touch his clothes or move even a strand of his hair.


    "I''m not disrespecting him... I''m just disrespecting all of you." he spoke with a benign smile.


    Right then...


    "All of you! Retract your auras!" bellowed the Hero of Space in a hurry.


    The sudden order bewildered all of them but they quickly suppressed their killing intent.


    Huff!


    Huff!


    And as they looked around, they all saw the servants and the soldiers almost stered on the floor and ground.


    Had it not been for Ryuken''s own saint pressure of a 6th-stage saint, enveloping and protecting them at the quickest second, all these innocent people would''ve already died.


    Protecting the weak was Ryuken''s first priority instead of responding with anger in ordance with Byakuya''s insult.


    But the fact remained ever since these two new arrivals came, many thought-provoking moments led to such confrontations.


    "Do you dare to take responsibility for such words?" asked Ryuken.


    This time, even the coolheaded Hero of Space was exasperated and also offended by those ims despite showing great restraint.


    "Is it a sin to speak the absolute truth, Ryuken-dono?" asked Byakuya with a devious smile.


    Clench!


    "So not even an hour since we made acquaintance and you have already disrespected the entirety of the Hero''s Party twice.


    I hope you have what it takes to back up those grand ims¡­ s, there shall be consequence." spoke Ryuken, intently locking his gaze with Byakuya.


    Sigh!


    "Phew! Looks like a faceoff is inevitable since matters have progressed to this extent; all for merely standing the facts." replied Byakuya.


    But before he could continue¡­


    "If we are going to sh des¡­ Allow me this opportunity, my Lord." said Raiden/Omega in aposed demeanor.


    Omega willingly took on the offer without any hesitation.


    "You! Who are you to interfere?! A mere vassal is acting like a champion?" asked Isshin, the young Onmyoji.


    "I may not be a Samurai by title, but I have pledged my loyalty to Byakuya-sama.


    If you want to test my lord, then you shall prove that you''re worthy to do so first." replied Omega in a cold tone, his voice carrying absolute might.


    "How impetuous! You dare speak of worth to the members of nobility?!" raged Momoko, the spider-demon yokai with an umbre.


    One after another, others also voiced the same opinion.


    But soon, Omega smirked and responded¡­


    "You may be noble by birth but it remains a fact that none of you are the heirs or direct descendant of the 5 Daimyo ns.


    All of you hail from their vassal ns and were sent to join the Hero''s party after failing to be the official sessor¡­ all because one of your birth parents was born into the 5 ns. Even that monk called Dosho, seems to be from the God Raum''s Temple and not some noble n.


    So by that logic, excluding Ryuken-sama, no one in this so-called party has any superiority over the other in terms of nobility or titles." His stern and grim voice echoed in the hall.


    Suddenly, the servants and soldiers almost froze on their spots again, expecting another outburst from the hero''s allies. Because one after another, both Byakuya and Raiden werending heavy blows on their honor and prestige.


    "Hence, my proposition is valid. After all, what kind of Samurai would let his Lord fight against a bunch of weaklings for no reason?" he asked in a contemptuous tone.


    BOOM!!


    BOOM!!


    His remark erupted another series of wrathful auras and the atmosphere turned heated even more.


    Because technically, everything Raiden said was true. If one were to consider Byakuya''s origin as per his ims, he was of pure noble blood and would be second only to the Hero of Space in terms of standing in this group.


    So in the end, it was them who were crossing the line and disrespecting the noble blood. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "So¡­ who dares to face me?" asked Omega in an overbearing and domineering voice.


    [You sure want to face them?] asked Kahn.


    [Yes, I have to gain some experience after practicing so much. Besides, I want to show you the new skills and techniques I learned from Miyamoto-sensei.] responded Omega.


    It was then, Kahn realized that the sword saint wasn''t just his but also Omega''s legitimate master. The only difference was that he taught both of them different fighting techniques. [Good then. It will be a good chance to assess the strength of this party in advance. So do not disappoint me.] ordered Kahn while maintaining a sly smile on his face.


    "I''ll allow it." suddenly, Ryuken announced his wish.


    "What?!" The collective exim from the party members echoed in the halls of the pagoda as the Hero of Space suddenly allowed for the challenge presented by Raiden.


    A small-curved smile appeared on Ryuken''s face as he revealed his reasons¡­


    "A person is either an ignorant fool when they boast about their strength so vociferously, or¡­ they''re terrifyingly strong to have earned the right to do so." stated Sasakibe Ryuken.


    He then gazed around his teammates and chuckled lightly.


    "Are you not interested to know whether their ims are true or just a pretentious hoax?" asked the Hero with an expectant gaze.


    The team members also calmed down, understanding the situation. If they epted Raiden''s proposition, not only would they be able to gauge the new members and their respective strengths, but also pay them back for these incessant insults.


    Because in the end, the path to hierarchy was often decided by one''s strength in the world.


    "Byakuya-dono, how about we ce a bet?" asked Ryuken in an authoritative tone.


    "If your samurai loses against any of them in a duel, then you will have to face me.


    And once I''ve defeated you¡­ you will talk to everyone among my friends as Lord and Lady. And you will also follow my orders obediently.


    This haughty and prideful attitude shan''t be weed under my leadership." he said in a firm voice.


    "So do you dare to ept the bet?" he asked in a taunting tone.


    Byakuya in return, let out a mischievous smirk and replied¡­


    "I wouldn''t have it otherwise. However¡­ what if your ''friends'' cannot defeat my samurai?


    What then?"


    "Then you and your samurai will have full autonomy in this party. And you will always have the free will to defy mymand.


    That I promise, in my name as the 10th Hero of Space." dered Ryuken confidently.


    "This is preposterous and uneptable!" said Kagura, her tails wiggling behind her back due to anxiety.


    "This is unheard of, Ryuken-sama." said Dosho, the monk.


    "I''m against such an arrangement as well, Hero-sama." said Isshin, the Onmyoji.


    Because that would greatly affect the chain ofmand in the future.


    "This is a rightful price to barter. Besides, are you not confident in your own skills?" asked Ryuken in a stern voice, indicating his resolve.


    [This is a good opportunity for them to learn and grow. They have never fought or trained at their full strength against me because of my role and status.


    But in front of these two, who have insulted their pride¡­ they will gain good experience.


    I cannot allow what happened during the Conve of Heroes ever again.] thought the Hero of Space to himself.


    Instead of getting offended, he was putting an act and using this encounter to help his allies and show them their shorings.


    ----------------


    10 minutester¡­


    They entered a training facility that sent them all into a separate realm, arranged specifically for duels between saints.


    "Who do you want to face first, you dog-bastard?" asked Shingen with a contemptuous and vengeful smirk, cajoling Raiden to choose him first.


    "It would be unfair to all of you if I fought you in the conventional one against one duel." dered Omega haughtily.


    "Soe at me, all at once!" his voice sent a chill in everyone''s body.


    "Heed my words¡­"


    Clink!


    ng!


    Omega brandished both Raijin and Kyojin.


    "I am Raiden. de of Lord Byakuya." he dered in a tyrannical voice.


    Omega''s indomitable and impregnable will resonated in the surroundings as he pointed his de at the members of the hero''s party.


    "And I have never known defeat."

 Chapter 1061 The Apparition

    Chapter 1061 The Apparition


    Omega in his Raiden persona, officially challenged the 7 saints of the Hero''s Party, going as far as to proim that him fighting them individually would be a handicap¡­ not to him but to all of them.


    And after dering that he has never known defeat¡­ the remainder of the hero''s party was provoked beyond measure.


    [Master¡­ till now, I have only fought with the skills and abilities you gave me after acquiring them from our enemies. And I have gathered ample battle experience from fighting by your side for all these years.


    But after learning directly from Miyamoto Sensei and applying his strategies during practice¡­ I have realized how shortsighted I have been with no true foundation.


    I shall no longer fight with instincts or just orders received from you but also the honed skills I''ve learned after learning from Miyamoto Sensei.] spoke Omega to Kahn before the battle started.


    [Learning from a true master can make the difference between the ground and the sky, a distinction that self-taught individuals can rarely achieve in their lifetimes.


    So I give you full freedom. Fight the way you see fit.] responded Kahn in an understanding tone.


    Because before learning the true ways of warfare and actual fighting techniques and battle strategies from master Romulus, Kahn himself was one such individual who learned through real battle experience.


    However, the fact remained that the majority of his skills came from the stolen abilities of other people with fighting sses and monster bloodlines that he acquired over the years.


    Although the blessings from the War Deity Kravel had helped Kahn raise his proficiency in all of them with the help of the System, he had seen distinctions and restrictions in trying to surpass his own limits.


    During his training under master Romulus, then Sage Vildred, and now the Sword Saint, Kahn had seen the shorings of his ways.


    Just because you survived the battle and learned from experience, doesn''t mean that your abilities were peerless or wless.


    Hence, this sudden revtion by Omega was more than weed by Kahn.


    Meanwhile, the members of the Hero of Space''s party were puzzled as well as irritated.


    Because a duel should always be fought honorably and in one-on-onebat. This was part of their tradition as warriors regardless of where they came from.


    Even Kahn was informed by Miyamoto Musashi that the Erdve Empire practiced a Code of Honor simr to Bushido even before he was summoned as the Hero of Space.


    "That''s it! I will not be insulted to such a degree anymore! Face me, Shingen of the Great Red Oni n!"


    It was the infuriated Oni warrior who lost his cool first after being talked down so much.


    One challenging all their opponents was seen as the warrior looking down on all of them as if they did not see the opponent on the same level of mastery as them.


    BOOM!!


    A blood-red aura arose around the four-handed and two-headed horned Oni who charged at Omega with his Kanobo.


    Everyone else instinctively moved a few kilometers away in the sky, knowing that the battle between saints was going to obliterate everything in sight just from their saint pressure alone.


    Bang!


    Ripple!


    A massive shockwave rippled through the surroundings and crumbled the ground below, shattering the nearby 1-kilometer radius like an earthquake destroying a mountain.


    The environment was filled with rivers and forested mountain ranges so the tremors caused high tides andndslides in quick session.


    "Good. You''re brave enough to not pretend to abide byws and attack your opponent for their insults. I like people who fight with their honest hearts." said Omega as a smirk appeared on his space.


    Sizzle!


    Sizzle!


    Sparks arose from the sh of the kanobo and Raijin as Shingen attacked with two of his upper arms while Omega blocked the powerful swing with just one hand, not even moving an inch behind.


    "But you forgot that I have two swords." he said.


    sh!


    The very next moment, Omega shed apart Shingen''s left leg with Kyojin using his other hand in a single move.


    "Ahh!" wailed the Oni and quickly moved a few hundred meters away in the sky.


    Soon, his leg started spraying blood but the stream itself started wriggling and turned into flesh and bones, recing his lost leg in a short amount of time.


    "All of you! Face me together or you will face a dishonorable defeat so terrifying that you will remember it for the rest of your lives!" dered Omega menacingly.


    "And if you do not¡­ I shall be the yer who reminds you of the difference between the prey and the hunter." his overwhelmingly ferocious voice echoed in the pocket dimension.


    Without waiting for another moment, Omega used Kyojin and sent a massive 400-meter-wide wave of dragonfire akin to a tsunami, instantly coloring the sky yellow as if a new sun arose from the ground below.


    Shingen quickly used his skill and sent a piercing kanobo, made from his world energy that thwarted theing wave of the fire.


    Crackle!


    Bang! N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, a massive sh made of lightning bolts emerged from the wave of dragonfire, used by Omega using Raijin, and instantly destroyed the summoned weapon of the opponent.


    Woosh!


    The twin-headed oni moved from his position and appeared two kilometers away, watching the aftermath¡­


    The position he was previously at, was now filled with a tornado made of dragonfire, lightning and winddes, like a disastrous force of nature.


    Even Kahn was surprised and spoke to himself¡­


    [Did he just merge two of his different elemental attacks after performing both of them?] he wondered.


    Because merging elements first and then making your attack move was the norm, and once they were delivered, the control of the user on the respective elements was lost on them unless one was a Magic ss warrior.


    Omega was a Samurai, a melee ss at that. As a semi-saint, it would not be impossible for many but as a saint, the immense control of the world energy would drain down the user drastically.


    The tornado itself wasn''t disappearing and kept swirling as if it was part of the natural environment while destroying everything within two kilometers of radius.


    [Master¡­ I shall show you the basics ofbat I''ve learned from Miyamoto Sensei.] informed Omega.


    "Looks like my warning fell on deaf ears. Didn''t I tell you all to attack me if you wish to win?


    Since you''re all so reluctant and think highly of yourself to not even realize that I''m many times stronger than you lot¡­ I shalle to you." he spoke with an exasperated tone.


    BOOM!!


    Suddenly, even Kahn and Ryuken were taken by Omega''s aura something unforeseeable happened.


    "AWWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!!"


    An ear-deafening warcry filled the entire dimension and the shockwaves from this beastly roar destroyed the surrounding forest and rivers within a 5-kilometer radius.


    "GGGRRRRR!!!" A monstrous roar resonated and shocked the onlookers as a massive body arose in the sky.


    Omega, the source of this ominous aura flew in the sky with Raijin and Kyojin. Yet everyone was shocked by what appeared above him.


    [Is that what I think it is¡­] thought Kahn to himself, taken aback by shock.


    [Yes¡­ this child has awakened it for the first time.] replied Rathnnar, affirming Kahn''s spection.


    [What kind of yokai is he? Why do even I, a chosen hero feel this sense of danger from him?...] thought Sasakibe Ryuken, bewildered by the revtion.


    Because right at this moment, a massive 200-meter-tall head of a wolf arose over Omega''s figure.


    This wolf head apparition had ck fur and four eyes. The two on the left crackled and bustled with lightning and wind while the ones on the left were aze with red dragonfire.


    To those who didn''t know¡­ this appeared like some unique skill rted to Omega/Raiden''s bloodline skills.


    But Kahn knew better than anyone else that this wasn''t just a mere skill or a spectral form made of world energy. This powerful being Omega conjured was none other than¡­


    The Godbeast Fenrir.

 Chapter 1062 Ken No Sen

    Chapter 1062 Ken No Sen


    Miyamoto Musashi taught Kahn about Space Law and how a Samurai fights.


    However, his temperament and goal were different than Omega''s.


    Because, unlike Kahn, Omega had no intention of bing a Hero of the masses or wanted to save the world as his responsibility for any reason.


    Omega did not even care if he died tomorrow. But what he cared most was the one thing that made Miyamoto Musashi ept him wholeheartedly as his Sessor¡­


    His loyalty and devotion to serve his master. In essence¡­ Omega had the true spirit of a Samurai.


    And as his training in Niten Ichi-ry¨± progressed, Miyamoto Musashi realized that Omega was a better-suited candidate to impart his wisdom and philosophy in warfare and the code of the warrior, even better than Kahn.


    To him, Omega was like a prophesied genius that he had been waiting for centuries and finally found him while Musashi was reluctantly forced to train that genius.


    And since Omega had inherited loyalty, honor, and morality, a part of Kahn''s personality and his current self was a version where those emotions were amplified to the maximum¡­ Miyamoto Musashi epted Omega as his True Disciple in every sense.


    However¡­ Kahn had no idea about this whole thing even now and neither did Omega tell him about this situation for reasons of his own.


    Now¡­ he had a chance to showcase his skills to his master against the members of the Hero of Space''s party¡­ he had no intentions of hiding his strength.


    Meanwhile¡­ everyone stayed rooted in their spots as Omega revealed his awakened ability he unlocked finally with the help of his other mentors called Skoll and Hati, a feat possible only because he became a 5th-stage saint just a few months ago.


    ----------------


    Somehow, with the rise in his rank, hismand and ess over the Fenrir bloodline finally became possible for him and given the fact that Skoll and Hati were the direct descendants of the Godbeast Fenrir, he unlocked the first form of the bloodline''s powers called¡­


    The Howl of Chaos.


    As the howl resonated in the nearby 35-kilometer radius, shattering the vast forests, all the trees and mountains that came along the way¡­ a spectacle akin to the wrath of Gods, the recipients on the other end were afflicted by a power unknown.


    "Ah¡­ what''s happening? My powers¡­ It feels like I have fallen by 2 ranks." said Isshin as he felt his body weakening.


    "That''s not all of it¡­ I feel like my connection to world energy is¡­ corrupted." said Kagura as her body shivered and her hands started shaking.


    Somehow, Omega had disrupted to flow of world energy itself in the 35-kilometer radius. [The first method was sessful.] thought Omega to himself.


    Miyamoto Musashi taught Omega his own warfare techniques called ''The Three Methods to Forestall the Enemy''. The First - Ken No Sen : When you decide to attack, keep calm and dash in quickly, forestalling the enemy. Or you can advance seemingly strongly but with a reserved spirit, forestalling them with the surprise. And now, before the battle even began, Omega had dealt a fatal blow to the opposing side.


    BOOM!


    Seeing his advantage at the moment¡­ the veterans like the Hero''s party members, quickly adapted and released their auras as well as brandished their weapons.


    "Now you''re finally taking me seriously." said Omega with a devilish smirk.


    Woosh!


    His figure flickered and an afterimage appeared right behind Tomoe, the Yuki Onna.


    sh!


    Omega raised Kyojin and made a vertical shing attack with dragonfire.


    Crack!


    The reality itself cracked, shattering like a ss and Tomoe was shot like a bullet towards the ground.


    Boom!


    Tomoe crashed against the destroyed forest and created a massive 500-meter radius crater on the ground.


    She was a Snow Demon by race and Kyojin''s attack made of dragonfire was the most powerful type of elemental attack against her kind.


    Swoom!


    Soon, the cloud of dust cleared and the chilling icy pir appeared in everyone''s sight.


    Tomoe had blocked the attack with her weapons, the twin sai, and negated at least half the damage. [[Author: Twin Sai is a short-sword pointed weapon with three ends simr to a trident. For reference, it''s the weapon used by Raphael from TMNT.]]


    However, even she realized that if not for her species of snow demon, she would have died if she belonged to any other species. Dragonfire was hard to resist and negate even by 6th-stage saints.


    [System, what''s happening?] queried Kahn.


    [It seems that the subordinate Omega''s bloodline ability has corrupted the flow of world energy and mana, simr to casting a domain, and reduced all of his targets'' physical stats by at least 40%.


    And the debuff from that same ability has also temporarily disrupted the ability to cast or use their powers for at least the next 20 minutes by affecting their nervous system.


    This ability also makes subordinate Omega immune to any magical debuff spells or formations that can reduce his physical stats. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    This bloodline ability also makes Omega immune to Hypnosis and Mental attacks.] reported the system.


    [What the hell?! He can do what a normal Legendary Rank spell or an Artifact does just by using his bloodline ability?


    Doesn''t that mean Omega can basically strip away the enemy side''s advantage in numbers just by a single howl?] wondered Kahn,pletely perplexed.


    Because even Kahn had to use his Dimensional Domain or at least one Legendary Rank spell or an artifact to achieve a simr effect. But Omega''s bloodline ability which he seemed to have awakened on his own, wasn''tcking in any sense.


    He had also gained immunity against Psychic powers and Hyponis, the kind only Kahn and Rudra could use in their group.


    While Kahn was thinking about the benefits of this awakened power in arge-scale war¡­ the battle continued on the other end.


    Swoosh!


    ng!


    Bang!


    One after another, Omega faced a torrent of teambo attacks from the other saints.


    Shingen attacked with his powerful Kanobo from the front while Dosho, the monk cast lightning bolts shooting at his back.


    Bang!


    As the plethora of yellow lightning bolts hit Omega, his figure catapulted to the left and he crashed against a ck mountain, his fate unknown.


    "I''ve changed my mind. He shall pay for this impertinence.


    I don''t know what kind of ability that was¡­ but I feel very threatened and infuriated by it. And I do not like that.] said Kensei as he swung his Naginata.


    sh!


    A massive wave of water des rose like high tides above him and thenunched forward toward the mountain where Omega had crashed.


    However¡­ just as the barrage of water des was about to hit the ck cloud of sand¡­


    RAWWRRR!!!


    A massive maw of a 200-meter-tall ck wolf head emerged from within. And at the center of its mouth¡­ appeared a spiraling wormhole. Gulp!


    In a single moment, the entirety of the massive wave was engulfed by the wolf head, and the world energy within it was consumed at the molecr level.


    And below it¡­ stood Omega,pletely unscathed.


    [Is that what I think it is?] asked Kahn to the System.


    [Yes, the subordinate Omega has created a basic and low-tier version of Godbeast Fenrir''s special ability¡­] remarked the system as it continued, revealing the name of the original power that once reshaped Vantrea itself.


    [The World Devourer.]

 Chapter 1063 Awakened Bloodline

    1063 Awakened Bloodline


    First, The Howl of Chaos disrupted the flow of world energy and even severed the ability to use special skills and spells by the enemy saints.


    And now¡­ it was an imitation of none other than the Godbeast Fenrir''s unique ability that made it fearsome even among other Godbeasts, Elder Dragons, and Archangels.


    Although it was a basic and entry-level version of the World Devourer ability, something that inspired the creation of Kahn''s Ability Absorption Divine Ability¡­ it was still so unfathomable.


    At this moment, the skill that was engulfed by the Fenrir apparition didn''t just swallow the attack, it destroyed and dissembled it thoroughly on a molecr level.


    Kahn had a simr ability called Energy Plunderer which he acquired from the Mythical Rank Guardian Dragon in the Forbidden Zone of Vessen Fiefdom many years ago.


    This skill could not be given to any of Kahn''s subordinates because it required the Dragon bloodline to work.


    But now, Omega had invoked a simr ability all by himself just by awakening his Fenrir bloodline. Meanwhile, after realizing that the Fenrir head above Raiden/Omega wasn''t just limited to that howl¡­ the seven members of the Hero''s Party suddenly telepathically conversed within themselves. [What the hell is up with this guy? If he''s so strong, why haven''t we heard about someone like him in the past century or so?] questioned Kensei.


    [Not only is he freakishly strong but also has this rare bloodline that wasn''t seen in our empire before. Besides, I''m certain that the first skill he used has made us all significantly weaker.] iterated Isshin as he took a defensive stance while dozens of talismans with archaic runes engraved on them, swirled around his figure.


    [If we''re outmatched, then we bridge the gap with our numbers.


    I know it is dishonorable for someone like us to gang up on a single opponent but we would face a greater shame if we lost to him at this rate.] said Kagura, the nine-tailed fox as a wave of pink haze made up of Sakura petals swirled behind her. Kagura was the first to react and soon, summoned a Sensu (wooden foldable hand fan) with intricate image of a moon and a pristine sakura tree painted on it.


    Swirl!


    Swirl!


    Soon, she waved the fan and a countless number of sakura petals surrounded the nearby 5 kilometers radius including the sky in a dome-like structure.


    In mere moments, a type of illusion barrier was cast that changed the atmosphere of the battlefield to a tranquil mountaintop where a massive sakura tree bloomed, making one reject all feelings of animosity or resistance.


    This was one of Kagura''s bloodline abilities as a fox demon¡­ to enchant the opponent and make them drop their guard by using a bewitchment spell.


    She had many powerful spells even deadlier than it. But Omega''s Howl of Chaos had bound their ability to use such attacks, forcing them to resort to these 2nd rate skills.


    [Now!],manded Kagura.


    Swoosh!


    Woosh!


    Without wasting a single moment, Kensei and Shingen attacked with their naginata and kanobo from Omega''s right and left side respectively.


    At this moment, Omega was in a trance and had stopped moving because of the effect of Kagura''s spell.


    Swing!


    Swing!


    In a microsecond, both the powerful saints attacked Omega/Raiden with all their might, their weapons just a few inches away from his body.


    BOOM!!


    Crack!


    Shatter!


    An immense silver aura burst and shook the surrounding environment, cracking and shattering Kagura''s dome-like spell.


    As the light finally dimmed, Shingen and Kensei had their eyes wide open.


    Crackle!


    Sizzle!


    Because both of their weapons with immense might were blocked by the mere t side of Omega''s katanas.


    Raijin and Kyojin stopped those momentous attacks that should have sent him hurling a few kilometers away with just mere movements of his hands.


    He had blocked Shingen''s kanobo with Raijin in his right hand while guarding his front¡­ and diverted Kensei''s naginata spear with Kyojin in his left hand while protecting his back.


    All of this done was in a picosecond, something that should be impossible while the enemy''s weapon was just an inch away from hitting him.


    19:49


    But instead of acknowledging these two warriors, Omega gave a lifeless and dismissive side-eye to Kagura.


    "Genjutsu of that level doesn''t work on me."


    Omega dered and forcefully kicked Kensei and Shingen with his right leg, shoving them after a few hundred meters.


    Meanwhile, Kagura''s special bloodline spell hadpletely crumbled to bits.


    "Compared to the ability of that snake, your bewitching spell feels very¡­ juvenile." said Omega and quickly dashed towards Kagura, leaving a few afterimages.


    His immediate attention was now set on the nine-tailed fox who had arge AoE range and could disrupt himter. This was in every sense, a strategic move.


    Swoosh!


    Omega took only a second to reach Kagura and raised his katanas to attack the fox demon.


    "Futsu no Tenohira!" Right then, dozens of golden palms, each being at least 20 meters tall, appeared in front of Kagura.


    "Apologies, but violence isn''t the best way to achieve victory." spoke Dosho, the buddhist monk as he slowly descended from the sky.


    "Yet it is what we resort to first because it is the most effective." responded Omega with a slight smirk on his face.


    The golden Buddha palms summoned by Dosho had created an impregnable wall around Kagura.


    [They are protecting her as a priority. Then she must have the best team buff skills in their group.


    The old Omega just punched his way through all of his enemies and wouldn''t take a different approach unless I ordered him to. But now, he is making logical assumptions and prioritizing on the most effective way to dismantle an entire enemy group without my orders or guidance.


    He surely has developed good battle instincts of his own, taking down the biggest support ss should always be the priority.] spoke Kahn to himself as he watched from afar.


    On his right, stood Ryuken with a serious countenance. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    [On the surface, Kagura only appears like she can do some enchantment spells simr to that of a Mage or a Summoner at best.


    But how did he know that her mere presence creates a synergy between skills and attacks of all the party members as well as gives them all an elemental buff to their respective skills and abilities?


    Is this a mere coincidence or is it because of his developed senses from immense battle experience?] asked Ryuken to himself and he skeptically looked at Raiden.


    Meanwhile, Omega was now surrounded by the opposite side from all directions after Dosho, the monk created a made of those golden buddha palms.


    [Looks like I walked into an inescapable formation. Well, even so¡­ Sensei taught me exactly how to break free from such a situation.] thought Omega.


    [It''s time for the 2nd battle strategy¡­] he murmured to himself.


    [Tai no Sen!]


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1064 Tai No Sen

    Chapter 1064 Tai No Sen


    Omega kept floating steadily in the sky as he was now surrounded by hundreds of 5-meter-tall golden buddha palms. In contrast, his opponents had surrounded him by different sides with their own offensive abilities.


    On the left side, Kensei had summoned 3 massive 50-meter-tall naginatas that let out a greenish hue, its light falling off on the summoned weapons and skills of his otherpanions, providing them additional buff in their respective attack skills.


    RAWR!


    Shingen, the twin-headed red ogre, roared and put Omega in a dizzy state, the former''s warcry disturbing his senses and causing dissonance between the mind and body.


    Soon, his own size almost doubled as all his muscles and veins became vividly visible, indicating the fact that he had entered his bloodline-rted berserk state.


    At the same moment¡­


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Hundreds of yellow talismans with Kanji symbols flew in the sky and surrounded Omega, creating a 2-kilometer radius inescapable made of fire and lightning that was a saint-rank version of an istion barrier.


    SCREECH!


    Sizzle!


    But soon, the air started screeching, filled with a monstrous cry as a massive eight-legged spider apparition appeared in the sky, standing 50 meters tall despite its insectoid figure.


    Momoko, the spider-demon member of the Hero''s Party had acted for the first time.


    Psooosh!!


    The humongous spider didn''t waste a moment and spewed out a massive smoke of emerald poison, filling and covering the entirety of this newly formed battlefield against Omega.


    But that was not the end of it¡­


    Woosh!


    Rumble!


    Soon, the sky also turned dark and the clouds crackled with lightning bolts.


    The temperature around the battlefield dropped drastically to -30 degrees in mere seconds as Tomoe, the Yuki-Onna also used her blizzard-causing ability.


    Had not been for Omega being a saint rank¡­ he would have instantly frozen and crumbled like a sandcastle if he were a mortal.


    "This is effective," spoke Omega as he noticed a few things about his own body.


    Dosho and Isshin had stopped his escape route with their barrier-like abilities.


    Shingen and Kensei had raised the entire party''s overall damage output by using their buff skills of warriors, usually found in Knights, Tanks, and Pdins.


    Momoko and Tomoe, both of whom belonged to unique races and used massive AoE skills, had blocked his sight with the poison fog and hindered his physical movements with the bone-biting blizzard respectively.


    Even with Kagura''s ability failing to enchant Omega/Raiden, the passive synergy between skills and teamwork she provided amongst her party members was ever soplementing to such an amazing formation.


    [Had I not used the Howl of Chaos in the very beginning, they would have used skills and abilities many times more powerful and life-threatening than this in such team formation. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It''s enough to rival our Pendagron Formation even if it doesn''t work on massive attack and magic boost.


    Such a scenario would be a nightmare even to an enemy who was 2 stages higher than them.


    I guess not all Hero''s Party members are ipetent morons. Challenging them so early on was indeed a good decision.] thought Omega to himself.


    The current Omega was far calmer and moreposed than before he trained under Miyamoto Musashi. Because the old Omega would have already made very strong and shy attacks to overwhelm his opponents without even thinking of the consequences, like a rabid dog.


    "Urrgghhhh!" groaned Omega and his figure slumped, his eyes started twitching while a visibleyer of crystalline ice epassed his arms and legs.


    [Everyone, it''s working! He will soon lose all his motor functions.] spoke Kagura with a visibly excited countenance as she looked at Omega bing weaker with each passing second.


    Suddenly, Omega''s arms started shaking as his senses were dramatically going out of his control.


    As soon they noticed Omega''s arms shaking, all of the Hero of Space''s party members knew it was the moment to act.


    Swoosh!


    Swoosh!


    Kensei and Shingen, the main damage dealers and the strongest warriors of the group, quickly made movements.


    [Be wary, he could be acting again.] forewarned Kagura.


    And just as she suspected¡­ the moment Shingen''s kanobo was about to touch Omega/Raiden, thetter quickly tilted to his left and tried to jump and evade the attack.


    [No, you don''t!] thought Kensei to himself andunched a vertical somersault shing attack.


    Bang!


    A massive shockwave spread across the battlefield as his naginata hit something hard.


    Rumble!


    Even the ground rumbled from shockwaves while the dark clouds in the sky were pushed off just from the shockwaves emerging from the impact.


    [Did we hit him?] questioned Isshin with an anticipating gaze.


    [We definitely did.] thought Momoko.


    But as soon as the cloud of smoke dissipated, all of their gleeful expressions turned gloomy.


    "Urgh¡­ you damn idiot." said a massive red figure,ying in a crater, devastated by his own friend''s powerful attack.


    The one Kensei hit hard with all his might was none other than Shingen. Meanwhile, the original target of the attack was missing¡­


    "Where the hell is he?!" bellowed Momoko, bewildered and distraught at the same time.


    Crackle!


    Suddenly, crackling noises resounded from the back of their team formation.


    "Kaminari Surrashu!"


    BOOM!!


    However, before anyone could react¡­ a massive explosion arose from the back of their formation, flinging all of them a few kilometers away.


    A massive pir of wind and lightning shook the surroundings, causing devastation like a heavenly tribtion to fall from the sky.


    "No!" screamed Tomoe as she noticed the aftermath.


    Kagura, the fox demon, was taken out in a swift and precise attack while they were distracted.


    No one even saw how Omega evaded Kensei''s attack or how Shingen was brought in his ce, leading thetter to bear the brunt of the naginata''s powerful attack.


    And before they could even notice where he was¡­ Omega had already taken out Kagura, the best buff team member in a single shot.


    The battle tactic Omega performed in mere seconds was taught to him by the Sword Saint, developed by his years of experience in dueling skilled samurais.


    ''When the enemy attacks, remain undisturbed but feign weakness. As the enemy reaches you, suddenly move away indicating that you intend to jump aside, then dash in attacking strongly as soon as you see the enemy rx. This is one way. Or, as the enemy attacks, attack still more strongly, taking advantage of the resulting disorder in his timing to win.'' This is the Tai No Sen principle that Omega used.


    First, he pretended to be weak after their team formation skill surrounded him. When Shingen''s kanobo nearly hit him, he pretended to jump to the left, leading Kensei to act and make him instinctively attack Omega knowing he would be in his attack range.


    But right at thest moment, Omega used his Gravity Law skill called Attraction to pull the red oni in his ce while he himself dashed towards a gap in the formation, shed it apart, and appeared right behind Kagura while everyone was taken aback from the impact at the center of the battlefield.


    Now, without anyone to protect her, Kagura fell victim to his Kaminari Surrasshu skill, the massive 120-meter-long lightning katana.


    And now her burned fur from her tails became the bed as the fox demony unconscious.


    The entire atmosphere turned grim as soon as they realized that their party''s most vital member was taken out by a single opponent before they even noticed anything.


    As for their fate, they were all on the verge of falling¡­ Like the domino effect.

 Chapter 1065 Tai Tai No Sen

    Chapter 1065 Tai Tai No Sen


    After Omega had taken out Kagura, the centerpiece of their team''s battle formation with swift and precise attack, the team''s overall prowess diminished by a huge margin.


    Isshin''s istion barrier started cracking while Dosho''s Buddha palms started disappearing, leaving them at half of their previous strength.


    All of their hearts sank because now, they were drastically restricted in terms of the use of their skills.


    "Good. Stand there like obedient children," spoke Omega menacingly and his image flickered.


    Woosh!


    Next, Omega''s dreary figure, releasing an intense murderous aura appeared in the middle of the sky which was already filled with dark clouds and violent lightning bolts.


    ROAARRR!!


    Omega let out an ear-deafening roar that shook the nearby 5-kilometer radius while two sets of massive red eyes appeared above him.


    As a result¡­ the entire hero of space''s party was paralyzed with shock and fear for their life.


    [System, what ability is that?] asked Kahn.


    [The subordinate Omega''s awakened Fenrir bloodline has allowed him to merge the Lycan Tyrant''s Roar and the Bloodlust skill to form a new Legendary Rank skill unique only to himself.


    This ability is called Fenrir''s Bloodlust.] reported the system.


    [So he has unlocked his bloodline and evolved in a sense that even you could not allow him?


    Looks like Omega has been training really hard during my absence.] thought Kahn to himself.


    Meanwhile, even Ryuken felt a sense of threat as the tattoos of the divine tiger spirit on his hands started growling, raring to fight Omega.


    Yet, whether in the sky or ground, his allies were frozen and paralyzed in their respective spots, unable to move even an inch due to sheer terror running amok their minds.


    Rumble!


    The sky rumbled like a terrifying beast going berserk as Omega/Raiden raised both his katanas upwards.


    Soon, dozens of lightning bolts fell from the sky and an equal amount of tornados formed around the battlefield, dispelling all the poisonous smoke, the blizzard, and the istion barrier.


    Omega soon started absorbing that monstrous amount of power from the lightning bolts and tornadoes from the de of Raijin while a massive burst of scorching red Dragonfire arose from Kyojin.


    As if this sight was not disastrous enough¡­


    Right in front of everyone''s eyes¡­ Omega started fusing Lightning and Wind elements from Raijin and the Dragonfire from Kyojin into a single 500-meter-long Katana that arose in the middle of the sky.


    This was the technique taught to him by Miyamoto Musashi which merged the 3 different elements with different characteristics, power output, and destructive range perfectly. Ifpared to the most powerful skill of any other 5th-stage saint just simr to Omega/Raiden¡­ even the Hero of Space could tell that this onebined attack was at least 3 times stronger. In simple words, Omega''s attack move carried the strength of a proper 6th-stage saint at the bare minimum, if not more.


    The name of this technique taught to him by Miyamoto Musashi, the Sword Saint was¡­


    Ichimonji.


    The name tranted to ''Straight line through the path of harmony''. But it wasn''t just the elements used by the user that needed to form a perfect harmonious or synchronous rtionship with each other, but it was also the mind and body of the wielder.


    Even among Miyamoto Musashi''s descendants, only 2 people had learned and mastered this skill in the past 500 years after being taught by the sword saint himself.


    The sight was so horrifying that even Ryuken felt like interfering and stopping him from attacking.


    And right then¡­ Omega made his move.


    "Ichimonji¡­ Heavenly Strike!" shouted Omega and made a quick vertical sh.


    BOOM!!!!


    Rumble!


    Crumble!


    Shatter!


    As if a nuclear bomb had dropped, Omega''s 500-meter-long katana, carrying the immense destructive force of lightning, wind, and dragonfire¡­ destroyed the nearby 10 kilometers of radius.


    All the mountains and rivers were razed to smithereens. All the trees were burnt to the point that not even their ashes were left and all that remained was a sea of fire, zing the ground while the ck smoke rising from it turned the sky even darker.


    If this was done in a popted ce or even a battlefield in Vantrea¡­ tens of millions of people would have lost their lives in a single moment, not even letting them realize how they died.


    In this radius, the party members were heavily injured and most of their bodies were charred ck as the entire team was devastated from the attack.


    Were they not high-ranking saints themselves with armors and attires with defensive powers, all of them would be facing a very dire fate.


    Omega then spoke in a grim tone¡­


    "Is that it? Just because I stopped you all from using your most powerful skills, you lot are already at the brink of defeat?


    I even reduced the power of my dragonfire by two-thirds of its original strength." spoke Omega, seemingly disappointed.


    "Let me tell you something¡­ this is one of my most basic attack skills. I haven''t even gotten serious yet." he dered in a kingly voice.


    His cold tone sent chills in their minds and body.


    Even Ryuken was having a hard time epting the fact that this wasn''t Omega''s strongest skill but one of the most basic ones.


    What Omega did just now was implement the 3rd strategy/method of forestalling the enemy taught to him by his master, Miyamoto Musashi¡­ Tai Tai No Sen :


    ''When the enemy makes a quick attack, you must attack strongly and calmly, aim for his weak point as he draws near, and strongly defeat him. Or, if the enemy attacks calmly, you must observe his movements and, with your body rather floating, join in with his movements as he draws near. Move quickly and cut him strongly.''


    In these three ways of forestalling, you must judge the situation. This does not mean that you always attack first; but if the enemy attacks first you can lead him around. From the start to this point, Omega had been leading his opponents around by their noses.


    As the battle continued¡­


    "Fine¡­ I shall give you another handicap." said Omega in a yful tone.


    Snap!


    With the snap of his fingers, he dissolved the Howl of Chaos skill, and the 30-kilometer-wide radius was now filled with World Energy again, lifting the restriction on all of their bodies.


    Now the Hero''s Party was back at their full strength. Not only did they regain their original strength, but they also started healing very quickly, recovering from those fatal wounds at a visible pace.


    However¡­ this was not going to be the end of their nightmare.


    Omega pointed Raijin at the fallen members of the Hero''s Party as he spoke in a domineering as well as excited tone¡­ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Now, entertain me."


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